Summer in the City of Fire..

I Miss Europe

2008-10-02T06:15:00.000+01:00

"Sitting there, alone in a foreign country, far from my job and everyone I know, a feeling came over me. It was like remembering something I'd never known before or had always been waiting for, but I didn't know what. Maybe it was something I'd forgotten or something I've been missing all my life. All I can say is that I felt, at the same time, joy and sadness. But not too much sadness, because I felt alive. Yes, alive. That was the moment I fell in love with Paris. And I felt Paris fall in love with me." --Paris, je t'aime

Final Profile For Reporting the Arts

2008-08-07T05:09:00.000+01:00

Profile of James Frey: International Best Selling Author

-Nicole Reddick

More known for his million little lies instead of his best selling book A Million Little Pieces, author James Frey has become known as the man who fabricated his own memoir. Named “the man who rewrote his life,” by The Guardian and “the US anti-hero” by The Times, Frey has had to change publishers and hide from the media criticism since the truth came out in 2006.

What was the truth? His stories in his memoir were not completely true and he actually made up some to enhance his stories and his characters. Oprah Winfrey had endorsed his book after it was published, which helped boost his sales to a tremendous amount selling over 3.5 million copies. It was the fastest selling book in her book club. When the truth came out, Winfrey kicked Frey out of her book club and invited him back on her show to criticize him.

“I feel that you betrayed millions of readers," she said on Oprah in January of 2006.

Despite all the controversy, Frey kept writing. His third book Bright Shiny Morning was recently published by HarperCollins on May 13. It also became a best seller and according to The New York Times review, “James Frey saved himself.”

Frey arrived at Borders on Oxford Street in London just moments before 6:30 PM on Friday August 1, 2008. As part of his book tour, he landed in London the day before to promote his third book. He always makes London part of the tour after publication.

He sits on the third floor at a table surrounded by hardback copies of his £12.99 book, which is marked half off especially for the signing. There is a queue to the left, as he leans back in his chair. He isn’t dressed to impress, as he moves his feet around in his old blue Adidas flip flops. He has on a plain white tee shirt that barely matches his wrinkled khaki pants. His black horn-rimmed glasses are affixed to his shirt, but he never makes a point to wear them.

He speaks with ease in a very Midwestern dialect. He doesn’t make a point to pick out big words a writer would use, but instead chooses the simplest words when he speaks.

He isn’t in London to impress the crowd. He signs the books and makes small talk with every fan. He listens to them and it shows how he’s not just an author, but a person as well. Eager fans carry his new book up to him and he does not rush through a single person.

His latest book Bright Shiny Morning takes place in Los Angeles, which is just one of the many places Frey lived.

“Big, ambitious, important novels in which the city itself becomes the central character, have been written about many of the great cities of the world,” Frey says. “I didn't think it had ever been done about LA, a city I love. I know I got the big and ambitious parts done, [but] time will tell of the importance of the book.”

Even though it is the focus of this book, he makes a note that LA wasn’t the only place he has called home. Once Frey and I get a chance to talk, he tells me he was born in Cleveland, Ohio, so then I make a point to step in and bring up my Cincinnati roots.

“Oh! You’re from Cincitucky?” he says jokingly referring to the geography of my hometown. I had failed to remember the two cities have been rivals for years. “Well that’s nowhere near Cleveland.”

I can quickly tell nothing he says can be taken seriously. He tells me how he has lived in Cleveland, rural Michigan, Sao Paulo, Brazil, London, Paris, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and New York. The long list of cities is relevant to his books, which tackle some of the places he has lived. Each city has taught him different things.

“More than anything else, I've learned that emotions are universal, and we all struggle and yearn for the same things, and the best books are about those universal emotions and yearnings,” he says referring to what he has learned about having so many different places of residence.
Frey is only in London on tour right now though. He lives with his two children and wife back in New York City in the Soho area. He appears eager to talk about that area of town like where he gets pizza before he continues onto anything more serious.

But I am more interested in his writing career and how he’s handled the big scandal. It is the question everyone who meets him is dying to ask. I turn to the first page of his book where the disclaimer reads, "Nothing in this book should be considered accurate or reliable."

