Well, dear readers, I am back in Nordic Noir heaven because those wacky Danes/Swedes went and did a second series of The Bridge. I thought the first series was pretty great, especially the two leads. Naturally, the crass American entertainment industry felt it necessary to do their own version, which apparently is not so hot and where the leading lady is simply copying her counterpart from Sweden, her counterpart having given one of the most unique performances ever. After watching two episodes of the American version of The Killing, which I thought was not a patch on the butt cheeks of the original Swedish, I knew never to watch any Americanized version of a Danish or Swedish crime show again. The BBC in the UK has been showing all these Nordic Noirs and they’re all hits – apparently in the UK they have no problem reading subtitles – in the U.S. people would rather eat sheep’s eyeballs than read subtitles – that would, of course, require them to actually pay attention and not keep looking at their cell phones. I do know that a few folks have problems that make reading subtitles difficult, but I’m not talking about them – I’m talking about lazy people who want their movies and TV shows to fill their screens, original intention be damned, and who cannot abide black-and-white.
Of course, one worries when a show does a second series – will it measure up to the first? Well, I’ve watched three of the one-hour episodes so far and so far, so good. The leading lady is still brilliant and so is the leading man. The plot is, thus far, interesting, and the new cast of characters are fine. One forgives the show for its occasional and completely unnecessary jerky-cam moments, but mostly it’s very well done and I’m looking forward to more episodes.
Yesterday, had moments of interest and fun, in fact, many of them. I got up around eight-thirty after not enough sleep, answered e-mails, did work on the computer and then went to my noon o’clock lunch meeting with Kay Cole. We discussed many topics of interest, but mostly the chatter was about Li’l Abner and various aspects of what I’m planning to do with it. It’s going to really be fun to work with Kay on this. For lunch, I had a bagel with cream cheese and a meatless Cobb salad with 1000-Island dressing. After that, I came right home, had a nice visit with Mr. Nick Redman, and then Sandy and Lanny came over for a little work session.
Sandy and Lanny played through about five of our chosen songs – as with Simply and This Christmas, somehow her voice just sits well on my songs and this is going to be a very fun album. Lanny always has some interesting ideas and I’m trying to be open-minded about them and to let him go his way. I do occasionally ask for the chords not to be adjusted or certain rhythms to be adhered to, but I’m pretty open to “feel” adjustments and stuff like that. I’m also trying to forget their my songs so that my arranger hat is on, too, and so that I’m not tunnelvisioned about anything. We worked for a few hours, then they left and I went and picked up a couple of packages from the mail place. After that, I came back home, made some popcorn, and watched some Nordic Noir.
I also ate various and sundried little low-calorie snacks all during the evening – Skinny Cow candies, fruit snacks, and stuff like that. I chose a couple more songs for the Kritzerland show, and I think I now have only two more left to choose. It’s kind of a combo platter of humorous or foolish numbers, Spring songs and April songs – very eclectic. I decided that the two What Ifs we’re doing will both be Frank Loesser parodies – the Guys and Dolls/The King and I one, and the full version (we only did half in the What If show) of the Frank Loesser Guys and Dolls/Sweeney Todd parody of Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat. That way we have some consistency and the other what ifs from the show all require more people, which we don’t have time to futz with.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep, then I shall do errands and whatnot, I shall eat, I shall hopefully pick up some packages, and then I’m seeing a youth production of Bye Bye Birdie in the early evening.
Tomorrow and Sunday are pretty easy days, and Sunday I’m seeing a play. Next week is really busy with work sessions, a Li’l Abner production meeting, figuring out what our next Kritzerland release is and lots o’ other stuff.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do stuff, eat, hopefully pick up packages and see a show. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, a new Jeremy Sams score. Blu and Ray – next up are some Twilight Time releases, including Conrack. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland happy to be back in the land of Nordic Noir.