popplers

A damn fine cup of coffee.

Do you like your coffee "black as midnight on a moonless night"? Today is the release date for the new Twin Peaks DVD box set, the so-called Definitive Gold Box Edition. Unlike the previously released DVD sets, this one has the pilot (and the European version of the pilot), new interviews, re-mastered episodes, yada yada.

Zombies on a train.

"Passengers on a German train mistook a Halloween reveller dressed up as a gore-covered zombie for a murder victim and called the police.

The 24-year-old man fell into a drunken slumber on his way home from a Halloween party in Hamburg, police in the northern town of Bad Segeberg said on Monday. […]"

Those Wacky Japanese

Somehow, I think that in the U.S., this wouldn't prevent you from being beaten up. Quite the opposite, I fear.

These elaborate defenses are coming at a time when crime rates are actually declining in Japan. But the Japanese, sensitive to the slightest signs of social fraying, say they feel growing anxiety about safety, fanned by sensationalist news media. Instead of pepper spray, though, they are devising a variety of novel solutions, some high-tech, others quirky, but all reflecting a peculiarly Japanese sensibility.

Take the “manhole bag,” a purse that can hide valuables by unfolding to look like a sewer cover. Lay it on the street with your wallet inside, and unwitting thieves are supposed to walk right by. There is also a line of knife-proof high school uniforms made with the same material as Kevlar, and a book with tips on how to dress even the nerdiest children like “pseudohoodlums” to fend off schoolyard bullies.

I'd pay to see that

Via Fark.com, The Quig Spot offers up The 6 Best Bruce Campbell Films You'll Never See.

BUBBA NOSFERATU AND THE CURSE OF THE SHE-VAMPIRES

[…] What sucks even more about this is that Paul Giamatti was going to costar as Campbell's evil boss. Plus, the film's set in Vegas, and it's got she-vampires. Fuckin' she-vampires! How could you possibly have creative differences when your movie's got Elvis duking it out with she-vampires?

Elementary, my dear Yog-sothoth

Another spooky Hallowe'en treat: HarperCollins has made available Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald as a free audiobook! (unabridged, large MP3)

We had the good fortune to hear Neil read this (well, most of it, anyway) at Torcon in 2003. I can still hear him saying, to the unfortunate timekeeper who was trying to clear the room for the next session, "They will kill you, you know."

If you're not the audiobook type, there is a PDF file of the story available at neilgaiman.com, but then you won't be able to hear Neil's lovely voice. (5 MB PDF file)

And if this wonderful Holmes/ Lovecraft pastiche is to your liking, pick up Fragile Things (new paperback reprint edition) for more goodies, including October in the Chair, Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire, and How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

Zombie quickies!

• Three cheers for the return of the October Zombie-Thon! (I realize I'm late to the party, but start here with Day 1: Dead & Deader.)
  "One year ago, I was just a guy with a dream— to spend the month of October introducing the readers of 411 to some of the lesser-known zombie movies out there. 31 days later, my dream was an accomplished reality and, as a result, my brain was pretty much mush.
  And yet here I am again, one year later, ready to put my mind through the same savage assault… ahhh, who am I kidding. Of course I was gonna do it again. Because as mind-numbing as this can sometimes seem, I do love me my zombies."
• Head up to Maine for leaf-peeping and braaains: Biddeford-based zombie film "2" premieres at City Theater on Saturday, October 27.
• Zombie yoga?
  "The R.S.V.P. responses from the yoga blogs were like: 'I love yoga and I love zombie movies. I've been waiting for this!' It was the chocolate and the peanut butter thing for all these people."

A day late and a Fluffernutter short...

Alas, we missed out on Saturday's What the Fluff? 2007, an awesome Somerville event celebrating all things Fluff-tastic.

What the Fluff? A Celebration of Union Square Invention
Saturday, Sept. 29, 4-7pm
Union Square Plaza

It’s the 90th anniversary of Fluff, invented by the culinary genius Archibald Query, right here in Union Square. This year, ArtsUnion will once again pay homage to this yummy, sticky, sweet American spreadable treat. Artists, musical and theatrical performers, humorists and the general public will indulge in a madcap festival that celebrates the culinary invention and nostalgic genius of FLUFF.

I can't wait for next year's festivities— come for the cooking contest (Grand Prize: a private tour of the factory), stay for the Flufferettes.