Well, dear readers, we have set a date for the launch party/reunion for the CD release of Stages/Together Again. It will occur on Saturday, September 10th and will take place at The Caminito theatre at LACC, where both shows played their premieres. I couldn’t think of a better or more appropriate place to do the party, and the head of the department was very gracious to arrange it and make it happen. We will have Diet Coke, cheese slices, ham chunks, and cake, baby, cake. We’re inviting as many of the LACC cast members of each show, as well as the cast members of the subsequent productions. Plus, I’m hereby extending an invitation to any hainsies/kimlets who may be in the Los Angeles area on that date. I think it should be a load of fun, and it will be grand to see all those cast members again. So far, we’ve found about half of the original cast of Stages, and about half of Together Again. Of course, I have no idea how many people will actually come for the party, but I’m hoping it will be a lot. We’ll be having some press there, too – we want it to be a gala event. Meanwhile, yesterday went very well, what with a very smooth phone meeting with my publisher in the morning, then a very smooth meeting with LACC, a very smooth lunch with a friend, and then a very smooth trip to the post office. I then made many telephonic calls, answered a ton of e-mails, and listened to the mastered Harvey Schmidt CD, which I’m more than pleased with. I had a nice long conversation with Mr. Schmidt last night (he’d been watching Lena Horne all day on TCM), and there are a couple of other potential projects with him that could come to fruition. As you know, for me there can’t be enough Harvey Schmidt/Tom Jones CDs. I am waiting for seven or eight people to call me back – I must say, that’s a real bug-a-boo for me, people who just take their sweet time (I mean days) to return a phone call. Not only is that a real bug-a-boo for me, it’s also a real boo-a-bug. Now that I think of it, what in HELL is a bug-a-boo anyway? Whatever it is, people who don’t return phone calls in a timely fashion (toreador pants, and a red ruffled silk blouse) are one of my bug-a-boos. Yes, Virginia, I have more than one bug-a-boo. Another of my bug-a-boos is people who talk on cell phones in restaurants. That is a real bug-a-boo, and I tell you, I give withering looks to those who are guilty of doing so. They don’t notice, of course, since their blithely chattering away on their cell phone. I know I was in the middle of talking about something, but I no longer have a clew as to what the HELL it was.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Curly Top, starring the adorable Shirley Temple. Curly Top is short – that’s a big plus in my book (Chapter 8 – Curly Top Is Short And That’s A Big Plus). I have no bug-a-boo about short films. There are a few really swell musical numbers, including the classic Animal Crackers In My Soup, and it also includes Shirley’s divoon tap dance on a white grand piano. The story is very Annie-esque, what with Shirley being an orphan who gets to go live with rich folks. John Boles is fine, as is the pretty Rochelle Hudson. And Arthur Treacher is most amusing. But, it’s Shirley’s show all the way, and she’s just magic. Unfortunately, the DVD is far from magic. It’s downright bad, transfer-wise. It has no business being this bad – it’s grainy, soft, and ugly as sin. If I had to posit a guess, I’d say that they are using the colorized version (which is a dupe of a dupe) and just taking the color out of it to make the black-and-white side of the DVD. We’ve seen too many excellent transfers of films from the 30s, so there is simply no excuse for this sort of thing, especially for something that is as much of a crown jewel as Miss Temple is.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Ebert and Roeper – they are another of my bug-a-boos. Damn them, damn them all to hell. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’ve got me a ten o’clock meeting to attend.
I must say that the announcement of The Last Starfighter CD has brought many lovely comments, so I think the CD will do very well indeed. And wouldn’t that be lovely? I would have no bug-a-boo about that.
If you haven’t realized it yet, Mr. Donald Feltham has returned from wherever he was vacationing in his Speedos, and there is a brand spanking new radio show up, and it’s a dandy. Give it a listen, why don’t you?
After my meeting today, I’m hoping to get back to my short story for an hour or two (I’m in the really good part, and I hate not being able to move forward), and I hope to find out if we have our theater for the play. I also hope to hear something about whether it’s going to be possible for us to try the mini LP packaging.
Yesterday, dear reader Matthew posted that Getting Away With You was becoming his favorite song on the Guy Haines album. He wanted to know a little bit more about the writer, Jonathan Goldman, and where I’d first discovered the song. I’ve offered a sparkling prize to the first person who provides some information on the song and Mr. Goldman. If no one can, I’ll tell you where I first heard it, and give you a little of Mr. Goldman’s bio.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, attend a meeting early this morning, I must pick up packages which are long overdue, I must wait for people to return their phone calls, I must write, and I must get some more things organized. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your worst bug-a-boos, the things that really set your nerves on edge, or the things that really, really annoy you. Let’s have loads of lovely postings (we certainly did yesterday), shall we?