A Medley of Monday morning delights

Ok,another week and another pile of pop culture clutter to sort thru,so let's get started,shall we? First up,several movie studios have announced that they will be selling downloadable films directly to the public thru certain websites such as Movielink and CinemaNow. One catch-these movies can only be watched on a computer. You can burn them onto a DVD for backup purposes but you won't be able to play it on a DVD player due to the encoding. Some folks may not mind that but it could be quite the stumbling block saleswise,not to mention that at some point,a Crafty Cathy might find a way to solve that little probelm of non DVD player usage. Good luck,gang-you're gonna need it!


Ice Age:The Meltdown made $70 million at the box office this weekend while the sad Sharon Stone sequel,Basic Instinct 2:Risk Addiction(sounds like a direct to video Shannon Tweed title,doesn't it?) tied for the number ten spot with Larry The Cable Guy:Health Inspector. You know your movie's dead in the water if it has to fight for space with a Larry The Cable Guy movie. Atleast Slither made it to eighth place,which is a shame-that movie looks totally kickass and with Nathan Fillion in the lead....I think I need my smelling salts*swoons*.

Howard Stern,in his EW interview,complained that not enough of his fans have followed him over to Sirius satellite radio,calling them"cheap bastards". Aw,poor Howard-it's too bad that some of your fans decided to pay their bills instead of doing the March of the Lemmings over to Sirius to make you happy. See,there's this thing about luxury items-there are called luxuries for a reason! I know that it may be a strange concept to you but some people actually have to live on a budget and that may not include satellite radio. You'll just have to make due with 4 million listeners rather than 20. You can do it,buddy!


Scary American Idol news-next week,the Top Eight will have to choose songs by Queen for their performances...why,for the love of all that is sacred and good,WHY?!
Is anyone on the AI staff under the delusion that Constantine's butchering of Bohemian Rapsody last season was acceptable? *sigh* I know that Paris,Mandisa and Chris(or as he's known in my household,Sideburns Stepdad)will do justice to the memory of Freddie Mercury but have to wonder,will anyone pick a song from the Flash Gordon soundtrack?

Well,that's all for now-stay tuned for more merry malarky and hijinks! Oh,and here's a point to ponder: I went to my local video rental over the weekend and noticed that all the copies of Chronicles of Narnia and Memoirs of A Geisha were out but yet,there were quite a few of Peter Jackson's King Kong left on the shelves. What does this mean,if anything? Anyone,anyone,Bueller?

Reruns are not just for TV

Over a week ago,I went book shopping and wound up buying two titles that I've already read in ARC format. It wasn't an easy decision to make,there were a few other tempting books out there(such as the new Sophie Kinsella aka Madeline Wickham novel)but in the end,I went with the tried and,in my opinion,true,plus a copy of Anna Quindlen's Imagined London to fill my not-previously- read qouta.

Most of you are saying"Why in the world would you buy two books that you've read for free?". Well,one reason is that I don't have them at home(they were loaned out to others and never made their way back to the book store's treasure trove of readers' copies)and the other is that they're really great books worth rereading. Mind you,I am not always sensible about things like this;I've been known to own both the hardcover and the paperback editions of the same book,many of the justifications for that include"But I have his/her other books in paperback" and "This one has the tie-in movie cover!" Sad,sad,sad.

Anyway,the books I bought are The Good Wife by Stewart O'Nan(many of you may recognize his name from the baseball book he co-wrote with Stephen King)and The Ha-Ha by Dave King. Both books introduced me to these authors(The Ha-Ha is a first novel) and they both recieved excellent reviews from the critics. Saleswise,they're no threat to the Da Vinci Code but they should get a wider audience in soft cover and are a shoo-in for the reading group circuit.

The Good Wife of O'Nan's story is Patty Dickerson,a young lower middle class housewife who wakes up one morning and finds her husband charged with murder. Seems he and his good buddy decided to do some B&E,only to find the elderly female homeowner still on the premises which leads to her death and a botched fire to cover up the crime. Patty's husband winds up doing hard time(his friend gets a better deal for himself by turning state's witness)and Patty has to face everyday life without him. She raises their son and holds down a number of go-nowhere jobs to make ends meet while regularly visiting her husband,Tommy,in prison over the years.

One of the good things about this book is the matter-of-fact way the situation is treated;this plot could easily become Lifetime made-for-televison fodder but O'Nan respects his characters enough to treat them as realistically as possible. Patty is not a very introspective person but she handles the bad luck life has given her with resolve and frustration at times. There's no big drama bomb dropped towards the end or major moment of clarity. The Good Wife is a slice of real world experience that few people care to focus on or even think about. It's like watching a really good indie flick,compelling with plenty of food for thought.

The Ha-Ha's leading man is Howard Kapostash,a Vietnam vet with a major injury that keeps him from speaking and give the impression that he's mentally retarded. An old girl friend of his,Sylvia,asks Howard to take care of her nine year old son(who is not Howard's)Ryan while she hits the rehab trail. Howard already has a couple of roommates,one of whom acts as sort of an unofficial caretaker. Ryan's presence in the household not only opens up Howard's limited world but also helps to form a surrogate family between the house mates during the tough times.

Again,this book has a similar matter of factness vibe that saves the story from the land of melodrama. Dave King's narrative style helps you get in synch with Howard and even provides some humorous moments,particularly involving a riding lawn mower. A ha-ha,btw, is a depression in the earth used as a land boundary-the best way to describe it is as a waterless moat. I took a picture of one during my Jane Austen trip a few years ago and even loaned it to someone who wanted to show her reading group what a ha-ha looked like(she never returned it but I did have double prints made.). The Ha-Ha is a stunning debut and I hope that King's next book will be available soon.

