Kasey Lansdale Sings "Back of My Smile"

Last night Joe Lansdale and I did a signing at Murder by the Book. Our opening act was Kasey Lansdale, who's opening for Ray Price tonight and Saturday. She's going to be a big star one of these days. That's Bill on the bass and Danny on guitar.

Gator Update

Thanks to Todd Mason for the link.

NPR : Have You Heard About B Flat?: "During World War II, the New York Philharmonic was visiting the American Museum of Natural History. During rehearsal, somebody played a note that upset a resident live alligator named Oscar. Oscar, who'd been in the museum on 81st Street, suddenly began to bellow. Naturally, with so many scientists in residence, an experiment was quickly devised to see how to get Oscar to bellow again. Various musicians — string, percussive and brass — were brought to Oscar to play various notes. It turned out the culprit was B flat, one octave below middle C.

The experiment was described back in the 1940s.

I repeated the experiment on an ABC News broadcast in the 1990s, playing a B flat to a collection of gators in at a roadside attraction in Florida and recording their bellows.

Why B flat?

You'd have to ask an alligator."

Although Jeff Meyerson Sent Me This Link . . .

. . . I'm not going to use it.

If You Really, Really like the Beatles, this is the Book You've Been Waiting For

The Beatles' studio story told in detail | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Recording the Beatles is hailed as the definitive guide to the Beatles at work in the studio. Ryan and Kehew (who, incidentally, plays keyboards for the Who on tour) had unprecedented access to Abbey Road staff and facilities. Paul McCartney cooperated by allowing the authors to print never-seen photos of the Fab Four taken by his first wife, Linda.

This is a big book (540 pages) with a big price tag ($100), and it's available only at www.recordingthebeatles.com.

A word of warning: This book is not for casual Beatles fans who enjoy the group's personalities, pop culture and music. If you're not curious (obsessive would help) about the technical side of making an album, Recording the Beatles will leave you in the dust, scratching your head and wondering who cares about the serial number of the compressor used on Yellow Submarine."

Willie Nelson

Judy and I went to Galveston to see Willie Nelson in concert last night. As you may be aware, he's been around for a while. Seventy-three years, in fact. He'll be 74 next month. All he has to do to get a standing ovation in Texas is walk out on the stage.

He seems to be in great physical condition, his voice is still strong, and he still has the longest braid around. He did a full two-hour show without taking a break. There's no patter, just Willie playing and singing (with that family band back-up, of course).

His playing is outstanding. His acoustic guitar looks as if it might have come over on the Mayflower, and he picks the heck out of it. He uses nylon strings, and the guitar is amped. There's some great guitar work in any Willie Nelson concert. I first saw him about 30 years ago, and the guitar appears to be the same one he was using then.

Some of the songs he did were old ones, like "Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain" and "Whiskey River." Some were pop standards like "Stardust" and "Georgia on my Mind." Some seemed tossed off, and some were knockouts. He did a couple from his new Songbird CD, and three or four from a CD to be released in July or August. At the end of the show when he did "I Saw the Light," the audience was up on its feet, singing and shouting along.

Nelson obviously loves performing, and he's so good at it, so confident, that he might just go on forever. I for one hope he does.

Hmmmmmm

So does this mean
that if the red light cameras in Houston catch people illegally running
the light, the people who get tickets can sue the city for stalking?



The Daily Tribune News - Cartersville, Georgia

A Bartow County couple will go before a magistrate judge today to see if they will be arrested for allegedly stalking a Kennesaw police officer by installing cameras to track neighborhood speeders.

Lee and Teresa Sipple spent $1,200 mounting three video cameras and a radar speed unit outside their home, which is at the bottom of a hill. They have said they did so in hopes of convincing neighbors to slow down to create a safe environment for their son.

The Sipples allegedly caught Kennesaw police officer Richard Perrone speeding up to 17 mph over the speed limit. Perrone alerted Bartow authorities, who in turn visited the Sipples' home to tell them Perrone intended to press charges against them for stalking.

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Anna Nicole Smith Update

ABC News: LOS ANGELES Feb 14, 2007 (AP)— Anna Nicole Smith's last movie is going direct to DVD and is scheduled to arrive in stores in May.

Smith helped bankroll the campy comedy "Illegal Aliens," in which she plays one of a trio of space aliens fighting an intergalactic terrorist.

Several theatrical screenings were canceled after she died last Thursday.

Now MTI Home Video says it will go ahead with its original plans for a May release for the film it describes as "`Charlie's Angels' goes sci-fi."

"Prior to her unfortunate death, the film was already announced and being sold to key retail accounts and a May 2007 release was slated," MTI spokesman Ed Baran said Wednesday.

The 39-year-old Smith was to have been involved in a publicity campaign and the movie was to have been dedicated to her 20-year-old son, Daniel, who died in the Bahamas in September.

Smith was a producer and her son was credited as an associate producer.

"We were working with her and her people on PR literally a week before she died," Baran told the Hollywood Reporter.

The movie, produced by Edgewood Studios, isn't just another "low-budget sci-fi comedy poking fun at Hollywood's big-budget flicks," executive producer John James said.

Smith helped creatively and added "numerous elements and rewrites of her character," he said. "Now with the passing of its star, you'll find it to be replete with metaphors of her life."

Gator Update

Pasco: Gator attacks man on golf course: "An alligator attacked a man at about 10 a.m. today at Timber Greens Golf Course in New Port Richey, according to the Pasco Sheriff's Office. The victim was identified as Vernon Messier, 57, who was working at the course as an independent contractor.

Messier was attacked on his left foot and suffered non-life threatening injuries, the Sheriff's Office reported.

He was near the fifth hole and was in the water about 10 feet from shore when he was attacked, the report said. Messier apparently was retrieving golf balls and was preparing to dive into the water when he felt the alligator trying to pull him under.

Messier gouged at the alligator's eyes and tried to pry apart his grip from his leg, the Sheriff's Office said.

He refused to be transported by paramedics and said he was going to drive himself to a Tampa area hospital."

24 Update

The earlier post on this topic is here.

TV Week: "In TVWeek.com’s exclusive Backlot Talk podcast, David Fury -- who wrote the “Day 6: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM” episode of Fox’s “24” -- today defended the show against criticism that its depictions of torture may be influencing the behavior of U.S. military personnel.

“It’s disturbing to think that members of our military learning their techniques and training are getting it from entertainment like ‘24,’” Mr. Fury said in an interview with TelevisionWeek Publisher Chuck Ross. “One would think that their training would be far more extensive in the real world and that they’d understand that this is a heightened reality.”"

I Couldn't Resist

What to Do with Your Dead Hooker

Ah, if only the characters in hundreds of noir novels and movies had only seen this educational video.

Will the Persecution Never End?

First the so-called Academy of Motion Picture Arts denies her an Oscar nomination for her fine work as a nuclear physicist in The World is not Enough, and now this.

Denise Richards 'distracting' | NEWS.com.au Entertainment: "JON Bon Jovi reportedly hates bandmate Richie Sambora's girlfriend Denise Richards, and wants to ban her from joining the group on tour.

Singer Jon is said to be fed up with the Wild Girls actress distracting the guitarist and has made it clear to Richie he prefers it when she is not around.

A source told the New York Daily News newspaper: 'Jon does not like Denise.

She's distracting. There's too much media attention when Denise is around, and Jon thinks she's really annoying and doesn't like when Richie's around her.'"

Quiz: The Best Humor of the Baby Boomer Era - Boomers

Quiz: The Best Humor of the Baby Boomer Era - Boomers At 60 - MSNBC.com

See how many you can answer correctly. Some questions don't deal with their routines or taglines.

New Issue of Demolition Now On-line

From Bryon Quertermous: Nothing says love like murder, mayhem, and vice. Check out new fiction from Ed Lynskey, John Stickney, James McGowen, Peggy Ehrhart, and Keith Gilman. I'm also very proud to announce this is issue marks the very first fiction publications for David J. Montgomery, Rob Kramer, and Anthony Rainone.

http://www.demolitionmag.com

Stark House Press Update

Here at last is the complete list of what's coming up for 2007 from Stark House Press:

January

JIMBO / THE EDUCATION OF UNCLE PAUL by Algernon Blackwood. New intro by Mike Ashley. Two supernatural novels set in the world of children but written for adults.

February

A TRIO OF GOLD MEDALS: THE VENGEANCE MAN by Dan J. Marlowe / PARK AVENUE TRAMP by Fletcher Flora / THE PRETTIEST GIRL I EVER KILLED by Charles Runyon. Three distinctive and very different novels from the the golden era of paperback publishing. Intros by Charles Kelly and Ed Gorman.

PAN'S GARDEN / INCREDIBLE ADVENTURES by Algernon Blackwood. Intros by Mike Ashley and Tim Lebbon. Previously published in separate volumes, two of Blackwood's best story collections in one volume.

March

THE OLD BATTLE-AX / DARK POWER by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. Intro by Gregory Shepard. Two classic novels of suspense, the latter of which has never appeared before in paperback in its unabridged edition (and then only in a 1945 digest).

April

UNDERGROUND / COLLECTED STORIES by Russell James. Intro by the author. James's first novel published here in the U.S. for the first time, along with seven previously uncollected stories, one of which has never been published before.

May

A SHOT IN THE DARK / SHELL GAME by Richard Powell. Intro to be determined. Two slyly written mysteries from the author of The Philadelphian, recently reprinted by Plexus Publishing.

June

SNOWBOUND / GAMES by Bill Pronzini. Two excruciating novels of suspense, too long out of print. Intro to be determined but hopefully to include something from Bill himself.

July

THE KILLER / DEVIL ON TWO STICKS by Wade Miller. Two fine character-driven 50's thrillers from from Bob Wade and Bill Miller, authors of the the Max Thursday detective series.

August

DOGTOWN / SOULTOWN by Mercedes Lambert. Lambert in real life was Douglas Anne Munson, who died a few years ago from cancer. She left behind three excellent, cynical mysteries featuring lawyer-turned-sleuth Whitney Logan and her streetwise sidekick Lupe Ramos--these two books were the only ones to be published in her lifetime, out of print now for the past ten years.

September

SWEET MONEY GIRL / LIFE & DEATH OF A TOUGH GUY by Benjamin Appel. Intro by Carla Appel. Two gritty novels from the New York streets, the former being one of Appel's only two Gold Medal books.

October

ANATOMY OF A KILLER / A SHROUD FOR JESSO by Peter Rabe. Two more dryly written gangster novels from one of the best of the noir writers of the 50's and 60's.

November

A DEVIL FOR O'SHAUGNESSY / THREE-WAY SPLIT by Gil Brewer. The big news for 2007 is that Stark House will be publishing a Brewer novel that never appeared during the author's lifetime, a fast-paced noir from the early 60's. Also to be included will be 2-3 short stories to round out the package. We couldn't be more excited!

December

IT'S ALWAYS FOUR O'CLOCK / IRON MAN by W. R. Burnett. The first novel is a jazz story originally written as by James Updyke, the second a marvelous tale of the rise and fall of a prizefighter. Both feature Burnett's keen eye for characterization and dialog, and neither have appeared in paperback before.

And so the year goes out with a bang (assuming I keep to the schedule!). If you need isbns, I have them assigned so far through A SHOT IN THE DARK. All books will be $19.95 except for the TRIO book, which is $23.95.

I hope this information is helpful. I could probably say more about each book, but wanted to keep it brief. Don't have intros determined for each book yet. Already planning for another Harry Whittington in 2008, and hopefully more Douglas Sanderson, Vin Packer and Gil Brewer as well.

And you will notice, not everything is vintage-50's/60's this year. Variety is the spice. The Lambert, for example, is an experiment. Something on the order of "righting a wrong," if you will.

Jack Bauer: Too Tough for Our Troops?

Independent Online Edition Americas

In the hugely popular television series 24, federal agent Jack Bauer always gets his man, even if he has to play a little rough. Suffocating, electrocuting or drugging a suspect are all in a day's work. As Bauer - played by the Emmy Award winner Kiefer Sutherland - tells one baddie: " You are going to tell me what I want to know - it's just a matter of how much you want it to hurt."

But while 24 draws millions of viewers, it appears some people are becoming a little squeamish. The US military has appealed to the producers of 24 to tone down the torture scenes because of the impact they are having both on troops in the field and America's reputation abroad. Forget about Abu Ghraib, forget about Guantanamo Bay, forget even that the White House has authorised interrogation techniques that some classify as torture, that damned Jack Bauer is giving us a bad name.

The United States Military Academy at West Point yesterday confirmed that Brigadier General Patrick Finnegan recently travelled to California to meet producers of the show, broadcast on the Fox channel. He told them that promoting illegal behaviour in the series - apparently hugely popular among the US military - was having a damaging effect on young troops.

According to the New Yorker magazine, Gen Finnegan, who teaches a course on the laws of war, said of the producers: "I'd like them to stop. They should do a show where torture backfires... The kids see it and say, 'If torture is wrong, what about 24'?

"The disturbing thing is that although torture may cause Jack Bauer some angst, it is always the patriotic thing to do."

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If you Steal $6.9M . . .

. . . spend it wisely

Bookkeeper admits stealing $6.9M - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com: "Platt's purchases included six talking trees modeled after the 'Wizard of Oz' characters; a 20-foot-tall smoke-breathing dragon; a four-bedroom house in Rhode Island; more than 35 vehicles; and a replica of a Ford Model T customized to look like a green goblin."

So It's Come to This

Anna and the Astronaut Trigger a Week of Tabloid News | Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ)

The bosomy blonde’s demise consumed a staggering 50% of the cable newshole PEJ examined on February 8 and 9. Those are levels reminiscent of those pre-9/11 celebrity sagas—think Princess Di and JFK Jr.

The story lines ran from police procedural to racy, with a little bit of moralizing about celebrity culture—what killed her, who fathered her infant, and where her money would go. The February 9 headline in the New York Post, “CSI Probe in Siren Shocker,” seemed to sum it up.

