Johnson’s historic novel takes us all the way back to the origins of Atlantic City. The story drags a bit in the beginning as it gets bogged down in the extensive history of the early days. It is clear how much research Johnson put into this historical work, but it makes for tedious reading to go through every person that was involved and all the railroad and other bureaucratic complications.

The story picks up steam when we reach the era of Louis “The Commodore” Kuehnle and thus begins the chain of Republican bosses. Kuehnle’s reign ends in the early 1910s with a conviction for political corruption, leaving the door wide open for a new leader. That leader was Enoch “Nucky” Johnson. Nucky (to be played by Buscemi) is described as a “ruggedly handsome man” and was the perfect charismatic boss to keep the Republican machine well oiled and running smoothly.

“In his prime, he strode the Boardwalk in evening clothes complete with spats, patent leather shoes, a walking stick, and a red carnation in his lapel,” writes Johnson. Nucky was known for his lavish behavior and also his generosity; provided that said generosity could turn into votes for the machine-picked candidates come election time.

It will be interesting to see how Buscemi will portray Nucky and how the producers will handle the rich history laid out by Johnson. The dynamic between each political boss and the people of Atlantic City is another fascinating aspect that could bring some great drama to the HBO series. Eleven episodes have already been ordered and the show is due to premiere sometime next year. But if you want to get a head start on the story, you can pick up “Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City” now.

Bannatyne, of Somerville, is the author of several books about the October holiday.

Blast: You were voted one of the most interesting women in Boston by Boston’s Women’s Journal. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Lesley Bannatyne: I came to college in Boston and never left. During my twenties I co-founded a touring theater company called Studebaker Theater, which had a good, long (25-year) run — our last production, under the name Invisible Cities Group, was done in 2003; it was a collaboration with local musician Rick Berlin. For my day job, I took every kind of writing job you can imagine from writing text for fashion shows to commercials to writing journalistic pieces for the Christian Science Monitor and the Globe. My first Halloween book came out in 1990.

Blast: We hear you started your career as a writer-how did you become so involved in researching Halloween?

LB: I can honestly say that I’ve always loved Halloween, from the time I was a kid until now, and I’ve always celebrated it.

In fact, people often ask me why adults have started celebrating Halloween, and the truth of it is that many adults never stopped celebrating. It’s just that there are so many more of us now. The market has taken notice, which means more products-decorations, music, events, costumes-and a much more visible adult celebration.

I started looking into the history of Halloween when I couldn’t find a source that had good detail on American celebrations of the last 100 years. That research became “Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History.” After that, it was like falling down a rabbit hole; everything you turn up leads to something else, which leads to something else. In fact one of the hardest points in working on a book is knowing when to draw the line and say, “I’m finished.”

Blast: You became involved in a pagan organization in order to learn more, correct? What are some of the important ideas or concepts you took from this experience?

LB: Yes, I joined the Earthspirit community for a few years and have attended many of their Samhain rituals (which occur around Halloween) which I always find very beautiful. I suppose one of the most striking aspects of paganism as I know it (Bannatyne is not pagan) is how attuned to the natural world it makes you. The Earthspirit Samhain rituals also made the idea of death very personal. You spend time thinking about your dead, your losses, the lives lived by those you love, rather than thinking about death in a more general way, like we might on Memorial Day.

Blast: Do you feel pagan societies are often misrepresented in society or the media? If yes, how so?

LB: I think it’s actually gotten much better. The early pieces on witchcraft in the States, say those that came out in the 1960s, were written in a way that sensationalized some aspects of neopaganism (like nudity). The most out-of-the-box coverage we have now comes from extreme religious groups and tends to be published on the internet or privately. In general, the mainstream news media is factual on paganism, and the articles that appear around Halloween usually give pagans a chance to detail their lives and rituals.

I know what you’re getting at, though…there’s a lot of misinformation on the internet about what witchcraft is (for example, devil-worship, which of course it is not), and even on its history (She points to the fact that 9 million women were said to have been killed by the church during the “Burning Times”; scholars now know it was likely more like 60,000, both women and men, and that secular courts were just as culpable as the church). Things are always more complicated that they seem

Blast: You are a Halloween advisor to the Vampire Empire. What does this entail?

LB: Ah! The Empire is a collection of fans of vampires and I supply them with Halloween information. We don’t meet in person, under a full moon, or anything like that.

Blast: What do you think of the current vampire hype in Hollywood? Do you think our fascination with vampires will ever fade?

LB: I think it’s fascinating how much we’re mesmerized by the undead. You can see this in the current zombie explosion as well. Hollywood can only feed on a live vein, if you pardon my terrible pun. People love the forbidden, the mysterious, the Other; it appeals to our rebellious side. So too, we no longer sit with our dead as we did even 50 years ago. Wakes, open coffins, funeral home visitations are fading in lieu of cremation where there’s no body to witness. I think the deep morbid streak in American culture may have something to do with trying to process death in an age where it’s mostly hidden from us.

Blast: What about witchcraft? Being so close to Salem, witches are very much included in the history of Massachusetts. We often see witches portrayed in a bad light, though this has changed a bit. Do you think the stigma will ever go away?<

LB: I think the stigma attached to modern witchcraft will only go away with the controversy between a pantheistic worldview and a monotheistic worldview. In other words, this religious argument has been part of human history for a very long time. I don’t think we’ll need mittens in hell any time soon.

Blast: And you’ve written various books about Halloween-from history to costumes. Personally, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays due to the costumes! What has been one of the most creative costumes you have ever seen?

LB: I have seen so very many wonderful costumes. Off the top of my head, there was a tornado complete with thunder, lightning and a mist bottle for rain; there were the 30 people who went as Imelda Marcos’s shoes, an oven with a witch inside, a wrapped meal for a spider, a present with a tag reading: “To women, love God,” a trio who were dressed as Alaska, Russia, and a “Narrow Maritime Divide,” and a foursome dressed as a rapper, two prostitutes and a bottle…

Blast: What is one of the oddest things about how Halloween has developed into a modern holiday, in relation to how it originated?

LB: If you take this from the time Halloween came to be known in America, I’d say the oddest thing is how public it is. At first – mid 19th century — Halloween was more or less a loose collection of superstitions and folk games. If you marked Halloween, it was most likely a private or family event. But now, Halloween’s become a litmus test for our culture. Because it’s not tied to an event, religion, person, or even ethnicity, Halloween can shape shift a bit, reacting to who we are as a culture; what we value, what we fear.

Lesley Bannatyne will appear on the History Channel’s “Haunted History of Halloween”  and is the author of books such as Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History, Witches’ Night Before Halloween, and supplied the Halloween article found in the “World Book Encyclopedia.”

The friends, who met as high school students in Montreal, essentially began cold-calling musicians they admired and asking them to participate by creating designs for T-shirts, the proceeds of which would go to a charity of their choice.

“It was really that kind of DIY approach,” Cohen said. “We knew nobody.”

“The key was getting that first band to sign on,” Stotland added.

That initial “yes” came from Devendra Banhart, and many others soon followed.

“I didn’t think we would actually (get the project off the ground), but if he’s willing to do it, there’s no reason why we can’t,” Cohen remembers thinking after getting an enthusiastic note “in all caps” from Banhart in response to their request.

Soon, they found that word of mouth about their project was spreading like wildfire among the insular indie rock world. Some artists they contacted had been working independently on illustrations; others, including The National, already had T-shirt designs prepped and ready to go.

But they heard some “no”s along the way, too.

“Most of them have a reason that’s justifiable,” Cohen explained. “Some said they don’t have artistic inclination.”

Thus far, the Yellow Bird Project has raised money for organizations like Art for Change, AIDS Society of Canada, Safe Space, and Free Arts for Abused Children.

Cohen and Stotland recently expanded their venture from clothing to create a children’s activity book dubbed the “Indie Rock Coloring Book.” Parents looking to up their “cool” quotient will be glad to hear that the finished product includes music-inspired illustrations and activities from indie darlings like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bon Iver and Rilo Kiley. (Cohen and Stotland like to quote The National’s Matt Berninger, who once said “I’ve decided to have kids just so I’ll have somebody to give this book to.”)

While the Yellow Bird Project is currently just a side project for both Cohen and Stotland, they each hope to turn music-related charity work (or is it the other way around?) into a full-time career. Stotland, who has a background in computer science, still lives in Montreal and does freelance computer programming; Cohen studied philosophy in college and now resides in London, where he works for a marketing agency.

The two 25-year-olds are still two unassuming music fans who can’t hide their excitement about working with artists they enjoy and admire.

“We just really like music,” Stotland said. “This project just sort of fell into our laps.”

They celebrated the book’s September release with launch parties in New York City, Montreal and at the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco.

“It’s basically our favorite bands (who participate),” Cohen said. “To have people who want to be a part of that … It’s quite cool where this has taken us.”

The Indie Rock Coloring Book is available at various online and retail locations, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at www.yellowbirdproject.com.

Librarians have stripped the books from shelves in some junior schools because they believe the content is too sexual and goes against religious beliefs, reports the Australian Daily Telegraph.

One Aussie school even ran a special class for young students explaining the “racy and supernatural themes” in the books.

Australian Catholic Education Office spokesman Mark Rix told the newspaper that “individual schools had to decide whether the books were suitable.”

Librarians have pulled the book from shelves, and parents were told not to allow their children to bring the books to school.

“It comes down to the discretion of the school to keep an eye on what the kids read,” said Rix. “Some primary students are not ready to read Twilight. That said, some secondary students may not be either.”

Anyone who’s seen Griffin’s stand-up routine or Bravo reality show, “My Life on the D-List,” knows that her act is essentially a collection of anecdotes about her encounters with and opinions of Hollywood A-listers. Her knack for storytelling comes through in “Official Book Club Selection,” a witty, entertaining read about Griffin’s rise to fame and ongoing pursuit of notoriety. She manages to make even the most mundane childhood stories — getting an early start on gossiping by dishing family secrets to the neighbors, for instance — enjoyable rather than tedious.

In her first book, which hits shelves today, Griffin spins memorable (and sometimes less than flattering) yarns about celebs including Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Dick, Steve Martin and her “Suddenly Susan” co-star and maid of honor Brooke Shields, in addition to the expected offhand dismissals of favorite targets like Heidi Montag and the Lohan family. The 20 “discussion questions” included at the end of the book are good for a few chuckles as well (Sample: “When will it be okay to say that the Octomom’s children are in rehab?”)

Unlike with other celebrity memoirs, readers can approach Griffin’s writing with a fair degree of confidence that nothing has been sugarcoated and no one’s ass is being kissed. (Case in point: her mention of NBC head Jeff Zucker in the acknowledgments, “who has done very little for me but thinks he discovered me”)

But what’s most appealing about “Official Book Club Selection” is that Griffin affords herself the same no-holds-barred treatment she employs in her celebrity skewerings, devoting one chapter to a now-deceased brother who had alleged pedophilia tendencies and offering candid details about the collapse of her marriage in another. She frankly describes herself as an “ugly” child, and a binge-eating disorder is mentioned repeatedly. The warts and all approach also carries over to an extensive discussion of her much-discussed plastic surgery and liposuction procedures, complete with explicit post-op pictures.

The sneakily-titled book (hey, her comedy album “For Your Consideration” garnered her a Grammy nomination!), offers insight into Griffin’s fame-whore persona and biting comedy. She discusses first using humor as a way to deal with bullying classmates at the all-girls Catholic elementary school she attended (“If I can keep them laughing, they’ll get off my back,” she remembers thinking), and recounts her struggles to make it in the Los Angeles comedy sector at great length, but without a sense of entitlement or self-pity. But anyone who thinks Griffin is one-note needs only to read her moving account of the suicide of her “Suddenly Susan” co-star David Strickland to prove otherwise.

As a writer, Griffin comes off as refreshingly self-aware. She recognizes her own need to be the center of attention from an early stage, whether through starring in the school play or unexpectedly popping up in yearbook pictures for all the school clubs. “That was my big thing, getting my name out there, a credo I still live by today,” she writes. “You may not like me or embrace me, but I’ll bet you’ve heard of me.”

Though it’s unlikely to win over any detractors (or be on Oprah’s short list for her next Book Club pick, announced September 18), “Official Book Club Selection” is a must-read for any Kathy Griffin fan.

Then the phone rang.

It was the call.

The hot, streaking, eventual champion New England Patriots needed a long snapper. Two months later, Kinchen was snapping the ball for the winning field goal in the Super Bowl.

Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Marx tells this story in intricate, witty detail as only a true journalist can.

In sports today, we’re too often inundated with bad news. We see too much of players cheating and doping or violently breaking the law. With Paul Byrd’s epic comeback performance Sunday night for the Red Sox, these are the kinds of stories that keep us believing in sports. So go read “The Long Snapper: A Second Chance, a Super Bowl, a Lesson for Life.”

It was easy for Max Records to win the audience over, after he said he wrote down his speech on his hand.

The book originally caused an uproar when released in 1963 for its demonstration of rage being a part of children’s nature and growth. Some religious groups perceived the central character “Max” as depicting humans as animals — Darwinism. But readers fell in love with the book, which received the Caldecott Medal given by the American Library Association for the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Decades later, this book has settled comfortably into the role of beloved children’s classic. Now it’s up to Jonze, who appeared in a behind-the-scenes feature at this year’s Comic-Con International, to use his creativity to put “Where the Wild Things Are” on film.

In the convention featurette, Jonze demonstrates how the film was made and how he first got Sendak’s blessing to proceed with the production.

Jonze made it clear he did not want to produce a film which would tarnish the vision and scope of the classic. Audiences are also given a look into the life of Sendak.

The “Where the Wild Things Are” panel also featured a guest appearance of the actor who plays Max, the aptly named Max Record.

“This is the first time I have ever been to one of these things,” Records said at the panel, “so I wrote down what I wanted to say on my hand.” The audience immediately became smitten by the shy yet undaunted actor as a series of clips and the movie’s official trailer were played.

The film is first and foremost a surreal live action replica of the books. Jonze spared no creative or monetary expense in detailing the creatures’ costumes, as well as Max’s infamous pajamas. The scope of the production design is amazing, and it leaves one certain that, had this been made as an animated feature, it would surely be less impressive.

What makes this film such an amazing compliment to the literature is the immediate impression that the film will not candy-coat themes usually associated with coming of age films.

The film also stars Catherine Keener as Max’s mother who, through her brief scenes in the trailer, demonstrates the poignant moments as she tucks him in bed.

