Awards and Rules, FWF-style

A few weeks back my blogging pal Michele (of The Girl Who Loves Horror fame) bestowed an award on my blog, and a few days ago, my pal Jimmy (of Dr. Terror's Blog of Horrors) granted me the same accolade.  I know a lot of people balk at blog awards but I am always thankful that people read my blog and appreciate it enough to recommend it to others.  So to Michele and Jimmy, I say thank you so much. I read and love both your blogs, and am happy to see this thing through.... 

Rule Number One: Tell everyone something that no one else knows about you.

 Right off the bat that's a tough one.  I'm private, but I'm not that obscure. I could tell you all that I was reading at a ninth grade level when I was in the fourth grade and that I was in a special class for reading and spelling but not for the reasons you think.  It was because there were only four of us in the class that were reading and spelling at that level. Yeah, that's boring. SO. I'll tell you (and this is really no secret to those close to me) that I am an avid  erm...crazed...um...passionate oh hell...OBSESSED fan of thoroughbred horse racing. Running a very close second to horror is my extreme devotion to the sport of kings.  It probably came from my dad, with whom I remember watching the likes of Seattle Slew (my favorite horse and my namesake for emails and online names) and Affirmed win the Triple Crown in '77 and '78.  I love it for the horses, more than anything.  I'm not much of a gambler, truth be told.  I'm too cheap to really bet a lot.  I did, however, win almost $400 last fall at the Breeders' Cup and spent only $6 to do it.  And I've hit my share of Derby winners, some 50-1 long shots, which is always nice. I watch racing year round, and plan my schedule around the big races.  No one... I REPEAT... no one, interrupts or bothers me on the first Saturday in May. And no one would expect me to be present at any event they would have on that day or any of the Triple Crown races or on Breeders' Cup day. When my grandfather died in mid-May several years ago, I came home in between funeral home visiting hours to watch Smarty Jones win the Preakness Stakes (and I truly believe my grandpap would have understood!) See, I'm so passionate I can't quit talking about it....

Rule Number Two:  Link to one of the posts that you personally think best fits the following categories:
 
1. Most Beautiful Piece: 

When writing a horror blog, it's kind of hard to call things beautiful.  But this can be taken two ways.. for some, gore is beautiful, so for those folks, I say check out my on-going series "Sunday Bloody Sunday".
For me though, beauty is passion - and I don't think I've written more passionately than when I wrote "From VHS To Netflix: My Journey With Horror Rentals". It's nothing extraordinary - just a look back at my own roots of horror, and my experience from my teens to current with getting my hands on the films that shape my love of the genre.  Readers seemed to like this one.  Me too.

2. Most Helpful Piece: 

 "Halloween Festival Of Lists:  October 22:  Twenty-Two Non-Fiction Tomes Of Terror".  These lists from last fall just about killed me to write, it got overwhelming at the end.  But this particular list is an awesome checklist of superb books that cover nearly all aspects of the horror genre, from ghosts to monsters to horror movie survival guides.  You're bound to find something on there of interest.

3. Most Popular Piece:  

 Based on page-views, it would be "A Decade of Debauchery: My Favorite Films of the 2000's."  I've always done a lot of lists, but this one proved insanely popular.  It's gotten over 23,000 hits alone. That seems like a fair amount for this lowly blog.  I didn't list them chronologically, I went at it categorically, as in 'favorite monster film', 'favorite gore-fest', 'favorite anthology', etc. 


4. Most Controversial Piece

 Actually, I removed my most controversial piece.  There was this whole blow-out a few years back about a "Ms. Horror Blogosphere" contest. A fellow blogger had come up with the idea and it was all in fun but was taken waaay too seriously.  Things were taken out of context and people got hurt and blamed and pissed...and the post was my feelings on the matter.  I don't even recall what I wrote, but I defended my fellow female bloggers that were part of the "competition" and retained my position and eventually the whole thing blew over.  But holy hell. 
If you don't count what is no longer here, I'd have to say I was close to drumming up controversy with my post "Apparently, Dracula Is Losing To Twilight: Ranting On The Current State Of Youth & Genre Fiction", but everyone tended to agree with me, so there's that.

5. Most Surprisingly Successful Piece:


"Going Out On A Limb: Trees In Horror": My blog stats list this unbelievably high, and I'm not sure why.  While it's a decent list - creative even - it's nothing truly special. It took me all of a half hour to write it. You never know, do you?

6. Most Underrated Piece:

'Argento Films 101: An Interview With Author James Gracey":  This interview was posted in the middle of "Women in Horror Month" and that was a mistake because I think it lost the momentum it truly deserved.  It is a fascinating and lengthy look inside the films of Dario Argento and gave a sneak peak of Gracey's (now published) book. It's in-depth, intriguing, and informative. It was done craftily, since James lives in Northern Ireland and myself here in the states, and it took a while to come together. It also forged a friendship of like minds and kindred souls, so I'm most thankful for that. If you even remotely like Argento, read this post.

7. Most Pride-Worthy Piece

"Dancing Dwarfs And Damn Fine Coffee: Twin Peaks' 20th Anniversary" : This is probably my favorite post of everything I've written so far.  I was a huge, obsessive fan of TP, and still am.  This article took me a long time to write, but only because I savored in the memory of all things Peaks. It has twenty reasons to love the series, which means there are twenty reasons you should click on that link! 

 Rule Number Three: Pass this award on to seven other bloggers.I'm not much for pushing people into continuing these types of posts, so I will just list the blogs that I have on favorites on my iPod - which means I can check them at any time, on the go or wherever.
Whether or not they want to continue is up to them, so here goes:

Behind the Couch

The Horror Digest

Kindertrauma

From Midnight, With Love

Day of the Woman

The Deadly Doll's House of Horror Nonsense

The Lightning Bug's Lair

And two to grow on: 

Planet of Terror

Chuck Norris Ate My Baby

...In Which I Give Thanks And Ramble

So, welcome to another edition of random notes. First things first - I have to give some shout outs to some rather kind fellow bloggers that have recently handed out some awards to me. While I still try to figure out why I have been chosen, I'll thank them.

First up, I was awarded the Versatile Blogger award thanks to Will Errickson of the sublime blog: Too Much Horror Fiction. This is a guy who knows his books. I'm constantly checking his blog out for whatever he may be reading at the moment - he is a prolific poster who mirrors my exact taste in horror. One of the best things about his blog is that he posts all the vintage paperback covers - most of which I have on my bookshelf, literally. And yes, that dates me. Ugh.

I recently got psyched when he actually posted the illustrations from inside an old Reader's Digest Condensed version of Jaws! My grandma used to read those old condensed versions of novels (probably because she was too busy practicing the weekly hymns for church on the piano to actually read the real thing!) and the Jaws one got me so intrigued that I had to read the real deal. So I actually have that crappy abbreviated version of the best-selling novel to thank for igniting my entire Jaws passion. But the illustrations are really quite lovely!

Anyway - if you read and especially if you have the same fondness for classic (vintage) horror fiction as Will and I do, you should be reading this blog! On a side note, this dude once actually had a conversation with Joey Ramone. I mean, how many people can actually say that!?

In order to accept the award there are conditions of course, and I don't want to let him down. So here we go: You have to:

• Thank the person who gave it to you. Which I already did...

• Share 7 things about yourself. Okay, here goes:

- I would rather attend The Kentucky Derby than any other event in the entire world, anywhere. Ever. True story.

- I have 26 - count 'em, 26! - books on my nightstand. Seriously, I just counted them. I'm currently reading four of them.

- I'm obsessed with paranormal/fantasy novels starring vampires. If this makes me lame, weird, hokey, seemingly unintelligent, and/or hackneyed then so be it. If I've lost credibility, que sera, sera.

- For all my heinous, gory obsessions and fixation on all things horror, I love Glee.

- I just got my very first cell phone earlier this month. And I'm nearly clueless about how to use it.

- I would love to seriously move someplace like Scotland, Ireland or Wales - live on the coast in a tiny cottage with some sheep in the yard, ocean waves at my window, and no neighbors for miles. I want to be well-removed from society and have all day to read, write, and drink prolifically. With internet access of course.

- I currently have an unhealthy obsession with Joe Manganiello. I'm sure I'm not alone.

• Pass the award along to 15 who you have recently discovered and who you think fantastic for whatever reason.
-Oh boy, fifteen? Really?
Okay, I'm gonna have to change that up, or I'll never get this post up. If you scroll through my extensive blog roll, you'll no doubt see a few blogs that you haven't been reading or have never experienced. So do that. Go. Click. Experience. And for my part, how about I just pick the fifteen out of my blog roll that I read religiously.

Behind the Couch

Billy Loves Stu

Chuck Norris Ate My Baby

Day of the Woman

The Deadly Doll's House of Horror Nonsense

Fatally Yours

Final Girl

42nd Street Cinema

From Midnight, With Love

The Horror Digest

Kindertrauma

The Lightning Bug's Lair

Planet of Terror

Too Much Horror Fiction

The Vault of Horror

Please don't be offended if your blog is not listed! This is why I hate doing these things cause I feel too nice (at times) to leave anyone out. It doesn't mean I don't read your blog, because as you can see from my blog roll I have a ton of blogs I read on a regular basis.
I guess these blogs above are simply my go-to reads. And just so you know, they are alphabetized so no one feels slighted or put off. So there.

Hmpf! I still feel like a heel.

• Contact the blogs you picked and let them know about the award.
So with this, I suppose I have failed.


Next up!
Thanks go out to Melissa Helwig of Little Miss Zombie, as she has bestowed upon me the "You Scare Me" award. She said such incredibly nice things about my blog that I almost didn't believe she was talking about me.

Melissa has went through a really rough time recently and I have to commend her for pulling through the heartache and blogging her blues away -well, I'm sure that's not entirely possible but I just want to tell her to hang in there - she's got friends thinking of her!

(And Melissa, Mindless Movie Monday will be starting back up soon. Meanwhile I'll still be bringing you your weekly fix of gore on Sundays.)

The "rules" of this award are to award it to two blogs that you feel are outstanding.
So here goes. To the aforementioned Behind the Couch.
James and I are kindred souls, both with a huge appreciation for Dario Argento, Mario Bava, Vincent Price, and red wine. He's like a brother from another mother. Oh, and did I mention the guy has mad writing skills? Already an author of a book on said Argento, his blog is rife with terrifically written reviews that are hard to come by in this flooded emporium of horror bloggers. And yes I always gush, James.

And to Radiation-Scarred Reviews - a site that loves all things "B-movie". I've gotten to know the super-nice Bill Adcock through our mutual other hang-out, The Blood Sprayer, and late night chats on AIM during a 'Push Up Your Horror Nerd Glasses' movie-fest! He's hilarious, kind, and always in the know. And besides, his love for both sharks and Godzilla puts us right on the same page! And I'm sure the other members of the RSR site are equally as groovy!

And thanks lastly to iZombieLover, who gave me the Zombie Rabbit award, which coincidentally I already have and certainly hope the two undead bunnies don't get too close and personal or I think we know what will happen.

So with this award you are supposed to 'pay it forward' and pass it on to the blog that is "next" - in other words, award it to a random blog that is the one after yours on the next blog slider button. So when I did that, I got a blog called 'The Dead Don't Die', which turned out to be in the horror genre, so that was pretty darn cool. So perhaps you all should check that one out.

And of course you are to pick ten blogs that you want to award it to. Well, I pretty much did just that during the last "awards season", so I'm just going to cheat and tell you once again to look on my blog roll- I have a ton of truly great links there to some of the best horror blogs out there...so feel free to click away on those. Clickety click click....

And now for some shameless self promotion.
If you haven't been reading The Blood Sprayer, you are totally missing out on one of the newest places for horror fans to hang out. With an ever-growing assemblage of simply awe-inspiring writers on staff, I'm proud to be a part of it!

You can read my articles here. Some of which include: love-fests for Lucio Fulci and Dario Argento, a list of my favorite roles for men in horror, and the pros and cons of dating Norman Bates, among others. There are some really brilliant writers on this site, many of which have blogs listed above, so don't waste any more time - please go check out The Blood Sprayer in your internet travels - it's truly great stuff!

Okay, that's all for now....

Awards, Zombies, and Dario Argento

Just some randomness today at FWF.

First and foremost I feel I must say a proper thank you to a few more people who have bestowed more awards on me. I have told them via comments on their blogs and such, but dammit that's just not enough. It's been a helluva January for us horror bloggers;)

To BJ-C at Day of the Woman, I thank her for the awe-inspiring 'Fantastically Frightening' award that she created and I was lucky enough to be a recipient of.



Here's what she had to say about this blog:
"The Blog that gives me a small heart attack when I leave my speakers on: FASCINATION WITH FEAR!
Chris has added this nifty thing to her blog called trailers on the sidebar. I should know by now that she has them but every time I go to her site, I forget and the sound of the trailers gives me a small heart attack. So she LITERALLY has the most frightening site:D"

Thanks, BJ-C!! And it is so true - those movie trailers on my sidebar can be deafening if you have your volume on at full-tilt. Even for me. I totally forget sometimes, and tend to forget at very inopportune times, like when my husband is trying to sleep and I'm still on the laptop. (Sorry, honey.)

And in the same vein, I must thank B-Sol of The Vault of Horror for also handing out the Fantastically Frightening accolade to me as well.
Here's what he said:
The Blogger Most Likely to Pick the Triple Crown Winner: Fascination with Fear, written by the divine C.L. Hadden, horror hound and horse handicapper extraordinaire, is a bastion of infectious commentary--now with a spiffy new header!"

Thanks!
Yes, I do love the ponies, and if I'm not watching horror, chances are I'm on drf.com, BloodHorse.com, or checking out TVG. Not that I squander money, mind you (that would take money away from my DVD fund!) - it's the actual equines I like. I love me some thoroughbreds, truly. And I did have Mine That Bird (Kentucky Derby Winner) at 50-1 last spring;)

And my blog header - that's a whole new set of thank you's as well. A while back, I called out to my fellow horror bloggers for some help on a new header and got a whole slew of responses and creative banners and headers. I love all of them, and have kept them for future use.
But BJ-C made the mistake of introducing me to the Picnik application on Facebook, and then it was all over. I've been messing around with it ever since. So what you see currently, may not always be there. I like change, so it will quite possibly change according to my mood.
(And for another blog who dares to change it up regularly, visit Hayes Hudson's House of Horror- we've been emailing and learning Picnik together. And his blog is terrific!

And now to hand this award over to another blog I'm ever so fond of. I really wanted to recognize this one cause they so deserve it.
Evil on Two Legs is one of my favorite go-to sites. The format is clean and neat, for one thing, but the content is what keeps me coming back. They have a great "Horror Community Highlights" spotlight in which they list a number of excellent posts from within the horror world, and are kind enough to feature FWF on occasion, so thanks!

I know I should hand this award out to more blogs, but I'm at a loss. Not of great blogs to give it to, but of time to root through all the fab sites to see if they've been awarded any yet. So hey, I love you all, okay?

Right after I got the Fantastically Frightening award, I was presented an equally cool 'Necronomicon Award for Outstanding Blogs of Horror' by Jeanette of Monster Land.



She said some very kind things about me and my blog, and I so here's a {{virtual hug}} for her and I have to add that if you haven't checked out her sharp and intelligent writing and her slick blog design you need to get your ass over there now. God, I love her format;)

She said: "Fascination with Fear: One of the premier female bloggers writing about the genre today, your horror host Christine writes about horror with a no nonsense attitude. Like a good gore hound, I look forward to her wonderful showcase Sunday Bloody Sunday every week and love her series of Holy Shit! Endings."

Wow, thanks Jeanette. I shall try to continue to make you proud;)
And I just love the look of that award. Makes me want to throw Evil Dead into the DVD player, you know?

And last but certainly not least is the 2009 All-Scares Blogger award given to me by Chuck over at Zombies DON'T Run.



He said: "I don't let the fact that Chris is a Steelers fan stand in the way of the fact she has a great blog. However when her gore pictures go up on Sunday I must confess I must wait til after eating to look. While I've always loved gore I've never been able to watch it and eat at the same time."

Too funny. And for Chuck, I dedicate the next Sunday Bloody Sunday to you - cause you deserve it. Just eat your English Muffin first.

And I was to give this award to two other people and to forward the rule that they were not to pass it on from there. So I award it to the aforementioned Hayes Hudson's House of Horror - and if he already has one he can just have the knowledge that I am a huge fan of his!!

Secondly, I'm passing it on to another go-to blog of interest, Gruesome Details. Another sleek WordPress format, Nicole Raymond runs a tight ship. Consise and interesting reviews and features make her site a great place to stay awhile.

**And a quick addendum: I just realized that William Malmborg over at his website also presented me with a Kreativ Blogger award, and I really don't want to forget anyone who has been kind to me, so thanks, Will. And thanks a lot for leaving all those comments on my blog- As you know, I live for that. You and James are my most frequent comment gurus. And BTW, I love your blog cause you review so many books... a rare thing on a lot of blogs.

So there you go.

And now, for other business.
Zombies.

As I first saw on Screamstress, there are plans to bring S.G. Brown's 'Breathers: A Zombie's Lament' to the big screen.



That being said, I was not psyched to see Diablo Cody's name attached to it, but breathed a sigh of relief when I saw she was only going to produce. So at least we won't have to hear about any "salty" zombies.
It's not that I really have anything against Cody - she writes fairly amusing articles for Entertainment Weekly, and hell, Juno was funny. But I think she goes a bit too far in trying to have her finger on the pulse of young America. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes you look like a 31 year old attempting to live vicariously through today's teenagers.

Anyway, the book. I'm currently reading it (a little late to the game as it was released last March) and find it hilarious yet heartwarming. Is it possible for a book about a zombie just trying to find his way in society to be touching? Yes, it is.
I'll have a review up at some point, but I feel it won't be till at least next week, as my weekend is completely tight.

With what, you ask?
Well, it's Dario Argento weekend at the Hadden residence!

I'm brushing up on my Argento because James over at Behind The Couch has been gracious enough to grant me an interview regarding his forthcoming book about the stylistic Italian horror director.



So I feel the need to pull out my copies of Suspiria, Tenebre, and a few others so I don't seem like a complete idiot. Obviously it would be prudent to refresh my memory a bit.

Besides, my husband hasn't seen any Dario Argento films like, ever. Whoa! Where to start, where to start? Probably at the beginning, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.....
I'm thinking he's going to love Phenomena (Jennifer Connelly factor). Generally, he leaves the room when I break out the Italian horror (he despises Fulci's The Beyond....yeah, I know...) - but he'll have to adapt I guess.

Hopefully I will have some respectably intelligent Q&A with James coming up soon on the blog, because I know how most of you in the horror community love Dario. I mean, how can you not?
And who better to tell us about the man and his films than someone who sat through every damn thing Argento has ever done. Yes, even Mother of Tears, people. I'm fairly psyched, and thank him in advance for agreeing to do it.

So that's all from me for now. It's possible we may start Italian weekend a little early here. I can so totally see a girl with needles in her eyes in my direct future. Whoo-hoo!



Perhaps I'll cook up a batch of pasta and make it a theme.
Ciao!

I'd like to thank the Academy....

Apparently Tuesday was awards day around the horror blogosphere, and I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end, so it ended up being a banner day here at Fascination With Fear!

First off, I earned (do we say earned?) A Kreativ Blogger award from my pal Chuck, over at Zombies Don't Run. We've been twittering back and forth for awhile now too, and are both reeling over our respective NFL teams bombing out this season (he w/Titans, me w/Steelers).
So thanks Chuck! And keep up the great work at your blog, I love it!

And now for the "rules" (why do I feel like I'm watching Grease for the 73rd time here?):

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award. - Again, thanks, Chuck - you made my day!

2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog. Done.

3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award. Again, done.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting. Okay. Here goes:

*1) I'll be married for 20 years next month and I have never taken off my wedding band. Ever. For anything. At first it was just that I never needed to, now it is like a superstitious feeling I have. Like if I take it off I won't be as rip-roaring happy (truly) as I am now. I'm weird, I realize that.

*2) For many years, I didn't particularly care for the seashore. Crowded towel-to-towel beaches, noisy kids, seagulls shitting on you, the smell of those damn potato patch fries... then my husband and I discovered Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of N.C. - in the off-season. Presto-chango! I can't get enough of it (probably because it has none of the above!) We now go there every May and it's the highlight of my year.

*3) I hate celery. I'll pick it out of anything it's in and I can smell it a mile away. Gah!

*4) I am passionate about Thoroughbred Horseracing. No one who knows me would expect me to be anywhere except in front of my flat-screen on the first Saturday in May (or in Louisville gods willing). I even told my brother not to dare plan his wedding for that date or I wouldn't be there. I meant it, and he knows it. It is like a religious experience for me. And not just in May.

*5) For my last meal, I would quite possibly choose a Chef Boyardee pizza and a bowel of strawberry ice cream with hot fudge on top.

*6) I like winter. People who continually complain about snow get under my skin. Move out of the snow zone then, dammit - you have a choice in life. But as for me, I would love one of those wicked, debilitating four foot snows to hit my area, causing me to be trapped in my home for three days straight. Bring it on.

*7) And the most surprising thing? I do not own a cell phone. Yep, I'm living in the stone age and quite frankly, I'm doing okay. Nobody calls me while I'm in the book store and reminds me to pick up peanut butter on the way home.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers. Well...here's where I have some difficulty. Everyone and their mother has been nominated and chosen. I'd actually love it if seven bloggers who read my blog but have yet to be recognized in any capacity would contact me so I could give them props... But what I will do is post seven blogs I read every day, and who have made me want to strive harder to do better by horror. They inspire me, and I bow down to them.

The Vault of Horror - Brian seems to be everyone's I-Ching in the horror blogger world.
Day of the Woman - VOH's sister blog. Whole lotta love to my hero BJ-C.
The Horror Digest - See more praise for Andre below.
Dollar Bin Horror - Rhonny Reaper runs the most prolific blog out there, and she's fun!
Freddy in Space - Cause I like Johnny's style!
Fatally-Yours - Sarah just flat out rocks the house. Comprehensive, to say the least.
I Love Horror - Because Brad always says exactly what he thinks. Love that.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate. Done.

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated. If I were to leave another award comment no one above would even notice, they've all been so bombarded with recognition.

* * *

I also received the One Lovely Blog Award from two people as well.
B-Movie Becky over at The Horror Effect sent some love my way. Having only been blogging since March of '09, she has a terrific site that I always look forward to reading! And may I mention how organized her blog is. Whoa. {Love your blog header, too, BTW!}
So, thanks to you, as well, Becky! Much appreciated!

Also, thanks to Nicole Raymond over at Gruesome Details, too! She also sent the One Lovely Blog Award into my corner. She notes in her blog that in the next year, she has plans to add more book reviews - which I love - and is actually a rather rare thing, with folks usually so focused on movies. I for one, wait with baited breath... She also uses a WordPress layout, which always impresses me cause I have yet to figure it out;)
Thanks for noticing me.

