Railarity

From the LIFE Magazine photo archive. Jerry Seinfeld in 1990; Phyllis Diller in 1982.





If I can find one more comedian clinging to a NYC rooftop, my week will be made.

Me performing last week. Steve's Angie surprised me a few days later with this sketch . I heart it. Thanks Ange.

Reflecting on the past.

As you may know, my mother was a prolific and respected romance novelist, who passed away this summer five years (and six books) after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Today, many of the novelists she knew and blogged with at Word Wenches wrote a special "fairy godmother" post for my Delia. I couldn't read it without crying, but I bet you can. Check it out here.

Related: My mother's final book, finished in March and published in October, has been nominated for RT's Best British Isles-Set Historical Romance.

Oh hey, hi -- today I'm over here doing my thang at Belabumbum.

More news and links v. shortly...

- s

Happy Hanukkah!

The oil lasted eight days!

Woo!

Ya, the lamps stayed lit. Kinda a crap miracle, compared with immaculate virgin birth, but whaddya gonna do?

Above: Delish homemade gingerbread menorahs, dreidels and such by Anne B.

Cordelia Evelyn Holland

8 lbs. 6 oz. 21 in.

Call her Delia.

Call me thrilled, exhausted, temporarily and occasionally doped up.

My mother died in June. Her final novel (pictured) came out today from Avon books. I wrote about it, and her, on Word Wenches right here.

Sometimes I forget far flung friends and family read this and not everyone knows or cares about everything in my life. Anyway, in case you do care, October 22, my brother is playing Carnegie Hall.

You can't get tickets, because they entirely sold out in 90 minutes.

Neat huh? If I can still heft myself out the door, I've been secured a comp and I'm going, even if I need to be rolled there.

Image: 1908, people flooding into Carnegie Hall for a Republican Convention. My bro's show will be more fun than that.

This movie I am in is available now on DVD. Also on iTunes and Time Warner on demand. The widget will tell you mucho more...

A star-studded movie I'm in comes to DVD 9/8/09. Now you know. Also, it's super cheap on Amazon, you cheapskates, so buy it already. Note to family across the salty pond: This won't play in yer UK machines -- rats! My college pal ex-pat friend Lara tells me most UK DVD players are now multi-region, so you can play this in UK too. Huzzah!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, but it's also the last day to vote for my SXSW Panel!

I haven't been great about getting out the vote for this panel. Frankly, due to the work I'll be talking about, I haven't had time. And the panelists I've already lined up (with more to come) are also too busy/too important to do the same.

They say the vote is only 30% and I sure hope our lack of campaigning doesn't nix our chances.

I'm passionate about the topic -- working for online at a TV network. And I also loved SXSW, but found many of the best sounding panels were a bore because the moderators were highly qualified on paper but either shy, or didn't have a sense of how to make them entertaining for an audience.

I know I could put on a brilliantly rollicking panel about cheese or mating habits of the box turtle -- heck I've hosted odder than that. But with this, even better -- I've written and produced for on-air, off-air, online. I've appeared on-air, online, magazines, etc. But I do love the web best. And it dawned on me recently that I am an expert. I've 14 years experience working online for all kinds of sites, but tons for TV online. Just because you email or watch videos online doesn't mean you know what flies on the web or how best to hawk it. But we've all been through fire hammering out and testing what works, seeing the turnaround, knowing what has failed... the whole sheebang.

Sure, I don't know the answers to the questions I'm raising -- what is the future of TV and online entertainment -- and doubt anyone in the world does. But we might figure a thing or two out. And it'll be hella fun.

Anywho, last year I went to SXSWi for the first time as an awards finalist. For next year, I've already booked my trip and my SXSW badge. I'm going again no matter what. I know better what I can and want to get out of it. Plus, my man's best friend from chidhood in the UK just moved his tenure from U of Mich. to U of Texas in Austin -- so double score.

So if my panel is picked, great. And if it's not, I vow I'm going off the grid -- and will put on this event in some fabulous flophouse or similarly groovy Austin venue.

So, in short, pick me! Or don't. Either way it's going to be a darn good time.

Eris (& her grandpa's truck) on her wedding day

I am appearing at Lady Jane’s Salon at 7PM on Monday, July 6th to pay tribute to my mother and enjoy the work of other romance authors. Here's the line-up:

Debut historical author ANTHEA LAWSON will from her RITA nominated work Passionate

Award-winning local author DEE DAVIS will read from A Match Made On Madison

New York Times bestseller DIANA LOVE will read from Whispered Lies

SUSIE FELBER will pay tribute to her her mother, romance novelist EDITH LAYTON.

