That book is not a “historical and religious epic.” It’s the very definition of a potboiler. I was in junior high and happened upon a copy in my public library, so I read it. Never again. “Ben Hur, done that.”

Ariana Grande wasn’t on my radar because I don’t have a lot of time for music these days...but damn, now I have to check out her music. I was really impressed with her switching up styles and with her voice. I thought she was pretty damn funny too (keeping that deer in the headlights look the whole way through that…

The radio show Weekend Radio with Robert Conrad (also at www.ideastream.org) occasionally would play her recordings. I’m not a fan of comedies of embarrassment and really found listening to her uncomfortable.

The most ridiculously fun book I’ve read is “The Death of the Necromancer” by Martha Wells. Unfortunately it’s currently out of print, but it is well worth finding used. A brilliant thief and his wonderful gang get involved with old magic and the best Holmes/Watson pastiche characters I’ve ever encountered. I’ve read…

Crap. Assholes. I thought the initial Last Shadow Puppets album was pretty good and Kane had a song I liked; I can’t give more money to this doofus.

It was amusing listening to Will Shortz try to tiptoe around this on NPR this past Sunday morning, just after his regularly scheduled weekly segment. Him being the Times puzzle editor and all.

The Arkham poster looks properly inspired by the architecture of Providence.

It’s grace notes like this silly character that get me interested in a game. In a unrelated note, I’ve played too much Witcher 3; that hollow log in the video made me itch to check for florens and orens.

My wife is not a sports fan. Last night I got her to watch the compilation tape of all 12 of Curry’s 3's from that game. She then had me look up his half-court shot videos. It’s all over the internet, not just Gawker, because Curry is one of those transcendent sports figures that get everyone’s attention. We can’t…

Guess I’m an outlier. I like the Sunday Comics. Sure, some weeks are stronger than others, but so what? Please keep them coming.

This will be the 4th copy of this film that I buy, when it becomes available. Hope the restoration gets somewhere in upstate NY (Ithaca?) so I can see it on the big screen.

Tony Todd?!? He was so wonderful in DS9 back in the day, and has always been one of those actors who grab your attention in anything he does. I was giving the new TV Trek a pass (totally uninterested in their new universe) but if he’s on board, I want to watch.

I seem to have a 9.5" span. Any NFL teams interested?

This is great news. this goes to the top of the watch list, it will be difficult waiting for it. A Wrinkle In Time was the first SF/fantasy book I read and it left a lasting imprint.

My favorite “expansion on a movie” was “The World of Kong,” a Weta art book that essentially was a wildlife guide to the 2005 version of Skull Island. I still bring out the book and skim through it; I love the imagination and the sheer creepiness of some of the ideas, especially the pit dwellers.

As long as we get more of your writing I’m good. More movie/media recaps please!

I lost all interest when at the end of the last film she went off to exploit the Chinese. Fuck it.

Stopped buying comics a while back and haven’t missed them. I got tired of the reboots and the fact the titles I tended to like (except Saga and Astro city) kept getting cancelled. If I feel the need i’ll get some cheap collections later, but as of now the only paper collections I’m still getting are for the web…

I have several of Offutt’s books buried in the archives; I recall enjoying them and I know I re-read Demon in the Mirror. Cons in the late 70's through 90's (at least) were awesome; I met my partner of 36+ years at World Fantasy Con in Providence in 1979.

So if the “written” column returns, then this will be the only Funbag I miss this year. I don’t have time for podcats; I read a lot faster than people talk so listening to podcasts means I miss more on line.