Linda Blair Turns 50!!!

My friend and personal hero Linda Blair turns 50 years old today. Linda is not only one of the greatest teen actors and scream queens ever - but she is one of the most devoted and tireless animal rights activists and rescuers that you could ever imagine.
Following the success of her challenging Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning role in the horror classic THE EXORCIST (1973) and an appearance in the camp classic ARPORT 1975, Linda starred in several highly acclaimed, high-rated and controversial television films.BORN INNOCENT (1974) and SARA T. -PORTRAIT OF A TEENAGE ALCOHOLIC (1975) and SWEET HOSTAGE (1975) were among NBC's most memorable TV-movies of the decade.In 1977, Linda returned to theaters in the ill-conceived EXCORIST II: THE HERETIC, which was poorly recievied, though it earned her a Saturn Award Best Actress nomination for her performance.
In 1979, Linda won our hearts again in the cheesefest called ROLLER BOOGIE, a fun and ridiculous cult film which secured her in our hearts as a B-movie goddess. This lead to 1981's slasher epic HELL NIGHT, the 1983 women-in-prison film CHAINED HEAT and 1984's gang war yarn SAVAGE STREETS. Dozens of TV and film appearances followed. In 1990 she spoofed her EXORCIST fame character in the Leslie Nielson comedy REPOSSESSED and in 1996, Linda had a brief uncredited cameo appearance in the box office smash SCREAM.Always an animal lover, over the years, her passion for animals has grown, culminating in her establishing The Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation, which helps animals in need through adoption and fostering services as well as public education on the plight of homeless and abused animals.If you are a fan of Miss Blair's work–and I know you are–the best way to wish Linda a Happy 50th is not by sending her a gift, but to send a much needed donation to the her wonderful charity. In the past year, LBWF has seen donations decline dramatically due to the strained economy. Linda has worked so hard building the Wellness Center for the animals and contributions are needed now more than ever. This week we saw the beginning of what hope and change can bring. As our new President has stated, volunteering and community service can help change our country. If you are able to volunteer with LBWF, please email them by clicking here!Also, if you live in Southern California and want to adopt a wonderful rescued pet, go here. Among the many awards Linda has won, she also recently received a City of Los Angeles Proclamation for her work with abandoned and abused animals. We love you Linda Blair, Happy Birthday!

How's about a nice SLIDESHOW?

For the past three years, there's been an incredible fun (and cheap!) thing to do in LA called SLIDESHOW. It happens once a month in a cool space called THE FAKE GALLERY (4319 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, CA 90028). Well on Friday, October 17th, Steve Silverman's cult hit turns the BIG THREE! If you haven't seen it (or been in it, like me) - this is your chance to experience one of the most unique theater/performance art/stand-up comedy/monologue things in town.Basically a bunch of performers (sometimes famous, sometimes not) tell you a story (often times hysterically funny, sometimes poignant) while clicking through accompanying and almost always appropriate slides. The subjects range from topics as diverse as the performers themselves. Some of my favorites included a collection of department store kiddie portraits, a tragic Hawaiian honeymoon and a sordid tale of a horny teen-age gay stalker. Like I said - something for everyone! My "performance" was a parody of the NBC 1974 line-up...here's a few samples of my slides with commentary (I will post more if there's a clamoring for them...)This year Monday Night at the Movies features a stellar line-up of movies in which child star Linda Blair is imprisoned and assaulted repeatedly, becomes an alcoholic, runs away, steals things and finally–gets possessed! 
Yes, LITTLE WHOREHOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - sure to warm the heart with tales of cowboys & sexually transmitted diseases...and soon to be a Broadway musical...BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.
Following the whores is a bold new show that combines the star of a great musical film with the premise of an action thriller. It's CABARET meets DIRTY HARRY in...THE EQUALIZA! Oscar winner Liza Minnelli takes the law into her own hands and sings her way through the mean streets of San Francisco, cleaning up the city scum with 45 calibers worth of jazz hands and Fosse-inspired dance steps.
We proudly present an ensemble cast of eight rising young actors who are ready to do whatever it takes to rescue those in need. Introducing Chad, Max, Randy, Cody, Ridge, Conner, Ben and Ryan...THE RANGERS IN THE WILD. These 8 handsome young rangers will patrol the Sierra National Park, charged with keeping the park clean and supervising the ever-growing number of tourists who come to enjoy it. An average episode involves protecting half-naked campers from bears, rescuing lost campers and enforcing very strict regulations.
Get me THAT SLUT COP! She's a tramp working undercover for the Los Angeles Police Department... Is that Angie Dickinson? Who else can pull of slutty and coppish. I'd like to see Bea Arthur try THAT in a muu muu!!

