Samhain Publishing

My twitter feed has exploded over the past few days, with capslock expressions of either utter joy or despair, sometimes in the same tweet. See, I follow a lot of people interested in – or employed by – the television industry. And right around the corner are network upfronts.

Up until last year, I had no idea what an upfront was, or why I should pay attention to one. New shows appeared on my TV schedule in the fall, stopped sometime in the spring, and either came back or didn’t depending on the whims of TV executives. But then my favorite actor was cast in a pilot, and suddenly I was very interested in the whole process. (Funny how that works, right?)

So here’s the process, as far as I can tell, in a nutshell:

1. Creative people write scripts.
2. Studios pick up a bunch of scripts.
3. Bunch of scripts narrowed down to a select few at each studio.
4. Casting/hiring of behind-the-scenes talent for those scripts.
5. Networks order pilots for some (but not all) of the scripts.
6. Pilot filming. (For more in-depth details on the pilot process, check out my blog post on flying to LA to watch the pilot filming of I Hate My Teenage Daughter last year.)
7. Upfronts. This is where the networks announce their schedules for the upcoming television season.

And that’s where we are right now, with upfronts right around the corner. So for the past couple of days, reports have been leaked at most the major networks, sharing which current shows are getting the axe, as well as which new shows have been placed on the schedule. The show I mentioned above was officially cancelled this week, which wasn’t a surprise – it had been yanked from the schedule so many times I would have been shocked if it ever showed up on the channel again. But for other fans of other shows, it’s been a nailbiting week of joy and sorrow.

In a way, it’s like the submission process for writers, on a far more public scale, and with many more people invested in the results. Though there’s a curious comfort in sharing the experience with others who are just as anxious, it’s also got to be stressful for the actors, writers, directors, and crew to know their impending employment status will be commented on by people across the country. Personally, I think I’ll stick with the individual acceptance or rejection letter, thank you very much.

Do you follow the upfronts? Were any of your favorites saved or jettisoned this week? And are there any new shows you’re anxious to check out?

by Michelle Miles

HI! My name is Michelle and I’m addicted to movies. This is part of my 12-step program.

I grew up in the era when movies stayed at the theater for a year, you waited in line around the building to see the new ones, and it only cost $2.00 for a matinee. There was no Blockbuster and our VCR had the giant buttons and the pop-up thing where you inserted the tape. The remote was called a “clicker” because there were two buttons (on and off) that actually CLICKED. DVR wasn’t even a thought in our young minds and who would have ever imagined an entire movie on a shiny circular disk? And digital music? Dude. We had vinyl.

I’m a child of the early ‘70s. In high school, I had ‘80’s hair and acid wash jeans. The local hang out was the roller rink (that’s roller skates for those of you who remember) and I watched Sonny and Cher (and other variety shows). Fantasy Island scared the crap out of me, Love Boat was cool and Night Gallery and The Twilight Zone were two shows I always steered clear of. I thought The Lawrence Welk Show was dorky but my parents watched it anyway.

I saw Star Wars (the original 1974 release, mind you) in the theater at least five times. My big sister took me and whispered the scrolling opening in my ear as I saw and watched with wide eyes. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen. I can clearly remember saying, “I’ve seen it FIVE times. How many times have YOU seen it?” to my friends in school. I remember how shocked we all where when Darth Vader “got good” at the end of Return of the Jedi. I also remember how shocked I was when I realized, at the tender age of 9, that Han Solo and Indiana Jones was the same guy. Be still my pre-teen heart.

It was somewhere along that same time when I discovered the 1960s version of Star Trek. Of course by that time, they were in syndication. But then, in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered. And a Trekkie was born. I dragged family and friends and just about anyone who’d go with me to Star Trek conventions. I got autographs of Nichelle Nichols, George Takai, James Doohan, and Patrick Stewart in my Star Trek Compendium.

But it wasn’t enough. Neither my imagination nor my need for more action/adventure/science fiction/romance was sated. So I began to write my own stories. I wrote fan-fiction. Everything from Star Trek to Indiana Jones to Bladerunner. I wrote about damsels in distress and inter-galactic wars. I commissioned friends to write with me. With one I did my own Indiana Jones illustrated comic books starring us (I SO wish I still had those!); with another we did Bladerunner stories. I even went so far as to play Star Trek role playing games with fellow friends.

