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October, 2004 Archives | Homepage
Hannibal's Origins Explained in Next Novel
Readers will finally learn how Hannibal become a cannibal in the next novel in the Hannibal Lecter series. The new Thomas Harris novel, called Behind the Mask, will be published in 2005. According to the Times Online Lecter's problems began when starving Nazis killed and ate his elder sister. The Times reports that after the Nazi killed his parents, Hannibal "and Mischa, his elder sister, had to fend for themselves in the winter of 1944. They lived in a barn until starving soldiers found them. The men decided to eat one of the children and chose Mischa because she was fatter, killing her with an axe. It was the defining moment in Lecter’s life."
Source: Times Online
Posted on October 31, 2004
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How Shakespeare Came to Write Plays
A new book called Will in the World by Stephen Greenbatt
looks at the origins of Shakespeare -- how he came to be the
tremendous storyteller we all know. Greenblatt was also a consultant
for the popular Shakespeare in Love movie. The Christian Science Monitor
reports that Greenblatt looked through the entire historical, paper
and gossip trail to find what inspired Shakespeare -- including
Lord Chamberlain's Men group of playwrights and the works of
Christopher Marlowe. The Monitor says Will in the World, "explains
this extraordinary phenomenon with comprehensive evidence, skillful
argument, and gracefully supple style."
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
Posted on October 27, 2004
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Strong Heroines More Common in Novels
A new group of romance novels feature very strong female leads like that seen in gaming and television characters like Xena and Lara Croft.
These novels focus more on the tough heroine and the exciting action setting than they do the romance and the romantic setting. USA Today reports that Silhouette Bombshell has a line that features tough women. The heroine in Body Double by Vicki Hinze (Silhouette Bombshell) is a Special Forces captain. USA Today also reported that Dorchester Publishing has a line of futuristic novels featured tough heroines under the 2156 imprint and they will be launching a tough heroine paranormal imprint called Crimson City next year.
Source: USA Today
Posted on October 26, 2004
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Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell Head Cast Spell on New Line
The film rights to Susanna Clarke's British fantasy novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, have been sold to New Line Cinema for high-six figures, according to Toby Emmerich, New Line's president of production. The hefty tome hit the New York Times bestseller list, and really does live up to its hype. Here's what we said in our review: "The book has been called Harry Potter for adults, and in the fact that it deals with magic and has a sly humor behind the prose, that is somewhat true. But Ms. Clarke's entertaining style and worldview call to mind more the work of Neil Gaiman and P.G. Wodehouse than of J.K. Rowling. Ms. Clarke's words are accompanied by the marvelous pen and ink drawings of Portia Rosenberg. Susannah Clarke has produced an immense book, both in sheer heft and in terms of literary value. It is an extraordinary achievement." But, be advised, this is no beach read. The book is large and unwieldy; reading it is a bit like settling back for a nice perusal of the family bible. These are the times when one wishes that e-book technology were more advanced. Until then, you can always take a break and use the book to tighten up those wobbly biceps with a few book curls.
Posted on October 26, 2004
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A Conversation With D.J. MacHale
D.J. MacHale's is the co-creator and executive producer of the popular Nickelodeon series: Are You Afraid of the Dark? MacHale is also the author of The Pendragon Adventure series, which has sold over one million copies worldwide. The series follows the exploits of Bobby Pendragon, a normal teen who finds out that he is a Traveler: a guardian of a number of other worlds, of which Earth is only one. The fifth book in the series, Black Water (Simon and Schuster) was just released; five more books are planned in the series. In the exclusive IWJ interview, DJ talks about his move from the collaborative world of television to thesolitary world of a novelist and how he created the world of Halla and Bobby Pendragon. He also shares his thoughts about working with child actors such as Kirsten Dunst, and gives some great advice for aspiring writers.
