Tv and books: Veteran Hollywood agent Joel Gotler has just inked a deal to represent best-selling author J.A. Jance — who’s penned 21 J.P. Beaumont mystery novels — with an eye toward shopping the “Beaumont” books for a potential TV series or movie. Jance, of course, hasn’t only written the “Beaumont” series; her books also include the Joanna Brady, Walker Family and Ali Reynolds series of mystery books — all of which have sold millions.
It’s a coup for Gotler, since Jance previously resisted all offers to sell the potential film and TV rights for any of her novels.
And Les is more . . .
Les Gold, the Detroit-based star of truTV’s “Hardcore Pawn,” has written “For What It’s Worth: Business Wisdom From a Pawnbroker” (Portfolio), which will be released in June. The book “reveals his rags to riches journey, as he grew his shop, and how we can all be more successful by thinking like a pawnbroker,” according to press materials, which also includes this quote from Gold himself: “Businesses these days talk a lot about figuring out what the customer wants. Well, here’s your first lesson: The customer doesn’t know what he wants. This book is going to show you how to convince him he wants the thing you’re selling.”
It’s a busy time for Gold, who will be interviewed March 20 by pal Jerry Springer, who’s subbing for Joy Behar on her Current TV talk show. That’s just six days before the seventh-season premiere of “Hardcore Pawn” on truTV.
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I was happy to see that Martin Mull and Peter Riegert — who co-starred in two of my pop-culture favorites back in the day — are teaming for a new project.
They’ve been cast in “Dads,” a new Fox series from “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane (with fellow “Family Guy” colleagues Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild). The series will revolve around two dads (Mull and Riegert) who move in with their entrepreneur sons — with hilarity ensuing (at least that’s the idea).
Back in the mid-to-late ’70s, Mull and Fred Willard co-starred in Norman Lear’s talk-show parody “Fernwood Tonight” which, one season later, became “America 2-Night.” I was a huge Mull/Willard fan, and still have the papers on which I wrote down my favorite lines from both shows (no VHS players or DVRs back in those days, folks).
Riegert, for the uninitiated, played Boon in “Animal House,” which I’ve probably now seen roughly 878 times (but who’s counting?).
Speaking of classics, I’m now on the second season of “Route 66,” which aired on CBS from 1960-64. So how cool was it to see the (very) young Martin Sheen and James Caan — billed as “Jimmy Caan” — sharing a scene together in the episode entitled “ . . . And the Cat Jumped Over the Moon”? It originally aired December 1961 with series stars Martin Milner and George Maharis.
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Last, but not least:
* Erik Estrada stars in the comedy/horror movie “Chupacabra vs. The Alamo,” airing Saturday night, March 23, on Syfy. It’s executive-produced by Jeffrey Schenck with a story by Schenck and Peter Sullivan . . . Sunday on NBC’s “Dateline” (7 p.m./Ch. 4): Lester Holt reports on a controversial drug intervention program in South Carolina (North Charleston).