Midday Update --

Sad news:

Horror writer Charles Grant passed away this weekend.

The horror boards are buzzing, and I may have more news to share later this week, but this is a sad day for all who read and most of all those who knew and loved Charlie. He was a writer's writer, a passionate and articulate advocate for the art and a formidable presence in the genre, and he will be sorely missed.

I have my own Charlie Grant stories to share, from my active years with the Horror Writers Association (then Horror Writers of America), but today's not the day to do so... I'm honored to have known the man at all, and feel blessed to have had some chats, laughs and head-butting with Charles off and on in the late '80s and early '90s.

R.I.P., Charlie.

__________

Good news:

Me old amigo Phil Nutman just emailed me this weekend from a-way down south in Georgia to alert me to his latest installment of the online media journal Up Against the Wall, now in its 2nd 'issue' at www.upagainstthewallmag.com

The latest installment features Phil's interview with Psychedelic Furs front man Richard Butler, whose new Sentimental Airlines is (in Phil's opinion) "one of the best CDs of the year." Also: Al Kaufman's interview with Daren Wang of Verb, who wants to change the way you think about literary magazines, and Al's chat with musician Dan Bern on the heels of Bern's anti-Bush campaign; and more, including music reviews (Arctic Monkeys, Mott the Hoople, Goldfrapp, and made-in-VT movie Disappearances star Kris Kristofferson) and lots of movie stuff. There's Phil getting all weepy over the new Lassie movie and DVD reviews of my fave '70s biker opus The Losers, the shaggy-dog-biker-bastard offspring Werewolves on Wheels, Jim Van Bebber's stunning The Manson Family, that beloved Richard Matheson/Dan Curtis made-for-TV chestnut Trilogy of Terror, women-in-prison depravities Bare Behind Bars and Amazon Jail, MVD's Pornstar Pets (guest-reviewed by Justin Griffin) and -- for more wholesome appetites -- BBC America's uncut DVD set of the Christopher Eccelson season of Dr. Who (reviewed by Shawn Carter).

Great reading, leading to good reading/listening/viewing, all!

And what the hell, while you're at it, you should also check out Phil's website at www.PhilipNutman.com