Though I’m most comfortable asking the questions, every once in a while I get the inappropriate opp to be written about. This time was extra-special because the article appears in De Pers, a newspaper in Amsterdam. It’s entitled, “Carpool met Lisa Marie.” Presley, that is. Yes, I carpooled with her when I was in kindergarten and she was, I guess in grade school when we both attended French Lycee here in L.A.

Even though the piece is tongue in cheek, and a fun little international plug for yours truly, it was also an opportunity for me to gain more perspective on the outside, non-American world views on the glitz and fame of Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the L.A. mystique in general…It’s an exotic oddity to them but to us Angelenos, a qutoidien egoic neurosis.

The best part of the piece, in my opinion, is the end. The author, Sanne Rooseboom quotes me as saying that people in L.A. go out of their way to ignore the famous but it’s the tourists who go overtly wild over celebs. She then recounts my story about Robbie Williams who is a HUGE pop star in Europe getting ignored when he pranced proudly into the Coffee Bean on Sunset Plaza. Were it not for one devoted visiting Spanish girl, his ego would have been crushed like a cocoa bean. If you read Dutch, check it out on page 9 of this pdf link.

Other than that, went to a screening of an amazingly funny little film tonight, starring Danny Masterson. It’s called “Capers.” This flick is destined to be a cult hit along with the likes of “Idiocracy” and “Office Space.” I would highly recommend you see it, only it hasn’t found distribution yet. These days that means it could be on YouTube in a matter of hours. Let’s hope, for the talent of “Capers” that it’s not.

Dropped by the Stone Rose Lounge last night for a launch party for Jasmin Rosemberg’s debut novel on Hachette, “How the Other Half Hamptons.” Believe it or not, that was my second book launch celebration in the last three days.

My friend Josh Miller hosted a soiree on Sunday in honor of his friend Josh Emmons’ novel (the coolly titled) “Prescription for a Superior Existence.” It was held at the home of one of my generation’s favorite directors, Amy Heckerling (”Clueless” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”). Josh mentioned that it used to be Liz Taylor’s pad which I could see because it was grand and extremely decadent, in a good way. For someone who usually only reads non-fiction, I sure am being exposed to my share of fiction these days.

Speaking of which, how’d you like that Iranian government Photoshopping an extra missile in the photo that graced the cover of every newspaper today? We all take liberties with our photos these days but, guys this isn’t Facebook, it’s international warfare. How very James Frey of them…insert quote about truth being stranger than…on second thought, goodnight.

Posted by Shana Ting Lipton