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Biweekly News Roundup 2023-06-04

Personal / Website News

H. P. Lovecast Podcast

May’s Transmissions episode is online!

In this episode we interview Tom Starita about his new horror novel, Delta, and Beth Cato about her new chef/swashbuckling novel, A Thousand Recipes for Revenge. The episode can be streamed at the H. P. Lovecast Buzzsprout website, the embedded player below, or through all major podcast apps.

HPLCP Transmissions – Ep 22 – Tom Starita and Beth Cato – H. P. Lovecast Podcast

Scholars from the Edge of Time

For May’s Scholars from the Edge of Time episode Michele and I discuss the 1955 Howard Hawks film Land of the Pharaohs. It can be viewed on YouTube.

We also did another episode a week later, with Michele talking about the white cat in Mummy (1999) and me talking about cats in strongman sword and sandal films of the late 50s/early 60s. Also on YouTube.

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my publishing endeavors so far in 2023.

Published in February, this collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling.”

Vernon Press Product Page

Scheduled to be published in May, this issue of Weird Talescontains my essay “When the Stars are Right.”

Weird Tales Product Page

Published in late March, the first issue of the zine Footage Fiends, contains my essay “Analisi Della Cosa: Found Footage in Caltiki and Italian Theater Going Practices.”

Limited to 50 physical copies.

Order via Patreon.

Miscellaneous Tidbits

History of the World Pt 1 and Jeana Keough

I shared this on Twitter the other day and since it is peplum related I thought I would share it here.

Here is my DVD copy of Mel Brooks’ History of the World Part 1 signed by November 1980 Playboy Playmate Jeana Keough (Tomasino).

Aside from her Playboy spread, Keough is probably best known for her appearances in various ZZ Top music videos of the 80s and in The Real Housewives of Orange County series. She only had a cameo part in History of the World Part 1 during the Roman Empire segment. I had the honor to meet Keough at a Glamourcon convention way back in 2010:

Jeana Keough (Tomasino) – Glamourcon 2010

Aside from autograph my copy of History of the World, she also autographed an 8×10 of one of her Playboy pictures for Michele and I:

Jeana Keough Playboy picture with super stockings.
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Biweekly News Roundup 2023-05-21

Personal / Website News

Heavy Music Mothers Authors Interview

First new article up at my website is an interview with the authors of the brand new book, Heavy Music Mothers: Extreme Identities, Narrative Disruptions.

I had the honor to talk with Joan Jocson-Singh and Julie Turley on their book. It can be read here.

H. P. Lovecast Podcast

New episode of H. P. Lovecast Podcast is online!

Michele and I return back to the Lands of Dream to talk about the one-shot comic Dreamquest by Clay Adams and Mick Beyers. The episode can be streamed at our Buzzsprout website, via the embedded link below, or via your podcast app of preference.

Ep 58 – Dreamquest by Clay Adams and Mick Beyers – H. P. Lovecast Podcast

And for fun, here is my autographed copy from the original Kickstarter campaign:

Fan2Fan Appearance – Akira

2023 marks the 35th anniversary of the legendary anime Akira.

The cool kids over at Fan2Fan have invited me on their podcast to talk about the iconic Japanimation film. Part one can be streamed at the Fan2Fan Libsyn, in the embedded podcast player below, or via your podcast app of preference (Akira part 2 is with Allan and Rebecca and can be streamed here).

Akira 35 Year Anniversary Part 1 – Fan2Fan Podcast

Fan2Fan also did an episode in their 5 Minute Friday series, this one devoted to the famous motorcycle slide.

This episode can also be found at the Fan2Fan Libsyn, on your podcast app of preference, or in the player below.

5 Minute Friday – Akira Bike – Fan2Fan Podcast

And just for fun, here are my two copies of Akira, one of them autographed by old school Streamline folks, Robert Payne Cabeen and Wendy Horowitz.

In addition to the Akira 5 Minute Friday, Fan2Fan also has a 5 Minute Friday on Vampire Hunter D!

This episode can be streamed here, in the player below, or via your podcast app.

