Sing a song of ironic innocence with Miley Cyrus

Some fuss and feathers were raised over the latest video by Miley Cyrus from her new album Can't Be Tamed,which is meant to launch a more mature direction for her musical career. The plot of the clip for "Who Owns my Heart" has Miley as a party girl going thru the typical night owl routine of waking up,preparing to party,then hitting the dance floor and starting all over again.

It's really not as shocking as it seems,folks. While some may be startled to see Hannah Montana wearing short shorts,most of her outfits and antics are comparatively mild,when put up against the likes of Kei$ha or Katie Perry. Miley does have a decent singing voice but this style of song doesn't suit her very well. You have to give her credit for spreading her artistic wings,so to speak,yet the real shocker is how much the older folks are so upset about this:





Don't get me wrong,I am not in favor of rushing young women into those unsteady waters of adult sexuality,particularly in pop culture. However,it's hard to ignore the double edged irony that wants to push and pull these female entertainers into being people pleasers for more than one audience.

This is a struggle that only girls seem to go though,even in these "enlightened" times-nobody raises an eyebrow about the massive swooning over Justin Bieber or the Jonas Brothers(by some gals way too old for them,I might add) but heaven forbid that Miley or Taylor Swift should get a little sassy in their wardrobe choices there.

Enough of the ranting;let's look at a few songs that feature the whole "good girl/bad girl" dilemma and see what side of the innocence vs. experience coin they truly wind up on.

First up is "Little Lamb" from Gypsy,a sweet tune sung by Louise as she sadly playacts with her toys. It's a mournful tribute to her childhood,which was mostly spent being dragged around by her mother and sister from one theater to another in order to become a star. Louise does achieve fame and fortune as renowned burlesque queen Gypsy Rose Lee,at the cost of whatever innocence she had left in her:





Next up is a moment from Gigi,where our leading lady asks the fates to "Say A Prayer For Me" as she gets ready to present herself to her beloved Gaston as a sophisticated woman of the world rather than the sweet and sassy little miss he has always known and adored.

The transformation is quite the turnabout,to say the least,and while Gigi does play her new part to perfection,it's her natural charms that ultimately win Gaston's heart and inspire him to take Gigi as his respectable wife. It's rather an interesting sideways view of the story,to see it as a parable against deliberate calculations in affairs of the heart:





One of the best known characters in the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Oklahoma is Ado Annie,the local gal who "Cain't Say No" to any man looking for some sweet smoothing behind the barn.

Gloria Grahame played her in the movie version(she always seemed to be cast as the babe in most of her films)and while her singing may not be as sweet as Shirley Jones' was,she does bring a sweet naivete to her rendition.

Ado Annie does eventually make a commitment to just one man and while her future mate will probably suffer from bouts of jealousy for the rest of their relationship,at least it'll be less stressful that the one embarked on by the more virtuous leading lady of the piece:





Last but not at all least, Rizzo,the brassy leader of the Pink Ladies in Grease takes center stage to mock the preferred pop culture image of nice girls in the fifties with "Sandra Dee." Under that tough as her leather jacket exterior is a more sensitive soul who has her own set of social morals that she keeps true to:



So while Miley's first awkward steps into music video sirenhood may be alarming,they are perhaps inevitable and hopefully will not plateau any potential she does have for a long term career. Even little Disney divas have the right to grow up and blossom into full fledged women in their own right. Let her have the chance to do so without being hassled unnecessarily for stepping out of one box into another:

Iron Chef Michael Symon:a man for all seasonings

A celebrity chef that's getting quite a bit of face time on TV lately is one of the newest Iron Chef America champions on the block,Michael Symon.

In addition to his regular appearances in Kitchen Stadium,Symon has two new food related programs on air;one for the newly launched Cooking Channel called Cook Like An Iron Chef and a Food Network series debuting this week,Food Feuds,that has him settling longtime recipe rivalries between local eateries.



With all of that heaped on his plate,you'd think there wouldn't be room for anything more. However,Symon is doing quadrupedal duty as one of the new judges on the third season of The Next Iron Chef.

He and British food critic Simon Majumdar join NIC mainstay Donatella Apia on the panel and as much as I dug Jeffrey Steingarten's input on the panel last season,this seems to be a change for the better.

