Sometime in the 1970s, the controversial, acclaimed science-fiction writer and notorious curmudgeon Harlan Ellison was waiting for a date at a New York City restaurant. Realizing she was running late, he used a phone to try and call her for an update, but the noise of the dial tone and the bustling of a restaurant became a distraction, and he accidentally called his own landline number instead. The phone rang and rang until he realized he had called his own home, and was struck by the fear of how he would have reacted if he had answered the phone at home on the other end of the line. It is, of course, an impossible scenario, but one that became the idea for his short story "Shatterday," in which a man's life and sanity are utterly shattered after he comes in contact with a better version of himself.
It's also the...
It's also the...
- 1/20/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
No director in Hollywood has a weirder résumé than Alan Smithee. Between 1969 and 2015, his credits included the Richard Widmark western "Death of a Gunfighter"; the horror comedies "Student Bodies" and "Ghost Fever"; the Jodie Foster thriller "Catchfire"; the franchise sequels "The Birds II: Land's End" and "Hellraiser: Bloodline"; episodes of hit TV series like "MacGyver" and "Tiny Toon Adventures"; and music videos for artists like Metallica, Destiny's Child, Wu-Tang Clan, Whitney Houston, and Jennifer Lopez.
But there's a reason for that: "Alan Smithee" is not a real person. It's a pseudonym invented by the Director's Guild of America for filmmakers to use when they no longer want to be credited for their work. This usually happens when they're replaced on a project, or believe that studio interference has altered the film so much that it no longer reflects their vision. That's why you'll sometimes see "Alan Smithee" credited on TV...
But there's a reason for that: "Alan Smithee" is not a real person. It's a pseudonym invented by the Director's Guild of America for filmmakers to use when they no longer want to be credited for their work. This usually happens when they're replaced on a project, or believe that studio interference has altered the film so much that it no longer reflects their vision. That's why you'll sometimes see "Alan Smithee" credited on TV...
- 11/12/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
For over half a century "The Twilight Zone" has been the gift that keeps on giving. Classic episodes of the sci-fi/horror/fantasy anthology series have spanned out across the decades, from influential writers, iconic filmmakers, and once-and-future superstar actors. You could throw a dart at a list of episodes and you'd probably hit a gold mine of exciting storytelling and Hollywood trivia.
And if you aim that dart high enough, you might just hit the very first episode of the 1985 "Twilight Zone" reboot on CBS, which started off on a very strong note. The first installment in the pilot episode was a freaky psychological horror tale from acclaimed author Harlan Ellison, legendary horror director Wes Craven, and a very young Bruce Willis, just a few months after the debut of his star-making TV series "Moonlighting."
What's more, Bruce Willis's co-star was a really big deal too. You might even...
And if you aim that dart high enough, you might just hit the very first episode of the 1985 "Twilight Zone" reboot on CBS, which started off on a very strong note. The first installment in the pilot episode was a freaky psychological horror tale from acclaimed author Harlan Ellison, legendary horror director Wes Craven, and a very young Bruce Willis, just a few months after the debut of his star-making TV series "Moonlighting."
What's more, Bruce Willis's co-star was a really big deal too. You might even...
- 11/4/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
George R.R. Martin has no patience with mini-rooms and how they make it impossible for new writers to succeed.
In his latest blog post, the author talks about how he got his start in TV by writing for The Twilight Zone in 1985. Had it not been for the old system where writers worked their way up, he never would have learned how to actually make a series.
“For the first fourteen years of my career, I wrote only prose; a few novels, and lots of stories for Analog, Asimov’s, and various other Sf magazines and anthologies. Much as I enjoyed television, I never dreamt of writing for it until 1985, when CBS decided to launch a new version of The Twilight Zone, and executive producer Phil DeGuere invited me to write an episode for them. A freelance script; that was how you began back then. I decided to give it a shot…...
In his latest blog post, the author talks about how he got his start in TV by writing for The Twilight Zone in 1985. Had it not been for the old system where writers worked their way up, he never would have learned how to actually make a series.
“For the first fourteen years of my career, I wrote only prose; a few novels, and lots of stories for Analog, Asimov’s, and various other Sf magazines and anthologies. Much as I enjoyed television, I never dreamt of writing for it until 1985, when CBS decided to launch a new version of The Twilight Zone, and executive producer Phil DeGuere invited me to write an episode for them. A freelance script; that was how you began back then. I decided to give it a shot…...
- 5/9/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Martin Pasko, a writer best known for working on DC properties in both comic books and television, died Sunday night of natural causes. He was 65.
Former DC publisher Paul Levitz, a friend of Pasko, announced the writer’s death through a Facebook post on Monday.
