Saturday, September 25, 2010
The White Latex Paint Defense
It didn't work.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Follow that Mouse -- Henry Melton
Ranch Exit is the smallest town in Utah, and strange things are happening. Dot Comal notices. There's a mouse that's not afraid of her. People (and animals) are changing. The mice seem to be trying to communicate with Dot. Her own father sometimes shows uncontrolled rage. An eccentric millionaire hires men to dress in uniforms and make crop circles. And that's not all. The old Indian shaman might know what's going on, but he's not telling.
In other words there are plenty of mysteries to be solved, and Dot and her friend Ned are just the ones to solve them, beginning with the Man Under the Mountain. Once they find him, things really get complicated.
This is another fast-moving, entertaining story from Henry Melton. There's even a little touch of romance. Check it out.
Keep Those Dogs off Her Lawn!
75-year-old neighbor throws seedpod at pregnant woman, hits her with stick | year, old, rosa - News - Northwest Florida Daily News: "A 75-year-old Pace woman and her 52-year-old son were arrested after being charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Sept. 17.
The 75-year-old suspect, Barbara Bailey, was also charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, and placed in Santa Rosa County jail with $32,500 bond.
[. . . .]
The woman told the deputy that an altercation ensued over two dogs who were barking in her yard. The report indicated that Bailey, her neighbor, went over to the fence, and began “beating the fence” where the dogs were barking."
The 75-year-old suspect, Barbara Bailey, was also charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant victim, and placed in Santa Rosa County jail with $32,500 bond.
[. . . .]
The woman told the deputy that an altercation ensued over two dogs who were barking in her yard. The report indicated that Bailey, her neighbor, went over to the fence, and began “beating the fence” where the dogs were barking."
Grace Bradley Boyd, R. I. P.
Obituary: Grace Bradley Boyd dies at 97; actress, widow of William 'Hopalong Cassidy' Boyd - latimes.com: "Grace Bradley Boyd, an actress who came to Hollywood as a Paramount contract player in the early 1930s but abandoned her career after marrying the love of her life, William 'Hopalong Cassidy' Boyd, has died. She was 97.
Boyd, the keeper of the 'Hoppy' flame after the death of her western movie-hero husband of 35 years in 1972, died of age-related causes on her birthday Tuesday at her home in Dana Point, said Jane Mak, a longtime close friend."
Boyd, the keeper of the 'Hoppy' flame after the death of her western movie-hero husband of 35 years in 1972, died of age-related causes on her birthday Tuesday at her home in Dana Point, said Jane Mak, a longtime close friend."
Hat tip to Gar Anthony Haywood.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Trapped Miners Update
Inside a day in the life of trapped miners - World news - Americas - msnbc.com: "Could you hold up under the mental pressure of being trapped underground for several months? The 33 Chilean miners stuck since Aug. 5 face that struggle every day. Below is a look at what their typical day is like — and how it's been structured to help them stay busy."
It's Water and Crackers for Him
Video: Parrot arrested for aiding drug cartel - Telegraph: "A parrot in Colombia has been arrested after it was seized during a police drugs raid.
According to environmental authorities, Lorenzo the parrot was trying to tip-off a local drug cartel when officers conducted an undercover raid early Wednesday.
'This parrot was sending out alerts,' said police officer Hollman Oliveira. 'You could say he was some sort of watch bird.'"
According to environmental authorities, Lorenzo the parrot was trying to tip-off a local drug cartel when officers conducted an undercover raid early Wednesday.
'This parrot was sending out alerts,' said police officer Hollman Oliveira. 'You could say he was some sort of watch bird.'"
Eddie Fisher, R. I. P.
'50s Pop Singer Eddie Fisher Dies At Age 82 - Entertainment News Story - KPTV Portland: "Pop singer Eddie Fisher, whose clear voice brought him a devoted following of teenage girls in the early 1950s before marriage scandals overshadowed his fame, has died at age 82.
He passed away Wednesday night at his home in Berkeley of complications from hip surgery, his daughter, Tricia Leigh Fisher of Los Angeles, told The Associated Press.
