Well, dear readers, it seems we have a dead rodent in the house. I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you read such a sentence? Nowhere, that’s where. I began to notice a fetid smell about two days ago, but I thought perhaps the house just needed some airing out. But, the smell has been getting worse and worse. You could smell a little something when you entered the house, then it got really bad as you walked through the kitchen towards the rear of the house, and reached its apex in the den. Before I left the house earlier, I opened all the windows, and when I came home, the front of the house was much better, but the rear of the house, while a little better, still reeked. So, I think I’ve pinpointed the dead little sucker to somewhere in the attic between the den and where the washer and dryer are – there are air and heating vents in both places, and that’s where it’s worse. And I’m sure that the smell is wafting its way through the other vents to lessening effect. So, I guess I’ll have to call Mr. Handyman and have him come out and find the offending dead rodent and remove it. I can’t remember how long it takes for these tiresome dead rodents to completely decompose and stop smelling – does anyone know? Speaking of a dead rodent, yesterday was okay. I had a morning meeting with our set designer, and we discussed varying looks for our fundraiser, and now she’ll produce some drawings for me to look at. After that, I headed to rehearsal. Everyone but one guy was there – would you like to know HIS excuse? He didn’t get any of the e-mails we’ve been sending. Only, guess what? He has. He’s a newbie to gmail and he didn’t understand the stacking way they do e-mails – hard to believe, but there you are. That means we once again have to teach from scratch someone else. Otherwise, the number is looking good. It’s an ordeal trying to schedule another rehearsal, which, frankly, I just don’t understand. A commitment is a commitment, and I don’t care if it’s a benefit or a paying show. If I were in this, I certainly would want all the rehearsal I could get, especially if I were in the opening number and knew I’d be performing in front of a lot of industry professionals. I may have to stop doing this stuff and go back to just producing albums, because I just don’t get the work ethic of today’s actors. After the rehearsal, I came home and got ready for the evening’s event.
I toddled off to Universal, where the event was being held. I loathe going there – the traffic is awful, the parking is awful, and I find the whole vibe awful. It was a fascinating evening in many ways. They had a huge silent auction, and I learned a lot from it. I found it confusing, and I didn’t even see or notice two items I would have bid on for sure. I’m hoping our silent auction will be laid out better and that the items will be very easy to see – I also think doing a little Xeroxed list of items, so people can see what’s there easily will be helpful. Still, I think they did very well, so what do I know? The actual event was supposed to start at seven, but they didn’t even open the doors to the banquet hall until seven-twenty. Once open, it took people about twenty minutes to find their tables, and then the evening began with some speechifying, and then my friend Cindy Williams (the evening’s host) was introduced. They had a video of some LACC alums, and then showed a little LACC film. Then Cindy announced that while everyone was eating the Young Musician’s Foundation Orchestra would play some Jerry Goldsmith music (he was posthumously being honored as an LACC alum). That happened. After presenting the posthumous award for Mr. Goldsmith, we then had more speeches, and then some more speeches. The whole thing lasted about two hours and fifteen minutes. I saw some folks I know, and it was fun. Then, I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must shortly make my way to the bedroom environment where there is no smell of dead rodent.
Last night, I watched a DVD entitled Show Business: The Road To Broadway. While the subject matter (following four Broadway shows from first rehearsals to opening night and then the Tonys) is wonderful, everything I’d heard about it led me to believe that the film itself just didn’t deliver. And, I must agree with that assessment, I’m afraid. Yes, there are many fascinating things in it, but the whole thing feels forced, especially when we watch work sessions where the people in them are simply playing to the camera. And then, where’s the drama? I mean, you have the whole Taboo thing with Rosie and it’s presented completely without drama. The frequent roundtable discussion with the critics is amusing at times, but becomes repetitious and finally uninteresting. Plus, in the Tony segment, they completely ignore the HUGE advertising push for Avenue Q to win the Tony. They simply act like it was all very unexpected, but those producers spent a LOT of money on the ad campaign that ultimately worked. Not to even mention it is odd. The producer/director simply has no flair for dramatic structure – want to see two documentaries that work? Watch the Company, The Recording Session documentary by Pennebaker, and then watch Moon Over Broadway, also by Pennebaker. There’s structure, drama, and real tension all the way through. That said, there are still moments, they’re just too few in a rather long running time of 103 minutes. For those careful listeners, in the first roundtable discussion scene with the critics, one of them says that he was just listening to the Stephen Schwartz songbook album – clearly talking about my CD. That was fun. Transfer and sound are fine.
Today is do nothing day. I may do a little fundraiser show work in terms of beginning to look at the structure of the evening, but that’s about it. If the smell is too gross, I’ll open all the windows again, but sit outside. I’ll try to eat something fun, too, and I’m quite certain I’ll watch some motion pictures on DVD.
This week, it’s more rehearsals, two interviews to give, and we begin the big push to sell this thing out. We also have to get more silent auction items. I’m going through all my stuff to see what I don’t mind giving up, and I may even frame one of my many notes from Sondheim to be in the auction. I’m still waiting for some more signed musical quotes. We also have a couple of vacation packages, several gift baskets, fine dining and theater packages, and that sort of stuff.
Now wait just a minute – we’d better put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, we’d better break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, we’d better dance the Hora and the Monkey, because today is the birthday of one of our newest dear readers, 3DDiffusion. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to one of our newest dear readers, 3DDiffusion. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO ONE OUR NEWEST DEAR READERS, 3DDIFFUSION!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try to avoid the fetid smell of the dead rodent, I must do some structuring of the show, and then I must just relax and recharge for the busy, busy week ahead. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers make with the topics and we all make with the posts. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst the aroma of dead rodent permeates the air with the sweet, sickly smell of its rotting flesh. That sounds like an ad for a Hammer film, doesn’t it?