King On Oscars Oversight

The Daily star has a short article about Matthew Mcconaughey being invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, which oversees the Oscars.  The article also notes that "making the list this year" is horror  writer Stephen King.

The article is HERE.

Justin Long A Possible To Lead The Ten O'clock People

Deadline reports that Live Free Or Die Hard actor Justin Long is in negotiations for the lead role in Tom Holland’s The Ten O’clock People.

Deadline reports, "The film starts shooting September 10 in New York. It’s produced by Making Ten O’clock Productions and Holland’s Dead Rabbit Films with Nathaniel Kramer and E.J. Meyers producing."

The full article is HERE.

The Man Who Scared Stephen King

I have really enjoyed Gerald Nachman’s book, “Raised On Radio.”  The book leaps neatly from genre to genre, show to show, giving readers the best of each subject and personality.  While some books on old radio are so massive they are nothing more than encylopedia’s – this book does not feel the need to give every detail.

I think radio is really much more scary, and powerful, than television or movies.  In fact, I think two of King’s work have translated nicely to radio – Pet Sematary and Salem’s Lot were both radio plays.  The 3D Mist was also a radio like experience that was nicely done.  I also think The Shining, Dolores Claighborn, and IT would all make great radio plays.

Know who I think would do a good job translating King to radio?  A guy named Arch Oboler.  He was reponsible for a program called “Lights Out Everybody.”  If you haven't’ heart it, quickly rush over to Internet Archive and turn out your lights. Unfortunately, he died in 1986.  Bummer!  (1987 -- that means he could have enjoyed Return of the Jedi without the experience being marred by the prequels!)

Nachman calls Oboler the "Edgar Allan Poe of the genre."

King's love for radio, and in particular Arch Oboler, is discussed on pages 314-315 of the hardcover, in a section titled, "Radio Noir -- Cops  and Grave Robbers."

I do not know where Nachman is getting his quotes from King, because I have long wondered  what King thought of Oboler's work.  I was glad to read these few paragraphs.  Check out the entire book, it's wonderful!

About King (and Oboler), Nachman writes the following:

One o the little boys Oboler scared half to death was the postmodern prince of horror, Stephen King, who has called Oboler “the genre’s prime auteur.”  King heard Lights Out reruns in the 1960s on Dimension X, recalling especially Ray Bradbury’s “Mars Is Heaven!”  “I didn’t sleep in my bed that night,” he remembered.  “That night I slept in the doorway, where the real and rational light of the bathroom bulb could shine in my face.  That was the power of radio at its height.”  Oboler, like Hitchcock, loved merging horror and humor into a gross-out giggle.  “Part of Oboler’s real genius was when ‘Chicken Heart’ ended, you felt like laughing and throwing up at the same time.

Oboler, said King, played on two of radio’s prime strengths: “The mind’s innate obedience, its willingness to try to see whatever someone suggests it see, no matter how absurd; the second is the fact that fear and horror and blinding emotions that knock our adult pins from beneath us and leave us groping in the dark like children who cannot find the light switch.  Radio is, of course, the ‘blind’ medium, and only Oboler used it so well or so completely.”  In radio, King obsverved, we never saw the zipper running down the monster’s back.

On TV, King said, The Shadow and Inner Sanctum over described scenes, whereas Oboler relied on speech, sound, and silence to achieve his effects.  He can’t forget the gruesome, “A Day at the Dentist,” in which a dentist extracts revenge from a patient who, years earlier ruined the dentists’s wife when she was a young girl.  With the patient strapped in his chair, the dentist drills a hole in him (“to let out some of lover-boy”), but the audience is left to guess where – his brain?  Heart?  Genitals?  The lone sound of a burrowing drill left listeners very much in the dark indeed.  Iing singles out radio’s ability to unlock the door of evil without “letting the monster out,” as movies or TV or theater would be forced to, because our eyes demand to know what’s behind the door; our ears leave the solution tantalizingly, and horrifyingly, up in the air.  Yet in the hands of a master radio storyteller like Oboler, we don’t feel heated.  We feel challenged. . . and chilled.

The author of The Shining, Carrie, and Misery remembers how, when Inner Sanctum left radio for TV, it finally made the creeding door visible, “And visible, it certainly was horrible enough – slightly askew, festooned with cobwebs – but it was something of a relief, just the same.  Nothing could have looked as horrible as that door sounded. . .”

There were weaknesses in Oboler's writing.  He was particularly fond of the monologue.  I guess in radio, it's one of the few ways to convey what's going on -- but sometimes Oboler's went on-and-on-and-on.

My favorite Arch Oboler "Lights Out" play was titled "Revolt Of The Worms."  (Brian Keene has a book that reminds me of this short radio play.)  The story "Murder Castle" reminds me very much of the documentary about H.H. Holmes, America's First Serial Killer.

Like King, Oboler was incredibly prolific.  He was a fast writer, known to leave a dinner party at 11pm and return at 1am with a finished script.  Where did he get his ideas?  Nachman fills in this interesting detail, "He often got  ideas  from listening to sound effects records, and took special delight in devising grotesque effects.  His scare tactics included the sound of a man frying int he electric chair (sizzling bacon), bones being snapped (spareribs or Life Savers crushed between teeth), heads  being severed (chopped cabbages), a knife slicing through a man's  body (a slab  of pork cut in two) and, most grisly of all, somebody eating human flesh (wet noodles squished with a bathroom plunger.)"

Does this sound familiar: Nachman quotes Oboler, "I didn't write about little green men. .  . monsters with dripping talons and grotesque faces from the special effects department. . . I wrote about the terrors and monsters within each of us."  (Well, he did write about worms!)  But the quote is very close to King saying he is more interested in the characters than the monsters.

From A Buick 8 Journal #2

I'm enjoying From A Buick 8.  I do find that it takes more work to read than other King novels.  Surprisingly, the Buick has some elements of Christine.  I guess haunted cars and alien cars share similarities!  In particular, both cars  have the ability to heal themselves.  It is cool that there are first hand witnesses to the car's slow transformation. It is also interesting that both Christine and From A Buick 8 center on a teenage male.

The novel dives into police culture naturally.  I liked the line that in California police have to write "To Protect and Serve" on the police cars, while more noble Maine police just know it in their hearts.  King gives the police a personal touch, discussing how they seldom talk shop at home -- there are some things only other officers understand; things officers are not comfortable discussing with those outside the circle.

There is a lot of sci-fi here.  Purple lights, a trooper sucked into the trunk and sent. .  . somewhere.  Of course, having read 800+ pages of Under The Dome, I remind myself not to get too excited waiting for an answer as to why or how these things happen.  Why was there a Dome?  King wasn't worried about that! Why was the car left in From A Buick 8?  I'm afraid King might not be to worried about that, either!  

A little like Ray Bradbury, King is never as worried about how things work as the story surrounding them -- and even more important than the story is the characters, to King.  

Day 1 Of Carrie Filming Wraps Up

Mail Online has put together some posts, news and photo's related to the first day of filming on the new Carrie set.  HERE (No pictures of filming actually taking place!)


Mail Online gives this summery:

Chloë Moretz reported for her first day on the Toronto set of the Carrie remake today, it was clear she'd already altered her hair to slip into the skin of the telekinetic teenager in the classic Stephen King horror tale.

Sporting a blonder, washed-out look, the 15-year-old star was seen walking from her trailer in all black - a simple T-shirt and loose Capri pants.

Moretz tweeted: "First day done :) Amazing day.. So happy to be apart of something do exciting :) Day 2 here we go ;)"


Mail Online has also posted a picture of the tweet of the cast dinner.  Cool stuff.

photo credit: Mail Online HERE

A Dozen Movies In 11/22/63

Photo Credit: The Playlist

Jonathan Demme is working on a hosts of projects, including Stephen King’s 11/22/63.  He talked a little about the project with The Playlist.  The entire article is great.  Here is the portion about King:

Finally, Demme is hard at work with Stephen King on an adaptation of the writer’s 2011 novel, “11/22/63,” about a man who travels back in time in an attempt to thwart the assassination of JFK. “Stephen and I are working together on the script right now. After all these years, what I’ve come to understand is don’t plan the script that you’re really thrilled with," he explained. "At the heart of '11/22/63' is this profound, magnificent challenge that our hero is faced with, which is that the past doesn’t want to be changed. Our boy Jake has his work cut out for him if he really wants to change history. He really has to go up against it. And he may or may not succeed."

I really like this quote:

As to whether the film’s storyline will wind up the same as the novel, Demme in non-committal. “You never know. There’s a dozen movies in '11/22/63.' We’re finding the one that we think is kind of the best of all. And Stephen is wide open. The book is the book. The movie will be something different. It’s great fun working with him.”

A dozen movies in 11/22/63 !  That's so true, though I never thought of it that way.  The thing could be an entire series!  It is a sci-fi, romance, political thriller, alternate history, action story.

The article is titled, "Jonathan Demme Says ‘Zeitoun’ Still Need Financing, Talks Adapting Stephen King's ’11/22/63’ by Jeff Otto.  HERE.

LA Times Remainders Article

I enjoyed Steve Hochman's article in the LA times about the Rock Bottom Remainders last show.

The article notes that it's been a good seven years since King has played with the Remainders, and "he's been practicing."  I'll bet!

King tells the story of Amy Tan getting kicked out of an L.A. hotel because the manager thought she was a working girl.  She was wearing a skintight cat suit,which she wears  when doing "These  Boots Are Made For Walking."

The article also includes a story about Stephen King giving Amy Tan's husband, Louis DeMattei, a kick.  (I'm not reposting it here, so you have to read the article.)

And then there's the weirdo's!

Barry also recalls King singing "Teen Angel" at a show in Nashville when a woman approached the stage, hands raised and flames rising from all 10 fingernails.

"I thought, 'Wow, Stephen's fans can be scary,'" he says. "Ridley came over and whispered in my ear, 'I don't ever want to be that famous.'"

King notes, "She probably was not strictly 100% sober. And Dave is careful to tell the audiences, 'The drunker you get, the better we sound.'"

The full article is HERE.

Glenn Chadbourn Guest Honor At 2013 World Horror Convention

Image Credit: Glennchadborne.com

This is from The Lincoln County News (Here)

Chadbourne Named World Horror Convention Guest Of Honor

The Horror Writers Association is proud to announce Glenn Chadbourne as the Artist Guest of Honor for the 2013 World Horror Convention (WHC) 2013.

In 2013, the HWA is hosting the convention as part of the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend in New Orleans from June 13-16.

Chadbourne is a freelance artist specializing in the horror/dark fantasy genres. His artwork has appeared in over 50 books and well as numerous magazines, comics, and computer games. His trademark pen and ink illustrations have accompanied the works of today's best-selling horror writers, most notably Stephen King.

He created the extensive artwork that appears in both volumes of King's "The Secretary of Dreams," as well as PS Publishing's edition of "The Colorado Kid." Chadbourne has a long-standing relationship with Cemetery Dance Publications where a great body of his work can be seen in various books published by the company.

For more than 20 years, Chadbourne has contributed weekly illustrations for The Lincoln County News. He lives in Newcastle, with his wife, Sheila.

For more information, visit his website at www.glennchadbourne.com.
"Glenn Chadbourne is a quiet achiever with a truly unique artistic style," said HWA president Rocky Wood. "I am fortunate to know him well. He is a character; a Mainer through and through, and a true gentleman.

The FULL ARTICLE IS HERE

King Story Included In A Book Of Horrors

One of Britain's most acclaimed and experienced anthologists of horror fiction, Stephen Jones, has put together an original anthology of horror and dark fantasy titled, “A Book Of Horrors.”  It includes Stephen King’s story, “The Little Green God of Agony.”

The book is set to be published June 26th.

Cemetery Dance writes:

here is an original anthology of horror and dark fantasy in all its many and magnificent guises—from classic pulp-style tales of Dark and Stormy Nights, through more contemporary and psychological terrors, to the type of cutting-edge fiction that only the very best horror fiction can deliver. 

. . . Here are many of the authors who have helped shaped the genre in all of its forms, along with terrifying tales of unease by a new generation of storytellers devoted to the Dark Side.

Table of Contents:
"Introduction: Whatever Happened To Horror?" by Stephen Jones
"The Little Green God of Agony" by Stephen King
"Charcloth, Firesteel and Flint" by Caitlín R. Kiernan
"Ghosts With Teeth" by Peter Crowther
"The Coffin-Maker's Daughter" by Angela Slatter
"Roots and All" by Brian Hodge
"Tell Me I'll See You Again" by Dennis Etchison
"The Music Of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer" by John Ajvide Lindqvist
"Getting It Wrong" by Ramsey Campbell
"Alice Through The Plastic Sheet" by Robert Shearman
"The Man In The Ditch" by Lisa Tuttle
"A Child's Problem" by Reggie Oliver
"Sad, Dark Thing" by Michael Marshall Smith
"Near Zennor" by Elizabeth Hand
"Last Words" by Richard Christian Matheson

you can purchase it HERE

Superman's Girlfriend Killed Pennywise

My daughter is watching Superman III.  The plot is. . . well, what it is.  It's neat to see Christopher Reeves playing Superman/Kent.  Superman returns home to Smallville and is reunited with his old crush, Lana Lang.

Watching Lanna, I kept thinking, "Why is she so familiar?"  I asked my wife, "Who is that?"  My wife said, "Well, you'd know her because she starred in the Stephen King adaptation of IT.  She's the adult version of Beverly Marsh."  OH!

Back to Superman III.  I forgot how funny Richard Pryor is.  This movie is actually very silly; almost slap stick.  But I like it.  Maybe because I had no expectations, I'm left enjoying it.  And, it has one big thing going for it -- it's not Superman 4.

By the way, O'Toole also played Martha Kent in Smallville.  No  wonder she was able to kill Pennywise. . . she was Superman's girlfriend, and his mama.  (in that strange order, mind you).

Stephen King’s Discarded Novel

Whadda know. . . on a week where most of the King news will be about the Rock Bottom Remainders, here's an interesting event: Four authors are reading portions of a story they collaborated on.

The set up  for the story is as follows:

The Stephen King novel that was so bad that he threw it in the trash behind a run-down McDonald’s in Bangor, Maine. But four writers fished it out, wiped off the Big Mac grease stains, put the pages in order and are proud to present it to you.

Each writer will be reading the section they created.

The  writers are: Saara Dutton, Daniel Guzman, Michael Maiello and Peter Olson.

The full article and event details are HERE.

According to the Daruma Eye blog, there is also a Trivia Contest where you can win “Things We Found In Carrie White’s High School Locker."  (I know nothing more about that!  Nor do I want anything found in Carrie White's locker!)

For those who ask -- that is parody.  Stephen King did not throw away a novel outside Micky-D's!  But the authors are attempting to write in his style.

Details About The Remainders Last Concert

HERE are some details and ticket information about the Rock Bottom Remainders last concert.

There is also a listing of things you can buy.  Of  particular interest is a book (books?) signed by all the authors for $300.

photo credit: Jane Kortright

Stephen King is quoted:

"A few years ago, Bruce Springsteen told us we weren't bad, but not to try to get any better otherwise we'd just be another lousy band. After 20 years, we still meet his stringent requirements. For instance, while we all know what 'stringent' means, none of us have yet mastered an F chord." King adds, "I'm looking forward to reuniting with all my bandmates. We're older but not dead. Some of us can remember all of the words; all of us can remember some of the words; but NONE of us can remember all of the music. That's why they call it rock and roll."

 $40 -- Concert Only (doors open at 7:30 pm)
$200 -- Concert + Pre-reception with the band (6:30-7:30 pm)
$295 -- Concert + Reception + signed lithograph by the all in the band (illustration by David Horsey)
$150 -- Signed lithograph (includes shipping in the US)
$300 -- Signed books by all participating band members (includes shipping in the US)

HERE is the Remainders page for Stephen King.

Anything Special For The Remainders?

When Dave Barry was asked if the Rock Bottom Remainders would be playing anything special  for its final two gigs, he responded:

"Well, I don't know if I can tell you this, it's pretty hush-hush," Barry said. "But there's a big rumor going around that we might attempt to have Stephen King sing the Trashmen's garage-rock classic, `Surfin' Bird.' How many chances will you have to hear that?" 

Books I Didn't

Why do we quit reading a book?  Often we don't really plan to -- we set it aside and think, "read more later."  But later gets consumed with another book we find more interesting.  It is then hard to get back into the old book.  Sometimes we stop because the book just wasn't connecting with  us.  I find that often true of Bachman books -- I have to try harder.  

Books I Didn't Finish

• TheTalisman.  Though I promised a friend I'd read it soon.
• Lisey's Story.  
• Cell.  I have no excuses -- except the library wanted their CD's back.
• Dreamcatcher.  Loved the beginning, but got stumped somewhere.  Then I watched the movie . . .
• Roadwork
• Rose Madder  (the tapes melted in my car.)
• The Dark Half (The CD's got messed  up. . . sound familiar)
• Danse Macabre.  I reference it all the time,  it has a very good index.  

Books I Haven't Read

• The Long Walk
• Black House
• Wind Through The Keyhole
• Cujo
• Insomnia
• The Girl  Who Loved Tom Gordon
• The Library Policeman
• The Regulators

Other Books I Quit Before The End:

• Lucifers Hammer
• Safely Home
• Mark Twain's autobiography (it's a billion pages)
• Carl Sandberg's Lincoln.  But it's good!
• The Grapes Of Wrath.  I did see the movie, does that count?  And I love the writing.
• Baal.  Did not have the magic that Swan Song had.
• Several Charles Dicken's books.  Most notably, Bleak House.  My favorite Dickens is Great Expectations.  
• A Study In Scarlet.  Usually I love Sherlock Holmes, but this novel mystifies me.
• Something Wicked This Way Comes.  
• The Day Kennedy Was Shot.  I, uh, came to the conclusion I knew how it ended.
• The Beast Within.  I bought a hard copy after I threw away the paperback.  I wanted a copy to save when I realized: This might be the worst book I've read.  

From A Buick 8 Journal #1

I started From A Buick 8 last week.  I was anxious to get to  this book,  partly because I know so little  about it.  It's about. . . a car.  It's not Christine. That's what I knew.

Now, since this is a journal, not a review, I am going to admit that I'm struggling with this book.  That's frustrating, because I so looked forward to it.

The book is told from the first person, with multiple points of view.  This gets a little  bit confusing.  And it's unclear why there are multiple points of view.  In Dolores Claiborne, the reason for the first person account was explained: It was a confession.  In 11/22/63, the first person approach was taken because it was a journal.  Of  course,  first person doesn't always have to have a "purpose" beyond the authors desire to write in first person!  But, when multiple points of view are employed, the reader is left wonder -- why are all these people talking to me?  Is this a scrap book?  Is this testimony?  It is hard to keep up with who is narrating which portion of the story.  There are moments when I'm asking myself, "What's happening?"

None of this is deadly to  the novel.  It just doesn't come out swinging, for me.

That said, the characters are extremely likable.  The story is engaging, and that gives lots of hope.  King gives us dogs and teens, two things we love and King is gifted at giving.  Add to that a really cool car -- a mystery car, and this should be a lot of fun.

I really enjoyed the scene where the police went over the car.  Things just don't make sense with this car.  Of course, it raises the question to the reader: If this is an alien car, why didn't the alien's know more about cars?  They didn't disguise it very well!

Quigley issues two new ebooks

Good news!  Author Kevin Quigley has just released two more books through Cemetery Dance. He is also  the keeper of one of the coolest King sites out there, Charnel House. CD also links to amazon,  if you prefer to get ebooks in their format (I like that best.)

This Terrestrial Hell is a collection of eleven short stories.  I like these descriptions of the stories: "A young girl dangles her feet high above a fathomless pool filled with dead things. A murderous carny worker falls victim to a ringleader’s diabolical experiments. And a half-lit basement, where the tools of a maniac’s extreme weight-loss program are a cage, a knife … and a wet/dry vacuum."

You  can buy it HERE.

Surf's Up is a collection of poetry in which Quigley, "channels his mordant obsessions – dark romance, psychosis, destruction, and Los Angeles – into incisive, often chilling poetry and verse. Surf’s Up dives in deeper, and finds only darkness beneath the waves."

  You can buy Surf's Up HERE.


Check out my interview with Kevin Quigley HERE.

The People vs. George Lucas

ANNIE WILKES ATTACKS GEORGE LUCAS

Annie Wilkes is alive and well.  She's apparently a Star Wars fan.  And you thought Annie was dead!

I'm watching "The People vs. George Lucas" and loving it.  Now, to be clear, these  people are crazy.  Very crazy.  Most of them feel George Lucas betrayed them and personally set out to cause them pain and suffering.  But, at a core level I don't want to admit. . . I agree with these people.  Not that George Lucas ruined my life, but that there are a few problems with Star Wars -- the prequels in particular.

One of the scenes is a parody of Misery, in which a red haired woman wheels George Lucas into a room and announces it's a big day for George.  What's going on?  "You're new studio, silly.   So you can keep writing Star Wars.  You're going to rewrite episode three George.  But this time, you are going to do it correctly.  You're going to make it the way I want to see  it."  There is a final scene in which George and the red haired woman fight it out.

Director Alexandre O. Philippe gives the fans lots  of room to complain.  And complain they do!  For starters, they complain that Lucas added scenes.  They complain that he changed scenes; in particular, Greedo shot first.  OH MY!  That gets people going.  The fans complain that the frames are

The fans also complain about the prequels.  A lot of stuff I totally agree with.  Yes, mesa hates Jar Jar Binks.  I thought the Darth Vader "Nooooo" at the end of Episode 3 was the realm of melodrama.  Mediclorines (no, I do not know how to spell that), were also dumb.  But, it didn't ruin my life!

I like the documentary, simply because it pays tribute to the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special.  Of course, my favorite part is princess Leia singing.

STEPHEN KING

Like Goerge Lucas, Stephen King has taken more than a few liberties with his work.  In particular, two works stand out -- and they're huge.  In fact, the two biggest fan bases in the world of Stephen King are the two area's he has reworked; The Stand and The Dark Tower.

Now here's the thing, I like the changes.  I like the rewrite of Dark Tower 1.  I like the expanded version of The Stand.  In fact, if anything, I think the works King has rewritten could stand even more revisions.  Simple things -- like prices in The Stand were dated even by 1990's standards.

I think the artist maintains the right to keep working on something all they want -- because it ultimately belongs to them, not us.

Know where King fans really go crazy?  MOVIES!  Oh my. . . King fans get really uptight when a King movie comes out.  "Better not mess thsi up!" Fans will warn.  As if it is possible to mess a story up.  See, here's the deal: No matter  how much a book is revised -- it's still there.  King has said this, and I buy this argument hook line and sinker.

You can't ruin  the story because it exists in a form that can't be taken away.  In fact, you cans till read the original version of The Stand. . . if you want!  I did a couple years ago (and kept a journal).  It was a joy -- but I still like the revisions more than the edited. 

So, though I complain sometimes -- bring it on!

• Give us expanded versions.
• Give us re-edited books.
• Give us remakes of the reamkes of the remakes.

Just please. . . please. . . please.  . . let the children of the corn die.

Now, if I could just find a picture of Stephen King in carbonite. . .

STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL:

By the way,  why do the Wookie's have clothes  on their home planet, but run around the galaxy naked? Anyway, here is the princess' special song.  (3:35)  The whole thing is posted  at youtube.

The Shawshank Tree

The "Shawshank Tree" ripped in half
Photo credit HERE

In 2011, the oak tree featured in The Shawshank Redemption, was badly damaged.  Katlin, at twobackpacksoneworld.com, wrote that she visited Malabar Farm,

home of the famous “Shawshank Tree.” The tree was used in the 1994 film Shawshank Redemption and was ripped in half by strong winds during a storm in July 2011.  (Her blog is HERE) 

Todd Hill has an interesting article at Mansfield News Journal titled, "'Shawshank' and its damaged tree have achieved cinematic immortality." (HERE)

About the tree, Hill writes:

The Pleasant Valley oak tree, a victim of straight-line winds, may or may not survive. I hope it does. But I highly doubt this tree cares a whit about being prominently placed in one of today’s most cherished motion pictures, and if the tree is soon no more I think tabloid readers in London and website visitors in India will get over its loss without much fuss.

Now. . . aren'tcha glad ya know all that? Just building up material for  someone to use on a commentary track!

Why is Shawshank So popular?

The fun part of the article  is Hill discussing what makes Shawshank such a popular film.  Is it destined to be a "classic" of the genre?  Why is it so popular?

Of course, asking this question is like asking what makes certain kids in high school so popular.  Who really knows!

Hill suggests that we love it because it's been shown so many times on television.  He writes, "The cable TV network TNT has shown “The Shawshank Redemption” about once every two months since 1997. I think this explains more than anything the movie’s enduring popularity."

The Stephen King Universe Flowchart

This is pretty cool!   King fan, and blogger, Tessiegirl, created a flow chart of connections between the King novels -- minus the Dark Tower.  Her blog is HERE.

wouldn't IT be cool if

Photo credit HERE
Georgie McNuggets anyone?

With news of a new IT movie coming out -- in two installments -- I  decided to offer up some of my thoughts.  I offer these for free (FREE) to Hollywood.  You're so welcome!

1. There is no need to remake the entire IT movie.  IT was made as a mini-series, and half of it is pretty good!  How about this. . . just re-film the parts with the adults.  

2. There is no need to re-script the novel, the mini-series script did it justice.  It was special effects and some acting that made it. . . well, a little lame.  Not big time lame, no sir!  But just a little. . . not as cool as it could have been.  Can you use an old script?  I mean, why not?  It was actually pretty faithful to the book, and worked through some of the problems in an acceptable way.

3. Could we please have Tim Curry again?  Don't care if he's old now and has to do this with a cane -- he was awesome.  The scariest clown ever.

4. Don't forget 11.22.63.  Woldn't it be cool if the scene in 11.22.63, where Jack meets Bev and Richie, appeared in the IT movie?  I mean, that wold be beyond coolified.

5. Please keep  the years right!  There was talk of moving the past scenes up to the 80's, and then the scenes where  they are adults up to the present.  RESIST!  The stuff from the 50's was so cool!  

Stephen King Will Mess With Your Head 2

Stephen King said that he was shopping, when he suddenly imagined a huge dinosaur flying through the store.  That thought, image, became The Mist.  Now, when I go shopping. . . I see a huge dinosaur flying through the store.

Did Pennywise mess up clowns for anyone?

Do you get a chill when you see a Plymouth Fury?

Carrie has ruined quite a few proms.

There are some things you can't see quite the same.  Anyone own a Saint Bernard?  Know Craig Toomy?  Anyone jump when their cellphone rings?  Is the Stanley Hotel really haunted, or did Stephen King just convince America the old place is full of spooks?

Fancast: Interview With Walla Director

Check out the Stephen King Fancast interview with Christopher Birk, director of Willa.

(Welcome back, Fancast!  We've missed ya.)

Here's  the summery:

On this episode, I am joined by the Director of the “Willa” adaptation, Christopher Birk. We discuss the “Willa” short story from “Just After Sunset,” and the making of Chris’ film adaptation of “Willa.” Should you be interested in finding out more info on the film, you can watch the trailer below and visit the Official Website, at Alphatree Productions

The interview is HERE. 

Scott Turrow on The Rock Bottom Remainders

KCRW has an interview with author Scott Turrow (part of their guest DJ project).  Turrow discussed a little bit about the Rock Bottom Remainders.

Below is the part about the Remainders.

EJL: Now, talk about the Rock Bottom Remainders and some of the other people and how it all kinda came about and how you all sort of fit together. 

ST: Well the band was brought together by; the late and greatly beloved, Kathi Goldmark, who was an author’s escort in San Francisco. Kathy, who is one of the most fun loving people that’s ever walked this planet, realized that she had a lot of authors she was squaring around who loved rock music and she put together a sort of cover band of writers and it all came together when Stephen King agreed that he would do it. But, uh, the band is: Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Stephen, Greg Iles, Amy Tan, Ridley Pearson, James McBride, Roy Blunt. Some of those people are real musicians and they have me on stage just to prove that they don’t take themselves seriously.

The full transcript is HERE.

IT to be two movies

photo credit: HERE

Variety reports that the new theatrical version of IT has been making some progress. (Article is HERE)  Warner Brothers has selected Cary Fukunaga and co-write the script with Chase Palmer.  Palmer did the new adaptation of DUNE.

Variety also makes it clear  that Warner Brothers sees this as an important project, writing:

A quarter of Warner-based producers -- Roy Lee, Dan Lin and the team of Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg via their Katz-Smith banner -- are producing the long-in-development project.

The article notes that the book bounces between 1958 and 1985.  Of course, there was earlier talk of moving the action up to the 80's and current -- thus cutting the 50's out.  I hope they stay true to the book on this one!

Kevin Jagernauth writes at The Playlist:

before he gets to telling the tale of about a bunch of bullied kids, a shape-shifting demon clown, and what they have to face 30 years later, Fukunaga will first knock out his exciting HBO series "True Detective" with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. We're big fans of Fukunaga, and moreso because, like many of our favorite directors, he's curious about doing things he's never tried before. Fukunaga's take on a King horror story? Yep, we'd love to see it.

Stephen King On The Death Of Ray Bradbury

"Ray Bradbury wrote three great novels and three hundred great stories. One of the latter was called 'A Sound of Thunder.' The sound I hear today is the thunder of a giant's footsteps fading away. But the novels and stories remain, in all their resonance and strange beauty."

Stephen King
stephenking.com

Ray Bradbury Dies

AP reported that Ray Bardbury died in Los Angeles Tuesday night at the age of 91.

Bradbury is best known for his novel “Fahrenheit 451", which a lot of us had to read in school.  He also wrote short stories and poetry.  His show, The Ray Bradbury Theater, was a blast!  I loved it.

According to the AP article, he was active into his 90s, writing everyday in the basement office of his home.  His wife Maggie died in 2003; they were married in 1947.  Together they had four daughters and eight grandchildren.  It takes a real man to raise girls!

His website described his office:

Ray's office is in his basement, a fascinating warren of rooms beneath his Los Angeles home. In the main room, you can see Ray's desk and typewriter where he works every day. The room is lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, but as you can see, the shelves hold much more than books. There are toys, stuffed animals, masks from around the world, gifts from fans, and souvenirs picked up over the years having to do with books, theater, television, and film. 

He scripted the 1956 film version of Moby Dick and wrote “I sing the body electric” for the Twilight Zone.  Plans were in hand to use Bradbury more for Twilight zone, but never materialized.  He also wrote for Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

HERE is a listing of all his work in chronological order.

Bradbury designed Spaceship Earth for  Disney's Epcot.  A crater on the moon was named after one of his stories "Dandelion Crater" as part of the 1971 Apollo 15 moon landing.  (HERE)

According to Raybradbury.com, Bradbury was awarded the National Book Foundation's 2000 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, an the National Medal of Arts in 2004.

Yahoo News cites  Texas A&M Commerce English Professor Robin Ann Reid, "The universe is a little emptier right now . . . There's less of that sense of joy and exulation that he was writing in his works all the way to the end."

The Yahoo article also notes:

Bradbury recently wrote a short essay responding to his favorite Snoopy comic strip about how much rejection he faced when he first began writing. "Starting when I was fifteen I began to send short stories to magazines like Esquire, and they, very promptly, sent them back two days before they got them! I have several walls in several rooms of my house covered with the snowstorm of rejections, but they didn't realize what a strong person I was; I persevered and wrote a thousand more dreadful short stories, which were rejected in turn," he wrote.

Bradbury said on his 80th birthday,

"The great fun in my life has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter because some new idea has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the same as it was when I was twelve. In any event, here I am, eighty years old, feeling no different, full of a great sense of joy, and glad for the long life that has been allowed me. I have good plans for the next ten or twenty years, and I hope you'll come along." 

Stephen King and Ray Bradbury:

Stephen King was born in 1947, the same year Bradbury’s first book was published.

Both King and Bradbury  have had close connections to  Hollywood, often writing scripts for their own works.

Crumley at Bradbury’s message board noted this:

There is no doubt that King is an admirer of Ray - even if his work is not really in the same vein. DANSE MACABRE makes many praising references to Ray. "My first experience of real horror came at the hands of Ray Bradbury," King writes, and describes how as a boy he listened with delightful terror to a radio play of 'Mars is Heaven'. King also comments on how Bradbury is peerless: "But for me, Bradbury lives and works alone in his own country, and his remarkable, iconoclastic style has never been successfully imitated. Vulgarly put, when God made Ray Bradbury, He broke the mold."

Elements of Bradbury's work (especially of the earlier, darker stories) can be seen in King's work - sometimes in theme (eg. the dark flipside of human nature, the way that evil is sometimes the victor), and sometimes in style (eg. black humour, eerie & surreal landsapes). To anyone who reads both authors, the influence is clear.”

Check out the 2:50 mark of Bradbury's biographer, Sam  Weller, as he discuses Bradbury's influence on Stephen King. "He told me, that it was his first encounter at the hands of fear was because of Ray Bradbury."

TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE BRADBURY STORY

I have three favorites.  First, I loved the short novel The Martian Chronicles.  Originally, Bradbury said he had a bunch of short stories about Mars, but when he came to Los Angeles, no one wanted to publish short stories.  So he wove them into a single story.  It is delightful; both novel and poetry, the writing is awesome.  For just a taste of it, check out the section titled “Rocket Summer.”

I also loved the book of short stories, The Illustrated Man.  These short stories are bound together by a mans tattoos, which are alive and moving as they tell stories.  The Velt is pretty good in that set.

And, I enjoyed his 1962 collection, R is for Rocket.  (Along the same lines as S is for Space.)  Bradbury short stories are just fun.  That’s how all his work is – delightful and fun.

The joy spills off the page and touches the reader.  He never spends (spent) long explaining how things work, he just leapt through the story itself.  I loved it!  He was very much a “don’t bother me with the details” type author.  How can a spacship do that, Mr. Bradbury?  No worries. . . he just writes on.

Jerry O'Connell to play Herman Munster

Jerry O'Connell, who played Vern Tessio in Stephen King's Stand By Me, has been signed to play Herman Munster in the NBC reboot, "Mockingbird Lane."  The role of Herman Munster  was made famous by Fred Gwynne, who co-starred in Pet Sematary.  He was great in both!

Deadline describes the pilot’s premise as follows:
O’Connell will play the family patriarch, the handsome and gangly Herman Munster, a great dad and a devoted husband. He is married to Lily, a vampire, with whom he has fathered a 10-year-old boy, Eddie (Mason Cook). Strong but sentimental, Herman works at a funeral home and worries that Eddie’s transformation into a werewolf and burgeoning awareness of his family’s origins will crush the boy’s spirit.

The 10,001st Fan Votes

The Long Walk (Joey Remmers)
photo credit HERE

Did you vote at Lilja's Library's poll, asking fans what their favorite novel was?  The project was titled, "10,000 fans" in which he explained that a list of ranked the King books. Problem was, a lot of fans did not like the ranking!  Well, Lilja decided to put the issue right in the people's hands, declaring that 10,000 fans can't be wrong!  The results were interesting, if not predictable -- since we all know which King novel would get picked by the fans, right?

The final results are HERE.

However, I remembered an interview in which Lilja shared his own favorite novel. . . and guess what, it wasn't even in the top ten.  This made me wonder, what is are Lilja's top favorite Stephen King books?  He kindly shared with me his 5 favorite books -- making him the 10,001st fan to cast their vote.

Lilja wrote: "My top five is: 

1. The long walk 

2. The stand

3. IT 

4. The Talisman 

4. The Dark Tower 3 (The Wastelands.)

Cool stuff, huh!  I like how it spans King's work, too.  IT and The Stand are both fan favorites, while The Long Walk is a Bachman, The Talisman a genre of its own and of course  there had to be a Dark Tower in the lot.  

ALA:Rock Bottom Remainders last performance.

American Library Association has confirmed in a press release that the June 23rd "Past Our Bedtime" tour will be the Rock Bottom Remainders last concert.

HERE is the Rock Bottom Remainders website.

Here is the ALA press release:

The Rock Bottom Remainders band has announced that the concert at American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference, part of the “Past Our Bedtime” tour, will be its last ever. This news was released with the sad news that their founder Kathi Kamen Goldmark (who was to have performed with them at ALA) passed away in late May. It is a special honor for ALA to host this landmark event.


“By day, they’re authors. Really famous authors. But once a year they shed their pen- and-pencil clutching personas and become rock stars, complete with roadies, groupies and a wicked cool tour bus.” The ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash proudly welcomes the Rock Bottom Remainders for this special last-ever performance at 2012 ALA Annual Conference at 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 23 in the Anaheim (Calif.) Convention Center Arena.


The Rock Bottom Remainders has included some of today's most shining literary lights. Among them, they've published more than 150 titles, sold more than 150 million books and been translated into more than 25 languages. Scheduled to appear now at the ALA/ProQuest Scholarship Bash are Stephen King, Amy Tan, Mitch Albom, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, Scott Turow, Ridley Pearson, Greg Iles, James McBride, Roy Blount, Jr. and Sam Barry. Roger McGuinn of The Byrds joins the band as special musical guest.


Of the upcoming ALA concert, Dave Barry, co-lead guitarist says, “We love the ALA, and we love librarians. We love them so much that, for this performance, we're going to try to actually learn the songs before we play them.”


The group, founded by Goldmark, first appeared at the 1992 American Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim. Hailed by critics as having “one of the world’s highest ratios of noise to talent,” the Remainders have no music videos and no record contracts, but do have around 160,000 hits on Google. They have one original song, “Proofreading Woman,” and have generally performed covers of favorite songs—you can find videos on YouTube.


The money raised from this year's Bash will provide scholarships for graduate students in library and information studies, including Spectrum. Tickets are $25 (nonrefundable) and are going fast. You must register for the conference (or log in if you have already registered) in order to purchase tickets.

Honk's Review Of: In The Tall Grass

I enjoyed the recent short story segment "In the Tall Grass," written by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill.  I would write a review, but honestly. .  . absolutely everything I would say about it was already said by my friend Bryant Burnette.  He posted a review that hit the nail right on the head at his blog "Ramblings Of A Honk Mahfah."

So, this is reposted from Ramblings Of A Honk Mahfah with Bryant's gracious permission.

A Brief Review of "In theTall Grass" (Part 1 of 2) by Stephen King and Joe Hill 

by Bryant Burnette


Here is what I'm prepared to tell you about "In the Tall Grass":

(1) It is a new novella written by Stephen King and Joe Hill.

(2) It is being published in two parts, the first of which appears in the June/July 2012 issue (on newsstands now!), the second of which will appear in the August 2012 issue.

(3) It is, based on Part 1, a good vintage-style high-concept horror story, of the sort which was once a King specialty. It has since, arguably, become something of a Hill specialty.

and 

(4) It is, based on Part 1, well worth your time.

What I'm about to say next may shock you. It probably won't, but it may, especially if you are very easily shocked (i.e., if you are shocked by things like low low prices at the Walmart, or when Don cheats on someone on Mad Men, or when eating beans gives you the poots).

So if those things shock you, you'll almost certainly be shocked by the following recommendation: do not read Part 1 of "In the Tall Grass"!

*gasp*!!!!!

That's right, I'm advising you NOT to read a Stephen King/Joe Hill story. Even more shocking, I'm advising you not to read a King/Hill story that I very much enjoyed.

*GASP*!!!!!

Why would I make such a blatantly contradictory recommendation? Simple: because Part 1 of this story ends with no resolution whatsoever, and it's going to be two fucking months before you get to find out what happens in that titular tall grass. So, really, it's not so much that I'm recommending that you not read the story; I'm just recommending that you wait two months and then read it all in one go.

"In the Tall Grass" is the story of a pair of siblings, Cal and Becky DeMuth, who are on a road trip. They are very close, and act very much as most twins I have known act. While tooling along in Kansas with the radio off and the windows down, they hear a child shouting for help. The child is apparently lost inside a big field of tall grass, and they decide to help.

That's all you're getting out of me.

I very much enjoyed the first part of the story. It's well-written, funny, scary, and ... incomplete. See, thing is, I just can't judge it in this form; without knowing how it turns out, I don't know how to feel about the story. Did I enjoy reading Part 1? Absolutely. Do I anticipate that Part 2 will reward my patience? I do.

But I suspect that most readers -- be they King fans, Hill fans, fans of both, or fans of neither -- will mostly be more satisfied if they digest "In the Tall Grass" as a complete work, not as a serial one.

This, of course, should not stop you from buying a copy of the current issue of Esquire. It's got other goodies, including a short but highly interesting interview with Hill wherein he talks about the process of collaborating with his father. There's also an illuminating interview with Bruce Willis -- see him on the cover? -- in which he sounds, frankly, like a total douche. Or, possibly, like the coolest guy ever. Maybe even both.

So, if you're inclined, give it a buy. And then sit on it for a couple of months; I'm guessing you'll be glad you did (in BOTH cases).

The Running Man's Richard Dawson dies

Richard Dawson, known to Stephen King fans as the game show host Damon Killian in the horrific "Running man" movie died Saturday, June 3, 2012.

The choice of Dawson as a game show host was perfect, since he gave a decade of his life to Family Feud.  He also played Corporal Peter Newkirk in the World War II comedy series Hogan's Heros for six years.  According to ABC, He also appeared as a celebrity panellist on a number of TV game shows, including the popular Match Game, and those appearances eventually led to his hosting duties on Family Feud. The ABC article is HERE.

HERE is his IMDb profile.

The PENNYWISE band

John Tuckness has a slideshow posted at examiner.com (HERE) of the Pennywise band.  The band gets its name from the monster in Stephen King’s novel IT.

The article (taken from wikipedia) reads:

Pennywise is a Californian punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California, formed in 1988. The name is derived from the monster, It, from the Stephen King novel of the same title. 

Between their 1991 self-titled debut and 2005's The Fuse, Pennywise had released an album every two years on Epitaph Records, a label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. To date, the band has released ten full-length studio albums (the last being 2012's All or Nothing), one live album, two EPs and one DVD. Although their first two studio albums were critically acclaimed, Pennywise would not experience worldwide commercial success until the 1995 release of their third studio album, About Time, which peaked at number ninety-six on the Billboard 200, and number fifty-five on Australia's ARIA Charts. The band's mainstream success was signified by a growing interest in punk rock during the 1990s, along with fellow California bands NOFX, Rancid, Blink-182, Bad Religion, Green Day, The Offspring and Sublime. By 2007, the band had independently sold over 3 million records worldwide, making them one of the most successful independent punk acts of all time. (wiki)

I wonder if they have a song titled, "THEY FLOAT!"

Carrie: The Mother Of All Prom Horror Flicks

I enjoyed Brian Truitt's USA Today article, titled, “Horror films squeeze the life out of proms.”

What King story could have come to Mr.Truitt’s mind as he penned this article?  Perhaps. . .  CARRIE?!

Truitt cites Scott Weinberg from FEARnet.com as saying that the prom is an ideal backdrop for horror movies, and that it is “surprising that more movies haven't mined the theme.”  More movies haven’t mined the theme?  Well, Carrie alone has mined the theme!  She’s stayed at it with adaptations in the 70's, 80's, 90's and right past Y2K (remember that?)  to the present day – she’s still mining the theme!

Carrie gets around.  Let’s see, just off the top of my head, Carrie has been:

• A book
• A movie
• A TV movie
• A Broadway musical
• A play
• A teen play about bullying
• now a new movie that promises to be more faithful to the source material.

If we go with the quick count, then there have been at least seven different versions of Carrie.  That means this one story alone has ruined the prom 7 times.

Truitt compares the theme’s found in Carrie to the new movie The Loved Ones, writing:

The original is a classic, with Sissy Spacek's bullied title character having her one shining prom moment ruined by a bucket of pig blood (though she exracts revenge). The Loved Ones is a similar story of "a girl who never really had a chance because she had such a messed-up socialization," says first-time writer/director Sean Byrne. "It's a candy nightmare."

Truitt goes  on to discuss with Weinberg the upcoming Carrie remake, citing Weinberg as saying that he thinks the new crew will "do justice to the original which remains the mother of all prom horror flicks."

Weinberg  said:

"That slaughter in the gymnasium is pretty crazy," he says. "De Palma, love him or hate him, lets you know visually they're trapped. They're all going to die. You expect her to get her revenge, but I don't know, man, that's pretty harsh." 

So, tell me. .  . was Carrie's revenge too "harsh"?  My vote is no!  But I did like the TV remake a lot, which added a hopeful ending and some likable  side characters.

The full article is HERE.

REPOST : 1978 The Stand Journal 7: Spiritual Tones

I am re-posting this.  CNN has an article on King and religion (HERE) in which I am quoted discussing children, Stephen King and faith.  


There are spoilers here. In particular, I am looking at the spiritual tones of Chapter 36 .

The Stand is an intensely spiritual novel. That is obvious just from the cover, which shows good and evil hacking it out. Later editions of the paperback have also included a horse and rider; reference the horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The 1978 edition walks you slowly toward the spiritual elements. The uncut version is quicker to the draw. King calls the book in his introduction a "long tale of dark Christianity."

King gave John Marks at Salon an interview in October of 2008. In that interview he discussed at some length the spiritual elements of The Stand. (HERE) 

Important to the discussion at hand, King says: "It's an effort to say, let's give God his due here. Too often, in novels that are speculative, God is a kind of kryptonite, and that's about all that it is, and it goes back to Dracula, where someone dumps a crucifix in Count Dracula's face, and he pulls away and runs back into his house. That's not religion. That's some kind of juju, like a talisman. I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to explore what that means to be able to rise above adversity by faith, because it's something most of us do every day."

TYPES -- Abagail and Moses:

Mother Abagail is a type of Moses. Typology in the -- theological sense -- explores connections between the Old and New Testament. Usually the study draws between old Testament characters/objects and the Messiah. Thus Noah, Moses, The Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, are all types of Christ. This is not exclusive, though. John the Baptist is a type of Elijah.

I am not reading the Moses theme into the book. It's there! First, it's in the text itself. Mother Abagail references the burning bush account in detail. Like Moses, she is humble and does not consider herself worthy of the task. But she is also smart enough to know that it would be unwise to argue with God.

If Mother Abagail will not argue or curse God, Frannie is not so timid! When told of the Stand, Fran bursts out with, "Killer God!. . . Millions, maybe billion -- dead in the plague. Millions more afterward. We don't even know if the children will live. Isn't He done yet? Does it just go on and on? He's no God, He's a demon, and you're His witch!" p.613

Abagail says about going to Colorado: "I've been told in a dream by the Lord God. I didn't want to listen. I"m an old woman, and all I want to do is die on this little piece of land. It's been my family's freehold for a hundred and twelve years, but I wasn't meant to die here any more than Moses was meant to go over into Canaan with the Children of Israel." p.337

Mother Abagail also heals Fran as a "sign" she is a true prophet. p.614.

Later in the novel she struggles with pride. King explains: "I always in my mind equated Mother Abagail with Moses."

By the way, Stu is later used as a "type" of Elijah as he relives the story. Elijah was fed by ravens -- Stu is fed by Kojak.

The Stand as Apocalyptic Literature:

King tells Salon: "Americans are apocalyptic by nature. The reason why is that we've always had so much, so we live in deadly fear that people are going to take it away from us." That's insightful! I agree wholeheartedly.

The Stand is Apocalyptic in nature because it is a story that deals with end time themes. It does not pretend to actually be a prophecy of any kind! It does not employ much symbolism, but is straightforward in its telling. No poetry or riddles! You have to go to The Dark Tower for that kind of stuff.

DREAMS:

"Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." Joel 2:28

Several features of apocalyptic literature appear in the Stand. Dreams, for instance, are an important aspect. In The Stand, Dreams are used to direct the characters. Dreams are important to Joseph in the Old Testament, the book of Daniel and to Joseph, Jesus' step father. Revelation, Ezekiel and other prophetic books are not the result of a "dream" but "vision."

In The Stand, the dreams seem straightforward. But the symbolism is there! Mother Abagail's home represents safety, while the corn fields represent the unknown where evil lurks. So characters are called in from the dangerous corn to the safety of the home. Now, it's interesting that once they reach this safety, it turns out to only be a rally point -- the journey is only paused.

Biblical Imagery:

The plague is not just an "accident." Abagail sees the plague itself as the judgment of God. "God had brought down a harsh judgment on the human race. Some might argue with such a harsh judgment, but Mother Abagail was not among their number. He had done it once with water, and sometimes further along, he would do it with fire. Her place was not to judge God, although she wished He hadn't seen fit to set the cup before he lips that He had. But when it came to matters of judgment, she was satisfied with the answer God had given Moses from the burning bush when Moses had seen fit to question. Who are you? Mose asks, and God comes back from that bush just as pert as you like: I AM who I AM."p.317 .

In just this one passage we have the following references:

1. The plague as judgment.

2. The flood of Noah's day. (Water)

3. The final judgment. (Fire) These two references together are probably drawn from the theology set forth in 2 Peter. "long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire , being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:5-7

4. The cup. Jesus prayed that the 'cup" be taken from him. The cup being the cross, or his mission. Abagail sees her mission as a cup.

5. Moses and the burning bush.

The flood in Genesis 6-9 is a world wide event -- like the superflu. The idea of a "plague" -- sickness in this case -- comes from Moses' account in Exodus. There were 10 plagues, ending in the Angel of Death on Passover night. On that night, many died. The children of God were allowed to escape, only to face Pharaoh on new grounds.

PLAGUES:

In Revelation we are told that God gave the two witnesses the power to bring plagues down on the earth. There is also a plague of hail, described thusly: "From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible." Revelation 16:21

In terms of outlining the apocalypse (in Biblical terms), we would have to say that Mother Abagail is not a Tim Lahay pre-millenialist. That is, she does not think the children of God are raptured out before the tribulation. Here's how Abagail puts it: "I"m ready to go right now if You want me. They will be done, my Lord, but Abb's one tired shufflin old black woman. Thy will be done." p.323 She'd love to be taken out -- but she is ready -- like Christ in the Garden -- to endure suffering for the work of God.

A Very Real Devil!

"The devil isn't real -- the Bible's employment of such a character symbolizes the evil and sin inside of us." I had to go to a Bible University to learn that kind of garbage. The Bible never argues that the Devil is simply an idea -- he is a real being.

In The Stand, Nick suggests the idea that the Darkman isn't real. Abagail's thoughts run like this: "There wasn't really any Satan, that was their gospel. There was evil, and it probably came from original sin, but it was in all of us and getting it out was as impossible as getting and egg out of its shell without cracking it. yes, that had a good modern sound to it; the trouble with it was that it wasn't true. And if Nick was allowed to go on thinking that, the dark man would eat him for dinner."

Nice! I wish I could have gone to class with Mother Abagail, she would have served up that theology professor for her own dinner.

Abagail tells the five before hey leave to take their Stand, that the darkman "who is not a man at all but a supernatural being." p.614

Fire!

We should not overlook the use of fire as a symbol. . In The Stand, how does the end come for the wicked? Fire! The nuke in Las Vegas is set off by the finger of God himself! "Larry! The Hand of God!" . . . "and the thing in the sky did look like a hand" p.763 Expresses, possibly, the image of judgment coming from the finger of God. In Exodus Pharaoh's magicians declare that the plague is the "finger of God" and cannot be reproduced. (Ex. 8:19). Now get this, Jesus said that he drove out demons "by the finger of God." (Luke 11:20)

"And the righteous and unrighteous alike were consumed in that holy fire." 764 Compare to Jesus saying God causes the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous, Matthew 5:45

Reverse Themes:

The Stand runs backward from typical end times theming as it nears the end.

In the Bible, localized plagues are warnings of a great world wide final judgment of fire. In the Stand, the plague is world wide, but the judgment of fire is localized.

Compare the Las Vegas scene to this: "They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them." Rev. 20:9 Now, here we have the wicked taking a "stand" against God. But fire comes from heaven and destroys them. So the journey is made by the wicked, who stand ready to attack the righteous.

Dark Themes:

In The Stand, what happens in America is supposed to be the prelude to a world wide conquest by Flagg. To accomplish his purposes, though, he needs a child. To get a child, Flagg has determined he must have a virgin. Of course, there is no immaculate conception here! . However, things do not go as Flagg planned! Not only does he lose his bride, his people get fried. But the expanded version makes it clear that this is not the end of the conflict. The darkman simply moves on, and the story continues.

Oh, and while noting dark themes -- how about the discussion of Flagg crucifying people! Yikes!

THE STAND

The idea of "The Stand" doesn't make sense to me! It is a plot turn that possibly doesn't work. Why must they go and "stand" when in the end God is going to send Trashcan man to bring ultimate doom?

Of course, Mother Abagail sees the need to "Stand" as an act of faith. Jesus spoke of the need to "stand" in his famous Olivet discourse when he discussed the signs of the end of the world. He said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matt. 24:13

Further, the manner in which Abagail sends them out is at least reminiscent of Jesus sending out the 12 into Israel.

Abagail's instructions:

1. The destination: "Go west"

2. The provision: No food, no water, not clothes.

3. The transportation: By foot.

4. The time: Immediately.

5. The warning: One will fall.

Compare to Jesus' instructions: "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff -- " Matthew 10:9-10

"yes, with God's help you will stand." p.614

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" Eph. 6:13