Lust for danger: Why vampires are so sexy Oct 30, 2009
Summit EntertainmentRobert Pattinson plays Edward, the sultry lead vampirein the hit movie "Twilight." ... Modern-day vampires are being featured in major Hollywood movies, a hit HBO series and referenced on runways and in a new energy drink that comes in hospital blood bags ... Its official: there are now enough vampires flying around the pop culture landscape to fill Transylvania Stadium during homecoming. (MSNBC -- Health)
Trips that suck Oct 29, 2009
k.a. Draculas Castle), Draculas birthplace, Sighisoara, and Draculas burial grounds at the Snagov Monastery are also popular sites, especially during Halloween time ... Writers Anne Rice and Stephen King helped keep vampires alive and recent TV shows, movies and books like True Blood and Twilight have introduced vampires to a whole new generation ... Indeed, tour groups around the world are helping the vampire imagery come to life with excursions to a number of eerie places... (MSNBC -- Travel)
Renaissance of the undead Oct 29, 2009
Popular culture is suddenly replete with vampires ... Vampires suddenly loom large in TV, film and literature ... And on TV, he's presented as a romantic hero with something extra: either a Mr Darcy with fangs or a High School Musical-style hot guy struggling with his own bloodlust rather than his grade point average. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Green Mountain getaway in Manchester, Vt. Oct 28, 2009
Local Search Site Search ... Add a personal message:(80 character limit) ... - It seems a mix of Robert Frost and J.R.R. Tolkien, this southwest corner of the Green Mountain State with its unofficial designation as The Shires of Vermont. (Boston Globe)
Your scariest stories Oct 25, 2009
It looks like an ordinary doll sitting there on the grave of Annabelle Lucas ... Even thought it was nearly 350 years old, the doll looked to be in pristine condition ... The only flaw was the slightly yellow tint to its dress. (The Augusta Chronicle)
Grin & scare it Oct 24, 2009
We don t need an excuse to dress crazy and stay out late on a Saturday night, but a week from tonight, it ll also be OK to wear a mask and demand candy from strangers without the police getting involved ... Seriously, worry about that a little ... The Worm concludes, It s New York. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
'North 40' leads to terror in small town Oct 22, 2009
In a comics landscape where zombies are the topic du jour, one unassuming series is quietly emerging as the gold standard when it comes to tales of horror. North 40 made its debut in July and has been generating fan buzz and critical acclaim ever since ... Published by WildStorm Productions, the six-issue series centers on fictional Conover County, where inhabitants have accidentally unleashed an ancient evil that is transforming the townsfolk into nightmarish creatures. (USA Today -- Life)
10 Horror Movies For Conservatives To Watch This Halloween Oct 21, 2009
White House ol Report Townhall. coms weekly inside scoop on whats happening behind the scenes in the world of politics ... Halloween is almost upon us and you're probably thinking, "Gee, wouldn't it be great to kick back on the couch and rent a few conservative horror flicks for the big night?". (Townhall.com)
Target joins in price war on best sellers Oct 20, 2009
NEW YORK - Target Corp. has thrown itself into a heated price war on books expected to be top sellers. The Minneapolis-based discounter said Monday that it will offer some of this season's most anticipated book titles at $8 ... 99, in line with recent moves by and. (AZCentral -- Business)
Dennis Volkert: Nothing can compare with these rankings Oct 20, 2009
It s common to make Top 10 lists of music, books, movies, TV shows and such ... I think it s important ... We should know where the 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers rank, compared to, say, Exile on Main Street or Catch-22. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
Fine arts student of the week Oct 16, 2009
She's a creative problem-solver who strives for quality in every project she pursues. She's also generous, responsible and readily volunteers to help other students do extra work or work on special community or school projects ... Art activities: Painting and pottery. (Brainerd Daily Dispatch)
@ The Movies: Halloween Flick Picks Oct 2, 2009
Web Staff Editor People like to be scared at the movies or in the comfort of their home theaters. Maybe it's because because horror films magically put them in the shoes of the people they're watching in peril, yet can enjoy the comfort of knowing that after a couple of hours the thrill is over with and they can go back to their normal lives ... And while horror movies are available all year-round -- it's never a surprise when a film like Rob Zombie's remake of "Halloween" or the latest vampire... (KERO 23, CA)
What does your bookcase say about you? Sep 26, 2009
It has held books upright in millions of rooms around the world for 30 years. As Ikea's Billy bookcase enters its fourth decade, why do we display our reading material rather than just store it away ... Many households in the UK have one of these no-frills, building-block style bookcases nestled in a corner somewhere, which means there are a lot of books sitting on its simple shelves. (BBC News -- UK)
The Garlic Years Sep 24, 2009
Looking back, it's hard to think of a period when we weren't in the middle of a vampire craze. In the late 1970s, Anne Rice started raking in the money with , and movies like Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre and the comedy Love at First Bite were critical hits ... Vampires were back again in the mid-1990s, with Buffy (the TV show), the movies, Southern Vampire Mysteries (the book series), and From Dusk Till Dawn. (Slate)
Dan Browns worst sentences (or at least twenty of them) Sep 19, 2009
We pick 20 of the clumsiest phrases from it and from his earlier works ... If Dan Brown s new novel The Lost Symbol is anything like his previous works, it will not go down well with the critics ... So are the critics unfair on Brown. (Harper's Magazine)
Fall feast for fiction lovers Sep 13, 2009
Local Search Site Search ... Lorrie Moore, Nicholson Baker, Dan Brown, and Nick Hornby have titles out this month ... Publishers typically use the last few weeks running up to the holiday buying season to release their most prestigious, and commercially promising, new titles. (Boston Globe)
Leaves and pages turn in the fall books preview Sep 7, 2009
Judging from the excellent lineup of many titles coming out this fall - it may well be the most impressive list in years - one wouldn't know the industry is in the doldrums ... Fall is the traditional time of the year for showcasing big-name authors, and this autumn is certainly no exception ... Among the heavy hitters with novels due for release are Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, John Irving, Stephen King and a fellow named Dan Brown. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
Daily guide: TV and radio listings Sep 5, 2009
Local Search Site Search ... 500 Classical Favorites 10 a.m. WCRB-FM (99 ... 5) Voted favorites played back till Monday night. (Boston Globe)
Huckabee: ObamaCare would have abandoned Kennedy Aug 30, 2009
You know, I m just going to post this without comment. Because hey, I wouldn t want to be accused of politicizing the death of Ted Kennedy ... Ted Kennedy would have been told to go home to take pain pills and die after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
20 movie rentals that never disappoint Aug 28, 2009
Titanic, Die Hard, Blair Witch among Stephen Kings perennial picks ... When summer movies' bombast leaves EW pop culture columnist Stephen King exhausted, he returns to these perennials at the video store that simply never disappoint Die Hard, Titanic, The Blair Witch Project and more ... White Heat (1949)Stars Jimmy Cagney as a trigger-happy hood who suffers from migraine headaches and a mom complex. (MSNBC -- Movies)
'CORN' HARVEST: Hamilton saw film as career step Aug 23, 2009
"I made a video with some friends that really excited me and now what I want to focus on is directing.". While on the CBS series "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," he tried to correct some of the program's faults and "almost got myself fired."I was very idealistic about the whole situation ... I never had done a series before and, well, I thought it was going to be like making a film. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
'CORN' HARVEST: Extra creates portraits for anniversary Aug 21, 2009
CORN' HARVEST: Extra creates portraits for anniversary ... "And my dad had the No. 1 country hit at the time, 'You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without.' I think both those things helped." ... Nephew of country music stars Lefty and David Frizzell and the son of gospel great Allen Frizzell (once married to Shelly West, daughter of country legend Dottie West), Frizzell couldn't recall auditioning for a part in "Children of the Corn.". (Sioux City Journal)
'CORN' HARVEST: Hamilton worried about script Aug 21, 2009
The wind is blowing, the leaves are falling and the corn is nervously clinging to its stalks ... Linda Hamilton, meanwhile, can't wait until the last kernel has dropped ... "I have no idea what this film is going to look like when it's done," she says between cups of her privately brewed coffee. (Sioux City Journal)
Mystery of which author is Oxfam's 'most donated' solved Aug 21, 2009
Oxfam named him the "most donated" author at its chain of charity shops ... But Brown can take comfort in knowing Oxfam's survey also revealed him to be its second most purchased author ... Brown is unlikely to lose any sleep over seeing his previous novels given away, with his next novel The Lost Symbol expected to break global sales records when it is released next month. (BBC News -- UK)
Breakfast With ...The Amazing Kreskin Aug 17, 2009
The Amazing Kreskin Monday, August 17, 2009 By Patricia Sheridan, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Stephen Chernin/Associated Press Mentalist-entertainer The Amazing Kreskin was the inspiration for the fictional film "The Great Buck Howard" and has just written his 17th book, "Kreskin Confidential." ... The Amazing Kreskin has created a niche in the very competitive entertainment industry with his ability to perceive people's thoughts. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
A 'True' Hit Aug 16, 2009
This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated. SHANNON BREAM, FOX NEWS GUEST HOST: It is not every day when a famous actor goes "On the Record." It's even more rare when he's a shape shifter ... If you don't know what I mean, Greta, just sat down with Sam Trammell from HBO's hit show "True Blood." Here he is in action. (Fox News)
Lights, Camera, Klamath Aug 12, 2009
There is a great irony about the rapid developing communications technology -- it removes people from each other physically, but is putting them in touch constantly. Are you using this technology, and is it helping you stay in touch with friends and loved ones ... Prioritizing issues: Click here. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
‘Starship Troopers’ available on Comcast Free Movies Jul 29, 2009
Local Search Site Search ... Paul Verhoeven finds the four prettiest kids in a future fascist military dictatorship, suits them up, and ships them out to zap a bunch of giant bugs ... (Comcast Free Movies) The special effects are truly magical, as the mother and son title characters change from human form to catlike monsters, but writer Stephen King and director Nick Garris load the film down with so much goony comedy that it takes away from the movie s fright factor. (Boston Globe)
Best bets: Funny People looks for laughs Jul 28, 2009
MoviesHollywoods favorite filmmaker, Judd Apatow, returns with his third film, Funny People. Adam Sandler stars as a comedian suffering from what he believes to be a fatal disease until it goes into remission ... Seth Rogen co-stars as a not-quite-as-funny comic who becomes both his assistant and best pal. (MSNBC -- News)
On Demand movie picks Jul 24, 2009
Local Search Site Search ... It lends substance and subtext to the otherwise corny old story of the determined underclass warrior slugging his way to fame, riches, and dignity ... You may think it won t get to you, but it will. (Boston Globe)
In honor of Stephen King's Portsmouth visit ... Jul 17, 2009
In honor of Stephen King's Portsmouth visit. Uncle Stevie will discuss his new novel "Under the Dome" at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1 with Writers on a New England Stage at The Music Hall ... "The Stand." One of the best novels ever written, it was also the first book I threw across the room in anger. (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Authors Stephen King and Greg Mortenson to appear at Music Hall Jul 16, 2009
PORTSMOUTH -- Writers on New England Stage, the celebrated author series presented by The Music Hall and New Hampshire Public Radio, announced two additions to its all-star list of authors for Fall 2009. Master thriller writer Stephen King takes The Music Hall stage Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 7:30pm to discuss his new novel UNDER THE DOME ... "Since 2005, Writers on New England Stage has presented and celebrated the success of America's highest achieving and best-loved authors, showcasing their... (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Surprising tales about 15 bestselling authors Jul 14, 2009
() -- How well do you know the authors of your favorite bestselling beach fare. We did some digging and came up with a few surprising facts on some of the literary world's biggest cash cows ... "Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown is one of several famous writers who's writing wasn't their first career choice. (CNN -- Showbiz)
He's legging it 103 miles for Arms for Kids Jun 22, 2009
Justin Towle with his son Riley and brother Jeramie ... Yep, celebrities and socialites in the late 1970s dwelled at Studio 54; Gilligan and his castaway buddies had the island; and folks who appreciate the four seasons, the ocean and being in close proximity to the mountains and Boston live in the Seacoast ... One of the more appealing features of said Seacoast region is its walkability. (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Today in History Jun 19, 2009
Search Type Choose a search type from the items below ... Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free ... In 1862, slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories. (Yahoo News)
Today in History - June 19 Jun 19, 2009
Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, with news that the Civil War was over, and that all remaining slaves in Texas were free ... In 1862, slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories ... In 1917, during World War I, King George V ordered the British royal family to dispense with German titles and surnames; the family took the name "Windsor.". (Carlisle Sentinel, PA)
TV apocalypse now! Jun 18, 2009
Site Presented By Thursday, Jun 18, 2009 ... Like a giant glazed doughnut for the soul, disaster TV allows us to savor the supreme stupidity of it all and feel grateful that planet Earth isn't imploding or exploding or spinning straight into the sun ... The real question is, why can't any of these highly paid screenwriters come up with more creative ways for the world to end. (Salon)
IN MY LIBRARY: GUILLERMO DEL TORO Jun 16, 2009
He calls it his "mancave.". "It's five blocks from my family home," says the Mexican-born, LA-based director of "Pan's Labyrinth" and the "Hellboy" films ... Del Toro's just added a book of his own -- "The Strain," a thriller he co-wrote with Chuck Hogan about a vampiric virus that infects New York City. (New York Post -- Opinions)
News Highlights of the Week Jun 16, 2009
This weekend, while you're drinking Belmont Breezes and preparing to watch the Belmont Stakes, amaze your friends with your savvy current events-based witticisms ... went to the Middle East this week in an attempt to repair U.S. relations with the region ... Speculation grew as to whether or not it was real until the show s head writer Scott Aukerman blogged that it was staged. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
Lloyd: `Back to the Future' still gratifying Jun 16, 2009
- If Albert Einstein had lived long enough, he might have invented the flux capacitor _ a fact that wasn't lost on Christopher Lloyd ... But another came from looking at an album cover of Philadelphia orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski, who was shown in front of the cosmos with his arms raised and sporting a great white shock of hair ... "I talked to (director) Bob Zemeckis about it, and he said do it," Lloyd said. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
English city of Bradford named UN City of Film Jun 16, 2009
LONDON - The magic of the movies sparkles on sunny Hollywood, glamorous Cannes _ and now, gritty Bradford. The northern English city best known for rain, shuttered textile mills and inexpensive curry restaurants has been named the United Nations' first-ever City of Film ... Bradford received the designation this week from UNESCO, the U.N. cultural agency, after a campaign by local officials for recognition of the city's cinema heritage and plans to use film as part of urban regeneration plans. (Hanford Sentinal, CA)
Horror Movies That Should Get Remad... Jun 6, 2009
Six horror films that might benefit from a second chance ... The genre, which once thrived on creativity and originality, has become a machine, churning out the same old movie again and again ... Studios think that with better CGI and sexy young CW stars, they can update old (and not so old) classics for a new audience. (Suite101.com)
Hobbit Habit Jun 5, 2009
Hobbits, monsters and CSI vampires ... Having tackled Hellboy and Blade, he is about to start filming his two part film version of J R R Tolkien's Middle Earth drama The Hobbit ... As if that wasn't enough to be going on with, he has just published The Strain, the first of a planned series of horror novels about vampires written with Chuck Hogan. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Kevin McClintock: Advice for budding fiction writers May 29, 2009
If any of you guys or gals out there are moonlighting as fiction writers, then we re comrades-in-arms. Maybe we need to come up with a super-secret hand signal we can use when we pass each other ... Since I loved horror movies and horror writers (I worshiped anything Stephen King and (early) Dean Koontz wrote), I yearned to be a horror writer. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
Scoop: Neighbor: Jon and Kate in it for money May 20, 2009
Plus: Octuplet mom inching closer to inking reality show deal ... May 19: Patti Blagojevich, wife of former Illnois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, is pondering a spot on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here ... Courtney Hazlett and Monica Novotny discuss the possibility. (MSNBC -- Gossip)
How to Find Story Ideas May 17, 2009
Whether you call it your muse, divine inspiration, or just a good eye for what works, sometimes finding a good idea is all that stands between you and a great story. The phrase "writer's block" can strike fear in the heart of even the most prolific writer ... But, typically it is not that the writer can write; instead, it is probably an idea block. (Suite101.com)
- INKED! A tale of two Coreys 0 May 15, 2009
clear - Winds: E at 5 mph , Humidity: 58 ... (EDITOR S NOTE: This column originally ran Aug. 11, 2007 ... Reality TV, what took you so long. (El Centro Imperial Valley Press, CA)
Bangor, a Queen City that's home to a King May 10, 2009
Local Search Site Search ... Boston Visitors' Guide ... BANGOR - Maine's Queen City is best identified by a trio of kings, but its appeal extends to those on a pauper's budget. (Boston Globe)
Tavern's liquor license revoked May 10, 2009
Police report observing lewd activity at Soggy Bottoms ... The Jefferson City Liquor Control Board voted unanimously to revoke a local tavern's liquor license Wednesday, after responding to law enforcement allegations some customers might be practicing a swinger lifestyle at the bar ... The owners of Soggy Bottoms, 510 Ellis Blvd. Suite A, Joshua Harmon and Michelle Todd, have 10 days to appeal the decision. (Jefferson City News Tribune, MO)
‘Green Mile' spares none at Quail Hollow May 2, 2009
CHARLOTTE -- It's called the Green Mile, that emerald stretch starting at the 16th tee and ending at the 18th green at the Quail Hollow Club where championship hopes can be saved or they can go to die. It got its name from the movie of the same name ... And none of them carried a pitching wedge. (Herald Online, SC -- Sports)
Quail Hollow's final holes a death march Apr 28, 2009
Ron Green Jr. - Staff Writer ... "You have to suck it up and hit five or six great shots coming down the stretch there," said Trevor Immelman, who lost a sudden-death playoff to Jim Furyk here in 2006 after three-putting the 18th hole in regulation ... Each of the past three years it has ranked second in difficulty -- behind U.S. Open host Winged Foot in 2006, British Open site Carnoustie in 2007 and PGA site Oakland Hills in 2008. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Onstage, a bit like a Flight simulator Apr 28, 2009
The New Zealand musical duo put some effort into creating a workable stage version of their popular HBO comedy series; the Toronto fan base were politely supportive and went away happy, though some nursed sore thumbs from trying to push an imaginary fast-forward button for 90 minutes ... Flight of the Conchords, the series, has run two 10-episode seasons, with each show working in clever music parodies that have gone on to attain near-viral video status ... Now certified thirtysomething TV... (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
A Hollywood princess brings new life to squalid Grey Gardens Apr 18, 2009
Drew Barrymore shed all her pampered trappings (even her cell) to play the famously destitute recluse of the Hamptons, already immortalized in a legendary documentary ... Because while Barrymore, a native of Los Angeles and a descendent of Hollywood royalty, has lately gained a comfortable perch as a bankable leading lady of middlebrow romantic comedies, she belongs more to the species of celebrity known as Star than the one known as Actor ... And yet for Grey Gardens, the period film that... (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Devilishly Good Apr 17, 2009
Michael Clayton, Duplicity, and what makes Tony Gilroy's movies so impossible toresist ... Tony GilroyTough gig, sometimes, writing profiles for The New Yorker ... The awful pressure to be definitive, the prison of the house style, the maddened pedants in the fact-checking department. (Slate)
Spring training’s already over? Apr 3, 2009
Atlanta Braves with David O'Brien ... Day 50 Greetings from the old ballpark next to Silver Spurs rodeo arena, where today we ll mercifully wrap up the War and Peace version of spring training with a supposed Grapefruit League game against a team of Astros minor leaguers in humidity that could make a grapefruit wipe its brow and say WTF ... The humidity was 97 percent when I left the rental compound for the last time this morning. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Vampire love Mar 28, 2009
Drinking and driving is a lethal mix, yet young people who legally arent allowed to buy or drink alcohol are doing so, sometimes with tragic consequences ... Joint activities of some kind ... Making the fact that Klamath Falls is the home of OIT more visible. (Klamath Falls Herald & News, OR)
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft ... Mar 24, 2009
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Book Review: Stephen King's Novel on How to Write Fiction for Aspiring Writers ... On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Book Review ... On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Book Review. (Suite101.com)
The Mist DVD Movie Review Mar 19, 2009
Originally a novella by Stephen King, The Mist has been adapted to the screen by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) to create a horror film with a surprising ending ... The plan to stay within the safety of the supermarket falls apart as supernatural creatures from the mist, begin breaking through the windows to get inside ... With the addition of religious hysteria developing, dividing the group, the hero and his band of newly made friends must devise a way to escape the... (Suite101.com)
Internships of the rich and famous Mar 19, 2009
Local Search Site Search ... When musician Ryan Adams signed on at BlackBook, the internship was so successful they hired him as a staff writer ... "These internships mean something completely different [to celebrities] than what it means to a normal person," said Drew Grant, an editor at the media gossip website. (Boston Globe)
App-A-Day: TextOnPhone Mar 7, 2009
This app is hands-down my favorite app for the G1 ... With TextOnPhone, you have access to a large online library of current and classic titles that you can read online or download to your phone's book list ... And unlike with most e-book readers, many of the authors are actually still alive. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Business)
Stephen King's agent pleased at e-book debut Mar 4, 2009
By JERRY HARKAVY Tuesday, March 3, 2009 9:45 PM CST PORTLAND, Maine - It's not the sensation of his first effort, but Stephen King's latest e-adventure is another best-seller. King's agent, Ralph Vicinanza, said Tuesday that downloads of King's novella "UR," available only as an e-book and released to coincide with the launch of Amazon's upgraded Kindle reader, have reached "five figures" after barely three weeks on the market ... In 2000, in the early years of digital texts, King's novella... (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Give Small Publishers a Chance Mar 1, 2009
Small publishers may offer the best opportunities for getting published in in today's dying publishing world ... It s common knowledge in the publishing world that the best books don t necessarily get published ... Those authors with the biggest platform, those who the publisher knows will attract the most attention, get published. (Suite101.com)
Kindle 2 opens new chapter for e-books Feb 22, 2009
Digital media already have altered the landscape of the music and movie industries radically ... Or as a blogger put it: Have books hit their iPod moment ... Amazon is set to begin shipping its Kindle 2 to customers Tuesday. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
'Twilight' exclusive: Chris Weitz will not direct third film ... Feb 21, 2009
Twilight' exclusive: Chris Weitz will not direct third film, 'Eclipse ... Chris Weitz will not direct , a source close to the production tells EW.com exclusively ... Because New Moon, which Weitz is helming, and Eclipse are due to be released so close together (on Nov. 20, 2009, and June 30, 2010, respectively), Weitz will be in post-production on New Moon at the same time that Eclipse will be shooting. (Entertainment Weekly)
CBS Corporation Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2008 Results Feb 19, 2009
"We are clearly in the midst of one of the most difficult financial environments in history, with very little visibility on how long these economic conditions will continue or if there is worse to come," said Sumner Redstone, Executive Chairman, CBS Corporation. "But one thing that is clear to me is that Leslie and his team are managing our businesses superbly with an eye toward future growth. CBS's strength as a content provider will continue to position it for success." ... "The marketplace... (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
