Saturday, July 27, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

. . . and now it's the mascot melee!

Mascot melee: Angry Boeing worker punches the Mariner Moose

JJ Cale, R. I. P.

Musician JJ Cale dies: Grammy-winning musician JJ Cale, whose best known songs became hits for Eric Clapton with "After Midnight" and Lynyrd Skynyrd with "Call Me the Breeze," has died. He was 74.

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest

Amazon.com: Dirt Rich eBook: Clark Howard: Kindle Store: The Sheridans . . . they had nothing, they wanted everything, and they got more than they ever bargained for. Dirt Rich is a stunning evocation of a Texas where proud men and women stop at nothing to get what they want--whether it's riches, romance, or revenge!

The Lost Me at #1

How to Find Buried Treasure 

Song of the Day

The Statler Brothers.... I'll Go to My Grave, Loving You - 1975.wmv - YouTube:

The Lincoln of Literature

The Lincoln of Literature: Mark Twain, The Atlantic, and the Making of the Middlebrow Magazine

Today's Vintage Ad


10 More Serial Killers Who Were Never Identified

10 More Serial Killers Who Were Never Identified

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Rod Gray (Gardner F. Fox), The Lady from Lust #1, Tower 1967

The Curious Case of Déjà Vu

Wait, Have I Been Here Before?

15 Gorgeous Photos Of The Old Cincinnati Library

15 Gorgeous Photos Of The Old Cincinnati Library

7 of John Adams' Greatest Insults

7 of John Adams' Greatest Insults 

Yet Another List I'm Not On

10 Highbrow Authors Who Gave Acting a Try

I Miss the Old Days

America in the 1970s: Texas

Hat tip to Walter Satterthwait.

The Ruthless Four

THE RUTHLESS FOUR - TRAILER - YouTube:

Friday, July 26, 2013

Here's the Plot for Your Next Big SF Thriller

Mysterious hum driving people crazy around the world

The First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe

The First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe was Disguised as a Man for Most of the Journey

Great Super Short Horror Stories

Great Super Short Horror Stories 

Song of the Day

MARTY ROBBINS - EL PASO CITY 1976 - YouTube:

The 21 Best Covers Of NASCAR-Themed Romantic Novels

The 21 Best Covers Of NASCAR-Themed Romantic Novels

17 Amazing Stories of Lost and Found Films

17 Amazing Stories of Lost and Found Films 

Today's Vintage Ad




The Weirdest Typewriters You’ve Ever Seen

The Weirdest Typewriters You’ve Ever Seen 

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Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, Bantam 1952

Shipwreck Update

khou.com Houston: Breaking news from the briny deep. Underwater archeologists searching a shipwreck site off the coast of Galveston report they’ve made another surprise discovery: Sunken debris from two more ships dating back two centuries.

Or Maybe Not

5 Math Equations That Change the Way You See the World

Authors' Favorite First Lines of Books

'This Did Something Powerful to Me': Authors' Favorite First Lines of Books

The 10 Greatest Giant Monster Movies of All Time

The 10 Greatest Giant Monster Movies of All Time

Link via SF Signal.

Yes, Indeed.

There Is An Eagle That Looks Exactly Like Nicolas Cage

Alvin, Texas, Not Included

Hospitality Index: America's Most Hospitable Cities

Forgotten Books: I Was a Teenage Dwarf -- Max

I've mentioned before that when I was a youth, I was quite taken with the works of Max Shulman, and I mentioned that 50 years ago (more than that now, I wanted to be Max Shulman.  I also mentioned that I'd still like to be.  That's because back in the long-ago, I thought his books were hilarious.  Re-reading I Was a Teenage Dwarf, I'm reminded that I still do.  

This book is supposedly a novel, but it's a novel only in the sense that a series of connected short stories is a novel.  The stories are narrated by Dobie Gillis (memorably portrayed on TV by Dwayne Hickman), who at the age of 13 is dismayed by the fact that all the girls in his class are taller than he is.  Dismayed, maybe, but indefatigable in his pursuit of them, and all the girls he loves and loses through the years, up until the age of 30, where the book ends.  Interestingly enough, many of the girls live next door to him.  There's a big turnover in the inhabitants, as most people find that they can't live there very long. (This is not Dobie's fault and indeed has nothing to do with him.)

Reading Shulman's books now, I wonder if anyone younger than about 60 would find them funny.  I can read them again with the same sensibility that I did when I was a kid (which probably means I've never grown up), and I still find them hilarious.  The Dedini illustrations probably help, but I marvel at the clarity and humor of Shulman's prose.  Subtle?  Maybe not.  But funny (to me)? Very.

