Crime Expert BURL BARER. Edgar Award Winner and NYT Bestselling Author

Mr. Monk's BBQ Biographer: LEE GOLDBERG PROVES HIS GENES

My nephew,Lee Goldberg, just returned to L.A. from one of America's most important, rewarding and amusing cultural events, the International Mystery Writers Festival  in Owensboro, Kentucky. Lee, true to his gene pool, is a world famous author (the MONK books), television producer/screenwriter (too many to mention), and rather messy eater.  Here is Lee validating characteristic #3:
 

Notice how Lee managed to get BBQ sauce all over his face? This isn't easy when raised to eat with tidiness and decorum.

For full details of Lee's adventures, visit his blog, A WRITER'S LIFE.
Of course, you MUST get his latest MONK book while you're at it.

The Miss Jewish American Princess Pageant

The Miss Jewish American Princess Pageant is a laugh filled romp that played to a packed house -- standing room only -- at the Acme Comedy Theater Thursday night in Los Angeles. A "staged reading" of a delightful screenplay penned by Paul Ryan, and joyously performed by a cast comprised of instantly recognized character actors and gloriously talented new-comers, this could be a charming and profitable PG-13 movie either for a  cable network or art house theaters+ DVD.
It is a character driven one-liner packed comedy that gets its laughs from "realism pushed to the edge of caricature" -- lovingly satirical and never mean spirited.  A "debriefing" of the audience following the show confirmed that it was equally pleasing to 14 year olds and senior citizens.

If this is indeed transformed into a motion picture, I hope they retain the original cast. Sure, there are opportunities for appearances by bigger names as the pageant judges or as the anticipated celebrities expected to appear at the event, but the essential roles were so well cast, it would be criminal to replace any of the folks we saw on stage Thursday night.
There is a rumor that due to the fantastic response to the production, and the standing room only house, Acme may offer The Miss Jewish American Princess Pageant as an ongoing performance on Sunday evenings. This rumor is unconfirmed, but if it IS confirmed, don't miss an opportunity to enjoy this charming and amusing night at the theater.

For more information, contact Paul Ryan.