Haines Logo Text
Column Archive
January 30, 2011:

A DAY OF REST

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it is Sunday, a day of rest and I am here to tell you that I will rest come hell or high water or heaven or low water. Oh, I have a few things to do but not much. I’ll try to get everything done by one and then the day and evening shall be mine all mine. I must say that yesterday was also a fairly relaxing day, although I did struggle over redoing those lyrics, so much so that I finally enlisted the aid of our very own FJL to help. What we’re trying to do is adjust what is now a piece of special material that we commissioned for Linda Purl, about all her Movie of the Week stuff. I felt she needed a piece like that for her act and so Ron Abel did the music and Kirby Tepper the lyric, with a little help from me in the intro and on various lines in the song. So, for the duo act with Linda and Gregory Harrison, we decided we’d do that, but split the song in two so Gregory has half about his MOWs. He sent me a long list, but this is not as easy as it sounds. It took Kirby a long time to do Linda’s version and then we finessed it for two weeks before getting it just right. It’s basically a list song but funny. Thankfully, FJL got a few good lines right away and that helped me get some clarity and we spoke a couple of times about the intention and structure. By the end of last night, he’d sent me several stanzas and from them I made a first verse and part of a second. So, we still have a little more to do but I think we’ll be able to finish it today. Other than that, I did a little shipping, had a lovelier than lovely luncheon with Mr. Jason Graae to solidify our plan to record his new show for Kritzerland. After lunch, I picked up an important envelope and no packages. Then I came home, worked on the lyric, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched two count them two motion pictures on Blu and Ray. The first motion picture on Blu and Ray was entitled Fanboys. I saw a used copy really cheap and decided to give it a chance. I shouldn’t have. The concept is fun and it really could have been a good film with a completely different script, cast, and, most importantly, director. The premise is simple – the film takes place in 1998 and four kids from a small town decide to take a cross-country trip to break into Skywalker Ranch to steal a tape with the first Star Wars prequel. So, what do they do with this premise? They do what all these idiots do – bathroom jokes, nerd jokes, mooning jokes, gay jokes, a side trip to Vegas – well, every cliché in the book. So, instead of getting something affectionately clever like Galaxy Quest, we get one awful scene after another with completely unbelievable and annoying characters. There are cameos by Billy Dee Williams, William Shatner, and Carrie Fisher, the latter being mildy amusing, but it took me her entire scene to realize it WAS Carrie Fisher because she looks nothing like she used to. The use of supposed rock music is at an all-time low in this awful film and the score by Mark Mothersbaugh doesn’t help things much. So, an interesting idea done in by folks with not much talent. I then watched the second motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Score. I’d seen this back in 2001 when it came out and didn’t like it then, but sometimes these heist pictures look better a decade later. Not this one. Oh, I like heist pictures and am, in fact, a sucker for them, but not when the sink into a morass of stupid as this one does. The draw here was Robert De Niro appearing with Marlon Brando. But Brando, who apparently was merciless with director Frank Oz and refused to be directed by him, is truly awful, which is what usually happens when someone like him is left to his own devices. I don’t mean mediocre – I mean awful – embarrassingly awful. Edward Norton is good, as is De Niro, but it just doesn’t add up to anything and it takes over two hours to not add up to anything. I really like Mr. Oz, but why anyone would hire him to direct a heist film is anyone’s guess. The transfers on both films were fine.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I am very tired (this past week has really caught up with me) and I need my beauty sleep.

Today, I really hope to sleep in, after which I’ll try to complete the lyric redo with FJL so that I can send it off to Gregory and Linda. Then I’ll eat something light and amusing, I’ll maybe start some liner notes, and I may try to write the contextual commentary for the Gardenia show – in fact, that’s exactly what I’ll do. Then I’ll try to watch a couple more motion pictures on Blu and Ray.

Tomorrow is a rehearsal with Linda and Gregory, probably a couple of hours, and then we begin staging the show – just not quite sure what days those will be. Tuesday is our stumble-through for the Gardenia show. Wednesday we have a sound check and the show, and then I’ve got rehearsals, meetings, and meals. Then there is a huge Antiquarian Book Fair in Pasadena. These have been very lame for the last four years, with hardly any dealers, but this show has been taken over by others now and promises to be a huge affair, so I know I’ll love walking around and perusing and seeing my dealer pals.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finish they lyric redo with FJL, I must eat something light, I must write, and then I must relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings as I hit the road to dreamland and look forward to a day of rest.

Search BK's Notes Archive:
 
© 2001 - 2024 by Bruce Kimmel. All Rights Reserved