Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Howard Kissel, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: Long-time Daily News theater critic Howard Kissel, who spent his life joyously immersed in the classic culture of New York, died Friday at his Manhattan home.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Global Star eBook: R.A. Jones, Michael Vance, Mel Odom: Kindle Store: Want to fly headlong into Alien Abductions? Ready to hunt Mysterious Monsters in the Bowels of Your City? Curious about what Elvis has been up to since He Got Laid Off? Find the Story Behind the Stories, the Truth too True To Print in the GLOBAL STAR! Authors R. A. Jones, Mel Odom, and Michael Vance report on the exploits of the finest editors, reporters, and staffers working on the world's one tabloid where every word is true! Follow these pen and paper pushers as they go anywhere, do anything, and stop at nothing to bring you the news that makes the Global Star the greatest newspaper on-and off- Earth! Get the whole story in this tongue in cheek satire riddled book from Pro Se- GLOBAL STAR!
Two FREE Short Stories! Two Days Only!
Yes, for two days you can download, absolutely free, a copy of Raining Willie & Cranked: Two Texas Tales, one of which was nominated for the Edgar Award®. You can't lose! Tell your friends! Or your enemies!
Top 10 Books Written Behind Bars
Top 10 Books Written Behind Bars
I know what you're going to say about this list, but I'm linking it anyway.
Friday, February 24, 2012
William Gay, R. I. P.
Country Life: William Gay, the Hohenwald native who late in life earned a following as one of the most acclaimed Southern writers of recent years, was reportedly found dead last night from heart failure at his Lewis County home. He was 68.
A Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy, Gay had been writing since he was 15 years old, supporting himself with carpentry and drywall-hanging jobs as well as a stint on a television-tube assembly line. It wasn't until 1998, however, that he published his first short stories, followed by his prize-winning first novel, The Long Home, in 1999.
A Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy, Gay had been writing since he was 15 years old, supporting himself with carpentry and drywall-hanging jobs as well as a stint on a television-tube assembly line. It wasn't until 1998, however, that he published his first short stories, followed by his prize-winning first novel, The Long Home, in 1999.
Didn't O. Henry Write this Story?
Ex-Cop Admits To Robbing Bank To Get Health Benefits In Federal Prison
Okay, maybe not this one, exactly. "The Cop and the Anthem" is close enough for me, though.
Gator Update (Lawsuit Edition)
TheMonitor.com: A city of Brownsville animal control officer says that the city’s reaction last year to the disposal of a dead alligator violated his civil rights, damaged his good name, and left him with nightmares and headaches and withdrawn, fearful and depressed.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
WTOP.com: The Nike Air Foamposite One "Galaxy" was expected to be released Friday, and the $220 glow-in-the-dark sneakers already have sparked a melee at a Florida mall among hundreds waiting to get their hands on them, following the lead of other shoe-related security issues.
A Great Story.
If you watch the video, better have a hanky handy. There's a good bit of bad language, so it's probably NSFW.
Bestselling Author
Something weird happened yesterday. I have no idea why, but one of my Truman Smith books, Murder Takes a Break, shot up the Nook bestseller list like a rocket. About the time I was going to bed, it was headed for the top 10. Don't know if it made it, but it sold a heck of a lot of copies. Dead on the Island was headed upward, too. I hope this keeps up. It's a nice feeling.Update: Didn't make the top 10, but got to #16. Nora Roberts, Hunger Game, and little stuff like that kept me down. Got to #1 on the Mystery List, however, with two other books also on the list!
Update: Made the top 10 overall list today! Woo-hoo!
Forgotten Books: Horror Times Ten -- Alden H. Norton, Editor
This review appeared in somewhat different form back in January 2006.I was in a short-story reading mood a while back and picked up this little volume. It had some stories I wasn't familiar with, and I thought I'd enjoy the "chilling tales of horror." Maybe I'm old and jaded, but I didn't have as much fun with them as I'd hoped.
One that disappointed me was Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Captian of the 'Pole Star.'" I knew where this one was going long before the end, and it was far from chilling. The same goes for H. P. Lovecraft's "Cool Air." Maybe there was a time when these would have been shocking or surprising, but no longer.
Robert E. Howard's "The Dead Remember" was another "surprise ending" story that didn't work so well, but I liked it anyway, maybe because Howard wrote it.
I didn't know Max Brand wrote horror, but I should have suspected it. He wrote just about everything else. However, "His Receding Brow" isn't exactly a horror story. And once again, I didn't find a single surprising thing about it. Still, no story about apes can be all bad.
The most bizarre story in the book is "His Unconquerable Enemy" by W. C. Morrow. If you can overlook the fact that it's kind of ridiculous, this story of revenge by a legless and armless man is pretty effective.
No doubt that when I was a kid, I'd have enjoyed these stories more than I did now. I've read too much to be easily surprised, and some of the effects the writers are going for just don't work for me. After six years, I find that I remember some of the stories much better than others, and some of them hardly at all. The Morrow is certainly the most vivid, so its oddity must work in its favor, at least for me.
One that disappointed me was Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Captian of the 'Pole Star.'" I knew where this one was going long before the end, and it was far from chilling. The same goes for H. P. Lovecraft's "Cool Air." Maybe there was a time when these would have been shocking or surprising, but no longer.
Robert E. Howard's "The Dead Remember" was another "surprise ending" story that didn't work so well, but I liked it anyway, maybe because Howard wrote it.
I didn't know Max Brand wrote horror, but I should have suspected it. He wrote just about everything else. However, "His Receding Brow" isn't exactly a horror story. And once again, I didn't find a single surprising thing about it. Still, no story about apes can be all bad.
The most bizarre story in the book is "His Unconquerable Enemy" by W. C. Morrow. If you can overlook the fact that it's kind of ridiculous, this story of revenge by a legless and armless man is pretty effective.
No doubt that when I was a kid, I'd have enjoyed these stories more than I did now. I've read too much to be easily surprised, and some of the effects the writers are going for just don't work for me. After six years, I find that I remember some of the stories much better than others, and some of them hardly at all. The Morrow is certainly the most vivid, so its oddity must work in its favor, at least for me.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Archaeology Update
The Raw Story: Brazilian archeologists have discovered an ancient rock carving they say is at least 10,000 years old, making it the oldest human carving in the Americas.
The claim, detailed in an article in the online scientific journal PLoS ONE, opens the controversial debate over when and how humans populated the Americas.
The 30 centimeter (12 inches) carving is of a man with a “C” shaped head, three fingers per hand and an oversized phallus.
The claim, detailed in an article in the online scientific journal PLoS ONE, opens the controversial debate over when and how humans populated the Americas.
The 30 centimeter (12 inches) carving is of a man with a “C” shaped head, three fingers per hand and an oversized phallus.
Uh-Oh
Forbes: Kolchak, the Night Stalker, the short-lived 1974-5 television show that has been credited as the inspiration for The X-Files, is about to get a third life (the one after its even shorter-lived second life as a 2005 TV series). Johnny Depp’s production company, Infinitum Nihil, will be bringing the adventures of reporter Carl Kolchak to the big screen.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Bid Early & Often
UPI.com: A Nebraska woman is selling a Chicken McNugget she says bears a resemblance to President George Washington, to raise funds for her church.
Will the Persecution Never End?
Paris Hilton's New Song, "Drunk Text": “I went out the other night, to, you know, dance with my bitches.” That's the first line. Gold star to everyone that makes it through the whole thing.
Billy Strange, R. I. P.
Nashville News, Weather & Sports: A legendary singer-songwriter who worked with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and the Beach Boys has passed away.
Billy Strange died in Nashville Wednesday at the age of 81. His cause of death was not released.
Strange is a member of the Musicians Hall Of Fame, and composed Nancy Sinatra's famous hit, "These Boots Are Made For Walking".
He teamed up with Mac Davis to write several hit songs for Elvis Presley including "A Little Less Conversation", as well as the theme from Charro!, and "Memories".
Billy Strange died in Nashville Wednesday at the age of 81. His cause of death was not released.
Strange is a member of the Musicians Hall Of Fame, and composed Nancy Sinatra's famous hit, "These Boots Are Made For Walking".
He teamed up with Mac Davis to write several hit songs for Elvis Presley including "A Little Less Conversation", as well as the theme from Charro!, and "Memories".
