Ron Howard Teaches Directing | MasterClass

What A fascinating concept: one of the great Cinema Directors of our culture offers a class where you and I have the opportunity to determine for ourselves whether we have the imagination, the skill, the talent and the leadership to actually become the director of a great movie.

It's probably never going to work for me; but would it work for you?


Ron Howard Teaches Directing | MasterClass


Ron Howard Teaches Directing | MasterClass

GOOOOOOOOD Morning Vietnam!

Adrian Kraunaur was one of the most beloved Disk Jockeys in Viet Nam.

I have heard that, but I never heard him; he was there in '65-66, I was there in '69-70.  So I never actually heard him.  I found this video on the web, which was him.  Here's what he really looked and sounded like.



Okay, that's not very exciting.

Now, here's Robin Williams' version:



What's important about the original interview with The Real Adrian?

He describes Robin williams as someone who was insecure and ... well, if you really care, you can go back and play the ENTIRE Adrian Kraunaur interview.

Who every thought that Robin Williams was that insecure?  Until this year.

Back Story:
So I was chatting with a friend and listening to the Radio back in 1987 (I guess) and the radio station came on with a contest:  they playing a song and asked for callers to be the first to name the song and the artist.  I said "Oh heck, that's Pink Sunshine singing "I Never Knew My Daddy Was A Funny Boy", from their album "The Wall"  (I'm making this up .. it was 30 years ago for crissakes!) and when I called the station they said "That's Right!  You just won two free tickets to "Good Morning Vietnam".

So I gave them my address, they sent me the tickets, and my friend and I went to see the movie.

I was disappointed in this YouTube video, because they never showed the punchline .... which I thought was the best line of the movie:

At the end, this cute little VietNamese kid, whom Kraunaur had made friends with, runs off into the middle of Saigon and blows himself up.

Kraunaur/Williams turns to the camera, and says his memorable line:

"That's NOT going to look good on my resume."

I guess you need a really dark sense of humor to appreciate it.

When he hanged himself, I didn't think that really looked good on his resume, either.

Jack Reacher #2

Tom Cruise is not believable in this role.



He talks too much.

And he's too small, in too many ways.

I'll see the move when it comes out on DVD... in about three weeks.

The Beast of War

Rudyard Kipling knew what's what, and he proved it in his ode To The Young British Soldier:

When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
   An' go to your Gawd like a soldier.
      Go, go, go like a soldier,
      Go, go, go like a soldier,
      Go, go, go like a soldier,
         So-oldier of the Queen!

I'm waxing lyrical about Kipling again (it's a minor character flaw; please don't think to badly of me for it) and so it's time to watch ... THE BEAST again.

During the war in Afghanistan a Soviet tank crew commanded by a tyrannical officer find themselves lost and in a struggle against a band of Mujahadeen guerrillas in the mountains. A unique look at the Soviet 'Vietnam' experience sympathetically told for both sides.

If you've never been at  war, and you think you could hold up 'pretty well' under it ...
this is your opportunity to rethink your stalwart character; which means little or nothing when "the women come out to cut out what remains ..."
.

Because until some calls you "SNAKE" instead of "Hey, YOU!", it is perhaps advisable to listen to the words of The Great One (not the USPSA GRANDMASTER, but the one who was born in India);
 when you have best convinced yourself that you are not afraid, think again of the nightmares of other, best prepared warriors:

25 But the Woman that God gave him, every fibre of her frame 

26 Proves her launched for one sole issue, armed and engined for the same,  

27 And to serve that single issue, lest the generations fail,  

28 The female of the species must be deadlier than the male. 

Post Script:  I know I've posted nearly the identical warnings before.
But the Beast is strong tonight ....

Zulu! vs A Battlefield minute. And "The Punch Line"

One of the most influential movies I've ever seen was Zulu.

Some minor background information is needed:
I had got out of the army in 1970, was at loose ends, feeling sorry for myself and we were living off the meager earnings of my wife, Julie, who was a bank teller in Eugene, Oregon.

Pretty much into myself, I spent my days playing solitaire on the living room floor of our 300 square foot rental in Eugene, Oregon, and watch television.

One day, when I was about to put a red queen on a red king (yes, I cheat at Solitaire .. I was that low), I realized there was a movie playing which was .. interesting.  We couldn't afford a color television, so I sat entranced and watched ZULU in glorious Black-And-White.

Later I realized that I hadn't missed much, because the story was very much all about black-and-white.

Since then, I've watched ZULU an at least an annual basis; and I also bought (and watch annually), the precursor movie: "Zulu Dawn".

Zulu Dawn depicts the battle of  Isandlwana, where a large contingent of British troops were massacred by Zulu Impis (Battallions, or Regiments ... the manning was voluntary with Zulus).

The Brits were wiped out, almost to the man.

Subsequent to that battle, the Zulus went on to attack a small British contingent stationed in and around the missionary at Rorke's Drift.   That is the action which was depicted by the movie "ZULU".



That British force had some advantages that the Brits at  Isandlwana had not.

• They were a minor detachment, so they were not attacked by all the Impi's .. merely two or three of them. (?)
• They were in a defensible position ... they were assigned to a mission with stone walls, and they had a number of wagons (which they could tip over to provide cover and concealement) and those wagons had a full shipment of 'grain', in bags, which mad very effective 'sandbags' from which they could build a wall about their position
• They had Martini-Henry Rifles, which were single-shot but were lever-action "single shot' rifles which could be reloaded in a matter of seconds. *(the same rifles used by British troops in Islawanda)
• Their supply system was MUCh more aware of the danger of the attack than were the supply groups in Islandawanda, so resupply of ammunition was efficiently performed in this much smaller force
• The leadership at Rorke's Drift ("ZULU") was much more aware of the danger, and were so junior that they had not yet developed the arrogant attitude which is endemic in senior officers through-out the world and through-out time.  At Rorke's Drift, they knew they would all die.  At Islandwanda ("Zulu Dawn"), it was inconceivable (Princess Bride Moment) that British Troops would lose a battle with 'primitives', so they were dismissive of the need to prepare defenses in an open field.
• 
  

Unlike the British troops at Islandwanda, the forces at Rorke's Drift did not panic under attack, for five reasons:

1. Leadership
2. Discipline
3. Defensive position
4. Tactics
5. Superior Fire-power

THE most Anti-Gun movie ever produced by Hollywood

Blue Steel (1989) - IMDb:

A female rookie in the police force engages in a cat and mouse game with a pistol wielding psychopath who becomes obsessed with her.

If this movie is not the genesis of the egregious term "Ammosexual", I don't know what is.

The part I really like about this movie (Okay, that was a bit over-the-top in the SNARK department) is that it shows a 'common ordinary man' (a successful and wealthy Investment Broker) who happens upon a revolver at a crime scene and it turns him into a raving maniac, obsessed by 'the power of the Evil Gun'.

The thing is, the message of the movie seems to be reflected religiously by the current crop of gun-control enthusiasts, who welcome any excuse to depict guns as tools of the devil ... incarnate.

The actors in the movie are well-known and likable individuals, and they play their roles very well.

Jamie Lee Curtis was just coming off the professional high of a small series of "Horror Movies" (eg: Halloween), and  one wonders if viewers (and reviewers) didn't consider this just another horror flick.

Although, this 1990 1989 movie seems chronologically positioned to feed the hunger of anti-gun causes which welcome ANY depiction of firearms as tools of the devil.

You can read Roger Eberts review here, but he restricts his comments to artistic achievement.   There is no criticism of the basic premise because Hollywood assumes that "guns are bad" and any production which furthers that fantasy is assumed to be a realistic depiction.   (There are a lot of 'external reviews', I won't provide links because there are so MANY opinions!)

SO ... let's be clear about this:

Are we blaming a Jamie Lee Curtis movie for "Firearms Violence"?

No, we're blaming Liberal belief in the fantasy portrayed in her movie for their animosity of a firearm as a source of evil.

Hoplophobia: "Blue Steel"

Hoplophobia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Hoplophobia is a political neologism coined by retired American military officer Jeff Cooper as a pejorative to describe an "irrational aversion to weapons." It is also used to describe the "fear of firearms"or the "fear of armed citizens." Hoplophobia is a political term and not a recognized medical phobia.

I've been talking about people with an irrational fear of guns, and the people who own guns, for years no.  (Actually, for decades; I started talking about them in 1984 .. which seems appropriate).
But I have never rarely used the term.

Recent articles which I have published addressed this cultural dichotomy in specific situations, but never referenced the word.

I'll be using this as a label on future articles, where appropriate, because it's a much more accurate term than those which I have most often used (such as "Gun Control").

I may, time permitting, go back to recent articles and attach that label to those articles which discuss people who area vehemently against private ownership of firearms because "guns kill people".