Eight all-time favorites (Bobby Banuelos, Hutch Foster, Stacy McQueen, Elizabeth Payne, Amanda Philipson, that guy Steve Silverman, Terri Simmons and Mari Weis) will be returning to load up Steve's state-of-the-art 1974 Kodak Carousel Slide Projector and deliver what the LA Times calls "Shockingly honest stories" and "Downright magical!" To make it a real party - they even got FREE FOOD, FREE DRINK, and HUGE PRIZE GIVEAWAYS! If you miss the 1970's - and WHO DOESN'T? - then DON'T MISS SLIDESHOW'S Third Anniversary Show! Call 323-692-3086 for more info and to make a reservation! Tell 'em Dougsploitation sent ya!

HELL NIGHT

As Halloween approaches the desire to see horror films becomes more overwhelming. When given the choice of seeing some of today's mind-numbering torture porn and the low-budget classics that I grew up with - I'll always choose the oldies but baddies. HELL NIGHT is one of the latter. Directed by Tom DeSimone, this 1981 shocker stars my friend and personal hero Linda Blair, so it feels weird to revisit it 26 years later. The film is actually part of a sub-genre that was popular in the 80s, the fraternity hazing movie. I was a big fan of these films - especially ones that involved college students in their underwear!

The plot goes like this: evil frat leader Peter and his crafty sidekicks Scott and May force four co-ed fraternity pledges - Marti (Linda Blair, in a Dolly Madison costume), Jeff (POWERS OF MATTHEW STAR's Peter Barton in way too much make-up), Seth (Celebrity offspring Vincent Van Patten, looking uncomfortably like Jodie Foster), and pill-popping Denise (oddball Suki Goodwin, sporting a Madonna-like fake English accent) - to stay overnight at creepy Garth Manor- this plot was also once used on THE FLINTSTONES, wasn't it?

You see, twelve years ago, crazy Mr. Garth murdered his wife and his four deformed children and then hung himself! However, local police only found three of the bodies, and rumors persist that the house may be haunted or that one (or two) of the Garth kids might be still living there! Things start off fun, but before too long, someone begins killing the kids....

The story starts at a costume party at the frat house in celebration of Hell Night. Soon the pledges are taken to the Garth Manor (where someone has lit thousands of candles and then padlocked the gate! Huh?) So now our four new friends will be on their own for the night...or so they think! Then then instantly pair off in order to get to know each other. We are soon treated to several scenes of Seth (or it is Wes?) in his skimpy white boxers, as he and slutty Denise begin testing out one of the bedrooms. Marti and Jeff, on the other hand, try to get to know each other on a more friendly basis - I secretly hoped that Jeff would have asked Marti if he could play with her makeup, since that seems to be something he might be interested in. I'm just guessing.

We soon learn that, in true SCOOBY-DOO/"Brady kids try to scare each other fashion", the house rigged with lots of gizmos designed to scare the hell out of our foursome. Peter's pranks are working, at one point he tries to scare everyone by donning a mask that looked strikingly like actress Linda Hunt! Frightening!!!

It quickly becomes obvious that someone else is in the house besides the four (...and oh yeah, the three pranksters)! Things get bloody when ringleader Peter's blonde henchwoman May is decapitated, followed by similarly grisly ends for Harry Potter lookalike Scott and Peter as well. Finally, with all the hazers out of the way, the killer can concentrate on our four pledges.

At one point, Seth manages to escape the house - climbing the nasty front gate with sharp blades on the ends of it's wrought iron bars. There are some slightly frightening moments that follow - enough to entertain and bemuse. Suffice to say, by the end of the story, only Marti remains, and she faces off against the killer in a very satisfying ending that might make you wince...or say "huh?".

Though it's contrived, predictable and full of plot holes, some great production design and a spirited performance by Ms. Blair make this one stand out from the pack, I'll give it 8 out of 10 "Huh?"s. Best watched as a double feature with Linda's other classic in which she teams with a Van Patten :ROLLER BOOGIE (to be reviewed at a future date).