Dark Matter DVD, a new distribution company putting out short independent sc-fi films, is distributing Lamia, directed by Katerina Slantcheva, and Void, directed by Meredith Berg, on the first edition of the Dark Matter DVD collection!

These two short sci-/fi horror films haven't been seen much, either in the festival circuit or anywhere else, so we're super-stoked to see them getting distribution! Dark Matter's films all have a very Twilight Zone/Outer Limits kind-of-feel, so we're looking forward to all the content they put out on their compilations. Their next collection will include Tanja Mairitsch's short Fueling the Fire...

Hollywood loves Moms. Because Moms are special. Anyone who's seen The Changeling knows that the very act of squeezing out a puppy somehow makes you wise, wonderful, and better equipped to handle situations than any number of so-called professionals brandishing doctorates or years of experience in the field. Moms don't need licenses. Moms don't need to go to school. As Erin Brockovich says "I have kids. Learned a lot right there." Mother always knows best, right? It's hormonal.

We've all seen the gruesome visage of The Black Dahlia, her mouth sliced ear-to-ear in a violent version of The Joker's charactaristic grin; Sharon Tate's pregnant, stabbed belly is just a mouse-click away; Ted Bundy's victims Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy's crime scene photos are public and searchable, should anyone want to find them. A judge has just ruled, however, that crime scene photos showing murdered hiker Meredith Emerson will not be published by Hustler Magazine, which seeks them for a story about the murder...

Your dog needs a corset. Just ask it.

This lovely and completely ridiculous Gothic red pleather corset is trimmed with cheap black lace and is available exclusively for four-legged canines (perhaps a lupine could fit one as well.) The Ritzy Rover Pet Boutique is available for lonely women and rich gay men everywhere who want their pooch to look as cool as they do when they go clubbing! The site's 'Romantic' corset is just one of many useless and completely asinine but fun apparel choices for Mr. Bojangles or Mrs. Bunny Fluffwhethington III, which includes camouflage skull hoodies, zebra chic nightgowns, and skull socks. But be careful, Puffwiggins might have to lose a few, as high fashion couture like this only comes in an unrealistic 32lb 'Large'.

Hollywood is celebrating what would have been actress Claire Trevor's 100th Birthday with a double feature of the classic noir films Key Largo (for which she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress) and Murder My Sweet at the Aero Theater in Los Angeles, California on March 11th, 2010. She was nicknamed the "Queen of Film Noir" because of her many appearances in "bad girl" roles in black-and-white thrillers. She appeared in over 60 films...

SFSite (the 'home page for science fiction and fantasy literature') and Locus Magazine (the website for the 'leading news and review magazine for science fiction and fantasy') have posted lists of sci-fi and fantasy literature they decided were the 'best' of 2009. Not surprisingly, SFSite mostly chose titles written by men. Locus did a little better.

SFSite had only one novel, "Boneshaker" by Cherie Priest, on their top ten list. There were 21 Honorable Mentions, three of which were by women, including Catherynne M. Valente's "Palimpset", "Year of the Flood" by Margaret Atwood and "The Red Tree" by Caitlin R. Kiernan. You can see them all here...

The Scare-ening: The Pretty/Scary - Final Girl Podcast, hosted by Pretty/Scary Editor Heidi Martinuzzi and Final Girl writer Stacie Ponder will join forces to bring you a radio show! Join the people who brought you Ghostella's Haunted Tomb for our LAUNCH EPISODE! Wednesday, March 10 at 8pm PST. We'll be talking about February 2010's 'Women in Horror Month', horror bloggers, Rondo Awards, and the Terrible Film of the Week. There will even be (GASP) special guests Andrew Shearer, Monica Puller, Hannah Foreman, Rachael Deacon, horror bloggers B-J C and B-Sol, and Sean Patrick Flanery!* Call-ins welcome.

On June 8th, Paramount is releasing the new horror film The Cry of the Owl on DVD. It's based on the novel by acclaimed author and suspense master Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley, Strangers On A Train.)

The film tells the story of Robert (Paddy Considine), a man trying to recover from a messy divorce by seeking solace in a small town. Robert becomes fascinated by the apparent domestic bliss of Jenny (Julia Stiles), who he secretly watches through her window. When Jenny catches him, she invites him in and the two begin a relationship, much to the chagrin of Jenny’s boyfriend. But when her boyfriend goes missing, Robert becomes the number one suspect in a murder investigation, leaving him to wonder if Jenny may not be all that she seems.

At the meaningless awards show tonight, 'The Oscars', The Hurt Locker was awarded the 'best picture' oscar, along with best editing, best director, best original screenplay, sound editing and sound mixing.

Congrats to director Kathryn Bigelow for finally breaking through the patriarchal barrier and opening the doors through which all women can now participate in the meaningless, shamefully egotistical Hollywood awards showcase known as The Academy Awards.

Interview by Kayley Thomas

Sean Patrick Flanery – When I told Heidi I’d set up an interview with him for Pretty/Scary, I think her heart might have stopped momentarily. Mine may have skipped a beat too. There’s a lot to love. He had that cute and creepy thing going for him in Powder. He was simply adorable (I mean, very manly) as Young Indiana Jones. He had the honor of getting ganked by Christopher Walken in Suicide Kings. He’s brought us some serious (and not-so serious) scares in Demon Hunter, The Masters of Horror’s The Damned Thing, Kaw, and The Insatiable, as well as episodes of Charmed, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, and more recently, The Dead Zone. And he’s got some more sf/f and horror in the works: Deadly Impact hits DVD this April with Mongolian Death Worms and Scavengers slated for later in 2010. Plus, he’s pretty easy on the eyes and a sweet, funny guy...