Well, dear readers, about a week-and-a-half ago I started to do something – I knew I probably shouldn’t do it, and yet I started to do it anyway. I started to dream the impossible dream. At that point we were astonishingly close to 150% and the impossible dream I began to dream was 200%. I couldn’t see a way we’d ever get there but dream I did. I thought the most I could hope for IF we were to achieve it was that it would happen in the final hours of the campaign and only if we were close. But at around seven o’clock last night the impossible dream happened – we hit 200% and with seven days left in the campaign. That is simply amazing. More than amazing, really. We’ve had over 150 contributors, we have two associate producers, we’ve done about twenty of the Kritzerland 10-CD packages, sixty or seventy signed DVDs, and lots o’ other stuff. About two weeks ago, I began to realize that all the estimates I’d been given in terms of cost were going over – and over – and over – that’s just the way it is, I suppose. And then, we began adding more and more stuff and the more you add the more the price goes up, but I’m so thrilled we’ve gone this far and I really do want to reiterate that every single penny raised goes to the DVD production and doing everything right. So, now I have one more stretch goal, another impossible dream to dream, but it will be helpful, and that’s to cover the Indiegogo fees and this ridiculous 5% they’re going to withhold for six MONTHS. That way we clear the 200% and that would be perfect. So, we’ll keep pushing, but I’ll save the big push for Sunday, Monday, and then Tuesday – I believe we close on Wednesday at noon, although maybe it’s Tuesday. There are still lots of great perks at all levels, so you dear lurkers please check it out, share it with your friends, share on social media, especially groups you think might be interested in what we’re doing and then we just puuuuuuush our way to the finish line. What a ride this one’s been. So many thanks to all who’ve contributed and even those who’ve just been watching.
https://igg.me/at/creaturecampaign
Yesterday began with the doorbell ringing at ten-fifteen – I’d completely forgotten someone was dropping off a package. So, I only got seven hours of sleep rather than sleeping in as I’d planned. Once up, I saw there’d been one small contribution, so we hadn’t really gone up more than a percent, but we were in the 190s finally. I did more work on the notes for today’s marathon commentary session, then I went and picked up some packages, got a foot-long Subway club and a six-inch spicy Eyetalian, and came home. I ate the foot-long – 580 calories – and that was very good and filling. And then I put up two batches of published sheet music from shows – and those went instantly and suddenly we were over 195%. I listened to music, put up a third batch of sheet music, which went immediately, then we had couple of smaller contributions and we were sooooo close. And then, miracle of miracles, a mom that had contacted me about her teen appearing in Kritzerland shows, took one of the coaching sessions and that put us over. And we’ve gone up a tiny bit since then. I ate the six-inch sandwich – 450 calories – and then about an hour later I did a three-mile jog, which actually felt quite good to do. So, my net calories for the day were certainly under 1000.
Then I got a surprise telephonic call from Mr. Gerrit Graham, and we had a fun conversation and he’s going to try and have a friend come over and film him talking about his role in The Creature. Then we’ll add that to the extras. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Meet Me After the Show, a movie I’d never even heard of until someone posted a clip from it on Facebook. It was a Betty Grable picture from Fox, made in 1951. The point of interest NOW is a very young Gwen Verdon dancing in some of the numbers, kind of a featured dancer, doing Jack Cole’s choreography. The movie is a stinker, but a couple of the numbers are sensational, really. It’s fun to see Gwen, but for me the shocker was how great a dancer Betty Grable was, and how much Fosse took from Cole for Who’s Got the Pain (or maybe Gwen made suggestions). I think I spied George Chakiris in one number – he was a regular dancer for Jack Cole. And even though it says Gwen is uncredited in the film, that’s total BS – I believe she’s even in the credits, but if I’m misremembering that, at one point we’re in a theater and someone is looking at their program for the next number, and there is Ms. Verdon’s name plain as day.
After that, I shaved, and wrote these here notes early, so I could get to bed right after I post these here notes.
Today, I’ll be up by nine, then I’ll shower and try to make sure I have a speaking voice, then I’ll mosey on over to the post house where we’re recording. We’ll do my solo commentary first, I get a little break, then we do Cindy’s (with me), then I get another little break, and then we do Marshall Harvey (with me). Then the three of us will meet at a nearby eatery and celebrate and EAT. Then I’ll come home and boy will I relax.
Tomorrow, we have a work session for the Kritzerland show, otherwise I’m relaxing, not sure what’s up for Friday, and the weekend is all me preparing for the big Kritzerland week. I also have to finish two sets of liner notes to be completely caught up, and I’m hoping we can announce our huge release next week, too. Whether I announce anything with it is unknown at the moment, but I suppose I could announce a show release with it – we shall see.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do three commentaries, eat, and 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, over the moon and thrilled that we dreamed the impossible dream and it came true. And now, to infinity and beyond because like Hercules – we can go the distance.