Once again, Jeff Meyerson supplies an important news item.
iWon News - Brit's Lawyer Sues Anna Nicole's Estate: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - Britney Spears and the late Anna Nicole Smith have something in common - the same attorney. Sorrell Trope, the attorney currently representing Spears in her custody battle, is suing Smith's estate for unpaid legal bills.
Trope is seeking more than $160,000 in legal fees for work his firm provided for Smith from October 2006 to March 2007, according to a creditor's claim filed with Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday. The former Playboy Playmate died in February."
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Norman Mailer, R. I. P.
Probably everybody of my generation read The Naked and the Dead. I went on to read many more of Mailer's books, including some of the "lesser" ones. Great stuff, some of it.
Literary giant Norman Mailer dies at 84 - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe: "Norman Mailer, the self-proclaimed heavyweight champion of postwar American letters, whose six decades in the public eye helped make him one of America's most acclaimed, and controversial authors, died this morning of acute renal failure at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He was 84.
Mr. Mailer was 25 when he published his first book, 'The Naked and the Dead' (1948). Based on his experiences as a combat infantryman in the Philippines, the novel was a great literary and commercial success.
Mr. Mailer went on to win two Pulitzer Prizes: for 'The Armies of the Night' (1968), a nonfiction account of a 1967 anti-war march on the Pentagon, and 'The Executioner's Song' (1979), which Mr. Mailer described as a 'real life novel,' about executed murderer Gary Gilmore."
Literary giant Norman Mailer dies at 84 - Local News Updates - The Boston Globe: "Norman Mailer, the self-proclaimed heavyweight champion of postwar American letters, whose six decades in the public eye helped make him one of America's most acclaimed, and controversial authors, died this morning of acute renal failure at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He was 84.
Mr. Mailer was 25 when he published his first book, 'The Naked and the Dead' (1948). Based on his experiences as a combat infantryman in the Philippines, the novel was a great literary and commercial success.
Mr. Mailer went on to win two Pulitzer Prizes: for 'The Armies of the Night' (1968), a nonfiction account of a 1967 anti-war march on the Pentagon, and 'The Executioner's Song' (1979), which Mr. Mailer described as a 'real life novel,' about executed murderer Gary Gilmore."
Peter Viertel, R. I. P.
PETER VIERTEL | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Nation: "Peter Viertel, the novelist, memoirist and screenwriter best known for his books chronicling episodes in the lives of author Ernest Hemingway and film director John Huston, has died. He was 86.
Mr. Viertel died of lymphoma Sunday in the Spanish coastal resort of Marbella, according to Paula Kane, a family friend.
His death came less than three weeks after his wife of 47 years, actress Deborah Kerr, died in Suffolk, England, also at 86.
A formidable figure and bon vivant, Mr. Viertel drew upon his relationships with Mr. Hemingway and Mr. Huston – two larger-than-life friends – in his books, the novel White Hunter, Black Heart (1953) and the memoir Dangerous Friends: At Large With Hemingway and Huston in the Fifties (1992)."
Mr. Viertel died of lymphoma Sunday in the Spanish coastal resort of Marbella, according to Paula Kane, a family friend.
His death came less than three weeks after his wife of 47 years, actress Deborah Kerr, died in Suffolk, England, also at 86.
A formidable figure and bon vivant, Mr. Viertel drew upon his relationships with Mr. Hemingway and Mr. Huston – two larger-than-life friends – in his books, the novel White Hunter, Black Heart (1953) and the memoir Dangerous Friends: At Large With Hemingway and Huston in the Fifties (1992)."
The Da Vinci Code Redux
Leonardo painting has coded 'soundtrack' - Yahoo! News: "ROME - It's a new Da Vinci code, but this time it could be for real. An Italian musician and computer technician claims to have uncovered musical notes encoded in Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Last Supper,' raising the possibility that the Renaissance genius might have left behind a somber composition to accompany the scene depicted in the 15th-century wall painting.
'It sounds like a requiem,' Giovanni Maria Pala said. 'It's like a soundtrack that emphasizes the passion of Jesus."
'It sounds like a requiem,' Giovanni Maria Pala said. 'It's like a soundtrack that emphasizes the passion of Jesus."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Substitute Teacher's Lessons Enrage Parents - Education News Story - WMAQ | Chicago: "HOUSTON -- Parents in Houston said they were terrified when they found out what a substitute teacher has been teaching their children.
Students at MacGregor Elementary School said the substitute makes them call her 'Sister Jessica' and take notes of her lessons.
'She said she doesn't want to be called 'Miss' because it means mistress and 'Mister' means slave master,' said one of the fifth-graders who did not want to be identified. 'My child does not know what a prostitute is and she shouldn't be learning that at school,' the student's mother said.
The student said that the teacher said she was teaching them about health. 'She said sugar is cocaine, McDonald's should be called 'Crack Donald's' and Burger King should be called 'Murder King' because the hormones in the food will kill you,' the student said.
The mother recalled when her child came home and asked if a hair perm and makeup causes cancer. The fifth-grader said she learned that in school and that the teacher said she did not believe in God."
Students at MacGregor Elementary School said the substitute makes them call her 'Sister Jessica' and take notes of her lessons.
'She said she doesn't want to be called 'Miss' because it means mistress and 'Mister' means slave master,' said one of the fifth-graders who did not want to be identified. 'My child does not know what a prostitute is and she shouldn't be learning that at school,' the student's mother said.
The student said that the teacher said she was teaching them about health. 'She said sugar is cocaine, McDonald's should be called 'Crack Donald's' and Burger King should be called 'Murder King' because the hormones in the food will kill you,' the student said.
The mother recalled when her child came home and asked if a hair perm and makeup causes cancer. The fifth-grader said she learned that in school and that the teacher said she did not believe in God."
Friday, November 09, 2007
Maybe They Should Just Move to Duncanville, Texas
B.C. Supreme Court rules nudists can't be prevented from renting Surrey pool: "Nudists have won the first round in their bid to bare all at Surrey's Newton Wave Pool.
'There are a lot of nudists very interested in this decision,' said Paul Andreassen, president of Skinnydipper Services Inc.
'The wave pool is an excellent facility and we want to get back there.'
The B.C. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the City of Surrey could not prevent the nudists from renting the wave pool.
The group held private, once-a-month, late-night events at the wave pool between June 2002 and January 2003 with up to 200 nudists attending. The events were banned due to a city bylaw that requires swimmers be clothed in 'proper bathing attire.'"
'There are a lot of nudists very interested in this decision,' said Paul Andreassen, president of Skinnydipper Services Inc.
'The wave pool is an excellent facility and we want to get back there.'
The B.C. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the City of Surrey could not prevent the nudists from renting the wave pool.
The group held private, once-a-month, late-night events at the wave pool between June 2002 and January 2003 with up to 200 nudists attending. The events were banned due to a city bylaw that requires swimmers be clothed in 'proper bathing attire.'"
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Smoking questioned for stores that sell lottery tickets | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "AUSTIN — The Texas Lottery Commission's sale of tickets in stores that allow smoking could be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the attorney general's office said.
Lewisville resident Billy Williams complained to the commission in 2006 that he had an asthma attack after buying a ticket at a smoky store. He said his rights were violated because the store allowed smoking.
'A court would probably find that the Texas Lottery Commission violates the Americans with Disabilities Act if it fails to provide Texas residents with 'meaningful access' to state services' in this case, lottery tickets, Attorney General Greg Abbott's office said."
Lewisville resident Billy Williams complained to the commission in 2006 that he had an asthma attack after buying a ticket at a smoky store. He said his rights were violated because the store allowed smoking.
'A court would probably find that the Texas Lottery Commission violates the Americans with Disabilities Act if it fails to provide Texas residents with 'meaningful access' to state services' in this case, lottery tickets, Attorney General Greg Abbott's office said."
Irving Klaw
Today would have been Irving Klaw's 97th birthday. His grandson, Rick, has a great article about him posted here. If you know who Klaw was, you've probably clicked through already. If you don't, you could find out. Does the name Bettie Page ring a bell?
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way (Sex Party Update)
cbs11tv.com - Swingers Plan Party To Raise Money For Legal Fees: "(CBS 11 News) DUNCANVILLE Tuesday night the Duncanville City Council voted to shut down a swingers club known as the Cherry Pit.
Now they say they have an additional reason to party. The organizers hope to attract big crowds on Friday and Saturday night.
They say they'll use the donations to build a legal defense fund to fight the city's ordinance.
On their Web site's chat room Wednesday, the Cherry Pit's organizers said they need $10,000 to retain an attorney who will help them fight to stay open. They said it would take 1,000 supporters donating $10 each.
After the ordinance passed Tuesday, organizers Jim Trulock and Julie Norris vowed to take the city to court next week."
Now they say they have an additional reason to party. The organizers hope to attract big crowds on Friday and Saturday night.
They say they'll use the donations to build a legal defense fund to fight the city's ordinance.
On their Web site's chat room Wednesday, the Cherry Pit's organizers said they need $10,000 to retain an attorney who will help them fight to stay open. They said it would take 1,000 supporters donating $10 each.
After the ordinance passed Tuesday, organizers Jim Trulock and Julie Norris vowed to take the city to court next week."
The Sword of Genghis Khan -- James Dark
James Dark is a pen name used by an Australian writer named James McDonnell. He wrote a lot, and I mean a lot, of books, including those in the Mark Hood spy series. Some of the latter were published in the U.S. by Signet at the height of the spy craze. I have four or five of them, and I must have read a couple back in the '60s, though I don't remember which ones. I pulled one off the stack the other day just to have a look, and I recognized the opening scene, in which the sea begins to boil near some Japanese fishing boats just before they're destroyed. In rapid succession, we have more boiling seas, a sex scene, a scientist kidnapped by a some fake medics, and another scientist grabbed by a guy wearing a jet pack right out of the Rocketman serials. That takes up about the first twenty pages. And there are only 1oo left to read. The print's big, too.As you've probably guessed, this book makes anything in Fleming's James Bond series (and I'm counting the movies) look like a model of realism. Before it's over we've taken into the cave of Genghis Khan where one of his descendants has set up shop and from which he intends to (you guessed it) rule the world. (The cave, by the way, was revealed by a nuclear test, and the Khan descendant and his minions entered it "after the radiation had receded." In case you were wondering.)
He doesn't have a chance, however, against Mark Hood, who's remarkably stupid at one minute and brilliant at the next. The book seems to head in one direction and promise one thing, but then it veers off into another direction entirely, dropping the plot idea that had seemed to be developing for another one. You want character development and logic? You've come to the wrong place.
This kind of thing can be fun, though, if you just turn off your mind and go with the flow, but it's definitely a relic of an earlier time. I suspect there's only one other person besides me who can still enjoy it: this guy. If you want to try, though, you might get a kick out of it. (And don't ask what that is on the cover. I have no idea.)
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Happy Birthday, Patti Page!
Almost missed this one, which would have been too bad. 80 years old today. Talk about the soundtrack of my kidhood! Miss Patti Page, the Singing Rage, was a huge part of it. My parents must have had the radio on all the time because my head is full of the pop and country songs of the late '40s and early '50s.
The Mafia's 'Ten Commandments'
List at the link. No photo of the stone tablets, however.
Police discover Mafia's 'Ten Commandments' after arresting Godfather | the Daily Mail: "The Mafia's Ten Commandments have been found after police arrested a top Godfather in Sicily.
Under the secret Cosa Nostra code of conduct, the so-called 'men of honour' must avoid bars, other gangsters' wives and girlfriends and be on time.
The list of rules emerged from documents seized after the arrest of Salvatore Lo Piccolo, 65, at a secret mob meeting in Palermo, along with his son Sandro, 32, and two other godfathers."
Police discover Mafia's 'Ten Commandments' after arresting Godfather | the Daily Mail: "The Mafia's Ten Commandments have been found after police arrested a top Godfather in Sicily.
Under the secret Cosa Nostra code of conduct, the so-called 'men of honour' must avoid bars, other gangsters' wives and girlfriends and be on time.
The list of rules emerged from documents seized after the arrest of Salvatore Lo Piccolo, 65, at a secret mob meeting in Palermo, along with his son Sandro, 32, and two other godfathers."
Chinatown
The Austin Chronicle: Screens: Review - Chinatown: "For many, Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski from Robert Towne's Oscar-winning screenplay, epitomizes the peak of Seventies Hollywood filmmaking and perhaps the finest neo-noir ever made. Yet according to the four documentary featurettes on this new special edition, the movie almost didn't get made."
Check out the whole review at the link.
Check out the whole review at the link.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Crosshairs -- Harry Hunsicker
I've said before that I'm opposed to mixing first- and third-person narration in p.i. novels that have the p.i. narrating the story. Call me a traditionalist, or a fuddy-duddy, and keep off my damn lawn. Anyway, those days are gone forever. I'm here to say that I've decided not to object anymore. Robert B. Parker did it in at least one Spenser novel, James Lee Burke has started doing it all the time, Robert Crais took up the habit, Dave White did it in his first novel, and now Harry Hunsicker has done it in his third book. I'm sure I've missed plenty of others. So who am I to object?But enough of that. What about Crosshairs? Well, Lee Henry (call him Hank) Oswald, shaken up by the events of the previous book in the series (The Next Time You Die), has become a bartender. That doesn't last long, though. An old Army buddy calls in a favor, Oswald bumps into the buddy's doctor, and the next thing he knows, he's up to his neck in mayhem again. That's one of the things I like about the books, in fact. There's always plenty of mayhem, and Hunsicker's very good at action scenes. Good at the snappy patter, too, and at giving you a look at the down and dirty of Dallas. An bonus in this one is some good stuff about the Travelers. I was planning to use them in a Rhodes book I've started, but now I probably won't.
I don't know if there are plans for more in the Hank Oswald series, but I figure there must be. Wouldn't surprise me if Hunsicker didn't have a standalone in mind, too. Check him out if you haven't already.
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