With this award, you are to pass it on to fifteen other worthy blogs. With the almost boomerang effect of all the awards floating around out there, I know I'm mentioning some blogs that have already been blessed with awards, and I'm going to cut it back to ten...but here goes anyway:

Diary of an Amateur Vampiriologist

Unspeakable Horror

Zombies Are Magic

Musings Across a Continuum

Lost Highway

Magia Posthuma

Horror Movie A Day

The Horror Club

Tomb of the Headless Werewolf

Mermaid Heather

* * *

And while we're still patting each other on the back, I got yet another swell award - and this one probably boasts my favorite image.
The Zombie Chicken Award!

Because I have received this from two separate sources, I feel I need to mention both!!

So....first, many thanks to Andre over at The Horror Digest. An absolutely prolific blogger, her site just tickles my fancy with an array of great commentary, in-depth reviews and witty banter. And she is always kind enough to leave me comments on my own blog - 'cause you know bloggers live and die for the comments, folks! And last but not least, she's a cat lover as well - yay!
So thank you, Andre, for noticing my blog. I'm humbled.

And also to Matt at Chuck Norris Ate My Baby - your blog is a wonder of the natural (or perhaps unnatural) world. And I have to give props to someone who chooses CNAMB for a blog name - it's just sick (in a good way of course!) I love your sarcasm, your love of lists, and your honest opinions on the state of horror today. Thank you thank you thank you!

And it is my duty to pass this award on to five worthy blogs. I've cut that back to three, as we've been passing awards around like hepatitis here. I know all three of these have no doubt been mentioned, but hey - as Andre said, spread the love!

Hayes Hudson's House of Horror - New to my blog roll, Hayes is also a new friend of mine - and he comes to horror blogging in an almost identical manner as myself - almost no one he is close to truly appreciates horror. So blogging became a great outlet - and he's very attentive to updating his little piece of the internet. Well-versed in all things horror, it is a site not to be missed.

Behind the Couch - James is one of my first followers on my blog, and is always kind enough to leave me a comment on quite a few of my posts. He's based in Ireland (always a good thing in my book) and his blog has been online since December of 2008. Articulate and literate, his reviews are thorough and entertaining, and his mind-set is very similar to mine. Scary!
Oh! And he has a book on Dario Argento coming out this March. Whoo-hoo!

Basement of Ghoulish Decadence - This is a new find for me, which always makes me happy. As if I don't already have enough to read, Jayson goes and kicks it out of the park. The first time I happened across this blog was a post he'd written on Let The Right One In - thoughts that I completely agreed with. Good stuff here.

So to wrap it up, I'd like to thank the Academ-- whoops, sorry.
I'd like to thank everyone who thought my blog worthy enough to hand out an award to, and thanks to my (currently) 60 followers as well as anyone who has taken the time to stop by and read my blog, even if it was by accident.

**And if I missed anyone that happened to award me or mention my blog, please let me know. With all the awards running rampant it's been crazy keeping up. Story of my life... (yeah right.)

***ADDENDUM: I wanted to take a moment and recognize Geof, from Enter The Man Cave. He also nominated me for a 'One Lovely Blog Award' and I have to give him a great big Thank You! Geof always leaves me comments - and I think you know how I feel about that;)
His blog is sublimely witty and I suggest you get your ass over there right now!

In addition to that, I found out No Room In Hell also gave me props in handing out the coveted Zombie Chicken Award as well. And I do so appreciate it. I've been reading NRIH for quite some time, and you should too. Most recently, their retrospective on the last decade was a fresh take on the subject, instead of a list - which so many of us did, and were great - but to see a Fangoria-worthy article like theirs was enjoyable. So go check that out!

Gosh, I can't say how grateful I am at all the recognition I've been bestowed lately. Not sure if I'm really worthy of it, but I'll try to keep doing what I'm doing. Thanks!