www.community-news.com: George Pittman, teacher, mentor, traveler, community volunteer and loving husband and father died Jan 1, 2014 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 76.
George was the chair of the Department of English at Howard Payne University (then Howard Payne College) when I began teaching there in 1971. He was a friend and colleague for six years before moving back to his alma mater to continue his academic career. He was the best possible department chair, and I always felt I could go to him for advice not only on school matters but on anything else that was troubling me. He had a great teaching career and influenced thousands of students. Maybe he wasn't as famous as some people I mention here, but he was certainly one of the best.
Saturday, January 04, 2014
William Overstreet, R. I. P.
Neatorama: William Overstreet Jr. died in Roanoke, Virginia at the age of 92. During World War II, he flew a P-51 Mustang fighter plane. During the liberation of France, he performed one of the most daring fighter combat actions ever witnessed.
Barbara Lawrence, R. I. P.
Mail Online: Actress Barbara Lawrence, who played Gertie Cummings in the 1955 musical Oklahoma!, has died at the age of 83.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Alicia Rhett, R. I. P.
Hollywood Reporter: Alicia Rhett, who had been one of the oldest surviving cast member of the classic film "Gone With the Wind," died Friday in her longtime hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, a retirement community spokeswoman said.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson and Doc Quatermass.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson and Doc Quatermass.
Saul Zaentz. R. I. P.
The Hollywood Reporter: He won Oscars for producing three best picture winners -- "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest," "Amadeus" and "The English Patient" -- after a great career with Fantasy Records and feuds with John Fogerty.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Friday, January 03, 2014
Phil Everly, R. I. P.
latimes.com: Phil Everly, who with his brother, Don, made up the most revered vocal duo of the rock-music era, their exquisite harmonies profoundly influencing the Beatles, the Beach Boys, the Byrds and countless younger-generation rock, folk and country singers, died Friday in Burbank of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, his wife, Patti Everly, told The Times. He was 74.
Suspect of the Week
NY Daily News: A suspect in a bizarre Salem, Ore., rampage that included a house fire, a robbery and stealing elk meat was arrested while hiding fully clothed in a hot tub with a machete, authorities said.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
New York News: Bexar County’s BibiloTech is the nation’s only bookless public library, according to the American Library Association.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
The Raw Story: Police used a stun gun to subdue an Oklahoma man wielding a hammer and a Bible during a fight with another man.
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Night Spoor eBook: Wayne D. Dundee: Kindle Store Simon Oakhaven and his granddaughter, Jennifer, have traveled far and long to find and stop Simon's lost love, Lenore. They are willing to do whatever it takes to complete this task, before it's too late.Lenore works the night as a waitress or a dancer, sometimes even a prostitute – all guises she has assumed in the past to satisfy her craving for life-sustaining blood. Her victims are primarily men, although she has been known to feed on women as well.
Pitcairn also works the night; an amoral man who kills for money. Can he be persuaded to take on the hunt for the beautiful and deadly Lenore?
Will any of them survive the lethal cat and mouse that ensues, or will the evils of the night claim them all?
Elizabeth Jane Howard, R. I. P.
New York Daily News: Novelist Elizabeth Jane Howard, best known for “The Cazelet Chronicles,” her series of novels tracing the lives of an English family around World War II, has died at the age of 90, according to multiple reports.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Jay Traynor . R. I. P.
Jay and the Americans Singer Jay Traynor Dead at 69: Jay Traynor, the singer best known for his stint as the original lead vocalist in Jay and the Americans, has passed away at the age of 69 following a struggle with liver cancer.
FFB: McQuaid in August -- Shepard Rifkin
This is the third book in the series about a New York cop named McQuaid. I have the paperback edition of the first, and I've never read the second. I might have to remedy that.
The book opens with McQuaid agreeing, against his better judgment, to do a favor for a woman he doesn't know. He winds up spending the night in her apartment, and partially because of fatigue and partially because of having had too much to drink, he falls into a deep sleep on her couch. When he wakes up the next day, the woman has been murdered.
McQuaid knows nobody's going to believe his story, so he calls in sick and begins to try to solve the case himself. He figures he has two days before anyone finds the body, so the clock is ticking. He identifies his primary suspect pretty quickly, and the cover gives you a clue about what's going to happen. The suspect is an expert chess player. McQuaid isn't, but he's about to be involved in an intricate game. All he has to do is stay cool (not easy in New York in August) and not go crazy. It's not easy.
This is a very different cop novel. Now I have to look around for the middle book in the series.
Thursday, January 02, 2014
Any Takers?
Wanted: Caring home for 1,000 crocs: Ferocious reptiles need to be relocated after Israeli tourism farm closes. And they’re still hatching
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Patrick Stafford Golden's Photos: Best baby name so far goes to first baby of the year in Lubbock, Texas.
Hat tip to Patrick Golden.
Hat tip to Patrick Golden.
Only $1.99 for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Crashed (Junior Bender #1) (A Junior Bender Mystery) eBook: Timothy Hallinan: Books Junior Bender is a Los Angeles burglar with a magic touch. Since he first started breaking into houses when he was fourteen years old, he’s never once been caught. But now, after twenty-two years of an exemplary career, Junior has been blackmailed by Trey Annunziato, one of the most powerful crime bosses in LA, into acting as a private investigator on the set of Trey’s porn movie venture, which someone keeps sabotaging. The star Trey has lined up to do all that’s unwholesome on camera is Thistle Downing, America’s beloved child star, who now lives alone in a drug-induced stupor, destitute and uninsurable. Her starring role will be the scandalous fall-from-grace gossip of rubber-neckers across the country. No wonder Trey needs help keeping the production on track.Junior knows what that he should do—get Thistle out and find her help—but doing the right thing will land him on the wrong side of LA’s scariest mob boss. With the help of his precocious twelve-year-old daughter, Rina, and his criminal sidekick, Louie the Lost (an ex-getaway driver), Junior has to figure out a miracle solution.
The Chinese village with the secret to long life
theguardian.com: Famed for centuries for its residents' unusual longevity, it now has 81 centenarians. Proportional to population, that is roughly five times China's average.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Video of man throwing basketball off 500ft tower and into moving net on the ground: Trick shot specialists Dude Perfect performed the feat at in Dallas
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
The Decline of Western Civilization Continues Apace
EW.com: For the season premiere of My Strange Addiction, TLC has tracked down an odd duck who likes to munch on mattress stuffing. It’s certainly a testament to the human body and how efficiently it digests foreign matter; a family member comments on how he’ll often find full pieces of padding in the commode. Yowza.
Wednesday, January 01, 2014
Juanita Moore, R. I. P.
Variety: Juanita Moore, who broke barriers for African-American actors and was Oscar-nommed for 1959′s “Imitation of Life,” died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. Her step-grandson, actor Kirk Kahn, said she was 99.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Woo-Hoo!
The Top 10 Mystery / Thriller Titles eBook / Audio / Print | Gordian Knot Books: Top Ten Mystery / Thriller
The Man – Irving Wallace
The Second Lady – Irving Wallace
The Seventh Secret – Irving Wallace
Too Late to Die – Bill Crider
The Fan Club – Irving Wallace
Harlot’s Moon – Ed Gorman
Small Felonies – Bill Pronzini
D.O.A. – Dave Pedneau
The Weedless Widow – Deborah Lewis
Bohemian Heart – James Dalessandro
The Man – Irving Wallace
The Second Lady – Irving Wallace
The Seventh Secret – Irving Wallace
Too Late to Die – Bill Crider
The Fan Club – Irving Wallace
Harlot’s Moon – Ed Gorman
Small Felonies – Bill Pronzini
D.O.A. – Dave Pedneau
The Weedless Widow – Deborah Lewis
Bohemian Heart – James Dalessandro
James Avery, R. I. P.
CNN.com: Actor James Avery, who played the beloved Uncle Phil on the hit 1990s sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," died Tuesday, his publicist confirmed. He was 67.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Thanks to all of you who've followed this goofy blog, who've bought my books, and who've "liked" my Facebook author page. Only 14,700 "likes" to go before I catch up with Joe Lansdale, which is my only goal for 2014.
And a not-so-fond farewell to 2013, which wasn't a great year around here. I'm hoping the new year will be a lot better.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Hell Hath No Fury, etc.
floridatoday.com: A 48-year-old woman who police say was scorned by her fiance’s request for her to leave his house by New Year’s, remains jailed on charges she deliberately set off a Christmas Day fire in front of her children that gutted the man’s home.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
A Literary Review of 2013
AbeBooks: A Literary Review of 2013: Well, it’s another year done and again J.K. Rowling is at the center of one of the top book stories of the year. Rowling made headlines in July when The Sunday Times of London revealed her as the writer behind the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, author of the crime novel The Cuckoo’s Calling. The book sold only 1,500 copies between its release in April and when Rowling was outed in July – afterwards, it soared to the top of the bestseller lists and signed first editions are currently selling for over $5,000.
Overlooked Movies: Flash Gordon (1980)
What else do I like? The color is superb. The soundtrack by Queen is classic. Watch the trailer at the link below and see what I mean.
Sure, it's campy. Sure, the special effects are cheesy. That's all intentional, and it works just fine for me. And don't try to tell me the writers hadn't seen this digest cover. I won't believe you.
I watched this one again on Christmas day. I'm glad I own the DVD and can watch it anytime at all.
Monday, December 30, 2013
New Poem at The 5-2
The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Annual Ebooks - Gerald So, Editor: Steve Peacock
1990, OR A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE POEM
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Here's the Plot for Your Next Espiionage Thriller
Mail Online: The spying Scotsman who hunted the Nazis of New York: The amazing story of Britain's clandestine war on Hitler's agents... and his big-money backers in the US.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Wow
On Ice: 100 year-old negatives discovered in Antarctic: Conservators restoring an Antarctic exploration hut recently made a remarkable discovery: a small box of 22 exposed but unprocessed photographic negatives, frozen in a solid block of ice for nearly one hundred years.
These negatives were meticulously processed and restored by a Wellington photography conservator.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
Friday, December 20, 2013: The holidays got the best of one couple. Sheriff’s deputies were called to a house just south of Paradise after a husband and wife got into a fierce argument over wrapping Christmas presents.
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