Who's confused by Palin parody?

When we wrote that OR Books, publishers of the Sarah Palin parody "Going Rouge," might be hoping to confuse buyers looking for "Going Rogue" with their evil-twin cover and typo-switcheroo title, we didn't imagine that the media would be caught up in their ruse.

Today the New York Post reports that several media have mixed up the two books. USA Today posted an image of the cover of "Going Rouge" to accompany its review of "Going Rogue" on the Oval, correcting it later with the note, "Erratum: An earlier posting featured the photo of a different Sarah Palin book. The Oval regrets the error." Fox News also displayed the cover image of "Going Rouge" while discussing Palin's actual memoir. And CNN reported that Obama administration officials were sharing copies of "Going Rouge," when the book that had actual changed hands was the official "Going Rogue."

To try to counter the confusion, someone -- possibly publisher HarperCollins -- has been purchasing Google ads that point to "Going Rogue: An American Life" when people search for "Going Rouge," just in case they're not looking for the satire but have mistyped the title. This, indie publisher OR Books told Page Six, "seems very unsporting."

But maybe it's just the media that have been confused by the doppleganger books. Palin fans have been able to find her memoir without a problem at Amazon (even if they can't get it signed), where it remains atop the Amazon bestseller list.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Reading Heidi and Spencer's book so you don't have to

If there's a guaranteed white elephant gift this holiday season, it's the 132-page book "How to be Famous" by Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. These two -- who leveraged their roles on MTV's semi-real reality show "The Hills" into tabloid dominance -- sure know about being famous for no good reason, but who really needs a book to explain the phenomenon? I didn't want to read it, but I did so you won't have to. You're welcome.

The cover: The cover is screamingly garish. It shouts, "Step back! You do not want to pick up this book!" I imagine the designer saying something like, "Remember that '80s neon thing? We're going to do that, but modern." "Modern" falling somewhere between retina-burning and vomit.

The acknowledgments: They thank Jesus first. Is Jesus on their side? Talk about a crisis of faith.

The advice: Find a bunch of famous-ish people, hang out with them, establish self as an antagonist. Oh, it helps if these famous-ish people are on a TV show, meaning you will also be on a TV show. It is a short, paparazzi-enabled step from the TV show to the pages of Playboy. Won't mom be proud?

The Spencer factor: "Given how the general public feels about me, the chances are that if you're reading this right now, you can't stand me. I get it. If I weren't me, I'd HATE me. But here you are."

But that's pretend: A chart of villains puts Spencer between J.R. Ewing and Freddy Krueger. None of the villains, except for Spencer, are real. Depending on whether you believe Spencer is real, that is.

Heidi's tips: Sexy chicks get all the attention, not good girls. Cry to get what you want. "Don't kid yourself, nobody's born perfect," so do purchase new boobs, a new nose, lip injections, capped teeth (Botox and face-lifts are for old people). Also, work out for a "smoking bod." Never leave the house without full-bore hair and makeup. Set feminism back a century.

Don't look! There are 16 full-bleed, glossy pages of Speidi. Faux candid snow frolicking, bathing suit romping. Turn away.

Paparazzi primer: Yes, Spencer and Heidi are cozy with the paparazzi. But even I know that celebrities have publicists who do the work of telling the paparazzi where to find them, and publicists don't get a mention here. A little cheaty. Plus, calling them "paps" is kind of gross.

Branding, Speidi-style: Do anything. Show up to the opening of a bag of chips. Vote for McCain. Get married -- twice. Write a book.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt at a New York book signing. Credit: Will Ragozzino / Getty Images

L.A.'s Wordtheatre in London pairs Nick Hornby and Alfred Molina

Los Angeles-based Wordtheatre lines up actors to read short stories, a pairing that shows both in a flattering light. Perhaps that's why they get such glittering lineups -- it's a chance for actors to dig into  excellent writing.

