Ansible 125 [long]
David Langford
ANSIBLE 125
DECEMBER 1997
From DAVE LANGFORD, 94 London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1 5AU, UK. Fax
0118 966 9914. ISSN 0265-9816. E-mail ans...@cix.co.uk. Cartoon: KURT
ERICHSEN. Available for SAE, beer or Brother North-Wind's Secret.
[NET NOTE. Please see the last section for subscribe/unsubscribe
information: such requests should NOT be sent to my personal e-mail
address. DRL]
NOVACON 27. More fannish fun in the Abbey Hotel, Great Malvern, amid
falling autumn leaves.... The most enduring memory of Novacon which fans
carried away in their hearts was perhaps Dave Hicks's life-size cardboard
replica of David Mellor perusing (for no adequately explained reason) a
copy of _Ansible_. A `Desert Island Books' panel saw me quailing under
the serious and constructive eye of Maureen Kincaid Speller as I
explained my choice of Borges's imaginary _Book of Sand_ on the basis
that its inexhaustible infinity of pages solves the castaway's twin
problems of kindling and toilet paper. Merciless auctions, turkey
readings and showings by Dave Lally of _Spock in Manacles_ raised wads
of cash for fan funds, RNIB and the SF Foundation. That traditional Leeds
domination of the Nova Awards was overthrown despite the equally
traditional rash of D.West artwork in last-minute fanzines: `Has someone
killed D.West or something?' enquired a bemused Sue Mason as she took the
fan artist Nova. The popular winner for fan writer was an incoherent and
embarrassed blur who escaped at near-relativistic speed; trained
observers inferred the presence of Mark Plummer. Claire Brialey,
accepting the fanzine Nova for _Banana Wings_, said sweetly: `I'd just
like to thank you all for making Mark so very embarrassed _twice_.'
_Ansible_ went home before the closing Beer, Sausages and Bavarian Oompah
Band outbreak, but ace reporter _Diana Wynne Jones_ peeped in: `Novacon
ended in an event I was glad to miss. The sausages. _They_ were OK. It
was the band accompanying it. A set of wizened Gloucestershire types in
lederhosen, making jokes about Spock in between playing such highly
German numbers as _Che sar… sar…_. Well left....'
### THE WORD IS WODDLY ###
IAIN BANKS received the ultimate accolade of a mention in _The Archers_
(10 Nov). `Can a cameo in Tarantino's next movie be far behind?' [SG]
DAVID GEMMELL was alarmed to hear he'd been rubbished in _The Times_, by
a reviewer who claimed to like Gemmell-style action-adventure fantasy but
thought his latest novel was dull. DG glumly bought the paper, to find
a review of `_Polgara the Sorceress_, by David Gemmell'. [SJ] Such is the
peril of having a surname so very similar to Eddings.
PETER HAMILTON offers more on `the totally amazing coincidence of
reviewers' names cropping up in books.... In _The Neutronium Alchemist_
manuscript there was a character called Spanton whose face was "half
stubble half mirrorshades", who wore a black leather trenchcoat and toted
a truly enormous pump action shotgun. You may not recall him appearing
in the book itself. Neither he nor any of his scenes made it past the
editorial stage. The name of my editor: Simon Spanton.'
CHARLES PLATT on Judith Merril: `Judy's great achievement was to be tough
and radical without pissing people off. In the early 1960s her "year's
best" collection was quite subversive, culling material from far beyond
the usual genre boundaries and presenting it as "sf", an acronym that she
purposely blurred in an attempt to broaden readers' tastes and win
critical recognition outside the field. When the "new wave" adopted an
even more radical posture Judy was characteristically open-minded, in
contrast with contemporaries who denounced it on sight. She actually
moved to London in a quest to understand the "new wave" and perhaps co-
opt it in a sense. During the same period Thomas M.Disch, John Sladek,
Pamela Zoline, and Norman Spinrad also spent time in London. All of these
visiting Americans greatly enriched the literature and enhanced our naive
ideas about fiction and publishing. [] When I first met Judy I was a
callow lad attending my first convention. She entered the room with a
regal air, wearing a backless dress, which Brian Aldiss commented on
lasciviously. "If you like my back, maybe you should kiss it, Brian," she
told him. With wicked glee, Aldiss redirected Judy toward me. "Ask
Charles Platt," he said. "He's an expert back-kisser." To my horror she
marched over, stopped in front of me, looked me up and down, and said,
"How about it?" She paused for a few seconds, registering my abject fear,
then turned away with a shrug. Subsequently I grew to like her a lot, but
she always maintained an intimidating presence -- which people tolerated,
I think, because it was founded on something that everyone had to
respect: genuine integrity.'
NICHOLAS ROYLE achieved mainstream recognition: an extract from _The
Matter of the Heart_ was a finalist, up there with giants like Erica Jong
and Edwina Currie, in the _Literary Review_ Bad Sex Competition.
