Well, dear readers, I am quite tired as I had quite a long day, but it was a good day therefore I don’t mind being quite tired. I shall still try to infuse these here notes with some vim and vigor but if I fall short of that I shall try to infuse them with vigor and vim. It would help if I could actually see what I was typing, but my eyes are a puddle of weariness and bleariness. To give you the Reader’s Digest version of yesterday – I got up early, got a little writing done and then toddled off for my lunch meeting, which took place at Bird’s. How I love Bird’s. I had my usual half chicken (all white), a small side of Caesar salad and the same of cole slaw, and about five onion rings. It was all yummilicious and I was quite sated. Many topics were discussed, which will result in more Kritzerland goodies. After lunch, I picked up one count them one package from the mail place, and then came home. I then proceeded to write about fourteen pages in a row. Then I finished watching a motion picture on DVD entitled The Chalk Garden, about which more in a moment. I then wrote the liner notes for our next release, so that was a big load off. I then watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray, about which more in a moment. I then wrote two more pages and began a new chapter, entering the year 1979. I think in about twenty or thirty more pages I’ll be entering the final third of the book. Then I took a hot shower, finessed my liner notes and sent them to the designer, and that was that. Wasn’t that a lovely Reader’s Digest version of yesterday?
Last night, I finished watching a motion picture on DVD entitled The Chalk Garden. For some reason, despite being a huge Hayley Mills fan, I’d never seen this film. What a wonderful surprise it was. I really enjoyed every minute of it. The performances are wonderful – Deborah Kerr, Hayley, dad John Mills, and the grand Edith Evans. I don’t know how much screenwriter/adapter John Michael Hayes changed Enid Bagnold’s play, but the dialogue is terrific, and Ronald Neame’s direction is excellent, as is always the case from Mr. Neame. And I really liked the score of Malcolm Arnold. I recommend this film highly. I then watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled This Is It, the rehearsal footage from what would have been Michael Jackson’s tour. I’d heard nothing but raves about this film, and I wish I could join them, but I found it a disappointment in most regards. I simply don’t find director Kenny Ortega interesting, and he’s always aware of and playing to the camera. It is clear that Mr. Jackson is in charge of everything and everyone defers to his every whim, including Mr. Ortega, who sounds like an obsequious toady. The choreography, for the most part, consists of Jackson looking robotic, which grows tiresome quickly – he was so much better than that stuff and a simple look at the Beat It section, where they finally recreate some actual choreography by someone who really knew how to choreograph – Michael Peters – will show you how good he really is. But those moments are few and far between and it just seems that everyone is so enamored of the pyrotechnics and the insane concert lighting and the ridiculous guitar riffing, that the one thing you lose is – Michael Jackson. For me, the most shocking thing is watching Jackson with his earpiece, complaining about the loudness of the ear monitor. Mind you, they’ve got fifty expensive monitors pointing at him, but now that’s no longer enough for today’s “entertainers.” Now they’ve got to have ear monitors, and it’s just gotten to the point of sheer, unadulterated inanity. Shame on singers for whom the onstage monitors are no longer enough. For decades great singers didn’t even use those. They actually listened with their ears to the orchestra and sang into their microphone. That was it. Somehow it all worked out. Somehow the band and singer were together and the singer could hear him or herself just fine. And then there is the matter of what Mr. Jackson looked like at fifty. It’s just shocking. The Blu-Ray looks and sounds very good – I just wish I liked its contents better.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below and I’ll do the Reader’s Digest version of the next section.
Today, I’ll try to get up early and at least smooth out the eighteen pages I did yesterday. Then I’m meeting the co-author of the long musical for a two-hour work session. We’re meeting at Louise’s Trattoria in West LA. After that, I’ll hurry back to the Valley and make a little CD delivery to a store called Dark Delicacies – they’re getting some of our David Shire CDs, since Mr. Shire is doing a signing there this weekend. I’ll probably stop by to see him. After that, I’ll come right home and write at least eight to ten pages, and then I’ll do the blurb for our new release and get ready to announce it.
Tomorrow, my new table should be arriving at some point in the morning hours, otherwise I intend to write all the livelong day and then by gum and by golly and buy bonds I shall go out and have a nice dinner.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, have a work session, deliver CDs, write, and prep our new release. 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 I wrap up these Reader’s Digest notes.