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March 7, 2012:

APPROVED

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, the galley is approved, the covers are approved and the book is on its way to the printers. Once I receive my first copies, then I will place my order for our Internet sales at Kritzerland, where you can purchase a signed copy of the hardcover. I’ve got something in mind for the first twenty-five dear readers who purchase. The book is available for pre-order now at www.kritzerland.com and will ship no later than the third week of April and maybe a bit sooner than that. The approvals took up most of my morning, but it felt really great to finally sign off on everything. Grant is very happy with the way it all looked and if Grant is happy then I am happy and vice versa and also versa vice. I’ll announce on Facebook tomorrow morning and I also sent a Kritzerland eBlast just to let people know about it, although I suspect that we won’t get but a handful of orders that way – still, you never know.

After my busy morning, I thought I deserved a nice early lunch so I had me some yummilicious chicken tenders and some potato salad. After that, I picked up some packages, did some errands and whatnot, and then came home. I finished choosing about eighty percent of the songs for the next Kritzerland show and assigned them. I’m still looking for two to three more songs, but it should be a really fun evening. After that, I booked my transportation for my trip on Saturday and my return on Tuesday, so that’s done. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a motion picture on a homegrown DVD entitled Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and find True Happiness, a film by Anthony Newley. I saw the film twice the one week it actually played in theaters, after which it basically disappeared off the face of the earth. It’s never been commercially released on home video. I’ve seen it a few times since the original release – I owned an IB Tech print of it, and now I have it on a not very good DVD (off a 16mm print, clearly). I never cease to marvel at the chutzpah of this film. The ego behind it is amazing. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to watch, other times it’s a lot of fun, a couple of times it actually is touching, and most of the time it’s Newley’s 8 1/2. The songs are fun, and his anthem to himself, I’m All I Need is a terrifically shot number. Milton Berle is funny, George Jessel is really weird and has one of the worst hairpieces ever, Connie Kreski is adorable and quite naked, Joan Collins looks beautiful and sings weakly, and we also get good turns by Bruce Forsythe, Stubby Kaye, and Victor Spinetti. Some of it veers into very politically incorrect territory, so won’t be for the faint of heart. It’s a bit of a train wreck, but it sure is an interesting one.

I then watched a documentary called Los Angeles Plays Itself. I didn’t think I’d seen it, but as soon as it began and I heard the narration I remembered I had seen it – at the American Cinematheque. It’s a great idea for a documentary, but I’m afraid the result is truly awful in just about every way save for the clips. The three-hours of narration is stultifying and terrible – the droning voice saying the most clichéd, awful, boring, and a lot of times incredibly stupid things. It just goes off on the most ridiculous tangents, when the interesting part, LA on film, is what we want and only occasionally get. It’s mostly LA and Hollywood-centric, with only about two minutes of its three-hour running time devoted to the beach towns, like Venice and Santa Monica. A truly lost opportunity. This has also never come out on home video and probably never will, due to the extensive clips.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get as much beauty sleep as possible before I have to arise at an early hour.

Today, I must arise early and have a nine o’clock breakfast meeting with a writer pal of mine. After that, I’ll try to book a haircut with Teddy, although it would have to happen tomorrow or early Friday. Hopefully I’ll pick up some packages, do some errands and whatnot, and then write liner notes for two projects – both of which I must finish. After that, I shall relax.

Tomorrow, I will hopefully be able to see Teddy, then we’re going back into rehearsal for Melody’s show, which she’s doing at the end of April. We’re putting in about four new numbers so I’m sure there’ll be some finessing to do. Friday, I shall take it easy and pack and get to bed early and then early Saturday morning I shall be on my way to New York – I will be available on Saturday evening for a meal, and on Sunday I’ll be available up until about six.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have an early breakfast meeting, I must try to book a haircut, I must hopefully pick up some packages, and I must write two sets of liner notes. 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 hit the road to dreamland, happy that all book things are approved.

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