Dr. Grammar

Dr. Grammar - Frequently Asked Questions: "The Dr. Grammar Frequently Asked Questions page contains answers to questions previously asked of Dr. Grammar that may provide help with your grammar questions. The questions are listed alphabetically, so they can be searched quickly and easily. Browse through the list of questions from the list below to find help on your topic or, if you want a Complete Reference List, click here or, if you want to search the Dr. Grammar FAQs, click here."

I picked this link up over at Pop Culture Junk Mail, and it warms the cockles of an old English teacher's heart.

Stark House Press Does Randisi

Stark House Press has another double volume in its continuing series. I've praised Stark House here several times, and Greg Shepard keeps doing great work. This new book reprints two novels by Bob Randisi, one of the most prolific writers of our time. It also has an introduction by Randisi and a bibliography what will astound you. (Well, it astounded me, and I thought I knew about everything Bob has written. I didn't.)

The book is worth its price for the intro and bibliography alone, but it also contains two novels, The Ham Reporter and The Disappearance of Penny. The first is a historical novel about Bat Masterson in the days when he was a sportswriter in New York City, where he teams up with Damon Runyon to look for a missing friend. This is probably my favorite of Randisi's books, but I also like The Disappearance of Penny, which was the first of his books that I ever read. It's about Henry Po, who works for the New York Racing Commission, and once again there's a missing person. It's Randisi's first published novel, which I have in a nice old paperback that's become fairly hard to find. Thanks to Stark House, you can now read it without having to search for it.

This new double volume isn't available until December. Put it on your Christmas list.

Ummmm, Canned Squirrel

Tri-State Neighbor: Country Living: "'I had never canned jams and jellies so we tried that. This year we are going to add jalapeno pepper jelly and canned squirrel. The canned squirrel was Smokey's idea. We asked the Fair Board to add it to the list of acceptable items and they did,' Maurer said."

Coming to DVD -- The Rockford Files

DVD Times - The Rockford Files Season 1 (R1) in December: "Universal Studios Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of The Rockford Files: Season One for 6th December 2005 priced at $39.98 SRP. James Garner stars as Jim Rockford, a private investigator who lives and works in his trailer in Malibu, Los Angeles in the popular television crime series The Rockford Files."

Thanks to Thrilling Days of Yesteryear and Something Old, Nothing New for the tip. Lee Goldberg has a mention, too.

The Window with the Sleeping Nude -- Robert Leslie Bellem

I'd been wanting to read this book for years, but I hadn't been able to find an affordable copy. Finally a sort of ratty one turned up on eBay, so I bought it. I was hoping for something along the lines of Bellem's Dan Turner stories, but that's not what I found. Nothing in the novel rises to the level of the divine zaniness of Turner's escapades, and Barney Cunard is no Dan Turner. Still, it's a fast-moving (and short, at 120 pages) story of a nude body in a department store window, with enough complications to keep things interesting. Who knew that deparment stores in the '40s were staffed by so many gorgeous women? Bellem loves describing them, especially their important assets. So the book was fun to read as a period piece, but a little disappointing. Nice cover, though.

Sue Feder, R. I. P.

Sue Feder
FEDER, Sue On September 9, 2005, SUE FEDER MILLER of Towson by way of Brooklyn. Beloved wife of Larry Miller, loving daughter of Marvin and Rhoda Feder, dear sister of Nanette and Richard Williams and Mitchell Feder, adoring aunt of Eric and Alex Williams and Melanie and Andrea Feder. Services and Interment private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or Baltimore Jewish Cultural Chauvrah. Arrangements by THE JOHNSON FUNERAL HOME, P.A. Published in the Baltimore Sun from 9/11/2005 - 9/12/2005.

I was lucky enough to know Sue, having met her through DAPA-EM and talked and joked with her at a lot of mystery conventions. She never seemed to get depressed or to lose her sense of humor. She was one of the good guys, and I'll miss her a lot.

Fiddlers -- Ed McBain

I've mentioned my admiration of Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain, among many other pseudonyms) before. Here, here, and here, for example. So it was with a little bit of sadness and regret that I picked up Fiddlers, which, because of McBain's recent death, is probably the last of the 87th Precinct novels.

McBain hasn't lost a step with age or illness. I'm sure you can think of a writer or two who should have stopped writing long before the end of a long career, like an athlete who plays one season too long. McBain wasn't one of those writers. He's just as sharp now as he was when I first read one of his books more than 50 years ago. Maybe sharper. I think that his body of work is about as impressive as that of any writer during the second half of the 20th century.

For me, it was impossible to read Fiddlers without having McBain's final illness in mind, and I'm convinced that he had it in mind, too. Just how much, I'm not sure. Is the book a grim joke in its own way? Autobiographical in any sense? I don't know. I do know that it's a typically well-written procedural with appearances by Steve Carella, Meyer, Bert Kling, Cotton Hawes, and Fat Ollie Weeks tracking down a serial killer. The stories of their personal lives aren't resolved, exactly, but I think readers who have been following them for many years, as I have, will be satisfied with their final appearances.

When I closed the book, I thought, "Well, that's it." But it's not. I can always go back and start over at the beginning of the series with books like The Mugger and The Pusher. I probably won't, but the possiblity is always there. McBain will be around for a long, long time.

9/11

Best. Nurse's Outfit. Ever.

Some of you may be old enough to remember the "generation gap." I've come up with a new term to describe the gulf between me and some of you who read the blog: the "intellectual gap." See, I picture most of you as spending the weekend watching the films of Preston Sturges, or seeing La Strada for the tenth time, or writing an article on the politics of Costa-Gavras. While I went to see The Transporter 2.

This isn't a movie for intellectuals. In fact, the more you think about it, the less effective it becomes, mainly because it seems to be set in some alternate universe where the laws of physics (and in fact all natural laws) have been suspended for the duration of the movie, which is mainly one great action scene after another, with occasional pauses (most of them no longer than five or six seconds) for exposition, not that the exposition matters in the least. If you like this kind of thing (and when it's this well done, I certainly do), then this is the kind of thing you'll like.

Now about that nurse's uniform. You gotta love a woman who wears a white smock to pose as a nurse, especially when she's wearing it over a bra, garter belt, and black hose. Oh, yeah, and two gigantic automatic pistols. I mean, a gal's gotta dress for her job. You can check out a film clip of this scene, my favorite scene in any movie this summer, here. Not that you'd want to. You probably have to get back to watching Tea with Mussolini. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Line Forms on the Right

From the Sun: An eighth Police Academy movie is on the cards – and all the original stars are being invited back.

Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith and Leslie Easterbrook are among the actors being asked to make cameos in the film.

The film makers feel the time is right for the original castmates to return and pass the truncheon to a group of new recruits.

Leslie, who played LT Debbie Callahan in all but one of the six sequels, has already agreed to reprise her role.

Flashgun Casey

Via Ivan at Thrilling Days of Yesteryear, a link to the page where you can order the new book I mentioned the other day:
Flashgun Casey, Crime Photographer: "Description
All there is to know about the crime fighting hero created by the award winning mystery writer George Harmon Coxe.

From his debut in the 1930's Black Mask pulp magazine to his radio and television adventures, and in the movies, novels, comic books and a play.

# Introduction by noted mystery critic, William F. Nolan
# First-ever literary biography of George Harmon Coxe, twice President of the Mystery Writers of America and recipient of the MWA Grand Master Award in recognition of his lifetime contribution to the mystery genre and the consistently high quality of his work.
# Complete Black Mask short story, 'Return Engagement,' the very first Casey story
# Synopses of all 21 short stories and novelettes, 6 novels, 4 comic books, 2 films and a play
# 2 uncirculated radio scripts
# Complete Program Log for radio series: 431 programs, 1943-1950, 1954-1955
# Complete Program Log for television series: 62 programs, 1945, 1951-1952
# 31 photographs and illustrations, including cast photographs for radio and television series"

Some Good News from New Orleans

I just heard from my friend Bob Skinner, who says he's had good news from Xavier University. The school's going to continue paying the faculty and staff, and they plan to reopen in January 2006. My relief at hearing this is nothing compared to Bob's, but I'm elated. I was really worried about his situation, but now I know for sure that he'll come through this just fine. Thanks to all who responded to my request for job possibilities, and keep Bob and his wife in mind. They've still got some tough times ahead.

