MEET ALEX ... ANOTHER AWESOME E-READER (find out why)

While most are touting the Apple iTab, iSlab, iPad or whatever-the-frig they're calling that thing a game-changer, I believe the real game changer in publishing will be the advent of all these new nifty e-readers coming out.

Spring Design's Alex eReader is one of the most impressive little readers on the block. The $399 Android-powered device boasts both a 6-inch e-ink display and a 3.5-inch, 16-bit color touch-screen LCD.

It's set to ship in the middle of this month but will undoubtebly get overshadowed by the iPad.
The Alex is long and narrow, weighs 11-ounces and measures 4.7 inches wide and 8.9 inches high. It's less than a half inch thick.

Users can download Google Books and it's compatible with other bookstores that support Adobe DRM (you can read e-books in EPUB, PDF, HTML, and TXT formats).

If the Alex seems Nook-like, don't be surprised. The Spring e-reader shares similar traits to Barnes & Noble's dual-screen reader. Interestingly, Spring actually sued Barnes & Noble for similarities it saw in the Nook.

Selling points of the Alex are built-in Wi-Fi, the ability to stream video and surf the Web (on the smaller color screen) and it can utilize certain Android applications. It also comes with a 2GB removable memory card and the microSD expansion slot supports cards up to an impressive 32GB. Earphones, an AC/USB power connector, and a padded cover ship with the unit.

An impressive machine, indeed. The unit I have my eyes peeled for, though, is the HP Slate, the only real iPad competitor that I can see at this point.

Check out a commercial for the Slate, also set to debut within weeks:

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YET ANOTHER POE FILM IN THE WORKS: 'THE BEAUTIFUL CIGAR GIRL'

Get ready Poe junkies because yet another Edgar Allan film is in the works...

News has recently hit the interwebs (via the India Times) of a cool semi-cryptic quote from Resul Pookutty, a sound man who won an Oscar for his work on "Slumdog Millionaire.

Says the film tech:

"I couldn’t be happier because I am doing a period film. It is a very special challenge because I have to recreate the sound textures of New York in 1854. It’s an adaptation of 'The Beautiful Cigar Girl' by Daniel Stashower and based on an eerie real-life experience of author Edgar Allen Poe which happened just months before his death. Joaquin [Phoenix]plays Edgar Allen Poe."

The central theme of the novel is death - the murder of tobacco clerk Mary Rogers - who was a minor celebrity in 1841 Manhattan. Her limp, beaten body was found along the Hudson shore in Hoboken, New Jersey in July 1841. While no one was ever convicted of the crime, a year later, an innkeeper claimed that Rogers was the victim of a botched abortion that took place at her inn.

Stashower’s book recounts the spectacle of the crime, from the death of the socialite to Poe's involvement.

In 1842, Poe made it the subject of his "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt," which featured his Parisian detective Dupin and his attempt to solve the murder. The story is said to be the first detective story (even though it was based on the events of a real crime)

Other than the Phoenix reference (he was supposedly retired from acting), there aren’t many more details available regarding the film.

The other Poe film in development is "The Raven," directed by James McTeigue and starring Jeremy Renner. A totally different movie, it contains a portrayal of Poe and his famous eerie poem.

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ELMORE LEONARD GETS 'JUSTIFIED'

Anyone who knows good crime writing knows scribe Elmore Leonard.

Most people, however, may know his work in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, several of which have been adapted into successful motion pictures or TV movies like "Get Shorty," "Jackie Brown" and the terrific "Out of Sight."

The scribe is renowned by critics for his gritty tough-guy realism and strong dialogue. His writing style may often take liberties with grammar in the interest of speeding along the story.

In his fabulous essay, "Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing," he says, "My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." His advice to writers also includes the hint, "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

Crooks and con men aren't his only area of expertise. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, many of them short stories. "Justified," A new TV adaptation of his work premieres tomorrow on FX and feels like a blend of both his western and crime writing.

