Meet Felix the Cat

When Felix showed up in the neighborhood, he was in pretty bad shape. I couldn't decide if he'd been thrown from a moving car or just run over by one. Most of the fur on top of his head was missing, one eye was swollen shut, and there was a severe cut on the inside of one of his back legs. He wouldn't let anybody get near him, and I wasn't sure he'd survive. I put food out for him in the garage anyway, and he sneaked in at night and ate. After a while he started showing up in the daytime, and I was able to coax him into the house for short periods of time. Eventually he started to trust me, so I was able to get him into a carrier and take him to visit the vet, who neutered him (that'll teach him to trust me!), worked on his eye, and gave him some shots. The eye was the real problem, but after a couple more trips to the vet, Felix can now open the eye and see pretty well from it. As you can tell, the fur's grown back on his head. The scar on his leg is so bad that probably nothing will grow there again, but that's okay. As you can also tell, Felix has made himself at home with us. He's gained a lot of weight, and he's looking good. Our other two cats aren't pleased, but it looks like Felix is here to stay.

Commenters to this Blog would Never Lie about This

Life and Health | Fashion and style | Flower power, love-ins - and lies: "Martin Wainwright
Friday July 7, 2006
The Guardian

History records that it was the Swinging Sixties. A decade that included the summer of love, the Beatles, hippies and outrageous drug-taking.

And if it ever seemed odd that everyone who was around at the time seemed to be indulging in all of the above, a survey today reveals why.

Fibs. Lots of them.

Parents who have been trying to impress their children have resorted to exaggeration and outright lies over what they did during the flower power decade. Claims of liberated teenage years at love-ins and being at live Beatles gigs have led to the coining of a new phrase - generational gazumping - to describe 50-somethings desperately trying to appear cool."

Wild Thing -- Mike Harrison

Was there ever a more apt title than this one? If so, I can't think of it. Mike Harrison's Wild Thing is the second novel about Calgary p.i. Eddie Dancer, and it's nothing if not wild. It has a newly discovered manuscript by Franz Anton Mesmer (written in old Italian), a serial killer whose method involves crushing his victims' heads, a best-selling writer on tour, paparazzi, underground tunnels, Newgate Prison records, and a strong woo-woo factor (reincarnation). While Dancer is based in Calgary, the novel's setting is England, so there's a bit of the fish-out-of-water appeal, too. And all of this in a novel not much longer than an old Gold Medal original. This, of course, is just the way I like it: stripped-down prose, a fast-moving story, and a likeable first-person narrator. Check it out.

Ed Gorman Returns to Mystery*File

Ed Gorman Rambles: 7 July 2006: "A year or so before he was diagnosed with cancer, Evan Hunter seemed intrigued by my idea of doing a massive collection of some of his earliest tales. Intrigued enough, anyway, to have somebody make copies of sixty-some stories and send them to me.

The stories covered virtually every pulp genre – crime, western, adventure, science fiction, horror – done under seven or eight pen-names. "

Check out the whole essay/review at the link.

Get Well Soon, Roger Ebert!

I like reading Roger Ebert's movie reviews even when I don't agree with them. Ebert was a well-known science fiction fan in the 1950s (Ed Gorman was acquainted with him then), and his letters appeared in letter columns in magazines like Amazing Stories and others. That's another reason I like him. I wish him a very speedy recovery.

Film critic Roger Ebert improving - Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic Roger Ebert was improvin...: "CHICAGO, July 5 (UPI) -- Pulitzer Prize-winning movie critic Roger Ebert was improving Wednesday after being hospitalized in Chicago last weekend for emergency surgery, his wife said.

Ebert, 64, was in serious condition following an operation to repair a burst blood vessel stemming from cancer surgery last month, the Chicago Sun-Times said.

Doctors removed a cancerous growth from his salivary gland on June 16.

'I'm happy to report that Roger is in stable condition and is improving each day,' Chaz Ebert said. 'He has an excellent medical team ... and they're optimistic about his recovery.'"

Mystery*File Update

This just in from Steve Lewis: I've recently posted a belated birthday salute by J. Kingston Pierce to James M. Cain, author of novels such classic novels as The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity and many others. (Cain was born on July 1st.)

As part of this tribute is a complete bibliography of Cain's novels and story collections, plus reviews of four of his books by Max Allan Collins and Bill Pronzini, nor should I forget to mention the usual abundance of cover images.

I Can Remember when this Format Wasn't Such a Novelty

Vintage Hits the Decks for 'Pirates' - 7/6/2006 - Publishers Weekly: "When Gideon Defoe's cheeky, well-received pirate novels, The Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists and The Pirates! In an Adventure With Ahab, were ready for to be published in paperback, the publicity team at Vintage thought the books deserved a special rollout. Published by Pantheon in hardcover in October 2004, the books, which Vintage editor-in-chief Marty Asher describes as 'Monty Python meets Moby Dick,' are being packaged together as a novelty '2-in-1' paperback. (With each title claiming as its front cover one side of the book, described further by Vintage as a 'flippable' paperback, the text is legible by turning the book over.) They're also being accommpanied by a large pirate-themed release party in New York and a well-publicized writing contest. Why all the hoop-la?"

Be There or Be Square!

The Austin Chronicle: Books: Solving ConMisterio: "Solving ConMisterio
A preview
BY JESSE SUBLETT

With SXSW, ACL, and the last KKK microdemonstration, Austin needs another convention like a hole in the head, right? Well, ConMisterio is a convention for people who just can't seem to write or read enough about holes in heads – bullet holes, that is, along with an endless variety of other means of sudden exit from the planet.

Loosely modeled after the fabulously successful Bouchercon (going on its 37th year), ConMisterio convenes for its second annual gathering July 14-16 at the DoubleTree. It will feature the usual author discussion panels, author readings, a banquet, a dealer room, and creative loafing opportunities. (Full disclosure: I'll be one of the authors attending the convention and promoting work, but I'd be writing this even if I weren't.)"

Competitive Eating Update #5

New York Daily News - Home - Few extra bites: "Few extra bites

His 53 dogs long gone, champ has a real meal

BY NICOLE BODE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Takeru Kobayashi, 28, after winning the Nathan's Fourth of July hot dog eating contest.
After all that, he was still hungry.

A day after downing a record-breaking 53 and 3/4 hot dogs and buns, Takeru Kobayashi polished off a 22-oz. steak, salad and slice of cheesecake.

'This is the best steak I have ever eaten,' Kobayashi, 28, told the Daily News through a translator as he tore into the slab of medium-rare New York strip steak yesterday afternoon. 'It's better than Kobe beef.'

