Literary Illusions is proud to be giving away five copies of The Scandal Plan Or: How to Win the Presidency by Cheating on Your Wife By Bill Folman. To enter all you need to do is leave us a comment. Please be sure to only leave one. Comments are moderated to avoid spam, so it will not show up right away. People who leave multiple comments will be deleted from the contest altogether. If you do not see your comment within a day then by all means leave another one. Otherwise, do not worry as we accept comments several times a day.

To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not hear from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win.

We will begin choosing winners for this the week of May 25, 2008, which means you have until May 24, 2008 at 11:59 to enter.

From The Scandal Plan Or: How to Win the Presidency by Cheating on Your Wife Book Page

A presidential candidate behind in the polls concocts an outrageous scandal to improve his chances in this hilarious political satire in the spirit of Primary Colors

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Writer: James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, and More
Director: David Silverman
Cast: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Albert Brooks
Rating: PG-13
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: December 18, 2007

Spiderpig…Spiderpig…

Who could forget those infamous song lyrics by Homer J. himself? The sheer creepiness of Homer walking a pig on his ceiling was intriguing enough to make me want to see the very first movie in the history of the long running The Simpsons television show. I admit, I was puzzled and wanted to know where the heck Homer got Spiderpig and why he was walking him across the Simpsons’ family ceiling. I was looking for something new and fresh in relation to the series, which is now in its 19th season. I was happily surprised by the results of The Simpsons Movie and that is why I am recommending the film to anyone reading this review.

I don’t typically recommend a film so early in a review, but I think it is safe to assume those reading this review will stick around to find out why I found The Simpsons Movie to be so enjoyable. The show needed something fresh and new to keep viewers interested in a show that has been on the air since I was a mere 8 years old (Just for reference, I’m currently 27). That kind of longevity is surprising in any show, let alone one that is animated. The previews for The Simpsons Movie looked interesting, but they really didn’t tell anything about the actual film. I went into this not knowing what to expect or even what the story was about. That being said, I’m glad I now know the power of Spiderpig.

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Writers: Delmer Daves, Leo McCarey, Mildred Cram
Director: Leo McCarey
Cast: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Richard Denning, Neva Patterson, Cathleen Nesbitt, Robert Q. Lewis, Charles Watts, Fortunio Bonanova
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: January 15, 2008

Our Love Affair is a Wondrous Thing… That We’ll Rejoice in Remembering…

That enchanting song gets in my head and brings to life wonderful memories of one of my favorite movies. I would say that Cary Grant is at the top of my list of favorite actors and his performance in An Affair to Remember only strengthens my belief that he is one of the greatest actors of all time. All of the credit cannot go to Grant though. The elegant and talented Deborah Kerr, with whom Grant has such amazing chemistry, puts in the performance of a lifetime. Now, I have the ultimate An Affair to Remember DVD to keep the memory of their performances, and one of the only love stories I think is worthy of watching, alive.

New generations will fall in love with this classic, which their mothers/fathers and even their grandparents once loved so dearly. Every time I review a classic film that is as superb as An Affair to Remember I say ‘they don’t make movies like this anymore’. Well I’m saying it again. Not one of the new films I’ve seen this year can hold a candle to the magnificent creations of old Hollywood. Actors were held to a higher standard and that standard typically demanded that not only would the story be of a higher caliber, but the actors and directors would be held to the highest level. I remember watching An Affair to Remember as a teenager and truly enjoying the story. I feel the same way about it today.

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

When we talk about bands that produce two records with two completely different sounds, The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi from The Receiving End of Sirens fits that perfectly. TREOSs first album, Between the Heart and the Synapse, was a rock-driven artistic masterpiece while The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi is mostly artwork with a hit of their rock and roll roots laden into the backdrop of the album. On the whole, the two albums sound completely different and it would be difficult to conceive that they were even produced by the same band.

