Red Buttons:Did he ever get a dinner?

I was saddened to read of the passing of long-time actor & comedian Red Buttons earlier today. Growing up it seemed that Red Buttons was every where in both films or on television. Back when Dean Martin was doing his series of 'roasts', Buttons could be counted on to deliver one of the funniest bits each show. He would begin talking about famous or infamous individuals of various types and always end with "He never got a dinner!"

Films like the POSIEDON ADVENTURE, THE LONGEST DAY and others demonstrated that Buttons could also turn in a solid dramatic performance given the right material. He was the classic, average man often thrust into situations he could not control.

Much sympathy to his wife & children. His many fans will miss him, but his film roles will be around to entertain us for years to come.

Nothing better to do

I’ve been enjoying NBC's THE LAST COMIC STANDING this time around. Possibly as there really is nothing else that appeals to me at the same time on Tuesday night. I was sorry to see Gabrielle be sent off, but he did break the rules set down in the contract. First sneaking a Blackberry into the cabin and then after being caught making another phone call from the ship.

The fact that Donna and I will be watching the AMERICA’S GOT TALENT semi-finals tonight probably says more about us than I’d like. Of course, to be honest I’m the one more into both these shows, since when I get home the more brain-numbing things are the better.

Perhaps when the Fall season begins I’ll start watching stuff which takes a bit more of my attention and intellectual functions. We’ve seen promotions for one show which looks good, namely "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" from “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin a drama that includes Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford (both who appeared in "The West Wing", Whitford as Josh and Perry in a semi-regular role for a couple of seasons even before FRIENDS left the air). While Donna could not care less, I’m willing to give HEROES a chance.

Procrastination Funnies!

You can ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you that I am a notorious procrastinator. It really takes a major deadline or being pushed to finally get me to actually do something. In this case it was the looming possibility of a move to California.

I have had fourteen long comic boxes sitting in the computer room since the day we moved back to Brooklyn. In most cases the boxes were still taped shut from the move. Since I’ve only purchased a handful of comics since getting here there was no real reason to go through them. Finally, this weekend I spent most of Saturday & Sunday going through each box, plus two other cardboard boxes of various fanzines & other stuff. The past two days I’ve been trying to put together a ‘sale list’ of material.

Do I keep CEREBUS or my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Is it better to hold on to X-FILES or TRANSMETROPOLITAN? There was never a question about the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, but do I keep all my westerns or just the BEST OF THE WEST?

As I mentioned yesterday I have two lists that are available for those interested. After sending out the lists I came to realize that I had still more material to add, so I’m slowly inserting the new stuff into the lists. I’m going to be adding some TPBs and graphic novels to the comics list, but you’re welcome to request what I have already.

Believe it or not, not counting what remains on the bookshelves I have only four long boxes of comics that I’m keeping. These boxes aren’t even full, so you can imagine how ruthless I’ve been. Of course, the threat of a campfire with the entire collection helped!

In case you're wondering Spider Jerusalem beat out Sculley & Mulder, while the the sewer dwellers won out over the Earth Pig.

Cleaning out my collection!

I know my might catch flack for this, but I'd like to give the folks reading my two blogs first dibs on comics & fanzines I'm clearing from my collection. I may be moving in the next few months, but even if we remain in Brooklyn I think it's time to weed out stuff I no longer want/need. There's about ten long-boxes of stuff I'm getting rid of one way or the other.

The fanzines/magazines include stuff from the 1970s, i.e. a couple of issues of RBCC, GUTS, OMNIVERSE and others. I also have some copies of Comic Book Profiles, Amazing Heroes,etc. There are also some zines (pro & fan) on "B" movies & serials. Some of these are yellowing with a bit of water damage on a few.

The comics are mostly in Very Good or better, but that's according to my standards. Most are DC & Marvels from the 1980s-'90s, when I was collecting heavily. Many individual mini-series, and cross-over tie-ins. There are also a few 'adult comics','anthropomorpics' and 'independents', including some 'ash cans'.

If you are interested in either or both lists I'll send them along as an attachment via e-mail.

write me at: sachaput50@yahoo.com

Lennie Weinrib

Over at Mark Evanier's site (a link to which you'll find over on the side) he has posted several items, including video links, about his friend Lennie Weinrib. If you click on the above headline you'll get over to the Internet Movie Database page which has a partial listing of Mr. Weinrib's career. Looking at it was like getting a flashback to a lot of my childhood. As a writer/performer on many of the Sid & Marty Krofft's shows his voice (and he seemed to have dozens of them) was heard by all of us kids.

Mark also mentions, with another link, that Mr. Weinrib was the voice of "Timer" a character used in a number of nutrition cartoons which ran on ABC for seemingly decades. The spot Mark uses is about cheese. There are still times when I find myself singing part of the tune ("I hanker for a hunk of cheese!").

My sympathy and condolences go out to Mr. Weinrib's family and many friends.

Summer viewing

Sorry, but I haven't had much chance to post this past week. Things have been pretty busy at work between catching up on things for the end of the fiscal year and my assistant manager being on vacation. Add to that some major air conditioner problems at the library.

With most of our faves in rerun or off for the summer, Donna and I have been watching a few new shows plus checking out things on the higher cable stations we have had to miss.

THE 4400 is back on USA and is just as good as ever. The Returnees are gaining increasing strength and even some new powers. We were sorry to see the passing of Lilly (actress Laura Allen) and are intrigued by Isabelle's rapid aging. Jeffrey Combs, as scientist Kevin Burkhoff, is for me the most fascinating character, and possibly the best actor on the show. I can't wait to see what changes is going to undergo via his research and self-experimentation. I had the opportunity to actually see Combs in person at a FANGORIA Convention and found him very funny and friendly in public. I also don't think we have seen the last of the presumed dead (and missing) Collier, former leader of the 4400 Institute.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I have been watching LAST COMIC STANDING and the first episode of AMERICA'S GOT TALENT. Both of these are of the 'car wreck' variety of shows, being so bad at times that you can't turn them off. Of course, the idea of David Hasselhoff judging these folks is amusing in itself. I'm one of those folks who don't have strong feelings one way or the other about Hasselhoff, sometimes actually finding him funny. He reminds of me Lee Majors, basically an actor who lucked into a couple of roles which clicked for a brief time. Naturally, I'm willing to watch Regis any time. :-)

Havana Passage by Jay Lillie: A review

This is going to be passed along to the Joe Bob Briggs folks for eventual posting.

I took this book on the cruise, but didn't have as much chance to read it as I had hoped. Ended up finishing it during my daily commutes. While, as I state in the review it reminded me of the similar PATRIOT TRAP I reviewed a few weeks ago, it was a decent read if you don't go all political about this type of thing.
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HAVANA PASSAGE by Jay Lillie
Published by Ivy House Publishing Group
ISBN: 1571974520

With the end of the Cold War writers of thriller/suspense novels have had to search for a new foe for their heroes to confront. International drug cartels just don’t cut it anymore, so since 9/11 various Islamic nations or ‘terrorist’ groups have become the main focus.
While the last few Communist nations (China & North Korea, for example) can still cast their evil shadows over the U.S. and their allies, it really amazes me that some authors seem to let their gaze wander only ninety miles from our shores.

In the past few months this is the second book I’ve reviewed in which the main character and his/her companions are threatened by elements in Cuba. In both, the chief protagonist ends up in Havana, caught between parties attempting to overthrow the Castro government or attempting to gain power when the current regime ends with Fidel’s passing. Also, oddly enough, in both novels the characters at some point are escaping from Cuba by boat only to be caught off the Florida Keys in approaching storms or hurricanes. I guess this happens more frequently than you’d think.

When a fishing vessel is stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard off the coast of Cuba, it is discovered that one of the men aboard is without documentation. When the boat’s owner is arrested and his boat confiscated this triggers a series of events which brings together law student Kate Stevens, Washington D.C. lawyer Gordon Cox and the first female President of the United States. The President, looking to end the decades old trade embargo, sends Kate and Gordon (who at one time dated Kate’s mother) to Havana in order to discover what the reaction might be to such a decision. The lawyers find that things are much more complicated than they appear with angry Cuban exiles on one side and a possible coup by Army officers on the other. Add to this mix the mysterious Santiago deCristo, a one time member of Castro’s elite guard who has his own reasons to return to his native land.

Writer Lillie brings an old fashion feel to his book, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a fast read, ideal for vacation reading. The author throws in the occasional sexual detail and “F” bomb, but it feels as if he is doing it more to appeal to a section of readership who want that sort of thing, rather than something which comes naturally. While the character of the President never rises above reminding me of Geena Davis in COMMANDER IN CHIEF, Lillie brings enough life to the rest of his cast to pull the book up a notch from similar fare.

Three stars

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

Just to give you an idea of one of the shopping areas in Tortola. There was a less 'scenic' one right outside the pier area, but this one was located near the main shopping district where most of the tour buses loaded up.

I wouldn't mind going again, to have a chance to check out the beaches. You can sit by the fountain with chickens running around you, drinking cokes and local beers. Pretty pleasant way to spend an hour or so.

Shots of San Juan

A few shots at Casa Bardardi, including your's truly in front and the open bar. Also a couple showing the fort at the entrance to the harbor of San Juan, as well as the view from our balcony. That's not Donna, but the lady in the next cabin checking out the sites. I feel bad that I can't recall her name at this point, since we had several nice conversations in the early mornings peaking around the balcony seperation.

So what's the 2nd worst?

As near as I can figure there are around twenty folks who read this and my other blog on a fairly regular basis. Of those, there can't be more than a handful that will know what I'm talking about in the next paragraph. Are you one of the chosen few?

It will be hard for those of you who know me and have read Ted Rall's "The Worst Thing I've Ever Done!" to believe that I am actually being considered for a certain position in California. I'd probably be better off not jinxing it, but it does make me stop and consider the things I've done in the past. If there is such a thing as Karma (as the title character in MY NAME IS EARL would say) it's about to bite my a**.

Just some catch up!

Was sorry to hear belatedly of the passing of comics great Alex Toth. His work on ZORRO, his own BRAVO FOR ADVENTURE, Archie's BLACK HOOD and dozens of other titles made him an inspiration to a number of working artists. I had the opportunity to meet and speak briefly with him at a convention about a decade ago. He was polite and couldn't have been nicer as I gushed in typical fanboy fashion. Rest in peace and my condolences to his family.

Surprised this morning to find that both the Rachel Maddow Show and Jerry Springer morning shows on Air America Radio spent a few minutes on DC Comics announcement of the new BATWOMAN. I'm sure that this won't be the only things we hear, not all of them positive. (Anybody want to bet that Pat Robertson will have a few words about this?) I don't know anything about the new DC continuity post-Infinety Crisis, but isn't this a real ret-con of an old character? Unless this isn't the same BW who used to run with Batman in the Silver Age. Apparently she's having a lesbian relationship with another character who has only recently come out.

Also heard that Warner Bros. is moving up the premiere of the latest SUPERMAN film to a week before July 4th. I had also not known that they were going to edit in some Marlon Brando footage, with the late actor appearing as Jor-El. Anybody know if they are using the dialogue from the first film or are they using a voice actor?

Carnival Legend: An incident at sea

Some of you will recall that Donna and I sailed on a Caribbean cruise last week on the Carnival Legend. You may also have seen that ship in the headlines the last day or so.
The next few days I’m going to be telling you about the cruise and posting photos. We generally had a good time and so I wanted to mention tragedy right off the bat.

It was around 1:15am on Saturday morning when I was awoken by the Captain’s voice over the public address system. As any of you who have cruised before know, they seldom make announcements after 10:00pm and NEVER in the middle of the night. The Captain said, as closely as I recall, “Operation Bravo. Operation Bravo, all staff. Operation Bravo on the starboard side.”

Having served in the U.S. Navy my initial reaction was that there was a fire. When I noticed no alarms sounding, I immediately realized that it had to be the second worst incident, namely a ‘man overboard.’ Going out on the patio I noticed, being all the way aft, the ship was slowing quickly and then turning sharply. Peter, who was sharing our cabin, also awoke and we saw the ship’s searchlights playing over the surface. A call to the Purser/Reception Desk got me an ‘everything is under control’ response. It was only about twenty minutes later when the Cruise Director came over the P.A. to verify the ‘man overboard’ situation.

For the next twelve hours the Legend, along with the U.S. Coast Guard (via aircraft) and at least one other vessel (a private sailing boat) continued to cover the area in which the man had disappeared.

According to word making the rounds (including several of our tablemates, who had a stateroom several doors down from the man and his family), the husband had been drinking quite a bit, and had lost a ‘large amount’ in the casino. He and his wife had been heard arguing several times around the ship and security was called around 12:45. Upon several members of the security team gaining entrance to the room, the husband made a dash for the patio and leaped over the railing. This was witnessed by the security team, the wife and at least one of their two children (reported to be around seven years old, and I have been told there was a young child as well). Obviously, in this type of situation rumors abound, but I’ve tried to keep this to what we heard from first and second hand sources.

Over the next two nights, Donna and I saw the wife accompanied at all times in both the dining room and in the lobby leading to the buffet by a female security officer. Our table mates, who shared the deck with the family, told us that a security guard was posted permanently outside the cabin.

Sadly, no report I’ve yet heard or read states that the man or his remains have been located. From my knowledge of the vessel and my experience in the Navy, I have to assume that he was more than likely immediately pulled into the wake of the ship, probably under & into the propellers.

We may never know the entire situation, but my thoughts must go out to his wife and children, as well as any other surviving family. This is an incident that will remain with them for the rest of the lives and I hope that the media will leave them in peace.

Bon Voyage!

Like I've said before, nothing says cruising like towel animals.

Donna, Pete and I are headed off today for an 8-night Caribbean Cruise aboard the Carnival Legend. We'll be back on the 28th and I'll fill you in on all the details. take care!!

Time to set sail!

If I have a chance later today or early tomorrow, I'm going to post a few photos we took during our last cruise of the towel animals we found each night in our cabin. Folks familiar with cruising will be familiar with this tradition of the cabin stewards creating some wonderful items our of towels and bits of paper. Every night we would find one of them sitting on our bed or otherwise visible, along with our nightly chocolate/mint on the pillow.

If I don't have time I at least wanted to remind you that I'll be off for the next nine to ten days. Eight of those on the cruise and a day or two to rest up after. Enjoy your Memorial Day holiday!

PATRIOT TRAP:by Raymond Duncan, a review

I think I come off more negative here than I meant to, since I didn't really dislike the book. It was more that it held no surprises and seemed very much 'by the numbers', if you know what I mean. I've been doing these reviews for a couple of years and I'm getting pretty used to the trappings of the thriller/suspense genre. In this case, I was pretty much able to stay way ahead of the plot.
******************

Patriot Trap by Raymond Duncan
Published by Leisure Books/Dorchester Publishing
ISBN: 0-8439-5631-3

Neal McGrath is one of those heroes who seem to exist only in the imagination of a Tom Clancy, or Robert Ludlum and their numerous imitators. Usually he is a university professor, with some military background and a stint with some intelligence agency. They are usually in their mid to late thirties and have some personal tragedy (dead wife, fiancé, child, etc.) from which they have never fully recovered. For some reason or other a former friend or superior, still working with the agency, will suddenly pop and ask the hero to take on some small mission. Almost always they will be assured that there is no danger, of course,

Raymond Duncan doesn’t bring his hero to life as much as simply put him through his paces. We know that there is more to the request by his former CIA superior than to simply ‘look up’ a former student of the professor’s, Elena Rodriguez who just happens to be working for the Cuban equivalent of our own intelligence agency. From the opening sequence, straight out of CSI: Miami, with speed boats picking up bales of drugs dropped from planes, we see that Duncan is not going to let up on the action. McGrath and his friend, Don Samuels quickly find themselves on the wrong side of political tensions in Havana. They also discover from Elena that she has information which could link the head of her department, General Ramiro, to the drug running that is becoming widespread in the island. Unknown to Elena, on the other hand, is the fact that the General is also part of a group planning a coup against Fidel Castro. Toss in a Mexican assassin, bent on killing the President of his country, while he is on tour in the United States and you get a pretty complicated plot.

McGrath and Elena sometimes appear to be getting along more on luck than skill, something even one of the books characters comments upon. Of course, many writers in this genre going back to Alistair Maclean and Ian Fleming did a lot of the same type of thing, so you can’t really blame Duncan for doing so. From escaping a hit & run in the streets of Havana to surviving in a small boat a violent hurricane, the duo seem to go from one dangerous situation into another. In the case of General Ramiro, Duncan truly seems influenced by Fleming’s villains for his James Bond novels, as Ramiro has his henchman feed his enemies to poisonous sea snakes and piranha.

On the whole it’s not a bad book, but just nothing special. The nicest sections were those dealing with contemporary life in Havana, which I found realistic. If you enjoy this type of thing and don’t really expect any surprises Duncan may be the perfect author for your beach reading.

Two and a half stars.

LOST & INVASION

Both ABC shows were on last night and gearing up for the Season Finales. LOST wasn't quite as intense as last time, with the shootings of Ana Lucia & Libby, but things did happen. It was nice to see another flashback featuring Mr. Echo and his brother. The strange flashback/dream sequences always through you since it's sometimes unclear if what you are seeing is real or not. I'm sorry to see Libby go, as she was one of the nicest characters outside of the original castaways. It will be interesting to see if Locke tells Jack of his new discovery regarding the computer sequence.

INVASION gets more intense each week, and it is odd that the viewer is beginning to actually like Tom, as he was set up in the original episodes as the obvious villain. The hybrids appear to be about to sacrifice the uninfected townsfolk, but I think something it going to happen to prevent a wholesale success. Also, I can't wait to see if the pregnancies are allowed to take place this time and what we will see.

Sorry that I had to miss the final episode of TOP CHEF, but I'm sure that Bravo will be running the shows again. I knew that Stephen wouldn't make it to the final three.

End of the Season Viewing

The networks are wrapping up their major shows for the summer hiatus, which means that we will be overwhelmed by try-outs and 'reality shows.' We're going to miss WILL AND GRACE, and WEST WING now that they are ending their runs. Also, looks like both CSI and CSI: MIAMI are going to end with characters being shot. LOST will be wrapping up in a week or two as well and I have a feeling that several more characters are not going to be coming back.

Fortunately, the summer also means that USA Network will be bringing us new episodes of MONK and THE 4400. We'll probably be watching a lot more Animal Planet, Food Network and other stuff that we've skipped since the Fall season began.

