Oh, My Poor Jets

March 22, 2014 at 7:56 pm

Life is hard when you're a Jets fan.

I've been pretty busy these past two weeks, too busy to pay much attention to football. But now I'm home and catching up, and wishing I hadn't.

It is a good thing we still have Doc Brown's time machine around here somewhere. I need to go back in time and prevent the Jets from… well, from doing pretty much everything they have done of late.

Letting Antonio Cromartie leave was a mistake. Not going after Darrelle Revis when Tampa Bay cut him loose was a worse mistake. Letting him get picked up by Evil Little Bill and the Patriots was the worst mistake of all.

Instead the Jets signed Eric Decker from the Broncos. Well, okay. Not a bad move. They desperately needed wide receivers. Geno Smith was pretty bad last year, but he wasn't helped by having no one to throw to. So now we add Decker. Who was a good, solid receiver for Denver, but nothing special… until Peyton Manning came to town. Then his stats went through the roof. Unfortunately for Gang Green, he does not get the bring Peyton with him to New York, which means that he is going to go back to being a good, solid receiver again this year, but nothing special. And maybe a notch below that, since he will have Geno throwing to him. Oh, and then there are those two games against New England. Expect Evil Little Bill to assign Revis to cover Decker. Odds are good that in those two games, Revis will catch more of Geno's balls than Decker does.

Decker improves the offense a bit, yes. But the defense, which was responsible for most of the Gang Green's Ws last year, has gotten a lot worse. No Cromartie, no Revis… no shutdown corners. It will not be pretty.

That was bad enough. But then…

I expected them to cut Mark Sanchez. Hell, everybody expected that. I still think it's a mistake. Sanchez took the Jets to two straight AFC championship games, and he would have won the starting QB job last year if he hadn't gotten hurt in preseason. If he's healed, and they gave him a chance this season, I expect he might have won the job back this year, in an even competition. I have seen nothing from Geno Smith to make me think he's better than Sanchez. Maybe that's why he got cut: it would have been pretty embarassing for the Jets front office if Mark outperformed Geno in preseason.

But no, he's gone. And to replace him, we've brought in…

Michael Vick?

Really? REALLY?

I have been rooting for the Jets since they were the Titans, but I don't know that I can bring myself to root for Michael Vick. Football wise, he's old, he's battered, he's gun-shy… a "mentor for Geno," I hear, but really? Thing is, though, it is impossible to consider Vick purely from a football standpoint.

All in all, considering what the Jets have done this pre-season, I have only two words:

GO GIANTS!

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Tags: nfl

A New New Trailer

March 22, 2014 at 4:40 pm

HBO unveiled another season 4 trailer while I was off in New York City for the red-carpet premiere at Lincoln Center and the Epic Fan Experience in Brooklyn. Most of you have likely seen this one already, on one of the fan sites, but for those who haven't, here 'tis.

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It was a great trip, by the way. New York City remains amazing, and in between all the official events, I found time for a pizza crawl through Brooklyn, and a visit to Bayonne, city of my birth.

More on all this later, if I ever find the time.

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Tags: game of thrones, hbo, travels

The Rogues Are Coming…

March 12, 2014 at 11:56 am

. . . and much sooner than expected.

Our good friends at Bantam Spectra have just informed me and my partner-in-crime Gardner Dozois that they have moved up the publication date of our next mammoth crossgenre anthology ROGUES. . . to June 17. Yes, this year. Three months from now, in other words.

If you enjoyed WARRIORS and DANGEROUS WOMEN, we think you'll love ROGUES. It may be our strongest anthology yet. We have some amazing writers and some incredible stories in this one. The table of contents, as previously announced:

George R.R. Martin “Everybody Loves a Rogue” (Introduction)
Joe Abercrombie “Tough Times All Over”
Gillian Flynn “What Do You Do?”
Matthew Hughes “The Inn of the Seven Blessings”
Joe R. Lansdale “Bent Twig”
Michael Swanwick “Tawny Petticoats”
David Ball “Provenance”
Carrie Vaughn “The Roaring Twenties”
Scott Lynch “A Year and a Day in Old Theradane”
Bradley Denton “Bad Brass”
Cherie Priest “Heavy Metal”
Daniel Abraham “The Meaning of Love”
Paul Cornell “A Better Way to Die”
Steven Saylor “Ill Seen in Tyre”
Garth Nix “A Cargo of Ivories”
Walter Jon Williams “Diamonds From Tequila”
Phyllis Eisenstein “The Caravan to Nowhere”
Lisa Tuttle “The Curious Affair of the Dead Wives”
Neil Gaiman “How the Marquis Got His Coat Back”
Connie Willis “Now Showing”
Patrick Rothfuss “The Lightning Tree”

Twenty stories not enough for you?

Okay, okay, we've decided to add a twenty-first, for all you fans of fake history.

"The Princess and the Queen," Archmaester Gyldayn's somewhat abbreviated account of the Dance of the Dragons, got a great response from all the folks who read it in DANGEROUS WOMEN, so we've dipped back into the archmaester's somewhat disorganized piles of scrolls and crumbling manuscripts, and brought forth another piece of his unpublished history. "The Rogue Prince, or, the King's Brother," will tell the story of the years leading up to the calamitious events of "The Princess and the Queen" during the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen, with particular attention to the role played by the king's brother, Prince Daemon, a rogue if there ever was one. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as you did "The Princess and the Queen."

(And yes, sadly, "The Rogue Prince" is an abridged account as well. For the full version, you will all need to wait some years, until we publish the complete history of House Targaryen in the GRRMarillion… which, by the way, I've decided I am going to call FIRE AND BLOOD, since the GRRMarillion joke has grown somewhat stale by now).

We're got something for everyone in ROGUES — SF, mystery, historical fiction, epic fantasy, sword and sorcery, comedy, tragedy, crime stories, mainstream. And rogues, cads, scalawags, con men, thieves, and scoundrels of all descriptions. If you love Harry Flashman and Cugel the Clever, as I do, this is the book for you.

Oh, and speaking of DANGEROUS WOMEN… it's now HUGO NOMINATION time, and we have lots of great stories in both DW and OLD MARS that are eligible, so I hope you'll remember some of them when filling out your ballots.

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Tags: anthologies, bantam spectra

One More Peek at Season Four

March 9, 2014 at 11:20 pm

HBO unveiled another trailer for season four tonight, just before the finale of TRUE DETECTIVE. (And what a helluva series that was).

For those poor souls who do not have HBO, as a public service, here you go:

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I loved it, myself. But I'm hardly an objective audience.

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Tags: game of thrones, hbo

Winter In Seattle

March 8, 2014 at 7:07 pm

Winter came to Seattle on March 1.

That was the day that the LTD Gallery opened its latest show, featuring artwork inspired by A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE.

I had been hoping to be there in person for the opening, but alas, there's too much work to do and too little time, so I had to stay home and miss it. But don't you guys in Seattle and nearby environs (Vancouver, Portland, Eugene, what have you) make the same mistake. The show will be open until March 23, and it looks as though there's some great stuff there. Check out the piece in WIRED>

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2014/03/game-thrones-gallery-exhibit/

It's great to see a gallery like LTD featuring fantasy art. Those of you lucky enough to see the show, do come back here afterwards and let us know how you enjoyed it, and what your favorite pieces were.

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Tags: a song of ice and fire, art collecting, artwork

Farewell to the Iron Islands

March 8, 2014 at 6:55 pm

Fans of fake history rejoice. I am finally done with the Iron Islands.

And why does that make me so pleased? Well, because it was the last little bit I had to write for our long-awaited and much-postponed concordance, THE WORLD OF ICE & FIRE. Which we've been working on (along with many other things) lo, these many years. ((And yes, yes, it's late, what else is new? Please do not blame my faithful collaborators, Elio Garcia and Linda Antonsson. They finished their part ages ago, and tossed the ball to me. What can I say? I remain as slow as ever. And I added a lot.))

Anyway, it's done at last. At least the writing part. Now it is all in the hands of the artists, and our valiant editor Anne Groell. (This will be a coffee table book, heavily and lavishly illustrated, so there's LOTS of art)).

Assuming we don't run into any problems with the art, THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE will be released this fall. October, I think, but don't quote me on that.

And HEY, this means another monkey is off my back. Only a couple left gibbering up there now. That little joker monkey, HIGH STAKES. And… gulp…

SON OF KONG.

