It seemed like every other month, my aunt Betsy (“Bebby”) would complain of some new ailment, real or imagined, that she was certain was going to well and truly kill her this time. Yet she outlived her sisters by a longshot, and the end came quickly, much like my grandfather’s — sudden stroke, then coma, [...]]]>

It seemed like every other month, my aunt Betsy (“Bebby”) would complain of some new ailment, real or imagined, that she was certain was going to well and truly kill her this time. Yet she outlived her sisters by a longshot, and the end came quickly, much like my grandfather’s — sudden stroke, then coma, then death soon thereafter. Genetic odds are that if I die naturally, that’s what I’m getting.

Though Betsy could complain like an old woman, she remained very crucially a child at heart, always trying to sneak a handful of candy, or hit up the latest sales at the mall. I once remarked that if I had to choose my dream parents, she’d be my mother. The two vacations I spent solo with her, in 1987 and 1990, remain among my fondest memories, full of trips to the Florida theme parks, drop-offs at the AMC (AMC was the newest, coolest thing back then, to me anyway), and fun gifts — upon my requesting a T-shirt on clearance that said “Who is Darkman?” she hesitated only briefly, asking, “That’s not onea them racial things, is it?”

When we went grocery shopping together, she’d tear open the ice-cream bar packages and start eating while she shopped, assuring me that it was okay, they let you do that…only to come to the checkstand where she’d very sheepishly and quietly say, “Ah’m already eatin’ one…Ah hope that’s okay…” (She had the most classical Southern accent in the family)

I never knew her husband Kenneth, which means he must have died before I was born, or shortly thereafter, and which also means she outlived him by some 36 years. She also outlived cancer, quitting smoking, alcohol (quit a few times), car crashes, and  numerous ailments she seemed to somehow take joy in expressing her suffering with. In Kenneth’s absence, she and her sister Mary (“Sis”) became inseparable…”Sis and Bebby” being mostly a collective noun in my childhood mind, one frequently involving trips to Long John Silver’s and chocolate cakes. Bebby loved the chocolate as much as anyone, probably more. “D’you buy me some more candy?” she used to ask, every time.

Two family Christmases spent in Florida were also great times, one being at a big house on the beach, the year I got the Masters of the Universe Eternia playset, possibly the biggest action figure base ever. Also Castle Grayskull – she was the one who found that for me. Cousin Arthur was still in diapers, and Sis was getting delusional into alcoholic fogs…it wasn’t long before her sober mind resembled the same.

She long lamented that her daughter Mary (above) wasn’t married yet, so I know how much joy she got when that wedding finally happened. When last I saw her at my cousin Ming’s wedding, I knew it would likely be the last time…she first had to be reminded who I was, but the recognition was still there, even as the familiar joyous cackling and wheezy laugh barely rose above a whisper any more. I could tell it did her heart good to see that I had found someone, and she likely mentally attributed it in part to my short haircut.

I wish I could say I believed she’s with Ken and Sis and my grandmother now. But what I can say is she did good, and is no longer in pain, free to be remembered as she was at her best.

I didn’t keep in touch as often as I should have. But I will miss her very much.

I have, as some readers may be aware, joined the writing staff of Geekchicdaily.com. I will not be regularly linking to articles there, in part because every piece is a collaboration, but [...]]]> It has occurred to me that “Links of the Week” is a terrible title for getting traffic. From now on, actual titles in header.

I have, as some readers may be aware, joined the writing staff of Geekchicdaily.com. I will not be regularly linking to articles there, in part because every piece is a collaboration, but mostly because the site is designed not to really be a website as end goal, but a place where you sign up for a daily email newsletter. The daily email is a very quick read in and of itself (rather than just a bunch of headlines and links, as so many are), and the more of you sign up for it, the more likely I am to get a raise down the line, so please do.

I still write for E! Online, as well. Like these. Click on the all-caps headline for the full review.

TAKERS
A well-rounded cast of character actors (plus Paul Walker) tries to pull off a big robbery while obnoxious alcoholic cop Matt Dillon attempts to stop them. Very nearly a good little heist movie, Takers generates the occasional interesting plot twist but fails at the most basic level of creating characters worth caring about.

THE AMERICAN
This is the movie that was made especially for people who thought Michael Clayton was too fast-paced. If you’re reading this on a computer screen, you’re probably not one of them.

MACHETE
There’s still a lot of fun to be had when he actually does pick up that signature blade and start chopping, but when it comes to Trejo taking the spotlight, we were hoping for more snarly, less sedate.

Hong Kong Seafood Basket at Cuz’s Uptown BBQ:

Crawdad found in Cuz’s swimming pool:

Mike’s new dog Punky:

Cousin Mary and Aunt Bebby:

Brother Arthur gives a speech at Ming’s rehearsal dinner:

Father of the bride gets uncharacteristically emotional:

Cousin Gus and my father:

Julia goes southern:

Uncle Kip Chez Biggs:

Mother & Son:

Stepmother & daughter:

Julia goes Old [...]]]> Trailer in the Chinese buffet parking lot:

Hong Kong Seafood Basket at Cuz’s Uptown BBQ:

Crawdad found in Cuz’s swimming pool:

Mike’s new dog Punky:

Cousin Mary and Aunt Bebby:

Brother Arthur gives a speech at Ming’s rehearsal dinner:

Father of the bride gets uncharacteristically emotional:

Cousin Gus and my father:

Julia goes southern:

Uncle Kip Chez Biggs:

Mother & Son:

Stepmother & daughter:

Julia goes Old South:

The wedding: Uncle Tim presides:

Bride + Babe:

More to come…

But before you dive into that, let’s get you caught up with my other stuff from [...]]]> Longtime readers know I love to blog the LA Film Fest each year. You can see my first two posts HERE and HERE; stay tuned all week for more, which will show up, among other things, at this here page.

But before you dive into that, let’s get you caught up with my other stuff from around the web. There’s an article I wrote about THE A-TEAM movie:

In one notable scene, Murdock (Sharlto Copley), confined to a mental institution, shows his fellow inmates an action movie on DVD. The audience will recognize that the movie’s theme song is that of the A-Team TV series. But what you might not catch is that its opening credits list an actor named “Reg Barclay.” This was the name of the character played by original Murdock actor Dwight Schultz on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Geekweek will feature aggregated news from around the web and numerous writers and guest celebrities opining and [...]]]> The announcement rolled out gradually today across various social networking media: Jeff Katz, formerly of New Line and Fox, and now head of his own company, American Original, has launched “Huffington Post meets USA Today for hardcore fans everywhere.”

Geekweek will feature aggregated news from around the web and numerous writers and guest celebrities opining and reporting in the areas of comics, movies, videogames, wrestling, sports, music, gossip — a one-stop shop for geek chic.

One of those writers will be me. And it’ll be me doing what I love to do: movie reviews, fast food reviews, opinion pieces, video blogs if I feel like.

Go check it out. The way the site is now is but a fraction of what it’s going to be in about a month or so, which is when I’ll start really bringing it.

I will still continue to write for all my usual outlets, and be available for others: E! and (I hope) the Weekly still. But this is gonna be a big one, and I think the future of media is headed in this kind of direction.

If you are a publicist who thinks your product or client or event deserves coverage on Geekweek, hit me up.

But I do have an announcement for UK family – offpat brought to my attention a while back that direct links to my E! online reviews were not working due to international redirects. But while in the UK recently, I figured out what to do.

type “eonline.com” into [...]]]> We will resume regular life and blogging starting Monday.

But I do have an announcement for UK family – offpat brought to my attention a while back that direct links to my E! online reviews were not working due to international redirects. But while in the UK recently, I figured out what to do.

type “eonline.com” into your browser. You’ll be redirected to the UK version of the site.

Click on “Movies.” Bookmark that page. It’s where all my reviews will show up as they come out.

Spread the word to non-net-savvy family and other Englanders.