Saturday, November 01, 2014
Stephen King: The Rolling Stone Interview
Rolling Stone: King hasn't done many recent in-depth print interviews since a van accident nearly killed him 15 years ago, but he decided to sit down with Rolling Stone to discuss his life and career.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Paris Hilton Update
Contactmusic.com: Paris Hilton dressed up as her Pomeranian pooch for her Halloween party last night
Zombie Story!
I almost forgot to mention something that I try to tell people about every Halloween, which is that my (quite funny if I do say so myself) zombie story is still available to read for free at Revolution SF. Check it out.
Halloween
I loved Halloween when I was a kid. Late October in Texas is sometimes cool, but it was never too cool for tricks-or-treats. I don't remember that I ever had a costume. What I had was a Lone Ranger mask. I figured I was completely unidentifiable when I had it on. This was so long ago that our mothers didn't mind if we took a grocery sack (they were all paper in those days) and got together with a few friends to roam the town and see what kind of treats we could collect. No supervision. Nobody worried about that kind of thing in a small town long ago. Nobody worried about the treats that were put into the sack, either. We ate them all without thinking a thing of it.Even better than the trick-or-treating was the Halloween Carnival. For years it was held in the downtown area. We'd walk around and collect our treats and then walk downtown. Still unsupervised. It was kid heaven. A cake walk, a ducking booth, bingo, a fortune-teller, and all kinds of little games where you could win a prize by popping balloons with darts or catching a little plastic fish. One year it was colder than usual, and the carnival moved inside a big car dealership. After that it was held in the hallways of the elementary school.
There are still Halloween carnivals everywhere. We had them every year at the college when I taught there, and I worked in the beanbag booth for the Writers Club. They still have the carnival every year, but it's a "harvest festival" now. Believe it or not, there's a War on Halloween. I think kids still wear their costumes, but they don't get to wander around town without their parents hovering nearby. There's not much trick-or-treating because to make things safe for all, there's a community treats trail in one of the parks. I miss the old days.
FFB: A Night in the Lonesome October -- Roger Zelazny
This is a repeat from December 13 of last year, but I wanted to do a Halloween book today, and this one seemed like the most appropriate one.
I love Roger Zelazny's early books, but for a time there he was writing things that didn't engage me nearly as much. I kept on reading them, mind you (well, except for the Amber series) because I kept hoping that he'd return to form. And then, with his final book, he did. I should have written about this one for Halloween, but it slipped down in the stack and I didn't get to it until now.
To begin with, let me say that this is the best book you'll ever read that's narrated by Jack the Ripper's dog. If that idea puts you off and makes you doubt that this is your kind of book, I'd say you're wrong.
The dog's name is Snuff, and the story he tells has to do with the Great Game that is played during the month leading up to Halloween in those years when there's a full moon on that date. That's when the Great Old Ones of Lovecraftian lore make their attempt to enter a gateway into our world. There are two groups of players, the Openers and the Closers. Jack has played before, but it appears that none of the others in this game have. So far, the Closers have always won, but it's often a tight race. The players this time consist of Jack the Ripper, the Universal monsters (I know they didn't originate with Universal, but their characters in this book come from the movies, not the original sources), a Mad Monk, a witch, a Druid, a clergyman, and a couple of others. Sherlock Holmes and Watson are also important characters, and all the players have familiars, of which Snuff is one. The familiars are excellent characters, too, especially Graymalk, the cat, whose relationship with Snuff is one of the book's highlights.
The Game has rules, but sometimes they get violated, and it's fairly complicated. I'm a little surprised nobody's developed it as an actual game to be played by gaming fans. I'm sure it could be done.
A Night in the Lonesome October is stylish, poetic, at times hilarious, suspenseful, and just a whole lot of fun. And did I mention the Gahan Wilson illustrations? No? Well, there's one for each night of the month, with maybe a couple of extras. Great stuff. If you're looking for a treat, don't wait until next year to read this one.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Uh-Oh
Release the Dust Witch!
Disney's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' Hires 'Wrath of the Titans' Writer
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Disney's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' Hires 'Wrath of the Titans' Writer
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
The Naked and The Undead: A Novel of Hardboiled Horror - Kindle edition by Wayne D. Dundee. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.: What is "hardboiled horror", you say? It's not complicated, really.
