A BLOG FOR READERS AND AUTHORS OF MTV BOOKS

The MTV Books Blog will close on October 31. Follow us to our new home at YA Outside the Lines on November 1!

Sunday, January 6, 2008

"My Brain is Tired" by Alex McAulay

Okay, so this will be a pretty random assortment of tidbits--it's basically just what's on my mind as I sit down and write this at 3AM! Anyway, I'm up late because that's when I always write (my wife Lisa is a total morning person, so it's amusing when we negotiate our schedules). I thought I'd make a list of some of the things that have been on my mind recently... and bear with me, because when I said this would be random, I really wasn't kidding! Oh yeah, and the list is pretty shallow too, because I've spent most of the last month watching movies, playing guitar, and hanging out with Lisa. I heard there was a political something-or-other in Iowa last week? Who cares! I'll vote for whichever candidate has the nicest hairdo (just kidding!)

HERE ARE MY RANDOM THOUGHTS, ETC:
1. There Will Be Blood is one of the best films I've ever seen. The plot initially sounded boring (a guy looks for oil in the early 1900's?) but the film is amazing. I kind of want to see it again, even though I just saw it. It's fascinating and bizarre, like Citizen Kane as if directed by Stanley Kubrick.
2. Not all famous people are mean! Tonight Lisa and I went to a screening and Rosanna Arquette was there with her teenage daughter. They were so sweet! The movie was Baby It's You, an obscure early-80's teen drama/comedy starring Rosanna, and every time she had a kissing scene in the movie, her daughter in the audience covered her eyes in disgust! (they were sitting right in front of us, so we weren't stalking them or anything... really... I, er, promise.....) But it was so funny--her daughter was clearly freaked out at seeing her mom kiss some guy onscreen.
3. Watching Twin Peaks on DVD is fun, even though the second season is really awful. Anyone remember Twin Peaks? What a great show.
4. My laziness. Really, I can't even think of a single New Years resolution. I just don't care enough to try to change anything about myself. But I'm afraid I'm going to get stuck in my ways, like my grandpa who once shoved a computer off a library counter and broke it because, "Computers don't belong in libraries!" My mom and I told the librarians he had mental problems, so in the end he didn't have to pay for fixing it (of course he didn't have any mental problems--he was just grumpy and eccentric, but he'd always been that way). So maybe my resolution should just be not to attack any computers? I think I can handle that.... maybe.
5. Someone sent me a copy of that YA book The Luxe. I haven't looked at it yet, although the cover art is cool. Has anyone read it? And what's up with so many YA books being "Alloy" productions these days? From what I understand, Alloy is some sort of book packager. Does this strike anyone else as weird? I think our government should break up that monopoly! (And if Alloy is, like, really cool and I just have no clue what I'm rambling on about, then forgive me, and Alloy rocks!)
6. Pizza. I really like it. Why is there no decent pizza in LA? I want dripping, oily, greasy, nasty New York style pizza like you can find on every corner in NYC. I don't want "chive and cauliflower" pizza with lemon sauce. Please! If someone can FedEx me a greasy pizza then I'll vote for you for President if you ever run for President, okay???

5 comments:

Jennifer Echols said...

Some random comments on your comments...

I watched Twin Peaks when it came on Bravo, so it actually seemed to make some sense. It was worth it just to see David Duchovny in a dress. I actually saw the movie before the TV show and loved it.

Alloy Entertainment is a book packager, which means they think of ideas for YA series, maybe even get the authors and the covers and everything together, and then sell the whole package to publishers. Lately Alloy's editors have also been the writers for many of the series. Because they're also into marketing, they make a huge push and get these books noticed everywhere (pretty much every YA book in my local Wal-Mart is Alloy). Some examples are the Gossip Girl series, the Traveling Pants series, the A-List series, and the "Opal Mehta" deal that went south. I'm definitely jealous of the high profile of those books. But the editiorial assistant at Simon Pulse who read my first book and convinced the pub to buy it now works for Alloy, so I'm inclined not to think they're evil. ;)

Stephanie Kuehnert said...

My boyfriend and I just finished watching Twin Peaks again recently too. I love that show! What's weird though is I think I was like 11 or something when it originally aired and my mom loved it and let me watch it with her. I thought it was really great 'cause I liked the log lady. Then, watching it again, I was like, why did my mother let me watch this at such a young age especially since she was normally quite protective about R movies and such? And why I wasn't I traumatized? Then again, maybe what I consider my eccentricities are signs of trauma....

Anonymous said...

hi jennifer & stephanie,
thanks for commenting! yay! yeah, i love Twin Peaks, and the pretty demented movie version too. indeed, how did something so twisted and great get on mainstream TV?! i was about 13 or 14 when the first season came on, and i thought it was awesome, and so totally different.... i wonder if something like Twin Peaks could be a big hit today (i hope so)

Kelly (Lynn) Parra said...

Greasy pizza here in Central Cali! haha! I watch the food network and I have to say the NYC pizza looks yummy!

And I remember Twin Peaks! I didn't know that was on DVD. *g*

Anonymous said...

hi kelly!
yeah, i just always get amused at the gross "healthy pizzas" out here in LA which have all kinds of things on them, except tomato sauce, meat, and cheese (which are the only 3 ingredients i need, really)