Link Roundup! -The Toast

Jay Caspian Kang’s profile of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is unbelievably fascinating:

This is the Abdul-Jabbar paradox: He’s a man who cares enough about his legacy to write two memoirs and eight other books, but he refuses to engage in the usual smoothing, sanding and editing that is required of a public persona. He instead asks you to accept his version of his truth, even if the truth is that at 68, he sometimes has a hard time being civil to children and still refuses to shake the hand of a reporter.

Nikki interviewed CONSTANCE WU for the NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE:

How would you like to go about promoting Asian-American stories? Are you thinking of producing or directing?

I’m not thinking of directing, because I directed once, and it was the hardest thing I ever did! I don’t think I have the type of brain for that.

I looked up the people who went to the Sundance screenwriters’ lab last year, and I saw there were two Asian-American artists — Yung Chang and Christopher Yogi — who had screenplays in the direction lab. These labs are just an opportunity to help teach young filmmakers how to direct and run a set. I actually turned down a Bruce Willis movie to go and do this workshop for free — to support and meet these Asian artists. I worked on Chris Yogi’s script. So I make choices like that. The luxury of having a network show is I financially have a bit of freedom, so I would like to use that freedom the best I can [and] hopefully help Asian creators.

AHP on the past, present, and future of Tiger Beat:

Laufer also understood the profitability of these magazines wasn’t in subscriptions ($5 for a year) or ads. Instead, it was exploiting the depths of obsession via a vast web of what we’d call “swag”: Each magazine was chock full of offers for fan clubs ($3 for David Cassidy), offers for readers to complete their Tiger Beat collections through the purchase of back issues (75 cents a piece), an “Osmond Sweatshirt ($5) and “Donny Cap” ($5), theTiger Beat Super Annual ($1.25), the “Star Address Book” ($1.25), selections from theTiger Beat Paperback Library ($1 a piece for titles like The Secret Lives of Girl Stars, Brady Bunch in New York Mystery, and Stars & Their Pets), and “An Osmond Love Gift” ($2).

Why you shouldn’t name your white band “Viet Cong.”

Okay, I’m ready to get butterfly tops back in style.

Susan Brownmiller is a great reminder that your heroes will always disappoint you, so just love cats and dogs instead:

You are taking a strong position here.
Well, I take a hard line with victims of domestic violence, too. I feel it is my place as a feminist to say, “Get out, get out, get out of this relationship.” They feel that we should respect their opinions and beliefs because they are survivors. If they can’t get out because they don’t want to reduce their living circumstances, or they don’t want to go, or they are passive people, then I am supposed to respect that. But I don’t. My feeling is “Get out.”

And my feeling about young women trapped in sex situations that they don’t want is: “Didn’t you see the warning signs? Who do you expect to do your fighting for you?” It is a little late, after you are both undressed, to say “I don’t want this.”

Dahlia Adler on red flags to look for when you’re querying agents:

Do not trust agents that try to sell you their services, their clients’ books, or anything else. Seriously.

In the case of one of the times I’ve heard about an agent rejecting for an absolutely within-guidelines word count, the rejecting agent “helpfully” suggested the writer consult an editing service for assistance in beefing it up.

How incredibly convenient that that agency provided paid editorial service.

Yes

These old magazine ads for cocaine accessories are INCREDIBLE, you have to bask in them.

this is great, and horribly sad, so figure out if that’s something you can read today:

When I say that my husband, Mark, and I are fine, the response is invariably the same: Oh, you’re so lucky to have each other. At this point, I sometimes have to stifle a laugh. Usually I take a deep breath and clamp my mouth shut. Yeah, we’re really lucky, I think, so bloody lucky. Clearly they aren’t thinking about the fact our only child died of a neurodegenerative disease so rare that at present she’s it’s only casualty.

I’m afraid eventually I won’t be able to contain myself. I’ll be transformed like the bitter sister in the fairytale Diamonds and Toads, and all these pent up thoughts will drop from my mouth in the shape of snakes. I don’t want this to happen. I’ve seen enough of life’s cruelties to know I don’t want to perpetuate them.

Thinking of making a career change, please message me if you own a dreary mansion & need a beautiful governess with social media experience

— Umami Skeleton (@Merman_Melville) September 17, 2015