In recent entries of Roger Ebert’s Answer Man column—on December 9 and December 23—he tackled the rumor that Jack Benny had an uncredited cameo in Casablanca. While addressing various claims, such as the fact that one Benny fan-site stated that the Casablanca press kit verifies the fact, Ebert responded, “I think you’re right.”

I’d never heard this before, and didn’t dig out my old VHS tape to check, but based on a few minutes searching online, I found a newspaper ad placed by a Florida theater that confirms this appearance—because it gave away a free pass to any theater patron who could spot Benny.

Check out this ad below taken from the February 4, 1943 issue of the St. Petersburg, Florida Evening Independent.

Ah, the wonders of the intertubes!

So I guess it’s true! Who knew?

I have quite a vivid dream life, usually remembering two-three dreams each night. I’ve been sharing the ones that can be explained briefly both on twitter and facebook.

But since twitter is ephemeral, I thought I’d gather my tweet dreams together in one place, both out of a fear that they might fade, and to see if there’s any overarching theme. So here are three months worth of them in reverse chronological order. I already knew that many of you in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror communities had starring roles in my dreams. But what I didn’t realize was how many of the dreams I’d already forgotten.

Looking at these, I have a feeling that I’ll someday do something more formal with them. But for now, just seeing them in one place is satisfying enough.

Welcome to my subconscious!

I dreamt I was in a railway station discussing the print histories of Dune and LOTR with Cheryl Morgan as ancient steam engines roared by. 7:41 AM Dec 31st, 2009

I can’t believe I dreamt I was driving while explaining SCI FI Wire’s Moveable Type system to my bored passengers. I need to get out more. 8:10 AM Dec 30th, 2009

I dreamt I was at an awards banquet, polling my friends as to whether or not I should shave my head. But I woke while tallying the votes! 7:56 AM Dec 29th, 2009

I dreamt I was reading the nonexistent The Complete Jules Feiffer, which contained thumbnails for comics I _know_ he had nothing to do with. 7:57 AM Dec 28th, 2009

I dreamt I could play the guitar, but when I tried to sing along, I couldn’t recall the lyrics to a single song. But the music was amazing. 8:38 AM Dec 27th, 2009

I dreamt I was at a con dinner for ten (including Jenn Reese and Karen Meisner) in Australia. A ladybug crawled on Karen, who didn’t mind. 8:26 AM Dec 25th, 2009

I dreamt I was in a corrupt Third World country trying (and failing) to convince rebel leaders to cooperate with the church, and vice versa. 8:20 AM Dec 25th, 2009

I dreamt that a strange insect, half stick bug, half praying mantis, had gotten into the house, and we were having a staring contest. I won. 7:35 AM Dec 24th, 2009

I dreamt I was visiting with Paul Di Filippo and preparing to eat at Prosciutto’s, an all-prosciutto restaurant that exists only in dream. 7:33 AM Dec 24th, 2009

I dreamt I was wandering NY with Irene Gallo while describing the new mag I intended to publish, one with a different format for each issue. 7:29 AM Dec 24th, 2009 (more…)

Irene and I have turned into LPs today—we are now 33 1/3. To translate that, we were married on September 4, 1976, which means that as of today, January 4, 2010, we’ve been married 33 years and four months.

Here we are many, many (many, many) years ago on that date in a photo taken in Irene’s Mom’s backyard in Bethesda. This is the photo that has resided in my wallet ever since that life-changing event.

Irene and I will celebrate the day by locking ourselves in our respective offices and working like dogs, occasionally blowing kisses up and down the stairs.

Yesterday, Irene and I attended a “2010: Odyssey Two Party” at the home of Risa and Sandy Stewart over in Rockville, Maryland. Also in attendance were Karen and Charlie Newton, Rosie Smith and John Naman, Sharon Patry, Todd Supple, and Kathy Waldbauer (all of whom we’d seen only six days earlier at the season’s previous holiday party), plus Tom Doyle, Beth Delaney, Bud Sparhawk, Kyle and Monica McAbee, Martin Wooster, Richard Waldrop, Julia Duncan, Hannah Waldrop, Brick Barrientos, and my sister-in-law Ellen Vartanoff.

