Breaking News - Wall-Climbing Gator To Be Made Into ‘Nuggets’ - from TBO.com Breaking News
WESLEY CHAPEL - An alligator that got itself caught between two houses in the Meadow Pointe community Thursday evening had been trapped, killed and ready to be made into “alligator nuggets” by this morning, a local trapper said.
Mickey Fagan of M and D Gator Products of Dade City said he caught the gator - which tried to climb the side of a house in the Morningside neighborhood at about 7:30 p.m.
A series of photos can be found here.
Duke / Assessing John Wayne's true grit on his centennial: "When we talk about John Wayne -- whose 100th birthday is Saturday -- we are talking about a lot of things. We're talking about an actor. We're talking about movies. We're talking about an era. We're also talking about an idea -- specifically an American idea about itself that was appealing to so many people that Wayne remains unquestionably the most enduringly popular screen actor in the history of the medium.That may surprise today's moviegoers. Was Wayne really more popular than Chaplin? Or Humphrey Bogart? Or Bette Davis? Or Marilyn Monroe? Think of the great male stars of his generation and other names come to mind more readily: Clark Gable, Cary Grant, James Stewart. And yet it's Wayne who racked up the numbers: Between 1949 and 1974, Wayne made the top 10 list of box office stars 25 times. He topped that list four times.The significance of that can't be overstated. Think of what America was like in 1949. Then think of what it was like in 1974. Think of the changes in music, styles and social mores. Think also of the changes in movies, from 'On the Town' to 'Chinatown.' And then think how, across that span, Wayne remained one of the top 10 people that other people wanted to see. That's longevity of epic proportions."
keyetv.com - Reggie The Alligator Resting Comfortably At Zoo: "(CBS) LOS ANGELES Reggie the alligator was resting comfortably Friday in his new digs at the Los Angeles Zoo, officials said.The 7-foot gator is expected to undergo a physical examination next week to make sure it is healthy, and to definitively determine the beast's gender, according to the zoo's reptile expert, Ian Recchio.Zoo officials are also expected to decide in the coming weeks whether Reggie will be sent elsewhere or remain in Los Angeles with the zoo's six other American alligators and two Chinese gators.'This whole situation is still so fresh and we're still trying to catch our breath,' Recchio said. 'We're just concerned about getting him comfortable right now and just dealing with the media attention.'"
And she really ought to read Blood Marks.Criminal Brief: The Mystery Short Story Web Log Project: "For Laura Lippman, a current best-selling novelist who’s also been known to write as many as six short-stories in a single year, the many original-anthology volumes being done by such publishers as Akashic are a great place to discover not only “terrific new voices” but also to find out “new things about writers that you thought you knew.” As a for-instance of the latter, she cites author Bill Crider: “He’s been on the scene for a long time; and … I think people would say, ‘Oh, Bill Crider, he’s this nice man from Texas, and he writes these very – nice books’; but if you read Bill’s story – I think it’s ‘Crank,’ in Damn Near Dead [Busted Flush Press, 2006] – you’d be surprised!”"
. . . if it weren't so sad, Part II of a series.Reuters AlertNet - UN meeting wiped after U.S. reads wrong statement: "UNITED NATIONS, May 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad had to reconvene the U.N. Security Council and rerun a meeting on Friday after reading the wrong statement on Sudan, effectively wiping an entire council session out of history.At the first session, Khalilzad, current president of the council, read out a hard-hitting statement denouncing aerial bombardment in the troubled Darfur region in a clear critique of the Sudanese government.When the session ended, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin was the first to point out that the statement was not the one that the council's 15 members had agreed, participants said.After about 10 minutes, officials managed to corral diplomats wandering off for the weekend back into the council chamber. Khalilzad opened a new meeting under the same serial number at which he read out a more anodyne statement that just urged all parties in Darfur, rebels included, to end violence."
I don't care what this guy says: I love Cutthroat Island.Buried treasure: 12 pirate flicks to dig up - MOVIE OPINIONS - MSNBC.com: "In the early days of moviemaking through (roughly) the 1950s, pirate movies were reliably common — not as ubiquitous as the western, but the scurvy sea dogs held their own. Even after the genre fell out of favor, directors repeatedly tried to hoist the skull-and-crossbones flag again, but the results were usually leaky vessels and even disastrous shipwrecks like “Cutthroat Island” and “Treasure Planet.”That’s one reason why few people expected “Pirates of the Caribbean” to be a hit, let alone the record-breaking smash that it is. But one reason that the trilogy has been successful is the way it embraces the best trappings of the genre while jettisoning the worst. The creators of the series clearly know their pirate-movie history, and it’s worth taking the time to check out some of the films that inspired them. So let’s set a course for adventure: Here are 12 pirate films worth their sea salt."
Thanks to John "The" Duke for the link.On his 100th birthday, 100 reasons to love John Wayne | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — John Wayne was born May 26, 1907, in Winterset, Iowa, 100 years ago. Alone among his generation of movie stars, he remains an apparently permanent image of American masculinity.You can accept his representation of manhood or you can reject it, but you can't ignore it.Like Elvis Presley, he was a pure product of America, unthinkable in any other culture. Unlike Elvis, he never went crazy, never lost his faith in his essential rightness — in several senses of the word — never really tried to adapt to changing times. Blessedly, he never hid behind irony.He was John Wayne, and here are 100 reasons to cherish his memory, some of them from his movies, some of them drawn from Wayne in conversation."
