FRIDAY’S BOOK DROP: 
John Carr, aka Oliver Stone – once the most skilled assassin his country ever had – stands in Lafayette Park in front of the White House. Inside, the British prime minister is being honored at a state dinner. Then, just as the prime minister’s motorcade leaves, a bomb explodes in the park, and in the chaotic aftermath Stone is given an urgent assignment: find those responsible. This is #5 in the series and is the best yet.
See the book trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7NozmRfR8Q&feature=relmfu
and more books by the same author http://davidbaldacci.com/books/books/
MURDER always seems a popular topic for movies and these murders aren’t always fictional:
Take for instance the 2006 movie about Mark David Chapman shooting former Beatle John Lennon in NYC (1980). this film (The Killing of John Lennon) chronicles his life three months prior and contains many flashbacks to his earlier life and upbringing, while exploring in detail his infatuation with J.D. Salinger‘s novel The Catcher in the Rye and the links between this and his motivation for killing Lennon. It was an independent film British-produced and “it was not released in the United States until 2008 and received much less attention than the similarly themed American-produced independent film Chapter 27 produced in 2007.
Chapter 27 deals almost wholly with the actions of Mark Chapman (Chapman himself now becoming a celeb of sorts) during the three days before his murder of Lennon.
It is no secret that America is obsessed with celebrities; “These celebrity icons are admired and worshiped by millions due to their fame, power, wealth, status and achievements. America bows to these prominent figures. They are truly—and without shame—made into idols and revered as gods. ” http://realtruth.org/articles/120525-001.html AND WHERE AMERICA GOES SO GOES MUCH OF THE WESTERN WORLD.
Another high profile death was Bob Crane. In 1965, Crane was offered the starring role in a television comedy pilot about a German P.O.W. camp. Hogan’s Heroes became a hit and finished in the Top Ten in its first year on the air. The series lasted six seasons… Crane’s life and murder were the subject of the 2002 film Auto Focus, directed…The film, described as “brilliant” by critic Roger Ebert, portrays Crane as a happily married, church-going family man… who succumbs to Hollywood’s celebrity lifestyle …. meets Carpenter ….and spirals into a life of strip clubs and sex addiction.
“Fame is a powerful cultural magnet. As a hyper-social species, we acquire the bulk of our knowledge, ideas and skills by copying from others, rather than through individual trial-and-error. However, we pay far more attention to the habits and behaviours demonstrated by famous people than those demonstrated by ordinary members of our community.” http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23046602
MY STORE (CLICK ABOVE) BRINGS YOU THIS ISSUE
AND JUST IN CASE YOU NEED SOME MONEY HERE’S SOME CELEBRITY ITEMS THAT YOU MIGHT FIND:
George Reeves Superman Meets Mole Men Lobby Card $850.00 (murdered)
Signed,dated,and Personalized Photograph,john F. Kennedy,1961 $4,850.00 (assassinated)
Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle – Application Signed 05/19/ U1266008 $15,061.73 (implicated in starlet’s death)
AND THERE IS NO APPARENT DECLINE IN THIS INTEREST IN THE NEAR FUTURE: “The murder of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others on August 9, 1969, by members of a group known as the Manson Family left a thumbprint on American pop culture that has influenced music, movies and books. Over the past two years, reports have surfaced about three films in the works, all at various stages of development and funding. “The Dead Circus,” …”Eyes of a Dreamer” and…”The Family,” http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/10/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/sharon-tate-murder-pop-culture/
So: ” we love celebrities because they are an integral part of culture. They have made it in the worldview we are so entrenched in. By worshipping them (to an extent), we feel as if we are participating in this hugely important cause/belief system. And that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy, and like our life matters (and in turn, death doesn’t sting as much).”
“A celebrity is any well-known TV or movie star who looks like he spends more than two hours working on his hair.”
― Steve Martin