Jennifer Grant is the daughter of late Hollywood legend Cary Grant. She recently released her memoir called “Good Stuff: a Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jennifer about her father and her new memoir.

Mike Gencarelli: What made you decide to write your memoir?
Jennifer Grant: My whole life people have asked me to do something on my dad, since my father passed away actually. About five years ago people very close to me started recommending I do something and that is what got my attention. We were always a private family especially my father, so I never really considered the idea of doing anything. I brought the idea to my step-mother and she said it was a wonderful idea and that I must do it. I thought wow this is something that my dad may have actually welcomed and maybe it was just me that’s been sort of greedy with my memories. So I decided I should open up and speak.

MG: How long did the process take from the initial idea to completion?
JG: Once I had the idea I had to sit down alone and write in a notebook to see what I was doing. That took awhile and then it came to writing a book proposal and meeting with publishers. Once that I happened then I was into writing the book so from conception to having the book on the stands was about a five year process. There was probably two and a half years of writing and nine months of legalese and then another nine months waiting till press.  My father left me a tremendous amount of archives about our personal history together including audio tapes that he made. He retired when I was born and I think that all of his time on movie sets was ingrained in him that he was used to recording life. He took slides, photos, super 8 videos and audio tapes. He kept every letter and card from me, so I had boxes and boxes of material to go through while I was writing. It was a wonderful, cumbersome and cathartic process all at once.

MG: The title of the book is “Good Stuff” can you tell us how you came up with that and the back ground behind it?
JG: It’s something my dad used to say when he was happy. It could have been the simplest day where we were sitting outside on the patio eating coffee cake and listening to classical music and my dad would look around and say “Good Stuff isn’t it.” It was his way of expressing happiness.

MG: What would you say was your most challenging part in the writing process?
JG: I think it was allowing me to commit to making things public. It is one thing to write stuff for yourself or to share with friends, which I hadn’t really done. I sort of closed this stuff off to myself because I had some repressed grief about it. Going through the archives was incredibly cathartic but then to really realize that I was going to share this with the world. My manager used to joke with me because when we had our initial meeting with my wonderful book agent Dan Strone I think I had twenty pages of writing to show him. I had it in manila envelope which was quite literally clutched to my chest. I think throughout our meeting I let go of the pages and that was very much what the process was like holding those things very dear to my heart and finally letting them go.

MG: Growing up for you was it spending time with Cary Grant or was it spending time with dad?
JG: It was very much spending time with dad. He retired when I was born, so I never saw dad on a movie set. Dad and I went to baseball games and he would wake me up in the morning and we would have breakfast together. We spent our time together. He would drive me to school and pick me up. He was really ready to be a dad because he had already reached iconic status with his acting career. I was very lucky.

MG: In today’s Hollywood who do you feel resembles his tremendous presence?
JG: I don’t think there is one person who embodies dad’s qualities. There are two people who come to mind that have aspects of dad. One is George Clooney as he has some of that charisma and he is a bit mysterious as dad was but his comedy is entirely different. George Clooney is very left of center with his comedy and dad was very mainstream in his comedy. Then there is also Hugh Jackman, but not the Wolverine side, that also reminds me of dad. There is something about the way he carries himself. He has this elegant side that is like dads.

MG: How do you feel when you watch your father’s films? And do you watch them often?
JG: Since writing the book it’s been easier for me to watch his films. I think I missed him more and now that I have been through this whole process.  It’s not that I didn’t miss him…I just really indulged myself and gotten in there. Now the memories are a lot cooler, so to speak, so to watch his films are more of a pure viewing experience. I just enjoy them and I am awed by his talent as he was so unique. He worked with so many amazing people. The stars and directors he worked with were just phenomenal. I am just in awe of his talent and very proud of him.

MG: Do you have plans to do anymore writing in the future?
JG: Absolutely!

Steve Alten is the author responsible for the amazing novel “Meg”. In case you are not familiar with the series, “Meg” is not about a girl is it about a Megalodon, a prehistoric giant shark that is believed to be extinct. The novel was released in 1997 and since then has spawned three sequels,”The Trench”, “Meg: Primal Waters” and “Meg: Hell’s Aquarium” and a fourth on its way. Steve has been trying to get a movie version of “Meg” made since before the book was published and may finally be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. MovieMikes had a chance to chat with Steve about his novel series “Meg”, its possible movie adaption and his other series as well.

Mike Gencarelli: You have been trying to get “Meg” made into a feature since 1996, what has been the hardest challenge?
Steve Alten: The biggest challenge with Hollywood Pictures and New Line Cinema was getting a good script. At the time I was a new writer and I could have written the best script in the world but they weren’t going to look at because they wanted to hire an A-list writer. After the deal with New Line Cinemas didn’t work out in 2007, we re-obtained the rights to the film. I decided to use our own producer Belle Avery who was very good at putting together independent financing. Belle was able to secure around $150 million based on my new script. We took my script and a script from another writer and after taking our names off both we sent them to about 25 people in the industry and all 25 picked my script. We were pretty convinced from there that we were on the right track.

MG: According to your June 2011 newsletter, you believe we might be seeing “Meg” in summer 2013?
SA: The paperwork on the financing is being completed right now and should be done by next month. Hopefully sometime in July we will have a formal announcement. We will probably start pre-production in January followed by some major announcements of a director and cast. We are targeting summer of 2013

MG: The “Meg” series is my favorite, you are currently working on “Meg: Night Stalkers” and a “Meg” prequel, what can you tell us?
SA: The prequel is done and it’s really a bonus for those who have been following the series. The story goes back Jonas’s original story about how he came across the Megalodon seven years prior to “Meg”. The back story delves slightly into “Meg” and it’s about an 80-90 page book. It’s going to sell as an eBook for around $1.99. It’s really just something for the readers to get them into the series. As far as “Meg: Night Stalkers” I haven’t started that yet. I won’t do that until we have an official greenlight on the “Meg” movie. I don’t want to jinx it. Once I get the green light I will know how much time I have, as I would like to release the book a couple weeks before the film.

MG: The Domain Trilogy is also continuing with “Phobos” this fall, tell us about that novel?
SA: “Phobos” is great because Domain is a series that I never really understood the full impact of until I started writing “Resurrection” which led into “Phobos”. “Phobos” was an opportunity to take the story where it left off in 2046 and send it back to the pre 2012 days. I was really able to explore the characters of Julius and Michael Gabriel which also allowed me to give them an alternative ending. At the same time “Phobos” deals with a situation that is actually happening and could be a threat to both humanity and to the planet it’s self.

MG: What is your process when you are preparing to start a novel?
SA: I am sort of doing now as we speak. Since finishing the “Meg” prequel, I am free to move onto my next novel which I have been planning for a few years titled “The Omega Project”. I don’t really understand the book yet so I have starting reading a lot of material that has to deal with the story which then allows me to figure out the story from the research that I am doing. I have a stack of book on my desk to help me get into my lead characters and the overall story.

MG: Unlike most authors, you are very connected with your fans and welcome ideas and suggestions, do you enjoy their feedback?
SA: Absolutely! I have received newsletters from other authors and they always seem to be just an advertisement for their upcoming book. I think there has to be a portion of promotion, but I find it’s more interesting for me if I put living tips and jokes in my newsletter which are things people can use along with information about my upcoming books. It’s kind of egotistical if I just put out a newsletter about me. I don’t think people really would want a newsletter just about me. I don’t even want to right something like that as I would run out of things to say pretty quickly.

MG: What would you say has been your most rewarding series so far and why?
SA: I would probably say it was “Grim Reaper: End of Days” which took me two years to write and was an absolutely exhausting process. When I read the book the payoff is definitely there with all the layers. I don’t think it’s my most widely appreciated book yet but I think it will be over the years though. I really enjoyed writing “Phobos” as well it was very satisfying and a great wrap up of the first three novels while opening the door for a fourth.

MG: Do you have any plans to turn any of your other novels into films (hint, hint: “The Loch”)?
SA: I think every book I write is written for the cinema. The ideas are all pretty big tent poll ideas. We have optioned “Domain” and hope it makes it to the movies because there are some really great people behind it. “The Loch” has also been optioned by the same people who are involved with “Meg”. I think they all really have potential to films and hopefully this first one will be the domino that needs to fall and get everything rolling.

MG: Tell us about your Adopt-An-Author program, which is just fascinating.
SA: Adopt-An-Author started almost on its own after “Meg” came out. I started to get an influx of emails from teenagers who hated to read but read “Meg” and loved it. I also started getting emails from teachers who were telling me that they were using the book in their teaching curriculum’s. I had then found out that “Meg” had been named #1 book for young adults who were reluctant to read. I realized then that I needed to get involved and with my back ground in education I was sort of putting my degrees to work. We provide free materials to teachers that want to adapt this into their curriculum’s. Youth who are involved in the program can email me and I reply just as I would with any other reader but at the end of the unit the teachers can contact me and I will do a conference call with the class or if it is local I will go to those classes and speak. We started the program in 1999 with about 10 teachers and this past year we surpassed 10,000 registered teachers. The best part is it’s all free!

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June 2005. On the island of Martha’s Vineyard I meet Jim Beller at JAWSFest. As a fellow “Jaws” fan I have been well aware of the man they call Jimmy Jaws for the better part of a decade. But we hadn’t met face to face until that summer. During our conversation Jim tells me an idea he has. A coffee table book consisting of behind the scene photos telling the story of the making of our favorite film. “Good idea,” I say.

June 2007. Back on the Vineyard and moments after I propose to my future wife in a room filled with “Jaws” fans, I am introduced to Matt Taylor, who Jim has told me will be writing the coffee table book.

April 2011. I am as giddy as a school boy as I am given the first look at the new book, “Jaws: Memories From Martha’s Vineyard.” Did I mention that I thought it was a good idea?

Over this past 4th of July weekend I had the unique opportunity to shadow book author Matt Taylor and conceptualist Jim Beller on Martha’s Vineyard as they met with film fans and discussed their new project. During some rare down time in their whirlwind schedule, as fans gathered for a screening of the film, they took a few moments to sit down with MovieMikes and talk about the book.

Mike Smith: Why “Jaws?”
Jim Beller: Why not “Jaws?” (laughs)

MS: What is it about that film that, 36 years later, you and I and all of the people standing in line behind us still love it?
JB: I think it’s because it’s a movie that still holds up today and will still hold up 20 or 30 years from now. People will always have that fear of not knowing what’s under them when they’re swimming in the ocean. It’s a movie that has everything: great directing, great acting…editing, score, art direction, great writing…it’s a film that has everything. It’s a comedy, it’s a drama, it’s a horror movie, it’s a thriller. It’s a movie that will go on and on. Like (“Jaws” production designer) Joe Alves says, it’s like “The Wizard of Oz.” Years from now other generations are going to watch it and love it.

MS: Matt, you spent three years traveling across Martha’s Vineyard and discovering stories that even serious “Jaws” fans had not heard. Was it an easy task tracking down people?
Matt Taylor: It was an easy task tracking down the people I knew. Islanders are very set in their ways. They may not do things the same way that off-Islanders would. Often times it was very difficult to lock them down for a time to talk or to show up. They might say “yes” to something then keep you waiting for five months. It was either very easy or extremely difficult.

MS: Did the fact that you yourself are an Islander…you’re family has lived here for 15 generations…did that give you an advantage that another author might not have had?
MT: I think so. I didn’t think Hershel West was even going to answer the door. So I dropped my grandfather’s name and after about 20 seconds I heard him undoing the latch. (NOTE: Mr. West played Quint’s first mate early in the film) It helped that I could drop the name of a family member that they were familiar with. Lynn and Susan Murphy have been friends with various family members from way, way back. Susan told me that as soon as Lynn realized who my relatives were he really opened up. So yes, it definitely worked to my advantage.

MS: Is the book your first writing project?
MT: Actually I’ve written a lot. I’ve had three screenplays read by major studios, though nothing yet has seen the light of day. But the book is the first thing that’s been published.

MS: Jim, what is your rarest “Jaws” item?
JB: I have a “Bruce” tooth. It’s not really rare but it’s up there as far as collectibles go. I really have two very rare items. The first is a standee that stood in theatre lobbies in 1975. For years I had no idea it even existed…I had never seen one. But then I saw a photo of another fans collection and I was like, “what is THAT…where did you get THAT?” (I should note here Jim was talking about MY collection and finally did track down the standee in question). The other item is a hard back copy of the novel, “Jaws,” which spent the summer of 1974 on board the U.S.S. Loreno, which was the name of one of the sea sleds that carried the sharks used by the crew during filming. The crew member that had it would have everyone that came aboard sign it. There are probably close to 75 autographs in it, including Bob Mattey, who created “Bruce.”

MS: Matt, what are you working on now?
MT: I have a film that I have to go back and finish. I shot it in 2007 and was assembling a rough cut when I decided to drop everything and concentrate on the book full tilt. I put it on the back burner but now I’m going to go back and finish it up. It’s a documentary on the history of agriculture on Martha’s Vineyard.

MS: I know that the book was a roller coaster ride for you both, with lots of ups and downs. Now that you’ve climbed that last hill it should be all fun on the way down. What do you hope for next?
MT: Money.
JB: [Laughs]
JB: For me it’s knowing that I can finally talk with fellow fans about stuff I’ve known for years but couldn’t talk about because of the book. It’s great to finally have this book out…with over 1,000 never-before-seen photos and probably as many unheard stories…that “Jaws” fans will be completely blown away by. It will be great to talk with fellow “Jaws” fans about their favorite new stories. [Laughs] And money.

