Monday, September 21, 2015

Disappearing Blogrolls, Alien Movie Trivia, Lucy Movie Review and Movie News, and Contests and New Releases!

The Disappearing Blogroll

As many of you probably noticed, last week Blogger at my blogroll. All of the blogs I had listed vanished. I was going to clean it up, but really hadn’t planned on starting from scratch. Bummer.

I was gone this past weekend, hanging out with friends, so I didn’t get to work on it. No worries if your blog isn’t listed yet. I’m still working on it and it will take me the rest of this week to complete the task.

And yes, I do use Feedly to follow and visit blogs. But the blogroll works better when I’m using my iPad. Besides, I like featuring my blogger buddies in the side bar.

On another note, I finally have a domain name for my blog. Hey, only took me six years!

Movie News

Movie Review -Lucy

With Luc Besson directing, you know it will be quirky.
The movie was fun but rather forgettable. It’s also really short. It felt like there was a longer, more fleshed out movie in there somewhere.
Scarlett Johansson was good and the evolution of her character as she learned to use more of her brain interesting.
If you like a science fiction action flick, it’s worth a rental.


Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is in production. Slated to come out January of 2017, you can read about the cast and more at JoBlo. Will it be the final chapter? Doubtful.

The Richest has an article, 12 Actors Who Hate The Role That Made Them Famous. Among them were a few former Star Wars actors – Alec Guiness thought Star Wars was poorly written and hated playing Obi-Wan; Jake Lloyd felt Lucas let down the fans and had angry fans criticizing both him and the movie; and Carrie Fisher didn’t like becoming a sex symbol and now has enough stalkers to last a lifetime.


Ninja News

The IWSG Anthology Contest is open until November 1! The theme is Alternate History/Parallel Universe and any member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group is encouraged to enter – blogging (must post for the IWSG at least once in September or October) or Facebook member. Winners will be published in a royalty-paying anthology next year.

I’ve been asked to be a judge for Tell-Tale Publishing’s Halloween 2015 Scariest Scene Writing Contest.
Entries are due October 31. They are to be the beginning only of a completed unpublished story and no more than five hundred words.
See their SITE for further details and the entry form.


Blastr posted some amazing images of Pluto - check them out.

New Releases!

Simulation by Tara Tyler
Sequel to Pop Travel!
Find it on Amazon and Goodreads

A Not So Natural World by Pat Hatt
Find it on Amazon


9/11: Terrorists' Descent Into Jahannam by Holy Ghost Writer
Follow the real and fictional lives of those that lost theirs on 9/11, most into heaven, others into hell.

Bloodbrothers by Melanie Schultz
The fourth and last novel in the Newstead series.
Find it on Amazon


Movie Trivia – Aliens

Aliens coming to Earth! Name the film from the actors and dates.

1 – Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde – 2011
2 – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura – 1987
3 – Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna – 2012
4 – Kurt Russel, Wilford Brimley, Keith David – 1982
5 – Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able – 2010
6 – Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Abigail Breslin – 2002
7 – Joel Courtney, Ellie Fanning, Kyle Chandler - 2011


Anyone else ever lose your blogroll and have to start from scratch? Seen Lucy? Surprised so many Star Wars actors hated their roles? Entering either contest? Picking up some new books? And do you know any of the movie trivia…?

160 comments:

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Sorry about the blogroll, Alex! What a pain. Blogger is hard to deal with sometimes.

I saw Lucy and liked it pretty well (aside from a somewhat unbelievable part near the end). It's one of those movies that hits the sweet spot of genres that both my husband and I will enjoy.

Hope you have a great week!

Mason Canyon said...

Alex, bummer about the blog roll. Blogger does some strange things at times. I've been thinking about changing to WordPress lately but I'm not sure how the change over would go. I saw Lucy and likes it okay. Not sure it's one I'd watch again. Congrats to those with new releases.

Natalie Aguirre said...

Sorry about your blog roll. You have so many on your sidebar. Congrats on being a judge.

Truedessa said...

Good Morning Alex,

That is too bad about the blogroll but, I have confidence you will get it all back in working order. I am a stargazer and this summer I had the opportunity to witness the wonderful lights of Venus, Mars and Jupiter. I hadn't seen the photos of Pluto so thanks for the link. Sometimes when I can't sleep I will open the blinds and search the heavens and contemplate on what is or isn't out there. Perhaps, there is a Dragon among the stars you never know :) "keep your eye on the sky"

I guess you will get to read some really scary stories...Have you ever been to a haunted place or had a paranormal experience? I have and It can be quite the event.

Have a great week!

Nicola said...

I hope your patience is strong. Thanks for the competition heads-up! You'll have lots of fun judging that. Without cheating, the only film I can take a guess at is number 3 - Battleship?? or something like that. Have a great week!

Sandra Ulbrich Almazan said...

Losing the blogroll is painful. Hope it doesn't take you too long to get it back again.

Harrison Ford wanted to get his character killed off in Episode V or VI. Ironic, considering Han Solo is the most popular character in the series according to some articles I've read.

Donna K. Weaver said...

As for your blog roll, did Blogger eat it?

You rated Lucy better than most of the reviews I read about it.

As for the trivia, #1 is Aliens vs Predators, #2 I think is the original Predator, #4 I thought at first was Cocoon but I don't remember Kurt in it so it must be something else, #6 is Signs, and #7 is Battleship.

And I didn't peek. :D

Jeremy [Retro] said...

Great news about the .com... you are somebody now. :)
Sorry to the loss of the BLOGROLL, it's awful when you have to fix something that you didn't intend to fix.

