Saturday, July 20, 2013
Helen Thomas, R. I. P.
POLITICO.com: Helen Thomas, whose career covering the White House dated back to the Kennedy administration, died on Saturday at the age of 92, the Gridiron Club announced in an email to members on Saturday.
The Decline of Western Civilization Continues Apace
Syfy’s ‘Sharknado’ Mania Continues as Encore Telecast July 18 Leaps 38 Percent in Total Viewers: Keeping up the Shark-Mentum, Syfy will repeat Sharknado Saturday, July 27 at 9PM as part of an all-day Sharkathon movie festival from 9AM-5AM that will include such classics as Sharktopus, Two-Headed Shark Attack and Swamp Shark.
Friday, July 19, 2013
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: Radio rage: Man attacks roommate with machete after station is changed
It's Christmas in July! Get the DVD Now!
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Gumshoe eBook: Paul D Brazill, Kasia Martell: Kindle Store: "Following the breakdown of his marriage, in a booze addled flash of inspiration, Peter Ord decides to become a private investigator. However, is Seatown ready for him? More to the point is he ready for the Seatown's cast of ne'er do wells, gangsters and lunatics? Peter must tackle many challenging cases, including one involving a legless crooner, and when he comes under the radar of local crime lord Jack Martin, has he bitten off more than he can chew? With sidekicks like hack Bryn Laden failure is not an option it’s compulsory." - Darren Sant
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Needle Summer 2013 by Steve Weddle (Paperback) - Lulu: Noir at its best: Dennis Tafoya, Sarah Weinman, Clayton Lindemuth, Brad Green, Bruce Holsinger, Kieran Shea, Ed Kurtz, Jimmy Callaway, Scott Miles, C.J. Edwards, Amy Yolanda Castillo, Alan Orloff, B.A. Hoffman, and Neliza Drew. Cover by Scott Morse.
Yes, It's an Annoying Slideshow, but . . .
. . . once again Texas leads the way with two of the top three (Alvin not included).
10 best cities for recent college graduates
10 best cities for recent college graduates
Here's the Plot for Your Next Big Girl GangThriller
NY Daily News: Robert Reichl, 50, was hoping to score sex with two women but instead was robbed of $2,000 and attacked by three men, one of whom maced him, causing him to fall off the roof.
"She Loves You" by The Beatles
"She Loves You" by The Beatles - Neatorama: "She loves you yeah yeah yeah!!"
This is where Beatlemania begins. To countless millions around the world, this was also the beginning of the '60s.
This is where Beatlemania begins. To countless millions around the world, this was also the beginning of the '60s.
The Worst Children in Literature
Bad to the Bone: The Worst Children in Literature on AbeBooks: Children can be innocent, inquisitive and the embodiment of hope. But those characteristics make for boring stories. Sometimes authors enjoy creating a fictional child that is just plain nasty. Draco Malfoy might be a bigot and a bully, but he’s rarely dull and is a vital ingredient in the Harry Potter novels. Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would not be such a tasty read without greedy Augustus Gloop, bratty Violet Beauregarde and the spoiled Veruca Salt.
Forgotten Books: Bridge of Birds -- Barry Hughart
Bridge of Birds is likely to have been overlooked by mystery readers because it's a fantasy novel set in "an Ancient China that never was." But it's a lot more than that. It's also an adventure, a quest, and a mystery. Its narrator, Number 10 Ox, is the Watson to Master Li's Holmes. Li is a master of deduction, albeit with "a slight flaw in his character."
Love, death, myth, monsters, mayhem (lots), and wonderful writing all combine to make this book, for me, unforgettable. I was reminded of it recently because I received an e-mail from Subterranean Press, which is about to release an omnibus volume that will include all three novels about Master Li and Number 10 Ox (Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen). While the latter two aren't quite as wonderful as the first, they're still well worth your time.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Sandman #1 eBook: NEIL GAIMAN, SAM KIETH: Kindle Store: The first issue of the first volume of Neil Gaiman's horror/fantasy epic! An occultist accidentally traps Morpheus, the embodiment of Dreams, and holds him for 70 years. Finally free, Morpheus seeks his lost objects of power and rediscovers his place in the universe.Link via SF Signal.
And Keep Off Her Lawn!
96-year-old stops attempted robbery: "I said, 'I'm not opening up that cash register and that's it. 'I'm not opening it.' I said, 'You can have all the Tootsie Rolls you want but I am not opening that cash register," says Wolf.
Dino Update
Huge Plant-Eating Dinosaur Never Ran Out of Teeth: Some plant-eating dinosaurs grew new teeth every couple of months, with some of the largest herbivores developing a replacement tooth every 35 days, to keep their chompers from getting too worn down on all that vegetation, new research finds.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Ashley Taylor Wright threw her baby at a deputy at Pensacola Dillards, Okaloosa County police say: A Pensacola woman has been arrested after authorities say they tried arrest her for shoplifting and she threw the baby at a deputy as she tried to escape.
Dennis Burkley. R. I. P.
The Hollywood Reporter: Dennis Burkley, a burly character actor who played truckers, bartenders, bikers and rednecks during a busy four-decade career that included a stint as the voice of Principal Moss on Fox’s King of the Hill has died. He was 67.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Hey, it could happen to anybody.
Demolition team turns up at right street, at right time... but destroys wrong house
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Demolition team turns up at right street, at right time... but destroys wrong house
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Stripper Pole At The End Of The World (Schlock Zone Drive In) eBook: Evili, Mel Odom: Kindle Store: In the near future, after The Collapse, work is hard to come by. The economy is in ruins, much like the city crumbling around Janet, a woman who has lost everything – her husband, her job . . . her leg.
When the lure of a job brings her out on the increasingly dangerous streets she must confront the deadliest of new fears – the bands of cannibals who roam the city.
With a ragtag group of bikers, strippers and survivors Janet must face down the most dangerous night of their lives. When dawn comes, not everyone will live to see a new day and dance at the Stripper Pole At The End Of The World.
Paperback Confidential -- Brian Ritt
I Found a Penny the Other Day
Gold! Treasure hunters find $250,000 in centuries-old coins: Perhaps the most surprising thing about the expedition is that the coins were found just 100 feet from the shoreline, in only six feet of water.
Uh-Oh
latimes.com: Can Lassie really come home again?
A Hollywood studio is hoping so. DreamWorks Animation, creator of the "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" movies, plans to put the charismatic collie back in the public eye, along with Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and other decades-old characters.
Overlooked Movies: Kill the Umpire -- William Bendix
When I was a kid, I loved baseball. I loved playing baseball, I loved collecting baseball cards, I loved listening to the "Game of the Day" called by Big Al Helfer on the Mutual Network. And of course I loved baseball movies. This was one of my favorites. When I saw it, little did I know that it was directed by the same guy (Lloyd Bacon) who did The Good Humor Man, another big favorite of mine from the same era. It's easy to see now that they're very much alike, and I'm sure that tells you something about my sense of humor. Give me mugging and slapstick, and I'm there.
William Bendix plays Bill Johnson (though he might as well be named Chester A. Riley), a former ballplayer who now can't keep a job because he's always going to games instead of to work. He hates umpires, but his father-in-law, a former umpire, suggests that he go to umpire school, Johnson gives in because his wife threatens to leave him unless he goes. On the day he's umpiring a big game for the scouts, he uses some eye drops that cause him to see everything twice (could Joseph Heller have seen this movie?), so he calls everything twice, becoming known as "Two-Call" Johnson. The scouts are impressed, and he's hired for the notoriously rowdy Texas League, where he's shocked -- shocked! -- to discover that the crowds hate him.
When you see some of the things Bendix goes through, you won't be surprised to learn that Frank Tashlin wrote the script. As in The Good Humor Man, there's a great chase scene. The movie's available on DVD as a part of a double feature.
Monday, July 15, 2013
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Mail Online: A 46-year-old Texas woman going through a divorce has been arrested for deliberately driving into her estranged husband at a gas station.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
57 Best BTS Photos from Iconic TV Shows
List of the 57 Best BTS Photos from Iconic TV Shows
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
Really loooong slideshow.
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
Really loooong slideshow.
PWA Update from Robert J. Randisi
YES, IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED.
PWA
has a website. We've been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st
century thanks to member and web guru Kevin Burton Smith. It's still
under construction, but it already rocks. Take a look here http://www.privateeyewriters.com/ and make sure you read the news portion about the PWA banquet! If you're a PWA member you'll get an invitation. If you're not, then email me at RRandisi@aol.com for information.
RJR
Moonwalk and More Rock Stage Moves
Rolling Stone: From the Moonwalk to the fist pump, check out these unforgettable moves
Crazy Musician Cameos
Rolling Stone: The 14 Craziest Musician Acting CameosFrom Tom Jones in 'Mars Attacks' to the Flaming Lips on '90210'
Archaeology Update
NewsDaily: Archaeologists say they have discovered some of the world's oldest known primitive writing, dating back 5,000 years, in eastern China, and some of the markings etched on broken axes resemble a modern Chinese character.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Cory Monteith, R. I. P.
Fox News: Canadian actor Cory Monteith, best known as one of the stars of the Fox television show "Glee," was found dead in his Vancouver hotel room Saturday afternoon. He was 31.
Acting Vancouver Police Chief Doug LePard confirmed that Monteith's body was found in the room on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel shortly after noon local time. LePard said that Monteith had checked into the hotel July 6 and was due to check out Saturday. Staff went to Monteith's room when they realized that he had missed his check-out time.
Acting Vancouver Police Chief Doug LePard confirmed that Monteith's body was found in the room on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel shortly after noon local time. LePard said that Monteith had checked into the hotel July 6 and was due to check out Saturday. Staff went to Monteith's room when they realized that he had missed his check-out time.
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