Well, dear readers, September is already flying by, like a gazelle doing one Grecian urn. But let me just pause for a moment, gazelle-wise, and just say that I have had it with idiots who wear their pants so low they may as well not be wearing them at all. The crotch of their pants is down at the knee, and anyone, and I mean anyone who wears pants that way is a total idiot, and I mean that in the nicest possible way. Lift up your pants, idiots! It looks STUPID. It IS STUPID. You can kiss my ASS because I’m tired of seeing YOURS. There is nothing becoming about droopy pants, idiots. Not only the droopy pants but the chains – oh, Lord, the chains. Lift up your pants, I say, and lift them up now. Do not tarry or dally, do not delay, do not pass go, do not collect one hundred dollars, just lift up your droopy pants because you, idiots, are a royal eyesore. There, I’ve said it and I’m glad! I feel better now. Yesterday was ever so much fun, if you must know. I got up after only five hours of sleep. That was ever so much fun. I transferred all the Unsung Musicals CDs into iTunes and began listening and choosing material. I’m still playing around with the selections. I then had to mosey on over to the Wood of Holly to meet the two young Adriana Hofstetter fans. We met at one of Adriana’s favorite haunts, Mel’s Diner. The dad of one of them was there (he’s a writer, as well), and the girls were delightful. They truly love the books and have read each one multiple times. They love the characters, neither of them have figured out the mystery until the reveal, and it was just so heartening and fun to hear the enthusiasm. I did tell them a teeny bit about the upcoming fourth book. One of them had Adriana’s beloved chili cheese fries. I signed their books, and then later one of them created a Facebook page for Adriana, so if you haven’t found it yet, do so – it’s lots of fun. After lunch, I came back to the San Fernando Valley and did a mile and a half jog. I wrote the blurb for our new release, and I had a long and wonderful telephonic conversation with Miss Diana Canova – I was seeing if she could come out for the October show, but she’s really busy teaching – but she said that she might be able to at some point next year. So, I’m still on the prowl for our two performers. I have a few ideas to explore still. I then went to Gelson’s and got a little fruit and something to snack on, after which I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I finished watching a French motion picture from France on Blu and Ray entitled French Can Can, un film de Jean Renoir, starring Mr. Jean Gabin. I’d never seen more than five minutes of it, and while it took a little while for me to get with its pace, it’s truly a delightful and magical film, with a fun cameo appearance by Edith Piaf and other cameos by other notable French folks. It’s basically the story of how the Moulin Rouge came to be. It billed as a comedie musicale, and the songs by Georges van Parys are a delight. And when we finally get the French Can Can in the film’s final minutes, that exhilarating number must go on for ten full minutes – it’s quite wonderful. And the transfer is a miracle, a true-blue Technicolor miracles, a brilliant restoration that is not only one of the sharpest transfers I’ve ever seen, but one that truly replicates the Technicolor look – and that, despite what you may have heard, is NOT yellow. Unfortunately, it’s a region B Blu-Ray so you have to have an all-region player, but hopefully someone will get around to releasing it in the United States of America and environs.
I then watched the first of three films in the Red Riding trilogy (it’s actually four books, but I guess they haven’t filmed the fourth yet). The first film is called Nineteen Seventy-Four (all the books’ titles are years). It’s a very dark, very depressing film about corruption, police out of control in Yorkshire, a series of kidnappings of young girls who are tortured, and a reporter who ultimately finds the man responsible. It doesn’t really end happily for anyone. While I didn’t love the direction, at least camera-wise, the story is certainly compelling and the pace is very quick. Apparently the subsequent two films have some sort of ties to the first, so I’ll be interested to see them. It did take real concentration to understand what they were saying – the Yorkshire accents come very thick and there is a lot of the fashionable whispery “acting.” The transfer is probably fine – I think they were going for a 1970s film stock look, although if they were going to that trouble then they shouldn’t really be doing that silly sort of camerawork that’s in favor now.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must be up very early tomorrow to ship out a humungous number of CDs in just two hours, hence I need my beauty sleep. Now, before we click, let’s all say “Lift up your pants.”
Today, I must be up very, very early to ship a humungous number of CDs in two hours, because I then have to hie myself to Santa Monica and I mean deep Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Pier to be exact to have a lunch meeting at Bubba Gump Shrimp. Then I’ll meet up with our very own Mr. Nick Redman to exchange some CDs, then I’ll try my hardest to be on the freeway by two-thirty at the latest.
Tomorrow, I really must buckle down Winsocki and write the second set of liner notes. Then I have to start a third set. And I’ll be trying to finalize the cast for our October show. Sunday, should be fairly free, though, and that will be very nice. Next week is extremely busy, but it should be fun busy.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s dance the Hora or the Samba because today is the birthday of occasional dear reader Joy, the ever-lovin’ of dear reader Noel. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to occasional dear reader Joy. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OCCASIONAL DEAR READER JOY!!! Today is also the birthday of former dear reader MattH, who left in a Hough, and I sure wish he’d just come on back. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to former dear reader MattH, who left in a Hough and who we sure wish would come back. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO FORMER DEAR READER MATTH, WHO LEFT IN A HOUGH AND WHO WE SURE WISH WOULD COME BACK!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, ship a humungous number of CDs in two hours, I must have a lunch meeting, I must see Nick Redman, and I must do some errands and whatnot and hopefully pick up a package or three, and then enjoy the long and winding holiday weekend. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – Blu and Ray, the second two films in the Red Riding trilogy, after which the new Blu-Ray of The Innocents from the UK. CD, various and sundried Kritzerland projects. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we all say quite loudly – lift up your pants, idiots!