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Writing & Publishing

EVENT CANCELLED: Actor/Writer Jon Glaser Discusses Comedy And His Career

Sunday September 17, 2017: 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Downtown Library: 4th Floor Meeting Room

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69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards Winners

by manz

Time to celebrate some television! Last night the winners of the 69th Emmy Awards were announced in an event hosted by Stephen Colbert. The awards recognize excellence within various areas of television and emerging media. Below are some of the top winners in a variety of categories. Keep in mind that some of these shows are not on DVD or Blu-ray just yet, thanks to things like streaming, Netflix, and Hulu.

Outstanding Drama Series – The Handmaid’s Tale

Outstanding Comedy Series – Veep

Outstanding Variety Talk Series – Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

Outstanding Reality-Competition Program – The Voice

Outstanding Limited Series – Big Little Lies

Outstanding TV movie – Black Mirror: San Junipero

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series – Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Animated Program – Bob’s Burgers

Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series – Planet Earth II

For a full list of winners in writing, acting, directing, costumes, make-up, etc. be sure to check the full list here

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we are never meeting in real life: essays

by Nholtzman

Blogger, Samantha Irby, has written a compelling, and wickedly funny book of essays, we are never meeting in real life.

Irby's essays chronicle her life in a contemporary writing style that pays attention to form, but skirts scholarly essay convention, (fine by me, let's read essays that mean something and say it in an interesting way).

She writes about her childhood, her college years, and the years she spends working at a veterinarian office.

Irby has experienced hardships that are often difficult to write about without sounding morose. However, Irby's talent as a comedian and writer is apparent in her candid and hilarious accounts of events like adapting a cat that she, and everyone else, hates.

we are never meeting in real life: essays, has been lauded by authors like Roxane Gay and Lindy West, and has been reviewed by organizations like Kirkus.

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30th Anniversary Films! Hello 1987!

by manz

This summer marks the 30th anniversary of some of your favorite classic films, including such 80s gems as The Lost Boys, Spaceballs, and Dirty Dancing.

In 1987 the hair was still high, as were the waistlines on those acid wash jeans. We were sporting Keds, neon everything, and a little bit of Jane Fonda spandex, as we listened to Whitney Houston, Madonna, and U2. If you really want to go back to 1987, here’s an article with some images that will get you back to the people, places, and events that defined that time.

But onto the films…
In June we were graced with the oddball sci-fi comedy Spaceballs, starring John Candy, Rick Moranis, and Bill Pullman. The film spoofs sci-fi classics like Star Wars and Star Trek. It takes place in a galaxy far away and features a dark lord, a princess, a half-man/half-dog, a rescue mission, and plenty of laughs.

In June we got darker and were raided by vampires in The Lost Boys. In the horror-comedy two brothers move to a new town in California with their single mom and soon encounter vampires. With young Sam and his new friends leading the way, they have to escape the vampires and stay alive. The film stars Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman (THE COREYS!), and Dianne Wiest, in a most glorious display of brooding 80s music and fashion. Any film with Kiefer as a bad guy is good by me!

Last but not least, in August of 1987 things got dirty, thanks to Patrick Swayze and Dirty Dancing. "Baby" spends the summer in the Catskills at a resort with her parents, where she soon meets and falls for a dance instructor. It’s a campy romantic comedy featuring an iconic dance scene, and Patrick Swayze doing his thing. Also starring Jennifer Gray.

And there we go -- three of many that came out in 1987. Which one do you gravitate to the most? For me it’s definitely The Lost Boys.

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New from David Sedaris

by potterbee

Theft by Finding: Diaries: Volume One is the newest publication from best selling author and humorist David Sedaris.

For nearly four decades, David Sedaris has faithfully kept a diary in which he records his thoughts and observations on the odd and funny events he witnesses. This is the source material for the remarkable essays which have delighted fans for many years. Often read from at live shows, fans have been waiting for a chance to read more of the diaries, which developed into a collection of major turning points in Sedaris' life.

Sedaris came to prominence in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "SantaLand Diaries." He published his first collection of essays and short stories, , in 1994. Each of his subsequent essay collections became New York Times Best Sellers. Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air on NPR, featured an interview yesterday to discuss the challenges of publishing his diaries directly, without crafting them into a humorous tale.

"Sedaris is caustically witty about his bad habits and artistic floundering. Even when he cleans up his act, falls in love, and achieves raving success, Sedaris remains self-deprecating and focused on the bizarre and the disquieting. A candid, socially incisive, and sharply amusing chronicle of the evolution of an arresting comedic artist." - Booklist starred review

Reserve your copy today and peruse the collection to enjoy his other books and recordings!

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Throwback Thursday: Annie Hall Turns 40

by manz

Annie Hall was released in April 1977 and seems to be a favorite Woody Allen film for many. I’m not a huge Allen fan and find most of his films annoying, but I enjoyed this funny, awkward, witty, and utterly charming romantic comedy.

The film spans the rise and fall of the relationship between Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). The film is full of the usual onslaught of Allenesque conversations and observations, but it’s the 70s and there are iconic New York film locations and high fashion to be noticed.

In 1978 the film won four of the five Academy Awards it was nominated for, including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay.

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Raising Arizona Turns 30

by manz

The year was 1987. The hair was big, the jeans were pegged, and MTV was blaring on the tube. It’s also the year we were blessed with the presence of Herbert I. McDunnough, AKA H.I., AKA Hi, in Raising Arizona.

Released in March of that year to mixed reviews, the comedy film is now a cult classic and a must-see of the Coen Brothers’ works. I’ll admit that when I first watched it in the mid-nineties I wasn’t into it. But once I got more into eclectic films and delved into the creative, mind-bending films of the Coens, I saw the film in a different light.

Ex-con Hi and his police officer wife Ed (portrayed by Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter in early lead roles) want a baby and cannot have children. With the help of his freshly broken out of jail pals, Hi kidnaps one of the famous “Arizona Quints,” as he feels that family has more babies than they can handle. The task is not simple and the film delves in and out of dream sequences, bounty hunter chases, and some fabulous dialog among the misfit characters on madcap adventures. If you can hang with offbeat comedy it’s a pure and crazy delight.

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TV Spotlight: Grace and Frankie

by manz

In the television comedy Grace and Frankie… Grace and Frankie’s husbands are friends and coworkers. While the two couples are out to dinner one night the men drop the bombshell that they have fallen in love with each other and are leaving their wives. The two women could not be more different than each other. But now, both being older, newly single, and living in close quarters they have to put up with each other, their ex-husbands, and the four grown children they have between them. They learn that they rely on each other more than they ever thought they would. Seasons 1 and 2 follow the daily lives of the four of them, portrayed by Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston. It’s a funny show!

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TV Spotlight: Master of None

by manz

The critically acclaimed Master of None is a brilliant comedy that follows the personal and professional life of 30 year old Dev Shah as he navigates his way through life in New York City. Aziz Ansari, best known for playing Tom Haverford on Park & Recreation, is charming and hilarious as Dev.

He is a struggling actor bouncing from commercial to commercial in between bad dates at good restaurants, and having coffee with his best friends. The show relies heavily on witty dialog and I was delighted to have enjoyed it so much. The show also features Ansari’s real parents as his parents, as well as Eric Wareheim and H. Jon Benjamin.

The 2015 Netflix show was renewed for a season 2 which is set to air later this year.

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Know what I mean, Vern?

by manz

If you’re looking for ridiculous 80s movies, look no further. An added bonus is a fun Christmas movie to watch, and they are kid-friendly.

Meet Ernest P. Worrell, portrayed by the late Jim Varney. With his kind heart, good cheer, and naiveté, Ernest is always getting himself into pretty big pickles while trying to save the day. There are several films that highlight his slap-stick shenanigans, including Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Ernest Goes to Jail (1990), and Ernest Scared Stupid (1991). "Camp" and "Christmas" are the two winners that sure need to spend some time in your VCR… I mean DVD player.