Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Little Bit of Love: The Adventures of Louanna Lee



Little Bit of Love is the fourth episode in the crime fighting  “The Adventures of Louanna Lee” starring none other than  teen singer/actress Louanna Lee.  Think of Louanna as a bubbly, singing Nancy Drew for a new generation.  If any kids today even remember who Nancy Drew was?  Really?  Wow I feel old right now.



The basic premise of the series is that Louanna usually stumbles upon a mystery and solves it with the help of her friends and family, including her grandfather and cousin Victoria.



In Little Bit of Love, a party is planned for Louanna’s grandfather, played by Baltimore film regular George Stover, in the spooky Wittingham Manor.  Something isn’t quite right and after the lights go out people start to disappear. The evidence first points to Louanna’s boyfriend Sam, but is he really the guilty one?  Never fear Louanna Lee is on the case!  With the help of the police and a cool as ice cat burglar, Louanna is able to ferret out the real killer.



This was the first time I have seen one of the Adventures of Louanna Lee.  I have heard of her through my friends in the Baltimore film community, but assumed it was more of a teen series.  I always intended to watch an episode, but just never got around to it.  I have several friends who worked in Little Bit of Love which is only fair for me to say in the interest of transparency.  However I will try to not let this affect how I feel about the film, and judge it on its merits.



The DVD cover of Little Bit of Love refers to it as a “spooky whodunit.”   I was hoping for a little bit more “spooky” than what I got, which is probably my biggest complaint.  Hey, I’m a horror fan, I like it with a little blood and gore.  However I know this is aimed more at a family audience and small kids will find it spooky at times.  I miss those days before I got so jaded.

For a lower budget film the production values were very good.  For the most part I bought it.  The only scene I felt like I was watching effects versus real life was one scene in the rain.  Still that’s a tiny complaint and most viewers would never notice.  I can be a bit of an effects snob, but honestly I have seen bigger budget films with worse effects.

The more vetern actors all play it straight and give believable performances.  No one is phoning it in, they are all giving it their best. Leanna Chamish looks better than ever, and gives a great performance.  My friend Alfred Guy is the coolest cat burglar you will ever see. Props to you Al.   Louanna's acting chops might not be up to par with Stover and Chamish, but her personality is infectious, and bubbly and kids will take a liking to her real fast.  Plus I have to admit her songs do tend to get stuck in your head, and not in a Rebecca Black kind of way.



What I like most about Little Bit of Love, is that it reminds me of the television I loved when I was growing up; a time when television was filled with wholesome family fare like The Wonderful World of Disney, and The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries.  It was a time teens and preteens could get involved in action and adventure, and not have it resolve around sex.  I know kids are more jaded now and grow up faster so the question is, would kids enjoy this?



  I think a lot of them would if they got the chance.  The Adventures of Louanna Lee is, in my opinion a wholesome alternative to Disney now.  It’s not spooky enough to scare anyone except possibly the youngest kids.  The acting can be a bit hammy at times but I think this type of overacting will be found funny by older kids used to goofy Disney and Nick characters.  There’s also a hint of romance, but not enough to give parents cause to worry.



So would I pay to see Little Bit of Love at the theater?  No probably not, while it’s a decent movie it’s the type of film I would pay theater prices for, and I think my nephews would be too distracted by the arcade just outside in the lobby.  Would I buy it on DVD? Not for myself, but definitely for my nephews or kids.  It makes great home viewing for them.  While it might be a little less glitzy than Disney, it has enough humor to keep them entertained, when they are tired of the Xbox



At a time when more and more parents use the TV, and the internet, as a babysitter, the Adventures of Louanna Lee is a babysitter they won’t have to worry about throwing a wild party while they are gone.






Sunday, November 27, 2011

Hiss Hottie Mallika Sherawat


Scandalous Mallika Sherawat
Super Sexy Mallika Sherawat
Jennifer Lynch tapped into Indian mythology for her 2010 movie Hisss.  It features Mallika Sherawat as the shape changing super sexy snake goddess the Nagin.  Mallika heats up the film just like she has heated up Bollywood in general.  The beautiful Mallika has stirred controversy through out her native land by her willingness to show some skin and bring the sexy to her films.  India is ultra conservative and Mallika is anything but conservative

Check out a few pictures of the exquisite Mallika Sherawat, and then check out Hisss by Jennifer Lynch.
busty Mallika Sherawat
Bollywood Sexy Starlet Mallika Sherawat

sexy Mallika Sherawat
Hisss hottie Mallika Sherawat
Malliak Sherawat in a bikini
The hottest starlet in Bollywood Malliak Sherawat

Sexy star of Hisss, Mallika Sherawat
Sexy to the extreme Mallika Sherawat

super hot sexy Mallika Sherawat
Busty Sexy Mallika Sherawat

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sexy Santa Bethany

 Don't you just fucking hate it when people start celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving?  Some even start before Halloween.  Well not me, I am not celebrating until December, not decorating, not buying presents.  However I will enjoy Sexy Santa Bethany as she celebrates


Sexy Santa Bethany




Sexy Santa gift wrapped

Sexy Santa

Sexy Santa




Sexy Christmas

Sexy Santa Silent Night


Saturday, November 19, 2011

An Interview with Frazer Lee

I had the pleasure of meeting Frazer Lee several years ago in Hunt Valley Maryland. As with so many of my celebrity encounters back then, I was completely shitfaced when we first met. In fact I was shit faced most of that weekend. It was a fun time and we really hit it off so I picked up a copy of his short films Red Lines and On Edge. After watching the I became of fan of Frazer and consider him a personal friend.






This month Frazer’s newest E book The Lamplighters was released from Samhain publishing. It was the number one book on the horror best sellers list when it debuted and is still doing good as of my typing. Frazer was nice enough to grant me an interview over Facebook. Don’t beat me up to bad, this is my first interview J.







Dixie: Tell us a little bit about The Lamplighters?


Frazer: The Lamplighters is my first novel for Samhain Horror and is about a young woman, Marla Neuborn, who gets her dream post grad job working on an idyllic island - but then discovers things are not quite so rosy as the job spec would have her believe!



Dixie: I understand Lamplighters actually exist, did you coin the phrase? Or was it already in use?


Frazer: A friend told me about the 'real' lamplighters, who are basically caretakers in places like Monaco where the super-rich go out to play. I then realized I’d seen the term used elsewhere in novels by Dickens and le Carre among others.



Dixie: I’m about halfway through with The Lamplighters. It started pretty damn bloody, but I have a feeling it’s going to get bloodier?


Frazer: Oh it just might get a little bloodier! I don't want to give spoilers but suffice to say life on Meditrine Island is no picnic, that's for sure!



Dixie: Any plans to adapt The Lamplighters for the screen?


Frazer: I would love for that to happen if there were any interest.



Dixie: Is writing an E book any different that writing a traditional book? (a different thought process) Was the Lamplighters planned as an E book from the beginning?


Frazer: Nope, a novel is a novel whether it is released digitally or in print - the novel is the form, the product is the format. The Lamplighters eBook released on November 1st and the paperback follows February 7th 2012.



Dixie: Doug Bradley of Hellraiser fame, starred in your short films Red Lines and On Edge, as well as being attached to Urbane. How did you first meet Doug?


Frazer: I'd seen Doug in his Hellraiser movies of course, and attended a 'Behind the Mask' talk he did at the British Film Institute, but didn't meet him in person until we talked about 'On Edge'.

Dixie: Red Lines was my first experience of seeing Doug on screen without makeup, other than a few scenes in the Hellraiser series. To me his performance was more chilling without the pins.


Frazer: I'm glad to hear you were digging it. He's a fine actor and there's more to him than pins and latex for sure.



Dixie: Is there any word on when Panic Button will be released in the US?
Frazer: No news as yet, but keep an eye on www.panicbuttonmovie.com



Dixie: I have this weird thing, that I won't buy an E reader. I think some of my friends are looking at me like I might be the next Unabomber? I just mourn what I feel is the death knell of "real" book? Do you think this is weird? I otherwise love technology, but I'm just afraid when books exist only as files they can too easily be redacted and edited by big brother?


Frazer: Not weird at all, i don't own an E-reader device either, i love the tactile experience of a book, the smell of it. On those occasions where I’ve proofread a manuscript or a screenplay i have always, without exception, printed the thing off and read it that way. I write using a combo of handwritten notes & typing on my laptop but i suck at reading on-screen.



