The Terrible Catsafterme

After a ridiculous amount of procrastination, I finally put the finishing touches on the annual 2009 ABC Crew Christmas Newsletter. This edition represents the seventh such venture. While my target date had been December 18 for the past three years, numerous roadblocks (mostly a lack of initiative) kept this one from being completed until December 22 – just under the wire of getting it out before Christmas at all. If I had my way, I probably would have just skipped it. But unfortunately, I am a slave to my craft. Read the rest of this entry »

There is something special about Christmas Eve 1977 that I can’t quite put my finger on. Somehow it epitomized my entire existence in the 70′s on Echo Hill Lane. It is fondly remembered as one of the greatest Christmases of my life, although I can scarcely remember any particulars of the evening. Yet still I can perfectly visualize sitting on our green couch in front of the roaring fire, A Very Mancini Christmas album playing on the reel-to-reel tape, with family surrounding me as we spent our very last holiday season in this house. Read the rest of this entry »

I have just recently begun to explore the world of James Bond. Never having much interest before, I am know slowly working my way chronologically through the catalog. I haven’t come upon On Her Majesty’s Secret Service yet, but when I do, I will meet the only actor who only portrayed James Bond once in the Bond canon of films. Assuming this series will hold me in rapt attention, I took the opportunity to greet this actor George Lazenby when he appeared at the Burbank Hollywood Show on July 18, 2009. Read the rest of this entry »

The Christmas of 1974 is somewhat of a ‘lost Christmas’. For starters, being just three years old at the time, I have very little recollection of it. Dad took just a little over two minutes of Super 8 footage of it and it was consigned to a little 50 foot reel of film, coupled with the footage of 1973 – and therefore infrequently viewed. And finally, the few photos that were from this Christmas were all consigned to Kodachrome slides, and therefore were never perused repeatedly along with the other photographic prints in our photo albums. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m not much of a fan of the zombie-genre, but I know a classic cult flick when I see one. Night of the Living Dead is one such example. This was filmed in 1968 in black and white on a shoestring budget by newcomer film director George Romero. He would go on to direct a plethora of such films, some landing in the ballpark of success, others wallowing in left field. Among the better titles that he directed were Creepshow, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, and The Dark Half. He even has a cameo appearance as an FBI agent in The Silence of the Lambs.  Read the rest of this entry »