Saturday, July 20, 2013

Song of the Day

Johnny Cash - I Got Stripes - YouTube:

Or Maybe Not

23 Celebrity Facts That May Explode Your Brain

Today's Vintage Ad


57 movie remakes and reboots currently in development

57 movie remakes and reboots currently in development

Helen Thomas, R. I. P.

POLITICO.com: Helen Thomas, whose career covering the White House dated back to the Kennedy administration, died on Saturday at the age of 92, the Gridiron Club announced in an email to members on Saturday.

Or Maybe They Are

10 Foods That Aren't From Where You Think 

PaperBack



Paul Tabori, The Green Rain, Pyramid, 1961

I Remember It Well

Today in History - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the moon 

Speed of Lightning, Roar of Thunder / Fighting All Who Rob or Plunder . . .

The 10 Best Underdogs in Books

I Was Nowhere Near that Place

Pet store shoplifter makes off with baby alligator in his shirt

Yes, Geese Police WBAGNFARB

China deploys elite gaggle of geese police

The Decline of Western Civilization Continues Apace

Syfy’s ‘Sharknado’ Mania Continues as Encore Telecast July 18 Leaps 38 Percent in Total Viewers: Keeping up the Shark-Mentum, Syfy will repeat Sharknado Saturday, July 27 at 9PM as part of an all-day Sharkathon movie festival from 9AM-5AM that will include such classics as Sharktopus, Two-Headed Shark Attack and Swamp Shark.

This Is Why They Shouldn't Call Them "Trusties"

Inmate left alone at East Kingston police station stole heroin, broke into locker containing gun, drove police cruiser say officials

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Kronos

Kronos movie trailer - YouTube:

Friday, July 19, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com: Radio rage: Man attacks roommate with machete after station is changed

I Report, You Decide

Have Egypt's long lost pyramids really been found on Google Earth? Historical maps show sandy mound may hide monument larger than Giza

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

It's Christmas in July! Get the DVD Now!

Amazon.com: Christmas with the Dead: Terrill Lee Lankford, Joe R. Lansdale, William Arscott, Damian Maffei, Brad Maul, Chet Williamson, Kurt Stringer, Kasey Lansdale, Adam Coats, Clyde Williams: Movies & TV: From the creator of BUBBA HO TEP! In his quest to fulfill a promise made to his wife, Calvin sets out to right his wrongs and make it the best Christmas ever for his family. If only it weren't June and the majority of the population, including his wife and daughter, hadn't been turned into flesh-eating snappers by a mysterious atmospheric phenomenon, he'd be in pretty good shape. Driven by guilt in a race against the apocalyptic clock, Calvin teams up with G.M., a wily ex-garbage man turned undead slayer, as together they attempt to deck the halls during the most magical time of the year. It's Christmas in June. And snappers be damned... The lights and decorations are going up. From the brilliantly twisted mind of mojo story teller Joe R. Lansdale comes CHRISTMAS WITH THE DEAD The holidays will never be the same!

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

Amazon.com: Gumshoe eBook: Paul D Brazill, Kasia Martell: Kindle Store: "Following the breakdown of his marriage, in a booze addled flash of inspiration, Peter Ord decides to become a private investigator. However, is Seatown ready for him? More to the point is he ready for the Seatown's cast of ne'er do wells, gangsters and lunatics? Peter must tackle many challenging cases, including one involving a legless crooner, and when he comes under the radar of local crime lord Jack Martin, has he bitten off more than he can chew? With sidekicks like hack Bryn Laden failure is not an option it’s compulsory." - Darren Sant

20 Great Insults from Science Fiction and Fantasy Books

20 Great Insults from Science Fiction and Fantasy Books 

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

NEEDLE 2013 is LIVENeedle Summer 2013 by Steve Weddle (Paperback) - Lulu: Noir at its best: Dennis Tafoya, Sarah Weinman, Clayton Lindemuth, Brad Green, Bruce Holsinger, Kieran Shea, Ed Kurtz, Jimmy Callaway, Scott Miles, C.J. Edwards, Amy Yolanda Castillo, Alan Orloff, B.A. Hoffman, and Neliza Drew. Cover by Scott Morse.

Song of the Day

Whip It - Devo - YouTube:

I'm There

Dear Mr. Watterson trailer:: We’re Getting a Calvin and Hobbes Documentary

Today's Vintage Ad


10 Incredible Ancient Timekeeping Devices

10 Incredible Ancient Timekeeping Devices 

PaperBack



Stuart Cloete, Congo Song, Popular Library, 1945

Yes, It's an Annoying Slideshow, but . . .

