Articles from March 2005

One of Those Couldn’t Let It Pass Without Acknowledgement Things

March 30th, 2005 · 3 Comments

Rap artists are accustomed to name-checking prestige car, clothing and jewellery brands in their lyrics. But if McDonald’s has its way Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and 50 Cent may soon be giving it up for the humble beefburger. The fast-food giant is reported to be launching a campaign that will offer financial incentives to rap artists […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Been There, Did That, Played The Game

March 30th, 2005 · Comments Off on Been There, Did That, Played The Game

Maybe it’s just that we’re a bit old fashioned, but we think the natural of order of things should be: book, movie, schlocky hit single, director’s cut DVD, unfunny TV series, video game. That is progression at its zenith. Everyone gets a piece of the pie. We are shaking our head over this one: I […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Blockbuster. . .Just Another Word For Lawsuit

March 30th, 2005 · Comments Off on Blockbuster. . .Just Another Word For Lawsuit

As we enter Summer (the season directly after Awards in Southern California), our focus turns from “who are you wearing?” to “why, with so many movies, is there nothing worth watching?” That,, of course, is our problem. Because with the summer release schedule comes the summer lawsuit schedule. Like clockwork, copyright infringement suits tack enormous […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Someone’s Been Locked Away From Society For Too Long

March 29th, 2005 · Comments Off on Someone’s Been Locked Away From Society For Too Long

It happens to everyone, eventually. We thought The Reluctant would make it a bit longer. Alas, it wasn’t to be so. He is lost in his own adventure, or would that be fantasy? We wish him the best of luck and hope he gets the care he needs. After all, when one encounters this challenge […]

File Under: Square Pegs

The Meme Is A Little Too Meta

March 29th, 2005 · Comments Off on The Meme Is A Little Too Meta

The New York Times may have been late to the party, but it’s circling the dance floor in 3/4 time. The Paper of Record has gone from painful explanations of what blogs are to insider winking about the trends that divert blogosphere denizens. As the article mentions some of our favorite haunts, who are we […]

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs

AgentSpeak: Plot-Driven Fiction

March 29th, 2005 · Comments Off on AgentSpeak: Plot-Driven Fiction

Agent leaves lawyering, discovers that agenting doors are not easily opened, perseveres, discovers gold. For agent Theresa Park, it wasn’t love at first site with one of her major clients, but it’s the stuff of legends. Never let it be said that we are not suckers for a heartwarming story. Heck, we cry during the […]

File Under: Agents

Harriet, The Reader

March 29th, 2005 · Comments Off on Harriet, The Reader

There are some who believe that Harriet Klausner doesn’t exist*. Couldn’t exist. Nobody could read that fast. Well, nobody with a life. And perhaps that’s Klausner’s secret. Sure that makes those of us who are finding reading time a luxury jealous. While we’ve long maintained that it’s not true that Klausner only gives glowing reviews, […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Seriously, We’ve Been Dying To Work “Long Tail” Into A Post

March 29th, 2005 · Comments Off on Seriously, We’ve Been Dying To Work “Long Tail” Into A Post

Oh sure, normally we’re not shy about working our favorite topics into this blog, but sometimes things don’t work out the way we hope (usually this has to do with too little time, to little brain). However, in keeping with the trend of building buzz, The Guardian picks up on the idea of how entertainment […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Reviews, Redux

March 28th, 2005 · Comments Off on Reviews, Redux

Who is the audience of a book review? Or, rather, what is the purpose of a book review? We contend that a review is for the reader, not the writer. Open any newspaper, read any magazine, hit any website that reviews books, and they all serve a single purpose: to provide an opinion of the […]

File Under: Square Pegs

Continuing The Domestic Discussion

March 28th, 2005 · Comments Off on Continuing The Domestic Discussion

As we noted last week, the women authors in Britain are not happy about the fact that their work is considered domestic (among other perceived flaws). Toby Litt and Ali Smith will likely be defending their ill-chosen words in the introduction to New Writing 13 for a long time. Their approach undermined their assertion that […]

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs