The King Cast

I told you I wouldn’t be away for so long this time. So here’s part two of my look at Stephen King and politics, wrapped up with a shiny “Episode 30″ bow on it.

This episode has discussions of Under the Dome, The Tommyknockers, and 11/22/63, as well as news about movie  adaptations of Joyland and “A Good Marriage,” as well as a fond farewell to Ray Harryhausen.

Hope you like it.

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Sad news today for those of us who love and loved the great monster movies of the past. Ray Harryhausen, the man behind the special effects for countless films, has passed away at the age of 92.

Here’s a letter from Ray Harryhausen, read at a tribute to Famous Monsters of Filmland’s Forrest J. Ackerman:

There was a 2011 documentary, Ray Harryhausen: Special Effects Titan, that I haven’t seen but desperately want to RIGHT NOW.

There are many clips on Youtube, for example this one, showing the direct line from Harryhausen to Jurassic Park:

And the UK newspaper The Telegraph has a wonderful obituary. The Tely obituary notes his long frienship with Ray Bradbury, who fictionalized their work together in the 1950s in his novel A Graveyard For Lunatics.

Take some time to remember Ray Harryhausen, and to appreciate his work whenever you can.

I know. I KNOW. It’s been way too long. But when life is tough, some of the more enjoyable parts of it can fall away.

But I’m back. And I promise to be back soon.

Richard Dawson and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the adaptation of “The Running Man.” Read the book instead, willya? You’ll thank me.

This time, I’m taking a flying tour through the Stephen King bibliography to look at how he deals with politics, and what this might tell us about King the man.

In this episode, I talk about Hearts in Atlantis, Firestarter, The Dark Tower series, the story “Everything’s Eventual”, and the Bachman books: Rage, Roadwork, The Running Man, and The Long Walk.

Next time, I’m going to continue the look at politics with a discussion of The Tommyknockers, Under the Dome and 11/22/63.

Enjoy the episode in all of its hour-long glory. Download it here!

As always, love feedback: thekingcast@gmail.com

Kingcast host Bob has a life outside the world of King — such as it is.

And this weekend, I’m at the Ontario Council of Folk Festival’s conference, with 700 or so of Canada’s and the world’s best roots and folk musicians and presenters.

And who do I meet at a showcase performance but … Kingcast guest Nicole Christian!

It was an unexpected and pleasant surprise to get to meet the cowriter of “Barn Dance” and hear her live. Thanks to friend James Dean for the photo.

The announcement of Doctor Sleep’s 2013 release date has got me thinking. You may remember that almost a year

Courtesy of Lilja’s Library, a cover for the Dutch edition of Doctor Sleep.

ago, Kingcast 16 was the first place you got to hear an excerpt from Doctor Sleep, a sequel to 1977′s The Shining.

Here’s what I’m wondering about in my head:

• Are there novels I wish had sequels?
• Has SK written sequels I wish he hadn’t?
• Can the novel Doctor Sleep survive the pop-culture impact that Stanley Kubrick’s film version of The Shining has had? Can we read Jack Torrance without seeing Jack Nicholson?

I’m hoping to record later this week, so if you have thoughts about this, let me know.

I’m back with a bit of a survey through the worlds of fatherhood in Stephen King, prompted by the death of my dad on August 11.

Also have some tidbits on the Dark Tower movie project, the new production of Carrie, and a little bragging. Enjoy!

Hi folks:

RIP Salem’s Lot, 1975-2012.
Fondly remembered.

I’m back with episode 27 of The Kingcast, featuring some thoughts about the power of secrets in Stephen King’s work. In other news… there was a death in the family last week. I’m a little broken up about it, but I know that with your support I’ll get over it.

In addition to some meandering about secrets, there’s always Stephen King news to be shared. For example:

• Justin Long is booked to star in “The Ten O’Clock People”, an adaptation of the story which appeared in 1992′s “Nightmares and Dreamscapes.” The adaptation will be written and directed by Tom Holland, who previously adapted “The Langoliers” for TV and “Thinner”  for the big screen. (He also played Carl Hough in “The Stand”). Here’s a little glamour shot of a younger Mr. Holland:

• The Rock Bottom Remainders recently played their last show. The band, which has featured tons of authors but has had a core membership including Dave Barry, King, Ridley Pearson, and Amy Tan, has been playing benefits and fun shows for nearly 20 years. Dave Barry claims they’ve quit because nobody can get through a show without a pee break anymore.
• Haven starts season three in September. A primer on the series will catch new viewers up on the action.
• My fellow Stephen King podcaster and fan Matt Jacobs recently nailed a remarkable guest to interview– physicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson. You can read about the encounter on his site.
• Via the Stephen King forum, I got a chuckle or two out of “The King’s Road,” a series by Mind Circus Comics featuring SK in some wacky (and possibly NSFW) adventures.

In any case, here’s the episode. Enjoy. As always, your comments are welcomed.

Yes, I’m back. Been tackling a lot of new things – teaching part-time, a new venture in the works, and new clients for my day gig. This podcast was one of the things that “gave.” But I’ve been thinking of it. And you.

Ray Bradbury as I will remember him.

But this weekend is the final PAB conference. PAB was originally “Podcasters Across Borders.” And I’ve been to several of them. So as I prepared to present at the final PAB, podcasting has been more and more on my mind. So I’m back.

This is episode 26, right? So where is episode 25? I have episode 25 half done. I will get it completed and posted VERY soon, I promise. Then we’ll be back on track.

In any case, this episode is also brought to you by the sad loss of Ray Bradbury this week, at the age of 91. He will be missed, by me and many others. Thank you, Ray.

There’s also some thoughts about “Wind Through the Keyhole.” And you might not want to have your plot spoiled, so be careful.

Enjoy.

Matthew Kirschenbaum

Episode 24 of the Kingcast features some news from Kingland, a mention of Matt Jacob and my discussion of “The Dark Tower 7: The Dark Tower” on his SK Fancast, a mini-review of David Cronenberg’s 1983 film The Dead Zone (a film cast by episode 23 guest Jane Jenkins) and of course, a feature interview with Matthew Kirschenbaum.

Matthew Kirschenbaum is an associate professor of English at the University of Maryland. He’s currently working on a history of word processing for Harvard University Press called Track Changes (due out next year), and recently gave a talk at the New York Public Library with the irresistible title of “Stephen King’s Wang.”

You can find out just where that title comes from, and a lot more, in our conversation.

For Toronto listeners, Matthew is speaking at the University of Toronto on March 1.

Enjoy the podcast, and always feel free to give me your feedback at thekingcast@gmail.com.

Casting Director Jane Jenkins (r) with partner Janet Hirshenson

Happy New Year, all. Episode 23 of the podcast and the first of 2012 must begin on a sad note of condolence to the family and friends of John Dalglish. John was a leading contributor to the Stephen King Message Board and was one of Stephen King’s Constant Readers. He passed away recently, or in King-parlance “reached the clearing at the end of the path”, leaving behind a loving family and many friends both virtual and real. This episode is dedicated to his memory.

In any case, some news of Wind Through the Keyhole, a look forward to upcoming Kingcasts, and then an interview with Jane Jenkins, partner in The Casting Company.

From their site (emphasis mine):

“Since 1981, Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson of The Casting Company have cast over 100 feature films, including the Academy Award winning “A Beautiful Mind” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” “Something’s Gotta Give” ” Airforce One” “Jurassic Park” “The American President” “Apollo 13″ ” The Lost World” “A Few Good Men” “Backdraft” “Misery” “Ghost” “When Harry Met Sally” “Mystic Pizza” “Beetlejuice” “Stand By Me” “Home Alone” “The Outsiders” and more recently “Transformers” “Angels and Demons” and “The Da Vinci Code.”

Jane began her career in entertainment as an actress in New York City. She entered the casting profession while working in film production. Her first project was “On The Nickel” an independent film written, produced and starring her friend Ralph Waite. She soon began working with other casting directors, including Jennifer Shull, who would later connect her with Janet Hirshenson. 

…Today, they are established as two of the premier casting directors in the entertainment industry.” 

Jane joined me last month to talk about what casting directors do, and some of her experiences working on Stephen King — and non-Stephen King too — projects. I’ll bet you’ll have a hard time trying to imagine who the original choice for Paul Sheldon in Misery was!

Leave me a comment or drop me a line!