The eighth appearance of LAPD homicide detective Peter Decker and his wife, Rina Lazarus, will likely increase her constituency as she concentrates more on the case at hand and less on the Jewish law and lore that rises from Rina's Orthodox Jewish background and informs the Decker family life. Chris Whitman, a high-school senior with a hidden past and close ties to his uncle?a powerful Mafia don, has some kinky notions of sexual games. He tries them with his very Catholic and proper (yes, virginal) classmate, Terry, with whom he is obsessed. Trouble begins when Chris's less constrained former girlfriend is found bound and dead in a tawdry hotel the morning after the prom, with evidence suggesting her involvement in a wild night of drugs and sex with multiple partners, including Chris. The youth's confession, coming after Decker discovers photographs that could compromise Terry's reputation, leaves Decker uncomfortable. So does his chief's suggestion that conflicting forensic evidence be given low priority. Decker, fighting some demons of his own, continues investigating even after the case is considered solved, and Uncle Joey, none too happy with Chris or Terry, executes his own brand of revenge. Surprising twists and engaging subplots will keep readers turning the pages to the satisfying conclusion.
--This was probably my favorite Faye Kellerman!
First King of Shannara - Terry Brooks
Dark forces are on the move from the Northlands, and Bremen, an outcast Druid, learns of the huge Troll armies on the march and the Skull Bearers who act as their spies. To save the Druids, Bremen must convince the people of the Four Lands that their only hope lies in uniting -- and in using the magic they fear above all else.
Blues in the Night -- by Rochelle Krich
Sunday, July 13. 1:46 A.M. Near Lookout Mountain and Laurel Canyon. An unidentified woman in her twenties, wearing a nightgown, was the victim of a hit-and-run accident that left her unconscious and seriously injured. There were no witnesses.
--Murders follow, common sense does not!
Sunday, July 13. 1:46 A.M. Near Lookout Mountain and Laurel Canyon. An unidentified woman in her twenties, wearing a nightgown, was the victim of a hit-and-run accident that left her unconscious and seriously injured. There were no witnesses.
--Murders follow, common sense does not!
Henry's Film Corner - IFC - By Marilyn Moss
Bottom line: It's a lot of show and not always a lot of brains driving "Henry," despite its good intentions to be all things to all young filmgoers.
Drenched in testosterone and champing at the bit, IFC's new 10-part weekly film forum wants more than anything to get out there and get in your face. Mixing reviews, discussion and interviews, "Henry's Film Corner" exudes enough energy to knock anything else in its time slot out of the park. But it's a lot of show and not always a lot of brains driving "Henry," despite its good intentions to be all things to all young filmgoers.
Think of Henry (as in Henry Rollins, the legendary rock singer, poet and actor) as the unthinking man's film critic. He's angry sometimes, clever at other times but always, always the guy next door (or the guy you'd see at your local gym). He's a self-confessed average Joe who tells us he doesn't necessarily know a lot about movies, but he sure has his opinions. He's right.
Henry sits down with young filmmakers to discuss another filmmaker's work. Then he interviews other average Joes about the latest and hippest new movie to see. There's plenty of talk yet not always much to take away from the show, and that's too bad. It's kind of a hip and kind of dumb. So if you want to know why average filmgoers today struggle with movies that make you think, tune in.
--Another Tivo Joy!!
Bottom line: It's a lot of show and not always a lot of brains driving "Henry," despite its good intentions to be all things to all young filmgoers.
Drenched in testosterone and champing at the bit, IFC's new 10-part weekly film forum wants more than anything to get out there and get in your face. Mixing reviews, discussion and interviews, "Henry's Film Corner" exudes enough energy to knock anything else in its time slot out of the park. But it's a lot of show and not always a lot of brains driving "Henry," despite its good intentions to be all things to all young filmgoers.
