29 Days Until Halloween

So needless to say, September was not the month that things got back to normal around here.  I had every intention of throwing myself back into blogging, then they demoted my assistant manager, and I'm stuck working 76 hours a week right now.  That appears to be what my life is going to be like for the foreseeable future, so not looking forward to it.

What I am looking forward to is Halloween, and I'm going to make a commitment to post something Halloween related everyday, right up to the big day itself.  Some days it may be a simple Youtube video of a favorite Halloween song or Halloween cartoon.  Other days will feature a book review or a movie review.  And I'm going to try my damnedest to get some Halloween themed Favorite Fictional Characters thrown in there for good measure.  And I'm not going to kill myself getting it done, but I feel as if I need to make a 2016 list of sexy vampires.

Happy Memorial Day

In Loving Memory Of All Those Who Paid The Ultimate Price For Our Freedom.

Happy Easter

Wishing You & Your Family, A Very Happy Easter.  May It Be Filled With Laughter & Love.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

Happy New Year!

Wishing You All, A Safe And Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Wishing You All, A Very Merry Christmas.

What Happened To These Products?

I know we are all crazy busy getting our Christmas shopping done, especially since there are only two more shopping days until Christmas.  For me personally, with everything that has transpired this year, I'm keeping the gift buying to a minimum.  I'm trying to enjoy Christmas in other ways; through the movies, music, decorations, and the general good feelings that the holiday time brings.

But that doesn't stop me from thinking about what my friends and family members will be getting for Christmas, what I may have bought them had I been in a shopping mood this year.  And with the way my brain works, that made me start thinking of all the products that were on shopping lists in the days gone by.

Now I know I titled this post, What Happened To These Products?, but to be honest, I don't think I care.  For the most part they were too gimmicky, or before my time to get into.  But it would be interested in seeing how many of you have received these during Christmases past.

The Ref - 1994

Synopsis From Back Cover:

An unfortunate cat burglar becomes trapped in a fate worse than jail when he takes a bickering couple and their annoying relatives hostage.  Before long, they're driving him nuts, and the line between who is whose hostage begins to blur.  His only hope for survival is to act as their referee and resolve their differences - or it's going to mean instate insanity for everyone.

My one Christmas guilty pleasure is watching The Ref with Dennis Leary.  It's crass, vulgar, and overtly crude.  There is a ton of swearing, talks of sex, and just plain naughtiness.

Leary is a cat burglar who, due to a botched job, ends up needing to hide out for a while.  It's Christmas Eve and he takes a couple hostage, makes them take him home, ties up their son, and they all have their lives changed in ways they never knew was coming.

Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are the feuding couple, and they just ooze disdain for each other.  You can tell the love is still there, but there is so much pain and anger overlaying it, that it's hard to see it.  I can't even begin to fill in all the details and the snarky comments that fly back and forth between the three of them, but it's a supreme pleasure to watch.  It's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen in my life.  I'm not normally fond of crass humor, but the intelligence that this cast, including Christine Baranski and B.D. Wong, does it with, makes up for the childish humor.

Underlying that humor though, is a wonderful commentary on what a family is, and what it takes to keep that family together.  It's about the decisions we make, the sacrifices asked of us, and what happens when those choices aren't fully communicated to everyone involved.  It's about finding the familial center again.  Despite all the pain and recriminations flying through the air, this is a family that truly loves each other, they just need to be reminded of what that means.

He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special - 1985

Synopsis From Back Cover:

When Orko accidentally winds up on Earth during the Christmas winter, he befriends two children who share stories of the goodwill and merriment that the holidays embrace.  When the finally return to Eternia, the holiday spirit is spread amongst the entire Royal Palace, but this overflowing goodwill attracts the unwelcome attention of Horde Prime and Skeletor.  Will the combined power of He-Man, She-Ra and the spirit of Christmas be enough to stop them.

I have to admit that when I came upon this little gem, some odd years ago, at Best Buy, I shrieked like a Justin Bieber fangirl.  I don't think you can be a true child of the 80s and not have a special place in your heart for He-Man and friends.  As cheesy and as ridiculous as the dialogue was, as juvenile as the names were, and as silly as the action was, the show was awesome.  He-Man is right up there with G.I. Joe, The Transformers, and Jem as far as 80s icons go.  So when they released the Christmas Special on DVD, I had to own it.

As you can imagine, the Christmas Special is even cheesier than a normal run of the mill show.  It's over the top in it's sentiment, and just a bit simple in it's story lines.  The twins, Adam and Adora, are getting ready to have their birthday celebration, and Orko has to go and mess it all up.  He climbs aboard the SkySpy, messes up the controls, and ends up on Earth.  By the time Man-at-Arms gets the spy plane back to Eternia, Orko has brought two kids along for the ride, and they in turn bring Christmas to Eternia.

