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King's best rock songs

Posted: June 20, 2007, 08:25

Here is a video version of King's best rock songs column, hosted by the man himself.

Thanks to Willowlove

The Mist in 3D

Posted: June 20, 2007, 08:14

Simon & Schuster will re-release the 3D sound edition of The Mist in October. Read more here.

Authors photo

Posted: June 20, 2007, 00:27

Here is the authors photo for Duma Key.

Early review of 1408

Posted: June 19, 2007, 23:47

Here is an early review of 1408.

Thanks to Lou

A message from Stephen regarding 1408

It's a pleasure to be able to recommend 1408, the Dimension Pictures adaptation of my story. It stars John Cusack and opens this Friday. This is a genuinely disquieting movie--the damn thing gets under your skin and just CRAWLS there. For one thing, what could be more terrifying than a man haunted by The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun?" I doubt if you'll hear much screaming in the theater (I could be wrong about that), but a lot of people are going to be sleeping with the lights on when it's over.

-Steve

False site

Posted: June 19, 2007, 15:04

I just got confirmation from King’s office that the site claiming filming of The Dark Tower will start on Friday is false.

1408 interview

Posted: June 18, 2007, 22:30

Here is an interview with John Cusack and Samuel Jackson about 1408.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

New interview

Posted: June 18, 2007, 22:26

Here is a new interview with King from NYDaily News.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

King's pics

Posted: June 18, 2007, 08:30

Here are King's pics for the week starting with June 11:

Stephen is reading: The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer
Stephen is listening to: Brick House by Joan Osborne
Stephen is watching: Black Snake Moan
There are no comments regarding this week's picks.

Thanks to willowlove

No Cell any time soon

Posted: June 18, 2007, 08:29

Eli Roth provides an update on his adaptation of Cell, which was supposed to be his next big project.

“I am not directing CELL any time soon, and I most likely will take the rest of the year to write my other projects. Which means I wouldn't shoot until the spring, and you wouldn't see a film directed by me in the cinemas until at least next fall (2008)."

Thanks to Bev Vincent

And the winnser are...

Posted: June 18, 2007, 00:10

OK, all 32 winners has been drawn but before I reveal their names I want to give you all the right answers:

Read the complete text

Dead Zone season 6

Posted: June 15, 2007, 13:00

On Sunday The Dead Zone returns with season 6. Here is an ad for it.

1408 premier

Posted: June 14, 2007, 15:16

Here is a photo from the premier of 1408 Westwood, California.

Thanks to Ari

King on The Hour

Posted: June 14, 2007, 13:18

George Stroumboulopoulos interview with King from Canadian late-night TV show 'The Hour' is now online.

Thanks to Louis Sytsma and Rick Matthews

Interview with Philippa Pride

Posted: June 12, 2007, 23:57

Philippa Pride is Stephen King’s UK editor and she was kind to take time of in her busy schedule to talk to me about life as an editor to one of the biggest authors alive today. Here is what she had to say…

Preview from issue #6

Posted: June 12, 2007, 15:26

Here are some previews from issue #6 of Gunslinger Born.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

More about 1408

Posted: June 12, 2007, 09:14

Here are more 1408 news and clips.

3 clips from the movie

What Happened to Roth's 1408?

The making of 1408

The title is Ayana

Posted: June 11, 2007, 21:54

I just got confirmation from King's office that the title of the new story mentioned when King was in Canada is Ayana .

The Gingerbread Girl

Posted: June 11, 2007, 20:36

Here are more info about The Gingerbread Girl from Associated Press:

NEW YORK - A new Stephen King thriller will be published in its entirely in the July issue of Esquire. "The Gingerbread Girl," a 21,000-word novella covering 23 pages, will arrive at newsstands Tuesday.

"Over the last year, we've been trying to breathe life back into magazine fiction," Esquire Editor-in-Chief David Granger said Monday in a statement. "The best way to do that is to publish nothing other than event fiction-stories that have something in addition to their literary merit to call attention to themselves."

Esquire has a long history of publishing original fiction, including Truman Capote's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and Norman Mailer's "An American Dream." King, too, has released works through other media. In 2000, he serialized an original novel, "The Plant," from his Web site.

According to Esquire, "The Gingerbread Girl" tells "the story of Emily, who flees to the secluded Vermillion Key off of Florida's coast after the death of her infant child. Her new neighbor also enjoys the privacy of the key, but the women he brings with him never return home. Emily's curiosity leads her right into the hands of the madman, but it's her legs that are her only hope for survival."

