by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman) Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane... more

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World...

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)



[THE KILLSWITCH REVIEW – CHAPTER NINE, PART THREE]

[GHOSTS IN THE MACHINE]

[Previous Chapter]

“Jason!” Regina cried and rushed to him. Instinctively his arms reached to hold her.

“I’m so glad you’re alive,” she said. She laughed through her tears. “Although I wish you’d found a better disguise.” Her hand rested lightly on his plastiched cheek.

“Regina,” he said, staring down at her tearstained face. It felt so good to hold her again. She looked the same as when he’d seen her last — the same clothes, including his shirt. But so much had happened to him since then. “I’m so sorry about your brother.”

She placed a finger gently against his lips. Haggerty pulled her close.

“Your friend Traci is —”

“We know,” Svoboda said. “You’ve been blamed. We know you’re innocent. We know everything you’ve learned, from watching your investigation through Elsa. And I have information you don’t have that you’ll find useful. That’s why you’re here. Let’s go into my sitting room, shall we?”

“Come to me after, Jason?” Regina pleaded.

“Count on it,” Haggerty told her.

She went to Svoboda, clasped his hands, and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheeks. With a tremulous smile to Haggerty and a sidelong glance at Elsa, she exited the room.

“Our meeting was no coincidence, was it?” Haggerty asked Svoboda.

Svoboda smiled. “I sent her to spend the night with you. Don’t look so hurt, Mr. Haggerty. It was completely her choice to seduce you. I sent her to keep you from pressing.”

“How could you possibly know I was going to press?”

Svoboda placed a hand on his shoulder. Haggerty winced.

“I could tell you about deviations in your normal routine, graph the downslope of your psychevals I’ve pilfered from your company. But I won’t. I knew you were suicidal because your assistant knew it.” He glanced at Elsa, who stood to the side surveying the device that transmitted her audiovisual signal. “That red button on top will cut the connection and end transmission,” Svoboda told her. Before Haggerty could speak, Svoboda prodded, “Again I apologize. Please, come inside and make yourself comfortable.”

The adjoining chamber felt like a retro-Moroccan sensual hashish dream: wine-colored draperies, fire in a large pit, pushpillows for seating. A pitcher of water had been placed on a circular table of beaten brass, along with a pair of tall plastic cups. Svoboda poured water into one of them for Haggerty.

Haggerty used it to down three celtrex, covertly inserting them beneath his tongue while his host poured himself a cup of water. Elsa sat beside him expressionless.

“Clean water must be a luxury out here,” Haggerty said, extending his cup for a refill.

“I’ve got it pretty well rigged,” Svoboda said. “I’m glad you appreciate it.” He refilled Haggerty’s cup. “You may wonder why I’m skilled at these antiquated technologies.”

Haggerty took the bait. “Tell me.”

“I invented most of them or oversaw their implementation,” he said. “Including the one that’s kept you gainfully employed for the past six decades.”

“That’s not possible. The Kevorkian unit was invented by T. J. Soverign.”

“At that time I was still using the Anglicized version adopted by my grandfather when he came to this country. My full name is Tomas Yosif Svoboda.”

Haggerty scrutinized the man before him, comparing the dark eyes, the reddish hair to his memory of the portrait he’d passed daily going to and from his office at BBI. The skin was now deeply tanned, but it was easy to imagine how pale it had been before decades of exposure to the sun. He calculated the English equivalents of his present ethnic name.

“Thomas Joseph Sovereign,” he said.

“That is the name my father gave me,” Svoboda acknowledged. “I used it until I realized my great mistake, my terrible sin, and rejected what I’d done.”

“You invented the box and then had some grand religious conversion?”

“Not a religious conversion,” Svoboda told him. “I merely came to my senses. Please allow me to explain.

“Before the stem was cracked, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She went through endless surgeries, chemotherapies, radiation treatments. Her disease would retreat for a while and come back more aggressive than ever. Eventually, the fight was useless. But it took a long, long time and her suffering was terrible. Our doctors were compassionate — they gave her more pain medication than was legally allowed — but she was begging for death long before she finally succumbed. Her story wasn’t uncommon. I vowed to do everything possible to see that others didn’t go through that kind of suffering.

“I had studied engineering at MIT, courtesy of the United States, and when I got out Uncle Sam expected a lot back from me. Before I knew it I was heading the think tank that oversaw all new technology directives for everyone from the Department of Energy to the CDC to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Endless funds were put at my disposal. I invented the Kevorkian unit to provide a more humane way for the terminally ill to end their lives. I fought for the legislation to make its use legal and then sat on the board of directors at BBI. I didn’t foresee what would happen. KV units weren’t just prescribed for the terminally ill. Soon the laws were changed to allow anyone who could pass a minimal psycheval to press when they saw fit, not just to escape terminal illness but to escape periods of treatable depression or boredom. And BBI evolved to accommodate these changes.”

“So you retired to the desert and founded the Indivisibles,” Haggerty said.

“Again, that came later. Initially I thought I could fight the system from within. I moved to another agency and continued to invent the best tek I could. Which I did well and prolifically until the satellite defense grids went up and we sealed ourselves off from the world.”

“You say that like you think it was a mistake,” Haggerty said. An ant nibbled his thumb.

“I do,” Svoboda said, folding his arms across his robe. “Sealing our borders was the worst decision the American government ever made. Our insularity was bound to hurt us eventually.”

“You blame the government for what’s happening now?”

“It could have been avoided with foresight. I curse myself every day for not getting involved earlier in protesting the system.”

“How old are you?” Haggerty asked.

“One-hundred-fifty-six.” Svoboda smiled at Haggerty’s astonishment. “I can remember what it was like to pump my own gas and I rather miss it,” he said. “It can be difficult watching everything transform around you while you continue relatively unchanged, but it gives you perspective. I have a deeper understanding of what’s happening and why. In a way I’ve played a role in recent events.”

“You’re part of the conspiracy?” Haggerty said, startled.

“Mostly I’m an observer,” Svoboda answered calmly. “But I may be responsible for Max Jennings, who is responsible for this conspiracy, as you call it. I first met him when I was demonstrating against one of Antonio Stelwyn’s companies, North American Health Initiatives. Young Max was a rising star in their chemtech division.”

“I would swear he’s under thirty,” Haggerty asserted. “That’s too young to be legally employed.”