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Tags: bantam spectra, world of ice and fire, writing

The Bar Is Open!

March 8, 2014 at 6:41 pm

Hey, you guys missed the fun.

Our bar opening at the Jean Cocteau was a huge success. In no small part thanks to Ernie Cline (author of the wonderful READY PLAYER ONE), who turned up with his time machine… ah.. customized DeLorean. And our own Doc Brown… ah… Jules.

Take a look. (Photos by Tara Gibbens)

;

Miss it? Don't worry. Doc Brown will be bringing his DeLorean back in a few weeks… for BACK TO THE FUTURE 2.

(Oh, and our Flux Capacitor Cocktail was a big hit too).

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Tags: jean cocteau, movies

Grand Opening

February 27, 2014 at 11:24 pm

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The bar at the Jean Cocteau has been serving beer and wine and a few mixed drinks for most of the past month, but all the while construction was still going on during the days, as the last few finishing touches were done. But now the work is finished, and next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday we are having our official

GRAND OPENING

We'll be having free movies all three days, from opening to close. The Tuesday matinee will be CHARADE, with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. On Wednesday, it's ONE-EYED JACKS with Marlon Brando. On Thursday, Abbott & Costello in JACK AND THE BEANSTALK. We're running late shows all three days as well, starting at 11:00 pm: SPIDER BABY on Tuesday, PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE on Wednesday, and THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE on Thursday. And in between, all three days, we'll be screening BACK TO THE FUTURE at 6:10 and 8:30.

Oh, we'll be showing assorted cartoons and short subjects as well. (And of course, lots of trailers). And we will be offering a special drink, the Flux Capacitor, along with four kinds of draft beer, wine, beer, the best popcorn in New Mexico, pizza, candy, all the usual.

And that's not even the coolest part. The coolest part is that we will have Doc Brown's TIME MACHINE with us as well! Yes, complete with the real flux capacitor, though as I recall this one doesn't have a Mr. Fusion yet. It will be tooling around Santa Fe starting on Tuesday morning, and during show times you will find it right in front of the theatre (assuming our parking permit comes through). Oh, and we'll have our own Doc Brown to explain its workings to you.

And on Wednesday (ONE DAY ONLY) we will have the DeLorean's owner, Ernie Cline, on hand as well… showing off the car, and signing copies of his novel READY PLAYER ONE.

The DeLorean will be hard to top, admittedly… but we hope our new bar will be a star attraction as well. Even if you don't have time for a movie, drop by and see it, we hope you'll think it is as cool as we do. Remember, no charge for admission. For those three days only, all movies are FREE.

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Tags: jean cocteau, movie theatre, movies, signings

Season Four Is Coming…

February 25, 2014 at 12:01 am

… to Santa Fe.

Yes, yes, it's coming to the rest of the country too. HBO will broadcast episode one of season 4, entitled… ooops, sorry, don't think I am allowed to reveal the title yet… on Sunday, April 6.

But on Saturday, March 29, 375 lucky New Mexicans will get a chance to see what the rest of the country will need to wait another week and day for. I am thrilled to announce that on that day, by special arrangement with HBO, we will be presenting three advance screenings of episode 401 at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

Last year, many of you will recall, HBO had a gala Season 3 Premiere in Los Angeles, with a huge red carpet screening at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, followed by an incredible party at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel across the street. Even if you weren't there, you probably saw the pictures. That LA premiere was followed by advance screenings and premiere parties in San Francisco and Seattle, which were almost as exciting.

Our Santa Fe event will not be THE Premiere for season four. One of those is in the works, for a city considerably larger than Santa Fe and a theatre considerably larger than the Jean Cocteau, but I will leave it for HBO to make that announcement when the time is ripe.

Our Santa Fe screenings will follow the big red carpet premiere, the way San Francisco and Seattle followed LA last year. We expect to have a red carpet too, though I make no promises about who might show up to walk on it… besides myself, of course. I'll be there, for sure.

photo Macall B. Polay HBO

The Jean Cocteau is a small hall, with only 125 seats, so we will be showing the episode three times.

