Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry because it is late and I am overtired and my brain is filled with mush. Mush. What a word. What mind came up with the word mush? Actually, that word was invented by William P. Mush, a Bible salesman who once held the record for the most pieces of Beeman’s gum chewed in a single day. He once threw together some items in a frying pan – oatmeal, rutabagas, salt pork, pepper pork and he sautéed them up, looked at the noxious concoction and said, “Ah, Mush you’ve made mush.” And the rest, of course, is history. I wonder if Ruta Lee eats rutabagas? You know, if anyone has a clew as to what the HELL I’m talking about, please do not pass it along.
Yesterday, I thankfully had nine hours of sleep – not quite enough, but helpful nonetheless. I answered some e-mails, some of which were annoying and some of which weren’t, and then I did some work on the computer. After that, I did the four-mile jog, which really tuckered me out (it’s been VERY hot this week). Then it was time to go to the lab to pick up the hi-def master of Nudie Musical, along with the film elements. I didn’t want to keep any of it in my hot car so despite the fact that I was starving, I went home and dropped off the master in the cool house, and I unloaded the six reels that I’d taken from the garage. Then I took the negative (sound and picture) to the storage facility and got them safely put away. I stopped at the mail place and picked up no packages and one bill. I attempted to fax a document, but the number to which we were faxing wasn’t picking up. I ended up scanning it and sending it via e-mail. This all has to do with the company that’s going to author and replicate for our Blu and Ray. As I wrote the guy today, it kind of feels like I’m applying for a home loan – it’s endless paperwork, credit applications, declarations – I finally said, “I’m the guy who’s going to be writing big checks to you – why am I being made to feel like you’re doing me a favor?” They said it’s just what they do – I said I like a little wooing with all the paperwork as there are a LOT of alternatives out there in the world. I’m done filling out and scanning and faxing and e-mailing. We’ll see if it all goes smoothly from here.
I finally got over to Jerry’s Deli, where I had a much needed bacon cheeseburger and no fries or onion rings. I just needed that treat, and it was very yummilicious and given the jog and the lugging, I’m sure I’d burned off about five hundred calories, so I was fine, calorie-wise, and the only other thing I ate was an apple. I then came home, printed out some orders and tried to relax. However, it was already too late to start watching a motion picture, so instead I watched twenty minutes of a film for which we’re putting out the soundtrack and it was very frustrating but I’m inching along. The problem is, of course, hearing the music in the film and then locating it on the tape (which is in iTunes). Since there are no slates and the stuff is wildly out of order – it took me twenty minutes to find the main title, because they start it several seconds into the music as recorded – and that was track 43! The music editor had a field day with this score – it’s all cut up, cues start in the middle and that takes forever to locate the stuff – I’ll sometimes listen to the end of the cue in the film rather than the beginning and then try to find it that way. The raw tracks have forty-five separate tracks, so it’s maddening. I still haven’t quite made it through the first twenty minutes, but I’ve found everything but two cues so far, and those are probably in the middle of other cues. I’m going to just mush on (in honor of Mr. Mush) and find what I can. Then I’ll go back and it will be process of elimination.
That took up most of the evening. Then I made a tentative show order for the next Gardenia show – this one is REALLY difficult to sequence and I don’t have a big finish, so we’ll end quietly with They Were You – there’s no option at all.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because it’s quite late and I feel like mush and Mush.
Today, I hope to get another nine hours at least, and then I’ve got to pick up one more thing at the lab (they didn’t return the DVD), after which I’ll do the long jog. Then we have a rehearsal, then I’m going to the Gardenia to see a singer – show only, no food. I think food will be supplied by the thirteen-year-old, who’s coming directly from cooking class.
Tomorrow, I have a work session with John Boswell, and I have to finish watching that movie and figuring out the music – then I’ll type up the edit road map, do the track titles, and write the liner notes. The weekend shouldn’t be too too crazy – a rehearsal, stuff to do on the computer, and most importantly, figuring out the New York shoot. I still don’t have a camera or sound person, and there are many details to do. I was hoping our very own dear reader Julie would just be the line producer, but she’s apparently too busy for the likes of us, so I’m hunting for someone else to do it. We’re less than a month away. I also have to book the trip.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, go to the lab, do the four-mile jog, have a rehearsal, eat, and see a singer. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite songs from musicals written especially for the screen. Not musicals that used existing songs, mind you, but film musicals with original songs written especially for the screen. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland whilst saying mush to my feet.