Ed Lynskey's Blog: Cracked Rearview Mirror - Posts Tagged "facebook"

If you're like me, you're still fairly new at this little thing called "social media." You know: Blogs, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Librarything, Myspace (?), Google X, etc. I'm trying to learn the ins and outs, doing this and doing that. I'm seeing what works (5%) and what doesn't (95%).

Anyway, I'm keeping close tabs on my social media work because it can be a time hog if I let it. It's easy to spend an hour writing a blog entry. Do you know how challenging it is to come up with fresh content? Or I'm lured off to use Twitter and that eats up another hour.

So, time management is essential. Since I write novels, most of my productive day goes into that endeavor. That means I fit social media around my writing, not vice-versa. Or at least that's how I've got it figured out right now. Who knows? Next week may have me realigning my schedule.

Happy reading to you and yours!

By Ed Lynskey
Twitter: @edlynskey
Author of Lake Charles
"Satisfying."
The Rap Sheet/Kirkus Reviews

I find some comedians to be funny, even if their brand of comedy often is silly, crude, or juvenile. In no particular order, I'll give my list of funny guys and gals who can get a laugh out of me.

Who are some of your favorite comedians?

#1. Larry the Cable Guy. I'm not that crazy about his movies or the History Channel series he hosts.

#2. Steve Harvey. Some of his marriage bits are uproarious.

#3. Chris Rock. Some of his live stand up gets me chuckling.

#4. George Carlin. I liked the late comedian when I was younger, so he gets my nostalgic vote.

#5. Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine Benes was a classic.

#6. Candace Bergen. Murphy Brown was fun to watch.

#7. Roseanne Barr. I was a fan of her comedy series ROSEANNE. The blue collar setting felt real to me.

#8. Cheech & Chong. Again, a nostalgic vote. I don't know if I'd find them as humorous now.

#9. John Belushi. Another nostalgic vote.

#10. Steve Carroll. I like him on THE OFFICE, but I believe it's because he works well with the other show stars.

Honorable mentions: Lucille Ball, Redd Foxx, Dick Van Dyke, and Bob Newhart.

Like almost everybody out there, I've had a Facebook account for a few years now. I generally post my tweets and links to my blog posts on it. There are photos of my book covers and a few of me. But as my friends count reaches the 5,000 mark, I'm in danger of maxing out on my friends, and I won't be able to add any new friends.

In order to get around the 5,000 limit, Facebook came up with the "fan" page. Or that's my understanding. So, I've done some upgrades (new photos at the header, etc.) to my fan page and begun migrating there with my Facebook activities. My plan is to deactivate my Facebook profile page account at some point down the line.

If you have a second, come see my fan page. It can be found at this link: http://is.gd/OAohco. Clicking on the "Like" button and/or "Friend" button would be a big help to me and greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

This entertaining while far-fetched 1946 film noir runs 68 minutes. Here, in this frame, we meet the two femme fatales. On the left, scientist Nora Goodrich (Brenda Marshall) is given the evil eye by her assistant Arline Cole (Hillary Brooke). Both women have romantic designs on Dr. Steven Lindstrom (William Gargan) who is a soft-spoken, clueless gentleman scientist. (Sorry about the scrunched up frame.)

I won't go into the plot except to say there's murder, deceit, disfigurement, and plastic surgery. A neat twist is dropped in at the end. The movie doesn't lag except the love scenes get a little syrupy. The camera work has the right noirish sepia. The solid Anthony Mann is the director. He later directed THE NAKED SPUR, one of my favorite Westerns. Look for Lyle Talbot as the police inspector close to the end. He went on to star in three Ed Wood movies. I give STRANGE IMPERSONATIONS 7/10 stars. Leonard Maltin awards it 3/4 stars.

The UCLA Film Restoration Project has created a crisp print for viewers. There's a legal version on YouTube at this link, if you can stand the irritating ads popping up every ten minutes. http://is.gd/JqQ6bb

(Photo credit:

Simple answer: beats me. But it just does. Right now I'm printing out my novel-in-progress to review it as black ink applied to white paper. There may come a day when there is no difference, but after reading millions of words on the printed page before digital ever hit the scene, the difference remains there, for me at least. One of the little but important things I pick up on are the typos (not that I can catch them all) that jump out at me. Printing out a manuscript is expensive.

The toner ink alone is enough to break the bank. I saw an author who'd gotten a 100 grand advance (this was on a Booknotes interview) say he thought twice before printing out his long manuscript. I usually end up doing it 2-3 times for each project I do before its in the finished stage. Plus I like having an ink pen in hand to bear down and mark the corrections I want to make. I can't get that physical force done on a digital device.

This manuscript runs 261 pages double-spaced in 12-point type which rounds off to 66K words. That length is on par for most of my novels. So, I better get cracking on the proofreading. When the manuscript reaches the reading public, I'll be sure to let you know. Until then, thanks for checking out my blog and happy reading.

Since I was a kid, I've always wanted to watch the 1939 epic movie STAGECOACH, John Ford its famed director. It stars a young John Wayne as The Ringo Kid and Claire Trevor as Dallas. So, I took an evening and gave STAGECOACH a look and came away impressed enough to recommend it. It's been put in the U.S. National Film Registry, so I'm on solid ground here.

The characters are well-drawn. Andy Devine as Buck the stage driver provides the comic relief while Thomas Mitchell as the drunken Doc Boone (he won an Academy Award) also provides some humor. Claire Trevor is the crusty prostitute with the heart of gold, and the Duke is her love interest. A rail-thin John Carradine is the Southern gentleman-gambler.

A few things bugged me. A double-barrel shotgun blast doesn't kill at a long range. One detail meant as a surprise has very little set up. I can't divulge it without giving a spoiler, so I won't. On the other hand, I liked Trevor's gutsy performance she'd use again in her film noirs, and Carradine would go on to star in some quality horror films. The Monument Valley used to shoot the film gives it a rugged and picturesque setting.

STAGECOACH can be viewed online here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRiiG_...

If you're of a certain vintage, you might remember singer/songwriter Harry Chapin. You can read the Wikipedia version of his biography here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Ch...

But this blog post isn't about his life, just a young fan's (at the time) appreciation of his music. I don't remember buying any of his records since students aren't the richest folks. He died in 1981 from a tragic car crash. Where does the time go?

Anyways, after all these years, I can still listen to his big hit "Taxi" multiple times, and still love the bittersweet romance ballad just as much if not more. It just gets you deep in the gut. I like to put it on while I'm writing my fiction to cast a certain pensive mood or atmosphere. You can listen and see a decent rendition of "Taxi" here on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5dwks... Harry looks as if he's mellow and content, doesn't he?

His other popular songs "W*O*L*D," and the No. 1 hit "Cat's in the Cradle" are good, too, but "Taxi" is the first song I ever heard Mr. Chapin do (on FM radio), so that's the one I most closely associate him. His songs live on.

Thanks, Harry. "It was raining in Frisco..."

Today as I was out walking my two-miler in the raw, cold rain, I happened to think about those different things I've found myself missing. So, when I got back to house and fixed me a hot cup of tea, I decided to sit down and blog about the things I've missed. You might find something there or have something of your own to add.

1. Drive-in theaters. If you're lucky, you still have them on in your area. I've driven by them in different places, so they do still exist. Our old one is now a big box store.

2. Whip-poor-wills. I haven't heard one in a long time.

3. NYPD BLUE. Petty much ended my viewing the big three networks after it went off the air.

4. Wayside picnic areas. These bit the dust ages ago. Gas used to be cheap. Still miss them.

5. Borders bookstores. Yeah, I know it wasn't the best, but it was close, and I liked hanging out there. It's a golf store now, I believe.

6. Seeing the Milky Way & meteor showers. Too much city light pollution wipes my viewing them.

7. Full-service gas stations. I never used them, but I liked seeing them give somebody a job.

I swear Robert Mitchum was born to star in first-rate film noirs, or at least the ones that I get a big kick out of watching. This 1952 forgotten gem stars him and Jean Simmons as the femme fatale. Otto Preminger directed it, all filmed on locale in Beverly Hills. I won't rehash the pretty straightforward plot except to say Mitchum plays the poor boy, and Simmons is the rich pixie. The class distinction is a nice touch to the plot. Of course, almost from the get-go she has designs on him when he first shows up at her wealthy stepmother's mansion as an ambulance driver. Mitchum plays something of a sap, but he's also a war vet who has been around the block. I had difficulty hearing Jean Simmons, a soft-spoken actress, saying her lines at times, but she does a fabulous job in her role. Look for Jim Backus of Mr. Magoo and Gilligan's Island fame as the fiesty D.A. Imdb.com rates Angel Face as 7.3/10, but I'd go even further and give it 8.5/10. Check out Angel Face if you like gritty but well-plotted film noirs.

That's Anne Sheridan starring in the 1950 film noir WOMAN ON THE RUN, a shortie that runs only 77 minutes. Dennis O'Keefe also stars. I liked viewing it. Basically, Anne is married to Frank Johnson (the name of my P.I. series character!) who goes on the lam after witnessing a gangland slaying of the cops' top jury witness. O'Keefe plays a crusty newspaper reporter who tags along with Anne in search of her husband in San Francisco for an exclusive on the story. Lots of picturesque locale is shot of the Fisherman's Wharf, Telegraph Hill, and other SF landmarks from 1950. We're told at one point that Anne has red hair, good to know since this is a black-and-white picture. Plus, how can you not like a film with the cute mutt named Rembrandt? The dialogue is snappy, the plot serviceable. The climax shot in an amusement park is quite watchable. Anne, pretty and cynical, says she doesn't care about her husband's welfare, but she still tries to track him down. She's another of those better actresses than she ever got credit for in Hollywood.
IMDb.com rates WOMAN ON THE RUN as 7.2/10, and I'd go along with that mark. Both O'Keefe and Sheridan who light up in the movie were chronic smokers and died prematurely. You can view the entire film from this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddHZ_G...