Books To Help You Remember The Great Elizabeth Taylor (NPR) / Elizabeth Taylor Memorial Program on 4/10 (TCM)

...It is still shocking to lose a woman who, besides being outlandishly gorgeous, was the very template for American celebrity as we understand it today. There will be many ways to grieve this loss — you can cry, you can rage at the moon, you watch some of her best on-screen moments, like her cackling "Angry, Baby" monologue in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf from 1966. Or...you can turn to books.

There have been many books written about Taylor (she even wrote three herself)... [Here are] three that...are most worth reading if you want to remember her talent, beauty, and drive.

1) "Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century" by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger
2) "How To Be A Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood" by William Mann
3) "My Love Affair With Jewelry" by Elizabeth Taylor

Most of us probably didn't grow up following Elizabeth Taylor's every move, but we all knew she was a true movie star and a remarkable actress - reasons enough to put a bio on our reading list.

Read the full article, with more in-depth info about each book, here.

And if you prefer to catch up visually, Turner Classic Movies is hosting an Elizabeth Taylor tribute in the form of a 24-hour movie marathon on April 10. More info, including the schedule of films, can be found here.

Explaining the Google Books Case Saga (Time)

A federal court yesterday rejected a settlement between Google, authors and publishers, throwing into doubt the search company's plans to make every book ever published searchable online.

Acknowledging in his opinion that “the creation of a universal digital library would benefit many,” federal district court judge Denny Chin ultimately decided that the proposed agreement was “not fair, adequate and reasonable.” ...

Because it was a settlement to a class-action lawsuit, it meant that all authors who had ever published a book were bound. Google could scan any book without first asking for permission. If an author didn't want his book to be scanned or included in Google's database, he had to contact Google and opt-out. This would have turned copyright on its head.

This article offers a nice, easily understood round-up of the events around the Google Books case, the pros and cons, and what the next steps may be. A universal library would be amazing, but it also opens a huge can of worms for all other forms of media - something we all definitely need to pay attention to.

Read the full article here.

Cosmonaut Crashed Into Earth 'Crying In Rage' (NPR)

The space vehicle is shoddily constructed, running dangerously low on fuel; its parachutes — though no one knows this — won't work and the cosmonaut, Vladimir Komarov, is about to, literally, crash full speed into Earth, his body turning molten on impact. As he heads to his doom, U.S. listening posts in Turkey hear him crying in rage, "cursing the people who had put him inside a botched spaceship." ...

"Starman" [by Jamie Doran and Piers Bizony] tells the story of a friendship between two cosmonauts, Vladimir Kamarov and Soviet hero Yuri Gagarin, the first human to reach outer space. The two men were close; they socialized, hunted and drank together.

In 1967, both men were assigned to the same Earth-orbiting mission, and both knew the space capsule was not safe to fly. Komarov told friends he knew he would probably die. But he wouldn't back out because he didn't want Gagarin to die. Gagarin would have been his replacement.

If this book isn't already optioned, I'll eat my shoe. And then, with my mouth full, I'll thank you very much for the finder's fee - cash or check are both fine with me.

Read the full article here.

How to develop a powerful arsenal of creative questions (Innovation Weblog)

Great questions are powerul creative tools, because they can help you to focus your thinking and lead it in fresh, new directions. But how can you develop an arsenal of creative questions that will help you to develop great ideas?

Kevin and Shawn Coyne, the authors of the new book "Brainsteering: A Better Approach to Breakthrough Ideas" have given this challenge a lot of thought, and they have discovered that killer creative questions tend to fall into 5 general lines of inquiry:

- Identifying unsolved customer problems
- "De-averaging" users and activities
- Exploring unexpected successes
- Imagining perfection
- Discovering unrecognized "headroom"

... All of us - individuals, teams, companies, institutions and even whole industries - conduct our work by employing a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs). SOPs might consist of 'rules' in the formal sense - such as laws or government regulations - or they might simply consist of conventional wisdom or habits we've voluntarily adopted. But the world isn't made up of entirely identical situations, so the ideal operating procedure for a particular situation may not be the standard operating procedure at all. Of course, the world changes all the time. And that change... often creates unnoticed cases in which even the new "average" situation no longer fits with the old SOPs. Such situations create what we call 'unrecognized headroom,' where there's a significant opportunity to redefine or retailor a product or process to better fit the specific circumstances of the new situation - thereby providing headroom for performance to pop up above what was previously expected."

A system to get you thinking outside the system. Brilliant. This one's definitely going on my Amazon wishlist.

Read the full article here.

Oh No They Didn't: The Hunger Games Casting for 'Underfed' White Teenage Girls (Movieline) / The Newcomers (Wall Street Journal)

On a wide computer monitor is a website run by Breakdown Services, where Ms. Zane's staff has posted the single paragraph laying out the filmmakers' broad criteria for Katniss. She should be Caucasian, between ages 15 and 20, who could portray someone "underfed but strong," and "naturally pretty underneath her tomboyishness." Since the notice was posted two weeks ago, more than 1,600 resumes had been submitted for the role of Katniss. So far, 25 of these submissions had been moved to a "selected" heading for potential contenders.

I though underfed was a prerequisite for Hollywood?

In all seriousness, though, I don't see what the uproar is about. "The Hunger Games" - I've read the full trilogy and it is AMAZING - describe Katniss in general terms but her sister and mother are blonde. Not too many non-Causasian blondes out there as far as I know. As for the character being underfed, that also makes sense, since the area where Katniss lives is basically dying and there's never enough food. So again, what's the big deal? Sounds like some folks need to actually read the books before getting up-in-arms about things. But isn't that almost always the case? *Sigh*

Read the full Salon article here.
Read the full Wall Street Journal article here.

Bristol Palin Book Deal Confirmed by William Morrow (GalleyCat)

“Bristol gives readers an intimate behind-the-scenes look at her life for the first time, from growing up in Alaska to coming of age amid the media and political frenzy surrounding her mother’s political rise; from becoming a single mother while still a teenager to coping as her relationship with her baby’s father crumbled publicly — not once, but twice. Bristol talks about the highs and lows of her appearance on ABC-TV’s “Dancing with the Stars,” including the aching hours of practice, the biting criticisms, and the thrill of getting to the show’s finals. She speaks candidly of her aspirations for the future and the deep religious faith that gives her strength and inspiration. Plainspoken and disarmingly down to earth, Bristol offers new insight and understanding of who she is and what she values most.”

Just what we need! Maybe they'll sell this with the Justin Beiber movie when it's released on DVD - they can call it the "I'm only 12 but someone thinks my 4380 days of life so far need to be chronicled in print and on film" bonus set! I include the above "news" only so I can yet again decry the shlock that is being peddled today. Ughh.
(Don't bother to) Read the full article here.

Holiday Gift Guide To eReaders (MediaBistro)

To help you navigate through all of the devices out there, we have compiled a Holiday Gift Guide To eReaders featuring the latest eReaders on the market. The below list includes eReaders that have come out over the last year and will be hot this season

Personally, the only eReader I'd consider is the iPad, but that's just me. I know lots of folks love their Kindles, especially since you can read scripts on them, but I want COLOR - that's the big thing for me. What about you guys? Do you have / want an eReader?

Read the full article here.

National Book Award Winners for 2010 (Galley Cat)

Fiction winner: Jaimy Gordon, "Lord of Misrule"
Nonfiction winner: Patti Smith, "Just Kids"
Poetry: Terrance Hayes, "Lighthead"
Young People’s Literature: Kathryn Erskine, "Mockingbird"

This post has some nice links to interviews done with folks involved in the NBA, including a chat with winner Patti Smith. Plus, it's nice to keep tabs on what's happening outside of the script world sometimes.

And in case you're wondering what this particular award is all about, look no further:

The National Book Awards have become the nation's preeminent literary prizes.... Today, the Awards are given to recognize achievements in four genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People's Literature. The Winners, selected by [independent panels of five writers] for each genre, receive a $10,000 cash award and a crystal sculpture.

Read the full article here.

Book Soup Events w/ Michael Caine & Judd Apatow

Book Soup has a couple of great events coming up, including:

* Michael Caine - An evening of conversation w/ Sharon Waxman (of The Wrap)
TOMORROW (Thursday 10/28) @ 8 PM
(I think you have to get tickets for this one.)

* Judd Apatow presents and signs his new book "I Found This Funny"
Friday 10/29 @ 12 Noon

Read the full article here.

Jonathan Franzen’s "Freedom" Is All the Rage (NY Times / AV Club)

“Do I think I should be getting all of the attention that Jonathan ‘Genius’ Franzen gets? Nope. Would I like to be taken at least as seriously as a Jonathan Tropper or a Nick Hornby? Absolutely,” said Ms. Weiner in an interview that the Huffington Post conducted with her and Ms. Picoult. For Ms. Picoult’s part, “I want to make it clear that I have absolutely nothing against Jonathan Franzen,” she said in the interview. “I hope I read ["Freedom"] and love it. None of this was motivated as a critique against him or his work, just that he is someone The Times has chosen to review twice in seven days.”

So many of our films are based on books, I've decided that when something interesting about publishing or a specific book pops up, it's worthy of a spot on the blog. And Franzen's "Freedom" has been popping up everywhere, helped in large part by the controversy alluded to above (which actually has more to do with the NY Times than Franzen, but that's really beside the point now.) The book came out yesterday - any of you pick it up yet?

Read the full article here.
Read the NY Times' two reviews here and here.
You can read an excerpt of the novel here.
Finally, AV Club published a nice interview with Franzen yesterday, which you can find here.

"Eat Pray Love," "Sex and the City 2," and the Summer of Backlash (The Atlantic)

All of these franchises are fueled by women's money, and women's interest, and all are massive cultural and economic forces. They sell movie tickets, books, and a truly impressive amount of tie-in merchandise. But the most important thing they have in common may be the derision and contempt they inspire in cultural commentators. They're about trivial stuff like shopping, boyfriends, trying to put the "sparkle" back in marriages; they're about pathetic stuff like heartbreak, divorce, loneliness, and menopause; they're about drippy stuff like self-love, family, and cuddly, soft-focus, Oprah-approved spirituality. In other words, they're about the very things that women are encouraged to be most interested in. And this alone may be enough to keep many people from taking them seriously.

The above quote is a little misleading because it probably makes you think this article also slams "women's" films. It doesn't. For example, the author goes on to say "that there is no special shame in buying a ticket to Eat, Pray, Love rather than The Expendables." To which I say, Amen Sister! (Disclaimer: I haven't actually seen either of those films, but I agree 100% with the sentiment.)
Read the full article here.

Selling "Inception": How Hollywood Marketing Works (The Atlantic)

... Here's a new Hollywood riddle: what's the difference between a marketing head and a studio head? Answer: It doesn't matter, as long as the marketing head is a whiz kid who believes in your movie.

I'm a big fan of Lynda Obst - her book "Hello, He Lied" deserves a spot on all of our bookshelves - and she's been around long enough to have a great view of Hollywood and how it's changed. She shares some of her wisdom here, and while it's not breaking new ground, Obst's article is clear, concise, unbiased, and definitely worth the read.

Read the full article here.

AICN Interviews Guillermo Del Toro (Ain't It Cool News)

I think that most of my imagination was shaped as a kid, so it obviously permeates my movies. But I really love the idea that fear can make you go back to your childhood and make you vulnerable and make you susceptible to really not just the sophisticated world, but the world of the otherness and the beyond, you know?

I'm such a fan of Guillermo Del Toro - I think he has an imagination and sensibility like no other. I found this interview quite interesting, and thought maybe you would too. Enjoy!
Read the full article here.

The Man With The Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered The World (The New Republic)

...Sinclair McKay’s new book ["The Man With the Golden Touch"] is one of the very best attempts to take stock of the Bond films. It has its share of quirks, and is by no means appropriate for someone with a minimal interest in the series. But his analysis of the movies is smart and unexpected, and his grasp of Bond is obviously the result of thought and study.

