New In The House

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New In The House

1: His Name Was Death – Fredric Brown: He’d killed his wife the year before and gotten away with it. Each succeeding murder was easier than the last. One of the best crime novels of the 1950s.

2: Kalin – E. C. Tubb: book four of the Dumarest of Terra series. Kalin was her name and she was a sensitive, able to see into the future. Earl Dumarest saves her from a mob intent on murder and the pair leave the planet. An aborted takeover of the starship results in it’s destruction, Earl and Kalin barely escaping in a pod. from there they are rescued by a slave ship and he uses the last of his funds to book passage, escaping the mines on the planet of destination.

Of course they are broke with no way to get off the planet and, unknown to Dumarest, someone important is looking for the girl.

3: The Coming Event – E. C. Tubb: book 26 in the Dumarest series. Dumarest knows the Terridae known something about Earth, but they won’t tell him. Only that an event is near. A Cyclan ship, those human computers, is coming also.

4: Side Jobs – Jim Butcher: urban fantasy. A collection of shorter works featuring Harry Dresden, wizard/detective.

5: The Book of Murdock – Loren D. Estleman: the latest in the Page Murdock western series. Posing as a priest, Page Murdock is investigating a gang of ruthless bandits terrorizing the Texas panhandle. Owen, Texas seems to be their base of operations.

October 2010 Book Round-Up

185: FA: Enchanted Night – Steven Millhauser

186: CR: Griff – Robert Weverka

187: CR: Dupe – Liza Cody

188: CR: Reunion – Richard Russell

189: WE: Savage Guns – William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone

190: CO: Climb A Broken Ladder – Robert Novak

191: CO: B-Girl – Robert Novak

192: UF: Repairman Jack: Fatal Error – F. Paul Wilson

193: WE: Rancho Diablo: Shooter’s Cross – Colby Jackson

194: SF: Dumarest of Terra: Toyman – E. C. Tubb

195: CR: Come Seven, Come Death -edited by Henry Morrison

196: CR: The Double Take – Roy Huggins

197: UF: The Last Rakosh – F. Paul Wilson

198: SF: CassaStar – Alex J. Cavanaugh

199: CR: His Name Was Death – Fredric Brown

200: SF: Cap Kennedy: Spawn of Laban – Gregory Kern(E. C. Tubb)

201: WE: The Lone Ranger: Valley of Shadows – Fran Striker

202: WE: The Lone Ranger: The Cave of Terror – Fran Striker

203: SF: Dumarest of Terra: Kalin – E. C. Tubb

October 2010 Movie Round-Up

Cat People(1942)

Elvira’s Movie Macabre: The Giant Gila Monster(1959)

Gunfighters of Abilene(1960)

Elvira’s Movie Macabre: The Brain That Wouldn’t Die(1962)

Nevada Smith(1966)

Hickey and Boggs(1972)

Elvira”s Movie Macabre: The Satanic Rites of Dracula(1973)

Rolling Thunder(1977)

NFL 2010 Week Eight: A True Black Sunday

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Jets. Redskins, Panthers

Appropriate, I suppose, that today is Halloween. It was a real black Sunday for my teams.

The Panthers loss to the Rams, 20-10, wasn’t totally unexpected. The Rams, in recent years the butt of many jokes, are much improved this season with rookie Bradford at the helm. A .500 team at 4-4, the Panthers are now a woeful 1-6.

The Jets looked terrible from what I saw. Only the last four minutes, and the highlights, were shown in my part of the country. But 9-0 a final score. Both offenses stunk, the Jets a little bit worse. Some bad decisions on Rex Ryan’s part didn’t help. A fake punt early in the game while deep in their own territory led to the Packers first field goal and there it stood until late in the game. Down only 6-0, Ryan used all three time outs while the Packers had the ball, getting it back with a few minutes playing time left. They ended up having to go for it deep in their own end again, leading to the Packers third field goal.

Then we come to the ‘Skins. Congratulations go to the Lions in their win, 37-25. Long suffering Lions fans have something to hope for with the return of their injured quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Four TD passes and only one pick. Not bad.

Let’s close with an appropriate video for the day and the happenings.

Humor of The Day: Ole and Da Mule

Ole’s car was hit by a truck in an accident. In court, the trucking company’s lawyer was questioning Ole.

“Didn’t you say at the scene of the accident, ‘I’m fine?’ ” asked the lawyer.

Ole responded, “Vell, I’ll tell you vat happened. I had yust loaded my favorite mule, Bessie, into da …”

“I didn’t ask for any details,” interrupted the lawyer. “Just answer the question. Did you not say at the scene of the accident, “I’m fine.’ ”

Ole said, “I had yust got Bessie into the trailer and I vas driving down the road…”

The lawyer interrupted once more and said, “Judge, I’m trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the highway patrolman on the scene that he was just fine. Now several weeks after the accident, he is trying to sue my client. I believe he is a fraud. Please instruct him to answer the question.”

By this time the judge was fairly interested in Ole’s answer and said to the lawyer, “I’d like to hear what he has to say about his favorite mule, Bessie.”.

Ole thanked the judge and proceeded. ” Vell, as I vas saying, I had loaded Bessie into da trailer and vas driving down da highway ven dis huge truck and trailer ran da stop sign and smacked my truck right in da side. I vas trown into one ditch and Bessie vas trown into da other. i vas hurtin’ real bad and didn’t vant to move. However, I could hear Bessie moanin’ and groanin’. I could tell she vas in terrible shape yust by her cries.

“Shortly after da accident, the highway patrolman he came to the scene… He could hear Bessie moanin’ and groanin’, so he went over to her. After he looked at her and sa her faatal condition, he took out his gun and put a buller between her eyes.

