Thursday, June 21, 2012
This Would Never Happen in the U. S.
FOX 5 WTTG: British school calls police to remove pupil 'obsessed' with studying
LeRoy Neiman, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: Famed painter LeRoy Neiman, whose vivid, action-packed brushstrokes brought the world's biggest sporting stars and events to life on canvas, died Wednesday. He was 91.
A cause of death for the longtime New Yorker -- instantly recognizable with a handlebar mustache that stretched from ear to ear and an ever-present cigar -- was not released, but he had battled health problems in recent years.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
A cause of death for the longtime New Yorker -- instantly recognizable with a handlebar mustache that stretched from ear to ear and an ever-present cigar -- was not released, but he had battled health problems in recent years.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Not Me
Travelers fear separation from tech toys on trips
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson, who, like me, can quit anytime he wants to.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson, who, like me, can quit anytime he wants to.
Caroline John, R. I. P.
BBC America: The BBC have confirmed that Caroline John, the actress who made her name playing Liz Shaw opposite Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor in 1970, died on June 5. She was 72.
Caroline had a long and varied career, including a stint in the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the National Theatre, before taking on the role of Doctor Liz Shaw, a scientific rival for the pompous and boffiny Third Doctor, in the first color series of Doctor Who.
Caroline had a long and varied career, including a stint in the Royal Shakespeare Company, and the National Theatre, before taking on the role of Doctor Liz Shaw, a scientific rival for the pompous and boffiny Third Doctor, in the first color series of Doctor Who.
Soon to Be a SyFy Movie!
Sharktopus vs Mega-Wombat!
Australians find huge mega-wombat graveyard | The Raw Story: Australian scientists Thursday unveiled the biggest-ever graveyard of an ancient rhino-sized mega-wombat called diprotodon, with the site potentially holding valuable clues on the species’ extinction.
The remote fossil deposit in outback Queensland state is thought to contain up to 50 diprotodon skeletons including a huge specimen named Kenny, whose jawbone alone is 70 centimetres (28 inches) long.
Australians find huge mega-wombat graveyard | The Raw Story: Australian scientists Thursday unveiled the biggest-ever graveyard of an ancient rhino-sized mega-wombat called diprotodon, with the site potentially holding valuable clues on the species’ extinction.
The remote fossil deposit in outback Queensland state is thought to contain up to 50 diprotodon skeletons including a huge specimen named Kenny, whose jawbone alone is 70 centimetres (28 inches) long.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Harmland eBook: Charles Gramlich: Kindle Store: WHISKEY, GUNS, AND SINHarmland is a collection of noir horror stories by the author of Killing Trail and Cold in the Light. It contains:
Whiskey, Guns, and Sin: They'd all forgotten Jessi. As the motorcycle landed, Jessi sidestepped and clubbed her pistol across the rider’s face. He wore no helmet and the barrel of the Smith & Wesson tore him a wider mouth.
The Finest Cut: Two lovers are found buried in a swampy grave. The worst is yet to come.
The Grey Inside: Scientific research can be murder.
The Toad: He thought it was just a large toad until it killed a bird. Then he made the mistake of following it into the woods.
The Vivarium: A modern Cthulhu Mythos tale.
And other bonus stories.
They're Baaaaaaack
Crossroad Press is reprinting the whole series, several of which have my name attached.
Amazon.com: M.I.A. Hunter: Miami War Zone eBook: Stephen Mertz, Bill Crider: Kindle Store: Cocaine Kill Squad!
Ex-Vietnam vet Jack Wofford was fighting a new kind of war. The battlefield was Miami. The army was the D.E.A. And the enemy was the lowest form of drug-dealing scum ever to profit from human suffering.
Now, Jack Wofford is missing. And M.I.A. hunter Mark Stone is mad as hell. Wofford saved his life back in 'Nam, and Stone is ready to take on every damn pusher and kingpin in the city to find him...
Crooked cops, dealers, mobsters -- no one is safe from the savage, avenging fury of...
Stone: M.I.A. Hunter
Richard Lynch, R. I. P.
Hollywood Reporter: Richard Lynch, whose scarred face helped make him the perfect villain in such films as 1982’s The Sword and the Sorcerer, was found dead June 19 at his home in Palm Springs. He was 76.
During his prolific four-decade career, Lynch also appeared as the heavy in such movies as writer-director William Peter Blatty’s The Ninth Configuration (1980), Chuck Norris starrer Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Little Nikita (1988), opposite Sidney Poitier, and the horror thriller Bad Dreams (1998).
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
During his prolific four-decade career, Lynch also appeared as the heavy in such movies as writer-director William Peter Blatty’s The Ninth Configuration (1980), Chuck Norris starrer Invasion U.S.A. (1985), Little Nikita (1988), opposite Sidney Poitier, and the horror thriller Bad Dreams (1998).
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Besides the stories here, there's an excellent intro by Paul Bishop, a preface by the author, and a biographical sketch by Tom Roberts. Check it out.
Amazon.com: Shock Troops of Justice: Duke Ashby of the F.B.I. (9781884449130): Robert R. Mill, Tom Roberts, Paul Bishop, Emery Clarke: Books: “You are a soldier in the front-line trenches. You are fighting a force that threatens to overwhelm your country. That fact justifies any sacrifice you may be called upon to make.”—from the special agent’s handbook
It’s 1935 . . . and crime dominates the headlines!
With the backing and resources of J. Edgar Hoover’s F.B.I., Special Agent James “Duke” Ashby unleashes his Shock Troops of Justice to relentlessly battle crime on the front lines.
Follow this fight through such cases as “Scarlet Hands,” “Turn on the Heat,” “Satan’s Gunsmith” and nine other exciting stories!
With an introduction by Paul Bishop, author of the Fay Croaker series and two-time LAPD Detective of the Year.
Andrew Sarris, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Andrew Sarris, one of the nation’s most influential film critics and a champion of auteur theory, which holds that a director’s voice is central to great filmmaking, died on Wednesday morning in Manhattan. He was 83.
Matt Groening's Life in Hell Is Over
Poynter.: After exploring a world populated by “anthropomorphic rabbits and a pair of gay lovers” for over 30 years, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening is putting down his pen and ending his highly acclaimed comic strip, “Life in Hell.”
The Lasting Legacy of J.G. Ballard
The Lasting Legacy of J.G. Ballard on AbeBooks: If you are looking literature with a distinct edge, then J.G. Ballard is your man. The legacy of this British author (1930-2009) has become a little clearer in the past couple of years. His books still have a following and interest has not dimmed. A new generation have picked up the likes of Crash to discover why this novel shocked their parents.Ballard wrote more than 15 novels and countless short stories. His style verged into the dystopian and bleak scenarios are commonplace. Crash and Empire of the Sun remain his best known works, but there’s plenty more - Cocaine Nights and Super-Cannes are also well worth a read.
Victor Spinetti, R. I. P.
Actor Victor Spinetti, star of Beatles films, has died aged 82 after cancer battle | Mail Online: Veteran actor Victor Spinetti, who starred in all three Beatles films, has died at the age of 82.
The Welsh star, who also appeared in a string of acclaimed movies as well as taking roles in the West End and on Broadway, died after a fight with pancreatic cancer.
The Welsh star, who also appeared in a string of acclaimed movies as well as taking roles in the West End and on Broadway, died after a fight with pancreatic cancer.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Susan Tyrrell, R. I. P.
Cult Film Actress Dies At 67: Susan Tyrrell, cult film staple and Academy Award nominee, passed away on Sunday at the age of 67.
Although Tyrrell spent her career playing somewhat unsavory types, her talent did not go unrecognized. She made her transition from the theater to film with 1971's "Shoot Out," and, by the following year, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in John Huston's "Fat City."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Although Tyrrell spent her career playing somewhat unsavory types, her talent did not go unrecognized. She made her transition from the theater to film with 1971's "Shoot Out," and, by the following year, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in John Huston's "Fat City."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
NY Daily News: Houston cops are hunting for a dapper art vandal who was caught on video spray-painting a priceless Pablo Picasso painting at a museum last week.
Cell phone video shot by a visitor at the Menil Collection Wednesday showed a suave hoodlum in a dark suit jacket and sunglasses spray-painting a stencil over the Spanish master's "Woman in a Red Armchair."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Cell phone video shot by a visitor at the Menil Collection Wednesday showed a suave hoodlum in a dark suit jacket and sunglasses spray-painting a stencil over the Spanish master's "Woman in a Red Armchair."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Free Today for Kindle
Amazon.com: Behold the Child eBook: Harry Shannon: Books: This short novel first appeared in the Cemetery Dance anthology "Brimstone Turnpike." Each character was to be given a brief encounter with a wise old man named Johnny Divine, and one object that would affect the outcome of the story. In award-winning author Harry Shannon's entry, Sam Kenzie is an LAPD cop who can't escape his obsession with a serial killer due to demons of his own.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Besides the stories, this volume has a nice intro by F. Paul Wilson. Gene Christie provides a short editorial note along with headnotes to all the stories. I really enjoyed Black Dog's first Rohmer collection, The Green Spider, and this one looks like just as much fun.
Amazon.com: The Leopard Couch: and Other Stories of the Fantastic and Supernatural (9781884449239): Sax Rohmer, Gene Christie, F. Paul Wilson, Tom Roberts: Books: Mystery and mayhem! Sax Rohmer at his unparalleled best.
The leopard couch of eternal memories . . .
The severed hand of a desert sheikh—and its frightful vengeance . . .
An old hag damned to misery, until she can acquire a thousand kisses . . .
The mysterious black cat that knew too much . . .
The vampiric young nobleman who terrorized London . . .
A Christmas house party—with Satan himself as a guest?
These and more thrilling adventures by the incomparable Sax Rohmer await the reader in The Leopard Couch and Other Stories of the Fantastic and Supernatural—including four stories never previously published in the United States!
Free for Kindle -- 3 Days Only!
Amazon.com: Sick (A Project Eden Thriller) eBook: Brett Battles, Blake Crouch: Kindle Store: For fans of Stephen King, Blake Crouch, and Michael Crichton comes a new, heart-pounding thriller by Brett Battles...Daniel Ash wakes after midnight to the cry of his daughter. Just a bad dream, he thinks. She’s had them before. Yet he can’t help but worry when she cries out again as he pads down the hallway. Stepping through her doorway, he expects to find her sitting up in bed, frightened by a nightmare.
But the nightmare is his. It’s real. And it's just beginning...
The Record Books
The Record Books I Christophe Gowans: If best-selling albums had been books instead…
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
Algis Budrys, Texas Has Always Led the Way
Juneteenth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth,[1] and is recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in 41 states of the United States.[2][3]
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
News - Home: A woman was found naked and eating ice cream inside a drug store after leaving three children alone in a car after a wreck, investigators said.
Overlooked Movies -- The Liquidator
First, a little background. In my hometown the only theater left by the 1960s had a special deal on Wednesday nights -- 15-cent movies. So for a quarter you could see a movie, buy a box of Guess What?, and have a few cents left over. The candy was required for enjoyment of the movie. It was some kind of taffy, and there was a prize in very box. I didn't see The Liquidator during its first run, but Judy and I went to see it on 15-cent night.The movie's based on John Gardner's novel of the same name. I'd read the book and knew pretty much what to expect. Rod Taylor plays Boysie Oakes, a reluctant spy whose job is assassination. There were probably many instances before this of similar situations (most often in Bob Hope movies). The main character is hopelessly inept, but because of mistaken impressions of him by all concerned, he appears to be quite heroic and dangerous, a regular killing machine. Mainly he's a coward who's very lucky. One good twist (not really a spoiler) is that Boysie likes being The Liquidator, but being unable to do the job, he hires a professional hit man to take care of the unpleasantness.
So you know what you're getting here. You also get Jill St. John in Technicolor, along with Trevor Howard and Akim Tamiroff, among others. Plus good production values and Shirley Bassey singing the title song. Good (but not great) fun.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Dirty car art
Yahoo! Autos: Using dusty car windows as his canvas, artist Scott Wade creates dramatic black and white illustrations--depicting everything from pop-culture icons to famous works of art.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: The Tall Dolores (Ed Noon Mystery) eBook: Michael Avallone: Kindle Store: "It's like this. You've been alive about thirty years, been all over the world, know your way around the toughest, biggest cities. You're no pushover. You've had lead dug out of your shoulders, fractured a leg here, and broken an arm there. You're tough, see? No lily-of-the-valley. A real hard guy. And yet with all that, you can be dumb. Real dumb. Like when you shoot off your mouth just because you have a gun in your pocket." --Ed Noon, Private Eye
L.A. noir: It's still there
L.A. noir: It's still there: It was a dank, rain-sodden Raymond Chandler kind of morning, as if some omnipotent auteur had rung up the studio and ordered a classic film noir sky. Cumulonimbus clouds the color of a snub-nosed revolver hovered with ominous intent, and tires on slickened freeway lanes gave off a sinister, knife-sharpening hiss.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Free this Week for Kindle
Amazon.com: Speedloader eBook: Jonathan Woods, Richard Thomas, Nik Korpon, W.D. County, Matthew Funk, Nigel Bird, Sandra Ruttan, Brian Lindenmuth: Kindle Store: Speedloader is the debut title of Snubnose Press.From the trenches of WWI to the abandoned rowhomes of Baltimore; From a rural charnel house to the Texas-Mexican border these six stories explore the dark heart of crime fiction today.
Speedloader features stories of…
…revenge that will challenge you to a game of uncle that you may not win and will haunt those who are able to finish it.
…clashing motives on the Texas Mexico border
…a slide into an alcoholic haze
…a struggle with the weight of a personal choice when confronted with the sins of the past
…getting caught up in actions far beyond one’s control
…small crimes covered up and lost amidst larger forces
Jimmy Elledge, R. I. P.
VVN Music: Jimmy Elledge, who was a country singer but had more success on the pop charts, passed away last Sunday (June 10) at the age of 69. Details of his passing are sketchy but, according to Willie Nelson's website, he passed from complications of a stroke.
Hard Case Crime Update from Charles Ardai
DO COMIC BOOKS LEAD TO MURDER…?
HARD CASE CRIME to publish
Max Allan Collins’ SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT
New York, NY; London, UK (June 18, 2012) – Hard Case Crime, the award-winning line of mystery novels from editor Charles Ardai and publisher Titan Books, announced today that in February 2013 it would publishSEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT, a hardboiled detective novel inspired by the 1950s witch-hunt against crime and horror comic books. Written by best-selling novelist Max Allan Collins (author of Road to Perditionand long-time scripter of the Dick Tracy newspaper comic strip) and featuring 16 pages of interior illustrations by comic-book artist Terry Beatty (Batman, The Phantom),SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT tells the story of comic book industry troubleshooter Jack Starr and his investigation into the death of a moralizing crusader out to get violent comics banned.
The book was inspired in part by the real-life crusade of Dr. Fredric Wertham, who in 1954 published a non-fiction book also titled Seduction of the Innocent in which he accused comic books – especially violent ones such as those put out by Tales from the Crypt publisher EC Comics – of corrupting America’s innocent youth.
“Max has chosen a fascinating corner of history to write about and spun an irresistible whodunit against that backdrop,” said Charles Ardai. “No fan of comic books or of detective stories will want to miss it.”
Hard Case Crime will bring the book out in February 2013, in paperback and e-book editions, with a new cover painting in the classic pulp style by Glen Orbik.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Maureen Dunlop de Popp, R. I. P.
Telegraph: Maureen Dunlop de Popp, who has died aged 91, was one of a pioneering group of women pilots who flew the latest fighter and bomber aircraft with the wartime Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). She achieved national fame as a cover girl when a Picture Post photographer captured her alighting from a Barracuda aircraft.
Rodney King, R. I. P.
TMZ.com: Rodney King -- the man who was at the center of the infamous Los Angeles riots -- was found dead this morning in Rialito, CA. He was 47.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
U.S. News: A school nurse and counselor forced an 8-year-old Texas boy to bathe after telling him he "smelled badly, was dirty and had bad hygiene," according to a lawsuit filed Thursday.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Some Great Mugshots
America's 'least wanted' close up: How artists (and one mugshot obsessive) are transforming crime portraits into unlikely art | Mail Online: They are the murderers, thieves and forgers whose faces were captured on camera at the lowest points of their lives.
And though many people would confess that the mugshots of the past hold a certain curiosity, one man is happy to confess that his initial fascination has turned into an obsession.
Mark Michaelson has collected approximately 10,000 snaps of men and women of all races and ages, taken moment after their run-ins with the law.
And though many people would confess that the mugshots of the past hold a certain curiosity, one man is happy to confess that his initial fascination has turned into an obsession.
Mark Michaelson has collected approximately 10,000 snaps of men and women of all races and ages, taken moment after their run-ins with the law.
Happy Father's Day!
My father loved to ride and owned horses for most of his life. It was a sad
day when he had to give up riding.
day when he had to give up riding.
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