Saturday, June 07, 2014
Friday, June 06, 2014
Dino Update
Stunning fossil eggs provide insight on gender differences of ancient flying reptiles: WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A spectacular fossil find in China – a prehistoric egg extravaganza from 120 million years ago – is providing unique insight into the lifestyle and gender differences of pterosaurs, the flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs.
D-Day | June 6, 1944
Home | D-Day | June 6, 1944 | The United States Army: On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolph Hitler’s crack troops.
Susan Spencer-Wendel, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Susan Spencer-Wendel, a former newspaper reporter who wrote a best-selling memoir about living life to the fullest after learning she had an incurable muscle-wasting disease — and wrote most of it on a smartphone with her right thumb — died on Wednesday at her home in West Palm Beach, Fla. She was 47.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Steven H. Scheuer, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Steven H. Scheuer, a television critic who helped change how newspapers reviewed programs and thus how viewers decided what to watch, died on Saturday at his home in Manhattan. He was 88.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Forgotten Books: Kings of the Bs: Working with the Hollywood System -- Todd McCarthy & Charles Flynn, editors
If you like B-movies, you'll love this book. I do, and I do. It's a collection of essays and interviews. The interviews are with the likes of Samuel Z. Arkoff, Albert Zugsmith, William Castle, Roger Corman, Phil Karlson, Herschel Gordon Lewis, and others. The essays range from discussions of films like Thunder Road and They Live by Night to essays about "people," including Sam Katzman, Corman, Russ Meyer, and Joseph H. Lewis. There are filmographies for 325 directors. Sure you can find filmographies on IMDB, but it's even easier with this book. It's a big collection, 550 pages, great for browsing or even reading straight through. Copies are easy to come by on the Internet, and if you have any interest in the topic, you should grab one for the fun of it.
Thursday, June 05, 2014
Marilyn Beck, R. I. P.
Los Angeles Times: Marilyn Beck, a syndicated Hollywood columnist who for decades dished out delectable dollops on celebrities hooking up, splitting up and cracking up, has died at her Oceanside home. She was 85.
Free for Kindle For a Limited Time
Amazon.com: PARADOX FALLS: A Horror Novel eBook: Peter Brandvold: Kindle Store Meet Jake, David, and Ashley. They’re all good-looking and 30-something. They live in Colorado. They’re lifelong friends. They’ve hiked the mountain trail to Paradox Falls regularly since they were teenagers.
David and Ashley are married...and wealthy.
Jake is married, as well...to Brenda. Jake is not nearly as wealthy as David and Ashley. Jake’s a struggling writer and part-time bar tender in Denver. He may or may not be in love with his wife.
Jake and Ashley had once been lovers. They were each other’s first love, in fact. But that was back in high school. Even so, their flame has never totally died.
That becomes obvious on the trail to Paradox Falls, when petty jealousies, old resentments, carnal passions and slow-burning insecurities...as well as a beautiful blond hiker named Jasmine and an old cowboy named Jerry who’s hunting a killer wielding a crossbow...churn into a lethal concoction resulting in crushed dreams and bloody murder...
***BEWARE: VIOLENCE, EXPLICIT SEX, STRONG LANGUAGE***
Plus a bonus horror short-story: “Johnny & Devlin Forever: Terror in the Piney Woods”
Chester Nez, R. I. P.
Los Angeles Times: The final member of the original Navajo code talkers, the group of 28 Native Americans who played a crucial role for U.S. communications during World War II, has died.
Chester Nez died Wednesday in Albuquerque, confirmed Judy Avila, who helped Nez write his memoirs. He was 93.
Chester Nez died Wednesday in Albuquerque, confirmed Judy Avila, who helped Nez write his memoirs. He was 93.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
wptv.com: Investigators say Hinebaugh and the victim called each other names in the presence of each other's children, allegedly prompting Hinebaugh to throw a half-eaten sandwich at the victim, striking him in the back of the head.
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
Don Zimmer, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: Baseball is forever poorer with the passing of Don Zimmer, one of the game’s all-time good will ambassadors, humorists and raconteurs who began his travelogue career as a Dodger in Brooklyn, surviving two near-fatal beanings, and went on to be an original ’62 Met, a Washington Senator, manager of two storied franchises, the Red Sox and Cubs, and finally Joe Torre’s bench coach for four Yankee world championship teams.
Free Book for Your E-Reader!
Treasure Coast by Tom Kakonis from Brash Books: THE WILD NEW THRILLER FROM THE ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF CRISS CROSS AND MICHIGAN ROLL
Croc Update (LOTR Edition)
'Giant Beast': 900-Pound Ancient Croc Devoured Turtles: It's called Anthracosuchus balrogus after the fiery Balrog that lurked deep in the Middle-Earth mines of Moria in J.R.R. Tolkien's novel "The Lord of the Rings."
