Well, dear readers, what a difference a day makes, twenty-four little hours. Where the previous day had been nothing but The Irritation Game, yesterday was nothing but nice things all day long right into the evening hours. I didn’t get much sleep, but that was okay because I was getting really good ideas, which I then got up and wrote down. I think I ended up getting about five hours of sleep. Once up, the new interim helper came over and got what she needed, then I did some writing and some work at the piano. At eleven I got word that part three of the miracle would happen at some point during the day. Hopefully it did, and I’ll make sure this morning. After that, I went and had a cup of chicken soup and a chicken salad sandwich with no fries or onion rings. Then I picked up a package and came back home. I did some more writing, more work at the piano, but was just trying to rest my voice, which is pretty tired right now. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I finished watching the first season of Bosch. In the end, I liked it okay. The guy who plays Bosch is very good and so are three or four of the other actors, but there are an equal number of actors who I just didn’t care for at all. Very erratic in the casting department. The ten episodes kind of combine the plotlines of two of Michael Connelly’s novels, but it’s just spread too thin over ten episodes and repetition sets in, the same scenes get played multiple times without enough variety, and in the end the mysteries themselves, while interesting on their own, have no real surprises in them, at least not to me. Not sure I need to stick around for season two.
Then I got a telephonic call that ended up being both amazing and very touching. Richard Sherman called and I’ve been hoping he would, but didn’t really know. I’ve been after him for three months now to write a song for the new revue – I had a very specific thing I wanted him to write and he said he’d think about it. But he’s been so busy, non-stop really, with a PBS documentary on him (that airs December 17) that he kept telling me he hadn’t forgotten but hadn’t really thought about it. When he finally was completely finished with the PBS thing, which was about five days ago, he began thinking about it as he promised he would. The call was him wanting to read me the lyric he’d written (we’ll get together in person to hear the tune) – and while I will not discuss the subject matter, due to the usual prying eyes, I will tell you that he couldn’t get through it without choking up, and I choked up, too, repeatedly. I have to say, it’s very personal and it’s one of the best lyrics he’s ever written, with or without the brother. I can’t wait to hear the tune, and I know it will work perfectly in our show. Incredible. Also, two new DGA screeners arrived, along with a SAG screener with a lot of hip TV comedies, like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and others. The two movies were The Danish Girl and Suffragette, the latter I know nothing about and the former was something I really wanted to see.
Last night, I watched The Danish Girl on the DGA screener. It’s a movie about one of the first or THE first noted sex change operation back in the early 1930s, Lili Elbe. Before I get to the movie, yes, I said sex change because I’m not some little PC putz who needs to say sexual reassignment surgery or the even more “with it” gender reassignment surgery. I mean, really. It’s a sex change operation. What’s wrong with that term? It’s been used for decades and it’s what it is. I see nothing derogatory in it, but that’s just me. I mention it only to say that every single review of this film uses that term – it must be in the press notes or sex change operation has simply gone the way of the dodo bird (except here). The movie is certainly earnest – the story is, of course, interesting, and it looks good. But perhaps it’s a little too earnest and a little too stolid, given its subject matter. Something about it doesn’t quite work, but I still enjoyed it, mainly due to the performance of Alicia Vikander, who certainly is having a year. She’s just wonderful in this, but the director allows way too much crying from her and Eddie Redmayne – a little of that stuff goes a long way, because when there’s TOO much of it, then it’s doing the audiences work. Mr. Redmayne is very good, and the rest of the cast is also fine. There was one female performance that I didn’t care for – I thought it was Scarlet Johannson as I was watching it, but no, it was someone who looks and sounds just like her named Amber Heard. I’m not sure I’ve heard of Ms. Heard. There’s pretty music by Alexandre Desplat, but like most film music these days, it’s just sort of laid over scenes – film music today has just about completely forgotten what the job of film music is – which is to get under the skin of the movie and the characters, even provide subtext. But now, it’s just music as wallpaper, rather than an integral part of the storytelling. But pretty music that I wouldn’t mind listening to on its own. Very much of a piece with many other scores by this composer.
After that, I just decided to relax and of course all day I’ve been printing out orders, too.
Today, I have no real plans other than perhaps a little finessing and futzing with the Kritzerland commentary. Then I’m attending a Christmas partay at Doug Haverty’s home environment.
Tomorrow is our stumble-through and then an early birthday dinner, perhaps at Ruth’s Chris, but the Woodland Hills location. And next week is all meetings and meals, shipping CDs, and Wednesday is sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do not too much, then attend a Christmas party. Today’s topic of discussion: Are you or are you not a fan of all these new PC terms for everything under the sun? If not, which are your least favorites? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that a day made the difference.