Well, dear readers, the weekend is over and the new week has begun. I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you find such up-to-the-minute news? Nowhere, that’s where. The weekend was busy, but I did manage to get in some relaxation, too, so I feel ready to dive into this week like a gazelle in a ten-gallon hat. I shall dive into this week because this week is going to be very busy, right up until Mr. Kevin Spirtas’ show on the 24th. I will have no days off this week or on the weekend, and very little time to relax. This week I must buckle down Winsocki and contact everyone who I’m using in the LACC benefit, and I also must get together with my musical director, to get him started setting keys and such. It’s rather shocking, but we’re only six weeks away from the show now. Kevin is out of town until Friday, so I’ll have today through Thursday to deal with all of it. Additionally, I now have this little recording I have to do for the upcoming show at the Ahmanson, so I have to make those arrangements, too, and also meet with their musical staff. I’m also hoping that we begin casting this week – the basic calls, which I won’t be attending. I’ll be at the call backs after the first weed-through has been done. Vinnie and I have to go meet with the sound man at the El Portal, to make sure we’re all on the same page in terms of the live recording we’ll be making. I’m trying to keep some of my evenings free so I can sit on my couch like so much fish, but that’s proving difficult. For example, tomorrow evening I’ll be with our very own Mr. Donald Feltham, taping an upcoming radio show. Today all the components for The Last Starfighter CD should be going over to the pressing plant, so that’s finished and done with. What am I, writing a laundry list all of a sudden? This is just one big fershluganah laundry list, that’s what this is. As long as I’m doing a fershluganah laundry list I may as well add two pairs of pants and three shirts – no starch on the shirts, please. In any case, I’m already tired just thinking about this week.
Yesterday, I slept in, which is much preferable to sleeping out. I got up and buckled down Winsocki and finally wrote two pages of my current short story, so that was nice. I then had a good rehearsal with Mr. Kevin Spirtas and our musical director, Mr. John Boswell. This is the first time we’ve had Bos since being back in rehearsal (Kevin works with a CD when we don’t have him), and it’s ever so much easier when Boswell is there. If you’re in the LA area, I’m hoping to see some of you at the show on the 24th. It benefits Katrina victims, and the admission price is very reasonable at twenty bucks. We’re also holding a few seats for people who cannot afford the admission price, so if that’s a deterrent don’t let it be – just contact me and we’ll arrange the seats. After the rehearsal, I went to Gelson’s and did some grocery shopping for the first time in two months. I literally had nothing in the house. Now I have something in the house, including about fifty cans of Diet Coke. And, as a little treat to myself, I rustled up some Wacky Noodles for supper.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, so I can continue this laundry list in the next section.
Yesterday, I managed to watch two count them two motion pictures on DVD, neither of which I’d seen before. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled The Escape Artist, directed by Caleb Deschanel, and starring Griffin O’Neal, Raul Julia, Teri Garr, Huntz Hall, Jackie Coogan, Desi Arnaz, and many others. The film was a box-office disaster back in 1982, and it had been on the shelf for a while even before it was released. Well, times change, and I think the years have probably been kind to The Escape Artist, because what’s on view is a very enjoyable film with beautiful photography (Stephen Burum), a sublimely gorgeous score by Georges Delerue (one of his best), and great performances all around, especially from young Mr. O’Neal. The film certainly isn’t perfect – the beginning reeks of Mr. Coppola’s post-production fiddling (the film opens with a scene from the middle of the film – it’s fine, but a bit confusing ultimately), especially the tacked-on occasional voice over, which is very poorly written. Despite that, I just really went with it, and it’s quite magical at times (another nice thing – no CGI – all the magic in the film is real and done without editing, courtesy of the film’s magic consultant, Ricky Jay). The transfer is stunning as is the sound (the music is, for the first time, directly from the session masters, and it sounds glorious), and, surprisingly for Paramount, there is a nice commentary track by Deschanel, Rick Jay, and the film’s line producer – they skirt the post-production problems, at least in the part I heard, but they do acknowledge that Coppola was responsible for opening the film as it opens, and for the voice-over). I really recommend the film to those who haven’t seen it. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, starring Miss Barbara Stanwyck, Mr. Van Heflin, Miss Lizabeth Scott, and Mr. Kirk Douglas. I don’t know how I’ve missed this film all these years, but I’m happy to have finally caught up with it. Just what up was doing with it I have no idea, but catch them I did. Where was I? Oh, yes, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is quite a good little film noir, with excellent performances, a great Rozsa score, and striking direction by Lewis Milestone. The transfer is excellent, with rich black-and-white images.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Has anyone noticed that today’s notes are rather like a laundry list? I was supposed to see my masseuse’s belly-dancing show last night, but I was just too pooped to pop over to the Henry Fonda Theater to see it. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen live belly-dancing. Perhaps I’ll do some belly-dancing right now – I’m quite certain I have a nice spangly belly-dancing outfit in the closet.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, I must set meetings, I must make telephonic calls, I must do errands, I must go to storage and find one more chart, I must hopefully pick up a package or three, and I must even ship out a couple of packages. Today’s topic of discussion: Tell us about the worst boss you’ve ever had – the one that you would have liked to smack upside the head. Tell us why the boss was the worst, and if you ever did anything to get back at him/her. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? In fact, let’s have a laundry list of postings whilst we all belly-dance all the livelong day and night.