Well, dear readers, it’s going to be a whiz-bang busy week for the likes of me. But, I had a few relaxing days and I am ready, willing, and even able to meet the whiz-bang busy week with spirit, élan, and joy, not necessarily in that order. Yesterday, for example, was very relaxing for the most part. I got up a little earlier than I would have liked to, but that was fine. I answered the usual onslaught of e-mails waiting for me, then began my paper blocking of the long musical. I took a little break and had a sandwich and fries (and worked whilst I ate), and then came back home. Whoever is now living in the monstrosity next door (and it’s taken them four months to finally be living there), had a little pool party and yakked and played music for about eight hours. I guess I better get used to it because I think that sort of thing is here to stay. Therefore, I will have pool parties and have yakking and music, just to keep up. Even if I don’t, I shall play loud recordings of pool parties and yakking and music just so we even out the playing field. I had a few telephonic calls and that’s about it. Later, in the early evening I did a two-mile jog – difficult, but somehow pleasant. Other than that, I basically sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I finished watching The Picasso Summer, which was and is truly one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen – incomprehensible, horribly edited, badly-paced, but still I’m glad I finally got to see it (the film was never released, save for a few TV showings). I especially loathed the twenty-minute pointless bullfight (a sport that baffles me and one that’s rather sickening to watch – man taunts bull, bull charges man, man kills bull). There are also three long animated sequences, where they take Picasso paintings and give them “meaning.” The score by Michel Legrand is a winner, though, and so is most of the photography by Vilmos Zsigmond. I then watched another Warner Archive DVD entitled A Man and a Woman: Twenty Years Later, another film I’d never seen. As most regulars here know I am a huge fan of Claude Lelouch, although, funnily, A Man and a Woman is not one of my favorites amongst his films. This follow-up was a bomb and critically lambasted, and while you’ll find four excellent “reviews” on the imdb for The Picasso Summer (rolls eyes heavenward), you won’t find one good one for the Lelouch film. And I’d have to say that not one of those people and not one of the real reviewers understood the film, which happened to Lelouch a lot. In fact, I loved this film more than the original. It’s rumination on romance in later life, the past, filmmaking, and all sorts of other things, is wonderfully done. At time it veers off on other tangents, but as usual with Lelouch, he ties them all up wonderfully by the end of the film. The score by Francis Lai reprises lots of the original film’s music, which is wonderful. These recent Warner Archive transfers are much better than the first batch of titles they did.
After the movie, I did some work on the computer, visited Gelson’s market, and then got word that the book and covers have all been sent to the publisher. As it was last year, Grant tried to upload to their site, but it didn’t work, so he sent everything via the easy and handy You Send It. Last year I had to go pretty high up the food chain to get them to download the files from there, and I’m hoping I won’t have to this year. I should know the lay of the land this morning, I should think. Anyway, it’s very exciting that everything has been sent, and the three blurbs look great on the back of the dust jacket.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it’s going to be a whiz-bang busy week and I need my beauty sleep.
Today, will be a whiz bang busy day. I’ll get up and try to do a whiz bang jog, and then I’ll pick up the boxes that will be arriving, and then my helper and I will be addressing and putting postage on them. Depending on what time we finish, I may then go to the composer of the long musical’s house to hear how our musical director is doing. If not, I shall eat and continue paper blocking.
Tomorrow, the day is pretty open, and then we begin rehearsals at seven. We’re rehearsing at some church on Highland and Franklin, and since Highland is going to be a madhouse on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the Paul McCartney concert at the Bowl, my plan is to come to Hollywood at five, park, and then walk down to Musso and Frank or some other jernt on the boulevard and eat. After Wednesday, I won’t have to go early.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try to do a whiz bang jog, prepare the packages for our release that ships on Thursday, and then maybe have a brief session with our musical director. Today’s topic of discussion: Ice cream, baby, ice cream. What was the very first flavor ice cream you ever had and do you remember the brand. What was the very first type of ice cream bar you ever had and where was it from? What is your favorite ice cream bar, favorite ice cream flavor, and of all the pre-packaged ice creams, which are your favorites? And which ice cream parlors do you love? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and do make them whiz bang postings.