And so, ladies and gentlemen, there you have me. I’m a nerd, through and through. I have learned to embrace this feeling of nerdom and accept it for what it is. I have learned that movies are special things that give you hope, dreams, love, chills, fear. They lift you up and open your mind to things you may never have thought about before. As I got older, I loved old movies and musicals, too.

I have a son in which I’m trying to instill a love of movies, as well. He loves the old Star Trek show and the Star Wars movies, too. I’m so proud.

I suppose my love of movies helped drive my love of books, too. And why I wanted to write. I’ve had movies (and voices) in my head for as long as I can remember. If I wasn’t a writer, I’d be in a straightjacket.

How about you? What types of things inspire you?

Michelle Miles is an avid movie watcher and writes fantasy, paranormal and contemporary romance. You can learn more about her books at http://www.michellemiles.net and follow her on Twitter @MichelleMiles.

I began watching ONCE UPON A TIME with my oldest daughters from the very first episode. I was a bit skeptical, but willing to give it a try. Bottom line? I love it.

But I’ve found my favorite characters aren’t necessarily the traditional storybook heroes and heroines. When it comes to this show, I’m more intrigued by the villains. The heroes… ‘Prince Charming’, for example… aren’t impressing me at this juncture. For one thing, they’re rather predictable.

As a writer, I can tell you it isn’t always easy to make a believable, almost ‘likable’ villain. I prefer to write and be entertained by those characters who have a reason for their naughtiness. The “he’s just evil” types are old hat. And boring. Honestly, any of us could be the villain — it mostly depends on our reaction to circumstance. It depends on what we choose to do with the cards we’re dealt.

Rumplestiltskin is the one villain I would love to rehabilitate. I never would have dreamed in a million years that this child-stealing, creepy, troll-like character could pull such emotions from me. How can one be repelled… creeped out… and yet somehow attracted to someone at the same time? It’s the stuff therapists dream of.

Um, no, this isn’t normal for me. I’m naturally very conservative. The type of woman who notices the bad-boys from afar, but would never dare to get a closer look.

In my opinion, a lot of the Rumplestiltkin/Mr. Gold appeal is wrapped up in two things:

First, his backstory. He was once a normal, humble, and meek man. Not a hero — even branded a coward. But he was a good man, nonetheless. He has a past that makes women like me say: “Awwww! Poor guy.” And want to give him a hug.

The second reason he appeals? I will have to say it’s the acting of Robert Carlyle. He is an amazing actor, giving us glimpses from one moment to the next of the conflicting personalities living within his character. He makes this villain someone you’d like to see win … if only he’d stop being so nasty.

He isn’t handsome, really. He definitely isn’t a pretty-boy. But there’s just something… even when wearing the hideous gray, rubbery make-up… something draws you closer. Just as it drew Belle when she gave him that kiss.

I loved the Beauty and the Beast twist in the episode, Skin Deep. I thought it was well handled, even with the not-so-subtle homage to Disney’s popular version. I really could believe that she would fall in love with the thoroughly unlovable spinner of gold.

The storyline, along with the acting, gave somewhat new dimension to my favorite fairytale and my favorite ‘villain turned hero’, “the Beast”. And yes, folks, after his transformation, ‘the Beast’ was not always depicted as a hot stud. Anyone see the version starring George C. Scott? Enough said.

Will OUAT take the same track with Mr. Gold? Will he be redeemed and receive his own happy ending? There’s that possibility. But as another favorite movie character of mine says: “The bad-guy never gets the girl.”

Either way, I’ll be carefully… cautiously… cheering him on. Hero’s are made, after all, not born.

Who’s your favorite villain?

~~Meg Allison

Indulge your senses…

http://www.megallisonauthor.com

Likewise, since I’m a writer, it should come as no surprise that I immediately followed my first viewing of the show with an orgy of research into the series, its setting (the laying of the First Transcontinental Railroad), the critical reaction… And that’s where I stopped, because the first review I read turned out to be an extended rant on how the show wasn’t true to the period, because it insisted on shoe-horning modern attitudes and issues into the history of the period (italics mine).

Hell-o! That’s what historical fiction does. No historical fiction (or nonfiction, for that matter) depicts a period or its issues accurately in context for the same reason you never step in the same stream twice. Not only has the United States changed since the mid-nineteenth century, we’ve changed. You couldn’t create a leading man—or leading lady—true to 1865’s ideals without producing 2012’s idea of a monster.

Regardless of whether he fought for the North or South in the Civil War, the ideal nineteenth century American male would be a white supremacist. He would be narrow-minded with respect to religion, whatever his religion happened to be. He’d consider women creatures of inferior intellect and “moral fiber” who needed to be “protected” and segregated for their own good, like children and other feeble-minded souls: African-Americans, Native Americans, Latin Americans, Asians, Africans, the Irish, the Itallians… His sense of entitlement would make the top management of Lehman Brothers seem morbidly self-abnegating by comparison. And the less said about his dietary expectations and personal hygiene, the better.

The ideal woman of the time would not only share his attitude, she’d conspire with her beloved to enforce the oppression of her peers. If those less perfect vessels complained, they’d be dismissed as bitter shrews with a persecution complex. Chances are the description would be accurate, too. Sustained repression, the total absence of rights and an inability to rectify the situation will do that to a girl.

But that’s okay. The creators of Hell on Wheels and Samhain’s many fine historical novelists don’t have to create nineteenth century beau ideals. They’re not writing for 1865. They’re writing for now. So they create characters who don’t fit in their time, like a failed southern tobacco planter who married an abolitionist (Bohannon); a half-black, half-white former slave; an aristocratic Englishwoman in search of an identity outside of the expectations of her class; a prostitute tattooed (mutilated in the view of the time) by the Native American war band that abducted her as a child; and an entrepreneur determined to grind into dust all those who despised him for being born poor and Irish-American (see the nineteenth century opinion of Irishmen above).

The characters’ inability to blend in forces them to become agents of change—bridges between their time in history and ours. They allow us to congratulate ourselves on how far we’ve come and to view their challenges as a measure of how far we need to go.

This doesn’t give creators of historical fictions—literary or video—a pass on getting the details right. Heaven help the producer whose audio effects person uses a diesel whistle for a steam train, for example. About three million locomotive enthusiasts and (in the case of my husband) their immediate relations will flood their offices with irate letters, emails and phone calls. Period details aside, the success of any historical fiction depends on its ability to speak to the people of 2012 and those who come after. And the way you speak to us is to address our meaningful issues and conflicts, whether it’s government malfeasance, corporate greed, class conflict, race relations, gender politics or notions of romance.

This use of the myths, legends and histories of the American West isn’t anything new. The First Transcontinental Railroad has long been viewed as means to examine our national goals. Among the movies and TV shows which use it for this purpose are John Ford’s silent film The Iron Horse, Cecil B. DeMille’s Union Pacific and multiple episodes of the TV show Maverick. There’s also Jules Verne’s ironic take on the whole business in Around the World in Eighty Days. Even better to my mind, however, is Hell on Wheels’ most illustrious predecessor: Mel Brooks’s 1974 classic, Blazing Saddles.

You don’t see the resemblance? There’s corporate greed and governmental incompetence, a serious examination of the many forms of bigotry, gender politics, professional ladies with accents, a smart-mouthed African-American with an agenda, and a bad-assed gunman with a tragic past. Of course, that makes railroad entrepreneur Thomas Durant (played by Colm Meany) 2012’s Hedy—I mean Hedley Lamarr, and turns Gene Wilder’s Waco Kid (sporting his darling Donald Trump comb-over) into my boy Bohannan…

What? Yes, I can see how you’ll never be able to view the series in the same light ever again. No, of course, I won’t stand in your way if you need to bleach your brain now.

You’re welcome.

Jean Marie Ward
JeanMarieWard.com

*

The photograph shows the train known as the Jupiter on its way to the Golden Spike Ceremony commemorating the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad. It may be hard to see at this size, but Native Americans watch the train from the top of the hill.

I love, love, love the holiday season. I love the anticipation, the decorations, the food. (Especially the food. Unfortunately for my waistline.)

And, right there at the top of the list, is watching Christmas movies.

There are so many of them out there to choose from – classic to obscure, musical to black and white to blockbuster hit, there’s a holiday film for almost every taste and preference.

I, of course, love the well-known Christmas classics. But I also have a soft spot for some lesser-known films that fit the holiday genre. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorites:

1. In The Good Old Summertime. Kind of counterintuitive, isn’t it, that a film with “Summertime” in the title is actually a Christmas movie? But the climactic ending to this musical precursor to You’ve Got Mail is set at Christmas, and Van Johnson and Judy Garland are simply brimming over with sexual tension as they realize they’re penpals in love with each other.

