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OPTIMIZED FOR 1024x768 RESOLUTION FEO NEWS FOR FALL
2004: AWARDS
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OCT. 29
OCT. 28 ZOMBIE
KILLER IS GETTIN' SEX-AY! There isn't? Well maybe this will change your mind. Pretty-Scary. As a young adult, I had a few friends who were born with a cleft pallet (not as rare as you might think). I never knew a single one of them that didn't feel weird about it, obsess over it, get into fights about it, and have an almost incapacitating shyness when it came to someone of the opposite sex. Publically, it was even used as the reason for a serial killer's murderous insanity in RED DRAGON. So today's birthday boy is admirable, not just for his achievements, but the in the way he presents himself to the world in a defiant - yet apparently non-arrogant manner - he never wears a mustache to hide his scar. Happy Thriller Birthday to our favorite split lip, Actor Joaquin Phoenix (TO DIE FOR, U-TURN, RETURN TO PARADISE, 8MM, QUILLS, SIGNS, THE VILLAGE) is 30. Horror writer Rain Graves (BLOOD OF A BLACKBIRD) is 30. BUSH-ZOMBIE REAGAN If you can't laugh in the worst of times or in the midst of horror, you probably shouldn't be at this site. But if you can, here's another site you should check out
OCT. 27 HAPPY
HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO-
RIP'N
FOR JOHN PEEL But years ago, in the early 1990s, I came across a used Music shop that had a number of these John Peel Session CDs and they were selling them cheap. The CD's had a very utilitarian cover design - all monochrome with a dash of blue - and each one featured on the cover some band I'd never heard of. They only had about 5 songs each and they were only $5 so what the hell? Why not take a chance? The first one was good enough that I went back to that shop and bought a few more. And all of them were good - not a lemon in the bunch! I went back again and bought every Session disc that store had. But it wasn't enough! I started haunting other used CD shops - in other cities! I became near fanatical about it because - at last! - here was a guy who had his shit together! Seeing John Peel's name on the cover of a CD was like some kind of quality assurance certificate. Even when the songs would be from bands I didn't like, John would have the best songs that band had ever done! It would be adventurous, but it would be good! Down the road I met and got together with a girl from the UK. After our initial meeting where she made a disparaging comment about "American Anglophiles", I kept my collection from her lest she get the wrong idea. I didn't hide my Monty Python CD collection or my library of Terry Pratchett books - but come on! Some things are universal! By the way she described them I knew what types would be anglophiles: They'd have a library of Masterpiece Theater or Keeping Up Appearances videos. They'd wax enthusiastically of black pudding and clotted cream as if those words were appetizing. And they'd be sure to regularly buy one of those indigestible stale bricks that Starbucks calls "scones" (maybe they were scones back in the 18th Century, but you have to wonder what crypt Starbucks dug up to supply themselves with such a cache of those awful things.) Over the years, the availability of the John Peel Session CDs dried up. Then last year, after moving to L.A. and leaving my CD collection in a store room, I was told that everything I had in there was drenched by a flood in Houston. My CD collection - as well as my book collection - was destroyed by mold and mildew. I sure as shit wished I had backed up all those disks on CD-Rs. Crap! Yesterday while tooling around online news, I read that John Peel - THE John Peel - had died. If anybody knows of a new box set of John Peel CDs that will be released, let me know. If you are able to buy one for yourself and you have an adventurous musical spirit, get one. Remember him. There are too damn few John Peels in the world.