In case you are a huge Bond-ophile - sounds like this book is better than the competition.
Read the full article here.

Suzanne Collins' "Mockingjay" is the real deal as trilogy finale (USA Today)

Reading "Mockingjay" is what I'm doing the rest of the day. And since I don't want to accidentally happen upon any spoilers, I haven't actually read the review I've linked to in this post. But I'm throwing it up here anyway to encourage any and all of you who haven't read the Hunger Games trilogy to do so as soon as humanly possible. Unfortunately, Nina Jacobson beat us all to the punch and already has the option. But don't let that stop you from picking up the series! We all need to read for pleasure sometimes, and this trilogy is definitely worth your while.
Read the full article here.

Generation Me - Are We in a Narcissism Epidemic? (Newsweek)

But no matter how you were raised, the handiest cure for narcissism used to be life. Whether through fate, circumstances or moral imperative, our culture kept hubris in check. Now, we encourage it. ... Treating the whole world as if it works for you doesn't suggest you're special, it means you're an ass.

This article is actually from an old issue of Newsweek (I'm finally getting around to my Spring cleaning) but it's still 100% relevant. Not so much because I think we are all narcissistic asses, but because Hollywood has influence on the hubris-checking culture mentioned above. And I'd guess about 99% of biz bosses firmly believe the world works for them. The industry is certainly not the only culprit, but change has to start somewhere, right?
Read the full article here.

TONIGHT - Book Soup Event w/ Damon Lindelof (Lost) & Tim Kring (Heroes)

Book Soup presents Damon Lindelof, creator of LOST in conversation with Tim Kring, the creator of Heroes and author of "Shift".

This is bound to be an interesting conversation, so figured I'd throw it up here in case any of you are interested in checking it out. It's TONIGHT at 7 PM at the book store.
Read the details and see the full listing of events here.

The Men Who Would Be King: An Almost Epic Tale of Moguls, Movies, and a Company Called DreamWorks, by Nicole LaPorte (NY Times)

“Jealousy wasn’t the only emotion Spielberg generated in those close to him. He also aroused feelings of protectiveness.” Her book is as much about the envious, ambivalent feelings with which insiders greet everything Spielberg does as it is about the Musketeer-like unity that Spielberg, Geffen and Katzenberg displayed throughout the fraught years of their historic venture.

Sounds like the above quote is about the most interesting observation in the book, which gets a resoundingly negative review from the NY Times. Guess we can take this one off our lists of things to read.
Read the full review here.

Begun, The Digital Age of Comics Has (NPR)

Marvel has gone out of its way to assure parsimonious fans (and nervous retailers) that today's experiment is just that, and that they're still figuring things out, particularly when it comes to pricing. DC, on the other hand, has signaled that they're prepared to barrel ahead, even hinting that several series will be going the same-day-download route soon.

I guess my only surprised is that anyone is still surprised by this. This is no different than the e-book/Kindle revolution - it's just happening later since comics fans had to wait until a device could show graphics in color. I'm not a huge comics reader but would definitely be interested in checking out some of the classic books I've missed, and am certainly more likely to do so on an iPad than head down to my local comics shop. You?
Begun, The Digital Age of Comics Has : NPR

Don't mention the mockingbird! (Daily Mail, UK)

It's the 50th anniversary of the classic novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

Based on a few gnomic utterances over the years, many literary commentators have attributed Harper’s solitary life and subsequent failure to publish another book to her alarm at the tidal wave of praise for her Mockingbird...

But according to confidants, many of whom have known her since childhood, what Harper has really found a burden is her enduring sadness about the book’s underlying themes.

They say that while To Kill A Mockingbird is ostensibly a courtroom thriller ... Harper drew on deeply painful family secrets to create her protagonists. ...

‘I’m not a psychologist, but there’s a lot of Nelle in that book,’ said 87-year-old George Thomas Jones, a retired businessman who has known Harper and her family since she was a girl.

I don't think I know anyone who doesn't love (or at least like) this book. I'd never read much about Harper Lee, so this is a nice little history and helps put the book in context.
Read the full article here.