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Frankly Speaking
The serial killer in Bobcat Goldthwait’s new movie is named Frank. Naturally, that caught my eye. “God Bless America” will be released via On Demand on April 6 and in select theatres on May 11.
Joel Murray plays Frank, a terminally ill man who goes on a killing spree. Reminiscent of “Dexter,” Frank only kills those whom he thinks deserve to die. He goes after reality show stars, bigots, people who talk in theatres and people who park poorly.
Joel is one of the very talented Murray brothers. I remember him from the Jay Thomas series “Love & War.” Jay arranged for me to play an extra at a movie theatre in one episode. Coincidentally, Joel’s brother Bill plays a character named Frank in “Scrooged,” in which Bobcat played a part.
Bobcat wrote and directed “God Bless America.” I wonder if the killer’s name has anything to do with a voiceover that Bobcat did for Walmart recently. When you click on frankthefruitcake.com, you see a talking fruitcake that has Bobcat’s distinct voice.
Zahn Meditation
A tragic Knoxville murder was the subject of an hour-long report on the Investigation Discovery show “On the Case with Paula Zahn” last night. It’s been seven years since Johnia Berry was stabbed in her apartment.
I often think of Johnia when I drive by her apartment complex and the Weigel’s store where her roommate ran for help. The show made me realize I had forgotten many details of the case. At the time, I followed the case in the news and tried to help Johnia’s brother and mother spread the word as they kept pressure on the police to make an arrest, which they did almost three years after Johnia’s murder. “On the Case” pointed out that Johnia’s roommate was a strong suspect until he was finally cleared by a DNA test and by a revised analysis of his polygraph test.
In case you missed it, the Johnia Berry episode will be repeated on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Investigation Discovery is on HD channel 387 and SD channel 111 on Xfinity TV in Knoxville.
Sara Leeway
Ever since getting my Kindle, I have made it a habit to check the list of 100 “bestselling” free e-books on Amazon.com. They have a list of the top 100 free mp3 songs too.
Today I downloaded a free book called “CAKES – 50 Cake Recipes to Tantalize Your Taste Buds” by M. Smith and R. King and then mentioned it on Twitter. That prompted Jennifer Prairie to ask, “Do YOU bake?”
I am much more likely to buy a cake than to bake one, although I have helped my wife bake a few things. Before downloading the cookbook, I glanced at the table of contents and saw two recipes with the word banana in the title. Neither seemed close to the Sara Lee banana cake I loved as a kid. Every so often, the memory pops into my head and I wish I had some in the freezer.
If the free e-book didn’t have a replica of the Sara Lee recipe, maybe the Internet would. I found three candidates that might be worth a try: Banana Cake VI on AllRecipes.com; Iced Banana Cake on PetitChef.com and Southern Living Banana Cake on Food.com.
Wish Fulfillment
A few days after each “Dinner with the Bone Doctor,” Susan Seals mails me a few snapshots from the event. The pictures are signed by Dr. Bill Bass. This past week I was fortunate to receive a few pictures of myself with Dr. Bass as well as some pictures that I need to give to others.
Melissa Treece is a fan of Patricia Cornwell’s books and sometimes corresponds with the famous author via Twitter. Melissa plans to start reading the novels and the non-fiction books by Dr. Bass and Jon Jefferson. She bought a ticket to the dinner last Monday night and had a fabulous time. I have three autographed pictures for her.
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Amy Sams entered the Star 102.1 Fall Fantasy contest last year. Her entry was picked on Halloween morning and she quickly called in to claim her prize. Her wish was to meet Dr. Bass. The radio station paid for Amy and her mother to attend the dinner. I have two autographed pictures for her.
One Who Presides
Dennis Reedy, president of the FBI Knoxville Citizens Academy Alumni Association, asked for a motion to approve the slate of new officers on Thursday night. The motion was made, seconded and then approved by voice vote. With that, I was elected to be the new president of the group.
The rest of the evening consisted of making plans for the year ahead. Our next meeting will be held in the William M. Bass Forensic Anthropology Building, which should insure a good turnout. Special Agent in Charge Richard Lambert said he would give us a briefing on cyber-terrorism threats at an upcoming meeting.
A few events are already on our calendar. The Alumni Association will help promote the Law Enforcement Memorial Run on May 12. Our annual field trip to FBI Headquarters and Quantico is locked in for August. I found out that one of my responsibilities as chapter president will be to attend the National Citizens Academy Alumni Association annual conference in Denver this September.
On a sad note, we learned of the death of FBI Chief Division Council Martin J. King. We all knew Mr. King from his annual presentation to the Citizens Academy on the legal powers and limitations of the FBI. The Alumni Association voted to make a donation to the memorial fund being set up to benefit his family.
Samovar-iance
It turns out that a pour-over is a good thing. I met a friend for coffee at Starbucks last night, with the intention of ordering whatever bold flavor they were serving. A glance at the urns showed they had the new Blonde Roast, the standard Pike Place Roast and Komodo Dragon Blend, presumably for the Chinese New Year.
Komodo Dragon Blend sounded good to me and not just because it reminded me of my favorite Bob & Ray bit. Unfortunately, the barista told me they had only brewed Pike Place, which is not my favorite. Sensing the delay in my response, the barista said she could make me a “pour-over” with the bolder blend. I felt like I was somehow settling for second-best but I agreed to try it.
I must have thought she was going to pour hot water over some leftover grounds. That was not the case. My coffee tasted great and inspired me to look up “pour-over” when I got home. It’s probably the best possible way to have a cup of coffee. Instead of coffee warming in the urn, I had a cup that was custom-made for me.
Deep Southampton
Almost any show about the Hamptons will grab my attention. I fell in love with the area a long time ago when my family went to Noyac each year for vacation. No trip was complete without a visit to the Penny Candy Shop or Crutchley’s Crullers.
Entertainment Weekly’s cover story is about “Revenge,” which they call “TV’s greatest guilty pleasure.” I got an early seat on the “Revenge” bandwagon when they made the pilot script available as a free download for the Kindle. My only gripe with the show is that North Carolina and California play the part of the Hamptons. However, EW says they sent a camera crew to New York to get some footage of the Hamptons in winter, now that the show is a hit.
The beautiful Hamptons scenery should receive co-star billing on the show “Royal Pains.” The third season resumed last Wednesday, after a four-and-a-half month break. Thank goodness for DVRs. “Royal Pains” now airs at the same time as “Revenge.”
There was no reason for me to ever watch CMT until now. Tom Arnold was on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” promoting a reality series called “My Big Redneck Vacation.” I was half-listening until he said that the show was about a family named the Clampets (really) who were sent to the Hamptons. He got a laugh describing the Clampets’ skills with plywood when Hurricane Irene was on the way.
Connections
With Humble Appreciation
