Saturday, February 11, 2012

Luckily I'm Immune

DSM-5, the new mental illness ‘bible,’ may list Internet addiction among illnesses

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Whitney Houston, R. I. P.

ABC News: Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Free today and tomorrow only!

Amazon.com: Wolf Tickets eBook: Ray Banks: Kindle Store: The scammer gets scammed.

Sean Farrell – thief, petrol smuggler and all-round scoundrel – just got shafted by the love of his life. Nora ran off with twenty grand, a gram of coke, and his favourite leather jacket, leaving him with little more than a hangover and a Dido soundtrack. But Nora’s sights are on the two hundred grand Farrell supposedly stashed somewhere in the middle of Northumberland, and she’s enlisted the help of her old boyfriend, a former hit man, to retrieve it.

Farrell hooks up with an old Army mate, the shoplifting, rotgut-swilling arsonist Jimmy Cobb and sets off after them. When this pair catch up with Nora and her ex, there’s going to be hell to pay, 'cause nobody messes with Farrell and Cobb ...

WOLF TICKETS is hardcore Ray Banks – ballsy, breathless and brutal.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

In addition to the Fu Manchu series that I mentioned yesterday, Titan books is also reprinting Daniel Stashower's Harry Houdini mysteries. These are a lot of fun. Houdini is a fine detective, and the setting (NYC in 1897) and atmosphere are very well done.

Comic Strip of the Day

Song of the Day

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Magazine votes Houston America’s fattest city

Today's Vintage Ad

Does No One Remember Vicki Dugan?

Presenting: The "Butt Cleavage" Dress [NSFW]

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Man attacks drinkers a British pub with chainsaw

A Review of Interest (to Me, Anyway)

DEAD ON THE ISLAND by Bill Crider

How Can You Resist?

A mere 99¢ gets you two great stories, one of them no longer available in any other format. I'd like to sell about a million of these, and you can help!

Amazon.com: Raining Willie & Cranked: Two Texas Tales eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store: A collection of nearly 8000 words of Texas storytelling containing two rowdy Texas tales about meth labs, explosions, runaways, good old boys, and a good-time girl. The second story, "Cranked," was nominated for an Edgar
® award by the Mystery Writers of America.

PaperBack


Richard Matheson, Third from the Sun, Bantam, 1955




NYC Leads the Way (but Texas Makes the List Twice)

Cities with the most speed traps

Jill Kinmont Boothe, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Jill Kinmont Boothe, a champion ski racer whose struggle to recuperate from a paralyzing fall on an icy slope became the subject of the popular 1975 film “The Other Side of the Mountain,” died Thursday in Carson City, Nev. She was 75.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Does Charlton Heston Know about This?

Chimp Prodigy Can Solve Memory Puzzle In 60 Milliseconds

Today's Western Movie Poster

6 Counterintuitive Tricks to Beating Popular Game Shows

6 Counterintuitive Tricks to Beating Popular Game Shows

9 Celebrities Who Now Hawk Drugs

9 Celebrities Who Now Hawk Drugs

Philip Bruns, R. I. P.

CBS News: The actor who played the father on the 1970s comedy series "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," has died. Philip Bruns was 80.

Charting the Unknown: Collectible Maps and Cartography

AbeBooks: Charting the Unknown: Collectible Maps and Cartography: Let's hear it for cartographers. Without map-makers, who knows how we'd find our way around. But they have an easier job of it today, with most of the globe explored, charted, recorded and explored again. Early map-makers struggled against many adversities - imagine traveling to far-off lands and trying to accurately record your voyage, on tiny scale, well enough for the next ship of travellers to follow your route?

And Keep Off Her Lawn!

Anne Sessions, 85-Year-Old Oregonian, Suing Big Bank Over Fake Suicide Call

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Creatures the World Forgot

Friday, February 10, 2012

Never Underestimate the Appeal of a Big Mac

McDonald's hamburgers lure naked man off downtown tower

Hat tip to Jeff Segal.

