A man measures terrapin’s for a suitable restaurant candidates, 1927.
(© Jacob Gayer/National Geographic Society/Corbis)

(The Baltimore Sun, 5/17/2012)

Fire marshals and Harford County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called to the Regal Cinemas in Abingdon Monday night after a customer became belligerent over the showing of “The Avengers” film and allegedly pulled a fire alarm inside the theater, according to the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

According to a notice of investigation from the fire marshal’s office, the alarm was sounded at 6:45 p.m., and theater management notified police what had transpired. The theater is in the 400 block of Constant Friendship Boulevard.

According to Maryland electronic court records, David K. Walters, 34, of Royal Oaks Drive in Bel Air, was issued a criminal summons for false alarm/fire and has a trial scheduled for June 19 in Harford County District Court.

“Walters became disruptive and argued with the theater manager after discovering ‘The Avengers’ movie he was watching was a ‘closed caption’ film,” the notice of investigation states. “Management offered a refund or future tickets, which he refused and returned to the theater.”

Continue reading “Angry Over ‘Avengers,’ Man Allegedly Pulls Fire Alarm At Abingdon Cinema” at The Baltimore Sun.

(DCist, 5/16/2012)

(Courtesy @AvtarK)

Earlier this afternoon, somewhere “in the middle of Ohio,” groundbreaking indie director John Waters was found hitchhiking on the side of a road. We’re trying to find out just what the Baltimore-based director of Pink Flamingos was doing begging for a lift in the middle of the Buckeye State—indie rock band Here We Go Magic says they picked him up! And he’s currently riding around in their van.

“just riding along next to a bloody genius”

Continue reading “Hitchhiking Director John Waters Picked Up In Ohio By Indie Rock Band” at DCist.

“I wasn’t kidding. We really picked up John Waters hitchhiking.” –bbyrno

Here We Go Magic – “How Do I Know”

By Anthony C. Hayes (Baltimore Post-Examiner, 5/11/2012)

Jeff Jerome is often asked if he’s ever spent a night in The Edgar Allan Poe House. His answer has always been a whimsical, “No.” But any lingering regrets on the part of Jerome, the curator of the museum for almost 35 years, may have ended last Saturday night. That was when he hosted popular paranormal investigators, The Ghost Detectives, at the place where the legendary author of Berenice launched his prolific writing career.

The Ghost Detectives, whose television show airs on the Fox affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa., investigated several sites of supernatural interest in Baltimore, including the Poe House, Westminster Hall and Burial Grounds, where Poe and his wife are interred, and the Admiral Fell Inn in Fells Point.

The detectives always had wanted to look into the late author’s haunts, but it was actually the inn which finally drew them to Baltimore. Arriving in a vintage hearse, emblazoned with custom graphics and neon lights, they invited the Baltimore Post-Examiner along for the ride.

Continue reading “Is the Edgar Allan Poe House haunted?” at the Baltimore Post-Examiner.

Baltimore child star Norman Chaney has lain in unmarked grave for decades

By Jill Rosen (The Baltimore Sun, 5/10/2012)

Only people who know where to look would be able to pay respects to Norman Chaney, who is buried in an unmarked grave in Baltimore. But if fans of the chubby “Our Gang” star have their way, he’ll soon have the headstone he’s done so long without.

Chaney, the son of a Baltimore electrical worker, won a national contest in 1929 to become “Chubby,” the new “fat kid” in the popular film series, replacing the original Chubby, who had grown out of the role.

But with his impossibly round face and impish charm, Chaney eclipsed his predecessor — becoming the fat kid people remembered.

Yet after only two seasons with “Our Gang,” Chaney left the show and returned to Baltimore, where he went to school, eventually became sickly and died just as most young people’s careers are taking off.

The unmarked Baltimore Cemetery grave of Norman "Chubby" Chaney, star of the early TV show "Our Gang." (Kim Hairston, Baltimore Sun / May 10, 2012)

“To die at only 21 and to be in an unmarked grave when people are still watching the show and laughing and getting all this enjoyment from his work,” says a Michigan musician who goes by the name Mikal C.G. who has started the collection to buy Chaney a headstone. “I thought to myself, that’s kind of a tragedy.”

Producer Hal Roach created the “Our Gang” films, which became known as “The Little Rascals” on television. The comedies showcased a bunch of children who were supposed to be pals in a poor neighborhood. It’s credited for being among the first to have black and white children acting together.

Chaney appeared on “Our Gang” from 1929 to 1931. In one famous episode, he has a crush on his teacher, Miss Crabtree, and while attempting to woo her, asks that she call him “Chubsy-Ubsy.”

Continue reading “Chubby from ‘Our Gang’” at The Baltimore Sun.

Related:

• Norman ‘Chubby’ Chaney Of The Little Rascals Needs A Headstone! — Indiegogo
• Norman Chaney– Wikipedia
• Chubby: Our Gang — Yourememberthat.com

Watch “Call Me Chubsy-Ubsy”

Watch homage “Rx for a Laugh: Chubbsy-Ubbsy”

A man takes hard-shelled crabs out of the steamer, 1927.
(© Jacob Gayer/National Geographic Society/Corbis)

“From the Land of Pleasant Living?” Vote at Show Your Boh.

A woman shovels hard-shelled crabs after they cool, 1927.
(© Jacob Gayer/National Geographic Society/Corbis)

20 Years Later: Same Town, Same Needs

By Tom Warner (Accelerated Decrepitude, 5/10/2012)

Volume 1, Issue 1, May 1991

“Going through the bottomless piles of papers, magazines, and assorted rubbish/detritus in the firetrap I like to call Tom’s Toxic Townhouse, I ran across the May 1991 premiere issue of the “new” Harry. Harry was Baltimore’s “underground paper” of record from 1969-1972 that was rebooted by Tom D’Antoni in 1991, probably because he didn’t feel Baltimore’s putative alternative press (i.e., the City Paper) was up to snuff.

As he wrote in the masthead of this debut new Harry, ‘This newspaper exists because a lot of people want it to…This is the first issue. It’s a start. It’s the first attempt at realizing the ideals set on the page before this one…’

Along for Harry’s brief reemergence on the scene were writers like Tom Nugent, Skeeter Snyder, and future Creative Alliance honcho Megan Hamilton; poets Tom DiVenti, David Franks, and Sandie Castle, and illustrator George Wilcox (artist brother of musician David “Steptoe T. Magnificent” Wilcox).”

Continue reading “The New “Harry” (May 1991)” at Tom Warner’s Accelerated Decrepitude.

Who Stole the M from Homeland, Baltimore?

(The Baltimore Fishbowl, 5/10/2012)

Continue reading at The Baltimore Fishbowl.

Related:

• Welcome to Homoland

By Jill Rosen (The Baltimore Sun, 5/7/2012)

Michael Phelps high-altitude sleeping chamber (Michael Phelps Twitter pic)

Michael Phelps has the money to pretty much sleep anywhere, in anything, that he wants.

It turns out for the last year or so, the Olympian has been hitting the hay in a high-altitude sleeping chamber.

Mention of the so-called “contraption” got a big eye-brow raise out of Anderson Cooper on Sunday’s “60 Minutes.”

“Inside Michael’s apartment, an unusual contraption,” Cooper said with drama. “A chamber he sleeps in that simulates high altitude.”

And, Cooper added for effect: “He doesn’t want anyone to see it, but he was willing to talk to us about it.”

Phelps described the weirdness of heading into his bedroom, but then having to enter something else before retiring.

“Once I’m already in my room i still have to open a door to get into my bed,” he said, laughing a bit. “It’s just like a giant box. It’s like ‘boy and the bubble.’”

Continue reading “Michael Phelps and his high-altitude sleeping chamber” at The Baltimore Sun.

Related:

• Phallic Friday: Michael Phelps Swings to the Left
• Michael Phelps Sells Subliminal Subway Sex

By Tom Warner (Accelerated Decrepitude, 5/10/2012)

“Back in the ’80s, I used to love reading Adolf Kowalski’s column in Maryland Musician. I used to clip ‘em and save ‘em each month, but can’t seem to find any these days. I think they were discovered by the stink bugs and squirrels in my attic who lacked an appreciation of fine literature (except as snacks). I did manage to salvage this column from 1988 called “It’s the Little Things or Kiss My Axe,” wherein Adolf says you don’t have to have some tricked-up Guitar Magazine-lauded superguitar to be superbad; anything will do as long as it’s got six strings. (I was gonna say, “and know how to play,” but Half Japanese dispelled that fallacy!)”

Continue reading “Adolf Kowalski’s ‘Maryland Musician’ Column” at Tom Warner’s Accelerated Decrepitude.