Fox News: Eydie Gorme, a popular nightclub and television singer as a solo act and as a team with her husband, Steve Lawrence, has died. She was 84.
Gorme, who also had a huge solo hit in 1963 with "Blame it on the Bossa Nova," died Saturday at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas following a brief, undisclosed illness, said her publicist, Howard Bragman.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Friday, August 09, 2013
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
. . . and now it's the duck attack, which of course WBAGNFARB. And the ducks weren't even on his lawn.
91-year-old recovering from duck attack
91-year-old recovering from duck attack
I Was a Charter Subscriber to One of These
And it was neither Variety nor Tiger Beat. Nor Playboy.
The Very First Issues of 19 Famous Magazines
The Very First Issues of 19 Famous Magazines
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV Cincinnati: Police: W. Pa. man beat wife with frozen meat
What the Heck, One More Forgotten Book
Shirley Jackson’s Hangsaman: What does it mean: Entry 7: A Shirley Jackson mystery—and the case of the disappearing literary paperback.
"New" Might Not be the Right Word
theguardian.com: A whole new world of magic animals, brave young princes and evil witches has come to light with the discovery of 500 new fairytales, which were locked away in an archive in Regensburg, Germany for over 150 years. The tales are part of a collection of myths, legends and fairytales, gathered by the local historian Franz Xaver von Schonwerth (1810–1886) in the Bavarian region of Oberpfalz at about the same time as the Grimm brothers were collecting the fairytales that have since charmed adults and children around the world.
Archaeology Update
15 Million-Year-Old Whale Skull Discovered In Virginia: The skull is about six feet long and weighs about 1,000 pounds, and is one of the largest whale skulls uncovered in the area. The entire whale would have been 25 feet long. The skull was uncovered in Stratford Hall where General Robert E. Lee was born in 1807. The rest of the skeleton is still embedded in the cliffs.
It Always Worked for Sylvester Cat
Bay News 9: The arrest comes after her recent admission that she used turned over garbage cans to sneak onto MacDill.
And the Forgotten Book Beat Goes On
Charles Portis’ Norwood: A great American deadpan comedy. - Slate Magazine: Entry 5: A Charles Portis novel can clear your sinuses like a shot of whiskey.
Yet Another Forgotten Book
Going All the Way, by Dan Wakefield: Entry 4: The book Vonnegut called “The truest and funniest sex novel any American will ever write.”
Forgotten Books: Peter Held (Jack Vance) Take My Face
Since I wrote about Jack Vance last month (always ahead of the curve here), I'm reprinting that post for today's Forgotten Books.
When Jack Vance died, I thought about which book of his I might like to reread. But then it occurred to me that I had a Vance book that I'd never read. It's a paperback in such good shape that I kind of hated to read it, but I figured that now was the time. So I took it off the shelf and out of its little plastic bag and read it.
Robert Struve, age 13, is riding a borrowed motor scooter when he's hit by a car being steered by an 8-year-old girl named Julie Hovard (she's sitting in her father's lap). The accident results in a fire that severely burns Robert's face. His mother can't afford plastic surgery, and Robert comes to accept his looks. He drives himself at school and at football and does very well both academically and on the field. As a senior he's invited to a sorority party, and as part of their initiation several girls, including Julie, are supposed to kiss him. Robert has no idea that Julie was responsible for his facial disfigurement, but the prank upsets him. He attacks her (not seriously) and is sent to reform school.
Years later one of the other girls is murdered, her face slashed. Her husband confesses, but her brother is sure someone else did the deed. And then he finds out that Robert has been released from reform school. While there, he had plastic surgery, and no one knows what he looks like now. And there's a new guy in town. Julie finds herself falling for him, but then there are two more murders of women who were at that party and part of the prank.
This book is a nice look at the 1950s, a very different time. Vance was a fine observer of society, and while all the things he talks about are familiar to me, younger readers might be aghast at the way things were. There's a lot of story packed into a very short novel, and of course there are some twists along the way. The violence is mostly offstage (except for one time), so the gore is minimal. Vance isn't writing in the style of his more famous SF novels, but he's just as good in this mode as the other. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this one.
Robert Struve, age 13, is riding a borrowed motor scooter when he's hit by a car being steered by an 8-year-old girl named Julie Hovard (she's sitting in her father's lap). The accident results in a fire that severely burns Robert's face. His mother can't afford plastic surgery, and Robert comes to accept his looks. He drives himself at school and at football and does very well both academically and on the field. As a senior he's invited to a sorority party, and as part of their initiation several girls, including Julie, are supposed to kiss him. Robert has no idea that Julie was responsible for his facial disfigurement, but the prank upsets him. He attacks her (not seriously) and is sent to reform school.