The Day the World Ended

The Day the World Ended 1956 Trailer - YouTube:

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Paging Philip K. Dick

MIT scientists implant a false memory into a mouse’s brain

Virginia Johnson, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Virginia E. Johnson, a writer, researcher and sex therapist who with her longtime collaborator, William H. Masters, helped make the frank discussion of sex in postwar America possible if not downright acceptable, died on Wednesday in St. Louis at an assisted living center. She was 88. 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

62 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries

62 of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries

Song of the Day

Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens - Streets Of Bakersfield - YouTube:

Uh-Oh

Terry Gilliam’s Science-Fiction Classic ’12 Monkeys’ To Become A SyFy Original Series

Early Jobs of Famous Authors

Early Jobs of Famous Authors

Link via SF Signal.

10 of the worst TV character names ever broadcast

10 of the worst TV character names ever broadcast.

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

Today's Vintage Ad


19 Depressing One-Star Reviews Of Classic Literature

19 Depressing One-Star Reviews Of Classic Literature

Uh-Oh

'Creed,' 'Rocky' spin-off movie focusing on grandson of Apollo Creed, in the works

Hat tip to Randy Johnson.

Perfect!

Australia gifts Prince George a baby crocodile

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Paris Hilton Update

Paris Hilton gives sneak peek of 'hot' new music video as she takes another shot at pop career

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

PaperBack



Fletcher Bennett, The Way of a Dame, Playtime Books, 1963

What I Learned In a Sex Writing Class

What I Learned In a Sex Writing Class -- and Why Every Writer Should Take One

10 Missing Treasures You Should Really Be Looking For!

10 Missing Treasures You Should Really Be Looking For! 

Why Stephen King Spends 'Months and Even Years' Writing Opening Sentences

Why Stephen King Spends 'Months and Even Years' Writing Opening Sentences 

Things Not to Put on the "To Do" List

Civil suit alleges murderer put killing wife on to-do list

Mel Smith, R. I. P.

Mel Smith, TV Actor, Director and Producer, Dies at 60 - NYTimes.com: Mel Smith, an English comedian, actor, director and producer who parodied his country’s pub crawlers, politicians and pretensions on television, notably on a series often cited as a precursor of “The Daily Show,” died on Friday at his home in London. He was 60. 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Paris Hilton Update

Contactmusic.com: Paris Hilton insists her boyfriend River Viiperi isn't ''insecure'' about her success and looks up to her because of her hard-working ways.

Steampunk 101

The Difference Engine by William GibsonSteampunk 101: From Sci-Fi Sub-genre to Cultural Phenomenon on AbeBooks: From humble beginnings as a loosely defined sub-genre of science fiction, steampunk has evolved into a cultural phenomenon that combines ‘a Victorian aesthetic and a punk-rock attitude’; one that has come to influence more than just literature. 

The creation of the ‘steampunk’ term is usually attributed to the science fiction author K.W. Jeter, who used it in a letter to Locus Magazine. He was trying to find a way to describe Victorian fantasy novels like those written by himself (Morlock Night and Infernal Devices), Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates) and James Blaylock (Homunculus).

Warlords of Atlantis

Warlords of Atlantis 1978 theatrical trailer - YouTube:

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

None of My Books Included

18 Rare And First Edition Books That Are Worth Literally A Fortune

Well, Duh

Man Puts Head Inside Crocodile's Mouth; Crocodile Bites Man's Head

Hat tip to Art Scott.

8 Films Where People Hang From Giant Clocks

8 Films Where People Hang From Giant Clocks

Song of the Day

Georgia Satellites Keep Your Hands To Yourself - YouTube:

When Edward Gorey Illustrated Dracula

When Edward Gorey Illustrated Dracula: Two Masters of the Macabre, Together

Janet Hutchings Talks about Confession Scenes

WRAPPING IT UP | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN

Today's Vintage Ad


Paging Jeff Meyerson

20 Things New Yorkers Older Than 40 Did

Remembering Claude Rains

Remembering Claude Rains

19 Vintage Photographs Of Stylin' Librarians

19 Vintage Photographs Of Stylin' Librarians

PaperBack



Jean Pedrick, The Fascination, Bantam, 1949

I Miss the Old Days

9 Magical Photos Of Nicole Kidman And Her Hair In The '80s

Photos of Queen Elizabeth Before She Was a Great-Grandmother

When I was but a child, I watched Queen Elizabeth's coronation on TV. This was a very big deal, because my family didn't have a TV set.  My cousin did, however, so we went to his house to watch on his little black and white set. In those days, TV reception was pretty iffy, and I remember that there was a lot of interference ("snow" we called it) on the screen. But we watched the whole ceremony, and still remember parts of it. This was a bit more than 61 years ago. Both she and I look a little different now, but once upon a time we were young and looking forward to what the years would bring.

