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Showing posts with label Dana Gould. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dana Gould. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

18th Annual Rondo Award Noms - Vote for Dark Shadows!




The nominees for the 18th annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards have been announced, and you'll find the residents of Collinsport well represented among them this year.

The Collinsport Historical Society has been nominated for Best Website for the eighth year running. Meanwhile, a piece about the enduring appeal of Dark Shadows I wrote with Dana Gould for issue #4 of Fangoria has been nominated for Best Article.

As usual, winners will be determined by votes from the public. And that means you. Readers are asked to select winners from this year's nominees and e-mail your selections to David Colton at [email protected]. You can copy and paste the ballot and include an X next to your choices, or just type your ballot choices directly into the e-mail. (Note: You're allowed to vote for two candidates in the Best Article category.)

Rod Labbe's interview with Kathryn Leigh Scott from Scary Monsters #111 has been nominated for Best Interview.

You can see the entire ballot at https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/

All voting is by e-mail only. One vote is allowed per person. Every e-mail must include your name to be counted. All votes are kept confidential. No e-mail addresses or personal information will be shared. Votes must be received by Sunday night at midnight, March 29, 2020.

Being nominated for the Rondos is a huge honor - it means The Collinsport Historical Society's work is among the ranks of the best writers and artists working in horror fandom today. Eventually they'll figure out I was mistakenly invited to this party, but not before I eat my weight in hot wings and make everyone regret the concept of an "open bar." Carpe diem!

When it comes to the Rondos we've been very fortunate. We took home the Best Website honor back in 2012 during the most recent epidemic of Dark Shadows Fever. In 2018 Patrick McCray was named Best Writer for his Dark Shadows Daybook feature.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Podcast: Dark Shadows is as American as apple pie


Mistakes were made.

The first podcast turned out better than I could have ever imagined, a two-hour sprawling epic with more contributors than I could count. The traffic on the episode was great, as well ... but trying to publish an omnibus podcast on a monthly basis proved to be beyond my abilities. I've got some good stuff already in the can for episode two, but trying to get everybody to manage their schedules at my whim is unrealistic. From now on I'll be releasing "single serving" episodes as they become available, collecting them into an anthology podcast at a later date.

Which means I have to break down the previous podcast into single serving installments ... beginning today. Each day throughout the week a complete segment from our first episode - "It Runs in the Family" - will be shared as an individual MP3 file. Hopefully this might also attract a few of you who blanched at the thought of a two-hour podcast.



First up: Night Rally by Dana Gould! Dana and Bobcat Goldthwait were injured Thursday in a car wreck in Atlanta, suggesting they might need to follow some sort of Air Force One protocol for future live appearances. Get well soon, guys.
You can download Night Rally by clicking HERE, or stream it below. The Dark Shadows theme is performed here by Valentine Wolfe.

Tomorrow: Evolving in the Shadows with Ella Minnope!

Monday, July 22, 2019

Dark Shadows returns to the pages of Fangoria



By WALLACE McBRIDE

If you're reading this, you love probably Dark Shadows. It takes a certain level of emotional commitment to follow a television series that went off the air almost 50 years ago, so "love" might not even be a strong enough word. Since its relaunch last fall, Fangoria has been exploring our intense, tangled relationships with media, showcasing such gorgeous weirdos as Roy Rose (who moved his family from Cleveland to Texas to restore the gas station from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) and Kenny Caperton (who created a life-sized replica of the Myers House from John Carpenter's Halloween.) In the latest issue of Fangoria, comedian Dana Gould and I join their ranks.

Issue #4 of Fangoria hits the stands this Wednesday (July 24) and features a lengthy chat between Dana and myself about the enduring appeal of Dark Shadows in the magazine's "Lifers" feature. Look for copies of this issue in your local comic book store. If you don't have access to a comic store, the issue is also available from Amazon HERE. (Note: If you want the issue, you might want to act fast. Copies are already appearing on Ebay at an inflated price.)

Below is a sneak peak at the Dark Shadows feature. The idea was that if Dana had a portrait hanging in Collinwood, it ought to look like the work of Basil Gogos or James Bama, so I opted for a psychedlic/pop art color scheme. (You might want to take a second look at the signature on the portrait, though.)

If you've got interests other than Dark Shadows, the latest issue also includes a conversation between Jordan Peele and Ari Aster (the director responsible of last year's Hereditary and this year's Midsommar) interviews with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal and author Joe Hill, essays by Damien Echols and Alexandre Aja and more. How I got invited to this party is anyone's guess.

And don't let the cover price spook you. $20 might seem a little steep for a "magazine," but Fangoria's new format feels more like a book than a floppy. Squarebound and 100 pages in length, you're going to be reading this issue until the next one comes out in October. You can pick up a yearly subscription to the magazine (at a discount!) at Fangoria.com

Thursday, June 6, 2019

Dark Shadows fall on Fangoria in July



By WALLACE McBRIDE

Fangoria and Dark Shadows have a history together that dates back at least to its 17th issue, published in 1982 during one of the show's many syndicated revivals. While the stormy melodrama of television's "Daytime Dracula" and his extended family might not seem like an obvious fit for the gore-soaked pages of Fangoria, its bullpen has always been willing to clear a space at the table for Barnabas Collins ... no matter who might be playing him.

