I’m not a huge football fan. I don’t know half the rules, and that may be an overestimation. But I do enjoy watching a game every now and then to pass the time, often when I’m doing something else. The Detroit/Philadelphia game yesterday afternoon was one of the most entertaining I’ve seen in a long time. Over the course of the game, more than 8″ of snow built up on the field. They tried to keep the yard lines and end zone markers clear, but for the most part the snow simply amassed. It was so funny to see a punt hit the ground and then just stick. Or to see a player do something he might not ordinarily attempt because he knew the snow would break his fall. Snow angels in the end zone, that was cool, too.
My article about the campy horror film You Can’t Kill Stephen King is now up at FEARnet. I received the editor’s report on the essay I wrote during Thanksgiving week and it was very well received. I have a few editorial comments to address. Then we see if the publisher likes it.
I wrote and edited a 250-word story for the Apex flash fiction contest yesterday. I’ve had the guidelines kicking around on my desk for a while but I came up with a story that fit the bill while I wasn’t even thinking about it, and then the title sealed the deal because it was, in my opinion, perfect.
I thought that The Dark Tower Companion would drain away sales from The Road to the Dark Tower, but my royalty check for the last six months was even higher than the one for the six months before that. So, cool. By the way, The Stephen King Illustrated Companion is on sale for 47% off at Barnes and Noble. Makes a great Christmas gift!
We saw Philomena on Saturday, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. It’s the story of an unwed teenage Irish mother whose child is taken from her by nuns and sold for adoption. Fifty years later, she decides to track the boy down, and is assisted by a former journalist and political wonk. It’s a charming film, but it’s not all feel-good as it confronts a harsh reality and not all of the outcomes are Hallmark moments. Dench is as good as you would expect, but Coogan keeps up with her admirably. She is the story’s moral compass and he is the stand-in for an enraged audience. Highly recommended.
Last night we saw Andrew Newman on Netflix. It’s about a guy (Colin Firth) who decides to chuck it all and start a new life with a new name (the film’s title). Before he executes his escape from Florida, he meets up with a wacky woman (Emily Blunt) with a sad past. The film is sort of like a cross between Bonnie and Clyde and Walter Mitty as they adopt the personas of people they meet on a road trip to Indiana. It’s a quirky, strange film, and the two stars give it their all, but I’d only give it about a C or C+. It has its moments.
Then we watched the first two episodes of Michael Palin’s Himalaya series. I enjoy his travelogue series, starting with Around the World in 80 Days. Netflix has a couple of others I haven’t seen, so I expect we’ll tear through those. It’s a little like The Amazing Race without the other contestants. He gets to go to places most people will never see and do interesting things there. He is intrepid and courageous and asks all sorts of questions.
Speaking of The Amazing Race, I was glad to see that Amy and Jason won. Though it often comes down to the final puzzle, it was really the airdrop challenge that determined the winner. Amy aced it and the others took a dozen or more tries. That gave Amy and Jason the lead they needed. That Marie was a real piece of work. It came out in the finale that she had forced her partner (her ex, in fact) to agree to a 60/40 split of their winnings. I felt bad for Nicole. Her husband turned into a real meanie in the last few legs.
It will be hard to top last week’s episode of Survivor. Given the choice between ganging up on someone or possibly being sent home in a random drawing, three players opted for the latter. Gutsy move, and it paid off for Tyson, who is now sitting pretty with a secret immunity idol in his pocket. If he plays smart, he should make final four without problem. Should be interesting to see mother and daughter go head to head at Redemption Island, with Laura as the spoiler. Last week’s RI outcome was a surprise. Just goes to show that you can be a reasonably strong contender and still have your house of cards collapse around you.
