Well, dear readers, it is late so I must write these here notes in a hurry but do not worry, I shall scurry even though my eyes are blurry and I’ll write in a flurry and perhaps even use the name Murray whilst eating curry before a jury.
Yesterday was one of those truly irritating days that happen now and then, most of which had to do with the benefit. I’m just gonna say that last year we had endless support, the benefit was publicized for months and we raised a whole lot of dough. And I’m just gonna say that this year has been the polar opposite of that. So, it was endless e-mails today, endless back-and-forths, all having to do with trying to get a major person here for the show. For a while it looked like it would happen but now it looks like it may not.
I got about seven hours of sleep, then had a meeting with my lighting gal and her tech who’ll actually be writing the show on show day. We went over everything, I found out I was not getting gobos that everyone agreed on weeks ago, because no one actually ordered them – this is all on the charity, not us – we’re all doing OUR jobs and, if it must be said, are not being paid for the months it takes to do these shows. I wasn’t happy about it, but what can you do?
After the meeting, I went and had a chili, cheese, and onion omelet and a bagel – about nine hundred calories, probably, but I knew it was my main meal o’ the day. Then I picked up one package and came home and the merry-go-round of e-mails and phone calls continued unabated. One of the things in the package was a new Blu and Ray of The Ratings Game, a cable movie (one of the first, if not THE first at least for the station that made it) directed by and starring Danny De Vito and a very large cast of interesting folks. It was produced by David Jablin – I’d already done a bunch of comedy shorts for him on his show Likely Stories. When it came time to do this film, he used many of our folks from The Creature Wasn’t Nice because the associate producers had done that for The Creature. So, I knew everyone on the shoot. At some point, David called me and asked me to write a bunch of faux TV themes, a song for an affiliates dinner, and a network logo theme. The movie is about a mythical struggling TV network and the talentless person who turns it around for a time. The script had a few amusing things in it – the parodies of 80s TV were pretty right on. I accepted the gig and wrote a lot of music and some lyrics. They all loved all of it. Unfortunately, I didn’t negotiate the deal with an agent, which I should have – I should have absolutely been in the front credits of the film because those themes and songs are absolutely integral to the parodies working as well as they do. But instead, I’m credited in the end credits, which, of course, some folks don’t even watch.
So, for years the score composer has gotten the accolades because they just assume he wrote all the music because he has the Music By credit in the main titles. And I will tell you that over the years he has done nothing to clear up that misperception. In the Blu-ray package there’s a nice booklet that David Jablin put together and in it I was very pleased to find a wonderful shout out for my music and lyrics, finally letting people know I wrote that stuff and not the other guy. That was very sweet of him. Aside from all that writing, I was also asked to be in the film in a cameo role as the “star” of one of the faux sitcoms, WAC’ed Out. They show a promo from the show and it’s pretty funny and I look damn good in a skirt, but not so good in the horrifying wig they gave me.
So, I watched it last night – it’s got funny stuff but it’s too long for its own good, and I find the writing a little uneven – but the parodies are pretty great, so it’s definitely worth a look-see if you’ve never seen it. And our very own Marshall Harvey was the editor and did a really good job.
Prior to watching it, however, I finished In Cold Blood. Even now, fifty years later, this film astonishes – in much the same way that The Manchurian Candidate still astonishes – both movies seem as fresh and original today as they did back when they came out. Scott Wilson and Robert Blake are amazing – they both should have been up for Oscars that year. The score by Quincy Jones is absolutely brilliant – the fact that it’s never seen a CD release is criminal. Conrad Hall’s photography is stunning, and Richard Brooks has total command of the script and direction. There are many unforgettable images in this film and the transfer is spectacular. Highly recommended by the likes of me.
I did do a two-and-a-half mile jog at some point, and not everything was irritating – there were a few pleasant things along the irritating canal.
Today, I was going to go to the Pasadena Playhouse to see the floor taped out, but I have to be here for a phone meeting and it’s just going to be too rushed and the phone meeting is really important. I’ll eat something at some point, I’ll jog at some point, I’ll hopefully pick up packages at some point, and I’ll begin my exits and entrances diagrams.
Tomorrow we have several ALS rehearsals. Friday I may actually try to get down to the Playhouse, Saturday I’ll finish up everything I need to, Sunday will just be going over everything and there’s a chance of one rehearsal and a meal that may or may not happen. And then Monday, bright and early, I begin my long day and then we have our show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, eat, jog, have a phone meeting, diagram, hopefully pick up packages, and then 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 and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a nice shout out.