With a voice that can chill your bones and a personality that draws in his listeners, Mike Bennett is on his way to becoming the finest horror storyteller our generation has known. Mike has oodles of creepy short stories included in his podcast Hall of Mirrors and reads other classic horror tales on his podcast called Sometimes. Mike grew up as a Science Fiction fan in England. He currently resides in Ireland where he is a teacher, but when the lights go out – or sometimes even during daylight – Mike becomes the macabre voice behind the mic bringing us such gems as Hair and Skin and his newest vampire novel, Underwood and Flinch. I was fortunate to be able to ask Mike some questions recently about fandom, his life, and what scared him as a child.

EM: What were you a fan of as a kid?
MB: Spiderman, The New X-Men (well, they were 'new' then, now they're just The X-Men), Batman, James Herbert's Rats Trilogy, especially the last one, "Domain". I also loved Man from UNCLE paperbacks. I still have a complete set. Doctor Who (70s), Marine Boy, The Persuaders, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Starsky and Hutch.

EM: Who might you turn fanboy for today?
MB: I met Tom (Dr. Who) Baker once. I nearly fainted. I was working in a bookshop and he came in to see if we were selling his book, The Boy Who Kicked Pigs. Fortunately, we had it in stock. I showed him around and got him to sign a copy.

EM: What was the first real life experience that freaked you the hell out?
MB: Being relentlessly pursued - and finally bitten - by a horsefly.

EM: Which of your works is your favorite?
MB: Underwood and Flinch.

EM: When you were researching for Underwood and Flinch, what kinds of tools did you use?
MB: I lived in a small Andalucian town for six months. That gave me the insight into how a place like Almacena and its inhabitants worked. For vampire background, I watched all the Hammer Dracula movies (not exactly research, I know, but I enjoyed myself) and read Christopher Fraying's book, Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula. I also re-read Dracula.

EM: Is there any project that caused you more work than you were expecting? What would you do differently?
MB: Underwood and Flinch is a write-to-podcast affair. I began podcasting it as soon as I'd completed a rough first draft. In hindsight, I'd prefer to have completely finished the book first and had an editor look it over and then I'd have implemented the edits and done another draft and so on and so on. But then again, the probability is, I wouldn't have done the whole editor thing and later re-writes. If I hadn't started podcasting it when I did, I mightn't have ever taken the project any further. I would have more likely started work on something else and come back to U&F later - maybe. Maybe not. I don't know.

EM: How did you get involved in The Parent Vac project and what possessed you to become a vacuum salesman and an undead dad on film?
MB: My wife and I went down to Wexford to visit some friends, and someone said, 'Let's make a movie'. I was given the task of making up the story, so I looked around to see what props we had. We had a vacuum cleaner and a hat. I threw the story together and we improvised the lines over one or two takes.

EM: Where can readers find out more about you?
MB: www.MikeBennettPodcast.Com or www.UnderwoodAndFlinch.Com

An unidentified flying object (UFO) forced Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou, China to cease operations on July 7.

This is an interesting looking video.  It's nice to have more context for the size with the inclusion of the buildings on the ground.  At first I thought the light could have been projected up onto the clouds but latter in the video it appears that the light is being projected down.

I think they said it best:

Truth be told, there's not much left to be said. Something weird happened. Nobody knows what it was. And if they do, they aren't saying.

Thanks very much to Emerian Rich for sharing this

(via ABC News)

Review

I finally rented Twilight.  It is a horrible move.  It can be summed up as awkward, boring, and the worst portrayal of vampires I have ever watched.

If only the project didn't take it's self seriously then Twilight might have made a mildly entertaining vampire spoof movie but unfortunately that was not the intent.

By Emerian Rich

• Read Emerian Rich's full review here:
  
  
  
  • Sadly, seeing Twilight was NOT the thrill of a lifetime.  In fact, if I didn’t love the books so much, I doubt if I would have stayed.
  
  
  • The screen writing, or the way the high school students were directed (I can’t tell which) was very Disney sit-com style.  I can’t blame the whole cast for this, I just think the styling and direction were lacking somehow.  It was almost like they focused only on Bella and Edward and the rest of the cast was an afterthought.  Even the scenes where Bella wasn’t with Edward seemed phoned in.
  
  
  • Overall, this flick will be a must see for all teen girls in love with Edward.  It finally gives them a face to fall in love with.  As for fans not in love with Robert Pattinson, we’ll have to hope the wolves help pull the second film out of the High School Musical demographic.
  
  
  
  

The DVD is out March 17, 2009

• Get your copy here Twilight - Movie.

More Twilight Fun

• Why Twilight is Popular Video: a great explanation of the infatuation


• Buffy slays Edward: Real vampires don’t sparkle! video of Buffy slaying Edward


• Twilight, a book to read or not to read: A debate whether to read the book or not.

Early Look

Twilight will hit theaters Friday November 21, 2008 and unlike many out there I’m not eager to see it.

I started out with mixed emotions over this movie the initial trailer was not that exciting.  After watching the Twilight Final Trailer I got a little more excited about this project but mainly because of the vampire element in it.  After all I'm a sucker for vampires.  The official site looks nice and loads quickly for a movie site.

Then I learned about all of the emo mentality that infused the characters and their perspective and was totally turned off.  Sparkeling vampires in the light... wtf.

Twilight is based on the book Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1).  I tried to read the book and could not even make it past the beginning part it was horrible.  Not very promising for the movie.

This is not even a renter for me.

Let me know what you think.  Will you go to see Twilight in the theater or rent it?  If you have seen it in the theater should I go see it and why?

Twilight Final Trailer

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Netflix lets you rent, watch and return DVDs from home - Try free for 2 weeks

Don't wait. Guarantee your seat before you go and  avoid a sold out show. Skip the box office lines and buy movie tickets at Fandango.com.

I will be at Baycon 2010, handing out freebies, speaking on panels and generally having a good time. Please come join me! If you see me, don't be afraid to approach for goodies!  Let me know you were referred by dashpunk.com to get an extra goodie!

The Bay Area Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention
May 28-31, 2010
The Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara, CA

Guests of Honor

Writer: Peter S. Beagle
Fan: Colleen and Steve Savitzky
Toastmaster: Tadao Tomomatsu
Artist: Lee Moyer
Special Guests: Mercedes Lackey & Larry Dixon

Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation

The BSI is an agency consisting of two boys named Muhyo and Roji who at first I found childish and annoying, but they grew on me. Made for the pre-teen shonen-jump market, this manga has it’s scary moments. The boys battle all sorts of creatures from the underworld. There are monsters that look like langoliers, a scary chair that eats your shirt - and then you, and some ghosts that look like giant sorting hats from Harry Potter.

Muhyo and Roji help a host of ghost or demon afflicted clients. If you can get past Muhyo’s pint-sized Napoleon complex, you will enjoy it. Armed with his official magic book of law, Muhyo casts beings into the underworld by yelling out a law such as:

“The laws of magic, article 741- For the crime of unlawful object parasitization, I sentence you to the Night Train.”

After which a whole bunch of chugga, chugga zap happens and the ghosty with the mosty gets sucked into the Night Train to hell.

I was more impressed with volume two where they travel to the school of magic to try to see if Muhyo’s assistant can pass the magic law test. Once there, they find the school is taken over by evil and some of the people are infected. The infection makes mouths break out all over their bodies. The artwork of the mouths all over their bodies is done really well. The fact that it starts infecting everyone there, including the main characters makes it an exciting read.

Something annoying to me was the unusual break in words. I know sometimes when the words are translated, the boxes are not sufficient and for this reason they may have to break words unnaturally, but in this case there seemed to be enough room. Words like should-ers, na-gano, prefec-ture were confusing and made me pause in the story to figure them out.

Overall, this is an interesting series and might perhaps be a little scarier for the pre-teens than I found it. Good news is, if you enjoy this series, there are 17 volumes to gobble up with one more to come in August 2010.

Get your copy here from amazon: Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation

Emerian Rich will be signing books and selling art prints

 

10a-12:30pm
Saturday, May 15th, 2010
At the 8th Annual
Emerald Fest
Community Benefit Gala

 

10:00am- 5:00pm
at the
Joseph A. Nelson Community Center
611 Village Dr., Suisun City, CA

 

Exciting outing for the whole family!
Vendors, poets, authors, dancers, singers, and other performers!

 

Admission: A donation of a canned food, new clothing (especially bras), or toiletries and/ or $5.00.
Proceeds will go to Feed the Children and the local homeless Mission Outreach.

It’s that time again! Time for my annual tour of the San Francisco shop windows.
This year we have much more in store for us than empty windows with boring, unemotional, uncreative, nothing. Most of the stores actually seemed to put some thought into it this year.

Top Pick

Anthropologie who used recyclables to create their winter scene.

They created two large animals using plastics that we all either used or thrown away in our daily lives.  I believe these bears are made from the leftovers of plastic bag packs used in stores.







You can also see box straps, soda can holders, and other plastic trash hanging from the ceiling to simulate snow. Great job guys! Not only is your window expressing your interest in the environment, but it’s creative and innovative.

Second Pick

Tiffany’s

After years of same old same old windows at this monster retailer, we finally get something interesting to look at.

These intricate paper works are so different from their previous windows and beautiful to look at. Whether it’s because of cutting costs, going green, or an new visual manager, I applaud this change and hope it continues in the future.

Other Notable Decorations

Barney’s on the left and Nordstrom’s on the right.







Barney’s tree (which was so big, I couldn’t get it in one shot thus the two-shot collage) sits in the lobby of Barneys. It is made of what appears to be cardboard and other toss-ables arranged in a very interesting way. They have some other visual elements on their walls in several different vignettes.

Nordstrom’s windows are rather pretty this year showing a pretty winter scene.

Don’t miss The Sugar Castle displayed in the lobby of St. Francis Hotel on Union Square. They also have an awesome Sci-Fi like tree. You have to see the laser lights on the tree.

Unfortunately, Saks disappointed us again with no drama, music, or imagination that we’ve been used to in the past. I have no idea why they discontinued this special holiday event, but it does a big disservice to the community.

Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with the windows this year. Thank you to all the creators and imaginative persons involved. I can’t wait to see what you come up with next year. Do you have a store in the San Francisco Bay Area that is dressed to the nines? Contact me and I'd be happy to drop by.

How can you say no to these faces?

SPCA volunteers Abby, Karson, Julia, and Cameron (not pictured) want you to donate to help animals this holiday season.

Every year, Macy’s San Francisco gives precious retail advertising space to the orphan animals of the SPCA. Not only do they ask passersby to donate for these poor little guys, they can actually adopt a pet right on the spot! Every animal has been medically screened, vaccinated, microchipped and spayed or neutered. Each animal will come with a 30-day medical assistance plan at the SF/SPCA infirmary, plus a gift bag filled with samples, treats and valuable certificates from sponsor partners of The SF/SPCA and Macy's.

The window theme this year goes along with Macy’s “Believe” campaign. With the main window showing our favorite guy in red, the other pet windows show letters from children and pets to Santa. These pictures allow you to see some of the cute pets napping their day away in the cozy surroundings as passersby admire their holiday home. Shoppers in the Bay Area can check out the windows from now until January 3rd, 2010.

At www.sfspca.org, you can watch the animal webcam and donate from your pc.  If monetary support is not your cup of tea, they are also asking for volunteers to assist in the event’s success like the girls above .

Macy’s has been a holiday staple in San Francisco’s season for what seems like forever. The buildings spanning two city blocks on Union Square have long been the hub of December activity. Although the SPCA windows seem to be their main focus, their other displays do not disappoint.

Calling all goth-loli girls and Alice enthusiasts! Rozen Maiden is going to make you want to buy every single one of these volumes.

A boy named Jun, who has decided to no longer attend school, becomes addicted to mail ordering. He accidentally orders a doll who takes over his life. The doll then involves him in a game with her other doll sisters where the playfulness can lead to injury, missed bedtimes, and death.

In the first volume, the package arrives and the doll, Shinku, awakes. She starts ordering Jun around and commands that he swear to protect her. When he refuses, Shinku sends a butcher knife wielding, foaming-at-the-mouth teddy bear after him. Jun reluctantly agrees to her demands and she brings all of his action figures to life to kill the teddy bear. This opening scene tells you, you aren't reading any old manga... this one is going to be good!

Just when Jun gets used to having the irritating doll around, others start showing up. Jun’s sister, Nori, is no help as she adores the dolls and makes them all the little sweets and tea they want.

Even though they do tackle deeper issues such as depression and human frailty, there remains an element of little girl silliness to the story line. In volume three, a standoff ensues between the youngest doll and the other dolls. Their threat is cutting her off from the sweets!

“Listen up. We’ve secured the kitchen and fridge. If you ever want sweets again, you will give yourself up!”

This manga is more than a chaotic romp in a doll’s fantasy “Alice” game. It is a comment on teens who sequester themselves away from others in hopes to hide from ridicule from mean classmates. The message in these volumes is that if you go too far, your spirit and all your talents that make you special will be lost. While the authors seem to agree that there are some social situations that make us all want to cower in the attic, they also show us that we can’t let those haters keep our creative spirit down.

For you horror lolita’s, there are several freaky aspects I think you’ll enjoy. The first being Suihuintoh, the spooky doll sister who has black wings and tries to destroy the other dolls by terrorizing them in a mirror world called LaPlace.  In LaPlace resides a freaky rabbit in a tux and top hat. He is what they call the Demon of LaPlace and seems to be there more to confuse them than attack them.

Although Jun thinks the dolls have ruined his life, they really save it by making him face his fears and come out of hibernation. By the end of volume three, the story has changed to a serious nature when Suihuintoh kills one doll and takes a part of Shinku.  Jun risks his life to retrieve the part of Shinku and in the process learns more about his depression.

By the end of volume four, the creator has added another doll for comic relief. She speaks to a kitty cat about how she is going to infiltrate the house and begin killing dolls. It’s a throw back for me to those comics of Snoopy when he pretended to be in combat and snuck through the bushes to the enemy camp.  I think perhaps she was brought in for volume five in which Jun goes into a massive depression and the book is rather dismal if you don’t count the breaks they take to bring in the silly doll on a quest.

Spookiness (and Jun) return in volume six when an new doll is discovered. She has to be the scariest doll yet, wearing all white with a rose and thorny vines growing out of her right eye.

Over all this manga is very entertaining, but perhaps has a more dismal storyline than others I’ve read. The ups and downs in this plot might make you more emotional that you would think. The art is detailed and beautiful. As for extras, there aren't many.  Volume three has a few interesting collaboration comics with the mangas Zombie Loan and DearS. Volume four contains a cute comic on how the manga is made.

If you'd like to check these manga's out, they are available at: Amazon.com

Come with me into a tale about Momo, the girl god of death. She is a shinigami who wears all white and has a demon servant cat named Daniel. Daniel has bat wings and wears a bell on his collar that rings every time they approach one of their unfortunates. There are several mini stories in this book about people who are dying or will die. The subject matter is deep, but handled from a teenage or child point of view which I think is pretty unique. It might even be a good gift for a preteen who has recently experienced the death of a close friend. It may help them deal with the incident. For the horror seekers out there, this doesn’t have much to offer you. The scariest part happens in the last thirty pages of the book, centering around Momo facing off against another shinigami in true grim reaper form.

Ballad of a Shinigami is the first manga turned novel I have ever read. It was an experience I might try again, but not one I would suggest for the everyday novel reader. The stories in the book were meaningful and ended well. The size and weight makes it ideal for carrying with you on a trip or lugging around town as it can easily fit in a pocket. It is rated older teen 16+, though I’m not sure why unless it’s simply the subject of death.

The main problem novel readers will have is that this book reads very choppy. I couldn’t tell if it was because it is translated directly from Japanese or if it is because they tried to stick to the manga style?

[reus name="Ballad of a Shinigami iFrame"]An example of this is from page 24.

“She could only stare at it. She could do nothing. She hardly even breathed. She felt pain in her chest. Her heart hurt.”

It’s almost as if they are using one sentence to describe each from of the manga.

Other breaks from the story are passages like,

“…..”
Clank.
Boom.
“……?!”

In a world of other more eloquently crafted novels, I don’t think the general American novel reading public would give this book a chance. However, if you are a manga lover and trying to get into novels, or a manga reader that can overlook the choppiness, you should give it a try.

I was mildly irritated by the cat talking, but at least he kind of had some interesting things to say and I have to admit I laughed at the revelation that he does all the paperwork for Momo. I can just see a little disgruntled kitty typing on the computer and filling out forms. Makes me laugh and then shake my head.

For those of you who like talking animals, here’s another one for your list.

If you're interested in checking it out get your copy here from Amazon.