Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson dies at 88 - latimes.com: Cliff Robertson, who starred as John F. Kennedy in a 1963 World War II drama and later won an Academy Award for his portrayal of a mentally disabled bakery janitor in the movie "Charly," died Saturday, one day after his 88th birthday.
Robertson, who also played a real-life role as the whistle-blower in the check-forging scandal of then-Columbia Pictures President David Begelman that rocked Hollywood in the late 1970s, died at Stony Brook University Medical Center on Long Island, according to Evelyn Christel, his longtime personal secretary. His family said he died of natural causes.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
David Bell Has a Big-Time Contest Going On
We are just four weeks from the release of Cemetery Girl on October 4th, and to thank you for your continued support of my work, I [David Bell] am announcing a drawing sponsored by this website.
Every week for the four weeks leading up to the book’s release, I will be giving away a Nook or a Kindle to one lucky reader who pre-orders Cemetery Girl. That’s right, all you have to do is pre-order Cemetery Girl from any bookstore (in person or online)*, send me an email at david@davidbellnovels.com letting me know you’ve done it, and you will be entered in the weekly drawing for the Nook or Kindle. If you’ve already pre-ordered the book, just let me know, and you will be entered as well.
On September 13th, 20th, 27th and October 4th, I will announce the weekly winner here on my website as well as on Facebookand Twitter. If you don't win during one week, fear not. I will roll those entries over to the next week. I will also be giving away a runner-up prize every week—a signed copy of Cemetery Girl.
But wait, there’s more.
On October 4th at 11:00 p.m., the day of the book’s release, I will announce the grand prize winner of all four weeks of entries. One lucky entrant will—wait for it!—win an iPad. Yes, I am giving away an iPad. But all you have to do to be entered is pre-order the book, send me an email letting me know you pre-ordered, and you will be entered in the drawing. The deadline to enter is 11:00 p.m. on October 4th, 2011.
The Collectible, Nonsensical Dr. Seuss
The Collectible, Nonsensical Dr. Seuss on AbeBooks: Theodor Geisel (1904-1991) was an American illustrator, poet and author, who rhymed his way into the hearts of adoring children all over the world. But you probably know him by his middle name - Seuss - as in Dr. Seuss. Known for his refusal to be limited by paltry constraints such as real words, Geisel's books overflowed with nonsense and rhythm, great honkings of joy, and an onomatopoeiac clamor that made children chortle. His mind-blowing gift for rhyme and flair for the silly ensures that his books remain cherished by little kids today.
Buy My Book!
Amazon.com: A Werewolf Named Wayne eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store: Al's new next-door neighbors have just arrived in a smoke-belching DeSoto convertible. They may travel in style, but there's more to them than meets their strangely eerie eyes. Things are going to get hairy as Al gets to know these new additions to the neighborhood. He's ready to face any challenges they bring--secret construction projects and cravings for canned dog food included. But first Al may have to answer a tough question: is it harder being friends with a werewolf, or a girl?Hermie, Al, and Carl from Bill Crider's first young adult novel A VAMPIRE NAMED FRED, are back in action for another adventure in A WEREWOLF NAMED WAYNE - published for the first time ever.
Friday, September 09, 2011
Hitchin' a Ride
Turtle rides alligator across pond at Cincinnati Zoo
Photo at the link, which was provided by the vigilant Jeff Meyerson.
Elvis Impersonator Update
Mail Online: With his dashing chiselled features, swept back hair and perky bouffant the resemblance is unmistakable.
But incredibly this carving of Elvis Presley was created around 1800 years before the King of Rock and Roll first warbled his first note.
But incredibly this carving of Elvis Presley was created around 1800 years before the King of Rock and Roll first warbled his first note.
Photo at the link, which again comes via Jeff Meyerson.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Orange UK: A teenage defendant angered a judge - by urinating into his waste paper bin in court.
Corey Webb, 17, relieving himself shortly after the jury had left the courtroom in Tyler, Texas, reports The Sun.
Local TV footage shows him smirking as he unbuckles his belt before walking over to the bin.
Corey Webb, 17, relieving himself shortly after the jury had left the courtroom in Tyler, Texas, reports The Sun.
