Augustus Mandrell

Peter Rozovsky has a nice post about Of All the Bloody Cheek, the first of Frank McAuliffe's Augustus Mandrell novels. Peter also links to this excellent review/commentary on all three books of the series. As I've said before, the Mandrell books are wonderful stuff, and everybody should read them. I don't know if PointBlank is carrying through on its intent to publish all three of them, but I hope so. PointBlank was also supposed to bring into print the heretofore unpublished fourth book in the series. That's something I'd really like to see.

Will the Persecution Never End?

Online vote says Spears worst dog owner - Yahoo! News: "NEW YORK - When it comes to celebrity dog-parenting skills, Oprah Winfrey is tops and
Britney Spears is the world's worst, according to an online vote by readers of two dog magazines.
*******************
Paris Hilton, 2005's 'worst' winner, placed second for "treating her dogs like accessories,' the magazines said."

Memories of Katherine Anne Porter

I'm still moving things from the college from which I retired four years ago and taking them to storage. Today I ran across some things I thought might be interesting to one or two of you.

First is a photo of the grave marker in the Indian Creek Cemetery, a few miles out of Brownwood, Texas.

When she spoke in Brownwood, Texas, in 1976, Miss Porter told several of us that she had bought a wooden casket in Mexico and that she wanted to be buried in it. She said she kept it in a closet of her apartment. Later that year, Charlotte Laughlin, an English teacher at Howard Payne University, visited Miss Porter and took the photo at the bottom.

After her death in 1980, Miss Porter was cremated. I have no idea whether the casket was used. For some reason her mortal remains weren't returned to the Indian Creek Cemetery where she wished to be buried until 1981. Here's the April 5, 1981, bulletin from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Brownwood, and you can see the mention of Miss Porter in the middle photo. Click on it a couple of times for a good enlargement.

Is NOTHING Sacred?

Pictures at the link.

ARCHIE & RIVERDALE GET A NEW LOOK - NEWSARAMA: "With more than 60 years of a certain…shall we say, style behind them, Archie, Betty, Veronica, and the whole Riverdale gang will be getting a new look in 2007, courtesy of artist Steven Butler.

Rather than moving to a manga style, which has worked on Sabrina by Tania del Rio, this change will move the art towards a more contemporary comic book style, more realistic, and less cartoony. The move, an Archie Comics representative told Newsarama, is a continuing experiment and exploration with the characters, showcasing not only their timlessness, but their adaptability as well."

Ripper Update

IPSWICH, England (AP) - Police hunting a suspected serial killer following the murders of five prostitutes in eastern England arrested a 37-year-old man on Monday and cordoned off a group of houses.

The man was arrested at his home in Trimley St. Martin, near the port of Felixstowe, Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull said in a brief statement to reporters. He declined to say where the suspect was being held.

"He has been arrested on the suspicion of murdering all five women," Gull said.

News reports identified the suspect as Tom Stephens, who was quoted in the Sunday Mirror newspaper as saying he knew all five women, and that he had been interviewed four times under caution - meaning that he was regarded as a potential suspect - by police investigating the slayings.

Paris Hilton Wedding Plans Update

Jeff Meyerson, no fan of Miss Hilton, he) was kind enough to send this link.

Zee News - Paris Hilton confirms wedding rumours: "Paris Hilton confirms wedding rumours
Washington, Dec 18: Rumours that Paris Hilton is getting set to say ‘I Do’ are true after all, and the confirmation has come straight from the heiress’ mouth.

The Hilton hotel heiress revealed to British paper the Daily Star that she was indeed planning to wed her Greek shipping heir beau Stavros Niarchos.

'It`s true. I am going to get married,” Contactmusic quoted her, as telling the Daily Star.

And, it seems that all those reports about Hilton being at loggerheads with new BFF Britney Spears don’t hold much truth after all, for Paris wants the ‘Toxic’ singer to be her matron of honour.

'I want a fairytale wedding and Britney`s going to be my matron of honour. She can advise me,' Hilton added. "

50 Lost Movie Classics

50 Lost Movie Classics | Features | Guardian Unlimited Film: "50 Lost Movie Classics

From scenes of striking Mexican zinc workers to Burt Lancaster wandering through the city in his trunks, film history is rich with neglected masterpieces that have moved, inspired and disturbed us but somehow missed the commercial boat. We asked a panel of critics and film-makers to sing the praises of 50 forgotten gems, introduced below by Philip French."

I've actually seen quite a few of these.

Points to Ponder

Is the recording industry more like publishing than I'd realized? Of course I'm not sure what McGuinn means by "a modest advance."

Paris Hilton Abstention Update

Paris Hilton’s 7- month break: "Paris Hilton hasn’t had sex for seven months. Earlier this year, Paris has vowed to stay celibate for at least twelve months and insists she has stuck to her self imposed sex ban.

The socialite said “I have been celibate for about six or seven months, I think. I would rather just make out and kiss someone instead of sex.”"

Knudsen Custom Cowboy Hats

This folks know how to make hats! I like the various John Wayne models, but the Quigley (left) ain't bad. Unfortunately, the Stumpy is probably more my speed. Thanks to Bob Levinson for the link.

Knudsen Custom Cowboy Hats: "Unlike many 'custom cowboy hat' companies each custom hat is hand formed. Thisallows us to put curves into our hats that are impossible to duplicate with presses and forms. We utilize both old and new custom made hat tools and genuine know-how to create custom hats that are distinct, and high in quality without a huge price tag."

Jennifer Ann Williams 1976-2006

Fred Williams and I were the best of friends in high school and college (even though we attended different universities). The friendship continued when we both attended grad school in Austin. Later on, we corresponded regularly, and with the advent of e-mail we exchanged messages every day. After his retirement Fred moved to Colorado, so we haven't seen each other for years, but I'll be seeing him this afternoon at the celebration of the life of his daughter, Jennifer.

On September 27 Fred went to Austin because doctors had discovered that Jennifer had cancer. He's been there ever since. The cancer was of a rare and virulent kind, and there was nothing the doctors could do, though of course they tried. Jennifer died earlier this week. Things like this really shouldn't happen, but they do. If you have a CD with Willie Nelson's "Turn Out the Lights" on it, play the song this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. CST and think about a young woman who should have lived for many, many more years.

10 Greatest Martial Arts Movies of All Time (and more)

experiencemartialarts.com: We’ve scoured the internet. Reviews. Forums. Amazon. Postings. Bulletins. And this list is what we’ve come up with as the greatest Kung-Fu movies of all time and why you should watch each one. Pay attention to movies involving Yuen Wo-Ping as either director or action director, there’s a reason why half this list is movies where he was involved!

You Want Lists?

Well, here's a website with lists. Tons of of 'em. Including such things as "90 Weirdest Phobias" and "50 Funniest Homer Simpson Quotes." Check it out.

The Spider, Master of Men!

I've mentioned the new collection of stories about The Spider before. Tonight's news is that the illustrations for the stories are ready. You can see them here.

Superman Returns

Superman as a chick flick? That's about the size of it.

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane? She was fine as Sandra Dee in Beyond the Sea, but she looks way too young to be Lois.

Brandon Routh as Supe? Bland, mostly monosyllabic.

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor? Okay, but he doesn't really breaks loose the way Gene Hackman did. He comes close a couple of times, but the attempt at comedy in his last scene falls flat. The scene where Lois discovers the wigs seems stolen directly from one of my favorite episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show. It made me long for Carl Reiner as Alan Brady. He'd have made this into a great scene.

The plot? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

A couple of nice action set-pieces. That's about it. I was disappointed in this one.

Paging Dean Wormer! Paging Dean Wormer!

Frat Member Arrested After Homeless Man Shot - News: "CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Police said some members of the Alpha Gamma Rho agricultural fraternity at Oregon State University don't like transients -- so they fire shots at them.

That's what police said they discovered after a man was shot in an alley behind the fraternity house in October as he was searching the trash for returnable bottles and cans.

Police found more than two-dozen weapons in the Alpha Gamma Rho house, including the 22-caliber rifle that was used to shoot and injure Dennis Sanderson.

In interviews with fraternity members, police said they learned the young men deeply resent the transients who rummage through the alley and have fired shots at them over the past year.

Police arrested 19-year-old Joshua Grimes and charged him in Sanderson's shooting. He faces charges of assault and unlawful use of a firearm.

Oregon State said it will conduct roundtables next year to help fraternity members better understand the issues of homelessness and hunger."

I'm certain that these roundtables will take care of everything.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Thanks to New Yorker Jeff Meyerson for the link.

Bill would allow legally blind Texans to hunt | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "AUSTIN — A state lawmaker wants to make sure no Texan is left out when it comes to hunting, even if the hunter is legally blind.

Rep. Edmund Kuempel, a Seguin Republican, has filed a bill for the 2007 legislative session that would allow legally blind hunters to use a laser sight, or lighted pointing instrument. The devices are forbidden for sighted hunters.

Blind hunters would also have to have a sighted hunter along with them, but they could hunt any game that sighted people can hunt in the same seasons and using the same weapons.

'This opens up the fun of hunting to additional people, and I think that's great,' Kuempel said.

Visually impaired people are able to shoot with the aid of a sighted person, he said."

Stephen King's Top Ten Book Picks for 2006

Stephen King's Top Ten Book Picks for 2006

Entertainment Weekly's EW.com | Feature: Stephen King's top book picks for 2006: "The Pop of King on his favorite reads for the past year by Stephen King:
**************
Here are the best ones I read in 2006...and as always, please keep in mind that doesn't mean they were published in 2006. This is just my list of the ones that best furnished my interior room this past year."

Anna Nicole Smith Update

Anna Nicole Smith in San Francisco Court - Forbes.com: "Anna Nicole Smith arrived Friday at a federal courthouse in San Francisco to continue her legal battle over her late husband's fortunes.

At issue is the will of oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall III, which did not include Smith. She has argued he intended to provide for her through a special trust.

David Madden, a spokesman for the court, said Smith was at the building, which houses the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, for a mediation hearing. Calls to lawyers weren't immediately returned."

From Fox News. So You Know It's Fair & Balanced

FOXNews.com - Conservative Female Professionals by Day, Down and Dirty Jell-O Wrestlers by Night - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment: "Conservative female professionals by day, down and dirty Jell-O wrestlers by night. These are the lives of a group of women on New York City's Lower East Side who have taken to the sport of 'amateur female Jell-O wrestling' to release their pent-up aggressions.

The women, who go by pseudonyms such as Sandra Claws, Tinsel the Bohemian Christmas Fairy, Chocolate Thunder and Backhand Betty, gather at a bar to do battle in a blow-up kiddie pool full of clear, unflavored gelatin, Reuters reported.

The 11 female participants swear that the sport is empowering and is not about naked women rolling around for drooling male spectators.

'We work hard to promote it as a feminist thing and the night is really like a community night in that it is really what the women make of it,' said Annie Rock, 26, one of the organizers.

The show, which happens once a month, is completely put together by women, and they agree that the sport is 'fun, friendly competition.'"