Snake-Hunting Labradors WBAGNFARN
But I think "Invasive Pythons" would be even better.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Hawaii Leads the Way
State favorability poll - Public Policy Polling: Over the course of four months starting last October, we asked American voters nationally what their impressions of each state are. Hawaii came out on top, by far, with California bringing up the rear.
Forgotten Music -- Movie and TV Stars
Sometimes it's possible to have a hit record without being able to sing very well. Or maybe it's often possible. Anyway, one way to have a hit is to be a movie or TV star. The first one I remember going this route is Tab Hunter, who hit the top of the charts with "Young Love." Tab wasn't just a one-hit wonder, either. He scored with "Red Sails in the Sunset," "Ninety-nine Ways," and others. Along about the same time, Tony Perkins (yes, Tony Perkins) cracked the top 25 with "Moonlight Swim." And in that same great year, Sal Mineo hit it big with "Start Movin' in my Direction." And who can forget Edd "Kookie" Byrnes' stirring rendition of "Kookie, Kookie, Lend me Your Comb"? Of course, he was helped out by Connie Stevens, who could actually sing a bit, and she had her own big hit, "Sixteen Reasons."
I'm not counting Ricky Nelson here. He was a good singer and could even play the guitar. His TV series made him a hit, but I think he'd have made it without TV.
A little later on, Richard Chamberlain played Dr. Kildare and became a recording star with "Three Stars Will Shine Tonight." And then there was David Soul, who was either Starsky or Hutch. I forget which one, but I'll never forget "Don't Give up on Us." And then there's John Travolta, who was a better dancer than a singer but who did have a hit or two, like the classic "Let Her In."
John Schneider was no Elvis, but he recorded "It's Now or Never" and a lot of other stuff, too. Not a bad singer, but would he have made it without The Dukes of Hazzard? How about Bruce Willis? Without Moonlighting would he ever have recorded "Save the Last Dance for Me"? Tom Wopat, Schneider's co-star on Dukes had a hit with "A Little Bit Closer."
I'm sure you can think of a lot of others. Like William Shatner. But he doesn't count. He didn't ever have a hit. At least I hope he didn't.
Update: How could I have forgotten Peter Fonda? And thanks for all the names in the comments. I can't believe I left some of those off the list.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
latimes.com: A homeless man has been arrested on suspicion of breaking an older man’s arm in a scuffle over a toilet in a Del Taco restaurant in Montebello, police said.
New Western eZine Open for Submissions
Fires on the Plain | A Western Fiction eZine: Second, FIRES ON THE PLAIN officially launches this Friday, February 24th with a new short story by Jake Hinkson, an acclaimed film historian and novelist. Hinkson’s debut novel, Hell on Church Street, was published by New Pulp Press earlier this year, and it’s a knockout! It’s Ozark Noir to the extreme, like a nightmarish mash-up of The Night of the Hunter and Jim Thompson’s Pop. 1280. Not for the faint of heart, but if you revel in the dark depths of Noir, then Hell on Church Street is a place you definitely want to visit. Hinkson brings the same dark vibe to his frontier story, and I’m thrilled to be able to publish here at FIRES ON THE PLAIN.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Inherited comic collection expected to fetch $2M - Houston Chronicle: Michael Rorrer said his great aunt once mentioned having comic books she would one day give him and his brother, but it was a passing remark made when they were boys and still into superheroes.
Ruby Wright gave no indication at the time — and she died last February, leaving it unclear — that her late husband's comic collection contained some of the most prized issues ever published. The 345 comics were slated to sell at auction in New York on Wednesday, and were expected to fetch more than $2 million.
Ruby Wright gave no indication at the time — and she died last February, leaving it unclear — that her late husband's comic collection contained some of the most prized issues ever published. The 345 comics were slated to sell at auction in New York on Wednesday, and were expected to fetch more than $2 million.
Dick Anthony Williams, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Dick Anthony Williams, a prolific actor who created enduring roles in blaxploitation films during the 1970s while simultaneously securing his reputation on the New York stage with Tony-nominated performances and a Drama Desk Award, died on Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 77.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
io9: Researchers resurrect new species of life from ancient Andean tomb
Close to 1,500 years ago, indians living in what is now Quito, Ecuador buried their most revered dead in 16-meter-deep tombs. An ancient alcoholic beverage was commonly included in these burial vaults. Now, by examining the clay vessels used to ferment and store this brew, a team of South American researchers has managed to not only recover the microbes the indians used to ferment the ancient beverage, they've actually revived them...and they're unlike any species they've ever seen.
Close to 1,500 years ago, indians living in what is now Quito, Ecuador buried their most revered dead in 16-meter-deep tombs. An ancient alcoholic beverage was commonly included in these burial vaults. Now, by examining the clay vessels used to ferment and store this brew, a team of South American researchers has managed to not only recover the microbes the indians used to ferment the ancient beverage, they've actually revived them...and they're unlike any species they've ever seen.
Free Today for Kindle
Three To Get Deadly
by Lee Goldberg, Paul Levine, and Joel Goldman
FREE on Kindle
Three to Get Deadly is a trio of stunning bestselling novels of action and suspense from three masters of the craft…now in a single, thrill-packed volume!
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Judi McCoy, R.I.P.
Mystery Fanfare: Judi McCoy: R.I.P.: Judith Ann Karol McCoy, national bestselling author of 'The Dog Walker Mystery' series and other novels, died February 18, in Cape Charles, VA. Judi McCoy was the published author of 22 mystery and romance novels. Her first, "I Dream of You" won Waldenbooks 2002 award for best-selling new author. Her most recent series, the popular Dog Walker Mysteries, debuted in 2009 with "Hounding the Pavement", all royalties from which Judi donated to the Best Friends Animal Society. Her 2010 novel "Death in Show" Dogwalker mystery won Romantic Times Most Humorous Mystery award. Her latest novel, "Fashion Faux-Paw," will be published in March 2012.
Sounds Reasonable to Me
Yahoo! News: Prosecutors urged jurors on Tuesday to reject a murder suspect's claims that he was visited by a demon who sounded like Barry White and an angel who looked like Olivia Newton-John before he shot and killed a toddler's father outside a preschool.
AbeBooks: Just Rudyard Kipling
AbeBooks: Just Rudyard Kipling: Rudyard Kipling, (1865-1936) had a tremendous impact on the literary world with his short stories, poetry and novels. Kipling is most well known for his fantastically imaginative tales for children including the classic Just So Stories and the Jungle Book, but he was a prolific author and his works covered a broad range of subjects.
Kipling was born in Bombay, India, and at the age of five moved to England with his family. Kipling was inspired by the length and breadth of the British Empire, which featured so often in his writing, but his critics described him as a relic of Imperialism. Over the course of his life, Kipling was an avid traveller and saw much of the world. For several years Kipling and his wife Carrie Balestier lived in Vermont where their first child was born. It was in Vermont that Kipling first began writing the Jungle Books. In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature - the first English-language writer to receive it.
Kipling was born in Bombay, India, and at the age of five moved to England with his family. Kipling was inspired by the length and breadth of the British Empire, which featured so often in his writing, but his critics described him as a relic of Imperialism. Over the course of his life, Kipling was an avid traveller and saw much of the world. For several years Kipling and his wife Carrie Balestier lived in Vermont where their first child was born. It was in Vermont that Kipling first began writing the Jungle Books. In 1907, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature - the first English-language writer to receive it.
Why books and movies are better the second time
The Body Odd - Why books and movies are better the second time: New research reveals why people like to reread books, re-watch movies and generally repeat the same experiences over and over again. It’s not addictive or ritualistic behavior, but rather a conscious effort to probe deeper layers of significance in the revisited material, while also reflecting on one's own growth through the lens of the familiar book, movie or place.
Overlooked Movies -- The Benny Goodman Story
If you're looking for a great story or great acting, look somewhere else. Steve Allen was a man of many talents, but acting wasn't one of them. Donna Reed's not bad, but she doesn't have a lot to do. Nobody does, really, and the story of Goodman's life as told here is pretty boring. The reality was probably more interesting, but the movie's not interested in the reality. It's your basic sappy love story.So what does it have going for it? The music, of course, and there's some great music and plenty of it. I saw this first when I was a kid playing clarinet in a high school band, and like Allen I was a nerdy guy with glasses (still am, now that I think about it). To think that a guy like that could play a clarinet the way Goodman could was a wonderful thing. Two famous concerts are represented in the movie, including the climactic one at Carnegie Hall in 1938. If you don't watch the movie, check out the CD of that concert. Great stuff.
