Great Moments in 19th Century Journalism.

Would you believe in a race of bat-people living on the Moon? What about unicorns and beavers that walked upright like humans? According to New York Sun, it was all true!

On this date in 1835, the Sun embarked on of the great episodes of old timey journalism. The fledgling paper published the first of a series of six articles about the incredible discoveries about the Moon made by Sir John Herschel, one of the most famous astronomers of the time, with his new high-powered telescope in South Africa. Hershcel and his telescope were real (he used it to catalog hundreds of stars and name several of the moons of Saturn and Uranus) but all the fabulous tales of lunar life were completely fabricated by the Sun. But people believed it enough to boost the paper's circulation and for the stories to be picked up and reprinted in newspapers around the world.

You can read more details about the hoax at Wikipedia, the Museum of Hoaxes or HistoryBuff.com.

And what about the New York Sun? With the boost in publicity from the Great Moon Hoax, it would go on to become one of the leading papers in the United States. It would publish a few other hoaxes, most notably Edgar Allan Poe's "balloon hoax," but it was also the home of Francis Church's famous "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus" editorial. The Sun hired one of the first full-time female editors in the industry and eventually won several Pulitzers. One of its city editors even gave us the famous journalism dictum about men biting dogs. The paper folded in 1966.

Lennart Persson (1951-2009)

Lennart Persson, the single most important Swedish music journalist passed away a few days ago.
US had Lester Bangs. England had John Peel. Us Swedes had Lennart Persson.
Now all these good and relentless passionate missionaries are gone.
The music and the art, though, lives on.
There's a tear in my beer.

Tack för Larm, Feber, skivtips, och ett alltid ungt och nyfiket sinne.

/Z aka mrdantefontana

Note: Lindsay Hutton's obit

the late great Dr. Gonzo himself

a collection of photographies of Hunter S. Thompson found here via DocJen 's livejournal

Men in Women-in-Prison movies

" ... In a scene right at the beginning of the film, socialite Terry Rich (Anitra Ford) walks into a nightclub in which Blossom (Pam Grier) is performing. Terry pauses in front of the stage with her (apparently wealthy and/or influential) boyfriend beside her. Blossom grins at the boyfriend (who stands there looking awkward) and then more emphatically at Terry, who, after a second, gives a half-amused, half-appreciative smile in return, and sways two or three times to the beat. ...


"The Big Bird Cage" (1972) Opening Scene
From: iwasateenageshutdown

... In other words, the power and the sexual charge in the scene comes from two women connecting with each other. This isn't all that unusual in male-oriented entertainment; there's lots of lesbian porn for guys, obviously. What is less familiar, though, is the insistence with which the scene deliberately excludes men — whether it be the boyfriend or, by extension, the male sexploitation viewer. Terry doesn't want to be Blossom; rather she is enjoying being with Blossom. In contrast, my investment in the scene is not just a lust for the protagonists, but a lust to be them; to gain access to a power and knowledge specifically inscribed in female relationships, which is unavailable to men, and thus all the more desired.
This dynamic — of eroticized male exclusion from, and investment in, female relationships — was the defining feature of a handful of women-in-prison films from the 1970s. In these movies, female sisterhood, generally in the face of oppression, is itself fetishized — feminism is turned into a kind of masochistic male wet dream. How this unlikely cathexis occurred, and how it functioned, is the subject of this essay. ..."
Noah Berlatsky, for Bright Lights Film Journal, is having a look at Men in Women-in-Prison.

A Wonderful Life

"... On August 16th, 1977, Presley was found at his Graceland home around noon —unconscious and unresponsive — by fiancée Ginger Alden. According to never-confirmed rumors, Alden discovered Presley lying on the floor of his bathroom; all he would say later was that it was "a shameful scene." Rushed to Baptist Memorial Hospital by paramedics, Presley, apparently a victim of a prescription drug overdose, slipped into a coma, and fears were high that he might not survive. In a statement on the steps of the hospital, Presley's father, Vernon, announced to the world, "My boy may not make it." Presley himself later said he was "right next door to dead."
But the next day, Presley awoke and was discharged from the hospital three days later. He checked into Hazelden Clinic in Minnesota, a leading drug and alcohol abuse rehabilitation center, where he would stay for a month. ..."


Presley and Tina Turner perform "Proud Mary" at "Live Aid," on July 13, 1985. This was Presley's first public concert appearance since June 26, 1977, at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis.


In a part written specifically for him, Presley returned to the big screen as the title character in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. "Bill" was the first of Presley's roles to reference his martial-arts background. Presley hadn't starred in a film since 1969's Change of Habit.

Elvis Presley • 1935-2007 - A Wonderful Life, a life-after-death story at The MemphisFlyer Online (via Sonic)

An Interview with Dyanne Thorne

"Dyanne Thorne made famous the role she played in four Ilsa movies, that sexy soldier of fortune with the tough attitude and incredible figure that everyone loves to hate. What you didn't know is she's been a fine actress of stage and screen for over 30 years with many varied interests ranging from sketch comedy to philosophy. Recently, Dyanne took some time to speak with us."

"... -With the Ilsa movie I’ve read people stopped being your friends after you made it?
-I got a lot of flack from that. You have to realize I came out of a very serious acting group. Part of that philosophy is not only to be the best you can be, but help support & promote properties and projects that are going to make the world a better place. Respectable colleagues thought I had totally sold out by taking some of the projects that I’d taken. The truth is I hadn’t been offered the other kind.

-In your Ilsa movies your role is so powerful and forceful. Especially during the time in the 1970’s most women were being saved, exploited, or raped. You were the one kicking ass and making the rules. At the time that was so mind shattering. Today, everybody is trying to be that. Today you would have had a huge career.
-We can’t all be Rocky Stallone...."

Steve Graf and Randy Waage interviews Dyanne Thorne for retroCRUSH.

Dyanne Thorne - A retroCRUSH Interview With The Star of The "Ilsa" Movies.

A little bonus - The Chainsaw Arm Wrestling scene from 'Ilsa, the Tigress of Siberia'.
You've got to hand it to me - that's a real bloodsport...

Another Bonus is this bunch of screeen caps from 'Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS' posted over at Nostalgia Party No. 2.

Images Of Hate and Hope

"Neshoba County Sheriff Lawrence Rainey was indicted for conspiring to murder the three activists, but was acquitted."

"The Newseum’s collection of images from noted news photographer Ted Polumbaum contains photographs of Freedom Summer in Neshoba County, Miss., where three civil rights workers were murdered in 1964. ..."
Images Of Hate and Hope

Farenheit 911

(via Videos with Bibi)

Russell Lee

'Couple looking at car showroom', Turin, Italy, 1960
Click image for better view at source.

Russell Lee, featured in The Digital Journalist. Here's the gallery and its thumbs. (via RaShOmoN)

Do women and horror movies mix?

"Do women and horror movies mix? Are women excited by being scared to death and watching the bodies pile up? ...

... Psychologists have long believed that our attraction to horror films is that they allow us to explore and experiment with fears and emotions, but there are suggestions that women respond to fear in a way that men don't. "Fear can facilitate sexual responsiveness in women, whereas it inhibits it in men," says Dr Glenn Wilson, a psychologist at King's College London. Isn't that a little close to the myth that women have rape fantasies? "No," he says. "It has to be in a safe, controlled environment, so watching a horror film is a good example. I'm not saying this is the only reason for watching. Horror films, for men and women, are about learning to cope with emotions that would threaten to overwhelm us if they happened in reality." I ask Sarah if The Hills Have Eyes 2 turned her on. She laughs. "No, it was a mixture of boredom and feeling a bit sick. Which isn't sexy." ...

... What I hear again and again is that there just aren't enough female directors in any genre, but especially in horror. One effort to change this has come from the low-budget film studio Warp X, which is running Darklight, an initiative to encourage female horror directors. Ten were chosen and they have been taking part in workshops; at least two of the films to come out of it will be made. "We are focusing on horror because the genre is becoming more popular," says Caroline Cooper Charles, head of creative development. "Horror is a very well-trodden genre with clear tropes and it could do with an injection of something different, something new to make it more exciting. The idea of bringing a female perspective, to see whether those women will come up with anything different, was really interesting." ... "

'Everything but the ghoul', article in Guardian Unlimited Film Features. (via del.icio.us/thgroh)

Vera Hartmann

From the 'Gun Club' portfolio.

Vera Hartmann - Photography. (via Conscientious)
Note: flash site

If You Were a Woman...

... What Would You Like To Do?
Some boys are brighter than others...

Added by pastaplanet5 (ah, finally found you again!)