Well, dear readers, it was more queasiness yesterday – don’t really know why but it lasted all day and night. Go know. But let me just get right to my favorite part of yesterday – at one-thirty I delivered forty-six more pages to Muse Margaret (really forty-seven, as I printed out one page from the first batch where I’d added a paragraph, what I thought would be a fun detail. She read that while I was there and really liked it. Then at five, bells were ringing and I got the call I’m always nervous about, but like the first call this one was equally as positive and wonderful. When I got the first call last week and she was so effusive, as I began writing the new pages that would comprise the second batch of forty-five I thought, as I always do every single time, oh, boy, what if I screw it all up now? Then I get into it and I don’t think that anymore. It’s just funny to me. Again, she was very detailed about everything – she just loves this book and this story so far and feels that I’m being “guided” in the writing. She’s very effusive about the characters, too, and the dialogue. Again, nothing I can really say other than it’s completely different to any of my other books. But what she really seems to be responding to is what she feels is the gravitas of this story – yes, there are funny things, but it’s not about that. She even read a couple of her favorite paragraphs to me. She had three or four little things – two just removing single words, one adding one sentence to the end of a paragraph, which I’ve already done, and one adding a couple more lines of description to that new paragraph I’d added to the early page – she just wanted to know a little bit more about it – haven’t done that yet, but will today. In any case, color me happy.
The call came right at the perfect time, because I’d written another three pages before she called and I was at a crucial point dealing with a hugely important plot thing and I’d been going back and back and back and redoing it over and over again, trying to get the language right and have it make the impact I wanted. After the call, I went back to it and revised it again and it was better, but the actual turning point thing still didn’t feel good to me, so I stopped and took a break and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I finished watching one of those Lew Grade 1970s cheese-fests that he so loved to make – they were better than the Elliot Kastner cheese-fests, and I do have a fond place in me for some of them. I had never seen this particular film, which was entitled The Domino Principle, starring Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, Richard Widmark, Mickey Rooney and Eli Wallach, directed by Stanley Kramer. Now, I know Mr. Kramer wasn’t the greatest filmmaker whoever lived, but I’m partial to On the Beach, Inherit the Wind, and I like Judgment at Nurmeburg and Mad World and Ship of Fools. But after that, it’s really a slog and The Domino Principle is truly awful in every way. It’s flatly lit like a TV movie, the screenplay is pretty bad, it’s muddled and has one of the weirdest opening sequences in the history of movies. After that opening, with its percussive music, what do you get – an insipid, sappy song over the main titles – for a thriller. Brilliant. Mr. Hackman can do little wrong, but he can’t overcome the script, nor can the other actors. Mr. Rooney is just – Mr. Rooney and poor Mr. Wallach has nothing to do. The saving grace is Richard Widmark, who I just love to watch. Candice Bergen is just awful in this film and the normally wonderful composer Billy Goldenberg provides a blaring score that does nothing at all to help the film, which needs all the help it can get. Probably the nadir of Mr. Kramer’s career. Here’s the amusing thing, though – the transfer is incredible. The companion feature, another Lew Grade special, is The Cassandra Crossing – that one I’ve seen and while it’s not great cinema, it’s enjoyable on a certain level – I watched fifteen minutes of it, and it, too, sports a great transfer. A lot of what makes the film bearable should be credited to Jerry Goldsmith.
Prior to ALL of that, I’d gotten up at nine-thirty, answered e-mails and had some telephonic calls, worked out the schedule for a four-day musical theatre workshop at LACC, which is the precursor for me casting Li’l Abner – a chance to see who I’ve got to work with, hear them, and get them jazzed about doing a musical, and to work on their singing skills. I’ll have a pianist for three of the four three-hour sessions. It’s next Tuesday through Friday, so most of my writing will have to be done in the morning hours. I’m really looking forward to it. Then I went and had poached eggs on toast with some white rice – that’s really all I could stomach, frankly.
After watching the movie, I went back to the writing and read the revised version of what I’d done and I was happy with all of it except the final thing – it just wasn’t right, it was too early for it, and I didn’t like the feel of it. So, I got in the shower and had the solution in exactly ten seconds, and it was a really good solution and I wrote it immediately and continued on for another half page. So, overall, I think I did seven pages, and I really like the different way it ended up going. And that’s why I love the shower, although I have to call the plumber and get him back here because I’m not getting more than seven minutes of hot water. I’m sure when he fixed the handle something happened and the hot water handle is stopping before it gets to the hottest point.
Today, I shall be up by nine-thirty, I’m sure, and then I’ll futz and finesse, after which I’ll begin new pages. I’ll try to do at least three or four, then I’ll hopefully feel like eating something light, then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then I’ll write another two or three pages, then at four I have to be at the theater for replacement auditions for the revue. That will last two hours and I can only tell you that I’d rather be almost anywhere else, but it must be done and I have to do it. After the auditions, I’ll join Sami and her mom at a little jernt down the street for a quick snack. I don’t think I’ll stay for the show, as I’m told it’s sold out and I don’t enjoy sitting on the steps. One way or another, the latest I’ll be home is nine and I’ll do a couple of pages then.
Tomorrow, we ship a LOT of CDs, I have a work session at noon, otherwise it’s just writing, same with Saturday and Sunday – on Saturday night, the creative team of the benefit is celebrating with a nice dinner at The Smoke House.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, hopefully pick up packages, hold auditions, have a snack and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What is your favorite genre of book, film, TV and theater? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had another happy phone call, the best kind of bells are ringing.