Bananas

Remember the banana tree in my back yard? Of course you don't. That's because you probably didn't look at the picture I posted here on July 10. I harvested the bananas the day before we left for Bouchercon, and we left them to finish ripening. Today we enjoyed the fruits of our labor (no pun intended) in a salad at dinner. They were delicious. Too bad this year's crop was so small.

Chupacabra Update

KFTY || TV50 - Was it El Chupacabra? Texas Man Kills Chicken Slayer:

COLEMAN, Texas -- Was the strange creature recently killed in this West Texas town a bloodsucking monster called a chupacabra?

Or a coyote with a bad case of mange?

Whatever it is, it's causing a big stir in Coleman, a city of 5,100 or so people 52 miles south of Abilene. In fact, the last time an animal caused this much talk was five years ago, when a Dallas-area hunter shot and killed a monkey on a nearby ranch.

I used to live in Brownwood, only a few miles from Coleman. I never saw a Chupacabra, but I did see a coyote or two.

The Heirs of Anthony Boucher -- Marvin Lachman

Marv Lachman has written a book about mystery fandom that I predict will be on a lot of awards lists next year. In this anecdotal illustrated history, he gives capsule summaries of every Bouchercon (including attendance figures), discusses every mystery fanzine ever published, looks at mystery fandom from its beginnings to the present, and even talks a bit about fannish scholarship and the future of fandom.

For me, reading The Heirs of Anthony Boucher was almost as good as reliving many of the best moments of the last thirty years. When Judy was reading the book last night, she said, "This is like old home week." I think that nails it for those of us who have been fans for many of the years covered in the book.

But The Heirs of Anthony Boucher is certainly more than that. It's an invaluable documentation of the history (so far) of fandom, and it's something that everyone who cares about mysteries, mystery writing, and mystery fandom should own and read. I suggest that you order a copy now. You won't regret it.

Paperback Covers!

Via Scrubbles, here's a gallery of old paperback covers that you can view as a slide show.

Bob Skinner

I know a couple of writers from New Orleans. One of them, Robert Skinner, and I have been corresponding by e-mail for a lot of years now. I found out yesterday that he's safe and sound but that his house is most likely a total loss (it was only a couple of blocks from one of the levees that broke). Bob had a great collection of old radios, old cameras, old western revolvers and other western memorabilia, not to mention books. Probably everything is gone.

Bob also had a good job as the director of the Xavier University library. He won't be getting paid again anytime soon, if ever. Today he applied for food stamps. He's also in the market for a job, so if any of you know a library that could use a highly qualified director, let me know. Bob's taking things a lot better than I would, for damned sure, and he knows he was luckier than a lot of folks, but he could use a little help.

Banjo Jones Reports on Alvin Hospitality

THE BRAZOSPORT NEWS: September 2005: "
Joe's Bar-b-q in Alvin, arguably the best 'q' restaurant in Brazoria County, is offering half-price meals to Hurricane Katrina survivors.
It ain't crawfish etouffe, but it'll do. "

How Banjo J. beat me to this, I'll never know.

George Harmon Coxe Would be Proud

Wistful Vistas: "OTR Digest subscriber David Siegel has written (with J. Randolp Cox) 'FlashgunCasey, Crime Photographer: From the Pulps to Radio and Beyond.' Siegel claims it is the definitive publication on Casey from his pulp, radio, and television runs."

I'm glad to see that the pulp stories are included, and I hope that the later novels are, as well. With Randy Cox involved, it seems likely.

The Downside of Attending Bouchercon

I missed this movie. And I forgot to set the DVR. You should absolutely click on the photo for the larger version.

I'm Writing a C&W Song

All I have so far is the title, but I think it's a guaranteed hit: "I Thought I Was Number One in Your Heart, Till You Called Me Number Two."

Feel free to write the verses in your spare time.

Bouchercon Report

I had a great time at Bouchercon. The list of people I talked to at one time or another (far too briefly in most cases) would extend for miles, so I'm not going to bother making one. All I'll say is that it was a lot of fun to see everybody and get in a few words with a lot of people.

I actually attended quite a few panels this year, but of course the highlights were the DAPA-Em panels, by which I mean the ones with apa members in charge. (I'd explain what DAPA-Em is, but tht would be a long, long story.) The first panel I got to was the “negelected writers” panel with Bev DeWeese, Beth Feyden (the Fan Guest of Honor), Ted Hertel, Gary Warren Neibuhr, and Maggie Mason. I have to admit they mentioned a couple of writers I hadn’t sampled, but now I’m strongly tempted.

Marv Lachman's panel on the history of Bouchercon should have been required of everyone at the convention. People often wonder what Bouchercon is all about, and Marv gave a great overview in the time allotted, even though at the end he violated the “never say never” rule by holding up his book and plugging it, something he once said he’d never do.

George Kelley’s panel on The Kelley Collection was superb, and it generated a lot of good comments. Not to mention that we got a fridge magnet with covers of a Jim Thompson novel and a William Irish collection on it. No doubt it will be worth zillions on eBay in years to come.

Ted Fitzgerald, former Sandstrom winner (that's him in the picture with me), moderated a panel on “the mystery short story” that I enjoyed quite a bit, and it made me want to read something by Angela Zeman, whom I’ve neglected until now.

A non-DAPA-Em panel that I enjoyed immensely was the one on Harry Stephen Keeler, conducted by Fender Tucker and featuring Mike Nevins. I might not like to read Keeler, but I love hearing about him from people who have been infected with a great regard for his work. (If you think you might like to be infected, click here.)

I also attended the "Not the White City Panel," which became the "UK Gun Control" panel after a short time. Moderator Al (Sunshine) Guthrie kept things under control, though I kept hoping that Ray (Even More Sunshine) Banks would pull a Godzilla. Al's introduction of Ray was possibly the most unusual I've ever heard at a Bouchercon.

The "P.I. in Pop Culture" panel was another rousing success, and I now think I'll have to read something by John Connolly. I've been avoiding his books because of their length (a bad habit of mine).

Any other year, the presence of Polly P.I. would probably have been the highlight of the convention for me. Seeing the Cap’n and Steve (The Snake) Stilwell reduced to quivering lumps of testosterone was worth the trip to Chicago. But there was an event even more noteworthy (at least to me), and that was when I was named the recipient of the Don Sandstrom Memorial Award. I have to admit that I was thunderstruck. Talk about an unexpected honor! When my name was called, I turned red all over. I wasn’t sure I could get out of my chair and accept. It’s an award I’m not at all sure I deserve, but I’m not planning to return it.

Judy and I did a few touristy things, like visiting the Navy Pier, taking the “habor tour” boat ride, and riding the trolley for the city tour. Then, on Sunday, Patti Cheney got us organized enough to visit the Shedd Aquarium. For me, this was a highlight right up there with the other two I mentioned. Give me dolphins, whales, and penguins, and I’m a happy guy. Jeff and Ann Smith went along, too, so we got to visit with them while we sat on concrete benches and waited 45 minutes for the dolphin show to begin. The show wasn’t as long as the wait (about a tenth as long, probably), but it was still great.

We didn’t eat at any fancy joints, but we ate well enough. The St. Martin's party provided major snacks one evening, and I considered going back to that pizza place for another meal, but I never did.

I hope everyone had as much fun at Bouchercon as I did. I’m looking forward to next year's con in Madison already. I just hope I can get there from Alvin, Texas.

