Saturday, August 10, 2013

Eydie Gorme, R. I. P.

Fox News: Eydie Gorme, a popular nightclub and television singer as a solo act and as a team with her husband, Steve Lawrence, has died. She was 84. 

Gorme, who also had a huge solo hit in 1963 with "Blame it on the Bossa Nova," died Saturday at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas following a brief, undisclosed illness, said her publicist, Howard Bragman.

Uh-Oh

CBS Developing 'Wizard Of Oz'-Themed Medical Drama

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson. 


Paris Hilton Update

Paris Hilton whips the crowd into a frenzy as she DJs at her night in Ibiza... wearing a sexy bondage style bra

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson. 

I Want to Believe!

Mystery as UFO object is spotted by condo security guard hovering over pool and recorded in surveillance footage

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson. 

The real song of the summer

The real song of the summer: a brief history of ice cream truck music 

Link via mental_floss.

Song of the Day

▶ jennie lee jan and arnie - YouTube:

6 Books That Destroy Your Image of the People Who Wrote Them

6 Books That Destroy Your Image of the People Who Wrote Them

Today's Vintage Ad


15 Wonderful Quotes About Life From Children's Books

15 Wonderful Quotes About Life From Children's Books

Archaeology Update

Crossrail digging unearths diverse and ancient London burial ground

PaperBack



Ed McBain (Evan Hunter), The Mugger, Perma Books, 1956

Why are “Pound” and “Ounce” Abbreviated as “lb” and “oz”?

Why are “Pound” and “Ounce” Abbreviated as “lb” and “oz”?

The World Is Catching Up with Classic Prophetic Fiction.

'Radical Islamists' Learn Spanish, Pretend to be Hispanic, Claims Rep. Louie Gohmert

10 of Hollywood’s Most Surprising and Heartening Success Stories

10 of Hollywood’s Most Surprising and Heartening Success Stories

You Might Need a Pair

Bookworm Socks

Untamed Women

Untamed Women (1952) trailer - YouTube:

Friday, August 09, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

. . . and now it's the duck attack, which of course WBAGNFARB.  And the ducks weren't even on his lawn.

91-year-old recovering from duck attack

Paging Mongo

Houston woman arrested for allegedly slapping HPD horse 

I Was a Charter Subscriber to One of These

And it was neither Variety nor Tiger Beat.  Nor Playboy.

The Very First Issues of 19 Famous Magazines 

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

LOCAL 12 WKRC-TV Cincinnati: Police: W. Pa. man beat wife with frozen meat

For that Mona Lisa Strageness in Her Smile

Researchers open centuries-old tomb in search of Mona Lisa’s identity 

What the Heck, One More Forgotten Book

Shirley Jackson’s Hangsaman: What does it mean: Entry 7: A Shirley Jackson mystery—and the case of the disappearing literary paperback.

Song of the Day

▶ Ronnie & The Daytonas - 'Little GTO' - YouTube:

"New" Might Not be the Right Word

theguardian.com: A whole new world of magic animals, brave young princes and evil witches has come to light with the discovery of 500 new fairytales, which were locked away in an archive in Regensburg, Germany for over 150 years. The tales are part of a collection of myths, legends and fairytales, gathered by the local historian Franz Xaver von Schonwerth (1810–1886) in the Bavarian region of Oberpfalz at about the same time as the Grimm brothers were collecting the fairytales that have since charmed adults and children around the world.

Today's Vintage Ad


Order Yours Today!

Meritorious Mysteries: COMPOUND MURDER by Bill Crider (Minotaur)

Escape From L.A., Today

Escape From L.A., Today: How a 1996 Sci-Fi Thriller Imagined the Year 2013 

PaperBack



Leo Margulies, Three Times Infinity, Gold Medal, 1966

Archaeology Update

15 Million-Year-Old Whale Skull Discovered In Virginia: The skull is about six feet long and weighs about 1,000 pounds, and is one of the largest whale skulls uncovered in the area. The entire whale would have been 25 feet long. The skull was uncovered in Stratford Hall where General Robert E. Lee was born in 1807. The rest of the skeleton is still embedded in the cliffs.

It Always Worked for Sylvester Cat

Bay News 9: The arrest comes after her recent admission that she used turned over garbage cans to sneak onto MacDill.

And the Forgotten Book Beat Goes On

Charles Portis’ Norwood: A great American deadpan comedy. - Slate Magazine: Entry 5: A Charles Portis novel can clear your sinuses like a shot of whiskey.