“Den da patrolman, he came over to my side, gun still smoking, and asked me, ‘How are you feeling?’

“Now vat the hell would YOU say?”

Jonny Lang, Part Two

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Jonny Lang

On my Forgotten Books post Thursday, Evan Lewis asked how Jonny Lang’s music was these days. A young man who recorded the album of the post when he was just fifteen, being in a band had exposed him to a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol, already smoking cigarettes since he was eleven. It had aged his voice a bit, not hurting it mind you, but sounding much older.

Then he went through a dark period, called the Five Silent Years, where nothing new was done. He found religion, and for a time considered being a preacher, before realizing where his true gifts lay. Not meaning to slight religion, but a wise choice.

Jonny conquered his personal demons and emerged with a new album in 2003, another in 2006, then a live set in 2009. While I don’t have those releases, what I have heard is decidedly different from what he did before. A number of ballads, as well as a bluesy sound.

Reading Forgotten Books: His Name Was Death – Fredric Brown

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Forgotten Books, Fredric Brown

I’ve been a fan of Fredric Brown’s science fiction work for years. I discovered him at a young age when SF was my primary reading genre and that’s what I looked for. As books are shelved by genre, I wasn’t really aware of his crime novels and had no idea what I was missing. Then the internet came along and as i moved into that, exploring right along, my ignorance began to change in the last few years. I ran across a clip of Mickey Spillane on some talk show and he mentioned THE FABULOUS CLIPJOINT as a favorite book and led to me posting on it Here.

Then Ed Gorman blogged about this book Here and I had to run this one down. A truly different novel and the ending took me completely be surprise. As I neared the end of this quick read, I was trying to figure where Brown was headed.

I missed by a bit.

I have THE SCREAMING MIMI and a couple of shorter works waiting in the computer on my Kindle app. I thing I’m moving them up a bit on the books to get at soonest.

Forgotten Music: Lie To Me – Jonny Lang

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Forgotten Music, Jonny Lang

Jonny Lang started playing guitar at age twelve. The album LIE TO ME was recorded when he was fifteen(twenty-nine now) and released a year later. He’s got a voice that sounds much older. An older woman friend loves this album, says Jonny’s voice has that whiskey soaked sound of an older man. Little did she know.

He began smoking at age eleven. He joined a band at thirteen, which lead to drinking and drugs. A rebellious kid, adult activities lead him down a path that eventually got to him. The Silent Years, 1998 to 2003, no new music, not much else. Then he re-emerged, free of all addictions and his music had a new focus,

But this early album is full of great music. I was just astounded when I first heard it. A fifteen year old kid playing and singing like that. Whew!

Here are a few of my favorite songs from the album:

and finally, the title song:

CassaStar – Alex J. Cavanaugh

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Alex J. Cavanaugh, space opera

I owe Charles Gramlich a nod for turning me on to this one when he posted on Alex J. Cavanaugh‘s debut novel last week.

CASSASTAR is a coming of age story of a young man named Byron, parents dead, raised by an indifferent older sister, whose dream was to become a Cosbolt fighter pilot. The little two men fighters head the battle in Humankind’s war with an alien race and pilots were a growing necessity. It would get him off Cassa and give him a chance to BE someone.

He had the talent level and he had something else: an attitude. Cocky, self-assured to a fault, he trusts almost no one, his navigator Trindel being the exception. Even there,he keeps his most guarded thoughts shielded from his partner. The pair are linked by telepathy, making their moves in a space fight faster. It’s all a matter of need, the partnership.

They have just completed preliminary training in simulators and were headed to Guaard for advanced training and a chance to get into the cockpit of a Cosbolt. There Byron meets Bassa, the head trainer of the school, a man haunted by a past tragedy,who recognizes something in the hardheaded young man. and becomes determined to help Byron achieve his full potential.

When a previously hidden talent, somehow missed in all the tests when the boy was growing up, Bassa makes a fateful decision to help the young man, a decision that has profound consequences for both men.

I quite enjoyed this one. Mr. Cavanaugh is off to a good start and he’s one I will definitely keep an eye out for what comes next. CassaStar comes from Dancing Lemur Press.

Check this one out, space opera fans. You’ll like it.

Shock Theater with Dr. Paul Bearer

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Dr. Paul Bearer, Television

One of the local television stations, WGHP in High Point, started carrying ELVIRA’S MOVIE MACABRE three weekends ago(another in the area started this past weekend with the first episode from three weeks back. It’s on very early Sunday morning(three am on one and five on the other). it started me thinking about a show that same WGHP carried when I was a teenager, Shock Theater hosted by Dr. Paul Bearer, he of the puns and bad jokes(as in, “coming to you from Die Point, North Carolina!”). It was a kick watching these really bad movies in a darkened room, usually alone.

You know the formula. really bad monster movies, bad jokes, and puns(one of his favorite was Bearer hitting a pack of gum with a hammer. “Here I am beating my gums!”). You’ve seen it before on Mystery Science Theater and the previously mentioned Elvira. Except old Paul was doing it back in the sixties. Was he first? I have no idea, but probably not.

Dick Bennick Sr. was the man behind the make-up.

The show was on from the mid to late sixties, then disappeared. I didn’t know anything else until I started researching(love the internet). Bennick took his character to St. Petersberg, Florida and in 1971, started Creature Feature(later Fright Night) that went on a long run that lasted until he died in 1995.

There’s even a website Here.

A fondly remembered show from my teenage years. it was on every Saturday night at eleven thirty. The new Elvira is much later. I suppose her barely contained cleavage might be a bit much for the viewers of this type of show, which tends to run young. Certainly a lot better looking than Paul Bearer.

Here’s a couple of early promotional clips:

and some of his goofy songs he liked to play: