The Writer's Life 1/27 - Gamers

Here's something from a blurb in the NY Post that rankled me. Francis Ford Coppola has been a successful filmmaker for decades. He wants to make a video game of his indictment of the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now (1979), and is trying to raise $90,000 from the public at Kickstarter. He claims game publishers won't allow him total freedom on the project. This bothers me on two levels. One: it's hard to believe someone who has known great success can't come up with the money on his own, either through his own accounts or loans from family and/or friends. Two: whether one respects the premises of the film or not, it was a serious work of art. Wouldn't making a game of it, especially one that stresses violence, not ideas, invalidate it? I'm not a gamer. Maybe Coppola's intent is to create a different kind of game, hence the resistance of the publishers. One risks looking like a fool opposing new ideas that at first seem bizarre and eventually prove worthy. Still - asking average Joes for money? He's not getting any from me. I wouldn't ask the public to finance the publication of my books. I will get them into print on my own and buy copies to sell myself..

RIP Mike Connors, 91. Born Krekor llevado Ohanian, of Amenian descent, he had a fantastic eight-year run as P.I. Joe Mannix. IMDb lists 109 credits under his name, which doesn't include multiple appearances on TV shows. He did 194 of Mannix alone. He started out on the big screen in 1952 and was often billed as "Touch" Connors, a nickname he picked up playing college basketball at UCLA under legendary coach John Wooden. He served in the Air Force during WWII. He was married to the same woman since 1949. Here's a quote attributed to him: "If nothing else...just do the right thing." Well done, sir. (Facts from Wiki & IMDb)

The world is full of characters, such as the West Virginian mentioned in another Post blurb. Gambling stake dwindling, he put down a $20 chip to hold his place at a Blackjack table - then drove miles to rob a bank, handing tellers a note that he had a bomb and weapons. He returned to the casino, but was later busted. Even if he came out ahead at the table, he was/is a big loser - but a character.

Since the wind was blowing hard at my usual nook, I took the book shop to an alternate location and got lucky. Fortunately, the sun came out for about 15 minutes, which warmed me up, allowing me to stay long enough for Neil of Della Peppo TV to arrive. He was miffed because a bus driver pulled away from him as he was running and calling out. His loss was my gain, as he bought Five Cents, the first street sale of it. Thank you, sir, and also to Mr. Conspiracy, who bought a book on fighting high blood pressure, which he needed after losing a ten-dollar-bill. Fortunately, he found it on the floor of the nearby liquor shop.

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