S. Michael Wilson's Blog, page 7

The Holocaust Ended? In Jeannette Katzir's "Broken Birds", Her Mother Brings It With Her To Los Angeles

Jeannette Katzir's struggle to get Broken Birds: The Story of My Momila  published serves as yet another example of why "self-publishing" should be treated as a legitimate form of literary output, and not looked down upon by industry insiders. Publishers more concerned with market trends than exceptional writing or storytelling are constantly passing over books and authors that do not easily fit in whatever niche markets the publishers and agents are gearing towards that particular quarter.

Th...

MovieSucktastic Episode 16: The A-Team and Drive-Ins

Yes, the MovieSucktastic podcast is back on schedule, after an extended hiatus so I could (unsuccessfully) attempt to track down co-host Joey, who was abducted last month by militant  Avatar  fanatics in retaliation for my past anti- Avatar reviews.

But the hunt is over now, and I am back in action and well into the MovieScottastic swing of things with my full-on review of The A-Team , which I screened at Becky's Drive-In . This, of course, also leads to a brief rant about moviegoers and drive-in m...

Book Cover Update!

Head on over to the Official Author Website of S. Michael Wilson and check out the cover for the upcoming anthology Butcher Knives & Body Counts: Essays on the Formula, Frights, and Fun of the Slasher Film, due out in October from Dark Scribe Press, featuring work from over seventy authors, including yours truly!Related articles by ZemantaScreenwriting and the problem of evil (johnaugust.com)Psycho Turns 50 (manodogs.blogspot.com)Kill Theory Movie Review - A Creepy Slasher Surprise

Oil Rig Safety or Zhu Zhu Pets? Hmmmm...

I realize that the focus of this article over at HuffingtonPost is on the GOP acting as giddy as schoolgirls over news coverage of the economic impact the drilling moratorium will have, and that I should probably be ranting about the concept of arguing that we should overlook safety issues critical to human life and ecological purity. But I really can't get beyond this one quote halfway through the article:

Peter Duet, in a thick Louisiana accent, tells the assembled crowd that he is a single ...

McDonald's Recall: "Shrek" Glasses Contain Toxic Metal Cadmium

Cheaper is better! Cheaper is better!

*Massive oil spill caused by cutting corners*

Cheaper is better! Cheaper is better!

*underpaid workers killing themselves in China*

Cheaper is better! Cheaper is better!

*McDonald's almost poisons millions of children*

I think I see a pattern here...
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
Related articles by ZemantaMcDonald's recalls Shrek glasses (news.bbc.co.uk)McDonald's pulls 12M cadmium-tainted Shrek glasses (msnbc.msn.com)McDonald's Recalls 12 Million Shrek...

McDonald's Recall: 'Shrek' Glasses Contain Toxic Metal Cadmium (PHOTO)

Cheaper is better! Cheaper is better!



*Massive oil spill caused by cutting corners*



Cheaper is better! Cheaper is better!



*underpaid workers killing themselves in China*



Cheaper is better! Cheaper is better!



*McDonald's almost poisons millions of children*



I think I see a pattern here...
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Rash Of Suicides at iPhone Factory Inspire Pay Raise, Safety Nets

Image by dianagavrilita via Flickr
Enjoy your iPhones, people.

You know you are in trouble when your company installs safety nets because of the high suicide rate among workers. The article mentions that the average worker pay is roughly $130 a month. What it doesn't mention is that the minimum cost of living in China is $400 a month. The 30% pay raise that the heads at Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group approved won't even increase their base income to half of that. "With the pay raise, we hop...

Mystery Writer Parnell Hall Sings The Book Tour Blues (VIDEO)

Be careful what you wish for, especially if you are a writer.

Parnell Hall 's tongue-in-cheek music video humorously yet accurately depicts the double-edged sword that is finally becoming a "published" author: now what? Book signings are one of the Holy Grails of the struggling author, but seldom does it occur to them (okay, us) that unless you are one of the elite literary celebrities who are well-known enough to have name recognition with people who have never read your books, it isn't likel...

Book Review: The Rare Anthology

As with any short story compilation, The Rare Anthology is something of a mixed bag. A collection of horror stories ranging from impressively brutal to disappointingly tame, the book's host Brian Knight (credited as "Compiled by") has assembled a bunch of horror stories with no discernible theme connecting theme, despite Knight's convoluted explanation in the introduction that the stories all contain "something rare." Of course, the reason for why the stories are included in the book isn't im...

Mohammed Who?

Overheard in a conversation from the chair next to me at the barber shop shortly after Faisal Shahzad was identified by authorities as the person responsible for the failed car bombing in New York City:

Barber: "You see they caught that guy that left the car bomb in Times Square?"

Patron: "Yeah. What do you expect, that's how they're raised over there, bunch of psychopath savages."

Barber: "I heard he was born here."

Patron: "Doesn't matter. It's that religion the bring over here with them. They ...