Vampires, much like zombies, have been done.

And then they’ve been done and done some more.

There’s a reason people going back to the paranormal well, though – people like the stories and you can always tweak the mythology just a little bit and create something different.

That’s exactly what happens with ‘Blood Marriage’ by Regina Richards.

In this installment, dying Elizabeth is suffering from hemophilia in the early 1800s and she’s not long for this world. All she cares about, though, is surviving long enough so her dying mother will think that at least one of her children will have a long and happy life.

Elizabeth’s simple plans turn to ash, though, (sometimes literally) when a chance encounter with Nicholas Devlin forces her into a surprise marriage – and even more surprisingly lifestyle.

You see, Nicholas – all stalwart charm and swarthy lies – is actually a half vampire. The change was never finished on him, so he has some – but not all – of the vampire gifts. He can also save Elizabeth – but he has to worry about a series of murders at his estate before he can do that. Oh, and he keeps hiding what he is from her -- even though she keeps getting attacked by hooded "monsters."

While I loved the setting of ‘Blood Marriage’ – and the writing is pretty solid with only a handful of typos – I had a problem with some of the plot points.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that women had to be more subservient in those times, but Elizabeth’s whole attitude rankles me in our present time. Basically, she’s a walking doormat for her new husband because he’s good in bed.

It gets old pretty quickly.

Not only is new groom Nicholas disappearing from their bed every night – but he also manhandles his new bride whenever the mood strikes and refuses to answer her questions. It’s Elizabeth’s response to this – just letting him get away with the lies (and something that’s fairly similar to rape) and never demanding answers of her husband.

I like a strong heroine in a book. Every character in ‘Blood Marriage’ says that Elizabeth is a strong woman – but she’s actually just the opposite. She’s consistently weak – in character and body.

Despite all this, I enjoyed a lot of the book – and the new take on half vampires and demon vampires was a breath of fresh air in a crowded genre. This book would have been a lot better, though, if Elizabeth had been something other than a damsel in distress that completely loses her mind every time her husband kisses her.

That just doesn’t work for me.

‘Blood Marriage’ is $3.99 on Kindle.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness.’

I wasn’t keen on the idea of a reboot in 2009 – in general, I think the majority of reboots are terrible – but I was blown away by the first installment.

Not only were the movies cast well – especially in the three major roles of Kirk, Spock and Bones –  but they were also well acted and action-packed.

The trailer for the second film was a lot darker – and I was worried the fun of the first film would be lost.

‘Into Darkness’ is definitely darker. There’s no doubt about that. It still has fun with itself, though, and it’s the nods to true ‘Star Trek’ fans that really thrilled me.

There are funny jokes – including making Chekhov gulp when he has to put on a red shirt – and there are poignant moments of true feeling and devotion among the crew members.

The movie opens with Spock’s life in peril and Kirk breaking Starfleet’s Prime Directive to save him.

While the action sequence is tons of fun, it’s really just a plot point to show that Kirk and Spock have differing ideas about duty.

Kirk wants to do his duty – but he’s not willing to sacrifice a crew member to do it. Spock is by the book the entire way – and he’s ready to die if it means that his duty is fulfilled.

Kirk and Spock are the centerpiece of the movie – and their relationship is key. ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ is widely considered the best of the original Trek movies (although I have a soft spot for ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’). This movie is an odd mirror of that – although it doesn’t take the same twists at turns.

At the center of ‘Into Darkness’ is John Harrison, a rogue Starfleet officer that inflicts two acts of terrorism on Starfleet – forcing Kirk and Spock into a moral quandary as they chase him to Kronos (a Klingon moon introduced in previous ‘Star Trek’ flicks).

In the capable hands of Benedict Cumberbatch, Harrison is a marvel to watch on the screen -- a fine physical specimen with absolutely no sex appeal. I know, it's a weird combination -- but it works. You are never sure of his true motivations – and he’s a master manipulator. Most fans already know who Cumberbatch is – but I won’t ruin it for the handful who are still living in the dark.

Instead of killing Harrison – like Admiral Marcus orders Kirk – he is taken into custody on the Enterprise. That’s where the true plot of the movie is revealed.

‘Into Darkness’ really is a love story for ‘Star Trek’ fans. I think those that aren’t familiar with the

franchise will love the movie – but those that loved ‘Wrath of Khan’ will really adore it. Director J.J. Abrams does a masterful job of interweaving the second Trek stories into each other.

It takes a lot to make me cry at a movie – but this one did bring me to tears near the end. I figured out what they were going to do at the end – but that didn’t ruin the ride for me. And the Leonard Nimoy cameo fit in well -- and didn't feel forced.

At its heart, ‘Wrath of Khan’ was a story of what happens when sacrifice and vengeance collide. The same can be said of ‘Into Darkness.’

 

Not only are the action sequences breathtaking – including a final fight between Harrison and Spock that harkens back to some ‘Star Wars’ glory (Abrams is going to revitalize that series, I can feel it) – but the quiet moments are poignant, as well.

While this film doesn’t have as much humor as the first film – it’s still there, mostly revolving around Kirk and Spock’s combustible relationship.

“Sometimes I just want to . . . rip those bangs right off his head,” Kirk says at one point.

It’s no surprise that their relationship is the one that rings most true in this rebooted franchise. Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine embody their characters – and they both look like they’re having a blast doing it.

In the end, I recommend ‘Into Darkness’ to everyone – but true Trek fans will be missing out on a wonder if they skip it.

What do you think? Did you like ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness’?

I didn’t have a lot of faith that the ‘One Life to Live’ and ‘All My Children’ reboots would work in an online format – and it looks like that prognostication is getting bolstered already.

Prospect Park, the production company that bought the rights to the cancelled ABC sudsers, announced Thursday that both shows would be cut down to two airings a week instead of the originally planned four.

Prospect Park bigwigs say that the move is designed to avoid “overloading viewers” with content. They claim that soap fans were only used to watching two or three days of their shows a week.

First off, as a lifelong fan, I can tell you that’s not the case. I watched five days a week of both ‘One Life to Live’ and ‘General Hospital’ -- and I did it for years. There were times – especially towards the end – where I gave up on ‘All My Children’ because it was so bad. However, when it was good, I watched all three every day.

The online endeavors are already a half an hour long – equaling roughly two hours of programming a week (not counting ads). By the Prospect Park rationale, that should be what fans are used to watching – not too much for them.

The new format will air new episodes of ‘All My Children’ Mondays and Wednesday and new

episodes of ‘One Life to Live’ on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"In the past these shows had their vast majority of views within the first 24 hours," Rich Frank and Jeff Kwatinetz said in a written statement. "Instead, our shows are primarily consumed on different days then when they originally air. Primarily, fans have been binge-viewing or watching on demand, and as a result, we feel we have been expecting our audience to dedicate what has turned out to be an excessive amount of time to viewing these shows. ... We are finding that asking most people to regularly watch more than a half hour per day online seems to be too much."

This sounds like a whole lot of spin to me.

Producers have also said that this won’t affect production – but cutting a show’s episode run in half on a weekly basis has to have some effect on production. I don’t see how it couldn’t.

You’re producing half as many episodes on a weekly basis – and on the whole.

The truth is, if Prospect Park was making a profit they would have kept the schedule they initially launched at the onset in early May. Since they’re pulling the trigger for cuts two weeks out – I have to think this signifies real trouble.

Also, when Prospect Park sued ABC for $25 million a few weeks ago, I theorized that it was for operating money. That looks to be true, after all (no matter what the naysayers may believe).

While I don’t want to see the two endeavors fail – I hate for anyone to lose a show they love – I am left wondering how Prospect Park thought this was going to succeed.

There is still a chance that these shows will survive – but I’m starting to doubt that they will ever resemble what we lost.

Things definitely aren't looking good, though.

What do you think? Do you take this Prospect Park announcement as good news or bad news?

For years, CBS has been the most stable of the big four networks.

They’ve been picky about the shows they’ve picked up – and patient when deciding which shows to cancel.

CBS was a little more rash when it came to cancellations this season, dumping the long-running ‘CSI: New York’ and shuttling the fan favorite ‘Vegas’ after one season. Also, negotiations for 'Criminal Minds' went down to the wire.

In looking at their new schedule, not much really stands out – except for their decision to move ‘Hawaii Five-0’ from Mondays to Fridays. That essentially is saying they’re trying to kill the show.

Fans of ‘Hawaii Five-0’ – which I am one – should probably ready themselves for the fact that this will be the final season.

In addition to ‘Hawaii Five-0’s’ move, CBS also has put off comedy ‘Mike and Molly’ to the midseason. This is actually a pretty good idea – because a handful of CBS’ new comedies are bound to bomb and ‘Mike and Molly’ can easily take over that timeslot with a built-in fanbase. 

Here is CBS’ fall schedule:

Monday

8 p.m. – How I Met Your Mother

8:30 p.m. – We Are Men

9 p.m. – 2 Broke Girls

9:30 p.m. – Mom

10 p.m – Hostages

Tuesday

8 p.m. – NCIS

9 p.m.  – NCIS: Los Angeles

10 p.m. – Person of Interest

Wednesday

8 p.m. – Survivor

9 p.m. – Criminal Minds

10 p.m. – CSI

Thursday

8 p.m. – The Big Bang Theory

8:30 p.m. – The Millers

9 p.m. – The Crazy Ones

9:30 p.m. – Two and a Half Men

10 p.m. – Elementary

Friday

8 p.m. – Undercover Boss

9 p.m. – Hawaii Five-0

10 p.m. – Blue Bloods

Saturday

8 p.m. – Comedytime Saturday

8:30 p.m. – Comedytime Saturday

9 p.m. – Crimetime Saturday

10 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery

Sunday

7 p.m. – 60 Minutes

8 p.m. – The Amazing Race

9 p.m. – The Good Wife

10 p.m. – The Mentalist

Midseason Shows

Friends with Better Lives (comedy)
Reckless (drama)

Intelligence (drama)

Mike and Molly (comedy)