The Chris Farley Show is the official biography of one of the most iconic comedian and actor in history. It was written by Chris’s older brother Tom Farley Jr. who manages the Chris Farley foundation. It touches on every part of his life, even his struggle with drugs and his horrific death that affected millions.

Farley was known as the overweight, sweaty motivational speaker and king of comedy. Some of his memorable skits include being the irresistible Chippendales stripper on Saturday Night Live and playing the underdog hero, Tommy Callahan, in the film Tommy Boy. Farley’s life goal was to bring laughter into everyones life and he excelled at his passion.

The book remembers Chris Farley through friends and relatives. It shows a different, more sensitive side of the funny man as well as his love for comedy. The book features over 100 new interviews with other people in the business like David Spade, Lorne Michaels, Chris Rock, Alec Baldwin, Janeane Garofalo and more.

Farley lived to make people laugh and his sudden death was a tragedy around the world. It is a tell-all story that includes a portrait of his family trapped by his drug addiction and the difficulty his father went through to bury his son. He was eventually torn apart by his inner most thoughts but he needs to be remembered as an amazing person and extremely talented comedian. There will never be another like him and he will never be forgotten.

It is on the bestseller list so go pick up a copy! Man, I loved that guy .. RIP

Nice guys Tom Hanks and Ron “Opie” Howard couldn’t use their squeaky clean images to their advantage when dealing with Rome’s Catholic diocese. Rome church officials are offended by their new film, Angels & Demons. The officials have banned Hanks and his crew from filming in two of the city churches.

Angles & Demons is the prequel to the box office hit, The Da Vinci Code. The Da Vinci Code book angered many Catholics and the film put the religious over the edge. A diocese spokesperson explained the reason Hanks, Howard and crew were banned from filming is because the movie does not conform to the views of the Catholic church.

Victoria Gotti, daughter of the late Gambino crime family boss “Dapper Don” John Gotti and reality television star of “Growing Up Gotti” has been sued by HarperCollins Publishers. The company gave Gotti a $70,000 advance for her memoir that was never written and the money was not returned. Gotti signed a contract with HarperCollins in 2005 to publish two books, one of which was her memoir.

Court papers were filed Thursday at New York State Court for the book that is long overdue. Gotti told HarperCollins Publishers LLC that she was terminating their contract last September and that she will return the money when her literary agent, Frank Weiman, signs her another deal. Gotti made the book deal with former publishing boss Judith Regan. Gotti did not hold up her end because Regan and editors she had formed the contract with left HarperCollins.

[The following was written by Synthesis Weekly columnist Emilie Clark. She can be reached at emilie@synthesis.net.]

Coming Soon

It’s a well-known fact that people like to adapt movies from books. It’s also a well-known fact that most of these efforts suck. So it’s my job to warn you about upcoming adaptations so you have ample time to read the book. This gives you the chance to complain about inconsistencies and general “suckiness” while still in the theater, making you look learned and therefore more attractive. You can thank me later.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, July 4th: This is a documentary, so I guess it won’t really do to get mad about liberties taken with the adaptation. But it can’t hurt to read some of the famous Gonzo’s work if only for your own amusement. From the description it seems like the filmmakers are big fans, which can be bad in a documentary if you’re trying to eek out truth. The gist I get is that the point the film makes is that Thompson did what journalists are too afraid to do nowadays, namely get high and write caustic things about politicians. This may be true, but I easily tire of ‘60s and ‘70s nostalgia. Sure people were a bit crazier back then and I’m sure there are things to be learned from that era, but it’s over, so deal.

Journey To the Center of the Earth 3D, July 11th: Based on the classic Jules Verne novel about a rogue scientist who travels to, you guessed it, the center of the earth. According to Wikipedia, this novel didn’t age as well as some of Verne’s other works, because he was mostly wrong about what is contained in the center of the earth. However, none of that really matters because this movie is in 3D. And I will watch anything in 3D, even if it stars Brendan Fraser.

more upcoming adaptations after the jump.
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[The following column, printed in the Monday, May 5th edition of Synthesis Weekly, is an installment from our literature columnist, Emilie Clark.]

Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me
Edited by Ben Karlin
Grand Central Publishing

In an interesting turn on the book cover theme: Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me, an anthology of essays penned exclusively by men, has a very blue cover. I think it is cornflower blue, but not being an interior design major, I might be wrong about that. Anyway, it seems that sometimes men also get stereotyped and gendered through the use of infantilizing color schemes. But I will say that this blue is a much nicer color than the pink of last week, and I was not embarrassed at all to be seen reading this book. My manly boyfriend says the color wouldn’t embarrass him either. So there you have it.
The premise of this book is pretty obvious. A number of famous and semi-famous male authors and comedians tackle some break-ups and the lessons learned from them. Andy Richter talks about how hard it was for a teenager of his girth to find a girlfriend; Stephen Colbert writes about an old girlfriend, but lets his wife redact the naughty bits; and Neal Pollack tells an especially hilarious cautionary tale about midnight emissions and pets.
Most of the stories are pretty funny, some of the laugh out loud variety, and some of them even have a bit of heart. But I was surprisingly underwhelmed. As I read the list of contributors, my anticipation grew strong, but a lot of the big names seem to have just phoned it in. Standouts include “A Dog is No Reason to Say Together” by Damian Kulash Jr., singer of OK Go, who tells an intriguingly honest story about a relationship that could have been mine or anyone else I know. It’s about that kind of pre-marriage long-term relationship where the terms and contracts are really hard to define and you’re not sure how or when it should end. Another standout is Barbara Karlin’s forward, “I Think My Son is a Catch.” I’m sure you can guess what it’s about.
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I began reading The Lovely Bones (by Alice Sebold) sometime on Tuesday. Although undoubtedly a feminine read (aka, chick lit) this novel pushes those boundaries and has a androgynous, unsentimental feel. So far, a teenage girl is ruthlessly murdered by a neighbor, Mr. Harvey. She “floats” to heaven and proceeds to tell what happens after her death on earth as well as inside her lonely little heaven.

Highlights (so far) include

-Dog finding her elbow

-Mr.Harvey sticking her body in a safe and removing that in a sinkhole

-Me losing my page

-Me spilling something sticky on book

-Her father smashing boat in a bottle

I know that the synthesis blog site (woot woot!) doesn’t usually cover books. However, Sebold has written an inversed novel. I mean, heaven is made to be a dark place and the murder was described as an art. Maybe some 21st century female Edgar Allen Poe type thing? I’ll keep you posted.