avenutolo

Press play for some mood music I'm a boxer by trade -- or I should say, I was. Someone retired me who wasn't exactly sportin' leather gloves but English Leather musk. In fact, he usually chomped a cigar, was half my size and wore bifocals. In the ring, they called me Eddie "Eagle Eye" Rockport because I saw those haymakers coming from the next round. That skill was learned compliments of Uncle Sam who trained me as an Army marksman. How good was I in the ring? I never bled, always beat the... Read Full Story

Was Mickey Mouse a gigolo? Was he thinking about turnin' tricks? Well, we're thinking not but if anything, the panel above from a vintage Mickey comic is proof positive that the lines were certainly blurred when it came to harmless kiddie entertainment and adultish fare ( something we've pointed out before ). Hmmmm, we're wondering if Bukowski would have liked Mickey more had the seen the panel above. Confused? Not sure how many Buk fans out there realize that Hank hated that "three fingered... Read Full Story

Press play for some mood music She was a professional lady in waiting . That was her job -- to keep his ice cubes cold and the footplay hot. Nothing more. Rinaldo booked them a corner suite at the Gran Hotel Velazquez in Madrid and made sure it was near an exit. He told his Lady in Waiting that he'd be gone for most of the day and, if by midnight he hadn't returned, she should go on to the next town and wait for him there. After all, poker with the gringos could get intense and who was he to... Read Full Story

The fight game is a little sad this evening as reports that Muhammad Ali trainer Angelo Dundee has died at 90. Dundee helped mold and motivate a young Cassius Clay (Ali) and Sugar Ray Leonard into modern day boxing legends. In 1991, he also helped George Foreman win back the title in the early mid-nineties. Tweet Read Full Story

Press play for some mood music I worked the door at Toyland, a titty bar on Fillmore, and when I tell you that this broad was drama's wet dream, believe it. This kid had a story for everything. And the funny thing? Her name was Drama -- at least that was her stripper name. I know, dumb moniker for a dancer but then, most of them weren't too bright. The way I saw it, there were four kinds of strippers. 'Snowflake' was usually the pretty dope fiend who was so spaced, she'd barely make money for... Read Full Story

Wendell Pierce and Dominic West in 'The Wire.' I missed "The Wire" on the first go-round. I know, I know... Dumb. Initially, I tried it out and for whatever reason, didn't stick with the cerebral HBO drama past its initial sixty minutes of the HBO drama. I suspect there are many like myself who opted to watch the exploits of depressed gangster Tony Soprano in New Jersey than the bleak interactions of criminals and police within the crime-riddled streets of Baltimore Maryland. "The Wire... Read Full Story

Edgar Allan Bro... Big birthday week 'round these parts... It's Jan. 19 so let's give a hearty and happy 203rd birthday to the inventor of the detective novel (and uber horror master) Edgar Allan Poe. Enjoy some tales below ...   Tweet Read Full Story

May 25, 1965 - Ali knocks out Sonny Liston in first minute of the first round. Happy 70th birthday to the greatest boxer who ever lived - Muhammad Ali...  Tweet Read Full Story

So I'm doing what  people do on New Years Eve and Day -- watch marathons -- and I come across a show both awesome and odd at the same time. It's called 'Moonshiners' and it airs on The Discovery Channel. It centers on those who brew their shine - often in the woods near their homes using camouflaged equipment — and the local authorities who try to keep them honest. According to the network, viewers will witness practices rarely seen on television including the sacred rite of passage for a... Read Full Story

Here's wishing everyone a prosperous and healthy 2012 Tweet Read Full Story