The Singin' Starduster is 83 today. I've confessed to my fondness for Slim's work before, but I'll mention again that I've seen him perform three times. I'll bet nobody reading this can make that claim.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Happy Birthday, Slim Whitman!
The Singin' Starduster is 83 today. I've confessed to my fondness for Slim's work before, but I'll mention again that I've seen him perform three times. I'll bet nobody reading this can make that claim.
Setting the Hamburger Record Straight
A while back I posted a link to an article saying that Texas Rep. Betty Brown had proposed a resolution declaring Athens, Texas, as the birthplace of the hamburger. However, New Haven, CT, has a prior claim, as this the article said. That claim is stated in detail in this e-mail from Mr. Thomas Piergostini:
The earliest patent for the hinged broiler came from William Perkins & assigned to the New Haven Wire Goods Co. 256 Water St. New Haven, CT he received patent # 408,136 on July 30, 1889. His application was filed October 22, 1888. Louis' Lunch wagon was located on Meadow St. directly across from the factory on Water St. from 1895 until 1907. Makes sense the factory loaded with highly paid hungry workers needed to eat somewhere, right?
The earliest patent for the hinged broiler came from William Perkins & assigned to the New Haven Wire Goods Co. 256 Water St. New Haven, CT he received patent # 408,136 on July 30, 1889. His application was filed October 22, 1888. Louis' Lunch wagon was located on Meadow St. directly across from the factory on Water St. from 1895 until 1907. Makes sense the factory loaded with highly paid hungry workers needed to eat somewhere, right?
My Great Uncle Luigi Pieragostini worked for the reorganized New Haven wire Goods Co. later called American Steel & Wire Co. in New Haven. Luigi improved on the original invention of W. C. Perkins to broil in the time stamped cast iron vertical gas powered 1898 Bridge, Beach & Co. Stove from St. Louis, MO. Luigi's broiler received patent # 2,148,879 on February 28, 1939. From what I could find, Luigi (patent in son's name Tazio) invented the first hinged broiler designed specifically for use in vertical ovens to allow for the meat to be cooked at the same time. Not only did this cook the meat faster but it cooked it more evenly & juicy. It also used up much less counter space. This is exactly the same broiler & gas oven combination that is still broiling the hamburger sandwiches at Louis' Lunch today after a 112 years!
Necessity is the Mother of invention, right?
So, here is your proof that as early as 1888, in New Haven, CT, there existed a broiler device to handle a lot of hamburger's at a time. This information from the U.S. Patent office will certainly help to protect Louis' Lunch invented, albeit accidentally, the hamburger sandwich back in 1900. ALL of the necessary elements to substantiate your claim exist in the U.S. Patent Office. Your Great Grandfather had the lunch wagon, food & hungry factory workers. The apparatus to broil the hamburger was invented right across the street in New Haven & patent protected from as early as 1888 by Perkins & through the 1960's by Pieragostini!!
New Issue of The Outpost Now On-Line
From Detectives without Borders comes the news that a new issue of The Outpost, an e-zine of Australian Crime Stories, is now on-line. Check it out here.
The Mamas and Papas
Here's a clip of the Mamas and Papas. Mama Cass gets a laugh from Denny Doherty at the beginning as they get ready to lip-synch the song, but they're actually singing along live.
Say It Ain't So, Clint!
POP CULTURE PUNDIT - The Latest Gossip and News About Your Favoritge Celebs: "Did you see Clint at the Golden Globe Awards? Looks like he's had some serious signs of plastic surgery - why the hell would he do that? Getting rid of his trademark squinty eyes and rough face is the stupidest thing you could do."
Friday, January 19, 2007
Edgar Allan Poe Update
The Herald - Life. Captured Every Day. - Serving York, Chester, and Lancaster Counties.: "BALTIMORE (AP) - For the 58th straight year, a mysterious visitor left birthday cognac and roses at Edgar Allan Poe's grave Friday, and he was watched by more onlookers than ever, a faithful viewer said.
Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum, said 55 people braved a chilly morning to glimpse the annual ritual of the mysterious visitor known as the Poe toaster.
'If I were the Poe toaster, and I saw and heard that crowd, I wouldn't show up,' Jerome said before the ceremony.
As in years past, the visitor placed a half-empty bottle of cognac and three red roses at the grave on Poe's birthday, Jerome said.
Once it realized who he was, the crowd rushed to one of the cemetery's entrances to get a glimpse, and the toaster slipped out another way, Jerome said."
Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum, said 55 people braved a chilly morning to glimpse the annual ritual of the mysterious visitor known as the Poe toaster.
'If I were the Poe toaster, and I saw and heard that crowd, I wouldn't show up,' Jerome said before the ceremony.
As in years past, the visitor placed a half-empty bottle of cognac and three red roses at the grave on Poe's birthday, Jerome said.
Once it realized who he was, the crowd rushed to one of the cemetery's entrances to get a glimpse, and the toaster slipped out another way, Jerome said."
Denny Doherty R. I. P.
To me, the Mamas and Papas were an essential part of the middle 1960s. And now there's only one of them left.
Denny Doherty of the Mamas and Papas dead at 66 - Los Angeles Times: "MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- Denny Doherty, one-quarter of the 1960s folk-rock group the Mamas and the Papas, known for their soaring harmony on hits like 'California Dreamin'' and 'Monday, Monday,' died today at 66.
His sister Frances Arnold said the singer-songwriter died at his home in Mississauga, a city just west of Toronto, after a short illness.
The group burst on the national scene in 1966 with the top 10 smash 'California Dreamin'.' The Mamas and the Papas broke new ground by having women and men in one group at a time when most singing groups were unisex. John Phillips, the group's chief songwriter; his wife, Michelle; and another female vocalist, Cass Elliot, teamed with Doherty.
'Monday, Monday' hit No. 1 on the charts and won the band a Grammy for best contemporary group performance. Among the group's other songs were 'I Saw Her Again Last Night,' 'Go Where You Wanna Go,' 'Dancing Bear,' and versions of 'I Call Your Name' and 'Dedicated to the One I Love.'"
Denny Doherty of the Mamas and Papas dead at 66 - Los Angeles Times: "MISSISSAUGA, Ont. -- Denny Doherty, one-quarter of the 1960s folk-rock group the Mamas and the Papas, known for their soaring harmony on hits like 'California Dreamin'' and 'Monday, Monday,' died today at 66.
His sister Frances Arnold said the singer-songwriter died at his home in Mississauga, a city just west of Toronto, after a short illness.
The group burst on the national scene in 1966 with the top 10 smash 'California Dreamin'.' The Mamas and the Papas broke new ground by having women and men in one group at a time when most singing groups were unisex. John Phillips, the group's chief songwriter; his wife, Michelle; and another female vocalist, Cass Elliot, teamed with Doherty.
'Monday, Monday' hit No. 1 on the charts and won the band a Grammy for best contemporary group performance. Among the group's other songs were 'I Saw Her Again Last Night,' 'Go Where You Wanna Go,' 'Dancing Bear,' and versions of 'I Call Your Name' and 'Dedicated to the One I Love.'"
Happy Birthday, Edgar Allan Poe!
No doubt the Edgar Awards nominations are announced today for a reason, and the fact that it's the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe is it. I published a Poe pastiche years ago, and I had a fine time writing it. He was one of my favorites when I was a kid, and in college I read through a volume of the "complete stories." Some clinkers, for sure, but some of them are still fun to read.
And while you're celebrating, don't forget my fellow Texan Patricia Highsmith. Most people don't think of her as a Texan, but she was born in Ft. Worth. You can't get any more Texan than that.
And while you're celebrating, don't forget my fellow Texan Patricia Highsmith. Most people don't think of her as a Texan, but she was born in Ft. Worth. You can't get any more Texan than that.
Scuba Bike -- How Could You Not Want One?
Scuba-Dooing means you don't need to wear a mask or mouthpiece. The air tank and diving weights are on the Scuba-Doo motorised scuba bike. You are seated on your Scuba-Doo, with your head and shoulders in a clear dome. Your air is constantly being replenished from a scuba tank, enabling you to breathe normally!