It centers on U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens ( Timothy Olyphant), a 19th century-style but modern-day officer based in Florida, who enforces his brand of justice to put a target on his back with criminals and puts him at odds with his bosses in the Marshal service. As a result, he gets reassigned to the district covering his rural Eastern Kentucky mining hometown of Harlan County.

My esteemed colleague Alan Sepinwall has a wonderful interview with Leonard in today's paper. Check it out.

Oh and btw, here's the trailer for the show:

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OUR AFTERNOON WITH MR. WALKER (flash fiction)

The three of us met in on a base in Okinawa right before the end of the war.

Sam, always the big galoot, worked on planes that Buddy the Hick jumped out of. It was hot that July afternoon -- so sticky in fact that none of us grunts were shocked when General Barnes almost dropped dead.

For me, though, Barnes' ticker wasn't the news of the day. I learned from a Western Union telegraph that fatherhood would be soon upon me.

Needing to get behind the cork a bit, the three of us snuck into the commisary, past a few idiot MPs on lunch detail and into the closet-sized company store where a brand-spanking new bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label was waiting for us.

I remember holding the bottle, swigging the blend, and passing it to my brothers in arms. It was my favorite moment of the war.

Buddy the Hick wanted to go into town to get a whore but I opted out. He and galoot Sam hopped a richshaw and swapped half a pack of cigarettes for a night of sin with Filipino twins.

Me? I went back to the barracks and cried like a baby, hoping I would make it out of this hellhole to raise my unborn child.

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CLOONEY IS EVEN COOLER THAN WE THOUGHT (video)

By now, we all know that George Clooney is a guy's guy and all and probably one of the coolest men on the planet. That's a given. It's not because he channeled Frank as a modern Danny Ocean. Nope. It's not because he doesn't take himself too seriously and it's not because he trades in those model girlfriends as if they were leased vehicles. Ok, well maybe we know he's cool for THAT one.

But seriously, here it is the second time he's up against Jeff Bridges for the Oscar and entire world pretty much knew he was going to lose. So did he. That's why we love him for flashing reporters his flask of liquid courage.

Wonder what he had in it... Check out the video.

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THE ALBINO TWINS (flash fiction)

I first saw them in Atlantic City sometime before the war. I had just opened a popcorn and peanut stand across from the Steel Pier and one mid-May afternoon, music both oddly macabre and hauntingly serene whisked through the salt air and up the tattered boardwalk.

As I followed the music and approached the pier, I noticed the sign:

Abigail and Geraldine - The Albino Songstresses

THREE SHOWS DAILY

Each performance was only a nickel and every afternoon at 1:20, I took my seat up front to the side. Many days, I would be the only one there and it was fine by me.

Abbie, as I called her, played a lovely mandolin and Gerry, the younger of the pair, tickled the ivories on her accordian. The two would harmonize old folk tunes they learned in the Appalachian Mountains growing up. How these two found Atlantic City, was more than a mystery. They were hauntingly beautiful and at times I could swear they could read each other's thoughts. I wonder if they knew that I loved them both.

By early September, they were gone. When I asked a janitor what had happened, he shrugged and pointed to a poster touting some new diving horse act. "It's cheaper," he said swishing his broom. "They don't have to pay the horse..."

I spent most of my life trying to find them and now, as I lay here, hope they can finally play for me again. On the other side.

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MY ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE (OR LACK THEROF)

Being that this is Oscar week and all my esteemed writing bud Absolutely*Kate asked many of her peeps to provide some sort of film-related content for her nifty showcase At the Bijou. Being that I'm a movie guy, I dusted off an old project of mine and wanted to give her an essay about its conception.

That said, here is an ever-so-brief taste of a much longer essay on her blog about my adventures in the screen trade and collaboration with my buddy and writing partner Eddie.

One night around two years ago, my buddy and sometimes guest poet Edoardo Mungiello (pictured, below) and I were sitting in my man cave pondering our creative lives. At the time, I’d say that both of us were pretty creatively unfulfilled and extremely disenchanted with what we were seeing on movie and TV screens. What’s more, we were both about to enter the world of fatherhood so our creative juices were flowing with a bunch of unbridled, kinetic energy.


