Best remembered for her role as Drusilla on both Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Juliet Landau is entering an all new realm in taking on the role of director of a documentary on the making of a Jewish hip-hop video directed by Gary Oldman.  Curious?  There's a whole lot more to the story and Keith hears it all from Juliet in this special Spotlight episode.  Make sure you rate the episode at the end of this listing and leave your thoughts either in the forums.

Juliet Landau was born in Los Angeles in 1972. She was a professional ballerina. She studied acting extensively with the late Susan Peretz and is a member of the Actors Studio. Juliet co-starred in Tim Burton’s ED WOOD as Loretta King and starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg in New Line Cinema’s THEODORE REX. She created the role of Drusilla on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, appearing on BUFFY and ANGEL over the course of six seasons. Of Drusilla, Steve Vineberg of The New York Times wrote, “The wildly gifted Juliet Landau plays Drusilla like an acid-added cross between Ophelia and Cassandra.” She just completed playing Russian villainess Nataliya Chernov in the kid’s movie, MONSTER MUTT, created and produced by 4X Oscar-winning Greg Canom’s Drac Studios.

Juliet has branched into some exciting territory, directing the short documentary TAKE FLIGHT about and for Gary Oldman, co-directing and appearing in Godhead’s HERO music video and co-writing two issues of the ANGEL comic book about Drusilla. The legendary Mike Medavoy mentors her.

Lead roles in Independents include: THE YELLOW WALLPAPER, DARKNESS VISIBLE, HACK, TOOLBOX MURDERS, REPOSSESSED, CARLO’S WAKE, LIFE AMONG THE CANNIBALS, RAVAGER, DIRECT HIT, CITIZENS and a co-starring turn in Henry Jaglom’s GOING SHOPPING.

TV guest appearances include: MILLENNIUM, LA FEMME NIKITA, STRONG MEDICINE, a starring role in the Lifetime movie REUNION and a project directed by Jake Scott for HBO.

She has lent her voice to various characters on the popular animated series’ JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED and BEN 10:ALIEN FORCE as well as BIOSHOCK 1 and 2, STAR WARS THE OLD REPUBLIC and BEN 10 video games. She voiced Labella in GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT.

Juliet has worked extensively in the theater, receiving outstanding reviews for her work every time out. She has written the short film IT’S RAINING CATS AND CATS and will play seven different characters in the project.

Be there for the release of TAKE FLIGHT by logging on to http://www.julietlandaustakeflight.

Help Juliet raise funds for her latest independent project by purchasing autographed memorabilia by visiting her website http://www.julietlandau.com and clicking on STORE.

Keith sits down with writer Laura Anne Gilman and learns how wine could have more magic then we're used to.  Make sure you comment on the episode here or by leaving us your thoughts at 888-866-9010.  You can also rate the episode at the end of this listing.

* CONGRATULATIONS TO LAURA ANNE GILMAN ON HER NEBULA NOMINATION FOR BEST NOVEL FOR FLESH AND FIRE. * 

Laura Anne Gilman started her professional life as a book editor for a major NYC publishing house, fitting her writing into the remaining available hours.In 2004 she switched that around, becoming a full-time writer and freelance editor.

She is the author of the Cosa Nostradamus books for Luna (the “Retrievers” and “Paranormal Scene Investigations” urban fantasy series), and the critically-acclaimed "The Vineart War" trilogy from Pocket ( the first book, Flesh and Fire, was short-listed as a "Best Book of 2009” fromLibrary Journal).She is a member of the on-line writers’ consortium BookView Café, and continues to write and sell short fiction. She also writes paranormal romances as Anna Leonard.

You can find more information at www.lauraaneegilman.net, or find her on Twitter as @LAGilman.

(photo credited to Elsa Ruiz, 2009)

John met Luke recently through MySpace and where he discovered Luke's first novel, The Dark Path.  Luke talks with John about his desire to create a character that struggles against his goodness rather than reluctantly giving into it.  Make sure you rate the episode below and comment on it in the forums.

Luke Romyn spent many years, fifteen in fact, working in the security industry. From doorwork in some of Australia's roughest pubs and clubs to protecting Mickey Mouse and the Disney crew from the overzealous jaws of tenacious toddlers, Luke has worked throughout Australia and internationally in a vast array of roles.

He's done close protection for UK celebrities in Fiji and chased feral pigs and snakes out of the film set on Steven Spielberg and Tom Hank's upcoming epic: The Pacific. There are few things Luke hasn't seen.

With all this experience behind him, it would be tempting to write a set of memoirs. Instead, Luke utilized it to fuel his own expansive imagination and began writing fiction. Initially starting with short stories, Luke rapidly progressed onto novels. His first book, THE DARK PATH, is now out and is already a #1 best selling Horror. His second novel, BLACKLISTED, is almost set to go and will blow the roof off action thrillers.

David Rozansky sits down with John to discuss his publishing company, Flying Pen Press, and its philosophy, goals for 2010, and content.  Make sure you comment on this and every episode of the 12 Days of Riftmas in the forums.  You can rate this particular episode at the bottom of the page.

David A. Rozansky is the publisher of Flying Pen Press LLC, a Denver-based small press that is giving flight to great books. He is a freelance writer, editor and publisher whose experience in publishing goes back to 1989.

His interests include aviation, science fiction, mystery novels, poker, and role-playing games, and these interests are reflected in the books his company publishes. Rozansky has been reading science fiction enthusiastically since he first learned to read, and has been playing role-playing games since 1973. He was the president and league director of the Adventure Role Playing League. He has professionally written more than one million words under his byline, and has published Rocky Mountain Air Traveler and American Cabby Magazine. He was also a bush pilot in Central America. David is originally from Denver, where he currently lives.

Mr. Rozansky is seeking writers and novelists. His company is seeking novels and anthologies, particularly science fiction, fantasy, romance, mystery, Western, thriller, horror, and contemporary fiction. Flying Pen Press is also seeking writers for game books and books about games, for its game-book imprint; it is especially interested in role-playing-game books and books about poker. Mr. Rozansky is interested in publishing new writers as well as established authors.

John speaks with Hugo and Nebula award winning author, Robert J. Sawyer about the TV adaptation of his novel, Flash Forward, as well as the first novel in his latest trilogy, Wake.  Make sure you rate the episode at the bottom of this page and leave a comment here.

Robert J. Sawyer has been called "the dean of Canadian science fiction" by The Ottawa Citizen.

He has won many major awards, including:

• he 2003 Best Novel Hugo Award — the top international honor in science–fiction writing.
• An Arthur Ellis Award from the Crime Writers of Canada
• Eight Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards ("Auroras").

Rob's novels are top–ten national mainstream bestsellers in Canada, appearing on the Globe and Mail and Maclean's bestsellers' lists, and they've hit #1 on the bestsellers' list published by Locus, the U.S. trade journal of the SF field. His seventeen novels include The Terminal Experiment, Frameshift, Factoring Humanity, Flashforward, Calculating God, Mindscan, and the popular "Neanderthal Parallax" trilogy consisting of Hominids (winner of the Hugo Award), Humans, and Hybrids.

Rob has taught writing at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Humber College, the National University of Ireland, and the Banff Centre. He has been Writer–in–Residence at the Richmond Hill (Ontario) Public Library and the Toronto Public Library's Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy. And he edits Robert J. Sawyer Books, the science-fiction imprint of Calgary's Red Deer Press.

Rob has given talks at hundreds of venues including the Library of Congress and the National Library of Canada, and been keynote speaker at dozens of events in places as diverse as Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Barcelona. He was born in Ottawa in 1960, and now lives just west of Toronto with his wife, poet Carolyn Clink.

John sits down with Bob Greenberger to talk about his past, present, and future works, as well as his political career to date.  Make sure you comment on the episode here as well as rate the episode at the end of this listing.

Robert Greenberger (born July 24, 1958) is a writer and editor.