. . . once again Texas leads the way with two of the top three (Alvin not included).

10 best cities for recent college graduates

Here's the Plot for Your Next Big Girl GangThriller

NY Daily News: Robert Reichl, 50, was hoping to score sex with two women but instead was robbed of $2,000 and attacked by three men, one of whom maced him, causing him to fall off the roof.

Who Will Be Investigating?

How true.

31 Black And White Movies Every 20-Something Needs To See

31 Black And White Movies Every 20-Something Needs To See

"She Loves You" by The Beatles

"She Loves You" by The Beatles - Neatorama: "She loves you yeah yeah yeah!!" 

This is where Beatlemania begins. To countless millions around the world, this was also the beginning of the '60s.

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Neola Robinson charged with murder of husband Ervin told a friend she wanted to kill him 

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Or Maybe You Will

4 Movies You Won't Believe Hollywood Is Remaking

The Worst Children in Literature

The children from The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham Bad to the Bone: The Worst Children in Literature on AbeBooks: Children can be innocent, inquisitive and the embodiment of hope.  But those characteristics make for boring stories.  Sometimes authors enjoy creating a fictional child that is just plain nasty. Draco Malfoy might be a bigot and a bully, but he’s rarely dull and is a vital ingredient in the Harry Potter novels. Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would not be such a tasty read without greedy Augustus Gloop, bratty Violet Beauregarde and the spoiled Veruca Salt.

Forgotten Books: Bridge of Birds -- Barry Hughart

Reading about Rick Robinson's recent interest in the Judge Dee novels reminded me of this post from August 2008. I decided that now would be a good time to reprint it and remind everybody about my favorite series of books set in ancient China.

Bridge of Birds is likely to have been overlooked by mystery readers because it's a fantasy novel set in "an Ancient China that never was." But it's a lot more than that. It's also an adventure, a quest, and a mystery. Its narrator, Number 10 Ox, is the Watson to Master Li's Holmes. Li is a master of deduction, albeit with "a slight flaw in his character."

Love, death, myth, monsters, mayhem (lots), and wonderful writing all combine to make this book, for me, unforgettable. I was reminded of it recently because I received an e-mail from Subterranean Press, which is about to release an omnibus volume that will include all three novels about Master Li and Number 10 Ox (Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen). While the latter two aren't quite as wonderful as the first, they're still well worth your time.

Hands of Steel

Hands of Steel (1986) Trailer - YouTube:

Thursday, July 18, 2013

New Poem at Beat to a Pulp

BEAT to a PULP :: Yesterday :: Aaron Warner

She's Such a Kidder

Massachusetts man says Stevie Nicks told him to steal ferry boat

Song of the Day

Dion And The Belmonts - Ruby Baby - YouTube:

5 Mind-Blowing Cases of Mistaken Identity by the Police

5 Mind-Blowing Cases of Mistaken Identity by the Police 

Today's Vintage Ad


I Miss the Old Days

It's Only Music: Alfred Wertheimer's Never-Before-Seen Photos of Elvis and the Birth of Rock and Roll 

I Miss the Old Days

26 Sounds That Are Almost Extinct

PaperBack



Jack Oleck, The Vault of Horror, Bantam, 1973

Free for Kindle for a Limited Time

Amazon.com: Sandman #1 eBook: NEIL GAIMAN, SAM KIETH: Kindle Store: The first issue of the first volume of Neil Gaiman's horror/fantasy epic! An occultist accidentally traps Morpheus, the embodiment of Dreams, and holds him for 70 years. Finally free, Morpheus seeks his lost objects of power and rediscovers his place in the universe.

Link via SF Signal.

A Map Of The Most Critically Acclaimed Rock Stars From Each State

A Map Of The Most Critically Acclaimed Rock Stars From Each State

A Brief History of Toilet-Based Animal Attacks

A brief history of when rats, snakes, and other animals attack from below.

The Decline and Fall of the Book Cover

The Decline and Fall of the Book Cover

Link via SF Signal.

And Keep Off Her Lawn!

96-year-old stops attempted robbery"I said, 'I'm not opening up that cash register and that's it. 'I'm not opening it.' I said, 'You can have all the Tootsie Rolls you want but I am not opening that cash register," says Wolf.

Dino Update

Huge Plant-Eating Dinosaur Never Ran Out of Teeth: Some plant-eating dinosaurs grew new teeth every couple of months, with some of the largest herbivores developing a replacement tooth every 35 days, to keep their chompers from getting too worn down on all that vegetation, new research finds.

