Kathleen Presents: Chick Flicks Guys Like

I have some book news, but I'll save that until the end, when I'll also mention that I'll be giving away a book in celebration of said book news. But I digress.

We talk about chick flicks here periodically, and I'm usually the bearer of the bucket of cold water because I'm not a huge fan. Or the one I rave about is likely to be the one everyone else hates. But I saved an article called "A Guy's Guide to Rom-Coms" from last Friday's Minneapolis Star Tribune partly because I found Strib columnist Tom Horgen's 11 picks worthy of discussion, but mainly because unprompted my husband said, "Hey, did you see this article? I think this guy's got something here." And that cowboy of mine is definitely not a big romantic comedy fan.

I realize not every chick flick is a romantic comedy, but chick flicks are all aimed at women, and I would say the basic theme is building relationships. Going out on a limb here, I think all rom-coms are chick flicks. Men regard them as chick flicks. So rom-coms are chick flicks that men might like. But which ones? The article is all about recent flicks, but for my money it's still hard to beat some of the classics like "It Happened One Night" and any number of Tracy-Hepburn movies. Many of our novels certainly reflect the timeless appeal of those match-ups. But these days I generally wait for the rom-coms to come out on DVD if I see them at all. Horgen starts out by saying that the rom-com is "on life support" and pans recent releases "The Switch" with Jennifer Aniston and Drew Barrymore's "Going the Distance." I haven't seen them. I've seen ads. Not interested. As often as not, Hollywood seems to hand a log line to couple of stars who have CHICK APPROVED stamped on their SAG cards and offer them a bunch of money. Script to follow. Maybe.

Romantic comedy is a popular genre, and every genre has its set of basic formulas. Nothing wrong with that. But listen up, Hollywood: We get tired of seeing the same actors playing the same stock characters in the same story with the same tired dialogue. Script, please.


Horgen claims that the contemporary rom-com took off with "When Harry Met Sally" (1989). He acknowledges the basics: unlikely pair finds irresistible attraction complicated by seemingly immovable obstacle, comedy spices things up at every turn, couple ends up together in one way or another. Then he picks his favorites, which he says "maximized the genre's potential" from a guy's point of view. Here are his picks. See what you think.

11. Return To Me (David Duchovny, Minnie Driver) His wife was killed in an accident. She's the transplant recipient of his dead wife's heart.

10. Notting Hill (Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant) She's a big star. He's an ordinary bookstore owner.

9. Maid In Manhattan (Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes) Classic Cinderella.

8. Shakespeare In Love (Gwenneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes) The young Bard meets his match.

7. Brown Sugar (Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan) Old friends rediscover each other. Note: Mos Def and Queen Latifah really do steal the show.

6. Chasing Amy (Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams) He's a comic book artist, she's not interested. Note: an indie that doesn't fit the mold, but guys--my sons among them--really like this one.

5. Shall We Dance (the Japanese version) Married man secretly takes ballroom dance lessons from a bombshell.

4. High Fidelity (John Cusack, Jack Black, forgettable female) Record store owner breaking up with yet another girlfriend.

3. The American President (Michael Douglas, Annette Benning) President (single dad) falls for a lobbyist.

2. When Harry Met Sally (Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan) Will sex spoil a perfectly good friendship?

1. Knocked Up (Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl) This one turns the secret baby story on its head.

Horgen briefly explains his picks in the article. I haven't seen all of them, but I think the choices are interesting. Do you agree? Any puzzlers? Is this a case of Mars/Venus? What was the last rom-com you and your date both truly enjoyed?

I have an autographed book waiting to go out to one of our commenters.




And my good news is...

ONCE A FATHER is a USA Today Bestseller!

Just Call Me Coupon Kathy

But first, a word about the new guy on the block. Logan Wolf Track wasn't born yesterday, but yesterday was his coming out party.

September 1 was the release date for ONCE A FATHER, but it's been in stock at Borders and Amazon for several days, and it's already doing nicely on both of their series bestseller lists. And Romantic Times magazine gave it a very nice 4 1/2 star review. (Check out my web site for an excerpt.)

So Kathleen is pumped!

The four books on the left are loosely connected, and I can't help noticing--because, yes, I let my fingers do the clicking at least a couple of times a day--that the first 3 books are also doing quite nicely on Amazon. I'll draw a name from today's commenters and let that person choose one of the first 3 books. And here's my question: Can we get as much of a kick out of saving money as we do spending it?

Have you seen the commercial for... rats, I don't even know what it advertises (must not be a great commercial) but it has guys (men!) whooping it up over saving money on an everyday purchase. Not a car or a boat, not even whatever they're advertising, but something somebody actually needed. I got such a charge out of it the first time I saw it. Guys scoring a BOGO, high-fiving over a $10 bargain.