There is a poignant moment in one of the clips where Max explains “the death of the sun” to one of the creatures, much to the creature’s surprise. The exchange underlines the serious aspects of the film as Max shows his naivety toward the difference between being good and bad — how he is a biter and it got him in trouble. Records’ eyes and expression hanker back to another child star whose charisma pierced the screen with an immense vulnerability — the late River Phoenix, whose “Stand By Me” performance forever drew audiences to him.

“Where the Wild Things Are” is not going to easily be defined as a children’s film. In fact, it could easily be categorized as a PG-13 movie for its complex issues and themes. Fans of the books will love the translation, especially with Sendak’s approving nod and the way Jonze has used his own vision to bring this classic to the screen.

In the “New Moon” teaser poster, Jacob is shown as clearly standing between Edward and Bella’s relationship; a foreshadowing concept for anyone familiar with the plot.

However, in the movie tie-in cover, Jacob is shown possessively holding Bella, while she looks like she is trying to pull away from him. An image of Edward’s face is shown over the moon, much like the imagery Stephenie Meyer originally intended for the cover of “Eclipse.”

The real question is: Why does a novel called “New Moon” — a night when there is no moon in the sky — have a sliver of the moon shown on the cover? Only Harper Collins can explain.

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” hits theaters November 21, 2009.

Stanton’s book reads like a summer action movie, or maybe a Spike TV miniseries, about gutsy soldiers with waiting wives back home, fighting for Uncle Sam in the War On Terror, against Al Qaeda terrorists in the deserts of Afghanistan… you know, fighting The Bad Guys for America. Politics doesn’t enter into the equation at all, since, as the book jacket screams, the story is about “a band of U.S. Soldiers who rode to victory in Afghanistan.”

It’s even structured like a movie. Ready? Act 1: get the team together. Act 2: deal comically with saddlesores and miscommunications between cultures as the teams prepare for Act 3: Assault on the Terrorist stronghold.

Is it wish-fulfillment that America beat Al Qaeda on horseback? The meta-narrative of the book isn’t even glossed over: It’s cowboys vs. Indians writ large, with Freedom at stake; the perfect thing to read on the beach next to your wife, who’s probably reading something like “The Ya Ya Sisterhood” if you’re in the target demographic for this simplistic blockbuster.

In the interest of fairness, here’s what I liked about the book, before I go further with what I didn’t like: the description of Afghani tribal warfare realpolitik; the quiet times in the lives of soldiers, where they emerge behind Stanton’s ham-handed macho prose, briefly and sweetly, to appear as people; and the strange craving I’ve been having for goat curry as a result of reading the book.

I suppose I must also give Stanton props for not turning his book into some jingoistic tract, though he flirts with this notion several times in several ways. The early parts of the narrative told from the Afghan perspective read differently, as though Stanton wrote them with a different “voice” in mind. The voice frequently marvels at the strange American super-high-tech and speaks with many, many fewer contractions than the American sections.

Sections written about John Walker Lindh (whose chosen Muslim name is only alluded to) begin and end with pompous declarations like, “So said the voice of God,” another awkward attempt at “othering” the Muslims. In the hands of a better author, these might have worked. Here, they don’t.

It’s a fun — if completely brainless — book, one you will likely only find worth it if you don’t think too hard. It’s written by a guy who spent, I kid you not, dozens of pages salivating over GPS units and EMS catalogue items at the beginning of the story, with detail that eclipsed virtually every other part of the book. I got a better feel for the palleting system used to gather together the commercial-grade gear CIA agents used in Iraq than I did for the agents themselves. I may be exaggerating a little. I liked a couple of the soldiers… but for the life of me, I can’t remember their names.

Which, I suppose, is the biggest problem Stanton has created for himself. The soldiers aren’t really people except when they’re remembering their wives, who are all, if the Men’s Journal staffer is to be trusted, cleaning floors on their knees and weeping into buckets of sudsy water, waiting for their strong men to get home, or, if they are dead, waiting for their buddies to get vengeance.

The disappointment I felt nearing the end of the book had multiple layers. First, the middle hundred pages or so (leading up to the climactic battle scene, which is spoiled in the prologue anyway so whatever) put me to sleep. Second, I never got enough of the personalities of the several soldiers Stanton interviewed to care about any of them. Third, the complete disconnect I felt from the narrative made the book’s attempt to Tell the Soldiers’ Story (which, if handled by a better writer, would have been incredible) a little more than insulting, since they are all reduced to cardboard Action Movie cutouts.

Want a similar narrative? Since this book is a movie waiting to happen, skip the wait and go rent “Lawrence of Arabia,” and watch it on your huge television. Sure, it’s about the British soldier T.E. Lawrence, and not a bunch of American Cowboys, but the basic structure is the same: Westerner(s) network with Middle Eastern Tribal warfare, blow stuff up, and go home. The saddle sores, cultural differences, and goat curry love are handled with more dignity, care and skill than this forgettable beach read.

I fell in love with music and with poetry all over again. I craved some mash-ups that I’d never, ever see. To wit: taking the best of Keats and Billy Corgan, how about “Ode to Mellon Collie?” From Shelley and Gerard Way, “The Masque of Anarchy leads the Black Parade?”

Schuftan’s book, still for some stupid reason not available in the States, is an amazing success.

I recently talked the book up to a punk friend of mine from college, whose name, on her request, I have left out. I include it here because, frankly, I love the book too much not to.

Me: So this book I am reviewing, you would love it. When you come and visit me you should borrow it. It’s not out in the states yet so you are SOL.

ANON: Whee! Oh snap.

Mme: It’s about the roots of punk, pop, emo and goth in I SHIT YOU NOT LORD BYRON AND SHELLEY. it. is. the. greatest.

A: Byron and Shelley were the ORIGINAL GOTH KIDS.

Me: Actually Milton was but whatever. Then again maybe Milton was more of a punk.

A: Nah, Milton was a nerd.

Me: using his art to be a revolutionary and whatnot.

A: Okay, maybe he was a punk.

The author’s passion for tunes, pop, emo, punk and goth is matched with his love for Romantic poetry (and this author would have a tough time pitting the two against each other in the Thunderdome, and is content to see them share the stage) and 19th century history.

Look, honestly? This book needs to be released in the States yesterday. I had a blast reading it.

The book starts out with a confession: Schuftan likes My Chemical Romance. And I have to confess, similarly, that so do I, after reading “Hey! Nietzsche!” If only because reading the book gave me a much bigger appreciation for where the band’s music is coming from, historically and artistically. It’s easy to point at Gerard Way’s Black Parade makeup and derisively laugh, “emo kid,” but when Way calls emo “a pile of shit,” he starts to sound a bit more like Byron when he went to go fight in Greece.

Mechanically, Schuftan illustrates his point by juxtaposition and historical inference. It’s quite brilliant, really, in the sense that when you take a good long look at Bryon’s pallor, his disinterest in people, and his massive poetic talent, he really does look like Rivers Cuomo. Similarly, when you think about Gerard Way voicing a desire to save the world with rock and roll, it sounds a lot like Milton’s Satan.

And really? If it sounds like this praise is too high, or to elevate Weezer and MCR up to the heights of a pair of the greatest poets to ever commit pen to paper, the point is lost on you, dear reader. Byron, Schuftan’s Adam from which all this pale, black-wearing music descended, was a rock star. People read his poetry and loved him Beatles-style. Calling cards arrived in buckets, and Bryon, like a rock star, took in the sex, booze and drugs en masse, with the perfect nonchalance.

The biggest success in the book is making the connections seem so obvious. Schuftan doesn’t strain to make a point once in the book’s 300 pages. The book concludes with an affirmation, and so must I. Love your Byron, listen to your Weezer, and for the love of God, read this book.

Yes, really.

The story of Farley, as he’s affectionately called by his friends in narratives compiled almost a decade after the “Saturday Night Live” star’s death by cocaine overdose, is on the one hand a group of friends remembering a person frequently described as a force of nature, and something of a book of regrets: looking back on their friend’s all-consuming drug problems, alcoholism and inexorable self-destruction, the closest friends and colleagues of Chris Farley are sorry they didn’t do anything to save their friend.

You’ve heard it before, the story of The Great Artist brought down by drugs; Edie Sedgwick comes to mind; Jimi Hendrix; and of course, John Belushi.

And so the book takes two directions, and is pulled between them constantly. Was Chris Farley a comic genius, a force of charisma unlike anything his friends — teammates at Second City and “Saturday Night Live” — had ever seen? Or was he, as his brother describes him, a deeply religious kid, ashamed of his weight and scared of the devil, hungry for love?

I suppose the question is: why can’t we think of him as both? The book, a series of interlocking, transcribed oral narratives, constantly toes the same line between self-important exoneration and apology with which most celebrity postmortems wrestle, to no clear answer.

Is that the core of the narrative? It has to be. The book might be an oral history, but given that it was co-authored by the man who, essentially, taught Chris Farley how to live, it has to have been delicately constructed to toe the line.

When the book’s authors made the decision to get away from straight-forward narrative biography and let the voices of Farley’s friends simply take over, the reader is thrust into a complicated narrative less about the actor himself and more about the difficult feelings everybody had for Farley.

Should they save him, or should they laugh? Nobody outside of Farley’s family admits to guilt by complicity; only Farley’s own siblings recognized in the book that Farley, and their entire family, had serious issues.

And in a way, co-author Tanner Colby is to blame. Early in “The Chris Farley Show,” Farley’s brothers discuss how Chris read Colby’s book about John Belushi’s drug problems, “Wired,” and describe how he took all the wrong lessons away from the narrative. According to “The Chris Farley Show,” what Farley learned form Colby’s book about his on-screen idol was, essentially, that if Farley drank to excess and was a wild and crazy man, people would love him.

The worst part of the whole sordid thing is that everybody did love Chris Farley despite, or in spite of, his incredible self-immolation. I got the feeling from the book that the people around Farley thought of him as a beautiful train wreck: a huge, powerful force, completely destroyed. They wanted to slow down and watch, but couldn’t bear to pull bodies from the wreckage.

The troubling thing is, reading the book and watching clips of Farley’s performances, I couldn’t help but read into them deeply. When Farley’s most famous character, motivational speaker Matt Foley (named after a childhood friend) scolds David Spade and warns him that he will end up thrice divorced and in a van by the river, I couldn’t help but wonder if Farley was yelling at himself: an alter-ego character that came out and talked to everybody but the actor responsible for bringing him to life.

The book, like Farley as he’s described, will draw you in, and you won’t want to look away. I found myself captivated as much by the better days Farley had, the honest-to-god funny stunts he pulled growing up, as I was by his absolutely stupid binge-drinking once he found fame at Second City and “SNL.” I couldn’t decide which was more powerful, the good or the bad, and I get the impression that this is what the authors wanted.

After all: if they’re wrestling with their own guilt, shouldn’t the reader? If everybody who ever knew Chris Farley beyond his shitty, fratboy movie was so conflicted about him, shouldn’t people who are drawn to his story also wrestle with it?

So that’s what you get when you pick up “The Chris Farley Story”: conflict, indecision and guilt. Thinking back on it, I can’t help but think about Macbeth’s soliloquy: “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more.”

What have we got to remember Chris Farley? YouTube, Hulu, DVDs, and “Tommy Boy.”

In an age where people have films and video games to do the imaging for them, a new type of literature is emerging to bring the characters and stories into the reader’s world for a change. Sean Stewart, Jordan Weisman and Cathy Briggs, the co-authors, illustrators, and creators of a book series with a fully functioning understand the need for this change and have fused the gap between books, technology and their audience with their novels “Cathy’s Book,” “Cathy’s Key” and the upcoming “Cathy’s Ring.”

The “Cathy” series is part of a new genre dubbed “interactive fiction” and comes complete with working telephone numbers, websites and e-mail addresses — bringing the characters to life in the reader’s world. “Cathy’s” author, Sean Stewart claimed, “This kind of interactive entertainment will surely be to the 21st century what film was to the 20th in terms of being the defining art form.”

From what Blast has seen so far, there’s a definite possibility for this prediction to become reality.

The idea behind interactive fiction was born in 2001 when Stewart was hired to be involved in a project building a fully functional online world surrounding the Stephen Spielberg movie “A.I.” The project, dubbed “The Beast” due to its dauntingly huge list of requirements, entailed creating the world of this movie so that even five months before it came out, people could go to the website, which was according to Stewart, “literally hundreds or thousands of web pages deep”.

“You’ll go to a person’s blog and it’ll look like a real blog, except in the future . . . it’ll have a link of where they went to school, which then has links for 60 or so departments, all of which are up and running. When you e-mail these people, they will e-mail you back. We’re going to create a world and actually let you touch it. Instead of watching what happens to Lucy when she goes through the wardrobe to Narnia, we’ll let you go through the wardrobe yourself and see and touch Narnia as much as you can.”

The problem was, once the movie came out and the project was finished, it was left for dead. Stewart found himself and his colleagues saying, “that was really cool but now it’s over and people can’t play anymore because it’s over,” so they had no choice but to move on.

In creating “Cathy’s Book” and the subsequent sequels, Stewart and Weisman wanted to make sure that people could come across the series five years later and still play along. Running Press is set to release “Cathy’s Ring,” the third book in the New York Times bestselling teen trilogy. Despite the approaching end to the series, people will be able to enjoy the interactivity for a long time to come. The co-authors also wanted to make sure that it could stand alone as any other book would without the addition of its real-life communicative capabilities.

“We built it with a very simple premise: if all you ever did was just read the words of the book, that should be a great experience and you should feel fully satisfied, that by itself, should work as a book,” they said.

And it does. The story on its own is compelling and relatable, yet wildly fantastic — ready to compete with any other young adult series out there, complete with immortal boyfriends, Asian assassins, and witty banter. However, despite the inherent fantasy of the plot, opening the book itself brings you into a strange false sense of reality.

The series’ illustrator, Cathy Briggs, had a lot to do with this. Each page’s margins are covered in sketch-like illustrations, as if the artistic Cathy Vickers — the protagonist — drew these doodles while writing in her journal. Each drawing carries significance to what is happening on the particular page, and every now and then there will be little scratched in commentaries about what is printed.

Needless to say, Stewart and Briggs had to work together on this one. Stewart explained the process, saying “Jordan Weisman and I will usually talk about what we’re thinking of doing in a book and then I will go off and write the book and then send in a manuscript and we’ll go through revisions. Then I’ll sit down and write down some ideas for illustrations.”

After jotting down the ideas, Stewart and Brigg would collaborate on what drawings to include on each page, and were definitely on the same page about one aspect of the illustrations: they should not interrupt the reading of the story.

“A lot of the doodles and illustrations should be in the background and a second read, not a distraction, but yeah, we worked quite closely on developing what those illustrations should be,” Brigg explained.

Stewart conveyed the same idea: “It works the same way that a soundtrack in a movie does”.

Even as a background, it is hard not to consider how time consuming illustrating every page of a novel could be.

“It was quite intense,” Brigg admitted. “My hand was definitely falling off by the end. Some of them look quite sketchy — very crude, almost — but even so, they take quite a lot of time.”

You might have noticed the “Cathy” similarity as well – it’s no coincidence, Cathy the character is based off of Cathy the illustrator.

“The Lost Symbol” has been in a five year stasis during which time Brown has researched yet another intriguing combination of history and secret codes for main character Langdon to research. Originally titled “The Solomon Key,” “The Lost Symbol” is the third installment of Brown’s Robert Langdon series which began with “Angels & Demons” in 2000 and was followed by the controversial “The Da Vinci Code” in 2003.

The novel follows Langdon over a 12 hour period of time.

“This novel has been a strange and wonderful journey,” said Brown in a press release. “Weaving five years of research into the story’s twelve-hour timeframe was an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon’s life clearly moves a lot faster than mine.”

The April 20th announcement of the books release date coincides with the upcoming release of “Angels & Demons,” starring Tom Hanks as Langdon. “Angels & Demons” follows Langdon as he investigates a series of murders in Vatican City.

“The Lost Symbol” can be reserved on Amazon.com.

So what do you think, Blast readers? Are you going to reserve your copy of “The Lost Symbol” and see “Angels & Demons” the day it comes out? Or do you think Dan Brown is past his prime in the world of thriller novels? Give us your feedback, and the first 10 commenters will receive an exclusive pass to a pre-screening of “Angels & Demons” in Boston as well as a free promotional movie poster.

It’s Easy Being Green by Crissy Trask
In It’s Easy Being Green you can learn how to make better choices for the environment. This is what the busy person needs to start making changes today. Get informative, comprehensive and practical information for adopting greener buying habits and identifying earth-friendly products; shopping for green products online; participating in online activism; and learning from over 250 eco-tips for cultivating a sustainable environment.

Some very simple tips include installing rain gutters and rain barrels to collect rainwater from your roof to use in the garden. Shifting appliance use to off-peak hours. Making your own household cleaners instead of relying on toxic commercial products. Or submerging a plastic bottle in your toilet tank to save one quart of water per flush and thousands of gallons a year.

This book concurrently presents a plan, tips and an Internet resources list that you can use to follow-through on good intentions. An extensive product labels list is also provided to help interpret how some foods are produced. If you haven’t invested in substantially greener behaviors, consumerism and politics because you didn’t know how or thought it was difficult, help is here: It’s Easy Being Green is a handbook for all those who aspire do more to protect the environment but want it to be simpler.

Microgreens by Eric Franks
This can become your guide to growing nutrient-packed greens. Microgreens-vegetables harvested soon after sprouting-are expected to be one of 2009’s hottest food trends. With simple instruction, Microgreens teaches how to plant, grow, and harvest microgreens from one’s own garden. The small amount of space needed to grow microgreens-a porch, patio, deck, or balcony will do-allows anyone to easily incorporate them into their daily meals, and the greens’ nutritional potency make them a must-eat in a healthy diet.  Some of the microgreens discussed include amaranth, arugula, basil, beet, cilantro, cress and mustard.

Green by Design: Creating a Home for Sustainable Living by Angela M. Dean
In this book, Dean offers specific, hands-on advice for creating sustainable homes. The book’s four primary chapters cover design intent, design process, design strategies, and design specifics. Each of these chapters provides some information in the main text, then conveys a lot more information through detailed case studies. Although it is not a detailed reference guide, this book does provide a solid overview of green building for homeowners. So, if you are planning a remodeling in your apartment or venturing into buying a new house you can find out what options you have  to create a environmentally aware home.

This marks the beginning of “Either You’re In, or You’re In the Way,” a memoir and how-to book by young film-makers (and twin brothers) Logan and Noah Miller. After washing out of minor league baseball, the boys decided that instead of working on construction back home in Northern California, they’d crash on their buddy’s floor in Los Angeles and become screenwriters. Their first film, “Touching Home,” chronicles the story of the brothers and their father, a talented craftsman and roofer who died in poverty after succumbing to alcoholism.

With no money, no contacts, and no initial clue about how to make a movie, the two young men proceeded to produce, direct and star in their film, opposite famed actors Ed Harris and Brad Dourif, within one year. The film is tentatively slated for release sometime this fall. The Millers gave Blast movie critic Emma Rose Johnson a call from their home in Northern California to discuss inspiration, fate and Brad Dourif’s theories on goat milk. In form true to the first line of the Millers’ book, they speak in one voice.

Emma Rose Johnson: First, I just want to congratulate you on the film and on the book — it sounds like it was great experience for you guys. And, really, quite extraordinary, the fact that you guys managed to pull this together, with nothing that people usually would have. I would just like to talk briefly about how you became interested in film. You two started out wanting to be ballplayers. When did you think this was a better route?

Miller Brothers: Thank you first of all for the compliment. We always loved movies growing up. We tried to go to as many movies as possible — we’d usually go to the 11 a.m., the matinee, and then you know, just sneak around jumping from one movie theater to the next (laughter). Actually, no, we paid for every single movie — I just want to make that clear we don’t do that anymore. And we had a buddy who was living in Los Angeles — I don’t know if you know the geography out West, but we were living in Tucson at the time, and Tucson is connected to Los Angeles on I-10, it’s a straight shot and I-10 would take us to I-5, which would take us up to Northern California. We didn’t really want to go back home and pound nails, and our buddy said, “Hey look, you guys need to go through L.A. on your way home, why don’t you guys just crash on the floor of my apartment for a few months until you figure out what you want to do with your lives.” (Actually it was a few weeks, which turned into a few months.)

So we went and crashed on our buddy’s floor. Baseball hadn’t worked out, and we wanted to figure out what we were going to do with our lives. And we always had people growing up telling us, “Do what you love.” So baseball was our first love and movies were sort of our second favorite thing to do. And we had this story that we wanted to tell about our dad and we wanted to turn it into a movie. So we bought a book on screenwriting, called “Lew Hunter’s 434″ and we read it. It just sort of made sense to us. So we started writing the screenplay for “Touching Home” about us and our dad. We got the writing bug after that.

EJ: When I read the book, it really is a fascinating insight into the world of film making, especially on the West coast. You worked with non-professional actors in Tucson, you worked with people who’d just come to California to get their start and then you worked with major people in production, people like Robert Dalva, and then of course with Ed Harris and Brad Dourif. What was it like working in this nexus between A-list people and people who were just hoping for a break?

MB: It was a very exciting dynamic, I think. You had a passion and a desire and the really intensive enthusiasm of people that were like us, like first-timers; and then you had the insight and the wisdom and the experience and also the passion of the veterans. It really created a very exciting sort of mixture with a really diverse crew. Each side sort of fed off of each other you had the young, passionate up-and-comers, and the seasoned veterans that provided insight and experience. So it was pretty fascinating. I think the veterans got a kick out of working with the people who were trying to break in, and the first-timers did with them.

EJ: You did get to work with some truly terrific actors. Was it frightening being in control of all that talent?

MB: I think you have the same fears and doubts as anyone going into this. But we weren’t going to allow that fear to prevent us from realizing our dream from making this movie. And at the same time we tried to break out of that intimidation by saying “These are people just like us who are actually here to help us make our movie, not hinder us from making our movie.” We said in the book that making movies is a team art. So we had this extraordinary team of people who are helping us make the movie. Ed [Harris] came up two days early to rehearse and get to know us a little more and we drove out to all the locations and talked about our dad quite a bit; Ed was trying to discover who our dad was. And he asked us where we could have a good cheeseburger, and we knew this burger joint called Ebenezer down the road, and we got burger and shakes. About half way through he said, “I want to let you know that I understand what you guys are up against, and that you’ve got a tremendous amount of pressure on you. But I’m here to help you realize your dream, so I’m here for you guys. Whatever you need just let me know.” And that released a lot of pressure, the moment he said that.

EJ: So it almost helped having a guy there who knew that this was hard, who knew the score.

MB: Absolutely.

EJ: You talk a lot about angels in your book, people who just sort of fell into your lap who were just terrific and really brought you forward. I think a lot of people have this image of the film industry as just soulless and unhelpful, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for you.

MB: Well, it’s not like we didn’t meet a lot of soulless people. No, we just highlighted the people that we were able to get on board and who believed in us. We were really extremely fortunate, that there were so many people that helped us along the way. It definitely gave us a really positive outlook of the movie business in general, I would say. At least the people that made movies, from the actors to the crew, to everyone involved overall in the production — we were really, really, fortunate to assemble a team that we did. We got really lucky.

EJ: There were so many ways that this could have failed. Do you think there’s an idea that maybe fate was in play here?

MB: I guess whatever you call it — faith, luck, coincidence, I think you could bundle them all together. We never had many breaks prior to that, and then all of a sudden it just started happening for us. I guess I feel like our dad was with us, because there were so many times when it seemed like this kind of miraculous event occurred that actually was in our favor. So we definitely felt like our dad was pulling some strings from somewhere. Whatever you luck he had that he wasn’t able to use in life he used it to help us in death. I think that also, we’re not afraid to ask people for help or to place a phone call to a stranger. I think the world opens up to you if you’re willing to just go after it.

EJ: I’m a massive fan of Brad Dourif, and I was wondering if you could just talk about working with him for a minute. He sounded just so interesting and strange.

MB: He’s a fascinating, fascinating man. We call him a genius. He’s one of the smartest people we’ve ever met. You can have a conversation with him on astronomy, and rocket science, and then switch right into the nutritive qualities of goat milk. I’m serious.

EJ: You had a conversation about goat milk?

MB: Oh yeah, absolutely! He told us all about the health benefits and the importance of rearing children on goat milk — I wish I could remember more of the details. He has an expansive intellect and he’s really extraordinary artist. He’s very eccentric, in a good way, a way that keeps you fascinated and keeps you curious. He taught us quite a bit about the art of not just acting but of film making in general. He’s done so many movies that if he wanted to, he could direct. That’s how extensive his knowledge is of the overall craft. He’s definitely one of a kind. I’ve never met anybody like him.

EJ: I have to ask — you guys talk about “sleep-directing” which is this weird hallucination/dream while you were in production. Has that stopped?

MB: Oh, no, that just lasted a short time. Now we just don’t sleep. I’d much rather be sleep-directing than have no sleep. Yeah it’s pretty crazy — I think because it’s so intense when you’re shooting you don’t…that’s you’re still in it when you’re sleeping because you’re so completely focused with your entire mind, solving all these problems. So then when you try to go to sleep you’re still in that, you can’t escape it. I don’t know if you’ve ever waited tables, or done any sort of job where it’s the same exercise over and over and over, and you try to go to sleep that night and you’re still doing that, that’s what happens when you’re directing.

EJ: What gave you the idea to write a book about your experience?

MB (Logan): We had no intention of writing a book, until we started telling people how we made our movie. We got in the editing room, and had a little bit of time to where we would run into people on the street and catch them up on what we’ve been doing for the past year. And almost to the person, when we would tell our story, they would go, “Wow, you should make that your next movie, or write a book about it.” For a while we didn’t really give much thought to it. We figured we needed time to finish the movie. But we kept hearing it over and over, and Noah kept saying, “Look, we should write the book,” and I kept saying, “We’re editing the movie right now, we don’t have time, how are we going to write this book?” And he kept saying, “Look, Robert, our editor, he doesn’t show up until 10:30 or 11. We could get up at 5:30, write until Robert shows up, and we’ll have first draft in a few months and we’ll be glad that we did it.” He kept pounding me every single day, over and over again. “We gotta write this book, we gotta write this book, we gotta write this book.” Finally, I just gave in because I just wanted him to shut up.

Then there are the Miller brothers.

Logan and Noah Miller, twin brothers from Northern California, had a very singular experience with the Hollywood machine, which they describe with pinache and infectious style in their first book “Either You’re in, or You’re in the Way.” The brothers, after the death of their father, made a promise to get their script “Touching Home” made into a film within one year, with Ed Harris as the star. One year. With no money, and no real contacts in Hollywood. THe book tells the story of that eventful year, in which they wheeled, dealed, and maneuvered every level of the film industry to make their dream come true. They worked with everyone from non-professional actors and young hopefuls, to method actors, to angry teamsters, to Academy Award-winning production people. It’s not too much of a spoiler to say that they’re successful in their quest; though the book is a mix of memoir, family history, and how-to book for young, aspiring film makers, “Either You’re In” is actually a fascinating look at the way such success always happens in America: a madcap combination of hard work, daring, embellishment and a heavy dose of pure dumb luck.

In case you’re keeping count, there are literally thousands of ways this enterprise could have failed, and part of the great fun of the book is watching two young, gregarious, slightly wild men walk into big important offices, with big important people, and manage to wrangle talent, support and money out of them. Instead of the faceless monster of Big Hollywood, we see reasonable people who truly, actually want to see a creative duo succeed in their quest. The brothers wrote the film about their father, a brilliant craftsman and roofer who fell to alcoholism and became homeless for years before his death.

The brothers (who speak as one being, saying in the beginning of the book “Bro is me and I am bro.”) have a knack for easy and capable, if not terribly complex, storytelling. As the overarching arc (two guys with a dream) is somewhat trite, the true gems lie in the characters who people the landscape of their story. Especially delightful is their strange experience working with brilliant character actor Brad Dourif, who loves astronomy and cannot work without a hi-definition television, a moving scene where they have lunch at a burger joint with true mensch Ed Harris and a hysterical night they spend in Tuscon pulling off a difficult scene while their ruffian assistants get drunk on the set.

This is a truly American story — a couple of outlaws breaking all the rules and getting fame and glory in the process (there’s a reason one major chunk of the book is called “Desert Shoot-Out”). I’m a pretty cynical person, but who doesn’t want to see these guys strike it rich with a little film they wrote, produced, directed and starred in themselves, with nothing to their names but about $50,000 in credit card debt? If anyone in the sunlit universe of Southern California can prove Ellroy wrong, these are the two to do it.

“If I had to choose a few books for our leaders today to read they would be Vergil’s Aeneid and some Greek and Roman classics,” says Marie Bolchazy, executive vice president of Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers. “The classics are the foundation of our civilization, and we still live by and debate the same ideas they did back then, whether we realize it or not.”

Bolchazy recommends four books that have a wide-ranging appeal and can get anyone up to speed on how our past informs our future:

• “Vergil’s Aeneid,” translated by G. B. Cobbold:
  An action-packed epic tale, the Aeneid is the story of a man whose city is destroyed by war, who struggles to find a higher purpose in life and leaves the woman he loves to fulfill his destiny. The eternal struggle between good and evil is featured in this fast-moving history of Rome. The debate over war and morality could just as easily be taking place in the halls of Congress or the opinion pages of today’s newspapers.
• “Classical Considerations — Useful Wisdom from Greece and Rome:” Even thousands of years ago people knew that wisdom comes from sharing ideas with each other and with those who have gone before. In this book, a diverse group, including students, a psychiatrist, Vietnam veterans and no less an authority on leadership than Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, share in their own words how these ancient writings have influenced their lives.
• “The Epic of Gilgamesh” by Danny P. Jackson: The epic of Gilgamesh goes back to 2800 BC. Translated for the first time in the 1850’s, this ancient work, which predates the Bible, created a theological stir in Christian Europe. The story of the flood, the myth of the loss of immortality due to a serpent and the civilization of the first male are some of the stories found 2,000 years later in the Bible. The historical hero Gilgamesh goes through various stages of manhood — hormonal, intimacy, empire-building, awakening, search for immortality, finally obtaining the herb of immortality and ultimately losing it to a serpent. This Bolchazy-Carducci edition has been favored by the Great Books Foundation and Prentice-Hall (which includes it in their literature anthology), and was translated into Turkish. It is also published with a Hebrew translation. The epic is read by thousands of students in college and high school, with 15 original illustrations in color and 18 illustrations depicting the ancient world of the Mesopotamians. The epic is extremely important in comparative mythology and religions.
• “When in Rome:” When you just can’t bring yourself to sit down with heavy themes like the battle between good and evil, you can laugh and learn with a book of cartoons featuring Julius Caesar, Medusa and the Trojan War. Because, after all, if you can’t laugh at history, you won’t learn from it.

  Courtesy of ARAcontent

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/learning-about-the-past-can-help-you-prepare-for-the-future/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/mcsweeneys-video-art-spiegelman-book/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/mcsweeneys-video-art-spiegelman-book/#comments Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:58:33 +0000 Emma Rose Johnson http://blastmagazine.com/?p=10441 Literary web site McSweeney’s celebrated the arrival of Art Spiegelman’s new book with a beautiful two-minute video chronicling the inner-workings of the celebrated graphic novelist.

  Spiegelman, who wrote and illustrated the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel “Maus”, released his latest compilation “Be a Nose!” March 1. The book is a reproduction of the artist’s sketchbooks, a meandering panoply of eerie musings from what many consider to be the father of the mopdern graphic novel.

  The video, also titled “Be a Nose!” and directed by Lars Edwards, is a work of art in itself. Edwards took a few of Spiegelman’s drawings and animated them, fitting the barely two-minute video to the cool stylings of Pat Carney, the drummer for The Black Keys.

  It’s strange how weirdly affecting this little opus is: tiny creatures crawl out of heads, arrows point to nowhere, or lead you right back to the beginning on where you were. A short interlude where a hook-nosed creation goes fishing while wondrous sea creatures floating gently below his boat is particularly moving.

  It’s a lovely rendition of Spiegelman’s work: many times when reading his novels it’s impossible to tell whether his ideas come from his dreams or his nightmares. Carney was an excellent choice for music as well- his drumming in this is “cool” in the way that I believe that word was actually intended.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/mcsweeneys-video-art-spiegelman-book/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/lol-cats-sell-out/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/lol-cats-sell-out/#comments Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:12:23 +0000 Steve Macone http://blastmagazine.com/?p=10402 If you’ve turned on a computer in the last two years, you’ve probably seen Lolcats, those funny feline photos, the ones that use misspelled captions and capture cats, as John Hodgman puts it in his introduction to this new book, “at the precise moment they are talking.”  
  The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out
  By A. Koford
  Abrams ComicArts
  $12.95

  Now comes The Laugh-Out-Loud Cats Sell Out, a collection of distantly related comics drawn in an old-timey style. The book’s premise is that the comics, written by cartoonist, walrus hunter, spy, hobo and retired U.S. senator Aloysius Gamaliel Koford, first appeared in newspapers between 1912 and 1914. None of this is true, of course, and the book is probably (definitely) the work of “Aloysius’ great-grandson,” Adam Koford, who is real. 

  Written in that distinctly “Icanhascheezburger” speak, the book is a series of single-frame escapades involving the hobo-cat duo Kitteh and Pip, all of which take place in the early twentieth century. There’s no real plot, just a series of recurring themes, such as Pip’s obsession with “Caturday” and things being invisible (Invisbl everything? Kitteh: No, itz snow”) References include Lord of the Rings and Lovecraft.

  Hodgman writes in his introduction that the production of the original online Lolcat pictures is a “challenging hobby” that is “much, much harder than just sitting down and drawing an old-timey picture of cats.” This is apparently him joking, calling attention to the superficial creation of this viral phenomenon and the often-underrated artistic street cred of cartoonists. (Hodgman later calls Koford a genius.) But in fact, Koford’s cartoons do, in the end, leave the question of what work is being done by their creation. They reference things, yes, and are occasionally stand-alone funny. But an original Lolcat picture, when done right, is without question a kind of work, a situation and a funny punchline in the form of the caption.

  Or a triangulation of sorts: the photo of a cat doing something-which we find all the more funny because the notoriously uncooperative animal is clearly not in on the joke-and the creative affixing of the anthropomorphism, just so, enchanting the scene so that now that cat jumping is actually riding an invisible bike! Then there’s the play between the facial expressions that are so spot-on, almost intelligently human, and the grammar that butchers the sentiment and reminds us that cats are cats and not as smart as us, that if they could talk and think out loud, well, those silly guys would still never master grammar. I mean, c’mon, they’re cats.   

  So, like Chuck Norris facts, Lolcats succeed so frequently because they are an inherently silly premise that ultimately serves as a blank canvas. And the work with the online Lolcats has always been in the painting onto that canvas, even if there is no drawing being done. But with Koford’s cartoons, since the raw material is not the reality of a digital photograph but whatever he decides to sketch, there remains the question of what work is actually being done, of what the point of Koford’s cartoons are if they’re not to be consistently, well, laugh out loud funny.  

   

  What is done is something subtler. At first glance they appear to be a cartoonist having a little fun, meshing the old Krazy Kat style with this new Lolcat speak. But, Koford’s cartoons also raise a deeper question: just how do we categorize this current Lolcat phenomenon in the ever-thickening file cabinet our cultural legacy? Especially as these files now become electronic, where will these less-than-serious artifacts end up, say, when we are as far removed from Lolcats as we are from the original old-timey cartoons? 

  So when Koford sketches pip chasing after a spool and saying “I Love Where Dis Thread Iz Going!” we groan at the pun, and then realize how unsettling it is to hear this almost hyper-timely speech applied to characters in hobo cloths. And because these characters are using this i-can-has way of talking the scenes become not merely pat, linear jokes about how things are different now from how they were back then. These are not Plugger cartoons.

  No, a project centered this boldly on something so recent and possibly transient has the effect of eviscerating any linear humor-time continuum, of asking, where will Lolcats-and cartoons and memes and humor, and possibly even the recently overdone concept of fake-premise humor books, for that matter- be when Koford is, as the fictional creator of this book is supposed to currently be, 117 years-old?  

  This is, I guess, what they are doing. It’s kinda cool. Still, call me new-fashioned, but I like the original (newer) version of Lolcats, where they just make silly faces.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/lol-cats-sell-out/feed/ 4 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/in-other-rooms-other-wonders/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/in-other-rooms-other-wonders/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:54:28 +0000 Kristen V. Brown http://blastmagazine.com/?p=10178 Pakistani author Danyal Mueenuddin begins his inaugural book simply, with a dedication to his mother and an epigraph: “Three things for which we kill — Land, women and gold.”

  The Punjabi proverb, written in English and the highly stylized lettering of Urdu calligraphy, anticipates with startling accuracy the source of conflict in Mueenuddin’s brilliant debut collection of fiction, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders.

  In the title story, the wealthy patriarch of a feudal landowning family, KK Harouni, falls for Husna, a shrewd, young social climber looking to integrate herself into the glitzy, jet-setting life of Lahore’s wealthy elite. Much to the chagrin of Harouni’s europhile daughters and estranged wife, Harouni takes Husna, with her simple clothes and unrefined manners — imagine a Pakistani Eliza Doolittle, if you will — under his roof, at first only as a servant of sorts, but eventually as a mistress.

  Husna shows up at Harouni’s door, a distantly related young girl of a family that “had not so much fallen into poverty as failed to rise”. Harouni, a disinterested old man who seems bored to tears with almost everything, finds in Husna a relief from the redundancies of upper crust Lahore. As he explains to his daughter, “She keeps me company. She’s no genius, if you like, but she can play cards and so on.” Mueenuddin’s characters seldom try to sugarcoat the facts of life.

  As many of the women in the Mueenuddin’s grim fairy tales, Husna assumes she can use feminine wiles to climb the social ladder, and avoid marriage to “a compromise, a salary man.” And at first, she succeeds, until, also like many of Mueenuddin’s stories, the fairytale ending is pulled right out from beneath her.

  Mueenuddin builds up his reader’s hope for his characters, only to vindictively strip all hope away in the end. In ‘Saleema’, a young woman and her drugged-up husband move to the cramped servant quarters of the Harouni estate. The woman, Saleema, is the daughter of a prostitute mother and a heroin addicted father seeking for herself a better life. As a maid for the Harouni’s, she meets Rafik, a gentle and reserved valet. Saleema hopes that their affair can somehow make of her an honest woman. Before Rafik, “her love affairs had been so plainly mercantile transactions that she hadn’t learned to be coquettish. But that little hopeful girl in her awoke now.”

  The reader can’t help but root for the honest and wide-eyed (though admittedly shrewd) Saleema, but it’s not long before she winds up drug-addled and dead herself, her child with Rafik begging “in the streets, one of the sparrows of Lahore”.

  In Other Rooms, Other Wonders is partly an exploration into the harsh realities of a modern-day society still bound by class. If this had been Cinderella, most of Mueenuddin’s stories would have ended halfway through, but instead, in his Pakistan, happiness is usually short-lived. Like Husna and Saleema, his characters end up learning a harsh lesson: you can move up or down the ladder, but in the end, motion in Pakistan is only horizontal.

  The collection is, in the tradition of Balzac’s original Comédie humaine, eight stories bound together by the common thread of the moneyed KK Harouni’s household and extended family. Characters reappear throughout the book — sometimes on the main stage, and sometimes as a side note. Set in the Pakistani district of Punjab, Mueenuddin’s stories follow the lives of the rich and powerful Harouni family and its employees — from the managers, drivers, gardeners, cooks, and servants to the patriarch’s young, traveled nephew in Paris.

  The collection sheds light on contemporary Pakistan’s many faces, from the inhabitants of impoverished rural Pakistan to the young, bored nouveau- rich gracing Mueenuddin’s pages feasting on lavish picnics of champagne and cheese or as coke-snorting snobs at Halloween parties in Islamabad.

  Reading In Other Rooms, In Other Wonders, you often get the sense that writing the collection was in some ways Mueenuddin’s method for working out his own problems of identity and feelings towards Pakistan. He spent the first years of his childhood in Pakistan, then was shipped off to an East Coast boarding school at 13 and went on to attend Dartmouth College. A decade after first moving to America, he returned to Pakistan to help his aging father uphold family property that was in danger of being taken over by crafty managers. He spent seven years alone on this farm – an isolated 10 hours from Lahore by a bumpy road – before he moved back to the US to study law at Yale and practice corporate law in New York. Eventually, Mueenuddin, tired of the corporate sector, received a Master of Fine Arts and returned to manage the Pakistan farm, in his spare time writing what would become the stories of In Other Rooms, Other Wonders, which were first picked up by literary rags like The New Yorker and Granta.

  In Mueenuddin’s work, you easily see the characters and colors of his own life. The crafty managers and wily servants of his father’s farm are the same characters who occupy KK Harouni’s farm and Lahore estate, and color the pages in tales like ‘Provide, Provide’ (writes Mueenuddin, Jaglani “would receive a brief telegram, NEED FIFTY THOUSAND IMMEDIATELY” and he would “sell the land at half price, the choice pieces to himself, putting it in the names of his servants and relatives.”). In ‘Lily’, the title character’s eventual betrothed manages his father’s old farm, 10 hours from Lahore by a rough road, where he is beginning to grow vegetables in greenhouses, just as Mueenuddin himself does now. And in the tale ‘Our Lady of Paris’, the character, Sohail, perhaps bears resemblance to Mueenuddin’s own identity struggle: the wealthy Yale law school-educated son of KK Harouni’s brother, Sohail struggles with what to do next in his life – move back to Pakistan and take over his father’s business dealings or live in America with his American girlfriend Helen.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/03/in-other-rooms-other-wonders/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/02/confronting-a-holocaust-past/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/02/confronting-a-holocaust-past/#comments Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:02:39 +0000 Kristen Gard http://blastmagazine.com/?p=8640 There is no doubt that Nazi Germany was a haunting place to live in the wake of the Holocaust. Bernhard Schlink addressed these hardships in his 1995 novel “The Reader” and through lectures in Boston last week.

  “The Reader” personalizes the Holocaust by illustrating the turmoil of a man who is in love with a woman who commits a monstrous crime.  Many Germans who lived during the Holocaust dealt with the same struggle.  Furthermore, those who were born in the next generation struggled with the guilt of these crimes.

  “I think those who commit monstrous crimes are not monsters,” commented Schlink at Boston  University.  He discussed the presence of the Holocaust in today’s world saying that, “for my generation the past is still very present.”  He continued with saying how, “future generations can learn from the Holocaust.”

  Schlink said confronting the past is important to prevent equally devastating events in the future and recognize the onset of such events in the present.  Although today’s generation, the third after the Holocaust, does not feel as much guilt as its predecessors, the past continues to have a presence in Germany.

  “Historical events are always unique and always comparable,” said Schlink.

