America’s Got Talent, Ocean’s Eight Movie Review, Movie Trivia and News, IWSG, New Releases, and More!

With the hurricane zapping us for a couple days and our power flickering, I opted not to create a post for last week.

We are fine – just some branches down – but my area and a good portion of the state were hit hard by either rain/winds or flooding.

Please continue to pray for those affected by Hurricane Florence.

America’s Got Talent

Those of you who watch the show know the season ended last week and magician Shin Lim won the million dollars and a headlining act in Vegas.

I used to watch American Idol, but this show has such a great variety. Where else can you see magicians, comedians, singers, dancers, stunts, and more in one place?

This year, I had no idea who would win. I was surprised Courtney Hadwin didn’t win or finish higher than sixth. (And there is quite the stink online about that as she was the favorite to win it all.) But I’ll admit, my pick was Shin Lim. He did card tricks that still blow my mind. (The dude changed a six of hearts to a nine of hearts in front of our eyes!) So I was fine with how it all went down. All of those acts have long careers ahead of them.

Who was your favorite to win?

Ocean’s Eight Review

We had another movie picked out to watch this weekend (Mandy) but decided to go for something light instead.
We almost went to see this in the theater when it came out early in the summer.
Sandra Bullock plays Danny Ocean’s sister and the moment she gets out of prison, she starts planning a heist.
The cast is good and there’s even a scene with Reuben (Elliott Gould).
The movie is good and the heist slick, but that might be its one downfall. It’s a little too slick. You never get the feeling that something is going to go wrong. The tension isn’t very high.
The actresses do have fun thought and it was worth the rental.

Movie News

From JoBlo - the Predator is desperate for acting gigs in Late Late Show sketch:

JoBlo also had an article about the Birds of Prey movie.
Margot Robbie will soon be reprising her SUICIDE SQUAD role of Harley Quinn for BIRDS OF PREY, an upcoming Warner Bros. film which will see the giggling sociopath joining forces with the likes of Black Canary, Huntress, Renee Montoya, and Cassandra Cain. Robbie, who is producing the film as well as starring in it, has said that she pitched Warner Bros. the project as "R-rated girl gang film including Harley, because I was like, ‘Harley needs friends.’ Harley loves interacting with people, so don’t ever make her do a standalone film. She’s got to be with other people, it should be a girl gang.”
They are considering several actresses to star with Robbie: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jurnee Smolett-Bell, and Janelle Monae for Black canary; Elizabeth Winstead, Cristin Milioti, and Margaret Qualley for Huntress; and Justina Machado and Roberta Colindrez for Renee Montoya. Cathy Yan is supposed to direct.

And 2019 is shaping up to be an awesome year for science fiction/fantasy movie fans. Look at the list of movies coming out next year:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Captive State
Star Wars Episode IX
Avengers (Infinity Wars part two)
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Shazam!
Spiderman: Far From Home
MIB
Chaos Walking
Ad Astra
Wonder Woman 1984
Joker
Hellboy
Glass
Captain Marvel
Rocketman
Minecraft
The New Mutants
Gemini Man
Masters of the Universe
Terminator (untitled)
Jumanji II
Artemis Fowl
(Fortunately Transformers 7 has been nixed!)

Ninja News

We have a special post today at the IWSG site by editor Lynda Dietz – be sure to check it out!

Don’t forget the IWSG Anthology Contest is open for submissions!

Young adult romance is the genre and masquerade the theme.

See the site for details.




New Releases:

Puddle Bubble Trouble by Pat Hatt
They came in a huddle to play in their puddle, but they found Soap already there with no room to spare.
Find it on Amazon

Sorrow Bringer by Juliana Haygert
The Fire Heart Chronicles Book 3
“I wish magic could blame it on someone else, but it can’t. I am the one that brings sorrow—I am the one that brings death.”
Find it on Amazon

Movie Trivia

Answers from two weeks ago:

Who was in The Dead Zone and Batman Returns? Christopher Walken

What does M*A*S*H stand for? Mobile Army Surgical Hospital

And a couple new ones for you!

Who was your favorite to win AGT? Have you seen Ocean’s Eight? Excited to see any of next year’s geek movie releases? Are you entering the IWSG Anthology Contest? (Get to writing!) And do you know the trivia answers…?

See you next Wednesday for the next posting of the IWSG!

The Martian Reviewed, Godzilla and King Kong, America’s Got Talent, Iron Maiden and Muse Album Reviews, and Ninja News!