So,if you're looking for a decent read this weekend or any night that's there is nothing to watch on the boob tube,keep these two in mind. Whether it's your local book store or the library,The Good Wife and The Ha-Ha are kind of books that make you take your time in answering the phone or being interrupted by one of your family members who can't find something that's probaly right smack in the middle of the room. I look forward to revisiting these stories again and perhaps finding some new insights the second time around. Even if I don't,I know that I'm guaranteed to have a real good read.

Where everbody knows her name

I've been developing quite a small town jones for some time now(partly fueled by daily viewings of Gilmore Girls) and there's something about living in a place that's not as fast paced or as alienating as a large city can be that holds an attraction for me. I know that small communites have their own particular brands of malcontent and pettiness and are not sweet little Shangri-las that cast a magical spell over life's worries and woes. However,it would be nice to be part of a community doesn't just reach out to someone only when there's a crisis and annual events are actually fun.


I don't know if I have the fortitude that Heather Lende does-she and her family live in Haines,Alaska,which is ninety miles north of Juneau and is best gotten to by water or air when the weather is good. Heck,it would be easier to find Superman's Fortress of Solitude just before disaster strikes Metropolis. Haines has very little industry to keep steady employment,other than fishing,tourism and lumber. There's no traffic light,everyone goes to the post office to pick up their mail and there's not a Starbucks or a MickeyD's in sight.

Heather writes obituaries for one of the local papers,The Chilkat Valley News, and her book,If You Lived Here,I'd Know Your Name(due out in paperback this June) covers that and a lot more about her friends and neigbors. One of the many reasons people from all walks of life choose to live in Alaska is the oneness with nature. Getting up every morning to the sounds of sea lions and catching a view of some of the most majesic mountain ranges in the world does sweeten the pot.

True,there is alot about death in this book but it's not the end all and the be all of it. Heather also focues on the life around her,such as adopting a young Bulgarian girl(affectionately called "Stoli"),worrying about her daughters as they work on a fishing boat with their friends and getting involved in local politics such as setting up tolerance workshops for the high school students after a nasty incident that revealed social and racial bias. One of the workshops wanted to focus on homophobia but that caused an uproar so it was eventually dropped. Heather eased up on some of her political involvements after that.

One of the strengths of the book is that Heather doesn't shy away from the tough side of life in Haines but also finds the good in it as well. She's also not afraid to express her doubts and concerns about choosing this way of life and how it affects her marriage and six children. She does find much to inspire her,such as the "grand dames" who never let up such as "Porcupine Jo" Jurgeleit,a one legged lady gold miner who was not hesitate to settle her differences with a shot gun. Even the members of her local church are quite lively-a number of them were leads in the Lynn Canal Community Players production of a musical called Angry Housewives that featured such ditties as "Eat Your Fucking Corn Flakes". I'd certainly pay good money to see and hear something like that!

If you're like me and have a hankering for hometown events and bake sales,get ahold of Heather's book and see what it's really like to live in one of the remotest areas in the world. Even if you're happy where ever you are,If You Lived Here,I'd Know Your Name is an excellent mediation on community,nature and the bonds that hold lives together. If you want to read and know more about Heather Lende,please click the title link above. Those so-called "desparate" housewives who think the suburbs are a wilderness should try really roughing it in a place where you may have to drive to Canada for emergency surgery for your kid. That's extreme living,if you ask me.

Open letter to Randy Quaid

Dear Randy,


According to the story I read this morning in the NYT(heck of picture of you they used btw,you looked like you had just gotten over a three day bender),you're suing the makers of Brokeback Mountain over your salary. Seems that you agreed to take a low fee due to the small budget(which was 14 million-no dispute there)but your beef is that the film distributors spend over 30 mil to promote BBM,so you want some more do-re-mi.

Randy,what is up with that? Nevermind the fact Brokeback is a rather nice item to put on your resume(perhaps it looks odd next to those National Lampoon Vacation flicks,but even so) or that your part was only slightly longer than Quentin Tarantino's cameo in the Muppets' Wizard of Oz,it's the principle of the thing. You've been in this business for over forty years now and you're not some sweet young thang off the Greyhound bus,with stars in your eyes. You've been around the block and back again a few times over,buddy.

You know perfectly well that all the marketing money in the world doesn't quarantee box office success-if it did,The Adventures of Pluto Nash and The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle would've been at the top,not the bottom of the barrel. You were in those suckers as well as offbeat films such as Parents and Freaked so you're no stranger to small budget films and what it takes to make those babies work. If you had made a deal to share in the future profits of Brokeback,that's one thing. But it seems to me that you're mad at yourself for not cutting a better deal and you want a do-over.

Perhaps the studio will make some out-of-court settlement with you,to avoid a lengthy legal debate,but even if you win,you lose here,Randy. You know how word gets around in the film world and your doing this looks bad on you,not the studio. Maybe folks won't say anything to you directly but don't be surpised if certain projects are not sent your way and the next small part in a potentially great movie goes to John Goodman or someone just him and not you.

Oh,well-good luck to you and Christmas Vacation 2:Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure. That should help you pay the lawyers-they charge by the hour,you know.

Signed,
Lady T :founder of We Despise Greedy Artists,Inc.

On Stage for you,Xanadu!

Yes,Virginia,it's true-an Off-Broadway production of Xanadu is in the works. Songs from the Olivia Newton-John/Gene Kelly roller disco fantasy will be included such as "Suddenly" and ELO's"All Over the World". No word on casting yet(there's more details in the article linked above)but this should give some of those voted-off American Idol contestants some hope at being onstage again without worrying about a Simon Cowell Snark Attack.

Xanadu has been one of my cult faves for a long time-I remember when the movie was due out in theaters and even had the tie-in comic book edition(should've kept that baby-it's probaly roommates with that large sized Princess Leia doll I had as a kid that would've made me some sweet E-Bay moola). For those of you who don't know the story,it's about Kira(ON-J),a muse who comes to earth to inspire commerical artist Sonny(Michael Beck) to team up with old school retired musician Danny Mcguire(Gene Kelly) to start up a roller disco nightclub. Of course,Kira and Sonny fall in love and her big secret is revealed,blah blah blah,you get the idea.

