How cute it is! Too cute for words alone, so that's why in "ZooBorns Cats! The Newest, Cutest Kittens and Cubs from the World's Zoos" (Simon & Schuster, 160 pages, $11.99) Andrew Bleiman and Chris Eastland have come up with a wonderfully photographed, strictly feline sequel to their two previous "ZooBorns" books. For my Nov. 2, 2010 review of their "ZooBorns: The Newest, Cutest Animals from The Worlds Zoos and Aquariums" click: http://archives.huntingtonnews.net/columns/101102-kinchen-columnsbookreview.html)
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Considering thoughts of prophecy intruding from “wars and rumors of war,” earthquakes and other events, for a little over a month in 1962, well, it w like the first week following September 11, 2001.
John F. Kennedy had the Commander in Chief position , but the young handsome President had two in his face failures --- the U.S. had tried to overthrow Fidel Castro, the Cuban dictator, at the Bay of Pig and Operation Mongoose. Shortly thereafter, Cuba entered into an agreement with the Soviet Union for bases to be constructed on the island for medium range ballistic missiles. Russia would send the nuclear weapons by sea.
Thus, on Oct. 14, 1962, the Cold War began a period of likeliness to become World War III. Read more
Considering thoughts of prophecy intruding from “wars and rumors of war,” earthquakes and other events, for a little over a month in 1962, well, it w like the first week following September 11, 2001.
John F. Kennedy had the Commander in Chief position , but the young handsome President had two in his face failures --- the U.S. had tried to overthrow Fidel Castro, the Cuban dictator, at the Bay of Pig and Operation Mongoose. Shortly thereafter, Cuba entered into an agreement with the Soviet Union for bases to be constructed on the island for medium range ballistic missiles. Russia would send the nuclear weapons by sea.
Thus, on Oct. 14, 1962, the Cold War began a period of likeliness to become World War III. Read more
The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones -- Mark Antony in Act 3 of "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare Read more
HUNTINGTON, WV (HNN) - The New Mel Brooks MusicalYoung Frankenstein, a new musical comedy from the creative team of the 12-time Tony Award winning smashThe Producers, is alive and it’s headed to theKeith Albee Performing Arts CenteronThursday, November 10that7:30 p.m. You’ll have a monstrously good time at this spectacular new production.
This wickedly inspiring re-imagining of the Frankenstein legend follows bright young Dr. Frankenstein (that’s Frankensteen) as he attempts to complete his grandfather’s masterpiece and bring a corpse to life. Together with his endearing helper Igor, his lab assistant Igna, and in spite of his self-absorbed fiancé Elizabeth, Frankenstein succeeds in creating a monster, but not without scary and quiet often hilarious complications.Read more
Anyone who's read a mystery novel set in an idyllic English village --- by writers from Agatha Christie to Ruth Rendell and all those in between -- will instantly realize that "idyllic English village" is the ultimate oxymoron. "Twelve Drummers Drumming" (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House, 384 pages, $24.00) is no exception as author C.C. Benison introduces us to the Devon village of ThornfordRegis and to Father Tom Christmas, the newly arrived vicar of the parish. Read more
Readers of Huntington News Network need no introduction to Perry Mann. His essays on nature, philosophy, religion and many other topics have struck a chord in readers -- often provoking angry letters to the editor. That said, overwhelmingly most of the readers love his columns. Read more
One nightmare of every parent is that the child they've raised was switched at birth in the hospital and isn't their offspring. Cynthia Keller ("An Amish Christmas") skillfully and gracefully explores this nightmare in "A Plain & Fancy Christmas" (Ballantine Books, 336 pages, $16.00).
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Huntington Public Access Television (Huntington Comcast 20) will be celebrating Halloween week with 4 vintage Bela Lugosi films. Lugosi, who at one time played Jesus Christ in a Hungarian passion play production, is best known as the actor who personified Bram Stoker's literary horror creation, "Dracula". His association with the role proved both a blessing and a curse -- bringing him cinematic fame while also cursing him with being typecast in genre roles that severely diminished his acting ability and eventually his career. Read more
A package containing three new softcover titles from Woodland Press LLC, Chapmanville, WV, arrived in my Monday, Oct. 24 mail. What follows is a teaser description of the books; full reviews will be forthcoming. I look forward to reading and reviewing anything from Keith Davis and his West Virginia publishing treasure Woodland Press.
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Vanessa "Michael" Munroe, the protagonist of Taylor Stevens' debut thriller "The Informationist" (Broadway paperback, 336 pages, $14.00) isn't a Ms. Keen, tracer of lost persons (If that reference rings a bell, you're on Social Security! Or you're a younger person who's studied the golden age of radio). She deals in information, expensive information, and works as an independent contractor for corporations, heads of state and anyone who can afford her expensive rates. Read more
The review that follows of the new paperback edition of "Hoodwinked: An Economic Hit Man Reveals Why the Global Economy Imploded -- and How to Fix It" (Crown Business, 256 pages, $14.00, pub date Nov. 1) by John Perkins is essentially the same as my Nov. 28, 2009 review (link:http://archives.huntingtonnews.net/columns/091201-kinchen-columnsbookreview.html) of the 2009 hardback edition (Broadway Business, 256 pages, $23.99) because Perkins says there has been no systemic change in the "corporatocracy" -- those few corporations that control the vast amounts of capital, land, resources around the globe -- and the politicians they manipulate. Read more
There's a common misconception that President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the father of America's remarkable Interstate highway system. Earl Swift in "The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 384 pages, photographs, maps, $27.00) debunks this myth with his account of visionaries like Carl G. Fisher, the man who built both Miami Beach and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, who worked with the president of Packard Motors and others to promote the coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway. Read more
Trick or treat? With Chuck Palahniuk's "Damned" (Doubleday, 256 pages, $24.95) it's a treat. Just in time for Halloween, Palahniuk ("Fight Club," "Rant," "Choke") takes his readers on a tour of Hell as experienced by 13-year-old Madison Spencer, the smart, sharp-tongued daughter of a movie star known for traveling the world and adopting children and a billionaire investor.
