Audio Books On Their Way!

I was really excited looking over stephenking.com today. Honestly, I was looking for hints. You know, something about the next Dark Tower book or Full Dark no Stars. Maybe even the titles of the stories in Full Dark no Stars would be nice. Feels like a kid who got a Christmas gift under the tree -- but it's in one of those boxes you can't figure out what it is.

Anyway. . .

Under upcoming audiobooks was a list of books I've been pacing the floor whishing I could get. Of course, every time I post that I want these books, someone has to comment that they already have a copy of these books on audio. Sure. . . if pretend to be BLIND!!! (smile, okay)

Notice, even The Tommyknockers is on the list. Of course, what I'm really looking forward to is the audio edition of IT.

So, here's the list I'm all excited about:

  • The Long Walk -- Estimated Release: April, 2010
  • Firestarter -- Estimated Release: April, 2010
  • Cujo -- Estimated Release: April, 2010
  • Roadwork -- Estimated Release: April, 2010
  • The Running Man -- Estimated Release: April, 2010
  • Christine -- Estimated Release: May, 2010
  • IT -- Estimated Release: May, 2010
  • The Eyes of the Dragon -- Estimated Release: May, 2010
  • The Tommyknockers -- Estimated Release: May, 2010
  • The Dark Half -- Estimated Release: May, 2010

Of course, what this really means is that I need to start saving a LOT of money between now and April. I mean, IT is probably going to cost a billion dollars. So I'll just start saving those audible credits.

Ah, merry Christmas and stuff like that. If this list is acurate, 2010 is going to be SWEET. And I was just wondering what I would listen to as I opened the last folder of CD's for Under the Dome.

Anyone who laughs at me for being hyper will be sent out into the mist where terrible things will eat them alive.

Hey, where's THE STAND?. . .

Ranking Romero



Scott Collura's article on movies.ign.com seeks to rank the top 10 Romero films. Surprisingly, to me, Creepshow came in at #4 (of course, Night of the Living Dead took top billing). Here's what Collura says about Creepshow:
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While Stephen King may never be able to overcome his rep in cinema houses for directing the notoriously bad Maximum Overdrive, he's also written directly for the screen (as opposed to adapting his books to film). One example of this is Creepshow, his 1982 collaboration with Romero which pays homage to the old E.C. comic books of yesteryear. The episodic film still freaks us out with its garish tales of betrayal and horror, but in the spirit of its inspiration Creepshow is also a lot of fun. The segment involving a doomed bumpkin (played by King) who encounters a downed meteorite elicits as many laughs as it does shrieks, while the segment called "Something to Tide You Over" features a chilling segment involving a beach, a shovel, and two unlucky lovers. Romero would later script the sequel to the film, which was based on King short stories. http://movies.ign.com/articles/107/1072585p2.html
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Now, why does it surprise me that Creepshow got #4 on the list? Because I think there are some other movie's -- King adaptations -- that were much stronger. For instance, event hough it didn't make a lot of money, The Dark Half was awesome!
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I still need to watch Max. Overdrive. Never saw it, but for all the whining out there, my expectations should be duely low.

Linking The Stephen King Universe


One of the things that makes a Stephen King novel so much fun is the overlap with other books. It keeps you reading -- and re-reading! I found a list today of Stephen King "Crossovers." Stuff that links from one book to another.

They even have links between the Bachman books.

By the way, I wonder if even Stephen King could re-connect all the dots he's put out there.

Here's a few fun examples, but check the link for the full list:

  • THE TOMMYKNOCKERS—FIRESTARTER : After all the excitement was over in The Tommyknockers, “The Shop” came to Haven to investigate.
  • THE RUNNING MAN—IT : The Voight Field Jetport in The Running Man was located in Derry.
  • MISERY—IT : A Mrs. Kaspbrak is noted in Misery as being “a neighbor of the Sheldons when Paul was a boy.” Mrs. Kaspbrak was Eddie Kaspbrak’s mother in It.
  • THE SUN DOG (Four Past Midnight)—THE TALISMAN : During Kevin’s nightmare in The Sun Dog, he dreams he is a bum in Oatley, the same town where Jack Sawyer worked while he was traveling across America.

Avatar: Does This Look Familiar?


This caught my eye at filmdetail.com. Did you notice the similarity between the Avatar poster and the orginal paperback of The Stand? Now here's the cool thing, The Stand is an old book -- and Avatar is a big money movie production.


THE STAND: Top 10 Outbreak Movies

Dreadcentral.com has an article: "Top 10 Outbreak Movies." These are movies about outbreaks, disease and all out plague.
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Number ten on their list is Stephen King's 1994 mini-series "The Stand." I LOVED this mini-series, sincei t was basically faithful to the book.
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The article notes, "Sure, it’s a strange world where a Mick Garris film snags a spot on any top ten list, but this adaptation of one of Stephen King’s finest novels does offer some of the subgenre’s most effective and memorable setpieces. From the opening outbreak cued to Blue Oyster Cult’s "Don’t Fear the Reaper" to Larry Underwood’s suspenseful escape through the Lincoln Tunnel, this mid-90s miniseries may have fallen apart after the third hour, but this epic look at the end of the world remains an apocalypse worth enduring." http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/36143/top-10-outbreak-movies
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I watched The Stand a couple weeks ago and noticed how it's starting to age. However, a wonderful thing about King ist hat he alwasy writes for the moment. It's not a far future plague, or historic fiction. That, by the way, is what I liked about the mini-series "V."