The best example of this that I can think of off-hand is the jamie lee curtis/ron silver movie "Blue Steel", where Ron Silver's character finds a revolver and becomes obsessed with shooting people ... merely because he has a gun, and because it empowers his latent psycho tendencies. (you can watch the movie on youtube)

Corn maze honors 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle | Fox News

Corn maze honors 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle | Fox News: The owners of a small Georgia farm took a tractor, a global positioning system and seven acres of corn and created a masterpiece made of maize last month honoring American sniper Chris Kyle.  “I felt like we needed to do something patriotic,” Misty Duren told me. “It hit me one day that it would be great to honor Chris Kyle.”

Personally, I thought it was pretty impressive.  I just finished watching the move, and I had already read the book.

Chris Kyle was a warrior.  We need men like him to defend our country, and our freedoms.  And we need the mind-set which creates warriors like him to protect American Freedoms against all the radicals who would undermine our civilization.

Okay, this may seem "hokey", but I think it's fine.  Damn fine.

I Am Legend! (There are no more new stories to be written any more?)

I reread "I Am Legend" (1954) this morning, by Richard Matheson.  (My, that man can WRITE!)"   It was just a good as the first two or three times I read it; there are some stories that cannot be improved.

The cover noted that there was a 2007 MOVIE version available, starring Will Smith.

I remember another movie version: "The Omega Man" starring Charlton Heston.

This afternoon I was performing my usual Spring Cleaning by fumigating my house to kill the Spring Spiders. I went to the movies so I wouldn't be poisoned by the Bug Bomb..

I was torn between the new Mad Max movie, or the Earthquake/Disaster film "San Andreas" starring The Rock.  It was loud, but very entertaining.

The reason I didn't go to the Mad Max movie is because it didn't have Mel Gibson in it.  Apparently, he is no longer popular, due to his drunken rants against views several years ago.

Well, I still prefer Mel as Mad Max.  Hey, I don't like Jane Fonda because of her appearances in Viet Cong propaganda films in the 1970's, but I liked here in her movies ("Fun with Dick and Jane", "Barbarella", and "Cat Ballou") so while I deplore her politics, I watch her movies.  And I listen to Barbra Streisand's music and enjoy it, even if she is a political yentl!

So, I watched the remake of "2012", and it the only complaint I had was that (1) I had seen the movie of which it was a clone, and (2) I ran out of popcorn before the movie was over, and (3) the air conditioning was WAY too cold!

When I came back home, I considered that I had just seen the same movie, read the same book, more than once:

I Am Legend (the book)

I Am Legend (the movie, with Will Smith)

The Omega Man (the movie, with Charlton Heston)

Also, the "Mad Max" franchise was pretty much all the same, except that I won't contend that the latest (sans Mel) is the same movie write large.

I'm pretty sure that those of you who read a lot are aware that successful books lead to successful movies, and we go see them because we like the characters, or the actors.  (Who hasn't seen almost all of the John Wayne Movies, the Clint Eastwood movies, and .. well, name your own favorite actors.)

We're watching and reading variations on a theme.

I kind of wish we would find new themes.  These forms of literature grab out attention because they are fresh, and we are excited by new ideas.

There's a reason why I haven't been to a movie theater (before today) for five years.  I wasn't disappointed by the movie, but I found that I wanted to press REWIND so I could see some detail that I THINK I missed before.  ( I guess I've been spoiled by DVDs,)

I have got to get out of the house more!

Curving Bullets! Really? Angelina, I'm here for you Babe!

Activist Post: DARPA Announces Successful Live-Fire Test of EXACTO "Smart" Bullets:

A rather low-quality video of the 50-caliber round sought to demonstrate the potential for a "state-of-the-art sniper system (that) combines a maneuverable bullet and a real-time guidance system to track and deliver the projectile to the target, allowing the bullet to change path during flight."

(SEE LINK FOR VIDEO!)

And I'm not really buying into to this:

Angelina, I'm here for you Babe!: "WANTED" (Angelina Jolie):

Close Air Support and the "Flying Bathtub"

A-10 Warthog Is Out, F-15 and F-16 Are In, Says the Air Force:
(March 22, 2015)

The U.S. Air Force wants to kill the A-10 Warthog. Really, really wants to kill it. But some of the Air Force's ideas for replacing the A-10 are starting to strain credibility.

This is an 'economic' opinion, not a 'tactical' opinion.

