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FEO NEWS FOR WINTER 2006:
- DECEMBER -
The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here.

AWARDS

CommunistVampires.com has bestowed unto feoamante.com their CommunistVampires award

PlanetDoom.net has bestowed unto feoamante.com their Cool Site Award

DECEMBER
These are archived news items, many of them outside of this website, so overtime, the links may not work.

DEC. 28

END OF THE YEAR RECAP
In 2006 we saw
The heat wave in Tule Lake, California caused a disaster when birds died after eating dead invertebrates, mainly fairy shrimp and midge larvae, containing the fatal poison produced by the anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium botulinum Flies laid their eggs in the dead birds which produced maggots that absorbed the poison, but other birds gorged themselves on the maggots and the "maggot cycle" went wild. All told the body count by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed that of the 300,000 birds that stopped at Tule that fall, 270,000 perished.

- This according to the leading voices of Anthropogenic Global Warming and two publications specifically, Michael Openheimer and Robert H. Boyle's book, DEAD HEAT: The Race Against The Greenhouse Effect, and James Hansen and his researchers 1988 report: Global Climate Changes as Forecast by Goddard Institute for Space Studies Three-Dimensional Model. These two publications were the bible of the Kyoto Treaty and everything in them has been the basis for the subsequent Anthropogenic Global Warming scare.

The University of Florida, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, uses Oppenheimer and Boyle's book to teach, Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Geography, American History, and Government classes.

DEAD HEAT is also used as a reference tool in the following Universities:
Chatham University
Princeton University (Where Michael Oppenheimer works)
Harvard
University of Sydney (AUS)
University of Tennessee Martin
and more.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAY TO -
He's been in dramas and he's been in the occasional comedy, but today's birthday boy is mainly known for carving out a career in Crime Mystery Thrillers. So Happy Birthday to
Actor Denzel Washington (A SOLDIER'S STORY, THE MIGHTY QUINN, RICOCHET, THE PELICAN BRIEF, CRIMSON TIDE, VIRTUOSITY, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, FALLEN, THE SIEGE, THE BONE COLLECTOR, MAN ON FIRE, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE [2004], INSIDE MAN, DEJA VU) is 52.

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DEC. 27

THE HORROR OF STUPIDITY
Give thanks this Holiday Season, that you are not as stupid as this.

Dumb As A Stump
A miracle stump has been found in Passaic, New Jersey. The miracle is that some folks can see the Virgin Mary's face on the stump. Or they might if only the miracle hadn't been covered with a bunch of trinkets and crap. How they know it's the Virgin Mary is moot, since no photos or paintings of her exist - at least not by anyone who actually saw her.
Advanced Foolishness.

Subscription to NYT? Read the original story Here.

Montel Loves Sylvia
Silvia Browne claims to be psychic, but she has yet to get any predictions right. Moreover, she frequently gets her predictions wrong. To be her follower, you have to be three shades of stupid, or as complicit in her fraud as Montel Willliams.
Sylvia Bombs - Again.

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DEC. 26

Check out our PHANTASM and HELLRAISER review pages. Both movies have special DVD box sets available only in Europe.

So if you didn't get what you wanted for Christmas, maybe its about time that you did!

Check out GrindhouseMovie.

Also

First it was the short lived SplatterPunks in literature. Now comes the SplatPack for film. Variety reports on those Horror directors who eschew creeps and scares for gore and disturbance.The Splat Pack Support Group Bonds Horror Directors.

Wassmor

Editor Matt Staggs has a brand new interview with feoamante.com alumni, Harry Shannon posted over at skullring.org. The two men discuss Harry's new novel THE PRESSURE OF DARKNESS, his first produced horror movie DEAD AND GONE, compulsive artistic expression in general and the impact of fatherhood on an author of violent fiction.

Go to: panslabyrinth.com/mysketchbook to upload your original creations and customize the look of your sketchbook. You'll be able to share your sketchbook with others on the web, browse & rate sketchbooks, and leave comments for the artists. Del Toro will select five winners from all the submissions. The winners will receive a Pan's Labyrinth poster signed by Del Toro, and the Pan's Labyrinth DVD will link to these winning entries on the web.

As an added incentive, the first 30 people to submit a sketchbook will receive a Pan's Labyrinth t-shirt!