Think of Henry (as in Henry Rollins, the legendary rock singer, poet and actor) as the unthinking man's film critic. He's angry sometimes, clever at other times but always, always the guy next door (or the guy you'd see at your local gym). He's a self-confessed average Joe who tells us he doesn't necessarily know a lot about movies, but he sure has his opinions. He's right.
Henry sits down with young filmmakers to discuss another filmmaker's work. Then he interviews other average Joes about the latest and hippest new movie to see. There's plenty of talk yet not always much to take away from the show, and that's too bad. It's kind of a hip and kind of dumb. So if you want to know why average filmgoers today struggle with movies that make you think, tune in.
--Another Tivo Joy!!
The Incredibles - (*****) Green Light
This was simply an excellent film. Characters, plot, visuals, everything.
It even made me misty.
Green Light
The Bone Vault by Linda Fairstein
This is a mystery set in the Metropolitan museum of art and the museum of natural history in New York. It was a great look at the rest of the iceberg behind the scenes at these huge institutions. I loved the parts about the Cloisters. Now I want to go there!!
A great read.
This is a mystery set in the Metropolitan museum of art and the museum of natural history in New York. It was a great look at the rest of the iceberg behind the scenes at these huge institutions. I loved the parts about the Cloisters. Now I want to go there!!
A great read.
The Happy Holidays
Our trip to western NY went really well. I had a lot of fun and ate way tooo much. Thanksgiving dinner was a total classic. We got to tour the church we will get married in next year!
Seeing Brendas family, my friends, the old homestead and meeting an old friend of the family, Dave Lampkin, at the Log Cabin made me think of my parents a lot. This is my first Thanksgiving since my father died. My mother died in 1994.
I enjoyed the time we spent with BRs parents. The hug got from Brenda's mom, when we were leaving, brought tears to my eyes.
--I was truely thankful...
Our trip to western NY went really well. I had a lot of fun and ate way tooo much. Thanksgiving dinner was a total classic. We got to tour the church we will get married in next year!
Seeing Brendas family, my friends, the old homestead and meeting an old friend of the family, Dave Lampkin, at the Log Cabin made me think of my parents a lot. This is my first Thanksgiving since my father died. My mother died in 1994.
I enjoyed the time we spent with BRs parents. The hug got from Brenda's mom, when we were leaving, brought tears to my eyes.
--I was truely thankful...
Over the River and Through the Woods...
This weekend BR and I are packing up the car and heading North to spend Thanksgiving week with friends and family. It will be good to see old friends. It will be wonderful to hold their new children for the first time and marvel at the magic of it all. I will drink their beer and make fun of the haircuts and conservative natures. Because we only become conservative when we have something to conserve...
But mostly I am going to see BRs parents.
I so hope that it goes well. If only they knew how much I Love and respect their daughter, I'm sure it will all be fine. I also wish they knew how much I could really use parents these days. Because I am fresh out...
--Wish me luck.
This weekend BR and I are packing up the car and heading North to spend Thanksgiving week with friends and family. It will be good to see old friends. It will be wonderful to hold their new children for the first time and marvel at the magic of it all. I will drink their beer and make fun of the haircuts and conservative natures. Because we only become conservative when we have something to conserve...
But mostly I am going to see BRs parents.
I so hope that it goes well. If only they knew how much I Love and respect their daughter, I'm sure it will all be fine. I also wish they knew how much I could really use parents these days. Because I am fresh out...
--Wish me luck.
2 Accused of Hurling Pies at Ann Coulter Fri Oct 22, 9:58 PM ET
TUCSON, Ariz. - Two men ran onstage and threw custard pies at conservative columnist Ann Coulter as she was giving a speech at the University of Arizona, hitting her in the shoulder, police said.
William Zachary Wolff and Phillip Edgar Smith, both 24-year-old Tucson residents, were booked on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and assault and on felony charges of criminal damage, police said Friday.
In her half-hour speech Thursday night, Coulter trashed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry and derided liberals and Democrats while saluting conservative students who attended her speech.
Coulter writes a column for Universal Press Syndicate. Her appearance was sponsored by the UA College Republicans.