Pictures!

OK, there are now a few Bouchercon pictures posted on my photoblog for your viewing pleasure.

Gilligan has Left the Island

'Gilligan's Island' star Bob Denver dead: "'Gilligan's Island' star Bob Denver dead"

LOS ANGELES — Bob Denver -- whose portrayal of goofy first mate Gilligan on the 1960's television show "Gilligan's Island'' made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers -- has died, his agent confirmed Tuesday. Denver was 70.

Denver died Friday at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in North Carolina of complications from treatment he was receiving for cancer, his agent, Mike Eisenstadt, told the Associated Press. Denver's death was first reported by "Entertainment Tonight.''

Denver had also undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery earlier this year.

Denver's wife, Dreama, and his children Patrick, Megan, Emily and Colin were with him when he died.

"He was my everything and I will love him forever,'' Dreama Denver said in a statement.

I was a fan of Denver as Maynard G. Krebs in the Dobie Gillis TV series, but I have to admit I wasn't a fan of Gilligan's Island. Possibly because my kids watched it in reruns for years, and every episode must have played a thousand times in my living room. OK, I'll have to admit that I watched some of them. Maybe all of them. I'm sorry Maynard/Gilligan is gone. My kids will feel as if part of their childhood has disappeared.

I'm Back

Bouchercon was great fun, as always. I saw a lot of old friends and met some new ones, including the lovely Polly P.I., pictured at left with Steve (The Snake) Stilwell. I'll be posting more photos later in the day over on my photoblog. And I'll have some more to say about Bouchercon here on this blog as soon as I get a few things in order around here. When you're gone for five or six days, things really pile up around the house.

New Orleans, Again

A few random thoughts before I leave for the airport. It seems to me that the catastrophe in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama is going to exceed by far that of 9/11. I keep thinking of a story called "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane. Remember that one? Sometimes you want to throw rocks at the temple, but there are no rocks, and there is no temple. In other words, we can't bomb Afghanistan this time. We can't blame Iraq, as some whose names I won't mention are fond of doing for other things. We're willing to pump billions of dollars into wars with Iraq and Afghanistan, and then to spend billions more to restore the countries after we've virtually destroyed them. I wonder how much we're willing to pump into our own country, into the states devastated by the hurricane, to help our own citizens.

The usual carefree blogging will return after Bouchercon. I promise.

Bouchercon Bound

Judy and I will be heading off to Chicago later this morning for the annual Bouchercon. We've been attending since 1980, having missed only those in England, so we've been to more than 20. That's nowhere near a record, as Steve Stilwell and Marv Lachman would be quick to point out, but it's a lot of Bouchercons. We've never failed to have a great time.

Bouchercon attendance has grown considerably since the first one we attended in Washington, D.C. There were surely no more than a couple of hundred people at that one, and there was very little programming. Few writers other than the guests of honor were there, and the dealers' room was quite small. It had some great stuff in it, though.

As the attendance has increased, the focus has changed. The convention used to be all about the fans. Now it seems to be all about the writers, with people going just to get a glimpse of their current favorites, and a lot of the writers seem to be there just to hawk their latest book. A line I've heard more than once: "I don't have a book out this fall, so I won't be going.") I'm not sure this is change for the better.

But what do I know? When I started going to Bouchercons, I was a (sort of) youngster and a big part of things. Now I'm an old relic, pretty much irrelevant to the goings-on. I still plan to have a good time, however.

Because I'm technologically challenged, I won't be blogging from Bouchercon. I'm sure a lot of peple will, but I'm not even taking a computer. Or a Blackberry or anything else like that. I'll be back here next Tuesday if all goes well, so have a great Labor Day weekend and take care.

Cap'n Bob's New Digs?

"It's the flash bachelor pad every hot-blooded male will go goggle eyed over ... a house with a built-in lap dancer's pole.

The shiny steel pole runs from the lounge right through the ceiling to the bedroom above, with a circular section of glass ceiling separating the two rooms.

It means that the bachelor lad can sit in comfort in the lounge with his beer and TV while still keeping an eye on the lap dancer above.

On top of that the house includes a giant 'party' bath inside and a large hot tub bath on the deck outside for even more relaxing moments."

New Orleans

For a while there it almost seemed as if New Orleans was going to survive with less damage than expected. Now every new report I hear is worse than the last one, and things in Mississippi and Alabama are even worse. I get a hollow feeling inside when I think about the people who've lost their homes and possessions, and I wonder how they'll ever recover. Some of them, I'm sure, never will. Yet there's nothing I can do except give money to some relief effort. It's a sad, hopeless feeling, and I wish it would go away. I don't think it will, however, not for a while, even though we're leaving for Bouchercon tomorrow and should be feeling pretty good.

Birthdays

Today's my son Allen's birthday. He's 35. Which is odd, since it seems as if he couldn't possibly be more than 6 or 7. The years since he was born have gone by so fast that it's downright scary. When you reach a certain age, "The months seem like days," my father-in-law once told me. That was a long time ago, and I had no idea until recently how right he was.

My son shares a birthday with a lot of famous people, including Miss Kitty Wells, the Queen of Country Music, who turns 86 today. I recall quite well the days (well over 50 years ago) when "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" was a huge hit. It seemed to be playing on the radio at my house all the time, at least during the day. At night we listened to other programming.

And R. Crumb is 62 today. When Allen was a little kid, we'd go to Oat Willie's in Austin, and I'd pick up the latest underground comics, most of which were drawn in great part by Crumb. I expect Oat Willie's is long gone by now, though it seems like only yesterday that I'd plunk down my dough for a copy of Zap Comix. Now I see Crumb's work in The New Yorker.

Cameron Diaz is 33. I guess she's too young for me, so I won't return her calls.

Ten Tech Items Ispired by Science Fiction

I've been reading some more of that Murray Leinster collection I mentioned a while back and enjoying it immensely. Maybe that's why I found this list interesting.

Brown Willy is only #97

There will always be an England: "Rude Britain is a 100-long list of the country's most double entendre-riddled towns, villages and streets. North Lincolnshire's entry [Spital in the Street] is in at number 69, sandwiched betwen Snatchup in Hertfordshire, and Shingay cum Wendy, Burckinghamshire."

Hurricanes

When Judy and I moved to lovely Alvin, Texas, in 1983, we didn't know a thing about hurricanes. We didn't even know that one was developing out in the Gulf of Mexico even as we began our move here. We arrived about five days before Hurricane Alicia. We heard on radio and TV that it was coming, but we really didn't know what that meant. We did know that we couldn't leave town, even though we were only a few miles inland and right in the path of the storm. If we left, we couldn't close on the house we'd bought, and we'd lose the loan. So we stayed.

Alicia was "only" a category one hurricane, so it wasn't anywhere nearly as powerful as Katrina, which is churning toward New Orleans as I write this. We had hardly any damage at all, though two days after the hurricane we had to go to the closing in a darkened building with no air-conditioning. Our own house didn't have power for five days, and the water was undrinkable for about that long. Some of our new neighbors weren't as lucky as we were and had trees blown down and serious damage to their homes. I can only imagine what the damage in New Orleans will be like if the storm makes a direct hit there.

Robert Skinner, a writer friend, lives in New Orleans and has a house full of books and other collectibles. He's left the city, and he must be feel truly awful when he thinks of what he might have to return to. I don't suppose there's any way the storm will turn aside, but I hope it does. However, if that happens, there's going to be a serious catastrophe somewhere else. This is a frightening thing to me, and I'm not even there. I sincerely hope it all turns out much better than now appears to be the case.

Important Announcement

OK, folks, here's the deal. Because of all the spam comments I've been getting I've resorted to a new method of commenting. When you type in your comment, you'll have to also type a few letters into a little rectangle below the comment before it can be published. Gerald So tells me that the spambots can't type in the letters, so there will be no more spam comments. I'm sorry about the inconvenience, but it's better than my having to delete all the spam.

