Carly Simon is writing an "intimate, vulnerable" memoir about a very famous friend, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux announced Monday that Simon's "Touched by the Sun" is scheduled for release on Oct. 22. According to the publisher, Simon and Onassis met at a summer party on Martha's Vineyard and began an "improbable, but lasting friendship." Simon, best known for such songs as "You're So Vain" and "The Spy Who Loved Me," said in a statement that Onassis became everything from a "protective mother figure" to a "mischievous pal." Onassis, who as first lady was in the limousine with her husband, President John F. Kennedy, when he was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, died of cancer in 1994.
Simon has written a previous memoir, "Boys In the Trees."
HBO challenged by 'Thrones' final season
The final season of "Game of Thrones" just started, but HBO has its eye on what's next. The TV channel's most successful series is ending its eight-season run in a drastically changed media landscape. HBO must compete with streaming services like Netflix offering more and more choices. HBO programming chief Casey Bloys says the channel is ready, with an increase in the number of hours of original programming produced this year. He points to popular shows including "Big Little Lies" and newcomers that may include a "Game of Thrones" prequel, which will shoot a pilot in June with Naomi Watts.
new book: Steve Martin could not be happier about his latest book and about the chance to work with New Yorker artist Harry Bliss. Celadon Books announced Monday that Martin and Bliss were collaborating on the "ultimate cartoon book," for now untitled. It's scheduled for next year. Martin, whose previous books include the novel "Shopgirl" and the memoir "Born Standing Up," praised Bliss as a cartoonist he "deeply" admires and has never met. Besides his magazine work, Bliss has illustrated books by Minnesota writer Kate DiCamillo and William Steig, among others. He and Martin plan to create "original, never-before-seen cartoons," according to Celadon.
celebration: Jay-Z will help reopen the newly renovated Webster Hall concert venue in New York City with a performance on April 26. It will be Jay-Z's first time performing at the venue in Manhattan's East Village. Webster Hall has operated as a venue since 1886. Others set to perform there include Patti Smith and Her Band, Rosalia, MGMT, Empire of the Sun, Old Dominion and Chromeo. The concert hall says that the recent renovation "aims to preserve the iconic features of the venue," while modernizing it.
associated press