Local TV footage shows him smirking as he unbuckles his belt before walking over to the bin.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — National Weather Service says Texas sets record for hottest June-August in US history
Forgotten Books: Tuesday the Rabbi Saw Red -- Harry Kemelman
I think I read all the books in Kemelman's Rabbi Small series more or less as they appeared, but this one is my favorite. Why? The campus setting. Small is teaching a course at a tiny Christian college, and when this book was published, so was I. Well, I was teaching several courses, but naturally I was interested in the subject matter of this book. It was published during the Viet Nam era, and Small discovers that things have changed in the years since he was a student. The campus is not a happy place.Then there's a bombing and a murder. These are things Small can deal with, having solved a crime or two before. It takes a while for him to work things out, though, and the entire community is affected, including, of course, Small's contentious congregation.
The book is set firmly in a place and a time, one that I remember well. I have a feeling that today's readers might find it dated, and they might also find the pacing a bit leisurely. Not me. It's a great nostalgia trip, and I didn't find it slow in the least. In fact, it made me want to go back and look at others in the series. It's one that I remember fondly.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Eve Brent, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Eve Brent, a veteran character actress whose most recognizable role was Jane to Gordon Scott’s Tarzan, died on Aug. 27 in Sun Valley, Calif. She was 81.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Happy Birthday, Sid Caesar!
Sid Caesar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Isaac Sidney "Sid" Caesar (born September 8, 1922) is an American comic actor and writer known as the leading man on the 1950s television series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, and to younger generations as Coach Calhoun in Grease and Grease 2.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Get a Rope!
CBS Los Angeles: Police say a Southland woman suspected of stealing thousands of public library books and DVDs was likely going to hold a book sale of her own.
Write Your Own Caption
The Raw Story: An elderly Florida man needed stitches Wednesday after a 22-year-old woman announced she was a vampire and began biting his face and neck.
Milton Ellis, 69, said that he had fallen asleep in his electric wheelchair on the porch of a vacant Hooters in St. Petersburg. He awoke to find Josephine Smith on top of him.
Milton Ellis, 69, said that he had fallen asleep in his electric wheelchair on the porch of a vacant Hooters in St. Petersburg. He awoke to find Josephine Smith on top of him.
Help an Old Guy Out -- Buy this Book
Amazon.com: A Vampire Named Fred eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store: When someone finally moves into the old, dark, musty house next door, two boys make an unusual friend."I always thought that vampires had to have names like Dracula or Vlad or Lestat, but that was before Fred moved into the house next door. In fact, I had a lot of wrong ideas about vampires, but Fred set me straight about most of them."
In a funny, lively story the boys set out to help Fred lead a "normal" life.
Books & Beer: Talking Literature With The Inklings
AbeBooks: Books & Beer: Talking Literature With The Inklings: Oxford has attracted writers for centuries and few cities can rival its literary pedigree. In the 1930s and 1940s, Oxford’s remarkable ability to attract literary talent spawned the Inklings – a very informal but influential literary discussion group.
The Inklings included two of the 20th century’s most popular writers of fiction – J.R.R. Tolkien of Lord of the Rings fame and C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. The group is also famous for sometimes meeting in a pub called The Eagle and Child and mixing high-end literary discussion with pints of beer.
The pub, located in the central St Giles area of Oxford and known as the Bird and Baby to the locals, is still around today and anyone (aged 18 and over) can follow in Lewis and Tolkien’s footsteps by buying a bitter (I recommend the Wadworth 6X) and sitting down to talk about literature.
The Inklings included two of the 20th century’s most popular writers of fiction – J.R.R. Tolkien of Lord of the Rings fame and C.S. Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia. The group is also famous for sometimes meeting in a pub called The Eagle and Child and mixing high-end literary discussion with pints of beer.
The pub, located in the central St Giles area of Oxford and known as the Bird and Baby to the locals, is still around today and anyone (aged 18 and over) can follow in Lewis and Tolkien’s footsteps by buying a bitter (I recommend the Wadworth 6X) and sitting down to talk about literature.
Monica Lewinsky Update
Mail Online: She is single, her line of handbags failed to catch on and, according to the National Enquirer, is living the life of a near recluse.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . . .
Teenager in Scotland murdered girlfriend in garlic bread row | News.com.au: A TEENAGER in Scotland admitted today to stabbing his girlfriend to death because she had been "moaning at him" over his failure to make garlic bread for their dinner.
Michael S. Hart, R. I. P
Project Gutenberg founder Michael S. Hart has died - latimes.com: Project Gutenberg announced Wednesday that founder Michael S. Hart has died. Hart, 64, died Tuesday in Illinois.
Project Gutenberg provides free e-books of thousands of works that are in the public domain. Hart first got the idea of sharing significant documents electronically early, in 1971.
Project Gutenberg provides free e-books of thousands of works that are in the public domain. Hart first got the idea of sharing significant documents electronically early, in 1971.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
NJ.com: The victim said, "You should've just gone around us - my dog was peeing," the scooter-rider began screaming and swinging her scooter at the dog owner, reports said.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Lassiter: A Novel (9780553806748): Paul Levine: Books: Eighteen years ago, Jake Lassiter crossed paths with a teenage runaway who disappeared into South Florida’s sex trade. Now he retraces her steps and runs head-on into a conspiracy of Miami’s rich and powerful who would do anything to keep the past as dark as night and silent as the grave. In this tale of redemption and revenge, Edgar-nominated author Paul Levine delivers his most powerful thriller yet.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Pair claim they can make ammonia to fuel cars for just 20 cents per liter: John Fleming of SilverEagles Energy and Tim Maxwell from Texas Tech University, say they have developed a way to make ammonia that is cheap enough so that it could be used as fuel for cars. If their claims turn out to be true, many consumers might consider switching over because ammonia, when burned in an engine, emits nothing but nitrogen and water vapor out the tailpipe. And if that’s not enough incentive, they claim they can make the ammonia for just 20 cents a liter (approximately 75 cents a gallon).
Link via Boing Boing.
Wardell Quezergue, R. I. P.
'Creole Beethoven' Wardell Quezergue dies | wwltv.com New Orleans: New Orleans musician and band leader Wardell Quezergue, a man known locally as the Creole Beethoven, has died. He was 81.
Quezerque’s imprint on local music scene looms large, arranging “Chapel of Love” by the Dixie Cups, “Mona Lisa” by Aaron Neville, Professor Longhair’s “Iko Iko” and “Big Chief” and Earl King’s “Trick Bag.”
In 1992, he produced Dr. John’s Grammy award-winning “Goin' Back to New Orleans.”
Quezerque’s imprint on local music scene looms large, arranging “Chapel of Love” by the Dixie Cups, “Mona Lisa” by Aaron Neville, Professor Longhair’s “Iko Iko” and “Big Chief” and Earl King’s “Trick Bag.”
In 1992, he produced Dr. John’s Grammy award-winning “Goin' Back to New Orleans.”
Don't Try This at Home
Shopper arrested with live lobsters in shorts: A man in southern Mississippi is accused of trying to walk out of a D'Iberville grocery store without paying for food items he'd stuffed into his cargo shorts including live lobsters.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Here's the Plot for Your Next Suitcase Thriller
Bronx woman admits stuffing her dead roommate in suitcase - but says she did nothing wrong: "It's like a bad Samsonite commercial," a law-enforcement source said.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
AbeBooks' Top 10 Most Expensive Sales in August 2011
AbeBooks' Top 10 Most Expensive Sales in August 2011: August's top sales on AbeBooks includes several household names. Ian Fleming and his sixth James Bond novel, Dr. No, appears alongside P.D. James and her first Adam Dalgliesh novel, Cover Her Face. Edward Gorey also slides onto the top 10 with his 15-work collection of strangely dark writing and illustration, Amphigorey.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: The Complete, Annotated Whose Body? (9781461060444): Dorothy L. Sayers, Bill Peschel: Books: "The Complete, Annotated Whose Body" contains:
More than 500 notes on England's personalities, aristocracy, politics, religion, history, society, and literature.
Three maps of London showing locations important to the novel.
Essays about England in the 1920s, such as anti-Semitism, Argentine banks and notorious criminals.
Timelines of the life of Dorothy L. Sayers and Lord Peter Wimsey's cases.
"The Complete, Annotated Whose Body" contains more than 40,000 words of commentary on Sayers' novel and her world, helping readers to deepen their understanding and enjoyment of one of mystery's great detectives.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
The Proofreaders' Page and other Uncollected Items by Fredric Brown in Literature & Fiction: A collection of columns by world-famous mystery and science fiction author, Fredric Brown, looking at all aspects of proof-reading from obscure rules of grammar and punctuation to tips on the best way to lay out a book. A must for any budding author who wishes to publish their own book and needs some tips on how to avoid the most common mistakes. Also includes several other rare and uncollected items by Fredric Brown including a mystery short story ("Fatal Facsimile") that hasn't been reprinted since it was first published 49 years ago; 24 humorous advice columns by the intrepid Colonel Cluck; a selection of Brown's early attempts at poetry; and much, much more!
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Dallas/Fort Worth: The winners of the Texas State Fair's 2011 Seventh Annual Big Tex Choice fried food awards are:
Best Taste: Buffalo chicken flapjacks
Most Creative: Fried bubblegum
Best Taste: Buffalo chicken flapjacks
Most Creative: Fried bubblegum
Highly Recommended by Judy (as are the other books in this series)
Rhys Bowen: In 1933, Georgie, the mystery world’s favorite penniless heiress, escapes to the French Riviera after Her Majesty the Queen sends her there on a mission to recover her stolen snuff box.
Lady Georgie is honored to be trusted by the Queen—and even more honored when she meets Coco Chanel and is asked to model her latest clothing line. But when a necklace belonging to the Queen is stolen on the catwalk, Georgie not only has to find two priceless items—she also has an unsolved murder on her hands and has to keep an eye on her love interest, Darcy O’Mara, who has been acting awfully suspicious throughout Georgie’s ordeal.
Texas Wildfires Update
Yahoo! News: State officials say more than 1,000 homes have burned in at least 57 wildfires in Texas over the past week.
Speaking Tuesday at a news conference near one of the fire-ravaged areas, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said more than 100,000 acres have burned in rain-starved Texas.
Speaking Tuesday at a news conference near one of the fire-ravaged areas, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said more than 100,000 acres have burned in rain-starved Texas.
PaperBack
Jayne Mansfield & Mickey Hargity, Jayne Mansfield's Wild, Wild World, Holloway House, 1963
A Blog You'll Want to Follow
To the Batpoles!: A few episodes of Batman a Day as seen through the eyes of Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri.
New Discussion at Top Suspense Group
Top Suspense Group: INSIDE TOP SUSPENSE: Your Favorite Character: This week on INSIDE TOP SUSPENSE we’re talking about our Favorite Characters from a suspense, thriller, mystery, or horror novel. (Excluding our own.) Who’s yours? Why? What makes them so memorable? Hope you’ll join the conversation.
Forgotten Films: Mister Buddwing
Evan Hunter's novel was called Buddwing, without the "Mister." I read it before I saw the movie, and in fact I can remember buying the paperback and exactly what the cover looked like. It has one of my favorites plots, the one where the main character wakes up with total amnesia. There's no murder, though, just a guy trying to figure out who and what he is.The guy is James Garner, and the place he wanders around in is Manhattan. If you want to see the city in black and white in the middle '60s, the movie's worth a look for that alone. And notice the the women he becomes a bit involved with in wanderings. Jean Simmons, Suzanne Pleshette, Katherine Ross, and Angela Lasbury (Jessica Fletcher was never like this!).
The movie's a bit disjointed, but it's worth watching for the setting and the performances. The book is better, another of Hunter's big bestsellers before Ed McBain took over, but watch the movie if you get a chance. It shows up on TCM now and then.
Monday, September 05, 2011
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
And it's only 99 cents!
Five years ago John Coburn watched as his father was gunned down by a masked man. Tortured by the fact that the killer was never caught, Coburn fights the feelings of failure that haunt his every waking moment.
Now, history has repeated itself. When his best friend Felix is murdered after agreeing to protect a witness, John Coburn dives in to catch the killer before the police and FBI. Battling official law enforcement and his own demons, Coburn turns over every lead, rattles every cage, and stretches his own moral code to the breaking point. As he digs deeper into a mystery that involves team of thieves, corrupt businessmen, and a mafia kingpin with a price on his head, Coburn realizes that revenge has a cost he cannot calculate.
If he fails, can he live with another ghost?
If he succeeds, can he live with the consequences?
Rocket in My Pocket -- Max Décharné
If you grew up when I did or if you're at all interested in the history of rock, you'll get a bang out of A Rocket in my Pocket, which is not so much a hipster's guide (as the cover blurb calls it) as a history of a great time for American music. Hundreds of people who wanted to be Elvis Presley were recording at major labels and in tiny studios all over the country. Very few of them met with any success, but the music they made is as raw and vital today as it ever was. (Listen to Rockabilly Roadtrip on XM if you don't believe it.)Max Décharné writes about the music with appreciation and enthusiasm, and it's great stuff. You'll read about Elvis, Wanda Jackson, Charlie Feathers, and dozens more, even Arlie Duff, who was my favorite DJ when I was in college in Austin long ago. Rockabilly is an essential part of American music, and this book is a great starting point if you want to learn about it. It's also a great trip back in time for those of us who came of age during the rockabilly era. It's out in October, and it's highly recommended.