Yes! Yet Another Forgotten Book.

Experience the Best Science Fiction of 1926 with The Gernsback Awards, Volume One

Yet Another Forgotten Book

Going All the Way, by Dan Wakefield: Entry 4: The book Vonnegut called “The truest and funniest sex novel any American will ever write.”

More about Forgotten Books

The Brutalist: A Gil Brewer Retrospective | Los Angeles Review of Books

Bonus Forgotten Book

Vintage Treasures: The Best of C M Kornbluth

Forgotten Books: Peter Held (Jack Vance) Take My Face

Since I wrote about Jack Vance last month (always ahead of the curve here), I'm reprinting that post for today's Forgotten Books.  

When Jack Vance died, I thought about which book of his I might like to reread.  But then it occurred to me that I had a Vance book that I'd never read.  It's a paperback in such good shape that I kind of hated to read it, but I figured that now was the time.  So I took it off the shelf and out of its little plastic bag and read it.

Robert Struve, age 13, is riding a borrowed motor scooter when he's hit by a car being steered by an 8-year-old girl named Julie Hovard (she's sitting in her father's lap).  The accident results in a fire that severely burns Robert's face. His mother can't afford plastic surgery, and Robert comes to accept his looks.  He drives himself at school and at football and does very well both academically and on the field.  As a senior he's invited to a sorority party, and as part of their initiation several girls, including Julie, are supposed to kiss him.  Robert has no idea that Julie was responsible for his facial disfigurement, but the prank upsets him.  He attacks her (not seriously) and is sent to reform school.  

Years later one of the other girls is murdered, her face slashed.  Her husband confesses, but her brother is sure someone else did the deed.  And then he finds out that Robert has been released from reform school.    While there, he had plastic surgery, and no one knows what he looks like now.  And there's a new guy in town.  Julie finds herself falling for him, but then there are two more murders of women who were at that party and part of the prank.

This book is a nice look at the 1950s, a very different time.  Vance was a fine observer of society, and while all the things he talks about are familiar to me, younger readers might be aghast at the way things were.  There's a lot of story packed into a very short novel, and of course there are some twists along the way.  The violence is mostly offstage (except for one time), so the gore is minimal.  Vance isn't writing in the style of his more famous SF novels, but he's just as good in this mode as the other.  I'm glad I finally got around to reading this one.

Starcrash

Starcrash (1979) trailer - YouTube:

Thursday, August 08, 2013

And Keep Off His Lawn!

Rocker Rob Zombie lodges complaint about noise from skate park in Conn. hometown 

Karen Black, R. I. P.

Houston Chronicle: LOS ANGELES (AP) — Karen Black, the prolific actress who appeared in more than 100 movies and was featured in such counterculture favorites as "Easy Rider," ''Five Easy Pieces" and "Nashville," has died.

'Cowboy' Jack Clement, R .I. P.

US News and World Report: NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — "Cowboy" Jack Clement, a producer, engineer, songwriter and beloved figure who helped birth rock 'n' roll and push country music into modern times, has died. He was 82.

Some Sad Sights

Haunting Photos of Objects Left Behind in Abandoned Buildings

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Fight at McDonald's drive-thru leads to stabbing

Some Excellent Suggestions . . .

. . . none of which will ever be considered, of course.

Opinion: TSA, change the airport security mindset: TSA needs to make these changes right now to take on the root causes of its public and security issues. It needs to clean up the mind numbing, overly complicated checkpoint "standard operating procedure," which no longer matches our security needs and allow officers to act.

Zach Rolfe is Back!

Amazon.com: No Pat Hands eBook: J. J. Lamb: Kindle Store: When a Northern California Indian tribe’s plan to create an oceanfront casino-resort is stymied by murder, a tribal leader seeks help from a friend, Las Vegas-based private investigator Zachariah Tobias Rolfe III, who specializes in solving gaming-related crimes … on either side of the tables. 

Rolfe immediately becomes embroiled with two murders, attempts on his life, a dishonest Washington lobbyist, a number of underhanded locals, and a pair of beautiful women before solving the case. 

The book also contrasts the devastating experience of a single Northern California Native American tribe, from its first conflict with the white man in 1776, to its heroic return from near extinction through casino ownership. 

Past or present, it’s the land; it’s always been about the land.

Barbara Mertz, R. I. P.