### CONCEPTACLE ###
13-14 Dec [] BABYLON 5 ACADEMIC CONFERENCE, York. #75 reg; #48 non-
residential. Contact Farah Mendlesohn, Faculty of Humanities, Coll of
Ripon & York St John, Lord Mayor's Walk, York, YO3 7EX.
18 Dec [] XMAS LONDON MEETING, Jubilee, York Rd, nr Waterloo.
24 Dec [] BSFA LONDON MEETING CANCELLED for obvious reasons.
8 Jan [] LONDON PUB MEETING, Jubilee, York Rd, nr Waterloo ... moved from
1 Jan, when transport is awkward and the pub closes early.
6-8 Feb 98 [] DECADENCE (10th British filk con), Some Hotel Or Other,
Eastbourne. Now #28/$45 reg, #15/$22 supp. Contact 43 Millbrook Gardens,
Cheltenham, GL50 3RQ ... note new(ish) address.
28 Feb [] PICOCON 15, Imperial College Union, Prince Consort Rd, London,
SW7 2BB. Cost and GoH TBA. Contact ICSF, above address.
28 Feb [] SF FAIR, Drillhall, Lincoln. 10am-5pm. 50p reg. Contact 44
Staverton Cres, Birchwood, Lincoln, LN6 OYW; 01522 689271. With `Schifi,
Medeiaval Crafts, Roll Playing, Live Roll Playing'. Starting as humble
Baps, roll-players gain crumbs of experience and rise _via_ the levels
of Croissant and Baguette to become mighty Burger Buns....
28 Feb - 1 Mar 98 [] MICROCON 18, Devonshire House, Stocker Rd, Exeter.
#5 reg; students #2.50. Contact 25 Victoria St, Exeter, EX4 6JA.
14-15 Mar 98 [] CORFLU (the fanzine con), Griffin Hotel, Leeds. #25/$40
reg. Contact 7 Woodside Walk, Hamilton, ML3 7HY.
27-9 Mar 98 [] DELIVERANCE (_Blake's 7_), now Stoke-on-Trent Moat House.
#50 reg; 2 days #45, 1 day #30; advance bookings close 12 Mar. Contact
(SAE) 18 Bury Ave, Newport Pagnell, Bucks, MK16 0ED.
10-13 Apr 98 [] INTUITION (Eastercon), Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel,
Manchester. _Now #35 reg._ PR3 and hotel booking form out. Contact 1
Waverley Way, Carshalton Beeches, Surrey, SM5 3LQ.
10 May 98 [] FANTASY FAIR, Cresset Exhibition Centre, Peterborough.
Contact 58 Pennington, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, PE2 0RB.
18-21 Sep 98 [] DISCWORLD CONVENTION II, Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool. #30
reg/#20 unwaged, _rising to #35/#25 on 31 Dec._ Contact (SAE/IRC) PO Box
4100, Hornchurch, Essex, RM11 2GZ ... new address.
25-8 Sep 98 [] ALBACON 98, Glasgow. _Highlander_ theme. #25 reg, _rising
to #30 on 1 Jan_. Contact F1/2, 10 Atlas Rd, Glasgow, G21 4TE.
13-15 Nov 98 [] NOVACON 28, Midlands venue to be announced (Abbey Hotel
unavailable). GoH Paul J.McAuley. #28 reg, rising after Easter. Contact
14 Park St, Lye, Stourbridge, W.Midlands, DY9 8SS.
_Rumblings_ [] EASTERCON 2000. Firm bids are the innovatively titled A
BID FOR THE 2000 EASTERCON, using the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow;
c/o Pam Wells, Flat 6, 7 Bootham Tce, York, YO3 7DH; and 2KON, using the
Central Hotel, Glasgow; c/o 15 Kersland Street, Glasgow, G12 8BW. Both
#2 presupp; both, coincidentally, 21-24 Apr 2000.
### INFINITELY IMPROBABLE ###
PUBLISHERS AND SINNERS. The hard men at Simon & Schuster signed up
Stephen King for a three-book deal by cunningly negotiating him down from
some $17 million per book to a mere $2 million or so -- with 50%
royalties. The publisher _I'm_ currently talking to inclines more towards
a 6% royalty and no advance. Tum-ti-tum. [] Arguments about Bantam's
plans to give _Star Wars_ novelizers flat fees and no royalties were cut
short when, Bantam's _SW_ rights having expired, George Lucas awarded the
new franchise to Ballantine. [JL] [] Meanwhile, Bantam are giving Brian
Herbert and Kevin J.Anderson a $3 million advance to write 3 prequels to
_Dune_. The first will appear in 1999. Oh dear.... [PB]
RANDOM FANDOM. _Ian Gunn_ is cancer-free: `Yes folks, after months of
hairloss and out-of-stomach experiences, Dr Joe says "No more
chemotherapy for you!"' [] _Pat McMurray_ has inaugurated `Memory Hole
Annex' to preserve old con publications (including badges and flyers) for
a grateful posterity. 28 Plaistow Grove, Bromley, Kent, BR1 3PB. [] _Mark
Plummer_, man of modesty, should -- we are advised, though not by him --
now be addressed as DOC WEIR AWARD LAUREATE AND MULTIPLE NOVA WINNER MARK
PLUMMER. [] _William Rotsler_ experimented in his last months with
abstract, multicoloured computer art: Robert Lichtman sent a sampler
(`not to be reproduced in b/w', as promised to WR) for UK inspection....