Photos of Queen Elizabeth Before She Was a Great-Grandmother

Top 10 Crimes Too Ridiculous Even For The Movies

Top 10 Crimes Too Ridiculous Even For The Movies 

From Creepy to… Still Weird: The Carnival in Pop Culture

From Creepy to… Still Weird: The Carnival in Pop Culture

The 5 Most Incredible Scenes Ever Preserved by Fossils

The 5 Most Incredible Scenes Ever Preserved by Fossils

Fantastic Planet

Fantastic Planet (1973) trailer - YouTube:

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Here's the Plot for Your Next Serial Killer Thriller

Japan: Hunt on for serial killer who leaves haiku clue

Shipwreck Update

abc13.com: On Monday scientists found artifacts such as muskets, pistols, swords, cannons and even clothing. They still have no idea what the ship is, its name or country, but date the artifacts to between 1800 and 1830. It seems to be a warship, possibly pirate or a ship transporting arms and soldiers, authorities suggest

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Tomb Found At Richard III Burial Site To Be Opened

Hat tip to Seepy Benton.

Ed Gorman Interview

Ballots and Bullets: Gorman Brings the Mystery Back to Politics 

Emile Griffith, R. I. P.

Emile Griffith, Boxer Who Unleashed a Fatal Barrage, Dies at 75 - NYTimes.com: Emile Griffith, who won the welterweight and middleweight boxing titles and fought professionally for 20 years, but who was most remembered for a fatal barrage of punches in a championship bout at Madison Square Garden, died on Tuesday in Hempstead, N.Y. He was 75. 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Ann Rule Update

Mail Online: A true crime author is suing a paper over a damning review of her book about a woman who killed her husband - after it emerged the man who wrote it was engaged to the killer. 

Ann Rule launched legal proceedings against the Seattle Weekly after it ran an article accusing her of 'sloppy storytelling' in her book Heart Full of Lies, which is based on the story of Liysa Northon, who was jailed for the manslaughter of her husband.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Rough Edges: Now Available: War Games (A Markham PI Novella)

Rough Edges: Now Available: War Games (A Markham PI Novella) - James Reasoner

Lookalikes

Biopic Actors And The People They Played In Real Life

The Son -- Phillip Meyer

This is a big, sprawling historical novel about Texas.  I used to love novels like this and read many of them, but that was long ago.  Now I tend to avoid long books.  Because this one was about Texas, though, I had to give it a go.

There are three narrators.  Eli McCullough, the first child born in the Republic of Texas narrates his story as part of a WPA project as he approaches 100 years of age. Kidnapped by the Comanches, he survives to become one of them, then to leave them and hunt them down as a Texas Ranger, then to become one of the most powerful men in Texas.  His story was, for me, by far the most entertaining in the book even though Eli is far from being an admirable person.

Peter McCullough, Eli's son, is the second narrator.  He lacks many of his father's qualities, and he's morally conflicted about many of the old man's actions.  About the whole family, for that matter, and he struggles to make sense of what's happening to him and to them all.  He's weaker than is father, but he has enough steel in him to stand up now and then.

The third narrator is J. A. (Jeanne Anne) McCullough, Peter's granddaughter.  Her story unfolds in her memory as she lies paralyzed on the floor of her house.  We don't find out why she's in this situation until very near the end of the book.  She brings the family line down almost to the present day.

We're tipped off by the quotation that opens the book that this is a story of decline and fall.  There are plenty of declines and falls here, and the family is in a way the least of them.   The author's research is impressive, though I think I caught a few mistakes of fauna and weaponry.  Not too many, considering the length.  If you're into this kind of book, you'll definitely want to check it out.

Song of the Day

Patti Smith Group - Because the night 1978 - YouTube:

12 Tales of Book Thievery

12 Tales of Book Thievery

Dino Update

Archaeologists discover 72 million-year-old duck-billed dinosaur tail in northern Mexico

Today's Vintage Ad


Man Booker fiction prize nominees span the globe

chicagotribune.com: "This is surely the most diverse longlist in Man Booker history: wonderfully various in terms of geography, form, length and subject," said Robert Macfarlane, a writer and Cambridge University academic who chairs the panel of five judges. 

"These 13 outstanding novels range from the traditional to the experimental, from the first century AD to the present day, from 100 pages to 1,000 and from Shanghai to Hendon," he said in a statement announcing the list.

