Get the Under Angels paperback edition here. A green one, are you? Get the Under Angels for Kindle here here.

Under Angels book trailer:

Loved this one.

(via Huffington Post)

RELATED: Pete Durante is a war dog trainer and crossword puzzle enthusiast…

Six months ago to the hour, I tied it up with the person who saved my life. Love you, M. The view’s even better from this side of the sun. ♥+

RELATED: How I Met Mick

(via Julia Percha)

Walt Disney’s re-imagineering of Martin Scorsese’s classic film “Taxi Driver” follows Mickey Mouse-obsessed Travis Bickle as he looks for love in a rapidly transforming New York City.

(by Bryan Boyce)

Via Cracked, a collection of interesting photos of famous people. Included here are Martin Luther King, Stephen Hawking, Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton, Adolf Hitler, and my old pal, Mr. Fred Rogers.

You also might like this.

(via xkcd.com)

RELATED: Primer

M with Bobcat Goldthwait, screening/QA of God Bless America, Los Angeles Film School, 05/07/2012.

I’ve admittedly never been a fan of Bobcat (or Robin Williams or Howie Mandel or Gilbert Gottfried or any other manic ’80s comic for that matter), but we had fun at this one. Destined to be a cult classic. Think Natural Born Killers meets Office Space. The political rant gets heavy-handed at times, but not in an unexpected way.

The best part of this story — and the reason Bobcat came up to us immediately afterward to say hi — was because of an exchange that had happened halfway through the QA between him and M. Hilarious; it’ll be on Jeff Goldsmith’s podcast in a few days or so. I’ll post it later.

Nutshell: the flick is a black comedy about a decent-hearted yet disenfranchised guy whose so fed up with our over-connected society that he guns up and goes on a killing spree, killing people that piss him off. Loud neighbors, screaming infants, reality show producers, political talk show hosts, etc. There was a particular scene where he mowed down a group of rude people in a movie theater.

We were sitting in the front row. About an hour into the QA, M was tending to a text on her phone. Bobcat called her out in comic fashion. The irony spoke for itself. Not just because it echoed the content of the film we’d just watched, but because M is constantly accusing ME of paying too much attention to my phone while SHE is talking.

It was a good night. What became clear after the QA was that the whole hyperactive “Bobcat thing” we’re so familiar with has always been a schtick. Behind the scenes, he’s a pretty mellow sweetheart of a guy.

Maurice Sendak has died at the age of 83. He authored perhaps my favorite final line of any story: “And it was still hot.”

From earlier this year, a couple funny interviews with Sendak and Colbert:

With the launch of the paperback edition just weeks away, the Under Angels ebook is now part of the Kindle Owner’ Lending Library for Amazon Prime members. You know who you are!

For those unfamiliar with what’s happening right now in the ebook scene, Amazon Prime is a program through Amazon that’s similar to the “Watch Instantly” all-you-can-eat model on Netflix. With Amazon Prime, Kindle owners can choose from thousands of books to borrow for free — including over 100 current and former New York Times Bestsellers — as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates.

As of today, Under Angels is in that pool. Come and get it!

Under Angels is a supernatural thriller, with elements that’ll turn on any fan of ghost stories, Jacob’s Ladder, Titanic, The Crow, dogs, WWII history, vintage Los Angeles, and Words with Friends. The novel is an exceptionally tight read, with some people claiming to have devoured it in a single day. Check out what readers are saying.

Lots of Under Angels updates coming down the pipe. Two good ways to stay in the loop:

1. Like the Under Angels Facebook page.

2. Subscribe to the Under Angels newsletter.

Under Angels book trailer:

From the old cartoon. Great jam. I always loved that deceptive cadence.

MCA RIP

While we’re at it, we might as well revisit the classic featuring Slayer’s Kerry King on guitar:

Adam Yauch, known as MCA from the Beastie Boys, has died of a cancerous salivary gland. He was 47.

Quick story:

In 1986/7, I was a senior in high school and wrote for the school’s paper called the Fore n Aft. In the summer of 1986, the San Pedro High School campus was used for the John Hughes film called Some Kind of Wonderful, starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Lea Thompson. I was taking a chemistry class that summer while they were filming.

In 1987, the film was released, and our newspaper staff received passes to the movie’s premiere at what was then known as the Mann Chinese Theater up here in Hollywood. I went up early with my brother and a friend, and we got in.

We sat about four rows from the back. As soon as the lights went down, there was immediately some kicking, laughing, yapping, and just basic obnoxious noise coming from three assholes immediately behind us who seemed to be oblivious to the fact that they were in a theater full of people. They had distinct Brooklyn accents. We endured the ruckass for the whole movie.

Turned out these guys were a trio of rascals called the Beastie Boys, and were just weeks away from blowing up into the biggest act of the year with their classic album License to Ill. To a layman, people were describing their schtick as being “white guys that rapped”. A concept that was unheard of at that time. All three of ‘em were dressed in matching windbreakers and ball caps. The Mets, if memory serves.

Here’s the fun part:

The event was the quintessential eighties experience. Every young Hollywood face was there, including the film’s cast, as well as members of the “Brat Pack” and its offshoots. I ran into Andrew McCarthy in the bathroom, coked out of his gourd.

Also on-hand was Molly Ringwald, dressed as what you might’ve described as a bag lady. Thick glasses, knit cap, a mauve shawl over a Mrs. Roper floral dress. Quite nineties, now that I think about it. Alternative in every sense. Ahead of her time, that one.

As you can maybe imagine, the Beasties were sticking out like sore thumbs against that Hollywood backdrop. Awkward, obnoxious, and very East Coast. But I’ll never forget that later out front, as people were leaving, Ad Rock was trying to talk to Ringwald. Loud, over-the-top, buggish. She seemed to be blowing him off, turning away, but he kept coming back at her. Back then we’d call it “scammin’”.

I don’t know what they talked about, but after about a half hour of this scenario with Molly playing hard to get and Ad Rock not taking no for an answer, they eventually left in the same car.

THEN, a few weeks later, I was watching Letterman, and Ringwald was the guest. She came out dressed remarkably hip, urban, a polar opposite of the bag lady number that she was sporting weeks beforehand. While on the show, she explained that her new boyfriend was Ad Rock from the Beastie Boys. He’d totally landed her. Claire from the Breakfast Club.

I wish I had that night on VHS for you. Anyway, here’s a tune that EVERYBODY had bumping in their car in heavy rotation by the following summer:

“Cutoff military fatigue pants and a beer-stained ribbed tank top clung to Pete’s skin by a clammy musk.” — Chapter One

New Under Angels wife beaters are done. Unlike the earlier heat-transfer prototypes, these were done with a one-color screen. The first one off the line:

The artwork’s size was a decision I had to make on the spot. I could’ve gone bigger, but I personally like smaller prints, particularly on the front of a shirt. It’s a trend today to make prints ridiculously huge (think Affliction and Ed Hardy, with the print literally wrapping around the clavicle to the shoulder blades). My theory is that people are going big on prints today for no other reason than they can. Yeah, these mutant-sized prints may be popular today, but acid-washed jeans were popular in their day too. I’ve erred on the side of 20th-century classic, which is the whole essence of the beater anyway. HEY, STELLA!!!

Also, the smaller size allows for the URL to be seen through a half-open shirt, a jacket, or some pigtails.

↓ With my newest boy Robert. Just printed 144 Under Angels beaters in under two hours. He’s a drummer; studied at Berklee.

What I wouldn’t give to walk in on this conversation after about five Inversion IPAs.

Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling engages in a roundtable discussion on what makes a story good. Is it compelling? What about characterization, plot points, and the myriad of other aspects of story construction that can either improve or take away from the impact of a tale. Not just for television, but for any medium. This taped discussion took place at Ithaca College where Rod was an instructor.

In 16 parts. Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

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Part 10:

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Part 13:

Part 14:

Part 15:

Part 16:

(via WelcomeHomeBlog.com)

RELATED: Under Angels book trailer

My favorite part about the Brady Bunch was the incidental music. Some Brady fan’s graciously created a medley on YouTube combining some of these jingles with other audio samples from the show.

Reports show that for every two American combatants killed by enemy action, one more dies by suicide.

The Department of Defense reports that in the last 10 years 4,989 military personnel have been killed in action in Afghanistan and Iraq, while in the same period 2,293 active duty personnel have taken their own lives. American veterans of these and other wars account for 20% of U.S. suicides. The reality is that this country is now facing an epidemic of dire national security and humanitarian consequences as an increasing segment of our military population is turning to suicide.

But why?

Direct causes of this upward trend largely stem from issues of mental health which include traumatic brain injury, post traumatic stress disorder, survivor’s guilt as well as increased drug and alcohol dependency. These are often exacerbated by the transition to civilian life that removes many of the previous support networks of service life.

Prevalent economic issues aren’t helping things, nor is the stigma that comes with seeking out a mental health professional. 43% of military suicides in 2010 were committed by people who never sought help.

(Article and photo via Policy Mic)

RELATED: My novel Under Angels is a supernatural thriller that explores this topic of suicide and our military veterans. The trailer:

“He refuses to see a psychiatrist. And it’s getting worse. He throws screaming fits in the bathroom. And he keeps complaining of chest pains.” — Beatrice Durante, Under Angels, Chapter Sixteen

Hollywood Boulevard. Photo by M.

Hollywood and Franklin, 04/24/2012