Well, dear readers, this was the place to be yesterday, and those that were here had a grand and glorious time at our Annual Oscar Bash. We laughed and laughed and just when we thought we could laugh no more, we laughed again. As a matter of fact, when the dust had settled we’d achieved our fifth highest posting day ever and our third highest Oscar posting and that was no thanks to several errant and truant dear readers who rather willfully stayed away from our partay because they don’t like the Oscars, as if THAT were the point of our partay. I believe a bitch-slapping is in order, but we took care of that within our over forty pages of postings, not that the errant and truant would deign to slog through that daunting number of postings, even though there is some high hilarity and low comedy contained therein. But enough about the errant and truant and more about yesterday. I had a pretty good night’s sleep, then got up, answered e-mails and did some proofing until Mr. Cason Murphy arrived. We then addressed packages, put postage on them, and Cason filled out customs forms. I then went and had a sandwich and fries and proofed two more chapters. I then had a conversation with muse Margaret, entered all the fixes we agreed on from copy editor two, and then I wrote a new bit for the book – something I’d wanted to write and forgot about. What jogged my memory was the second part of the story – it just came back to me and then I remembered I hadn’t written the first part. So, I wrote it (four pages) and read them to muse Margaret, who liked the little story. In fact, she thought I’d written the first part but I hadn’t – I probably told her the story, then never wrote it. I then placed both parts where they belonged in the manuscript and also sent those four pages to the two copy editors for proofing – both found completely different things, as is always the case. I then went to Gelson’s and got a sweet to eat, and then I prepared everything for this morning’s announcement of the new Kritzerland title.
After that, our Annual Oscar Bash began, earlier than usual. We were already to page fifteen before the show had actually begun. I personally thought the Oscar show was pretty dreadful. The opening bit with the actors presented to the audience was embarrassing – one of the worst openings in Oscar history. Then came a horrible opening musical number that was equally embarrassing – in the writing, in the staging, and just about every other way. The rest of the show was pretty boring. I missed having the nominated songs sung, especially as this year they were pretty good songs. They brought on some street dancers to pointlessly flip around to the nominated scores – it was so ineptly directed and choreographed that it was, for me, an Oscar low. Not quite as low as when the short documentary filmmaker hit the stage and began his thank you speech and was shoved aside by some hideous woman who must have been the producer, who began berating him for having the temerity to speak. It was a real Oscar low, and if I were directing the show I would have had her tossed from the stage. She was a harridan and a loudmouthed obnoxious oaf and she should be forced to watch a replay of what she did every day of her life. The rest of the show was pretty boring and there was a completely pointless tribute to horror films. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were good hosts, and their opening comedy routine had some really funny jokes, several of which I have no doubt were written by Bruce Vilanch. One about Damn Helen Mirran was the funniest line of the evening. But the real entertainment was right here at haineshisway.com. And for those who missed out it’s there for all to see – there was a particularly amusing end of the evening frenzy that actually had me on the floor laughing.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must be up at the crack of dawn or, in drug parlance, the dawn of crack.
Today, I shall be up at the crack of dawn to announce the new Kritzerland release. Then I have a breakfast meeting at Du-Par’s – haven’t been there in ages, but I shan’t be eating pancakes, I’m afraid. No, it will just be poached eggs or eggs and bacon for me. After that, I have to give the once-over to the new draft of the long musical, and then I need to continue my proofing – really need to do at least two hundred pages tomorrow and if that means the long musical has to wait until Tuesday, then that is what it means. I then have to go to a private reading of a new musical – Barry Pearl is in it. We’ll be supping first.
Tomorrow, it’s all proofing until I finish. Then I’ll run the stuff by muse Margaret, enter whatever we agree on and that will be that. Then it’s time to design the book, which I’m really looking forward to. I also have another private reading of another new musical tomorrow night.
The rest of the week should be much less busy, which I really need. I’m hoping Grant and I can schedule a few hours to get the book design started. I’ll e-mail him the document so he can get it into his design program – that’s the way we did it last time, so that by the time I got there it was already formatted.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, get up at the crack of dawn and announce a CD, have a breakfast meeting, do more proofing, check out the new draft of the long musical, sup, and see a private reading of a new musical. Today’s topic of discussion: I was pleased that Jeff Bridges won the Oscar – he’s been doing fine work for forty years. What are your favorite Jeff Bridges films, and what are your favorite Beau Bridges and Lloyd Bridges films? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I get my beauty sleep so I can be up at the crack of dawn.