Pan's Labyrinth opens Dec 29 in select cities, expands on Jan 12, 2007, and goes wide on Jan 19, 2007.

The Red Skulls have been the dominant street gang in Bronston for years... but everything changes one night when gang leader Uri sees his best friend hacked to pieces by a rival group. He decides to get out of town before he shares his friend's fate. But there's a traitor in the ranks...one who has planted a lethal trap for his comrades. Uri is about to find out the only thing more dangerous than a backstabbing street gang is a mutated, cannibalistic street gang!

THE RED SKULLS disc comes overflowing with extras, including audio commentary, a 30-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, a look at the film's special makeup effects, outtakes, music video and loads of trailers!

Commented MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood: "MAIDEN have always enjoyed and been prepared to visit and play in new parts of the World and this is certainly no exception. We expect to take the full European stage production and as it's our first time there. We will adjust the set to include more of the favorites these fans won't have heard live before along with selected tracks from our new album, 'A Matter of Life and Death', which has been very successful in Arabia with a Top 5 chart entry. As this tour has been so much fun, we may even add a couple more special shows in mid-March so watch this space."

Added MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson: "This is certainly something new to us as I don't believe anyone from the band has ever played here at all, so we're all really looking forward to this. We all enjoy touring where we've always had fantastic support but there is something always a bit special about playing to new fans in a part of the world you'd never really expected to play. It certainly looks and sounds like a great festival and lineup and I'm already planning a special Bruce Air trip out for this one, which will be amazing I'm sure.

The King of the Netherworld has died and various demons are now building their own empires in an effort to take control. However, the late King's son has arrived and is out to reclaim his rightful place as ruler of the Netherworld! Along to help him is his vassal; Etna with her Prinny squad, and Flonne, an angel-in-training originally sent to assassinate the king only to find that he has already died. Join our three intrepid, and somewhat eccentric, heroes as they initiate their plan to conquer the Netherworld, Heaven and Earth in DISGAEA.

Movie Character Designer Akira Kano, makes sure that the animation and characters adhere to original video game character designer, Takehito Harada's art: which was neither original or creative in the first place. The one area that DISGAEA always suffered greatest was in its la

ckluster character styles. Even accounting for the lockstep manga mindset of Japanese character drawings, Harada's designs were amazingly hack.

Soundtrack by original DISGAEA Video Game composer, Tempei Sato (DISGAEA: HOUR OF DARKNESS [VG]).

The official website is now live at: DisgaeaDVD.com.

USA DVD RELEASE -
THE DESCENT finally brought real Horror to U.S. screens: Horror as in SCARY Horror, and without a substandard slasher and/or brutal killer to throw at the screen, U.S. marketers - with no love or understanding of Horror Thrillers, didn't know what to do with it. And they are worried about video pirates costing the movie industry millions?

THE BLACK DAHLIA - Brian De Palma flash, polish and gloss with none of the raw emotion that such a movie could evoke.

A DEAD CALLING - Reunites some of THE DEVIL'S REJECTS cast for a direct to DVD Horror flick.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Musician Lars Ulrich (METALLICA: RIDE THE LIGHTENING, MASTER OF PUPPETS, ...AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, S&M) is 43.
And on Sunday -
If it's a Horror classic, this guy has been in it. Happy Horror Thriller birthday to
Actor Dick Miller (IT CONQUERED THE WORLD, NOT OF THIS EARTH [1957], THE UNDEAD [1957], A BUCKET OF BLOOD, THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS [1960], THE PREMATURE BURIAL, THE TERROR, NIGHT CALL NURSES, THE YOUNG NURSES, PIRANHA, THE HOWLING, WHITE DOG, TWILIGHT ZONE: The Movie, GREMLINS, THE TERMINATOR, CHOPPING MALL, GREMLINS 2, EVIL TOONS, DEMON KNIGHT, and way more) is 77.
And on Saturday -
Horror writer Robert Dunbar (THE PINES, TEMPLES OF JAGNNATH PURI) is gettin' purty old, but he's still purty!

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DEC. 22

Busting at the seams with 120 pages, Dark Horrors provides some tales of fright by up and coming talent. Psychological horror is at the forefront with nods to the Twilight Zone and the horror magazines from days past. The book includes an all-new Koni Waves short story by series co-creator Mark Poulton with art by Jon Landry, as well as La Famiglia by Dead Men Tell No Tales creator Dwight MacPherson, The In-Between Space by Aaron Thomas Nelson and Bones by James Nadiger.

The book was compiled using not only Arcana’s own talent, but talent taken straight from their message boards. Open calls were taken for submissions of stories anywhere from 6 to 20 pages long. All in all, 18 stories made the cut!

The winners that made it off the chopping block were:
Ronn Sutton – Tell Tale Heart (adaptation) Janet Hetherington – Wishbone
Ron Fortier – Fright David Hopkins - Siren Song
Robert Burke Richardson - The Gargoyle Jon Hook - In Season
Crisman Strunk - Safe at Home Jim Wheelock - Drawing on the Dead
Kenneth Olson- Remember Me Ben Fisher - Me and My Shadow
Saul Haberfield - Believe Chris Lynch - The Exchange
Gerrin Bush – Hinnom Jeff Loew - I Married a Ghost Girl

The most horrific stories ever assembled come together under an anthology like only Arcana could put together. This monster read will remind you why you are scared of the dark! Dark Horrors Anthology Volume 1, Mature Themes, SC 120 pages, B&W.

For more information on Arcana Studio and Dark Horrors visit ArcanaStudio.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Actor Dina Meyer (JOHNNY MNEMONIC, STARSHIP TROOPERS, NOWHERE LAND, BATS, STRANGER THAN FICTION, TIME LAPSE, D-TOX, UNSPEAKABLE, STAR TREK: NEMESIS, SAW, SAW II, SAW III) is 38. Look for Dina's upcoming Horror movie CRAZY EIGHTS, followed by the SF Thrillers, DECOYS 2, and THE LOST.

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DEC. 21

QUICK BITES
From Shane Ryan Staley
I recently was a guest on Pod of Horror, as Mark Justice asked me to take part in the annual X-mas edition. I did a live reading of “The Little Hummer Boy” Warning: Mature content ahead when you click this link. (FeoNote: A second warning. The content of Staley's podcast may or may not be mature, but it will certainly be VERY offensive to some. If you are concerned about being offended by some truly vile language and storyline, ignore the link. If you choose to listen to the podcast, then avoid bitching to me about how offensive you thought it was. Make your Choice.)

Also

Sometimes it pays to be in the right bookstore at the right time.

Because I overheard Horror comic writer/artist, Steve Niles saying this:
Thursday night, December 21st, is the second BIGFANBOY LIVECAST, featuring comic book legend Bernie Wrightson and writer extraordinaire Steve Niles, discussing the new comic CITY OF OTHERS from Dark Horse Comics. Host Mark Walters is going to talk to them about what fans can expect from the eagerly anticipated project, plus take questions from fans in the chat room. The show begins at 8:30pm Central Time (9:30pm Eastern). To find out how you can listen and participate, just head over to BIGFANBOY.com and click on the BIGFANBOY LIVECAST II info link. The show will also be available the following day for download. I also had help from Bernie's MySpace alert.

Wassmor

From Scott Goldberg
I will be on the radio live with the ghouls over at WithoutYourHead.com, so be sure to check out the show tonight LIVE at 9 PM tonight where we will be discussing independent horror films, past, recent and upcoming projects, and horror films. I believe you can even call and comment on the show and give your thoughts as well. So if you're free at 9 PM, log on, listen to the show and call in if you'd like... Thank you for the continued support.

Finally

Nanci Kalanta of HorrorWorld passed this on to me, and now I'm passing it on to you.
Carol Of The Old Ones.
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Fishmen.

So I've got something to say about Sylvester Stallone and his new ROCKY BALBOA movie, and I don't even need to have seen the movie first, to make this comment.

First off, I've always strongly supported independent films, and Sylvester Stallone is an independent film success story.

Despite what you may see in Celebrity magazines, Stallone has always been a renegade Hollywood outsider. He's had incredible success, but that has been in spite, instead of because of, Hollywood. Before Rocky, most of his films were little cheapo productions like LORD'S OF THE FLATBUSH (which Stallone also wrote) or Roger Corman flicks (DEATH RACE 2000).

When he shopped around Rocky, everybody wanted to buy it but nobody wanted him. He stuck by his guns until finally he convinced a group of investors to take a risk. They (Chartoff-Winkler Productions) did so, but they only ponied up mortgage money for the film (One million. Low budget even in 1976 dollars). Chartoff-Winkler were newbies themselves, having been in the biz for only three years when they gave the greenlight to Stallone in 1975. A lot had to be cut or changed from Stallone's script to make ROCKY, but he did it. Hollywood at the time was so incensed that this "nobody" that all the experts agreed was a "box office nothing" had become a runaway success, that they rubbed his nose in it at Oscar time. 10 Oscar nominations, 2 for Stallone. Sylvester got nothing.

Since Rocky, Stallone has literally had to fight for nearly every movie he's ever made in Hollywood, and the only ones that are considered his best - Rocky, F.I.S.T., and First Blood, he also wrote.

In fact, Sylvester has had to write most of his movies for himself just to get on the screen at all.

What's more, Sly never forgot his roots. He's always been there for the new folks, taking on projects from newbie directors (DEMOLITION MAN - Marc Brambilla, COP LAND - James Mangold, SHADE - Damian Mieman), newbie writers (FIRST BLOOD - David Morrell, THE SPECIALIST - John Shirley), or both (THE GOOD LIFE - Alan Mehrez). He is also recognized by his fellow Hollywood renegades (Robert Rodriguez, who pegged Stallone to star in SPY KIDS 3D). What's more, his son Sage, continues the family tradition by creating a company which rescues and digitally preserves old independent Horror movies like CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST - 1980, SEVEN DOORS OF DEATH - 1981, CANNIBAL FEROX - 1981, PIECES - 1982, A CAT IN THE BRAIN - 1990, and more.

Like all the movies Sylvester has wrote, nobody wanted to make ROCKY BALBOA either. Stallone had to put it together on his own. Considering his physical handicaps and his age, it's amazing that he pulled it off at all. Chartoff-Winkler Productions, which hasn't been involved in a movie in over 15 years, agreed to take Sly's side against all the experts who've been telling Stallone he "can't do it" since 1974.

If ROCKY BALBOA is a hit, it means another long time independent film maker has successfully struck back against all of the experts, critics, and defeatists who have always tried to keep him down - AGAIN.

And if some noob indie filmmaker, full of petty jealousy, can't stop screaming for attention long enough to respect that, it won't be Stallone's problem.

Writer Director Tim Sullivan (SNOOP DOGG'S HOOD OF HORROR) will host The 2001 MANIACS Reunion with the new line of 2001 MANIACS dolls AND news on 2001 MANIACS: BEVERLY HELLBILLIES. Plus, Tim will also lead the panel on his new upcoming film, DRIFTWOOD.Plus the usual suspects you know and love like
Sid Haig (HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, KILL BILL 2, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS)
Bill Moseley (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS)
Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD [1978], FROM BEYOND, THE DENTIST, DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], THE DEVIL'S REJECTS)
George Romero (NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD [1978], DAY OF THE DEAD, LAND OF THE DEAD)
Jeffery Combs (RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND, THE FRIGHTENERS, ABOMINABLE)
Doug Bradley (HELLRAISER, HELLRAISER: HELLBOUND)
Debbie Rochon (Over 120 Horror movies!)
and more!

For more information, check out San Jose Fango 2007.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAY TO -
If this man hasn't made his name in Thrillers, I don't know who has.
Actor Samuel L. Jackson (THE EXORCIST III, JURASSIC PARK, SPHERE, DEEP BLUE SEA, UNBREAKABLE, KILL BILL Vol. 2, THE INCREDIBLES, SNAKES ON A PLANE) is 58. Look for the 2007 release of Jackson's next Horror Thriller, 1408. His SF Thriller, JUMPER is expected for 2008 as is his Thriller, CLEANER.

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DEC. 20

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DEC. 19

Jeanne Cavelos, Odyssey's director, founder, and primary instructor, is a best-selling author and a former senior editor at Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing, where she won a World Fantasy Award for her work. Being a writer/editor makes Cavelos uniquely suited to provide students with constructive and professional critiques of their work. She guides students through the six weeks, gaining in-depth knowledge of their work, providing detailed assessments of their strengths and weaknesses, and helping them target their weaknesses one by one. "I give the same unflinchingly honest, concrete, detailed feedback to students that I provided to professional authors," Cavelos said. "Along with that, Odyssey offers an advanced, comprehensive curriculum through in-depth lectures, providing the tools and techniques students need to improve. Receiving feedback on your work and learning your weaknesses doesn't help unless you also have the tools to strengthen those areas. I'm constantly told by graduates that they learned more at Odyssey than they learned in years of workshopping and creative writing classes."

