Farewell J.D. Salinger

The author J.D. Salinger died yesterday at the ripe old age of 91. In addition to being one of the most influential American writers of the 20th century, he was also one of the top five recluses of all time. In fact, he may be number one. Who's ever been more reclusive than J.D. Salinger? He was such a legendary hermit that he was once used as a plot device on a very mediocre NBC sitcom. On an episode of "The Single Guy", Ernest Borgnine's lovable bellhop was roped into pretending to be J.D. Salinger to impress one of Jonathan Silverman's dates. Nobody's seen this guy in 50 years, how can they prove it's not him? Get it?

I'm hoping that in all of the soon to be published Salinger tributes that I'll be the only one to mention this pop culture gem. But in all seriousness, Salinger's desire to be out of the public eye has generated almost as much discussion as his small body of published work. A fascinating example of this came when British author Ian Hamilton attempted to write and publish a serious biography of Salinger. The book begins with Hamilton's repeated attempts to contact the man which resulted in him...receiving an ACTUAL LETTER from Salinger himself! The letter essentially said that he supposed he couldn't stop Hamilton from writing a book about him, but that he wished he wouldn't. Taking this to mean that he wouldn't be sued, Hamilton moved forward, only to have Salinger emerge from seclusion to...that's right, sue to stop publication. The book ended up being published in a different form, and Hamilton's account of the lawsuit really ends up being the highlight. You can find it on Amazon, and I would say it's required reading for any true Salinger fan.

All of that aside, I have been and continue to be a real lover of Salinger's work, and if any posthumous works emerge, you can bet I'll be first in line to buy them. In the meantime, all of Salinger's New Yorker short stories can be accessed (for a fee) at

www.newyorker.com

This includes "Hapworth 16, 1924", from 1965. This was Salinger's last published story and was also the one that the writer very nearly published in book form several years ago, only to pull the plug at the last minute.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

Amazingly, the new Insane Clown Posse western is still seeking a distributor.

Bold and Fresh Spin

Considering that Bill O'Reilly is the self-proclaimed godfather of "no spin", I'd have to say that this press release lays it on pretty thick. We generally steer clear of politics here at What Makes Jeffy Run, but I happened to stumble across this today and am both fascinated and confused by it. My most pressing questions at the end of this post.



Bold & Fresh Tour 2010

There's no shortage of people talking about what's going on in the world today, but there are far too few who are actually saying anything of substance. Faceless pundits talk around the issues, not about them... celebrity gossip passes as breaking news... and the liberal bias spewed by the mainstream media makes them less like a public service and more like an extension of the White House Press Office. Enough is enough—it's time for the truth from somebody who'll give it to you straight, whether you like it or not. Actually, make that... somebodys—Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck. This January, they're coming out from behind their desks and going on tour. Your town may never be the same...

Bill O'Reilly is the godfather of "no spin" and in-your-face television. For years he's been the centerpiece of the Fox News lineup with his unmistakable style and unflinching commitment to truth as he sees it. In Bill's world, brutal honesty beats hypocrisy every time. And you know how they say that some men's "bark" is worse than their "bite?" With Bill... yeah, not so much. As Bill puts it, "My teeth are in good shape."

Glenn Beck is the new kid on the block, the fastest rising star in cable news. Through humor, raw emotion and the tenacity of a pit bull, Glenn has become the new voice of conservative America. Steeped in the teaching of our forefathers, Glenn wears his heart on his sleeve, and no matter what he says—whether it's about politics or pop culture—you can bet he's got the facts to back it up. He's less a TV host and more like, say... a force of nature. "There is really no better way to start the new year than by joining Bill on stage for the first time ever," says Glenn. "Wait...should I be worried?"

Don't miss out on the rare opportunity to see these two men live on stage. It's an event that makes professional wrestling seem like a night at the opera. You'll hear from Bill, you'll hear from Glenn, and then... they'll take the stage together. What happens then? Heaven only knows, but one thing is for sure—you'll want to see it with your very own eyes.


???????

Let's agree that the Bold and Freah Tour will "give me the truth whether I like it or not." If I don't like, it, why would I be paying over $100 to hear it?

"My Town May Never Be the Same" Are Glenn and Bill going to set fire to downtown Pasadena?

"Steeped in the teachings of our forefathers?" Is this a reference to teabagging?

