What's New...

I'm still in hunker-down writing mode, but I occasionally come up for air (like a mole peeking out of his hole) and here's what I've dragged back to my undisclosed location recently...

NEW SPINAL TAP... "Back From The Dead." For reasons only the great ones understand, the Spinal Tap folks have re-recorded their first album with some new (and some familiar) arrangements, tossed in a couple of jazz improvs and a few new tracks, and sent it out in a cool CD jacket with pop-up dolls of the band. I like it, but I'm not tossing the original CD out. Of course I don't toss ANYTHING out...

NEW (old) REM... "Reckoning." Their second album has been given the ultra-deluxe edition treatment, which basically means a live show circa the era has been included. Being an old geez, I like their old stuff more than their new stuff so this is welcome...

NEW (old) FRIDAY THE 13th PART III in 3-D. Just out on Blu-Ray, it's not exactly classic cinema (in fact it's probably one of the least interesting Fridays, and we're not talking about a high bar in the first place), but the 3-D actually seems to work, more or less, on a larger screen.

NEW (old) DR. STRANGELOVE on Blu-Ray. Brilliant movie, and this is an exquisite transfer. I love wide-screen black and white. General Ripper's glint never looked more demonic...

Ketchup...

It's been awhile since my last post... times flies when you're working like a madman! There have been some cool developments on the "active project" front but until it's all official, "move along, nothing to see here."

What else?

- Everyone should watch VIRTUALITY, the sci-fi series pilot by Ron Moore and Michael Taylor. It's on Fox FRIDAY NIGHT, June 26, and though I haven't seen it yet, given the pedigree I'm betting it's pretty darn good.

- San Diego Con is almost upon us (already), and barring disaster I hope to walk the halls again. I haven't missed a show since 1983, which is a little scary. At this point I'm not doing anything "official," but if that changes I'll post it. Otherwise I'll just be enjoying sunny San Diego and an insanely crowded convention center. Incidentally, if you haven't already picked up tickets, you may be out of luck... the entire show sold out a few weeks ago. However, I read an interview with one of the convention coordinators who said tickets sometimes become available closer to the show as folks/businesses cancel, plans change, etc.

Battlestar UNDER The Stars...

I don't get out much these days, but this I refuse to miss. Battlestar composer Bear McCreary's bringing an orchestra to perform music from the series in a lovely outdoor venue, and the best part in these economically dicey times? It's free!

7:00 PM, Saturday night, June 13, in downtown Los Angeles. Details below:

http://www.grandperformances.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/season_schedule.show_detail/s_id/312

Ash Saves Obama...

I'm guessing that when Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell collectively created the Evil Dead series and the character of Ash, not even their devious minds could have foreseen this:

http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com/htmlfiles/p-C725130125354.html

MGM HD

I've been checking out the programming on the MGM HD channel recently, intrigued by the eclectic selection. I find myself really enjoying black and white films in high def (Casablanca on Blu-Ray is amazing). I am constantly amazed at the level of detail that was captured on film, but never really savored until now because of the degradation involved in transfers, television broadcast signals, etc. Even movies like Revenge of the Zombies (John Carradine!) or Curse Of The Faceless Man are visual treats. You can see nicks and scratches on the cheap props, the bad make-up, scratches on the vintage cars... just an incredible amount of detail.

MGM HD also has a show called "From The Vaults" that basically cobbles together interviews and "making of's" from DVD releases and voila,, 1/2 hour show. These are fun too, still they distill what can often be many hours of supplemental material into a brief, easily digestible chunk. And the rest of the stuff is still available on the DVDs if one is inclined to dig deeper.

But the fact that Curse Of The Faceless Man is available in high def pleases me no end.

Hitler Goes To Springsteen...

First he was upset because Battlestar was ending, now he's confronted by the challenge of getting good tickets to the Boss. What's a murderous dictator to do?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGJpu5AiYoE