Link to Strange Las Vegas Story

Hotel features snazzy new pool and death ray.

Link to Hobbit Troubles

The Hobbit continues its uphill battle toward production.

Danny Does Gandhi

An actor prepares.

Inside The Actor's Workshop with Danny DeVito from David Mamet

via funny or die

M. Night Devil Parody

Confirmation that Devil could be the end of all things M. Night.

via Ace of Spades

Reading Over Surfing

My friend Bernadette had this up on Facebook, touting a book that examines the importance of reading books in the face of Internet fun.

Ace Holds Forth

Former Acme chum Adam Carolla shares a few modest opinions with Reason TV.

Tom Sheppard in the Paper

Freakazoid!/ P&B writer Tom Sheppard got mentioned in the LA Times for his YouTube work. Tom's a good fellow, deserving of continued success.
Via Julie McNally Cahill on Facebook

Review: Devil

High concept: people trapped in an elevator and one of them is the Devil. Now add a game of Spin the Bottle and you have the ingredients for a top-notch horror/thriller, produced by suspense king M. Night Shyamalan. Directed by the Dowdle Brothers, the film's use of Satan in a simple childhood activity undermines innocence and reveals the dark side of humanity. Featuring a cast of little-known actors, the movie unfolds in a Philadelphia office building. Five people stuck in an elevator unmask one of their own as the Devil. Waiting for rescue, they grow bored and spin the Devil around on the floor. Whoever his horns point to when he stops must tell a sin. The Devil promises to reward the biggest sinner with political power, gold and carbon off-sets. However, all the spinning makes the Devil ill. Suffering from motion sickness, the Father of Lies upchucks inside the elevator. The horrified passengers now learn that Satan had tangerines for lunch. Brian Nelson's 75-minute script, with a story credit by suspense king M. Night Shyamalan, keeps you on the edge of your seat and will do to elevators what Psycho did to shower stalls. Rated PG-13 for language and depicting citrus fruit as disgusting.

Commence to Read

Ever grown up? Started something? Opened a door for the first time? Check out the writing at Dysfunctional Beginnings and give yourself a fresh start.

My Latest Writing Formula

I've finished the next part of the novel's first draft. It comes out to exactly 27,522 words. Throw in my original story and you've got about 150 pages of mostly junk. I'll take a wee break, then write the last section. I've stopped trying to craft coherent sentences and have settled on a method that is part writing, part outline, part stream-of-consciousness, and a lot of notes to myself. In any case, like the erosion of the Rocky Mountains, I'm getting there.

9/11

From two years ago.