(Note: I took above photo just to remind myself of this specific retail booth.)
I did buy some books. For personal pleasure, I bought Ernest Freeberg’s book called “Democracy’s Prisoner: Eugene V. Debs, the Great War, and the Right to Dissent.” I also bought William Cohan’s book called “House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street.” I probably could have gotten these books cheaper on Amazon.com; but at the Festival of Books I was able to get the authors to sign them. It isn’t like it is some big thing to get an author to sign your book (unless it is Stephen King or someone on that level), but I just enjoy having a signed book none the less. As a gift, I bought William J. Kelly’s book called “Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles.” I saw all three authors in various panel discussions. There was an additional book I bought where I didn’t see the author on a panel. I bought a cooking book, which I also plan to give away as a gift. Interestingly, one of the books I bought had a cash discount, while another was 20% off. I do believe I’ve always had to pay full price for books at the Festival of Books. (Economy issues perhaps.)
Final thoughts regarding the two day weekend. As mentioned in previous blogs on this topic, I do believe that this year’s event was slimmed down both in number of retail booths, name recognition of panelists and number of attendees. Honest truth; however, I loved it all – especially the great weather. I heard a married couple mention that they always make sure that they leave the weekend around the LA Times Festival of Books open, devoid of vacations and such. I always attempt to make sure my calendar is also clear for this weekend.
Sunday, Panel 3
The third and final panel I attended was at 3:00 p.m. It was titled “Michael J. Fox in conversation with Mary McNamara.” The moderator was Mary McNamara. The panelist was Michael J. Fox.
Stolen bios are:
Mary McNamara. McNamara has worked for the Los Angeles Times for 19 years, writing extensively about the inner workings of Hollywood. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children. “Oscar Season” is McNamara’s debut novel.
Michael J. Fox. Fox’s acting successes include “Back to the Future” and his award-winning role in “Spin City.” He launched the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Fox is the author of the bestseller “Lucky Man” and the newly published “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist.”
Fox stated that acting is fun to do. He can’t do it as often, because of logistical issues versus creative ones. He no longer has certain tools available to him. He still does occasional acting. For example, the current story arch on Rescue Me. For Spin City, his last season was difficult. He’d have to use a pen to help prevent his hands from shaking – distract his brain. He said that knowing what he now knows, he could probably have continued on Spin City for a couple more seasons.
He mentioned that by nature he is an optimist. He even has the gene for it. His fight with Parkinson’s forces him to deal with uncertainty. He never knows how his body will react to the medication. He must be grateful for the moment. He stated that his optimism has lead him to understand that he doesn’t have any choice regarding Parkinson’s, but he does have other choices that he can make.
He had the first symptoms of Parkinson’s in 1990. He was diagnosed in 1991. It took him a couple years to accept it. He told no one. As the disease progressed, he no longer could hide it so he had to make an announcement before rumors started.
He also talked about how he sat down with Katie Couric in 2006. Rush Limbaugh had attacked him for faking the extent of his disease. He mentioned that there was a moment where Couric reached over to help him with his tie. He first thought it might be considered condescending, but then remembered that Couric’s father has Parkinson’s and that Couric was showing empathy.
My Comments: I wasn’t sure what to expect from this panel. I will say it was very moving. I grew up loving Michael J. Fox via Family Ties and Back to the Future. My interest in economics actually started via Family Ties. (Who says television isn’t good for you? I wonder if I would have such an interest in economics if it wasn’t for Family Ties.) I never really watched Spin City, but that doesn’t mean I still didn’t love Michael J. Fox. It was awesome seeing him. It was obvious throughout the interview that the disease is impacting him.
During the first few minutes in the interview, someone jumped up and screamed, “Is there a doctor in the house?” At first, I thought it was a protester, but it wasn’t. A woman needed medical attention. The interview stopped for awhile, but the woman started feeling better and asked the interview to continue. The medics did come for the woman. She probably fainted or some other exhaustive reaction.
Fox seems like a very approachable person. He was more than willing to sign stuff for a fan in the auditorium as well as accepted a fan’s write-up on him.
There was a sign outside the signing area that mentioned that Fox would only sign books for the first 60 individuals who got there and that these individuals needed to have a ticket from the panel discussion. This is an attempt to make sure that people who actually go to a panel can also get a book signed by the larger stars of the event. I say an attempt, because I don’t think it actually works that way. I remember for Julie Andrews, hearing someone get on a cell phone after the event and asking if the other person was in line, because the panel had ended. Here’s what I think people do. They get a ticket and then they don’t go to the event. I think they just camp out in front of the signing booth. I think a slight revision is needed where tickets are marked off in some fashion upon entrance to the auditorium – perhaps with a random stamp – for those who are considering getting a book signed. This way, it prevents people from camping out and also prevents other strategies such as getting two tickets and one person seeing the discussion while having a friend outside waiting in line. (This might not work either, as it might slow down the line, but it is a thought.) Of course, I’d have loved to have gotten a signature from Julie Andrews or Michael J. Fox, but it wasn’t going to happen. For Julie Andrews, last year, I was around 105 where you needed to be in the first 100. For Michael J. Fox, I walked over, but I doubt I was even close.
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