As I stated above, the sound the two albums are drastically different. Between the Heart and the Synapse was a rock-driven album with well-placed artistic overtones and nuances. The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi is nearly the complete opposite- an artsy album with rock undertones. Don’t get me wrong, there’s not wrong with a musical 180, its perfectly natural in the course of events of a musician. And in the case of The Receiving End of Sirens, it could be the result of the band continuing their story telling- since the two albums are symbiotic of each other. The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi needs Between the Heart and the Synapse to tell its story- while Between the Heart and the Synapse needs The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi to continue its story. Without each other their stories have no meaning, and without each other they don’t exist. And since existence is the underlying tone of both albums, it is, in this writer’s opinion, is all part of the genius that is The Receiving End of Sirens.

While the sound of the albums is different, the lyrics and meaning are still intertwined. Between the Heart and the Synapse spoke of coming into existence and trying to find one’s self, The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi takes that to the next level and speaks about being in existence and watching the world from the eyes of an outsider, or as someone who always ignored or overlooked. On those same lines, the album questions that existence and in essence, makes the listener watch as that existence seems to fade away. True to nature, the album is lyrically intelligent- still commanding the English language and using poetic and literary devices with the utmost perfection. One addition in The Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi is the imagery. TREOS uses imagery in the album like a great sci-fi or fantasy novel, the lyrics will take you and place you into the point of view the speaker, whoever it may be. Tolkien would be proud.

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Second Installment of THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR franchise to be produced by Pierce Brosnan’s Irish DreamTime Productions

LOS ANGELES , CA November 14, 2007 – Continuing to place high priority on building out its own tent pole franchises, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. has signed Paul Verhoeven to direct the highly anticipated romantic thriller THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR 2, the second installment in MGM’s highly successful THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR franchise. Rick Sands, MGM’s Chief Operating Officer, made the announcement today.

The next installment of the Thomas Crown franchise sweeps across Europe and the Middle East as Crown becomes entangled in a centuries old feud and must decide how much he’s truly willing to risk for love. MGM and Irish DreamTime will produce THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR 2. Brosnan and Beau St. Clair will serve as producers for Irish DreamTime along with D. Constantine Conte. The start date of production will be determined shortly.

“THOMAS CROWN is a rich blend of dramatic tension, high adventure, romance and just the right touch of humor,” said Sands. “Paul’s body of work demonstrates his ability to deftly combine those elements while telling a story that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats. His directorial talents complement Pierce’s portrayal of the Thomas Crown character and we’re all looking forward to an engaging and entertaining film.”

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I wouldn’t say recent Emmy winner (for Outstanding Reality Series) Kathy Griffin has ever really been on the D-list. I’d say she always hovered somewhere in the B range.

For those of us who don’t have cable television (yes I admit it) or a satellite dish (again I admit it) and want to know what all of the fuss is about, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List Season One is now available on DVD.

What’s disappointing about this two disc set is there are only six episodes of the reality show. It’s probably one of the best shows around and it would have been nice if Bravo! Television had done more with the show.

I’m also confessing that I’m not a fan of reality television, but I do like the behind-the-scenes type of shows. This series does a great job at showing Griffin working for a living. One minute she’s at her (what I wouldn’t do for her house!) home then it’s off to New York, Las Vegas or Chicago for a show. It’s a repeated process but you get the idea of what life’s like in her shoes (and you can almost feel her exhaustion).

There are three main events which we get to witness: her yearly Toys for Tots fundraiser; the red carpet arrivals at The Grammys and the tension just before The Oscars when she can’t find her credentials.

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Please note: The following rant assumes that the reader has prior knowledge of the events mentioned below.Who are our role models? For me, my role models are friends, family and those I care about. I’d like to think that all of us think this way. I’d like to think that some of us have that special teacher, parent, or best friend that picks us up when we’re down and helps motivate us to be better people. But what about those we see on TV? What about the sounds and images radio, film, and news media? Where is the media’s moral fiber?

It seems today that many of our so-called media heroes are either in rehab, divorced, incarcerated or facing charges on some sex scandal (e.g. Larry Craig), a DUI charge or complaining that they don’t get enough recognition for their work.

Recently, I happened to catch the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards fromLas Vegas.The opening act was the now notorious Britney Spears debacle in which she gyrated and stumbled her way thru a badly lip-synched performance of her new hit “Gimme More” in what can only be called sparkly underwear. I chalked this one up to just a bad performance, and waited to see what the rest of the night had to offer.