While Symon and Apia have some disagreements on the food placed before them,their spats don't appear to be as stingingly sharp as Steingarten's was with her. Also,having a former winner of this competition as a judge is a smart move since that person not only knows what the contestants are going through but also is quick to catch on to any easy outs and basic mistakes made by any of the competing chefs here:





So,what is it about Symon that makes him the go-to guy for food shows lately? A good part of this is his strong likability factor. Symon's easy going nature and sense of humor about himself gave him a lot of fans from that first season of The Next Iron Chef(myself included)and that hasn't wavered in any venue he's been in so far.

Symon has a Michael Chiklis type of persona-more Ben Grimm from the Fantastic Four movies than The Shield-a tough yet tender guy with down to earth tastes. He can cook four star cuisine with finesse and flair but it's not hard to imagine him having a nice juicy cheeseburger at a funky little diner or roadside stand in Anywhere,USA.

Like many successful people,Symon truly enjoys his work and is more than happy to spread the joy,along with the barbecue sauce,onto others:



Another check in the plus column for Symon is his confidence,which never comes across as arrogance. His professionalism and poise can be severely tested during his Iron Chef battles but even up against a personality as big as his own(such as Ace of Cakes star Duff Goldman),Symon holds his own and brings his fun side out to play a little as well:





That saying about a little goes a long way does apply to some persistent personalities that pop up in numerous pop culture spots but in this instance,Chef Symon hasn't come anywhere near to wearing out his welcome just yet. It is time for another big league chef to make his mark,after all,and Symon has plenty of chops and prior screen time to merit his expanded fifteen minutes of foodie fame.

So,for the new batch of Iron Chef hopefuls battling for the win this season,I hope all of you are taking notes when Symon speaks. As for future NIC contenders,this is the guy whom you all want to be standing beside someday and whose culinary career both on and off screen is pretty sweet as well as savory. Michael Symon is a fine cut of character and charisma,served up with style:

Hopefully,This Book is not Overdue for a National Book Award nomination

Nominations for this year's National Book Award will be announced this week and while I've already talked about my picks for the Fiction category,there is a nonfiction title that I'm keeping my fingers crossed for.

Normally,I don't get too worked up over that category,since it usually attracts massive scholarly works that rarely,if ever,wind up on one of my TBR piles.

However,with our local libraries suffering through increasing budget cuts and threatened with talk of being taken over by private interests whose take on the whole institution is about as warm hearted as Scrooge's views were on charitable causes,Marilyn Johnson's This Book is Overdue is truly the right book in the right place during a most crucial time for both librarians and patrons alike.




I have no idea whether or not This Book is Overdue was entered into consideration or not for the NBAs but it definitely deserves to be a contender.

Not only does Johnson talk about the struggles with funding and censorship that libraries are dealing with but the new and upcoming generation of librarians who are using their skills in the computer realm to expand knowledge and readership for all.

I did review the book when it first came out(now in it's fifth printing)and I can assure you that TBIO is both readable and easy to relate to ,even if you haven't stepped inside a library since grade school:





As a celebration of the success of Ms. Johnson's book(and with any luck,an early congratulatory party for a possible NBA nom),we here at LRG have gathered together some library themed videos,made by actual librarians,with a pop culture twist.

First up is from the McCracken County Library in Kentucky as they present the Adventures of Super Librarian! More powerful than a search engine,able to leap stacks of returned books with a single bound...you get the picture:



Next,Salt Lake County Library out in Utah gives a new patron a guided tour down the yellow brick road of their many services. This charming video was showcased at the American Library Conference back in 2007 and for any Wizard of Oz fan,this "Tale of Library Circulation" is a dream come true:



The gang at the UT Library in Arlington have a series of "I'm a Mac and I'm a PC" parody promos with "Librarian Vs. Stereotypes" that encourage folks to not be shy in asking for reference help. It's a fun way to get people to feel less tense about seeking assistance from librarians,plus who doesn't love a good gorilla gag?:





This librarian reinvention of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" from the University of Washington Information school has made it's way around the internet for some time now but it would be a crime not to include it here. You can't have a party without music,after all:



Please hold a good thought for This Book is Overdue(which is due out in paperback in January of 2011) and even if it doesn't make the NBA cut,the book's message of library survival should ring out strong and loud for all to hear and attend to.

As we wrap things up,our closing number comes to us from the Central Rapphanannock Regional Library branches in Fredericksburg,VA and uses a refashioned version of the disco classic "I Will Survive" as it's fight song to rally the weary spirits of beleaguered librarians everywhere.