“The odds are you’ve read his work, credited or not, or enjoyed a comic or cartoon or TV show or even a theme park event he made better, even as he relentlessly complained about the difficulties of making it as good as it ‘should’ be,” Levitz wrote. “Marty didn’t have a genius for making anything easy (especially for him), but he had a real genius for making creative magic.”
Pasko was born Jean-Claude Rochefort in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Aug. 4, 1954. After attending Northwestern University and New York University, he began publishing comics in 1972.
Pasko began working at DC Comics in 1973. His first Superman-related...
Former DC publisher Paul Levitz, a friend of Pasko, announced the writer’s death through a Facebook post on Monday.
“The odds are you’ve read his work, credited or not, or enjoyed a comic or cartoon or TV show or even a theme park event he made better, even as he relentlessly complained about the difficulties of making it as good as it ‘should’ be,” Levitz wrote. “Marty didn’t have a genius for making anything easy (especially for him), but he had a real genius for making creative magic.”
Pasko was born Jean-Claude Rochefort in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on Aug. 4, 1954. After attending Northwestern University and New York University, he began publishing comics in 1972.
Pasko began working at DC Comics in 1973. His first Superman-related...
- 5/12/2020
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Written by Alan Brennert | Art by Jerry Ordway | Published by Marvel Comics
Us old fan boys do tend to do a lot of moaning about some of the comics put out these days,, but now and again a little nugget is thrown up that seemingly all fans, young and old, can enjoy. I’ve been so excited waiting for the Marvels Snapshots launch. The original Marvels series, by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross, enjoys something of a well deserved legendary status these days, and took the simple idea of using a normal person to document the Marvel Universe. That time round it was a photographer, Phil Sheldon, witness to some of the iconic moments in Marvel history. Marvels: Eye of the Camera followed a few years later, not as good but still a fun return to the concept. Now we have a similar return, but this time looking at different eras and characters every issue.
Us old fan boys do tend to do a lot of moaning about some of the comics put out these days,, but now and again a little nugget is thrown up that seemingly all fans, young and old, can enjoy. I’ve been so excited waiting for the Marvels Snapshots launch. The original Marvels series, by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross, enjoys something of a well deserved legendary status these days, and took the simple idea of using a normal person to document the Marvel Universe. That time round it was a photographer, Phil Sheldon, witness to some of the iconic moments in Marvel history. Marvels: Eye of the Camera followed a few years later, not as good but still a fun return to the concept. Now we have a similar return, but this time looking at different eras and characters every issue.
- 3/13/2020
- by Dean Fuller
- Nerdly
Marvel Comics' "Sub-Mariner: Marvels Snapshots", available March 11, 2020, is written by Alan Brennert, Kurt Busiek and illustrated by Jerry Ordway, with covers by Alex Ross and Gabriele Dell'Otto:
"...it begins here -- a series of specials that show us Marvel's greatest characters from the 'Golden Age' to today. Project curator Kurt Busiek ("Astro City") has brought together an amazing assemblage of talent to bring you a total of eight new and unusual viewpoints on Marvel history and Marvel heroes, two per month for the next four months.
"To kick it all off, best-selling novelist and Emmy Award-winning TV writer Alan Brennert and superstar artist Jerry Ordway tell a story of Marvel's debut superstar: 'Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner'. It's 1946, and the boys are back from World War II. But they haven't left the battlefields behind, as reporter 'Betty Dean' discovers when she and Namor reunite for an outing at 'Palisades Park',...
"...it begins here -- a series of specials that show us Marvel's greatest characters from the 'Golden Age' to today. Project curator Kurt Busiek ("Astro City") has brought together an amazing assemblage of talent to bring you a total of eight new and unusual viewpoints on Marvel history and Marvel heroes, two per month for the next four months.
"To kick it all off, best-selling novelist and Emmy Award-winning TV writer Alan Brennert and superstar artist Jerry Ordway tell a story of Marvel's debut superstar: 'Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner'. It's 1946, and the boys are back from World War II. But they haven't left the battlefields behind, as reporter 'Betty Dean' discovers when she and Namor reunite for an outing at 'Palisades Park',...
- 3/7/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Summertime summertime sum-sum-summertime. Long days. Sultry nights.
Summer is hot. Literally. We are very aware of our bodies, and the bodies of those around us. We wear lighter clothes. We wear sunglasses and/or glamorous hats.
Love is in the air, or at least lust.
Naturally, I asked myself, “What do superheroes do about this?”
I mean, skin-tight costumes are hot. Literally. And while certain superpowers like invulnerability might make it easier to wear synthetic fabrics or leather, that still doesn’t explain how a Batman can get through a humid Gotham summer.
I guess he’s had his mind on other things. Last month, he proposed to Catwoman Selina Kyle, on a rooftop, both dressed in their superhero outfits.
Neither one of them appeared to be sweating. Although it’s raining, so maybe that made a difference.
I like the Batman/Catwoman romance. I liked it in the old...
Summer is hot. Literally. We are very aware of our bodies, and the bodies of those around us. We wear lighter clothes. We wear sunglasses and/or glamorous hats.
Love is in the air, or at least lust.
Naturally, I asked myself, “What do superheroes do about this?”
I mean, skin-tight costumes are hot. Literally. And while certain superpowers like invulnerability might make it easier to wear synthetic fabrics or leather, that still doesn’t explain how a Batman can get through a humid Gotham summer.
I guess he’s had his mind on other things. Last month, he proposed to Catwoman Selina Kyle, on a rooftop, both dressed in their superhero outfits.
Neither one of them appeared to be sweating. Although it’s raining, so maybe that made a difference.
I like the Batman/Catwoman romance. I liked it in the old...
- 7/7/2017
- by Martha Thomases
- Comicmix.com
My aunt, Margery Mason, who has died aged 100, was an actor, writer and theatre manager. She was a founder member of the Actors' Company and made appearances in diverse productions, from Midsomer Murders to a Harry Potter film.
Born and brought up in Hackney, east London, she came from a modest background, and after rudimentary education left school at 15. Her parents ran a semi-professional dramatic company, from which Margery's acting career developed. Initially she performed in their company at working men's clubs in the East End of London, starting as principal boy in pantos, then succeeding to adult parts, sometimes competing with her mother for the starring female roles. Her father ran an early cinema, the Hackney Bioscope, and subsequently established the Impartial Film Report, which distributed weekly film reviews to the then many independent cinemas. Margery attended film trade showings, wrote reviews and helped produce the Report.
Before the...
Born and brought up in Hackney, east London, she came from a modest background, and after rudimentary education left school at 15. Her parents ran a semi-professional dramatic company, from which Margery's acting career developed. Initially she performed in their company at working men's clubs in the East End of London, starting as principal boy in pantos, then succeeding to adult parts, sometimes competing with her mother for the starring female roles. Her father ran an early cinema, the Hackney Bioscope, and subsequently established the Impartial Film Report, which distributed weekly film reviews to the then many independent cinemas. Margery attended film trade showings, wrote reviews and helped produce the Report.
Before the...
- 2/18/2014
- The Guardian - Film News
Karloff's classic horror television series "Thriller" is finally making its way to DVD courtesy of Image Entertainment and we couldn't be happier. All 67 episodes will be transferred to a 14 DVD box set due out August 3rd...
Below is the press release and DVD box artwork for the series.
For two seasons and over sixty episodes, horror icon Boris Karloff invited television audiences to enjoy captivating tales of suspense, murder, and relentless terror as host of the 1960s anthology series “Thriller.” Featuring stories from such master storytellers as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch, Cornell Woolrich and starring a galaxy of classic television stars from the 1960s and 1970s, “Thriller” was dubbed by Stephen King as “the best horror series ever put on TV.”
Now, Image Entertainment proudly announces a tribute to a television legend with the August 31st release of “Thriller: The Complete Series” 14-dvd Deluxe Box Set. All 67 unforgettable episodes have been remastered,...
Below is the press release and DVD box artwork for the series.
For two seasons and over sixty episodes, horror icon Boris Karloff invited television audiences to enjoy captivating tales of suspense, murder, and relentless terror as host of the 1960s anthology series “Thriller.” Featuring stories from such master storytellers as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch, Cornell Woolrich and starring a galaxy of classic television stars from the 1960s and 1970s, “Thriller” was dubbed by Stephen King as “the best horror series ever put on TV.”
Now, Image Entertainment proudly announces a tribute to a television legend with the August 31st release of “Thriller: The Complete Series” 14-dvd Deluxe Box Set. All 67 unforgettable episodes have been remastered,...
- 5/15/2010
- by admin
- Horrorbid
Now this is the way we love to end a Friday. Fans of Boris Karloff and classic horror television shows have long sought after the series "Thriller". It was available on VHS way back when and of course almost every bootlegger has peddled a copy online at one point or another, but now thanks to Image Entertainment the wait and the search are officially over!
From the Press Release
For two seasons and over sixty episodes, horror icon Boris Karloff invited television audiences to enjoy captivating tales of suspense, murder, and relentless terror as host of the 1960s anthology series “Thriller.” Featuring stories from such master storytellers as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch, Cornell Woolrich and starring a galaxy of classic television stars from the 1960s and 1970s, “Thriller” was dubbed by Stephen King as “the best horror series ever put on TV.”
Now, Image Entertainment proudly announces a tribute...
