Add to Blog

I don't know how other people handle their email. Sometimes I see over someone's shoulder when they have their email open (or I intentionally look--



) and I see a Gmail box with 10,213 messages in it, with some unread ones on top and a pile of read ones below. I couldn't imagine living this way. I use Gmail; for me, whenever I click "Archive" and take a message out of the inbox, I feel like I'm winning a war.

If a message is still in my inbox, that means it requires action. What kind of action? I use labels to remind myself, so my inbox is a colorful, happy place:



Generally I have a few unread emails on top and 100 read and labeled emails awaiting action below. The oldest of these labeled emails is currently from *2007* so I'm a little behind, but I'll handle it, maybe after I finish this blog entry.

My labeling system gave me a lot of stress in the past but recently I read Gig , an update on Studs Terkel's classic Working that collects interviews of people talking about their jobs:

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In Gig, there's an interview with a town manager (sort of like a mayor-for-hire for a small town) who says that she always has a list of things to do, and this list always has 100 items in it. You find wisdom in strange places.

One of the labels I have is "add to blog," and "add to blog" has been choked up lately with a ton of things I've been meaning to post here. What with the It's Kind of a Funny Story film and my next book I've been pretty busy, so here goes!


"Method Man & Redman – Da Rockwilder | Meaning of Rap Lyrics"

Big ups to Rap Genius for featuring "Da Rockwilder" by Method Man & Redman on their site. This is the song that plays during the "basketball scene" of the It's Kind of a Funny Story movie; people have been asking about it.



Rap Genius is an freeform folksonomy website for explaining rap lyrics.

It's Kind of a Funny Story Theatrical Interpretation Video
A while ago I shared some pictures from Oak Lawn Community High School's "group interpretation" of It's Kind of a Funny Story, where the students used the text of the book but added a Greek chorus for a unique theatrical take on the material. I now have the videos up!


Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4
Oak Lawn did an amazing job with this project and I look forward to visiting the school in February 2011. Thanks to Erika Buys for sending me the images and video and giving me clearance to post.

Interview on "The Geek Generation" Podcast
Thanks to Rob Valois for interviewing me on his podcast, "The Geek Generation." We talked about It's Kind of a Funny Story and he asked me what I "geeked about" out about. My answer:



Note: Steven Seagal panda link NSFW.

It's Kind of a Funny Story Exclusive Clip: Emma Roberts Asks Some Tough Questions



The Story of Funny Story on Fuse #8

Thanks to Betsy Bird for posting my behind-the-scenes account of the filming of It's Kind of a Funny Story on Fuse #8, School Library Journal's blog:

"Picture this: a reader familiar with my work drags her/his friends to the opening night of It's Kind of a Funny Story, the film based on my novel. In the middle of the film, my dumbass face appears. The reader recognizes me and grabs her/his friends: "That's the author!" The friends (who couldn't care less about me) think: "So this is the doofy white guy responsible for this stuff…"" [read more]

Also congrats to Betsy on her forthcoming book, tentatively titled Wild Things! : The True, Untold Stories Behind the Most Beloved Children's Books and Their Creators .

Chase Whale at Gordon and the Whale Interviews Zack Galifianakis

Zach tells Chase why he didn't win an Oscar for OUT COLD.


Chris Peckover"I analyzed Hannibal Lecter for a long time before writing UNDOCUMENTED because I wanted Z to be a villain of that magnitude. It ends up you need a lot of heroic elements in your villain to make that happen. Z needed to be intelligent, well spoken, persuasive, well mannered, and truthful." [read more]




"Movie Review | 'It's Kind of a Funny Story': A Coming-of-Age Tale, Set Among the Sad"

From the New York Times. Thank you to A.O. Scott and his kid for reading my book(s)!

It's Kind of a Funny Story Exclusive Clip "Ice Cream" on Fandango

Music: "Where You Go" – Elden Calder from the soundtrack

My Art from the Psych Hospital

I was always embarrassed by "artist statements" but at least they're short:



Thanks to Samantha Schutz (You Are Not Here) for posting this on her site You Make Me Feel Less Alone. Thanks also Samantha for reading with me at Barnes & Noble this fall:



"'It's Kind of a Funny Story' Review - TIME"

"Morever, the movie makes a valuable point about teens and depression: Craig's popularity skyrockets amongst his friends when word gets out that he's in a mental ward. Teens love drama; even the girl he adores from afar, Nia (Zoe Kravitz) is suddenly interested in him. The realization of this irony — that popularity is based on bizarre and unreasonable factors and should therefore should not be taken seriously — is a reiteration of something our knowing pop culture has been playing with for years. (Think of 1989's Heathers, where a mean girl's popularity grew by leaps and bounds after her supposed suicide.)"

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2024080,00.html#ixzz1554uUIWB

The 10 most depressing professions | BusinessBrief.com

Sent to me by my mom. Thanks mom.

"It's Kind of a Quirky Interview | Moving Pictures | SPLICETODAY.com"

I talk about Focus Features vetting the conceit of a hospital mixing teen and adult patients.

"Vermin on the Mount: ONE-QUIZTUNE INTERVIEW: NED VIZZINI"

Thank you to everyone who came out to "Y.A. AUTHOR NIGHT AT THE MOUNTAIN" at the long-running Vermin on the Mount reading series in Los Angeles on November 7, 2010. I got a chance to read about Star Wars: Attack of the Clones --



-- with Sonya Sones, Lauren Strasnick, and Lauren Kate, who all read decidedly un-PG-13 material. Guest host Cecil Castelluci kept things flowing and series chieftan Jim Ruland held down the fort and the book sales.

The essay on Attack of the Clones is available in the zine "I Love Bad Movies" #3, on sale now! ($5)

Marty Beckerman | America's Sexxxiest Journalist

Marty has redone his website and is bringing us his views on inflation and his classic video My Penis Hurts! (But the Mango Was Nice...),

An NSFW warning feels redundant, as Marty hasn't been safe for work since before he had a job at New York Press.

Ned's Reader Mail -- with Ned Vizzini and Nick Antosca

I made this video with Nick Antosca and


I hope people take it in stride, it's a little mean-spirited but meant to be fun.

Two New Reviews

I wrote two new reviews:

"Young Adult - Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly - Halo by Alexandra Adornetto - NYTimes.com"
"The Complete Works of Marvin K. Mooney: Applause, Please | Books | The L Magazine - New York City's Local Event and Arts & Culture Guide"

Pkease enjoy, the first was printed in the New York Times and the second in the L Magazine.

"What's Good?: Guest Blog Post: Be More Chill"

L.A. Gabay recommends Be More Chill for teaching literature, using the unabridged audio version. Thanks to his school, Passages Academy in Brooklyn, for hosting my visit on October 27, 2010.



It's Kind of a Funny Story Press

"There's a whole lot of crazy going on in 'Funny Story' :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Richard Roeper"
"Ned Vizzini's Funny Story | Movie Journal | The L Magazine - New York City's Local Event and Arts & Culture Guide"
"A 'Funny' Thing Happened in Brooklyn - WSJ.com"
"The New Season Film - Breaking Out of the Mold - NYTimes.com"
"Mr. Gilchrist has done mostly television ("United States of Tara"), but he has mastered the big-screen need to remain low key while being clearly expressive. With his full lips, bumpy nose and perpetually anxious eyebrows, he has an appealingly funny face, yet without ever clowning he makes it the barometer of Craig's emotional progress. Various events contribute to the gradual drop in Craig's anxiety level, but the most crucial is revealed in Mr. Gilchrist's eyes: the emergence of a new and empathetic interest in the suffering of others." [read more]



It's Kind of a Funny Story is now available on Kindle!

I'm told that this means it can work on iPads as well. Thanks for making it competitive with Treasure Island (?!) in in the "Children's Popular Culture Literature" Kindle Category.


I have fallen in love with bit.ly; most of the above links are shortened for Twitter. Ah, Twitter. I managed to avoid you but now you are dragging me in as a content aggregator.