It is also a fitting theme song for Marilyn Johnson's book as well,in my opinion(and yes,there is a shorter version that goes right to the song but the longer one really brings the point about underfunded libraries home in a humorous way). Yes,Libraries Will Survive-they must,to keep our society intellectually alive:

This Sequel is brought to you by the number 3

Opening in limited release at the end of October is the third adaptation of the possibly final book of Stieg Larsson's Millennium mystery series,The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. This last-to-be-made-in-Sweden flick holds just as much interest for fans of the books as well as those awaiting the first Hollywood version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

With the distinct chance of there being an uncompleted fourth novel(held up due to a dispute between the heirs of Larsson's estate)that could be published someday on the horizon,more weight than usual is placed on this official for now final chapter. The book was well received when released a few months ago and word of mouth for the film is just as good.

They say that the third time's the charm and while I've only finished both reading and seeing the movie version of the first book in this series,that may hold true in this case. Trilogies have a nice neat symmetry to them that seems ideal for prolonged story telling in any form:





This got me to thinking about third movies,or "threequels" as they have been called on occasion. Some are very successful conclusions to an ongoing story while others have turned out to be sheer cinematic disappointments. Granted,some movies should have never had a part two to begin with but that doesn't let this third time around the multiplex try off the hook.

To start off our look at a few of the hits and misses of Part 3 flicks,a major off the mark third act was Godfather III,which poor Sofia Coppola bore most of the brunt of in her first major actress role as doomed Mary Corleone. Most of the laments and punchlines about this overblown movie began and ended with her name(to be fair,she was a last minute replacement for Winona Ryder who dropped out of the part unexpectedly).

Other things conspired to make this movie a mess,however,such as a convoluted plot that mixed Vatican politics with Michael Corleone's last ditch attempts to reform his mobster ways and struggles between the old and new forces of the mafia. At least Sofia was able to find out that her creative talents were better suited in the director's chair than center stage. Everyone else on board this wreck still has the stench of ham clinging to them from this finale flop:





High hopes were also placed on Superman III,back in 1983 after the rousing reception that it's predecessor got from audiences and critics alike.

Unfortunately,the addition of Richard Pryor as an iffy bad guy/comic relief and the lack of Lois Lane(Annette O'Toole pops in as Lana Lang,Clark's old high school crush) dragged the movie into a downward spiral that affected many of the other follow-ups to the Superman saga.

Perhaps the Superman reboot to be helmed by director Zach Snyder will help to shake off the box office kryptonite that has plagued most of the other films in this series. You can't blame everything on Superman III,but it was clearly the beginning of the end for quality comic book based cinematic capers for a long time there:





Good third films tend to appear in the most unlikely of genres sometimes;after the lackluster slice n' dice presentation of the second Nightmare on Elm Street film,little was expected of it's next gory go-round. Nightmare on Elm Street 3:Dream Warriors had a secret weapon in it's arsenal,the participation of it's creator Wes Craven in writing the screenplay.

Even with a different director running the show,this Freddy feature had some of the most memorably freaky sequences and a strong melding of the first movie's original premise and mythology(thanks in part to Heather Langenkamp reprising her role as Nancy)with a new set of characters and situations.

A major plus was the expansion of the dream power abilities of the sleeping victims that made the fight against Freddy more intriguing to watch. Craven had hoped that this would be the final installment in the franchise but when done well,it's hard to keep a good ghoul down,especially when he becomes more profitable than before:





Some might argue that there's a difference between a piece meant as the last of a trilogy and one that's just a third entry in a continuing series. To me,what matters is how well the final product is and even folks who have never seen a James Bond movie are familiar with Goldfinger,one of the most well known films of that seemingly never ending spy story.

Many of the big league icons of the Bond series come from this third film,such as the gold coated nude girl found dead in bed,the quirky yet deadly henchman Oddjob and of course,the naughty named love interest Pussy Galore. Also,one of the best verbal exchanges between villain and hero on film is captured here,along with Bond in a most untenable position:

Bond: "Do you expect me to talk?"
Goldfinger:"No,Mr. Bond-I expect you to die!"

It may seem quaint but that old school spy movie treatment does hold up well,even with the likes of the Jason Bournes and Evelyn Salts(won't be surprised to see a sequel or two on that front)cropping up these days. Daniel Craig may do a decent Bond(and perhaps a good job as the male lead in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake)but one look at this classic Bond movie shows that he has a lot to live up to still:



This just proves that a Part Three film has quite the power to make or break a potential series,as well as end things on a high note. Some are as beloved as the first film to come out of the gate while others are reviled as betrayals of what was promoted as great movie moments to come.