A while back I confessed on Crimespace that my earliest publications were poems. I was published in a few "little magazines," and I actually got paid for my work in The Runner and Grit. Now and then the poetic muse still seizes me, and I produce poems full of pith and moment. Also full of symbolism and metaphorical language. But mostly full of pith. To wit:There was a young laddie from YorkWho ate all his meals with a spork.He then tried a spifeBut soon lost his life --Cut his throat while eating, the dork.
Thank you. Thank you very much, ladies and germs. You're a wonderful audience. I'll be here all week.
Thanks to Al "Hard Man" Guthrie for the link. You can also check out Jodie's official website, with a NSFW photo, here.Nobody Wants To Marry Jodie Marsh - Entertainment News, Reviews, Competitions - Entertainmentwise: "When Jodie Marsh announced details of a new reality TV show, 'Who Will Marry Jodie Marsh?', no doubt she expected the men of the country to quiver in anticipation.But it turns out that even they're not that desperate.Today's Mirror reports that at the first auditions for the reality show just TWO people turned up, 'and one of those was horribly drunk'.Does nobody want to marry the glamour model?"
10 bug films with good buzz, bite and hidden meaning | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Entomologists notwithstanding, we're all a little undereducated about 'bugs,' which is probably why they have such a chilling effect in movie theaters, from the brain-eating things in Star Trek II to the roaches of Pacific Heights to the bugs that spew from people's mouths (often corpses) in Indiana Jones movies.Sometimes these bugs (please know that we're using the term as a catch-all) are just props. Other times, they carry allegorical and metaphorical baggage, as Bug — a chilling post-terrorism tale — does.Here are 10 essential bug movies (some fun, some creepy) and some explanations (some fun, some creepy) about what great unspoken thing they might represent."
Probably not, but Jeff Meyerson points out that Paris Hilton has reformed.
Bemusement park: Where Dickens meets Disney | csmonitor.com: "Welcome to Dickens World, a theme park with a difference. If you thought theme parks were all about thrilling roller coaster rides, wolfing down hotdogs and cotton candy, and shaking hands with overgrown mice and goofy dogs, you're in for a rude awakening. Dickens World recreates the filth, squalor, and even the unpleasant whiffs of Victorian London, the city in which Charles Dickens lived and breathed, and wrote so memorably about in 'A Tale of Two Cities,' 'Great Expectations,' and 'Oliver Twist.' It's less a theme park, and more a 'grime park.'"
Check out the sign the protester is carrying. Is this a great country or what?FW students protest TAKS decision | Latest News | WFAA.com: "FORT WORTH — Students who had been planning to walk across the stage at graduation ceremonies this weekend were instead walking a picket line Thursday morning.The Trimble Tech High School seniors marched in front of Fort Worth Independent School District headquarters to protest Wednesday's decision by trustees to bar students who failed the TAKS test from commencement exercises.About a dozen young people, carrying signs and chanting, began picketing at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. They represent the 613 Fort Worth seniors who did not pass the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills exam."
Emu leads wild goose chase | The Daily Telegraph: "A MYSTERY emu has been shot dead after a cross-border chase by police in Europe.The Australian native bird was first spotted in the German town of Grenzach-Wyhlen near the Swiss border.Police tried to capture the emu, but it dashed away, prompting an international operation involving both German and Swiss police.The police gave chase in parol cars for hours but were no match for the agile fugitive, which darted down narrow alleyways and made tight turns.Vets and staff from local zoos were called in to help, before the German police called upon their Swiss counterparts.The emu was clocked at speeds up to 50 km/h, with police resorting to roadblocks, while the vets were unsuccessful in their attempts to sedate the bird with tranquiliser darts."
Gator Visits Suburb: "WESLEY CHAPEL - A 6- to 7-foot alligator drew a small crowd of incredulous onlookers Thursday evening in the Morningside neighborhood in Meadow Pointe.As the reptile attempted to climb the stucco wall of a house, near several electrical boxes, a woman across the street said, 'Oh my God.'Pasco County sheriff's Deputy Todd Koenig said his agency was called to a house on Morning Mist Drive about 6:15 p.m.Rick Skinner, onto whose property the gator crept, said it was the second one he had seen in his yard in five years. Homes on the street were built between at least two ponds.'The other one was about a 5-footer,' Skinner said. 'It was in the middle of the night. We just left it alone, and it took care of itself.'I would be of the mind to leave this one alone, too. If they trap it, they'll kill it, and what's the point of that? It's not hurting anybody.'"
Free Reggie!Thanks to Jeff Meyerson for the link.
Out of the Gutter is back. Issue 2 is ready for preorder, and you can take a look at the cover. The theme for Issue 3 is posted. Check it out.
A gumshoe's tour of Los Angeles | csmonitor.com: "Raymond Chandler buffs take a bus ride through L.A., visiting the dark city of the late author's crime novels."
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | 30 pieces of trivia about Star Wars: "The original Star Wars film was released on 25 May 1977. Much to the surprise of many involved in the project, including the studio which backed it, it became a runaway success.To celebrate the movie's 30th anniversary here are 30 facts and figures related to the film which influenced a new generation of film-makers."
Thanks to Ted Hertel for the photo. As you can see, I have Dave pretty much spellbound. Or maybe it's the tie.
