​“A Christmas Carol” cast
The Author and Narrator: Paul Scofield
Ebenezer Scrooge: Sir Ralph Richardson
Fred: Frederick Treves
First Gentleman: David Dodimead
Second Gentleman: Willoughby Goddard
Third Gentleman: Norman Mitchell
Marley: Douglas Wilmer
Spirit of Christmas Past: David Dodimead
Fezziwig: Norman Mitchell
Belle: Colette Wilde
Belle's Husband: Edgar Wreford
Spirit of Christmas Present: Willoughby Goddard
Bob Cratchet: James Culliford
Mrs. Cratchet: Pauline Jameson
Young Cratchet: John Mitchell
Tiny Tim: Michael Lewis
Martha: Colette Wilde
Boy: John Mitchell

P.S.  It turns out that the line comes from a song ("A Little Party Never Killed Nobody") written for the 2013 movie adaptation, sung by Fergie and others. Obviously, somebody in Trump Land knew that song from the movie, must of have thought that it's a really cool line to use for a party -- especially during a government shutdown and inflation -- and everyone in the Trump party-planning circle agreed. Never realizing that it was meant ironically, given How the Novel Ends!!!!  And how the movie ended...

In the article I posted last week with the full-episode video here of The Harry Secombe Show -- on which he sang a duet from La Boheme with an opera singer -- I mentioned that it wasn’t all that much of a stretch for him, since he had starred in a 1957 British movie, Davy, about the member of a low-level vaudeville, family comedy team who wants to go out on his own and be an opera singer. 
 
(No, it’s not semi-autobiographical, although Secombe did get his start in vaudeville/burlesque music hall.  In fact, if you ever saw the movie, Mrs. Henderson Presents with Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins – a fairly enjoyable film, for which she got an Oscar nomination – it’s loosely based on a true story where a woman buys on old theater house and puts on variety shows that include an all-nude women’s revue.  And that theater, the Windmill, is one of the places where Harry Secombe began his career.  In fact, he wrote what was a semi-autobiographical story, the comic novel, Twice Brightly,  about that part of his very early career.)

As readers of these pages know, I periodically write about my friend Bart Baker, on a wide range of topics, but most often for his Shakespearean rants about Sen. Josh Hawley (MAGOP-MO), who represents the state where Bart lives.

I noted in my my recent posting about him that as superb as his BartRants (tm) are, he's also a very accomplished writer, and received a Writers Guild nomination for Best TV Movie, Forever, that was made for Lifetime.  (I think it's the very first WGA nomination ever for Lifetime.)  He's also written 11 movies for television, including the series of Mother of the Bride TV movies, and two feature films, as well.  And he wrote one of my favorite works of his that's as yet unproduced, the comic gem The Id.

But Bart hasn't limited his work to just film, he's written numerous novels, including his first, Honeymoon with Harry, and its two sequels.  That first "Harry" book has had a long and typically Hollywood adventure.  In fact, it's a good life lesson for what writing in Hollywood is actually like, even for something that had its share of acclaim.  ​

The novel was bought and adapted into a screenplay by Oscar-winning Paul Haggis, who was also going to direct.  This came about right after Haggis had written the movie Million Dollar Baby, and wrote and directed the Academy Award-winning Best Picture Crash.  So, it seemed a pretty sure thing.  For various Hollywood reasons, though, Haggis dropped out.  And over time Bradley Cooper was involved to direct -- and star.  But that didn't happen, however Dan Fogel (who created the series This is Us) wrote a new version and was going to direct -- but that didn't happen either.  There were other writers involved, as well.  (Oddly, no one ever asked Bart to write a script based on his own novel, despite his long career as a screenwriter and playwright.  Again, so Hollywood.)

​And there were a wide-range of actors involved, too, over the years.  At one point, Jack Nicholson and Vince Vaughn did a reading.  But that didn't come about.  Another time, Dustin Hoffman was involved, but nope.  But that's Hollywood, and 20 years passed, and it hasn't been made.

​But Bart has kept writing.  In fact, he's written about a dozen novels (I've lost count), including another series, this a darker one, the Corden Finn Vengeance series.  As well as the comic The Virgin Daquiri (the main character's name is 'Daquiri'), the intricate family-dynamic tale What Remains, and the weeper The Wedding Gift  (Bart is very good with weepers...  But also comedy.  And romance.  And action.) 

I mention all this because the other day, Bart sent me an email.  Actually, no, he sent me the email on Friday, but he sent it to the wrong address and only just learned that it went to someone else by mistake.  But I digress.

The point of this delayed-email was a story in the Hollywood entertainment news publication Deadline, that then got picked up on Good Morning America.  The story was that -- well, here it is:
​

Yes, really. After many, too many years, it looks like Honeymoon with Harry may well finally be made into a movie.  Moreover, with Kevin Costner and Jake Gyllenhaal to star in it.  Based on that earlier screenplay adapted by Dan Fogelman.  All based on the novel by... Bart Baker!

(I say "looks like" because this is Hollywood, and Honeymoon with Harry has been through a maniacal rollercoaster ride that until it's finished and audiences are watching it, every caveat is well-earned.)

Here's the first paragraph of the Deadline article --

"Kevin Costner and Jake Gyllenhaal have signed on to star in Honeymoon with Harry, a dramedy for Amazon MGM Studios based on the book by Bart Baker, the studio announced on Monday."

And it followed that with a pretty good, brief description of the premise -- "The film follows a man (Gyllenhaal) as he decides to go on a honeymoon with his would-be father-in-law (Costner) after his fiancée dies two days before their wedding."

What they leave out is why the two have to go together, and also that as deeply emotional as the story is, it's also at times extremely funny, in the hate-hate dynamic between fiancé and father -- which covers a huge amount of ground.

Scheduled to direct are Glenn Ficarra and John Requa who directed the movies Crazy, Stupid, Love (with Steve Carell) and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (with Tina Fey), as well as the wonderful limited series, WeCrashed, and multiple episodes of This is Us, and the limited series Paradise.

What I particularly love about all the attention this news has been getting (and it's getting a lot) is that since there's no poster for the movie yet, of course, the only visual they can show is the cover of the book!  With Bart's name plastered all over it.  The cover was on the Good Morning America for seven seconds.  And yes, book sales went up.

Speaking of which, for anyone interested in getting the book early, you can find it here.  It's got 4.3 stars on Amazon.

This photo of Bart Baker was taken long before he got the news that it looks like Honeymoon with Harry will be made into a movie.  Reports are that his smile is even much wider now.

Fingers crossed.

​I've periodically mentioned my Internet friend Peter Breiner.  He's quite an accomplished fellow -- composer, arranger and conductor.  And not only has he made over 290 recordings (I don't even own 290 CDs...), but he wrote a weekly newspaper column, is a book author, had a radio program, and hosted a talk show on Slovenska Televizia (with the great title, Do You Have Something Against That?) that had the honor of being briefly banned for being too controversial. 

(Apparently all was forgiven, because in 2018 Slovak President Andrej Kiska presented Breiner with the Order of Ludovít Štúr, the third highest Slovak state decoration.  Of course, in the interim, he lived in Toronto and then New York City for almost 30 years, and now resides in London.)

​
Every year for my Holiday Fest, as readers here likely recall, I post several selections from two of his CDs, Christmas Goes Baroque I and II, which are among my favorite -- taking has traditional, popular Christmas songs he's arranged impeccably and conducted in the style of Baroque composers.  (He did the same with another Baroque-style CD, Beatles Go Baroque, which got a sequel, as well.)

But this is about something else entirely,

Not long ago, Breiner was commissioned to write a ballet based on Mikhail Bulgakov's classic novel, The Master and Margarita, and it was scheduled to have its world premiere in 2020 at the Slovak National Theater for their 100th anniversary, but...well, you know there was that whole pandemic thing that got in the way.  At least, hopefully, for the moment.  However, rather than wait around, he arranged the music into a long suite which he titled, The Devil In Moscow.  And not long ago, the piece had its world premiere with the Slovak Philharmonic, and Breiner conducting.  And best of all, the video of the concert is online.

And even better, it's wonderful.

Yes, I'm biased, but two things:

First, I didn't have to post this.  I could have sent Peter a nice note, "Really nice, I enjoyed it," and left it at that.  So, everything I say here I mean wholeheartedly.

And second, he's recorded 291 albums.  Though much is his arrangements and conducting of others' works, a great deal has been his own music.  The short version, he really knows what he's doing.