Thanks to willowlove

Clips from 1408

Posted: June 11, 2007, 15:18

Here you can check out 8 clips from 1408.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Alternate ending and DVD

Posted: June 11, 2007, 15:16

Bloody-Disgusting has some news about the eniding and DVD edition of 1408:

Star Mary McCormack spilled the beans to Bloody-Disgusting that there were two ending shot for 1408, one that spells out a different fate for John Cusack's character Mike Enslin, who finds himself trapped in a haunted hotel room with the clock counting down from 60:00.

Director Mikael Håfström, who tells us is a big fan of Bloody-Disgusting, confirmed the news also adding that the other ending was too much of a "downer". He also tells us that the DVD will contain numerous deleted scenes.

Thanks to SLL

Cover for Esquire

Posted: June 11, 2007, 09:05

Here is the cover for the July issues of Esquire with King’s The Gingerbread Girl.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Clips from Canada

Posted: June 11, 2007, 08:56

Here are videos from the Toronto event:

King's Acceptance Speech

Part of Chuck Klosterman Interview with King

Thanks to Louis Sytsma

Hafstrom talks 1408

Posted: June 11, 2007, 08:56

Cinemablend has a podcast with Mikael Hafstrom, director of 1408.

Thanks to Louis Sytsma

Lilja’s Library Blaze Week

Posted: June 10, 2007, 23:59

Welcome to Lilja’s Library Blaze Week. As you all know Blaze is released this week and I think that is something that needs to be celebrated. So this week I’ll have the following prepared for you all:

Monday:
My review of Blaze

Monday – Wednesday:
Contest with UK editions of the book as prizes.

Wednesday:
Interview with King's UK editor Philippa Pride

Thursday – Sunday:
Contest with US editions of the book as prizes.

Enjoy!
Lilja

More King in Canada

Posted: June 9, 2007, 19:45

Here are more from Canada:

Photos by Lou_Sytsma

The Star

CBC

Thanks to Bev Vincent

King in Canada

Posted: June 9, 2007, 09:31

Here is an article about King visiting Canada to collect lifetime achievement award.

King's publisher also said that King delivered to her that morning a new short story called I, Anna that dealt with an older woman. She said she had no idea when it would ever see print but that it was a personal and moving story.

Thanks to Rocky Wood and Brent Phillips

Cover for the 2nd printing

Posted: June 8, 2007, 19:38

Here is the cover of the 2nd printing of issue #4 of Gunslinger Born. It’s done by Philip Tan and will be on sale July 4th. Strangely enough issue #3 has not yet sold out.

Thanks to Brant W. Fowler

New UK paperbacks

Posted: June 8, 2007, 08:47

On June 14 Hodder & Stoughton releases new paperback editions of The Bachman Books, The Reulators, The Running Man and Thinner. You can see the new covers below.

The Gingerbread Girl out now

Posted: June 8, 2007, 00:27

It seams that the July Esquire with The Gingerbread Girl is now out:

I've now seen the July Esquire in a library and can report that "The Gingerbread Girl" runs about 23 pages, including a title page, photos and illustrations. Angelina Jolie's on the cover, so it'll be hard to miss.

Thanks to Willowlove

King talks Duma Key

Posted: June 8, 2007, 00:26

Bev Vincent gave the following report about the Edgar Awards event:

King was interviewed by Hard Case Crime's Charles Ardai at the Edgar Awards last month in NYC. I just received a DVD of the interview. During the lengthy talk, King had this to say about Duma Key:

1) As of last month, he was still working on revisions

2) He once described the book as The Maltese Falcon meets The Shining

3) He was walking down a lonely, quiet road in Florida one evening. Most of the houses on the road were empty. He noticed a sign that said "Slow -- Children Playing," but he'd never seen any children there before. Maybe their ghost children, he thought. He had an image of these ghost kids walking behind him and he decided at that moment that somewhere in Duma Key there were going to be dead children.

4) The book also features a mystery from the 1920s that required him to do some research.

5) The book is in part about memories -- how we keep them and how they change. How we remember things one way and someone else remembers them another way.

6) Edgar's new talent, discovered after his accident and after he moves to Florida, is reminiscent of Patrick Danville's skill (though King did not mention Patrick during the interview)

7) There was a famous child kidnapping/murder case that played out while King was in Florida. Videotape captured the kidnapping--a man walked up to the missing girl in a parking lot and lured her away. The brief video played over and over on the news. At one instant, it captures the young girl looking up at her captor with a look of trust. When the culprit was caught, he said, "I got high and did a terrible thing." King was so angry with the guy that he decided to put him in the book and do a bad thing to him.

