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

Shawshank Edges 20 Years

Mansfieldnewsjournal.com is reporting that a 20th anniversary reunion of the filming of “The Shawshank Redemption” is being planned for the summer of 2013.

Bill Mullen, who is in charge of the Shawshank Reunion, said several things are being planned for the 20th anniversary, including a showing of the film at the Renaissance Theater. Organizers are hoping that Freeman and Bob Gunton (who played the warden) will be able to attend.

article is HERE 

King Makes Some Tough Decisions At WZON

Dale Duff
photo credit: Bangor Daily News

In a recent article dated May 31, 2012, Bangor Daily News Staff writer, Larry Mahoney, discusses King’s decision to terminate sportscasters Dale Duff and Clem Labree from the WZON staff.

King hired Duff 19 years ago tobe the sports director, and it was Stephen King himself who delivered the news Thursday to Duff and LaBree.  

The article quotes Duff,  “He said we were losing too much money. He said it didn’t have anything to do with broadcast quality.  He thanked us for our hard work.”  He also said that there wasn't another station in Maine that did what they did "sports-wise."  

Mahoney also notes that the 24 hour sports format was ditched recently in favor of a liberal talk show format in November 2010.  He gives these short headlines of recent news at WZON and other King stations:

The Zone Corp. has undergone a number of changes in recent years.
The 24-hour, all-sports format was ditched in favor of a progressive liberal talk show format in November 2010. 

Duff and LaBree had their 6-9 a.m. sports talk show shifted to 4-6 p.m.
The FM station, 103.1 The Pulse, has been simulcast with WZON-AM although sports broadcasts were carried exclusively on the AM station. 

Rock station WKIT-FM 100.3 also is part of the Zone Corp. 

In 2008, WZON lost the broadcast rights for University of Maine games to Clear Channel and Learfield Communications. 

King signed a three-year contract to broadcast Boston Red Sox games this past offseason, but that represents the only sports on the station. 

Duff and LaBree have broadcast a number of high school games in addition to Husson University contests up until Thursday. 

In fact, Duff, LaBree and Toby Nelson combined to do a pair of high school baseball games on Wednesday. 

“I can’t say I’m devastated. I don’t know how I feel,” said Duff, who was composed but obviously disappointed. 

WZON-AM was chosen by The Associated Press as the state’s best station on two occasions and won 135 awards. 

“I think we served the community well sportswise,” said Duff, who is president of Bangor East Side Little League. “It’s all about local sports now. When we were doing University of Maine games, we did 120 Maine games and 150 high school games in one year. We carried every [Boston] championship including two Boston Red Sox World Series championships, last year’s Bruins Stanley Cup title, the Celtics’ championship in 2008 and the Patriots’ [three] Super Bowl wins. 

“There isn’t a station in Maine that did what we did, sportswise,” he added.
The 54-year-old Duff, a Houlton native who has been a fixture in the Bangor media for 34 years including a stint as sports director/anchor at WLBZ-TV Channel 2, said he isn’t sure about his future but he would like to stay in sports. 

WZON-AM was chosen by The Associated Press as the state’s best station on two occasions and won 135 awards.

The full article is HERE.

JOYLAND: A Hard Case Crime Book

Here is the press release for Joyland from Hard Case Crime.
NEW STEPHEN KING NOVEL COMING
FROM HARD CASE CRIME

JOYLAND to be published in June 2013

New York, NY; London, UK (May 30, 2012)—Hard Case Crime, the award-winning line of pulp-styled crime novels published by Titan Books, today announced it will publish JOYLAND, a new novel by Stephen King, in June 2013. Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, JOYLAND tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. JOYLAND is a brand-new book and has never previously been published. One of the most beloved storytellers of all time, Stephen King is the world’s best-selling novelist, with more than 300 million books in print.

Called "the best new American publisher to appear in the last decade" by Neal Pollack in The Stranger, Hard Case Crime revives the storytelling and visual style of the pulp paperbacks of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. The line features an exciting mix of lost pulp masterpieces from some of the most acclaimed crime writers of all time and gripping new novels from the next generation of great hardboiled authors, all with new painted covers in the grand pulp style. Authors range from modern-day bestsellers such as Pete Hamill, Donald E. Westlake, Lawrence Block and Ed McBain to Golden Age stars like Mickey Spillane (creator of "Mike Hammer"), Erle Stanley Gardner (creator of "Perry Mason"), Wade Miller (author of Touch of Evil), and Cornell Woolrich (author of Rear Window).

Stephen King commented, "I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we’re going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book."

King’s previous Hard Case Crime novel, The Colorado Kid, became a national bestseller and inspired the television series "Haven," now going into its third season on SyFy.

"Joyland is a breathtaking, beautiful, heartbreaking book," said Charles Ardai, Edgar- and Shamus Award-winning editor of Hard Case Crime. "It’s a whodunit, it’s a carny novel, it’s a story about growing up and growing old, and about those who don’t get to do either because death comes for them before their time. Even the most hardboiled readers will find themselves moved. When I finished it, I sent a note saying, ‘Goddamn it, Steve, you made me cry.’ "

Nick Landau, Titan Publisher, added: "Stephen King is one of the fiction greats, and I am tremendously proud and excited to be publishing a brand-new book of his under the Hard Case Crime imprint."

JOYLAND will feature new painted cover art by the legendary Robert McGinnis, the artist behind the posters for the original Sean Connery James Bond movies and "Breakfast At Tiffany’s," and by Glen Orbik, the painter of more than a dozen of Hard Case Crime’s most popular covers, including the cover for The Colorado Kid.


Since its debut in 2004, Hard Case Crime has been the subject of enthusiastic coverage by a wide range of publications including The New York Times, USA Today, Time, Playboy, U.S. News & World Report, BusinessWeek, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Houston Chronicle, New York magazine, the New York Post and Daily News, Salon, Reader’s Digest, Parade and USA Weekend, as well as numerous other magazines, newspapers, and online media outlets. The Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Hard Case Crime is doing a wonderful job publishing both classic and contemporary ‘pulp’ novels in a crisp new format with beautiful, period-style covers. These modern ‘penny dreadfuls’ are worth every dime." Playboy praised Hard Case Crime’s "lost masterpieces," writing "They put to shame the work of modern mystery writers whose plots rely on cell phones and terrorists." And the Philadelphia City Paper wrote, "Tired of overblown, doorstop-sized thrillers...? You’ve come to the right place. Hard Case novels are as spare and as honest as a sock in the jaw."

5 Things You Didn't Know About Pyscho

June 16th marks the 52nd Anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic thriller Psycho, and the team over at Open Road Media is excited to celebrate! Stephen Rebello, author of Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho (a true account of the making of America’s most notorious scary movie), offered five things we never could have known about its creation.

Click here for more information about Rebello and his work! Hold on, gang. . . I GOT MORE!  Just for fun, here’s a link to an excerpt from the first chapter of Rebello’s Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. (HERE)

Okay, I'll warn y'all: it’s not proper reading for the weak of heart or stomach. It’s a look at the real-life serial killer- a man who was actually psychotic- who inspired Hitchcock to create Norman Bates.

This is posted with permission.

Five Things You Didn't Know About the Making of Pyscho

by Stephen Rebello

Under contract with Paramount Pictures, director Alfred Hitchcock had made box office hits like Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, and The Man Who Knew Too Much.  But when he pitched his idea for Psycho, the studio's executives were so shocked and repulsed that they denied him his usual generous budget and the use of their sound stages, cameras, and other production equipment. Instead, Hitchcock financed the film himself and shot Psycho at Universal, using his television crew. Paramount then released the film and won their biggest box office profits of the year.

1. Before Psycho, Hitchcock was famed for elegant Technicolor thrillers starring marquee actors such as Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, and James Stewart. With Psycho, Hitchcock tried something completely different. He shot the film in black–and–white and broke with convention by violently killing the film’s biggest star on screen early in the movie.  He also depicted the lead actress in what was then considered an unusually frank sexual relationship, showed and flushed a toilet on-screen for the first time in American movies, and dressed the lead actor in women's clothing in a chilling role.

2. Although Janet Leigh most of the infamous shower sequence, Hitchcock hired Playboy cover model, exotic dancer, and sometimes actress Marli Renfro as Leigh’s body double. Both he and Leigh were shy about the near-nudity, and Hitchcock created extremely specific story-boards for filming the sequence, so that he wouldn’t overexpose his star.

3. Hitchcock decided against using Anthony Perkins in the shower scene, both to avoid tipping off the audience to the killer’s identity and to spare the actor potential embarrassment. Instead, he gave Perkins time off to rehearse for his upcoming Broadway musical.

4. During filming and post production, Hitchcock became convinced that Psycho would be such an embarrassing flop that he considered cutting out the most daring and shocking scenes and dialogue, so that it could be played off as a one--hour Hitchcock TV show. The addition of Bernard Herrmann's brilliantly innovative score was a deciding factor in releasing the movie to theaters.

5. Since Hitchcock believed that the twist ending of Psycho was its biggest asset, he tried to buy up as many copies of the original Robert Bloch novel as possible, so that the public wouldn’t already know the plot. He also devised a promotional campaign that insisted no one would be allowed to enter the theater once the film had started, and also asked audiences not to reveal the finale.

BONUS: Although Hitchcock’s special effects team devised a rubber female torso that spurted fake blood, the director rejected the prosthetic as crude and unsubtle.

Stephen Rebello is the author of Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, and a screenwriter of a motion picture adaptation of his book. The upcoming film for Fox Searchlight Pictures stars Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, ScarleD Johannson, James D'Arcy, Jessica Biel, Toni ColleDe, Danny Huston, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ralph Macchio, and Michael Wincott.

THINNER headed to Blue-ray

Stephen King's THINNER will be released on Blue-ray August 21.  No special features have been announced.  (Source: Dread Central) It is currently selling at Amazon for $13.50.

Dread Central's Uncle Creepy writes:

We don't know where Olive Films came from, but we do know we are happy they are here. The company has been releasing a battery of older and classic horror films on Blu-ray, and next on their list is the Tom Holland directed Stephen King classic Thinner!

King Donates To 11 Year Old's Cancer Fundraising

Ardeana Hamlin at Bangor Daily News has an interesting article about eleven year old Tommy Hosmer, who is raising money to fight cancer.  One of the things Tommy has done to fund raise is sold books.  The article indicates that Stephen King donated a signed book to help with the efforts.

Here’s the portion of the article about King:

Tommy’s first opportunity to help people with cancer came in 2010 in the form of 4,000 books a neighbor gave him to sell to raise money for a trip to Disney World the family was planning. Tommy told his parents he would rather donate the money from the sale of the books to EMMC’s CancerCare of Maine. With guidance from his parents, Tommy planned the book and bake sale, which featured a raffle for a book autographed and donated by Stephen King, and a bottle drive. He raised $3,000.

The full article is HERE.

Garris "It's Like We're Best Friends"

Mick Garris discussed his friendship with Stephen King in an interview with TG Daily.

About King, Garris said:

"We have very similar backgrounds. We both came out of working class backgrounds, him on the East, me on the West. We had a lot of the same cultural references growing up, broken homes that led us to become readers and watchers. We just really get along. Even though there will be years going by where we don't see one another, but when we do, it's like we're best friends again."

Though I'm not a "fan" of the Garris films, I enjoy them.  I respect the fact that he is faithful to King's story, and also respect the fact that King likes what Garris does with his work.

It is interesting that the article mentions only the mini-series Garris did that were based on King's work -- not Sleepwalkers.  I wonder why. . .

David Konow notes  this about Garris' upcoming film, Invasion:

 If Invasion is indeed a look back at classic sci—fi of yesteryear, it would indeed be very cool. Both Garris and King grew up with sci-fi and horror back in the early glory days of both genres, and bringing it together with the modern retro sensibilities of Mad Men could be very interesting indeed.

The full article is HERE.

Should We Celebrate Memorial Day ?

I was stunned by Sarah Smiley’s article in Bangor Daily News, in which she reflected that it is inappropriate to be having celebrations on Memorial day – sales, parties and so on – because Memorial day is a day to honor the dead.  Instead she feels Americans should celebrate Armed Forces Day with more vigor.  

Smiley recounts taking her children at Hope Cemetery.  This is a King connection, as Smiley explains:

“We met at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Bangor, which at 178 years old is the second-oldest garden cemetery in America. (It’s also where Stephen King’s “Pet Cemetery” was filmed, but I couldn’t tell the kids that. They were already nervous enough.)”

To really get the meat of Smiley’s argument against partying on Memorial day, we need read no further than her opening statement:

It has always bothered me that we “celebrate” Memorial Day and nearly forget Armed Forces Day. Memorial Day, as the name suggests, is a time to remember. Armed Forces Day, which for the past 60 years has honored Americans serving in the military, is more suited for celebration. You see, the honorees for Armed Forces Day aren’t dead. It’s the difference between a birthday and a funeral.

Now here’s the problem: We have so many holidays, we forget which one’s which!  But we at least get the gist of memorial day.  It is a day to be thankful for the sacrifice of our troops – for me that includes living and dead.  But, if we were only remembering and honoring the dead, as Smiley wants to insist is the ONLY legitimate way to honor the holiday, can I ask: Would it be bad to honor the dead by celebrating the freedom they defended?  Of course not!  We do not dishonor the dead by celebrating that which they fought for.

Or, put another way: Celebrations aren't a mark of dishonor.  That we celebrate is not a sign that we've forgotten the sacrifice; it is a testimony that we remember.

Smiley lays out a very beautiful trip to the cemetery with her children.  No complaints from me on that one.  In fact, I think it is emotionally and spiritually healthy for children to learn about death and sacrifice.  In fact – the redemption of the world was accomplished by sacrifice.  But, consider: Christianity honors the death of Christ in the Passover. . . which is a party!  Think of it as the Memorial Day of the faith.  Echoes of this tremble throughout the Christian year as we take communion, celebrating and remembering the work of Christ on the cross.  

Could the problem be that we American’s have – hold on – too many holidays? !  Before you object, just think it over.  Anyone remember when we got BOTH Lincoln and Washington’s birthday’s off?  Arbor Day.  Labor Day.  Veterans Day.  Christmas.  Kwanzaa.  Halloween.  New Years.  Super Bowl (you know it’s a holiday).  Ground hog day.  Earth day. Valentines day.  Flag day.  Columbus day.  Thanksgiving.  Pearl Harbor day. . . . ahhhhhhhhhhhhh . . . and so yes Ms. Smiley -- we kinda sorta combine some of these.  Oops, we are not only thankful for the dead troops, but the living.  Thankful not only for the wives who have buried husbands, but the ones currently enduring a long deployment.  

Smiley complaining that we honor living troops while also honoring dead servicemen is like whining that you flew the flag on the fourth of July when it should be flown on flag day.  

Okay, her article is very nice and touching.  That said – I choose to celebrate on Memorial day.

Smiley’s full article is HERE.

with the spirit of her article in mind, I offer this:

More Carrie Casting News

Bloody Disgusting has posted news that Gabriella Wilde has been officially tapped to play “Sue”, while Judy Greer (The Village, Cursed) in talks to play the “Gym Teacher”.  More HERE

Dread Central: Ivana Baquero reading for Sue Snell

This is from Dread Central, HERE.  It is Ivana Baquero reading for the part of Sue Snell.  Baquero stars in Pan's Labyrinth.  She didn't get cast as Snell, but might yet get the role of Chris.

Rock Bottom Remainders Simpsons

photo credit HERE

Thanks to the person who shared this link with me.  You know you've hot stuff culturally when the Simpsons make fun of you.

Last Gig For Rock Bottom Remainders

Rock Bottom Remainders

Photo credit: Horsey      

Kristen Lowman at examiner.com has an article titled, "Rock Bottom Remainders to play final gig at the El Rey June 22nd."

Stephen King plays rhythm guitar for the Rock Bottom Remainders.  The Remainders are coming together for  one last, two city "Past Our Bedtime Tour."

Lowman writes:

"Of the upcoming concert, King says, "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." 

The historic El Rey Theatre is located in the preserved art deco Miracle Mile district at 5515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323-936-6400). Valet, lot and street parking are available. Doors open at 7:30pm. Tickets are $40-$200 and go on sale today, Thursday, May 24, 2012 via TheElRey.com and Ticketmaster. $200 VIP ticket includes pre-show reception and “meet & greet” from 6:30pm to 7:30pm.

Reading King In Chronological Order

James Smythe is writing a series of articles on his process of reading all of the Stephen King books in order.  Cool!  And, glad to read his comments – as it’s not something I would take on!  Sounds, eh, messy to me.

Of course, this means he started with Carrie.  Besides giving a brief synopsis and observations, Smythe also has Kingisms and Flagg-raising subsections.  In Kingisms, he looks at common stylistic touches that appear throughout King’s works.  This will probably be my favorite portion of Smythe’s articles.  Under Flagg-raising, he takes time to point out where the Dark Man is hiding in this particular novel.  Imagine it as the Where’s Waldo of the review.

Wait!  Is the man in black in Carrie?  Smythe writes:

Carrie's mother, in her religious fervour, frequently refers to – either directly, or through Carrie's prior indoctrination – "the black man … his cloven feet striking red sparks from the cement". Now, while it's meant to be the devil in this instance – or, rather, a more direct suggestion of the devil than Randall Flagg's usual appearances – that particular being is never mentioned by name. And "the black man" is awfully close to the Man in Black and the Dark Man, I'd say …

Read the full review HERE.

King Comments On Caring For The Poor

Bangor Daily News has an article titled, "Maine’s poor take to stage in Bangor in effort to dispel myths." Pat LaMarche moderated the two hour event at Husson University Wednesday night.

(Full story HERE)

Sponsored by WKIT and WZON, Stephen and Tabitha King’s Bangor radio stations, Faces of the Poor featured people from the community who say they were hurt by the Maine Legislature’s final budget. 

“I grew up Methodist, and I remember a lot of those scriptural readings I heard in church,” Stephen King noted in a news item posted on his stations’ website. “One of them, from the book of Matthew, quotes Jesus: ‘Here is the truth: anything you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Or, from the book of Luke, ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ 

“The poor are just as much a part of our community as the rich. They deserve bread for their tables, a roof over their heads, clothes to wear, and shoes to walk in. When we do for them, we do for ourselves,” King said. “It’s called sharing the love.”

That's awesome!  Hold on. . . let me think about this. . . as a preacher I've got to say : THAT'S AWESOME!  King is quite right, the Scriptures do command us to have a compassionate attitude toward the poor.  Something the conservative right would do well to remember.

King's note is evidence that he has not forgotten his childhood and the desperate measures his mother went to in order to make sure he  and his brother were okay.  It is also evidence that he remembers well the Scriptures he was taught, and in particular the words of Jesus.

CyberBully: A New Take On Carrie

HERE's an interesting article about a student  made film, CyberBully, that is supposed to be based on Carrie.

FARMINGTON — The students of the Henry Wilson Memorial School are debuting their new movie, "CyberBully".

It is a modern-day take on Stephen King's "Carrie". Made by eighth and seventh graders, the movie will be shown in the school gym on Wednesday, May 30 at 6 pm. Doors will open at 5.

Interesting.  Showing a movie based on Carrie in the school  gym. . .

Garris Invades New Territory

The Hollywood Reporter has  posted news that Mick Garris is hard at work on a new film.  This time it's not a Stephen King adaptations, but the story of aliens invading planet earth. Now that's a fresh, new idea!  I've been waiting for someone to make a story about alien invasion.

Hollywood Reporter states:

Garris described Invasion as The Outer Limits meets Mad Men, a time of “men in ties and hats and when you thought you could trust the government.” 

The script, by A.J. Ferrara, centers on a woman reporter trying to show a male-centric newsroom that she is more than just “boobs and a skirt,” in Garris’ words. In trying to step out of the style pages she’s been relegated to she uncover the truth behind an alien invasion. 

Youtube: 1982 King at University of Dayton

Here is King speaking at University of Dayton in 1982.  King is engaging, funny and very lively.  This is a lot of fun!

"One reason I write is to deal with the horror.  The other reason is to do something with a sense of wonder."

Oh.  . . and he talks a little about where he gets his ideas.  In particular, it is neat that he talks about the monster under the bridge.  Interesting because IT was still in the works.

He also reads The Reach.

King Signs AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL letter

Stephen King was one of many well known names to appear as a signatory to Amnesty International's open letter to President Obama and Karzai.  Of course,  this is offered on the eve of upcoming talks between the two leaders.

The document lists eight specific steps they ask the leaders to take in order to ensure the protection of women and their representation in Afgan government.

The  letter reads in part:

We are concerned that the U.S. and allied withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 may put women and girls at even greater risk of abuses. The latest statement by the Ulema Council of Afghanistan that women should “respect the right of men to polygamy” and “not travel without a close male relative,” must be viewed as a threat to women’s human rights. The Council has proclaimed that men are superior to women. 

In this climate, we are alarmed that inadequate attention is being paid to women’s rights and participation in peace talks with the Taliban. Women must be empowered in the educational, economic and political life of Afghanistan or the country will fail to achieve a stable and prosperous future after a decade of effort to secure and rebuild the country.

Kings name is simply listed: "Stephen King, Author."

The full letter is HERE.
The signatories are HERE.

King In June / July Issue Of Esquire

Jule Bosman has a short article at Media Decoder about some new attempts Esquire is making to not only include more fiction -- but to market it to men.

While a lot of the focus in fiction is in the e-book world, the article also reveals that King and Hill will be published in the June / July issue of Esquire.

Bosman writes:

It coincides with the publication of three works in the June/July issue of Esquire — by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill; the thriller writer Lee Child; and Colum McCann. The works will be available only in the print and iPad editions of the magazine.

David Granger, the editor in chief of Esquire, said he has lamented the loss of space that magazines devoted to publishing fiction. The New Yorker is perhaps the most visible home for fiction in the magazine world, but many other magazines have cut back.

The full article is HERE.

Recasting THE STAND movie

Rory O'Connor has a fun article at the examiner recasting Ben Afflecks version of The Stand.

She writes (and I completely agree) “as long as they get a better Frannie Goldsmith, then things are moving in the right direction (I love Molly Ringwald, but she was NOT Frannie).” 

YES!

The full article is HERE.  I liked it a lot.

A Good Marriage to be A Good Movie

I spotted this  first  at my favorite Stephen King website, Lilja's Library.

From Screen Daily:

Atlas International has added Stephen King adaptation A Good Marriage to its Cannes slate. 

Peter Askin will direct the psychological thriller based on a short story from King’s book Full Dark - No Stars, winner of the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Best Collection. Will Battersby produces. 

A Good Marriage follows a woman who discovers her husband’s dark secret hiding in their garage. The New York shoot is set to get underway in late summer for a summer 2013 release. 

“Everyone at Atlas is very excited to be part of this project and honored by its new association with Stephen King, a true master if there ever was.“ says Philipp Menz, CEO of Atlas International.” 

The project is out to cast.

This is exciting news.  I loved this novel!  I think it was brilliant.    It was kind of a Dolores Claiborne with a twist.  Not at all the same stuff, but a story of a woman getting sweet revenge.