Are you a Monty Python fan?  Ever wonder if you're getting all the jokes based on some of the more obscure (for you) references?  Well, there's a new reference guide out that covers every single episode from the classic series and explains in detail just what the joke is and it's come to Kevin's attention.

You can find all this work by visiting our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only get a great reference work, but you also support The Chronic Rift Network.  Thank you.

Comment on the episode here or write john@chronicrift.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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Claudia Christian has seen it all.  From her start on Dallas to her iconic role as Commander Susan Ivonova on the hit sci-fi series Babylon 5 to her numerous movie roles, Claudia Christian has had a recurring theme running through her acting career - alcoholism.  She shares her struggle with her addiction in a new memoir, Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex & Addiction.  John got to speak with Claudia by phone about the writing process with her writing partner, connecting with her father, and dealing with ice that wasn't ice.

Take a moment to comment on this episode in the forums, or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

When actress Claudia Christian flees a troubled childhood and moves to Hollywood at age 17, she steps through the looking glass into another world.

From the set of Dallas to her starring role on the sci-fi series Babylon 5, Claudia’s affairs with billionaires, supermodels, rock stars, and celebrities are mixed with shootings, stalking, heartbreak, and betrayal. Onset and off, drama follows Claudia—an alcohol-fueled coke run and makeout session with a bridesmaid on her wedding day; her tempestuous, love-hate relationship with actor Angus Macfadyen; the conspiracy theories surrounding her ex-husband’s death; and a 20-year on-and-off relationship with billionaire Dodi Fayed before he dated Princess Diana. Hollywood life takes its toll on Claudia as she descends into alcohol addiction and a desperate battle to reclaim her life.

Rehab, alternative treatments, and even hypnotism can’t break the cycle of alcohol abuse that threatens to destroy Claudia. Close to despair she discovers The Sinclair Method, a treatment that saves her life.

Sometimes shocking, often humorous, always captivating — Babylon Confidential is a story of hope that will inspire and enlighten you.

Please read my story and support the important message of hope it contains for those suffering from addiction.

For more on my new book Babylon Confidential, visit http://www.BabylonConfidential.com
or my Official Facebook Fan Page.

Follow me on Twitter @ClaudiaLives

Please click LIKE and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

We continue our series of interviews that we conducted from this year's New York Comic Con.  This time around, Keith speaks with author Christopher L. Bennett. Bennett may be a familiar name to Star Trek fans, but he spoke with Keith about the release of his first non-Trek fiction, Almost Superhuman.

Take a moment to comment on this episode in the forums, or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

At the age of five and a half, I saw my first episode of Star Trek, believing it to be a show about a strange airplane that only flew at night.  As I continued watching, I discovered what those points of light in the sky really were.  This awakened a lifelong fascinationwith space, science and speculative fiction.  I devoured Asimov, Clarke, and books on astronomy and physics.  I often made up Trek-universe stories set a century ahead of Kirk's adventures (an idea years ahead of its time), but soon shifted to creating my own original universe.  I eventually realized I did this pretty well, and deluded myself into thinking I could make a career out of it.  So far, that delusion has been working out for me.

John is joined by guest Julio Angel Ortiz (The Dome, "Collective") at this year's New York Comic Con to interview author David Mack.  David talks about his latest Star Trek trilogy, Cold Equations, as well as his return to his first love, screenwriting.  Take a moment to comment on this episode in the forums, or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

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David Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels and novellas, including Wildfire, Harbinger, Reap the Whirlwind, Precipice, Road of Bones, Promises Broken, Rise Like Lions, and the Star Trek Destiny trilogy: Gods of Night, Mere Mortals, and Lost Souls. He developed the Star Trek Vanguard series concept with editor Marco Palmieri. His first work of original fiction is the critically acclaimed supernatural thriller The Calling.

In addition to novels, Mack's writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet. He also co-authored Bryan Anderson's nonfiction Iraq War memoir, No Turning Back: One Man's Inspiring True Story of Courage, Determination, and Hope.

His latest novel is the new Star Trek Vanguard novel Storming Heaven, and his upcoming projects include an epic 24th-century Star Trek: The Next Generation trilogy titled Cold Equations, and a new original supernatural thriller.

Mack resides in New York City with his wife, Kara.

Kevin Lauderdale continues his holiday children's books suggestions with several Christmas themed works that you can share with your young ones.

You can find all the books Kevin talks about in this episode by visiting our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only get some great works to read with your children, but you also support The Chronic Rift Network.  Thank you.

Comment on the episode here or write john@chronicrift.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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Long time friend of the show Arlen Shumer (Visions from the Twilight Zone, The Silver Age of Comic Book Art) returns to discuss the last endurance of The Twilight Zone, Hollywood's portrayal of the super hero, and Bruce Springstein as Captain America.  Plus, he fills us in on the multimedia lecture he is conducting at the Tribecca Theater in New York on November 11, 2010 at 7pm on the anniversary of one of the best episodes in The Twilight Zone series, "Eye of the Beholder".  Please take a moment to let us know what you thought of this episode by commenting in the forums or by calling our toll-free number 888-866-9010.

For ticket information about Arlen's lecture, follow the link.

ARLEN SCHUMER is one of the leading historians of comic book art—his coffee-table art book The Silver Age of Comic Book Art (Collectors Press) won the Independent Book Publishers award for Best Popular Culture Book of 2003. His other books are Visions From The Twilight Zone (Chronicle Books, 1991)and The Neal Adams Sketchbook (Vanguard, 1999). He has lectured at universities and cultural institutions since 1988.

Contact Arlen: arlen@arlenschumer.com

Learn more at http://www.arlenschumer.com

Our series of interviews from New York Comic Con continues as John interviews author Bob Greenberger on the release of his new Star Trek related project, Star Trek The Complete Unauthorized History.  They discuss the work including Bob's approach to chronicling his own history as editor of the DC Comics Star Trek line.  Plus, Bob talks about his journey to becoming a high school English teacher.  Take a moment to comment on this episode in the forums, or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

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. After losing the 2009 election, he was appointed to represent Fairfield on the Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agnecy.

He was married to Deborah Upton on October 18, 1980.  They are the parents to Kathleen Michelle (March 18, 1986) and Robert Edward Jr. (April 8, 1988-August 14, 2008).

John and Andrea are hooked (addicted) to a new dungeon crawl style iPhone/iPad/iTouch game called 100 Rogues by Dinofarm Games.  In it, you play a Crusader or a Fairy Wizard trying to clear a dungeon of the bandits that infest it while earning treasures and weapons to help in your final confrontation with Satan himself.

The two got to spend a little time talking about the game with developer and programmer, Keith Burgun and Wes Paugh respectively.  They explained some of the more offbeat creatures you can expect to find in this extremely fun and funny game.  They also announce the contents of a major patch to be released in the next week or so as well as an upcoming sale where the game will be available for one day at 99 cents.

Please take a moment to comment on the episode and on the game if you've played it by visiting the forums here or call us, toll-free, at 888-866-9010.

Keith Burgun

Wes Paugh

While technology has advanced in so many ways, including in the world of entertainment, there are still limits and these limits are sometimes imposed, not by the technology's limitations, but by business itself.  One example of this is the need to impose regional settings on DVDs and DVD players.  Kevin has gotten himself a multi-region player and wants to bring two Region 2-only DVD's to your attention in this episode.

Comment on the episode here or write john@chronicrift.com or call 888-866-9010.  Take a moment to rate the episode by using our star system at the bottom of this entry.

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Kevin presents a special longer episode this month as he features his first interview.  John Brosio is an artist who has contributed to the Star Wars As You Wish Helmet Project, a charity event where artists create different renditions of Boba Fett's helmet.  You can learn more about John at his website and check out the As You Wish Project's Facebook page for more information there.  You can save the episode by right clicking the image on the left.  Please comment on this episode here or write john@chronicrift.com or call 888-866-9010.

Keith discusses the IDW comic series, Kill Shakespeare, with co-creator/co-writer Anthony Del Col.  Make sure you let us know what you think of the episode by stopping by the forums or by calling us at 888-866-9010.

Anthony Del Col has worked in the music, film and television industries, produced two independent feature films and most recently assisted with the management of international pop star Nelly Furtado and her world tour.  He is the co-creator/co-writer of Kill Shakespearefrom IDW Publishing.

John talks with actress Kitsie Duncan about her first major straight to DVD movie, Lethal Obsession.  Make sure you leave your thoughts on the episode in our forum or by calling our toll free number 888-866-9010.

Kitsie Duncan is living her dream as an actress and producer. Her first major film, a straight to DVD release, Lethal Obsession, is now available through Darkrider Productions. In addition, Kitsie has been in numerous commercials and will be appearing in a number of other film projects in the year to come. She recently had the honor of being named a finalist in the Famous Monsters Scream Queen competition and will be featured in the magazine's October issue. Learn even more about Kitsie by following her on Twitter and Facebook and by scanning her resume here.

Kitsie Duncan
317.362.5631
kitsie@kitsieduncan.com
www.kitsieduncan.com

Personal Statistics:
Height: 5 ft 8in
Bust:34 D
Weight:130
Waist:28
Hair Color:Red
Hips:38
Eye Color:Green
Dress Size:6
Ethnicity:White
Shoe Size:8.5

I have only been pursuing my acting career for a very short time. The following are some of the projects I have had the pleasure of being a part of. I am willing to bring 125% to any project I am involved in.

Lethal Obsession/Darkrider Filmworks/Elizabeth Waters

Good Night/Mad Chann Films/Stacy Spooky

Brucey/SB Productions/Episode 1 Bound Girl/Episode 2 Dead Girl

She-Bang/Deathblow Productions/Leader of the Tupper B Wares

Edge of Society/Filmwave Imaging/Kelly

LoveSick Radio Music Video/Darkrider Filmworks/Limo Driver

Skull Full of Kisses trailer/Darkrider Productions/Female Lead (the skull)

Corey L Scott Commercial/Filmwave Imaging/Wife

Parody Rap Music Video/SeanieMic/Cannibal

Horror Convention Massacre/Old School Sinema/Aspiring Actress

GoDaddy Commercial/Bryon DeVolder/Superheroine GoDaddy Girl

Reverie/Schadenfreude Entertainment/The Phantasm

Cthulhu Key: Legacy/Primal FX Studios/Judi Nance

No Recourse/Triple B and Darkrider Studios/Crystal

Joseph Music Video/Allied Productions/Rich Girl

Model for Don Stuck/X103 Bikini and Promotions Model

Voice Over Work Various Internet Radio Stations

LAT is Mohamed Nor Khalid, a Malasian graphic novelist and it has come to Kevin's attention that his works are more available than he realized.  Kevin tells you about the type of stories LAT writes and about his artisitic style.

Please comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

You can pick up a copies of LAT's graphic novels by visiting our Amazon store through our link.  In purchasing it there, you not only get a great movie, but you support the Chronic Rift network.  Thank you.

There have been many classic movies released to Blu-Ray, but Yellow Submarine has really impressed Kevin Lauderdale.  From the technical aspects to the print transfer to the extras included in the set, Kevin is very impressed with this release and feels it is a great addition to any Beatles fan's collection.

Please comment on this episode here or by writing john@chronicrift.com or by calling 888-866-9010.

You can pick up a copy of this movie by visiting our Amazon store through our link.  In purchasing it there, you not only get a great movie, but you support the Chronic Rift network.  Thank you.

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Yellow Submarine Blu-Ray
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John has a chat with musician Steve Horowitz where they discuss music from Super Size Me to Spongebob Squarepants to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Make sure you leave your thoughts on the episode in our forum or by calling our toll free number 888-866-9010.  In addition, make sure you rate the episode at the end of the listing.  

Steve Horowitz is a creator of odd but highly accessible sounds and a diverse and prolific musician. Steve's 30-year career integrates his experiences as a band leader with his explorations as a multi faceted composer. Horowitz has a large catalog of music for traditional and unusual ensembles such as: string quartet, woodwind quartet, orchestra, Disklavier, solo contrabass flute, large electro-acoustic chamber ensemble and his band the Code International.

Horowitz studied at the California Institute of the Arts with Mel Powell, Morton Subotnick , Micheal Jon Fink and Stephen "Lucky" Mosko. He lectures at various schools including New York University, California Institute of the Arts, and Berklee College of Music in Boston and has received performance underwriting as well as commissions from: Meet the Composer Fund (1992 at the Lab SF, & 2005 at the Kitchen NYC); Amsterdam Fund for the Arts NL (2000 for ensemble tour); Fund for the Interactive Sound Arts Netherlands (1997, Graphic scores Mousetrap Quartet); Gravy Train Dance Company (1984 Choreographer Jo Ann Nerenberg); The Alternate Currents Ensemble (1994 Ribbon of Extremes); Music at the Anthology (MATA, executive producer Phillip Glass 2003 "Vertical Field Horizontal Field" for String Orchestra and Piano performed by SONYC, featuring soloist Joel Wizansky on piano); and The Astoria Symphony (Mix Re-Mix, World Premire).

Touring projects in the US and the Netherlands have helped to form Horowitz's unique perspective and voice. Horowitz and his music have appeared at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, The Bimhuis in Amsterdam, and The Miller Theater and The Kitchen in NYC. He frequently collaborates with other artists - joining forces with an eclectic variety of musicians such as electric guitar wizards Elliott Sharp and Henry Kaiser, saxophone greats Lenny Pickett and Ralph Carney, The Clubfoot Orchestra, Glen Spearman, acoustic bassist Tatsu Aoki, and the Balkan music ensemble Zhaba.

A culmination of years of investigation, The Code Ensemble explores Horowitz's persistent musical themes: the intertwining of electric and acoustic instruments, new forms, extended techniques, interactivity, music for picture, theater and live performance. Drawing on a finely honed sense of humor, Horowitz looks deeply into the sociological filter and re-examines pop culture's presentation of "truth" as entertainment. Founded in 1992, The Code has developed a cutting-edge repertory with instrumentation that combines traditional acoustic and contemporary electronic instruments.

In addition to his work in chamber and concert music, Horowitz writes music for dance, film, television, cartoons, and interactive media (video games). Steve wrote the score to the award winning film Super Size Me and served as music supervisor and lead composer for the television show I Bet You Will (MTV). Horowitz's audio expertise was honored in 1996 with a Grammy award for his engineering work on the compact disc "True Life Blues, the Songs of Bill Monroe", winner of the best Bluegrass album 1996, and in 2003 with a Webby for his work with Nickelodeon Digital. Horowitz has been featured in Bass Player magazine (May, 2007) and books The Art of Digital Music and The Guerilla Guide to the Music Business. Steve can be found working and touring with his various projects, and has released 15 compact discs to date. His latest album "stations of the Breath" for solo piano, was released this month. For more info and music clips please see http://www.thecodeinternational.com/

Sit-coms have been a mainstay of television since its inception.  The sit-com has evolved over that time and while there are many creative and thoughtful shows today, there is something to be said for the classic sit-com.  Kevin takes a look at these shows, relagated to late nights on Nick by recreating one of his favorite comedy bits, a scene from Welcome Back, Kotter.

Please take a moment to comment on this episode by visiting the website - http://www.chronicrift.com, writingjohn@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

You can find season sets of Welcome Back, Kotter by visiting our Amazon store.  In purchasing them there, you not only get a great collection of comedies, but you support the Chronic Rift network.  Thank you.

Kevin Lauderdale brings a new fantasy author to our attention in Patrick Rothfuss. The second book in Rothfuss's King's Killer series, The Wise Man's Fear was recently released and Kevin is very impressed with the magic system used in this fantasy setting. Comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

You can purchase both volumes in the series through our Amazon store. In doing so, you not only support Patrick, but you also support the Rift. Thank you.

From Rothfuss's website:

Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

Kevin Lauderdale brings to your attention, something he almost missed, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame.  In this 2011 Chinese film, an exiled detective is recruited to solve a series of mysterious deaths that threaten to delay the inauguration of Empress Wu.

Please take a moment to comment on this episode by visiting the website - http://www.chronicrift.com, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

You can pick up a copy of this movie by visiting our Amazon store through our link.  In purchasing it there, you not only get a great movie, but you support the Chronic Rift network.  Thank you.

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As we near the 30th anniversary of the release of Ghostbusters, John puts together a Roundtable discussion on the phenomenon.  They discuss the movies, the animated series, the comics, and the proposed third movie.  Joining John is unabashed Ghostbusters fan Jay Smith and The Real Ghostbusters writer, Marc Scott Zicree.

Please comment on this episode by visiting our website - http://www.chronicrift.com, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

Marc Scott Zicree’s landmark book THE TWILIGHT ZONE COMPANION has been credited with creating the modern genre of books on TV series and inspiring a generation of series creators and filmmakers. The COMPANION was an instant bestseller (over a half million copies to date) and named in 2006 by the New York Times one of “ten science fiction books for the ages,” the only non-fiction book on the list.

Zicree is an alumnus of the Clarion Writers Workshop, the most esteemed science fiction writing workshop in the country. Graduating UCLA, he went on to a successful career as a writer-producer in film and TV, serving on staff on such shows as SLIDERS, THE LAZARUS MAN, FRIDAY THE 13th – THE SERIES and BEYOND REALITY. He has sold over 100 teleplays, screenplays and pilots to every major studio and network, including landmark stories for such shows as STAR TREK– THE NEXT GENERATION, DEEP SPACE NINE, THE NEW TWILIGHT ZONE, BABYLON 5, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, FOREVER KNIGHT, SLIDERS, LIBERTY’S KIDS, SUPERFRIENDS, HE-MAN, REAL GHOSTBUSTERS and SMURFS. He’s written about his odd family in features and pilots for CBS, NBC and Showtime.

Zicree is regarded as one of the country’s top media experts and has been interviewed by hundreds of newspapers, magazines, and TV and radio shows, including THE TODAY SHOW, AMERICAN MASTERS, ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, E! TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY, WASHINGTON POST, NEW YORK TIMES and L.A. TIMES. Beyond his three-year stint as a commentator on NPR’s MORNING EDITION he is a regular guest on COAST TO COAST, one of the country’s top rated night-time radio shows.

In addition, Zicree is a lauded novelist with the bestselling MAGIC TIME trilogy, published by HarperCollins and Blackstone Audio.

Zicree has lectured at many colleges, professional conferences and museums in America, Europe and Asia, including USC, UCLA, Stanford and Ithaca, where he was a keynote speaker.

Over the last decade with his wife Elaine, he has taught classes for thousands of writers, directors, actors and producers, guiding them to successful careers in film, TV and books. Their classes have been glowingly reported on by such magazines as WRITTEN BY, SCRIPT and CREATIVE SCREENWRITING, and the Writers Store named their DVD on How To Sell a TV Series one of “ten essentials for a screenwriting career.” Beyond this, Zicree is founder and for the last nineteen years has run The Table, which has provided resources and a supportive community to thousands of Industry professionals both in Hollywood and around the world. (The documentary on the Table just won the Best Documentary Award at the SoCal Film Festival.)

One of Zicree’s recent credits is STAR TREK “World Enough and Time” starring George Takei, which he co-wrote, directed and executive produced. The episode won the TV GUIDE Award – beating NBC Universal’s BATTLESTAR GALACTICA – and was nominated for science fiction’s top two prizes, the 2008 Hugo and Nebula Awards. Zicree has also been nominated for the American Book Award, Humanitas Prize and Diane Thomas Award, and has won the prestigious Hamptons Prize and 2011 Rondo and Saturn Awards.

Most recently Zicree has completed LOVE, GLORIA, a memoir about his mother, collaborated with director Guillermo del Toro on GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S CABINET OF CURIOSITIES for Palace Press, worked on LOST MARS, a TV miniseries project with science fiction legend Ray Bradbury, teamed with producer Gabe Sachs (FREAKS AND GEEKS, JUST SHOOT ME, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID) on the TV series version of MAGIC TIME, and written and will be directing the upcoming science fiction feature FUGITIVE SPACE, produced by Chris Wyatt (NAPOLEON DYNAMITE). He is currently working on THE SECRET SCIENCE FICTION TV PROJECT with Oscar and Emmy winner Doug Drexler and producer Neil Johnson.

Jay Smith is a six foot tall ape-descendant and a man Harlan Ellison once called "a great scam-man liar or a born writer." Because of this, you must decide for yourself what, if any, of the following information is true.

Jay is the author of the stoner/gamer novel RISE OF THE MONKEY LORD called "Masterful", "Amazing", "A Natural Twenty", "The Stuff of Every Geek's Dreams" and "Incredible Fun" by several readers who were in no way coerced or related to the author. He is also responsible for the series of "aggressive vignettes" called BLUE COLLAR GODS. Jay also possesses his own weight in rejection slips.

In his spare time, Jay collects action figures, reads to his children (sometimes against their will) and writes audio drama scripts, including the un-produced space-western "Blackjack Masterson: Space Marshal" and the zombie apocalypse radio soap opera "HG World". His experimental soundscape program “The Delano Rose” remains popular with the hard-to-please and highly-specified “joker and toker” demographic, according to some guy who smelled like he might be on The Pot.

Jay's dream is to write the novelization of the upcoming Ghostbusters 3 motion picture.  Or cure cancer. Yeah, curing cancer would be awesome.  Jay’s website of projects, daydreams and products for sale is: www.3015north.com.  Jay’s web-log is the memorable and convenient livejournal account “dr_p_venkman”.

Kevin Lauderdale returns with a look at the multi-volume autobiography of the late Isaac Asimov on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of his death.  He looks at Asimov's past and the availability of the works.

It's one of those overlooked gems, like The Phantom or The Shadow.  Bill Campbell starred in this 1992 feature film about a man who discovered the means to propel himself with the use of a rocket pack. The Rocketeernever really gets the love it deserves, but it's a cult classic and it's come to Kevin's attention that the movie is out on Blu-Ray,  Kevin looks back at the movie and discusses what one can expect in a Blu-Ray edition.

You can purchase a copy of The Rocketeer through our Amazon store.  In doing so, you'll experience strange, new worlds while supporting the Rift Network.  Thank you.

It's one of those overlooked gems, like The Phantom or The Shadow.  Bill Campbell starred in this 1992 feature film about a man who discovered the means to propel himself with the use of a rocket pack. The Rocketeernever really gets the love it deserves, but it's a cult classic and it's come to Kevin's attention that the movie is out on Blu-Ray,  Kevin looks back at the movie and discusses what one can expect in a Blu-Ray edition.

You can purchase a copy of The Rocketeer through our Amazon store.  In doing so, you'll experience strange, new worlds while supporting the Rift Network.  Thank you.

