Halloween Podcast with Jimmy Boy McLean

More BacktoFrankBlack - should have a Black Jack review up soon. In the meantime, more James Podcasts!

Great to speak to Kett - lovely man, and our wonderful friend, Murv (MR Sellars) the paranormal author! Enjoy!


BacktoFrankBlack: The Millennium Group Sessions, hosted by Troy Foreman and co-hosted by Jim McLean is now available for free download via our website AND on ITunes!

Listen to the Mp3 on the BacktoFrankBlack Stream or download using the links below!


To download from BacktoFrankBlack.com

• For a high quality podcast: Right click here and select "save link as.." (approx 57MB 60mins)
• There is no enhanced version for this episode due to technical difficulties. The full MP3 will be available from ITUNES instead of the M4B
  

To download from ITUNES

• To subscribe to the Itunes podcast, simply load up the Itunes store on your Itunes application, search for BacktoFrankBlack and wait for the podcast to pop onto the list. Then click "subscribe" - you will need to sign up to a free Itunes account to do this - but Itunes does run a great service for podcasts of all types (including our friends ThaDarkSideVibe and Spooktalkular)

BacktoFrankBlack: Millennium Group Sessions 14: MILLENNIUM - The Curse of Frank Black!

In this episode of the Millennium Group Sessions series, the focus is Curse of Frank Black as BacktoFrankBlack's Curse of Frank Black comes to an end. Jim interviews Kett Turton, the once kid actor who told the ghost story in Frank's basement before Troy and Jim launch into a Curse of Frank Black discussion with Kett and Millennium fan/Paranormal author, MR Sellars!

This free podcast is available on a weekly to fortnightly basis via ITUNES and BacktoFrankBlack.com. We'll naturally update you all on information on the podcast from this blog as well.

With ITUNES, anyone who has an Itunes friendly account will be able to subscribe easily and download the podcasts as they are released.

Send your letters and postcards to FOX:

STEVE ASBELL
Twentieth Century Fox
10201 West Pico Blvd.,
Bldg. 88, Room 132
Los Angeles, CA 90035#

PLUS: British fans, see Kett live!
"Moliere or The League of Hypocrites" by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Running from Nov. 24th - Dec. 19th at the Finborough Theatre.
Details at www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS BLOG!

Free podcast with some free James McLean!

Been a while - but here's a new post! Gasp. Another podcast. Gasp. Listen if you like. Gasp.

MILLENNIUM GROUP SESSIONS 12:

Millennium Group Sessions 13
FlashBack

BacktoFrankBlack: The Millennium Group Sessions, hosted by Troy Foreman and co-hosted by Jim McLean is now available for free download via our website AND on ITunes!

With Troy at the Flashback Horror convention in Chicago, giving our flyers and coordinating with Mr Henriksen, this week's podcast is a retrospective affair.

In Millennium Group Sessions #13, Jim and Troy introduce a flashback of their own, back to their first aired podcast together on ThaDarksideVibe, Troy's own podcast. This podcast aired before the Millennium Group Sessions began and was very much the catalyst for the podcast you listen to now.

So because we've not been able to do a full show this week, because it tentatively ties in with the Flashback Weekend convention, and of course, because its just a bit of fun, we offer you this slice.

Can't say I've listened to it myself since it aired, so I can't attest for quality (or whether we've progressed since then), but I hope you enjoy it. It is of course, all about Millennium!

In the meantime, don't forget to check the Back2FrankBlack twitter account for updates from Troy live at the convention!

TO HEAR THIS PODCAST FOR FREE!

Three methods are available:

• Listen to the podcast streamed through the blog audio player below!

• Download the MP3 of the podcast to your computer by right clicking the following link and selecting "save link as": RIGHT CLICK HERE

• Subscribe to ITUNES and have the podcast automatically download to your computer on release! Simply download ITUNES, sign up for an ITUNES account for free and then search for "Millennium Group Sessions" in the ITUNES store. Click "subscribe" to get the free podcast as soon as its available!

Send your letters to FOX!
STEVE ASBELL
Twentieth Century Fox
10201 West Pico Blvd.,
Bldg. 88, Room 132
Los Angeles, CA 90035

Next week: Halloween with style! Jim interviews Kett Turton, the ghost story teller from Curse of Frank Black as part of our Curse of Frank Black week! Tune it - a lot of fun!

James speaks to Lance Henriksen!

More interviews - this time with Lance Henriksen. A great guy - and a great interview. Well worth the time. Excuse my little monologue at the end - beyond the genuine need to rally support, I think half a glass of wine had got my lips flapping somewhat..

If you're reading this, and no doubt you are to be reading it, then please leave a comment on the backtofrankblackblog.


Listen to the Mp3 on the BacktoFrankBlack Stream or download using the links below!


To download from BacktoFrankBlack.com

• For the enhanced image podcast (with some pretty exclusive photos) for Itunes and Ipod lovers: Click here! 21MB 88 mins)

• For a high quality podcast (no images embedded into this one): Right click here and select "save link as.." (approx 81MB 88 mins)

To download from ITUNES

• To subscribe to the Itunes podcast, simply load up the Itunes store on your Itunes application, search for BacktoFrankBlack and wait for the podcast to pop onto the list. Then click "subscribe" - you will need to sign up to a free Itunes account to do this - but Itunes does run a great service for podcasts of all types (including our friends ThaDarkSideVibe and Spooktalkular)

BacktoFrankBlack: Millennium Group Sessions SPECIAL: LANCE HENRIKSEN

In this special episode in the Millennium Group Sessions series, Troy and Jim speak to Frank Black himself, LANCE HENRIKSEN.

In this special and free podcast, Lance speaks about his time on the show, how he sees the future of Millennium, Aliens, Jordan and of course, the man we want back, Frank Black. There is also a cameo guest appearance in the interview! You don't want to miss it!

This free podcast is available on a weekly to fortnightly basis via ITUNES and BacktoFrankBlack.com. We'll naturally update you all on information on the podcast from this blog as well.

With ITUNES, anyone who has an Itunes friendly account will be able to subscribe easily and download the podcasts as they are released. We recommend the ITUNES friendly enhanced podcast because each episode will have its unique set of images to accompany the chatter!

James (and Troy) interview Jon Polito!

A plug for the BacktoFrankBlack interview with Jon Polito that's just been released. A few comments before the press blurb...

I've always been a massive, massive, massive fan of Homicide Life On The Street, particularly it's early seasons where the cast choices made for a very real show. The decision to pull Polito on the basis he wasn't a charismatic character was the first signal of Network pressures damaging the show's integrity.

Thankfully the scenes Polito's character Det. Steve Crosetti had in the first two seasons were strong and worthy of both the show and the real-life police man Terry McLarney whom Polito's character was based on (at least from what I read of McLarney in the show creator's original study of the Baltimore police department).

So it was a thrill to interview Jon for his work in Homicide AND his GREAT work in Millennium. Certainly the most endearing guest character in the show and a real boon to the episode Omerta. A cold blooded killer, come anti-hero, come genuine hero - Eddie Scarpino is a delight to watch and I'm so glad that the man behind the character was as charming and captivating to interview as he was to watch.

Enjoy.

Press Blurb!

BacktoFrankBlack: The Millennium Group Sessions, hosted by Troy Foreman and co-hosted by Jim McLean is now available for free download via our website AND on ITunes!

Please download our free podcast to support the campaign and the guests who have graciously contributed their time to the campaign!

To download from BacktoFrankBlack.com

• For the enhanced image podcast (with some pretty exclusive photos) for Itunes and Ipod lovers: Click here! 20MB 80 mins)

• For a high quality podcast (no images embedded into this one): Right click here and select "save link as.." (approx 73MB 80 mins)

To download from ITUNES

• To subscribe to the Itunes podcast, simply load up the Itunes store on your Itunes application, search for BacktoFrankBlack and wait for the podcast to pop onto the list. Then click "subscribe" - you will need to sign up to a free Itunes account to do this - but Itunes does run a great service for podcasts of all types (including our friends ThaDarkSideVibe and Spooktalkular)

BacktoFrankBlack: Millennium Group Sessions 07 - Omerta Pt 2

In the seventh episode in the Millennium Group Sessions series, Troy and Jim speak to Omerta guest star Jon Polito (Homicide: Life On The Street, Miller's Crossing, The Big Nothing) and talk about his prolific career and his love for Millennium. It's a fun, informative and charming interview. Expect an abridged version on the blog in the future along with a great hi-res image of Jon on set.

