Spooky Audio: The Mercury Theatre Production of DRACULA!

Today a classic!

For his very first production on The Mercury Theatre, Orson Welles offered …

“Dracula” originally aired on July 11, 1938.

Pictish Beast Discovered!

The Picts, a late Iron Age culture in Scotland, have fascinated historians and laymen for generations.  Because they kept no written records, little is know about the Picts.  But they’ve been the subject of much conjecture.   And the recent find of a stone relief will only ad to this.  This image (above) shows what has been described as a “beast” with several symbols around.  But Pictish iconography is such a mystery the actually meaning of the images remains unclear.

It’s also unclear why the stone image remained unrecorded until now.  How it survived in such excellent condition for so long.  And where it originally was made.  In short, Pictish research grants here we come!  But, seriously, it is a fascinating addition to existing evidence of this mysterious culture.

Source.

Moon and Sharks Break into Top Three on Weak Labor Day Weekend Box Office!

A very weak Labor Day Weekend box office allowed two poorly reviewed newbies (Apollo 18 and Shark Night 3D) to sneak into the top three,  bringing in estimated takes of $10.5 and $11 million respectively.   The civil rights drama The Help held onto the top spot for another week.

Audio: THE SHADOW – “Ghost Town”

Here’s a fan favorite from the old time radio series “The Shadow”.  It’s entitled “Ghost Town”  But, as with all episodes of “The Shadow”, the “ghosts” in this town aren’t quite what they seem.

In this episode the Shadow/Lamont Cranston is played by Bill Johnstone and Margo Lane is played by Majorie Anderson.

Video: River Song’s Poem “A Good Man Goes to War”

This poem can be found on BBC website here.   The poem, though a mediocre piece of writing, clearly offers some hints about the coming episode with which it shares a title.  Here’s the full text:

Demons run when a Good Man goes to war.
Night will fall and drown the sun
When a Good Man goes to war.
Friendship dies and true love lies.
Night will fall  and the dark will rise
when a Good Man goes to war.

Who are the demons? How will true love lie? And what is the dark that is rising?

Happy Friday the Thirteenth!

Friday the 13th has always been a lucky day for us.  And the fear of this day is fairly new.  It can’t be dated any earlier than the 19th century.  But no one knows exactly how Friday the 13th grew to be a day with negative, superstitious connotations.  Theories of all kinds have developed.  Some connect to Norse mythology.  Others to early Christian teachings.  Even the Knights Templar have been blamed.  Those poor Knights Templar.  They get blamed for everything.

More after the jump …

ART: Cover Revealed for Next Stephen King Novel

Above is the official cover for Stephen King’s upcoming novel 11/22/63.  It’s about an English teacher who discovers a portal to 1958 and uses it to prevent the JFK’s assassination.   More of a science fiction thriller than a horror story, it nonetheless sounds fascinating.

Video: BBC Tribute Song

Mitch Benn‘s tribute to the BBC.  And it includes a few references to Doctor Who!

Help Build Babbage’s Computer!

Intriguing, eccentric mathematician Charles Babbage has had something of a renaissance in the last 20 years.  This is largely due to a paper he published in 1837 which outlined a steam-powered, brass and steel programmable computer called “the analytical engine“.   But this computer was never built.

That may be about to change.

Learn more after the jump …

Video: Argento’s DRACULA – Teaser and Interview

Check out this new interview and teaser for Dario Argento’s Dracula:

Video: Argento’s DRACULA – Teaser and Intervi…, posted with vodpod