  In The Reader the main character’s, Michael Berg, dilemma falls between love and justice.  Eight years after a love affair with an older woman, Hanna, Berg is a law student witnessing Hanna’s trial. She was a Nazi guard.  He is in a moral battle between what is lawful and what is moral.  Many people found themselves in  this situation during the Holocaust.  Although, many people do not find themselves in the extreme situation that many of the Nazi workers found themselves in – a unique historical event – moral battles transpire daily.

  Despite the necessity to confront the past Schlink clarified that, “fixation on the past is the flipside of the past.”  He demonstrates this in Berg, he is a man who does not appear to find happiness throughout his life and is fixated on his love affair with Hanna and her crimes.

  Director Stephen Daldry accurately portrays the emotional turmoil of post-Nazi Germany in his adaptation of Schlink’s novel.  The many layers of the novel are present throughout the film, which portrayed the struggles and guilt of the Holocaust and post-Holocaust German generations.  When a film student asked Schlink what he thought about the movie, which was released Jan. 9, he concisely responded, “I liked the movie.”

  Originally, Anthony Minghella had the rights of “The Reader”, starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes.  Eventually he let Daldry and David Hare make the movie.    “The Reader” was nominated for four Golden Globes.  Kate Winslet won Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture.  The film has been nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture, Directing, and Adapted Screenplay.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/02/confronting-a-holocaust-past/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/01/remembering-john-updike/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/01/remembering-john-updike/#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:18:03 +0000 Steven H. Bagley http://blastmagazine.com/?p=8007 John Updike, one of the most critically acclaimed American authors of the 20th century, died in Danvers, Mass. on Jan. 26.

  Mr. Updike had been battling lung cancer. He was 76.

  The author of the “Rabbit” series and countless contributions to the New Yorker magazine was hailed throughout his career as an author whose work elevated the ordinary aspects of American life.

  In the spring of 2008, the National Endowment for the Humanities chose Mr. Updike to present the Jefferson Lecture, one of, if not the highest honor in the humanities.

  The seeds of his 54-year career were planted when he saw his mother writing at a table, the story goes. He reached huge critical acclaim with his “Rabbit” books, and in 1984, “The Witches of Eastwick” was made into a movie starring Cher, Michelle Pheiffer, Susan Sarandon and Jack Nicholson, and was filmed at the Crane Estate in Essex, Mass.

  The prolific author wrote about a novel a year throughout his career. His work ranged from tales of suburban infidelity to magic realism and science fiction. He wrote for television and the stage in addition to his novels and streams of short pieces published in the New Yorker.

  Los Angeles Times critic David L. Ulin’s obituary of Mr. Updike, published Jan. 27, casts a quietly tragic light on one of America’s most prolific writers.

  Ulin wrote that his image of Mr. Updike will forever remain “as a self-described ‘freelancer,’ who produced a nearly endless stream of book reviews, novels, stories, poems and occasional pieces — more than 60 volumes’ worth in all — because he felt he’d be forgotten if he didn’t keep his name in print.”

  Mr. Updike was born in 1932 in Reading, Pa., to author Linda Grace Hoyer Updike and math teacher Wesley Russell Updike. He leaves behind his wife Martha, four children from his first marriage, Elizabeth Pennington, David Hoyer, Michael John and Miranda, and three stepchildren.

  Mr. Updike’s work has been hailed as some of the greatest American fiction. There is no doubt in this critic’s mind that he will never be forgotten.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/01/remembering-john-updike/feed/ 2 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/01/best-selling-author-john-updike-dead-at-76/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/01/best-selling-author-john-updike-dead-at-76/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:07:34 +0000 Steven H. Bagley http://blastmagazine.com/?p=7950 John Updike, 76, best selling author, died Tuesday after succumbing to lung cancer.

  Updike is survived by his wife Martha, four children from his first marriage, Elizabeth Pennington, David Hoyer, Michael John and Miranda, and three stepchildren.

  We’ll bring you more later in the week on the life of Mr. Updike.

  By the way: Because of a reporting error, we falsely stated that Mr. Updike wrote “The World According to Garp,” which was written by John Irving.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/comics/literature/2009/01/best-selling-author-john-updike-dead-at-76/feed/ 3 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/12/book-review/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/12/book-review/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:25:27 +0000 Steve Macone http://blastmagazine.com/?p=6209 Standup comedy, like science, is so full of technical terms and necessary context that it really can only be covered correctly by a specialist. It’s a beat, when reported on properly, or else you get questions from hometown papers and even big-time television programs striving for new comedy insights asking things like, “Gosh, don’t you get nervous up there?” People usually, somehow, manage to ask that twice. Then they’ll ask a clean comic if they ever get in trouble for saying something “too edgy,” and someone with the most hacky jokes how he manages to come up with this stuff!? It’s rarely pretty.

  Denver Post  journalist John Wenzel covers comedy. It’s his beat. So he’s not completely the worst at it. He also has pretty good taste in comedy, and in the course of his reporting, he’s even stumbled upon something worthy of a book, Mock Stars.  The book talks about a do-it-yourself trend in comedy that, over the last ten years or so, has led to a “hipster-leaning offshoot” where standup, sketch, videos and everything else you can think of in comedy have become more independent from the practical constraints and indirect artistic limitations of mainstream venues. (Let’s not call it a “movement” until it all moves away from traditional comedy clubs entirely, which may or may not ever happen.) 

  Wenzel traces the similarities between indie music and indie comedy. And like a band you’ve never heard of, he thinks you really need to check this out. This comedy is for anyone “who finds most mainstream comedy boring, irrelevant, insulting, or worse-soul destroying,” Wenzel writes. Or for those who have “grown numb to the litany of ways white people are not like black people.”

  Stylistically, indie comedy leans toward the absurdist, painfully self-aware or cynical as well as comedy that “challenges the audience to come to it, rather than offering safer, low-calorie humor.” Wenzel writes how there was a time after the ‘80s comedy boom when, for many people, the idea of going to a comedy club, with its cheap laughs, expensive covers and often racist or sexist undertones, was one of the least cool things you could do. That’s a sentiment and a caricature, or stereotype really, of comedy that persists today-somehow simultaneously with the equally untrue notion that all comedy is “cutting edge,” saying what no one else will. For the reader who either thought that most comedy stinks because it’s lame or that the stuff he or she has seen is the best and all that’s out there, this book will be an eye-opener.

  Indie comedy is more likely to appear in your local rock club than comedy club, Wenzel writes, though it can really happen anywhere. And don’t confuse indie with underground. Indie comedy exists off some people’s radar, but it’s become more often something parallel to the mainstream. Oh yeah, and the most important shibboleth and shared sentiment of indie comedy, according to Wenzel: It’s for people who like Mr. Show.

  Wenzel’s depiction of the development seems at its strongest not when he claims music and comedy go well together on the same bill-which is entirely true with strong, disaster-avoiding caveats (daytime shows with bands who differ ideologically from the comedians are hard!)-or even when he shows how this independent comedy had its roots in some comedians being fans of certain bands and eventually collaborating. Rather, it’s when he highlights how indie music’s propensity to take chances with its audiences, its sensibilities and the actual infrastructure of indie music, the smelly-yet-backhandedly welcoming clubs, cheap beers, the cynical-yet-open-minded crowds who frequent them, have very often perfectly suited the performers who have come up this way in the last ten years. The book is a series of portraits of those people: David Cross on Mr. Show, his tours around the time of 2001 and the album he released on an indie music label; Patton Oswalt’s “The Comedians of Comedy” tour; and even MTVs Human Giant and Adult Swim’s Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, which Wenzel holds up as that sensibility of indie comedy-developed at a handful of amazing self-produced comedy shows in LA, Boston, San Francisco and New York-continuing to show up on national television.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/12/book-review/feed/ 5 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/dayna-steele-rocks-business/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/dayna-steele-rocks-business/#comments Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:33:42 +0000 Bessie King http://blastmagazine.com/?p=5556 Are you in a band? Do you want to succeed in the business world? Did you ever wonder what brings success? If you answered yes to any of these questions, let Dayna Steele give you the answers.

  The 90’s radio personality better known as the First Lady of Radio, worked with iconic bands, married an astronaut, founded a business and mothered three sons aside from promoting her books. As she explains, her life has been “everything but boring.” In trying to show people that their lives can be as interesting too she wrote Rock to the Top and shares life and business lessons rock stars turned entrepreneurs use.

  “I love adventure my whole life has been an adventure, every day I wake up and think oh my God I am so lucky. Even going through a hurricane I still thought I was lucky because I didn’t loose much. I always tell people I work really hard to make this life this good. If you want a great life no one will get it for you, if you want to be a success in anything its up to you,” Steele said to Blast.

  In reference to the hurricane, the lady of radio experienced hurricane Ike since she lives in Houston, TX. In fact, a week after the hurricane hit, our scheduled interview was in the middle of her home reparations.

  “I don’t want to say that Katrina was not important because of course it was, but we were hit as hard and did not receive the attention. Mainly because when FEMA finally got here one guy said, ‘I’ve never seen such incredible destruction over such a wide path but I’ve also never seen such work ethic and neighborly concern to one another.’ I said, ‘welcome to Texas,’” Steele recalled.

  Whether it came from her Texan background or her father’s mentorship Steele has continuously been a “go-getter.” Raised with the teachings that every job is worth giving it 100 percent effort, Steele knew she loved music; and although when auditioning to be a DJ she did it to impress a guy, she felt that a radio career could be a shoe-in. So she dedicated herself to making it big.

  After getting the radio job she didn’t land a date with the guy, but she did get people’s attention. Her midday show with Houston’s radio powerhouse KLOL grew in popularity because of her friendly manner and ability to relate to listeners (nicknamed Steeleworkers) or bands like the Rolling Stones. Over her tenure in radio she was nominated as Local Radio Personality of the Year by Billboard Magazine and included in Talkers Magazine’s 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Host. Being VIP at shows, getting platinum records as gifts and living backstage life were her everyday happenings.

  “If people only knew the tings that went on backstage they’d be impressed, everyone thinks its sex drugs and rock and roll and if it had been we’d all be dead! After a very successful career I felt I could try other fields so I left radio and started being a business woman, a successful business woman,” she adds.

  Hanging with band members, who knew fame could be temporary, taught Steele valuable lessons she shares in writing. Her book is divided into easy-to-understand chapters targeting specific areas. First chapter being dedicated to passion because, “if you truly have a passion for something you will keep trying no mater what.” Following chapters target confidence, organization skills and even a section about health and business leading titled, “We Can’t All be Keith Richards.”

  The book contains anecdotes of her years in the music world with morals that are identifiable. Without the bore of typical business books Steele’s style is casual and poignant so that readers feel as if she’s talking to them one-on-one. Her advice aims to prove that businesses can be successful in any field, not just the typical banking or investing routes.

  “After leaving radio I started making professional speeches but they were boring and I always had a question about rock at the end. This was what people wanted to listen, the rock stories. So, I used my stories to talk about business and wrote the book in the same way. Overall reaction has been amazing, but from business people being that they were motivated to do something else they always wanted to do. That is the best response ever,” the author admits.

  Her various roles in life have shown the lighthearted woman that giving can also be rewarding. The mother of three said that she knew she wanted to have kids, “I just never knew how much I would like them.” In setting a good example for them she has dedicated time to promote national pride and teach her children to be good doers.

  She launched Operation National Anthem with the idea that soldiers in service record a simple request to be played at events, large or small, around the United States before the national anthem is played. The soldiers remind people to be respectful and quiet during our anthem’s run. Like with her other projects, the videos Steele created are being played across the United States now.

  “My boys are 9, 12 and 20. They have chores, we expect straight A’s and they get punishments. I try to tell them to look at the world and see how good they have it. Anything we have its worth fighting and working for and its to do it for the passion not the money,” Steele said.

  If your interests are as broad as this Texan’s and you need a little guidance, Rock to the Top is a valuable read. Aside from getting tips you will be entertained and amazed with the personal stories of a woman who is everything, but boring.

  Enter to win a copy of Dayna’s book by emailing Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/dayna-steele-rocks-business/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/twilighters-will-rock-the-vote/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/twilighters-will-rock-the-vote/#comments Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:04:40 +0000 Liz McClendon http://blastmagazine.com/?p=5113 There’s something different about the Twilight fandom. Sure, you have the tell-tale signs of a cult following, considering the thousands of websites and forums dedicated to the books and film alike, the uprising of unofficial conventions, and the 6,000 screaming teenage girls crowding Comic Con waiting for a chance to see their characters come to life. But if you look a little closer, there are more than just a few thousand vampire loving teenyboppers (or as we call them in the Twilight community, “twiboppers”) running this fandom.

  Twilight seems to attract a huge age range, mostly girls and women from around age eleven to forty. There are Twilight twenty-somethings, Twilight moms, and Twilight teachers and there are tons of Twilight sites out there that deal with some real-life issues: hisgoldeneyes.com’s Carlisle Would Approve campaign to donate blood, twilight20somethings.com’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month shirts, and twilightnovelnovice.com’s Election ‘08 buzz.

  Tiffany Truitt, a middle school teacher, created Novel Novice Twilight: a blog that originated from a Twilight Club she started in her school, but has become a hub for communication not only between fans, but educators as well.

  “Our site is a place where Twilight fans can not only get the latest news, gush about their favorite characters, create videos to support Team Edward or Team Jacob, but a place where education is spotlighted. The Twilight series helped me to build strong relationships with my students, it encouraged reluctant readers to dive into an epic, and I am proud to call myself a Twilighter.” Truitt states on the website.

  With the release of Twilight looming closely around the corner, you’d think that fans wouldn’t be able to think about anything else. Truitt and Novel Novice Twilight help keep things in perspective. Although a great deal of Twilight’s fans aren’t quite at voting age yet, Novel Novice has had a full blown “Edward versus Jacob” campaign running complete with mud-slinging political ad videos. This campaign does not only attempt to help underage fans feel like part of the election-mania, but to also encourage fans of age to get into the voting mood.

  Election News for November 3rd on NNT also included facts about the United States Electoral College and a link to information on both Obama and McCain. Educational and unbiased.

  So give Twilighters some credit. They’re a huge online community, and it seems like they’re starting to realize how to use their obsession for good.

