Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 83
August 10, 2023
August 10, 2023: Unusual Deaths!
#UnusualDeaths
A dispute between two rival bat excrement collectors ended with the death of five individuals when a grenade was thrown into guano-infested bat cave in the Pak Chong district of Nakhon Ratchasima province in Thailand on 2 April, 1998. pic.twitter.com/thWzcM7Y5g
— Joseph Mallozzi
(@BaronDestructo) August 5, 2023
#UnusualDeaths
246 people were killed by ice balls the size of grapefruits when an area outside Moradabad, India was hit by history's deadliest hailstorm on 30 April, 1888. pic.twitter.com/0qTtpIxfEj
— Joseph Mallozzi
#UnusualDeaths
A Romanian fire-eating circus performer, Vlad Cazacu, was killed when he belched mid-act, igniting flammable liquid he had inadvertently swallowed and blowing himself apart. There were unconfirmed reports his head was found in a popcorn machine. pic.twitter.com/dyPwXgyyjq
— Joseph Mallozzi
#UnusualDeaths
In 1996, the body of a cleaning service employee was found 7 hours after he got fell into an industrial tumble dryer. pic.twitter.com/rhFrGaPWoC
— Joseph Mallozzi
#UnusualDeaths
On June 14, 1998, two men fishing on Fox Lake, Illinois tossed an M-250 firecracker into the water – only to have a wind gust push their boat over the firecracker just before it detonated. The boat sank, one man drowned and the other managed to swim to safety. pic.twitter.com/FVgYXLbKPJ
— Joseph Mallozzi
The post August 10, 2023: Unusual Deaths! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
August 9, 2023
August 9, 2023: Amazing Covers!
A few that caught my eye this week…
Avengers #4 – cover art by Alex Ross
Children of the Vault #1 – cover art by Rod Reis
Immortal X-Men #14 – cover art by Mark Brooks
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #9 – cover art by Miguel Mercado
The Amazing Spider-Man #31 – cover art by John Tyler Christopher
Barbarella: The Center Cannot Hold #5 – cover art by Celina
Vampirella/Dracula #5 – cover art by Celina
Superman 2023 Annual #1 – cover art by Mark “Jock” Simpsons
Maskerade #7 – cover art by Kael Ngu
The Madness #1 – cover art by Aco
Sleep Beauty: The Nightmare Queen – cover art by Jay Anacleto
So, which were YOUR favorites?
The post August 9, 2023: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
August 8, 2023
August 8, 2023: Meanwhile, on the home front!
Call off the vengeance. I’m fine!
Sampling whole grain mustard…
Me imitating Akemi’s laugh…
P.S. The endoscopy went swimmingly!
Today’s Yes/No…
Ketchup Nuggets? Yes/No https://t.co/nJztp9Ublk
— Joseph Mallozzi
The post August 8, 2023: Meanwhile, on the home front! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
August 7, 2023
August 7, 2023: Avenge me!
Late last year, I was feeling under the weather. Consistently. And particularly at night. I would wake up, drenched in sweat and incredibly nauseous. I couldn’t sleep on either side or flat on my back and was only comfortable propped up at a 45 degree angle. Every time I ate, I was assailed by endless indigestion. This went on for months. I went to see the doctor and he suspected GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) and prescribed me some proton pump inhibitors. That didn’t really work. So he prescribed me a stronger dose. And, when I wasn’t feeling any better, I had an endoscopy that showed irritation but no other causes for concern – so I was prescribed an even stronger proton pump inhibitor. Fed up, I went home and did the one thing everyone tells you not to do. I did my own research. And came across a video that pretty much outlined my condition – the indigestion, the acid-reflux, the constant antacid popping that provided little to any relief. According to them, my problem wasn’t too much stomach acid. It was actually too little – and suggested I rectify the situation by drinking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar diluted in water ever morning. So I did. And felt instant relief.
I ended up incorporating sauerkraut into my diet, as per the videos suggestion, and switched up by dinner routine. In the past, it was always steel cut Irish oatmeal, oat milk, protein powder peanut or almond butter, and fruits. Now, it’s a couple of eggs, kefir, and fruit. Not only do I feel better, but I love 5 lbs. Now if I can only figure out what to do with the 50 varied proton pump inhibitors sitting in my medicine cabinet.
I bring this up because, out of the blue last month, I received a note from the endoscopy clinic informing me that I was due for a follow-up (tomorrow). I feel much better and would prefer to skip it but, on Akemi’s insistence, I’ll go. However, I am NOT a fan of going under. I’m sure they do hundreds of these a year and it’s all very mundane which should somehow be reassuring, but I can’t help but think of the tone person I once worked with who went under and never came back out.
So, all this to say, if you don’t hear from me tomorrow -avenge me!
The post August 7, 2023: Avenge me! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
August 6, 2023
August 6, 2023: Suji Sunday!
Intense workout.
All fancy like.
Out and about.
Couch banana.
Dinner with dad
The post August 6, 2023: Suji Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
August 6, 023: Suji Sunday!
Intense workout.
All fancy like.
Out and about.
Couch banana.
Dinner with dad
The post August 6, 023: Suji Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
August 5, 2023
August 5, 2023: Unusual Deaths!
#UnusualDeaths
Following a 9-day hospital stay for treatment of asthma and emphysema, a resident of Pontiac, Michigan complained of feeling like something was stuck in his throat. He was rushed back to hospital but died. Cause of death: choking on a latex surgical glove. pic.twitter.com/iR2w05NfPD
— Joseph Mallozzi
#UnusualDeaths
In 2005, a children's entertainer was driving down a California highway when the 20 foot balloon elephant in his backseat, Mr. Jumbo, suddenly inflated, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and crash. pic.twitter.com/M8LtUUwC1B
— Joseph Mallozzi
#UnusualDeaths
In November of 1997, a woman in Kompong Speu, Cambodia, decapitated her husband after he snuck up and tried to tickler her while she was chopping firewood. According to the statement she gave police: "I hate being tickled.". pic.twitter.com/trFQ6HmMvW
— Joseph Mallozzi
#UnusualDeaths
In 1998, a 25-year-old Argentinian pushed his wife out of an 8th floor window only to have her fall arrested when her legs became entangled in power lines. In a bid to finish the job, he tried to jump on her, missed, and fell to his death.
She survived.
— Joseph Mallozzi
#UnusualDeaths
In 1998, a man choked to death at a bar in Bremen, Germany after biting off another patron's ear during a dispute. pic.twitter.com/3I3SHoJJI4
— Joseph Mallozzi
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August 4, 2023
Mrs. Columbo – A Brief History
Shortly after Columbo ended its run on NBC in 1978, executive Fred Silverman decided to produce a spin-off series titled Mrs. Columbo despite the protests of original Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link.
Mrs. Columbo, who was never given a first name in the original series, would be named Kate. She would be a news reporter with a penchant for solving crime, just like her husband(!), while raising her young daughter.
In an attempt to make the best of the situation, Levinson and Link made a casting suggestion they felt would be in keeping with the character often referred to – but never seen – in the original series.
They recommended Oscar-nominated actress Maureen Stapleton for the role. NBC balked. So they suggested veteran actress Zohra Lambert. Again, NBC dismissed their request. They wanted someone young for the role. Someone beautiful. They wanted Kate Mulgrew.
Kate was 24 at the time, Peter Falk 52, which would have made it a real May-December romance. If one did the math, that would have made Kate Columbo 16 when she had her daughter and 13 when her husband first mentions her in the Columbo episode Prescription: Murder.
Undaunted, the network forged ahead and the show premiered on February 26, 1979 with the episode “Word Game”, written by Richard Alan Simmons who developed the series on the heels of writing the script for The Island of Dr. Moreau.
Early on, the hints were there to remind audiences of the Columbo connection. The rumpled detective’s familiar Peugeot appears in the opening credits and we get a glimpse of a man who looks kind of like Columbo from behind in the pilot.
The network assumed that all they had to do was slap Columbo in the title and viewers would lap it up but, like a studio rebooting Stargate without the involvement of original creators Brad Wright or Robert Cooper, they were immediately disabused of this quaint notion.
The ratings were abysmal. In an effort to save the show, the decision was made to distance it from the original Columbo series by having Kate change her name to Callahan following a divorce.
Then it was revealed that Kate was never married to the Columbo we all knew and loved. Oh, no. She was married to a completely different detective called Philip Columbo! So it’s easy to see how you could have made that erroneous assumption.
The series title also changed, going from Mrs. Columbo to Kate Columbo to Kate the Detective to Kate Loves a Mystery, all over the course of the show’s ill-fated 2 season 13 episode run.
Finally, NBC cut their losses and cancelled the show. The last episode aired on March 19, 1980 and the credited director was Alan Smithee, a pseudonym used by directors who wanted to distance themselves from a project.
The talented Kate Mulgrew emerged from the fiasco unscathed and went on to forge an impressive career with roles like Star Trek Voyager’s Captain Janeway and Orange is the New Black’s Galina “Red” Reznikov.
It was no secret that Peter Falk was no fan of the spin-off. Years later, when the original Columbo returned to ABC, it was made clear that he was still very happily married.
