Well, dear readers, I’ll try to be brief, oh, yes, I’ll try to be brief, for she of the Evil Eye will be here all too soon, but I had such an interesting day yesterday I don’t know how brief I can be – but I shall try, oh, yes, I shall try. I must say, I got up way too early yesterday, at least two hours earlier than I needed to. So, I was rather exhausted before the day even began. So, I did some work on the computer and answered e-mails, after which I moseyed on over to Jerry’s Deli to have a breakfast meeting with our very own JMK. We went over all the details for the November event in Portland and I think it will all work very smoothly. I now have to edit two clip reels – one acting, and one that will feature some writing/directing stuff – I already know what I’m using so it shouldn’t be too hard to do. I’ll be singing a couple of songs (JMK will play for me), JMK will interview me, we’ll do a Q&A and IF I do any reading from any book, it will be very short. So, I’m hoping that many of our dear readers from the area can get themselves there, so we can have a little celebration after, or the night before. We’ll keep you posted. Then JMK came back to the home environment and helped me do the firmware upgrade to my Blu and Ray player – now discs that wouldn’t load before do so with the upgrade. It was pretty easy to do and I’ll be able to check online for further updates. JMK saw the Thurber and other art, too. After he left, I had some other things to do on the computer, after which I got all the contracts for these new titles I locked up yesterday – I have from now until December to pay those advances, but I don’t have to actually release any of these until I’m ready to do so. In addition, I got one other title – I actually don’t think it’s ever been available in the US, only as an import CD that was done way back in the late 1980s – it goes for pretty good money now and it’s a real popular film, so I figured it would do well and I grabbed it up. All told, it works out to eight titles, which makes me very happy, as I now have enough releases to take me into February without any worry whatsoever. Then it was time to mosey on over to John Boswell’s home environment for a work session with Mr. Kevin Spirtas. Basically, this was just for Kevin to sing through a bunch of material and for me to listen. While the idea for the show was fine, it really wasn’t computing for me – I just couldn’t see a clear through-line or even a clear point – just an amorphous one, which isn’t good enough for an act. Clarity is everything. But as he was singing a couple of songs a direction for the act suddenly came to me and then things began to click for all of us. I can now see the point and therefore the shape of the act is starting to present itself – we were all very excited by the end of the session. The song choices are really good so far and I love these kinds of creatively charged meetings. Kevin is typing up everything we discussed (he recorded it all) and we’ll proceed from there. That session lasted a little over two hours and then I headed back to the San Fernando Valley, picked up a couple of packages (nothing I was expecting, actually, and once again, a piece of mail that should have been here wasn’t – hopefully it will be today). Then I finally came home. I had a ton of e-mails waiting, the best of which was a link to a really wonderful review of my book on Talkin’ Broadway – that, of course, made me very happy. And the review contained a link that took the reader directly to the hardcover item page at amazon.com. I clicked on it just for fun and to my amazement saw they were selling the hardcover for over 50% off – I couldn’t believe it – cheaper than the softcover by three bucks. I posted about that on Facebook and elsewhere and suddenly the sales rank of the hardcover (most folks have been buying the softcover) went from over 3,000,000 all the way down to 76,000, which is a GREAT number. So, we definitely sold a few books, and, as I predicted, the sale price went away and now they’re not even giving their usual discount. So, some people got a fabuloussss deal. Then Mr. Damon Kirsche arrived to pick up his music and work CD – he’s a very nice fellow and I’m looking forward to working with him. Then I did a mile and a half jog, after which I went over to Hugo’s, where I had a small Caesar salad and then something I’ve never had there – a barbecue turkey sandwich on a wheat bun. I didn’t have the fries and opted for fruit instead. The sandwich was extremely yummilicious – turkey, some melted provolone or some cheese like that, a few crispy thin onion rings (like one) and some good barbecue sauce. It was very filling but not that large. So, now I have a new dish to have at Hugo’s – and it’s much lighter than pasta papa. After that, I came home and got word that the book signing we’ve been trying to get in New York finally came through – it will be on September 24 at the Drama Book Shop, and I hope all our East Coast denizens will come and be supportive, and then we can all go have a fabuloussss meal after. So, save the date and we will accept NO excuses from anyone for any reason. I then booked the flight on JetBlue and got a really good rate and, best of all, got one of the extra leg-room seats right at the front of the plane, in row two. I then booked a hotel, but will keep my eye open for better deals – you don’t have to pay in advance and you can cancel anytime up to two days before arrival with no problem or penalty. The hotel rates have really gone up since my last stay – and the reason for this is an enigma wrapped inside of a conundrum. I have other business I need to do while there, so I can consolidate a few things in this one trip. I think we’re also going to do another LA signing in October, this one at one of the biggest and best stores in LA – Book Soup on the Sunset Strip. Hopefully, all those people who can’t be bothered to go to far away Glendale or Burbank can make their way to the Sunset Strip. Plus, the store itself usually gets a really good turnout. After all that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched four count them four more episodes of Adam-12 – a couple were really good, and a couple were merely okay – no great locations shots, save for one on Moorpark near Hazeltine where you saw a big empty lot where now sits the Sherman Oaks Library. Also, Pete and Jim had lunch at the Sherman Oaks Taco Bell.
Well, why don’t we all click on the fabuloussss Unseemly Button below because I must try to get my beauty sleep before she of the Evil Eye arrives.
Today, I have a bunch of errands and whatnot to do – including a trip to my North Hollywood Public Storage, where we’re re-doing my contract so that it works like a normal contract – their contracts now are very different than what I signed back in 2001 and I am one of only four people at that facility with that archaic piece of junk. So, thanks to a nice lady in customer service, I will now be paying almost forty dollars less a month – and that’s quite a nice savings. I’m hoping the envelope I’m expecting arrives as well as some packages that I can’t wait to get.
Tomorrow, I think I’m having an early lunch with a film score enthusiast, after which I’m seeing a reading of a new play by my pal Lissa Levin. I know nothing about it, but I really like Lissa and am looking forward to it.
Next week is very busy – new liner notes to write, announcing our new release (announcing here tonight at midnight), hopefully printing out some decent orders for it, rehearsing with our Gardenia singers, and several meetings and meals, including a little work session with Sam Bobrick and Ron Clark.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, do errands and whatnot, eat something light but amusing, and then watch the rest of my Adam-12 episodes and whatever motion picture suits my fancy. Today’s topic of discussion: What was the first event to which you wore formal attire? How old were you, why did you have to wear it, and did you like dressing up? And what is the most opulent event you’ve ever attended? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland and dream of fabuloussss things.