5 Minutes Friday – Vampire Hunter D – Fan2Fan Podcast

Also, here is my trustworthy, old school Vampire Hunter D DVD:

Book Reviews

A few reviews of some of the books I’ve been involved in have popped up.

First, there is a fairly positive review of The New Peplum that appears in Cadmo: Journal for Ancient History, 2022, No. 31., written by Inês Simão Sebastião. The review is in Portuguese.

Next, there is a review of Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern in the debut issue of The Incredible Nineteenth Century: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Fairy Tale. The review, by Hogan D. Schaak, is not a positive one at all. Take it with a grain of salt since the reviewer butchers Michele’s name as “Brittany Michelle.”

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my publishing endeavors so far in 2023.

Published in February, this collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling.”

Vernon Press Product Page

Scheduled to be published in May, this issue of Weird Talescontains my essay “When the Stars are Right.”

Weird Tales Product Page

Published in late March, the first issue of the zine Footage Fiends, contains my essay “Analisi Della Cosa: Found Footage in Caltiki and Italian Theater Going Practices.”

Limited to 50 physical copies.

Order via Patreon.

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News

Biweekly News Roundup 2023-05-07

Personal / Website News

Another series of productive and hectic weeks. The big thing is the CFP for the Emmanuelle project closed at the end of April. I’ve sent out acceptances and am currently working on proposals to send to publishers. However, there is room for more essays in the book so I will probably reactivate the CFP and accept abstracts on a rolling basis. If you’re interested, reach out!

Weird Tales #367 Mini-Interviews

Last year for the sword and sorcery issue of Weird Tales I did a series of mini-interviews with a handful of contributors. That article can be found here.

I’ve done the same thing for the cosmic horror issue of Weird Tales that is being published later this month. Angela Yuriko Smith, Samantha Underhill, and Carol Gyzander all let me do a mini interview with them and they can be read here. Check them out and consider pre-ordering the issue.

“Strange Realities” Supplemental Material

Last year I had an essay about the movie Encounter with the Unknown published in The Many Lives of the Twilight Zone.

The final bit of the essay I make reference to the various VHS releases of Encounter. As a supplement to that essay I’ve uploaded pictures of these releases. Check it out here.

Footage Fiends #1 Is Out

The debut issue of Footage Fiends is out!

It actually was released a month or so ago and the copy I bought has been sitting in my PO Box for a few weeks. Oops.

This zine contains my essay “Analisi Della Cosa: Found Footage in Caltiki and Italian Theater Going Practices.” This first issue is limited to 50 physical copies, but I believe digital copies are available. The zine can be ordered via subscription from the Footage Fiends Patreon.

New H. P. Lovecast Podcast

Our monthly Transmissions episode for H. P. Lovecast Podcast is online!

In April we interviewed some cool comic book kids: Bernie Gonzalez (also of Fan2Fan Podcast fame) and Joshua Pruett. The episode can be streamed at our Buzzsprout site, via the embedded player below, or via your podcast app of preference.

HPLCP Transmissions – Ep 21 Bernie Gonzalez and Joshua Pruett – H. P. Lovecast Podcast

Thank you Bernie and Joshua for appearing on our show!

Scholars from the Edge of Time

New episode of Scholars from the Edge of Time is online!

Michele and I talk about the 1954 proto-Raiders of the Lost Ark film, Secret of the Incas. You can hear our discussion on YouTube. I’ll be turning my notes into an article for Exotica Moderne in a bit, so stay tuned!

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my publishing endeavors so far in 2023.

Published in February, this collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling.”

Vernon Press Product Page

Scheduled to be published in May, this issue of Weird Tales contains my essay “When the Stars are Right.”

Weird Tales Product Page

Published in late March, the first issue of the zine Footage Fiends, contains my essay “Analisi Della Cosa: Found Footage in Caltiki and Italian Theater Going Practices.”

Limited to 50 physical copies.

Order via Patreon.

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Angela Sylvaine’s Frost Bite Cover Reveal

Angela Sylvaine (awesome friend and writer who we interviewed on H. P. Lovecast back in June 2021) has her debut novel, Frost Bite, coming out later this year. Her publisher, Dark Matter Ink, just did a cover reveal and it is the bomb dot com.

I am digging the 90s and shades of vaporwave going on here. And, it’s meteorite-horror adjacent, so I am triple excited.

Sylvaine’s book can be be pre-ordered at the Dark Matter Magazine shop.

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Biweekly News Roundup 2023-04-23

Personal / Website News

Mighty prolific last two weeks with articles, podcasts, and other projects. It’s also three consecutive weeks of me publishing an article at this website, and I have another one queued up this Wednesday. Feeling good!

Buzzworthy Book Review

I have a new book review up at my website. I return to the world of Jennifer Croll’s homage cocktails. Previously I did a review of her Art Boozel.

Croll’s newest book, Buzzworthy, was published earlier this month, and holy smokes in a rare instance of me being timely, I had a review of it written up and posted. Not to brag, (but I will), I think one of the things I do when I review cocktail books that other websites don’t do is actually make some of the cocktails inside. Anywho, my review of Buzzworthy is online, check it out and consider plucking up Croll’s newest release.

Claus Larsen Interview

Next up I return to my roots of music journalism! I have not really written about/interview anyone since my Heathen Harvest days, so I thought it would be fun to dip back into penning an article on something industrial.

Claus Larsen’s EBM act, Leæther Strip, recently released a new album and I enjoyed it throughly. I reached out to Larsen to ask if I could ask him some questions about it and he said sure! So, here is my mini-interview with Larsen about his newest album, Last Station.

New H. P. Lovecast Podcast

Happy three year anniversary to the resurrected H. P. Lovecast Podcast! Back in 2020 when the pandemic had really started, Michele and I brought the podcast back and have done quite a bit since: read some good (and bad) works, interviewed lots of cool people.

On this episode we discuss the 1970 AIP adaptation of The Dunwich Horror. Arrow Video did a restored release of the film on Blu-ray this past January and we had hoped to do an episode then, but house stuff and other projects got in the way. So, a little late but here is our episode. It can be steamed at the HP Lovecast Buzzsprout page, via the embedded player below, or through your podcast app of preference.

Ep 57 – The Dunwich Horror (1970 Film) – H. P. Lovecast Podcast

The New Peplum Citations

Princeton University Press recently published the book, Helen of Troy in Hollywood, by Ruby Blondell (a super expert on classics and Helen of Troy canon).

Very flattered to see essays from The New Peplum cited in this tome! Unfortunately I don’t have a copy of the book so I am using preview pages from Google Books to deduce what has been cited. From what I can tell:

  • Steven Sears’ afterword
  • My introduction
  • Haydee Smith’s “Queering the Quest: Neo-peplum and the Neo-femme in Xena: Warrior Princess“
  • Valerie Estelle Frankel’s “Hercules, Xena, and Genre: The Methodology Behind the Mashup”
  • Paul Johnson’s “Adapting to New Spaces: Swords and Planets and the Neo-peplum”

I love to see The New Peplum continued to be cited and used in new scholarship. More information about Helen of Troy in Hollywood can be read at the Princeton University Press’ product page for the book.

Fan2Fan Podcast Appearances

The cool kids at the Fan2Fan Podcast are doing a series of episodes about folk’s favorite theme songs from TV shows.

Michele and I are on an episode talking about ours which can be heard at the Fan2Fan Libsysn, on your podcast app, or via the embedded player below. Sincere thanks to Bernie and Pete for having us on.

Our Favorite TV Theme Songs Michele and Nick – Fan2Fan Podcast

A side note, one of the shows I mention is the theme song to Mission Hill, which is an edited version of Cake’s “Italian Leather Sofa.” It’s one of my favorite cartoons ever and I talk about why on the episode.

But, for fun, here is my autographed copy of the Mission Hill DVD signed by Brian Posehn. I met him at an Emerald City Comic Con way back in the late 2000s.

Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

The Call for Papers for Emmanuelle, Black Emanuelle, and Emmanuelle derivative films is open until the end of this month (April 30th).