The A-10 may be a fabulous CAS platform, but right now, it doesn't have a corporate backer with a truly vital interest in its survival. Northrop Grumman serves as prime contractor to maintain the plane, and Boeing has a contract to upgrade wings on some of the older A-10s, both of which bring in a few tens of millions of dollars annually for the respective companies. But without an actual A-10 Warthog replacement program in place, no one's making billions of dollars off of the Warthog.

Some suplementary commentary  here.

When you have to shoot ... shoot! Don't talk!

View From The Porch: Dirty pool.: As the great Jewish bandito warrior poet spoke from his bathtub, "When it's time to shoot, shoot; don't talk." The corollary to that is "When it's time to talk, talk; don't shoot your mouth off."

Uh ... if you're going to quote The Good The Bad and The Ugly .. do it right!  (it deserves to be precisely quoted!)

When you have to shoot .. shoot. Don't talk!

A Veterans View of ... Fear

Folks are talking about the Sniper movie, which seems controversial.

Blogger: Sipsey Street Irregulars - Post a Comment:

Dakota said... I took my son to see American Sniper last weekend. ... . My biggest shock of the movie amazingly came at the end of the movie. The last portion is the funeral of Chris Kyle and it is all actual footage and there are some credits that are rolling as this is happening...... not one person got up early to leave!!! When the screen went to nothing but credits people began to file out of the theatre in very orderly fashion and "NO ONE" was talking, it was this eerie silence that I have never experienced at the end of a movie. This lasted into the hallway and into the mens room. I have spoke to my friend in Albuquerque who said that the theatre stood in unison and clapped but did not speak. I must say that I thought of starting to clap but the somber mood that I was in it did not seem proper at the time to me so I did not and neither did anyone else.     January 20, 2015 at 10:09 AM

Thirty-something years ago, I took my wife to see "Platoon".  I didn't expect the visceral reaction I experienced.

At the end of the movie, while they rolled the credits, nobody moved.  Nobody said anything.  We were paralyzed ... or at least, I was ... by the sound of a man in the front row sobbing uncontrollably.

I couldn't blame him.  I was feeling emotional myself.  Everyone in the theater sat quietly and allowed him a few moments to gather himself; and then we quietly filed out.  He was still sitting there, hunched over, among the two or three people who had attended the showing with him.  I hope they helped him; I couldn't. But I could understand why he over-reacted to the "it's just a story" movie.

The moment in that story which most powerfully affected me was when the non-hero was on ambush watch, and a file of NVA soldiers moved through the night-defensive (aka "ambush") position.  The Young Soldier was too frightened to move, or even alert the men who were sleeping beside him while he was on "night watch".  And that story pointedly did not depict him telling them about the experience after it was over.  Instead, he just curled up and died a small death.

This is a recurring nightmare which I had found myself unable to cope with for years.   It was among the worst fears of many veterans .. finding yourself surprised, unprepared, terrified by the sudden imposition of the enemy in overwhelming numbers.  And there's nothing you can do except freeze in place and pray that they don't notice you.

(There are other fears, just as powerful, and just as difficult to understand without the background of living with Fear sitting in the corner of your mind like a demon who never quite leaves you alone.)

Rahm vs Reels: Tape This!

Instead of watching Rahm Emanuel drag Chicago through the morass of mindless "Gun Control" laws, you should be watching 100 of the greatest movie quotes in history.

You can watch it here, in full-screen;

or you can watch it here, in a much smaller format:



Can you name all the movies?  I've seen all but two.

Grab some popcorn.  Turn up the sound.  Lean back and enjoy.

Aliens M41A conversion.

Aliens M41A conversion. Yes it shoots real bullets - The Firearm Blog:

 Lage Manufacturing made this one off Aliens M41A Pulse rifle. It is a M-11 in 9mm shoved into the body of a M41A Pulse Rifle. They used a Remington 870 AOW/SBS for the grenade launcher portion of the Pulse Rifle.

I spend ... not a little time ... reading other gunbloggers.  This entry is a good example of why I find it so informative AND entertaining.

You'll have to go to the link to see the video.   I could give you the YouTube link, but then you might not go see what else is on The Firearm Blog -- and what's the fun in that?

H/T: Gunbloggers.com

“The Scene Had a Problem, and the Problem Was the Gun.”

Never Yet Melted 
 “The Scene Had a Problem, and the Problem Was the Gun.”:
24 APR 2014

Isn't it always "The Gun"?

Sometimes ... it's not the fact of the gun, but the dimensions.

(Hat Tip to .. well, you know)

"Frozen" at the Oscars?

Oscars 2014: Kim Novak's appearance sets off Twitter war | Fox News: \

Actress Kim Novak set off a firestorm in social media following her presentation of an animation award at the 2014 Oscars. Joined by Matthew McConaughey on stage to present an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the 81-year-old screen legend struggled to speak, and her face seemed unnaturally stiff. Many went on Twitter to make jokes about the “Vertigo” star, while others rallied to her defense.

For 20 years I've avoided the industrial inanity of the Academy Awards presentations. (And for half that time I've avoided going to the cinema.)  But tonight, out of ennui, I checked out the Oscars news before going to bed.

Bedtime will be delayed a few minutes.

Apparently, the lovely Kim Novak was asked to be a presenter for an animated film award.  In the actual event, one learns, she "struggled" to express herself.

WTF?

Novak is best known for her role in the 1958 film "Vertigo", playing opposite James Stewart.  Personally, I thought her best performance was in "Bell, Book and Candle", also filmed in 1958 and also playing opposite James Stewart.  But that's neither here nor there, since her career began so early in Cinematic history that she is best known for a movie which was filmed in black-and-white.

Perhaps I appear to be acting in the role of  'protector of her reputation' here, but it seems to me that it is petty to criticize an actor of her experience and maturity if she finds herself challenged to speak in public.

Wondering just what the HECK these people are talking about, I went to YouTube to see what the furor was all about.    If she was, indeed, so inarticulate, I was relieved to see that there are no videos of her presentation available.

But there were a couple of videos of private persons discussing her "performance":

The first was dismissive:



The second was perhaps intended to be "supportive", but ended up rambling and incoherent:


Give the public performances of these two idiots, and assuming that they are representative of her detractors ... I think it's safe to say that Miss Novak's reputation remains unscathed, regardless of the snide comments of the public press and the fools who do no better than the most mind-boggled 81-year-old lady who has earned the admiration of movie goers who actually have a past.


PS: for the dope who published the "dismissive" video --- and who refers to Novak as "he" and "him" ... "Was you there, Charlie?" I don't believe the jerk even was a witness to the moment.  (And you think SHE gave a bad performance!)

Dude ... Kim Novak is a woman.

Jack Reacher

Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher


"Funny ... I thought you would be taller."

I've been reading Lee Child books since "The Killing Floor".   I often wonder how the author can keep the 'franchise' going, but I'm never disappointed.  As is the case with Vince Flynn's "Mitch Rapp" series, the author seems always able to maintain the impetus ... somehow.

I think the secret is that each author has defined his iconic character so thoroughly that their readers know what to expect and they are never disappointed.

The late (and sorely missed) author John D. McDonald scored similarly with his "Travis McGee" series, and in 1983 one of his novels was made into a movie starred Sam Elliot (who in 1979 co-starred with Tom Selleck .. see below .. in "The Sacketts") in a thoroughly believable character.   Elliot LOOKED like he could outsmart and out-tough anyone he came across ... maybe that's why he was so believable playing opposite Patrick Swayze in "Roadhouse"?  (Note that as late as 2011, people were still trying to make movies out of Travis McGee novels.)

 Robert B. Parker ("Spenser For Hire", "Jesse Stone") was able to establish characters who were successfully translated to television series not once, but twice.  True, Robert Urich seemed a bit baby-faced for the part of Spenser, but his inimitably playful style translated wonderfully well the late-20th century "neo-Tec" persona of Parker's deranged dreams.  And casting Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone?  (Note that The Jessee Stone" series seems to be losing popularity; Selleck bought rights to the whole series before Parker died, and he's  the one who is not only starring in and producing the series but will finally decide when ... or if .. to pull the plug.)  Frankly, Selleck has always looked a little "lost" to my eye.   Works for me!

But .. Tom CRUISE as the 6'4" Reacher?

From a movie review:

When it was announced that Cruise had been cast to play Reacher - who is described as being 6’5” - many fans of the books voiced their displeasure as how could an actor who is almost a foot shorter  pull off the role, including us. But we were pleasantly surprised by Cruise’s portrayal. While he did miss the mark on a number of Reacher’s mannerisms, he still offers a decent enough performance once you get past the slight ego that creeps in every now and then.

Okay, I may actually go see the movie, just to get a better perspective on the finished product.  I admit to being at least dubious about it.  I was able to accept Mark Wahlberg as Bob Lee Swagger in a bowdlerized version of "Point of Impact" in "The Shooter" (I even bought the DVD), so I guess I can manage to watch "Jack Reacher" as long as I am careful to avoid attending the movie too soon after I have eaten a full meal.  I don't promise not to hurl, but I'll try.
 ...

Actually, whenever I find an author who has the guts and the stamina to produce a viable series of novels, I inevitably begin to wonder how it would play in a movie.  That's probably the reason why I am more accepting than I (in my curmudgeonly mood) am dismissive when I hear that one of 'my' authors has allowed his work to be filmed.  I am certain that the movie or television series will not be true to the originals, and I am prepared to be disappointed.   A teen-age girl may accept a blind date from a guy she expects to be a total nerd; she's still thrilled to be asked out.  In that way,  I'm so pleased that someone has agreed with me that the stories are worthy of an interpretation, I don't mind all that much that their vision may turn out to be entirely different from mine.

In passing, I may note that the "Spenser For Hire" television-movie series was written so closely to the original novels that I'm determined to believe it's not impossible to do a workable movie directly from a book.

I just try hard not to expect it.

Okay?  Have I eaten enough crow?

So, let's talk about how Hollywood is going to screw up the entire Mitch Rapp series!

"American Assassin"   as a book, and as a movie.

Who's going to play Mitch Rapp?

 Thor?

As of November 9, 2012, that's not going to happen.   Cris Hemsworth turned down the role.  This project is so tentative that they can't even find anyone to play him.  When I read the series, I'm thinking 24 hours star  Kiefer Southerland.  The trouble is,  although this book came out in 2010, it was a 'flashback' of Rapp's entry into the Assassination Biz, which means that the character must be played by an actor who is believably being recruited out of college.  That means that the actor must be young; which in turn suggests this is the reason why this particular Mitch Rapp story was chosen --- to appeal to a younger audience.

I can't wait to see how Bruce Willis fits into the story; I'm not familiar with his character (well, he's the guy who trains Mitch and is shown up and put down in the process), so I guess my next thing is to re-read the book, THEN go see the movie.  Although, it might be better if I see the movie first;  I may be less disappointed if I'm not fixated on how "it ought to look".

The plan for now is to wait until I know more about the lead, so I can feel more comfortable expounding on the many reasons why he is entirely unsuitable for the role.    [Yes, that is a joke.  It's not easy being me.]

So many books, so many movies, so little time.
It's probably a good thing that I'm retired.

PS:
If you aren't familiar with either Lee Child or Vince Flynn (or John D. McDonald or Robert B. Parker .. .both of whom will be writing no more books), here's my recommendation in a two-step sobriety format:

1. Watch the movie first
2. Then buy, and read, the books.  Don't cheat; don't borrow them from the library. Feed the author, buy the books if only to encourage them to write more of 'em.

Unless you just cannot afford it, always buy the books; they're cheap  enough in paperback or from used-book stores (or yechy Kindal) and eventually you may find that you .... as I do .. will be pre-ordering the hardbounds before they're actually published.  There's something immensely satisfying about holding a brand new just-published book and knowing that all of your friends, family and co-workers are counting on you to read it quickly so you can loan it to them.

Then .. make them buy their own damn books.  

Feed the author!

PPS:  why buy books?  So you can re-read them any time you want to.

PPPS:  if it's a new book, put in a request to your local library for the book.  That way, they'll buy more books and feed the author even more ... and encourage more people to read and eventually buy the books --- and feed the author.

Whitney Houston

Investigators seek answers to Houston's death | Music | Comcast

I just learned of the death of Whitney Houston, at age 48. Cause of death has not been determined, and an autopsy has been schedule.

Her music was only 'background' to me until I saw her in the 1992 Kevin Costner movie "The Bodyguard". She was 28 years old at the time, and from the moment she started singing, I was just a little bit in love with her.

A beautiful lady with a magnificent vocal talent. Though the years I heard from time to time of her struggles with substance abuse. I bought the DVD of the movie several years ago, and sometimes when I was blue I would watch the movie. It always made me feel better, if only because it took my mind off my own problems.

Now she is gone, and my heart is sad. But I'll write some more, and later tonite I'll go watch the movie again.

You can see her singing her signature song "I Will Always Love You" (by Dolly Parton) here. I apologize for the poor video quality, but the sound is the song of an angel.

I Am Number Four

Watched the movie.

It's more of a pilot for a television series. Think of it as "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer". Except with less sexy girls and less sexy scripts.

Then I put "RODIN" in the video player. No comparison at all; DeNiro made it a practice to appear in movies with good scripts and good directors.

Some people could learn from that.