Had it fallen more in the middle of the week, the Smith coverage, which made up 9% of the newshole in just two days, would have doubtless knocked news of events in Iraq out of the No. 2 spot in the news (at 10%) and come close to knocking out the debate at home over Iraq strategy as the No. 1 story of the week (it made up 12%). It was enough to overshadow what had been a good tale of sex and almost murder that preceded it —news that diaper-clad astronaut Lisa Nowak allegedly tried to kill a romantic rival. Nowak still made the Index’s top five story list (6%). Coverage of the 2008 White House race, which got a boost from Rudy Giuliani’s statement of candidacy, was the fourth biggest story at 8%.

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Oh. My. God.

Hardy Men: Cruise, Stiller take on Boys | Entertainment | Reuters: "LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Cruise and Ben Stiller are teaming up for 'Hardy Men,' a buddy action comedy based on the fictional teen sleuths known as the Hardy Boys.

The long-in-development project sees the Hardy Boys grown up but not speaking to each other, having been estranged for many years. They are forced to overcome sibling rivalry when they reunite to solve a mystery."

The 100 Greatest Love Songs

Thanks to the ever vigilant Jeff Meyerson for the link.

New York Daily News - Home - The 100 Greatest Love Songs: "Some may find them smug, or sappy, or overplayed. But the songs here have probably made more lovers misty than any music in memory. So how did we go about compiling this list of all-time hand-holding odes? Eligible songs had to have endured at least a decade in the public consciousness, if not two or three. And they had to have been popular enough to have ranked among the top 20 pop songs in whatever year they were released.

These aren't necessarily the sexiest songs. If they had been, you'd see cuts by James Brown and Prince. But they are all classic serenades to a love achieved, the kind of songs meant to make listeners swoon."

The Stuff of Dreams

Maltese Falcon swiped from SF restaurant: "It's been nearly 80 years since Sam Spade wandered the streets of San Francisco in search of the Maltese Falcon. Now, the statue is missing again.

John Konstin, the owner of San Francisco's John's Grill on Ellis Street, said someone broke into a locked cabinet on the second floor of his establishment and took a signed reproduction of the Maltese Falcon -- one used for publicity stills for the movie -- along with several vintage and signed books by and about Maltese Falcon author Dashiell Hammett.

Konstin said the theft was noticed Saturday afternoon. He guesses the theft took place sometime late Friday night or in the early morning hours of Saturday.

The black statue was signed by actor Elisha Cook Jr., a San Franciscan who played the role of Wilmer the Gunsel in the movie. He presented it to the restaurant after Konstin and San Francisco private investigator Jack Immendorf failed in their attempt to buy the original bird that was used in the movie.

Police have been summoned to the scene of the broken cabinet on the second floor of the restaurant, and Konstin has offered a $25,000 reward for return of the statue and books."

Anna Nicole Smith Update -- Yet Another Candidate for Fatherhood?

My Way News - Anna Nicole Smith, Official Photographed: "NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) - A newspaper published two photographs on its front page Monday showing Anna Nicole Smith lying in bed fully clothed in a romantic embrace with the Bahamian immigration minister, who approved her application for permanent residency.

Immigration Minister Shane Gibson has come under criticism from the political opposition for giving the former Playboy Playmate special treatment in granting Smith residency in the Bahamas last year. Smith died Thursday in Florida.

The residency application was based on Smith's purported ownership of a waterfront mansion. But G. Ben Thompson, a South Carolina developer who once dated Smith, has said he had not given Smith the house as a gift as her lawyers have asserted. Thompson is attempting to reclaim the house."

Anna Nicole Smith Update -- The List Gets Longer

9NEWS - Entertainment - Article - Then there were 5: Bodyguard says he may be father: "LOS ANGELES (AP) – A former bodyguard who worked for Anna Nicole Smith said on Monday that it’s possible he is the father of infant Dannielynn Smith.

Alexander Denk, who had worked as a bodyguard for Smith, told the television newsmagazine 'Extra' that he had an affair with Smith, and that it's possible he is the father.

Denk's attorney, Cyrus Nownejad, did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment. Ron Rale, a lawyer for Smith, also did not immediately return a message. "

The War with the Gizmos -- Murray Leinster

Murray Leinster was at one time known as "The Dean of Science Fiction," having started writing the stuff before there was any such thing and having continued to write it well past the middle of the 20th century. He wrote a little of everything, including what I'd call horror SF, like this novel that capitalizes on the '50s monster craze. It's a wonder that American-International didn't latch onto this book for a quick B&W cheapie with Ray Milland. It has everything: a small cast, a threat to all life on earth, and invisible monsters, which would have been a huge plus. You can't have a cheaper monster for film than an invisible one.

No doubt current readers would find the book hopelessly dated both in style and content. Leinster begins with eight or so pages of no dialogue, and when the dialogue comes, it's nearly always tagged (at least twice in the book, someone utters something zesfully). Leinster even uses passive voice. He does plenty of telling rather than showing. Some of the phrasing, maybe more than some, is pretty old-fashioned.

None of that bothers me at all, of course. I have no trouble reading books from another era and accepting their various styles. I can read Dickens with pleasure, and Shakespeare too, not that I'm claiming Leinster's in their league. (I sometimes think that when we complain something is "dated" the comment says more about us than about the material.)

As for the plot, well, it's about these sentient gases that started killing animals and are now killing humans. It's quite likely that these are the creatures that our ancestors thought of as demons, and for some reason they've suddenly started to reproduce at an incredible rapid rate. They're discovered by an oddly assorted group, and naturally no one believes them, not even when the deaths begin to multiply alarmingly. It's all fairly ridiculous, but Leinster manages to make it almost believable. I'm sure I must have read this when it first appeared back in 1958, but I didn't remember. It was fun and fast, and I'm glad I read it again. After all, how many books do you read in which smoking can save your life?

Bob Dylan Wins One for Us Old Guys

Bob Dylan wins two Grammys - Yahoo! News: "'Modern Times,' his first album since 'Love and Theft,' debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts last September. At 65, Dylan became the oldest living person to achieve this feat."

Anna Nicole Smith Update

FOXNews.com - Zsa Zsa Gabor's Husband to File Paternity Challenge Over Anna Nicole Smith's Daughter - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment: "Prince Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of Zsa Zsa Gabor, told the Associated Press he plans to file a paternity challenge in court this week to gain custody of Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter, even if it costs him his marriage.

'I'm going to make the DNA test,' he said. 'If the court rules in my favor, I will go to the Bahamas and pick up the child.'

Von Anhalt, 59, and Gabor, 90, have been married for more than 20 years. The news of her husband's alleged affair has deeply upset Gabor, according to von Anhalt.

'She says, of course, 'If you bring a baby home then it's over,'' he said. 'If my wife wants to divorce me then it's up to her.'"

Hank Bauer, R. I. P.

Former Yankees OF Hank Bauer Dies at 84

NEW YORK - Hank Bauer, the hard-nosed ex-Marine who returned to baseball after being wounded during World War II and went on to become a cornerstone of the New York Yankees dynasty of the 1950s, died Friday. He was 84. Bauer died of cancer in Shawnee Mission, Kan., said the Baltimore Orioles. Bauer managed the 1966 Orioles to their first World Series title.

A three-time All-Star outfielder, Bauer played on Yankees teams that won nine American League pennants and seven World Series in 10 years. He set the Series record with a 17-game hitting streak, a mark that still stands.

"Hank Bauer is an emblem of a generation that helped shape the landscape of our country," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said in a statement. "He was a natural leader and a teammate in every sense of the word, and his contributions went well beyond the baseball field. His service to the Yankees, his country, and his family shows why I have been so privileged to call him a friend."

Surrounded by sluggers such as Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, Bauer was a major ingredient in the Yankees' success during his years in New York from 1948-59.

"I am truly heartbroken," Berra said in a statement issued by the Yankees. "Hank was a wonderful teammate and friend for so long. Nobody was more dedicated and proud to be a Yankee, he gave you everything he had."

Your Chance to Help

A Dark Planet: Magnetic ribbons won't help these guys.

So I'm sending out a call to all the people who read this blog. I want you to send books. More important, if you blog and I know most of you do, I'm asking you to post Brett's address at your place and ask your readers to send books. Paperbacks are probably best, but hardbacks are fine, too.

For those who don't know, there are some restrictions. You can't send porn (I'm looking at you, Stephen) and there's some restriction against religious evangelism that I don't think will be a problem here.

I don't ask much of this crowd. I give and give, always for your amusement and edification. Oh, sure, I urge you to buy a book every now and then, and occassionally I invite you to say something that would derail any potential political career you're considering, but other than those small sacrifices you're pretty much free to come and go as you please.

But not today. Today I'm asking you to step up. You can send your books to me and I'll forward them, or you can send them direct. And please, if you want to do something more than slap one of those three-dollar magnets on your car, pass this address along to fans, friends and family.

I know you guys won't let me down.

Here is Brett's address:

Cpt. Brett Sachse, MD
240 Med Det 28 CSH
APO AE 09348

Here is my address:

David Terrenoire
5 Chipley Ct.
Durham, NC 27703

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Anna Nicole Smith Update

Thanks again to Jeff Meyerson.

New York Daily News - Home - I can't believe it's not Methadone!: "Anna Nicole Smith was popping at least 10 different kinds of pills when she died in a Florida hotel - and had undergone at least two breast surgeries since giving birth five months ago, an explosive new report said yesterday.

The voluptuous diva became 'very tired, very weak' after the last breast surgery and may have died from interactions among the numerous medications she took to ease the pain, MSNBC's Rita Cosby reported.

Used containers of pills littered Smith's bedside table at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel, where the 39-year-old pinup died Thursday, Cosby said."

Who Wants to Carry around a Pocket Full of These?

Presidential $1 Coin: "The United States is honoring our Nation’s presidents by issuing $1 circulating coins featuring their images in the order that they served, beginning with Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison in 2007. The United States Mint will mint and issue four Presidential $1 Coins per year, and each will have a reverse design featuring a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. These coins will feature larger, more dramatic artwork, as well as edge-incused inscriptions of the year of minting or issuance, 'E Pluribus Unum,' 'In God We Trust' and the mint mark. Although the size, weight and metal composition of the new Presidential $1 Coin will be identical to that of the Sacagawea Golden Dollar, there are several unique features that make this coin distinctive."

NYC's 100 Most Romantic Movies

Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.

New York Daily News - Home - NYC's 100 most romantic movies: "February is a tough time to live in New York - unless it's around Valentine's Day, and then you start thinking about the great film romances set in the city.

The mushy movie montage everyone has in their heads includes personal favorites as well as classic images. But to compile the Daily News' 100 most romantic New York movies, we were looking for films that also felt like the city. These 100 capture a little of what it's like to live and love here."

Someone Asked Me if I was Going to Blog This

No.

Top 15 Trailer Remixes

TrailerSpy - Who Says You Can’t Judge a Movie By Its Trailer? » The Top 15 Trailer Remixes of All-Time

Recutting trailers is a time-honored YouTube tradition. With a little creative editing, you can completely alter the face of a movie, turning it into something totally different. We sifted through hundreds of Trailer Remixes, and compiled what we believe are the best of the best. Hope you enjoy…

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Anna Nicole Smith -- Will the Persecution Never End?

New York Daily News - Home - 'Only her Texas twang was real': "The Anna Nicole Smith who boasted a 42-26-38 figure at her most outrageous and became an object of lust and desire to legions of American men was not born - she was made.

The real Smith started out in podunk Texas as flat-chested, dark-haired, unlovely Vickie Lynn Hogan with an abusive father, a hapless mother - and zero prospects.

How Smith managed to defy both her circumstances and Mother Nature and transform herself from Texas trailer trash into an international sex symbol is the subject of a scathing unpublished biography by writer Stacy Brown with the late sexpot's half-sister, Donna Hogan.

It's appropriately entitled 'Train Wreck.'

'This is a Horatio Alger story with a dark side,' the manuscript quotes Hogan saying. 'Anna claims she has had no plastic surgery; we have the evidence that everything about her but her trademark Texas country twang is manufactured - breasts, lips, weight loss.'"

The fans still love her, however.

Monday on "It's a Mystery"

From Beth Foxwell: Monday's "It's a Mystery" will feature an interview with author Deborah Crombie, whose latest mystery featuring Scotland Yard superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Met inspector Gemma James is Water Like a Stone, where Kincaid's sister discovers the mummified corpse of an infant in a building she is renovating.

In addition, in honor of the Feb 9th birthday of author Anthony Hope, I'll be airing part 1 of a radio production of The Prisoner of Zenda starring Ronald Colman, and selections from _Chinatown_ and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in honor of the Feb 10th birthday of composer Jerry Goldsmith.

"It's a Mystery" is Webcast on Mondays at 11 AM ET on WEBR.

50 Men Who Really Understand Women

If you're a guy and you're reading this, your name isn't on the list. Neither is mine.

The 50 men who really understand women | Woman | The Observer: "The 50 men who really understand women

We asked a panel of female authors, politicians, and media and business powers to nominate the men they believed best understood women. Their choices were diverse, contradictory, surprising and controversial. And the winners are ... "

Tales from Deadwood: The Killers -- Mike Jameson

I've expressed my liking for the earlier books in this series here and here. And probably everybody knows that Mike Jameson is really this guy. This time out he takes on one of the most famous episodes of the Old West, the killing of Wild Bill Hickok, and he does a terrific job of it. You could just read the book for this bit of writing, which is the centerpiece, but there's plenty more, as some of the plot threads from previous books come together in ways that might surprise you.

I've heard rumors that this might be the last book in the series. I'd be sorry if the rumors were true, but if they are, there's thematic support for them. Deadwood is changing, and there are more departures than arrivals in the story, giving it an appropriately elegiac tone.

This whole series is highly recommended and contains some of the author's best writing to my of thinking. You should start with the first book and read them in order if possible. Check 'em out, the sooner, the better.

Oversight Corrected

Keen-eyed Harry Whittington expert David Wilson sent an e-mail to say that my Harry Whittington flickr gallery was missing a cover scan of The Strange Young Wife, published under Whittington's Kel Holland pen-name. I don't know how the book got left out, but it's there now. And it's here now, too.

Gator Update

Thanks to Jeff (Gator) Meyerson for the tip.



iWon News - Deputies Find Alligator During Drug Bust

BUCKLEY, Wash. (AP) - Pierce County sheriff's deputies were startled when they entered a house near here during a drug bust and found- an alligator.

"It's alarming in that it's big enough and its mouth looked big enough, that if it were to bite it would definitely do some serious damage," sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said of the 4-foot-long alligator.

Sheriff's officers said they believed the alligator belonged to one of two men arrested in Friday's raid. He will also face investigation for illegal possession of an exotic animal as well as drug allegations.

As for the alligator, deputies contacted animal services, which turned it over to an animal rescue group called Predators of the Heart. A rescue group representative said the alligator was in good condition.

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Anna Nicole Smith Update

New York Daily News - Home - Shots before dying

Anna seen pounding booze, and her room was full of pills

BY ANGELA MOSCONI in Hollywood, Fla.
and CARRIE MELAGO in New York
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

It's a scene similar to those that reportedly preceded her death. In these photos from 1995, the party girl balances a shot glass inside her T-shirt ...
... then dramatically empties it ...
... without using her hands.
Yesterday Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, had a tearful interview on 'Good Morning America,' in which she blamed drugs for her daughter's death.
Anna Nicole Smith's final days were a booze-fueled frenzy that ended in a hotel room so stocked with meds that it resembled a "pharmacist's shop," according to reports.

While an autopsy performed yesterday could not immediately determine what killed Smith, witnesses who saw the troubled bombshell in the days before her death say she was partying and falling-down drunk.

A bouncer at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, where Smith later died, said the centerfold was drinking into the early morning on Tuesday.

"I saw two guys walking her out. She was pretty much all trashed. She was messed up. She couldn't walk on her own. ... Her bouncer was on one side and her lawyer friend on the other," the bouncer said.

Just hours before she died, Smith was back at the Hard Rock's 24-hour Center Bar in the middle of the casino floor.

A bartender named Mike told the Daily News that Smith was tossing back double shots.

"Her eyes were droopy. It looked like she was really, really drunk. She was slurring her speech. She looked plastered," he said.

Mike said fans surrounded Smith that night, snapping pictures of her as she laughed and downed drinks.

"She talked to a few people but she was mostly concentrating on the drinking," he said. "She was wasted out of her mind, but that's the Anna Nicole me and my friends have grown to know."

Smith's hard-partying ways appeared to extend into her posh suite on the sixth floor of the hotel.

A source told Star magazine that entering the room was like "walking into a pharmacist's shop." Outfitted with a canopy bed, tall plants and leopard-print hangers, the room was filled with prescription medication including Xanax, Provigil, Vicodin and "a ... lot of methadone," Star reported.

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Winter Issue of Helix On-Line

Have I mentioned that the Winter Issue of Helix SF is now on-line? Well, I should have. There's a great line-up of writers, so check it out.

Baby Got Back, Gilbert & Sullivan Style

Will Someone Send this Woman a Ticket to Tacoma? Cap'n Bob Is Waiting

ELLE MACPHERSON - MACPHERSON I CANT GET A DATE: "Supermodel ELLE MACPHERSON is desperate for a man in her life, but is struggling to find anyone who will go out on a date with her. The Australian beauty, who is nicknamed The Body, has been celibate for two years, and is still single despite attempting to chat up guys herself in a bid to get a date. She moans, 'I just don't get men hitting on me. It's crazy - but apart from a brief romantic intermission last summer, I have been single and celibate for two years. How boring is that? 'I'm a hopeless flirt. I'll go up to a guy and say, 'I think you are so beautiful,' but it doesn't work.' "

We're #1!

Texas City *cough, hack* is about 20 miles from my house.

Group Names Top 10 Polluting Refineries - Newsday.com: "The Washington-based advocacy group also released a list of the top 10 most polluting refineries in the country, based on an analysis of 2004 emissions data from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Topping the list, with nearly 2.1 million pounds of carcinogens such as benzene and formaldehyde was BP PLC's refinery in Texas City, Texas, though the advocacy group said that number was skewed dramatically upward due to a one-time release of nearly 2 million pounds of formaldehyde in 2004. "

Call Me Mr. Generous

I just keep giving away these great ideas for novels.

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Metro -- It's just what the doctor ordered: paid advice for the prison-bound: "Dr. Prison is a consulting business, based in La Mesa and run by a San Diego man, that coaches men and women who are about to serve sentences in jail or prison. Dr. Prison teaches them how to talk, how to carry themselves, how to make allies and how to avoid making enemies. Really, how to survive.

“Dr. Prison's mission is to help you avoid being physically hurt, extorted, or possibly killed in prison,” the business says on its Web site, www.drprison.com."

Lee Hoffman, R. I. P.

Lee Hoffman was a well-known SF fan and the author of a number of very good novels, including a Spur-award-winning western. There's a lot of interesting info about her at the link.

Lee Hoffman: "Lee Hoffman is one of those marvelous people who defy being categorized. Her fascinating life has spanned a wide spectrum of human endeavors. Amateur archaeologist, artist, author, horsewoman, race car inspector, where does one begin? You might find her sipping wine in New York or sampling the waters of the Okeefenokee Swamp. If you find her relaxing in front of a radio, she may be listening to folk music or to police dispatches. The clack-clacking in the next room might be Lee writing a novel, or disassembling the typewriter to see how it works. Read on to find out more about this renaissance woman."

Anna Nicole Smith, R. I. P.

Anna Nicole Smith's name wasn't even Anna when she lived in Mexia, Texas, my hometown. She was in my brother's biology class, and he said she was a very quiet girl who sat in the back of the classroom, not particularly attractive. I suspect that she wasn't his star pupil.

Everyone knows that she worked at Jim's Crispy Fried Chicken, married early, and went to Houston, where she changed the color of her hair (and perhaps had a few other augmentations), posed for some photos, and became famous. I expect that she achieved a success beyond her wildest imaginings, and she was hardly equipped to deal with it. If you saw any of her TV reality show, you know what the real Beverly Hillbillies would be like: a lot more sad than funny.

I suppose her early death was more or less to be expected, considering the tales of drug abuse that followed her around. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that her drug use had increased after the death of her son. The story of her life and career isn't tragic. It's more like pathetic. I hope her infant daughter gets some of those many millions that Anna Nicole has fought for in court for so long.

My brother doesn't like to talk to people about Anna Nicole. I just heard from him, and he has declined an on-camera interview with a Waco channel about Anna's death. He's implied to me that most people in Mexia are sort of ashamed of her. I think that's entirely the wrong attitude. To me, she's a great American story.

Anna Nicole Smith Update

It was bad, all right.



BREITBART.COM - Anna Nicole Smith Dies

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith died Thursday after collapsing at a hotel and being being rushed to the hospital, one of her lawyers said.

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Anna Nicole Smith Update

This sounds bad.

KWTX | Anna Nicole Smith Found Unconscious In Hotel Room: "(February 8, 2007)—CBS News was reporting Thursday afternoon that one-time Mexia chicken restaurant waitress turned Playboy model turned heiress turned reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith has been found unconscious in her hotel room at the Hard Rock Cafe and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.

CNN reported CPR was performed at the scene.

A fire department spokesman told MSNBC TV Smith was unresponsive.

Access Hollywood reports Smith was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital and that she was on a respirator as she was placed in the ambulance.

The report comes a day after Smith and the diet company TrimSpa were targeted in a class-action lawsuit that alleges TrimSpa's marketing is false or misleading."

New/Old Webzine

I read on Jim Winter's blog that Nefarious Tales was back, and sure enough, it is. Click here.

In Case you Missed These. . .

ASME's Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years

On October 17, 2005, the 40 greatest magazine covers of the last 40 years were unveiled at the 2005 American Magazine Conference (AMC) in Puerto Rico, by Mark Whitaker, Editor of Newsweek and President of American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME), and AMC Chairman Evan Smith, Editor of Texas Monthly.

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Hard Case Crime Goes Hollywood!

More good news from Charles Ardai at HCC:

Some of you have seen the attached article that ran in Variety yesterday; for those of you who haven't, I'm attaching it below. The gist of it is that we've hooked up with Papazian-Hirsch, the producers of (among many other things over the past 30+ years) the outstanding HBO series "Rome," to create a series of Hard Case Crime movies. These are early days yet, so just how many films will get made or which of our books they'll be based on is still up in the air -- but we definitely feel we're in good hands, and will keep you posted as things begin developing.

Meanwhile, in a less noteworthy but still fun bit of film-related news, if you pick up the new DVD edition of "Ocean's 11" that's coming out later this year and turn to the DVD extras, you'll find a documentary about heist pictures and heist novels featuring interviews with a number of our authors, including Jason Starr (BUST), Peter Pavia (DUTCH UNCLE), and yours truly [Charles Ardai]. While I don't think the three of us will give Clooney, Pitt, and Damon any serious competition in terms of sheer on-camera charisma, it's a treat to be part of the crew, even in a small way...

The Xanadu Talisman -- Peter O'Donnell

What could be more fun to read than a Modesty Blaise novel? Hardly anything, if you're in the right mood. This one's kicked off by an incredible coincidence, and in the first 8 pages Modesty has to deal with "an earthquake, entombment, a fight with a killer, and an attempt to save a stranger from bleeding to death." Top that, if you can.

As we all know, no good deed goes unpunished, and saving the stranger leads Modesty into all sorts of difficulties, all of them entertaining, to wit: homicidal twins, an evil nannie mastermind, flamethrowers, a panther, fights to the death, deeply buried memories, a treasure beyond price, and more derring-do than you can shake a whip at. There's also another incredible coincidence, but in a book like this that kind of thing doesn't bother me in the least.

Peter O'Donnell is an outrageously entertaining writer, and he whisks you from one exotic setting to another with the ease of a born storyteller. I have only four or five Modesty Blaise novels, so I have to space them out carefully. If you're lucky enough to have one that you haven't read, now might be the time.

Oh, Frabjous Day

Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind:
[When he died, Spillane] had just finished a novel called The Last Stand, which is not a crime novel, more an adventure novel in the Something’s Down There vein. It’s a good book but not typical Spillane in content (although typically Spillane in theme), and we--Jane and I--did not want this to be the first book to appear after Mickey’s passing. So Dead Street, which is about a tough cop in retirement, seemed perfect.

And now, those novels - which will be completed and edited by Collins - have found a home with Harcourt, specifically Otto Penzler's imprint. Publishers Weekly reports that Penzler acquired world rights to THE GOLIATH BONE, KING OF WEEDS as well as a third Hammer novel, THE BIG BANG from Dominick Abel. Look for BONE to be out in Spring 2008, with the others to follow thereafter.

Go Over the Part about How He Recognized her Again, Please

IDSnews.com: "Lit up by a series of blacklights that reflect off walls splashed with neon Jackson Pollack-esque paint, a student dancer who calls herself Portia spins around on a pole at Night Moves in Bloomington. As she strips, her panties accidentally come undone in front of one of her professors who's visiting the club. Suddenly, Portia's dual identity of student by day, stripper by night, is as exposed as her privates.

She's one of 10 students among the club's 35

dancers, working to earn enough money in tips to cover books and tuition.

Though tips can be high, working as a dancer while being a full-time student still has its downsides, from both a social and an academic perspective.

Balancing herself upside down while spreading her legs on a pole appears to be easier than balancing working late at night and getting up early for class.

'It's hard to get up for your 8 a.m. after giving lap dances until 3:30 a.m.,' said Portia, a junior. 'By the time you get home, it's almost time for class.' "

100 Best (and Worsst) SF TV Shows

Check 'em out here, and let the arguments begin.

Anna Nicole Smith Update

ANNA NICOLE SMITH - BIRKHEAD COMES CLEAN ABOUT ANNA NICOLES MISCARRIAGE: "Photographer LARRY BIRKHEAD's TV attacks on ex-lover ANNA NICOLE SMITH became really serious last night (06FEB07) when he accused the busty blonde of drinking while pregnant. Birkhead, who is fighting to prove he's the biological father of Smith's baby daughter DANNIELYNN, shocked America while appearing on a recent LARRY KING LIVE when he revealed his ex miscarried their first child together. Smith has since denied she has ever been pregnant with the photographer's child - a claim that has upset Birkhead, prompting him to respond with allegations his former partner once drank at a party and then bounced on a trampoline - while pregnant. He told last night's ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT news show in America he was shocked when he found his pregnant girlfriend intoxicated. Birkhead recalled, 'She says, 'It's not gonna hurt me, it's not gonna hurt the baby,' and then I looked down again, about an hour later and she's had so much alcohol that she's jumping up and down on a trampoline. '(She's) bouncing on her bottom and flying up in the air... Who does that when they're pregnant? And then a few days later, they said she had a miscarriage and (her attorney) HOWARD (K STERN) called me and said she fell off a ladder."

CSPI Picks the Best and Worst Fast Foods ~ Newsroom ~ News from CSPI

Ummmmmm, cheese. Fries. Shakes.

CSPI Picks the Best and Worst Fast Foods ~ Newsroom ~ News from CSPI: "Fast-food menus are getting better ... and worse, says the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

Burger King swept the Worst category with its Double Whopper with Cheese, French Fries, Old Fashioned Ice Cream Shake, Hash Browns, and Value Meals. But Burger King also sells two items in the Best category–the Chicken Whopper Jr. and BK Veggie Burger. McDonald’s Fruit ’n Yogurt Parfait, Wendy’s Mandarin Chicken Salad, and Subway’s Low-fat Subs were also among the Best."

Glen & Gary & Glen & Ross

A VERY NOT SAFE FOR WORK mashup. Don't say I didn't want you not to click here. If you do click, turn off the sound.

Frankie Laine, R. I. P.

Frankie Laine was one of the greats. Don't believe it? Just listen to a few of his songs. When I was a little kid, he was everywhere on radio, and pretty much a part of the national consciousness. For better or worse, I absorbed a few dozen of his hits, so many that it would hard to pick a favorite. "Moonlight Gambler" is near the top of the list, though. I'll be listening to that one today, along with quite a few others, in memory of a fine voice and singer.

Update: Thanks to Todd Mason for this link to a nice NPR tribute.

FRANKIE LAINE: 1913-2007 / Pop singer -- sang 'Rawhide' theme

(02-07) 04:00 PST San Diego -- Frankie Laine, the singer with the booming voice who hit it big with such songs as "That Lucky Old Sun," "Mule Train," "Cool Water," "I Believe," "Granada" and "Moonlight Gambler," died Tuesday at age 93.

Laine entered Mercy Hospital over the weekend for hip replacement surgery but suffered complications from the operation, said his friend A.C. Lyles, the longtime producer at Paramount Pictures who announced Laine's death.

In all, Laine sold well over 100 million records and was hugely popular not only in the United States but also in Britain and Australia.

Even after his popularity crested with the rise of rock 'n' roll, Laine was heard for many years singing the theme to the TV series "Rawhide," which featured Clint Eastwood.

Most of those who remember Laine for his biggest hits would hardly know that his body of work included "Baby That Ain't Right," "Rosetta" and many other songs that were more in the style of what Laine considered his roots: jazz and blues.

"Years before Elvis Presley, Laine brought a potent blend of blues, jazz and country to popular music," jazz critic Don Heckman said. "Rarely acknowledged in Laine's work, he sang with the easy, loose phrasing and imaginative articulation of jazz performers."

House of Flying Daggers

This is a movie so pretty you could turn off the sound and the subtitles and just sit there and look at it. Two big scenes are worth watching more than once. The first is at the beginning of the movie, when a blind dancer plays the "echo game" in a brothel. The second comes about three-quarters of the way in as two lovers are pursued in a bamboo forest.

The movie's not just pretty, however. It does have a plot. I thought it would be a martial arts fantasy adventure. It turned out to be a martial arts fantasy romance.

It has all the trappings of adventure: the emperor is corrupt and weak, and a secret society (the Flying Daggers) opposes him. A young cop is assigned by his friend to cozy up to the blind dancer by rescuing her from jail. They hope she will lead them to the Flying Daggers. But things, as often, aren't what they seem, and people aren't who they seem to be, either.

The plot revelations would have been better if spread out through the movie instead of being lumped into about five minutes of it, but who cares? It's not about the plot, anyway. It's about the beautifully choreographed battles and individual fights, about the impressive scenery, about the costumes and the color and the movement.

Walter Satterthwait told me that this movie had "a jolly ending." Walter's a card. Check it out for yourself.

Killers Kill, Dead Men Die

Vince Keenan posted this link to rara-avis but he hasn't put it on his blog yet. (Or I missed it.) So I'll steal it for mine. Video is at the link, and it's very cool. It'll make you want to run out and buy Vanity Fair.

Update: Todd Mason likes this link better. Check 'em both out.

Killers Kill, Dead Men Die: The 2007 Hollywood Portfolio: Entertainment & Culture: vanityfair.com: "Menace behind every shadow … fear in every dimly lit scene! For this year's Hollywood Issue, Annie Leibovitz and Michael Roberts created a film noir masterpiece to die for. The spectacular 33-page portfolio is in the March issue, about to hit newsstands."

The cast: Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Jessica Alba, Pedro Almodóvar, Alec Baldwin, Adam Beach, Jessica Biel, Abigail Breslin, Jennifer Connelly, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Kirsten Dunst, Aaron Eckhart, James Franco, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Hudson, Anjelica Huston, Rinko Kikuchi, Diane Lane, Derek Luke, Tobey Maguire, James McAvoy, Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore, Jack Nicholson, Bill Nighy, Ed Norton, Peter O'Toole, Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, Kerry Washington, Naomi Watts, Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Patrick Wilson, Kate Winslet, Evan Rachel Wood.

Video narrator: Ben Shenkman. Music: "Blue Dahlia." Composed by John "Scrapper" Sneider. Produced by Frank Aloi. Performed by the Film Noir Project. Courtesy of JSM Music Inc. Video producer: David Schisgall.

Anna Nicole Smith Update

TimesDispatch.com | AP News: "LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith and TrimSpa Inc. have been sued in a class-action lawsuit alleging their marketing of a weight-loss pill is false or misleading.

Janet Luna and three people identified as her guardians were named in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges deceptive business practices and a violation of California's unfair competition law.

They are asking for unspecified damages, restitution and an injunction preventing Smith and New Jersey-based TrimSpa, maker of TrimSpa X32, from making claims that users of the pills can lose substantial amounts of weight.

Smith, 39, has endorsed TrimSpa and is a spokeswoman."

Trekkies Geeked Out about License Plate

On George Takei's limo on Heroes last night.

I'd Rather Shop for Clothes

Whereas some would rather read a good book.

Love is ... a pair of really good jeans - Yahoo! News: "NEW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters Life!) - For most women, the choice between sex and a new wardrobe is simple -- they go for the clothes.

Women on average say they would be willing to give up sex for 15 months for a closet full of new apparel, with 2 percent ready to abstain from sex for three years in exchange for new duds, according to a new survey of about 1,000 women in 10 U.S. cities.

Sixty-one percent of women polled said it would be worse to lose their favorite article of clothing than give up sex for a month."

Ah, Democracy

U.S. military: Iraqi lawmaker is U.S. Embassy bomber� - CNN.com: "BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A man sentenced to death in Kuwait for the 1983 bombings of the U.S. and French embassies now sits in Iraq's parliament as a member of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's ruling coalition, according to U.S. military intelligence.

Jamal Jafaar Mohammed's seat in parliament gives him immunity from prosecution. Washington says he supports Shiite insurgents and acts as an Iranian agent in Iraq."

I'd Rather Read a Good Book

And you can buy one right here.

Sky News: When Sex Is Not Enough: "Most adults would prefer to cuddle up with a good book at bedtime rather than make love to their partner.

A survey of 2,000 people showed lovemaking was fourth in a list of 'favourite activities' when hitting the sack, behind reading, watching TV - and going to sleep.

Women were more likely to prefer to read at night, according to the survey by hotel chain Travelodge.

The most popular books of the moment were The Da Vinci Code, Lord of the Rings, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and Treasure Island.

Travelodge spokesman Wayne Munnelly said: 'Reading is the perfect way to wind down at the end of the day.

'Anxiety levels will drop as it provides a gentle distraction, pushing any worries out of your mind which will ultimately help you relax and fall asleep.'"

Bob Randisi Update Update

This just in: Vince Van Patten is appearing on Fox News Live on Wednesday, February 21 at 10:00 AM, not February 10 as stated in the previous post. Check it out.

Happy Birthday, Claude King!

Having just mentioned Claude King's recording of "The Comancheros" in connection with Stuart Whitman's birthday a few days ago, I still almost missed this opportunity to wish King a happy 84th birthday here on the 5th. The Whitman mention and the lyrics to "The Comancheros" are here. And of course I remember "Wolverton Mountain" and others. King also appeared in a movie called Swamp Girl. How could I have missed that one?

Croc Update

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Crocodile disrupts swimming class: "A group of schoolchildren in Australia's Northern Territory has had a lucky escape.

They turned up at a Darwin pool early this morning to find that a crocodile had got there first.

The children noticed a dark shape in a shaded corner which then scuttled across the lawn and into the public pool.

Amid screams and shrieks, they quickly realised the shape in question was a crocodile.

The 1.6 metre reptile remained under water for more than two hours before it was tackled by a catcher who managed to tie it up, lift it from the pool and then take it to a nearby crocodile farm."

Fifteen Geek Movies to see before You Die

TechBlog: Fifteen geek movies to see before you die: "Fifteen geek movies to see before you die

I am as much a film geek as a tech geek. In a previous life, I reviewed music and movies, and had lots more fun with the latter. If someone offered me a film-review job that paid my mortgage, I'd take it in a second, but I have a feeling that will remain a part of my past rather than become my future.

Sadly, most of the film reviews I wrote back then are not online . . . I'd love to share the absolutely horrible review I wrote of The Story of O for the Daily Texan, circa 1975. But alas . . .

Geeks and movies go together quite nicely. I've been thinking about films that reflect tech and geek culture, and have pulled together a list of 15 movies that should probably be on any geek's must-see list.

These are in no particular order, except that the first one is my No. 1 Must-Watch-for-Geek-Cred film."

I've seen 14 of these.

Happy Birthday, Margaret Millar!

The Bunburyist: "Author Margaret Millar, the wife of Lew Archer creator Ross Macdonald, was born on February 5, 1915. She died in 1994. Millar won an Edgar for Beast in View in 1956; other notable works include How Like an Angel and Beyond This Point are Monsters."

Permanent Housing -- Buy Now!

Missile Bases :: 20th Century Castles, Unique underground properties.

Thanks for your interests in our unique underground properties. Built at a cost of millions, these heavily reinforced historic structures were designed to withstand nuclear attack. They bring new meaning to the word "shelter". Centuries from now they will remain.

Very few of these first generation missile sites were built. All other sites decommissioned after 1965 are being destroyed to conform to international treaty agreements. No more structures of this size and strength are being built. Most of these properties are rough after 30 years of neglect, but with some clean up and reconstruction inside, their grandeur is restored.

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Top 10 Best Cleavages In Hollywood

Top 10 Best Cleavages In Hollywood | Frostfire: I report, you decide.

Scots Are the Grots

The Sun Online - News: The Scots are the grots!

SCOTS are the dirtiest people in Britain, according to a new survey.

A list of cities where folk wash least often was topped by Aberdeen, with Edinburgh and Glasgow next.



Don't mention this to Sunshine.

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Wardrobe Malfunction?

Anybody besides me think this looks as if, well, okay, maybe it's just me.

Eggs-citing News

Fossilised dinosaur eggs found in MP : HindustanTimes.com: "n a remarkable feat, three amateur explorers have stumbled upon more than 100 fossilised eggs of dinosaurs in Madhya Pradesh. The eggs, belonging to the Cretaceous Era (approximately 144 to 65 million years ago), have been discovered in Kukshi-Bagh area of Dhar district, some 150 kms south-west of Indore.

The rare find is a significant step in the study of the pre-historic life in Narmada Valley.

'All the eggs were discovered from a single nesting site in a start to end exploration for 18 hours at the site in Kukshi-Bagh area, 40 kms from Manavar. As many as 6-8 eggs were found per nests,' an excited Vishal Verma of the Mangal Panchayatan Parishad, a group of amateur explorers, told Hindustan Times from near the site.

'The eggs are from upper cretaceous era when the dinosaurs were yet to be extinct. These eggs can be categorised in three types of soropaud dinosaurs, which were herbivorous. These animals used to come from far away areas to lay eggs on the sandy banks of the rivers in this area, identified scientifically as Lameta bed,' Verma said."

Key quote: "The eggs are from upper cretaceous era when the dinosaurs were yet to be extinct."

Gee. Ya think?

Bob Randisi Update

Bob Randisi is the author of more books than I can count, much less consider writing. He's been publishing stories and novels for well over 25 years under many different names, but lately things have started to break his way for novels done under his real moniker. Here's a little update from Bob:

"Vince Van Patten will be appearing on Fox News Live on Sat. Feb 21, 10:00 Pacific time, specifically to discuss our Texas Hold'em mystery The Picasso Flop. With a little bit of luck he'll even mention my name.

Also, my first Rat Pack book shipped so well and was reviewed well enough for SMP to want two more. That's four, counting the one I just delivered. The first two are Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime and Luck Be a Lady, Don't Die. The third will be Hey There, You with the Gun in Your Hand."

Check 'em out.

Janet Maslin's Tribute to Sidney Sheldon

From the NYTBR: Sartre and star fever, side by side: this was Mr. Sheldon at his risible but lovable high-low best. He was both literate and lurid, and he made that combination hard to resist. He achieved his effects by using a secret weapon: his nostalgic appreciation of Thomas Wolfe, Sinclair Lewis, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and their storytelling skills. Thus equipped, and endlessly interested in the rich, powerful and tragic, he brought class to trash. And he did it with consistent professionalism, turning himself into a legitimate brand name. If that sounds like no great accomplishment, think about how rarely an author does it right.

Bonus: the commentary includes a Paris Hilton slam. Will the persecution never end?

I Wish I Were Still Blogging about Paris Hilton

Because if I were, I'd certainly link to today's Doonesbury. (Luckily for all of you, this link will be to a different strip tomorrow.)

It's Almost Too Late . . .

. . . but maybe you can get your vote in.

FTTW - a daily magazine: "Time to Vote: Worst Songs of the 70's

The nomination process is over and now that all those songs got stuck in your heads, we will make a half hearted attempt to apologize.

Sorry.

Really.

Vote as many times as you want. If clicking 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' for four straight hours is your thing, then go for it. We're sure one of the editors of FTTW will be right behind you.

Poll stays up til Sunday 2pm. We're closing early this week because most of you will be doing Super Bowl partying Sunday anyhow."

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

We may have talked about this before, but I believe there were a lot paperback covers in, say, the 1970s that nobody would dare to use today. I don't know if we've become more prudish (possible) or just more politically correct (also possible). For example, there's this cover from a 1975 Ballantine pb. Would anyone use this in 2007? I have my doubts.