WHEN: Monday, July 6th, 7-9 PM

WHERE: Madame X, 94 Houston Street (btw LaGuardia and Thompson Streets), New York, NY 10012, 212.539.0808. Nearest subways: F,V,B,D at Lafayette, N, R at Prince Street.

Admission is $5.00 or one gently used romance novel. Proceeds to benefit Share The Love a nonprofit organization that provides gently used romance novels to groups helping women in transition, such as homeless or domestic violence shelters. Why? Because everyone deserves the pleasure of a good story and a happy ending. Co-sponsors: Share The Love and Ron Hogan of Beatrice.com. Cash bar.

The amazing ladies at SBTB and Dear Author have arranged an impressive fundraiser, auction and giveaway in my mom's name. Please spread the word if you can.

Thank you.
--Susie

Edith Laulicht. Edith Felber. Edith Layton.

Mom. Grandma.

(& Eccentric Author)

Loved. Missed.

Very Much So.

Already.

Always.

This is just a technical test for work. You can ignore or enjoy all 5 bad parking videos... Thanks.

See Spot. Run! Top 5 Worst Parking Jobs

Read my take on Susan Boyle mania right here on the day job blog.

To quote from myself, "Viva la frizzy haired thickly-built femme fatales who let their freak flags fly!"

PS I also interviewed a young dewy adult film star today.

See me on TV -- again! I'm on a new episode of "Not Just Another Cable News Show" this Sunday at 7p/9p/midnight/5 AM on CNN HNN a.k.a. HLN. Rumor has it the episode was some kind of last minute slap dash edit, so don't expect tons of me, but I'm on it a tad for sure. And by rumor, I mean the person who put it together.

In other news, I'm sleepy.

And I'm not at liberty to reveal anything about my personal life or the personal lives of anyone I know, so how about I just end with a a not-recent, but rather excellent picture of my dog? Awesome.


Photo by my mom a.k.a. Edith Layton, whose website I really should update but Dreamweaver makes me tremble

This weekend, I may be on a new episode of that TV thingy I've been doing lately.

Details when and if I know them.

Now, for no good reason, here's another picture I took of that parrot in Mexico.

Worst Burglar EVER

From TruTV/The Smoking Gun: Burglar falls through ceilings, breaks bottles and gets trapped. Total gold and gaining fast on Digg.

read more | digg story

Shameless promo: I'm on a NEW episode of "Not Just Another Cable News Show" on CNN HNN this Saturday night at 7:00, 9:00, Midnight and 5:00A



Ya, the last two are technically Sunday.

FYI On your cable box, it's often called HLN.

Enjoy your Felber TVganza!

Back from Mexico and Austin madness. Please enjoy all my SXSW posts here and my awesome yawning Mexican parrot snap, below.



UPDATE: I just turned my beautiful nature photography into really stupid stuff for work. Hello tax write-off!

I can totally relate to this kitty -- bad sign?

Me, today, after being primped in the CNN makeup room. Didn't notice the disco ball until just now. I totally shoulda asked Jack Cafferty to dance.

My day job blog is a finalist in the SXSW Web Awards.

You can find out all about it in this post I wrote right here on the aforementioned day job blog.

I am writing my acceptance speech already.

Of course, I've written and rewritten my Academy Awards acceptance speech in my head many many times. Hasn't everyone?

I always wonder if I'd have the guts to open by staring at the Oscar in wonder, stroking it and saying, "Wow. I've always wanted one of these. I... I can't believe I was always too embarrassed to just go and buy one for myself!"

And then when the audience slowly began to collapse in uproarious laughter, I'd open my eyes wide, do a double or triple take, and pretend to look horrified like I just realized that the statuette I had just won was in not, in fact, a sex toy.

Then I'd give a sly smile and say "thank you" and leave. Or then I'd go into thanking my agents, actors and loved ones in a sincere but not annoyingly lengthy way. Haven't decided that part yet. Luckily, I wasn't nominated this year, so I still have time to plan.

My week was so frakkin difficult, but all's well that ends well. Lots of work, exciting possibilities and brill ideas have been percolating. Cool. Anywho, I also blogged my buns off. Here's a super secret link that only brings you to my posts. The other writers are great, and you should read them all, but these days I've neglected this here venue so you should catch your Susie buzz there.

I totally enjoyed creating this Three Stooges animation for the day job. See the dumb criminal story it relates to right here.

I was working the day job when an email came from a friend that a plane had gone down in the Hudson. Called my husband who said he could see it from where he was in the car. Grabbed the camera. Walked one block and got some interesting shots. For all who think living in NJ means being in a far off mysterious land, check out these photos and views.