Also, Millennium Group Sessions #7 has more news, updates and informal chat with your hosts Troy Foreman and Jim McLean.

This free podcast is available on a fortnightly basis via ITUNES and BacktoFrankBlack.com. We'll naturally update you all on information on the podcast from this blog as well.

With ITUNES, anyone who has an Itunes friendly account will be able to subscribe easily and download the podcasts as they are released. We recommend the ITUNES friendly enhanced podcast because each episode will have its unique set of images to accompany the chatter!

Introducing "Harvey"'s fairy tale character: Elwood P Dowd

Spotted this on IMDB - a review I wrote three years ago. I actually found it fascinating to read given the time between now and then has left me with no real recollection of writing this nor which angle I chose to present in the commentary. Funny how fickle the brainbox can be.

This is a delightful film. Jimmy Stewart's Elwood is a timeless character. When we live in a world which is constantly looking forward or backwards, Elwood P Dowd is a character who reminds us how perfect our lives would be if could live in the now, enjoying the singular moment. It is Dowd's ideology as much as his "imaginary" friend that makes "Harvey" so captivating.

Of course, Elwood Dowd could be far less perfect than we imagine. The back story seems to imply he undertook some sort of personality shift seven years back (he says he took life seriously for thirty five years, he is now forty two as I recall). From the events he describes on his first encounter with "Harvey", his recalled dialogue infers this event was after his character transformation. Considering how his big sister, Veta seems to feel their mother should have warned her about Harvey when she moved in, it seems unlikely it was his mother's death that caused any sort of dramatic character alteration.

So Dowd's character - for some reason - shifted from normal to unique. His life now is simplistic yet to himself, very busy. He spends a lot of times hanging around in bars meeting people. To him, that's a vocation, and with life itself being such a rich tapestry of character and history, who is one to argue? His approach to each day is structured on much repetition. His dialogue and mannerisms are very uniform and repetitive. His approach to all people remains equal. Elwood does initially give the audience the impression of someone who has had suffered breakdown, as someone who probably isn't quite normal. But as the film reminds us, when "normal" is actually quite nasty and stressful, would those "normal" people see being so very nice as a mental deficiency? The film doesn't dwell on the question as to whether or not Dowd suffers from mental illness. It could be character just was hit by some amazing epiphany seven years earlier. Unlike more contemporary offerings, it's not interested in what makes us who we are; it is more interested in what we are at present.

While it's clear that Elwood was never always as simple and gracious as he is now. The film doesn't concern itself with any catalyst for this change; in fact, it seems to deliberately avoid talking about it. The beauty in "Harvey" is that Elwood is as much a fantasy character as the mischievous "imaginary" Pooka Harvey himself and in my opinion, just as fascinating.

The timeless character of Elwood is solidified by the play/films disinterest in creating a resolution for his identity, even if all the unhappy people attempt the contrary. I prefer to see the change in Elwood as being an epiphany rather than a breakdown. It just seems to suit his almost fairy tale perfection. He doesn't see the bad in others. All behaviour has its reasons and all actions can be dealt with positively. Even when confronted with selfish concerns, he sees the lighter side. While the film doesn't leave any doubt to whether Harvey exists or not, it does leave the audience to make up it's mind on Elwood. That to me is the beauty of this film. The actual fairy tale character is definitive, but Elwood isn't. Is he a drunk? Again, personally, I don't feel he is. He never shows any behaviour indicative to a drunk. He goes and has a drink when he meets people as part of a ritualistic pattern, but the alcohol never pertains importance to him beyond that. Again, if we take Elwood's almost fantasy built persona - something we would all want to aspire to - to be able to socially drink very regularly without dependence seems quite fitting. That's my opinion, but really it's up to you to decide.

So I think, deep down, we would all want to be Elwood Dowd. Not so much for the Pooka invisible friend, but simply because his existence shows us how life ought to be taken. This is of course, an impossibility given the responsibility of today's lifestyle. Life is too complicated for an existence firmly entrenched in the present and while we have to accept that we can't be like Elwood, it would be nice to think we can try.

For me Mary Chase's "Harvey" presents a dream existence made manifest, and that is very much thanks to Stewart's beautifully performed Elwood Dowd.