Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle playing the Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# minor, which, interestingly, the gazelle plays in Bb minor. Go know. Personally, I play the Prelude in C# minor in G major just to be contrary – it’s a minor change even though some might consider it a major change. Of course, I’ve been known to play the Prelude in C# minor in Db minor just to see if anyone notices the difference – oddly, they never do. What the HELL am I talking about? Why am I going on about the Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# minor when I have notes to write in the key of C major?
Yesterday – what can I tell you about yesterday that won’t feel all yesterday? I can tell you I got up after seven hours of sleep – not enough but at least more than six. Once up, I can tell you I answered e-mails then had to mosey on over to the Bank of Bur for a late breakfast or early lunch meeting in E minor. That meeting was interesting on any number of levels, especially level three. Projects were discussed and one in particular would be particularly exciting for Kritzerland. I should know if it’s even a possibility in the next few days, but if it is I am going to fast track it for this year. I had a BLT-A for my early lunch or late breakfast – the Coral Café makes the best BLT-As ever.
After that interesting meeting, I went to the mail place and picked up a couple of packages, then came home. I looked at my tentative show order and it seems good to me – I could use another uptempo but we don’t have it. I think I’ve made an order where it won’t seem like there’s a preponderance of ballads. So, now I can begin to write the commentary. We have such a good cast for this show – we’re calling it The Story Goes On: The Songs of Maltby and Shire, and we’ve got Will Collyer, Ashley Fox Linton, Sally Mayes, John Sloman, and Shannon Warne, with our special guest star Terri White, who came on board yesterday – we’re thrilled to have her and she and I were on exactly the same page about what song she should do.
At that point, I got one telephonic call after another for the entire duration of the afternoon. I was literally not off the phone for three hours. One of the telephonic conversations was quite lovely, with Mr. John Kander. We haven’t talked in a decade and it was a funny, sweet conversation. He was completely off in what production he thought we were going to record – he thought it was some East Coast thing. So, we got all that straight. His two female choices are not available to do the recording, so I’ll cast it with two great gals. He’s thrilled that Brent and Jason are doing it, and he just wants to make sure that the original musical director, David Loud, has a chance to chat with me and the musical director – I’m happy to oblige but in the end we’ll respect his arrangements but I’m sure our singers will have their own personal spins on things and therefore there may be some tempo adjustments and stuff like that. That’s pretty normal – we don’t want to make a clone of the first recording – there would be no point in that. Anyway, it was lovely to talk to John after all this time. He’s a wonderful gentleman.
I also had long conversations with the musical director who’ll be doing the recording, as well as our very own Mr. Nick Redman and several other folks. I was hoarse by the time I was finally through. I then did a three-mile jog, planked and did thirty-five sit-ups, after which I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Fahrenheit 451, a film by Francois Truffaut, based on the book by Ray Bradbury, starring Mr. Oskar Werner and Miss Julie Christie, along with Anton Diffring, Cyril Cusack, and other good actors. I first saw Fahrenheit 451 in a city called Chicago, in something called the Loop downtown. At that time, there were a lot of movie palaces in the Loop. Also, of course I always enjoy being in the Loop just as a matter of principal. In any case, I was touring with The Bishop’s Company in the play Do You Know the Milky Way? We had a day off, so at noon I walked around and found that Fahrenheit 451 had just opened that day in one of the movie palaces. So, at noon I went to the first showing. I fell head over heels in love with the film and stayed for the next showing. I was entranced with everything – the story, the direction, the stunningly beautiful photography (print by Technicolor, naturally), the wonderful performances, but mostly the brilliant and memorable score by Bernard Herrmann. I left the theater but couldn’t stop thinking about the movie for the rest of the day and after dinner I went back and saw if for a third time, just to luxuriate in that world with that music.
Over the years, I’ve seen the film many times, and I owned a beautiful 16mm IB Tech print of it. I never tire of it, even with the cheesy effects work, which is truly awful. But the story is so powerful and some of the scenes so beautiful (the entire last fifteen minutes of the film especially), I cut the effects some slack because it just isn’t about that. I’ve owned the film in every home video format and it’s never looked wonderful. The DVD was okay – I had both the domestic release and an overseas release. The movie still works for me and I loved seeing it again and hearing that magnificent Herrmann score again. I wish I could say the region B Blu-ray was stellar and perfect but alas it isn’t. It’s not bad – the source used is very clean. But the contrast isn’t sharp and the color is merely okay – just too brown with skin tones looking pasty and unreal. This film has incredibly beautiful photography by Nick Roeg and the color needs to be perfect, not that flat look of an Eastman color print, which is exactly what this looks like. A few tweaks by a decent colorist could have fixed everything – why this seems to be hard for people is unknown to me. All that would have to happen is for an IB Tech print to be used as reference. Alas, that was not done and so we have an okay Blu-ray – for me a huge disappointment. Others may be more forgiving and its getting some nice reaction from folks who don’t understand anything about color.
After that, I was hungry, but instead of going to Gelson’s and boring myself with food I don’t even care for that much, I went to Jerry’s Deli and had some chicken tenders. You never know what you’re going to get when you order chicken tenders – sometimes you get seven large pieces, sometimes six, sometimes five – this time there were six very small tenders, and that was fine by me. So, I decided to also have a cup of chicken corn chowder, and that was really terrific, but I was so full after all that I felt very guilty. I probably did go over my 1200 calories, maybe by two or three hundred, but at this point in my diet I am allowed and encouraged to have one splurge day a week and this was hardly a splurge, so I should be okay.
After that, I came home, listened to what will be a December Kritzerland project that will be grand fun – three scores on two CDs, all from films starring the same actor. I think we can improve upon the sound of the previous releases, all of which have been out of print for some time.
Today, I will definitely write the commentary, I’ll jog, hopefully I’ll pick up some packages and I’m kind of really hoping the replacement credit card will arrive, and then later I’ll be supping with the Darling Daughter – thinking about The Smoke House.
Tomorrow I’m hopeful to hear about a few things, so send some excellent vibes and xylophones that some good news comes this way. The weekend is somewhat open – I do have to prep our new release announcement, and I’m seeing at least one show this weekend on Sunday at The Federal.
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 and the Fox Trot, because today is the birthday of our very own beloved dear reader elmore. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own beloved dear reader elmore. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN BELOVED DEAR READER ELMORE!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, write, hopefully pick up some packages, hopefully get the replacement credit card, and sup with the Darling Daughter. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Francois Truffaut and Julie Christie and what are your favorite Ray Bradbury books and stories? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream in the keys of F major, A minor, and E major, with a few augmented chords, one diminished chord, but mostly some major seventh chords.