Well, dear readers, we had a fun stumble-through yesterday. One thing that’s kind of funny to watch is if there are lyric fumfers in the first number, which there were, everyone catches it, like the flu. If there aren’t, then chances are we get through it without them. The show order works like a dream and of course the Berlin songs are classic, but it’s the Harold Rome material that is the revelation for me, at least. I’ve always liked what I’ve heard, but hearing all these great Rome songs together just makes it so clear what a major talent he was. In addition to our wonderful cast, Sami and her mom were there because they have a birthday thing to go to tonight. After we finished, I gave the usual notes, we ran a few things and that was that. We’re very light in attendance for this one, which is really and truly irritating to me – it was the same four years ago when we did a Berlin show. I just don’t get it. Last month a few folks used the Easter card, but we still ended up with seventy or so and I think we’ll probably be close to that, but the swiftest way for me to put an end to these shows is to suddenly start having to worry about attendance. As it is, I’m seriously thinking about cancelling July because the first Sunday is the fifth and I’m just not sure I’m up for following July fourth. That would be the first month we’ve ever missed, but since we can’t do the second Sunday, I just think we may have to. I’ll speak to the club about it and them make that decision.
Prior to the stumble-through, I was up early after just five or six hours of sleep, she of the Evil Eye was here, and I went and did some banking, had poached eggs on toast, picked up no packages and then came home and relaxed until it was time for the stumble-through.
After the stumble-through, Adryan Russ and I went to CPK. I had a small Caesar and we split the spinach artichoke dip. Then I came home, did some work on the computer, printed out the commentary and then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a “thriller/action” picture on the Flix of Net entitled The Outsider. It was certainly one of the worst movies ever made, so ineptly directed that it boggled the mind. The lead is some beefed up Brit called Craig Fairbrass, who not only mumbles during the entire film, he mumbles in a hard-to-understand Brit accent. James Caan, who looks VERY strange, has a few scenes. There isn’t one line, one scene, one camera move (lots of lens flare – brilliant), one moment you haven’t seen 100 times in better films. The plot is strictly by the numbers and from hunger, the score is one of those pounding/droning things, but that’s not the worst. No, I’ve saved that for last. The film takes place in a city called Los Angeles. Even though they’re supposed to be going all over the city, the only location shots are one block downtown, some overhead helicopter views of downtown and one or two overhead freeway shots. That would, I suppose, be okay – inept, but okay – if the writer/director actually had any idea of where things are located in the city called Los Angeles. In my favorite scene, they say they’re going to a club in Hollywood. Since 90% of the film was shot in Baton Rouge, Louisiana it’s not a Hollywood street you’ve ever seen. So, they play a couple of scenes at the club. Then from there they’re supposed to go directly to a safe house. They’re told to take Laurel Canyon to Wilshire. Now, they’d have to be in the Valley, not Hollywood, to take Laurel Canyon, which ends at Sunset and turns into Crescent Heights. THAT street goes to Wilshire. However, the safe house seemed to be located in Louisiana. Then they talk about the club they were just in and say it was on the west side. Note to idiot writer – Hollywood is not located in West Los Angeles. Oh, and right after the leave the West LA Hollywood location to go to Laurel Canyon, their driving on the Hollywood freeway, which, of course, doesn’t go to Laurel Canyon or Crescent Heights. It was most entertaining. The house where James Caan’s character lived was said to be on Coldwater Canyon, but it looked like no Coldwater Canyon house I’ve ever seen.
After that, I just did some stuff on the computer and saw that our Kritzerland a GoGo campaign had another good day. Obviously not as strong as day one, but we’re almost at twenty percent funded after two days, which is pretty good, I think.
Today, I’ll hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep, and then my plan is to just relax until it’s time to be on my way to The Federal for sound check. Then it’s the show and I’m sure some of us will go out to eat afterwards.
Monday I’m looking at a rehearsal space and there’s some dinner with someone but I cannot for the life of me remember who, so hopefully whoever it is will remind me soon. Then it’s meetings and meals, planning the June Kritzerland, seeing a couple of shows and hopefully getting more folks to join our Indiegogo campaign.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, relax, have a sound check, do a show and eat. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have learned that Hollywood is in West Los Angeles.