Lilja's: Full Dark No Stars Press


Check out the press release from King's British publisher, Hodder & Stoughton's for Full Dark, No Stars, posted at liljaslibrary:
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Stay updated on Full dark No Stars at liljas here:


Favorite Novella


Stephen King's upcoming book in November "Full Dark, no Stars," is once again an offering of four novella's. This time they all have the theme of retribution and one of the novellas is about Hemingford Home. We all remember Hemingford Home (Nebraska) as the residence of Mother Abagail in The Stand. On the S.K. message board, Bev Vincent points out that in the novel IT, Ben Hanscom lived there as well.
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This will be the third book of four Novellas:
Different Seasons
Four Past Midnight
Full Dark, no Stars
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Novellas are strange creatures. They're not novels -- exactly. So they don't get published as single volumes, unless they become famous (or you have to read them in school). Steinbeck wrote lots of them. When they're famous, they're just called short novels.
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I'm looking forward to Full Dark, no Stars. What a delightful offering after the massive Under The Dome.
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Favorite King novella's:
The Mist
The Langoliers
The Body
Blaze
The library Police
The Sun Dog
Graveyard Shift
The Running Man
Umney's Last case
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(Is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon a novella?)
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Now, just as a note, I liked the movie Secret Window a lot more than the book. I thought it was much tighter and pulled things together that were left hanging in the print version.
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Ever notice that most of the Bachman books are novella's? Of ocurse, the Regulators was the longest, and Thinner a normal length novel.
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Favorite novella's -- not by Stephen King
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Stevenson
Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck
The Pearl, Steinbeck
The old man and the sea, Hemmingway
A Christmas Carol, Dickens
The Hound of the Baskerville's, Conan Doyle
Frankenstein, Shelly
Animal Farm, Orwell
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Not so favorite novella's for me include "Heart of Darkness." Every English teacher in the world can now be mad at me. . . but that's it! I can't stand Heart of Darkness. There, I said it.
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The sweet thing for Constant Readers is that King is good enough to give us four novella's all at once. And honestly, I enjoy the novella much much more than the short story.

TOMMY -- Poem to be published in playboy


stephenking.com notes:
"A new work of poetry by Stephen titled "Tommy" will be published in the March 2010 edition of Playboy."
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As hallrla said on her blog "Don't read Playboy, so I'm going to have to wait until it is published in another book." (stephenkingrocks-hallrla3.blogspot.com)
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Hodder & Stroughton: Full Dark, No Stars

thebookseller.com has this news posted:

"Hodder & Stoughton has acquired a new Stephen King title, Full Dark, No Stars, a volume of four novellas. Hodder editor Philippa Pride acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from US agent Chuck Verrill, for an undisclosed sum."

Like the U.S. publsiher, Hodder will be publishing the collection in November. Of course, Under the Dome was also released in november. Most interesting to me is that bookseller.com has this quote, saying the publishers described the novellas as "darkly thrilling" and that they were "all linked by the theme of retribution, and are a showcase for the power of King's inimitable imagination."

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/113736-page.html

Does Pet Sematary Need A Redo?

I was startled when I read Kevin Williamson's article "5 thrillers that need a redo." I agree with Williamson -- sometimes a redo is a great thing. (Unless it's Children of the Corn).

Williamson notes, "Despite a recent blizzard of abysmal horror remakes — Halloween, The Omen and The Hitcher, among others — the smart, lean The Crazies proves that just because it’s been done before, doesn’t mean it can’t be done again as well or, preferably, better."

His list of suggested movies that could use a redo is:
The Reincarnation of Peter Proud (1975)
Damnation Alley (1977)
Fright Night (1985)
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Pet Sematary (1989)

Huh? Pet Sematary? I actually enjoyed the first rendering. What's interesting is that Williamson doesn't realy explain his choice. He simply states,

"There’s no author whose work merits cinematic redemption more than Stephen King. (Bafflingly, the worst page-to-screen adaptation of the lot, Maximum Override, was directed by King himself, so he can’t complain.) Of all his candidates for rebirth, though, I’m singling out this cautionary tale about the consequences of raising the dead, no matter how adorable they were."

Well, here's my quick off the top of my head list of King movies I'd like to see get a redo:
1. Needful things. This was such a strong story and it was completely lost in the adaptation. I think this would be a good candidate for mini-series.
2. Dolores Claiborne. This doesn't feel like it's King's story. It has a few scenes from the book, but the focus is on the daughter, not Dolores.
3. Dreamcatcher. Started out great, but something gets lost mid-movie.
4. IT. How about a budget this time.
5. Fire Starter. George C. Scott as a native American? Something feels empty in this rendering.
6. The Langoliers. One of those "loved the book, hated the movie."
7. Graveyardshift. I like this movie -- and I think I would like it again.
8. Salems Lot. I know it's already been redone. But even the redo was not true to the King story.
9. Silver Bullet. This is another movie I like, but it feels long and the warewolf is unconvincing. I think it would do well with today's special effects.
10. The lawnmower man. I'm putting this one here because it's such a bad movie -- but I'm not actually sure I would want to sit through a redo.
11. Sleepwalkers. I didn't understand what this movie was about when I watched it. When I read the idea behind it, I thought: Oh! that's a good story. How abotu putting the story on screen, instead of -- whatever that was!
12. The Mist. I liked all of the mist, every moment of it. . . just redo the ending please!

Anyone want to offer their suggestions for a redo.

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/Entertainment/2010/02/25/13023376.html

April 6th -- Dolan's Cadillac DVD


April 6th Dolan's Cadillac will come out on DVD and Blue-ray from Eagle Entertainment.
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I'm not sure why I haven't been able to see this yet, but it looks like Dolan will be coming to my small screen soon.
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Frankly, I LOVED this story. That might spell doom for me when I watch the movie, since my expectations will be high. This is a story of sweet -- very sweet -- revenge. The kind of ending many wish Big Jim had found! As dreadcentral.com notes, Dolan's Cadillac is reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's tale "The Cask of Amontillado."
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According to blueray.highdefdigest.com, "The Blu-ray will feature 1080p video, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack, and supplements will include cast/crew interviews, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and B-roll footage. " (I actually don't know what "B-roll footage is.)
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Links:
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Compared To Stephen King

Ever notice how often products, people and even news stories want to make comparisons to Stephen King? It's one of those things I didn't notice. . . until I saw it once and then it seemed to be everywhere. A few examples:


Elvis Presley Sues Stephen King From Beyond The Grave

Well. . . not really.

But this article from thespoof.com made me laugh.

"The Presley team allege that King lifted source material for his novel 'The Shining' from Presley's rock and roll classic 'Heartbreak Hotel.'

"King's plagiarism in this case is blatant. He must have known when he wrote 'The Shining' that it was about a hotel where a whole lot of heartbreak was about to happen. Also, in the book, Wendy Torrance leaves Jack - sort of - when he takes it into his head to chop her and their son Danny up with an axe. The parallels with the song are obvious. In 'Heartbreak Hotel' the singer's wife has also left him. I think I can safely state here that any so-called artist, or book-writer who decides to tell a story about a marital break-up that has a hotel in it had just better be extra careful what they say. Elvis is watching."

http://www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s4i69349

Misery On Stage


The price for thsi is right. . . but unfortunately, you have to be ready to fly!
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Guildhall Arts Centere has this announcement:
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Following the sell-out success of their Spring 2009 tour of Bouncers, Jamie Marcus Productions returns to the Guildhall with an electrifying production of Stephen King's ‘Misery’, adapted for the stage by Simon Moore. Paul Sheldon, best-selling author of the 'Misery Chastaine' novels, is crippled in a car crash only to be rescued by Annie Wilkes, his 'number one fan'. Far from being an angel of mercy, when she discovers that his eponymous heroine dies in the latest book, Annie imprisons Sheldon insisting that he write another. Fearing for his life, Paul writes a chapter per day as he descends into a living hell beyond anything that he could ever imagine for Misery.
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Cost: £9.00 / £7.50 concessions / £5.00 students
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see also:

Stephen King U


Where was this when I was in college?
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Boston.com has an article stating Tony Magistrale, chairman of University of Vermont will be presenting a lecture relating King's link to the gothic. Of particular interest to me is that Magistrale is an "expert" on Edgar Allen Poe and will also relate King's work to Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain. Interesting, all American authors, all gothic.
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Magistrale's lecture is titled, "Why Stephen King Still Matters." Let's just say. . . I want to go! Especially since a particular interest of mine is Stephen King in American Culture.
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Magistrale is author of Hollywoods Stephen King.
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Fun Facts


Letterman had this segment tonight titled "Fun Facts." From the FBMI (Federal Beaurau Of Miscellaneous Information). I wasn't even paying much attention, until his list included: "Stephen King once accidently wrote the same book twice."


Funny, but actually that was Grisham. The Firm / The Partner.

IT's a movie


I am anxiously awaiting more information about the new Stephen King movie, IT. Is this a remake? It's getting called that quite a bit, but it's really not. How about the word: Re-telling. After all, how many times has Of Mice and Men been put to the screen, never trying to copy the previous movies, but each time going back to Steinbeck's book as the source.
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Monique Muro notes, "the movie will be even more horrific, if possible, and rated R, stating." She quotes screen writer David Kajganich, “we can really honor the book and engage with the traumas (both the paranormal ones and those they deal with at home and school) that these characters endur."
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I really like comments like that! Honor the book -- what an idea. So often King movies have so little to do with King books that the constant reader just doesn't recognize them. What I will miss is the change from the characters youth being mvoed from the 1950's to the 1980's. Actually, the scary thing for me is that I grew up in the 80's! I never considered the 80's my generation's 50's.
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Full Dark, No Stars

Liljas Library has new information about Stephen King's next book. Looks like it will be a new Different Seasons or Four Past Midnight (novellas).

http://www.liljas-library.com/

Amazon Stephen King Page

Looking for Stephen King stuff? I always start at Amazon. Here's their Stephen King page:

http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-King/e/B000AQ0842/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1266341301&sr=1-2-ent

Dome Journal #9



Monsters On Maple Street
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This book is starting to remind me of that Twilight Zone episode, "The Monsters are due on Maple Street." One of the things I like about King's writing is that he develops themes we are familiar with in new ways. Some seem to see this as a weakness, I enjoy it very much. Besides, King has the ability to up the anti. And I always believe that King gets his ideas out of his own head -- he's not stealing from The Simpson's or Twilight Zone. Anyway, Serling only gave us a quick "what if. . ." while King gives us the full answer "this is what would happen!"
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Things that leave me scratching my head:
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1. Coggins popularity. He is presented as a Jim Jones type, an over-bearing preacher who controls his people. And apparently a Pat Robertson fan (truly, that's the scary part). But after the Dome goes up, there seems to be very little attempts by the congregation (whoever they are) to gather. Usually in times of crisis people gather at their church's. And cults draw especially close, since the ignorant "sheep" don't know what to do unless someone tells them.
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2. At the press confrence Colonel Cox is cut off by "that no spin yapper." ie: Bill O'Reilly. But he's not a reporter for Fox, he's a commentator. Thus allowing for more yapping -- sigh.
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3. Is the Big Jim character realistic? I spent a lot of thsi book thinking that Big Jim was not at all rooted in a shred of reality. It seemed like King just took everything we don't like in humanity and jumbled them together into this strange character called: Big Jim. So track with me:
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. . . no one likes used Car dealers, so Big Jim is a used car dealer.
. . . no one likes cults, so Big Jim is a member of a cult.
. . . no one likes politicians, so Big Jim is a politician.
. . . no one likes murderer's, so big Jim is a murderer.
. . . no one likes fake Christians, so big Jim is a fake Christian.
. . . no one likes drug dealers, so big Jim is a drug dealer.
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Now at some point here, I'm going: Can we just have Randall Flagg back? Big Jim is a used car polotician cult attending murdering drug dealer?
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And then we learn that Big Jim has gotten in trouble for unethical practices at his Used Car dealership. Can I just ask, real quick -- How does this guy get elected? Well, only in America! I once heard someone say that Ted Bundy could have been governor.
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But, the more I think about it, the more willing I am to buy in to Big Jim. Mostly, King's "feelin' it" comments nailed it for me. Big Jim is all about power and self confidence.
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My Grandfather pastored a church many years ago that was attended by Mr. Bill Suff. Worth mentioning because Mr. Suff was also a serial killer. Yep! he sang in the choir, and killed at night. Makes me wonder: Why would someone who has no problem killing buy into a faith that says that in the end, we stand before the judge of men. My only thought on that is that they think in Christainity they can find redemption -- or in Big Jim's case, power. One of those.

The Stephen King Problem

If someone was schooled personally in the art of writing by the King himself -- would you read their novels?

Joe Hill has a new novel out. I'm pretty interested in it -- as I was interested in Heart Shaped Box. But here's the problem: I don't have time to devote to more reading! See, it's a Stephen King problem.

Now some of you jumped on the Stephen King wagon back with Carrie or The Shining. But not me. I started reading around Needful Things -- and it was on again off again since. So, there's LOT's I haven't read. Further, I'm knee deep (about 900 pages) into Under The Dome. Not to mention, I try to read Dickens, Follett, and other writers. And during the day I am always immersed in commentaries as I study for sermons.

So my problem is a Stephen King problem. Honestly, he's written far more than I am capable of reading. There's just not time to read that new Joe Hill novel.

Writers worth watching (and reading -- if you can break away from King)
1. Richard Laymon (All his stuff is freaky)
2. Joe Hill
3. Anne Rice
4. Dan Simmons (Drood)
5. Cormac McCarthy (the Road)
6. Harlan Coben
7. Richard Matheson
8. Ken Follett (Pillars of the Earth, World Without End)
9. John Grisham (the older stuff)
10. Richard Bachman

Link: Michael Whelan Interview


Can you judge a book by the cover? Well, that's what Michael Whelan would like you to be able to do! In a recent interview, Erik Ofgang asked Whelan, "When you illustrate a book cover, do you read the book, do you talk to the author, how does that work?"
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"Always, (but) there's a few instances where the book hadn't been written yet, because I get booked so far in advance (and) my slot for a book cover comes up before the books actually been written. In that case, I'll talk to the author on the phone or via e-mail and get at least a plot outline and synopsis and description of characters so I can try to be as accurate as possible. It always bothered me as an avid reader myself that you couldn't judge a book by its cover. I decided early on that my book covers would be different, that you'd be able to."
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For a more specific "Stephen King" interview, check out Liljas Library at: http://www.liljas-library.com/showinterview.php?id=19
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Stephen King Radio Drama's


The BBC did a dramatazation of Pet Sematary several eyars ago. I listened to it recently with delight -- before I started the never ending journey called Under The Dome. The BBC does a great job, but I would have preferred an American production.
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As I listened, I was drawn in. Radio was actually a great medium for this novel. Almost better than the big screen -- and I liked the movie. Radio is the theater of the mind.
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Now think about it -- the number one complaint almost all of us King fans have about the Stephen King movie adaptations is that the special effects are so low budget. (Just check out that warewolf in IT. My parents laughed outloud.) When we see them on the screen, scenes we've read about never match up.
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Movies SHOW us, while books play to the mind. However, radio rushes to the same spot: The Mind. So, the special effects budget is unlimited. After all, on radio: I've flown with Superman, been to the signing of the U.S. constitution (via a radio program called YOU ARE THERE!), and I've even been to the top of the Empire State building. And every time, it was the most believable thing in the world, because my own mind produced the images.
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Arch Oboler --
The Stephen King Of His Era
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A short detour, okay. . .
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I love old radio. My wife listens to Jack Benny, Burns and Allen and Fibber McGee and Molly. But not me! Give me a chance, and it's Arch Oboler's Lights Out Everybody. This is seriuous stuff. Actually, I can't believe they let these radio plays air! They are all out creepy, scary and wonderful.
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Oboler was very much like the Stpehen King of his era. He was spooky, gifted, a very good writer and able to generate a seemingly massive output. He also did much more than just horror (like NBC's Arch Obolers Plays). Like Stephen King, he used his art as a medium for polotical commentary -- anti Nazi at the time. He liked to introduce his own plays, kinda like our friend Mr. King likes to write chatty introductions to his books and stories.
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But anyone who remembers Arch only really remembers how incredibly scared this guy could get us. I mean, sweating shaking scared! And I didn't grow up in a radio generation. I grew up in the 80's! But still, this stuff is the best.
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Arch Oboler opened Lights Out like this, "This is Arch Oboler bringing you another of our series of stories of the unusual, and once again we caution you: These Lights Out stories are definitely not for the timid soul. So we tell you calmly and very sincerely, if you frighten easily, turn off your radio now." SWEET!
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King writes, "no discussion of the phenomenon of radio terror, no matter how brief, would be compelte without some mention of the genre's prime auteur -- not Orson Wells, but Arch Oboler, the first playright to have his own national radio series, the chilling Lights Out." (Danse Macabre, 124)
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I wish Arch was around to turn Stephen King's work into radio plays. King says, "Arch Oboler, a restlessly intelligent man who was also involved in the movies and the legitmate theater, utilized two of radio's great strengths: the first is the mind's innate obedience, its willingness to try to see whatever soemone suggests it see, no matter how absurd; the second is the fact that fear and horror are blinding amotions that knock out our adults pins from beneath us and leave us groping in the dark like children who cannot find the light switch." (danse Macabre, 125-126)
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A few of my favorite Lights Out Episodes:
The one where everyone disappears, and the couple is at the top of the Empire State Building. I forgot the title, though.
Murder Castle , State Executioner , Sub-basement (there were dinosaurs down there! Reminds me of Graveyard Shift) , Cat People. Forget it! I like them all.
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The Mist
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Another Stephen King story turned radio play is The Mist. This was done in 3D sound, and actually was my first introduction to the book. The play follows Kings story pretty closely.
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George Beahm writes that The Mist "has been optioned and dropped three times -- because the special effects for a movie would be extremely challenging. They are easily manufactured in your mind, which is one of the unique things about either reading, or in particular, listening to that particular story unroll. The special effects that your mind makes are perfect." (The Stephen King Companion, p.275)
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Beahm also comments specifically on the radio drama, "The Mist is one of King's most visual stories, rich in imagery, best visualized in the mind's eye: skull cinema. With headphones on, the story comes alive, slowly enveloping you ina world where the unbelievable becomes believable. Anyone who has seen the grade-B monster flicks of the fifties will find this dramatization a blast from the past." (Companion, p.131)
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Star Wars
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You know, all three of the Star Wars films were turned into radio plays. Interestingly, each one was much short than the previous. Star Wars for the radio? yep! And it worked great. Why? Because of the power of the mind.
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Now, if they can give us: Star Wars, Murder Castle (Oboler), The Mist and Superman on the radio -- I want to ask: Don't you think radio would be a great venue for Stephen King's work?
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War Of The Worlds
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October 30, 1938 Orson Wells scared the entire nation by airing War of the Worlds. How'd he do it? Well, he put his story together as if it were a news cast. Very innovative! And, he whooped every single movie that followed. People drove off the road when they heard on the radio that Martians had landed -- but no one ran out of the theater when they saw it happen on the Big Screen.
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Why it's such a good medium:
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King hismelf said in Danse Macabre, "My first experience with real horror came at the hands of Ray Bradbury -- it was an adaptation of his story Mars Is Heaven on Dimension X." (p.120)
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Radio really works for King's stories for several reasons:
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1. Radio is a lot more frightening than the movies. You see what they tell you to see.
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2. Radio plays, like soap operas, can go on episode after eipisode. So please, go ahead, give us a 30 hour edition of The Stand!
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3. Radio plays can take you right inside someone's head. That's what King is really good at, too. He has the gift of taking you right in a characters thought life. On radio, they do this through monolgues -- and a little bit of echoe. Oboler was the master of the monologue (well, Shakespear was the master of it -- but he didn't write radio plays.)
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A Few Suggestions:
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Here are a few of King's stories I think would be great for radio:
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1. The Stand. Always have to start there! But Larry Underwood in the tunnel would be awesome on radio!
2. Graveyard Shift. Movies can't really take you down into the dark. There always has to be light from somewhere! But radio can drop you down into a dark basement full of rats. Ulgh, I can almost feel them!
3. The Langoleirs. The entire move stunk bad and ruined a great book. But radio could pull this off.
4. Under The Dome. But the audio edition of this is so powerful, it comes close to a radio production. Just the way the reader does the different voices, very good.
5. The Ledge. This was done in Creepshow pretty well, but I think would be even scarier on radio.
6. Eyes of the Dragon.
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Now what wouldn't work on radio. . . Maximum Overdrive.
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May I say: Forget the dollar babies. Forget the big budget films. Forget the mini-series and the comics. Why doesn't someone give us a string of truly scary Stephen King radio plays? I'll get the lights. . .
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Links:
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UR Audio Clip

Here is the link for the UR publicity page. Of interest is an audio clip.

http://www.stephenking.com/promo/ur_audiobook/

King talks about Jay


Writing in Entertainment Weekly, King is quoted as saying:

"Leno is a nice guy, but his prime-time showcase was flavorless pabulum […] At 11:30, when most of America has gone beddy-bye, this kind of semi-comatose entertainment is fine (and viewers searching for something at least marginally less acerbic can always switch to Letterman), but in prime time? Oh, God, please no. My delight at the Leno Show’s failure sprang from a bone-deep conviction that it would not fail, that it would in fact turn into a ratings monster and spawn what network TV does best: imitations. And, nice man though he is, you could add together the entertainment value of every single episode of Mr. Leno’s prime-time venture and it would still come up short next to a single episode of The Good Wife."


Whining

Here's some recent whining about the quality of King's movies and television: http://www.screenhead.com/reviews/back-to-the-small-screen-for-stephen-king/

Toyota and Miximum Overdrive

In an article titled, "Toyotas speeding out of control like something out of a bad Stephen King movie" David McSwan has visions of Maximum Overdirve coming to life.

Clearly, Toyota's bad batch of cars -- you know, the ones that accelerate beyond the driver's control and open up a series of potentially dangerous scenarios -- isn't a thing fiction. But all the recent hullabaloo and media talk of out-of-control vehicles could just be a real-life homage to one of the worst fiction stories of all time: 1986's Maximum Overdrive.

Written and directed by onetime Boulder resident Stephen King, the film features an earlier version of the still prepubescent Emilio Estevez (bro of accused wife-threatener Charlie Sheen). Better yet, it illustrates in magnificent banality just what would happen if one day all machines, and especially motor vehicles, turned on the human race.

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2010/02/toyotas_speeding_out_of_contro.php

A&E Biography




Biography channel ran King's biography, originally on A&E.
Best part: The interviews.
The worst part: A lot of gloss over.
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The 45 min episode comes across as being an overly ambitious project. No mention of Kings drug use or other major events. There were some good shots of Betts bookstore, but it feels rushed and never focuses on any substance. In a recent attempt to update the 8 year old documentery, the episode had been chopped up in the middle to include quick mention of recent books -- as of the update. Really, rather sloppy. Pictures of him as the voice over talks about him in his 20's, while the picture is of King in his 30's or 40's.
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Truth is, A&E doesn't do that good a job on authors. I was also disappointed with their biography of Charles Dickens, which in much the same way cataloged his books but failed to give any real insight to the person. And, again the same complaint about the Edgar Allen Poe biography.
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There were several interviews which I wish I could have seen more of. In particular, David King's "home video" was quite interesting. Also, the interviews with King's childhood friends and the interview with Stephen King were all great. You know, I wish I could buy the DVD and as a "special" feature they would have the raw footage of all those interviews.

Bag Of Bones Miniseries

shocktillyoudrop.com has some interesting news concerning Bag of Bones. Previously slated to be a theater release, it is now being turned into a television mini-series. A big hooray from me, since I think the longer format provides the space to make a closer connection to King's work.

Writer Director Mick Garris also directed The Shining, The Stand and Desperation. All three were great, and so our expectations should be rightfully high.

Garris said, ""We're finalizing our deal and will hopefully be shooting late-spring, early-summer."

I like this book a lot. It's a sweet horror story -- haunted stuff, but a love story as well.

Read the full article here:
http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=14000

Syfy Haven

Syfy Has Chosen Emily Rose to play FBI agent Audrey Parker in its upcoming series HAVEN.

