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LOOK WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY’S BABY (1976) FORGOTTEN TELEVISION

look whats happened to rosemarys babyLOOK WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ROSEMARY’S BABY (1976) – With The First Omen currently in theaters, its creative team’s obvious desire to make their Omen prequel seem more like Rosemary’s Baby made me decide to review the often forgotten made-for-television sequel to that horror classic. 

Let’s be clear that this telefilm has nothing to do with Ira Levin or his later sequel novel Son of Rosemary. Levin’s genius was sorely missed in Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby, an aggressively “meh” little nothing. After all, in addition to his novel Rosemary’s Baby, Ira Levin wrote the books The Stepford Wives, A Kiss Before Dying, The Boys from Brazil and Sliver

Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby (henceforth LWHTRB) featured Ruth Gordon as the only returning cast member from the 1968 movie, reprising her role of Minnie Castevet. Ray Milland played her husband Roman Castevet and George Maharis portrayed Rosemary’s actor husband Guy Woodhouse.
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NCAA D3 COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPS PLUS NJCAA ACTION

NCAA DIVISION THREE

trine thunderNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The TRINE UNIVERSITY THUNDER clashed with the HAMPDEN-SYDNEY COLLEGE TIGERS for the D3 title.

Both teams played suffocating defense in the 1st Half, with the Tigers clinging to a tight 25-23 edge at the midpoint. After the break the Thunder offense kicked into action, outscoring Hampden-Sydney College 46-36 for a 69-61 victory. Cortez Garland scored 22 points to lead Trine University.  Continue reading

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THE HULK: EARLY 1970s

This weekend’s light-hearted, escapist superhero blog post from Balladeer’s Blog will look at several consecutive issues of The Incredible Hulk. Previously I examined his first twenty stories in the 1960s.

hulk 150HULK Vol 1 #150 (April 1972)

Title: Cry Hulk, Cry Havok

Villains: Havok and Polaris

Synopsis: Hulk once again escapes from Hulkbuster Base despite the efforts of General “Thunderbolt” Ross and his troops to prevent it. Ross gets summoned to Washington D.C. to face a Senate committee regarding continued funding of his base.

In Ross’s absence, Major Glenn Talbot is left in charge. Betty Ross, Bruce Banner’s previous romantic interest, convinces Glenn to continue the base’s search for the Hulk in the American desert southwest. Hulk encounters X-Men member Polaris (Lorna Dane). Her green hair confuses Hulk into mistaking her for his love interest Jarella, who recently returned to the Microverse/ Quantum Realm. 

havok and polarisNOTE: Thanks to sorcerers on Jarella’s home planet in the Microverse, Hulk was able to retain Bruce Banner’s mind there even when he was the Hulk, so she technically loved both his personae.

Polaris has come westward to convince her teammate Havok (Alex Summers) to return to the X-Men. He had stormed out after injuring Iceman in a fight over Lorna’s affections. Hulk wants her to come with him because he still thinks she is Jarella.

Havok dons his costume and follows after them. Polaris uses her magnetic powers to free herself from the Hulk’s clutches and Havok manages to blast the Hulk with such intense power blasts that the monster is knocked out. Continue reading

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BY AEROPLANE TO THE SUN (1910) ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

by aeroplane to the sunBY AEROPLANE TO THE SUN (1910) – Written by Donald W. Horner. This British novel features ideas that wouldn’t have been out of place decades earlier but in 1910 it’s astounding to encounter concepts like an alleged scientist believing that the sun is inhabited.   

The story is set in the far-off year 2000 A.D. Automobiles run on electricity, wireless video telephones are available and fluorescent lighting is commonplace. The British Parliament is now majority female and women have passed legislation stating that in a Leap Year women may propose to men and the men must accept or be subjected to ruinous fines. 

Wealthy astronomer (?) Dick Stevenson fears that his neighbor Cynthia Meadows will propose to him, and in the semi-comical setting of this novel goes so far as to design and construct a spaceship – which he calls an aeroplane. He plans to be off exploring space long enough for Leap Year to be over.

Stevenson decides to mount an expedition to the sun because in the year 2000 we are told that the moon and Mars have been thoroughly explored. The brick-shaped spaceship/ aeroplane is built from the newly discovered metal called zioomium, which is as light as silk but stronger than steel. Continue reading

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THE VILLON LEGEND PART TWO

This is the second part of Balladeer’s Blog’s look at the swashbuckling legends that surround Francois Villon (1431-1463?), remembered as one of France’s greatest poets.

villon coverFRANCOIS VILLON – This part picks up with one of the most infamous incidents from Villon’s career as an outlaw and iconoclast. He graduated from the Sorbonne as a Master of Arts and had acquired such a reputation for youthful rebellion and hard-drinking bad craziness that “Villonerie” had become a catch-all term for disorder and disobedience. 

Along the way Francoise had turned out a body of verse attacking and satirizing callous royalty and hypocritical religious leaders. In 1451 Villon and some of his rowdier cohorts targeted an elaborate theft as a prank against one Mademoiselle de Bruyeres, a huffy woman who led a personal crusade against every woman she believed to be a prostitute.

Recently she had harassed the honest young women who worked as linen weavers in the Marche au Fille, her paranoid mind labeling them all as sex workers based on no evidence. Villon and company sought to strike for the honor of those slandered ladies.  Continue reading

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NCAA D2 COLLEGE BASKETBALL CHAMPS CROWNED PLUS D3 PLAYOFFS

NCAA DIVISION TWO

Minnesota State Mavericks logoNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – This clash for the crown pitted the MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS against the NOVA SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SHARKS.

Come Halftime the Sharks were clinging to a 40-38 edge over Minnesota State. From there the Mavericks managed a comeback, ultimately defeating Nova Southeastern by a final tally of 88-85. Dylan Peeters tossed in 19 points to lead MSU to victory.

NCAA DIVISION THREE Continue reading

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GOOD EVENING, MR. TIBBS (1987) – THE FINAL VIRGIL TIBBS STORY

virgil tibbs standingGOOD EVENING, MR. TIBBS – As promised, I recently obtained a copy of author John Ball’s final story featuring his iconic African American homicide detective Virgil Tibbs. Yes, THAT Virgil Tibbs, introduced in the 1965 novel and 1966 movie In the Heat of the Night.

Roughly ten days back I reviewed John Ball’s subsequent novels and short stories about the brilliant and coolly professional Virgil Tibbs. This final short story, Good Evening, Mr. Tibbs, followed the 1986 Tibbs novel Singapore.   

Unlike that novel, this tale depicts Virgil in his home territory of Pasadena, California. (It was only in the movies that Tibbs worked in Philadelphia and San Francisco.) In the middle of the night a woman’s dead body is found in the center of the street. Circumstances prompt a call to bring in Pasadena’s senior Homicide Detective – our man Virgil. Continue reading

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NCCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES AND NCAA DIVISION TWO RESULTS

NCCAA DIVISION ONE

cedarville u yellow jacketsNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The top seeds – the CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY YELLOW JACKETS – took on the 2nd seeded WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PIONEERS (should be Flying Ws) in this title tilt.

Come Halftime the Yellow Jackets were nursing a 35-31 edge. After the break Cedarville University left the Pioneers further and further behind on their way to an 88-72 triumph. Grant Whisman and Chris Rogers led the Yellow Jackets with 20 points each. 

NCCAA DIVISION TWO

crown college polars logoNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The last two teams standing in this Division were the top seeded CROWN COLLEGE POLAR BEARS and the 3 seeds – the NORTH CENTRAL UNIVERSITY RAMS. 

The Polar Bears were on top of their opponents 35-29 at the Half. From there the Rams mounted a furious rally which fell just short as Crown College held on to win the game 75-72. The Polar Bears were led by Tyrus Buckner, who came up just short of a Double Double with his THIRTY points and 9 rebounds. Continue reading

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MORE SILENT FILMS ABOUT THE CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS

jesus speakingHAPPY EASTER, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! The good response to my blog post about one of the silent films depicting Jesus Christ and the Crucifixion has prompted me to provide the following list of more such silent movies – both shorts and feature films.

Here they are in no particular order:   

ChristusCHRISTUS (1916) – Directed by Giulio Cesare Antamoro, this is a fascinating look at Jesus, from the Angel visiting Mary through his Resurrection and subsequent visit with his Apostles. Christus runs 88 minutes and features some inventive variations on Biblical tableaux. The Star of Bethlehem is depicted as a comet; when Mary finds young Jesus preaching to his teachers His shadow appears as a cross; and Judas gets three visions of the Devil – first urging him on to betray Jesus, then taunting him when he regrets that betrayal, and finally welcoming him into Hell, which opens up under Judas’ swinging corpse.  Continue reading

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THE DUTCH SUPERHERO DE STILLE GETUIGE (THE SILENT WITNESS)

This weekend’s light-hearted and escapist superhero post here at Balladeer’s Blog looks at the Dutch-created superhero de Stille Getuige, created by Steven de Rie.

silent witnessDE STILLE GETUIGE (The Silent Witness)

Secret Identity: Koen Ernst

NOTE: Koen Ernst was a Dutch-Belgian policeman stationed in Antwerp. Dutch-Belgian artist and writer Steven de Rie created de Stille Getuige in 1987 but the figure did not see publication until 1989 in the pages of Veteranen – Het Album (Veterans – The Album).  

Origin: Police officer Koen Ernst clashed with the supernaturally powered villain Siam Silkpoint. The mystical criminal maneuvered Ernst into the clutches of the beautiful witch Miro Pyro. That witch tore out Koen Ernst’s tongue in the course of the origin story which saw the former policeman gain mystical powers himself as the Silent Witness.  Continue reading

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