Bespin Copilot

In another era, I would have drunk Dolph Lundgren’s… Alright, this post is officially censored.

Background music to re-read The Tale of the Body Thief, the 4th installment in The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice As Lestat de Lioncourt wrestles with the burden of immortality, The Tale of the Body Thief plunges him into a perilous experiment: trading his vampire body for a mortal one. Seduced by the promise of humanity, he accepts a deal with the cunning Raglan James... only to be betrayed and left vulnerable in a fragile human shell. The novel follows Lestat’s desperate quest to reclaim his body, aided by the skeptical David Talbot, while exploring themes of identity, temptation, and the soul’s resilience. It’s a gothic meditation on what it means to be truly alive... or truly damned.

Sam Reid is probably the best Lestat we've had so far. I can't wait to see him as a rock star in S3. Sorry for the spoiler, but Lestat is not dead... He'll always be there... somewhere...

@Xander Harris Did you ever see the film The Queen of the Damned (2002)? I actually really liked that movie. I felt Lestat was portrayed more faithfully than in Interview with the Vampire (1994), where Tom Cruise played him. Sure, the supporting characters, like Louis, were mostly sidelined or forgotten, but still... it gave a decent glimpse into what comes next. The Queen of the Damned is the third novel in The Vampire Chronicles, and if I remember correctly, the film was a loose blend of book two (The Vampire Lestat) and book three. The movie follows Lestat as he awakens from decades of slumber, seduced by the sound of modern rock music. He becomes a rock star, revealing the existence of vampires to the world through his lyrics. This bold move awakens Akasha, the first vampire and Queen of the Damned, who sees in Lestat a partner for her vision of a new world order... one where vampires rule and most of humanity is wiped out. I'm really looking forward to seeing this arc adapted in AMC’s series. But let’s be honest, it’s probably not coming in season 3. Season 2 is still deep in the events of the first novel, Interview with the Vampire. The second book, The Vampire Lestat, is a radical shift: it retells Lestat’s origin story from his own perspective, starting in 18th-century France. We learn about his transformation, his complex relationship with his maker Magnus, and his philosophical rebellion against the vampire code. It’s a much more personal, myth-building narrative that redefines everything we thought we knew from Louis’s version. So yeah, I’m eager to see how AMC handles that tonal and narrative pivot. ___ BTW I’ve read The Vampire Chronicles up to Memnoch the Devil (the 5th novel in the Chronicles)... It's the last one I finished (there are 8 more in the Chronicles hehe). By then, we’re far beyond Akasha’s reign (4000 BC). With Lestat, we dive deep into the origins of the Creation itself. That novel is wild: Lestat is drawn into a metaphysical journey where he meets Memnoch, who claims to be the Devil, and is taken through Heaven, Hell, and the history of creation. It’s not just vampire lore anymore... it’s a full-on theological exploration, questioning divine justice, suffering, and the role of God. It’s one of the most ambitious and controversial books in the series, and it really reframes Lestat as a seeker of truth, not just a rebellious immortal... Right after season 2 wraps up, I’m diving back into the novels to reconnect with the story... I read them years ago. My husband bought all the books from The Vampire Chronicles, The Mayfair Witches, and their crossover series (which I think have become pretty rare in French). I’m really looking forward to discovering what comes next… though I’ll definitely need Wikipedia to figure out the right reading order!

Back to Interview with the Vampire. My god, episode 5 of season 2… What a flashback. We’re taken back to the first meetings between Molloy and Louis in 1973, along with a reminder of why it never led to the publication of Molloy's novel... the so-called "Interview with the Vampire". In the TV series, the second part of the interview takes place in 2022 (where the season 1 begins)... presumably because it’s more convenient for the show’s narrative... Remember that Ann Rice's novel was published in 1976... Anyway, that was one hell of an intense episode. By this point in season 2, I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that Anne Rice’s original settings were simply shifted forward by 100 years. The new backstory for Louis was tough to accept at first, but I’m okay with it now. With this change in timeline the events of Le Théâtre des Vampires now take place after WWII instead of the 1900s, and it actually works quite well. All that to say: I’m fully hooked on the series again. What a great show.

Okay, so I'm not the only one who finds that nomination a bit 'strange.' So, there are composers who sit down and write completely original music for documentaries, and they do it really well. Then there is this guy being honored. His documentary is, yes, centered on his music, but it contains no original composition. And yet, he gets a nomination. Sure, the guy is John Williams, and we all admire him, but still... Is this really the best the Grammys can do to support original music composition in film and television?

Whether you like the persona or not, you have to admit his music is one of a kind! Here's a little best-of based on my personal top 10.

It's in stereo, so likely a rerecording.

For my part, I usually go with the Elfman/Bartek re-recording. The tempi are preserved… and of course, it's in stereo.

Disgusting. I love Season 2 of The Witches. It is more fully realized than the first. The new era of Taltos begins now!

FIXED!

Alright, I'm diving back into the final episode of The Mayfair Witches (AMC) before starting season 2. I had just finished reading the novels when I watched season one. While I loved the atmosphere and the New Orleans setting, the casting of Rowan, Ciprien, and Lasher didn’t really convince me. Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches saga is best read with a family tree in hand. It's a sprawling, intergenerational tale. Witches pass down their powers, and yes, that includes incest. No surprise there. To sum it up bluntly, the story follows a family of witches across 13 generations. A demon or spirit first appeared to the original witch, and the 13th is supposed to allow it to incarnate. That’s the core premise. Thirteen generations means a flood of characters. In a novel, that works. In a series, you have to make choices. Characters get trimmed, merged, or simplified. That’s why, after reading the books, I didn’t quite recognize the story on screen. Still, the show holds together. It’s just extremely simplified, even though it still manages to feel complex. Bottom line: I’m heading into season 2 hoping they’ve patched up the weak spots from season one. I’ll report back soon… A very important character will be introduced in Season 2: Julien (born in 1828). One of the most powerful witches of the Thirteen… and yes, he was a man, unlike the other twelve. In the Mayfair family, power was traditionally passed down through the women... generation after generation, the legacy of witchcraft was a matriarchal inheritance. Julien was the exception. A man with absolutely no taboos... He was only briefly mentioned in Season 1, so I’m really excited to finally see him brought to life on screen.

I didn't know it was his birthday. It didn't pop up on Facebook!

"Now I have another reason to hate Christmas!"

In late 2022, John Williams mentioned during a concert that he was writing music for what he believed was a new ending to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, sparking rumors of reshoots. Director James Mangold quickly responded online, clarifying that the film was essentially finished and that Williams had simply been mistaken or misinformed. Mangold repeated this point in later interviews, stressing that no alternate ending was shot and that Williams’s comment had been based on a misunderstanding. The incident was amplified by fans and media, but in reality it was just a case of Williams speaking prematurely and Mangold correcting the record without insult.