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December 7, 2010:

SMALL PRINT

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, sometimes it takes me quite a while to catch up with the passing parade and things that change after heaven-knows how many years. For example, I met the Kritzerland designer for lunch yesterday at Mo’s. He was there when I got there and asked if I was going to see Dick Van Dyke’s new one-man show at the Geffen. I knew nothing about it, but there was an article in the LA Times that the Kritzerland designer was reading – he showed it to me. I thought someone had cut the paper in half, literally. It was missing half its width. I asked him where the HELL the other half of the page was and he told me that earlier this year the LA Times had gone to a new format in which the size of the width was basically reduced by almost half. This is a stupid way for a newspaper to look. Is nothing sacred anymore? And he told me that the LA Times is not the only paper that’s done so. Of course, they haven’t lowered the price by half, oh, no, they haven’t lowered the price by half. The LA Times has become a cruel joke as a newspaper – it used to be an okay newspaper and all through the 70s and 80s I always looked forward to reading the Calendar section, both on the weekdays and the big Sunday edition. But now it looks like toilet paper and I’m sure the content would be better served being ON toilet paper. I gotta tell you. Half the print, half the page, all for full price – what a bargain. Newspapers truly have become the small print medium and I, for one, say phut to that. The rest of yesterday was a hodgepodge of this and that and also that and this. I got up at eight, then the Bukowsical CDs and helper arrived and while we didn’t actually ship them (we’re waiting on the corrected discs, which will arrive Thursday morning along with Carrie), we did ship several packages and did some more organizing. We had to upgrade our Endicia plan so that we could do both small and large customs forms online (it all goes on one convenient label and we never have to stand in line at the post office on the occasions of shipping bigger packages overseas). So, now it’s only a little less than the Pitney-Bowes yearly charge, but it works so much more efficiently. The helper is getting it all down very well. This has cost quite a bit of money to implement but in the end it will save as much as it cost. Every domestic package we send now has free delivery confirmation, which is going to be very helpful and I hope curb all the lost packages. Even the overseas packages will now be trackable. We stopped by Panera where I had a little bacon, cheese, and egg on a ciabatta thing. It was tiny, and it was truly disgusting, although I was hungry so I ate it and then wished I hadn’t. If I’d thought about it I’d have realized that any egg sandwich would be pre-fab – they don’t cook eggs there and they certainly don’t cook bacon – so it’s all that already made stuff warmed up. Blechhh. After we finished, I then joined the Kritzerland designer for lunch at Mo’s – THAT food was excellent – I had the grilled cheese and bacon sandwich. I then did some errands and whatnot, picked up NO packages and six royalty checks for books (so they still owe me four, unless those had no sales, which I’m sure is possible). The largest of these was, of course, for the new book – the only book I’ve actually gotten sort of decent royalties on. Once home, I booked our Kritzerland at the Gardenia favorite, Damon Kirsche for the January show. That leaves one guy and one or two gals, depending on how I feel about using Juliana again this soon. I’m just not sure about that yet. I may need someone who can really do some soprano stuff, so we’ll see what happens. I’m also having a three-gal ensemble and I’ve set one of them (a gal who was in the Cabrillo Happy Days) and am waiting to hear from another. When the two are set, I’ll know what type I need for the third. I had a few telephonic conversations and then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I tried and failed to watch a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Coco (Chanel) and Igor (Stravinsky). I enjoyed the film Coco Before Chanel, but this was utter tripe from the first shot. Boring and banal, I finally shut it off after twenty-five minutes as I didn’t think it was going to get any better and surmised it could get a whole lot more boring and banal. I then watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Cinema Paradiso (an import, but all-region and it will play on any player). This is not the super-duper long director’s rethought version, this is the two-hour version that won all the awards and was beloved by audiences everywhere. The film was originally released in a longer version that did not do well and was not liked by audiences. It was recut and put out in the world, and that’s the film that became the success. Then, years later, the director went back and created a version that’s almost an hour longer. I watched it (I can’t actually remember if I made it through) and while it was interesting to see other scenes I found it did not make a rewarding experience, viewing-wise. I preferred and still prefer the marvelously marvelous and extremely touching original what they call International version. So, it was great to see that version again, and it is such a lovely film, with fantastic performances (especially from Philippe Noiret), and a grand and glorious score by Ennio Morricone. The final sequence is so magical I just sat there with big runny tears in my eyes. I have the longer cut here somewhere and I may skim through it again, but I love the version I first saw and that’s the one I’m recommending. The transfer is a real mixed bag and I’m not at all sure why. In theaters, because subtitled films are several generations away from the camera negative, the film never looked that great. Some of this Blu-Ray looks terrific – the outdoor scenes have really nice clarity and excellent color. The more dimly-lit scenes have some real problems – one of the most famous scenes have to deal with a nitrate film fire looks almost posterized on this disc – it’s really odd and maybe it has something to do with the compression used – but the outdoor scenes are fine.

After that, I did some stuff on the computer, and that was that. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must try and get a good night’s sleep, for tomorrow is quite a busy day.

Today will be quite a busy day, although I will not be reading half a newspaper at any time during it. I have some work to do with the helper and an obscene number of bills to pay, and then I’m having an early birthday lunch courtesy of dear reader Jeanne. That’s all the way in the Wood of West at some jernt I don’t know at all, but it should be fun and I’ll try to eat lightly. I really hope some of these errant and truant packages arrive especially the one from amazon France. After lunch, I also have an hour-long work session with John Boswell, putting together an opening number for Linda Purl and Greg Harrison, and putting together a medley, as well.

Tomorrow is, of course, a birthday and I’m being taken out for a birthday dinner, which I’m looking forward to. I plan to relax during the day and I’m using the day to transcribe all my scribbles I’ve been making over the last six months for the new Hofstetter book that I’ll start in January. Thursday, we ship out Bukowsical and Carrie, not necessarily in that order – it’s a lot of CDs between the two of them, but happily the postal people now pick it all up from us. Tomorrow night, I’ve agreed to sup with a film music fan and his wife – they’re from overseas and I’m looking forward to the dinner. Friday, I may have a lunch and I may have a dinner. I also have to finish prepping the first of the two new Kritzerland titles coming up – I’m hoping to have news on the second title tomorrow – if that works out then things should go very smoothly. If it doesn’t, then I have to quickly choose something from the stuff we’ve got that would be easy to throw together. I also got some potential great news on some cast album reissues but can’t really talk about it until it’s 100% firm – right now, it’s 98% so it’s looking good.

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 tofu chunks (vegetarian, you know), let’s all dance the Hora or the Twist, because today is the birthday of our very own beloved dear reader Jane, a person I’ve known since she was fifteen years of age. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own beloved dear reader Jane. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN BELOVED DEAR READER JANE!!!

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, work with the helper, pay bills, have an early birthday lunch, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up several packages including the errant and truant amazon France package, and I must do a few other things, like book performers and have a work session with John Boswell. Today’s topic of discussion: What were your all-time favorite magazines when you were growing up. Which did you love as a teen? And then as an adult? And which, if any, do you still like and read? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland knowing I will never pick up a copy of the teeny-tiny LA Times again – that small print is the last straw, baby.

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