The Soft Pack @ Bowery Ballroom - Friday, October 2

On Friday I went home and drank a bunch of orange Fanta with vodka which made me feel like I was back in college because it tasted like rubbing alcohol with a tinge of fake fruit. Then I ventured back out to see The Soft Pack and threw myself up against the stage. Being in the front row makes you feel like the show is being put on just for you. Check out their MySpace page and turn up "Nightlife" close your eyes and dance. The show was wondrous and raw. The band formerly known as the Muslims looked nerdy and innocent but played wild and free. I love The Soft Pack and I think if they knew me - they'd love me too.

TOUR DATES
Oct 8*The Cavern*Dallas, Texas
Oct 9*Walter’s on Washington*Houston, Texas
Oct 10*Emo’s Jnr w/ WAVVES*Austin, Texas
Oct 16*Casbah w/ WAVVES*San Diego, California
Oct 17*Echoplex w/ WAVVES*Los Angeles, California
Nov 3*King Tuts*Glasgow, UK
Nov 4*Ruby Lounge*Manchester, UK
Nov 5*Barfly*London, UK
Nov 6*La Cigale*Paris, France

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 World Is Not Enough

Precious

As an "inner city" high school teacher I was thrilled last year when I found a novel all my 9th graders wanted to read, "Push." I found the author was a teacher like me, who published a biographical book after teaching GED to adults (what I am doing now). I started shaking with excitement when I saw Sapphire, the author, at the Park Slope food co-op , shopping, where she and I are both members (the book is for sale there too. I could write a novel on the bugout that is that place, but overall, join). I didn't have the chutzpah to teach "Push" to my kids because of the deeply disturbing material, but was psyched when I saw Mimi on Oprah talking about the movie! Or was I? I LOVE Sapphire and I am so happy for her movie option, but when the big O gets on it, I always get irked. O is also all about Chris Rock's "Good Hair" which was been done by someone called Maya Angelou, but he's Chris Rock and I'll probs see it.

Anyhoo, mazeltov to Sapphire!, PSFC member and artist/teacher who turned pain to inspiration, and "made one of the worst experiences into one of the most beautiful" to quote another talented writer.

-AP

Voices Revealed: God's Desire

On Friday nights, teachers always sleep, especially in these cozy days of fall. So after a bubble bath I turned on my fav digital converter TV show, Dateline. The subject, Jaycee, now renamed (um, my first name) was abducted 18 years ago by Phillip Garrido. Garrido, a convicted sex offender, registered on Megan's List repeatedly called police due to paranoid schizophrenia which only developed later. And, like all the rest of us, he kept a blog!

He also loved composing creepy, eerie good music. A friend once made me a Charles Manson tape in college. I couldn't listen to it, just like I couldn't listen to this. “Every pretty face, in the human race, being abused, and used as devices,” went one of Garrido’s songs, played in frantic rockabilly style.

Garrido believes that this story, which will be world wide, will have a "really beautiful ending, just wait and see."
The latest news, the corpse of a little girl in his backyard.

Yes, I read all those serial killer books, I'm the neo Nancy Grace, and I enjoyed my night in.

Unfunny Comedian Circles Drain, Admits Wrongdoing to Applause

Well. So it looks as though David Letterman, who is married and has a child, has been having sex with staffers.

This came out last night (and earlier when he testified in front of a grand jury), when it was revealed that someone with knowledge of the affairs threatened to make them public.

It's not clear whether the women were coerced (he was their boss, so there's some inherent coercion there), but the relationships seem inappropriate. Maybe the guy has an open marriage, who knows.

The weirdest thing was how the audience applauded throughout his statement, as though he were telling a joke, and the positive reaction peaked when he actually admitted to having sex with female subordinates. It's as though the entire audience were patting him on the back and high fiving him for fucking his way through the staff.

Pretty gross.

But if someone who worked in the mailroom had fucked his way through Letterman's staff? That's a feat worthy of applause.

For Real Throwback