Well, dear readers, as I sit here and write these here notes, I am listening to the Anita Kerr Singers along with Harry van Hoof’s arrangement and orchestra on a 1979 album entitled Together. I’ve always enjoyed the Anita Kerr Singers and other singer groups like that. They did a very nice Bacharach album. This one’s very pretty with beautiful orchestrations, rather in the Rogier van Otterloo mode, whose orchestrations are rather in the Claus Ogerman mode. Or, as we like to say, arrangements a la mode. Anyway, it’s very pleasant and can be heard in its entirety on the Tube of You, from whence I grabbed it. And it’s especially pleasant after watching the completely wacky, weird, strange, obtuse, over-the-top HBO motion picture from 2012 entitled Phil Spector, starring Al Pacino as Phil Spector and Helen Mirren, a last-minute replacement for Bette Midler, who had a back problem that sent her to the hospital and caused her to drop out after a week-and-a-half of shooting. Pacino gives it his all, certainly, and the various Spector get ups are hilarious, especially the wigs. The film begins with the oddest written thing you’ve ever seen – that the movie is fiction and that nothing in it ever happened. So, writer (and director) David Mamet, while using some actual trial transcripts and truthful stuff, has just written what he felt like, basically a treatise on the notions of what guilty and not guilty means, what reasonable doubt means. Certainly, it’s fascinating on a certain level, and a whole lotta chutzpah on another level. But it’s very short, under ninety minutes, and the two leading performances are reason enough to watch. And if you like Mamet’s nutty style of writing, that aspect might appeal to you. I didn’t find it particularly well directed, but that’s just me. Apparently, there’s a documentary about Spector done around the time of his first trial, and that I’d like to see, just to see the real Spector talking. Prior to that, I watched the new version of The Godfather Part III, which has a new title: The Godfather: Coda – The Death of Michael Corleone, because Mr. Coppola just can’t leave the past alone. Thank goodness, we have the original versions of the first two films. As to the third film, I saw it before it came out, at a DGA screening, and boy was it awful. You could just feel it – the DGA crowd hated it – unintentional laughs, no applause at the end, and many walkouts. The last time I wrote about it, which was back in 2008, I said I’d given it five tries and that I’d never watch it again. And, in a way, I haven’t since this is Coppola’s “new” version.
It’s actually not that different, save for the opening and closing, and the rearranging and shortening of a handful of scenes. The problems haven’t gone way at all, but of course now there are a few critics who are suddenly claiming that the original version AND this version were and are misunderstood masterpieces. That would be a big no, but those critics are all about the auteur theory and they can think what they wish. The new opening scene is one that took place forty minutes into the original version – it does help in a way because that part of the plot was almost impossible to follow – it still is, but not AS hard. But unlike the two films, both of which have labyrinthine plots, but which are easy to follow, the third installment is not only difficult to follow, it’s simply not very interesting. Mr. Pacino’s performance in the first two films was subtle and wonderful and unique. But sixteen years later, it’s almost like a different character and not for the better. His hair is ridiculous, he either whispers or screams, and I just couldn’t stand him in this. Diane Keaton, wonderfully simple in the first two films, has suddenly turned into Katharine Hepburn in look, Hepburn dressing like Annie Hall. Andy Garcia is okay, and then there’s Coppola’s daughter, a last-minute replacement for Winona Ryder. Her performance was pretty much lethal to the film and hugely derided by critics and audiences. I thought some of that was unfair, but almost any other young actress of the time, especially Jennifer Connolly, would have been better. And the absence of Robert Duvall is a huge loss. The other big change is the ending. In the original – SPOILER ALERT – Pacino dies, alone and old. But even though the film’s new subtitle is The Death of Michael Corleone, he – SPOILER ALERT – doesn’t die. He just sits there remembering all the lives he’s screwed up. The film ends with a quote, and it doesn’t really work.
Yesterday was a weird day. I had another rough night, but ultimately got about seven hours of sleep. Once up, there were lots of e-mails to answer. The good news was the errant important envelope and the check it contained that wasn’t sent was put into my account and I was happy to see the balance of the Indiegogo funds were there, too. So, later in the week, I’ll start getting the perks ready to send. That process will probably take a month or so, but we’ll get them all out.
Then I spent a couple of hours revising episode three of the web series. When I did my final revisions there was something about the set up to what happens in that episode that was just bugging me, but I couldn’t put my finger no it. And it was the one script that someone else didn’t think quite worked in one aspect and that person had a very good suggestion, which I glommed onto instantly. It was a simple-sounding fix that involved not where the main sequence takes place but what the actual event that was happening there was. So, I changed the event to something simpler – it was a really good suggestion, but I found it required a lot of rewriting of the first six or seven pages to make that all work. I finally got it to where I was happy with it and sent it off. It now works MUCH better and it’s got some new laughs in it, too, so that’s good. Also, I didn’t actually lose anything that I liked from the first version – I just rejiggered those things and they worked fine.
For food, I had a honey walnut and chicken salad from Stanley’s. It was actually kind of gross this time – I didn’t even finish it, which is pretty rare. It was very light, so that was good, and I used much less dressing than usual, although the dressing is not so caloric.
Then I watched The Godfather III – halfway through, I made about five ounces of farfalle with butter and cheese – that was very good and brought up the calorie count but not crazily so. Then I watched the Phil Spector movie and that was that.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll start getting things ready to ship for the Indiegogo perks, I have to figure out what the second CD release is – several fun options – I’ll eat, I’ll see if there’s anything at the mail place, I’ll do whatever else needs doing, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same and then I have a meeting on Thursday with a PR person and the line producer of the web series. Having a PR person is key if we actually want people to watch the thing, but it’s got to be a good fit and someone who really understands the Internet stuff like Instagram and TikTok.
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 Old-Fashioned Waltz, for today is the birthday of our very own beloved TCB. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own beloved TCB. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN BELOVED TCB!!!
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, start organizing the Indiegogo perks for shipping, figure out the second CD release, eat, see if there’s anything at the mail place, do whatever else needs doing, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite performances of Miss Diane Keaton? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a nice a la mode listening experience with the Anita Kerr Singers and Harry van Hoof.