Dracula Series to Premiere on NBC

Premiering on NBC Friday, October 25th, is the new gothic drama series, Dracula. It stars Golden Globe winner, Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors) and is from the producers of the Emmy Award-winning Downtown Abbey. The synopsis, according to NBC:

It's the late 19th century, and the mysterious Dracula has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. He's especially interested in the new technology of electricity, which promises to brighten the night - useful for someone who avoids the sun. But he has another reason for his travels: he hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier. Everything seems to be going according to plan... until he becomes infatuated with a woman who appears to be a reincarnation of his dead wife.

From what we see in the trailer, it promises to be a twisted, sophisticated and sexy take on Bram Stoker's classic novel, proving that some stories never die. Dracula is a one-hour drama that airs Fridays on NBC at 10/9c. Visit the website for more info (nbc.com/dracula).

Untold Podcast: If It Causes You To Sin

If you are anything like me and really enjoy the old radio dramas of the past, then you are in for a real treat! The Untold Podcast has just posted a short story dramatization for Halloween, If It Causes You To Sin by Jess Hanna! It is free to listen to or download and plays out very much like a classic Edgar Allen Poe tale, following one man's descent into madness. The podcast is produced and narrated by Nathan James Norman, who does a fantastic job recapturing the power of story in his own unique way. If you are in the mood for the macabre, and don't consider yourself to be faint of heart, check it out!



If you enjoyed this, be sure to check out these other titles by Jess Hanna, all available in eBook FREE for a limited time! His latest book, Adverse Possession is a Christian take on a classic haunted house tale, so it's perfect for Halloween reading! Also his debut novel, The Road To Hell, and the text version of the short story, If It Causes You To Sin!

Sleepy Hollow Series to Premiere on Fox Tonight

Sleepy Hollow is a new TV series that will premier tonight, September 16th on Fox. What if you suddenly woke up from the throes of death 250 years in the future to find the world is on the brink of destruction, caused by unimaginable events, and you are humanity's last hope? Welcome to Sleepy Hollow, the thrilling new mystery-adventure drama from co-creators/executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci ("Star Trek" and "Transformers" franchises, "Fringe"). Here is more from the website:

As this re-invented Ichabod finds himself in present-day Sleepy Hollow, he discovers a town and a world he no longer recognizes. All that is brutally familiar are Headless and Ichabod's determination to annihilate this immortal being. It's a mission he must complete quickly, as Headless already has viciously slain Sheriff August Corbin (guest star Clancy Brown, "Cowboys & Aliens," "Carnivale"). Grey served both as mentor and father figure to Detective Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, "Shame," "American Violet"), a young cop whose own supernatural experiences help her form an unlikely bond with Ichabod. But Sleepy Hollow's head of police, Captain Frank Irving (Orlando Jones, "The Chicago 8," "Drumline"), isn't buying any of this.

In fact, the only person who is on Abbie's side is Ichabod. His extensive first-hand knowledge of our secret American history, coupled with her superior profiling and modern threat assessment skills, will make them a formidable duo as they work together to triumph over evil. The complex pasts of Ichabod and Abbie, from Ichabod's inclusion in the powerful and secretive Freemasons Society and the ghostly appearance of his late wife, Katrina (Katia Winter, "Dexter"), to Abbie's childhood visions, will help them solve the intricate puzzles of Sleepy Hollow in order to protect its future.

Sleepy Hollow is a one-hour drama that airs Mondays on Fox at 9/8c. Visit the website for more info (fox.com/sleepy-hollow).

Smoking Santa a Bad Influence?

So, here is something that just doesn't work for me. I recently reviewed an article that discussed a newer version of the Clement C. Moore classic, "Twas the Night Before Christmas", that claims to be "Edited by Santa Claus for the Benefit of Children of the 21st Century". This version takes out the classic line "The Stump of his pipe he held in his teeth and the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath."

This line is under fire for encouraging or promoting smoking for kids and should not be in a children's story. Please don't get me wrong, I am against children smoking by all means, but this is a classic Christmas story that I, as well as many parents, read to their children during the Christmas season with great excitement and joy. When I read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to my kids there is a timeless feel in the air and it's a memorable moment in their lives.

If taking someone's work and altering it due to a assumption is permitted, then should we trim down Santa to make him more fit and not a larger man? I have not heard of any kids say they started smoking because Santa Claus does.

Here is a link to the book if you would like to read more reviews and feel free to comment on how you feel about this as well....


Twas The Night Before Christmas:
Edited by Santa Claus for the Benefit of Children of the 21st Century