Have been having an "amusing" e-mail volley with my producers on the ALS show. We had room for another two or three numbers due to Petula not being able to do it. So, they recommended two people I didn't know at all and I said that was fine. I then suggested Sami do my song Annie, because I know it lands and always gets an incredible reaction wherever she does it and she'd done it a lot (it's also in the Welcome to My World show - no way we weren't doing it there). Now, since I as director of the show have accepted many people on blind faith just because I'm a team player, and I have made musical arrangements for those people to show them off in their best possible light - well, the only response I wanted was "Do it." Unfortunately, that is not the response I got from one of the producers, someone I've known way too long and who should really know better. I was completely offended by the e-mail, and I was very strong in my response. To add salt the e-mail also said that this producer didn't think Sami was a good fit and then recommended two people we had last year who really were problematic. I think her fellow two producers would have been fine with it, but after seeing the e-mail I just took Sami off the table, as it were, and said onward. Apologies were offered but they weren't meant and it was all about that the person hoped we were all allowed to have opinions. I of course replied yes and that we were also all allowed to have opinions about the opinions. It was a stupid thing to do, especially as it involved a song of mine and I'm donating huge amounts of time and energy to this thing. But, onward we go.