“It wasn't required,” he says. “It was more me having fun and making a statement of defiance.”

After the incident, a settlement required his publisher Random House Inc. and Frey to spend 2.5 million dollars to refund unsatisfied readers who bought the book prior to January of 2006. His bold personality stands out after reading that statement in his book. He has changed publishers, but they were not concerned about whether or not everyone would consider his third book completely true as well. Regardless, Frey makes a point to mock his critics. The entire situation seems like a nightmare, but he seems unfazed.

“It doesn't matter to me at all,” Frey says calmly.

Frey’s love for both books as well writing is what keeps him going. The criticism does not affect what he loves to do most.

“There is nothing else I want to do. And people are still supporting me, readers are still reading me,” he says. “The most important thing is how my readers feel about what I do and I feel like I'm in good shape with them.”
At 38 years old, Frey has spent only part of his life seriously writing. He attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio and also took some classes at the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois. He then moved to Los Angeles to work as a screenwriter and producer. In 1996, he stopped working to begin his first novel. He got inspiration from a long list of writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, Norman Mailer, and Arthur Rimbaud.

“I admire writers who break rules, and boundaries, and who change the course of literature, and of the world,” he says.
Of course the world now knows that Frey too has been breaking rules. He struggled before getting his first book published. It was rejected by 17 publishers and was finally published eight years after he began writing it. Having the chance was an exceptional opportunity, as it would be for anyone trying to make a name for himself in the literary world. For Frey, his dreams were coming true.

“I wanted to make other people feel the way certain books made me feel,” Frey says. “I wanted to live the life of a writer.”
He leaves London in two days to head back to the United States. He says he is not currently writing another book, but mentions he may be working on a television script with James Gandolfini, former Sopranos star. Then he looks at me and in a serious tone mentions how he should not be talking about this. Still he continues on about the location of the production company in New York and where I could find him working.

Some of the things he says to me seem a bit deceiving like his writing in A Million Little Pieces. I ignore the critics and try to focus on Frey as a writer. His writing is different from other writers. He lacks the smooth format that most writers use. Instead he writes simple sentences line by line. He developed his own style of writing, which has brought in millions of readers.

“I write books because I love them and because I want to be considered one of the most important and influential writers of my time,” he says.

He finally puts on his glasses and hands me back the signed copy of A Bright Shiny Morning. The language within this novel is also the same style. With a new publisher and two years after the scandal, it managed to debut at number nine on The New York Times bestseller list.

Frey doesn’t mind the negative reviews. He writes for himself and plans to continue doing so even though he does not have any ideas for his next novel. Luckily, he won’t have to worry about the sales after this one became an instant success. He says he doesn’t have room to give advice on writing, but ensures me it is possible to succeed.

“You see if I can do it, anyone can do it,” he says. “Write, work, and just believe in what you do.”

After using his own advice, his new book is still being sold quickly, as readers are eager to read to find out if his next 512 pages are lies too.

sunday mornings

2008-08-03T20:24:00.000+01:00

Hinde Street Methodist Church

i decided to go to church because i missed sunday services back home.. i went here, and luckily it was just like back home, cept with a British pastor. I really enjoyed the service and was glad to go.

OXFORD & Stratford Upon Avon!

2008-08-02T22:21:00.000+01:00

We went to Oxford and Stratford Upon Avon, England.. Oxford is home to Oxford University and also parts of Harry Potter were filmed there. Stratford is where Shakespeare was born. Both are beautiful too!

Stratford upon avon

theatre
Megan, me, Juli in our oxford sweatshirts..
cuuuute.

the wall inside
the place shakespeare was born
megan and i in shakespeares..garden

avon river
cute houses
hathaway cottage
me, meg, liz

OXFORD:

view from uptop
up in the church

bridge.. to model one in italy?

this is a library. and was seen in Harry Potter.

oxford college

where we ate-- it was amazing

James Frey Book Signing

2008-08-01T23:36:00.002+01:00

So exciting things just keep on happening..

