Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle wearing yoga pants in the rain. I had a very rough night of sleep – maybe six hours, more likely five. Once up, groggy as all get out and I think we ALL know how groggy all get out is, I answered a plethora of e-mails, a veritable plethora, I tell you. I had hot dogs for food. I had a lovelier than lovely modern major miracle, then instead of Zoom, David Wechter and I had a long telephonic conversation. Then I had a long telephonic conversation with Muse Margaret – I wanted to add one thing and she agreed it was a good addition – very brief – and then I told her that I’d gotten some good details on this movie I directed called Prime Suspect. I e-mailed the producer of the film and he was able to pull the call sheets for the movie, so I got the name of the eight-year-old girl who’s in the first scene, so instead of not naming her, she’s now named, I got the location where I first joined the movie after the director had been fired, plus more detail about what he’d done to get himself fired (I had fisticuffs with the AD but noooo – this guy actually tried to strangle the AD!), and I got the location of my first day’s shooting the following day – turns out the house where we shot is five minutes from here. I love that kind of detail and now it’s in the book. I sent just those handful of things to the proofers for proofing. Still waiting on the photos section so book may not go to the designers until next Monday – I was really hoping for Friday, but once I get the layout, I have to not only approve it, I have to then caption the photos. Then I had a very long conversation, after which I watched an hour-long interview with Jimmy Webb. I posted another track from one of my albums, this time the cut song from Sugar, I’m Naïve, telling the story of how Jane Krakowski came to sing it and how she became a regular on my albums. Someday, if I’m ever drunk enough, I’ll tell the real story of the sessions for The Look of Love and Sooner or Later and her duet with Brent Barrett, Wet. Of course, I don’t drink, so I’ll probably never tell, but they were all memorable sessions. I finished watching the TV movie version of Twelve Angry Men and I really quite enjoyed it. It’s not as good as the Sidney Lumet version, but there were a few things added by writer Reginald Rose, that worked well (it is, in fact, thirty minutes longer than the Lumet film). George C. Scott is great in the Lee J. Cobb role and he thankfully gets his big speech at the end, the same speech as Lee J. Cobb had but that wasn’t in the live TV version and is not in the play. Without it, that character switching finally to not guilty makes no sense.
I was surprised to see it was directed for TV by William Friedkin and he did an excellent job of it. And I thought it was a great choice for the end title music (the only music in the film) to use the original Kenyon Hopkins music from the original film, but in a stunningly beautiful arrangement and orchestration. I recommend it if you’re a fan of Twelve Angry Men. I’m looking to do my version of the show – Twelve Angry Jews. It will be very short because naturally twelve angry Jews will find everyone guilty.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven at the latest, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll probably make some food here, most likely some pasta in pink sauce (I may go to Gelson’s and get one sweet Eyetalian sausage for the pasta). We shall see, I’ll check with the mail place, and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I have a lunch with an old friend from my show Together Again, so that should be fun, and then I’ll come home and do some writing. The weekend will be more of that and then next week is busy, plus February will be coming to an end as it’s a short month.
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 whatever needs doing, eat, check with the mail place and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of that amazing actor, George C. Scott? I’ll start this one: Anatomy of a Murder, Dr Strangelove, Patton, The Hustler, The Hospital, The Day of the Dolphin, and especially Islands in the Stream. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that a modern major miracle worked its way into my arena.