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

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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.