A Writer's Life

PSYCH'd again

The cover of William Rabkin's next original PSYCH novel, "Mind Over Magic," has just been released. Alas, there are no pineapples on the cover. The book comes out in July, the same time as my next MONK, "Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop," so maybe we'll do another signing together and beg Hansen's for another terrific cake.

Remakes A-Go-Go and Not-A-Go

Variety reports that Fox has cast Kathryn Hahn as Edie (played by Jennifer Saunders in the original) and Kristen Johnston as Patsy (originally played by Joanna Lumley) in their latest attempt to remake  the hit UK sitcom ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS. Hahn was the neighbor in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and Johnston is best known for her work on 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN.

Meanwhile, director king David Nutter, who has a perfect record of getting his pilots picked up to series, has agreed to helm the third try at a WITCHES OF EASTWICK series. 

CBS greenlit a slew of pilots this week...but so far they haven't ordered the buzzed-about remakes of STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO or HAWAII FIVE-O. 

Mr. Monk and the Mug Shot

Gary Mugford gave MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS a great review on his blog Mugshots. He says, in part:

Goldberg takes advantage of being a novelist to bring back Sharona in Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants. And that sets up a battle between assistant Past and assistant Present to see who will be assistant Future. In doing so, he captures Natalie's insecurities perfectly. Afterall, he's been inside her head for quite a while now. He also recaps most of those earlier book adventures in some small detail during this book, making it a good jumping on point for the series. Not suprisingly, this is apparently the best-selling of the series of novels to date.

It looks like the book is about to be eclipsed in sales by MR. MONK IS MISERABLE, but TWO ASSISTANTS is definitely a big favorite among the fans.  I'm toying with a notion for bringing Sharona back, perhaps in book #11. But we'll see....

Thanks for the review, Gary!

TV Main Title of the Week

On the Red Carpet

I am heading off pretty soon to the launch party at the Mystery Bookstore for my friend Jerrilyn Farmer's MURDER AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS, which she wrote with Joan Rivers.  Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review which said, in part:

This smooth blend of Rivers's trademark bitchy humor and Farmer's deft plotting also offers a poignant reminder about the cost of fame for too many young Hollywood celebs.

UPDATE - The launch party drew a huge crowd. Jerrilyn regaled everyone with hilarious stories of working with Joan Rivers. Judging by the affectionate stories Jerrilyn told, it's a perfect and fun-filled collaboration. I'm sure that fun comes across on the page, too. (Pictured: yours truly, Mystery Bookstore owner Pam Woods, and Jerrilyn Farmer, photo courtesy of Linda Brown)

No Heroics

This British sitcom about superheroes is absolutely hilarious. I have to thank Denis McGrath for tipping me off to it. Here's a taste:

I Spy a Great Book

Open Channel D! Wesley Britton has accomplished a mission impossible -- he's written the ultimate reference work on TV Spies on-the-air, in print, and even in music. Get Smart -- the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TV SPIES is now available for pre-order from the publisher and you should grab it. 

Britton’s book is a long overdue and desperately needed reference work is not only a detailed and complete listing of every spy show on TV, it also includes appendices on TV spy soundtracks and novelizations that, on their own, are well worth the purchase price.  This richly detailed encyclopedia will satisfy both the curiosity of fans and the scholarly needs of researchers. But it's not fanboy drool nor is it dry and academic. Britton clearly loves his subject and approaches it with enthusiasm that comes through on every page. I strongly recommend it!

A Great Frak'in Interview

Today I interviewed legendary writer/producer Glen A. Larson on camera for the Archive of American Television. He's created such shows as KNIGHT RIDER, FALL GUY, BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, MAGNUM PI and QUINCY...and added the word "Frak" to our vocabulary. It went great and he told some terrific stories (and offered some fascinating insights into the TV business in the 1970s and 80s). One of the many surprising bits of trivia is that Sheryl Crow sang the theme to his series P.S. I LUV YOU with Greg Evigan. I'll be sure to let you know when the 4 hour video interview is on-line.  

 

TV Main Title of the Week - Special Obscure Glen A. Larson Shows Edition

Christian Bale Goes Batty

TMZ has a audio tape of Christian Bale's insane tirade after the Director of Photography of Terminator Salvation accidentally walked into the star's eye line during a shot. The recording was apparently sent to the film's insurance company in case Bale bailed on the movie mid-production. I don't get why the director didn't step in and try to save his DP -- and the crew -- from Bale's tirade. Was McG just sitting there and watching? This was a much as insult to the director's control as it was a humiliation for the poor DP.

The sad truth is that Bale is so successful that he can get away with this repugnant, unprofessional behavior like this -- nobody wants to offend a guy who makes the studios this much money, no matter how offensive he might be. I've worked with a couple of actors like that -- but they weren't big enough stars to get away with it and didn't. It's not pleasant. 

The Best 25 List Yet...

...comes from my brother Tod. It's "25 Random Things I Hate About F**ktards On Facebook I Don't Know In The Least But Who, Nonetheless, Are My 'Friends.'" Here are some of my laugh-out-loud favorites:

4. I hate that I know you just got home from work and are having a Lean Cuisine and watching your VHS collection of Benson reruns.

8. I hate that you have been stalking my sisters Linda and Karen and now suddenly figure out that even though they won't speak to you, it might be neat to become friends with me, and my brother, and my mother, and my cousin Mike, and my cousin Danny, and my uncle Burl, and my wife Wendy. And none of us know who the f**k you are. And so we email each other and say, "Who the f**k is Irene?" And we all agree that we don't know. And then we agree, after reading your profile, that you need mental help and need to scrapbook a whole lot f**king less than you do. 

24. I hate you, you dumb motherf**ker, who sent my agent a book and said that you were my friend and when she asked me, "Is this person your friend?" I said, "Uh, not that I know of." And then I got a wild idea and looked on facebook and there you were.

How Affectionate Are Obama and his Wife? You don't want to know.

TV Main Title of the Week

TV Main Title of the Week - Special Government Bail Out Edition

It seems to me that now would be the perfect time to remake this sitcom...

25 Writers Who Have Influenced Me

Author Raymond Benson started this meme on Facebook and it's quickly catching on. My list, of novelists and screenwriters, in no particular order is:

1. Gregory MacDonald 

2. Ian Fleming 

3. Robert B. Parker 

4. John Irving 

5. Larry McMurtry 

6. Frederick Manfred 

7. Stephen J. Cannell 

8. Roy Huggins 

9. Ross MacDonald 

10. Richard Maibaum 

11. Harry Whittington 

12. John D. MacDonald 

13. Elmore Leonard 

14. Richard S. Prather 

15. Ed McBain 

16. E.F Wallengren 

17. Michael Gleason 

18. Ross H. Spencer 

19. Stephen King 

20. A.B. Guthrie 

21. Blake Edwards 

22. William Goldman 

23. Norman Lear 

24. Neil Simon 

25. Carl Hiaasen

Of course, immediately after compiling the list, I started thinking of people I left out... like Charles Willeford, Donald Hamilton, "Franklin W. Dixon," "Carolyn Keene," the guy who wrote "Encyclopedia Brown," the guy(s) who wrote "The Three Investigators," Steven Bochco, Leslie Charteris, Levinson & Link, Robert Ludlum, James Crumley, Trevanian, and Rod Serling...but I only had 25. (Pictured: Michael Gleason and Robert B. Parker & I).