In a way, as a writer, I sort of hate Lauren Willig. After all, she’s young (still getting her PhD at Harvard), ambitious, goal-oriented and a finisher. That’s like everything most writers aren’t. At any rate, there’s also respect for this student/author, who has just released her second novel, The Masque of the Black Tulip, in which a young woman researching her dissertion comes across information that the Pink Carnation (the spy from Willig’s first book) is being pursued by The Black Tulip, a nasty French spy. The first novel got rave reviews for combining page-turning reading with historically accurate tidbits, expect more of the same here.
In The Power of Movies: How Screen and Mind Interact, author Colin McGinn, a professor of philosophy at Rutgers University, delves into why the movies hold such a grip on people around the world. He posits that our connection and perception of movies alows us to better understand our own nature. Does this mean I probably shouldn’t watch Pulp Fiction again?
If you consider yourself a fan of the Spanish Colonial revival in architecture (I do), then Gibbs Smith books has released the perfect book for you (I know, I know. That sounds like a commercial. But this book is very cool). In George Washington Smith, author Patricia Gebhard explores the life and work of Smith, an architect who, in the early part of the 20th Century, sparked the Spanish Colonial revival in California. Of course the knock off versions of the style are depressingly bad (I can think of a few strip malls in our area, for example), but the real deal is wonderful. The book is full of the sort of photos that, if you like this style of architecture, will dazzle you. Actually one of the worst photos it the cover, but here it is:
So, here we go again. The first time was in the 1930s, when the special effects for the film “King Kong” blew away audiences. Then came the 1976 version, in which audiences wanted to blow away the filmmakers. (Brief confession: I actually sort of have a soft spot for that 1970s version, because I was just a pre-teen and sort of fell in love with Jessica Lang as Dwan. I’m not proud, but there it is).
Now we have director Peter Jackson, who could have done pretty much anything he wanted after the success of his Lord of the Rings films, giving us another version of King Kong. And the books are hitting the shelves as well. There’s the official novelization of the movie by Christopher Golden, and a re-release of the novel made for the original film back in the 1930s by Delos W. Lovelace (read that one as a kid, not bad). For the movie buffs, there’s
The Making of King Kong: The Official Guide To The Motion Picture, which might be a nice stocking stuffer for the King Kongiac in your life (I bet he’s somewhere between the ages of 6 and 12).
Ballantine has released yet another book on Star Wars, this time picking up the story where the last movie left off. Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader describes the reign of terror started by Mr. Vader after he got that big helmet on his head.
On the non-fiction front, there are two recently released books on happiness. As in, finding it. In Happiness: A History, author Darrin M. McMahon searches for the source in history that led to “our current obsession with happiness.” In The Happiness Hypothesis, author Jonathan Haidt explores “10 great ideas” taken from ancient philosophy that can make you happy in the modern world.
System: Microsoft Xbox 360
Also available for: Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Xbox, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, Windows
Publisher: Ubi Soft
Reviewer’s rating: B
ESRB rating: Teen
Game type: Action/adventure
Kind of like: “Tomb Raider” crossed with “Rampage”
Best feature: The part where you play as Kong rules ...
Worst feature: ... but it doesn’t last long enough.
The bottom line: Only five more days until “King Kong” rocks the big screen, but you just can’t wait, can you? If you don’t mind spoilers, you’re in luck: The video game is already out.
After all, every blockbuster movie comes with a video game tie-in and this one is no different — unless you consider the fact that it’s one of the rare movie-based titles that’s actually worth playing.
Without giving away too much of the story, you play mostly first-person as a member of the crew that stumbles into a dangerous adventure on Skull Island. Yes, this adventure includes incidents that involve an oversized ape.
What’s better than a game with monkeys? (Answer: a game with giant monkeys.) The levels in which you play in third-person as Kong are highlights here: swinging, climbing and pounding your chest is more fun than a barrel of ... well, you know.
