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May 2, 2007:

THE BLANK WHITE PAGE

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, every night at about this time, I open the Word document known as BK’s Notes open (meaning part one), I nuke the previous day’s notes, and I am left with a blank white page. And every night at about this time I suddenly have to fill this blank white page with words. Sometimes I just dive right in and the words just come pouring out of me like a gazelle in a blue serge suit, but sometimes I sit here like so much fish staring at the blank white page not having a clew as to what words I should type. This is known as the Sitting There Like So Much Fish Staring At The Blank White Page Syndroms (STLSMGSATBWPS, for short). The Blank White Page – that sounds like a Samuel Fuller film, doesn’t it? In any case, tonight was one of those nights, but I have moved past the STLSMGSATBWPS by just writing about the whole phenomenon. Speaking of the whole phenomenon, yesterday was the first day of May and it was basically a fine beginning to what hopefully will be a fine month. For example, I got up. That was fine. Of course, I’d only gotten about four hours of sleep because of a weird dream and then too much stuff rolling around Ye Olde Cranium. I was up at four then went back to sleep at six and then slept until nine-thirty. I went and shipped what I had to ship, then went over the hill and took some photographs I needed to take. I then picked up some stuff from Ye Olde Mail place, then came home, where I ate some lunch. I answered a bunch of e-mails, booked our second singer for the benefit (Mr. Kevin Spirtas), tentatively booked our third singer for the benefit (Mr. Jason Graae – schedule permitting), and came up with one brilliant casting idea, which I’m going to try and book this week. I had to make several telephonic calls and basically that was the day that was. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVDR. The first motion picture on DVDR was entitled Comanche Station, a wonderful little oater, one of a series of films directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. I really like these films a lot – they’re spare, simple, basic, and, best of all, short. Comanche Station runs a crisp sixty-nine minutes. Randolph Scott always plays a loner in these scripts written by Mr. Burt Kennedy, and he’s always a noble person deep down, even though that might not be readily apparent initially. The camerawork is always terrific, and the only place Comanche Station really fails is the hodge-podge of a musical score, mostly by Heinz Roemheld (uncredited here, but much of the Comanche Station music is from Ride Lonesome, another Boetticher/Scott Columbia film). One wishes that the Columbia house composer would have done these films – Mr. George Duning. The DVDR transfer (widescreen 2:35) is deliciously delicious. I then watched a motion picture on DVDR entitled Interlude, a film starring Mr. Oskar Werner and Miss Barbara Ferris. I enjoyed it okay, mostly because of the pretty music by Mr. Georges Delerue and various classical composers (Mr. Werner plays a conductor). Any film that uses the third movement of Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony and Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor is okay by me. Mr. Werner is always interesting. Miss Ferris is a bit annoying, but very much of that era. There are fun performances from John Cleese (just pre Monty Python) and Derek Jacobi. The plot is the standard issue conductor has affair with kookie young thing. It’s all very innocuous, but nicely directed by Kevin Billington (his first feature). The DVDR transfer isn’t the sharpest I’ve ever seen, but the color is gloriously glorious and, as most of you know by now, I’m all about the correct color.

What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because as soon as we do I’ll be faced with yet another blank white page that I have to fill with words, words, and more words.

Today, I shall be having a two-hour rehearsal with Miss Joan Ryan and Mr. John Boswell, and we’ll be playing through everything we’ve decided on for sure – that way, I’ll see where we are and what we need (we have about six more songs to choose). After that, I shall head over to the Monica of Santa to dine and then see a French motion picture entertainment entitled Playtime, directed by and starring Mr. Jacques Tati, in 70mm. I’m looking forward to seeing this wonderful and strange film on the big screen.

Tomorrow I have a lot of work to do, but then I get to sup with our very own Mr. Cason Murphy and his ever-lovin’ Heather. I’m trying to think of somewhere fun and interesting where we can have our dining adventure.

Okay, hold your hats and hallelujah because 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 and the Mexican Hat Dance, because today is the actual birthday of our very own actual and beloved dear reader FJL. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own actual and beloved dear reader FJL. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN ACTUAL AND BELOVED FJL!!!

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog (weather permitting), rehearse, sup, and see a 70mm motion picture entertainment. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, as I have finally, at long last, filled up the blank white page with words, words, and more words.

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