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June 27, 2007:

WHELMED AND OVERWHELMED

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle in ski pants. The end of June is nigh, and then it will be July. It just boggles the mind, really – certainly it boggles my mind. Yes, Virginia, I, BK, have a boggled mind. But I have no time to be boggled for with every passing day there is more and more to do. I’m trying to stay on top of everything, but I must say that this week, thus far, has been a bit overwhelming. Not merely whelming, mind you, but overwhelming, in fact, whelming with a vengeance. Why is vengeance spelled like that? Why do we need the “ea” when either “e” or “a” would work just as well. I want the name of the person who came up with this spelling so that I may ridicule him from here to eternity and hell and back. As I write this, I’m listening to a soundtrack. I found this CDR in a drawer – no case, no label, no nothing. It sounds familiar in a Herrmannesque sort of way (but it’s not Herrmann, and I’d say it dates from the last ten to fifteen years), but I have no idea what the fershluganah thing IS. Have I mentioned that I am both whelmed and overwhelmed? Speaking of overwhelmed, yesterday was a long and fruitful day, even though I actually consumed no fruit whatsoever. I ask you, how can one have a fruitful day sans fruit? In any case, I was awakened by a telephonic call asking for “All Saints.” I suggested they call another number. I got up, as I couldn’t go back to sleep. There were already numerous e-mails to attend to, and then I had to toddle off to a little work session with John and Joan, the two J’s. We rerecorded the selections that I’d futzed with in rehearsal, and then Joan and I toddled off to rehearsal. We began with act one, and we stopped and started. She had a good deal of the blocking wrong, so I had to spend a lot of time cleaning that up and marking it in her script so that she understood where to move when. But the first act is starting to take shape – it’s eclectic and fun and I like it quite a bit. I’m still smoothing out and extending patter, but it’s basically all there. After rehearsal, I picked up the proofed book and then came home. Mr. Kevin Spirtas stopped by to pick up some CDs and DVDs he’ll be selling at several events, and then I began entering the corrections. I ran a few of them by my muse Margaret, but basically they were all pretty much on the money and very easy to do – she actually caught several whoppers that I and proofer one had somehow missed, so that was good. I got some food, made quite a few telephonic calls, and then finally sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I finally finished watching The Colossus Of Rhodes. I have no idea what it was about, other than some bad people were trying to overthrow the leaders of Rhodes, and all the while Rory Calhoun kept talking to people for reasons I wasn’t really fathoming. The film was the first credited directorial effort of Mr. Sergio Leone. It has very little that is Leone-esque, but it’s nicely filmed and its last twenty minutes finally delivers some exciting sequences. Up to then it was all fairly low key. It’s a long film, 128 minutes (the Eyetalian version is even ten minutes longer), and it just sort of meanders along, but I liked it because I enjoy these peplums. There were some nice effects, and the dubbing in these films is always a source of amusement. The music by A. Lavagnino is odd – it never really supports what’s happening on screen, and frequently there is no music at all for great stretches. Like all peplums, the leading men are put through many trials and tribulations – there are whippings, people hung by their arms, lions waiting to rip them apart, earthquakes, great windstorms, evil usurpers, swordfights, hot boiling oil and women desirous of power. The transfer is excellent (the first two minutes are sketchy, but it immediately gets better), with good color and all reasonably sharp.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because the time for being whelmed and overwhelmed is nigh.

Today shall be quite a whelming and overwhelming day. I’m supposed to see Vinnie to put the finishing touches on Miss Susan Egan’s CD. I may have to lunch with Miss Merissa Haddad, although that’s up in the air, and I probably will be rehearsing with Joan. In addition to that, I shall continue looking at resumes and talking to people, trying to fill some important positions for the NYMF presentation of The Brain From Planet X, most importantly the line producer/general manager position, so that that person can then take care of all the NYMF paperwork and details.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, and Friday will be more of the same and the weekend will be more of the same, although I’ll try to find some relaxation time. Of course, I’ll be seeing our very own Cason in Cabaret on Saturday evening, which I’m very much looking forward to.

So far, the LA contingent for The Brain is Cason, Alet, and now Benjamin Clark. I’m actively compiling names for all the other roles, and I’ve had some nice folks contact me thanks to dear reader elmore – so, as soon as I hire a casting director in New York, we’ll have them set up the appointments for when I’m there to cast at the end of July.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, work with Vinnie, maybe lunch with Merissa, maybe rehearse with Joan, and a whole mess o’ whatnot in between – and perhaps even a dinner out. 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 load of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I try to control being both whelmed and overwhelmed.

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