December 8, 2004
A long one today. It's almost 8 P.M. and I’ve been at the office since early this morning. Just got back from dinner with Jeff Hildebrandt at El Encanto ($54, includes tip, Sue account). Good talking to him about TV Land. We're filming a new set of True West Moments in the morning out at Pioneer Living History Museum. Talked about our proposed new series. Going to be hard to land anything there. Been in this situation before. There's always an opening, you just need to be awake when it shows up.

Gus and I went over the CGII book schematic this morning. Juggling, moving things around. Meghan is tweaking copy for Johnny-Behind-the-Deuce. Hard to do. Many conflicting accounts.

Whipped out two little black and white drawings, one of Mae West and the other of Will Rogers. It's for those little illios at the bottom of the pages in True West.

Legendary columnist Same Lowe called me this afternoon wanting to verify an alleged incident in early Arizona where a guy used a Gila Monster to poison another guy and was tried for it. I know I've read of this case, and I want to say it happened somewhere up by Wickenburg around 1903, but I can't quite put my finger, or my mind, on it.

Also, got a call from Henry Beck who is writing a piece for us on the next season of Deadwood, the HBO series and he had a question about an alleged encounter between Wyatt Earp and Seth Bullock. I can't tell you the anecdote because it's top secret but it will be in the next issue (April). Kathy and I watched a sneak preview of the DVD of Deadwood last night, and they had an extensive interview with David Milch. Really inspiring although his history is a bit weird. That's probably why he's able to write such unique characters.

And one more comment from Alan Huffines, who is reacting to my squeamishness to the gay stuff in Kinsey:

"And speaking of entering the exit ramp...shouldn't ‘Brokedown Mountain’ be re-titled to
‘Bareback Mountain’? Seems more appropriate."

"Pleasure is very seldom found where it is sought; our brightest blazes of gladness are commonly kindled by unexpected sparks."
—Dr. Samuel Johnson