Little Richard: "Richard Wayne Penniman was born December 5, 1932 one of twelve children. His father Charles 'Bud' Penniman was a Seventh Day Adventist preacher who sold moonshine on the side. Richard grew up on a dirt street in an impoverished section of Macon, Georgia. Music was everywhere. Street vendors and evangelist who paraded down his block would sing as loud as they could, whether selling vegetables or religion, to get attention of folks inside. All the neighborhood sang freely as well, improvising on spiritual songs to keep them company as they worked. Some gospel singers, particularly Marion Williams of the Clara Ward singers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Mahalia Jackson had a profound influence on Richard."
Saturday, December 05, 2009
The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME
Full List - The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME - TIME: "'First, I apologize. I know I left some of your favorite shows off this list. How do I know that? Because I left some of my favorite shows off this list. The happy and unfortunate fact is that there are far more than 100 great shows, and more created every year. Lists are incredibly important: they are how we define what matters to us, what we want entertainment and art to do, what we expect of our culture.'
—TIME TV critic James Poniewozik"
—TIME TV critic James Poniewozik"
Wisconsin Leads the Way
Superior man confronts pipeline crew, arrested for trespassing on his own land - WITI: "A northwestern Wisconsin man who confronted a work crew building a pipeline across his land is arrested for trespassing on his own property."
Hat tip to John Hall.
Hat tip to John Hall.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Legislature tries to draw tan line for teenagers: "State Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, wants to put new limits on teenagers using tanning salons, and he's right to do so. There's no medical need for teens under 18 to tan, and the potential for long-range health problems is real.
Solomons' House Bill 1310 would bar anyone under the age of 18 from using a tanning bed without a doctor's note and a parent present. That would both broaden and simplify current law, which requires anyone under 16 to have a parent at the salon while they are tanning, and anyone under 13 to get a doctor's note."
Solomons' House Bill 1310 would bar anyone under the age of 18 from using a tanning bed without a doctor's note and a parent present. That would both broaden and simplify current law, which requires anyone under 16 to have a parent at the salon while they are tanning, and anyone under 13 to get a doctor's note."
Yet Another Re-Imagining
The Hollywood Reporter | Heat Vision: 'Nutcracker' being reimagined as an action-adventure: "New Line has picked up a pitch from Darren Lemke, the writer behind the studio’s Bryan Singer project “Jack the Giant Killer,” that reimagines the classic tale of “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” as an action-adventure movie."
Ticket to Ride -- Ed Gorman
Those of us who were around in 1965 will never forget those days. I always think of the Pete Seeger song "Wasn't that a Time?" And Ed Gorman captures it so well in Ticket to Ride that it's almost like taking a trip back there in a time machine. That alone is enough to make the book worth reading, but of course you always get a lot more in a book by Gorman.This is part of the Sam McCain series, and if you haven't read it, you're missing one of the finest series of mystery novels around. Period. I can't understand why they're not selling ten times as many copies as the stuff I see on the bestseller list.
Okay, that's not true. I can, and I'll tell you why. (1) The books don't offer you a mile-a-minute chase through exotic settings around the world. They're set in the small city of Black River Falls, where people have lived together and known each other since their school days. (2) They don't have larger-than-live villains with names like The Homicidalist. All the people are ordinary folks, just like you and me and our neighbors, human beings with flaws and good points who sometimes make some really bad decisions. (3) There's no larger-than-life hero, either. McCain's no cryptologist with a Ph.D. in Arcania. He's just a guy with problems of his own. (4) What happens in the books won't shake the world from Peking to the Kremlin to Washington. It will shake the town of Black River Falls, though, and it will shake the people there. It will shake you if you read the book. What happens to the people in the book will matter to you. (5) The book's not 500 pages long. It's longer than a classic Gold Medal, I suppose, but it's lean and streamlined. And the writing is so good that you'll wish you could do as well.
Okay, I haven't even said anything specific about the book, and I don't think I will. You should just read it, and if you haven't read the other books in the series, read them, too. They're funny, they're heartbreaking, they're good mysteries. Find out what you've been missing. You'll thank me later.
California Leads the Way
Giving tourists a look at gang culture -- latimes.com: "A group of civic activists, united by faith and a belief that the poor economy in the interior of Los Angeles is a social injustice, is preparing to offer bus tours of some of the grittiest pockets of the city, including decayed public housing, sites of deadly shootouts and streets ravaged by racial unrest.