Last week I came home from grocery shopping with a cash register receipt that merited center stage under a refrigerator magnet. I had saved more than I spent. It was double coupon day, and I had coupons for quite a few items on my list that were also on sale. There were a couple of items I got free because the double coupon was worth the whole sale price. I also had a "$10 off your next shopping order" coupon and a few more perks, so on a $115 shopping order I paid less than $50. At Rainbow the cashier calls for a supervisor's approval when that happens, and everyone oohs and aahs. And then there's the "fuel perks" reward on top of it all, and on that register receipt we were up to 70 cents a gallon. Clyde used to disappear when I whipped out the coupons at the register, but he's finally gotten over it. He's all "Coupon Kathy counts another coup!" And he loves the fuel perks card. If there's one price guys watch, it's the one outside the gas station.

I've always used coupons, more or less. Mama grew up during the Depression, and she knew how to stretch a dollar. I was the oldest kid--the one whose parents are "starting out." I helped Mama fill the Green Stamp books and learned about outlet shopping back when outlets were attached to mills and factories. We used to buy fabric at the knit mill and hats at the millinery outlet--hats were big in the 50's and 60's--and shoes at the factory outlet. (Yes, children, there was a time when there were actual textile mills and shoe factories in Massachusetts.) So shopping sales and using coupons is in my blood. I adore the triple whammy of double coupon on top of weekly sale.

Admittedly my coupon clippers languished during the boom years, but with the recession, I've come to my centses. Just because money is tighter than it used to be doesn't mean there's no fun to be had with it. Ohhh, it feels so good to stretch. It's all in the attitude.

Here are some other savings measures I've taken lately:
--Craig's list (stuff like bicycles)
--sharing a premium Costco membership with dear daughter
--trying generics, sticking with good ones (Target's especially)
--Blockbuster online (1 dvd at a time works for us)
--get magazine subscriptions for as little as $5 a year online
--never use vending machines (grandkids don't ask anymore)
--use the Sunday paper
--trim the fat, spend on what nourishes (like BOOKS**)

What recession-busting tips do you have to share with us? Any lessons learned from generations past? Any hard lessons you've learned from our times that you want to pass on to the next generation?

**Mama watched the budget like a hawk, but I was always allowed to order 3 books from the Scholastics Book Club flier. Thanks, Mama. Not only for the books themselves--although I remember many of the titles to this day--but for making them a priority.

P.S. Don't forget to scroll down a put a firm click on the mammogram button!

Kathleen's List of Splendid Things, Chapter 1

I'm going to give a book away today, and this is a splendid thing.
I have a new book out, and this is a many-splendored thing. The book is splendid, of course, but don't take my word for it. Get yourself a copy and see for yourself. Horse trainer Logan Wolf Track teams up with Army Sergeant Mary Tutan to train a wild horse as part of "Mustang Sally's Makeover Challenge." There's an excerpt on Amazon along with a brand new review to give you an idea of the story. My web site features the book, too.

I haven't had a chance to check the stores--September 1 is the official release date, but Amazon is shipping already--but one of the first things on my list of splendid things is seeing YOUR book with YOUR name on the cover sitting right there in on a bookstore shelf. That thrill never gets old.

ONCE A FATHER is the perfect title for this story. I love it when the editors like the title that I chose for the simple reason that it fits the book. Logan has two adopted sons--both prime candidates for books of their own--and once a father, always a father. We've probably mentioned a time or ten that writers don't always get the final say over their babies' names, er, their books' titles. Marketing gets lots of input, which is cool because we all want to sell books, but sometimes not so cool when you have to tell an audience what the title of your latest book is. Certain words sell Romance, and that fact has become increasingly important as key words become keys to the information kingdom. Father happens to be one of those words, along with cowboy, baby, bride, wedding and like that. Magic words come and go, but the aforementioned, like certain thrills, never seem to get old. Try to jam too many key words into a title and it can get pretty silly, even though they say it works in the marketplace.

But you know what sells non-fiction? Numbers in the title. 10 Ways. 20 Secrets. All too often the "ways" are pretty much common sense, and the book could have been published as a pamphlet, but it makes a catchy title--always catches my eye. Recently I saw a TV interview with Neil Pasricha, author of THE BOOK OF AWESOME. Now, the word awesome is about as tired as I am right now (It's 2 A.M.) but the book grew out of a blog called "The Top 1000 Awesome Things," and it's about small miracles and everyday joys, sort of like the little book "Happiness Is..." from way back in the day. Thinking them up is a feel-good exercise. Totally awesome.

Want to play? Let's play. I'm saying Splendid Things in honor of my son, who likes to say "Splendid!" I'll start.

--watching bats darting to and fro overhead at dusk (vacuuming up mosquitoes!)
--finding the clothes you left in the dryer folded and stacked on the bed
--a good blood pressure reading
--old toys
--the prairie sky on a clear night
--the prairie sky anytime
--exchanging a taste of what I got for a taste of what you got at a restaurant
--a full moon on a warm night
--the smell of cinnamon
--a really good down pillow
--the scent of snow
--a chorus of frogs
--a movie that has you clapping at the end
--a horse's ears
--a baby's feet

Once you get going it's hard to stop, so it's your turn. Splendid Things. I'll send an autographed copy of COOL HAND HANK--the book that precedes ONCE A FATHER in my Special Edition series--to one of our commenters.

P.S. While you're here, scroll down and click the free-mammograms-for-those-in-need button. The site is getting enough clicks to donate an average of 1 1/2 mammograms a day. That's splendid!