January 8th is the combined marking of Elvis Presley’s birthday and the Battle of New Orleans, in which General Andrew Jackson and French Pirate Jean Lafitte defeated the British in the final battle of the War of 1812.
In the past Balladeer’s Blog has observed this date with looks at the musical Rock’N’Roll vs The Redcoats and with an article on the whole Orion/ Elvis situation. This time I’m taking a quick look at some early Elvis movies.
LOVE ME TENDER (1956) – Elvis was the latest reason that the saga of the Reno Gang/ Reno Brothers got distorted on the big screen. The need to turn the Reno story into a vehicle for Elvis Presley made this attempt the most unintentionally funny of them all.
Favorite Part: A scene between Elvis, playing Clint Reno, and Richard Egan, playing Vance Reno. Despite the fact that the long-missing Vance was given up for dead and Elvis married his mourning girlfriend in the meantime the Side-Burned One actually asks “What’s troublin’ you, Vance?” That question has been a catch-phrase for me ever since I first saw this flick on late-night tv.
Favorite Weirdass Song: Let Me Continue reading
CAL MARITIME KEELHAULERS 
TRINITY CHRISTIAN COLLEGE TROLLS 
COLUMBIA COLLEGE FIGHTING KOALAS 
REINOLD, MAUGRIS THE MAGICIAN AND THE ENCHANTED HORSE BAYARD – Reinold was another of Charlemagne’s nephews, like the Paladin Roland. Reinold, also called Rinaldo, was the son of the Emperor’s sister Aya and her husband, Duke Aymon of Ardennes. Reinold’s sister Bradamante, covered previously at Balladeer’s Blog, was the white-armored Paladin in Charlemagne’s court, making her literally a “white knight.”
Once, while riding outside Paris, Reinold was presented with a magnificent suit of armor by Maugris the magician, the younger, more active counterpart to Merlin from Arthurian lore. (In some versions Maugris – aka Malagigi – also gives Reinold a horse, but since this tale centers around Reinold’s taming of the mount Bayard I’m omitting that to keep the story stream-lined.) 
DOWN GOES NUMBER NINE – The 22nd ranked TEXAS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY RAMS welcomed the number 9 team in the nation – the WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PIONEERS (Should be the Flying Ws). The key words were “Upset Massacre” as the Rams led the Pioneers 40-22 at Halftime, then obliterated them by a final tally of NINETY-SEVEN to FIFTY! Peyton Sallee led Texas Wesleyan with 26 points. 
OTHER UPSETS IN THE RANKINGS – The LYON COLLEGE SCOTS, often called the team of all Americans of Scottish descent, toppled the visiting 18th ranked CENTRAL BAPTIST COLLEGE MUSTANGS in a 65-61 Instant Classic ### And the LIFE UNIVERSITY (GA) RUNNING EAGLES notched a 72-57 Road Upset of the number 19 LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE BLUE RAIDERS. 
COMMUNITY NIGHT CHAOS – The SAINT LOUIS COLLEGE OF PHARMACY EUTECTICS took it on the road against the HANNIBAL-LAGRANGE UNIVERSITY TROJANS on their Community Night event. The Eutectics were chasing the Trojans 34-26 at the Half before outscoring their hosts 50-33 from there for a 76-67 triumph. Jordan Anderson led the victors with 19 points. 
AMAZING ADVENTURES Vol 2 #39 (November 1976) 
It is now January 2020, but we can just call it “44 years from now” as it would have been to 1976 readers. The setting is the Okefenokee Swamp, an unknown number of days after the previous issue’s New Year’s Eve celebration between Killraven and his Freemen and Brother Axe and his military-uniformed rebel colony. 
Balladeer’s Blog’s previous items on hilariously failed predictions by “psychics” were so popular here’s a fourth installment. 
NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Division One – 1. MID-AMERICA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY EVANGELS ### 2. UNIVERSITY OF PIKEVILLE BEARS ### 3. GEORGETOWN (KY) COLLEGE TIGERS ### 4. THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS ### 5. WILLIAM PENN UNIVERSITY STATESMEN ### 
6. LSU-SHREVEPORT PILOTS (Riverboat Pilots) ### 7. UNIVERSITY OF PROVIDENCE (MT) ARGONAUTS ### 8. JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY GOLDEN EAGLES (Should be the Abolitionists) ### 9. WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY PIONEERS (Should be the Flying Ws) ### 10. LOYOLA (LA) UNIVERSITY WOLFPACK ### 
Balladeer’s Bowl always pits the NAIA football champs against the NCAA D3 football champs. The results are in, and the NAIA champs got the victory. The MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE MUSTANGS defeated the NORTH CENTRAL (IL) COLLEGE CARDINALS in Balladeer’s Bowl X. 
2020 TEXAS GLADIATORS (1982) – HAPPY NEW YEAR! Balladeer’s Blog’s Weirdness at the End of the World welcomes in the year 2020 with a look at what Texas will be like in a few months. There are changes coming your way, Texans! 
Their black wigs with built-in headbands are one thing, their less than authentic vests are another thing, their Tonto way of speaking still another, but the POST-APOCALYPSE TEEPEES they live in will bring a smile to the lips of any true fan of really bad exploitation movies. 