Source: A Conversation With D.J. MacHale
Posted on October 25, 2004
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Phil Jackson Tells It Like It Is
He is the Zen Master of basketball. Now Phil Jackson, the legendary coach of the Chicago Bulls and the L.A. Lakers, gives readers the inside scoop on exactly what happened during the 2003-2004 season in his new book, The Last Season: A Team In Search of Its Soul (Penguin). When the team signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton, fans were ecstatic. But the high hopes for the season were eventually crushed due to the outsize egos of the players and the interference of the team's owner. In fact, according to Jackson, it was a miracle that the team even got to the playoffs at all. Jackson spares no one's feelings in the book. Kobe Bryant comes off as a petulant child, with his constant fights with Shaquille O'Neal and his complaints about the quality of the jet provided for him to fly back and forth to his sexual assualt hearings in Colorado. This is a great read for basketball fans and for anyone who would like the inside story on how the NBA really works.
Posted on October 23, 2004
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Nader Wants Answers About Skull and Bones
Author Alexandra Robbins induced 100 former Bonesmen to break their vows of secrecy during the research for her 2002 book
Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League, and the Hidden Paths of Power, which described the Yale secret society, Skull and Bones, to which both John Kerry and George W. Bush belong. Now Independent
candidate Ralph Nader has demanded that John Kerry and George W. Bush come clean about the secrets of Skull and Bones. Founded more than 150 years ago, Skull and Bones is shrouded in mystery; its members are some of the world's most powerful people. It started admitting women in 1991, although Barbara Bush, the daughter of President Bush who went to Yale, did not join. Only 15 Yale students are tapped to join Skull and Bones each year. Citing video footage of a Skull and Bones ceremony, Ralph Nader said:
"Initiation rituals involve morbid admission of personal sexual experiences and coerced displays of sophomoric masochism and mystical mumbo jumbo, hooded robes and members carrying skulls." So far, neither candidate will talk about Skull and Bones, so those who wish to know more will be left perusing the pages of Secrets of the Tomb.
Posted on October 22, 2004
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Wal-Mart Refuses Bestselling Daily Show Book
America: The Book, the incredibly popular book by John stewart and the cast of The Daily Show, has been banned from Wal-Mart's shelves. Wal-Mart finds the naked Supreme Court photographs in the book too offensive for Wal-Mart shoppers. However, the photos are obvious fakes created with graphics software. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Karen Burk told USA Today that, "We felt a majority of our customers would not be comfortable with the image of the naked justices."
Source: USA Today
Posted on October 22, 2004
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Tuckergate Continues, Jon Stewart Unrepentant
Ok, maybe you don't usually Tivo CNN's Crossfire, but we certainly do. But for some reason we actually watched it live on Friday afternoon and got the shock of our day. Jon Stewart, bestselling author of America, The Book, and host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show really -- and I do mean really -- got into it with conservative pundit Tucker Carlson. Paul Begala and Carlson were expecting Stewart to be funny and talk about his book. Instead, he launched into a scathing commentary about the state of the media today, including shows like Crossfire, in which "partisan hacks" scream at each other instead of exploring important issues that voters need to hear about. "See, the thing is, we need your help. Right now, you're helping the politicians and the corporations. And we're left out there to mow our lawns," said Stewart.
Infuriated at being lectured, Carlson attacked Stewart for not asking harder questions of John Kerry when he came on The Daily Show. Carlson continued, "Well, I'm just saying, there's no reason for you -- when you have this marvelous opportunity not to be the guy's butt boy, to go ahead and be his butt boy. Come on. It's embarrassing....I do think you're more fun on your show. Just my opinion." To which Stewart replied, "You know what's interesting, though? You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show." The audience loved it and even Carlson had to laugh at that one. On Monday's Daily Show, Stewart blamed his behavior on being "dehydrated." But he then reiterated his opinion that Crossfire "blows." The feud has been spiraling out of control all weekend -- AOL has it as a cover story today. In case you missed Stewart's legendary appearance, you can see the tape at Ifilm.com. And you thought Crossfire was boring. Shame on you!
Posted on October 19, 2004
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Comic Superhero is HIV Positive
The first HIV positive comic superhero has arrived. BBC reports that "Mia is a teenage runaway who discovers she contracted HIV during time spent as a homeless prostitute." Later Mia becomes a superhero sidekick named Speedy who first appears in a Green Arrow comic.
Source: BBC
Posted on October 16, 2004
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Popular Stop Smoking Book Revised
The Easy Way to Stop Smoking (Sterling Publishing) by Allen Carr has
been revised and re-released. Over five million copies of The Easy Way to Stop Smoking have been sold worldwide.
The book debunks myths associated with smoking -- that smokers enjoy
smoking, that it's a social habit, that it relieves boredom and stress, and that it aids concentration. The Easy Way to Stop Smoking reveals smoking to be an
addiction to nicotine, pure and simple. Once the preconceived benefits of smoking are proved to be untrue, the book claims that desire to smoke disappears and stopping becomes easy. Endorsers of the Easy Way method include Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Atlantic Airlines and actor, Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Posted on October 12, 2004
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Austrian Novelist Claims Nobel Prize
Austrian novelist and playwright Elfriede Jelinek, author of The Piano Teacher and Lust has won the Nobel prize for literature reports the Boston Globe. The Globe says her most recent play called Bambiland (2003) is a "withering attack on the US invasion of Iraq." Jelinek is the tenth women to win the Nobel Prize for literature which includes a $1.3 million cash prize. The Nobel Foundation gave her the Prize for "her musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that with extraordinary linguistic zeal reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power."
Source: Boston Globe, Nobel Foundation
Posted on October 8, 2004
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Pope John Paul Seeks Publisher
Vatican representatives at the Frankfurt Book Fair are shopping the Holy Father's latest book to international publishers, according the the Associated Press. Memory and Identity: Conversations Between Millenniums, is due out in Italy in 2005, but no publishers have yet been found for other countries. The Polish-born pope's book is essentially a transcript of conversations he had in Polish with two close friends in 1993 at his summer residence near Rome. The Pontiff held a discussion with Krzysztof Michalski, a political philosopher at the Institute of Human Science in Vienna, Austria and the late Rev. Jozef Tishner.
The book examines Europe over the last 100 years, seeking to identify the "roots of evil" such as the rise of communism, fascism and Nazism. The discussions also touch on issues such as the relationship between church and state, said Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said at a news conference. "It is not a pessimistic book at all. ... It is a long dialogue trying to understand the root of the problems humanity has been facing," he said.
Posted on October 7, 2004
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Michael Moore: Wanted Dead or Alive
Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising Tour to get out the youth vote in Michigan has been a major irritant to Bush supporters. As part of his schtick, Moore offers any slacker who manages to make it to the polls a gag gift of some clean underwear and a package of Ramen noodles -- staples of the college slacker. Their sense of humor seriously impaired, Republican operatives in Michigan have sworn out four criminal complaints accusing Moore of bribing voters. They have asked for Moore to be arrested -- yes, that's right -- arrested. In a statement Moore replied, "My friends, they will not catch me. Though I may be on the run, and I may never be able to return home to my beloved Michigan, I make this solemn vow to you and yours: The slackers of America shall not be denied their noodles, they will proudly wear their clean underwear as free Americans, and they will vote Bush out of office come November 2nd (though they will not show up to the polls until well after noon)!
Stay strong, stay slacker, and please remember to turn the underwear inside out every three days. As for the noodles, add boiling water, stir." And do the Republicans think that this is going to encourage college students to vote for Bush? This is a major PR mistake by the RNC -- better to show that your candidate has a sense of humor than to come off as a grumpy authority figure.
Posted on October 6, 2004
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Adults Love Flanimals Characters
The BBC reports that adult are crazy over the Flanimals characters originally meant for a much younger audience. The Flanimals book by comic Ricky Gervais is about thirty five unusual creatures with names like flemping bunthimmler, hemle-sprot, munty flumple, mernimbler, wobboid mump, sprine bloat-trunker and munge fuddler. The BBC reported that Flanimals has already sold out its first print run of 100,000. Currently the book is only available in the UK. Gervais is best known for his work on the BBC series, The Office.
Sources: BBC
Posted on October 6, 2004
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Michael Moore's Shock and Awe October
Bestselling author and Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore releases a flurry of products today in a veritable Shock and Awe Campaign of political persuasion. Moore is releasing two CDs: Fahrenheit 9/11: Original Soundtrack (Rhino/Warner Bros.) and Songs That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 (Epic/Sony). The much-anticipated DVD of Fahrenheit 9/11 (Columbia Tristar) is now available, and includes lots of extras. Books being released are The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader, which includes the full movie transcript, supporting material and sources and related critical commentary, and Will They Ever Trust Us Again?: Letters from the War Zone, a compilation of letters Moore received during the past year from American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both are published by Simon & Schuster. Moore is currently on a national tour entitled the "Slacker Uprising Tour" to promote his new releases and to urge people to vote for Senator Kerry in the upcoming presidential election. October features George Soros' tour, Michael Moore's tour and Bruce Springsteen's tour to remind people not to vote for President Bush. Meanwhile, Bush supporters can check out the Liberty Film Festival (Motto: "There's Nothing Michael Moore Can Do About It") in West Hollywood, a conservative film festival, which showcases lots of anti-Kerry and anti-Moore films. There's truly something for everyone this month.
Posted on October 5, 2004
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Jenna Jameson: Porn Star and Bestseller
Jenna Jameson, who is probably the world's most well known porn star, has hit the New York Times list with her memoir co-authored by Neil Strauss, How To Make Love Like a Porn Star: A Cautionary Tale. In the book Jameson discusses her move from stripper to adult model to porn star. Of course she also discusses her numerous sexual escapades both positive and negative ones. But all is not rosy in the "glamorous" porn world and Jameson told MSNBC she wouldn't wish her career path on a future daugher. "If I do have a daughter," she says with resolve, "there’s no way in hell I would allow her to be a porn star and go through the things I went through."
Sources: MSNBC
Posted on October 5, 2004
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Martha Stewart's Last Days of Freedom
New York Daily News reports that Martha Stewart has spent her last days as a free woman enjoying the sand and surf in the Bahamas. The 63 year-old former CEO of Martha Stewart Omnimedia, bestselling author and style maven must report to a prison in Alderson, West Virginia by 2:00 pm Friday to serve time for her conviction of lying to federal investigators. Ms. Stewart's request to serve her time in Danbury, Connecticut -- so that her 90 year-old mother could visit her -- was denied. Although Ms. Stewart was not charged with insider trading in connection with the sale of her Imclone stock, she was convicted of lying to investigators during the investigation, a very unusual -- and some might say politically motivated -- course of action. Fans can send best wishes to Martha through her personal website, MarthaTalkscom.
Posted on October 4, 2004
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George Soros Goes on the Road
Billionaire investor and philanthroper George Soros told the National Press Club that "This is the most important election of my lifetime. I have never been heavily involved in partisan politics but these are not normal times. President Bush is endangering our safety, hurting our vital interests and undermining American values. That is why I am sending you this message. I have been demonized by the Bush campaign but I hope you will give me a hearing." Soros' tough criticism of the Bush administration is the theme of his bestselling book, The Bubble of American Supremacy: The Costs of Bush's War in Iraq, which comes out in paperback on October 12th. Soros is currently on a national tour to promote the book and to urge voters to support John Kerry. The billionaire's views have not been taken lightly by the Bush campaign; Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert has been attacking Soros vociferously. In fact, Hastert and Soros have been exchanging heated barbs in the press.
Posted on October 1, 2004
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