Did I ever mention that I got hooked on Bravo's TOP CHEF, while Donna's guilty pleasure is that same network's "The Real Housewives of Orange County"? Sad, but true, plus we watch them both together, so what does that say for our marriage?

No Free Comics Day for me!

Sadly, for the first time since the national Free Comics Day program was started I won't be able to take part. I'm working tomorrow (5/6) and there aren't any shops in the area. By the time I get out most shops will be closed and generally I just like to go straight home after work anyway.

Hope that the rest of you will take part in the event, which is held at the better comic shops around the country. You'll find a link to the official web site over on the side and it will inform you about some of the publishers taking part, as well as some of the special product being produced just for FCD.

Happy reading!

Sounds like...KONG!

I haven’t yet seen the Peter Jackson version of KING KONG, but I hope to get a chance on DVD one of these days. I’ve always loved the original and even saw the 1976 version Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange. As a kid, even watching it on a small b&w 15 inch screen in my bedroom, the original film kept me captivated. I always felt such sympathy for Kong, which I think was the intent of the filmmakers.

The new Jackson film has inspired a number of books to be written (officially and otherwise) about the various films and for Blackstone Audiobooks to come out with a special unabridged reading of the 1932 novelization of the film. Written by Delos W. Lovelace and based on the script by Edgar Wallace & Merian C. Cooper the book expands a bit on the film actually giving us a bit of background on some the major characters, especially Ann (played famously by Faye Wray in the original).

Read by award winning narrator Stefan Rudnicki, the audiobook brings the book to life and you can visualize the scenes in your mind as you listen. Rudnicki, who I’ve heard on other audio adaptations, captures the ‘voices’ of the dozens of characters convincingly enough so that you’ll instantly recognize them throughout. If you're a fan of Jack Black, you might not like how his character, Carl Denham, comes across in the novel. A tad more P.T. Barnum, mixed with uncaring business man (perhaps not a inaccurate mix at that) than likeable showman. Also, the Kong in the book is closer to the savageand brutal beast we remember from the early film.

An added bonus is that following the adaptation you’ll hear interviews with such folks as Ray Harryhausen, Larry Niven, Ray Bradbury and Harlan Ellison each of them speaking about the influence (positive & negative) the film has had on them and the American public since its release. Highly recommended for Kong fans or lovers of good audio.

Cleaning my collection!

Even though I didn't get the OCPL job, Donna and I still intend to move eventually. With this in mind it's time to start ridding myself of thousands of comics that I've collected over the years (or the last two decades to be precise).

Most of this stuff is from the 1980s & '90s and at least in VG or better condition. I don't have the money or interest in sending anything out for slabbing and most aren't even bagged. I have most of it cataloged so I'm going to begin putting information out here for anyone interested. As I go through them you'll find that the majority are DC and independents (as we used to call smaller publishers), with very few Marvels.

I have a number of TMNT comics from the B&W days, including stuff like SHELL SHOCK, the First Comics TPB collections and Mirage's own THE COLLECTED Eastman & Laird's TALES OF THE TMNT TPB from '89. Also have a few of the Archie series around somewhere.

Got gaps in your CEREBUS collection? I have an almost complete run beginning from #50 thru #300 and the CEREBUS Bi-Weekly #1-26. Even got a slighly yellowed and chipped SWORDS OF CEREBUS #1 signed by Dave Sim from his 1992 New York Tour, with a small CEREBUS head he drew.

Drop me an e-mail or post a reply here if interested. I'm not expecting to make a fortune, but would like some of this stuff to go to another fan.

Cutting down on links

If you check over to the Right you'll note that I've removed a number of links. I don't have anything negative to say about any of them, but it was just getting ridiculous. More than half of them I haven't gone to since I placed them there to begin with. Several have not been updated for months and a few were to sites no longer active. I may be adding or dropping others as time goes by, as I'd like to keep things interesting for myself and anybody reading this blog.

I want to apologize for not posting more often here, since my mind has been on other things. As I have been reporting over on Parting Shots I have been actively looking for library jobs in southern California and my online time has mostly been directed towards resumes and want ads.

FURY by Robert K. Tanenbaum: a review

Here's the latest Joe Bob Briggs review. I finished the book prior to my California trip, but only just now had a chance to put my review notes together.
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FURY by Robert K. Tanenbaum
Published by Atria Books; ISBN: 9780743452908

I don’t recall reading any of Robert Tanenbaum’s previous novels, but I suppose it’s possible I may have listened to one on audio book as I only started keeping track of that for the past year or so. I also wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy the book after the first chapter or so. Perhaps, if I had read an earlier “Butch Karp/Marlene Ciampi” novel I wouldn’t have been so quick to judge.

This is the seventeenth book in the series, so I was unfamiliar with the characters and their history. Fortunately, Tanenbaum fills in the new reader once the story begins to unfold. On the other hand, as Joe Bob has said in some of his movie reviews “there’s a whole lot of plot getting in the way of the story.”

It begins with a flashback to a brutal rape in Coney Island, reminiscent of the well known Central Park incident, with a gang of ‘wilding’ black youths beating and nearly killing a jogger. Convicted of the crime four members of the group are later freed when another who took part confesses that he was the only one involved. Now the “Coney Island Four”, with the aid of an attorney (part Al Sharpton, part Johnnie Cochran, and totally corrupt), is bringing a law suit against the city, the NYPD and the District Attorneys who worked the case. Throw in a crooked judge, another lawyer looking toward her own political career, police union officials, and some other dishonest types all tied together, things look bad. Apparently not satisfied with all this, Tanenbaum tosses in some Islamic terrorists, Russian gangsters (with ties to Karp and his family), and some underground dwellers who may be led by a serial killer thought dead. Besides the central case, we also have Marlene looking to defend a university professor wrongly accused of rape and a dirty bomb being constructed to go off in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. There’s enough going on here for several novels and a movie or two.

The mere fact that Tanenbaum is able to keep all these balls in the air is a feat in itself. Helped by a few coincidences and good luck along the way Karp & Co. are able to come out ahead for the most part, even apparently tying up some loose ends from previous books and setting things up for the next. Kind of a cheat in my book, but it’s easy to see why the author is so popular. If some of his characters come out less than three-dimensional I think I can forgive him since he more than succeeds in telling a pretty good tale.

Three stars (but kick it up another half for the closing chapters).

Viewing at Thirty Four Thousand Feet!

The past few years Donna and I have flown almost exclusively on either Jet Blue or Song, so I've gotten used to having those individual TV screens and dozens of channels to watch during flights. This time out to the OC I went on American Airlines so it was plugging into the feature film choice and other stuff.

On the westbound flight we saw THE THING ABOUT MY PARENTS with Paul Reiser & Peter Falk, as father and son taking a road trip when Falk's wife of forty plus years (played by Olympia Dukakis) writes and tell him she's leaving. Mostly light comedy with some slapstick moments and tender bits thrown in. Nothing special, but enjoyable enough with an overall 'made-for-TV' feel about it. Prior to the feature American has a couple of hours of CBS network material, behind the scenes stuff and bits from 60 Minutes, The Early Show and an episode of one of their sitcoms. After the film they had episodes of TAXI, and FRAISER, which was an odd switch to NBC product.

Eastbound they showed FUN WITH DICK & JANE, a remake of the '77 George Segal/Jane Fonda comedy, with Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni where husband & wife turn to robbery to pay the bills. Made in 2005 the film takes place in 2000, with Carrey losing his job after the CEO of his firm (played nicely by Alec Baldwin) bankrupts the company. The film ends with a more timely joke and the credits aim a dedication at some well-known firms, many of which are no longer with us. A cute bit and a safe political jab at the same time. Since the flight was shorter (had to switch planes in Chicago, as opposed to the direct flight I had going out) we had the feature first with only part of the CBS segment getting in before we landed. I barely recall the Segal/Fonda comedy, but found the remake enjoyable enough. Again, a safe non-offensive film for a trapped general audience.

Hotel San Diego

If you click on the headline above you'll find an item Mark Evanier posted a couple of days ago (I'm trying to catch up on my blog reading before going cold turkey while I'm in California) on the up-coming implosion of the Hotel San Diego.

When I was in the Navy in the mid-1970s & stationed in the area, the Hotel SD already had a shakey reputation, at least among the sailor's I knew (the joke being that it should be called the Hotel STD). It was notorious for the hookers working the area, and it was also known that late night you could get the guy at the desk downstairs to send one to your room. I stayed there a couple of nights when I had a weekend off, but after a couple of run ins with the 'ladies' in elevators and the lobby, I began spending those weekends out of town.

Elayne Riggs will back me up when I say that our stay at the hotel during a Comicon in the early 90s wasn't the most enjoyable evenings we shared in southern California.

Play ball!

Only three games into the season, but the Red Sox have a nice 2-1 record, taking a couple from the Texas Rangers. The Damned Yankees on the other hand are 1-2, falling to Oakland which always gladdens my heart.

If I end up getting the job in California, do I have to start following the Dodgers or the Angels? To be honest, when I was stationed in San Diego in the 1970s I had a nice time watching the Padre's play in their home stadium. Yumm! Padre Dogs & beer!!

That trick never works!

Perhaps forgetting that female anchors for the network news hasn't worked in the past, CBS has announced that Katie Couric will be taking over the spot once held by Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. Not really known for hard-hitting interviews (except when talking to the likes of Howard Stern or Michael Moore), Couric seems to me an odd choice.

On the other hand, CNN seems to be doing well with Paula Zahn and Robin Meade so maybe the American public is ready for this.

Blog spam

I've just deleted it after discovering that somebody had put in a Comment to yesterday's posting, which was acually a link to a Sport Betting site. That's a first over here and I hope the last.

Then again, it shows that somebody must have read the post since it did have to do with basketball and March Madness!

March (yawn!!) Madness

I suppose one of my ex-therapists could have made something of my disinterest (if not out & out dislike) of basketball. My late father loved the sport, having played back in his highschool days. Weekend afternoons would find him glued to the set watching the college and pro games. The hoop he put out in the backyard rarely got any use and was eventually taken down when it became obvious that I had no interest.

In highschool and later in college I could never bring myself to care the least bit about how the various school teams were playing. Then again the whole school spirit thing never really rang true to me either.

On other hand, my father also was a pitcher on his highschool team and continued taking part in soft-ball games until he was in his forties. While never good enough or with enough ambition to play little league, I did play my share of backlot ball with the other guys in my neighborhood.

All this simply to say that I'll be happy when CBS gets back to regular programming and the regular season baseball games start being played. It is the IMHO still America's pastime.

Youuuuuurrrrrrrr Out!!!

Not exactly the career ending game that Roger "The Rocket" Clemens was looking for, but I guess you can't blame the U.S. loss totally on the pitching. On the other hand, the Mexican starter, Oliver Perez and his relievers kept the American players down to only three hits. The final score was 2-1 with Mexico beating the U.S. team, eliminating them from the World Baseball Championship.

I haven't had a chance to see any of the WBC games on TV, but have been trying to keep up with things online. If I'm lucky I'll catch a game or two this weekend. I really do hope that this becomes a tradition and not a promotion gimic that only lasts a year or two. The idea of some of the best professional baseball players in the world competing against each other is great in my humble opinion.

Speaking of baseball, the Queens Library has again sent every employee two tickets to a Mets game for Library Appreciation Week. Fingers crossed the weather on Friday, April 7th isn't too bad at Shea.

Korean Team Kicks U.S. Butt

This is from the article in a Korean paper, via World Press.com:

The Korean national team dealt an ego-bruising 7-3 defeat to the home of baseball on Monday during the second game of quarter-finals play at the World Baseball Classic in the Angels Stadium at Anaheim, California. The win all but assures the as-yet undefeated team a place in the semifinals. An auspicious 101 years after U.S. missionary Phillip Gillette introduced baseball to Korea, the country has overtaken its teacher to secure the ultimate bragging rights by sending an American all-star team packing.

You can't help but love it, right?

Identity Crisis: a review

If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that I'm probably the last guy on the 'net to get around to doing comic reviews. It's been a while since I had that $100 a month habit and almost a year since I even went into a comic shop. Still I'm an old time fan and still like to read something on occasion. In this case the series (collected here in hardcover) that really brought about some changes in the DC Universe, many of which are being revisited in the current INFINITE CRISIS maxi-crossover event.

Should you be among the few who haven't read this book or have not read the hundreds of other reviews (good & bad) already out there I want to send out a huge SPOILER WARNING.

Writer Brad Meltzer creates a story which reveals that things happened years ago among the Justice League of America that may tarnish their reputation. We learn why the original Doctor Light, went from second-string competent to comic relief in later appearances. When they discover that he raped Sue Dibny, the wife of Ralph "Elastic Man" Dibny, members of the JLA decide to not only erase his memory of the event (and his knowledge of some of their identities) but also to do a bit of tampering with his brain. Using the magical abilities of Zatanna, they give the villain a mystical lobotomy. Not only this but when discovered by Batman, they do a bit of tampering with the Dark Knight. Now years later, Dr. Light recovers his memories and apparently begin seeking revenge for what happened.

End of SPOILER WARNINGS!

Meltzer does a solid job with all the heroes, even those who appear only briefly. The art by Rags Morales is magnificent and is aided by the inks of Michael Bair, who allows Morales' pencils to shine through. Hats off also to colorist Alex Sinclair and letterer Ken Lopez, who do the job by not drawing attention to themselves yet add to the overall package. In addition the hardcover gives us additional treats with background on the story & art by Meltzer and Morales; as well as a cover gallery of the original series covers by Michael Turner and other goodies.

Some of the best moments are with Wally "FLASH" West, who learns that the heroes he grew up with and admired may not have been as free of sin as he may have thought; in addition much of the story is seen through the eyes of Oliver "GREEN ARROW" Queen who knew of what happened and has kept the secret for years. In the end the story is ultimately about friendship and family, not just a bunch of people flying around in tight outfits punching each other.

Although I knew from reading the comments on the Tony Isabella messageboard and in CBG what to expect, as an Old Fart of Fandom I finally wanted to read the book myself and judge it. I don't exactly like what happened, especially as Ralph & Sue Dibny were two of the nicest and most enjoyable characters I remember from the Silver Age. From Ralph's early stories he was a favorite. On the other hand, Meltzer allow us to see the couple as truly in love and lets that, in the end, be Ralph's salvation.

How I'll feel about INFINITE CRISIS when I eventually get around to reading more than the earliest 'countdown' issue, remains to be seen. It will certainly be interesting to this aged reader what the 'new' DCU will be like.

WOKEN FURIES by Richard K. Morgan: a review

Another Joe Bob Briggs review completed. A change of pace from the usual thriller/suspense books they send and I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It took me a couple of chapters to shake the feeling I was reading a bad BLADE RUNNER ripoff.

**********************
Woken Furies by Richard K. Morgan
Published by Ballantine Books: ISBN: 0345479718

I’m probably the wrong guy to review this novel, expecting as I was to be reading another suspense/thriller. Imagine my surprise and admitted disappointment to find a science fiction novel among the review copies. I have to be honest in saying that I haven’t read more than a dozen SF novels in the past thirty years and several of those were part of Douglas Adams’ Hitch-hiker’s series. Still I’m willing to give it a try since back in high school I was reading little but SF.

Richard K. Morgan won a Philip K. Dick Award for his first novel, Altered Carbon (2003). This book is the third in a series featuring Takeshi Kovacs, a former government operative (called Envoys, although they were more assassins and enforcers) in a distant future where people generally don’t die as we know it. When their life span ends or if they are killed in some fashion their consciousness can be placed in another “sleeve” to continue. These new bodies are either artificially created or clones of the deceased. This depends on money, of course, as well as into which societal class the individual belongs. Kovacs himself has been around for close to three hundred years, inhabiting a number of sleeves depending on his current mission.

Not having read any of the previous books in the series I sometimes found myself a tad confused, as dozens of characters (many of whom have some type of history with Kovacs) keep popping up. Writer Morgan fills in a lot of the background, but it still feels like coming in during the second reel of the film. Discovering that he is being tracked by a younger version of himself while on the run from several other factions, Kovacs finds temporary sanctuary with a band looking to salvage alien technology in abandoned ruins. The brief respite comes to an end when on of the team apparently becomes infected with the consciousness of a long-dead rebel leader, Quellcrist Falconer. The planetary government and possibly his former Envoy team mates are not happy about this situation.

I’d probably have enjoyed the book more if Morgan didn’t stop the plot for several pages of graphic sex every couple of chapters, or to have several of his characters spend another few pages arguing futuristic socialism (or Quellism, as it’s called in the book). Also, I’m always amazed to discover that thousands of years in the future in galaxies far away the underclass loves to drop the “F” bomb (as Jim Rome would put it).

Morgan does a good job bringing solid characterization to a very large and diverse cast. Playing the hard-boiled card can be difficult, especially mixing it up with SF, but Morgan does make it work.

Three stars (Add an additional half star if you’re an SF or Morgan fan already)

Navy Blues

Believe it or not, this is me back 1969. I was either on the USS BOXER or the USS CAMBRIA, since this was taken in Norfolk, VA and before I had my mustache.

Could I really have been that innocent at 18 yrs of age?

I was working as the supply clerk for the Electronic Technician Dept. on either ship. Since I'm in Dress Blues it was either early Spring or Fall of that year.

USS BUTTE AE-27

The photos above are of the USS BUTTE AE-27 upon which I spent my last two years on Active Duty from 1984 thru early 1986. Stationed out of Earle, NJ the Butte was one of the busiest 'ammunition ships' at the time.

To those of us who served aboard the ship the AE stood for "all expendable" which is how we felt. The first question you'd ask to a new crew member was, "Who'd you piss off?" {Ask Elayne about some of this if you doubt me!}

When in port we were at the end of a two mile long pier which itself was over a mile and a half away from any inhabited buildings. When fully loaded we were told that if we exploded we'd probably take out everything within five miles of us at sea. There was a reason that we were never allowed dockside when in foreign ports, even U.S. ones. We always anchored out.

As you can also imagine abandon ship drills were a matter of high hilarity, while any actual fire alarms were taken with dead seriousness.

A moment of truth in advertising: The photo on the left is one of those "official" photographs. I never remember the Butte looking that clean or rust free in all the time I served aboard. Part of which time I served in Deck and hung over the side painting the ugly, haze grey sonuvabitch.

USS WADDELL DDG-24

During my second stint in the Navy I was stationed our of San Diego on the USS WADDELL, a guided missile destroyer.

Most of the stories I have about that period took place off the ship when I wasn't on duty, but I still have some nice memories of the ship and crew. This was back during the mid-1970s, so you can imagine what southern California must have been like.

Dennis Weaver, Darren McGavin and Don Knots

Between my trip down to Atlantic City to catch Frankie Valli (discussed over at Parting Shots) and my 24+ hours suffering a stomach virus, I haven’t had a chance to write anything about the passing of three long time favorite actors. They do say these things come in threes but not this damn close, huh?

Of course, I remember Dennis Weaver most from his days as Chester Goode, opposite James Arness’ Marshall Matt Dillon on GUNSMOKE. He did tons of cameo roles in later TV shows before and after that, along with starring in one of the best made-for-TV movies ever, DUEL, directed by pre-JAWS Steven Spielberg. Younger folks probably remember him as the cowboy in the Big Apple McCLOUD from the early 1970s.

Darren McGavin is probably better remembered by folks of my generation as Carl Kolchak, THE NIGHT STALKER from that great television show. Back before Scully & Fox Mulder joined the FBI, Carl was working on his own “x-files”. Stories which his editor Tony Vincenzo (played excellently by Simon Oakley) never let Carl get into print. While I don’t recall if I ever saw him playing Mike Hammer, but my father mentioned it a few times so I’m sure he did.

Many of you probably recall him as the father in my all-time favorite ‘family comedy’, A CHRISTMAS STORY. If you were wondering who it was that was watching 18+ hours straight of the film on TNT it was me! I also have it on DVD, though sadly it has no bonus material. McGavin was also a popular ‘reader’ on audiobooks doing a number of adaptations of “Travis McGee” novels by John D. MacDonald, among others.

There is nothing I can say about Don Knotts which hasn’t been said at length already in blogs, newspapers and on television & radio. He created one of the most beloved and imitated characters on television, with his portrayal of Barney Fife on the old Andy Griffith show. I actually remember him playing one of Steve Allen’s “man in the street” characters, along with Louis Nye and Tom Poston. My father, who never called me Steverino, was a huge fan of all of Allen’s shows and it seems I grew up watching them.

My most sincere condolences and sympathy go to the families, friends and millions of fans these three men left behind. You will be remembered long after most of us are but dust.

USS SHREVEPORT

After the USS Cambria was scheduled to be decommissioned I was transferred to the commissioning detail for the newest Landing Platform Dock (also labeled Amphibious Platform Dock at some points) the USS Shreveport. It was still being built in Tacoma, WA so we spent a couple of months undergoing training in Norfolk,VA before flying out to meet our new ship in January of 1970. With two ships decommissioned underneath me in less than a year I was beginning to feel like a jinx.

As part of the commissioning crew I'm considered a "plank owner" which probably doesn't mean much to anyone who hasn't spent time in the Navy. I still have my plague around and plan to actually put it up in the computer room/office one of these days along with some of my other Navy memorabilia.

USS BOXER LPH-4

Found a photo of the USS Boxer online over at a site dedicated to the ship and crew. Lots of stuff dealing with her during WWII and Korea before she was converted to a helicopter carrier.

She was my first ship and I served aboard her for about seven months prior to her being decommissioned. Did one Caribbean cruise aboard which was quite an eye opener for this kid from Taftville, CT.

USS CAMBRIA LPA-36

This is the USS Cambria a cargo and Marine transport ship on which I served back in 1969. It was the second ship I sailed on, the first being the USS BOXER LPH-4 an old wooden deck carrier. I have a photo of the Boxer around somewhere and will try to post it in the next few days.

Whenever I get depressed I find myself reminiscing about my Navy days. Pretty sad, huh?

CowboyPal Old Time Radio

I've added a link, either via the above headline or over to the Right, to the CowboyPal Old Time Radio site. It's over at Live 395.com so you'll have to listen to ads for that, but you'll still have the opportunity to listen to radio shows from the 1930s thru 1950s.

I've been a fan of OTR since I was a kid and having these old westerns available 24-7 is a lot of fun. Unless you subscribe you'll only have a limited number of shows to sample but that's more than enough to see you it's your cup of tea.

You would think I could read a calendar!

Originally I had planned to attend the up-coming New York Comic Con. It's been a while since I've been to a convention and was hoping to catch up with a few folks I haven't seen for years.

For some reason, I had it in mind that the convention was this weekend, so when my friend Pete called to invite me down to Atlantic City for next weekend I agreed. Doh!!!

Anyway, since I haven't bought tickets and this is a chance to do some male bonding I'm blowing off the convention. Hey, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are performing that night at Caesar's!

Regrets to those folks who had been hoping to see me. Maybe we'll have the opportunity on Free Comic Book Day. If I'm not working that Saturday you can probably find me at Jim Hanley's Universe first thing that morning.

Are you a Librarian?

Click on the headline and take the quiz.

I am ashamed to say that I only got 44% on this.

Guess it's time to go back to Pratt for some re-education or to at least start reading Library Journal more regularly.

Free Comic Book Day is May 6th

I'm putting a link over to the side for the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY site. For those unfamiliar with this concept, imagine every comic shop in the U.S. putting aside one day each year where they actually make an attempt to give you something and not just take your hard earned dollars.

Each year many of the major comics publishers will supply stores with thousands of special comics in the hope that something will strike your fancy and you'll come back for more. For me it's the one day each year that I actually do go to a comic shop, which I stopped doing a couple of years ago.

Check out the site and support those local shops who are taking part.

Watching the Olympics pt2

It was a pleasant surprise not having Katie Courac doing the opening ceremonies the other evening. Bob Costas also was nicely sedate for most of it, so Donna and I could actually listen and enjoy. It is also nice that they are showing every country entering in order, as they can edit it between ads. I'm sure there are folks here in the U.S. who may have connections or family in other places and would like to see their teams. In many cases it will be the ONLY time you'll ever see them during the next two weeks.

It would be good to see something other than hockey, considering the number of events being held. There may be a few folks not sitting up or taping stuff overnight. With hundreds of hours of competition certainly NBC could have one of the five or six channels repeating material from earlier in the day.

I'm missing Curling tonight, since I have to work and am really bummed out.

Also, for regular TV viewers: Donna and I caught the last two episodes of GRAY'S ANATOMY and really weren't impressed. (SPOILER) The climax of the two parter was pretty predicable and Donna was surprised that they actually did blow things up.

Costa Maya, Mexico

The soldier types in the one picture are Mexican military and they remain stationed at the end of the pier. Other than those guys you never really see much in terms of the security the cruiselines and various ports have in place.

I took that one photo by standing on one of those box like yellow things you see in the picture, actually leaning partially over the water. Later, when talking to another passenger, I learned that several people had seen two to three foot sharks swimming beneath and around the pier. Probably better I didn't know at the time!

Mamasita's is the largest of the bars you'll see at the port and it's quite good. I didn't have any food but the beer is cold and service fast. You really wonder about their mascot though, not to be too politically correct here. As I said over at Parting Shots there is enough to see and do here at the mall that many folks went no further into the town. It was fun, but just know the prices are a bit more than you'll find outside the plaza. On the other hand, you can get some quality guarantees from the cruiselines for these shops you might not otherwise have.

Watching the Olympics pt. 1

Click on the headline and you'll go over to the "official" NBC Olympic site. It will give you the schedule and let you keep track of medal winnings. Which of course is the ONLY reason to follow the events, as any real American knows.

I've gotten beyond my 'cheer for anybody but the U.S.' phase, since it really isn't fun or fair to anyone. Now I just try to ignore the most sugar-coated of the close-up pieces and enjoy the sports themselves. I think I'm actually getting some understanding of Curling, believe it or not. A sport which I think I'd actually like to see in person. Like my ex, Donna loves watching the figure skating, while shout my usual "Suck ice!" at the screen during the routines. It's hard to believe that I actually have a college degree or two, isn't it?

Donna and I both hope that Katie Courac and Bob Costas are able to put a sock in it long enough so that we can enjoy the opening ceremonies. They weren't as bad two years ago as they were during the previous Winter Games where they talked over the entire thing, explaining to us what we could see as if they were on radio. Of course, I have a low Courac tolerance anyway.

Revenge in Exile: A review

Here's the latest book I've reviewed for Joe Bob Briggs. It's a pretty decent read and perfect for taking along on the cruise for pool side reading.

McCauley is aiming at the Ludlum crowd and does good job in his premiere effort.

****************
REVENGE IN EXILE BY Scot McCauley Published by Leisure Books:
ISBN: 0843956305

Author Scot McCauley is a retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral. He skillfully uses his expertise in military matters as well as his knowledge of the workings of Washington to create a solid first novel. Unfortunately, he makes the common first time author’s mistake of bringing in a few too many characters, and appears to lose track of a couple when wrapping things up in the end. This was the only real flaw I found in an otherwise nice thriller.

McCauley introduces us to David Andrews and Cole Palmer former Navy officers who were close friends but took very different paths after their early days. While Palmer remained in the Navy, Andrews left to initially pursue a career in business and then in politics. The book finds him as a National Security Advisor to President Washburn, a Democrat up for re-election. Things may be going fairly well on the domestic front but turmoil in Mexico may cause problems for the Washburn campaign. It also appears that Andrews has been going behind the back of his bosses to solidify his own political future in a second Washburn White House.

