Well, dear readers, my brain has been thoroughly Newley and Bricusse-ized – I have so many songs running through my brain that I sit here thinking what kind of fool am I and who can I turn to other than the candy man on a wonderful day like today, when Goldfinger is gonna build a mountain which is, after all, a once in a lifetime thing, but after today nothing can stop me now, not when I’m trying to have pure imagination and come up with something interesting. I thought I had something going, but then realized that the spread of numbers is uneven, and I really want each singer to have the same number of solos and group stuff. I spent a good deal of my day and evening puzzling that out and moving things around and switching things up. I have about five songs I’m calling floaters – things I may assign or things I may just use parts of. I have twenty-nine definites that we’re going into rehearsal with, although one may go away if we can’t find the sheet music – much too long to have a take down done, but it’s kind of a wacky, fun song that could be an amusing production number, one of three full out production numbers I have planned. But at least I have something rough we can begin with and then I’ll just see how it all feels.
Other than that as a yesterday constant, I had a pleasantly pleasant day, although I only got about six hours of sleep, so I was really tired all day and evening. I got up at eight, then met two lovely film score enthusiasts for breakfast at Jerry’s Deli. We had a fun time, and I had bacon and two poached eggs on toast, and no potatoes. After that, I picked up one package and then came home, where I worked on the revue for a while. Then I did a three-mile jog, planked, and did forty-five sit-ups. Yes, Virginia, I went up another five. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Holy Motors. I got it because Eyes Without a Face’s Edith Scob is one of the stars. I’d read about the film – the director is obviously a huge Georges Franju fan, hence the casting of Miss Scob, and the film is even dedicated to him and Henry James. I knew what to expect going in, but it is such a weird, surreal film with no real plot – just episodes that occur, different scenarios, and you never really know the why of anything, there’s no plot, and it just goes from thing to thing in a David Lynch kind of way, but without the fun of Lynch. It’s a complete oddball film. Miss Scob doesn’t have much to do, but she still looks beautiful at 75. There is some disturbing imagery, but in the end it’s a big load of “What?” The transfer was fine, but this is not something I ever need to see again.
Then I did some more work, then watched another motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Hitchhiker, starring Edmund O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, and William Talman, directed by Ida Lupino. It’s a very good motion picture and if you only know Talman from Perry Mason, this performance will be a real eye opener. It’s taut, tense, and moves right along for its seventy-minute running time. The film has been out many times on home video, always looking horrendous. This transfer was made from 35mm “elements” (meaning a print), and it’s been getting a total pass from Internet reviewers – they all mention the problems but are fine with it because it makes it seem “film like” as if films, when they were originally shown, were dupey-looking, filled with scratches, etc. But if they see a dot in a film made in 1970 they go berserk. Go know. I will say, the Blu-ray is the best it’s looked on home video – it has moments of sharpness and detail, but an equal number of moments that don’t look so hot. There are a few splices and when those occur the sound gets worse, as if they used a different print for the sound in those sections to avoid jumps in the track. But if you like tense, suspenseful films, this one is excellent. Some of those same Internet wags call it a film noir – I don’t think it’s much of a noir, frankly. But the cast is great and Lupino does a great job in the director’s chair.
After that, I did some more work, then finally listened to some music and tried to clear my head a little.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I’ll do a jog, I’ll continue to work on the revue, hopefully with a clearer head, and then we have a meet and greet at Genghis Cohen, at which point I’ll give everyone whatever rough thing I have, so they know which music to concentrate on. It does look like each person will have six numbers to call their own – although some are duets with others. And then there are six group numbers. So, it’s not really learning that much stuff.
Tomorrow I have to be up at six in the morning to announce our new title, then I go see Dr. Chew for my teeth cleaning. Then I’ll work on the show a bit, then head over the hill, have a bite to eat in the late afternoon, then go to the theater to have our first rehearsal. The rest of the week is meetings and meals and more rehearsals, so it will be crazy but fun.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, work on the show, and have a meet and greet. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I’m sure this dream will be filled with the songs of Newley and Bricusse.