Well, dear readers, it may be foolish, but it’s April. How did that happen? Wasn’t it JUST March? And now March is a thing of the past and April is here and it is my fervent hope and prayer that April will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity and all things bright and beautiful. Today is a day to stay off the Internet, methinks, given the April Fools’ pranks that will go on. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I, like most, don’t mind some April Foolishness, but the April Foolishness in the Net of Inter is not funny to me and therefore I shall avoid it at all costs ($3.59 marked down from $5.00). Let’s begin April with some excellent vibes and xylophones for me to not get sick – I am fighting tooth and nail to not get sick. I just gave an uppercut to my tooth, and pounded my nail into submission. I gotta tell you. Certainly April will be a busy month, what with the Kritzerland show, the ALS benefit, and something that I’ve been thinking about doing for some months that I think we’re finally going to do – not a project but certainly will lead to some. Plus we’ll do the private reading of the Sami show here at the home environment. And, of course, we should have copies of the new book to ship to those who ordered it, and we’ll do a signing for it, too, but that might not happen till May.
Yesterday, the last of March, was a perfectly okay day. I don’t know how much sleep I got once I actually got to sleep but certainly not more than six hours and probably closer to four-and-a-half. I hate when that happens. Once up, I did some work on the computer, polished the new song for the Sami show, rewrote two lines of it, and figured out a little section musically that had been eluding me. I’m quite happy with it now. Then our very own Mr. Nick Redman came over and we went and had some lunch. I had a chili, cheese and onion omelet and an English muffin, he some whole wheat toast and jam. Then I picked up a couple of packages and came home.
Once home, I buckled down, Winsocki and made a first-pass order for the ALS show. It took about an hour to figure out, but I must say that on paper it looks like it will work really well, and I’ve been very clever about where the awards and speeches go so that they’ll all seem of a piece. After that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled David and Lisa. I have a very long history with David and Lisa. It began its long engagement in LA the first week of February in 1963. I’m pretty certain that I saw both it and Sundays and Cybele that very week. I went back to both films relentlessly – I’d entered my low budget art film phase and had already seen The Miracle Worker many times at the Fine Arts, which is where David and Lisa played. Actually, unbeknownst to me, David and Lisa had actually played one week in December of 1962 at the El Rey for Oscar consideration. It worked, as the film was up for both director and screenplay. David and Lisa was made for under $200,000 and it was just a film everyone had to see. It played forever at the Fine Arts and I saw it whenever I could and was never not moved by it. I was totally in love with Janet Margolin, and I thought Howard Da Silva should have gotten an Oscar. And I also loved the music and had the soundtrack. In any case, needless to say, I kind of overdosed on the film, and therefore didn’t see it for many, many years – in fact, I didn’t see it until last night. I had the open matte DVD but had only watched the beginning. Thankfully, the Blu-ray presents the film in 1.78, which is close to its 1.85 projected ratio. I wish it were a better transfer – it’s quite dirty at times but it gets the job done, I suppose. The box says it’s taken from “vault elements.” What does that even mean? There could be a VHS tape in the vault. I’m sure it was taken from some kind of internegative, but certainly not the camera negative. Watching it after all these years, it’s still a great and powerful film. I never realized how short most of the scenes are in the film. Keir Dullea is absolute perfection as David, and you already know my feelings about Miss Margolin. It’s interesting how they only hint at the maladies of the two leads in the broadest terms. David does seem to be OCD or autistic, at least to my eyes. Anyway, it still packs a punch and I recommend it highly with the caveat that the transfer isn’t brilliant.
I then watched a bit of Interstellar, about fifteen minutes – so far, I have no idea what the HELL it’s about. And I find the changing aspect ratios maddening and annoying. But I’ll finish it at some point. After that, I did some more work on the computer and that was that.
Today, being April 1, I’m guessing I will have to be foolish. I shall be foolish and run amok. I shall dance in the streets with gay abandon. I shall speak in verse. I shall write amusing haikus. At noon we have a rehearsal with the gal who missed the other day. Then I have other stuff to do, then at four Sami and her mom come and we’ll get something to eat and go over some of the monologues. Then I’ll relax.
Tomorrow, I have a busy, busy day. A meeting for the ALS show in the morning, then our second Kritzerland rehearsal, then a meeting in North Hollywood right after – don’t know when exactly I’m supposed to eat, but I guess I’ll figure that out. Friday is an easier day, 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, keep from getting sick, I must be foolish, I must rehearse, I must hopefully pick up some packages, I must have a work session and meal, and I must 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, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to welcome in April – and it is my fervent hope and prayer that April will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.