My choices for casting The Stand remake final part.

There are some characters that  I cannot think of an actor to cast. One is Harold. It will have to be someone who is chunky now and willing to get skinny or willing to get chunky for the film and then get skinny. This would be a challenge for any actor. Another is Leo. I just am not familiar enough with child actors and I can't think of a Mother Abigail or Trashcan Man. This cast list is not complete by any means but some of the most important roles are here.

 Rita Blakemore-An older sophisticated society woman. Brittle and sarcastic. She pops pills and easily takes Larry to her bed. But she is not strong enough to survive and her death weighs heavy on Larry. I think this would be a roll that Kim Cattrall could do in her sleep.

Lucy Swann-Sweet and kind Larry runs into Lucy, adding her to his group that already includes Nadine and Leo. She falls for him knowing his heart belongs to Nadine, she is his consolation after Nadine rebuffs his advances. He is good to her and loves her as much as he is able. Sweet faced Ginnifer Goodwin would be awesome for this role.

Judge Faris-Helps Larry by giving sage advice. A man his his 70s wise and caring. Goes to his death as a spy for the Boulder contingent. Malcolm McDowell has the gravitas to play this character plus I just love him.

Julie Lawry-Vain, rapacious and cruel, Nick runs into her with terrible consequences. She makes her way to Las Vegas and almost gets Tom killed. Brie Larson, the young actress from The United States of Tara, would be great here.

Once again comments are welcome along with your ideas. I have an updated list with new additions added on 8/8/2011.

The Stand remake casting wish list-Part 2

I think that this could be a really good movie, if done right. But anyone who loves Stephen King and finds the movie adaptions hit or miss, there are so many things that could go wrong. It is the script that can make or break along with who is chosen to portray the characters. The audience must love them or hate them the way you did when you read about them. I will have hope though, that it will be good. Here are a few more of my casting choices and I will complete the list tomorrow.

Nadine Cross-The enigmatic woman who turns out to be the bride of evil. She is beautiful, regal and her age could be anywhere from 25 to 40. She starts out good but is slowly changed over the course of the book to end with her redemption. I always thought she would be slightly exotic looking with high cheekbones and fine intelligent eyes. With that in mind, another Brit makes the list. The wonderful Emily Blunt.

Tom Cullen-The seemingly simple minded man/boy that is found by Nick. This actor needs to have loads of charm and be able to convey this characters vulnerabilities along with the underlying subconscious that is touched by God. Anyone who watches True Blood and loves Hoyt Fortenberry the way I do will agree that Jim Parrack is perfect for this role. He has such an open and affable face and demeanor.

Lloyd Henreid-Our introduction to him is in a shocking act of violence. He was never given a chance in life and so follows Flagg who is the only one who has ever trusted him. He is a complex character who throws away his potential to be good and pays the ultimate price. Jackie Earl Hayley is a heck of an actor who can capture all of these qualities to a tee.

Randall Flagg-He is a study in contrasts. Evil and charismatic full of high good humor and barely concealed menace. Attractive and of no discernible age. He is young and old. I think Guy Pearce would make a most excellent walking dude in his jeans and run down boot heels.

Glen Bateman-The professor. Wise, funny and sarcastic. He hooks up and bonds with Stu and takes care of Kojak. I originally pictured John Noble in this part but it seemed too much like his Dr. Bishop so I remembered the great actor from BSG. Michael Hogan would be a fine Glen.

This will be a huge cast for a huge book. Tune in tomorrow for the final installment. Comments are welcome. I have an updated list with new additions added on 8/8/2011.

My two cents about The Stand remake-Part One

I have been reading a lot lately about the decision to remake The Stand. Some say the miniseries was great so why mess with it. I say that the miniseries was okay and it could do with a better adaption.

First, I will discuss the good about the miniseries.
1) The opening with the Don't Fear the Reaper song playing over the camera panning through the dead bodies in the lab.
2) Gary Sinise and Adam Storke as Stu and Larry. They were both perfect for the roles.
3) It was long enough to do justice to the story if they had chosen to.

Now the bad.
1) The casting of Molly Ringwald and Laura San Giancomo. This was abysmally bad casting decisions.
2) Leo was regulated to a bit part and he never spoke throughout the movie. He was so important in the book. Also, Kojak's importance was minimized too much as well. I didn't like that they combined Rita and Nadine. Rita was important to Larry's growth as a character.
3) It was way cheesy and a little boring.

The Stand is a very layered story. The characters and their development is integral. It needs to be long, otherwise there is really no point in doing it. But, I will watch it just the same. Now after reading so many other peoples suggestions I thought I would make some of my own casting choices and why. So here goes:

 Stu Redman- He is a handsome man in his mid to late thirties. Quiet and unassuming but tougher then nails and smart. Because of these traits I think that physically Joshua Jackson would be a good fit. He is also a very good actor and can bring real depth to the role.

Frannie Goldsmith-Beautiful all-American girl in her early 20's. Resourceful, silly at times and tough. It needs an actress who can bring these qualities to the fore. Two Actresses could potentially play this role. Emma Stone and Eliza Dushku.

Larry Underwood-Rocker whose character changes the most in the course of the story. Handsome, in his late 20's and talented. I always imagined him as dark haired and a little scruffy. An Irish actor, Aidan Turner, from the BBC show Being Human would be really good.

Nick Andros- The barely out of his 20's deaf mute heart of the good guys. To me, someone with a sensitive face would be perfect, one where you can see the kindness and intelligence in the eyes. Like Frannie there are two candidates I could see in this role. Sam Huntington from the SyFy version of Being Human...

...and the young English actor who was in the movie Kick Ass, Aaron Johnson.







To be continued. I have an updated list with new additions added on 8/8/2011.

Well, were still here.

Once again the apocalypse did not come to pass. Which is kind of unfortunate because I have a paper due tomorrow in my Behavioral Sciences class and I didn't want to write it. But, now the paper is almost done and the sun is setting and I guess we will still be traveling on this ball for a while yet. I went out into my back yard to water the plants and flowers. We have a little oasis in our back yard and enjoy it immensely. I love the smell the water from the hose makes after a warm day, almost as much as the clean smell after a rain storm. There is a little lizard that lives among one of our flowers, I have dubbed him Leroy. I think he enjoys the nightly watering because he is often there at that time. There is also quite a few birds that nest in our trees (not pigeons thank God) and they sing as the night draws down. It really is quite wonderful. It is these small joys that make me glad the world did not end.

The End is Nigh?

There has been a buzz going around. I have seen it on yahoo and heard an interview on Thom Hartmann as well as other places. Apparently, the bible says that the world as we know it will end on Saturday, according to familyradio.com. I think it is great that God decided to end the world on a weekend, he wouldn't want to interrupt a productive work week. They say there will be world wide earthquakes followed by the Rapture. What would you do if this was true? Would you have any regrets? It seems that prophecy of the end of the world is rampant right now. From Planet X to the poles switching position to the Mayans and 2012 to a change in consciousness as we enter the Age of Aquarius to the Rapture once again. But at many times in man's past the end of the world has been predicted and it ramps up as security goes down. Although, it is tempting to think that with so many predictions at least one must be true, the law of averages must be satisfied at some point. That is a scary thought as well. I know that I would like life on this Earth to be better but I don't want to see it caused by mass death, destruction and grief. But, sometimes I think that old Mother Earth has had just about all she can take of us and our abuse and just might be really ready to clean house. We never really will know when the end might come but we will certainly see if we wake up safe in our beds Sunday morning if one more prophecy does not come to pass.

Book Review

Helen of Troy: Goddess Princess Whore by Bettany Hughes

I have read many a book about world history written by many writers.  Alison Weir, Peter Ackroyd and Antonia Fraser are three of my favorites. They all have their strengths and weaknesses but all in all I really enjoy reading their histories as evidenced by how often these three names turn up on my book shelves. But never have I found an author bring to life the classical world quite like Bettany Hughes.   I recently had the good fortune to acquire her study of Helen of Troy and, boy, was it a treat. I am very interested in the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome and I enjoy learning about it but, although, I don’t consider myself ignorant on the topic and could probably hold my own in conversation, I am by no means an expert. I still feel that I have so much to learn about these amazing civilizations that inspired so much of the Western world and whose legacies we are living with every day. And Bettany Hughes took something academic and prone to dry prose about a people who populated the Mediterranean 3000 years ago and turned it into a living thing that came off the page and transported me to another time and place, a kind of literary time machine combined with a travelogue.  

“Tracing the site of those dancing grounds in Sparta early one summer, along the river-banks of the Eurotas, I lost my way. The Bulrushes here are 3m high-the perfect hiding place for a Theseus, prowling around for young girls. Twisting and turning I ended up in one of the orange groves, hundreds of which now edge the river and carpet the Eurotan plain. In the next-door field, women were lopping olive trees, to allow the top growth all the strength it needed. As they burned the branches, smoke mixed with the smell of Jasmine which wound around the mature boughs. I was investigating the scene of a crime, but the sensuous charge of the place was sweet and overwhelming." --From chapter 6 "The Rape of Fair Helen".

Bettany Hughes is not just there to inform, which she most certainly does, but to evoke. As she writes, I can feel the layers of the present peel away. As she journeys in the book she makes you feel the past is just there beneath the surface, as real as the sand under her feet when she stands on a shore and looks across the waters and imagines Helen and Paris’ journey to Troy.

"As a Bronze Age Helen and Paris sailed along from West to East they would have passed seasonal beach markets and ports pockmarked with colour, pungent with the smells of livestock and spices, their traders standing by ready to tout their wares. Out on the open sea there would be pirates waiting to relieve the ocean traveller of vital supplies and priceless consignments of hippopotamus ivories and the like."--From Chapter 22 "The Seas Foaming Lanes".

Using contemporary archeological findings, classical writings, art and her own voice to tell the story of Helen, she inspires while she teaches. Her words are evocative and fragrantly redolent as she invites us to explore long forgotten shrines, overgrown temples and cramped museums with her.  She relates Helen to history and present, she has become an icon. Helen is also a cypher, who becomes whatever the author wants her to be: goddess, victim or whore. Each era has made a version of Helen their own. Was she a human woman at all? By telling what a woman of her time and place would be, Bettany makes a good case. Maybe Helen was an amalgamation. Troy has been determined to have existed so maybe this creature of immense beauty did too. A beauty so terrible that it brought nothing but death and destruction to all her knew her. Her life as tragic in its own way as poor doomed Cassandra, speaking a truthful prophecy that no one will believe. I don’t know the answer but I enjoyed the journey.

Greece is one of the many places I long to visit. There is so much history there and I want to see it by land and sea. I want to walk the modern streets as well as old paths more traveled by goats than man nowadays, so much to see and experience. To step outside on a sultry evening with nothing but the sound of the rustling of the leaves of olive trees by the warm night breeze and look at the stars that Socrates and Homer looked upon thousands of years in the past and get even a glimpse of what they lived like would be priceless to me. To smell the scents, taste the foods, meet the people and even to just be enveloped by the velvety Mediterranean air would almost be magic. I may never make it there in person but with this book (there is an accompanying PBS show) I feel a little closer to it. I wholeheartedly recommend this excellent book to anyone. And now I can’t wait to read her new book, The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life.

None of the contents of this book or the photo used belong to me.

Being Human

I love British TV. I grew up with Benny Hill and was introduced to Monty Python in college by watching Life of Brian on VHS incrementally at the Everett Community College library (and it reached its apogee when I was invited to the opening of Spamalot in Las Vegas and was able to get Eric Idle to sign one of my books while standing within touching distance from Terry Gilliam and... wait for it...John Cleese). It grew with Red Dwarf and Blackadder. I remember watching a Blackadder marathon on a PBS station in Seattle in 1993. I still have the T Shirt and even went so far as to attend an Anglophile convention. I have so many British comedies on DVD and in my Netflix Queue plus am a huge Dr. Who fanatic (the original not the redux) so bad that I have drawn versions of the Doctor from William Hartnell through Sylvester McCoy. I love the show Little Britain (computer says no) and Coupling (which is the British and arguably better version of Friends). I am also quite addicted to BBC America. One of the best shows to come from this channel recently (besides Life on Mars) is Being Human. So, with much trepidation, I decided to watch the SyFy Americanized version of this great show. I loved the concept. A werewolf, a vampire and a ghost shack up in a flat while the hijincks ensue. I expected that the American version would suck all of the life and thoughtfulness out of the British version but they have taken a thoughtful show with 6 British episodes and actually took the 13 episodes offered with US TV and made the show better. I have seen the failure of Americanized adaptions so many times that this one show makes me look forward to Torchwood. The only problem I have with this version is that I don't like the cast as much. The ghost, Sally (Annie in the BBC version), is better British and I don't find the actor who plays the vampire attractive at all while the British one is super hot.

 Hot! Plus he has an Irish accent.

 Not so much.







The casting is spot on for the werewolf. Sam Huntington is adorable, likable and strangely sexy. Its good to see that we finally got a translation right.

And for comparison, here is the complete British cast: