Michael's Musings

November 10, 2014

A few days ago, I completed the first draft of my new play in THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS collection.  This makes it an even dozen in the series and the third play that has more than one character.  Indeed, this is a five character dark comedy.  (The other 2 multiple character plays are NELSON AND JEANETTE and B MOVIE.)

Since MURDER IN BABYLON, my novel about the William Desmond Taylor murder,  is (hopefully) set to be published around the end of this month, I will probably put off making any announcements about the play until sometime in the first quarter of next year.  I'd like to fool around with it a bit more.  However, if the novel gets delayed, I will probably make the play available sooner than later.  We shall see.

There are two new reviews on the Best Bets on DVD site, accessible via the link in the Introduction section of this page.  They are DEEPSEA CHALLENGE 3D and SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR, so please take a look.

During the past couple of weeks, I've been watching episodes from the old CHEYENNE western TV series with Clint Walker.  Although the production values certainly leave something to be desired, these shows are rather fun to watch, primarily because you see future stars (e.g. Mike Connors, George Kennedy, Michael Landon) in early, often small, roles, and it's also a kick to see how the series, in order to save money, incorporates footage from old Warner Brothers western movies into their shows.  In certain episodes, I've spotted both Gary Cooper and Joel McCrea "standing in" for Walker.

The studio was able to get away with that sort of substitution because these shows were made back in the day when TV sets were 13-15 inches.  However, with sets now 50+ inches and high def, the old footage is much more obvious.

You have a creative week.

Michael

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November 3, 2014

BearManor Media will be re-publishing my Paul Muni biography late next year.  It's been out-of-print for over 40 years, but used copies still sell well on the Internet. 

I'd been hesitant to reprint the book, primarily because it was my first book and I had not yet developed my writing style.  But, the information and research in it is solid and, bottom line, if people want to read it, then I figured that I should get a royalty. 

But, before that book comes out, MURDER IN BABYLON, my William Desmond Taylor novel will become available in December and, next summer, my Dinah Shore biography will be published.

I saw the cover for the WDT book this past week, and it looks great.

I'm down to the last few pages (of the first draft) of my new stage play in THE HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS collection.  After I finish writing this, I think I may do another book of short stories.  They wouldn't be too short.  More like novellas.

Finally, the Best Bets on DVD site is back up and there are several new reviews on it: THE COMPLETE JACQUES TATI, GOOD PEOPLE, BEGIN AGAIN (I really liked this one), THE ONE I LOVE, THE HONORABLE WOMAN and SUNDAYS AND CYBELE.  You can access the site by clicking on the link in the Introduction section of this page.

You have a creative week.

Michael

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October 27, 2014

The Best Bets on DVD site is down again until the first of the month.  I think that the sales force at Earthlink is playing games with me on this, since the issue has been going on for months.  Every month, on or about the 20th, all my pages with them go down and stay down until the first of the following month.  I'm sure that they are just trying to get me to upgrade my service, but that is not going to happen.

So, come the first of November, there will be a minimum of five (5) new reviews on the site.  Four of them are already written and I plan to write the fifth today after I view it.

Also in November, around the 15th, my new book MURDER IN BABYLON, which deals with the William Desmond Taylor murder, goes to the printer, which means you should be able to purchase it by the first of December.

This past week, I finished writing the first act of my new play and began working on the second act.  I'm talking about the first draft, of course.  My thinking is that, once I finish this work, I'm going to do another book of short stories.  I've already come up with ideas for three of them.

I really enjoy the short story form.  Indeed, my previous anthology, DRACULA MEETS  JACK THE RIPPER & Other Revisionist Histories is the published work of which I am most proud.

You have a creative week.

Michael

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