I’m not a big reality TV fan, but my daughter got me into Top Chef last year in Season Four so I just continued watching Season Five. The premise is simple: 17 chefs are brought together and then they compete in a number of cooking challenges. At the end of each episode, one chef is told “Pack your knives and leave.” