Eric Arvin's Blog, page 57

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My Chat Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will be on Beth Wylde's Yahoo group HERE to chat and give away a few things and hopefully post some excerpts (if the laptop cooperates). I'll be there from noon to three (12-3), so become a member of the group and come say howdy. Please.

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Perform This Way

O that Weird Al!

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On a Night with Jennifer Garner in the Hospital

I've been thinking a lot lately about my stay in the hospital last September for pneumonia. For the first two weeks, when it was hit or miss if I was going to make it, I had a lot of either drug-induced hallucinations or spiritual visions. Or both. Let's say both. They all felt as real as life. As real as now. Some were just odd. Others were downright terrifying. A few were heartbreaking.The one that keeps haunting me of late was one of the more nightmarish and bleak of the lot. I was lying in my hospital bed. The lighting was dull and everything around me was clean chemical white. The nurse, who in this vision resembled Jennifer Garner, bathed me methodically. She had no emotion in her face and her eyes were dead. She was dressed in a plain white uniform. Her voice was as monotonous as the surroundings, yet it sounded far away. Like through a strained loud intercom. She was clearly addressing me, but it was as if she was listing things. A list directed at me. Things I NEEDED to know. For some reason I knew it was important I knew these things. I had this vision more than once and it was always the same in mood. Sometimes I would be wheeled somewhere where a young man would help, but the listing went on. And there were long stretches where I was left in the bleak room alone and the lights were turned off. But the voice. I could still hear her voice and the list. I can't remember a single thing on that list.I went to sleep last night, as I have many nights, thinking about this vision. I can't let go of my memories in that place, wherever it was. It invades my daily thoughts. It ratchets up my despair. And, aside from the obvious questions, the one major thing that has always bugged me: WHY JENNIFER GARNER?! I don't think I've seen her in a single film.

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(Art by Ephorox)

This week: Watch, Read, Listen

Neil Patrick Harris on the Tony's. He should host everything. One of the few people on earth who seems to get sexier the older he gets.

Dario Argento's 1970s ballet horror film Suspiria. Beautiful and disturbing.

"Two Spirits" on Independent Lens on PBS. A documentary about the murder of a young trans Native American. Very touching, especially the scenes where the mother talks about her dreams after the murder.

Out in America. Gotta love PBS in Pride month.

Valhalla Rising. Strange and surreal film about vikings. Contains a gay rape scene that kind of comes out of nowhere.

Gillian Welch has a new CD out next week, as does Dolly!

Madonna's second directorial effort, W.E., is getting very positive early word and is being distributed by the Weinsteins who reportedly love it. I'll be interested to see how the awards circuit takes to her. Will there be word-eating?

Most bizarre film I saw all week: The Trail of the Screaming Forehead. A spoof of monster movies from the 50s about disembodied foreheads taking over the world. Actually, pretty funny.

And I saw the first few pages of Michael Tennant's adaptation of my first book The Rest is Illusion. I was blown away.

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The Killers vs. the Buggles - Video Killed Mr. Brightside Star MASH UP!

My friend Keith sent me this cool mash-up of two great songs. It's a bit blurry, but that's just because of the cutie-patootieness of Brandon Flowers.