'Late last evening the world lost a true America icon,' Fisher's family said in a statement released by publicist British Reece. 'One of the greatest voices of the century passed away. He was an extraordinary talent and a true mensch.'"
He passed away Wednesday night at his home in Berkeley of complications from hip surgery, his daughter, Tricia Leigh Fisher of Los Angeles, told The Associated Press.
'Late last evening the world lost a true America icon,' Fisher's family said in a statement released by publicist British Reece. 'One of the greatest voices of the century passed away. He was an extraordinary talent and a true mensch.'"
Oops
Taiwan copyright poster winner turns out to be copycat - �Latest news around the world and developments close to home - MSN Malaysia News: "A Taiwanese man who won a poster design competition to promote copyright protection has been stripped of his prize after he was exposed as a copycat, officials said Thursday.
The man, identified only by his surname Wu, apologised and admitted that his winning design was copied from a work by Dutch artist Dennis Sibeijn featuring a paper plane and, ironically, titled 'Truth'."
The man, identified only by his surname Wu, apologised and admitted that his winning design was copied from a work by Dutch artist Dennis Sibeijn featuring a paper plane and, ironically, titled 'Truth'."
Forgotten Books: NIGHT NEVER ENDS -- Fredrick Lorenz
So I thought I knew what would happen, but it never did. This is more or less Lorenz's attempt at a mainstream "problem" novel. Belle is loyal to George, though she doesn't love him, and there's no hint of a murder plot. There's craziness with another character, but once again, things don't take a criminous turn. The only criminal is George, who winds up fleeing the cops in the end to give Belle and Luke their chance.
Lorenz's writing is sharp, particularly in the opening scenes, and the '50s blue-collar setting is very well done. The psychology is very '50s, though the dangers of religious fanaticism that one character exhibits seem all too contemporary.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Top 10 Songs to Test Your Car's Stereo
GM audio engineer lists Top 10 songs to test your car's stereo - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com: "Here are Kirsch's '10 Songs for an Audio Test Drive' and what he says to listen for in each track."
Oops
ITV embarrassed by report of polar bear washed up on beach (Global Warming fraud): "The presenter of ITV's West Country breakfast bulletin informed astonished viewers that an animal more commonly spotted near the North Pole had turned up in the seaside town of Bude. Video footage showed a large, white beast lying on the shore.
'A walker in Cornwall has caught an extraordinary sight on camera. A polar bear has washed up on a beach near Bude,' an excited Miss Lloyd said. 'The bear comes from the Arctic Circle and an investigation is under way as to how it could have ended up there.'
[. . . .]
Closer inspection revealed that the polar bear was, in fact, a cow."
'A walker in Cornwall has caught an extraordinary sight on camera. A polar bear has washed up on a beach near Bude,' an excited Miss Lloyd said. 'The bear comes from the Arctic Circle and an investigation is under way as to how it could have ended up there.'
[. . . .]
Closer inspection revealed that the polar bear was, in fact, a cow."
Hat tip to Stephen Blotner.
UFO Update
FOXNews.com - Aliens Are Monitoring Our Nukes, Worry Ex-Air Force Officers: "Captain Robert Salas was on duty in Montana in 1967 when a UFO shut down the nuclear missiles on his base. And he's hardly the only one to make such a claim.
On Monday, six former U.S. Air Force officers and one former enlisted man will break their silence about similar events at the National Press Club, all centering around unidentified flying objects and nuclear missiles. They plan to urge the government to publicly confirm the incidents, stating that they were ordered never to discuss the events."
On Monday, six former U.S. Air Force officers and one former enlisted man will break their silence about similar events at the National Press Club, all centering around unidentified flying objects and nuclear missiles. They plan to urge the government to publicly confirm the incidents, stating that they were ordered never to discuss the events."
CSI: 1920s
Forensic science was not always CSI-style teamwork | Deborah Blum | Science | guardian.co.uk: "Forensic science was not always CSI-style teamwork.
In the 1920s, forensics was in its infancy, and investigators often found themselves pitted against the police."
In the 1920s, forensics was in its infancy, and investigators often found themselves pitted against the police."
And Stay off Her Lawn!
Mont. woman fends off bear attack with zucchini - Yahoo! News: "Police say a Montana woman fended off a bear attack with an unlikely weapon — a zucchini."
No zucchini jokes, please.
No Comment Department
DC Woman Evicted From Home Was A Hoarder: "An eviction in D.C. turned into a bigger job than anyone could have ever expected. The woman being kicked out is a hoarder. What was in her home was enough to fill ten houses. All of it wound up piled up on both sides of her street and a block down another.
It took a small army to move it all. A moving company hauled away about half of it. The city loaded up seven dump trucks and took the rest to a storage facility.
'I've never, never, never seen anything like this in my life,' said neighbor Rhonda Carter.
Furniture, old electronics, box after box of stuff by the thousands were piled up on both sides of the street for two blocks, stacked four feet high.
'My thought was maybe about 15 people had just gotten set out,' said Donnell Thompkins, who came by to visit his brother.
He soon learned this belongs to one woman, Eliose Diaz. She's jobless and was evicted from her 11th Street home for failing to pay rent.
'Im not going to throw it away because I collected this for a long time and its hard to collect it to throw it away,' said Diaz."
It took a small army to move it all. A moving company hauled away about half of it. The city loaded up seven dump trucks and took the rest to a storage facility.
'I've never, never, never seen anything like this in my life,' said neighbor Rhonda Carter.
Furniture, old electronics, box after box of stuff by the thousands were piled up on both sides of the street for two blocks, stacked four feet high.
'My thought was maybe about 15 people had just gotten set out,' said Donnell Thompkins, who came by to visit his brother.
He soon learned this belongs to one woman, Eliose Diaz. She's jobless and was evicted from her 11th Street home for failing to pay rent.
'Im not going to throw it away because I collected this for a long time and its hard to collect it to throw it away,' said Diaz."
Oops
Google Maps 'loses' major Florida city - CNN.com: "[F]or at least a month this summer, Google's computers 'lost' Sunrise, Florida."
Hat tip to Jeremy Lynch.
The Shootist
John Wayne: one last shot before the final farewell - Telegraph: "In 1976, battling the cancer that would kill him, John Wayne stepped in front of the camera for one final face-off. The result was 'The Shootist’, a rich and elegiac western and, says Philip Horne, a fitting swansong for Hollywood’s most courageous gunslinger."
Things are Getting Tense
The fierce fight over the present tense - Laura Miller - Salon.com: "It wouldn't be a Man Booker Prize shortlist without a controversy in the British press, but this year's furor -- launched by one-time Booker judge Philip Hensher -- may strike some readers as a bit wonkish. Hensher (author of the splendid novel, 'The Northern Clemency') complained in the Telegraph newspaper that three of the six nominees for Britain's most celebrated literary prize are written in the present tense, a choice he regards as merely, and annoyingly, 'fashionable.'"
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Close Your Eyes and Think of England
MI6 'used bodily fluids as invisible ink' - Telegraph: "British intelligence services experimented with using semen as an invisible ink to write top-secret letters, it has been disclosed."
Hat tips to Michael Stamm and Jeff Segal.
Dino Update
Bizarre New Dinosaur Species Found in Utah: "Scientists say they've found two new dinosaur species in Utah that are among the most bizarre and blinged out ever discovered.
The Utah reptiles belong to the horned-dinosaur family, which is known for outlandish anatomy, and are wowing seasoned fossil hunters. Even the three-horned triceratops, the most familiar horned dinosaur, looks like the no-frills model compared with the newcomers."
The Utah reptiles belong to the horned-dinosaur family, which is known for outlandish anatomy, and are wowing seasoned fossil hunters. Even the three-horned triceratops, the most familiar horned dinosaur, looks like the no-frills model compared with the newcomers."
My Bouchercon Panel
Let's see. Among other things, the panel is up against the Michael Connelly interview. This shouldn't be a tough choice for anyone.
Friday, October 15
11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
INTERLUDE
A story is more than just action
Chris Knopf(M), Robert Gregory Browne, Michael Dymmoch, Bill Crider,
Todd Ritter
Where Are They Now?
The Breakfast Club reunites 25 years after filming iconic movie | Mail Online: "The brain, the princess, the basket case and the criminal - all back together again to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Breakfast Club.
Four out of the five Brat Pack stars who rocketed to fame in the cult 1985 movie reunited in New York for a screening of the film."
Four out of the five Brat Pack stars who rocketed to fame in the cult 1985 movie reunited in New York for a screening of the film."
Photos at the link.
Here's the Plot for Your Next Financial Thriller
Vatican Bank Facing Money Laundering Probe: "Italian authorities seized euro23 million ($30 million) from a Vatican bank account Tuesday and said they have begun investigating top officials of the Vatican bank in connection with a money-laundering probe.
The Vatican said it was 'perplexed and surprised' by the investigation."
The Vatican said it was 'perplexed and surprised' by the investigation."
Bid Early & Often
More than 40 original illustrations from the classic children’s book Charlotte’s Web – including the iconic cover art – from the estate of legendary illustrator Garth Williams, will be part of Heritage Auctions’ Oct. 15 Illustration Art Auction, taking place at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion, 2 East 79th Street.
Archaeology Update
Archaeologists find theater box at Herod’s palace | Raw Story: "Israeli archaeologists have excavated a lavish, private theater box in a 400-seat facility at King Herod's winter palace in the Judean desert, the team's head said Tuesday.
Ehud Netzer of Jerusalem's Hebrew University said the room provides further evidence of King Herod's famed taste for extravagance."
Ehud Netzer of Jerusalem's Hebrew University said the room provides further evidence of King Herod's famed taste for extravagance."
Paging Barney Fife
Deputy in town for firearms training accidentally fires weapon in hotel room | KLEW CBS 3 - News, Weather and Sports - Lewiston, ID - Lewiston, Idaho | Local & Regional: "There were some anxious moments late Monday afternoon, as police responded to a frantic call from a desk clerk of shots fired at the Inn America on 21st Street.
It turns out, it was an errant shot from a revolver fired by a Bonner County deputy who's in town for firearms training.
Lewiston Police Captain Roger Lanier said the deputy was in his room practicing what are called dry firearm drills, but had not made sure the gun was unloaded."
It turns out, it was an errant shot from a revolver fired by a Bonner County deputy who's in town for firearms training.
Lewiston Police Captain Roger Lanier said the deputy was in his room practicing what are called dry firearm drills, but had not made sure the gun was unloaded."
The Most Stolen Products In America
Retail Theft: Most Stolen Products In America Include Alcohol, Meat, Cosmetics, And Men's Razors | Special Features | Minyanville.com: "Shoplifting crimes usually only make the headlines when a Hollywood actress is caught like a deer in headlights sneaking designer clothes past a knowing security guard, or when the wealthy daughter of the former mayor of New York decides she'd rather not pay for her makeup. But for every celebrity with a mug shot, there's an army of professional thieves walking off unnoticed, stashing millions of dollars in retail goods."
Cooking with Gas
Car carrying crack cocaine explodes at Brazil gas stop, blasting shards for 20 yards - Winnipeg Free Press: "Police say Monday that a man and woman apparently tried to hide 11 pounds (five kilograms) of crack inside their car's natural gas fuel tank."
Probably Headed for Sewers in the U. S.
At least 280 crocs escape enclosure in storm - Weather - msnbc.com: "At least 280 crocodiles have escaped from a Mexican refuge near the Gulf of Mexico after heavy flooding caused by Hurricane Karl, Mexican media said Tuesday.
The endangered Morelet crocodiles were on the roam in six coastal areas in the Mexican state of Veracruz and residents were told not to try to capture or kill them, El Economista reported."
The endangered Morelet crocodiles were on the roam in six coastal areas in the Mexican state of Veracruz and residents were told not to try to capture or kill them, El Economista reported."
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Here's the Plot for Your Next Noir Story
Spanish man drinks in bar with murdered girlfriend’s head in a bag: report | Posted | National Post: "A Spanish man calmly drank beer with his mates in a bar with his murdered girlfriend’s head in a bag, press reports said on Tuesday.
After leaving the bar on Sunday, the 34-year-old climbed an electrical tower, was hit by a shock and plunged 30 metres to the ground, dying that evening in hospital, they said.
According to a report in the ABC daily newspaper, citing witnesses, the man told friends in the bar in Cordoba, southern Spain, that he had decapitated his 30-year-old partner.
But he was so calm they did not believe him, despite bloodstains on his shirt."
After leaving the bar on Sunday, the 34-year-old climbed an electrical tower, was hit by a shock and plunged 30 metres to the ground, dying that evening in hospital, they said.
According to a report in the ABC daily newspaper, citing witnesses, the man told friends in the bar in Cordoba, southern Spain, that he had decapitated his 30-year-old partner.
But he was so calm they did not believe him, despite bloodstains on his shirt."
Will the Persecution Never End?
Paris Hilton: Detained in Asia and "Very Disappointed" - E! Online: "Yesterday, Paris Hilton pleaded guilty to a cocaine possession charge and jetted off to Asia on a previously planned business trip.
She was scheduled to make an in-store appearance in Tokyo Wednesday, but that's in jeopardy after she was detained upon landing at Japan's Narita Airport...
Hilton's rep confirms that immigration officials detained Paris upon arrival. Anyone on a suspended jail term (such as Hilton) is not allowed to enter Japan except for 'special reasons,' the Narita branch of the Tokyo immigration control office told local news agency Jiji."
She was scheduled to make an in-store appearance in Tokyo Wednesday, but that's in jeopardy after she was detained upon landing at Japan's Narita Airport...
Hilton's rep confirms that immigration officials detained Paris upon arrival. Anyone on a suspended jail term (such as Hilton) is not allowed to enter Japan except for 'special reasons,' the Narita branch of the Tokyo immigration control office told local news agency Jiji."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Irving Ravetch, R. I. P.
Irving Ravetch, Screenwriter, Dies at 89 - Obituary (Obit) - NYTimes.com: "Irving Ravetch, whose playwriting career stalled on the brink of Broadway but who became half of one of Hollywood’s most successful husband-and-wife screenwriting teams, creators of the Oscar-nominated scripts for “Hud” and “Norma Rae,” died Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 89."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Trial of the Week
Hit man tells court he was asked by dominatrix to kill mogul’s wife - The Globe and Mail: "The trial of a wealthy Toronto businessman and a dominatrix accused of conspiring to hire a biker to kill the businessman's wife opened Friday with testimony that the hit man never intended to kill the woman and cut up her body."
Hat tip to Karin Montin.
We're Doomed
FOXNews.com - 'Jersey Shore' Star Snooki Is America's Accidental Sweetheart: "America has gone nuts for Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, with over five and a half million viewers tuning in each week to watch her squeal, get drunk and hook-up in the second season of MTV’s smash hit, “Jersey Shore.”
But what it is about Snooki, a girl with no discernible talent, that has struck a chord with the viewing public? The diminutive diva is featured on the cover of not one, but two celebrity magazines this week, earns $20,000 just to show up at events and even has a line of hair products and a book deal in the works."
But what it is about Snooki, a girl with no discernible talent, that has struck a chord with the viewing public? The diminutive diva is featured on the cover of not one, but two celebrity magazines this week, earns $20,000 just to show up at events and even has a line of hair products and a book deal in the works."
Archaeology Update
Calif. utility stumbles on 1.4M years old fossils | Raw Story: "The well-preserved cache contains nearly 1,500 bone fragments, including a giant cat that was the ancestor of the saber-toothed tiger, ground sloths the size of a modern-day grizzly bear, two types of camels and more than 1,200 bones from small rodents. Other finds include a new species of deer, horse and possibly llama, researchers affiliated with the project said."
A Great List!
Well, two lists, actually. You'll notice that the books on mine have been featured here on Fridays now and then. Check it out.
Leonard Skinner, R. I. P.
Rock band inspiration Leonard Skinner dies - Entertainment - Music - TODAYshow.com: "Leonard Skinner, the basketball coach and gym teacher who inspired the name of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, died Monday in Florida, his daughter said. He was 77."
Time to End the Persecution!
Showbiz - News - Paris Hilton 'over being a party girl' - Digital Spy: "Paris Hilton has reportedly told friends that she no longer wants to be associated with being 'a party girl'.