Judy Wants to Know if He's Coming to Texas Soon

Man breaks into South Bend home, vacuums and folds laundry

Spambots

The annoying spambots are out in force. Blogger isn't catching most of them, and while I'm deleting as fast as I can, I might have to switch to the pop-up comment feature. Which I also find annoying. I'll give it another day or so and see what happens.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Free, for the moment, and highly recommended!

Barry Award Nominations

Mystery Fanfare: Barry Award Nominations

Peter Breck, R. I. P.

The Hollywood Reporter: Peter Breck, who played a hot-headed son of California ranch owner Barbara Stanwyck on the 1960s TV Western The Big Valley, died Monday in Vancouver after a long illness. He was 82.

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

John Wayne Gacy Update

U.S. News: Nearly two decades after Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy was executed for torturing, raping and murdering 33 men and boys in the 1970s, two lawyers say they’ve unearthed evidence that indicates he didn’t act alone in some of the slayings.

Criminal defense attorneys Robert Stephenson and Steven Becker, who are partners in a Chicago law practice, said they re-examined the circumstances surrounding the disappearances of three victims. Their conclusion: the so-called “Killer Clown” had one or more accomplices in those murders.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

The "Devil Doctor" is back! Titan Books is reprinting the entire series in good-looking new trade paper editions, beginning with The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu and The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu. The first volume also includes an appreciation of the series by Leslie Klinger. These novels are pulp adventure of a high order, and if you've never read any of them, this would be a great time to start.

What? No Gators?

Alleged Squatters Found With Drugs, Handgun, Grenades, Pig

Hat tip to Art Scott.

So They Were Both Pregnant?

The headline is good, but the story is great.

Off-Duty Deputy Accused of Pulling Gun on Pregnant Couple

Police Sketches of Famous Literary Criminals

Police Sketches of Famous Literary Criminals

And Keep Off Her Lawn!

Woman, 73, accused of driving getaway car in bungled burglary

They're Not to Me, Of Course

11 Amazing Thank You Notes From Famous People

Song of the Day

Cartoon of the Day

BlissLink

Today's Vintage Ad

Yet Another List I'm Not On

An Essential Postmodern Reading List

7 Reasons Ants Will Inherit the Earth

7 Reasons Ants Will Inherit the Earth

David Brin's List of "Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy Tales"

David Brin's List of "Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy Tales"

Link via SF Signal.

PaperBack


Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., The Sirens of Titan, Dell, 1959




Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

High School Cheerleader-Coach Rants: Y'All Are A Bunch Of "Highfalutin' Heifers"

Know Your Evil Movie Cops

Know Your Evil Movie Cops

Weird and Wonderful Movies That You'll Never Get to See

Weird and Wonderful Movies That You'll Never Get to See

Today's Western Movie Poster

10 Terrifying Films About Home Invasion

10 Terrifying Films About Home Invasion

15 Amazing Effects of Prison Libraries

15 Amazing Effects of Prison Libraries

Yet Another List I'm Not On

The 13 Most Radical Education Thinkers of All Time

Forgotten Books: Starburst -- Alfred Bester

I'm writing about this collection mainly because the other day I saw a nice copy offered on eBay for 99¢. And it didn't sell. I figure that means that (A) everybody already has a copy or (B) nobody remembers Alfred Bester and what great short stories he wrote.

I remember him, and I have a copy of the book. Here's a look at the story titles:
"Disappearing Act"
"Adam and No Eve"
"Starlight, Star Bright"
"The Roller Coaster"
"Oddy and Id" (aka "The Devil’s Invention")
"The Starcomber" (aka "5, 271, 009")
"Travel Diary"
"Fondly Fahrenheit"
"Hobson’s Choice"
"The Die-Hard"
"Of Time and Third Avenue"

There are some truly wonderful stories here, including one of my all-time favorites, "Fondly Fahrenheit," permanently entrenched in my Top Ten -- "Jeet your seat!"

I guess a person could live without this book, but I don't see how anybody interested in SF or the short story can.

Bus Stop

Thursday, February 09, 2012

Jean Dujardin Is Wonderful . . .

Jean Dujardin Is Wonderful and he's going to be the villain in every movie you see.

I Just Hope "Shake Your Booty" Is on the List

The 50 Greatest Love Songs of All Time

There's Good News for Mice!

The Raw Story: A widely available cancer drug has shown remarkable success in reversing Alzheimer’s disease in mice, raising hope of a breakthrough against incurable dementia in humans, US researchers said Thursday.

Interview with Martha Wells

Martha Wells: The Terribleminds Interview

About Time

NY Daily News: In a quiet move that will draw some applause and likely raise a few further questions, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Thursday it will induct the backup groups for six previous solo inductees.

The six groups include the Famous Flames, who backed 1986 inductee James Brown; the Crickets, who backed 1986 inductee Buddy Holly; the Comets, who backed 1987 inductee Bill Haley; the Miracles, who backed 1987 inductee Smokey Robinson; the Midnighters, who backed 1990 inductee Hank Ballard; and the Blue Caps, who backed 1998 inductee Gene Vincent.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

The Decline of Western Civilization Continues Apace

Pizza Hut Is Now Ushering In The End Of Civilization With A "Proposal Package"

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

I've read two of the seven stories so far, the hardboiled "Cold Storage" and the humorous "Ken Bruen is Dead, Alas." Based on those two alone, I can tell you that this is a big bargain at 99 cents (free to borrow if you're a member of Amazon Prime). So grab it now.

Amazon.com: Bad Men eBook: Graham Powell: Kindle Store: Killers. Crooks. Crazies. And Ken Bruen.

Bad Men is seven hardboiled short stories by Graham Powell. Watch as depraved reprobates boost loose cash, execute contracts, go off their meds, and go to jail.

Contents:

Grace, Period - A wiseguy turned informer takes his tricks to a new trade - bookselling!

Payday: A thousand dollars is a lot of money to an ex-con down on his luck.

Cold Storage: Four mooks have the perfect plan for their biggest score.

The Leap: He went to prison to send a killer to Hell.

The Ins And Outs: Had he but known - even paranoid people have real enemies!

Cutting Diamonds: Two mob enforcers play detective. What could go wrong?

Ken Bruen Is Dead, Alas: The Pope of Galway meets his end.

I'll Bet the App Name Was Ed Gorman's Idea

Cedar Rapids sees 1,000 downloads of new city app despite name: The city of Cedar Rapids boasts more than 1,000 downloads of its new custom-designed smartphone application in the first month and the acronym of CR App has turned out to be a rather effective marketing tool.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Or Maybe You Have

Retrospace: Obscure Grooves #19: 1980s Punk Bands You've Never Heard Of

Commercial of the Day

Free Book for Your Kindle!

I have story in this one. It's "Top of the World," my hardboiled homage to Jim Thompson, among many others. I can safely say it's worth the price of the book.

Amazon.com: Favorite Kills (Top Suspense Anthologies) eBook: Harry Shannon, Bill Crider, Vicki Hendricks, Max Allan Collins, Paul Levine, Libby Hellmann, Dave Zeltserman, Lee Goldberg, Joel Goldman, Ed Gorman: Kindle Store: We're back. We hope you're sitting down, and that you've finally caught your breath from Top Suspense, our first bestselling anthology. You're about to take another screaming thrill ride with twelve master storytellers. Each Top Suspense Group author is an award winning, highly acclaimed pro whose compelling and unforgettable tales have been published all over the world--and, in some cases, have even become blockbuster movies and TV shows.

In this book, Favorite Kills, we've collected our very best short stories. All major prize-winning tales and personal favorites, each one a knock-out punch of suspense.

So hold on tight my friend, or better yet, tie yourself down. You're in for another breathtaking wild ride of seething sex and unexpected twists, dark humor, and certain death. And when it's all over, and you're sitting there spent and satisfied, soaked in a flop sweat of terror and exhilaration, we're gonna be right there to bring you even more.

Today's Vintage Ad

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Supreme Cinderella-Like Dysfunction Reigns in Gay-Related Lufkin Sibling Steak-Knife Stabbing

The 50 Most Powerful Images From the Civil War

The 50 Most Powerful Images From the Civil War

15 Wacky U.S. Town Names

15 Wacky U.S. Town Names

Paperback Rack

Taken at the Kayo Books display at last weekend's San Francisco Antiquarian Book, Print & Paper Fair. Photo by Ray Torrence.

Hat tip to Art Scott.

15 Most Savage Mascot Fights in Sports History

15 Most Savage Mascot Fights in Sports History

The Movie Comedy Poster Art of Frank Frazetta

The Movie Comedy Poster Art of Frank Frazetta

Link via News from Me.

So It's Come To This

Helicopter Parents Hover In The Workplace : NPR: So-called helicopter parents first made headlines on college campuses a few years ago, when they began trying to direct everything from their children's course schedules to which roommate they were assigned.

With millennial children now in their 20s, more helicopter parents are showing up in the workplace, sometimes even phoning human resources managers to advocate on their child's behalf.

Today's Western Movie Poster

Art Scott Will Aprove of One of Them

The 50 Coolest TV Programmes Ever

Criminal Genius of the Day

Leaves Cocaine in Walmart, Then Leads Cops to Own Door

A Brief History Of Cheesy Network Television Promos

A Brief History Of Cheesy Network Television Promos

The Bobbs-Merrill Journey: From Oz to America’s Kitchens

AbeBooks: The Bobbs-Merrill Journey: From Oz to America’s Kitchens: Indianapolis is rarely associated with the publishing industry but this Midwestern city gave us Bobbs-Merrill – a pioneering firm that published numerous books of importance. There was time when a Bobbs-Merrill book could be found in the vast majority of American homes.

It all began when Samuel Merrill purchased an Indianapolis bookstore and then decided to begin publishing books in 1850. Samuel died in 1855 and his son Samuel Merrill Jr. took over. He guided the company through the Civil War, and a series of name changes reflecting various business partners, including Merrill, Meigs, and Company and Bowen-Merrill Company. Finally, in 1903, the company settled on the name Bobbs-Merrill in honor of the company’s long-serving director William Conrad Bobbs.

The turn of the century marked Bobbs-Merrill’s transformation from small press to publishing powerhouse. This rapid growth came with the printing of several works by fantasy writer L. Frank Baum whose 1900 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its many sequels, became ingrained in American culture. In addition to early Baum works, Bobbs-Merrill published James Whitcomb Riley, Ayn Rand, Richard Halliburton, and the 1929 Pulitzer-winning novel Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin.

The Gene Krupa Story

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Marvin Potter Allegedly Killed Billy Payne Jr. And Billie Jean Hayworth After Facebook Feud: Sheriff: father who was upset after a Tennessee couple deleted his adult daughter as a friend on Facebook has been charged in the shooting deaths of the couple, authorities said Wednesday.

Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.

They're Baaaaaaack

'Woolly mammoth' spotted in Siberia

Hat tip to Jeff Segal.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Off the Beat with Will Greenlee: A woman who said she "lost her mind" after her boyfriend got a ride to work from someone other than her was arrested following accusations of throwing a jack, a chair and rocks and of trying to run the boyfriend down, a recently released affidavit states.

I Am Not Surprised

Madonna’s NFL Satanic Ritual disguised in the Half Time Show

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Free for your Kindle, today and tomorrow. Pure fun to read. Go for it.

Amazon.com: McGrave eBook: Lee Goldberg: Kindle Store: Hold on tight for a wild, rollicking, action-adventure novella that captures all of the fun, excitement and pure escapist pleasure of the "Dirty Harry," "Lethal Weapon" and "Die Hard" movies...with the humor, sharp dialogue and inventiveness that you've come to expect from Lee Goldberg, bestselling author of "The Walk," "Watch Me Die," "The Dead Man," and fifteen hilarious Adrian Monk mysteries.

Free Book for Your Kindle!

I have story in this one. It's "Top of the World," my hardboiled homage to Jim Thompson, among many others. I can safely say it's worth the price of the book.

Amazon.com: Favorite Kills (Top Suspense Anthologies) eBook: Harry Shannon, Bill Crider, Vicki Hendricks, Max Allan Collins, Paul Levine, Libby Hellmann, Dave Zeltserman, Lee Goldberg, Joel Goldman, Ed Gorman: Kindle Store: We're back. We hope you're sitting down, and that you've finally caught your breath from Top Suspense, our first bestselling anthology. You're about to take another screaming thrill ride with twelve master storytellers. Each Top Suspense Group author is an award winning, highly acclaimed pro whose compelling and unforgettable tales have been published all over the world--and, in some cases, have even become blockbuster movies and TV shows.

In this book, Favorite Kills, we've collected our very best short stories. All major prize-winning tales and personal favorites, each one a knock-out punch of suspense.

So hold on tight my friend, or better yet, tie yourself down. You're in for another breathtaking wild ride of seething sex and unexpected twists, dark humor, and certain death. And when it's all over, and you're sitting there spent and satisfied, soaked in a flop sweat of terror and exhilaration, we're gonna be right there to bring you even more.

Today's Vintage Ad

Candy-Coated Frogs WBAGNFARB

Candy-Coated Frogs Carry Deadly Kick

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Wild Thing -- Josh Bazell

A couple of years ago I reviewed Bazell's first book, Beat the Reaper. I'm sure that a lot of people who read that one wondered if Bazell could possibly top it, or even come close. Wild Thing comes close, but it's dialed back a notch or so from Beat the Reaper. Don't let that worry you, though. Even dialed back a notch or two, it's still about ten times wilder and crazier than anything else you're likely to run across.

Pietro Brnwa, or Peter Brown, is going by the name Lionel Azimuth as the book opens. He's serving as a doctor on a cruise ship when he gets an offer from an odd billionaire who wants him to go monster hunting up on Oregon. The hunt is apparently serious business, and there's even going to be a referee. Who the ref is turns out to be pretty funny, and it's probably going to be one of the worst-kept secrets of the year. But I'm not telling.

The combination of outrageous humor, social commentary, sex, footnotes, and violence shouldn't work, but it does. The footnotes are often hilarious (there's even a guest footnote). This time out, Bazell clearly has a message, too, and if you don't get enough of it in the course of the novel, there's an appendix that spells things out in a scary enough fashion. And the "Sources" section is also good fun, so don't skip it. The whole package gets a big thumbs-up from me.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Cops: Man punched stranger because she 'looked at him funny'

Hey, Don't Look at Me. I'm in Alvin, Texas.

'Oldest living thing on earth' discovered in Mediterranean Sea

PaperBack


Fredric Brown, Star Shine, Bantam, 1956




Here's the Plot for Your Next Zany Kidnapping Caper

Stalker accused of bizarre plot to woo doctor — by kidnapping her: Convicted stalker Felix Velazquez hoped the plan to kidnap his former girlfriend would have a happy ending — winning back her affections and bringing about a reconciliation.

So he devised "Operation Stitches," a crazy and meticulous scheme comprising 23 pages of maps, photos, personal details — and a scripted performance for abducting Dr. Teresa Duncan, who had him jailed for stalking her three years earlier.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

KTVI: A beat down at a local Red Lobster was caught on tape. Four women attack a female server after their order is wrong.

Hat tip to Art Scott.

The Best Made-For-TV Movies of All Time

The Best Made-For-TV Movies of All Time

Today's Western Movie Poster

I Found a Penny in the Street Last Week

6 Awesome Treasure Hunt Finds by Amateurs

102 Essential Science Fiction Books for Your Kindle

102 Essential Science Fiction Books for Your Kindle

James Bond Leads the Way

AbeBooks: AbeBooks' Most Expensive Sales in January 2012: In the opening month of 2012 our most expensive sales picked up where they left off in 2011 with another landmark rare book sale. This time an inscribed first edition of Ian Fleming’s debut James Bond novel, Casino Royale, has sold for $46,453, easily taking the top spot on the list.

Sergeant Rutledge

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . . .

Man Allegedly Knifes Brother Over Fast-Food Brownie

I Never Saw a Purple Cow, . . .

Purple Squirrel Found In Pennsylvania

Gator Update (Diaper Edition)

FOX16.com Little Rock, AR: Authorities say three men have been arrested on suspicion of illegally selling wildlife after an Arkansas State Police trooper pulled over a car and discovered a baby alligator inside of a box of diapers.

Hat tip to John Duke.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

CBS Dallas / Fort Worth: A golfer was critically injured after a broken club was stuck into his leg.

It ended a fight on the 13th green at the Resort on Eagle Mountain Lake January 27th.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Free for one week only!

Amazon.com: The Alabaster-Skinned Mule (A Noah Milano Novelette) eBook: Jochem Vandersteen: Books: A pretty young girl is used as a mule, smuggling drugs for Mexican druglords. She gets rid of the drugs, but the druglords want it back, prepared to kill for it.

She hires Noah Milano, security specialist and ex-mob fixer to protect her. He ends up putting his dearest friendship and his very life on the line for her.

Florence Green, R. I. P.

Telegraph: Florence Green, the world's last surviving First World War veteran has died, marking the end of an era in British history.

Breaking Elmore Leonard’s Rules

Breaking Elmore Leonard’s Rules

The 10 Best Charles Dickens Characters of All Time

The 10 Best Charles Dickens Characters of All Time

Song of the Day

Free Book for Your Kindle!

I have story in this one. It's "Top of the World," my hardboiled homage to Jim Thompson, among many others. I can safely say it's worth the price of the book.

Amazon.com: Favorite Kills (Top Suspense Anthologies) eBook: Harry Shannon, Bill Crider, Vicki Hendricks, Max Allan Collins, Paul Levine, Libby Hellmann, Dave Zeltserman, Lee Goldberg, Joel Goldman, Ed Gorman: Kindle Store: We're back. We hope you're sitting down, and that you've finally caught your breath from Top Suspense, our first bestselling anthology. You're about to take another screaming thrill ride with twelve master storytellers. Each Top Suspense Group author is an award winning, highly acclaimed pro whose compelling and unforgettable tales have been published all over the world--and, in some cases, have even become blockbuster movies and TV shows.

In this book, Favorite Kills, we've collected our very best short stories. All major prize-winning tales and personal favorites, each one a knock-out punch of suspense.

So hold on tight my friend, or better yet, tie yourself down. You're in for another breathtaking wild ride of seething sex and unexpected twists, dark humor, and certain death. And when it's all over, and you're sitting there spent and satisfied, soaked in a flop sweat of terror and exhilaration, we're gonna be right there to bring you even more.

Today's Vintage Ad

Peru Update (Of Particular Interest to Zombies)

The world's largest museum collection of brains is on display in Peru: There's only one place in the world where you can view row after row of brains afflicted by mad cow disease, Alzheimer's, and alcoholism. It's Lima's Museo de Cerebros, home to the largest collection of gray matter that can be viewed by the public.

Five myths about Charles Dickens

Five myths about Charles Dickens

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

KOB.com: According to the criminal complaint, Sanders pistol-whipped the burrito owner.

PaperBack


Ray Bradbury, The Martian Chronicles, Bantam, 1955




Peru Update

Who Saw Machu Picchu First in 2012?

My Kind of Dance

Rock the night away, even earlier.

No Comment Department

Our vision of the future, then and now.

Today's Western Movie Poster

Upcoming Genre Titles From The Library Of America

Upcoming Genre Titles From The Library Of America

Valentine's Day is on the Way

And the perfect gift is available right her: Name a Roach, Give a Cocoa-Roach

Robot Love update

‘Kissenger’ allows you to kiss your partner long distance, explore robot love

Overlooked Movies -- Helen of Troy

I'm talking about the 1956 version here, not anything more recent that you might have seen. The thing that impressed me most all those years ago was the wooden horse. I'd heard the story, of course, since back in those days, just about everybody had. I'm not so sure about now. But that's not important. The big horse was what I wanted to see, and it's there and it's great. There's also the "cast of thousands" that movie epics like this used to have before the F/X folks learned how to CGI the crowds. This is one of those movies that went all out for spectacle, and it's worth watching for that alone.

Probably only a few of the cast are remembered now. Maybe Stanley Baker and Sir Cedric Hardwicke being the two best known. Or Torin Thatcher. I, however, liked Rosanna Podesta a lot, and I didn't care that her dialogue was dubbed.

The plot pretty much sticks to Homer, and while I haven't seen this one in a while, I'd bet that it's more fun than 2004's Troy, which skimped on the spectacle.

Certainly Helen of Troy isn't a great movie, but it's entertainment in the grand style.

Helen of Troy

Monday, February 06, 2012

The Most Influential Sci-Fi Films

The Most Influential Sci-Fi Films

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

89-year-old convicted for shopping cart assault

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Aimee Thurlo Interview

Interview: Aimee Thurlo, author of 'Power of the Raven'

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

I've read this one, and it's a good 'un. Check it out.

Amazon.com: Racing the Devil (9781579622718): Jaden Terrell: Books: Nashville private investigator Jared McKean has a son with Down's Syndrome, a best friend with AIDS, an ex-wife he can't seem to fall out of love with, and a weakness for women in jeopardy - until one frames him for muder.

His DNA and fingerprints are found at the murder scene. His voice is on the victim's answering machine, and the victim was killed with a bullet from his gun. To make matters worse, his teen-aged nephew comes out of the closet and runs away to join a dangerous fringe of the Goth subculture.

Now Jared must find a way to clear his name, hold his family together, and solve a case that could cost him his life.

Get a Rope!

‘Billie Jean’ dance move a show stopper: A 9-year-old boy at St. Stanislaus was immediately and indefinitely suspended Thursday night at a school lip-sync fundraiser after mimicking Michael Jackson’s famous groin grab during a rendition of “Billie Jean.”

Bill Hinzman, R. I. P.

msnbc.com Entertainment: He wasn't the first-ever movie zombie, but he was the first to appear in George A. Romero's 1968 classic, "Night of the Living Dead."

Actor Bill Hinzman has died of cancer at 75, horror site Dread Central is reporting.

His character, dubbed the Graveyard Zombie, makes an appearance early in the film, staggering towards brother and sister Barbara and Johnny in a cemetery, and killing Johnny. The line, "They're coming to get you, Barbara" is famously delivered by Johnny just before Hinzman comes after the siblings.

Song of the Day

The Comedy Is Finished -- Donald E. Westlake

Before you read anything I have to say about this book, you should go read Max Allan Collins' comments about how the book came to be published and what his part in that was. You can find the comments here.

Okay, now that you've finished your assignment, you're probably as amazed as I am that Westlake's publisher wanted him to make the book funnier. Thinking about it, I can almost see why the editor (or someone) thought it was supposed to be funny, however, because the opening chapter does have some amusing stuff, as it's told by comedian Koo Davis in what's pretty much the voice of Bob Hope. If Westlake had wanted to change careers, he'd have been a cinch to get on as one of Hope's gag writers. But after that first chapter, things take a much darker turn.

