The Last Song - Go See It Or Not ...

This week marks the release of "The Last Song," the new movie with Miley Cyrus with the screenplay written by Nicholas Sparks. The funny thing is Nick Sparks actually wrote the screenplay first, then went back and wrote the novel based on the screenplay, which is kind of bass-ackwards, but it works the same I guess.

The story of the movie is about a family where two kids have to spend the summer in North Carolina — on the freaking beach — with the father, who they haven't seen seen has been estranged from the mother for a few years.

Miley Cyrus plays the rebellious teenager who at first doesn't want to go, then falls in love with some nasty ol' boy and doesn't want to leave.

I watched the trailer for the movie and it actually looks like it would be good in a very chick flick sort of way. It's hard to say if Miley will be any good or not since it only shows  about 15 seconds of her actually acting in the trailer. But she does sing several songs for the movie soundtrack and she seems to rock that.

Greg Kinnear plays the father who is now living in North Carolina (on the freakin' beach, did I mention that?). He actually seems to do a good job of playing a father who misses his kids and wants to spend some time with them even though one of them doesn't really like him — two guess which one and the first one doesn't count.

As I said, the story is written by Ol' Nick Sparks, who has written 13 books I believe, four or five or which have turned into movies. He did "The Notebook," "A Walk to Remember," and I believe "Dumb and Dumber."

Just kidding about that last one. Nick Sparks only produced Dumb and Dumber.

Kidding again.

Nicholas Sparks is one of my new favorite authors right now, not so much that I'm really that in to Chick Lit (although I prefer it over anything Rush Limbaugh writes), but because I appreciate a guy writing Chick Lit and being extremely successful at it. Congrats, Nick.

I hope to one day do something even close to what you accomplish each year, buddy.

Why can't more guys write Chick Lit? Why can't I write Chick Lit? Why can't Chick Lit have more nudity?

Wait ... that's another story.

Anyway, I appreciate the talents of Nicholas Sparks and his storytelling, so I will probably go watch "The Last Song."

Just to let you know who some of my other inspirations are, I also enjoy reading the greatness of John Steinbeck.

I appreciated his classic "Grapes of Wrath" because it's about Oklahoma folks. And I read "Travels With Charlie" about once a year or so, just because one day I too want to take my dog on a tour of the country and write about what I see.

So if anyone has an RV Company hook-up that might want to sponsor me on a six-month journey across the United States, please e-mail me. I would be more than glad to dedicate my first book to you and your company for your generosity.


The tentative name for my first book is called "The Rebellious Teenager Who Doesn't Want to Go But Then Falls In Love With Some Ol' Boy And Then Doesn't Want to Leave: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire." Check it out in book stores some time early next year.

I'll sign a copy for ya.