“There have been exceptions to child labor laws almost as long as those laws have existed, Mr. Haggerty. It is rare, but corporations pick off the best and the brightest from our top universities from time to time, offering them full-time work for a fraction of what they pay legal adults. Max impressed the right people while he was still in school, and the required exemptions were duly processed.”

“It couldn’t have been Stelwyn. I don’t think he knows Max worked for him,” Haggerty said.

“You’re probably right,” Svoboda said. “There was no need to involve him in a routine business transaction. Max developed a competing drug, which he refused to abandon and refused to give to his employers. So he was terminated. It’s doubtful Antonio Stelwyn even knew about it.

“Young Max was the breadwinner in his family. His parents put everything they had into Max’s education, and as a result of his success they were living well above their means. Their savings quickly dried up, and they used my damned invention to end their lives — the same invention manufactured by Stelwyn’s company.”

There was the connection between Stelwyn and BBI. “Was there no insurance?” Haggerty asked.

“If there was, it can’t have been much,” Svoboda said. “Max came to me with nothing but the clothes on his back.”

“And Max blames Stelwyn,” Haggerty concluded.

“Very good, Mr. Haggerty.”

“Max became part of your colony?”

“I took him in and mentored him,” Svoboda acknowledged. “It seemed the perfect opportunity to save someone like myself from the mistakes I’d made.”

“And you failed miserably,” Haggerty pointed out harshly.

“I did not know the whole story at that point, Mr. Haggerty. Max presented himself to me as wanting to make a difference in the world. I realized too late that his goals were actually vengeance and personal gain. I provided him refuge until he could find the means to achieve them. Then he perverted my teachings against the system and used them for his own ends.

“The philosophy of the Indivisibles is that the system has gone against the natural order and our nation has divided itself. We have therapies to extend our lives indefinitely but not the resources to support the population our longer lifespans create. Our young have been relegated to second-class citizenship with no hope of meaningful employment or purpose to their lives. Black boxes provide a too-easy solution. I offer the young an alternative. I’m training them to be productive members of society.”

“Productive or destructive?”

“As part of the present system in America, you might well call it destructive, Mr. Haggerty. But I’m training them to be of service to the world and to the future, teaching them the technology that can transform society here and around the globe. Some of them will achieve positions in this country eventually, and promote the sanctity of life. Those who choose to refuse infertility can come here, as you’ve seen. Many go to the third world, to bring others the hope of transformation and ultimately reversing the devastation our predecessors wrought.”

“You send them into exile, to grow old, risk illness, and die?”

“It’s the only place where they are granted permission to be productive now, Mr. Haggerty. The only place they can find fulfillment and meaning. And it is their choice.”

“Meanwhile you remain here and continue your telemor treatments, living off the fruits of their labor?”

“My purpose is to help as many as I can, and for now that requires that I live as long as possible. That’s my penance for creating the black box. I used to believe that everyone should live forever if we could make it possible, and where has that gotten us? Regina told me that she explained to you the decline in mankind’s lifespan as recorded in the Bible. But telemor treatments do not naturally regenerate the body. Stop the treatments and the aging process reasserts itself. My goal is to make the world livable for everyone, so that ultimately the planet is no longer divided and all people are truly equal. That will probably take longer than I already have lived or am likely to survive, but that is my destiny now. And the first step is to change the system as it now exists.”

* * *

Excerpt from The Killswitch Review, published by Yard Dog Press. Copyright 2011 Steven-Elliot Altman.

Steven-Elliot Altman is a bestselling author, screenwriter, and videogame developer. He won multiple awards for his online role playing game, 9Dragons. His novels include Captain America is Dead, Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires, Batman: Fear Itself, Batman: Infinite Mirror, The Killswitch Review, The Irregulars, and Deprivers. His writing has been compared to that of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton and Philip K. Dick, and he has collaborated with world class writers such as Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves, Harry Turtledove and Dr. Janet Asimov. He’s also the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology The Touch, and a contributor to Shadows Over Baker Street, a Hugo Award winning anthology of Sherlock Holmes meets H.P. Lovecraft stories.

Steven also bares ink on his body, and is bi, as in bi-coastal, between NYC and LA. He’s currently hard at work writing and directing his latest videogame Cursed Love, an online free to play gothic horror RPG from Dark Hermit Studios, set in Victorian London. Think Sherlock Holmes, Jack The Ripper and Dorian Gray mercilessly exploit the cast of Twilight. Friend Cursed Love (Official Closed Beta) on facebook and you can have fun playing out this tawdry, tragic romance with Steven while the game is being beta tested!

Diane DeKelb-Rittehouse spent several years in Manhattan as an actress before marrying her college sweetheart and returning to the Philadelphia area where she had been born. Diane first worked with Steven-Elliot Altman when they created the acclaimed, Publisher’s Weekly Starred-Review anthology The Touch: Epidemic of the Millennium, in which her story “Gifted” appeared. Diane has published a number of critically acclaimed short stories, most notably in the science fiction, murder, and horror genres. Her young adult fantasy novel, Fareie Rings: The Book of Forests, is now available in stores or online.

Interested in buying a printed copy of The Killswitch Review? Well, Steve’s publisher Yard Dog Press was kind enough to put up a special page where SuicideGirls can get a special discount and watch a sexy trailer. Just follow this link to KillswitchReview.com and click on the SG logo.

* * *

Related Posts:
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Five
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Nine, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Nine, Part Two

Some SuicideGirls have been modeling for the site for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or even 10 years. We thought it would be fun to show you a look back and some of the SuicideGirls throughout the years. This week we bring you AnnaLee! AnnaLee has been a SuicideGirl since 2005. An avid bird lover nature is a recurring... more

Some SuicideGirls have been modeling for the site for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or even 10 years. We thought it would be fun to show you a look back and some of the SuicideGirls throughout the years.

This week we bring you AnnaLee!

AnnaLee has been a SuicideGirl since 2005. An avid bird lover nature is a recurring theme in her photos. She has 20 photo sets and has gained quite a lot of tattoos since then. Enjoy this look back at the beautiful AnnaLee...

From her first photo set Nothing More in 2005:







From 2005 Bone Puppy her first collaboration with Cherry:







From 2006 Serpentine shot by Cherry:






From 2007 Cosmic Dreams by Cherry:








From 2008 Shimmer shot by Albertine:








From 2009 Paven shot by P_mod:







La Double vie by P_mod form 2009:








From 2010 Natural History by Lavezzaro:







From 2010 Parallel Universe shot by P_mod:








From 2010 Specimen by P_mod:





From 2011 The Wolf caught the Bird with GoGo shot by Cherry:








From 2011 Blushing shot by Sean:










From 2012 Parhelion shot by Cherry:













Hope you enjoyed the beautiful look back at classic SuicideGirl AnnaLee! Be sure to keep an eye out for a new set coming soon to member review!