I’m sure I’ve left some names out—if you’re one of them, sorry!

If you know any of the folks above, you also know that science fiction and comics made up the major part of the conversation. Among the many topics discussed were the weird comics of Fletcher Hanks, our worst convention hotel experiences (for me, it was the 1997 World Horror Convention at the Days Inn Niagara Falls), foreign editions of Tarzan comics, what degree of the credit that Stan Lee got for the early days of Marvel was undeserved, our favorite Ray Bradbury stories (I listed “The Picasso Summer,” “The Flying Machine,” and “The Toynbee Convector”), that night’s Doctor Who regeneration, our border-crossing war stories from attending international conventions, and more.

I spent so much time in intense conversation that I didn’t take many pictures. Here’s one of the few I did take (or should I say, one I had someone else take) with Monica McAbee. We’re both wearing the deeley-bobbers the Stewarts provided to add to the inarguable sci-fi nature of any 2010 holiday celebration.

And then today, Irene and I attended yet another party, this one a surprise 40th birthday party that also had a holiday feel to it. That makes four such events in the past three weeks. As much fun as they are, can we stop now? If we don’t, I’ll never get my new short story done—and we’ll never get the last of the back acreage cleared!

So next week, it will be just me, Irene, our computers, and a chainsaw, the way God intended!

Yesterday, Irene and I attended a “2010: Odyssey Two Party” at the home of Risa and Sandy Stewart over in Rockville, Maryland. Also in attendance were Karen and Charlie Newton, Rosie Smith and John Naman, Sharon Patry, Todd Supple, and Kathy Waldbauer (all of whom we’d seen only six days earlier at the season’s previous holiday party), plus Tom Doyle, Beth Delaney, Bud Sparhawk, Kyle and Monica McAbee, Martin Wooster, Richard Waldrop, Julia Duncan, Hannah Waldrop, Brick Barrientos, and my sister-in-law Ellen Vartanoff.

I’m sure I’ve left some names out—if you’re one of them, sorry!

If you know any of the folks above, you also know that science fiction and comics made up the major part of the conversation. Among the many topics discussed were the weird comics of Fletcher Hanks, our worst convention hotel experiences (for me, it was the 1997 World Horror Convention at the Days Inn Niagara Falls), foreign editions of Tarzan comics, what degree of the credit that Stan Lee got for the early days of Marvel was undeserved, our favorite Ray Bradbury stories (I listed “The Picasso Summer,” “The Flying Machine,” and “The Toynbee Convector”), that night’s Doctor Who regeneration, our border-crossing war stories from attending international conventions, and more.

I spent so much time in intense conversation that I didn’t take many pictures. Here’s one of the few I did take (or should I say, one I had someone else take) with Monica McAbee. We’re both wearing the deeley-bobbers the Stewarts provided to add to the inarguable sci-fi nature of any 2010 holiday celebration.

And then today, Irene and I attended yet another party, this one a surprise 40th birthday party that also had a holiday feel to it. That makes four such events in the past three weeks. As much fun as they are, can we stop now? If we don’t, I’ll never get my new short story done—and we’ll never get the last of the back acreage cleared!

So next week, it will be just me, Irene, our computers, and a chainsaw, the way God intended!

I guess the organizers of the upcoming World Horror Convention (which this year incorporates the Stoker Awards ceremony) never rest, because I received an e-mail from them this morning laying out my programming for the weekend of March 25-28. And since they’re sending me con info on New Year’s Day, then I guess I’d better blog about it on New Year’s Day, too. We wouldn’t want those Brits to think the members of the U.S. horror contingent were lazy, would we?

So—if you make it to Brighton, here’s where you’ll be able to find me. (Well, officially find me, anyway, as I’m never too hard to find whether I’m on a panel or not.)

The Walking Dead vs. The Undead: Are Zombies the New Vampires?
Thursday, March 25
3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m., Russell
Once upon a time bloodsuckers proliferated, but now the walking dead are the “hot” monsters in books and movies. Is it just a passing fad, or is the zombie revival here to stay? (I’ll be moderating this one.)