Elsewhere, the mildly challenging gameplay (a mix of combat and puzzle solving) can get a tad redundant, but top-notch voice acting (Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts) and a moody, cinematic atmosphere keep things interesting.
Remember me? I’m back. But just for a moment.
While I try to get my life in order so I can resume regular posting (hopefully later this month), here’s a way you can discover new music in the meantime: Pandora.com recommends songs and artists based on your favorites. The service uses a sophisticated analysis of “musical genomes” that’s every bit as effective as it is geeky-sounding. Check it out before Google or AOL buys it and ruins it.
This baby is obviously having a bad day. Just what did Santa SAY to him?
You write the caption!
Although, admittedly, that seems something like a lifetime ago. My lifetime, actually. And I’m not all that old. Fortunately, however, author Tim Walsh shares the fondness for board games and toys, and has taken it to a whole new (possibly obsessive) level in Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them. Inside, Walsh tells the stories of some 420 different toys and games, from Ants In The Pants and Lite-Brite to Big Wheel and Mr. Machine. He also includes short biographies on some of the designers. The one thing I noticed is that every one of them looks extremely happy in their photos. And why not? They’re designing toys, good Pete’s sake!
And then there’s a complete 180 degree turn with Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History by Bryn Barnard. I admit I couldn’t bring myself to look at this one too closely - it felt like Captain Comedown after the toys book - but the cover is kind of cool in a creepy way. Here it is:
On the silver anniversary of John Lennon’s death, send us your favorite memory or memories of the former Beatle.
Here’s a listing of a few places you might want to check out on New Year’s Eve:
Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Where: 5223 Orient Road Tampa, Florida; 1-866-502-PLAY or http://www.hardrockhotelcasinotampa.com
What: Start the evening with a New Year’s Eve buffet dinner either at Floyd’s or in the Green Room. After you’ve dropped some money at the tables or in the slot machines, head back to Floyd’s for The West Coast Toast, offering a complimentary champagne toast when the ball drops in L.A.
Cost: Varies.
The Improv
Where: 1600 East 8th Ave C-112, Tampa: 1-800-864-4000 or http://www.tampaimprov.com
What: Join comedian Lewis Black for a night of humor, food, champagne and dancing.
Cost: $70 per person.
The Florida Aquarium
Where: 701 Channelside Drive, Tampa; (813) 273-4030 or http://www.flaquarium.org
What: Complimentary beer and wine from 9 p.m. until midnight (cash bar available), food, food, music and fireworks over Channelside.
Cost: $80 for members, $85 for non-members and $90 for all tickets sold after Dec. 26.
The Fox Cool Jazz Club
Where: 5401 W. Kennedy, Tampa; (813) 289-2446 or http://www.foxjazzclub.com
What: Live jazz music and fine cuisine.
Cost: $100 per person or $200 per couple.
City Walk
Where: Universal Orlando Resort, 1000 Universal Studios Plaza, Orlando (off of I-4); (407) 363-8000 or http://www.universalstudios.com
What: The Hottest New Year’s Ever, featuring The Funk Brothers, Styx, Jim Breuer and others.
Cost: $109 per person.
Disneyworld
Where: Lake Buena Vista (off of I-4); 1-800-W-DISNEY or http://www.disneyworld.com
What: There are two major things going on here. The first is a New Year’s Eve bash at Cirque du Soleil, and the second is Pleasure Island’s party with Smash Mouth, S.O.S. Band and Paul Jackson Junior.
Cost: Cirque du Soleil ranges from $47 to $93, and Pleasure Island’s celebration is $89 per person.
The St. Petersburg Times Forum
Where: 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa; (813) 287-8844 or http://www.icepalace.com
What: A New Year’s Eve party with The Barenaked Ladies (you know, that band that did that song “One Weekâ€).
Cost: $25 to $150.
Busch Gardens
Where: 3605 E. Bougainvillea Ave., Tampa; 1-800-800-5447 or http://www.buschgardens.com
What: The park will stay open until 1 a.m. for a night of cover bands, fireworks and late night roller coaster rides. It’s a good way to celebrate with the family.
