This week: Hyperion bets on Washington's "New-insky";Judith Regan gets dirty;and Hollywood moves its (augmented) lips. Plus, a Sedaris entertains.
CAA's Shari Smiley, who's carved out a position in Hollywood as chick lit's uber-agent (clients include The Devil Wears Prada's Lauren Weisberger and The Ivy Chronicles' Karen Quinn), has just wrapped up her umpteenth deal, with Marisa de los Santos's comedy-drama, Love Walked In, which Dutton will publish in January 2006. Paramount acquired the rights. The novel, pitched as "a female About a Boy," explores the relationship between a woman and her ex-boyfriend's 11-year-old daughter. Sarah Jessica Parker will star and coproduce with Michael London (Sideways).
Smiley is also currently offering Jessica Cutler's The Washingtonienne, a raunchy D.C. tale of sex and politics, and Hyperion's candidate for this summer's blockbuster beach read. Cutler is the notorious Capitol Hill mail clerk who lost her job after blogging about her kinky liaisons with low-level Republican bureaucrats. The completed manuscript went out Friday, February 18—just in time for President's Day weekend.
Another blog, another book deal. Just ask members of The First Wives Club—living well is the best revenge. Newlywed Stephanie Klein had the perfect life: a great apartment, a baby on the way and a devoted husband. He dumped her. She wrote about it. Klein will expand her often bawdy blog (stephanieklein.blogs.com) of her adventures in divorce court, therapy and online dating (sample t.m.i. [too much information] entry: "You know a year ago I cried in the bathroom at work, now I masturbate in it instead") into Straight Up and Dirty: The Life of a Young New York Divorcee. In a synergistic deal, Regan Books and her production company acquired two books and the film/TV rights from Artists Literary Group's Joe Veltre and Diana Bartoli for a reported mid—six figures—a sum sure to make Klein's ex wonder if he should have stuck around.
L.A. is the plastic surgery capital of the world, so the industry will get a look in the mirror with Lynn Schnurnberger and Janice Kaplan's Mine Are Spectacular!, the pair's follow-up to their moderately successful debut, The Botox Diaries(Ballantine, 2004). CAA's Sally Willcox is selling the rights; the book is due from Ballantine in June. The sequel's lighthearted look at plastic surgery in the suburbs covers the same terrain as the duo's first novel, which followed two best friends through midlife crises and Botox parties. It's too soon to predict Hollywood's response to the team's sophomore effort, but film rights to The Botox Diaries remain available. Perhaps the subject matter hits too close to home....
Briefs... Amy Sedaris, star of the sorely missed Comedy Central series Strangers with Candy and frequent subject of big brother David's essays, will next write I Like You for Warner Books. Tracy Fisherof WMA negotiated the deal. While no one's claiming this one's a movie (it's described as a "Betty Crocker—esque" guide to hostessing written by a woman best known for playing an ex-prostitute/convict who returns to high school—at 46), film scouts would love to get their hands on the proposal just because, said one, "She's so damn funny."
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