Hi TZ radio fans,

Well Summer is here and I apologize for not blogging in a few months.  I've been working on several new projects, including FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES with host, Malcolm McDowell.  It's produced in conjunction with Fangoria Entertainment and a new hour-long episode is available to be streamed for free 24/7 at Fangoria's website.  Past shows are available for $1.99.  You can also download the scripts for free via pdf.  Here's the FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES.   

We began this series in October of 2011 so I've produced 11 FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES to date and the one currently being streamed is called "Talking in the Dark" by TZ radio dramas' writer Dennis Etchsion.  It's the story of a lonely man who loves reading horror novels by his favorite writer.  When he happens to meet the writer, he gets more than he bargained for.  You won't want to miss this gory tale but I must warn you:  FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES are NOT for the feint of heart and we recommend that listeners 14 years and younger DO NOT TUNE IN.  They are intended for mature audiences due to some violence, mild language and adult situations.

Producing FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES is a lot of fun and I hope you will give them a listen.  Another thing I hope you'll listen to is my nationally syndicated radio series HOLLYWOOD 360.  For the past 4 years I have been hosting an nostalgia and entertainment program on Chicago's AM 560 WIND from 8 pm till Midnight CST every Saturday evening.  AM 560 WIND is a Salem Radio Network radio station and earlier this year, Salem President Dave Santrella asked me if I'd like to broadcast HOLLYWOOD 360 on their other talk stations from coast-to-coast.  Of course I jumped at the opportunity.  HOLLYWOOD 360 airs on most of Salem's talk stations from coast-to-coast as well as many non-Salem stations.  Chris Witting from Syndication Networks is handling the syndication and we've been picking up about 2 stations each week.  The stations and times of broadcast are available at our official website www.hollywood360radio.com

Each week on HOLLYWOOD 360, I play 4 classic radio shows (i.e. The Shadow, Jack Benny, Lights Out, Dragnet, Burns & Allen, Gunsmoke and many others) thanks to Radio Spirits, Inc.  http://www.radiospirits.com/  I also interview celebrities, host trivia contests (and award prizes) and, with the help of correspondents Lisa Wolf, Sarah Adamson and Mark Cabaniss -- review the latest film releases and check the pulse on the latest Hollywood news and gossip.  

You can also download the AM 560 WIND app to listen to HOLLYWOOD 360 on your Apple, Blackberry or Android phone.  The app is free so get yours today.  And to check out what we're playing each week and for more information on HOLLYWOOD 360 our website is www.hollywood360radio.com

As far as NEW episodes of TWILIGHT ZONE, we are planning on ramping that up later this year.  We hope to have several for you by then.  

Well, that's all for now.  Feel free to email me with questions, suggestions, etc. at camari@falconpicturegroup.com

Thanks for tuning in!

Hi TZ radio fans,

Well it's a new year and a lot is happening. I hope you enjoyed our newest TZ radio episodes, "Another Place in Time" starring Malcolm McDowell and "Rest Stop" starring Brandon Eels, both by prolific writer Steve Nubie. Up next is "Missing, Presumed Dead" staring Danny Goldring. "Missing, Presumed Dead" is an original story for the TZ radio dramas by Dennis Etchison. An Army Captain writes letters to the parents of soldiers missing in action. The letters have the Captain beginning to believe that they have power over whether the soldiers live or die. It's an eerie tale you won't want to miss and it's broadcast to stations and available for download this month.

We continue to add radio stations to our TZ radio dramas line up of nearly 200 affiliates and we hope to add at least 50 more stations this year. You can help by contacting your local radio stations and telling them about TZ radio dramas. The series is free to commercial radio stations and they can contact me at camari@falconpicturegroup.com for more information.

And fans of TZ radio dramas will want to know our sister show to TZ radio dramas. It's called FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES with host, Malcolm McDowell. It's produced in conjunction with Fangoria Entertainment and a new hour-long episode is available to be streamed for free 24/7 at Fangoria's website. Past shows are available for $1.99. You can also download the scripts for free via pdf. Here's the FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES page-link: http://www.fangoria.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=259

So far I've produced 5 FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES and the one currently being streamed is called "Living Space" which stars Marshall Allman (True Blood / Prison Break) and his real-life wife Jamie Anne Allman (The Killing / The Notebook). Yours truly plays "Marcus" and JoBe Cerny plays a madman who owns a luxury high-rise New York apartment complex that he uses as bait for unsuspecting renters. You won't want to miss this gory tale but I must warn you: FANGORIA'S DREADTIME STORIES are NOT for the feint of heart and we recommend that listeners 14 years and younger DO NOT TUNE IN. They are intended for mature audiences due to violence, mild language and adult situations.

Something that is for all audiences is CLASSIC RADIO and If you like classic radio shows like THE SHADOW, JACK BENNY, LIGHTS OUT, FIBBER McGEE & MOLLY, X MINUS ONE and hundreds of others, make sure you tune me in as host of HOLLYWOOD 360 on AM 560 WIND in Chicago. If you are outside the Chicago broadcast signal, you can log on to AM 560 WIND's website to hear the show http://www.560wind.com/

HOLLYWOOD 360 airs each Saturday evening from 8 pm till Midnight (Central time). Each week on HOLLYWOOD 360, I play 4 classic radio shows thanks to Radio Spirits, Inc. http://www.radiospirits.com/ I also interview celebrities, host trivia contests with prizes and, with the help of correspondents Lisa Wolf, Sarah Adamson and Kay Eller, review the latest film releases, cover the theatre scene and check the pulse on the latest Hollywood gossip. You can also download the AM 560 WIND app to listen to HOLLYWOOD 360 on your Apple, Blackberry or Android phone. The app is free so get yours today. And to check out what we're playing each week and for more information on HOLLYWOOD 360 our website is www.hollywood360radio.com

Well, that's all for now. Feel free to email me with questions, suggestions, etc. at camari@falconpicturegroup.com

Thanks for tuning in!

Carl Amari
Producer
THE TWILIGHT ZONE RADIO DRAMAS

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!