The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas

2011-08-15T14:13:00.003-05:00

Hi TZ radio fans,

I've been busy collaborating with Tom DeFeo (CEO of Fangoria Magazine) and his terrific staff members at Fangoria for the upcoming launch of a new audio drama series, "Fangoria's Dreadtime Stories" with host Malcolm McDowell. I'm very excited to say that "Fangoria's Dreadtime Stories" will be cutting edge radio dramas that will chill you and thrill you. Warning: These radio dramas are NOT for the feint of heart and are recommended for listeners over 14. The stories will be written by top writers of today, including Dennis Etchison and Max Allan Collins and feature mystery, horror, sci-fi and dark humor themes. We will be producing one new episode each month beginning this October. The cool thing is that Fangoria wants you to be able to hear each month's new episode absolutely free by logging on to their website at www.fangoria.com and streaming the audio (each episode will be approximately 45-minutes in length). The first episode is called "The Late Shift" written by two-time World Fantasy award winner Dennis Etchison and based on his famous short story. "The Late Shift" will be available to be streamed for free beginning in two weeks but will be taken down the last day of October. Then, on November 1st, a new episode will be available for free streaming. November's episode will be "Reincarnal" by Max Allan Collins. "Reincarnal" will be available until the last day in November when it will be taken down and replaced on December 1st with "A Fungus Among Us" by Steve Nubie. Starting to get the idea? You'll have a one month window to hear the latest "Fangoria's Dreadtime Stories" and all you have to do is log on to the Fangoria website anywhere in the world anytime of the day or night. All you have to do is hit PLAY and it's totally FREE! But remember - each episode is only available to be streamed during its designated month. Then the episode is taken down and will never be streamed again so make sure you check back each month to stream the new episode.

If you want to collect the current episode or any of the past episodes, they will always be available - commercial free with extended scenes - via digital download for only $1.99. You can download the 45-minute episodes to your computer, ipod, iphone, or any listening device. We'll be producing 12 new episodes each year (one each month) so be sure to collect them all. The other cool thing is we will be posting a PDF copy of each episode's radio drama script at the Fangoria website - the same scripts used by Malcolm McDowell and the actors - so that you can print you own copy and read along. Fangoria Magazine's October issue (on newsstands in September) will feature a 3-page article announcing the launch of "Fangoria's Dreadtime Stories" so be sure to pick up a copy. If you'd like to subscribe to the magazine, your can do so by logging on to their website. Note to aspiring writers: We'll be announcing a contest where one listener each year can win the chance to have their story idea turned into a "Fangoria's Dreadtime Stories" episode, hosted by Malcolm McDowell, and adapted by either Dennis Etchison or Max Allan Collins. The winner will get the chance to work with Dennis or Max and win a prize package including a cash prize of $1,000. More on that later in the year.

Carl Amari, Malcolm McDowell and Carl's brother Vince Amari.

As far as TZ radio dramas, the next new episode is "Another Place In Time" by Steve Nubie. It will star the amazing Malcolm McDowell as a physicist on a remote island in the Irish Sea who finds a link to multiple dimensions. Contemporary science refers to them as parallel universes. He and his wife find out the hard way that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. The supporting players include Sarah Wellington, Martin Aistrope, David Darlow and Meg Thalken. I think you're going to like what you hear -- and it has some fun sound design to go along with superb acting. It airs in September so try not to miss it.

Well, that's all for now, thanks for tuning in and I'll see you next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2011-06-30T14:19:00.001-05:00

Hi TZ radio fans,

I hope everyone enjoyed "The 25th Hour" written by Dennis Etchison and starring the always amazing Mike Nussbaum. Because we have turned all of the original TZ television stories (except "Come Wander With Me") into TZ radio dramas we have been producing brand new never-before-seen or heard stories and I'm very excited about them. FYI: I do hope to produce "Come Wander With Me" at some point soon but because the two main characters have to sing, I need actors who can sing. I'm hoping to cast someone like Jesse McCartney and Rebbecca St. James in these roles. Jesse portrayed Daniel and the young David in my Word of Promise audio Bible and he was absolutely amazing. Rebecca played a servant girl in World of Promise and she is one of my favorite actors/singers. FYI: The older David was played by the incredible actor Gary Sinise. I've had a lot of emails regarding "Come Wander With Me" and when we will be producing it. It's not for lack of wanting to, it's just that this episode needs that very special duel talent of acting and singing.

Next up is the TZ radio drama "Another Place In Time" by Steve Nubie. It will star the one, the only, Malcolm McDowell as a physicist on a remote island in the Irish Sea who finds a link to multiple dimensions. Contemporary science refers to them as parallel universes. He and his wife find out the hard way that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. The supporting players include Sarah Wellington, Martin Aistrope, David Darlow and Meg Thalken. I think this one will turn out to be quite special -- and it has some fun sound design to go along with superb acting. It airs in September so try not to miss it.

I've mentioned in past blogs that I am producing a new dramatic radio series called "Fangoria's Dread-Time Stories" in collaboration with Thomas DeFeo, the CEO of Fangoria Magazine. We just recorded episode three titled "A Fungus Among Us" about a real fungus called the "Cordyceps" fungus that affects ants. When ants are infected with this fungus they become Zombie-like and act irrationally and then their heads explode and fungus spores spew from their brains infecting other ants. YUCK! Well, in our Fangoria story, this starts happening to humans. This gory tale was penned by Steve Nubie and I can't wait for you to hear it. These will be very edgy radio dramas that will be available for download at the Fangoria website www.fangoria.com You'll also be able to PDF download the radio drama scripts there as well. I'm pumped and very excited to say that Malcolm McDowell will serve as host and narrator for this series. These audio dramas will be fully-dramatized with full casts, sound effects and original music by Fangoria editor Chris Alexander. The first episode "The Late Shift" is complete and "Reincarnal" and "A Fungus Among Us" are in the process of being mixed. We will be launching "Fangoria's Dread-Time Stories" before Halloween and then a NEW episode will premiere each and every month. The length of each episode is about 40 minutes, similar to TZ radio dramas. But as I say, these are quite edgy, not for the faint-of-heart and definitely PG-13 so be warned. My hope is that "Fangoria's Dread-Time Stories" will be today's version of what "Lights Out" was back to radio of the 1930's and 40's -- the scariest of the scary when it comes to 'theatre of the mind' radio drama. To that end, I've been in talks with Dave Oboler, Arch Oboler's son (Arch wrote and produced "Lights Out") about using some of his dad's scripts and modernizing them for this series. I'd want to use Arch Oboler scripts of "Lights Out" that have not survive on audio today. For instance, the audio for the most famous of all "Lights Out" stories "Chicken Heart" does not exist. In this story, a professor keeps a small piece of Chicken heart flesh alive in his laboratory and it inexplicably begins to double in size every hour until it blankets the city, the state and eventually the world! How fun would it be to present this and other famous Arch Oboler-penned modernized stories on "Fangoria's Dread-Time Stories"?! I'll keep you posted if this becomes a reality.

Well, that's all for now, thanks for tuning in and I'll see you next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2011-05-21T21:55:00.001-05:00

Hi TZ radio fans,

Again, sorry for not posting since March, I have been working on some very exciting projects that I can't wait to share with you. Let's start first with TZ radio dramas. I hope all of you enjoyed the brand new TZ radio drama "2012" written by Steve Nubie and starring the always amazing Christian Stolte with support by one of my favorite actors, Danny Goldring. Chicago actor Sarah Wellington plays the wife of Christian's character and knocks the role out of the park. You can hear Sarah playing the love-sick computer who falls for computer programmer Ed Begley, Jr. in one of my favorite TZ radio dramas "From Agnes, With Love." If you haven't heard that one yet be sure and download a copy at this site. All of the TZ radio dramas are available for download for only $1.99 each. Others in the "2012" cast include David Darlow, JoBe Cerny, Derrick Nelson, Lisa Wolf and Bree Swartz.

Coming up next, don't miss the brand new TZ radio drama "The 25th Hour" written by Dennis Etchison and starring the incredible Mike Nussbaum. Working with Mike was a dream come true for me. I've been a huge Mike Nussbaum fan for decades. Mike is almost 90 years old but believe me you'd never know it - he has more energy than most actors half his age. The role he plays in "The 25th Hour" is a man who invents a device that can take bits of 'life' away from people and give it to him. At the beginning of the episode Mike needs to play his part as an old tired man who gains strength and vitality as the show goes along. I can't wait for everyone to hear it because Mike pulls it off in spades! Mike is supported by some of Chicago's best actors including Jefferson Award Winning actor Steve Key who is the man Mike is sapping life from. You can hear Steve as "Jonah" in my Word of Promise audio Bible. Others in the cast include: JoBe Cerny, Franette Leibow, Lisa Wolf, Frederick Williams, Jim McCance, Patrick Frances, Doug James, Meg Thalken and Jacob Goldberg who all do outstanding jobs.

I mentioned in my last blog that the CEO of Fangoria Magazine (Tom DeFeo) and I are collaborating on a brand new audio series called "Fangoria's Dread-Time Stories." These will be very edgy radio dramas that will be available for download at the Fangoria website www.fangoria.com The first 3 scripts have been written. They are "Reincarnal" and "Wollf" by "Road to Perdition" creator Max Allan Collins and "The Late Shift" by Dennis Etchison. I'm pumped and excited to say that the one and only Malcolm McDowell will serve as host and narrator. These audio dramas will be fully-dramatized with full casts, sound effects and original music by Fangoria editor Chris Alexander. The first episode "The Late Shift" is complete and "Reincarnal" is in the process of being mixed. The actor recording session for "Wollf" will be later this month. We hope to launch "Fangoria's Dread-Time Stories" before Halloween and then a NEW episode will premiere each and every month. The length of each episode is about 40 minutes, similar to TZ radio dramas. But as I say, these are quite edgy, not for the faint-of-heart and definitely PG-13 so be warned. My hope is that "Fangoria's Dread-Time Stories" will be today's version of what "Lights Out" was back to radio of the 1930's and 40's -- the scariest of the scary when it comes to 'theatre of the mind' radio drama.

I'm also working on a TV pilot and a 3-D movie with Tom DeFeo and producer Steve Stabler ("Dumb & Dumber") as well as some other fun film projects. Well, that's all for now. I'll see you next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2011-03-20T09:12:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone,

Sorry it has been a while since I've written a blog -- I have a lot to report so let's get right to it: I hope all of you enjoyed "The Nanobots" by Steve Nubie and starring David Pasquesi which we aired back in January. Coming up this month is a brand new story called "2012" also written by Steve Nubie. This one deals with the end of the world. Two brothers argue about yet another end of the world prediction only to discover that this time it's for real - but not quite as expected. Christian Stolte stars and is supported by the great Danny Goldring and a cast of Chicago's finest actors. I think you're going to really like this episode so be sure to listen for it.

Blackstone audio just released our newest production of "The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer." This one is titled "Encore For Murder" and is written by Max Allan Collins from a story by Mickey Spillane.

http://www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=5909

It of course stars the one and only Stacy Keach as Mike Hammer. Heard in the supporting cast are David Pasquesi and Tim Kazurinski. I have one line as a would-be assassin and Max Allan Collins has a juicy role as the creepy "Ronald Meek." Stacy also serves as the Executive Producer and music composer. The geniuses at Cerny American Creative handled all the sound editing and foley work. We've released four Hammer stories now in three volumes and this one (Volume 3) I dare say is the best yet. And kudus to all involved in Volume 2 "The Little Death" as it was just nominated for an Audie Award.

http://www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=5458

I'm excited to announce that in co-venture with Thomas DeFeo, CEO of Fangoria Magazine, I will be producing a new radio series called "Fangoria's Dread-Time Stories" hosted by Malcolm McDowell. Fangoria Magazine will be soliciting short horror stories from its fans. The 12 best short stories will be chosen by Fangoria's staff to be printed each month in the magazine. Each year 6 of these short stories will be sent to Dennis Etchison and 6 to Max Allan Collins to be turned into radio drama scripts and then into audio productions by yours truly. The radio drama scripts can be downloaded for free via pdf at the Fangoria website and the audio productions will be made available for digital download. As I say, I am very excited that Malcolm McDowell has agreed to host and narrate this series. The supporting casts will be made up of the best actors here in Chicago and in NY and Hollywood. The original music for each "Fangoria Dread-Time Stories" will be composed by Fangoria's Editor-In-Chief Chris Alexander who is an accomplished music composer. The first audio production "The Late Shift" is in production as we speak. It will be available for download at the Fangoria website within a few months. Warning: These "Fangoria Dread-Time Stories" are not for children - they are intended for mature audiences (VERY SCARY STUFF). My goal for this series is for it to be "today" what LIGHTS OUT was to radio back in the 1930's and 40's. For the most part, parents didn't let their children listen to LIGHTS OUT because it was cutting edge scary. Well, this series is going to be cutting edge scare for the year 2011 and beyond -- so if you're of the faint-of-heart --- consider yourself warned. Here's Fangoria's incredible website dedicated to horror fans everywhere:

www.fangoria.com

Well, that's all for now, I'll see you soon with MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2011-01-03T13:49:00.007-06:00

Dear TZ radio fans!

Happy New Year! If you are a fan of APPs you'll want to check this out as we now have a very cool APP for TWILIGHT ZONE radio dramas -- and you can get 3 FREE shows!:
http://appshopper.com/entertainment/the-twilight-zone-radio-dramas

Last week we recorded a brand new TZ radio drama called "The Nanobots" written by Steve Nubie and starring the incredibly talented actor David Pasquesi. http://www.davidpasquesi.com/

"The Nanobots" is the story of a washed up reporter who takes on nanotechnology as his new assignment. He happens across an experimental way to clean up oceanic oil spills only to find that the microscopic nanobots, which are shaped like tiny metal spiders, will eat just about anything - and everything in their wake. In the supporting cast are Chicago pros David Darlow, Christian Stolte, Doug James, JoBe Cerny, Lisa Wolf and Bree Swartz. I played a small part as did Steve Nubie and I'm looking forward to hearing the final mix. It's in the capable hands of Cerny American Creative's Bob Benson and Craig Lee - two geniuses at the mixing board - as we speak. It airs the first week of February so I hope you'll keep an ear out for it.

After that it's the end of the world as we know it when we produce "2012" also written by Steve Nubie. This TZ radio drama will star Christian Stolte. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0831601/

Christian's last film was "Law Abiding Citizen" where he played ruthless killer Clarence Darby. Christian's character has the dubious honor of being hacked up into little pieces by Gerard Butler's character Clyde Sheldon. If you haven't seen "Law Abiding Citizen" it's a thriller that you won't want to miss - it's available on DVD. Christian is awesome in the role - as he is in everything he appears in.

I'm very excited to say that my celebrity-voiced audio New Testament "The Truth & Life Dramatized audio Bible" is a best-seller. It is a fully-dramatized word-for-word 'radio drama' from the RSV-CE translation and features Neal McDonough (Jesus), Stacy Keach (John), Michael York (Luke), Sean Astin, (Matthew), Malcolm McDowell (Caiaphas), Julia Ormond (Mary, Mother of God), Blair Underwood (Mark), Kristen Bell (Mary Magdalene), John Rhys-Davies (Narrator) and Brian Cox (The Voice of God).

The "Truth & Life" is 22 hours on 18 CDs with movie-quality sound effects and an original music score. I'm very proud of it and of everyone involved who worked so hard during the two year production schedule - especially Jason Fiedler, Mike Gastella and William Hayes at bMedia. It was brilliantly directed by Bible scholar Brenda Noel and my fellow producer was Raymond Arroyo. Jim McClain from bMedia is the co-producer and the executive producer is Michael Stark. For video footage of the behind-the-scenes "making of" this project along with audio clips (and to purchase it on CD or via download) visit www.truthandlifebible.com.

Other projects on the horizon for 2011 include a feature film project which will shoot here in Chicago; a TV pilot in association with Fangoria Magazine (written by Max Allan Collins); and a national TV series that I will be hosting called TV-TIME CAPSULE which showcases rare classic TV programming. The two-hour weekly show will feature classic TV programming from the 1940s and 1950s and will feature fan-favorites like Jack Benny, The Lone Ranger and Dick Van Dyke but it will focus on 'rare' TV episodes that you won't find - for the most part - anywhere else. Shows like Man With a Camera, Make Room For Daddy, Jim Bowie, Wyatt Earp, Dangerous Assignment, Mr. Peepers, Suspense and many other not-too-often-seen shows. I host the series and give the viewer background information and history about the 3 half-hour shows featured within each two-hour TV-TIME CAPSULE show. We've shot the pilot and as soon as we know what network it will be airing on, I'll let you know.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you'll continue to listen to THE TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS and that you'll visit us often on our official website. Don't forget to tune in to "Hollywood 360" each Saturday evening from 8 pm till 1 am on WIND AM 560 in the Chicago area and online at 560 WIND anywhere via the Internet. I play 5 classic radio shows each week on "Hollywood 360" and I think you'd enjoy it. Here's the website at www.hollywood360radio.com.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-02T12:47:00.001-06:00

Hi TZ radio fans!

