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March 23, 2011:

BETTER, BRIGHTER, AND BEGUILING

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle in a car wash. I saw no uppity people yesterday, so it was automatically a better day, a brighter day, a beguiling day, whereas the day before I was merely bewitched, bothered, and bewildered, not necessarily in that order. But yesterday had a glow about it. First off, I got a really good night’s sleep – just eight hours, but very sound and dreams that weren’t too weird. I got up, did some work on the computer and then toddled off to have an early luncheon at Islands, where I had my beloved Big Wave with cheese and bacon, and fries, all very yummilicious. Prior to that, I hopefully took care of a little hiccup about something that’s being delivered to the home environment, so hopefully that will all run smoothly now. After lunch, I picked up two count them two packages and some junk mail. The dealer, true to his word, wired the small extra bit of moolah into the Kritzerland account, so that was helpful. I then listened to and approved the new Carnival master with its fixes, had quite a few telephonic conversations, after which I buckled down, Winsocki and wrote liner notes for our next release (which took about two hours), and got that off to the Kritzerland designer along with the track titles. Said designer also stopped by to get some photographs, an LP cover, and some samples of our recent releases. Then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Unstoppable, about a runaway train. Based very loosely on a runaway train incident from 2001, that part of the story is interesting. What’s not interesting is the standard issue Screenwriting 101 dramatization, the lame attempts to give the leading characters backstories, which they discuss calmly while in a life-and-death situation. The film does rev up a certain amount of excitement and it does move along at a steady clip, much like the runaway train. But director Tony Scott is all about style that continually calls attention to itself, and I find that a complete bore. The endless drone of a musical score, with all its thumping becomes quite tiresome. But Denzel Washington is always excellent and a few other actors do fine jobs. But the script is just so terrible that every time the film involves you, you’re immediately taken out of it by the lame dialogue and phony baloney pumped-up dramatics. But it’s mercifully short at around eighty-eight minutes of actual film time (there are an additional ten minutes of end credits). The transfer is demo material – really sharp and good looking, and, thank goodness, not too yellow. The sound is robust and will give your speakers a workout.

After that, I did some more work on the computer, answered e-mails, and did some organizing. Then The Singer called and told me that the guy who arranged for her to do her show in Palm Springs this weekend took the liberty of giving the show a title because he was worried that no one would know who The Singer is. His title? Bitten By Broadway. I got a little irked over this guy’s chutzpah – if he wanted a title he should have called The Singer and asked her, not just made something up that sounded like a show about vampires on the Great White Way. I suggested they not do a title at all – just her name with a subtitle (he thought we needed the word “Broadway” in the title): Sings Songs from Broadway, Hollywood, Television, and Beyond. Simple and to the point. I gotta tell you.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it is late and I must get my beauty sleep, so that I can hopefully have another day that is better, brighter, and beguiling.

Today, I must return a whole slew of tapes to the film company vaults in the Dale of Glen. Then I have many errands and whatnot to do, hopefully some packages to pick up, I must keep tabs on the delivery situation, I must eat something amusing, and then I’m seeing some sort of show at a theater in West Hollywood – that is, if I get confirmation on my tickets.

Tomorrow, I must hang around the home environment for a time, then have many things to do, and I think I have a meeting or something at some point. Friday I think I have a work session and a lunch. And then I do a book signing at the annual paperback book show on Sunday.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try to do a jog, return tapes, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages, eat, keep tabs, and then see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I toddle off to the bedroom environment, where I shall hopefully awaken to another better, brighter, and beguiling day filled with better, brighter, and beguiling things.

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