Fiendish Fun:

by: The Media Fiend

Greetings Fiend-Friends! It’s Summer, the Fiend Family is recently back from vacation, and my ADD is worse than ever, so have I got a theme for you this column! Ready? (Insert Drum Roll Here) ALL OVER THE MAP.

Get it? ‘Cause I’ve been traveling, and with the ADD? See? Get it now?…True wit is lost on the likes of you.

Therefeore, to the reviews.

Now as per usual the Fiend has been spending his time thinking of others before himself, which is how Mrs. Fiend wound up with the NERO WOLFE; The Complete Classic Whodunit Series DVD box set for her birthday. For those who came in late, this is the A&E series produced by and starring Timothy Hutton, based on the celebrated stories by Rex Stout. With Maury Chaykin as Wolfe, and some of the best page to screen adaptation work EVER, this is nearly 25 hours of heaven for mystery lovers. Sadly only 20 episodes were produced but the set also includes the 2 hr. movie-pilot THE GOLDEN SPIDERS, as well as an A&E making of the series special.

Until this came along the Fiends favorite TV mystery show had been the 1970’s ELLERY QUEEN series starring none other than Jim Hutton. Mere coincidence, or a sign that I, my wife, and the whole Hutton clan have something to worry about? YOU BE THE JUDGE!

And then keep it to yourself, I’m trying to write a column here.

Speaking of Mrs. Fiend, she was also the recipient of the latest PINK cd. As for a review, well there’s only so much even the Fiend will subject himself to. I will however mention that after I tore through Stephen Kings latest, CELL, the Mrs. devoured it with equal enthusiam. Mrs. Fiend never having been a big fan of the grue, I found it surprising she took to it the way she did.

To give you an indication without ruining anything, King dedicated the book to Richard Matheson and George Romero, and the film version is going to be directed by Eli (HOSTEL) Roth. It’s a sticky, drippy, mess of a book, and as much fun for Summer reading as you would hope it to be.

While were dealing with sticky, and drippy I’ve got to mention THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE. It’s on Broadway, and it’s not a Disney movie adaptation so that right there tells you it’s something different. What it is is the latest from Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, and it is one of the funniest, possibly the sickest, and definitely the bloodiest show I’ve ever seen on the great white way.

It involves men deemed “too mad” for the IRA, their cats, their families, and the drug dealers they torture onstage. Oh and the 2^nd act is full of human dismemberment. Did I mention it won the Olivier (the British Tony) for best comedy? Well it did. So stop turning your nose up.

So that’s gonna’ about do it for this brief briefing, much more to tell you about, but the caves gotten dusty while we were gone, and a Fiend with sinus problems isn’t good for anybody . So remember Fiend-Friends , dance on your own grave now, and beat the crowds.

Until next time- The Media Fiend