Well, dear readers, here’s something amusing – I just wrote Well, dear reader – can you imagine if I was writing these here notes for just one dear reader? Thankfully, we have thousands of dear readers the world over who ready this daily drivel and that makes me very proud. So, I quickly added the “s” – I’ve never mistyped those opening three words save for the one time I typed Well, dear radars, which was a whole other ball of waxy buildup. Speaking of waxy buildup, and who wasn’t, yesterday was a waxy buildup kind of day. The good news is I got nine hours of blessed sleep, arising at elven o’clock. I had no real plans for the day, but I did have some fake plans but decided who needs fake plans. So, I did some work on the computer, had some telephonic calls, did some reading, worked on the music of what I hope will become the opening number of the LA revue and then I made myself two tuna sandwiches on mini hamburger buns of only ninety calories each. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night I watched a new Blu and Ray of a motion picture entitled Miracle Mile. I’d seen it for the first time back in 2009 and written about it here – but that was on DVD and it was an open matte transfer that looked terrible. My first viewing of it took me by surprise and I liked it more than I thought it would. Its director had made just one film before it and has not made one since. But there’s something about Miracle Mile that just works for me. I like all the actors, especially Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham, and the direction is really well done and the photography is kind of great. Add to that that it’s all shot on location, 90% of which is basically in about a three block radius of Wilshire and Fairfax and the three blocks east of it. Much of the picture takes place in Johnie’s coffee shop, a coffee shop that is used exclusively for movie and TV shoots – there hasn’t been a real restaurant there for decades, maybe since the late 1960s. The famous May Co. is there in all its glory and was still open for business when the film was shot in 1988. Ohrbach’s across the street is also featured heavily (this was Ohrbach’s second location – it was originally located down by the museum). Ohrbach’s had already closed two years prior to the filming but still had all its signage and show windows. Since a big scene takes place inside, they had to bring in all the interior stuff since the building was empty by that point. Other wonderful locations include the Pan Pacific auditorium, one year prior to it burning to the ground. The disrespect of that magnificent structure is one LA should be truly ashamed of, but it’s kind of sadly typical. Johnie’s is declared a historical landmark and can’t be touched. But the Pan Pacific, one of the most unique and gorgeous examples of Streamline Moderne architecture is closed in 1972 and allowed to sit there unattended (save for some shots in Xanadu) and unloved for years, until it finally burnt to the ground. The city should have insured that that building was kept in pristine condition. There are also extensive scenes shot in the Park La Brea apartment complex. One usually doesn’t think that twenty-six years is such a long time ago, but in the case of this film and its locations, it seems a lifetime ago. The film is quirky and weird and I recommend it if you feel like something a little different. The transfer, which is apparently new, is excellent. There are a few extras that I watched, too.
After that, I did a jog, then had a little visit with Robert Yacko, then had a long telephonic conversation.
Today, I have some writing to do, we’re going to get the packaging for the Welcome to My World CD finished, then I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, jog, and continue working on a new song.
The rest of the week is busy – two little get-togethers with Sami, who returned from three weeks in camp, just to get her back into working mode and focused on the show, on Wednesday night I’m having a work session with John Boswell for the Kritzerland show, so that will be done and I won’t have to worry about it, then at some point we’ll have a production meeting.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, do a jog, hopefully pick up packages and do other stuff that needs doing. Today’s topic of discussion: When you were a child or a teen, did you go to summer camp and, if so, did you like it? I, of course, hated every second of it. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall not dream of waxy buildup.