Well, dear readers, I have breaking bombshell news so hold on to your hats – wait – does anyone still wear a hat? Hold on to your shoes, it is Thanksgiving. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is Thanksgiving, the day in which people celebrate Thanksgiving by ingesting turkey and stuffing and yams and mashed potatoes and string bean casserole and cranberries and perhaps even ham. I, on occasion, have eaten so much stuffing that I’m stuffed. Stuffed with stuffing. That will not be happening today but more about that in the today section. We’re still in the yesterday section and we must not jump ahead other than to reveal the breaking bombshell news that it is Thanksgiving, which we have now revealed twice. So, let’s talk about last night first. Last night first was all right. I admit to having a slice of raspberry swirl cheesecake. I admit it freely, although if you want to Venmo me twelve cents I wouldn’t turn it down or even up. I also watched a motion picture, a new one from just two months ago, but first let me finish talking about Carol Reed’s The Running Man, which I finished. I must say, I rather enjoyed it. Yes, it was very bad of the producers to replace William Alwyn’s excellent main title music with “hip” Ron Grainer music and “hip” Maurice Binder titles, trying to make it seem like perhaps it was a spy movie or something. It isn’t. As I mentioned, I could watch Lee Remick in anything and she’s at her absolute most beautiful in the film, as lovingly photographed by Robert Krasker. I also enjoy watching the two other leads, Laurence Harvey and Alan Bates. I won’t go into the plot, other than to say that it’s twisty and ironic, but while it probably could have used ten minutes worth of trims, it held my interest, even through a couple of silly plot turns. The score by William Alwyn, someone I really like, is old-fashioned but works just fine – it was, in fact, his final film score and I’m listening to it as I type these here notes, thanks to a re-recording on one of the four volumes of Alwyn film scores on Chandos, all worth owning, despite the washy, faraway sound. Anyway, it’s on the Tube of You for free if you feel like trying it out. The recent motion picture from two months ago was entitled Retribution and was yet another Liam Neeson action movie, based on a Spanish film I want to check out. Almost the entire film is Neeson and kids sitting in a car driving around – you see, someone has put a bomb under the seats so that if anyone tries to leave the car, it will explode. Yes, that kind of movie. The only other person in it I’ve actually heard of is Matthew Modine. I know it’s supposed to be a big ol’ shocker surprise as to who’s behind it, but since it can actually be only one person, well, it’s not hard to figure that part out. Sans end credits, it runs about eighty-six minutes. It’s not especially well directed, but like Neeson in these kinds of films. When the villain is revealed, however, we get a whopping ten minutes of jabber that would and could only happen in a movie. I wonder if the Spanish film is better. Oh, wait. The Spanish film has been remade THREE TIMES. Yikes. The Spanish film came out in 2015, then there was a German version in 2017 and a Korean version in 2021. Reading the plots of each, they really did a Screenplay 101 on the American version. That was my evening.
Yesterday was fine. I got about six and a half hours of sleep, maybe seven, got up, answered e-mails, ordered spaghetti Monica from nearby Antonio’s – I’ve had it once before and liked it and it arrived very quickly and was every bit as good. I’d forgotten how much garlic is in it and I’m still tasting it all these hours later. I didn’t really do much else. I may write a page or two after I finish these here notes, but I was just feeling lazy yesterday and so lazy won the damn day and I don’t care who knows it. The evening you know about and here we are.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven-thirty at the latest, I’ll do whatever needs doing, and then at two-thirty I’ll be joining dear reader Jeanne in her neck of the woods for a Thanksgiving dinner at a local Mexican jernt. We’ll see how that is – it was really the only restaurant that was open. After that, I’ll come home and plotz and watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, we have a brush-up rehearsal with our cast and band, although I’ll recommend marking the songs so no one blows out their voice needlessly. I’ll make sure I’m happy with the new staging of Do We and make sure our musical director has the adjustments correctly. Then I’ll probably join the Pearls for dinner. Then I’ll see the show. Saturday, we do the show, but I’m not sure I’ll see that one. But I’ll be there on Sunday for the matinee, so I can be with the Shermans. It’s looking like it will be another full house.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven-thirty, have an early Thanksgiving meal with dear reader Jeanne, then I’ll watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are you all doing for Thanksgiving and what will you be eating? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, wishing all you dear readers a lovelier than lovely Thanksgiving.