Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much, frittering away the time doing nothing useful other than listening to what I consider to be the finest motion picture score ever written – The Best Years of Our Lives by Mr. Hugo Friedhofer – as good as it gets and then some. When the re-recording of the score came out in the 1970s, we all gobbled it up like mad. I knew even then that it wasn’t a great recording or performance, but it was the score. I’d love a shot a re-mixing it, frankly, but that will never happen, unfortunately, and the performance flaws are what they are. Sadly, the original film tracks are tied to sound effects, so that’s no good. Still, even with the flaws the music soars forth. I never tire of hearing it and it never tires of me hearing it. Otherwise, I did manage to watch a Flix of Net documentary, a French thing about a French serial killer. It was interesting for a while, then I just kept dozing off, so it wasn’t really holding my interest. I was up for the last thirty-five minutes, though, so I got all the pertinent trial details. I also finished episode five, so halfway there. It came out well, I think, has funny stuff in it, and the song choice (the songs are all mine and pulled from my catalogue, although I do think there’ll be two brand new songs in the later episodes) is one I like – a duet. I’ve also begun testing the waters about guest stars. My first test was met with no interest – it kind of annoyed me, since I gave this person one aspect of the career they have – there was just something weirdly terse in the e-mail that irritated me. Perhaps it wasn’t meant that way, but that’s the way it came off. But the second query was met with great enthusiasm, so that was nice. And my old pals, Sal Viviano and Liz Larsen are the only people who actually posted on the Facebook thread that they’d love to do it. Isn’t that odd? Anyway, I’ll move on to episode six today. I pretty much have that one blocked out.
Yesterday was a day that existed. I was up after four hours of sleep at around six. I finally got back in bed around ten and fell right asleep and slept till one, so about seven hours of non-consecutive sleep. I began getting the invoices to the helper and she began shipping – still lots to go, but I like to do about twenty or thirty at a time, so she doesn’t get either whelmed or overwhelmed.
I had some telephonic conversations, and the I ordered a small pepperoni pizza from Marco’s. It arrived twenty minutes later and was very good. Thankfully, the nausea had abated by the time I got up. That was basically it for food. Mostly, I wrote the episode, futzed with it a lot, especially the opening of it, in which I made a lot of trims and sharpened everything. After the first two-thirds were written, I took a break and watched the documentary thing. Then I went back to the script and finished it, then futzed and finessed for an hour or so, then sent it off – the reaction was very good. This episode has a great role for a guy and the person who passed was meant to do the other role in which they’d play themselves, but I wrote it for another singer I’ve worked with a lot and I do think if she’s around that she’ll do it. If not, I have a little list of folks who’d be wonderful and then it’s just a name change, script-wise. The rest you know.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll begin writing episode six, I’ll eat something – perhaps Taco Bell – I’ll hopefully pick up a package (there’s been one there since Monday, but it’s not something that’s urgent so I’ve been waiting until another arrives), and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is more of the same, then I might try to have a nice meal at some point on the weekend. I’m hoping by the end of the weekend that I’m down to the last couple of scripts because I really want to start the casting process. We’re also talking to a highly recommended publicist.
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, write, eat, hopefully pick up packages, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What is your favorite motion picture score? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be listening to the best film score of our lives.