Spitfire Brunch

We celebrated the second day of the holiday weekend with a brunch at the Sptifire grill, accompanied by Uncle Arny, Aunt Carol, and family friend Anne Epstein.

First Family Book Signing of the New Year

This afternoon, I bicycled up to Westwood for a book signing at the Mystery Bookstore featuring my cousin, Lee Goldberg, and his writing partner, Bill Rabkin.



Lee was publicizing the latest media tie-in book he wrote, MR. MONK IS MISERABLE (which is enjoying anything but miserable sales; it's in its 3rd printing).








Bill was promoting his first tie-in novel for the TV series PSYCH.

I intended to head home and blog about it in detail. But in the time I biked the four miles from Westwood to my neighborhood (all downhill), took in dry cleaning and had dinner, Lee had already driven back to his home base in the valley and written up his own blog account, complete with photos. The man plainly knows how to write on a deadline.

Once Again, I Plug My Family's Books

If you're a fan of the BURN NOTICE TV series, or a reader of the first tie-in novel, THE FIX, Amazon.com gives you the chance to order my cousin Tod's second tie-in novel, THE END GAME, a mere six months before it comes out.



The publicity-still cover is cool; but I can't help thinking the book would look even cooler with a painted cover -- particularly one like the cover on the Hard Case Crime novel I just finished reading, THE FIRST QUARRY by Max Collins:

Mazel Tov to Anea

The last time I saw my cousin Anea Barer, she was a pre-teen. Tempus fugit. She's gotten married. The above link goes to a photo of her from her proud papa Burl's blog.

(I've got a slightly better record with her brother Jordan. He was in high school when I last saw him. Ten years ago.)

The Best Title Ever for One of My Relative's Books

I'll bet Roger Corman wishes he had directed a movie with this title:



Three words, one syllable each. Just like "In Cold Blood." But with a parent added.

From my cousin, Burl Barer. It goes on sale next month. Look for it at a bookstore, newstand, or CVS Pharmacy near you.

Who's That Tall Dark Author There? Barer is His Name

Flummoxed by the recent John McCain commercials that assert McCain is "The Original Maverick," a Chicago Sun-Times reporter calls an expert on the MAVERICK TV series -- my cousin Burl Barer, who wrote a terrific book on the series back when the Mel Gibson movie came out. No, Burl assures the reporter, it was James Garner, not McCain, who played Brett Maverick. Nor was McCain one of the myriad of actors who played various members of the Maverick family.

Stay tuned for the next round of commercials, in which McCain will assert that he was the original Sheriff Matt Dillon. Or maybe Festus.

Seeing Walla Walla Clearly

JOURNAL REVOLUTION: seeing clearly

Cousin Linda writes in her blog about visiting Walla Walla this past week for Aunt Dorothy's funeral.  She illustrates her post with some photos of the town that, somehow, look more beautiful than the photographed objects ever did in real life.  Even if you grow up in a place, you never truly see it until you look through an artist's eyes.

Blogged with Flock

Other perspectives on the pilgrimage to Walla Walla come from Linda's brother Tod, and their uncle Burl Barer

Celebrating the 10th

Our 10th wedding anniversary was back on August 16. But we were so busy in August & September that we ended up throwing our celebration on October 21. That afternoon, we threw a brunch at Kay & Dave's Cantina in West LA. We had about 22 people show up, including friends and family. Several margaritas, tacos and burritos ensued, in addition to a bread pudding and a pumpkin flan (served in a pumpkin!)

Plus, a few days earlier, our favorite comic book store (the one in which we first met), Comics Ink, threw us an impromptu champagne-and-fruit celebration. The event turned into a "This Is Your Life" overview of my Southern California comics store experience -- lots of people from the store's past showed up, including Mondo, my boss when I worked at the Westwood Graphitti store in the mid '80's.

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.

Benoit Tragedy -- a Perspective

My brother Steve has some insights into the startling murder-suicide committed by pro wrestler Chris Benoit.

Every Post, He Writes the Book

My mother, Jean Barer, was seriously ill from the early '70's until she passed away in January 1997. On his blog, my father has begun to post reminisces of some of her harrowing experiences with the medical profession. He describes these as, essentially, the book Mom always intended to write but never did.

The first post was painful for me to read; and I suspect that the future ones will be too. But I will read them. They are not only crucial pieces of my families past; they are a plea for medical care that does not punish the spirit as it heals the body.

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 the Desert, Remembering My Name

This past weekend, Amy and I made our annual pilgrimage to the desert (specifically the Palm Springs environs) to visit family. And visit we did: Along with Dad and Regina (who live out there during the colder parts of the year), we got to see Uncle Arny and Aunt Carol (bottom two photos), visiting from the Seattle area; and lunched with desert inhabitants Tod and Wendy Goldberg (top), in the process giving Tod a framing device for one of his insightful blog posts delving into the psychology of readers of Parade Magazine.

What else does one do in the desert? Why, one watches movies! I managed to catch two cable flicks with Dad, along with a theatrical release with the whole family:

-- DONNIE DARKO: One of those movies that everyone would think I'd have caught when it came out, instead of on cable six years later. An entertaining film, but one that fails to live up to its premise. The journey is much more satisfying than the destination.

-- PHFFT!: A screwball comedy from 1954, with Jack Lemmon and Judy Holiday as a formerly married couple struggling futilely to keep their divorce alive. One of the few American movies to be named after a vowel-less sound effect. The only other one I can think of is SSSSSS, which starred a pre-Galactica Dirk Benedict.

-- AMAZING GRACE: The theatrical film. The story of abolitionist MP William Wilberforce. Nicely acted and filmed, if a little too earnest for its own good. I wonder if star Ioan Gruffudd -- who has also played Horatio Hornblower and Reed Richards -- has a proviso in his contract requiring that he play heroes with alliterative names.

Memorial Garden

Two of my Grandfather Granek's passions were gardening and the small synagogue in my hometown of Walla Walla. Appropriately, the synagogue has turned its front yard into a memorial garden for Grandfather. (I and my family chipped in donations.) My cousin Cherie was in Walla Walla recently, and sent me these photos. It should look beautiful come spring.

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.

Car-veat Emptor

Cousin Sam Barer's blog FOUR WHEEL DRIFT offers a comprehensive guide to shopping for a new vehicle.

Yet Another Family Business

Various cousins have commented in their blogs recently that the "family businesses" for my family include law, writing, and scrap metal. Apparently a burgeoning addition is the rag trade -- er, the garment industry. Cousin Linda Woods's "I Am Art" shirts have become trendy among gluestick users nationwide; and now her brother Tod has struck back with his own line of shirts, tops, and hoodies. All use a portmanteau he coined that merges an Anglo-Saxon word that begins with "F" and a currently-frowned-upon term for those with an adult IQ of 70 or below. Since I generally don't use such words in this blog without substituting inane, futile asterisks for internal letters, I won't repeat the word here; but if you don't mind being barred from Carrow's and Chuck E. Cheese restaurants nationwide, you might want to buy one -- or gift one to a friend who isn't easily offended (or one you want to offend).

Chronicles of Fire

My cousins Linda Woods and Karen Dinino appeared on THE VIEW yesterday, and were utterly charming (albeit often drowned out by Rosie O'Donnell, who was so enthusiastic about their book VISUAL CHRONICLES that she insisted on teaching the "how to" bits about visual journaling herself). Rosie began the segment by insisting that the book "is the only book you need" for scrapbooking. Although she never even mentioned Linda or Karen's last names, her recommendation is bearing fruit; VC is currently #65 on Amazon.com's sales ranking list, and apparently broke into the low 30's a short time ago. That's among all the gazillion books Amazon sells. Sounds like Linda and Karen have a genuine bestseller on the stands.

Family View

My cousins Linda Woods and Karen Dinino continue to conquer the world of arts and crafts books. They are scheduled to appear on the weekday morning staple THE VIEW next month.