by PETER BESAS
Some of the ex-muggs and their pals who occasionally glance at this webpage may still have a soft spot for the old Tin Pan Alley music of the turn of the 20th century, an era which was even before my time, though very much that of Abel Green’s.
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Co-founder of Simesite, Peter Besas, has just published a book in Spain called “Hidden Madrid”, an offbeat walking guide to the country’s capital, delving into many little-known aspects of the city, its history, and anecdotes about some of its odd historical characters.
Peter co-authored the book with his son, Mark, who took most of the 150 photos that illustrate the 361-page volume. An adapted translation of the work into Spanish, called “Madrid Oculto”, was simultaneously released by the Madrid-based publisher, Ediciones La Libreria. For the time being, the book is only on sale in bookshops and museums in Madrid, though efforts are underway for the book to “go international”.
Shown in the photo are Peter and Mark signing copies on June 7 at the big Madrid Bookfair held in the city’s Retiro Park, where 50 copies were sold during the one-hour signing session.
For more information on the book, please see www.madridoculto.es
by PETER BESAS
Longtime Variety scribe Elizabeth Guider has been appointed Editor of the Hollywood Reporter in LA. Liz started as a trade reporter, mostly covering TV, when she was living in Rome and filed copy for then bureau chief Hank Werba. She subsequently moved on to London, and a few years after Cahners bought out Variety moved to L.A. to work with Peter Bart. She had been a staffer for 18 years with Variety, working as News Editor and assistant to Bart, and, lately, as “editor-at-large” (the nebulous title Tom Pryor was given before walking the plank).
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For the few of you out there who noticed, Simesite was off Cyberspace for a week or so due to a technical glitch in Londontown, from where our electronic wizard, Ian Watkins, pulls the electronic levers and whatnot to keep the Site hale and healthy.
However, he succeeded in getting the Site back up again in cyberspace on March 26th, losing none of its contents (other than a photo of Ron Holloway). Alerting us of the absence of the Site on the web were Frank Segers, Hy Hollinger, Mort Bryer and Bob Hawkins. Thanks, kids, for letting us know.
Former Variety TV editor Jack Loftus will be retiring at the end of February from his job as Chief Communications officer for the Nielsen Company in New York. Jack has been with the firm for 17 years, having joined in 1990 as VP Communications.
Now that Jack will have more free time, we trust he’ll start contributing copy to the Simesite, the ultimate refuge of ex-muggs.