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When I heard on the news yesterday that Elmore Leonard had died I thought 'Oh no.' But then I realized that he had lived to the age of 87, a goodly number of years. He had written many, many published novels, most of which I have read over the years.
A number of Leonard's novels have been adapted as films, including Out of Sight in 1998, Get Shorty in 1995, and Rum Punch (as the 1997 film Jackie Brown). 52 Pick-Up was first adapted very loosely into the 1984 film The Ambassador.
The 1967 film Hombre starring Paul Newman (which I have read and watched in rerun many times) was an adaptation of Leonard's novel of the same name.
His short story "Three-Ten to Yuma" and novels The Big Bounce and 52 Pick-Up have each been filmed twice. A 2001 comedy film, Bandits, was originally meant to be an adaptation of Leonard's novel by that name, to which Bruce Willis owns the film rights.
Other novels filmed include:
Mr. Majestyk
Valdez Is Coming
52 Pick-Up
Stick
The Moonshine War
Last Stand at Saber River
Gold Coast
Glitz
Cat Chaser
Out of Sight
Touch
Pronto
Be Cool
Killshot
Get Shorty
It's reported that Elmore Leonard once said, "if it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."
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During the big flap over the possible abuse of power by various government agencies, President Obama assured the American people that, even though abuse (concerning stored and saved communications of citizens) was possible under the Patriot Act, he (the President) promised that this abuse did not and would not happen. And that Americans should trust him on that.
Even people who believed this sheer nonsense should realize that it is not a matter of trusting a reigning president but a matter of leaving such a potentially dangerous law in place, a law that can (and surely 'will)' be horrifically abused by some future not-so-benign president and his not-so-humane regime.
As Judd Rose once said, "With power comes the abuse of power. And where there are bosses, there are crazy bosses. It's nothing new."
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TRIVIA
The actress who played the Old Gypsy Woman in The Wolfman was Maria Ouspenskaya.
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HISTORICAL EVENT
Ike, as Eisenhower was known, entered the White House in 1953 in charge of 48 states; two more had been added by the time he left office in 1961.
During his 1952 presidential campaign, Eisenhower had advocated for the admission of Alaska and Hawaii to the Union but recommended adding Hawaii first. Congress, on the other hand, favored admitting Alaska first, as Alaskan oil would be beneficial to the nation's economy.
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WORD FOR TODAY
Slang-whanger
noun
One who uses abusive slang; a ranting partisan.
A “slang-whanger” is a noisy, turbulent fellow, whose language is not of the best. The word can mean a political orator, bar-room pundit, hell-fire preacher or bullying court lawyer. It could at times also mean something written by a newspaper slang-whanger or a violent political harangue.
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Kim Victoria Cattrall
(born August 21, 1956)
(born August 21, 1956)
Kim Cattrall is an English-born Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Samantha Jones in the HBO comedy/romance series Sex and the City and for her leading roles in the 1980s films Police Academy, Big Trouble in Little China, Mannequin, Porky's and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers
(born August 21, 1938)
(born August 21, 1938)
Kenny Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, entrepreneur and author, and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Though he has been most successful with country audiences, he has charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres, topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone and has sold over 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the highest-selling artists of all time.
Two of his albums, The Gambler and Kenny, are featured in the About.com poll of "The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever".
Jackie Emerson is an American actress and a former member of the teenage pop band Devo 2.0. Emerson portrayed Foxface in the film The Hunger Games.
Carrie-Anne Moss
(born August 21, 1967)
(born August 21, 1967)
Carrie-Anne Moss is a Canadian actress, best known for her role of Trinity in The Matrix trilogy. She has had other notable roles in Memento, Chocolat, and Unthinkable.
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The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse.
--Edmund Burke
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