LUST IS BACK ... STYLE IS BACK... 'MAD MEN' IS BACK (TRAILERS)

Anyone tuning into "The Walking Dead" on Sunday night was in for a treat because AMC showed a brand new crop of trailers for the fifth season of their flagship show "Mad Men."

It's pretty much a clip reel of what we've already seen in four seasons, but still cool, nonetheless. We're salivating. The show returns Sunday, March 25.

And the taglines? Doesn't get any more to the point:

STYLE IS BACK

CONFIDENCE IS BACK

DEBAUCHERY IS BACK

LUST IS BACK

ACTION IS BACK

DON IS BACK

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THE LONGEST WALK OF THE DAY (#fridayflash)

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Merna turned on the radio that sat next to her at the factory. G.I. Jill was playing her G.I. jives for the troops overseas and, oddly enough, that helped her get through the twelve-hour shift.

Guns would be made. Steel would be melted. Tanks constructed.

The whistle blew and it signaled the middle of her day. Merna hopped on the counter and her daily ritual begun. She lit a Pall Mall and admired the elegant weapon she just built. It would surely be in a serviceman's hands within the month. Blowing smoke at the rifle, she wondered how many men it would kill, how many thousands of rounds it would fire and, moreover, who would get it?

Merna thought of her husband Nick who was stationed in Hawaii before ultimately shipping out to Japan. She smiled at the mere thought of him and figured it would be ironic if he wound up using the artillery she made and conditioned for the war that tore them apart.

Six hours later, the whistle blew again.

* * *

Merna's daily walk home was a long one. She could have easily took the bus but would rather pocket the change for some extra smokes at the end of the week and a few movie magazines. Besides, the solace gave her time to prepare. She dreaded the mail. Deplored envelopes. Anything that bore the seal of the United States or its War Department.

Would there be a telegram today? Would Nick still be alive tomorrow?

Approaching her rowhouse, Merna walked towards the steps of her front porch. Despite the horrendous hours and mile walk from the factory, this was the longest part of her day. She stuck her hand inside of the mailbox. It was empty. She sighed.

Nick got to live another day. She could now do the dishes and start the process all over again tomorrow.

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CLEANING UP THE GAME (#fridayflash)

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I'm a boxer by trade -- or I should say, I was. Someone retired me who wasn't exactly sportin' leather gloves but English Leather musk. In fact, he usually chomped a cigar, was half my size and wore bifocals.

In the ring, they called me Eddie "Eagle Eye" Rockport because I saw those haymakers coming from the next round. That skill was learned compliments of Uncle Sam who trained me as an Army marksman.

How good was I in the ring? I never bled, always beat the count and never kissed the canvas.

So why wasn't I studying 'The Sweet Science' anymore? Like I said, 'I never bled, always beat the count and never kissed the canvas.' You see, there's no drama in a guy who always wins. Sure, at first it's fun to see some palooka lead with his chin and eat some leather, but tell that to the gate. So I was prematurely retired.

Some of the luckier boxers would start their second life by coaching or maybe settling down with whatever wits they had left. Me? I did what came natural. Turned to the gun.

* * *

The main event was starting in about an hour and I wanted to get locked and loaded. The rifle, not me. That would come later. With her.

Shelly, tonight's featured ring girl, asked me if I was as good a shooter as a pugilist? I smiled and winked. "Sweetheart, on a moonlit night I could spot the wet glare of a rat's fanny as he trolled through the damp gutter."

"That good?" she toyed, as she took a drag of her Chesterfield.

I nodded and paid her for the information I needed. I told her that if all went well, I'd meet her after the fight. I knew it would go well, I just wasn't sure if wanted to see her again. A guy can only take so much Elizabeth Arden.

At the arena, I thought about Bifocals and the tomato can who's currently wearing those belts. He couldn't see a teddy bear coming. Even if I was punchdrunk, the bum's eye would look like a plum inside 30 seconds flat. It was time to focus.

I reminded myself that while I may have hung up the gloves, I'm still very much in the Fight Game -- just in a different capacity. I'm cleaning it. I'm famous now in a different way. Some newspapers call me a crusader.

Eddie 'Eagle Eye' Rockport now kills gangsters from the rafters. They never know I'm coming. The press say I strike fear into the heart of crooked boxing promoters nationwide. I know I will again tonight. Right through his bifocals.

MUSIC: Miles Davis, 'I Fall in Love Too Easily,' courtesy of the Internet Archive.
ART: Mort Kunstler, 'Nine to Go,' - Men's Adventure, magazine cover, 1968

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WAS VINTAGE MICKEY MOUSE A GIGOLO?

Was Mickey Mouse a gigolo? Was he thinking about turnin' tricks? Well, we're thinking not but if anything, the panel above from a vintage Mickey comic is proof positive that the lines were certainly blurred when it came to harmless kiddie entertainment and adultish fare (something we've pointed out before).

DON'T DO IT: VINTAGE MICKEY TRIES SUICIDE

Hmmmm, we're wondering if Bukowski would have liked Mickey more had he seen the panel above. Confused? Not sure how many Buk fans out there realize that Hank hated that "three fingered son-of-a-bitch" with a passion -- a deep, dark and profane hatred.

For proof, check out the rant below, as seen in the stupendous Bukowski documentary "Born Into This."



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THE LADY IN WAITING (#fridayflash)

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She was a professional lady in waiting. That was her job -- to keep his ice cubes cold and the footplay hot. Nothing more.

Rinaldo booked them a corner suite at the Gran Hotel Velazquez in Madrid and made sure it was near an exit. He told his Lady in Waiting that he'd be gone for most of the day and, if by midnight he hadn't returned, she should go on to the next town and wait for him there. After all, poker with the gringos could get intense and who was he to break up anyone's winning streak? That was his story and she knew it was a crock.

A Lady in Waiting is much smarter than she lets on. She hears things and pretends not to. She sees things and files them away, putting together the pieces of the puzzle on days like this -- when the room is quiet and still.

It was funny, they always landed in exotic cities with museums, exhibits and unfortified banks. They would always skip town with sirens wailing in the distance and wherever they landed, it usually was for a while.

* * *

She kept herself occupied for the greater part of the day. She'd visited the El Restro market and after arguing with a local merchant about the price of a beaded necklace, she took in the late afternoon breeze at an outdoor cafe.

Usually, men flirted with her. They didn't today and, in an odd way, she missed the attention. The handsome men in the square came in all shapes and sizes. But no one paid her any mind. The savvy tourists, regal businessmen and shady pickpockets figured her for a gypsy -- especially with that beaded necklace. She must have been a working girl. If they only knew it was the complete opposite. A working girl who waited for a living.

Back at the hotel, she took a long, hot bath and made herself a Cuba Libre. Drink in hand, she walked towards the open balcony and watched the sun set, laughing into the open air at the very notion of Rinaldo's poker game.

After dusk, the air became crisp and Rinaldo never did come back. As instructed, she went to the next town like a good Lady in Waiting should. Only this time, she knew Rinaldo wouldn't be there -- his partner would and that was just fine by her.

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ALI TRAINER ANGELO DUNDEE DEAD AT 90

The fight game is a little sad this evening as reports that Muhammad Ali trainer Angelo Dundee has died at 90. Dundee helped mold and motivate a young Cassius Clay (Ali) and Sugar Ray Leonard into modern day boxing legends. In 1991, he also helped George Foreman win back the title in the early mid-nineties.

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DRAMA'S WET DREAM: A MODERN PULP (#fridayflash)

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I worked the door at Toyland, a titty bar on Fillmore, and when I tell you that this broad was drama's wet dream, believe it. This kid had a story for everything.

And the funny thing? Her name was Drama -- at least that was her stripper name. I know, dumb moniker for a dancer but then, most of them weren't too bright.

The way I saw it, there were four kinds of strippers. 'Snowflake' was usually the pretty dope fiend who was so spaced, she'd barely make money for her next fix. 'Madison' was usually the cute freckled college kid, paying her way through school, and hoping her dad or boyfriend wouldn't trot in at any given moment. Then there were the ones I called 'Ivy' -- normally the hot moms -- who turned to the pole to feed their toddlers. If you did enough trolling, you just may find these cougars on a porn site or two. Lastly? 'Porsche' was the out-of-place minority gal who, in most cases, raked in more dough than all the ladies combined. But that was usually on nights Drama wasn't working. And yeah, you can just imagine, the other chicks hated Drama. And for good reason.

I started to watch the girl as soon as Dino hired her. Normally, he had a thing for chicks built like brick shithouses but Drama wasn't curvy at all. In fact, she always struck me as needing an extra sandwich. But still way sexy. She had that thing. Guys'll know what I mean. Body aside, she had a way with the lappers and always got them to pay more for a sweaty crotch grind than the other gals. It was almost beautiful to watch. Drama had them so wrapped that these briefcase bums didn't know what hit 'em. To this day, I always wondered how they explained the stain on their pants to the misses.

* * *

After a few months, Dino started to get complaints about his top-rated dancer. It turns out that Little Miss Drama was a thief of the watch and wallet order. Small time, but still, try explaining to a pissed wife why your wedding ring is missing.

I was ordered to confront her about it and, one night just before last call, I cornered Drama in the Champagne Room where it was just the two of us. After locking the door, I turned to her and smiled.

"What's the deal with the money you've been stealing?" I asked.

Halfway expecting this little chickadee to cry, I was kinda shocked when she asked me if I wanted a cut.

Fuck it, I called her bluff and said sure. I told her that it would buy my silence. Drama took a swig of whatever top-shelf hooch that was left behind from the cum stain that had just left. She dug deep into her large purse. I was expecting some green but she pulled out a pistol. What was I gonna do? She had me.

I told the rest of the joint that the bullet hole to my leg was compliments of a bar fight between two wannabe wiseguys. No cops were going to be called.Was I really gonna admit that I was taken by a 98 pound stripper? One named Drama no less? Nope. I'm taking this one to the grave.

And while I'm at it, I'll add a fifth kind of stripper to my list --' Drama' -- a dancer so fucking sexy she'd pick your pocket and you'd probably let her.

Did I mention I'm not working the door anymore?

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'THE WIRE': A 'F#@K' OF A SCENE (AND SHOW)

Wendell Pierce and Dominic West in 'The Wire.'

I missed "The Wire" on the first go-round. I know, I know... Dumb.

Initially, I tried it out and for whatever reason, didn't stick with the cerebral HBO drama past its initial sixty minutes of the HBO drama. I suspect there are many like myself who opted to watch the exploits of depressed gangster Tony Soprano in New Jersey than the bleak interactions of criminals and police within the crime-riddled streets of Baltimore Maryland. "The Wire" wasn't as watercooler but make no mistakes, is every bit the as great as "The Sopranos." Need proof? To this day, it's always one of those shows that wind up on every conceivable critic's 'BEST FREAKIN' SHOWS EVER' list. And even after all that, it somehow, still managed to pass me by.

Years passed. I had the entire series just waiting for me, shrink-wrapped, and beckoning. Me? I was planning to delve into the show if I had ever broken a leg and was couch-bound. Well, I never broke the leg, but recently, I caved and after plumetting through the initial set up, I was in. Hook, line and sinker...

Granted, the series takes a few episodes to introduce a multitude of characters but, if you can hang that long, the payoffs begin to swifty arrive.

There's nothing I can say here that will possibly do it any more justice than the plethora of of scribes that have already sang its praises so I'll just add: Apart from "Treme" (also created by "The Wire" showrunner  Joe Simon), no other show I've ever watched is as multi-layered, complex, frustrating and powerful. It's a novel exploding into your television and shouldn't be dimissed as a mere "cop show." It's much more than that. Much more. In fact, many novelists provide the scripts including Richard Price, Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos.

I'll leave you with a video of one of the first season's benchmark scenes. In the fourth episode entitled "Old Cases," Baltimore Detetctives Jimmy McNulty and Bunk Moreland (Dominic West and Wendell Pierce) search an empty apartment for any uncovered clues that may have been left behind in the unsolved murder of a young woman named Diedre Kresson.

Here's the deal, though -- they reframe the violet events of the crime using only one word: "Fuck" (and other colorful variations of the curse). It's a doozy and a testament to how great the actors are and how powerful the writing is. Even with just one word.

WARNING: NSFW

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EDGAR ALLAN POE

Edgar Allan Bro...

Big birthday week 'round these parts... It's Jan. 19 so let's give a hearty and happy 203rd birthday to the inventor of the detective novel (and uber horror master) Edgar Allan Poe.

Enjoy some tales below ...



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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHAMP!

May 25, 1965 - Ali knocks out Sonny Liston in first minute of the first round.

Happy 70th birthday to the greatest boxer who ever lived - Muhammad Ali... 

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'MOONSHINERS': REAL OR FAKE?

So I'm doing what  people do on New Years Eve and Day -- watch marathons -- and I come across a show both awesome and odd at the same time. It's called 'Moonshiners' and it airs on The Discovery Channel.

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It centers on those who brew their shine - often in the woods near their homes using camouflaged equipment — and the local authorities who try to keep them honest. According to the network, viewers will witness practices rarely seen on television including the sacred rite of passage for a moonshiner — firing up the still for the first time. This is where it gets tricky. "Moonshiners" includes actual western Virginia state ABC agents and while I thought that, in and of itself was quite odd, it turns out that the plot is thickening a bit.

The Associated Press reports that the program misleads viewers into thinking the state is tolerating illegal booze manufacturing and that it wouldn't have participated if they knew how the episodes would turn out. Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control spokeswoman Kathleen Shaw told the AP that viewers have asked why the state is allowing a crime to take place?

MY POEM AND AUDIO READING: 'THE BOOTLEGGER'

Here's the rub: Shaw said the show is a dramatization, and no illegal liquor is actually being produced. "If illegal activity was actually taking place, the Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement would have taken action," Shaw wrote. But it certainly appears differently on the show. The department issued a statement saying it would not have participated in the filming had they known how the show would've turned out. "Virginia ABC agreed to participate in an informative piece that documents the history of moonshine and moonshine investigations in Virginia. Virginia ABC did not participate nor was aware of the false depiction of moonshine manufacturing, distribution and/or transportation in the filming, and would not have participated in the 'documentary' had it known of this portrayal," the statement said.

The origin of moonshining in the United States has been linked with the Whiskey Rebellion during the 1790's. Under President George Washington, a Federal tax was imposed on whiskey, which farmers strongly resented — leading to a backlash and rise in illegal distillers. Even the origins of NASCAR have been linked back to the skilled driving of moonshiners eluding law enforcement.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Here's wishing everyone a prosperous and healthy 2012

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BOXING DAY: AN E-BOOK AND DOCUMENTARIES

While it has nothing realllllly to do with what we now consider boxing, celebrate Boxing Day with these two stupendous ring documentaries and a link to "Felony Fists," a fabulous e-book by my friend and fellow scribe Paul Bishop (written under the pseudonym Jack Tunney).

 In fact, the whole Fight Card series (with one coming from me soon), is a fun throwback to the days of dimestore boxing pulps and noir. Check out Bishop's entry and then purchase the rest of the books in the line: "The Cutman" (Eric Beetner)  and "Split Decision" (Mel Odom).

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MERRY CHRISTMAS...

... And happy holidays to everyone! Meet me under the mistletoe...

 
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