Well, dear readers, I’m fit as a fiddle and ready for love. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I’m fit as a fiddle and ready for love. Barring love, I’m fit as a fiddle and ready for pancakes. Unfortunately, there are no late-night denizens here in the city of Los Angeles who enjoy doing late night things, so I shall have to be content being fit as a fiddle and ready for bed. I must say, I am feeling rather fit these days – I am feeling toned and buff with abs and buns of steel. Speaking of abs and buns of steel, yesterday I was feeling fit as a fiddle and ready for meetings and whatnot. My meeting with my set designer went smoothly – he showed me a couple of stylistic sketches, which I liked very much. We again discussed the tone and fun of the show and I think we’re very much on the same page (page 11). After the meeting, I had to do several errands, and then I picked up mail from the mail place, which included my four pounds of Twizzlers chocolate licorice, which dear reader FJL was kind enough to ship me. After that, I came back home and did some work around the home environment, and then I supped. The day flew by like a gazelle in a thong and suddenly I found it was seven o’clock, at which point I sat on my couch like so much fish and dozed off for a few moments in time.
Last night, I managed to watch two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled The Third Man, a film of Carol Reed from the novel by Graham Greene. There is no other movie that quite has the look, feel, and sound of The Third Man – it’s a real motion picture masterpiece. The performances by Joseph Cotton, Valli, Trevor Howard, and Orson Welles are exemplary (one forgets how really good Mr. Cotton was – and Mr. Welles does more with ten minutes screen time than most actors do in their careers – especially today’s actors). The music by Anton Karas is justly famous and totally unique. The direction and camerawork are brilliant and the whole thing just plays wonderfully no matter how many times you’ve seen it. This DVD is a new region 2 two disc special edition from the UK. The region 1 Criterion DVD has always been held up as one of the great standards in DVD. Well, this new special edition DVD makes it look like a VHS. This thing is sharp, has a beautiful and rich black-and-white image and excellent mono sound. A complete winner. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled The Notorious Bettie Page, one of those HBO movies, which I gather had at least some theatrical playdates. While I’m sure there’s a marvelous film to be made about Miss Page, this one isn’t it. The writing and direction are just too pedestrian and cliché to really elevate this above standard-issue biopic. However, where the film does succeed and succeed brilliantly is in the amazingly amazing performance of Miss Gretchen Mol, an actress I’m pretty fond of. She just becomes Miss Page, and the resemblance is uncanny. That part of the film works perfectly, and it’s a shame the rest can’t measure up to Miss Mol’s wonderful work. It’s watchable, of course, and even entertaining – it just could have been something wholly other in more creative hands. The rest of the cast is very good and I’d watch it again just for Miss Mol.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button because, frankly, I’m fit as a fiddle and ready for the next section.
I have an early morning meeting with my musical director – he’ll be getting his score and script today. After that, I have a ton of things to do, including some writing, and then an afternoon meeting. I also have to find out what’s happening with the engineer situation in New York – my assistant there is supposed to have some information for me today. I really want to lock that part of it up by tomorrow if at all possible. Also, tomorrow I promise to post the answers to the last trivia contest, which I keep forgetting to do.
Today I must also listen to the two Susan Egan performances, so I can make my choices for the best of each, at which point I’ll compare them with her choices and we’ll come to a meeting of the minds, after which we’ll mix the CD.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, have a morning meeting, have an afternoon meeting, write, and hopefully pick up a package or three. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all time favorite folk songs and folk singers and groups. There was a time I was quite fond of folk songs and singers – some of my favorites were The Kingston Trio (especially their song El Matador), Peter, Paul, and Mary (especially Puff, The Magic Dragon) and a handful of others. I look forward to reading about your choices. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, because I am fit as a fiddle and ready for posts.