Well, dear readers, I finally have a weekend off and boy do I need it. No rehearsals, no errands, no nothing I don’t wish to do – in other words, I am free and unfettered, not necessarily in that order. This whole last seven days I was completely fettered, but now I am unfettered for the next two days. Yesterday, for example, I was a bit fettered, as well as under the weather. Still, I managed to relax during the day, even though I wasn’t feeling up to snuff. I then attended rehearsal, which went very well indeed. We’ve spent the last two evenings blocking the end of act one, which is very complex. We’ve moved slowly, taking time with every beat, and I think we’ve basically got it down now. We’ll see how it plays on Monday, but basically we’ve blocked act one this week, and we should be able to finesse that and block act two next week. I’m hoping that during this free and unfettered weekend that I can completely regain my health. Looking back, I think the reason I got a bit sick was because of last Monday night’s rehearsal in San Francisco, the one that took place in a room that was literally about twenty degrees (the heating was broken). I was there for three hours, and that coupled with three hours of sleep the next evening, conspired to give me the old one-two punch, illness-wise. I think the worst of it is over (at least I hope it is), and by Monday the ideal situation would be that I feel shipshape and healthy as a gazelle in fishnet stockings. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?
Yesterday, I managed to watch one count them one motion picture on DVD entitled Death Race 2000, a film of Paul Bartel, produced by Roger Corman. It’s a totally wacky film, filled with little Bartel touches, as well as some amusing writing from Corman regular Charles B. Griffith. It’s extremely cheesy-looking, but that is part of it’s charm. There is some extreme violence (well, extreme for 1974), lots of T&A, and it all runs a brisk 78 minutes. The film was a big hit back when it came out, and it’s a shame that such wacky, low-budget filmmaking has all but disappeared. I hate to say that those were the days, but those were the days. There, I said it and I’m glad. The transfer is just fine and enhanced for widescreen TVs. There’s a useless retrospective documentary included, as well as a commentary track.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I am quite ready for my free and unfettered weekend.
I actually have some decisions to make for this weekend. For example, I am being taken out for a birthday dinner, and I must decide which night that will occur. I’m thinking Sunday. Tonight I have a screening of the new King Kong, or an invite to some sort of comedy seminar hosted by Lucie Arnaz (Walter Willison is in town and called with the invite – they’re trying to pack the jernt because they’re taping it). So, I’ll either see Kong, go to the Lucie Arnaz thing, or, more likely, do neither and just stay home and get better. We shall see.
My goodness, I’m already feeling free and unfettered. I feel unburdened and without tether. I feel untethered and without burden. Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, but that’s another story.
I am so in need of a massage, but the good news is that I was given one as a birthday present – I’ll probably cash in next weekend, perhaps next Sunday. I cannot wait.
Now wait just a darned minute. I believe we’d all better put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, we’d all better break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, we’d all better dance the Hora or the Wah-Watusi, because today is our very own Mr. Bollywood, MBarnum’s birthday. So, let’s give a big Bollywood haineshisway.com birthday cheer to MBarnum. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG BOLLYWOOD HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO MBARNUM!!!
It is very hard to believe that we are only fifteen days from Christmas, isn’t it? And yet, we must believe it for it is true. So, we’ll be starting our annual Christmas celebration soon here at haineshisway.com and I have some lovelier than lovely things planned, so you won’t want to miss one minute of the merriment and mirth and laughter and legs.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be free and unfettered, like the wind, I must do nothing, I must laze about like a gazelle in a hammock, I must putter around the home environment, and I must rid myself of any and all illness. Today’s topic of discussion: Continuing along this week’s theme – what are your all-time favorite renditions of Cole Porter songs? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and let’s keep said postings free and unfettered, like me.