Dixie: Book burning have always been a tool of oppression and a rallying call for freedom. A file erasing party just doesn't have the same pizzazz, don’t you think?


Frazer: You make a good point there. In between that and the whole Wikileaks thing there's maybe a helluva horror/thriller story idea :)





Dixie: What is your next writing project? Anything in the oven now?


Frazer: Well, i have the movie novelization of 'Panic Button' coming out soon. The producers of the movie commissioned me to write it based on the screenplay. Other than that I’m lining up a couple of screenplay deals and am working on another horror novel.







Dixie: Pendragon rising was probably one of my favorite of your short stories. I love historical horror like Chelsea Quinn Yarbarough (sp) and of course Anne Rice. What's your take on this subgenre and do you plan on doing anything similar? Adam and Eve meet Cthuhlu maybe? Noah vs. The Kraken?


Frazer: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed that story, i really enjoyed writing it, it was one of those ideas that just buzzed around in my mind for ages and wouldn't go away. I love historical horror too, although to be accurate in the case of the King Arthur tales, mythological horror might be a better description. I'd love to do more and i do have another of those ideas that just won't go away but i won't mention it in case i scare the muse away!



Dixie: Remakes are all the rage in Hollywood, but also face a backlash from hardcore fans. If offered the chance to remake a horror classic would you do it? My personal feeling is, don't blame the guy getting a big break, as the film will get made anyway if the money is there. However I do get a bit angry when an established star desecrates a classic?


Frazer: Wow that's a big can of worms you've opened there Allen, i hope you're hungry :D I think it is the duty of indies to come up with the new ideas, you know? The new potential franchises, the new talent for the studios to then leap on. But it doesn't always happen like that, sadly. The studios aren't meant to take risks, it's not in their remit to do so, so you kinda expect them to churn out endless sequels and remakes. But the indies are only limited by the power of their imagination. Now, a few of the indie kids are remaking horror classics and i think they should maybe stop because they are just playing to the crowd. Horror fans and the industry are looking to these guys for innovation, you know?


If I was offered the chance to remake a horror classic, would i really see it as a chance or as a quick buck? On the one hand, I could take that gig and perhaps use it to help get an original work into production. Or I could maybe just have the balls to try and get the original work into production on its own merits, you know?





Dixie: If you could remake any film what would it be? or would you rather stick with original content?


Frazer: I can't think of a single film I would want to remake. I have several feature length screenplays I would LOVE to make though



Dixie: I think a lot of the rage at remakes from real fans, is that so many original projects never see the light "cough" Urbane "cough", and yet Hollywood wants to tinker with classics for a cheap buck. What's your feeling on this?


Frazer: I've learned over the years that it is in fact very common for dozens of great projects to never actually get made. I've also learned it is called the movie "business" for a very good reason!

Dixie: How hard is it to get a project to the big screen?


Frazer: Oh, it's incredibly hard but it all depends on your intent. If you wanna make a handheld phonecam zombie gorefest with your buddies then that's pretty easy to follow through on. If your intent is to pay people, shoot in a certain way, tell a big story...prepare to suffer because it is going to be a long hard road!





Dixie: Ok, I think that should wrap it up. I could honestly go into a dozen tangents think, but I need to finish the Lamplighters and my other dozen open projects. Any last thoughts?



Frazer: Only to say a big THANK YOU Allen for the chat, it's been most enjoyable. And anyone reading this, please say hi at http://www.frazerlee.com/. I'm also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorFrazerLee and on Twitter: http://twitter.com/frazer_lee



Thanks Frazer and best of luck on your future projects.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Meet Draven everyone

Reposted from Scares That Care

Ladies and Gentlemen; This is little guy is Draven (Named after the title character in the move “The Crow.”) Draven was born in July 2008 with hypo-plastic left heart syndrome – a severe heart defect where both chambers on the left side are under developed and do not pump blood. He required surgery at 6 days old and then had a second open heart surgery at 5 months old. He went into heart failure in November 2010 and went into the hospital for two months, was released as stable and was placed on a transplant list in June for a new heart. Currently he gets bi-weekly chemo treatments to kill off his antibodies and antigens so he can match to a new heart and not reject it.

Read the rest of the story here
http://scaresthatcare.org/site/uncategorized/have-a-heart-for-draven