  Oh, and, don’t forget to vote.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/twilighters-will-rock-the-vote/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/10/cia-confidential-secrets-to-cooking-techniques/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/10/cia-confidential-secrets-to-cooking-techniques/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:17:04 +0000 Dinah Alobeid http://blastmagazine.com/?p=4156 Braising lamb shanks? Sauteing onions just right? Making the perfect cup of coffee at home? These basic, and not-so-basic, cooking techniques are drawn out in detail in a colorful and informative anthology cookbook by one of the most renowned cooking schools in the world. 

  “The Culinary Institute of America Cookbook: Over 375 of Our Favorite Recipes for the Home Chef, Along with Tips and Preparation Techniques from the Classrooms of the World’s Premier Culinary College,” may have a long title, but the immensely diverse and delicious recipes included in this cookbook will have the most clueless chef cooking up something great in no time. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is a long standing institution of great cooking, comparable to the French Culinary Institute.

  Founded in 1946 and is an independent, not-for-profit college that offers both bachelor’s and associate degrees in the culinary arts as well as the baking and pastry arts. The main campus is located in Hyde Park, N.Y. and has two other branches one in St. Helena, Calif. and the other in San Antonio, Texas.

  Chef and instructor David Kamen at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), said this user-friendly cookbook for food enthusiasts is a compilation of recipes included in previous CIA cook books, as well as additional techniques and recipes. 

  “We had a chance to reedit and adjust some of our favorite recipes that have already been published,” Chef Kamen said. “There were several people involved in the making of the cookbook and we wanted to include the contemporary style of cooking reflecting today’s tastes. We tried included bolder, stronger flavors along with Latin American and Asian recipes which are definitely up and coming cuisines that reflect cooking today.”

  This first edition of the cook book has a useful section titled “Prior to Cooking” before the first chapter which details the equipment and basic ingredients every food aficionado should have in their pantry. Many cooking techniques that seem daunting to the home cook are  explained using beautiful photos and colorful writing. Plus, the book uses the techniques to truly healthy cooking while cutting down the recipes of the CIA to useful portion sizes for the home user. 

  “One of my absolute favorite recipes is ‘Swordfish with a Tomato-Olive Ragu’ on p. 170,” Chef Kamen said. “It screams Mediterranean at you with its use of olive oil and aversion of refined grained making it very healthy. It has really good flavor and is a great make ahead dish that is versatile. I love this recipe with chicken for example.”

  With enthusiasm such as Chef Kamen’s for healthy, delicious, professional cooking at home, this cookbook offers a great how-to for chefs of all levels. When asked what the seemingly most difficult cooking technique is, Kamen responded that sauteing was viewed as  being hard to perfect, but actually very simple. As described in the book extensively, Kamen explained.

  “You need to sautee over high heat using a small amount of heat and cooking the fat quickly. The one problem is that people have difficulty controlling the heat, but the cookbook really helps guide the home chef to perfect these techniques.”

  The cookbook has chapters covering the gamut of cooking from Beverages and Snacks, Egg Dishes and Griddle Cakes, to Baked Goods and Desserts and Light Fare. Along with Main Dishes and Appetizers and Salads, the book is sectioned to be simple to navigate and even easier to utilize in your own home kitchen.

  From making the perfect Buckwheat Pancake to Osso Buco Milanese, from Lamb Korma to Chocolate Mousse, the CIA’s latest cookbook is inventive and a true guide for anyone who wants to cook classics or contemporary cuisines ranging in genres and nationalities. Novices and food enthusiasts alike will enjoy the the beautiful photos and layout along with the descriptive and easy to understand techniques in the book.

  If you’d like to become a better chef too, email us at Giveaways@BlastMagazine.com by October 31 and enter for a chance to win a copy of this kitchen treasure. Please include all your contact information.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/10/cia-confidential-secrets-to-cooking-techniques/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/09/midnight-sun-leaked-unfinished-and-glorious/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/09/midnight-sun-leaked-unfinished-and-glorious/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:07:55 +0000 Terri Schwartz http://blastmagazine.com/?p=2938 4.5 out of 5 stars

  On August 30, Stephenie Meyer posted a notice on her official website saying that someone close to her who she had given an early draft of her upcoming novel, “Midnight Sun,” had leaked it onto the internet. “It has taken me a while to decide how and if I could respond. But to end the confusion, I’ve decided to make the draft available [on her website],” she said in her statement. “This way, my readers don’t have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay honest.”

  “So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue,” she wrote. “In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely.”

  After reading the draft of “Midnight Sun” that was posted, I only have three words for Ms. Meyer: Please finish it.

  For those readers who are not familiar with the concept of the novel, “Midnight Sun” is a rewrite of Meyer’s first novel, “Twilight,” from its hero’s perspective: Edward instead of Bella. She has even said before that, once she started writing “Midnight Sun,” she realized that she should have told the story from Edward’s perspective all along. She was right.

  What made “Twilight” so interesting was the dynamic between Edward and Bella. Edward was torn between his “wants” for Bella; he was in love with her, and yet he wanted to kill her. In “Twilight,” the reader got a confusing take on his confusion from Bella. She was unsure of his emotions and reactions towards her, and so were we. Did he want to kiss her or kill her? Was it lust or bloodlust?

  “Midnight Sun” clears those up. Finally, the enigma that is Edward begins to make sense. Sure, the novel remains about a third completed (the draft is only 264 pages long), but even only telling the story until the drive home after the tense Biology Movie Class Scene, so many puzzle pieces fell into place: What Edward did when he went North to escape Bella. Edward’s hand in Angela and Ben’s relationship. Edward’s real excuse for following Bella to Port Angeles. The extent of Edward’s love for Bella, and the explanation behind it.

  Sure, Edward still is a creepy stalker who can’t get enough of watching Bella sleep, but it works because we have an explanation for it. Just like writing Bella’s pregnancy in “Breaking Dawn” from Jacob’s perspective led to some confusion and irritation over Bella’s motives for giving birth to what Jacob thought was a monster, writing “Twilight” from Bella’s perspective led to confusion and harsh claims against Edward’s character. Edward’s perspective is much more fun than it should be as it shows how he rediscovers his 17-year-old side after being trapped in the same body for almost a century. And that includes hormones.

  While Edward’s voice is a lot more interesting than Bella’s (and significantly less annoying), “Midnight Sun” is still very much a chick read. I can’t see 14 to 21 year old boys going to a book store and wanting to swoon over Edward’s endless monologue about his love for Bella, but anyone who enjoyed the Twilight saga will definitely enjoy this installment.

  The part of “Midnight Sun” that was the most fun was reading everyone’s minds (except Bella, of course) alongside Edward. Meyer is able to include scenes that Edward was unable to see by having him watch it from someone else’s perspective. It is fun to see how all the pieces that were missing from “Twilight” fall into place, and of course we don’t have the same frustration Edward has because if a reader wants to know how Bella is feeling, they can just flip to that scene in “Twilight.”

  It is almost funny to see how Edward’s bias of Bella is almost as severe as Bella’s is of him. To Bella, Edward is the most attractive, perfect man in the realm of existence. To Edward, no one else can anywhere near compare to how delicate, pretty, and selfless Bella is. Seeing their views of one another makes it clearer that the “perfection” they find in each other is mostly their mutual love and a decent percentage exaggerated.

  “Midnight Sun” is nothing more than a companion piece; don’t think that you can just skip over the Twilight saga and just start from Edward’s perspective because there are a lot of missing details that were explained in previous books and did not need to be explained again. For example, Peter and Charlotte are introduced early on in “Midnight Sun,” while Bella did not know that they existed until “Eclipse.” “Midnight Sun” is a fun way for Twilight fans to re-explore the universe that they had come to love in a new way, a way that will lead to many, many “Oh, well that makes more sense” moments.

  So please, Stephanie, please finish writing “Midnight Sun.” After all, you can’t leave us hanging by not sharing The Meadow Scene from Edward’s perspective with us.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/09/midnight-sun-leaked-unfinished-and-glorious/feed/ 293 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/09/ingrid-laws-savvy-debut-young-adult-novel/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/09/ingrid-laws-savvy-debut-young-adult-novel/#comments Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:16:54 +0000 Terri Schwartz http://blastmagazine.com/?p=2703 4 out of 5 stars

  “What if your grandpa moves mountains, one of your brothers causes hurricanes, another creates electricity, and now it’s your turn?”

  That line on the back cover of Ingrid Law’s debut teen novel “Savvy” sums up the story more than any synopsis could. A quick but delightful read, “Savvy” tells a story of a young girl whose family members hit puberty in the most unique of ways.

  Mississippi Beaumont (”Mibs” for short) is about to turn 13. For most girls that simply marks the pivotal time of their lives when they become a teenager, but for Mibs it means that she is about to get her “savvy.”

  Her grandmother could capture songs. Her own mother is perfect. One of her older brothers controls the weather. And when her father is severely injured in a car accident, Mibs hopes that her savvy will be able to help him. Thus begins a two-day adventure across Kansas and Nebraska during which Mibs and her siblings team up with their preacher’s children, a bible salesman, and a chronically late waitress to try to get to the hospital and save Mibs’ father.

  From the first line of “Savvy,” Law’s voice comes singing out to the reader in all the right ways. The book definitely feels like it’s written from the point of view of a 13-year-old (”The itch and scritch of birthday buzz was about all I was feeling on the Thursday before the Friday before the Saturday I turned 13″ is one of several lines that contain amusing twists and turns). Law captures the essence of a confusing time in a girl’s life and adds the fantastical element of savvies to create a caricature of growing up to which all teenagers can relate. No, the novel won’t change their lives, but it might help to steer them in the right direction.

  The greatest thing about “Savvy” is the message it gives to its readers. In such a time when the authors of the top young adult novels, like “Twilight” author Stephenie Meyer, proclaim that they write for the pleasure of writing and do not seek to portray a message in their novels, Law’s take on the importance of staying true to oneself is a breath of fresh air.

  None of Law’s characters are perfect. Whether it is because they have some sort of hidden, destructive power waiting to be unleashed or because they have secrets or traits that they think others will judge them for, all of the characters in “Savvy” are full of unique imperfections. Law builds upon those flaws and leaves the reader with the idea that a savvy is a unique gift in all of us, making us different, yes, but still the same.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/09/ingrid-laws-savvy-debut-young-adult-novel/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/blogs/2008/08/the-other-side-of-the-debate/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/blogs/2008/08/the-other-side-of-the-debate/#comments Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:28:02 +0000 Blast Magazine Newsroom http://blastmagazine.com/?p=2244 Kellen Rice, one of the Blast’s writers and a regular contributor to Blast’s PSA: Politics, Sports, Anything Blog recently picked up and read the entire Twilight series.

  She did not like it. No, ma’am, not one bit.

  “Thankfully, the ‘Twilight’ series is over. Not as great is the fact that millions of girls are reading this sexist tripe without a care in the world, obsessing over the “perfect” Edward Cullen and the “hot” Jacob Black, pretending to be Bella Swan and ignoring the unhealthiness of the relationship just as successfully as the character does. What happened that two hundred years after feminist hero Elizabeth Bennet is put down on the page, we get one of the most awful excuses for a female literary hero that I’ve ever seen?”

  Take a read: PSA Blog.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/blogs/2008/08/the-other-side-of-the-debate/feed/ 44 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/08/breaking-dawn-definitely-broke-something-my-heart/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/08/breaking-dawn-definitely-broke-something-my-heart/#comments Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:15:24 +0000 Terri Schwartz http://blastmagazine.com/?p=1973 Don’t miss:
  Top 10 “Twilight” moments

  THERE ARE “BREAKING DAWN” SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW. IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE NOVEL TO BE RUINED FOR YOU, PLEASE STOP READING.

  There were certain things about “Twilight” and its sequels that made people love it. That made people say, ‘Hey, it may say it’s about vampires, but it’s not. It’s about the most amazing love story ever told.’ There were certain aspects, like Bella’s relatability and her teenage confusions that made people of all ages adore her.

  “Breaking Dawn” doesn’t tell that story.

  There are mentions of Bella’s high school friends, and a handful of them even appear for a dialogue-less scene in the first 50 pages of the book, but they, like any anchor to the feel of the earlier novels, seem to disappear in the opening scenes. “Breaking Dawn” is a vampire novel in a series that really wasn’t.

  When you go to hunt down a copy of Stephenie Meyer’s final installment to her (definitely going to be) on-going vampire saga, don’t worry about not having finished its second and third episodes; “New Moon” and “Eclipse”. Meyer once stated that “Breaking Dawn” was going to be very similar to her original and unpublished sequel to “Twilight”; “Forever Dawn”, and she was right. The events of “New Moon” and “Eclipse” have barely a paragraph of relevance to the entire 754-page giant that is “Breaking Dawn”.

  It definitely draws one thing from its predecessors though, and that is the reader having to wait until the last 100 pages for a plot to appear. We saw this in “Twilight”, but the 400 pages of Bella and Edward falling in love was totally worth only the last fifth of the book being about the nomads. (Besides, there were two more books after that to finish off their story). In “Breaking Dawn”, it takes until page 360 for anything exciting to occur, until page 543 for a plot to emerge, and until page 679 for the battle scene that never actually happens. Oh, and then they live happily ever after.

  With “Twilight”, I didn’t realize I was almost done with the book and nothing had happened because I cared. Bella and Edward? Amazing! Their chemistry and their passion and their confusion… I gobbled it up. Obviously. The biggest problem with “Breaking Dawn” is how hard it was to care about the characters that we all fell in love with.

  The first and foremost (and previously mentioned) reason is that Bella is no longer a relatable character. She is 18 and she gets married. And then has a baby. And then becomes a vampire. I am 19. I am not married, nor pregnant, nor a vampire.

  Therefore, I cannot empathize with Bella in Book 2 of “Breaking Dawn” (from Jacob’s perspective) when we watch Bella slowly killing herself while everyone sits around and watches her be a stubborn idiot. There are literally 200 pages of this! Bella has made decisions in previous installments that are hard to wrap the mind around, but at least then the story is from Bella’s perspective so the reader is slightly biased. But having to watch Bella make more seemingly stupid decisions from someone (Jacob) who sees them also as being stupid decisions… let’s just say I know quite a few people who put the book down then.

  The driving force behind the success of the Twilight series is the relationship between Bella and Edward. It is beautiful – perfect in its imperfections. “Breaking Dawn” should have been the culmination of these feelings, but it wasn’t; its second big mistake. Here was Meyer’s perfect opportunity to have everything be perfect. We have a wedding, a honeymoon, and a baby.

  The wedding was cute, but didn’t have much depth. There is some sign of the undeniable happiness between Edward and Bella as they both got the unbreakable union they so deeply craved for but it still felt like it was lacking. It seemed like Meyer was just racing through it until she could get to…

  The honeymoon started off perfect. Bella and Edward, for lack of a better term, did it. Finally. But, of course, there is a problem. Although the passion is of course, breathtaking, Edwards, um, strength, leaves bruises all over Bella, which ruins his mood and makes him the emo-for-a-lame-reason-Edward that we have all learned to love. But even the honeymoon zips by as…

  Bella discovers she is pregnant!

  And then it’s Jacob being miserable, watching Bella make stupid decisions. This has been mentioned above, and then (we are half way through the book now), Jacob imprints and Bella has her baby/becomes a vampire.

  Bella becoming a vampire was the surprising high point of the novel. She seems to be meant to be a vampire, which sort of explains why she has always been on the ‘AM’ frequency. And, luckily for us all, her desire for Edward is greater than before, so we get treated to a few steamy scenes that had been missing during the first half of the novel. They still felt a little lackluster, though; Bella didn’t faint.

  Oh, and her baby is adorable, but that’s for you the reader to discover.

  The connection between Edward and Bella has always been deep; so deep, in fact, that the reader can feel its pulsing life throughout the entirety of the novels. “Breaking Dawn” suffered from the same affliction its heroine did: blood no longer pulses through its veins.

  Another let-down is the hype of Team Edward versus Team Jacob. There was no fight. Jacob imprinted (which we all knew had to happen regardless), but then it was like poof – there was never another mention of Jacob’s two-and-a-half-books long unquenchable and unchangeable love for Bella. Come on, Stephenie Meyer.

  Finally a plot emerges involving the only sort-of enemies from the previous two (ignored) books, the Volturi. There is way too much about vampires here, and in some parts I felt I was reading an Ann Rice fiction novel instead of one of Stephenie Meyer’s fluffy young adult romances. Things get interesting for a bit, and then “Breaking Dawn” ends the way it had to. Happily.

  Part of the problem is that Meyer seems to have had a switch in focus as to who her favorite person is, much like Bella does. It’s no longer all about how perfect Edward is, but rather how amazing Bella and Edward’s daughter, Renesmee, is. It can only be assumed that the implied sequels-from-other-perspectives (excluding “Midnight Sun”, which is “Twilight” from Edward’s perspective) will be about her. There was way too much set up about her future to be ignored.

  I too was convinced that Bella and Edward’s story is old news. The problem was, I was convinced that a little more than half way through “Breaking Dawn”. This was supposed to be their grand, final chapter, but if anything it was the worst of the entire series.

  The amount of a letdown that “Breaking Dawn” was slightly overshadowed the fact that there were good parts to the book as well. Bella and Edward finally can be happy together. The angst is over. The love is complete. That was heart-warming.

  And “Breaking Dawn” was a good book, it’s just that something better was expected. Something amazing. Something that took my breath away.

  In the end, “Breaking Dawn” felt kind of like a muffin bottom. You don’t really want to eat it because you know it doesn’t taste as good as the muffin top, but you know if you don’t just finish it you’re going to stay hungry for a long, long time.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/08/breaking-dawn-definitely-broke-something-my-heart/feed/ 82 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/08/top-10-twilight-series-moments/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/08/top-10-twilight-series-moments/#comments Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:53:26 +0000 Terri Schwartz http://blastmagazine.com/?p=1962 These are some of the greatest moments of Stephenie Meyer’s series. If you have not yet read “Breaking Dawn”, the fourth novel in the series, and do not want to read any spoilers, please do not continue reading this. If not, enjoy!

  10 – The end of “Breaking Dawn”

  “‘We have plenty of time to work on it,’ I reminded him.

  ‘Forever and forever and forever,’ he murmured.

  ‘That sounds exactly right to me.’

  And then we continued blissfully into this small but perfect piece of our forever.”

  9 - Bella and Edward’s first ever kiss from “Twilight”

  “I couldn’t breathe.

  He hesitated – not in the normal way, the human way.

  Not the way a man might hesitate before he kissed a woman, to gauge her reaction, to see how he would be received. Perhaps he would hesitate to prolong the moment, that ideal moment of anticipation, sometimes better than the kiss itself.

  Edward hesitated to test himself, to see if this was safe, to make sure he was still in control of his need.

  And then his cold, marble lips pressed very softly against mine.”

  8 – Jacob imprints from “Breaking Dawn”

  “My jerking came to a stop; heat flooded through me, stronger than before, but it was a new kind of heat – not a burning.

  It was a glowing.

  Everything inside me came undone as I stared at the tiny porcelain face of the half-vampire, half-human baby. [...] The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood.

  It was the baby girl in the blond vampire’s arms that held me here now.”

  7 – The cliff jump in “New Moon”

  “I smiled and raised my arms straight out, as if I were going to dive, lifting my face into the rain. But it was too ingrained from years of swimming at the public pool – feet first, first time. I leaned forward, crouching to get more spring…

  And I flung myself from the cliff.”

  6 – Bella first sees Edward in “Twilight”

  “It was there, sitting in the lunchroom, trying to make conversation with seven curious strangers, that I first saw them.

  They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where I sat as possible in the long room. There were five of them. [...] The last was lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers here rather than students.

  [...]‘That’s Edward. He’s gorgeous, of course, but don’t waste your time. He doesn’t date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him.’ She sniffed, a clear case of sour grapes. I wondered when he’d turned her down.”

  5 - The wedding from “Breaking Dawn”

  “I didn’t realize I was crying until it was time to say the binding words.

  ‘I do,’ I managed to choke out in a nearly unintelligible whisper, blinking my eyes clear so I could see his face.

  When it was his turn to speak, the words rang clear and victorious.

  ‘I do,’ he vowed.”

  4 - Bella’s first kiss with Edward as a vampire in “Breaking Dawn”

  “It was like he’d never kissed me – like this was our first kiss. And in truth, he’d never kissed me this way before.

  It almost made me feel guilty. Surely I was in breach of the contract. I couldn’t be allowed to have this, too.”

  3 - Bella punches Jacob in “Eclipse”

  “Finally, he let go of my face and leaned away.

  ‘Are you done now?’ I asked in an expressionless voice.

  ‘Yes,’ he sighed. He started to smile, closing his eyes.

  I pulled my arm back and then let it snap forward, punching him in the mouth with as much power as I could force out of my body.

  There was a crunching sound.

  ‘Ow! OW!’ I screamed, frantically hopping up and down in agony while I clutched my hand to my chest. It was broken, I could feel it.

  Jacob stared at me in shock. ‘Are you alright?’

  ‘No, dammit! You broke my hand!‘”

  2 – The meadow scene from “Twilight”

  “‘Isabella.’ He pronounced my full name carefully, then playfully ruffled my hair with his free hand. A shock ran through my body at his casual touch. ‘Bella, I couldn’t live with myself if I ever hurt you. You don’t know how it’s tortured me.’ [...] He lifted his glorious, agonized eyes to mine. ‘You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever.’”

  1 – The tent scene from “Eclipse”

  “‘Please!’ Edward hissed. ‘Do you mind!’

  ‘What?’ Jacob whispered back, his tone surprised.

  ‘Do you think you could attempt to control your thoughts?’ Edward’s low whisper was furious.

  ‘No one said you had to listen,’ Jacob muttered, defiant, yet still embarrassed. ‘Get out of my head.’

  ‘I wish I could. You have no idea how loud your little fantasies are. It’s like you’re shouting them at me.’

  ‘I’ll try to keep it down,’ Jacob whispered sarcastically.”

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/08/top-10-twilight-series-moments/feed/ 85 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/features/2008/07/the-comics-of-the-con/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/features/2008/07/the-comics-of-the-con/#comments Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:01:46 +0000 John M. Guilfoil http://blastmagazine.com/?p=1741 SAN DIEGO — Attention “Twilight” fans, in addition to movies, music and video games, there’s something else at Comic-con that you may be interested in.

  Comic books.

  Okay, let’s be realistic, maybe they won’t be interested in comic books, but millions are, it’s the reason why Comic-con exists and we can’t get enough of it.

  With the first full day of the con behind us, here’s a look at some of the best non-major label comics that have caught my eye so far at the sold out 2008 San Diego Comic-con International.

  Of course, even after trolling the exhibit floor Wednesday for preview night and a good chunk of the day today, I’m sure I haven’t seen all the good ones yet, so don’t go crazy if your favs aren’t on the list.

  Valentine
  Red Eye Press
  Daniel Cooney

  “No matter how hard she tries, Valentine just can’t leave the killing game behind. Her life as an assassin has made her a liability to everyone she’s ever known — and the lingering mental effects of the CIA’s MkUltra program have clouded her memory, making her past a puzzle waiting to be pieced together,” states the premise for Dan Cooney’s “Valentine.” This sexy, bitchy killer provides for some classic comic entertainment. The new book, “The Killing Moon,” was unveiled at Comic-con, and it is very good, opening with Valentine crashing a car through some thugs’ living room and taking out the trash.

  Headlocked
  Visionary Comics Studio
  Kingston, Valiente, Gravel

  Sure it’s been a while since the WWE was cool, but that doesn’t change how good this story of a young man’s quest to make it in the world of professional wrestling. This color glossy book is well-designed and very impressive for a smaller outfit. When writer Michael Kingston approached me, I didn’t expect much out of a wrestling book, but the amount of work the team put into the comic shows.

  Toupydoops
  Lobrau Productions
  Kevin McShane

  Imagine a world where Hollywood was run not by studio execs but by comic book creators. Enter loveable blue Toupydoops and his half-bear, half-human sidekick Teetereater. This is a black and white book that’s well-drawn and nicely detailed. Despite the language and adult situations, there’s something wholesome and genuinely entertaining to be gleaned from reading the six books that McShane and company have put out so far.

  GirlsDrawinGirls
  Independent
  Various Artists

  Not so much a comic book as it is an art movement, GirlsDrawinGirls is a fantastic journey through time as some of the top female artists and animators collaborate to draw their gender from caveman days to Victorian times, through their visages of the future. I met with three of the ladies Wednesday, including Melody Severns, who currently works on “The Simpsons.” I also bought a wonderfully illustrated print of a girl playing Nintendo Wii done by Danni S. Lou.

  How to be a Serial Killer
  Viper Comics
  Luke Ricci, Ramon Espinoza

  This book was a Comic-con special one-shot deal previewing a movie that’s coming out later in the year. The title explains it all — a man becomes a serial killer and kills people. It’s brutal and violent, but I’m glad I got my hands on a copy of this promotional comic, because the color and drawings are so perfectly done that it makes me want to see the movie — or at least wish Viper could commission a full comic series.

  Three more not to miss: “DMZ” by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli and on the major label side, Image’s “Suburban Glamour” by Jamie McKelvie and “Tales of the Starlight Drive In” by Michael San Giacomo et al.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/features/2008/07/the-comics-of-the-con/feed/ 1 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/02/sexography/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/02/sexography/#comments Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:17:07 +0000 Kristin Baver http://blastmagazine.com/2008/02/sexography/ Carly Milne was plagued by nightmares stemming from the night she was raped.
  Then she wrote a book about it.

  Not just about the experience of surviving sexual assault; that’s really just skimming the surface. Milne has also penned an unflinching portrait of molestation by her father, an honest look at dealing with herpes, homelessness and alcoholism all before turning 18, and the comedy that ensued from working as a sex toy tester.

  In her first book, “Sexography: One woman’s journey from ignorance to bliss,” Milne has recorded both the hilarious and harrowing visions of her sexual self, with a frank tone and unpitying wit. No excuses.

  “I didn’t really go into it going, ‘Oh boy, I wonder what everybody’s going to think,’” Mline said. Though by the end, a surprising turn of events with her dad admittedly gave her pause. “There was a small part of me towards the end (wondering), ‘Well, are people going to think I’m a fraud because I reconciled with my father?’” she said. “I have my reasons for choosing that path.”

  Working to salvage that relationship meant explaining some parts of her book that was about to hit the shelves.

  “I wanted to make it clear to him: I didn’t write anything to hurt him,” she said. “I didn’t write anything to hurt anybody.”

  Several characters in Sexography are faithfully depicted down to using the real names, she said. But for anyone she’d fallen out of contact with, Milne opted for pseudonyms. “Unless they jumped up and down and said, ‘Hey, that’s me!’ no one would know,” she said.

  Besides, the journey was hers to tell. Writing the book was draining and cathartic, as Milne dove into memories starting with the childhood comfort in her own naked form, and the long years spent trying to reclaim that feeling.

  “I didn’t really entirely know what was going to come out of me until I sat down to write this,” Milne said. “I spoke to my therapist a lot when I was writing.”

  Recording the scene of the first time Milne was raped, after taking a ride home with a stranger during her early teen years, was easily the hardest part of penning Sexography. “I had never written so vividly about that experience, ever,” she said, fighting back tears. “Not in journals not in articles. I mean, I’d reference it…but I never really detailed in quite that way.”

  But she credits that intricate record for helping to put some demons to rest, and ending more than a decade of nightmares brought on by that night. “It was almost like I had to get everything out of me and onto paper in order to be able to release it,” she said.

  The scene is a disturbing portrait of the assault, made all the more horrifying by Milne’s internal dialogue. It’s hard to remain distant from the rape while reading the victim’s thoughts. And that’s just as it should be.

  “I think the only thing that was a comfort to me was, you know, I made it through once, so I can make it through,” she said. “You know, I felt so alone when I went through this, maybe telling people what I went through will make them feel less alone. Having that drive was what made it easier to work through, which I realize sounds utterly cliché.”

  Although it may leave readers with a taste of the nauseated feeling of being violated, or at the very least squirming in their seats, the rawness of even the most painful memories is what makes the book work, from those heavy moments, to the lighter side.

  Early explorations, including discovering the difference between boys and Ken dolls and practice make-out sessions with Milne acting as a stand-in for Rick Schroder, are written in a playful tone. And a scene where Milne tries to Create A Mate, casting her then-husband’s penis in “buddy batter” goop for a personalized dildo, is laugh-out-loud funny.

  “That was a lot of fun,” Milne said. “I loved writing about some of my mishaps that happened with testing out sex toys. Or when my friend and I happened upon my step-mom’s vibrator. People often overlook those kinds of experiences as not necessarily what ends up being a part of what helps them shape their sexuality. Oftentime, it’s those little moments that really make the big difference.”