Megan randomly told me about a book signing at Borders near Oxford Circus.. James Frey-- author of A million little pieces, My Friend Leonard, and his new one- Bright Shiny Morning. Well we made it there and we were last in line for the signing. I started off with the.. "So I hear you're from Ohio too.." He got very excited to see we were American, but instantly made fun of me for being from Cincinnati. We chatted about New York .. how he lives near me and the pizza places we go to. He was a pretty cool guy to talk to as well as an amazing writer.

from BBC Proms..

2008-07-31T16:10:00.001+01:00

BBC PROMS: World Music Celebration

It was a really great concert with musicians from all over the world! Here are pictures and brief videos to let you get a feel.. there were people dancing on some songs and clapping their hands.. It was definitely more contemporary than most BBC Proms concerts.

Mayra Andrade

won new artist award

SA DING DING

she will be performing at the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic games

concert..

2008-07-31T00:10:00.002+01:00

BBC Proms was amazing..

Prom 17: World Music Celebration

you can listen to it on BBC Radio 3 website for the next 7 days..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2008/whatson/3007.shtml

BBC Tour

2008-07-30T21:04:00.002+01:00

We got a special tour of the BBC because my professor used to be an executive editor there! It was actually pretty incredible.. we were there during the live 4 o clock broadcast!
Here are pictures..

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People ..

2008-07-29T21:11:00.000+01:00

So today in Reporting the Arts, we had a guest speaker named Toby Young, who is a journalist/writer.. He wrote the book-- his memoir-- How to Lose Friends and Alienate People .. which discusses how he went to the top and failed.. Well he was a very interesting speaker, but what I also learned was Paramount Pictures has made a film out of his book. (kirsten dunst is in it) It comes out October 3 in the US and UK.. So it was pretty cool to meet this guy that has a movie coming out about his book. He's from Britain, but spent 5 years in New York working at Vanity Fair.
http://www.paramountpictures.co.uk/howtolosefriends/

the merry wives of windsor

2008-07-29T00:52:00.006+01:00

This past friday (july 25) we took a trip to windsor and eton, england.. about 30 minutes out of London.. located on the Thames. Both were quite beautiful. In Windsor, we ate lunch, saw Windsor Castle, and also grabbed dinner and dessert there. In between meals, we spent time in Eton. We saw Eton College, which is a boys boarding school-- for boys 13-18. It was quite beautiful as well.. Overall the trip was quite fun. I went with my two flatmates Liz and Megan as well as our friend Evan. It was exhausting, but well worth it! Here are some pictures..

castle grounds
eton college
city by the thames
garden/windsor castle
windsor castle gate
London Mail box.
megan, me, liz
nice view of windsor.
evan and me -- eton college

the town
map of the castle.
the castle again.
with the guard.

windsor..

FINALLY the baby pic.

2008-07-28T20:17:00.002+01:00

SOLOMAN :)

Class..

2008-07-28T10:48:00.003+01:00

It's amazing how fast time flew.. I am beginning week 5 of 6.. There is a lot of homework to be completed within these last two weeks. Tomorrow I am interviewing a curator at an art gallary. For my other class I have to interview about the begging problem in London. These interviews are for 1500 word features. Plus I have two reviews left-- one about a play that was not worth money or time.

While I am working hard on my homework, there is also a lot to be seen.

Things left to see:

Buckingham Palace
Westminster Abbey
Abbey Road
Big Ben
the London Eye
British Museum
Greenwich/Prime Meridian
St. Pauls Cathedral

2 weeks..

2008-07-26T10:59:00.003+01:00

I can't believe how fast time has flown! 2 weeks from today I will be flying back to OHIO! It's bittersweet.. I don't really want to leave so soon, but I also can't wait to see my new nephew! I really do love Europe -- and wish I had seen more than I got to. Luckily I have seen so much of London as well as some other cities in England-- and of course France. Anyway there's 2 weeks left to explore..

Changing of the Guard at the Tower of London Video:

Trip to The Tower of London

2008-07-22T22:58:00.004+01:00

The Tower of London was built to protect and control the city in 1078.. Since then it has been used as a fortress, a palace, and a prison. It is also where the crown jewels are kept and have been kept since 1303. The Bloody Tower kept many famous prisoners. It's also referred to as "Her majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress."

