Well, dear readers, it’s April. Can you believe it? Well, let us hope and pray that April is a month that will be filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. Yes, April and all over the world, too. For example, it’s April in Paris. And cupid is shooting his arrows and causing all kinds of April Love. Of course, we’re currently having a heat wave in Los Angeles so there probably won’t be any April Showers. But, the one thing we know is that some of us will be April Fools. And yes, today it’s not only April, it’s April 1st or, as it is better known, April Fools Day. So, this is a day in which we must all act foolish and do things like eat a whole pie and do the LIMBO and dance in our Maidenform bras and go outside and drool in front of people we don’t know and run around in our pantaloons whilst shouting CRANBERRIES and reading smutty books – yes, let’s let it all hang out on this foolish day. One thing I will not be doing is visiting any websites but this one, because people really get annoying with unfunny posts and it’s never funny, just irksome. That said, however, haineshisway.com will be the most foolish place on all the Internet.
Yesterday was not so foolish a day. I had to get up very early and take the motor car in for its second servicing. They gave me a loaner car, which I used for the rest of the day. Then CDs and helper arrived and we got everything shipped, which was great. The helper is now gone for one week, at which point she returns and has to prepare for all the shipping that will be done the following Monday. After that, I stopped at the Studio Café and had a bagel and a chopped Eyetalian salad. I used to love the chopped Eyetalian salad, but I’m afraid it has lost it luster. I then came home, answered e-mails, had a brief visit with a visitor, and then picked up three count them three packages. I came home, did a brief mile and a half jog, and began thinking and making notes about something I may just begin working on next week. The idea came to me whilst jogging, which is where I get a lot of good ideas. I then finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched part one of a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Ten Commandments. I probably haven’t seen the film all the way through for thirty years. I never actually watched either the laserdisc or the DVD other than just checking out the quality. I first saw it when it was originally released, at one of my neighborhood theaters. I kind of liked it, but couldn’t believe how long it was. I then saw it again, probably in 1959 in a reissue. That time I was with my best friend (I write about this episode in Kritzerland) and we just got a case of the giggles early on and all I remember was we howled through all three hours and thirty-nine minutes of the film and we were laughing so hard I thought I was going to die. The film is, of course, what it is. But despite the occasional tableaux and lethargically-paced scenes, despite the occasional cornball dialogue and performances, I got quite engrossed in it and really had a grand time watching part one, which runs longer than most entire movies do – two hours and ten minutes. This sort of film cannot be easy to act in and yet several of the actors are very convincing and do a great job. Most especially, Charlton Heston is REALLY good in it – he just knew how to make this stuff believable and I don’t know many actors who could pull off what he does in this film. Edward G. Robinson is great, as always, and Yul Brynner does his thing wonderfully. But what really makes this Blu-Ray a wonderful viewing experience is the transfer. Last year, Paramount gave us one of the best transfers of the year and the best transfer ever from VistaVision elements – White Christmas, a release that didn’t get near the acclaim it deserved because frankly people on those boards don’t get it. When screencaps were first posted for The Ten Commandments there was an uproar, with cries of DNR and waxiness and no grain and soft image. It turned out that the person posting the caps had his settings wrong. But even when he fixed them people were still making those accusations. And then Mr. Robert Harris chimed in, pronouncing it a wonderful and grand transfer, and suddenly everyone shut up and then sheepishly returned to forget they’d ever been up in arms. In fact, about twenty people on one particular board all cancelled their orders, then had to place them again because their stupid pills finally wore off.
It’s a fantastic transfer, and big note to people on those boards – a VistaVision negative and transfer from same will have little noticeable grain – that’s what large format films do – that was the deal, the come on – lifelike images with little to no grain at all, a window to the world. But these people have been so brainwashed and they so don’t understand what grain even is – it’s just nauseating. The Ten Commandments looks pristine – with deep, saturated Technicolor color and razor sharpness (save for scenes with a lot of opticals) and not a blemish to be found anywhere. The sound if full and robust and Elmer Bernstein’s mighty score sounds fantastic. I’m looking forward to part two this very evening.
After that, I proofed the packaging for our next release – we’re doing a rare twelve-page booklet for it because I had so much great material on it – so, lots of photographs. The packaging looks great and the cover is scarrrrry. I think this title will sell out very quickly.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get some beauty sleep so I can be very foolishly foolish when I awaken.
Today, I shall try to sleep late. Then I must do quite a few errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up a package or three and an important envelope, and then we have our second Gardenia rehearsal. I’m hoping someone will want to go grab a bite to eat afterwards.
I’m not sure what’s happening on the weekend – oh, I’m sure I’ll do a little writing, and I should see the book design at Mr. Grant Geissman’s (I’ve already seen the cover, which I really like), and I’m sure I’ll watch a lot of motion pictures, listen to music, and eat light but amusing food, as well as jog.
Next week, of course, is quite a busy week, with lunch meetings, our stumble-through rehearsal, our sound check, our show, and lots o’ other stuff.
Let’s put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s dance the Hora or the Monkey because today is the birthday of occasional dear reader VinTek. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to occasional dear reader VinTek. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OCCASIONAL DEAR READER VINTEK!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up a package or three and an important envelope, have a rehearsal, and eat. 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 Ten Commandments, King of Kings, The Mikado. CD, lots of upcoming projects. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream of fools and foolishness, not necessarily in that order, and will continue to hope and pray that April will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.