Former Mexican President Victor Hidalgo had to leave his country in disgrace when it was discovered his brother was involved with some illegal activities. Hidalgo is planning on a triumphant return to his native land, even if his attempt to regain the Presidency could cause a constitutional problem or even civil war. Taking advantage of all this is Javier Navarro, leader of La Eme the major Mexican drug cartel. Navarro has gotten his hands on some ‘suitcase’ bombs created by and left behind by the former Soviet Army when they departed much of their former empire. While some of these will be used in the usual terrorist bombings in markets and hotels to confuse authorities on both sides of the border, Navarro has cleverly gotten one such device into the Promonotorio Mountain nuclear waste depository. The bomb is set to go off during the grand-opening ceremonies attended by President Washburn and his Mexican counterpart.

NSA advisor Andrews calls upon his old friend Cole to look into things in Mexico City, where, the now widowed Palmer meets Dr. Elizabeth Cramer, an economist working at the American Embassy. Palmer falls back on his own military skills and those of a team of Navy SEALS in an attempt to discover just what Navarro and his henchmen have been up to in the desert. Unfortunately, this puts him and Dr. Cramer in the way of La Eme’s plans, which is not where anybody would like to be.

McCauley brings enough depth to most of his major players to make us care about what is happening to them. It’s only in his over populating of the story that he nearly capsizes the whole thing. There is also a good deal of coincidental good luck on Palmer’s part, but that can be said of the lead in any number of thrillers. Chalk it up to a freshman writer stretching himself a bit too thin.

Three stars.

Britney Spears: White Trash Mom?

I haven't heard the entire story, and frankly couldn't really care less. However, seeing the photo of Baby Spears in Momma's lap while she drove was priceless. Hey, at least she didn't dangle the kid from a balcony window!

Al Lewis: actor and activist

The headline above will link to a brief obit on Al Lewis over at NBC10.com

Lewis had a show on Pacifica's WBAI 99.50 FM here in New York City for years. He'd rant on politics, culture and prison reform (in which he was especially active). I recall first seeing him in the classic CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? television series and later in his most famous role as "Grandpa" Munster. Howard Stern fans will recall him from his frequent appearances on Stern's pre-Sirius program.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Lewis!

Parting Shots

I have finally put a link to my other Blog over on the Right. The idea was to keep the two blogs seperate, especially since I get political over at PS. The last couple of weeks I've been posting stuff about the cruise and other things on both so it finally made sense to link the two. Enjoy!

Princess on her throne!

We had let Donna's sister Marilyn borrow one of our recliners during her pregnancy. The other night her husband Doug and I carried the chair back to our apartment. Before we could put it back together, Babie decided it was a perfect place to nap.

I have no plans to get into the Friday Cat Blogging habit, but just wanted to share these.

Big Black Wha...wha..whaaaaaaaat???

If you ever get to Grand Cayman you'll have to check out the Pirate's Grotto where you can have your picture taken with the legendary (at least acccording to the tour guides and locales) and imfamous Big Black Dick (or Richard, if you will). A pirate who supposedly sailed in the area of the Caymans. There is also a Big Black Dick Rum, which is quite good.

There are some days where you'll find half a dozen tourists standing in line just to have their photo taken. Sadly I don't think you can actually read the scroll, but it is pretty funny seeing some of the older and more conservative tourists reacting to the whole thing.

The Child in her California office

Since I frequently mention her, here's a pic of Kristina (often referred to as The Child, here at Chez Chaput). She is Donna's daughter and I'm proud to say my step-daughter. Living out in California and happy having just bought her own condo.

This is just a test!

This is a test so you can ignore it if you like. This picture was taken of Donna and myself several years ago at Atlantic City.

A short review of the movie: FANTASTIC FOUR

We had a rainy day on the cruise so Donna and I spent some time in our stateroom. She caught some sleep, while I decided to check out the free movies on the cabin set. I was surprised to discover that on this particular day they were showing the FANTASTIC FOUR. I never had the chance to catch it in the theatres so figured this was the perfect opportunity.

Since I didn't see it when it was in release I don't know if the film was edited for viewing by 'general audiences' on the ship, as there were kids on board. Assuming nothing major was lost here's what I thought.

Let's be honest here, the entire cast except for Michael Chiklis could have been replaced with the cast from the never "officially released" FF film Roger Corman made. I find it hard to believe that this is the best that Tim Story & company could have gotten. Ioan Grufford and Julian McMahon could have easily exchanged roles and the casting director could have watched any prime time show on the WB to come up with somebody more talented then Chris Evans. Jessica Alba looks like she watched BATMAN FOREVER and channeled Nicole Kidman's performance from that flick. Ten seconds of lingerie shots don't make a character.

I will give it up for most of the FX in the film, only a couple of shots of Mr. Fantastic in action looked shoddy. In the final confrontation with Victor (who never really becomes DOCTOR DOOM, in my opinion) makes good use of CGI with Reed turning from spinning wheel to blanket. Chiklis did what he could under all that make up and I thought he made you feel for Ben.

Overall not as bad as some folks had led me to believe. I don't know if the feature made enough for a sequel, but I'd count on it. Perhaps they'll recast all but Grimm and give us something a bit better.

Sailing away!

If you click on the above headline you'll find that the Carnival Miracle is sailing the Western Caribbean. Baring unforeseen disasters Donna and will be enjoying the pools, bars, shows and especially room service. There's nothing like closing down the casino and heading back to your room to order a fruit & cheese platter or mini-pizza at 2:00am.

Keep an eye on each other and take care until I get back!

*****************
Oh...before I forget. It really is an eye opener to check out random blogs on the sign in page. Give it a try, but be forewarned that there is some VERY adult stuff floating about. Whoa!!!

Not on my reading list

I thought it was safe to begin reading some of the books which have been sitting on my bookcase for the past few months. As I mentioned previously I have a couple of paperbacks that I was going to take along on the cruise (along with the latest issue of CBG). Naturally, when I got home last night I found a box sitting on the steps (Donna and I live on the second floor of her mother's two-family in Brooklyn).

Apparently the good folks over at the Joe Bob Briggs site still have enough confidence in my reviews to continue sending new books. There is still at least one review (possibly two, but I'm losing track at this point) which has yet to be posted so it seems time to load me down again.

The box contained six books, mostly published only last year. Four are hard covers and the other two mass market paperbacks, including the political novel by Barbara Boxer, A TIME TO RUN. As usual when I receive shipments like this I'll try to read them in order of publication so the reviews (when they eventually are posted) aren't totally out of date.

I'm finishing off the book DREAMING WAR by Gore Vidal, so I'll let you know what book I'll be taking along in the next day or two.

Four days until the cruise and counting every minute!

30 Days of Night: a brief review

This year I'm actually going to try to put some comics related stuff in this blog. I figured I'd start with a book which received a lot of attention and appears to have made the writer one of the current hot creators in the industry.

30 Days of Night (IDW) - I read this in the trade paper edition which includes the mini-series and extra stuff, like writer Steven Niles' original script. It is easy to see why the book proved so popular and the fact that it has been optioned for a feature film proves that it caught more then passing fanboy interest. I recall reading that there is or will be sequels which take place in the same world as this, if not featuring the same characters, since only a few of the principles in this story survive the assault and final confrontations.

To be honest, I didn't find anything particularly original beyond the initial set up. The idea of a tribe of vampires taking over a small Alaskan town during a period of sunless days is something I had not read before, but my vampire reading may be more limited than yours. Sadly, once that bit of business begins there isn't a lot else except for graphic violence and a claustrophobic feeling. The art by Ben Templesmith is of the Bill Sienkiewicz (circa STRAY TOASTERS) school of 'dark, scary and difficult to interpret.' I have to be honest and say that there were several scenes so dark and ARTISTIC that I had no clue what was going on nor who was doing what to whom. With such a large number of characters, many of whom are not even given names, it would have been nice if there was some way to identify them. Also, since we don't know the people in town we can't feel anything when they are killed. They remind you of the citizens of Tokyo stomped by Godzilla and his co-horts, being simply faceless victims not important to the plot.

There are some nice touches in the married couple, Eban & Stella who happen to be the town sheriffs. They have a good relationship and it's this rather than the mayhem taking place outside that really carries the only impact the story has. Fans of this book can only hope that the eventual film adaptation have actors good enough, with some kind of on-screen chemistry, to make the characters work.

I'll give it two stars and recommend you borrow it from your neighborhood library or a friend. Give it another star if you're really into this type of thing. As they say your milage may vary.

Warm beer and other stuff

Just heard on Air America about a Missouri law maker trying to pass legislation which would ban convenience stores from selling beer with temperatures less then 60 degrees. Apparently this, in his way of thinking, would cut down on drunk driving because people would be less likely to pop open a can of room temp brew on the ride home. Obviously this guy doesn't remember his younger days and the rule that any beer short of steaming is acceptable. If you can open the can you can drink it!

Wonder what my buddies over at the Beer Advocate think of this?

We're down to single digits in the Cruise Countdown. Donna is ironing some of our clothes and checking to see if a last minute visit to the dry cleaner is in order. She's also going to get her hair cut tomorrow, since Mister Steve (her colorist) already took care of those nasty dark roots.