The Evolution of American Barbecue

The Evolution of American Barbecue

Link via Neatorama.

Keep off Her Driveway!

The Raw Story: A Tennessee woman is facing felony reckless endangerment charges after she allegedly fired multiple times and hit a car full of children that she thought was going to turn around in her driveway.

PaperBack



Thomas Black, Million Dollar Murder, Bantam, 1956

Canine Vision Update

Dogs CAN see in colour: Scientists dispel the myth that canines can only see in black and white

Dino Update

Who Would Win In A Fight, A Cold-Blooded Dinosaur Or A Warm-Blooded One?

Bonus: Great croc photo.

Uh-Oh

'Wizard Of Oz' Syfy Miniseries: Timur Bekmambetov To Reimagine ‘Wizard Of Oz’ As Fantasy-Action Miniseries For Syfy

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Why Austin's the Reason 7-Eleven Stays Open Around the Clock: In its corporate history, the Dallas-based chain writes that in 1963 “one 7-Eleven store in Austin, Texas, located close to the University of Texas, stayed so busy after a football game, it couldn’t close. The store just remained open.” That night’s success kept the store open 24 hours from there on out - inspiring other locations to do the same.

Happy Birthday, Raymond Chandler

Happy Birthday, Raymond Chandler: The Only Surviving Recording of the Author's Voice, in Conversation with Ian Fleming 

Or Maybe You Don't

5 Myths You Probably Believe About Famous Landmarks

Page Morton Black, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Page Morton Black, the cabaret singer whose sprightly rendition of that song [the Chock Full o'Nuts jingle] in radio and television ads was indelibly engraved on New Yorkers’ brains at midcentury, died on Sunday at her home in the Premium Point enclave of New Rochelle, N.Y. She was 97.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Overlooked Movies -- The Hound of the Baskervilles

Hammer was best known for horror films, and when the studio made The Hound of the Baskervilles, horror meisters Peter Cushing (Holmes) and Christopher Lee (Sir Henry Baskerville) were picked as the stars.  Andre Morrell is a wonderful Dr. Watson.  The movie doesn't really follow the book, as Hammer obviously wanted to play up some horror elements (note the poster), but it works just fine that way.  It's still a detective story, but the hound is somewhat more frightening than in other versions.

Hammer Films always looked good, and this is a wonderful color version of the Baskerville story.  I'm a big fan of the earlier B&W version with Basil Rathbone, and I own it on DVD, but I have to admit that I like the color in the Hammer version a little better than the B&W.

Cushing is an excellent Holmes, and some of you may remember him from the BBC TV series, in which he did yet another version of the Hound. Morrell is nothing like the Dr. Watson played by Nigel Bruce in the Rathbone film.  He's much more like the Watson of the stories, or so it seems to me.

And finally: Great use of quicksand!

The Hound of the Baskervilles

1959 PETER CUSHING HAMMER TRAILER - YouTube:

Monday, July 22, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Man tried to attack with ceramic cow, police say

Hat tip to John Duke.

Free for Kindle for a Limited Time

Amazon.com: Suspicious Minds eBook: Paul Bishop: Kindle Store: 1977, the one and only king of rock-n-roll, Elvis Presley, is taken from the world far too soon, but the legend will never die. 

1996, Elvis impersonator Cole Ramsey, a young man with enough voice and a style to take him to the top, receives a very odd phone call from an Icon dead for almost twenty years . . . Cole has heard all the Elvis conspiracy rumors, but . . . it couldn’t be . . . 

Before he knows it, however, Cole’s life is turned upside down. He’s on the run and up to his ears in Elvises . . . are they all impersonators or is one of them hiding from deadly suspicious minds . . .

Dennis Farina. R. I. P.

TMZ.com: Dennis Farina -- who starred as Det. Joe Fontana on "Law & Order" -- died today in Scottsdale, Arizona after suffering a blood clot in his lung. He was 69. 

Farina is a Hollywood legend -- who appeared in tons of classic films and TV shows including "Get Shorty," "Snatch" and "Midnight Run." He also appeared in HBO's series "Luck."

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest

Amazon.com: Slammin' PULP HERO Stories eBook: Fred Blosser: Kindle Store: A collection of fast-action stories in the modern pulp tradition, featuring Ringo & Horn, the Tomahawk Men, Commander Manta, the Gila, and Heroes United. Plus . . . spotlight on three classic pulp masters from the pages of Black Mask and Dime Detective magazines.

The Cuckoo's Calling -- Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)

Rumor has it that this pseudonymous novel was submitted to unsuspecting publishers under the Galbraith pen name and that it was turned down by at least one of them.  Some editor might be a little bit regretful about that, now that the secret of the author's identity is out.

