by Nance Deptof, USA Today
LOS ANGELES (AP)--Noted self-help writer and one-time blogger Neil Kramer will celebrate his birthday today by jetting from one end of the continental US to another to appear on several popular talk shows. Kramer is accompanied by his manager and wife, from whom he has been separated for many years, actress Sophia Lanssky, nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Odessa Veil this year.
Kramer burst onto the literary scene in 2008 with his self-help book entitled You're Okay, It's Just Me which rocketed up the New York Times bestseller list. His appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, in which he hugged every single audience member and openly affirmed that he might, in fact, be the reason for global warming made him a household word. His follow-up book, You're Okay, I'm Just a Little Nauseous was an instant hit and insured him a permanent spot in the pantheon of such self-improvement literati as Thomas Harris, Wayne Dyer, and Norman Vincent Peale.
Catching up with Kramer proved to be difficult. Luckily, there was time before his flight left for New York, and he was in a chatty mood. We ate at Dinah's, a 1950s style diner with a killer Dutch baby on the menu. Kramer instructed Lanssky to search his daybook for a coupon he thought he had, but it turned out to be for Pann's instead. I turned the subject back to his latest book, Be of Good Cheer, which is due to be released this week.
"It's my tribute to my father," Kramer said, "and the lessons he taught me about love, laughter, and life. And really, about how to treasure those things. And others. Other people." I asked him about treasuring himself then, since his other books seem to fall a little short on that topic.
"Oh," he said, "I leave that to other people. If you live right, other people should do that for you."
You must be doing it right, then, Neil Kramer, for you certainly are a treasure. Happy Birthday, and be of good cheer!
March birthdays are for cool people!! Steve McQueen, Houdini, Neil Kramer...and me (3/24).
ReplyDeleteNance, you crack me up. (The coupons.) Ha. And happy birthday to Neil!
ReplyDeleteNice one! Can't wait to read those books ;)
ReplyDeleteVery clever piece! And Neil will be touched by the references to his father's remark.
ReplyDeletewordgirl--happy birthday early! my eldest was born in march, and he'd agree with you.
ReplyDeletesputnik--glad to bring you a chuckle! and hey, get back on your blog. i drop by every once in a while and get disappointed.
n-f-h--remember, i had to launch into the future for that interview. you've got a bit of a wait.
paris parfait--welcome to the dept. i hope you stop back again. i hope neil finds the references to be in line with his dad's philosophy.
v-grrrl--where's the 'perfect post' labeler when you need her? lol. thanks for the affirmation. and mitch albom being mitch albom concerns me enough. pablum, that.
It sounds very clever and funny, but I regret to say I am so out of it that I had no idea who Neil was. I managed to find his blog through Google and read a bit, but I am still totally in the dark. Forgive my lack of blog culture here. I'll be back when I get caught up.
ReplyDeleteO'tizz--You just got caught up in a sort of Carnival for a fellow blogger's birthday. Don't worry. I'll be back to business as usual here at the Dept. in a day or two. Thanks for stopping in and bearing with us as we celebrate Neil's birthday.
ReplyDeleteHilarious post! And very nice tie report. You finessed it even without a tie!
ReplyDeleteGreat job. That was too damn funny.
ReplyDeleteanali--thank you! it was fun to write. and thanks for commenting on the tie report. sometimes i wonder if anyone is reading it.
ReplyDeletelefty--thanks for coming and giving The Dept. a visit! Glad you appreciated the post. hope you stop back often.
What a funny, sweet tribute to our beloved Neil! Well done.
ReplyDeletepj--thanks. i hope he reads it and likes it.
ReplyDelete