Now  I have to write a sentence that freaks me out quite a bit: There's a conversation between Dana Gould and myself in the next issue of Fangoria about the eternal appeal of Dark Shadows. I just spent a solid 15 minutes staring at the screen after finishing that sentence, searching for the words to describe the stew of panic, joy and gratitude I'm feeling about this opportunity. I can't wait for you to read this story.

Who allowed this to happen? Phil Nobile Jr., the editor-in-chief of Fangoria and a long-time fan of Dark Shadows. Phil will also be joining us on The Collinsport Historical Society Podcast in July to chat with Patrick McCray about John August's unproduced screenplay for Tim Burton's Dark Shadows movie.

To receive the next issue of Fangoria (#4!) in your mailbox, subscribe to the magazine by June 10 at fangoria.com. (If you miss the deadline you'll have to go spelunking in comic book stores later in July to find it.) The issue also marks the 40th annversary of Fangoria and features contributions from Jordan Peele, Ari Aster, André Øvredal, Joe Hill, Damien Echols, Meredith Borders and almost certainly Barbara Crampton. How I found myself in such company is a mystery, but I promise not to make a mess.

You can read an excerpt from Peele and Aster’s conversation from issue #4 at Entertainment Weekly.

Monday, March 11, 2019

Once more, with feeling



The Collinsport Historical Society is up for another Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award this year for "Best Website," but we've decided not to campaign for ourselves. We're happy with the Rondos we've already received and thought we'd throw our meager weight behind Stan Against Evil and its creator Dana Gould. We announced this effort a week ago and things went predictably terrible from the start.

I say "predictably" because that's just how Facebook functions these days. It's a platform that rewards posts for their interactions, no matter how good or bad those interactions might be. If you have a post that gets dogpiled by Russian bots, all Facebook sees are the statistics and chalks that up as a "win." The human element operates at the opposite end of that spectrum to similarly disasterous results. When presented with an unending cascade of data, people will grab hold of the things that are easiest to process. If you're too clever or give people too much information to evaluate, they'll blink and keep scrolling. It's frustrating to watch this happen from my side of the screen, and that frustration is often difficult to hide.
"Posts that don’t include a photo of Jonathan Frid tend to get the cold shoulder here, but please take a moment to read this piece about Stan Against Evil at The Collinsport Historical Society."
This is how I chose to lure people into my Rondo campaign last week for Stan Against Evil. It was a bit passive aggressive, but also true. Plus, it never hurts to be provocative and that's probably the only reason anyone took the time to comment. Unfortunately, the majority of those comments only served to underline my point.

"Not interested," one person took the time to comment before I hid his post. He later came back to add "There must be other places one can deal with this sort of thing..." Nobody saw this, either.

"Not because (Frid's) picture isn't involved, because it isn't about DS," someone else ejaculated into the void.

Too many people have decided that the only relationship they want with websites today is through a social media buffer, which is why there aren't many sites like The Collinsport Historical Society around anymore. The internet was lousy with blogs when this site kicked off back in 2012. Today, there are so few that the Rondos have merged their "Best Blog" and "Best Website" into one category, pitting my tiny corner of the Internet against Bloody DisgustingDread Central and Birth. Movies. Death. (One of the early models for my website, Stacey Ponder's Final Girl, hasn't been updated since June 11, 2018.)

Is that what the future holds for us? Because, getting back to my original point, I've mentioned the ways Dan Curtis has influenced Stan Against Evil on this website many, many times. From how Collinsport helped inform the show's setting, to the House of Dark Shadows homage in Janet Varney's costume design in the episode "Vampire Creek." And hey! There's a witch on the show named Lara Bouchard, and a doctor at a mental institutioned named "Dr. Edmonds." Speaking of Dan Curtis, Carl Kolchak also made a stealth appearance in the third season of Stan Against Evil.

The people who took the time out of their busy schedules to barf up comments about how the Rondo campaign is irrelvant? They don't have a relationship with this website. They have a relationship with Facebook. Consequently, it's incredibly unlikely they've seen any of those earlier posts about Stan Against Evil. It's doubtful they even know the names of the contributors here. Our posts just appear in their feeds as if by magic, cobbled together during the night by elves in the workshop.

But the fight goes on! If you want to cast a ballot for Stan Against Evil, here's how:

As usual, this year's winners will be determined by votes from the public. And that means you. You can copy and paste the ballot and include an X next to your choices, or just type your ballot choices directly into the e-mail. Readers are asked to select winners from this year's nominees and e-mail your selections to David Colton at [email protected]. You can find the entire ballot at https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/.

Note: "Best TV Presentation" is #3 on the ballot. While you're at it, please consider voting for Dana Gould for #29, "Monster Kid Hall of the Year." This is a write-in category.

All voting is by e-mail only. One vote is allowed per person. Every e-mail must include your name to be counted. All votes are kept confidential. No e-mail addresses or personal information will be shared. Votes must be received by April 20, 2019.

I'm not alone in my efforts: The Cheap Chills Show is also stumping for Dana and Stan Against Evil and you can read their pitch HERE. Also, all three seasons of Stan Against Evil are now streaming on Hulu!

Sunday, July 22, 2018

Stan Against Evil goes full Collinsport in season 3


The teaser for season three of STAN AGAINST EVIL debuted Saturday at Comic-Con, with the cast and crew on-hand to give fans an idea of what to expect when the series returns to IFC on Oct. 31. I'm too busy to dive deep into this trailer at the moment, but needless to say: Familiar imagery abounds! If you get a DARK SHADOWS vibe from the vampire elements (such as that screencap of series MVP Janet Varney at the top of this post) that's by design. Series creator Dana Gould has spent a lot of time in Collinsport and knows his way around town. I'll have more to say about all of this later, but for now enjoy some images from DARK SHADOWS that are some obvious touchstones for STAN AGAINST EVIL. (Bonus points of you spot the reference to KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER in the teaser.) You can should watch the trailer for season three at the bottom of this post.



Thursday, December 14, 2017

Let these podcasts get you through the holidays



The editorial pace of The Collinsport Historical Society has always been a little confounding for all involved. There are few human beings on earth who can match our enthusiasm for DARK SHADOWS, a television show that went off the air before most of the contributors to this website were even born. Not all that long ago we were sometimes updating the website multiple times a day, which is kind of staggering in retrospect. Where did we get all of that energy? And what's up with those stupid haircuts we used to have? (Spoiler: I have an all-new stupid haircut.)

I look upon the CHS's current editorial schedule with equal parts regret and relief. It's certainly a more rational structure than the previous model, which was to run a niche website as if it was The AV Club. But I also miss the days of rattling off at the keyboard every time DARK SHADOWS did something to excite me. But time is a rarer commodity that it once was, which brings me (finally!) to the point ... I have fallen behind on some of my favorite podcasts.

I've been kicking around the idea for several months of occasionally using this space to discuss some interesting podcasts. Unfortunately, I've fallen behind on everything that I'm currently listening to ... which makes "discussion" a challenge. So, instead of kicking that can even further down the road, here are a few shows that I intend to catch up on this weekend.



Cheap Chills is a new podcast by Amanda and Ben Walker Storey, and they really like horror movies. The first episode is in two parts and focuses on ... plant monsters! They argue that the concept is scarier than it sounds. You can find them online at www.cheapchillsfanclub.com and listen to the first part of their podcast streaming below.


I don't even know how to introduce Dana Gould. The guy's got a list of professional credits that are more far fetched than Julia Hoffman's divergent medical degrees. Seriously ... LOOK AT THIS. I've been a fan of his since there was only one BATMAN movie (my preferred units of historical measurement are BATMAN movies) and should probably stop now because this is getting weird. The latest episode of The Dana Gould Show is titled "Aging Disgracefully" and features John Hodgman and Rich Koz, aka Svengoolie. I couldn't figure out how to embed the podcast here, but you can find the show pretty much every place that delivers podcasts, and online at www.danagould.com/aging-disgracefully.

For most of us, Halloween only comes once a year. Howie Pyro has torn the "October" page from his calendar, nailed it to the wall and then blacked out the other 30 days of the month. It might be Christmas right now ... but when the egg nog, consumer hysteria and Whamageddon references become a little too much, Howie always has a kick-ass mix of spooky music waiting for you at Intoxica Radio. You can listen to the latest episode below.


Holy shit ... it's been how long since I've listened to Welcome to Night Vale? Um ... I've really got no excuse. This is embarrassing. Here's the latest episode below.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Stan Against Evil getting darker, more shadowy in season 2



There is an interesting detail buried in a recent IFC announcement about the second season of STAN AGAINST EVIL, which is now filming in Georgia. The press release rightfully focused on upcoming guest appearances by such folks as Jeffrey CombsDavid Koechner and Patty McCormack, but it was the name of a character played by Denise Boutte that caught my eye: "Lara Bouchard."

Yes, it's quite possible to get so wrapped up in something you love that you'll see patterns where there aren't any. It's probably just a coincidence that actress Lara Parker played a character named "Angelique Bouchard" on DARK SHADOWS. Not everything is a conspiracy. Sure, series creator/writer Dana Gould frequently describes STAN AGAINST EVIL as the "funny cousin" of our favorite gothic soap. He's even been seen wearing a "Blue Whale" t-shirt. And then there's that Barnabas Collins throw pillow.

But yeah. Probably a coincidence.

It's Dark Shadows Day on Stan Against Evil! Patty "The Bad Seed" McCormack guest stars as a gal with issues. #stanagainstevil #season2 #sensualhobo #pattymccormack #danagould #darkshadows
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