Well, dear readers, I must keep these here notes short and sweet and also sweet and short for I must be up very early to prepare for today’s LACCTAA event, An Afternoon with Andrea Marcovicci and Shelly Markham. I must be alert and alive and on top of things, as well as making liberal use of eyes and teeth. Eyes and teeth – that’s what you need when you’re on stage – eyes and teeth. Remember that. My goodness, I’m quite exhausted from my long yesterday. I got up early, did some work on the computer, then went to a ninety minute meeting regarding the long musical. There will be big changes coming – I mean, BIG changes – new title and main setting, new plot points, some of the same characters, many subplots and characters biting the dust. In other words, we’re going to actually begin on page one and collaborate the correct way, with book, music, and lyrics now fully integrated with each other. After the meeting, I came back to the Valley, grabbed my mail and packages from the mail place, brought them home but then had to turn right around and leave again. I delivered a big box o’ CDs to a local dealer, and then I had another ninety minute meeting, this time with David Wechter. Six years ago, we came up with a pretty great idea for a movie, and now we’re finally going to sit down and write the damn thing. We’ll be meeting almost every day for a few hours for the next two weeks, to do a beat-by-beat outline. Then we’ll split up the scenes and begin the actual writing. That’s how we work best. I rewrite what he sends me, he does the same with what I send him, and then we do a pass where we work together. It’s a system that really works for us. So, I’m looking forward to that collaboration. After that, I had a very long trip home, thanks to late afternoon Friday traffic. It took just under an hour. Sans traffic, the drive would take about twenty minutes. I got home, answered e-mails, had a couple of telephonic conversations, and then finally, at long last, sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled A Serious Man, a film by those Coen Brothers. I run hot and cold on those Coen Brothers, mostly cold, I’m afraid. My favorite of their films is still Raising Arizona, a film that, for me, was the one where they got everything right. I did not care for No Country for Old Men very much. I hated The Big Lebowski and any number of other Coen Brothers films. So, I never had much desire to see A Serious Man. Well, I enjoyed it. It’s still got a little bit too much of the Coen quirkiness, but I enjoyed the characters and the Job-like story. The back of the Blu-Ray package would have you believe the film is a COMEDY. While there are some amusing bits, the film is most certainly not a comedy. The whole thing just moves at its own pace and has its own inner rhythms. The leading actor, someone I’ve never heard of before, was terrific – in fact, the whole cast was terrific, although the Richard Kind character really was irritating. The transfer is gorgeous, and the sound is equally fine.
After the movie, I finished writing the last of the Andrea questions, printed them out, took a shower, and then it was time to write these here notes, which I did with eyes and teeth. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because these here eyes and teeth need their beauty sleep.
Today, of course, I will be doing the LACCTAA event at twelve-thirty. After that, I’m delivering books to Mystery and Imagination, and then I’m waiting to hear if I’ll be seeing a show tomorrow night. Of course, I’ll have to eat something at some point.
Tomorrow, my brother and his son are coming to visit and have a meal. Them my bro will spend the night and leave early the next morning. And I’ll be up bright and early to announce the latest Kritzerland release, which I’ll announce here first at midnight this very evening (IF I get the blurb written in time).
Then the week will be very, very busy, but I’m hoping to have a visit with dear reader Jeanne so she can get her book and some CDs, I’ll have meetings with David almost every day, one meeting for the long musical, prepping our next two releases, and a few dinners.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the LACCTAA event, I must deliver books, I must eat, and I must maybe see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: If you could be a fly on the wall for the writing of any song from the Great American Songbook, which song would it be and why do you choose that song? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and don’t forget – eyes and teeth, eyes and teeth.