Cost: $55.95 for adults, $45.95 for children.
More to come…
I’m looking forward to going out to USF’s homecoming football game tonight. Hurricane Katrina postponed it last time, so we had to wait until the end of the year to see the Bulls play against West Virginia. My pickup truck is perfect for a tailgate party, and it’s great for hauling around junk food and coolers full of booze. I hear it’s going to be a little bit chilly this evening, so if it’s too cold, then I’ll do the next best thing and go to a sports bar to watch the game instead.
...with that Dark Tower series that I have had many readers tell me is so incredibly good. I just received the final installment, The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower. Actually, this is the paperback version but I know a lot of people wait for paperback before they buy, so there you go. If you do check it out, please note the pictures on the back of King. Weird.
There’s yet another book about Winston Churchill available, which I mention because Churchill is one of my favorite 20th Century leaders. Or figures. Whatever word you want to use. Anyway he was interesting. In fact, in my pre-fatherhood days, which is to say my drinking days, I used to go a bar in Houston called The Red Lion, which had pictures of Churchill on every wall. Anyway, the new book, by Geoffrey Best, is Churchill And War. Here’s a photo of the cover, which is classic Churchill:
On a completely different topic, Tor books will soon release Platinum Pohl: The Collected Best Stories of Frederik Pohl, which includes 30 stories from the science fiction giant.
It was one of those days today, when everyone on the road seemed to be going crazy. Or it could be one of those days when a series of things go wrong, starting with getting delayed while trying to get out the door.
Either way, it just seemed that the ride to work today was fraught with loonies trying to carve out their own way on the highways.
First I got stuck in a traffic jam for no apparent reason. There was no accident, no school bus stopped to pick up kids, no ambulance or fire truck rushing past. Yet it seemed that I would never be able to finish my 30-minute drive.
Then someone cut in front of me without giving any sort of signal - guess they were getting late, too. Then the Altima in front of me started signaling to go right and instead moved two lanes to the left. Needless to say, I was shaken up already, and I hadn’t even taken the exit to the interstate. My bag, and the sundry things on my passenger seat, had gone flying about in the car due to the sudden braking.
I wasn’t about to strain myself trying to pick up the bag from the car floor. I just hoped no one called. My cell phone was also somewhere on the floor.
The highway, as usual, was a nightmare with bumper-to-bumper traffic - people talking on phones, eating, drinking coffee, fiddling with car stereos or instructing children ready to be dropped to babysitters or schools. I am one of those on the road, too, so I have no right to throw stones.
As I get to work, the first news report I hear says that traffic fatalities in several Bay area cities have gone up drastically because of inattentive drivers. We hear of hit-and-runs on a daily basis.
Why? Because we are trying to save two or three minutes by cutting someone off, eating our granola bars in the car or, like one of the ads for a smooth-driving car showed, applying makeup flawlessly while driving.
Two minutes, maybe five. And so many lives cut short.
Just another day.
Seriously, has The Da Vinci Dode reached Maximum Pop Culture Density or what? Is it even possible, at this late date, to release yet another book related to this novel that has sold something like a gazillion copies? A reasonable person might think, “No,” but a reasonable person would be wrong. Because, here it is, on my desk today: The Da Vinci Enigma Tarot, by Caitlin Matthews. Basically a tarot card set based on the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Matthews promises that the cards will “create unique patterns to help unlock the enigma of the soul.” Cool, I’ve been looking for that. In case you don’t believe me and are afraid to click on the link, here’s the cover:
In a more sane vein, Tui De Roy has released The Andes: As The Condor Flies, a collection of breathtaking photos from the Andes. In a similar artistic area, and for those looking for interesting coffee table books, there’s The Art of Gaman: Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942-1946.
As a guy who spent much of his life in Louisiana, particularly New Orleans and South Louisiana, it’s painful to look at the photos in Time Magazine’s Hurricane Katrina: The Storm That Changed America, but ther’s no denying the power of the images. Be warned that Time has included photos that show floating corpses in the hurricane’s aftermath.
