Off the cuff

I may write more on one or two of the following items, but for now here are some quickie observations:

The American was a decent, intelligent movie, but you won't be able to enjoy it unless you can roll with the essentially reprehensible nature of George Clooney's hitman character and just enjoy the story.

I recently finished the first season of the old 1950's Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series, on DVD. Of the 39 episodes, the breakdown was pretty even: about a quarter were really good, a quarter perfectly enjoyable, a quarter predictable but watchable, and a quarter tired and dated.

The ebook exclusive, Tied In: The Business, History and Craft of Media Tie-In Writing, displays the best and worst aspects of the ebook revolution: The topic, writers of novels based on movie and television characters they themselves didn't create and don't totally control, is a fascinating one that traditional publishers would have nevertheless likely rejected because of its perceived esoteric nature. However, the coolness of being able to read a book like this on Kindle is somewhat undercut by the numerous typos, dropped words, and other editorial glitches. Didn't someone look at this before it went out? Hell, for a case of beer or two good martinis, I would have proofed the darn thing. Anyway, I'm still enjoying the book otherwise.