Let me first apologize for not posting a blog in more than 2 months - shame on me!!! The only excuse I have is to say I've been traveling quite a bit to promote my new celebrity-voiced audio New Testament which is called "The Truth & Life Dramatized audio Bible." It is a fully dramatized word-for-word 'radio drama' from the RSV-CE translation and features Neal McDonough (Jesus), Stacy Keach (John), Michael York (Luke), Sean Astin, (Matthew), Malcolm McDowell (Caiaphas), Julia Ormond (Mary, Mother of God), Blair Underwood (Mark), Kristen Bell (Mary Magdalene), John Rhys-Davies (Narrator) and Brian Cox (The Voice of God).

The Truth & Life is 22 hours on 18 CDs with movie-quality sound effects and an original music score. I'm very proud of it of everyone involved who worked so hard during the two year production schedule - especially Jason Fiedler, Mike Gastella and William Hayes at bMedia. It was brilliantly directed by Bible scholar Brenda Noel and my fellow producer was Raymond Arroyo. Jim McClain from bMedia is the co-producer and the executive producer is Michael Stark. For video footage of the behind-the-scenes "making of" this project along with audio clips (and to purchase it on CD or via download) visit www.truthandlifebible.com

A few weeks ago I was on Laura Ingraham's national radio show and it shot to #1 on AMAZON and has been #1 or #2 ever since .... ahh the power of radio - thanks Laura! Stacy Keach and I were guests on Raymond Arroyo's TV show "The Word Over" on EWTN. Here's a utube of it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5w1UMDFBLM Stacy and I come on about half-way into the show. I'm hoping to produce the Old Testament next and potentially the entire Bible in Spanish.

On the TWILIGHT ZONE radio dramas front I hope you all enjoyed "Ten Days" starring Ned Bellamy (who plays "Pontius Pilate in the Truth & Life audio New Testament). Ned did an amazing job as Pilate and as the lead in "Ten Days" which was written by the very talented Mark Valenti. Great job Mark! The next new TZ show is "Snow Angel" starring Sean Astin and written for the Twilight Zone by JoBe Cerny. It's a Christmas story that I hope you will enjoy with the whole family. Then, next year it will be new stories for the Twilight Zone called "The 25th Hour," "Another Place In Time," "The Nanobots," "Missing Presumed Dead," "Rest Stop," and "Twenty Twelve" to name a few.

I hope you'll continue to listen to THE TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS and that you'll visit us often on our official website. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-09-20T21:11:00.003-05:00

Hi TZ radio fans!

Well, I hope you enjoyed "The Time of Your Life" starring John Rhys-Davies as THE DEVIL! John is great in everything he does and he sure gave us something extra as Hal Scratchman, a traveling salesman who can turn back time with a mysterious clock. Ann Sonneville is amazing too as Susan Sternwood as is Jeff Lupetin as her husband Paul who is brought back to life after he's killed on the job as a policeman. And Kudus to M. J. Elliott for delivering an incredible script to work from -- in my opinion, it's one of our best TZ shows to date. Thanks to everyone involved!

The next one to keep an 'ear' out for is "...and Cauldron Bubble" starring Virginia Williams http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1075208/ who you last heard in "Eye of the Beholder." In this story, a college production of "Macbeth" is running rehearsals when a series of increasingly serious accidents involving the cast and crew has people worried about its reputation as a jinxed play. Only the school janitor seems to have a clue as to the mysterious events. Virginia is brilliant in the role of college student Diane who is playing "Lady Macbeth." She decides that the production needs a 'protection spell' cast on it so it can take the hoodoo off. Glen, the wise school janitor takes a keen interest in the happenings and impressionable college students. Glen is played by veteran actor Ron Dean http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0212939/ and he and Virginia are supported by a great cast, including the always amazing David Darlow http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0201436/ as theatre director Mr. Galvin. This script is by Christine Watson who has written several TZ stores for us -- this being the first we've produced so far. Christine turns in a haunting yet whimsical script that I'm sure you're going to enjoy. Way to go Christine!

For those of you looking forward to the TZ episode "Ten Days" starring Ned Bellamy, we post-poned the production and is scheduled for this month. It will air the first week of November so be sure to listen for it.

I'm behind in keeping up with this blog -- very sorry. I've been immersed in producing a Catholic audio New Testament starring many wonderful celebrities. Being Catholic, I really wanted to produce an audio Bible for the Catholic faith and we just completed the New Testament portion. Now on to the Old Testament and then to the entire Bible in Spanish with Hispanic celebrities. This will take the next 3 to 4 years to produce. I'm calling this Catholic audio Bible, "The Truth & Life Dramatized audio Bible" and here's a link to watch video of the production process as well as some of the finished audio chapters: www.truthandlifebible.com This audio New Testament hits stores the first week of November.

We just finished Volume 3 of "The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" titled "Encore For Murder" written by Max Allan Collins. Max does double-duty on this one as writer and actor : ) He plays a creepy character named Ronald Meese and I can't wait for you to hear him in the role. Stacy Keach does triple-duty on this episode, starring as Hammer, writing and composing all of the music and serving as Executive Producer! Stacy is always amazing as Mike Hammer and he doesn't disappoint in this latest installment in the series. And thanks to everyone in the cast which includes David Pasquesi, Tim Kazurinsky, Franette Leibow, Ric Peeples and Norm Woodel to name a few. I KNOW you are going to love this nearly 3-hour production, being released by Blackstone audio in November. I dare say it's the best one we've produced yet. Please look for it.

Just a reminder:

I've decided to create a 20-CD boxed set of the best TWILIGHT ZONE radio dramas produced to date, which will be released to retail outlets this Fall. I'm tentatively calling it THE VERY BEST OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS and I'm asking YOU the fans to vote on the 20 best episodes. Here's how it works: Simply email me your 20 favorite episodes (all of the episodes are listed and available for download on this official website). My email address is camari@falconpicturegroup.com We will catalog all of the votes and the 20 episodes that receive the most votes will be included in the boxed set. I will post the 20 episodes that were voted the best on our website in October. The person or persons who's email vote includes the most from this list of 20 will win a $300 cash prize and 3 sets of the 20-CD box set. Rules: (1) All entries must be emailed to me on or before October 1st, 2010. (2) Duplicate prizes will be awarded if there are ties. (3) Only one vote per email address. (4) Carl Amari, Falcon Picture Group and our affiliates and partners are not responsible for emails that are not delivered into my email inbox.

There are about 170 TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS available to date. Choose your 20 favorite, email it to me at camari@falconpicturegroup.com and you'll have a chance to win!

Well, that's all for this time -- thanks and we'll see you next month for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2010-07-31T13:03:00.001-05:00

Hi TZ radio fans!

I hope you enjoyed "Mrs. Pierce is Praying For Me" starring Tim Kazurinsky, which is a brand-new episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE never before seen or heard. This month you're in for another treat: It's another brand-new episode (never seen or heard) called "The Time of Your Life" starring the amazing actor John Rhys-Davies. John plays Hal Scratchman, a traveling salesman with only one item to sell - a mysterious horrifying-looking clock, all black, with a red dial. The person he wants to sell it to is a young woman, still mourning the death of her husband, with the promise to bring him back if she agrees to his 'terms.' The supporting cast features Ann Sonneville as Susan Sternwood, Jeff Lupetin as her husband Paul, David Darlow as Susan's phycologist and JoBe Cerny as Oscar Kenner, Susan's nerdy, self-pitying neighbor. Written by prolific radio writer M.J. Elliott I think this one will knock your socks off. I think it is one of the best scripts ever written for THE TWILIGHT ZONE. It is scary, yet funny, and has a twist ending that I challenge anyone to see coming. Had this episode been written for Rod Serling and his TV series - I'm certain Rod would have happily produced it. So BRAVO to M.J. for this incredible script and to the actors who brought it to life - -with special thanks to John Rhys-Davies who turns in a tour de force performance as Hal. I can't wait for everyone to hear it.

The next brand new story you'll hear is "Ten Days" written by Mark Valenti. This is Mark's first story for THE TWILIGHT ZONE but don't let that fool you. He's written many Film and TV screenplays and "Ten Days" does not disappoint. It's the story of Michael Franklin, a driven, workaholic who focuses on business at the expense of genuine human contact. When Michael finds out he has only 10 days to live - he realizes that he's been living his life all wrong - but is it too late to do anything about it? Ned Bellamy stars as Michael Franklin and he delivers a powerful performance that I'm sure will keep you glued to your seat. To learn more about Ned Bellamy, here's his imdb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0068709/

Just a reminder:

There are about 160 TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS available to date. Choose your 20 favorite, email it to me at camari@falconpicturegroup.com and you'll have a chance to win!

Well, that's all for this time -- thanks and we'll see you next month for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2010-07-06T13:54:00.002-05:00

Hi TZ radio fans!

Well, another month has passed and here at Falcon Picture Group we've been hard at work producing more TWILIGHT ZONE radio dramas! This month, Tim Kazurinsky stars in "Mrs. Pierce is Praying for Me" a brand-new story of THE TWILIGHT ZONE by brilliant writer and TZ script supervisor, Dennis Etchison. Next month, I'm psyched for all of you to hear "The Time of Your Life" starring John Rhys-Davies as Hal Scrachman - a traveling salesman who is such a little Devil! In this original story by prolific writer M.J. Elliott, a young woman, still mourning the death of her husband, is visited by a traveling salesman who sells her a clock that can bring her dead husband back -- for a price. Internationally renowned actor John Rhys-Davies is right at home as the mischievous clock salesman and the supporting cast is a who's who of Chicago's finest actors.

I've decided to create a 20-CD boxed set of the best TWILIGHT ZONE radio dramas produced to date, which will be released to retail outlets this Fall. I'm tentatively calling it THE VERY BEST OF THE TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS and I'm asking YOU the fans to vote on the 20 best episodes. Here's how it works: Simply email me your 20 favorite episodes (all of the episodes are listed and available for download on our official website). My email address is camari@falconpicturegroup.com. We will catalog all of the votes and the 20 episodes that receive the most votes will be included in the boxed set. I will post the 20 episodes that were voted the best on our website in October. The person or persons who's email vote includes the most from this list of 20 will win a $300 cash prize and 3 sets of the 20-CD box set.

Rules:
(1) All entries must be emailed to me on or before October 1st, 2010.
(2) Duplicate prizes will be awarded if there are ties.
(3) Only one vote per email address.
(4) Carl Amari, Falcon Picture Group and our affiliates and partners are not responsible for emails that are not delivered into my email inbox.

There are about 160 TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS available to date. Choose your 20 favorite, email it to me at camari@falconpicturegroup.com and you'll have a chance to win!

Thanks and we'll see you next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2010-06-01T17:08:00.005-05:00

Hi TZ radio fans!

Well this month be sure to tune in to the TZRD "Eye of the Beholder" starring Virginia Williams. Virginia is an amazing actress who you've seen on TV in "The Mentalist," "How I Met Your Mother," "Two and a Half Men," "Monarch Cove, "As the World Turns" and many other popular shows. She will soon be seen as a regular on "Facing Kate" a new series currently filming. Virginia, who played "Rachel" in my Word of Promise audio Bible absolutely nails the starring role of "Janet Tyler" a woman who is born with a particular handicap - ugliness. This is one of the most famous episodes from the classic TZ TV series and I think you'll really like this radio adaptation, which was written by Barry Richert.

Next month it's a brand new TZRD story by Dennis Etchison called "Mrs. Pierce is Praying for Me" starring Tim Kazurinsky. This one is about Wally Beecher, a small-time hustler who's down on his luck and running from the mob. When they put the squeeze on him by beating and nearly killing his brother, Wally learns a lesson about what really matters. His brother always got him out of jams when they were kids, but this time it's his brother who needs help. But how? And was his brother really the one who helped him years ago? Seems there was an old woman, Mrs. Pierce, who lived down the hall in the building where they grew up who just might have had a hand in helping the boys out.

This memorial day weekend, Stacy Keach flew into town to record Volume 3 of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MICKEY SPILLANE'S MIKE HAMMER titled "Encore For Murder." This story, along with Volumes 1 and 2, are brand new audio adventures of the world's toughest Private Eye. Volume 1 was written by M.J. Elliott and Volume 2 and 3 were written by Max Allan Collins. Max was hand-picked by Mickey Spillane to continue writing MIKE HAMMER stories after his passing. When mixed, "Encore For Murder" will be a 3-hour full-cast audio drama, complete with sound effects and original music (the music is written and performed by Stacy Keach). There are 21 actors in this one, including David Pasquesi and Tim Kazurinsky. Stacy Keach stars as MIKE HAMMER, a role he played to perfection on TV. These audio adventures are available at retail and at my Falcon Picture Group site and through Blackstone audio's site. They are produced by yours truly for Falcon Picture Group and Blackstone audio under license from Mickey Spillane's estate. I can't wait until this one is ready as I know listeners are going to love it. Max Allan Collins came out for the recording session and helped me with the massive task of directing (THANKS MAX!).

Here's a cast photo from the Sunday May 30th MIKE HAMMER recording session:

Well, that's all for now. Join me next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2010-04-22T08:32:00.002-05:00

Hi TZ radio fans!

Well this week, don't miss the brand new TZ radio play "Beewinjapeedee" written by JoBe Cerny. It stars the always amazing Sean Astin as a documentary filmmaker who travels to the Everglades in search of his brother's killer. While there. he meets a legendary Indian Princess with a ravenous appetite. In the studio we're working on the TZ radio episode "Eye of the Beholder" which stars Virginia Williams as Janet Tyler, a woman who is born with a particular handicap - ugliness.

The following description of the TV episode is from the website: http://spacedoutinc.org/DU-11/TwilightZone.html

In the TV version Janet is shown in a hospital on her eleventh visit to seek medical assistance for her deformity. The medical staff shows great compassion and sympathy for her despite their country’s political determination to ruthlessly eliminate non-conformity. “Some people want to live, no matter what,” says one nurse confidentially to another, showing their personal sympathy for Janet despite her severe social handicap. Director Douglas Heyes employs a particularly striking method of captivating our attention - he keeps all the characters faceless for most of the episode, as though to add to the bleakness and oppression all around. Poor Janet Tyler is wrapped in bandages, and the doctors and nurses who care for her also have their faces hidden by shadows, as though their compassion for Janet places them in some twilight zone between their political duties and their humanity - they are faceless minions of an oppressive society.

Naturally, being Twilight Zone, the episode features a twist at the end to demonstrate the adage that beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

Because this episode is so visual it created certain challenges when adapting it to radio. Once again I called upon Barry Richert, who faced similar challenges when adapting "The Invaders." Barry did an awesome job with the script and so far I am delighted with what I've heard in the mix stage. A mix for a typical TZ radio episodes takes about a week, so I'll keep you updated and be sure to listen for it in June.

Max Allen Collins just turned in his first draft to Stacy Keach and me on Volume 3 of "The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer." Working from the plot for an unwritten novel found in the files of the late Mickey Spillane, Max Allan Collins ("Road to Perdition") has fashioned a compelling noir thriller that is vintage Mike Hammer all the way titled "Encore For Murder." This 3-hour radio novel will be fully dramatized and star Stacy Keach as Mike Hammer, the toughest P.I. of them all. Look for it to be released by Blackstone Audio in the Fall.

In other news my "Word of Promise audio Bible" was recently nominated for 4 audio awards and for "Audiobook of the Year" please see:

http://news.thomasnelson.com/2010/04/14/the-word-of-promise-audio-bible-named-an-audiobook-of-the-year-finalist/

Well that's all for now, check back in a month for more NEWS FROM THE
ZONE!

2010-03-16T15:27:00.002-05:00

Hi there TZ radio fans,

Last week we recorded a brand new TZ story called “Beewinjapeedee” written by JoBe Cerny, who often directs the TZ episodes. It stars Sean Astin as a documentary filmmaker who travels to the Everglades in search of his brother’s killer and encounters a legendary Indian Princess and shape-shifter with a ravenous appetite. Incredible actress Elizabeth Ledo plays the Indian Princess while Christopher Sullivan, Tyron Patton, Oksana Fedunyszyn and Roger Mueller round out the cast. This episode airs next month so be sure not to miss it.

The next TZ to be produced after "Beewinjapeedee" is "I Sing the Body Electric" which is the only TZ episode to be written by Ray Bradbury. Ray was not happy with the televised version of his script so our own Dennis Etchison crafted a brilliant radio play based partly on the TV episode and partly on Ray's original notes and script. Here's the plot: When the mother of three young children dies, the father brings home a robot Grandmother to help raise them. The amazing Dee Wallace stars as the robot Grandmother and David Pasquesi plays the scientist who creates her. My 11-year old son, C.J. Amari, who can be heard in several TZs (including the boy talking via a toy telephone to his dead Grandmother in "Long Distance Call") plays Tommy. You can see C.J. in the film "Letters To God" opening nationwide April 9th, 2010. Here's the movie's official website:

http://www.letterstogodthemovie.com/

C.J. is the voice of the animated boy in the soon-to-be-seen animated Pop Tarts TV commercials -- Well, I sound like I'm bragging so I'll stop : )

On other Falcon Picture Group projects, Max Allan Collins is writing another "Mike Hammer" radio play, which we're slated to record and produce the first week of April. It's called "Encore For Murder" and it will serve as Volume 3 in "The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" audio series.

Mike Hammer, the toughest P.I. of all, draws a seemingly routine assignment – playing bodyguard to diva Rita Vance on the eve of her big Broadway comeback. But Rita is an old flame of Hammer’s, and when their romance is rekindled, the detective finds the actress facing death threats and himself the target of one hit man after another. When the actress disappears, the show must go on, which with Mike Hammer means swift, violent retaliation. While the cops and feds go down a false trail, Hammer seeks to make a rescue before Rita’s curtain comes down. But first he must make sense of a mystery that takes him from a Soho art gallery to a mountain lodge, from Little Italy to a waterfront confrontation that is way, way off Broadway.

Working from the plot for an unwritten novel found in the files of the late Mickey Spillane, Max Allan Collins ("Road to Perdition") has fashioned a compelling noir thriller that is vintage Mike Hammer all the way. As were the other two Volumes, Volume 3 will be released by Blackstone Audio. The release date is scheduled for September of this year.

Well, that's all for now, I hope you'll join me next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2010-02-09T10:10:00.005-06:00

Hi there TZ radio fans,

Well, this week you'll hear a radio adaptation of the classic story "Once Upon a Time" which was originally seen December 15th, 1961. The TV episode was written by the great Richard Matheson and featured silent film star Buster Keaton as Woodrow Mulligan, a grumpy janitor in 1890, dissatisfied with his time and place. He works for Professor Gilbert, who has just invented a time helmet. Seizing the opportunity, Mulligan uses the helmet to transport himself to the future of 1960, which of course turns out to not be what he was hoping for.

"Once Upon a Time" was one of the Twilight Zone's comedy episodes. The portions of the episode set in the 1890s have no sound and include silent film intertitle cards (except for Rod Serling) with music provided by a saloon piano.

In our radio version of "Once Upon a Time" adapted by Matthew Elliott, the brilliant actor John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings / Raiders of the Lost Ark) stars as Woodrow Mulligan with Mike Starr as Rollo. John completely nails the role of Mulligan and of course Mike Starr hits the ball out of the park as always.

I received the rough mix on this show last week and, other than the acting, I was pretty disappointed with it. I'm a big believer that anything you can do on TV can be done on radio - and in most cases, even better because the theatre of the imagination sets a bigger stage. However, I think comedy (in general) is better represented in a visual medium. For example -- Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis, Red Skelton, Milton Berle and many others had more success in visual arenas. "Once Upon a Time" in my humble opinion was only an okay show on TV so there is really only so much you can do with it. And because it's a comedy episode it just doesn't translate as well to radio. After hearing the first draft I made extensive notes for the Cerny team and they went to work on bettering it. Yesterday I received the final mix and although I think it's much better now, it still has some problems. The TV episode and the radio episode have so many scene changes and jump-cuts to different character's points of view, listeners may have a tougher time following the perspective on this one than they would in the video version. All that said, I think it's still a fun radio show and I hope listeners will enjoy it. Every one of these shows is like a newborn baby to me - this baby just isn't as 'cute' as most of my others ; )

The next new TZ story will be broadcast the week of March 22nd and is already produced. It's called "Now You Hear It, Now You Don't" and stars marvelous actress Dee Wallace as Rose Lynbrook, powerful CEO of Lady Lynbrook Cosmetics. Rose is in her mid 50's and is still quite beautiful, though her best years are behind her, she is too vain to wear a hearing aid despite a degenerative hearing loss. After she's almost killed by a bus because she didn't hear it approaching, she reluctantly is fitted for a hearing aid that is a prototype for a new cutting-edge model. Recently remarried to a younger man, Rose begins suspecting he is cheating on her with her young assistant and that the two are plotting to murder her in order to take over the business. These suspicions are fuelled by the conversations she's able to overhear thanks to the powerful hearing aid.

I decided to take a stab at writing a TZ episode and this is my first. The inspiration to write this story came from my 81 year old mom Rose Amari who has had substantial hearing loss over the last few years. She never wanted to wear a hearing aid but I'm happy to say she's just gotten one and it's been a real blessing (hi mom!). I know my writing limitations so I called on Dennis Etchison to take my story and adapted it into a TZ radio script. As always, he didn't disappoint. Dee Wallace is brilliant in her portrayal of Rose Lynbrook. Norm Woodel portrays her younger, power-hungry husband Wayne Benson and Rob Riley is Rose's friend and confidant Dr. Wrightson. Jennifer Joy, who plays "Eve" in my "Word of Promise" audio Bible plays Sally, Rose's assistant and Wayne's mistress. I'm really happy with the final mix and I can't wait for you to hear it. When I think of "The Twilight Zone" this is the kind of story that comes to mind - murder, mystery, intrigue, plot twists and an element of the supernatural. I hope you will enjoy it.

Well, that's all for now, I hope you'll join me next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2010-01-19T09:40:00.003-06:00

Hi there TZ radio fans,

Well, this week is "The Walk-Abouts" a brand new story by writer Steve Nubie. As you may know, we've been producing this series since 2002 and we started with radio adaptations of the original 156 TV episodes. Because we've nearly adapted all of the 156 originals, CBS Enterprises (the owners of the Twilight Zone) is allowing us to write and produce brand new stories never seen or heard before. "The Walk-Abouts" is one of them. It's the story of a writer of conspiracy books who claims to have concrete evidence that UFO’s and Aliens really do exist. His goal is to write a best seller blowing the lid off the topic – but in doing so, he may make an enemy or two. I think you're going to love this episode -- it has some great twists and turns. My pal Mike Starr plays the lead and the supporting cast includes David Pasquesi (recently seen co-starring with Tom Hanks in "Angels & Demons"), JoBe Cerny, Richard Henzel, Linda Kimbrough and Tim Dadabo.

The first week of February you'll hear "The Invaders" starring Kathy Garver in the role of an elderly woman fending for herself against alien invaders while living in shack in the middle of nowhere. The role was played by the great Agnes Moorehead in the original TV version and she had no dialog at all. Producing a radio version of a story with no dialog for the lead posed challenges so we gave her a blind husband, played by Chicago actor Tony Mockus. Because he can't see, she describes what is happening to him and thus the listener can follow along. I think you're going to really like what we did with this classic story by the great Richard Matheson. Once again we called on Barry Richert to adapted it for radio.

Then the week of February 22nd, you're in for another treat. We'll be presenting a radio adaptation of the classic story "Once Upon a Time" which was originally seen December 15th, 1961. The TV episode was written by Richard Matheson and featured silent film star Buster Keaton as Woodrow Mulligan, a grumpy janitor in 1890, dissatisfied with his time and place: A backwater town called "Harmony" with seventeen-cent cuts of meat, two-dollar hats, livestock freely roaming the streets, and penny-farthing bicycles that frequently knock him down while going the speed limit. He works for Professor Gilbert, who has just invented a time helmet. Seizing the opportunity, Mulligan uses the helmet to transport himself to the future of 1960, which of course turns out to be a surprise with even higher prices and more noise and chaos. He meets Rollo, a scientist and authority on the 1890s, who helps him to repair the broken helmet in the hopes of returning to the past. But Rollo double crosses Mulligan and tries to go back alone, but Mulligan will have none of it and jumps on Rollo and they are transported back together. The 1890s turn out to be not entirely what Rollo expected and he's very unhappy. Mulligan, however, is relieved, and when he hears Rollo griping, Mulligan sets the helmet for 1960, puts it on Rollo's head, sending him back to his own time.

"Once Upon a Time" was one of the Twilight Zone's comedy episodes. The portions of the episode set in the 1890s have no sound and include silent film intertitle cards (except, of course, for Rod Serling) with music provided by a saloon piano. Much is made of the fact that Mulligan shows up in the 1960s with no pants due to his getting run over by a "high speed" bicycle. A running gag involves a frustrated Mulligan being chased by a policeman in both the past and the present.

Buster Keaton was one of the biggest stars of the silent era, starring in and devising elaborate stunts and gags for such classic comedies as "The General" and "Steamboat Bill, Jr." His career unfortunately hit the skids with the advent of sound films, and he spent decades struggling in Hollywood. A big fan of Keaton, Serling intended this episode to be an homage to Keaton's early work.

In our radio version of "Once Upon a Time" adapted by Matthew Elliott, the brilliant actor John Rhys-Davies (Lord of the Rings / Raiders of the Lost Ark) stars as Woodrow Mulligan with Mike Starr as Rollo. John completely nails the role of Mulligan and I can't wait for you to hear it. John is a great friend -- he portrayed "Saul" to perfection in my Word of Promise audio Bible. He will also be heard starring in "The Time of Your Life" a brand new TZ radio drama also written by Matthew Elliott. That one is scheduled for August 2010 so don't miss it!

Well, that's all for now, I hope you'll join me next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-12-13T18:41:00.004-06:00

Hi there,

Well, this coming week I'm excited for all of you to hear "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce and adapted for radio by Matthew Elliott. In my last blog, I talked about it at length and in just a few days you'll be able to hear what I think is one of the best TZ radio dramas we've ever produced. Whatever you do, don't miss it!

As you may know, we produce 12 to 14 new shows each year with the other shows being repeats. But since we've produced more than 160 shows since the series premiered in 2002, repeats are always more than a year apart. So, after "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" the next 'new' or never-before-heard show will air the week of January 4th, 2010. It's an original story by Steve Nubie called "The Walk-Abouts" starring Mike Starr and the amazing supporting cast of David Pasquesi, JoBe Cerny, Lia Mortensen, Richard Henzel, Linda Kimbrough and Tim Dadabo.

"The Walk-Abouts" is the story of a writer of conspiracy books who claims to have concrete evidence that UFO¹s and Aliens really do exist. His goal is to write a best seller blowing the lid off the topic but in doing so, he may make an enemy or two. I think you're going to love this episode -- it has twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Mike Starr knocks it out of the park as always, as does this fine supporting cast. JoBe Cerny handled the directing chores and did a stellar job.

I just today heard a rough draft of "The Invaders" starring Kathy Garver, and WOW is she ever fantastic in it. Kathy is best-known for her starring role as "Cissy" the eldest sibling in the long-running CBS international television series "Family Affair." Kathy has garnered critical acclaim in movies, radio, voice-over animation, audio book narration and on stage. Hollywood legendary producer/director Cecil B. DeMille was one of the first to recognize Kathy's talents casting her alongside Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments" at the ripe old age of 10! To learn more about Kathy and a new "Family Affair" cook book she just wrote, please visit her official website at:

http://www.kathygarver.com/

Kathy has been in a few TZ radio dramas including starring opposite Stacy Keach in "The Fever" which airs this coming week so be sure to listen for it.

I've gotten many emails from TZ radio fans over the years asking if we're ever going to produce "The Invaders" since the teleplay had almost no dialog. If you're a TZ fan you'll remember that Agnes Moorehead starred in the famous TV episode. Moorehead played an old woman living alone in a shack far off into the woods who is attacked by invaders from another planet. Because the original TV episode was so visual and had almost no dialog at all, it posed challenges for us to bring to radio. There are similar challenges with "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" and "Eye of the Beholder" but I assure you, you will hear them on the TZ radio dramas.

In other news, Blackstone Audio has just released Volume 2 of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MICKEY SPILLANE'S MIKE HAMMER "The Little Death" a 2 hour and 13 minute audio novel by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins that I produced starring Stacy Keach. Last year I produced Volume 1, which included two short stories written by Matthew Elliott and JoBe Cerny. In Volume 2, we decided to do one long story, written by Max Allan Collins from material written by the late, great Mickey Spillane. Here is Max's blog talking all about it:

http://www.maxallancollins.com/blog/tag/the-little-death/

Like Volume 1, "The Little Death" is fully-dramatized with an incredible supporting cast and stars Stacy Keach as the hard-boiled detective he immortalized on television. Both Volume 1 and Volume 2 are available at Blackstone Audio's website or wherever audio books are sold. Here's Blackstone's website:

http://www.blackstoneaudio.com/

I am really proud of this MIKE HAMMER series and if you don't own them and are a fan of radio drama, I highly recommend you add them to your collection -- you won't be disappointed. Like TZ radio dramas, we went 'all-out' to bring you 'a dramatic radio theatre experience' you won't soon forget.

Well, that's all for now, I hope you'll join me next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-11-19T09:30:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone,

Well, this week we're airing "There Goes the Neighborhood" with my pal Tim Kazurinsky as star. It's a brand new story written especially for The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas by terrific writer Barry Richert. Tim plays a timid scientist who builds a device that transports a grotesque beast from another dimension. The scientist quickly learns though that the unsightly visitor has a kind, gentle nature and he must thwart his greedy wife’s efforts to exploit the creature. One of my favorite "Zoners" Meg Thalken plays Tim's nasty wife - you just love to hate her in this!

The next "new" TZ show that we've produced is one you'll be hearing the week of December 14th. It's one of the most intriguing short-stories in all of literature, "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce. It's the story of a Confederate spy who is inexplicably spared death when the rope meant to hang him miraculously breaks. In 1962, the story was produced as a French short-film by Marcel Ichal and Paul de Robaix called "Incident at Owl Creek" and it won first prize for short subjects at the Cannes Film Festival that year. In 1963 it won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. That same year Rod Serling attended a private screening of the French film and he liked it so much he agreed to have it shown on his Twilight Zone TV series, with the French dialog dubbed in English so that American audiences could experience it. The February 28, 1964 telecast offered this introduction by Serling: "Tonight on the Twilight Zone, a special event. A program made outside of the United States that seems to us to be so different, so effective, and so meaningful that we offer it to you now. A haunting study of the incredible from the past master of the incredible - Ambrose Bierce. What you will now see is the French production of ... "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."

Because the short film had very little dialog, it posed a great challenge in being adapted for our radio series. Fortunately for us, British writer M.J. Elliott was up for the challenge. M.J. is a brilliant writer, who specializes in radio drama style writing. He has written a few "new" TZ stories that you will be hearing next year and recently adapted Richard Matheson's TZ story "Once Upon a Time." The televised version of that story starred silent film icon Buster Keaton. Our radio version stars the amazing John Rhys-Davies and you'll hear it the broadcast week of February 22nd, 2010.

With a brilliant radio adaptation of the Bierce classic by M.J. Elliott, I decided to leave the directing chores up to JoBe Cerny. JoBe directed my Word of Promise audio Bible - see www.wordofpromisebible.com - In the lead role of "Peyton Farquhar" I chose actor Christian Stolte, who can currently be seen co-starring with Gerard Butler and Jamie Fox in "Law Abiding Citizen." In that film Christian plays "Clarence Darby" a crazed killer that murders Butler's character's wife and young daughter. Don't worry, Butler makes him pay mightily for the crimes. Christian can also be seen as "Charles Makley" one of John Dillinger's gang in the Johnny Depp film "Public Enemies" and as "Jesse's father" in the soon-to-be-released "A Nightmare on Elm Street." In the supporting cast of "Owl Creek Bridge" we have: William Dick, Danny Goldring, Rob Riley, Gonzo Schexnayder, Susan Hart and John Hooganakker.

The incredible mix to this hallucinatory story fell to the amazing sound designer Craig Lee at Cerny American Creative. Craig never ceases to amaze me with his vivid design style (he headed up the sound design for Word of Promise) and it's evident in this story - so kudos Craig!

With all this build up you probably wouldn't be surprised if I say that this radio version of "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" is one of my favorite Twilight Zone Radio Dramas to date - and you wouldn't be wrong. I think it ranks right up there along with "Five Characters In Search of an Exit," "Long Distance Call," "Four O'clock," "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" and "Long Live Walter Jameson" which are my faves.

I hope after you listen to this episode you'll blog or email me at camari@falconpicturegroup.com with your thoughts and comments. Well, that's all for now, I hope you'll join me next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-10-29T15:24:00.009-05:00

Hi everyone,

Wow, I'm really sorry for missing all of September with my TZ blog! Where does the time go? The main reason for my being so crazy-busy is that I just completed a 4-year project of producing THE WORD OF PROMISE Full Audio Bible for Thomas Nelson, Inc. Here’s the resource site for it which features video and audio clips and detailed information:

http://wordofpromise.thomasnelson.com/

A few weeks ago I went to LA to tape a special on it for Trinity Broadcasting Network along with Michael York and Ernie Hudson. It’s 30 minutes if you have a chance to watch it. Here’s a link. Look for the one with (Michael York, Ernie Hudson and Carl Amari).

http://www.tbn.org/watch-us/podcast?view_all

I've never been more proud of a project than THE WORD OF PROMISE. Single reader Full audio Bibles run about 40 hours. This is a 98 hour audio Bible with more than 600 actors including Jim Caviezel, Jon Voight, Richard Dreyfuss, Malcolm McDowell, Gary Sinise, Marisa Tomei, Joan Allen, John Rhys-Davies, Jesse McCartney, Marcia Gay Harden, Stacy Keach, Sean Astin, Lou Gossett, Jr., and many other award-winning actors. It is narrated by the incredible Michael York. There is not one word of dialog being 'read' in this audio Bible, it is all 'performed' like a film with the actors interacting with each other, set to amazing music and sound effects. It's presented in 'dramatic audio theatre' style (word-for-word from the NKJ) and I promise you it will lift the words off the page. You've never experienced anything like this audio Bible.

JoBe Cerny directed it (he directed an incredible 175,000 takes). His amazing team of sound designers, headed by Craig Lee, at Cerny American Creative handed the Foley and mix. Maestro Stefano Mainetti and his 150 piece orchestra provides the original music score that was written for each scene in the Bible - no canned music here!

My friend Jim McClain and I are in the process of creating a 2-minute TV commercial for it which I'm hoping will be on national television in a few weeks. The Full audio Bible (from Genesis to Revelation) is 98 hours on 79 CDs, plus a Bonus DVD of the 'behind the scenes' making of this project, housed in a beautiful case with a travel tin. The retail is $124.99 but our special, money-back guarantee TV offer includes 5 additional CDs of The Christmas Story, The Easter Story and the epic Stefano Mainetti music score (the music score is not available anywhere else). This is a retail value of $150.00. On our TV, those that order will get the $150.00 value for two payments of $39.99. Our website will be up in a few weeks with this offer and will be at www.wordofpromisebible.com

If you want to order this for yourself or for a Christmas gift feel free to go to our website when it's up or email me anytime at camari@falconpicturegroup.com and I'll arrange to get it to you.

On the TZ front, since I last blogged you've hopefully heard new episodes of:

"Who Am I?" starring Sean Astin. Plot: A young businessman wakes up one morning and has a completely different face – but only “he” thinks it’s different from before.

"Nothing In the Dark" starring Marshall Allman. Plot: An old woman consumed with the fact that she will die one day soon, barricades herself in her cold, dark tenement apartment so that “Mr. Death” can not visit her.

"Steel" starring Lou Gossett, Jr. Plot: In the near future boxing has been outlawed and is performed by mechanical robots. The manager of a robot desperately in need of repair does the unthinkable to win a bout.

"The Amazing Dr. Kyle Powers" starring Sean Astin. Plot: A cold, unsympathetic physician is given the opportunity to change his ways when an extraordinary visitor gives him the ability to experience his patients’ symptoms. But will the good doctor change for the better?

Next up is "There Goes the Neighborhood" a brand-new original radio play written especially for The Twilight Zone by Barry Richert and stars Tim Kazurinsky. When a timid scientist builds a device that transports a grotesque beast from another dimension, he quickly learns the unsightly visitor has a kind, gentle nature. The scientist must thwart his greedy wife’s efforts to exploit the creature. I dare say it's one of the best shows we've ever produced, so I hope you enjoy it very much.

We just recorded "The Invaders" starring Kathy Garver ("Cissy" from the great TV series "Family Affair") and will be mixing it soon. I know you will be thrilled with how we pulled off a radio adaptation of the famous TV episode starring Agnes Moorehead that had NO DIALOG!

That's all for now, catch me next time with more ... NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-08-25T10:06:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone,

I hope that you enjoyed "Passage on the Lady Anne" starring the amazing husband-wife acting duo Martin Jarvis and Rosalyn Ayres. Quite frankly I think it's one of the best shows we've ever produced. I hope you also enjoyed "Who Am I?" starring the brilliant actor Sean Astin. I will confess that the sound design for "Who Am I?" was not at the level that I wanted it to be. Unfortunately, we were faced with airing it as is or running a repeat so I let it air sub-par. That said, Cerny is hard at work remixing and making improvements/tweaks. The "Who Am I?" episode that we will sell for download and the show we air the next time around will be far better - I apologize for this.

Next up is "Nothing in the Dark" by George Clayton Johnson and adapted for radio by M.J. Elliott. This story is one of my favorites. The original 1962 TV version starred Gladys Cooper as Wanda Dunn and Robert Redford as Harold Beldon. A lonely old woman, Wanda Dunn, will not leave her dark basement apartment (in a soon to be demolished complex) because she's afraid "Mr. Death" is waiting for her outside. There is a commotion outside; Wanda peeks out fearfully. A young Police officer is lying on the ground just outside her door and he has been shot. After much convincing, Wanda finally opens the door and brings him in. While she does her best to nurse him, he talks to her about her fear, and she tells him she has seen Death before in the form of a man who took away the life of a woman on a bus just by touching her. Wanda has been afraid of death ever since and is convinced "Mr. Death" can change his appearance to mask his arrival. When there is a knock at the door, a man breaks into her apartment, and Wanda faints, thinking it's "Mr. Death." When she comes to, the man apologizes and explains he is a building contractor their to demolish the building the very next day. Soon after she meets "Mr. Death" head on and the twist ending is quite remarkable.

Our radio version stars Marshall Allman (Prison Break) as Police officer Beldon. I can't wait to hear the mixed version. In other news, my Word of Promise Old Testament and Full audio Bible will be released to the public by mid September. I just received finished goods of them both a few days ago and I must say the amazing packaging is only surpassed by the quality of the audio itself. My hope is that this audio Bible will become a helpful tool to spread the word of God in homes all over the world. To visit the resource center to learn more about this audio Bible and hear and watch audio and video on it, please visit:

http://wordofpromise.thomasnelson.com/

All of these Bible products are available wherever Bibles are sold.

Thanks everyone and I'll see you next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-07-22T13:08:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone,

I hope you enjoyed "Bewitchin' Pool" starring Karen Black. It's a tough story to do on radio because it's so visual, with the kids splashing around in the water and the Norman Rockwell-esque country home of Aunt T. Even with these challenges I'm very happy with the way it came out and I hope you are too.

I hope that you also enjoyed "The Hunt" starring the incomparable Shelley Berman as "Hyder" with Karen Black as his wife "Rachel." I just love this story and what Shelley and Karen did with it. If you haven't heard this one, don't miss it, it's a heartfelt story and one you won't soon forget -- especially if you're a dog-lover.

Coming your way soon is "Passage on the Lady Anne" starring British actors Martin Jarvis and Rosalyn Ayres, who are real life husband and wife. They play "Mr. & Mrs. McKenzie" elderly travelers on the ancient British ocean liner "The Lady Anne." In this story, an unhappy American couple named "Alan & Eileen Ransome" (played by David Pasquesi and Ann Sonneville) take a 14-day cruise to England in the hopes that the trip will rekindle their marriage. They meet the McKenzies and other passengers who are ALL elderly and make it very clear that they do not want them aboard. This one is mysterious, moody and ultimately quite touching.

Martin Jarvis played "The Voice of God" in my Word of Promise audio Bible. Please see:

http://www.amazon.com/Word-Promise-Testament-Audio-Bible/dp/0718024249

He is a tremendous actor with incredible abilities. His lovely and talented wife Rosalyn has been in many films and TV programs -- you might remember her as The Bride of Frankenstein in the film "Gods and Monsters."

This Saturday (July 25th) on HOLLYWOOD 360 my guest is Radio Hall of Famer and Old-Time Radio Guru Chuck Schaden. I'll also have a recorded interview with Margot Stevenson the actress who played "The Lovely Margot Lane" opposite Orson Welles on "The Shadow." OTR shows include: The Phil Harris & Alice Faye Show, The Shadow, X-Minus-One and Casey, Crime Photographer. On August 8th, Shelley Berman will be my guest.

HOLLYWOOD 360 airs on Chicago radio station WIND AM 560 from 7 pm to Midnight every Saturday night followed by two episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE radio dramas beginning at Midnight. If you are out of the area, tune in via the internet at:

http://560wind.townhall.com/

Well, that's all for now, check back for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-05-29T13:33:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone,

I hope you enjoyed the TZ radio production of "Execution" starring Don Johnson as a tough cowboy from the old West that is brought to modern times by a scientist. I think it came out great and Don was marvelous as the mean cowboy killer.

Next up is "Bewitchin' Pool" by Earl Hamner and adapted for radio by the amazing Dennis Etchison. As Dennis explains it: Of all the Hamner episodes, this one may have the most heart. This one was cut and somewhat short-changed on TV. But Dennis's adaptation is based on Hamner's full script. The TV version aired June 19th, 1964. It was program 156 in the series and was the last TZ television episode ever broadcast, which was cancelled abruptly. It contrasts a bitter, edgy present with a return to an idyllic rural fantasy past. Two kids are miserable because of their parents' bitter, unhappy marriage. They dive into the family swimming pool to escape and surface in another time and place, straight out of Tom Sawyer. A wonderful older woman named Aunt T runs her rural house as a kind of orphans' home. The kids eventually return to the present, only to learn that their parents are divorcing. So they swim back to Aunt T's to live happily ever after.

There is a dark, unspoken undercurrent to this story, almost as if the kids commit suicide to escape their unhappiness. Realistically, from the parents' point of view, that is probably what happens. Whether the children's bodies are actually found we never know. But we don't dwell on that possibility. Hamner's story is about salvation by escaping to a better place, and that is what most of the audience will hear: a happy ending. But the darker, sadder story is there for those who care to think about it.

In the TV version Georgia Simmons played Aunt T. In our radio version the incredible Karen Black owns the role. I directed Karen and she's just the sweetest person ever! Jeff Lupetin, an amazing voice over artist and director handled the supporting directing chores on this one and the soon-to-be-released "The Hunt" starring Shelley Berman and Karen Black. I can't wait to hear the first draft of "Bewitchin' Pool' which will be early next week.

This Saturday on HOLLYWOOD 360 I have the great Stan Freberg as my guest along with the producers and director of CHICAGO OVERCOAT an independent film shot here in Chicago starring Frank Vincent, Armand Assante, Stacy Keach and Mike Starr. Next Saturday I have the always hilarious Tim Kazurinsky and on the 13th, the brilliant Stephnie Weir of Mad TV fame. HOLLYWOOD 360 airs on Chicago station WIND AM 560 from 7 pm to Midnight every Saturday night followed by THE TWILIGHT ZONE radio dramas at Midnight. If you are out of the area, tune in via the internet at: http://560wind.townhall.com/

That's all for now, check back for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-05-04T11:10:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone enjoyed "Two" starring Don Johnson and Oksana Fedenuschen. I've gotten some very nice emails about it and it's always great to get your feedback. Next up is another show starring Don Johnson, it's called "Execution." The original story was written by Rod Serling and based on a short story by my good friend George Clayton Johnson. Dennis Etchsion adapted it for our radio play. A tough cowboy in the Old West is sentenced to death for shooting another man in the back. But just as he is hanged, he disappears from the noose. He wakes up in a lab in present-day-New York - the first successful time traveler. The scientist learns that the cowboy was about to be executed for murder and decides to send him back to face his punishment. The cowboy kills the scientist and flees. Unfortunately, the big city doesn't agree with him; it's too noisy and busy. He shoots up a bar, wreaks havoc and barely makes it back to the lab -- where he gets the surprise of his life -- or death. In the original TV episode, Albert Salmi played the unsavory cowboy and Russell Johnson (The Professor from Gilligan's Island) played the scientist. In its radio counterpart, Don Johnson plays the cowboy and JoBe Cerny portrays the scientist. This one, and "Two" were not mixed at Cerny, and the sound designer has told me this one is really rich with effects. I'm excited to hear a first draft of it this week, so I'll keep you posted. After "Execution" it's "Bewitchin' Pool" starring Karen Black.

I have a very special announcement: THE TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS will no longer be heard on WGN AM 720. So for those of you in the Chicagoland area that regularly tune in to TZ on WGN please tune your dial to WIND AM 560 at the same time, Saturday nights at Midnight (technically Sunday mornings). Please spread the word. And if you want to hear me as host of HOLLYWOOD 360, tune in to WIND AM 560 five hours earlier starting at 7 pm and going all the way till Midnight when TZ will be heard. As I said in my last blog, HOLLYWOOD 360 spans everything Hollywood, from today's most current showbiz headlines to radio, TV and Film Nostalgia. I present, movie, DVD and theatre reviews, celebrity and industry expert interviews, trivia contests, take calls and a whole lot more. For fans of old-time radio, I play four old-time radio shows each week, thanks to Radio Spirits so please support them at www.radiospirits.com I play one Comedy, one Detective, one Sci-Fi or Western and one Mystery/Horror show. Last Saturday I interviewed the great Michael York and Hugh O'Brian (Wyatt Earp of classic TV). This coming week May 9th I'll interview Thomas Lennon (Lt. Dangle from Reno 911). Tom is co-starring in two films right now "17-Again" and "I Love You Man." I will also be interviewing another celebrity (haven't confirmed him/her as yet) and playing four old-time radio shows, THE LIFE OF RILEY, BOX 13, HAVE GUN-WILL TRAVEL and THE WHISTLER.

We continue to improve the MYSTERY THEATER site and show at www.mysterytheater.com so I hope you're enjoying it! Well, that's all for now. Thanks for all your support and I'll see you next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-04-10T19:00:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone,

Well, the TZ episode "Two" was recently mixed and I believe it airs very soon on the network. This episode, written by Montgomery Pittman and adapted for radio by Dennis Etchison stars Don Johnson as a weary soldier, sometime after WWII with Chicago actress Oksana Fedenuschen as a soldier from the opposite side.

This two-character drama starred Charles Bronson and Elizabeth Montgomery in the TV version. The TV version had very little dialog, in fact the continuity script (transcript of the soundtrack) from CBS archives is barely two pages long. Dennis had to do a lot of creative writing for this one to work.

Another challenge was that the man was the only one who spoke English, and the woman said a total of three or four words - in a foreign language. To do it this way for radio would mean that she almost disappears completely from the play, and merely adding more lines for him would make it an endless monologue for the man. The point to the story is that they are two soldiers from opposite sides who can't communicate. So Dennis created a sound transition at the beginning, wherein her words in a foreign language fade through to English. Thereafter we are able to hear her thoughts in English, though her spoken words to him remain in a foreign tongue. It's a remarkable story with that I hope you won't miss.

I've always been a big fan of Don Johnson, so getting to work with him on TZ was a thrill for me. Usually when I record a star, they do two shows. Don starred in this episode and in "Execution" which airs in a few months. He was simply brilliant and I could tell he was having a fun time with it. He loves radio drama and kept dropping his pages once he didn't need them (just like the radio stars from the 40s used to do : ) Don nailed both shows and I can't wait for you to hear them.

On the MYSTERY THEATER front, we've been making progress on the site, which is at www.mysterytheater.com

You now can hear the show streaming at 9 pm Monday through Friday and you can download episodes of the Mystery Theater shows for only 99 cents each if you order it the week after it airs. If you wait more than a week though, the price is $2.99 each, so make sure to order them when they are at 99 cents each. Christopher Lee is awesome as your guide to the best in mystery, detective and science-fiction that radio has to offer. Episodes of the Old-Time Radio shows should be available soon, so keep checking back. We got word that KFWB in LA will be airing Mystery Theater weeknights very soon. I'll make an announcement when that happens.

I am now hosting my own radio show. It's called HOLLYWOOD 360, heard every Saturday night LIVE from 7 pm till Midnight at Chicago powerhouse station WIND AM 560. If you are within earshot of the station, I hope you'll tune in. For those outside the Chicagoland area, you can hear it streamed on the web at http://560wind.townhall.com/

HOLLYWOOD 360 spans everything Hollywood, from today's most current showbiz headlines to radio, TV and Film Nostalgia. I present, movie, DVD and theatre reviews, celebrity and industry expert interviews, trivia contests and a whole lot more. For fans of old-time radio, I play 4 old-time radio shows each week, thanks to Radio Spirits so please support them at www.radiospirits.com. I play one comedy, one Detective, one Sci-Fi or Western and one Mystery/Horror show.

Last week on HOLLYWOOD 360 I interviewed Annette O'Toole. This week I'm interviewing Mike Starr and Chicago casting guru Claire Simon. Guests in upcoming weeks will include Malcolm McDowell, Stacy Keach, Sean Astin, Michael York and many others.

Well, I'm off for now. I hope you'll tune in all the radio shows we offer! See you next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-03-19T20:53:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone,

Let's start this blog with an apology -- I'm very sorry that the MYSTERY THEATER website is not fully-functional to date. I've had many emails expressing disappointment in the site still being 'under construction' in sections. There are many reasons why this is so, but there is really no need to pass the buck, I take full responsibility for its present condition. We're all working very hard to get it up and running to full capacity as soon as possible. I hope you'll visit it often and if you do, you'll see the progress we're making.

Once again, the site is www.mysterytheater.com

MYSTERY THEATER with host Christopher Lee is airing on 35 stations to date and we're growing the station list each week. At the site is a 'Radio Locator' section to help you find a station in your area. If there is not one, soon you'll be able to hear the show streamed each night at 9 pm. I'm told this will be 9 pm in all US time zones - - Eastern, Central and Pacific. At MYSTERY THEATER we present great mystery, science-fiction and detective programming from the golden age of radio and beyond, so I hope you'll check out the site.

On the TZ front, I have a special announcement:

We have released a total of 13 volumes of TZ on Compact Disc (10 shows per volume). They are all available at our website. We've decided to NOT manufacture any more CDs of TZ. We've decided that TZ will be a download ONLY show as soon as the CD product that we have in our warehouse is sold. We will not be releasing a volume 14 on CD. Volume 14 and subsequent volumes will be available at our website but via download only. The 13 volumes that we do have on CD have been specially marked: Buy 1, get 1 Free. You can buy as many volumes as you like and get an equal number of volumes for free while supplies last so -- get em' while they're hot!

We're reeling in all the third-party companies that sell and download our TZ product and very soon, the only place TZ will be available is at our official TZ website. We want to be better at managing the distribution of the series and if it is available at our website and our website only, we believe we can better serve fans and collectors.

I recently received in the TZ episode "Probe 7, Over and Out" starring Academy-Award Winner Lou Gossett Jr. Mr. Gossett is simply amazing in the role of Colonel A.L. Cook, an astronaut who crash-lands on an uncharted planet. While there he learns that much of his own world has been destroyed. He has no one to rescue him, no way to repair his ship and nothing to go back to if he could. He's a space-age Robinson Crusoe and he's on his own -- until he meets a female astronaut who also crashed there. But she's not from his planet and she speaks a language he can't understand.

In the original teleplay starring Richard Basehart, the female astronaut (played by the beautiful Antionette Bower) barely speaks at all. Much of the story was visual, as he explored the planet and tried to communicate with her. All of that worked great on television, but this is RADIO. Our brilliant writer Dennis Etchison had to work magic with his radio adaptation of the TV script, including adding lines in an unknown language for her to speak, so we can hear their interaction. This one needed Herculean efforts for writing, acting and sound design. I'm pleased to report that all three hit the mark. I think it's one of the best we've ever done. Kudos to Mr. Gossett and Chicago actress Oksana Fedenuschen who are the only voices in the play other than Stacy Keach as host and Doug James as the announcer. "Probe 7, Over and Out" will be airing on the TZ network soon so tune in for it.

Next up is "Two" starring Don Johnson and I'm looking forward to hearing a draft mix of it. Well, that's all for now. See you next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-02-27T10:45:00.004-06:00

Hi friends,

I'm sorry it's been a while since my last Blog but I've been crazy busy getting ready to launch MYSTERY THEATER, the new nationally syndicated radio series hosted by Christopher Lee. MYSTERY THEATER premieres this coming Monday March 2nd, 2009! If you're a fan of classic radio mystery, detective and sci-fi shows, you're going to love MYSTERY THEATER. MYSTERY THEATER is designed to air 2-hours each weeknight, Monday through Friday. On each 2-hour show, listeners are treated to three 30-minute dramas. In just the first two weeks alone we'll present: SUSPENSE, BOSTON BLACKIE, PHILIP MARLOWE, THE CLOCK, JEFF REGAN, THE WHISTLER, RICHARD DIAMOND, MURDER BY EXPERTS, THE FAT MAN, PAT NOVAK, THE SHADOW, ESCAPE, ELLERY QUEEN, THE SAINT, LIGHTS OUT, JOHNNY DOLLAR, INNER SANCTUM and others.

Eventually we'll have more than 5,000 radio dramas available for download purchase in our RADIO VAULT. Each episode will come from the original transcription disc or a low source master, then receive: Cedar processing; Time correction; Hiss removal; Levels normalized; Hum removal and then a re-equalization process. I believe that the quality of the radio shows available for download at www.mysterytheater.com will be some of the best you've ever heard. And the download price will only be 99 cents per show! And if you buy 5 shows you get 1 free - buy 10 shows you get 3 free.

You'll also be able to hear each night's MYSTERY THEATER show streamed at the website in case you don't have a radio station in your area, or if the radio station plays the show at a time that is not convenient for you. The nightly steam will be at 10 pm Eastern time, every Monday through Friday.

On the TZ front, I'm bummed to say that I just heard the produced mix of "Come Wander With Me" and I am not at all happy with it on many levels so I've decided to scratch the show altogether and start fresh. There were things I really liked about it, including the acting by the two stars Marshall Allman and his lovely wife Jamie Allman (who was just on THE CLOSER last night and was outstanding) but I have issues with the supporting players and other parts so that one is going back to the drawing board. I'm sorry as I know fans of that episode have been waiting for it but I just am not comfortable releasing anything that isn't great and this one 'just ain't great' the way it is now.

The next NEW TZ show that you'll hear is "Probe 7 - Over and Out" starring Academy Award winner Louis Gossett, Jr. I've had the pleasure of working with Mr. Gossett on my Word of Promise New Testament audio Bible project, where he is magnificent as "John." Next week, I'm told by the geniuses at Cerny that I'll have the rough draft of this next week so I'm excited about that.

Last Wednesday I had the great pleasure of directing Don Johnson in two episodes of TZ, "Two" and "Execution." He was incredible in both shows. He absolutely, and totally nailed it! Don is a radio drama fan and he was so much fun to work with. I've always been a huge Don Johnson fan and I can't wait to mix these shows.

Our TZ syndicator, Westwood One has added some great radio stations to the growing network. We're now on 190 radio stations! Here's the newest station adds:

WCRN AM 830.0 Boston, MA Sat 2p-4p
WROK-AM 1440 Rockford, IL Sun 10p-12a
KUBC-AM 580 Grand Junction, CO Sat 10p-11p
KOA-AM 850 Denver, CO Sat 3a-5a
KYNS-AM 1340 Santa Barbara, CA Sat 10a-12p
WICY-AM 1490 Burlington, NY Sat 7p-9p
WCCO-AM 830 Minneapolis, MN Sat 11p-12a & Sun 2:30a-3:30a
WSJF-FM 105.5 Jacksonville, FL Sun 10p-12a

Thanks for all your support. I'll see you next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-01-23T15:02:00.001-06:00

Well, last week the geniuses at Cerny sent me the TZ episode "The Shelter" starring Ernie Hudson and it came out great! It will be airing on the network this week so listen for it. Ernie is a great actor and does a brilliant job as a man who has the foresight to build a bomb shelter in his basement before it's ever needed. The supporting cast has many of our TZ regulars including: Kurt Naebig, JoBe Cerny, Tom McElroy, Jamie Baron, Ana Sferruzza, Linda Reiter, Norm Woodel, Doug James, Jeff Lupetin and Ric Vargas. It features newcomers April Williams and her son Damon Williams and also first time Zoner Renee Domenz. It also has a few lines by my 10-year old son C.J. who you can hear as the young boy who receives phone calls from his dead Grandma in "Long Distance Call" starring Hal Sparks. FYI: "Long Distance Call" is one of the three shows we offer for free download on our TZ home page.

The next show that Cerny is working on is "Young Man's Fancy" by Richard Matheson and adapted for radio by Dennis Etchison. It's the story of a woman who is in competition with her new husband's dead mother, whose spirit does not want to let go of him. Tony Plana (the dad from "Ugly Betty"), who was magnificent in "The Mirror" for us, plays Alex, the husband and Franette Liebow plays Virginia his new wife. Nydia Rodriguez plays Alex's dead mother (she can be seen as the woman judge who gets blown up in her car in "The Dark Knight").

Barry Richter, who has written some amazing TZ radio scripts for us, including a brilliant adaptation of "The Encounter" has tackled the one show that so many people thought would be impossible to present on radio -- "The Invaders." That's the show where Agnes Moorehead plays a woman who does not utter any dialog as she is being invaded by tiny spacemen. It's one of the most famous TZ shows of all time. Well, I have to say that Barry figured out an angle on how to present it on radio and I can't wait for you to hear it. Way to go Barry! With this script Barry just proved that Stan Freberg was right when he said "anything can be done on radio!"

By the way, here's just some of the stars you'll soon hear in upcoming episodes of TZ:

Ed Begley, Jr.
Bruno Kirby
John Schneider
Jason Alexander
Stan Freberg
Marshall Allman
Kim Fields
Blair Underwood
Hal Sparks
Lou Gossett, Jr.
Don Johnson
John Heard
Barry Bostwick
Lou Diamond Phillips
Robert Knepper
Karen Black
Shelley Berman
Henry Rollins
John Rhys-Davies

Well that's all for now my friends. See you next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2009-01-02T15:18:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year everyone! I look forward to an exciting 2009! We have a lot in store for fans of TZ and MYSTERY THEATER. MYSTERY THEATER with host Christopher Lee launches this March 2nd, 2009. A mass-mailing of MYSTERY THEATER demo kits went out this week. Stations should start receiving them next week. We have a follow-up mailing scheduled for the first week of February so my hope is to launch with 50 or so stations and build on that throughout the year and on-going. My goal for the show is 150 stations by the end of 2010.

The website is coming along quite nicely; it will be up and running by mid February and will be at www.mysterytheater.com MYSTERY THEATER is set up to run Monday through Friday. At the official website, listeners will be able to listen to that night's MYSTERY THEATER show at 10 pm Eastern each night Monday through Friday. The 5 shows airing the current week will be available for download the following week for only 99 cents each. Fans will have one week to download the prior week's shows for only 99 cents each. Then, after one week, the 5 shows will be replaced with 5 new shows (which aired the previous week) and they too will be available for download for only 99 cents each and so on. If you miss downloading any MYSTERY THEATER shows, they will be permanently available in the Radio Vault for a download price of $2.99 -- so I encourage fans to download them when they are available for only 99 cents each.

The website will also have a "Radio Vault" feature that will house thousands of other top-quality radio episodes from the mystery, detective and sci-fi categories. Each episode (whether 30-minutes of 60-minutes) will be only 99 cents each to download. When you buy 5 shows, you get 1 additional show for free. When you buy 10 shows, you get an additional 3 shows for free. There will be many other fun features at the MYSTERY THEATER website and I can't wait to have it up and running.

Last week we received in the TZ episode of "The Mirror" starring Tony Plana and it came out great! Listen for it on a station near you. Next to be mixed is "The Shelter" by Rod Serling and adapted for radio by Dennis Etchison. George Clayton Johnson calls it the best of the Serling episodes. This one stars the amazing Ernie Hudson. It's the one about the man who builds a bomb shelter in his backyard. When it looks like the Big One is going to hit, his neighbors panic, turn into a mob and try to break into his shelter. By the time it's over all have learned something about themselves -- some of it ugly. It's similar in feel to "Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" which is one of the best-remembered TZ shows. I look forward to hearing what the geniuses at Cerny do with "The Encounter."

Well, that's all for now friends, check back with me soon for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-12-15T12:40:00.001-06:00

Well, last week I received in the final tweaked version of TZ episode "The 16 MM Shrine" starring Kathy Garver and Charles Shaughnessy. It came out great! I hope all of you reading this have a chance to hear it. The next TZ show that Cerny is working on is "The Mirror" starring Tony Plana. As Dennis Etchison describes it: That's the one that Peter Falk starred in on the original TV show. The original was an anti-Castro tract, with Falk made to look like a clone of Fidel, who becomes a ruthless, bloodthirsty dictator as soon as he takes over. It was very much of its time, expressing America's hostility toward the new regime in Cuba. An angry, one-sided propaganda piece. Serling called him Clemente, with D'Allesandro as a stand-in for Che. Rather than arguing the pros and cons of Castro, the radio version is less specific. It is set in what could be any Latin American country ruled by a dictator. The basic point is sound - that fear and paranoia can make any new leader a dictator himself. It is a cautionary tale about the corrupting dangers of power.

I was so happy to have cast the amazing Cuban-American actor Tony Plana in the lead role. You can see him each week as the dad on "Ugly Betty." What a pleasure it was working with him, not only on this story but on "Young Man's Fancy" too. I think he had a really fun time getting to play two completely opposite characters and he totally knocked them out of the park. I can't wait for you to hear them.

We're close to releasing TWILIGHT ZONE collection 14, which will have 10 shows on 10 CDs. The shows are:
Night Call – Mariette Hartley
Kick the Can – Shelley Berman & Stan Freberg
A Game of Pool – Wade Williams
A Penny For Your Thoughts – David Eigenberg
Free Dirt – Eric Bogosian
Number 12 Looks Just Like You – Bonnie Somerville
On Thursday We Leave For Home – Barry Bostwick
Third From the Sun – Fred Willard
The Trouble With Templeton – Michael York
The Mirror – Tony Plana.

We're hard at work producing MYSTERY THEATER hosted by Christopher Lee which launches March 2nd and will be a showcase for the best of the best in radio mystery, detective and science-fiction -- so be sure to listen. Well, that's all for now, HAPPY HOLIDAYS and join me next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-12-05T13:47:00.003-06:00

We're getting ready to mail out our MYSTERY THEATER flyer and CD demo to prospective radio stations across the country. My hope is that we sign up 50 to 75 stations to start and build it to 200 or more stations by the end of 2009. MYSTERY THEATER officially launches March 2nd, 2009.

I've had the great pleasure of working with Christopher Lee as host. He's voiced the first 50 shows (from London), which is the first 10 weeks. We're in the process of building a wonderful website for the series at www.mysterytheater.com (not up yet). Eventually, listeners will be able to find thousands of mystery, detective, and science-fiction radio shows available at our site for download or CD sale. The site will be a great place to visit and I'll keep you posted on the progress.

On the TZ front, this week I received in "The 16 MM Shrine" starring Kathy Garver and Charles Shaughnessy. It needed some tweaks here and there and is back in the capable hands of Matt Sauro at Cerny American Creative. I'm told that the final version will be here today, so I'm looking forward to that.

Recently, I've received in TZ radio drama scripts for "Eye of the Beholder" by Barry Richart, "Once Upon a Time" and "An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge" by Matthew Elliott, " and a fresh 'never before seen or heard' episode called "And Cauldron Bubble" by Christine Watson. I'm looking forward to producing these shows in 2009. We have scripts out for consideration to Billy Zane and Christopher Lee and Tim Kazurinsky is going to come in, in a few weeks to star in two great shows. It's always so much fun working with Tim, he's simply amazing.

On the Old Testament audio Bible front, we just recorded Max von Sydow as "Noah" from the South of France and he was absolutely brilliant. Also, we recorded my good friend Malcolm McDowell as "King Solomon," Wade Williams as "Gideon" and we just signed John Rhys-Davies as "Saul." I can't wait for everyone to hear Malcolm, Max, Wade and all the cast in this epic Old Testament audio project to be released in October 2009.

Well, that's all for now, join me next time for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-11-20T11:26:00.003-06:00

Well, I can finally reveal who the host of MYSTERY THEATER will be! I'm very proud and honored to announce that the host of MYSTERY THEATER will be the legendary film star Christopher Lee! Special thanks to Gemma Cox, Donna Cannatella and Juan from Mr. Lee's official website for helping make this possible. Mr. Lee's website is: http://christopherleeweb.com/

Last Thursday, Mr. Lee recorded the first month's scripts. He lives in London and London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago so I had to phone in at 5 am for the 3 hour session. We'll record approximately 10 sessions per year. At each session Mr. Lee will record slightly over one month's worth of scripts. He was absolutely brilliant and so very gracious and just wonderful to work with.

I think listeners will really enjoy MYSTERY THEATER, which will be a showcase for the best in radio mystery, detective and science-fiction. They'll love Mr. Lee as host, but they'll also be impressed with the quality of the radio episodes that we'll be presenting. Mostly the shows featured on MYSTERY THEATER will be from the 1940s and 1950s; shows like: Suspense, Escape, Sherlock Holmes, The Whistler, Johnny Dollar, X Minus One, Ellery Queen and so on but we'll also have newer mystery, detective and science fiction shows too. For example, we just licensed the Peabody award-winning series Bradbury 13 produced in 1984 by Michael McDonough. Bradbury 13 was originally broadcast on NPR and has never been broadcast on commercial radio - but you'll be able to hear it on MYSTERY THEATER.

I'm working on licensing many other "newer" radio shows as well. I'd very much like to include the great Himan Brown's CBS Radio Mystery Theater and although we do not have rights to include it at this time, I am in contact with Mr. Brown and hope that he'll allow us to do so in the near future. MYSTERY THEATER will launch March 2nd, 2009 and I'm hopeful that a radio station near you will carry it. If not, you'll be able to hear it streamed at our official website at www.mysterytheater.com (the site is not up as yet - it will go live in March 2009).

In other news, please look for THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MICKEY SPILLANE'S MIKE HAMMER starring Stacy Keach. It's at bookstores near you or click this Blackstone Audio link.

And THE WORD OF PROMISE NEXT GENERATION AUDIO BIBLE is in stores everywhere so I hope you'll pick up a copy. Here's Amazon's link to it: http://www.amazon.com/Word-Promise-Next-Generation-Dramatized/dp/1400313279

The next TZ show that Cerny American is working on is "The 16 MM Shrine" which stars Kathy Garver and Charles Shaughnessy. I'm hoping to hear it and make tweaks by next week as it airs in December. Well, that's all for now friends. Check back with me next week for MORE NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-11-09T12:46:00.002-06:00

This week I received in the TZ radio episode "The Four of Us Are Dying" starring Eric Bogosian. Eric does an amazing job on this one, as he did previously for us in "Free Dirt." He plays FOUR roles and has to change his voice for each role and does so flawlessly. It airs this week so I can't wait for all of you to hear it. Matt Sauro at Cerny American Creative handled the Foley and sound design on this one and kudos to Matt for doing a brilliant job with it - thanks Matt!

On Wednesday of last week Martin Jarvis and his lovely wife Ros Ayres starred in the TZ radio episode "Passage on the Lady Anne" penned by Charles Beaumont and adapted for radio by our very own Dennis Etchison. "Passage on the Lady Anne" is, in my opinion, one of the best episodes of the series. It was one of the hour long TZ shows so it is seldom seen on TV.

Martin and Ros play Mr. & Mrs. McKenzie a British couple aboard a cruise ship who encounter an unhappily married young American couple (played by David Pasquesi and Ann Sonneville) who are taking the cruise from NY to England in the hopes of rekindling their marriage. The McKenzie's and all of the other passengers aboard the "Lady Anne" are elderly Brits and for some reason they seem to not want the young couple to sail with them. It's mysterious, moody and ultimately quite touching.

This one is tough to produce though because everyone other than the young couple and the travel agent (played by JoBe Cerny) are British. There just are not that many British actors (in their 70s and 80s) here in Chicago so this one has its share of challenges. We've managed to record most of the characters with British actors here but there are still a few parts that need to be recorded and I'm thinking we'll need to reach out to actors in LA or London.

I'm hoping that the new host of MYSTERY THEATER might like to play a role in this TZ episode as he is a mature actor and is British - not to mention one of the greatest actors of all time. Any guesses as to who he might be??? I am days away from signing an agreement with him for MYSTERY THEATER and will be able to reveal who he is very soon, sorry for the wait.

Well, that's all for now friends -- check back next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-10-23T09:24:00.003-05:00

Well, this week I received in a terrific radio adaptation of the famous Rod Serling TZ script "Eye of the Beholder" by Barry Richert. Barry has written a few TZ scripts this year and I'm looking forward to producing them as he is a brilliant writer. "Eye of the Beholder" is an especially difficult show to do on radio as it is very visual but Barry nailed it as I knew he would. I'm a firm believer that "anything" can be done on radio. This was taught to me by my close friend Stan Freberg before I had ever met him -- let me explain: When I was a DJ on my college radio station, RRG-Triton College 88.9 FM, I heard a PSA (Public Service Announcement) written, produced and starring Stan Freberg (little did I know that he and I would become close friends years later and he would host my "When Radio Was" radio show and star in several episodes of TZ). In this PSA Stan uses sound effects of heavy industrial equipment to build a gigantic ice-cream sundae, including a crane to put the cherry on top. At the end of the PSA Stan says in his one-of-a-kind "Stan Freberg" voice: "Try doing that on television." His point was, sure, you could build a gigantic sundae on TV but it would cost a fortune and be a monumental task. But on radio, with a few perfectly placed sound effects, the right music for tension, and a narrator, you could do it quickly, easily and cost efficiently. So, in a nutshell -- ANYTHING can be done on radio! And the truth be told, he is right. You can do anything on radio and I can't tell you how many email I get from listeners to our TZ radio show that ask: Are you going to do "The Invaders" and "Eve of the Beholder?" And my answer is always a resounding YES, yes, we are going to do them. I have faith in my writers that they will figure out how to turn extremely visual scripts like these into brilliant radio
adaptations.

On another subject, I am "this" close to announcing who will be the host of MYSTERY THEATER so hang in there with me, I am hopeful that I will be able to announce it on my next blog.

And a correction from my last blog: The Chris Canniff script that he delivered is not called "Back For the Holidays" it is called "Back for the Fourth" and I plan to produce it in time to broadcast it prior to Fourth of July 2009. It's going to be a
riveting show.

Well, that's all for now my friends, join me next time for
more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-10-06T10:03:00.002-05:00

Well, last week I got around to reading some TZ scripts that have been coming in from some of our excellent writers, including one from first time TZ writer Christine Trowbridge called “Child’s Play.” It has to do with cloning of animals .. and humans. Quite riveting and scary and I’m looking forward to producing it.

Matthew Elliott sent in “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” which, as TZ fans know, was a short film presented as a TZ episode in the last year of the series. Matthew is a brilliant writer and he did a marvelous job with it. Matthew’s next assignment is adapting for radio the classic TZ story “Nothing in the Dark” which originally starred Robert Redford as “Death.” This was one of my favorites and I can’t wait to see what Matthew does with it.

Barry Richter who has written two terrific original TZ stories for us informs me that he’s putting the final touches on “Eye of the Beholder” which was my all-time favorite show from the TV series. Like “The Invaders” and “The Masks” it has unique challenges to adapt for radio as it is very visual. But Dennis Etchison, who adapted “The Masks” for us dug deep down and delivered a brilliant rendition and I’m certain Barry will do the same.

I’m happy to say that a script that I wrote in collaboration with Matthew Elliott called “A Heated Premonition” is finally complete. It is based on the classic story “August Heat” by W. F. Harvey. It’s the story of a pencil sketch artist who draws a man on trial for murder and then meets up with the man in a bizarre way on the hottest
day of the year. I am very happy with the final script and I can’t wait to cast it and produce it sometime next year.

Speaking of new scripts, first time TZ writer Christopher Canniff delivered an excellent adaptation of the John Collier story “Back for Christmas” that he calls “Back for the Holidays.” I plan on producing it in time to broadcast it at Christmas time next year.

In other news, I’m honored to announce that the great Max von Sydow is joining our cast of The Old Testament in the iconic role of “Noah.” I have been a Max von Sydow fan all my life and I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with him. He is one of the greatest actors of all time and I’m so thrilled that he will be such a huge part of The Word of Promise audio Bible.

Well, that’s all for now, join me next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-09-26T15:48:00.003-05:00

Well, yesterday I received in a rough draft of the TZ radio drama “A Piano in the House” starring Michael York. I was completely blown away by it, and by Michael’s performance, and I can’t wait for all of you to hear it. I had only minor tweaks to it and those have already been made so I will get the finished show on Monday. Michael York plays an evil character, which is so completely different from his real identity. I was with Michael two weeks ago in Los Angeles, interviewing him for the “behind the scenes” DVD for The Word of Promise Old Testament audio Bible I am producing. As with the New Testament, Michael is the Narrator and he is absolutely amazing. In “A Piano in the House” he plays a sinister theater critic who suspects his young wife is cheating on him and finds out for sure when an old player piano is a sort of truth serum to those who hear it play. I believe “A Piano in the House” is scheduled to air the week of October 20th so please listen for it.

I’ve been working night and day on the Youth edition of The Word of Promise New Testament Audio Bible. It hits store shelves mid October and I hope you’ll pick up a copy. It will be available in a 20-CD set (with a behind the scenes DVD) or in an MP3 version. All of the Word of Promise products are available at www.thewordofpromise.com or at Amazon and at major retail chains and all Christian bookstores.

We’re hard at work on a radio station marketing kit for Mystery Theater, the series that we’re going to launch next year. This kit will be mailed out to about 3,500 radio stations in the hope that they’ll want to carry the series. If you missed my previous log, Mystery Theater will be a 2-hour per night showcase for the best in radio: mystery, detective and science-fiction programming. The series will be aired on most stations Monday through Friday and within each 2-hour show, we’ll present 3 half-hour radio dramas. I’m negotiating with a major Hollywood personality right now to star in the series – I hope to be able to announce who that star is, very soon.

Last week I received the first two Mike Hammer radio dramas “Oil & Water” and "Dangerous Days” in from Cerny American Creative. Each episode runs approximately 90 minutes. Stacy Keach reprises his role as the hard-boiled detective created by Mickey Spillane and he doesn’t miss a beat. I had a few more tweaks for the geniuses at Cerny but what I’ve heard is outstanding. Both episodes will be sold in a 3-CD set called “The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer.” It will be released by Blackstone audio in stores this November. They won’t be broadcast on radio anytime soon and the retail price for both shows on 3-CDs is only $19.99 so I hope you’ll give this a try. The future of the series will depend on how well this first double-feature set sells, so I’m giving a shout out to the Hammer fans for some help : )

Well, that’s all for this time, see you next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-09-15T12:56:00.002-05:00

Well, I mentioned last week in my blog that I would have a very special announcement this week -- so here it is: I will be launching a new, nationally syndicated radio series beginning January 5th, 2009 called “The Mystery Theater.” It will be two hours each night, Monday through Friday (10 hours per week) of mystery, detective and science—fiction radio programming originally broadcast from the 1940s through today. It will be hosted by a very well known Hollywood celebrity. The scripts for the host will be written by acclaimed mystery writer Dennis Etchison, who also is the script supervisor for the TZ series. "The Mystery Theater" will have a dedicated website at mysterytheater.com (which will also launch in January 2009). The website will offer thousands of radio shows for sale and/or download. Each offering will be 2 half-hour radio episodes. The download price will be 99 cents or you can buy the 2 shows on CD for $1.99.

A top priority with this new series will be “sound quality” – we will only be broadcasting and selling radio episodes of the very highest sound quality – no radio episodes will be broadcast or sold on our site that are not absolutely top quality sound. For example, there is a terrific mystery series from radio’s golden age titled “Quiet Please.” It was written and produced by Wyllis Cooper, the man who originated “Lights Out!” There were more than 100 episodes produced but I’ve only found a handful of episodes from the series that would meet the sound quality standards to be aired on “The Mystery Theater” or sold at its site.

What you will hear each night on “The Mystery Theater” will be radio episodes of mystery, detective and sci-fi that are “direct from the master recordings” (or episodes very close to the source material) and then digitally remastered. Show's that are not excellent sound quality simply won’t make the cut.

Over my 30-year career in the radio business, I have made wonderful and long-lasting relationships with individuals and companies that not only own rights to the radio episodes, but have the master recordings. Each night you’ll hear 3 half-hour episodes on “The Mystery Theater.” Radio episodes like: I Love a Mystery, Boston Blackie, Dragnet, The Hermit’s Cave, Dangerous Assignment, Adventures By Morse, Inner Sanctum Mysteries, The Adventures of Sam Spade, Nightbeat, X Minus One, The Adventures of Nero Wolfe, Sherlock Holmes, The Weird Circle, Dimension X, Philo Vance, Detective, The Fat Man, The Weird Circle, Mystery Is My Hobby, Mr. District Attorney, Mystery In the Air, I Love Adventure, The Thin Man, Casey, Crime Photographer, Zero Hour (hosted by Rod Serling), The Mutual Radio Theatre (hosted by Vincent Price), The Adventures of the Falcon, Murder At Midnight, Ellery Queen, Mike Hammer, Detective, Bold Venture, The Clock, The Hall of Fantasy, True Detective Mysteries, Molle’ Mystery Theater, Michael Shayne, Detective, Mr. & Mrs. North, and many others.

I expect to launch the series on 100 stations by Monday January 5th, 2009 and by year three to have it placed on as many as 300 stations. You will be able to find a local station by checking the “tune-in” section of the mysterytheater.com website. And I can’t wait to share with you who the host will be! Hopefully I’ll be able to reveal that to you very soon.

Thanks for checking in, I’ll be back with you with more news on this series; "The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer" and of course TZ, next week.

2008-09-05T10:46:00.002-05:00

So sorry about not writing a blog in almost a month. A project that I've been working on for the past year has a deadline of next week and I' ve been completely fixated on finalizing it. It's The Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament audio Bible.

About a year ago I was having dinner with Wayne Hastings, Senior VP of Thomas Nelson, Inc. and he shared with me a startling statistic about how young people are moving away from the Bible more and more each year. An idea hatched during that dinner of creating a youth-oriented audio Bible with teen and young adult stars playing the major roles. The hope is that if youths of today had access to an audio Bible with stars they look up to, it might help get them back to the Bible. Wayne liked the idea and so I collaborated with Dan Lynch of the family division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. to set out to making it a reality. Like the current New Testament that I produced with Jim Caviezel as "Jesus" www.wordofpromise.com this youth New Testament audio has over 100 actors, music and sound effects to create a "you are there" feel.

Now a year later, we've just about completed production on it and I'm very pleased and proud of it. The stars include: Cody Linley as Jesus, AnnaSophia Robb as Mary Magdalene, Corbin Bleu as Peter, Marshall Allman as Paul, Luke Benward as Mark, Tahj Mowry as John, Charlie Stewart as Luke, Emily Osment as Mary, Mother of Jesus, Andrew Lawrence as Matthew, Alyson Stoner as Martha, Jordin Sparks as Elizabeth, Sean Astin as our Narrator, with Martin Jarvis as the Voice of God.

It's 25 hours on 20 CDs as well as an MP3 version. I'm very excited about this project and its impact I pray it will have on today's teens and tweens. It releases this coming October in stores everywhere.

On the TZ front, I've received several new scripts in from our very talented pool of writers. I'm looking forward to reading them once I get past my deadline of September 10th to turn in the Next Generation audio Bible. I'm looking forward to receiving a rough draft of the TZ episode "A Piano In the House" which stars the great Michael York. That should be here any day. Then after that will be "The Four of Us Are Dying" with my good friend Eric Bogosian. Next week I'm going to have a very special announcement (I promise not to be late with my next blog) so be sure to log on for it.

Thanks everyone. Talk to you next week.

2008-08-08T12:32:00.003-05:00

Last week I received the final version of The Twilight Zone Radio Drama “Third From the Sun” and I think listeners are going to be really pleased. Fred Willard is awesome as William Sturka and the rest of the cast is great too. Fred is such a talented actor and he’s so much fun to work with. He’s starred in four Zones now and is great in all of them. Listen for “Third From the Sun” to air on stations this month.

I also just received in a rough edit on “The Trouble With Templeton” starring Michael York in the role of Booth Templeton, portrayed in the televised version by Brian Aherne. Booth is an aging Broadway star who has lost his zest for life. Now cuckolded by a younger wife, all he has is a loyal valet and memories. Once he was married to the beautiful and vivacious Laura, who died long ago, as did his best friend, a playwright named Barney Flueger. Only their memories seem real. When he walks out on the rehearsal of a new play, he finds himself transported back to the 1920s. But he doesn’t fit in at all and therein lies the tale.

In the original TV episode, Sydney Pollack portrayed the “boy wonder” director of the Broadway play that Booth is to star in. He affected a faint Southern accent and spoke slowly and methodically with an air of humorless self-importance. I cast one of my best Zoners, Mike Starr, in this role and he plays it to perfection. What can I say about Michael York’s performance other than he absolutely and totally nails this part. He has the bulk of the dialog and at all times keeps the listener totally and completely on the edge of his words. Michael is a close friend and the Narrator of my Word of Promise audio Bible. Somehow Michael is able to make the difficult-to-pronounce names and places of the Bible sound effortless. I’m absolutely thrilled that he’s agreed to star in Zones for me. In this one he plays a good guy but in “A Piano in the House” he gets to switch gears to play a bad guy.

By the way, our Word of Promise New Testament audio Bible just won the 2008 Christian Book of the Year award. In the 30-year history of the award, neither a Bible OR an audio has ever won it. Click here for more info on the win. JoBe Cerny, who is President of Cerny American Creative is the amazing Director of The Word of Promise so kudos to JoBe! On the “Mike Hammer” front, we’ve recorded the first two shows and are now in the editing stages and bringing actors in for pick-ups. What I’ve heard so far is excellent – more on that later.

Well, that’s all for now, check back with me next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-07-26T10:53:00.001-05:00

Well, I just got a rough edit in today of "Third From the Sun" starring Fred Willard and it's very good. I've started writing my notes on it and will send them over to Cerny American for tweaking. Fred Willard does an awesome job in the lead role of William Sturka, played in the TV version by Fritz Weaver. Zoner Tom McElroy plays Sturka's friend Jerry Riden and Doug James (who is also our TZ announcer) plays the ominously gregarious Mr. Carling. "Third From the Sun" was from the Twilight Zone's first TV season and is a remarkable episode. It was written by Rod Serling based on a short story by the great Richard Matheson. It's the story of two men and their families who discover the world is going to be annihilated by nuclear war within 48 hours. One of the men is an experimental aircraft pilot who can fly their families to safety in a rocket ship to a distant world similar to their own. But their escape is almost foiled by a man who learns of their plan to rocket off to another world. This one will air in August so I hope you'll be able to tune it in.

I received two terrific TZ scripts in this week both of which are brand new story ideas, not based on original TZ episodes. One is by writer Chris Canniff. It's based on the John Collier story "Back For Christmas." I'm hoping to produce this one later this year. The other is by Dennis Etchison; it's called "The 25th Hour." It's the story of a busy man for whom there are not enough hours in the day. He meets a mysterious stranger, an older, retired fellow who has more time on his hands than he knows what to do with. Soon, as you might imagine, they strike a deal and therein lies the tale.

Well, that's all for this week, see you next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-07-11T11:10:00.002-05:00

This week we completed the final mix of the TZ episode “The Prime Mover” starring David Eigenberg in the Dane Clark role of “Ace Larsen” the pushy but ingratiating owner of a roadside diner. David is fabulous in the role. One of my top Zoners, Kurt Naebig, gives a stellar performance in the Buddy Ebsen role of “Jimbo Cobb” Ace’s cook and right-hand man – who has a talent he’s kept hidden all these years: the ability to move objects with his mind. Once Ace discovers what Jimbo can do, it’s off to Vegas to try their luck at the tables. This TZ radio drama came together a little easier than most – probably because the star of the show (David Eigenberg) was here in Chicago with the rest of the cast when we recorded it. When we have the star record their performance in LA, NY, etc. it takes longer - and more tender loving care - to fuse it together properly. The geniuses at Cerny American Creative are true masters at this technique though and if I didn’t know it myself, I’d think the star was with the supporting cast on them all.

Today I have the supporting casts for MIKE HAMMER episode 2 “Oil & Water” coming in as well as the TZ episode “Who Am I?” It will be a long day of rehearsing and then recording both shows. We’ll do a table read of the TZ show first, and then record it, then break for lunch and do a table read of the HAMMER show and then record it. During the table reads the actors take direction from me; we all take notes; make tweaks; all get on the same page with name pronunciation, etc. I’ll have a great crew in here today including Franette Liebow, Ric Peeples, D.J. Howard, Meg Thalken, Oksana Fedunyszyn, Norm Woodel, Ilyssa Fraden, Nick Sandys, Tom McElroy, Kurt Naebig, Ric Vargas, Heidi Klefstad, Jamie Baron, Sara Court, Tracy Hernandez, Brandon Beard Reed and Maestro Harrell. I’m looking forward to a productive day – then when it’s all over – collapse from exhaustion : )

Next week, I should be hearing the first rough mix of MIKE HAMMER episode 1 “Dangerous Days” so I’m excited about that. Well, that’s it for now, join me next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-07-01T14:47:00.007-05:00

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of directing Sean Astin in two TZs "Who Am I?" and "The Amazing Dr. Kyle Powers." Sean was a blast to work with and a real pro. He wanted to voice the lines over and over to give me different shades of color. Sean is also narrating the Youth Bible I'm producing and portraying the role of "Joshua" in my Old Testament. Our New Testament is available now in stores or at www.thewordofpromise.com. I'm excited about mixing these shows that will star Sean Astin, which will run later this year.

Last Friday we recorded the first episode of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MICKEY SPILLANE'S MIKE HAMMER titled "Dangerous Days" at Cerny American Creative. I had 18 actors in to record the supporting characters to Stacy Keach's Mike Hammer. It was a lot of fun but A LOT of work. It took much longer than I expected as the HAMMER shows are a full hour in length where the TZs are only 40 minutes. That additional 20 minutes added hours of prep and recording time. I had all the actors do a table read which just means all the actors sit around a table and perform the script in a leisurely setting. Then we took a break and went into the sound booth and recorded all the dialog often times I had the actors perform their lines multiple times to have a safety. It took us about 5 hours just to record the dialog. Afterward, all of the sound files were separated and the sound design began being built. All of the music is composed and performed by Stacy Keach. M. J. Elliott who is writing the MIKE HAMMER scripts recently sent me episode two "Oil & Water" and Stacy Keach is recording that today in Hollywood. His wife Malgosia Tomossi, who played the role of "Maya" on the TV series is reprising her role for the radio series, so she's recording today too. I'm really stoked about this HAMMER series and I can't wait to hear it mixed by the geniuses at Cerny, headed up by JoBe Cerny who also portrays a regular character on HAMMER by the name of "Ozzie the Answer." Ric Vargas, one of my Zoners is stepping up as my assistant director.

Yesterday I received a rough mix in on the TZ episode "The Prime Mover" starring David Eigenberg. It's a lot of fun but it needs some tender loving care. I listened to it 5 or 6 times and took copious notes and faxed them over to Bob Benson at Cerny. He'll make these changes and then send me another copy. Then it will go into finer and finer tweaks until it's complete. Well, that's all for this week, see you next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-06-16T09:36:00.002-05:00

Well this week I received an amazing TZ script written by Dennis Etchison from a story idea by Robert Patterson. It’s a brand new story (not based on one of the original TV shows) called “Mrs. Pierce Is Praying For Me” about a small-time hustler who’s down on his luck and running from the mob. When they put the squeeze on him by beating and nearly killing his brother, he learns a lesson about what really matters. His brother always got him out of jams when they were kids, but this time it’s his brother who needs help. Seems there was an old woman, Mrs. Pierce, who lived down the hall in the building where they grew up who had a special power - but that’s all I can tell you without ruining it. I’m hoping to cast and record this one sometime this year. Listen for it on a radio station near you.

And speaking of radio stations: Last week we mailed out a very cool TZ CD promotional mailer to 2,500 radio stations in the hopes of adding some of these stations to our growing list of about 150 stations right now. We haven’t mailed anything like this in a few years and it was time. If you don’t mail a promotional flyer out on your syndicated radio show just about every year the station count will degrade. The reason for losing stations for the most part is due to a format change. If we’re on a “Talk” station and then that stations suddenly decides to go all “Spanish” well, guess what?...we don’t offer TZ in Spanish so TZ and the station has to part ways. Even without a TZ promotional mailer we’ve managed to add quite a few stations over the past year, thanks to the great work by Westwood One and in particular, Stuart Greenblatt our affiliate coordinator. Stuart and his staff at Westwood One have done a stellar job of adding stations to our list and syndicating our show. Radio stations are a life’s blood to the continued success of TZ. The radio stations broadcast the show and the show has commercials inviting listeners to visit our website at www.twilightzoneradio.com where CDs and downloads of our episodes can be purchased. This revenue helps support the continued production so I greatly appreciate each and every one of you who has bought our shows and supported what we’re doing.

In other news, I’m thrilled to report that the week of June 23rd, Sean Astin is recording and starring in “The Amazing Dr. Powers” an original story (again not based on one of the original TV shows) by Barry Richert (who is a first time TZ writer but if this story is any indication of what will be coming -- it will be the first of many) and “Who Am I?” by Jerry Sohl. “Who Am I?” was an original Twilight Zone TV script that was never produced because the series was cancelled before it could be. In “Who Am I?” a man awakens one morning to discover that he has a different face, though no one else seems to notice that he has changed. It’s similar in feels to the Charles Beaumont story “Person or Person’s Unknown” yet very different. Both of these shows are going to be great and I’m psyched that they will both star one of my favorite actors, Sean Astin.

On the MIKE HAMMER front, our amazing writer Matthew Elliott has turned in the first script entitled “Dangerous Days” and it is fantastic. I’m in the process of casting the parts and we’ll be ready to record this in the next 10 days or so. Stacy Keach is not only starring as Mike Hammer and executive-producing the series, but he’s also composing and performing all of the music.

Well, that’s all for now, I’ll see you next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-06-06T15:57:00.002-05:00

Well, I’m proud to announce that TZ won a very prestigious award last week - it won an “Audie Award” for “the best audio adapted from another medium.” It was up against some major competition including “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” and TZ came away with the prize! The Audie Awards are to audio what the Academy Awards are to motion pictures so I’m very honored that it won such a coveted award.

Last year TZ won 8 radio awards of excellence including AFTRA’s highest honor “The American Scene Award.” It also won The XM Nation Award for best radio drama on Sonic Theatre, channel 163 (which is XM’s radio drama channel). It’s really great to win awards but what makes me most happy is to see that TZ is finally getting its due. Last year, besides winning so many awards, it was picked up for national syndication by Westwood One and we got the green light from CBS to begin adding new story ideas into the mix - - that’s what I’m really jazzed about. It’s funny, but being so close to it, I just expect everyone to love TZ as much as I do but it’s like anything else, things take time and success doesn’t happen over night.

Being so “into” radio drama (old & new) it’s so rewarding to begin to see the series finding its fan base and carving out its own little niche. One of the things that has helped us find an audience is that some of our radio shows appear as bonus material on DVDs of The Twilight Zone TV shows sold in Image Entertainment’s Twilight Zone Definitive Collection of 28 DVDs. This is the most amazing collection of The Twilight Zone TV show you will ever find. My friends at DeepDiscount.com sell this complete collection of the Twilight Zone TV series on DVD for the incredibly low price of $164.89 (I don’t believe anyone, not even Amazon sells it for less). The retail price is $299.96 so you save a whopping $135.00 off the sticker! Here’s what DeepDiscount.com says about it: “Explore the depths of the unknown in this complete collection of TV episodes from THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Funny at times, heartbreaking at others, THE TWILIGHT ZONE was one of the most unique and inventive television shows ever created. Rod Serling developed the series on the premise of watching people experience things so bizarre they can only be part of a fifth dimension. Serling appears at the start and finish of each episode, acting as the viewer's guide through the TWILIGHT ZONE. Consistently compelling, moral, and thought provoking, the series still inspires remakes and contemporary spin-offs. All 156 episodes from the classic show are collected here.” And for those of you that might be interested in purchasing this amazing series on DVD from DeepDiscount.com, here’s the link: http://search.deepdiscount.com/dvd/Twilight%20Collection

Well, that’s all for this week, catch me next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-05-30T11:55:00.002-05:00

Today I received an excellent TZ script from prolific radio drama writer Michael Elliott. Michael lives in London and writes many of the “Harry Nile” scripts for radio producer Jim French. Jim is someone that I admire very much. He’s the producer behind “Imagination Theatre,” “Harry Nile,” and “Sherlock Holmes” three excellent examples of radio drama being produced today. Jim’s website is www.jimfrenchproductions.com.

Michael is one of the writers working on original TZ story ideas. He just delivered “The Time of Your Life” a truly great script that I’m hoping we can produce later this year. Without giving anything away, it’s the story of a woman who’s husband is killed and she gets him back after making a pact with the Devil who’s not interested in her soul, but he is interested in something else – what that is I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until it’s produced. The Devil character has some great dialog and I have just the actor in mind to play that part. The star of the show is the woman character and I’m hoping to cast a great actress. My first choice would be Mena Suvari. I think she’s an amazing actress and one that would put a special spin on this character. I first became a fan of Mena Suvari after watching “American Beauty” which won best picture in 2000 but I became a confirmed fan after watching her as a semi-regular on the HBO series “Six Feet Under.” Alan Ball, who wrote “American Beauty”, produced and often wrote “Six Feet Under” is an absolute genius and if you’ve not seen either of these, I highly recommend that you do.

Next week I’m planning on spending the day with Bob Benson at Cerny to put the final tweaks on “On Thursday We Leave For Home” starring Barry Bostwick, so I’m looking forward to that and for you to hear it soon. Well, that’s all for now, see you next time for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-05-23T10:35:00.004-05:00

Still working hard on “On Thursday We Leave For Home” starring Barry Bostwick. It’s about 3⁄4 finished and Bob Benson who is heading up this one over at Cerny American Creative said I should have a first draft of it by Friday of next week. From this first draft I make copious notes and send them to Bob and then he makes a second draft and then more notes and by the third round or so it’s usually time to come out of the oven. : )

After “On Thursday We Leave For Home” we’ll be mixing “The Prime Mover” starring David Eigenberg. For those of you who are “Sex and the City” fans, David played the role of “Steve Brady” Miranda’s love interest. David came in to the studio to star in this show and “A Penny For Your Thoughts” which we aired earlier this year. It was a lot of fun for me and the cast to work with David, he’s a really talented actor and very genuine person. I’ve kept in contact with him and he’s going to play a role in my Old Testament audio project, The Word of Promise. For those of you who are not familiar with The Word of Promise, it’s an audio Bible starring Hollywood celebrities.

The New Testament (20 hours on 20 CDs) is already released, you can order it at www.thewordofpromise.com or buy it at any retail stores that carry Bibles. The Word of Promise is not only star-studded, it is produced in dramatic audio style with sound effects and a full music score by prolific Italian composer Stefano Mainetti. The New Testament stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Michael York as the Narrator, Stacy Keach as Paul, Louis Gossett as John, Marisa Tomei as Mary Magdalene, Terence Stamp as the Voice of God, John Heard as Matthew, Lou Diamond Phillips as Mark, Kimberly Williams-Paisley as Mary, Mother of Jesus, Chris McDonald as Luke, John Schneider as James and many other wonderful stars.

It’s word-for-word from the NKJ translation and is distributed by Thomas Nelson, Inc. I’m very happy to say that it’s the #1 selling audio Bible in the world. Currently I’m producing The Old Testament, which will be 60 hours on 55 CDs. It stars Jon Voight as Abraham, Richard Dreyfuss as Moses, Gary Sinise as David, Marcia Gay Harden as Esther, Malcolm McDowell as King Solomon, Michael York as the Narrator, Stacy Keach as Job and many other wonderful stars.
I’m also producing a Youth edition of the New Testament with wonderful youth stars as well. I’ll keep you posted on the progress.

But getting back to David Eigenberg – you can see David in the new “Sex and the City” movie coming out later this month so my hat’s off to him! Well, that’s it for now, check back with me next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-05-16T08:51:00.003-05:00

This week we continue to work on “On Thursday We Leave For Home” and it’s coming along just fine. Barry Bostwick gives a stellar performance as Captain Benteen. This episode has some great supporting players in it as well, including Mike Starr, Christian Stolte, Elizabeth Ledo, Richard Henzel, Kurt Naebig, JoBe Cerny, Jennifer Joy, Meg Thalken, Tracy Hernandez, Jeff Lupetin and of course Doug James, our series announcer who almost always takes on a role in each story. Two of my kids are in it too, Amanda and C.J. Amari. Both have appeared on other TZ radio dramas. Amanda played opposite Stan Freberg in “The Fugitive” and C.J. played opposite Hal Sparks in “Long Distance Call.” They have the acting bug and so I’ll do my best to not have them end up someday on a True Hollywood Story : )

In other news: I’m also about to launch a new radio series based on Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, Detective. Stacy Keach and I have talked for years about producing a radio drama series on the detective that he portrayed in TV and films. Well, I’m happy to say it has finally taken shape. Here’s some info on it:

THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MICKEY SPILLANE’S MIKE HAMMER

Nobody writes mysteries like Mickey Spillane … and nobody solves them like MIKE HAMMER! The no-holds barred Private Eye returns! This time in fully dramatized “theatre-of-the-mind” audio adventures starring acclaimed actor Stacy Keach, complete with a full supporting cast, sound effects and music.

While other detectives bend and manipulate the law, Hammer holds it in total contempt, seeing it as nothing more than an impediment to justice, the one virtue he holds in absolute esteem. Produced in association with The Mickey Spillane Estate, these brand new audio adventures follow the New York-based Mike Hammer in his self-appointed role of judge, jury and executioner to an assortment of bad guys.

Hammer is supported in his quest for justice by his gorgeous secretary Velda along with Police Captain Pat Chambers, District Attorney Clarence Spencer and Mike’s collection of New York City street people including: Ozzie the Answer, Maya, Mike’s next-door-neighbor and extremely hot yoga teacher, Benny the Knife, Philly Brock, Moochie Burns and Dahlia – the buxom bartender of the Lite ‘N’ Easy Saloon. Even the show’s jazzy theme song “Harlem Nocturne” by Earle Hagen is back, which features a deeply melancholy saxophone, and sets the gritty tone for each episode.

