Hi, there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning in Lithia, Florida, on Friday, February 18, 2022. It is a gray and cool winter day here in the Tampa Bay area, but we’re also in the midst of a warming trend. Currently, the temperature is 76˚F (25˚C) under cloudy skies. With the wind blowing from the west-southwest at 8 MPH (13 KM/H) and humidity at 89%, the feels-like temperature is 74˚F (24˚C). Today’s forecast calls for partly sunny skies and a high of 86˚F (30˚C). Tonight, skies will be mostly cloudy. The low will be 66˚F (19˚C).
This morning I finally saw, on Blu-ray.com, the news that 20th Century Studios (formerly known as 20th Century Fox) announced that West Side Story (2021) not only has a street date of March 15, but that it’s ready for pre-orders, at least in Target and Best Buy’s websites. Maybe it’s because the site is privately run and has a staff of humans and not sentient robots, but this update was posted to Blu-ray.com at 7:22 PM on February 16, a few hours after I pre-ordered the Target-exclusive Art edition and 12 or so hours after I decided to get – as a backup set – the Best Buy steel book edition.
Directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Tony Kushner, “West Side Story” tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Rachel Zegler (María); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); Ana Isabelle (Rosalía); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke); and Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works). Moreno – one of only three artists to be honored with Academy, Emmy, GRAMMY, Tony and Peabody Awards – also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.
Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also serves as an executive producer; Tony Award® winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film; renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and GRAMMY Award® winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award®-nominated composer and conductor David Newman (“Anastasia”), who arranged the score; Tony Award®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), who supervised the cast on vocals; and Grammy®-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Chicago”), who served as executive music producer for the film. The film is produced by Spielberg, Academy Award®-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and Tony Award®-winning producer Kevin McCollum. “West Side Story” has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins.
Well, now that I’ve pre-ordered not one but two sets of the 4K UHD/2K HD Blu-ray sets, all I can do is wait four weeks for my orders to ship – and hope that the world doesn’t go to shit anymore than it already has as a result of a NATO vs. Russia war over Ukraine.
Oh, and this morning I saw on Variety’s website that John Williams will return to the Star Wars franchise to contribute a theme for the Obi-Wan Kenobi limited series that Lucasfilm will release on the Disney+ streaming service in May.
Again, whether or not we get to watch the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries – which will star Prequels actors Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in their respective roles of Obi-Wan and Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker – greatly depends on whether we’re still here and not bits of radioactive ashes because of a Third World War.
Speaking of mornings…
I hoped to be able to write a review of a Star Wars The Black Series action figure, but I woke up at 4:15 AM and even though I tried to go back to sleep, I stayed awake. (I ended up watching Netflix’s The Roman Empire miniseries until 6:30 AM.) As a result, I am tired, irritable, and foggy-brained. (Heck, even writing this post was a challenge, so….)
I think I’ll go take a shower, change into clean street clothes – even though I’m not going anywhere – and maybe read a book or watch a movie. I really don’t feel like sitting here, “chained” to a desk, when I know that all I will do is get distracted on social media or waste time gaming.
Ugh. I hate it when I don’t sleep well.
A Certain Point of View, Too 
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