Monday, December 29, 2014

THE 'BEWITCHED CONTINUUM' OFFERS A CAULDRON OF FUN ABOUT BELOVED SIXTIES SITCOM

Author Provides Expertise and Insight to New Release in Time For Series' 50th Anniversary

"Do witches fly on brooms?"

"Can one witch undo another witch's spell?"

"Do witches have power over one another?"

Answers to these questions are revealed in The Bewitched Continuum: The Ultimate Linear Guide To The Classic TV Series, a fun, entertaining book by Adam-Michael James that looks at all the details, discrepancies, magic, and spells from one of television's most popular series of the '60s.

"Bewitched" aired eight seasons on ABC from 1964-72, for a total of 254 episodes.   The series revolves around Darrin Stephens, an advertising executive, who marries a beautiful woman, Samantha, only to discover she is a witch with magic powers. He makes her promise him that she will live like a mortal, without using witchcraft and spells in their lives, but her best efforts are thwarted by the constant interference of magical relatives in their lives.  "Bewitched" starred Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, Dick York and later Dick Sargent as Darrin, and Agnes Moorehead as Samantha's mother.

"When I was eight years old, I fell in love for the first time," says author James, explaining his life-long fascination with "Bewitched."  "I sat in front of the television and saw a blonde lady wave her hand and make a strange gesture with her nose.  Suddenly, a bucket of water appeared over a man who had been bothering her, and, by the time the bucket emptied itself on him, I was hooked."

In The Bewitched Continuum, James focuses on the continuity of the supernatural sitcom by comparing and contrasting episodes with each other and exploring consistencies and inconsistencies in individual installments, including special effects, bloopers, and differences in show details.  In addition, he provides fun statistics such as the number of times Endora calls Darrin "Durwood," a tally of witch illnesses and mortal maladies, and detailed profiles of major characters.

Enhancing the rich compendium of "Bewitched" material, the author offers his personal selection for the top 10 best and worst episodes, and provides his own final episode for the series, which never had a proper finale due to an abrupt cancellation. And, finally, for any witches-in-the making, James compiles a comprehensive look at the show's spells, who cast each spell and why.

"What better way to delve into the magic of the series than during the celebration of its golden milestone?" adds author James.  "And let's face it - supernatural is hot right now.  In many ways, 'Bewitched' paved the way for the fairy tale, vampire, and fantasy series viewers are watching now."

This Thursday, James' interview on The "IN" Show will be broadcast from 1-2pm PST / 4-5pm EST at http://www.theINshow.com/ListenOnline.html . Be sure to tune IN to hear Adam-Michael James discuss the magic of writing The Bewitched Continuum!


The Bewitched Continuum also includes an insightful foreword by author/producer Herbie J Pilato, a leading expert in classic TV and pop culture whose latest book, Glamour, Gidgets, and the Girl Next Door , has just been released.

An expert in continuity, James has a long history in the entertainment industry including writing script coverage for major production companies and writing continuity scripts for radio.   His literary output includes the book and lyrics for the musical drama "The Nine Lives of L.M. Montgomery," "Extra Extra:  Memoirs from a Piece of Human Furniture," a humorous how-to tome on being a Hollywood extra, and the novel "Undo the Deed," a time-travel story that was influenced by "Bewitched."  Currently, he is a columnist at soapcentral.com where he writes extensively about the soap opera, "The Bold and the Beautiful."

For additional information, please visit http://adammichaeljames.com