Well, dear readers, jogging every day is interesting. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, jogging every day is interesting. I’ve been varying my route a bit, which allows me to look at other stuff because frankly jogging every day can also be incredibly boring. So, yesterday, there I was doing a two-and-a-half mile jog, thinking about this and that as well as that and this when I began to take notice of all the electrical poles and the unbelievable number of crisscrossing wires and doodads that I don’t understand, and I thought to myself, “Myself, what century do we live in, what year is this?” because this stuff just seems so old and antiquated and it’s just so apparent why there are so many problems with power outages. The wires are occasionally frayed, tree branches are all over them and even though I have never, not once, taken notice of them, all this stuff is a complete eyesore. I was told by Time Warner Cable, the goal now is to get all this wiring underground, but how is that ever going to happen? But interestingly as my jog took me to Ventura Blvd. and I was going west I noted no electrical poles and/or wires anywhere? And the street looked so much nicer and cleaner and frankly safer. The poles and wires are there, of course, but in BACK, the alleys behind the stores. I was just fascinated by all this and it just all looks so jerry-rigged and crazy. I have no idea why I felt that was interesting but there you are. Now you have it, now it’s out there for all to read. I found this entire paragraph electrifying, actually, it had a buzz, like a live wire, it was current, it had spark.
Yesterday was a rather okay day – no irritants at all and I do hope that continues for the rest of this week because who needs irritants? I did get eight hours of sleep but not all at once. I was up for two hours at six in the morning, fell back asleep around nine-thirty and slept till eleven. Once up, I had a LOT of e-mails to answer and read, I did a little writing, and then I went and had a pastrami sandwich on rye with no fries or onion rings. Then I picked up a couple of packages, then came home.
I then spent the next hour on the phone with Brown Paper Tickets setting up The Brain from Planet X’s event page and ticket sales. It was a bit more complicated because we’re allowing people to choose their own seats, both Gold Circle and General. But it’s all set up but isn’t live yet because the seating chart I then sent them has to be converted into their software – that will take a day or two, then we’ll be live and I’ll do the Facebook event page and hopefully we will sell lots of tickets. Even though it’s a benefit and is totally about raising dough, I tried to keep the price affordable for the general tickets at forty bucks. Of course, those same seats COULD have been had via Indiegogo for twenty-five bucks and yet only a handful of people took that perk. The Gold Circle two prime rows are 150 each – we sold four of those via Indiegogo where they were only 100 each.
Once that was done, I got word that the Unsung Sherman Brothers packaging, four days late with an apology but no reason, went to the pressing plant so I’m hoping by Friday we have the CDs. The booklets for signing I’m picking up this morning. Then I did the electric jog, came back home, had some telephonic calls, sent half the singers their music, and then finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the first two hours of the 1979 TV movie version of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot on Blu and Ray. I didn’t see it when it was shown, but I have attempted to watch it over the years and always get about forty minutes in and then shut it off and forget to finish it. But this time I’m determined to finish the damn thing. It’s fascinating that Warner Bros. took a chance on director Tobe Hooper who, at that point, had completed exactly two films – The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Eaten Alive – low budget sleaze fests both. And he’d been replaced on one other film. So, why would a huge company take such a chance on such a director? Perhaps Mr. Hooper answers that question on the commentary track, but I, for one, don’t know what possessed them. That said, much of his work on Salem’s Lot is fine and even stylish at times, while some borders on amateur, especially with certain supporting players. But he certainly lucked out with many of the actors – you can’t really fail with James Mason, who is simply one of the greatest screen actors who ever lived, or with Geoffrey Lewis or the wonderful Bonnie Bedilia. So, what stops this from being better than the okay thing it is? Again, I’ve watched two hours and am looking forward to the final hour, but I can surely tell you that David Soul, for me, is simply dreadful in the leading role – a typical TV performance from a depthless actor of no real substance. It’s a huge problem and drawback. Bedilia is a marvel in her scenes with him – I have no idea how she dredged up the charm and warmth and humor of her performance playing opposite him. Mason is always great, but he’s asked to basically play the same scene over and over in the first two hours – this he does very well but it does become tiresome watching him get in and out of his car and he drives from home to shop, constantly entering and exiting the front door of each. Which brings us to the other problem – the script by Paul Monash. I’ll write more when I’m done, but thus far his script meanders and is repetitious. He’d been around quite a while by the time of this film – but mostly in TV with series like Peyton Place, Judd for the Defense, Cain’s Hundred, and others of the ilk. The imdb says he worked on De Palma’s film of Carrie, although he is credited only as producer, not writer, so who knows. He also wrote the screenplay for The Friends of Eddie Coyle, which he also produced. The film looks very good on Blu-ray, although as was the fashion then, everything is VERY bright. There are some nice effects, but the occasional jolts become less effective the more they’re repeated and they’re repeated a lot.
I went to Gelson’s and got a couple of drumettes for a snack, came home and ate it and then relaxed and listened to some nice music and some irritating music.
Today, I’ll be up no later than ten, then I’ll pick up the Unsung Sherman Brothers booklets for signing, do some errands and whatnot, then Richard Sherman will be here between one and two and he’ll sign all the booklets. After that, I really have to settle on our final female cast member, a tricky track in this show, and then I’ll get the remaining three people their songs and we’ll be all set. I’ll also jog and eat, not necessarily in that order, and I’ll surely finish Salem’s Lot.
The rest of the week is meetings and meals, hopefully shipping the new CD, which I can’t wait for folks to hear, and then we’ll see what the weekend holds.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, pick up booklets for signing, have them signed, eat, jog, hopefully pick up packages, cast, get the remaining singers their songs, then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite vampire-themed movies and books? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I shall ponder all that crazy electricity.