Wednesday, October 7, 2009

CHARLES BRONSON ~ ST. IVES FEATURETTE!

CHARLES BRONSON ~ ST. IVES FEATURETTE!

CINEMA RETRO TIPS US TO THIS COOL PIECE ON CHARLES BRONSON ~ THE ULTIMATE TOUGH GUY . . .


Charles Bronson disdained being interviewed and said less offscreen than Buster Keaton said onscreen. Nevertheless, occasionally a publicist could induce him to sit for a few comments in conjunction with publicizing a new film. Here's a rare Warner Bros. production featurette for his action flick St. Ives. It shows Bronson performing his own stunts and even gets him to mutter a few sentences about his approach to acting. The film was not a commerical success in the 1970s, but it looks damned good.


OTR ~ FLASHGUN CASEY!

OTR ~ FLASHGUN CASEY!

OLD TIME RADIO HAS JUST POSTED A NEW DOWNLOAD OF THE FLASHGUN CASEY, CRIME PHOTOGRAPHER EPISODE "TOO MANY ANGELS" FROM 1947 . . .

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ TRIPLE PLAY!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

ULTRA SWANK ~ NEW DESIGN AND FEATURES!

ULTRA SWANK ~ NEW DESIGN AND FEATURES!

ULTRA SWANK, ONE OF MY FAVORITE RETRO BLOGS, HAS A NEW LOOK WITH ARTWORK FROM THE SHAG-WORTHY BLUE HIPSTER. . .

What you are looking at right now represents many months of late night work sessions. Ultra Swank has been around for a little more than four years now and I thought it was due for a real change, to give it its own style and persona that represents more elegant and fun times. This new design, color scheme and art courtesy of extraordinary artist Blue Hipster (thank you!) hopefully represents that and I hope you will love it as much as I do. Of course it is not only the design that has been updated, a couple of really nice features has also been implemented. Interested in what? Find out after the link.

TO CHECK IT OUT CLICK HERE

JAMES BOND / RAYMOND BENSON INTERVIEW!

JAMES BOND / RAYMOND BENSON INTERVIEW!

BLOG BUDDY AND WRITER EXTRODINAIRE LEE GOLDBERG TIPS US TO THIS BUZZ NEWS INTERVIEW WITH JAMES BOND AUTHOR RAYMOND BENSON . . .

Raymond Benson is most well known as the author who became the third major contributor to the James Bond collection of stories. Accepting the assignment in 1996, he spent the next seven years adding six novels, three short stories and three movie novelizations to the series. But before tackling this endeavor, Raymond had already spent more than two decades carving out a career for himself in several other areas of the entertainment industry. Musical Theatre Composition -- Play Writing -- Directing -- Video Game Design.

BUZZ: How does a boy from Texas wind up living in Chicago and becoming the "Official Bond Novelist"? What got you here and what brought you to the attention of Ian Fleming Publications?

BENSON: I grew up a Bond fan, having been a child of the 50s and 60s... Was fortunate to see the original Connery films in the theater... Started reading the books at the same time, so from the get-go I was heavily into Bond. But I became a normal person, finished high school, went to college in Austin, Texas, studied theatre, graduated with a degree, and went to New York City to direct plays.

In the early 80s, I got the idea to write a non-fiction "encyclopedia" about Bond, because at the time there weren't any. Now they're a dime a dozen. It was 1981 when I made contact with a publisher, submitted a proposal, and lo and behold I got a contract to write the book. It took three years to complete. During that time I traveled to England and met members of Ian Fleming's family, his business associates, friends and colleagues... And then when the book came out in 1984, the Fleming people were pleased with it. This was THE JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION.

The book established me as something of a Bond expert, so I got involved with the American Fan Club and wrote articles for their fanzine, BONDAGE Magazine, spoke at fan conventions, and whatnot. Meanwhile, Glidrose Publications (that's what Ian Fleming Publications was called then) and I stayed in touch. I did small oddjobs for them (no pun intended).

TO READ THE FULL INTERVIEW CLICK HERE

FOYLE'S WAR!

FOYLE'S WAR!

TANNER OVER AT DOUBLE O SECTION TIPS US TO THIS NEW SPY RELEASE:

...most impressively, Acorn Media unleashed Foyle's War: Sets 1-5: From Dunkirk to VE Day. While I knew that this British wartime mystery series was masterminded by Alex Rider creator Anthony Horowitz, I had never actually realized that it was a spy show! But I suppose the very nature of police work in wartime dictates that DCI Foyle (played sublimely by the screen's best Bill Tanner, Michael Kitchen) routinely encounters foreign agents and saboteurs–and just as routinely crosses paths with (or steps on the toes of) MI-5 and other British spy agencies.

