Tom Cruise hires scandalous P.I. to defend interests in Scientology scandal

In a story as odd as the "sect" itself, Tom Cruise has a private investigator working to defend his interests in a RICO case concerning the Scientology group. If you are unfamiliar with that term, RICO refers to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, which is a federal law that was created to help take down organized crime. You can read more about on the above link, but basically it ties organizations and their members together in the cases of certain types of crimes. RICO was highlighted in the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight".

Cruise apparently hired P.I. Paul Barresi in this case in which Cruise is accused of leading the Church of Scientology in committing misdeeds, including harassment. Barresi himself has an odd history, including being involved in the pornography industry, and a lengthy list of scandals with Hollywood celebrities including names such as John Travolta, Michael Jackson, Eddie Murphy, and more.

As this is a Hollywood affiar, it is sure to end up all over the tabloids and scandals. Who knows what the true story behind all it all may be, and with tabloids and media in full force it may end up being quite entertaining, no pun intended.

Source: Gawker

The Man Who Forgot How to Read

Howard Engel, author of the Benny Cooperman detective novels, has just published a memoir titled "The Man Who Forgot How to Read". This memoir describes his personal journey of having to re-learn how to read. The loss of his ability to read was a major blow to this author of private investigator stories, as he had loved to read ever since he was a child, and pursued a career as an author.

While he slept one night, Engel suffered a stroke which caused a rare condition called alexia sine agraphia. This stroke affected the part of the brain that handles the ability to read, but oddly, not the ability to write. After that night, he could no longer read a newspaper, or even street signs. However, this affliction did not stop the author from continuing his career. Through incredible effort and professional help, he was able to publish his latest novel in the Benny Cooperman series, and later this memoir which describes his writing process and how he coped with his inability to read.

Here is an excerpt from The Man Who Forgot How to Read at NPR.

Sources: HarperCollins.ca, NPR

Australian private investigator nominated for Man Booker Prize

The Man Booker Prize is an international prize for fiction, and rewards the best book of the year. This prize is highly coveted by authors as it has a reputation for integrity and an elite panel of judges.

An Australian private investigator, Steve Toltz, has been nominated this year for his book "A Fraction of the Whole". Toltz has had a variety of professions along with private investigator, including screenwriter and English teacher. This piece of fiction is his first book published, and I am sure he is quite honored at the nomination. He has no doubt used his own personal experience as a private investigator to help craft this novel. A true inspiration for P.I. story writers!

Source: The Australian