Getting ready for the cruise

I've learned from past cruises (and years in the Navy) that it's best to plan your travels ahead of time. Donna and I spent part of yesterday doing some shopping for clothes and incidentals we'll be bringing along with us. We only have ten days left until the cruise, but we'll be flying down to Tampa the day before. I'm going to be bringing up our suitcases tonight after work to let them air out and then we can start packing some of the stuff (bathing suits, toiletries, etc.) we won't be needing until we're actually aboard the Carnival Miracle on Sunday.

I probably won't log in during the cruise, since I'm pretty cheap and Carnival charges a few bucks for even the shortest computer time. What I plan on doing is writing a short journal beginning the Saturday before (1/14) when we fly down and keeping track of some of the things we do. I'll then write it up and post it when I get back. The best part is that you can read it or ignore it depending on how you feel about this sort of thing.

Happy New Year!

I never know if folks are reading both my blogs, so I wanted to send out a Happy New Year from both this year.

By the way, if you check out the Smoking Gun site (mentioned yesterday & linked over to the Right) you'll find they have their MUG SHOTS OF THE YEAR for '05 up. With all the great stories they run it must be difficult to narrow it down to only 15, but they've done a great job. From moonshiners to strippers to DUI actresses and Panther cheerleaders gone bad! One of my faves is the battered panty thief, but maybe that's because I always got a kick out of the Grandfather figure in RANMA 1/2 who never seemed to tire of that vice. :-)

The Smoking Gun

I'm fascinated by legal stuff on television rather dramatic series or 'real life' stuff. Shows like COPS, AMERICA'S MOST WANTED, LAW & ORDER, CSI (whereever) and the like hold my interest. I'm also a big fan of the old shows like PERRY MASON, COLUMBO and MURDER, SHE WROTE. Naturally, I'm an avid watch of Court TV no matter whether they are broadcasting actual court room cases, documentaries or reruns of NYPD BLUE.

If you check out the link area on the Right you'll find a new link to The Smoking Gun. The folks over there are doing their best to keep an eye on the unusual and strange, whether it's happening to ordinary folks or celebrities. I plead guilty (pardon the expression) to actually being interested in which celebrities have broken which laws today. They also have some great mug shots which these same celebrities would love to have never seen the light of day. Hardly the stuff they'll be showing on E! most nights.

Pretty shallow of me, isn't it?

I've learned my lesson!

I'm not going to make any New Year's resolutions this time around. Last year I vowed to begin reading classics or other books I'd promised myself I'd eventually get around to. Except for Mary Shelley's original FRANKENSTEIN and Robert Ludlum's THE BOURNE IDENTITY I ended up reading other stuff. There are still a number of novels I'd like to read but I think I'm just going to pick up whatever catches my interest at any given moment.

Right now I have two books set aside for my vacation. One is an X-FILES novel and the other another in the series from Preston & Child featuring Special Agent Pendergast. Don't know how much of either I'll get to on the cruise, since Bingo & buffets tend to get in the way. :-)

Packing my bags for Cozumel

It's not Christmas yet but I'm already starting to put together what I'll be needing in the Caribbean. Donna and I are going on a 7-night cruise in January so it's time to see what still fits and what has to be sent out to the dry cleaners.

I think some of the first posts I made over at PARTING SHOTS had to do with cruises, but I'll probably be moving future posts like that over to this blog. On the other hand, I may split things up just to make folks read both places, since I still get e-mail from folks who don't know I have two blogs going. As you'll see I don't have a link to PS over here, but do link to this blog over there. Except for Mark Evanier and Tony Isabella's sites I try to keep SS from linking to overly political places, as I want to make this place 'safe' and non-political.

Speaking of THE Tony Isabella, I want to wish the man a very Happy Birthday and many returns of the day.

Holiday specials: Where are they?

Maybe I'm showing my age, but when I was a kid (and even up through the 1970s) it seemed that rather than showing rerun after rerun the various networks were putting on holiday specials. These were often hosted by stars already appearing in variety shows on the networks, but just as often by performers who were seldom on TV.

Off the top of our heads the other night, Donna and I could recall specials with Perry Como, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews & John Denver among others. The only similar event I've seen advertised this year is one which promotes adoption (not in itself bad, but this isn't a typical Christmas special as we used to expect) featuring some contemporary musical talent.

I have a feeling that we were watching some of the Country music networks we might actually encounter something along the lines of what we used to see. It appears that it's only on PBS that we see such shows, and these tend to be rebroadcasts of those shows from the '60s with Williams & his brothers.

Then again, there aren't many musical stars who would likely be willing to chance something along these lines. I can't imagine a Snoop Dogg Christ-diddly-mas Special.

I'm turning into my father more and more each year.

X-MEN #179: an actual comics review

I know that it will come as a surprise to folks who only peek in here occasionally, but I once did read and review comics. Since returning to New York, I haven’t had the finances, or interest for that matter, to keep up with continuing series from any of the major publishers. In the case of X-MEN (and their multiple incarnations and titles) I have not been a reader of any of the “X” books since Peter David was writing X-FORCE about a decade ago. In fact the only Marvel titles I’ve read in the past few years have been those given away at conventions or as part of FREE COMICS DAY.

X-MEN (Vol. 2) #179 is identified by a logo as part of “Decimation” which apparently is the follow-up to the whole HOUSE OF M event. All I know about that particular cross-over is what I’ve been reading online so I was thankful for the opening page “What has gone before…” overview. Seems the heroes forced the deranged Scarlet Witch to return the world to the way it was prior to her revision. At that point however most of the world's mutants lost their powers and abilities.

This issue features also a group of “good” Sentinels, who long time X-fans will recall were originally created to capture or kill any & all mutants, called cleverly on the cover the SENTINEL SQUAD which would no doubt be a great name for a spin-off X-title (if I was of the type to be cynical about that sort of thing). Under the guidance of a group called O.N.E. these particular giant robots are attempting to protect the now more vulnerable mutants, especially those housed in Professor X’s institute. The overview indicates that all this was introduced in the cross-over so regular readers probably won't be as confused as I am.

In typical Marvel fashion stuff gets destroyed, heroes overcome and various sub-plots get moved in glacial fashion, proving to this one time Marvel Zombie that not much as really changed all that much over the past twenty years.

Peter Milligan is a decent writer whose work I’ve enjoyed over the years. However, even with a ‘mysterious’ anti-mutant villain running around in the woods and other characters going off to rediscover their powers there really isn’t anything here to catch my interest.

The art by penciller Salvador Larroca and various inkers is okay, but in close-ups some faces have an unfinished look, almost as if the Larroca left details up to the inkers and they skipped them. I also wonder why it was decided that the titles most popular character, Wolverine (and possibly one of the reasons the X-titles continue to sell so well) is shown almost exclusively from the rear or otherwise facing away. If you weren’t familiar with his costume (and this is the short eared, orange colored one) you’d have no clue who this was. Sadly, most of the characters seem to be posing for action figures or those little mini-busts they push at Diamond and never appear natural. Oh, and could Scott Summer/Cyclop's costume appear more ugly or uncomfortable looking?

A book clearly for the fans, so I’ll give this a pass and two stars.

Damon-ed Yankees!

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised, but I naturally wasn't happy to hear that Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon has signed a four-year, $52 million deal to play in the Bronx.

Damon was one of the Wild Men who kicked butt and ended the "Curse of the Bambino". He was one of most popular players on the Boston team and we're going to miss him. Also, it will be weird seeing him in the clean shaven/short hair look that George Steinbrenner insists his players maintain.

The Bourne Identity: a quickie review

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

I haven’t seen the film version of this book, starring Matt Damon, nor its sequel. I have a feeling that Hollywood took liberties with the novel, if only to remove the references to the Vietnam War and the Cold War. Originally, published in 1980 it reads a bit dated after more then twenty years.

A man is discovered, badly scarred and nearly drowned by a French fishing vessel. As he slowly recovers in the house of an ex-patriate British doctor, now living in disgrace in France, the man begins to recall events and faces, but no names including his own. A small piece of microfilm has been implanted under his skin and this leads him to a Swiss bank account containing millions of dollars, along with some other secrets that several governments would like kept hidden. Is this man actually Jason Bourne, an operative of the U.S. government sent to find and kill the international terrorist known as Carlos? Or is there more to Bourne, if that truly is his name?

Robert Ludlum is a master at this type of thing and it’s easy to see why he continues to have an audience of millions worldwide. Three and a half stars.

Goodbye, Howard & Company!

This past week two radio shows, both of which I’m a fan, are going off the air. Both Air America’s MORNING SEDITION and Howard Stern’s radio show are leaving the airwaves. I don’t know what I’m going to listen during my morning commute now.

It seems hard to believe that I have been listening to Howard for over twenty years at this point. When I first him he was doing afternoon drive over at "Double U....Ennnnbc" (check out Stern's movie PRIVATE PARTS for an explanation of that) .

I’ve certainly taken my share of criticism from friends and family just for being a fan. I can’t believe that I’m not going to be able to enjoy hearing Howard, Robin, Fred & Gary each weekday morning. I admit that I haven’t been listening as regular the past year as I used to, but it was still a comfort to tune over and hear Howard joking around with Elephant Boy, Hank the Angry Dwarf and new sidekick Artie Lange (formerly of MAD TV). You just don’t get to hear belchers, farters and strippers being spanked enough on morning drive, in my opinion!