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Here's the first glance at weekend movie schedules, which includes three new films, Paranormal Actiity III, Three Musketeers, and Mighty Macs. Courageous, from the makers of "Fireproof" has been playing at select locations to sell out audiences. Read more
CHARLESTON, WV (HNN) - If you have ever been told you "look" like Abe Lincoln or even John Wilkes Booth, a mini-series may be looking for you. Auditions by Appointment only are Monday, Oct. 24, 2011 from 5-8 p.m. at the Quality Inn Conference Center, 4328 William L. Wilson Freeway, Harpers Ferry, WV. An email is necessary to set up an appointment. Read more
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Members of the Marshall University tuba and euphonium studio in the Department of Music will present a recital of solo performances to kick off their annual celebration of Octubafest at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, in Smith Music Hall on Marshall’s Huntington campus. Read more
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University’s Department of Music will host 32 marching bands Saturday, Oct. 22, for the Tri-State Marching Festival beginning at 11 a.m. According to Marshall’s band director, Steve Barnett, this is the largest band festival of its kind in this part of the country. Bands from West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio have been separated into categories based on the number of performers. Read more
CHARLESTON, WV (HNN) – Sponsored by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Clay Center plays host to the On Screen/In Person film series, which brings hot-topic documentaries and filmmakers to 14 venues in 7 states and the Virgin Islands from Sep. 2011 through Apr. 2012, with the Clay Center being the only West Virginia stop. Read more
HUNTINGTON, WV (HNN) – J.J. Abrams told documentary film maker Morgan Spurlock that he “believes in story-telling, not story selling.” Abrams, who shot “Super 8” in Weirton, WV, makes his comment during an interview in Spurlock’s latest documentary, “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.”
Spurlock grew up in Beckley, WV and has produced a string of documentaries that, in his words, “don’t tell people what to think.” His 2004 documentary, “Super Size Me,” received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. Following a holiday conversation about teen obesity, he exclusively ate “super size” McDonald’s meals for 30 days gaining 25 pounds.Read more
'...and they're gonna make big stars of us' -- Paraphrasing Songster Buck Owens
Chicago, IL (Special to Huntingtonnews.net) -- That's what's been happening in Chicago over the past year to the tune of $161 million spent filming here. Read more
California. Texas. The nation's two most populous states are iconic places that loom far larger than life. Both play important roles in Rose MacDowell's "The Lost Book of Mala R." (Bantam Books Trade Paperback Original novel, 384 pages, $15.00). Read more
Here's the first glance at weekend movie schedules, which includes three new films, Big Year, Footloose and The Thing. Courageous, from the makers of "Fireproof" has been playing at select locations to sell out audiences. And, here's the latest trailer for the Cleveland filmed, Avengers, which starts in May 2012. Read more
Where can you see Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, both West Virginia natives, handling Masters of Ceremony duties in honor of other West Virginia natives who have left indelible marks in the music industry? Read more
The Marshall Artists Series is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a bang throughout its entire season! Next up on the schedule is Oscar-nominated filmmaker and West Virginia native, Morgan Spurlock. Read more
Patton, Sherman, LeMay: Three American generals who believed in using maximum force to kill the enemy and bring the war to a successful conclusion. Of the three, perhaps Curtis LeMay (1906-1990) is the most difficult for modern readers to understand, as the paperback edition of Warren Kozak's 2009 hardback "LeMay: The Life and Wars of General Curtis LeMay" (Regnery History, 434 pages, color and black and white glossy photographs, index, notes, $18.95) graphically demonstrates. Read more
Nate Silver’s analysis of news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations shows how clashes with police have increased media attention to the movement. Silver presented evidence in his 7 October New York Times piece that after each major confrontation with police American media increased the number of articles devoted to the movement. For example, when nonviolent Occupy Wall Street protestors were maced, news stories jumped. When more than 700 were arrested in a nonviolent march across the Brooklyn Bridge, the number of news articles surged nearly 400 percent. Read more
HUNTINGTON,WV (HNN) - Thousands of people lined Fourth Ave. on a gorgeous Monday evening to view the 2011 Huntington Fire Prevention Parade. The theme for this year is , "It's Fire Prevention Week. Protect your family from fire." The parade had Miss Spark, Miss Ember and Miss Flame. Other parade participants were school groups, church groups, pageant winners, youth groups, fire departments and high school bands. Many used or decorated using the 2011 theme.Read more
Take a journey to another country and experience a foreign culture from the comfort of the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center during the Fall International Film Festival.Read more
I'm calling my assessment of "The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and The Failures of Great Powers" (PublicAffairs, 912 pages, $39.99) a "Book Notes" instead of a "Book Review" because I skimmed the book; I didn't read every word -- which is my requirement for doing a book review. Read more
I was one of the millions of moviegoers who rejected the reviews of film critics and contributed to the $27.3 million weekend gross for "Real Steel" -- which won the box office sweepstakes. Read more
Huntington author Carter Taylor Seaton will be signing her new novel, “amo, amas, amat…an unconventional love story” at Stadium Bookstore on Friday, October 14 from 2 pm to 5 pm and at the Marshall University Bookstore on Saturday, October 15 from 11 am to 1:30 pm. Read more
Slither, crawl or hop your way down to the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center on Tuesday Oct.11 for a return visit from Jack Hanna that you won’t be able to forget. Jack Hanna is returning to Huntington, WV with his fascinating animal friends in tow.Read more
