Well, dear readers, as I type these here notes we are twelve hours into our Indiegogo campaign and we got to 22% of our goal, which is pretty great for twelve hours. I’m hoping we can get up to 30% by this time tomorrow evening, or maybe even higher. Interestingly, most of the perks taken are the ten-CD perk and the Blu-ray perk. So, I’m hopeful that some of the bigger perks will start going soon, as there are some pretty cool items. I already put up two additional perks and there’ll be more coming as we go. I was out in the garage rummaging through stuff and couldn’t find what I was looking for, which were some original cels from classic Studio Ghibli Miyazaki films. I’m pretty sure I know which box they’re in and I’ll go through that box more thoroughly. Other than that, I’m listened to an operetta called Ciboulette (or is it an opera) by Reynaldo Hahn. I enjoyed it but didn’t find it brilliant or anything. Some tuneful tunes, nice performances, good sound. I’ll give it a second listen at some point. And now, I’m going through the Hans Pfitzner orchestral music, a box set of five CDs I got a couple of years ago. I know I loved it all when I first heard it, and I’m loving it all the more this second go through. Pfitzner was, for me, a major composer, and this is wonderful music. And, as you know, I’ve loved his operas, too. I also watched on the Tube of You about twenty minutes of The Merry Widow by a Japanese opera company sung in Japanese – I kind of enjoyed what I saw. I feel we can’t have enough operettas sung in Japanese, don’t you? And I’ll tell you about the dining adventure. I’d ordered two pizzas from world-famous Lou Malnati’s in Chicago, which had been highly recommended by Barry Pearl and others. Now, Chicago does deep dish affairs and that’s what these are. They’re not huge in diameter but they are huge in every other way. They arrived flash frozen. I put one in the freezer for next week and made the other. First you remove the pizza from its pan, lightly oil the pan, put the pizza back and then heat it at 425-degrees for forty-five minutes. I did as I was told and forty-five minutes later, I had me a fully cooked Lou Malnati’s deep dish Chicago pepperoni pizza. I cut it into four large slices and began the orgy of eating this thing. It’s very heavy, this pizza is, full of cheesy cheese and tomato sauce with chunks of tomato. There wasn’t much pepperoni that could find, but it tasted very good. I did eat all four pieces and I was quite the stuffed little Jew after that. I prefer Dino’s normal pizza slices, but I’m glad to try new and different things and this is famous and all. I can’t say I absolutely loved it, but it was tasty and enjoyable, and I’ll eat pie two next Wednesday.
Yesterday was an Indiegogo day and a Kritzerland rehearsal day. I was up at ten after seven hours of sleep. I figured out the Indiegogo thing that was bothering me and I hope it will all be fine. I’ll probably write support just to make sure. They have a phone number on their site, but you can’t speak to anyone, so what’s the point? So, I launched the campaign at ten-fifteen. But no one knew that except you dear readers, so I spent a solid three hours posting about it everywhere I could. I hit the major theater groups on Facebook, put it on the Kritzerland page and the Kritzerland at Vitello’s page and my own page, along with Twitter. I sent out a personal eBlast as well. Then I did something I thought was clever – I went back to the Creature campaign and e-mailed all the big donors from that, so I’m hoping they’ll come to play again – they haven’t so far, but I’m ever hopeful. It doesn’t help that two donors I could always rely on for major contributions both passed away recently. Once the word was out, we began at about 4% funded and over the next few hours went up to 10%. In past campaigns, I’ve always considered that if we get to 17%, that’s a great first day. We did much more than that on the Creature, but that was a movie and a rare version no one had ever seen. But past campaigns have gotten to the 17% and reached their goal. We kept creeping up all day and into the evening with mostly the smaller contributions, so there are still some great perks that are a bit pricier and I’m hoping those will start to go. Here’s the link to the campaign.
I picked up one package at the mail place, came home, had the pizza, and then had four Kritzerland rehearsals in a row, which lasted until five-thirty. I needed a break before the next one at seven-thirty, so I finally watched Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. I’ve never seen the play, but I suspect it works better on stage than as a film. George C. Wolfe is a fine director and did a good job and Viola Davis is terrific as Ma Rainey. I found it a bit repetitive in the writing and everyone gets a nice big speech and acting moment, and the cast is excellent straight down the line. Chadwick Boseman also stars, although it’s really pretty much an ensemble piece. He’s very good and it’s sad he passed away at such a young age. But I can’t say it’s the best performance of the year – he’ll win Best Actor – there’s no way that’s not going to happen, but, for me, the performance of the year goes to Anthony Hopkins. Sadly, not many voters seem to be watching it. It’s very short, around eighty-seven minutes and it moves right along.
After that, I had the fifth rehearsal – all of those went very well. Then I did a quick Gelson’s run for food for today and tomorrow. Of course, during all of the above I was cheerleading our campaign, as one must every day, and was thrilled when we got to 17% and then went beyond that and hit 20% and even more thrilled when we got to 22%. So, a good day and evening all around.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, and I’m hoping our percentage goes up overnight. Once up, I’ll do an official Kritzerland eBlast about the campaign, I’ll cheerlead, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll eat, and I have to proof two booklets, but other than that it will be an all-cheerleading day and evening, because that is what’s required. Then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is more of the same, Saturday she of the Evil Eye comes and then at 5:00 PST/8:00 EST we have our final showing of Tonight’s the Night. I’ll have the direct link in those notes, and I hope some of you will come view it again and come to the Q&A, where I might even talk about project two aka project two a teeny-tiny bit. Sunday, I believe Daylight Savings Time begins, which I find completely ridiculous.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, hope our percentage keeps going up, do a Kritzerland eBlast for the campaign, cheerlead, hopefully pick up some packages, eat, proof two booklets, do more cheerleading, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite books, plays, and movies that are mainly stories about black characters? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a terrific first Indiegogo day and that our 22% multiplies throughout the day and evening.