The plot is the least important element of the film(as usual)-it's the musical numbers that get you and some of them are doozies-my favorite one is where Sonny and Danny debate over what type of music they want to feature in their club and their ideas come to life,with a big band dance number on one side and the Tubes singing "Dancin'(that has such hip lyrics as "lover/won't take a back seat tonight/woo hoo")on the other. The two merge into one towards the end,in a weird way that reminds you of Paula Abdul's "Coldhearted" video. Not as sexed up but very copycatty.

There's even an animated sequence,courtesy of Don Bluth,where Kira and Sonny become fish and birds who pursue each other to the tune of "Don't Walk Away". No,it's not explained or even acknowledged by the characters-it's just one of those random moments in life where two people turn into cartoons and share some shapeshifting fun.

The soundtrack is the best and strongest part of the original Xanadu and I'm glad that they're keeping alot of the songs. In my stroll thru the internet,I found out that there's also some sort of Rocky Horror version called "Xanadu Alive" that's been playing for the devoted followers of this film. Sounds like fun on a stick! I've never been a big theater buff but with Xanadu hitting the boards hopefully by '07,I may have to find me some fancy duds and go on the town. I just hope that they don't just cast anybody-Sebastian Bach on Broadway was bad enough-and that "Suspended in Time" is also included. It's a lovely song and I won't be the only one tempted to toss some tomatoes if it's left out.

...With Lindsay Lohan as Blunder Woman!

Lindsay Lohan is running around Europe,telling anyone who will listen that she really,really wants to play Wonder Woman in the upcoming Joss Whedon version that's yet to cast a leading lady. According to the Sun article(linked for your pleasure in the title above),she thinks this part will give her some big league actor cred since most of the movies on her resume are " aimed at younger girls and are light-hearted."

Now,I'm a huge WW fangirl and would be standing on line today to see the Whedon version if there was a release date announced but I must say that if Lohan actually thinks this would elevate her into serious actress work,she definately should not be allowed to operate heavy machinery unsupervised. Granted,Jodie Foster did some Disney kid flicks back in the day but Jodie has this thing we call talent which our gal Lindsay doesn't seem to have clue #1 about. Then again,there's always Herbie:Unloaded 2 for her to fall back on!

Actually,the best thing to do about Wonder Woman is to cast an unknown in the part and round up a few seasoned actors for support and marquee value. One of the reasons that I have high hopes for Superman Returns is that Brandon Routh(who looks like Chris Reeves' long lost lovechild) has the lead role and Kevin Spacey is playing Lex Luthor. Of course,we'll have to put up with Parker"Overrated" Posey as Lex's gangsta bitch but if we're lucky,she will have as much screen time as Jar Jar Binks did in Revenge of the Sith(That movie would've been so much better if Jar Jar had gotten wacked right after the opening credits). One of my favorite lines in Lloyd Kaufman's All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger perfectly describes her:"an actress who's so excruciating aware of her own glib hipness that you feel like she might swirl and give the camera a backhanded high five at any moment." Watch any of her scenes in Blade:Trinity and tell me that statement doesn't hold up today.

Anyway,before I went off the garden path there,most people are not worried about Lohan donning the Amazon mantle since Joss Whedon is at the helm here and the man has excellent casting skills. Some fans want Sarah Michelle Geller or Charisma Carpenter but that's never gonna happen,gang. Those ladies are a)not right for the role and b)have moved on,bigtime. Jon Heder has a better shot at being the next James Bond,if something happens to Daniel Craig. Whedon will most likely go the unknown route for Wonder Woman but I'm sure he'll slip in some of his favorite troopers from his Buffy/Angel/Firefly days(please find a part for James Marsters,pretty please!!!).

Lohan would be better off going to the indie film circuit to expand her horizons-hey,it worked for Michelle Williams and Katie Holmes,the darlings of Dawson's Creek! Just be careful to avoid leading men with e-meters in their trailers,ready to give you some private auditing sessions,Lindsay,and you'll do just fine there,hon.

What's up with the creepy candy commericals?

Lately,I've been noticing some damn strange ads on TV for a couple of my favorite sugary treats,Starburst and Skittles. The Skittles ad(which I found a link to and have placed in the title above)has a bearded man at a job interview. His beard is longer than both of those ZZ Top guys and moves about with a Muppet like ability. During the interview, the woman behind the desk tells Beard Man that his resume is fine but they're looking for someone with more experience. Beard Man then uses his freakish facial hair to pop a Skittle into her mouth and pats her face while chuckling at her last comment. You're expecting the next scene to be one where Interview Lady is being strangled by the Beard That Wouldn't Die while its' owner is still chuckling and gobbling up the rest of the candy but I guess that'll be for the sequel!

The Starburst ad has a kid walking up to his buddies while a sinister voice over points out that he'll be expected to share his pack of Starbursts with his friends:"But what if you had no friends?" Creepy Kid then proceeds to be mean to his pals by dumping their stuff and tearing one guy's shirt while the V.O. cheers him on. No one speaks during this weird little assault and as Creepy Kid walks away with his candies intact,the V.O. praises him with"That went well!" Is it just me or does that sound abit too close to Columbine for comfort there?

Listen up,you marketing people-I don't know what demographic you think this appeals to or what drugs you may or may not be on but quit being wackers with my candy! Being creative is one thing,being disturbing is another. I should not get the same feeling after watching a candy ad that I have after watching Hostel! Hell,those Orbit gum ads are goofy but they're actually cute,with that Brit Wit and make me actually consider trying a piece. If I didn't already know and enjoy the mixed fruit basket flavor of either of the candies in question,I'ld give a wide berth to them at the candy rack just based on those mini freakshows that air on a daily basis!

