Monthly Archives: October 2014

Oct 29 2014

17 Scariest Horror Movies of the Past 50 Years – AARP Bulletin

17 Scariest Horror Movies of the Past 50 Years, Scary Horror Movie Moments – AARP.

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, but I just haven’t been getting into it lately. In 2013 I was waiting for my new sofa to be delivered so I limited myself as to what to put out and decorate (you know the damage delivery people can do).

This year (2014) I started to put stuff out but I just didn’t “feel” it. One of my orange and black bins is still sitting on my kitchen floor – untouched and at work I have a minimal decoration outside my cube. I feel like … a failure.

It hasn’t stopped me from watching and rewatching some of my favorite horror movies and special programs, though I haven’t seen the replay of that “50 Scariest Movies” or whatever it is.

I came across this list on my AARP Bulletin this morning and found it interesting because there are some more up-to-date movies on it and since I do write for baby boomers I thought you might find it interesting, too.

Some movies that I would add to it (and I’m taking the lead from my friend Karen Ruud, because she’s up on current horror movies):

MovieThe Conjuring: Paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse. There’s a sequel in the works. The Warrens are real paranormal investigators.

Sinister: A true-crime writer (Ethan Hawke) finds a cache of 8mm home movies films that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose career dates back to the 1960s.

8MM: A private investigator (Nicholas Cage) is hired to discover if a “snuff film” is authentic or not. Joaquin Phoenix is superb in this movie.

The Descent: A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.

Trick 'r TreatTrick ‘r Treat: Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband. This film is very clever and well done. One I watch every Halloween season along with the Jeepers Creepers films (I and II).

 

Oct 22 2014

‘Walking Dead’ Tackles ESPN Football In Ratings | Multichannel

‘Walking Dead’ Tackles ESPN Football In Ratings | Multichannel.

I’m rather confused by this particular article, because The Walking Dead airs on Sunday night and ESPN televises their football games on MONDAY night. So I read a little deeper and I realized the author, Umstead, was comparing “top ratings honors” between the two cable shows.

Hmmmm, must be a slow TV news day. Not to mention the picture he uses is from last season. Oh well, we can’t all be hip and cool.

The chart at the end of the article is rather interesting – right off the bat there’s 2.4 million viewers separating The Walking Dead and Monday Night Football, but again I just don’t get the comparison. There’s over 6 million separating Monday Night Football and the MLB Playoffs.

The Talking Dead is just under the MLB Playoffs with 5.1 million (go Chris Hardwick). America loves its Dead.

Seth Gilliam plays Father Gabriel Stokes in "The Walking Dead" Courtesy of Gene Page/AMC

Seth Gilliam plays Father Gabriel Stokes in “The Walking Dead”
Courtesy of Gene Page/AMC

Over at AMC, Seth Gilliam is now in the mix as Father Gabriel Stokes. Gilliam, 45, has a long and impressive list of TV and movie credits, but is probably most well known for his work on The Wire as Det./Sgt. Ellis Carver.

Tyler James Williams will also be joining the cast of The Walking Dead this season. You might know him from the movie Everybody Hates Chris.

If you saw the premiere episode of Season 5 you may have caught a brief sighting of Lennie James (Morgan Jones), who was in Season 1 and Season 3 and continues to be a fan favorite.

You can look forward to not only this season of The Walking Dead, but AMC renewed it for a sixth season just a few days before the premiere episode on Sunday, October 12.

Oct 21 2014

The Posse Rides Again – @LongmirePosse

This morning I received a tweet from the @LongmirePosse with a link to sign a petition: longmire.epetitions.net (you should copy the link and paste it into a new browser window if you want to sign the petition).

I of course, quickly went there to sign the petition because I, of course, have been and will continue to be a big fan of both the series and the books (written by Craig Johnson).

I myself have been a little vocal about A&E stomping all over the specific demographic that I myself are located in (55+). It’s no secret that A&E wants to distance themselves from the baby boomers even though Nielsen, AARP and several others continue to release tons of data that, in a nutshell, state that the (Nielson) 50-plus market that many advertisers ignore (or insult) is not big: IT IS ENORMOUS.

The AARP October, 2014 Bulletin

The AARP October, 2014 Bulletin

David Wallis wrote a great article that’s published in the newest AARP Bulletin entitled “Selling Us Short.” The deck of the article says: People 50+ have bucks, but advertisers don’t seem to care.

In this article he talks about advertisers that are either ignoring us, or insulting us. Take Esurance as an example and that extremely idiotic commercial starring Beatrice who tapes her recent vacation pictures to her “wall” and unfriends her friend (literally) or the woman who plays candy crush with actual candy using a hammer on her dining room table (3-in-a-row, level 2).

I’m not into rolling my eyes at stupid, insulting commercials. I just hit the 30-second fast-forward button on my DirecTV DVR remote and zap it into outer space.

No thanks Esurance, I’ll stick with my cute gecko telling jokes on the ferry.

Signing the petition isn’t just registering your vote to get a quality show like Longmire back on television. It’s also exercising your right as a 55+ demographic that many networks don’t take seriously.

The same Nielsen study found that the 50-plus market many advertisers ignore (or insult) will control 70% of the country’s disposable income by 2017. Nearly 60% of homeowners over 65 are no longer weighed down by a mortgage compared with just 11% of 35-44 year olds. Baby boomers account for 80% of America’s luxury travel spending.

And here’s a fact for Esurance – consumers over 50 buy nearly five times as many new cars (which require insurance) than does that prized 18-34 demographic.

Now armed with those facts and figures, mosey on over to that petition signing site and exercise your rights. And if you have insurance with Esurance, and you’re a baby boomer, consider cancelling and going with someone who doesn’t insult your intelligence with stupid commercials.

Amen to that! Long Live Longmire!

 

Oct 16 2014

Things That Make You Go Hmmm – Dead Again is Dead On!

I hate shows that are predictable. Dead Again is far from that. As a matter of fact, if you call yourself a True Crime connoisseur, then you should set aside a Thursday to come to the table. Dick Wolf should consider submitting these shows to Criminal Justice programs to be used as teaching tools.

Again, I had to watch it more than once. As a matter of fact, today is Thursday and a new episode of Dead Again comes on in just a few hours and I watched it for a third time, today. It’s that good.

SPOILERS

Right off the bat you can understand why the perpetrator made every single move he did during the commission of this crime – once you knew who did it (that’s why it is so rewarding watching it again). Hence, working backward, you can see why Wood and Schillaci would suspect a family member in this particular case.

Michele Wood is the skeptic of the experts on Dead Again. © AETV.

Michele Wood is the skeptic of the experts on Dead Again. © AETV.

While watching the interviews you gain a little more insight. During the crime reconstruction where they examine the shotgun blasts and Wood walks in the same steps as the mother, who is the only surviving victim … but wouldn’t a mother know if her own blood killed her husband, her youngest son and shot her?

No, that’s just too obvious, too easy – but as more and more evidence points in that direction, you throw your hat in the ring with the experts and decide it just has to be family.

But there was one thing that didn’t make sense – why was there gasoline poured all over the house but never lit? When you hear the District Attorney tell it, you understand how crime and violence destroys a family. While pouring the gasoline, he heard his mother on her cell phone calling for help. She heard his footsteps leaving the house without setting the place on fire. The last act of the mother/the final act of the son.

The right person is serving time on this case, but the whole town believes he didn’t act alone. See what I mean about not being predictable.

Another episode airs tonight (Thursday) on A&E at 9pm CST.

Oct 14 2014

‘Walking Dead’ Returns with Record 17.3M Viewers | Multichannel

‘Walking Dead’ Returns with Record 17.3M Viewers | Multichannel.

Yes, that’s 17.3 MILLION Viewers according to Nielsen live plus same-day data.

If you haven’t seen the premiere episode you can see it at amctv.com without having to log-in, for the next 29 days (as of Tuesday, October 14).

The Talking Dead is also available to watch for the next 26 days (as of Tuesday, October 14). Chris Hardwick had some great guests on the premiere episode of the Talking Dead including Conan O’Brien, Scott M. Gimple and Greg Nicotero. Conan O’Brien was hysterical.

If you’re a baby boomer and think for one minute that other baby boomers aren’t watching The Walking Dead, then go to the amctv.com website and look for an advertisement asking “ARE YOU A FAN OF THE WALKING DEAD?” Join AMC’s Viewer Panel to unlock exclusive content and rewards.

One of the last questions asks for your birth date. When I put in mine, which qualifies me as a baby boomer, it kicks me out saying “that age category is presently filled at the moment.” That tells me AMC apparently wants the opinions of, and appreciates those of us in that silver surfing category.

The No Sanctuary episode of Season 5 of The Walking Dead was phenomenal. Well worth waiting for. Of course I had to wait until yesterday and last night to watch it, because I was so tired on Sunday that I fell asleep just minutes before it came on and woke up when the theme music was playing. At that point I packed it in and gave in to the sandman beating the heck out of me, and watched it online yesterday while I was at work.

I had to watch it again last night when I got home. It’s definitely one of my favorite episodes. Bravo to Norman Reedus for his superb acting upon seeing Melissa McBride. Bravo to the entire cast and crew.

The Zombie Assault Survival Kit from Channel Guide Magazine

The Zombie Assault Survival Kit from Channel Guide Magazine

Don’t forget to shuffle on over to www.channelguidemag.com/zombie for your chance to win a Zombie Assault Survival Kit. It’s got everything you’d need to survive in a zombie apocalypse: A 29-piece Human Survival Kit from Lifeline, a pack of Bicycle-brand Zombie playing cards with 52 tips on surviving a zombie apocalypse, a pet first aid kid, a mini human first aid kit (that’s a human first aid kit, not a first aid kit for a mini-human), a t-shirt, plus some helpful lists and it’s all contained in a nylon drawstring sportbag.

Oct 9 2014

The Walking Dead Season 5 Premiere is Almost Here …

Only three days to go … and the hype is unbelievable. Over at amctv.com’s main page there’s an image of a zombie hand holding up 3 fingers, four actually, but one’s a stub with a cut off finger laying there. I’m sure in the next few days a few more fingers will be cut off.

I’m sure you’ve heard by now, well maybe you haven’t heard by now, that The Walking Dead was renewed for a sixth season. Wow! That’s the first time that happened in the history of the series.

If there was a zombie apocalypse tomorrow, would you be ready? Translated literally from Greek, an apocalypse is a disclosure of knowledge, a lifting of the veil or revelation. That’s way off from what us zombie lovers consider an apocalypse. Don’t you agree?

The Zombie Assault Survival Kit from Channel Guide Magazine

The Zombie Assault Survival Kit from Channel Guide Magazine

Channel Guide Magazine has a cool contest going that you might want to consider entering. You can win a Zombie Assault Survival Kit just by heading over to www.channelguidemag.com/zombie.

It’s filled with all kinds of cool things: a 26-piece survival kit made by Lifeline, a deck of Bicycle-brand zombie playing cards with a tip on each card on how to survive a zombie attack, a Zombie Assault t-shirt, a mini first aid kit and even a pet first aid kit. Those people at Channel Guide have thought of everything!

It all comes together in a nylon drawstring sportsbag that’s very roomy so you can carry other things in it too.

You can enter as often as you want from now until October 31. Thirty-five (35) winners will each win one of the Zombie Assault Survival Kits. So if you want one of these cool kits, you better enter now and enter frequently.

Tell your friends, living and undead.

Oct 4 2014

Bones Back @ Its Best; Castle Not so Much

Bones (FOX), just showed its second new episode of their 10th season; the premiere episode was well worth waiting for.

Castle (ABC), in its 7th season was flat, lifeless and hard to track. At the end of season 6, right when Kate and Castle were about to be married, Kate got called to a fiery crash which turned out to be Castle’s car. An excellent end-of-season cliff hanger.

The premiere of season 7 picks up right where season 6 left off, with Castle not being in the car (which is what I expected). Castle is missing through the entire episode which spans months. By the end of the episode, he’s found afloat in a boat from a pier owned by a Henry Jenkins (played by Matt Letscher) who turns out to be an imposter.

Matt Letscher told TVLine that while they were filming, everyone “played both sides of the fence” with him “because they wanted to leave themselves some options.” He added that Henry Jenkins is much more cunning compared to his Billy Chambers character in “Scandal” (who cares).

Bones hasn’t had many character eliminations. Zac Addy (played by Eric Millegan) was there from the beginning through season 4. Ryan Cartwright who played Vincent Nigel-Murray was one of several rotating “squinterns” who replaced Zac Addy. He was killed in Season 6, Episode 22 and his murder was the catalyst which brought Booth and Brennan together.

SPOILER ALERT!

John Francis Daley (Sweets) © FOX Network.

John Francis Daley (Sweets) © FOX Network.

In the episodic premiere of the tenth season of Bones, Sweets (played by John Francis Daley) is murdered. The second episode solves his murder and the rest of the team says good-bye.

Also in the first episode, a new cast member is introduced. Agent Aubrey (John Boyd) who you may recognize if you watched “24.”

That’s all I intend to say about Bones and Castle. I hope what I have written encourages you to tune-in to these hour long dramas.

Castle is on ABC on Monday nights at 9pm CST.

Bones is on FOX on Thursday nights at 7pm CST.

Oct 4 2014

Dead Again – Winner … Joe Schillaci – Alive & Kicking

I admit, I have been more than pissed at A&E for dumping Longmire and insulting my intelligence with Love Prison. I mean I watch and write about TV for a living. I understand demograpics. I’m in the demographic range that they no longer want anything to do with.

But how many 18-49 year olds do you know are buying expensive cars and saving for retirement? I’m quite sure Longmire will land on it’s feet where it will be more than appreciated and bring its 5.7 million fans* with it.

But there are shows on A&E that I’ve been watching since Day 1. The First 48 is one of those. From Miami to Memphis to Birmingham to New Orleans to Dallas and Harris County, I’ve seen them all. I own both “Best of the First 48” DVDs. I’ve laughed and I’ve cried. I’m a very loyal fan and I bet the demographic category I fall in is too.

Joe Schillaci has always been one of my favorites. He openly admitted one morning when having breakfast with two colleagues that he was metrosexual. When I discovered he was taking part in a Dick Wolf crime show called “Dead Again” I was really excited.

Executive Producer Dick Wolf has gone from showing us some of the fictionalized dramas of America’s real cases in Law & Order to Cold Justice on TNT (I’m a fan) and now to A&E with Dead Again.

Joe Schillaci, Kevin Gannon, Michele Wood - the team of Dead Again. © AETV.

Joe Schillaci, Kevin Gannon, Michele Wood – the team of Dead Again. © AETV.

Wolf has assembed a team of experts: Joe Schillaci (Retired Deputy Commander, Miami), a 30 year veteran with a background in homicide and undercover work and a fan-favorite from The First 48; Kevin Gannon (Retired Detective Sergeant, NYC); and Michele Wood (Homicide Detective, Chicago, 13 year veteran).

The 60-minute series uses these experts in their field to re-examine controversial murder cases in which serious unresolved questions still linger long after the verdict was determined.

The episodic premiere was Thursday, October 2. I watched it twice. I’m still thinking about it and today is Saturday. The case and how it ended is haunting me.

Like The First 48, the eight cases Schillaci and the team re-investigate will not be resolved when the 60-minutes is up. The first episode of Dead Again ended so abruptly, with no known resolution, that I believe that’s why it’s still effecting me.

But I guess you can’t watch year after year of true crime murder cases and not have it effect you. But what really marvels me is the difference between Cold Justice and Dead Again.

Cold Justice reopens unsolved murder cases with the consent of local law enforcement and has a go at re-examining the evidence in an attempt to solve the murder.

The premise behind Dead Again is totally fascinating when you seriously think about.

* Longmire fans 5.7 million viewers when DVR views get added in over 7 days. Multichannel News (8/28/14) Updated