Category: 1

My wife, whose name apparently was similar to someone on a watch list somewhere, was on the no-fly list (now gone from it, thankfully) while Abdul Mudallad, who was in the terrorist data base, was NOT on the no-fly list.

Thank God some fast-thinking passengers and a misfired inflammatory device prevented an even greater tragedy. In the future you can probably kiss good-bye to bringing baby powder on an airplane now. What worries me is that, a few years ago, some idiot tried to sneak on explosives in his shoes and now we all have to remove our footwear to get through security. This guy smuggled in explosives in his pants. Not liking where this is going. Maybe the next big thing for male fliers will be the convenience of travel kilts.

PAD

So over in that corner we had “Avatar,” embracing a host of story cliches under the apparent belief that technological advances in movie making were sufficient to rise above them and make the film more than it was, instead of having the unoriginality of thought dragging the whole enterprise down.

And over in this corner, we have “Sherlock Holmes,” a character who would seem the epitome of old hat, tired, overdone, so much so that there hasn’t been a Holmes feature film in American theaters in twenty years (although he has been omnipresent on television in incarnations ranging from the Jeremy Brett to Hugh Laurie as the Holmesian “House.”)

Yet the new “Sherlock Holmes” film that debuted Christmas day shows how everything old can be made new again–in this instance by returning to the source material in ways that even those who fancy themselves Holmes fanciers are unaware were ever part of canon.

Continue Reading “Cowboy Pete Investigates Sherlock Holmes” →

And all through the house..

Not a creature was stirring; not even a mouse.

Continue Reading “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” →

In the beginning, “Avatar” was unformed and void.

And James Cameron looked upon “A Princess of Mars” and “Dances with Wolves” and “Ferngully” (but not anything by Harlan Ellison, because he knew better than that) and found them good.  And he wrote a 114-page treatment, and he found it good.

And then he looked upon Gollum and realized that special effects had finally caught up with his vision, and that “Avatar” could actually be made for less than the budget of one week of fighting in Iraq, and 20th Century Fox looked upon it and said, “This could be our next ‘Star Wars’ except let’s make sure not to give away the merchandising rights,” and they made the movie and found it good.

Cowboy Pete, on the other hand, had some problems.

Continue Reading “Cowboy Pete Goes Biblical on “Avatar”” →

(Based on the news report that Laredo, with the closing of its lone B. Daltons, will be the largest city in the U.S.A. without a single bookstore)

As I read a book on the streets of Laredo.
A book in my hand in Laredo I read,
I finished that book and desired a new one
And so to the bookstore I promptly did head.

Continue Reading ““The Books of Laredo”” →

Tomorrow morning, Saturday, from 9 AM to 12 Noon EST (although we might wrap it earlier if a blizzard is rolling in) I’ll be co-hosting Ariel’s college radio show (her usual partner is leaving early so I’m subbing in).  You can listen to it on line at whrtradio.com, and not only that, you can call in at (203) 365-4747 to request songs or just chat.  So if you ever wanted to have the chance to talk with Ariel or–less likely–me, give a call.  The lines will be open.

PAD

X-Factor #200 comes out this week, along with some other books. Whad’ja get?

PAD