It's Family Day at the Bookstore Tomorrow

Tomorrow, July 6, 2010, will see the release of not one, but two books from my family. And not small-press literary journal or niche stuff, either. No, these are novels that tie into major past and present TV series. Specifically, Lee Goldberg's latest Monk book (yes, his book series has outlasted the TV series), MR. MONK IS CLEANED OUT (http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Monk-Cleaned-Out-Goldberg/dp/0451230094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278397267&sr=1-1), will hit bookstores, Wal-Marts and airport newsstands the same day as his brother Tod's new Burn Notice book, THE GIVEAWAY ( http://www.amazon.com/Burn-Notice-Giveaway-Tod-Goldberg/dp/0451229797/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278397194&sr=1-1).

Obviously, I'm going to buy both of them (what else is family for), but you really should too.

More about Mr. Monk

My Cousin Lee Goldberg's latest novel, MR. MONK IS MISERABLE, was released today -- and already has two user reviews on the Amazon site, apparently from speed readers.

Be sure to pick up a copy or two, and make the holidays a little brighter for the Monk fan in your life (and for the Goldbergs).

When You're a Spy, You're a Spy All the Way

This past Saturday was Amy's and my 11th wedding anniversary, and what better way to spend a chunk of it than to drive over to the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood (a whole, oh, three or four miles from our house) and watch cousins Lee and Tod Goldberg do a joint signing. The occasion for the signing was that each brother has a media tie-in novel for a USA Network series: Lee has his umpteenth Monk novel, MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY; and Tod has his first BURN NOTICE book.

The latter is a true departure for Tod. His metier hitherto has been literary, non-linear stories of messed-up young men in which the moral compass often spins like a windmill. With BURN NOTICE: THE FIX, Tod dives into the world of heroic fiction -- specifically, the sub-continent of the former spy turned hardboiled private eye -- and tells the linear story of a character who ostensibly operates out of his own elightened self-interest, but actually uses his superior skills to protect the vulnerable and make the world a marginally better place.

Plus, Tod says that he's made me a character in the book; and that my literary doppleganger meets with violence. Just the thing to keep me reading: appealing to both my narcissim and my sense of dread.

****Update (and spoiler warning)**************************************************

Finished the book. Yes, my prose counterpart makes the mistake of pulling a piece on the book's hero (who is not only an ex-spy, but, as the series depicts him, essentially the most badass ex-spy out there), and receives for his temerity a well-placed pistol whip in the schnozz and choppers. One sign that a literary novelist is writing this story: The violence is realllly ugly.

Profile of the Artist as a Rebel

Writer Jane Devin does a terrific profile of my artist cousin Linda Woods, and her skirmishes with the "scrapbook mafia" -- folks who are offended that a journal-keeper might use the technique of pasting stuff into a book for a reason other than preserving family memories.

Other Voices from the Borders

This afternoon I road my bike up Westwood Boulevard to the Borders bookstore on the outskirts of Westwood Village (if South of Wilshire counts as the outskirts). Cousin Tod and other writers published by Other Voices press read excerpts from their works. All of the excerpts featured unfortunate characters doing and saying inappropriate things. Fun stuff.

The Writer Abroad

My cousin Lee Goldberg, who has been in Europe all summer producing the pilot for the TV series "Fast Track," is briefly back in the States (he is leaving again tomorrow for the Old Country) and had a signing Saturday afternoon at the Mystery Bookstore in Westwood for his latest MONK tie-in novel, MR. MONK AND THE TWO ASSISTANTS. I decided to get my exercise that day by bicycling up to Westwood Village to see him. My neighborhood is downhill from the Village, so the ride was a pretty good workout; and what better way to greet my cousin and his reading public than drenched in sweat.

Lee held a Q & A, in which he discussed Europe ("Crotches. Crotches everywhere."); bringing the top action producer in Germany together with Stephen Cannell; writing bits in the MONK novels that the TV series writers sneak into the episodes; and even a scene written for (but cut from) one of the episodes in which a writer named Lee Goldberg appears. (In the scene, Monk sits in a publisher's waiting room. "Lee" sits next to him, with a fat manuscript. Monk glances at the first page of the manuscript, and announces who "did it" in the book. "Lee" promptly dumps the manuscript into a trash can and walks out.)

Lee also described how he included obscure pieces of automobile techobabble in his script for "Fast Track": He wrote gobbledygook in the script whereevery he wanted tech-talk to go; then called up our mutual cousin Sam Barer (who writes a column about cars) and had him supply automotive stuf for the placeholder words. Our family, the resource.

Since I left my camera at home, and the photo I took with my cell phone was lousy, I took these pix from the Mystery Bookstore newsletter.

He's Comin' At You So You Better Look Alive

Back in the 1960's, the Japanese animated racing series MACHGOGOGO was brought to the US. The Japanese title was a multi-layered pun: "Go" in Japanese is "Five"; the car the lead character drove was called the "Mach 5"; and in English, "go" meant to, well, go, and "gogo" was a style of dancing. Once the American distributors got their hands on it, producer, head writer and lead voice actor Peter Fernandez threw out all of the original writing for the series, and made up new stories to match the animation for each episode. So was born one of the seminal anime experiences for my generation, the TV series SPEED RACER.

Now, with ideas in Hollywood at a premium, the Wachowski Brothers (of "Matrix" fame) are bringing SPEED RACER to the big screen -- an adaptation of an adaptation. The producers have put up a Website featuring photos and statements from the Berlin press conference for the movie, along with other goodies. The movie is being shot in Berlin.

The photos that most impressed me were of John Goodman, who was perfectly made up as Pops Racer; and the updated Mach 5. I want one. I suspect there will be lots of males (and quite a few females) who will too.

By coincidence, my cousin Lee Goldberg is producing a racing-based TV movie, FAST TRACK, which is also currently shooting in Berlin . Lee has run into crew members from the Wachowski production. No word on whether any chimps or rotund little boys have stowed away in his trunk.

Licensed Coincidence

My Cousin Tod Goldberg, the literary novelist, critic, and man-about-town, was reading another author's debut novel, when he read a passage about a strangely familiar license plate. You can read the story here. He tells the tale much better than I could. After all, people pay him to tell stories.

Dreamy Sundays

I had the strangest dream on Sunday.

I was back at UCLA, walking into a lecture hall at Young Hall. I was late. The class was in progress.

Except, instead of a professor, there were a bunch of pundits sitting at the table in the front of the classroom. And sitting among them, speaking as if he were their leader, was my cousin, Tod Goldberg.

As I walked down the aisle, Tod worked me into his opening remarks. He directed everyone's attention to me.





Then, after the lecture, he took me to this table just below Janss Steps. There, they sold me a literary journal with a cover story by Tod. The story was written from the viewpoint of a possibly psychotic young man who opened a Starbucks franchise in his home.




Oh. Wait.

That was the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

In Outer Space Scenes, Are They Holding Their Breaths?

When I was a young kid, I heard or read somewhere that TV shows were filmed on a "stage." Since my parents had always been active in community theatre, my conception of a "stage" was a theater stage, with a curtain, a proscenium, and an audience. The misapprehension was amplified by the voiceovers that used to run after the opening credits to sitcoms ("_____ was filmed on stage before a live studio audience!") and variety shows like The Carroll Burnett Show, which showed the actors on a traditional theater stage.

One show that perplexed me was the late '60's Irwin Allen epic "Land of the Giants." I wondered how they were able to show giant people on a theater stage. Since I knew nothing of double-exposure photography, giant props, or forced perspective, I thought they used giant mechanical puppets. (I was an imaginative child.)

What brought all this to mind was cousin Lee Goldberg's blog post about conversations he had with members of the public at a library event -- including this one:

A woman asked me if she could visit the set of MONK when she's in Los Angeles with her family. I said it wasn't open to the public.

"You mean it's not filmed in front of a live audience?" she asked.

"No, it's not," I said. "Haven't you noticed that it's shot outdoors as well as indoors and that you don't ever hear anyone laughing or applauding?"

She shrugged. "I just thought they were being very quiet."

That Muffled Pop was My Mind Being Blown

Cousin Tod has posted on his blog not one, not two, but three fan fiction stories involving a much skinnier version of him; Dave Navarro, Carmen Electra; and the Daggit from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

Eep.

Like a Dodecahedron Die are the Myriad Dark Sides of Fandom

While I truly enjoy the world of fandom and conventions, every so often -- well, okay, quite often -- I read something on the 'Net that just makes me sit and bow my head and shake it ever so slowly back and forth. Like:

-- A whole discussion board dedicated to attacking my cousin Lee, and lauding his much more sarcastic brother Tod. Or:

-- A column about anime fans who earnestly believe they are reincarnations of various anime characters.

Sigh.

Mr. Monk and the Best Episode Ever

You'll have to forgive my shamelessness in bragging about my family's accomplishments. It's just that my work-related accomplishments are usually either confidential or deadly boring (as I'm reminded when I try to share them with non-lawyers).

Anyway, cousin Lee Goldberg has revealed on his blog that fifty thousand USA Network viewers voted on their favorite episodes of MONK -- and the episode voted Best Ever is MR. MONK GOES TO MEXICO, co-written by Lee. Massive props and kudos to Mr. Goldberg.