Month: November 2006

Drive… Wheelman

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There’s not much better than a good crime novel… unless it’s two good crime novels. Today I’m going to recommend two excellent ones which interestingly enough both feature a getaway driver as their main character!

Drive written by James Sallis opens with Driver [the main character] wounded and slouched against a cheap hotel room wall. Three dead bodies lay around him. From there the story takes us back showing us glimpses of how a violent childhood led to his current double-life where his talents behind the wheel have brought him to a potentially bloody end. Before his betrayal on a heist doomed from the start, Driver simply drove. He didn’t even carry weapons. Now, wounded and with a price on head, things are about to change…

The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski opens in the middle of a bank robbery which has gone south. Still, with a little bit of luck Lennon [the driver] and the two robbers get away… briefly. What follows is a fast paced, violent, and at times humorous story of what happens when crooked cops, the Italian mob, the Russian mob, and other quirky characters take an interest in getting their hands on Lennon and the money. Swierczynski takes the story [which moves at a breakneck pace] and fills it with double-crosses, surprises and great prose.

Man of the Year Material

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My buddy, “Big” John Beatty, although best known for his comic book art [The Punisher, Captain America, Batman, etc.] does, from time to time, write a pretty funny blog.

Big John has started updating again. His most recent post looks at People Magazine’s two time Sexiest Man of the Year award winners George Clooney and Johnny Depp. Seems that since Big John has so many things in common with them, he feels that his time as Sexiest Man of the Year must be coming. Read John’s post and then come on back for my comments.

Oh, back so soon?

I did some research and contacted a friend in the know. He called me back and the conversation went like this:

Mr. X: “John Beatty is on the list to be People’s Sexiest Man of the Year. The trouble is there are a few people ahead of him. Folks like: Andy Dick, Abe Vigoda, Don Rickles, Rex Reed and Jackie Gleason.”

Me: “Jackie Gleason! Jackie Gleason has been dead for years.”

Mr. X: “Yeah, but even now he’s still sexier than Beatty.”

Me: “Wow. That’s rough.”

Mr. X: “Yeah, but Craig, there’s one thing you need to know.”

Me: “What’s that?”

Mr. X: “Beatty‘s ranked ahead of you on the list.”

Ouch.

Scalped… a Sly Recommendation

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Today I’d like to recommend Scalped, a new comic series which premieres in January. It’s a crime comic set in the “world of gambling, gunfights, G-men, Dawg Soldiers, massacres, meth labs, trashy sex, fry bread, Indian pride -”

Hey! Wait a minute. Did you say Indian pride?

Yep [and thanks for asking].

Scalped comes to us from Vertigo comics [for mature readers] and is written by Jason Aaron with art by R.M. Guera. For a preview of the issue click HERE.

The first cover is by fan favorite Jock and can be seen here. Now is it me or does the face on the Native American look a bit like Sylvester Stallone from this Herb Ritts photo? Want to see them both together? What do you think?

Truth be told, it does look like Jock used a Herb Ritts’ photo of Sly for reference, but it may have even been another photo from the same session. I can’t lay my fingers on the photo, but here’s a digital painting that John Beatty did of it.

It’d be cool if Jock was a Stallone fan… but either way, I’d still recommend Scalped.

Return of the Digital Dragon!

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Rob Cohen [director of “Daylight,” “The Fast and the Furious,” and “Dragon”] wrote in to the LatinoReview.com to explain his plans for his next picture which will star Bruce Lee. [You read that right Bruce Lee].

Here are a couple of tidbits from the post: “I am creating an entirely photo-realistic Bruce Lee with new, advanced digital technology… This will be the first digital actor and I am very excited about the challenge.”

Let’s consider how cool this will be if it works. Not only would we get to see the closest thing to the return of Bruce Lee, but it will also usher in the next generation of all-star movie casts! Think about how cool it would be to see Sly Stallone, young Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart and Lee Marvin acting along side each other. The possibilities are endless.

So, what would your dream cast be?

 

Who Thought Hughes Would Lose?

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Last night UFC 65: Bad Intentions was held. The main event was Matt Hughes defending his title against George St. Pierre. Despite the fact that GSP was considered to be far and away the best challenger, most folks didn’t REALLY think that he’d defeat Hughes. The consensus seemed to be there’s Matt Hughes and then a notch down George St. Pierre and then several notches down were contenders for the third spot.

 

Well, last night George St. Pierre ended any discussion that didn’t start with him in the first spot. Not only did GSP defeat Matt Hughes, but he did it soundly by a KO at 1:25 of the second round!

There were other fights on the card and you can see all results HERE, but my guess is you’re probably still shaking your head over the Hughes loss.

 

 

 

When I Lie, I Tell the Truth

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It was announced today that OJ Simpson has written a book titled “If I Did It.” [available November 30th]. OJ will also sit for a two part interview special to air November 27th and 29th on FOX. In the book and interviews Simpson will describe how he would have committed the slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, “if he were the one responsible.”


Despite the fact that the book’s publisher is referring to it as OJ’s confession, it does carry a disclaimer that it’s complete fiction.


Isn’t it ironic that many [if not most] folks will feel that in the past when OJ has swore that he didn’t do it, he was lying. And now when he says that he’s lying, he’s really telling the truth!

2 Guns and 4 Issues

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In January writer Steven Grant is teaming with artist, Mataes Santolouco, to bring us the crime comic mini-series “Two Guns.” Grant, probably best known for his work with Mike Zeck and John Beatty on Marvel’s first Punisher mini-series and subsequent graphic novels, is joining forces with Boom Studios for this creator owned release.

Full of betrayals, gunplay and plot twists, Grant’s tagline for the series [“Imagine the perfect crime. Now get it wrong.”] hints at the fun readers should have if they pick up the series.

After reading this interview with Grant, I’ve added the series to my “pull list.” You may want to do the same!

It Takes 4 to Tango

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Last night’s live final of The Ultimate Fighter Season 4 ended just as I predicted. Lutter beat Cote and Serra won over Lytle. Lutter ended his match quickly due to his superior wrestling skills. Serra earned a split decision win, but rightly so since he pressured the fight the entire way. Of the two winners, I think that Lutter will have the best chance of winning the title shot that last night’s victories offer.

Next Saturday, UFC 65: Bad Intentions takes place. It offers a couple of potentially exciting fights. Matt Hughes defends his title against George St. Pierre and Tim Sylvia puts his title on the line against Jeff Monson.

Hughes has already beaten St. Pierre once. Both fighters have improved a lot since then and St. Pierre was in awe of Hughes at that first meeting. That won’t be the case next Saturday. Still, I’m giving the nod to Hughes.

Sylvia vs Monson could be a lot of fun, even if it doesn’t last long. Sylvia is 6’8″ and Monson is 5’9″. Sylvia likes to stand up, use his reach and punch. Monson is a grappler and will want to take Sylvia to the mat and submit him. I’m not ready to make a prediction for this one…

… are you?

Britney Files

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Bad news for for K-Fed…
Everyone knows by now that Britney Spears has filed for divorce.
Almost everyone is speculating as to the reason
That she would leave him…
There may be another man in her life
You would think that if that was the case, there would at least be some clues as to his identity!

Rae of Sunshine

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I don’t recommend a lot of music because I don’t buy a lot of cds. When I do breakdown and make a purchase, odds are, it’s a soundtrack or someone “tried and true.”

Today I’m giving the highest recommendation possible for Corrine Bailey Rae‘s self-titled album. Don’t take my word, click on this link, and then scroll down and give it a listen. After you do, my guess is you’ll be recommending her to your friends!