The real secret to a good third film is the intention to tell a good story that wraps the lingering plot threads up in a way that satisfies all concerned. Looking to simply make another bundle of bucks sets the bar lower than usual. In choosing to embark on a third film,one must ultimately choose between goodness and greed. For many movies out there,having more than one sequel is the least of their worries. You don't really get a chance to make a third impression,after all:

Top Chef:JD's sundae stunner,TAR loses a Team Gilmore and Don Draper is shaken and stirred on Mad Men

Before this week's Quickfire Challenge could get underway on Top Chef:Just Desserts, there was a Seth situation to deal with. Upon hearing that their opening task was to use Breyer's ice cream to create innovative sundaes,Seth asked if making their own ice cream was allowed and Gail told him "no" since this was obviously a show sponsor's product.

He then proceeded to chant "weak sauce!" and then while waiting in the stew room with the other chefs(the crew needed time to set up for the QF),Seth pitched a fit about some paper cups that he wanted to use but had been thrown away for some reason. He eventually left the room and worked himself up into a major anxiety attack and the upshot of that was Seth was deemed no longer able to continue with the competition.



That bit of news was quite a relief to everyone else,mainly due to Seth's constant antics since day one,and they set about the ice cream sundae challenge with refreshed spirits.

Morgan won this round for making what he called a "Sunday snack",in honor of his little boy who loves mint chocolate chip. Morgan did a milk and cookies variation,with warm chocolate milk and cold ice cream Oreos that granted him immunity.



For the Elimination challenge,everyone needed to work in teams of three and to even out the numbers,last week's ousted TC contender Heather C.(she of the resentful peanut butter cookie)was brought back into the competition.

Once teams were formed,all of them attended a performance by a group called Lucent Dossier Experience(sort of a goth version of Cirque De Soleil)and to make desserts that reflected their show,including one that had to be lit on fire.



Heather H. was on the team headed up by Morgan and received praise for the triple chocolate chai tea mousse torte that she made,along with the chocolate centerpiece also required for the challenge.

However,Heather H. felt put upon here,especially after the winner was announced,and griped about having to "carry people." A lot of crankiness on this show;maybe it's all that sugar,folks. Your guess is as good as mine.



Morgan won the challenge for his mango panna cotta with passion fruit sorbet and a acai berry gel. Not my first choice- I'm more of a chocolate fan-but he did it well and the LDE troupe liked it,too, which was a important aspect of the challenge,so good on Morgan there.



A losing team wasn't declared,since the judges had a few issues with both of the other groups. While they liked the sweet treats on Yigit's team such as Danielle's chocolate mousse cake with basil ice cream,the team's big mistake was in not flambeing their fire themed dessert(an almond citrus cake with bourbon)in front of the judges.

Yigit's best defense was that they did light up the cake for the regular guests. Yeah,but it's the judges who need to see you do that most of all there,buddy! Sheesh,someone needs to buy a clue,stat!



When Zac's team was called to Judges' Table,Malika insisted on being the one that was sent home. Judge Gail was reluctant to take her resignation,particularly since her saffron panna cotta crunch was a favorite amongst the panel,but accept it she did.

It's a shame,Malika was just starting to get the hang of things but between the various drama bombs going off on the show and missing her kids,she felt that it was time to go home. Who would have been dismissed if she hadn't done that is an intriguing topic but better tabled until next time.

Speaking of next week,some fancy shoes are delivered to the TC kitchen as part of an edible fashion challenge. I've seen an event like that on Food Network a long time ago and it'll be interesting to see what tasty outfits are whipped up for this Top Chef version.



The new Express Pass option on The Amazing Race has not been used yet,which was a good idea on this leg set in Ghana. The main challenges involved selling sunglasses in a crowded marketplace,installing TV antennas and moving elaborately craved coffins to a showroom. It's best to save that pass for something a bit more strenuous.

The team that was eliminated was one that I was looking forward to following;a reunited mother and daughter,Andie and Jenna. Andie gave Jenna up for adoption over twenty years ago and the two of them wanted to go on the race as a way of getting to know each other better.