Forbidden Planet

"Forbidden Planet" Trailer - YouTube:

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

49 Breathtaking Libraries From All Over The World

49 Breathtaking Libraries From All Over The World

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Clerk beaten for not carrying 3XL tank tops 

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Ashley Taylor Wright threw her baby at a deputy at Pensacola Dillards, Okaloosa County police say: A Pensacola woman has been arrested after authorities say they tried arrest her for shoplifting and she threw the baby at a deputy as she tried to escape.

Dino Update

Strange horned dinosaur roamed island continent Laramidia 76 million years ago 

Song of the Day

Bill Withers - Lean On Me [with lyrics] - YouTube:

Hand Me that Tinfoil Hat, Please

Invisible alien probes “could already be” in our solar system 

Today's Vintage Ad


“The Desert Island Mystery” (by James Powell)

“The Desert Island Mystery” (by James Powell) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN

Nicolas Cage As Your Favorite Disney Princesses

Nicolas Cage As Your Favorite Disney Princesses

I Was 40 the Year My First Novel Was Published

And 45 when the second was published.

19 Late-Blooming Artists Who Prove It's Never Too Late

Or Maybe You Did

10 Literary Authors You Didn’t Know Wrote Science Fiction 

PaperBack



Jack Oleck, Tales from the Crypt, Bantam, 1971

5 More of the Weirdest Self-Published Books

Book Dirt: 5 More of the Weirdest Self-Published Books

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Couple Allegedly Attacks Salisbury Beach Lifeguard After Whistle ‘Aggravates Hangover’

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Super 8 Sunset

SUPER 8 SUNSET: THE FADE OF THE SUPER 8 WESTERN

The 50 Essential Movie Musicals

The 50 Essential Movie Musicals

Edward Gorey's Vintage Book Covers for Literary Classics

Edward Gorey's Vintage Book Covers for Literary Classics

Dianne Day: R.I.P.

Mystery Fanfare: Dianne Day: R.I.P.

Dennis Burkley. R. I. P.

The Hollywood Reporter: Dennis Burkley, a burly character actor who played truckers, bartenders, bikers and rednecks during a busy four-decade career that included a stint as the voice of Principal Moss on Fox’s King of the Hill has died. He was 67.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Dispute over vomit cleanup spurs alleged hammer attack by carnival worker

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Jungle Man-Eaters

1954 JUNGLE MAN-EATERS SEPIA TRAILER JOHNNY WEISSMULLER - YouTube:

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Flesh-Eating Maggots WBAGNFARB

Horrified woman, 27, discovers that headaches and scratching sounds inside her head are FLESH-EATING MAGGOTS

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Once Again Texas Leads the Way

Hey, it could happen to anybody.

Demolition team turns up at right street, at right time... but destroys wrong house

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

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

Amazon.com: Stripper Pole At The End Of The World (Schlock Zone Drive In) eBook: Evili, Mel Odom: Kindle Store: In the near future, after The Collapse, work is hard to come by. The economy is in ruins, much like the city crumbling around Janet, a woman who has lost everything – her husband, her job . . . her leg. When the lure of a job brings her out on the increasingly dangerous streets she must confront the deadliest of new fears – the bands of cannibals who roam the city. With a ragtag group of bikers, strippers and survivors Janet must face down the most dangerous night of their lives. When dawn comes, not everyone will live to see a new day and dance at the Stripper Pole At The End Of The World.

Paperback Confidential -- Brian Ritt

If you're at all interested in old paperbacks, you're going to want this book.  It's a wonderful survey of authors who wrote the crime fiction that makes finding that out-of-print book so much fun.  I only wish I'd had a copy of this to take with me when I was combing through used-book emporiums back in the long ago.  Ritt gives biographical sketches of many, many writers, both well known and obscure, and he even includes a "PseudoDex" that gives you the pen names that many of them used.  Each sketch ends with a selection of titles, but these lists aren't complete.  They're a great start, though.  I don't know about every reader of this blog, but there must be a lot of you who are the target audience for this one.  Check it out.