2. The Man Who Came To Dinner. Hysterically funny script, talented cast, and crackling dialogue make this one a keeper. It was adapted from the stage, but manages to translate to the screen quite well.

3. The Lemon Drop Kid. One of my husband’s favorites, we like to watch it over the Christmas break. Bob Hope in one of his funniest roles as a small time con artist who has to raise money quick – at Christmas time – to pay back a mobster.

4. While You Were Sleeping. I know it’s not particularly obscure, but it does tend to get overlooked when people are thinking of Christmas movies. Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman are adorable in it.

5. Meet Me In St Louis. Yes, another Judy Garland film to round out the list. But how could I leave off the film that brought us “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”? (And my favorite audition piece from my theater days, “The Trolley Song”.)

So how about you? What’s your favorite Christmas/holiday movie? What should I add to my “to watch” list this year?

Breaking Dawn – Part 1 released in Australia today, and yes, I confess, I was one of the Twihard fans determined to see the movie the day it was released. I’ve just gotten back, and now I’m sitting and thinking about how some books are just as incredible in movie form as they are as books, and how some, well, aren’t.

Let’s take Harry Potter for instance. Is there a soul out there who has read the books but not seen the movies? And more than that, is there a soul out there who has not loved the movies as much as the books? Okay, I’ve heard complaints that sometimes the movies weren’t completely faithful to the books, that Hollywood took some grand liberties in bringing Harry Potter to the big screen. (*cough* The final battle between Harry and Voldemort. *cough*)

And yet still, movie watchers have been just as spellbound by the HP movies as they have been by the books. The special effects are as captivating on screen as they are in the written word. Mr 10 is Harry Potter mad. We’ve settled into a lovely routine. He finishes a book, we buy the DVD, and we watch it as a family. He moans a little that this was different in the book or that wasn’t quite right, but he’ll then watch the movie again…10 or 15 times. (I know he'll read the books again too – as many times.)

This afternoon I was thrilled to buy The Deathly Hallows – Part 2. It meant that not only has Mr 10 finished the series, but I get to watch the movie all over again.

Tonight, as I sat in the cinema, surrounded by Twihards like myself, it was hard not to hear the audience laughter echoing through the room. (Did I mention Breaking Dawn is not a comedy?) In fact, there was a young woman, sitting just opposite me, who laughed so hard she had the entire audience laughing with her. Now I loved the first movie. Loved it. I’ve watched it numerous times. I loved it almost as much as I loved the book. The next three? Let’s just say I preferred the books. BUT, I will qualify that by saying I’ll be there, at the cinema, the day Breaking Dawn – Part 2 releases.

Yesterday I watched the official trailer for the Hunger Games. The movie releases in March next year.  I read that series obsessively. Did I enjoy the books? No. In fact, I found them profoundly disturbing. All three of them. Will I see the movie? The day it releases. Will the movie be as good as the book? I hope so. But I can’t help but wonder, will the words – so powerfully written by the author – be lost in translation to the big screen?

Jess

I loved fairytales as a child. Okay, yes, as an adult, as well. Which is probably a big part of the reason I began writing romance — the ‘happy ever after’ part just seemed natural.

However, I tend to gravitate toward the more interesting heroines. Those with spirit, intelligence, and ingenuity. Unfortunately, in the past, most Disney versions of these heroines rather lack such character traits. Many seem to lack, well, much character at all. Sure, Snow White, Cinderella, et al, are pretty and sweet as can be… but beyond that? Hmm, not so sure I’d want them on my side if things got tough.

My favorite story in any venue is Beauty and the Beast. It’s the perfect romance, in my opinion, because the heroine doesn’t fall in love at first sight. Neither does she fall in love because the prince is charming and handsome and rich. She falls for him after she gets to know him. She loves him quite despite herself, because she witnesses the true beauty of his soul.

Such a cliche, lol!

But as a reader and writer, I have very little use for any story, whether it be written or on-screen, where the romantic leads do not have a good reason to be together. Keep them apart for most of the tale, please do. But when they are finally together, I’d better believe they’ll stay that way for the long haul. Yes, I’m old-fashioned that way.

