Category: TV

Talking with Duane Swierczynski and Josh Bazell

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Recently a couple of my favorite writers, Duane Swierczynski and Josh Bazell sat down for a two part conversation.  In part one Duane and Josh talk about how they write novels, the influence of comic books & movies, and why they want to keep readers turning the page.  In part two Duane and Josh discuss their first jobs, their first books, 80’s movies and tv shows, James Ellroy’s White Jazz and more.

RIP – Peter Falk

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Peter Falk, best known as tv’s legendary Detective Columbo, died last night at the age of 83.

My first memory of Peter Falk is in his role as Maximilian Meen from The Great Race.  Truth be told, I’d probably seen Mr. Falk earlier in one of his guest appearances on tv shows like Have Gun Will Travel, Alfred Hitchcock Presents or The Twilight Zone.  I know that I saw him in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World before I ever saw The Great Race, but it was his role as Maximillian Meen that made the first big impact and brought him to my attention.  I would have been all of seven years old.

My next big memory of Peter Falk is in his role of Columbo.  He first appeared as Columbo in the tv movie Prescription Murder [1968].  Then from 1971 to 2003, Mr. Falk reprised the role in 68 more tv movies.  Peter Falk was perfect in the role and fans loved him.  I can remember watching the movies with mom or my grandfather.  They enjoyed the series as much as me… maybe more.

In 1979, my girlfriend [later to be my wife] and I went to movies every week.  One of the films we decided to see was The In-Laws.  I thought it would be okay.  I was wrong.  The In-Laws turned out to be a comedy classic.  We left the theater talking about how great it was and laughing about it long after the film was over.

Peter Falk appears in another of my favorite films, The Princess Bride which we [my wife and I] watched with our sons when they were young.  It’s pretty cool that I was able to enjoy Mr. Falk’s movies with the significant people throughout my life.  I guess that’s the sign of a true star, he/she is able to continue to find good roles throughout their lives.  Mr. Falk was such a star.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

100 Bullets Coming to Showtime

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Earlier this afternoon it was announced at Deadline.com that SHOWTIME and David Goyer [writer/producer] are teaming to bring the adaption of 100 Bullets to television.   As most of you probably already know, 100 Bullets by Brian Azzarello [writer] and Eduardo Risso [artist] ran for 100 issues under the Vertigo imprint for DC Comics.    While it was running 100 Bullets was consistently one of my favorite comics being published.  If the tv series is half as good as the comic series, we’re in for a heck of a ride.

In a Zombie-Apocalypse: I Will be Your Father Figure

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Did you ever wonder how well you’d survive if the world fell to a zombie-apocalypse?  Now you can find out thanks to the folks behind AMC’s The Walking Dead website.  I took The Walking Dead – Survival Test and my survival skills rated me as a…

FATHER FIGURE

  • You’ve got the life experience, and your gentle manner, compassion and wisdom attracts others, making you the nucleus of your group.  That’s just fine because you need people as much as they need you.
  • You’ve lost a lot [both before the apocalypse and after], and a sense of community helps ease your depression and gives you purpose.

The Cost of Being an American Idol

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Have you ever wondered how much contestants on American Idol make?  I’m not talking about the winners, I’m referring to the guys and gals that make the cut to get on the show but don’t go all the way.  And who pays for their outfits?  Do they get meal allowances?  How much cheese do they get for the Ford commercials?

You can find out the answers to all those questions and more right here thanks to Bankrate.com.

RIP – James Arness

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I was sad to hear that James Arness died on Friday, June 5, 2011, at the age of 88 of natural causes.  Most fans know Mr. Arness as Marshall Matt Dillon from the long-running tv series Gunsmoke which aired from 1955 to 1975 and then returned in the form of five made-for-television movies.  If Matt Dillon was the only role that James Arness was known for, it’d still be enough reason to post about his passing.  I spent many hours watching Gunsmoke with my grandfather and those are memories I’ll always treasure.   [It was my grandfather who informed me that James Arness and Peter Graves [Mission Impossible] were brothers.  LOL.  The things that we remember.]

James Arness was also an important part of my childhood because he played roles in two of my favorite monster movies.  Mr. Arness was the thing in the classic The Thing from Another Planet.  He also played the romantic lead in another sci-fi classic, Them! You can also find James Arness in the John Wayne classic, Hondo!    One of my favorite James Arness‘ roles was as the mountain man Zeb McCahan [a role that he played in a made-for-tv movie and two mini-series].

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and fans of James Arness.

The Expendables 2 Teaser But Synopsis Wrong

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FirstShowing scored a, uh, first look at The Expendables 2 teaser poster.  Several sites picked up on the image as well as the synopsis that  Nu Image posted the storyline for the sequel.  I just received a call from Sly’s office.  Sly wanted fans to know that the posted synopsis is not correct.  The real storyline will be forthcoming, but Sly wanted SZoners to know the truth first! – Craig