This collection features a trilogy of brand-new Mike Hammer mysteries:

Dangerous Days – When Hammer rescues a crazed young woman clad only in a medical gown, he's flung into the shadowy world of secret ops and international terrorism. New York is the target, and Mike Hammer is the only man who can prevent a massive catastrophe. But will he find out who the real enemy is before it's too late?

Oil and Water – The one woman Mike Hammer might have married is back in town. But when she's murdered after making an appointment with her ex-lover, Mike winds up investigating a massive conspiracy involving a powerful oil company. Hammer thinks he's close to the truth, but has he been played for a sucker all along?

Proof Positive – Mike's secretary, Velda, is seriously injured, and her elderly neighbor is killed when a package containing a memory stick is sent to the wrong address. Who is willing to kill to get their hands on the stick? With Mike's friend Maya in charge of the office, Hammer goes on the trail of America's most explosive secret.

“I don’t want to arrest anyone. I just want to shoot somebody” – Mike Hammer

___________________________________________________________________________

The first collection of 3 stories will be available through Blackstone Audio this Fall. Look for Volume 1 at book chains everywhere or at the Blackstone Audio site at www.blackstoneaudio.com

I know that talking about Mike Hammer is off the subject of TZ but since it is dramatized radio, I thought you might want to know about it.

Well, that’s all for this week, catch me next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-05-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today I spent most of my day down at Cerny American Creative sitting in on the final mix and helping tweak “Number Twelve Looks Just Like You” starring Bonnie Somerville & Charles Shaughnessy. I’m happy to say it’s finally finished and just in time as it airs the week of June 2nd and we have to send it out to Westwood One at least two weeks prior to airdate. I think it came out great and I’m hoping listeners will enjoy it. Bonnie and Charles do amazing jobs in roles that have tremendous range so “bravo!” And you’ll hear some other familiar voices in it too like Mike Starr, Linda Reiter and David Darlow. Next up to be mixed is “On Thursday We Leave For Home” starring Barry Bostwick. This one is about a group of settlers on another planet who have been waiting for 30 years to be rescued and taken back to Earth. Their leader, Benteen, originally played on television by James Whitmore, is reluctant to give up his position as the center of their lives and so actually resists the rescue when it finally does happen. The character of Benteen is very complex and James Whitmore did an astonishing job with it on television. The actor taking on the role in the radio version needs to be sympathetic and project quiet decency and kindness yet at the same time have the rigidity of a seasoned military leader. I chose Barry Bostwick to star as Benteen and I’m very happy to say he knocked it out of the park just as he did in the lead role of “And When the Sky Is Opened” a show we produced last year. On the original TV show “On Thursday We Leave For Home” was one of the hour-long episodes so with the radio versions being about 40 minutes, Dennis Etchison had to carefully reduce the show’s length. He does this by shortening some of the lengthy speeches and editing or omitting dialog that will not take away from the show’s meaning. If you’re a regular listener of TZ radio you may notice that in our radio shows that are adapted from the 30-minute television scripts (the majority of them) Dennis has to carefully “pad” the shows to make them 40 minutes. This is usually accomplished by an added lead-up scene to the main storyline or an additional scene in the story and also by adding pertinent dialog to the current scenes. I think that often times Dennis’s added dialog and new scenes help the listener understand the story better because, after all, this is radio and we don’t have the advent of any visuals. I think “On Thursday We Leave For Home” is going to be a great show from what I’ve heard so far.

Well, that’s all for now … catch you next time IN THE ZONE!

2008-05-06T10:34:00.002-05:00

Well, this week we're in the throws of mixing "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You" starring Bonnie Somerville, Charles Shaughnessy and Mike Starr. I'm really happy with the way it's turning out and Bob Benson at Cerny is heading this one up. It's a really spooky one and I'm excited for listeners to hear it on the air very soon. The mix process for most TZ's takes about 100 hours of production with generally one main engineer (in this case Bob Benson) and then several assistant engineers one to edit the dialog, two to create the Foley (sound effects), one to add the music and the main engineer who oversees and engineers the final mix. Generally the first thing that is recorded is the star's dialog in Los Angeles (or here in Chicago if the star is in town). That way the supporting Chicago actors and I can listen to the star's performance and get a feel for the pace and style and so we can take notes as to how the star pronounces character names. For example, a name like "Dana" can be pronounced with a hard "a" or a soft "a" and it wouldn't be good if the star said it one way and the supporting cast said it another now would it??? So before I direct the supporting cast we do our prep work. The entire supporting cast receives their scripts with their role(s) circled about a week in advance. When they come in to the studio we record a rehearsal and then take a break and then record "the show." We record the rehearsal because in editing the final mix together we may borrow pieces and parts and replace them from "the rehearsal." It just gives the engineers a safety.

Then after we've recorded twice, we take a lunch break before going through the same process on a second script. I make sure that everyone eats a lot of food and are full because the microphones are very sensitive and can pick up stomach noises. The only downside to that is everyone is so full they sometimes get sleepy : ) I like to direct the supporting actors while in the room with them and not from a director's booth. We have two Neiuman U-87 microphones set so that actors can work both sides of the mics, that way we can have as many as four actors having dialog with each another at one time. The actors are always standing at the mics and they move in and out per their scripted lines. I am very fortunate to produce and direct this series in a city (Chicago) that boasts some of the best vocal actors in the country. I have about 10 "Zoners" that appear in most of the shows and then I mix in new actors to give the shows fresh voices. We always tease the new actors about it being their first time and we sometimes put them through a friendly initiation : )

Ryan, our in-house sound engineer, keeps a close watch on the VU meters making sure that the actors are recorded at the proper levels. Then all of the sound files are sent to Cerny American Creative to be assembled and mixed. Stacy Keach records the Narration usually twice per year about 10 shows at a time. These sessions are either done in LA or in Chicago depending on his schedule.

Well, that's a little info on the process --- come back often to check this blog. I'll see you next time in THE ZONE!

2008-04-25T12:55:00.001-05:00

Greetings Zoners! This week, most of the emails I received from listeners revolved around the anticipation to hear TZ Radio Dramas produced from new script ideas. Another words new shows that are NOT based on the original stories from the Rod Serling TV series. For years I’ve been pleading with CBS to allow me to commission writers to pen fresh story ideas and I’m thrilled to report that they have agreed to let this happen. Several great authors are currently writing brand new TZ Radio Drama scripts and as soon as I receive them, I send them off to CBS for approval. So the most asked question to my blog has been “when will we start hearing some?” Well, the answer is - you already have: A few weeks ago we presented “Free Dirt” tarring Eric Bogosian. Written by Charles Beaumont, “Free Dirt” was to be televised as a Twilight Zone television show in the mid 1960s but the show went off the air before it could be produced. Dennis Etchison, our script supervisor, wrote the radio adaptation based on the final draft of Beaumont’s Twilight Zone TV script and the original short story. I'll let Dennis explain, he writes: “Free Dirt” was my favorite Beaumont story. I found it inscrutable and struggled for years to figure it out. Now, with his script as well as the short story to work from, I think I finally understand it. Sort of. It’s still fascinating, which it’s supposed to be. The ending is utterly original, mysterious and haunting – all characteristics of Beaumont’s writing. This one is perhaps the most haunting of all. This is truly a “lost episode.” It’s really something special for the fans.” Thanks Dennis! In my opinion, this is one of the best shows in the series and I hope listeners had a chance to catch it, if not it will be available for sale and download soon.

And there have been two other radio episodes that were not seen on the TV series: “Gentlemen Be Seated” another Charles Beaumont story that was commissioned for The Twilight Zone but never produced. William Froug replaced Bert Granet as producer of the TV series in 1963 and this is one of the scripts that was shelved by the new regime, which had a different view of the show. So, our radio version, which stars Stan Freberg and Mike Starr, is the only TZ version of this show. It is currently available for download and sale. The other is “Pattern For Doomsday” a commissioned but unproduced script by Jerry Sohl. Our radio version stars Henry Rollins as “Jody Hallam” a tough but somewhat charming gambler who is chosen to be one of a group of citizens sent to a new world to colonize it (also available for sale and download).

In the months to come you’ll be treated to never before seen (or heard) stories called “Who Am I?” by Jerry Sohl, “Now You Hear It, Now You Don’t” by yours truly, “The Amazing Dr. Powers” by Barry Richert, “Beewinjapeedee” and “Snow Angels” by JoBe Cerny and many others. It never slows down here at Falcon Picture Group, LLC especially where TZ is concerned!

Well that’s all for now, check back with me next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-04-18T14:06:00.003-05:00

Thank you -- I’ve really enjoyed your emails regarding my blogs – keep them coming and also feel free to email me directly at camari@falconpicturegroup.com I do my best to answer everyone as soon as I can.

In one recent post to my blog, a listener remarks that some of the music in our radio versions is music he remembers hearing on “The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre.” The mere mention of that series brings a smile to my face. I, like so many of our TZ fans, grew up listening to “The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre” produced by the one, the only, Himan Brown. I remember staying up late each weeknight to listen to this awesome radio drama series on my local CBS affiliate WBBM in Chicago. From the very first announcer’s words: “The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre Presents …” I was glued to the radio. Then came the sound effects of a doorknob being turned and the ominous creaking, squeaking door opening ever so slowly (the same door was used on Himan Brown’s earlier radio series “Inner Sanctum Mysteries”). Himan was a master at keeping listeners riveted!

For years I tuned in as many nights as I could stay awake; the series came on at 10:30 pm and ran till Midnight, so often times I fell asleep before the climax. I remember this series with very fond memories. As a pre-teen I wrote Mr. Brown a fan letter and to my delight he wrote me back a long handwritten response! Can you imagine my thrill when I received a return letter from HIMAN BROWN?! I remember that my letter asked him if I could act in his series and if I could help him produce the series. Mr. Brown was so sweet in explaining to me the ins and outs of the series – to this day he is one of my inspirations for becoming a radio drama producer. Years later I had the great pleasure of having lunch with him in New York. I was like a kid in a candy store :o) I learned so much from him from just that one lunch. I’ve kept in touch with him over the years. He’s 98 and still producing and going strong!

As far as the music you hear in TZ, yes, some of it is the same music heard in “The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre.” The reason for this is in the 1950s CBS produced a stock music library that they made available to many of their radio and TV productions. In fact much of the music that you hear in the original Twilight Zone TV program utilized much of this stock music. Years later when Himan Brown produced “The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre” he also used some of this music library. Now, years later I too am using some of this stock music for my TZ radio dramas. Factoid: If you’re an old-time radio fan you may notice that in the later “Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar” radio series, they also used this stock music.

Well, I should soon be getting rough mixes of the TZ radio drama “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” starring Bonnie Somerville and Charles Shaughnessy from the geniuses at Cerny American Creative. I can’t wait to hear what they’ve done with it. It’s one of my favorites from the series about a future society where 19-year olds undergo a kind of plastic surgery called a “transformation” which makes them beautifully identical to millions of others. One free-thinking girl resists having the procedure even though her family and friends are pushing her hard to have it. Next week I’ll be able to talk about this show.

Until then, I’ll see you next time IN THE ZONE!

2008-04-11T15:19:00.006-05:00

Well, this week I got the rough mixes in from Cerny American Creative on “Night Call” which airs the week of May 5th. Aside from some sound effects tweaks, which are being adjusted, the show is one of my favorites to date. It stars Mariette Hartley who did an amazing job of playing a character much older than she is, the character of Elva Keene. Elva is an 80 year old invalid who lives alone in her house in Maine and one stormy night she starts to receive phone calls from - wait a minute, I’m not going to spoil it for you, tune in and find out! When I directed Mariette in this episode I was so taken by the way she wanted to record her performance. Usually the star of the show records in Los Angeles and the supporting cast records all-together in our studios here in Chicago at a later date (sorry if that spoils it for some of you : ). Then the two sound files are fused together by the geniuses at Cerny American Creative. Anyway, most stars in LA will read his or her line one by one and give me several “slightly” different takes of each line. Not Mariette -- she wanted to go through the entire script in one take only stopping to redo a line if she made a mistake (which wasn’t often). At first it kind of threw me but once she got going - wow - it was amazing! I didn’t want to throw her off from her flow so I just let her do her thing and I’m glad I did! I followed along with my script and
circled any dialog that I wanted her to give me a safety on later but overall, she performed the entire script in one take! I was really blown away by what she did and how she did it. She’s such a tremendous actress and she totally nailed the complex character of Elva Keen – I can’t wait for you to hear it. If you haven’t guessed already, I enjoy casting stars of the original TV show in these new radio versions. Past stars include: H.M. Wynant, Shelley Berman, Peter Mark Richman, Beverly Garland, Orson Bean, Morgan Brittany and Bill Erwin. I never cast them in the roles they appeared in on the original TV episodes -- I cast them in completely different roles in completely different episodes. Fans of the original TZ show know that Mariette Hartley co-starred with Robert Lansing in The Twilight Zone TV episode “The Long Morrow” written by Rod Serling, originally televised January 10th, 1964. Our radio version of “The Long Morrow” starred Kathy Garver in the role Mariette originated.

Well that’s all for now, check back with me next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-04-04T10:24:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone, I hope all is well with my Zoners out there in radio land. This week was crazy busy: On Tuesday Lou Gossett Jr. was amazing as he starred in two shows for us, an updated, modernized radio version of “Steel” and “Probe 7 – Over and Out.” It’s so much fun to hear what an amazing actor like Mr. Gossett brings to these stories. Rod would be very proud I’m sure. I can’t wait to let the talented audio engineers at Cerny American Creative get a hold of these two shows and work their magic! Look (or should I say) listen for both these shows sometime soon as I know you’ll be quite impressed.

World famous mystery writer Dennis Etchison turned in his first script of a brand new TWILIGHT ZONE story – “Now You Hear It, Now You Don’t.” He wrote it based on a story idea by yours truly – a story idea that was inspired by my 80 year old mom’s slight hearing loss. My mom refuses to get a hearing aid and it’s a source of constant high jinx in our family gatherings. My mom is a wonderful spirit and she just won’t let us talk her into getting one so I decided to have a TWILIGHT ZONE story written about it. Only this story isn’t funny, it’s quite frightening actually. With all new story ideas being written by our writers, the story must pass muster with CBS as they have a very specific approval process. So before you’ll hear any new stories they have to be green lit by CBS. I’m hoping that this one will and you’ll be hearing it on a radio station near you later this year or early next. My hope is to cast Ann Francis in the starring role of Rose Lynbrook (my mom’s name is Rose) the rich and powerful owner of Lady Lynbrook Cosmetics. More on that later. I also received a terrific script in from writer Barry Richert called “The Amazing Dr. Powers” – I found it fascinating and I’m hoping CBS will accept this one as well so we can produce it later this year.

Also this week I sent 2 scripts to David Carradine for his consideration and next week I’m sending Sean Astin 2 scripts for his consideration.

Well that’s all for now, check back with me next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

2008-03-28T14:40:00.002-05:00

Hi listeners of THE TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS, thank you for checking out our website and my producer's blog. Here's what's happening new with the series.

The big news is that we're about to begin producing brand new stories, ones you've never heard (or seen) before. Let me explain: Since we launched the series back in 2002 we've been creating radio versions of the original 156 TWILIGHT ZONE TV episodes which aired on television from 1959 through 1964.

We've produced over 130 radio versions of the original 156 TV shows with an occasional radio version of an "unaired or unproduced" TV script. For example: "Gentlemen, Be Seated" (our version starred Stan Freberg and Mike Starr) "Free Dirt" (our version starred Eric Bogosian) and "The Time Element" (our version starred Bobby Slayton) a Rod Serling teleplay that aired on "The Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" that Rod had hoped would be used as the pilot episode for THE TWILIGHT ZONE TV series. Factoid: The eventual pilot was "Where Is Everybody?" starring Earl Holliman (our radio version starred John Schneider).

So, I'm very excited to announce that even though we have close to 30 more of the original TV shows to convert to radio, I've been commissioning writers of today to create fresh new stories -- I'm in the process of writing a few myself so go easy on me will ya : )

If you are a published WGA mystery/science fiction writer and you're interested in learning more about how you could submit a script, please send your professional writing resume to me at camari@falconpicturegroup.com - please: published WGA writers only need apply.

Some celebs we've recently had in the studio starring in our shows include: Karen Black in "Bewitchin' Pool," and "The Hunt" (co-starring Shelley Berman), Mariette Hartley in "Night Call," and on April 2nd Lou Gossett, Jr. is starring in "Steel," and "Probe 7 - Over and Out."

Please check back with me next week for more NEWS FROM THE ZONE!

Carl Amari