Well I notice that gas prices are coming down somewhat, but this gague is still pretty funny and kind of says it all. I really think that the oil companies are cheating us all and somebody soon needs to do something about the problem. There is just no real reason in my humble opinion for gas prices being this high. Thank goodness, I don't drive far to work like I used to when I worked for Hooper Camera in Chatsworth. Those days are over, thank God! That being said, I would like to mention that today was a day of discovery for actress Shirley Maclaine. Back in 1954, Broadway actress Carol Haney was performing in "The Pajama Game" and broke her ankle. That allowed the understudy to go on in her place. A critic happened to be in the audience that night and gave that twenty year old girl rave reviews. I doubt little more happened for the original star. That understudy was of course the amazing Shirley Maclaine. I love dreams coming true stories. It makes my own dream of becoming a really succesful songwriter a dream worth persuing. Shirley's first movie was for Alfred Hitchcock called "The Trouble With Harry" One of the funniest moments involving Shirley in a movie was the classic Albert Brooks film called "Defending Your Life". In the premise you are led to believe that when you die, there is no heaven or hell. You go to a place called "Judgement City". In this place you have five days to "defend your life". If you succeed, you get to go on to a higher plain where you are allowed to use 100% of your brain to experience new and better things (we use about 10% here on Earth) if not you will be returned to earth where you will become a tree, or a beaver or something like that. On a break from the grilling, the Albert Brook and Meryll Streep characters visit "The Pavilions of Life" where Shirley is giving a tour. The place is filled with pennants and baloons and flowers and happy decorations and Meryl Streep comments that the place reminds her of Disneyland. Albert Brooks (one of the funniest men on the planet) quips "Gee, I hope I'm tall enough" I can't tell you how many times, I have gone through life thinking I was not "tall enough" to experience what I both wanted or needed. Something or someone was always going to step in front of me and deny me what I needed or most wanted. I am debating today a suggestion of my friend Jimmy Chapel to change the name of one of my musicals from "Once More With Spirit" to "The Ghost Who Saved Broadway!" That's really what its about, but I wonder if that title is too "on the nose" Well, I will decide at some point. Well it's time to go back to work. It will be another hot day and I am very happy to be able to be working in a place with air conditioning. i will also give the Ritz people the first recording of my spec advertising song for them: the song "Capture Your World" . It has a really catchy tune and I do hope that they like it. Well, that's about all for today!