OCT. 25
THE HORROR
OF THE PEACEMAKERS Local Bush bashers (B.B.'s or BeeBees) have been running drive by shootings of the local Republican headquarters, which is run by a couple of old disabled veterans and some middle aged women who are never too busy to set out plastic containers of home made cookies. You may sneer but the Democrat office expects me to pony up for a drink from their soda machine. No contest! The fresh oatmeal raisin cookies got me voting Bush! What? Like Whoopie Goldberg's sober arguments can beat that? A couple of burly mouth-breathing BeeBees in line at my local Food Giant got pushy with a tiny old lady when she refused to tell them, point blank, who she was voting for. She said "mind yer own biz!" They rudely assumed Bush & Cheney (B.C. or BeeCees). I was standing right behind them but they didn't ask me. Nobody ever asks me the fun questions. My answer is usually: "I'm with Michael Moore and moveon.org and they say, 'Anybody but Bush!' Which is why I'm voting for Nader!" Democrats seem to despise that answer because you aren't voting for Kerry: whereas Republicans seem to be smugly pleased with that answer even though you aren't voting for Bush. These are interesting times. And bricks are being thrown through the home, car, and store windows of anyone who has a Bush & Cheney sticker on their glass. Even cars at my job have been disfigured in the company parking lot when they sported BeeCee stickers. On those occasions, when I have been there first hand to ask these philistines WTF they were doing, they shouted in my face something that sounded like, "WE'RE TRYING TO GET OUT OUR MESSAGE OF PEACE! DON'T QUESTION OUR FREEDOM OF SPEECH YOU HITLER NAZI BIGOT!" Unless they were alone, in which case they'd just run away. Of course, once this starts then the spastic knee-jerks on the Republican side just have to say, "Hey! We can be that stupid too!" and respond in kind. Of such things "escalations" are born until you have a thousand year war over somebody's ancestor insulting your favorite BeeGees album. Being a Navy veteran, it did my heart good to see the fruits of what I had served for, but with all the BeeBees enthusiastic hate mongering and violence, I had to ask myself, 'Will I ever trust them again?' FeoNote: This is amazingly good! - the man who thinks he could lead our country, Ralph Nader, had himself video recorded virtually debating with plastic dolls of Bush & Kerry. He actually, directly, addresses the dolls! And to raise campaign funds, he sells the DVD on his site! Can you believe the DNC is actually sweating this guy? Check out Nader Is Nutz!
From Thomas
M. Sipos Vlad is the tale of four exchange students who travel to Romania to write papers on Wallachian prince Vlad the Impaler (1431- 1476), the historic Dracula, popularized by Bram Stoker in his 1897 novel, Dracula. Continued at Hollywood Investigator. When it comes to Horror in modern cinema, it's hard to ignore the woman who has been the green light to so many writers and directors. Happy Birthday to Producer Gale Ann Hurd (THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, ALIEN NATION, THE ABYSS, TREMORS, TERMINATOR 2, CAST A DEADLY SPELL, THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS, THE RELIC, DANTE'S PEAK, VIRUS, HULK, TERMINATOR 3 and more!) who is 49 today. And on Sunday Composer Bill Wyman (PHENOMENA, DARIO ARGENTO'S WORLD OF HORROR, OPERA) is 68. And on Saturday You know him, you love him, but please don't venture into that darker third part, You Can't Live Without Him! Every Horror fan's favorite living film maker, Writer / Director / Producer / etc. Sam Raimi (EVIL DEAD, EVIL DEAD 2, ARMY OF DARKNESS, DARKMAN, MANIAC COP, INNOCENT BLOOD, THE GIFT, SPIDER-MAN, SPIDER-MAN 2, THE GRUDGE) is 45 today. Writer / Director Michael Crichton (THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, WESTWORLD, THE TERMINAL MAN, COMA, LOOKER, RUNAWAY, JURASSIC PARK, LOST WORLD: THE JURASSIC PARK, SPHERE, THE 13th WARRIOR) is 62.
OCT. 22 From Jack
Passarella
From Michael
Laimo Also...don't forget about the big Halloween booksigning event next week, Friday November 29th, at the Barnes & Noble in Framingham Massachusetts. On hand will be Christopher Golden, Rick Hautala, Tom Sneigoski, and myself, discussing Halloween, our books, and signing copies. From Del
Howison Pretty ticklish, eh? Dark
Delicacies is located at
OCT. 21 A MORBID
HALLOWEEN Lit At The Canvas is a monthly reading series that features local authors. The Canvas Cafe is located at the corner of 9th Avenue and Lincoln in San Francisco's Sunset District.
OCT. 20 HAPPY
HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAY TO -
OCT. 19 HORROR
FOR THE RUGRATS With those words, creator Mike Bullock kicks off his new four-issue mini-series, LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS, debuting in January from Image Comics. Created and written by Runemaster Studios' Bullock, with pencils, inks and colors by studio partner Jack Lawrence, LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS is a four-issue mini-series that critics have dubbed MONSTERS, INC. meets The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe." The series
revolves around young Joey Price as he discovers that the noises he hears
at night aren't just figments of his imagination. Those noises come from
the monstrous Beasties, who spend every night trying to "get"
little children. Luckily for Joey, his stuffed animals are more than he
ever thought they were, "I really wanted to create something timeless with this story, something anyone of any age could enjoy today, a year from today, ten years from today," says Bullock. "Hopefully, Jack and I have done just that." LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS was first previewed at the San Diego comic-Con International in July of 2004. After receiving several offers from various publishers, Bullock met with Image publisher Erik Larsen and asked Larsen to look through the promotional kit. Larsen was quick to jump on the all-ages book, and wasted no time in snatching up the property for Image Comics. LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS is set for release in January of 2005 and can be found in the Image section of the November Diamond Previews. For more information on the book, please drop by runemasterstudios.com. Image Comics is a comics and graphic novels publisher formed in 1992 by a collective of best-selling artists. Since that time, Image has gone on to become one of the largest comics publishers in the United States. There are currently four partners in Image Comics (Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, Marc Silvestri and Jim Valentino), and Image is currently divided into three major houses (Todd McFarlane Productions, Top Cow Productions and Image Central). Image comics and graphic novels cover nearly every genre, sub-genre and style imaginable, offering science fiction, romance, horror, crime fiction, historical fiction, humor and more by the finest artists and writers working in the medium today. Visit imagecomics.com for more information. HAPPY ... ER ... UH ... BIRTHDAY TO - What can I say? You can't call South Park Horror, but then again, outside of just calling it a cartoon, what can you call it? There are some things that are just too weird to fit into any category and they always seems to find a home here. So Happy Birthday to Actor / Writer / Director Trey Parker (CANNIBAL! THE MUSICAL, TERROR FIRMER, South Park, Team America) who is 35 today and, alas! young!
OCT. 18 HORROR
IN THE THEATER! Everything you've heard, both good and bad about the movie is true! TEAM AMERICA is loaded with upbeat nihilism and fires with "Damn the torpedos" mayhem at the moveon.org type crowd. Some of the U.S.'s most renown critics are charging that the movie unfairly satirizes (rather brutally) the left without equally trashing the right. So? THE VILLAGE, the remake of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, etc., never attacked the left and none of these same critics were bitchin' then. In fact they were waggling their thumbs up in the air as if noodlin' for catfish. Screw 'em! If you love South Park humor, can imagine Cartman as a grown up puppet of Kim Jong Il, and Timmy as a grown up puppet of Matt Damon, and are ready for a comeback to this year's endless series of preachy left wing movies, TEAM AMERICA will drive you freaking nuts! One odd thing that happened to me in the theater, though: Just in front of me there was a small group with an odd sense of humor. After everyone laughs at some onscreen joke, these 5 people, as a group, would loudly make this very sarcastic "Oh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha." lasting many seconds. I didn't know what their problem was, but they were ruining the movie for me. Since two of the group were sitting in front of me, I started kicking their seats. They didn't respond so I started kicking the back of their seats harder. Finally one of them turned around, looked at me, while I was kicking his seat, then turned back. Then I got bored and stopped. Then something hysterical happened onscreen, the audience laughed, and this group did the delayed sarcastic laugh thing again. So I started kicking their seats again. One of the group, the only girl no less - and who wasn't getting her seat kicked - turned and asked me to please stop. I said very loudly - though I didn't shout - "NO." There was no room in the theater for them to move anywhere else. And I kept kicking until I got bored. Then TEAM AMERICA made the audience laugh again, this time the group did nothing. So I didn't kick. After the credits started, I sat there behind them. A couple of them looked sideways at me, but they didn't leave their seats until I left mine. And I didn't leave my seat until I was damn good and ready.
OCT. 15 HALLOWEEN
COSTUME IDEAS FROM FEO At my job we have our annual Halloween party. And folks there are already asking each other, "What are you going to be for Halloween?" I've been
telling everyone, "Ha! Ha!" They say, "So you aren't coming to work that day?" "Ha, ha," I say. "I AM coming to work that day: as the Invisible Man!" "Like, ... er ... in bandages?" They ask. "I'm coming to work," I say. "Butt naked! And I'll go up to everyone and say, 'Hey! Can you see me?'" Them: "WHAT???" Me: "I guess you can't see me because you ain't looking up here at my face! That's because I'm the Invisible Man!" Anyway, just
a costume idea.
OCT. 14
OCT. 13 From Willie
Meikle Denver, Colorado, October 14, 2004: Beginning Halloween 2004, local author Michael McBride from Colorado, together with Karen Koehler from Pennsylvania, Steve Zinger from Canada, and William Meikle from Scotland will begin serializing one of their horror novels a chapter each week for 14 weeks. The chapters will be distributed in interactive e-zine format via Topica. At the conclusion, a total of 4 horror novels will have been distributed; one from each author. There will be no charge to participate in this landmark event, however a link will be provided to the American Cancer Society in hopes of receiving donations to further cancer awareness and research funding. In addition to providing the novels free of charge, prizes will be awarded, including free books from Black Death Books and gothic clothing from Vampire Wear. In addition to receiving the serialized novels, a YAHOO! Discussion Group will be running simultaneously where the reader can discuss the chapters with one another, as well as with the authors themselves. Never before has a reader been granted such immediate access to the author while still reading the work! How to participate: All you need is a valid email address, and the desire to enjoy great horror fiction! EH, RAIMI
DON'T CARE
From Edo
van Belkom Now in WOLF PACK, Edo van Belkom has created unlikely but compelling heroes in a book that is by turns, funny, frightening, and always entertaining. After a devestating fire, forest ranger Garrett Brock discovers a litter of wolf cubs. He soon learns, though, that these are no ordinary wolves - they are both animal and human. Fifteen years later, the children - Noble, Argus, Tora and Harlan - struggle to fit into the human world; but when Tora is kidnapped by a mad television scientist, the others must draw on both their human and wolf sides for the cunning, strength and courage to save her. But will it be enough? HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAY TO - I was more into the Horror episodes than the UFO conspiracy episodes of THE X-FILES. Now I'm just waiting to see what this guy is going to do next. Happy Birthday to Writer / Director Chris Carter (THE X-FILES, MILLENIUM, HARSH REALM, THE LONE GUNMEN [all TV]) who is 48.
OCT. 12 From Tina
Jens Other authors featured at the signing will be Bruce Carlson with his series of true Iowa ghost stories, and Keith Schulz, author of KEEPERS OF THE RIVER. The Bookmark
Bookstore CHICAGO, IL- Mon., Oct. 25th, 7 - 10 pm SPOOKS! DEBUTS AT TWILIGHT TALES This is the big debut party for the new Twilight Tales anthology SPOOKS!, featuring 29 stories by 27 authors 18 of which are in the Chicago area, and most of them plan to be at the debut! So come get your first edition copy personalized by the authors! Red Lion
Restaurant & Pub CHICAGO - Tues., Oct. 26th, 8-9 pm "STRANGER EV'RYWHERE" A BLUES MUSICAL Blues diva Liz Mandville Greeson joins me to perform "Stranger Ev'rywhere", an adaptation from my novel, THE BLUES AIN'T NOTHIN'. Don't miss this haunting 2-woman performance of a ghost story with a Blues soundtrack. An encore
performance at: B.L.U.E.S. CHICAGO - Wed., Oct. 27th, 7-9 PM MONSTER BASH - A LATIN SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP FUND EVENT Join us for our sixth annual Twilight Tales show to benefit the Latin School Scholarship fund, featuring stories and performances from SPOOKS!. It will be a different line-up from the Monday, the 25th show - so feel free to join us for both events! The course fee of $53 gets you the show, a copy of SPOOKS! and two drink tickets at the bar. Remember, it's for a good cause! Red Lion
Restaurant & Pub From Matt
Warner Participants in this event will shed light on all aspects of the writing life. Find out how books are written and published. From family life and fans to dealing with inspiration and failure the authors and editors involved will answer everyone burning questions. This event will be of interest to longtime fans of dark fiction, aspiring writers, and those in the Halloween mood. WHO: Authors
WHAT: "The Horror of Writing" - Discussion on Horror Fiction & the Writing Life, and Booksigning WHERE: Barnes & Noble in Annapolis Harbor Shopping Center (2512 Solomons Island Rd., Annapolis, MD 21401) WHEN: This Thursday at 7 p.m. WHY: Because we like you. In the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Matt Stone (CANNIBAL!: THE MUSICAL, TERROR FIRMER), reacted to Sean P. Diddy Comb's inane "Vote or Die" sloganeering by addressing so much of the intentional ignorance and appeal to hollow emotionalism on the Hollywood left by saying, "If you don't know what you're talking about, there's no shame in not voting." Amazingly this had the almost immediate effect of readers suddenly wanting to be informed! In a year with so many undecideds not knowing which way to vote, this would be considered a good thing. Actor Sean Penn, getting old and crotchety on the French Riviera, got his feathers ruffled (A puppet of Penn is in the Matt Stone and Trey Parker movie, Team America). Apparently a well-informed electorate is not Penn's idea of a good voter and he wrote a patronizing nasty gram chock full of hollow emotionalism to the South Park boys saying, "It's all well to joke about me or whomever you choose. Not so well, to encourage irresponsibility that will ultimately lead to the disembowelment, mutilation, exploitation, and death of innocent people throughout the world." The rest of the letter is loaded with tones of "In my day" and "You young whippersnappers" jingle jangle written with an intellect somewhere between Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton. Even though Penn is only about 9 years older than Stone. I guess Penn should have thought about that "irresponsibility" thing before he cheerfully accepted a guest invitation from Saddam Hussien right before the war. Sean also has has nothing but sweetness to say about brutal military thugs like Fidel Castro - who wouldn't tolerate his mouth or liberty for one second in Cuba. A quick Internet search reveals that Online newspapers and blogs worldwide are currently laughing at Penn. They never realized he actually took himself seriously as a "political activist". Oh well. It's not like the phrase "As smart as Sean Penn" will ever become part of America's lexicon in any positive way. Matt Stone was apparently surprised by the letter, saying, "Even as a puppet, he's a great actor." E!Online HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO - Actor Hugh Jackman (Halifax f.p.: AFRAID OF THE DARK, X-MEN, SWORDFISH, X2, VAN HELSING) is 36.
