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[ryacko]

Good morning, everyone!

Sorry, I missed yesterday. I was traveling to La Jolla to begin a new play, but the digs they had for me had some serious issues, so I ended up driving home again last night. 3 hours in rehearsal and 4 hours on the road. What's wrong with that picture? 
And the jury's out on how this will go, when the director says he's not good at staging and doesn't want to talk about the play at the outset. Hmmmm, we shall see.

BK, your Sing-along song is brilliant and hilarious!! Loved it!!

Have a great Toosday!

[John G.]

The director's not good at staging and doesn't want to talk about the play? Oy!

[John G.]

Just found out my "Food Lovers' Guide" has moved back into the top three spots among San Antonio books on Amazon.com. That's so cool. It came out a year ago this week:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    #3 in Books > Travel > United States > Texas > San Antonio

[ryacko]

The director's not good at staging and doesn't want to talk about the play? Oy!

Exactly!

[elmore3003]

I'm taking a break from the fine lines of repairing staves and notes to give my eyes a chance to refocus. I've been through Bye and Bye" and "Old enough To love." I won't finish the second act by 4:00, which is when I will break, get some dinner and wait for my colleagues. I'll continue tomorrow.

[George]

A Very Happy Birthday to DR TD!!

[George]

i know what bk's darling daughter is about to go through. Last thursday I spent almost three hours in the endodontist chair. I had three teeth removed and flipper put in and other work done.  I am still in pain. Luckily I have lots of pain killers.

~~~Teeth Vibes for DR Mike!!~~~

[George]

Good morning, all! I'll drink to the birthday ruling!

I am off to Toyland; yesterday, I got through four Act Two numbers, and I will continue with that that today, beginning with No. 13 "Bye And Bye," one of my favorite Rodgers & Hart songs. I would like to get through the Act Two Finale today, so I have only the Epilogue to deal with between tomorrow and Friday. Later in the afternoon, Rob Berman and Patrick Cummings will join me and we will work through Patrick's numbers for the recording.

Five days to Dublin!  The strange dreams continue, I figure I'm due for one really grisly anxiety attack before I leave.

~~~Good Luck and Calming Vibes of All Kinds for Elmore!!~~~

[bk]

A director who admits he's not good at staging should not be a director and yet one sees this everywhere - these people who somehow get in positions to hire people, get paid for not knowing how to be a director - well, I'll just shut up.

[George]

and IF I am errant and truant too much, this man is one of the reasons.  It's a complicated relationship, but td HAS fallen in love, is loved and is enormously grateful . . .

Congratulations, td!!

[MBarnum]

Oh, I almost forgot!

Many happy wishes for a wonderful birthday, DR TD...and may you visit HHW more often in the coming year!!

[bk]

One foolish actress on Facebook actually castigated people who were annoyed by being awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of the amber alert - she actually said that people should get over it and implied they didn't care about child abduction if they were annoyed.  This gal makes many noxious posts - everything is about her and she's truly irritating at times, but her posts show up on my newsfeed ALL the time and I really have to refrain from making comments.  I must tell you that several months ago I was approached about producing a recording of a show she was in - I didn't like the production much but they agreed that everyone but this gal would be replaced and so I went about getting permission to record it, which only I could do.  After reading her latest post today, I am probably going to say I won't do it if she's involved.  She does a lot of Waiver theater but isn't exactly a known commodity, and she's really kind of turned my stomach with her latest.  And that's the danger of abusing Facebook in textbook ways of what you shouldn't do.

[MBarnum]

Hmmm...looks like I could get paid to be a director. I need to start thinking about a career move.

[Charles Pogue]

I can think of several films that were terrible that could have been great - none could be remade and be better because the directorial and cast talent doesn't exist - Man of La Mancha comes immediately to mind - what a film that could have been in the right hands. 

I'm not sure MAN OF LA MANCHA could have ever been a great film experience, simply because the stage production was so intrinsically theatrical which contributed to its magic and I don't think you could have successfully captured that theatricality in a film.  I feel the same way about the film of ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN, a good movie but not as riveting as the play because of its stage-bound theatricality.  I think I would rather have seen a film of the stage play.  The actors in the film Shaw and Plummer are great though.

[Charles Pogue]

Again at odds with Elmore:  "Brigadoon" is far from turkey.  Should it have been shot on location?  Yes.  Was it done as well as could be done on a soundstage?  Yes.  Its glory is the score which is sublime in the hands of the MGM Music Department.

I'll vote for a remake with the understanding that the MGM orchestrations (and a comparable orchestra) are to be used.  And also with the understanding that no one is cast in the Van Johnson role that is remotely as unappealing as Mr. Johnson was.
[/quote]

I take the dissenting view that Brigadoon should not have been shot on location....for the same reasons I gave for MAN OF LA MANCHA & ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN.  Some stage pieces I think are best stage-bound to preserve the inherent theatricality that is part of their essence.  Brigadoon is a musical fantasy about a fantasy place.  I don't think that can be conveyed on real locations. It shouldn't look real.  It should look like it came out of the mist.  Didn't they do a TV Brigadoon with Bob Goulet on location?  I remember it looking flat and distinctly unmagical.