After a VIP preview last weekend, L.A. Gang Tours expects to open to the public in January, giving tourists a look at the cradle of the nation's gang culture -- the birthplace of many of the city's gangs, including Crips and Bloods, Florencia 13 and 18th Street."
After a VIP preview last weekend, L.A. Gang Tours expects to open to the public in January, giving tourists a look at the cradle of the nation's gang culture -- the birthplace of many of the city's gangs, including Crips and Bloods, Florencia 13 and 18th Street."
Uh-Oh
It appears that our heating unit stopped working sometime during the night. As it's 28 degrees outside, we sort of need heat.
No Comment Department
BBC News - Library ban for 'pungent body odour' man: "Library officials in Leicestershire have banned a regular reader from their building following complaints about his 'pungent' body odour.
The council said they were forced to act as visitors left Wigston Library when Stuart Penman, 27, arrived.
Staff said they have advised him about his personal hygiene, but it had not improved after a year."
The council said they were forced to act as visitors left Wigston Library when Stuart Penman, 27, arrived.
Staff said they have advised him about his personal hygiene, but it had not improved after a year."
Friday, December 04, 2009
Liam Clancy, R. I. P.
The Associated Press: Irish folk pioneer Liam Clancy dies in Cork at 74: "Irish balladeer Liam Clancy, last of the Clancy Brothers troupe whose feisty, boozy songs of old Ireland struck a sentimental chord worldwide, died Friday in a Cork hospital. He was 74.
Clancy died in his hospital bed flanked by his wife Kim and daughters Siobhan and Fiona, his manager and family said. He suffered for years against incurable pulmonary fibrosis, the same lung-destroying disease that claimed one of his older singing brothers, Bobby, in 2002."
Clancy died in his hospital bed flanked by his wife Kim and daughters Siobhan and Fiona, his manager and family said. He suffered for years against incurable pulmonary fibrosis, the same lung-destroying disease that claimed one of his older singing brothers, Bobby, in 2002."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Update: 'Tracks' found in area where 'Bigfoot-type' creature spotted | WOAI.COM: San Antonio News: "Experts are now investigating reported sightings of a large, hairy, 'Bigfoot-type' creature on the West Side."Um, "experts"? Why wasn't I asked?
Steven Seagal Leads the Way
'Steven Seagal Lawman' breaks A&E record: "It's been a pretty good Nielsen week for A&E.
The network's new original series 'Steven Seagal Lawman' premiered Wednesday with two back-to-back episodes and a record-breaking 3.5 million total viewers and 2.0 million viewers in adults 18-49, making it the most-watched original series launch in A&E's history in all key demos."
The network's new original series 'Steven Seagal Lawman' premiered Wednesday with two back-to-back episodes and a record-breaking 3.5 million total viewers and 2.0 million viewers in adults 18-49, making it the most-watched original series launch in A&E's history in all key demos."
Next Year: Dave White?
Jack Nicholson - Nicholson And Devito To Join New Jersey Hall Of Fame - Contactmusic News: "JACK NICHOLSON and DANNY DEVITO have landed a hometown honour - the Hollywood actors are the latest additions to the New Jersey Hall of Fame."
No Comment Department
Woman killed sister over hair straighteners | Herald Sun: "A SYDNEY woman has admitted killing her 18-year-old sister in a fight over a pair of hair straighteners."
Tastes Like . . . Whoa, Nellie!
Cluck of a find: Chicken filled with cocaine - wtop.com: "A close inspection by Customs and Border Protection officers at Dulles International Airport turned up something unexpected. Inside a fully-cooked chicken they found cocaine with an estimated street value of $4,300."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
At least he didn't waste the money.
Houston man could go to prison for eBay hot tub scam | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "A Houston man who pretended to sell hot tubs on eBay but instead took $191,000 from 46 customers and spent it on expensive cigars, trips and strip clubs pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday."
Houston man could go to prison for eBay hot tub scam | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "A Houston man who pretended to sell hot tubs on eBay but instead took $191,000 from 46 customers and spent it on expensive cigars, trips and strip clubs pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday."
Partners in Crime
Janet Rudolph asked me to do a guest blog at Mystery Fanfare about writing with a partner. I sent her my contribution a few minutes ago, and it's already up on the blog! Check it out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)