TO READ THE FULL POST CLICK HERE

SESAME STREET MAD MEN!

SESAME STREET MAD MEN!

While I've never been a huge Sesame Street fan, I still wanted to share this puppet parody of
Mad Men to be shown as part of the coming 40th anniversary season of Sesame Street.


RAT PACK ~ NO TRADEMARK!

RAT PACK ~ NO TRADEMARK!

All five members of the Rat Pack, from left, Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop, perform at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Jan. 20, 1960. Their gigs were often improvised and when one member of the Rat Pack was scheduled to give a performance, other members would show up for an impromptu show.

PER THE LAS VEGAS SUN:

The phrase “The Rat Pack,” referring to tribute shows to Frank Sinatra and his pals, is generic and isn’t subject to trademark protection, a Nevada federal judge has ruled.

Ruling in a lawsuit pitting competing Rat Pack tribute show producers against each other, U.S. District Court Judge Lloyd George found Monday that one of the shows “cannot appropriate the term ‘The Rat Pack’ for its exclusive use.”

The ruling came in a case filed in May 2008 by TRP Entertainment LLC of Las Vegas against BC Entertainment Inc. of Las Vegas and BC President Barrie Cunningham.

TRP has been producing a Rat Pack show at the Plaza in downtown Las Vegas.

Cunningham says on his Web site he has produced a Rat Pack show and shows such as Superstars of Country and Superstars Live in Concert; and that he is an entertainer known for his tributes to Neil Diamond, Jimmy Buffett and Neil Young.

“As the term ‘The Rat Pack’ is generic in the context of live shows about or in tribute to members of the Rat Pack, TRP does not have an exclusive right to use the term ‘The Rat Pack,’” the judge wrote in his ruling granting partial summary judgment in favor of Cunningham.

But factual issues remain over the competing shows’ use of other identifying marks, and George ordered the case to proceed so they could be resolved.

FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE

I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY!

I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY!

A retired corporate executive, now a widower, decided to take a vacation. He booked himself on a Caribbean cruise and proceededto have the time of his life, that is, until the ship sank.

He found himself on an island with no other people, no supplies, nothing, only bananas and coconuts.

After about four months, he is lying on the beach one day when the most gorgeous woman he has ever seen rows up to the shore.
In disbelief, he asks, "Where did you come from? How did you get here?"

She replies, "I rowed from the other side of the island. I landed here when my cruise ship sank."

"Amazing," he notes. "You were really lucky to have a row boat wash up with you."

"Oh, this thing?" explains the woman. "I made the boat out of raw material I found on the island. The oars were whittled from gum tree branches. I wove the bottom from palm branches, and the sides and stern came from a Eucalyptus tree."

"But, where did you get the tools?"

"Oh, that was no problem," replied the woman. "On the south side of the island, a very unusual stratum of alluvial rock is exposed. I found if I fired it to a certain temperature in my kiln, it melted into ductile iron..I used that for tools and used the tools to make the hardware.."

The guy is stunned.

"Let's row over to my place," she says.

After a few minutes of rowing, she docks the boat at a small wharf.

As the man looks to shore, he nearly falls off the boat. Before him is a stone walk leading to an exquisite bungalow painted in blue and white.

While the woman ties up the rowboat with an expertly woven hemp rope, the man can only stare ahead, dumb struck.. As they walk into the house, she says casually, "It's not much, but I call it home. Sit down, please. Would you like a drink?"

"No! No thank you," he blurts out, still dazed. "I can't take another drop of coconut juice."

"It's not coconut juice," winks the woman. "I have a still. How would you like a Pina Colada?"

Trying to hide his continued amazement, the man accepts, and they sit down on her couch to talk.

After they have exchanged their stories, the woman announces, "I'm going to slip into something more comfortable. Would you like to take a shower and shave?Th ere is a razor upstairs in the bathroom cabinet."

No longer questioning anything, the man goes into the bathroom. There, in the cabinet, a razor made from a piece of tortoise bone. Two shells honed to a hollow ground edge are fastened on to its end inside a swivel mechanism. "This woman is amazing," he muses. "What next?"

When he returns, she greets him wearing nothing but vines, strategically positioned, and smelling faintly of gardenias. She beckons for him to sit down next to her.

"Tell me," she begins suggestively, slithering closer to him, "We've been out here for many months You've been lonely. There's something I'm sure you really feel like doing right now, something you've been longing for?" She stares into his eyes.

He can't believe what he's hearing. "You mean . . " he swallows excitedly and tears start to form in his eyes.

"Don't tell me you've built a Golf Course"

STEVE TYRELL @ CATALINA JAZZ CLUB!

Monday, October 5, 2009

MATT DUSK NEWSLETTER!

MATT DUSK NEWSLETTER!

Want to be treated like a VIP at Matt Dusk's GOOD NEWS CD release party?

Here's your chance to win a trip for 2, including VIP passes, transportation and accommodation to Matt's exclusive CD release party, on Tuesday October 27th, at a top secret location!

To enter this contest, simply visit Matt's website (
www.mattdusk.com) and click on the contest tab to guess the secret location of the event. Daily clues will be released EXCLUSIVELY on the discussion boards of the Matt Dusk Facebook Fan Page to help you solve the mystery.

Contest closes at 12am on Saturday, October 10th.

Good luck, and have fun!

LACE & BLADE!

LACE & BLADE!

An original new anthology series of elegant romantic fantasy, edited by Deborah J. Ross.


In the spirit of classic period swashbucklers, Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and D'Artagnan, brimming with romantic courtly intrigue and dangerous liaisons, with cloak and dagger and perfumed handkerchiefs, the language of the fan and stolen glances, with the manners of Jane Austen and the sparkling rapier wit of Oscar Wilde, here are nine fantastic stories of adventure, derring-do, love, and glamorous yet subtle magic, by such stellar authors as Tanith Lee, Catherine Asaro, Diana L. Paxson, Madeleine E. Robins, Robin Wayne Bailey, Dave Smeds, Mary Rosenblum, Chaz Brenchley, and Sherwood Smith.

Don't hesitate another moment... step into a sophisticated other world where passion is a courtly mistress, mystery is moonlight on steel, and magic is the god of love.


LACE & BLADE 2

Contributors in this volume:

Rosemary Hawley Jarman, Mary Rosenblum, Diana L. Paxson, Francesca Forrest, Robin Wayne Bailey, Daniel Fox, Sherwood Smith, Traci N. Castleberry, Pauline Zed, Elisabeth Waters, Tanith Lee, and Madeleine E. Robins.

En garde, mon amour!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

NOIRCON 2010!

NOIRCON 2010!

International Noir
November 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th

Johnny Temple – Recipient of the Jay and Deen Kogan Award for Excellence in Publishing
www.akashicbooks.com

George Pelecanos – Recipient of the David L. Goodis Award
www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/features/georgepelecanos

Charles Benoit – Keynote Speaker for NoirCon 2010
www.charlesbenoit.com

NoirCon 2010 Headquarters:
Society Hill Playhouse
507 South 8th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Contact:
info@noircon.com

Registration Information:

$180 (Award Banquet included) BEFORE December 31, 2009
$200 (Award Banquet included) AFTER January 1, 2010
$50 (Award Banquet for Spouse of Registrant)
$50 Last Call Panel – Sunday for Non-registrants
$ 160 per night at the Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia

NoirCon Hotel:
Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia
237 South Broad Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107-5686
215-893-1600

"Years down the pike, the boast will be: 'NoirCon? I was there.' " Ken Bruen

Thank you for your support, and we'll see you in Philly!

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

THE LOST FLEET ~ DAUNTLESS BY JACK CAMPBELL!

THE LOST FLEET ~ DAUNTLESS BY JACK CAMPBELL!

I’M NOT MUCH ON MILITARY SF, BUT JOHN SCALZI’S OLD MAN’S WAR OPENED MY EYES TO THE GENRE. NOW, I’M ALSO HOOKED ON THIS NEW SERIES (THERE ARE FIVE TITLES SO FAR) FROM JACK CAMPBELL (AKA: JOHN HEMRY) STARTING WITH THE FIRST BOOK IN THE SERIES DAUNTLESS . . .


The Alliance has been fighting the Syndics for a century - and losing badly. Now its fleet is crippled and stranded in enemy territory. Their only hope is a man who's emerged from a century-long hibernation to find he had been heroically idealized beyond belief . Captain John "Black Jack" Geary's legendary exploits are known to every schoolchild.

Revered for his heroic "last stand" in the early days of the war, he was presumed dead. But a century later, Geary miraculously returns from survival hibernation and reluctantly takes command of the Alliance fleet as it faces annihilation by the Syndics.

Appalled by the hero-worship around him, Geary is nevertheless a man who will do his duty. And he knows that bringing the stolen Syndic hypernet key safely home is the Alliance's one chance to win the war. But to do that, Geary will have to live up to the impossibly heroic "Black Jack" legend.

ASIDE FROM THE OTHER BOOKS IN THE LOST FLEET SERIES, I’VE ALSO ORDER UP THE FIRST BOOK, UNDER HEMRY’S REAL NAME, IN HIS JAG IN SPACE SERIES, A JUST DETERMINATION.