In no time flat, the Japanese chowhound was gnawing at the bone.

'He polished it,' said an awestruck Tom Hart, general manager of Smith & Wollensky at E. 49th St. and Third Ave. 'It was amazing.'"

Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the tip.

Even Bush's Feces & Urine Are Classified Top Secret

Even Bush's Feces & Urine Are Classified Top Secret: "The White House flew in a special portable toilet to Vienna for Bush's personal use during his visit. The Bush White House is so concerned about Bush's security, the veil of secrecy extends over the president's bodily excretions. The special port-a-john captured Bush's feces and urine and flew the waste material back to the United States in the event some enterprising foreign intelligence agency conducted a sewage pipe operation designed to trap and examine Bush's waste material."

Happy Birthday to the Duke of Earl!

Or, as you may know him, Gene Chandler. If you just can't wait to hear the song again, click here. You'll be sent to Chandler's website, and the song will be playing. One of the greats. Turn up the volume.

Today in Rock & Roll History

In the comments a couple of guys mention having seen the Beatles in concert. So here's today's R&R trivia in their honor (thanks to The Writers Almanac):

It was on this day in 1957 that two teenagers named John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met at a church dance in Liverpool, England.

The biggest event in John Lennon's neighborhood every summer was a party and dance held by St. Peter's parish church. There was a carnival and a parade with decorated floats, and that event was held on this day in 1957. John Lennon, with a little maneuvering, had gotten The Quarrymen a place in the parade, playing their music from atop one of the floats, and they also had an invitation to play at the dance afterwards.

The float The Quarrymen played on brought up the rear of the parade, and they attracted a large group of teenagers. One of the teenagers was a kid from a different high school named Paul McCartney. He had hoped to pick up girls at the church dance, and so he had ridden his bicycle over from his neighborhood.

In the audience, Paul McCartney was impressed by John's singing, and by the way John seemed to be challenging everyone in the room to a fight. After the performance, Paul went over to meet this guy. Paul and John were introduced, but they didn't hit it off until Paul mentioned that he played guitar, and he knew how to tune one. None of the other boys had learned how to do that yet. They'd all been forced to ask local musicians to tune their guitars for them.

John was even more impressed that Paul knew the lyrics of recent rock and roll songs. John could never remember lyrics, which was why he often made up new ones while he was singing. Paul volunteered to write out the lyrics for the song "Be Bop a Lula" for John, and the two became fast friends. By 1959, they were calling themselves The Beatles.

I'm Not Sure this is Good News

ROME (AFP) - Veteran sex symbol Sofia Loren, first featured on magazine covers half a century ago, will appear for next year's Pirelli calendar dressed up only in diamond earrings.

The voluptuous Italian screen legend, who will celebrate her 72nd birthday on September 20, joins a galaxy of international female stars posing in the nude for the 2007 cult calendar, the Italian magazine Gente (People) reported Wednesday.

Others include Spain's Penelope Cruz, Britain's Naomi Watts, US star Hilary Swank and France's Lou Doillon, the daughter of singer-actress Jane Birkin.

The calendar portraits of Loren taken by Dutch photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Winoodh Matadin are "very beautiful and will add to the myth of La Loren," said Loren's close friend Silvia Damiani, one of the privileged few to have already caught a glimpse of the latest Loren revelations.

Today in Rock & Roll History

1954 - Elvis Presley's first commercial recording session took place in Memphis, TN. He recorded "That's All Right (Mama)" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

Under the Table at Taco Bell

Bribery Grande

"Oakland clerk allegedly met clients at Taco Bell, and traded keys to public housing for dinero."

And the only question is, will Anthony Neil Smith move to Oakland to work the case?

Louiefest

Over 1000 guitars playing "Louie Louie." And the only question is, will Cap'n Bob be there again this year?

Bob Dylan on XM

Bob Dylan Theme Time Radio on XM
Playlist for July 5, 2006
Theme: Summer
Summertime, Billy Stewart
Summertime Blues, Eddie Cochran
Heatwave, Martha and the Vandellas
Heatwave, Sol K. Bright
Sunny, Bobby Hebb
Juneteenth Jamboree, Fatso Bentley
So Nice, Astrud Gilberto and Walter
Youth of 1000 Summers, Van Morrison Hot Weather Blues, Mr. Sad Head Summer in the City, Lovin’ Spoonful
Too Hot, Prince Buster
In the Summertime, Mungo Jerry
Ice Cream Man, John Brim (Bob’s favorite flavor is Neopolitan)
Fourth of July, Dave Alvin
Hot Fun in the Summertime, Sly & the Family Stone

Tales from the Galactic Midway #1: Sideshow -- Mike Resnick

I don't know how many books there are in this series, but I've had four of them on my shelves for years. (It's hard for me to resist a series with carnival setting.) The other night I decided it was time to read one of them, and I'm glad I did. Here's the deal. Thaddeus Flint owns a carnival that's not making enough money. There's another carnival with the best freak show that anybody's ever seen, and it's drawing huge crowds. Flint decided he wants to take over. When he does, he gets a surprise. The freaks aren't human. They're aliens, and now Flint is stuck with caring for them. One problem is that Flint treats everybody like crap, including Tojo, the hunchbacked dwarf who narrates the tale. Flint's a cold-hearted maninpulator and conman, and it turns out that he's expert even when it comes to manipulating aliens. It might not surprise you to learn that his association with the aliens makes him a little more human by the end of the novel. But not much more.

This is an interesting story, even though it's obviously a set-up for the sequels. A cursory glance at the three I have gives me the idea that each one is devoted mostly to a different carnival employee: the animal tamer, the trick shot, and so on. I also see that they're told in third person. Tojo is no longer the narrator. Eventually I'll probably read at least a couple of these. (I like the covers, too.)

Great Fireworks Package Art

Check it out here.

Competitive Eating Update #4

NEW YORK -- A 160-pound wonder from Japan set a new record by devouring a sickening 53¾ frankfurters in 12 minutes to win the annual Independence Day hot dog eating competition on Coney Island.

The feat earned Takeru Kobayashi, 27, his sixth straight title in the event, held at the original Nathan's Famous hot dog stand on Brooklyn's seashore.

He broke his own record of 53½ hot dogs, set at the same competition two years ago.

Competitive Eating Update #3

Jeff Meyerson sent me this link to AOL Sports. The Feud is on!

A Glorious 4th to All

"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." -- Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826), to Archibald Stuart, 1791

The flags are out at the Crider hacienda.

What Next?

First it was ice cream made with eels' blood. Now we have this. I think the last line is probably an understatement.

ANGIER - Scott Wilson won't eat his newest flavor of ice cream.

He warns customers at his ice cream shop away from it. And he's not even sure whether he'll make another batch when he runs out.

It's called Cold Sweat.

Along with milk, sugar and the other usual ingredients, the ice cream is made with three kinds of peppers and two kinds of hot sauce. It's so spicy that just touching it makes your fingers feel hot.

The ice cream has turned into a hot sales gimmick at Sunni Sky's, the roadside ice cream shop Wilson and his wife have run for the past three years along N.C. 55.

It's not a top seller, though.

I See It, but I Don't Believe It

Link via Neatorama

Happy Birthday, Dave Barry!

Dave Barry can still make me laugh out loud, which is reason enough to wish him a very happy day.

I'm in EQMM (sort of)

In a comment below, Todd Mason reminds me that Ed Gorman has started a new column, "Blog Bytes, in the current issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. I'm pleased and proud that he chose to mention this blog in the inaugural column, along with Sarah Weinman's blog, CrimeSpot, and Mystery*File.

Alligator Update

A man in South Carolina jumped on the back of a 10-foot alligator to save his girlfriend's pet dog as it was being dragged into a lake, according to a Local 6 News report.

Brent Carey said he was at a park in Charleston with his girlfriend and her dog, Chance, when an alligator jumped out of the water and started to drag Chance into the lake.Carey jumped on the alligator, grabbed it near the back legs and began to fight to free the dog.

More of the story and some pics at the link.

Shotgunner

Want to see a guy who can shoot? Check it out.

Busted Flush Update

The other day I had a blog entry on David Thompson's publishing venture. Today the Houston Chronicle catches up with me.

It's not "Busted Flesh Press," says David Thompson, neophyte book publisher. Given his subject matter — murder and mayhem — some people hear it that way, but his new venture, he explains, is "Busted Flush Press."

Mystery fans will recognize the name as an homage to one of Thompson's favorite authors, John D. MacDonald, whose sleuth Travis McGee lives on the Busted Flush, a houseboat he won in a poker game. And an homage seems appropriate: Busted Flush Press is all about respect, existing chiefly to revive crime novels that have slipped out of print.

The fledgling imprint's first trade title is just out — A Fifth of Bruen, a 352-page collection of the early fiction of Ireland's Ken Bruen, who emerged as a cult favorite in this country after The Guards earned an Edgar nomination for best novel of 2003.

The Beatles!

A blog devoted to video and audio Beatles clips? What a great idea. It's right here.

Happy Birthday, James M. Cain

James M. Cain (1892-1977) did not write about detectives or publish in the pulps. He was an Easterner, a newspaperman and a protégé of H. L. Mencken who went West during the Depression to write for Hollywood. There he wrote moviescripts and crime novels. His gift for dialogue and the first-person, confessional form of his narratives gave them the suspense other writers achieved with a detective on a case.

Like a lot of you, probably, I still remember the first time I read The Postman Always Rings Twice. Wow! I got a copy of Double Indemnity and read that one. Wow, again! I saw the movies later. Wow, a third time! Cain translated well to the screen in black and white. No question, one of the greats.

On the July 3rd broadcast of Beth Foxwell's radio show "It's a Mystery," she'll present the radio version of Double Indemnity. That's Monday at 10:00 A.M. CDT at this link.

Pulp Heroes Redux

From Nightly.net: The Shadow and Doc Savage are returning to thrill fans old and new. Anthony Tollin has acquired the license to reprint the original Shadow
and Doc Savage pulp novels, and will be publishing trade paperback
reprints in partnership with Nostalgia Ventures, Inc., a leader in the
field of radio and television nostalgia. These Shadow and Doc Savage
volumes are officially licensed by Condé Nast, the owner of the famous
properties.

"This is a dream come true for me," proclaims Anthony Tollin, the
former DC Comics professional who is also a leading pulp and radio
historian. Tollin co-authored Walter B. Gibson's The Shadow Scrapbook
in 1979, and has long desired to get Gibson's Shadow novels back in
print. "We're reissuing the classic pulp stories with the original
covers and interior art, with the type reset for clarity. We're
initially releasing the stories in a double-novel format. Our first
volume, already at the printers, reprints Walter Gibson's Crime,
Insured and The Golden Vulture, a Shadow novel that Lester Dent
wrote in 1932 that was later revised by Gibson and published in 1938.
This is the Shadow novel that won Lester Dent the Doc Savage contract.
Our first story, 'Crime, Insured' is recognized as Walt Gibson's
greatest action thriller, in which a criminal organization penetrates
The Shadow's operation and captures his major agents, and The Shadow
is trapped as the entire New York underworld invades his sanctum."

I read about this on the fictionmags list. No more details yet.

Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang

Sometimes when I can't figure out why a movie didn't to better at the box office, I ask Judy. When I asked about Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, she said, "How many people do you think there are who know what the old Mike Shayne paperbacks looked like or even care?" See, the movie is based (in part) on a Shayne novel called Bodies are Where you Find Them, and one of the characters reads books about a p.i. named Johnny Gossamer, whose novels even had great McGinnis covers. I love stuff like that. So does James Reasoner.

But that's certainly not all the movie has going for it. Consider, for one thing, the great retro opening title sequence.

The plot is convoluted, but I followed it pretty well. (Just one minor quibble, I think.) Anyway, a convoluted plot is exactly what's called for in a movie where each section is introduced with the title lifted from Raymond Chandler, a master of convolution. The characters are great, and the cast does them justice. Robert Downey, Jr., is scruffy (and self-referential), Val Kilmer does one of his patented movie-stealing turns as the private-eye called Gay Perry, and Michelle Monaghan is as tough and spunky as you could ask for, reminding me a little of Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight (this is high praise from me, in case you're wondering). There's plenty of humor and snappy dialogue, along with a lot of action. Two thumbs way up.

Competitive Eating Update #2

From the Wall Street Journal: Sonya Thomas has been eating competitively since June 2003 and has set records for wolfing down everything from oysters to meatballs to tater tots. Her ability to outeat larger, male competitors has earned her the nickname "The Black Widow." During the day, the 38-year-old champion eater manages a Burger King restaurant located at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. She lives in Alexandria, Va.
.........................

To gear up for contests, she constantly tries to maintain or improve her hand speed, eye-hand coordination, jaw strength and stomach capacity. She says her day job as a Burger King manager keeps her hand speed and hand-eye coordination in top form.

"When I'm working I'm non-stop for eight hours, constantly moving and walking around and I can tell my body is working hard," she says. "I'm pulling orders out of windows and scooping fries." She also keeps her jaw in shape by chewing two pieces of sugarless gum at a time throughout the day. Once or twice a week she eats dried squid. "It really exhausts your jaw," she says."You have to keep your jaw strong when you eat so much and are using the muscle for such a long time," she says.

A Fifth of Bruen -- Ken Bruen

David Thompson, of Houston's Murder by the Book, has a small press. I like the name: Busted Flush Press. One his recent publications is A Fifth of Bruen, a collection of Ken Bruen's early novels and stories, the books that "he used to sell by hand in the bars of his home town," according to the introduction by Al Guthrie. For a mere eighteen bucks, you can't go wrong with a collection like this.

I've read one of the short novels so far, All the Old Songs and Nothing to Lose. I picked this one because it's a crime novel, and it turns out to be sort of Bruen's version of Death Wish. A vigilante is on the loose, but he's a Bruen vigilante, one who quotes literary poetry and song lyrics with equal facility. Great stuff, and it has all the hallmarks of Bruen's current work. Props to David for publishing this volume. Check it out.

They Could Use It in the Northeast

June 29, 2006 — A team of Texas archaeologists believe they may have located the remains of Noah's Ark in Iran's Elburz mountain range.

"I can't imagine what it could be if it is not the Ark," said Arch Bonnema of the Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration (B.A.S.E) Institute, a Christian archeology organization dedicated to looking for biblical artifacts.

Bonnema and the other B.A.S.E. Institute members hiked for seven hours in the mountains northwest of Tehran, climbing 13,000 feet before making the apparent discovery.

Swing Low, Swing Dead -- Frank Gruber

This is Frank Gruber's only paperback original about Johnny Fletcher. It's a Belmont Book from 1964, and it's about song theft, something that probably wasn't uncommon in the 1950s. Maybe it's not uncommon even now, but this book reads as if it were written six or seven years before it was published. It would be interesting to know if it was a trunk book.

But I digress. Johnny Fletcher and his sidekick, Sam Cragg, share a room at a small hotel. They're essentially conmen, though when asked they claim to be book salesmen because that's their line. They set up on the street and sell body-building books out of a suitcase. Sam Cragg demonstrates how he can snap chains by explanding his manly chest. Did I mention that he and Fletcher live together in a hotel room? Not that there's anything wrong with that, and besides, these guys get involved with all kinds of hot chicks. They're not overcompensating, either. At least I don't think they are.

But I digress again. What happens is that Sam wins a song in a crap game, and then the guy who wrote it is poisoned, and then it turns out that someone's already recorded the song and has a big hit with it. All this is straightened out in the end. Gruber tells everything in a straightforward, no-frills way. Very light entertainment, not necessarily for everyone. Worth checking out as an artefact of a by-gone time, though.

The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project

T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. is a series of experiments conducted during finals week, 1995, at Rice University. The tests were designed to determine the properties of that incredible food, the Twinkie.

Rice is one of Texas' premier universities. It's easy to see why. Be sure to read the haiku.

Now in Paperback: A Knife in the Back

Once again there's a paperback of one of my books that you can get only through the Worldwide subscription program. Kind of a drab cover, but then the cover doesn't really matter since the book won't be available at bookstores. Within a day or so you can probably get a copy on Amazon for a penny, plus postage. I think the hardbacks are going for a quarter. As you can tell, I'm a highly collectible author.

Rogue Gator Update

Largo, Florida - A trapper has captured a gator in a lake in Ridgecrest Park in Largo. The gator may be the one which attacked and carrying off a miniature Shih Tzus Sunday afternoon. Al Clark and his two dogs, Fifi and Cassidy were romping around the lake, off their leashes, when the eight foot gator attacked. Clark says he felt helpless as he saw his 8-year-old pet FiFi being carried away in the gator's jaws. Clark scooped up his other dog, Cassidy, and put him in the car. Clark says he'll never walk Cassidy at the park again.

Red Leaves -- Thomas H. Cook

Thomas Cook's Red Leaves was nominated for an Edgar. It's not a mystery novel, but I suppose it's a crime novel. It's mainly about what happens to a family when suspicion and fear get the better of a father whose son is suspected in the disappearance of a neighbor's young daughter. The resolution to the crime is a little bit out of left field, and for at least one reason very unsatisfactory to me, but the book is well written and suspenseful. It's also as bleak as any noir fiction you're likely to read anytime soon. If that's the kind of thing you like now and then, grab this one now. Don't wait for then.

Ummmmmmm, Eeeel.

A LOW-fat ice cream using DNA from an eel-like fish has been developed by scientists.

A protein created from the blood of the North Atlantic ocean pout could cut the fat content, reduce calories by 30 per cent and alter the genetic make-up of ingredients without affecting taste.

It is already used in some US ice creams and is being developed here by Unilever.

A spokesman said: "People want lower fat products but don't want to sacrifice taste."

Homeland "Security"? I Report, You Decide

USATODAY.com - Sales calls push security hotline to refuge of Do Not Call list: "Ever feel there's no getting away from telephone sales calls?

You're not the only one. The federal government has decided to put its own secret Homeland Security hotline to the nation's 50 governors on the federal Do Not Call Registry, according to Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.

The move came after a complaint Thursday by Minner, who said that when her line rings, chances are it's not an emergency but an unwanted intrusion. 'Every time that phone rings, it's telemarketers,' she said in Washington.

Minner keeps the secret homeland defense hotline in her office. Governors have them for instant communication with Washington in case of a major emergency. Minner says that when her line rings, it's someone offering a time-share condominium or the latest deal on long-distance phone service.

'I wonder about the security of that line,' Minner said."

Competitive Eating Update

There's video at the link.

Woman eats 60 ham biscuits in eight minutes: "It's a country staple, but normally Ham Biscuits aren't devoured like this. It was a gluttonous scene at Lynchburg's Virginia Harley Owners Group rally Saturday afternoon.

One woman chomped down her biscuits faster than anyone else there. Her name is Sonya Thomas.

She's known as the 'Black Widow' in the world of competitive eating."

Shamus Nominations -- Congratulations to All!

PRIVATE EYE WRITERS OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES 2006 SHAMUS AWARDS NOMINEES

The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) is proud to announce the nominees for the 25^th annual Shamus Awards, given annually to recognize outstanding achievement in private eye fiction. The 2006 awards cover works published in 2005.

PWA was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Randisi to recognize the private eye genre and its writers. Previous Shamus winners include Lawrence Block, Ken Bruen, Harlan Coben, Max Allan Collins, Robert Crais, Brendan DuBois, Loren D. Estleman, Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, Sue Grafton, James W. Hall, Steve Hamilton, Jeremiah Healy, Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, John Lutz, Bill Pronzini, S.J. Rozan, Sandra Scoppettone and Don Winslow. The awards will be presented on Sept. 29, 2006, at PWA’s 25^th Anniversary Banquet in Madison, WI, during the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention.

Shamus Awards 2006 Nominees (for works published in 2005)

Best Hardcover

Oblivion by Peter Abrahams (Wm. Morrow), featuring Nick Petrov.

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown), featuring Mickey Haller.

The Forgotten Man by Robert Crais (Doubleday), featuring Elvis Cole.

In A Teapot by Terence Faherty (Crum Creek Press), featuring Scott Elliot.

The Man with the Iron-On Badge by Lee Goldberg (Five Star), featuring Harvey Mapes.

Cinnamon Kiss by Walter Mosley (Little, Brown), featuring Easy Rawlins.

Best Paperback Original

Falling Down by David Cole (Avon), featuring Laura Winslow.

The James Deans by Reed Farrell Coleman (Plume), featuring Moe Prager.

Deadlocked by Joel Goldman (Pinnacle), featuring Lou Mason.

Cordite Wine by Richard Helms (Back Alley Books), featuring Eamon Gold.

A Killing Rain by PJ Parrish (Pinnacle), featuring Louis Kincaid.

Best First Novel

Blood Ties by Lori G. Armstrong (Medallion), featuring Julie Collins.

Still River by Harry Hunsicker (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Minotaur), featuring Lee Henry Oswald.

The Devil’s Right Hand by J. D. Rhoades (St. Martin's Minotaur), featuring Jack Keller.

Forcing Amaryllis by Louise Ure (Mysterious Press – Warner), featuring Calla Gentry.

Best Short Story

“Oh, What a Tangled Lanyard We Weave” by Parnell Hall. Murder Most Crafty (Berkley), featuring Stanley Hastings.

“Two Birds with One Stone” by Jeremiah Healy. Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Jan/Feb 2005, featuring John Francis Cuddy.

“The Big Road” by Steve Hockensmith. Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, May 2005, featuring Larry Erie.

“A Death in Ueno” by Michael Wiecek. Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, March 2005 featuring Masakazu Sakonju.

“The Breaks” by Timothy Williams. Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, September/October 2005 featuring Charlie Raines.

-30-

Bogart News

New York Daily News - Breaking News: "NYC renames block after Humphrey Bogart

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Upper West Side brownstone where Humphrey Bogart grew up has long ago been turned into public housing. But the block, like Paris, will always be his.

Scores of fans stood in the drizzle Saturday as the city unveiled a plaque renaming the short stretch in front of 245 W. 103rd St. as Humphrey Bogart Place.

'Bogie would have never believed it,' said the actress Lauren Bacall, who was married to Bogart from 1945 until his death in 1957. She said the day was an emotional one, and her time with Bogart too short."

Even Sheriff Dan Rhodes is More Efficient than This

houstonpress.com | News | CSI: New Caney: "They do things differently up in New Caney, which is a small town in the woods of east Montgomery County. Take, for instance, their methods for identifying dead bodies.

Most coroners -- if confronted with a corpse who obviously has a wallet in his pants pocket -- would check that wallet for what investigators call 'clues' as to the victim's identity.

They don't mess with such high-falutin' detective work in New Caney, where the slogan seems to be 'We'll get the right ID -- eventually.'"

Catch-22, Iraq Style

This is one of the most interesting articles I've read on the Iraq War, a topic not often addressed here.

How Iraq became greater Islington - Sunday Times - Times Online: "[Rory Stewart] arrived in southern Iraq in the autumn of 2003, six months after the invasion, and spent more than a year as local governor, overseeing the local 'rebuilding' of the community. The dissonance between the aspirations of his bosses in Baghdad and the situation on the ground is staggering. When he could not even leave his compound as it was under siege from mortar attack, he was sent memos ordering him to set up 'gender awareness workshops' in remote marshland villages. Vacuum-packed $1m 'bricks' arrived so fast that he ran out of ideas about how to spend them. While his region drowned in blood, he was drowning in memos laden with 'David Brent jargon' or ordering him to seek out three rival glaziers to gain quotes to replace a window."

Bring Me the Head of Philip K. Dick

According to The New York Times, Philip K. Dick's head is missing. You probably have to register to read the article, and it's certainly worth reading, but here's the gist of it:

Last year an admiring doctoral student and evident computer whiz, David Hanson, built a life-size facsimile of Mr. Dick, using the latest artificial intelligence technology, robotics and a skinlike substance he calls "frubber."
. . . . . . .

. . . Warner Independent Pictures, which on July 7 is releasing the film, an experimental, animated thriller directed by Richard Linklater, had intended to send the robot on a promotional tour to promote the film.

That is, until its head went missing.

. . . Mr. Hanson, the robot maker . . . left the head on an America West flight from Dallas to Las Vegas in December.
. . . . . . . .

"They woke me up, I got my laptop from under my seat, and being dazed, I just forgot that I had the robot in there," said Mr. Hanson, referring to the head in a black, American Tourister roller bag, left in the overhead compartment.

After landing in San Francisco, he notified the airline, whose officials apparently found the head in Las Vegas, packed it in a box and sent it on the next flight to San Francisco. Mysteriously, it never arrived.

The Competitive Eating Circuit

Until this morning, I'd never heard of "the competitive eating circuit." Now I've read about it twice, first on Andy Jaysnovitch's blog, and now in the article below. Coincidence? Or is someone trying to tell me something?

ABC News: Man Gobbles Down 22 Hot Dogs in 12 Minutes: "CRANBURY, N.J. Jun 23, 2006 (AP)— With sweat pouring down his face, a 42-year-old courier from Moonachie methodically gobbled 22 hot dogs in 12 minutes Friday to win a regional hot-eating competition and a slot at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July eating contest in Coney Island, N.Y.

Pat Philbin, known in the competitive eating circuit as 'Pat from Moonachie,' beat 12 veterans and newcomers to competitive eating to be crowned the New Jersey Turnpike Regional Hot-Dog Eating Champion at a highway rest area."

Who Knew?

onegoodmove: Sunday Bloody Sunday: "George Bush performing U2's Sunday Bloody Sunday in the just released video version."

EQMM PSA

ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE PUBLISHES SPECIAL NEW ORLEANS ISSUE IN SUPPORT OF HURRICANE RECOVERY

A special New Orleans-themed issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, featuring the Big Easy’s native writers and artists, is slated for shipment to newsstands in early September, following the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s devastating landfall.

Headlining the issue, which bears a November publication date, is fiction celebrating New Orleans’ rich ethnic and cultural diversity. Short stories by crime-fiction pros John Edward Ames, O’Neil De Noux, Tony Dunbar, Tony Fennelly, Barbara Hambly, Greg Herren, Edward D. Hoch, Dick Lochte, William Dylan Powell, Sarah Shankman, and Julie Smith span more than a century and a half of the Crescent City’s history, from pre-Civil War days to the post-Katrina present.

This is New Orleans depicted by New Orleanians: Ten of the issue’s authors, including poetry contributor James Sallis, hail from the beleaguered city. Several lost homes or property in the storm.

The work of other notable New Orleans writers is discussed in a book review column by Jon L. Breen, focusing exclusively on the region’s mystery writing.

Capturing the vibrancy of New Orleans for cover and interior illustrations are artists Jenny Kahn, David Sullivan, and Herbert Kearney, all of whom also call the city home.

EQMM’s publisher, Dell Magazines, has donated all advertising for this special hurricane-recovery issue to organizations with rebuilding or relief efforts ongoing in the areas affected by Katrina. Participating organizations are Bridge House, the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans, Covenant House, Habitat for Humanity, Reader to Reader, Inc., Save the Children, and the Volunteers of America. For those wishing to make donations over the Internet, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine’s web site, www.themysteryplace.com/eqmm, provides links to all of the participating charities.

For retail sales information, please contact Bill McCollough at bmccollough@i-cmg.com (phone: 212-686-7188 ext. 2343).

To order single copies of the November 2006 issue of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine please visit our web site at www.themysteryplace.com/eqmm, or call toll free (1-800-220-7443).

No, that's not the cover of the New Orleans issue. It's just a cover I like.

NASCAR Romance Update

MercuryNews.com | 06/21/2006 | Harlequin hits the racetrack: "NASCAR ROMANCES A HIT WITH FANS

Let's just say ``In the Groove'' is a racy novel.

Sarah is a former kindergarten teacher forced to take a job driving the bus of jet-setting and, predictably, super-sexy NASCAR driver Lance. She's unimpressed with his fame but, according to the back cover, ``whenever he comes near her she turns hot as race fuel.''

And, of course, the spark plugs fly."

There's much more at the link. Check it out.

The Aggies Strike Again

NBC 6 News - Local Headlines: "Texas A&M University is in another skirmish over the use of the famous 12th Man trademark. Yahoo is using references to the 12th man on its world cup soccer fan page.

University spokesman Lane Stephenson says A&M sent a letter to Yahoo asking it stop using it, and hopes the company acts accordingly.

In May, A&M reached an agreement with the Seattle Seahawks allowing that team to use 12th Man for a one-time payment of 100- thousand dollars and 75-hundred dollars a year."

I Used to Try this Line. It Never Worked.

New York Daily News - Home - Go ahead, live a little!: "Go ahead, live a little!

Or a lot. A study of N.Y. women
finds it's virtue - not vice - you'll regret.

By MARK ELLWOOD

LUST FOR LIFE: Ladies who've lived it up, like Ivana Trump...and Cher, should have no regrets.

Have that extra cookie. Sleep with him on the first date. Call in sick, even if it's for a sample sale.

You won't regret any of it, says a new study; rather it's salads, celibacy and soldiering through the flu that will bring you down.

The report - by Ivy League professors - claims that when you hit 80 and look back on life, it's your virtues, not your vices, that you'll resent.

Good girls are full of regret; bad girls have nothing but great memories."

The Folks at the Concise Oxford Dictionary Have too Much "Time" on their Hands

Oxford dictionary: 'Time' is top noun: "For those who think the world is obsessed with 'time,' an Oxford dictionary added support to the theory Thursday in announcing that the word is the most often used noun in the English language."

Today, Pottstown. Tomorrow, the World!

Philadelphia Inquirer | 06/22/2006 | Prowling alligator nabbed in Pottstown: "Prowling alligator nabbed in Pottstown. The four-feet reptile, spotted by a mail carrier, was probably a pet.
By Bonnie L. Cook
Inquirer Staff Writer

Bobby Kish often hears the click of animal feet on macadam when he delivers morning newspapers in the Pottstown area. Typically, he'll turn just in time to see the back end of a fox or a deer.

But at 5 a.m. Monday, the sound was distinctively different. Kish, who had gotten out of his truck to retrieve a misthrown paper, was walking between two parked cars when he saw a 4-foot alligator."

Richard S. Prather

Thanks to Steve Lewis at Mystery*File for this link to a great Richard S. Prather site. Check it out right now.

Red -- Jack Ketchum

James Reasoner reviewed this book the other day, and he liked it quite a bit. I remembered that I'd had the book around for years but never read it. I took it off the shelf and discovered that it's a British paperback from 1995. Red is more a novella than a novel, and in his later comment on it, James says that there's an additional story in the Leisure Books edition. That makes his copy a bigger bargain than mine, which is filled out by a couple of chapters from another Jack Ketchum novel. But no matter which copy of the book you get, you're getting a bargain because this is one of those "they don't write 'em like that" any more books, as hard, fast, and tough as the old Gold Medals that I like so much.

As James says, the story's a simple one. Geezer's dog is killed by three young guys who do it because they think they can get away with it. They prove to be incorrect. Ketchum's spare style is note-perfect for the story that, for me, falters only once. (But not at the plot development James balked at. I thought that one was perfectly logical.) I've been a fan of Ketchum's work since I read Off Season, many and many a year ago. If you haven't read that one, I recommend it. But for now, get a copy of Red for some solid entertainment. My only regret is that I didn't read it a lot sooner.

eBay Item of the Day

Ever wanted to be a superhero in a best-selling graphic novel? Now's your chance.

William Smith

Walter Satterthwait led me to this site thanks to a discussion of the movie version of Darker than Amber. Some good stuff here if you remember Laredo or for that matter any of the movies Smith was in. Especially interesting is the discussion of the fight scene in the movie, which is condensed on the Rod Taylor site.

Robert B. Parker

I just listened to Beth Foxwell's interview with Robert B. Parker on WEBR in Fairfax, VA. It was a great interview, and I learned quite a bit about Parker that I hadn't known before. Maybe everyone else did, but it was new to me. For example, though Parker's the right age (73), I hadn't thought of him as having read the pulps when he was growing up. He did, though. I like him even better now. If the interview's ever published, I'd like to get a copy of it. You can listen to it here.

Father's Day

I thought I might get this, but it didn't happen.

Heard Any Good Stories Lately?

Escape Pod: "Escape Pod is a weekly podcast bringing you fun short science fiction and fantasy. You can listen at your computer, on any MP3 player, or subscribe to receive each episode. We pay our authors, but we’re always free to listen."

Another site worth checking out. Free, but you can contribute by PayPal if you'd like to. Thanks to Boing-Boing for the link.

Return of The Mystery Circus

The Mystery Circus: By clowns, for clowns.: "This is the third, and for now, final, incarnation of the Mystery Circus. Really, I lose track of these things."

Revamped yet again, the Mystery Circus returns, this time in blog format. Check it out.

But is the World Ready?

Britney Spears wants to set up her own magazine - about herself.

The 'Toxic' singer - who announced her plans during an interview on US TV show 'Today' - thinks it will help set the record straight about her marriage to Kevin Federline.

She said: "You know what? I need to create my own magazine. I need to come up with my own thing and say the real deal."

Retro Pulp Tales:

So I'm here at the Sofitel Hotel in Houston. The MWA workshop is over, and I've been reading some of the stories from the anthology I mentioned in the post below. Wow. Joe Lansdale has really put together a terrific anthology. It opens with James Reasoner's "Devil Wings over France: a 'Dead-Stick' Mallory Story." This is all action, all the time, and it's like something ripped from the pages of Daredevil Aces. It's followed by Chet Williamson's "From the Back Pages, a story made up of letters from various pulp letter columns (the columns are all real even if the letters aren't) and a short excerpt from a story for Terror Tales. Great stuff. Then we get "Sex Slaves of the Dragon Tong" by F. Paul Wilson. I heard Wilson read this at ConDFW in February, and I've been wanting to read it myself ever since. A wonderful story with a great title. James Reasoner's title is a great one too. I'm really looking forward to reading the rest of the stories, even mine. I hope this book gets a mass market edition. It deserves one.

Yet Another Way for You to Spend Money Wisely

Lansdale, Retro Pulp Tales: Subterranean Press: "These stories are all pulp-inspired, hoping to capture the story-telling ability and fast pace of tales from 30, 40, 50 years ago and more. In Retro Pulp Tales, the hunt for a serial killer plays out in a pulp-magazine letters column (Chet Williamson), mishaps haunt a helicopter crash simulator (Stephen Gallagher), and a real-life 'Gidget' sees things in space alien terms (Melissa Mia Hall). Other contributors include Norman Partridge, Tim Lebbon, Kim Newman, F. Paul Wilson, Alex Irvine, Bill Crider, Gary Phillips, and James Reasoner."

Hey, Bigfoot Lives in Texas, Too!

Bigfoot is bigger than life at museum - Science - MSNBC.com: "POCATELLO, Idaho - The director of the Idaho Museum of Natural History says it won't matter whether Bigfoot is farce or fact when a new exhibit opens Friday.

Linda Deck, who is also curator of the Bigfoot exhibit, said the museum is taking a neutral position and simply displaying artifacts that involve the legendary creature that some say lives secretly in the Northwest.

'As human beings we make sense of our world in a variety of different ways,' Deck told the Idaho State Journal. 'We've got our myths, legends and beliefs and a very scientific way of knowing about our world, too, where we make hypotheses and test things and learn and change what we think.'"

New On-Line SF Zine

According to editor William Sanders, "This magazine had its origins in a discussion among some of us disgruntled bastards concerning the present rather discouraging state of speculative fiction; and in particular the timidity and conservatism that seemed to be taking hold in the editorial offices of the SF magazines. Several of us had recently had the experience of having perfectly valid stories bounce merely because they were too 'dark', too unconventional — or, most disturbingly of all, too likely to offend somebody. (Particularly the Jeebus Nazis or the Sons of the Prophet; everybody on both sides of the Atlantic seemed to be afraid of pissing them off — with one possible exception, and none of us could write Danish.)"

Sounds interesting, and the stories are by authors whose names you should recognize (including Janis Ian). It's free, but you can contribute through PayPal if you'd like to help. Check it out.

The Swan of Avon

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) — "How beauteous mankind is!" For lovers of William Shakespeare, memorizing one of Hamlet's soliloquies or recalling whether The Tempest is a romance or a tragedy just got easier.

Web search leader Google Wednesday launched a site devoted entirely to the Bard, that allows U.S. users to browse through the full texts of his 37 plays. Readers can even plug in words, such as "to be or not to be" from Hamlet, and immediately be taken to that part of the play.

Hardboiled Heroes and Cozy Cats

Judy and I will be in Houston this weekend for the annual workshop of MWA's Southwest Chapter. Blogging will most likely be light to nothing at all, but check the blogroll for some other places to visit. I've just added Jan Burke's fine blog, "Is This Thing On," so have a look.

The Hackman Blues -- Ken Bruen

You knew that Gene Hackman was the first choice to star as Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch, didn't you? And that he was the sixth choice to play Popeye Doyle in The French Connection? So if you knew, why am I bringing this up? Because

• if Hackman had played Mike Brady, The Hackman Blues would never have been written
• one character in The Hackman Blues fancies that he looks like Gene Hackman and loves to watch Hackman's movies
• another character in The Hackman Blues is named Brady
• I don't think items two and three could possibly be accidental
• I wanted to make a list

I offer all that (free of charge!) to future grad students planning to do theses on the novels of Ken Bruen.

As for the book itself, it's a terrific story of a kidnapping gone spectacularly wrong (read it as a companion piece to Rilke on Black). Tony (not Mike) Brady and a couple of buddies do the job. At first, kidnapping's not their intent, but someone mentions how easily the job they're going could be turned into a big payday for all of them. Boy, are they mistaken. Best you read the book to find out why. It's short, fast, and hardboiled, a Gold Medal book for the new noir. Check it out.

Bob Dylan on XM

Bob Dylan Theme-Time Radio
Playlist 6/14/06
Theme: Fathers

Jimmie Rodgers, Daddy and Home
Shep and the Limelites, Daddy’s Home
Everly Brothers, That Silver-Haired Daddy of Mine
Bobby “Blue” Bland, Dust Got in Daddy’s Eyes
Julie London, Daddy
John Hiatt, Your Dad Did
Charlie Sheen comments on his dad (what’s with Bob’s obsession with Charlie Sheen?)
Sons of the Pioneers, My Daddy (Great comment on Bob Nolan. Who knew that Dylan was a huge fan?)
The Winstons, Color Him Father
Leroy Carr, Papa’s on the Housetop
Jack Rhodes and His Lhonde Star, Mama Loves Papa (but Papa Loves Women)
The Temptations, Papa Was a Rolling Stone
Lowell Fulsom, Father Time
The Swan Silvertones, Father Alone
Elvis Costello talks about his father
Ross McManus (Elvis’s Dad), Patsy’s Girl
Hank Williams, My Son Calls Another Man Daddy
Ward Cleaver reads Beaver’s essay on his father

Happy Birthday, Gene Barry!

Eighty-seven years old today. Bat Masterson. Burke's Law. Even Our Miss Brooks. But most memorably to me, the original War of the Worlds (he has a cameo in the remake), a movie that scared me to death when I was a little shaver.

Superman: The Movie

Done in 30 seconds. With bunnies.

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

. . . these guys count so you don't have to. Thanks to Yes But No But Yes for the link.

The Number Of Fucks In Deadwood: "HBO's series Deadwood had a reputation for salty dialogue even before the first episode aired. It was nearly impossible, they said, to keep count of the number of f-words spoken during each program. We took it as a challenge."

Arrrgggghhhhhh!

Guardian Unlimited Film | News | In brief: Eminem guns for new film role: "After his successful acting debut in 8 Mile in 2002, Eminem is heading back to the silver screen. The US rapper is planning to play a bounty hunter in Have Gun, Will Travel, a modern-day adaptation of a 1950s western TV series about a gunfighter for hire. The film could be set in the rapper's hometown of Detroit and Eminem could contribute to the soundtrack."

Happy Birthday, Dorothy L Sayers!

Dorothy L Sayers: "Dorothy Leigh Sayers was born at Oxford on 13th June 1893, the only child of the Rev. Henry Sayers, of Anglo-Irish descent. Her father was at the time headmaster of Christ Church Cathedral School, and she was born in the headmaster's house. She was brought up at Bluntisham Rectory, Cambridgeshire, and went to the Godolphin School, Salisbury, where she won a scholarship to Somerville College, Oxford. In 1915 she graduated with first class honours in modern languages. Disliking the routine and seclusion of academic life she joined Blackwell's, the Oxford publishers, worked with her Oxford friend Eric Whelpton at L'Ecole des Roches in Normandy, and from 1922 until 1931 served as copywriter at the London advertising firm of Bensons.

In 1923 she published her first novel, Whose Body, which introduced Lord Peter Wimsey, her hero for fourteen volumes of novels and short stories. She also wrote four other novels in collaboration and two serial stories for broadcasting. Writing full time she rose to be the doyen of crime writers and in due course president of the Detection Club. Her work, carefully researched and widely varied, included poetry, the editing of collections with her erudite introductions on the genre, and the translating of the Tristan of Thomas from mediaeval French. She admired E C Bentley and G K Chesterton and numbered among her friends T S Eliot, Charles Williams and C S Lewis."

Good News for Bogart Fans

Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Humphrey Bogart: The Signature Collection Volume 2 for 12th September 2006. Highlighting this collection which honours one of the most popular movie actors of all time is a deluxe new 3-Disc Special Edition of The Maltese Falcon, featuring a newly-remastered edition of the 1941 John Huston masterpiece starring Bogart as Dashiell Hammett’s definitive Sam Spade. This new deluxe set is loaded with hours of bonuses including the 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon and the 1936 film, Satan Met a Lady, commentary by Bogart biographer Eric Lax, a recently recovered additional scene as well as vintage Warner “Night at the Movies” features.

Also contained in the collection are four more Bogart classics making their DVD debuts -- Across the Pacific, Action in the North Atlantic, All Through the Night and Passage to Marseille. Each film has been restored from the original camera negatives and has been digitally remastered, with each title enhanced with entertaining features.

Thanks to Jaime Weinman for the tip.

One by One Our Precious Freedoms are Being Taken Away

Ore. Man With 3 Gators Feels Unwelcome: SouthFlorida.com: "TUALATIN, Ore. -- They may not be soft and cuddly, but James 'Bugs' Brown said his three alligators are beloved pets. He said the gators -- Chomper, Hisser and Snapper -- are like family. And he'd rather move than cave to the pressure from the city to get rid of them.

Brown has lived in the city for 26 years and his oldest alligator has been with him since 1985. But recent concerns from a neighbor prompted the City of Tualatin to push Brown to say 'see ya later' to his pets. "

This Never Happened Where I Used to Work

Who said that Brits aren't wild and crazy?

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Tyne | Probe into 'naked civil servants': "Civil servants on Tyneside are under investigation amid allegations staff romped around naked in offices and had sex in toilets.
...........................

The agency said it was investigating claims that staff leapt naked from filing cabinets, had sex in office toilets, held break-dancing competitions during working hours and fought in a reception area.

Good News?

I've just heard that the paperback rights to A Mammoth Murder have been sold and that I got a nice little bump in the advance from the pb publisher. I should be happy about that, right? And I am, I guess. The problem is that the paperback publisher is Worldwide, and Worldwide no longer distributes books to stores. You can only get them in boxes of Breeze. No, wait, that's those colorful towels. You can only get Worldwide paperbacks if you're a member of their subscription service. That doesn't seem like a great way to build an audience. (See post below.) At any rate, what you should do is buy a hardback copy right now. Either that or join Worldwide's subscription program. You can't go wrong!

Deadwood: Season Three

This post should be called "How Not to Build an Audience."

I watched the third season opener of Deadwood last night. Even with the introductory clips, it took me a while to get into the show again, and I was still unclear about what was going on for a few minutes after that. So I started wondering, what if someone who'd heard about the show but never watched decided to tune in for the first time? I think that person would be completely baffled, maybe so baffled that he'd turn off the TV set or lose interest and switch channels, never to watch again. It's not an easy show in the first place, and coming in now would be like picking up War and Peace and starting to read about 2/3 of the way into the book.

That being said, as a fan of the show I enjoyed the episode, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things play out over the season. Since HBO has decided not to renew the series but to have a couple of two-hour movies next year instead, I'm hoping some of the story lines will be resolved over the coming weeks.

Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse -- Lee Goldberg

I've never seen an episode of Monk, so why would I be reading a novel based on that particular TV series? Because it was written by Lee Goldberg, and I've enjoyed several of Lee's other novels, including those based on Diagnosis Murder.

I expected this book to be funny, well-plotted, and generally solid all-around entertainment, and I wasn't disappointed. As the cover of the book tells you (if you're unfamiliar with the TV series), Monk is obsessive, compulsive, and a detective. He has real problems, but luckily he also has Natalie Teeger, the narrator of the novel, who takes care of him. In fact, as the book opens, he's moving into Natalie's house while his is being fumigated.

A lot of the book's humor arises from Monk's attempts to adjust to living away from his own environment, and the whole plot is generated because Natalie's young daughter is upset by the death of a firehouse dog. Monk declares he'll find the killer, and the book is off to the races. I had a lot of fun reading this, and if you're in the mood for a couple of hours of pure entertainment, you probably would, too.

You Know You Like to Watch

Paris Hilton's music video.