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Category: Trivia
Autos from Alex
One of the cool things about the internet is that it allows people who would otherwise never meet to become “friends.” Let me give you an example.
Alex is from Belgium and regularly visits the StalloneZone and my blog here. Alex sent me a surprise “snail mail” package. In it were three autographed photos:
- Laura Harring is an actress who played in seven episodes of “The Shield” as well as a ton of other stuff
- DJ Caruso directed four episodes of “The Shield” as well as one of my favorite movies, “The Salton Sea” as well as many other tv shows and feature films
- Actor, singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson co-starred with Sly in “Eye See You,” Mel Gibson in “Payback”
Alex sent these items to me out of pure kindness… all the way from Belgium. I’ve never met Alex, but only a friend would be so nice… thanks to the internet. And a bigger thanks to Alex!
Happy, Happy to JBI
Yesterday I received an e-mail from my buddy, Wild Bill Black that several of Jim Ivey’s friends were getting together to belatedly celebrate Jim’s 82nd birthday. Although it was short notice, I worked it out so that I could get over and share in the festivities.
I first met Jim back in the mid-70’s [the decade, not his age]. Jim was the owner of The Cartoon Museum in Orlando, Florida and the main man behind OrlandoCon. My buddy, John Beatty and I were still in high school, but would make the trek over to buy our comics and original art from Jim. Jim’s shop was an amazing place. At the time there weren’t many places that you could buy original art, but Jim’s Cartoon Museum was wall to wall art. Kirby, Steranko, Barry Windsor-Smith, Paul Gulacy, John Buscema… and so much more. You never knew what you’d see or who you’d meet while at The Cartoon Museum. I can’t begin to tell you how much time I spent there and I wouldn’t trade one hour there for a day anywhere else. Beatty and I made the trek to Jim’s at least once a week. Usually we’d end up playing cards but always having a great time no matter what we were doing. When I moved to Orlando to attend UCF, I’d go to the shop several times a week [my wife always knew where to find me]. We’ve stayed in touch over the years, but never as often as I’d like.
So today about 15 of us met to celebrate Jim’s 82 birthday. Jim, true to form, had prepared cards for each of us [and true to form — had enclosed a scratch off lottery ticket. Mine was good for a free ticket!]. Each of us had brought cards and gifts and a story or two for Jim. In fact, Jim looks shocked in the photo above… I hope it wasn’t from something I said!
It was great seeing Jim again. It was also a lot of fun hanging with Wild Bill Black. Special props to “The AAB” for putting the plan in place. And once last shout out to Jim Ivey — “Happy, happy, SIR!”
Entertainment Weekly
I love Entertainment Weekly. Truely. I look forward to it’s arrival each week and it never disappoints. Last week it featured a great cover and story on “300”. This week EW gives the same treatment to “Grindhouse”.
I’ve been an Entertainment Weekly subscriber since issue one and don’t plan to let my subscription lapse anytime soon. That may not sound like much of an endorsement, but it is. I used to subscribe to a ton of magazines, but its the only one I’ve kept. Entertainment Weekly has outlived People, US, Interview, Premiere, Prevue, Rolling Stone, The National Enquirer, Star, Sports Illustrated, Writer’s Digest, The Comic Buyers Guide, Movie Collectors’ World, TV Guide, The Comics Journal, Muscle and Fitness, Sly, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Cinescape and who knows what else.
Entertainment Weekly covers [in each issue] movies, dvds, television, music, books, comics, and features a monthly column by Stephen King [who is always entertaining]. While I don’t always agree with their reviewers’ opionions and sometimes couldn’t care less about their cover feature, I always find something in the magazine of interest. Especially when they cover features like “300” and “Grindhouse”.
Harry Houdini Lives!
Like most kids, I went through a period where I was really into magic. I had a magic set [a real cool one that came in a pretty good-sized suitcase] and put on shows for family and friends [and even strangers]. I read books on magic and magicians. And like most kids into magic, I became fascinated by Harry Houdini.
Houdini was like a rock star in his time. He traveled the world and was known where ever he went. Houdini’s shows were the talk of the town no matter what continent he was on. In fact if you ask anyone today [over 80 years after his death] to name five famous magicians, Houdini will probably make the list.
Houdini was not only famous for his magic. He also gained noteriety for debunking spiritualists. Houdini despised those who claimed that they were in contact with the dead and in turn would bilk grieving families who had lost loved ones. In fact, Houdini would often use his stage act to show just how these con artists would perform their “miracles”. Needless to say, this created a lot of hostility towards Houdini from the Spiritualists and their followers. Death threats were issued and even Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle, said Houdini would “get his just desserts very exactly meted out … I think there is a general payday coming soon.”
