Well, dear readers, here we are in December, the final month of a year I like to call 2009. For the last five years I’ve been saying how fast these years are flying by, like a gazelle in a bumper car. But 2009 has flown by faster than any year I can recall, like a gazelle singing My Fair Lady in Yiddish. But we’ll be taking stock of the year 2009 a little later in the month. For now, let us all welcome December with open arms and even open toes. And let us hope for a happy, healthy, prosperous and fun December and holiday season, one filled with merriment and mirth and laughter and legs – that is my fervent wish and prayer for one and all and also all and one. Meanwhile, the last day of November was a long one and I am quite tired as I write these here notes. I got up at six in the morning and officially announced the new Kritzerland title. Orders began pouring in immediately and all but one of my dealers got back to me with their quantities, so we’re down to less than 300 copies now, which is quite heartening. I went back to bed at seven and managed to get three more hours of sleep. I then began printing orders and that took almost till noon, that and doing other stuff on the computer, and by then I knew I would not be jogging. I did put gas in Ye Olde Motor Car, and I picked up tapes for a potential upcoming release. I also did several errands and whatnot, picked up a few packages, and then decided to make my famous tuna pasta salad. I did so, and then I had a visit from a local dealer who picked up some CDs and gave me a few new releases from various and sundried labels. Orders kept coming, but I finally sat on my couch like so much fish and ate three nice helpings of my tuna pasta salad (about half of what I made) – it was so yummilicious and also quite filling. I also watched a motion picture that I had on the DVR in high-definitions.
Yesterday, I watched a motion picture in high-definitions entitled El Dorado, starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and James Caan, along with lots of other fine actors. The film was directed by Howard Hawks and written by Leigh Brackett and is similar in feel to Rio Bravo (many of the same plot elements), but somehow I have to say I enjoy El Dorado even a little more – mind you, I love Rio Bravo, but El Dorado is very entertaining in its own right and even in its own left. Wayne is great, Caan is very amusing, and Mitchum is his usual terrific self. Watching Wayne and Mitchum is a lesson in what movie stars are all about. There are several wonderful laugh-out-loud moments, along with some good tense scenes and the whole thing just flies by. The film looks great in hi-def, although the color is too brownish for my taste. That’s something that’s easily fixed should they ever put the thing on Blu and Ray.
I then played some of my new CDs whilst proofing the packaging on our next release, which I’m probably going to announce on my birthday. There were supposed to be two titles announced next week, plus me. So, naturally Varese Sarabande, my former home, had to announce THREE titles for their club release. I happen to know what the titles are and they’re all interesting – I don’t know if my title is the same exact audience, but I now have to think about whether to hold another week – if I do, I’m still fighting two other titles – I could wait a week beyond that, but then the title will definitely not arrive in time for Christmas. So, I have to ponder and I shall ponder and then decide which path to take. This has been the heaviest end of year releases in soundtrack history – it’s pretty obnoxious, actually, in terms of inundating customers with some pretty must-have titles and they are being forced to make choices now, whereas six months ago, even though the release schedules were healthy, they had some breathing room. I’m afraid that’s been taken away and, as I’ve been saying, I hope the market doesn’t become so glutted that people start really getting annoyed. One company recently bragged on a message board that they had sixty-something titles ready for 2010. I guess I’m just not in that league, because frankly I don’t understand how a company can pay all those advances and then sit on those releases until they’re ready. I know what these things cost. And I understand it from a couple of labels who have been doing this for twenty years – that I get. Oh, well, we’ll just plug along doing the fun stuff we’re doing and we’ll hope that people can still afford to buy everything they desire.
I then had a very nice telephonic conversation with my pal, Mr. David Wechter, and then I did some more work on the editing road map for what will probably be our first title of 2010. I’m about sixty minutes into the film now and it is very slow going still.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because December is here and I must get up and do the dance of December.
Today, which is the first of December, I shall have a telephonic conversation with the co-writer of the long musical (will try to get that out of the way early), then I have a lot of organizational work to do today so that everything regarding Kritzerland is ready to go for the rest of the year. I have a few packages to ship, some errands and whatnot to do, and I must send the packaging for our next release for approval. And then I’ll hopefully finish the editing road map.
I must say, the rest of the week is pretty light, but I know I have some meetings and meals to have, and some deals to hopefully close – the latter is very important, as I must figure out the Kritzerland slate for the first couple of months of the New Year. I also have to attend to casting the Nudie Musical private table reading, which we’ll do in the next couple of weeks. I have to get Cason Murphy on that right away.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do some sort of jog, I must have a conversation, I must organize, I must make deals, and I must finish the tuna pasta salad. Today’s topic of discussion: We’ve probably done it before, but what are your favorite John Wayne movies. I have always been a big fan of his, and I love The Searchers, The High And The Mighty, Donovan’s Reef, The Quiet Man, Rio Bravo, El Dorado, True Grit and I could keep going, but now it’s your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we all welcome December and send all our excellent vibes and xylophones for a happy, healthy, prosperous, and delightful December and holiday season – and now, everyone up for the Dance of December – a fun, positive dance to welcome in the final month of 2009.