Well, dear readers, it’s just today and tomorrow and then it’s 2014. This year has flown by, like a gazelle singing The Whiffenpoof Song whilst twirling a baton and doing the splits. I mean, it seems like I was just writing this about 2013 and now I’m writing it about 2014. Thus, the conundrum of time. In any case, we may as well enjoy the final two days of 2013 while we can because they’ll be gone soon enough and soon enough they’ll be gone, not necessarily in that order.
Yesterday, I had the day I wanted to. I got close to ten hours of blessed sleep, I had a chili, cheese and onion omelet and an English muffin for my meal o’ the day, I picked up a package (yes, for some reason amazon can deliver packages on Sunday), but mostly I just stayed home doing things on the computer, thinking about the new novel (once again, I’m thinking about changing the name of a character – I’ve changed it three times already, and while I like the current one, I just found out there’s a character on some stupid TV show with that last name – not spelled the same, but, you know – I’ll probably leave it as is, as none of the other twelve names I’ve thought of in the last two days really does it for me.
I finished watching a spaghetti western called The Grand Duel (or The Big Showdown), starring Lee Van Cleef, this one from late in the game in 1972. It’s not really very good, save for Mr. Van Cleef – it’s poorly directed but trying awfully hard to be Sergio Leone-like, and the actors all look very contemporary to the early 70s in terms of hair styles, which is really kind of off-putting. The best thing about the film is the score by Luis Bacalov – the main theme was appropriated by that person called Quentin Tarantino for the first Kill Bill movie. Still, I do enjoy even the most pathetic of the spaghetti westerns, just because there’s always an actor or music or something that kind of works.
After that, I watched Cinerama Holiday on Blu and Ray, which I enjoyed very much. It looks very good, although I was a bit disappointed in the sound – mastered very low, and although it’s supposed to be done from the seven-track original mags, I heard virtually no surround sound. It’s an enjoyable travelogue, with some fun visits to various places in the US and overseas, culminating in a very weird sequence in New York where the two couples go to see Cinerama. One wishes that they’d toured the Times Square district – those views would have been priceless, but alas they didn’t. I watched a few of the extras, too.
Then I watched some more of The Sound of Music Live and it’s not really getting any better, at least for me. I know some hated it and some liked it and a few loved it – I don’t feel any of those things. For me the big fail should be placed squarely on the person who “directed” the show in terms of its blocking, choreography, and performances. I am no fan of this person and he really just doesn’t get it – Carrie Underwood, who’s very cute, really needed a director or someone to help her – the “director” was not the guy, and if she had anyone beyond that they should not be coaching for a living. And so far, the actor playing the captain, who I don’t know from a hole in the wall, is all posturing and effect and I just don’t care for him at all. And the sound is horrid and makes everything fall completely flat. I thought it was a fun idea to do a live musical on TV, but they could not have picked a worse person to helm it and therefore it’s just not really working very well for me. We’ll see if it gets better with the arrival of Laura Benanti.
Throughout the evening I had tiny little snacks – some almonds, a little cheese slice (low-fat, low-cal), a piece of cherry loaf that the Darling Daughter made for me, and that was about it. I did more stuff on the computer, had a brief visit with Richard Sherman and his ever-lovin’ Elizabeth, and then I relaxed and listened to music for the rest of the evening.
Today, I have to be up by nine because the Kritzerland rehearsal begins at ten-thirty and it’s going to be a very long day. We rehearse till three, and then at three Kay Cole comes and choreographs one number with four young girls. So, I’m sure we’ll work all the way until five and then I’ll finally get to eat something and hopefully pick up some packages before the mail place closes.
Tomorrow I may have a brief work session, otherwise it’s relaxing till it’s time for our annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Bash right here at haineshisway.com, the most fun and safe New Year’s party anywhere. Then the following morning I begin writing my new novel, which I’m very much looking forward to. Then I may have some folks over later in the day. The next day we have our second Kritzerland rehearsal, another long day, then the next day we have some rehearsals for the benefit, Saturday is our stumble-through, and Sunday is sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a very long rehearsal day, eat, hopefully pick up packages and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite movie songs, songs written especially for the movies. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, amazed that the conundrum of time has made 2013 fly by, like a gazelle playing Laura in The Glass Menagerie.