The Home of Steven Barnes
Author, Teacher, Screenwriter


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

RIP Cory Haim

Cory Haim died of an apparent drug overdose. Sigh. Another reason to keep your kids out of show business. More disturbingly, I remember all the jokes about his inability to stay sober. Reminds me of jokes on the old SNL about John Belushi's heroin use. Hah hah. What a waste.

##

Wow. Armand, the guy who does my CD reproduction, says the HERO'S JOURNEY course will be done next Monday. I'll probably go out to pick them up, because I don't want to delay getting these out to the pre-pub purchasers by even one more day. They have been wonderfully patient. Know what? I've sold out the first shipment already! That is...gratifying, in the extreme. Life is good.

##

"Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. The older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young." ~ Mary Schmich

##

I definitely feel that one. Every week, I have a phone call with my oldest friend, Gordon Lewis. We've known each other since I was about nineteen. I have another friend who I've known since Jr. High...but can't get him to respond to emails any more. That saddens me. I hear he is depressive. Damn it...I hate it when friends drift away. We used to go see all the James Bond movies together. Ditched school together in my Senior year, and had many really great times. Sigh.

##

John Edwards had BOTH a love child and a sex tape running around and was trying to be Attorney General? Was he out of his frigging mind? Wow. Now that is irresponsibility taken to a frightening level. Talk about blackmail fodder!

##

"24" doesn't feel quite like "24" any more. It just isn't the same insane, twisty-turny "no idea what the hell will happen next" time-bomb it was for the first five years. Well, Jack Bauer is a grandfather now. That might have a little to do with it. Oh, well, I believe the new 007 film just went into production. Hopefully they had time to refine the script properly. "Quantum of Solace" was, I think, hampered by the last writer's strike.

##

Working on my YA proposal today, and also perhaps the outline for the sequel to "Kundalini Equation." So much to do, so little time...

##

Saw "The Invention of Lying," a cute fantasy film in which Rickey Gervaise, the very funny Brit comedian, plays the first man to discover the power of fibbing. While a cynical (and hysterical) poke at organized religion, it is also a rather scathing view of relationships, with people on dates saying exactly what they think of each other's beauty and power. Because the love interest is the stunning Jennifer Garner, needless to say the doughy and under-employed Rickey is barking up the wrong tree for most of the movie, until finally she discovers that she would rather marry her "best friend" who "makes her happy" than the gorgeous cad who pursues her because they would make "a good genetic match." Yep, she wants to have "fat, pug-nosed kids." It's so cute, that you almost don't notice that he never even got to kiss her in the entire film. One suspects that that wasn't the way the original script went, but Garner insisted. Reminds me of "Pelican Brief."

1 comment:

Marty S said...

I with you on staying in touch with friends. Every week my oldest friend(48 years now) and I each travel about an hour each to meet and spend the evening. Tomorrow, My wife and I are leaving on a two and a half week vacation. We fly out of Miami on Saturday to Santiago, Chili for a South American cruise, but we are leaving tomorrow and flying into Ft. Launderdale so we visit some old friends who retired down there.