Bill Brioux book

Bill Brioux, the much-missed former Toronto Sun TV writer, has added two more titles to his resume - author and blogster

Bill joins TSFers Ken Robertson, George Anthony, Christie Blatchford, Brian Vallee, Scott Morrison and Eric Margolis with 2007 book releases.

The new author and blogster e-mailed TSF to shamelessly plug his first book - Truth and Rumors: The Realty Behind TV's Most Famous Myths, a timely release if you are Christmas shopping for hard-to-please couch potatoes.

"Dear Toronto Sun Family,

Please add me to the short but ever growing list of former Sun staffers who have not only read a book, but have actually written one.

Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths is a collection of stories I have ripped off from Jim Bawden, who of course re-typed them from long forgotten Sun stories.

Actually, they are first hand accounts of rumors and urban legends collected from over 20 years on the TV beat. (That line was stolen from Bawden.)

Did Mikey from Life Cereal fame die from eating Pop Rocks and drinking soda? Did Charles Manson really audition to play one of The Monkees? Was Bruce Kirkland one of the original Little Rascals? Find out in Truth and Rumors: The Realty Behind TV's Most Famous Myths.

There's even a great Toronto Sun legend in the book that was 100% true: Lou Grant, aka Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner, was hired to be editor of the little paper that could - if only for a day.

When I asked Asner about this two years ago, he just looked at me and said, "Peter Worthington still owes me twenty bucks."

Ed described the whole experience as "pretty larky," which confirms he really did work at the Sun. (TSF note: Lou Grant did indeed work at the Sun - on March 23, 1979. He was fired by Doug Creighton the next day for being too disruptive in the newsroom.)

Many of the other stories in Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths should also be familiar to Sun readers.

Abe Vigoda, the cranky old coot from Barney Miller, isn't really dead. Neither is Adam Rich from Eight is Enough, Scott Baio from Happy Days or Ben Mulroney from Canadian Idol, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Over 150 rumors and urban legends are explored, including the real story behind that first interracial kiss on Star Trek, that infamous "in the butt, Bob" line from The Newlywed Game and dozens of racy Tonight Show rumors. There are also rumors about Batman, I Love Lucy, The Simpsons, even Westerns and sports shows.

Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths will be available at the end of the year from Greenwood Publishing in Connecticut or at Amazon.com.

You can get more information at a little blog I just launched, TV Feeds My Family.

Thanks to Quebecor, hundreds of other Sun Media staffers will have all kinds of time to write books and stuff.

For now, there is Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths. Buy three or four copies today!

Cheers,

Bill Brioux"

Thanks for the e-mail, Bill.

What was the name of the $39, 212-page hardcover book again? Oh yeah, Truth and Rumors: The Reality Behind TV's Most Famous Myths. Sounds like a winner, Bill.

Pre-release gift certificate orders for Christmas shoppers are being accepted at Amazon.com