The evening screening is by invitation only. That's the red carpet screening. And there will be a huge party following at the Sanbusco Center right across the parking lot from the Cocteau. That's by invitation only too, alas. Sorry.

But we wanted to do something for the fans as well. So even before the VIP screening and party, we'll be showing episode 401 twice that day, for a few lucky members of the general public. There will be one screening in the afternoon, and one that morning. And here's something cool: the first show, the morning show, will be the Spanish language version of episode 401. New Mexico has a huge Hispanic community, and we wanted to include them as well… so in a sense, the Santa Fe premiere WILL be a world premiere… for Spanish. (The afternoon showing will be English).

photo Macall B. Polay HBO

I hear you asking… "how do I get tickets to the Santa Fe premiere of season 4??"

Two ways. Luck and determination.

We have 125 tickets for each show. About 75 of those seats will be given away ahead of time, as door prizes to those attending the weekly GAME OF THRONES marathon shows, and various other movies showing at the Jean Cocteau. The marathons are first come, first seated, and we can't always fit everyone in — some nights we've had to turn away as many as a hundred, when the lines were just too long — but those who do get in are all given a raffle ticket, and at the end of the evening, we draw the names of a few lucky winners out of a dragon's egg. We have other door prizes as well, so even if you don't win the coveted season 4 premiere tickets, you may go home with a calendar, a Funko Pop doll, a signed book, a movie pass, a stuffed direwolf, or some other goodie.

((The next marathon screening is this Wednesday. We will be screening episodes six, seven, and eight from season two, Kit Harington will be joining us via Skype, Spirit Wolf Sanctuary will be bringing up two of their wolves… and yes, we expect to give away four tickets to the season four premiere, two to the English language screening, two the Spanish. Each ticket admits two. So get in line early if you want your chance to win)).

photo Helen Sloan HBO

Not all the tickets will be given away as door prizes, however. We are holding back about forty for both the morning and afternoon showings. Those will be awarded the same way the tickets to our marathon showings are : first come, first seated.

There's lots more surprises in store, but I will save those announcements for later down the line. For now, suffice it to say:

WINTER IS COMING TO SANTA FE!

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Tags: game of thrones, hbo

Magic & Mystery

February 19, 2014 at 1:17 am

Everyone needs a little magic in his life.

So come join us at the Jean Cocteau next week, for MAGIC & MYSTERY WEEK. Starting this Friday, the whole week will devoted to wizards, sorcerers, illusionists, and practitioners of the dark arts (like screenwriting).

For starts, we have three movies opening.

DESPERATE ACTS OF MAGIC is a delightful new romantic comedy about magicians.

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THE PRESTIGE… well, what can I say? Based on the novel by Christopher Priest, this tale of a bitter feud between two rival magicians is becoming a classic, and may well be the best film about the world of magic ever made. Directed by Christopher Nolan, adapted from the novel by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, it stars Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johanssen, and Michael Caine.

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And, for our midnight shows, we have THE RAVEN, Edgar Allen Poe by way of Roger Corman, starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff. (Yes, and Jack Nicholson, believe it or not).

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The movies are just part of Magic and Mystery Week, however.

We also thrilled to present the first live-in-person magic ever offered at the Jean Cocteau: three performances by the Amazing MISTY LEE, straight from LA's famed Magic Castle. Misty will be performing three shows only, so be sure to catch them if you're in the area.

CocteauPoster-MistyLee

And last, but certainly not least, on Sunday February 23, we will be joined at the Cocteau by JONATHAN NOLAN, screenwriter on THE PRESTIGE and MEMENTO, showrunner on PERSON OF INTEREST, and all around terrific talent. Jonathan will be introducing THE PRESTIGE and answering questions about the film… and he and I will also be doing a dialogue about scriptwriting and adaptation on Sunday afternoon. Should be fun.

Jonah headshot high res

Advance tickets to the movies, the magic shows, and the dialogue are all available on the Cocteau website.

So come join the fun. We promise not to saw you in half.

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Tags: films, jean cocteau

Not a Blog

Oh, My Poor Jets

A New New Trailer

The Rogues Are Coming…

One More Peek at Season Four

Winter In Seattle

Farewell to the Iron Islands

The Bar Is Open!

Grand Opening

Season Four Is Coming…

Magic & Mystery

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