We now return to our regular programming.

How to Prove you Don't Have an Obsession

BBC NEWS | UK | Author denies 'Ripper' obsession: "Crime author Patricia Cornwell has taken out full-page ads in two national newspapers to deny she is obsessed with Jack the Ripper."

Red Eye

Vince Keenan is one of the few people I know (besides me and Rosemarie, his wife) who openly admits a liking for Joe and the Volcano. So when he recommends a movie, I pay attention. The other day he recommended Red Eye, so I figured it was worth a look (and not because it starred Rachel McAdams, so stop saying that).

Some of the movie's real horrors have nothing to do with the plot and everything to do with the extreme hassle that air travel has become. Judy and I are flying to Chicago for the Bouchercon next Wednesday, and I should never have gone to this movie. My travel anxieties were high enough already. Now they've been cranked up another notch.

As for the plot, the less said about it, the better. You don't want to know to much going in, or that would spoil the fun. Let's just say that if you thought you've had bad seatmates on an airplane before, you're lucky you didn't have Cillian Murphy sitting beside you. Sure there are lots of holes in the plot, but only a picky person would even mention them. So I won't. Just go along for the ride, so to speak, and enjoy yourself.

Rachel McAdams does a fine job here as the woman in jeopardy who's better equipped to deal with things than you might think at first, and Cillian Murphy is smoothly ruthless. These two characters have to carry the movie, and McAdams and Murphy are more than up to it.

I don't know if Wes Craven of Nightmare on Elm Street fame has directed a thriller of this kind before, but he's certainly good at it. Check it out.

Birthdays

Tommy Sands is 67. He was one of those would-be Elvises who didn't quite make it, but I still remember seeing him in Sing, Boy, Sing, way back in the late 1950s. He had a couple of hit songs, including the title song from the movie, but his career never went anywhere.

And then there's Tuesday Weld, 62 today. The first time I ever saw her was in Rally Round the Flag, Boys, a movie I still remember with affection. She played a character named Comfort Goodpasture, and Dwayne Hickman sang a song called "You are my Boojum" to her. One reason I remember the movie is that a friend of mine named John Black and I went to see it after we had our senior pictures made for the high school yearbook. That was a long time ago, for sure. John went on to a hugely successful career in the import business, and Tuesday went on to star with Hickman in the Dobie Gillis TV series. Both the movie and the series were based on books by the now-forgotten Max Shulman. Not forgotten by me, of course. I read all his books I could find and thought they were hilarious. Later in her career, Weld starred in a movie that I liked a lot, Heartbreak Hotel. I don't think anybody else liked it, however.

Andy Jaysnovitch Take Note

Unclassified maggots no longer a thing of the past. - Aug. 24, 2005: "FDA clamps down on maggots, leeches

Bone wax, tissue expanders for breast implants and other devices could face stronger regulation."

Andy's praise of maggots and leeches is here.

Jayme Blaschke Take Note

Coleman, Texas -- A Texas farmer may have found what some would call a "chupacabra," a legendary animal known for sucking the blood out of goats.

Reggie Lagow set a trap last week after a number of his chickens and turkeys were killed.What he found in his trap was a mix between a hairless dog, a rat and a kangaroo.The mystery animal has been sent to Texas Parks and Wildlife in hopes of determining what it is.

There's a slideshow with pics of the "creature" here.

Jayme has a photo here.

Pulprack: The Hunt for Merle Constiner

George Kelly alerted me to this interesting article about Merle Constiner on the always fascinating Pulprack. Check it out.

The Action at Redstone Creek -- Merle Constiner

I'd never read any books by Merle Constiner, an author about whom Richard Moore has recently become enthusiastic. So enthusiastic, in fact, that he bought two copies of The Action at Redstone Creek in his frenzy to get as many books by Constiner as he could. He didn't really want two copies of the same book, however, so he brought one of them to ConMisterio in Austin back in July and gave it to me. He told me to read it or he'd kick my butt. Being a frail old retired English teacher, I said I'd do whatever he said.

And the book turned out to be pretty darned good. It's got a couple of problems, but it moves fast, has some good humorous moments, and gets the job done.

It's the old story about a drifter who gets into the middle of a range war, but it's handled differently than any story of its type that I've read. The local sheriff is a great character and adds a lot to the book, and Constiner seems to know what he's writing about when he discusses tracking and cattle. He also handles the violence (of which there's plenty) well. Nothing is drawn out. It's just fast, dirty, and done with. This seems to have been intended as the first book in a series. I guess I'll have to ask Richard if there was ever a sequel, since I'd like to read it. And I'll probably be reading other books by Constiner as well.

An Alvin Blogspot

The Cottage House Museum: "The Marguerite Rogers House Museum, built by John G. Slover in the early 1900's, is located at 113 East Dumble in Alvin, Texas. In 1938 James A. and Marguerite Rogers bought the house. The Rogers' daughter, Emaline, bequeathed the property to the Alvin Museum Society in 1995. The Society restored the home and named it Marguerite Rogers House Museum, in honor of Emaline's mother."

This blog is maintained by the Alvin Museum Society,and there's a nice photo of one of the town's historical houses.

Problem Solved!

Print Story: GOP Fears Gas Price Anger May Spill Over on Yahoo! News: "As one of its first orders of business, the Senate will hold a hearing to examine the causes of the price increases, and oil executives might be summoned to testify."

A Great Slideshow

The Sun Online - Life: Worst album covers...ever: "By DAVE MASTERS
Sun Online

HERE'S a lesson in bad record sleeve design from the idiots who put the bum into album.

We've pulled together the funniest covers from the past few decades of disks for our latest slideshow below.

It includes some shockingly bad releases including Swing That Gospel Axe and Trees Talk Too.

One wacky cover by Millie Jackson shows her boobs distorted through a crystal ball.

While Pooh-Man's album Funky Like I Do has a spread-eagled woman with the artist's head between her legs."

Creepers -- David Morrell

A few years ago I got what I thought was a terrific idea for a book. I'd been reading about urban infiltrators, people who go into long-abandoned buildings and tunnels at night and explore them. I checked out a bunch of websites and took several pages of notes, but I never did anything with the idea.

It's just as well that I didn't. David Morrell had the same idea, and he's done a dandy job with it. He's more twisted than I am, so he was able to come up with all sorts of horrible things that would never have entered my mind. He's used them all in Creepers, his new novel from CDS Books.

Five people enter the Paragon Hotel, abandoned and deserted for many years. Or so they think. Before they're inside long, it turns out that rats and mutant cats are the least of their worries. The old building is falling down around them, and they have company. Bad company. Things start happening on the first page of Creepers, and they don't stop until the end. You won't be able to guess what's coming, since some of the people aren't at all what they seemed to be, and their motives for entering the Paragon aren't what they said they were.

And that's all I'll say about the plot, so as not to spoil the fun for you. OK, one other thing. I think that Stephen King once said that an essential requirement for a book like this is that "anyone can die at any time." Consider the requirement met.

Yes, There Is a God

Jessica Alba: Jessica Alba Older Men Are Ideal Partners: "JESSICA ALBA LOVES OLDER MEN.

FANTASTIC FOUR star JESSICA ALBA counts SIR MICHAEL CAINE, MORGAN FREEMAN and SIR SEAN CONNERY among her list of Hollywood crushes.

The stunning actress, 24, admits she likes an older man, and the screen veterans list among her ideal dream partners."

Shopping Tip of the Week

I know everyone who reads the blog is going to want this. I'm wearing mine right now.

Happy Birthday, Ray Bradbury!

I see in the paper that it's Ray Bradbury's 85th birthday. The Martian Chronicles is one of those books that will always be in my Top Ten. There are some great stories in there. And "The Fireman," the story that became Fahrenheit 451, is one that completely knocked me out when I was a kid and read it in Galaxy magazine. One of the best stories ever. Happy birthday, Ray Bradbury!

ArmadilloCon

This isn't really a report on the convention. It's just a kind of general lamentation on the fact that science fiction has pretty much left me behind. One of the panelists mentioned the fact that SF today is much better-written than it was in the Golden Age and for many years after that. The literary quality is so much higher now that a lot of the old stories seem crude by comparison. The writing styles today are much more sophisticated, and the scientific concepts are, too. Why, some of the writers even know a lot about science.

I don't doubt that all that's true. But when I started reading SF all those years ago, I wasn't looking for literary quality or a sophisticated writing style, much less up-to-date scientific knowledge. I was looking for fast-paced stories, and if the cover of the magazine or book I bought had a scantily clad babe on the cover, so much the better.

One of the writers whose stories were everywhere in the 1950s was Murray Leinster, and my favorite purchase of the convention is the copy of a new collection from Baen Books pictured here. Leinster wasn't a stylist, and he wasn't aiming to create literature. But he could sure tell a story. "A Logic Named Joe" is a fine example, and so are novels like The Pirates of Zan (which is included in the collection). I've read everything in the book already, and I have copies of everything in other editions. Nevertheless I had to have this new one, and I'll probably read everything in it all over again. Baen Books has another Leinster collection, with at least one more to come. Which I think is great.

My question is, where do kids these days go for that old sense of wonder? Probably not to works with literary quality or sophisticated style. Maybe media tie-ins sell so well because they hark back to the older kind of SF. But what do I know?

Dennis Lynds, R. I. P.

I walked in the house from ArmadilloCon, turned on the computer, and surfed to Ed Gorman's Blog, where I found this. It really took the breath out of me. I met Dennis Lynds at a Bouchercon years ago in San Francisco, where I was on a panel with him and his wife, Gayle. He signed a couple of my Belmont Shadow novels and we talked a little about his work. I'd started reading him with the publication of the first Dan Fortune novel and continued ever since. I always looked forward to seeing him at Bouchercon, and in fact I was on a panel again with him in Toronto just last year. I'm still trying to absorb the news that he's gone, and my sympathies go out to Gayle and his family.

washingtonpost.com
Mystery Novelist Dennis Lynds Dies at 81

By ALEX VEIGA
The Associated Press
Sunday, August 21, 2005; 1:36 AM

LOS ANGELES -- Dennis Lynds, whose tautly written mysteries featuring the one-armed Dan Fortune were praised for reflecting contemporary political and social issues, has died. He was 81.

Lynds, who wrote under the name Michael Collins, among others, died Friday at a San Francisco hospital from septic shock caused by bowel necrosis and multiorgan failure, Mark Powning, an investigator with the medical examiner's office, said Saturday.

Lynds collapsed Thursday in the parking lot of the University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center while trying to visit his eldest daughter, who had been hospitalized there, said Kathleen Sharp, a family friend.

He died the next day at San Francisco General Hospital, Powning said.

Sharp said the author, who lived in Santa Barbara, had been ill for some time and had undergone several surgeries for a stomach condition.

In a career spanning more than four decades, Lynds wrote more than 80 novels and short stories, according to his Web site.

The first Dan Fortune novel, "Act of Fear," was published in 1967 and won the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for best first novel. The last novel in the series, "Fortune's World," was published in 2000.

The Fortune novels were praised for their writing and for their willingness to reflect on contemporary political and social controversies.

"I write mysteries to say something, not just for entertainment," Lynds told the Santa Barbara News-Press in 1982.

Lynds was born in New York and moved to Santa Barbara in 1965.
© 2005 The Associated Press

Off to the ArmadilloCon

In an hour or so Judy and I will be on the road to Austin for the ArmadilloCon, a dandy regional SF convention. I'll be on a few panels, we'll get to see some friends, and we'll have lunch with our son, so it should be a good weekend. Maybe I'll even find a few books in the dealers' room. The only thing that worries me is filling the car's tank with gasoline. It's going to cost close to fifty buck for a fill-up, and gas prices don't seem to be moderating in the least. I miss the Good Old Days.

It's Not too Late to Sign Up!

5th Annual Texas Bigfoot Conference: "The 5th Annual Texas Bigfoot Conference

Hosted by: The Texas Bigfoot Research Center

The conference will be held in Jefferson, Texas Saturday, October 15, 10:00 am and Sunday, October 16, 2005, 10 am at the
Jefferson High School in the commons area.
1 Bulldog Dr
Jefferson, Texas
75657"

And don't miss my next Sheriff Dan Rhodes novel, A Mammoth Murder, coming next April from St. Martin's. Yes, it features a Bigfoot Conference.

Spam

Hard to believe that a little blog, er, magazine like mine is suddenly getting spam comments from people advertising websites, consumer goods, and so on. I plan to delete these comments when I can, but if I happen to miss one, you should all know well enough that I don't endorse anything these spammers send out. I'll keep on deleting unless it becomes too burdensome. If that happens, I might have to disable the comments section, which I'd hate to do. We'll see how it goes.

Update: I just got a spam comment to this post. Geez.

Update #2: Another one. This is getting ridiculous.

Nolan Ryan Again

Here's another Nolan Ryan item. This was the last All Sports Banquet I attended as an instructor at Alvin Community College, and it was a good one. Nolan turned out to be a personable and entertaining speaker. Nobody took up my tickets that night. Wonder how they'd do on eBay?

This Truly Hoovers

From Ed Gorman and Friends: "Sayonara"

It's by Richard Wheeler. Just read it.

The Kinkster on the Campaign Trail

The New Yorker: Fact: "But I'm also sick of people asking me if this is a joke. God damn it, I am serious. And they're going to see that I am, eventually.” He paused, then added, “People are always misunderstanding each other. You can never think you have the last word on any human heart.”"

The above lines are the key quote from a long New Yorker article on Kinky Friedman and his campaign for governor of Texas. Whether you like the Kinkster's books or whether you plan to vote for him early and often, the whole thing's well worth reading. Just click the link. Thanks to the Bookslut for the tip.

The Nolan Ryan Foundation

There are actually two statues of Nolan Ryan in Alvin, Texas. One is in front of the City Hall. The one in the picture at the left is in front of the Nolan Ryan Center on the Campus of Alvin Community College. The Center is home to the college's Department of Continuing Education, a couple of classrooms, a large meeting room, offices, and the Nolan Ryan Foundation, which includes the Nolan Ryan Museum. It's not the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it's a great exhibit nevertheless, at least if you're a fan of Nolan Ryan. It has videos, uniforms, baseballs, bats, all that great stuff. There are a few more photos of the building and grounds here. The next time you're in Alvin, check it out. For that matter, give me a call, and I'll go with you.

And Don't You Forget It!

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Mom's Protest Riles Gun-Toting Neighbor: "CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - A man fired a shotgun into the air as about 60 anti-war protesters held a religious service on the road to President Bush's ranch.

Sheriff's deputies and Secret Service agents in the area of the demonstration site Sunday rushed to the home of Larry Mattlage after the shots were fired but did not arrest him.

``I ain't threatening nobody, and I ain't pointing a gun at nobody,'' Mattlage said. ``This is Texas.''"

Set Your TiVo now!

andPOP | Britney to Give Birth on Live TV?

They're Everywhere!

NBC 4 - News - Gator-Like Reptile Continues To Elude Authorities

Even Los Angeles!

And I Thought My Books Took up a Lot of Room

AP Wire | 08/13/2005 | North Dakota man is undisputed Edsel King:

BEULAH, N.D. - It's widely considered the most hideous and over-hyped vehicle ever to hit the highway, but the Edsel couldn't be more magnificent to Leroy Walker.

From its horsecollar grill to its spaceship-like tailfins and scads of gadgets like a push-button gear selector on the steering wheel, the Edsel is a car to be coveted, Walker says.

