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Budapest Times
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Budapest Times
Dumb hoods screw up in kidnap gone wrong
Latter-day editions of books by late American crime writer Charles Willeford (1919-1988) have featured the front-cover accolade by late American crime writer Elmore Leonard (1925-2013) that 'No one writes a better crime novel than Charles Willeford'. That's exceedingly generous praise from a man for whom many would offer exactly the same sentiment, that 'No one writes a better crime novel than Elmore Leonard'. While not wanting to enter a debate about who might have been the better of the two, it has to be said that Leonard's output of some 45 novels outstrips Willeford's of 18 or so, with both maintaining a remarkably high standard of idiosyncratic plotting, characterisation and dialogue in a felonious field that includes many other notable penmen and penwomen. (Leonard and Willeford have been great favourites at The Budapest Times for years, where we've consumed some 35 of Leonard's novels and just about all of Willeford's, but forced by threat of torture into a decision of some sort, rather than choosing one author we would at least opt for the latter's superlative 'Sideswipe' (1987) as nigh on unbeatable.) Well, just about matchless, that is, for 'The Switch', first published in 1978. is top-notch story-telling too, with its requisite badasses who are basically too stupid to be successful badasses. The badasses here are Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara, Ordell a light-skinned Negro and Gara a dark-skinned Caucasian, so they are about even in shade (a typical Leonard touch, that). Not only are Leonard's hoods often dumb and screwing up, they can end up trying to rip off each other too, with guess-what results. Louis is going to be the dumb-ass here. Leonard liked to write things in a bit of an oblique way, so when he tells us that 'Louis had been down in Huntsville, Texas, keeping fit, clearing scrub all day, having his supper at five P.M. and turning the light out at ten', that's Elmore code for Louis having been in jail. Likewise, reading that 'Louis wore a cap – this summer a faded tan cap – straight and low over his eyes. Louis didn't go in for jewelry; a watch was enough, a $1,200 Benrus he'd picked up at the Flamingo Motor Hotel, McAllen, Texas', well, that's another roundabout for the reader to understand – he's a thief. He has indeed been away for nearly three years, and so now that he's out of stir and back in Detroit, his pal Ordell is taking him for a ride in Ordell's tan Ford van so that he can see the latest sights of the Motor Capital. As they cruise past the monumental Renaissance Centre on the riverfront, all glass and steel rising 700 feet in a five-tower complex, all Louis can say is that, 'Wow. It's big'. Ordell is nonplussed, asking, 'That's all you can say? It's big?' to which Louis adds: 'It's really big. If it fell over you could walk across it to Canada.' Another sight described by Ordell: '… a fine example of neo-ghetto… You can see it's not your classic ghetto yet, not quite ratty or rotten enough, but it's coming. Over there on the left, first whore of the day. Out for her vitamin C. And there's some more – hot pants with a little ass hanging out, showing the goods.' Louis was jailed after gunning his car at someone he didn't like to make him jump but cut it too close and broke the man's legs. 'I was arrested, charged with attempted murder, plea-bargained it down to felonious assault and got two to five in Huntsville. Served thirty months, same amount of time I was in the Navy, and I'll tell you something. Even being at [naval station] Norfolk, Virginia, I liked the Navy a little better.' Leonard is a master of casual humour. Ordell recounts how he went down to the Bahamas about seven, eight years ago. 'I had some money to spend, I said hey, go down to a paradise island and have some of those big rum drinks and watch the natives do all that quaint shit beating on the oil drums, you know?' And then there's Richard, full name Richard Edgar Monk, a cultist, racist, anti-communist, anti-semite, ex-private security guard with an arsenal of rifles, revolvers, a musket, shotguns – one sawed-off – grenades, bayonets, knives, a gas mask, a German helmet, an Afrika Korps soft hat, Nazi armbands, belt buckles, an SS death's head insignia, and boxes of cartridges and shotgun shells. His car has a shotgun mount, roll-bar and police siren. Richard is recruited because Ordell and Louis plan to kidnap the wife of a rich man and they need Richard's house to hold her until her husband pays a million-dollar ransom. Alongside Richard's World War Two memorabilia, the red, white and black swastika on the wall and photos of Hitler and Heinrich Himmler in his black SS uniform, Leonard notes in another nice touch that the couch and easychairs have crocheted antimacassars on the arms and headrests. There's something weird about Richard. The kidnap victim will be Mickey Dawson, the 'tennis mum' of a spoiled brat teenage son, Bo. She's sick to the teeth of her husband Frank. 'He's a pure asshole,' she says. For the irritable Frank, nothing his wife does is right and he's on her back all the time. Unknown to her, he has apartments in Detroit renovated with stolen materials and appliances, renting to pimps and prostitutes, grossing at least $100,000 a month but reporting only half as income, his money going into a numbered bank account. Frank also regularly goes to the Bahamas for a day or two, lately for several days, supposedly working on land development with foreign investors. He has a mistress there, Melanie. Ordell and Louis have a selection of rubber faces including four Richard Nixons, Frankenstein, a vampire, a witch, monsters, Micky Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy for disguise. They grab Mickey and take her to Richard's. It has all the makings of a terrible mess, Elmore Leonard-style – the two hoods and their psycho pal, and the Frank-Mickey-Melanie triangle. Unfortunately, unknown to the kidnappers, Frank has divorce papers in the pipeline and he wants to marry Melanie, so why should he want to pay out a million dollars to secure Mickey's release? In fact it would save him a lot of trouble if the kidnappers kill her. There's an interesting question that Leonard might be subtly leaving us to consider – are Ordell, Louis and Richard any more screwed up in their criminal ways than the 'respectable' Frank? The outcome is unseen and nicely absurd, a satisfying ending to an enjoyable book . The other two newly resissued Leonard paperbacks alongside 'The Switch' are 'Swag' (1976) and 'Rum Punch' (1992). Another 10 will follow at the end of this year and in March 2026. It's all about keeping the catalogue alive. These latest paperbacks don't mean that Elmore Leonard is back, because he never went away, and probably won't either. A couple of his tenets for good writing to keep the reader engaged were to never use a verb other than 'said' to carry dialogue, and to never use an adverb to modify the verb 'said' to keep the focus on the dialogue itself. For these and his other rules we remark that we are exceedingly grateful.
