LA Times Festival of Books 2013
Featuring: Chris Columbus & Ned Vizzini, Carol Burnett, & Philippe Petit
May 2013
On a particularly hot Los Angeles weekend, the USC campus was full of readers and book lovers at every turn, seeking shade under the vendor tents or inside at the various author panels and discussions. I definitely did just that, 'cause when Carol Burnett is scheduled to speak, you skip the beach.
My first stop was to see a conversation with young adult author Ned Vizzini ("It's Kind of a Funny Story") and filmmaker Chris Columbus, a personal hero of mine, as he's responsible for Adventures in Babysitting, Home Alone, Gremlins, Mrs. Doubtfire, among other famous titles. This man wrote the screenplay for The Goonies. Enough said. Ned and Chris collaborated on the recently released children's fantasy book, "House of Secrets" (HarperCollins), which they say is geared towards grades 3-6 and is the first of a planned trilogy. They are currently in the outlining phase of the second novel.
My first stop was to see a conversation with young adult author Ned Vizzini ("It's Kind of a Funny Story") and filmmaker Chris Columbus, a personal hero of mine, as he's responsible for Adventures in Babysitting, Home Alone, Gremlins, Mrs. Doubtfire, among other famous titles. This man wrote the screenplay for The Goonies. Enough said. Ned and Chris collaborated on the recently released children's fantasy book, "House of Secrets" (HarperCollins), which they say is geared towards grades 3-6 and is the first of a planned trilogy. They are currently in the outlining phase of the second novel.
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Chris said he initially became inspired to write this story about a magical house and the adventures of the three Walker siblings while in his home base of San Francisco, walking near Fort Point on the Bay. He began to think how an earthquake could devastate the hilltop houses and imagined a house floating in the ocean which naturally, would then fall under pirate attack. Originally conceived as a screenplay, the vision was so epic that it would simply cost too much money to fund as a motion picture. It also would not work within the bounds of television. Thus, "House of Secrets" came to exist on bookshelves instead of screens - at least for now.
While I was disheartened to learn that Chris thinks of The Goonies as merely an "OK" film, he acknowledged the cult-like fan base and settled the question about a potential sequel. Considering the actors are no longer teenagers, Chris joked of the aged characters, "It'd be pretty sad if they were still riding their bikes looking for pirate treasure." He does, however, name "House of Secrets" the "thematic sequel" to the coming-of-age film. |
Chris said the dialogue is inspired by his own four children.
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Admitting that the book's action sequences may be a tad scary, Ned spoke rather thoughtfully on the notion of going too far. He began, "Kids should be exposed to violence," which in this day, may not go over so well, but he qualified his remark by explaining that he appreciated exposure to literary violence growing up, citing "The Hobbit" and "Harry Potter" as inspirations. To him, "violent" elements of fiction and other media taught him about "resilience, heroism, and bouncing back," and what kid couldn't benefit from learning those important lessons and qualities?
One of my favorite moments of the panel was when Ned discussed the impermanence of technology and the digital age and his belief that "the idea of holding a book is (still) powerful to young people." Both he and Chris are passionate about engaging and encouraging young people to read and to continue to love reading. So, it was refreshing to hear support for cherishing the value of a book's tangibility and how such a simple notion really does shape how we interact with the world. "House of Secrets" debuted at #3 on the New York Times best seller list. |
"We had one hell of a ride during her 38 years," iconic comedienne Carol Burnett said of her daughter Carrie Hamilton, who passed away in 2002 from cancer. Carol has written a new memoir inspired by their relationship entitled simply, "Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story."
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Carol openly and honestly discussed Carrie's struggles with drug addiction and the resulting contention between them during her adolescence. At the time, Carol was "naive" to her daughter's problems, and wished to be closer to her. "We did become best friends after maturing and working together," she said.
Carrie worked as an actress and appeared in 1988's cult hit Toyko Pop, though Carol said, "She was never into wanting to be famous." In 1997, Carrie and Carol guest-starred together on an episode of "Touched by an Angel." Carol fondly recalled that the series' crew informally voted Carrie their "favorite guest" for her kindness and positive spirit during filming.
The conversation shifted from the book to Carol's television career. To the delight of the audience, Carol shared some insight into the production of "The Carol Burnett Show."
