Every so often, a television show is produced that just changes the way you think what real television is all about. For me, that show was Brimstone. Created by the talented duo Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, Brimstone aired on the FOX network from October 1998 to February of 1999. As you can see, the show didn't last long, 13 episodes to be exact, but what a tremendous 13 episodes they were.
After the cancellation, I joined a campaign to bring the show back to network television. Although the campaign didn't get new episodes produced, we did get the SyFy Channel to show the already aired 13 episodes of the show. During the campaign, I never actually had the chance to speak with Ethan or Cyrus, but that has all changed. They were kind enough to sit down with me for a chat about Brimstone. I think this is the first time in years they have sat down to talk about Brimstone. I can't thank them enough for talking with me about Brimstone and what impact the show had on my life. The sad thing is that television shows such as Brimstone, never got the opportunity to grow and shine on network TV, but the show still lives on with thousands of fans who would love nothing more for Brimstone to come back. Brimstone was, in my opinion, is one of the top 10 shows of all time. If you haven't seen the show, I suggest you find a way to get it and watch it. You also will become and instant fan. Sit back and enjoy my conversation with Ethan & Cyrus.
**P.S. For some reason, the recording on my end wasn't cooperating with me and the sound is a bit distorted in parts, but I think it's a small price to pay to hear these outstanding gentlemen speak about Brimstone.
I sit here writing this blog absolutely stunned. In fact, I don't even know what to say. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, is dead at age 50. Dead...Michael Jackson. I can't believe my fingers are typing those words. What can you say about Michael Jackson, a tremendous entertainer and at the same time a troubled man. There have been many things that have been said about Michael, some good, some bad, but one thing that can be said is that Michael Jackson was a legend. Wow, it seems so surreal that I sad he was a legend.
During his illustrious music career, Michael Jackson had entertained and thrilled millions and millions of people all over the world. He was the consummate performer. No one could touch him when it came to performing on stage. When the Jackson 5 first auditioned for Berry Gordy and Motown representatives..
Right there Berry Gordy knew he had something special in Michael Jackson. A bit of Little Richard, a bit of James Brown all rolled up into one small 8 year old package. Now, I don't know all the truth about what happened with Michael during his childhood, we have all heard the stories, but I am sure it had to be a hard and stressful time to be such a shy kid and thrust into the spotlight like he was. One thing he always had was his music.
I am not here to pass judgement on Michael when it comes to the charges and allegations levied against him over the years. I am not here to decide guilt or innocence, I am simply hear to say the we have lost probably the greatest entertainer in our history. It is a very, very sad day. What do you say when you get blindsided by something like this? All I can say is we all have our memories of Michael and his music. Many of his songs remind me of specific times in my life. Anytime I heard a Michael song, you can bet your ass I would be on the dance floor dancing like there was no tomorrow.
I am sure all of us at one time or another in our lives have tried to dance like Michael Jackson. The moonwalk, the leg kick, the scream We have all probably dressed like Michael Jackson, the glitter glove, the red thriller jacket. That shows you what kind of impact this man had on pop culture and what he meant to the world. Once the man took the stage at the Motown 25 special in the early 80's and first showed off the moonwalk, he had the world in the palms of his hands. Can you think of anyone else who has come close? It is just astonishing to me that the man who created the masterpiece Thriller 25 years ago is now dead. An album that is still the best selling album of all time, 50 million copies at last count.
I don't know what else to say. My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Jackson family. The world has lost a great entertainer...simple as that. Rest in peace Michael Jackson.
The new podcast for the BacktoFrankBlack webisite, The Millennium Group sessions is now available for your listening pleasure! Co-hosted by myself and James McLean, we spend an hour talking about everything and anything Millennium! Please click the link below to be sent to the BacktoFrankBlack website. We have several ways for you to get the podcast:
1) You can download a high quality mp3
2) You can download an enhnaced podcast which includes rare images
This is a very special episode of Tha Darkside Vibe. I have an exclusive interview with one of the people behind the campaign to bring Millennium back to life. James McLean was kind enough to take time out and talk with me about all things Millennium. We discuss, the show itself, the fandom, thoughts about favorite episodes and seasons and where he thinks this campaign is going. Sit back an enjoy 45 minutes of nothing but Millennium!
Click the above picture to go directly to information about the book signing with Frank Spotniz and Chris Carter in LA next week!
A great place to meet and talk with Millennium fans. Get the latest scoops, fan fiction and downloads. If your new to Millennium, this should be one of your first stops.
Remember, we are the ones who can make enough noise to bring back Millennium. Please do your part and help support the campaign. Thank you.
It is with deep regret that I pass on the information that I found out just today. Singer Lamya has passed away from a heart attack on January 9th 2009. Here is the statement from her official myspace page:
It is with deepest regret to have to inform you all that Lamya has passed away on the 8th of January 2009 in her home town Oman. She died of a heart attack. This has come as a great shock to all of her family and dear friends as I am sure it is to YOU her fans. We will dearly miss her and may God rest her soul.
The reason I am writing this blog is that I had the distinct honor of meeting her and seeing her perform live. I first became aware of Lamya when watching MTV and they were doing a segment on artists to watch. Lamya was one of the artists that was spotlighted and I instantly fell in love with her voice. After going to her website and listening to her album, I went out and purchased it. Needless to say, it was an amazing album. Her voice was a true instrument and anyone who listened knew it.
I found out that she was going to be performing in Arlington, Virginia at a spot called Iota. It's a local venue that has all kinds of live acts perform there. I was able to get to the club after work with some friend of mine for happy hour. During which Lamya and her band began to do a sound check for the show. I went inside to listen to the sound check. There were about 20 people in the bar at the time and none were really paying attention, except for me and another female. During the sound check, I was able to talk with her road manager who introduced me to her. She was so nice. Talked to me for about 10 minutes and signed my cd for me. I then stayed for her show and was blown away. Hearing her sing live was absolutely amazing. Her set lasted for about an hour and 20 minutes. After it was over, the road manager came over to me and asked did I want to come over and talk with them. He went to their tour bus and gave me a promotional video and some other items. Lamya continued to talk with me and also signed a poster for me. I was actually invited to hangout with the band. The all were very personable and were happy to converse with their fans.
If you have not picked up the only album she released, I suggest you do and listen to a true artist. The name of the album is Learning to Fall.
So, it comes as a complete shock to me to find out that she has passed away. My sympathies go out to her family and friends. You will be missed Lamya.
Sometimes you just never know what is going to happen to you on any given day. I remember on one particular Friday night, I was at home, didn't feel like going out with my friends. Just wanted to sit home and relax. Now, I have known in the past that Fridays are not a good night for television, so when I sat on my couch with the remote, I didn't expect much. But then something happened, without any real knowledge of the show, I saw this:
I was instantly hooked on the show by the opening itself. Then I find out that it stars one of my favorite actors on the planet, Lance Henriksen. Here is an actor that has been in dozens of movies and yet had not received the recognition I thought he deserved. So, I was extremely happy to see Lance with his own television series.
What can I say about Millennium? It is without a doubt one of the greatest shows ever to air on television. It's rare that I get involved and taken in by a show, but Millennium turned out to be one of those shows. It was such a dark show, nothing like this had ever been on television before. Right out of the gate, I knew this would be a problem for the show in the long run, but I kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best. Although it was cancelled, we were lucky enough to get 3 amazing seasons from the show. Thanks to the Internet, I was able to find other passionate fans and talk with them about the show, our favorite moments, episodes and characters.
The with the release of the dvds, we were able to relive the magic of this great show. It reminds me of another show I was involved with that use to air with Millennium...Brimstone. Here was another show that I became very involved with and after only 13 episodes, FOX cancelled the show. Again, finding fans on the Internet that loved the show as much as I did, we banded together and started a campaign that eventually caught the eye of the President of the SciFi Channel, Bonnie Hammer. They agreed to pick up the original episodes that aired, but after a long battle with Warner Brothers., no new episodes were produced because Warner Brothers would not release the rights to do so. What we proved is that when you get together and focus on a goal, you can make it happen.
While searching for some information on Millennium, I came across the website for BacktoFrankBlack.com. I was blown away by the campaign, the organization and the amount of passion the people behind the site had as well as the fans who visit the site. Although the fire for Millennium had never gone out completely, this reignited the fire for the show and made me want to get back on the campaign trail for this show. Rarely do shows on television get a second chance, but I think that Millennium will get a second chance. Whether it be a tv movie or a straight to dvd release, the fans deserve some sort of closure with Frank Black. I know personally, I would like a couple more seasons of the show, but one can hope right? I am a fan of Millennium and will always be a fan of the show. I have turned several people onto the show as well. They all ask me the same thing, why was the show cancelled? I can give several reasons:
1) A horrible time slot. Friday is the kiss of death for tv shows. Ask the X-Files. It was almost cancelled when it was on Friday nights.
2) Low ratings. Although they were consistent and solid, they were still low for what FOX wanted.
3) The show didn't grab the all to important 18-49 demographic because the show was too dark.
I am sure there are others, but to me those are the main ones. Those added together meant Millennium was on borrowed time.
Here is what this boils down to. I want to thank the people at BacktoFrankBlack.com for igniting that fire in my again for the show Millennium. I want to thank all loyal fans who have stuck with the show throughout the years and have still continued to talk about and spread the word about Millennium. I want to thank the amazing actors, crew, writers and anyone who was involved with the making of the show Millennium. You have all done a masterful job. And finally, I want to thank Lance Henriksen, for creating one of the most amazing characters that has graced the television screen. You sir, are a true genius and I hope that we can again see you on the screen soon. Here's to you Frank Black.
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