Well, dear readers, this month is flying by, like a gazelle doing the Turkey Trot to the music of the Trotter Trio, which is no mean feat. I myself have never done the Turkey Trot but there are many videos on the Tube of You and today I shall rectify that, oh, yes, today I shall rectify that. Otherwise, I am sitting here finishing up listening to Don Sebesky’s Symphonic Sondheim album – wonderful arrangements, horribly produced and mastered, if you ask me. Distant band, low volume – easy as pie to fix and I wish someone would. Prior to listening, I watched one of the most downbeat movies ever made, I think – a 2001 film called Mockingbird Don’t Sing, based on true events even though the crawl at the end says it’s a work of fiction. From what I gather, it’s loosely based on a horrible child abuse case that came to an end when the thirteen-year-old girl was rescued from the room where she’d been kept her whole life by her sick, abusive father. It is, apparently, a well-documented case. The movie is relentlessly bleak because despite everyone meaning well along the way, the kid just keeps getting put in worse situations while a linguistics person from UCLA tries to help her. Finally, the kid’s mother refuses to let anyone connected with science see her and at the time of this film, that was still the case. No happy ending here. The performance by eleven-year-old Tarra Steele is excellent – oddly, it’s her only major credit and apparently she must have left the business right after. I believe I found her on Facebook – sure looks like her, although there’s nothing on her page about this film or childhood, but the birthdate year is the same as are where she lived back then. The linguistics person from UCLA is played by Melissa Errico, probably her only film starring credit – she’s fine but isn’t commanding on the screen and she has to fight some pretty awful dialogue. Kim Darby plays the mother and she’s terrific. The script isn’t great, the direction has no sense of pace or much of anything else, and the bleakness is just too much. I’m not sure this film actually played anywhere. I also watched the first twenty minutes of Kill Bill Volume One, which I rather enjoy for what it is, which is riffing on other films but with a lot of style. I don’t love Volume Two but Volume One moves right along and is very enjoyable.
Yesterday was a day in which I only got five hours of sleep – I blame it having no Pepcid and a good deal of acid reflux. I was up once for about an hour and then was up for good at nine or thereabouts. I answered e-mails then got dressed and moseyed over to bank one and cashed the check – in and out in five minutes, then directly to my nearby branch of my bank – in and out there in five minutes, too, so that was great. Then I went to Gelson’s and got two onion rolls and tuna, an onion, a baked potato, some whipped butter and a most importantly Diet Coke and Vernor’s ginger ale.
I came home and had two tuna sandwiches for food. I decided to have the baked potato today. I will admit to eating two very tiny cupcakes, basically two bites and done, but they were very good. We did some Sami stuff, and I think all the Emmy stuff went in and now we wait to see if they feel our little show that could is eligible, which I hope it will be. I had some telephonic calls and then I watched the movie. After that dreary experience, I went to CVS and got some Pepcid, the last bottle of berry flavor, which is the only flavor I like. Thankfully, I had a ten-dollar off coupon for it so it wasn’t too bad. From there, I went to Ralph’s and got a New York steak to have with the baked potato today – about a six or seven-ounce steak. Haven’t had a steak in a while so that will be fun. Then I did some stuff on the computer, watched the bit of Kill Bill and here we are. And now, here’s a link to a little blooper reel – we didn’t have a lot of bloopers, but I thought these were fun.
Oh, and subscribe to the channel, as we’ll be putting up other stuff there.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll hope for some good news, I’ll check to see if anything’s at the mail place, I’ll have my steak and baked potato for food, we’ll lock in our cast for the workshop, and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax. Oh, one other funny item – somehow, I missed that the Scenie Awards were given out many months ago – I suspect I was in New York filming when they were released. So, happy to say we won a few – I got a best director nod, we got best ensemble, best costumes, and best choreography – that was a nice surprise.
The rest of the week is Sami stuff, waiting for the test books to arrive, making a rehearsal schedule, and doing whatever else needs doing.
Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora or the Turkey Trot, for today is the birthday of the errant and truant Freddie aka FLJ. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to the errant and truant Freddie aka FJL. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO THE ERRANT AND TRUANT FREDDIE AKA FJL!!!
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, hope for good news, check the mail place, eat, lock in our cast and set a rehearsal schedule and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the most depressing movie you’ve ever seen – same with play, same with book. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall be doing the Turkey Trot.