... a foolish act,idea or practice.An ornamental building with no purpose.A theatrical review, typically with glamorous female performers".. Webster's Dictionary
For those of you that are sick of looking at Rufus' done up eye, a new post!!
Want to listen to an audio book while you drive, garden, walk, iron, wash the dishes and so on and so forth???
A sure bet is ANYTHING performed by Jeff Woodman. I have learned through trial and error that just because a book is a best seller and everyone LOVES it, it can be a total bust if read by someone who is a dud.
Jeff Woodman is NO dud.
I have been thoroughly engrossed by his readings of -
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Life of Pi
The Curious Event of The Dog in Night Time
Midnight In The Garden of Good And Evil
He is a Master of Accents-from the voice of a child to Southern gentleman, Indian, English- you name it, he does it - and he does it most excellently. And his interreation of a woman's voice- always tricky when read by a male- is completely unoffensive. It's too bad he did not read The DaVinci Code , the all time worst book I have ever heard on tape.I am looking forward to listening to The Air We Breathe, all about TB in pre World War U.S.A., if only because he is the reader. I encourage anyone to buy ANYTHING he has read. You will not be disappointed.
The beyond excellent HBO series BAND OF BROTHERS has all but comsumed my life these past two weeks.
I know. It's 9 years old.
I had been racking my brain trying to remember why on earth I didn't watch it when it first came out. I am a World War II buff and to this day my trip to Normandy has been the most moving experience of my life.
After some thinking and research, I figured it out.
It premiered on September 9th of 2001. For some reason I missed the first episode. There was no Tivo in 2001. But I know it was on my radar and I was going to catch a repeat of the episode later in that week. But then the world we lived in changed two days later.
I tried watching an episode a few weeks later. I couldn't do it. The pain of 9/11 was too real and watching it was unbearable to me. I remember not being able to comprehend how HBO could still show the series. They did in fact stop promoting it after 9/11 but it continued to do well. And I can understand why.
It is the finest series I have ever seen. Everything about it is excellellent- from the acting, writing, set design, cinematography, editing and the hautingly beautiful music.
This series honors those brave men who served during that war. But it also honors all men and women who have served and who are serving today.
The producers newest series, THE PACIFIC is now showing on HBO. I am anticipating the same excellence from that.
So if you want to watch something that really has meaning- turn off The real Housewives of Whatever and turn on BAND OF BROTHERS or THE PACIFIC.
There is nothing much better than Masterpiece Theater- don't you think?
Masterpiece, as it is now called, began in 1971. It was a show we watched as family every Sunday night. I looked forward to hearing Alistair Cooke introduce with British elegance, each and every episode.And how bout that theme song??
I grew up mesmerized with THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY THE 8TH ,ELIZABETH R and I CLAUDIUS.
More recently I have been addicted to THE FORSYTHE SAGA and enthralled with the THE LOST PRINCE,the heartbreaking true story of Prince John, the child of King George V of England and Queen Mary.
Well, the new series, EMMA, based on the book by Jane Austin , has begun and stars Romola Garai (ATONEMENT) as Emma. I had the misfortune of missing the first of 3 episodes ...
But as luck would have it... one can watch it on PBS right HERE
which I plan on doing today so I will be all caught up for the second installment in the three part series.
Laura Linney is the new Alistair Cooke and she does a fantastic job introducing the adaptations.
I loved ever so much last year's LITTLE DORRIT-and one of the best parts of each show was hearing tidbits about the corelation between LITTLE DORRIT and Dickens' real life, as told by Ms. Linney.
I have got the Tivo set for recording a Season Pass for all of this year's
"Masterpiece" which has some fine show's coming up....
"The 39 Steps
Secret agent Richard Hannay battles German spies on the eve of World War I in a riveting and romantic new version of the classic thriller by John Buchan, made famous in Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 movie. Masterpiece favorite Rupert Penry-Jones (Persuasion) stars as Hannay.
Sharpe's Challenge
In 1817, soldier-adventurer Richard Sharpe comes out of retirement to quash a rebellion in British India and rescue his old friend. Sean Bean returns as the swashbuckling hero of this legendary series based on the novels of Bernard Cornwell. Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi guest stars.
Sharpe's Peril
The thrilling adventures of Colonel Richard Sharpe continue as he leads a ragtag party of civilians and soldiers across India, with the murderous army of an opium lord in hot pursuit. Daragh O'Malley stars as Sharpe's comrade-in-arms, Sergeant Major Patrick Harper.
The Diary of Anne Frank
The most accurate adaptation of Anne Frank's account of life hiding from the Nazis stars Ellie Kendrick as a maturing teenager who undergoes an extraordinary ordeal. Iain Glen, Tamsin Greig and Felicity Jones also star. The Diary of Anne Frank airs on Holocaust Remembrance Day 2010.
Small Island
The saga of two couples — one Jamaican, one English — whose lives intertwine in both friendship and tragic misunderstanding in post-World-War-II Britain. Naomie Harris and David Oyelowo star as the Jamaican immigrants, with Ruth Wilson and Benedict Cumberbatch as their English landlords." ( as per PBS site)
If you grew up watching Flipper, as I did,have a soft spot in your heart for our fellow mammal-the dolphin, as I do, you HAVE to watch The Cove. It can be rented on iTunes. It is at times hard to watch- but not impossible.It is moving, suspenseful, enthralling and even uplifting.
The man behind Flipper, Rick O'Barry, has dedicated his life to saving them. He feels responsible for what has happened to dolphins because of the success of Flipper.
This movie is remarkable. The movie brought home to me how beautiful nature is, how much we humans have done to destroy it and how much we need to do to try to rectify it.
I feel SO guilty now for ever having swam with dolphins at a resort hotel.
I will NEVER go to Sea World again.
To honor them-watch the movie.
And watch till the very very end- there is a snippet there that will make you smile BIG..
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