Well, dear readers, today’s notes will be immersive. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, today’s notes will be immersive. Not only that, today’s notes will be like no notes you’ve ever seen before. Well, they won’t really but I’m sure you’ve noticed the trend that’s going on today in musical theater and even regular theater. Every production now is “immersive.” And every revival promises “(Title here) like you’ve never seen it before.” I mean, what is wrong with people? Why is everything immersive all of a sudden? Why is every production now “like you’ve never seen it before”? Listen idiots, if it’s a production directed by someone not aping some other production (which is a whole other ball of macaroni products), it’s like we’ve never seen it before because – wait for it – we’ve never seen it before. And immersive? That usually means the audience is onstage or actors mingle with the audience and enough already. Enough with the clichés, new as they may be. Enough with the stupid labels. Just say what you’re doing, what the show is, and shut up. And I mean that in the nicest possible way. I don’t want to hear immersive again. I don’t want to read it’s like I’ve never seen it before. And what if I haven’t seen it at all, what about that Brainiacs? In any case, these notes will be immersive and like you’ve never seen them before. Unfortunately, they’re already not immersive and they’re like every other notes for the damn past fifteen YEARS. Immerse THAT. End of immersive rant, which was like no rant you’ve seen before unless you’ve been reading this here site since November of 2001 (anniversary coming soon, baby and it WILL be immersive).
Yesterday was a day that was very immersive and not necessarily in a good way. Oh, it wasn’t a bad day, not a terrible day, but it had its irritations. Like every time an order came in and made me happy it would immediately be followed by an e-mail notification saying some bill had been paid. So, instead of actually making some damn money everything cancelled itself out. Frankly, I found that immersive. I got seven-and-a-half hours of immersive sleep, got up, did the usual morning stuff, then went and had an egg salad sandwich on egg bread with no fries or onion rings – nice, low-cal lunch. Then I picked up some packages, after which I came home. I did some work on the computer, approved the mastering on the Unsung Sherman Brothers’ new tracks and that went to the pressing plant. I was surprised the print wasn’t finished but I guess that will be today or tomorrow. That’s fine, as the pressing plant needs four days to get the glass master done so the discs can be pressed. I’m guessing we’ll have them by the end of next week. If the booklets to be signed are here by Friday, then Richard Sherman will come over on the weekend and we can get that done. Then I did a two-and-a-half mile jog, but a slightly different route since the signal was not with me and I didn’t want to jog in circles until it changed. Then I did some more work, cleaned up a big pile of crap on one of the dining room chairs that’s been there for six months, and then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the first half of the 1990 TV movie It, based on the novel It by Stephen King. I think I’d seen some of It at some point but not all of it. It’s a typical TV movie of that era, not so well done but not horrible. It’s very much an 80s movie even though it was made in 1990. You know the kind – a bunch of kids dealing with something unnatural – no different than any number of other films of that era (or, to spout another “now” cliché everyone loves – it has the DNA of 80s movies – really, just stop), like the current series Stranger Things that apes all that stuff. The adult cast is fine – Richard Thomas, Annette O’Toole, Richard Masur, Dennis Christopher, and the kids are fine, too – however, some of the supporting players are just awful – I will never understand that. I’ll write more when I’ve finished. But let’s talk about the release itself. Warner Bros. released this, Salem’s Lot and Cat’s Eye and trying to find them ANYWHERE, whether online or in stores was a joke. Feathers were flying all over the usual sites – some people did get them and bragged about it, but then we find they were in Canada or somewhere. A couple of people found them in the Midwest. Bravo. It did start showing up, though, but Salem’s Lot was a no-show everywhere. The WB Shop didn’t have them either. I gotta tell you.
But the comments were, as always, both hilarious and downright dopey – hundreds of posts about who got the best price, people complaining it wasn’t the full version and that it was missing three scenes, which caused people’s heads to explode until someone set them straight that it IS the full version, but minus the end credits (and the shots that were the backplate to same) of part one and the recap and titles of part two. In other words, dopey Internet experts, NOTHING is missing – they simply edited the two parts together. But, you know, these people have to complain about something, anything, all the time. The transfer is very nice, too.
Then I relaxed, listened to music and a biscotti – the biscotti was immersive and like no biscotti I’ve ever seen before.
Today, it’s more of the same – writing, eating, jogging, hopefully picking up packages, casting the final person for the November Kritzerland (I’ve already assigned songs for the cast I know), and then relaxing.
Tomorrow is unknown to me other than I’m kind of ready to have a nice meal somewhere – not necessarily caloric although I’m due a splurge meal, but something tasty and fun and different. The weekend is unknown to me other than maybe signing booklets and doing errands and whatnot, and I believe Monday is a holiday.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, jog, hopefully pick up packages, cast the final person for Kritzerland, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Stephen King books and the TV and movie versions of them? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall have immersive dreams, dreams like I’ve never seen before.