It's All About...

Real food in tv, blogs and books.

I like real food -- the items along the edges of the grocery store, the stuff my great-great grandma might've had in her pantry, the dishes with ingredients I recognize and pronounce with ease.

I like bad-for-me things, too -- say, just about anything in the cookie aisle.

But it's easier to enjoy the real, the local, the nature's candy kinda foods now that it's gaining a following.

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma , will be on Kentucky Authors Forum on KET. The forum was taped at University of Louisville on Jan. 11, but you can watch it again at 10 a.m. and noon Feb. 17 on KETKY, the new Kentucky-focused digital station or 10 a.m. and noon March 23 on KETKY.

I like his take on things, the very simple and clear advice gracing the cover of his latest, In Defense of Food: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. (Also, I'd like to point out that I'm 40th in line to borrow the book from the Lexington Public Library. Apparently other people like it, too.)

Similarly, I'm smitten by the New York Times new Bitten blog, by cookbook author and Minimalist columnist Mark Bittman. In cooking and baking, I am daunted enough by long ingredient lists and many-step processes to give up and flip to another page. Happy to eat the complicated creations of others, but in my own kitchen, it needs to be simple, clear and preferably healthy.

The man posted a recipe for winter squash in coconut milk, for heaven's sake. ::groan::

It's 12:08 p.m. Lunch time for me. I swear, just making this post is like walking past a bakery on an empty stomach...

I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski.

Will Russell and Scott Shuffitt, they're just a couple of regular guys, regular dudes, if you will. They really dug this movie, The Big Lebowski, and when they realized how many other people dug the 1998 Coen Brothers classic, they thought they'd have a little party at a bowling alley, about 20 friends, a couple games of bowling, a few white Russians, maybe some movie-inspired costumes. Then a couple hundred people showed up to the Louisville alley, and a rumble in this little world of pain turned into a roar: Lebowski Fest.

That was 2002. The movie had already bombed in theaters and stirred few critics, but developed a Star Trek-ish cult following that enjoys quoting dialogue and grooming Pomeranians. Russell and Shuffitt, now 31 and 35 respectively, founded a festival where all the high-achieving Lebowski fans could come together. "They all said 'I thought I was the only one," Shuffitt recalls.

The Louisville festival now draws 2,000 to 4,000 achievers for a few days every year, and proud we are of all of them. The Fest founders have taken it on the road, to Las Vegas, Seattle, Austin, New York and this summer, the United Kingdom. (Just imagine "You want a toe? I can get you a toe, believe me" in a Scottish brogue.) Lebowski Fest L.A. will be Oct. 12-13.

This month, those dudes, along with pals Bill Green and Brian Peskoe, released the definitive movie fan guide, I'm A Lebowski, You're A Lebowski (Bloomsbury, $16.95) some three years after a literary agent suggested they write it. The book includes interviews with some of the actors and real-life inspirations for the characters, plus a forward by The Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, and his photos from the movie set, images of festival posters, profiles of fans and a map to ATMs around Pasadena. Some of their favorite parts are graphic explanations of how to Dude-ify your home, car, life and what have you. From Lebowski Fest HQ, where there is, in fact, a red Oriental-style rug that really ties the room together, the founding dudes abided and explained.

Question: Have you gotten tired of the movie yet?
Russell: It blows my mind that I haven't gotten tired of it. I've probably seen it 100 times. It's such a  rewatchable movie. It just fills me with joy. I know what's coming next, but it's not about that. We started this thing on a lark. We didn't intend to do it again. Every week, something amazing happens. When it slows, something else will happen, like 'Did I really try on Jeff Bridges' jelly slipper?'
Shuffitt: The book, it ended up being was like a three-year school project. It wasn't like "Oh! Let's write a book," it was "Oooh, let's go get this book written." I'm very proud of the final product.

Emmys, Lebowski and the Lexington Philharmonic.