--Ann Coulter is almost as hot as Brenda.
'Superman' Actor Christopher Reeve Dead at 52
NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, who became a committed campaigner for spinal cord research after being paralyzed in a riding accident nine years ago, has died of heart failure. He was 52.
I went on my first date with BR to see Superman. Sigh...
NEW YORK (Reuters) - "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve, who became a committed campaigner for spinal cord research after being paralyzed in a riding accident nine years ago, has died of heart failure. He was 52.
I went on my first date with BR to see Superman. Sigh...
Could Space Signal Be Alien Contact?
Could Space Signal Be Alien Contact? - Thu Sep 2, 8:32 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - An unexplained radio signal from deep space could -- just might be -- contact from an alien civilization, New Scientist magazine reported on Thursday.
The signal, coming from a point between the Pisces and Aries constellations, has been picked up three times by a telescope in Puerto Rico.
New Scientist said the signal could be generated by a previously unknown astronomical phenomenon or even be a by-product from the telescope itself. But the mystery beam has excited astronomers across the world.
"If they can see it four, five or six times it really begins to get exciting," Jocelyn Bell Burnell of the University of Bath in western England told the magazine. It was broadcast on the main frequency at which the universe's most common element, hydrogen, absorbs and emits energy, and which astronomers say is the most likely means by which aliens would advertise their presence.
The potentially extraterrestrial signals were picked up through the SETI@home project, which uses programs running as screensavers on millions of personal computers worldwide to sift through the huge amount of data picked up by the telescope.
--Let's toss more funding at SETI!
Donnie Darko
I just watched the movie Donnie Darko.
I loved this movie. I knew nothing about this movie before seeing it. I knew nothing about the director Richard Kelly either. It was completely whacked and defies description. I can't even give you a plot summary without sounding totally stupid, but here goes:
A troubled teenager tries to cope with the world even though an evil looking, six foot tall, rabbit keeps telling him what to do.
The acting was great, the characters were excellent, the plot was VERY original, the music was super, the editing and cinematography were top notch.
--I gotta buy this DVD ASAFP!
I just watched the movie Donnie Darko.
I loved this movie. I knew nothing about this movie before seeing it. I knew nothing about the director Richard Kelly either. It was completely whacked and defies description. I can't even give you a plot summary without sounding totally stupid, but here goes:
A troubled teenager tries to cope with the world even though an evil looking, six foot tall, rabbit keeps telling him what to do.
The acting was great, the characters were excellent, the plot was VERY original, the music was super, the editing and cinematography were top notch.
--I gotta buy this DVD ASAFP!
Spider Man 2 - (***) Green LightPeter Parker's having a rough time. His double life as the superhero Spider-Man is having a devastating impact on his civilian life. Things are so bad he declares that he's quitting, and never putting on the suit again. However, his sense of duty forces him to become a hero again when the brilliant scientist Dr. Otto Octavius is deformed in an accident and becomes Dr. Octopus. With four metal tentacles sticking out of his back, he'll prove to be a more than worthy opponent for Spider-Man.
My expectations were too high for this movie. Too many good reviews saying it was the best superhero movie ever. So when I got in there I expected another VERY wet scene in the rain. You know it was the best part of the first movie! The best part was actually Dr. Octopus. We didn't get enough of his internal turmoil.
Green Light
Knee Operation Number Four
Last Friday I had my fourth knee operation. That's an even two for each leg.
I must say that it went better than expected. That might be because I don't remember much until I stopped taking the pain meds on Monday. Now a week later I can walk without crutches and can straighten my leg out father than I could before the Op.
-- This is all good because I am going camping in two weeks!
Last Friday I had my fourth knee operation. That's an even two for each leg.
I must say that it went better than expected. That might be because I don't remember much until I stopped taking the pain meds on Monday. Now a week later I can walk without crutches and can straighten my leg out father than I could before the Op.
-- This is all good because I am going camping in two weeks!