I don't ask for much in this life-some good books,a DVD set or two,world peace(in someone's lifetime,not neccessarily mine)-and I'm damn sure that I'm not the only one confused and befuddled by these commericials. Leave the offkilter stuff to those who know how to use it for the right products(the VW ads with Peter Stomare are a great example of this)and get back to the drawing board. You're making those Mentos "Fresh and Full of Life" ads look like welcome relief at this point.

Da Vinci Code Mania continues

I just watched the new Da Vinci Code trailer(there's a link to it in the title above)and have to say,yes it looks great and no,I probaly won't see the movie. Having Ian Mckellan in the cast is a nice incentive but would much rather wait to see him in X Men 3. The more I see of Tom Hanks here,the more this whole movie looks like the Masterpiece Theater version of an Indiana Jones movie. I'm sure DVC will do well at the box office,without my ten bucks added to the coffer.

Also,the big Dan Brown trial has finished up over in the UK,with everyone waiting for the verdict which should be given in a few weeks. In case you haven't heard,Dan Brown and his Brit publishers are being sued by the co-authors of the non fiction book,Holy Blood & Holy Grail, for copyright infringment. It's been no secret that HB&HG was one of the research sources used in the writing of the book(Holy Blood & Holy Grail has had a nice reprint run due to this connection) and this case has become quite a hoop-de-do in publishing circles.

This all sounds like a tempest in a teapot,in my opinion. Many of these cases are legit but the timing of this lawsuit is fishy. Quite a coincidence that just a few months before the film version is to be released worldwide and sure to rake in the bucks,that these fellas decided to fight for their rights. Yeah,okay....and Issac Hayes' decision to leave South Park had nothing to do with his membership in the "Church" of Scientology(Tonight's season premiere of South Park focues on Chef so I have to see it-fortunately,F/X shows "Black.White" at 10 and 11 so I can have the best of both worlds). Many are concerned that a guilty verdict will block the release of the movie but I wouldn't worry-there'll be some of kind of backroom deal made if the case doesn't go a certain way,mark my words.

Yesterday,Javier Sierra's The Secret Supper hit the bookstores and it's definately worth a read. It may not be as action packed as DVC but TSS gives you a pretty good historical mystery to mull over. I have to get cracking on Kate Mosse's Labyrinth which has a classic "two women in different time periods connected by mysterious object from the past" theme(have to admit that when I first looked over the book,I was strongly reminded of the Lana/Isobel storyline from last year's Smallville-not a turn-off to me at all). It's good to have a strong female viewpoint emerge in this genre and hope that we all get some good reads out of this interest that Dan Brown has sparked up.

Dates From Hell and other mixed media

So,I finished up Dates From Hell this morning and can wholeheartedly recommend it-the Kelley Armstrong story"Chaotic"(which is about a tabloid reporter who runs into a werewolf jewel thief on her rather bad blind date)had a nice mini action movie vibe to it and the finale,Lori Handeland's "Dead Man Dating" was fun. DMD's plot has a Plain Jane literary agent being pursued by an incubus and meeting the rogue demon hunter of her dreams(nice Buffy shout-out,btw). Worth your time,if you're into the genre or just curious about the authors profiled. It should be hitting a bookstore near you sometime next week,so keep an eye out for it!

In other news,American Idol's music theme tonight is the 1950s-a good decade of tunes to pick from but you never know what horrors to expect on stage. Hopefully,we won't be subjected to likes of Kevin singing"Part Time Lover"(that kid looks like a reject from the cast of Napoleon Dynamite,I swear!)in the music selection but he's not the only one to be on the look out for: Ace has pretty bland tastes. I can't even remember what he sang last week,all I can recall is that he didn't wear his trademark beanie. Paula and Simon click differently this season;last time it was all that "Opposites Attract" fighting but now,Paula has that Bitter Divorcee vibe wrapped around her like a cheesy mink stole.

Speaking of Bitter Divorcees,Tawny Kitaen looks to be the Prima Diva on the new Surreal Life and I am already sick of her constantly declaring her five time refusal to appear in Playboy(gee,we're not intimidated by the Playboy channel's Andrea Lowell being the resident hot girl,are we dear?). Having Mrs. Brady be the group advisor here is pretty cool(wonder what she thought of the season 4 hook-up between former Brady boy Christopher Knight and Adrienne Curry)and I hope that things will get even more wacky with the wrestler Maven joining the crew. The first thing that struck me about Alexis Arquette was his hair-it's a dead ringer for his sister Patricia's! Was that a coincidence or some weird sibling envy? Inquiring minds want to know.

Brokeback Mountain is due out(no pun intended)on video April 4,so if you didn't see it yet,you're gonna get your chance. I know that Crash was rereleased in theaters after it's big win but it doesn't seem to have made much of a box office dent. V For Vendetta,however,kicked some major ass and raked in 26.1 mil so far. I've ordered the original graphic novel as well as The Count Of Monte Cristo online right after seeing the movie(if you're scratching your head about the Dumas book,trust me it does tie into VFV's plot. Smart booksellers would do well to keep a few copies on their shelves). It's about time I read Dumas,anyway.

Well,that's all for now. Tune in next time,same blogger time,same blogger channel!

A slice of Evil Chocolate

Over the weekend,I picked up a copy of Laurell K. Hamilton's new paperback,Micah,but haven't read it yet(Little Sister reading aloud from it at random and laughing like hell doesn't count)but did read this knee slapper of a review at It's Not Chick Porn,I Swear! I wound up bookmarking the site,just due to the comparison of being a LKH fan and being in a bad boyfriend trap(the kind that requires a restraining order)...too damn funny and accurate to ignore!

