Saturday, July 19, 2014
Lionel Ferbos, R.I. P.
Lionel Ferbos, New Orlean’s oldest performing jazz musician, dies at age 103: Legendary jazz trumpeter Lionel Ferbos, whose prolific career began with society bands that predated the Great Depression, died in New Orleans at the age of 103, US media reported.
Curt Gentry, R. I. P.
SFGate: Curt Gentry, a San Francisco author who wrote or co-wrote 13 books including best-sellers "Helter Skelter" about the Charles Manson case and a harshly critical biography of FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, died July 10 in a San Francisco hospital.
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Set the DVR
Adult Swim's 2014-2015 Slate Will Include something called Mike Tyson Mysteries, which will be a new half-hour animated adult comedy series featuring a cartoon Mike Tyson who solves mysteries, aided by the Mike Tyson Mystery Team - which is made up of the Ghost of the Marquess of Queensbury, Mike’s adopted Korean daughter, and a pigeon who was once a man.
Things Found in Books
Friday, July 18, 2014
J. T. Edson, R. I. P.
Ben Bridges has noted on the Piccadilly Publishing page that western writer J. T. Edson has passed away.
Hat tip to Randy Johnson.
Hat tip to Randy Johnson.
Another Forgotten Book
I love this book. Should've done an FFB post on it, myself.
Welcome To The Commonwealth: John Myers Myers’ Silverlock
Welcome To The Commonwealth: John Myers Myers’ Silverlock
FFB: Lust Queen -- Don Elliott (Robert Silverberg)
Pause for a moment if you will and think about the careers of some of the people who were writing what's now politely called "midcentury erotica" under pen names for the sleaze publishers back in the '60s. Lawrence Block. Donald E. Westlake. Evan Hunter/Ed McBain. John Jakes. Harlan Ellison (only one book). Harry Whittington. Robert Silverberg. Probably others who haven't yet come forward. All of these had extraordinary careers under their own names, and some of them had fine careers before they started writing these books. 
I can't resist a story about a writer, which is why I read Lust Queen recently. The protagonist is Joe Baldwin, who's doing pretty well writing crime novels and science fiction. As the book opens, he's working his latest crime novel, writing it on a manual typewriter. There's some truly nostalgic stuff for us geezers here about carbon paper and such. Anyone who's pounded out material on a manual will enjoy this part, and I expect many of you will find the scattered bits about Baldwin's writing process fascinating. I know I did. It was much more exciting than the sex scenes, of which there are many.
Baldwin is engaged to be married, but his agent has a gig for him in Hollywood, writing the autobiography (sic) of a Hollywood star named Mona Thorne. The money is far beyond what Joe's making for his own books, and he can't resist. He tells his fiancee farewell and flies to Tinseltown. Mona's plan is for him to live in her house while she tells him her story and he writes the book. Naturally she wants sex, too. Lots of sex. In between bouts of sex and working on the book, Baldwin gets to meet a few Hollywood types, and there's some mild Hollywood and poseur satire. Example: One "real" writer he meets at a party tells Baldwin that he's "lecturing on The Role of Verse Drama in the Modern Theater." When Baldwin says that he writes detective stories, the man looks at Baldwin as if Baldwin "had just admitted seducing his pet dog."
At the same party, however, Baldwin does meet the only genuine person of his entire stay, and naturally they go outside and have sex.
Things get complicated when Baldwin's fiancee shows up in Los Angeles. Baldwin tells Mona he'll have to move out. She doesn't take it well, and she plans her revenge. Things don't work out well, but I won't say for whom.
I wondered about a couple of things in the Stark House edition. The dates used in the story are several years after the publication of the book. Was it supposed to be set in the future? A few times the magic word that couldn't be uttered in these books is uttered. Or maybe I was wrong and it could be uttered.