Well, today has turned into quite a busy day with very little time to blog. Let me tempt you into coming back by pointing out that I'll be blogging the Emmys on Sunday night -- yes, on my couch, very likely in my pajamas. Watch with me!

Also, I'll be posting an interview this weekend with the creators of Lebowski Fest and authors of the new book I'm A Lebowski, You're a Lebowski .

Today, though,  I haven't even had a chance to crack open my own newspaper. One thing I know is going on tonight, though is the Lexington Philharmonic concert. It's at 8 p.m. tonight at the Singletary Center for the Arts at the corner of Rose and Euclid.

Why do I know it's going on? Because I was up at a ridiculous hour piecing together some really interesting audio and video about LexPhil music director George Zack.

Here's  a link to the story and video, or just watch it here.

Apples or White Russians?

We have three awesome events going down in our towns tonight. I hope you'll all take advantage of at least one.

First!
Music: Apples in Stereo will play The Dame tonight with Aqueduct and High Water Marks. Doors open at 8 p.m., and tickets are $10. If you saw the Apples show when they began the tour for New Magnetic Wonder, you know that this is a can't-miss for fans.

Second!
Books and Movies: The Louisville-based founders of Lebowski Fest released the ultimate Lebowski fan guide, I'm a Lebowski, You're a Lebowski. The authors will be signing the book from 7-10 p.m. tonight at the Locker Room Lounge in Vernon Lanes, 1575 Story Ave. in Louisville. (Of course it's at a bowling alley. You didn't think they'd host a book signing in a book store, did you? Please.) I interviewed founding dudes Scott Shuffitt and Will Russell this week, and expect to see parts of the interview in Sunday's Arts & Life section, or if you're not into the whole brevity thing, the full interview online here shortly.

Third!
Inspiration: It's Idea Festival weekend in Kentucky. Today's events kick off with everyone from Nicholas Kristof to Hunter S. Thompson talks. If you can make it to any of these events -- they are so choice -- I highly recommend it.

This I Believe in Lexington

This I Believe is one of those National Public Radio segments that forces an emotional response almost every time I listen. (Curse you, StoryCorps! I always show up to work on Fridays with red, puffy eyes!) It was born as a radio series in the 1950s, under the guidance of Edward R. Murrow. A few years ago, it was revived, in part, by a Louisville radio producer after decades of silence. It asks people -- famous people, happy people, young people, wise people, all people -- to share the core beliefs that inform their lives.

Dan Gediman, the producer, will be in Lexington tonight to talk about the project and This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, the book of essays recently released in paperback.

Also, some contributors from this region will read their essays, including Frank X Walker. (I haven't written one; it's not an easy task to discover your driving force. But I'll be there reading one anyway. Come say hi.)

Check it out at 7 p.m. Monday at Joseph-Beth at The Mall at Lexington Green. Can't make it? There's another This I Believe at Cincinnati's Joseph-Beth on Sept. 18, and at the Idea Festival in Louisville this weekend.

An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England.

The opening lines of Cincinnatian Brock Clarke's latest book are so compelling that we have actually held dramatic readings of them near my little cubby of the newsroom.

"I, Sam Pulsifer, am the man who accidentally burned down the Emily Dickinson House in Amherst, Massachusetts, and who in the process killed two people, for which I spent ten years in prison and, as letters from scholars of American literature tell me, for which I will continue to pay a high price for long into the not-so-sweet hereafter. This story is locally well known, and so I won't go into it here. It's probably enough to say that in the Massachusetts Mt. Rushmore of big, gruesome tragedy, there are the Kennedys, and Lizzie Borden and her ax, and the burning witches at Salem, and then there's me."

Thankfully, Brock is getting an awful lot of attention for An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England. (Perhaps you saw the four-star review in the illustrious purveyor of literature, People magazine?) Before it explodes all over the best-seller list or anything, he'll be reading and signing at Joseph-Beth at 7 p.m. tonight.

Haven't read it? That's fine. He'll sign your copy anyway. But if you'd like to brush up before the big Herald Readers event, here's a little way to catch up...