Become a member TODAY for only $4 a month (if you sign up for a year) to see all 20 nude pin-up photo sets of AnnaLee - http://suicidegirls.com/join/

by Blogbot Featuring Tuaina (the black puppy), Megatron (the German Shepherd), Piraña (the white kitty), Tomasa (the gray kitty), and Banano (the black kitty) – Pictured with their mistress (Nahp Suicide). (image) (image) (image) INTO: Tutaina: All Kinds of food. Megatrón: Bitting Kong and other stuff. more

by Blogbot

Featuring Tuaina (the black puppy), Megatron (the German Shepherd), Piraña (the white kitty), Tomasa (the gray kitty), and Banano (the black kitty) – Pictured with their mistress (Nahp Suicide).







INTO:
Tutaina: All Kinds of food.
Megatrón: Bitting Kong and other stuff.
Piraña: Sleeping in shoes boxes.
Tomasa: Running away from home.
Banano: Looking for love when his mom is watching TV.

NOT INTO:
Tutaina: I don’t like it when the door bell rings.
Megatron: Strange people.
Piraña: Being held.
Tomasa: Medicine.
Banano: Strange people invading my home.







MAKES US HAPPPY:
All: Love and food.

MAKES US SAD:
Puppies: Being alone.
Kitties: The vacuum cleaner.

HOBBIES:
Puppies: Going out with our mom and her boyfriend.
Kitties: Sleeping and playing at 3:00 AM.

5 THINGS WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT:
Food, water, love, fun, our litter box (kitties) / car rides (puppies).







VICES:
Tutaina: I love to lick hands.
Megatron: I can't play without biting a little bit.
Piraña: I drop to the floor to receive caresses.
Tomasa: I love get into the house next door.
Banano: I hide under the sheet and believe no one can see me (even though mom always knows where to find me).

WE SPEND MOST OF OUR FREE TIME:
Sleeping, playing, being cute, and making mom and dad smile.





Photography: Anemona




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Ultima Suicide, Oogie Suicide, Rin Suicide, Tita Suicide, Kraven Suicide, Kemper Suicide, Leandra Suicide, Selahh Suicide, Lunar Suicide, Pia Suicide, Creepy Suicide, Shaddix Suicide, Ryker Suicide, Corgan Suicide, Selene Suicide, Eden Suicide, Venom Suicide, Corgan Suicide, Kewpie Suicide, Jamity Suicide, Epiic Suicide, Patton Suicide, MnemoZyne Suicide, Frolic Suicide, Shotgun Suicide, Phecda Suicide, Lavezzaro Suicide, Rourke Suicide, Antigone Suicide, King Suicide, Clio Suicide, Exning Suicide, Aadie Suicide, Pilot Suicide, Persephone Suicide, Luana Suicide, Fraise Suicide, Cheri Suicide, Jensen Suicide, Radeo Suicide, Lorelei Suicide, Scotty Suicide, Milloux Suicide, Psyche Suicide, Scotty Suicide, GoGo Suicide, Rambo Suicide, Sash Suicide

by Brad Warner (image) I follow Thich Nhat Hanh on Twitter. But, whereas I write my own Twitter posts, I doubt that Mr. Hanh sits in front of his Macbook and types his out for the world to see. My guess is that some minion of his scans his books for pithy statements that fit the Twitter mold and then... more

by Brad Warner



I follow Thich Nhat Hanh on Twitter. But, whereas I write my own Twitter posts, I doubt that Mr. Hanh sits in front of his Macbook and types his out for the world to see. My guess is that some minion of his scans his books for pithy statements that fit the Twitter mold and then uploads them. The Thichster probably never even sees them. I rarely see them either. But yesterday this one popped up:

So I Tweeted the following back at him:

I've said here a few times how much I hate the word "mindfulness." This quote seems to embody everything I don't like about that word.

To be fair to Mr. Hanh, there are many ways to take this statement. There are a lot of things he might have meant by it. For example, he might have meant it as a sort of advertising for meditation. Yardley Aftershave Lotion might tell you, "You'll get lots of chicks if you douse yourself with Yardley" as an incentive to get you to buy more Yardley Aftershave Lotion. Perhaps Mr. Hanh wants you to know that you'll appreciate the sunrise lots more if you do meditation practice. Which is fine, I guess.

But there's another way to take this statement. And I honestly believe it's the way most people would take it. They'd look at it and say, "Gosh. I'm not mindful enough. I'm not concentrated enough. Because when I look at a sunrise, I just shade my eyes so that I can get through this traffic jam on West Market Street without running over any of the kids from Our Lady of the Elms. Sunrises kind of annoy me. They give me a headache. I better get more concentrated and more mindful so that I can be more like Thich Nhat Hanh and let the beauty of the sunrise be revealed to me."

In other words, the concept of "mindfulness" gets in the way of the sunrise. It becomes a big obstacle between what we think of as our self and what we think of as the sunrise. And we make our efforts to try to overcome the obstacle we've placed in our own way. Most of the time I hear or read the word "mindfulness" it sounds to me like an obstacle.

Pretty much all of our religions and our various self-help practices are based on the idea that what we are right now is not good enough. We then envision what "good enough" must be like and we make efforts to transform what we are right now into this image of ourselves as "good enough." We invent in our minds an imaginary "mindful me" and then try to make ourselves into that.

The problem with this kind of effort is right at its very root. We are setting up a habit of always judging ourselves as being not whatever it is we want to be. Whether you're poor and want to be rich or whether you're dull and want to be mindful, it's pretty much the same thing. Of course we'd probably have a better world if more people were ambitious to be mindful than were ambitious to be rich. Probably. But maybe not. Because the effort to be something you're not always seems to go wrong no matter what it is you want to be -- even if you want to be super terrifically nice.

People who are working on fulfilling some image they have of a "nice person" are usually a pain in the ass. Their efforts to be like the "nice person" they've invented in their heads almost always get in the way of actually doing what needs to be done. Most of the time I'd rather be around someone who is honestly selfish than someone who is forever trying to be helpful. That kind of forced helpfulness is almost never helpful at all. It's annoying. Sometimes it's even harmful.

But those of us who realize that we actually aren't as good as we could be have a real dilemma. What do you do when you recognize that you really are greedy, envious, jealous, angry, pessimistic and so on and on and on?

To me, it seems like the recognition of such things is itself good enough. It's not necessary to envision a better you and try to remake yourself in that image. Just notice yourself being greedy and very simply stop being greedy. Not for all time in all cases. Just in whatever instance you discover yourself being greedy. If you're greedy on Tuesday for more ice cream, don't envision a better you somewhere down the line who is never greedy for more ice cream. Just forgo that last scoop of ice cream right now. See how much better you feel. This kind of action, when repeated enough, becomes a new habit. Problem solved.

As far as mindfulness and concentration are concerned, it works the same way. At the moment you notice yourself drifting off, come back. You might start drifting off again a nanosecond later. But that's OK. When you notice it again, come back again. Repeat as necessary.

Trying to be more mindful and concentrated is just gonna put you right to where you were drifting away from the sunrise in the first place.


***

Brad Warner is the author of Sex, Sin and Zen: A Buddhist Exploration of Sex from Celibacy to Polyamory and Everything in Between as well as Hardcore Zen, Sit Down and Shut Up! and Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate. He maintains a blog about Buddhist stuff that you can click here to see.

Brad Warner will be speaking in Los Angeles soon.

March 10, 2012
10 AM - 3:30 PM
Hill Street Center
237 Hill St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405

March 15, 2012
7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
Against the Stream
4300 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90029

You can also buy T-shirts and hoodies based on his books, and the new CD by his band Zero Defex now!



Related Posts:
Brad Warner’s Hardcore Zen: Doesn’t Buddhism Count Homosexuals As Sexual Deviants? Putting The Fallacy To Bed
Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen: Meditation, Depression and the Sense of Self
Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen: I Resent My High School
The Human Potential Movement Can Suck My Ass
Brad Warner’s Hardcore Zen: How To Make A Zen Monster
Brad Warner’s Hardcore Zen: The End of the World As We Know It
Brad Warner’s Hardcore Zen: Win A Date With Brad Warner!!!
Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen: Uninvited To The Buddhist Party
Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen: Secure Your Mask Before Helping Others
Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen: Juggling
Brad Warner’s Hardcore Zen: Crazy Wisdom – The Story Of A Drunken Sex Pervert Who Revolutionized Buddhism

by Nahp Suicide (image) [Talena in Middle of Nowhere] Talena is a Latin American photographer. She lives in Chile but travels constantly to other Latin American countries to shoot sets with different SGs. She has been with SuicideGirls since 2007, and is both a model and a photographer. How did you first... more

by Nahp Suicide


[Talena in Middle of Nowhere]

Talena is a Latin American photographer. She lives in Chile but travels constantly to other Latin American countries to shoot sets with different SGs. She has been with SuicideGirls since 2007, and is both a model and a photographer.

How did you first get involved with SuicideGirls?

I remember finding a few pictures of Quinne, Apnea, and other models thanks to Fotolog. Then I found a link to the SG site, and took the free tour. I used to think that SG was only for North American models.

What's your background photography-wise?

My start was thanks to Fotolog. That was how I got involved in photography too, with standard cameras, trying to get the best out of every machine that I had during that time. I was also my own model. I am a self-taught photographer from the beginning, so I know that photography will be my only path in life. In the present I’m studying Visual Art and Photography. I enjoy it very much, but college only gives me the status of professional. I feel like the experience with SuicideGirls gives me all the knowledge of a professional photographer, the studies only give me some foundation in technique. But as an artist or a professional related to art and expression we’re always gonna learn some more.


[Emanuelle in Playground Love]

What was the first photo you had published?

That was in a publication called Pink Attitude. They bought my self-portrait for the cover around 2007 or 2008.

How would you describe your style?

Tough question; In the beginning I was trying to follow the style of the site. It took some time for me to discover my own voice, my own emotional vibration. Outside of SG my style is more dark but equally feminine, playing with the atmosphere, with textures, and the temperature. I guess, little by little, I ended up transferring a mix between my personal style and the style of the site.

What gear do you use?

A Canon 7D with two lenses: a 28-155mm and a 50mm. I aso use a Canon Speedlite 580 II flash and some reflectors. I’m planning to increase my gear this year.


[Noidd in The Bright Young Things]

How important is Photoshop in your final images?

It’s a tool in that it complements my work, BUT you have to understand that the capture is everything. When I take a good capture, I can always visualize how it’s gonna end up, what kind of mood, the aesthetics, the feeling, the personality of the picture. So for me it is a great tool to increase, interpret, and transform the conditions and details since as a photographer sometimes you have to fight with nature.

What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing sets?

I am inspired by several sources: fashion, film, music, and the feeling that remains in my subconscious, that makes me dream. I also get inspired by the style and the personality of the models. It’s really fun adapt a vision based on the style of the model because that only makes the results better.


[Liu, Prussia and Cassiopea in Cherry Bomb]

What is your favorite image?

Oh god, that’s difficult, because lately I have shot so many sets and I think most of them are my favorites. But I think one of them is from the multi of Liu, Prussia and Cassiopea called Cherry Bomb.

Tell us why it's your fave and how you achieved it?

I specially love this picture because the girls had so much fun. I mean, as a matter of fact, most of the pictures were spontaneous. It was so much fun. The four of us took a long trip to take the shots. It happened in a room full of instruments. Everywhere was smelling of beer and cigarettes, and everyone was sweating and laughing till they burst. I think that’s why it’s one of my faves. It was a nice moment. I love that set to death.

Is there anybody or anything you would love to photograph that you haven't? (And tell us why)

My dream is go to Europe and be able to shot every place that crosses my sight. Getting to know Germany especially, would also be a dream. Being able to shooting Manko, Quinne, Radeo, Plum, Annalee, Kraven, Jamity, and the list goes and goes. The truth is that I hope to meet and shoot so many girls of the site. I’ve had the opportunity to visit different countries and meet very gorgeous girls in each one. I hope to continue traveling the world and not stopping. There's so much beauty in every place.


[Liu in Fake Diamonds, Fur Coat]

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by Nahp Suicide (image) [Talena in Middle of Nowhere] Talena is a Latin American photographer. She lives in Chile but travels constantly to other Latin American countries to shoot sets with different SGs. She has been with SuicideGirls since 2007, and is both a model and a photographer. How did you first... more

by Nahp Suicide


[Talena in Middle of Nowhere]

Talena is a Latin American photographer. She lives in Chile but travels constantly to other Latin American countries to shoot sets with different SGs. She has been with SuicideGirls since 2007, and is both a model and a photographer.

How did you first get involved with SuicideGirls?

I remember finding a few pictures of Quinne, Apnea, and other models thanks to Fotolog. Then I found a link to the SG site, and took the free tour. I used to think that SG was only for North American models.

What's your background photography-wise?

My start was thanks to Fotolog. That was how I got involved in photography too, with standard cameras, trying to get the best out of every machine that I had during that time. I was also my own model. I am a self-taught photographer from the beginning, so I know that photography will be my only path in life. In the present I’m studying Visual Art and Photography. I enjoy it very much, but college only gives me the status of professional. I feel like the experience with SuicideGirls gives me all the knowledge of a professional photographer, the studies only give me some foundation in technique. But as an artist or a professional related to art and expression we’re always gonna learn some more.


[Emanuelle in Playground Love]

What was the first photo you had published?

That was in a publication called Pink Attitude. They bought my self-portrait for the cover around 2007 or 2008.

How would you describe your style?

Tough question; In the beginning I was trying to follow the style of the site. It took some time for me to discover my own voice, my own emotional vibration. Outside of SG my style is more dark but equally feminine, playing with the atmosphere, with textures, and the temperature. I guess, little by little, I ended up transferring a mix between my personal style and the style of the site.

What gear do you use?

A Canon 7D with two lenses: a 28-155mm and a 50mm. I aso use a Canon Speedlite 580 II flash and some reflectors. I’m planning to increase my gear this year.


[Noidd in The Bright Young Things]

How important is Photoshop in your final images?

It’s a tool in that it complements my work, BUT you have to understand that the capture is everything. When I take a good capture, I can always visualize how it’s gonna end up, what kind of mood, the aesthetics, the feeling, the personality of the picture. So for me it is a great tool to increase, interpret, and transform the conditions and details since as a photographer sometimes you have to fight with nature.

What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing sets?

I am inspired by several sources: fashion, film, music, and the feeling that remains in my subconscious, that makes me dream. I also get inspired by the style and the personality of the models. It’s really fun adapt a vision based on the style of the model because that only makes the results better.


[Liu, Prussia and Cassiopea in Cherry Bomb]

What is your favorite image?

Oh god, that’s difficult, because lately I have shot so many sets and I think most of them are my favorites. But I think one of them is from the multi of Liu, Prussia and Cassiopea called Cherry Bomb.

Tell us why it's your fave and how you achieved it?

I specially love this picture because the girls had so much fun. I mean, as a matter of fact, most of the pictures were spontaneous. It was so much fun. The four of us took a long trip to take the shots. It happened in a room full of instruments. Everywhere was smelling of beer and cigarettes, and everyone was sweating and laughing till they burst. I think that’s why it’s one of my faves. It was a nice moment. I love that set to death.

Is there anybody or anything you would love to photograph that you haven't? (And tell us why)

My dream is go to Europe and be able to shot every place that crosses my sight. Getting to know Germany especially, would also be a dream. Being able to shooting Manko, Quinne, Radeo, Plum, Annalee, Kraven, Jamity, and the list goes and goes. The truth is that I hope to meet and shoot so many girls of the site. I’ve had the opportunity to visit different countries and meet very gorgeous girls in each one. I hope to continue traveling the world and not stopping. There's so much beauty in every place.


[Liu in Fake Diamonds, Fur Coat]

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(image) by A.J. Focht With The Amazing Spider-Man set to release this coming July, it might seem a little early to be thinking of a spin-off movie for the series, but it looks like Sony already is. The company is negotiating with Josh Trank, director of this year’s indie superhero hit Chronicle, to... more

by A.J. Focht

With The Amazing Spider-Man set to release this coming July, it might seem a little early to be thinking of a spin-off movie for the series, but it looks like Sony already is. The company is negotiating with Josh Trank, director of this year’s indie superhero hit Chronicle, to take the lead on the Venom movie. The idea of a Venom movie has been tossed around by Sony since 2008, but they are hoping to use the success of the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man to launch the spin-off. Trank has already shown us he knows how to handle the hero-to-villain transformation so a Venom film should come as natural to him.



Speaking of The Amazing Spider-Man, last week, Stan Lee revealed he is a playable character in the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man videogame. There is no word on who Stan Lee’s character in the game will be, or if this will tie into his cameo in the movie. But fear not true believers, The Amazing Spider-Man game will be released on June 26 and all will be revealed then.

The Avengers have broken their own record with the trailer released last week. Surpassing the numbers achieved for most times viewed on iTunes in a twenty-four hour period by The Avengers super bowl trailer, the newest clip was viewed 13.7 million times in just one day, and that’s just on iTunes. With numbers like that showing for the trailers, there is no doubt that The Avengers will be setting the bar pretty high for all the superhero movies released this summer.

The DC Nation programming block on Cartoon Network premiered this last weekend. It brings exclusive DC cartoons including Green Lantern and Young Justice to the Saturday morning line up. Alongside the cartoons will be several shorts featuring less known heroes. In recent interviews, some of the shorts were previewed including Thunder and Lightning, a take on DC’s first black super hero, Black Lightning, and his life raising super powered daughters. These shorts will focus more on the comedic side of the DC heroes compared to the more serious cartoons.

From Scorpion King all the way to Hercules, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson will be playing Hercules in the upcoming Brett Ratner adaption of Steve Moore’s comic, The Thracian Wars. The comic is about Hercules leading a group of mercenaries in a revolt against the insane king. Not much more is known about the story as this particular comic hasn’t been published yet.

While The Avengers might be Joss Whedon’s most anticipated project of the year, his horror film, Cabin in the Woods, releases first on April 13, and a new trailer has been released for it. It’s pretty apparent that there is a lot more going on than your traditional cabin in the woods horror story.



Joss Whedon isn’t the only one releasing a bunch of films this year. Tim Burton also has his hands in on three different movies. With Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter being the most publicized, two of the others nearly slipped through the cracks. In a recent interview, Burton discussed his upcoming Dark Shadows. He didn’t tell us much, other than it will be a dark family story, along the lines of Beetlejuice. With no trailers, posters, and minimal press coverage about Dark Shadows, it’s unknown what we should expect, other than Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. But don’t be dismayed by the lack of info on that project, the first official preview for Burton’s other project, Frankenweenie, has been released. This Disney CGI film follows the heartwarming tale of a young boy and his undead dog.

FOX has sacrificed their first TV show of the year, Terranova. After just one season, the Jurassic time travel tale is getting cut. It’s not a huge surprise, considering the low audience and high costs. This is likely only the start of the cancellations to be announced over the next few months, and it looks like genre based shows are in the cross hairs.

by SG's Team Agony feat. Yesenia Let us answer life's questions - because great advice is even better when it comes from SuicideGirls. (image) [Yesenia in The Watering Hole] Q: Me and my ex-boyfriend have a lot of drama going on still. We ended our relationship about three months ago, however,... more

by SG's Team Agony feat. Yesenia

Let us answer life's questions - because great advice is even better when it comes from SuicideGirls.


[Yesenia in The Watering Hole]

Q: Me and my ex-boyfriend have a lot of drama going on still. We ended our relationship about three months ago, however, after we broke up we have been seeing each other almost every day. We have sex and still act like a couple around each other. I even made a trip with him and his family over the Christmas holiday.

I thought this would clear up everything, but clearly we are still broken up. He is even dating someone else who has no idea that I spent the holidays with him and his family.

What should I do? Should I tell the chick we are still dating, or should I just keep it to myself? I love this boy, and would really like to get back with him.

Please help.

A: I would talk to him about it. Talking to the girl isn't going to do any good. He is the one essentially dating two girls, and he is the one you want to be with. He is therefore the one you should talk to.

Be honest about your feelings for him and that you want a relationship again. Since you are not committed to each other at this time, you are both allowed to see other people. If that is not something that you are okay with, I would be open about those feelings. Think about what you expect out of your time together and try to have a "bird's eye view” of the situation.

Ultimately though, if he’s not willing to return to an exclusive situation, and that’s what you want, you must be prepared to walk away – completely this time – since clearly this current situation is not making you happy and is therefore not a healthy one for you.

Good luck!

Yesenia
xx

***

Got Problems? Let SuicideGirls’ team of Agony Aunts provide solutions. Email questions to: gotproblems@suicidegirls.com

One great side effect of the “found footage” movie genre is that we get to discover new stars with each one. If they’re trying to pretend this is footage from someone’s camcorder, whether they’re lost in the woods or running from monsters, the actors have to look like people you wouldn’t recognize... more

One great side effect of the “found footage” movie genre is that we get to discover new stars with each one. If they’re trying to pretend this is footage from someone’s camcorder, whether they’re lost in the woods or running from monsters, the actors have to look like people you wouldn’t recognize on the street.
Project X is a huge Warner Brothers movie and we’ve got an exclusive on the three stars. Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper and Jonathan Daniel Brown play three high schoolers who throw a party to improve their social reputation. The party gets out of hand with naked girls in the pool, people stuffed into ovens, cars driven into the water and a flame thrower.
Mann plays the host of the party, named Thomas after himself. Cooper plays Costa, the bad influence friend who insists the wildest extravagances will guarantee them hot girls, as if he knows. Brown plays JD, sort of the quiet one who goes along with everything, but in real life he did the most talking.
The three actors are working as a set, so I made it a foursome. When they were told a reporter from Suicide Girls was coming, Mann and Brown got excited. Thomas, you’re not old enough for a subscription, you naughty boy, but we appreciate the love.

SuicideGirls: You guys know Suicide Girls?

Jonathan Daniel Brown: No them personally? I would like to.

Oliver Cooper: They were filling me on it.

SG: Do you have any favorite Suicide Girls?

JDB: I’d have to load it up and then make a 20 minute decision in the bathroom.

SG: But they’re you’re type of girls.

JDB: Tatted up girls?

OC: I like tattoos.

JDB: Jumbo’s Clown Room.

OC: Jumbo’s Clown Room, that’s a good place.

JDB: You heard of it?

SG: Of course I have. They don’t actually take their clothes all the way off though.

OC: No, but that’s actually, I kind of prefer that.

JDB: Kind of makes it sexier. It’s more burlesque.

Thomas Mann: It’s a little more classy that way.

OC: Sometimes it’s just too much when you go to a strip club and she’s like spread open.

JDB: Oh my God!

SG: The girls at Jumbo's do some pretty impressive acrobatics and flips.

TM: Right, it’s more like art.

JDB: It’s Cirque du Soleil, you know.

OC: There’s something really cool about that.

SG: Well, is the found footage genre great for new actors because they need unrecognizable faces?

TM: Yeah, I think definitely it’s opened up a lot of doors for people. I mean, they opened this up to like 3000 tape submissions is what they had.

JDB: Yeah, I got this movie through an open call over the internet actually.

OC: I don't know if it’s [the genre.] I think movies and television are always just looking for new faces. People get sick of seeing the same face over and over again. I don't think it’s a found footage thing. I think it’s just movies.

TM: Yeah, but I mean, if you saw Brad Pitt in a found footage film it would totally take you out of it immediately.

OC: Yeah, that’s true.

TM: So yeah, I think it lends itself to the authenticity.

JDB: That said I’m not sure if this is a traditional found footage movie either. It doesn’t take place through one camera the whole [movie]. It does for a majority of the film.

OC: It’s meant to feel that way.

JDB: Sure but there’s music and there’s montages.

TM: Well, it is found footage that’s been cut together and stylized.

OC: The movie’s not like some of those handheld movies that are so shaky and it’s trying to create that thing. This movie has I think a very watchable style to it.

JDB: And every five seconds they don’t go, “Hey, look at the camera. Hey, look at the camera. Hey, this is a movie we’re making.” You kind of get those over with in the first few minutes and then you’re onto the actual suspension of disbelief.

SG: Was Dax Flame really on the camera?

OC: No.

JDB: He was on set the whole time. He was there every day.

TM: He was always on set though. He was always very interested in learning about the camera. He was always talking to Ken Seng who was our cinematographer.

OC: He probably only held the camera once or twice.

TM: A few times logistically it was the only way we would work, if he actually shot it, but that was only a couple times. Other times in super wide shots he would have a prop camera.

OC: Ken Sang actually had a trenchcoat that Dax had a trenchcoat in the movie and he wore a trenchcoat to simulate him.

JDB: And Ken’s like two feet taller than Dax.

OC: Yeah, he doesn’t look like Dax.

TM: He would have the same boots on in case the camera would fall to the ground and it would still look like Dax was holding the camera.

JDB: And there are definitely a couple shots where people can see that that’s Dax but we know it’s really Ken Sang.

TM: Well, there is a mirror shot where that’s obviously Dax so there were a couple times it was necessary for him to shoot it, but mostly it was our cinematography Ken Seng.

SG: Would this kind of party actually be fun for you?

TM: Yes. As long as I wasn’t throwing it. I would love to be there.

OC: I think most of said it would be fun to go to. Throwing a party in general kind of sucks. Not suck, it’s just overwhelming.

JDB: It’s never fun to host. Let’s be honest.

OC: God, you’ve got to worry about everything.

TM: It is one of the most stressful things, hosting a party, especially something like this. Yeah, I think I would go for maybe the first half of this party.

OC: Yeah, you’d get out.

JDB: I’d go for the middle portion.

OC: I’d just stay for the end.

JDB: You would get there right at the end.

OC: Once the riot starts, I just show up throwing shit.

JDB: When things start breaking I’d go home and I’d play Skyrim

. It’s much safer.

SG: I was thinking I don’t care how many naked boobies there are, I know somebody’s going to get killed and I don’t want to be an accessory.

JDB: Right.

OC: That is true.

JDB: That is fair. Considering we had nine on set accidents and that was completely staged, so God knows if this happened in real life what the body count would be. It would be like Fallujah, man.

SG: What were some of the accidents?

OC: Nothing crazy.

JDB: What are you talking about? A kid got hit by a car. The car in the pool scene, some kid got smacked.

OC: But he was fine.

JDB: Oh, yeah, I know. No one died.

OC: No one got anything broken.

TM: No one was seriously injured but there were a lot of hospital visits. But again, a lot of the stuff, it’s found footage, it’s hard to fake. You don’t have as many cuts. You have to disguise it somehow.

OC: That’s what really for me makes the movie really good is that it doesn’t feel fake. It’s crazy but it doesn’t feel like really fake. The house was a real house and the things that were happening, the guy goes through a window, he really went through the window.

TM: You can’t cut around it. You have one take to do it all and if you want to cut, you have to do like a fast swipe and hide the cuts.

OC: When the car went in the pool, it’s just crazy.

TM: We got one take of that because once you put a car in the pool it’s [over].

JDB: And shooting chronologically was a byproduct of that too. We couldn’t just have a scene with the house on fire and then have a scene where we’re at the beginning, the party just started. We had to have a five week long party from beginning to end. So it’s not just exhaustion in makeup. It’s exhaustion in the fact that we’ve been getting up at 5 p.m. and going to bed at 7 a.m. every day for the last five weeks. We’re exhausted.

TM: Yeah, it was a really intense experience.

SG: Do you think audiences will get that it’s a cautionary tale?

JDB: To a degree.

TM: I don’t think it even is. I’m not even sure that it is.

OC: It’s a movie.

TM: I think it’s an escape. It’s an experience. I think it is a celebration.

JDB: I mean, do people watch The Hangover and go, “I’m gonna go take drugs.”

TM: Like oh, I shouldn’t do that. I should be careful. I think the point of the movie is to make people want to go out and have a party with their friends.

JDB: Yeah, if you kick a cop off his horse and go for a ride, I’m not taking any responsibility for that.

OC: If some kid tries to have this party and brings a guy with a flamethrower than he’s just an idiot.

TM: Show me the kid that can do that.

JDB: That’s a challenge, Thomas, it’s dangerous.

TM: Hey man.

JDB: It’s okay.

SG: Oliver, is this persona Costa has just totally acting out?

OC: For sure. He’s a kid who’s a loser. If you really watch the movie, I’m talking to him like, “You’ve gotta talk

to this girl” and I’m never, I think you see him making out with a girl.

TM: Are you asking if he’s aware how full of shit he is in the movie?

SG: Yes, because do guys putting on that act really believe it?

OC: Even Costa, the whole movie I’m going, “I can fix this, don’t worry. I have a cousin who can fix this, I can fix this, don’t worry.” There’s a scene when the car goes into the pool, I’m like, “Thomas, I can’t fix any of this shit.” I am full of shit.

TM: He kind of drops it for a second and you see the real him.

OC: But then I’m back at the end like oh, I got the pimp cup.

TM: But it’s cool you see those moments where he kind of comes down and he’s a real person, like the moment with Tyler or Everett at the car, where he’s like, “Hey man, you can’t hard charge all the time.” That’s where the kid got

punched. It’s kind of a sweet moment for Costa.

OC: It was nice to actually have a couple moments in the movie, like even at the end, I’m actually finally talking like a normal human being. Because the whole time before that I’m just hard charging the whole time.

JDB: We even shot a scene where actually Costa confesses he’s not from Queens and how sorry he is, that didn’t make it into the movie because there’s no time.

OC: I don't know if there’s no time as much as it lead people to believe maybe I’m from Queens, maybe I’m not, I don't know.

JDB: I don’t think that’s the central mystery of the movie, Oliver.

OC: It’s not. No, that’s what everyone’s wondering. Is he really from Queens?

SG: I understand why people, especially teens, adopt that persona. I just wonder is there anyone who actually has that personality for real? It’s always masking something.

OC: Oh for sure. I mean, I think most people are masking something anyway.

JDB: He just wants a hug.

TM: Yeah, I think the Costa character is definitely insecure.

OC: Yeah, I mean, I think all of our characters are probably a little bit insecure.

TM: But as far as the way you deal with it by putting on this front.

SG: Thomas, your character has that awesome best friend who he’s actually appreciated all along. Was it nice that it was only under the influence of drugs that he even strayed?

TM: Yeah, I mean I really don’t think it’s about drugs. I think it’s a coincidence that he was also on drugs but it’s such a crazy big night for him in so many ways that I think it forces him to realize what is really important to him and he realizes it’s his friend that he’s had for such a long time.

JDB: Drugs makes a great excuse though.

TM: It definitely does.

SG: Yeah, I thought it was only because he was on drugs that he would even consider anyone but Kirby.

TM: I think drugs only bring out the truth.

JDB: He’s trying to vindicate you Thomas.

OC: She was gorgeous though. I mean, you can’t blame him.

SG: Did you do the jump from the roof for real?

JDB: Nope. It was the stunt men.

TM: Stunt doubles.

JDB: My stuntman was like 70 years old too. He was an old guy.

TM: I heard he was a complainer.

JDB: Was he a complainer? I liked him. He did the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the ‘70s. You know, there’s not a lot of stunt guys in my body type. They have to at least start in shape and I’m sure that guy looked really great in like 1975.

TM: No, he was a nice guy.

OC: I had a stunt guy too but he didn’t really have to do too much because I didn’t jump.

JDB: Thomas’s stunt guy was like 19 years old.

TM: Yeah, my stunt guy was like really cool.

JDB: He’s like this kid who could do anything.

TM: He actually looks like me.

OC: It was really weird how much that guy looked like you.

SG: Did you guys go to regular high school while you were pursuing acting?

TM: I was sort of pursuing acting. I was doing commercials in Dallas when I was going to high school so no. I guess I sort of was but I hadn’t quite made it yet. I wasn’t in L.A.

OC: When I was in high school I started doing some standup comedy but that was just a weekend for fun and nothing serious. I mean, I really never pursued acting. I kind of did when I moved out to L.A. but I was out here only nine months before I got this movie and it was just really coincidence, just lucky and things happened. I wasn’t planning for this to be honest.

JDB: I was Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof in sixth grade. That about covers it.

SG: Did you do plays throughout school?

JDB: I mean, until like 7th grade but I was kind of a messed up high schooler. I jumped from school to school for a little while. Then when I was 19 I started doing some standup just for fun. Right before I turned 21 I did this audition for shits and giggles online and things snowballed from there. I was more interested in writing and doing silly comedy but I really appreciate acting now. It’s a lotta fun and it’s definitely something I’m going to continue to pursue.

SG: How old are you now?

OC: I’m 22.

JDB: As am I.

TM: I’m 20.

SG: Do you all live in L.A. now?

TM: Yeah.

OC: Yeah.

JDB: I’m a local. I’m from L.A.

SG: How do you find the L.A. lifestyle for a young actor?

OC: It’s what you want it to be.

TM: It’s tricky.

JDB: It’s different for me because I’ve always lived in L.A. so I don’t really know what an L.A. lifestyle is.

TM: There’s really no other industry where your personal life collides with your work life in so many different areas. Which is good and a bad thing.

OC: You can make it whatever you want. If you want to live crazy or you can sit on your couch and smoke weed all day. That’s an option too. It’s really whatever you want to do.

SG: Are you guys still friends and hang out now?

JDB: Yeah, multiple times a week.

OC: Yeah, weirdly.

JDB: Why weirdly?

OC: I mean weirdly in the sense of how close of friends we are too. We hang out on the weekends.

JDB: We hang out on the weekdays.

OC: Well, every day’s a weekend in this town I guess.

JDB: What does that even mean?

OC: No one really works. No one has day jobs. No one has 9 to 5s.

SG: What are your prospects now after Project X?

JDB: I’ll take whatever gets me out of my parents’ house, you know.

OC: Me too. I did this little independent film because I wasn’t really getting cast in anything actively. I tried auditioning for things and it just wasn’t really going that well so I was like I’m just going to do my own thing. So me and a friend, we raised a bunch of money and shot our own movie at my house. I live with my aunt and four dogs and it’s this crazy house. So we shot a movie, my aunt acts in it, I act in it and I wanted to do something different than I play in Project X. I wanted to do this more sad character I guess. So I did that.

TM: More movies. I just want to broaden my horizons and do different kind of things. I’m open to whatever but I’m actively looking for my next project always. I’ve got a few other things coming out later this year and then next year. I just hope it continues because you never know.

SG: Did those films see Project X before they cast you?

TM: No. They were actually really strict no one say Project X.

SG: What do you expect your red carpet premiere to be like?

JDB: Vindication for the past two years. So much work, it’s really exciting.

TM: It’s just like we’ve been waiting for our lives to start almost just because it was such a huge project for all of us. It’s been a long time coming so the anticipation has lasted a long time.

OC: It’s the ups and downs of first you find out you’re doing a movie with Todd Phillips, you think the movie can be huge, then you don’t know. It’s ups and downs, ups and downs.

TM: But it’s gratifying now that it’s finally coming out and the responses are cool. I think we made the movie we wanted to make for sure.

Project X opens March 2.

by Damon Martin (image) The decision Hollywood made a few months ago to remake Buffy the Vampire Slayer without series creator Joss Whedon was met with more than just a little venom from the fans that followed and supported the series for seven seasons and a continuing run into the comic book world. more

by Damon Martin



The decision Hollywood made a few months ago to remake Buffy the Vampire Slayer without series creator Joss Whedon was met with more than just a little venom from the fans that followed and supported the series for seven seasons and a continuing run into the comic book world.

It appears that some of those voices were heard after first time writer Whit Anderson was hired to write a script, and upon further review, the producers behind the project were thoroughly unimpressed with what he came up with; The Los Angeles Times reports the script was “was rejected completely.”

The project is now on hold awaiting a new writer, but it may end up getting shelved all together after the fans of the Buffy-verse revolted against the idea of a movie remake without its creator's involvement.

Some of the actors who made up a big part of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series for seven years were also soundly against the idea of a movie remake sans Whedon. Especially considering most of them are still young enough to reprise roles in some kind of movie, if Whedon ever decided to make a go of it.

"Without Joss's participation it is likely to be almost as good as the original film," said James Marsters, who portrayed Spike during the hit series' run when speaking to SuicideGirls. "Cause at least Joss wrote that one."

The original Buffy the Vampire Slayer film –– which starred Kristy Swanson, Luke Perry, Rutger Hauer, and Paul 'Pee-Wee Herman' Reubens –– was released in 1992 and was a critical disaster. However, it became a bit of a cult hit among science fiction fans.

Whedon wrote the original film and created all the characters, but the Hollywood machine twisted, turned, and trounced on his ideas throughout the making of it, and the result is what ended up being released.

The film's ultimate failure is what put Whedon back into creative mode to bring Buffy and her cohorts back, this time to the small screen. The show ran for seven years and has continued to be one of the most popular and talked about shows in the science fiction fan realm, and even hit syndication.

"I don't think it's Buffy without Joss Whedon," said Mark Metcalf, who portrayed 'The Master' throughout the first season and several other appearances during the show's seven season run. "He was the source of it, originally, even before the movie. It was his idea and the series came about because he wasn't happy with what they did with the movie."

Marsters and Metcalf are just two of the players from the Buffy TV universe that didn't seem to be on board for a remade movie, and despite their best efforts Hollywood seems to have come to that realization as well.

Metcalf may have summed it up best when speaking about the potential project, if it ever does get completed.

"I won't go see it," Metcalf stated.

Buffy or no Buffy, Whedon has obviously kept busy. He wrote and directed the big budget superhero film The Avengers which hits theaters this summer and is expected to be one of the year's biggest films.