I’ve been very busy lately, hence a paucity of updates. I have about seven things all going at the same time and I’m hoping to get at least a few of them knocked out by the end of the month. I don’t think multitasking is all that efficient.
Mason James Cole is the pen name of RJ Sevin who, many years ago, published my story “The Smell of Fear” in Corpse Blossoms. He has a new book out called Buster Voodoo, which I liked a lot. You can read my review here.
I’ve been listening to the audio version of the Ice Cold anthology from the MWA that contains my story “The Honey Trap” recently. I’ve had a few of my stories released on audio, but this is the first one I’ve heard from a big audio distributor. The stories are read by different people. Mine is narrated by actress Meredith Mitchell. I enjoyed my story all over again. It’s a cool experience hearing it in someone else’s voice.
Yesterday afternoon, I spend an hour and a half on Skype with Lilja and Lou, recording segments for forthcoming episodes of their podcast. We talked mostly about Haven: where the show is at the end of Season 4 and where it might go in Season 5. We also discussed my visit to the set in June. Then we moved on to Under the Dome, about which many feelings are mixed. I’m not sure exactly when the podcast will debut, but it will probably be before Haven Season 5 begins on September 11.
The day after I visited the Haven set, I spent nearly two hours in front of a camera for an interview with VOX television for a documentary about Stephen King. The show is called Meister des Grauens and it will air in Germany this Thursday evening. Here’s the trailer for it. I don’t expect to be able to understand much of it when I get a copy.
Our slow-motion marathon of James Garner movies continued last weekend with The Children’s Hour and The Thrill of it All. The first starred Audrey Hepburn and Shirley McLaine in a film based on a play by Lillian Hellman. It’s about two close friends who run a school. One irate kid starts a whisper campaign about an inappropriate relationship between them after she’s punished. For 1961, it’s a surprisingly frank movie, although the word “lesbian” is never uttered. It’s an interesting story, but I found the acting to be melodramatic and unconvincing. There were several young children actors, too, and they weren’t terribly good. Garner was his reliably solid self as Hepburn’s fiance. The second film is vastly different, a comedy in the Doris Day / Rock Hudson mold about a housewife who suddenly becomes the star of a series of TV commercials, turning the household dynamics upside down. It’s light and frothy (literally) and funny. Doris Day is impressive: she has a very credible acting presence that matches well with Garner’s. There’s a cameo by the actress who played Mrs. Kravitz on Bewitched, too. Some improbable scenarios, but all in all entertaining.
I’m not sure that I saw the Happy Days episode that debuted Mork, though I probably did. I certainly watched Mork & Mindy. I even had a Robin Williams comedy record that I listened to several times and it never ceased to be funny. He was running on all throttles and when his mouth got ahead of his words he said, “Whoa. Rented lips,” which is a phrase I used to haul out every now and then when I stammered. I can’t say I’ve seen every movie he did, but I’ve seen a lot, including some of his darker performances, such as the ones in One Hour Photo and especially Father of the Year. He was better when a director was willing to reign him in a little, or a lot in some cases, but his mind always seemed to be going at the speed of sound, if not the speed of light. Put him and Jonathan Winters together and you risked achieving critical mass. I’m sorry he’s gone.
