celebrities

Actually would you go to an O.J. Simpson book signing?

Author Robert Olen Butler is about to publish a book of short stories imagining the sexual encounters of famous couples. He claims that the book is “not really about the fitting together of the bodies” but is “a rendering of the inner consciences of these people.” I dunno…Santa and a female elf? Says more about the author’s inner conscience if you ask me.

So you know how to read and people know your name; congratulations, you’re now qualified to sit as a judge for a major literary award. What say you, people? Do we need celebrities to validate literary prizes, or do you see this trend as a positive step toward democratization of reading? Or perhaps it’s simply marketing gone mad.

Is it really the publishers’ fault that there’s so much celebrity tripe on the shelves, or the readers’ fault for gobbling it up so voraciously? And it’s not just the movie stars and footballers that are cashing in; professional comedians are getting in on the act, too. At least they’re writing their own manuscripts, but does that necessarily make it better than ghost-written gunk?