The workshop runs from June 11th to July 20th, 2007. Class meets for four hours in the morning, five days a week. Students spend about eight hours more each day writing and critiquing each other's work. Prospective students, aged eighteen and up, apply from all over the world. The application deadline is APRIL 13th.

Meet Our 2007 Writer-in-Residence
This year, Odyssey is delighted to host Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Over the past twenty-four years, she has sold novels, juvenile and media tie-in books, short story collections, and more than 200 short stories. Her works have been finalists for the Nebula, World Fantasy, Sturgeon, and Endeavour awards. Her novel The Thread That Binds the Bones (Avon) won a Bram Stoker Award for first novel. Her other long works include The Silent Strength of Stones from Avon, A Red Heart of Memories, Past the Size of Dreaming, A Fistful of Sky from Ace, and A Stir of Bones (young adult fantasy) from Viking.

Other Guest Lectures
The Odyssey Writing Workshop is also pleased to welcome its 2007 guest lecturers: Michael A. Burstein, Rodman Philbrick, Michael A. Arnzen, Elizabeth Hand, John Clute, and George Scithers. Lecturers share their insights both in class discussion and through group and individual manuscript critiques.

Odyssey Graduates
If you're reading science fiction, fantasy, and horror, you're reading the work of Odyssey graduates. If you've read recent issues of some of the top fiction magazines in the field--Realms of Fantasy, Asimov's, Analog, Weird Tales - you've read stories by Odyssey graduates David Barr Kirtley, Carrie Vaughn, Sarah Totton, Carl Frederick, and Natalia Lincoln.

If you read the latest Writers of the Future anthology, you read stories by Odyssey grads Brian Rappatta, Sarah Totton, and Michail Velichansky.

If you've been to the bookstore lately, you've seen books by Odyssey graduates, including Bloodstone by Barbara Campbell, published by DAW; The Eunuch's Heir by Elaine Isaak, published by the Eos imprint of HarperCollins; and Kitty Goes to
Washington by Carrie Vaughn, published by Warner.

Lane Robins, graduate of the class of '99, will have her first novel, Maledicte, published by Del Rey this May. She said, "I still consider attending Odyssey the best step taken in my writing career. Odyssey taught me I was writing instinctively instead of thoughtfully: I never stopped to ask why I was putting this scene here, why this character cared, or even what the ultimate point of my story was. . . . Odyssey taught me about story structure, about asking myself questions, and about understanding the reader's expectations as well as my own."

Our Location
Saint Anselm is one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the country, dedicated to excellence in education, and its campus provides a unique, lovely setting and state-of-the art facilities for Odyssey students.

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DEC. 18

This week's Podcaster: Feo Amante watches ARMY OF DARKNESS with Duke Henry The Red, actor Richard Grove (aka Mr. Fancypants). This ain't an interview, just two Horror fans shooting the shit over a truly good movie.

Other podcasts include
Writer / Director / Producer Jason Todd Ipson (UNREST)
Writer / Director James Gunn (DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], SLITHER)
Actor Lance Henrickson (TERMINATOR, ALIENS, NEAR DARK, ALIEN3, ALIEN vs PREDATOR) - two parts.

Also

From Thomas M. Sipos
Witch Award Would You Like?
[HollywoodInvestigator.com] "Just do it!" That was the consensus advice given by 2006 Tabloid Witch Award-winning filmmakers to aspirants everywhere. The filmmakers shared their advice after a public screening of their horror films at the Santa Monica Public Library on December 9, 2006. The Tabloid Witch Awards are sponsored by the Hollywood Investigator to discover new horror filmmaking talent.Continued at Hollywood Investigator.com.

Wassmor

Death Kitty
Yes, they're at it again over at Weebl-Stuff. I'll provide you the link, but if you don't have at least a high speed cable Internet connection, the wait time for you dial-ups and DSL-ers might make you cry. Not being snotty here, just saying is all.
Death Kitty and the Fat Man

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