* The production taped two shows on Fridays, patterned on the schedule of live shows, so for instance, they were able to shoot 1 hour and 15 minutes in the span of 2 hours. Comparatively, the average half-hour sitcom taping today typically lasts around 4 hours.
* Carol used to have a bet with the crew that she could complete a "skin out [costume] change" in less time than it would take a piece of set furniture to be moved.
* She estimates her workload only amounted to 30 hours per week, which is rather shocking considering the show was built around her. With her schedule, she was also still able to take her kids to and from school four days a week and bring them to the studio for Friday tapings.
Carrie worked as an actress and appeared in 1988's cult hit Toyko Pop, though Carol said, "She was never into wanting to be famous." In 1997, Carrie and Carol guest-starred together on an episode of "Touched by an Angel." Carol fondly recalled that the series' crew informally voted Carrie their "favorite guest" for her kindness and positive spirit during filming.
The conversation shifted from the book to Carol's television career. To the delight of the audience, Carol shared some insight into the production of "The Carol Burnett Show."
* The production taped two shows on Fridays, patterned on the schedule of live shows, so for instance, they were able to shoot 1 hour and 15 minutes in the span of 2 hours. Comparatively, the average half-hour sitcom taping today typically lasts around 4 hours.
* Carol used to have a bet with the crew that she could complete a "skin out [costume] change" in less time than it would take a piece of set furniture to be moved.
* She estimates her workload only amounted to 30 hours per week, which is rather shocking considering the show was built around her. With her schedule, she was also still able to take her kids to and from school four days a week and bring them to the studio for Friday tapings.
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* One of the characters she invented, "Mary Worthless," did not stick. "The audience was like an oil painting," she joked of their lack of response towards the skit.
* Tim Conway would do dress rehearsal as intended and then change it up right before the first take. "Harvey (Korman) would dread the next shot," said Carol, adding that most of the time, "Harvey would be gone," once Tim so much as looked at him funny. "It was delicious," she said. There was a pool backstage on how long Harvey could last, and she estimates 10 seconds was probably the shortest. * Asked if she ever catches old clips online, she said, "I don't sit there and watch myself like Norma Desmond, but I do sometimes wonder who's watching," noting that she's curious about younger viewers discovering the show after all these years. |
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* On character development, she said, "I work from the outside in," and added that her character's wardrobe or physical appearance affect her choices.
* Having worked with Elizabeth Taylor on the 1983 TV movie Between Friends, Carol said frankly, "She was late a lot," but calls her "a great dame." During lunch breaks on set, they would watch "All My Children" together.
* Discussing the much-adored "The Family" sketch series, Carol said it stood out because, "This one was written without a joke in it. It was all character." On the first run-through as her character Eunice, she said, "The writers were horrified [by the accent]. They were afraid we would alienate the entire South."
Carol spoke about the funniest cast crack-up of all time, the famous outtake I'd seen over and over in all those Dick Clark's "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" specials: the "Siamese Elephant" story, as performed by Tim Conway in "The Family."
"Of course, I lost it there. He went totally off book," she said of Tim's improvised tangent. "The cameras were shaking."
Since the sketch (which featured guest Dick Van Dyke) has been re-aired over the years, audiences are used to seeing a clip in which Vicki Lawrence's joke is censored. The bleep heard 'round the world has been a personal source of torment for my curiosity, as I'm sure it has to countless others. What line of comedic brilliance did the censors deny us that sent the cast into hysterics?
For her fans at the Festival of Books, Carol gave answer to the plaguing question. In the scene, just as Carol composes herself enough to interrupt Tim's story and continue, Vicki deadpans, "Sure that little asshole's through?" It's television and comedy gold, just like the legacy that Carol Burnett has given pop culture.
"Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story" is on the New York Times best seller list, and our favorite funny lady will reunite with Tim Conway during their guest-starring appearances on "Hot in Cleveland" in an episode airing June 26th. The show will be her first time working with Betty White since their days at CBS. Don't miss it!
* Having worked with Elizabeth Taylor on the 1983 TV movie Between Friends, Carol said frankly, "She was late a lot," but calls her "a great dame." During lunch breaks on set, they would watch "All My Children" together.
* Discussing the much-adored "The Family" sketch series, Carol said it stood out because, "This one was written without a joke in it. It was all character." On the first run-through as her character Eunice, she said, "The writers were horrified [by the accent]. They were afraid we would alienate the entire South."
Carol spoke about the funniest cast crack-up of all time, the famous outtake I'd seen over and over in all those Dick Clark's "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" specials: the "Siamese Elephant" story, as performed by Tim Conway in "The Family."
"Of course, I lost it there. He went totally off book," she said of Tim's improvised tangent. "The cameras were shaking."
Since the sketch (which featured guest Dick Van Dyke) has been re-aired over the years, audiences are used to seeing a clip in which Vicki Lawrence's joke is censored. The bleep heard 'round the world has been a personal source of torment for my curiosity, as I'm sure it has to countless others. What line of comedic brilliance did the censors deny us that sent the cast into hysterics?
For her fans at the Festival of Books, Carol gave answer to the plaguing question. In the scene, just as Carol composes herself enough to interrupt Tim's story and continue, Vicki deadpans, "Sure that little asshole's through?" It's television and comedy gold, just like the legacy that Carol Burnett has given pop culture.
"Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story" is on the New York Times best seller list, and our favorite funny lady will reunite with Tim Conway during their guest-starring appearances on "Hot in Cleveland" in an episode airing June 26th. The show will be her first time working with Betty White since their days at CBS. Don't miss it!
You may not recognize Philippe Petit by name alone, but he's an extraordinary man who received mainstream popularity as the subject of 2008's Oscar-winning documentary, Man On Wire. The film chronicles Petit's 1974 illegal high-wire walk across the World Trade Center twin towers.
Philippe has many skills, for he is not solely a famous tight rope walker. That'd be too easy. He's a magician, lecturer, author, and has been the Artist in Residence at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City for over 30 years.
Festival-goers who attended Phillipe's panel in promotion of his newest book "Why Knot?: How to Tie More Than Sixty Ingenious, Useful, Beautiful, Lifesaving, and Secure Knots!" certainly witnessed quite a production by the charismatic, exuberant Frenchman.
Philippe has many skills, for he is not solely a famous tight rope walker. That'd be too easy. He's a magician, lecturer, author, and has been the Artist in Residence at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City for over 30 years.
Festival-goers who attended Phillipe's panel in promotion of his newest book "Why Knot?: How to Tie More Than Sixty Ingenious, Useful, Beautiful, Lifesaving, and Secure Knots!" certainly witnessed quite a production by the charismatic, exuberant Frenchman.
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Philippe loves knots, and well, why knot?
While the rest of us prefer our knots in pretzel form, for Petit, they, in fact, save his life during his risk-taking feats. It's a bit of charming irony that one need be an expert in the art of tying knots in order to also be a master at walking the straight and narrow. More than anything, Philippe exudes the spirit of a poet, a finder of beauty in all of life's detail. For he was once a swinger of branches, explaining in his thick accent, "To escape, I start climbing. Trees, rocks." At 14, he began to test himself without the use of his hands and calls his self-taught abilities "very natural." |
A pose to match: "Why Knot?"
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Ever whimsical, Philippe designed the cover of the book to contain a one-meter-long rope, for practical application while reading, and when the rope is removed, readers will see a "Figure 8" knot in its place, which happens to be Phillipe's favorite knot.
Philippe's lecture was full of humor, and just to prove how much this guy does not play when it comes to his passion for knots - he literally went into the audience, found a woman wearing a scarf, and promptly tied a knot in said scarf.
Just because he felt like it. And because this joke never gets old...why knot? |
More style elements of "Why Knot?" include pages with red margins which indicate "surprises" - so "don't fall asleep," Phillipe urges.
He also lamented the typical "How To" guide, which in his opinion, can involve a great deal of filler material. As Philippe put it, if you've got a book on "How to Dig a Tunnel," he wants to "start digging!" Fittingly then, the first text in "Why Knot?" encourages readers to "Jump right in!" During his presentation, Philippe described a high-wire as "a bridge for one day to walk across the abyss." That familiar colloquialism about a speaker making the phonebook sound eloquent? Well, call me a drunken sailor, because Philippe Petit can tie me up with knot-talk anytime. I mean, look at him, being all adorable and European! Here's a taste of his inspirational wisdom in his parting words to the crowd: |
Of course, you can't see everything the LA Times Festival of Books has to offer, but I certainly enjoyed these three panels and encourage you to check out the authors and their books!
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