MS: Any chance you two will collaborate on another project?
JB: We’ve talked about a couple things. There are still many photos…and stories…that the fans haven’t seen or heard.
MT: I had to cut about 50 pages out of the book. Two months before we turned it over to the publisher it was 50 pages longer. I had to trim a lot of it and find a way to rearrange the photos after all of the cuts had been made. There are still completely edited stories and photos that were once part of the book that we didn’t use because we had to get it down to 300 pages. And they were great stories!

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Lisa Ann Walter just released her first book titled “The Best Thing About My Ass is That It’s Behind Me”. Lisa has also appeared in films such as “”Bruce Almighty”, “The Parent Trap” and “War of the Worlds” to name just a few. Movie Mikes had a chance to speak with Lisa about her book and what it was like working with Richard Gere and Tom Cruise.

Adam Lawton: Can you tell us about your book that came out recently?
Lisa Ann Walter: The book is called “The Best Thing About My Ass is That It’s Behind Me” and it’s been described to me as kind of the best girls night out with the widest conversation you could ever have. It’s not any kind of self help book or anything its’ much more of a self maintenance type book. (Laughs) The attitude I had behind the book was that I had not only experienced but also witnessed among every American woman that it seemed like their birth right was a life time of self loathing. It seems as though woman have to be sexy until they are dead! Now you not only have to be a member of the PTA but you also have to be a pole dancer! (Laughs)

AL: What made you decide to write the book?
LAW: I live in a town I like to call “the land where prom queens go to die”. Beauty is very skewed where I live as it seems once a girl has a crown popped on her head she moves out here to become an actress. Maybe 3 out 5 make it and the rest end up in Hugh Heffner’s grotto swimming with the diseases or they are working at Denny’s. There are really just a bunch of gorgeous people out here and that is what is presented to women in America as to what they are supposed to look like. I wanted to show how hard it is to keep up with this type of thinking while still being ok with yourself.

AL: What was it like working on “War of the Worlds”?
LAW: That was probably production wise the biggest movie I have ever done. It was extremely exciting! The first day on set I got to meet Steven Spielberg and he was giving me direction for my scene and referencing Tom Cruise. I turn around and there was Tom with that “Risky Business” smile. Well after Steven was finished I told him he would have to tell me again what he wanted because I was just so taken back that I was on a set with him and Tom Cruise. (Laughs) Steven laughed and told me everything again. Tom Cruise was delightful! He was my own personal hero because Spielberg had asked me to bring one of my kids with me to be in the scene. During the scene there were so many people running and moving that my daughter got hit and had a bloody nose. Tom Cruise comes across the set after scaling this wall to check on my daughter. He was there in like 30 seconds. I don’t know how he got there so fast? He asked her what happened and then started taping it saying it was going to be for the lawsuit. (Laughs)  He also let me video tape him for my daughter’s birthday and after we were finished he reached into my purse for the camera to reshoot himself because he thought it wasn’t good enough. Tom is really a great guy. I have been lucky and had some really great experiences with everyone I have been able to work with.

AL: You also worked with Richard Gere correct?
LAW: Richard was very helpful and kind to me. I worked with him for over 3 months and within like 30 seconds of meeting him we were touching naughty bits to naughty bits. (Laughs) I was blushing from head to toe and Richard was telling me to be relaxed as I had the gig, but I knew it wasn’t true because the job really hinged on whether or not he liked me. I couldn’t believe I was meeting an Officer and a Gigolo with the ass that ate Tokyo! They made me get fat for “Shall We Dance” and I had a scene where I would lose the bottom half of my skirt and I was mortified. I actually ran off set the first time we did that scene and it just so happened that Ben Affleck was there visiting Jennifer Lopez which made matters worse as I have a lifetime of ass issues! I must have been green when I got back as Richard asked me what was wrong. Now at the time I was having trouble with my husband which didn’t help matters. So I told Richard that not only do I have to show my ass to the same guy I had a poster of on my wall when I was in high school, but also Ben Affleck and the crew for Extra was there to interview Richard. I was thinking why don’t we get every hot leading actor guy in Hollywood to come and look at my gelatinous ass! Richard was great and told me he would take care of it. Within one minute everyone was gone. Richard is just really a great guy.

AL: You have done a lot of different role in the movie making business is there one that sticks out as a favorite?
LAW: I really enjoy directing. I think I have always been a director even though I used to get in trouble for it. From getting sent out of class when I was in school to when I had a sitcom, I just wanted to be part of the process. When you are directing you get to piece the movie together into the film you want to make. I also really love to do stand-up comedy and most recently I started doing a radio show two times a week which I am really enjoying. I just really like to work and to stay busy.

AL: Do you have any other projects in the works you can tell us about?
LAW: I can’t tell you too many specifics but there are 3 projects that I am working on as an executive producer that are reality driven. I also have another project we are setting up for that is very chick centric. I am really excited for this project!