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November 26, 2010:

TOO MUCH FOOD OR THE EXPLODING ME

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I’m afraid I have eaten so much food that I may explode before these here notes are finished. I have been stuffed with stuffing, I have eaten sweet potatoes and ham and turkey and string beans and rolls and butter and CRANBERRIES™ and rolls and turkey and ham and string beans and butter and sweet potatoes and stuffing and CRANBERRIES™, as well as turkey and ham and rolls and butter and string beans and sweet potatoes and stuffing and CRANBERRIES™, not to mention a little thing I like to call dessert, which was mercifully small. And so, I, BK, may explode before these here notes are finished. I feel bloated and unpleasant and like I’ve gained ten pounds in a matter of hours. One thing is for certain – today I eat under 1000 calories and today I attempt to jog. I shall try to write coherent notes but those are difficult to do when one feels like they are going to explode. In any case, I shall give it the old college (LACC) try. I got up around ten after a pretty good night’s sleep. And then I was just a lazy loafer, doing not much of anything. Oh, I figured out a tentative order for the Gardenia show, I had a couple of telephonic conversations, I answered e-mails and I played on the computer. It was exactly the sort of day I was longing for. And, of course, I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Yesterday, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray – this motion picture ran only forty-five minutes, but there were more laughs in that forty-five minutes than the entirety of most film comedies – in fact, in forty-five minutes there were so many brilliant gags that ten films would be lucky enough to have half of them. The film is entitled Sherlock, Jr. and it stars and was directed by BK – Buster Keaton. For sheer inventiveness and comic genius, there isn’t much that tops those forty-five minutes. Even though I’ve seen it eight or nine times, even though I sat alone on my couch like so much fish, I was guffawing out loud throughout. No dialogue – just visual gags, one after another, some of them so breathtaking that they’ve never been equaled. The fact that Mr. Keaton did everything, including some truly daredevil stunts, is just incredible. Although I’m sure everything was planned out meticulously, some of these stunts look so dangerous that you literally hold your breath and then burst out laughing. Add to that some great shots of LA in the 1920s, including Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Blvd., Cole, and Hollywood Blvd. and it’s just a must-have for anyone who loves comedy. The source material is a bit battered but the transfer is sharp and it looks better than I’ve ever seen it look. Highly recommended by the likes of me.

After that, I got two fun e-mails both telling me that some fellow with a blog had been trying to ascertain if he had the single longest-running blog in the history of the Internet, writing daily without ever having missed a day. He recently began his eighth year. I had to inform both parties that close but no ceegar. And, having looked at the fellow’s website, it’s hard to ascertain whether he actually has not missed a day in those eight years and if those blogs were one-paragraph, one-line, or what. So, until someone proves otherwise, we still hold this particular title. And then it was time to be on my way to the Barry Pearl and his ever-lovin’ Cindy’s Thanksgiving feast.

I’d forgotten that I was there last Thanksgiving. The guest list was pretty much the same – all very nice people. One nice lady named Ilona was talking about her teaching voice and we were talking about singers I’d worked with and such and then somehow she was talking about some show she’d done on Broadway. That show was Promises, Promises. I was incredulous, needless to say. I asked her what she’d done in it, assuming she’d been a replacement at some point – but no, she’d been in it from the start – one of the original pit singers. I couldn’t believe it. I immediately told her I’d reissued the album and remixed it totally and fixed Jerry Orbach’s pitch. She couldn’t believe it. Apparently, everyone hated the album because it was done quickly and no one was really happy with its sound. So, I told her I’d get her a copy of the remix and told her the comments had been that it was the album that always should have been. She was very excited to hear it. Then I mentioned that I had a CD of the Boston tryout, when Hot Food and Tick Tock were still in the show. She immediately began singing Hot Food and Tick Tock – I mean the lyrics and the music, perfectly – I told her I’d recorded the latter song on the first Lost In Boston album, so I’m getting her that, too. It was so much fun to talk about it. She’s a fascinating woman who gave up that kind of singing to go into opera, where she had some success all over the world. Her name is Ilona Simon. It’s a small world, after all. Dinner was amazing, as I’ve listed above, and I just ate way too much. The other guests were all very nice and the conversation was fun. I finally left at about eight-thirty, very happy and very uncomfortable.

I then came home where I plotzed and plotzed big. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because if I’m going to explode I’d prefer not to do it all over the computer screen.

Today, I shall be up early and our first singer arrives at ten, along with our musical director, Mr. Lanny Meyers. Rehearsals continue for another couple of hours, and then I’ll do some errands and whatnot and perhaps take a drive in the motor car. I have no other plans, save for listening to the new master of Carrie, which I need to approve so it can be overnighted to the pressing plant.

Tomorrow, I was thinking about going to see Jason Graae until I was reminded that I’m going to the closing night of Neil Simon’s play Rumors, which features Barry Pearl’s ever-lovin’ Cindy. Tomorrow I’m having lunch with dear reader Jeanne and then doing some other stuff once I get home.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, rehearse, do errands and whatnot, take a drive, and relax, and most importantly, not eat very much. 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 Alien box and a few other things. CD, various and sundried Kritzerland projects, some Dave Brubeck imports from Japan, and other such items. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I hope I will not explode.

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