Good things keep happening to Gotham author Diablo Cody, author of last year's novel Candy Girl.

"Juno", the hit comedy starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner has been awarded an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, as written by Diablo Cody.

Juno

Academy Award

Diablo Cody

Candy Girl

screenplay

awards ceremony

books

Penguin Books

There Will Be Blood, the movie inspired by Upton Sinclair's novel Oil!, won the 2008 Academy Awards for 'Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role and Achievement in Cinematography '.

Daniel Day-Lewis was awarded the Academy Award for his riveting performance as Daniel Plainview, the center of an epic tale about family, greed, religion and oil.

Robert Elswit was awarded the Academy Award for Cinematography.

Written in 1927, Oil! described the early days of the California oil industry, and proved to be highly entertaining story featuring a cavalcade of characters including senators, oil magnets, Hollywood film starlets, and a crusading evangelist.

View more information on Upton Sinclair's Oil!

There Will Be Blood

Academy Awards

Upton Sinclair

Oil!

awards

ceremony

books

Penguin Books

There Will Be Blood, the movie inspired by Upton Sinclair's novel Oil!, won the 2008 Golden Globe Award for 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture-Drama'.

Daniel Day-Lewis was awarded the Golden Globe for his riveting performance as Daniel Plainview, the center of an epic tale about family, greed, religion and oil. Written in 1927, Oil! described the early days of the California oil industry, and proved to be highly entertaining story featuring a cavalcade of characters including senators, oil magnets, Hollywood film starlets, and a crusading evangelist.

View more information on Upton Sinclair's Oil!

Author John Flanagan has just optioned the movie rights to his Ranger's Apprentice series to United Artists Films. UAF had begun talking with director Paul Haggis (of "Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby" fame) but negotiations were halted due to the writer's strike.

John Flanagan reports that he is thrilled by the deal. "I don't expect to peer over [the director's] shoulder saying 'No, no! You can't change that!' " the author said. "But if anyone decides that Halt, the bearded, grim-faced Ranger, should be played by Scarlett Johansson, you'll hear me screaming all the way across the Pacific. Or not."

Good things keep happening to Gotham author Diablo Cody, author of last year's novel Candy Girl.

"Juno", the hit comedy starring Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, one of which is for Diablo Cody's screenplay. The other two categories are Best Motion Picture - Comedy, and Best Actress (Ellen Page).

Even more excitingly, Diablo Cody has been selected to write the backpage entertainment column for Entertainment Weekly, alternating each week with Stephen King. This will be in addition to Cody's forthcoming second novel, which will be released by Gotham Books.

The Golden Globe nominations have been announced, and "There Will Be Blood" has been nominated for ‘Best Motion Picture – Drama’ and ‘Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama' for Daniel Day-Lewis' hypnotic performance.

Based on Upton Sinclair's acclaimed novel Oil!, "There Will Be Blood" is slated to be released in January 2008, and has earned an astounding 100% fresh rating at RottenTomatoes.com.

Watch a trailer for "There Will Be Blood" below:

View other great works by Upton Sinclair here.

Curb Your Enthusiasm kicks off its sixth season, delighting fans and critics everywhere (or at least within the US), where it's the 5th highest rated TV show on metacritic.com. Starring the writer, co-creater and executive Producer of Seinfeld Larry David as himself, this mordant comedy began as a 1 hour special that quickly became a cult favorite, and has since risen to national prominence and approbation. Armed with outlines, some trusting actors, and perhaps the sharpest wit on television, Larry David and his team have produced one of the funniest and most memorable shows on television.

Curious to know more, to understand the creative process behind this award-winning TV show? Take a look at, Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book, which is complete with stories about Larry David's childhood, his roots as a stand-up comic, and his various writing jobs before the breakthrough of Seinfeld. After five hilarious seasons, Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book offers fans an intimate view of the people, experiences, and stories behind one of television's funniest shows.

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"It's a dangerous business, going out of your door. You step onto the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." - Bilbo Baggins (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Condé Nast Traveler just released its list of "The 86 Greatest Travel Books of All Time". The titles were selected by a panel of forty five writers which featured luminaries such as Vikram Chandra, Peter Mayle, John McPhee, Paul Theroux, and Gore Vidal.

This epic list contained nine books published by Penguin, and included tales told by travelers who have ranged from the arid plains of Patagonia, to the shifting sands of Southern Arabia. Books such as these allow us to experience characters like the darkly ironic Mark Twain as he flees the Civil War or mulls on the Mississippi, and the profound, itinerant monk Bash-o as he travels through 17^th century Japan.