Anna Berger, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Anna Berger, a character actress known for playing matriarchal figures from different ethnic backgrounds in films like Woody Allen’s “Crime and Misdemeanors” and television shows like “The Sopranos,” died on May 26 in Manhattan. She was 91.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Tuesday, June 03, 2014
Free for Kindle For a Limited Time
Amazon.com: The Intercept (Jeremy Fisk Novels) eBook: Dick Wolf: Kindle Store Dick Wolf, the celebrated creator of the Law & Order television franchise, makes his literary debut with The Intercept, a taut, driving thriller reminiscent of the classic The Day of the Jackal.Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a commercial jet reminds everyone involved that vigilance saves lives.
But New York Police detective Jeremy Fisk—from the department’s Intelligence Division, a well-funded anti-terror unit modeled upon the CIA—suspects that the event is a warning sign that another, potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in motion. So when a passenger from the same plane disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it’s up to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the celebrations begin... And time is running out.
How did pioneers conceal their guns in the Old West?
Hideout Hijinks: How did pioneers conceal their guns in the Old West?
Keep Off Her Lawn!
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A 91-year-old woman ran a San Diego marathon on the weekend in record time for her age group, also becoming the oldest person ever to finish the race, despite lamenting she was unable to train properly because of cancer treatments.
Delectable, Delicious Design - Penguin's Great Food Series
AbeBooks: Delectable, Delicious Design - Penguin's Great Food Series: "Throughout the history of civilization, food has been more than simple necessity. In countless cultures, it has been livelihood, status symbol, entertainment - and passion. In the GREAT FOOD series, Penguin brings you the finest food writing from the last 400 years, and opens the door to the wonders of every kitchen." -- Penguin Books
Overlooked Movies: The Fall
Reading about this movie on a list I posted the other day, I was reminded of how much I'd liked it, so I looked up this review from 2008. After six years, I can say that I've thought about this movie a number of times, and I haven't changed me opinion. In fact, I think it's worth watching a second time.
What I didn't mention the first time around is that The Fall strongly reminded of a J. D. Salinger short story, "The Laughing Man," one of my favorites. So I'm mentioning it now. The original comments on the movie are below.
The Fall is the best-looking movie I've seen in a long time. It bombed at the box office, and in fact was barely released. Maybe nobody knew how to sell it. Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) plays a stuntman in early 20th century Hollywood. He's been crippled in a fall. He's suicidal and in a hospital in which a young girl played by Catinca Untaru (in a fine performance) is also a patient. Pace begins telling her stories, starring himself as the Blue Bandit, to persuade her to get him the pills he needs to kill himself. The tales of the Blue Bandit get grimmer as they come to an end. The girl is hurt in a fall herself, but she recovers, and the magic of the movies brings her happiness later on as she works in the orange groves with her family. Judy found this movie boring and slow. I can see why, but even in the slower parts, it's a wonder to look at. One of these days when you want to see something completely different, rent this one and see what you think.
Monday, June 02, 2014
The Holloway reading stand and dictionary holder
Retronaut: c. 1892: The Holloway reading stand and dictionary holder
I Miss the Old Days
50 Years Ago: The Rolling Stones Arrive in America: On June 1, 1964, America was first introduced to a group of five long-haired English lads who called themselves the Rolling Stones. Though they had become a hit in England, the U.S. was only vaguely aware of this new band. Indeed, their first album, ‘England’s Newest Hit Makers’ had only just been released in America two days before their arrival.
Lee Chamberlin, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Lee Chamberlin, an actress whose career took off when she joined Bill Cosby and Rita Moreno on the funky 1970s children’s show “The Electric Company,” died on Wednesday in Chapel Hill, N.C. She was 76.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Sunday, June 01, 2014
Ann B. Davis, R. I. P.
CBS Los Angeles: Ann B. Davis, best known for being the wiseacre maid on TV’s “The Brady Bunch,” has died.
Davis was 88.
Ann Bradford Davis first came to the attention of TV audiences as Charmaine “Schultzy” Schultz in the “Bob Cummings Show” (NBC 1955-59). She won two Emmys for her work on that sitcom and was nominated two additional times.
Davis was 88.
Ann Bradford Davis first came to the attention of TV audiences as Charmaine “Schultzy” Schultz in the “Bob Cummings Show” (NBC 1955-59). She won two Emmys for her work on that sitcom and was nominated two additional times.
Jay Lake, R. I. P.
This Way to Texas: Jay Lake is gone: According to his web site, the end has come. Jay Lake died this morning, June 1, at 5:45. Lisa and friends were with him. He will be missed but not forgotten.
Joan Lorring, R. I. P.
Los Angeles Times: Joan Lorring, 88, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the 1945 Bette Davis film "The Corn Is Green," died Friday, said her daughter, Andrea Sonenberg. Lorring had been ill and died in a hospital in the New York City suburb of Sleepy Hollow.
And speaking of mammoths . . .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)