Well, dear readers, it is late and therefore I must write these here notes in a hurry because – well, why MUST I write these here notes in a hurry? Just because it’s late? Where is it written that I must write the damn notes in a hurry. Oh, wait a minute. I just Googled and found this entry: If it is late, notes must be written in a hurry. So, there you have it, the Word from on high. So I guess I must write these here notes in a hurry – so it is written so it shall be done.
Yesterday, I managed to get ten lovelier than lovely hours of sleep – I needed it, too. I did not arise until eleven-thirty. Once up, I did all the usual things – answered e-mails, had telephonic calls, and wrote a bit more of the commentary but I’ve got a long way to go. I did a two-and-a-half mile jog, then sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched the first thirty minutes of the new Blu and Ray transfer of High Noon. I’d read a rave review of it online and was really looking forward to it, as the film is a favorite of mine. Before looking at it, I took a look at the previous Blu-ray’s first ten minutes – it actually looked pretty good to me – very sharp with excellent contrast. So, I am somewhat conflicted about this new 4K transfer – first off, I’d like to know what element they used for the transfer – we never hear that so I assume it’s something other than the camera negative. Second off, it’s simply not as sharp as the previous transfer and the contrast isn’t as pleasing to my eyes. It’s perfectly fine, but I was expecting to like it more, given what I’d read. I don’t think I’m quite ready to give up that first Blu-ray, unlike Johnny Guitar where the new transfer is quite a bit better than the old Blu-ray. I’ll finish watching it at some point today.
Then I had to get ready for my evening out. My guest arrived around six-fifteen and a bit later we moseyed on over to the Catalina Bar and Grill in the Wood of Holly. We were on the VIP list, which means you get in for the earliest dinner seating and have preferred up front seating, with doors opening at seven. Doors didn’t really open until about ten minutes later, but we got an excellent table in the second row center – the best seats in that club. This jernt is one of those places that somehow has at least one thing in every dish that I don’t want in my mouth. But I ended up with the sausage pasta – very light, with just a trace of red sauce, tomatoes, and a few sausage slices. I didn’t like the taste of the sausages much but the pasta and tomatoes part was very good. We split a Caesar salad and that was pretty okay.
I saw our old friend Tammy Minoff, her mom, and her hubby. It was nice to visit for a brief while. Then the show began. I hadn’t really read anything about it, so was surprised that it wasn’t really what I’d call a cabaret act at all – it’s really a performance piece that Ryan Raftery wrote and it’s a fictionalized tale of real-life Andy Cohen, the man who created the Real Housewives thing. It’s frequently very funny and Ryan has crafted some fun parody lyrics to existing songs. As he was in What If, Ryan is a bundle of energy and his comic timing is sharp – he also is possessed of a really good voice. This kind of show isn’t really my cup of tea, but it was very well done and I did have a good time. It was fun to see Ryan afterwards. After that, I came directly home.
Today, I really have to buckle down, Winsocki and finish the commentary. It really has to be done before the first rehearsal – I can’t have that hanging over my head during rehearsal week, so much of today will be spent doing that. I’ll also do the shorter jog, may bring food in rather than go sit in a restaurant, and when I’m done with everything, then I can relax, although we’ll be putting up the new release at midnight so I don’t have to get up early.
Tomorrow is the first Kritzerland rehearsal, so I’m looking forward to that. Then the rest of the week is meetings and meals, our second Kritzerland rehearsal, our stumble-through, and then sound check and show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finish writing the commentary, eat, jog, relax, and announce a new CD release. 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 topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have found on Google where it is written.