Dispatch From BEA: Witches, Barnacle Penises Highlight the Year's Buzz Books

Adventures in kerning.Courtesy of Morrow; Holt; Little, Brown.

New York's Boris Kachka reports from Book Expo America, the book industry's largest get-together, which runs this weekend in Los Angeles.

Maybe it was the early hour — eight in the morning — but today's BEA "Buzz Panel," the annual ritual whereby six editors try to manufacture excitement for their very special galleys, was astoundingly brisk and efficient. Unlike last year, there were no video presentations or long, teary effusions. Forty minutes after Publishers Weekly's editor-in-chief, Sara Nelson, introduced the editors, the whole thing was over. This is entirely thanks to Nelson, who peppered the editors with questions actually relevant to the booksellers ("What's the writer's backstory?" "Who's the audience for this book?") and interjected her own buzzy testimony ("I've met Kira Salak," Nelson said of the travel writer whose first novel, The White Mary, is out this fall, "and she is an incredible storyteller.") You get the feeling she could have done this on her own.



Buzzed books (only one per editor this year) seemed more or less split between kooky dysfunctional families and, well, witches. Witches are huge. Kathleen Kent's The Heretic's Daughter and The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry (you can call her Sandy), both feature them. And though Nelson insisted "they couldn't be more different," they are both set in Salem, and the latter comes with a built-in publicity tour pushing Barry as Salem's answer to Savannah's John Berendt. (One reason for the glut of witches? Barnes and Noble's lead fiction buyer, Sessalee Hensley, likes Salem, we heard publishing employees gossip on the floor later.) Richard Nash, who helms Soft Skull Press, led with something we've all been waiting for — essentially a book version of Little Miss Sunshine called The Flying Troutmans, right down to "three crazy people traveling in a van." Nelson had the last word: "Edgy enough for twentysomethings, and not so super-cool that older readers wouldn't like it."

Most of the digressing was left to Harmony editor John Glusman, owing to the fact that what he's selling, The Book of Animal Ignorance, is basically one long digression, a smart bathroom read from Aardvark to Worm. Based on a BBC quiz show, it features such delightful factoids as the animal with the largest penis: the lowly barnacle (it can be seven times as long as its body). And even then, Nelson cut right to the heart of the matter. "Are there pictures?" she asked. "Yes," Glusman replied, "which is important to me, because I don't like to read." —Boris Kachka

Footloose - Bacon Returns To Stage With Family Concert

FOOTLOOSE star KEVIN BACON will return to his musical roots when he performs at a New York concert with his brother on Tuesday (20May08).

Bacon, 49, formed his folk band The Bacon Brothers Duo with older brother Michael in 1995.

The pair is set to headline The Queens Theatre in the Park Gala with a 70-minute set that will raise funds for local performing arts programmes.

But the actor - who shares two children with his wife of 20 years, actress Kyra Sedgwick - admits he's anxious to take the stage, insisting even his own family is reluctant to attend his performances.

He says, "I always say the biggest surprise for people is that we don't totally suck. And we don't expect anyone to like it or to give us a pass based on the fact that there's an actor or a celebrity in the band. We just want people to put on an even playing field and to have fun.

"It's like pulling teeth to get (my family) to come. My kids, love me as they do, they usually have something they're more interested in doing other (things) than coming to our show."

The Bacon brothers have released four studio albums in the 13 years since their debut.

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Tennant says he's still Doctor Who

Tennant says he's still Doctor Who

'Doctor Who' star St. David Tennant has denied speculation that he is planning to quit the hit BBC series next twelvemonth.
Speech production at the premiere of the Dec 25 special 'Doctor World Health Organization: Voyage of the Damned', Tennant said the rumours were "a encumbrance of old nonsense".
He said: "Catherine the Great Allen Tate [co-star] stitched me up good and proper. She goes on Jonathan Sir Ronald Ross and makes up a loading of old nonsensicality. Unbeknown to me, she thinks I've made a decision - she'd intelligibly had also much java that dawn."
He continued: "She said I was departure, which was a decision I haven't made nevertheless. Peradventure she's made it for me, just I'm leaving to maintain masses guess for as long as possible."
Tennant concluded: "I'm doing foursome to a greater extent specials and beyond that no one's asked me to make any decisions and I'm quite happy to be enigmatic for as long as possible."
'Doctor World Health Organization: Voyage of the Damned' airs on BBC Unity on Christmas Day and co-stars Kiley Minogue.




Walter Kraft

Underwood pulls out of Dancing on Ice

Underwood pulls out of Dancing on Ice

'GMTV' presenter Michael Underwood has been forced to pull out of 'Dancing on Ice' later breakage his ankle joint.
The tV bestower was learning his fresh procedure for the next live show when he fell awkwardly on his ankle.
According to the show's official website, Underbrush was rushed to hospital by ambulance, with X-rays later showing that he had suffered a wear out.
Speech production on 'GMTV' he said: "I'd care to say that I was attempting roughly amazing triad axel or something, simply I was just trying to stopover."
A 'Dancing on Ice' interpreter said: "Afterward breaking his articulatio talocruralis last night, Michael Underbrush toilet no thirster compete in 'Dancing on Ice'."
"The unit team ar sad to interpret Michael leave the competition in this way and wish him a speedy recovery."

Mischa Barton arrested in Hollywood

Mischa Barton arrested in Hollywood

Actress Mischa Barton was arrested and briefly jailed on Th on suspicion of drunken driving, cannabis sativa possession and driving without a permit.
The 21-year-old star was pulled over spell driving in West Hollywood at around 3am.
Law said the actress' vehicle was straddling 2 lanes of traffic and that she failed to signal when making a turn.
The official police statement said: "During Ms Barton's detention, it was determined that she was an unlicensed driver and was driving piece under the influence of an souse beverage."
Serjeant Whoremonger Hocking said that Barton was besides suspected to be in self-possession of marijuana and an unidentified controlled substance.
Barton spent a few hours in poky before existence released on $10,000 bail; a court hearing has been scheduled for 28 February.
Barton's new film, 'Closing the Ring', opens in Irish people cinemas on Fri 28 Dec.

McCartney enjoying break with new gal Nancy

McCartney enjoying break with new gal Nancy

London (ANI): It looks like Sir Paul McCartney has put his painful divorce court battle behind him, for the legendary singer is enjoying his Caribbean break with his millionairess companion to the fullest. The 65-year-old ex-Beatle has found love in the arms of heiress Nancy Shevell.

The couple who have been staying at a 6,000 pounds-a-night villa in a private resort astonished holidaymakers by sailing a dinghy to a public beach, where they sat on sunloungers laughing and holding hands. Everyone could see they only had eyes for each other. They seemed so happy and relaxed like they;d been together years, The Sun quoted an onlooker, as saying.




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Lillian Axe

Rob Lowe Files Lawsuit Against Former Nanny, Chef

Rob Lowe Files Lawsuit Against Former Nanny, Chef

Rob Lowe, wHO on Mon morning accused a former