Silverberg was already a thorough pro when he wrote Lust Queen. The book moves right along, it has some humor, the material about writing is fun, and Silverberg's writing is polished. Check it out.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Uh-Oh
Universal could reanimate old-school movie monsters, from Frankenstein to the Invisible: A new strategy at the studio will see their library of iconic characters wheeled out for a new generation, in a Marvel-style 'universe'
Elaine Stritch, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Elaine Stritch, the brassy, tart-tongued Broadway actress and singer who became a living emblem of show business durability and perhaps the leading interpreter of Stephen Sondheim’s wryly acrid musings on aging, died on Thursday at her home in Birmingham, Mich. She was 89.
Been There, Done That
Well, not all of it. You can read about my trip here if you haven't already.
26 Fantastic Reasons To Pack Your Bags And Visit Peru Right Now
26 Fantastic Reasons To Pack Your Bags And Visit Peru Right Now
The shameful secret behind the popularity of spy movies
The Week: They're a comforting fiction in a frightening world run by villains and fools
22 Lessons From Stephen King On How To Be A Great Writer
Business Insider: 22 Lessons From Stephen King On How To Be A Great Writer
Johnny Winter, R. I. P.
Houston Chronicle: GENEVA (AP) — Texas blues icon Johnny Winter, who rose to fame in the late 1960s and '70s for his energetic performances and musical collaborations including with childhood hero Muddy Waters, has died. He was 70.
Hat tip to Randy Johnson.
Hat tip to Randy Johnson.
Feeling Safer Now?
Fake screener probes passengers at SFO - Matier And Ross: A man suspected of being drunk posed as a security screener at San Francisco International Airport long enough to direct a couple of women into a private booth for pat downs before real security staffers caught on to him, authorities said Wednesday.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
And then there's this, which has happened at least once before (annoying auto-start video).
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
And then there's this, which has happened at least once before (annoying auto-start video).
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
UPI.com: Massachusetts man facing charges after alleged gumball machine attack at pizzeria
Road House: So Bad It’s Good
Flavorwire: So Bad It’s Good: Bouncers, Mullets, and Tai Chi Collide in ‘Road House’
I Miss the Old Days
Apollo 11: What Liftoff Looked Like: It’s one of the most immediately recognizable photographic sequences ever made: Ralph Morse’s dizzying pentaptych capturing the July 16, 1969, liftoff of Apollo 11. Here, in five narrow frames, we witness—and celebrate—a distillation of the creativity, the intellectual rigor, the engineering prowess and the fearlessness that defined the best of the Space Race.
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++The+Sorority+Girls+Monarch+1962a.JPG)
James MacGregor Burns, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: James MacGregor Burns, a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer and political scientist who wrote voluminously about the nature of leadership in general and the presidency in particular, died on Tuesday at his home in Williamstown, Mass. He was 95.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Possible Interest
In July 2014 the Mysterious Bookshop will publish an annotated bibliography of first editions of mystery fiction set in the world of books. Written by the award-winning mystery expert and editor Otto Penzler, this comprehensive volume will cover every title published between 1849-2000 that falls into the bibliomystery sub-genre. In addition to notes of issue on publication, publisher, and date, plus plot descriptions, Bibliomysteries will also include 130 full-color photographs of rare or especially interesting dust jackets and covers. Limited to 200 signed and numbered copies, this bibliography is a must for collectors, booksellers, and scholars of mystery fiction. Price: $75.00
Uh-Oh or OK?
Variety: Christian Bale is in early talks to star as Travis McGee in Fox’s adaptation of “The Deep Blue Good-By.”
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
Texas bank robber with ‘strong body odor’ arrested: It didn’t take long for cops to sniff out this suspect.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Look Out! He Has a . . . Wait, What?
Weaponized can of tomato paste used in robbery Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Alice Coachman Davis, R. I. P.
AOL.com: The first black woman to win an Olympic gold medal, Alice Coachman Davis, died early Monday in south Georgia. She was 90.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Gulf camera reveals spectacular footage detailing World War II wrecks
Houston Chronicle: Spectacular footage detailing World War II wrecks thousands of feet down in the Gulf of Mexico has been released by scientists doing a months-long deep sea expedition in the area.
This might be behind a paywall, but it's very interesting and I hope it's available to all.
This might be behind a paywall, but it's very interesting and I hope it's available to all.
Overlooked Movies: Innerspace
Here's the pitch: Fantastic Voyage meets All of Me. Starring Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, and Meg Ryan, with some great character actors filling out the bill. I've said several times that I thought Quaid would become a major star after certain movies. This is another of them, but Martin Short also gives a great performance. I thought he'd go on to stardom, too. Didn't happen. Maybe he never got the right role. Meg Ryan is great, too, and she did become a big name, for a while, anyway.What happens is that Quaid is reduced to microscopic size and put in a vehicle not unlike the one in Fantastic Voyage. He's supposed to be injected into a bunny, but things happen and he winds up in Short. There's a gang of master criminals. There's a mcguffin (a computer chip). There's pantomime and dancing (a great scene). There are chases, escapes, and romance. There's kissing, which is how Quaid winds up in Ryan for a while. There's slapstick. There's more shrinkage. There are two versions of "Twistin' the Night Away" (Sam Cooke and Rod Stewart).
Judy and I saw this in the theater and found it exhilarating. The great final scene will put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Or maybe not. You might be one of the curmudgeons who doesn't like this movie. But I like it a lot.
Monday, July 14, 2014
Nadine Gordimer, R. I. P.
Flavorwire: Writer and activist Nadine Gordimer is dead at 90. Winner of the Nobel Prize in 1991, she was known as a powerful voice against apartheid. The author of 15 novels and numerous essays, short story collections, and plays, she leaves behind a legacy of human and weighty writing.
Gator Update (Alligator Kinematics Edition)
What Do You Find Out When You Put An Alligator On A Treadmill?: When you come across a paper on "alligator kinematics," it's time to pay attention. Somewhere, at some time, a scientist wanted to find out deep secrets of evolution and decided the best way to do it was putting an alligator on a treadmill.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Edge of Tomorrow
This movie hasn't made nearly as much money at the box office as it should have. I know some people don't care for Tom Cruise, but that's all the more reason to see the movie. They can watch him getting killed over and over. Besides, he gives a good performance here, and so do Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton. I wouldn't have thought of casting Blunt in an action movie, but she's right at home.The deal is that an alien race called, for reasons that are never explained, the Mimics are just about to conquer the world. There doesn't appear to be much hope, except for a big last-ditch attack which will supposedly be like D-Day -- totally unexpected. Cruise is shanghaied into participating and he's killed very quickly, but not before he realizes that the attack wasn't just anticipated but planned for. It's a trap.
Here's the gimmick. Before Cruise dies, he's touched by the blood of an Alpha Mimic. The blood gives Cruise the ability to "reset time" by one day. (Don't ask me to explain how this could possibly work.) Anyway, Cruise he wakes up, alive again, the morning of the previous day. Now that he knows what's going to happen, he tries to warn people. They think he's nuts, and off he goes into battle again, only to die again. Soon he and Blunt meet on the battlefield, and she tells him to find her the next time he wakes up, which he does.
Things get a little complicated after that, so I'll just say that Blunt has to kill Cruise a lot of times so he can "reset time." And I'll add that what happens in the battle is a lot like the old text-based computer games I played long ago. Maybe it's like the modern ones, too. You get killed, you start over, and you try to remember each step you took so that you can repeat them all, right up until the last one, which you want to do differently.
Do the Mimics win, or do Cruise and Blunt save the world? I'm not going to spoiler-alert you or anything. I suspect you know the answer. But who's going to live and who's going to die for real? Go and see for yourself.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
WWLP.com: An Easthampton man was arrested and accused of throwing large amounts of cayenne pepper at several customers inside Whole Foods in Hadley.
ThrillerFest Awards
Mystery Fanfare: ThrillerFest Awards: 2014: ITW's (International Thriller Writers) 2014 Thriller Awards
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