Are you a fan of Star Trek?  It's been inspired by many elements of literature and pop culture and in return it has inspired other works.  Kevin Lauderdale discusses two such works in The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle and the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian.  Comment on this episode by visiting the website

Recently, we conducted a poll on our Facebook page, asking our listeners to tell us their favorite TSR role playing games.  In this Spotlight episode, we reveal the results.  Joining John in discussing these games are Chronic Rift website guru David Finnerty and Chronic Rift game reviewer Anthony Racano.  Among the topics of discussion are choosing the right name for your spy, poor dice rolls, and how one chooses the games they choose.  Please comment on this episode through our discussion at the bottom of this listing, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.  Also make a point to rate the episode at the end of this listing.

Even though there are no longer TSR Games, most of them are still available in new editions and can be purchased through our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only get Amazon's great low prices, but you also support the Rift.  Thank you.

Kevin Lauderdale takes a look at the worldwide Tintin phenomenon in light of the new Spielberg/Jackson movie.  Please comment on this episode here at the end of the listing, writing john@chronicrift.com or calling 888-866-9010.  Please also rate the episode at the end of this listing.

Everything old is new again, at least when it comes to Kevin Lauderdale.  With Thanksgiving right around the corner, he introduces you to what may become a holiday tradition in your family, The Cinnamon Bear.  According to Kevin, the best copies of this old time radio series can be purchased through Radio Archivies.

Please take a moment to comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

Twins Judy and Jimmy Barton crawled into their attic one December day and found a passageway to a place called Maybeland. They looked in all the dusty corners for any sign of the silver star that always sat atop their Christmas tree. Their search crossed the path of little Paddy O'Cinnamon, "The Cinnamon Bear," who had shoe-button eyes and a ferocious growl. He showed them a small hole through which the Crazy Quilt dragon had absconded with their star and invited Judy and Jimmy to pursue the rascal. Paddy would function as a guide and they'd chase the dragon throughout Maybeland. Paddy magically "de-grew" the twins so they'd fit through the attic tunnel, fired up a miniature airplane powered by soda pop, and flew the Barton kids into a startling and wondrous adventure.

So begins "The Cinnamon Bear," a delightful, one-of-a-kind children's series produced in 1937 by TRANSCO, the Transcription Company of America. Intended to be heard between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the series features twenty-six fifteen-minute cliffhanger installments. The program immediately hooks children because suspenseful fun is always present as each episode concludes with yet another obstacle for Paddy and the twins to overcome. The dragon eventually joins up with the trio but remains unpredictable and mischievous. Named "Crazy Quilt," he succumbs time and time again to his obsession with the shiny silver star.

First time young adult author Marianne Modica talks with John about her book, The R Word.  Please take a moment to comment on the episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

You can purchase a copy of The R Word through our Amazon store.  In doing so, you not only get a great book and support a cool author, but you help out The Rift as well.  Thanks.

Check out our special offer through Petmeds.com by clicking on the link.

Podcast Promos: Dead Kitchen Radio, Dirty Boxers Podcast The Weekly Podioplex

Marianne Modica is an assistant professor of Early Childhood Education at Valley Forge Christian College, in Phoenixville, PA, where she has been training future educators since 1996. One of her favorite courses to teach is Multicultural Education, which fosters productive dialogue about race, religion, gender, social class, and other important topics. Marianne and her husband have four children. She is currently a PhD student in Childhood Studies at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ, where her research interest is the construction of race by students studying multicultural literature in secondary classrooms.

Marianne wrote The R Word because she wanted to explore contemporary attitudes about race in a supposedly "post racial" culture. The novel is aimed at youth 12 and above, or at adults like Marianne who love young adult fiction. While her primary goal was to tell a good story, The R Word is also intended for classroom use, where Marianne hopes it will stimulate discussion about present-day racial inequity on an individual and structural level.

It's been approved by the Lucas estate and now it's got a sequel.  Kevin Lauderdale takes a look at the newest installment in the "Origami Yoda" series, Darth Paper Strikes Back.  Please take a moment to comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

You can purchase copies of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back via our Amazon store and in doing so, you support The Chronic Rift, thank you.

It Has Come to My Attention - Origami Yoda

(right click to save)

It is a dark time at Ralph McQuarrie Middle School. After suffering several Origami Yoda–related humiliations, Harvey manages to get Dwight suspended from school for being a “troublemaker.” Origami Yoda pleads with Tommy and Kellen to save Dwight by making a new case file—one that will show how Dwight’s presence benefits McQuarrie. With the help of their friends, Tommy and Kellen record cases such as “Origami Yoda and the Pre-eaten Wiener,” “Origami Yoda and the Exploding Pizza Bagels,” and “Origami Yoda and Wonderland: The Musical.” But Harvey and his Darth Paper puppet have a secret plan that could make Dwight’s suspension permanent . . .

Dennis Sullivan, (Chris Gorham) an average NYC accountant is assigned to work with a wealthy young widow and her son, Jake - A boy obsessed with the televised superhero 'Man America'. Dennis sees how Jake uses the TV hero to fill the void left by his deceased father. Moved by the boy's loss, Dennis heads for the 'Imagination Superstore' in search of the beloved costume. Once inside the dressing room, Dennis listens as the shop falls prey to a knife-wielding robber. Now in costume, Dennis springs into action to boot the thug from the store with security cameras capturing all. Once the footage hits the airwaves, a media frenzy erupts, leaving an entire city longing for more Man America. Now Dennis must choose between the safety of obscurity or providing his costumed hope to others.

Darin is the writer and director of the feature film Somebody’s Hero starring Christopher Gorham (Covert Affairs, Ugly Betty). The movie was produced in New York and is slated for a 2011 release.

Beckstead is also the creator of “Courage & Stupidity,” a reimagining of Spielberg’s troubled experiences while making Jaws. The flick was hailed “a fascinating short film” by Ain’t it Cool News, won the Remi Award for Best Original Comedy and became the first short to secure a standalone distribution deal with Netflix.

View C&S Trailer: http://www.courageandstupidity.com.

Guillermo Suescum – Producer

Guillermo is fairly new to the film business. He was bitten by the film bug while producing his first short film about 6 years ago. It was on this first film that he met Darin Beckstead and they collaborated to make "Courage & Stupidity." The success of that film made Guillermo decide to quit his corporate job so that he could try to make a feature. Two years later he and Darin, finished their first feature Somebody's Hero. He lives in NYC.

Two years ago, John sat down with author Greg Cox at Shore Leave.  Unfortunately, the quality of the recording was so poor that it was unusable.  Now, John gets another chance with Greg by phone in this Spotlight episode.  Greg talks about his upcoming tie-in works for Warehouse 13 and Riese: Kingdom Rising, plus his writing for pulp heroes such as The Phantom and The Green Hornet.  Leave your thoughts on this episode by visiting our forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010. Purchase Greg's works or pre-order his Warehouse 13 novel by visiting our Amazon store.

GREG COX is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels and short
stories.  He wrote the official movie novelizations of DAREDEVIL, GHOST RIDER, 
DEATH DEFYING ACTS, and all three UNDERWORLD films, as well the novelizations
of four popular DC Comics miniseries, INFINITE CRISIS, 52,  COUNTDOWN and 
FINAL CRISIS.  In addition, he has written books and short stories based on such
popular series as ALIAS, BATMAN, BUFFY, C.S.I., FARSCAPE, FANTASTIC FOUR,
THE 4400, THE GREEN HORNET, IRON MAN, THE PHANTOM, ROSWELL, STAR
TREK, TERMINATOR, UNDERWORLD, XENA, X-MEN and ZORRO.

His CSI novel, Headhunter, received a Scribe Award from the International Association
of Media Tie-In Writers. Another novel, Terminator Salvation: Cold War, was a 
co-winner of a Scribe as well.

Greg also works as a Consulting Editor for Tor Books, where he has edited such
authors as Richard Matheson, Harry Harrison, Tony Daniel, Rosemary Edghill,
Graham Joyce, Keith R. A. DeCandido, and many others.