Among the VHS tapes I've kept, once Donna and I got a DVD player, were all of my Stern tapes. Beginning with BUTT BONGO FIESTA, Stern put out several amazing videos, mostly from Pay for View events he created before and after his old Channel 9 show. I was actually in attendance at U.S. OPEN SORES, along with my friend Vinnie Bartilucci. How can you forget Fred doing his Kurt Waldheim, Jr. impersonation; Gary, Howard, Robin playing tennis; and the late Sam Kennison jamming on “Wild Thing” with Leslie West?

All memories now along with Howard’s regular morning show. One of these day’s I may spring for Sirius (or eh eh eh, as the folks at Infinity would have it) and be able to hear him and the gang again, but until then….

Goodbye, Howard! We’ll miss you.

Hitting 55 with no brakes!

Today's my 55th b-day and I find myself doing a typical work day. Donna and I had discussed going out, but she's not feeling well. We'll probably just order in and watch TV, as we usually do.

My 50th birthday party was amazing and Donna went all out, completely surprising me (although she continues to believe that I was expecting it!). It was the only time that our mothers ever met, so beyond the party it holds a special place in my heart. Since then I can't really say that Dec. 13th really means a whole heck of a lot. Donna celebrated her 50th earlier this year and I returned the favor as best I could. A surprise visit from The Child straight (pardon the expression) from California made that day special for my wife.

So today is just another day and I've found myself thinking more about my new job than growing older. I'm now approaching the age where several of my friends and relatives never reached. When I complain about getting older Donna is wise enough to remind me of the alternataive.

Didn't mean to get all sentimental here, especially since I like to keep Shot's Shack a fun place.

Next time out I'll try to be more cheerful. Promise!

What am I listening to?

One of the nice things about my daily commute is that I have time to listen to 'books-on-tape' and other stuff while sitting on the subway. Personally, I love audiobooks, especially as it gives me a chance to catch books I'd otherwise put aside for later. I'll listen to one book for half the trip and then open up whatever 'real' book I happen to have along.

I usually don't mention the audiobooks that I check out from the library, but just wanted to mention the most recent.

APPALOOSA is an unabridged version of the recent Western novel by Robert Parker. Parker is probably best known for the SPENSER series, which was adapted to television for a series and some made-for-tv movies. This particular novel tells the story of Hitch & Cole, two gunmen who become the law in the title town. Plenty of gunfights and other standard fare, with a plot which wouldn't surprise anyone who has seen a score of old western movies or episodes of GUNSMOKE. I'll give it three out of four spurs.

One of the reasons I mention the thing at all is the heavy use of the "F" bomb throughout. Now, now having ever seen the cable show DEADWOOD I can only go by what I've read. Apparently, the characters in that particular western are pretty fluent in the use of curse words. It's not that I'm offended by that type of language mind you, and Parker has used similar in his novels set in a contemporary Boston. I'm just curious to know if this particular four letter word was really that widely in use in late 19th century America.

World Baseball Classic

Since it is America's Past time, we call the championship of Major League Baseball the World Series. Of course, up to now Canada is as 'international' as the game gets, except for some exhibition and pre-season games played in Japan, Puerto Rico and other places. This year various international baseball organizations have conspired with MLB to actually put a real "world series" together.

The first World Baseball Classic will be a series of games featuring professional baseball players from various countries. These include some big names from the U.S. going into the field for their home countries. If you click on the headline above you'll get to the official WBC site, where you will get more information and be able to purchase merchandise (Hey, what did you expect?).

The games will begin on March 3, 2006 with games in Japan, with the final teams facing each other in San Diego on March 20th. Since so many MLB players will be appearing you can bet the networks & ESPN will be covering these, unlike the Olympic baseball games which seem to be shown around 2:30am if at all.

Fingers crossed that we will see some exciting games and not just guys doing as little as possible, so they won't risk injury for the up-coming season.

Atlantic City Weekend, pt. 2

Atlantic City pt. 2 - Pete and I went down to the pool for a while on Saturday morning and then grabbed some brunch at the Borgata. Around noon we left for Caesar’s, where we had another room and were going to see the group Chicago later that night. We had done a little gambling at Borgata, but I had pretty much been depositing my previous winnings. I should have seen this as an omen of things to come, but the lights & bells tend to hypnotize me so the sensible thing doesn’t mean much.

I don’t think I’ve been to Caesar’s in close to ten years. I probably last went there with Elayne and her parents, whom introduced me to AC. (Hats off to Alex & Goldie Wechsler!)

Of course, having been several times to Caesar’s in Las Vegas I can’t help but compare the two. Naturally, the Vegas casino easily tops its AC namesake, although it isn’t too bad and certainly compares favorably with most of the other casinos in the city.

While staying at Caesar’s Pete gave me the newbie tour, which included the adjoining Bally’s and Wild West. If you head over to the Wild West and have a sweet tooth, I have to recommend Gold Tooth Gerties, where you can see the muffins & donuts being prepared on a conveyor belt. It’s a convenient place to take a break and grab a snack between donating funds at the three casinos. Another nice thing about the Wild West is to check out the displays of photographs and authentic western memorabilia along the walkway. You can even try to toss some coins into the prospector’s pan along with the kids. Speaking of which, by comparison Las Vegas really has become much more family friendly in the past decade, while there’s still not much to do with children in AC, when it’s too cold for the beach or outdoor activities on the boardwalk.

Overall, Pete and I had a good time, even though both of us ended up with less money than we arrived with. If you’re smart you’ll go down with money set aside which you can afford to lose. My problem is that like lots of folks, once I hit I keep playing hoping to hit more. It doesn’t work when I play at home, so I don’t know why I expect anything to be different when I’m playing with REAL money.

Atlantic City Weekend, pt. 1

Any of you who know me, or have been reading my blogs for a while, already know that I’ve been fascinated by casinos ever since I had my very first casino experience back in 1969. It was then when I and some fellow shipmates went to a casino in Nassau, while serving aboard the USS Boxer (LPH-4) during a Caribbean cruise. While some of the magic of that first moment has dimmed I still get a thrill when walking through even the smallest gambling den.

A couple of weeks ago my friend Pete and I drove down to Atlantic City on Friday night. Pete had an invitation to take part in a Slot Tournament at the Borgata, along with a comp room for two nights. We also had tickets to see Chicago on Saturday night, which I talked about over on SHOT’S SHACK.

I’d been to the Borgata a couple of times before and it always struck me as the most “Vegas” of the AC casinos, if you know what I mean. If you’ve ever been to Vegas or seen the casinos there on television or in films, you know that they have a certain atmosphere. With the Borgata it feels as if they picked up a Vegas casino/hotel and dropped in on the New Jersey shore. It really seems like they are trying to go for a younger hip crowd and High Rollers, rather than the typical AC player. You generally won’t see the ‘bus people’ running around the Borgata for the most part, unless they’ve taken the shuttle over from the Boardwalk. The rest of the AC casinos are a bit more welcoming of these folks, and seem to compete in trying to get as many as possible down to the gambling floor.

I’m also not crazy about the way the rooms are designed in the Borgata either. Now these may be only the low end/comped rooms, but it doesn’t make any sense to have a picture window behind the desk. You have to walk around the desk to open the blinds leaving the desk & chair blocking your view. What’s that about?

On the other hand, the pool area at the Borgata is really nice. With the palm trees and lounges it resembles some of the smaller casino pools in Vegas, which is a nice thing. It’s not deep, but decent sized with a very pleasant hot tub over in the corner of the room. During the summer they’ll open the doors and you can sit outside, but in the colder months you’re completely comfortable and can even order room service. Sweet!

The plan was to get to AC around 9:30pm or so, after Pete picked me up after work, check into the Borgata and then head up to the slot tournament. After that we’d grab a bite at one of the restaurants and then hit the casino floor. All went according to plan until we got up to the tournament. Seems the Borgata allows the player and a guest entrance to the tournament room which also has an "all-you-can-eat buffet" & open bar. What a nice surprise! It wasn’t a large buffet, but did have a decent selection with two carving tables, dessert & coffee. We spent about an hour relaxing after Pete played and then continued with our original plan.

(Aside: this may include things you don't want to hear about so feel free to skip it if you have a weak stomach. - There was one guy at the tournament who was seriously taking advantage of the open bar. At one point when he stood up he almost fell into the lap of an older gentleman sitting at a table behind him. If the guy's friend, who wasn't quite as drunk, hadn't grabbed him and led him out I think the wait staff was about to call in security. I can understand the casino not wanting to put a damper on somebody 'enjoying' themselves, but you would also think they'd have somebody at these things to keep an eye on the players. To top it off, about fifteen minutes later I found myself helping the drunk up off the bathroom floor when I went in to wash my hands. His good buddy having disappeared somewhere or other, either before or after this guy emptied his stomach into several sinks. End of aside!)

One of the interesting things about casinos, if you haven’t been to one, is the fact that no matter what time of day you get there you seem to feel it’s twilight and you lose track of time. The maze like quality of most casino floors tend to lead you away from any entrance where natural lighting or a view of the outside might clue you in. Naturally, the floor has no clocks so before you realize it you’ve spent several hours. Before we knew it my watch showed it was after 3:00am, so we finally tore ourselves away from the machines and headed back to our room. (FYI: At this point I was a little over $100 up and feeling pretty good.)

I’ll finish this report up later.