Who Cares What You Think? Do Reviews and Blogging Really Matter?
Thursday, March 25
9:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m., Russell
Now that anybody can post a personal “review” on Amazon, or have their own blog where they can pontificate about anything they want, have we lost the critical acumen when it comes to reviewing books and movies?

PS Publishing Launch Party
Friday, March 26
5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m., Bar Rogue
Peter Crowther’s PS Publishing launches new collections by David Case and Basil Copper (both edited by Stephen Jones) and Scott Edelman, with illustrators Randy Broecker, Dave Carson, Les Edwards, Bob Eggleton and Allen Koszowski.

That’s the the cover to my collection below, with art by the incomparable Les Edwards.

Should you feel in the mood, you can preorder it here.

The Writers Groups From Hell held its annual white elephant holiday gift exchange party yesterday. I was one of the founding members of the critiquing group back in 1989, when it didn’t yet have a name, and I had to drop out when Science Fiction Age took over my life. But each year, all members, both current and past, gather together to unload unwanted, unneeded, and unnecessary gifts on each other.

Over good food and drink, I learned things about my friends I never knew before—such as Sharon Patry’s misspent youth artificially inseminating rabbits. I’d share other unsavory anecdotes, but then I’d have to mark this entry NSFW, and we don’t want to go there, do we?

Here I am with Mindy Klasky, while Fred Gooding looks on from the background.

To see who else turned up, check out my flickr set.

And to see how well (or poorly) we’re aging, here are the holiday photos from 2007.

Scott Andrew Hutchins, who seems to be the world’s number-one fan of The Scarecrow, a comic I wrote for Marvel in the mid-’70s, has sent along this ad which offered subscriptions to the book, and to other comics which were never published. (I explained the on-again off-again nature of the character’s publication history here.)

Though the title had appeared on Marvel’s internal calendar, I’d forgotten that a public solicitation had actually appeared before the horror implosion occurred and killed the series. Click on the scan below to check it out.

I wonder how many people bothered to send in the $3.50? And when the comic they wanted became a stillborn, which title they chose instead?

I don’t know what Santa gave you for Christmas, but whatever you got, I’m happier than you!

I’ve been nattering on endlessly about my collection of zombie stories due to be launched by PS Publishing at the World Horror Convention in Brighton next year, and already shared the wonderful Les Edwards illo of my zombified self.

Well, here’s what designer Robert Wexler whipped up for the jacket. (Click through several times to view at a larger size.)

This didn’t arrive gift-wrapped, but it’s the best Christmas present I could have gotten!

As for what you’ll find beneath that cover, here are the nine zombie stories included (three of which were Stoker finalists):

“What Will Come After” is original to this collection

“Live People Don’t Understand” first appeared in The Book of All Flesh, 2001

“The Man He Had Been Before” first appeared in The Mammoth Book of Monsters, 2007

“Almost the Last Story by Almost the Last Man” first appeared in PostScripts, 2007

“Goobers” first appeared in The Book of More Flesh, 2002

“Tell Me Like You Done Before” first appeared in The Dead That Walk, 2009

“A Plague on Both Your Houses” first appeared in The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, 1997

“The Human Race” first appeared in Space and Time, 2009

“The Last Supper” first appeared in The Book of Final Flesh, 2003

Why not buy yourself one as a Christmas present today?

Since Christmas is only one day in the future, here’s a glimpse of me during a Christmas past. Back in 1983, when I still lived in New York, I had a day job working near Grand Central for Carlton Importing, the company that imported St. Pauli Girl and other beers. For their annual Christmas party, they had me dress up as Santa, and had another employee, Ruthie O’Connor, wear one of the St. Pauli Girl outfits we kept around the office that we shipped when bars hosted St. Pauli Girl nights.

Here we are before the party that long-ago December. I have no idea whatever became of Ruthie, and since it’s such a common name, I doubt I’ll ever find out.

But the fact that I was large and had a beard (though not a fluffy white one) wasn’t the only reason they shelled out for a high-end Santa suit. (I seem to recall the outfit costing several hundred dollars to rent for the day even then.) I was also expected to provide some entertainment. (more…)