Trivia... all but one #5

Lucy was fun, silly and did need just a little more... well when the sequel comes out called "I Load Lucy"... tee-hee.

Congrats to all the new books from people who are just darn awesome...

This week is going to be a long one...

Jeremy

Dianne K. Salerni said...

I lost my blogroll when I moved to WordPress. Turns out they have no similar gadget that I can install. I can create a sidebar list of static links to blogs I follow, but not one that updates with the newest posts at the top.

So after trying one that didn't do what I wanted, I deleted it and switched to Feedly.

I do miss Blogger, but having let my website designers convince me to switch to match my website and after getting everyone to follow me there, I don't want to switch back.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Elizabeth, glad it was one you both could enjoy.

Mason, no way I'd attempt a change now.

Truedessa, perhaps there is a Dragon out there! I've had one creepy experience. Rather not have any more.

Nicola, you're correct!

Sandra, that is ironic.

Donna, I think it did eat it. And you got three right.

Jeremy - funny!

Dianne, sorry there isn't a similar gadget.

Rhonda Albom said...

Congratulations on finally getting your own domain. Too bad about your blog roll, what a pain to get it back. So many movies, contests and new books. Big congrats to Tara.I am excited about Simulation.

Cathrina Constantine said...

It's always nice to hangout with friends. I hope you had a good weekend. And Have a great week.

Movie Trivia: 1-Cowboys & Aliens 2-Predator 3- Battleship ? 6-Signs 7- Super 8 ?

Karen Lange said...

So sorry to hear about the Blogroll. That's kind of like losing your contacts in your phone. Hasn't ever happened to me, but I did have Blogger shut my blog down earlier this year. It coincided with a huge amount of traffic from a Twitter blast my publisher did; I figure it must have looked like I was spamming or something. Got it all straightened out, so was thankful for that. Hopefully you'll be back on track in no time!

Anonymous said...

Yikes, sorry to read about your blog roll. I've had mine just stop updating completing (which is why I'm here again, it still has your previous post listed as the current one).

I thought Lucy was an okay movie too. Hubby and Peter really enjoyed it though.

That 9/11 book sounds intriguing. And a bit sad too. I may have to check that one out sooner rather than later.

You'll make an awesome judge. Sounds like a fun contest too.

Christine Rains said...

Congrats to everyone releasing books! I had no idea that so many Star Wars actors hated their roles. That's great you've got your own domain. I have mine, but a lot more folks just go to my blog.

Just Keepin It Real, Folks! said...

I'm a technology dinosaur so if I lost my blogroll I would have a nervous breakdown.

randi lee said...

I've had issues with my blogroll vanishing for short intervals, but never disappearing entirely! Blogger is defunct. I haven't been able to respond to my post comments in weeks. I keep reaching out to them, but have heard nothing back. I think I might just move my blog to Squarespace and hope my readers follow me over there!

stephen Hayes said...

"Lucy" didn't really provide anything we haven't seen before but I still found it an engaging story and must admit I enjoyed it.

Hart Johnson said...

Sorry about using your blog roll! I'd be totally lost. That and my commenters are the two primary ways I find where to go visiting. And Carrie Fisher is convinced she will be a senile old woman one day who remembers NOTHING but her Princess Leia lines... she is hysterical talking about it (I love the WRITER in her--that is how she sees herself--a writer, not an actress)

A Beer for the Shower said...

Cheers to the official domain name! It's just good you acted on it before another Alex J. Cavanaugh could snatch it up (hey, it's a huge world out there).

I remember seeing Lucy. That's about all I remember. Well, that and that I thought it was okay and not spectacular. I think that about says it all.

Shell Flower said...

I enjoyed Lucy, but thought Limitless was a better movie dealing with that same theme. Sorry about your blogroll. Sometimes computers are a big pain instead of time savers. Congrats on the domain, too. Funny about Star Wars. Iconic roles can be hard for actors to shake.

mail4rosey said...

I'm glad to see the review on Lucy. I wondered how that one was. I did a blog roll a long time ago, but one of the blogs had a bad link and it infected my blog...took it down for several days, and it was a bugger to find and fix, so I don't do it now. I do miss it though. :) Have a great week!

Charles Gramlich said...

My blog links disappeared as well and I haven't had time to get caught up on that again. Don't know when I will.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Cathrina, you got five!

Karen, that really sucks.

Thanks, Elsie.

Christine, since this is my website as well, made sense to use it here.

Deb, I did groan a lot.

Randi lee, whatever it takes.

Hart, that would be funny.

Brandon and Bryan, that does about sum it up. I had to think hard to come up with the review. And I was surprised no one had snatched my name.

Rosey, I've had that happen.

Charles, good to know it's not just me.

nashvillecats2 said...

Sorry about your Blogroll, but hey congrats on your Blog Domain.
Some good book reviews Alex, also a pleasure to read.
Yvonne.

TB Markinson said...

Such a bummer about the blogroll. If that happened to me, I'd leave it blank. Not a fan of technology going bad and causing headaches.

Have to feel for Carrie Fisher. Stalkers would scare the crap out of me.

Birgit said...

I don't think I have a blogroll-hahahaa-shows how much I know but it sounds like a pain to have to get it all back-good luck! Have not seen Lucy but we actually went to the movies this weekend-got there a bit late so we went to see "The Visit"-wait for video-all shot as if one is watching it from the kid's tablet or i-phone-irritating and I guessed what was going on as soon as the kids were at their grandparents-not good. so as for Movie trivia1. Cowboys vs Aliens. 2.-predator (I think) 3. Battleship(??) 4. The Thing.5-no clue 6. Signs. no clue on the other 2

Heather M. Gardner said...

