Well, dear readers, our first LACCTAA event of the year went swimmingly. No, we did not all get in our Speedos and swim about like gazelles in a hot tub – I was speaking figuratively, not literally. Aren’t you glad I clarified that? Lately, I’m all about clarity – clarity is all. Perhaps I’ll write a new musical entitled Sweet Clarity. In any case, let me be very clear, our first LACCTAA event of the year went swimmingly, figuratively speaking. Of course, I did have to get up at the crack of dawn and get the long jog over and done with, which I did. I then had to shave and shower and hie myself over to LACC. I immediately knew we were going to have a slight problem because the usual parking lot was closed – no one had told me that, and now parking has to take place in a new lot in a different location. Eventually, everyone found us, but it was a hiccup that we’ll fix for the next event. We had sign-up sheets so we could harvest e-mail addresses, we had sign-up sheets for the upcoming Karen Morrow event, and Barbara had her own sign-up sheet so she could harvest e-mail addresses. Our complete LACCTAA board was there – Joanna Erdos, Cason Murphy, and Adriana Patti. Also in attendance was Karen Murphy, Cason’s ever-lovin mum. Out of the about eighty-five RSVPs we had, forty or so people actually showed up – I’m told that’s not a bad average, but it really bugged me that so many people are flakes. But it was a great crowd. I introduced the event, then Alison Boris, Barbara’s business partner, got up and did a long intro for Barbara. Then Barbara took the stage and had the audience in the palm of her hand for the next four-and-a-half hours. We took one five-minute break and one fifteen-minute break, otherwise she was on all the time. She was funny, forthright, strong, with the uncanny ability to cut to the chase and have, yes, sweet clarity. She had several people come up on stage and do one-on-ones with her. She’d ask them questions, listen to their answers and more importantly the WAY they answered, and somehow was able to just cut through the BS and get right to the point of the matter. Several people were very emotional about it, and it was really touching a few times. The time flew by, and I couldn’t have asked for a more successful way to send off our series of events.
After it was over, my friend Lauren Rubin and I went to Hugo’s, where we conversed (Lauren had gone up on stage and boy did Barbara get right through her defenses and to some interesting truths), supped on excellent food, and discussed various and sundried other topics, one of which inspired me to get some sweet clarity of mine own. I then came home, got some mail from the mail place, and then caught up with a ton of e-mails. Then I had a long telephonic conversation in which I was determined to have clarity and clarity I had, and having said clarity is a good and positive thing and I can now do a couple of things I’ve been holding back from doing, specifically because things were not clear to me. Sweet clarity, baby, that’s what I’M talkin’ about.
After the telephonic conversation, I finished watching the DVD of The Man With Bogart’s Face. What a bad movie – and I’m quite certain the book is equally bad. In fact, I have a first edition of it, and I looked through it and it’s got all the bad dialogue and silliness of the film. The one thing the film had going for it was the large and eclectic cast. Robert Sacchi as the title character was fine and the resemblance really is astonishing from certain angles. Also in the film were Franco Nero, Victor Buono, Misty Rowe, Olivia Hussey, Michelle Phillips, George Raft and a whole slew of other folks. The score by George Duning, one of my favorite film composers, was not up to his usual greatness, but it still had nice things in it. The direction from the usually okay Robert Day (with whom I worked) was sub-par, and the whole production looked extremely cheap. There were some okay location shots, but Mr. Day, being a Brit and all, had no clew as to what made the late 1970s LA click. Another one for the trade pile, which is getting quite large. If people would like me to post the list here before taking it all to Amoeba, I’m happy to.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst we all do the Rich Man’s Frug from Sweet Clarity.
Today, I shall be taking it easy. I’ll do the long jog in the morning, then mosey on down to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium to visit with some dealer chums at the book fair. I think Cason and mum and I will be either lunching or dinnering – they’ll be calling in the morning and we’ll figure it out. In the evening, I’m supposed to have a three-way telephonic call – we’ll see if everyone’s available to do it.
Tomorrow, I have a breakfast meeting, then a whole slew of things to do. I have to have a haircut this week for sure. And then I have a couple of other meetings, and perhaps a show or two to see, and some dinners to eat with some interesting folks. I’m hoping the new batch of Murder At The Grove books will be in by Tuesday, and I’m expecting a few other items to arrive, as well.
Now wait just a darned minute – let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora or the Horse, because today is the birthday of one-time dear reader now occasional dear reader and lurker William E. Lurie. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to one-time dear reader now occasional dear reader and lurker William E. Lurie. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO ONE-TIME DEAR READER NOW OCCASIONAL DEAR READER AND LURKER WILLIAM E. LURIE!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, visit a book fair, sup with the Murphys, and have a three-way telephonic conversation. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I celebrate the Sweet Clarity of things past and present.