'The highway gets a little sweeter when you're driving an Edsel,' he said. 'There isn't a soul on the road who doesn't smile and wave at you.'"
.....

"At last count, Walker had 226 Edsels scattered throughout his 37-acre compound in Mercer County. The disarranged parking is by design."

The Thrilling Detective

The Thrilling Detective Web Site

Via Sara Weinman's blog, I learned that the new issue of Thrilling Detective is on-line. Looks like a great line-up this time, and there's a cool Black Lizard cover, so click the link and have a look.

I'm Shocked -- Shocked! -- to Hear This

'I haven't read a book in my life', says Posh - People - Entertainment: "Former Spice Girl singer Victoria Beckham, the wife of England soccer captain David, has confessed she has never read a book.

Despite struggling for a hit record for some time, Victoria Beckham said she never had a spare moment to leaf through anything more challenging than fashion magazines.

The Sunday Mirror newspaper revealed the shock admission after seeing a forthcoming edition of high society magazine Chic.

The confession is all the more startling given that it would appear to include her own autobiography, Learning to Fly, and that of her husband, My Side.

'I haven't read a book in my life. I haven't got enough time. I prefer to listen to music, although I do love fashion magazines,' she was quoted as saying."

Baseball Cards

For those of you who'd like to take a look at a few of my baseball cards, you can find them here.

A New Name!

You may have noticed that the former blog has a new name. It is no longer a blog. It is now a magazine. Why? Here's why: Jean Schmidt has recently been elected to congress from Ohio. According to Whistleblower Research Bureau Chief Fearless Ferrett, she's already working on the "Blogger Reform Act of 2006," which will require bloggers to be held criminally liable for all lies published on their blogsites.

Now I don't know Fearless Ferrett, so this may all be hogwash. It probably is. But why take chances? I've always thought that "magazine publisher" was a more impressive title than "blogger," so now I'm a magazine publisher. The magazine will be a lot like the former blog, in fact identical, except maybe with a few more lies. As always, I think you for your support.

Another Great Stark House Double

I can't say enough good things about Stark House. Greg Shepard, the publisher, is reprinting some great old books that you can't find easily. And sometimes when you can find them, they've very expensive. But here you get two novels in one volume for under twenty bucks.

But wait! There's more! Along with two Day Keene novels under one cover, the edition pictured to the left also has an introduction by Ed Gorman. Is that a bargain, or what?

I've mentioned my affection for Day Keene's work before, and it happens that I read My Flesh is Sweet only last summer (comments are here). I haven't read Framed in Guilt in years (I think it's a Graphic pb, but I'm too lazy to look), but I remember that it's an excellent example of Keene's storytelling abilities. Ed says that "it's in some ways [Keene's] best Cornell Woolrich 'alcoholic dread' book." So you know you need a copy. Get one soon.

Baseball as America

Yesterday Judy and I drove to Houston to see the baseball exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. It was great for an old baseball fan like me, though Judy was probably bored out of her mind. I got all misty and sentimental while looking at such things as the original handwritten (OK, hand-printed) manuscript for "Take Me out to the Ball Game," the contract that sent Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees, a handwritten letter from Ruth to a young polio patient, the bat with which Hank Aaron hit his 714th home run, and many, many other things. I'll probably never get to the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is the permanent residence of most of the items, so I'd been wanting to see this exhibit all summer. I'm sorry it took me so long to get there, but I'm glad I went before the closing. Looking at an original Honus Wagner tobacco card made me want to get out my own baseball cards and thumb through them again. I'll probably do that sometime this weekend, and if I do, I'll post some more photos. I don't have a Wagner card. I can't afford one.

Yet Another Day in Paradise

HoustonChronicle.com - Smoldering fire at BP plant near Alvin snuffed out:
By THAYER EVANS
Chronicle Correspondent

ALVIN - A stubborn fire that erupted Wednesday night at BP's Chocolate Bayou plant was finally snuffed out early this morning.

Two rotating four-person crews battled the small fire, which begain with an injury-free explosion in a plastics manufacturing unit at the plant.

Officials said the remaining chemicals will be purged out of the affected unit and burned off later.

Wednesday's explosion occurred about 9:40 p.m. in the plant's Olefin 2 unit, which produces plastic feed stock, including ethylene and polypropylene.

The 2,400-acre plant site, which operates under the name of BP subsidiary Innovene, is in a largely isolated area off FM 2004, about 15 miles from Alvin in Brazoria County."

Happy Birthday, Arlene Dahl!

Yesterday was the birthday of Rhonda Fleming, one of the stars of Slightly Scarlet. Today is the birthday of the other star, Arlene Dahl, another of Hollywood's great redheads. I wish there was a Dahl website as nice as the one Ms. Fleming has, but the link I'm using has at least some information and a few photos. As far as I'm concerned, Hollywood would be hard pressed to remake this movie with two actresses as glamorous as Fleming and Dahl. OK, they could start with Nicole Kidman. And then . . . .

Just Another Day on the Chemical Coast

HoustonChronicle.com - BP reports fire, explosion, leak, shut down, all within 24 hours: "Blast at BP plant shakes Alvin area
No injuries are reported at Chocolate Bayou
By MIKE GLENN, JENNIFER RADCLIFFE and DINA CAPPIELLO
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Fire crews were still battling a blaze at BP's Chocolate Bayou plant early this morning after an explosion in a plastics manufacturing unit shook the Alvin area Wednesday night.

No injuries were reported in the 9:40 p.m. blast, which was the second incident to occur at one of BP's Gulf Coast facilities in less than 24 hours. Early Wednesday, a unit at BP's Texas City refinery sprung a leak, sending nearby residents indoors for the second time in less than two weeks and causing the company to shut down parts of the plant for inspection.

At the Chocolate Bayou plant, which operates under the name of BP subsidiary Innovene, there was no risk to residents of exposure to toxic chemicals, BP spokesman Hugh Depland said late Wednesday."

A New Word in the Oxford English Dictionary

AskOxford: New Words: "• noun an animal said to exist in parts of Central America, where it supposedly attacks animals, especially goats.
— origin Spanish, literally ‘goatsucker’, from chupar ‘to suck’ cabra ‘goat’.

I suspect that Jayme Blaschke is responsible for this addition. You can see the others if you click the link above.

The Return of Matt Helm?

Variety.com - Back on active duty: "DreamWorks' longtime plan to revive spy Matt HelmHelm has taken on new life, with the signing of Michael BrandtMichael Brandt and Derek HaasDerek Haas to write a new pic.

The scribe team, in a high-six-figure deal, will pen a contemporary pic based on the subject of 20-plus potboiler novels by Donald Hamilton."

Thanks to Vince Keenan for the heads up on this. If it's a "high-six-figure deal," maybe the movie will actually get done. Which would be great. Maybe the books would come back into print. Maybe, just maybe, we'd finally get to read that last unpublished Matt Helm novel that Hamilton's supposedly completed.

Happy Birthday, Rhonda Fleming!

According to the little snippet I read in today's paper, it's Rhonda Fleming's birthday. She starred in a lot of movies that made an impression on me when I was a kid and is no doubt partly responsible for my fascination with redheads. My comments on one of her movies can be found here. Her official website, well worth checking out, is here. You can click on a link to e-mail her your birthday greetings. And don't miss the gallery. Hubba-hubba and yowsa!

Dame Agatha Second only to Harry P. in Some Circles.

Detainees under Harry Potter's spell?-?Nation/Politics?-?The Washington Times, America's Newspaper: "Harry Potter's worldwide popularity is so broad-based that it has become favorite reading for Islamic terror suspects at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.
Lori, who for two years has overseen the detention center's library, said J.K. Rowling's tales about the boy wizard are on top of the request list for the camp's 520 al Qaeda and Taliban suspects, followed by Agatha Christie whodunits. "

Wasn't This the Plot of Blogger's Short Story?