Hilton, who earlier pled guilty to misdemeanour charges of drug possession and obstructing an officer, apparently claimed that her arrest with boyfriend Cy Waits on August 27 has made her re-evaluate her priorities.
According to TMZ, Hilton said: 'I'm taking this whole ordeal as a wake-up call.'"
Hilton, who earlier pled guilty to misdemeanour charges of drug possession and obstructing an officer, apparently claimed that her arrest with boyfriend Cy Waits on August 27 has made her re-evaluate her priorities.
According to TMZ, Hilton said: 'I'm taking this whole ordeal as a wake-up call.'"
So It's Come To This
Monday, September 20, 2010
Gary Phillips Reads from The Underbelly | CrimeWAV.com
Episode 62: Gary Phillips reads from The Underbelly | CrimeWAV.com
Gary says this is NSFW, so now you know.
Liberace Museum Update
Supporters of Liberace Museum refuse to close the show without a fight - The Kats Report - Las Vegas Sun: "On that day and at that iconic site, friends and fans of the museum will picket to protest the imminent closing of the historic attraction."
Link via News from Me.
Baker Street Irregular -- John Lellenberg
Baker Street Irregular, the first Arkham House book in several years, is billed as a mystery/espionage thriller. Maybe so, but to me it was more like the kind of novel that I used to read fairly often, a big, sweeping historical that blends the coming-of-age story with the story of changing eras in 20th century. Our hero is Woody Hazelbaker, a young midwesterner who works for a prominent New York law firm during the Depression. He's afraid he might lose his job, as others have, but because of his un-lawyerly personality, the head of the firm gives him a new client, one that others in the firm wouldn't care to work with: Owney Madden.
Madden is the first of many actual historical figures to appear in the pages of the novel, and Hazelbaker learns a lot from their association. He profits from it in a lot of different ways as the story moves along.
Hazelbaker also falls in with Christopher Morley's Baker Street Irregulars, and it's a lot of fun to see what Lellenberg does with characters like Morley, Rex Stout, Alexander Woolcott, Basil Davenport, Lucius Beebe, and Fletcher Pratt, to name a few.
When WWII comes along, Hazelbaker and many of the other Irregulars are involved in various ways, primarily with code-breaking and espionage. They're a big help to the allies, and Hazelbaker sees a bit of England and Europe along the way. He's a married man now, though separated from his wife, and that part of the story is also tied to the war effort.
I was a bit intimidated when I saw how long this book was, but the writing swept me up and carried me right along. The complex story is easy to follow, and Woody Hazelbaker is an engaging and sympathetic narrator. Sherlockians will enjoy the by-play among the Irregulars, and everyone will get a nice refresher course in mid-20th century American history. Baker Street Irregular is an ambitious and entertaining book. I really enjoyed it.
Lost Libraries
Lost libraries - The Boston Globe: "The strange afterlife of authors’ book collections"
Hat tip to George Kelley
The Long Big Sleep
The Associated Press: Raymond Chandler historian cracks lost wife case: "When it came to death and where someone spends their eternal rest, literature's most hard-boiled detective, Philip Marlowe, was pretty cynical.
'What does it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or a marble tower?' author Raymond Chandler's legendary protagonist asked not long after Marlowe had plugged a bad guy in 'The Big Sleep.'
When it came time for Chandler's big sleep, however, his sentiments were different. The man who put Los Angeles on the literary map with detective novels that dismissed the place as 'a big, hard-boiled city with no more personality than a paper cup' actually was a romantic who had planned to spend eternity alongside his beloved wife, Cissy Chandler.
That the two would end up about a block apart, one in a cemetery, the other on a mausoleum warehouse shelf, and that it would take decades to unite them, is a story with as many twists and turns as a Chandler novel."
'What does it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or a marble tower?' author Raymond Chandler's legendary protagonist asked not long after Marlowe had plugged a bad guy in 'The Big Sleep.'
When it came time for Chandler's big sleep, however, his sentiments were different. The man who put Los Angeles on the literary map with detective novels that dismissed the place as 'a big, hard-boiled city with no more personality than a paper cup' actually was a romantic who had planned to spend eternity alongside his beloved wife, Cissy Chandler.
