Why patience.often pays off for writers.

This acceptance for an upcoming anthology is from a story I submitted in July of last year!

Always Nice to Run Across a Positive Review!

An older review of the "Zippered Flesh" anthology containing my short story, "You With Me."


"You With Me by Christopher Nadeau: you can feel the horror coming on this one, like little flickers of light at the corners of your vision.... You don't quite want to look the whole way! Nothing prepares you for the ending, but it is a good one! Nothing says I love you quite like this!"

Articles Deemed to Controversial to Publish Elsewhere, Part II

Here's one the now deservedly defunct Yahoo Voices rejected because it was an opinion piece that espoused an opinion:

How Fox News has Inadvertently Benefitted Political Discourse

 

Those of us who find Fox News a repulsive entity feel that way because we see it as a right wing propaganda arm of the Republican Party that has, at times, encouraged divisiveness and disinformation in equal measure. However, don’t be put off by that description if you disagree with it, because it isn’t alone in encouraging those things.  Yet while there are certainly those on the Left with whom I personally find myself regularly disagreeing, it cannot be denied that Fox in particular has contributed to the dumbing down of the U.S. population when it comes to worldview.

The uber-conservative publication Forbes reported the results of a study in 2011 demonstrating the overall ignorance of Fox News viewers when it came to international issues and affairs. MSNBC didn’t fare much better, by the way. But MSNBC doesn’t have anywhere near the resources and funding of its right wing counterpart. Ultimately, Fox News viewers were the least informed of all those polled. 

It’s also true that the demographics for Fox News consists mostly of Republican whites over the age of 55, according to a Gallup Poll conducted in 2013. It isn’t a giant leap of logic to presume that a supposed news network known for its blatant opining would gear its message towards that particular group. The national discourse has become polluted with Fox News parrots, each of whom feels they are in the know because Fox somehow stands alone in its delivery of “the real story.”

We could spend forever pointing out all the inaccuracies in Fox News’ reporting, although perhaps the real term is “obfuscation” in their case. But why bother when the documentaries listed below have done the job so well? For that is the one thing Fox News could not have foreseen when it first erroneously claimed to be a “fair and balanced” alternative to the reporting of news. Through their success, they also created an environment that necessitated an ongoing rebuttal.  In fact, the claims being made by the pundits on Fox in particular were enough to spawn many documentaries to the contrary.

Here is a list of 5 such documentaries that, ironically, owe their existence to Fox News while at the same time exposing its ongoing disinformation campaign:

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism- This is the granddaddy of them all, a film that literally takes on Fox News’ deceitful practices both on the air and off. Filmmaker Robert Greenwald has an obvious political bias, but the information he presents isn’t based on opinion. Featuring actual memos and emails from the company itself, this film shows that Fox isn’t just a propaganda machine at its upper levels, but even lower down the ladder among the local affiliates.

Bush’s Brain- It’s always fun when a documentary is done in the style of a crime investigation. This one looks into the events of Bush’s questionable election victory in 2000, drawing the conclusion that Rove’s involvement in politics has almost single-handedly shaped U.S. policy at home and abroad. While obviously not a direct challenge to Fox News, the documentary still deconstructs the fictions surrounding the Bush administration that Fox so vehemently defended for eight years.

Jesus Camp- Sometimes a documentary can actually be regarded as a masterpiece, and this is one of those times. The filmmakers gain unprecedented access to an evangelical brainwashing…er, indoctrination…umm, summer camp for kids where they are encouraged to scream and cry when abortion is mentioned and come disturbingly close to praying to a picture of George W Bush. The kids are tragically likable but swiftly headed toward adult obnoxiousness and intolerance mixed with willful ignorance. The film is actually fair and balanced and could teach Fox a thing or two or three about how to maintain objectivity. It presents both sides of the issue and never takes a side, preferring instead to allow those involved to speak for themselves and the viewer to draw their own conclusion.

Capitalism: A Love Story- We all know Michael Moore loves to shake up the squares and has made a very good living doing it. We all know his message doesn’t always reconcile with his actual life, especially when it comes to earnings. But in the end, his work has benefited more people in need than anything done by anyone on Fox…ever. This film could be his magnum opus if he never makes another, an in-depth analysis of how the right wing hijacked the concept of democracy and slapped it together with capitalism using duct tape. Unlike his previous films, Moore is taking on a broad topic, one that most Americans have been taught to revere: Namely the very existence of a supposedly “free market.” The results are heartbreaking, hilarious and, oddly enough, encouraging.

The Corporation- Another one for the masterpiece category, this documentary runs for over two hours without ever feeling long. Using the psychopath test psychologists use for individuals and based on the right wing conceit that corporations are people, the resulting profile is frightening. Point by point, we get to see how, if corporations actually are people, they are dangerous, murderous, uncaring psychopaths. The very thing that Fox News is and what it represents and defends 24 hours per day is put on the couch and revealed to be a lunatic. Required viewing!

 

 

 

 

 

New Feature: Articles Deemed to Controversial to Publish Elsewhere.

I won't say where this article wasn't published due to the subject matter, I'll just leave it at the fact that I am publishing it here because it was bounced back to me:

WHY THE "BLACK STORMTROOPER CONTROVERSY" IS IDIOTIC.

It’s almost become a running tragic joke. A person of color gets cast in a film as either a character from a novel or comic book who wasn’t originally of color or was described in a manner that indicated being of color and trolls go bat-crap crazy! Recently, the casting of Idris Elba as Heimdall, the guardian of the Rainbow Bridge in the Thor movies horrified some because a character from Norse mythology would no longer be white. While they never clarified why they thought a god from another dimension would look just like the people that believed in him, their ire was flammable. Then there was the casting of Amandla Stenberg as Rue in the first installment of The Hunger Games. The comments made about her casting were beyond repugnant.

The latest actor to join in the “fun” is 21-year old John Boyega. In a sea of asinine comments on YouTube that would cause even the greatest spiritual leaders in history to reconsider their faith in humanity, people started complaining about the black man’s head on the white Stormtrooper’s body (Well, the armor is white anyway). People complained that the very inclusion of someone who isn’t white indicates a slide towards supposed “political correctness,” because we all remember how Billy Dee Williams joining the cast in The Empire Strikes Back basically turned the whole thing into Roots in space.

Then, of course, there have been the obligatory hip hop references where the character couldn’t possibly act like anything except a negative black stereotype, even being from another planet and dwelling in an entirely different galaxy!
Never mind that he’s not even American.

Naturally, some people are claiming there is no controversy and the “few” negative comments that have been made have come from stupid kids. Only the most sheltered individual would believe that, and why not? It makes them feel better about their fellow person.

If there is one ray of hope in this reaction, it is that people can be pretty damned dumb. In fact, history alone shows that “dumb” is an upgrade. So, perhaps they don’t understand why they’re complaining and perhaps, just perhaps, some of them just don’t get a crucial element of the  Star Wars mythos: Namely, that the Clone Troopers were only the beginning. It’s been roughly fifty years since the ascent of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. In that time, there have been literally thousands of conscripts who felt it was their patriotic duty to join the Imperial military.

Don’t believe me? That’s fine. Click here for the whole story.

In the meantime, John Boyega told those who had a problem with his casting to basically shut up and deal with it. Good for him.

Comicbook.com Once Again Makin' Sumthin' Outta Nuthin'

It probably should come as little surprise that former Batman actor Christian Bale recently confessed to a shocked reaction when he heard someone else was taking the cape and cowl for the upcoming Batman v Superman. He was, after all, synonymous with the character for the highly successful trilogy directed by Chris Nolan. He’s also seemingly unaware that not everybody was impressed with his rendition of the character.

