Well, dear readers, I’m just a travelin’ man and soon I will be travelin’, man, to New York, New York, hence I shall write the notes quickly so that I can get to bed and attempt to get a decent night’s sleep. So, a little traveling music, please. I was determined to have a very relaxing yesterday but that didn’t quite work out the way I planned. I got up early, did the long jog, then had to deliver a box o’ CDs to a local dealer. I was then going to do banking but I was hoping that an errant check would be arriving, so I waited. While waiting, I began cleaning out the CD closet and moving a whole section to the garage, to give myself more room. That ended up taking two hours, at which point I went to the mail place where the check was indeed waiting. I then did my banking, paid some Kritzerland bills, and then did my handful of errands and whatnot. I was then very hungry, so I decided I’d just do another Subway turkey sandwich, only the Subway was out of turkey. So, I called a nearby friend and we went to Hugo’s, where I had pasta papa and a half-Caesar salad, which really hit the spot. I then came home, finished the little bit of packing I had left and then I got very antsy and anxious, as I always do the night before I fly. So, a nearby friend came over and kept me company until eight-thirty. We sat on the couch like so much fish and watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Last Starfighter. I’m really not sure I’d ever seen it all the way through. As most of you know, a couple of years ago I returned to the stage in a staged reading of the musical version of The Last Starfighter, by our very own FJL and Skip Kennon. I played the dual roles of Otis and Grig, not necessarily in that order. So, it was really fun to watch the film and note the differences. I have to say that FJL did a really good job in his adaptation – streamlining the plot and action, combining Otis and Grig (who has a much larger role in the film), and making a major change in the Robert Preston character, who really disappears mid-way through the film. One can see where Skip would let the dialogue in a scene lead him to a song idea, and that was fun, too, especially noting how he used some of the dialog in his lyrics to Things Change. As to the film, even though I don’t care for most of the 80s kiddie movies, this is so sweet and so innocent and so charming, that one just gives oneself over to it. Preston is terrific, Lance Guest is a wonderful Alex, and Catherine Mary Stewart is a comely Maggie. Dan O’Herlihy is great as Grig. Jonathan Betuel’s script moves right along and is not filled with the usual 80s crassness that mars so many other films from that decade, and Nick Castle’s direction is not afraid to let scenes play out and to take his time, which is very refreshing – even so, the film runs a very brisk 104 minutes or so. The Blu-Ray looks and sounds swell, and Craig Safan, a composer I’m not that crazy about, really delivers a good score here.
After the movie, the nearby friend left and I did a few more things to get ready and now I shall finish these here notes, so why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because all too soon I shall be a travelin’ man.
Today, I shall be up at four in the morning, at which time I shall shower and dress and await my transportation to the airport. So, please send all excellent vibes and xylophones for a safe, on-time, and smooth flight to Newark, and then a safe journey into New York, New York.
Tonight I shall sup with Miss Crista Moore at my beloved Joe Allen, hopefully at table 20, so if any of our New York hainsies/kimlets are in the neighborhood, do stop by and say hey.
Tomorrow, we begin rehearsals, and then I’m really looking forward to the haineshisway.com get-together at FJL’s home environment. I will, of course, have a full report.
But before I go, 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 and the Charleston, for today is the birthday of our very own beloved TCB. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own beloved TCB. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN BELOVED TCB!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a safe, on-time, and smooth flight to Newark, and then a safe journey into New York, New York, I must get settled in my hotel, and then I must sup with Crista Moore. 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 hopefully get a good night’s sleep and prepare to be a travlin’ man. Don’t forget the super-strong excellent vibes and xylophones.