Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle in a training bra. Oy and vey did I have a rough night last night – something I ate didn’t agree with me, which is odd since I agreed with everything I ate. I hate when something I ate doesn’t agree with me – but then something I ate is always a little persnickety. Whatever it was, I woke up at three, couldn’t get back to sleep until four, woke up around six-thirty or seven, couldn’t get back to sleep until eight-thirty, and then finally got up for good at ten-thirty. So, I guess I got some hours of sleep in all that waking up. Happily, everything I ate yesterday agreed with me – of course, I disagreed with everything I ate, just to show that I can be equally persnickety. What the HELL am I talking about?
Last night, Mr. Robert M. Sherman passed away in London. He had been in ill health for some time. He and brother Richard M. surely made this world a happier place. With all the Sherman Brothers songs I’ve recorded, I’d never met Robert, only Richard, who became a dear friend. When we did the Kritzerland Sherman Brothers evening, I got to meet Jeffrey Sherman, Robert’s son, who was a very sweet man (and co-director of The Boys, the documentary about the brothers). While I know that the brothers had their issues with each other, whatever those issues, together they made absolute magic. I fell in love with their songs when I saw The Parent Trap – the minute I heard that wonderful title song, and then Let’s Get Together, and then the beautiful For Now, For Always, I knew the boys spoke to me personally. Then came Mary Poppins, which was fantastic, and then everything that followed was just so much fun and had such life and spirit. The good news is, that legacy never ever goes away, and each new generation gets to discover all those song treasures and be delighted by them, as they most surely will.
Yesterday was a mostly lovely day, albeit not quite the lazy day I had in mind. I had a plethora of e-mails to deal with, and then there was some silly “negotiations” with the people who are doing the Jule Styne evening – just ridiculous, but neither of us want to double up and do the same songs from the Bob Merrill-penned Styne shows. So, I gave up one, they gave up one, and the world goes round. The helper came and picked up a bunch of invoices. By the time I finished doing all that stuff, it was already past two, so I went and had a chopped salad and a bagel at Jerry’s Deli. After that, I picked up a package and then came back home. I then looked at the cover art for our next Kritzerland release, made some changes, and then approved.
Of course, we had our little e-mail volley drama with the publisher. They’d sent me the cover proof, which was basically fine except they’d made the spine so small it wouldn’t even hold a fifty-page book. When queried the responses got so stupid and pointless and it was all so unnecessary that it was truly annoying. That said, for once in my life I never lost my cool or got angry, I just calmly kept reiterating the facts until they finally got it. They told me the spine thing was temporary until the galley was finished so they could have a proper page count. My response was they HAVE a proper page count because we send them a PDF that cannot be changed in any way, shape, or form. That took quite a while to sink in. Then Grant felt they’d moved the cover art just a little too far to the left and he asked that they do it exactly as he showed in the file he sent. That took another five e-mails – they kept saying if he wanted the change he’d have to make it and send a new file. My response was that he didn’t want to MAKE a change, he wanted them to do what he’d sent in the first place. At every step, I reminded them that we don’t need anyone to be artistic in any way – they just need to assemble what we sent them and be done with it – no changes. You’d think after twelve books they would “get” this, but they never do. And why they would send me a cover proof to approve that I could not approve anyway (because of the spine), is anyone’s guess. Hopefully, when I see everything next (galley AND covers) it will all be correct. Well, they can’t screw up the galley other than screwing up the one page they have to do – the copyright page. Of course, they do screw that up every year, despite us enclosing complete and clear instructions for everything. We’re hoping this year will be the first they get it right on the first try.
Last night, I sat on my couch and watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled To Catch a Thief. I know most people consider this very lightweight Hitchcock, but I consider it one of his greats – always have, always will. It’s so sophisticated and the John Michael Hayes script is so filled with classic movie dialogue, the kind one wished one spoke in real life. Add to that, the elegance and style of Hitchcock’s direction, the great performances by Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams and everyone else and you end up with a perfect soufflé. After reading a couple of absolute raves for the transfer I wish I could say mine was an absolute rave, but it’s not quite that. Make no mistake, the Blu and Ray looks great – very sharp, great color, and excellent contrast. But I’m pretty certain the transfer was made from the master created for the last DVD release several years ago. That would have been scanned at 2K from the VistaVision negative. But so much has happened since then, it’s a shame they didn’t go back and scan at 4K with all the latest technology, which I feel would have produced something along the lines of The Ten Commandments and White Christmas, an absolutely breathtaking thing to look at. Again, while To Catch a Thief looks mostly wonderful, I do feel had they done a fresh transfer, it would be one of the best Blu-rays ever. As it stands, most people will be thrilled with it – I was mostly thrilled, too, but I just know it could look even better.
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 hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I shall then jog, I shall write liner notes, I shall choose material, I shall assign songs, I shall gather up music, I shall eat, I shall hopefully pick up some packages, and I shall book transportation and maybe a haircut with Teddy.
Tomorrow and the rest of the week consists of meeting, meals, writing and more. Then I’m on my way to New York for three quick days, then back home with lots o’ work to do.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, write liner notes, choose material, assign songs, gather music, eat, hopefully pick up packages and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: We’ve done it before, but we must again – what are your all-time favorite Sherman Brothers songs? And what was the very first Sherman Brothers song you ever heard? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall fall asleep humming Hushabye Mountain.