The Greatest Star of All

I am a firm believer in serendipity.

A few weeks ago, it was announced that Glenn Close and Ewan MacGregor will star in the movie version of the musical of the movie Sunset Blvd.

A few days ago, I read a blog about the classic movie.

And tonight it is on tv. I think the spirit of Gloria Swanson is trying to tell me something...

I was a big fan of the movie, the first time I saw it, at the tender age of 18. Thanks to my dear friends Ron and Jim, who introduced me to the required cinema of the cultured gay. Soon after, I was pleased to hear about the musical being produced with my dear Patti LuPone in the title role. I haunted my record store for the cast recording, and memorized every word. It was wonderful.
Then the drama of the Normas. Patti was out, replaced by Glenn Close-But-No-Cigar. I was beside myself as only a show-mo could be. I did get the Close cast recording just in case I was being judgmental, however, her Carol Burnett dialogue delivery and less than stellar vocals reaffirmed my decision not to see it until she left the show.
Enter Betty Buckley. I loved her Norma. Plus, I was 4 rows from the stage, it was a magical.

Watching the movie again, I realized no one could do Norma justice. Gloria Swanson makes Norma larger than life, in ways that no other actress could. Sure you sing along to Patti or Betty, but Gloria owns that role, you firmly believe she is Norma. From her eyes, to the tiniest of hand gestures, she is The Greatest Star Of All...

A Slice Of Urban Life in a Non Urban World

I love big cites. I love the hustle and bustle, the unending possibilities, the adventure. Everytime I have every taken a trip to San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, or New York, I feel so at home.
But I don't live in a big city, although Amarillo is a step up. So I find little urban things to do in my decidedly non-urban environment.
Like sitting at a Starbucks on a Saturday morning, drinking my vanilla latte, eating my coffee cake and blogging while I people watch.
It's really the people watching that brings me back to rural Texas. No one in a large urban environment would be wearing matching capri pants and flip flops in lime green with a head of hair so tall it makes Elsa Lanchester look like Pipi Longstocking. (Unless you are in New Jersey) Everytime I see the occassional metrosexual (I have issues with them, but that's another post), he is in the company of the hideously uneducated and unrefined girlfriend/wife and kids.
I do get the occasional celebrity sighting, not related to my job. Anyone who has followed the VH1 show 'Strip Search' knows about the guy from Pampa, TX. Pampa is only 30-45 minutes from here. I saw him in a grocery store the other day.
(hmmmmm....Starbucks does wonders for my blogger's block)

Restarting a blog...

...is tough, after you've been out of commission for a while, especially when you find yourself writing all the time in your job. I can still crank out the book reviews, but when I sit in front of my notebook, I have no idea what to write. As some others have commented, there really is blogger's block, and I think I am suffering from it right now. Not something the everage reader wants to read, but I feel that I must write something, just to get back in the habit.
All is well on the set of TMSC right now. I have been busy buying books and hasseling publishers for free copies of stuff.
I actually have two books worth mentioning:

1. 'The Stewardess if Flying the Plane' will be available in late September, early October. This lavish coffee table book chronicles the cinema of the 70's with lots of photographs and interviews from film notables of the era. I asked for a copy just cause I liked the title and the cover (Karen Black on the radio, like you didn't already know)

And then there's...

2. Tequila...A photographic essay on the time honored tradtion of making the liquor in the town it is named after. Did you know that manly Mexicans strip naked to get in the vats and stomp around? Beautiful pictures...

Travelin' Man

Wow. Now I have Internet at my apt, so I don't have to hang out in Starbucks all night. Although, it was quite fun, sitting with my mocha frap, listening to Yahoo Launch Radio with all the other laptop posers.
I know I am going to regret this, but I filled out a form to make my laptop work compatible, so I can work from home if I need to. I know I will get taken advantage of, but I like the idea of working with the tv right here, and in my bathrobe. It's also very bad to be in the office 12 hours a day. So there. I will also be able to take it to trade shows with me. I am so excited, I'll be in Portland and Denver next month.

Season Two

Hello all! TMSS, is back from hiatus!!!
I have been surprised at the emails here and there from loyal readers wondering where I went. Of course, a lot of my time has been taken up with the new job, and the maintaining of a long distance relationship. I know some of you out there know what that is like. But mostly, I have been without internet access except at work. It does create a problem when your forum is web based.
However, fate has smiled upon me yet again and I am sitting here in Starbucks, posting via my new laptop. I feel very Carrie Bradshaw, except there is a table next to me doing a bible study in the most hideous getup this side of a rummage sale. The costume designer for Sex and the City would never permit that. I guess my supporting cast isn't as important. Hopefully, my budget for this season will increase and I can get better ambiant characters.
I am very upset that I am not 'The Gay One' at work. There are 2 other 'mo's in the department, both of whom do drag. Not that there is anything wrong with it. It's just that I was very used to being the 'Gay Guy' at work, without it bothering me. It was my schtick. Now I have to revamp my place in the office heiarchy. On the bright side, I am always Mr. Positive Attitude, so I try to keep everyone's spirits up and have now been dubbed 'The Morale Fairy.'
In the reading dept, I have come across some incredible literature. When it hits the shelves in September, I reccommend John Berendt's new novel, 'City of Fallen Angels.' It's a pretty good follow up to 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' considering it has been 10 years.
See you next episode!

Nicole

A little background:

A few years ago, Tom and I were very active in a small community theatre in Odessa: The Center Stage. It was run by a friend of ours. Center Stage put on all kinds of really fun productions. The best part, of course, was all of the cast parties. We had this little gang that spent so much time together. Sue, Jim, Amy, Brad, Jack, Mack, Ray, we were always involved in one production or another. It was one of the highlights of my life.
At one party, we met a young woman named Nicole. She was funny, and so quick! I would match her wit against anyone.
As is always the way of the world, Center Stage closed down and people started drifting away. Nicole only lived 20 miles away, but it seemed our schedules would almost never mesh. When we did get together, it was like no time at all had passed. She was an avid reader and we would swap books to read anly to discuss them in incredible detail later. Nic was one of the first people I introduced to 'Wicked.' She encouraged me to set up a book review club, and even brought a friend along to the two meetings we had.
I would often think of Nicole, but we did not see enough of each other.
Nicole lost her battle with cancer on July 4th. Independence Day.
I could think of no better tribute to her life than to make sure others knew her name, and how special she was, to have touched my life in so short a time...

Forget Steve McQueen

My new matinee idol crush is Tab Hunter, circa 1950.

I was sent an ARC of his autobiography and it is great. Tab discusses his life with great candor. No stone is left unturned as he recounts his beginnings as the son of a single mother who becomes one of America's favorite leading men.
He delves into his sexuality without giving it a smarmy feeling. We know who and sometimes where, but not the how's.
The most interesting part of the book is the background on Hollywood. He spends a lot of time on the set, reminiscing about the movies he made and the people involved. From Sophia Loren to his stunt double Jack Conner, it's all there.
Plus, there are dozens of pictures throughout, mostly of Tab with a swimsuit on.



In other news,

Before I left on the long holiday weekend, I was asked by our ad department to do a voice over for a TV commercial. It was a 30 second spot, and they had 25 seconds of copy with 4 alternate tag lines at the end. I was wisked to a recording studio and spent the next hour giving every reading imaginable to 20 seconds of video rental information. It was actually quite fun, especially when I pulled out my star attitude with: I am rewriting this line so it will flow better...

Star F*cker

I admit it: The best part of this job is going to be the authors. Once a week, we meet with the publishers and vendors for our specific catagories. The big pubs: Random House, HarperCollins, ect. meet with all of us at once to save time.
Last week, the Random House rep told us Jackie Collins had returned to their house. He was wondering if we wanted to meet her. He said he'd bring her around for a dinner later in the Summer...

JACKIE COLLINS!!!!!!!

(I hope she doesn't mind that I have never read a book of hers and all my questions will be about Joan)

You can't get to heaven on a dinosaur

So I saw 'Batman Begins.' It was pretty good and had an incredible twist at the end. Katie Holmes was pretty bad, and she had nothing to do, except utter my runner up post title, 'You could die, can you at least tell me your name?'

No my dear readers, my title came from a van load of Vacation Bible School kids who were next to me in traffic singing this anti-evolution song, 'You can't get to heaven on a dinosaur.' It made me weep.

Buy the Book

Well Happy Campers, I started my new job today. I love it!

The first day was a little hectic as first days usually are. I sat in on several meetings and even had some input right from the get go. The various catagories I buy for are for the most unremarkable: cooking, westerns, ect. However, I am also responsible for co-ordinating Author Events at a regional level. This means I assist stores with specific author signings and mini-book tours. There is someone else who manages national tours, but I am snapping at his heels.

My apartment is nice, with the exception of Tom not being around. These first few days have been hard, but we talk constantly, and I am so busy with training, I don't have time to be sad.

I missed the BEA conference, but one of the buyers was nice enough to bring me back a copy of Gregory Maguire's new book. I am surprised I am writing this, instead of reading it already.


Randy

On the road...

For those of you who have been slightly vocal about my lack of posts, here you are.

And what a scoop I have today: I start my new job on Monday.

Yes, that's right. I have accepted the job offer at Home Office. BF and I have been busy these last few weeks getting all of this ironed out. This is the reason I have not written much, and the fact I have a weekly book review. You see, I am moving up first, Tom will be following in a few months. We decided to keep this as low profile as possible for now just to make sure his customers didn't get wind of it too early. Then he would have no work to do, and since he has not decided whether or not to close, or relocate his business, that woud be bad.

I didn't want to blog it because gay aircraft mechanics from Texas seems to be my demographic.

But now, the cat's out of the bag, and I am leaving tomorrow. I won't have a PC for a while, but should be able to blog from work. (We'll see)

I am excited, nervous, scared and every other emotion you can think of. Tom and I will be apart for months, and he gets to keep the dog.
The good news is that I am only 5 hours away. I see a lot of driving in my future...

Randy

So Crushable!

Have you ever had a crush on someone, ut didn't realize you did until later? I have just realized I have had a crush on Steve McQueen for most of my life.
Last night on Turner Classic Movies was the doc 'Steve McQueen: The Essence of Cool.' It was incredible. I didn't know a lot about his life, but as they showed clips from his films, I realized I had seen most of them; Papillon, The Great Escape, The Sand Pebbles, The Thomas Crown Affair, Nevada Smith. After the doc was The Maginificent Seven, which I had never seen. So I started to really think about it, and the litmus test that proved it was that I hate Westerns and War movies, but I'll watch them if McQueen is in them.
Steve McQueen is not what you would call 'Pretty.' But he's rugged and manly and just damned sexy. If you watch most of these movies, there is always a shirtless scene.
Classic movie buffs of my stripe usually talk about Gloria Swanson, Bette Davis or Joan Crawford. I just wanted to take a moment to recognize an incredible actor and a damned sexy man.

Who knew?

Wicked

(PJS is forbidden from commenting on this post.)

Wicked:The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire
ISBN 0060987103
Having been in the book selling business for more years than I care to admit, I see a lot of books come across my desk. Most are adequate, someare dreadful, and then there are the select few that are astonishing. 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' is one of those few books you can read over and over again.
Gregory Maguire has taken the Oz that we know and turned it on its ear. We do not follow the adventures of Dorothy of Kansas, lost and trying to get home. Instead, we follow the life of Elphaba, the daughter of a munchkin minister, destined to be known as The Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba has grown up here, so her Oz is not the tourist Oz. It is a fun house mirror of our own world. There are two classes of animals in Oz, animals, who are beasts of burden, and Animals, gifted with the power of speech, and citizenship, until a not-so-wonderful wizard starts denying some of his citizens rights. It is a reflection of the Civil Rights struggles ofthe 1960's.
Elphaba is concerned with the politics of her world and strives to do something about it. It is this critique of her leaders, coupled with her unnatural green skin which enable Oz spin doctors to denounce her as evil.
With this different perspective on Oz, you begin to wonder how much point of view plays a part in history. I never thought of the Wicked Witch ofthe West as a sympathetic character, but Elphaba is. Trapped by her convictions and by circumstances she cannot control, she wonders if she has become this evil being without even realizing it.Many familiar characters decorate the landscape of this book, but in a slightly skewed fashion. Glinda the Good is Elphaba's former college roommate, who is more a society dame than a 'Good Witch.' The wizard is a maniacal despot with armed guards reminiscent of Hitler's SS. The book also touches on many social conflicts, if you know how and where to look.
Long before there was a musical, the novel 'Wicked' opened my eyes to what a good writer and a good story can do.

It's a Spice, Spice, Spice, Spice World

I cannot believe it. The Spice Girls are reuniting!

I know, I know, it's poppy, throwaway music. I can't help it. It's one of my guilty pleasures. I love to put one of the albums in, pick one of the Spice Girls, and sing her part all the way through. (Ginger's my fav Spice, but Baby and Scary are the most fun to sing.)
I even own the dvd of their movie. I bought it because of the scene where Ginger (Geri) dressed in a Wonder Woman costume, but the whole thing is just cheesy fun; Velveeta on Screen.
Geri's solo album was great as was her cover of 'It's Raining Men.' I danced to that at many a gay club.
In any case, it looks like this will be a Summer to remember. Now, if they will only put out a Greatest Hits...(If Flock of Seagulls can have one...)

Book Reviews

I have been asked by some of my readers who don't get my local paper where they can read my book reviews. So, I will be posting them here on Thursday or Friday before they see print in the Sunday edition. Enjoy!

The Icon
by Neil Olson
ISBN 0060748389

Any time you have a major pop culture phenomenon, there will invariably be copycats. Take Harry Potter, for example. Many publishers have capitalized on the success of J.K. Rowling's books. Some are very good ('Eragon') some are not ('Midnight for Charlie Bones').'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown is no exception. Many, many authors have tried to duplicate its success. 'The Icon' by Neil Olson is one such example. I am afraid to say that it pales miseably in comparison to its inspiration.

Olson's plot revolves around an icon hidden in a Greek church. During World War II, it is captured and begins an odyssey which ultimately brings it to New York City. The novel opens with a flashback, which is incredibly confusing, along with introducing so many characters in 10 pages, you are unable to discern who to care about. It does not help that the characters are so poorly written they illicit very little sympathy anyway.

The reader leaves the intruduction in utter confusion then BAM! right into present day and a new batch of 'Who's Important To The Plot Now?'characters. The pace of the plot does not pick up anytime soon and by the time you get to an action sequence, you are beyond caring who wins. Inserted into all this mediocrity is a romance subplot with less chemistry than Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley.

Just because your novel draws comparison does not automatically mean it is a bad book. 'Rule of Four' was compared to 'The Da Vinci Code' when it was published, and it did well. However, a good idea and a great writing style will win the day over a rehashed plot and a less-than-steller turn of phrase.

He's Back!

As many, if not all of you know, my favorite book in the entire universe is 'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire. You may also know that as a rule, I hate all of his other books. I still read every new novel, in the hope that he will redeem himself one of these days. I have a hardcover edition of 'Wicked' that someday I hope to have him sign.

It seems Mr. Maguire is going back to the story that made him famous. In October, HarperCollins is releasing 'Son of a Witch,' the 'long awaited sequel to 'Wicked.'

Long Awaited? I don't think it needed any follow-up. I liked the story just as it is. This could be an utter disaster, or this could be the book that redeems Maguire in my eyes. But don't bet on it.

Well! I nerver!!!

1. I have never driven a motorcycle.

2. I have never paid for sex.

3. I have never charged for sex.

4. I have never been to Canada.

5. I have never worked on an oil rig.

6. I have never read 'War and Peace.'

7. I have never seen 'Citizen Kane.'

8. I have never met Lynda Carter.

9. I have never piloted an airplane.

10. I never hide my sexuality

The Sith is Back!

For 2 hours and 23 minutes yesterday, I morphed into a 5 year old boy (Stay back Michael Jackson!)

The reason for this transformation was my viewing of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. I have been waiting for this movie since I saw the first one in 1977. Like some other people I know out there in blogger-ville, I was a die-hard Vader freak. I dressed up as Vader for more Haloweens than I care to admit, forcing my sister to wear a white beadsheet and put her hair in cinnamon buns to accompany me as Princess Leia. I was always fascinated by the idea of his Fall From Grace.
When the novelization if Episode III came out, I tore through it like there was no tomorrow. For those who have seen the movie, I reccommend reading it, as it fills in some holes from the movie, and actually gives Natalie Portman's character (Once-Queen, now Senator Padme Amidala) a lot more to do than sit in her bedroom and proclaim her love for Hayden Christiansen. (Although, given a choice, I would love to be in my bedroom, proclaiming my love for Hayden)
This was certainly the best of the Star Wars prequels. The Empire Strikes Back will still hold the first place for the entire series.
I can't wait for the dvd, as there are already at least 5 deleted scenes to be presented, including the first appearance of Mon Monthma (seen in Star Wars Episode VI:Return of the Jedi) organizing a rebellion.

Media Blitz

Randy on the air...

(Big thanks to POTUSOL for the hosting and the help...smooch!)

Celebrity is as celebrity does...

Well, my Harry Potter plans are in full swing now. For our Midnight Release party, I am decorating the entire store like Hogwarts. Since everyone will be working that night, I have been assigning 'characters' for them to play. I have to say, I am an excellent casting director. This is the book equivalent of Star Wars Episode III. It is great to see kids getting this excited about reading.
However, somewhere in the shuffle, I forgot to assign myself a character. The obvious choice would be Prof. Dumbledore, as I will be the MC that evening. I am not that tall, nor that old, so that's a no-go.
This morning I was interviewed by a local radio station about an upcoming author signing, and right now I am supposed to be finishing my feature for the paper on local writers...and it hit me...Gilderoy Lockhart!!!! I am just that vain, and well known enough around here to pull it off. (I like to think that I am a little more talented in the writing department, but I actually can't say that I have read a Lockhart book.)