Category Archives: Blog

Nice right? I totally want the comic but it’s whatever.

Here’s how to get them. Now it’s your turn to play psychic:

I am going to post a scenario that will happen in the premiere of Psych on Friday. In the comments section, write what you think will happen. Watch the show and see if you’re right. The first three CORRECT answers will win. Who will get what? We’ll draw it out of a hat.

Ready? Okay, here it is.

Shawn and Gus are on a horse drawn carriage ride when suddenly Gus realizes that the ride is too romantic for two straight dudes to be on. Gus puts two and two together and in a second realizes that the romantic horse drawn carriage ride wasn’t meant for him but for someone else, a female.

What does Gus do to Shawn in retaliation?

Remember, you gotta post before the show premieres so 9 p.m. central, 10 p.m. eastern on Friday. NO CHEATING! I’ll know.

Good luck! Winners will be announced Monday.

Nearly a week. That’s how long it took me to sit down and watch the eighth and final season premiere of Monk.

I was excited when I received my review copies of Psych and Monk and looked forward to being one of the first in my circle to see it before everyone else did.

But as the opening scenes of Monk came up on my screen, an overwhelming sadness came over me. It was like that first day of senior year in high school–you’re happy that it’s here but sad that it’s over.

So there I was, watching the beginning of the end of Monk, it’s senior year, and wishing that time would stop.

It doesn’t unfortunately and neither does this review. So let’s start with the obvious. With this being the final premiere I was expecting something a bit conventional, safe, still Monkish but something that didn’t have to try very hard. After all, it’s the final season and who can blame them for coasting?

Thankfully, they’ve decided to start the season with a bang and give fans a proper good-bye. And it looks like from this episode they’re going to follow the Lay’s potato chip philosophy of storytelling, you can’t just stop at just one.

Former detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub ) becomes involved in an attempted murder case after someone sends threatening messages and blows up the car of his favorite child actress (Elizabeth Perkins), from his favorite television show (which is ironically similar to the Brady Bunch) who wrote a tell-all book. The case takes an interesting twist when Monk is asked to be her bodyguard.

I can tell you more but then I’d have to kill you…or at least injure you or shower you with boxes full of wipes.

There is no doubt Shalhoub knows his character well. What’s delightful about that is that you can place him in any situation and the Monk-ism come out without hesitation. Watching Shalhoub’s Monk go into total fan mode, complete with the super-precise fan trivia questions, has to be one of the funniest moments of the series. It’s a shade of Monk we haven’t seen before but always knew it was there.

Shalhoub’s performance in this episode and well as the writer’s efforts, stretch Monk further than we’ve seen before. He’s still our favorite defective detective but the show’s camp is placing one foot over the cliff while the other is planted firmly on the other side. The push is not obtrusive. It’s a treat and as a fan, I’m glad they’re dangling their toes over the edge. But it’s also something that would have been out of character as early as last season. This episode couldn’t be in any other season than this one.

Let’s talk about the writing now. It’s smart, more so than usual. There were a couple of lines that I didn’t see coming that made me laugh out loud. After seeing the show for awhile, I could see the punch lines coming. Now they hit you out of left field. The comedic timing seems tighter than usual. While some lines resulted in jokes, others had double meaning, especially for fans. For example, when Monk talks about his favorite actress in the TV show he says “In a way, I watched her grow up.”

In a way we watched Monk grow up. From the days of Sharona, through Detective Disher’s music video, and even through the Captain’s divorce and the introduction of Natalie, we were there through all of it. Monk is to the USA Network like Emeril is to the Food Network or Sesame Street is to PBS, beloved and like the cool cousin you wished would visit more. The show proved that good television could be found on cable and that anyone, despite the long list of phobias, can be a hero.

God speed, Adrian Monk.

Extra tidbits: DO NOT MISS THE LAST TWO EPISODES OF THE SHOW, Sharona comes back for one episode. DO NOT MISS THE LAST TWO EPISODES OF THE SHOW

After Psych’s third season’s finale, An Evening with Mr. Yang, there might have been some pressure for the premiere to balance out The Force, sort of speak. After all, a serial killer coming out of hiding to challenge Shawn (James Roday) on his “psychic skills” while kidnapping his mom and strapping her to a bomb is kinda heavy. And what the show does well is comedy of all kinds so going dark would have thrown off some other shows.

But this is a show about a fake psychic with wit as sharp as cheddar and his trusty straight man with the sweetness.