[MBarnum]

I also think BRIGADOON is a film that is enhanced by being shot on a set rather than on location, for the same reasons that DR Charles Pogue gives.

I watched a silent version of WIZARD OF OZ which was shot on location. For me, the location shooting removed the magical-ness of the story. It ended up looking like a lot of Halloween trick or treaters wandering about the countryside in a home movie.

[George]

TOD:  I think A Little Night Music could have been a good film. I think I would keep the cast and change the director.

And move it back to Sweden.
 

[George]

Great article and photo, Jrand!

Agreed!!  Congrats, Jack!

[Jrand74]

Not sure DR LAURA.....do regular DVD's play in your computer?

[Jrand74]

Thanks DR GEORGE.

[George]

TOD:  I'd remake a few of my own films, using the original scripts and just getting better directors who knew what they were doing:  DRASGONHEART; DOA; KULL THE CONQUEROR.

I'd love to see your version of Dragonheart. I loved the original, so improving upon it would all be for the good.

John, did you know that Charles Pogue published a novelization of his original script?  Highly recommended.  There is one unusual review on Amazon.  There are seven 5-star ratings and one 3-star rating.  This is what the person wrote for the 3-star rating:

I bought this to read to my Grandchildren who love dragons. It is an old copy and I paid very little for it here on Amazon but the story and the fantsay is priceless. I am all about teaching kids that dragons are something special in a make believe world.

That description doesn't sound like a 3-star rating to me.

[George]

I have a question.

Is this the format I want for playing on the computer?

http://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Opera-Royal-Albert-Hall/dp/B005SFR7YE/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1375810934&sr=1-3&keywords=phantom+of+the+opera

 (It gives "other options" as DVD and Bluray). I have no television, so no DVD or blueray player.

Laura, yes, this is the version that you want...unless you only have a CD player on your computer.  Otherwise, if you read through the Product Details, it says this:

Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)

This should play in your computer with no trouble.

[George]

John Huston used to say:  "Why do they always remake our good films?  Why don't they remake our bad ones?"

Exactly!!

[George]

It would be great to have an HHW Winner of the PowerBall.  Is the drawing tomorrow?  Maybe I will get a ticket on Wednesday morning....

New Moon in Leo today and Mercury entering Leo tomorrow should bring luck...especially to those born under that sign....but it will also be good for everybody.

What a coinkydink!  "New Moon" with Jeanette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy was just on TCM this weekend!
 

[Laura]

Thank you. One of the negative comments about the dvd was that it was the wrong kind to play in his machine -- so I didn't want to make that mistake. I really have no idea about the regions. And if you try to explain it, my eyes will glaze over.

[ChasSmith]

This turned out to be one of those unexpected days in which the simplest of seasonal allergies -- just sneezing, watery eyes, that's about it, actually, nothing you'd call misery -- dragged me completely down.  It actually affects one's energy level.  I probably should have done something to get some decent exercise, but hey, you know what I did instead?  I watched THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE!  I so rarely watch things during the daytime, but as soon as I remembered I had that ready for this evening, I said to myself:  "Self, why not?  Why the HELL not?"  It was just what the doctor didn't order.  And after that, I actually went outside and mowed the weeds lawn!   

[ryacko]

A director who admits he's not good at staging should not be a director and yet one sees this everywhere - these people who somehow get in positions to hire people, get paid for not knowing how to be a director - well, I'll just shut up.

BK, you are so right about this. There are so many directors out there who have no clue. When I did "Romance, Romance" many years ago, the director actually told the musical director this: "I don't know how to communicate with actors, I don't know how to ask actors for what I want from them."  The MD recounted that to me in the first week. I wanted to leave them and there. It got worse, but I won't bore you with that story...haha.

[Jrand74]

I am getting scared reading about these "directors."

[John G.]

This turned out to be one of those unexpected days in which the simplest of seasonal allergies -- just sneezing, watery eyes, that's about it, actually, nothing you'd call misery -- dragged me completely down.  It actually affects one's energy level.  I probably should have done something to get some decent exercise, but hey, you know what I did instead?  I watched THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE!  I so rarely watch things during the daytime, but as soon as I remembered I had that ready for this evening, I said to myself:  "Self, why not?  Why the HELL not?"  It was just what the doctor didn't order.  And after that, I actually went outside and mowed the weeds lawn!   

Sounds like the sinus infection I had last week. I hope you get over it quicker than I did.

[Jennifer]

One foolish actress on Facebook actually castigated people who were annoyed by being awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of the amber alert - she actually said that people should get over it and implied they didn't care about child abduction if they were annoyed.  This gal makes many noxious posts - everything is about her and she's truly irritating at times, but her posts show up on my newsfeed ALL the time and I really have to refrain from making comments.  I must tell you that several months ago I was approached about producing a recording of a show she was in - I didn't like the production much but they agreed that everyone but this gal would be replaced and so I went about getting permission to record it, which only I could do.  After reading her latest post today, I am probably going to say I won't do it if she's involved.  She does a lot of Waiver theater but isn't exactly a known commodity, and she's really kind of turned my stomach with her latest.  And that's the danger of abusing Facebook in textbook ways of what you shouldn't do.

Hover over her name on facebook and unclick on "show in newsfeed".