Years later one of the other girls is murdered, her face slashed. Her husband confesses, but her brother is sure someone else did the deed. And then he finds out that Robert has been released from reform school. While there, he had plastic surgery, and no one knows what he looks like now. And there's a new guy in town. Julie finds herself falling for him, but then there are two more murders of women who were at that party and part of the prank.
This book is a nice look at the 1950s, a very different time. Vance was a fine observer of society, and while all the things he talks about are familiar to me, younger readers might be aghast at the way things were. There's a lot of story packed into a very short novel, and of course there are some twists along the way. The violence is mostly offstage (except for one time), so the gore is minimal. Vance isn't writing in the style of his more famous SF novels, but he's just as good in this mode as the other. I'm glad I finally got around to reading this one.
Thursday, August 08, 2013
Karen Black, R. I. P.
Houston Chronicle: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Karen Black, the prolific actress who appeared in more than 100 movies and was featured in such counterculture favorites as "Easy Rider," ''Five Easy Pieces" and "Nashville," has died.
'Cowboy' Jack Clement, R .I. P.
US News and World Report: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — "Cowboy" Jack Clement, a producer, engineer, songwriter and beloved figure who helped birth rock 'n' roll and push country music into modern times, has died. He was 82.
Some Excellent Suggestions . . .
. . . none of which will ever be considered, of course.
Opinion: TSA, change the airport security mindset: TSA needs to make these changes right now to take on the root causes of its public and security issues. It needs to clean up the mind numbing, overly complicated checkpoint "standard operating procedure," which no longer matches our security needs and allow officers to act.
Opinion: TSA, change the airport security mindset: TSA needs to make these changes right now to take on the root causes of its public and security issues. It needs to clean up the mind numbing, overly complicated checkpoint "standard operating procedure," which no longer matches our security needs and allow officers to act.
Zach Rolfe is Back!
Amazon.com: No Pat Hands eBook: J. J. Lamb: Kindle Store: When a Northern California Indian tribe’s plan to create an oceanfront casino-resort is stymied by murder, a tribal leader seeks help from a friend, Las Vegas-based private investigator Zachariah Tobias Rolfe III, who specializes in solving gaming-related crimes … on either side of the tables. Rolfe immediately becomes embroiled with two murders, attempts on his life, a dishonest Washington lobbyist, a number of underhanded locals, and a pair of beautiful women before solving the case.
The book also contrasts the devastating experience of a single Northern California Native American tribe, from its first conflict with the white man in 1776, to its heroic return from near extinction through casino ownership.
Past or present, it’s the land; it’s always been about the land.
Barbara Mertz, R. I. P.
Mystery writer Barbara Mertz, author of more than 60 books under pen names, dies at 85: NEW YORK — Barbara Mertz, an Egyptologist who wrote dozens of mystery and suspense novels under two pen names, has died. She was 85.
10 movie stars who can't buy a hit
Bad Luck or Bad Choices: 10 movie stars who can't buy a hit
Need I even mention that it's a slideshow?
Need I even mention that it's a slideshow?
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Orson Welles Update
Long-lost Orson Welles film ‘Too Much Johnson’ turns up in Italy: “Holding in one’s hands the very same print that had been personally edited by Orson Welles 75 years ago provokes an emotion that’s just impossible to describe,” said George Eastman House film curator Paolo Cherci Usai.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
I'm a fan of Gould's work, and this looks interesting.
Green Light for Murder (Detective Tommy Veasy Mysteries): Heywood Gould: 9781440561221: Amazon.com: Books
Rayguns Over Texas
Since the end of the Civil War, Texans have played an essential role in the history of science fiction. Acclaimed and influential writers such as Bruce Sterling, Michael Moorcock, Howard Waldrop, Walter M. Miller, Jr., Marion Zimmer Bradley, Gene Wolfe, Neal Barrett, Jr., L. Sprague DeCamp, Chad Oliver, John Steakley, and Elizabeth Moon all called The Lone Star State home.
Continuing this proud tradition, Rayguns Over Texas features 17 original and two classic tales that reflect the current creative state of Texas sci-fi, alongside historical essays and an introduction by Hugo award-winning, Texas ex-pat Bruce Sterling.
The prize-winning Richard Klaw, editor of The Apes of Wrath and co-founder of the groundbreaking Mojo Press, compiled a collection of stories by masters of the realm and fresh new writers featuring the talents of Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Moorcock, Bradley Denton, Neal Barret Jr., Stina Leicht, Aaron Allston, Don Webb, Aurelia Hadley Mohl, Chris N. Brown, Mark Finn, Josh Rountree, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Matthew Bey, Lawrence Person, Nicky Drayden, Rhonda Eudaly, Sanford Allen, Derek Austin Johnson, Jessica Reisman, and Scott A. Cupp.
Premiering on August 29 at LoneStarCon 3 (aka the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention) in San Antonio, Rayguns Over Texas will be available shortly after at finer outlets in both trade paperback and ebook formats.
Rayguns Over Texas
978-0-9892706-0-1
978-0-9892706-1-8 (ebook)
$16.95
$6.99 (ebook)
Margaret Pellegrini, R. I. P.
CNN.com: Margaret Pellegrini, one of the last surviving Munchkins from the original production of "The Wizard of Oz," died Wednesday, the Munchkins spokesman said. She was 89.
George Duke, R. I. P.
UPI.com: Jazz, funk and R&B musician George Duke has died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Los Angeles, his record label Concord Music Group confirmed.
Bryon Quertermous Update
Bryon Quertermous is going freelance. If you're in the market for editing services, you should consider him. Click here: Editing Services | Bryon Quertermous
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
PD: Man shot self during confrontation: The preliminary investigation revealed Jacobs was speeding through the neighborhood when confronted by his neighbors, Amos said. He returned to the area with a gun and it discharged.
The Big Fat Fatty
latimes.com: Let us break this bad boy down for you. It's got cheesesteak, cheese burgers, pastrami, chicken fingers, bacon, mozzarella sticks, fried eggs, jalapeno poppers, fries, onion rings, chili, marinara and fat sauce. Oh, and it comes on a 27-inch garlic bread roll.
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Marcia Brady Just Turned 57
Marcia Brady Just Turned 57 (And 6 Other Things That Will Make You Feel Old)
Hat tip to Old Jeff Meyerson.
Slideshow alert!
Hat tip to Old Jeff Meyerson.
Slideshow alert!
Overlooked TV: Craft Suspense Theater -- The Deep End
Aldo Ray plays Sam Kimber, a businessman who's in love with another man's wife. The wife drowns (but we know it's murder), and Clu Gulagher shows up to investigate. He's a private eye hired by the murdered woman's sister (Ellen Burstyn, billed as Ellen McRae), who doesn't believe the story about the drowning. Kimber's been hiding money from the IRS with the dead woman, and the money's disappeared. He's naturally the chief suspect. Tina Louise plays his secretary, and Whit Bissell plays his accountant.
Everything is worked out quickly as the episode is only 45 minutes long. I suspect something was cut, but maybe not. There's on pretty good line. Gulagher asks Louise how tall she is, and she responds, "With heels?" "With anybody," Gulagher says. I don't know if that's in the novel.
Monday, August 05, 2013
New Poem at The 5-2
The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Gerald So, Editor: Peter Swanson
THE SURVIVOR OF A SLASHER FLICK IN MIDDLE AGE
Clovers Update
News from The Associated Press: Harold Winley sang "Love Potion No. 9" and other hits with the R&B group The Clovers in the 1950s, but now the 80-year-old says another group is trying to keep him from performing using the band's name.
Sunday, August 04, 2013
Three New Poems at Beat to a Pulp
BEAT to a PULP :: Pulp of the Week: Three Poems
Charles A. Gramlich
A Podcast about Paperback Confidential.
The Book Cave: The Book Cave Episode 237: Paperback Confidential
Jeff Meyerson Will Have to Report on This for Us
The Ramen Burger Yearns to Be the Rightful Heir to the Cronut: Naturally, the ramen burger, made by Sun Noodle, will be sold only in Brooklyn.
Who Gets the Royalties from "Happy Birthday to You"?
This is of special interest to me because many years ago I took a graduate linguistics course from Archibald A. Hill, quite a distinguished gentleman and scholar, as you could learn from this memorial essay. The essay doesn't mention something that every grad student knew, however, that Arch Hill was a descendant of the women who wrote "Happy Birthday" and that he was a millionaire because of the royalties he received. I've always hoped that story was true.
Who Gets the Royalties from "Happy Birthday to You"?
Who Gets the Royalties from "Happy Birthday to You"?
John Palmer, R. I. P.
Washington Post: John Palmer, the longtime correspondent for NBC News who died Saturday after a brief illness, was remembered by former colleagues as a hardworking, gracious reporter who moved easily from war zones to the White House and who brought a reassuring voice to news broadcasts.
Herbert Kaplow, R. I. P.
Washington Post: Herbert Kaplow, a longtime Washington-based television correspondent for NBC News and ABC News who covered the White House, the space program, civil rights and the Cuban revolution, died July 27 at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington County. He was 86.
Can You Find All The Scientific Mistakes In This Picture?
Can You Find All The Scientific Mistakes In This Picture?: The September 1928 issue of Science and Invention magazine included an illustrated cover that dared readers to find all of the scientific errors they had planted. Forty-eight scientific errors, in all. And $500 in prizes to the winners who submitted the correct answers.
Link via mental_floss.
Link via mental_floss.
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