, who also composed hits like "I've Got a Name," "Ready to Take a Chance Again" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song."
is the name of his new memoir. You can hear him interviewed by author
. Next week, you can download the two-hour program as a podcast on iTunes or on the
.
to sing "Making Our Dreams Come True" after hearing her perform during a day at Magic Mountain with his kids. And he has donated the prop 45 rpm record that was in the jukebox at the beginning of early
s episodes to the Smithsonian, which also displays Fonzie's jacket.
BOOK REVIEW: "THE IMPERFECTIONISTS"
Blog, Books
Posted on Jul 09 2010 by Greg
I don't recall reading such a meticulous, honest and riveting fiction novel in a long time. You can tell by the earnest avoidance of cliché, the sharp turns in narrative and the natural dialogue that the author (and likely the editor as well) doted lovingly over every word and phrase. In a sea of dumbing down, this is a very intelligent, perceptive look into the collective psyche of a group of disparate colleagues thrust together not by choice but by career and geographical circumstance.
Apparently the majority of media reviews have been so glowing that some might have approached
The Imperfectionists with unrealistic expectations. Or perhaps judged
Tom Rachman by his age rather than his skill. Yes, it's a dark look into some very messed up people, but there's hardly a note that seems false. The Ruby Zaga section is probably the most heartrending, yet like
American Graffiti, we catch a parting glimpse of her in the epilogue that...well, I won't spoil it.
The most outrageous section concerns the greenhorn being buffaloed by the veteran grandstanding headline-grabber. It veers the furthest from realism in its absurdly comedic sitautions, yet it probably the most true to life, ironically, and perhaps most directly drawn from Rachman's life observations.
It is no coincidence that both Rachman's parents are psycholigists because he has a razor sharp focus on personalities, conceits and foibles. The section about the lady who reads compulsively is practically an OCD case study, and very real at that. Strong powers of observation, indeed.
According to
Entertainment Weekly, this book has been optioned by
Brad Pitt's company. I can see him playing the fired editor on the plane, but I really think this would make a better long format TV series than a one-shot movie. And any film adaptation is going to lose the characters' thoughts so generously shared by Rachman.
The setting is Rome in a newsgathering industry, but it's a story about people. Rome is a character, a place each character sees (or uses) differently. And the newspaper is almost a metaphor for unescapable change in a city that is thought to be enternal. An unforgettable read.
(The Imperfectionists
contains mature subject matter and language, but far less, surprisingly, than many current novels and films.)
"Presto" wuz robbed! But this book is reward enough, really.
Books
Posted on Feb 23 2009 by Greg
No surprise that
WALL-E won Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, but I was really routing for
Presto to pick up the Animated Short award. However, the public really gets the best award this week, when the much-anticipated
THE ART OF PIXAR SHORT FILMS hits the bookshelves and online retailers.
There have been several fine books about Pixar's relatively brief yet extraordinary history and artistry, as well as "Art of" books on the features. None of these books take such a detailed, thorough and image-rich look at this extremely important aspect of "how Pixar does it."
Amid Amidi, co-creator of the essential website
Cartoon Brew, gives roughly half of the moderately coffee-table-sized volume over to an intense chronicle of Pixar's story told through its shorts, which are truly instrumental in the development of Pixar's features, technology and especially their creative team. What is especially impressive is seeing the degree of loving detail that goes into these mini-masterpieces, which can be as short as 3 minutes and 20 seconds (
For the Birds).
I can really appreciate the difficulty of writing the establishing section, distilling highly technical systems and challenges in understandable terms while avoiding the obvious out of respect for the readers. As each short appears in the book, historic narrative is woven in order sustain the context of the films and their impact. For that reason, the very early film sections (devoted to
Andre and Wally B.,
Luxo Jr., and
Knick Knack) are somewhat lengthier. Once the Pixar organization is "up and running" as far as the text is concerned, than each entry focuses on the films, their directors, artists and particular challenges.
At this point, each film is examined for one or more artistic landmarks or histories:
Geri's Game for its remarkable human animation; the evolution of
For The Birds from a Cal Arts project; the singularly unique vision so much a part of the director's personality and background in
Boundin'; the sometimes contentious partnering of two very different directors at the helm of
One Man Band and the transformation of a sound designer to a director for
Lifted.
The remaining shorts (
Presto was not released in time for inclusion in the book) are all based on features:
Mike's New Car,
Jack-Jack Attack and
Mater and the Ghostlight, but are no less meticulous and easily stand on their own.
The entire book then becomes a sumptuous portfolio of concept art, storyboards, production stills and wire frames. Again, seeing it all at once is staggering. As you peruse the pastels, pencil sketches, pen & marker renderings and finished scenes, the personalities of each artist, including
John Lasseter himself, come through loud and clear -- Pixar has a style, but one that is the sum of its parts rather than a stern adherence to established creative restrictions.
You can't help feeling that, if Pixar did nothing more than produce short films, they would still be an industry flagship.
I was especially taken with each director literally having a personal "stamp" for approving the film art (in the case of
One Man Band, a shared stamp). The stamps reflect their style just as the films do.
This is a book worth revisiting for reference and inspiration. It's also recommended if you happen to have the
Pixar Short Films Collection DVD from last year that collects all of these film on one disc, along with several audio commentaries.
Disney 2009 Record Cover Calendar
Books
Posted on Aug 02 2008 by Greg
They were selling these at the Disney Studio Store -- it's a mini-calendar with images of these classic Disney records:
Selections from Fantasia
Sleeping Beauty
More Jungle Book
Pinocchio
Bambi & Thumper (45 rpm)
Lady and the Tramp
Cinderella
Dumbo
Jiminy Cricket's Mouse Club Songs (78 rpm)
Snow White
Alice in Wonderland
Walt Disney's Christmas Concert
Amazon is selling used copies
here.
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