Well, dear readers, I am just a little tired from way too little sleep. As you may recall, I decided to have our new release go live at midnight so I wouldn’t have to get up at six. I fell asleep just after three and had the alarm set for eleven. And what do you think happened? I woke up with an upset tummy at five-thirty. So, two hours of sleep. I couldn’t fall back asleep until almost seven thirty or thereabouts, and then I slept until about ten-fifteen, so not even five hours of sleep, which is why I’m just a little tired from way too little sleep. Which is the endless way of simply saying – I’M TIRED. What am I, Madeline Kahn all of a sudden?
Yesterday was a day in which I was tired. When I finally got up, I printed out orders, did some work on the computer and then went and had an early lunch as I had a rehearsal to get back to at one. I had the ubiquitous chicken Caesar salad for my meal o’ the day, picked up some packages (well, one) and then came home. Soon thereafter, Tom Griep and Sara Andon arrived and we ran through the selections she’ll be doing at this film music thing next Monday. We had two options for one piece and we all agreed on the one we liked. It’s always a pleasure to hear Sara play the flute – she’s terrific and Tom did a fine job accompanying. I believe we have now settled on all the selections so even though I can’t do the show order until I hear more on Friday, I can write the commentary today (or some of it) and then just order it later.
After that, I printed more orders and then the piano tuner arrived. Whilst he tuned I began perusing a book called Roadshow, about the fall of the big movie musical in the 60s and 70s, with case histories on all the usual suspects. I found it not very interesting, because I don’t trust that the writer actually knows anything about the subject and certainly Roadshow is a weird title as roadshow releases were hardly limited to film musicals. Of course we hear ALL about Doctor Dolittle – old stories regurgitated, and I found it filled with either mistakes or people’s faulty memories – he goes into detail how a couple of musical numbers were removed after a preview of the film. But he neglects to mention that after its Hollywood premiere is when the major cuts happened and there were MANY. I was at that premiere and the audience hated the movie and it didn’t last very long and then it was shorn of lots of footage, especially from its second half. Some of the stories about this and other flops is very suspect, just gossip, basically. One irritating thing is that he thanks Hayley Mills – so far I’ve read exactly one thing about her – that she was the original leading lady in Doctor Dolittle. Really? And then suddenly she was replaced by Samantha Eggar. But he just drops it and we never know WHY she was replaced. And from everything I’ve read, she was on some wish list but I find nothing about her being cast. Shoddy. It’s also not written very well and it certainly hasn’t been proofed carefully. I’ll read a few more things but it’s just not very well done, which is a shame because it’s an interesting subject. Not highly recommended by the likes of me.
Then after the tuner left, I sat on my couch like so much fish and listened to an SACD of an RCA Miklos Rozsa classical album – terrific sound and wonderful music. Then I closed my eyes for a second and was out for forty minutes. Then I listened to a bit of the new recording of Scott of the Antarctic by Ralph Vaughan Williams – I’d already heard it when I put it into iTunes, but I hadn’t realized it was also an SACD – I wasn’t that impressed, frankly, and it just proves once again that recording engineers today are nowhere near the equal of the people who did this when stereo first came in. Listen to any of the RCA Living Stereo SACDs in comparison (and some of those were recorded in 1954 and 1955) and the sound blows away this new recording. Go know.
Then I caught up with stuff on the computer, whilst continuing to listen to all twenty-six Miaskovsky symphonies, which are just very enjoyable. I’m not even halfway through, but they’re almost more enjoyable the second time around. I had some of those frozen mini-taco things just because I thought I needed to eat something else. The temperature here yesterday was about 105 – anyone who thinks that’s normal is an idiot. It’s like a sauna bath outside, and it’s not much cooler in the evenings.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I will start writing the film music thing commentary and try to get a lot of it done because I don’t want to have to give that any thought as we approach the Kritzerland anniversary show. I’ll hopefully print out more orders, I’ll eat, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and I really must try to jog at some point, but probably not until it’s early evening because I am not jogging in 105-degree heat. Then I’ll be able to relax and watch something.
Tomorrow is our second Kritzerland rehearsal, and we’re joined by Jason Graae. Friday I have to go to LACC and meet with the young actress who is the only candidate for the leading lady and I want to make sure this is something she can really do. I’m not that concerned about the acting, because I’m pretty good at getting good performances out of people – but she has several songs and those have to be done well. After that, we have two rehearsals for the film music thing – one with a violinist, and the other with a cellist and singers. That will have enabled me to hear most of the music and I’ll then make the show order and cut and paste the commentary to reflect that. Saturday is our stumble-through, Sunday is sound check and then we do our show. I will, of course, have a complete report for you.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write commentary, eat, hopefully pick up packages, try to jog, 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, where my little tired self will hopefully get a good night’s beauty sleep.