Tag Archives: blogging

March 5, 2018 · 11:22 pm

BIBLE COLLEGE NIT CHAMPS CROWNED PLUS MORE POSTSEASON COLLEGE BASKETBALL ACTION

BIBLE COLLEGE NIT

Mid-Atlantic Christian U MustangsCHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing in this tournament were the 4 seeds – the MID-ATLANTIC CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS – and the 2nd seeded TRINITY BAPTIST COLLEGE EAGLES. (Insert my usual remark about there being way too many college teams called Eagles.)

The Mustangs were clearly hungry for their first-ever National Championship and had seized a 39-23 advantage by Halftime. After the break Mid-Atlantic Christian University managed a bit more separation from the pursuing Eagles, ultimately winning the game by a final tally of 75-54. The Mustangs’ Grayson Tejada led the victors with 18 points while his teammate Dixon Ogwo notched a Double Double of 14 points and 16 rebounds. * THE MUSTANGS ARE 2018 BIBLE COLLEGE CHAMPIONS * 

ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN COLLEGE ATHLETICS

ozark christian college ambassadorsDAY ONE, GAME ONE – The storied OZARK CHRISTIAN COLLEGE AMBASSADORS opened the action with a game against the ASSOCIATION FREE LUTHERAN BIBLE SCHOOL CONQUERORS.

The Ambassadors negotiated their way to a 46-35 lead to end the action-packed opening Half. The Conquerors kept things a little tighter after the break but Ozark Christian College went on to win this shootout 98-85. Bryce Money of the Ambassadors tossed in 25 points to lead OCC. Continue reading →

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March 5, 2018 · 4:20 pm

THE RATINGS GAME (1984): MOVIE REVIEW

Ratings GameTHE RATINGS GAME (1984) – Danny DeVito directed and starred in this telefilm – now being re-released under the vague-to-the-point-of-meaningless title The Mogul, which was produced by Showtime back when they and HBO Films were emerging as a genuine creative force in original content.

That era saw HBO Films churn out many made-for-cable movies that reflected studio-level production values and often adapted fictional and non-fictional properties that neither networks nor Hollywood felt like tackling at the time.

Telefilms like And The Band Played On, Barbarians at the Gate, Gotti, Kissinger and Nixon plus many, many others received critical acclaim AND proved commercially successful when released on video or in syndication to – ironically – network television.  

Ratings Game bThe Ratings Game – written by Jim Mulholland and Michael Barrie – was a perfectly respectable satire on the network television ratings system but it has become unjustly forgotten. The change of title for its latest release seems like a desperate attempt to change the telefilm’s fortunes. 

Personally I really like The Ratings Game. It definitely qualifies as one for my list of Aristophanes Now productions, in this case because it captures the feel of the Parathespian Comedies from Attic Old Comedy. (But let’s face it, it would probably have been written by Strattis instead of Aristophanes.)

Part of the reason for this telefilm’s obscurity may be the way it satirized the flaws in the network ratings system. This flick was released when Nielsen and similar ratings outfits still often used a mere 1,100-1,200 participating homes to extrapolate the ratings numbers on which television programs lived or died.    Continue reading →

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March 4, 2018 · 11:52 pm

USCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPS CROWNED + MORE POSTSEASON ACTION

USCAA DIVISION ONE

rochestercollegewarriorsCHAMPIONSHIP GAME – A pair of Cinderellas vied for the Division One title in the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association). The 5th seeded ROCHESTER COLLEGE WARRIORS played the 6 seeds – the OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY AMBASSADORS.

The Warriors grabbed a 35-25 lead by Halftime and after the break kept getting more and more separation from the Ambassadors. The final score in this game was Rochester College 80  Oakwood University 61. Justin Nafso’s 27 points led the victors. * THE WARRIORS ARE USCAA CHAMPIONS * Continue reading →

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March 4, 2018 · 8:39 pm

PANTHER’S RAGE FOUR: BUT NOW THE SPEARS ARE BROKEN

But Now The Spears Are BrokenFOR PART ONE CLICK HERE 

JUNGLE ACTION Volume 2, Number 9 (May 1974)

IV. BUT NOW THE SPEARS ARE BROKEN 

Synopsis: Like a pre-credits sequence in an action movie blockbuster, this chapter of Panther’s Rage opens up with the Black Panther fighting a rampaging rhinoceros to save some Wakandan children from being stampeded by it. Ultimately T’Challa breaks the rhino’s neck, killing it.

The Wakandan parents are very grateful and when the Black Panther rejoins his Royal Consort Monica Lynne the two talk about the incident. They reflect on how a nice p.r. moment like that doesn’t hurt but T’Challa still has a long way to go to regain his people’s complete trust.

That night a Wakandan man named M’Jumbak is killed as the latest victim of Killmonger’s subordinate whom Erik has given the revolutionary name Baron Macabre. Preying on the superstitions of the Wakandan poor and working class the Baron theatrically rises from graveyards accompanied by seemingly animated corpses.

He’s been thus terrorizing Wakanda City and several outlying villages.   Continue reading →

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March 4, 2018 · 4:44 pm

FILM MAG: THE FANTASTIC FIFTIES

Fantastic FiftiesFrom the U.K. it’s the latest issue of The Fantastic Fifties: Filmland’s Most Fabulous Decade.

The Spring 2018 edition is now available, featuring articles on Screen Goddesses of the 1950s, Alfred Hitchcock’s output for that decade, plus robots from Forbidden Planet, the neglected psychotronic flick Gog  and The Colossus of New York – which I like to call They Saved Ross Martin’s Brain.

There have been four regular issues and an Annual Special dedicated to Peplums. Each issue is approximately 64 pages and they sell for just shy of ten Pounds in the U.K. and around $15 for U.S. customers plus international shipping.

Here are the covers for the other four issues that are available PLUS the info for buying copies:  Continue reading →

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March 3, 2018 · 11:41 pm

BASKETBALL: BIBLE COLLEGE NIT AND USCAA NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS CONTINUE

BIBLE COLLEGE NIT

Mid-Atlantic Christian U MustangsDAY ONE, GAME ONE – The 4 seeds – the MID-ATLANTIC CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS – took the court against the 5th seeded DAYSPRING BIBLE COLLEGE EAGLES (I told you there are too many teams called Eagles).

This was a tight game at the break, as the Mustangs held a slim 34-30 edge over the Eagles. In the 2nd Half Mid-Atlantic Christian University asserted themselves, getting more and more separation from Dayspring Bible College, ultimately winning the game by a score of 74-55. DaQuon Copeland tossed in 15 points to lead the Mustangs.   Continue reading →

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March 3, 2018 · 5:33 pm

PANTHER’S RAGE THREE: MALICE BY CRIMSON MOONLIGHT

Malice By Crimson MoonlightFOR PART ONE CLICK HERE 

JUNGLE ACTION Volume 2, Number 8 (January 1974)

III. MALICE BY CRIMSON MOONLIGHT

Synopsis: In an opening layout of brilliantly drawn panels that even Will Eisner could have envied, in the first few pages of this issue we readers are shown multiple events going on in one night:

*** The Black Panther is undergoing various physical ordeals as part of the periodic rituals he must endure to prove he is still deserving of the Panther Herbs that give him his superhuman abilities.

*** Malice, a beautiful, super-strong and super-fast woman who wields a vibranium spear, makes her stealthy way out of the surrounding jungle, through the nighttime streets of Wakanda’s capital city and penetrates the Panther Palace itself. 

Presently we join one lone event – Malice’s further infiltration of the Panther Palace. She overcomes Zatama, one of T’Challa’s (The Black Panther’s) Tribal Advisors, and threatens him until he reveals the location of the cell where her fellow villain Venomm is held prisoner. (Last issue the Black Panther captured Venomm and shut down the secret operations of Killmonger’s Death Regiments in the mines behind Warrior Falls. )

Once she has the info she needs, Malice knocks out Zatama and conceals his body. Then she resumes her ninja-like advance to the Palace’s prison cells.

Back outside the palace walls, the Panther Herb ritual has advanced to the point where T’Challa is lying face-up on the ground while the High Priest Mendinao and his subordinates have begun to coat the Black Panther’s body with liquid versions of the herbs.

American singing star Monica Lynne, T’Challa’s Royal Consort, happens to stumble upon the scene and mistakenly believes that the prone Black Panther is in danger. She interrupts the ongoing ritual, hurling accusations at W’Kabi and Mendinao that they’ve been bribed by Killmonger to assassinate T’Challa. Continue reading →

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March 2, 2018 · 11:39 pm

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: USCAA TOURNAMENT CONTINUES

USCAA DIVISION ONE

Oakwood AmbassadorsFIRST SEMIFINAL – The 6th seeded OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY AMBASSADORS kept their Upset Mojo rolling, this time against the 2 seeds – the UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FORT KENT BENGALS.

The Bengals took a 37-32 lead into the locker room at the Half only to see the Ambassadors overtake them after the break. By game’s end Oakwood University was still alive in the tournament, having defeated UM-Fort Kent by a final score of 77-72. Talik Talton led the Ambassadors with 19 points and 7 rebounds. Continue reading →

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March 2, 2018 · 10:00 am

THE GIANT CLAW (1957) ON THE TEXAS 27 FILM VAULT

The Secret of the Bermuda Triangle Revealed

The Secret of the Bermuda Triangle Revealed

Before MST3K there was … The Texas 27 Film Vault!

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of this neglected cult show from the mid-1980s. Thanks to my research through VERY old newspapers, interviews with Randy Clower and emails from fellow fans of T27FV here is another in a series where original broadcast dates of episodes can be determined.

Episode originally aired: Saturday April 6th, 1985 from 10:30pm to 1:00am. 

Serial: Before the movie our machine-gun toting “Film Vault Technicians First Class” Randy Clower and Richard Malmos showed an episode of The Lost City, the legendarily campy and bizarre sci-fi serial from 1935.

Film Vault Lore: Thank you to my fellow T27FV fan Dolores for this episode’s date, the serial and for this quote about Ken Miller, who played “Tex” on the show: “I loved the random bits of madness added by the gung ho Tex each episode! He always reminded me of Robert Duvall’s character Kilgore from Apocalypse Now. My favorite catch-phrase from Tex was when he would say “Commies don’t watch bad movies!” the way Duvall said “Charley don’t surf!” in Apocalypse Now.”  

The Movie: The Giant Claw is another of those staples of bad movie shows. It’s been presented by just about every Movie Host program at one time or another. Because of the film’s familiarity I will keep this review short. Continue reading →

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March 1, 2018 · 11:54 pm

USCAA NATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS UNDERWAY IN BOTH DIVISIONS

USCAA DIVISION ONE

Florida National University ConquistadorsDAY ONE, GAME ONE – The 2018 Tournament in Division One of the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association) tipped off with the top seeded FLORIDA NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CONQUISTADORS taking on the 8 seeds – the BLUEFIELD STATE BIG B’s.

The Conquistadors were well and truly manhandling the Big B’s, leading them 41-28 by Halftime. After the break Florida National University kept Bluefield State at arm’s length the rest of the way, ultimately defeating them 82-68. Terence Johnson led the way for the Conquistadors with his Double Double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. 

Oakwood AmbassadorsDAY ONE, GAME TWO – Up next the 6 seeds – the OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY AMBASSADORS – surprised the 3rd seeded FLORIDA COLLEGE FALCONS.

The Ambassadors officially put the Falcons on Upset Alert by the break as they led them by a count of 40-34. Though Florida College outscored Oakwood University 37-32 in the 2nd Half the Ambassadors emerged with a 72-71 triumph. Ollie Felps’ 14 points led Oakwood U, reflecting what a true Team Effort this upset was. 

Maine Fort Kent BengalsDAY ONE, GAME THREE – This game pitted the 2nd seeded UNIVERSITY OF MAINE AT FORT KENT BENGALS against the 7 seeds – the DEAN COLLEGE BULLDOGS.

The 1st Half ended with the Bengals holding a commanding 37-26 advantage over the Bulldogs. From there the pursuing Dean College nibbled a tiny bit out of the University of Maine at Fort Kent lead but still lost to them 80-71. The Bengals were led by Anthony Knight with his 24 points. Continue reading →

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