While I'm sure that these two ladies will manage to do that just fine,regardless of the race,it would have been nice to see more of them. I was planning to call them Team Gilmore(they do resemble Lorelai and Rory somewhat there)but unfortunately,they lost a lead and followed the Pit Stop path to elimination:





The foundations of Sterling Cooper Draper Price were all shook up on Mad Men,as word of Lucky Strike,their biggest account,leaving them hit the streets. Roger knew all about it,having been dropped the dime on that by Lee Garner,Jr. but kept it under his hat as a way of avoiding the situation.

This was Roger's only main asset in the firm and he did his best to cover his tracks,but despite his playacting,his partners were not pleased with him at all. How long Roger will be sticking around the office is something that I wouldn't want to place a sure bet on.



Most shaken up here was Don,who found some comfort in a not too unexpected place,namely his new secretary Megan. Turns out that Megan has an interest in becoming a player in the advertising game and not shy about making that known to her boss,not to mention her practical approach to office romance.

While Don is starting to regain some of his former mojo(thrown off course in more ways than one this season),he is also falling back into his old pattern of staying with the blonde(Faye,in this case)while cheating with a brunette. Old dogs,new tricks,you know the saying and it certainly holds true for Don.

Then again,Megan seems more like the type of woman that he'd settle down with the second time around. Maybe my hunch about Megan becoming Sally's stepmother was a good one after all:



RANDOM NOTES:



THE NEXT IRON CHEF: Season 3 of this Food Network competition started off with a bang,as many of the chefs were intimidated by fellow competitor Ming Tsai,a renowned chef and cooking show host in his own right.

Ming has quite a culinary reputation,which includes beating Bobby Flay on an episode of Iron Chef America,so he is a formidable foodie opponent.

However,that shouldn't cause the other cooking crusaders on deck here to pack up their knives too soon. With a couple of new judges and some savvy as well as savory challenges ahead of them,this could be anyone's game to win:

Being bewitched and beguiled but never bedeviled by Devil's Cub

One of the joys of the month long salute to renowned Regency romance author Georgette Heyer ,that was hosted by Austenprose over this past summer,was in winning one of the books featured and my prize was Devil's Cub.

It first came out in 1932,as a follow-up to These Old Shades(which I have on loan from Booksfree)in which features the twists and turns of the affair between our leading man's parents and the next generation after that meets up in An Infamous Army,more of a historical fiction for Heyer that chronicles the battle of Waterloo.

The plot of Devil's Cub revolves around Dominic,Marquis of Vidal,whose devil may care attitude towards life and women has earned him the nickname boasted of in the title. Dominic is a charmer who manages to sweet talk and/or swagger his way out of scrapes but a drunken duel in a local gaming hall proves fatal for his opponent and the only way to avoid being hanged is to take off for France,until things die down at least.



Dominic decides to take a little portable amorous entertainment with him,namely Sophia Challoner a ditsy young miss on the make who believes that this trip will be the best way to trap him into marriage.

Sophia's younger sister Mary is much more sensible of how the situation will really turn out and takes her place at the scheduled pick up point. Things get far out of hand and Mary finds herself stuck in France with a man she despises and her reputation on the verge of permanent social ruin.



Dominic feels remorse over damaging the chances of a respectable woman and tries to make amends,which leads into several various schemes for righting what went wrong by more than one party.

I'm still in the midst of reading this book and enjoying every moment of excessive diversion that each page brings. When I first heard about Devil's Cub,Dominic seemed to me to be the type of character that Errol Flynn would play back in his Hollywood heyday-the dashing rogue with a heart of gold and a sense of honor regarding women. In following Dominic along on his adventures of the heart,hearing the dulcet tones of Flynn is far easier than I hoped to imagine:





Many Jane Austen fans are drawn to Heyer's works and the allure is most natural. While Heyer may not have the depth of character development and material that Austen possessed,she did capture the charms of the time period very well indeed,with plenty of social climbers and snobs jostling for prime position engaging in witty dialogue.

Finding true love that also suits your station in life is another common factor in both authoress' body of work. Heyer did quite a bit of research in order to paint a realistic portrait of the world that Jane Austen inhabited and took a few sly notes from to bring her now classic characters to life. Cleverness of mind never really goes out of style:





Heyer's novels are also sources of inspiration for many a modern day writer as well. Some of the key story elements of Devil's Cub can be seen in the third book of Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series,Deception of the Emerald Ring.

Here,we have another smarter younger sister seeking to save the reputation of her elder sibling by doing an impromptu switcheroo upon discovering an inappropriate elopement. In this instance,however,spy games are the main bit of business for the characters to deal with,along with seeking a way to take to them to love.

Willig's Pink Carnation novels are fun reads,with the framework of a present day young researcher clashing up against a determined to keep any family secrets secure English man as the historical section of the book unfolds. Think of them as two great tastes in literature that go gloriously together:





Normally,I wouldn't read the second of three books first but in this case,entering the Alstair Trilogy with Devil's Cub is the best means of putting my best foot forward in Heyer's literary realm.

An Infamous Army happens to hold a place amongst my vast To Be Read piles(a little something I treated myself to over a year ago)and have a better chance of reading to completion due to it's predecessor's page turning charms.

It just goes to show that taking any genre or author for granted is only depriving yourself of an excellent time engaged in exploring all sorts of new creative vistas. Eclectic reading may not seem to be a steady use of your imagination to some but many can testify to the wonders of finding literary flair where it is least expected. Devil's Cub is just such a treasure awaiting to be unearthed at a bookshelf near you:

The Social Network is not the only pop culture shock jock on the block

On top of the box office heap this past weekend was the film known to many as "The Facebook movie"-The Social Network received about 23 million on it's opening weekend and a variety pack of reviews from critics,who mostly liked it.

The star of this true life tale is Jesse Eisenberg,who plays Mark Zuckerberg,the founder of Facebook who took his idea of expanding collegiate connections online and made a vast fortune,along with a few enemies who sued him over the rights to the website. The impact upon society at large that Facebook had and still has is more than enough reason for folks to want to check this movie out.

Whether or not you have any interest in Facebook,seeing this phenomenon reenacted onscreen can be intriguing. Some say that it's far too soon to take a truly critical look at this subject yet others contend that when it comes to the internet,too soon is a quaint notion:





However novel The Social Network may seem,it is not the first movie to depict the rise and repercussions of a fresh new influence on the pop culture scene and beyond. The true test of it's mettle is if it can stand up amongst other films that have covered this waterfront from other moments in time and place,where hubris got the best of folks who thought they could have it all at any price.

A fine example of this genre is Quiz Show,directed by Robert Redford and starring Ralph Finnes as Charles Van Doren,the celebrated star contestant of the popular game show "Twenty-One" back in the 1950s who got caught up in the infamous scandal that exposed the rigging of questions by the TV networks.

For many in the viewing audience of that time,it was a real shock to the system to discover that TV execs and contestants conspired to boost ratings by molding the show to what they thought people wanted to see. For Van Doren,it was a chance to make his own claim to fame and get out from the shadow of academic glory his father had achieved. A sad business,all the way round:





An even earlier stunner for America was the "Black Sox " baseball scandal that had several members of the Chicago White Sox agree to throw the 1919 World Series for more money that they had ever been paid to play a honest game.

Director John Sayles made one of the better versions of this sports story in Eight Men Out,which not only included actors like John Cusack and David Straithairn but writer Studs Terkel and even Sayles himself as journalists Hugh Fullerton and Ring Lardner,who suspected the scam early on.

The ultimate victim of this sorry affair was the exceptionally talented player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson,an illiterate young man who was easily lead into this conspiracy and was held the most responsible by the fans who once adored him. While the other players also suffered from being banned for life from baseball,it was Shoeless Joe who had the most to lose:





American Hot Wax told the story of 1950's radio DJ Alan Freed,who is credited with coining the term "rock and roll". Freed helped to spread the good word and music of such artists as Chuck Berry,Buddy Holly and Little Richard to mainstream audiences,facing the wrath of many activist groups in the process.

However,it was later revealed that Freed partook in the payola deals that gave some music more airplay than others and tried to claim co-writing credits for certain songs that he heavily promoted on his radio show,with the incentive of making his cut from those tunes' royalties bigger.

The 1978 film had cameo appearances and performances from some of the musicians Freed worked with like Jerry Lee Lewis,Screaming Jay Hawkins and the legendary Chuck Berry,whose song "Maybelline" was one of the contested tunes in question. Guess he had no hard feelings about that deal there:





Author Clifford Irving was so desparate to keep his contract alive with his publisher that he pulled off a nonfiction scam even more daring than James Frey's Million Little Pieces.

Irving claimed to have the rights to writing Howard Hughes' autobiography and went to great lengths to forging his sources,which passed inspection and got him a tidy sum before eventually being exposed as a fraud by Hughes' investigative team and a ghostwriter who was working on the memoirs of a Hughes associate whose writings were cribbed for Irving's phony book as well.

Richard Gere played Clifford Irving in The Hoax,a movie about the entire literary scandal that has been accused by Irving to be just as fake as his Howard Hughes project was. My suspicion is that perhaps this fictionalized retelling hit too close to home for it's subject to handle:



I guess the main lesson of movies like these are to warn us about not buying into the hype about any major pop culture sensation and refusing to check out the man behind the curtain,who may be playing a crooked game with our minds and money. That may seem too cynical an approach to life,but sometimes hero worship can blind you to what's really the driving force for the so-called cool people to share their services with you,as well as the price you really have to pay:

My personal Best in Fiction Picks for this year's National Book Awards

This certainly is the season for literary honors,indeed. With the Man Booker and the Nobel Prize for Literature on the horizon,next week brings us the nominees for the 2010 National Book Award,which will be announced by author Pat Conroy.

The categories include nonfiction,poetry and children's lit,but my focus is on fiction as befitting any novel devotee. While I enjoy following these contests,it is mostly an exercise in frustration as many a time the books put up for this honors are ones that either I haven't heard of or care to read.

That doesn't mean they're not good books,of course,but it would be nice to see a novel nominated that I have a bit of a stake in,such as Room by Emma Donoghue,a prime contender for the Man Booker Prize,which is set to be announced by October 12(go,Emma,go!).

So,please indulge me in a bit of "what if",as I name the novels I would pick for Best Fiction this year-all of these books I have read to completion and would happily recommend any of one of them as great entertainments with a touch of artistic edge:



THE PASSAGE: Some would mimic Nightmare Before Christmas' Oogie Boogie in saying "You're joking/I can't believe my ears!" to anyone considering the possibility of a vampire apocalypse story being nominated for such an art house venue like this but hold off on the laughter for just a moment there,folks.

Not only does Justin Cronin possess the stellar writing skills of any "literary" author out there today,his take on the vampire genre and it's impact on the characters is beautifully detailed,with the depth and emotional drive that many epic titles strive for and yet truly fail to achieve.

Ultimately,the theme of the novel is the fall and rise of a civilization and what choices people must make in order to survive. The Passage is meant to be the first in a trilogy and could become a ground breaking work of speculative fiction that breaks down the walls between art and commerce once and for all:





THE LOST SUMMER OF LOUISA MAY ALCOTT: This charming debut novel blends fact and fancy in supposing who it was in acclaimed writer Louisa May Alcott's life that inspired the character of Laurie as potential love interest to her supposed doppelganger of Jo March in Little Women.

Kelly O'Connor McNees does more than just whip up a romantic fantasy,however. She brings the inner and outer world of Alcott to vivid,breathing life and embraces all of the good points as well as the limited choices laid out for her in that day and age. Alcott's decisions regarding her career and the direction of her heart were just as challenging and troublesome as it is for modern women,proving that while some things change,others never do:





THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE: Aimee Bender takes a eloquent approach to psychic abilities as her tale of a young girl discovering that she can read the emotions of whoever prepared her food opens up and expands into an adulthood of her tasting other's sorrows without dealing with her own.

As our heroine grows to realize that perhaps her extraordinary powers of perception are not as paralyzing as she thinks,the people who come in and out of her social sphere seem to be more bound by their self imposed constrictions than she is.

This is the first time that I've ever read Aimee Bender's work(she is mostly known for short stories,most notably Girl in the Flammable Skirt and an earlier novel An Invisible Sign of My Own)and she's much more accessible than I took her for. Such a thoughtful author should have her share of public praise,especially for a subtly bittersweet tale like this:





WENCH: An all too true fictional story chronicling the lives of three African American slave women taken as mistresses to their master/owners during the time before the Civil war,who meet while on "vacation" at Tawawa House in the free territory of Ohio.

The men chose to take them on these summer excursions as a way of having their secret affairs as openly as they can,not to mention playact their twisted notions of romance upon their literal prisoners of love.

While most of the ladies are simply giving in to maintain what status quo they have,a newcomer in their midst introduces the idea of making a real break for freedom. Dolen Valdez Perkins did a good deal of research before beginning this book and her depiction of women verging on the end of a cruel era is both educational and emotionally rewarding:





RUSSIAN WINTER: Another debut novel,folks,I just can't help myself. Daphne Kalotay delivers a stunner of a sleeper story that showcases the regrets of an aging as well as ailing ballerina and the two people who enter her life that find renewal in their own existence by examining her via the vast jewelry collection that the former ballet star insists upon selling at auction.

