Monday, July 31, 2017

Music Review & Giveaway: Nichole Nordeman: Every Mile Mattered


iTunes; Spotify; Amazon
While almost everyone knows that I'm a bookworm, many of you don't know that I'm also a music lover. As far as I can remember back, my first music cassette tape (Remember those?) was of Sesame Street. By elementary school, I was into country music (Garth Brooks, Sawyer Brown, etc.). From junior high thru high school , I was listening to classic rock and some pop music on CDs. However, as I have gotten older (I'll be 37 in September.), my tastes have changed quite a bit. I still listen to a little bit pop, rock (classic, alternative, and Gothic), contemporary, and a few country singers. As of this year, I've been listening to several Christian artists.

Now available from Sparrow Records (Capitol CMG Label) is the 5th studio album from the Christian singer Nichole Nordeman, titled "Every Mile Mattered."The singer has won 9 Dove Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year in 2001 & 2003.

To be completely honest, I had never heard of the artist before receiving a press release about her new album. After watching one lyric video on YouTube for "Dear Me," I thought I would give the artist a try by reviewing "Every Mile Mattered."

The album has eleven songs on it, including a new version of "Slow Down" featuring Nichole's daughter, Pepper Ingram, and a remake of U2's "Beautiful Day." "Slow Down" originally appeared on her 2015's EP, titled "The Unmaking." The single sold over 146 track equivalents, and the lyric video has over 30 million views. The single also peaked at #38 on iTunes singles chart.


The eleven songs on "Every Mile Mattered" are:

Every Mile Mattered
You're Here
Dear Me
No Longer
Lean
Hush, Hush
Listen To Your Life
Beautiful Day
Sound Of Surviving
Anywhere We Are
Slow Down (feat. Pepper Ingram)

Friday, July 28, 2017

Book Blogger Hop: July 28th - August 3rd




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer!

Do you read tie-in novels to movies or television series? If so, which ones?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer:

Occasionally, I will read a novelization or tie-in to a movie or TV series. Over the summer, I read the novelization for Alien: Covenant. During my teenage years, I read dozens of Buffy the Vampire Slayer & and Angle tie-in novels. I've also read a few tie-ins to Doctor Who, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Castle over the years.


Linky List:

Popcorn & Coffee: Warlock Collection: 3-Film Set Blu-ray Review


Lionsgate; Rated R; 296 minutes; Amazon

Now available Blu-ray from Liongate's Vestron Video Collection Series is the Warlock Collection, featuring all 3 films on a two-disc set, as well as a bunch of special features.

Filmed in 1988, but released in 1991 in the United States, Warlock centers on a Warlock (played by Julian Sands), who barely escaped death in 1691 by traveling through a portal to 20th century Los Angeles. Hot on his trail is the witch-hunter Giles Redferne (played Richard E. Grant), who travels through the portal on a revenge quest.

After quickly adjusting to the present world, the Warlock summons Satan, who gives him orders to find the The Grand Grimoire, a Satanic book that contains the true name of God. The twist is that the pages of the book have been hidden around the country, which sends the Warlock on his own quest to find them and assemble the book.

Meanwhile, upon arriving to the present day, Redferne befriends a young waitress, Kassandra (played by Lori Singer), who has been cursed to grow old quickly by the Warlock. With a only days left to live, thanks to the curse, Kassandra, helps Redferne collect parts of the Grand Grimoire, and find a way to kill the Warlock.

Julian Sands ("Warlock") stars in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's WARLOCK.

Lori Singer ("Kassandra") stars in Lionsgate Home Entertainment's WARLOCK.

The first sequel, Warlock: The Armageddon, was released in 1993, and it has nothing to do with the original except for the fact that it stars Julian Sands as the Warlock. The plot centers on a teenage couple, Kenny and Samantha (played by Chris Young and Paula Marshall), who are both killed and later resurrected to become Druid warriors, so they can protect the six magical rune stones and stop the Warlock from unleashing Satan from hell.

Book Tour & Giveaway: 30 Second Death


30 SECOND DEATH
A Tobi Tobias Mystery #2
by Laura Bradford

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Pub Date: 7/11/2017




To help an old friend, Tobi Tobias gets a third-rate thespian a part in a commercial, and learns that in the advertising business, bad acting can lead to murder . . .

When Tobi Tobias opened her own advertising agency, Carter McDade was there for her every step of the way. A brilliant hairdresser, Carter has just landed his dream project: doing hair and makeup for a theatrical production of Rapunzel. But the dream turns into a nightmare when he runs into Fiona Renoir, a cruel, talentless starlet who won’t let Carter touch a hair on her head.


To get Fiona out of Carter’s hair, Tobi hires the difficult actress for a bit part in her latest commercial. But true to character, Fiona is a terror on set, and Tobi is starting to think she’s made the biggest mistake of her life. But things get even worse when Fiona drops dead in the hairdresser’s chair, and the only suspect is the man left holding the tainted hair dye, Carter McDade. And unless Tobi can prove his innocence, he’ll never do hair in this town again.


Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Review - Alien: Covenant: The Official Movie Novelization



Titan Books; 348 pages; $7.99; Amazon
I've had the worst blogging experiences trying to write my review for Alien: Covenant: The Official Movie Novelization. After reading the novel last month, I had set up the basics for my review - images, buy link, etc., but then, abracadabra, the post was magically deleted. Frustrated, I put aside writing the review for a few weeks. Then I slowly worked on a long review, where the first few paragraph talked about the history of novelizations. Over the weekend, I dabbled a little more with the review, and then early yesterday morning I finished writing it. I did a little editing and I was seconds away from clicking the  'publish' button when suddenly the entire text disappeared within a flash. I went to use the "undo" button, but it wasn't available, as if my review was never written. After a few cuss words came flying out mouth, I calmed down and began to write what you are currently reading. No, it's not the review I wanted to post, but it is what it is, and hopefully a few readers will enjoy it.

Why did I read a novelization to begin with?

Well, I wanted to watch the science fiction-horror flick Alien: Covenant, but I knew the one-screen theater in my town would never get the movie becasue it was rated R, which is normally a no no for a volunteer-run theater. Instead of waiting for the film to be released to Blu-ray (Next month, right?), I decided to read the novelization.

Alien: Covenant: The Official Movie Novelization is written by Alan Dean Foster, based on the screenplay by John Logan and Dante Harper. Alien: Covenant is a sequel to the 2012 film Prometheus, as well as being a prequel to the original Alien (1979). This isn't the first time author Alan Dean Foster has ventured into the Alien universe, as he also wrote the novelizations of Alien, Aliens, and Aliens 3.

The novel opens up with a prologue (aka, Chapter 1), where we see the creation of David, the synthetic android that appeared in Prometheus. The following chapter introduces the colonization ship Covenant that is bound for a remote planet called Origae-6, carrying two thousand colonists and a thousand human embryos. After the ship is damaged from a stellar neutrino burst, the android named Walter wakes up the crew from stasis.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

DVD Review - Minnie's Happy Helpers DVD Review


Disney; 66 minutes; Walmart
Being released on DVD today from Disney Home Entertainment is Minnie's Happy Helpers, featuring six 11-minute episodes and one bonus episode ("Teed Off!"). There are no special features or extras on the single-disc, though it does come with a FREE Magnetic "Helper" Chart.

After Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series ended, Disney Junior debuted it's replacement series, titled Mickey and the Roadster Racers, earlier this year. Each episode is divided into two 11-minute segments. One segment would center on the Sensational Six \(Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Pluto) racing around Hot Dog Hills and other parts of the world and the other segment centers on Minnie, Daisy, and Cuckoo-Loca racing around Hot Dog Hills, helping their friends with odd jobs.

Voice-cast for the series includes: Voice Cast: Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse; Tress MacNeille as Daisy Duck; Bret Iwan as Mickey Mouse; Daniel Ross as Donald Duck; April Winchell as Clarabelle Cow; Jim Cummings as Pete; and Bill Farmer as Goofy.

Episodes on the DVD are:

  • Egg-Xasperating! - The Happy Helpers babysit Clara Cluck's egg.
  • Happy Hula Helpers! - In Hawaii, the Happy Helpers gives hula dance lessons for a birthday party.
  • Tea Time Trouble! - Before the Happy Helpers can have tea with the Queen in the London, they must fix the clock known as the Big Ben. Meanwhile, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy learn how to be gentleman.
  • Happy Birthday Helpers! - The Happy Helpers must race around town to save a birthday cake.
  • Bed, Breakfast And Bungled! - Clarabelle helps the Happy Helpers take care of a bed and breakfast.
  • Gone Fishin'! - The Happy Helpers (and Donald) accidentally invade Mickey and Goofy's camping trip.

Bonus Episode
  • Teed Off! - The Happy Helpers join the big golf tournament as caddies.


Saturday, July 22, 2017

Popcorn & Coffee: Prison Break: Event Series Blu-ray


Fox Home Entertainment; 390 minutes;

Now available on Blu-ray from Twentieth Fox Home Entertainment is Prison Break: Event Series, featuring all nine exciting episodes from the reboot season (aka, the fifth season). Produced by Paul Scheuring, the series stars
Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, Amaury Nolasco, Paul Adelstein, Robert Knepper and Rockmond Dunbar.

Prison Break: Event Series (also known as Prison Break: Resurrection) is a sequel mini-series to the series Prison Break that aired on Fox from 2005 to 2009.

Picking up seven years after season four finale, Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell is mysteriously released from prison and is given a picture of Michael in the Ogygia prison.

Since T-Bag has now forgiven everybody for sending him back to prison, he tracks down Michael's brother, Lincoln Burrows, and gives him the picture. After telling Michael's wife Sara about the picture, Lincoln, along with C-Note, travel to Sana'a, Yemen to see for himself if Michael is actually alive.

This is Prison Break, so of course Michael is somehow alive, sporting several new mysterious tattoos, and must once again find a way to escape from a prison, as well as unraveling another "hard to follow" conspiracy plot.

The only featurette is "A Return Home: The Making of Prison Break Event Series."