Bookies Offer 3-1 Odds on Quick End to J-Lo Marriage
LONDON (Reuters) - British bookmakers offered odds of 3-1 Monday that singer/actress Jennifer Lopez and her new husband Marc Anthony would divorce by the end of the year.
Lopez, 33, has already been through two marriages that lasted little more than a year. She broke off an A-list celebrity engagement to actor Ben Affleck in January after the couple called off their wedding last September.
--Men. We need to protect ourselves before J-LO marries us all...
LONDON (Reuters) - British bookmakers offered odds of 3-1 Monday that singer/actress Jennifer Lopez and her new husband Marc Anthony would divorce by the end of the year.
Lopez, 33, has already been through two marriages that lasted little more than a year. She broke off an A-list celebrity engagement to actor Ben Affleck in January after the couple called off their wedding last September.
--Men. We need to protect ourselves before J-LO marries us all...
The Chronicles of Riddick - (***) Green LightRiddick, now a hunted man, finds himself in the middle of two opposing forces in a major crusade. Feore plays Lord Marshal, a warrior priest who is the leader of a sect that is waging the 10th and perhaps final crusade 500 years in the future. Dench plays Aereon, an ambassador from the Elemental race. She is an ethereal being who helps Riddick unearth his origins.
This is totally the middle movie of a trilogy. It has a lot of style. Lots of action. Lots of great special effects. But don't go in expecting a lot of plot. I have to say my expectations were too high for this movie. I loved pitch black.
Green Light
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - (****) GREEN LIGHTIn the third installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry and his friends begin to find themselves. As we begin the movie, Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is sick of taking crap from the Dursleys. He blows up his aunt Marge, packs his stuff and walks out! Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) also kicks some ass in this movie.
This was my favorite of all the HP movies so far. The feel of Hogwarts was great! The acting has gotten way better. David Thewlis and Gary Oldman were great as Professor Lupin and Sirius Black. The special effects were excellent as expected. The new Dumbledore was not distracting.
Great stuff. Gotta see it again. I will be buying it day one when its available on DVD.
GREEN LIGHT
The Day After Tomorrow - (***) Green LightThis movie takes a big-budget, special-effects-filled look at what the world would look like if the greenhouse effect and global warming continued at such levels that they resulted in worldwide catastrophe and disaster, including multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes (I don't quite get the science of that one), tidal waves, floods and the beginning of the next Ice Age.
At the center of the story is a paleoclimatologist (a scientist who studies the ways weather patterns changed in the past), Professor Adrian Hall (Dennis Quaid), who tries to save the world from the effects of global warming while also trying to get to his son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who was in New York City as part of a scholastic competition, when the city was overwhelmed by the chilling beginnings of the new Ice Age.
I really enjoyed this movie, but only because my expectations were set correctly. It was an action packed special effects summer movie. Everything you needed to know about the plot was in the preview. The scenes of the various disasters were great. Just don't ask yourself too many questions like, "Why not burn furniture in stead of books?" or "If he knows the storm will only last a week, why not just wait and fly in with the choppers?" or the biggie, "Global warming will cause the new Ice age?"...
It was fun, forget the questions.
The summer season starts earlier and earlier. I can't say I will complain!
GREEN LIGHT
Former President Ronald Reagan Dies at 93 - By JEFF WILSON, Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES - Ronald Reagan's enemies and friends agreed he changed the world. The popular, infectiously optimistic president reshaped the Republican Party in his conservative image and devoted most of his energy to the destruction of Soviet communism abroad.
Reagan, 93, died Saturday following a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.
--History will be kind to this President. Rest in Peace, Ron.
LOS ANGELES - Ronald Reagan's enemies and friends agreed he changed the world. The popular, infectiously optimistic president reshaped the Republican Party in his conservative image and devoted most of his energy to the destruction of Soviet communism abroad.
Reagan, 93, died Saturday following a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease.
--History will be kind to this President. Rest in Peace, Ron.
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