Manouverable? You bet! At a rate of 2.5 knots you're able to ride amongst the spectacular underwater world, or remain stationary while you feed the fish. What's more, on the Scuba-Doo scuba bike you can wear your spectacles or contact lenses with no problems!
Link via Neatorama.
HOLY S**T! I'M NOMINATED FOR AN EDGAR!
Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce its Nominees for the 2007 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television and film published or produced in 2006. The Edgar Awards will be presented to the winners at our 61st Gala Banquet, April 26, 2007 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City.
And the Nominees Are...
BEST NOVEL
The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard (HarperCollins)
The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Gentleman and Players by Joanne Harris (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
The Dead Hour by Denise Mina (Hachette Book Group - Little, Brown and Company)
The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard (Random House – Ballantine Books)
The Liberation Movements by Olen Steinhauer (St. Martin's Minotaur)
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR
The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson (Random House)
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (Crown - Shaye Areheart Books)
King of Lies by John Hart (St. Martin's Minotaur – Thomas Dunne Books)
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith (St. Martin's Minotaur)
A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read (Warner Books – Mysterious Press)
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
The Goodbye Kiss by Massimo Carlotto (Europa Editions)
The Open Curtain by Brian Evenson (Coffee House Press)
Snakeskin Shamisen by Naomi Hirahara (Bantam Dell Publishing – Delta Books)
The Deep Blue Alibi by Paul Levine (Bantam Dell Publishing – Bantam Books)
City of Tiny Lights by Patrick Neate (Penguin Group – Riverhead Books)
BEST FACT CRIME
Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger (W.W. Norton and Co.)
Finding Amy: A True Story of Murder in Maine by Capt. Joseph K. Loughlin & Kate Clark Flora (University Press of New England)
Ripperology: A Study of the World's First Serial Killer by Robin Odell (The Kent State University Press)
The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe and the Invention of Murder by Daniel Stashower (Dutton)
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson (HarperCollins – William Morrow)
BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL
Unless the Threat of Death is Behind Them: Hard-Boiled Fiction and Film Noir by John T. Irwin (Johns Hopkins University Press)
The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear by E.J. Wagner (John Wiley & Sons)
BEST SHORT STORY
"The Home Front" – Death Do Us Part by Charles Ardai (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown and Company)
"Rain" – Manhattan Noir by Thomas H. Cook (Akashic Books)
"Cranked" – Damn Near Dead by Bill Crider (Busted Flush Press)
"White Trash Noir" – Murder at the Foul Line by Michael Malone (Hachette Book Group – Mysterious Press)
"Building" – Manhattan Noir by S.J. Rozan (Akashic Books)
BEST JUVENILE
Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake by Jennifer Allison (Penguin Young Readers – Sleuth/Dutton)
The Stolen Sapphire: A Samantha Mystery by Sarah Masters Buckey (American Girl Publishing)
Room One: A Mystery or Two by Andrew Clements (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
The Bloodwater Mysteries: Snatched by Pete Hautman & Mary Logue (Penguin Young Readers – Sleuth/Putnam)
The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer (Penguin Young Readers – Philomel/Sleuth)
BEST YOUNG ADULT
The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks (Scholastic – The Chicken House)
The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson (Penguin YR – Sleuth/Viking)
Crunch Time by Mariah Fredericks (Simon & Schuster – Richard Jackson Books/Atheneum)
Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready (Penguin YR – Dutton Children's Books)
The Night My Sister Went Missing by Carol Plum-Ucci (Harcourt Children's Books)
BEST PLAY
Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure by Steven Dietz (Arizona Theatre Company)
Curtains by Rupert Holmes (Ahmanson Theatre)
Ghosts of Ocean House by Michael Kimball (The Players' Ring)
BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY
The Closer – "Blue Blood", Teleplay by James Duff & Mike Berchem (Turner Network Television)
Dexter – "Crocodile", Teleplay by Clyde Phillips (Showtime)
House – "Clueless", Teleplay by Thomas L. Moran (Fox/NBC Universal)
Life on Mars – Episode 1, Teleplay by Matthew Graham (BBC America)
Monk – "Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink", Teleplay by Hy Conrad (USA Network/NBC Universal)
BEST TELEVISION FEATURE/MINI-SERIES TELEPLAY
Conviction, Teleplay by Bill Gallagher (BBC America)
Cracker: A New Terror, Teleplay by Jimmy McGovern (BBC America)
Messiah: The Harrowing, Teleplay by Terry Cafolla (BBC America)
Secret Smile, Teleplay by Kate Brooke, based on the book by Nicci French (BBC America)
The Wire, Season 4, Teleplays by Ed Burns, Kia Corthron, Dennis Lehane, David Mills, Eric Overmyer, George Pelecanos, Richard Price, David Simon & William F. Zorzi (Home Box Office)
BEST MOTION PICTURE SCREENPLAY
Casino Royale, Screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade & Paul Haggis, based on novel by Ian Fleming (MGM)
Children of Men, Screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby, based on a novel by P.D. James (Universal Pictures
The Departed, Screenplay by William Monahan (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Good Shepherd, Teleplay by Eric Roth (Universal Pictures)
Notes on a Scandal, Screenplay by Patrick Marber (Scott Rudin Productions)
ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD
William Dylan Powell
"Evening Gold" – EQMM November 2006 (Dell Magazines)
GRAND MASTER
Stephen King
RAVEN AWARDS
Books & Books (Mitchell Kaplan, owner)
Mystery Loves Company Bookstore (Kathy & Tom Harig, owners)
THE SIMON & SCHUSTER-MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
Bloodline by Fiona Mountain (St. Martin's Minotaur)
# # # #
The EDGAR (and logo) are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.
This e-bulletin was prepared by Laurie R. King with the help of Margery Flax.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Art Buchwald's Farewell Column
Buchwald's Farewell Column, Written to Be Released at Death: "NEW YORK Art Buchwald wrote a final column that he asked not be distributed until after he died. The piece was penned on Feb. 8, 2006, after Buchwald decided to check into a hospice. He eventually left the hospice, of course, and resumed his syndicated column. Buchwald died last night at the age of 81. Here's the farewell column, courtesy of Tribune Media Services."
Big Bopper Update
Abilene Reporter-News: "KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The son of 'The Big Bopper' has hired a forensic anthropologist to try to answer questions about how his father died in the 1959 plane crash that also took the lives of famous early rock `n' rollers Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.Jay Richardson, who performs tribute shows as 'The Big Bopper Jr.,' hopes an examination of his father's remains will settle rumors a gun might have been fired on board the plane, and tell whether the Big Bopper might have survived the crash impact and died trying to go for help.
'I'm not looking for any great bombshell, but then again you never know,' Richardson said in a recent phone interview from his home outside Houston.
J.P 'The Big Bopper' Richardson is buried in Beaumont, Texas. After his remains are studied they will be reburied and a life-sized statue put up aside the grave.
Jay Richardson never knew his father, who soared to rock fame with his late `50s hit, 'Chantilly Lace.' His mother was pregnant with him when his father died.
The rock 'n' roll stars died on Feb. 3, 1959, when their four-passenger plane crashed after taking off from the Mason City, Iowa, airport - a tragedy memorialized as 'the day the music died' in Don McLean's song 'American Pie.'"
Art Buchwald, R. I. P.
He did it his way.
BREITBART.COM - Columnist Art Buchwald Dies at Age 81
BREITBART.COM - Columnist Art Buchwald Dies at Age 81
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Columnist Art Buchwald, who chronicled the life and times of Washington with a wry wit for over four decades and endeared himself to many with his never-give-up battle with failing kidneys, is dead at 81.
Buchwald's son, Joel, who was with his father, disclosed the satirist's death, saying he had passed away quietly at his home late Wednesday with his family.
Buchwald had refused dialysis treatments for his failing kidneys last year and was expected to die within weeks of moving to a hospice on Feb. 7. But he lived to return home and even write a book about his experiences.
"The last year he had the opportunity for a victory lap and I think he was really grateful for it," Joel Buchwald said. "He had an opportunity to write his book about his experience and he went out the way he wanted to go, on his own terms."
Neither Buchwald nor his doctors could explain how he survived in such grave condition, and he didn't seem to mind.
The unexpected lease on life gave Buchwald time for an extended and extraordinarily public goodbye, as he held court daily in a hospice salon with a procession of family, friends and acquaintances.
"I'm going out the way very few people do," he told The Associated Press in April.
Buchwald said in numerous interviews after his decision became public that he was not afraid to die, that he was not depressed about his fate and that he was, in fact, having the time of his life.
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The Definitive Top 20 TV Shows From The 80s (With Videos)
Link via Neatorama.
VIDEOS: The Definitive Top 20 TV Shows From The 80s (With Videos). � Cool Videos at Brohans Video Blog: "The 80s were a great time for sitcoms and television in general. Don't believe me? Ask Matt. Don't believe him? Ask me (Henry).
So . . . what am I looking at here?
This is the unarguable list of top 20 80s TV shows.
Hey guys, how can you claim that this list is absolute?
We grew up in the 80s (and consequently, continued growing up throughout the 90s and through the present). We watched TV all the friggin time. The TV was like an uncle to us. The greatest uncle in the world.
Why only 20? Why not 80?
Because there were exactly 20 good shows in the 80s. We're certain of it.
Without further ado%u2026here are:
'The Greatest Definitive Sure-Fire Top Greatest TV Shows From The 80s.'"
VIDEOS: The Definitive Top 20 TV Shows From The 80s (With Videos). � Cool Videos at Brohans Video Blog: "The 80s were a great time for sitcoms and television in general. Don't believe me? Ask Matt. Don't believe him? Ask me (Henry).
So . . . what am I looking at here?
This is the unarguable list of top 20 80s TV shows.
Hey guys, how can you claim that this list is absolute?
We grew up in the 80s (and consequently, continued growing up throughout the 90s and through the present). We watched TV all the friggin time. The TV was like an uncle to us. The greatest uncle in the world.
Why only 20? Why not 80?
Because there were exactly 20 good shows in the 80s. We're certain of it.
Without further ado%u2026here are:
'The Greatest Definitive Sure-Fire Top Greatest TV Shows From The 80s.'"
UFO Update
WorldNetDaily: Air Force colonel reports lights 'not of this world': "In the wake of reports of unidentified objects flying over Chicago's O'Hare Airport, a retired Air Force pilot has his own mystery with a rash of bright, colorful lights he photographed hovering in skies over western Arkansas last week.
'I believe these lights were not of this world, and I feel a duty and responsibility to come forward,' Col. Brian Fields told WND. 'I have no idea what they were.'
Fields, 61, was cooking chicken at his Van Buren, Ark., home Jan. 9 when just before 7 p.m., he observed two intensely bright lights as he looked to the southeast close to the horizon.
'At first I thought they were landing lights from an aircraft,' he said. 'As I continued to observe them they began to slowly disappear, then suddenly one reappeared, followed by two, then three. On at least one occasion four or five appeared. Each time they would slowly fade and eventually disappear. This occurred several times and when they would reappear they might do so in differing numbers and in different positions, sometimes in a triangular shape, sometimes stacked on top of each other, sometimes line abreast, etc. When the objects appeared they might stay illuminated 10 or more minutes.'"
'I believe these lights were not of this world, and I feel a duty and responsibility to come forward,' Col. Brian Fields told WND. 'I have no idea what they were.'
Fields, 61, was cooking chicken at his Van Buren, Ark., home Jan. 9 when just before 7 p.m., he observed two intensely bright lights as he looked to the southeast close to the horizon.
'At first I thought they were landing lights from an aircraft,' he said. 'As I continued to observe them they began to slowly disappear, then suddenly one reappeared, followed by two, then three. On at least one occasion four or five appeared. Each time they would slowly fade and eventually disappear. This occurred several times and when they would reappear they might do so in differing numbers and in different positions, sometimes in a triangular shape, sometimes stacked on top of each other, sometimes line abreast, etc. When the objects appeared they might stay illuminated 10 or more minutes.'"
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