The pace of the novel is almost like a ballet performance,telling a tragic at times tale of romance in the harsh reign of Soviet Russia which does have it's moments of glory as true love is discovered and embraced before misunderstandings and crucial choices causes more than one fate to be affected. Beauty in sorrow and chances for redemption,those are pivotal elements on which to revolve any great story around:



It would be a miracle if any of my personal preferences were included in this year's National Book Award ceremonies. More than likely,Jonathan Franzen's Freedom will be amongst the nominees(despite any bias towards his newly minted Oprah Book Club status),along with the usual suspects for an event like this.

Hopefully,everyone will compete gracefully and put aside any petty grievances and past rivalries in the interest of honoring good literature. Some things are not worth fighting over,even great books. Friendship and respect for the talents of others are values that live on long after the covers are closed:

I entreat you to prepare for Talk Like Jane Austen Day

The most delightful news has reached my ears;in addition to the sweet celebration of All Hallow's Eve later this month,there is another joyous occasion near the end of October to make ready for.

Granted,Talk Like Jane Austen Day is an unofficially declared holiday at best,but to celebrate the one hundred and ninety ninth anniversary of the publication of Miss Austen's first novel,nothing short of a royal ball will do to honor this definitive moment in literary history properly.



To some,this style of speaking may appear to be nothing more than an exercise of fanciful speech that fills the air with more heat than any summer's day can bring. However,even in this modern era the nuances of the language employed by Jane Austen in her works does prove to have it's benefits.

Since Sense and Sensibility does hold the privilege of being the first book to publish,if not written,from Miss Austen's brief but timely canon,it shall be the first example of verbal practicality to be showcased in our forum:

UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS: There are times when one runs into a person to whom saying far too much to in the company of others can be quite the risk of one's heart,not to mention good manners.

Elinor Dashwood may not have been as lively and as bold as her younger sister in such matters but she did possess the quickness of mind to endure the raptures of her rival Lucy Steele,particularly when the man foremost in their affections walked into the midst of a visit that was most awkward to begin with.

With a seemingly calm and ready poise,Elinor managed to keep her true feelings regarding this inelegant reminder of her personal pain well hidden or in common vernacular,under her bonnet :





OFFER GIVEN AND REJECTED: Proposals of marriage were to be expected for eligible women of Miss Austen's time and in addition to hoping for the right one to come from the gentleman you most wished to offer his hand to you,a lady had to be prepared to politely decline any such offers from any person she was rather hoping would not do so instead.

A fine example of the appropriate refusal can be seen as Elizabeth Bennet endeavors not only to laugh out loud at her pompous cousin Mr. Collins' self serving proposal but to convince him that she is entirely sincere in her disinclination to be his bride. The fault of understanding in this case is all on him and does no credit to his supposed intelligence:





GIRL TALK: Confiding in another female about which romantic direction to go forth in is something that many ladies do either very well indeed or rather poorly. Such a great power of persuasion is truly a great responsibility to have and best to exercise for the best interest of your companion rather than yourself.

Miss Emma Woodhouse,I'm afraid,felt that she was doing right by her sweet natured but easily lead friend Harriet by turning her interests away from the likes of Robert Martin and towards Mr. Elton in finding a suitable lover. However,the true cause of her campaign was in actuality seeking a situation for Harriet that would fit into her notions of proper persons to associate with. Influence is a double edged sword that can cut deeper than anticipated,so it must be handled with care:





LISTEN TO YOUR HEART: Speaking of Persuasion,Anne Elliot was clever enough to know when to keep still and let others do the talking. That way,she gained plenty of information,such as the availability of former love Captain Wentworth,without becoming known as a gossip.

What she did desperately need to learn was to seize her moments of speech and make a strong show of where her affections truly lie to the man she most wanted to make them known to. Not an easy thing to do at any age but a skill necessary to master in order to establish your future happiness in life and love:



In celebrating Talk Like Jane Austen Day on October the 30th,it is hoped this occasion will not be the last one in which this enterprise is to be undertaken. After all,many people the world over have enjoyed engaging in pirate speak for a day for over a decade now and one would hope that piracy is not our only option in honoring fictional dialect.

Austen talk can be just as amusing and in many cases,most rewarding. As long as there are new theatrical adaptations of her works,the need to speak in Austenesque tones will prove to be a handy skill for performers as well as writers who wish to capture the essence of Jane Austen's words on film: