AUTHORS & BOOKSThe appeal of Laurell K. Hamilton's butt-kicking Anita Blake. "Anita Blake is the epitome of what you would not expect a vampire hunter would be: short, petite, busty, clumsy at times, but always lethal. She’s also one of the hardest, most jaded and yet sexually empowered characters I’ve ever read." (Blog Critics) Actually, the epitome of what I'd not expect a vampire hunter to be would be an IRS auditor named Ernie with severe allergies and a Beanie Bag collection.
Interview with Jacquelyn Frank, and contest for books in her The Nightwalkers series. "The series follows not only the search for the cure to this madness for each individual male’s story, but it crosses into other Nightwalker cultures and cracks ancient foundations and boundaries until the entire Nightwalker world is reeling from the impact." (Midnight Moon Cafe)
Review of Lucy Finn's If Wishing Made It So. "Finding a genie in a bottle might be fun, and making a wish to be with the man you love could be perfect, but sometimes what you wish for is a far cry from what you may get." (Darque Reviews)
Review of Jeri Smith-Ready's Wicked Game. "It's about a human(Ciara) who goes to work for a radio station full of vampire DJs. Who would have the best knowledge of music over the decades than the poeple who lived in the past decades? Vamps thats who." (DCL)
Enter a contest for a giveaway of Penguin books, including Tanya Huff's Blood Bank. "I am going to giveaway this group of 4 books to one lucky winner." (Fantasy & Sci-Fi Lovin' Book Review)
Enter a contest for Vicki Lewis Thompson's Over Hexed. "I’m giving one lucky reader a chance to win the first book in the series, OVER HEXED, which introduced Dorcas and Ambrose Lowell, my matchmaking witch and wizard, who are the newest residents in the small town of Big Knob, Indiana." (Fresh Fiction)
Vampire Wire pal Rachel Dimond reviews The Accidental Werewolf by Dakota Cassidy. "Who would want to hurt Marty Andrews? How will she work for Bobbie-Sue Cosmetics when she is turning into a full grown werewolf?" (Fresh Fiction)
MOVIES & DVDS
Singer Lily Allen cast in "Lesbian Vampire Killers." "Lily will be playing a naughty lady-loving vampire, one source has said that the lads wanted Lily to have a bigger role in the movie, but Allen is happy just having a small role. " (I-Entertainment)
TELEVISION
Story on Joss Whedon's upcoming "Dollhouse" series. The show "...goes deeper into the realm of memory control and brutal reality and is scheduled to air on the Fox network. Uniquely, Fox network skipped airing a pilot episode and has already committed to a seven episode run of the show." (Screen Rant)
Speaking of Whedon, here's a really comprehensive retrospective on "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer," Season One. "Buffy for one, looks sooooooooo young. And perky. She is wayyyy darker later on. And *all* those short skirts! And bra straps! Season 1 is good for bad clothes spotting. Look out for Angel's first appearance - is that a velvet jacket?" And another reviewer says, "The initial episode is a lot more fun to watch as a fan of the show; you can see where Whedon is setting things up for later follow-through." (Shiny Mag)
US version of "Life On Mars" will suck majorly without John Simm in the lead. "Well, that voice-over narration is just painful. And io9 is right to flag the corny funk music that busts out when Mars' present-day cop gets bumped back to the '70s — the show is named after a spooky David Bowie power ballad, dudes, not some sort of KC and the Sunshine Band outtake!" (Entertainment Weekly)
GRATUITOUS VIDEO OF THE DAY
The GVD continues to pay homage to regular-looking actors who are really fabulous, like John Simm, whose name I misspelled earlier in the week. Simm, not Simms. This man totally deserves to have the Jonesian Effect (TM), but I don't have the tech skills.
6 comments:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/6/2/
Penny Arcade put it more succinctly.
Alas, I'm one of those who doesn't like the direction LKH took the story in. For one thing, the sex scenes aren't that interesting. They're all pretty similar.
I just rewatched the early Buffy stuff recently. The miniskirts are a little jarring. Luckily she grows up to have a sense of style. (There's nothing wrong with a well-used miniskirt, but like anything it can lose it's effect if used too often.)
Liviania, you're absolutely right -- Penny Arcade sums up her appeal.
I picked up an LKH book once and I couldn't follow her convoluted and nonsensical action scenes. Action is difficult to describe, but if you're getting paid to write it, write it clearly.
As for Buffy, I think really good ensemble shows develop over time as the writers, directors, and actors begin to flesh out their roles. Sometimes shows that might become good, like "Moonlight" or "New Amsterdam," get canceled before they've gone through the growing stage.
I liked the early LKH stuff because I really connected to Anita. I not only got vampires and things that go bump in the night but a heroine who wanted to be a good Christian and wait until marriage for sex. It was different, and I liked it, and then Anita started sleeping with men left and right.
I enjoyed watching "Moonlight." It was still rough, but had a lot of potential. That's one of the best things about the WB/UPN -> CW. It (usually) gives shows a chance to find their footing.
I found LKH's writing style so clumsy that I didn't even get to the dirty stuff. Now, of course, she's fabulously nuts and talks about how she starts buying Christmas presents for her characters before she realizes they're not real. If it's true, then she's loony enough to appreciate as a loon. If it's false, what a great way to get publicity. Brava!
I'm catching up on "Supernatural" which is all kinds of goodness, amusing and thrilling.
I am finally up to a point where I can start watching 'Life on Mars'. It has been sitting here for nearly a whole year and I am only now getting around to it ;)
Oh and I have a new contest running!
Amberkatze, I haven't seen all the eps and am waiting for it on DVD. But I developed a real appreciation of both John Simms and of the wonderful actor, Philip Glenister, who I later saw in another series.
They get the whole 1970s thing in a way that the new American series "Swingtown" doesn't.
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