TheDenverChannel.com - Automotive - Van Bought From Sheriff's Auction Contains Pot Stash: "Van Bought From Sheriff's Auction Contains Pot Stash
350 Pounds Originally Found In Vehicle

EL PASO, Texas -- The used minivan came with an unexpected option -- about 100 pounds of pot.

A man recently bought the 1997 Plymouth Voyager from the El Paso County, Texas, Sheriff's Office.

A mechanic who checked under the minivan found the stash of weed.

Sheriff's officials say the buyer immediately returned the vehicle.

The minivan was seized by authorities when about 350 pounds of marijuana was found inside. Officials are trying to determine how deputies missed the rest of the weed."

Soon to be a Major Motion Picture?

CNN.com - $68 million stolen in Brazil's biggest?bank heist - Aug 8, 2005: "RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Reuters) -- Thieves tunneled into a bank in northeastern Brazil and stole $68 million, the biggest bank heist in the nation's history, police said on Monday.

'It's something you see in the movies. They dug a tunnel ... that goes underneath two (city) blocks. They've been digging for three months,' police investigator Francisco Queiroga told Reuters by telephone."

Storm Front -- Jim Butcher

Storm Front is billed as "The First Book in the Dresden Files," which must be quite a successful series. The copy I have of this book is a 10th printing, and I think there are six or seven others in the series by now.

This is one of those "cross genre" books. A p.i. named Harry Dresden operates in a city called Chicago, and it's a lot like the real Chicago except that magic works there. And Dresden is not just a p.i. He's also a wizard, a pretty powerful one at that, so the Chicago cops call on him when they get cases involving the supernatural. Naturally some of those cases get a little strange. In this one, a couple of people are killed by the use of black magic, and before it's over Harry's involved with fairies, other wizards, and even some gangsters who seem like almost normal human beings.

I thought the book was too long, but I often think that about books these days. One reason for the length is that some of the magical confrontations go on and on. They're a lot like some of the action scenes I see in recent movies. Overall I enjoyed the book, but I'm not sure I'll read any further in the series. I have another of the books, though, so you never can tell.

David Morrell's Creepers

Horror World

Horrorworld is a neat website, but I'm mentioning it here because of the new way of creating buzz for a book seems to be the 'Net. There's a contest you can enter to win a signed Creepers ARC, a Creepers Survival Kit, an Unabridged Creepers Audio CD from Brilliance Audio, and a signed postcard.

The following sites are also conducting Creepers contests:

Horror Fiction News Network:

Shocklines

Feo Amante

The Darkzone Scavenger Hunt

Happy Birthday, Stan Freberg

news from me

I see on News from Me that Stan Freberg's birthday is today. I first learned about him from great recordings like "St. George and the Dragonet" and "Green Christmas," among many others in the '50s. All of them were hilarious and seemed to me to have something of the same spirit as another great discovery of mine in those years, Mad magazine. Sure, Freberg made a movie deriding the beginnings of rock and roll, a type of music which he must have hated, but I forgave him for that. To me, he'll always be a genius.

Bathing Nolan Ryan

You may recall that Banjo Jones got me interested in the state of Alvin's Nolan Ryan statue and that I went by the City Hall to mention it needed cleaning. On Saturday, Judy and I were leaving town to go for a visit to her mother, and I drove by to see if anything had been done. To my surprise, there was a crew hosing down the statue as we drove by. So when we came home this afternoon, I took a picture. You can compare it with the Banjo Jones photo here and see that there is indeed an improvement, though the birds have already begun to pay their disrespects to the statue. The cleaning job wasn't perfect, but things do look a little better, and maybe now the city will be more aware of the need to keeping things cleaned up.

Great Cover and a Starred Review in PW

From the New York Times:

Scarcely a year after Marlon Brando's death at 80, the detritus of his fiercely guarded private life continues to bubble to the surface. In June there was an auction of his personal effects, a grab bag of bizarre and often silly objects that included both his Foosball table and a plastic bagel with a plastic cockroach inside.

Now there is another odd blast from his past - "Fan-Tan," a film treatment-turned-novel about pirates in the South Seas that he wrote in the 1970's with a filmmaker, Donald Cammell, best known as the co-director with Nicolas Roeg of the druggy 1970 movie "Performance."

After kicking around in various forms for nearly 30 years, the novel is finally being published next month by Alfred A. Knopf, edited by the film historian David Thomson, who also wrote a final chapter and an afterword.

Fantastic Four

Now you know it's true: I'll watch just about anything. Actually it wasn't too bad, considering that most of the movie was setting up all the relationships between the characters and getting that out of the way before the inevitable sequel. I thought the acting was OK, though nobody's going to be up for any awards. Chris Evans as Johnny Storm was the only one who seemed to be having a whole lot of fun, and I enjoyed his performance. The script was pretty bad. Back when I started reading comics (long before the Fantastic Four came along), a favorite exclamation was "What the . . . ?" I found myself saying that a lot during the movie. It wasn't so much that things didn't make sense as that they were just goofy. OK, and sometimes they didn't make sense, either. What the heck. Watching this wasn't a bad way to spend a hot summer afternoon.

Saving Nolan Ryan

THE BRAZOSPORT NEWS: Saving Nolan Ryan

As a civic-minded old retired poop, I couldn't resist getting involved. The link goes to Banjo Jones's report.

One Shot -- Lee Child

I always enjoy Lee Child's books about Jack Reacher, one of those competent guys who always knows what he's doing, who's always sure of himself because he's bigger and smarter than the ungodly and doesn't mind telling them so. Which he does. Often.

One Shot begins with what seems to be a random shooting by a sniper, five people killed in under five seconds. The cops make their case with amazing speed, and it's airtight. Until Reacher shows up. Then little things start casting doubt on the police case. Nothing much at first, but enough to cause the real perps some uneasy moments. And before long it's clear that there's a lot more going on than anybody thought to begin with.

Child writes well. He knows the military stuff and the weapons, and he has an eye for detail (sometimes too much detail, I think). Reacher's an appealing fantasy hero, and the stories move fast. But. (There's always a but.) Twice now, Child has had Reacher (and everyone else) overlook things that seem far too obvious to me. I can't remember the other book it happened in, but it seems really egreious this time. If Reacher's so damned smart, he should have thought of it before page 200. That complaint aside, though, you can buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Now THIS is a Treehouse

DesMoinesRegister.com

Blondes Die Young -- Bill Peters (William P. McGivern)

The other day I commented on a novel by William P. McGivern, and Ed Gorman had this to say in the comments section: "Thanks for bringing McGivern to our attention. I became friendly with Dorothy B. Hughes the last five years of her life and we often talked about writers who had faded after their deaths. She considered McGivern one of the two or three best hardboiled writers of his generation. She always said that he was a serious writer, kind of a pulp Graham Greene. And I sure agree. There are at least eight or nine of his titles that would be in print in a just world and But Death Runs Faster is one of them. He did a post-war novel set in the jazz clubs of Chicago called Blondes Die Young---under the pen-name Bill Peters--and the historical element is fascinating. Because what he's describing is the pre-beat era that was already there--crash pads, cheap wine parties, poetry readings, heavy duty jazz and of course so much marijuana I got a contact high just reading it. He was a fine fine writer and Blondes could also easily have been a Gold Medal, too. His masterpiece was Odds Against Tomorrow, which is spiritually one of those most violent and nihlistic novels I've ever read until the very end."

After reading Ed's comment, I naturally had to check the shelves to see if I had a copy of Blondes Die Young. Sure enough, there it was, in a nice Popular Library pb edition. "Time On Her Hands -- Men On Her Mind." They don't write blurbs like that anymore. Naturally I had to read the book.