I traveled there-- located on the north bank of the Thames River right in the central part of the city.. with flatmate Dana, where we explored and learned the history of the Tower..

Warm weather

2008-07-22T11:34:00.002+01:00

After suffering through 3 or 4 weeks of high of 67 degree weather, the temperatures at hitting 80 F this week. Even though it's not quite as warm as a Cincinnati summer, I am excited to feel a little bit closer. Silly to say, but that's one thing I regret about skipping off to London for the summer-- is missing the summer weather I adore. Over in London, it's always springtime/fall. And usually raining. How unfortunate.

So.. glad I just updated to share my thoughts on the local weather.

Mamma Mia-- oh we CAN resist you......

2008-07-20T23:10:00.005+01:00

The following is a short bit of my reviewing techniques I have learned in my Reporting the Arts class. It's not a complete review at all. We had to go see the movie for class discusion.

Mamma mia... Oh I can let you go..

The lyrics, the musical, the dancing, but then.. there was the movie.

Mamma Mia follows Sophie, the girl who has been raised 20 years without a father. Then she finds out she may have 3 possible fathers. It's a comedy, it's supposed to be in Greece, and it has a lot of substantial actors.

But they weren't in this film.

With an all star cast like Meryl Streep, Pierce Bronsnan, and Colin Firth you would expect great things from this musical made film. The trouble was these actors had to act as if they were in musical theatre. They were expected to sing, which was their biggest flaw. Bronsnan needs to stick to playing James Bond. His voice made me cringe instantly. Then made me as well as the rest of the audience hysterically laugh. It was one of those moments where we were laughing at them, not with them.

Meryl Streep may be the only plus to the show-- errr film. She can play any part. She can be the villain like in Devil Wears Prada or the fun, spontaneous mother as she is in Mamma Mia. She was made to play any role thrown at her. Her vocal talents are much better than any other actor within the film.

The problem with the film was that it was over the top-- it was over dramatized. It had to be, you have to give them the benefit of the doubt.

If you want to laugh the entire 1 hour and 49 minutes, go see Mamma Mia. But if you're a true Mamma Mia fan and don't want to be offended, I would skip it and stick with the musical.

there's no place like London..

2008-07-20T10:32:00.002+01:00

London isn't always alive. Maybe in Picadilly Circus or Leicester Square- where the shows are and the dance clubs always have people coming in til the early hours. It's impossible to get a cab at 2 in the morning. It's not New York City life. You don't feel quite as safe walking home in the middle of the night.

It's comparable to New York on some levels. The West End here is the booming theatre district like New York's broadway. You watch a different show any night of the week. London's streets are not gridlike, which makes New York easy. But the streets make London interesting. They're historical. Each street tells a different story. In some ways, it's like New York. The beggars, street vendors, parks, the river, the bridges, and the markets.. It's a city thing. It's the feeling of being crowded at Oxford Circus in London, much like Herald's Square. It's so crowded, you can't push through the lost tourists. You can't even think about going in a popular story without being bombarded by people that push and shove you and rarely say excuse me. That's when it feels like New York. There's an abundance of people crammed together on an island.

Oh but still there's no place like New York City.

But that's because London has its own attributes.

notting hill area

Bonjour Paris!

2008-07-17T23:27:00.006+01:00

July 11-13 weekend

So we took the bus for 8 hours to Paris.. had to cross the English Channel on a Ferry as well. It was quite the experience... We met some interesting characters as well.

Let me tell you now. From the moment we arrived in Paris, it was love at first sight. I am in love with the atmosphere and the scenery and everything.. And we saw everything there was to see in those 3 days. We stayed near the Bastille, so that was the first sight, but also Champs Elysess, Arc de Triumph, Eiffel Tower, the tunnel where Princess Diana was killed, Galleries Lafayette, Luxenberg Gardens, Monte Marte, Moulin Rouge, Louvre- including the Mona Lisa, Museo deorsay, the Seine River, Notre Dome Cathedral, the Latin Quarter, and Paul-- the famous French bakery.

The French culture is so different. Here are some things I noticed: There isn't breakfast. It's espresso and a crossiant only. The French don't love Americans. Well at least the women don't. Cabbies will rip you off. Shopping is amazing. Taxes are high. Walking is amazing. The subways are the best here. Monte Marte is the best-- the best view of the city as well as the fact that it's coined as Old Paris. The people are friendly and lively. The exchange rate is much better here than in London.

It really has been the best time since I have been here. Everything was enjoyable. If I knew French, I would love to live there. It's just perfect.

Picture time:

Moulin Rouge!!
ballerinas by Degas
i love this river.
Liz modeling the Louvre map.
the streets by the cafe in the latin quarter
all of us at the Eiffel tower!
Woo!
Luxenberg Gardens
We tried ESCARGO!

view from Monte Marte
Us in front of the Louvre
the Mona Lisa.
In front of the Arch. -- similar to NYUs
Champs Elysess

boats on the Seine
Hanging out
Flatmates in front of the the Notre Dome
Megan & I- Louvre
Perfect views.

New Baby!

2008-07-10T16:15:00.001+01:00

I am officially the aunt of five children now!

at 7:50 this morning (EST) Robyn and Brad's new son was born. Soloman Reign (I think but the phone died) Snyder.. weighing 5 pounds and 8 ounces.

Of course there are no pictures. Hopefully the family will send some.

Wish I could be there to see him!

The Photo Post: Bath & Stonehenge

2008-07-10T10:49:00.005+01:00

Some friends and I at Stonehenge
Stonehenge from afar..
That's me .. in front of a Cathedral in Bath

Circles of Homes in Bath
Two of my flatmates Liz & Megan at the Roman Baths
The Baths.
Apparently that's Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice
the Jane Austen Museum & she lived here once..
In Bath, they seem to have the same pig theme at Cincinnati.
the streets of Bath, gorgeous
Statue telling people to drink Water instead

Regarding Robyn's Baby!

2008-07-10T10:42:00.001+01:00

My sister Robyn is due any moment now. My mom just emailed me in the middle of the night to tell me that Robyn was having contractions. So it might be today! I'm so upset I won't be there. But I am excited to meet my new nephew in August.

Bonjour

2008-07-10T00:20:00.002+01:00

I haven't posted more pictures yet I am sorry!
I went to Pygmalion tonight, it's the play version of My Fair Lady. It was interesting, but not that amazing.

TOMORROW we're taking a LONG bus to Paris. I AM SO EXCITED.

Unfortunately I don't speak French, but my flatmate Dana is a French Major. Thank God!

I Will have plenty of Pics and stuff when I return from PARIS :)

Love.

Rub a dub dub taking a BATH..

2008-07-07T02:21:00.003+01:00

Sooo we went to bath && stonehenge today-- A long bus ride. It was a lot of fun though to bond with the Jlism kids.

I took a bunch of pictures, but I have to upload those still.

Bath was much more fun-- Jane Austen's hometown. We saw places she lived. Stonehenge was a bore. We did get caught in rain. The bus ride home took like 3 hours. I am basically spouting out random things about all this..

Anyway, I have a lot of work. We're booking a trip to Paris. And I lack sleep.

So cheerio mate.

It's not too easy to Blog afterall.

2008-07-06T00:01:00.008+01:00

I am really struggling to Keep up here! London is just preoccupying all of my time. Occasionally I waste money and call people in the states, but that is rare and costly.

Being here is a freedom many people can't understand unless they have been out of the country on their own. It's a great opportunity I recommend. It's nice to be on my own and independent. I'm okay with walking around alone or with my new flatmates. I have made some great friends already. They're different from those at NYU, but just as equally cool.

I have been to two shows in the West End already because I have to review them for Reporting the Arts. They're a bit pricey. The first was "That Face" by Polly Stenham. It was interesting I suppose, but definitely not what I had hoped for. It's supposebly going to be a movie and perhaps come to the US so I can always say I have seen it London. The girl who wrote it actually when to school with someone in one of my classes, which is pretty cool as well.

The show I saw earlier today was an Opera- Candide, and it was amazing. Simply amazing. It's an English opera. It was modernized, which made it better. It had a lot of references to Americans, which the British woman beside me thought was hilarious. It really was good though. I recommend it.

Last night was the FOURTH OF JULY. It was awkward being here. We were red white and blue and acted like Americans. We went to Sticky Fingers- had a 22 pound (44 USD) 3 course meal- made of American food and bonded over 4th of july stories.. and well other high school stories. It was in Kensington, which is a really nice part of London. The stores are high class and the homes are as well. I want to head back.

We also went to Borough Market yesterday and tried samples of all of this English food: candy, jams, meat, drinks, fruits.. etc. One man was selling different types of Olives and when we tasted them he picked which one we should try based on our zodiac sign. Let's just say I hate Olives (And most other foods). The Jam was FABULOUS. I bought two jars of Strawberry & Vanilla, which may be a bit costly. Oh.. man have I spent massive amounts of money in only FOUR days.

I am going to Bath & Stonehenge tomorrow. I am pretty excited to see stuff outside of the city. I have a lot of work for my classes though, so I am a bit nervous about all of that. I definitely can't wait to see on a tour bus and read and write and listen to my Ipod.

I hope that was a good enough Update. And Pics. :) Of course there are MANY more..

Finally in london, with internet...

2008-07-02T00:28:00.003+01:00

London England is amazing, in case you were wondering. I love my flat mates to death as well. It's expensive and I'm trying to ignore that whole situation.

I fell in love when I stepped on that train as I watched the beautiful countryside of England pass me by. It's much different from the US. It's just too hard to describe.

It's not like these people speak a different language, but they are tough to understand.

The kids in the program are so different from what I'm used to and I like it. They're overall pretty cool.

Classes already seem tough. The professors are all British and expect a lot of you. There is a lot going on with every class and a lot of work every class period. It's rather exhausting when you just want to enjoy London.

I do love it here and I have already fall in love with the Tube and the double decker buses..

Today there was an emergancy situation in the Tube station we were at and we were forced to leave quickly and we never found out what was up. It was scary though since there were the underground bombings 3 years ago. Plus all the Londeners were running out and it was strange that they were scared too.

I will keep you updated but I have a lot of work. Plus I am tired from all this working.

cheerio

Anxiously awaiting my voyage..

2008-06-25T07:07:00.000+01:00

Slowly I say goodbye to my friends and family... I realize I am giving up a lot to go on this trip- my nephew Paxton's first birthday, my sister Robyn having her first child, Brian and Ashley's 21st birthdays, the family reunion, even Independence Day celebrations... I love my family and friends dearly, but I guess you can realize how eager I am to go to be giving up so much. For someone who has never been out of the country, this is a big deal.

I finally began packing. I really think I will be fine with one suitcase.. PLENTY of room, considering it's the biggest one ever made.

Pre-Departure

2008-06-23T05:47:00.000+01:00

I'm excited to leave on Friday, from the Cincinnati Aiport at 8PM. (EST) Of course I am no where near prepared to go as always. As an expert on procrastination, I have not started packing. I have spent the first six weeks of summer break from NYU at home in Cincinnati working around 40 hours a week. There was nothing left to do but work considering the exchange rate. 1GBP=1.90USD. Even that changes daily. A little advice for exchanging money, don't go to a bank that they have to order it because you're bound to waste 13-26 dollars. Exchange rates are apparently better at the bigger banks in downtown Cincinnati or the International Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, but don't wait til you're at London's airport or you will have the worst exhange rate.

I have many things to do before leaving, aside from packing. I have so many friends and family members to see. I have to work two more shifts at Mio's to make some extra money. I have to buy some things as well. I have to call my bank and cell phone company to fill them in that I will be abroad.

I am very eager to leave Ohio. It lacks a certain energy that New York has-- I hope to find a similar and better one in London. It is also a big city, which I think I will really enjoy. I have never been out of the country so either way this is going to be a new experience for me. I doubt a trip like this can be bad. Of course it is not all fun, I am taking 8 credits over in England. These consist of 2 journalism classes Monday through Thursday. One is "Reporting the Arts" and the other is "Reporting London." I think they will both allow for me to get a feel of the culture in London and really see it all.

5-ish more days to go.. I'm getting anxious and ready to leave Ohio...