September 16, 2008

The Hills are Alive...

lauren-conrad.jpgThe newest celebrity-turned-author is Lauren Conrad. According to the Associated Press, Conrad will be writing a three-book series called L.A. Candy. The series will be begin being published next summer.

September 11, 2008

270 To Win

270towin.jpgAre you confused about how electoral votes work or how recent political polls will affect the distribution of electoral votes? Look no further than 270towin.com. The site shows interactive maps of electoral votes from past elections and has up-to-the-minute predictions for the current election based on polls. You can look at state data individually, create election simulations, and learn about how exactly the the electoral college works and what would happen in various scenarios. This is my new favorite toy!

September 10, 2008

Cookies?

A little memory from my childhood...

September 5, 2008

The Full Burn

fullburn.JPG This Tuesday, September 9th, Kevin Conley will be speaking here at the Library. Conley is a journalist and author of the new book The Full Burn: On the Set, at the Bar, Behind the Wheel and Over the Edge With Hollywood Stuntmen. In this book, the author follows career stuntmen, including Sean Graham, who did Mark Wahlberg's stunts in "The Italian Job," Jeff Galpin, a wily Cajun who wrangles gators; Mike Kirton, a hard-drinking wild man who's legally died on sets twice; and Debbie Evans, "the Meryl Streep of stunts," who's triumphed over the field's institutional sexism (ref: LA Times). Conley also goes into the history of stunts in Hollywood and how the industry has changed over the years.

He will be speaking and signing books in the McManus room at 7:30PM. Hope to see you there!

September 3, 2008

Saving Superman's House

superman-no1.jpgAuthor Brad Meltzer has spent the last two years researching the life of Superman creator Jerry Spiegel for a new novel. However, when he went to the historic house where Spiegel first came up with Superman, he was shocked: "...[T]he one thing I quickly realized was that this house was in...well...it was in bad shape. The house where Google was created is saved. The farm where Hewlett Packard was founded is preserved. And Richard Nixon’s house is a museum. But the house where Superman — one of the world’s most recognized heroes — was created? It’s a wreck."

So, he started a charity to save Superman's house. The Siegel & Shuster Society is selling tee shirts, auctioning off comic-related items, and taking donations to help save the house and try to make it a historic landmark. If I had the money, I'd be all over these VIP Colbert Report tickets!