See my photos here on the dumb blog.

Quite a few other blog and news sites found my photos from Flickr soon after posting. All wrote to me and asked for permission except Gawker. Gothamist was classy: They asked for permission and gave me a credit and a link back to my job. Gawker did not ask for permission and also attributed one or two photos which were not mine, to me. Sloppy and not cool, right? And legal? You tell me.

I'm tired. I only just updated the homepage for the day job, and it's night.

Nighty night.

For more of me on the Von Trapp goats, check out this post on my brother's blog.

For even more of my hilarity, check out my brill posts on the day job blog.

And finally, for a mind-blowing shaved Parmesan action shot, see below.



Expert cheese application captured at a recent Stephen Gardner/Angela Martin dinner production

A visit to Von Trapp Lodge lives on in Weehawken...

CNN Gaffe 1.1.09

This morning, while doing a segment on Obama's team "feverishly" working on big stimulus packages, the newscaster stumbled amusingly. Yay for DVR and having my camera on me. It's :05 and totally immature. Enjoy.

My friend Eric made this fabulous commercial parody. Check it out.

Windertech by Eric Drysdale

Forgot to mention!

I'm on CNN HNN this weekend on a new episode of "Not Just Another Cable New Show" airing Sat & Sun at 7p, 9p, 12a and 5a

Catch it! My new hair looks kinda like a 70's soccer player!

Hey -- check it out -- I guest posted again on Word Wenches about growing up with a Historical Romance author for a mama.

Read "Daughter of Romance Pt. 2" right here right now.

Ciao!

Image: Me & my pal Mary in the middle o' nowhere in the 80's

Is this Bronx Terrier the new Benji?

This weekend our beloved Stan will be filming a little something for Comedy Central. Surely he will then move on to bigger rolls leading to great fame and fortune. At least, he better, what with the $600 vet bill he racked up yesterday at a routine checkup.

Basically, if he doesn't soon become America's sweetheart we're going to need to go to Congress and beg a pooch bail-out or put a stamp on his fuzzy ass and send him to Obama's daughters. "Hey, here's your new puppy -- wait, why are you crying? "

Today I did a guest post on Word Wenches about being a romance author's daughter. Check it out, why doncha?

Now you see me.

Now you don't.

I've got to finish some writing projects. Back soon.

I like the above image I snapped this weekend because it leads one to believe my life is terribly calm, folksy and meditative. So go ahead and believe that, whydoncha?

Anywho, tomorrow -- Thursday -- I'm a guest on DeVore and Diana, Maxim Radio, Sirius channel 108 @ 9pm e/p. So catch that if you can.

And if you miss me here, it's a snap to find me blogging over here.

Oh and next week I'll be doing a guest post over here at Word Wenches about what it's like to be a Romance author's daughter. That will be more fun than a barrel of fun things, won't it?

Speaking of it, that's about it.

Nighty night.

xoxo,
me

Not on TV Tonight

Going back to old rule of never telling anyone when I'm on TV. Between schedule changes and cuts, it's too traumatic.

See me This Thursday @ 9P e/p on truTV



I write the ads, I'm on the show, is there anything I can't do?*

In the meantime, check out my stupidity on dumbasablog.com

*Play the tuba. I am afraid I can not.

Another Day, Another Friend Who Is an Author

Add my old college friend Lara to the growing list of amazingly talented friends and family who are published. Her blog, "Cooking Up a Storm" lead to a book deal and the title is coming out very soon. She and her co-author even got a fabulous write up in the Daily Mail. Lara and her husband (another fab friend) are both Americans who now live outside London. Spending time with their family was a huge highlight of our last trip.

So buy the book Fresh Eggs Don't Float! There it is! Buy buy buy! One for each eye!

Me on TeeVee



I'm on a new episode of "Not Just Another Cable News Show" this weekend and they are replaying it a LOT.

The episode airs this Saturday and Sunday at 7 PM, 9 PM, Midnight and 5 AM. Here's a clip from the last "NJACNS" I was on if you're interested.

Note: It airs on CNN Headline News (CNNHNN) which is different than plain CNN

UPDATE/CORRECTION:
Thursday 10/30 (not tomorrow) I'm psyched to be premiering as a comedy talking head on: "The Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest" which airs @ 9P e/p on truTV (formerly Court TV).

Then many Thursday's at that time you'll see me on more premiere episodes, and I'll keep you, dear TV viewers, apprised.

I Endorse

Benji & Jake's: The world's most awesome pizza joint.



