Well, dear readers, another week has sped by like a gazelle in pantyhose and a peignoir. Why, it seems like only yesterday that dear reader Hisaka arrived in Los Angeles, California, USA, and yet it has been an entire week. Today is going to be chockfull of things to do, places to go, and people to see, so I’d better just speed through these here notes like a gazelle in pantyhose and a peignoir. So, let’s turn back the clock to long-ago yesterday, shall we? I got up in the morning and had to deal with several telephonic calls. I then had to package up some orders, and then I left early to go ship them at the little mini-post office in a drugstore in the Oaks of Sherman. Unfortunately, the woman who runs said mini-post office was out sick, so I had to put all the packages back in the motor car. I shipped them several hours later in the City of Studio post office, which, thankfully, was not crowded. I then came back to the home environment, where I wrote a couple of pages. I had to write several strongly-worded e-mails to amazon, who continue to screw up even the most mundane things. Then, we had a little production meeting/dinner at Hugo’s. The person who our producer had spoken to about lighting our show was supposed to be at the meeting, but canceled for the third time. Needless to say, that particular buffoon is done. We’ll most likely meet with the staff lighting designer at the El Portal, who I’m sure will be fine. It looks like we have an official casting person on board, so we should be able to start auditioning in a week or two. After dinner, I had two very good bits of news when I got home, both in regards to the LACC benefit. Bit of news one was that Michael Lembeck will be joining our lineup. Bit of news number two was that we found Valerie Gillette. Valerie was one of the stars of my musical version of The Comedy of Errors, and she sang the song What Do I Do Now, which I later recorded with Michelle Nicastro for my Shakespeare on Broadway CD. Valerie hit a home run every single performance – she just knocked the song out of the ballpark with her amazing voice. Well, she’ll be coming in to do the song in our benefit, and I am thrilled as punch. Is punch thrilled? Do we know that for a fact? Or is punch only pleased? In any case, both bits of news made me very happy indeed. By that time, half the evening was over, having sped by like a gazelle in pantyhose and a peignoir.
Last night, I began watching the new DVD set of Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Complete First Season. I love AHP and it’s grand to finally see that Universal will be putting what will hopefully be the entire ten-year run on DVD. The first season consists of a whopping thirty-nine shows. The series started out with a bang with the episode Revenge, personally directed by Mr. Alfred Hitchcock himself. It’s a chilling little tale with a nifty little twist, and it has excellent performances from Ralph Meeker and Vera Miles. The next show, Premonition, is merely adequate, although, it too, has a nifty little twist. The next show was terrible, a western of all things. The show that followed was better, but still not great. They were obviously feeling their way with these early episodes, and things got better as the series went along. The one constant in every episode are the brilliant opening and closing bits by Mr. Hitchcock. They are laugh-out-loud funny, and fabulously written by James Allardice. Quality on the four episodes I’ve viewed thus far is mostly very good. I’ll be reporting on the episodes which stand out as I go through the set.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, because I must speed through the rest of the notes like a gazelle in pantyhose and a peignoir.
What a day this is going to be. If all goes according to Hoyle, my large order of books should arrive today. I still am deciding the best way in which to ship them so that I don’t lose money on every shipment. If they arrive, I’ll start packing them up this evening, and hopefully finish tomorrow morning, and I’ll try to get them out before the post office closes, but if I don’t, then I’ll get them out on Monday. I am also expecting at least four other packages, all confirmed for delivery. After I get all these boxes back here, I then will be rehearsing with Mr. Kevin Spirtas, as we ready his show for our one-night-only concert at the El Portal. I hired a terrific video crew to shoot the show (people I’ve worked with on the Penn and Teller show), and Vinnie will be there to record it. After the rehearsal, I may or may not have dinner plans. Whew!
Tomorrow I must also go into my storage facility and pull several charts for several songs, which I’ve been meaning to do for some time. That will, of course, be a major chore, but I must buckle down Winsocki and do it.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, pick up many, many packages, I must write, I must rehearse, and I must take supper. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, various and sundried soundtrack CDs. DVD, Hitchcock Presents, to be followed by the new DVD of the great ABC Movie of the Week, The Girl Most Likely To with Stockard Channing. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and more photographs from the New York, New York gathering, which, by all accounts, is spectacularly spectacular, like a gazelle in panty hose and a peignoir.