Did Stephen Colbert rip off Ze Frank?

Renee at Book of the Day has an intriguing project. If you’ve read Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, she’s set up a phone number where you can offer your thoughts. From here, the results either go into some catchy hip-hop montage that you’ll hear playing in all the clubs or a podcast — I don’t really know which. But it does sound groovy and experimental. And I direct all interested parties Renee’s way.

• Small fry
• Midget
• Neptune’s younger, not so nice cousin
• Left-handed
• Oppressed minority
• The planet that nobody talks about
• The guy in the back
• The planet that flies coach
• The planet with one testicle
• Handicapped heavenly body
• The planet on welfare
• Billy Barty in space
• Take this planet. Please.
• Leftovers.

This post is not a joke.

I just received the following message from Otto Penzler:

“If you don’t remove this TODAY, I will sue your ass. I have already discussed this with my lawyer who agrees it is actionable. You may find this humorous–I don’t. I do have your address and you will be served with a cease and desist order, plus a liable suit, copyright infringement suit, and some other stuff as we think of them. NOW, Mr. Champion.”

Mr. Penzler takes apparent umbrage to several recent posts that satirize and parody his New York Sun columns. To prevent any confusion, I have removed the photos of Mr. Penzler and have added a visible disclaimer that these posts are parodies for the uninitiated (which apparently includes Penzler) about a character named “Otto Peltzer,” not Penzler. Other than this, the posts, for the moment, remain unchanged.

Sky News: “Celebrity autobiographies are the books most often abandoned by readers, according to a new survey….’It just shows we have become a nation fixated with celebrities and their lifestyles. All unwanted books are donated to local hospitals and charity shops for people to enjoy reading.'”