Feldman's Faves: July 15, 2024
- Jon Feldman
- Jul 15, 2024
- 5 min read
GOOD MORNING EVERYONE
First and foremost, I want to take this opportunity to welcome Mel back to Goodmans and to our section. I know I speak for everyone when I say, we are so very happy to have you back.
One of the first deals I ever worked on at Goodmans was working for Steve when Conrad Black tried to take Hollinger private for which many books should be written. I found it really interesting that the House of Lords revoked his status last week, not because of any of his criminal activity but because he failed to show up to vote, pretty much ever. Oh well, I’m sure he will be fine.
Apologies for being so late on this but please join me in congratulating Aryan on his wedding from a few weeks ago. Very exciting times.
Finally, I want to wish our good friend Brenda, a very happy birthday (who celebrated over the weekend).
This week’s theme is summer entertainment.
ERUPTION By: Michael Crichton and James Patterson – I remember taking the subway to work in the 1990s and pretty much everyone was reading the latest John Grisham book (e.g., The Firm, The Pelican Brief, etc.) or Michael Crichton book (e.g., Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, etc. –he also created ER). Both Grisham and Crichton had enormous success as authors of “pulp fiction” and of course of turning their books into blockbuster films. When news broke that James Patterson (prolific in his own right and as a collaborator with many high profile people, such as Bill Clinton) was picking up an unfinished manuscript of Michael Crichton the literary world (and of course, Hollywood got very excited). The idea of having one more crack at Crichton’s imagination with some smoothing out by Patterson guaranteed that Eruption would be the “beach read” of the summer – and it is. I won’t ruin the plot but needless to say it involves the eruption of a volcano with lava heading in a very dangerous direction that needs to be stopped or the world will end. Pretty basic stuff…..I liked this book but didn’t love it. It is entertaining and a very quick read but I have to admit I was hoping for a little more depth (even for what this is). As one reviewer notes, “Eruption is summer reading at its finest—a lava-surfing, ground-pounding thriller that will have you racing through the pages to find out who—if anyone—will survive.” On Hawaii’s Big Island, the monster volcano known as Mauna Loa is about to blow, and Dr. John “Mac” MacGregor, head of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, may be the only one with the courage and experience to prevent a disaster of epic proportions. However, when he discovers that the United States Army made the unwise decision several years ago to store toxic waste in a secret facility located directly in the path of the anticipated lava flow, Mac knows that all bets are off, and it’s going to take a plan like no other to account for this additional peril that could literally result in worldwide destruction. But all he can think of is Mike Tyson’s famous quote: “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Eruption is the result of a collaboration between two masters of the thriller genre: the late Michael Crichton and the powerhouse of popular fiction, James Patterson. As Sherri Crichton explains in “A Bit of Backstory” at the end of the novel, when Crichton’s papers were being archived, she held back the manuscript and research material for her late husbands “volcano project” to find an ideal author to complete the work. While another unpublished manuscript she’d also found in his files, Dragon Teeth, was finished and able to be published posthumously in 2017 without further writing, Eruption needed work—and Patterson was just the person for the job. The result is something of a hybrid. It’s an adventure thriller along the lines of Clive Cussler, an epidemic thriller reminiscent of Andromeda Strain, and a disaster thriller that attempts to take classic Crichton stories such as Twister to another level. Mac is a great protagonist—fearless and intelligent, just the way we like them in our thrillers. As his sidekick Jenny points out: “My guy here is a fireman at heart . . . When others are running out of the building, he’s running in.” The other characters around him, however, are less interesting and not as well developed. The introduction of Oliver and Leah Cutler as antagonists, for example, falls a little short of expectations, and they end up in a flat, stereotypical role similar to that of Dr. Jonas Miller and his crew of pretentious showboating tornado chasers in Twister. Patterson could have done more with them than simply pose them as foils to Mac’s serious-minded professionalism. Just the same, the plot moves us along swiftly, as one would expect from two master storytellers, and the action keeps us fully engaged throughout. The destruction wrought by the lava flow comes through in the best tradition of the disaster thriller as the power of the volcano is vividly portrayed:“ In the distance Mac saw a sunrise-bright glow from the summit. “The fireball outlined against the sky grew bigger, and then another violent quake shook Mauna Kea, upending one of the trucks; the men inside managed to dive out before the truck crashed to the ground and rolled over.” And: “The first lava appeared in crashing waves that seemed to flow in all directions—to the north and east, as Mac had expected, but to the south as well. “Mac had witnessed multiple volcanic eruptions, sometimes at very close range, all over the world. He had imagined this particular moment for this volcano, had obsessed about it, had told himself he was prepared. “He was not.’” There are few guarantees in life but one I think I can make one more today – Eruption will become a movie. I hope its better than the book itself…..Here’s a good review from The Washington Post - ‘Eruption’ by Michael Crichton and James Patterson book review - The Washington Post
Freakonomics Radio - How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway – Not since Hamilton, has a show on Broadway received so much buzz. But Tony award winning play, Stereophonic is getting rave reviews, sold out audiences and is becoming the cultural event of the moment (don’t worry, Swifties….this is not even close). This three hour epic takes place in a recording studio in the 1970s with a band (whose name is not entirely clear) is on the cusp of becoming rock legends. The dynamic in the studio is loosely based on Fleetwood Mac with all of the talent, drama and yelling and screaming one associates with that band’s “creative process”. I haven’t seen this play yet but it is certainly on my bucket list. For the moment I am sharing a two part series that describes the process of getting a play on to Broadway and how difficult it is to succeed but when the stars align and a hit emerges it is life changing for everyone involved both on and off the stage. Here is an excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “Hit by Covid, runaway costs, and a zillion streams of competition, serious theater is in serious trouble. A new hit play called "Stereophonic" — the most Tony-nominated play in history — has something to say about that. We speak with the people who make it happen every night.”
Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.
Jon
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