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October 22, 2007:

FILLING IN THE BLANKS

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it’s T minus two weeks to the fundraiser show. The amount of work left to be done is staggering, but everyone who is working on the show is bound and determined and also determined and bound to do what needs to be done. Somehow, miraculously, we met my goal of audience reservations – we’re a little over where I wanted to be by today. We still have quite a few seats to sell, but we’re on our way, and I just hope that everyone doesn’t wait until the last minute, because that is just too crazymaking. We have more silent auction items to get, and that’s being worked on today and tomorrow. If any of our LA lurkers work for studios and would like to donate DVDs to our auction, just drop me an e-mail. Or celebrity items, or show jackets, hats – those things always sell. I’ll be steadily working with performers from now until show time. I’ve begun to try to structure the evening, which is the trickiest thing. Luckily, we’re close to being even in terms of how many Menken and how many Schwartz, and even better, we’re pretty even in terms of ballads/ups ratio. The good news is, I know how act one opens, I know how act one closes, and I know how act two opens and closes. Now, it’s just filling in the blanks. Speaking of filling in the blanks, yesterday was just about all blank. Oh, my stomach problems got a little worse, but that’s because I think something didn’t sit well with me from Saturday night’s dinner. But, basically, I just drove around a bit, and then just lazed around the home environment. I opened the windows and by evening, the decomposing rodent smell was almost gone. The Decomposing Rodent – that’s the title of my next novel. After closing the windows, I did notice that the fetid smell was much more tolerable and, in fact, almost gone, so maybe we’re over the worst of it. I did fall asleep a few times and probably got about ninety minutes of shut-eye in over the course of the day and early evening. Mostly, I just tried to sit on my couch like so much fish.

Yesterday, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled The Lodger, starring Laird Cregar, Merle Oberon, and George Sanders, directed by John Brahm. I know the other Brahm/Cregar/Sanders film, Hangover Square very well, but somehow I’d never seen The Lodger. What a splendidly splendid little film it is, filled with atmosphere and excellent direction, and featuring a knockout performance by Cregar. Mr. Cregar was one of the most unique presences in all of cinema, who had an all too short career and whose life ended tragically at thirty-one. Miss Oberon is lovely, and Mr. Sanders is his usual excellent self, as is Cedric Hardwicke and Sara Allgood. The film also has a terrific score by Hugo Friedhofer. The transfer, while not perfect, is more than acceptable. I also watched Mr. Brahm’s The Undying Monster. His work was excellent, but the film just lays there like so much fish, and seems much longer than its sixty-three minutes. That transfer is great, though.

What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst I prepare to fill in the blanks.

Have you ever filled in the blanks? It’s ever so much fun, and the blanks are always very appreciative. Today, I must do a bunch of morning stuff, then toddle over to LACC to do an interview with their newspaper. Directly after that, I have to hurry back here to rehearse with Mr. Kevin Earley. After that, more answering of e-mails and telephonic calls. The rest of the week is more of the same – another interview tomorrow, more rehearsals and whatnot. On Thursday night I’m seeing Wicked.

Now wait just a darned minute. Let’s put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s dance the Hora and The Brain Tap, because today is the birthday of dear reader Cason. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to dear reader Cason. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO DEAR READER CASON!!!

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do stuff, be interviewed, rehearse, do more stuff and then sit on my couch like so much fish. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s eBay day – what is the best thing you ever won on eBay or, if you’ve never done eBay, then at auction. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I continue to fill in the blanks.

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