Pink Villa
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Why is Ravi Mohan going to High Court in Rs 9 crore case? All we know about his fight against production house
Ravi Mohan has approached the Madras High Court and filed a defamation case against the production house of Bobby Touch Gold Universal Private Limited. The actor is seeking compensation of Rs 9 crore from the producers as they failed to commence two projects with him in time. Ravi Mohan files a lawsuit against a production house As per a report by News18, Ravi Mohan has alleged that he provided a call sheet for 80 days, but the company failed to begin production. This apparently led him to suffer a huge loss, leading to the lawsuit. The PS 1 actor alleged that he provided dates from January to March of 2025; during this time, he had to give up other movies owing to his contract with the production house. Moreover, the contract automatically expired after a period, which led him to take on new projects. However, the producers are said to have served a notice to Ravi, seeking a return on the advance of Rs 6 crore they once paid the actor. Interestingly, the defamation lawsuit has clearly stated that the actor is willing to return the advance payment, but the production house now retorts and says that Ravi Mohan breached their contract by working in Parasakthi. The Madras High Court has now ordered the production company to further respond by July 23, 2025. Ravi Mohan's work front Ravi Mohan was last seen in the lead role in the movie Kadhalikka Neramillai. The romantic comedy, directed by Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi and co-starring Nithya Menen, was loosely based on the 2010 American film The Switch, which starred Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. The film tells the story of a young woman who dreams of having a family but struggles as she falls for a man who has no interest in marriage or children. This leads to a series of humorous moments and explores whether she ultimately finds her true love. The actor is next set to appear as the main antagonist for the Sivakarthikeyan starrer flick, Parasakthi. The movie directed by Sudha Kongara is touted to be a period political drama with Sreeleela and Atharvaa Murali in key roles.
Malaysian Reserve
16-07-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
LIVE FEED: DISNEY CEO BOB IGER TO RING NYSE OPENING BELL FROM DISNEYLAND RESORT
NEW YORK, July 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On Thursday morning, the New York Stock Exchange will provide a live broadcast of Disney CEO Bob Iger ringing the NYSE Opening Bell from Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, in celebration of Disneyland's 70th anniversary. NYSE President Lynn Martin will join Mr. Iger to commemorate the occasion. When:Thursday, July 17, 20259:28 a.m. ET Live feed opens9:30 a.m. ET Opening Bell rings9:31 a.m. ET Live feed closes Live Feed:The live feed will be available via Encompass 4090 and The Switch. Additional requests should be made through the NYSE Broadcast Center at NYSETV@ or 212.656.5483. Live Stream:The live feed also will be streamed on the NYSE's channels on X, LinkedIn and YouTube. Logo – View original content:
Cision Canada
16-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
LIVE FEED: DISNEY CEO BOB IGER TO RING NYSE OPENING BELL FROM DISNEYLAND RESORT
NEW YORK, July 16, 2025 /CNW/ -- On Thursday morning, the New York Stock Exchange will provide a live broadcast of Disney CEO Bob Iger ringing the NYSE Opening Bell from Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, in celebration of Disneyland's 70th anniversary. NYSE President Lynn Martin will join Mr. Iger to commemorate the occasion. When: Thursday, July 17, 2025 9:28 a.m. ET Live feed opens 9:30 a.m. ET Opening Bell rings 9:31 a.m. ET Live feed closes Live Feed: The live feed will be available via Encompass 4090 and The Switch. Additional requests should be made through the NYSE Broadcast Center at [email protected] or 212.656.5483. Live Stream: The live feed also will be streamed on the NYSE's channels on X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Perth Now
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Ferris Bueller's Day Off in talks to reunite in remake of French comedy
'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' co-stars Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck are in talks to reunite in the comedy 'The Best Is Yet to Come'. The flick has a script by Allan Loeb; the screenwriter and producer known for films such as 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps', 'The Switch', and 'Things We Lost in the Fire'. 'Cool Runnings' helmer Jon Turteltaub is on board to direct. Per Deadline, the actors will "play best friends who, through a colossal misunderstanding that creates a ticking clock, hop in a car to find the estranged son of one of them and also try to do all the things that life has prevented them from doing." The film is a remake of the 2019 French comedy-drama of the same name directed by Alexandre de La Patelliere and Matthieu Delaporte. Lionsgate is in talks to distribute the movie. Although the finer details are still to be finalised, the outlet claims production could begin as soon as the summer. Broderick and Ruck played the titular role and Cameron Frye, respectively, in John Hughes' 1986 teen comedy 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', which follows Ferris Bueller, a charismatic high school senior who fakes an illness to skip school and embark on an adventurous day in Chicago with his best friend, Cameron, and his girlfriend, Sloane, including accidentally crashing his father's beloved 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder through a glass window, a major turning point in his character's arc.
