Thursday, June 24, 2010

Welcome the Master Spy!


The HOLLYWOOD SPY !!

If you're into movies and love to catch the latest buzz in Hollywood, then this site is for you! Dezz was nice enough to answer a few questions, too.

What prompted you to start the HOLLYWOOD SPY blog?

I've been writing about movies around the Net for at least five years now, but at certain moment I felt I needed my own space, so I created HOLLYWOOD SPY. The main aim always was and still is - connecting with people who like discussing similar topics with me -films, TV, showbiz... I also wanted to create a blog which will be a haven of positive energy. Most movie junkies are very negative, they drool only over horrors and violent action movies and like criticizing a lot, while I wanted something different - a place where you will feel the positive vibrations. Everything in HOLLYWOOD SPY is devoted to that - the colours, the layout, the pictures, the posts, the polls .... you will never see anything negative there. The message is that we should give love and support to others always and everywhere. HOLLYWOOD SPY always tries to cheer up the readers, and I guess it's working since I will have a total of 100,000 readers and visitors this summer.

Have movies always been your obsession?

I'd rather say I'm obsessed with artists than with movies. I do adore films, especially the ones which can touch you deeply and profoundly. But I prefer actors and their performances. In this grayish world and era of alienation, I like to support true talents, true beauty, true hearts and artists who put passion in their roles and everything they do. You will see that my favourite actors, actresses and directors are people with vision, people with inner power and people with genuine soul. Creativity and talent should rule the world, not the thirst for power and superficial ambitions. As long as I live I shall fight for that.

Since you don’t live in Hollywood (or the USA) how do you spy on Hollywood from afar? (And I know a great spy can’t reveal his sources.)

Yes, HOLLYWOOD SPY's secret headquarters are in Vojvodina (Central Europe). The spying business became much easier for me after I've hired the penguins from Madagascar and put them in my team. Those are some seriously resourceful and witty creatures :) My personal mafia.

You work for a publisher – tell us a bit about translating books and other duties.

I've been working as a book translator for three years now, and I've translated 12 books so far for the readers in Serbia. It's a job which gives you an opportunity to work at your home, to live in the world of imagination and wisdom, but it requires a lot of effort, dedication, talent and knowledge. While translating the books you writers wrote, not only that we translators have to translate all the words, terms, names, expressions, metaphors (all of which can sometimes get extremely tricky) but we also try to transmit your sentence structure, your style, your vocabulary, your creative vision, the very soul of your novels, we even have to translate your mistakes. :) That's why we probably know your books better than you writers, yourselves, since we have to dissect each and every sentence and word in the process of translating. It's not an easy job: when I'm translating a historical book, I have to find a lot of archaic words an terms in my own language to translate the English ones and transmit the atmosphere of the original work, it's the same when a story has exotic or modern setting and I have to find exotic or modern words and expressions. This is why every translator is actually a writer himself, otherwise our translations would seem mechanical and stiff. Beside translating, I also write prefaces and blurbs for book covers, since books sell better when we have a good and attractive blurb, and I also take part in choosing and making a book cover if we decide to make a new one. Stunning book covers also sell books much much much better. Believe me.

Besides movies and books, what else strikes your fancy?

Well, I'm officially a professor of English language and literature, but as I've said I work as a translator of books. I also teach English when they pay me good :), usually in companies and firms where I teach English to business people and managers. I'm also a fashion designer, an interior designer, a nutritionist, a poet, a journalist, I love cooking and all kinds of design, I'm also good in public relations and I've worked as a PR, I also have a degree in Russian language but I don't really use it, but the thing most friends and people around me like to use and abuse :) is the fact that I have a talent for psychology so for most people I'm their favourite adviser, a shoulder to cry on and their Aunty Agony :)) And I couldn't live without music, and currently I'm absolutely obsessed with ONE REPUBLIC.

I bow to the movie master! Anything you’d like to add, Dezz?

