I will be donating a unique piece of writing at the New York Comic Con to The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund who will be auctioning it off with other art to help raise money for pending court cases involving First Amendment rights issues.  As many of you who may know me can attest to I am strongly against any children from seeing, or hearing things that may harm their growth (because I too will be a concerned parent one day), but I also strongly feel that parents should be parenting their kids and deeming what is appropriate, not the overly uptight television, or government.  Are you telling me a breast bared for a second on television could ruin our youth?  I think nudity is portrayed as unnatural in this country and this is simply wrong.  Europe and the rest of the world allow a little more skin and not nearly as much bloody violence and dissection of dead bodies (which we in the U.S. show at all times of day on our televisions).  The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund of all things is putting up a fight for our neglected First Amendment rights.  They wrote me this:
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund needs your help.  Right now, we are defending a collector in Iowa who faces up to 20 years in Federal prison for allegedly possessing manga that the government claims is obscene.  We are also challenging an unconstitutional Utah law that would require the Attorney General to create a blacklist of websites that he unilaterally deems to be harmful to minors.  These cases affect the rights of creators and readers throughout the United States.  Thank you for your time in considering this request to aid us in the defense of our First Amendment rights.

History was made today.  We truly live in a great country where equality has allowed for Barack Obama to be voted in as the President of the United States of America.  I have a new work up in the Poetry section to commemorate this historic day.  Minds are opening and this country can potentially grow immensely, and must.  The world is a better place today.  Hopefully it will continue to improve tomorrow and every day thereafter.

Well I give up.  Remakes of movies now outnumber the new original ones coming out and nothing, I repeat nothing is taboo.  If you ever wondered if Hollywood held anything as sacred, then... well here's Hollywood's response:  they are remaking The Karate Kid.  I am not kidding (at this point).  I would not dare to joke about this classic movie of my childhood, in which the Long Island born Ralph Macchio plays the crane kicking protagonist Daniel-son, being remade.  Will Smith's son (Jaden) is set to star in it learning from Mr. Miyagi who will be played by Jackie Chan.  Should we wax on, or WAX OFF!

The new year is upon us and it will be an exciting one.  My novel Ways is about to be finished and entered into the 2009 Penguin and Amazon.com Writing Contest in February.  Rune Works will be further represented with pending publications. 

The New York Comic Con is less than three weeks away and the entire Rune Works team will be present there, with writing in tow. 

Lastly I would like to say that the Impossible Minds Entertainment website has been relaunched by its Producer and Editor-In-Chief Kurt Zisa.  Impossible Minds Entertainment (IME) serves as a proprietary development company for a small group of highly talented industry professionals.  These professionals use IME as the platform to create and develop their own forms of entertainment media through a wide array of genres and platforms.  IME will be releasing an innovative independent literary journal in the upcoming year.  I will be providing Impulsive Reviews for IME as well as writing and Executive Editor duties.  For any inquiries of Impossible Minds Entertainment you can reach me here or check out the official site:

http://www.impossibleminds.com/Site/Home.html

Today I witnessed the grand opening to a literary genius's first solo mark as it impacted on the movie screen.  Frank Miller's first full fledged directing effort brought forth the 1940's comic strip created by Will Eisner.  The flick is a modern adaptation to the adult comic The Spirit, though it has the look and feel of an old time detective film noir.  Despite my assumptions going in the movie is drastically different than Miller's Sin City film (and comics) and though the green screen was used for nearly all of the frames, the look and feel of this movie are truly a unique work of art.  The smart comic tale that is spun follows a man who cannot quite die, who hunts down criminals in the city as the Spirit (played by Gabriel Macht).  The acting here is top notch and achieves Miller's vision which is witty humor, action, Tarantino-like words and story innovations, and scintillating women.  The beautiful femme fatales played by the stunning Scarlett Johansson and uncompromisingly curved and sexy Eva Mendes grace the screen with ferocity that ends the film leaving a desire for more.  Jaime King yearns as death and Samuel L. (Mother Fu*@ing) Jackson fits the role of the ultimate villain, the Octopus, to perfection as he continually spouts the ravings of a megalomaniac seeking godhood.  The look and twist of story here project something new and never before seen, and it is to be hoped that with The Spirit, Frank Miller is just scratching the surface of his filmmaking prowess.

Grade:  A

Happy New Year!