Most folks know that Houdini died on Halloween, 1926, from peritonitis. Or did he? Rumors have long circulated [from just days after he died] that Houdini was murdered. Now, 81 years after his death, Houdini’s great-nephew wants to exhume the magician’s body and see if the cause of death can be determined. He’s gathered a team of experts and hopes to definitvely lay to rest the cause of Houdini’s death.
I think that regardless of what they find, Houdini [the showman that he was] would be amused to learn that in the 21st century he was still making headlines.
We Want to Pump You Up!
According to a Sports Illustrated report, Evander Hollyfield is just one of many professional athletes linked to a nationwide steroids investigation. Several professional wrestlers including Randy Orton, Adam Copeland, a.k.a. “Edge,” and Shane Helms, a.k.a. “The Hurricane,” Kurt Angle, Oscar Gutierrez aka Rey Mysterio join other pro athletes such as Jose Canseco, John Rocker, Jerry Hairston Jr., David Bell, and bodybuilder Victor Martinez on the list. You can read the full story HERE.
Honestly, the only name on the list which really surprises me is Hollyfield’s.
It Wasn’t All Bad
This past Saturday my wife and I decided to ride down to the inlet. There was an art show going on and we figured that we could walk around, check out the art and then have some lunch at one of the seafood joints nestled in the inlet.
It was a beautiful afternoon with clear skies and a light breeze. I was surprised that we were able to walk through the entire show in less than an hour. We did see a couple of nice pieces by Florida artists and photographers, but nothing that really knocked us out.
We decided to grab a bite and headed over to one of the better seafood establishments in the area. We’d never had a bad meal there… until that afternoon. The baked potato was cold, the cocktail sauce was near frozen, there was a piece of shell in the fried oysters and the waitress disappeared at about the same time my soda ran dry. Still, the shrimp were delicious and the company was great. And I did like the way this photo turned out.
Crimes of the Century
On the 75th anniversary of the Lindbergh kidnapping, TIME magazine decided to look back at The 25 Most Notorious Crimes of the Past Hundred Years. Using just their list, I decided to rank my top five… starting at the bottom…
5. The Black Dahlia, 1947. Ask most folks who Elizabeth Short was and few will know. Ask them about the Black Dahlia and it’s a different story. How can it be that a murder committed over 60 years ago still grabs our attention?
4. The Murder of Jonbenet Ramsey, 1996. Little Jonbenet was found murdered in her own house the day after Christmas. As the case first unfolded it appeared that her killer would be caught and evidence seemed to point to her own mother. The police botched the investigation, her parents left the state and no one was ever charged or convicted of the murder.
3. The Tate – LaBianca Murders, 1969. I was ten years old at the time of the killings and living half a continent away. Still, I remember the concern in the voices of the adults as they discussed the murders. Charlie Manson’s cult of followers brutally murdered six people and created a climate of fear that was felt across the country.
2. Columbine Massacre, 1999. There had been school shootings prior to Columbine, but none before had such a high casualty rate, nor did they receive as much media coverage. The fact that Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed 12 of their classmates, one teacher and wounded 24 others, coupled with security video of them as they moved through the school brought the reality of the murders into our homes. We realized just how much damage two lonely, isolated kids could bring down on a school. It was frightening. And even more so when we contemplated how many lonely isolated kids could be in EACH school in America.
1. The OJ Simpson Case, 1994. Consider this: Time magazine didn’t list the double-murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman as the notorious crime, but instead labeled their choice The OJ Simpson Case! It’s funny that the OJ case even made the list since the trial itself wasn’t a crime, [perhaps a travesty, but not a crime]. It’s even a stranger choice when you consider that OJ was found not guilty! Despite all of that, The OJ Simpson Case is my #1 most notorious crime of the last 100 years. Not only did it involve the murder of two people, but it brought down a legend [OJ], brought into question the integrity of a city’s police force [LA], created doubt about the sanctity of our judicial system, and exposed just how differently two groups of people could view the same evidence. Here we are over a decade later and people still get heated talking about the case.
Another Youtube Gem
I’m amazed at what can be found on Youtube.
I’ve discovered everything from clips of old Sammy Terry shows to a news report of a fire that took out much of the downtown in my home town of Terre Haute back in the early 60’s.
I’ve found intros to tv shows that I haven’t seen in 40 years and fan made trailers as good as what you’d see in theaters.
Today I found video of a wrestling match that took place in the early 70’s pitting The Blackjacks [Mulligan and Lanza] and their manager “Pretty Boy” Bobby Heenan against Dick the Bruiser, his cousin The Crusher and midget wrestler “Little Bruiser.” What makes this match so appealing to me is that in addition to it being over 30 years old, and featuring my favorite wrestlers of the time, I actually saw this match live!
I’ll continue searching out Youtube for cool videos. I’d love to find intros to “T.H.E. Cat” [I can’t imagine that it was good as I remember it being] and “Garrison’s Guerillas.” Hey, and if you find any cool videos, post the links here. I’d love to see what gems you’ve come across.
What I Do Know
I’m sure that most ZONErs have, by this point, heard about the break-down that Britney Spears went through this week. She checked herself into rehab, checked herself out, went out on the town, got a new tat, and shaved her head. Rumors are rampant about the reasons for Britney’s breakdown. Some say drugs, some say she never has gotten over Justin Timberlake.
I don’t know the cause of Britney’s problems, but I do know THIS is well done.
Which Bot is Best?
I took the photo above at MegaCon on Sunday. There was a company there that had life-size recreations of famous robots.For my money, these three are probably the MOST famous robots in the world. There’s 3CPO from Star Wars, the robot from Lost in Space, and Robbie the Robot.
Given my pick, I’d take the Lost in Space robot. Of course, I grew up watching Lost in Space. If I was a child of the 70’s, I’d probably want 3CPO and someone a bit older than me would want Robbie.
Would a child of the 80’s want KITT?
What’s Next for Mr. Tarver
I happened to get a few minutes to talk to Antonio Tarver tonight. Yes, the former Light-Heavyweight Champion of the World. Yes, the guy who played Mason Dixon in “Rocky Balboa.”
Mr. Tarver was at the high school, where I work, to watch his son play in the first round of the state basketball playoffs. We are the district champs and hope to move forward toward the state title. At any rate, Mr. Tarver arrived early and we chatted for a few minutes.
He said that he never did as many interviews as he did while promoting “Rocky Balboa.” He was very gracious about the praise he and the movie received. Antonio enjoyed working with Sly. Antonio’s next fight will be at the end of April and will be televised on ABC. He’s got another movie lined up which will be a comedy. As always Antonio was very cool, very approachable.
And, yes, our team won [and won big]!
"Big" John Checks In
For all of you following “Big” John Beatty’s trip to Manila… we’ve received our first e-mail from him. He made it [despite a late connection from Japan].
He’s met Bella. John said that the camera did lie to him… but it lied in the “opposite way”… she is even prettier than her pictures! John says that he’ll write more later.
I just wonder if Bella thinks John’s prettier than his pictures?
A MAGICal Night
This evening I attended the Orlando Magic / San Antonio Spurs game. If you’re a hoops fan, my guess is that you already heard about “THE DUNK.”
Before I tell you about the amazing ending to one of the best comebacks ever, let me tell you that it was a perfect evening. My son is a Magic fan and for Christmas I got him tickets to see them play against San Antonio. Our drive to Orlando was smooth and we arrived exactly at the planned time. I had pre-purchased a parking ticket for the lot directly across from the arena. We drove right in [despite the game and all parking lots being sold out]. Before the game we were able to go down almost courtside and watch the players warm up. It’s easy to forget just how BIG these guys are in real life. At half time, they brought out Chris Leak, the Heisman-winning quarterback for the National Champion Florida Gators [which just happens to be my son’s favorite college team].
Now back to the exciting climax… Despite being down as much as 20, and behind most of the game, the Magic tied it up with less than a minute left in regulation. Then when Tim Duncan’s attempt at a winning shot was rejected by Dwight Howard, the Magic grabbed ball and called a time out. They had 8/10’s of a second left on the clock to win the game. They didn’t even need that much time. Hedo Turkoglu lobed the ball towards the goal and Dwight Howard soared over Tim Duncan and slammed home a one-handed dunk to give the Magic the lead and the win.
It was an amazing ending to one of the most exciting basketball games I’ve ever had a chance to witness. More importantly, my son said it was the best game that he’d ever seen and he saw it in person. Talk about a Magical night…
9112 Miles to Graceland
“Big” John Beatty boarded a plane this morning for the start of a journey that may last him the rest of his days. You see, he’s off to meet a young lady that may be the love of his life. John and Bella met nearly six months ago through the internet. They’ve been talking and e-mailing and video conferencing nearly daily since then. So they decided it was time to meet face to face!
This morning John boarded a plane that will fly him from Orlando to Detroit to Japan to Manila. Whew! That’s one heck of a trip. Big J says that he’ll e-mail when he can, and update his blog if possible.
Let’s all wish the big guy a safe trip. If he doesn’t scare off Bella when he meets her after spending all those hours on the plane, this thing may just work out!