Mystery writer Barbara Mertz, author of more than 60 books under pen names, dies at 85: NEW YORK — Barbara Mertz, an Egyptologist who wrote dozens of mystery and suspense novels under two pen names, has died. She was 85.

50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read

50 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That Everyone Should Read 

Song of the Day

▶ Creedence Clearwater Revival: Bad Moon Rising - YouTube:

10 Mysterious Underwater Cities You Haven't Heard Of

10 Mysterious Underwater Cities You Haven't Heard Of

Today's Vintage Ad


10 Amazing Forgotten Explorers

10 Amazing Forgotten Explorers

Archaeology Update

Stunning Maya sculpture unearthed from buried pyramid

10 movie stars who can't buy a hit

Bad Luck or Bad Choices: 10 movie stars who can't buy a hit

Need I even mention that it's a slideshow?

PaperBack



Harry Julian Fink, Major Dundee, Gold Medal, 1965

4 Reasons 2015 Could Be the Movie Industry's Worst Year Ever

4 Reasons 2015 Could Be the Movie Industry's Worst Year Ever

Uh-Oh

Networks Eyeing 'The Exorcist' TV Series 

Outer Space Humor

Outer Space Humor: Vintage Illustrated Astro-Jokes from the Zenith of the Space Race

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Human-to-rat, brain-to-brain control achieved by neuro scientists

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

. . . and now:

French farmers enraged over low prices go on egg-breaking rampage

Oops

Bungling police 'go to wrong town' as burglars raid newsagent's and steal £5000 of stock

Dark Angel (aka I Come in Peace)

Dark Angel (aka I Come in Peace) Theatrical Trailer - YouTube:

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Orson Welles Update

Long-lost Orson Welles film ‘Too Much Johnson’ turns up in Italy: “Holding in one’s hands the very same print that had been personally edited by Orson Welles 75 years ago provokes an emotion that’s just impossible to describe,” said George Eastman House film curator Paolo Cherci Usai.

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


I'm a fan of Gould's work, and this looks interesting.

Green Light for Murder (Detective Tommy Veasy Mysteries): Heywood Gould: 9781440561221: Amazon.com: Books

Rayguns Over Texas

Since the end of the Civil War, Texans have played an essential role in the history of science fiction. Acclaimed and influential writers such as Bruce Sterling, Michael Moorcock, Howard Waldrop, Walter M. Miller, Jr., Marion Zimmer Bradley, Gene Wolfe, Neal Barrett, Jr., L. Sprague DeCamp, Chad Oliver, John Steakley, and Elizabeth Moon all called The Lone Star State home.

Continuing this proud tradition, Rayguns Over Texas features 17 original and two classic tales that reflect the current creative state of Texas sci-fi, alongside historical essays and an introduction by Hugo award-winning, Texas ex-pat Bruce Sterling.

The prize-winning Richard Klaw, editor of The Apes of Wrath and co-founder of the groundbreaking Mojo Press, compiled a collection of stories by masters of the realm and fresh new writers featuring the talents of Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Moorcock, Bradley Denton, Neal Barret Jr., Stina Leicht, Aaron Allston, Don Webb, Aurelia Hadley Mohl, Chris N. Brown, Mark Finn, Josh Rountree, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Matthew Bey, Lawrence Person, Nicky Drayden, Rhonda Eudaly, Sanford Allen, Derek Austin Johnson, Jessica Reisman, and Scott A. Cupp.

Premiering on August 29 at LoneStarCon 3 (aka the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention) in San Antonio, Rayguns Over Texas will be available shortly after at finer outlets in both trade paperback and ebook formats.

Rayguns Over Texas

978-0-9892706-0-1
978-0-9892706-1-8 (ebook)
$16.95
$6.99 (ebook)     

Margaret Pellegrini, R. I. P.

CNN.com: Margaret Pellegrini, one of the last surviving Munchkins from the original production of "The Wizard of Oz," died Wednesday, the Munchkins spokesman said. She was 89.

Western Trail Blazer Salutes Jory Sherman

Western Fictioneers: Western Trail Blazer Salutes Jory Sherman

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

UPD: Man charged in buttered toast attack on SUV 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson. 

Stan Lynde, R.I.P.

Rough Edges: Stan Lynde, R.I.P.

George Duke, R. I. P.

UPI.com: Jazz, funk and R&B musician George Duke has died of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Los Angeles, his record label Concord Music Group confirmed.

