The Pet Sematary Remake Countdown Just Shrunk

A year out, film release dates can get rejiggered with very little fanfare – but maybe that’s because we’re used to them getting pushed farther back, whereas we’re suddenly a whole week closer to seeing the new “Pet Sematary” movie. If that doesn’t make your guts twitch, then consider that the film will also be John Lithgow’s return to the horror genre, as he’ll be taking on role of elderly neighbor Jud Crandall (we could be wrong, but it appears he hasn’t done anything particularly spooky since a “Tales From the Crypt” episode in 1995).

If you’ve been noticing tiny dagger symbols (†) on the New York Times‘ bestseller list, here’s the reason why: these denote cases where sales figures have been skewed by bulk-orders, which is a way for authors of relatively minor releases to sneak their way onto the list buy buying their own books, and then claim “bestseller” status for the rest of their career. As Electric Literature points out, this tactic seems especially popular among conservative political voices. This is literally “winning at any cost,” but those who know what to look for on the list can still tell the difference.

It’s ironic that the same week that Harvey Weinstein has surrendered to police to face a rape charge, new reports show that the sole allegation against author and TV star George Takei may not hold up to scrutiny. Despite publicly speculating at one time that he may have been drugged, Takei’s alleged victim has amended his story, admitting to the New York Observer that he was sober enough to be able to drive himself home, and also that he faced no pressure additional pressure from Takei after rebuffing a sexual advance from the actor. “Whatever really happened between Brunton and Takei all those years ago,” the Observer concludes, “The meta-lesson here might just be that while our society has long failed victims of sexual harassment and crimes, correcting these monstrous injustices, while remaining ourselves just, will continue to be difficult.”

Getting the next generation hooked on George R.R. Martin could be as easy as adapting his short story “The Ice Dragon” into an animated feature. And that’s exactly where we’re headed, with Warner Brothers naming Martin as a producer on the project. “The book isn’t technically connected to A Song Of Ice And Fire (the book series Game Of Thrones is based on).” The AV Club points out. “The original story predates A Game Of Thrones (the book), which means it predates the creation of Westeros.” For parents who hope to one day bond over the HBO series with their kids, this could serve as the perfect gateway.