Over the summer, the Old Murder House Theatre troupe toured the country with a cheesy musical adaptation of Michael Crichton‘s Jurassic Park. We’ve embedded a video about the Jurassic Live: Dino Action Show above–what do you think?

Using cardboard boxes, papier-mâché and some simple costumes, the actors recreated scenes from the novel and the classic film by Steven Spielberg. Here’s more about the production:

The latest production from Old Murder House Theatre (producers of ALIENS ON ICE!), this show is the latest in a long line of elaborate parodies that drag Hollywood blockbusters down kicking and screaming to a cardboard and duct-tape scale. The results — which WIRED Magazine called “lo-fi love notes” — are simultaneously homage and satire, and have been called a “miracle of live performance” by Movies.com and “unparalleled chaos” by io9. We’re not sure which we’re more proud of, but after years of single-night events and after-the-fact internet buzz, this will be the first time Old Murder House hits the road and delights audiences nationwide!

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According to USA Today, nonfiction writer Richard Preston finished remaining two-thirds of the manuscript. Preston consulted Crichton’s outline, reference materials, and notes to complete the novel.

Preston explained: “For me, it was an irresistible challenge to finish the novel, and I was driven by a desire to honor the work and imagination of one of our time’s most visionary and creative authors.” (via Publishers Weekly)

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Counting more than 100,000 votes, NPR Books has assembled a list of Killer Thrillers, readers’ picks for the top 100 thrillers of all time.

Surprisingly, recent bestsellers like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown were topped by a serial killer classic. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris took first place on the thriller list.

Here’s more from the site: “Who is the NPR audience’s favorite thriller writer? It’s the King, of course — Stephen King, who landed six titles in the top 100. Lee Child comes next, with four winning books. And, at three titles each, Michael Crichton, Dennis Lehane and Stieg Larsson tie for third.”

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A Holt spokesperson told the AP that publisher could not find two sources mentioned in the book and Pellegrino (pictured, via) “was not able to answer” some of the publisher’s questions about the title, a journalistic look at the bombing of Hiroshima. Last week, the NY Times uncovered a few other problems with the book.

Here’s more from the AP report: “The publisher ‘will issue full credit to wholesalers and retailers who wish to return the book. Consumers who seek a refund should return to the retailer from whom they purchased the book.’”

At Pellegrino’s website, the author has collected both good and bad reviews of his books–an odd counterpoint to the story. According to his website, Stephen King once wrote: “This guy really scares me.” More reviews follow after the jump.

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HarperCollinsCanada’s publisher Iris Tupholme explained the imprint in a statement: “HarperWeekend was created for readers who want a book they know they will love. The emphasis is on great stories, well told, perfect for a weekend at home or away … The imprint gives us another opportunity to market and sell some of the most exciting books on our list under a fresh brand, targeting one of the most robust sectors of the book-buying public.”

Five other books will be included in the launch: Glenn Cooper‘s “Library of the Dead,” Tish Cohen‘s “Town House” and “Inside Out Girl,” Martin Walker‘s “Bruno, Chief of Police,” and Isabel Wolffs “A Vintage Affair.”

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During BEA, scores of publishing types celebrated their accomplishments and plotted future successes. A smaller number of brave souls discussed projects that didn’t work out the way they had planned–the most valuable kind of publishing intelligence.

GalleyCat caught up with Doubleday/Knopf’s online director Jeffrey Yamaguchi for an exclusive interview about what he learned from unexpected results during a campaign for Michael Crichton‘s novel, “Next.” Yamaguchi also runs the website 52 Projects.

Yamaguchi told this story at the excellent “7x20x21” event, a BEA presentation curated by Ryan Chapman and Ami Greko. They chose seven industry professionals and gave each speaker seven minutes, the chance to choose 20 slides, and 21 seconds to talk about each picture.

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The author of the classic novels Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain was working on two books, according to the NY Times. The first will be released in November, entitled “Pirate Latitudes.” In addition, the company also plans to complete Crichton’s final novel in fall 2010 with the help of a co-author.

Harper publisher Jonathan Burnham discussed the pirate book: “It’s eminently and deeply and thoroughly researched…It’s packed through with great detail about navigation and how pirates operated, and links between the New World and the Caribbean and Spain.’”

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Still, on balance it might not seem to be as crazy a bet as it seems, especially if the deal is for world rights (which we’re in the process of finding out) and sells to a bunch of different countries. Plus Tavani’s had some experience in the vampire realm with Charlie Huston‘s ALREADY DEAD and NO DOMINION, starring Joe Pitt, vampire PI. And if CAA can get a movie made, well, then this gamble really pays off.

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