Friday, May 19, 2006

No Winner

Well, Karl Rove wasn't indicted today so we'll put another $100 in the jackpot...

• Posted at 5:01 PM · LINK

Crime Watch

This is great. The L.A.P.D. has had a man named Stephen Albert Briller on its "Ten Most Wanted" list since November of 2004. They can't seem to find him but a blogger has.

• Posted at 10:10 AM · LINK

Good Girl Artist

Dan DeCarlo was a lovely man who drew lovely women. Many of them were for Archie where, though he didn't invent the house art style, he still managed to become the guy everyone else looked at to see how to do it. And beyond the staggering quantity of work he did for that company, he also managed to do a staggering quantity for other publishers and even for men's magazines and other venues.

A bountiful sampling of his work is on display in the just-released volume, The Art of Dan DeCarlo, written by my friend (and more importantly, Dan's friend) Bill Morrison. A lot of books about great comic artists are labors of love and this one sure qualifies. Bill had unlimited access to Dan's widow and personal collection...and Bill already had a great collection of DeCarlo work from which to draw. Beyond the art, he tells the story of Dan's life — triumphs and tragedies, both — with passion and accuracy. This one has our highest recommendation so here's an Amazon link to get one.

• Posted at 12:40 AM · LINK

Write and Wrong

You're probably familiar with the work of Peter S. Beagle. If you're not, you owe it to yourself to discover this fine writer of fantasy and to treat yourself to one of his books. Peter will be a Guest of Honor at this year's Comic-Con International and I hope I get the chance to meet him.

One of his most acclaimed works was a book called The Last Unicorn, which was made into a popular animated feature. A couple tonweights of DVDs have reportedly been sold so you'd figure, hey, that Peter S. Beagle is probably raking in the bucks, right? Not so. I get a lot of e-mails asking me how movie deals work and how you can protect your interests when you make one. There's no easy answer beyond the obvious, which is to get a good lawyer and be wary...and even that doesn't work some of the time. It may help to note certain cautionary tales like the one recounted on this website which claims that Beagle is getting shafted.

I'm not taking sides on the contract dispute. There are always two sides and we have here but one. Still, it feels very wrong that the author of The Last Unicorn apparently hasn't shared in the proceeds from his creation, and I refer you to this as a cautionary note. I also refer you to this page where you can help him out by purchasing a Peter S. Beagle book. You won't be disappointed.

• Posted at 12:17 AM · LINK

Today's Video Link

Some time in the eighties, Liza Minnelli became one of those performers defined by impressionists. When people think of Ed Sullivan these days, a lot of them think of Will Jordan doing Ed or some other comic doing Will Jordan doing Ed. When they think of Tom Snyder, many folks think of Dan Aykroyd's savage mimicking. When they think of Elvis, they often think of any of the 87,461 people currently making a living imitating The King and replicating his excesses. And Liza? They probably think of any number of drag queens out there who exaggerate her mannerisms to Mad Magazine scale. Ms. Minnelli's tendency to live up to the caricature and to engage in tabloid fodder marriages have not helped us to keep the genuine article in focus. It's easy to forget she was a great musical comedy performer.

The newly-reissued Liza With a Z is one good reminder. Another is our link today — a six minute number that Liza did at a 1992 Carnegie Hall celebration of Stephen Sondheim. Abetted by the great pianist Billy Stritch and a bevy of comely dancers, Ms. Minnelli offered a nice but slightly unorthodox rendition of "Back in Business," a number Sondheim wrote for the 1990 Dick Tracy movie starring Warren Beatty. Here it is. Let the good times roll...

• Posted at 12:10 AM · LINK