I like the link below because I too am somewhat mystified by the Haven thing -- especially the connection to Colorado Kid.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/43879

Danse Macabre Update




stephenking.com has under their future works page: "Danse MacabreEstimated Release: February, 2010." So what's new?
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1. A essay titled "What's Scary."
2. It is also being published as in an audio mp3 edition from Brillance read by William Dufris.
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The Art of Darkness


I've been reading Stephen King: The Art Of Darkness, by Douglas E. Winter. Now, I have to admit up front, I didn't read this cover to cover. I bounced around according to the book I was interested in. So, while I didn't read it whole, I think I read the whole thing.
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This is an outstanding book.
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1. Winter has a strong grasp of classic fiction. He doesn't try to sell King as little more than a pop-culture wonder boy, but compares him to classics. That's a joy. He discusses The Heart Of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad in his chapter on The Stand. By the way, I hated The Heart Of Darkness. So, better to let Mr. Winter tell me the connections than have to dig them out myself!
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In trying to catagorize The Stand, he compares it to such works as that of J.R.R. Tolkien, E.R. Eddison and even Milton's Paradise Lost.
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He notes, "Like Tolkien's popular The Lord Of The Rings, The Stand takes the form of a noble quest and employs a host of characters, some heroic, some darker and indeed monstrous." (55)
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2. Winter had a working knowledge of King's unpublished works. In his chapter on The Mist, Winter gives mention to "I was a teenage grave robber" and "The Aftermath." He also discusses "Sword in the Darkness."
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3. Winter is rightly able to compare King to popular culture, including the cult film Night of the Living Dead. I mention this, because it does take some skill to draw from both classic literature and modern films. But when discussing King, both are important.
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4. The book is locked in time. Published in 1984, a fun quality about The Art of Darkness is that it gives us a look at King's early works without some of the clutter that must come with later reviews. It is not necessary to compare Cujo to Geralds Game. Or The Stand to Under The Dome. I like those things -- but it's refreshing to see how King was viewed early on.
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Winter gives us glimpses at unpublished works that we now have. For instance, when this was written, Blaze and The Cannibals were both unpublished works. I recall King himself noting that he recently read The Art Of Darkness and what it said about the Cannibals. (see page 157-158 of The Art Of Darkness for his words on The Cannibals)
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It's interesting to read his chapter "Always More Tales" to see what was yet to come -- stuff we now have. He lists: Skeleton Crew, IT, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Tommyknockers.
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Winter writes, Both The Eyes of the Dragon and The Tommyknockers have seen complete first drafts; at least two other novels are underway, and King continues to contemplate his proposed sequal to 'Salem's Lot. And then there are the myriad afternoon projects -- what King likes to call his toys -- that he plays with after each morning of serious writing work:
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"I almost never think of an audience. I've got things so ridiculous that I can't be thinking of an audience. They amuse me and I don't have any idea whether they would amuse anyone else or not."
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A recent example is The Cannibals which King wrote in long hand during the filming of Creepshow, inspired by his living quarters in Monroeville Pennsylvania: "I've got about 450 pages done and it is all about these people who are trapped in an apartment building. Worst thing I could think of. And I thought, wouldn't it be funny if they all ended up eating each other? It's very very bizarre because it's all on one note. And who knows whether it will be published or not?"
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To Stephen King it really doesn't matter if the Cannibals sees print. It is impossible to read his fiction without recognizing, in its energy, honesty, and utter lack of inhibition, that it is the product of an inner necessity."
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I think Winter's book gives us a glimpse of a Stephen King my generation is likely to forget. The younger Stephen King who was still riding his way to the top of his craft.
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5. The Art Of Darkness serves as an early biography. Of course, at that point, King's drug use was unknown and the accident was still 16 years in the future. An early chapter is simply titled Notes Toward A Biography. The book also has a nice set of pictures in the center, typical of the period it was printed in.
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6. Finally, The Art of Darkness is a well rounded look at King. It does not focus only on his family, upbrining, books or his movies, but covers it all in a comfortable space. The book is a precursor to the later "companion" style books -- all of which I like.
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Written with real energy, Winter was an early voice on the scene calling for Stephen King to be taken more serious. The book has been updated at least once, but alas, there is no way for it to keep up with the volume of King's output. It is dated -- which I like.
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Books By Douglas E. Winter:
The Art of Darkness (1984)
Faces of Fear (1985)
Splatter: A Cautionary Tale (limited edition, 1987)
Prime Evil (1988)
Darkness Absolute (limited edition, 1991)
Black Sun (limited edition, 1994)
Revelations (1997)
Run (2000)
Clive Barker: The Dark Fantastic (2002)
Introduction to Legal Writing (2003)
A Little Brass Book of Full Metal Fiction (limited edition, 2006)
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LINKS:
For a really wonderful article on The Art Of Darkness as a "journey" follow this link:
http://www.davidlday.com/2009/09/24/stephen-king-the-art-of-darkness-night-journey/
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Winter's myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/douglasewinter
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Winter in wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_E._Winter
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Interview with Winter on his book Run http://www.crimetime.co.uk/interviews/douglaswinter.html

Medicine For Melancholy


Ray Bradbury's book "Medicine For Melancholy" is mentioned three times -- between Andy and the Chef. (P.650, 671, 674). Don't confuse it with the 2008 movie! A Medicine For Melancholy was a story in a 1959 book of short stories.

Betts Bookstore

David, from Betts Bookstore has a very heartfelt / newsy post on his website. As he states below, David is not just businessman running a bookstore, he's a fan and constant reader of Stephen King. I'm re-posting it with his permission.
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For me, Betts has always proven to be the best place to buy Stephen King -- anything! From books to magazines to magnets, they have it all. Since they know the market, what prices ought to be, and what really is valuable and what isn't. For me, they've proven reliable.
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A FEW WORDS FROM DAVID
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As the new owner of Betts Books, I thought I would share my story/background with you.

