Seriously? OMG! WTF?

William Morrow Books/Instagram

Thanks to Wicked, we know the story of Elpheba and Glinda’s unlimited friendship. In Elphie, we learn what the Wicked Witch of the West was like before she met Galinda. And now it is time for the Good Witch to tell her tale before she became the Girl in the Bubble.

Gregory Maguire, the author of the Wicked franchise, will be releasing his newest novel, Galinda: A Charmed Childhood, in the Fall.

Harper Collins describes it as: “Who was Glinda the Good Witch before she floated down in her bubble to greet Dorothy? Who was Glinda before she became Elphaba Thropp’s magnetic and popular roommate at Shiz University?

“Well, before then, she was Galinda. With a ‘ga.’

“Galinda reveals the girl behind the bubbly, shallow cliché—offering fans of Wicked their first richer glimpse into the life of a beloved and iconic character.”

Now, who is going to turn Elphie and Galinda into Broadway musicals so I can get the movies?

Bookshop.org

If you asked someone how Mama Cass from the Mamas and Papas died, they would tell you she died choking on a ham sandwich. But is that how the 32-year-old met her fate in 1974?

Her daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugel, who was 7 at the time, wrote a memoir, and in My Mama Cass, she answers that question. Elliot-Kugel says she spoke to former Hollywood Reporter columnist Sue Cameron, who had called to check in on her mother on that dreadful day. She did, Cass’ manager, Alann Carr, picked up the phone. “He was crying and upset and he said, ‘There’s a half-eaten ham sandwich on the nightstand,’” recalls Cameron. In a panic, he told her, “You have to do this. Just say she died choking on the sandwich.”

Why would he lie? In the years leading up to her death, several other musicians like Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin passed away from drug overdoses, and he was trying to protect Mama Cass in one final act for his client.

That lie haunted her daughter when she was growing up. But she tells People, “I really believe they were protecting her legacy. And they were trying to protect me. And in a weird way, I’m grateful for that crazy story. As much as it caused me grief, and people made jokes, I now realize it kept her relevant and ready to shine again.”

Even though there were drugs in Cass’ system, the singer’s cause of death was a heart attack.

My Mama Cass will be available to pre-order on May 7th at Bookshop.org.

We have all pictured Simon Cowell doing a lot of things, and I don’t think any of us imagined him as an author of children’s books. Come spring of 2021, that will be on his resume.

The television mogul announced today that he and his son Eric are releasing a 7-book series called Wishfits with Hachette Children’s Group. The Wishfits are a combination of two animals like the DAT (dog/cat) the COG (cat/dog), the SNOG (snail/dog – the enthusiasm of a dog at the speed of a snail), the PEEP (pig/sheep) the CHUG (cheetah/slug – the slowest cat in the world), the HIPPOROO (hippo/kangaroo), the CHIMPANPOO (chimpanzee/poodle), the POLARBAT (polar bear/bat), the CROCOPUSS (crocodile/cat), the SHIGER (sheep/tiger – the most nervous cat in the world), the SPIKEY (spider/donkey) and many, many more.

The father and son have been working on this concept for three years, or half of Eric’s life.

Part of the proceeds of the books will be donated to Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and Together For Short Lives. Who knew the King of Mean was such a big softie?

The best part of the press release is the 6-year-old’s bio, “Eric’s favourite things to do are reading stories, he loves going to school and playing with his friends. Eric also loves animals, swimming, go-karting and jet ski-ing together with his dad Simon amongst other adventures. Eric’s dad is Simon Cowell, his mum is Lauren Silverman and Eric also has an older brother Adam Silverman (14).” His bio is more impressive at 6 than mine is now.

Back to the papa bear, does he believe that hybrid animals exist? He wrote, “My gut feeling is that some of these WISHFITS actually exist…somewhere!” Every time our dog humped our cats, we really thought that one day we were going to have a dat or cog. There was only one problem, they were all males, so no puttens or kippies for us. At least not in the real world.

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