In addition, he has written more jacket and cover copy than he can possibly remember.
("They stood alone against galactic peril . . . !")

He lives in Oxford, Pennsylvania.

Kitsie Duncan, the Scream Queen, interviews Darkrider Studio's Chris Jay about his latest production, Mother's Blood and about the premiere of his new service, Fearmart.com. Please comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com or calling 888-866-9010.

Chris Jay has been a photographer, videographer, graphic designer and web designer for 15 years. He is versed in both item photography and portrait photography. Chris knows his way around video camera and has shot quite a few movies, commercials and shorts along the way. He is not afraid to jump in the frey and help with all job aspects included in video, photo or content production or set design.

DarkRider Filmworks was originally Chris' brainchild years ago but he had not found the right crew to make it happen. When the crew came together though, he knew it was time for DarkRider to finally move ahead. With the help of a fantastic crew, DarkRider shows a promising future.

Jobs include:
Sales, Support, Logo Design, Scripting, Screen Plays, Writing, Directing, Producing, Grip, Camera, Audio, Editing (video and photo), Photography, Set Design, Prop Design, Make-up, Web Design, Acting, Lighting

Keith interviews former Pocket Books editor, now art gallery curator John J. Ordover, about his upcoming exhibit, Artism , a show benefiting and raising awareness of Autism.  Please take a moment to comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling 888-866-9010.

John J. Ordover is the founder and CEO of JJO MARKETING and was previously an editor at Pocket Books responsible for overseeing the licensed novels of the  Star Trek franchise. He is the co-creator of such spin-off series as  Star Trek: New Frontier (with writer Peter David), Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers and  Star Trek: I.K.S. Gorkon (both with Keith R.A. DeCandido),  Star Trek: Stargazer (with Michael Jan Friedman), and  Star Trek: Challenger (with Diane Carey).

Ordover is also the owner of The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art at 138 Sullivan St., New York, NY 10012 . The gallery uses digital screens both to provide digital artists with a play to display their work and create illusory spaces within the gallery.

With David Mack, Ordover wrote the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes "Starship Down". The two have story credit on "It's Only a Paper Moon", which was written as a teleplay by Ronald D. Moore.

Ordover is also an active nudist, the founder of Clothing Optional Dinners, a dining club in New York City for nudists. On July 11, 2007, Ordover launched a nude dinner cruise from Sheepshead Bay, New York.

Ordover created a web site http://marryyourdaughter.org in September 2007 as a hoax to bring attention to the discrepancy between age of consent laws and marriage law.

Author Michael West talks about the preparation for the trailer for his latest book, The Wide Game, with our Scream Queen, Kitsie Duncan. Make a point to comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling toll free 888-866-9010.

Michael West is a member of the Horror Writers Association and serves as President of its local chapter, Indiana Horror Writers. A graduate of Indiana University, West earned a degree in Telecommunications and Film Theory, and since that time, he has written a multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print publications. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, and turtle, Gamera. His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods near their home. Learn more about Michael by visiting his website.

Author Kevin Lauderdale joins the Rift family with a mini-podcast series looking at the unusual in pop culture.  His first episode takes a look at the Blu-Ray release of The Man Who Would Be King, starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine.  He looks at the technical side of the disks, the extras included, and talks about the importance of the story in cinematic history.  Take a listen and make sure you take a moment to comment on it and on the movie itself by visiting the forums, writing john@chronicrift.com, or calling toll-free 888-866-9010.

The Chronic Rift's own Scream Queen, Kitsie Duncan, joins us for the first in a series of interviews, reflections, and thoughts on the independent film industry.  Her first episode features an interview with actress Jessica Cameron.

Take a moment to tell us what you think of this new series by writing john@chronicrift.com, visiting the forums, or calling 888-866-9010.

Back in the days of the public access show, artist David Chelsea appeared on a number of episodes after flattering Andrea and Keith with two dinstictly different styles of caricature.  He's back twenty years later to talk with Andrea about his latest works, animation, and the difference between New York and Portland.  Make sure you take a moment to comment on the episode by visiting the forum, contacting john@chronicrift.com, or calling us toll free 888-866-9010.

photo by Basil Childers

David Chelsea was born in Portland Oregon in 1959. Educated at the School Of Visual Arts, Parsons Institute and The New York Academy of Art, David has been a commercial artist for over thirty years. His work has appeared in hundreds of publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Press, Seattle Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Reader's Digest, Boston Phoenix and Portland Monthly. His celebrity caricatures have decorated the Eight Day Week page in The New York Observer since 1995, and he illustrated the Modern Love column for the New York Times Style section from 2004 to 2008.

A published cartoonist since the age of twelve, David has drawn comics for numerous publications and is the author of the graphic novels David Chelsea In Love, Welcome To The Zone and the how-to book Perspective! For Comic Book Artists, which has become the classic work in its field. Both David Chelsea In Love and Perspective!have recently been translated into French. In recent years David has taken up the challenge devised by Scott McCloud, to draw an entire 24 page comic within 24 hours, a record ten times, and two of these stories have been printed in Top Shelf's collection 24x2. As a natural outgrowth of his comics work, David has been in demand as a storyboard artist, working for advertising clients such as Tyee, Wieden+Kennedy and Hawthorne Direct, and for Whitewater Films on the feature Nearing Grace.

David's work on Perspective! stems from a lifelong interest. He has lectured on the subject at numerous institutions including The University Of Oregon, Pacific Northwest College of Art and Seattles's Gage Academy Of Art. Years ago, David devised his own six point perspective method for painting on spherical objects such as globes and bowling balls, and his spherical paintings are in many private collections. His methods are explicated in the recently released Curvilinear Perspective!, a follow-up to the first book.

David now lives in Portland's historic Irvington's district with his wife Eve, son Benjamin and daughter Rebecca.  Follow his progress by visiting his website.

Author Jon F. Merz returns to talk with John about his latest Lawson novel, The Kensei.  They also talk social media and the author's responsibility to the readers.  Make sure you comment on this episode by visiting the forums, writing us or call us toll free at 888-866-9010.  Visit our Amazon store at the bottom of the page to purchase copies of Jon's works and help the show out as well.

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 eleven installments in the internationally bestselling adventure series Rogue Angel (2006-present) with Harlequin's Gold Eagle line. His thriller Parallax debuted in March 2009 as an exclusive ebook. 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). Jon's latest Lawson Vampire novel, The Kensei debuted in January 2011 from St. Martin's Press, with another Lawson novel scheduled for Spring 2012. As a producer, Jon has formed New Ronin Entertainment 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 2011. 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.

Animator Bill Plympton talks with Dan Persons as part of the 12 Days of Riftmas 2010.

In the latest Spotlight episode, John gets to chat with author/illustrator MCM about his publishing company and his animated series, Rollbots. Make sure you take a moment to comment on the episode in our forums or by leaving a message on our toll free line - 888-866-9010.  

MCM wears many hats—often at the same time. He’s a writer, programmer, illustrator, and the creator of the animated TV series RollBots. His books are the foundation of the independent publisher 1889 Labs.

MCM has a long history in technology and is active in the Free Culture movement. His writing has been praised by Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, as well as Cory Doctorow, a pioneering author in the world of science fiction.

Podcast Promos
How to Grow Your Geek Podcast
Unwind with Angie B Podcast

Keith recently sat down with writer, editor, and Boom Studios guru, Mark Waid at this year's Emerald City ComicCon and discussed his latest work Irredeemable.  Please take a moment to comment on the episode in our forums.  Also, make sure you rate the episode at the bottom of this page.

Mark Waid has been a writer and editor for every major comics publisher of the last 20 years and has written over a thousand stories. His works include KINGDOM COME, FANTASTIC FOUR, SUPERMAN: BIRTHRIGHT, and most recently the ongoing series IRREDEEMABLE and INCORRUPTIBLE from BOOM! Studios, where he serves as the Editor-In-Chief.

Episode Promos

Weekly Comics Spotlight Podcast
60 Second Science - Portions of the Last Supper is Getting Bigger
Stretchlinks Podcast

Andrea sits down with Wadjet Eye Games founder, Dave Gilbert, and Puzzlebots game developer, Erin Robinson to discuss the company, their games, and PC games in general.  Make sure you rate the episode below and comment on it either in the forums or by calling us at 888-866-9010.

Dave Gilbert has been interested in adventure games ever since 1986, when his mother made the mistake of buying him a copy of Infocom's Wishbringer. Fifteen years later, he took his first dip into game creation in when he discovered the Reality on the Norm Project and wrote his first short game. Since then, he has authored over six successful freeware games, including 2004's award-winning Two of a Kind.

In 2006 he turned his hobby into a fulltime career when he founded Wadjet Eye Games and published his first commercial title, The Shivah.  The company was soon nominated for a "Best New Studio" Game Developers Choice award and was also voted by Gamasutra as one of the top twenty breakthrough developers of 2008.  Currently on its roster are three games in the Blackwell series as well as the upcoming Puzzle Bots.

Erin Robinson has been making independent games since 2005. Her work has been featured by Boing Boing and PC Gamer UK, and has spoken at multiple conferences, including GDC -- where Heather Kelley and Erin presented the winning design in the annual Game Design Challenge last year. Erin's game Nanobots was a much-lauded indie title, and she is now working on the casual adventure game Puzzle Bots.

LINKS

Wadjet Eye Games
Dave Gilbert's Blog
Erin Robinson's website
Game Developers Conference

PROMOS

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This episode was brought to you by Budget Rent a Car.  Receive discounts on your next car rental and make the whole process a whole lot smoother by registering online at http://www.budget.com/chronic.

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.

We start with the first in our somewhat reformatted episodes as we present book, comic, and movie reviews.  Comment on the episode here and make sure you rate the episode at the bottom of the page.

SEGMENT ONE: Bringing it to the Table

6:05 - Orenthal talks about the rebranding of the Sci-FI Channel.
14:10 - Judy explains why she thinks Billie Piper's Secret Diary of a Call Girl is limited in its premise.
16:14 - Andrea wonders why we celebrate Fred Rogers Day.
20:25 - Promo for the March 29th episode of Better in the Dark podcast.

SEGMENT TWO: Reviews

22:49 - Andrea reviews the latest from Stephen King.
28:25 - David takes a look at the latest offerings in the funny books, including Marvel's Noir series and IDW's Star Trek.
33:41 - Derrick reviews Watchmen.
48:10  - Promo for Geek Jesus podcast.
49:10 - Promo for Let's Watch Movies podcast.

SEGMENT THREE: The Wrap-Up

50:50 - Orenthal glows about the Golden Age of Comic Book Movies in his "Popfiendish" segment.

LINKS

Here are the sites Andrea mentioned in the episode:

"Won't You Be My Neighbor" Day - http://www.fci.org/neighbor

NYPL's Stuff for the Teen Age List - http://www.nypl.org/books/sta2009/

John and Keith chat with author Jeff Mariotte and media tie-in fan Steve Roby about this particular subgenre.  Is it legitimate?  Is it your gateway to mainstream literature?  Is it unfair to look at it as not original?  Make sure you rate the episode at the bottom of this entry and comment on it - here.

 JEFF MARIOTTE is the award-winning writer of more than thirty novels, including Missing White Girl, River Runs Red and Cold Black Hearts (all as Jeffrey J. Mariotte), horror epic The Slab, teen horror quartet Witch Season, CSI: Miami—Right to Die, and more, as well as dozens of comic books. He’s a co-owner of specialty bookstore Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, and lives in southeastern Arizona on the Flying M Ranch.  Keep tabs on Jeff's comings and going on his website.

Steve Roby is a longtime fan of Star Trek, science fiction in general, old movies, crime fiction, historical fiction, Bugs Bunny, punk/new wave/postpunk, and a lot of other things. 

For something like ten years now, Steve has been labouring on the Complete Starfleet Library website (http://www.well.com/~sjroby/lcars/), which covers over a thousand Star Trek books, official and unofficial, fiction and nonfiction. If you want to know about Star Trek: The Poems, Going Boldly on Your Inner Voyage: The Unauthorized Starfleet Daily Meditation Manual, or Narratives from the Final Frontier: A Postcolonial Reading of the Original Star Trek Series, this is the site. 

Steve is a librarian in Ottawa, Canada, where he lives with his wife Laura and their cat Spencer.

In this episode, Orenthal and John talk a lot about Knight Rider, despite Andrea's best attempts to stop them.  In addition, Andrea gives a preview of teen vampire works (for the Twilight fans), Keith reviews Dollhouse, David rants about comic "events", and Derrick reviews Gran Torino.  Plus, Michael Burstein sits down and talks about his award nominated anthology, I Remember the Future. Don't forget to rate the episode below and to comment on it - here. Also, listen for your chance to win a copy of I Remember the Future.

Segment One - Bringing it to the Table

3:16 - Andrea talks about the Razzies and offers her prediction for the Worst Movie of 2008.

10:58 - Orenthal offers an apology to the ten Knight Rider fans as he has found the fun in the reboot.

16:20 - Promo for Doctor Who: Podshock.

Segment Two - Reviews

17:45 - Andrea offers a variety of teen vampire works for the kids.

25:08 - David rants about the evils of comic events.

34:02 - Derrick reviews Gran Torino.

37:48 - Keith reviews Dollhouse.

48:52 - Promo for the Better in the Dark podcast.

Segment Three - Michael Burstein Interview (50:48)

 Michael A. Burstein, winner of the 1997 Campbell Award for Best New Writer, has earned ten Hugo nominations and three Nebula nominations for his short fiction, collected in I Remember the Future. Burstein lives with his wife Nomi in the town of Brookline, Massachusetts, where he is an elected Town Meeting Member and Library Trustee. When not writing, he edits middle and high school Science textbooks. He has two degrees in Physics and attended the Clarion Workshop. More information on Burstein and his work can be found on his webpage, http://www.mabfan.com. Photo by Nomi Burstein.

Segment Four- Conclusion

1:22:05 - Promo for The Dome audio drama.

"In the not too distanct future way down in Deep Thirteen,
Doctor Forrester and TV's Frank were hatching an evil scheme."

For ten seasons, Joel, Mike, and the bots were tortured with the worst Hollywood had to offer, much to the delight of the viewing audience. Now, twenty years later, the show is a cult classic with DVDs being released and the tapes still being circulated. Keith and Andrea host this Roundtable discussion with Cinefantastique's Dan Persons and Frank Conniff, TV's Frank. Plus, Jay Smith tells us why zombies are "My Guilty Pleasure".

Please remember to rate the episode at the bottom of this entry. Also, please comment on the episode in our forum - here.

Frank Conniff, was best known to MST3K viewers as TV's Frank, but also participated behind the scenes as a writer and as the primary movie selector for many years. His character of TV's Frank joined Dr. Clayton Forrester at Gizmonics Institute in Episode 201 (Rocketship XM) and left the show at the end of season 6, when Torgo appeared to take Frank to "second banana" heaven. Since leaving MST3K, Frank Conniff has gone on to a variety of writing, producing, and acting projects on shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witchand Invader Zim. His current projects include Cartoon Dump, a monthly comedy/music revue, and Cinematic Titanic, a show that riffs on bad movies, along with other MST3K alums Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, J. Elvis Weinstein, and Mary Jo Pehl.

In his twenty plus years as writer and film journalist, Dan Persons has interviewed the likes of Paul Verhoeven, Wes Craven, Stuart Gordon, Satoshi Kon and John Kricfalusi; published the well-received novella, "A Game of the Apocalypse", in The Ultimate Silver Surfer, edited by The Chronic Rift's own Keith R.A. Decandido; and been an occasional, and somewhat peculiar, guest on the public access incarnation of the Rift. He presently is the host of Mighty Movies Temple of Bad, Mighty Movie Podcast, and The Cinefantastique Podcast when he isn't haunting the dining room of his local Popeye's.

Show Notes

Please take a moment to rate this episode at the bottom of this entry and to comment on it in ourforum.  Make sure you listen for your chance to win a set of the Star Trek Destiny trilogy.

Segment One - Bringing it to the Table

1:56 - Keith talks about the the television show Leverage and the related website Kung Fu Monkey.

4:04 - Andrea comments on the lack of wide release of the DVD for the documentary, American Teen.

7:24 - Jay is mostly happy to see the return of Lost.

13:37 - Orenthal and John debate the merits of the reboot of Knight Rider - well, not really.

20:41 - Promo for the third season of the Paul McGann Doctor Who audios.

Segment Two - Reviews

22:45 - Andrea makes a case for Street Gang and Wishful Drinking.

31:29 - Keith presents the first annual Taters.

41:55 - Promo for the Generic Movie podcast.

Segment Three - David Mack Interview (44:01)

 David Mack is the national bestselling author of more than a dozen books, including Wildfire, Harbinger, Reap the Whirlwind, Road of Bones, and the Star Trek Destiny trilogy — Gods of Night,Mere Mortals, and Lost Souls.

In addition to novels, Mack's diverse writing credits span several media, including television (for episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), film, short fiction, magazines, newspapers, comic books, computer games, radio, and the Internet.

Upcoming novels by David Mack include the supernatural thriller The Calling, his first original novel; Promises Broken, a novel of The 4400; and Precipice, the fifth installment of the acclaimed Star Trek Vanguard series.

Mack has been to shows in every Rush concert tour since 1982, and he finally met two-thirds of the band in 2007. He currently resides in New York City with his wife, Kara.

Segment Four

1:11:06 - Promo for Goz's Grumpy World Podcast.

1:12:50 - Orenthal is upset that another childhood favorite, The Electric Company, is pissed on.

1:23:55 - Letters from our listeners.

1:29:19 - Trivia Contest - Win David Mack's latest Star Trek trilogy.

1:31:30 - Plugs

Judy, Orenthal, and Jay Smith join Louis Trapani to discuss the predictions made by science fiction authors about our future.  Where are the moon colonies?  Where are our deep space probes?  Where's my flying car?  Just what did they get right and what feel short?  What do we attribute to these successes and failures?

Plus, Jay Smith offers his thoughts on "My Guilty Pleasure", a look at Who Wants to be a Superhero? Post your thoughts on the episode here.

 New media producer, Louis Trapani founded the Gallifreyan Embassy, a Doctor Who and British science-fiction fan organization in June 1985 after seeing that there were no local Doctor Who fan groups in the south-eastern New York area. The Gallifreyan Embassy of Long Island quickly established itself in the '80s volunteering on PBS pledge drives, appearing at conventions, interviewing various Doctor Who related cast and production members of the television series. Since that time, it now has a world-wide membership and audience. Louis has appreciated science fiction all his life and this interest goes beyond Doctor Who. He currently hosts and produces Doctor Who: Podshock, a weekly international podcast covering all of Doctor Who, The Sonic Newsdriver, a podcast covering current Doctor Who news, The Hitchhiker's Guide to British Sci-Fi, as the name implies a show which covers all British science fiction media, as well as other shows set to launch that cover broader science fiction and fantasy. Louis has majored in the media arts department at the School of Visual Arts and has worked in the creative media realm in various ways. He has spearheaded Art Trap Productions for the last 15 years in that field. He is an artist, activist, tech addict, Mac geek, producer and director.

Don't forget to rate the episode here and place your thoughts on it here.

Show Notes

Segment One - Bringing it to the Table

5:15 - John reminds everyone about the audio drama competition and talks of the passing of Eartha Kitt.

8:46 - Judy gives a quick review of the Disney flick, Bedtime Stories.

12:13- Andrea opines about the guy talk of the Geek Show podcast.

16:41 - Keith takes a brief look at New Year's marathons on television.

20:11 - Orenthal pimps Mike's Comics.

24:19 - "The RainCloud Man" promo by Big Finish Productions.

25:39 - Geek Cred podcast promo.

Segment Two - Review Segments

27:00 - Andrea reviews The Black Dove, part of the Holmes on the Range western mystery series.

35:06 - Spoiler Alert!  Keith talks about this year's Doctor Who special, "The Next Doctor".

48:14 - Jay Smith briefly explains his new segment, "My Guilty Pleasure" and makes a plea for blood donations during this holiday season.  You can get more information on where to donate blood by visiting givelife.org.

51:00 - Out of the Coffin promo.

Segment Three - Glenn Hauman Interview (53:20)

Glenn Hauman fulfills one of the unspoken staffing requirements at a comics company. "Dwayne McDuffie at Milestone, Mike Richardson at Dark Horse, Denis Kitchen at Kitchen Sink, Jim Shooter at Marvel and Valiant-- every comics company needs to have at least one ridiculously tall guy on it. With me on board, we'll have somebody who can change light bulbs and play center for the inter-company baseball league."

When he was in junior high school, Glenn took art lessons from John Buscema, the legendary (and quite tall) Marvel Comics artist. "I knew I could never draw like that that," he says. Instead, he found other ways to make comics his career, starting with working in a local comic shop in high school, and then the production department at DC Comics.

He has fifteen years of experience in publishing, including work for Random House, Simon & Schuster, DC Comics and Apple Comics. Mr. Hauman has worked as a graphic designer, editor, photo retoucher, CD-ROM producer, story consultant for films, and radio show co-host of "Destinies - The Voice of Science Fiction" on WUSB 90.1 FM at SUNY/Stony Brook.

His latest Star Trek e-book, Creative Couplings, has been getting press coverage for its portrayal of the first Klingon-Jewish wedding. In addition to Star Trek, he's written other licensed tie-in works for X-Men and Farscape, and urban fantasy for Baen Books.

He has been a featured speaker on the future of publishing at numerous industry trade shows. He was a founder of internet pioneer companies BiblioBytes, Hell's Kitchen Systems (bought by Red Hat in 2000), and Lot Auctions.

Most recently, Glenn has been working as a webmaster, assistant editor, and production manager for arrogantMGMS, a comics packing company now involved with ComicMix. Glenn manages theirGrimJack.com, JonSable.com, MundensBar.com websites; he also runs the websites for comic book prosPeterDavid.net and BobGreenberger.com.

"My career is the definition of varied, and the one constant is that I find myself doing something new that still draws on past experiences," Hauman said. "I can't imagine something that draws on all the things I've done and all the things I want to do more than ComicMix."

Segment Four - The Wrap-Up

1:23:17 - Scott Ziegler's Contagious audio book.

1:25:30 - Orenthal hates Batman: The Brave & the Bold, but he'll continue to watch it.  Go figure.

1:31:22 - Plugs.

John and Jay Smith are joined by Merchant Wares owner Rebecca Kindergan to discuss the fundamentals of this unique gaming platform.  Make sure you rate the episode below and take the time to comment on it here.

 Rebecca Kindergan has been larping for over 14 years and runs an online and event-based Larp Supply and Costuming company, www.merchantswares.com, from her home in the hills of northern NJ.  When she's not sewing, making boffer weapons, or preparing for events, you can usually find her chasing mythical monsters with foam weapons for their gold pieces.  Otherwise, she's an avid hiker, fisherwoman, Queen of Road Trips and just hanging out at home with her husband, Brian and their pet catfish.  
In the quest for larping, she's been to Nero in many places, including Nevada and New Brunswick Canada, as well as all over the northeast and East Coast.  Currently, she plays Nero, Equinox, Knight Realms, Madrigal, and is always looking for more larps to try out.

Our fourth episode features news, reviews and an interview.  Check it out and make sure to rate the episode here and comment on it here!  In addition, check out the video player at the bottom of the page featuring another episode of the old TV series.  Mike Fichera, who is appearing in this episode of the podcast, appears in the TV episode dealing with the effectiveness of special effects.

Table of Contents

1. Each of the gang brings something cool and new to the table.
2. Andrea reviews reviews What It Is by Lynda Barry, Dilbert 2.0: 20 Years of Dilbert by Scott Adams, and Nerds on Parade by Dave Kellett. (21:50)
3. Rhymephile fills us in on the releases of X-Files: I Want to Believe and The Dark Knight.  (25:30)
4. David looks at some great gift ideas, including the Grant Morrison All-Star Superman collections, for the comic collector we all know and find odd. (35:00)
5. Keith reviews Primeval and Sanctuary, plus fills us in on Sons of Anarchy. (41:50)
6. Orenthal speaks with Mike Fichera about Marvel Comics' newsest release, Amazing Spider-Man 08 Yearbook, a recap of the dramatic events in the life of Peter Parker in the past year. (49:25)
7. Orenthal opines about this year's Philcon in his Pop Fiendish segment. (1:06:25)

 Mike Fichera - Inspired by the death of great-grandfather Cacciatore ("the Hunter"), killed by a spider bite on a Sicilian farm, Mike began a lifelong interest in the wall-crawler. Like Peter Parker, he grew up in Queens, NY playing with microscopes, computers, and science kits, hoping to create web-fluid and gain spider powers. His sister provided his first comic: Spidey Super Stories #12. Faithfully scrapbooking the newspaper dailies for many years, he joined Spiderfan.org when the web was young becoming a staff writer. After helping write and organize the Spider-Man Encyclopedia, Mike's first official writing credits began with the Spider-Man 2005 Handbook and subsequently in the 2006 A-to-Z series.

Since then, Mike has contributed to the A-to-Z 2007 Updates, the "Legacy" Handbooks for the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, various spotlight Handbooks for Iron Man, Hulk, and X-Men, as well as the Marvel Atlas. In 2007, he led theSpider-Man: Back in Black Handbook, and this year, he's led the 2008 Spider-Man Yearbook coming out on his birthday, Christmas Eve, December 24. The Yearbook is half "Saga" - which will be a recap of 2008's Spider-stories, and half Handbook focusing on the new characters to debut this year, as well as some old ones who popped up (including the Squid and Scorpia). He's currently working on the A-to-Z Permiere Hardcovers, which repackage all the various Handbooks from 2004 to the present, with updates and polishing of the graphics.

In addition to image refurbishment, his artwork has been featured in a few Handbooks including the Spider-Slayers, and a biology text-book cross-section of Spider-Man's arm back when he had organic webbing.

His expertise has been featured on AM Atlanta with Tom Hughes and the syndicated Mitch Albom Show.

With this episode, we're splitting up the content and running the show twice a month.  Our first episode up is a Roundtable episode.  Keith rejoins the fold as he and John discuss the longest running science fiction television series with James Moran and Louis Trapani.

 James Moran was born in York in 1972. He studied journalism in Dublin before moving to London, and wrote short stories while working in the computer industry. He won the UK Sci-Fi Channel short film competition, and had his script Cheap Rate Gravity, made into a short film. His first feature-length screenplay was Severance, a horror movie starring Laura Harris and Danny Dyer. James has written episodes for Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Spooks, Spooks: Code 9, Law & Order: UK, and Crusoe, and his typing fingers are currently resting in a bucket of ice. He loves movies, TV, reading, photography, and documentaries about things that explode.

 New media producer, Louis Trapani founded the Gallifreyan Embassy, aDoctor Who and British science-fiction fan organization in June 1985 after seeing that there were no localDoctor Who fan groups in the south-eastern New York area. The Gallifreyan Embassy of Long Island quickly established itself in the '80s volunteering on PBS pledge drives, appearing at conventions, interviewing variousDoctor Who related cast and production members of the television series. Since that time, it now has a world-wide membership and audience. Louis has appreciated science fiction all his life and this interest goes beyondDoctor Who. He currently hosts and produces Doctor Who: Podshock, a weekly international podcast covering all of Doctor Who, The Sonic Newsdriver, a podcast covering current Doctor Who news, The Hitchhiker's Guide to British Sci-Fi, as the name implies a show which covers all British science fiction media, as well as other shows set to launch that cover broader science fiction and fantasy. Louis has majored in the media arts department at the School of Visual Arts and has worked in the creative media realm in various ways. He has spearheaded Art Trap Productions for the last 15 years in that field. He is an artist, activist, tech addict, Mac geek, producer and director.

Bringing it to the Table

John discusses The Chronic Rift's Audio Competition.

Andrea talks about the New York Anime Festival.

Orenthal announces his Pop Fiendish segment at the end of the show.

Review Segments

Andrea reviews the Greywalker book series.

David reviews the latest Spider-Man reboot.

Derrick joins us with a review of the movie, Appaloosa.

Corey comments on Resident Evil 4 in time for Halloween.

Rhymephile fills us in on the DVD release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The Roundtable

John and Judy discuss the continuing evolution of horror with author Joseph D'Lacey and critic Paul K. Bisson.

Joseph D’Lacey is the author of the novel MEAT, published by Bloody Books, in which he draws on the realities of factory farming and slaughter to create a hellish dystopia. The research turned him vegetarian, making the book a cautionary statement on the growing human appetite for flesh.

Joseph has been writing horror for the last ten years but strays into other genres at the drop of a scalpel. Eco-horror is the worm currently eating his brain. His forthcoming novel ‘The Garbage Man’ deals with the dangers of landfill waste and the many other things people would prefer to keep buried…

Find out about MEAT at www.meatnovel.com or read Joseph's blog athttp://horrorreanimated.wordpress.com

Wonder Woman, Star Trek, Six Million Dollar Man & Bionic Woman, and The Omen - for a poor kid growing up in Boston (where there wasn't much to do except watch TV or go outside and find trouble), they were doorways into the worlds of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comics.  And they remain the cornerstones of Paul K. Bisson's inner Fanboy.

Today, Paul is an actor, writer, independent media producer, and all-around Geek.  He still collects comics (mostly DC and definitely Wonder Woman), he founded the member-rich Bionic Fan Network
(http://www.bionicfans.net) and an ambitious online Bionic encyclopedia, The Bionic Wiki (http://www.bionic.wikia.com), he's the webmaster of The OmenChronicles, the only fansite devoted to the Omen film series (http://www.omenchronicles.com), and he's developinghttp://www.fancommentary.com -- a social networking site where people can upload their own audio commentaries for their favorite movies and TV shows.

For over 20 years, Paul has called Salem, Massachusetts (The Witch City) his home.  He has performed on local and regional stages and has appeared in or voiced local, independent, and industrial films and
commercials.  An avid supporter of PEG (Public, Educational, Government) television, he has produced nationally-recognized media and serves on a board of directors.

Paul has earned a living (read: day job) in industries food service, call center management, Internet service, debt collection, and of course, retail.  He currently pushes pencils and taps keyboards in the
home and business alarm industry.  But all that's about to change at the end of the year as he makes the move to Los Angeles to continue his artistic career.

Paul is honored to be a part of the discussion in this latest incarnation of The Chronic Rift!

The Wrap-Up

Orenthal delivers his new rules of geekdom in his Pop Fiendish segment.

The results of the favorite Doctor poll from the website are revealed.

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.