LA Daily News - L.A. ducks gator issue for a while: "NOW that people have lost interest in the MacArthur Park dust-up, we can turn to a much more important issue:
Namely, what's to become of Reggie the alligator."
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Miami Purity
I thought I'd give a plug to David Thompson's Busted Flush Press edition of Vicki Henderson's Miami Purity. If you didn't read this book in its original edition, you need to check this one out. If you did read the original, well, David's put in some bonus features for his edition. There's a new foreword by Ken Bruen and a new afterword by Megan Abbott. Michael Connelly calls it "a modern noir masterpiece." Check it out.
Croc Update
They're taking over in New Jersey now.
Courier News Online - 'Crocodile' sighted in South Jersey park: "HADDONFIELD -- Authorities warned people to avoid Hopkins Pond after two sightings of a suspected crocodile here Friday.
So, of course, children and adults flocked to the area in hopes of seeing the big reptile.
'In school they made an announcement telling us not to go near the park,' said J.D. Popp, 11, a fifth-grader at the nearby Tatem Elementary School.
'I was like 'Wow!',' said the boy, who stood near the park Friday evening with a poster showing a green, scaly creature and the words 'Haddonfield Gator.'"
Courier News Online - 'Crocodile' sighted in South Jersey park: "HADDONFIELD -- Authorities warned people to avoid Hopkins Pond after two sightings of a suspected crocodile here Friday.
So, of course, children and adults flocked to the area in hopes of seeing the big reptile.
'In school they made an announcement telling us not to go near the park,' said J.D. Popp, 11, a fifth-grader at the nearby Tatem Elementary School.
'I was like 'Wow!',' said the boy, who stood near the park Friday evening with a poster showing a green, scaly creature and the words 'Haddonfield Gator.'"
Flushed Away
Okay, those who know me well know that a movie that takes place almost entirely in the sewers is right up my alley, so to speak. Naturally, then, I loved Flushed Away.Hugh Jackman voices Roddy, a pampered pet rat in Kensington who gets, you guessed it, flushed away. He discovers that there's a whole world in the sewers, populated mostly by rats, but also containing a Bond-villain toad (Ian McKellen in a reunion of the X-Men cast). Roddy meets Rita (Kate Winslett), becomes a hunted criminal known as Millicent Bystander (and if you don't laugh at that, maybe you don't need to see this movie), discovers what a family is like, and finally saves the day.
The gags come thick and fast (blink and you'll miss one), and the pop culture references come even faster. And then there are the slugs. I loved the slugs. I'd watch this again just for the slugs.
The movie's a CGI deal, but it looks a lot like Claymation, probably because of the involvement of some of the Aardman Studio gang. Purists might object, but the combination worked for me. I laughed a lot. Check it out.
Want to Help a Writer?
TechBlog | A technology blog with Dwight Silverman: "Like a lot of us writers, Houstonian Mark Putnam thinks he's got a novel in him. The problem is, he isn't quite sure what that novel's about. He has a few things left to work out.
You know, important things. Like the protagonist's profession, strengths/weaknesses, childhood experiences, etc.
So rather than decisively building a character, he's turning to the wisdom of the crowd. At his blog, Plotastic!, future readers get to vote on key elements of his first novel."
The ballot is here.
You know, important things. Like the protagonist's profession, strengths/weaknesses, childhood experiences, etc.
So rather than decisively building a character, he's turning to the wisdom of the crowd. At his blog, Plotastic!, future readers get to vote on key elements of his first novel."
The ballot is here.
Manga Shakespeare
BBC NEWS | Education | Shakespeare gets comic treatment: "The appetite of publishers for comic book - or graphic novel - versions of Shakespeare plays seems undimmed. But is this a valid way of introducing the Bard to new readers?One new UK publishing house, Self Made Hero, is offering 'Manga Shakespeare' - cut-down versions of some of the plays, in a Japanese cartoon style.
They are drawn by established manga artists, the characters acquiring the typical big bright eyes and cute little noses of the form.
Its first productions are Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, with Richard III and The Tempest coming this autumn and others to follow.
Romeo and Juliet, the blurb explains, is set in modern-day Japan."
Everything You Want to Know about Execution by Leathal Injection
Inventor of lethal injection stands behind it | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
SANTA ROSA, CALIF. — Thirty years ago, Oklahoma Medical Examiner Dr. A. Jay Chapman marched into the Oklahoma Statehouse and dictated the formula for a cocktail of three drugs to a lawmaker looking for a more humane way to execute the condemned.
As Chapman spoke, Rep. Bill Wiseman scribbled on a legal yellow pad. That afternoon, Wiseman introduced the bill that made Oklahoma the first state to adopt lethal injection.
Powered by ScribeFire.
Mike Ripley's Latest Column Posted at Shots Magazine
And as usual, it's full of good stuff. You can check it out here.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Elaine Viets Proxy Signing
Tonight I was at Murder by the Book where I joined Dean James and Leann Sweeny in a proxy signing for Elaine Viets. The latest reports indicate that Elaine's making great progress in her recovery.
The Alley Gator
Maybe I need this for my birthday, too. Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.
Alley Gator: "Alligator, aligator, gator, crocodile, croc, however you wanna spell it, we're talking some ancient, nasty reptiles, which continue to strike fear in man. Maybe it's because they haven't heard that WE are supposed to be the top of the food chain!"
Alley Gator: "Alligator, aligator, gator, crocodile, croc, however you wanna spell it, we're talking some ancient, nasty reptiles, which continue to strike fear in man. Maybe it's because they haven't heard that WE are supposed to be the top of the food chain!"
Flash Gordon Update
SCI FI Wire | The News Service of the SCI FI Channel | SCIFI.COM: "Gina Holden (Fantastic Four) has been cast as Dale Arden, the female lead in SCI FI Channel's upcoming original series Flash Gordon. She will co-star opposite Eric Johnson (Smallville), who plays the title character.
In other casting, Jody Racicot (Night at the Museum) will play Dr. Hans Zarkov, and John Ralston (Earthstorm) will play the villainous Ming.
Holden, who also appeared in The Butterfly Effect 2 as well as the upcoming Alien vs. Predator 2, will play Flash Gordon's love interest in the show, which is based on the classic SF comic-strip franchise."
In other casting, Jody Racicot (Night at the Museum) will play Dr. Hans Zarkov, and John Ralston (Earthstorm) will play the villainous Ming.
Holden, who also appeared in The Butterfly Effect 2 as well as the upcoming Alien vs. Predator 2, will play Flash Gordon's love interest in the show, which is based on the classic SF comic-strip franchise."
YOU SUCK -- Christopher Moore
If you've read Bloodsucking Fiends, Moore's 1995 novel, then you're probably ready for the sequel. In the earlier book, Tommy Flood met and fell for Jody, the beautiful redheaded vampire. At the end of that novel, she escaped from the bronze statue he'd imprisoned her in and "turned" him. You Suck opens with Tommy awakening and realizing he's now a foul undead creature. Hilarity ensues.The Animals, Tommy's former co-workers at the Safeway, have gone to Las Vegas with their ill-gotten gains (the rewards of vampire hunting) and returned with a blue hooker who wants to be a vampire. The ancient vampire who turned Jody escapes his own imprisonment and is out for revenge. Jody and Tommy's minion, Abby Normal, finds true love. And so on. It's wild and woolly and often very funny. I got a lot of laughs from Abby Normal's journal, which is part of the narrative.
As if usually the case with Moore, there are connections with his other work, so readers of last year's A Dirty Job should pay attention. Check it out.
From Joe Lansdale
Saw the zombie list. Nah, that's not a list. This is a list.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
DAWN OF THE DEAD, remake.
DAWN OF THE DEAD, original.
ZOMBIE
28 DAYS LATER.
WHITE ZOMBIE, dated but still weird and creepy, best seen late at night.
DAY OF THE DEAD. Just nasty.
SHAWN OF THE DEAD, funny, but still creepy.
CARNIVAL OF SOULS, pushing it maybe, but still zombie enough.
That's nine, and that's all I got.
Update from Joe:
"But let's replace it with RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, which is good, and very funny. And now, I'm done. There are a few others that are interesting, like LAND OF THE DEAD, but not quite there, and just saw 28 WEEKS LATER, and it doesn't make it. First half is boring, annoying camera work, second half is kick ass. But too little too late."
Update from Joe:
". . . whoever said I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE is right. That's a close tie with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD for my favorite. So, add it to the list, and take off CARNIVAL, (I picked it because it along with LAST MAN ON EARTH were strong influences on Romero, or so I've hard. Also, as everyone should know, LAST MAN and OMEGA MAN are both based on I AM LEGEND, which has also been an influence.
"But let's replace it with RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, which is good, and very funny. And now, I'm done. There are a few others that are interesting, like LAND OF THE DEAD, but not quite there, and just saw 28 WEEKS LATER, and it doesn't make it. First half is boring, annoying camera work, second half is kick ass. But too little too late."
Top 10 Must-See Zombie Movies
Thanks to Art Scott for the link.