In unrelated news, King mentioned that he at one time considered writing a Travis McGee novel. He had the whole thing imagined in his head -- it was going to be called CHROME and would start with Meyer being shot and seriously injured while he and Travis were out for a walk on the beach. The question was going to be whether the shooter had been after Meyer or Trav.

King was serious enough about the book to track down John D. MacDonald's son and literary estate guardian in Australia or New Zealand, but the younger MacDonald wouldn't give him permission to do the book.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Blaze site

Posted: June 7, 2007, 22:28

With five day's left until Blaze is released there is now an official site for the book.

More from Eli about Cell

Posted: June 7, 2007, 13:09

Here is another interview with Eli:

Cinematical: I know you're moving on to Cell, the Stephen King adaptation. Last time we checked in, the writers were still working on a draft. Where is that now?

ER: Same thing. I just like to do one movie at a time. I know some directors multi-task, but I can't do that. I tried with Grindhouse and Hostel II and it was exhausting. So I'm going to get through the press on Hostel II and then dive into the script for Cell.

Cinematical: Anyone in mind for the lead roles; I know Jordan Ladd is a favorite of yours?

ER: Nope. Nobody. No cast until there's a script. The only thing that matters right now is the script. Once I finish Hostel: Part II, I'll take short break and then dive into Cell.

Cinematical: With remakes all the rage these days, would you ever be interested in remaking a Stephen King film?

ER: Nope. I did Cell because I've always wanted to do a Stephen King adaptation. Everything else from this point forward, I want to write, direct and create my own ideas.

Review of issue #5

Posted: June 5, 2007, 19:52

Tomorrow the 5th issue of Gunslinger Born are released but today you can read my review of it.

Rock Bottom Remainders

Posted: June 4, 2007, 16:23

What kind of rock band gets up before noon? For that matter, what kind of band reads and writes? The Rock Bottom Remainders do both, and have also been known, while on tour, to tune in to “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer.” At a little after 6 on Thursday morning they turned up at the studio of “Good Morning America” to do a promotional spot for a Friday-night benefit coinciding with BookExpo America, the big publishing fair that took place in New York over the weekend. The green-room spread included, instead of greenies and quarts of Jack, platters of fresh fruit and, at the request of Roy Blount Jr., one of the band’s founding members, a big pan of grits.

Read the complete text

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Roth talks Cell

Posted: June 4, 2007, 16:19

Eli Roth talks about Cell:

C: Since we're running out of time, I want to talk to you about your Stephen King adaptation CELL. This is your first film that you will not have written. Are you concerned that you're going to be ultra-critical of the script that comes to you next week?

ER: Of course. But I'm also working with really great writers. Sure it's my first time doing it, but if I'm going to do this to see if I can do it…I mean, look, obviously Spielberg does it, millions of directors do it, this is a good way to do it with a Stephen King book. I'm also working with two of the greatest writers in Hollywood Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski [co-writers of ED WOOD, THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, MAN ON THE MOON, and the upcoming King adaptation 1408], and if there's something I want to change tonally, I'll direct them as I direct any department. If I let my DP come in with his own list of shots, I'd say, that's not how we're shooting the film. If I saw my production designer designing stuff without my direction, I'd go, "That's not how it's going to be." So I have to approach it the way I'd approach any department, and give very strong, clear direction. And obviously, I've been very busy with HOSTEL: PART II that I haven't had a chance to focus, so what I'll do is get the script. I'm sure they will write a great draft, but if it's not what I'm looking for, we'll get it to that and I'll work with them they way I work with a cast member or DP or editor.

C: Do you have Stephen King movies?

ER: I love CARRIE, and I love CREEPSHOW, I love THE SHINING, I love 'SALEM'S LOT. Those are all really terrific; there are so many great ones. I mean THE SHINING is it for me.

C: You may be introducing yourself to a new audience by adapting one of his books.

ER: I think they'll be a lot of crossover audience. They'll at least know that he had to have seen HOSTEL to approve it. But I told everyone, it's going to be an adaptation, not a re-creation. I'm not filming the book; I'm using the book as source material and writing a script based on that. That was the first thing I said, I don't want to piss of Stephen King. I hear he didn't like THE SHINING, and THE SHINING's my favorite. I said, As long as I can change stuff I'll be involved, and he said it's totally cool.

Thanks to Anders Jakobson

Gunslinger Born omnibus ed.

Posted: June 1, 2007, 00:47

The omnibus edition of Gunslinger Born will be out November 7. Check back for a look at the cover soon.

Postscripts #10 signed by King

Posted: May 31, 2007, 14:34

It’s been reported that the regular hardcover edition of Postscripts #10 is in fact signed by all contributors (including King). This one was printed in 300 copies and only cost $50. It’s now sold out though.

Thanks to Marco Lammers.

RSS feed at Lilja's Library

Posted: May 28, 2007, 23:01

Many of you have asked if I will ever get a RSS channel for Lilja’s Library so today I’m very happy to tell you, that as of today, there is a RSS channels for Lilja’s Library.

For those of you that don’t know what RSS is, here is more info:

News feeds allow you to see when websites have added new content. You can get the latest headlines as soon as its published, without having to visit the websites you have taken the feed from.

To take advantage of an RSS feed you would use a piece of software called an RSS aggregator. Most of them are very similar to email client programs, but instead of incoming emails, they display news from various sources (from all the feeds you have registered with, or "subscribed to" as is commonly said but it has nothing to do with money). Unread news typically appear in bold, just as unread emails do.

I hope you will enjoy this new feature and think it’s a good adition to the site. Feel free to send me comments if you want.

Subscribe to Lilja's Library RSS channel

And here are all the winners

Posted: May 27, 2007, 00:14

OK, it’s Saturday and here are the right answers to the questions in the contest:

But first a remainer. This contest was possible to run thanks to Very Fine Books) so in the future, please support them when you get your books, OK?

Question 1: In 1984, which book was adapted into a movie co-starring Heather Locklear and Martin Sheen?
Answer 1: Firestarter

Question 2: The story "The Little Sisters of Eluria" by Stephen King is part of the Dark Tower series and this is the first appearance (first edition) of this story making this anthology a rare prize among Stephen King fans especially. Which Anthology was this?
Answer 2: Legends

Question 3: Cycle of the Werewolf grew to be a beautifully illustrated novella in 12 segments about Marty Coslaw, a young boy who must convince the townspeople of Tarker's Mills that there is a werewolf in their midst. What was it originally meant to be released as?
Answer 3: A story-calendar

Question 4: What John Denver song appeared in The Regulators?
Answer 4: Leaving on a Jet Plane

Question 5: On the February 3rd, 2007 episode of Saturday Night Live, host Drew Barrymore reprised her role as Charlie McGee, in a fake commercial for what?
Answer 5: Firestarter Brand Smoked Sausages

And…here are the winners:

Monday: Black House (1st/1st)
Winner: Christer Nestorsson from Sweden.

Tuesday: Dreamcatcher (1st/1st)
Winner: Mary Brady from the US.

Wednesday: The Dark Half (signed & inscribed 1st edition)
Winner: Michael E. Stamm from the US.

Thursday: Dolores Claiborne (1st/1st)
Winner: Danny Paap from Holland.

Friday: Needful Things (1st/1st)
Winner: Michael Emerson from the US.

The Best American Short Stories

Posted: May 25, 2007, 23:46

The Best American Short Stories 2007 is edited by Stephen King this year. The book is due out on October 10, 2007 and can be order here.

Thanks to Larry Fire

Blaze review

Posted: May 24, 2007, 00:19

Here is a very short review of Blaze from the periodical "Booklist". Read at your own risk...

Read the complete text

Thanks to Rick Urban

The Gingerbread Girl

Posted: May 23, 2007, 22:00

As you might remember King mentioned that he was working on a story called The Gingerbread Girl in my interview with him. Well, today it was reported that it’ll be in Esquire Magazine’s July issue, on stands June 15.
Here it what it says about it on King’s site:

A long story entitled “The Gingerbread Girl” will be the centerpiece of Esquire Magazine’s July issue, on stands June 15.

In the emotional aftermath of her baby’s sudden death, Em starts running. Soon she runs from her husband, to the airport, down to the Florida Gulf and out to the loneliest stretch of Vermillion Key, where her father has offered the use of a conch shack he has kept there for years. Em keeps up her running—barefoot on the beach, sneakers on the road—and sees virtually no one. This is doing her all kinds of good, until one day she makes the mistake of looking into the driveway of a man named Pickering. Pickering also enjoys the privacy of Vermillion Key, but the young women he brings there suffer the consequences….

New books

Posted: May 23, 2007, 08:42

Two new books have surfaced. One is an interview book called Stephen King Spills the Beans and contains interviews, ranging from 1973 to the present.

The other book is a separate release of The Mist. Previously The Mist has only been released in the collection Skeleton Crew.

The release dates are September 28 for Stephen King Spills the Beans and October 2 for The Mist.

Thanks to Larry Fire

Gunslinger Born translation

Posted: May 21, 2007, 00:18

Here are some news about the forigne translations of Gunslinger Born:

King’s German publisher Heyne plans to release all the first seven issues in a complete edition and names it Der Dunkle Turm - Graphic Novel. Their will also be a limited edition containing a poster (see image). Release date will be October this year.

