Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish listening to a podcast about The First Nudie Musical that aired in late December and which I knew nothing about, at least I don’t think I did. There was a different podcast in July, but I was an interview subject on that one. This one is playing but it’s two hours long and I’ve yet to hear anything other than the title of the film. As they describe it on their page, it’s “three flaming homosexuals talking about a straight T&A film.” I wonder if they’ll actually talk about it by the time I finish these here notes?
Yesterday, I had a perfectly pleasant day and evening. I only got six hours of sleep thanks to the time change, which simply irritates me. I was up by nine-thirty, which was eight-thirty. I reset the two clocks that needed resetting and then answered scads of e-mails. Then I went and did a little errand/favor for someone that took me to the Bank of Bur, where I picked up what I needed to pick up, then also put some gas in the motor car. Then I came directly home. Once home I made some tuna sandwiches for my meal o’ the day. I also did some work on the computer, mostly for the Kritzerland show. I’m awaiting confirmation on our final performer and then we’ll be cast and thank heavens John Boswell happened to be free so that’s taken care of. Whew. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on a Blu and Ray from the UK, albeit all-region, so any player can play it. The motion picture was entitled Two Women, a film of Vittorio De Sica starring Miss Sophia Loren, who won an Oscar for her performance, and Eleonora Brown as her daughter. Even though this film had a very long four or five month exclusive run at the Lido Theater, which was only five minutes from my house, I never saw it – don’t know why, really, as I was starting to enjoy foreign films (real love of foreign films would really kick in two years later). I did see some of it at some point on one of the horrid public domain DVDs, full-frame, a dupe of a dupe of a dupe. So, when this was announced and I found out about it, I got it right away. It’s been sitting on the couch like so much fish and I finally watched it. First of all, it’s a truly great movie and Miss Loren truly deserved her Oscar and frankly Eleonora Brown should have been up, too. It’s wonderfully photographed and has an excellent score by Armando Trovajoli. Now, I’d read a “review” of the Blu-ray by this guy who somehow thinks he knows what he’s talking about – and yet, what exactly IS his expertise? I don’t believe he actually has anything, but he pontificates with the usual kind of babble one encounters in these kinds of reviews. He thought the raw scan of the film’s restoration were probably great (like he would know) but that it had been compromised somehow by the Blu-ray label (like he would know), and he wasn’t happy with it. Well, it’s a really excellent transfer – there really aren’t any problems I saw. He pointed to three screen caps he said were an example of his problems – one was a long optical so of course it doesn’t look like the other shots, and the other two were from a scene shot in early morning gray overcast light – so the contrast is light – but let’s put on our thinking caps and wonder why the scenes before and after all look great, contrast-wise. Anyway, this is highly recommended by the likes of me, a terrific transfer and film.
After that, I took an old What If I’d never finished and finished it and that’s going to be our opening number. That took about two hours. I had a couple of little tortilla and cheese things as my evening snack. Then I took a hot shower and that was pretty much it.
The podcast’s three people are kind of irritating, and their very smart-assy – the love some of the movie and hate some of the movie, but it’s their gabbing that’s kind of off-putting, despite the love for much of it. One of them goes on and on about Diana Canova and the most offensive Spanish accent in the history of movies because she’s the whitest woman ever. The host has to inform him that Diana is half-Cuban and the accent was simply her father’s accent. I don’t know if I’ll be able to listen to much more of it.
Today, I’ll be finishing choosing the songs for the April Kritzerland, as soon as we lock down our final performer. I’ve chosen about half the songs so far. I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and then I have a dinner with young Jenna Lea Rosen and her mom.
The rest of the week is meetings and meals and seeing a show or two, working on the musical and also doing some work on the Sherman Brothers musical.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finish choosing songs, hopefully pick up packages, and have a dinner. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Miss Sophia Loren? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, deciding whether to finish this unknown podcast or not.