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I have been a Stephen King fan and Constant Reader for a significant portion of my life and an avid collector of his works for 15 years. I purchased a first edition copy of the 1978 version of The Stand from Betts as my first King collectible and have not looked back since. Up until recently, I was fortunate enough to have a great job that afforded me the privilege of feeding my “collectors bug.” Over the years, I have amassed a personal collection that I am proud of and have met and become friends with many other collectors as well as people who are well known in the community, such as renowned artists Michael Whelan and Jae Lee. The Dark Tower series is perhaps my personal favorite, and I have been fortunate to add many Dark Tower books (as well as other King novels) to my collection that have original art drawn into the books by the artist. These sketches are referred to as remarques, and I have posted pictures of two that Michael Whelan did for me in copies of The Gunslinger (see images above). I think Michael inspired some other artists into doing remarques, because both Ned Dameron (The Waste Lands) and Don Maitz (Desperation) have recently done several remarques which have been sold to collectors.

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I also recently had the honor of being a model for Michael Whelan in the new artwork he did for Stephen King’s Discordia project which launched in early December at
www.stephenking.com. I am the new face of Father Callahan.
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My purchase of Betts Books last December came about in an unexpected way. Last March, like millions of other Americans, I was laid off of my job. For the last 18 years, I have been a research analyst for an overseas bank. Finding new work in the Financial Services industry has been difficult to say the least, so last fall, when Stu decided to try to sell Betts (or close it down if no buyer stepped forward), my family was supportive of my acquiring the business. Sadly, the store in Bangor was closed and I have relocated the business to Connecticut. I am committed in my heart and soul to continuing the service and high level of trust and integrity that you all expect from Betts.

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That said, I still must find additional work to support my wife and three children in our home. Times are still tough for many people, myself included. That is just the reality of the situation today, but that will not prevent me from providing to all of you the best service, new inventory, and the most care I can offer. Thank you loyal customers for supporting Betts Books in the past, present and future.
David, http://www.bettsbooks.com/w95020ai.html#girl

2 Books About King Nominated Stoker Awards

Horrorscope has a blog entry which notes the high number of Australian authors nominated for the 2009 award. The Bram Stoker Award is one of the highest honors a writer can get. Of interest to me was that two books about King were nominated. Both books were nominated under the heading: Superior Achievement in a Nonfiction
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  • STEPHEN KING: THE NON-FICTION by Rocky Wood and Justin Brooks (Cemetery Dance) I haven't read this book.

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  • THE STEPHEN KING ILLUSTRATED COMPANION by Bev Vincent (Fall River Press) Cool! I was reading through this last night. Actually, I was looking for a section on Needful Things, but that wasn't one of the books covered. But, as always happens when I open this book, I got drawn in. My wife laughs at me, since I keep pulling out more and more papers and scattering them in the bed. But hey, it's not cookie crumbs... This is by far one of the most engaging books about King I've ever read.

http://ozhorrorscope.blogspot.com/2010/02/news-2009-bram-stoker-award-preliminary.html

Homer Under The Dome

Hey, just a quick note:

I noticed twice in a very short space that King mentioned that someone sounded like Homer Simpson. An interesting comparison.

p.629 "Doh wake im." To Thurse she sounded like Homer Simpson.
p.638 "You sound like Homer Simpson," Sammy said.

I guess Homer was on King's mind that day.

Under The Dome Notes #8


If you haven't read UTD yet, beware, this might be a spoiler.
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Remember people complaining that the villians in UTD don't have good enough death scenes? That might be true of Big Jim and a few others, but it's not universally true. In fact, I just read a pretty satisfying death for good ole Frank DeLesseps got shot up (in some pretty private parts). Sammy Bushey, who he raped, gets her revenge, and it's not pretty. Well, actually, it is pretty, when you are looking for payback. And things don't come out too good for good ole Georgia, either.
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I point this out only because the scene was so well written, and there is that whining out there that King doesn't give a satisfying end ot the bad guys.
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I once watched Red Dawn with the death count on. It was really cool! Well, when i read that people were unhappy about the way the bad guys die off, I decided to turn my UTD death counter on.

Dark Tower Movie Still Up In The Air

The Daily Beast's interview (part 2) with Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, they discuss characters returning from the dead, whether they will adapt Stephen King's "Dark Tower" next, and whether the show is really, really done.

Here's the section related to King and the Dark Tower:

The Daily Beast: As for what is next for Lost's stewards, Cuse and Lindelof were last year linked to a feature film adaptation of Stephen King's novel series The Dark Tower that Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams was looking to get off the ground. However, the duo were quick to state that The Dark Tower is "off the table" and stated that they currently have no future plans beyond finishing up the final season of Lost.

Lindelof: As for Dark Tower, I think we probably stated that the last thing that we want to do when Lost finishes is try to adapt a seven-book mega story written by someone who we absolutely idolize and worship, because you can only kind of fuck that up.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-02-01/lost-for-the-last-time-part-2/