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RIP Tony Scott

Sad news, this:

Tony Scott, director of blockbusters Top Gun and Days of Thunder, jumped to his death Sunday from the Vincent Thomas Bridge, authorities said.

According to the Associated Press, Scott, 68, climbed a fence on the bridge and jumped around 12:30 p.m. One report quoted a coroner's report that said Scott jumped "without hesitation."

I've always really liked Tony Scott. He was a true auteur, especially with his later films. His style was so distinct and fresh that I looked forward to any movie he made, even if some those movies were so-so. While the press is going to continuously spout Top Gun and Days of Thunder because of the Tom Cruise connection, I would have to say True Romance and Man on Fire are my two favorite films of his. But there were several others I really enjoyed. The Last Boy Scout, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Deja Vu. I even liked Dominio and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 and Unstoppable for what they were.

It's a real shame what happened. Clearly there was a lot going on. You don't just climb a fence on a bridge and jump to your death for the hell of it. Hopefully everything gets sorted out quickly.

Tony, you will be missed.

RIP Donald J. Sobol

Via the New York Times:

Donald J. Sobol, the creator of Encyclopedia Brown, the clever boy detective who made bookworms of many a reluctant young reader, died on Wednesday in South Miami. He was 87.

I forget what grade it was in elementary school, but one day I was introduced to Encyclopedia Brown and my life changed forever. I mean, what kid wouldn't want to be Encyclopedia Brown, who often helped his police chief dad solve crimes, and who ran his own detective agency out of his garage? The books, from what I remember, were always surprising and challenging. I wonder if I read one of them today, if I would be as stumped on the mysteries as I was when I was a kid. I'm thinking probably yeah.

P.S. Actually, now that I think about it, the book in elementary school was the You Be The Jury series by Marvin Miller. I remember, having watched a then recent episode of MacGyver where he was in jury duty, taking my own notebook and pen into the classroom to jot down notes. But still, You Be The Jury did the same kind of thing that Encyclopedia Brown did -- it got kids to read and challenged them to think outside the box. And for that, we should be thankful.

Out With The Old, In With The New

So I've been meaning to get a new office chair. The one I have is pretty old and crappy, and quite honestly, not the best chair for someone like me who sits on his butt for hours on end procrastinating writing. See what I mean ...

Well, I stopped at OfficeMax today to get two manuscripts bound (the reason behind that is top secret at the moment), and while I was waiting I browsed the chairs and was pleasantly surprised to find that the one I'd had my eye on was on sale for, like, $70 bucks off. So yeah, I grabbed that sucker, and just put it together, and without a doubt it puts the old chair to shame.

Soft bonded leather. Adjustable lumbar. Memory foam.

Yeah, I'm procrastinating writing in luxury now!