Well, dear readers, it was a slow Indiegogo day with too much Indie and not enough go go. But the good news is we did go go up to 105% and that’s nothing to sneeze at – although, I just sneezed, just to be a contrarian. I did write Indiegogo to tell them I thought they might like to do something, anything, to actually let people know we’re having a campaign, because you can’t find us anywhere by searching anything, including typing the actual campaign name in. I’m sure they’ll get back to me in a timely manner, most likely the day after the campaign is done. In any case, I did put some more perks up – complete vocal scores for various shows at low prices. They’re in groups of two, save for one group of three, and one group of two was grabbed by one group of one right away. So, do check them out if you already haven’t and let’s see if we can finish covering the Indiegogo fees by the end of the weekend – not only that, but we’re also about to cross over the $8,000 line. I did chat with the company who’s doing the Blu-ray, and we can’t really move too forward until I know we’re going higher after the fees are covered, which will enable us to do a commentary on Tonight’s the Night, and selected commentaries on the Outside the Box episodes, which I’d love to do, and I also have a couple of extras I’d like to include. So, onward and upward we go as we continue crossing the Rubicon until April 4, which is when the campaign ends, at least I think it does. Let me check. No, I’m wrong of course – next Wednesday begins our final week and we end on April 9. And that final week we do the big, relentless puuuuuush as we always do.
Otherwise, I did finish listening to War and Peace, the opera based on the long, epic book, and I’m here to tell you it’s a long, epic opera but considerably shorter than the book. That said, it’s over four hours long. I really liked it a lot – Prokofiev’s music is fantastic and unique, and the performances are great, as is the sound. It never felt long to me. I also watched a ballet, as I begin my ballet-watching journey. I had four to choose from, three from The Royal Ballet and one from Northern Ballet. I chose the 2017 production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (based on the original 2011 production, which is also available). Choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon with music by Joby Talbot, lighting by Natasha Katz, and sets and costumes by Bob Crowley. I found it pretty great from start to finish – very clever and creative, opulent and weird, and visually astonishing, as you’d expect from Mr. Crowley. The choreography can get a little busy now and then but some of my feeling that is probably the direction for the screen, which as always with these guys, never goes outside the proscenium – but at least the geography is clear, so that’s good. But frequently they cut to waist shots for reasons that escape me – why would you EVER cut to a waist shot when people are DANCING. Kind of direction 101 that we need to see the FEET, but I think they think it helps with the pace. I just find it annoying. The other annoying thing in that regard is focusing on one side of the stage when there’s clearly stuff going on on the other side – a nice, wide shot would do the trick. Alice is played by the wonderful Lauren Cuthbertson, who I’m very taken with – she played Jacqueline Du Pre in The Cellist ballet and was brilliant. It took me aback to see her as a brunette, which I suspect might be her real hair color (Du Pre was blonde). She dances divinely in this but everyone is great, especially Laura Morera as the Queen of Hearts. There are many amusing touches that get nice laughs, and the Mad Hatter tap dances and that performer is great, as his tapping. The sets are beyond amazing and so are the costumes. I just really loved it all and I’ll watch it again soon. I will say that three of the four ballets I bought to watch feature Ms. Cuthbertson, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy those. The fourth is a ballet of 1984, which sounded too interesting not to watch. Next up will probably be Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev.
Yesterday was an okay day, just one where I only got about four hours of sleep. So, I was kind of not with it for much of the day. Once I got up, I answered e-mails, did a few things that needed doing, had a visitor drop something off, and we watched the faux movie trailer I did with Candy Clark that I spoke of the other day and he laughed a lot so that was good. It’s going up on YouTube at five today. I’ll alert you when. When I was sent the digital file I was also sent a surprise. Apparently, back when we did the trailer, Dave Strohmaier also had transferred for me the original, full-length faux Dirty Harry trailer from The Creature Wasn’t Nice, taken from the work print, as that scene never appeared in my original cut – we did put the short version of it back on the DVD of the original cut and I only wish I’d known we had this because obviously I would have included it as an extra. The way they cut it up was fair at best. I hadn’t seen the original in thirty-five years. Being from a work print, the sound is splicy and rough, but I suspect we could clean that up and I’d add music to more of it. But what a treat to see the real thing – there are several really funny moments that didn’t make their cut, including the entire performance of the wonderful Kenneth Tobey (the star of the original The Thing movie). If we raise enough dough, I might consider putting it on the Blu-ray, just to preserve it. It’s open matte, so Marshall Harvey would have to put a 1.85 matte on it, which is easy, and then we’d find some music for the middle scene with Ken Tobey, which needs it. Where was I? Oh, yes, yesterday. I tried a Thai jernt I’d never been to – Pad Thai and some veggie egg rolls – it was very good, actually, and very filling. I picked up some packages, came back home, dozed off for an hour, which was a good thing, then watched the ballet, did a Gelson’s run for some fruit, and now I’m listening to another recording of von Suppe’s Die schone Galathee – better recorded than the other version and very well done. Then it’s on to Khovanshchina.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, and then I have a two o’clock phone interview, which I think is about project two but I don’t actually know for sure. That should take about thirty minutes and then I think I have to go to Marshall Harvey’s abode to talk about some stuff, then I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, then come home and watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is more of the same, and then Sunday it’s the Kritzerland show, which I hope all you dear readers will watch live. I’ll have the direct links for Facebook and YouTube Live in Sunday’s notes. Monday, I get my second vaccine, then we get ready for project two aka Revenge, which will livestream the following Saturday, April 3.
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, do whatever needs doing, have a two o’clock interview, hopefully go to Marshall Harvey’s house, eat, hopefully pick up some packages, then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, von Suppe is playing as I type. Blu-ray, a ballet. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping that today we will reverse the more Indie than Go Go trend and will have more Go Go than Indie.