Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle doing the Twist whilst eating a banana split or as the gazelle likes to call it, The Split Twist. I am completely off in my days, thanks to the Labor Day holiday day. I thought yesterday was the day before, I think today is yesterday, and tomorrow who knows what day I’ll think it is. Certainly today doesn’t feel like today but perhaps that’s because it’s not today yet – it will be today when I post these here notes, but at this point it’s still yesterday rather than today. This whole paragraph is giving me a migraine.
Yesterday was a day that didn’t seem like yesterday. I got seven hours of sleep, got up, did the usual morning things, did the Indiegogo push and put up the new, incredible sheet music perk, and then did some work on the computer. Then at some point I went and picked up some packages, then had a sandwich and a side salad for the main meal o’ the day, after which I came home.
Once home, I did more work on the computer, listened to some music, noted we got one Indiegogo contribution that didn’t actually take the percentage up, began choosing songs for the October Kritzerland, and did a little organizing.
Then some folks came over to read-through some material (actually sing-though). This is something I was asked to direct. Since it’s only a one-night presentation in a cabaret room I said okay. Whilst that performance occurs during the beginning of our second week of actual staging rehearsals, the rehearsal for the cabaret thing will actually take place the third week of this month for five days. Then everyone will work on their own, and twice in October on my day off, we’ll stumble-through everything. Since the show is on a Monday night, I’ll just make that our day off that week, which is simple. So, it will be fun to work with some nice folks, it pays a tiny bit, which is always appreciated, and then we can ascertain if there’s a future for it and where we might want that future to be.
That lasted about two hours, and then I went to Ralph’s and got a couple of drumettes and a little salad from their salad bar (with red wine vinaigrette) and brought that home and ate it all up whilst doing some more work on the computer.
Then I decided to do a little fun comparison between the Japanese Blu-ray of High and Low and the Criterion. I suspected that the Criterion had to be from whatever dupe negative Janus Films has and that clean up work had been done on that, because at times you can see there was damage. I also suspected that the Japanese would be from the camera negative. Well, the Japanese transfer is clearly from the camera negative – everything about it is hugely better than the Criterion – sharpness, contrast, blacks and grays, and even the pink smoke scene. The Criterion in high contrast shots always has black shadows dancing around the heads of character, which is what a dupe many generations from the original negative looks like. No such shadows exist in the Japanese. The Criterion is 2.35 whereas the Japanese is a bit wider and closer to 2.44 maybe and it certainly looks right. The credits on the Criterion are window-boxed whereas they’re not on the Japanese Blu. I was quite astonished at the difference, really. The downside of the Japanese Blu, and it’s a rather large downside, is that there are no English subtitles, a real shame, but I know the film well enough that I was able to just enjoy it visually. I can also say the Perspecta stereo sound is much more vibrant on the Japanese disc.
After that, I just listened to music – some Ennio Morricone with singing by the great Edda Dell’Orso – great music, and then some Ryuichi Sakamoto soundtrack themes (wonderful composer), then a Jazz and Cinema disc of soundtrack music by Martial Solal, the composer of Godard’s Breathless. It’s really good. Then it was time to write these here notes, which is when I discovered the damn gazelle doing the Split Twist.
Today, I shall attempt to do the Split Twist. I have a morning meeting at eleven to hear some songs, then I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then continue working on the October Kritzerland and try to cast the rest of it. I may go see a little singer concert in the evening if I’m feeling up to it.
Tomorrow we will be setting keys for about six or seven cast members of A Carol Christmas. Friday I think I have to endure some Shakespeare, and then we’ll see what the weekend holds. Speaking of A Carol Christmas, Peyton’s mom filmed the song we premiered, Little Miracles – in the show it’s sung by her character’s mom (the Bob Cratchit character), but I got to sing it since I wrote it in my key. Peyton joins in on the last verse. And since so many of us could use some Little Miracles right now, I do hope you like it.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the Split Twist, have a morning meeting, eat, hopefully pick up packages, choose songs and cast, and then maybe see a singer concert. 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 I shall also do the Split Twist whilst trying to remember what damn day it is.