• Book Editor Cheryl Truman's review and Q&A are a beautiful way to get acquainted.
• Bookslut just posted an interview with him in which he says the words, "I  don't care much for Harry Potter."
• Of course, he has his own Web site and blog filled with fun arson-related facts.

Good times!

I'm particularly enjoying this work having just finished In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle, a book that is as much about Amherst as it is about basketball. I have spent more time reading about that place in the last month than I had since, oh, fifth grade, when I gave a speech about Emily Dickinson for our Famous Americans day. I wore white, appropriately, and thought I was wickedly clever for beginning with "I'm nobody, who are you? Are you nobody, too?" instead of the old, "My name is Emily Dickinson, and I'm a poet!"

Shall we tally that up? I think so.

Number of thoughts devoted to Amherst until recently? Zero.

Level of affection felt now for the place, its people, its basketball, its books and its fictional storylines?  Immeasurable.

Harry Potter and the Turn of the Century.

I hardly have anything to say about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that hasn't been said already. (Especially since I haven't finished it yet, so by all means, HUSH.) I'm just glad I was there for it, that at 12:01 a.m., I was getting in line at a packed book store, and never happier to shell out $17.99 for a hardcover. It's rare to see so many people so excited about a book, the printed word, and I'm still enchanted by that.

When 2099 rolls around and they're remembering significant events of the century, they will call up historic photos of us fools standing in line. Maybe the wee baby I saw at the store with the lightning bolt painted on his head will be scanning for an image of his mother, who clearly thought it was important for him to be there. And if I'm lucky, I will have little great-grandchildren with giant eyes, mousy hair and precocious vocabularies who will be able to carry tattered copies of the book in for show-and-tell, because even if they haven't read it, they will know that it was important.

For those that really have something to say, check out The Muggle Tongue, where the incredible Heather Chapman and the team of guest bloggers are finishing their run of reading.

Here's a story about the sales record that was smashed by the book, and Rich Copley's take on reviews and spoilers.

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Go: Daniel Wallace will speak at Joseph-Beth at 7 p.m. tonight!
He's the guy that wrote Big Fish, but tonight, he'll be talking about Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician. Want to know more? Here's his Web site. 

Listen: The Polyphonic Spree's Fragile Army
Finally, finally picked this up this weekend. Love it!

Harry Potter preparation.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Like all the other crazies out there, I was at a midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Tuesday night, walking tall because obviously it was the only place to be.

A short review, although you'd be better off reading Rich Copley's: I liked it. Daniel Radcliffe's newfound physique and acting ability might've stole the show, if not for Imelda Staunton's frosted pink Umbridge smile was pure evil. And then there was little Evanna Lynch, who was mesmerizing as Luna Lovegood. (I still identify pretty closely with Hermione, but I knew a lot of Luna-types in high school. What can I say? Michigan's Renaissance Festival was based in my town. If you've ever been to one, you know exactly which kids I'm talking about.)

My great troubles with the film are mostly the snotty whining of a reader. They changed things! Wah! They cut too much! Wah! One serious criticism: At least one major plot point -- the prophecy provided by Prof. Trelawney -- was never clearly explained. If you hadn't read the books, you might be wondering if you'd accidentally dozed off during that midnight showing.

But what does this all mean for the big release, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will have its big debut at midnight July 20? Check out Heather Chapman's Potter blog, The Muggle Tongue, for notes on what was and wasn't in the movie that might come back later. (Author J.K. Rowling consults on the movies because, you know, it's hard to make a series of movies when you don't really know how it's going to end.)

And the serious crazies, the ones who were dressed up on Tuesday night and plan to spend all next weekend reading, maybe you should enter our blogging contest. We're looking for a few good readers to update us on their progress throughout that first weekend.

My plans for the night-of? I'll be at some book store's Potter party -- not sure which yet -- sipping homemade Butterbeer with my pals. Tell me what your plans are. Maybe we'll see you there.

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Read: All about hairy backs.
I've been working on this story for far too long. Enjoy.

Buy cheap, read more, save McSweeney's.

A drawing for sale on eBay to benefit McSweeney's.

I was browsing Hipster Book Club this weekend when I saw the news that McSweeney's, that funky, funny, flagrantly odd literary journal/indie publisher/literacy education outfit is in financial trouble. The parent company of their distributor, Publishers Group West, filed for bankruptcy late last year, leaving McSweeney's and scads of other small publishers without a big empty hole where profits once sat.

In the case of McSweeney's, the total loss is $130,000. To recoup some of the money quickly, there's a massive sale on everything in the McSweeney's vault. Backlist books, quarterlies, gift books -- all cheap.

And the stuff in seriously short supply -- original lettering by Chris Ware, doodles by Spike Jonze, autographs from Sarah Vowell -- is all for sale in online auctions ending throughout the next few days.

Feel free to drop $5,000 on a painting by Dave Eggers or a $1,000 on a personal tour of The Daily Show by John Hodgman. I'll envy you.

  But the really valuable stuff are the books you can snag from your bedside table and devour. Aside from providing grand literary entertainment, there's a lot of good work going on there to create new generations of lit lovers and creative writers. I don't see much talk of what happens if they don't make back the money. Maybe it's a virtual guarantee obvious that a huge sale on some fab eBay auctions will do the trick. But that kind of risk doesn't sit well with my stomach, or my bookshelf.

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Tell: Send us information about your 2007-08 season!

The H-L is looking for listings for our Fall Arts guide. Concerts, plays, ballets, operas and exhibits in Kentucky and the Cincinnati area will be included in the Lexington Herald-Leader’s annual arts calendar, to be published in early September.

Send your group names, times, dates, places with street addresses, ticket prices and telephone numbers, along with a daytime contact number, to:

Fall Arts Calendar, Attn: Harriett Hendren, 100 Midland Avenue, Lexington, KY 40508 or e-mail information to hhendren@herald-leader.com.

The deadline for submissions is Aug. 1.

If you have questions, call (859) 231-3324 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3324.

Barbara Kingsolver, Mr. Wizard, White Stripes and more.

I'm off on another amusement park adventure today, but here's a list of things to do, people to meet, points to ponder and music to hear.

Go: Barbara Kingsolver speaks on UK's campus tonight.

The Kentucky native and best-selling author will be speaking about her new book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, in which she and her family pledged to eat local for a year. Check it out at 7 p.m. tonight at Memorial Hall on University of Kentucky's campus. Note: You need a ticket for this event. I heard they're already gone, so you'll want to check with Joseph-Beth before you show up expecting to talk turkeys with Barb.

Listen: The new White Stripes album is streaming online.
All right, so they're dressed a bit like that bedazzled animated band in Mary Poppins. But the music? Quite good. Icky Thump will be released next week.

Mourn: Mr. Wizard Don Herbert, who died this week.
I remember him from Mr. Wizard's World on Nickelodeon in the 1980s, but he was explaining electricity and colors and all that good stuff long before then. Here's the NPR story, too, which includes video clips.

Read: Why dad gets silly cards and mom gets mushy cards.
Dad, if you're reading this, please understand why I haven't sent a card. You're so much more than a  fishing, golfing, farting, napping, grilling, remote-hogging, car-fixing, emotion-free money machine to me!

Enjoy: Rich Copley is blogging Ichthus!
Expect live updates, interviews, multimedia, all the beautiful things the Internet brings. Yesterday's adventure: pitching a tent in 90-degree heat after donating a pint of blood. That might beat our last newspaper-based tent-pitching experience.

Listen more: Ed McClanahan and Guy Mendes take on Trivial Thursday.
The writer and the photographer will playful wreak havoc on Mick Jeffries' show on WRFL 88.1-FM from 7-9 a.m. today. Yeah, you're going to want to hear them. Listen online by clicking here.