Emmanuelle the Private Collection Soundtrack.

The CFP can found on this page. If you know other scholars who would be interested in this project, please share! I’d be super appreciative to get the word out.

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my publishing endeavors so far in 2023.

Published in February, this collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling.”

Vernon Press Product Page

Scheduled to be published in May, this issue of Weird Talescontains my essay “When the Stars are Right.”

Weird Tales Product Page

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News

Biweekly News Roundup 2023-04-09

Personal / Website News

March went by fairly quiet and BOOM!, first week of April do I have some epic and awesome news to share.

Weird Tales Issue #367

The big, big, big news is issue 367 of Weird Tales that is slated to be published this May. Yours truly got to contribute an essay to this legendary periodical!

Look at that! My name on the cover with some other titans of horror with a cover by Mike Mignola. Talk about a milestone, I am extremely elated.

My essay is about cosmic horror back in the 1920s and 1930s issues of Weird Tales. The issue is available for pre-order, so check it out at the Weird Tales website.

If you’re interested in some other aspects of Weird Tales, check out my article where I did some mini-interviews with some of the contributors to the sword and sorcery issue, and also my review of the relaunch issue I did for Fanbase Press back in 2019.

I’ll also be conducting mini-interviews for this issue as well.

Cinema Highball Writeup

New cocktail article is posted at my website as well!

As yall know I love diving into the esoteric, weird, forgotten, and sometimes, kinda nasty, cocktails. The PDT Cocktail Book has a recipe for the Cinema Highball which I actually gave a shot on Twitter back in 2021:

However that was made with Bacardi. The real recipe calls for Flor de Cana, and this time I am doing it for realz. Have a read!

New Episode of H.P. Lovecast

We have a new episode of H. P. Lovecast Podcast online!

As conveyed in previous posts, March was a pretty hectic month for Michele and I. We still are settling into the house and we had essays due at the end of the month (for the cats in cinema book) and just a few other obligations that popped up. Because of this, we didn’t get a normal episode of the podcast online, but we did get a Transmissions episode online. In this episode we got to interview weird fiction author Michael Cisco about his new novel, Pest, and one of our academic colleagues, J. Rocky Colavito, about his Giallo-inspired novel, The Night Scavengers. The episode can be streamed at the HP Lovecast Buzzsprout website, via your podcast app, or via the embedded link below.

HPLCP Transmissions – Ep 20 Michael Cisco and J. Rocky Colavito – H. P. Lovecast Podcast

We are hoping to be back on track in April as we will finally get our episode online of the Dean Stockwell Dunwich Horror.

Fan2Fan Appearances

Michele and I have made a few appearances on the Fan2Fan Podcast which have been published in the last two weeks.

First up is the Fan2Fan episode on the classic Larry Cohen film, The Stuff. That episode can be streamed via the Fan2Fan Libsyn page, via your podcast app of preference, or the embedded player below:

The Stuff 1985 – Fan2Fan Podcast

Next, Fan2Fan sometimes does short podcasts on Fridays called “Five Minute Fridays.”

Michele and I appeared on one to talk about what cosmic horror is. That episode can also be streamed via your podcast app of preference, at the Fan2Fan Libsyn, or via the embedded player below.

5 Minutes Friday – What is Cosmic Horror? – Fan2Fan Podcast

As always, sincere thanks to Bernie and Pete of the Fan2Fan crew for having us on their show. We sincerely appreciate them.

Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

The Call for Papers for Emmanuelle, Black Emanuelle, and Emmanuelle derivative films is open until the end of this month.

Recent acquisitions to the collection: Emmanuelle in Paradise and Emmanuele (single “L”) 3. Also notice the Silvia Castell vs. the iconic Sylvia Kristel.

The CFP can found on this page. If you know other scholars who would be interested in this project, please share! I’d be super appreciative to get the word out.

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my publishing endeavors so far in 2023.

Published in February, this collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling.”

Vernon Press Product Page

Scheduled to be published in May, this issue of Weird Tales contains my essay “When the Stars are Right.”

Weird Tales Product Page

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Sean Woodard Interview

Friend and colleague Sean Woodard has just had his first physical publication, his essay “‘But Illusions Don’t Kill’: An Examination of Giallo Tropes and Gender in Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue” in the newly released academic collection Bloodstained Narratives: The Giallo Film in Italy and Abroad.

The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana has an interview with Woodard in which he talked about his essay. I’m flattered that he mentions me!

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Biweekly News Roundup 2023-03-26

Personal / Website News

Good day everyone! No new content at my website these past two weeks (or, I guess, for the entire month of March for that matter?). And for good reason: deadline for not one, but two essays! First, an essay for a book about cats in cinema was due at the end of the month. Well, I hunkered in this month and got my essay (about the Nemean Lion in sword and sandal cinema, of course) completed and submitted this past weekend. Second, not a looming deadline, but I wanted it done ASAP, I took my Rene Girard/”The Call of Cthulhu” presentation I did at AnnRadCon in 2022, edited it to be in essay format and got that sent off to an editor for an upcoming magazine issue.

So, very cool to get those two gigs off my plate! Cross fingers for acceptances and smooth rewrites! But now, my plate is more cleared off so I can get to those to-dos that have been accumulating.

Fan2Fan Appearance

Both Michele and I have made recent appearances on the Fan2Fan Podcast who just hit 30,000 downloads. Congrats F2F!

First up, hosts Bernie, Pete and guests Josh, Scott, and Michele and I all got together to talk about the classic 90s monster film, The Relic. The episode can be streamed at the Fan2Fan Libsyn page or via the embedded player below

The Relic – Fan2Fan Podcast

Next up Fan2Fan goes back to the prior decade to talk about the cult monster film, C.H.U.D.

That episode can also be streamed at the Fan2Fan Libsyn page or via the embedded player below.

CHUD 1984 – Fan2Fan Podcast

And just for fun, here is my autographed copy of C.H.U.D. signed by producer Andrew Bonime (RIP):

Sincere appreciation for Bernie and Pete for having us on. We always have a blast being on talking pop culture. Check out their archives and give them a follow on Twitter or Facebook.

Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

The Call for Papers for Emmanuelle, Black Emanuelle, and Emmanuelle derivative films is open.

The CFP can found on this page. If you know other scholars who would be interested in this project, please share! I’d be super appreciative to get the word out.

Publishing Recap

Below is a recap of my publishing endeavors so far in 2023.

A Hero Will Endure: Essays at the Twentieth Anniversary of Gladiator

Published in February, this collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling.”

Vernon Press Product Page

Miscellaneous Tidbits

CFP – Anti-Fascist Black Metal

Helping proliferate a CFP for Black Metal bands contributing essays to a forthcoming collection on antifascist black metal.

The collection is slated to be published by Red N’ Noir in Greek with a self-published English edition to follow. Submissions or requests for more info can be sent to sbarbalexis@gmail.com.

CFP – Russell Crowe

My editor for A Hero Will Endure has a new CFP that is live: a call for papers on essays about Russell Crowe. More info on the CFP can be found at the UPENN Listing. Abstracts are due July 25th.

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Biweekly News Roundup 2023-03-12

Personal / Website News

Writing News

I don’t have much to share along the lines of writing and podcast news for the last two weeks. Don’t get me wrong, I have been extremely busy, it just happens I didn’t get a chance to do an article for my website here. However, a quick run down of things that have happened/currently are happening:

  • Appeared on a handful of Fan2Fan Podcast episodes, taking about monster movies, anime, and TV show themes. Expect those to be published over the next few weeks/months. In the meantime, I encourage folks to check out the Fan2Fan archive, they have some great episodes with some cool people.
  • Turned my Rene Girard/”The Call of Cthulhu” presentation I did at a prior AnnRadCon into essay format and sent it to the new horror-lit magazine, Dark Dead Things. They launch their debut issue this month, check them out!
  • Completed an interview with the authors of the upcoming book Heavy Music Mothers that is slated to be published this May from Rowman & Littlefield. The interview will be published here the week before Mother’s Day.
  • Just interviewed Michael Cisco for the H.P Lovecast Podcast, slated to be released part of our Transmissions programming.
  • Currently working on my peplum cats essay that is due at the end of the month. Wish me luck! (Note: was turned in on 3/26, yay!)
  • Reviewing the book Buzzworthy. I’ve been posting cocktails I’ve made over on Twitter.
  • And, of course, the Emmanuelle CFP (see below). Working on promoting that everywhere I can.

So, lots of cool stuff going on! Also, expect Footage Fiends issue 01 to drop very, very soon! Excited to see that be published.

I also got my contributor’s copy of A Hero Will Endure.

Nice to have the book in my paws. It’s been a long journey!

Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

The Call for Papers for Emmanuelle, Black Emanuelle, and Emmanuelle derivative films is open.

The CFP can found on this page. If you know other scholars who would be interested in this project, please share! I’d be super appreciative to get the word out.

Publishing Recap

Starting with this bi-weekly update I will be including a new section called “Publishing Recap” where I will keep a cumulative list of published texts (physical or at other venues) for the year so far. The idea here is to give more visibility to each text and not let them disappear into the website newsfeed.

A Hero Will Endure: Essays at the Twentieth Anniversary of Gladiator

Published in February, this collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling.”

Vernon Press Product Page

Miscellaneous Tidbits

The Night Scavengers

Friend and colleague J. Rocky Colavito has a new fiction book out called The Night Scavengers.

Honored that both Michele and I are mentioned in the front matter!

Colavito’s giallo-influenced novel can be found on Amazon. (Pssst – Colavito also has an essay on WWZ in Horror Literature from Gothic to Post-Modern *wink* *wink* so check that out as well).

CFP for The Princess Bride

Signum University Press has an open CFP (that closes April 1st) on the 50th anniversary of The Princess Bride (both book and movie). Details on the CFP can be read at the downloadable PDF while press submission guidelines can be read at this link.

If you have a pop culture-centric CFP that need proliferation, feel free to share it with me and I’ll post it on my bi-weekly news updates. I’m here to help folks out.

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Biweekly News Roundup 2023-02-26

Personal / Website News

New Edge Sword and Sorcery #00

I have a write up/review up about the first (#00) issue of New Edge Sword and Sorcery Magazine. It can be read here.

Of important note, the Kickstarter campaign to fund the next two issues of this magazine ends in five days. Do check it out and consider backing the campaign.

Fan2Fan Appearance

Michele and I recently did an appearance on the Fan2Fan Podcast where co-host Bernie Gonzalez talked to us about H. P. Lovecraft. It was really awesome be asked to be on the podcast and to talk about Lovecraft things outside our own H. P. Lovecast Podcast. The dialogue has been broken up into two episodes.

The first episode can be streamed at the Fan2Fan Libsyn website or via the embedded player below.

Lovecraft 101 – Fan2Fan Podcast

And the second episode can be found here or in the embedded player below.

Lovecraft 102 – Fan2Fan Podcast

Sincere thanks for having us back on as guests, we appreciate it!

A Hero Will Endure Published!

A Hero Will Endure: Essays at the Twentieth Anniversary of Gladiator is officially out! The collection is available for purchase at the Vernon Press website.

This collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling”. When my hardcover copy arrives I’ll be sure to share it.

There are a few essays in the collection that cite content of The New Peplum. As soon as I can verify what and were I will add the citations to the The New Peplum page.

Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

The Call for Papers for Emmanuelle, Black Emanuelle, and Emmanuelle derivative films is open.

Personal copy of Emmanuelle vs. Dracula. Note: decades prior Kristel starred in Dracula’s Widow (1988).

The CFP can found on this page. If you know other scholars who would be interested in this project, please share! I’d be super appreciative to get the word out.

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Rest in Peplum Stella Stevens

Ok, Stella Stevens wasn’t in any peplum movies, but she was in an episode of Wonder Woman, and Wonder Woman is a total peplum character and also The Poseidon Adventure (1972) being named after the Olympian, so I am calling it valid.

1960s kitten bombshell Stella Stevens passed away from Alzheimer’s at the age of 84 on the 17th (CNN Link). Stevens is probably best known for being in The Nutty Professor (1963). and the original The Poseidon Adventure. My first exposure to Stevens was in her Bond Girl-esque role opposite Dean Martin in The Silencers (1966).

I had the honor to meet Stevens at a convention back in 2010. She was a total doll and so swoonerific. She autographed my copies of The Silencers, Hard Drive (1994) (a straight to Cinemax erotic thriller) and a cute pinup photo of her. Unfortunately, I am unable to locate the items as of yet during my unpacking, but once I do I’ll post them here.

She will be greatly missed!

2026-02-21 Edit – Here is my autographed Hard Drive!

Snap case DVD. Cover shows a woman in the throes of passion, eyes closed, holding a candle in her hand. In black marker it is signed "Nick - Lots of Love! Stella Stevens
Personal copy of Hard Drive on DVD signed by Stella Stevens.

I was on Robert Ottone’s Instagram vidcast last Thursday, Talkin’ Talkies (IG link) talking about non-Italian giallos. I brought up 90s erotic thrillers, and Hard Drive, and one of the other guests, Michael Varrati, said he had a friend who worked on this film. How cool is that?!

Fist of Jesus Blu-ray

A recent acquisition, I got my paws on a Blu-ray of Fist of Jesus:

Only 15 minutes long, I gave it a quick watch. It was funny: Dead Alive with Jesus. I’ll be doing a proper write up later (maybe for Easter?). The movie can be ordered at the Fist of Jesus website.

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Biweekly News Roundup 2023-02-12

Personal / Website News

Death Nell #1 Write Up

New article up here at my website. I take a look at the first issue of Death Nell from Bad Bug, a gothic-comedy-light-horror-erotic comedy comic.

The write up can be read here.

H. P. Lovecast Podcast Episode

The Bram Stoker Preliminary Ballot has been published and like last year on the podcast we are looking to spotlight some of the authors on the list and help get the word of their works out and entice readers to consider their works. Because of this, we are also flipping the order of episodes this month: Transmissions in the first half, normal episode at the end.

For this special episode of Transmissions Michele and I interviewed David Aquilone about Kolchak the Night Stalker: 50th Anniversary and Donna Lynch about Girls from the County.

HPLCP Transmissions – Ep 19 James Aquilone and Donna Lynch – H. P. Lovecast Podcast

The episode can be streamed via our Buzzsprout website, via the embedded player above, or through your podcast app of preference. Give it a listen and consider checking out Aquilone and Lynch’s works.

Scaredy Cats Podcast Appearance

Back in 2021 I had the honor to be a guest on the Scaredy Cats Podcast to talk about the influential slasher film, The Slumber Party Massacre (episode link here).

Host Sherri invited me back on the podcast, along with co-host of the Schitt’s Simply the Best Podcast, Katie, to talk about the 2015 meta-horror-slasher film, The Film Girls. It was a lot of fun to watch the film and then discuss it.

The episode can be streamed at the Scaredy Cats Buzzsprout page here or via your podcast app of preference. Sincere gratitude to Sherri for being asked on.

Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

The Call for Papers for Emmanuelle, Black Emanuelle, and Emmanuelle derivative films is open.

Severin DVD (left) vs Full Moon Blu-ray (right) of Emanuelle and the White Slave Trade.

The CFP can found on this page. If you know other scholars who would be interested in this project, please share! I’d be super appreciative to get the word out.

A Hero Will Endure Preorder

A Hero Will Endure: Essays at the Twentieth Anniversary of Gladiatoris available for preorder at the Vernon Press website.

This collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiatorand Industrial Music Sampling” and is slated to be released later this month.

Miscellaneous Tidbits

New Edge Sword and Sorcery Kickstarter

The Kickstarter for New Edge Sword and Sorcery is now live!

The Kickstarter campaign can be found here. The project is currently (evening of 2/12) at 71.77% funded with 19 days left. Consider backing it!

Miss Corsair Debonair YouTube Channel Launch

Pinup/stockings model Miss Corsair Debonair (who I interview for Exotica Moderne issue 14) has launched a YouTube channel (found here).

Her first video (which can be found here or in the embedded player above) has her showcasing a vintage pair of tan RHT stockings. One of her kitties makes a cameo! Check out her video, consider subscribing so you can see her next stockings/nylons/kitties video.

Categories
News

Biweekly News Roundup 2023-01-29

Personal / Website News

A Game Called Quest

Digging through my archives I came across an article I wrote for my zine as part of S. T. Joshi’s Esoteric Order of Dagon APA. The article was in dire need of editing and spell checking, but it still seemed like a fun piece on retroism and sword and sorcery.

So, here it is, “Weekend Rental: 80s Sword and Sorcery and Retrogaming in A Game Called Quest.” Check it out!

Fan2Fan Podcast Appearance

Our friends at Fan2Fan podcast are doing episodes about folks’ favorite vampire movies.

My top five list can be heard here or via the embedded player below.

Nick's Favorite Vampire Movies – Fan2Fan Podcast

Michele also has an episode on her top 5 vampires which can be heard here. Sincere appreciation for Fan2Fan for having us on as guests!

Emmanuelle / Black Emanuelle CFP

The Call for Papers for Emmanuelle, Black Emanuelle, and Emmanuelle derivative films is open.

Collection of Emmanuelle comics by Guido Crepax (personal collection).

The CFP can found on this page. If you know other scholars who would be interested in this project, please share! I’d be super appreciative to get the word out.

Scholars from the Edge of Time

For our monthly appearance on Scholars from the Edge of Time, Michele and I discuss the 1959 Biblical plum film Solomon and Sheba (see below). The episode can be viewed on Hercules Invictus’ YouTube channel.

James Bond and Popular Culture Review

Michele’s book, James Bond and Popular Culture, has a brand new review online!

The review can be read at Boyce McClain’s Consumers’ and Collectors’ Corner blog. Of course, copies can be purchased over at McFarland’s product page for the book.

Forty Years a Black Metal Punk

Lex “Hugin” Karrila has an autobiography being published this year by Running Wild Productions: 40 Years a Black Metal Punk. The books covers his 40+ year musical career from his punk days to his later metal, industrial, dungeon synth, and other extreme genres with projects such as Uruk-Hai, Hrossharsgrani, BoneMachine, and many more.

Cover by Ruta Silders.

I had the honor to collaborate with Karrila on a few songs for his Ceremony of Innocence project and have done a deep analysis of his Hrossharsgrani album Pro Liberate Dimicandum Est which is part of my essay in the upcoming A Hero Will Endure collection (see below).

In conjunction with the book, a double album is being released that provides an aural sampling of Karrila’s musical career. Included on the compilation is the Ceremony of Innocence track “Our Fire Burns” which I did lyrics and vocals for, so that is very cool (note: my old website has a discography section, I might have to bring that back!).

The German edition of the book is slated to be released this April (Bandcamp page for Running Wild Productions, keep an eye there) while an English edition will be published later this year.

A Hero Will Endure Preorder

A Hero Will Endure: Essays at the Twentieth Anniversary of Gladiator is available for preorder at the Vernon Press website.

This collection contains my essay “Dance or Dēcēdere: Gladiator and Industrial Music Sampling” and is slated to be released in February.

Miscellaneous Tidbits

Rest in Peplum Gina Lollobrigida

Iconic Italian starlet Gina Lollobrigida passed away on the 16th this month.

My autographed 8×10 of Lollobrigida.

She didn’t star in too many historic epics, however she did star opposite of Yum Brenner in King Vidor’s Solomon and Sheba.

The barebones Blu-ray of Solomon and Sheba.

Michele and I decided to make her and this film the primary focus of our Scholars from he Edge of Time appearance this month (see above).

New Edge Sword and Sorcery Kickstarter

The folks at New Edge Sword and Sorcery will be launching a Kickstarter very soon to fund publishing of issue 1 (issue 0 can be found on Amazon).

Personal copy of issue 0.

You can sign up to be notified when the Kickstarter goes live at this link.