Well, dear readers, here we are, on a Monday, the beginning of a brand spanking new week. I can only tell you that the next two weeks are going to be hellish here in the home environment, about which I will tell you more as the week progresses. Suffice it to say that I am doing some work on the house and men with machines and tools will be here all week – plumbers, mold people, and their ilk, and they will be ripping up my master bathroom, attending to things that I should have attended to a year ago. Apparently, there is a leak and the leak has caused mold and now the mold people must come and the plumbers must come and they must take up tiles and get rid of the mold in addition to fixing the broken pipes from whence the leak came and also fixing the shower pan which is on its last legs. I didn’t even know the fershluganah shower pan had legs, that is how behind the times I am. Additionally, there is mold in the garage where the water heater is and the mold people must also take care of that, too, which means they may have to turn off the water heater for the week, which means I may be without hot water for a week. I hope that’s not the case, or that it’s just for a couple of days. It’s all very disturbing, this ripping up of things but it must be done. Also, the cabinets which have the mold will have to be removed and replaced, not necessarily in that order, although it would probably be best to do it in that order. The Mold People. That sounds like a classic fifties sci-fi movie, doesn’t it? “From out of the depths they came – the Mold People.” Yes, I think that would be a fine motion picture entertainment, don’t you? In any case, I shall be a bit insane while this is going on, so please, don’t mind me if I go off on tangents and rage against the world. I’m one of those people who like things just so, and for the next two weeks things are not going to be just so and my routine will be tampered with, which drives me batty. But, I shall persevere to the best of my ability. Isn’t that exiting? Isn’t that just too too?
Today, whilst they are ripping up my shower and a portion of my bathroom, I shall at least be away, rehearsing Tammy’s new number. She came over yesterday and we taped it for her. Now Jose has to learn it quickly and do the chart but, as he’s already posted, it’s really just repeated choruses and verses, musically, so it shouldn’t be all that difficult once he gets it down. It will be really interesting to see how it works – it’s definitely a better song for Tammy’s voice and I think the idea, at least, is good. Hopefully, my execution of said idea is okay and hopefully the audience will respond to it. If not, The Mold People will be waiting for them.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below so I can tell you more things.
Last night, for example, I finished watching The Alligator People on DVD. Obviously, it is nowhere as good as The Mold People, but it runs a close second. Have you ever run a close second? Did the close second win? If anyone has a clew as to what the hell I’m going on about, please, keep it quiet. The Alligator People is fun fifties sci-fi, low budget but with a good cast. It’s deliriously delirious and quite bad at times, but that’s all part of the fun. Miss Beverly Garland screams with élan, and Mr. George Macready is always great. The transfer is fantastic – black-and-white Cinemascope, enhanced for widescreen TVs. If you’re a fan of this sort of thing, it’s a must. I then watched a motion picture entertainment entitled The Sugarland Express, the first theatrical feature directed by Mr. Stephen Spielberg (no, Duel doesn’t count, even though it was shown theatrically in Europe, it was made-for-television). It’s an excellent film and Mr. Spielberg was clearly the real deal. His direction never falters, even though the script, at times, does. The performances are wonderful, especially Goldie Hawn, William Atherton, William Sacks and Mr. Ben Johnson. This was Mr. Spielberg’s first collaboration with Mr. John Williams and it is clear that it was a match made in heaven. It’s a spare but wonderful score, and it features Mr. Toots Thielmans on harmonica (Mr. Williams also used Mr. Thielmans extensively on the score to Cinderella Liberty). The transfer is terrific, scope, enhanced, and beautiful-looking.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? And why am I talking about movies in this section? I never do that. I believe The Mold People have done something to the windmills of my mind.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must endure the annoyances of The Mold People and The Plumbers, and then I must rehearse with Miss Tammy Minoff. Then I must figure out where I will be showering for the next few days. If I still belonged to Bally’s, that would be the ideal situation. Maybe I’ll go join up for a month or for the week. One way or the other – I will be showering daily. I’m just hoping the hot water is back on sooner than later. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Steven Spielberg movies and what are your least-favorite Steven Spielberg movies. And then, what are your favorite John Williams’ scores? I’ll start – I still love ET and Close Encounters, and, of course, Jaws. And those who’ve been reading these here notes know that I am one of the few who is very fond of AI. I leave the others to you. My favorite John Williams scores: Of his really early stuff I adore Bachelor Flat and How To Steal a Million. Otherwise, The Reivers, The Cowboys, The Accidental Tourist (one of his great scores), Close Encounters, AI, and scads of others. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, otherwise The Mold People might come and get you.