Well, dear readers, I tell you I cannot keep up. I wanted to keep up, but up was being too unruly and so I had to let up go. What the HELL am I talking about? In any case, I cannot keep up, although I am trying my best to keep up because one simply must. I have not found a moment to complete listening to a CD to give notes, I have not had a moment to finish reading the script I’ve been asked to do a reading of, and I must say yay or nay this very day, I have not had a moment to take my clothes to the dry cleaners and I am almost out of things to wear, I have not had time to get a haircut and I am completely unkempt – and why? This is what happens when you are directing three one-person shows at the same time, completing a novel, taking over an alumni association, having meetings, and trying to stay on top of The Brain’s next incarnation, as well as finish the video. But, you know what – hell and damnation, I WILL keep up. I will not fall behind, I will not let things go the way of the dodo bird, I will keep up and that is all there is to that. Well, that was a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, wasn’t it? That was just a lot of frothing at the mouth for no reason whatsoever, wasn’t it? That was a lot of bombast for so early in the notes, wasn’t it? I gotta tell you… Other than that, I’m having a grand time. Speaking of a grand time, yesterday I could barely keep up. For example, I got up at nine on the dot. By nine-thirty I began writing and by the time I had to leave I’d basically done my three pages that I’d wanted to do. Then I toddled off to a work session with Miss Alet Taylor. We just sang through stuff, making some definite choices and putting other song on a maybe list. We’ll have one more session like that, and then we’ll begin doing the arrangements. After Alet, Miss Merissa Haddad showed up and I put together and routined a long medley – I’d actually figured out the order of the medley days ago, and then Boswell and I cut and pasted it together and figured out the transitions and it came out really well and it’s really a lot of fun. We then had to get to the rehearsal space. She’d brought the piano track CD she’d burned, but something had gone wrong and it wouldn’t play – when I looked at it I could tell immediately that it hadn’t “finalized.” She was quite frazzled by that, but I calmed her down and said it was better not to have it for the first session. So, we began at the beginning and she sang acapella while I blocked the show (not a difficult thing, as the stage has no room whatsoever). We also stopped and did the patter ideas as we went. I gave her some lines, and we at least got rough versions of everything we needed. In the middle of the act we came to a song and I just knew it was the wrong place for it and I also knew immediately that there was no right place for it, so I cut it. By the end of the session, the show was completely blocked and we both knew that the structure was sound and strong and that the act was going to have a really good flow to it. I was very, very pleased, as was Merissa. So, now we begin the task of smoothing everything out, finessing her performance, and doing detail work, from now until the show.
I then toddled off to a meeting with my new vice-president, Miss Joanna Erdos. We talked about many things, and laid out my goals and plans for this year and the beginning of next year. In the next two weeks, we’re going to choose our governing board and our advisory committee, and then we’re going to start finding donations for us to do a big, all-star benefit at the end of October. I already have the idea for the benefit, and I think it’s a clever one and one that will draw an audience, presuming we can get the caliber of talent I want. We also got specific about the types of workshops, seminars, and master classes I want to do, and I’m most excited about those. So, I think we got off to a good start. Next week, we’ll meet with the president of LACC, and then the foundation, to make sure we’re doing everything according to Hoyle, including writing our own by-laws. After the meeting, I came home and wrote two-and-a-half more pages – finished a really important chapter, and began what will be the book’s final two or three chapters.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because frankly I’m having trouble even keeping up with these here notes.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Kill, Baby… Kill, a film of Mario Bava. I’m very fond of this film, a gothic chiller that has a wonderful look and a lot of style. The original Eyetalian title was Operazione Paura (Operation Fear), which is not as lurid as the American title. There are several really classic sequences in the film, and one particular bit of business clearly inspired Fellini in his short film, Toby Dammit. I’d read raves about the transfer, and about how bold and vivid the colors were. This film has always looked awful on home video, so it’s nice to have it in its proper screen ratio for the first time. And I will say the film has bold and vivid colors if you like yellow, orange, and brown. Apparently, the folks at Anchor Bay don’t know anything about the color blue, for if they removed some yellow and added some blue the color might actually resemble what the film is supposed to look like. And they rave, these idiot “reviewers” on the Internet. They wouldn’t know good color if it hit them between the eyeballs. There is a trailer included, and while it is ugly-looking, dark, and dupey, you can see what it looks like without all that yellow – suddenly the blues and greens pop the way they’re supposed to, and the actors don’t look like they have jaundice.
Today, I have a very busy day. In the morning, I shall try to write three pages, and then I have a lunch with the head of the theatre academy at LACC to discuss my plans for running the alumni association. Then I’ll come back and write as many pages as I can before toddling off to a six o’clock rehearsal. I am also behind in my shipping, so I’ll try to package and ship as much as I can tomorrow afternoon.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, meet, eat, write, ship, and rehearse. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the oddest thing you’ve ever eaten? And did you like it? And would you recommend it? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as I try to keep up.