  Next up is a study of the spiritual kind. “In a way, it’s kind of the sequel to Sexography,” Milne said, a look at the spirituality that helped her to transcend “all that other junk.”

  Sexography: One woman’s journey from ignorance to bliss by Carly Milne, is available for $24.95, by Phoenix Books.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/02/sexography/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/02/are-you-dumb-enough-to-be-rich/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/02/are-you-dumb-enough-to-be-rich/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:00:12 +0000 Blast Magazine Newsroom http://blastmagazine.com/2008/02/are-you-dumb-enough-to-be-rich/ (ARA) – The cost of living is higher than ever, there’s weakness in the job market, stocks are in a free-fall and the housing market is in a slump. Sounds like a bad time to be a real estate investor, or is it?

  According to G. William Barnett II, author of “Are You Dumb Enough to Be Rich?” exactly the opposite is true.

  “These are the times smart real estate investors live for,” Barnett said. “There’s more money to be made in chaos than at any other time, and no other investment strategy has created more millionaires than real estate,”

  In the just released second edition of his book, Barnett, who has more than a decade of experience in real estate investing, has added chapters that lay out his strategies for being successful in the current marketplace. The key, he says, is knowing how to decipher not only which markets to invest in, but which neighborhoods hold the key to wealth.

  “One of the greatest frustrations I had early in my career was reading about places where great things were happening, but not having the confidence to take advantage of them,” said Barnett, who still regrets not investing in Hawaii back in the late 1990s when the crash of the Japanese stock market sent housing prices into a free fall. “Back then, I told my wife we have to invest in Hawaii. She said, ‘No, we don’t know anything about that market.’ If I had known then what I know now, boy would I be better off.”

  Barnett has spent the past decade finessing an investment strategy he calls “Hot Mapping,” which is outlined in the new edition. “Basically it’s a business overlay that you can apply to any market in the U.S. to identify the areas in that market you should be investing in,” he explains.

  Here’s a brief synopsis of how it works. Step one is to establish a market’s median price which you can do with the help of resources on the Internet. Next you’ll want to purchase two maps. One electronic, the other a 6-by-6-foot map that covers the town or county you want to invest in. Step three will be to break down the market from a pricing standpoint using color coding.

  “Once you finish making your map, pick up the classifieds and start adding pins representing each of the homes for sale. This technique gets you to the point where you can just pick up the phone, call an agent and tell them exactly which subdivision you want to look at and how much you’re willing to pay. You’re in essence equipping the agent to do a great job for you,” says Barnett.

  In “Are You Dumb Enough to Be Rich?,” Barnett offers other strategies for making a fortune in real estate, including instructions on how to find and take ownership of troubled properties before they go into foreclosure and how to move faster than your competition when it comes to getting your hands on lists of already foreclosed properties the banks and mortgage companies want to sell.

  As for the housing markets Barnett likes best right now, he says number one is Las Vegas, which currently has $10 billion worth of commercial construction going on and will soon have a demand for thousands of new employees. He also likes San Diego, which due to this summer’s fires doesn’t have enough housing to meet its citizens’ needs; and Central Florida which thanks to the Disney empire will always have room for growth.

  “Real estate is cyclical. Before you know it, the economy will recover and banks and mortgage companies will once again become more creative in their lending practices. Then there will be another string of foreclosures, and smart investors like you will be lined up to help clean up the mess,” says Barnett.

  The second edition of “Are You Dumb Enough to Be Rich?” is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide.

  Courtesy of ARAcontent

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/02/are-you-dumb-enough-to-be-rich/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/01/dont-forget-your-resolutions/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/01/dont-forget-your-resolutions/#comments Tue, 01 Jan 2008 07:00:24 +0000 Pamela King http://blastmagazine.com/2008/01/dont-forget-your-resolutions/ Every New Year, the promises about being a better student, a better dieter, lover even a better taxpayer are made around the world. But by the end of January, the promises are forgotten, and the problems continue.

  It doesn’t have to be this way. “Living With A Phenomenal Memory: How an Ordinary Man Developed Amazing Memorization Skills” uses simple tricks to help people keep their memory — and their sanity — straight. For the author the techniques explained began as a simple way to keep busy.

  While away from school and sick at home, 5-year-old Frank Healy memorized a calendar his uncle Bill gave him to keep himself occupied. Looking at the days of the week, Healy visualized the prime time shows that fell on each night and sang the theme songs in his head. (The year was 1966, so Sunday was The Wonderful World of Disney. Wednesdays and Thursdays were Batman.) Healy had been staring at the pages for a week when he realized he remembered what day of the week his birthday was that year and what day Christmas fell on. Before he knew it, he had memorized the entire calendar.

  “I know that’s not typical behavior for a 5-year-old,” said Healy.

  In his book, Healy shares his memorization techniques and ends his chapters with exercises to help readers practice the skills he taught himself.

  His study of the calendar was the only time Healy ever sat down to memorize anything. He now uses techniques involving association and mind relaxation to help him memorize. Throughout his school years, Healy found uses for his techniques, memorizing facts for his lessons in biology and government.

  “I even created a story for habeas corpus and bills of attainder,” said Healy.

  Healy also used his memorization skills for his own entertainment. Weather, dates, Beatles trivia and the Asian zodiac are all subjects Healy has memorized.

  “When I am interested enough in something, I’ll memorize everything about it,” said Healy.

  Healy now spends his time acting as a life coach and helping people improve their memories. He works with everyone from people who want to memorize information for their jobs to people who have recently suffered head injuries.

  “It’s teaching people to have the right attitude,” said Healy. “If you just change your beliefs about what you can achieve, you will be more motivated to work toward your goals.”

  The techniques Healy shares with readers in “Living With A Phenomenal Memory” are simple and straightforward. He advises readers to simply relax and concentrate. The reason we forget people’s names when we first meet them, he says, is because we are not concentrating on that information. Instead, we are thinking about the impression we are making and what we are going to say next.

  “You do better when you’re in a relaxed state,” said Healy.

  Another tip Healy gives to readers in his book is to incorporate multiple mnemonic techniques when they need to memorize something.

  “The more techniques you use, the more likely you are to remember any given thing,” said Healy.

  Healy includes a calendar of celebrity birthdays in the back of his book as a tool for remembering dates. For example, if readers need to remember the date for a dentist appointment, Healy recommends they look at the calendar to see which celebrity was born on that day. Then, Healy says readers should imagine that celebrity as their dentist. These are the kinds of simple associations Healy believes will help readers improve memorization.

  Healy plans to tour the places where his techniques are surely needed, college campuses. Bookstores and libraries where he could reach a population of people who would benefit from his memorization techniques are also on is tour list.

  “People can do a lot more than they think if they believe they can,” said Healy.

  The book is available online and bookstores for $13.95.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/01/dont-forget-your-resolutions/feed/ 1 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/technology/2007/12/zero-cost-self-published-pocketbooks-empower-authors/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/technology/2007/12/zero-cost-self-published-pocketbooks-empower-authors/#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:00:46 +0000 Vivian Lee http://blastmagazine.com/2007/12/zero-cost-self-published-pocketbooks-empower-authors/ Authors of all genres and walks of life now have the option of harnessing the power of the electronic age — publishing their own books to computers and iPods and selling the works for free.

  Using software developed by Florida-based MediaClick Inc., anyone can create a “PocketBook.” This zero-cost self-publishing format groups all kinds of multimedia into an interactive package.

  There are a ton of possibilities with these visual podcast-slash-multimedia learning guides, ranging from the simple one-chapter quickies to complex volumes. The textual content has the ability to link to both graphic and media files.

  Each chapter of a PocketBook ends with a short quiz. All of this is done with the help of a simple interface that compiles the data and generates the PocketBook.

  The concept of a PocketBook is to “provide instructional content in an interactive format that facilitates comprehension of the material and provides the patron with validation that the information is understood correctly,” says MediaClick. With the inclusion of interactive features such as video lectures and quizzes, the company hopes to parallel the learning experience of a physically attended lecture.

  In addition to instructional e-books, PocketBook Maker also allows authors to publish their own books without the hassle of traditional publishing methods and costs.

  “PocketBook authors can bypass (these) costs,” said Steve Cox, president of MediaClick. “This is a publishing model that will allow a new breed of authors to showcase their work without risking or paying anything.”

  Butch Hamilton, author and search engine optimization specialist, concurs with Cox’s outlook. “Self publishing services usually cost a few thousand dollars, however, PocketBook publishing is basically free and my books will be exposed to millions of potential eBay buyers. This is too good of an offer to pass up,” he said.

  Authors can publish their work via the eBay PocketBook download store, which charges a 30 percent selling commission but lists the items for free. After purchasing a PocketBook from the eBay store, the package is digitally transferred to the buyer’s computer, along with the PocketBook Library management system to allow playback of any of the multimedia books.

  The upgradeable Library also has the option of formatting the PocketBooks into file types playable on iPods. MediaClick is also looking to expand its outreach in the future to other successful media playback devices.

  Authors will still be subject to market demands and reviews of their material. Cox said that the key to an author’s success will depends on buyer feedback. “We intend to drive huge numbers of potential buyers to our eBay store and buyer satisfaction is guaranteed so it is very important that the author publishes quality material.”

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/technology/2007/12/zero-cost-self-published-pocketbooks-empower-authors/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/2007/12/godly-review-supeheroes-revealed/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/2007/12/godly-review-supeheroes-revealed/#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:00:09 +0000 Kristin Baver http://blastmagazine.com/2007/12/godly-review-supeheroes-revealed/ In Our Gods Wear Spandex, author Christopher Knowles thoroughly details the link between the gods of ancient worlds and the beloved modern age spandex-clad superheroes, with a brief history told through the eyes of a true fanboy.

  Written like a geek’s guide to history and its relation to the comic book, an index makes it easy to find favorite characters; and clever formatting means there is no necessity to read from cover to cover or reference previous chapters to understand current themes.

  For the most die-hard fan, Knowles carefully laid out his research and thought on the relationship between the two groups for literary consumption. His knowledge is on par with his experience in the industry, with more than 20 years spent in the comic book industry as author for The X Presidents graphic novel, based on the populat Saturday Night Live cartoon, and others.

  Short sections on gods of the Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythologies, brief histories of several alternative religious movements and biographies of occult celebrities and sci-fi authors, including Harry Houdini and the “profit” Jules Verne, populate the first half of the book. Providing the basis for later forays into the history of famous superhero characters.

  Indeed, Knowles uses about half his text as the set-up for later descriptions of hand-picked comic heroes and draws enough parallels to make some compelling arguments. Plucked from the pages of DC and Marvel, heroes and villains are cast in a new light with religious undertones and occult influences for their creation.

  Some examples? Fantastic Four’s Ben Grimm is nearly a literal translation of the clay Golems of Jewish legend, down to the rocky exterior. Superman, the quintessential hero, was a Christ-like figure, Knowles argues, an only son sent from the heavens to save the human race.

  While Knowles works hard to prove his theory that superheroes and villains are descended from religious Messiahs and impacted by the fears and beliefs running rampant in contemporary society, he never takes the extra step to elevate ComiCon, an annual comic book conference, into a gathering of the faithful to this newfound religion.

  He also touches upon the most high profile and high-impact heroes. Spider-man, Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Batman, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, the text may have been able to give a fuller look into the comic-book universe by sacrificing sections on histories and mythologies to give other comic heroes their own space. Not to be left out, Knowles also includes a section on comic book visionaries, including his own favorite Jack Kirby. Kirby introduced unabashedly religious heroes in 1971 under the DC Comics title The New Gods. He introduced occult, mythological and esoteric themes to young readers through the comic book medium.

  About halfway through the text comes the real meat of the story. With a smattering of the famous and infamous heroes told through a brief history of their rise and fall, their relative god-like attributes and, in many cases, pop culture influences on their characterization.

  It’s here that readers learn how the man of steel fought gangsters and other real-life villains in his earliest tales beginning in 1938; quickly working towards some small sense of comfort for Americans suffering through the Great Depression and later World War II. And that X-Men tapped into angst-ridden feelings of alienation instead of the more traditional format of heroes saving lesser humans and being championed for their abilities.

  The text is peppered with comedic illustrations by Joseph Michael Linsner. Including a blonde-haired English version of John Constantine being strangled by Keanu Reeves and a film reel where Knowles delineates how Hollywood hacks created an unfaithful film adaptation and killed a possible franchise.

  Even to a reader who doe not harbor memories of a misspent youth spent devouring the latest pulp stories or comic books, it’s clear that Knowles has done his research. But with this book, only the most rabid comic geeks are likely to wade through the history lessons to get to know their favorite superheroes better.

  Our Gods Wear Spandex: The Secret History of Comic Book Heroes by Christopher Knowles
  Illustrations by Joseph Michael Linsner
  Publisher: Weiser Books
  $19.95, paperback

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/entertainment/2007/12/godly-review-supeheroes-revealed/feed/ 1 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2007/12/a-gallery-of-paintings-by-clark-hulings/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2007/12/a-gallery-of-paintings-by-clark-hulings/#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:00:55 +0000 John M. Guilfoil http://blastmagazine.com/2007/12/a-gallery-of-paintings-by-clark-hulings/ The 20th anniversary edition of Clark Huling’s “A Gallery of Paintings” reminds us why we still owe our attention to fine art.

  This oversized 150+ page book is the next best thing to going to an art museum and seeing amazing artworks yourself. The entire book is filled with large images of Hulings’ paintings and well narrated along the way.

  Hulings is one of the best living painters, and it’s rare to find several of his pieces in one place — he rarely does solo exhibitions. If you missed his shows this spring, it’s just that more important for anyone with an interest in art to obtain this piece and add it to their library of inspiration.

  The 2nd edition book has already won an Independent Publisher award and includes a new foreword by the artist and 15 new paintings.

  ]]> http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2007/12/a-gallery-of-paintings-by-clark-hulings/feed/ 0 http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2007/12/follow-the-money-what-makes-a-terrorist/ http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2007/12/follow-the-money-what-makes-a-terrorist/#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:00:13 +0000 Blast Magazine Newsroom http://blastmagazine.com/2007/12/follow-the-money-what-makes-a-terrorist/ Economist Alan Krueger warns us to know and understand the true roots of international terrorism — questioning the commonly held beliefs that terrorists come from uneducated, impoverished areas. “What Makes a Terrorist: Economics and the Roots of Terrorism” is a numbers book and a crash course in international intrigue. It’s extremely well-written, combining facts, numbers, figures and common sense. The Princeton University professor presents an argument you need to read.
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