True to his nickname, 1976 alumnus H.G. Bissinger managed to create a "buzz" at the Bridge: Cinema de Lux theater on Saturday night.
The 12 Lounge at the Bridge accommodated a couple hundred people as they eagerly purchased, or brought their own, copies of Friday Night Lights -- Bissinger's 1990 book about the 1988 season of the Permian Panthers high school football team in Odessa, Texas.
Bissinger signed copies of his book before attending a special screening of the recently released adaptation of his work, as part of the weekend's Homecoming events.
The movie was well-received by those in the audience, even bringing some to tears.
Bissinger also announced his approval of the movie, though he mentioned that racism, while prevalent in the book, was downplayed in the film.
The movie has been enjoying popular acclaim and has been among the top box office draws since its opening on Oct. 8.
Also, since the release of the movie, Friday Night Lights has held the No. 1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list for paperback non-fiction.
After the original publication of his book, however, Bissinger said it was not well-received by Odessa citizens.
He admitted that he had to cancel book-signings he had scheduled in the town due to physical threats directed toward him.
One female audience member, however, said that her father was from Odessa and that he enjoyed the book more than the film. Bissinger welcomed this comment and claimed he wanted to "bottle him."
While writing the book, Bissinger said Odessa citizens were willing to divulge the spirit of their town.
"Why do people tell journalists anything?" he said. "They want their story told."
Bissinger criticized how much certain high schools in Texas, and around the nation, spend on their school football stadiums, with some figures upwards of several million dollars.
"If we put our emphasis on education and not on sports, we would be able to do more for our children," he said, adding jokingly, "But, we would never be able to get 100,000 people to sign up for an English class."
Bissinger, a 1987 Pulitzer Prize winner, currently lives in Philadelphia and is a contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine. A longtime journalist, Bissinger worked for The Philadelphia Inquirer, where his investigative reporting on the criminal court system won him the Pulitzer.
"I wanted to be a journalist," Bissinger said, adding that his college writing experience served him well.
Bissinger's second book, Prayer for the City, was published in 1997 after he spent four years following former Mayor Ed Rendell on his quest to revitalize Philadelphia.