I should add that when I say the piece was wonderful, it's not necessarily my favorite style of music.  (I like some, but there are other styles I like much more.)  But this was vibrant, rich, melodic, edgy and has great scope.  I will acknowledge that I what liked most was how the music built in the second half of the piece, starting with the selection “Niesla žlté kvety” through to the end.  I don’t know my reaction is because of the music, or because I just liked how it built, or if my ear got more accustomed to it all.  To be clear – I liked it all.  I’m just saying this is what I liked most.  I thought that “Niesla žlté kvety” stood out as gorgeous – but also, in a completely different style, my second favorite section was the final  “Velký ples pri splne mesiaca“.

I also thought that it was terrifically orchestrated – my favorite part (oddly, for its simplicity) was the chimes in the finale, for being very emotional and moving, helped by having read the novel.  But perhaps it’s the simplicity that stood out, but also its moodiness.  And the orchestra was excellent.  I’m glad for the thunderous applause at the end.  Actually, I was surprised that the very initial reaction was muted for a few seconds – and then when Breiner turned around, the cheers rose.  And it grew even more when he returned to the stage. 

I know only part of the effort he went through to get to this point, and (and this is totally subjective and personal) I’m so glad he got there – because this now finally has entered into the world.  Here’s hoping the ballet does get staged at some point, but regardless, how absolutely great that the work now has been heard and stands on its own as such a moving piece of music. 

I wrote most of this to Peter, and he said I could post his reply.  He wrote -- 

Thanks very much for your kind words. I am very glad you liked it. This suite was crafted from the first half of the ballet, the original piece is about 2 hours long. The piece was very well received by the audience on both nights. However, since the current government of Slovakia is totally pro- Russian, the press was too scared to write reviews of something with this title, despite the fact, that it's based on a 100 years old extremely popular Russian novel.

With all that out of the way, here then (at last...) is Peter Breiner’s 40-minute suite from his ballet Devil in Moscow, based on the novel The Master and Margarita,” by Mikhail Bulgakov.  For those who do listen, it may help to know the story that the music is telling.  On its most simplistic level, a stranger comes to Moscow and offers people great gifts that almost magically come true.  And then they turn inside out, and the people who took the gifts have their lives become hell.  The stranger is basically the Devil.  And the Devil is communism.  There’s a lot more going on, but that’s the core.

I can't embed the video here since it's not posted on YouTube, however you'll be able to find it at this link here.
 
If you decide to listen to the whole thing, just know that the novel is moody, dark, sardonically comic, mystical, eerie and edgy.  So, the music tells that story.  It’s modern and often atonal.  Though not all of it is.
 
And for those who just want to listen to my favorite segments (or to start with them), those would be -- “She carried yellow flowers" and the finale “The great full moon ball”.  They’re very different from each other.
 
For a bit of assistance maneuvering around the site:

This video is the full concert, which opened with three other classical selections by Walton, Haydn and Bach.  Some may enjoy the whole evening, but if you want to get to Breiner's The Devil in Moscow, you’ll see on the right side of the screen the program for the evening.  Scroll down to where it say’s “Peter Breiner.”   This is what it looks like --
​

Then, just click on  these two segments noted above.  The video will jump right to them.  You may have to click Play.
 
“She carried yellow flowers" is about five minutes, and the finale “The great full moon ball”​ is a bit over six minutes.

Or just click on the title of the piece under his name, to hear the full suite.
 
That’s Peter Breiner conducting.  He also orchestrated the piece.  And the other folks on stage are, of course, the Slovak Philharmonic.

I dearly love this video when novelist Umberto Eco was asked an audience question about the filming of his famous book, The Name of the Rose.  I love it for two reasons – because of his unexpected first response, and because of his unexpected second response.
 
As a bit of background to the question and response -- if you haven’t read the novel, it’s (like all Ecco’s  books) deeply complex, twisting a range of themes, convoluted, interesting, confusing and eloquent.  The 1986 movie, which starred Sean Connery and Christian Slater, was directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (who directed “Black and White in Color” which won the 1977 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film), and adapted by Andrew Birkin and Gerard Brach.  It’s a dark, moody, intricate film that centers on a series of unexplained deaths at a monastery in 1327, investigated by one of the monks and his novice.  Ecco’s story deals with religion, logic, faith, language and much more.