Bryon Quertermous Update

Bryon Quertermous is going freelance.  If you're in the market for editing services, you should consider him. Click here: Editing Services | Bryon Quertermous

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

PD: Man shot self during confrontation: The preliminary investigation revealed Jacobs was speeding through the neighborhood when confronted by his neighbors, Amos said. He returned to the area with a gun and it discharged.

Top 10 London Ghosts

Top 10 London Ghosts

Song of the Day

▶ Joan Baez - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - YouTube:

Alvin, Texas, Not Included

The world's friendliest - and unfriendliest - cities named

Judy Will Be Thrilled

(VIDEO): Ishtar Is Finally on Blu-ray. And It’s Good!

Today's Vintage Ad


The Big Fat Fatty

latimes.com: Let us break this bad boy down for you. It's got cheesesteak, cheese burgers, pastrami, chicken fingers, bacon, mozzarella sticks, fried eggs, jalapeno poppers, fries, onion rings, chili, marinara and fat sauce. Oh, and it comes on a 27-inch garlic bread roll.

13 Houses With Secret Passageways

13 Houses With Secret Passageways 

PaperBack



Day Keene, About Doctor Ferrel, Gold Medal, 1952

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Norfolk man accidentally shoots himself after argument over speeding

22 animated extensions of live-action TV series

Arthur Fonzarelli, time traveler: 22 animated extensions of live-action TV series 

24 Photos Of Famous Authors When They Were Coming Of Age

24 Photos Of Famous Authors When They Were Coming Of Age

And Keep Off Her Lawn!

Woman tells police she'll threaten husband of 71 years if she wants to

Peek Inside the Homes of 10 Counterculture Icons

Peek Inside the Homes of 10 Counterculture Icons

The formula for a happy life?

The formula for a happy life? Stay curious, live in the moment and look after your health

Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun

Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun (Doppelg�nger - Movie Theatre Trailer) - YouTube:

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Or Maybe You Have

10 Forgotten Lucille Ball Projects You've Probably Never Seen

You Know You Want It!

Nicolas Cage Pillowcases for $15 $3 s&h

Hat tip to Patrick Golden.

Who Invented the Gatorade Shower?

Who Invented the Gatorade Shower? 

The Scrappy History of Paper Dolls

The Scrappy History of Paper Dolls 

Song of the Day

▶ Up On Cripple Creek - The Band (The Band 5 of 10) - YouTube:

The 10 Best Italo Calvino Books

The 10 Best Italo Calvino Books

Today's Vintage Ad


I Miss the Old Days

Happy 50th Birthday, Cassettes!

PaperBack



Sarban, The Doll Maker, Ballantine, 1967

Mass-market paperbacks: a one-week beach-reading marathon

Mass-market paperbacks: a one-week beach-reading marathon

10 Literary Ways to Sneak a Drink

Book Dirt: Book Flasks: 10 Literary Ways to Sneak a Drink

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: Overlooked TV: Kraft Suspense Theater -- The Deep End

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: Overlooked TV: Craft Suspense Theater -- The Deep End

Marcia Brady Just Turned 57

Marcia Brady Just Turned 57 (And 6 Other Things That Will Make You Feel Old)

Hat tip to Old Jeff Meyerson.
Slideshow alert!

More about Forgotten Films

DWAYNE EPSTEIN, AUTHOR OF LEE MARVIN: POINT BLANK, PRESENTS: THE TOP 10 FILMS OF LEE MARVIN 

Yet Another Forgotten Film

Judy and I saw this in the theater.

The Best Movie You Never Saw: The Frighteners 

Overlooked TV: Craft Suspense Theater -- The Deep End

Toby O'Brien clued me in to this episode of Kraft Suspense Theater, which was based on a novel (The Drowner) by John D. MacDonald.  The story follows the novel pretty well, so if you've read the book, you know how it turns out.  I suspect that even if you haven't read the book, you'll know how it turns out before you get to the end.  It's pretty entertaining, though.

Aldo Ray plays Sam Kimber, a businessman who's in love with another man's wife.  The wife drowns (but we know it's murder), and Clu Gulagher shows up to investigate.  He's a private eye hired by the murdered woman's sister (Ellen Burstyn, billed as Ellen McRae), who doesn't believe the story about the drowning.  Kimber's been hiding money from the IRS with the dead woman, and the money's disappeared. He's naturally the chief suspect.  Tina Louise plays his secretary, and Whit Bissell plays his accountant.  

Everything is worked out quickly as the episode is only 45 minutes long.  I suspect something was cut, but maybe not.  There's on pretty good line.  Gulagher asks Louise how tall she is, and she responds, "With heels?" "With anybody," Gulagher says.  I don't know if that's in the novel.


