Well, dear readers, let’s talk about food. I’ve been back from New York, New York for nineteen days now and here is what I’ve come to know: Once you’ve spent six weeks in New York eating at various and sundried restaurants, then when you go to LA places that serve similar cuisine, LA places that you’ve always enjoyed, then the LA places invariably pale in comparison to the similar cuisine in the New York places. That was a long sentence, wasn’t it? I mean, there are a few Thai places in LA that I like, but having eaten in a couple of great ones in New York, now these Thai places are so ordinary I don’t even want to waste my time with them. Same with pizza. Same with Chinese food. No, I’m afraid that my home town of Los Angeles, California, USA lags behind New York, New York, food-wise. You look at these little wussburger slices of pizza here, after the big, thick slices in New York, and you think “why bother?” And there is no place in LA or environs that serves mac and cheese that in any way compares to what I had in New York. Same with desserts – where are the places like the Brooklyn Diner where you get incredible chocolate pudding pie or coconut cake? Nowhere, that’s where. We just have these little trendy jernts where the desserts may be pretty, but they’re not substantial. The one area where LA wins hands down over NY is ranch dressing. The ranch dressing is just heinous (heinous, do you hear me) in NY. However, I had some of the best 1000 Island dressing in NY, and it’s very hard to find decent 1000 Island dressing in LA. And I’m sorry to say that the LA prices are equaling the NY prices, which never used to be the case. On the other hand, we don’t have anything like a 99-cent pizza stand in LA. Oh, now I’m hungry. Today I ate too much food, but it was all stupid food and a waste of fat grams and calories. Tomorrow I shall do better. Speaking of tomorrow, yesterday was a perfectly fine day with no major annoyances (a few minor ones, of course). I got up, answered e-mails and telephonic calls, had a few more orders for the new CD (I must say, the hainsies/kimlets orders for the new CD are especially light – too bad, as it’s just a good album), booked another performer for the fundraiser (Chad Kimball, with whom I worked when I recorded the revival of Godspell), set a bunch of rehearsals for today, potentially found a kid to do the opening number, organized a bunch of stuff, did a few errands and whatnot. After all that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the very long “documentary” about the beginning of sound on motion pictures that accompanies The Jazz Singer’s new DVD. It’s a standard issue Spark Hill documentary – in other words, there’s good information, some fun clips, but all assembled without a point of view, no structure, no sense of drama, no nothing. It has no sense to it, which just makes it mind numbing. The story of how sound came to the movies is fascinating and a story worth telling, but in order to do that, like any good documentary filmmaker, you have to know how to tell it, which these people clearly don’t. They just take the money and get as many of the usual suspects assembled as they can, and slap it all together and call it a documentary. Sorry, Spark Hill, that’s not how it’s done. And if I never see Leonard Maltin in one of these things again it will be too soon. I watched a few of the other extras as well, including the surviving bits of Gold Diggers of Broadway, which were surprisingly entertaining. The third DVD is up next, a whole slew of early sound shorts that I’m looking forward to.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst I continue having food thoughts.
I’d say the onion rings are a tie – had some great ones in both places. Have you ever worn an onion ring tie? It gets looks, I’ll tell you that. I’d also give the sandwich edge to New York, even the most perfunctory sandwich has more oomph there. But, of course, the real plus of New York is that you can eat a late meal anytime anywhere, which you cannot do in LA – it’s one of LA’s greatest failings.
Today, I must pick up some sheet music, then have three back-to-back rehearsals, followed by a meeting, followed by seeing the opening night of the female version of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple at LACC. I’m looking forward to it, since I’ve never seen the female version.
Tomorrow, I have an early-morning meeting with a set designer who’s going to help us have a “look” for the fundraiser show. And then, a rehearsal for the opening number. After that, I’m not sure what. Sunday, I’m happy to say, is mine, all mine, and I shall do nothing but relax and smell the roses or the coffee, or the fatted calf.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do errands and whatnot, rehearse, meet, eat, and attend an opening night. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, a couple of home grown CDs that elmore sent, plus my test copy of Une Chambre En Ville, which I simply cannot stop playing, and I’m not just saying that. DVD, next up some Sam Katzman horror double features. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we turn our food thoughts to actual foodstuffs. And please feel free to post your own food ruminations vis a vis New York vs. Your City.