Well, dear readers, I am currently eating a gummy worm and pondering why anyone on the planet I like to call Earth would eat such a thing. And yet, here I am, eating such a thing as a gummy worm. They don’t taste very good, it’s like chewing rubber, and yet people buy them and eat them, these gummy things. These particular gummy worms were a gift from dear reader Sam, because dear reader Sam knows I eat such things as gummy candies. But every time I put such a candy in my gaping maw I’m just baffled by the why of it. Actually, I never really ate the gummy bears, except when they came out with the sour kind. I’ve eaten gummy worms and other gummy shapes, both regular and sour, and now not only am I pondering why I’m eating such a thing as a gummy worm, I’m also pondering why I’ve just written an entire paragraph about eating a gummy worm. I wonder if the early gummy bird catches the gummy worm? Now I feel quite nauseated and want to vomit on the ground, but instead I am eating another gummy worm, this one green in color. Well, there are only two gummy worms left and I may as well finish them off. And now I’m reminded of the tale of The Randy Vicar and the Gummy Worm. I shan’t tell the tale, however, because I just realized two things – we are now halfway through December, and we’d better get in the swing of Christmas here at haineshisway.com. We have been bereft of the Christmas spirit and from now on through the end of the year here at haineshisway.com, it’s holiday time and everything will be festively festive and we shall drink grog and nog and have gingerbread cookies and Christmas gummy worms and all manner of treats for young and old alike. Yes, Santa Claus is comin’ to town, and therefore you should have yourself a merry little Christmas and have some chestnuts roasting on an open fire along with some stomachnuts, too, and we should all dream of a white Christmas, although, I suppose, it’s fine to dream of a pink Christmas, and we should all play in a winter wonderland because it’s the most wonderful time of the year and I think that’s about enough of that. And I don’t want to hear one single bah humbug from anyone, not even a mouse.
Yesterday wasn’t quite as quiet as I thought it would be, but it wasn’t too bad and I got done what needed to get done. I got up late, I filled out big customs forms, addressed all the big boxes and even put postage on them, so everything is ready to go. I filled out many UPS forms, and then I went to Hugo’s for some pasta papa and no Caesar salad. After that, I came home and did a few other things that needed doing, then I did some errands and whatnot including picking up 0 packages. And then, for some reason, I kept being annoyed that something hadn’t arrived, but the reason was I thought it was Thursday. Well, it wasn’t Thursday, it was Tuesday, so I stopped being upset because what I’m waiting for will probably be here on Thursday, which, by the way, is not Tuesday. I answered e-mails, I had telephonic conversations, I got booked for a lunch on Thursday and a dinner on Friday, and then the day was at an end and I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Ghost, starring Miss Demi Moore, Mr. Patrick Swayze, and Miss Whoopi Goldberg. I hadn’t seen the film since it first came out – I enjoyed it fine back then and thought most of it worked well. I liked it better all these years later. Even though they talk around it in the little puff-piece documentary, it’s pretty clear that Jerry Zucker brought the comedy of it to the table. Apparently he and write Bruce Joel Rubin did nineteen drafts of a script that was already written by Mr. Rubin. Zucker says Rubin did all the writing, but a simple perusal of his credits would not lead you to believe that this man had one funny bone in his body. But his story plays on very powerful emotions, and even if it gets a little silly sometimes, it’s still quite affecting. The one scene I absolutely hated back when I first saw it, was, of course, the scene that became the most iconic thing in the film – the pottery scene with Unchained Melody playing. It’s just a little too precious for me, with Miss Moore’s hands shaping the clay as if she were doing something wholly other, and it goes on for the entire length of the Righteous Brothers recording. But the genius of the film is Whoopi Goldberg, who, apparently, no one but Patrick Swayze wanted. Of course, no one wanted Patrick Swayze either, but things work out the way they’re supposed to, and Miss Goldberg is stellar and perfect for the movie. Without her character (which I’m sure both she and Mr. Zucker had a lot to do with), the film would not work at all. Swayze is very likeable, and Miss Moore, who I am not a fan of, is tolerable and good in this. Tony Goldwyn has an impossible role and he tries hard but isn’t quite able to pull it off. The score by Maurice Jarre is excellent. This is the soundtrack that made Varese Sarabande – it made them huge amounts of money – millions – and it put them on the map in a way they never were. But here’s the funny part – the person running the soundtrack division of the company passed on the title repeatedly. In fact, they never did make the deal – the deal was made by Milan in Italy and the licensed to Varese, who then had to pay royalties to Milan – can you imagine the millions MORE they would have made if someone hadn’t repeatedly passed on the title? The transfer looks very close to what I remember the film looking like – in fact, knowing what the release prints were like in the year it came out, it probably looks better.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I have finished the gummy worms and am getting myself in the Christmas spirit.
Today is going to be a really busy day from start to finish. The co-author of the long musical thinks we’re going to be having a conversation about some scene today, but he will be finding out that that cannot happen at any point today or even tonight. CDs should be arriving at nine and so should Cason Murphy. I only have him till eleven, so between nine and ten-thirty we have to get everything packed up and over to the post office. Luckily, there’s only one or two packages that we need to stand in line for, and while I’m dumping the stuff on the loading dock he can get in line. I’m hoping the line isn’t crazy – it was fine last week. After that, he’ll leave and I’ll lug all the big boxes to the UPS Store and get those shipped out. Then I’ll have to shave and shower and get ready for the LACCTAA Christmas party. Then a gal helper is coming at two to finish any CD stuff that hasn’t gotten done, and then one of the LACCTAA board members is coming at two-thirty and we’re all going to Costco to pick up the food and drink and plastic utensils for the partay. Then we’ll all go down to LACC and set up for the partay, which begins at five-thirty. I’m sure it won’t last more than ninety minutes and I’m really hoping a few alumni actually show up this year.
Tomorrow, I have a noon lunch at Musso and Frank – haven’t been there in way too long. Friday I have a dinner at seven and have no idea where it will be taking place. We’ll have to figure that part out. The weekend is pretty free, although we’ll be prepping the double release announcement for early next week. I’m hoping to hear and approve the master for the second title by Thursday so it can get to the pressing plant by Friday or Monday – the print is already on the press.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, package up CDs, ship CDs, pick up food and drink and plastic utensils, have a Christmas partay at LACC, then finally go eat something amusing. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we all ponder the meaning of gummy worms and get in the spirit of Christmas.