Well, dear readers, it is the day of the night of the Tony Awards. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, this very night will be the Tony Awards broadcast, and we will, as always, be having a very special bash here at haineshisway.com. This is the place to be, bash-wise, and we will be dishing the dirt and making with the snappy repartee all the livelong day and night. Now, I think this works a little differently than the Oscars, because I think it’s not “live” – the East Coast will know the winners before we on the West Coast do. If I’m wrong about that, someone pipe up or, at the very least, cigar up. If I’m right about it, then the East Coasters can tell us what fashion faux pas to watch out for, and all the dish that’s fit to dish, as long as no one reveals any winners. Then, when the West Coast contingent joins in, all hell will break loose, that much I can tell you. Of course, when all hell breaks loose then we’ll have a broken loose, but that’s a small price to pay ($3.46). So, join us here for the merriment and mirth and laughter and legs. For those who’ve been around for our awards parties, you know it doesn’t get any wilder or woollier than here at haineshisway.com. Who knows – we might even beat our Oscar record of over nine hundred postings in one day. That was an affair to remember, so let’s make this one, too.
Yesterday was an affair to remember, as well. I left the home environment early and hied myself to the Dena of Pasa to attend the book fair. We used to have a great, great book fair every year in the Dale of Glen, but that one went away, and was replaced by the fair in Pasadena. However, each year the Pasadena fair gets worse and worse, with less dealers and therefore, less people. Most of the dealers have priced themselves out of actually being able to sell anything. There were a few books I wanted, but they were wildly overpriced. My feeling is there will be a price drop in collectible books, because nothing but the rarest titles are selling. I did manage to pick up a few interesting items. I got a really lovely copy of W.R. Burnett’s The Asphalt Jungle – a book that is very hard to find in excellent condition, especially the poorly made black dustjacket. This copy was about the best I’ve seen, and it was a good two hundred bucks less than it’s worth. I also got a true first edition of Dan Brown’s The DaVinci Code. The book took everyone by storm, as you know, and it went into multiple printings within a few days, and true firsts became as scarce as hen’s teeth, and I think we all know just how scarce hen’s teeth are these days. I must admit that I bought it as an investment – it was reasonably-priced and I’ve seen it go for triple the amount on eBay, not that that is a barometer of what things are worth. I also got three Lone Ranger books from the 1940s – Pogue pointed them out to me, and I just loved their dust jackets, and, since they were pretty inexpensive, I bought the three nicest ones. That turned out to be the smartest thing I did – when I searched them on the ABE site, like copies of the ’40s books were fetching close to $300 each. I paid just over ten percent of that. So, it was fun, even though one would have to describe the fair as a disaster. Pogue and I did see the always-present Rudy Behlmer, and I saw actor Michael Lerner going from dealer to dealer. Pogue and I then had a rather large lunch at Islands – we both had burgers, and we shared orders of fries and onion rings.
I then came home, did some stuff around the home environment, didn’t get any writing done (but will today), and then went off to dinner with Miss Barbara Deutsch. Since I’d eaten such a huge lunch, I was quite a good boy and only had a antipasto salad (with turkey only). It was quite yummilicious. Then Miss Deutsch asked if I’d play her the new Guy Haines album, which I did, and which I’m happy to report she really liked. It was the first time anyone has actually heard anything from the album, so that made me feel quite good.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because soon we must all put on our tuxedos and our ball gowns so that we may attend the haineshisway.com Tony Awards bash.
Today I am officially starting some sort of diet. I don’t know what sort, but it will be the sort of diet in which I lose weight. I am done being my current weight. As of today, I shall be on my way back to my normal fighting weight, because I’ve got many things going on and I need to look fit and trim with abs and buns of steel. There shall be no more photographs taken of me until I have lost my first ten pounds. Then we will take a photo. Then, no more photos until the next ten pounds, at which time we will take a photo. Depending on how I look and feel, I’ll decide whether I’d like to lose a few more.
I have quite a lot to do this week – I must, for example, try to finish my current short story. I must try to finish the book design with Mr. Grant Geissman. I must attend a meeting tomorrow night. We may have a casting session for the next reading of the new play, so we can find a really excellent actor for the third role. I have several people I must see about several things, I must get the Guy Haines album sent off to the mastering facility, and I must master After the Ball with Vinnie (he’s going to try his hand at it for the first time – it’s such a simple album, I think it will be fine), and then I must get both masters sent to the pressing plant. I’ve also got to get the booklets and packaging finished enough to proof, because that has to also go off to the pressing plant to get printed.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try to write a bit, then I must visit with a friend, then I must ready myself for our haineshisway.com Tony bash, and I must begin my diet, whatever it may be. Today’s topic of discussion: All things Tony – what are your predictions for tonight’s awards, plus what are your favorite Tony memories from broadcasts past? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? And the winner for this year’s Tony is…