this has come to my attention a little late: 'Offensive' word to be removed from Jacqueline Wilson book: After three complaints from parents, Random House is to amend My Sister Jodie

"The word 'twat' was used in context. It was meant to be a nasty word on purpose, because this is a nasty character," said a spokesperson for Random House. "However, Jacqueline doesn't want to offend her readers or her readers' parents, so when the book comes to be reprinted the word will be replaced with twit."
Wilson is one of the 750 authors to have put her name to a petition against age guidance, a publisher initiative to include the ages at which a children's book is aimed on its back cover.

(link thanks to Michael Evans)
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This comment just made on my post of 20 August deserves to be made more visible:

Comment by Don Robbins:
Hello Eddie, I read the comments on Ed Robbins in the blog for august. Anyone still interested? The page illustrated is not the one that caused the disturbance or I believe it has been altered from the original. In the controversial strip the girl being tortured with cigarettes to the feet had her skirt hiked up above the knees exposing the top of the stockings. This appeared to some readers to be her crotch and caused an upset to the "moral" majority at the time of it's printing. I know this because I had seen the original work. You see, Edwin Robbins was my father and held on to some of the original art for Mike Hammer as well as other comics he worked on until he burned it all in the 1970's. He was also the original layout man for Captain Marvel and worked with Rod reed and C.C. Beck in New York City. He also wrote and illustrated a story for the Vampirella comic in one of the early issues titled 7 steps to lucy furh. I watched him draw that one at home in upstate N.Y. and it was one of my favorites. He was very dissapointed after the Mike Hammer strip was cancelled and didn't do comics for many years. People don't know that my father and Mickey Spillane were great friends until my dad's death in 1981. The two of them knew each other during the war and stayed friends. Mickey was a world war two ace and my dad did art to raise money for the war effort. I met Mickey on many occasions and believe me, he was Mike Hammer and fasioned the character after himself. I hope there is still some interest out there about this and thanks for the chance to comment. Sincerely, Don Robbins.

Your words are appreciated, Don. Thanks for taking the time.

Our TV adventure, so far- part 7

i've been quiet on this subject for a month as I'm almost up to date on developments. It was about two months ago that we shot a two and a half minute demonstration film based on the Snooter story. You will recall that the beastie flew in our window one humid night.


It bit me and caused me some medical grief and I decided to have a midlife crisis. Later it flew in Bruce W@yne's window...


...and he decided to become a hideous creature of the night, a big insectoid nag with Snooter attributes including the long curly proboscis.



The setting was Campbell's supposed bedroom in a house rented for the day, and Campbell played himself. Mrs Campbell played herself too, though all she had to do was pretend to be asleep all day Saturday. Apparently she actually dozed off for a while, as somebody told her something and she afterwards had no recollection of it. Being a novice in this situation, it was weird being in bed with seven or eight other people in the room, the director, photographer, sound guy and all the rest, with blacked out windows in daytime ('I guess a shag's out of the question,' said the wife of my bosom, quoting somebody, probably Austin Powers). The beastie was added in later using computer animation. The guys did a beautiful job of getting it just right, with its little dangly insect legs. On the next day, Sunday, we shot some stuff in the studio against the green screen. Here's a still I took. What you can just about see is the guy in the Snooter costume with the pink dishwashing gloves and all (There are better photos but the producers are keeping them under wraps). Christiaan, the young actor wearing it, is about six foot eight. It was specially made by Adam Head and it's a really strange feeling after all these years to see something like this actually physically put together. One of the producers meanwhile is keeping it in his wardrobe at home. If there are any midnight Snooter sightings, let me know and I'll give him a serious talking to.

you recall how your Ma always told you not to run around with the stick in your hand in case it put your eye out? Boy unscathed after keys enter brain
An American toddler has survived a bizarre brush with death after a set of car keys became lodged in his brain... Although doctors were confident they had not damaged his brain when removing the key, they were stunned to find out 15 minutes later that his eye was also undamaged.

Paper pleads with Aussies not to exit UK-
leading British newspaper has pleaded with Australians living in the UK not to head home amid concerns a looming recession and plummeting pound are fuelling an exodus. The Times praised the cultural contribution of famous Australians who have made Britain home, including Barry Humphries, Clive James and Germaine Greer as well as the generations of Antipodeans who have flocked to the "old country."
But in its editorial on Tuesday, the Rupert Murdoch-owned daily voiced alarm at new figures showing record numbers of Antipodeans are leaving Britain and its economic gloom for better job opportunities back home.

The Mirror fully supports Kim Cattrall's Titian campaign
Today's Daily Mirror carries a picture created as part of the Diana and Actaeon appeal. Are the tabloids getting into culture?
Or is it business as usual, women enjoying sitting around with no clothes on?

monty the dog, of 'Monty and me'. Picture of him losing his winter coat.


Every night, in his hungry impatience, he leaves his drinking water with a fragment of dog biscuit floating in it. The wife of my bosom, who has been watching far too much Gordon Ramsay, fondly refers to it as his 'signature dish.'

The first to claim the sketch in comments can have him signed and sent to them in the mail.

meanwhile
This blog was launched two years ago today here!

that young punk Callum Campbell has painted himself into a corner. Hey, I never got a shot at an actual big canvas when I was still at high school.


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Mystery piano in woods perplexes police
Was it a theft? A prank? A roundabout effort to bring some holiday cheer to the police? Authorities in Harwich, Massachusetts, are probing the mysterious appearance of a piano, in good working condition, in the middle of the woods.
Also of note: Near the mystery piano -- serial number 733746 -- was a bench, positioned as though someone was about to play. (link via Minty Moore)