And that there is their lakefront vista. Wow, right?

Click here for the scene I spied directly opposite this sunset, an incredibly satisfied customer scarfing a slice with a tofu crunchie chaser.

Appeared on a radio show yesterday. Was tons of fun. Here's a snap in sepia as proof. For more 411, check into this dumb blog next week.

Gotta run. Cue: Showering, walking dog, getting a bunch of stuff together for Salvation Army, heading to the cabin for 24 hours of nature.

Ta!

New Year, Same Old Me

Last week my pic was in the Daily News here as part of a story on "Heebsters" in New York City. I've been too busy to brag about this out of the blue event to anyone other than my family and 400+ of my closest online friends.

Hooray, hurrah!

But really, it's amazing how much one does, and how little relation what you do has to the press you get. But still, it's press, and you just learn to take the sun when it shines on ya.

Speaking of more sun to come, Friday I think I'm doing a spot on an excellent morning radio program. Stay tuned for the 411.

And soon, very soon, a barrage of dates will fly at ya about two fabulous shows on the TV contraption that will feature me. Stay tuned!

Got to run. And by "run" I mean have a sip of wine, walk a ratty little dog named Stan and go to bed.

Happy New Year to all my mishpucha. Here's to a sweet, healthy and downright sexy 5769, why not? Ya, Sexy New Year to you.

My Day, Made

So I'm performing again, after a self and then life-imposed slow down. But now I'm back on TV, soon to be on two shows on different nets and there's a small possibility I might be doing some amazingly exciting comedy event on the road. Details to come, if they come.

However, I sometimes feel rusty. Work is awesome but I simply don't have the time to do those excellent but grimy unpaid shows you should do to keep oneself sharp.

Anywho, just as I was thinking I'm a rusty ol' sow, I found this by accident. It's an interview with Chris Hampton, amazingly talented creator and curator of the long-running, amazingly awesome (yet dearly departed) WYSIWYG talent show. Here's the part that made my ego sing:

BH: Now that WYSIWYG is entering its fourth year, I imagine you’ve seen a lot of talented people perform. Do you have any particular favorites?

CH: Hmm. Maybe Susie Felber’s story from a show about summer camp experiences. Her mother was one of those touchy-feely moms who think ALL children are special — so she innocently and cluelessly signed Susie up for a camp for “special” children. But it’s REALLY hard to pick just one!

Yes, this made me very happy. Thanks Chris, Google and even mom who, in the 70's, thought "special" meant "gifted."

My friend Bob has a new book out -- again! It's gotten stunning reviews. Here's a video featuring Bob himself, currently being shown on TV.

Dinosaur vs. Bedtime from bob shea on Vimeo.
Isn't that awesome? Fer sure.

Buy a copy or five of Dinosaur vs. Bedtime right here.

My mother, the romance author, sent me a pic today, snapped by her own camera, in her own kitchen, with a message. Both below.

Subject: Not a holy face...

But this russet potato is meant for someone you love!

Wisht you wuz here.

Yes, it's a highly romantic tater! Carbo-loading meets carbo-loving.

Thanks for the mash note, mom. (bad pun very much intended)

I hope you all in Internet land share it with someone you love, too.

Very Hard At Work



No time for personal blogging, other than the above animation of awesomeness, of course.

Find me here. I'm the chick they call Susie who also looks like me because she is me.

She May Not Have Time for a Social Life Outside of Facebook, Life May Be Overly Dramatic But the Trains Are Sure As Heck Running On Time and That's Something Now, Isn't It?



Been hard at work doing fun stuff. That sounds vague, but more info once I'm on a roll and have clips to share.

You can see some of my work blogging here, I'm taping for that TV thingy mahoob again in September and also, if you're interested in my sprog, we're just wrapping up this little blog here.

I've a lot going on in my life but nothing I can talk about that isn't plain too personal for the WWW. So I guess I'll just get sharey with my dog. He's cool with it.

11 Things to Do Now That Scrabulous is off Facebook

Scrabulous is off of Facebook for U.S. and Canadian users. How to fill the void in our lives? Here's how.

read more | digg story

Felber Photog: Insect Edition

Happy Bastille Day

Perhaps you might enjoy my entertaining and informative listicle, "Viva La Stupide: Seven Stupid Things France Has Done This Summer."

Apologies in advance to La belle France. I kid because I love.

Can You Digg It?



If you Digg, please consider giving one to this listicle I just pubished on the dumb blog.

The piece is called, "10 Things The New York Times Can Do to Prevent People Climbing Their Building."

Here's the link to it on Digg.

Thank ye!