[] _The Brum Group_ is suing former treasurer Sarah Freakley, who
`borrowed' some #400 from Novacon 26 profits etc.
C.O.A. _Discworld Con II_, see con list. _Nicki & Richard Lynch_, PO Box
3120, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20885, USA. _Catherine McAulay_ is off to
work in Brussels -- COA to follow. _Krysia Oborn & Jonathan_, 46
Starlings Dr, Tilehurst, Reading, Berks, RG31 4SU. Alan Rodgers, 12312
Sherman Way, #119 North Hollywood, CA 91605, USA. _Johan Schimanski_,
Siebensterngasse 58/5, A-1070 Vienna, Austria. _Alison Weston_ (again)
c/o 2 Halloughton Road, Sutton Coldfield, W.Midlands, B74 2QG.
R.I.P. _Kathy Acker_ (1947-1997) died of cancer on 30 Nov; a `mainstream'
author of fantastic/apocalyptic fiction and journalism, she admired
cyberpunk and _avant-garde_ sf. (Her last public performance was with
brother Jon and the Mekons, two months ago.) [] _Norman Beswick_, UK fan
and reviewer, died of prostate cancer on 5 Nov; he was 71. (See _A124_.)
[] _Lam Ching-Ying_ the Hong Kong actor `died from liver cancer on the
weekend of 8/9 Nov, in Kowloon St Theresa's Hospital. He was 46. He will
be best known to sf fandom as the stern Taoist priest in the films _Mr
Vampire_, _Spooky __Encounters_, and _Encounters of the Spooky Kind_. He
made many appearances in similar roles, but was additionally a well-
respected character actor, stunt co-ordinator, and martial arts trainer
(former pupils include new "Bond girl" Michelle Yeoh).' [KLM] [] _Ross
Pavlac_, 1982 Worldcon chair, SMOF and connoisseur of Christian sf/
fantasy, died of colon cancer on 11 Nov. From his Chairman's Message to
Windycon this year: `I always used to hate the word "bittersweet" when
applied to a book or a film; this year I have experienced it to the
fullest as this will probably be the last convention that I chair.' [DD]
HAZEL'S SUSPECT LANGUAGE LESSONS. `The proto-Sanskrit euphuism
_Varniyapringoswatinattyavastrya_ expresses the unique sound made by the
silver filigree nostril-ring of an ambergris-vendor who has sneezed after
taking snuff from the fingers of a person of superior caste.' (Donald
Friend, _Save Me from the Shark_, 1973) [YR] _Hazel:_ `No!'
SMALL PRESS. _Steve Holland_ mentioned his self-published _Badger Tracks_
(1997) -- a book-length bibliography of John Spencer/Badger Books -- and
in the same breath revealed that it's effectively out of print.
STRANGE! WEIRD! EERIE! It can only be _Paul DiFilippo_: `Your experience
with the revisionary powers of tragedy (Lady Di in your fiction) was
brought to my mind recently. I'm re-reading Stapledon's _Last and First
Men_, and came across this, in the recounting of England's war with
France (!): "... a beautiful and extravagantly popular young princess was
caught by the explosion. Her body, obscenely mutilated, but still
recognizable to every student of the illustrated papers, was impaled upon
some high park-railings ... The populace was in no state for
ratiocination ... there was the princess, an overwhelmingly potent sexual
symbol and emblem of tribalism, slaughtered and exposed before the eyes
of her adorers." Another prediction fulfilled for this SF classic!'
BLURBISMO. On _Myst: The Book of D'ni_: `David Wingrove is the author of
the Chung Kuo series of novels ... and _Spree: The History of Science_,
a volume which won the prestigious Hugo and Locus Awards ...' With
truncation like that, he was lucky not to appear as Avid Wing.
TAFF: _last chance to vote_ in the eastbound race! (V.Gonzalez, U.
O'Brien, V.Rosenzweig, T.Sadler.) Voting closes midnight 13 Dec.
OUTRAGED LETTERS. _Matt Freestone:_ `I couldn't let this quote from
_Interzone 126_ go by unremarked: "some of the weasels get trapped in the
bodies of humans" (review of Garry Kilworth's _The Welkin Weasels_).
