Well, dear readers, just when did we become a liquid society? I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you read such a sentence as “just when did we become a liquid society?” Nowhere, that’s where. Has it become impossible for people to go five minutes without downing some liquid or other? Whilst driving yesterday, every time I looked in someone’s car they were gulping down some form of “today’s” coffee, or sucking their water bottles. You can’t walk by people on the street without noticing their water bottles or their cups of latte frappacinos or whatever the HELL they’re drinking. You can’t pass by a Starbuck’s or whatever flavor of the month coffee emporium there is without seeing hordes of people gulping down gallons of whatever flavor of the month coffee they’re drinking. Watching this nonsense has actually made me cut back on my Diet Coke drinking, but even with all the Diet Cokes I drink, I don’t have to have some bottle or can or cup near my lips fourteen hours a day. Twenty years ago we weren’t like this. Twenty years ago we took liquid when we were thirsty. We’ve become a nation of bottle babies is what we’ve become, a liquid society. In any case, I just thought I’d point that out in case anyone was wondering what was on my mind as I write these here notes. Speaking of a liquid society, yesterday I had a very pleasant day. I did errands, I did a bit of organizing, I did some e-mailing and had a few important telephonic calls, and then I had a rehearsal with Mr. Kevin Spirtas (mainly just watching and approving what the choreographer had cleaned up on three numbers). I then came home and got ready for the ritzy do I attended last evening.
Last evening, whilst noticing that we’ve become a liquid society, I attended a surprise party for our very own Mr. Terry Trotter, who is celebrating his 65th birthday. His girlfriend Erica threw him quite a bash, I must say. The party took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in the Stardust Room. There were about one hundred guests in attendance and yes, Virginia, I was one of them. As I traversed the room I soon came to realize that I knew all of two people, both bass players, and both of whom I’d worked with. I was ready to bolt after fifteen minutes, but a nice gal chatted me up because she recognized me, and it turned out that we had a huge number of mutual acquaintances between us. By that time, Terry had arrived and then we all sat down to dinner. Happily, I was at a fun table. There were lots of interesting musicians there, many of whom I knew by name but that I hadn’t met. Natalie Cole and her musical director were at the party, too, and I got to meet them, as they’re both huge fans of the albums Terry and I did together. At my table was Tom Warrington, our bass player on Terry’s albums, along with Claire Fischer, a great musician who had his own band for years, Charlie Shoemake, a terrific vibraphonist (his wife Sandy is a singer who I should know, but I never caught her last name – she was a vocalist with Nelson Riddle for years), Beverly Sanders, whom I’ve met through the Wechters, and Mike Lang, the great studio pianist who you’ve heard on just about every classic movie score of the last thirty years. The food was really excellent (a small steak and a small piece of what is it, fish, plus some nice fresh veggies – a Caesar salad, and a chocolate thing for dessert). There was a live jazz trio playing before and after dinner, but during dinner they played Terry’s Michel Legrand CD that we did for Varese – I hadn’t heard one note of it since its release, and I must say it sounded great. All in all, I ended up having a good time, and I’m probably going to get together with a couple of these musicians to discuss them doing albums for Kritzerland.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, whilst we all suck down our various liquid refreshments, because heaven forfend we should go five minutes without pouring something down our gaping maws.
Yesterday, I was hoping to watch at least three DVDS and yet I watched only one DVD. The one DVD I watched was entitled Darling Lili, starring Miss Julie Andrews and Mr. Rock Hudson, and directed by Mr. Blake Edwards. The film was a huge financial and critical and audience flop upon its release. Back in 1991, director Edwards recut it, taking its general release running time of 136 minutes, and reducing it to 114 (even though the box says 107, with the Overture and Exit music, it’s 114). So, he took out about twenty-two minutes of actual film. The film at whatever length remains the beautifully directed but completely muddled movie it’s always been. The structure is odd, you don’t really have anyone to root for, and the movie just sort of ambles along amiably from scene to scene. The real problem is that no one seemed to know what movie they were making. There’s a sweet romantic film, there’s a musical, there’s a war drama, and, because it’s Blake Edwards, there are some Inspector Closeau moments – those moments are classic Edwards, but are more than a bit jarring in this particular film. So, there are all these uncomfortable shifts in tone throughout. Blake’s cut does help things, and it’s certainly a more than watchable film. Miss Andrews is truly lovely and has several nice Mancini/Mercer songs to sing (especially the haunting Whistling Away the Dark), Mr. Hudson is handsome but a bit of a stick, and the other supporting performances are all fine. The aerial footage is occasionally breathtaking, and the film is gorgeously photographed by Russell Harlan. Henry Mancini’s dramatic scoring is among his finest. The DVD transfer is very sharp and people should be very happy with it. As an extra, all the missing footage from the 136 minute version is included. I think you’ll see how masterfully Edwards shortened the film.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Don’t we all have some liquid to suck down our gaping maws?
Today, I must rehearse once again with Mr. Kevin Spirtas (and pianist John Boswell) – then we don’t rehearse again until next Friday. I’m also supposed to attend a belly-dancing show at the Henry Fonda Theater, which my masseuse is in – I’m thinking I probably won’t make it.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must write, I must rehearse, I must eat reasonably, and I must have liquid refreshment poised at my lips all the livelong day and night, for we have become, after all, a liquid society. Today’s topic of discussion: I’ll regret this, but what are your favorite coffee drinks, the ones you must have. What are your other favorite liquid refreshments, and do you have to have a bottle of water at the ready fourteen hours a day? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? We shall.