The Film Crew Arrives – at 8 AM…

I had breakfast at my usual time: 7 am. I had barely finished and headed off to resume my napping, when the doorbell rang. I knew immediately who was at the door. And how could I disappoint them. They had come across the ocean for an audience with the diva. In they came: one, two, three, four human beings carrying all manner of bag and padded case, from which miraculously appeared every kind of technical gadget: big cameras and little cameras, big lights and little lights, tripods, and wires! There were so many wires that the floor around my piano began to resemble a den of snakes. Fortunately, I was already on the bench, and I was determined to stay there.

As the morning progressed, I played and posed to the delight of one and all. Then a few of Betsy’s students began arriving to be interviewed on camera. I even heard the crew filmed at a cafe about a block away, and there they talked to some of my neighborhood fans. Wish I could have been there.

I was a little disappointed that Burnell didn’t take more photos. Turns out the director really wanted Burnell to be in the film as well (something he wasn’t too keen on), so that meant he was in front of the camera instead of behind it. Oh, well. The girl in the photo above is Emma. She’s a student who plays with me often. Her dad took the photo. The other photo is of Ross, the camera man.

So, the film, which is a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of famous animals – and features 7 other non-humans – will probably be shown on UK television in July.