Hemry's superior military sf novel takes us aboard a modern space warship (as opposed to one conceptually derived from C. S. Forester), the USS Michaelson, and confronts its protagonist, Ensign Paul Sinclair, more with ethical dilemmas than with risks to life and limb. Not that the latter aren't there, in the form of accidents and a confrontation with a South Asian survey vessel that, when Captain Paul Wakeman believes it is attacking, the Michaelson destroys.

When Wakeman is hauled before a court-martial for disobeying his orders, Sinclair is called to defend him. The captain, Sinclair insists, shouldn't be scapegoated for actions within the bounds of his orders, even if those orders were poorly phrased, and Wakeman's judgment was flawed.

The last third of the book recalls nothing so much as The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial in an sf setting, and it attains the same high level of achievement. Although Hemry probably has too much taste to launch a googolplexology from this book, if he were to do so, discerning readers might applaud.

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

ROGER MOORE AND THE CRIME FIGHTERS!

ROGER MOORE AND THE CRIME FIGHTERS!

FELLOW C.O.B.R.A.S. AGENT DAVID POSTED THE ABOVE COVER ON HIS PERMISSION TO KILL BLOG TODAY AND IGNITED A SMALL FUROR. MANY OF US LIKE TO THINK WE’RE FAMILIAR WITH MOST ENTRIES IN THE FICTION SUB-GENRE’S WE CALL OUR OWN, SO IT ISN’T TOO OFTEN WE GET TAKEN BY SURPRISE. STILL, SEVERAL OF US WERE UNAWARE OF THIS SERIES UNTIL DAVID POSTED THE COVER TO THE FIFTH BOOK IN THE SERIES, THE SECRETS MAN, TODAY.

HERE’S WHAT DAVID HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE BOOKS WHILE UNDER INTERROGATION:


Roger Moore and the Crimefighters was a six book children's series. However, despite the prominence of Roger Moore on the cover, and in the title, he isn't really a part of the stories till the end - where he plays himself (the actor).

The Crimefighters are a trio of kids, much like the Famous Five, or the Secret Seven, etc. [for American readers, think The Three Investigators] and they, er, fight crime.

The books were published by Everest Books in the UK in 1977.

ROGER MOORE AND THE CRIME FIGHTERS SERIES:

THE SIEGE by Malcolm Hulke
1001 SHOPLIFTERS by Robin Smyth
CROOK AHOY! by Fielden Hughes
DEATH IN DENIMS by Dulcie Gray
THE SECRETS MAN by Deben Holt
THE ANCHOR TRICK by Anthony Wall

The last five are apparently quite common, but THE SIEGE is quite difficult to track down (this is unlike most Y/A series where it’s usually difficult to find the final title).

CHEERS FOR THE INFO, DAVID!

TO INVESTIGATE PERMISSION TO KILL CLICK HERE

Y/A CORNER ~ SNAP BY CAROL SNOW!

Y/A CORNER ~ SNAP BY CAROL SNOW!

Madison Sabatini thought she knew who she was: an almost-sophomore with a bright future. The newest photographer on her school paper. A shopaholic with great hair and a fabulous wardrobe. Then, in a flash, everything changed.

Now she's stuck in Sandyland, a gloomy beach town in the middle of nowhere, living with her parents in a crappy hotel "suite." Instead of spending the summer with her friends at home, she's hanging out with pink-haired Delilah, an artist who works in a shop called Psychic Photo, and a skater boy named Duncan who's totally not her type. Except, maybe he is . . .

Determined to make the best of things, Madison throws herself into her one passion: photography. But when strange figures start appearing in her pictures—people who weren't there when she snapped the shots, people who are later reported dead—she begins to question everything about who she is . . . and who she wishes she could be.

Y/A CORNER ~ SWITCH BY CAROL SNOW!

Y/A CORNER ~ SWITCH BY CAROL SNOW!

Claire Martin has some serious body issues.

Not much happens in Claire's sleepy beach town, but that's okay. All she wants is to hang out with her best friend, make the high school swim team, and convince Nate, the guy of her dreams, to stop calling her "Dude." And, oh—she'd really, really like to stay in her own skin.

Ever since Claire hit her teens, electrical storms have been making her switch bodies. Usually she's back to her old self in no time. But when something goes terribly wrong, she finds herself stuck as another girl. And not just any girl, but the icy beauty who has caught Nate's eye.

Suddenly Claire goes from being Miss Average to Miss Gorgeous—the model-thin blonde that every girl wants to look like and every guy wants to date. Will she ever figure out how to get back to her old life? More importantly, will she want to?

COOLNESS IS TIMELESS!

COOLNESS IS TIMELESS!

BLOG BUDDY KEITH, OVER AT THE DINO LOUNGE WHERE COOLNESS IS TIMELESS, CAME UP WITH THE VERY COOL AD ABOVE FEATURING CONNERY SHILLING FOR LOUIS VITTON (HE MAY BE SHILLING, BUT HE STILL LOOKS COOL) AS WELL AS THE ‘MAKING OF’ VIDEO BELOW . . .



