Movies, TV, Novels & More

• "The Hunted" stars Benicio del Torro as a special forces soldier who has gone off the deep end and Tommy Lee Jones as the man who trained and therefore feels compelled to bring him in before more people are killed. This movie features some of the most brutal and realistic knife fights ever put on film [way to go Rafael!] If you like action/adventure then this one may be worth a look.
• "Identity" features John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet in a sweet little mystery directed by James Mangold of "Cop Land" fame. It reminded me of something that could have been an episode from the classic years of "Twilight Zone." It's got a twist ending... followed by another. It's definitely worth a rental.
• "A Man Apart" could have been so much better. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad but it wasn't great. Vin Diesel plays a cop whose wife is murdered after he brings down a drug lord. Vin then goes after his wife's killers. I'm glad I saw it and you may be too if there's nothing better on...
• Michael Crow has with just two books, become one of my favorite authors. I told you about him after I'd finished his first book, Red Rain. It was one of the best crime novels I'd read in years. Well, I've finished his second, The Bite, and it is just as good. Check him out, you'll thank me later!
• Miramax Films and Quentin Tarantino,the writer-director of '90s landmarks "Pulp Fiction" and "Reservoir Dogs" have announced unusual plans to splice his long-awaited new action film, "Kill Bill," into two movies and release them within months of each other. It'll be interesting to see if fans will turn out since "Kill Bill" doesn't have the built in fan base of "The Lord of the Rings" or "The Matrix."
• NEW YORK - One of Sharon Osbourne's dogs was eaten by a coyote — and husband Ozzy Osbourne managed to save another dog from a similar fate. As a dog owner, I can imagine the pain that they're going through.
• The Emmy nominations have been announced and here's who I'm pulling for... Best Drama Series: "24" / Best Actor in a Drama: Michael Chiklis for "The Shield" / Best Actress in a Drama: Jennifer Garner for "Alias" / Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: John Spencer for "The West Wing" / Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Lena Olin for "Alias" / Best Comedy Series: "Everybody Loves Raymond" / Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Ray Romano for "Everybody Loves Raymond" / Actress in a Comedy Series: Patricia Heaton for "Everybody Loves Raymond" / Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Peter Boyle for "Everybody Loves Raymond" / Supporting Actress / Comedy: Doris Roberts for "Everybody Loves Raymond"
• Since we're talking about the best in television... one of the best shows on tv will soon become a comic. "The Shield" is going to be published by IDW -- the same people who publish the comic adaptation for "CSI" and Steve Niles' novels [like Guns, Drugs and Monsters and Savage Membrane]. This could turn into something very cool.
• SANTA FE, N.M (Reuters) - A New Mexico family is suing their local Catholic church over a funeral Mass in which they claim a priest said their relative was only a middling Catholic and going straight to hell. And that was the nicest thing he could find to say??
• ALBANY, N.Y. (Reuters) - A convicted murderer wants the state of New York to pay $500,000 for his sex change and a key ruling in his case has moved him closer to his dream of serving the rest of his sentence in a women's jail. Yeah, he's a convicted murderer, let's help him achieve dream. Yeah, that would be REAL justice.