From the Press Release
For two seasons and over sixty episodes, horror icon Boris Karloff invited television audiences to enjoy captivating tales of suspense, murder, and relentless terror as host of the 1960s anthology series “Thriller.” Featuring stories from such master storytellers as Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch, Cornell Woolrich and starring a galaxy of classic television stars from the 1960s and 1970s, “Thriller” was dubbed by Stephen King as “the best horror series ever put on TV.”
Now, Image Entertainment proudly announces a tribute...
- 5/15/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
With our favorite time of year just around the corner, Fango’s got news of a trio of literary terrors to keep you occupied throughout the fall. And if you’re partial to anthologies and short-story collections, get ready to rejoice.
First up, Running Press has just put out the third volume in its Dark Delicacies series, subtitled Haunted, and it looks to be their biggest yet. Edited by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb, Dark Delicacies III features 20 new works by the likes of genre legend Clive Barker, Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, Masters Of Horror creator Mick Garris, Jeepers Creepers director Victor Salva, 100 Feet’s Eric Red, veteran horror scribe Richard Christian Matheson, Fango contributor Axelle Carolyn, First Blood author David Morrell and many more, with a foreword by The Shining actor Steven Weber.
Also arriving this month is Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories On The 50th Anniversary, a...
First up, Running Press has just put out the third volume in its Dark Delicacies series, subtitled Haunted, and it looks to be their biggest yet. Edited by Del Howison and Jeff Gelb, Dark Delicacies III features 20 new works by the likes of genre legend Clive Barker, Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, Masters Of Horror creator Mick Garris, Jeepers Creepers director Victor Salva, 100 Feet’s Eric Red, veteran horror scribe Richard Christian Matheson, Fango contributor Axelle Carolyn, First Blood author David Morrell and many more, with a foreword by The Shining actor Steven Weber.
Also arriving this month is Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories On The 50th Anniversary, a...
- 9/9/2009
- by [email protected] (Samuel Zimmerman)
- Fangoria
Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories On The 50th Anniversary edited by Carol Serling (Tor, tpb, 448 pp, $14.99, out September 1)
Fifty years ago, man discovered the Twilight Zone. Specifically, that man was teleplaywright Rod Serling, who won acclaim for such 1950s dramatic endeavors as Requiem For A Heavyweight and Patterns. Another teleplay, The Time Element (a time-tripping endeavor back to Pearl Harbor just before December 7, 1941), led Serling to chart a land of mystery and imagination he named The Twilight Zone. It became TV’s greatest Sf series (sorry, Star Trek), made on-camera host Serling a genre icon and spawned (after Serling’s 1975 death) a movie, two TV program revivals and a well-regarded fiction magazine (published in the 1980s).
Edited by the brilliant T.E.D. Klein, Rod Serling’S The Twilight Zone Magazine was a terrific publication with an unwieldy title. The highlight of every issue was an actual Twilight Zone script (usually by Serling,...
Fifty years ago, man discovered the Twilight Zone. Specifically, that man was teleplaywright Rod Serling, who won acclaim for such 1950s dramatic endeavors as Requiem For A Heavyweight and Patterns. Another teleplay, The Time Element (a time-tripping endeavor back to Pearl Harbor just before December 7, 1941), led Serling to chart a land of mystery and imagination he named The Twilight Zone. It became TV’s greatest Sf series (sorry, Star Trek), made on-camera host Serling a genre icon and spawned (after Serling’s 1975 death) a movie, two TV program revivals and a well-regarded fiction magazine (published in the 1980s).
Edited by the brilliant T.E.D. Klein, Rod Serling’S The Twilight Zone Magazine was a terrific publication with an unwieldy title. The highlight of every issue was an actual Twilight Zone script (usually by Serling,...
- 8/28/2009
- by [email protected] (David McDonnell)
- Starlog
Sci Fi heading into original program zone
NEW YORK -- Looking to capitalize on its momentum with original series, Sci Fi Channel on Wednesday unveiled development plans for a slew of new scripted projects, including a project inspired by the life and work of author Shirley Jackson to be executive produced by Michael Douglas. Mark Stern, Sci Fi executive vp original programming, described the still-untitled Jackson project during Sci Fi's development overview presentation to reporters as " 'Desperate Housewives' meets 'The Twilight Zone.' " It will blend supernatural themes from such famed Jackson stories as The Lottery and The Haunting of Hill House with the late author's real-life story of making the transition from being an urban mother to small-town matriarch. Douglas is on board to exec produce; Stargate Atlantis writer Alan Brennert will pen the script. Another new project detailed during the presentation at Sci Fi's New York headquarters were Heroes Anonymous, a live-action drama that focuses on twentysomething superheroes who form a support group. Based on the comic book series by Scott Gimpel and Bill Morrison, Heroes will be executive produced by Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction), Kevin Brown (Roswell) and Karl Schaefer (The Dead Zone).
- 4/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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