BONES: BURIED DEEP by Max Allan Collins

As a fan of FOX's TV version of Kathy Reichs' forensic mysteries, I thought I'd try Max Allan Collins's tie-in novel featuring the TV characters who bear little resemblance Reichs's originals. I was satisfied with Collins's readable prose, The plot, wherein serial killings interfere with the FBI's case against a Chicago mobster, reminded me of his past body of work. A bit more of a stretch would have been nice.

The characters' dialogue and interactions were slightly off, but this is understandable given the lead time Collins must have had to write the novel. As with most tie-ins, I suppose, the book will satisfy fans wondering how these characters would look in print. I'm curious to see if the books improve as the show develops.

Mark Little's MyThemes.TV

At last I can listen to the NCIS theme anytime I want along with long-lost favorites like Vengeance Unlimited, Street Hawk, and Tales of the Gold Monkey.

Words Dance #9

...featuring my poem "Precocious", arrived in today's mail. To order your copy of this fine zine, click here. My thanks again to editor Amanda Oaks.

The best thing about Smallville is...

From the beginning I would have said John Schneider's portrayal of Jonathan Kent. Every sci-fi show needs to brought down to earth. In Seasons Four and Five, however, the highlight is Erica Durance's Lois Lane. Sure, Lois's presence in Smallville is apochryphal, but she gives the slow-as-molasses melodrama a kick in the butt.

In last night's episode, Clark saves a man in Metropolis who turns out to be a hitman who can turn invisible. Said hitman tries to repay Clark, first with a plasma screen TV, then by choking out Lex Luthor.

Clark tracks the guy by super-hearing his heartbeat. One would think if the guy still has a heartbeat—he doesn't become mist or something—Clark would be able to see him with x-ray vision, but hey. You may argue that Clark wouldn't be able to distinguish the killer's skeleton from everyone else's, but then would he have any better luck distinguishing the killer's heartbeat from everyone else's...?

At the end of the episode, Lois, who was attracted to said hitman, has a heart-to-heart with Martha about her uncanny bad luck with men: "Why can't I just meet a decent guy from a decent family who isn't a psychopath?"

Meanwhile, decent Clark is still bemoaning the fact that Lana is dating Lex. Let Lex have her, for all I care. Lois is more fun.

Trivia: In real life, Erica Durance is married to David Palffy, a.k.a. Stargate SG-1's Anubis.

DetecToday Retrospective

Celebrate six years of DetecToday with a look at the evolution of our front logo:


(2001 - 2003)


(2003 - 2005)


(2005 - Present)

BURN by Sean Doolittle

Andrew Kindler's arsonist past follows him from Baltimore to Los Angeles when a note implicates him in a murder case. Sean Doolittle's second novel (after Dirt) is a well-woven multi-viewpoint crime novel evoking Elmore Leonard. Each of Doolittle's novels strikes a tone distinct from the last, the mark of a truly versatile writer.

Read the transcript of Doolittle's April 23rd chat with members of DetecToday.

"To boldly go...Not so fast."

From WENN:

Abrams Slams 'Star Trek' Rumors

Mission: Impossible III director J.J. Abrams is hitting back at unauthorized reports he is directing the next Star Trek movie. The Alias creator is furious the news was released prematurely and is also upset that key details regarding the storyline were incorrectly reported. He explains to Empire online, "The whole thing was reported entirely without our cooperation. People learned that I was producing a Star Trek film, that I had an option to direct it, they hear rumors of what the thing was going to be and ran with a story that is not entirely accurate." Last week, Hollywood trade paper Variety, reported Abrams was on board and that the film would center on the early days of Captain James T. Kirk and Spock and that Philip Seymour Hoffman was in talks to play the ship's doctor. Abrams won't reveal the true storyline, but hints that it won't feature characters Captain James T. Kirk or Mr. Spock at all, but doesn't rule out bringing some of the original characters back for the new film, adding, "Those characters are so spectacular. I just think that..you know, they could live again."

"There's no need to fear..."

According to Zap2it.com, Jason Lee will voice canine superhero Underdog in an upcoming mostly live-action movie. Hmm...

Practical Magic

Read of illusionist David Copperfield's trick on four would-be muggers, raising his cool quotient in my book.

¡Viva las Mexico!

Blogging has been light the past two days as I served jury duty. Yesterday it was just the luck of the draw that I wasn't voir dired. Today, we "prospective jurors" waited all morning and almost all afternoon while the lawyers talked without us, until the bailiff relayed we were done for the next six years.

Funniest thing: As I began to walk the 2.3 miles home, I saw a nearby block called "Fair Ct."

Two More Poems

Click above to read two more of my poems, "Fatalist's Guide to Hygiene" and "Wrong", in the new-look April '06 issue of Defenestration. Thanks to Andrew Kaye, Eileen, Genevieve, and staff, including the mighty, mighty Haratron.

Playoffs?

I have next-to-no interest in this year's NBA playoffs. Why, you ask? The Knicks are not only out of it, but will be a horror show for years. The Nets have cooled off at just the wrong time. The champion will be either Detroit or San Antonio, just like last year.

Rather than watch the playoffs this weekend, I watched early season baseball. There's nothing like the promise of a new season, each team starting fresh.

I Dream of Sara Gilbert

Last night I had a lucid dream of talking with Sara Gilbert at a party. I've never actually met Sara Gilbert, but in the dream we talked as if we'd grown up together.

Only I never watched Roseanne with any regularity, nor did I eat anything before bed to supposedly induce this sort of thing. I did see Sara recently on Celebrity Poker Showdown...

Catherine Mary Stewart

...who I remember as Maggie Gordon from the videogame fantasy The Last Starfighter and Gwen Saunders from Weekend at Bernie's, turns 47 today.

Can Lost Creator Help Trek Find Itself?

Lee Goldberg blogs:

Variety reports that JJ Abrams has been signed to write, produce and direct the 11th STAR TREK movie, along with his LOST team of Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk. Abrams will co-write the movie, which follows the Starfleet Academy years of Kirk and Spock, with his ALIAS and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

More from StarTrek.com:

Although there isn't an official Paramount press release announcing the movie, it is a confirmed project under development with a 2008 release date targeted...

The proposed story will focus on the early days of James T. Kirk and Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and their first mission in space.

...This project is separate from the previously rumored script developed by Eric Jendresen and overseen by Rick Berman. The former Star Trek producer is not involved in this project.

AP: 'The Shield' Producer Scott Brazil Dies at 50

Emmy-winning producer-director Scott Brazil, whose television shows included "The Shield" and "Hill Street Blues," has died. He was 50.

Brazil died Monday of respiratory failure due to Lou Gehrig's disease and lyme disease complications, FX Networks spokesman John Solberg said Wednesday.

Brazil was executive producer of "The Shield," the first original drama series on FX Networks, and he directed 11 episodes. Brazil and "Shield" creator and executive producer Shawn Ryan won the 2002 Golden Globe for drama series.

Although his condition had worsened, Brazil used a motorized wheelchair to go about his duties as "The Shield" producer-director, Ryan said.

...Brazil also directed episodes of "Nip/Tuck," "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI: Miami," "NCIS," "JAG," "Nash Bridges" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." He also directed the pilot of "Playmakers" for ESPN.

As a producer on NBC's "Hill Street Blues," Brazil won two Emmys for drama series in 1983 and 1984, and a Golden Globe in 1983 for TV drama series.

AP: Test Pilot's Body Said Found in Wreckage

By DANIEL YEE

RANGER, Ga. - Legendary test pilot Scott Crossfield, the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound, was found dead Thursday in the wreckage of a single-engine plane in the mountains of northern Georgia, authorities said.

Women of Demolition

The femmes fatales issue of Bryon Quertermous and Dave White's Demolition is now live.

The title Demolition always brings to mind the lyrics,

Here comes the Ax
and here comes the Smasher,
the Demolition,
walking disaster...

Don Mattingly

Currently the New York Yankees batting coach, my favorite all-time baseball player turns 45 today.

RAIN DOGS by Sean Doolittle

Not long after burned-out Chicago reporter Tom Coleman moves to Nebraska having inherited his grandfather's land and boating lodge, he stumbles on an accident scene and is thrust into piecing together what happened, why, and how lodge personnel might be involved.

Recovering from the loss of his daughter to leukemia and subsequent breakup of his marriage, Coleman takes a passive role for much of the novel; however, this is a good change of pace from more classically heroic, less complex protagonists, making for an unpredictable read. Adding interest are Coleman's attempts to bond with the teenaged son of a childhood friend and Coleman's personal search for peace of mind.

Other writers might try too hard to make points or deliver messages. Doolittle lets readers make up their own minds about the characters and what happens to them.

Rain Dogs is the April featured novel on DetecToday. Sean Doolittle will chat with group members this Sunday, April 23, 7:00 - 8:00PM Central.

Billy Dee Trivia

The "Dee" in Billy Dee Williams is short for "December."

DOCTOR NO by Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming's James Bond books were among the first I read for pleasure, and in many ways I found them superior to the movie adaptations. Penguin's recent reprinting of the books as trade paperbacks let me fill out my collection.

Still waiting for May's DetecToday featured novel, I've finished reading Doctor No. Bond is sent to investigate the disappearance of two SIS agents from a listening post in Jamaica and to find out why the reclusive Doctor No seems to be hoarding bird guano—supposedly a valuable resource.

Bond learns Doctor No is obsessed with having power over life and death, and his private island, Crab Key, is equipped with the technology to retarget the world's missiles to his liking.

Aiding Bond this time out are his Jamaican friend Quarrel and the beautiful, naive Honeychile Rider. I found Fleming's attempt at Jamaican speech patterns grating and a chore to read. I'm sure he was going for authenticity, but I would've preferred to recognize more readily what Quarrel was saying. I also stumbled on the censorship of the time (e.g. Bond spat a four-letter word. "____ you, ____ing limey.")

Doctor No's obsession with the human body's pain threshold leads him to put Bond through an obstacle course including electric shock, tarantulas, and a giant squid. Through it all, Bond realistically doubts himself, but you know he has to survive. And finally, this spoiler is too good to resist: Bond kills Doctor No by burying him in loads of bird dung.

Doctor No is a subpar entry between the more memorable From Russia with Love and Goldfinger.

Rhyme and Rhyme Again

Editor Richard Geyer has accepted my poem "The Tease" for the Spring 2006 issue of Contemporary Rhyme.

Tengo el gato los pantalones. ¡El Niño!

Blue Streak star Martin Lawrence turns 41 today.

Galactica By Any Other Name

Lee Goldberg considers opposite takes on Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica and remakes/updates/retellings in general.

I commented:

For the most part, I agree with Lee: Ron Moore's taking over BG is similar to Frank Miller's run of DAREDEVIL comics. His stories of Daredevil's origins were different from Stan Lee's before him, but many fans prefer Miller's telling.

Though no version of GALACTICA has really interested me, I applaud Moore for adding depth. I only regret the show's name because it brings to mind 70s cheese. I suppose the title draws as many viewers as it repels. In my opinion, calling it something else--perhaps as simple as GALACTICA--would more accurately represent Moore's attempt to be fresh.

A Narrow Escape

Click above for the latest MasterCard commercial. In a word, awesome.

[According to IMDb, the commercial premiered during the Super Bowl. It must have slipped past me then. Still awesome.]

Callin' Baton Rouge

Victor Gischler announces:

My wife Jackie accepted a position as assistant professor in the Department of Education at Louisiana State University. I'm moving to Baton Rouge! Mmmmmmm. Gumbo.

Good luck, Jackie, Victor, and family. I took voice lessons at LSU in 1991, which brings to mind the above Garth Brooks song.

STARDUST by Neil Gaiman

My friend who comments here as Obsidian Xerxes has recommended Neil Gaiman's work to me for years. I received Stardust from my friend one Christmas, but having read crime fiction almost exclusively, it was difficult to know just when to jump to fantasy. This week—waiting for next month's DetecToday featured novel to arrive—seemed like as good a time as any. And indeed Stardust, which begins in the pastoral town of Wall, named for the wall between our reality and Faerie, was a fine introduction.

The story begins with Dunstan Thorn, who, while shopping for a gift for a girl, falls for a woman cursed to serve a witch. The woman gives birth to Tristran Thorn, whom she leaves on the village side of Wall to be raised by his human father.

Tristran grows infatuated with the much-courted Victoria Forrester, and one night he promises to bring her a fallen star in exchange for anything he desires. Knowing his son's true origins, Dunstan lets Tristran pursue the star into Faerie.

Meanwhile, a more powerful witch and two surviving princes of a cloud kingdom seek the star for different reasons.

Gaiman's confident narrative and talent for metaphor make it easy to believe in a land where stars are luminous ladies, mountains are slumbering giants, and fables and nursery rhymes are law.

Zap2it.com: 'Boston Legal' Has a Hart to Hart

LOS ANGELES -- Robert Wagner, Dr. Evil's Number Two and long-time TV sleuth Jonathan Hart, will make his way to the offices of Crane, Poole & Schmidt before the season is out.

Wagner will guest-star in the two-hour season finale of ABC's "Boston Legal," the network says. He'll play a character named Ashley Goldman, the senior partner in the firm's Los Angeles office and essentially a West Coast version of Denny Crane (William Shatner).

Shatner and Wagner have never acted opposite one another, so fans of "Boston Legal" could be in for a treat watching the two old pros go at it. Details of the finale's plot haven't been revealed yet.

Barry Eisler Joins the Blogosphere

Thriller writer Barry Eisler will discuss his interests in politics, language, and what's going on in the world on his new blog, The Heart of the Matter.

WENN: Hatcher to Be 'Highest-Paid TV Actress'

Teri Hatcher is expected to become the highest-paid television actress after demanding a cut from numerous lucrative products linked to hit show Desperate Housewives. Hatcher's earnings are set to rocket to at least $6 million after she won a deal to promote the spin-offs, including a computer game and an online fashion store. A source tells British newspaper The Mail on Sunday, "She has been saying that, unlike the stars of Friends, who ended up making a million an episode, she is not getting enough money. "(Series producer) Disney is desperate to keep her happy so has come up with a deal that gives her a cut of profits from the video game, board game and a planned online clothing store. "There are also plans for a cookbook, music DVD and a fragrance. This is going to be a huge, lucrative franchise and Teri has made sure she's getting a cut of every deal. "She will earn at least $6 million from spin-offs alone this year.

Hatcher apparently struggled in the mid-90s after the cancellation of Lois & Clark, so I guess it's good she's cashing in while she can. I just dread she'll be overexposed—if she hasn't been already.

HER LAST CALL TO LOUIS MACNEICE by Ken Bruen

At 124 paperback pages, this is the bloody efficient tale of successful London bank robbers Cooper and Doc. One day while grocery shopping, Cooper spots bewitching American Cassie, They have a quick bite followed by a "quickie" and Cooper comes to, realizing Cassie's slipped him a Mickey. She's also stolen some cash and a pistol, leaving only a note of disturbing poetry.

While Cooper and Doc set about finding Cassie, she begins wreaking havoc on their comfortable lives, undermining their friendship, turning one against the other. A fully realized contemporary tragedy told in Bruen's clipped style. No lulls.

"Of all the screenplays in all the world..."

"Casablanca" named greatest movie script

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Round up the usual suspects: The Writers Guild of America has named "Casablanca" as No. 1 on its first list of the "101 Greatest Screenplays."

The screenplay for the wartime tale of courage and cynicism starring Humphrey Bogart was written by Howard Koch and brothers Julius and Philip Epstein.

It was followed on the list by the screenplay for "The Godfather," written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola; "Chinatown," written by Robert Towne; "Citizen Kane," by Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles; and "All About Eve" by Joseph Mankiewicz.

Rounding out the top 10 were 'Annie Hall," by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman; "Sunset Boulevard" by the writing team of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder and D.M. Marshman Jr.; Paddy Chayefsky's "Network"; Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond's "Some Like It Hot"; and Coppola and Puzo's "The Godfather Part II."

Read full article

See the full list from the WGA site.

E! Online: Spielberg Gets Real for Fox

Steven Spielberg's ready to pull a Donald Trump.

Mr. Billion-Dollar Box Office is teaming with reality mastermind Mark Burnett for On the Lot, an American Idol-meets-The Apprentice-style Fox reality series that aims to find the next, well, Steven Spielberg.

AP: Army Women's Basketball Coach Dead at 28

By Michael Hill, The Associated Press

WEST POINT, N.Y. - A month ago, 28-year-old Army coach Maggie Dixon left the Christl Arena court on the shoulders of jubilant cadets after leading the women's basketball team to its first NCAA tournament berth.

On Friday, Dixon was mourned in a chapel across the U.S. Military Academy's campus, a day after she died following a sudden episode of irregular heartbeat.

Dixon died Thursday night at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, N.Y., academy spokesman Lt. Col. Kent Cassella said.

I didn't know Maggie Dixon, but reading this news reminds me that we never know how much life we'll have, and anything we accomplish in that time is a gift.

EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE by Lawrence Block

Days out of the hospital recovering from an alcoholic seizure, Matt Scudder is hired to help call girl Kim Dakkinen break from her pimp, Chance. Scudder talks to the Chance, who unexpectedly says Kim is free to go. Kim thanks Matt and pays him, and two days later, she is found sliced to death in a hotel room. Suspicion falls on Chance, who again unexpectedly hires Scudder to find the real killer.

As usual, Block shows the knack for creating atmosphere and nuanced characters. Scudder realistically goes from denial to acceptance of his drinking problem. In the meantime, he is more vulnerable than ever, surviving Kim's case only by dogged determination. I've long heard this is a pivotal book in the Scudder series. I have a few more on the shelf. We'll see.

Godspeed, Guyot

Award-winning writer Paul Guyot has announced the final nail in the coffin of his popular blog, Ink Slinger, as he turns to more profitable writing pursuits. Best of luck, Paul.

WENN: Ford and Connery Reunite for ‘Indiana Jones 4’?

Harrison Ford has thrilled fans by hinting at a reunion with Sir Sean Connery on the set of the much-anticipated fourth Indiana Jones movie. The Scottish screen legend wowed fans as the action archeologist's father in the series' third movie, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, and looks set to continue his role into the fourth film. The as-yet untitled movie is still in the pre-production phase but Ford hopes to start work soon. Coy Ford smiles, "I can't really say, but I would hope."

The Butler Did It

Discussion has come up on Spenser's Sneakers about the frequent misspelling of Spenser's name. We know Parker chose the name Spenser for his detective to show a connection to Chandler's Marlowe, but I still wondered why he would choose a name so easily misspelled.

I found this page, explaining that the surname Spenser comes from the Old French despensier, meaning "steward" or "butler", and was brought to England by Norman conquerors in 1066.

Further, the Old French word for butler, bouteillier, means "bottle bearer", which fits Parker's beer-lovin' lug as well. It's possible Parker knew the name's origin and so gave Spenser his culinary talent, and yet I don't think Hawk has ever countered Spenser's racial humor with, "Your name means 'butler', you know."

WENN: Beckinsale Joins 'Wonder Woman' Race

Kate Beckinsale has reportedly joined the race to play Wonder Woman in Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon's upcoming comic book movie. The British actress is in negotiations with Whedon, according to movie gossip website joblo.com. Insiders claim Whedon is "very happy" with Beckinsale and confirmed last week that production on his highly anticipated movie adaptation of the popular comic book series will begin filming in early September. Buffy stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Charisma Carpenter, and teen queen Lindsay Lohan have been linked to the coveted role - which was played on TV by Lynda Carter. Former hot favorite Carpenter even remarked she was putting off having a second baby in the hope of landing the dream role. She recently told a reporter, "I'd like to (have another baby) eventually, but I want Wonder Woman right now. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm crossing my fingers and toes and praying."

Florida 73, UCLA 57

My prediction wrong, congratulations to Billy Donovan, Joakim Noah, and the Florida Gators.

WENN: 'Ocean's Thirteen' Set in Motion

Sea Of Love star Ellen Barkin has signed on as the latest leading lady for the second sequel to hit 2001 movie Ocean's Eleven. Ocean's Thirteen, a follow-up to 2004 sequel Ocean's Twelve will begin filming July 21 at Warner Bros studios in Burbank, California, where a fully operational casino will be built. The first Ocean film was shot at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada and the sequel was shot on location in Europe. Film executives say it became too arduous to shoot a movie around the gambling traffic in a real casino, and decided to build their own casino instead. Barkin will be stepping in to replace former leading ladies Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones and will get closely involved with Matt Damon's character Linus Caldwell. Director/producer Steven Soderbergh is back on board to direct returning cast members George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Carl Reiner and Elliott Gould. Ocean's Thirteen is being fast tracked and is scheduled for a summer 2007 release.

UCLA vs. Florida

I haven't paid much attention to this year's NCAA tournament since George Mason was selected over Hofstra (who had beaten GM twice in regular play). It's good to see two traditionally powerful programs in the finals. I'll be happy with either school winning, but given UCLA's defense under onetime Big East coach Ben Howland, I give the edge to the Bruins.

Crime of the Crop

I'm glad to see Neal Marks's "Down and Out in Brentwood" among the ten finalists for this year's Million Writers Award. Congrats to Neal, Russel McLean, and the staff of Crime Scene Scotland.

Living Vicariously Through Luggage

...is my latest poem accepted to Lunatic Chameleon for publication later this month.

I've also just submitted two poems to Contemporary Rhyme.

April Begins at Apogee

Issue 2 of Apogee Magazine is now available, featuring three poems from me. Let me know what you think.

Thanks to editor Heather Bowden.