There's alot of good paranormal fiction out there but there's also plenty of shelf filler as well,which is why it's cool to find someone who does most of the heavy reading and is willing to be bluntly humorous about it. It's hard for me to do that because I tend to defend the not-so conventional tastes I have in pop culture like a mom with a career criminal for a son. Some in my family use to say that even Stephen King's mother wouldn't back him up like I would for books like IT(that TV movie version bought me quite alot of derision from the peanut gallery,trying to explain that Pennywise wasn't really a giant spider-sometimes,you just gotta know when to pick your battles,folks). Silly of me,I know but there's a part of me that's just taking her sweet time to mature.

Also,another reason I haven't dived into Micah yet is that I'm currently making my way thru Dates From Hell,a upcoming anthology that has a quartet of paranormal romance writers sharing stories about the otherworldly things we do for love. The line-up include Kim Harrison,Lynsay Sands,Kelley Armstrong and Lori Handeland. The Kim Harrison story,Undead In The Garden Of Good and Evil,is really a pre-story about Ivy Tamwood from the Rachel Morgan series. It's not bad but I think that ones who will enjoy it the most are those already familar with her earlier books. Also,it's written in third person which may be a little disconcerting for those use to the first person mode Harrison's used in her regular novels.

I'm almost done with Lynsay Sands' The Claire Switch Project,which is about a scientist who gets shape shifting abilities from an accidentally on purpose lab mishap and uses her new powers to help her best friend get even at their high school reunion. Very readable but rather sit-comish at times(a particularly clunky move is having Claire morph into a hot actor called Brad Cruise-that name does not roll off the tongue with ease). I might try one of Sands' books but not any time soon. She's ok but I like alittle more oopmh in my paranormal reading and here,I'm just having a few chuckles.

As for Kelley Armstrong and Lori Handeland,they're new to me as well but the Handeland story I've peeked at(Dead Man Dating)and it looks pretty sweet to me. I'm willing to give Armstrong a chance,since her werewolf novels have gotten some decent buzz but I'm more partial to vamps and demons in general. That's just me being me. Please do click the title link above to read the Micah review-even if you've never read LKH,you'll get a big kick out of it-and I'll let everyone know if Dates From Hell is worth spending a night or two with.

V For Vendetta:What's wrong with a little destruction?

Yesterday,my whole family decided to celebrate St. Patrick's day by seeing V For Vendetta(less hectic than hitting the bars for some Killian brews to "get your Irish on!")and in a way,it's appropiate to watch this movie on a holiday,since the story's time frame is focused on Guy Fawkes Day. On the fifth of November is when the heroine,Evey(Natalie Portman) encounters the masked revolutionary known only as V(brilliantly played by Hugh Weaving)who rescues her from the curfew cops who want to administer their own brand of justice,gang bang style.

V then treats Evey to a rooftop viewing of his bombing of the Old Bailey buildings,with the 1812 overture playing thru loudspeakers. The man has style,which is probaly one of the reasons Evey keeps crossing paths with him,despite her reluctance to get politically involved. Her folks became activists and wound up being taken by the secret police which explains part of her fear and also her fascination
with V.

The facist forces of the government pursue V with a fury,especially after his televised challenge to the public to rise up from their apathy and get ready for the Parliament buildings to be destoyed on the next Guy Fawkes' day. Many disturbing questions pop up during the hunt for V that particularly plague one of the lead investigators(Stephen Rea) such as why are the former employees of a certain detention center being targeted by V? What does it have to do with the outbreak of a deadly virus that helped put the current administration in power?

Very few movies force you to pay attention and truly make you think;V For Vendetta does that,plus give you a set of compelling characters that are not always sympathic but belivable despite the comic book stylings of the story. The strongest part of the plot is the bond between Evey and V-it's not some "my heart will go on" tale of tragic lovers. Rather,it's a relationship that seesaws thru different modes: mentor/student,friend/enemy and father/daughter.

This movie is already getting alot of buzz but the best way to figure out what it's for or against to see it for yourself and keep your mind wide open. Nevermind the politics,just check it out-it's a brilliant ballet of what it means to truly fight for what you believe in and the aftermath that follows. The only fault I can find with it is that some of the talkiness goes overboard(mainly in the scene where Evey and V first meet) but when's the last time you actually had a hero worth listening to? Alan Moore may not want credit for this film but he doesn't have to hang his head in shame-everyone involved(yes,the Wachowski brothers as well) here did a damn fine job of bringing such a dark yet hopefull world to light.

On The Shelf with Maryjanice Davidson

One of the rising stars of the paranormal romance scene,Maryjanice Davidson is the creator of several series,her most popular being the UnDead books which feature Elizabeth "Betsy" Taylor,the reluctant Queen of the Vampires. Betsy's the type of gal who is more at home shoe shopping than ruling the underworld but she's very capable of handling both,with style and humor. Betsy's allies include best friend Jessica,Vampire King Eric"Sink Lair" Sinclair and half sister Laura Goodman,who is also the daughter of the devil herself.

Davidson also has a werewolf series(Derik's Bane)and one about an Alaskan princess(Royal Treatment). She's also written Young Adult books,Sci-fi and many other great stories that have given her a legion of fans. I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten the chance to chat with her and to share her words with my viewing audience:


1)Do you consider yourself a romance writer or a fantasy writer?

A writer, actually. I like to write anything, everything. YA,
paranormal,sci-fi, mystery, contemporary romance, paranormal romance...pretty much
everything but regency.

2)Who or what became the inspiration for Betsy Taylor?

One day, this image popped into my head: a woman waking up in a
morgue,with no idea how she died and no idea that she was a vampire.
Why didn't she know? In the movies,the vampires always know they're
undead. But Betsy didn't have a clue. I couldn't get that image out of my brain,
so I finally sat down and wrote a whole book around just that one scene.
And voila! A series was born.

