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!

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!

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!

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:

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 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!

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!

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!