Michael Anthony Steele

I’m a little late posting, but I’d like to announce the release of Speed Racer: Born to Race. It’s a junior novelization of the upcoming Wachowski Brothers‘ movie.

I’m not sure which I enjoyed more: writing this book or getting a sneak peek at the screenplay. I grew up watching Speed Racer (my Boy Scout Pinewood derby car was the Mach 5) and I’m a big Matrix fan. Even before reading the script, I knew the brothers would put their own spin on things. However, after reading it, I was positive the die hard Speed Racer fans wouldn’t be disappointed.

There has been tons of promotion but just in case you missed something, below is one of my favorite trailers so far.

Click here to visit the official Speed Racer movie site.

And for a HUGE amount of footage from the movie, check out this music video for “Go Speed Racer Go” performed by Ali Dee and the Deekompressors.
Go Speed Racer Go Music Video

For those of you who mentioned that my site contained a virus or adware of some sort, fear not, for I think I took care of the problem. After digging around the web, I discovered several reports on how someone targeted WordPress blog sites, hacked into them, and added some kind of tracking code. Well, I believe I’ve removed all the malicious code and took additional steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Thanks again, to those who pointed out the problem. Now I’m just working on getting Google to take the warning off my listing.

No, I’m not adding buzzwords for more hits (although it never hurts). I’m simply announcing the release of two more Naked Brothers Band books: Battle of the Bands and Cry Wolff. Both are novelizations of season one episodes and both were great fun to write!

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Click here for the official NBB site.

For all the Wishbone fans out there, Joey Stewart (1st AD on the show) recently posted some videos usually not seen by the public. They were made for the cast and crew and shown during the wrap parties. The producers seemed to get most everyone on camera so if you know anyone who worked on the show, keep an eye out for them. You can even catch a glimpse of me a couple of times.

Here are the links. Enjoy!

The Visual FX of Wishbone

Working On The Bone

Blooper Reel

Behind The Scenes

Released today is the official storybook for the upcoming film: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, and Jason Bateman. I adapted this book from the wonderful screenplay by Zach Helm. The book is titled (coincidentally): Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium Magical Movie Storybook.

Movie tie-in books are always fun because not only do I get to read a copy of the upcoming movie’s script (which is almost always top secret) but also, as in this case, I was able to see dozens of photos from the set. Of course, some of the magic is gone when I have to spread out these photos (over a hundred) all over the floor and figure out which ones I’m going to use in the book.

This project was also a pleasure because the script was one of the best I’ve read in a long time (and I’m not just saying that because I wrote the storybook). The story has a simple yet unusual premise that should entertain young and old alike. And if the film is as good as the screenplay (and it should be, it was directed by the writer himself), then viewers shouldn’t be disappointed. Be sure to see it this Thanksgiving when it hits theaters.

Click the poster below to visit the official site.

All right, get your minds out of the gutters … released today, is the first of four books I’ve written for the Naked Brothers Band, entitled The Making of the Naked Brothers Band. It’s full of fun facts about the characters and episodes of the popular Nickelodeon series.

The title of the show (and book) may make the kids snicker but there’s nothing for parents to worry about; the brothers aren’t really naked. They’re just your basic eight and eleven year-old rock stars named Nat and Alex Wolff. The series itself is a pseudo reality show that follows the lives of the brothers and the rest of the band. It’s a fun show where younger brother, Alex gets the laughs while older brother, Nat almost gets the girl.

The Making of the Naked Brothers Band has stats about each band member, episode breakdowns, band trivia, fun quizzes, and even song lyrics. It’s written from a fan’s perspective so a true fan of the show should enjoy it. And if you haven’t seen the show, it will tell you what all this naked brothers business is about.