Yes, where is the VANITY FAIR photographer that you promised would take a photo shoot with me for this interview??? I shall have to send a formal complaint to the Cassastarian royal embassy in Vojvodina :) Joking aside, dear Alex, I wish you a worldwide success with your upcoming sf bestseller this Autumn, you now you've always had and always will have my unconditional support, and I'm sending love to all of your readers .... yes, yes ... all you sexy and gorgeous people reading this babbling of mine ;P

Thanks, Dezz! And I'll check on that photographer... Maybe he fell into a worm hole!

And remember, HOLLYWOOD SPY LOVES YOU AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!

46 comments:

Anne Gallagher said...

Thank you for this wonderful interview Alex. Dezmond, you are a brilliant orator and should be writing your own book about some of your fascinating stories (and I know you have several up your sleeve.) Thank you both of you, for this lovely gift on Thursday morning.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Alex, A great interview of a very interesting man.

Teresa

Ella said...

I really enjoyed this, playful interview! I will check this out; Thank you for sharing this unique, talented soul with us~

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I admire your dedication to optimism! I'm all about the positive spunk as well.

Will Burke said...

Nice to see that there's still people in the media with a taste for the possitive!

Hannah said...

I love Hollywood Spy and thank Falen for introducing me to him.

And thank you, Alex for the spotlight on him!

Also, HI DEZMOND!!! *waving wildly*

Mason Canyon said...

Alex, great interview. I always enjoy visiting Dez's site. He keeps you up to date on the latest buzz in new movies coming out and much more.

Dez, keep up the great work.

Mason
Thoughts in Progress

Matthew MacNish said...

I've loved THE HOLLYWOOD SPY for several weeks now, but it is nice to get to know Dezmond even better, thanks Alex!

Sarah Ahiers said...

haha! Yay! Interview for a blogger i know!

I, of course, have been a hollywood spy follower for quite awhile. I totally love the positive attitude of every post. It doesn't matter if you think a person or movie is bad, Dez always puts a happy spin on it.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

A wonderful interview, well conducted Alex.

Yvonne

Eric said...

Nice interview, Alex. I've been following that blog for a little while now and I find it very interesting. I didn't know the "spy" wasn't in the US though, which is an interesting twist.

Summer Frey said...

Awesome interview! I love the insight into translating. I've always known it was much more involved than transliterating, but he opened my eyes on a whole new level!

Thanks, Alex and Dez!

DEZMOND said...

@Piedmont
thank you my dear, for these lovely compliments ;)

@Journaling Woman
thanks for calling me interesting :)

@Ellie
thanks for calling me talented ;)

@L.Diane Wolfe
optimism is the source of all energy!

@Will Burke
positive till death :)

@Palindrome
waving back wildly :)

DEZMOND said...

@Masy Canyon
will do Masy dearest ;)

@Matt Rush
we enjoy having you over at HOLLYWOOD SPY every time you drop by :)

@Falen
yep, me and Falsy are a long time blogging friends :)

@Yvonne
hope we shall see you again over at H.SPY after the DIRTY DOZEN ;)

@Eric
I'm not in US, but I lurk from everywhere :)

@Summer
yes, Summer, translating is a very deep and comlex process in which we have to translate the very soul of your books into another language.

DEZMOND said...

@Alex
I see you decided not to reveal to the world the true face of Hollywood Spy with the pics of real me :)) Hope you didn't find them unrepresentable or something :PP Thanks on the interview once again, I posted a link for it over at my site.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Thanks everyone for stopping in today.

Nothing wrong with the real you, Dezz - thought I'd just go with your signature pic.

DEZMOND said...

ah, Alex, you will never become a true journalist - you get some exclusively revealing pics and you don't publish them :))) Just kiddin' off course ;)

Southpaw said...

I love the fact your goal is to keep it positive. We need more of that in this world.

Hart Johnson said...

Great interview, Alex!

And Dez--while you said you like the stars best, I LOVED hearing about the translating stuff. I think most writers dream of being read all over the world, but there are definitely fears of 'losing something in translation'--I love that you are so careful to maintain the integrity of the books, and not just the 'words'.

Jamie Gibbs said...

It's good to get a deeper glimpse into the enigma that is Dez :P A great interview, it was good to hear that Dez has so much going on, I like that. Hollywoodspy is my #1 source for movie news, and I'm glad that the only way for it to go is up and up!