OCT. 11 And on Sunday Actor Chiaki Kuriyama (TOIRE NO HANAKO-SAN, SHIKOKU, JU-ON, MPD PSYCHO, BATORU ROWAIARU, KILL BILL VOl. 1) is 20. And on Saturday In one of two interviews he did with us, all this Writer / Director wants to DO is make Horror movies! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Guillermo del Toro (CRONOS, MIMIC, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, BLADE II, HELLBOY) who is 40. Actor Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD, FROM BEYOND, THE DENTIST, DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004]) who doesn't want to say how old he is.
OCT. 8 HAPPY
HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAY TO-
OCT. 7 From Vince
Sneed The title of the next DMD-spawned anthology is DARK FURIES: Weird Tales of Beauties and Beasts, and it promises to be the publishers most exciting and original anthology thus far. Think Modesty Blaise battling Cthulhu, suggests DMD publisher Vince Sneed. This is an excellent oppurtunity for a young writer looking to make a name for him or herself, Vince says. Die Monster Die is looking for solid, well-told stories and not name writers. Though were not short in that department, either. DMD is offering the new writer a chance to shine alongside these two luminaries, and to see his or her work in print between attractively illustrated and designed covers, Vince says. DMDs previous release, THE DEAD WALK! spent three glorious weeks on Shocklines.coms Top Ten Bestsellers list and continues to sell beyond Vinces wildest dreams of avarice. Die Monster Dies website can be found where else? at diemonsterdie.com, where previews of works currently in print can be found, as well as writer guidelines for the Dark Furies project. HAPPY
HORROR BIRTHDAY TO-
OCT. 6
OCT. 5 RIP'N
FOR JANET LEIGH HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAYS! Writer, Director, and Artist Clive Barker (THE BOOKS OF BLOOD, WEAVEWORLD, IMAGICA, HELLRAISER, THE NIGHTBREED, CANDYMAN, THE THIEF OF ALWAYS, COLD HEART CANYON, ABARAT) who is 52. 23 years and still rockin' is the lead singer of AC/DC Brian Johnson (BACK IN BLACK, FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK, WHO MADE WHO, STIFF UPPER LIP, FLICK OF THE SWITCH, FLY ON THE WALL) is 57. Short story Horror writer Jack "Jackula" Haringa is of unknown age. But it's still his birthday.
OCT. 4 From Del
Howison Then, at 7pm, Dark Delicacies will be hosting a special evening reading event. The League of Vampire Bards (fear not foolish mortals, not a real bloodsucker among them) will be reading their vampire poetry to kick open the doorway to the Halloween season. So if you
are flying into the Los Angeles area this weekend,
From Brian
Keene On October
14, he'll be at Barnes & Noble, Annapolis Harbor Shopping Center,
2512 Solomons Island Rd, Annapolis, MD, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Also on
hand will be Douglas E. Winter, From October
29 to 31, he'll be at HAPPY HORROR BIRTHDAY TO - Horror writer Brian Hodge (DARK ADVENT, OASIS, NIGHTLIFE, DEATH GRIP, THE DARKER SAINTS, PROTOTYPE, WILD HORSES, LIES AND UGLINESS) who is 44.
OCT. 1 So if you
are flying into the Los Angeles area this weekend,
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Amante's Horror Home Page and feoamante.com are owned and copyright 1997
- 2004 by E.C.McMullen Jr. All images and text belong to E.C.McMullen Jr. unless otherwise noted. All fiction stories belong to their individual authors. All artwork in The Gallery belongs to the individual artists. |