Does E! still do "E!'s True Hollywood Stories"? I haven't watched anything other than "The Soup" on E! for the better part of a decade.
NARRATOR: Beloved children's author Jake Bell pursued his dream of being a writer from early childhood... but when his first book deal came along at the age of 34, Bell quickly fell into the trap of glitz and glamor.
JAKE BELL INTERVIEW: I knew my advance was coming... and I couldn't stop myself. I was like "Hey, my glasses broke. I'm going to go buy a new pair." I figured my contract would be finalized in a week or two and I could float a pair of glasses on my credit card for that long.
NARRATOR: But Bell's taste for extravagance got the better of him. Not only did he get an eye exam to update his prescription, but he also got a second pair of sunglasses...
EYEMASTERS CHICK: Mr. Bell came in and had a coupon for two pairs for $99. It was clear he had money to burn.
JAKE BELL INTERVIEW: You're looking at yourself in those little mirrors and you don't even recognize yourself--not just because you're wearing different frames but because you're so out of control. The girl asked if I wanted polycarbonite lenses and UV protection and I just went with it!
NARRATOR: And the spending didn't stop there...
RUSS FROM MIDAS: Jake came in here with his 2001 PT Cruiser and the battery was completely dead. There was a flaw in the battery so we replaced it, but the warranty was just over a year old, so he had to pay $12 to replace it. He looked me right in the eye and said, "Why don't you go ahead and change the oil while you're at it."
JAKE BELL INTERVIEW: I think when I started to realize how far over the edge I'd gone was when I was getting in the car to go to get my hair cut. I've cut my own hair since 2002--back then free haircuts were part of my contract at WJHG--and can't remember when the last time I paid for a haircut was. Here I had a few hairs touching my ears and I was ready to go drop eight dollars? Who was this mad man?!?!
NARRATOR: Bell estimates he may have squandered up to $300 on indulgences like car insurance, prescription eyewear, and some cans of soup.
JAKE BELL INTERVIEW: My book's not even going to be published until 2010. What's next? A trip to the dentist? A non-emergency doctor's visit? Where does it end?
E! True Children's Publishing Stories
My sister sent me this picture to remind me why I take my kids to a Montessori school in downtown Phoenix. Some days I can spend more than two hours driving nearly fifty miles just to take and pick up the kids, but if I didn't this is the school a mile and a half down the road where they would be going.
It's also notable that South Mountain High, which is just up the road, has a scrolling marquee that has said, "Year II: Jaguar's Doin' It Again" since school started in August. Every time I drive past I am tempted to call the office and ask, "You realize you are a place of learning, right? Is there one single jaguar who is doing something again? Or is it possessive like a jaguar somehow owns 'doing it again'? Or are you just illustrating to the world why none of your students should be given a job that doesn't involve lifting heavy objects and or cleaning areas otherwise occupied and used by graduates of better schools?"