The rest of the show involves Skeletor and Hordak, at the behest of Horde Prime, trying to kidnap the children to stop the spread of the Christmas Spirit.  The twins in their super secret identities of He-Man and She-Ra, do what they can to foible the evil plans, though in the end, it's Skeletor who comes to the rescue and saves the children.  And in true He-Man fashion they do it all in such a serious tone, that the action is made all that much funnier.

I have watched this every Christmas season since I bought it all those years ago.  It's a a sentimental piece of my childhood that I will never tire of, and every child of the 80s should own.

The Christmas Mansion by Hollis Shiloh

Synopsis From Publisher:

In a world of gas lighting and horse-drawn carriages, Rex is fixing up an old mansion to host a Christmas party for his wealthy family's business.  He meets a gentle, insecure magician named Gene, who's come to work on the crumbling mansion's moldings.  He doesn't expect to fall in love.

I think I've already mentioned my recent addiction to m/m romance stories.  It all started with getting  NOOK last Black Friday, and it seems that I can't stop reading them.  I've found myself enjoying some authors more than others, and even liking certain motifs or character types more than I thought I would.  Some of the stories are really heavy on the sex, and most of it is pretty hot.  There are times though when I want a simple romance, light on the sex, and in some cases no sex.  And that's what I got with The Christmas Mansion.

It's cute, simple, and sweet.  Rex is a guy who gets to plan lavish parties for his family, who are all bankers.  He doesn't have a head for numbers, so he plans events for them to entertain their clients, and to woo new ones.  He has found a beautiful, but rundown mansion to fix up for their Christmas party.  Gene seems to be the misfit of his family as well.  He doesn't have as much magic, doesn't have a boisterous personality, and doesn't see himself as all that special.  When he shows up to redo the moldings, he's almost self-effacing.  As different as the two men are physically, and in their personalities, they fit together.  They don't allow anything to happen until the job is complete, at least Gene won't, and it seems as if the wait was good for them.  By the time the job is finished, and the party is thrown, it seems as if they are ready to move onto their next projects, as a couple.

This was the kind of book I want to read during the holidays.  It has romance, magic, and just enough angst to keep it interesting.  It's a guaranteed happy ending, which is what I need to have this time of year.

Challenges: Christmas Spirit

A Very Disney Christmas

I'm getting ready to watch Mickey's Christmas Carol, which I also own on vinyl as well, and it made me think of the other classic Disney moments that I love so much.  So I thought it would be nice to share some of the other Disney cartoons that I love to watch this time of year.

The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries edited by Otto Penzler

Synopsis From Back Cover:

Edgar Award - winning editor Otto Penzler collects sixty of his all-time favorite yuletide crime stories - many of which are difficult or nearly impossible to find anywhere else.  From classic Victorian tales by Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Thomas Hardy, to contemporary stories by Sara Paretsky and Ed McBain, this collection touches on all aspects of the season, and all types of mysteries.  They are suspenseful, funny, frightening, and poignant.

When I'm able to combine my love of mysteries with my love of Christmas, I'm in heaven.  Make them short stories, and I'm soaring so far above heaven, the angels are having a hard time finding me.

Like any other collection of short stories, The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries has a few misses for me, but there are so many more hits.  Going into it, I knew there was no way I would end up liking all 60 stories.  What surprised me, was the fact that I enjoyed as many of them as I did.  Anyone who know me won't be surprised that I jumped for glee when I came across both stories by Agatha Christie, or that I about bust a gut when I stumbled upon the story by Mary Roberts Rinehart.  It's impossible for me to not like something either author has ever written.  Add in stories by G.K. Chesterton, Ngaio Marsh, and Arthur Conan Doyle, and it's a perfect Christmas miracle.

What may comes as surprise to some, is how many of the more modern stories I enjoyed just as much.  I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to mysteries, I'm a Golden Age fan all the way.  I tend to not even bother with some of the newer writers, and I can never get behind the whole "cozy" craze.  Maybe it's because of the main theme, but for the most part I really enjoyed what I read, regardless of who the author was.  One new author, to me anyway, that I really enjoyed was Peter Lovesey.  I'm pretty sure I'll be checking out more of his work.  Did I mention there is a whole section for scarier Christmas stories?  Loved them all!

This will be a collection I can see myself grabbing off the bookcase every year.  I may not read the whole thing through ever again, but I will read one or two of my favorites, or even decide to read through an entire section of stories.  Regardless of how I read them, I know I'll be reading them all again.

Challenges: Christmas Spirit

Wordsmithonia Radio: Christmas Music

Most of you know I'm a huge Christmas fanatic.  I'm one of those that will listen to Christmas music in the middle of the summer, especially in the car.  It seems to trick my brain into thinking it's not so damn hot outside.

But just because I love Christmas music, doesn't mean I love it all.  I'm actually pretty damn picky.  I tend to only like one or two versions of a particular song.  So, from now til Christmas, I thought I would share some of my favorites with you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

The Ten Sexiest Vampires On Film, Take 6

I know I've been rather M.I.A. on the blog this month, but work has been kicking my ass.  Just to give you an example, in a span of five days, I worked 65 hours.  I'm exhausted.

Regardless or how tired I am, there was one post I knew I had to do before the month was over. There was no way I was going to let this year go by, and not do my annual list of the sexiest vampires to grace the screen.  Over the last six years, it's become one of my Halloween traditions.  

For those of you who haven't been keeping score over the years, please visit the lists I did for 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.  Now that we got that out of the way, how about we feast our eyes on some gorgeous vamps.

THE MEN

Michael Corvin, as played by Scott Speedman in Underworld and Underworld: Evolution.  Half vampire, half lycan, and all man, Michael Corvin isn't someone you would want to mess with.

Marcus Van Sciver, as played by Neil Jackson in Blade: The Series.  Ruthlessness and drop dead gorgeous, makes a winning combination for Marcus in all his dealing.

Brother Silus, as played by Dougray Scott in Perfect Creature.  Born into a society where vampires are born to human mothers, Brother Silas is to be respected and feared, especially when dealing with a rogue.

Richard Wirth, as played by Michael Fassbender in Blood Creek.  I have to admit Richard is one hot vampire, but I think I'd be running the other way if this Nazi monster came towards me.

Steven Grlscz, as played by Jude Law in The Wisdom of Crocodiles.  All he wants is love, it's not his fault that they keep dying on him.

THE WOMEN

Erika, as played by Sophia Myles in Underworld.  Beautiful and seductive, and yet unable to get the man she wanted.

Sasha, as played by Brigid Brannagh in Kindred: The Embraced.  Looked over by the Ventrue Prince of the city, turned by a Brujah thug, and in love with a Gangrel Primogen, Sasha has divided loyalties.  Too bad she's not even sure where her ultimate loyalty belongs.

Katrina, as played by Sheryl Lee in Vampires.  It's always amazing to me how many women of the night, actually get turned into the real deal.

Regine Dandridge, as played by Julie Carmen in Fright Night 2.  Bent on revenge for the death of her brother, Regine isn't shy about using her feminine wiles to reach her goal.

Clara, as played by Gemma Arterton in Byzantium.  She wanted to be left alone to care for her daughter, it's a shame she has to keep killing those who get in her way.

Happy Easter!

Wishing you, and your family, a very happy Easter!

Favorite Fictional Character --- Oswald, The Lucky Rabbit

With Easter right around the corner, I had the idea of featuring a rabbit stuck in my head.  I went through the obvious choices; Bugs, Roger, Peter Cottontail, the crew from Watership Down, and Trixx, but none of them felt right to me. Everybody knows them, and I'm not even sure I like some of them.  Inspiration struck though as I was getting a glass of water, I looked at the wall in front of the sink, and it hit me.  Right in front of me was the answer, staring at me, with a big grin on his face, was Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit.  When our local Disney Store closed a few years ago, I happened to pick up this wonderful canvas of Oswald for a few bucks.  It's done in muted tans, grays, and blacks, a color scheme that suits my style perfectly.  I really didn't know much about him, but over the years I've done some reading, watched a few early cartoons, and promptly fell in love.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Oswald, let's just say he predates Mickey, and is just as fun to watch.  For various legal and creative reasons, Oswald was regulated to the waste bin of history for decades.  After Disney was able to repurchase the rights to the character, Oswald has slowly had a rebirth of sorts.  I won't got into all the details of why this poor guy was abandoned, but it is a rather sad story.  And It was totally not his fault, the guy was hilarious.  He could detach limbs and use them as props, he was funnier than any rabbit had the right to be, and he brought smiles and laughter to everyone he met.

When he was abandoned though, he life took a horrible turn.  With Mickey on the rise, and himself in decline, I'm afraid he became a little bitter and angry.  By the time Disney got him back, and started to put him back to work, he wasn't the same happy go lucky rabbit anymore.  He resented Mickey.  He couldn't understand why the mouse got the life he was supposed to have, and quite frankly, I don't blame him.  If I was thrown out like old bath water, I'd be pretty damned pissed off myself.  But Oswald is not a bad guy, at his core, he wants to be loved and make people laugh.  I'm not saying he still doesn't have his issues, but he is getting through them, and he is slowly being given his due.  He is evening making appearances at the Disney theme park in Tokyo now, and his image is starting to pop up in the other parks as well.  He has his own line of merchandise, and he even has had a new cartoon, where he is the lead.  His star is back on an ascending path, and I can't wait to see where it takes him.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie

Synopsis From Back Over:

Christmas Eve, and the Lee family's reunion is shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched scream.  Upstairs, the tyrannical Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion.  It seems everyone had their own reason to hate the old man...

So I am ridiculously slow on my Agatha Christie self challenge.  How the hell was I naive enough to think I would be able to do this in one year?  I'm not even half way through, and it's almost five years later.  One piece of good news though, with this book, I am officially over halfway through the Hercule Poirot books!  I don't hate him anymore, but I prefer to spend my time with Jane, Parker, Tommy, and Tuppence.  They don't grate on my nerves the way Hercule does.

This wasn't a book I had read before, at least I don't remember anything about it.  I'm not even sure I've ever seen the PBS Mystery version of it.  So I was able to go into with a fresh, open mind, and I loved it.  There was nothing about it I didn't like, though it was the setting and the characters that made me fall in love and not let go.

Dame Agatha was brilliant at setting her stories, and she was on her A game here.  Who doesn't want to spend Christmas in an English manor house, with all the odd assortment of relatives and hanger-ons.  Add in a good old fashioned murder, and you have me hooked.  It's the perfect Christmas, and why someone hasn't made it happen for me yet, disappoints me every year.  So if one of you guys would be so inclined to make this happen for me this Christmas, I would really appreciate.

5 and 1/8 Of My Favorite Halloween Cartoons

No matter how old I get, I'm a kid at heart when it comes to cartoons.  I'm that guy who probably remembers almost every cartoon that came on in the 80s.  Yeah, I know it's pretty nerdy, but I can live with that.  When you add my love of cartoons to my love of Halloween, I get as happy as a seven year old on Christmas morning.  Needless to say, I've been watching a lot of my favorites, especially since Halloween is only ten days away.  I wanted to share a few of my favorites.  I hope you love them as much as I do.  Quick side note, I couldn't find a full version of It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, so a clip will have to do.

5th Annual List of Sexy Vampires

Who knew that it's almost impossible to run out of sexy vampires to highlight every year.  I never thought I would still be doing this list all these years later, but damn, there are some fine ass vampires gracing our screens.  I know that vampires aren't for everyone, and the vampire as a sex object can get old over time, but when they look like those on this list, who cares how cliche it is.  I'm sure all of you would gladly bare your neck for at least one of the bloody thirsty fiends on this list.  For that matter, I think quite a few of us wouldn't mind if a few of them took an interest in us.  And if nobody on this list gets your blood pumping, why don't you check out the previous lists from 2009, 2010, 2011, or even 2012.  If nobody gets the blood flowing, then there is no hope for you.  So with no further ado, here are ten luscious vampire men and women for your perusing pleasure.

THE MEN

Vargas, as played by Taye Diggs in the movie Dylan Dog: Dead of Night.  What more needs to be said, look at him, he's frickin hot.  He's also hell bent on finding an ancient artifact, running a nightclub, and being an all around badass.

Barnabas Collins, as played by Ben Cross in the television remake of Dark Shadows.  There is such a dignified air about this man.  He's tall, dark, and sexy; plus he takes what he wants.  There is nothing sexier than a man who knows his own mind.

Armand, as played by Antonio Banderas in the movie version of Interview with a Vampire.  Normally long hair on a man turns me off, but there is something about the profile and accent that can make me overlook the long locks.

David, as played by Theo James in the movie Underworld: Awakening.  When a man that looks like this, has those eyes, and can fight rampaging werewolves as easily as most of us open up a book, why would you not want to have him around.

Josef Kostan, as played by Jason Dohring in the TV show Moonlight.  If only all of us would be this boyishly handsome after 412 years.  He's cute, rich, and extreme healthy, what more could you want in a mate.

THE WOMEN

Rebekah Mikaelson, as played by Claire Holt in the TV show Vampire Diaries.  Tall, blonde, deadly, and fun, a great combination if you like that kind of thing.

Harmony Kendall, as played by Mercedes McNab in two different TV shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.  Harmony lives up to the dumb blonde stereotype, but with her Nordic good looks, who cares that she has the brain of a unicorn.

Star, as played by Jami Gertz in The Lost Boys.  She has a carefree attitude and loves a guy who rides a motorcycle, but he has to have a heart of gold.

Lucy Westenra, as played by Bai Ling in the movie The Breed.  This version of Lucy is a tough as nail vampiric enforcer, who loves a little human meat.  

Solina, as played by Jennifer Esposito in the movie Dracula 2000.  Of all the women who made this years list, Solina may have had the smallest role, but with looks like that, it doesn't take a lot of screen time to make men take notice for years.