Beverly Garland, versatile actress in film and TV, dies at 82 - Los Angeles Times: "Beverly Garland, whose long and varied acting career ranged from B-movie cult stardom in the 1950s portraying gutsy characters in movies such as 'Not of This Earth' and 'It Conquered the World' to playing Fred MacMurray's wife on the sitcom 'My Three Sons,' has died. She was 82.Garland, who also was an involved owner of her namesake hotel in North Hollywood, died Friday evening after a lengthy illness at her Hollywood Hills home, said son-in-law Packy Smith."
Secret Garden: Massive Secret Mustang Junkyard Found In Rhode Island Forest: "Imagine a secret junkyard frozen in time somewhere around the 70's with every bit of vintage hardware stretching for hundreds of acres. Classic Mustangs, Camaros, Cadillacs, Hemis; you name it, it's here. But not for long: The law man's saying to crush 'em."
Lots of pics at the link.
I had to see this one since it's about the music I grew up with and have listened to for well over 50 years now. It was okay, but I'd hoped it would be better. The problems start with the story. Either there's not one or there are too many of them. Take your pick. You might think it would be the story of Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody), and it is, but only in a way. The first hour is mostly about him and his record company, Chess, and Muddy Waters. Leonard's brother, Phil, is pretty much forgotten in the movie. But Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker) and Little Walter (Chistopher Short) play big roles. Then Etta James (Beyonce Knowles) comes along and takes over the movie. Did I forget Chuck Berry (Mos Def)? He's in there too, though not for long. The movie tries to do too much and comes over more as a series of anecdotes than a coherent story.
Another problem is anachronisms. Or maybe just the mixing up of the timeline. Elvis in the army when the Beach Boys had a hit with "Surfin' U.S.A." and when Chuck Berry went to jail the first time? I don't think so. There's way too much of that kind of thing in the movie for an Old Guy who remembers those times. It's only a movie, I know, but that stuff aggravates me. And we don't even find out how a song called "Ida Red" became "Maybelline."
Nothing wrong with the performances, though. Everybody's good, even the players in minor roles. Mos Def does the best he can with Chuck Berry, but nobody could really capture him. I didn't think Mos Def's duck walk was all that good. The movie makes it seem that Berry's career was pretty much over at the point of the first arrest. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
And the soundtrack is great. Beyonce is the standout with her version of Etta James' tunes, and she gets by far the most screen time for her singing (maybe because she's executive producer of the movie). My suggestion, however, after having listened to the double CD soundtrack is that you seek out the original recordings. They're even better.
This all reminds me that Steve Mertz was working on a crime novel about Muddy Waters and Little Walter. I even read a bit of it. Somebody should publish it. Now's the time.
A fine show from when TV was done live hits DVD.The Ghosts of 'Studio One' - WSJ.com: "Network television was fresh out of the box in 1948, the year of Milton Berle, Ed Sullivan and a series called 'Studio One' that put on a new play every week. Back then virtually all TV broadcasts were live -- videotape had yet to be invented -- and if you forgot a line or tripped over a shoelace, your blunder instantaneously went out over the airwaves and into the homes of millions of Americans. Quite a lot of early TV was filmed for archival purposes, but only a handful of these films, known as 'kinescopes,' have made it onto DVD. Now Koch Vision, working in tandem with the Archive of American Television, has released a six-disc set called 'Studio One Anthology' that contains kinescopes of 17 'Studio One' plays (actually, 16 plays and an opera, Gian Carlo Menotti's 'The Medium') that were telecast between 1948 and 1956. None has been shown on TV since originally airing on CBS, and this is the first time that any of the plays have been transferred to DVD. They offer a startlingly vivid glimpse of what commercial TV was like in its precocious, promising childhood."
The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA - Thief drops gator during chase: "SUNBURY -- A man's attempt to shoplift a foot-long American alligator was foiled when a pet store employee chased the fleeing thief until he ditched the reptile in a yard.A tall, hooded man snatched the alligator from a tank at Pet World near Sunbury, stuffed it into a white bag and fled the store Wednesday night. The thief ran out of the Upper Augusta Township shop clutching the bag around 7 p.m., with the worker close on his heels.The suspect pulled the reptile from the bag and tossed it in a nearby yard on Green Street, where the employee was able to capture the alligator."
The smell of fear is real, claim scientists - Telegraph: "Researchers have found that chemical signals emitted by the body in sweat when scared really can be picked up by others and can trigger fear in their brains.The discovery may help to explain why individuals with phobias such as a fear of flying can infect others who normally exhibit no such worries."
I wish her a speedy recovery.iWon News - Pinup Bettie Page hospitalized after heart attack: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - Bettie Page, a 1950s pinup known for her raven-haired bangs and saucy come-hither looks, was hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a heart attack, her agent said Friday.'She's critically ill,' Mark Roesler of CMG Worldwide told The Associated Press.He said the 85-year-old had been hospitalized for the last three weeks with pneumonia and was about to be released when she had the heart attack Tuesday. Page was transferred to another hospital in Los Angeles and remained in intensive care Friday."
Click here for the latest in Shots Magazine.
PARIS TINKERS- New York Post: "Paris Hilton wants to play Tinkerbell - not her pet Chihuahua, but the famed fairy from 'Peter Pan.' A source tells us the celebutard is lobbying for the title role in Disney's live-action version of 'Tinkerbell,' in which the pixie finally gets a chance at life as a real girl."Hat tip to Art Scott.
iWon News - Sci-fi's grand old man, Forrest J Ackerman, dies: "LOS ANGELES (AP) - A spokesman says sometime actor, literary agent, magazine editor and full-time bon vivant Forrest J Ackerman has died.The man who discovered author Ray Bradbury and was widely credited with coining the term 'sci-fi' was 92."
Amesbury, Mass., native is Paris Hilton's new BFF: "Paris Hilton essentially proposed to Amesbury, Mass., native Brittany Flickinger, 24, Tuesday night on MTV.'I hope you'll join me for our life together, cuz you're my new BFF!'Congrats, Brittany. For better or worse, you beat Vanessa Fontana to win 'Paris Hilton's My New BFF.'"
But I need the pistol.FOXNews.com - Easy-to-Use 'Palm Pistol' Aimed at Elderly, Disabled - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News: "Constitution Arms, a small arms manufacturer based in Maplewood, N.J., is taking deposits for what it touts as the world's first ergonomically designed firearm.Intended for use by the elderly and disabled, the single-shot 9-mm weapon looks like a giant bean grasped in the palm of the hand.The barrel points out between the user's fingers. You 'pull' the trigger by pressing on a thumbed button at the top.'Point and shoot couldn't be easier,' states the blurb on the product's Web site."
A madman walks through a quiet English village, killing its inhabitants. A woman who escapes him sees something that she thinks no one else does: a second man who kills the first, making it appear to be a suicide. Before long, the second man is looking for her.
There's plenty more going on, too. The second man has a controller. There's a big real estate deal that involves the village. Plots within plots, crosses and doublecrosses, and nothing is quite what it seems to be. Did the madman have a purpose? Who was his real target? Or was there a target at all?
Julia Trent, the survivor, joins forces with a troubled newspaperman, Craig Walker, whose father was one of the shooting victims, and they try to find their way through the maze of mysteries before they're killed. It's all told at a breakneck clip with short chapters that help keep the pages turning. This one hits the market in January, and I predict big sales.
Lost city of 'cloud people' found in Peru - Telegraph: "The settlement covers some 12 acres and is perched on a mountainside in the remote Jamalca district of Utcubamba province in the northern jungles of Peru's Amazon.The buildings found on the Pachallama peak are in remarkably good condition, estimated to be over 1,000 years old and comprised of the traditional round stone houses built by the Chachapoya, the 'Cloud Forest People'.The area is completely overgrown with the jungle now covering much of the settlement but explorers found the walls of the buildings and rock paintings on a cliff face."
Some of the series books that came along in the '70s were a lot more entertaining than people generally think. I've mentioned The Destroyer here before, along with Warren Murphy's Razoni and Jackson series. The Hardman books by Ralph Dennis that I mentioned last week, and which had quite an influence on Joe Lansdale's Hap and Leonard novels, would be another example. And then there's The Inquisitor.His name is Francis Xavier Killy. He's a lay brother of the Militia Christi working for the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Rome. Unbound by vows of celibacy and fears of comman man, he's tough, aggressive, and a master of highly original deadly arts. Part saint, part sinner, he dares to hesitate before he kills.
There were, I believe, six books in this series, and I recommend all six. They're all a lot of fun and all are different from any other action series that came along. And in case you didn't know already, "Simon Quinn" is a pseudonym used by Martin Cruz Smith before he became the bestselling writer that he is today. If you haven't read these novels, check 'em out.
The Education of a Pulp Writer: BEAT to a PULP Link: "Ok folks, here’s a sneak peek at BEAT to a PULP. Only the home page and the guidelines page are available until the entire site goes live December 15th. Our new email address for submissions is given on the guidelines page. We are looking forward to hearing from you."
Leavin' on a Jet Plane? Karaoke arrives at Bush airport | Top stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Air travel and karaoke. They go together like, um, like — well, we're not exactly sure.No matter. Karaoke has landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, just in time for the holiday season. Now you can clear security, step up to the microphone and belt out your travel frustrations by singing the Beatles' Nowhere Man or Help! Or, if you're not such a Grinch, you can croon Home for the Holidays or Sentimental Journey."
Beverly Garland, versatile actress in film and TV, dies at 82 - Los Angeles Times: "Beverly Garland, whose long and varied acting career ranged from B-movie cult stardom in the 1950s portraying gutsy characters in movies such as 'Not of This Earth' and 'It Conquered the World' to playing Fred MacMurray's wife on the sitcom 'My Three Sons,' has died. She was 82.
