Author: Craig Zablo

Win a Copy of The Deputy

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You’ve heard me singing the praises of Victor Gischler many times before.  It’s no secret that I’m really looking forward to his soon-to-be-released crime/noir novel, The Deputy.

If you’re feelin’ lucky [said in my best Clint Eastwood voice], then you might want to enter a contest that Keith Rawson is running over at his Bloody Knuckles, Callused Fingers site.  If you win you’ll get an advanced reading copy of, you guessed it, Gischler’s The Deputy.

Of course you can also order The Deputy from the publisher and use the promo code “twitter” to  get three bucks off and free shipping!  And if you prefer Amazon, here’s a link for that as well.  The cool thing about ordering the book is that you’re a guaranteed winner!

The Rock is Back, Baby!

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is back!  And by “back” I mean in the action genre that propelled him to fame.  Johnson will play an ex-con out to avenge his brother’s murder.  The film, called Faster,  will  be directed by George Notorious Tillman and co-star Billy Bob Thorton and Carla Gugino.

Oh, and how do we know it’s not a kid’s film?  Let me quote from USAToday’s First Look article:

How do you know this isn’t the Johnson of kid-friendly The Game Plan and Return to Witch Mountain? For starters, Johnson gets shot in the head.

Faster is set to premiere in November.  We’ll keep an eye out for more news as it becomes available.

R.I.P. – Fess Parker

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Fess Parker, best known for playing Davy Crockett in the 50’s and Daniel Boone in the 60’s died today at age 85.

Parker first gained fame playing Davy Crockett for Disney.  Although he’d played supporting characters [many uncredited] prior to getting the starring role as Crockett, it was almost a fluke that he ended up in the lead.  Disney execs were screening “Them!” to get a look at James Arness, who was being considered for the role of Davy Crockett, but they were so impressed with Fess Parker’s turn in a bit part that he ended up with the role that was make him known to millions.

After his run as Davy Crockett, Fess Parker appeared in several movies [perhaps the most famous being Old Yeller and guest appearances on tv.  In 1964, he again put on a coonskin cap and hit the big time.  Daniel Boone ran for 159 episodes from 1964 to 1970.  Not long after, Mr. Parker left show business to concentrate on real estate, and a winery.

I was a fan of the Daniel Boone series as a kid and spent many hours playing “Daniel Boone” with my friends.  I also had the Daniel Boone playset as a kid and spent even more hours playing with it.  I can still remember getting to see Old Yeller when it was re-released in the 60’s.  And of course watching Mr. Parker many, many times in his small but important role in the classic Them!

Mr. Parker is survived by his wife of fifty years, a son and daughter and many grandchildren.  My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.

SouthLAnd is Back, Baby!

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From Entertainment Weekly’s The Must List for March 19, 2010:

“SouthLAnd on TNT:

It’s been more than nine months since we last saw new episodes of this blood-and-grit cop series, but now it’s back and we couldn’t be happier.  It’s the best drama since the NBC fiasco that led to its cancellation.”

I’d just add two things: 1] I totally agree and 2] Thank you TNT for bringing SouthLAnd back!

24 to End… or Not?

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I’ve been a fan of 24 since uh, the first day… okay, the first show of the first season.  In fact I’ve never missed an episode.  So you can imagine my frustration at the recent talk that this could be the last season of 24, especially since this season is so good!

There’s been speculation that there will be a 24 movie [or series of movies] for years. Now there’s talk that NBC might be interested in picking up the series should Fox decide to let it go.  If, FOX pulls the plug on 24, I’d rather see it stay alive as a tv series, so this is especially great news.

Seen One Predator, Seen ‘Em All

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I have mixed feelings about this poster for Predators.  I like the idea and the black and white photography.  I guess the two things that bug me most are: 1] The Predator’s arm seems pretty small and not near long enough and 2] The movie is called Predators — at least hint that there is more than one.

Maybe I’m just being too picky, because I think this movie is going to be a winner.

Want to see a huge version of the poster above?  Then click over to IMPAwards and check it out!

A Lawman by Another Name is Justified

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Last August I posted about a tv show called Lawman that would premiere in 2010.  At that time I said that it looked interesting enough to make me want to tune in.  Well, tomorrow night that will happen.  Although the title of the show has been changed, my feelings about it haven’t.

The series is now called Justified and is based on an Elmore Leonard novella called Fire in the Hole.   So at 10pm, I’ll tune in to FX hoping that my feelings are, uh, justified.

RIP: Peter Graves

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Peter Graves died today from what appears to have been a heart attack.  Mr. Graves was just four days shy of his 84th birthday.

My first memories of Peter Graves are in his role as Jim Phelps, the leader on the Mission Impossible tv series which ran initially ran from 1967 to 1973.   My grandfather loved the show, so if I was spending the night. I’d watch it with him.  In fact, it was my grandfather who made me aware that Peter Graves was brother to James Arness [Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, another show grandpa never missed].  [On a side note, Mission Impossible was revived from 1988 to 1990 with Peter Graves returning in his original role – the only cast member to do so.]

Peter Graves appeared in scores of movies including classics like Stalog 17 and Night of the Hunter.  Many folks will also remember Mr. Graves best for his role as the pilot, Clarence Oveur, from the comedy classic, Airplane.   Before his starring role on Mission Impossible, Peter Graves made guest appearances in dozens of tv shows including: Route 66, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Branded, Daniel Boone, The Invaders and many others.  I’ve always enjoyed Mr. Graves’ appearances, but it’ll be those hours I spent watching Mission Impossible with my grandpa that I’ll remember most fondly.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Peter Graves’ family, friends and fans.

“Predators” Live

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Since I’ve been out of town at MegaCon, I may be a bit behind the curve on the news that the Predators movie site has gone live.  There’s a gallery, a synopsis of the movie and some behind the scenes stuff introduced by executive producer, Robert Rodriguez.  If you haven’t seen the site already, it’s worth a look… or two.

Crime/Noir: “The Deputy”

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I’m a big Victor Gischler fan.  I’ve enjoyed everything that I’ve read by him and am really looking forward to his latest novel, The Deputy.  Fans of crime/noir can look forward to a worthy read.  I know I do.  Here’s part of the publisher’s summary…

Toby doesn’t have a lot going for him. Twenty-five, a couple of years of junior college, married to a girl he got pregnant and living in a trailer on the edge of town. He’s working part time for the police department, hoping the budget comes through and they can put him on full time, so he can get health benefits. His wife is a waitress at a little crap diner near the railroad tracks. When he gets the call about the dead body, he pins his tin star to his Weezer t-shirt, slips into a pair of sweatpants and grabs his revolver…

As you can imagine, it’s all downhill from there.

If you order The Deputy from the publisher and use the promo code “twitter” you’ll get three bucks off and free shipping!  Prefer Amazon?  Here’s a link for that as well.

Zombies, Nazis, Monsters & Mutations

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You’ve heard me sing the praises [well, write ’em anyway] of Jonathan Maberry before.  If you read his first Joe Ledger novel, Patient Zero, then you’re a fan of his work.  [If you haven’t read it, you should.  Yeah, it’s that good great.]

Maberry’s second Ledger novel, The Dragon Factory, is now available.  [Yes, I’ve already got my copy!] Maberry talks about Joe Ledger, and more in a great little interview over at StaticEchoes.com.  Here’s a bit of what Maberry has to say:

I always loved the thinking hero, so Joe Ledger grew out of that; and I dug the concept of villains who were smart and devious, and who sometimes used the appearance of the supernatural as a smokescreen. In a lot of ways my villains owe more to the pulps than they do to, say, James Bond.

…the second Joe Ledger novel.. deals with geneticists using transgenic science for ethnic cleansing and to complete the Nazi Master Race program. Lots of monsters and mutations…

The Dragon Factory also has about twice the action –and Patient Zero had a lot—but I dial things way up in the second book.

You can [and should] read the entire interview by clicking here.