Charlie's Books

Charlie's Books
Buon Giorno, Amici!

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Leave the (political) party. Take the cannoli.

"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela

Right now 6 Stella crime novels are available on Kindle for just $.99 ... Eddie's World has been reprinted and is also available from Stark House Press (Gat Books).

Monday, December 23, 2013

Two Movies … The Doc’s Christmas Card to me … my Christmas Card to him …

Amici:

 
Not Fade Away … okay, so the similar backgrounds with David Chase has now entered a new dimension for moi. This 2012 movie directed by Chase, with James Gandolfini, opens with a kid staring at a set of Rogers drums in a music store window. I did that (and eventually worked two jobs so I could buy a set of Rogers). I remember reading where Chase was influenced by the Ernest Borgnine movie about the black hand (the original mafia), Pay or Die ...
 
 
And when it was on Million Dollar movie 5 nights/afternoons in a row back in the day, I watched it every day it was on, and I’m pretty sure it had the same intriguing effect on me … Not Fade Away is a fun movie that becomes sad when you realize how close to Gandolfini’s death it was released. A group of kids form a band and try their best to make it big … they do all the things that drive parents crazy (like quit college after just two years, wear their hair long, wear Beatle-boots, etc.) … and there’s the romance and the realization of sex (and all its dirty secrets) … I was drawn to it from the opening scene because of the Rogers drums …
 
 
I stuck with it because it was a well-done storyline … definitely worth the time, amici.
 



And then there was this foreign flick ...
 
 

Unforgiveable … this 2011 French-eye-talian flick was interesting as well, but when a pooch was brutally killed, I wanted to hunt down the producers and director and, well ... I was stunned (and it was meant to stun) … I paused the movie, caught my breath and continued on. It’s a movie, so we’ll assume the dog wasn’t killed. I’m not sure if that kept me pissed off or not, but the movie never really took hold afterward for me. I watched it because of the location more than anything else. It takes place in Venice. I really can’t say … some nice storylines, for sure, but I never could let go of that dog’s death scene.




 
The Doc’s Christmas Card … for the record, amici, the Doc is a dear friend (make no mistake) and proof positive that left wing nut jobs (what most call me these days) and tea party psychos (what I call most tea partiers these days) can get along? Well, at least we can pepper each other and still smile about it. With that in mind, the Doc’s Christmas card to me (and yous) amici … followed by mine to him (and all a’yous) …
 
First, from Doc to me:

Feliz navidad, Chaz,

Sorry I’ve been out of touch, but I’ve been spending most of my waking hours trying to sign up for FredoCare. Call me crazy, but I want my Social Security number and all my bank information posted on a network with no security and run by Acorn to make the Bamster look good. I like to live on the edge.

Aside from being a season of giving it looks like this will also be a season of hard decisions. Will Duck Dynasty be able to survive after pissing off the seven gay guys who are hard core viewers? Will A&E give up the only top 10 cable show they have ever had to placate the gay community. Will the Robertson family go along with suspending the man they describe as the “patriarch” of their family? Will Duck Commander come out with a campy, rainbow themed line of camo?

Personally, I have never watched the show. I don’t watch “reality” shows. I have my own “reality” show running 24/7 and I don’t care to interrupt it by watching someone else’s screwy little view of reality.

If I’m not mistaken, the premise of the show is that these “ZZ Top”-coiffed, Louisiana good ol’ boys have a $400 million duck call company that gives them more money than they could ever spend. Good luck to A&E as far as holding out a few bucks in front of them to roll over on pops.

I’m sure any other cable channel will pick up the Duck Boys and let them quote the bible all God damned day if they deliver 9 million viewers. If MSNBC could get 9 million viewers they would have Rachel Maddow twerking with the whole Duck Dynasty clan. Now there is a revolting thought that will take days and copious amounts of adult beverages to get out of my head.

Merry Christmas to you, Knuckster and the Principessa, and all the amici out there, yearning to be free. May our president stay safe on his 112th vacation. Fredo, wear your little sissy helmet while you pedal your girlie bike down the mean streets of Hawaii.

Here is my favorite Christmas song. (1942) Nobody sings Christmas songs like Bing.
 



And one just for me. White t-shirts have never been the same!
 


My warmest Christmas wishes to all

The Docster

 
My Christmas Card to the Docster …

Happy Holidays, MF’er,

As you know, I’m in the middle of yet another painful football/hockey season, but hopeful that America will feature a new national holiday, Edward Snowden Day, because isn’t it high time we learn that the propaganda our illustrious leaders spread (and have been spreading forever) about all those “socialist” countries applies to us equally? I mean, have you ever noticed, Doc, that the countries with the most to hide seem to be the ones who spread the most bullshit? North Korea, Russia, the United States …

But speaking of the Duck Dynasty controversy, personally I could care less what those toothless wonders spew … you watch that shit, you should probably have your head examined anyway. I don’t believe in censorship, so I don’t agree with pulling their fiasco of a show. People should watch what they wanna watch, end of story. I do wonder if A&E didn’t put them up to that bullshit anyway. It probably gets more attention now than ever … kind of like flies to shit.

The gay community will eventually have their way and be true equal partners under the law (as it always should have been), but not because of the morons from Duck Dynasty … because it’s the right thing to do (and most people, no matter how hard the tea party tries to make believe it’s 1776, continue to be educated, whether they want to or not, and they find their way to the present, 2013). Until everyone in America is equal under the law (i.e., all men are created equal), you gotta give some more thought to that Snowden national holiday, no?

As for Obama, you call him Fredo, I call him Bush III & IV, so meh …

I am curious as to why you didn’t bring up our Marxist Pope. I think he’s great! He recognizes the gay community, the poor, and the inevitable collapse of capitalism. I know you’re religious (like the Principessa, who LOVES the new Pope), but this guy has to be putting a twist in your panties. He speaks for the have-nots while your people (the tea party) blames them. So who do you put your faith in, sir, a pill-popping, blubberized, white guy (Rush Limbaugh) or a truly compassionate man of the people (Pope Francis)?

Think Dickens, Doc ...



I won’t get into your eye candy/rocks for brains from Fox Noise, Megyn Kelly. What a walking, talking, ditz that moron proved to be … did you see her, Doc? Santa “just is” white? Really? And do Reindeer really fly? And her “recant” … she was kidding … yeah, right … and I’m skinny.

Happy holidays to you and yours, Doc, although your choice of Bing Crosby almost made me upchuck my 7th slice of pizza tonight. See my favorites below …

—the Knuckster

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all yous and yours, amici!

Deano!



Hey, Doc, Big Sexy says over here with your Feliz Navidad!