This blog post does not exist

So, those two pieces I wrote for issues 17 and 18 of the Cashiers du Cinemart zine have been posted online. My piece on the terrible movie After Last Season is here, and my article on how Michael Powell adapted the novel They're a Weird Mob is here.

And you imagined this blog post. Spooky, huh?

Or, "cream plectrums" could be an unfortunate medical condition

Some random person followed me on Twitter this afternoon. She has 12,000 followers, but when you look at their names, you can tell they're mostly bots, with names formed in a game of Twitter Mad Libs.

But, oddly, most sound like they could be band names for specific niches. Below, a partial list, followed by suggested genre:

criticize_lymph: Shoegaze.

vacuum_afterglo: New age.

ideal_corpuscl: Heavy metal cover band from Eastern Europe.

Indian_bamboozl: Fake world music.

liver_looter: Bar band.

reject_blouse: Riot grrrrl.

conclusion_clam: High school garage band.

breath_garbolog: EDM.

baby_coincident: Wiggles-esque kids' music

cream_plectrums: Prog.

sun_sidesaddles: '60s pop revivalists.

lung_lobbed: Pop-punk.

global_carousel: Wedding band.

promote_colds: Weekend band formed by pharmaceutical sales reps.

helpful_napalmi: Death metal.

chronic_pulveri: More death metal.

danger_airlifts: Barber shop quartet that performs death metal on Air Force bases.

No, I still have not resumed blogging. This is a figment of your imagination.

Close the door lightly when you go

I hereby propose a moratorium on use of "slams" in headlines. Also, synonyms for "slams." But, really, mostly "slams."

All of these headlines were posted to Google News within a time frame of a few hours (I swear):

Jennette McCurdy slams Nickelodeon, but network says 'Sam & Cat' Season 2 is a go

Anthony Bourdain slams Nigella Lawson's U.S. travel ban

Cris Carter slams Eagles with hypocritical tweet in support of DeSean Jackson

Ex-auditor-general Fraser slams elections bill as attack on democracy

Franken slams Supreme Court decision on campaign contribution

Nancy Pelosi Slams Supreme Court's McCutcheon Ruling

Carter Slams Religion and Men for Degrading Women

Pro-Cochran group slams 'hypocrite' opponent

GOP slams Huether in mailers sent to Sioux Falls residents

Independent Schools Victoria slams Gonski education funding model

Court Slams Japan's Scientific Whaling

Radio host slams baseball player for taking paternity leave

Russia slams 'Hitler comparison'

Wayne Rooney Slams Diving Allegations

Amnesty International slams Greek police for 'culture of abuse'

Kimmel slams Ford after mistaken council vote

Greenpeace slams Amazon & Twitter

Judo chief slams Olympic suggestion

Arvind Kejriwal slams Narendra Modi's fast in air-conditioned tents as 'drama'

Bertinelli slams fat-shaming women

Pro-Israel group slams GOP lawmaker Walter Jones

White House Slams Ortiz, Samsung

Drinkable-food developer slams farms, so he gets a little slam back

WHO says Guinea Ebola outbreak small as MSF slams international response

Chess great Kasparov slams Putin's Crimea 'aggression'

Group backed by billionaire Koch brothers slams another billionaire

Canadian Dad Slams Justin Bieber For Acting Like 'A Prick'

This is the only use of slam I'm going to allow:

Car Slams Into Middletown Liquor Store

Though, seriously, Bieber does sound like a prick.



Editor's note: This posting does not disprove earlier posting that this blog is dead. It really is.

Hello? Is this thing on?

Sorry I didn't officially say "This blog is dead." But this blog is dead.

You can look for me on Twitter or Facebook.

But now that I have your attention:

I have a piece on Michael Powell's little-seen (in the U.S., anyway) They're a Weird Mob in the new issue of Cashiers du Cinemart. As far as I know, the film never been released here, but it is on YouTube (part one here and part two here).

Powell is my favorite director, and when I was asked to submit something to CdC #18, I knew wanted to write about him. But when I looked around, I found pretty much all of my favorites (including A Matter of Life and Death and I Know Where I'm Going!) had been analyzed to death and I didn't have much to add. But no one has written about They're a Weird Mob, that I could find. Sadly, the reason is: It's pretty bad. Nevertheless, Powell enthusiasts (and The Velvet Blog enthusiasts, if there are any) might be interested.

Also in the issue: Articles on the Johnny Rotten-starring Corrupt, the "tender side of Ulli Lommel," Harry Crews, Kubrick's The Killing, and the world's first porno-horror-comedy, Thundercrack! So it makes a great Easter gift.

There's a hard copy version available here, and a Kindle version available here.