This column is like the title says – its intention is to fill the gap for those of us who were satiated musically in the ’60s and then searched desperately as we aged for music we could relate to and get the same buzz from nowadaze. iTunes was the answer for me in 2003 and I have been following the...
Convention Roundup: The Official Star Trek Convention 2013 in Seattle
Though Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway from Voyager) didn’t make it, The Official Star Trek Convention went on without a hitch at the Hilton Seattle Airport Convention Center, August 24-25. To the understandable disappointment of many fans, Mulgrew cancelled just two days prior to the convention, citing obligations to the Neflix series Orange is the New Black. Armin Shimerman (Quark on...
Comics: Robert Sodaro on Kickstarting The Owlgirls
I’ve known Robert Sodaro for about five years now. We were first introduced by the driving force behind Atlas Unleashed, Mark Mazz, during one of the early incarnations of the New York Comic-Con. Sodaro and I have kept in close contact ever since. One of the important things that helped cement our friendship quickly is the fact that we’re fellow...
Blu-ray Review: Body Double – Twilight Time Limited Edition
Boutique label Twilight Time recently added Brian De Palma’s 1984 cult fave Body Double to its lineup of limited edition Blu-ray releases. With only 3,000 copies available, it didn’t take long for the title to completely sell out. What all the fuss is about over this barely competent Hitchcock riff is beyond me, but secondary market copies are now commanding...
Dame Judi Dench and Michael Williams: A Fine Romance
Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Sonny and Cher — besides having been married in real life, these celebrity couples once worked side-by-side on their own TV shows. Over the years, art has also imitated life in the same way on the UK small screen, one example being Dame Judi Dench and her late husband Michael Williams....
Music Review: Elvis Presley – Elvis at Stax (Deluxe Edition)
What better way to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the King of Rock and Roll’s passing (August 16, 1977) than losing oneself in RCA/Legacy’s new Elvis at Stax deluxe box set? This remarkable release chronicles the dozen recording sessions Presley undertook at the legendary Memphis recording studio Stax, in 1973. While the material has all been released before (sprawled over...
A Chat with The Lady Vanishes’ and Silk’s Tom Hughes
A 1930s Balkans railway journey filled with mystery and suspense, and a look at the inner sanctum of the UK legal system. British actor Tom Hughes does double duty this month and next in the States when he dips a proverbial toe in both these worlds. First off in The Lady Vanishes (airing Sunday night, August 18 on PBS’s MASTERPIECE...
The Massive List of Celebrities That Departed Scientology
Leah Remini recently exited Scientology stage left, and the resultant media attention will be ongoing, given her announced intention to publish a book. Meanwhile an interview with her sister Nicole revealed what happens when a person leaves L. Ron Hubbard’s moneymaking scheme. Do I or others exaggerate about Hubbard’s love of money? I can only report from my experience. His...
Karen Black and Death in Scientology
When I read on Facebook about Karen Black’s death and saw the comments, I thought back to the times I’d spent with Karen and people I’d known when we were both in Scientology. I got back in touch with one commenter, writer/director Michael Rymer, after reading his condolences. Michael sold his first screenplay — Dead Sleep, a story of a...
Appearance Matters: The Importance of Looking Presentable
Yes, appearance does matter. Just not in the way you think. I am very well aware of the feminist movement now of how women are exploited and overly objectified by the media, thus creating insecure women. I am aware that it is not right for women to feel the need to be overly concerned with vanity due to the pressures...