I’ve noticed that my favorite romances tend to follow the a basic fairytale theme — particularly mimicing the story of Beauty and her Beast. Jane Eyre, comes to mind, mostly because I watched the newer film version this weekend. I love the gruff, surly Mr. Rochester. I enjoy the way the young Jane stands up to him and the passion that flairs beneath the surface. It’s a wonderful romance that almost isn’t one at all. It’s among the best written romances, I think, because the reader cannot imagine the possibility of a happy ending. There’s just no way for these two to be together. Yes, there it is.

My goal over the next six months is to finish the story I’ve started. But then, I want to start the next one, which is very reminiscent of my favorite fairytale. I only hope I can make the reader believe — as Miss Bronte did — that the couple couldn’t possibly end up together… and then bring them to that point anyway.

~~Meg Allison

http://www.megallisonauthor.com

Remember when we (or some of us anyway) were kids and there was nothing on TV all summer except reruns? You’d wait with growing impatience for September and the launch of a new viewing season with all your favorite characters—Starsky and Hutch, the Loveboat crew, the looney roomies from Three’s Company, the gang from MASH—and maybe some cool new  shows with new characters to get involved with.

There are a lot of things I love about living in current times, particularly technology. Computers, I-phones, I-pads, I-pods and e-reading devices all make our lives richer. But practically my favorite thing about these days is the staggered TV season which provides a wide variety of quality cable shows to keep me entertained all year long. Even summer TV viewing is no longer a wasteland.  So what am I watching this summer?

Leverage on TNT, Entourage and Weeds on Showtime, True Blood on HBO, and the final season of Rescue Me on FX (may it rest in peace because that show jumped the shark several seasons back and needs to be put to bed). In addition, due to the wonders of the internet, I’ve downloaded and been watching some shows that I missed back in the day.  I’ve spent the entire summer working my way through eight seasons of The Practice. I think I’m ready to hang my shingle as a lawyer now.

Does anyone else enjoy the slick capers and clever byplay of the group of thieves on Leverage? How about those horrible, self-involved boys on Entourage? Ditto self-involved Nancy Botwin on Weeds and annoying, navel-gazing Tommy Gavin on Rescue Me. Apparently, I love characters who are hatefully selfish yet totally compelling to watch.

And then there’s Tru Blood, which is a soapy extravaganza of sex, violence and paranormal shenanigans. It’s probably lowest onmy totem pole of shows to watch yet I still can’t seem to look away.

What about you? When you’ve had enough of sunshine and ninety degree temperatures and you draw back into your cave at night, what are your favorite shows to watch? While waiting for Dexter and Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy and The Good Wife, Justified and BoardwalkEmpire to return, what’s popping your cork this summer?

The hubby, the girl-child and I have been on a bit of a Dr. Who kick lately. We've been watching the DVDs of new series, Drs nine and ten so she can catch up since she came in with doctor eleven, Matt "bowties are cool" Smith. I LOOOOOVE Dr. Who. IMO that's one of the consistently best-written shows on television, especially with all the story arcs that span months and months of series and involve all sorts of subtle things that don't exactly jump out at you. Besides that, the characters — at least the good guys, and sometimes even the villains — are well rounded and come across as very real.

So, a couple of questions for y'all. Okay, more than a couple. Just a few though, and just because I'm curious. Are you a fan of the Doctor? Which Doctor's your favorite? Myself, I'm torn between ten (David Tennent) and eleven (Matt Smith). And I'm including the original series doctors here. I've never watched the original series, but I feel that I should…

Anyway, back to the questioning. Favorite companion? Amy Pond and Rory for me. Both of them LOL. Favorite, well, other character who hangs around with the Doctor from time to time and helps save the universe? As much as I adore Captain Jack Harkness — and I do, he is a fabulous character, not to mention impossibly gorgeous — I have to say River Song. I have a total girl-crush on her. I want to be her when I grow up. Favorite villain? There are some OMG AMAZING villains on this show (except the Daleks, who I find more amusing than scary most of the time and whose voices annoy me; sorry!!) but the Weeping Angels from "Blink" and subsequent episodes are, to me, the scariest. They taught me how to blink with one eye at a time LOL.

All right all you Dr. Who fans, step up! Who's your favorite Doctor? Companion? Other companion? Villain? Anything else you want to say? Let's talk about Dr. Who! Y'all have at it, I'll stop in between the Evil Day Job and going to see my daughter in Annie tonight

Ally Blue

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