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August 6, 2011:

DEATH BY BABOON

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it is late and therefore I shall write these here notes in a hurry, after which I shall scurry to the bedroom environment, for my eyes are blurry, but do not worry for I shall write in a flurry. What am I, a rhyming dictionary all of a sudden? Do you know that in all the songs I’ve written since I was sixteen years of age, I have never used a rhyming dictionary? I know my close personal friend, Mr. Stephen Sondheim, swears by his, but, for me, the fun is solving the puzzle myself. I gotta tell you. I had a fairly okay day yesterday. I did manage to get just eight hours of sleep, then I got up, did some work on the computer, after which I paid an obscene number of bills. It was shocking, actually. Then I had a brief conversation with the old helper – her travails are finally over. I suppose if she wants to have further conversation she’ll call, but I’m glad her problems are done. Then the Pool Man arrived and replaced the antiquated system for turning on the pump and the Jacuzzi stuff. It’s all now brand new and lovely. He’s still trying to figure out how to stop a little leak we’re having – he did something temporary and will be back on Monday to check it out further. But now, all pool things are done by remote control. It seems fairly simple. He’s already set the pump to come on at eleven in the morning and go off at seven at night.

Whilst he was working away, I did the four-mile jog, I picked up no packages and no important envelope (hopefully, it will come today), and I ate a bacon cheeseburger and no fries or onion rings for my meal o’ the day. Then I came back home and began working on the packaging for our next release. We also finally cast our last role for the New York shoot – Nikka Graff Lanzarone, who was in Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown and is currently starring in Chicago. I also have someone working on props, finally, and we’re still trying to find the crew for the Tuesday shoot. But we did have some good news for Tuesday – we got permission to shoot one of the two sequences that day at Angus on 44th Street. We had a backup restaurant, but I really wanted to shoot at Angus, as they have a really private third floor room, which is where we’ll be shooting. So, the Monday shoot all takes place in a big studio at Ripley-Grier and Tuesday we shoot at Angus and then Brad Oscar’s apartment. We also have a wardrobe coordinator now. Then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Sands Of The Kalahari. I’d never seen it before, but I’m a big fan of its director, Cy Endfield (Zulu, Mysterious Island, and the great film noir, Try and Get Me), so I figured it would at least be competent and entertaining. It’s a lot more than competent – it’s beautifully shot and directed. I can’t say that it’s the most entertaining film I’ve ever seen, but its story is engrossing, and the actors are all very good. Susannah York is lovely, as always, and there’s also Stanley Baker (who also produced), Harry Andrews, Theodore Bikel, and a very strong bad-boy performance by Stuart Whitman. There’s a sparse score by Johnny Dankworth, which could be more effective, but it’s quite a good picture. The transfer is quite good, I thought. It’s very sharp and the color is great. I’ve seen the usual screencaps at the usual sites and they resemble not one or even two whits what the transfer looks like, color-wise. I don’t know what settings these people use, but they really are not doing anyone a service by posting caps that have pale color, when the color on display is vivid and right. I don’t get it. This is the only film I have ever seen that features death by baboon. I feel there should now be a trend of films that feature death by baboon. We simply have not seen enough killer baboons commit mayhem. Perhaps Mr. BIG himself could make a film about giant killer baboons run amok. The Amazing Colossal Baboons. I like it!

After that, I wrote liner notes and sent them off to the Kritzerland designer, so he now has everything for our new release. We’re trying to get it all proofed and approved before I leave for New York, New York.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must try and get a good night’s beauty sleep.

Today, I shall do the four-mile jog, I shall hopefully pick up a package or two and an important envelope, I shall do errands and whatnot, I shall eat something light but amusing, and I shall see a play.

Tomorrow, we have a dress rehearsal for Melody’s show – again, if anyone would like to attend, just drop me a line and I’ll tell you what to do. We’re down to our last few rehearsals now, so whatever final finessing will be done will be done after tomorrow’s rehearsal. We’ll probably give her Monday off, and then do a final go-through on Tuesday.

This week will be nutty, with lots of errands and whatnot, meals, meetings, Melody’s show and getting ready for my trip and making sure all production details are attended to and in order. There is a service for Annette Cardona on Monday, but I’m not sure I’m up for that – I just don’t like funerals or services, and it’s at the same church that Michelle Nicastro’s service was at, and I just don’t think so.

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 ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora or the Swim, because today is the birthday of the very errant and truant td. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to the very errant and truant td. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO THE VERY ERRANT AND TRUANT TD!

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the four-mile jog, I must hopefully pick up packages and an important envelope, I must do errands and whatnot, eat, and then see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films set in the desert and your favorite films about survival? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall concoct eight scenarios that involve death by baboon (noobab, spelled backwards).

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