Well, dear readers, I have breaking bombshell news: It is November. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is November, and it is my fervent hope and prayer that November will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. October has gone the way of all flesh and frankly all flesh has gone the way of October. Now we have new flesh and it is the fresh flesh of November. The new flesh – what am I, David Cronenberg all of a sudden? However, as I write these here notes it is actually still October, so let’s just get to the fading flesh of October. I did manage to watch a motion picture, something I’d never heard of and after watching it, something I wish I’d never heard of. It was a 2014 motion picture horror musical comedy entitled Stage Fright. It’s a slasher musical written by people who have no clew how to write theater music (the music is horrible, as are the lyrics – they could have been written by a six-year-old). A theater camp is putting on a revival of something called The Haunting of the Opera, a show that had premiered ten years earlier and whose leading lady (Minnie Driver, on screen for all of about six minutes) was murdered. Now her daughter is going to play the same role, and in true Friday the 13th style, gruesome deaths begin happening. If you don’t know who is doing them by the twenty-minute mark, then you’ve never seen one of these types of movies. The director clearly wants to be Brian de Palma and clearly is not. We have a little Phantom of the Paradise, a little Carrie, just done ineptly. But it’s the “musical” part that’s truly terrible. It’s a Canadian production – no real names save for Ms. Driver and Meat Loaf. The slasher aspect is very graphic – you just want to say to these people, who are you making this movie for. If it’s for Glee or theater geeks, they’re going to hate the music and lyrics, hate the singing, which is awful, and most of all hate the graphic bloodletting. If it’s the slasher/horror people, they’ll hate the characters and musical theater stuff. A lose-lose proposition, any way you slice it. And since the theatrical gross was a little over $7,000, well, it’s not highly recommended by the likes of me. And now, I am listening to Mr. Mitropoulos do Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D – marvelous performance, band is a bit scruffy but still fine.
Yesterday was certainly the last day of October. I did finally get eight hours of sleep. Once up, I answered e-mails, chose some songs, finalized our cast, then moseyed on over to the mail place where, believe it or not, I picked up mail – two important envelopes, a small residual, and a little check for something I licensed to a film. Then I came right home, ordered my farfalle with roasted garlic and chicken from the Cheesecake Factory, and it arrived about thirty minutes later. Whilst waiting for it, Jesus, Grant’s handyman, came by and fixed a problem with the door to the book room, which wouldn’t really stay open all the way. He put in some kind of something and now it’s perfect.
The food was of high quality and high calories but was excellent. I got the lunch-size portion, but it really seemed as big as the normal portion. I got the final mix on Cindy’s song, asked for a small adjustment, and then approved it. Then I did some work on the computer, and finally sat on my couch like so much fish and spent about ninety minutes trying to find something to watch. The rest you know.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven at the latest, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll go cash one of the checks and then deposit the cash, I’ll try to finish choosing the songs for the show and then make a show order, I’ll adjust the commentary for the Elmer Bernstein concert, I’ll eat, and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same. Hopefully, tomorrow our three CDs will be ready and we’ll get them shipped as quickly as we can, and we’ll also ship the second batch of Indiegogo perks, on Friday I’m attending an opening night at the Ahmanson Theater, on Saturday I’ve already decided not to attend the band rehearsal for the Elmer Bernstein concert – no reason, really – and then Sunday we run stuff, do a sound check, and then do the concert.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven at the latest, do banking, finish choosing songs and make a show order, adjust the commentary for the Bernstein concert, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Have you ever seen one of those slasher films and, if so, which did you like and why? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, secure in the knowledge that it is November – and it is my fervent hope and prayer that November will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.