And, sure enough, Ed was absolutely right. This one could easily have been published by Gold Medal. It's boiled a lot harder than But Death Runs Faster. Lots of violence and brutality, and some of the reviews compare the book to those by Mickey Spillane. But the narrator, Bill Canalli, takes more punishment than even Mike Hammer. He gets in a lot more sack time, too, if you know what I mean and I think you do. One think I liked the book is the neat variation on Spillane's themes that McGivern works out here. I won't say anything else about that, but if you ever get a chance to read the book, you'll see what I mean. Check it out.

Hey, Dudes!

Welcome To Jeff Bridges.com

Banjo Jones called my attention to Jeff Bridges' cool website. Supposedly all the artwork is done by the Dude himself. Check it out.

Time for Cap'n Bob to Go Back to College?

Salford Advertiser - Air head wants to get a PhD:

"AMANDA Griffiths is studying air guitar for her PhD.

MEET madcap Amanda Griffiths of Chorlton, the PhD student who is studying for a doctorate - in air guitar.

Amanda is researching the phenomena of playing along to famous electric guitar solos with nothing more in your hands than a fistful of fresh air as part of her doctorate at the University of Salford.

And the 32-year-old is even a special guest at the Air Guitar World Championships held in Oulu, where she will give a lecture on the subject."

Slightly Scarlet

Why would anybody make a film noir in Technicolor? Let me put it this way: If you were going to make a film noir starring Arlene Dahl and Rhonda Fleming, you'd be crazy not to. Dahl and Fleming are a couple of Hollywood's most gorgeous redheads, and they play the bad sister and the good sister in Slightly Scarlet. The only way this movie could have been improved would have been to have Maureen O'Hara in the cast as the in-between sister. But the movie is wonderful enough as it is.

It opens with Arlene, the bad sister, a man-crazy klepto, getting out of prison. Her hair and make-up are perfect, and her outfit is a knock-out. Rhonda, the good sister, is there to pick her up in a beautiful 1955 Plymouth convertible with a Pompano Peach paint job. (I couldn't find a photo of that color, but here's a nice one of the car.) John Payne, wearing a suave propeller bow tie is across the street taking photos with a long lens.

It just gets better from there. Rhonda and Arlene arrive at Rhonda's house. The house number is 1313, so you just know things aren't going to go well. And they don't, except for the person watching the movie, which is a visual treat. You wouldn't think the film noir techinques that work so well in b&w would work in color, but they do. John Alton, who apparently shot a lot of the b&w kind, does a great job here. Check out the lighting, the shadows, the composition. It's all there.

The interiors are almost as gorgeous as Rhonda and Arlene, and the swinging bachelor pad that is the bad guy's beach house is impossible to top. You have to see it to believe it. It's '50s kitsch to the max.

The outfits that Rhonda and Arlene wear are perfection, and of course perfectly color-coordinateded for redheads. I can't decide which is my favorite, but Arlene's green dress with matching hat, shoes, gloves, and scarf has to be a front-runner. Arlene is also quite fetching in a leopard-skin bathing suit. How John Payne resists her advances is beyond me. But I think I'd have to vote for Rhonda's short-shorts. Hubba-hubba!

And did I mention how great Arlene and Rhonda look? I mean, all the time. For example, there's a late-night phone call, and when Rhonda rouses herself to answer, her lipstick, hair, and make-up look as if she just stepped out of the dressing room.

The use of Technicolor in the movie is amazing. It's as vivid as anything you can imagine, and to people who say it's not "realistic," I say, "And you're going to tell me that b&w is realistic?"

Some people might wonder about the plot. Does it really matter? John Payne is a good/bad guy who'd taking photos one minute and in charge of the mob the next. Kent Taylor (without his pencil-thin moustache, the Boston Blackie kind) is the reform mayor. Ted de Corsica is the crime boss who leaves town but who you can bet will be back for the big shoot-out at the end. Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton!) is Rhonda's maid, who tries to carry on as if she were working in a slightly normal household. It's all good.

The DVD I have has a commentary track by Max Allan Collins (when does that guy ever have time to write?), which I haven't listened to. Maybe I will, one of these days.

I found out about this DVD from Vince Keenan's blog. You might want to pay a visit and see what he had to say about it.

But Death Runs Faster -- William P. McGivern

When I was a kid, I knew William P. McGivern as the author of frothy fantasy stories for magazines like Fantastic. I had no idea he was married to Maureen Daly, the author of a book called Seventeenth Summer, which I read in high school mainly because Daly supposedly wrote it when she was still in her teens. (I loved it, but I didn't tell anybody then that I'd read it because it was "a girl's book.") And I found out only later that McGivern was the author of such hardboiled classics as The Big Heat and Rogue Cop.

But Death Runs Faster (from 1948) isn't hardboiled. About medium, I'd say. And it's a formal mystery story, right down to the gathering of suspects at the end. The plot is the one about the office bully, the guy everyone hates and has a motive to kill. Of course he's murdered, and of course the narrator, Steve Blake, is the prime suspect. All that being said, McGivern presents the material in a way that would have made the book fit right in if it had been published five or six years later as a Gold Medal original. It's that good.

What might make the book even more interesting to some of you is that at the beginning of the novel, Blake takes on the editorship of a pulp detective magazine. (The office bully is his associate editor.) McGivern has a little fun with some pulp writer characters, and gives a some insight into how a pulp magazine was (or should have been) run. I found all of this highly entertaining. What I liked was how the writers all talk about Proust and Stendahl instead of, say, Carroll John Daly. And of course they talk about money, too. If you can find a copy of this book, check it out.

An Excellent List (especially #3)

The Seattle Times: Sports: 10 great moments in "chatting" history

OK, I Didn't Really Need to Know This

DELIVERANCE - REYNOLDS NELSON AND I WOULD HAVE MADE GREAT GAY LOVERS: "DELIVERANCE star BURT REYNOLDS was so impressed with country legend WILLIE NELSON when they met, the actor's now convinced they'd have made the perfect gay couple.

Reynolds and Nelson teamed up to make appearances in the upcoming movie adaptation of cult TV show DUKES OF HAZZARD, and twice-divorced Reynolds admits he almost immediately saw a perfect partner in the singer.

He says, 'When I worked with Willie Nelson - who is just about the nicest man I've ever worked with in my life - I thought, 'If I'd have been gay, it would've saved me millions, just because we'd still be happily married.''"

Hollywood Is Out of Ideas

HOLLYWOOD HUNTS DEMON CHILD FOR OMEN REMAKE: "The hunt is on to find the world's creepiest boy, as movie bosses search for a young actor to star in a remake of the classic 1976 horror film THE OMEN.

Studio chiefs at Twentieth Century Fox are hunting for the perfect demonic child to play the coveted role of evil DAMIEN, the son of SATAN, in THE OMEN 666."

Comment of the Day

Ed Gorman & Friends: "Jean Simmons, at seventeen or eighteen, played Ophelia to Laurence Olivier's Hamlet. I'm pretty sure Paris Hilton could do that if she wanted to. Sure she'd wear a thong but it'd be like experimental theater. You know, Ophelia as a club girl. Ole Bill Shakespere would probably dig it."

Have a look here for the remarks that inspired it.

Terry Pratchett Isn't Pleased

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Arts | Pratchett anger at Rowling's rise "Author Terry Pratchett has complained that the status of Harry Potter author JK Rowling is being elevated "at the expense of other writers." Pratchett makes some good points, but that first comment makes it sound as if he's just jealous.

Cruse'n With Lonnie

Cruse'n With Lonnie: "I read DEATH BY ACCIDENT by Bill Crider over the weekend and loved it. I'm a big Crider fan, and it's no accident that the protagonist in my series is a sheriff. But I do try to make my character different from Crider's sheriff. Really."

The fact that Lonnie Cruse likes my books has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I'm plugging her blog here. Trust me.

Sea Monster!

Unidentified Sea Creature Found After Typhoon

A genuine sea monster? Or just a giant crocodile? I report, you decide.