Kraft Suspense Theatre: "The Deep End" (1964) -- Complete Episode

Kraft Suspense Theatre: "The Deep End" (1964) - YouTube:

Monday, August 05, 2013

I'm an Innocent Man!

Paris Hilton's Malibu home ransacked of purses and keepsakes as she relives memories of 2008 Bling Ring thefts 

Hat tip to John Duke.

Yet Another List I'm Not On

The  25 Best Bloggers, 2013 Edition 

The Story Behind Saving Mr. Banks

The Story Behind Saving Mr. Banks, Starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney

Song of the Day

▶ POOR JENNY - Everly Brothers - YouTube:

Vintage Penguin Paperbacks

Vintage Penguin Paperbacks in Beautiful, Bookworm-Friendly Settings

Today's Vintage Ad


10 Secret Sites Of New York City

10 Secret Sites Of New York City

Road Trip

Thomas Edison and Henry Ford: Photo album from their 1918 car-camping trip.

PaperBack



Nigel Kneale, Quatermass and the Pit, Penguin, 1960

Or Maybe You Don't

Why People Love Tipping Waiters

8 Fantastic Crime Novels That Became Great Films

8 Fantastic Crime Novels That Became Great Films

I Miss the Old Days

16 Chic 1970s Interiors You Would Want To Live In

New Poem at The 5-2

The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Gerald So, Editor: Peter Swanson THE SURVIVOR OF A SLASHER FLICK IN MIDDLE AGE

Clovers Update

News from The Associated Press: Harold Winley sang "Love Potion No. 9" and other hits with the R&B group The Clovers in the 1950s, but now the 80-year-old says another group is trying to keep him from performing using the band's name.

Life Is So Much Simpler Now

Professor says kids no longer need to learn spelling and grammar because of smartphones 

Sunday, August 04, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

. . .  and now, the Whipped Cream Assault!

Barista suspected of whipped cream assault 

Song of the Day

▶ Kansas - Dust In The Wind - YouTube:

Three New Poems at Beat to a Pulp

BEAT to a PULP :: Pulp of the Week: Three Poems Charles A. Gramlich

Today's Vintage Ad


Or Maybe Not

10 Real-Life Hidden Treasures You Could Still Find

A Podcast about Paperback Confidential.

The Book Cave: The Book Cave Episode 237: Paperback Confidential

Jeff Meyerson Will Have to Report on This for Us

The Ramen Burger Yearns to Be the Rightful Heir to the Cronut: Naturally, the ramen burger, made by Sun Noodle, will be sold only in Brooklyn.

PaperBack



John Dickson Carr, The Arabian Nights Murder, Hillman, 1943

A Dreamer of Mars

A Dreamer of Mars: Edgar Rice Burroughs and John C... - The Barnes & Noble Review

Who Gets the Royalties from "Happy Birthday to You"?

This is of special interest to me because many years ago I took a graduate linguistics course from Archibald A. Hill, quite a distinguished gentleman and scholar, as you could learn from this memorial essay.  The essay doesn't mention something that every grad student knew, however, that Arch Hill was a descendant of the women who wrote "Happy Birthday" and that he was a millionaire because of the royalties he received.  I've always hoped that story was true. 

Who Gets the Royalties from "Happy Birthday to You"? 


John Palmer, R. I. P.

Washington Post: John Palmer, the longtime correspondent for NBC News who died Saturday after a brief illness, was remembered by former colleagues as a hardworking, gracious reporter who moved easily from war zones to the White House and who brought a reassuring voice to news broadcasts.

Herbert Kaplow, R. I. P.

Washington Post: Herbert Kaplow, a longtime Washington-based television correspondent for NBC News and ABC News who covered the White House, the space program, civil rights and the Cuban revolution, died July 27 at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington County. He was 86.

The Amount Of Online Activity That Goes On Every 60 Seconds

The Amount Of Online Activity That Goes On Every 60 Seconds 

Can You Find All The Scientific Mistakes In This Picture?

Can You Find All The Scientific Mistakes In This Picture?: The September 1928 issue of Science and Invention magazine included an illustrated cover that dared readers to find all of the scientific errors they had planted. Forty-eight scientific errors, in all. And $500 in prizes to the winners who submitted the correct answers.

Link via mental_floss.

Captain Apache

CAPTAIN APACHE - TRAILER - YouTube: