I am petty. I'm not proud of it (at least that's one
mortal sin I avoid), but I have to admit I hold animus and jealousy toward
people who have found success for their novels in TV and movies. I’ve said in the past I don't watch many
police shows because they’re just silly compared to the real life of a police
officer. But the fact is, more recently, my pettiness probably had more to do with it then realism.
It's tough to hold these feelings
towards a friend like Jeff Lindsay's darkly comic novels that are the basis for
Showtime’s Dexter series. He's too good
of a guy to deserve petty jealousy and frankly, if he could come up with a
novel like Darkly Dreaming Dexter, I don't want this guy mad at me.
One show that has nothing to do
with me, or, as far as I know, any of my friends, is A&E's The Glades. I know the premise and virtually every day
someone comes up to me and asks if I have something to do with the show because
it is about the exploits of a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)
agent working in the wild south-central part of our swampy state. I get e-mail from people who read Escape
Clause, which, coincidentally is about an FDLE agent working in Belle
Glade. I am an actual FDLE agent who has
worked in Belle Glade and wrote the F&^%$#G book in 2005, five years before the show came on the air. I think I have a right to be jealous of a
show like that. I didn't even get asked
to consult on the show. And I have never
seen it. Partly because I'm busy, but
also, I'm sad to say, partly because I'm petty.
The one exception to this
juvenile attitude is for the work of my very good friend, Paul Levine. I love the movies based on his early novels
set in Miami and involving my favorite professional football team, the Miami
Dolphins. I know they changed Jake Lassiter's name but the gist of the story and the characters are the same.
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That was a work of genius, good job, Paul. (For legal reasons I must state that Paul Levine, nor any of his relatives, had anything to do with Ace Ventura or any other pet detective.)
Am I wrong to be an envious
little twerp?
Escape Clause is much better that the series. There is a similar vibe but none of the inside realism and sharp dialog.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Ace Ventura was Jake Lassiter.
James O, you're gonna laugh. I have a friend who wrote for Glades and I pitched you as a consultant. He told me they already had a consultant who was a relative of one of the head honchos.
ReplyDeleteEverybody is envious of the success of others. That's normal as long as it's not hostile envy.
And might I say how truly awesome it is to hear from you two weeks in a row. Can't wait until next Thursday. Hearing from you is like a beautifully wrapped package under the Christmas tree.
Thanks for the kind words, Marshal
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks to you Patty, for the attempt to get me in on the show and the sentiment about the blogs. as to the first, I knew some of the history of the show and, at this point, would rather write for a show. But I am petty.
As to the two weeks in a row blogging. It was a fluke. I hardly surf the web any more because of deadlines. But that is a good thing.
Jim
Also, the make purpose of the blog was to make fun of Paul. Isn't that the main purpose of most things in life?
ReplyDeleteJim
from Jacqueline
ReplyDeleteNo, you're not being petty, Jim- you're just saying what any of us have said in similar circumstances.
I LOVE "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective."
ReplyDeleteI WISH I'd written it.
And I will get even, my friend, Jim Born!
I love this post, Jimbo. I figure the petty jealousies and grudges indelibly burned in my personal hard drive are now just part of my charm.
ReplyDelete