Well, dear readers, see if you notice anything different about these here notes today because I definitely noticed something different about these here notes today. And let me state here and now as well as now and here that all wraps have been signed. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, all wraps have been signed. Have you ever signed a wrap? Especially a chicken Caesar wrap. It’s not easy. Thankfully, I signed Blu and Ray wraps. They look quite nice, these wraps. Good to have that out of the way and I’m told we might just have Blu-rays next week. Of course, nothing has quite happened on schedule, so while I hope they’ll be here, I suspect it will either be end of week or beginning of the next. We’ll get them shipped out right away, although anyone who ordered any of the combos will get them a bit later, as the CDs won’t be ready for another week or so. The song folio should be ready next week, though. So, a lot of shipping coming up and we’ll probably have Sap of Life and Porter III the week after that. And we have to also ship out all the Indiegogo perks in the next two weeks, too. There’ll be a whole lotta shippin’ goin’ on around these here parts. Otherwise, I’m enjoying my second time through the Ormandy set – just jumping around to things I want to hear. What a set it is. Woe to those who waited. The Amazon price has jumped to $299 and they don’t even have any to sell, nor do any third-party sellers. At Presto Classical, a UK seller, it’s close to $400. At Barnes & Noble, it’s $291.00 – but here’s the thing – no one actually has any to sell. On eBay, there are two copies, one from the US at $450 and one from Germany at $300. Even the new Previn box has been creeping up in price. They really must do limited pressings due to the cost of the packages, especially the book. And yes, there are dealers who buy multiple copies at the discount price and then hold them until the price shoots way up. I’d be surprised if they made over 2500 – that would net them close to $750,000 so maybe they did 5,000 – in the scheme of things that’s not that many and THAT would bring in $1,500,000. Since Sony owns all the material, my guess is that the box costs somewhere around $100,000 to produce, but maybe it’s not really that much since they have their own pressing facilities and printing houses. Of course, they don’t get the list price from dealers – they’ll usually discount twenty to thirty percent, but still quite a nice moneymaker.
I also watched the first hour of the second Twilight Time pressing of Journey to the Center of the Earth – the first time it was issued it was a nice transfer, but then Fox did a 4K transfer and it really is quite nice, but with a couple of weird anomalies, that may be due to opticals – hard to tell in a couple of sequences. Most of it looks fantastic. It’s slow going, this one, but I loved it as a kid (at my beloved Stadium Theatre) and it holds a certain charm still – plus, the incredible Bernard Herrmann score. I’ll have to finish it up on Saturday.
Yesterday was, well, I’m trying to remember what yesterday was. What WAS yesterday other than a Thursday? Well, let’s see – I got eight hours of sleep, the wraps were delivered, I spread out signing them throughout the day so that the signature wouldn’t get sloppy, I had some telephonic calls, I shaved and showered, I made a little birthday video for the Darling Daughter’s best friend, and then I went to Hugo’s and had a bacon and cheese omelet and a side Caesar salad. The dressing was too runny – it’s usually thick and creamy – so, the salad wasn’t as good, but the omelet was just right. As I was leaving, I saw my old friend Jim Pearson, who is the fellow who helped arrange for Petula Clark to do the anniversary show. He does a lot of celebrity stuff. We gabbed for a bit, and he was with a very nice lady – they’re doing some Doris Day-related thing. After that, I went to the mail place where I picked up no packages or mail. Then I went to the theatre.
We began rehearsing at four, ran the play three times – one of our actors is still struggling with lines, but hopefully she’ll have them down more for this morning’s rehearsal. I cleaned up some business, gave notes about energy and stuff, and then our author showed up and we ran for him. He seemed very happy, laughed at all the humor we either added (with his blessing) or that I did with some fun blocking, so that was fun for the actresses to hear. In fact, it energized them. Then he left, and we talked through some stuff and that was that.
I had a nice chat with the sound designer and the lighting designer. Then I came home, caught up with e-mails, had more telephonic conversations, and then sat on my couch like so much fish and watched the first hour of Journey to the Center of the Earth. Then it was listening to music and the rest you know.
Today, I’ll be up by ten and to the theater by eleven for our two-hour rehearsal. Then I’ll come home and do whatever needs doing – still have to find one actress for the reading, and one female performer for the Kritzerland show. I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll eat, and then we tech our little playlet at 9:30, after which I’ll come right home and watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, she of the Evil Eye comes, so I have to be up by eight-thirty, and we have another eleven to one rehearsal at the theatre. Then, later, I have a dinner with Muse Margaret and her ever-lovin’ Richard and that will be the first splurge meal I’ve had since starting this heinous (heinous, do you hear me) Keto thing. Sunday is a ME day and I don’t care who knows it, Monday we’ll be at the theatre for sound stuff and prop stuff, probably at seven in the evening, Tuesday we play a preview performance and then on Thursday we open. And then we head right into the reading of Nothing in Common.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by ten, have a two-hour rehearsal, do whatever needs doing, cast two people for two projects, hopefully pick up some packages, eat, have a tech, and 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, next up is the Julius Monk revue, Seven Come Eleven. Blu-ray, Journey to the Center of the Earth. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping everyone notices the something different with these here notes.