Saturday, October 16, 2010
General Johnson, R. I. P.
General Johnson, lead singer of the popular beach music trio Chairmen of the Board, died this week at age 69.
Johnson died Wednesday in suburban Atlanta of complications from lung cancer, his son, Norman Johnson, said Friday.
Johnson died Wednesday in suburban Atlanta of complications from lung cancer, his son, Norman Johnson, said Friday.
I Called Him "Hey, You."
LONDON (Reuters) – Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards says in his new autobiography that Mick Jagger became unbearable over the years and reveals he also calls the imperious lead singer "Your Majesty" and "Brenda."
The memoir is peppered with references to other celebrities -- from Johnny Depp to John Lennon -- but it is the prickly dynamic between Richards and Jagger that dominates the 527-page book, which is to be serialized in The Times newspaper.
Hat tip to David Cranmer.
The memoir is peppered with references to other celebrities -- from Johnny Depp to John Lennon -- but it is the prickly dynamic between Richards and Jagger that dominates the 527-page book, which is to be serialized in The Times newspaper.
Hat tip to David Cranmer.
Apocalypse Now
Hollywood Reporter: CBS continues to find new comedy ideas on the Internet.
The network has just bought a series concept from Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst Productions and the Schiff Co. based on the blog and Twitter feed Dear Girls Above Me.
Is the site about somebody recounting what they're overhearing on a daily basis? Why, yes.
Dear Girls Above Me is written by a guy who's driven to distraction by the ditzy roommates living in the condo above him. Unlike "$#*! My Dad Says," or the recently sold "Shh ... Don't Tell Steve," however, the entries often dervive humor from our unnamed protagonist's reactions and not just the quotes.
The network has just bought a series concept from Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst Productions and the Schiff Co. based on the blog and Twitter feed Dear Girls Above Me.
Is the site about somebody recounting what they're overhearing on a daily basis? Why, yes.
Dear Girls Above Me is written by a guy who's driven to distraction by the ditzy roommates living in the condo above him. Unlike "$#*! My Dad Says," or the recently sold "Shh ... Don't Tell Steve," however, the entries often dervive humor from our unnamed protagonist's reactions and not just the quotes.
Simon MacCorkindale, R. I. P.
News: British actor Simon MacCorkindale, who starred on British television in "Casualty" and in the United States in "Falcon Crest," has died at age 58.
MacCorkindale died Thursday of bowel cancer in a London clinic, publicist Max Clifford said.
MacCorkindale died Thursday of bowel cancer in a London clinic, publicist Max Clifford said.
No Comment Department
ABC: Sure they can pull off a cha-cha-cha. But can celebrities manage a camel spin?
ABC television on Friday announced new series "Skating with the Stars", which pairs a celebrity with a world class ice skater for a live TV contest along the lines of the network's highest-rated series "Dancing with the Stars".
ABC television on Friday announced new series "Skating with the Stars", which pairs a celebrity with a world class ice skater for a live TV contest along the lines of the network's highest-rated series "Dancing with the Stars".
The Way of Shadows -- Brent Weeks
Every year or so I feel moved to read a Big Fat Fantasy novel. This year it was The Way of Shadows. Some of the BFFs I've read in the past have been a problem because the authors are very slow to deliver the sequels, even though I might want to read them. In this case, the three novels in Brent Weeks' Night Angel trilogy were published in consecutive months, and they must have become monster hits because my copy of the first volume is the 13th printing. A rave review of the books on The SF Site encouraged me to give them a try, so I picked up the trilogy and started to read.My first complaint is that there's nothing new at all here. A guttersnipe named Azoth wants to apprentice himself to a "wetboy" (an assassin who uses magic) named Durzo Blint. There's a magical sword. Azoth is more than he knows he is. There are shifting loyalties and political machinations. And 660 pages or so later, there's a lot of story left to tell. I doubt that I'll carry on. The writing is undistinguished, and the book could have used some severe pruning. For example: "It looked entirely normal, except that the sheath was made entirely of lead, and it covered the sword entirely, . . ." And then there are sentences that make an old retired English teacher blanch: "But with fire in one hand and a gleaming knife in the other, the horse was hardly calmed." There were times in the story when I wasn't quite sure what was going on.
Things like that don't bother anybody but me, I'm told. People today read for story, not for grammatical niceties or stylistic touches, and I figure they're amply rewarded with this book. It's filled with action, with violence and mayhem, with plot twists, and the overarching feeling that anyone can die at any time. Maybe after a year goes by I'll give the second book in the trilogy a try. Or not. Hard to say right now.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Bouchercon
I haven't been able to upload any photos from Bouchercon, but if you want to see a few, including one of me, Lee Goldberg has them on his blog.
Kasey Lansdale Update
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What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
DEADLINE: File this one under tantalizingly possible. James Cameron and Sony Pictures Entertainment are exploring the very real possibility that he will direct Angelina Jolie in a 3D version of Cleopatra, an SPE adaptation of the Stacy Schiff book Cleopatra: A Life.
Forgotten Books: THE EUREKA YEARS -- Annette Peltz McComas, Editor
I'm at the Bouchercon, named for Anthony Boucher, so this book is particularly appropriate for today. Even though it's not crime-related, it's related to another of Boucher's interests and greatest accomplishments.
However, I did read Bud Webster's Anthopology 101, in which there's a chapter devoted to this anthology. Here's what Webster says at one point: ". . . it is unique in that along with reprinting some the best stories to appear in the magazine from 1949 to 1954, when McComas left, it also reprints correspondence between the editors and authors of the stories.
"But that's not all! Included, at no extra cost, are an introduction by Theodore Sturgeon, a preface by Annette McComas, autobiographies by Boucher and Mic McComas, a short history of the magazine by Ms. McComas, poetry by Boucher and Randall Garrett, articles by Boucher and McComas, a recommended reading list, and a handful of other, less definable pieces."
So after I read that, how long was it before I was on Abebooks ordering a copy? If your guess is "under a minute," you win. And now I have it in hand. What a great book. It wasn't expensive, and it's worth more than the cover price for the letters and connecting material in the history of how F&SF was born. If you like SF, the history of the field, short stories, writers, and all that other great stuff, you just can't go wrong with this book.
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