Zombie attack! Undead must-see movies - MOVIE OPINIONS - MSNBC.com: "If the terrorists forced me to choose between people in rubber monster suits stomping all over Tokyo and a good intestines-munching zombie — and, really, God bless the USA and all our precious freedoms that I don’t — I’d probably choose the rubber-suited guy. But because “28 Weeks Later” opens this week, I’m here to talk about my second favorite class of monster citizen. And really, it’s a very close second. I love zombies."
Zombie attack! Undead must-see movies - MOVIE OPINIONS - MSNBC.com: "If the terrorists forced me to choose between people in rubber monster suits stomping all over Tokyo and a good intestines-munching zombie — and, really, God bless the USA and all our precious freedoms that I don’t — I’d probably choose the rubber-suited guy. But because “28 Weeks Later” opens this week, I’m here to talk about my second favorite class of monster citizen. And really, it’s a very close second. I love zombies."
25 Most Memorable Books of the Last 25 Years
Another list my books aren't on.
25 Books that leave a legacy - USATODAY.com: "Books tell a story — about our reading preferences, certainly, but also about what's happening in our world. USA TODAY's book editors and critics chose 25 titles that made an impact on readers and the publishing industry over the past quarter-century."
25 Books that leave a legacy - USATODAY.com: "Books tell a story — about our reading preferences, certainly, but also about what's happening in our world. USA TODAY's book editors and critics chose 25 titles that made an impact on readers and the publishing industry over the past quarter-century."
The Decline of Western Civilization
It doesn't have much farther to go.
Hollywood Hookup : Britney Spears and Marilyn Monroe To Sing A Duet: "With the plans for Britney's big comeback in full swing, what better way to attract some more media attention to her revived singing career than by setting up a duet with the long deceased Marilyn Monroe.
And how is such a thing possible? Well, Lance Bass, former NSYNC member, has the rights to a previously unreleased song that Monroe recorded before her untimely death in 1962; he thinks that Brit is the perfect person to sing with Monroe on the track.
Plans are already underway to record the song, called "Down Boy," with Monroe and Britney singing a duet just like the posthumous duet of Unforgettable by Natalie Cole and her father Nat King Cole.
Ideas have also been thrown around for the song's inevitable music video; Britney will wear a Marilyn inspired wig and dress to its full effect."
Hollywood Hookup : Britney Spears and Marilyn Monroe To Sing A Duet: "With the plans for Britney's big comeback in full swing, what better way to attract some more media attention to her revived singing career than by setting up a duet with the long deceased Marilyn Monroe.
And how is such a thing possible? Well, Lance Bass, former NSYNC member, has the rights to a previously unreleased song that Monroe recorded before her untimely death in 1962; he thinks that Brit is the perfect person to sing with Monroe on the track.
Plans are already underway to record the song, called "Down Boy," with Monroe and Britney singing a duet just like the posthumous duet of Unforgettable by Natalie Cole and her father Nat King Cole.
Ideas have also been thrown around for the song's inevitable music video; Britney will wear a Marilyn inspired wig and dress to its full effect."
It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp
Especially if he's a Pittsburgh Steeler.
SPORTSbyBROOKS - Las Vegas Police Accuse Richard Seigler Pittsburgh Steeler Being A Pimp: "
SPORTSbyBROOKS ('SbB')
THE NFL ISN'T SO SURE ABOUT THIS SEX FOR MONEY THING: A Las Vegas TV station (an I-Team exclusive!) reports a local police vice squad investigation into a juvenile prostitution ring has turned up some interesting info about recently-released Pittsburgh Steeler Richard Seigler: He is (allegedly) a pimp. "
SPORTSbyBROOKS - Las Vegas Police Accuse Richard Seigler Pittsburgh Steeler Being A Pimp: "
SPORTSbyBROOKS ('SbB')
THE NFL ISN'T SO SURE ABOUT THIS SEX FOR MONEY THING: A Las Vegas TV station (an I-Team exclusive!) reports a local police vice squad investigation into a juvenile prostitution ring has turned up some interesting info about recently-released Pittsburgh Steeler Richard Seigler: He is (allegedly) a pimp. "
Gator Update
Video and slideshow at the link.
8-Foot Alligator In Parking Lot Puts Up Fight - News Story - WFTV Orlando: "COCOA, Fla. -- A worker at a Cocoa car dealership got quite a surprise, Thursday, an angry alligator underneath one of the new cars.
There's a saying: Anywhere there's water in Florida, you are likely to find an alligator. The problem is, when the water start's drying up, the alligators start moving.
Most people go to a dealership to look at the cars. Thursday, it was the alligator under the car drawing the crowd.
The 7-foot-11 reptile was found hiding under a Mitsubishi up for sale, drawing a crowd and a gator trapper with a warning."
8-Foot Alligator In Parking Lot Puts Up Fight - News Story - WFTV Orlando: "COCOA, Fla. -- A worker at a Cocoa car dealership got quite a surprise, Thursday, an angry alligator underneath one of the new cars.
There's a saying: Anywhere there's water in Florida, you are likely to find an alligator. The problem is, when the water start's drying up, the alligators start moving.
Most people go to a dealership to look at the cars. Thursday, it was the alligator under the car drawing the crowd.
The 7-foot-11 reptile was found hiding under a Mitsubishi up for sale, drawing a crowd and a gator trapper with a warning."
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Uh-Oh
Thanks to Todd Mason for the tip.
NBC picks up 4, renews 'FNL': "NBC's one-hour pilots 'The Bionic Woman,' 'Chuck,' 'Journeyman' and 'Life' have been picked up to series, sources said Thursday.
Additionally, NBC is said to have renewed critically praised freshman drama 'Friday Night Lights' for next season.
'The Bionic Woman,' from NBC Universal TV Studio, is a re-imagination of the 1970s series starring Michelle Ryan. David Eick and Glen Morgan are executive producing."
NBC picks up 4, renews 'FNL': "NBC's one-hour pilots 'The Bionic Woman,' 'Chuck,' 'Journeyman' and 'Life' have been picked up to series, sources said Thursday.
Additionally, NBC is said to have renewed critically praised freshman drama 'Friday Night Lights' for next season.
'The Bionic Woman,' from NBC Universal TV Studio, is a re-imagination of the 1970s series starring Michelle Ryan. David Eick and Glen Morgan are executive producing."
VINNIE'S HEAD -- Marc Lecard
You're going to have to be in the mood for something wild and crazy when you read this one. Johnnie LoDuco is a small-time criminal (about as small-time as there is), but his pal Vinnie is doing much better. And because Johnnie is such a good friend, Vinnie is going to cut him in. Things go wrong (naturally), and the next thing Johnnie knows, he's fishing for flounder and catching Vinnie's head. The head's the mcguffin that drives the plot from that point on. Johnnie's not the brightest bulb in the fixture, but even he can tell that things aren't going his way. Not until he meets Patrice, who helps him make one of his many escapes. Patrice is good news, and once she and Johnnie hook up, his prospects improve.
Or do they? So many people are after them (and the head) that it's hard to keep up. Not that it matters. The plot's not the thing here (it's very, very complicated). What matters is the head and what happens along the way. Plenty happens, believe me. And while you can believe me, you're not going to believe the events in the book, especially after Johnnie and Patrice meet the most unusual p.i. in fictional history. That doesn't matter, either. Just go along for the ride. Lots of laughs, lots of violence, and some really weird characters. When you're in the mood for something completely different, check it out.
Persecution Update
Yes, there's a "Jail Paris Hilton" petition. You can even read some of the cruel comments others have made.
Digging Brushy Bill
DNA could solve mystery of Billy the Kid | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "HAMILTON — At least two men, including one buried in this Central Texas town, claimed during their lives to be the real William H. Bonney, aka Billy the Kid.
Instead of being shot to death by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, N.M., on July 14, 1881, as mainstream historians say, these would-be Kids claimed to have escaped to live to old age in Texas, Arizona, or other parts of the Wild West.
A former New Mexico lawman investigating this colorful piece of history wants the Hamilton City Council at a meeting this evening to give him permission to dig up the body of Ollie 'Brushy Bill' Roberts, perhaps the most celebrated Billy the Kid claimant of all."
Instead of being shot to death by Sheriff Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner, N.M., on July 14, 1881, as mainstream historians say, these would-be Kids claimed to have escaped to live to old age in Texas, Arizona, or other parts of the Wild West.
A former New Mexico lawman investigating this colorful piece of history wants the Hamilton City Council at a meeting this evening to give him permission to dig up the body of Ollie 'Brushy Bill' Roberts, perhaps the most celebrated Billy the Kid claimant of all."
Once Again Texas (Doesn't) Lead the Way
Buzzard concerns delay plans for Texas State 'body farm' | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "SAN MARCOS, Texas — Texas State University's plan to build the nation's largest 'body farm' of cadavers is on hold after scrapping its proposed site amid concerns that buzzards could endanger nearby planes.
The university will now scout a new location for what will be only the third body farm in the nation. The school had hoped to begin burying bodies later this year.
By burying cadavers and studying human decomposition, researchers aim to help police better solve questions like time and manner of death at crime scenes.
Texas State's proposed 17-acre site was on Texas Highway 21 near the San Marcos Municipal Airport. But after meeting with the airport's commission Tuesday, the university quashed the plan out of concerns that buzzards would pose a risk to pilots."
The university will now scout a new location for what will be only the third body farm in the nation. The school had hoped to begin burying bodies later this year.
By burying cadavers and studying human decomposition, researchers aim to help police better solve questions like time and manner of death at crime scenes.
Texas State's proposed 17-acre site was on Texas Highway 21 near the San Marcos Municipal Airport. But after meeting with the airport's commission Tuesday, the university quashed the plan out of concerns that buzzards would pose a risk to pilots."
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
This Would Be Perfect for Paris Hilton's Jail Stay
Reel Pop: Natalie Portman, this is your lifecast: "Pixie-perfect actress Natalie Portman is hunting for funding in Silicon Valley. Her project: A continuous video feed of her personal and professional life, streamed live to the Web. "
The New Noah's Ark
From aardvark to zinnia, all of Earth's known species to be cataloged on Web site - Northwest Florida Daily News: "WASHINGTON (AP) - In a whale-sized project, the world's scientists plan to compile everything they know about all of Earth's 1.8 million known species and put it all on one Web site, open to everyone.
The effort, called the Encyclopedia of Life, will include species descriptions, pictures, maps, videos, sound, sightings by amateurs, and links to entire genomes and scientific journal papers. Its first pages of information will be shown Wednesday in Washington where the massive effort is being announced by some of the world's leading institutions. The project will take about 10 years to finish.
'It's an interactive zoo,' said James Edwards, who will be the encyclopedia's executive director. Edwards currently helps run a global biodiversity information system."
The effort, called the Encyclopedia of Life, will include species descriptions, pictures, maps, videos, sound, sightings by amateurs, and links to entire genomes and scientific journal papers. Its first pages of information will be shown Wednesday in Washington where the massive effort is being announced by some of the world's leading institutions. The project will take about 10 years to finish.
'It's an interactive zoo,' said James Edwards, who will be the encyclopedia's executive director. Edwards currently helps run a global biodiversity information system."
We're from the Government, and We're Here to Help You
Gas station owner told to raise prices - Yahoo! News: "MERRILL, Wis. - A service station that offered discounted gas to senior citizens and people supporting youth sports has been ordered by the state to raise its prices.
Center City BP owner Raj Bhandari has been offering senior citizens a 2 cent per gallon price break and discount cards that let sports boosters pay 3 cents less per gallon.
But the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says those deals violate Wisconsin's Unfair Sales Act, which requires stations to sell gas for about 9.2 percent more than the wholesale price.
Bhandari said he received a letter from the state auditor last month saying the state would sue him if he did not raise his prices. The state could penalize him for each discounted gallon he sold, with the fine determined by a judge."
Center City BP owner Raj Bhandari has been offering senior citizens a 2 cent per gallon price break and discount cards that let sports boosters pay 3 cents less per gallon.
But the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection says those deals violate Wisconsin's Unfair Sales Act, which requires stations to sell gas for about 9.2 percent more than the wholesale price.
Bhandari said he received a letter from the state auditor last month saying the state would sue him if he did not raise his prices. The state could penalize him for each discounted gallon he sold, with the fine determined by a judge."
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
New Blog on the Block
Criminal Brief is "The Mystery Short Story Web Log Project," and it's just launched. Contributors include Steven Steinbock, James Lincoln Warren, Rob Lopresti, Melodie Johnson Howe, Leigh Lundin, and Deborah Elliott-Upton. Check it out.
The Duke Lives!
Long article with a John Wayne Time-Line at the end. Check it out.
Shadow of the Shootist-Arts & Entertainment-Film-TimesOnline: "Later this month, on May 26, it will be the 100th anniversary of John Wayne’s birth. Paramount Home Entertainment, in conjunction with Wayne’s own production company, Batjac, will mark the occasion by releasing special collector’s-edition DVDs of four classic Wayne movies long out of circulation and much sought by devotees of the Duke: Island in the Sky (1953), Hondo (1953), The High and the Mighty (1954) and McLintock! (1963)."
Cubby
I see that in my post about Bernadette Peters I forgot to mention one of the highlights. She introduced her drummer as a real celebrity. He was Cubby O'Brien, and for those of us of a certain age, that's a very familiar name.
Clues
The spring 2007 issue of _Clues: A Journal of Detection_ has been
published and is a special theme issue devoted to Margaret Millar
(Edgar winner, _Beast in View_; author, _How Like an Angel_,
_Beyond This Point Are Monsters_, etc.; wife of Ross Macdonald).
The issue is guest edited by author Dean James.
The issue includes the following articles:
--The Literary Lives of Margaret Millar and Ross Macdonald - Tom Nolan
--Where the Monsters Are: Margaret Millar and the "Mexican Problem" -
Ana Patricia Rodriguez
--From Detective Fiction to Detective Literature: Psychology in
the Novels of Dorothy L. Sayers and Margaret Millar
- Kelly C. Connelly
--Review Essay: Margaret Millar in Print - Dean James
--The Last Word: Margaret Millar's Final Novels - Robert Barnard
--The "Same Old Same Old": Gender and Race in Margaret Maron's Deborah
Knott Series - Caren J. Town
--Book Review: Laurence Roth's _Inspecting Jews: American Jewish
Detective Stories_ (Rev. Shelley Godsland)
For further details about the issue, visit:
http://www.heldref.org/clues.php
Elizabeth Foxwell
Managing Editor, _Clues: A Journal of Detection_
http://www.elizabethfoxwell.com
published and is a special theme issue devoted to Margaret Millar
(Edgar winner, _Beast in View_; author, _How Like an Angel_,
_Beyond This Point Are Monsters_, etc.; wife of Ross Macdonald).
The issue is guest edited by author Dean James.
The issue includes the following articles:
--The Literary Lives of Margaret Millar and Ross Macdonald - Tom Nolan
--Where the Monsters Are: Margaret Millar and the "Mexican Problem" -
Ana Patricia Rodriguez
--From Detective Fiction to Detective Literature: Psychology in
the Novels of Dorothy L. Sayers and Margaret Millar
- Kelly C. Connelly
--Review Essay: Margaret Millar in Print - Dean James
--The Last Word: Margaret Millar's Final Novels - Robert Barnard
--The "Same Old Same Old": Gender and Race in Margaret Maron's Deborah
Knott Series - Caren J. Town
--Book Review: Laurence Roth's _Inspecting Jews: American Jewish
Detective Stories_ (Rev. Shelley Godsland)
For further details about the issue, visit:
http://www.heldref.org/clues.php
Elizabeth Foxwell
Managing Editor, _Clues: A Journal of Detection_
http://www.elizabethfoxwell.com
100 Worst Cover Songs
Only about 25 posted so far, but it's already a festival of awfulness.
retroCRUSH: The World's Greatest Pop Culture Site: "We've already done our 100 Greatest Cover Songs list, so you knew it was only a matter of time before we paid respects to the flip side of the coin. Some of these covers were sincere attempts to make good songs, others are so inexplicably awful that you don't know what the hell they were thinking. Others are clearly meant to be jokes, but it doesn't make them sound any better, even so. We had polled retroCRUSH readers for nearly 2 months and got lots of great responses, and we give deep thanks to all of those who threw ideas our way. We'll be putting a several up each day and should have the entire list posted up shortly, so come back each day!"
retroCRUSH: The World's Greatest Pop Culture Site: "We've already done our 100 Greatest Cover Songs list, so you knew it was only a matter of time before we paid respects to the flip side of the coin. Some of these covers were sincere attempts to make good songs, others are so inexplicably awful that you don't know what the hell they were thinking. Others are clearly meant to be jokes, but it doesn't make them sound any better, even so. We had polled retroCRUSH readers for nearly 2 months and got lots of great responses, and we give deep thanks to all of those who threw ideas our way. We'll be putting a several up each day and should have the entire list posted up shortly, so come back each day!"
Boo!
It must be sweeps month. Ghost photos and video at link.
Ghostly Images Seen, Photographed On 'Deadly' Stretch Of I-4 - Local News Story - WKMG Orlando: "ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ghostly apparitions have been seen and photographed on a small stretch of Interstate 4 known as 'the I-4 Dead Zone' in which hundreds of people have been killed or injured in crashes, according to a Local 6 investigation.
Since 1963, nearly 2,000 accidents have been reported on a stretch of Interstate 4 in Central Florida located between Daytona Beach and Orlando, the report said.
Over the years, people have reported seeing strange things on the stretch of road, according to the report.
'People are claiming to see all kinds of things -- orbs floating across the highway, apparitions on the side of the road hitchhiking, phantom trucks, you name it,' book author Charlie Carlson said. 'There are dead people beneath interstate 4.'
Local 6 reported that the road where the crashes happened cradles the graves of a family of four.
The graves date back to the 1880s and a settlement called St. Joseph’s Catholic Colony, the report said. One of the German families fell victim to a yellow fever epidemic."
Ghostly Images Seen, Photographed On 'Deadly' Stretch Of I-4 - Local News Story - WKMG Orlando: "ORLANDO, Fla. -- Ghostly apparitions have been seen and photographed on a small stretch of Interstate 4 known as 'the I-4 Dead Zone' in which hundreds of people have been killed or injured in crashes, according to a Local 6 investigation.
Since 1963, nearly 2,000 accidents have been reported on a stretch of Interstate 4 in Central Florida located between Daytona Beach and Orlando, the report said.
Over the years, people have reported seeing strange things on the stretch of road, according to the report.
'People are claiming to see all kinds of things -- orbs floating across the highway, apparitions on the side of the road hitchhiking, phantom trucks, you name it,' book author Charlie Carlson said. 'There are dead people beneath interstate 4.'
Local 6 reported that the road where the crashes happened cradles the graves of a family of four.
The graves date back to the 1880s and a settlement called St. Joseph’s Catholic Colony, the report said. One of the German families fell victim to a yellow fever epidemic."
Warning: Paris Hilton Post (But a Very Important One!)
Thanks to justice-seeking Jeff Meyerson for the link. If you sign the petition, they try to trick you into donating money. So either don't sign or be wary.
freeparis.org: FreeParis.org is an organization dedicated to mobilizing the fans and friends of Paris
Hilton to action, against LA County Superior Court's wrongful 45 day jail sentence.
We must take all steps necessary to stop the unjust punishment given to Paris Hilton. The City/County of Los Angeles and Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer must be stopped, and must hear our voices.
Free Paris now! Our goal is to have one million signatures by June 5, the day Paris is set to begin her sentence.
freeparis.org: FreeParis.org is an organization dedicated to mobilizing the fans and friends of Paris
Hilton to action, against LA County Superior Court's wrongful 45 day jail sentence.
We must take all steps necessary to stop the unjust punishment given to Paris Hilton. The City/County of Los Angeles and Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer must be stopped, and must hear our voices.
Free Paris now! Our goal is to have one million signatures by June 5, the day Paris is set to begin her sentence.
Croc Update
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan - Thai scientists working on crocodile smiles : "A team of Thai scientists have found that crocodile eggs provide a goldmine of hydroxyapatite, the bioactive material commonly used in bone and teeth transplants worldwide.
The breakthrough by Kasetsart University’s department of chemistry followed three years of research on the possible commercial uses for crocodile eggs and bones in collaboration with the Sriracha Crocodile Farm, one of the kingdom’s largest exporters of crocodile skins and meat products.
The farm, also a major tourist attraction, is looking for a lucrative way to get rid of its crocodile leftovers. By combining the crushed shells with phosphate using a pressurized hydrothermal process, the team found they could make hydroxyapatite powder similar to the imported commercial product. "
The breakthrough by Kasetsart University’s department of chemistry followed three years of research on the possible commercial uses for crocodile eggs and bones in collaboration with the Sriracha Crocodile Farm, one of the kingdom’s largest exporters of crocodile skins and meat products.
The farm, also a major tourist attraction, is looking for a lucrative way to get rid of its crocodile leftovers. By combining the crushed shells with phosphate using a pressurized hydrothermal process, the team found they could make hydroxyapatite powder similar to the imported commercial product. "
Monday, May 07, 2007
The 25 Most Exquisitely Sad Songs in the Whole World
The 25 Most Exquisitely Sad Songs in the Whole World: No. 25 - Spinner.com: "There's no shortage of sad songs about rainy days and lovers who don't bring flowers. And then there are songs that truly bring the pain -- songs so despairing they can make us wonder why we even bother. Here are 25 little ditties so crushing, they could knock Dick Cheney to his knees. "
No "Teen Angel"? No "Tell Laura I Love Her"? No "Last Kiss"?
No "Teen Angel"? No "Tell Laura I Love Her"? No "Last Kiss"?
Bernadette Peters
Yesterday afternoon we went to a concert by Bernadette Peters in the 1894 Grand Opera House in Galveston. Wow. First of all, let me say that Ms. Peters looks faaaaabulous. I didn't take the photo on the left, but that's the outfit she wore yesterday, and when she climbed up on the grand piano and writhed around while singing "Fever," she might as well have been 21. Naturally she sang a bunch of Stephen Sondheim songs. I'm not as fond of Sondheim as I should be, so I liked better the ones from earlier days, like "Some Enchanted Evening" and "There Is Nothing like a Dame" from South Pacific. She did a knock out version of "Shenandoah," too. But "Fever" was my favorite. Sunday afternoon with Bernadette was great.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Toad Suck Daze
John Duke has alerted me too late for me to attend. But I can mark my calendar for next year.ToadSuckHomePage: "Join us this year for Arkansas' most popular festival! May 4th - 6th in downtown Conway."
Today'sthv.com: You don't have to spend a lot of green to go to Toad Suck Daze in Conway this weekend, May 4-6. In fact, admission is free. This is one of the least expensive festivals in the state.
There is absolutely no charge to attend, so admission is free, the great musical entertainment, like Bret Michaels, Confederate Railroad and Sammy Kershaw, are all free. The Firefighter Challenge for the kids is also free. One of the main attractions, the toad races, is also free to enter. (See link below pictures for the schedule of events.)
Of course, not everything is free. You will need to bring some money, but there's something different this year called Toad Bucks.
There will be stands throughout the festival where you trade your real bucks for Toad Bucks. Toad Bucks will be the only type of money the concessions and rides will accept. Unfortunately, you can't cash your unused tickets in at the end of your visit.
An Accidental Novelist -- Richard S. Wheeler
I met Richard Wheeler once, though I'm sure he doesn't remember. It was at the WWA's annual convention, held that year in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was a notable meeting because sitting at the same table with Wheeler was Ed Gorman. I'd never met Ed before in person, either. As I discovered in reading his entertaining memoir, Wheeler and I have several things in common. Our personalities seem similar. We both came to writing late, and about the same time. We shared the same agent for a time. We both write genre fiction. Our careers have had a few similarities, too, though Wheeler at the end has been more successful than I have in terms of sales and awards.
The memoir itself has a lot to say about what it's like to struggle along as a genre writer. There's a lot about editors and the publishing business that will sound familiar to almost any writer, but what I liked best was Wheeler's stories about the people he's met, his friends and colleagues. I identified with this part of the book so strongly because I know many of the same people. This is the first time I've ever read a book about so many people I've been acquainted with, and it was an interesting experience to see Wheeler's descriptions of them and his thoughts about them.
Among Wheeler's many awards is the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement, presented by the WWA. As I said, Wheeler and I started publishing at the same time. His career seems like a long one as you read the book, and the Wister Award shows what he's accomplished. So why does that same period of time seem like about a week and a half to me? Can it possibly have been so long?
But I digress. Wheeler hasn't had it easy, but he's had an interesting life, and he tells about it quite well. Even if you haven't read his novels (and you should), you'll find out what it's really like to be a working writer in an overlooked field. It ain't easy, kid.
Check it out.
A Texas Fish Story
A long story, but a good one, at the link.
Corsicana Daily Sun, Corsicana, Texas - Gar-Gantuan: Nacogdoches teen reels in new state, water body record alligator gar at Sam Rayburn: "Ariel Drewery of Nacogdoches said a prayer on the eve of the McDonald's Big Bass Splash held earlier this month on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Among other things, the 15-year old asked God to help her catch a big fish.
Drewery's prayer was answered shortly after daylight on Day 2 as she and her dad, Terry, and younger brother, Seth, plied the depths of the Five Fingers area for a keeper largemouth.
Terry was throwing a topwater plug. Ariel, a Sebile Flat Shad rigged on 17-pound test Sufix line. Best she can recall, it was about 6:30 am when she hurled the lure across a grass flat in about 7-feet of water.
The energetic teen did not see the silver/blue-colored bait again for nearly two hours. That's how long it took her to exhaust what was likely one of the biggest fish swimming in the fabled East Texas impoundment."
Corsicana Daily Sun, Corsicana, Texas - Gar-Gantuan: Nacogdoches teen reels in new state, water body record alligator gar at Sam Rayburn: "Ariel Drewery of Nacogdoches said a prayer on the eve of the McDonald's Big Bass Splash held earlier this month on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Among other things, the 15-year old asked God to help her catch a big fish.
Drewery's prayer was answered shortly after daylight on Day 2 as she and her dad, Terry, and younger brother, Seth, plied the depths of the Five Fingers area for a keeper largemouth.
Terry was throwing a topwater plug. Ariel, a Sebile Flat Shad rigged on 17-pound test Sufix line. Best she can recall, it was about 6:30 am when she hurled the lure across a grass flat in about 7-feet of water.
The energetic teen did not see the silver/blue-colored bait again for nearly two hours. That's how long it took her to exhaust what was likely one of the biggest fish swimming in the fabled East Texas impoundment."
Saturday, May 05, 2007
From Bryon Quertermous
Like most of you, I've been missing Flashing in the Gutters. I miss
being able to whip off a quick flash on a lark to feed the creation
machine, or fiddling endlessly with a short but potent work. There
have been a few zines who came up to fill the void but I haven't seen
the no-frills, no bullshit, simple zine that Flashing was so I'm going
to try and do it. I've created Flash Pan Alley and I want your
stories. One of the coolest thing about Flashing in the Gutters early
success was the amount of people who contributed in the initial phase.
I'd like to get as many people involved early on.
Check out the site here.
Then consider sending me something. Thanks.
Viva la flash!
--
Bryon Quertermous
being able to whip off a quick flash on a lark to feed the creation
machine, or fiddling endlessly with a short but potent work. There
have been a few zines who came up to fill the void but I haven't seen
the no-frills, no bullshit, simple zine that Flashing was so I'm going
to try and do it. I've created Flash Pan Alley and I want your
stories. One of the coolest thing about Flashing in the Gutters early
success was the amount of people who contributed in the initial phase.
I'd like to get as many people involved early on.
Check out the site here.
Then consider sending me something. Thanks.
Viva la flash!
--
Bryon Quertermous
Star Rogue -- Lin Carter
I read about this one on Ed Gorman's blog, so I figured I'd read it. If you're familiar with Carter, you know that a lot of what he wrote was a pastiche of something or other. In Star Rogue he seems to be channeling Doc Smith, or some other author of slam-bang space opera. Saul Everest is humanity's only immortal. He doesn't know how he became immortal, but it doesn't really matter. He also has a Star class mind, and of course his telepathic powers are developed to their highest point. Mostly he lives an idle life in retirement from Citadel, a cabal of superminds and telepaths that manipulates the flow of history while remaining in the shadows.
Saul is jolted out of his retirement by the report of a mysterious object, perhaps a rogue star, that's appeared out on the Rim. This object is merely an excuse for Saul to leave his comfortable retreat and have all kinds of adventures, which, when you think about them, aren't really all that unusual or extraordinary, at least compared to other space opera that you may have read. There's plenty of action, though, and things zip right along.
As always with Carter, there were various sequels and prequels planned. He tells about them in an "Author's Note" at the end. I have no idea if any of them were published, and I doubt I'll be reading them if they were. Star Rogue was fun and a nice little diversion, but it didn't make me want to seek out anything further in the series.
From the Fine Folks at Mystery Scene Magazine
Hi everyone,
We are asking all of Mystery Scene's friends and readers to help us.
There's a HUGE postal hike in the works which unfairly targets small magazines to the considerable advantage of larger ones. It's going to put a number of magazines out of business and cause considerable hardships for many others.
There's a petition at this URL which explains the issue:
http://action.freepress.net//campaign/postal
Please take a look. If you sign the petition, an email will automatically go to your representatives in Washington and the postal commission.
We would really appreciate the help!
Kate Stine & Brian Skupin
We are asking all of Mystery Scene's friends and readers to help us.
There's a HUGE postal hike in the works which unfairly targets small magazines to the considerable advantage of larger ones. It's going to put a number of magazines out of business and cause considerable hardships for many others.
There's a petition at this URL which explains the issue:
http://action.freepress.net//campaign/postal
Please take a look. If you sign the petition, an email will automatically go to your representatives in Washington and the postal commission.
We would really appreciate the help!
Kate Stine & Brian Skupin
Friday, May 04, 2007
My Summer Story
Why doesn't this movie work? I'm not sure. Just like A Christmas Story, it has a script by Bob Clark Jean Shepherd, along with his narration and Clark's direction. It's based on Shepherd's fictionalized memoirs of his childhood. It has dandy period details. And yet . . . it just doesn't come up to the standards of the (much) earlier film. Charles Grodin plays The Old Man, and he's fine, but the character's not quite the same one that Darren McGavin played in A Christmas Story. Or maybe Grodin just doesn't get the nuances right. Mary Steenburgen is the mother, and she's fine, too. The original mom, Melinda Dillon looked a lot like her. A couple of Culkin kids play Ralphie and his little brother. They don't come up to the originals at all. Anyone who's read the stories, as I have, will recognize them immediately. The Bumpus family figures prominently, as do top spinning, movie giveaway nights, and crappie fishing. All well and good, but the end result is just an okay little movie without the special magic of A Christmas Story. Worth watching if you want to see more adventures of the Parker family, but don't expect too much.
Peru Update
Jeff Meyerson sent this link to Dave Barry, so I stole it from Dave.
Frog juice in high demand in Peru - Yahoo! News: "LIMA, Peru - Carmen Gonzalez plucks one of the 50 frogs from the aquarium at her bus stop restaurant, bangs it against tiles to kill it and then makes two incisions along its belly and peels off the skin as if husking corn.
She's preparing frog juice, a beverage revered by some Andean cultures for having the power to cure asthma, bronchitis, sluggishness and a low sex drive. A drink of so-called 'Peruvian Viagra' sells for about 90 cents.
Gonzalez adds three ladles of hot, white bean broth, two generous spoonfuls of honey, raw aloe vera plant and several tablespoons of maca — an Andean root also believed to boost stamina and sex drive — into a household blender.
Then she drops the frog in.
Once strained, the result is a starchy, milkshake-like liquid that stings the throat."
Frog juice in high demand in Peru - Yahoo! News: "LIMA, Peru - Carmen Gonzalez plucks one of the 50 frogs from the aquarium at her bus stop restaurant, bangs it against tiles to kill it and then makes two incisions along its belly and peels off the skin as if husking corn.
She's preparing frog juice, a beverage revered by some Andean cultures for having the power to cure asthma, bronchitis, sluggishness and a low sex drive. A drink of so-called 'Peruvian Viagra' sells for about 90 cents.
Gonzalez adds three ladles of hot, white bean broth, two generous spoonfuls of honey, raw aloe vera plant and several tablespoons of maca — an Andean root also believed to boost stamina and sex drive — into a household blender.
Then she drops the frog in.
Once strained, the result is a starchy, milkshake-like liquid that stings the throat."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.
AHN | New Condominium In Texas Features Country's First Ever Dog Toilet | May 4, 2007: "Austin, TX (AHN) - People who own a pet and plan to live in the upcoming luxurious 55-story condominium at Second Street and Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, will have a complete floor dedicated to a dog park for walks and pet toilets.
According to Scott Ziegler, the architect from a firm involved in the construction of The Austonian - the condominium; this would be the first dog toilets ever in the country.
The Austin American-Statesman quotes Zeigler as saying, 'It's a stainless-steel plate, 18 inches square, and that's the surface that the dogs are attracted to when the dog does his business.'
'Then you hit the fob, an electronic key, and a little scraper scrapes the dog's residue into the sanitary system,' he added.
Prices for the condo units are being advertised as ranging from $550,000 to $3.8 million. So if you can afford to live in the Austonian, you'll no longer have to take your dog outside for a walk and clean his poop every time."
AHN | New Condominium In Texas Features Country's First Ever Dog Toilet | May 4, 2007: "Austin, TX (AHN) - People who own a pet and plan to live in the upcoming luxurious 55-story condominium at Second Street and Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, will have a complete floor dedicated to a dog park for walks and pet toilets.
According to Scott Ziegler, the architect from a firm involved in the construction of The Austonian - the condominium; this would be the first dog toilets ever in the country.
The Austin American-Statesman quotes Zeigler as saying, 'It's a stainless-steel plate, 18 inches square, and that's the surface that the dogs are attracted to when the dog does his business.'
'Then you hit the fob, an electronic key, and a little scraper scrapes the dog's residue into the sanitary system,' he added.
Prices for the condo units are being advertised as ranging from $550,000 to $3.8 million. So if you can afford to live in the Austonian, you'll no longer have to take your dog outside for a walk and clean his poop every time."
The Hoff!
Photos and video at the link!
The Sun Online - Bizarre online: Drunk Hoff has burger Hassel: "DAVID HASSELHOFF may have denied being too wasted to get on a plane last year, but this time there is VIDEO evidence of his drunkeness.
Rolling around the floor in just his jeans, the Hoff makes a clumsy attempt at eating a burger - which lasts six minutes.
All the time he is berated by his daughter TAYLOR, who tells him she will disown him if he carries on boozing.
She says: 'Dad, you've got to promise me you're not going to get any alcohol tonight, okay?'
The Hoff's only response is to mutter 'this is a mess' about the remains of his burger, some of which ends up dribbling from his mouth."
The Sun Online - Bizarre online: Drunk Hoff has burger Hassel: "DAVID HASSELHOFF may have denied being too wasted to get on a plane last year, but this time there is VIDEO evidence of his drunkeness.
Rolling around the floor in just his jeans, the Hoff makes a clumsy attempt at eating a burger - which lasts six minutes.
All the time he is berated by his daughter TAYLOR, who tells him she will disown him if he carries on boozing.
She says: 'Dad, you've got to promise me you're not going to get any alcohol tonight, okay?'
The Hoff's only response is to mutter 'this is a mess' about the remains of his burger, some of which ends up dribbling from his mouth."
Andy Rooney Moment of the Day
When did news broadcasts start spending more time telling you what was coming up than reporting the actual stories?
"Hi, we're your perky morning news team with this morning's top headlines. Two men arrested for mopery! That story and more coming up. Man loses goat on freeway! That story at nine thirty-four. Woman cuts hair with bread knife! That story coming up at nine thirty-five. Astros lose again. Jack Batboy has that story at nine forty. Sam Legalese is live at the county courthouse with a report on the on-going battery trial of business executive Bill Bigbucks at nine forty-six. And now our top story about the two men arrested for mopery, but first Stella Line with traffic and weather together!"
"Hi, we're your perky morning news team with this morning's top headlines. Two men arrested for mopery! That story and more coming up. Man loses goat on freeway! That story at nine thirty-four. Woman cuts hair with bread knife! That story coming up at nine thirty-five. Astros lose again. Jack Batboy has that story at nine forty. Sam Legalese is live at the county courthouse with a report on the on-going battery trial of business executive Bill Bigbucks at nine forty-six. And now our top story about the two men arrested for mopery, but first Stella Line with traffic and weather together!"
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Bigfoot Risks Extinction!
Bigfoot risks extinction, says Canadian MP - Yahoo! News: "Bigfoot, the legendary hairy man-like beast said to roam the wildernesses of North America, is not shy, merely so rare it risks extinction and should be protected as an endangered species.So says Canadian MP Mike Lake who has called for Bigfoot to be protected under Canada's species at risk act, alongside Whooping Cranes, Blue Whales, and Red Mulberry trees.
'The debate over their (Bigfoot's) existence is moot in the circumstance of their tenuous hold on merely existing,' reads a petition presented by Lake to parliament in March and due to be discussed next week.
'Therefore, the petitioners request the House of Commons to establish immediate, comprehensive legislation to affect immediate protection of Bigfoot,' says the petition signed by almost 500 of Lake's constituents in Edmonton, Alberta.
A similar appeal has been made to the US Congress."
Sea Monster!
Video at link.
Sea serpent off our shore - WPTV NewsChannel 5: "You've heard of the Loch Ness Monster, the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
The sea serpents of legend, right?
A local diver says he's found something not even the Smithsonian can identify and it's right off the shores of Juno Beach.
Beneath the surface of our crystal blue waters live a myriad of marine life.
Sometimes we can see them from the air -- steely eyed shark congregating by the thousands, graceful stingray, gliding along the shallows.
But go deeper
You never know what you'll find. Just ask Jay Garbose.
'This is a first and I've traveled and video'ed all over the world.'
Take a look at what he found and listen to the story -- it's no fish tale.
'I was diving on Juno Ledge. That's about a mile off shore of Juno Beach. At first I thought it was a sea cucumber although no one's every seen one stretched 7 to 10 feet the way this one was. It's sort of grey and putty like and very smooth and taffy like in the way it stretches. Some of my friends and I have sort of dubbed it the living intestine.'
As an underwater videographer, Jay has captured images for National Geographic and the Discovery Channel."
Sea serpent off our shore - WPTV NewsChannel 5: "You've heard of the Loch Ness Monster, the Creature from the Black Lagoon.
The sea serpents of legend, right?
A local diver says he's found something not even the Smithsonian can identify and it's right off the shores of Juno Beach.
Beneath the surface of our crystal blue waters live a myriad of marine life.
Sometimes we can see them from the air -- steely eyed shark congregating by the thousands, graceful stingray, gliding along the shallows.
But go deeper
You never know what you'll find. Just ask Jay Garbose.
'This is a first and I've traveled and video'ed all over the world.'
Take a look at what he found and listen to the story -- it's no fish tale.
'I was diving on Juno Ledge. That's about a mile off shore of Juno Beach. At first I thought it was a sea cucumber although no one's every seen one stretched 7 to 10 feet the way this one was. It's sort of grey and putty like and very smooth and taffy like in the way it stretches. Some of my friends and I have sort of dubbed it the living intestine.'
As an underwater videographer, Jay has captured images for National Geographic and the Discovery Channel."
While I Disappear -- Edward Wright
This is the novel I read on the return trip from New York. It's a lot darker than Solomon vs. Lord, as you'd expect if you'd read Clea's Moon, the first novel in the John Ray Horn series.Horn, as you may recall, is the former cowboy star, down on his luck after serving a prison sentence for assault, who's eking out a living as a bill collector for his old movie sidekick, Mad Crow. As in the previous book, the past comes calling, and once again a murder in the present is tied to what happened years ago. (I guess you could say that the series is taking on something of a Ross Mcdonald aspect.) This time the old crime is a murder that has a strong resemblance to the notorious Fatty Arbuckle case. Horn is drawn into things when he meets one of his former co-stars. She's murdered, and Horn is driven to find out why. And to find the killer.
As was the case in Clea's Moon, the book is filled with great local color from the L. A. of the late '40s. Horn and Mad Crow are complex and compelling characters, and I'm going to have to find the third book in the series now to see what they're up to in that one.
Elaine Viets Update
For those of you in the Houston area, Leann Sweeny and I will be filling in for Elaine at Murder by the Book on May 11 at 6:00 p. m.
sun-sentinel.com: Elaine Viets is about to get an unexpected get-well present. The South Florida novelist had a stroke April 10, three weeks before she was to set out on a national tour to promote her new novel, Murder with Reservations. Tonight would have found her surrounded by friends and fans at the official kickoff of the tour; instead she will be in a hospital bed.
Viets' stroke signaled the start of a new chapter in her life, one that was looking rather bleak until (as should only be expected in the world of award-winning mystery authors) the story took a sudden twist.
"Barbara Parker, Kristy Montee [P.J. Parrish] and Rhonda Pollero [Kelsey Roberts] graciously offered to stand in for Elaine at the book launch party," says Joanne Sinchuk, owner of Murder on the Beach, the book store in Delray Beach where the event is scheduled. The itinerary now calls for a panel discussion and readings from the 57-year-old author's book, followed by refreshments."
sun-sentinel.com: Elaine Viets is about to get an unexpected get-well present. The South Florida novelist had a stroke April 10, three weeks before she was to set out on a national tour to promote her new novel, Murder with Reservations. Tonight would have found her surrounded by friends and fans at the official kickoff of the tour; instead she will be in a hospital bed.
Viets' stroke signaled the start of a new chapter in her life, one that was looking rather bleak until (as should only be expected in the world of award-winning mystery authors) the story took a sudden twist.
"Barbara Parker, Kristy Montee [P.J. Parrish] and Rhonda Pollero [Kelsey Roberts] graciously offered to stand in for Elaine at the book launch party," says Joanne Sinchuk, owner of Murder on the Beach, the book store in Delray Beach where the event is scheduled. The itinerary now calls for a panel discussion and readings from the 57-year-old author's book, followed by refreshments."
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Gordon Scott, R. I. P.
Gordon Scott was the guy who did Tarzan in color, or that's how I remember him. The movies, as I recall, were pretty good. I even have a Viewmaster reel of him and Cheetah related to some movie or other. I haven't looked at it in many years, but the images remain vivid. He was also in a couple of Hercules movies, as were many other muscle men. When Judy and I were living in Denton, Texas, during the first year of our marriage, Channel 11 ran a Hercules movie every Sunday afternoon, so I saw far too many of them. (Thanks to Richard Heft for passing along the news.)baltimoresun.com: Gordon Scott, who played Tarzan in five films during the 1950s, died Monday from complications of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 79.
Scott, who was befriended by a Brooklyn couple, was taken into the couple's home where he has lived since 2002.
"He came and never left," she said.
Zola Taylor, R. I. P.
Thanks to Cap'n Bob for the tip. I love Taylor's lead vocal on The Platters' version of "My Old Flame."
Platters Singer Zola Taylor Dies At 69, Singer Zola Taylor Of The Platters Dies At 69; Harmonized On Hits Like `The Great Pretender' - The ShowBuzz: "Zola Taylor, who broke gender barriers in the 1950s as a member of The Platters, harmonizing with her male colleagues on hits like 'The Great Pretender,' has died, her nephew said Tuesday. She was 69.
Taylor, who later gained attention of a different sort as one of three women who claimed to be pop idol Frankie Lymon's widow, died Monday, said her nephew Alfie Robinson. She had been bedridden following several strokes and died at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside County from complications of pneumonia, he said.
Founding Platters member Herb Reed said he spotted Taylor, the sister of Cornell Gunter of the Coasters, rehearsing with a girl group in 1955 and knew immediately she had the charisma and vocal chops the R&B group needed."
Platters Singer Zola Taylor Dies At 69, Singer Zola Taylor Of The Platters Dies At 69; Harmonized On Hits Like `The Great Pretender' - The ShowBuzz: "Zola Taylor, who broke gender barriers in the 1950s as a member of The Platters, harmonizing with her male colleagues on hits like 'The Great Pretender,' has died, her nephew said Tuesday. She was 69.
Taylor, who later gained attention of a different sort as one of three women who claimed to be pop idol Frankie Lymon's widow, died Monday, said her nephew Alfie Robinson. She had been bedridden following several strokes and died at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside County from complications of pneumonia, he said.
Founding Platters member Herb Reed said he spotted Taylor, the sister of Cornell Gunter of the Coasters, rehearsing with a girl group in 1955 and knew immediately she had the charisma and vocal chops the R&B group needed."
John Wayne at 100
The 100th anniversary of John Wayne's birth is coming up this month, and The Shamus has kicked off his celebration with the first in a series of posts that I'll definitely be reading.
New Issue of Thug Lit is On-line
Here's the line-up. Check it out.
All The Ingredients - By Barry Baldwin
Alter Road - By Bryon Quertermous
Landscape of Zeros - By David Rosenstock
Private Craps Shooter at Dawn - By Steven M. Messner
The Trouble with Trolls - By Patricia Abbott
Work to Live - By Kevin McCarthy
All The Ingredients - By Barry Baldwin
Alter Road - By Bryon Quertermous
Landscape of Zeros - By David Rosenstock
Private Craps Shooter at Dawn - By Steven M. Messner
The Trouble with Trolls - By Patricia Abbott
Work to Live - By Kevin McCarthy
From Rob Kantner
"Clean Slate," the suspense novel we're serializing, is up to eight chapters now. New one is posted every Monday.
Check it out. Also check out "The Long Way Home," another unpublished suspense novel. The whole thing is on the site now, all eighty chapters.
http://www.robkantner.com/
Regards
Rob Kantner
This is all good stuff. Check it out.
Check it out. Also check out "The Long Way Home," another unpublished suspense novel. The whole thing is on the site now, all eighty chapters.
http://www.robkantner.com/
Regards
Rob Kantner
This is all good stuff. Check it out.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Tom Poston, R. I. P.
'Newhart' sidekick Tom Poston dies at 85 - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES -Tom Poston, the tall, pasty-faced comic who found fame and fortune playing a clueless everyman on such hit television shows as 'Newhart' and 'Mork and Mindy,' has died. He was 85.
Poston, who was married to Suzanne Pleshette of 'The Bob Newhart Show,' died Monday night at home after a brief illness, a family representative, Tanner Gibson, said Tuesday. The nature of his illness was not disclosed.
Bob Newhart remembered Poston as a 'versatile and veteran performer and a kindhearted individual.'
'Tom was always the `go-to guy' on `Newhart' in addition to being a good and longtime friend,' Newhart said in a statement Tuesday.
Billy Crystal, who starred in the 1978 film 'Rabbit Test' in which Poston also appeared, was another admirer.
'How rare that a gentle, sweet person could be so incredibly funny,' Crystal said in a statement. 'I grew up watching Tom on 'The Steve Allen Show' as a kid. What an incredible gift to become friends with him and to learn about comedy from a true professional. He was a combination of Stan Laurel and Jack Benny. We will all miss him.'"
Poston, who was married to Suzanne Pleshette of 'The Bob Newhart Show,' died Monday night at home after a brief illness, a family representative, Tanner Gibson, said Tuesday. The nature of his illness was not disclosed.
Bob Newhart remembered Poston as a 'versatile and veteran performer and a kindhearted individual.'
'Tom was always the `go-to guy' on `Newhart' in addition to being a good and longtime friend,' Newhart said in a statement Tuesday.
Billy Crystal, who starred in the 1978 film 'Rabbit Test' in which Poston also appeared, was another admirer.
'How rare that a gentle, sweet person could be so incredibly funny,' Crystal said in a statement. 'I grew up watching Tom on 'The Steve Allen Show' as a kid. What an incredible gift to become friends with him and to learn about comedy from a true professional. He was a combination of Stan Laurel and Jack Benny. We will all miss him.'"
Solomon Vs. Lord -- Paul Levine
This is the book I read on the plane to New York. It was a perfect airplane book for me: well-written funny, not too dark. Levine was at the Edgar reception for nominees because the second Solomon vs. Lord book was nominated for best paperback, so I was able to meet him and tell him how much I enjoyed this one. It's a typical "opposites attract" story with a couple of lawyers who are obviously meant for each other, though you're supposed to wonder if they'll ever get together. Not that you ever doubt it. Solomon is a prickly guy who has issues with his father. He's caring for his autistic nephew, and he lawyers pretty much by the seat of his pants. Lord is a by-the-book prosecutor who tangles with him from their first meeting.
Before long, thanks to some adroit contrivances, they're law partners taking on one of the biggest homicide cases in Miami history. Solomon also finds himself in court as a defendant when the social services folks try to take Bobby away from him. He's defended by Lord. As you can tell, there are quite a few contrivances in the book, including the fact that judges in both cases couldn't be more suited to the situation.
But who cares? It's all in good fun, and there's plenty of snappy patter, some action, fine local color, and a fast-moving storyline to keep you happy. I'll definitely read the second in the series, so check it out.
But Soft! What Light from Younder HDTV Breaks?
Video game aims to hook children on Shakespeare - Yahoo! News: "TORONTO (Reuters Life!) - Children typically spend hours in front of a computer so a Canadian university has decided to introduce them to Shakespeare with a video game.
While zapping enemy spaceships players have to help recover the stolen text of Romeo and Juliet by memorizing lines from the famous play, learning facts about Shakespeare's life and devising synonyms and homonyms for parts of the text.
'The game is a way to capitalize on the time that kids spend on computers,' said Professor Daniel Fischlin who headed the team at the University of Guelph in Ontario that developed the game called 'Speare.'
'I don't know of another medium that has seven-year-olds spouting Shakespeare,' Fischlin added in response to charges the game might trivialize learning.
The game was launched earlier this week to coincide with the anniversary of Shakespeare's death after two years and C$50,000 ($44,800) spent developing it."
While zapping enemy spaceships players have to help recover the stolen text of Romeo and Juliet by memorizing lines from the famous play, learning facts about Shakespeare's life and devising synonyms and homonyms for parts of the text.
'The game is a way to capitalize on the time that kids spend on computers,' said Professor Daniel Fischlin who headed the team at the University of Guelph in Ontario that developed the game called 'Speare.'
'I don't know of another medium that has seven-year-olds spouting Shakespeare,' Fischlin added in response to charges the game might trivialize learning.
The game was launched earlier this week to coincide with the anniversary of Shakespeare's death after two years and C$50,000 ($44,800) spent developing it."
Gator Update: San Antonio Edition
Video at link.
Gator wanders onto San Antonio freeway, blocks traffic | News for Austin, Texas | kvue.com | Top Stories: "SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio police first turned on their sirens, then they tried to soothe the troublemaker into compliance with a lullaby.
But the eight-foot alligator proved to be one stubborn traffic problem on busy Interstate 410 in southern San Antonio early Sunday.
Officer Albert Silva was the first to arrive at the scene of the traffic backup.
'I don't remember any of this in the academy,' Silva said."
Gator wanders onto San Antonio freeway, blocks traffic | News for Austin, Texas | kvue.com | Top Stories: "SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio police first turned on their sirens, then they tried to soothe the troublemaker into compliance with a lullaby.
But the eight-foot alligator proved to be one stubborn traffic problem on busy Interstate 410 in southern San Antonio early Sunday.
Officer Albert Silva was the first to arrive at the scene of the traffic backup.
'I don't remember any of this in the academy,' Silva said."
Gator Update: The Return of Reggie!
'Reggie' the alligator reappears in L.A. - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES - Reggie the alligator reappeared Monday after vanishing for 1 1/2 years in an urban lake where the reptile turned up in 2005 and repeatedly skunked would-be 'gator wranglers.
'After 18 months of hibernation or just eluding us, Reggie has decided to show himself,' City Councilwoman Janice Hahn told a press conference next to Harbor Regional Park's Lake Machado.
Hahn said she had asked the Parks and Recreation Department to put a fence back up around the lake.
'Reggie is older, Reggie is bigger, and he's probably hungry, so I want to make sure that we keep the public safe,' she said. 'He's a wild alligator and he's unpredictable and we're not really sure what his behavior will be.'"
'After 18 months of hibernation or just eluding us, Reggie has decided to show himself,' City Councilwoman Janice Hahn told a press conference next to Harbor Regional Park's Lake Machado.
Hahn said she had asked the Parks and Recreation Department to put a fence back up around the lake.
'Reggie is older, Reggie is bigger, and he's probably hungry, so I want to make sure that we keep the public safe,' she said. 'He's a wild alligator and he's unpredictable and we're not really sure what his behavior will be.'"
25 Reasons the Internet Conquered the World
How the Internet took over - USATODAY.com: "Twenty-five years ago the Internet as we now know it was in the process of being birthed by the National Science Foundation. Since then it's been an information explosion. From e-mail to eBay, communication and shopping have forever changed."
Happy Birthday, Joseph Heller!
The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "It's the birthday of Joseph Heller, (books by this author) born in Brooklyn, New York (1923). He's best known for his novel Catch-22 (1961), about a World War II bomber pilot, Yossarian, who believes that the world is out to get him killed. The entire German army wants to shoot him down, and the men that are supposedly his countrymen keep sending him out on bombing missions, where he is likely to get shot down by those Germans. He spends all his time trying to get himself declared insane so he can stop flying bombing missions, but there is a regulation called Catch-22, which says that if you want out of combat duty you can't be crazy.
Heller wrote, '[A pilot] would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to.'"
The longer I live, the more convinced I am that Catch-22 is a great novel.
Heller wrote, '[A pilot] would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to.'"
The longer I live, the more convinced I am that Catch-22 is a great novel.
Happy Anniversary, Empire State Building!
The Writer's Almanac from American Public Media: "Today is the anniversary of the day in 1931 when the Empire State Building opened to the public on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street in New York City. It was built remarkably quickly, in just over a year. At 102 stories, it was the tallest building in the world until 1974."
Monday, April 30, 2007
Minisodes?
Coming Online Soon: The Five-Minute ‘Charlie’s Angels’ - New York Times: "The question probably never occurred to viewers in the 1970s and 1980s, but suddenly it is highly relevant: exactly how much worthwhile entertainment content was there in shows like “Charlie’s Angels,” “T. J. Hooker,” and “Starsky and Hutch”?
The Sony Corporation and its production studio, Sony Pictures Television, which controls the rights to those and many other relics of a distant era of television, have come up with an answer to that question: three and a half to five minutes.
That’s the length Sony has shrunk episodes down to in order to create what the company hopes is an appealing new business in retooling old shows for a new era of entertainment. Sony even has a name for these shrunken slices of television nostalgia: minisodes."
The Sony Corporation and its production studio, Sony Pictures Television, which controls the rights to those and many other relics of a distant era of television, have come up with an answer to that question: three and a half to five minutes.
That’s the length Sony has shrunk episodes down to in order to create what the company hopes is an appealing new business in retooling old shows for a new era of entertainment. Sony even has a name for these shrunken slices of television nostalgia: minisodes."
Hit Parade Hall of Fame
Hit Parade Hall of Fame: "Welcome to the Hit Parade Hall of Fame where all Pop, Country and R&B recording artists are honored.
In the last half century recorded music
has become the language of the universe with artists from all over the world receiving acclaim.
Changes in lifestyle, erasing prejudices and inviting
new thought, recorded music has both excited, yet calmed and brought entertainment into our lives.
We encourage you to invite your friends to join in
casting a vote for your favorites and in suggesting recording stars who might be honored in the future by the nominating committee.
The first nominees for the Hit Parade Hall of Fame
is from the era starting with 1950 and continuing
to the year 1975. Each are required to have at least
two top ten hits, singles and/or album of any genre.
In the future we will announce the date and location
of the induction ceremony and museum dedicated to those who deserve being inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame."
In the last half century recorded music
has become the language of the universe with artists from all over the world receiving acclaim.
Changes in lifestyle, erasing prejudices and inviting
new thought, recorded music has both excited, yet calmed and brought entertainment into our lives.
We encourage you to invite your friends to join in
casting a vote for your favorites and in suggesting recording stars who might be honored in the future by the nominating committee.
The first nominees for the Hit Parade Hall of Fame
is from the era starting with 1950 and continuing
to the year 1975. Each are required to have at least
two top ten hits, singles and/or album of any genre.
In the future we will announce the date and location
of the induction ceremony and museum dedicated to those who deserve being inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame."
America's Favorite Architecture
See the structures and vote for your favorites. As it happens I've seen a heck of a lot of these within the last week.
The Best SF TV Series You'll Never See
SunJournal.com - Superb sci-fi anthology series gathers dust on shelf: "I have seen the future. Well, at least I've seen what may be the best futuristic anthology series since the glory days of 'The Twilight Zone' and 'The Outer Limits.'
It's called 'Masters of Science Fiction,' and it's a stunning collection of grand stories, relevant themes, mesmerizing performances and riveting dialogue. Intrigued? You should be. This is the kind of series that could have been submitted for Rod Serling's approval - and would have won it.
I've seen all six of the completed episodes, but it's possible you won't get that chance. 'Masters of Science Fiction' appears to be stuck in a time warp that's keeping it out of the prime-time universe.
The series was announced last August as a midseason replacement for ABC, but it has yet to be scheduled by the network of 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'Desperate Housewives.' And we're fast running out of weeks for the 2006-07 television season, which comes to a close in late May.
Will we see this brilliant series before the calendar says June? It's unlikely. We're heading into the all-important May sweeps period, when ratings determine what local stations can charge for advertising."
It's called 'Masters of Science Fiction,' and it's a stunning collection of grand stories, relevant themes, mesmerizing performances and riveting dialogue. Intrigued? You should be. This is the kind of series that could have been submitted for Rod Serling's approval - and would have won it.
I've seen all six of the completed episodes, but it's possible you won't get that chance. 'Masters of Science Fiction' appears to be stuck in a time warp that's keeping it out of the prime-time universe.
The series was announced last August as a midseason replacement for ABC, but it has yet to be scheduled by the network of 'Dancing With the Stars' and 'Desperate Housewives.' And we're fast running out of weeks for the 2006-07 television season, which comes to a close in late May.
Will we see this brilliant series before the calendar says June? It's unlikely. We're heading into the all-important May sweeps period, when ratings determine what local stations can charge for advertising."
Your Mom Threw Yours Away
590 KLBJ NEWS RADIO - Breaking News Headlines and Video from 590 KLBJ: "An octogenarian's collection of rare baseball cards fetched $1.6 million in an auction, officials said.
Lionel Carter, 89, of Evanston, began his collection as a 15-year-old when he eschewed a nickel candy bar for a pack of 1932 Delong cards. His stash of pristine cards ballooned to 50,000 strong with an estimated value of $3 million and became one of the nation's most renowned collections.
'We don't say this lightly _ he's considered one of the pioneers of the hobby,' said Doug Allen, president of suburban Chicago's Mastro Auctions, which sold the collection in a three-week auction that ended Saturday.
Carter's mint condition Mickey Mantle rookie card sold for $165,000, three times more than similar cards have commanded. A set of 1938 Goudy Gum cards sold for $280,000, five times more than similar sets.
'I think people are paying more because it was owned by Lionel Carter,' Allen said.
At least 5,500 cards were sold in this auction, and the rest will be sold at other auctions during the year, officials said."
Lionel Carter, 89, of Evanston, began his collection as a 15-year-old when he eschewed a nickel candy bar for a pack of 1932 Delong cards. His stash of pristine cards ballooned to 50,000 strong with an estimated value of $3 million and became one of the nation's most renowned collections.
'We don't say this lightly _ he's considered one of the pioneers of the hobby,' said Doug Allen, president of suburban Chicago's Mastro Auctions, which sold the collection in a three-week auction that ended Saturday.
Carter's mint condition Mickey Mantle rookie card sold for $165,000, three times more than similar cards have commanded. A set of 1938 Goudy Gum cards sold for $280,000, five times more than similar sets.
'I think people are paying more because it was owned by Lionel Carter,' Allen said.
At least 5,500 cards were sold in this auction, and the rest will be sold at other auctions during the year, officials said."
Brazil Invades Texas! Or, You Damn Ants Get off My Lawn!
MySA.com: Metro | State: "They are annoying -- the state's unwelcome guest whose bite can sting so bad.
They are fire ants, but not just any kind of fire ant. These creepy crawlers came all the way from Brazil.
'The red imported fire ant, which is the one that we have here that’s not native, are much more dangerous than our native fire ants,' said Molly Keck, Bexar County Entomologist.
And expensive.
A 2001 study shows the state of Texas spent nearly $2 billion trying to fend off these ants. The foreign pests are blamed for attacking farm animals, destroying utility boxes and land.
'They really messed things up when they first came here,' Keck said. 'And they are still messing things up.'"
They are fire ants, but not just any kind of fire ant. These creepy crawlers came all the way from Brazil.
'The red imported fire ant, which is the one that we have here that’s not native, are much more dangerous than our native fire ants,' said Molly Keck, Bexar County Entomologist.
And expensive.
A 2001 study shows the state of Texas spent nearly $2 billion trying to fend off these ants. The foreign pests are blamed for attacking farm animals, destroying utility boxes and land.
'They really messed things up when they first came here,' Keck said. 'And they are still messing things up.'"
PointBlank Update
I've just received my copy of the PointBlank Press edition of Frank McAuliffe's Of all the Bloody Cheek, originally published by Ballantine many years ago. As I understand it, PointBlank will also reprint the two sequels, as well as a fourth novel in the series that's never seen print before. These books are a marvel of intricate plotting, they're funny, and they're well written. I've never read anything else like them. Highly recommended.
A Scene from The Big Sleep
Check out Jaime Weinman's post on one scene from the book as it was done in the movie.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Croc Update
BCNG Portals Page: "A crocodile is loose at Trinity Western University and already it’s getting an education on how to elude capture.
Rainforest Reptile Refuge’s curator Paul Springate was called in to rescue the two- foot long caiman which had been spotted by a security guard around 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
“He’s a smart little croc, he’s staying out of the way,” Springate said on Thursday.
On Wednesday afternoon Springate was up to his knees in cold, muddy water, trudging through stinging nettles in the ravine in the northwest corner of the university’s property."
Rainforest Reptile Refuge’s curator Paul Springate was called in to rescue the two- foot long caiman which had been spotted by a security guard around 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
“He’s a smart little croc, he’s staying out of the way,” Springate said on Thursday.
On Wednesday afternoon Springate was up to his knees in cold, muddy water, trudging through stinging nettles in the ravine in the northwest corner of the university’s property."
I'm Sure They'll Want a Clip at the Museum of Sex
Bart bares all in film: "In the unlikeliest nude scene since Kathy Bates' hot-tub hijinks in About Schmidt, Bart Simpson will reportedly go full frontal in his upcoming feature film.
According to Newsweek, which got a sneak peek at The Simpsons Movie, 'little Bart flashes his little part to the entire world' while skateboarding sans clothing on a dare from dad Homer.
If his full Monty makes it to the big screen in July, the magazine notes, it may be the first time a Hollywood movie has exposed this sort of skin -- albeit in cartoon form -- without being slapped with an R-rating."
According to Newsweek, which got a sneak peek at The Simpsons Movie, 'little Bart flashes his little part to the entire world' while skateboarding sans clothing on a dare from dad Homer.
If his full Monty makes it to the big screen in July, the magazine notes, it may be the first time a Hollywood movie has exposed this sort of skin -- albeit in cartoon form -- without being slapped with an R-rating."
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