You take a handful of ingredients from classic hardboiled crime fiction like, say, a tough-as-nails police detective, a cityscape of decay and corruption, a cynical hit man with ice water in his veins, a couple of savvy, sexy dames … Mix in elements from classic horror lore like a nest of vampires, menacing shape-shifters, a coven of followers who worship the ways of the undead, and a bewitching Queen of Darkness driven by blood lust and bent on the destruction of all who try to stand in the way of her unholy desires … Mix it all together … And you get a chilling, thrilling tale of things that go bump in the night and forces aligned to bump back!
From the pen of award-winning, veteran hardboiled writer Wayne D. Dundee comes a tale of shocking horror, revenge, undying love, and bloody murder!
50 Best Law & Order Ripped From the Headlines Episodes
Flavorwire: The 50 Best “Ripped From the Headlines” ‘Law & Order’ Episodes, Ranked
Forgotten Music: ABBA -- Live at Wembley Arena
Some of us haven't forgotten ABBA, but some of you probably weren't even born when they were superstars. It's really hard for me to believe that it's been more than 30 years since they broke up. But all of a sudden we have a brand new CD. Sure, it was recorded in 1979, but it's never been released before. The big news is that it hasn't been prettied up with studio tricks. This is the way the group sounded without retouching. And of course it's great. Sure, there are a few little glitches, and the audience interaction is nothing you'll really care about, but this is a high-energy show, and it's convincing proof that ABBA could rock out. All the songs will be familiar to longtime fans, but some of them are a lot more uptempo than the studio versions. And the capper is that there's a song that's never been heard on a recording before. Just one, "I'm Still Alive," but it's a good one. This is a 2-CD set, and it's just packed with good stuff. If you've forgotten ABBA, now's the time to get reacquainted.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
IKEA Does Kubrick
IKEA Halloween - YouTube: Late night shopping may never be the same again after you watch IKEA’s homage to Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic, The Shining.
Hat tip to Mike Stamm.
Hat tip to Mike Stamm.
Amelia Earhart Update
Fox News: A fragment of Amelia Earhart's lost aircraft has been identified to a high degree of certainty for the first time ever since her plane vanished over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937, in a record attempt to fly around the world at the equator.
Elizabeth Norment, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: "House of Cards" actress Elizabeth Norment, who portrayed Kevin Spacey's secretary on the Netflix drama, has died.
The 61-year-old actress passed away Oct. 13 at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, her sister Kate confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Ballad of the 13-Year-Old Bride
Ballad of the 13-Year-Old Bride: Myra Lewis Williams—eternally known as the young wife of Jerry Lee Lewis—speaks candidly about their notorious rock & roll romance
Link via Boing Boing.
Link via Boing Boing.
“Sick Hazel” (by Liza Cody)
“Sick Hazel” (by Liza Cody) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: Liza Cody has been a groundbreaker throughout her career as a mystery writer. Her debut novel, Dupe, brought her the 1980 John Creasey Award for best first novel, and it was especially notable for introducing the character Anna Lee, the first professional female P.I. in British mystery fiction.
L. M. Kit Carson, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: L. M. Kit Carson, an actor and writer who earned a following among devotees of independent film with his magazine journalism about movies and his own quirky films, died on Oct. 20 in Dallas, while visiting. He was 73.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Fugitive Trail - Kindle edition by Wayne D. Dundee. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.: A hardened, battle weary Civil War vet returns home after the fighting … to an unfaithful wife and a trumped-up murder charge! The choice between facing a hangman's noose or going on the run as an outlaw isn't a hard one for Eli Cole to make. But when a grieving, vengeful father offers a huge personal bounty—not for Cole's capture, but for proof of his death—the swarm of manhunters and mercenaries this stirs up dramatically increases the odds against staying alive on the fugitive trail.