Song of the Day

Elvis Presley-Judy - YouTube:

Uh-Oh

Sneak Peek At Syfy's Next: 'Ghost Shark'

Why Time Slows Down When We're Afraid, Speeds Up as We Age, and Gets Warped on Vacation

Why Time Slows Down When We're Afraid, Speeds Up as We Age, and Gets Warped on Vacation

A Couple of Reviews of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Kevin's Corner: Double Take Review: "THE BLACKLIN COUNTY FILES" by Bill Crider

Today's Vintage Ad


6 Things You Won't Believe Were Built by a Single Person

6 Things You Won't Believe Were Built by a Single Person 

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

JOAN REEVES aka SlingWords Review: The Nighttime Is The Right Time by Bill Crider

PaperBack



Peter Saxon (Stephen D. Frances), Scream and Scream Again, Paperback Library, 1970

I Found a Penny the Other Day

Gold! Treasure hunters find $250,000 in centuries-old coins: Perhaps the most surprising thing about the expedition is that the coins were found just 100 feet from the shoreline, in only six feet of water.

50 Places Every Literary Fan Should Visit

50 Places Every Literary Fan Should Visit

Uh-Oh

latimes.com: Can Lassie really come home again? A Hollywood studio is hoping so. DreamWorks Animation, creator of the "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" movies, plans to put the charismatic collie back in the public eye, along with Mr. Peabody and Sherman, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and other decades-old characters.

The Raymond Chandler Gimlet

The Raymond Chandler Gimlet

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Woman out drinking with lawyer charged with choking him so he wouldn’t leave her apartment
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

The Dagger Awards

Mystery Fanfare: CRIME WRITERS' ASSOCIATION: DAGGER AWARDS

Overlooked Movies: Kill the Umpire -- William Bendix

"Kill the umpire!" was a familiar cry at baseball games long ago.  Now, not so much.  As we've often noted, times have changed.

When I was a kid, I loved baseball.  I loved playing baseball, I loved collecting baseball cards, I loved listening to the "Game of the Day" called by Big Al Helfer on the Mutual Network.  And of course I loved baseball movies.  This was one of my favorites.  When I saw it, little did I know that it was directed by the same guy (Lloyd Bacon) who did The Good Humor Man, another big favorite of mine from the same era.  It's easy to see now that they're very much alike, and I'm sure that tells you something about my sense of humor.  Give me mugging and slapstick, and I'm there.

William Bendix plays Bill Johnson (though he might as well be named Chester A. Riley), a former ballplayer who now can't keep a job because he's always going to games instead of to work.  He hates umpires, but his father-in-law, a former umpire, suggests that he go to umpire school, Johnson gives in because his wife threatens to leave him unless he goes.  On the day he's umpiring a big game for the scouts, he uses some eye drops that cause him to see everything twice (could Joseph Heller have seen this movie?), so he calls everything twice, becoming known as "Two-Call" Johnson.  The scouts are impressed, and he's hired for the notoriously rowdy Texas League, where he's shocked -- shocked! -- to discover that the crowds hate him.

When you see some of the things Bendix goes through, you won't be surprised to learn that Frank Tashlin wrote the script.  As in The Good Humor Man, there's a great chase scene.  The movie's available on DVD as a part of a double feature.


Kill the Umpire

1950 KILL THE UMPIRE TRAILER WILLIAM BENDIX - YouTube:

Monday, July 15, 2013

Lawrence Person Has Scored High (or Low) in the Bulwer-Lytton Contest

Major Award Announcement: Runner-Up to Awfulness

Paging Vince Keenan

Top Five Mets Pop Culture Moments

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Mail Online: A 46-year-old Texas woman going through a divorce has been arrested for deliberately driving into her estranged husband at a gas station.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Yes, Everywhere!

Alligator Found In Wyoming

57 Best BTS Photos from Iconic TV Shows

List of the 57 Best BTS Photos from Iconic TV Shows

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.  

Really loooong slideshow.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

French fry order sparks standoff with tomahawk, crossbow in Warren

PWA Update from Robert J. Randisi

      YES, IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED.
 
       PWA has a website. We've been dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century thanks to member and web guru Kevin Burton Smith. It's still under construction, but it already rocks. Take a look here http://www.privateeyewriters.com/ and make sure you read the news portion about the PWA banquet! If you're a PWA member you'll get an invitation.   If you're not, then email me at RRandisi@aol.com for information.
 
RJR

A Great New Series of E-Books Begins!

Check it out!

