*Originally published on 12/30/09
I've been putting off discussing this article for a couple of days. You may have noticed that on some of King's top 10 lists, I'll comment on some and just list his choices on others. That's because I'm not familiar with the works and thus don't really have anything to say.
So you can kind of see my trepidation when I came to this article discussing a book I wasn't familiar with; that book being I am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe. Luckily, King uses that as a springboard to bash pretentious literary critics.
He talks about an encounter he had on Good Morning America after praising fellow author Scott Smith's A Simple Plan (a book I did read and very much enjoyed). Apparently, the highbrow literary community weren't too fond of the endorsement. The difference in opinion didn't bug King as much as the way they expressed their displeasure.
King chided some of their critiques while offering some of his own. I found it interesting that he referred to the 676 page book as massive when he regularly puts out books of that length, and often longer. He does it on such a regular basis that it almost makes writing an 800-1000 page book look easy.
While King had some problems with the book, such as wooden characters and the main character being a little too naive, he praised it for having ideas and ambition, which are two things that novels need, but most lack.
You can read the article at http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1017532,00.html
The 14 Lessons of '24'
This article is especially appropriate seeing as the new season of 24 starts soon. I, for one, can not wait. The show did kind of peak with the first two seasons, but it's almost always entertaining. King gives us his 14 lessons of 24. Unlike those old, humorous t-shirts and posters that claimed that everything I learned in life I learned from Star Trek or what have you, these are more in line with story tropes as opposed to actual life lessons. The lessons are as follows,
1. The Clock is always ticking
Indeed it is. While the whole "real time" thing may've originally seemed like little more than a gimmick, the writers have managed to use it pretty effectively over the years. It builds up suspense and intensity to the point where you find yourself on the edge of your seat. You also get a sense of dread as the little clock appears on the bottom of the screen, indicating that the hour is almost up, as that means something big is about to go down. This fact also gave us that awesome trademark sound effect.
2. There are enemies everywhere
While this show won't make you as paranoid as say, an all day marathon of Criminal Minds, it does showcase diabolical masterminds leading double lives, living a normal life in suburbia, hiding in plain sight as your boy or girlfriend or friendly neighbor next door.
3. We fight back with American technology
The song from Team America: World Police says it all...you know what song I'm talking about.
4. The technology always screws up
It's technology, that's what it does. I want to see a cliffhanger where it's just Chloe getting a blue screen of death. Not only would that work under the right circumstances, but it would also be funny.
5. The management ain't that great either
Bureaucrats are only a hindrance. It seems like they go out of their way to impede Jack's efforts when he's the pretty much the only one who accomplishes anything. You'd think that they'd learn that Jack's methods work, at least in the 24-verse.
6. The more Chloe pouts, the better
I wasn't a fan of the character at first, but she grew on me as the seasons progressed (that seems to be the case for a lot of the show's fans.)
7. Never trust the President's wife
Sherry Palmer. Just Sherry Palmer
8. Never trust smart African American women
See above
9. The president's advisors are monsters of expediency
Bauer gets a lot of flak for his "ends justify the means" approach, but they can be pretty bad themselves under the right circumstances.
10. Suicide is always an option
Usually seen with fanatics who would rather die than give up vital information to the enemy, though you also saw it when people in quarantine lined up for a quick death rather than a slow one at the hands of a biological weapon.
11. For 24 hours, the rule of law is suspended
Anything goes because, as mentioned before, the clock is ticking and Jack doesn't have time to deal with that sort of nonsense.
12. In the course of the season, one good guy will get killed
And that's on a good day.
13. One good guy will turn out to be a bad guy
As secure as CTU is supposed to be, they sure do get a lot of moles.
14. For one day a year, Jack Bauer will not need to go to the bathroom
I was brainstorming a theory that, because Jack spends all day running around at full speed with his heart racing, that his metabolism burns off everything, but he doesn't eat either so that theory went right out the window.
Worst Ads on TV (aka The Power of Popping Potent Prescription Pills)
That's not the actual title of the article, as it doesn't have one, but who doesn't love alliteration?