Complicating matters further for Cole is the group of fellow fugitives he falls in with. Keeping himself alive is tough enough, keeping the others out of harm's way, too, only adds to it. But rage, righteous indignation, and a blazing gun can go a long way toward bucking the odds …
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Tomato Can Comeback (Fight Card) - Kindle edition by Jack Tunney, Henry Brown, Paul Bishop, Mel Odom. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.: Tom Garrick had a heart of gold, a jaw of iron, and heavy artillery in both fists. This orphan from the Windy City returned from the Korean War to battle his way up the welterweight ranks, inspiring speculation about a title bid. Then he slugged it out with a top contender who humiliated him over eleven rounds and cut short his victory march. Popular opinion was he had been exposed as a lucky pretender. The newspapers dubbed him "Tomato Can" after watching the blood splatter around the ring like tomato juice from a tin can being battered by a tire iron.
Now, for some mysterious reason, 'Tomato Can' Garrick is lacing on the gloves again, hoping for a shot at redemption. He has no promoter, no manager, not even a sparring partner. The only one in his corner is a buddy from the war who has never been inside the boxing game before.
There's a punch-drunk pantheon of bums, brawlers and cutthroat contenders just waiting to pound him into Palookaville ... a lonely war widow with her claws in his heart ... and a regimen of dubious training methods which may do more harm than good to his chances. But Garrick isn't going to go down in history as "the Tomato Can" without a fight.
Honoring the Artistry of McGinnis (Plus Part 2 of the Art Scott Interview)
Honoring the Artistry of McGinnis (Plus Part 2 of the Art Scott Interview)
Sexy Gone Wrong: Erotic Album Covers Done Badly
Sexy Gone Wrong: Erotic Album Covers Done Badly
Not safe for work or for people offended by bad taste.
Not safe for work or for people offended by bad taste.
The Awesome Sport of Rototiller Racing
The Awesome Sport of Rototiller Racing: The capital of this sport is Emerson, Arkansas. There, at annual PurpleHull Pea Festival, the champions assemble to find out who is the fastest rototiller racer.
Overlooked Movies -- Family Business
Last week I talked a little about a movie with Dustin Hoffman as an ex-con trying to to straight, so I thought I'd follow that up with a movie with Dustin Hoffman as a guy who's broken away from his criminal past and gone straight for more than 20 years. He thought for sure he was out, but he gets pulled back in.It happens because of his son, played by Matthew Broderick. The patriarch in the family, Sean Connery, is an unregenerate rogue and crook, so for 23 years Hoffman has kept his son away from his grandfather. But genetics is a terrible thing. Broderick is fascinated by his grandfather. He drops out of college and tells Connery about a simple caper that will pay off hugely. Connery's all for it, and he finally manages to persuade Hoffman to take part. Would it surprise you to learn that things to go as planned?
I'm not going into specifics here, but some get off more lightly than others as a result of the flubbed caper. The last act of the movie is pretty much a mess, and there are a couple of plot holes that are worrisome. Still, there's a great cast and a great director, Sidney Lumet. So it's not a total loss. Judy and I went to see it in the theater, not knowing what to expect but thinking that with the cast it had, the movie would be great. It's not great. It's sort of middling, or that's my take on it. Considering all the talent involved, it should've been better. Maybe you like it more than I do.
Monday, October 27, 2014
Uh-Oh
A Young William Shakespeare Will Soon Have His Own TV Show on the CW: The show will chronicle his entanglement in a bitter feud between three witches — likely “real-life” versions of the Weird Sisters of Macbeth —and Queen Elizabeth I.
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Uh-Oh
Steinbeck family fights agency over movie deals: Two Steinbeck classics, "East of Eden" and "The Grapes of Wrath," are being remade, with names like Jennifer Lawrence and Steven Speilberg attached to the projects.
So It's Come to This
Professor suspended from top university for giving off 'negative vibes': The case against him included "inappropriate sighing", "making ironic comments" and "projecting negative body language”.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Marcia Strassman, R. I. P.
Deadline: Actress Marcia Strassman has died at the age of 66 after a long battle with breast cancer, her sister Julie Strassman confirmed. Though Marcia Strassman acted in a wide range of TV shows and feature films, she was best known for her lead roles in the TV show Welcome Back Kotter and the comedy feature Honey I Shrunk the Kids and its sequel, Honey I Blew Up the Kids. Strassman also served on the national board of the Screen Actors Guild.
Typo of the Day
Megan Fox to star opposite James Franco in 'Zeroville': Fox, who has been roped in to lay the lead, will play a Hollywood starlet with a very troubled past who becomes the love interest and obsession to Franco's character.
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