"You can bet he's got the facts to back it up." Are there bookies laying odds on this? If so, I'll take a piece of that action.

"It's an event that makes professional wrestling look like a night at the opera."

Does this mean it's not over til the fat pundit sings? They do know that pro wrestling is fake, right?

Finally, aren't these two guys on the same network? Why is this being promoted like it's some sort of conservative celebrity death match?

Truly, "Heaven Only Knows" what the outcome of each TWO HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTE performance will be.

Hope For Haiti

This blog has about 6 readers. I'm guessing most of you have already made some sort of donation to help ease the suffering in Haiti. But if you haven't, here's your chance:



If you'd prefer to make your donation sparkle by giving via celebrity phone operator, George Clooney has organized tonight's Hope For Haiti telethon, which will feature everyone from Reese Witherspoon to Jack Nicholson to the Jonas Brothers working the phones. If you turn on your teevee tonight at 8, you'll see it's on every channel. Here's the link for the Hope For Haiti site:

www.hopeforhaitinow.org


Everyone's trying to do their part, and if celebrities want to make up for their usual boorish behavior by making extravagant donations to Haitian relief, I say let them. Finally, because everyone needs to let off a little steam in the midst of all this tragedy, here's a treasury of all-star charity videos for your enjoyment. Please give what you can.

Happy Holidays

Here are some selected shots from the 2009 Winter Holidays. In addition to Christmas and New Year's, our holidays include Dadmas (my father's birthday, December 27th), Beckymas (January 4th) and Elvismas (January 8th). Enjoy!

Eagle Rock Mug Club

Attention beer lovers in the greater Los Angeles area! 2010 promises to be a very Happy New Year indeed as we are on the verge of having our very first craft brewery open within the city limits.

Jeremy Raub, his wife Ting, and his father Steve have been fighting the good fight against L.A.'s beer hating bureaucracy for over two years now, and last weekend they were finally able to stage their "Pre-opening" event. As a homebrewer and beer lover myself, I bought a membership in the Eagle Rock Brewery Mug Club, which got me an engraved mug with my name on it (pictured above), and an invitation to the exclusive pre-opening mug club party.

After meeting Jeremy at L.A.'s first craft beer fest, held last spring at the Echoplex, he was kind enough to invite me and my partners in Steverson Brewing to take a tour of their brewery while it was still in the early stages. They had just gotten all of their equipment, and they were working furiously to get their brewery tasting room up and running. Almost as noteworthy as Eagle Rock Brewery itself, Jeremy and Ting have documented their struggles to get up and running in great detail on the brewery's blog at www.eaglerockbrewery.wordpress.com. It's no accident that their flagship beer is named Solidarity.

Congraratulations to The Eagle Rock Brewery team for fighting the good fight and for giving LA a brewery they can be proud of. The tasting room is going to be open limited hours over the holidays, and their black mild ale Solidarity is now available on tap at Verdugo Bar in Glassell Park. Trust me, It's worth the trip.

While Visions of Megamergers Danced In Their Heads

How do you celebrate your purchase of NBC-Universal while you cross your fingers and hope that the appropriate Federal agencies will approve it? By getting a head start on corporate synergy by mailing out dvds of second rate Universal movies to every Comcast employee? Exactly! But which second rate Universal DVDS to pick? While I can't say for sure if every employee received the same titles (although I'd bet money they did), this Comcaster received...wait for it...The Bourne Ultimatum and Evan Almighty!

To be fair, I heard that Bourne Ultimatum is a pretty decent action picture, but I would love to know how the powers that be decided on those two titles. Evan Almighty's much easier to figure, as Universal must have warehouses of that one sitting around.

But there's more...the letter accompanying these major motion pictures is priceless. The fist two paragraphs read:

"When Comcast brought cable to Tupelo, Mississippi in 1963, we had an innovative idea to bring full network television to this rural community for the first time. This simple idea became the foundation for the innovative company we have become.

That same year, a few thousand miles away, Gregory Peck won best actor in Universal Studios' "To Kill A Mockingbird," and The Beatles made their U.S. television debut on NBC News' Huntley Brinkley Report. As Comcast grew and added more subscribers, we were able to share these historic events with more consumers than was ever thought possible in new and exciting ways."

So just to review, we have Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis, The Beatles, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Comcast. Dream big, indeed.