Greenberger was born in Brooklyn in New York City, the son of Edwin L. Greenberger and Joan Greenberger. A lifelong fan of comic books, comic strips, science fiction and Star Trek, he drifted towards writing and editing, encouraged by his father and inspired by Superman’s alter ego, Clark Kent.

While at SUNY-Binghamton, Greenberger wrote and edited for the college newspaper, Pipe Dream, moving from general assignment writer to Arts Editor, Managing Editor and ultimately Editor-in-Chief.  He served an internship at Gannett’s Binghamton Sun-Bulletin as a feature writer and reviewer.

Upon graduation, he worked for Starlog Press as Managing Editor ofFangoria.  He was also an Associate Editor for Starlog and while there, created Comics Scene, the first nationally distributed magazine to focus on comic books, comic strips and animation.  The magazine lasted 11 issues before its first cancellation at which time Greenberger went to work on their sports magazines.

In 1984, he joined DC Comics as an Assistant Editor, working with Len Wein and Marv Wolfman on DC’s Golden Anniversary projects Who’s Who andCrisis on Infinite Earths.  He went on to act as assistant editor to numerous titles for each editor until he was promoted to editor.  During his tenure, his titles included Star Trek, Suicide Squad, Warlord, Doom Patrol, Lois Lane, Action Comics Weekly, Time Masters, Secret Origins, The Hacker Files and others.

By 1990, he had given up editing to become the company’s Editorial Coordinator, helping grow the Editorial Administration department.  When he left the company, he was Manager-Editorial Operations.

In March 2000, he left DC to become a Producer for Gist Communications, television news and listings web site. After ten months there, he learned some new skills and got out before the dotcom bubble burst.

In January 2001, he joined Marvel Comics as Director-Publishing Operations.  During his year with the company, he oversaw editorial schedules, Production, Manufacturing, the Print Library, and other departments.

In January 2002, he left Marvel and rejoined DC in May 2002 as a Senior Editor-Collected Editions.  He helped grow that department, introducing new formats and improving the editions’ editorial content. He also managed DC’sElfQuest publishing program.

He left DC in January 2006, becoming a freelance writer and editor.  His clients included Weekly World News, Platinum Studios, scifi.com, DC and Marvel. By June, he was offered the post of Managing Editor at Weekly World News where he helped transition the newspaper from being produced jointly in Florida and New York to just NYC.

When the paper folded in August 2007, he resumed his freelance career which continues to this date.  Along the way, he helped revitalize Famous Monsters of Filmland and served as News Editor at ComicMix from August through December 2008.

He is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and theInternational Association of Media Tie-In Writers.  He served on the final Nebula Short Fiction Jury.

Greenberger joined Fairfield, CT’s Parking Authority in 1999, serving until June 2006. He resigned from the Authority to join the Cable Advisory Council for Area 2 in Connecticut.  In November 2005, he was elected a Representative to Fairfield, Connecticut’s Representative Town Meeting. In November 2007, after winning re-election, he was voted to preside as its Moderator.

John sits down and learns more about the upcoming television series, The Fixer, from creator and producer John F. Merz.  Don't forget to rate the episode at the bottom of this listing and make sure you comment on it here.

As a writer, Jon F. Merz has published over a dozen novels including four Lawson Vampire adventures (2002-2003) with Kensington's Pinnacle Books, the Jake Thunder mystery/thriller DANGER-CLOSE (2004) with Five Star Mystery/Thorndike Press, and eight installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series Rogue Angel (2006-present) with Harlequin's Gold Eagle line. His latest thriller PARALLAX debuted in March 2009 as an exclusive ebook. Praised by bestselling authors like Robert B. Parker, Douglas Clegg, and Thomas Monteleone, Jon's novels will continue to thrill readers for many years to come. His short fiction story "Prisoner 392" (appeared alongside Stephen King in FROM THE BORDERLANDS, 2004, Warner Books) earned him an Honorable Mention in 2004's Year's Best Fantasy & Horror edited by Ellen Datlow. Jon has also co-authored two non-fiction books: LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER with Nancy Merz Nordstrom (2006, Sentient Publications) and THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO ULTIMATE FIGHTING with Rich "Ace" Franklin (2007, Alpha Books/Penguin/Putnam) In October 2009, Jon will partner with author Joe Nassise for the debut of HELLstalkers, a new action series in conjunction with Blackbetty GmbH in Vienna available for cellphone users exclusively on the Vodafone network.

As a producer, Jon has formed New Ronin Productions with longtime friend Jaime Hassett to create television and feature film projects in the New England area. Their first project is THE FIXER, a new supernatural action series based on Jon's Lawson Vampire novels. Filming of the pilot begins in May 2009.

As a ninja, Jon has studied authentic Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu/Ninjutsu for almost twenty years under Mark Davis of the Boston Martial Arts Center. He has also trained with senior Bujinkan instructors both in the United States and Japan. During a trip to Japan in February 2003, Jon earned his 5th degree black belt directly from the 34th Grandmaster of Togakure-ryu Ninjutsu, Masaaki Hatsumi. In addition to traditional training, Jon has also taught defensive tactics to a wide range of clients, including civilian crime watch groups, police and EMS first responders, military units, and federal organizations including the US Department of State, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of Prisons.

In his past, Jon served with the United States Air Force, worked for the US government, and handled executive protection for a variety of Fortune 500 clients.

Keith recently sat down with the man himself, Paul Cornell, and discussed Doctor Who and writing for comics.  Make sure you take a moment to rate the episode at the bottom of this entry and comment on it in the forums.

Paul Cornell is a novelist as well as a comics and TV writer.  He is best known for his work on Doctor Who in both literary and television formats.  In addition, Paul created Bernice Summerfield, a fan-favorite in the Doctor Who universe.  His comic works include Captain Britain and MI-13 as well The X-Men:

Andrea Lipinski sits down with Bill Corbett of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax to discuss the latter's upcoming live performance of a riff on the classic Ed Wood film, Plan 9 from Outer Space.  Plus, we take a listen to our feedback line.  Make sure you rate the episode at the bottom of the page and comment on it here.

Bill Corbett is a former writer for the cult TV show MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000. He was also a performer on the show, providing the voice and puppetry for the robot Crow (v. 2.0); as well as playing the all-powerful but clueless alien The Observer (a.k.a. "Brain Guy") and occasional other strange characters. He’s now a principal writer and performer for the comedy website Rifftrax.com. Corbett is also a screenwriter and playwright. His screenplay STARSHIP DAVE, co-written with Rob Greenberg, was made into the Eddie Murphy movie MEET DAVE in 2008. His play THE BIG SLAM has been produced at numerous theaters across the U.S., including Woolly Mammoth in Washington, D.C.; ACT in Seattle; and actor Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theater in Chelsea, Michigan. His play HATE MAIL, co-written with Kira Obolensky, was produced at Primary Stages in NYC and dozens of theaters since. He has been a contributing writer to National Public Radio's PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION and ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, and is co-creator of the animated web series POKER NIGHT on Icebox.com. Corbett has also been an actor in the resident acting companies at the Guthrie Theater and the Berkshire Theater Festival, and has taught playwriting and screenwriting at Kenyon College in Ohio, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Playwrights’ Center, and many other universities and schools. He's a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where he earned an MFA in playwriting and screenwriting. Before that, he received a BA from Yale College. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Corbett lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife Virginia and two children.

Way back in 2008, John thought it would be a good idea to get together with his friends on a more regular basis and talk about those things they loved most.  He likened it to their experience twenty years earlier on the public access show, The Chronic Rift.  It only seemed natural to record the experience and make it a podcast.  This is the first episode from September 2008 and it basically sets up what the gang hoped to accomplish with the podcast.  This episode features both a Roundtable and an In Review segment and was originally only supposed to be released once a month.  The size proved too much and it was agreed that the two portions would become episodes of their own.  From there, the Spotlight episodes were then created.