Entertainment News

The upcoming film, The Martian, was just reviewed at the Toronto International Film Festival.
According to JoBlo’s site -
As such, The Martian really is terrific family entertainment. There's plenty of action – including excellent use of 3D and tons of humor, but the absolute best thing is how inspiring a tale it winds up being. It's nice to see a big studio flick that aims for optimism and certainly it feels like a crowd-pleasing hit waiting to happen. Even if you're burnt out on space movies – this is a trip to Mars well-worth taking.
That’s good to know!

Caught this on several sites, including Deadline. Godzilla and King Kong might appear in a movie together.
Blastr had this to say -
Studio shake-up bringing Godzilla and King Kong together for eventual face off According to the report, the eventual team-up film will follow after Godzilla 2 and Skull Island, and everyone involved is working quickly to lock up all the necessary rights and contracts. Agreements are also being worked up with Japan-based Toho, rightsholder for Godzilla. For what it’s worth, Skull Island is set to open in March 2017 and Godzilla 2 is slated for July 2018. Following that trend, we’d imagine Godzilla vs. King Kong (or whatever they call it) will hit the big screen around 2019(?)
My thoughts?
First, they talk as if this will be a first. Um, anyone else remember 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla? (Note the image there.)
Second, it should be a short film. Godzilla has atomic breath. Gorilla flambé in three, two, one…

America’s Got Talent
The show is heading into the final week of its tenth season. What’s amazing is there are six comedian and/or magicians remaining out of ten acts. Obviously, people are wanting to laugh more than anything.
While I’m still surprised Siro-A didn’t make the final cut, I’m placing my bets on Paul Zerdin, the ventriloquist. The dude is talented and hilariously funny!

Face Off
In its ninth season, Face Off is nearing the halfway point. If you’ve never watched an episode, check it out at least once. It’s fascinating how the contestants go from concept to finished creation in just three days.
Hard to tell who will win this one, as none of the contestants really stand out yet…

Music Reviews

Iron Maiden – The Book of Souls
Whoever thought Iron Maiden wasn’t relevant anymore hasn’t heard this new album. These guys have released one of their best albums in the twilight of their career.
There are many stand out tracks, including Speed of Light, The Great Unknown, and Tears of a Clown. (The last one is about Robin Williams and those who suffer from depression.)
If you don’t like Maiden, this won’t change your mind. If you do like Maiden, then rock on!

Muse – Drones
Here’s a band that I’ve always dug, but their pop and electronic influences never hooked me enough to buy an album. Drones definitely changed that for me.
Whatever you thought of Muse in the past, this is a rock album. Produced by the great Mutt Lang, this album has influences from Radiohead, Queen, Pink Floyd, and about a hundred other bands, all blended together to make a great record.
Check it out!

Ninja News

At the Insecure Writer’s Support Group site today, we are honored to have special guest, New York Times best-selling author, Ruth Harris! She’s discussing The Creative Habit, so stop by.

Today’s Themes That Rocked the Challenge feature at the A to Z Blog is on Elizabeth Mueller and her art, flower, and My Little Pony theme. Those three things together? You bet – go check it out.

If you missed it, Shady Dell posted Shawn and Gus from Psych competing in Rock Jeopardy – with Alex J. Cavanaugh Trebek hosting. And it’s hilarious!

Don’t forget 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 contribute to an anthology with the theme of ‘turning points.’ Still working on an idea and hope to plot it and begin writing by next weekend. Yeah, wish me luck…

And those of you who’ve read Dragon of the Stars, don’t forget the follow-up short story, Dragon’s Destiny, is yours for free. Just email me and tell me what happens to Aden at the then of Dragon of the Stars and which eBook version you need – ePub, Mobi, or a PDF.

Awesome new release!
The Amaranthine by Murees Dupé
Find it on Amazon (paperback), Amazon Kindle, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Scribed, Inktera, Oyster, Tolino, and Goodreads

The Affected BOGO is Upon Us…
Author Randi Lee is running a buy one, get one promotion for two of her books: purchase a copy of Randi Lee’s “Affected” between September 14—22, 2015 and receive a free eBook version of “Snap! A Quite Quick Collection.” To receive your free eBook, e-mail a copy of your receipt for the purchase of “Affected” to: randi.leeATmail.com.
Find Affected on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s, and Kobo

Anyone excited to see The Martian this fall? Think Godzilla vs. King Kong is a good idea? Watching Face Off? Fan of either Maiden or Muse? Entering the anthology contest? Read Dragon of the Stars yet? See a book you want? And who’s your favorite on America’s Got Talent…?