Cormoran Strike is a seedy London p. i. reduced to sleeping on a cot in his office after an unpleasant breakup with his fiancee.  When the temp service sends around a secretary, Strike's first impulse is to send her way because he can't afford her, but he doesn't.  Then a client shows up, claiming that his sister (not by blood but by adoption), a supermodel whose death has been declared a suicide, was murdered.  Strike's first impulse is to send the client away, too, but he doesn't.  A good thing, because as any reader knows immediately, it was indeed murder.

Strike is a meticulous note-taker and filer, and Rowling chronicles his every move through London's high society and low for over 450 pages.  I'm not a fan of long books, and I think this one could easily have lost a hundred pages or so without anybody noticing.  However, Strike is an interesting character with an interesting backstory, and his Watson (the secretary, Robin) has a way about her.  The book is full of oddball characters, and the mystery and its solution will please anyone who likes the complexity of the Golden Age.  Which I do, now and then.  The solution requires many pages of explanation, but it all hangs together. I believe that Rowling has said that the sequel is already written and ready to go.

I didn't notice any peculiarities that would give away who the writer is, though Galbraith does share Rowling's tendency to give adverbial tags to speakers' words ("she said intelligently" or "she said aggressively").  Plenty of other adverbs, too.  No one has explained about adverbs to Rowling.  Either that or she's ignored them.  Good for her.

Song of the Day

Hank Snow / The Last Ride - YouTube:

James Reasoner Interview

James Reasoner Interview at Liberi di scrivere 

Today's Vintage Ad


Two Reviews of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

From Publishers Weekly: Fiction Review: Compound Murder: A Dan Rhodes Mystery by Bill Crider. Minotaur, $24.99 (272p) ISBN 978-0-312-64165-8

From Kevin Tipple:  Review: "Compound Murder: A Dan Rhodes Mystery" by Bill Crider

The Chicken Who Lived Without His Head for 18 Months

The Chicken Who Lived Without His Head for 18 Months: It turns out it’s not just politicians that can live without brains, a chicken named Mike lived without his entire head for 18 months!

PaperBack



Charles Heath, The A-Team, Dell, 1984

Isaac Asimov's Fan Mail to Young Carl Sagan

Isaac Asimov's Fan Mail to Young Carl Sagan

10 Tips on Writing from Joyce Carol Oates

10 Tips on Writing from Joyce Carol Oates

Well, It's Obviously No Sharknado

Movie Review: The story goes as the couple happen to get stranded in a remote island, with a crocodile keeping vigil, ready to pounce upon them at any moment - what gives the film the curious the name 'Crocodile Lovestory'.

List Fails without "Work with me, Annie."

Top 10 Banned Songs

Archaeology Update

SFGate: A team of Israeli archaeologists believes it has discovered the ruins of a palace belonging to the biblical King David, but other Israeli experts dispute the claim.

New Poem at The 5-2

The 5-2: Peter M. Gordon $25 A DAY, PLUS EXPENSES

Scribe Award Winners Announced

Scribe Award Winners Announced

Captain Nemo And The Underwater City

Captain Nemo And The Underwater City (Original Theatrical Trailer) - YouTube:

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Briony McRoberts, R. I. P.

Mail Online: Actress Briony McRoberts has died at the age of 56 after being hit by a Tube train near her home, her agent confirmed today.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Man charged in drunk fracas at Melt; threatened to eat officer's face

Song of the Day

Court Yard Hounds - Amelita (Pseudo Video) - YouTube:

Archaeology Update

American cave and rock art that lay hidden for SIX THOUSAND YEARS offers unique and remarkable insight into how Native American societies lived their lives

Today's Vintage Ad


13 Worst Sci-fi and Horror Movie Titles

13 Worst Sci-fi and Horror Movie Titles

Link via SF Signal.

PaperBack



David Mark, The Long Shot (aka The Long Chance), Dell, 1955

Just Add Milk: How Cereal Transformed American Culture

Just Add Milk: How Cereal Transformed American Culture

10 Incredibly Isolated Monasteries

10 Incredibly Isolated Monasteries

Paris Hilton Update

Paris Hilton bares her toned tummy as she films French television show

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Just a Good Story

At 99, a St. Petersburg man finds meaning in the working life

Jack MacLane Not Included

Double or Quits by A.A. Fair - real name: Erle Stanley GardnerAbeBooks: Who Wrote it? Pen Names in Literature: Pseudonym, pen name or alias - authors have been writing under names other than their own for centuries, and their reasons for doing so differ from writer to writer.

Christmas with the Dead

Christmas with the Dead - YouTube: