Well, dear readers, my eyes are bleary and I am weary so I must write these here notes in a hurry and get to bed, for the helper will be arriving bright and early and also early and bright. The reason for the weary and bleary is that I really never stopped going and doing and doing and going yesterday. I did manage to get eight count them eight hours of sleep, so that was good. Then I got up, answered a ton of e-mails, and then did a telephonic interview. After that, I had a sandwich and onion rings, and picked up two small packages. I then came home to relax and do nothing – that didn’t quite work out the way I’d planned. I spent part of the time thinking about our final Gardenia cast member – I haven’t quite said yes yet, but probably will this morning. Then I had a brief visit with a show collector. Then I had to download tracks for an upcoming release, and I spent the next two hours with it – combining cues, and making things play well. That, of course, has nothing to do with what we’re releasing on Monday, so I had to then work on that stuff. I then had a call from Miss Linda Purl – she’s trying to do a show with Gregory Harrison and they’re sort of stymied and they have a date set in February. So, she asked if I’d come aboard and I said sure. They’ve got the kernel of their idea and it’s cute and I’m sure they’ve chosen some songs – so we’re meeting at the end of this month and will move from there. I love working with Linda and I’m sure I’ll enjoy Gregory. I’m equally sure that most of what I’ll be doing is helping them focus and structure, which is most of the battle. I went to Gelson’s and did a little shopping (I haven’t been in a market in, I don’t know, two months), and then I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on one of those print on demand DVDs – this from MGM/UA. Every other company that’s jumped on this bandwagon has at least been doing anamorphic transfers for everything – not MGM/UA – this is shockingly non-anamorphic 1.66, and at a premium price yet. But I’d never seen the movie and have always wanted to (I got three of these from MGM/UA and fear that the other two will be equally done poorly) – the film was entitled The Whisperers, a film by Bryan Forbes who, for me, is a very underrated filmmaker who’s barely thought of today, but who made some pretty terrific films, including The L-Shaped Room, Whistle Down The Wind, King Rat, The Wrong Box, The Stepford Wives, The Slipper and the Rose, Séance On A Wet Afternoon, and others. I have, in fact, seem most of his films, but had somehow missed The Whisperers. I didn’t even have a clew as to what its subject matter was. Well, it’s a wonderful film – bleak and downbeat, but beautifully done, with one of the greatest performances I have ever seen on the screen – it instantly goes in the pantheon of brilliant screen acting. The actress in question is Dame Edith Evans, who was seventy-nine years of age when she made the film. Words cannot describe how incredible she is – every nuance, every expression, her eyes, the way she carries herself – a textbook of what film acting is all about. The first half of the film is mostly her – the second half goes off on other tangents and isn’t quite as compelling, but at the end, it’s back to her and all is well. The gray and rainy camerawork is by Gerry Turpin and is wonderful, as is the moody score by John Barry, one of his best. I only wish the DVD had been done properly, as Warners or Columbia would have done.
After the movie, I had to buckle down Winsocki and write some liner notes. I got half of them done and will do the other half this very day. I also figured out the song selection for the Gardenia show and assigned the singers, so I think I can now get all of them their CDs and music.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I am bleary and weary and the bedroom environment is calling me, dearie.
Today, I shall be up early and the helper will be here to ship a few orders. We’re then going back to storage to pull a few more charts, and then we’re going to my other storage facility (closer to my house) to see if there’s any way to now consolidate the two into one. I’m hoping that if I’m brutal about throwing away stuff that we can. Then, if there’s time, we’ll do a Costco run, since I’m completely out of water and some other essentials. After that, I have a lunch meeting during which I’ll eat lunch, which is, after all, what one does at a lunch meeting. Then I’ll come back home and burn CDs for the singers and they can come get them over the weekend. I’ll also finish the liner notes, write the blurb, hear the master, and get everything to the designer. In the evening, a friend might be coming over with the promise of rubbed shoulders and boy could I use some rubbed shoulders right about now.
Tomorrow I should be able to have some ME time. Then I’m having dinner with Druxy, and then someone’s coming by to talk illustration art, a topic I love. I may invite my pal Grant Geissman to come over, since he loves this stuff, too. Sunday, I’ll be having a late lunch with dear reader Jeanne. Then next week is just one busy day after another.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, ship CDs, go to storage, have a lunch meeting, jog, burn CDs, finish liner notes, and maybe, just maybe, get my aching shoulders rubbed. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, various and sundried Kritzerland projects. Blu and Ray, a Japanese film called Kamikaze Girls, which is supposed to be a lot of fun – DVD, the other MGM/UA things – Toys in the Attic and one other I can’t remember at the moment. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I take may bleary and weary bones to dreamland.