3)Are you planning a crossover novel for the Wyndham wolves and Betsy's
Fang Gang?


You betcha, and you'll see some of that in DEAD AND LOVING IT, out the
first Tuesday in April. And lots more to come. See, the tricky thing is,
werewolves believe in vampires, but vampires don't believe in
werewolves. Hilarity will ensue

4)Would you like to see the UnDead series become a movie or a tv show?

Sure, I think it'd be great. I've got a Hollywood agent sniffing
around L.A. even as we speak, talking to ABC Family, Tri-Star, HBO, Showtime,
etc. Should be a fun year as we try to get a green light for production!



5)You've written books in other genres such as Young Adult-is it hard for
you to switch from one to the other?

No, I love it. If I'm stuck in a Betsy book, I can switch to the
Alaskan royals or the murderous book club. I love writing more than one book
at once; keeps me from getting blocked.



6)Will Laura Goodman ever get a book of her own?

If I have my druthers? A whole SERIES of her own!



7)What are some of your favorite books and films?

Book: Gone with the Wind, the Prey books by John Sandford, anything by
Carl Hiaason, anything by Andrew Vacchss, anything by P.C. Cast, anything by
Olivia Goldsmith.

My thanks again to Maryjanice for granting me this interview-please click the title link above to go to her website and find out more about her books and upcoming projects. My recommendation for any new readers is UnDead and UnWed,the first of the Betsy Taylor titles. Betsy is a kickass combo of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Elle Woods from Legally Blonde , with a twist of Dracula(the '79 version with Frank Lagella)on the romance side. Definately a must have for anyone who loves a good sexy sinister read with a few good laughs along the way.

Charlaine Harris & HBO: a winning combination

Recently in my house,we decided to switch from Showtime to HBO(Mom wanted to see The Sopranos and since the only two Showtime series I liked to watch-Dead Like Me & Queer As Folk-are no longer on,it seemed like a good idea to me)and now I'm happy we did due to some great news! Alan Ball,the Six Feet Under guy,is putting together a new series for HBO based on Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series-woo to the hoo!


Ok,I know some of you are going"Uh,that's nice,dear(whispering to person next to you)who the hell is Sookie Stackhouse?" She's not a stripper or a cartoon babe,Sookie is the psychic heroine of what are known to many as the Southern Vampire Mysteries. She's a cocktail waitress who can read minds which keeps her from forming any real relationships until she hooks up with local vampire Bill,whose thoughts she can't pick up at all. This peace of mind is only one of the things that bring Sookie and Bill together but also puts her in danger from Bill's vamp friends and other various fiends.


The stories are set in Louisiana and have alot of southern charm and humor-just the fact that there's a vampire named Bill should give you a hint. The basic premise of Sookie's world is that vampires really exist and are acknowledged by the human world which gives them some rights but also restrictions. Artificial blood is openly sold and marketed in stores while there's a black market value put on vampire blood. Sookie also has a troublesome brother,Jason and winds up dating a werewolf named Alcide. If any of this tickles your fancy,you should start with Dead Until Dark,the first Sookie book-most of them are in paperback and her new one,Definately Dead,will be out in hardcover this May.

The Sookie books are not as sexed up as Laurell K. Hamilton's but they do not lack romance-short and sweet is the best way to describe them. Click the title link above to read more about the upcoming HBO series and check out Charlaine's other books(she has several series out with female leads with great names like Lily Bard and Amelia Teagarten.) Showtime was fun while it lasted but now that I'm back with HBO,the party can really get started. Like the song says,waiting is the hardest part but to see Sookie on my TV screen will be worth it.

Alan Moore's movie miseries

Over the weekend,I read Alan Moore's The Watchmen,sort of my way of getting ready to see V for Vendetta on Friday. The Watchmen is also due to be a feature film sometime in the future but as with VFV,it most likely will not have his name in the credits. Moore hates all adaptations of his work with a fiery passion,similar to the passions that flow thru out his graphic novels.

On the one hand ,you can understand his frustrations-Hollywood tends to muck up quite a few literary works and since comic books are considered by many to be the red headed stepchild of the industry(a viewpoint that is rapidly changing but is still in the early stages),the goofiness factor is set much higher. As someone who actually paid money to see the likes of SuperGirl,Superman IV:the Quest for Peace and Tank Girl in theaters,I can testify to the horror,the horror!

However,as James M.Cain once said about how movie versions of his work turned out,the books are still on the shelves,just waiting to be read and appreciated by the right audience. I've also read the first two volumes of Promethea(recommended to me by a fellow bookseller who called it"Wonder Woman,if they actually did it right")and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen-Moore weaves intricate details into his plots with a hearty mix of spiritualism,political theory,social commentary and existentialism.

Alot of that naturally falls to the wayside when it comes to making the movie. From some of reviews of V for Vendetta that I've read,many of Moore's ideas seem intact but there are the usual changes. Since I didn't read the original comic I won't go into them but even for those who know the book by heart,my advice is to just go with the flow. Sure,maybe that character had a different job or someone else said that line on page 97,but if the basic elements of the plot hold up and it's true to the spirit and intents of the author,give it a chance.

The only movie I can really see Moore having a legit beef about is League of Extraordinary Gentlemen-the comic and the movie are as different as night and day. The simple explanation for that is Sean Connery;he not only stars in the film as Allan Quartermain but is one of the producers as well. Realistically,the odds of Sean Connery playing Quartermain as written(i.e. an opium addict)is as likely as Kayne West singing The Star Spangled Banner at a White House function. I did enjoy LOEG when it was out and even own the DVD-some of it is goofy(particularly Stuart Townsend as Dorian Gray in a cult movie kind of way)but not as bad as say,Batman and Robin.

From Hell was a damn decent flick as well,even with Heather Graham in it. Johnny Depp keeps the movie on track and it's one of the better films by the Hughes brothers. As we all know,the Matrix boys put V For Vendetta together and maybe another team of collaborators will do right by Watchmen. After all,graphic novels and films have one thing in common;good or bad,it's a team effort.