Talli Roland said...

Fantastic interview, Alex and Dez. I've never heard of Hollywood Spy before (eep!) so now I will certainly check it out.

Arlee Bird said...

Excellent interview and good to know more about Dezmond. I too like to try to be very positive, however sometimes honest critical opinion is taken as being negative when in reality it is actually more to do with reflecting one's personal tastes.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Liza said...

Thanks for the interview...good stuff and I got some chuckles. Gotta love those penguins...

Unknown said...

SOunds like a cool website, even if it is from afar. I will go check it out.

CD

DEZMOND said...

@Southpaw
spreading positivity is the only cure :)

@Watery Tart
thanks ;) Alex did a movie interview with me, but as someone who has insights from the publishing industry I always like to talk about books, and generally about writing since we translators really notice (and have to deal with) all the smallest details in your writings, the good parts, the mistakes, and are thus generally great as first readers and can always give a lot of objective advice to writers.

@Jamie
thanks Jamie, I'm sure I'm not as mysterious and enigmatic as your beloved sphinx and mummies (say hello to them when you get to Egypt) :))

DEZMOND said...

@Talli
we're expecting you over at HOLLYWOOD SPY :)

@Arlee
agreed, but I think that such situations happen when people forget to use the right words in expressing criticism or they just use the inappropriate opportunity for doing that ;)

@Liza
wanna adopt one of the penguins? :) They've eaten half of my food and plus the golden fish in my pool ;)

@CLarissa
we're expecting you :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I see your blog hits going up by the second, Dezz!

DEZMOND said...

yes, the hits have been going up since I organized the whole Armitagemania over at my place. It was the same with Gerard Butler's fans. And the record in the highest number of visitors per day was a day after I announced the beginning of the TV HUNK poll :)
DIRTY DOZEN brought me a lot of comments, but the number of general visitors was average.

I've posted the link for this interview both on my site and over at Facebook, so you will have visits as well :)

Ricky said...

Great interview Alex.

Dez, excellent insight into the mind of a book translator

Bossy Betty said...

Thanks for the interview. I'll pass it along to some movie buffs I know!

Unknown said...

Hello HOLLYWOOD SPY. This was a fun interview.

Anonymous said...

Great interview with an evenbetter ending. Gotta watch out for those rogue wormholes.

Stephen Tremp

DEZMOND said...

Thanks, Rics, Betty, Mr. Stupid and Stephen ;)

Helen Ginger said...

Very fun interview. Enjoyed it!

And I sooo agree about book covers. It's one of the first things I look at when I pick up a book.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Happy to host you, Dezz!

DEZMOND said...

@Helen
yep, book covers sell books better than the plot itself :)

@Alex
waiting to return the honour.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Dezz, come October, I will take you up on that offer!

Unknown said...

love the interview
hollywood spy sounds fun... nice name too...so good work... and when is your bestseller coming out??????

Carol Kilgore said...

Great interview. Those dirty penguins ... I thought they were mine!

DEZMOND said...

@Alex
my house is yours :))

@Nf1andprek...
what a long nick :)) Thanks for the compliments, Alex's upcoming worldwide bestseller is in stores from October :))

@Carol
they aren't yours, they are just spying on you and sending reports back to me :P

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Wasabi, what Dezz said - October!

Thanks again, Dezz.

DEZMOND said...

see Alex, I could be your public relations manager - how much will you pay me? :))

Jay Watson said...

Cool post to a great new (to me) source for movie info! Thanks Alex. Everytime I read one of your posts I'm edified and more knowledgeable than I was before! WIN WIN for me.

RaShelle Workman said...

Hey Alex, this interview was A LOT of fun. A positive twist on hollywood is a nice change. The HOLLYWOOD SPY seems like a lot of fun. I became a follower because of your dirty dozen blogfest.

And those Madagascar penquins get around. I use them all the time for this and that. I love them!!!

PS: YOU ROCK ALEX!!!!

PPS: That's awesome about your book.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Rogue, I will try to maintain that pace!!

RaShelle, thanks - YOU rock!

The Man-Cave said...

Alex great Q&A with Dez. I love The Hollywood Spy, so this was nice to read.