That the two would end up about a block apart, one in a cemetery, the other on a mausoleum warehouse shelf, and that it would take decades to unite them, is a story with as many twists and turns as a Chandler novel."
Hat tip to Scott Cupp.
Clash of the Titans
When I was a kid, in grade school, I didn't know from science fiction and fantasy, but I knew what I liked. Mythology, that's what, and I read every book of myths that the school library had. We had some kind of book at home that had some of the same stories, and I read them over and over. I loved that stuff.In 1981, I saw the Ray Harryhausen Clash of the Titans the night it opened. It was a mythological mish-mash, but I didn't care. I didn't love the movie, but I liked it. I thought maybe I'd like the remake, too, even though everybody else seems to have pretty much hated it. So I watched it.
Sure enough, I had a good time. It's even more of a mish-mash than the Harryhausen movie, and the CGI effects aren't an improvement over stop-motion in my book. The characters lack any depth or development at all, which is okay, since they're all stereotypes; we know them so well already that we don't need more. Which is also true of the story. It's a routine quest, pretty much by the numbers. Some of the action scenes weren't bad, but some were so herky-jerky that I had trouble following them. I liked the look of some of the vistas, and since I saw this in 2-D, the look and color of the whole movie were good.
What the heck, I'm easy to please. I don't necessarily recommend it. All I can say is that I had fun.
911 Calls Chuck Norris in Emergencies
Chuck Norris - Norris Taught Osmonds Dance Routines - Contactmusic News: "Boy band THE OSMOND BROTHERS had a secret weapon to ensure its dance routines impressed - martial arts master CHUCK NORRIS was their dance teacher.
The popular 1960s family troupe were worried they danced like girls, so they hired the star to make its routines more manly by incorporating his martial arts moves."
The popular 1960s family troupe were worried they danced like girls, so they hired the star to make its routines more manly by incorporating his martial arts moves."
Put Down the Pepsi Max, Sir, and Back Away Slowly
Kentucky trial: man claims caffeine insanity - Yahoo! News: "A Kentucky man accused of strangling his wife is poised to claim excessive caffeine from sodas, energy drinks and diet pills left him so mentally unstable he couldn't have knowingly killed his wife, his lawyer has notified a court."
Sunday, September 19, 2010
And Keep Off His Lawn!
Man, 71, fights off intruder with Swiffer WetJet | GoUpstate.com: "Phillip Graham made sure a masked intruder who entered his home Wednesday night was given a “Swiffed” exit out the back door."
Croc Update (Burt Edition)
Crocodile Cage Diving: "Ever wonder what happened to 'Burt' the croc-o-star of the 1986 hit Crocodile Dundee? He's still alive and kicking at Crocosaurus Cove in Australia where tourists pay a pricey fee to meet him up close and personal, although he refuses to sign autographs."
Cluck Cluck
Is it art or is it chicken scratches? - Weird News - Canoe.ca: "A hot new talent is making a splash on the modern art scene — Simon the chicken.
An abstract painting by Simon, entitled Fireworks, had already garnered 63 bids by 4 p.m. Saturday with a high bid of $525."
An abstract painting by Simon, entitled Fireworks, had already garnered 63 bids by 4 p.m. Saturday with a high bid of $525."
Next He'll Go Stand on the Winner's Lawn
FOXNews.com - New York Store Clerk Keeps Elderly Man's $14M Lotto Ticket: "A New York convenience store clerk refused to hand back an elderly man’s winning $14 million Lotto ticket, the New York Post reported Saturday.
Milledge McCassell, 72, went to lottery vendor Dynasty Deli and Grocery to check his $2 ticket Aug. 26 and 'Big Winner!' flashed on the electronic scanner available to customers.
However, when he handed his winning ticket to the clerk to find out how much he had won, the clerk said he was not a big winner and refused to hand back the ticket."
Milledge McCassell, 72, went to lottery vendor Dynasty Deli and Grocery to check his $2 ticket Aug. 26 and 'Big Winner!' flashed on the electronic scanner available to customers.
However, when he handed his winning ticket to the clerk to find out how much he had won, the clerk said he was not a big winner and refused to hand back the ticket."
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