Well, dear readers, at around eleven o’clock yesterday morning we had some extraordinary action in the Indiegogo campaign and we achieved our goal amount – not only that, we went over it by a few hundred dollars and during the day continued that trend by little bits, ending the evening at $13,500 with one day left. We want to keep going so we fully cover the Indiegogo/Paypal fees, plus if we were lucky enough to raise another $1,000 we can add a second keyboard to the band, which Lanny has wanted from the beginning. So, we have probably into the afternoon before it closes, so let’s put on our big happy pants and keep this going as high as we possibly can. Here for the final time is the link.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/l-a-now-and-then-a-new-musical-revue/x/9165600#/
So, even though I only got about four hours of sleep, it was quite a happy day, except for some annoying book stuff conversations, but that’s finally all been sorted out and I should be getting new replacement softcover and hardcover books in about a week. I’m really not comfortable ordering until I actually see them, so we probably won’t have books until the first week of April. I spent the entire morning being a cheerleader for the Indiegogo, and on the phone with the book people and Grant. Once all that was done, I went to Gelson’s and got two big salads, red wine vinegar, and brought them home. I did some work at the piano and on the computer, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish and ate salad number one.
Whilst eating, I watched another episode of House of Cards. It’s been meandering along, some of it interesting, some not, and then finally in episode four or five (can’t remember which), a plot turn happened that lasted for two or three episodes, and those were sort of a return to form for a while, but then that all resolved itself and we’re back to the same old same old. I watched those other episodes in the early evening.
I then struggled with the song, fretted about its form and kept trying to add another verse and chorus but it just kept feeling bloated and I wasn’t at all happy with the unfinished final verse and chorus. In the end, I dropped the second verse and chorus and rewrote the final verse and chorus and finally finished the damn thing. I sang through it and I’m happy with it now. And it’s about 3:40 long – I can’t imagine it with another verse and chorus that would stretch it out to five minutes. So, it’s kind of a weird form but it feels right – verse, chorus, bridge, verse, chorus. The choruses are longer than normal so it all feels right to me.
I talked to Lanny, and had some other telephonic conversations, I saw the packaging for our next release and it’s quite nice – a two-CD set and it’s one of the few times a two-CD set will be pricier than a one-CD set – this one will be $29.98 but it’s still a bargain at that price, with two almost eighty-minute CDs. The winners are, of course, the Indiegogo subscribers who get it as a perk. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish again and watched more House of Cards – I think I have two left.
After House of Cards, I watched the first third of the upcoming Twilight Time Blu and Ray of Exodus, a film I’m very fond of. I had the overseas Blu-ray of it – it’s from a 35mm negative so looks nothing like it would had it been taken from the 65mm negative, but alas, MGM/UA is not the studio that will be doing that. The transfer on the overseas disc was a gazillion times better than the old non-anamorphic DVD, but it’s still not optimal. The color is mostly fine (a bit too brown for my taste, but not too bad), and it has very nice detail. But the sound absolutely sucked and the main titles, those beautiful Saul Bass titles, were windowboxed and looked terrible.
The Twilight Time has proper main titles and that’s reason enough to buy it. The authoring is also better than the overseas Blu-ray. But it’s the sound that should make you grab this purchase. MGM/UA found the original six-track sound and it was painstakingly restored for this Blu-ray and the difference is astonishing. So, definitely a must-buy if you’re a fan of the film, its director, Otto Preminger, or Paul Newman.
After that, I made a rough recording of the new song – not quite ready to send it to the guy who’s doing the charts, but today I’ll record it again and send it along and that’s it for my songs, except for the one Grant is doing the music for.
Today, I will cheerlead to the finish our Indiegogo campaign, I’ll hopefully pick up packages, eat, and try to finish casting the April Kritzerland show and begin choosing its songs. And, of course, I’ll continue structuring the LA show. I have a rough act one that’s just waiting for some other material to add to it. Once I’m happy with that, at least on paper, then I’ll begin structuring act two.
Tomorrow and the weekend is more of the same – can’t remember if I have to see anything – kind of hoping not.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, cheerlead, hopefully pick up packages, eat, work on the Kritzerland and LA shows, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What TV series did you start out absolutely loving and then, at some point, couldn’t watch anymore because they’d, as the kids say, jumped the shark? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, thrilled beyond belief that we not only achieved our goal but went beyond it. Now it’s time for that one final puuuuuush. I’ve made it a goal to get to $15,000.