Michael's Musings

June 25, 2012

Last Tuesday (19), I was supposed to give a talk about Basil Rathbone at the Baker Street Pub and Grill in South Austin.

I showed up, started to give the talk, but then I realized that nobody there, including the staff, knew who Rathbone was and most of the customers were not fans of Sherlock Holmes, even though the entire ambiance of this restaurant is  Sherlock Holmes.  The folks were just there to eat and drink.  Mostly drink.

So, I didn't give my talk, but I did sell a few copies of BASIL RATHBONE: His Life and His Films, thus the evening was not a total loss.  In November, I'm booked to deliver a talk to the local Sherlock Holmes society, so I'll give last Tuesday's talk then.

On Saturday, I was on a panel at the Texas Writer's League convention that dealt with self-publishing.  I met a couple of interesting people, and it was fun.

Last week, I also decided to publish 2 of my regular (i.e. multiple character) stage plays, HAIL ON THE CHIEF, which is no longer a musical, and PUTZ.  I spent most of the week formatting the scripts and creating a book trailer for each.  They should be available for purchase by the middle of next month.

I will start writing again on my memoir later this week.  As previously stated, I'm not anxious to finish this one.

You have a creative week.

Michael

Comments (0)     

June 18, 2012

This is going to be a very busy week.  This morning, I have my annual check-up with the dermatologist, then tomorrow night (19) I give my talk on Basil Rathbone at the Baker Street Pub in South Austin.  Hopefully, we'll sell a few copies of BASIL RATHBONE: His Life and His Films at the event.

On Saturday, I'm going to be part of a panel on self-publishing for a agent's convention being sponsored by the Texas Writer's League, so that should be interesting.  I enjoy being on these kinds of panels.

I continue to write my second book of memoirs, and am approaching the 200 page mark.  As I advance toward the finish of the book, I find that I am slowing down somewhat.  Perhaps I'm afraid to write those two scary words, "The End," lest they come true.

This last week, I finally saw THE ARTIST when I received a Blu-ray review copy.  I really enjoyed this Oscar-winning film, and you can read my review on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link on the Introduction section of this page.

BTW: If you are on Facebook, please come over and "like" my The Hollywood Legends page.  It's dedicated to the Hollywood icons about whom I've written one-person plays: Clara Bow, Maurice Chevalier, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Al Jolson, Carole Lombard Spencer Tracy and Orson Welles.  I try to put a new clip from one of their classic films onto the site every day, and once or twice a week, I include a fun poll in which you can vote.  So, come take a look.

If the link in the above paragraph doesn't work, here's the web address that you can copy and paste into your browser:

https://www.facebook.com/TheHollywoodLegends

And, if you didn't already know, all eight of the plays are available for purchase on Amazon.com in both paperback and Kindle editions.

You have a creative week.

Michael

Comments (0)     

June 11, 2012

I just realized that I hadn't written this week's blog.  Usually, I do it over the weekend, but I've had so many other things on my mind the past few days, I totally forgot.

Among other things, I had a dispute, now settled, with a seller on ebay.  I bought the 4th Season of TRUE BLOOD from her at a very low price.  Actually, it was so low that I became a bit suspicious...and I was right.  Two minutes into the first episode, the DVD started skipping...and the skipping repeated itself on another player at exactly the same spot.

I think that this person was selling discarded "seconds" of the set, but she did give me a full refund.

I've also been writing away on my 2nd memoir.  I have 160+ pages now, so my fear that I would not have enough material to fill another book was unfounded.

I'm also reading actress Piper Laurie's book, LEARNING TO LIVE OUT LOUD.  If you enjoy show business autobiographies, this one is very good.  The star of such films as THE HUSTLER and CARRIE certainly has had an interesting life, and the stories of her sexual encounters might very well shock you.  Some of them definitely surprised me.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Laurie last month at Texas Frightmare Weekend.  We have several mutual friends, and I found her to be a very charming lady.

This week, I have to prepare for my talk about Basil Rathbone that I will be giving next Tuesday (19) at the Baker Street Pub in South Austin.  Actually, I just need to reacquaint myself with my book, which I haven't really read since I finished writing it over 35 years ago.

Finally, did any of you see the Tony Awards last night.  Overall, I enjoyed the show, but I felt that the opening number from THE BOOK OF MORMON was inappropriate...and that it was really put in there by the producers as a subtle dig at Mitt Romney.  I'm sure the producers will deny that, but if all they wanted to do was include a song from that show, they could have chosen something that was less pointed.  The Tony Awards should not be political.

You have a creative week.

Michael

Comments (0)