IT FRAKKING STARTS TONIGHT!

Battlestar. The final episodes. Starting tonight. Holy FRAK!

If you haven't already caught yourself up, HERE's my earlier, nerdier post about the show, including a ten minute re-cap video.

And here's the cast on David Letterman, doing the 'Top Ten Reasons to Watch the New Season of Battlestar Galactica.' (yeah, I know it's old, but come on...it's worth it)



So say we all,
B

ABSENCE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER

Geez...I, well I am sorry. This is unacceptable behavior on my part. I finally get a couple people rallying behind me, checking my site for updates, wanting to know what's going on in my corner of the Interweb, and then...BAM! The holidays show up, and I disappear off the grid like Sandra Bullock in The Net.

So here's a couple of things that have been rolling around in my brain.

THE BIG NEWS: Well, first off, I would like to proudly take this time to announce that my wife Jen and I had our ultrasound, and it conclusively proved that we are having a BOY this May! We're super excited, and we can't wait until the little man arrives. Well, maybe we can wait a little. We do have to finish the nursery, stockpile diapers, take classes...yeah, there's a reason it takes nine months to have a baby. Preparation.


ANOTHER FLICK: This February and March, I will once more be jumping on board a Dav Kaufman production. Our first film venture together was, as many of you know, the indie horror flick 13 Hours in a Warehouse. The new flick is titled The Psychosis of Ghosts. I'm very excited to work with the crew, many of whom I became friends with on 13 Hours or on Into Temptation. It's going to be a blast. I will try valiantly to update the site while we're shooting, maybe post some stills and a report on the filmmaking process. Or I may choose to sleep. We'll see.


WHAT ARE YOU WRITING?: A good question, indeed. The main reason I've been torn away from this little ol' blog is that I've been writing another children's book. I can't share too much about the project, not yet, but it involves the king of all vampires, Dracula himself! More on this project soon!




DONALD WESTLAKE PASSES AWAY: This actually happened a couple weeks back, but I just wanted to express how sad I was to hear that Westlake had died. This past Christmas, I received the first three 'Parker' novels, written under Westlake's alias, Richard Stark. Another great writer gone. His work will live on, though, thanks to The University of Chicago Press, and Hard Case Crime, who will print Westlake's The Cutie in March (just in time for my birthday).



DOC SAVAGE GOES PULPY: Speaking of HCC, I just saw this evening on their website that next October brings with it the publication of a lost Lester Dent pulp novel, titled Honey In His Mouth. Dent is the creator of Doc Savage, and the umpteen million books he pounded out about the Man of Bronze. I can't wait to read it.

Until next time,
B

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I hope you all made it on the 'Nice' list this year, and that the jolly fat guy (no, not Rip Taylor) brings you everything on your list!

Happy holidays to you and yours!
B

A STUDY IN SPANDEX

As you may or may not know, I worship the ground Michael Chabon walks on. A man who crafts words like a painter does brush strokes, Chabon always manages to create vivid imagery and dispense flowery language with ease, like a walking Thesaurus. His Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay has long been considered the best book I've ever read, and it always appears at the top of any favorite book list I concoct (if you're ever looking for a sprawling epic about escapism and comic books, look no further).

"Secret Skin" is an essay The New Yorker ran last March, where Chabon takes the image of a young child tying a red towel around his neck - transforming into a superhero with the simple addition of terrycloth to his attire - and creates a fascinating study on the necessity of superhero costumes, and what they mean to children and comic book idolization.

"One knew, of course, that it was not the red cape any more than it was the boots, the tights, the trunks, or the trademark “S” that gave Superman the ability to fly. That ability derived from the effects of the rays of our yellow sun on Superman’s alien anatomy, which had evolved under the red sun of Krypton. And yet you had only to tie a towel around your shoulders to feel the strange vibratory pulse of flight stirring in the red sun of your heart."

You can read the whole essay HERE.

There's a portion of the essay that speaks about cosplay, or the action of dressing up like a superhero at conventions or public functions. I really only mention it so that I can post this kick-ass photo of Brent and I with 'Thor.'



Until next time,
B

THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE!

I need a little motivation. Something to get me fired up in the morning, as I plug away at a new project, its deadline speeding towards me both fast and furious (more on this in a later post). Well, I found the perfect motivational video. Much like montages and the 'slow clap' (which makes a cameo here), the motivational speech is a film staple. What follows is a mash-up of forty different speeches in just over two minutes. I know it inspired me. Enjoy!



Until next time,
B

INTO TEMPTATION SCREENING

Tonight at the Riverview Theater (the same theater I championed for its inexpensive tickets and snacks - including Dots) is the cast and crew screening of Into Temptation, the film I worked on this past summer. I am very proud of this film, and excited that I could help director (and all around great guy) Patrick Coyle share his vision and create an amazing film. Every actor delivered a powerful performance. Jeremy Sisto, Kristin Chenoweth, and Brian Baumgartner are actors who exemplify what you hope every Hollywood actor is like: professional, humorous, and hard working. The crew worked their tails off, and every day I was in awe of their commitment and work ethic.

I cannot wait to see the final product, and to show the film to the world.

Until next time,
B

EDIT: The film exceeded my already high standards. Everyone involved should be very proud.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO...?

Every so often, I run across a book I used to have in my collection, but for some reason or another, have misplaced. At the library yesterday, I was perusing the shelves when I stumbled on Now You See It by Richard Matheson. Matheson, for those of you unfamiliar, is a horror heavyweight, penning stories like I Am Legend, Duel, and Stir Of Echoes. He was also a driving force behind some of the best Twilight Zone episodes, most notably 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'.

Now You See It is the story of an elderly, paraplegic magician (yep, you read that right) who has gathered his family and friends for a night of prestidigitation, and of course, murder! Brimming with twists and tricks, the book reads like a William Castle flick, with similarities to the classic House on Haunted Hill.

If you can find a copy, I suggest picking it up. And if it has my name inside it, you better hand it over, sucker!

B