The Situation's Book Turns Nine (months)

Now that the pretty-much smash, international best-seller and probable recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature or what-not has been showered with every single prestigious literary award and the adulation of relevant critics everywhere, it's time to take a breath, look back, and assess how the world has changed since the publication of this important book.

Weighing in at 133, modestly proportioned pages (many of which are covered in illustrations), it can now be proclaimed that Here's the Situation has taken its rightful place on the eternal shelf alongside the pantheon of indispensable volumes that have moved humanity forward, such as The Great Gatsby, Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye, and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

Since the release of "Here's," as it's affectionately referred to by university academics, we have witnessed such world-altering events as the 14th Dalai Lama stepping down as head of the Tibetan government so that he may focus his energies full time on creeping. We can only assume His Holiness will hit the clubs in his Lama Lama red pajamas.

The media (spit) refuses to cover this literary juggernaut. They have since moved on to cover newer titles, simply because "Here's" wasn't published this week. Well, consider such books as Anna Karenina, Charlotte's Web, and The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing. All three continue to populate the canon of most reputable online associates degree literature programs -- and all three were published a REALLY LONG TIME AGO!

And yet, "Here's" languishes, gathering virtual dust on virtual bookshelves. Ask yourself: What is the industrialized media complex trying to hide?

Please, search out a copy of Here's the Situation (insist on the unexpurgated edition). You will know it by its oddly-selected cover art, featuring a design apparently aimed at no empirical demographic. And also, you will know it by the fact that only one edition exists.

Expand your mind. And, if you have time left over, read Here's the Situation. Each successive page will urgently remind you why every minute, of every day, is precious.

Don't own a copy?! Yo! I gotta do everything for ya?

Buy it here, dawg.

Read an academic review of Here's the Situation by Professor K. Shawnofski, a fellow of the Green Mountain Philosophical Society, here.

"Small Apartments" director Jonas Akerlund: Video Visionary

Read the Wired magazine article. Follow Jonas's brief, and extremely rare tweets: @Akerlund_Jonas.

That's a Wrap!

Principal photography on "Small Apartments" wrapped in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday, April 27. We ended the shoot with a wonderfully deadpan, comic crime scene featuring Billy Crystal (@BillyCrystal), David Keochner (@davidkoechner), David Warshofsky, Scott Sheldon (@scottysheldon), and the charred, mangled special effects corpse of Peter Stormare. The star-studded film is pointing towards a premiere at Sundance 2012. Keep track on imdb.

"Small Apartments" On Track to Film in Spring 2011...

Renowned music video director, Jonas Akerlund, will direct the marvelously talented British comic and stage performer, Matt Lucas (@RealMattLucas) ("Little Britain", "Alice in Wonderland", "Come Fly With Me"), in my adaptation of my 2001 debut novella, "Small Apartments." Read Mack Rawden's article about the project at Cinema Blend.

The cast features Billy Crystal, James Caan, Johnny Knoxville, Dolph Lundgren, James Marsden, Juno Temple, Peter Stormare, Saffron Burrows, David Keochner, David Warshofsky, Amanda Plummer, DJ Qualls, Rosie Perez, Rebel Wilson, Ned Bellamy, Angela Lindvall, and many more extraordinarily talented actors. The film shoots in Los Angeles in April.

Paradigm Bets on Online Poker Heist Comedy...

Paradigm Agency's Independent Film Division in Los Angeles is developing my screenplay "On Tilt" (co-written with Dr. Christopher Marker). Goran Dukic ("Wristcutters: A Love Story") is attached to direct. "On Tilt" is the frenetically paced, dark-comic story of Jack Brennan, a young doctor who tries beating the system on a popular Native American-run online gaming site, soon finding himself in trouble way over his head. The project is being co-produced by myself, Marker, and Steve Katz and is now in casting.

Situationally Speaking...

In 2010, I was James Boswell to Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino's abdominal musings. What began this spring as a tongue-in-cheek memoir project eventually boiled down to a satirical "guide for the GTL lifestyle" published by Gotham (Penguin) books. Mike is a great sport and deserves a lot of credit for his capacity for self-parody. He fields a blistering amount of vitriol -- especially online -- and it never seems to faze him. Criticism washes over Mike like water off a duck phone's back. As far as his book goes, I think the bottom line is: it's a pretty damn funny lampoon told with Colbert-style earnestness. Mike's tremendous popularity is rooted somewhere, so I just hope people give the book a chance. (Plus, I drew a bunch of illustrations for the book, too. So if you don't like the words, you can just color in the pictures.) Crack it open and see if it makes you laugh.

Quoting from the book during his "Tonight Show" monologue, Jay Leno said, "Mike 'The Situation' says before he sleeps with a girl he puts her in a hot tub at 200 degrees to kill any bacteria. How skanky are your girls if you have to boil them first?"

On his HBO show, "Real Time with Bill Maher," Maher said, "New rule: you can't publish a book if the only people interested in reading it don't know how to read. The 'Jersey Shore's' Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino has a new book out, which raises the question: Can you get herpes from a book?"

There's only one way to find out...

Click here to purchase the national bestseller HERE'S THE SITUATION at amazon.com.

Test your Sitchtelligence: Take the Situation Quiz on the publisher's web site.

The Sitch is honored as one of GQ magazine's Men of the Year -- The "Sensation of 2010."

To stalk The Sitch's every movement, including upcoming media appearances, book signings, and tips for proper squat-thrust posture, follow him on Twitter @ItsTheSituation. Or join his more than 3.5 million Facebook followers here.

"That's what's up."

Simon & Schuster hosted the launch party for Charlie Murphy's memoir, THE MAKING OF A STAND-UP GUY at Jay-Z's 40/40 club on West 25th Street in Manhattan. Many talented comedians and stars were in attendance, including Paul Mooney and Ice T. It was a great event and Charlie was most gracious and generous in his gratitude for the work we did together to tell his story and shape a book he could be proud to show the world.

In the past couple years, my writing projects have allowed for me to spend a lot of time in comedy clubs talking with veteran, as well as up-and-coming, comedians. Many have read Charlie's book because it's a comedian's book, chronicling Charlie's unlikely stand-up career that began at the age of 42.

I've also spoken with veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who tell me that repeated viewings of "Chappelle's Show" on DVD is a staple of their overseas experience. They treasure those episodes as a necessary source of levity in the midst of dark circumstances and responsibilities.

Charlie is a true stand-up guy and a class act. Check out his story. You won't be disappointed.

Click here to purchase THE MAKING OF A STANDUP GUY at amazon.com. Follow Charlie on Twitter @cmurphycomedy.