We had always talked about writing a script. It’s what people say… “Hey, we should write something…” Yeah. Right. Easier said than done. It’s hard writing something by yourself, much less another moody scribe.

Not only does a writing team need similar sensibilities, but they have to be willing to bend with one another. There’s a huge give and take at hand when it comes to what you both like. And then there’s the frame of reference…

Visit At the Bijou for the rest as well as a sample of our script "Dull Hobo."

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DYSTOPIAN BOOKS: TOO SMART FOR TEENS?

I remember in high school that I was assigned to read a fair share of Dystopian novels. Looking back, it was completely understandable since it was the Reagan-era after all. The cold war was running on its last legs and I remember that the notion of nuclear war was a bona-fide fear of mine and that damn "The Day After" TV movie didn't help...

But you know what? To a 14 year-old, most of these post-apocalyptic tomes didn't make sense and honestly, half the time, I didn't know what the fuck I was reading.

Perhaps my teachers should have first and foremost explained the very notion of Dystopia in the first place. Quite simply, it's a vision, of an often futuristic society, which has developed into a negative version of Utopia. Bang. Simple. I got that. To break it down more, a dystopia is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government and features different kinds of repressive social control systems, lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and a state of constant warfare or violence. Got that, too... OK, bring on the Orwell!

Looking back, my young brain couldn't grasp the lofty intellectual notions and ideas of books like "1984" or "Animal Farm." Case in point, I remember laboring through Aldous Huxley's "A Brave New World" and seeing gigantic text blocks of grey. that's a turn off for any kid.

With all that said, I recently stumbled across this nifty list compiled by Popcrunch on their Top 16 Dystopian Books.

Currently, I'm reading Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" and I have to admit it's one of the most depressing books I've ever read. But it's gorgeous in its simplicity and effectiveness. "The Road" places on Popcrunch's list and here's a sample of what they had to say:

"There’s bleak, then there’s freaking Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy boils down the essence of a post-apocalyptic dystopia to its bare bones, completely omitting almost all details. There’s a father and son, who are never named. There was a nuclear disaster, and almost all plants and animals are dead, with humans mainly reduced to cannibalism. They’re trying to get somewhere warmer (and hopefully better) before winter hits, and the father is slowly dying of radiation poisoning. While the ending has the slightest possible glimmer of hope, the rest is just ash filled skies, storms and people torturing and eating one another. For all its stark bleakness, it still won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007, which should give you an indication of its pedigree."

To read the entire list, click HERE.

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A TRUCK STOP BOY MEETS A TRUCK STOP GIRL (flash fiction)

They were somewhere in Colorado. He was spending the summer with his dad on the road and, contrary to what he was telling his mother, wasn't sure if he was having a good time.

The hauls were long and exhausting and the rig's diesel fumes quite overpowering at times. What's more, he didn't exactly enjoy those shit-kicker AM stations that tossed around words like "patriot," "tea party" and "town hall." It was all way too much for the 15 year-old to absorb. It was fucking summer. Why was he in this truck?

And sure, while his dad had a sweet cab -- double bunks, LCD TV, satellite radio and a well-stocked mini fridge -- something was missing.

When his birthday rolled around, his dad had that sly smile all throughout the day.

"Did you get me that Xbox 360 for the cab?" the teenager asked, just knowing that the game console would get him through the last leg of the trip.

"Better..." his pop answered laughing.

"Yeah?" asked the boy. "What is it?"

"Tonight..." his dad said clearing his throat. "We're gonna make a man outta you..."

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LOVE IN PINE VALLEY (flash fiction)

Edgar had been going to the Pine Valley Mountain Lodge for the greater part of 1942 and always on Wednesday nights.

The gentleman's club of it's day, the risque rustic lodge was buried deep within the woods of a secluded lake town in Northern New Jersey. Its working gals were mostly fresh out of high school, overly friendly and extremely easy on the eyes.

It's wasn't the corned beef or the cozy fire that kept the handsome stranger so loyal to the place but the company of its scantily-clad waitresses - namely one Edna Barry. With the jasmine perfume wafting from her cleavage, she'd always serve her coffee with a smile.

