The Bizz

When another stay-at-home mom started raving about her fascination with Vampire books at a mommy and me class, I listened only half-heartedly assuming that her oldest daughter must be to blame for her strange new craze. The fantasy-driven “I vant to suck your blood,” phenomenon never appealed to me and I had no interest in letting sharp fanged, pale skinned, blood-sucking creatures of the night interrupt my busy day. That was until recently, when I turned on Sesame Street for my Elmo-obsessed toddler and realized that even my child’s benign show employed a Vampire (The Count), to help her learn math.

This week, I joined the Vampire movement, attending the celebration of Melissa de la Cruz’s fourth installment of her New York Times best-selling Young Adult series, Blue Bloods-The Van Alen Legacy. As readers discover in the introductory novel, the Blue Bloods are an ancient group of vampires. They live within New York City’s most elite families, as a secret society of celebrated Americans whose ancestors sailed on the Mayflower.


(Blue Bloods-The Van Alen Legacy author, Melissa de la Cruz. Photo credit: Chance Yeh/Patrick McMullan Company)

I had the opportunity to ask Melissa a few questions for Pomp

You have so many books. How many books have you published and what age did you start writing?
Embarrassingly, I stopped counting after ten. I think I have about 15 books, mainly it’s because I have series books including Blue Bloods, The Au Pairs, Ashleys and Angels on Sunset Boulevard. I started writing professionally at 25. That’s when I had my first article published.

Which book took you the longest time to write and which one was written in the shortest amount of time?
The longest book was the first Blue Bloods book. It took about a year to outline and think through. Usually, once I start writing, I’ve already outlined the story and have the book in my head so the writing doesn’t take too long; maybe 3-6 months. The fastest book I knocked out took about two to three months called, How to Become Famous in Two Weeks or Less.

How do you find your voice when you’re writing, especially with so many diversified subjects and characters?
Writing has always come naturally to me. I think I have a strong personality in print. Writers reserve it all for the page and not necessarily for the public. Writers are generally socially shy and awkward but in print, they seem to have this big voice. I was definitely one of those people. I was shy and introverted but I had a lot of opinions.

How do you differentiate Blue Bloods from the other Vampire books on the market?
When I started to write my series it was before Twilight was big. I was always a vampire fan and enjoyed Stephen King and Anne Rice. I wanted to do a reinvention of the vampire genre. What makes my vampires unique, are that they are fallen angels cast out of heaven and cursed to become vampires. My goal was to write a creation myth.

If you could be any type of Vampire, which one would you choose and why?
Hmm. In my book, the Vampires are always socialites. So, I always say that I wouldn’t be the one trying to solve mysteries, I would be the one just going to the parties (she chuckles).


(Guests listening to Disney-Hyperion's John Yaged)


(Veronica Varlow performing a "Vampire Dance")


(Lori Bizzoco, Pomp & Circumstance Entertainment Editor learns to Vamp from Veronica Varlow)


(Veronica Varlow and Melissa de la Cruz)

De la Cruz’s intimate fete took place at Soho’s MEET At The Apartment, an amazingly cozy and dark loft space perfect for a Vampire affair. The evening, co-hosted by Disney Hyperion, featured a “Vampire Dance” performance by world-renowned burlesque performer Veronica Varlow, as guests sipped cocktails, enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, and indulged in mini-cupcakes courtesy of CRUMBS Bake Shop.


Blue Bloods was recently named #9 in Entertainment Weekly's 20 Greatest Vampires of All Time.

- Lori Bizzoco

The Bizz

After attending this week’s New York City Premiere of Julie & Julia, I couldn’t wait to dish about this new foodie, chick-flick. I’m still salivating and it’s not from recipes.



Julie & Julia is a love story about two women living a half century apart. Julia Child, an American in France who couldn’t boil an egg and Julie Powell a secretary in Queens who never even ate one. Powell commits to making all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year’s time. The result is an aspiring memoirist’s dream; writer-director-producer, Nora Ephron, melds the lives of these two women.




My evening started on the red carpet of the Ziegfeld Theatre chatting with Deborah Rush, Julia Child’s best friend Avis in the film. When I asked Rush how her real life story paralleled the movie, she said her relationship with Streep, similar to Julia and Avis, goes back a very long time. She also admitted that like Avis, she can mix up a good martini.

Aside from the cast, other charaters at the Premiere included: Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray, Anthony Bourdain, Bob Balaban, Patricia Clarkson, The Zagats, Frances Sternhagen, Steve Buscemi, Gayle King, Yoko Ono, Barbara Walters and Jaslene Gonzalez.

Although I’ve attended comedy premieres in the past, I still find myself giddily uncomfortable. A sudden outburst from my belly or an uncontrollable snort always pops up unexpectedly, traveling through the aisles. Laughter is a compliment but mine always seems to echo more at a premiere than when I’m at my neighborhood Lowe’s.

The after-party at the Metropolitan Club was where I really had the chance to let loose. Although there was plenty of space for everyone to eat and drink comfortably, I decided that my body should rest directly in front of the seat marked “Reserved for Chris Messina” who plays Eric Powell, Julie’s husband in the film. Can we say that I was a bit exhausted after being up since 6:00 a.m. with my one-year-old daughter and spending two and a half hours standing on the red carpet and another two watching the film? Nevertheless, a lovely woman with a growing little belly (which I later discovered is Messina’s newest addition in the fall) embraced me in child chatter and saved me from embarrassment as Chris politely excused himself to sit down. The next encounter was with Julie Powell who looked happy and mesmerized by the attention. Julie met Amy Adams less than two weeks ago. When I asked how she felt about Amy playing her, she was surprised because “Amy is so little.” Given 524 recipes in 365 days, Julie makes a smart point.




I did what I had been waiting to do all night. I ran to the food stations and ate and ate and ate. Crumbs Bake Shop, is like the devil riding on my hips and thighs (with utmost respect). I didn’t devour one cupcake, I devoured two, Peanut Butter and Oreo, respectively. At the end of the day, it’s all about the Butter. Bon Appetite.

- Lori Vadala Bizzoco