Well, dear readers, this week is already flying by, like a gazelle eating a fish taco. I had a mostly pleasant day yesterday, doing mostly pleasant things. In fact, the only unpleasantness came later in the evening when I found out that cast members of the Nudie reading had been e-mailing back and forth because of my venting. But, rather than just write me to see what was what, the e-mails fly. Alet Taylor was upset because her name didn’t appear in my list of who I would take to New York, same with Barry Pearl, but it wasn’t a complete list and, as most of you know, I write these here notes very late at night and what comes out comes out. I do try not to get personal by naming people outright (I learned my lesson), but I’m not going to censor myself completely, and people just need to understand this is what I do, and when I’m venting it’s just that – venting. I love Alet Taylor and would take her anywhere in anything. And Barry Pearl has become one of my favorite people and he’s someone I enjoy working with and he was a pleasure on the Nudie reading. So, Alet and Barry, who loves you, baby? I do regret being so frustrated with the musical director, who is super talented and who I enjoy very much – but I’m such a perfectionist when it comes to my music and how it functions in a show, that musical directing for me is not going to be for everyone. It’s different when I do people’s acts, but in shows I just have to have everything exactly the way I want it. And frankly, most theater composers I know are the same way and many of them are much worse than me in their strictness. This really was the first time I’ve ever done a staged reading like this where it was such a frustrating experience, for all the reasons I’ve stated. And yes, there are certain people who I would just not care to work with again, and that, I’m afraid, is just the way it is. And I’m equally sure that those same people would probably not care to work with me again. And it’s all fine and dandy and also dandy and fine.
I did the shorter two-mile jog first thing in the morning, and did a few errands and whatnot, and then I finished the liner notes for the new Kritzerland release, which I’ll be announcing to you dear readers this very day so you can get a jump on everyone else. I had a craving for Dino’s pizza and I satisfied said craving and it was, as always, yummilicious in the extreme. I had a really nice telephonic conversation with my old pal Paige O’Hara – it had been a really long time, and she’s doing great, in her fourth year of doing Menopause, The Musical in Las Vegas at the Luxor. I had another e-mail volley about potentially doing something with Nudie Musical in Chicago, which I’ll be having a telephonic conversation about next week. I think it would be grand fun if something could work out in the Windy City. I then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched two count them two motion pictures on Blu-Ray. The first motion picture on Blu-Ray was entitled Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I’d only ever seen the first film, but I’m now rectifying that situation. I found the first twenty minutes of Chamber very frantic, but once it settled down I thought it was enjoyable. There’s something that doesn’t quite click, that keeps both of the films I’ve now seen from being great, but they’re very well done and I quite like the cast. I’ll watch the next three over the next few days. I then watched the second motion picture on Blu-Ray, which was entitled Leon (called The Professional here in the US), a film by Luc Besson, starring Jean Reno and Natalie Portman, along with one of the most outré and out there performances of all time by Gary Oldman. This was my third time seeing Leon, and I like it better each time. It’s really well directed, it’s really off-center and strange at times, and Mr. Reno and Miss Portman (I think this was her film debut) are brilliant. I like the whole style of the film, and there are such weird touches throughout – Mr. Besson is a very interesting director, and although I haven’t loved everything I’ve seen, his films are very good looking and he’s got an interesting eye. The Blu-Ray of Chamber of Secrets seemed fine (maybe not quite as good as Sorcerer’s Stone), and the French import (playable on US players) of Leon is quite nice – not reference quality, but better than the DVD.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’m done with this section and all I can think of to say is “Who loves you, baby?”
Today, I have to pick up some tapes to return to MGM, and I have a bunch of errands and whatnot to do, as well as some telephonic conversations to have. And I’m sure I’ll have something fun to eat. I haven’t decided whether to do any sort of jog – I no longer feel the need to do every day and it just depends on how I feel when I get up, which I’m sure will be at seven sharp, thanks to the hammering and yammering workers next door.
Tomorrow is a light day, and then I’ll be taping a radio show with our very own Mr. Donald Feltham – we’ll be playing selections from House Of Flowers and Show Girl and discussing many interesting things.
I think I have a couple of meetings toward the end of the week, and I have to do the official announcement of the next Kritzerland release come Thursday. And then I have to address a lot of packages so we can ship Show Girl when it comes in early next week.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, maybe do the long jog, pick up tapes, do errands and whatnot, eat, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What book or play or film do you think would make a great Broadway musical and if you were the producer, who would you have write it? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and for those reading this here site I only have this to say: “Who loves you, baby?”