Informers At Sundance

The Informers film will be screening at Sundance 2009. In theaters soon after - I hope.

Dinner Parties With Ellis

The LA Times has an article about Bret's West Hollywood condo and the dinner parties he throws [thanks to David for the heads up on this story]. Ellis had this to say about his condo:

"The view is the art," says Ellis, who keeps his walls free of paintings. "I know many people are comfortable with a lot of tchotchkes and plants and pictures of the family around. I find it distracts from my work."

Update On The Informers Film

Its current planned release date is early 2009 - though it wouldn't surprise me to see that slip again.

And Sony has picked up the DVD and TV rights to the film.

American Psycho Coming To Broadway

Didn't see this one coming - American Psycho is being adapted for Broadway. Thanks to the handful of you who sent this story in to me today - I've been swamped with work and its probably going to continue for a while so I appreciate the helpful hints on stories out there.

The Johnson-Roessler Co.'s David Johnson, Craig Roessler and Jesse Singer, the Collective's Aaron Ray and XYZ Films' Nate Bolotin have partnered to acquire, develop and produce the tale of violent Wall Street investment banker Patrick Bateman. Ellis and Edward R. Pressman, the producer of Mary Harron's 1999 film adaptation, will serve as consulting producers.

Dumbocracy

While we are waiting for Imperial Bedrooms and The Informers film, you may want to distract yourself by picking up Marty Beckerman's Dumbocracy.

I haven't got a copy yet to put up any type of review, but I really enjoyed his previous novel - Generation SLUT and his blog. Here's a couple of reviews from other folks:

"Dumbocracy is a thoughtful book with great shock value geared to awaken, entertain and enlighten Marty's generation about the freedoms embedded in our Bill of Rights. Beyond the spoofing, it is passionate, scholarly, and delivers the message that young people need to hear." - Former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Mike Gravel

"Beckerman uses the deft and subtle touch of a sledgehammer. If you can read this entire book without being offended, then there is a good chance that you are illiterate. If you can read this entire book and not enjoy it, then there's a good chance you take yourself too seriously."
- Christian Lander, bestselling author of Stuff White People Like

Ellis Photography

If you are near LA, you may want to look into getting over to the 100><100 Event to benefit LA >< ART Programs. Its a photography project that Bret participated in. [thanks Matthew]

"Who is Los Angeles?" Equipped only with a single disposable camera, 100 notable Angelenos (including Bret Easton Ellis, interior designer Kelly Wearstler, and actor Dylan McDermott) were asked to answer that question with a photo (the equivalent of 1,000 words, we're told) by Culver City gallery LA >< ART. Adding to the intrigue, the photos will be mounted and displayed anonymously, and once buyers decide which piece of work they want, the person behind the lens will be revealed.

Politics Intrudes On Ellis's World

* In a twist that just proves the whole 6 degrees of separation theory, Rielle Hunter, the woman John Edwards was/is having an affair with used to hang in the same circles as Bret Easton Ellis and briefly dated Ellis' pal Jay McInerney back in the 1980's.

She left such an impression on these two that she became the character Allison Poole in McInerney's novel Story Of My Life, and in Glamorama and American Psycho from Ellis.

More: NY Mag article

* I know I'm way behind the times with this, but life just keeps getting in the way.

The Informers Trailer!

Not sure whether this is legit, but it looks like it is so I'm going with it - The Informers trailer. [thanks Chris]

Post Lunar Park Video Interview

Another video interview via Abszinth of Bret in his mother's house shortly after the release of Lunar Park.

Bret In Budapest Roundup

A big thanks goes out to Hungarian reader abszinth for gathering all this info on Bret's appearance at the Budapest Book Festival. She also posted a long account of her experience at her blog including a few MP3s of Bret talking and reading from Lunar Park.

This photo was taken before the first dedication on Friday.

Videos From Budapest

I have not had a chance to view these yet (my wife gave birth to our 2nd child on April 23rd) so I don't know much about their content, but here are 3 videos of Bret's appearance at the Budapest International Book Festival.

Robert Downey Jr. Blames Less Than Zero

Robert Downey Jr. is now claiming that his role in Less Than Zero made his drug addition worse.

"Until that movie I took my drugs after work and on the weekends. That changed on Less Than Zero. The role was like the ghost of Christmas Future. I became an exaggeration of the character."

That seems to be a big cop-out, but maybe his personality is such that he has trouble distinguishing real life from acting. If thats the case, lets hope he doesn't start carrying around an assault rifle pretending to be black.

Amazon: Less Than Zero DVD

Bret In Budapest

Bret will be the guest of honor at Budapest's 15th International Book Festival. The Festival runs from April 24-27. [thanks Stephanie]

Informers Article In V Magazine

The issue of V Magazine with Gwen Stefani on the cover has an article about Bret and The Informers film. There isn't anything online other than this blurb. [thanks Jason]

American Informer
The Informers is the latest of Bret Easton Ellis's dark works to hit the big screen. The novelist is no stranger to Hollywood

No Vampires In The Informers Film?

Has the mention of vampires been removed from The Informers film?

However, Jon Foster who plays Graham, the son of a Hollywood movie exec (Billy Bob Thornton) has made the shocking revelation that there are no creatures from the dead in director Gregor Jordon's upcoming adaptation.

"There are no more vampires. They took the vampires out. There are no zombies or monsters either," he announces. "This is more about the narcissistic side of people's characters. God knows why they took the vampire characters out. I can't say if I was pleased or displeased, that is just the way it is."

LA Times Looks Back On Ellis' Career

The LA Times has a nice article about Bret [thank Matthew], his place in the literary world and how the public and critics perceive him.

And because a literary, as opposed to a genre, novel is supposed to be about "depth" or "substance," one thing that's never forgiven is a perceived superficiality.

"He has a way of capturing flattened affect and cynicism, which is part of American life," said (NY Times film critic, A.O.) Scott. "He's fastened onto a loss of self, the replacement of feeling with intensity of sensation - whether by sex or drugs or violence or celebrity. Part of the reasons these books feel so cold, and sometimes unpleasant, is that there's no relief. In a way they're dystopian novels."

Thats a pretty good summary from AO Scott. I always laughed at the people who criticized Ellis' work for being shallow and empty, because for me it seems that his characters were meant to be exactly that. Writing stories about characters that are most interested in what brand of clothing they are wearing or what restaurant they were going to eat at was part of the point - its a social commentary on the pointlessness and selfishness of people's lives.

Ellis doesn't attempt to write the 'great American novel' wherein our hero faces some personal crisis before finding an inner strength to overcome and resume their place as a normal 'whole' person. Instead we get novels that are more of a glimpse into a portion of the lives of very flawed people - we get no great resolution at the end of the novel. No happy ending. No moral awakening.

And that seems to be exactly the point Ellis' is trying to make. This is real life. Flawed people don't always get 'fixed'. There often is no 'normal' to return to.

Ellis Writing Screenplay For 'Downers Grove'

We may have to wait awhile for Imperial Bedrooms to be published, but it looks like there's a good reason.

Bret Easton Ellis will be writing the screenplay for Downers Grove.

The independently financed project centers on a paranoid high school senior for whom graduating has become a matter of life or death. The novel was published in 1999 by Michael Hornburg.

I've never read anything by Michael Hornburg before. Any of you have thoughts on the Downers Grove novel and how it might translate onto the big screen?

Ellis Appearance With Joe McGinniss Jr.

Bret Easton Ellis will be appearing with Joe McGinniss Jr. in support of The Delivery Man at Book Soup in West Hollywood.

Book Soup
8818 Sunset Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Tuesday - 2/12/2008
7:00 PM

If you get the chance to go, ask Bret about Imperial Bedrooms.

Next For Ellis: Imperial Bedrooms?

So a couple weeks ago I received a copy of The Delivery Man by Joe McGinniss Jr. and as I'm prepping to write a review of it last night (I'm about 1/3 thru with the book currently - its excellent so far) and I come across this review in the Washington City Paper that happened to include a huge tidbit of Bret Easton Ellis News.

Like Ellis' 1985 novel about Los Angeles party kids, Less Than Zero, The Delivery Man's title was inspired by an Elvis Costello song. (So was Ellis' forthcoming novel, a Less Than Zero sequel titled Imperial Bedrooms.)

Informers Cast Member Dies

Brad Renfro died this morning, likely of a drug overdose. He had been filming a part for The Informers, but I'm not sure if he finished everything that needed to be done. This may cause the need for some re-shoots if there were unfinished scenes.

UPDATE: Renfro's death is now confirmed as a heroin & morphine overdose.