Michael's Musings

October 21, 2013

This coming Thursday and Friday, I will be at the Austin Film Festival, heading 2 Roundtable discussion groups, and I will also journeying over to UT to participate in a panel for students on "pitching" your story.

I do enjoy doing the film festival every year.  This is the 3rd time I've been there.

Next month is also busy.  I will be speaking to the Austin Network Mixer on November 13th, then on the weekend before Thanksgiving, I will be at the Wizard World Comic Con.  Hopefully, I will sell a lot of books there.

I'm still waiting for the typist to send me the MS Word file so I can finish my Dinah Shore book, so in the meantime I've started researching another subject for a one-woman play in THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS collection.  Interestingly, this subject is a bit different from the past subjects of this series, because I knew her.

Now, you can have fun guessing who that person might be.

This week, I will be uploading two new reviews to the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link in the Introduction section of this page.  THE UNINVITED is a classic haunted house movie starring Ray Milland, and also uploaded is the 2nd and final season of MAGIC CITY, which is much better than the first season.

You have a creative week.

Michael

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October 14, 2013

I'm sort of in a limbo period right now. 

I've approved the final audio version of CLARA BOW, which should be available for download in 2-3 weeks.  My new book, LIFE LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HOLLYWOOD is out and about, the audio version of HAIL ON THE CHIEF! will be recording in Boston shortly (sans my presence) and now I'm between projects.

Actually, I know what the next project will be (i.e. my Dinah Shore biography), but there is not much I can do with it until the typist who is transferring my manuscript into a MS Word document sends me the file.  Hopefully, that will be soon.

In the meantime, I'm preparing to do the Austin Film Festival next week; a speaking engagement for the the Austin Network Mixer in mid-November and an appearance at the Austin Wizard World Comic Con the weekend before Thanksgiving.  So, it's not that I'm not busy.

I'm also pondering the idea of doing a couple more one-person plays for THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS collection, but they will come later.

One annoyance that I've been dealing with this past week is that all the lights in my office ceiling fan blew, so doing any work at night has been difficult.  The situation will, hopefully, be corrected by Tuesday of this week.

There's a new review of I MARRIED A WITCH with Fredric March and Veronica Lake posted on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link in the Introduction section of this page, so please take a look.

You have a creative week.

Michael

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October 7, 2013

I have had it with UPS.

My copies of the new book, LIFE, LIBERTY & THE PURSUIT OF HOLLYWOOD were supposed to be delivered to me on Friday...but the driver forgot to put the box onto his truck.

[UPDATE: The books were just delivered...to my home.  I guess, since they were sent "Next Day Air," they didn't want to have to refund the shipping charge if they'd waited until Monday.]

This is not the first time I've had problems with this company.  Indeed, when my wife had her business, she had constant issues with them.

My biggest battle with UPS came about when I was in the check cashing business back in Los Angeles.  I verified, then cashed a company check for one of their employees, after which UPS stopped payment on it.  Apparently, the check had been issued in error.

Under California law, UPS could not do that.  As the innocent "holder in due course," I had the right to sue both UPS and the employee who cashed the check.  UPS refused to take responsibility for the matter, even though if they had lost...which they would have...I could have collected directly from them.  However, they put everything onto the employee.  He had to make the matter good or, I assume, he would have lost his job.  His manager came to court with him and, as I recall, he personally loaned him the money to repay me. 

I felt sorry for the guy because, as I saw it, he made an honest mistake and UPS was taking no responsibility for their error.

I try to avoid using UPS whenever possible.

This week, I will probably approve the audio of CLARA BOW, which means it should be available for download by the first part of November.  There's just one or two little tweaks I want to make with the sound effects, then it will be good to go.

You have a creative week.

Michael

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