Frank White
Bio
New Yorker in his forties. His counsel is sought by many, offered to few. Traveled the world in search of answers, but found more questions.
Stories (93/0)
Elvis Costello's Classic 'My Aim Is True'
For a while, at the beginning of his journey especially, some thought he was another Elvis Presley rip-off. That was, of course, before they heard him. He had his name long before the King died. Elvis Costello initially broke out in England, and remained a mystery in America for the first few years of his success.
By Frank White6 years ago in Beat
'Boiler Room' Still Makes Traders Sweat
Revisiting Boiler Room after watching The Wolf of Wall Street is like being lied to after a horrific accident. Both movies are based on Jordan Belfort’s misadventures at the Long Island penny stock scam factor Stratton Oakmont but that’s about where the similarities end. Boiler Room is the movie for those outraged at Wolf’s lack of redemption. It’s the happy ending version of a tale that really has no happy ending. But it still is not too bad, even if their version of Belfort, named Michael Brantley, is played by a mealy-mouthed Tom Everett Scott. He shows up every half hour or so before skulking back to his office. Not a very bad boy compared to Leonardo DiCaprio’s whoring, coke-snorting Belfort. Instead, the focus is on a conscience-stricken junior broker, played by Giovanni Ribisi, who acts as a sort of audience surrogate. In this sense, Boiler Room is rather traditional. No morality here. The really bad guys get punished, and the audience is left feeling righteous.
By Frank White6 years ago in Journal
Funko Figures From TV Series
I am not a hoarder though I would like to be, one day. Not like forever just for a few months until my family calls the TV show and does an intervention. When they dig me out from beneath a mound of stuff, I envision a mountain of Funko Pop! figures. I can't get enough of them. It's like crack for action figure collectors, and for the rest of you it's like a whip-its. For those of you who don't know what whip-its are they make you feel good for a minute. You say a few dumb things in a dumb voice and then you want to do it again. Same exact thing with buying Funko figures. I don't think anyone owns just one Funko. Literally, I have never met anyone who owns just two. Once you start on Funko, you don't stop. I go through phases of collecting. My most recent additions were specific to TV series. They sit on shelves, still in original boxes where they will stay till the collection gets passed down to my grandchildren, (in my mind that actually happens). But I will really enjoy looking at them until then, "then" being death. Though I have taken Raymond Reddington, of Blacklist fame, out of the box a few times for advice.
By Frank White6 years ago in Geeks
Al Hirschfeld's Legendary 'Star Trek' Illustrations
Iconic illustrator Al Hirschfeld was drawn to Star Trek. His first vision of the classic Star Trek came at the behest of TV Guide who commissioned him in 1966 to be part of a review of the premiere. The Image was of Kirk and Spock holding ray guns and what looks like a fluorescent lightbulb. Hirschfeld Hirschfeld said his contribution was to "take the character, created by the playwright, script or portrayed by the actor, and reinvent it for the reader".
By Frank White6 years ago in Futurism
Ultimate Guide to STARZ 'Spartacus'
I will not forget the first season of Spartacus. Blood and Sand starred Andy Whitfield as the legendary Spartacus and Manu Bennett. The show was something original, best compared to the epic 300 series from Zack Snyder. My son and I watched the entire series together. He was 14 when the series premiered. I remember taking him to see Manu Bennet at a NY comic con who I had been introduced to through friends in the industry. Manu signed the original helmet he wore during many of the fight scenes. I had bought it from STARZ' auction after the series ended as a gift for my son.
By Frank White7 years ago in Geeks
Larry Blamire's Steam Wars: Head of Steam
Bringing Larry Blamire's tale to life through the amazing medium of comic books was an important experience for me. I had a chance to work with Larry directly and get to know a universe only creatives like Larry can imagine in their minds. Involving Tyler Kirkham in the mix gave me an opportunity to work with someone whose skills have been honed at one of the great iconic comic book empires, DC Comics.
By Frank White7 years ago in Geeks
'Good to Great' by James C. Collins Book Review
When it comes to running a successful business, particularly a great one, there are more key elements to consider than one would assume. Actually, there are seven, which have been expertly discussed in Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t. Written by James C. Collins III, a business consultant and lecturer on company sustainability and growth, the book describes how companies can easily make the transition to become better companies. It was written in 2001 and is a compilation of 6,000 articles with more than 2,000 pages of interview scripts collected over a five-year project period. The research was administered by Collins’ team at the management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado that he founded in 1995.
By Frank White7 years ago in Journal
Larry Blamire's Steam Wars: Adventures in a High Hat Lifter
In his second outing in the Steam Wars universe, Larry Blamire delves deeper into the mechanical world of the warriors inside the giant steam rigs. Blamire's other books include Tales of the Callamo Mountains, a collection of his western horror short stories, and I Didn't Know You Came With Raisins, a collection of his surreal cartoons. The art direction and collaboration with Green Lantern's Tyler Kirkham of DC fame, on the Steam Wars comic books series added an extra edge to the alternate universe of Blamire's steam punk imagination.
By Frank White7 years ago in Geeks
Larry Blamire's Steam Wars: A Good Left Arm
Larry Blamire's Steam Wars comic series is a tor de force of the steam punk genre. Larry's visuals are stunning, characters have depth and the steam punk story line is action filled. Decades ago Blamire dabbled for a time in underground comics like Predator, a vigilante anti-hero, Blazing Violence, and Ace of Spades.
By Frank White7 years ago in Geeks
Donald Trump’s Favorite Celebrity Sex Tapes
Recently presidential candidate Donald Trump went on a 3AM twitter rant which included urging his followers to check out a supposed sex tape featuring former Miss Universe Alicia Machado. In addition to once again demonstrating his low opinion of women, it also got us thinking; was Trump up late at night looking for something to say about Miss Machado, or was he perusing sites looking for celebrity sex tapes to add to his collection? Needless to say this led to a very dark mental space. After a long shower and stiff drink to get the images out of our heads we put together this list of Donald Trump’s favorite celebrity sex tapes.
By Frank White7 years ago in Filthy
History of Sperm Banks
A Midwestern grandfather makes a deposit at the sperm bank to assure the continuance of his family name should his son prove sterile. In the East, a 69-year-old bachelor millionaire stores semen so that should his fertility decline as he ages, he will still be able to marry and produce an heir with a presumably younger woman. And a young man is to be castrated for cancer of the testes. His surgeon advises him to store his sperm.
By Frank White7 years ago in Filthy