Well, dear readers, I shan’t write long notes because I shan’t be up much longer because I shan’t be sleeping in since she of the Evil Eye will be here both bright and early and early and bright. I have had so little sleep the last few days, what with the earth and house-shaking bulldozers that have been removing every vestige of what once was probably a very charming house. I’m quite over these peckerwoods but I think I’m in for another day or two of it next week. Yesterday, aside from the shake, rattle, and roll, was a very weird day. I got up at seven-fifteen (like I had a choice) and was going to jog at eight, but it was chilly and ugly out, and besides I’m getting to like jogging every other day rather than a bunch of days in a row, so I didn’t jog. Instead, I did some more tests on the TV and decided I was being a big old dope and called Fry’s and cancelled the replacement TV. They were totally cool about it, and I went down there and took care of the paperwork. I also checked out their Blu-Ray discs and was very surprised to find how competitive and good their prices were, especially compared to Amoeba. I bought a couple of discs and paid about twelve bucks each for them – pretty good and good movies, too. As I was driving home, I got a call from one of the charity people telling me they’d had to make the very difficult decision to cancel the event, which was, of course, a mere week away. I’d had a feeling when I met with them at the theater that something was amiss – lots of talk about money woes and the economy and table sales not being wonderful. So, rather than do an event that would lose money and not look good, they’re postponing till the fall, maybe even later. I dropped Susan Egan an e-mail explaining it to her. For me, it’s sort of a blessing because I really was going to have to find the time to write their script and frankly I didn’t know where those hours were going to come from. I came home, made some telephonic calls, then went to Casa Vega and had one taco and one cheese enchilada, which I’d been craving. It was faboo. I did a few errands and whatnot, and then came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu-Ray, a UK all-region import of The Eagle Has Landed, starring Michael Caine, Donald Sutherland, Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasance and Jenny Agutter. It’s one of those Lew Grade specials and one of the oddest war movies I’ve ever seen, about Germans at the end of WWII trying to kidnap Winston Churchill. Little of it makes much sense in the scheme of things (it’s based on a novel by Jack Higgins), and since Mr. Caine and Mr. Duvall and Mr. Pleasance play Germans, and since Mr. Caine and company shoot lots of American soldiers, just who are we supposed to side with? Mr. Sutherland is on their team, although he’s Irish. They do try to make them sympathetic, but, you know, I’m sorry – it’s WWII and they’re Germans and I’m just not going to care. Larry Hagman plays the American soldier in charge, and he plays him as if he were in a Blake Edwards comedy – terrible. Treat Williams is along for the ride as an American soldier – I suppose we could root for him, but he doesn’t enter the film until about ninety minutes in and we’ve already spent those ninety minutes following the exploits of Caine and company as the Germans. The score by Lalo Schifrin is terrific, and the Blu-Ray is like watching the film in 70mm in a state of the art theater if one is comparing it to the US SD-DVD, which is non-anamorphic, faded, and ugly as sin. It’s not the sharpest Blu-Ray I have, but it’s the best this film has ever looked on home video.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below, and let’s hope that this long weekend will give us respite from the shake, rattle, and roll of the last few days.
Today, I shall do morning errands and whatnot whilst she of the Evil Eye does her thing, after which I shall return and write liner notes and do all the stuff I need to do for our next release (two CDs at once). After that, I’ll have a lunch or dinner and just watch motion pictures and listen to CDs all the livelong day and night.
Tomorrow, I have to go to a little work session for the long musical at eleven, but I will absolutely walk out of there at one, at the latest, sooner if at all possible. I don’t know why I allowed these people to hoodwink me into a Sunday session, but it was really the only day I could do it, but I’m not getting embroiled in long discussions – it’s basically just for the writer to hear the progress on the score, with my input into same.
Monday, no plans other than the continuing search for Rosie. Elmore’s suggestion (a gal who seemed to want to do it) didn’t pan out – she’s too busy, as are two other candidates. It’s just ridiculous – a fabulous lead in a fun musical and a part once played by Cindy Williams. And yet. Suggestions welcome.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog, do errands and whatnot, eat a nice meal, and watch motion pictures. Today’s topic of discussion: Rock-and-roll – what was the very first rock-and-roll song you ever heard and loved? Where did you hear it, how old were you, and did it make you want to hear more? For me, it was probably the classic Bill Haley’s Rock Around The Clock, which I loved, but also all the early RCA Elvis sides, and, most importantly, Ricky Nelson’s Poor Little Fool. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, with no shake, rattle, and roll.