Another positive of 'Pygmy' just turned up.  This one from Booklist.  Props to Keir Graff for shooting this one our way.

"In a time of justifiable concern about terrorism, Palahniuk has written a hilarious novel about an unlikely terrorist cell: foreign-exchange students who arrive at a midwestern city, bent on unleashing 'Operation Havoc.'The story unfolds in a series of dispatches from an unnamed 13-year-old agent, dubbed 'Pygmy' by the locals. (That his reports are in broken English makes no sense, but the prose provides terrific opportunities for humor even if, at book length, it requires some effort.) Despite Pygmy’s command of the deadly arts, he is still a 13-year-old, prone to unwanted erections, and he is not the coolest kid in the cadre, either. The frisson around his internal, target-acquiring narrative, the locals’ unwitting perception of him, and his outsider’s view of the routine humiliations inflicted upon high-school youth is so spot-on it produces a sense of déjà vu: surely someone would have thought of this before. ('Dispatch Sixth,' treating Junior Swing Choir, is laugh-out-loud funny.) This isn’t for everyone: as ever, Palahniuk is interested in pushing the limits of what readers will tolerate in terms of clinically described sex and gore. However, in contrasting the mindless sloganeering of totalitarianism with the anything-goes nature of Americanism, his own message is anything but subversive. By now, the author’s fans know who they are. Those left cold by last year’s Snuff (2008) will welcome his return to the fine form of Fight Club (1996). Palahniuk leaps over the line of good taste—and lands squarely on his feet."
— Keir Graff, Booklist (starred review read more »

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The Space(man) Between Panels

The publisher behind 30 DAYS OF NIGHT, GI JOE, STAR TREK, TRANSFORMERS, and Joss Whedon's ANGEL, IDW Publishing is celebrating its tenth year as a creative force in entertainment field. Iconoclast Clive Barker called Chris Ryall, IDW's editor-in-chief and publisher, "...a thoroughly decent human being who jus so happens to be brilliant."

Here Josh Jabcuga speaks with Ryall about what 3 1/2 years working for filmmaker Kevin Smith taught him, co-creating a new series with artist Ben Templesmith (GROOM LAKE, out this week!), opening the secret to Joe Hill's LOCKE & KEY, and the potential of a Chuck Palahniuk comic book. read more »

Big props to Luke Felton.  Him and his buddies got together one Friday night and re-enacted some of the great scenes from 'Fight Club'.  Lotta love, enthusiasm and talent here.

Check out all the pics in our Gallery!

Proper credits are due:

Photography: Megan Brooks - www.myspace.com/sexualgoregeous
Make-Up: Michelle Brooks - www.myspace.com/peoplesuckyo
Photo Retouching & Art Director: Luke Felton - www.myspace.com/isawgodinyoureyes

Props to Rayo C. for spotting this first.  Let's hope we see more of these soon.

Pygmy Chuck Palahniuk. Doubleday, $24.95 (240p) ISBN 978-0-385-52634-0

Palahniuk’s 10th novel (after Snuff) is a potent if cartoonish cultural satire that succeeds despite its stridently confounding prose. A gang of adolescent terrorists trained by an unspecified totalitarian state (the boys and girls are guided by quotations attributed to Marx, Hitler, Augusto Pinochet, Idi Amin, etc.) infiltrate America as foreign exchange students. Their mission: to bring the nation to its knees through Operation Havoc, an act of mass destruction disguised as a science project. Narrated by skinny 13-year-old Pgymy, the propulsive plot deconstructs American fixtures, among them church (“religion propaganda distribution outlet”), spelling bees (“forced battle to list English alphabet letters”) and TV news reporters (“Horde scavenger feast at overflowing anus of world history”), before moving on to a Columbine-like shooting spree by a closeted kid who has fallen in love with the teenage terrorist who raped him in a shopping mall bathroom. Decoding Palahniuk’s characteristically scathing observations is a challenge, as Pygmy’s narrative voice is unbound by rules of grammar or structure (a typical sentence: “Host father mount altar so stance beside bin empty of water”), but perseverance is its own perverse reward in this singular, comic accomplishment. (May)

Order "Pygmy" Today!

Wow. This is just awesome. It seems a group of activists in the Ukraine calling themselves the UA Resistance, invoked the spirit of Tyler Durden by lighting up the side of an apartment complex in the form of a giant smiley face. The act was done in a non-violent effort to make a statement about the corruption causing high prices on apartment flats in the country.

Here's the email I received from the UA Resistance:

We have a present for Chuck on his Birthday:-) Ukrainian TV made a short interview about it, so we think, that it will be funny and interesting to send it to Chuck's fanclub. Where we can send photo of action?)  P.S. Sorry for bad grammar)) read more »

The Strength Of Thought

This is the second time I’ve interviewed Henry.

The first time that I had the opportunity talk to Henry Rollins I was steamrolled with his loquaciousness. I was warned, to be sure, but when you’re used to talking to actors, actresses, writers and directors of varying verbal ability and competency (you could end up talking to Oscar Wilde or a sack of flour; being adept at this requires you to be ready for both) there isn’t much variance. But then you talk to Henry and realize you have never had a real conversation with anyone in your life. That your opinion on politics barely holds any heft against the kind of informational arsenal and background reading that Henry Rollins has done - even before you’ve asked the question - is something that you start thinking about as he begins to destroy your mind with the dissertation level bibliography he supplies in support of his thoughts and positions. The absolute kicker is that he never once makes you feel ignorant for not having the time to consume the quantity of papers, books, articles or punditry that he must in order to be as deadly as he is with being able to show his facts and prove his math. read more »

There's a new review up for the 'Choke' DVD from Steve Brown. The review is comprised in his latest podcast, along with an interview with writer/director Clark Gregg.

Listen to podcast here!

Let's all wish the big guy a Happy Birthday today.  Rather then say his age, I'll just tell ya that he was born in 1962 and let you do the math. 

So, in keeping with Chuck's spirit; rather then make this thread all about him.... (after all, how much fun is it really seeing a bunch of people just type the words 'Happy Birthday'?) let's instead hear you describe the best birthday gift you ever received. read more »

Filter Magazine just posted an exclusive interview with Chuck Palahniuk with his thoughts on the "Choke" film:

Read The Q&A Here!

Short but sweet.

'Choke' is now on DVD and you can order it from Amazon today!

Here's a listing of the features that are included with the DVD:

• My Name is Victor and I’m a Sex Addict
• A Mother’s Love, From the Los Angeles Film Festival
• Fox Movie Channel Presents: Casting Session
• Audio commentary with Writer/Director/Actor Clark Gregg and Actor Sam Rockwell
• 5 deleted scenes with optional audio commentary with Clark Gregg and Sam Rockwell
• A conversation with Clark Gregg and Chuck Palahniuk
• Gag reel.

Order 'Choke' On DVD

Please use this thread if you want to post a review about the DVD.  Thanks!