And I also learned today, from my editor at Simon & Schuster/Touchstone, that the book, which was published December 1, has just gone into its third printing...

And wait, as they say in the late-night TV ads, that's not all. I've also been booked, so to speak, for a library lecture appearance at Toms River, NJ, on Thursday, Feb. 11. More on that, and the Barnes & Noble appearance, as I get additional details.

That's the good news. Now for the rest.

The big piece of the puzzle still in limbo is a planned review for the New York Times Sunday Book Review, which doesn't have a publication date yet, but may be pegged to the Jan. 20 induction of the Smothers Brothers into the Emmy Hall of Fame, at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. Congratulations, boys!

And one opportunity in the works I was truly excited by, a joint appearance by Tom Smothers and myself on PBS's Bill Moyers' Journal, was tentatively scheduled for next week, but was bumped by those pesky current events.

I regret the publicity push that appearance would have given the book -- but I regret, even more, that we'll all be denied the sight of watching Moyers and Smothers trade memories and perspectives of the Sixties and beyond...

Oh, well. Given the high caliber of that show, it was an honor just to be considered... And that's show biz.

Finally, since I reported about my Amazon ranking as Dangerously Funny was floating way up there -- all the way up to #146 among books sold -- I should be equally quick to point out its greased-pig luge run downward.

The first time I peeked at the ranking in the New Year, the book, after holding steady for weeks at the 200-250 mark, was only a few notches away from falling below 1,000. The last time I looked, a few days ago, it was under 2,000. And today, as I look at it for the purpose of reporting the most current ranking, it's now at... hang on... 2,821.

But before I get upset about that, I have to remind myself that when the book first appeared on Amazon, it was ranked #798,191...

But that reminds me. At these coming book signings, I need all the support I can get. Scroll down a few blog entries, and you'll get details about my appearances this coming Monday, Jan. 11, at New York's Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble, next Wednesday in New Brunswick at Rutgers University in New Jersey, and a week from Saturday at New Jersey's Marlton branch of Borders.

Please, if you're nearby, come see me. There's not much to recommend watching on TV those nights anyway. I'll make sure of that...