On Nov. 29, Wordtheater takes the stage in London. Headlining the lineup is Alfred Molina, pictured above as Dr. Octopus in "Spider Man 2." That's him at his most striking, perhaps -- but to me he'll always be Kenneth Halliwell, the supportive/tortured partner of playwright Joe Orton in the biopic "Prick Up Your Ears." Although he's got the unavoidable Hollywood dreck on his resume (an appearance on "Miami Vice," for example), Molina has done more than his share of literary pictures, including "Manifesto," based on a Zola novel, "The Trial," which was Kafka via Harold Pinter, "Anna Karenina" and more. And oh, yes, "The Da Vinci Code." At this event, he'll be literary and a bit sassy: He's reading Nick Hornby's story "Nipple Jesus." 

Also scheduled to perform are Ian Hart ("Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone") reading "Man in the Water" by Rose Tremain; Sally Hawkins ("Happy-Go-Lucky") reading "The Wave" by Julie Myerson; Lucy Brown ("Primeval") reading "Up at the Villa" by Helen Simpson, and John Schwab ("The Complete Works of William Shakespeare") reading "Stories" by John Edgar Wideman.

Proceeds benefit Fairbridge, a charity for inner-city youth in the U.K. The show is at the private Shoreditch House in London, so Soho House members get a discount. But anyone with $33 -- and airfare to England -- can attend.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Alfred Molina as Dr. Octopus in "Spider Man 2." Credit: Melissa Mosely / Columbia Pictures

Craig Ferguson's American kilt

Last week, Craig Ferguson beat Jimmy Fallon in the late-night race for the first time. What put him over the top? Could it have been his recent memoir, "American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot"?

Eh, probably not.

Nevertheless, the book is a charming read. Unlike some in Hollywood, Ferguson writes his own books -- he published a novel, "Between the Bridge and the River," in 2006. And this memoir is, not surprisingly, full of the same humor Ferguson displays on "The Late Late Show."

"I don't say this to impress you, but I was a bed wetter until I was around eleven years old," he writes, continuing:

Then I stopped, but not for long. I started drinking alcohol regularly when I was in my early teens, at which point I returned to intermittent bed-wetting until I was 29. I haven't peed myself since the 18th of February, 1992, the day I got sober. Therefore I suppose I was a bed wetter until I was almost thirty. But I did stop before I was thirty, and I think my family and the people of Scotland should take a great deal of pride in that.

Ferguson outlines his childhood in Scotland (in a grim suburban development), his school years (undistinguished) and his career as a punk-rock drummer (intermittently successful and dissolute). Then came the comedy, which took off with his inappropriate character Bing Hitler.

Although this isn't a recovery memoir, there is a lot of drinking, because he did a lot of drinking. There are wild tales interspersed with nights (or weeks) where he has nothing to tell because he'd blacked out. He manages to avoid the trap of seeing his drinking as tragically glamorous, portrays it (without nostalgia) as both disastrous and fun. He survived it -- he might not have -- but his first marriage did not.

If Ferguson appears more candid about his early failures and successes than he is about his current late show life, it may be because he's so open about his past. He's self-deprecating without being self-pitying and shows little nostalgia for what's left behind. About his present, he details some public events -- including the decision to eulogize his father on his show, a risk that endeared him to many viewers -- but he's a bit quieter about the decision to switch agents or the daily task of putting on the show. He probably shouldnt' say too much -- he's still working in Hollywood.

And he's a true Southern California immigrant. "I proudly took the Oath of Allegiance and received my citizenship," he writes, "at Pomona Fairgrounds in Los Angeles in January 2008 along with three thousand other new Americans from Mexico, and no others from Scotland."

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Mark von Holden / Getty Images

Paul Shaffer knows what to spill -- and not -- in his memoir

Paul Shaffer has shared the stage with so many big names that it's probably easier to list the stars he hasn't worked with. How many television sidekicks can boast to having played with both Andy Kaufman and his alter-ego, Tony Clifton? Such is the musical career of the lovably nebbish keyboardist from Thunder Bay, Ontario, who has tickled the ivories alongside James Brown, most of Led Zeppelin, three-quarters of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and countless others.