TV viewpoints are not always Black/White

Today,Issac Hayes announced that he would be no longer be the voice of Chef on South Park,saying that the show's "inappropriate ridicule" of religion is the reason. Matt Stone and Trey Parker have no probelm with his leaving(the network is letting him out of his contract)but find it "feel that it's a bit disingenuous (for Hayes) to cite religious intolerance as a reason for him pulling out of the show" and I for one,agree.

Complaining about South Park making fun of religion is like complaining that America's Next Top Model focues too much on phyiscal beauty-it's an ingrained part of the show! Hayes didn't seem to have any qualms about The Passion of the Jew episode last year...this wouldn't have anything to do with that Tom Cruise/Scientology epsiode now,would it? Naah,couldn't be that! Hey, Hayes is still cool but I guess that his departure from the show will give him more time to write the perfect wedding march for Katie and Tom.

Last week,I watched the premiere of the F/X series"Black.White" but didn't write about it until now due to needing time to reflect on my feelings about it. My take on the whole deal is that white family,The Wurgels,are so damn embarassing that it's not even funny. Particularly the parents(Rose,the daughter,just seems to be very naive to me)-Bruno keeps going aroung,looking for Archie Bunker confrontations and dropping the N word like there's no tomorrow and his wife,Carmen,just kills me with her dumbass comments like"What if we're in a room with black people and they just start jiving". I would understand their behavior more if they came from somewhere in Midwest or a very isolated area,but they live in L.A!

I'm not claiming sainthood here-I've lived in a racially diverse city all my life and my parents taught me to treat others with respect and be open to differences of lifestyles. It just blows my mind that it never seems to have occured to the Wurgels to just act like regular people but with some adjustments. Tomorrow's episode has them buying African dashikis to wear to church and Carmen getting into a fight with Renee Sparks over calling Renee a bitch. This sounds like a comedy skit,doesn't it?
I wish it was some kind of "Punk'd" thing-I could put up with Ashton Kutcher's dopey antics here.

People are already arguing that F/X has limited the scope of the show and it's all a stunt but I will say this-it certainly makes for interesting TV. I'll probaly keep watching B/W and cringing at every word the Wurgels say. It's like gawking at a horrible roadside accident-you feel bad for looking but can't help staring all the same. Then again,I could follow Hayes' example and only act offended when my special interest group is put on the hot seat,instead of admitting that there's flaws in the system and that a little laughter can bring people together.

Is Naomi crying Wolf over teen books?

Today in the Sunday book review section of the NY Times,there's an essay by Naomi Wolf about such sexed up teen book series as Gossip Girls,A-List,etc. She has taken the time to read some of them and is shocked! shocked to find gambling...er,meaniness going on here!(Couldn't resist the Casablanca qoute,folks). Wolf is particularly distressed that all the girls in these books seem to be cold blooded Material Girls with Mean Girls attitudes towards each other and for some reason,brings up comparisons with Jane Austen,Alcott and Frances Hodgson Burnett(whose novels target a much younger audience).

I'm of two minds here-I used to sell these books(and believe me,they were in demand)and found them to be total crap. However,I wouldn't call for removing these titles from any book store or library. Young people have just as much of a right to read trashy novels as adults do. Sure,some people are going to agrue about how easily young girls are influenced by media images,etc but I think we should give the gals more credit than that for knowing the difference between the real world and the fantasy versions served up for their enjoyment.

Alot of the readers of these books probaly take them as seriously as their moms did watching Sex and the City on HBO or nowadays,Desparate Housewives. It's something to chat about with your friends and look forward to after dealing with your daily/weekly routine. Am I suggesting that folks should turn a blind eye to this? Hell to the no-if you're a parent of a teen girl and these books bother you,talk about it with your daughter and get her take on it. Take the time and the responsiblity to see what your kids may or not be influenced by.

Wolf also mentions that Rainbow Party,a controversal YA novel about teen sex parties with color codes,didn't sell very much. One important reason that it didn't was this: it came out in hardcover. Most parents are very reluctant to buy hardcovers for their kids and most kids don't want to spend that much of their own money on them. A strong selling point of the GG type of books is that they're all in paperback,which also shows you how the publishers view these titles as well. Many children's/YA series titles are in paperback since the target audience is seen as very faddish and once a series has lost it's popularity,it would be easier to find
a snowball in Hell than any of the backlist titles.

Wolf means well,I'm sure,but part of the reason stuff like this is popular is due to feminist backlash. For a long time,girls who expressed interest in such things as makeup,hair and clothes were all written off as bimbos and traitors to the cause. Denying women and girls their femininity is just as bad as denying them their equality with men,in my opinion. Shallowness is not limited to idle rich or those who seek to copy them. The more you make something taboo,the more in demand it becomes.

I've put a link to the Wolf essay in the title above(hopefully,you can read it without being registered-I tried to get an easy access link)and you can judge for yourself if she's right on the money or just stirring up the pot. As for me, I wouldn't start mourning the decline of Western civilization just yet-if our forebearers could start a revolution with the likes of Peyton Place,Valley of the Dolls or Lace on their bedside table,there's still hope yet for us all.

Making time for Mary Reilly

While channel surfing the other day,I caught part of a not so old movie that inspired me to check my book shelves to see if I still had the paperback copy of the novel it was based on. Not only did I still have it(somewhat faded but otherwise in good shape)but I decided that there was no better time than now to actually read it.

As you can guess from the title of this post,the book is Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin,which was made into a Stephen Frears film starring Julia Roberts as the title character who is a housemaid working for a certain Dr.Henry Jekyll(played by John Malkovich). Mary and the good doctor do share an attraction to each other but the social boundaries of the Victorian society keep them at bay,until the introduction of Edward Hyde(I don't need to tell who plays him,right? You guys know this story pretty well)into their lives,causing more than one upheaval.

I saw the movie when it first came out in theaters and was one of the few who actually liked it-most people were expecting a horror flick and many mocked poor Julia for trying out a dramatic role. This was way before Erin Brockovich gave Roberts some arthouse cred. Glenn Close is also in the cast as Mrs. Farraday,a madam who covers up some of Hyde's misdeeds but not without a price. She and Malkovich had last worked together in Dangerous Liasons so that was brought up in comparison. Sort of like comparing apples to Oldsmobiles,in my opinion.

The book is very compelling-it's told in journal form as Mary struggles to contain her feelings about Master(as she calls Jekyll)and her worst childhood terror which was being locked into a cupboard with a large rat by her drunken father. The scars from that experience open up a dialogue between servant and employer-Mary is asked to give Master a written account of her wounds,due to his professional curiosity. The arms length at which these two hold each other is sad and all too real,one of the strong elements of the plot.

It's been awhile since I saw the movie version from start to finish but the one main difference between the film and the book is the talkiness of the characters. It's not a criticism; in order to present the story visually,you need folks to open up their mouths to tell you what's going on. Different mediums require different methods. Otherwise,there's very little difference that I can pick up. The growing intimacy between Mary and Master is made abit more obvious in the film but that's understandable,too.

Mary Reilly is a wonderfully dark story and my only regret here is waiting so long to read it for myself. Valerie Martin has written a few more books since then but you wouldn't go wrong by starting off with this sinister slice of a servant girl's struggles with heart and soul. Don't avoid the movie either-Malkovich gives you a good show and Roberts is not so bad either. It's funny,the things you keep around and refuse to throw out,just in case. Sometimes,that really pays off.

Clear a space on your mantle for the Blooker Prize

Lulu,a well known self publishing website,is sponsoring a brand new literary award called the Blooker Prize,which is for published books based on blogs. The Blooker has three catagories,Fiction,Non Fiction and Comics. You can see the short list of nominees and get more info about who's involved thru the title link above.

I've only read one of the books up for this;Julie and Julia by Julie Powell(a book that I enjoyed and was of the inspirations for me to follow the way of the blogger)so it's hard for me to have a major rooting interest in the winner. However,if someone is willing to set up an award for blog to book success,it seems like a good sign that the blogosphere must be doing something right here.

Sounds naive,I know but I'm not the only one out there who hopes that their blog has some meaning and purpose,other than to set up your own personal soapbox to shout from. Some folks think that blogs distract writers from doing their "real" work and to me,that's a matter of opinion. If a writer truly feels that the blog they've been working on is stalling that novel or series of poems that need to be done,that's one thing. Others may find it a useful stimuli-after all,you could argue that the diaries,journals and longtime correspondence of many classic authors could be just as distracting as any blog and that didn't slow down the likes of Virginia Woolf,Henry James or G.B. Shaw!

You could even point to such works as Pepys' diary or the Life of Johnson as great-great-great granddaddies of the blogger realm. I'm not saying that every single blog out there is the stuff of literary genuis(and yes,that includes me,too)but the potential is there and like any fertile planting ground,could use a little tending to encourage the smaller seeds to grow. Hopefully,the Blooker becomes a welcome provider to the cultural crop garden and not another useless lawn ornament.

Taking your book club to the streets

Out in Fresno,Ca,they're using a new approach to get folks interested in reading. Instead of the usual meeting places to hold book discussions(libraries,people's homes),such venues as restaurants,nursing homes and museums are being used instead. a 24 hour readaloud of To Kill A Mockingbird took place at a Krispy Kreme to kickstart the whole thing off.

This may seem wacky to some but hey,one thing a reader learns to appreciate is creativity and I don't know what's more creative than this. Some of the book choices are not my cup of tea-The Great Gatsby,for one(I read it in high school but always felt cold about Fitzgerald)-but it's not a bad start.

This got me thinking,okay if you want to discuss a book in an innovative setting, where would you read certain books? For a Krispy Kreme,I would've chosen a book like Empire Falls(which takes place in a diner),for example. You could really make quite a game out of this while hanging out at the mall:what book would fit in with stores like The Gap,Hot Topic or Sam Goodys? Would it be better to have a Harry Potter reading at a Toy'R US or a kid's clothing store?

You could also mix it up abit-imagine holding a reading of Fight Club in a hospital waiting room or The House of Mirth in a comedy club. The possibilites are endless. Hats off to Fresno for daring to think outside the box and good reading to all and to all a good book.

Protecting our youth from gay penguins

And Tango Makes Three is a children's book about two male penguins in the Central Park Zoo who adopted an orphan chick named Tango. Before you make any March of The Penguins/Brokeback jokes,you should know that this is based on a true story and it has been challenged at two libraries in Missouri(click the title above for a more complete article on this). The solution the library took was to move the book to the non-fiction section so that people wouldn't be "blindsided".

I have no probelm with putting the book in nonfiction but it sounds to me like it was placed with adult,rather than children's non-fiction and this is really meant for and written for kids. I've read this book myself(was even asked about it during the sales rep meeting with the boss)and it's not some explicit penguin porn. The artwork was what first caught my eye-Henry Cole did the illustrations and they're lovely.

Roy and Silo,the penguin parents,have more of a Felix Unger and Oscar Madison relationship-they're shown as two friends who decided to stay together and form their own family which gets even stronger when an abandoned egg is given to them by the zoo keeper and they hatch out little Tango.

And Tango Makes Three may not be what some folks want to read to their children at bedtime but it is an interesting and nicely done story about penguin family life. If people don't wish to be "blindsided",maybe they should take the time to actually read the books they get for their kids and not just grab whatever's new. A good reader is a well informed reader,whatever the age or species.