Thanks to Andreas Hesse

Pages from issue #5

Posted: May 18, 2007, 09:26

Here are some pages from issue #5 of Gunslinger Born.

Thanks to Silver Bullet Comic

Stevie's Wonders

Posted: May 17, 2007, 23:24

Here is an article by King from EW called Stevie's Wonders.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Cell in Fangoria

Posted: May 17, 2007, 00:47

Fangoria reports about Cell

While chatting with screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski about their work on the Stephen King film 1408 (pictured, and currently set for June 22 release by Dimension), Fango also got a few comments from them about their next Dimension/King project: CELL, to be directed by HOSTEL mastermind Eli Roth. This will be a different ball game altogether from 1408; while that film relies on an unseen, psychological menace, King’s 2006 novel is a thrill ride from page one, his own homage to the zombie films of George A. Romero. In the book, a mysterious “pulse” is emitted by every cell phone in the U.S. turning anybody using one into a vicious, inhuman killer. Those afflicted eventually form a hive mind determined to wipe out the last survivors, who struggle to survive in a devastated New England.

The two scripters see CELL as a chance to not only pull their own variation on the “zombie” genre, but also to make a statement of how technology has overtaken the American lifestyle. “People think they have to be connected at all moments of their lives, so we’re trying to make the movie a big indictment of that,” Alexander continues. “We’re using the novel as a jumping-off point. The book is very sarcastic about this world of people and what they have brought upon themselves with all their friggin’ cell phones and e-mails and pagers and Bluetooths and all this stuff, but after a certain point, the novel sort of moves on to new ideas. We’re trying to keep the movie focused on that original theme, because it’s very timely and provides a really good shape to the material.” But he adds that the movie will reflect the fast-paced, action-packed tone of King’s novel: “There’s much more action in CELL, and particularly because Eli is the director, we’d be crazy if we didn’t make it visceral.”

“There’s not a lot of pretension in CELL,” adds Karaszewski. “The best sequences in the book are the ones that get really violent and horrible and funny all at the same time, and that’s why Eli is the perfect director for it.” The pair are currently completing the script’s first draft, with production tentatively slated to begin in the fall; see Fango #265, on sale in July, for their comments on 1408, and #264, on sale this month, for a chat with that movie’s director Mikael Hafstrom. —Don Kaye

Thanks to Bev Vincent

The Secretary of Dreams vol.2

Posted: May 17, 2007, 00:46

News on volume 2 of The Secretary of Dreams from Cemetery Dance:

In other Stephen King news, we've received hundreds of emails asking about Volume Two of The Secretary of Dreams, and we're pleased to report that Glenn Chadbourne is nearing completion of the artwork! We expect to receive the first batch of illustrations this week, and the next batch soon after. The samples he already sent us are amazing and we can't wait to show them off.

We'll post more updates as this project gets a little closer to being officially announced, but we can tell you right now that we'll have an official procedure in place soon for "registering" your Limited Edition number from Volume One *IF* you bought your signed copy from someone other than Cemetery Dance or a few select booksellers.

If you ordered your Limited Edition directly from Cemetery Dance, we already have your number in our records and you will not have to do anything to get that same number on Volume Two! If you bought your Limited Edition of Volume One off eBay or through another source, you will have to provide proof of ownership to receive a matching number. We'll post complete details next time!

Thanks to Bev Vincent

King on Easy Tiger

Posted: May 11, 2007, 23:28

King writes about Easy Tiger on Amazon.com.

Product Description
I think there are really only two kinds of pop music CDs these days. There are the ones you listen to only once or twice, maybe downloading the single good song to your iPod or computer; then there are others that grow stronger, sweeter, and more necessary each time you play them. Gold was that way; Cold Roses was that way; so was Jacksonville City Nights. I won't say Adams is the best North American singer-songwriter since Neil Young...but I won't say he isn't, either. What I know is there has never been a Ryan Adams record quite as strong and together as Easy Tiger; it's got enough blue-eyed, blue-steel soul (with the faintest country tinge) to make me think of both Marvin Gaye and the Righteous Brothers. Probably ridiculous, but true. And the songs themselves are beautiful--the lyrics tightly focused and brief, the feeling one of melancholy calm that will probably be a revelation to fans that remember the old, sometimes angry Ryan Adams.

Now there's this, maybe the best Ryan Adams CD ever. And I know you want to listen to it right away. But slow down. Take your time. This album asks for that, and it will reward your full attention.

In other words--easy, Tiger.

--Stephen King

And here is more...

Thanks to Paul Poroshin

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