In his new book "We'll Be Here For The Rest Of Our Lives," the affable Shaffer hopscotches through his storied career, telling tales of working in Toronto with many of the first SCTV comedians before they were stars (Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Martin Short), moving to New York to play for Jim Steinem, the songwriter behind Meatloaf's hits, as well as with Doug Henning, and throwing in with "Saturday Night Live" (then called simply "Saturday Night") right as it was debuting.

It was at "SNL" that Shaffer collaborated with the likes of John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. As musical director, part of Shaffer's duties was to work with the writers on special musical bits which is where the Blues Brothers first came to be. In the book Shaffer explains that the blues numbers were originally intended to be sung by Belushi wearing a bumble bee costume. But because the outfit was cumbersome and irritating to the star -- and to the other members of the band who were also forced to wear the costume -- Aykroyd and Belushi took it upon themselves one night to change into the iconic black suits as they warmed up the audience. It's in the middle of the book that Shaffer explains that the duo's style was influenced indirectly by a famous author.

"Why the dark suits and dark glasses?" I ask [Belushi].

"I was hipped to the look by Fred Kaz," says John, "the beatnik musical director at Second City in Chicago. He's the cat who told me that junkies always wore straight-looking outfits so they could pass. Check out William Burroughs."

If there's one glaring omission in the book it's the relative absence of any truly inside tales about the TV stints that most people relate him to: "Late Night with David Letterman" and "Late Show with David Letterman." Despite the fact that the book was written well before the latest drama involving Letterman's affairs, one would think that if you work with a guy for 27 years there'd be more than just a few pages about that relationship. But since the pair still work together, and seeing as how Letterman is Shaffer's boss, perhaps one reason that the keyboardist is still employed (and universally loved by so many celebs) is because he knows what to talk about -- and more importantly -- what not to spill.

Which isn't to say there aren't any insights in the memoir. We learn that Shaffer is such a huge fan of James Brown that he bought one of his Hammond organs; we discover that while on the road with the Blues Brothers the bespectacled musician had a dalliance with "sweet, sweet Connie" from the Grand Funk Railroad classic "We're an American Band"; and we learn that Andy Kaufman may have had an impostor sing as Tony Clifton on "Late Night."

Although the tales may not be gossip-rag juicy, they are interesting and involve many of the top names in music. And if one aside becomes tiresome, simply turn the page, Shaffer seems to always have one more chestnut from his Zelig-ish career in late night tv and music.

-- Tony Pierce

Video: Paul Shaffer interviewed at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Credit: Mark Milian / Los Angeles Times

Hulk Hogan wrote a book

And he'll be at Book Soup tonight to prove it. According to the bookstore, although there is no formal line, fans have arrived and are milling about.

Hulk Hogan is scheduled to appear at 7 p.m. with his book, "Hulk Hogan: My Life Outside the Ring." He seems like a rather unlikely author, but judging by the size of that bicep and those hands, I'm not saying anything more than that. Not saying anything more at all.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Hulk Hogan with his memoir. Credit: Jeff Christensen / Associated Press

Upcoming Andre Agassi memoir reveals drug use

In his upcoming memoir, tennis star Andre Agassi admits that in 1997 he used the recreational drug crystal meth -- or "gack," as his assistant, referred to only as Slim, called it. The book "Open: An Autobiography" will be in stores in November, but is being serialized by the Times of London beginning Thursday. And they ran this excerpt today:

Slim dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I’ve just crossed.

There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I’ve never felt so alive, so hopeful -- and I’ve never felt such energy.

I’m seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds...

Later, Agassi tested positive for the drug. It would mean a public suspension, and he feared, a lot more.

My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I’ve achieved, whatever I’ve worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It’s filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth.

I say Slim, whom I’ve since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth — which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim’s spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: Sincerely.

I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it.

While the admission now may get him in hot water with some sports officials, it certainly can't hurt his book sales. How many people knew the 1992 Wimbledon champion had a memoir coming out? Now, we all do.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Andre Agassi at a 2007 press conference. Credit: Ian Salas / EPA

Alton Brown's book tour leads to Costco

Alton Brown has been hosting his popular "Good Eats" show on the Food Network for 10 years now. He combines genuine goofiness with educated enthusiasm for food. He's hosted other TV shows, too, and written books before. Now "Good Eats: The Early Years" is on shelves, with 140 recipes, dynamic layout and recent promo appearances on the "Today" show and "The View." So where's he going to be on book tour today?

Costco.

Most authors are willing go anywhere readers are. And apparently in San Diego, readers are heading to a discount store to pick up 24-packs of chicken breasts.

Maybe it's not as weird as it sounds. Costco sells food and books (admittedly, it also has cat litter, patio furniture, shaving cream, tubs of mayonnaise, batteries, Wild Turkey by the gallon, athletic socks and almost any other consumer good you can imagine, but bear with me). Not many places sell both books and food. Sure, there are cafes and coffee shops connected to bookstores -- but is there any other store that makes it a point to sell food and books?

Brown has written a book for people who like to eat. And, presumably, to watch his show on TV. Wait a minute -- Costco also sells TVs. It's starting to make sense after all.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Alton Brown. Credit: Gregory Smith / Associated Press

Take Proust's questionnaire, rub shoulders with literati

It is said that when Proust was 13, he answered an English-language questionnaire, and at age 20 another one in French. These were kind of a parlor game, which he eventually popularized, asking guests and acquaintances about heroes and fears and their idea of perfect happiness, trying to get at the true nature of one's character.

Since 1993, Vanity Fair has been posing its own version of Proust's questionnaire to celebrities, literary and otherwise. It's gathered the answers from 101 of them in a new book, the aptly titled "Vanity Fair's Proust's Questionnaire," hitting shelves next week. It includes writers Norman Mailer, William F. Buckley Jr., Gore Vidal and Salman Rushdie, alongside David Bowie, Johnny Cash, James Brown, Hedy Lamarr, Keith Richards and Shirley MacLaine.

But that's not all: On its website, Vanity Fair has posted an interactive questionnaire for the rest of us. Fill in your answers, and it tells you which celebrity your answers are the most like.

Me, I'm more than 93% David Mamet. Wow. Not too shabby.

OK, I wasn't writing Mamet-like sentences -- as far as I can tell, the match was made because I answered one question exactly the same as he had. So it may not be entirely scientific, this online version, but it is rather flattering.

Vanity Fair has posted recent answers online -- as well as Proust's from 1891, when he was 20. When asked how he would like to die, he answered, "A better man than I am, and much beloved." And so he did.

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Norman Mailer. Credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times

Sarah Palin's book is on the fast track

Announced just four months ago, Sarah Palin's memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life," will be on shelves in time for Christmas. In fact, with a release date of Nov. 17, it'll be in stores by Thanksgiving -- that's instead of the originally scheduled spring release date.  

Our Top of the Ticket blog reports:

Harper publisher Jonathan Burnham says the ex-governor obviously invested herself deeply -- and also quite quickly -- in penning the 400-page volume and it contains "fascinating details."

Some of which, no doubt, will not be so fascinating to some within the failed campaign camp of Arizona Sen. John McCain, who picked her as the first GOP female on a presidential ticket in an obvious bid for the Arctic vote.

Many in the mainstream media will also be eager to see how the Republican hockey mom praises them for their objective portrayals of her all last fall.

Harper, a division of HarperCollins, says it will print 1.5 million copies. That's a hefty print run -- the same as that for the fall's previous big political memoir, Ted Kennedy's "True Compass."

-- Carolyn Kellogg

Photo: Al Grillo / Associated Press