Well, dear readers, the holiday is over and it is time to buckle down, Winsocki and get back to work in earnest. We have had our playtime, but now there are things to do, places to go, people to see, not necessarily in that order. We must not dawdle, Amaryllis, because there are things that need doing and they must be done or chaos will ensue, oh, yes, chaos will ensue. So, let me get right to the point – I don’t pop my cork for every guy I see – oh, a Sweet Charity moment. Well, I had no time to play yesterday, despite the holiday moniker. I did get another excellent night’s beauty sleep and awoke refreshed and recharged, not necessarily in that order. At noon, I moseyed on over to Mr. Grant Geissman’s house and we worked on the new book for three count them three hours. He’d already put in the design program, so we just finessed everything, put in the correct font for the chapter headings, the drop case of the first letter of each new chapter, and made sure all the new chapters started on the right. We left room for sixteen pages of photographs. And, interestingly, despite the manuscript being the exact same page length as There’s Mel, this new book is over thirty pages shorter. Some of that can be attributed to where the chapter ends fall, but I’m baffled as to how it could be SO many pages shorter – the font and size and layout of the two books is exactly the same. Go know. In any case, it all looks rather splendid – Grant had some fun with the subtitle, design-wise. Have I mentioned the title of the book yet? It’s called, Album Produced By… More of My Rollercoaster Life.
Grant has also done a rough of the front cover, using the rough drawing done by Squigs, and it’s going to look really good. Grant will now lay out all the photos and then we’ll reconvene either Friday or Saturday to finish it up. We should have the final art by then, I’m hoping to have at least one of the blurbs by then, and I should also have whatever little fixes we need to do – so far I haven’t found many at all. After we finished, I got a copy printed at Staples for proofing, and then I ate a sandwich and onion rings for my meal o’ the day. I then picked up two little packages, then came home and did a few things, then decided to go to Amoeba with a big ol’ batch of trade stuff. I got a very good credit, got some new Blu and Rays and one CD (the new Follies cast album), then came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Ides of March, starring Mr. Ryan Gosling, Mr. George Clooney, and some other good actors and actresses. You know, when the packaging trumpets that I’m going to see a thriller that will have my pulse racing, then I want to see a thriller that will have my pulse racing. That’s the problem with trying to sell a talky film (based on the play Farragut North) – they’re not sure, so they just lie. Brilliant. That way you satisfy no one. The thriller crowd is bored and waiting for plot twists and thrills and excitement, of which there is absolutely zero in this film. In fact, while the film is well done, it just kind of lays there like so much inert fish. There’s no one to really like, there’s so much unnecessary cursing (really unnecessary, and I’m usually not bothered by it), there’s the kind of dialogue that is so arch that you just roll your eyes heavenward, and the whole thing just plods along to its non-conclusion. A thriller, my ASS. I’m not sure what format this film was shot on, but there is a pan early on in the film that has the worst strobing I’ve ever seen on a Blu-ray.
After that, I watched a little of the new Blu and Rays of The Geisha Boy and Rock-a-bye Baby. The former looks very good, with excellent color, and the latter looks not quite as good but certainly passable. Obviously, neither is taken from its VistaVision negative – it’s from an internegative and therefore nowhere near the quality it could be, which is why Paramount is licensing these titles to Olive Films.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get another good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall be up nice and early, may or may not jog, and then I shall spend half the day proofing, and half the day writing liner notes and beginning my contextual commentary for the next Kritzerland show. I’ll also eat, and hopefully pick up some packages. I’m sure I’ll watch a motion picture at some point, but mostly it’s proofing and writing and also writing and proofing.
Tomorrow and the rest of the week is more proofing, more writing, some jogging, some meals, some meetings, and then hopefully finishing the book design and getting it off to the publisher.
Why don’t we all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, why don’t we all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, why don’t we all dance the Hora and the bugaloo, because today is the birthday of our very own dear reader, Matthew. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own dear reader, Matthew. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN DEAR READER, MATTHEW!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, maybe do a jog, proof, write, eat, proof, write, hopefully pick up packages, proof, write, and watch a motion picture. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite political thrillers and your favorite political films and plays? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, knowing we have a beautifully designed book.