eldritchhobbit

Happy early birthday to gypsyjr. May you have a wonderful day and a terrific year to come!


A few random notes and recommendations...

* Many of you may recall the actor and singer (and Academy Award and Tony Award nominee) Michael Dunn, who is perhaps best remembered today as Dr. Miguelito Loveless from The Wild Wild West, Alexander from Star Trek's "Plato's Stepchildren," and/or Karl Glocken from Ship of Fools. His first cousin, Sherry Kelly, has written a new book about him called The Big Life of a Little Man: Michael Dunn Remembered, using interviews with his friends and associates and her own memories of growing up with Dunn, as well as writings by her aunt (Dunn's mother) and Dunn himself. I've had the pleasure of corresponding some with Kelly, and I just finished reading her book. She offers compelling descriptions of his background, from his time studying to be a Capuchin monk to the mystery surrounding his possible work in espionage for the U.S. government. A number of strange and unanswered questions remain about his unfortunate and early demise, and Kelly sets these out clearly, as well. The book tells a poignant story of the man behind the genius (both intellectual and artistic) and how, with courage and varying levels of success, he fought to overcome his disability with the support of his family. The book will be widely available in February, but it can be ordered now directly from the publisher.

* Last month I completely forgot to celebrate publicly one of my favorite holidays, New Tori Amos Album Day. I'm pleased to say that Midwinter Graces is a fantastic album. Two thumbs way, way up!

* Connie Willis's 1992 Doomsday Book is one of my absolute favorite novels of all time - definitely "Top Ten List" material - and so I am thrilled to see that her long-awaited next work set in its universe, Blackout, will be out in less than two months.

* It occurred to me, after seeing so many "Best Of" lists making their appearances, that some of the most interesting and intriguing science fiction or science fiction-related movies I've watched this year have been independent films. I thought I'd pass along some of those that most pleasantly surprised me: Franklyn, Final, Special, The Burrowers, and Timecrimes.


"I've lived so long with pain, I no longer feel it." - Dr. Miguelito Loveless, The Wild Wild West

Happy belated birthday to ekeppich, and happy birthday to jinxed_wood and chickenfried_jo. May all three of you enjoy many happy returns of the day!

And R.I.P., Patrick Swayze. *raises a toast in memory* "Wolverines!"

I quite enjoyed my recent visit to the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. I was impressed with the McConnell Scholars and very pleased with the seminars in which I participated. I was also gratified by the attendance at and kind reception of my public lecture. (It was wonderful to see bouncybabylemur again - thank you for the fantastic bookmarks! - and lovely to meet raven_moon.) I was interviewed by the Center's podcast while I was there, and I'll soon be recording a new version of my lecture for StarShipSofa. Despite my wheeze, I felt the visit was a success, and I'm grateful for the Center's invitation and hospitality. (Speaking of my breathing, I am still fighting the long-lived asthmatic bronchitis with which H1N1 left me, but I'm beginning to think I actually may survive it, after all!)


I also have a few links to share:

* Cory Doctorow has completed his unabridged narration of his novel Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. His reading is available for free download here.

* Librivox has added an unabridged reading of its "Short Science Fiction Collection #26, which includes classic stories by the likes of C. M. Kornbluth, Walter M. Miller, Jr., and Fredric Brown, among others.

* io9 has posted its "Guide to 2009's Fall DVD Releases."

* Lastly, thanks to agentxpndble for the gift of my glorious new icon. At the moment I'm working my way through all the episodes of the pioneering SF-Western steampunk series The Wild, Wild West and loving every moment of it. Artemus Gordon truly is one of the greatest television characters of all time.


"Yes, our nation's history might have turned out quite differently if Jim and Artie hadn't quashed all that evil post-Civil War R&D: steam-powered robots, disintegration force fields, miniaturizing potions, primitive tanks and TVs, paintings that serve as gateways to other dimensions. And don't forget the surgically implanted crystals that drive men to crime. And the special liquid distilled from burning diamonds that generates superhuman speed. And the jars that extract thoughts from disembodied brains.... Long live Jim and Artie, in their train bound for trouble."
- Louis Bayard, "Re-Viewed: The Wild, Wild West," Salon.com