First the Gators Were Everywhere; Now . . .
NY seeks stop to wild hogs; may ban captive hunts - Yahoo! News: Feral swine are breeding in three counties in central New York, according to a federal study done last year with funding from New York's Invasive Species Council. The wild population statewide is likely in the hundreds , said Gordon Batcheller, head of the state Department of Environmental Conservation's Bureau of Wildlife.That's small compared with Texas, where biologists estimate the feral hog population at around 2 million, but Batcheller said any number is bad because they're certain to multiply. Damage becomes more noticeable when the population reaches the thousands and the hogs stake out home territories rather than wandering widely.
Hat tip to Seepy Benton.
Labor Day
U.S. DOL - The History of Labor Day: The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Apocalypse Now
While to the east of us Lee is flooding the countryside, Texas is burning. Wildfires all over the state, and some are out of control. The one near Bastrop is supposedly 10 miles long at this point and is about to be joined by another fire. The high winds coming from Lee are whipping the fires, of course. Parts of Interstate 45 north of Houston were closed earlier because of heavy smoke from other fires. All this is on top of all the other weather-related catastrophes this year, including the never-ending drought in Texas, where lakes and wells are going dry. I'm pretty sure the Four Horsemen are saddling up.
Update: The fire near Bastrop is now 16 miles long. At least 300 homes damaged or destroyed. So far.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Got an Amazon U. K. account? Great book, huge bargain!Slammer eBook: Allan Guthrie: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store: A dark, psychological thriller set in a Scottish prison.
Young prison officer, Nicholas Glass, is finding the stresses of his new job increasingly hard to handle. Bullied and abused by inmates and colleagues alike, each day is getting longer than the one before. When a group of cons uses outside help to threaten his wife and daughter, he agrees to do them a "favour". But as their threats escalate, and one favour leads to another, he grows ever closer to breaking point.
‘Ed Gein, The Musical
An offbeat approach to story of La Crosse-born killer: “Ed Gein, The Musical” is a 92-minute musical/comedy/horror movie filmed in Wisconsin and based on the notorious killer and grave robber from Plainfield, Wis. Though he conducted his gory crime spree while living in Plainfield, Gein was born in La Crosse.
Paul Lindsay,: R.I.P.
Mystery Fanfare: Paul Lindsay: R.I.P.: Paul Lindsay, the former Detroit-based FBI agent and author of seven novels under both his own name and the pseudonym Noah Boyd (The Bricklayer, Agent X), “died peacefully Thursday night at a Boston hospital of pneumonia with his family by his side. He was 68.”
A Killer's Essence -- Dave Zeltserman
Stan Green's a New York City cop with more problems than most. His supervisor doesn't like him, his wife's divorced him and remarried, his kids are slipping away from him, his current romance isn't going so well, and now he's on the hunt for a serial killer. Zachary Lynch, because of a traumatic brain injury, can't bear to look at people because he sees not their faces but their true essences. He's the only witness to one of the serial killer's murders, and while he can identify him if he confronts him, he can't recognize him from a picture.
As interesting as the police procedural is in this novel, the relationship between Green and Lynch is even more interesting. Lynch can see things in Green that Green doesn't want to acknowledge about himself.
There's a lot going on in this novel, but Zeltserman meshes everything skilfully while moving the story along like a rocket, and he wraps everything up in under 250 pages. Mark this one up as another big hit in Zeltserman's current winning streak and be sure to check it out when it becomes available next month. You'll be glad you did.
And Keep Off His Lawn!
CBS News: Alan Moore has yet to play his first game, but he's already in the record books.
Suiting up for Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, Moore - who's 61 - is the oldest player in college football history.
Suiting up for Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama, Moore - who's 61 - is the oldest player in college football history.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Gizmodo: The deadliest state to work in? Texas, with 456 fatalities. The safest? New Hampshire, with only 5. West Virginia won the explosion death contest, with 34—likely from all that coal mining, which is extremely dangerous and explosion-prone.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
khou.com Houston: Rogers was named Pound-for-Pound the World’s Strongest Man.
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