Ok…so I owe it to you guys to post some impressions of games. I’ve been sent just about every launch title, and while some of the reviews are running in the Tribune, others may slip through the cracks. I just want to chime in.
Project Gotham Racing 3
I find this to be the most enjoyable game of the bunch. It’s quick to play a game or two when you don’t have a lot of time. The graphics are something to show off to friends, and the soundtracks streaming from my iPod make the drive even better.
Kameo: Elements of Power
This is another first-party game by Rare. This platformer has a lot of polish, but the gameplay mechanics begin to feel repetitive. This can be said for a lot of games, so the story has to keep you interested. It tries to be epic, but it just comes off really goofy. The original score was composed using a full orchestra, and even though it’s really good, it just doesn’t to seem fit.
Perfect Dark Zero
If you compare this game to Halo, you will be disappointed. It’s a good game, it’s just a different game. Much like Halo, I do prefer the Xbox Live multiplayer experience to the single player game.
Amped 3
This is the weirdest sports game ever. It’s like mixing Napoleon Dynamite, an episode of Cartoon Network’s brilliant Robot Chicken and a snowboarding game. It’s much like the last one, except it’s harder to wipe out and the story is strange.
Chuck Close, by his own admission, didn’t really consider himself a practitioner of portraits. “It took me decades to admit that I was making portraits. It’s very hard, when you’re inoculated with the modernist virus,” Close says in the introduction to , Close Reading: Chuck Close and the Artist Portrait, which offers hundreds of pages about Close and many examples of his work, most of them portraits of himself or artist friends. Not being a visual artist critic, I struggle to find the words to describe his work, but for reasons I can’t therefore describe, I find it riveting. This is probably not the least bit helpful, so I urge you to see it for yourself, if this sort of thing interests you.
On a completely different note, because I like to strike as many notes as possible, the Smithsonian Institute has released The Story of Science, Book Two: Newton At The Center (the first in the series concentrated on Aristotle). Author Joy Hakim delves into the revival of scientific inquiry in the days following the Middle Ages (there’s a really good point in that for the science vs. religion debates, but I leave that to you, gentle reader). Some of the advancements Hakim explores include Newton’s work on gravity and Volta and Maxwell’s work in electricity.
Art. Science. How about Asian Culture? Patricia Yeo and Tom Steele offer up a heaping helping in Everyday Asian, which includes 120 “mouthwatering recipes” from Asia. Of course, there are far more days in the year than 120, so this is really just four months worth of “every day,” but why quibble with a book that provides you a recipe for grilled sea scallops with pickled shallots and green mango?
Chuck Close, by his own admission, didn’t really consider himself a practitioner of portraits. “It took me decades to admit that I was making portraits. It’s very hard, when you’re inoculated with the modernist virus,” Close says in the introduction to , Close Reading: Chuck Close and the Artist Portrait, which offers hundreds of pages about Close and many examples of his work, most of them portraits of himself or artist friends. Not being a visual artist critic, I struggle to find the words to describe his work, but for reasons I can’t therefore describe, I find it riveting. This is probably not the least bit helpful, so I urge you to see it for yourself, if this sort of thing interests you.
On a completely different note, because I like to strike as many notes as possible, the Smithsonian Institute has released The Story of Science, Book Two: Newton At The Center (the first in the series concentrated on Aristotle). Author Joy Hakim delves into the revival of scientific inquiry in the days following the Middle Ages (there’s a really good point in that for the science vs. religion debates, but I leave that to you, gentle reader). Some of the advancements Hakim explores include Newton’s work on gravity and Volta and Maxwell’s work in electricity.
Art. Science. How about Asian Culture? Patricia Yeo and Tom Steele offer up a heaping helping in Everyday Asian, which includes 120 “mouthwatering recipes” from Asia. Of course, there are far more days in the year than 120, so this is really just four months worth of “every day,” but why quibble with a book that provides you a recipe for grilled sea scallops with pickled shallots and green mango?
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