BOOK EXPO America: Intro - Friday, May 30th from RedFence on Vimeo.

The video is from blogger John Fox at his site BookFox.

While USA Today was reporting on the 'star-crossed' event covering all the 'notables' (Prince, Alec Baldwin and the Olsen Twins) we bring you all the weird stuff that's left:

There was a pirate swing band promoting L Ron Hubbard books. We offer that its weird to have a pirate swing band promote ANY book besides a book about other pirate swing bands. Anyway, L Ron has another new release?! Since he died in 1986 - that makes him an amazing author indeed. There was such a big Scientology presence at BEA that saying,"Let's meet near the L Ron display." Became like saying,"Lets meet at the Starbucks on Ventura."

Check out more of John Fox's videos to see about profiting from the rapture and exploring if Ellora's Cave is a double entendre.

We found Leonard Nimoy giving out autographs.

And we met Next Generation star turn LAist blogger Wil Wheaton. Pictured here with GalleyCat guru Ron Hogan.

Nerd alert.

The book Reckless Road was being signed by Slash. Well...it was either Slash or a washed up Cher impersonator. We've heard conflicting stories so far.

Sources tell us that Micheal Moore didn't show up to his luncheon this afternoon.

Sources also tell us it may be because of weather and a plane delay.

Jeff Gannon, male prostitute, 'journalist' for a questionable paper turned White House Correspondent (famous for launching softballs at the president and his press secretary for two years.) Well, he has an opinion about Scott McClellan's new book.

Our thanks to Americablog.com for bringing this to our attention.

From JeffGannon.com:

Add me to the growing list of those who are having great difficulty understanding McClellan's motives. I spent two years as a White House reporter, much of it during McClellan's reign. At no time did Scott ever indicate, either publicly or privately, he had the misgivings he expressed in this book.

What I hear about the book does not sound like the Scott McClellan I knew for two years. I can say without fear of contradiction, that I knew Scott better than any other White House correspondent or Washington reporter.

Ick. Eek!

But this was our favorite:

continued...

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McCellen's memoir What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception is set to be released next week. In it he describes the press as 'complicit enablers'.

FBLA caught up with Eric Boehlert author of Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush.

We asked him what he thought of his use of the phrase 'complicit enablers'. He said,"I chuckled when I read that description."

Boehlert continued,"I'm glad he concurred and I'm glad we now have confirmation from inside the White House...They'll be talking about the war coverage for the next 30 years like they are still talking about Watergate."

We want to know if there are any Jeff Gannon answers in the book. He was the male prostitute in the room...the White House Press Corps Room.

Our thanks to Huffpo for finding this.

From VF (the she they refer to is publisher Nan Talese):

She was disgusted at the spectacle Oprah was making, appalled at her manners and at what she allegedly told Frey after the show was over: "I know it was rough, but it's just business." Winfrey denies ever making such a comment. "Once again, the truth is not being served here," she says in a statement to Vanity Fair. "In 22 years of doing this show, I have never said to anyone, 'I know it was rough, but it's just business.' This was beyond business. This was about the trust I share with the audience who faithfully supports the Book Club and buys the books I recommend; and based on that trust, I thought we were owed an explanation about the truth of this memoir."

It's kind of like when Jayson Blair got a book deal. Like they expected him to actually write it himself?

We have to admit that we're more 'podcast' than 'books on tape' type of people - but this panel was interesting. And uhm - Jackie Collins was there. And uhm - she's interesting. Also on the panel was Kevin J. Anderson who wrote among others the Dune series, velvety-voiced narrator Scott Brick and audio book producer Dennis Kao. It was moderated by Bridget Kinsella.

Kinsella started out by saying Janet Finch told her that audio books are loved because when we grow up no one reads to us anymore. The entire room nodded to concur.

Jackie Collins who will sometimes narrate her own books said that she has edited during recording sessions. "I write rather racy books. When I write it - it sounds ok but not when I say it." She explained.

Then Collins and Brick confessed to wrapping pillows around their mid-sections to cut down on dreaded studio stomach noises. A visual that google images wasn't forthcoming about.

During the Q&A a woman asked who were the panelists favorite narrators. Anderson admitted that it was the man sitting to his right, Scott Brick. Collins noted Sydney Tamiia Poitier as a talented narrator. And Kao said that he liked Lou Diamond Phillips and,"Anyone British."

Someone must have never heard Posh Spice's teeth-shattering cockney squall...Lucky.

The LA Festival of Books, in its 13th year was this weekend and FBLA was there trying to stay hydrated while going out of our way to fawn shamelessly over Pat Morrison.

It was hot and crowded but for bibliophiles it was the place to be. It was like a Trekkie convention - only people had jobs.

Speaking of people with jobs, we ran into author Carly Milne who has grace our pages before and is pictured below.

Because the guys at Foxnews.com have been waiting their whole careers to write a headline reading,"Jesus Was Son of Mary and a Roman Rapist." Director Paul Verhoeven who's a camp legend with such great stinkers as "Starship Troopers" and "Showgirls", is writing a controversial book about Jesus.

We note that he is Dutch and a Hollywood director so any book he would write about Jesus would be controversial. Scratch that - ANY book he would write would be controversial.