And in a later episode, to put the matter to rest, Columbo offers the following: “A woman’s been going round pretending to be my wife, but it isn’t her.”
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August 3, 2023
Columbo – A Brief History
Columbo is one of the most beloved crime dramas in television history. It ran from February 1960 to January 2003, spanning 35 years and 69 episodes (including not one but two pilots). It has been broadcast in 44 countries
From 1971 to 1978, the show ran as part of the NBC Mystery Movie (wheel) and then, following an 11 year hiatus, returned as part of the ABC Mystery Movie from 1989 to 2003, its last episode airing as part of ABC Thursday Night at the Movies.
The show was created by writers Richard Levinson and William Link. The (first) series pilot, Prescription: Murder, was based on their stage play of the same name.
Two other actors portrayed Columbo before Peter Falk made the character his own. Bert Freed was the first actor to play the part in a 1960 episode of The Chevy Mystery Show. Two years later, Oscar-winner Thomas Mitchell played Columbo in the stage version of Prescription: Murder.
Eight years later when Levinson and Link were looking to cast the role for the small screen, the first actors considered for the part were Lee J. Cobb (star of The Virginian) and Bing Crosby (who passed because he feared the commitment would interfere with his golf game).
The role eventually went to actor Peter Falk who would go on to win four Emmy Awards for his portrayal of lovable, disarming, rumpled detective.
Falk provided his own wardrobe for the show which included the famed trademark disheveled raincoat he had bought in New York for $15.
Falk was a perfectionist, insisting on repeated takes to ensure the performances were their best. His attitude earned him the respect of his guest stars, and the animosity of studio executives who had to swallow the cost overruns.
Occasionally, Falk would ad-lib during his performances – searching his pockets, becoming distracted – to keep his fellow actors on their toes and, in the case of murder suspects, palpably frustrated.
Unlike the Whodunit, Columbo was a Howdunit, with the murderer revealed in the opening and our Columbo himself not making an appearance until after the first act. It was a format the network initially hated…but grew to love.
The show was an immediate hit and became a worldwide sensation. According to Falk, at one point during the show’s run, he was asked by the State Department to record a reassuring message for Romanian fans who had threatened to riot, suspecting their government was holding back on new episodes.
Early contributors to the show’s success included a young Steven Spielberg who directed seasons 1’s “Murder by the Book” and Hill Street Blues creator Steven Bochco who scripted several episodes including the aforementioned.
Columbo’s catch-phrase, “One more thing…”, is as quintessentially Columbo as his raincoat, but it wasn’t originally scripted.
According to Levinson “we had a scene that was too short, and we had already had Columbo make his exit. We were too lazy to retype the scene, so we had him come back and say, ‘Oh, just one more thing.’ It was never planned.”
Columbo’s first name was never revealed and his wife, who often referenced, was never seen. His dog, a basset hound named Dog, who has the distinction of being the most featured recurring guest star with 23 appearances.
Numerous actors made multiple appearances on the show and a handful returned to play several murderers.
Patrick McGoohan played 5 different murders over the franchise run, Jack Cassidy and Robert Culp 3 a piece, while George Hamilton and William Shatner each played two murderers. Shatner’s killers were especially deliciously devious.
In 2007, Universal shopped just one more Columbo episode to the networks. Titled “Columbo’s Last Case”, it would have been the rumpled detective 70th and final outing. But it never came to be as the networks passed on the 80-year-old Falk’s swan song.
In 2014, Columbo and his dog, Dog, were commemorated with a statue in Budapest, Hungary.
For a deeper dive into Columbo, check out –
Shooting Columbo by David Koenig
The Columbo Phile by Mark Dawidziak
The Columbo Companion by @columbophile
Or visit: https://columbophile.com
A great article on Columbo’s enduring legacy:
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210909-why-the-world-still-loves-1970s-detective-show-columbo
Tomorrow: Mrs. Columbo – A Brief History
The post Columbo – A Brief History appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.
August 2, 2023
August 2, 2023: Amazing Covers!
A few that caught my eye this week…
Scarlet Witch #7 – cover art by Russell Dauterman
Star Wars: Dark Droids #1 – cover art by Giuseppe Camuncoli
X-Men #25 – cover art by Alex Ross
X-Men #25 – cover art by C.F. Villa
Red Sonja #1 – cover art by Jenny Frison
Red Sonja #1 – cover art by Shannon Maer
Batman: One Bad Day – Bane – cover art by Howard Porter
Black Cloak #6 – cover art by Tula Lotay
Robotech: Rick Hunter #1 – cover art by Derrick Chew
A Girl on the Shore – cover art by Inio Asana
So, which were YOUR favorites?
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