Well, dear readers, this is going to be a very busy week. I’m hoping it will be productive and fun and I’m really hoping there will not be any annoying annoyances to deal with – at least, hope springs eternal. Did you know that hope springs eternal? Eternal was in jail for hurling its cell phone at a police officer, and hope went down and bailed out eternal. What the HELL am I talking about? Don’t I have notes to write? Isn’t this going to be a busy week that will hopefully be productive and fun, with no annoying annoyances? Well, hope springs eternal and hope also winters and summers eternal. Speaking of eternal, yesterday was a lovelier than lovely end to the July 4th weekend. For example, I got up. That was lovelier than lovely. I then had to hie myself to an early morning meeting with two writers who are, most likely, going to have a show in this year’s NYMF. I gave them as much advice as I could – all the yays and some of the nays to watch out for. It does sound like NYMF has gotten certain things together this year, like less shows having to share a theater and stuff like that. It was about a ninety-minute meeting at a coffee shop on Santa Monica Blvd. called The Yukon Mining Company. I gather it’s quite the late-night hangout for some of LA’s less than stellar denizens. I then came home, jogged for two miles, did some errands and got a couple of sandwiches from Togo’s for my meal o’ the day. I ate them all up (two small sandwiches) and they were quite yummilicious, although I will say that I was given half the usual amount of pastrami and half the usual amount of almond chicken salad – normally the portions are quite generous, but not yesterday, which was probably a good thing, diet-wise. I spent some time perusing a new Hollywood memorabilia auction catalog, and then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun. I saw the film when it first opened back in 1969 and enjoyed it very much. I thought its story was weird and interesting and sort of creepy. I hadn’t seen it since, even though I owned the quite rare Image DVD. I’d only watched the credits and the opening scene of that disc, which didn’t look that good and was non-anamorphic. This new DVD from Universal is an excellent transfer, anamorphic, of course, and excellent color. The film looks a little silly today (produced by the folks who brought you those marvelously marvelous Brit shows, Thunderbirds Are Go, Captain Scarlett, etc.), but I still enjoyed it. The pace is absolutely leaden (not director Robert Parrish’s finest hour), but nice performances from Roy Thinnes and company. It just ambles along slowly and then just sort of ends. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled Ministry Of Fear, a film of Fritz Lang, starring Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds, and many others. I must say, I am one of Mr. Lang’s biggest fans and several of his films are amongst my all-time favorites (Woman In The Window, The Big Heat, Scarlet Street, M, You Only Live Once, Metropolis, and on and on). But I especially hold Ministry Of Fear in high regard. Based on a novel by Graham Greene, the film is just soaked in Langian atmosphere, right from the first shot, and it never lets up. His direction is simple, yet brilliant, and he’s just a compelling storyteller, visually. The cast is terrific, Victor Young’s score is excellent, and I just loved every minute of it. This film seems not to be thought of as top-tier Lang, but it sure is for me. The transfer on this region 2 DVD is nothing to write home about, and yet I wrote home about it anyway. Home hasn’t responded yet, but what else is new, home-wise. It’s not a terrible transfer by any means, but it looks like it used the same source as the VHS tape of twenty years ago. Here’s hoping Universal gives this a beautiful fresh new transfer.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because hope springs eternal and now eternal is running amok hurling its cell phone at various and sundried people.
Today, I have quite a lot to do. I must read a script and listen to a CD, I must have a meal/meeting with Miss Merissa Haddad, I must do a little writing, I must jog, and I must do a slew of errands.
Tomorrow is more of the same, and I must audition an actor in the early evening for the upcoming reading. I must also begin getting the other actors in the cast mp3s of their music, and copies of the sheet music. I’ll probably attend to that tomorrow and Wednesday.
Thursday is an all-day rehearsal, and Thursday night I’m supping with cousins Alan and Dee Dee. Friday is another all-day rehearsal, although I think we’ll start at noon or one – if we do, then I’ll attend the Hollywood Collector’s Show in the morning. There will be some sort of rehearsal on Saturday, but it’s going to have to either just be a couple of hours in the morning or a couple in the late afternoon, as I’ve promised to hang out with a few folks at the Hollywood Collector’s Show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, do errands, meet/eat with Miss Merissa Haddad, write, and whatnot. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s everyone’s favorite topic – The Initials Game™. Remember, everyone is on the honor system – no looking things up (other than to verify you’re thinking of the right person) – you must know who the person your naming is – celebrity, sports figure, politician, fictional characters from plays and books, cartoon characters – one name per post. Today’s initials should be a lot of fun: J.R. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and do remember that hope springs eternal.