Some famous jazz musicians show up as themselves in the film: Harry James, Kid Ory, Gene Krupa, and others. So it's a historical document, too.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Rose Cliver, R. I. P.
Rose Cliver, 1906 SF quake survivor, dies at 109: Rose Cliver was 3 years old on April 18, 1906, when the quake and resulting fire killed more than 1,000 people and ruined more than 28,000 buildings. When she died Saturday at a residential care home in Santa Rosa, she was 109.
Listen or Download for Free
I listened last night. Good stuff from Cullen Gallagher, whose blog Pulp Serenade you should be familiar with. 
Free Today!
Paul Bishop's career-spanning short story collection. Grab it now!
Howard Pyle: The Man Who Rewrote History
Howard Pyle: The Man Who Rewrote History on AbeBooks: The cultural influence of American author and illustrator Howard Pyle should not be underestimated. He transformed Robin Hood from a bandit to a heroic defender of the weak. He changed pirates from seafaring hoodlums to iconic historical figures.
Pyle was also one of the great American illustrators. You probably own a book that has been influenced by him in some way and remember his name when you watch any Treasure Island or Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Pyle was also one of the great American illustrators. You probably own a book that has been influenced by him in some way and remember his name when you watch any Treasure Island or Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
NYPOST.com: A vicious fight involving vodka and supermodels at a Meatpacking District nightclub sparked a royal beatdown that landed Monaco’s Prince Pierre Casiraghi in the hospital, The Post has learned.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Happy Washington's Birthday
snopes.com: Presidents Day: Although early efforts to implement a Uniform Holidays Bill in 1968 also proposed moving the observance of Washington's Birthday to the third Monday in February and renaming the holiday "President's Day," the passed version of the bill provided only for the former. The official designation of the federal holiday observed on the third Monday of February is, and always has been, Washington's Birthday.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
I Remember It Well
On 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s flight, U.S. lacks manned space capacity | The Raw Story: The United States marks the 50th anniversary Monday of the first flight of an American into orbit. But the historic landmark is bittersweet: the first nation to land people on the Moon now depends on Russia for its manned space flights.
At 9:47 a.m. on February 20, 1962, on the eleventh try, astronaut John Glenn took off from Cape Canaveral aboard an Atlas rocket to make three orbits around the Earth in just under five hours.
At 9:47 a.m. on February 20, 1962, on the eleventh try, astronaut John Glenn took off from Cape Canaveral aboard an Atlas rocket to make three orbits around the Earth in just under five hours.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Author - Jory Sherman: Looking for that perfect gift for a friend or family member - or maybe even for yourself? How about a personally autographed copy of a book from one of America's favorite authors? Jory is now offering a selection of some of his most popular works for sale directly though his website!
Blues in the Night -- Dick Lochte
I've been a fan of Dick Lochte's work since the appearance of Sleeping Dog. That was quite a few years ago, and I should to a "forgotten books" post on that one someday. It's probably not really forgotten, though. Anyway, I was happy to pick up Blues in the Night and see what Lochte was up to this time.
Dave Mason, known to all as "Mace," has been in prison for seven years, so he's not familiar with a lot of new stuff, like smart phones. That doesn't stop him from leaving New Orleans to go to Los Angeles to help out his old pal Paulie Lacotta, who wants him to follow an ex-girlfriend. Seems simple enough, but Mace knows that Paulie never plays things straight and that there's likely more to the story. Sure enough, there is. And every time Mace adds one more piece to the puzzle, he finds that there's more to it. Is anybody besides Mace who he (or she) seems to be? Nope. It's a twisty journey with surprises all along the way, and it's all told with zest and humor that kept me reading past the time when I usually turn off the lights. Lots of great L. A. local color, and colorful characters, too. You can't go wrong here. I'm counting on a sequel soon. Check it out.
Seepy Benton Better Watch His Step
Tuesday's shooting is seventh for Scottsdale police officer: The Scottsdale police officer who shot and killed a man holding a baby Tuesday has been involved in seven shootings since 2002, six of them fatal, police said Wednesday.
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