Kasey Lansdale Update

New Story at BEAT to a PULP

BEAT to a PULP :: Diseases from Loving :: Alec Cizak

In Case George Lucas Is Looking for a Plot for the Next Indiana Jones Movie. . . .

Cave complex may lie beneath Giza Pyramids - Discovery.com- msnbc.com: "An enormous system of caves, chambers and tunnels lies hidden beneath the Pyramids of Giza, according to a British explorer who claims to have found the lost underworld of the pharaohs.

Populated by bats and venomous spiders, the underground complex was found in the limestone bedrock beneath the pyramid field at Giza."

That Should Prove It, All Right

Strange Byrd sings in court - The Daily Journal: "A Las Vegas man charged with two felony theft counts sang a 'Kool & the Gang' song for Kankakee County Circuit Court Judge Clark Erickson Wednesday in an attempt to prove he is not delusional."

Fight Club Update

My Way News - Texas 'fight club' defendant sentenced to 3 years: "SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A man convicted of helping run what police called a 'fight club' that set developmentally disabled residents of a state-run center against each other was sentenced to three years in prison Friday.

A Nueces County jury spared Jesse Salazar the maximum punishment in the abuse scandal that surfaced with cell phone videos of employees at the Corpus Christi State School provoking residents into fights."

Shamus Awards at Bouchercon

The PWA Shamus Award Banquet will be held Friday, Oct. 16, from 6:30-9:00 at The Slippery Noodle, the most popular blues bar in Indianapolis. Good food, great music, and the Shamus Awards. Tickets are $50 and are available now. Reserve your place asap as seating is limited. Email Bob Randisi at RRandisi@aol.com with your home address and an invitation will be sent to you.

Oh Ugly Bird

Unknown Explorers - Big Bird: "The term Big Bird in this particular instance does not refer to the lovable 6 foot tall, yellow feathered bird from the hit children’s show Sesame Street but rather a mysterious creature that was sighted several times in the Rio Grande Valley of deep South Texas during the mid 1970’s. Big Bird, as the creature was dubbed, was described by witnesses as being five feet tall, having a huge wingspan of up to 12 feet and possessing two large red eyes on a gorilla like face."

Hat tip to Doc Quatermass.

Donavan's Brain

They'd Better Do It Right

Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede, one of the all-time great American comedy sf novels, will be a movie - Boing Boing: "Holy CRAP this is good news: Bradley Denton's incredible comic sf novel Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede is being made into a movie directed and written by Robert Rugan."

Jon Heder to star in 'Buddy Holly' - Entertainment News, Exclusives, Media - Variety: "Jon Heder is set to star in 'Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede,' an adaptation of the Bradley Denton comic sci-fi novel. Robert Rugan wrote the script and will direct."

Great news for Brad Denton, and I hope I see him at Armadillocon to congratulate him.

Armadillocon

Judy and I are getting ready to go to Austin for the Armadillocon. I'll try to take a photo or two, maybe get a short interview with some of the luminaries. Last year I was the Toastmaster. This year I'm on one panel. From the penthouse to the outhouse, the story of my life. Just kidding. I wasn't planning to be on any panels at all. I'm more interested in hanging out than I am in doing panels. Maybe I'll even find a book or two in the dealers' room.

The Dutch Lead the Way

Sex lags behind bathroom visits in popularity: Dutch survey : Health: "Sex might be fun, but the Dutch don't find it as fun as a pleasant trip to the bathroom, if survey results reported Thursday by the ANP news agency are to be believed. According to the poll of 1,000 adults, 88 per cent listed a visit to the bathroom as something 'they enjoy the most,' making it the most popular activity chosen, reported ANP. Only 21 per cent did the same for sex."

Hat tip to Jeff Segal.

I Advise Avoiding His Lawn

Blue Flame owner kills two: Harlem's restaurant supply owner shoots two dead after botched robbery: "A shotgun-wielding owner of a Harlem restaurant-supply company blasted two robbers to death and wounded two others on Thursday when he caught them pistol-whipping his employee, police said.

Turning the tables on the brutish bandits, 72-year-old Charles (Gus) Augusto opened fire with a 12-gauge shotgun he kept handy for such occasions, cops and witnesses said."

Are You Glad to See Me?

Or is that a turtle in your pants?

Pet shop thief shoves turtle in his pants | LOCAL NEWS | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas: "SPRING, Texas -- A thief who targeted a pet store in Spring can be easily identified by surveillance video of his face and by the suspicious bulge in the left pocket of his jeans."

Video at the link.

Fogotten Books: Goodnight Moom -- Jack MacLane

Not entirely forgotten, I guess, since there are Amazon reviews of it. Here's one comment: "I think this is a real sleeper classic." Here's another: "Read this book to see what happens to Harry. Or don't read it and spare yourself the nightmares. A book for adventurous folk." And another: "It was ok but too weird, . . . ." And of course, this one: "Good thing I got this book from a yardsale, free. The only reason I rate it 1 is because I can't rate it 0."

I tend to agree with the first guy. It's a classic about a brain-damaged guy named Harry who progresses from killing small animals to killing humans. His parents keep him locked up, but one night he escapes. He's killing, people are hunting him to kill him, and it gets pretty gory. Jack MacLane was obviously a real sick-o. As all the reviewers say in one way or another, this is not a book for the squeamish. Or maybe just not for anybody.

The Creature with the Atom Brain

Anna Nicole Smith Update

NYC judge OKs $60M lawsuit against book author who claimed Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer was pimp - SFL: "A jury can decide whether the author of a best-selling book about the death of Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith defamed her lawyer by making allegations that may be too outlandish to be true, including that he pimped her to up to 50 men a year, a judge concluded Wednesday."

Galaxies Like Grains of Sand

YouTube - The Hubble Ultra Deep Field in 3D

John Quade, R. I. P.

London Free Press - Entertainment - Character actor John Quade dies at 71: "John Quade, who played the heavy in several Clint Eastwood movies and was the sheriff in the TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 71.

His wife Gwen says Quade died in his sleep of natural causes Sunday at his home in the Southern California desert town of Rosamond.

Quade had dozens of TV and movie roles in a career that spanned more than a quarter-century. His movies included “Papillon” and “High Plains Drifter.”"

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

New Blog on the Block

Davy Crockett's Almanack

This one's from saddle pal Dave Lewis, or Evan Lewis as he's known to those who've read his short fiction. He just sold a story to EQMM, and there are bound to be more to come.

Clunk

PD: Man caught trying to trade in car that killed bicyclist - Phoenix Arizona news, breaking news, local news, weather radar, traffic from ABC15 News | ABC15.com: "They booked Timothy Kissida, 23, on charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and tampering with physical evidence.

Saturday, after the collision, police said Kissida traded in his light blue, 1992 BMW 325I to Peoria's Power Chevrolet, a local auto dealership, as part of the 'Cash for Clunkers' program after obtaining an estimate on the damages.

According to court paperwork, Kissida said the damage to the vehicle occurred when he hit a javelina."

Great photo at the link.