Hamsters maybe -- but weasels?' [] _Simon R.Green_ reports the existence
of _Star Wars_ Monopoly (see _A124_): `Presumably there's a Get Out Of
Jail With The Dark Side Of The Force card, for awkward moments.'
Thog's Masterclass. _Dept of Real Lit:_ `... She herself was unhurried,
in a crisp dress that made her edible beauty cool without chill, like the
flesh of a melon. Her husband was gracious and sculptural, gentle, even
soft, and yet immovable, imperishable, as a granite monolith might be
that was carved in the likeness of a tender and amiable god.' (Rebecca
West, _Black Lamb and Grey Falcon_, 1941-2) [KS] [] `She has a face for
the corner, armored by hard-boiled eyes that float in a sienna tea -- a
cold glare to deny even the suggestion of complex feelings.' (David Simon
& Edward Burns, _The Corner_, 1997) [MMW] [] `Madame Avignon motioned me
to sit on a couch beside the dressing table with twinkling eyes.' (Jane
Routley, _Mage Heart_, 1996) [] `To use a pre-Holocaust term, Brickman
was clearly a hot potato -- a vegetable that no one in the Federation had
tasted for nigh on a thousand years.' (Patrick Tilley, _The First
Family_, 1986)
### MARGARET ALDISS (1933-1997) ###
_Margaret Aldiss died of liver cancer in early November. She had been
married to Brian Aldiss since 1965, compiled a succession of standard
Aldiss bibliographies, and brought good cheer to many conventions. A lady
of great charm, she will be much missed. HARRY HARRISON WRITES:_
Brian Aldiss and I met exactly 40 years ago -- fittingly, at the WorldCon
in London. Since then our lives, and those of our children, have been
inextricably entangled; but always in the nicest of ways. We celebrated
with him at the Randolph in Oxford when he and Margaret were married. Our
families crossed paths often in strange and wonderful places.
When Brian and Margaret were touring Yugoslavia, researching _Cities and
Stones_, we were the first non-Jug faces they saw, when we met at a beach
resort there. They, and their children, visited us in Denmark and
California. We stayed with them in Oxford. The children grew up and left
home. We all grew older. But the familial friendship stayed unchanged.
Don't think that it is an easy job being a writer's wife. In addition to
family and home the new bride must see her husband around the house far
too much. And put up with the trials and tribulations of the freelance
career.
But there are also joys to this kind of life -- and those are what
Margaret always reflected. There was a pleasure in her home that was
mirrored in the happiness of her husband and children.
All life has tribulations -- but I never knew Margaret to mention any of
them. Her life was a full one and a warm one that reflected on all around
her.
It is hard to realize that she is gone so suddenly. I grieve for her, and
for Brian and the children. All of us shall miss her greatly. I speak not
only for myself and Joan -- but for the many, many people in the science
fiction community who have spoken to me of their grief and unhappiness,
who have asked me if possible to pass their feelings on to Brian. I have
done what I can.
This is most difficult to write. Brian, when you read this, please
understand that you are not alone, but part of a multitude who share your
loss.
_Harry Harrison_
### WORLD FANTASY FUN ###
_Everyone wanted to add to my tiny bit on the World Fantasy Con, with
fond reminiscences of Docklands and the Britannia International Hotel..._
JO FLETCHER: `I'll ignore the snippy report of WFC (when the hell have
you ever seen Christopher Lee at an Eastercon, let alone more than 300
authors, editors, artists, agents etc?). But I agree wholeheartedly about
the hotel. However, MOST IMPORTANT: You left off the 1997 World Fantasy
Committee Award to Hugh B.Cave, who was given a standing ovation.'
SIMON R.GREEN: `Not only did I have no hot water till the third day, but
there was no water at all from the sink taps. So I found myself trying
to clean my teeth with water from the shower. Very surreal, first thing
in the morning. [] At breakfast on the second day: "Have you heard about
the Silverbergs?" Oh Christ, I thought, we haven't had another one die
on us, have we? Luckily he'd only lost his passport, six grand in cash,
and the wife's jewellery. Got off lightly, indeed.'
JON COURTENAY GRIMWOOD: `... Thought you were quite kind to the hotel:
cold showers, freezing room, middle of nowhere, enforced diet of bad food
(it was just like being back at school).'
STEVE JONES notes that WFC's raffle raised #800 for Good Causes.
IAN WATSON: `Wot, nothing about the Silverburglary? Or the corkscrew
concrete car park lacking the necessary _Facilis Descensus Averno_ sign
outside? Or the ploy to lure people into it: Hollow Voice of Hotel PA,
"Docklands Development Police will commence removing cars from in front
of the hotel in 30 minutes." "You _are_ joking," Erik Arthur said when
I mentioned this after kennelling my rover in Pluto's lair. Hardly had
I replied, "No, and that was 15 minutes ago," than Erik grey-shifted,
going ashen and vanishing at high speed. Actually, it was only at Steve
Jones's insistence that the hotel put out a PA announcement at all; they
were going to do nothing to alert victims. Okay, the IRA blew the area
up. (Now I know why.) So why no double yellow lines nor a parking
restriction notice anywhere in sight? Enigmas of capitalism.'
