May 24, 2007

New Vampire Film - Daybreakers

Cinematical.com has a recent article about the upcoming film Daybreakers. Not only does it have Ethan Hawke, but Sam Neill is joining the cast. I must admit that Sam is a favorite of mine.

Below is the first sentence of the article and a link to the web site.

"Is there anything left to say about vampires? The question answers itself, but get ready for a new vampire movie, Daybreakers, starring Ethan Hawke"

Sam Neill Joins Ethan Hawke's Vampire Pic 'Daybreakers' - Cinematical

May 17, 2007

Dracula Remains Very Much Un-Dead

Dracula Remains Very Much UN-DEAD
From: Yahoo! Movies: Movie News -
Thursday May 17 12:58 PM ET

There have been countless spin-offs, take-offs and rip-offs of the original vampire character, but The Un-Dead has a pedigree.

By Dennis Michael, FilmStew.com

From Count Chocula to Grandpa Munster, thousands of characters owe their undead existence to the fact that Dracula is a public domain character, in the United States at least. But now a new chapter in the Dracula story has the proper, shall we say, bloodline. The Un-Dead, a novel by Bram Stoker's great grand-nephew Dacre Stoker, is on its way to the screen.

The Un-Dead will be made into a film, with a script by Stoker's co-writer Ian Holt. Ernest Dickerson is set to direct, and the entire project has the endorsement of the Stoker family. Shooting will begin late this year in Eastern Europe with some private financing shoring up production investment by AEI and Jan De Bont's shingle Blue Tulip Productions.

The storyline of The Un-Dead picks up 25 years after the end of the original Stoker book, and ties in Jack the Ripper and the notorious Madame Bathory in the plotline. Reportedly some details in The Un-Dead were originally in Bram Stoker's Dracula, but the book was reportedly heavily edited when it was first published. No casting has been announced as yet.

May 6, 2007

Andrew Fox and the Fat White Vampire

Humor mixed with well told tales are always a delight. The two following titles by Andrew Fox are excellent examples. Both are set in pre-Katrina New Orleans and both show the author's love for the city.

I wrote these reviews for Library Journal.

Fox, Andrew.
Fat White Vampire Blues.
Ballantine. Jul. 2003. c.352p.
ISBN 0-345-46333-1. pap. $13.95. F

Jules Duchon is one of the undead, a big, fat, white vampire weighing in at over 400 pounds. In his beloved New Orleans, his home for more than a century, he thrives on the food and jazz and drives a cab to make a living. He isn't the brightest guy in the world, but he is fairly content and manages to get by. All that changes, however, with the appearance of another vampire, a really mean fellow called Malice X who threatens Jules with permanent death. It's up to Jules, with the help of Maureen, the plus-sized vampire who transformed him, and a cross-dressing vampire pal named Doodlebug to find a way to eliminate a frighteningly real threat. This wry, witty, and often hilarious first novel delivers a wonderful mixture of characters and lovingly evokes the charm of the Big Easy.
This review is reprinted by permission of Library Journal. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.



Fox, Andrew
Bride of the Fat White Vampire.
Ballantine. Aug. 2004. c.448p.
ISBN 0-345-46408-7. pap.$14.95. F

Jules Duchon of Fat White Vampire Blues is back, bigger than ever. When last seen, the unhappy vampire had changed himself into 200 white rats, living on restaurant refuse and hiding in storm drains. Now the snobbish vampires of the High Krewe need Jules's intimate knowledge of New Orleans's seedy brothels, low-life taverns, and trash-strewn alleys. A fiend has mutilated two beautiful female vampires, and only Jules has the expertise to find this creature. Doodlebug, Jules's cross-dressing
pal, transforms his friend back to his normal fat form. Jules agrees to do the job for the High Krewe but wants something for himself: the return of Maureen, the vampire woman he loves who was transformed to dust a few months earlier. Everyone looks to Doodlebug to find a way to accomplish the impossible. A wonderful cast of extraordinary but believable characters--human and vampire--populate this witty novel. The story's leisurely pace reflects the laid-back ways of the Big Easy.
This review is reprinted by permission of Library Journal. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

May 4, 2007

Renew the Dresden Files!

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact: Bonnie Johnston
Email: bonnielala@gmail.com
Fans Rally to Support The Dresden Files
Campaign launched for renewal of SciFi Channel's original series

(May 1, 2007) – Since the first season of SciFi Channel’s original television series The Dresden Files ended its run in mid-April, an avid fan base has been actively campaigning for a second season of the show through online petitions, discussions in various online forums, and letters and postcards to SciFi Channel executives.

The Dresden Files, starring Paul Blackthorne as Chicago private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden, is based on the popular books by author Jim Butcher and features fast-paced, unique stories that blend the best of traditional detective work with the supernatural…as well as just enough humor and wit to make things more interesting.

The show, which also stars Broadway veteran Terrence Mann as Harry’s ethereal assistant Bob and Valerie Cruz as Chicago police detective Lt. Connie Murphy, has won numerous fans due to its clever mixture of drama, comedy and edge-of-your seat suspense.

The Save Harry Dresden website contains contact information for SciFi Channel executives, as well as letter-writing tips to help fans get their letters started. For those who want to do more, the site also offers contact information for the show’s producers and advertisers; a link to dresdenfiles.org's online petition; and downloadable flyers that can be printed and posted in bookstores and other places where Dresden Fans are likely to gather.

Overseas fans who want to participate in the campaign, but aren’t sure that their letters will reach the SciFi channel in time, may submit their pleas for renewal to the website: all overseas letters are being printed out and forwarded to the appropriate SciFi executives and to the show’s producers. In the first 14 days of the campaign, letters have poured in from around the world -- Portugal, the Netherlands, Argentina, Taiwan, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom -- proving that Harry Dresden’s fan base isn’t limited to the United States.

Enthusiastic reviews of the show posted in the website’s guestbook by visitors are also being sent along to the powers that be. What are fans saying about the show?

"…the series has a perfect blend of mystery, fantasy, comedy, and a touch of romance." --Carlos Jackson

"Every episode is better than the previous one." --Angel Arthur

"I adore the series...it's as witty and entertaining to watch as the books are to read." --Kiya Wolfe

SciFi Channel’s own site dedicated to the program includes a very active discussion forum, which currently boasts more than 20,000 individual messages on over 600 topics.

While the first run of The Dresden Files may be over, fans can go to iTunes and download the entire season as another way to show their support for the show.