My buddy Jeff came over last night to watch Troll, which Felicia had bought for us because we've been in a mood to see some really bad movies from our past. Come to find out, as we're digging into some Chinese and laughing at this terribly awesome movie, that there is a guy named Harry Potter in the film. Hmmm...is J.K. Rowling a Troll fan then? I hope so. That would explain so much.
Even better, we find out there's a Troll 2! AND, it's on the same disc. I can't wait for the next Troll night.
P.S. We're really not that nerdy, but c'mon, it's Troll. Hopefully we can get our hands on a copy of Killer Clowns from Outer Space next.
The tyranny of the bestsellers
Are Dan Brown, Harry Potter, the sequels and the prequels killing ‘good’ writing? Fay Weldon laments the death of creativity
TIME WAS WHEN popularity was the mark of artistic failure. David Shepherd’s painting Elephant was dismissed because so many people bought it; Tretchikoff’s ubiquitous print Chinese Girl appalled critics. Paganini filled concert halls too easily. Dickens always lingered as a slightly dubious figure in the ranks of fame, as did Tennyson. If the common man likes it, the theory went, it can’t be any good.
These days it’s the other way round. “Bestseller” betokens artistic success. It is the publishers’ ultimate accolade. If enough others like it, the suggestion is, so will you. Popularity becomes the measuring stick. A “good” book is, by inference, an easy book. A “good” book is one that sells.
Today’s famous writers are not the enigmatic Nabokov or the mysterious Kafka but Dan Brown and J. K. Rowling. Their pictures are on the jacket, their life histories known by all. Their function is to make money for their publishers. And this is bad for “serious” writers, who have something more complex to say, and also for those publishers who play safe and will publish only if a profit is assured. “Best selling” should not be an accolade so much as a warning.
Today the danger for writers who continue to aspire to “good” in the old sense is that they won’t get published at all, or it will be with miserable print runs. The synopses they must have approved before they begin a commissioned book will please marketing rather than the editorial department.
Caution is the death of creativity. The field of biography narrows because authors are told to steer clear of unsung heroes and concentrate on household names. Children’s writers must stick to their age groups, fiction writers to familiar themes. That way profit lies. Our area of interest narrows as our vocabulary shrinks. Life gets dull for the writer and for the reader. Dull does not sell, and never has.
Noticeable, and dangerous, that the Christmas books splashed over the Underground this year were spin-offs from TV series, not original work by recognised writers. This should make everyone involved uneasy: an admission that TV rules; the printed word is subsidiary. And did the marketing department get it right, any-way? This year’s Public Lending Right (PLR) figures reveal that many writers get more from library borrowing than from sales — which might suggest some serious flaws in selling strategy. Oh, sacrilege, perhaps money is being spent on promoting the wrong books..[READ MORE]
Sports
I wasn't feeling well last night after our Troll/Chinese fest, so I layed in bed for a good hour or so and flipped between the Bucks-Pistons and Spurs-Nuggets games. As a result, I have a couple observations.
First, Carmelo Anthony thinks he's better than he really is. In the span of two minutes yesterday I saw him get called for a charge, commit a reach in foul, and then make a horrible pass that ended up getting turned over. Oh yea, and then he committed another foul. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the Spurs were destroying them in all ways last night, but the dude's a sloppy player.
Secondly, the Spurs are always one of those teams that surprise me because on paper they don't seem to have all the superstars, yet players like Ginobli and Parker and Bowen prove that playing together on a team and passing the ball can actually win you games. On the other hand, Denver's got a whole bunch of stars and no where to go with them.
Last but not least, the Bucks are terrible. Scrappy, but terrible.
MLB turning to cooler, drier polyester blend caps. Sorta reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where George changes the material of the Yankees uniforms.
Music
SAVING JANE ALBUM ARTWORK CONTEST
Fresh off their GOLD single "Girl Next Door", Saving Jane is releasing its new album this summer, (tentatively titled) "One Girl Revolution" .
Starting February 21 (and ending March 28), Saving Jane is inviting you to come up with ideas for a concept for their new album (The album concept is the visual theme that will run through the artwork for the entire package...cover art, pictures, inserts, etc). The only requirement is that your idea reinforces the title of the album. You can even suggest a new album title for the band! If your concept is chosen, your name will be listed in the credits of the album as "Cover concept by (you)", and you will win a brand new digital camera.
For more details, click below. Good luck!:
http://www.savingjane.com/cdartcontest.html
MP3s
Deefhoof - "The Great Car Tomb"
Q and not U - "So Many Calls"
The Blood Brothers - "Wolf Party"