### GEEKS' CORNER ###
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CONVENTION E-MAIL
* 1997
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* 1998
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* 2000
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CONVENTION BID E-MAIL
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* 2001
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* 2002
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St...@vraidex.demon.co.uk)
* 2003
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ConCanc£n (Mexico Worldcon), art...@cyberramp.net
Toronto in '03, in...@torcon3.on.ca
ENDNOTES.
An idle check mere days ago disclosed that the _Ansible_ e-mail list
has 1,248 subscribers. Gosh.
The INFINITY con has persuaded Arthur C. Clarke to be videoed (in Sri
Lanka) answering ten written questions, in a sort of remote-control
interview. Suggestions for what to ask are solicited: send to INFINITY
-- e-mail address above -- or Jon...@cardiff.ac.uk.
Ansible 125 Copyright (c) Dave Langford, 1997. Thanks to Paul Barnett,
Barbara Barrett, Dermot Dobson, Steve Green, Steve Jeffery, Jean Lamb,
Kari Maund, David Pringle, Yvonne Rousseau, Kate Schaefer, Maureen
K.Speller, Martin M.Wooster and our Hero Distributors: Janice Murray
(NA), SCIS, Alan Stewart (Oz), and Martin Tudor (Brum Group).
4 Dec 97
--
David Langford
ans...@cix.co.uk | http://www.ansible.demon.co.uk/
David Langford
On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 10:46:26 GMT, ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote,
or quoted Diana Wynne Jones as writing:
> A set of wizened Gloucestershire types in
>lederhosen, making jokes about Spock in between playing such highly
>German numbers as _Che sar… sar…_.
Oops. Missed one of the conversion macros. Please substitute "Che sarà
sarà" (ISO Latin 2 character set for Windows etc) or "Che sara sara"
(vanilla 7-bit ASCII) if the above looks wonky.
Dave
uaob...@uci.edu
In article <348914da...@news.demon.co.uk>,
ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote:
>
> On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 10:46:26 GMT, ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote,
> or quoted Diana Wynne Jones as writing:
>
> >lederhosen, making jokes about Spock in between playing such highly
> >German numbers as _Che sar… sar…_.
>
> sarà" (ISO Latin 2 character set for Windows etc) or "Che sara sara"
> (vanilla 7-bit ASCII) if the above looks wonky.
Wonders if all this typographic pretzel twisting could have been avoided
if what it turns out she/you really meant was 'Que sera, sera'...
--Ulrika
-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Evelyn C. Leeper
In article <8813455...@dejanews.com>, <uaob...@uci.edu> wrote:
> In article <348914da...@news.demon.co.uk>,
> ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote:
> >
> > On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 10:46:26 GMT, ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote,
> > or quoted Diana Wynne Jones as writing:
> >
> > >lederhosen, making jokes about Spock in between playing such highly
> > >German numbers as _Che sar… sar…_.
> >
> > sarà" (ISO Latin 2 character set for Windows etc) or "Che sara sara"
> > (vanilla 7-bit ASCII) if the above looks wonky.
>
> Wonders if all this typographic pretzel twisting could have been avoided
> if what it turns out she/you really meant was 'Que sera, sera'...
...which also has accents grave on the terminal 'a's.
--
Evelyn C. Leeper | ele...@lucent.com
+1 732 957 2070 | http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4824
"Those who do not learn from the future are destined to make mistakes in it."
--Warren Miller (New Yorker)
Marcus L. Rowland
In article <3487db5c...@news.demon.co.uk>, David Langford
<ans...@cix.co.uk> writes
>IAIN BANKS received the ultimate accolade of a mention in _The Archers_
>(10 Nov). `Can a cameo in Tarantino's next movie be far behind?'
Isn't that supposed to be a Modesty Blaise film?
--
Marcus L. Rowland
http://www.ffutures.demon.co.uk/
"We are all victims of this slime. They... ...fill our mailboxes with gibberish
that would get them indicted if people had time to press charges"
[Hunter S. Thompson predicts junk e-mail, 1985 (from Generation of Swine)]
Steven McDonald
Marcus L. Rowland wrote
>>(10 Nov). `Can a cameo in Tarantino's next movie be far behind?'
>
>Isn't that supposed to be a Modesty Blaise film?
As far as I know, Tarantino couldn't nail the rights to do Modesty Blaise,
and has instead opted to do a MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. bigscreen flick. The mind
boggles. Tarantino's upcoming release is JACKIE BROWN, on which the buzz as
to quality varies wildly. One hopes it's not another FOUR ROOMS....
Steve
--
Steven McDonald
Guitarist, Raconteur, Rogue
The Jazz, Blues, Folk & World Music Forum
on the Microsoft Network
http://forums.msn.com/jazz
Are you listening to AirStorm?
Have you read EVENT HORIZON?
Lawrence Person
In article <3487db5c...@news.demon.co.uk>, ans...@cix.co.uk (David
Langford) wrote:
> ANSIBLE 125
> DECEMBER 1997
<snip>
> [] _Lam Ching-Ying_ the Hong Kong actor `died from liver cancer on the
> weekend of 8/9 Nov, in Kowloon St Theresa's Hospital. He was 46. He will
> be best known to sf fandom as the stern Taoist priest in the films _Mr
> Vampire_, _Spooky __Encounters_, and _Encounters of the Spooky Kind_. He
> made many appearances in similar roles, but was additionally a well-
> respected character actor, stunt co-ordinator, and martial arts trainer
> (former pupils include new "Bond girl" Michelle Yeoh).' [KLM]
Alas! I hadn't heard that. Lam Ching-Ying was indeed a fine actor, and
anyone with a taste for supernatural comedies should rush out and rent MR.
VAMPIRE (if you can find it) to see why he was famous.
--
- Lawrence Person
lawr...@bga.com
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David G. Bell
In article <B+cByCA9...@ffutures.demon.co.uk>
mrow...@ffutures.demon.co.uk "Marcus L. Rowland" writes:
> In article <3487db5c...@news.demon.co.uk>, David Langford
> <ans...@cix.co.uk> writes
> >IAIN BANKS received the ultimate accolade of a mention in _The Archers_
> >(10 Nov). `Can a cameo in Tarantino's next movie be far behind?'
>
> Isn't that supposed to be a Modesty Blaise film?
Iain Banks as Willie Garvin?
--
David G. Bell -- Farmer, SF Fan, Filker, Furry, and Punslinger..
David Langford
On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 12:21:39 -0600, uaob...@uci.edu wrote:
>In article <348914da...@news.demon.co.uk>,
> ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote:
>>
>> On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 10:46:26 GMT, ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote,
>> or quoted Diana Wynne Jones as writing:
>>
>> > A set of wizened Gloucestershire types in
>> >lederhosen, making jokes about Spock in between playing such highly
>> >German numbers as _Che sar… sar…_.
>>
>> Oops. Missed one of the conversion macros. Please substitute "Che sarà
>> sarà" (ISO Latin 2 character set for Windows etc) or "Che sara sara"
>> (vanilla 7-bit ASCII) if the above looks wonky.
>
>Wonders if all this typographic pretzel twisting could have been avoided
>if what it turns out she/you really meant was 'Que sera, sera'...
Argh -- and likewise double Argh to Evelyn's further follow-up. I am a Bear
of Very Little Brain, and Foreign Words Bother Me (especially when music is
involved, and Diana's handwriting) ...
Dave
David G. Bell
> In article <348914da...@news.demon.co.uk>,
> ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote:
> >
> > On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 10:46:26 GMT, ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote,
> > or quoted Diana Wynne Jones as writing:
> >
> > > A set of wizened Gloucestershire types in
> > >lederhosen, making jokes about Spock in between playing such highly
> > >German numbers as _Che sar… sar…_.
> >
> > Oops. Missed one of the conversion macros. Please substitute "Che sarà
> > sarà" (ISO Latin 2 character set for Windows etc) or "Che sara sara"
> > (vanilla 7-bit ASCII) if the above looks wonky.
>
> Wonders if all this typographic pretzel twisting could have been avoided
> if what it turns out she/you really meant was 'Que sera, sera'...
But if the future's not ours to see, how can we write any SF?
Morgan Gallagher
In article <3489c24d...@news.demon.co.uk>, David Langford
<ans...@cix.co.uk> writes
>handwriting) ...
Handwriting? what was that again?
;-)
--
Morgan
"Nunc demum intellego," dixit Winnie ille Pu. "Stultus et
delusus fui," dixit "et ursus sine ullo cerebro sum."
Maurena Kincaida Spella pro candido Transatlantico Fanatico Copia suffragari!
Marcus L. Rowland
In article <881397...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk>, "David G. Bell"
<db...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk> writes
>Iain Banks as Willie Garvin?
Not the best bit of casting I can imagine, but that never seems to stop
film directors.
Ray Radlein
Marcus L. Rowland wrote:
>
> "David G. Bell" <db...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk> writes
>
> >Iain Banks as Willie Garvin?
>
> Not the best bit of casting I can imagine, but that never seems to
> stop film directors.
Okay then, Iain banks as Modesty.
- Ray R.
--
*********************************************************************
"Who's the funky sex machine?"
"Oh, that's just our new Borg crew member, Seven of Nin."
Ray Radlein - r...@learnlink.emory.edu
homepage coming soon! wooo, wooo.
*********************************************************************
Marcus L. Rowland
In article <348A55...@learnlink.emory.edu>, Ray Radlein
<r...@learnlink.emory.edu> writes
>Okay then, Iain banks as Modesty.
Nah - his hair's the wrong colour.
Alan Winston - SSRL Admin Cmptg Mgr
In article <ATNRpSA5...@ffutures.demon.co.uk>, "Marcus L. Rowland"
<mrow...@ffutures.demon.co.uk> writes:
>In article <348A55...@learnlink.emory.edu>, Ray Radlein
><r...@learnlink.emory.edu> writes
>>Okay then, Iain banks as Modesty.
>
>Nah - his hair's the wrong colour.
So was Monica Vitti's, and that didn't stop them.
-- Alan
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WIN...@SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone: 415/926-3056
Physical mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 69, PO BOX 4349, STANFORD, CA 94309-0210
===============================================================================
Chris Malme
In article <3489c24d...@news.demon.co.uk>, ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote:
> On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 12:21:39 -0600, uaob...@uci.edu wrote:
>
> > ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote:
> >>
> >> On Fri, 05 Dec 1997 10:46:26 GMT, ans...@cix.co.uk (David Langford) wrote,
> >> or quoted Diana Wynne Jones as writing:
> >>
> >> >lederhosen, making jokes about Spock in between playing such highly
> >> >German numbers as _Che sar… sar…_.
> >>
> >> sarà" (ISO Latin 2 character set for Windows etc) or "Che sara sara"
> >> (vanilla 7-bit ASCII) if the above looks wonky.
> >
> >Wonders if all this typographic pretzel twisting could have been avoided
> >if what it turns out she/you really meant was 'Que sera, sera'...
>
> of Very Little Brain, and Foreign Words Bother Me (especially when music is
> involved, and Diana's handwriting) ...
I thought it was that little known hit from Evita:-
Che Guevara - ah!
Whatever he wills, will be...
Chris
Chris Malme
In article <348a69e9...@news.demon.co.uk>, r...@fiawol.demon.co.uk wrote:
> On Sat, 6 Dec 1997 23:43:35 +0000, "Marcus L. Rowland"
> <mrow...@ffutures.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >In article <881397...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk>, "David G. Bell"
> ><db...@zhochaka.demon.co.uk> writes
> >>Iain Banks as Willie Garvin?
> >
> >Not the best bit of casting I can imagine, but that never seems to stop
> >film directors.
>
> Hanks in the title role and John Travolta as Frank Sinatra. I'm not
> making this up.
Personally, I would have plumped for Travolta himself to play Martin,
while the only person who could play Sinatra at this present time must be
Harry Connick Jr.
Pity they can't afford Jim Carrey to play Jerry Lewis.
Chris
Mark Tye
> > if what it turns out she/you really meant was 'Que sera, sera'...
>
I guess we'll just have to make something up.
-- Mark "more happy endings that way" Tye
E-mail reply hint: Have you driven a fnord lately? Didn't think so.
The facts and opinions expressed herein are ficticious. Any
similarity to real opinions, belonging to either the author or
his employer, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Gary Farber
In <348a69e9...@news.demon.co.uk>
Rob Hansen <r...@fiawol.demon.co.uk> wrote:
[. . .]
: Indeed. They're making a biopic of Dean Martin that will have Tom
: Hanks in the title role and John Travolta as Frank Sinatra. I'm not
: making this up.
I'm still looking for a cite or support on this, though. Do you have one,
old friend?
--
--
Copyright 1997 by Gary Farber; Experienced Web Researcher; Nonfiction
Writer, Fiction and Nonfiction Editor; gfa...@panix.com; B'klyn, NYC
Loren Joseph MacGregor
Gary Farber (gfa...@panix.com) wrote:
: In <348a69e9...@news.demon.co.uk>
: [. . .]
: : Indeed. They're making a biopic of Dean Martin that will have Tom
: : Hanks in the title role and John Travolta as Frank Sinatra. I'm not
: : making this up.
: I'm still looking for a cite or support on this, though. Do you have one,
: old friend?
I don't have a cite, but a local actor who pays a *lot* closer
attention to the trades than I do confirmed it. As should be no
surprise to anyone, Jim Carrey is under consideration for the part
of Jerry Lewis. I'll try and ask Michael tomorrow where his
... damn, I've lost track of this sentence and I've forgotten how
to backtrack in vi ... best start again ... ask Michael tomrrow
where he got his information.
-- LJM
Rob Hansen
On 16 Dec 1997 00:24:05 -0500, gfa...@panix.com (Gary Farber) wrote:
>In <348a69e9...@news.demon.co.uk>
>Rob Hansen <r...@fiawol.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>[. . .]
>: Indeed. They're making a biopic of Dean Martin that will have Tom
>: Hanks in the title role and John Travolta as Frank Sinatra. I'm not
>: making this up.
