BALLADEER’S BLOG
Today is January 13th, which also happens to be a Friday. On past instances of Friday the 13th, Balladeer’s Blog has done posts about the 1907 novel Friday the 13th, about the PRE-Jason Voorhees Friday the 13th horror movie, about one of the 50 Shades of Grey movies hitting theaters on Friday the 13th, and about the airing of Friday the 13th Part 3D on an old movie host show in the 1980s.
For today, I’ll take a look at noteworthy events on other January 13ths, most of which were not Fridays, but what the hell?
888 A.D. – Charles the Fat’s successor, Count Odo of Paris assumes the throne as King of West Francia.
1404 – The English Parliament passes the Act of Multipliers, making it illegal for alchemists to use their abilities to transmute lesser substances into precious metals. The outdated and buffoonish Paul Krugman probably believes that such legislation is still necessary.
1605 – The satirical comedy Eastward Ho!, by Ben Jonson and two co-authors, offends England’s King James, who has two of the authors imprisoned. Here in 2023 it is mostly emotional cripples on social media that want people imprisoned or worse for offending them. Continue reading
BRADAMANTE VS ATLANTES – We left off in the previous installment with Bradamante, the female Paladin in white armor, waiting at an inn in Bordeaux for her foretold encounter with the clever dwarf Brunello. Presently the day had come when Brunello arrived, but before she could approach him, both of them were swept up in a crowd of bystanders in a panic, pointing to the sky as the enchanter astride the winged horse once again flew overhead. 
Brunello pretended not to know what happened to the abductees, but the female Paladin had been told by the priestess Melissa that they were used as companions for her missing beloved, Ruggiero. Atlantes had trained and raised Ruggiero since the latter’s childhood and feared the prophecies that the warrior would one day be led away from Islam by his love for Bradamante. 
LES GRANDS DETECTIVES (1975) – A few years back in Balladeer’s Blog’s Forgotten Television category, I reviewed every episode of the British television and radio series 
THE SIX DEAD MEN (April 21st, 1975) 
DOWN GOES NUMBER ONE – In this game the VANGUARD UNIVERSITY LIONS welcomed the number 1 team in the nation – the ARIZONA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY FIRESTORM. Though the Firestorm were on top 43-39 come Halftime, after the break the Lions roared from behind to win the game 84-76. Garrett White led VU with his Double-Double of 24 points and 10 rebounds. 
CENTURY CLUB – Teams who scored 100 points or more in Regulation: the JOHNSON UNIVERSITY (TN) ROYALS won 111-82 against the ST. ANDREWS UNIVERSITY KNIGHTS ### The TEXAS A&M AT TEXARKANA EAGLES (should be the Texarks) downed the OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY SAINTS 110-95 ### And the MAYVILLE STATE COMETS won 101-82 at the VITERBO UNIVERSITY V-HAWKS. 
BREWING A BLOWOUT – The BREWTON-PARKER COLLEGE BARONS played host to the VOORHEES UNIVERSITY TIGERS. The Barons had utterly humiliated the Tigers by the Half with a 38-11 lead, and from there they coasted to a 76-42 triumph. Lance Smith logged a Double-Double of 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead Brewton-Parker College. 
AVENGERS Vol 1 #38 (March 1967) 
BRADAMANTE IN THE WIZARD’S TOMB – We left off last time around with Mandricardo searching for the Paladin Roland so he could try to kill him and steal from him the sword Durindana, thus completing the armor of Hector. The female Paladin in white armor, Bradamante, was searching for Ruggiero the Moor, from whom she had gotten separated a few installments back. Ruggiero was likewise searching for her. 
ALPHA ALPHA (1972) – This time around in Balladeer’s Blog’s Forgotten Television category comes this German sci-fi series which ran for 13 episodes from May 17th to August 2nd of 1972. Every episode of Alpha Alpha was written and directed by Wolfgang F. Henschel and ran for 25 minutes, meaning it would nicely fit a half hour time slot with commercials. 
This television series was a German variation of other country’s programs like Quatermass, The X-Files and so many others both before and since. 
Lilith Ungerer costarred as the operative codenamed Beta, Arthur Brauss played Gamma, Horst Sachtleben was Dr. Simak and Gisela Hoetter provided the female voice of the outfit’s computer. Along with Karl Michael Vogler, these five were the only actors to appear in all 13 episodes. Heinz Engelmann showed up twice as the Chief. 
MANDRICARDO AND THE ARMOR OF HECTOR – Last time around in the Tales of Charlemagne and His Paladins we left off with Ruggiero searching the Forest of Arden for Bradamante, the female Paladin in white armor, with whom he had fallen in love. They had become separated while fighting some of the Saracen soldiers invading Charlemagne’s realm at the time. 
NEW YEAR’S DAY (1989) – HAPPY NEW YEAR! Balladeer’s Blog welcomes in 2023 with this review of Henry Jaglom’s comedy-drama New Year’s Day, released on December 13th, 1989, and best known for the appearance of an all-nude David Duchovny. Jaglom wrote and directed this movie, as he had so many before it. Henry also plays a major role in New Year’s Day as Drew, a middle-aged writer/ director who recently got a divorce and has moved back to New York City from Los Angeles to start anew. 
Balladeer's Blog 