What I got for my viewing pleasure was what I saw as a two-hour long commercial for an Attention Deficit Disorder club in Las Vegas. Most of the performances were cut off in mid-song and interspersed with appearances by Miss Teen South Carolina (who still couldn’t speak correctly even with the help of a teleprompter), the ever so brainy girls of The Hills (who I still can’t believe are real people) and an impromptu fight between Tommy Lee and Kid Rock.

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

When one of my friends saw the article in the paper about campy movies she immediately cut it out and gave me the article. Am I glad she did.

The first set I watched was Cult Camp Classics Vol. 3 - Terrorized Travelers, which includes Zero Hour! the basis for Airplane! Along with this high flying drama are Skyjacked and my new favorite Hot Rods to Hell (aka 52 Miles to Terror). The latter is so bad that when my mom watched it she nearly peed her pants.

Beginning with Skyjacked, the friendly skies aren’t so friendly when a hijacker takes over a Boeing 707 piloted by disaster favorite, Charlton Heston. Remember Heston took control of another famous doomed flight in Airport ‘75 (taking over from Karen Black at the controls) and made a safe landing in Salt Lake.

This time he’s forced to fly to Russia with a limited manifest as most of the passengers were released earlier in the film. Those taking a detour to Russia include head stew Yvette Mimieux; pregnant Mariette Hartley; Vietnam vet James Brolin; The Shaws (Jeanne Crain and Ross Elliot); Roosevelt Grier; Susan Dey and Sen. Arne Lindner and son (Walter Pidgeon and Nicholas Hammond). While Heston has to contend with the hijacker, Mimieux and passengers have to deal with the early arrival of Hartley’s baby.

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Lindsay Lohan has had all possible felonies dropped. Instead, she will face seven misdemeanor counts, which means she is looking at 24 hours of jail time and community service. Lindsay is the third pop tart/celebuskank in line to face minimal time in jail. However, in truth Lindsay had the worst of the offenses due to being in possession of cocaine. At this point, the Santa Monica District Attorney is planning on letting Lindsay off for those charges. Citing her hard home life as one of the reasons for the lack of felony charges, it seems as if Lindsay is just the latest Hollywood tart to get special treatment.

Other reasons Lindsay is getting an easy break include the closeness of the incidents, the “questionable” means in which the cocaine was seized (doesn’t this always seem to happen in the L.A. area?), her age, the fact she went into rehab immediately preceding each incident (not that rehab seems to work) and the amount of cocaine that she had on her.

While 24 hours of jail time may seem like a “lot” for a pop tart like Lindsay, she’ll be lucky to serve an hour. After all former friend, nemesis, friend, nemesis…er friend (who keeps up anyway?) Nicole Richie served just 82 hours of a four day sentence due to overcrowding in the L.A. jails.

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

LA’s men in black are back in this hour-long symphonic tornado. The Gift of Gab and DJ, Chief XL rock a town that is known more for Jimi Hendrix’s guitar riffs and Starbucks induced insomnia spells as the emcee and producer move the crowd in Seattle’s Showbox Theatre with two turntables, a mic and a dope backing band.

The presentation intermingles live footage of the lyrical racecar that is Gab and the supreme turntable etiquette of XL with interview segments that chronicle the duo’s nineteen-year journey, from their fifth period home economics class all the way to Capetown, South Africa. The DVD version allows you to view the two parts separately or together, but after viewing the interview segments along side the crowd’s energy, you might consider these two the Roots Crew of the West Coast.

Backalicious bring all their best cuts to the performance like,“Alphabet Aerobics,” Green Light,” “Chemical Callisthenics” and a nice bit of storytelling on “Deception.” Of course, XL’s funkiest skills permeate every track, so much so that it often feels as if the tracks were always a part of the lyrics like an arm to a torso, or maybe, in this case, a really funky peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a crazy keyboard player mixed in. It is only during XL’s solo that this is not the case. The show also features guest spots by Lifesavas, Pigeon John and the one and only Fatlip of Pharcyde fame.

(more…)

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!