Current Affairs

There’s No Laundry Room in Neverland

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17701056I’m sure you’ve seen the Halloween costumes that Michael Jackson has been wearing to court.  But did you know he never wears the same one twice? And did you know he has a personal wardrobe consultant who dresses him every morning? The LA Times interviewed his costumers Michael Bush (no relation to George) and Dennis Tompkins  today.

Each day, Bush wakes at 3 a.m. to drive the day’s outfit — typically a
colorful print vest and a suit with military details — from his home
studio in Los Feliz up the 101 Freeway to Neverland Ranch. There,
between 6 and 7 a.m., he dresses Jackson, who always says "Thank you"
and gives him a hug, Bush says. The designer returns by midafternoon,
in time to help Tompkins put the finishing touches on the next day’s
look. Tompkins makes most of Jackson’s costumes with a single fitting.
The pair create his courtroom wardrobe using the "Michael mannequin,"
built to the singer’s exact dimensions.

Perhaps what they are most proud of is that Jackson has never worn the same thing twice.

"We have two or three tailors around town making jackets because we can’t make them fast enough," Bush says.

Otherworlders Unite!

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An important message from Otherworlder Central Fan Command.  There’s a huge global following that will line up to  see a feature film version of OTHERWORLD with the original
cast. Sam Groom rules. It’s a crime he never won an Emmy for his powerful performances.  You aren’t human if the opening narration doesn’t move you, doesn’t haunt your soul forever:

Otherworld"Other worlds lie outside our seeing. Beyond the beyond. At the edge…
of within. The Great Pyramid, erected by the ancient ones as a
barricade. At the portal between two dimensions, two separate
realities. This is the story of one family, drawn through a mysterious
vortex into the other world and of their perilous trek homeward."

We never got to see them get home. That is just wrong. We didn’t get the final episode we deserve because of the suits at the network.  OTHERWORLD fans from all corners of the globe are rallying to support this urgent cause.
We have already designed the DVD box, movie poster and network promos. Look for our full-page
advertisements in the Hollywood Reporter, Parade Magazine,  Dog Fancy and American Spectator.

Important Message from The International Confederation of Rangers

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Stlgrangers3There are a significant number of fans who would like to see a feature film version of SPACE RANGERS with the original cast. We never got the final episode we deserve due to political issues at the network.  The fans are uniting around this very important cause. We have already designed the movie poster. Look for our full-page advertisements in Daily Variety,  Starlog, Adult Video News and Highlights for Children.  You can make a difference!

How Not To Get a Blurb

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A self-published author sent me a generic email asking me to read his book and blurb it. I’ve taken out his name, and the title of the book, as a courtesy:

I am  about to launch the XYZ novels, which are
legal/crime thrillers. I would love to get a blurb from you for the first novel
in this series, XYZ.  I have attached the first few chapters for
your review and will be happy to send the full book upon request.  I
thoroughly believe that you will find this book compelling and will be proud to
have your name associated with it, otherwise I wouldn’t intrude upon your
valuable time.

As compelling as his personal endorsement of his own book is, that’s not a good enough reason for me to read his novel.  In fact, this solicitation is a classic example of how to not to get an author to read your book. For instructions on how to do it right, check out author Gregg Hurwitz’s checklist of dos-and-don’ts for blurb pitching.

Must Reading for Aspiring Authors

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My brother Tod takes a hard look look at Writer’s Digest and its list of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. 

Any magazine which purports to be "for" writers,  yet accepts
advertising from scam agents and sleazy publishers and regularly
provides some of the worst advice imaginable for aspiring writers is
doing no one any favors.  Needless to say, their 101 websites
mirror their excellent quality control standards.

Tod checked out a few of the sites. His peek at the Long Ridge Writers Group is especially revealing…and hilarious.

The Fox Schedule

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The fine folks at TVTracker are circulating the Fox schedules for both fall and midseason, too, when 24 and AMERICAN IDOL return to the air.  The new drama series include BONES (about a forensic anthropologist), THE GATE (about deviant criminals and the cops
who pursue them),  HEAD CASES (Chris O’Donnell as a mentally-disturbed lawyer) and PRISON BREAK ( a guy breaks into the prison he designed to help his falsely accused brother escape).

The complete schedules are on the jump.

Read more

Imagine if a Harlequin Romance Novel Could Vibrate, Too…

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Susie Bright went to a Romance Writers convention and came back with this observation:

When a woman buys a traditional Romance, it’s like a hardcore porn fan
buying a XXX video. She wants her money shot. She does not want
distractions. She wants familiarity, to connect with "the childhood
masturbatory feeling," as my friend and offbeat Romanticist Pam Rosenthal
so perfectly described to me. I say this with utmost sympathy, but fans
would probably feel exposed by that description. Still, I believe
romances are stroke books— they are not so much read as used.

I wonder what she’d say about mysteries after going to a Bouchercon or Malice Domestic convention?