In an 11/23 article on Comicbook.com, a misleading headline declaring Bale’s “shock” at learning Ben Affleck got the part he supposedly reinvigorated helps establish a glaringly false premise. In fact, the article’s author presumptuously asserts that Bale was “as shocked as the rest of the world upon the announcement that Ben Affleck would assume the role of the Caped Crusader…” -

The rest of the world? Really?

Before you accuse me of being literal-minded, I’m well aware of the supposed technique being used to insult the selection of Affleck. I’m also aware that the author is basically saying anyone who wasn’t shocked has something wrong with them.

Here’s what Bale really said:

“I’ve got to admit initially, even though I felt that it was the right time to stop, there was always a bit of me going, ‘Oh go on…Let’s do another.’ So when I heard there was someone else doing it, there was a moment where I just stopped and stared into nothing for a half hour.”

So, what exactly caused Bale to go into shock? Was it Ben Affleck’s casting or was it the fact that the actor whose Batman movies were undeniably successful was no longer going to be playing the part?
Objectively speaking, Bale sounds more like the guy who quits a job he had for years thinking nobody would ever replace him and then finding out he had indeed been replaced.

“I’m 40. The fact that I’m jealous of someone else playing Batman…I think I should have gotten over it by now,” Bale added.

Well, maybe not. While Bale’s Batman often grated and felt flat to me, the man jumpstarted a lagging franchise into enormous popularity. And while Nolan’s Dark Knight probably wouldn’t fit into the DCU integrated storyline very well, it makes perfect sense that the man younger generations see as Batman would feel a tad slighted.

Bale shouldn’t feel bad about feeling bad. But those who are trying to use his legitimate response to be being replaced as a platform for their own snarkiness, on the other hand,  ought to just give it up.

Another Wonderful Parsec Anthology.

Yesterday, a copy of this anthology arrived in the mail featuring my short story, "Floorboards." Another fine job by a wonderful non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a platform for authors... and they don't define that as "payment by exposure."

I am honored and pleased to once again be included in its pages.

How I Explained "internal logic" to a Student with Reading Comprehension Issues.

As I've mentioned on Facebook but maybe never here, I am an Open Writing Lab and Peer Literacy Tutor at one of my alma maters. The meaning of the latter isn't important in this case, but the former means I take students on a walk-in basis who need help with writing. I help them at all stages of the process, including brainstorming and organization and, sometimes, even comprehension.

Recently, a student came to me wanting help planning a paper he was writing, but also with reading comprehension. The other day, he returned for a second visit and we spent an hour on reading comprehension exclusively. He hadn't brought any reading materials with him, so I printed off my latest film review for The Movie Zone and had him read it and explain what he did or didn't get, line-by-line. One expression he didn't get was the phrase "internal logic."

To be fair, I told him, that's not a commonly understand term. Here's how I explained its meaning to him:

Me: Have you seen the Lord of the Rings movies?

Student: Yeah...

Me: Well, if you walked up to me and told me that was a true story, I'd think you were a raving lunatic.

Student: (Slightly confused) Okay?

Me: Because it hasn't happened and it never will. You look disappointed.

Student: (Laughing) No, no.

Me: Anyway, it's fantasy. However, even though it's a work of fiction, the author has to create certain rules, right?

Student: Yeah. I mean, right.

Me: So, if Frodo suddenly started flying in the third movie so he could throw the ring into the firepit..."

Student: (Laughing) Oh, I think I--

Me: Basically, your reaction would be: "Why the hell did I just spend nine hours of my life watching this guy walk for two movies when he could fly all along?"

Student: Ohhh! So, the logic is based on the way the story is set up!

Me: Internal logic.

Read my latest Free Story!

"The Love of a Good Entity," my tale of inappropriate love taken to the extreme is now available to read for free at Bad Dream Entertainment!

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed getting paid for it...er, and writing it.

A Quick Review of “Continuum”

A Facebook friend named Tim Bamford who was also one of my original Blogger connections has been raving about a Canadian science fiction series called “Continuum” and asked me to take a look at it to see what I thought. Since he and I once co-hosted a movie review blog (when people cared about reading more than 160 words at a time) and we scarcely agree on movies or TV shows, I was reluctant to give it a shot.

Turns out I was right to feel that way. “Continuum” is simply dreadful. And it’s not just bad drama, it’s also shitty science fiction.

I’m not sure how things are done on Canadian TV these days—the digital conversion killed my ability to tune into the CBC, a privilege we Michiganders once took for granted— but if this is an example, it’s probably for the best that I don’t know. “Continuum” is one of those shows that would have been considered edgy during the syndication boom of the early to mid-Nineties, when shows such as “Seven Days” and “Andromeda” crapped up the airwaves.

Its plot is nothing special or unique in the genre: Seventy years from now, corporations control the planet and squash any forms of dissent using a police force known as “protectors.” Naturally, there is a resistance movement that has been labeled as terrorists, and they have no problem killing thousands to kill a couple dozen CEOs. I have no problem with it either as long as they got the creator of this piece of crap.

In typical pilot episode fashion, the so-called “bad guys” find a way to escape to the past, where they plan to change recent history. This was supposed to be a trip six days into the past but UH-OH, everybody! Looks like they arrived in 2012! Wonder what madcap weekly antics will ensue now? In case you haven’t guessed, one of the Protectors is swept up into the time jump as well. Her name is Kiera Cameron, portrayed by the astoundingly wooden Rachel Nichols. I wanted to believe she was a Canadian actress, but no such luck. She’s American and she’s terrible. Most of the other actors aren’t much better, although the great William B. Davis, who is Canadian, adds his peculiar charm in the few scenes I saw him in.

Aside from the wretched acting, there’s also the fact that the show’s moral compass seems to be spinning wildly out of control. That would be fine if this were a show such as “Lost” or “Heroes.” But in this instance, we’re expected to give a damn about a cop whose sole function is to make the world safe for future fascism. Despite their extremist approach, the so-called villains are really the good guys. Yet they’re portrayed as complicated bad guys while Cameron gets to be hero by ensuring humanity will not be free in the future.  If she is intended to be a dynamic character –meaning she changes and grows as time goes by—it isn’t established well enough in the beginning to hold my interest.

The actions sequences are listless and paint-by-numbers and the effects work feels flat and portrait-like. There’s also the melodramatic shooting style, where muted but pounding music underscores every bit of rancid dialogue. This show is straight out of the Nineties cliché factory and I can’t believe it made it past a season.

I made it through the pilot episode and half of the second one before I yelled, “This show is so boring!” and turned it off.

Never again, Tim. Never again!

 

 

Upcoming Reading Event & More!

A while back I had a short story titled, "Beautiful Libby and the Darkness" published in the anthology "Desolation: 21 Tales for Tails," published by Dragon's Roost Press and in support of Last Day Dog Rescue. On Friday, September 26th at 7:00 pm, fellow contributor David Hayes and I will be reading our stories at Off the Beaten Path Books in Farmington, MI.

I'm pleased to be part of this event and honored to have been invited to read.

Speaking of being honored, I have also been asked to be a speaker at Penguicon next year. More on that as events unfold.

Robin Williams & The Movie Network.

I chose to wait until I was a few weeks in before really posting about this just to make sure it was going well and in the direction I wanted. So far, so good. The Movie Network is filling the gap left behind by Yahoo Voices quite well, despite my only being able to write about movies.

In light of the stunning and tragic loss of Robin Williams, we were granted permission to write as many articles about him as we wanted. I waited until the following week because I wanted to review a movie of his I'd never seen. Click here for the review.

I chose the movie review because I couldn't really put into words why my reaction to Williams' suicide hit me so hard. I could have mentioned how my dad was obsessed with him when he first burst onto the scene and how Williams always stood in place of my dad, who died much too young. But even that doesn't really get to the heart of it and I've given up trying to do that for the moment.

Also, if you're interested, here's where I slammed Guardians of the Galaxy.