The book is set in 1977, post-Viet Nam, but a time when radical groups still did radical things, like kidnapping a famous comedian and holding him hostage until their demands are met. The group that grabs Davis seems well-organized at first, but pretty quickly they begin to unravel, as you might expect in a novel like this. The chapters about the group and about the FBI and the cops alternate with chapters told from Davis' point of view (Davis' are in present tense, if that matters), and Westlake is a master of ratcheting up the tension. He's also a master at making every character in the book an individual and in presenting a picture of the times that's hard to beat.

As happens often, it seems, we owe Hard Case Crime thanks for bringing back a fine "lost" work, and we also owe Max Allan Collins. Not only is he working with the Spillane estate, but it turns out that he has treasure in his basement. Here's a tip of the Crider chapeau to all concerned, and the book is highly recommended.

P. S. It was fun to see the mention of A Sound of Distant Drums.

Today's Vintage Ad

No Comment Department

Houston Chronicle: With its world-class faculty, serene campus shaded by oak trees and shielded by a hedge of wax leaf ligustrum, and reputation as the "Ivy League of the South," Rice University draws an elite cohort of students, with most ranked in the top 5 percent of their high school classes.

Yet many of the nation's best and brightest have trouble writing at a college level.

I Found a Dime under my Desk Once

Clara Lazen, Ten-Year-Old Fifth Grader, Discovers New Molecule

Yet Another List I'm Not On

6 Real People With Mind-Blowing Mutant Superpowers

PaperBack


John Farris, The Corpse Next Door, Graphic, 1956




10 Biggest Nerd Gatherings in the World

10 Biggest Nerd Gatherings in the World

10 Musicians Who Got Their Start Playing in the Streets

10 Musicians Who Got Their Start Playing in the Streets

Analyzing Writers’ Personalities From Their Handwritten Manuscripts

Analyzing Writers’ Personalities From Their Handwritten Manuscripts

Today's Western Movie Poster

Famous Works of Art Re-Imagined Through a Sci-Fi Lens

Famous Works of Art Re-Imagined Through a Sci-Fi Lens

The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon

The Most Annoying, Pretentious And Useless Business Jargon

Geri (the Baby) 1994-2012

Scott Cupp was working in Houstn and came over for a visit one night back in 1994. I went out to his car with him when he left, and we heard a cat crying somewhere down the block. After Scott pulled out, I walked down the street and found a tiny kitten sitting beside a cat that had been run over. I took the baby home, and she took up residence in our house and in our hearts. Last night she was perky as ever, and around 10:15 she came into the bedroom to remind me it was time to feed her. Then she went out to wait for me in the kitchen. I heard her meow and went to feed her. She started toward the utility room, and her legs splayed out. I picked her up and took her to the bedroom and put her on the towel on the floor at the foot of our bed where she usually slept (if she wasn't on the bed itself). Fifteen minutes later, she was gone. Things won't be the same around here. We'll miss her every day.

A Kiss Before Dying

Sunday, February 05, 2012

My Favorite Super Bowl Commercial

It's on YouTube.

Song of the Day

Why we'll never find another planet like Earth

Why we'll never find another planet like Earth

Today's Vintage Ad

North Brother Island

Eerie pictures of abandoned New York leper colony

Because, You Know, Why Not?

2012 Candidates, Sarah Palin Get Their Own Trading Cards

PaperBack


Richard Glendinning, Carnival Girl, Popular Library, 1956




First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Stun gun used on North Carolina woman after she blocks McDonald’s drive-thru

Fictional Space Colonies We’d Actually Be Down to Live In

Fictional Space Colonies We’d Actually Be Down to Live In

15 Famously Successful People Who Credit Their Teachers

15 Famously Successful People Who Credit Their Teachers

Today's Western Movie Poster

12 Most Embarrassing Family Portraits… with Pets

12 Most Embarrassing Family Portraits… with Pets

15 Examples Of How Cereal Boxes Have Changed Over Time

15 Examples Of How Cereal Boxes Have Changed Over Time

Everybody's Gettin' into da Act

Swamp alligators slither into New York City (not from the sewers)

Campus Rhythm