Y/A CORNER ~ TIMERIDERS BY ALEX SCARROW!

Y/A CORNER ~ TIMERIDERS BY ALEX SCARROW!

TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow (published 4 Feb 2010 (UK))Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2029. Yet moments before death, someone mysteriously appeared and said, ‘Take my hand . . .’ But Liam, Maddy and Sal aren’t rescued. They are recruited by an agency that no one knows exists, with only one purpose – to fix broken history. Because time travel is here, and there are those who would go back in time and change the past. That’s why the TimeRiders exist: to protect us. To stop time travel from destroying the world . . .

HARD CASE EDITOR!

HARD CASE EDITOR!

HARD CASE CRIME EDITOR CHARLES ARDAI CAN BE HEARD IN A SERIES OF AUDIO CLIPS TALKING ABOUT THE ADVENTURE GENRE AND HIS CHARACTER GABRIEL HUNT.

ON DICOVERING ADVENTURE
ON INDIANA JONES
ON CREATING GABRIEL HUNT
ON RACISIM IN ADVENTURE FICTION

TO LISTEN CLICK HERE

COCKTAIL NATION #94 ~ THE EXOTIC TRAVELLER!

COCKTAIL NATION #94 ~ THE EXOTIC TRAVELLER!

THANKS TO TIKI SHARK, IT’S THE COCKTAIL NATION AND KOOP KOOPER BROADCASTING FROM THE SOUTH COAST HOLIDAY HOUSE. IT’S THE LABOUR DAY LONG WEEKEND DOEWNUNDER, SO KOOPER HAS HEADED TO THE BEACH.

COMING UP ON THE SHOW, KOOP SPEAKS WITH SPONSOR BRAD PARKER WHO HAS A VERY COOL GIVEAWAY, AND THEN TAKE THE USUAL LOOK AT THE WORLD OF SWANK WITH A STACK OF EVENTS TO CHECK OUT.

KOOP’S NEW SEGMENT, ASK KOOP, WILL DEBUT THIS WEEK, AND KOOP WILL ALSO FILL US IN ABOUT A NEW BLOG FOR WHICH HE’S WRITNG. THERE’S A NEW FLICK TO SEE, AND SPEAKING OF MOVIES, AN UNEXPECTEDLY GOOD FILM SCORE.

PLAYLIST:

Lushy ~ Bella Beretta
Lucas Vigor ~ WapWap
Billy May ~ Return Of The Zombie
Cocktail Angst ~ Mindless
Chaquito Big Band ~ Spies and Dolls
Spy Fi ~ Black Tie Spy
Tiki Cowboy ~ Tiki Lady
Lalo Schifrin ~ Tiger Tank
Vicki Car ~ Like Love
Tiki Joe's Ocean ~ Bamboo Skin
Buddy Bergman ~ End of Party
Esquivel ~ Tico Tico
Joanie Sommers ~ Heart Belongs/Daddy
Frank Sinatra ~ How Little We Know
Tikiyaki Orchestra ~ SingaporeSwing
Chet Baker ~ Easy Living

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

Saturday, October 3, 2009

X-MEN NOIR: MARK OF CAIN!

X-MEN NOIR: MARK OF CAIN!

WRITER: FRED VAN LENTE
PENCILS & COVER: DENNIS CALERO
VARIENT COVER: DENNIS CALERO


In the dark and steamy jungles of Madripoor, the flashing claws of Logan, the blazing bullets of Cyclops, and the dashing fists of the Angel met with wave after wave of beserk headhunters, all willing to protect the secrets of the Temple-Tomb of Cyttorak with their lives!

The ancient treasure map of mercenary Cain Marko, with its siren-song of the priceless gigantic ruby of the fabled god-king, had lured them only into the icy claws of Death!

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

BEAT TO A PULP #44!

BEAT TO A PULP #44!

THE DEVIL WEARS CARHARTT
ANDY HENION


I'm in Newark, of all places, for a fertilizer conference. Which means I spend the weekend kissing ass in hopes of scoring five-percent discounts. You don't manage two thousand acres these days without sucking up to someone, be it suppliers or lobbyists or government lackeys. [Freaking] politics, man. This is what American farming has become.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Andy Henion's crime fiction has appeared in Plots with Guns, Thieves Jargon, Hardluck Stories, Lynx Eye, Twist of Noir, Pulp Pusher and other zines. He's been shortlisted for a Derringer (for "The Day the Bad Men Came" in Thieves Jargon) and nominated for a Pushcart and a Million Writers Award. He lives in Michigan.

TO READ THE STORY CLICK HERE

Next: Stephen D. Rogers's "Year of the Dragon"

Soon: Charles Gramlich with "Hunter’s Moon"

LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME #1!

LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME #1!

From writer Rick Remender, the critically acclaimed writer of Punisher, and artist Greg Tocchini.

In the not-too-distant future, as a final response to terrorism and crime, the U.S. government plans in secret to broadcast a signal making it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit unlawful acts. To keep this from the public, the government creates a distraction, installing a new currency system using digital charge cards.

Enter Graham Brick, a career criminal never quite able to hit the big score. In a grand scheme, Graham intends to steal one of the charging stations, skip the country and live off unlimited funds for the rest of his life.

But the media has leaked news of the anti-crime signal one week before it was to go live... and now Graham and his team have just a few days to turn the crime of the century into the last crime in American history.

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

MUSICIAN Q&A!

MUSICIAN Q&A!

Q: What's the difference between a musician and a pizza?
A: A pizza can feed a family of four.

Q: How do you get an musician off your front step?
A: Pay for the pizza.

Q: How do you get an electric guitarist to turn down his amp?
A: Put a piece of sheet music in front of him.

Q: How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: It doesn't matter - bass players are never in the light anyway.

Q: How many "deadheads" does it take to change a light bulb?
A: They don't change it. They just wait for it to burn out, and then they follow it around for 30 years.

Q: What does it mean when a drummer is drooling out of both sides of his mouth?
A: The stage is level.

WITH A LAUGH IN THE DIRECTION OF MISS CELLANIA

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE #70!

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE #70!

THE BIG W IS BACK as he continues to explorer, with drink in hand, the Space-Age Pop Hi-Fi musical sounds of the 1950’s and the 1960’s in LIVING STEREO! Tonight the Big W plays rare cuts direct from many 7 1/2 reel to reels such as Les Baxter’s classic SPACE ESCAPADE album!!! They sound AMAZING!!!!!

PLAYLIST:

• Too Darn Hot - Buddy Greco
• Pin Point Percussion - Jim Tyler
• I’ll Remember April - Wayne Newton
• Hawaiian War Chant - Werner Muller
• That Darn Cat - Bobby Troup
• Mexican Shuffle - Glenn Miller
• James Bond Theme - Perez Prado
• Fancy Meeting You Here - Crosby & Clooney
• Washington Square - Dick Hyman
• At The Crossroads - Sammy Davis, Jr.
• High Hopes - Henry Mancini
• Don’t You Forget It - Sarah Vaughan
• Personality - Peter Nero
• Necessity - Sinatra, Fitzgerald
• Mame - Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme

• Drunk in San Francisco - Nancy Wilson
• Mr. Robot - Les Baxter
• The Commuter - Les Baxter
• Saturday Night On Saturn - Les Baxter
• Catch A Falling Star - Mrs. Miller
• The Money Tree - Margaret Whiting

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

Friday, October 2, 2009

Y/A CORNER ~ FIRE BY KRISTIN CASHORE!

Y/A CORNER ~ FIRE BY KRISTIN CASHORE!

FIRE IS A PREQUEL TO LAST YEAR'S GRACELING. THE GORGEOUS PICTURE ABOVE IS OF THE UK COVER ~ FAR SUPERIOR, AS ALWAYS TO THE U.S. VERSION DUE OCTOBER 5TH.

I WISH I WAS JAMES BOND!

I WISH I WAS JAMES BOND!



THANKS TO FELLOW C.O.B.R.A.S. CHRIS MILLS AND HIS SPY-FI CHANNEL BLOG FOR RESSURECTING THIS CLIP FROM A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO BY THE BAND SCOUTING FOR GIRLS . . .

KOLCHAK ALL SAINTS ARCHIVE!

KOLCHAK ALL SAINTS ARCHIVE!

BROKEN SEA AUDIO PRODUCTIONS has a new podcast, based on the old Kolchak: The Night Stalker TV series!

My name is Carl Kolchak, former reporter for INS, Chicago’s very own independent news service. In all my years of investigative journalism I’ve seen some pretty strange things. Today you’d simply look at them as amusing fodder for the national tabloids, but hear me out when I tell you…that they’re real. The vampires, androids, ghosts, swamp creatures, monkeymen, and even Jack the Ripper; yes–every last one!”

The first episode, just in time for the most ghoulish of months, is already in the feed. It’s the beginning of a serial called “A Playground for Evil.” This is an original
KOLCHAK story written by Bill Hollweg!

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE
A SCRIBBLED LINE IN THE REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK TO SFF AUDIO

HARD CASE CRIME!

HARD CASE CRIME!

COMING IN OCTOBER AND BEYOND!

OCTOBER 2009

HONEY IN HIS MOUTH

Lester Dent
Cover art by Ron Lesser - First publication ever!

If you were small-time grifter Walter Harsh, recovering in a hospital with a broken arm, you’d listen to a proposition that could net you a cool $50,000 for impersonating the South American strongman you resemble. You’d pay attention when the dictator’s sultry mistress started putting the moves on you. And in the dead of night, when no one was watching, you might just hatch a plot to get it all for yourself: the money, the girl, and the stash of stolen loot she’s conspiring to spirit out of the country...

NOVEMBER 2009

QUARRY IN THE MIDDLE
Max Allan Collins
Cover art by Ron Lesser

The enigmatic hitman Quarry—star of seven celebrated novels and an award-winning feature film ("The Last Lullaby")—is back in this violent, steamy tale of warring crime families. When two Godfathers set out to bump each other off, guess who winds up with both contracts...

DECEMBER 2009

THE CORPSE WORE PASTIES
Jonny Porkpie
Cover art by Ricky Mujica

Usually, when you call a burlesque act a "show stopper," you don’t mean it quite so literally. But this time, that’s just what happened: The show stopped dead, and so did the girl. And as I looked at her nearly naked and completely lifeless body and the bottle of poison in her hand with my fingerprints all over it, I thought to myself: Porkpie, you’re in for it this time...

THE VALLEY OF FEAR
A. C. Doyle
Cover art by Glen Orbik

A sawed-off shotgun blast to the face leaves one man dead—and reveals a secret that has pursued another across an ocean and set the world’s most ruthless criminal on his trail. The man needs the help of a great detective...but could even Sherlock Holmes save him now?

THE ROOK - VOLUME FOUR!

THE ROOK - VOLUME FOUR!

BY BARRY REESE - NOW AVAILABLE!


Max Davies - the masked vigilante known as The Rook - returns in six new tales of blazing pulp action! The Rook's never-ending war against the forces of darkness takes him into desperate battle against undead assassins, ghostly pirates, extra-dimensional devil-spawn, a power-mad megalomaniac, and a squadron of Nazi vampires, until - deep in the heart of Berlin - he faces the twisted Master of the Third Reich himself!

Author Barry Reese (Guan-Yin and the Horrors of Skull Island, Savage Tales of Ki-Gor) once again keeps you on the edge of your seat in these two-fisted tales!


Cover Art by Norm Breyfogle and Interior Art by Storn Cook.

Trade Paperback
176 pages
$11.95

FOR MORE INFO CLICK HERE

HONEY WEST REVIVAL!

HONEY WEST REVIVAL!

PULP MASTER RON FORTIER OVER AT AIRSHIP 27 HAS A COOL LITTLE NOTE ABOUT THE HONEY WEST REVIVAL.

WHILE YOU'RE THERE CHECK OUT ALL OF THE COOL AIRSHIP 27 PULP AND COMIC PROJECTS . . .

TO CHECK IT OUT CLICK HERE

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ DOUBLE PLAY!

ANITA O’DAY ~ SINGS THE WINNERS (1958)!

ANITA O’DAY ~ SINGS THE WINNERS (1958)!

KELLY’S LOUNGE SOUNZ HAS POSTED ANOTHER DOWNLOAD OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE GIRL SINGERS . . .


For this Verve album Anita O'Day sings standards associated with other musicians including "Four" (Miles Davis), "Early Autumn" (Stan Getz), "Four Brothers" (Woody Herman), "Sing, Sing, Sing" (Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa) and "Peanut Vendor" (Stan Kenton). Some of the material is unusual for a singer to interpret, but O'Day, one of the top jazz vocalists of the '50s, improvises when the lyrics are not that strong (or barely exist). The backings are by the Marty Paich Orchestra (Tks 1-6) and the Russ Garcia Orchestra (Tks 7-12), but the focus is entirely on the vocalist and O'Day really comes through magnificently.

Side 1:
01) Take The A Train [Ellington]
02) Tenderly [Oscar Peterson]
03) Night In Tunisia [ Dizzy Gillespie]
04) Four [Miles Davis]
05) Early Autumn [Stan Getz]
06) Four Brothers [Woody Herman]

Side 2:
01) Sing, Sing, Sing [Gene Krupa]
02) My Funny Valentine [Gerry Mulligan]
03) Frenesi [Artie Shaw]
04) Body and Soul [Coleman Hawkins]
05) What's Your Story Morning Glory [Jimmie Lunceford]
06) Peanut Vendor [Stan Kenton]

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

THE PHANTOM RELOADED!

THE PHANTOM RELOADED!

SYFY’S THE PHANTOM ~ RELOADED, REIMAGINED, AND WITH A REALLY DORKY COSTUME.

RHI ENTERTAINMENT HAS POSTED THIS TRAILER ONLINE FOR "THE PHANTOM" MINI-SERIES THAT IS PREMIERING ON SYFY IN 2010. RYAN CARNES (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, DR. WHO) PLAYS THE TITLE ROLE AND HIS ALTER EGO CHRIS WALKER IN THE RE-IMAGINED VERSION OF THE CLASSIC COMIC BOOK TRANSPORTED TO PRESENT DAY.
THIS IS THE PHANTOM:


THIS IS NOT:


STILL, IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE PHANTOM, SO I’LL GIVE IT A CHANCE.

RUSSIAN SURF MYSTERY!

RUSSIAN SURF MYSTERY!

DABOSS OVER AT FAT CITY CIGAR LOUNGE POSTS THE DOWNLOAD FOR A COOL RUSSING SURF LP WITH A PLEA FOR ANY HELP IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE:

Need help identifying this - am clueless. Russian surf that sounds like it is from the 60's first wave in style, instrumentation, and song structure. I think it is really modern surf done retro - but - hey - what do I know. If someone can identify it and point me in the direction for a track list not in Russian, I'd really appreciate it. Enjoy it anyway, it's pretty cool.

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

LICENSE TO STILL!

LICENSE TO STILL!


ACCORDING TO NEWS.BBC:


An actor from Greater Manchester has been given a "licence to still" after winning a top award in the World Statue Championships in the Netherlands.


Chris Clarkson, 29, from Stockport, became James Bond for the day, firing water out of his "Walther PPK".


Crowned the public's favourite living statue, he managed to stand nearly motionless for four hours at the event attended by about 300,000 people.


He said: "It's hard work, my whole body had to be tense, but it's great fun."


The actor and presenter, who has appeared in Hollyoaks and a Touch of Frost, has worked as a living statue for three years.


It is the second time he has competed in the championships, held in Arnhem every year.


"My James Bond statue took nine months to create.”


HOWEVER, NO MATTER HOW STILL CHRIS CLARKSON WAS, ROGER MOORE STILL MAINTAINS HIS TITLE AS MOST WOODEN BOND ACTOR.


FOR THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE

SPY CONTEST!

SPY CONTEST!

ARMSTRONG SABIAN’S MISTER 8 SPY BLOG HAS BEEN RUNNING A UNIQUE AND WONDERFUL SERIES DISECTING EVERY ASPECT OF AUTHOR LEN DEIGHTON’S HARRY PALMER NOVELS AND FILMS.

NOW, MISTER 8 IS HAVING A CONTEST WITH A MOST UNUSUAL ITEM TO GIVE AWAY ~ A TRIVIAL PURSUIT CARD AUTOGRAPHED BY THE SPY MASTER HIMSELF, LEN DEIGHTON.


FOR FULL DETAILS CLICK HERE

Thursday, October 1, 2009

FORGOTTEN BOOKS: THE PRINCESS STAKES MURDER BY KIN PLATT!

FORGOTTEN BOOKS: THE PRINCESS STAKES MURDER BY KIN PLATT!

Max Roper, Kin Platt’s eponymous ‘70s private eye, was near and dear to my heart because most of his cases revolved around different sports. Max made his way through sports from body building, to basketball, to tennis, to baseball, but more important to me, he also took his investigations to the race track in The Princess Stakes Murder. Since a large part of my collection revolved around horseracing mysteries (I once had over 600 horseracing mystery titles), this Max Roper outing fit right in.

Willie Rich asked Max Roper to come out to the Princess Stakes at Del Mar where he would be riding Calamity in the $100,000 race. Willie had a problem he wanted to discuss with the detective after the eighth race. When Willie didn’t show up, and Max couldn’t find him around the track, Roper went out to Willie’s estate. The jockey was there. In his pool. Dead.

The Princess Stakes Murder is further complicated when the beautiful daughter of one of the top stable owners turns up missing at the same time. Throw in a widow who isn’t too heartbroken, some Las Vegas mobsters, a cosmic charlatan and four more murders and you’re off to the races.

Kin Platt started writing in the ‘30s for radio shows, pulps, and comic books. He was a newspaper cartoonist, wrote both children and Young Adult books (including several Alfred Hitchcock’s Three Investigators titles), and cranked out several ‘adult’ novels and a couple of paperback original series. Max Roper, however, was his most memorable character, despite his disappearance from bookshelves and memory.

THE MAX ROPER MYSTERIES:

The Pushbutton Butterfly 1970
The Kissing Gourami 1970
The Princess Stakes Murder 1973
The Giant Kill 1974
Match Point for Murder 1975
The Body Beautiful Murder 1976
The Screwball King Murder 1978