>
>I'm still looking for a cite or support on this, though. Do you have one,
>old friend?
It was in the news section of one of the TV shows we have over here
devoted to films (I watch most of them). It stated that Hanks had
definitely been cast as Martin, Travolta was about to sign on the
dotted line as Sinatra, and that Carrey was being courted to play
Jerry Lewis. Of these, only Carrey struck me as remotely reasonable
casting. Thie particular show in question has a reasonable record of
getting this stuff right, BTW (though I could've done without the
April 1st news slot they once did, where I was getting more and more
astonished by the revelations, only twigging what was going on when
they announced that Elton John had been signed to play Captain
America....).
Rob Hansen
================================================
My Home Page: http://www.fiawol.demon.co.uk/rob/
Feminists Against Censorship:
http://www.fiawol.demon.co.uk/FAC/
Philip Chee
>of Jerry Lewis. I'll try and ask Michael tomorrow where his
>.... damn, I've lost track of this sentence and I've forgotten how
>to backtrack in vi ... best start again ... ask Michael tomrrow
Try 'k'
Phil
---=====================================================================---
Philip Chee: Tasek Cement Berhad, P.O.Box 254, 30908 Ipoh, MALAYSIA
e-mail: phi...@aleytys.pc.my Voice:+60-5-545-1011 Fax:+60-5-547-3932
Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief,
oh Night, and so be good for us to pass.
---
ş 9926.71 ş vivivi, the editor of the beast.
Loren Joseph MacGregor
Philip Chee (phi...@aleytys.pc.my) wrote:
: >of Jerry Lewis. I'll try and ask Michael tomorrow where his
: >.... damn, I've lost track of this sentence and I've forgotten how
: >to backtrack in vi ... best start again ... ask Michael tomrrow
: Try 'k'
You read that post, Phil. Did it seem to you that I was awake
enough to be writing it, much less considering the intricacies of
vi-olence.
I'm much better now. Sort of.
(Actually, it was brain lock. I use a wide variety of word
processing and editing tools, and periodically I'll be sitting
with my hands poised over the keys, knowing full well that I'm
using a program I've used hundreds of times before, with not a
clue which of several command sets I should use.)
-- LJM
Philip Chee
In article <67f8e6$3dk$3...@haus.efn.org> lmac...@garcia.efn.org writes:
>Philip Chee (phi...@aleytys.pc.my) wrote:
>: In article <6754hv$oh3$2...@haus.efn.org> lmac...@garcia.efn.org writes:
>: >of Jerry Lewis. I'll try and ask Michael tomorrow where his
>: >.... damn, I've lost track of this sentence and I've forgotten how
>: >to backtrack in vi ... best start again ... ask Michael tomrrow
>: Try 'k'
>You read that post, Phil. Did it seem to you that I was awake
>enough to be writing it, much less considering the intricacies of
>vi-olence.
Actually, I was looking for an excuse to use the vivivi tagline (The
Editor of the Beast). I'm also looking for an excuse to use 668 (The
Neighbour of the Beast).
>I'm much better now. Sort of.
Welcome back, whatever.
>(Actually, it was brain lock. I use a wide variety of word
>processing and editing tools, and periodically I'll be sitting
>with my hands poised over the keys, knowing full well that I'm
>using a program I've used hundreds of times before, with not a
>clue which of several command sets I should use.)
Well I don't use as many word tools as you but I'm pretty comfortable with
Wordperfect 5.1, Qedit, Brief/dBrief and vi at the moment. I used to know
Zed a long way back. I admit I don't understand how to use the MSDOS
editor that comes with M$DOS though.
Phil
---=====================================================================---
Philip Chee: Tasek Cement Berhad, P.O.Box 254, 30908 Ipoh, MALAYSIA
e-mail: phi...@aleytys.pc.my Voice:+60-5-545-1011 Fax:+60-5-547-3932
Guard us from the she-wolf and the wolf, and guard us from the thief,
oh Night, and so be good for us to pass.
... Windows NT: No Thanks; Not Trusted, Not Today, Not Tomorrow.
---
* 9950.32 *
Loren Joseph MacGregor
Philip Chee (phi...@aleytys.pc.my) wrote:
: Well I don't use as many word tools as you but I'm pretty comfortable with
: Wordperfect 5.1, Qedit, Brief/dBrief and vi at the moment. I used to know
: Zed a long way back. I admit I don't understand how to use the MSDOS
: editor that comes with M$DOS though.
Carefully.
-- LJM
mike weber
On 21 Dec 1997 06:15:27 GMT, lmac...@garcia.efn.org (Loren Joseph
MacGregor) wrote:
On other peoples' files, where possible.
--------------------------------------------------
<<mike weber>> <<emsh...@aol.com>>
History doesn't always repeat itself -- sometimes it just screams
"Why don't you listen to what I'm telling you?!?" and lets fly with
a club. <<JWCjr>>