In 1993, River Phoenix was working on Dark Blood, an independent film that was supposed to be the underdog surprise of the year. But when Phoenix died three weeks before shooting was supposed to wrap, the project stopped in its tracks. Now, almost 20 years later, the original director and editor are piecing the bits together, and they plan on screening it at the Netherlands Film Festival in September.
River Phoenix’s Final Film
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Curiosities
The Guardian has put together an extensive section called "How to Write" with tips from the pros like Robert Harris, Antonia Fraser, and Catherine Tate on writing fiction, poetry, comedy, screenplays, memoirs, journalism, and books for children.David Foster Wallace links: DFW's Pomona syllabus (via) and "The last days of David Foster Wallace" in Salon (via). Very sad.Adjust your bookmarks. Pinky's Paperhaus has moved (and gotten a new name).Former Millions blogger Patrick Brown got a mention in an LA Times piece about Herman Wouk a couple weeks back.
Ask Zadie Anything
"Fiction is messier. Essay is, for me, an attempt at a kind of clarity. I have a very messy and chaotic mind, but when I’m writing an essay I find I can exert a bit more control over it.” The The Guardian published a Q&A with Zadie Smith with questions from fellow authors, politicians, and fans. Smith's upcoming essay collection, Feel Free, is featured in the first half of our 2018 Great Book Preview.
Why Publishers Matter
A memo leaked from within Hachette Book Group can be read as a publisher's manifesto, or an overview of why publishers and editors are still relevant. Maybe we can incorporate this into Edan's reasons not to self-publish this year.
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Vanity Fair’s Beautiful Game
Vanity Fair's latest cover is proof that we live in an era in which men have the privilege of being just as objectified as women. Nominally a celebration of the 2010 World Cup that kicks off in South Africa in June, the magazine's gay porn-ish cover features soccer superstars Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast and Portugal's Christiano Ronaldo in nothing but their flags, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. Within (oh, my stars & stripes!) you can behold the U.S.'s Landon Donovan, as well as Brazil’s Kaká, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon, England’s Carlton Cole, Germany’s Michael Ballack--all in their undies. Cheers to you, Vanity Fair: Your enterprising shamelessness truly knows no bounds.
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Steve Jobs
60 Minutes aired a great overview of Walter Isaacson's bestselling (yet just released today) Steve Jobs biography. The book was also reviewed by Janet Maslin for The New York Times.