At first, Edgar took her rejections in stride and figured if he was persistent enough, they could at least enjoy the latest Cagney picture at the drive-in. Eventually, Edgar didn't take 'no' kindly and Edna had to shuffle her shift before quitting the lodge altogether.

After loose lips at the lodge told the suiter where he could find his sweetheart, Edgar once again laid on the charm. And this time, he was super persistent. The pair eventually made it to the drive-in for the latest Cagney picture.

He in the front seat of his Plymouth. She in its trunk.

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GET SOME FOR THE KIDS...

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IMPLICATIONS OVER COFFEE (flash fiction)

Sometimes there's no teaching people. At breakfast, I asked my dopey baby brother why that little cutie threw him out after what seemed to be a decent first date.

Swigging his coffee he answered me, a tad indignant. “I dunno. All I said was, ‘Damn girl, you even look good in the morning...’”

Glancing from behind the editorial page, I told him it was simple. "She read between the lines of that moronic compliment."

Ever since we were kids, the knucklehead had a habit of saying idiotic things at the worst moment he can possibly imagine and yup, after what was probably a fun night in the sack, he let his mouth get ahead of his brain. Again.

Before I kicked him out myself for being so stupid, I tried to elaborate. "Think about it," I said. “There's subtext to what you told her."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" he asked, not really paying attention.

"Well, it could mean that deep down maybe you expected her to be ugly without all her pancaked makeup."

"Huh..." was his first response.

"Or, more importantly," I said, "Maybe you’ve been with enough cuties to make that stupid assumption in the first place.”

"Nah..." was his second resonse. "She was just a bitch."

Like I said, there's no teaching people.

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AMERICA'S DRUNKEST CITY IS...

"I'm in Fresno and boy... Am I fucked up..."

Every year Men's Health magazine rates the "Drunkest Cities in America" by measuring such data as death rates from alcoholic liver disease, booze-fueled car crashes, frequency of binge-drinking in the past 30 days, number of DUI arrests, and severity of DUI penalties.

For 2010, the health mag has named Fresno, California as the nation's most effed up city.

The yearly study also analyzes both alcohol consumption and the serious effects it can have on the community at large. Last year’s winner, Denver, fell down to 17 so I guess congratulations are in order...

Others in the top five include Reno, Billings (Montana), Riverside (California), and Austin (Texas).

The entire list of the 50 Most Drunk American Cities continues after the jump.

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'STEEL CITY' - A CARVERESQUE SURPRISE

Lately I've been discovering movies by sheer and utter laziness. I'd wake from a mid-day snooze or turn on the television upon awaking in the morning to find a film already in progress.

Being a story guy, I try to figure out the pieces of the plot midway. I've been lucky that I've found some real gems. Sunday's film, in particular, was one of the most multi-layered flicks I've seen this year (and I see ALOT). It's a small indie called "Steel City" and if you like the work of such scribes as say, Raymond Carver, Russell Banks or Richard Ford, then this dreary drama is for you.

It centers on a young man who struggles to hold his family together while keeping his own life on track. P.J. Lee (Thomas Guiry) is a teenager growing up in a decaying industrial town in Illinois. Few kids have it easy where P.J.'s from, but he has it harder than most because his parents split up several years ago, and his dad, Carl (John Heard), is in jail on a vehicular manslaughter charge he's not likely to shake. P.J.'s big brother, Ben (Clayne Crawford), is married and has a life of his own, through his fondness for booze and other women suggests he's following the same sorry path as his dad. P.J.'s mother, When P.J. loses his job as a busboy, he finds he can no longer pay the rent on his house, and has a falling out with his girlfriend, Amy (America Ferrera), who works at the same diner.

With nowhere else to go, P.J. moves in with his uncle Vic (Raymond J. Barry), but he soon begins to buckle under Vic's "straighten up and fly right" attitude. This first film from writer-director Brian Jun was enthusiastically received during its premiere screening at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.

if you're lucky enough to stumble upon this like I did, check it out because it's undoubtedly worth it.

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