The Psych premier, Extradition: British Columbia, (airing: Aug 7 at 9 p.m. central) is filled with everything that makes the series a jewel in USA Network’s crown–Shawn and Gus’ (Dule’ Hill) give and take, and take some more relationship, Lassie (Timothy Omundson) annoyance of Shawn-isms, Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen) bailing out his son (literally) and the Shawn and Juliet (Maggie Lawson) teaser. All of it is there making this phrase so appropriate:

They’re back and with more psychitude!

Shawn and Gus are on a ski vacation in Canada when they spot dapper, sauve, and rich (think Thomas Crown) international art thief, Pierre Desperaux (Cary Elwes). With the help of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, (yes, the Mounties) and Santa Barbara detectives Lassie and Juliette, the duo play a mind bending game of cat and mouse.

Expect the premier to continue the Shawn and Juliet storyline from last season in small increments. Roday has subtleties in his performance when it comes to the flirty non-existent relationship. There are longing looks, tongue-tied moments, and even a short deliberately awkward conversation that pushes this storyline forward. Have no doubt that Shawn is still dating Abigail (Rachael Leigh Cook) and that it’s going through its course. That’s a new side for that character, a more grown up stable Shawn. But, unfortunately, (and maybe thankfully) you’re not going to see that in this episode. You’ll see him still longing for Juliet in his own way and Jules taking a higher road, as if she was leading him down a path to a better person. It’ll be interesting to see where that arch ends at the end of the season. This is for certain though, it’s going to be a juggling act to keep that story line going 15 more episodes.

So what’s new? Cary Elwes as Desperaux. His velvety British accent just sold the international art thief role like ice on a hot day. His performance was suave and effortless, a delicious evilness that’s two steps ahead of the Psych gang. His contrast to Roday’s and Hill’s typical crime fighting silliness lifted the show’s stock value for future guest stars performance. Elwes, with just a lift of an eyebrow and a crooked, sinister smile, kept the momentum from Ali Sheedy’s guest star role in Mr. Yang. With one line–“I’ve often fantasized about escaping from prison, you know” — he’s added himself to Psych’s short list of memorable villains. With that line he’s opened the door to return and if I were one of the Psych writers, I’d find a way for him to walk through it.

Elwes is the first in a star-studded line up of guest stars this season. Others include James Brolin (“Catch Me If You Can,” “Hotel”), and Sendhil Ramamurthy (“Heroes”)

At the end of the episode, fans will be excited about the new season. They’ll delight in the premiere. They’ll wonder what adventure is next and see just a bit of growth in their favorite fake psychic. But just enough to solve crimes. It’s not like Shawn’s getting a day job anytime soon.

Well, one can hope not.

What to look forward to:

*Poking fun at the Mentalist
*A Catherine Zeta Jones/Entrapment moment involving Gus and some “coaching” from Shawn
*A non-date date between Shawn and Juliette
*A well placed and deserved Dr. Zhivago reference
*Interesting mystery twist
*Elwes super awesome English accent
*Remington Steele joke for Steele fans
*Singing fat guy, balloon animals, and a mime

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Anyone who knows me knows I’m a fan of a couple of TV shows. How I Met You Mother references make it to my Facebook status as often as my search for the perfect meal around lunchtime. Ugly Betty is my love since, you know, I’m a Spanish soap opera fan.

But Psych is the litmus stick. And when I started writing spec scripts, Psych was the FIRST show I wanted to write for. Still do. The 80s references. The sharp wit. Roday and Hill a winning combo like a Big Mac with cheese. What is there not to like?

But when I got a chance to interview them as part of a conference call with other members of the press corp, I almost couldn’t breathe. Literally. I mean the email was right there in my inbox and I STOPPED BREATHING.

Obviously, I’m a fan.

But I rallied my journalist ethics and treated this interview like any other interview. I watched Psych season 3 and all the commentaries (like I wasn’t going to do that anyway?) I watched the panel discussion from ComicCon. Spent the week writing down my questions as they sprang into my head.

And then the day came. I took an early lunch from work and drove to my apartment – a 15 minute drive max.

I could go into details about the accident on the same road of my apartment complex and how it took an additional 15 minutes to get there. Or how, in a Psych (ic) moment, I wrote down the 800 number in my notebook when I was still in the office in the off chance I’d have to use my cell phone for the call. Or how, like a Biblical event, I made it to my home office just in time to take notes and ask my one question.

But that’s not important now. What is important is that Roday and Hill know my name. Well, they know of my blog. And maybe, just maybe, if they do a Google search for their names, they’ll see these very words. Even though we’re not BFFs, it enough for me to have had the opportunity to ask a question that would enlighten me as a writer, delight me as a fan and allow me to use my journalism powers for good. (Insert the “With great responsibility…” speach from Spiderman here.)

So wanna learned what I found out?

Here we go.

• These guys are as hilarious off-screen as they are on-screen. The vibe is right there and it makes complete sense how the ad libing happens on set.

• James Roday’s most fun episode to work on was “Lights, Camera, Homicidio.” Which is among my top five favorites, along with “Disco Didn’t Die, It was Murdered” “The Old and the Restless,” “Scary Sherry/ Bianca’s Toast.” and “An Evening with Mr. Yang”. “Tuesday the 17th” may bump one of them off. Dule Hill liked American Duos. Why? Michael Jackson impersonation, complete with Jerry Curl wig from the early 80s. Think Thriller.

• A musical episode is SO possible. Roday said it during ComicCon but repeated during the conference. I CAN’T wait. Who do you think should direct?

• A Twin Peaks spoof is also eminent. Roday wants to direct if executive producer/creator Steve Franks doesn’t. Could be next season.

• Poking fun at The Mentalist is just that — fun. “No one is off limits, including ourselves,” Roday said. “As long as they have a sense of humor, they should be flattered.”

• In the upcoming season look for the duo to save an old west town, pay tribute to the Exorcist, and star in an episode that’s love letter to werewolf movies ( maybe think of the Murder?…Anyone?…Anyone?…Bueller? episode.) Also there “may or may not” be a continuation of the season three finale, this season may have the biggest guest star they’ve ever had, and we “may or may not” get to see what Gus’ hair looked like in the early 90s. Can we say high top fade?

• If Hill had to pick Psych schwag it’d be a Psych video game. Hot.

• To prep for Psych, Roday visited with psychics before shooting the pilot. But they didn’t know he was researching for a show about a FAKE psychic. Hum.

• The writers are very well aware about keeping the show as fresh as possible.

• What was my question? Is there anything that Shawn could do that would bring Gus to the edge, something that would not make him follow Shawn. Answer: “If there was something that could bring Gus to the edge it would have happened already,” Roday said. “At this point I think they’ve been together so long that they are like brothers. Part of Gus likes that he takes him there,” Hill said.

• Difficult part about playing Shawn? Walking the rope between “a man child and someone you want to invest in” Playing Gus? “Nerdy coolness.”

• Dream guest star? Hill: Chris Tucker. Roday: David Bowie. (Dude, if Bowie ever guest stars, I’m throwing a party.)

• Roday will continue to write and direct. He wants to bank enough stuff to do things on his own. Dule? “You will see me write something called nothing.”

There you go! Hope you enjoyed these tidbits. Check out my review of the premiere tomorrow. I’ll talk to Bruce Campbell and Sharon Gless of Burn Notice tomorrow about the mid-season finale. I’ll post that sometime this week.

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My heart goes out to the staff and editors of The New York Times today.

It seems kinda weird that I would feel sorry for the most read newspaper in America. After all, I don’t want to work there and they have more resources than EVERY paper I’ve worked at. EVER.

But they messed up. I’m mean they really, really, messed up.

In the Public Editor’s column today, they outlined how errors in Walter Cronkite’s obit happened. Errors. As in seven. In a retrospective article on his life. Seven.

And it wasn’t just the writer. It was the entire set up.

Having made mistakes myself as a reporter, I know that this sucks. You feel awful. And the next thing you write, you’ll be gun shy. You double and triple check facts that you once knew cold. and you doubt yourself and your abilities. It’s really the worse position to be in as a journalist and as a writer.

But what I never understood is why the sole fault always laid at the reporter’s feet. That never seemed fair to me. Thankfully, in the Public Editor’s column, he details the process beautifully and points the finger at everyone.

Looking back at it all — a critic making mistakes in haste, editors failing to
vet her work enough, a story sitting for weeks without attention and then being
rushed through — one sees how small missteps lead to big trouble, leaving
readers to wonder what they can trust.

And he’s right. Small things plus deadlines pressures ( in this case for other stories) lead to this embarrassing event.

But I’m going to go higher up in the food chain. Corporate. Lay offs. Smaller staff doing more things.

Readers expect a lot from their newspapers. They expect perfection in every issue. The truth is, that not feasible. As an industry we need to accept that. We are not machines. We work like them but we’re human. We make mistakes even when we’re looking to fix them. We have tons on our plate and WE WILL MAKE MISTAKES.

Even though our mistakes last forever, we can’t, as an industry, promise we won’t make them. We can promise to be careful not to make them.

So that’s why my heart goes out to the NY Times. A paper with the most resources and the biggest reputation messed up. They made mistakes. Heads will probably roll. But the thing that lead to the mistake will not get fixed. I’ve been around long enough to know that as a fact.

So do me a favor today. Hug a journalist. Say thank you. And let them know, it’s okay to make mistakes. Just not too many of them please.

Fellow Cuban and author Raul Ramos y Sanchez will be making an appearance here next Friday.

To prepare for his visit, here’s the book trailer.

And if you want to get a FREE copy of the book this is what you’ll have to do:

On Friday, Aug. 7, read Raul’s 10 plus 1 questions. Then make a comment in the comment box. That will enter you for the drawing for the book. I have THREE to give away.

Winners will be notified on Monday. Make sure however,you leave a way for me to contact you.

Good luck!

When I first met Johnny Diaz he was at the Boston Globe booth during the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in Ft. Lauderdale. A mutual friend introduced us and I became a fan there. He’s fun to talk to and being Cuban, there was an instant connection. I knew then that I would keep in touch with him and that he would have a career to watch.

Years later, I was proven right. My friend Johnny sold his first book, Miami Man hunt and hasn’t stopped since. Now with book three, it’s my overwhelming pleasure to introduce him to the readers of this blog.

Here’s the info on Beantown Cubans:

At twenty-seven, Carlos is a cute, but slightly awkward Cuban-born and
Miami-raised high school teacher who is looking to escape the bittersweet
reminders of his recently departed mother. He figures that Boston is about as
far away from the crazy South Beach social scene as he can get, but life in
“Beantown” turns out to be quite the culture shock. Luckily, Carlos meets Tommy
Perez, who also escaped to Boston from Miami to take a job as a reporter at The
Boston Daily. Tommy quickly shows Carlos the ropes in Boston, from where to find
good Cuban food to the best way to break into the city’s clannish and lily-white
gay scene. Over the course of a wildly unpredictable year, Carlos learns to
embrace his newfound independence, as well as his individuality.

Without further ado, heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Johnny (couldn’t help it):

1.) I love the story about how you started writing fiction. For those readers who don’t know you yet, could you briefly share with us how you got started?

It was wintery New England Friday night. I wrote a short story about something I knew, something that provided much inspiration here in Boston as well as Miami. Looking for an outlet from my city articles at The Boston Globe, I sat down and began writing about a fictional night out with three different guys. I took on the voice of one of the guys. The words just came to me, flowing onto the screen. I wrote it for me, as a creative exercise, not thinking this could be something more. When I was done, I filed the 3,000 word story away. But as the weekend passed and I began my work week again, the story kept calling me. I felt I could continue, telling the story from the point of view of one of the other guys. Later that week, I plopped myself in front of the computer again and I channeled that other character, how he would see the night. The words sprung onto the screen and the scenes came to life. Inspired, I followed up with another story from the point of a view of the third character. After three stories, it hit me: these stories are chapters. This could be a book. Could I really do this? Six months later, Boston Boys Club was born and I’ve been writing books ever since.

2) Tell us a bit about Beantown Cubans.

Beantown Cubans follows the adventures of two good gay Cuban friends in Boston. (Hey, it can happen!) The main narrator is Carlos Martin, a school teacher from Miami who moves to Cambridge after his mom dies. He’s starting fresh in Boston and trying to adjust as a newcomer. Luckily, he gets some help from a new amigo, Tommy Perez, a Boston newspaper writer and fellow Cubanit o from Miami who has successfully made Boston his home. Tommy supports Carlos as he tries to move on with his mother and Carlos supports Tommy as he begin dating his ex-boyfriend, a recovering alcoholic. Tommy and Carlos meet up every Friday at El Oriental de Cuba restaurant in Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood. The book is about friendship and good Cuban food! 🙂

3) Beantown Cubans brings back a familiar character from a former book, Tommy Perez. How was it like revisiting a character and how did you go about “updating” him?

I knew that I wanted to write a sequel to Boston Boys Club and the only way to do that was to bring back the main character Tommy Perez, who has served as a thread in all the books. But since BBC was all about Tommy, I had to make this book about a new character, Carlos. It was fun revisiting Tommy and all his OCD quirks. It felt familiar and comfortable but I had to advance his story to make it different from the first book.

4) How have you grown as a writer from the first novel?

I feel I have grown leaps and bounds as an author. With each book, I find new ways to describe emotions and some of my favorite settings in Miami and Boston. I feel that I can better layer and texture the writing. I take more care with the writing.

5) You’re from the journalism world. What lessons did you learn or have to relearn to write fiction?

The good thing about being a journalist is that we learn to write fast. Our writing muscles are well toned because we write on deadline and regardless of whether we want to or not. Writing fiction is liberating. I feel that my journalistic handcuffs come off because I can write in first person and infuse the writing with my personality, my voice. I can’t do that in journalism, where the story is about someone else. Also, my stories in the Globe now as a Business writer often lack color and style that I often used in my profiles and trend stories when I was a features writer. Now more than ever, I rely on my fiction writing to get my real voice out. It’s my creative outlet.

6) Tell us about your process, from conception to final draft. Are you the type of writer who thrives with procrastination or lives for the deadline?

I write when I’m bored. I write when a scene pops into my head. I regularly write. If I find myself procrastinating, that means I’m not really wanting to write so I let it go and work out or go hiking. But I end up coming back to the writing another time.

7) Which one of your characters is your favorite and why?

Ted Williams from Miami Manhunt is my favorite. He’s the Miami TV reporter who is overexposed like Britney or Paris Hilton. He’s got the fame, the job, the money and yet, he’s not fulfilled. He has the biggest transformation in Miami Manhunt and he’s such a character, always talking about his TV stories. He’s one of the people at a bar surrounded by people. He’s the life of the party but when he goes home, it’s just him and his dog Max. Party of one. I think a lot of people can relate to that.

8) A misconception is that novelists write their novels fulltime. Talk about the pressures of having a day job as well as being a novelist.

The pressure can seriously lead to insanity (and gray hairs.) Seriously though, writing for a newspaper and writing books are two kinds of writing and require different sensibilities and skills. When I write for The Globe, I feel that I am more left brain, more cerebral. The fiction writing feels more right-brain, creative. One form of writing complements the other. It can be hard sometimes switching from one type to the other. At the end of my work day, the last thing I want to do is write some more. But I find the fiction writing relaxes me and I make time on the weekends. I disappear into this creative zone and build an imaginary world using real settings. It’s tough to juggle both but well worth the effort. I’m still surprised that I’ve written three novels.

9) As far as we can tell you’re the first person to write Latino gay fiction. Have you seen other authors emerge since Miami Manhunt, your first novel?

There’s another gay Latino writer named Alex Sanchez who writes gay teen novels. Right now, I’m the only one writing novels about gay Hispanic men. I think part of the reason for the dearth of gay Latino writers in the US is the topic itself. In many Hispanic households, being gay remains a taboo. So to be openly gay and then write books about=2 0it means that you have to have a very accepting family. I believe it’s more about puttting yourself out there and perhaps, that’s why there aren’t many of us being published. I bet many other writers are still struggling with acceptance in their own families. I write my books to start a dialogue about being gay and Hispanic. We need more voices.

10) One surprising thing I know about you has nothing to do with writing or journalism. You were on the Real World-Miami as Dan’s boyfriend. That shocked me to no end. Do you still get recognized for that?

The Real World, huh? You had to go there! When I have my crew cut, people immediately remember me, which is very flattering since the Miami season was many moons ago. It happens more in Miami or if I am at a gay bar in Boston or New York. But again, the crew cut triggers people’s memories and my own.

11) So far your books have taken place in Boston and Miami, two cities you’ve lived in. Any plans to move the setting to other cities?

Boston and Miami continue to be my muses. My fourth book will take place in Boston again but the main character will live in the town of Quincy (next to Boston.) Also, I am using Fort Lauderdale as his hometown. Providence is another city that I love so I may use that as a background in the future. You have to write what you know and I’ve only lived in Boston and Miami so expect more stories from my favorite cities.

So there you go! A talent on the rise. To know more about him visit his blog and become a fan of the Facebook page. To purchase Beantown Cubans click here.