Hi, Alex!

Happy Monday. (Said no one ever.)

I'm still hoping to have an idea epiphany for the anthology. I had one, but couldn't make it work. We shall see.

Congrats on all the new titles out there!

Heather

Pat Hatt said...

Yeah, they'll reboot Resident Evil easily. Ugg to the pain in the arse blogroll. Thanks for the shout. The cat toyed with changing his domain name but you lose all pagerank when you do that. And:

Cowboys and Aliens
Predator
Battleship
The Thing
ummm
Signs
Super 8

Unknown said...

yay congrats on the domain name! I use a scrap of paper and just go through my blog friends' blogs lol so old fashioned!

SK Anthony said...

You're so awesome to feature your blogger buddies, but what a pain to have to start from scratch with the blog roll! Thanks for taking the time though, we do feel special :D

Lucy . . . I thought it was okay. I loved the concept and the effects, but still something fell short for me, and I can't pinpoint it :-/

That's cool to be a judge on the Tell-Tale Publishing contest!

Arlee Bird said...

I've been very slowly cleaning up my blogroll and even considering getting rid of it, but can't bring myself to do it. Haven' lost it yet, but maybe starting with a clean slate would do me good.

I just added Lucy to my Netflix queue last night. I'd never heard of it, but it sounded intriguing. I'll probably keep it on my list though.

Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Alex - when Blogger goes wrong on us - it's a real pain and a time-waster ... patience and you will sort it.

Have fun with the judging role ... and the Anthology will give us some really interesting stories ...

Glad you are now you ... cheers Hilary

Jay Noel said...

Congrats on finally getting your own domain name! Finally.

I didn't see Lucy yet, although I probably will. What I love about speculative fiction is that the stories are based on "what if?" But since we know we use more than 2%, 4%, or 10% of our brains, the premise of this movie is already a turn off.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Birgit, you got five right. And I do intend to wait for video with The Visit.

Heather! Keep working at it.

Pat, you do? Oh well. You got all but one!

SK, it did fall just a bit short. Literally.

Lee, I was going to clean it, but not to this extreme.

Jay, exactly.

Jo said...

Only one I think I know is the Chrysalids. Loved that movie.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Yay for Pat Hatt - he's one prolific cat.
That's maddening about your blogroll, Alex. I wonder if, like my followers gadget, it will magically reappear. With Blogger, you just never know.

Have a good week.

Robyn Campbell said...

Sorry about your blog roll. I got enough of Blogger when my blog was hacked, and they had no customer service. I had to figure it all out for myself which took over a year. Congrats on that domain name. Wahooo. Feels good, doesn't it?

Love Carrie Fisher. I've heard her speak. She is hysterical and genuine.

I love the photo of Mini-Alex. He seems unimpressed with the cicadas. Just playing his guitar and chilling. :-) We have cicadas on our mountain.

I had an idea for the anthology. But I didn't want to join IWSG and the next minute enter the anthology contest. I want those who have contributed to enter. I'll join sometime this year, though, Alex.

Have a great week, my friend.

Holy Ghost Writer said...

Bummer on the blogroll. Thanks for the addition. I'm in good company.

D.G. Hudson said...

I didn't know Blogger could wipe out one's blogroll. . .but I tried to upgrade to Windows 10 this weekend and it didn't work out. Went back to Windows 8.1 or whatever I had before. I couldn't find things, my mail got screwed up and just didn't like it.

Good luck to all your contest participants!

Unknown said...

Man, I know you cultivated that blogroll over years! I guess it's always good to have an excuse to do a little sprucing, but to start from scratch is brutal. :-(

Haven't seen Lucy, but I'll definitely watch it if it comes on HBO or Netflix at some point. Just caught Ant Man yesterday (finally--it's been a crazy few months for us and we haven't done nearly our normal amount of movie watching outside of the home). Really liked it! Much better than I ever dreamed it could be for sure.

Not surprised by the Star Wars gripes. It was a very crazy project for the time and don't think the actors really knew how big it was going to get. It went beyond a 'hit' and became a part of our culture. I'm sure their royalty checks have made up for any inconveniences they might have suffered. :-)

Sarah Foster said...

That's terrible about the blogroll! One time all of my contacts disappeared from my phone, but I don't think that's nearly as bad.

Gail said...

That is a headache when something disappears. I lose lots of things, mostly keys, something I just laid down and my drink but I haven't lost my blogroll.

I really put on my thinking cap and remembered some of the movies but was blank on the characters. Just like I think in maiden names, I think in actor names. If I think at all.

One: Cowboys and Aliens
Two: Predator...love the games and the movies
Three: The Grey...I'm a sucker for Liam
Four: The Thing...who could not like this remake?
Six: We Were Soldiers...Mel used to be my hero from the Mad Max series

I will try and think of something really scary for the contest.

Brandon Ax said...

I completely agree about Lucy. There was a better movie there, they just didn't spend the time to make it.

I keep really thinking about entering that contest, but the brevity keeps me from it. I tried to write a short story for another contest and it was 7500 and that was so hard for me to do.

SpacerGuy said...

Star Wars is a money machine pure and simple, I'm not surprised really. At a guess I'd say a lot of actors/actresses were underpaid. I think its high time to call in Sherlock Holmes to solve the case of the disappearing blogroll. Blogger can be quite mysterious. I recall when I got 7000 visits in one day, don't ask me why! For laughs I took a snap of my visits counter. I'll post it when I find it.

Cherie Reich said...

The blogroll disappearing does give you a nice excuse to fix it up, even if it's a bit of a pain to redo.

The Happy Whisk said...

Weird about the blogger roll. I had them on my page for a long while but they became more of a problem so off with their heads.

We also got domain names but mine won't be with my blog. It'll be part of another project I'm working on. And that only took me five years. So I understand.

Have a great week and boogie boogie.

Carrie-Anne said...

I can see why an actor would dislike a fame-making vehicle like Star Wars, since the franchise and cult fame may seem to overwhelm the actual film. It's understandable for an actor to not be known for just one particular film, and not want to be typecast based on it.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jo, not that movie.

Robyn, be nice if it all came back before I finished rebuilding it!

Robyn, it does feel good. Have you joined the Facebook IWSG? That counts!

DG, that's why I haven't switched yet.

EJ, good to hear from you! Very true about the royalty checks. And Ant-Man was a pleasant surprise.

Gail, you got three right! And enter the contest.

Brandon, try anyway!

Spacerguy, that's so odd.

Ivy, you do understand.

Madeline Mora-Summonte said...

Yikes on the blogroll!

Hmm, I think #4 = THE THING and #6 = SIGNS.

cleemckenzie said...

Sorry about the lost blogroll. Just more work! I've been thinking of Feedly, but haven't switched. Love the stories about the Star Wars cast. That's interesting.

Shady Del Knight said...

"Luuuuucy...you got some 'splainin' to do!"

Hi, Alex! I'm not quite sure how any movie that stars Scarlett Johansson can be forgettable. For my money, she could pull an Andy Kaufman and read The Great Gatsby aloud for two hours and I'd remain riveted. :)

See you next Monday in our BOTB, good buddy!

farawayeyes said...

Movie Trivia - Hey, I actually know a few:
1. Cowboys and Aliens
4. The Thing
6. Signs
7. Super 8

Now, let's see if my comment will post, if so, I'll be three for three and figure 'I'm back'.

L.G. Keltner said...

Losing your blogroll is definitely a bummer! Good luck with putting it back together!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I watched Lucy a few weeks ago. The end disappointed me. My blog roll stayed in place. I have so many books....

L. Diane Wolfe said...

My blogroll is set up as links so it's never vanished. (Knocks on wood.)

The 4th one is John Carpenter's The Thing.

Sheena-kay Graham said...

The first thing I did after that was check my blog roll. I really need some alternatives or I will curl up and die. Congrats on your domain name Alex. I for one loved Lucy and I think they were right to make it short, people are getting a bit tired of the long movies and while I do enjoy them you have to be careful with today's audience. Resident Evil will still be making movies after we commenting on this blog all die. The End. Hey to all you luckies who got featured today and yay for Alex getting to judge. You will rock it my blogging ninja. Hugs!

Fundy Blue said...

Computers can be so frustrating, Alex! Sorry about you're blog roll loss. I know better than to try having one of those! I'm not entering the IWSG contest. :( No time right now! Have a great week!

Karen Peterson said...

That darned Blogger! I can't believe you lost your blogroll! How frustrating!

Suzanne Furness said...

What a nuisance - hope you get your blogroll sorted without too much work. Enjoy the judging, seems like it might be a scary one!!

dolorah said...

The last couple months I've had troubles adding blogs to my blog roll. I also have feedly, but forget to check it so I need that blog roll list. Plus, I too like seeing all my friends at my site :)

I saw Lucy, and yes, it felt way to short. I do know most of the movie trivia, probably all of it, but I'll wait to see what the answers are to see if I'm right.

Have a good week Alex.

Jean Katherine Baldridge said...

I don't have a blog roll either. It went away when I changed my template and never came back, or you would be on it.

here is my non googled, non-imdb'd guess as to your alien movie trivia:
1 – Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde – 2011 - COWBOYS AND ALIENS
2 – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura – 1987 -PREDATOR?
3 – Taylor Kitsch, Liam Neeson, Rihanna – 2012 -THE SLUDGE
4 – Kurt Russel, Wilford Brimley, Keith David – 1982 -THE THING
5 – Scoot McNairy, Whitney Able – 2010-THAT THING YOU DO
6 – Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Abigail Breslin – 2002- SIGNS (one of my faves!!!)
7 – Joel Courtney, Ellie Fanning, Kyle Chandler - 2011- The LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER

have a good day!,

jean

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Madeline, you are correct!

Shady, that's how I feel about the cast of Star Trek and Stargate. See you Monday!

Faraway, you got four - and your comment took!

Diane, correct!

Sheena-kay, that's why I don't mind a short one now and then. And you may be right about the Resident Evil movies.

Donna, that's why I use both.

Jena, you got four right!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Thankfully, no, my blog has never disappeared. Now that I've said that it'll probably disappear.
I haven't seen the films and I know nothing about the movies. I live in a little cave and don't see much of the world. :)

Dixie@dcrelief said...

Congrats on the domain name! I want to check out Pat Hat's book - thanks for sharing it!

Sabrina A. Fish said...

Sometimes Google will act like its lost my blogroll, but the next day it'll be back. I'm sorry yours hasn't returned.
Though I'm not surprised about the actors that disliked their roles. I often feel a little sorry for the fanatics these stars have to deal with.

Catherine Stine said...

Awesome new blog title, though at a VERY quick first glance I thought it said We are the Kardashians. LOL. So many cool things happening this fall.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

How strange your blogroll disappeared. I saw Lucy when it was in the theaters and liked it okay. I wouldn't watch it again though. As for Resident Evil? Never have been a fan. I just could never get into any of the stories. Congratulations on being asked to judge.

Chrys Fey said...

Lucy was a very interesting movie. Super smart and Scarlett Johansson was amazing!

I am a HUGE fan of the Resident Evil movies and can't wait for Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. But 2017? I don't want to wait that long!

Congrats to everyone with new releases out!

Liesel K. Hill said...

Yeah Blogger is really weird about bloglists and such. Doesn't matter as much to me as I don't use it as much as I used to. I rely more on G+ and a few other services now. The Halloween contest sounds cool. I might look into that more. As for the trivia: 1) Cowboys and Aliens 2) Predator 3) Battleship 6) Signs (still one of my faves). No idea on the others. :D

Andrew Leon said...

I did like Lucy. It wasn't particularly original, but it was pretty well done.

Melissa Sugar said...

I haven't seen Lucy and my blogroll never disappeared (probably because I don't have one), I need to remedy that. I have noticed that my Google Friend Connect is always on the fritz. When I click on a photo or name, it goes haywire and does demonic things, but it never takes me to the person's blog. This is a relatively new experience with GFC.

I finally know a few trivia answers.
1. Cowboys and Aliens , I remember that one because of Olivia Wilde. I think she has the prettiest eyes I've ever seen.
3.Battelship
4. The Thing

Don't know the rest of them.

9/11: Terrorists' Descent Into Jahannam sounds like a cool book.

Hope you get your blogroll working again and it sucks that you had to start from scratch. Congrats on finally owning your own domain name. Yay!

Sandra Cox said...

We'll have a brief moment of silence for your blog roll.....:(

Congrats to all with new releases.

Robin said...

Blogger eating your blogroll sucks.

Your sidebar list was impressive. I know it will be again... sigh.

My migraine is acting up so I'm not even going to attempt the trivia.

Happy Monday Alex!

River Fairchild said...

Rather shocking, but I actually saw Lucy. It was pretty good, although the ending got a bit strange.
That's awful about Blogger eating your links like that. I've had my difficulties with them in the past but not to that extent.

Elephant's Child said...

Somedays Blogger works at being a blight. Good luck in your clean up.
Congratulations (as always) to those with new books out. My readaholic self applauds. And guzzles.

Patsy said...

I'd really miss my blogroll. It's the easiest way for me to (try to) keep track of the posts I don't want to miss.

shelly said...

Hi, Alex! ***waving from Florida*** Blogger can really be a booger sometimes.

Kathryn Thornton said...

I still have so much to learn. I will now be searching feedly and blog roll when I leave here.

I'm sorry you lost your blog roll it sounds like when the Verizon tech promised all my contacts were on my new phone and they were never found again.

Congrats on your domain. I hope your weekend was fun and relaxing.

Kathryn Thornton said...

I still have so much to learn. I will now be searching feedly and blog roll when I leave here.

I'm sorry you lost your blog roll it sounds like when the Verizon tech promised all my contacts were on my new phone and they were never found again.

Congrats on your domain. I hope your weekend was fun and relaxing.

J E Oneil said...

Honestly, Lucy is probably the closest we'll get to a Black Widow movie...

Number 2 is Predator, one of my all time favs, so no wonder I got that. I'm clueless about the others, though.

Stephanie Faris said...

Are you sure the issue won't resolve itself? Blogger was doing some weird stuff last week! It wouldn't let me post a comment for a while--had to hit "preview" first! But I just go through my comments and visit the blogs of those who comment mine. Of course, in your case that would be tough because you get a LOT of comments! I see now why you're always the first to comment each day...you're able to see on the feed as each one goes live throughout the day.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Sabrina, I wish it had!

Michael, I'll never watch it again.

Chrys, I admit Resident Evil is a guilty pleasure of mine.

Liesel, you got two!

Melissa, my GFC does the same thing. I'm waiting for it to implode. And you got three right.

Sandra, I appreciate that...

Robin, I worked on it tonight. Hopefully it will be done by the weekend.

KAT, that doesn't surprise me!!

JE, sad, huh?

Stephanie, I waited for it to fix itself, but that was almost a week ago. And using Feedly means yes, I see how has just posted and get a jump on it.

Jemi Fraser said...

I had to delete my blogroll several times and start from scratch. Annoying!!! It kept getting malware and then Blogger would shut me down, so I finally eliminated it completely - which makes me sad.

I haven't seen Lucy yet, but it's on my rental wish list!

Jemi Fraser said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
J.L. Campbell said...

Sorry you lost your blog roll. :(
Congrats on being a judge and yay on the domain name!

Anonymous said...

That sucks about the blog roll. =(

Hubby and I enjoyed Lucy. It was a bit like Akira.

S. L. Hennessy said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your blog roll! That happened to me once before - DEFINITE bummer. That Halloween contest sounds like a lot of fun.

Liz A. said...

Sorry your blogroll went poof. Technology. I think that's why I have the commenter widget on my blog--the one that keeps track of who commented. That way I don't have to rely on Blogger.

Star Wars was actually kind of wooden, so it doesn't surprise me that more established actors weren't so pleased with it. I don't think they realized what a juggernaut it would be.

Roland D. Yeomans said...

We put so much of ourselves in our blogs that it is like a physical wound when Blogger acts up. But I remind myself it is a free service.

Sorry about visiting late: I do solo duty at my blood center over the weekends -- and this weekend was a real wringer!! I slept most of today.

I enjoyed LUCY, but then I just like watching Scarlet! :-) Just like I like seeing Cate Blanchett act.

Heather R. Holden said...

Congrats on the domain name! And oh, how exciting about that scariest scene writing contest. As a huge horror fan, I can't help but feel like that'll be fun to judge!

Tammy Theriault said...

Finally got your own name ! Woot. I don't do the blog roll but hope it comes back!

Helena said...

I enjoyed Lucy but the story could have been not only longer but more complex.

Sorry you're having trouble with your blogroll. For me the problem has been security issues (WHY do hackers in other countries keep trying to break into it?), but I'm hoping that once I start my blog again (October?) my techie friend will have fixed the problems.

For once I actually knew a Trivia answer right off the bat: No. 1 is Cowboys and Aliens.

J.H. Moncrieff said...

That really sucks about your blogroll, Alex! I hope you get to the J's soon. :)

I was going to enter the anthology contest, but my story is about two thousand words too short, and I can't imagine rewriting it to make it longer. I'll see if inspiration strikes again.

I can totally see Carrie Fisher hating the sex-symbol thing. It's not her style at all.

Unknown said...

Emily Ratajkowski says that the Blurred Lines video was the bane of her existence. Not because she regretted going topless, but because she hated how controversial it was.

Lan said...

I keep going back and forth with whether I want to watch Lucy or not. It's totally my genre but if it's going to be lukewarm I'd rather not waste my time!

Shadow said...

Lucy's great. However, although I understand the concept, I can't totally tie it up with the end though... where did all those wires come from... and where did her body go???

Cindy said...

Sorry to hear you had to rebuild your blogroll. The only thing I do is keep a link to every blog I visit and then check them daily. Your method sounds better.

ediFanoB said...

The disappeared blogroll is indeed a bummer.

So far my wife and I used the Firefux plugin Bamboo Feed Reader to follow blogs. Unfortunately it is not stable. Last week my wife got a bit desperate because it crashed three times and every time all blogs have been lost.

Yesterday I read that you used feedly. So I gave it a try and it convinced me and my wife.

Nilanjana Bose said...

Sorry to hear about the blogroll - Blogger can be such a pain at times.

Congrats on the domain name and getting to judge scary stuff, so cool!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Jemi, I think it caused my first malware warning as well.

Liz, and it dig become a juggernaut.

Roland, no worries - I know you have a crazy schedule.

Heather, I think it will be fun to judge.

Helena, correct, and looking forward to your return.

JH, hope you can make it fit.

Lan, it is lukewarm.

Shadow, good point!

Edi, Feedly has been pretty stable, so hope it works for you.

Tonja Drecker said...

Ugh! So sorry blogger did that to you. What a pain. Congrats on being a judge! And I can't really feel sorry for the Star Wars actors because no one forced them to be there. Only Carrie gets some sympathy from me because she couldn't have seen the impact it'd have on the rest of her life. Have a great week!

Debra Renée Byrd said...

Wow, Sean Connery hates James Bond? lol That list is as sad as it is funny.

Is #2 Predator? The others have me baffled.

Jan Morrison said...

Well, those kinds of snafus are sometimes the only reason I get to organizing, tossing or cleaning. That and a visit from my sis-in-law! I decided not to read the article on actors who hated the roles that gave them fame. Why? Because it really doesn't matter - they chose to play those roles and they are actors. If they did a good job with a crappy idea or script - good on em but they shouldn't despise what their fans love - it is simply bad manners. I loved the movie Birdman for investigating this phenomena so thoroughly and using an actor who had been subject to the same thing as the character. Very clever.

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I did not lose my logroll. That would be horrible.

I have a great Sci-fi story, but it's not nearly where it needs to be. I will look at the other contest and look in my stash.

Patricia Stoltey said...

I guess I should hurry up and copy the blogs on my old site's blogroll and get them on the new site soon. I'd hate to start from scratch (even though my blogroll is not nearly as long as yours).

Michelle Wallace said...

Lost blogroll? Scary. The recovery process just means extra work... sorry about that.
Your own blog domain name - that's so cool. Congrats!
Have fun reading and judging all those Halloween stories!
Congrats to those authors on all the new releases!

Tyrean Martinson said...

Ooh, my brain actually sparked some ideas for the trivia questions
1 - Cowboys vs. Aliens
2 - 7 - I've seen the movies and can't remember the titles - agh. I have epic trivia brain fail.

I think it's sad that so many Star Wars actors hated their roles, but I can definitely see the problems with being typecast.

Congrats on all those books to all the authors!!!

And thanks for the reviews!

Sean McLachlan said...

Poor Carrie Fisher, I suppose she knows that an entire generation of men remember that gold bikini Jabba put her in.
Good luck judging that contest. I was a judge for the Eppies one year and it's a tough position to be in. After tossing out some obvious NOs and setting aside some MAYBES, you're still left with at least two YES stories for one award! Good luck!

Elizabeth Seckman said...

I wish I had written that poorly written story.

I seriously do not understand people who resent the fame. Why did they try for it in the first place? But then maybe I'm not being open-minded enough. As my dad used to always say, "I'd love to find out for myself that money doesn't buy happiness." LOL. Poor guy. He had too many kids and we kept him humble.

Sherry Ellis said...

Major bummer about the blog roll! I didn't know they could just disappear. Hopefully it won't take too long to redo yours. (Yeah, right!) I saw Lucy. I thought it was good, but it did need a little more fleshing out. The end was odd.

(I've written 4,924 words in my IWSG entry. Now I'm worried I'll go over the limit and have to cut a lot.)

Anonymous said...

Not seen any movies for ages so even the trivia is tough for me - except the first one.

Got an idea for the IWSG anthology as long as it doesn't become a novel.

Sandra Cox said...

Good Tuesday to you, Alex. I wondered about Lucy. May have to rent it. Thanks for the heads up.

Anonymous said...

That sucks about your blogroll! :(

I watched Lucy a little while ago and felt it lacked a lot. We finished it and I felt like I'd just wasted time. Interesting idea, but didn't really play out well. Plus, the whole we only use 10% of our brain thing is a myth anyway.

Melissa said...

Blogger Ate My Blog Roll
Now there's a title for a book. LOL

Congrats to those with new releases.

Mary Aalgaard said...

I lost my blogroll when I switched to wordpress. I'd have to start from scratch, too, and haven't done it. Good for you to put it all back on there. Very time consuming.
I'm not surprised about the Star Wars actors. People can get stuck in a roll, and be seen only one way. Actors want variety and creative challenge. Plus, the wrong kind of followers, ie stalkers, can't be fun.
I'd like to enter the writing contest, but will need to stretch my creative imaginings.

Murees Dupè said...

Congratulations on our domain name! It's something small, but it definitely made me feel excited when I got mine. Congratulations to all the authors with new releases. I saw Lucy and it was okay. It was entertaining. Didn't like how it ended though. But, that's just me. Ooh! I know #6 of the trivia. Signs! Have an awesome week/weekend.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about the blogroll. Ugh, what a pain to fix. Congrats on getting your domain name, though. The article on actors who hate their roles was interesting and kind of sad really. Particularly with the Star Wars characters. It's such a great movie for them to wish they hadn't been in it. I'm sorry to say that none of the trivia clues sound familiar to me. I'll have to look them up now.

Denise Covey said...

Sorry to hear about the blogroll. Yes, i like to have my blogger friends in my sidebar. Gives them more exposure.

I bought a domain name a year ago but haven't been able to decide where to put it yet. A little complicated. It'll be up for renewal before I get it done. :-(

Unknown said...

That really stinks about your blogroll, Alex. Thanks for the shout-out on my book!

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Totally stinks to lose your blogroll. I remember when they got rid of GFC widget thingy or whatever. I was lost. I do use Feedly, but I don't like it as much as I liked GFC. I can't find peeps sometimes and then I forget .... I agree with you about Lucy. The story felt cheated in someway. I liked it, but I felt there was more there. Way to go on being chosen as a judge. I'm sure it will be fun!

Vanessa Morgan said...

I really love the idea for the anthology contest. I hope I can come up with a good story.

Crystal Collier said...

Yikes! I've been meaning to update my roll too, but to lose it all and start from scratch? Sending cheese to help heal the wounds.

Congrats on the judging opportunity. I'm love all the contests that come along in October. Totally down my ally.

Al Penwasser said...

Whoa. Wait. Carrie Fisher's a sex symbol?
Now THERE'S a disturbance in the Force for you.

Loni Townsend said...

Yay for getting your own domain!

I've seen Lucy, and yeah, it was forgettable to me too. I remember seeing Alfonso Ribeiro saying he hated his role as Carlton on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air because it type-cast him and he couldn't get anymore jobs. Sometimes, it sucks to get famous.

Joanne said...

I tried to respond back on Monday and it got lost on the work computer. What's up with the black hole sucking information. Bummer on the blogroll. I liked Lucy but felt it could have been better somehow. It was going for big ideas, but also got bogged in what Luc Besson likes - bloody action. It's rental worthy. Hope your week is moving along well.

Rachna Chhabria said...

Thank God, my blogroll hasn't ever disappeared. Hope you enjoyed your time with your friends. Am thinking of entering the Tell-Tale Publishing’s Halloween 2015 Scariest Scene Writing Contest. I feel I can manage to write that 500 words story. Fingers crossed. Congrats on getting the judging opportunity. You will be a great judge.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

T, and she was so young when the first one was made.

Deborah, correct!

Jan, I saw that movie.

Teresa, hope you can get it to the right place.

Patricia, you don't want to start from scratch!

Tyrean, correct!

Sean, I'll always remember that gold bikini. And thanks.

Elizabeth, I'd like to find out as well.

Sherry, you still have over a thousand words. You can do it!

Roland, great!

Melissa, you just might be right!

Mary, stretch!

Murees, correct!

Denise, that's funny.

Melanie, you're welcome.

Vanessa, hope you can as well.

Crystal, send Hot Tamales.

Rachna, I bet you can!

RaveAir said...

Lucy is a mind-blowing action movie you shouldn't take it seriously. It's fun, but you have to switch your brain if you really want to enjoy it.

Sandra Cox said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sandra Cox said...



It's not on the list, but I heard Richard Gere hated the role he played in Pretty Woman.

M Pax said...

I heard Harrison Ford wasn't fond of Han Solo. Yet all those disgruntled Star Wars stars made some movie magic.

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

How I hate for things to disappear from our internet sites. Thank you for repairing the losses!

DMS said...

I feel bad for you- that is a lot of work to recreate the blog list. I haven't seen Lucy, but it sounds interesting!
~Jess

Mason T. Matchak said...

I couldn't take Lucy seriously (even as entertainment) as soon as the previews talked about we humans only using 10% of our brain. That was discredited long ago, and might not even have been a real statement. -_- And I've heard the filmmakers knew it was incorrect but decided to just go with it. Ugh.

...sorry, I've lost the ability to just turn my brain off and enjoy something I know is bad. >_<

Stephen Tremp said...

Hey Alex, glad to see your new domain name. I have a similar one that redirects traffic to my site. But Blogger still remains and like yourself been meaning to do something about that.

Lucy had so much potential. Sure wish I was consulted on the script. But overall I'll give the flick an F for fun.

And my restraining order on Carrie Fisher expired in three weeks!

Belle Unruh said...

I've had my blog roll disappear a few times and then it magically returned on its own. Have no idea why. I'm enjoying your book, Dragon of the Stars, very much. I bought two new boss last week, 'Reframe', by Brian Hardin and 'Mom's are Nuts.'

Jeffrey Scott said...

I don't recall ever hearing Carrie Fisher didn't like her role, but I knew Alec Guinness did and Jake Lloyd came to hate it as well. From what I understand, he was teased about being Anakin so much he threw away all his Star Wars memorabilia and withdrew from acting and public appearances. Once in an awkward interview, he discussed even hating cameras. Kind of sad really.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Zoltan, my brain went off on its own...

Sandra, maybe he did.

Mason, dumb that they ignored the facts.

Stephen, funny!

Belle, thank you!

Jeffrey, he's so young. Very sad.

Intangible Hearts said...

Thanks for keeping me on your blog roll. Can you imagine Carrie Fisher's stalkers when they see her now? LOL Sorry, but she didn't maintain her princess-um-yeah-whatever.

Sandra Cox said...

Have a good one, Alex. The weekend is almost upon us.

H. R. Sinclair said...

Bummer about the blogroll--but at least it didn't eat your blog. :)

Congrats on the domain.

I liked Lucy but felt it need more too. But it was a fun, easy flick.

Anonymous said...

I notice my GFC panel is acting up. When I click on a new follower, many times it's hard to find a link. The text expands and acts weird. It's hard when something that's worked for a long time acts buggy and we have to spend time fixing it or finding another way to do something. I love having a domain name for my blog.

Unknown said...

Blogger's been acting weird with me recently, but at least it hasn't eaten my blog rolls yet! :O

I hope to see Lucy one day. And I hope the RE:Final Chapter isn't the final chapter. I love that series!

Congrats to Tara, Pat, Holy Ghost Writer, and Melanie for their releases!

Leovi said...

Interesting Halloween Contest 2015 Scariest Scene Writing., Good luck jury!

Limbo Delirium
Black & White Abstract

Mark said...

Cool list of books:) And yeah, Star Wars...well, hopefully this nex gen of actors likes their job a bit more;)

Unknown said...

The blogroll disappeared from mine one day too, but then it came back a few days later. I hope yorus comes back too, it is so convenient to have!

mshatch said...

I'm not surprised by actors disliking their roles and I can't blame Carrie Fisher for not wanting to become a sex symbol. As for the trivia...

1.
2. Predator
3.
4. The Thing
5.
6. Signs
7. Super Eight

Now I'm going to have go see what those other movies were...

T.F. Walsh said...

Lots of cool books to check out... hmm interesting about Star Wars... i never really liked it either... not sure I should announce that out loud:) hehe I'm looking forward to Resident Evil though.

kimlajevardi.com said...

I've never lost my blog roll. It sounds like a giant pain. Sorry.

Sandra Cox said...

Hope you're having a good one, Alex.

A Cuban In London said...

Luc Besson is one of my top movie directors. Love his films. Thanks.

Greetings from London.

Toi Thomas said...

Sorry to hear about your blog roll. I started one a while back and when a similar situation happened to me I gave up on it, but I still keep a list of all the blogs I've guested on.
Luc Besson is my favorite French director and I have certain expectations and realizations when I see his movies. Haven't seen Lucy yet, but I'm sure it'll be just what I expect.
Entering writing contest is always a goal of mine, but I'm going through a refocusing phase and regret to pass on these opportunities. I do hope IWSG will have another one of these opportunities down the road.
I think I got the movie trivia down; guess I watch more alien movies than I realized.

Unknown said...

Sorry about your blogroll-- but you seem to have come out the better for it-- all alphabetical, and shiny!

So happy to see me there :)

Wordpress won't let me comment on blogger blogs and I think I've lost touch with quite a few blogger this way--hopefully I make up for it in the coming months. I've let me blogger blog go on a hiatus-- wasn't able to honestly put in effort on two blogs.

Leovi said...

The IWSG Anthology Contest will give us great stories!

Limbo Delirium
Black & White Abstract

Donna McDine said...

I've read often how famous actors shun the role that made them stars. Not sure why that is. I'd say be grateful instead!

Jackie said...

That Scariest Scene Writing Contest sounds like a blast!

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

I know starting from scratch couldn't have been fun. But look what you've learned since your first attempt. The blog looks good. Nice job.

XmasDolly said...

You're a good man for putting all those people in your blogroll & then having to do it all again. Oh my gosh, I think you need a HUG!!!! HUGGGGGGGGG!!!! Thanks for stopping by, and playing along with us today. I've never heard that song Holy Tiger.. awesome and you so ROCK! I'm honored that you joined us today. You sure put a smile on my face. So happy... thank you so much! YOU HAVE ROCKED THE HOUSE! I think you forgot to join our linky, but that's okay I'll post you and my other girls will be by to hear your fabulous tunes. YOU ROCK! WOO HOO AND THANKS AGAIN... OKAY GIRLS --- GROUP HUG!!!!!

Deniz Bevan said...

Congratulations on the domain name!
And ooh, that scary scene contest sounds fun...

Glad blogroll is back - I use it all the time for keeping track of blogs I need to visit and comment on!