Happy Memorial Day from All Things Stephen King!

Remember those who gave their lives in defense of our country to uphold the ideals set forth by the U.S. Constitution. 

If you are new to the site, please take a little time to browse the posts. Maybe you could answer one of the Questions of the Day or just read something you didn't know about Stephen King.  Have a great day whatever you may doing.

Syfy Stephen King Movie Marathon

Get ready, pop some popcorn, grab a 64 oz cup of soda and enjoy over 12 hours of Stephen King movies on Syfy May 31, 2010!

The times below are Eastern Standard Time.

09:00 AM MOVIE MARATHON SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK AGAIN

11:00 AM MOVIE MARATHON STEPHEN KING'S THE LANGOLIERS - PART ONE

01:00 PM MOVIE MARATHON STEPHEN KING'S THE LANGOLIERS - PART TWO

03:00 PM MOVIE MARATHON STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND - PART ONE

05:00 PM MOVIE MARATHON STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND - PART TWO

07:00 PM MOVIE MARATHON STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND - PART THREE

09:00 PM MOVIE MARATHON STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND - PART FOUR

11:00 PM MOVIE MARATHON CHILDREN OF THE CORN: REVELATIONS

Which one of Stephen King's books was selected as one of 50 iconic book covers?

This was posted on Abebooks site:  In no particular order, AbeBooks presents 50 iconic book covers that we love. If you saw these particular editions in a bookshop window, then we believe you would stop and stare. Most have been around for some decades, some are very famous, some were famous, and a few have been forgotten. Every one is all worth a second look.

See which Stephen King novel got Abebooks vote for one of its 50 iconic book covers.  Original source for this post was Antenna Mag click for a short article on 50 most iconic book covers.

I was surprised to see there weren't more of his covers.

Stephen King talks about (SOA) 'Sons of Anarchy'

Stephen King talks here about his cameo appearance on the FX hit show Sons of Anarchy 

According to rumors, the Season 3 premiere is set for September 7, 2010.  Stephen will be appearing in the 3rd episode.

Fun Fact: 'The Talisman'

Stephen King admits that in the writing of The Talisman that there are some parts of that book which he is unsure whether it was him or Peter Straub that wrote it.  So what do you think about that? 

Stephen King is raving about 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin

According to the article in USAToday (full article),  Stephen King comments about The Passage on the dustjacket.  Film rights have already been sold for The Passage  by Justin Cronin and it hasn't even been released yet.  Release date: June 8, 2010.

Synopsis: A young girl holds the key to saving humanity after a secret military plan to convert humans into special weapons goes awry and a vampire-like virus infects 42 million people.
The Passage is available from Barnes and Noble for Online Pre-Orders for a very low price

High-Def cover photo of 'Under The Dome'

Ms. Mod (SKMB) confirmed there won't be any excerpts for Stephen King's Full Dark, No Stars in this paperback release of UTD.



(click image for a larger view)

Question of the Day #50: In the story 'Lisey's Story', what did you think of Stephen King's use of the word bad-gunky?

I feel that Stephen King used the word bad-gunky to illustrate a few things.  Bad-gunky was coined by Scott Landon's  father Sparky Landon to mean mental illness.  Sparky had a history of violence toward his children because he was suffering from mental illness .  His use of the word bad-gunky illustrated that he had the mind of a child and that his ideas about mental illness were ill-formed.  His way of  trying to prevent or deal with what he thought of as bad-gunky in his children guaranteed that mental illness would present itself and rear its ugly head in his children.  Yes, I understand there was a history of mental illness in his family but could the children have been spared the severity of their illnesses had Sparky taken care of his own bad-gunky?  Was Sparky Landon the reason Scott's older brother Paul had the severe mental breakdown that he did?  Personally, I think he had a lot to do with the severity of Paul's illness.  Scott being the youngest sibling was spared some but not all, of the horrible punishments dealt out by Sparky.  Scott too had Boo'ya Moon to help him escape the hell he was living, which I feel helped him.  Scott's infantile understanding of what happened to him and Paul carried into his adulthood.  I feel that this was a case of mental illness begets mental illness.  I still get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking of Paul the week after the event in the kitchen.

Lisey's Story was marked by one unfortunate event after another.  This was one story that I may revisit in another "Question of the Day" mostly because this story made me ask "what if" many times throughout the story.

*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.

Question of the Day #49: Have you downloaded 'The Cannibals' yet?

The Cannibals is a manuscript offered up to download by readers before Under The Dome was released. Stephen King's second effort to write UTD was titled The Cannibals after the original manuscript was lost. 

Yes, I downloaded the files and hoped I would be able to read it on my nook.  Since the files are made up of photos I couldn't convert the files to text.  The manuscript is 60+ pages that show the "warts and all" as referred to by SK.  The 'warts' make it all that much more interesting to read though. Check this out if you havn't done so already.

This was posted for those who are unaware of The Cannibals download here release back in September 2009. 

After receiving his Literary Award SK speaks briefly with FearNet

FearNet conducted a short interview with our favorite author.  (SK is always in a jovial mood for his public appearances.)  He always finds the right words to make us laugh out loud or just grin to ourselves.  He tells the interviewer that he hasn't written The Shining Sequel or the the other Dark Tower books because of an extremely busy schedule. Read the entire interview FearNet full story  I really like what he had to say about the award he received.  True King style and he does have style!

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Release Date: The Stand: Soul Survivors Premiere HC Graphic Novel

The Stand: Soul Survivors Premiere HC Release:
July 20, 2010

The Nine Billion Names of Blog speaks with Brian Freeman Marketing Director of Cemetery Dance about 'Blockade Billy'

Genuine Billy, or, How I Was Given a Back-Stage Pass is a post written by Some call me Tim on his blog The Nine Billion Names of Blog.

Marketing Director of CD Brian Freeman contacted the author of “Am I a Limited, or Am I a Trade?” An essay, to inform him on the days following the release of CD's edition of Blockade Billy. The blog post gives the details on the 30 minute conversation Tim had with Brian on how the ball got rolling on all of the many editions of Blockade Billy. 

Release Date: American Vampire Volume 1 HC Graphic Novel

American Vampire Vol. 1 HC Release:
October 5, 2010

Question of the Day #48: What one book would you suggest someone read who has never read any of King's books?

The Gunslinger 'nuff said.


*Post your opinions or thoughts in comments.

Release Dates: American Vampire #3, #4, #5 and #1 2nd Printing Cover

American Vampire #3 Release: 

May 19, 2010

American Vampire #4 Release:

June 23, 2010

American Vampire #5 Release:

July 21, 2010












 American Vampire #1 2nd Printing Release:
 May 12, 2010

Release Date: Under The Dome

Under The Dome  paperback due out July 6, 2010.

Check the cover artwork, wonderful!









Click image for larger view at Amazon.com. (only image available at this time)

Check this post on Cemetery Dance's First Edition 'Blockade Billy'

Some call me Tim wrote this essay on his blog:  The Nine Billion Names of Blog  
He has some real valid points on the first edition of Blockade Billy.

“Am I a Limited, or Am I a Trade?” An essay.

When the publisher Cemetery Dance announced Stephen King’s new novella, they touted it as their “biggest news in twenty years” of publishing. And it may well be. I’m not one to argue. They claimed that almost never, not since the 1970’s had King debuted an original work :  for full essay see post dated 05/02/10

Nightmares and Dreamscapes TNT 2006

Nightmares and Dreamscapes was done as a mini-series by TNT.  This was an extraordinary series which did Stephen King's stories justice in my opinion.  The filming was wonderful throughout the entire series.  Unlike a lot of other made-for-TV series, it was done with quality in mind.  This series likened the crispness of Storm Of The Century.

Battleground
Keep in mind that during the entire episode there is no speaking whatsoever. Battleground begins with a guy named Jason Renshaw played by William Hurt  (which you don’t find out his character’s name until later) driving in a car going to a place called Morris Toy Company. There is a guy lovingly handling and looking at 2 toys, a spaceman and a limited edition fairy figurine that he removed from a box. He delicately handled it, as if it were valuable to him. The guy in the car sits in wait outside of the toy store and is planning his attack. After using binoculars to see what was happening in the building he pulls out a gun, rubber gloves and a mask. At first you get the impression that he is a burglar but later something else is revealed. When he gets into the building he sends in a quacking cell phone that reads that it is a bomb and is going to detonate and then a countdown begins. When a security guard sees and attempts to get rid of the cell phone he is attacked by him. Then a second security guy is also taken down by him by shooting him many times in the chest. That is when Jason shuts off the security system. A third security officer is taken down and pulled into a room. When the hit man is in the CEO’s office, the camera pans around the room and focuses on certain toys in the room. (This is important because these toys show up later in other unassuming places.) When the burglar finally gets to the owner of Morris Toy Company, Hans Morris begins to cry when he realizes he was going to die. The hit man shoots him in the head and in the chest, that’s when his head smashes down onto a signed photo. When the burglar/now known as a hit man goes over to the victim, he picks up a bloodied and shattered photo of a signed picture from Hans’ mom with a pointy headed happy face (which IMO utilizes the letter “M” in Mom to make the face) that reads( this is the best I could decipher) “Best from your number one ideas giver, love, Mom.” Jason Renshaw then steals the fairy figurine.

 After that, it cuts to Jason sitting on a plane, wiring funds from the Airphone.   The phone itself says watch NEWS then he puts in his number and name. That's when the person he is sitting next to “asked” for gum because he was chewing some gum. I say “asked” because he was wearing earphones and she pointed to her mouth and lipped the word gum (but not out loud). While in the airport, he sees some toys that are sort of making him feel uncomfortable.  He sees a news clip about Mr. Morris of Morris Toy Company being murdered but again, you can only read the news because the sound is turned down. Throughout the entire episode toys show up. In a child’s backpack, at the penthouse desk another toy and then…..

When he arrives at his penthouse in Dallas you can tell that he is somewhat of a neat nick. He seems to be a methodical person. He picks up a rubber duck that is near his pool (obviously not where he had left it) and placed it on a counter connected to a grill. He then took the musical fairy and placed it on display in a glass cabinet. He seems to be a collector of trophies from all of his kills. He goes to his computer and there is an email:

From:CalBates
To: Jason Renshaw
Subject: Money wired


Money wired.
Something came up on the London job.
Usual Fee.

Let me know….

He then falls asleep until he gets a ring from the door. He received a package that was addressed to:


To: Jason Renshaw
      6734 Bayview
      San Francisco, CA 94108
                                            With a little drawing of a pointy headed happy face.


He painstakingly opens the package and finds that it is a Jungle Army Footlocker filled with Little Green Army Men.


20 Infrantrymen
  3 Helicopters
  2 Barmen
  2 Bazookamen
  2 Medics
  2 Jeeps
  2 Howitzer Cannon
(Plus Bonus Surprise!!) This was printed on the back of footlocker which he did not notice.


He looks at the figures and questions the strange package. He goes to take a drink of Coca Cola and that is about when the foot locker falls off of the counter. He walks over to the foot locker and all of the figures have vanished.  This is where the real story begins.... That is all that I am going to reveal about Battleground but let me tell you this is one you DO NOT want to miss. This story is for the child in everyone.
Now, William Hurt did an excellent job playing this character. Since he was unable to use words as a way to express emotion, he proved to be quite an extraordinary actor.

Crouch End
Crouch End begins with a woman (Mrs. Doris Freeman) visually shaken, crying and dirty sitting in a police station giving her account of what happened. She is sobbing and telling them about her husband that is missing. The policeman asks her, “Here in Crouch End?” She then shakes her head yes.


A newly married couple named Mr. and Mrs. Lonnie Freeman arrive at a hotel in London on their honeymoon. They were given a note that was left for them at the front desk but neglect to read the note until the next day. (I wanted to mention that the flower arrangements were so beautifully done for the scene in the hotel suite, kudos to whomever created them.)

The next day while eating breakfast, Lonnie Freeman reads the note from the day before. It is an invitation for dinner at 6:30 PM from a John Squalls, whom he explains to his wife that he is their lawyer in London. He calls back and accepts his invitation. He writes the address on a napkin which he later forgets. He is told to catch a cab to Crouch End. That is about the time when three loud motorcycles go by. Doris takes particular notice to them while looking uneasy. He then asks a stranger on the street how long it would take to get to Crouch End from the hotel. The stranger tells him that is no place for strangers. He says gravely, “Do not go to Crouch End.”

Once in the cab going to Crouch End, Mrs. Freeman observed a sign that stated [60 Lost In Underground Horror]. She got goose flesh after reading that sign, she explains that her grandmother says that goose flesh is someone walking over what is about to become your grave. The cab driver Archibald, spoke of thin spots and other dimensions. Archie said there are things that cannot be explained between that what we see as our world and things that are other dimensions.

When they arrive at the entrance to Crouch End the motorcycle crew is parked nearby. A strange thing happens when Doris looks at the faces of the motorcyclists, at first their faces appear to be human, then werewolves with black eyes and then human once again.  Lonnie notices he has no cell signal or battery charge left on his phone.  Her husband gets out to make a call.  When the camera pans around the area it seems to be a dark and desolate gothic town.  She asks the cabbie if Crouch End is a nice place to live he says that they tried to make it nice, but it is not easy. He proceeds to tell her that they used to have a tube station rail. During a repair to the station platform there was a terrible accident. “They, well, let’s just say they moved on”, he said. He tells her that they stopped using it in the late 1930’s, when they found a mass grave. He then tells her that the streets were paved over the real streets of Slaughter, Towen. (Towen-is a druid word meaning a place of ritual sacrifice in this story) Archie tells her Crouch End  was built over sacrificial barriers which is a place between what is rational and what is not. And he mentions that fresh bodies were found and not bodies from centuries ago, as you might expect . The cabbie says Crouch End is not a nice place; he explains that this world is like being inside a large leather ball which has scuffs and nicks that eventually rip, tear, and seep into our world to breathe and lust. Archie warns them by telling them they should not be here.

When the Freemans get out of the cab to use the payphone, strangely the cabbie leaves without being paid. That's when they are then left high and dry in Crouch End, a place that is feared by people in the surrounding areas of London. Discover for yourself the many gifts of this film.

There is wonderful balance of humor and suspense in this short film. The cinematography was out of this world and special  effects were amazing. They used an ominous bluish-black style of filming in the town of Crouch End. Awesome! I can't say enough about this film. Lonnie , Doris, and Archibald play their characters so well. The loving relationship between the newlywed couple was also believable. You'll want to watch this one many times, as I already have.

Sidenote: Stephen King's short story, "Crouch End", where Crouch End is an interdimensional portal. He chose the location because of a number of fantasy authors have lived there, including Clive Barker and Peter Straub source Wiki.

Flicker photos of Crouch End source Wiki

(I will partially review the rest of these short stories as I have more time to devote to this post, I wanted to add them as I complete them.)

Umney's Last Case  

The End Of The Whole Mess

The Road Virus Heads North

The Fifth Quarter

Autopsy Room Four

You Know They Got A Hell Of A Band   Roseburg, Oregon  Umpqua State Park

IMDb Trailer for Nightmares and Dreamscapes

http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3130589465/

Question of the Day #47: Stephen King has had many nicknames or words that describe him, can you think of any that I have missed?

Through the years, many people have lovingly nicknamed Stephen King. 
Here are some that I have heard:

(The obvious one.) Steve
Stevo (SKMB)
Stevie (his mother)
Master of Macabre
Uncle Steve
Uncle Stevie
Sai King
The King of Horror
Master of Pop Dread
Master Storyteller
Wordslinger
Constant Writer
SK
Richard Bachman (pen name)
Prolific author
Horror writer
Prolific writer
Scary writer
Revised:  1/6/11

Save the Date in NYC

 On May 16, 2010 at 7PM there will be a screening of Creepshow  as part of  BAM Harvey Theatre's Romero! series.($12)  Check out this classic film if you are in and around NYC this Sunday.  

BAM Harvey Theatre 30 Lafayette Ave between Ashland Pl and St. Felix St, Fort Greene, Brooklyn (718-636-4100, bam.org). full article Time Out NY

Compare

                                                Compare

I really hate to do this, but look at the similarities.  Please don't get ticked off at me people.  Is this a new style of marketing  books?  Well at least Book Sox are cheap.    

 

Question of the Day #46: Do you like the new cover for 'Full Dark, No Stars'?

(This is just my opinion, I'm still buying the book regardless of the cover. It's what's on the inside that is really important to me anyway.)  No, this cover does not appeal to me much at all.  I would have preferred an artist rendering instead of a photo.  I think the person on the cover is in an odd-looking, unnatural position.  Maybe the unnatural postion was what they were attempting to achieve.   The cover of Full Dark, No Stars conveys a couple of things to me.  The person in the picture looks  overwhemingly distraught to the point of possible depression.  This could be quite a dark collection of novellas.

What do you think?
*Post your thoughts or opinions in comments.        

Full Dark, No Stars Cover Art Released

Full Dark, No Stars

As in most of his books, there will be an Afterword with story inspirations.

'Sons of Anarchy' cameo appearance by Stephen King

In the FX bike drama Sons of Anarchy, Stephen King will make a cameo appearance.  He will appear in the third episode as a quiet loner this season (Season 3).  King is a fan  of the show so I will have to check this one out.  For more scoop on this article visit Hollywood Insider

Full episode IMDb you must be 17 or older.

Sons of Anarchy Official Website

Question of the Day #45: Do you feel that 'Rage' was the catalyst for some actual school shootings?

Was Rage the only catalyst?  No, I don't believe it was the only catalyst.  Any
"slasher-type" movie, book, short story or video game in the hands of someone with a problem distinguishing reality from fantasy could be the catalyst.  IMO, I am sure that the shooters, mentioned in Wiki, had many other influences besides Rage.  (This is a topic that I could write about all day but I am going to try to keep it short.  I have so many thoughts and opinions on this subject.)  My other thought on Rage is that this is a book for mature readers only. Weren't the parents/guardians of these young people paying attention to what they were doing at all?  There had to be some sort of red flag or sign that these troubled teens exhibited. The parents/guardians could have probably prevented these incidents from  happening at all.  To hold Rage fully responsible for these shootings is unreasonable.

Here's another question:  Do you feel that stopping publication will prevent it from possibly getting into the wrong hands in the future?  No, probably not because anyone wanting to read all of Stephen King's work will find a way to get it and read it.  Will I let my 12-13 year old read Rage anytime soon?  No, I will explain to him that he must wait until he is old enough to handle the themes in this novel.  This is a case of a few bad apples spoiling the bunch.  On a scale of 1-10, I give this novel an (8.5).

Stephen King's Keynote Address  

Reader feedback on this topic is greatly appreciated.  The question about Rage is one I have wanted to pose for weeks now but finally thought it over before writing about it.  (I may add more to this post in the future as I continue to mull over this topic.)

*Please post your thoughts or opinions on this or any other topic in comments.

Mick Garris talks 'Bag of Bones' with Dread Central

Dread Central reports that Mick Garris spoke to them about his plans to produce and direct Bag of Bones as a four-hour miniseries. Filming begins in Alaska and is expected be out on network tv sometime in 2011. 
Watch the exclusive video on Dread Central.

Update: 'Blockade Billy' 2nd Printing up for grabs

This email was received this evening around 7:00 PM.  Just in case you didn't get this information from Cemetery Dance I'm reposting here.

From:  Mindy Jarusek

Hi there!

You're receiving this email because you ordered BLOCKADE BILLY by Stephen King.

Our SECOND printing, which was done exclusively for the libraries, arrived last week and has been shipping out the door by the carton. By the end of this week, every single copy will be gone.

That said, we've heard from several Stephen King "completist" collectors who needed this second printing for their collection -- especially once word started to get around that we used entirely different "cream" endpapers for the second printing to make it easily distinguishable from the first printing. (The copyright page was also updated.)

Several of these collectors pointed out that there will probably be very few "mint" copies of this second printing in circulation since they are all shipping to libraries, and these collectors really wanted one for their collection.

We talked it over and we've set aside a small batch of second printing copies for these serious Stephen King collectors, so if you need a second printing for your collection, please place your order in the next 72 HOURS. After that, we'll send the rest of these to the libraries.

You can place your order here while supplies last:

http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/PROD/king04

If you live outside the US and are still waiting on your First Printing to ship, please be aware that we're processing those orders as quickly as we can. There is some additional paperwork and trips to the post office required, but we are working hard to get you your copy as soon as possible.

Thanks again for your support of Cemetery Dance Publications!

~ Mindy

Cemetery Dance Publications
132-B Industry Lane, Unit #7
Forest Hill, MD 21050
410-588-5901 [phone]
410-588-5904 [fax]

Question of the Day #44: Do you have a favorite Stephen King quote(s)?

"Get busy living, or get busy dying."
Stephen King

On Writing  was chosen for this post because SK gives examples on how he got busy living after facing drug and alcohol addiction (mostly with the help of his loving family.)  Also the difficulty, both mentally and physically, of getting back to work after his near-fatal accident.  This book shows the tenacity of an awe-inspiring author. The most awe-inspiring people to me are my husband, my son, Stephen King and J.K. Rowling.  I also want to add that this book has valuable insights for any aspiring writer, hence the name On Writing.  (This book somewhat covered my quote post today.)  Hope everyone had a nice weekend, I did. 


*Please post your thoughts or opinions in comments.