Schlock Zone Drive-In: NOW SHOWING

Song of the Day

John Denver - Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stones) - YouTube:

Moonwalk and More Rock Stage Moves

Rolling Stone: From the Moonwalk to the fist pump, check out these unforgettable moves

Short, Sharp Interview: J R Lindermuth

Short, Sharp Interview: J R Lindermuth 

Today's Vintage Ad


G-Man Fights Crime, And A Medical Disorder, In Kansas City

G-Man Fights Crime, And A Medical Disorder, In Kansas City

The Bizarre Late-Career Roles of Fading Starlets

The Bizarre Late-Career Roles of Fading Starlets

JD Rhoades Video Interview

Killer Thrillers: JD Rhoades On Broken Shield And His Writing Life

PaperBack



P. J. Wolfson, The Flesh Baron (aka Is My Flesh of Brass), Lion Library, 1955

Crazy Musician Cameos

Rolling Stone: The 14 Craziest Musician Acting CameosFrom Tom Jones in 'Mars Attacks' to the Flaming Lips on '90210'

Always Nice to Get a Mention in the Times

Orphans, Drug Wars and Other Mysteries 

Latest Issue of Plots With Guns Now Online

Check out the latest stories in Plots with Guns.

I Miss the Old Days

12 Innovations From The 1950s That We Still Use Today

How 22 Shows Handled an Actor’s Death

How 22 Shows Handled an Actor’s Death 

Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
Warning: Annoying slideshow.

New Poem at The 5-2

The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly: George Dila GLOCK NINE

WINNERS: 2012 Shirley Jackson Awards

WINNERS: 2012 Shirley Jackson Awards

Archaeology Update

NewsDaily: Archaeologists say they have discovered some of the world's oldest known primitive writing, dating back 5,000 years, in eastern China, and some of the markings etched on broken axes resemble a modern Chinese character.

Cobra

Cobra - Trailer - YouTube:

Sunday, July 14, 2013

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Bride's sister left with a broken nose during mass wedding brawl after being knocked out by her uncle following buffet scramble for a piece of chicken 

Famous Authors' Harshest Rejection Letters

Famous Authors' Harshest Rejection Letters

Link via Lee Goldberg.

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

Amazon.com: Noir Carnival (9781909348271): Various, K A Laity: Books: Dark’s Carnival has already left town, but it’s left a fetid seed behind. There’s a transgressive magic that spooks the carnies and unsettles the freaks. Beyond the barkers and the punters, behind the lights and tents where the macabre and the lost find refuge, there’s a deformity that has nothing to do with skin and bones. Where tragic players strut on a creaking stage, everybody’s going through changes. Jongleurs and musicians huddle in the back. It seems as if every one’s running, but is it toward something—or away? The carnies bring you stories, a heady mix of shadows and candy floss, dreams gone sour and nights that go on too long. Let them lure you into the tent. Carnival: whether you picture it as a traveling fair in the back roads of America or the hedonistic nights of the pre-Lenten festival where masks hide faces while the skin glories in its revelation, it’s about spectacle, artificiality and the things we hide behind the greasepaint or the tent flap. Let these writers lead you on a journey into that heart of blackened darkness and show you what’s behind the glitz. Underneath, we’re all freaks after all…

Song of the Day

Queen - Crazy Little Thing Called Love - YouTube:

America's dollar store revolution

America's dollar store revolution

Today's Vintage Ad


I For One Welcome Our New Planarian Masters

Decapitated Worms Regrow Heads with Memories Still Inside

10 Books Based on Other Books

10 Books Based on Other Books

PaperBack



Jack Vance, The Space Pirate (aka The Five Gold Bands), Toby Books, 1953

Thriller Awards: ITW

Mystery Fanfare: Thriller Awards: ITW

Iconic Vehicles From Popular Films

Poster Series Features Iconic Vehicles From Popular Films

10 of the Most Cryptic Texts in the World

10 of the Most Cryptic Texts in the World

Cory Monteith, R. I. P.

Fox News: Canadian actor Cory Monteith, best known as one of the stars of the Fox television show "Glee," was found dead in his Vancouver hotel room Saturday afternoon. He was 31. 

Acting Vancouver Police Chief Doug LePard confirmed that Monteith's body was found in the room on the 21st floor of the Fairmont Pacific Rim Hotel shortly after noon local time. LePard said that Monteith had checked into the hotel July 6 and was due to check out Saturday. Staff went to Monteith's room when they realized that he had missed his check-out time.

5 Insane Crimes Committed by Cops in Charge of Solving Them

5 Insane Crimes Committed by Cops in Charge of Solving Them

I Miss the Old Days

Keeping the heat at bay as the mercury rises: How New Yorkers kept really cool during the summer of '69 . . . in more ways than one

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Brian's Song

Brian's Song (1971) Trailer - YouTube: