Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle eating a Fig Newton. Does anyone still eat a Fig Newton? I do believe they are not quite as popular as they once were and why is that, do you think? Once upon a time the Fig Newton was VERY popular with the populace. Now it is passed over in favor of other cookies. The Fig Newton is starting to get a complex, frankly. The Fig Newton is feeling unloved. I think it’s time for a Fig Newton comeback, don’t you? Did you know the Fig Newton was first made in 1891? Legend has it that the inventor of the Fig Newton, Newton G. Plank had invented a way of putting fig paste into a pastry. His girlfriend at the time, Henrietta Flump was bored and said, “You know, I don’t give a fig, Newton” and the rest is history. But according to Wikipedia, it was, in fact, Charles Roser, a Philadelphia baker and fig lover who invented it. The Newton came from the small town, Newton, Massachusetts. Don’t we feel that Massachusetts has a few too many letters in it? I always liked Fig Newtons from as far back as I can remember. You could eat them slowly and make them last, they were chewy on the inside but flaky on the outside, rather like I am now, but the biggest problem I had with the Fig Newton was that I could not stop eating them until I’d finished an entire package. There was a very brief time when Nabisco introduced the Cherry Newton and oh did I love that, but apparently I was the only one and it didn’t last more than a few months, back in the late 1980s, I think. Well, lookie what I found. An ad for various Newtons, including my beloved Cherry. 1987 the ad is from, but I think it may be earlier than that, like the first part of the 80s. I even found a Facebook page called Bring Back the Cherry Newton. I think we need a campaign here. Let’s rally the haineshisway.com forces, shall we? Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, baby. What the HELL am I talking about? Well, this:
Yesterday was a funny old day. I don’t even remember the damn day. I remember getting only six hours of damn sleep, I do remember that. I remember answering e-mails and having telephonic conversations and I remember having a chicken salad sandwich and some onion rings for my meal o’ the day. I did pick up several packages and I did come home. Then we had some packaging issues to deal with – very boring and we’re trying to work the issues out, otherwise we just have to drop some photos from the booklet. One way or another, I want it finished today and hopefully approved by tomorrow. Then I had a lovelier than lovely visit with our very own Nick Redman, and then I did a one-and-a-half mile jog. I then went to Gelson’s and got some fruit, some Chapsticks and some light bulbs for the porch and outdoor fixtures. I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I finished watching Stephen King’s Thinner, a truly terrible motion picture from director Tom Holland, a person whose career completely eludes me and that includes his little cult film, Fright Night. But Thinner is much worse – filled with terrible performances and bad writing and some of the worst fat and thin make-up you’ve ever seen. Actually, it may be great make-up but it’s lit so brightly that it’s just fake as can be. I did enjoy Michael Constantine as a gypsy who puts a curse on the leading character. It wasn’t too long, so that was a plus, and it did have a very good score by Daniel Licht, a composer we championed at Bay Cities.
I then checked out the transfer of Marty. I knew it wasn’t going to be good and that proved correct. Several reviewers have given this disc a complete pass, something I do not understand at ALL. It is not in its proper ratio of 1.85, it has windowboxed credits and opening scene, and it’s never really very sharp. Two of the reviews I read stated they didn’t think it was a zoomed-in transfer, but neither actually based that thought on any sort of knowledge – just a hunch, I suppose, but a completely incorrect one. Of course it’s a zoomed in transfer and figuring it out is pretty basic – you cannot matte this transfer to 1.85 and the only way that could happen is a zoomed-in transfer. And you can tell by the framing on the sides of the film and the fact that zooming in has alleviated some of the huge amount of headroom that a completely open matte transfer would have. A Best Picture winner deserves better than this and if it were me, I would not have accepted this transfer. But, for whatever reasons, this transfer gets a pass with the explanation “It’s better than nothing.” Well, no, sorry. If that’s going to be the line, then any terrible transfer should be just peachy to everyone because – “It’s better than nothing.” Sorry, collectors, you can’t have it all ways. Highly not recommended by the likes of me.
Then I spent the rest of the evening listening to more classical music – I got through three discs in the Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky Sony original covers set. The first disc was The Rite of Spring and the second was The Firebird. I wasn’t really crazy about either performance – I prefer these in the readings I grew up with – Mr. Ormandy, naturally. But I did enjoy the fourth disc – Symphony of Psalms and Symphony in C.
Today, I shall be organizing the petition to bring back the damn Cherry Newton. Other than that, I shall write, eat, hopefully get some news on the packaging issues, hopefully pick up some packages, and relax.
Tomorrow is very busy – I have that morning meeting I would rather not go to – so, please send your most excellent vibes and xylophones for it to go the way I feel it needs to go, and then we have our second rehearsal and after that I may have to go see a play. Not sure what’s happening on Friday, but Saturday is our stumble-through, Sunday is sound check and show, and then we dive right into our anniversary show, which is almost cast now and some of the material has already been chosen.
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, jog, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream of the Newton twins – Fig and Cherry.