Here, King discusses the proliferation of prescription drug advertisements. He comments that questionable pills were never advertised back in the day, but are now commonplace. Apparently, back in the day, it was a no no to advertise for anything stronger than aspirin.
Nowadays, as you have realized, such a thing is commonplace. It's a big deal as the drugs usually have side effects or marketing gimmicks that range from amusing (you can get a free sample of a drug that is potentially habit forming) to ironically morbid (anti-depressants that can lead to thoughts of suicide). My personal favorite is the pill for social anxiety disorder i.e. people who are extraordinarily shy. It makes you more confident but leads to diarrhea, constipation and impotence among other things.
Some of the more recent commercials spend so much time on the risks and side effects that I honestly forget what the drug is treating. It's never a fair trade and it's a wonder that people are willing to go through such severe effects to treat a relatively minor problem.
King is more annoyed by the persistence the companies have pushing it on you. Even the side effects are something of an after thought in regards to his opinion. One major pet peeve I have is how they try to make the commercials seem like every day scenarios. A daughter will walk up to her dad or grandfather and say "Oh, hi grampa, I was looking up information on Brand X and.." yadda yadda yadda. It never ever, ever works and yet they keep trying to present these commercials like casual dialogue.
No Stars, Sorry
In this edition of Uncle Stevie's column, the master of horror analyzes the concept of star power i.e the draw big name actors have at the box office. He writes this off as a myth, saying that viewers care more about story than who's starring in it.
He uses Will Smith as an example, more specifically, his starring role in the romantic comedy, Hitch. King gives credit where credit is due and cites Smith's charm and ability to choose projects, but says that it was the story and circumstances (being released on Valentine's Day weekend for example) that led to it's rousing success.
It's true that a lot of big movies with big casts end up bombing due to general suckiness, but at the same time, would Hitch have been as effective a movie with someone else taking the title role? That I do not know. Unlike pre-existing characters, who most fans already have a dream cast pick for in their heads, it's hard to imagine someone else taking a role like this and having it work as well. Will Smith's aforementioned charm was a major reason why the film worked, but at the same time, there are plenty of talented actors out there who could bring a similar charm.
When it comes to the draw of actors, I think the track record of the actor is more important than the name itself. When you see Nicolas Cage taking the starring role, you hesitate because he's been in a few stinkers as of late. Denzel Washington on the other hand has done consistently good work for years. He's a good actor who knows how to be selective about his projects. If there is such a thing as a bad Denzel Washington movie, I am not aware of it.
I think stars do, however, have an impact on the final product and in that way, they do wield a sort of power. For example, The Ringer is a terrible movie, it's not funny and South Park used the same concept and did a much better job with it. That being said, every second Brian Cox was on screen was a delight. Fred Claus is another bad movie, but the villain is played by Kevin Spacey and he too elevates the final product by his very presence. I don't know what's a greater testament to an actor/actress, starring in a well written, well directed piece and doing a great job, or starring in a piece of utter dreck and making it (at least the scenes he or she is in) watchable.
While King is right to say that star power doesn't exist in that you can't just paste a big name on a product to draw in moviegoers, the right star can have an impact on the product, for better or worse, that may determine whether or not a person plops down that 10 bucks at the box office.
Fever Pitch Obsession
In this article, Stephen King tackles the topic of the Red Sox. He's been an avid fan all of his life and for a long time it was an exercise in disappointment. He talks about how when Stewart O'Nan approached him about co-writing Faithful*, he was wary of taking on the project. King compared it to an alcoholic investing in a bar or a pair of compulsive gamblers renting a condo in Reno.
King ties his own Sox fanaticism into the film, Fever Pitch that also chronicled the Sox come back win. The film provided King with a moment where he really connected with the main character, played by Jimmy Fallon. Both have Sox gear all over their house and have several posters, shirts**, and even a mural.
It's tough being a fan of a team that perpetually does poorly. If you come out and say you're a fan of a team like the Chiefs or the Lions, you're going to get a good bit of grief. I, however, think that's the testament of a true fan. It's the ones who stick by their team through thick and thin that really deserve the title. Anyone can just jump on the bandwagon, but you really show your support when the team is at its weakest.
I was particularly intrigued by King's choice of words later on in the column. He refers to Fallon's character as something of a fanboy. I find it interesting and rather amusing. Certain fandoms take a lot of grief. If you're into comics or anime you'll hear all sorts of criticism, "it's weird", "you need a life", "you need to get laid", "don't forget to hide all that stuff when you have people over".
Fans get chided for going to conventions in costume or camping in line to see a big movie. Yet, these guys paint their faces, put on costumes, paint letters on their chest to spell out words and camp out to get tickets to a big game. Heck, some people travel across the country to see their team take on a big rival. Others even claim that sports are more important than sex, which given the earlier claim is a tad ironic.
Feel free to insert a Bond villain "we're not so different" speech here. I'll even throw in a good mua-ha-ha-ha for good measure.
Really though, it doesn't matter. As King himself said, everyone has an obsession with something. It's just a matter of what. Whether it's movies, television shows, books, or sports, there is something that you get pumped up and enthused for, and that's a good thing. It's true that there is a line where obsession becomes unhealthy and negative, but as long as you stay clear of that line, go ahead and have fun with it.
*Here's a funny story. My dad's a Sox fan as well and when that book was released, I got it for him as a Christmas present, as did my mom...and my brother. Communication was a bit off that year.
**King claims to own two thousand shirts. He could very well have been joking, but if not, that is a lot of closet space.
Songs You Should Download
When Stephen King wrote this article, he noted that he had just discovered the joy of downloading music and making mix cds and playlists. It seems he went all out and ended up making over 40 mix CDs for his friends and family over the course of a year and a half. He doesn't consider a second of it wasted and is even glad for the opportunity as it got him interested in a wider range of music. In lieu of sending all of his fans a mix CD, he lists the songs that he would put on said CD in this article.
As per usual, I wasn't familiar with a good chunk of the songs. Then it hit me that MySpace has a playlist feature (the only reason I still use it really) so I looked up the songs and heard them myself so that I could throw in a comment as opposed to copping out and just listing the tunes.
1. Dance with Me by Michael McDermott
King notes that this has a bit of Springsteen and a bit of Bono while having it's own style. I can easily see this becoming a hit on local rock stations, it's catchy and has a good beat. It doesn't sound so drastically different from the more recent releases while still having a bit of that old school feeling in it. Overall, I dug it.
2. California Stars by Billy Bragg and Willco
This is a song I didn't recognize when I saw the name, but once I heard the tune start playing I went "Oh it's this song!" It's the musical equivalent of those "hey it's that guy!" actors. I'd say this is more Springsteen than the previous song, but maybe that's just me.
3. To Be Young (Is to be Sad, Is to be High) by Ryan Adams
This one's a toe tapper, just listening to the song you can almost feel your foot start tapping in rhythm.
4. City of the Damned by The Gothic Archies
I couldn't find this song. King notes that it's heavy metal, for those who are curious. As King also pointed out, the band does have a rather awesome name.
5. Castanets by Alejandro Escovedo
I was having trouble finding this one, but then it occurred to me that it might be because I was spelling his name wrong. This song does indeed rock hard. It's more in line with the old school rock and roll as opposed to the head banger rock, but ultimately very enjoyable.
6. Our Love by Rhett Miller
The name of the artist rang a bell but I couldn't place it. I could only find a cover of the song when I looked for it, but it worked well enough. Even hearing this, I know this song, I just don't remember where I heard it. Maybe it was on Scrubs...yeah that sounds about right. Which episode it was, I can't say, but I'm fairly certain it was Scrubs.
7. Tell Mama by Savoy Brown
This song would feel right at home in a pool hall jukebox. I could also see it being a natural fit to be played in bars or maybe even diners. It's a little bit country, it's a little bit rock and roll.
8. Diamonds and Rust by Judas Priest
It's Judas Priest, baby! Do I really need to say anything on this one?
9. Blue on Black by Kenny Wayne Shepard
10. Manifesto No.1 by Shooter Jennings
11. What I Got by Sublime
This is another one that doesn't really need any introduction. I would be extraordinarily surprised if someone here had never heard this song before.
12. Don't Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston
We take a break from the rock to delve into disco. While the name didn't ring a bell, this was another that I recognized as I heard it. Even if you fall into the "disco sucks!" category, I think you might enjoy this one.
13. We Can't Make it Here by James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards
Colloquially referred to by fans as "The Basterds"... that's not true I made that up. The opening notes suggested a sound almost Tom Waits-esque but once the song started playing it was more akin to Tom Petty.
14. Yeah (Pretentious Mix) by LCD Soundsystem
Contrary to what the title may lead you to believe, this song isn't related to the Usher/Lil Jon/Ludacris track that came out a few years ago. This falls under the category of old school funk. The song is 11 minutes long and there aren't any lyrics. It would make a pretty good party song as it's got a decent beat and isn't too obtrusive, I don't know if it lends itself to everyday listening though. It may just be me.
So there you go, a nice mix of songs that only slightly exceed an hour in length. I went through them myself and there isn't a bad song in the bunch. I say, check em out.
My Summer Hit List
This article has Stephen King predicting the hits and misses in regards to the then upcoming summer blockbusters. He mixes up the formula this time around by deferring to a friend who King has dubbed "The Longhair'. Apparently, the Longhair has a solid record and is King's go to guy for movie predictions. The Longhair then picked 8 movies that he believed would be smash hits. They were
1. Star Wars III It was indeed a financial success, but more importantly, this is the one prequel that some of the fanbase looks upon positively. The vote is split, some say that it was great and redeemed the trilogy while others said that it too stunk, so your mileage may vary. It is certainly the best of the three
2. War of the Worlds This movie had quite a bit working against it. There's the fact that we've seen the alien invasion thing done quite frequently, the fact that this came out during the peak of the "OMG Tom Cruise is teh crazy!" period, and the now well known anti-climactic ending. Still, it somehow all worked and the movie was a fun ride.
3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory This pick surprised me. Almost everyone seemed to share the opinion that there was no way that this was going to compare to the classic Gene Wilder version, and those who did see the film said that it didn't. I will give credit where it's due and say that the idea seemed great on paper, the execution just wasn't there. They tried too hard to make it weird.
4. Batman Begins After the disaster that was Batman and Robin, the studios struggled to find a way to bring the caped crusader back to the big screen. They went through iteration after iteration before finally picking one. They hired Christopher Nolan to direct and got an all star cast including Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Christian Bale, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Wilkinson. In the spirit of a reboot, they went back to the beginning and fleshed out Batman's origin. It gave major baddie, Ra's al Ghul a bit more mainstream exposure (though I prefer the animated series pronunciation of "Raish" as opposed to the film's "Rahz", it just sounds cooler) as well as one of the best sequel hooks ever. Even after The Dark Knight's release, that scene on the rooftop still makes me giddy.
5. Fantastic Four This was one of Marvel's many origin movies. It tried to bring a sense of lighthearted fun to the script, although some of it turned out corny. Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis turned in strong performances and that really ends up being the main pro of this film. Sadly, it doesn't make up for the epic botching of Dr. Doom. They turned him into this soft spoken villain who tried to use a creepy monotone and didn't have a plan to speak of. Seeing as he's the best part of the Fantastic Four (screw you Richards!) it was sad to see him portrayed so poorly.
6. The Longest Yard I had high hopes for this one. I mean, you've got Adam Sandler and Chris Rock together, not to mention Burt Reynolds in a supporting role. It could've (and probably should've) been a funnier movie. It was OK. It wasn't a bad movie, but it was pretty forgettable as well.
7. Must Love Dogs It's John Cusack in a romantic comedy. That's a pretty safe bet. Cusack does well in other genres, but this seems to be his go to genre. I haven't seen this one, but my parents liked it. King states that Cusack is set to become the American Hugh Jackman, but I don't know. John Cusack as Wolverine? I don't see that working.
8. Land of the Dead Romero returned to his famed "Dead" series with this one. It was relatively subtle with its "subtext" at least in comparison to the previous two films, and even had a spiritual successor to the awesomeness that was Bub with Big Daddy. Bub wins, but they get points for trying. There's been a backlash against this one. Nowadays when it comes up people respond emphatically in the negative. Maybe I need to watch it again to refresh my memory, but I don't remember it being that bad.
The Longhair also gave honorable mention to Deuce Bigolow: European Gigolo and Dark Water. The movie guru also took a crack at some projected bombs. His list includes films like
Madagascar OK, between Pixar and Dreamworks we have had a flood of CGI films, but this was one of the good ones. It was funny and entertaining. Casting David Schwimmer as a hypochondriac giraffe? That borders on brilliant. It may not be as good a date movie as Wall-E, but it will satisfy both parties.
The Island This movie could've actually been a thought provoking, morally ambiguous film. You could've presented a complex villain who is doing what he does to save lives. Sadly, it was done by Michael Bay so the villain becomes one note and over the top.
Stealth Yeah, this one was bad. Jamie Foxx was the best part and he's not in it all that much. Pretty generic and sub-par overall.
Bewitched This movie's pretty bad. Not a whole lot to say on this one, really, I just wasn't a fan.
The Pink Panther Another bad movie, a bad movie that got a sequel no less. That's the worst kind of bad movie. I will grant you, the Clive Owen cameo was freakin' glorious, but that's because Clive Owen usually delivers on that front. That's not enough to save this movie though. It's bad.
So how does Longhair hold up? Pretty well actually, he was pretty much on the money with this one. From a critical standpoint, it was hit or miss, but all of the films performed at the box office, which was the basis for the list.
Extras Bite
This article has the master of horror expressing his dislike for DVD extras. Now, my first reaction upon reading this was that it was a load of poppycock and balderdash. As a movie collector, I'm all about the special features...99% of the time (a two disc deluxe edition of Attack of the Killer Tomatoes...really?) King does have a point, some special features are surprisingly boring, but on other movies, it's an enjoyable addition. So yes, bad special features are bad and good special features are good.
King is not a fan of commentaries and finds them to be a waste of time. A good chunk of them are, but there are directors and writers who excel at commentaries, and when done well, they can be fascinating to listen to. I actually want to go back and watch the commentaries to the DCAU DVD's (Batman: The Animated Series, JLU etc) because I found that my favorite features were the ones that just had the writers sit at a table and talk comics. I imagine the commentaries would deliver more of that. Some people don't really get how it works so they'll either prattle on about nothing or just sit there leaving you with an awkward silence (not to mention it completely defeats the purpose of a commentary).
The same goes for "Making of" documentaries. Sometimes they can be really interesting, but other times (such as with Spider-Man 2 or Batman Begins) they put too much emphasis on the minutia. I don't really care how the model buildings were put together so I don't need to see your crew assemble it. Some behind the scenes stuff is rather cool, but they can overdo it.
My roommates and I do enjoy the gag reels. A few bomb, but more often than not they are good for a laugh.
Deleted scenes are hit or miss. When they have actual scenes, it's nice, but I've come across cut bits that were only a few seconds long. Stuff like that isn't even worth the effort of putting on the disc. If you want to see deleted scenes done right, look to Kevin Smith's films. That man knows how to provide worthwhile and entertaining deleted scenes and he doesn't skimp on them either so you get quality and quantity.
King's magic analogy is an interesting, and rather apt, one. At the end of the day, the movie itself is more important and over-analyzing the production takes some of the fun out of it. When used in moderation, however, it can add an element of enjoyment as well as give you a little bit more bang for your buck.
The Sideshow Has Left Town
This article was published shortly after the media circus that was Michael Jackson's trial finally reached its conclusion. Suffice it to say that Stephen King was less than pleased with the amount of attention that this trial got. I agree, but I'm not surprised either. Tabloids, as well as the more legitimate media, eat this stuff up. They did the same thing with OJ's trial and with Michael's death. When they find a story that sells, they milk it for all it's worth.
What's really weird is when they find a huge story like this and talk it into the ground, they'll often try to keep the story going by talking about how everyone is talking the story to death. Almost every story reaches a point where an anchor will ask if the coverage is too much. They never learn, and neither do we, because clearly this system is working for them, hence they have no reason to change.
In this case, I do kind of empathize with the media. With the dawn of 24 hour news stations, they needed to fill up that time somehow and a big story like this seems as good a way to do it as any. Also worth considering is the fact that Michael, despite pleading with the media to leave him alone, kept doing stuff to draw attention to himself.
I'm sure that there would've been some media craze over the trial, but had he say, worn a suit instead of pajamas to the trial and not dangled a baby off a balcony, they might've lost interest much sooner. I know this is a touchy subject, even more so since his passing and I know his childhood wasn't exactly textbook. I have some sympathy for the guy, but childlike mentality or not, a lot of this stuff is just common sense.
Trying to put a more positive spin on a bad situation, maybe the fact that the media latched onto him the way it did is a sign of the impact that he had. I was a Michael fan growing up, heck I still enjoy listening to his music. Thriller rules, that's just a simple fact. I know a lot of the young whipper-snappers hear Michael Jackson and they think total nut-job, but but back in the day he was a legitimate once in a lifetime phenomenon in the music industry.
While the media did overdo it, I think the fact that the trial and the accompanying shenanigans made people forget that is an even bigger crime. The media was just doing what it does. Giving you celebrity minutia ad nauseum is their way of life so while we don't have to like it, we can't really fault them for it, like the scorpion who stung the aiding fox, they're just adhering to their nature.
Long Live the Dead
With this article, Stephen King tackles the topic of zombie flicks, more specifically Romero's "Dead" series. He discusses the budget as well as the resonance of the films.
King opens by comparing Romero's series to George Lucas' Star Wars series. King points out that Romero started his series almost a decade before Lucas started Star Wars. King also says that Romero traveled a tougher road since he was always limited by budget and had to make every dollar count twice.
He does note the similarity in the fact that both directors kept their franchises going for several decades. In this regard, King says that he's qualified to discuss the issue, mentioning his own Dark Tower saga, which also took several decades to reach completion.
King commends Romero's passion and gives him credit for doing what he did with what little they gave him. As the author says, writing and film making are two different beasts. Where writing really just requires a computer and some paper (King says you also need a wastebasket, but I found the delete/backspace key is a suitable replacement), films need a lot more in terms of resources.
On the other hand, horror doesn't really need a big budget (some films even excel because of its low budget). It's no coincidence that a lot of amateur film makers start off in that genre.
King's final comment warns that the zombies are coming, but that there is no Yoda. This put the image of Yoda fighting zombies in my head and that's awesome. They could make a sequel to the recent Death Troopers book and have Yoda take on similar creatures. It would sell itself really.
Poppin Fresh
This article isn't really about any one thing in particular. Apparently, King frequently got asked why he wrote the EW column. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's because he's a writer; EW picked him because he's a pretty big name in the industry and it's a great way to draw sales. Going beyond that, King says that he loves pop culture.
From here, King basically just lists random stuff that he likes. Things that make the list vary from Alan Jackson's hat to 24 and Lost. Both Speilberg and Tom Cruise get mentioned as does the Nasonex bee. The Harry Potter craze also gets an honorable mention, both for the fact that copies had to be delivered in big rigs and the fact that kids were going to midnight openings to obtain a copy.
Stephen King does call out pop culture on some things, such as the media's obsession with celebrity scandals and car chases. The latter is an interesting case as some of the more intense ones (such as the ones you'd see on Craziest Car Chases or some similarly named program) can actually be sort of entertaining to watch. The live action ones, the ones that interrupt your regularly scheduled program, tend to be rather bland. Watching one car cruise comfortably down an empty highway at 55 miles per hour while three police cars drive at the same speed 20 yards behind him is not gripping television.
King doesn't really go into detail on a lot of these things, which is understandable as there are over 20 various nuggets of pop culture that get mentioned. To go into detail would result in an incredibly lengthy article, so really this is just the Pop of King version of shout outs.
Kick-Back Books
Lost's Soul
This particular column may seem moot at this point, but that hasn't stopped us before. In this edition, Stephen King implores the networks to let the hit show, Lost end on its own terms and to resist the temptation to milk a moneymaker beyond its story line.
It seems they honored the request as we are now approaching the last handful of episodes before the series finale.
It's interesting because King pleads with the writers not to pad out the show with needless flashback sequences. This was written before season 2, which was padded out with needless flashback sequences that told us things we already knew. They fixed that in later seasons, but they took a liking to that dual story telling format and refused to give it up, going every which way they could to try and split plot lines. It all seems so natural too, which is even weirder.
King compares the show to a cooked meal, in that it should stay in the oven for a certain amount of time, but eventually needs to be taken out when it's done. I think he would be pleased that the network pretty much granted the request.
While I'm sure ABC is going to miss one of its blockbuster shows, they've still got another DVD box set to release. The series is also available on blu-ray, so I'm sure some people will want to upgrade. Eventually they'll release the Lost: Complete seriesuber-boxset that hardcore fans will want to pick up. Not to mention that episodes can be viewed on line and that generates money through ad revenue, so I'm not worried. While the show will end, the cash cow will live on.
My So-Called Admirer
In this article, Stephen King discusses the work of fellow author Bret Easton Ellis, best known for writing American Psycho. A book that later got adapted into a cult classic film starring Christian Bale.
That work is not the point of discussion, although it does come up. Stephen King sums it up as "bad fiction by a good writer". Instead, Stephen King brings up another novel, written by Ellis called Lunar Park.
This work in particular comes up because many, including Ellis himself, cite it as a homage to Stephen King. I haven't read this particular book, and paperback copies are only available used on Amazon for upwards of 30 bucks. It is available on the Kindle, and possibly other e-readers as well, so hope is not lost for those who wish to check it out.
While King addresses some of the book's flaws, he generally praises it and calls Ellis a fine storyteller. He goes on to say that even if Ellis had started off doing a King impersonation, the book goes in its own direction by the latter half and, in a way, renders the issue moot.
It was interesting how there was a sort of backhandedness to some of the compliments. Similar to the previous bad fiction by a good writer quote (which is an inevitable occurrence for writers), King also says that Ellis has no real grounding in American horror, but is genre savvy enough to make up for it. It may very well be true and, to wit, King is certainly more qualified to comment than I am, but I still found it interesting.
The Fright Stuff
At the time, this article was published, Halloween was just around the corner. Clearly, that isn't the case now, but that's OK. Once again, King states his dislike for the holiday and that he always makes a concerted effort to be somewhere else when the end of October arrives. Benefactor that he is, he dedicated an EW column to various bits of popular culture that will help readers get into the spirit of the holiday. The article discusses songs, movies, TV shows, as well as DVD's
For songs, Stephen King recommends a song called Hey man nice shot by Filter. You may not recognize the song by the title, but odds are you've heard the song on the radio a lot, but never knew what it was called. Another song he gives a shout out to is a cover of a song called "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" by The Pine Vally Cosmonauts. Is it just me or does this sound a little like Big Blue Dress? Maybe it's just me, but hearing the song reminded me of that little AMV. I think it's just the way the singer delivers the lyrics.
For television, uncle Stevie recommends Invasion. He also gives a shout out to the season 2 opener of Lost. Surprisingly, no mention of Supernatural. Granted, it had just premiered that year, but it is still a show that fits the milieu.
DVD recommendations include The Changeling and a Japanese film called Infection. King states that an American remake would be disappointing. I haven't seen Ringu, but I actually rather liked The Ring, horse suicide notwithstanding. If I were to make a recommendation of my own, I would add Exorcist III. It's more of a psychological horror film and it has George C. Scott and Brad Dourif. The latter steals the show, but it's still a great fit for the holiday.
In the realm of film, King laments the lack of Jason, Michael, or Freddy (this was back in '05 before all three got remakes). Given how bad the new Friday the 13th movie was and how poor the reviews for the new Nightmare on Elm Street movie are, maybe their absence was a good thing.
This section wins for including the phrase "you will see Saw II too". That's just awesome.
King closes out the article suggesting that people donate blood to the Red Cross as two major hurricanes had just hit. The writer admits that he doesn't look when the needle goes in because it makes him squeamish. I honestly can't tell if he's being serious or facetious, it's up to you I suppose.
Light's in a Box
Music to my Ears
Scene It
Book Report
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