Anne Rice Changes Her Mind about Christianity…Sort Of

Remember when vampire queen Anne Rice announced she was a Christian? She had written the successful novels “Interview with the Vampire,” “The Vampire Lestat,” and “The Queen of the Damned.” Under the pseudonym of A.N. Roquelaure, she wrote three erotic novels. But, in 2004, Rice said in a Newsweek article that she would start writing “only for the Lord.” Some of her fans were put out a bit by this news, but she was true to her word. In 2005, Rice wrote “Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt” about the early years of Jesus Christ. She followed that up with … Continue reading →

Dominick Dunne Rushed from the O.J. Trial

In case you missed it in the news, O.J. Simpson is back in court, this time for reportedly robbing memorabilia collectors at gunpoint in Las Vegas. O.J. has been charged with criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery, use of a deadly weapon, and just generally being a despicable human being. Okay, I embellished a bit on that last charge. (Photo by Gerald Johnson, a U.S. military or Department of Defense employee and taken during official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.) Anyhow, as might be expected, this O.J. Simpson trial is … Continue reading →

Ebert Can’t Catch a Break

It’s true; the legendary film critic can’t seem to stay healthy enough to carry on with life the way he once knew it. Regular readers of this blog know that I have been following Roger Ebert’s health struggles very closely. The 65-year-old Chicago Sun-Times movie critic has had a series of cancer-related surgeries in the past few years. One left him unable to speak while others were just precursors to more intrusive operations. Still, somehow Ebert has come back from each swinging. In fact, he recently announced that he was planning to appear at the kick off to his 10th … Continue reading →

Dr. Phil Defends Britney Ambush

Two days after being accused of ambushing Britney Spears as she prepared to leave her involuntary lockdown at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Phil McGraw hightailed it over to CBS’s “The Early Show” this morning to defend his actions. His interview just aired and frankly I was unimpressed. Despite his argument that the only reason he went to see the troubled pop star was because her parents begged him to, I still maintain the TV shrink smelled fresh meat and went in for the… TV intervention. For those of you who don’t keep tabs on the good doc, McGraw announced Saturday … Continue reading →

You May Call Him Sir Salman

Do you remember author Salman Rushdie? He caused quite a stir in the Islamic world when he released his novel “The Satanic Verses” in 1988. Many Muslims found it to be insulting to Islam and the Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa (a religious edict) calling for his death. The Iranian government said they did not condone the fatwa, but could not withdraw it either. Fearing for his safety, the British novelist went into hiding. Rushdie was one of the most well known novelists of the time when he went into hiding. His thirteen popular novels are mostly a … Continue reading →

Dan Futterman Trades Acting for Writing

In case you have not heard, there is a new movie coming out later this month titled A Mighty Heart. It is about slain journalist Daniel Pearl. He is the one who was investigating the shoe bomber (Richard Reid) when he was captured and decapitated in Pakistan. The upcoming movie caught my attention for two reasons. Number one, it is a very interesting and tragic story. The second reason the movie caught my attention is Dan Futterman is playing Daniel Pearl in the film. I have liked Dan Futterman since I first saw him as Robin William’s son in The … Continue reading →

Steven King: Master of the Macabre

Born in Portland, Maine on September 21, 1947, his father who was a merchant seaman, deserted the family in 1950 when Steven was only three years old. His mother supported her two sons (Steven and his brother, David) by working odd jobs. By the age of six, his eardrum had been punctured several times, which was a painful experience he would always remember. He began playing in an amateur rock band, editing the school newspaper, “The Drum,” and writing stories while attending high school in Lisbon Falls in Durham. In 1960, he submitted his first short story and received his … Continue reading →

Edgar Allan Poe – Master of the Macabre

You might not think Edgar Allan Poe is a very relevant author to talk about in a blog today. I mean, after all, he has been dead for over 150 years. However, two historical novels just came out with – you guess it – Edgar Allan Poe as the subject. The Pale Blue Eyes by Louis Bayard explores Poe’s days at West Point. For those that did not know, Poe attended West Point until his stepfather quit funding his studies and Poe himself disobeyed orders. The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl examines the mysteries surrounding Poe’s death in 1849. I … Continue reading →

Flannery O’ Connor: Genius Lost Too Soon

Born in Savannah, Georgia, on March 25, 1925, Mary Flannery O’ Connor was the only child of a Catholic family living in the middle of the Protestant Bible Belt. Her father, Edward O’Connor, was a former mayor and realtor who died in 1941 and her mother, Regina, came from a prominent southern family. When she was 12, her family moved to Milledgeville, which was her mother’s birthplace. She graduated Georgia State College For Women in 1945, and continued her studies at the University of Iowa where she also attended the prestigious Iowa Writer’s Workshop conducted by Paul Engle. She published … Continue reading →

M. Night Shyamalan – The Man Behind the Camera

Marjorie just blogged about one of my favorite horror movies, The Sixth Sense, but let’s talk about the man behind the camera. M. Night Shyamalan was born in 1970 in India but his parents (both doctors) soon moved the family to Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. He attended a private Episcopalian school in Philadelphia. Even as a youngster, he had a love for filmmaking. He attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he acquired his middle name, Night. His film career started out very slowly. His first film, Praying with Anger, was shown at the Toronto Film Festival in … Continue reading →