Is all the history you provide on Larry King true? (p. 353)
According to my research, which was primarily based on interviews with Larry.

How many movies and TV shows has he appeared in as himself?
Based on his entry in the Internet Movie Database Browser, Larry King has currently played himself in over 78 movies and TV shows. He runs a distant second to Jay Leno, who as of October 2005 has made cameo appearances in over 150 movies and TV shows.

Did the Random House lawyers worry about you using a real-life figure like Larry King in your story?
They worried far less than I did, to my profound surprise.

Did they worry that you call Connie Chung "completely insane" at the bottom of page 353?
No. That's considered public knowledge.

Harmony's roommates belong to an aspiring rap group called "The Jury." What's the significance of that name?
None that I'm aware of. But wouldn't it be funny if they got together with the Judge?

Can Jean really be so far removed from the cultural spectrum that she doesn't even know what rap is?
For a woman who gets by on comics books and fantasy novels, it's not all that surprising. Add in the fact that she's been deaf since age 2 and it's really not a wonder that she doesn't keep up with the music scene.

Scott's anecdote about the Stanford professor who got in trouble for his proper use of the word "niggardly" sounds awfully familiar (p. 359). Was this inspired by a true story?
Yes. It happened to poor David Howard in 1999. Howard, the aide to Washington, DC mayor Anthony Williams, was quickly forced to resign for using the word in a meeting. For those of you playing along at home, "niggardly" is a 700-year-old, non-racial term used to imply cheap and miserly behavior.

Once the city caught its breath and got a grip, Howard was rehired.

And what about the tale of California assemblyman who held a public moment of silence for a dead TV show character? (p. 359)
Also inspired by a true story. In 2002, California state assemblyman Kevin Shelley staged a moment of silence for Mrs. Landingham, a character on NBC's The West Wing who had been killed off the night before. The Associated Press published a 150-word article on the incident, revealing at the end that the "memorial" was primarily done for humor. But morons ran off with it anyway, citing Shelley as a schizoid politician with major fourth wall issues.

Since this all took place after the events of SLICK, I couldn't use the West Wing example. So I changed it to NYPD Blue. I assume that in reality Detective Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) went unmourned by the California government.

Do Christian-themed breakfast cereals truly exist?
Only in the warped minds of me and Kevin Smith. I didn't realize Smith had used a similar gag in his movie Dogma (the cereal was called "Hosties") until I saw it on TV just last year. Although I like my own gags better, I admit I would have never had the genius to cast George Carlin as a Catholic cardinal.

I don't get the "Left Behind" reference on page 360. What is it?
The Left Behind books are a series of über-Christian fantasy novels that take place after the Rapture, in which the righteous 25 percent are whisked up to Heaven and the rest of humanity is forced to wallow in sin, conflict, and really bad dialogue.

Also on page 360, Jean seems incredibly frustrated with Scott. But she's the one who's married. Why is she mad at him?
She's not mad at him. She's just frustrated because she doesn't want to be attracted to him, but is. Naturally, Scott (who feels likewise) does a spectacular job misreading her.

Why does Scott scream in triumph over Harmony's response to a caller (page 361)? It wasn't that great.
No, but when it comes to all things Harmony, Scott has no objectivity. As you can see, Madison isn't nearly as impressed.

Would Larry King really sit by and let Simba ambush Harmony on his very own show?
In short, yes. He's allowed call-in ambushes before, since they make good television. But in fairness, Larry wouldn't have merely introduced Simba as "a caller from Los Angeles." He would have introduced her by name. That was a bit of dramatic license on my part.

When confronted by Simba, why does Harmony fall back into the lie ("I said 'no' and he didn't listen")?
Because she'd rather be famous than infamous. She'd rather be loved than hated. And she decides right then and there that she won't confess on Hunta's behalf. At least not without a fight.

What's the deal with Simba's funky cousin?
She's the artistic type. Let's leave it at that.

How accurate is Simba's tale of Tupac's murder (pp. 374-376)?
Subtract Jeremy from the picture and you pretty much got what happened.

Who's the woman in the Silver Acura following Scott (p. 377)?
That would be Miranda, as revealed in Chapter 21.

Why is Harmony mad at Scott for something Simba did?
"You tease me with all this fame, all this respect, all these money offers, and then you just pull it all away from me right when I'm starting to like it! Like it was all just some goddamn joke!" (p. 380)

I'd say that's a genuine beef with Scott.

But she knew this part was coming!
Yes, but Scott never prepared her for how difficult it would be. He also never prepared her for the fact that maybe things wouldn't be okay for her if she confessed. That maybe she wouldn't be forgiven so easily. He made it sound like everything would be just ducky because everything was under his control. Unfortunately, it turns out that things aren't really under Scott's control, and things aren't just ducky. All of this is elaborated on in the very next chapter.

Okay. Fine. But how does Scott get home if he can't find his rental car?
He finds his rental car, as he explains in the next chapter. It just takes him a really long time.

Speaking of really long, does this chapter seem longer than most?
Chapter 19 is about twice the length of the average SLICK chapter. That's because a lot of stuff happens, and the plot takes a major turn. Sadly for Scott, it's a major turn for the worse.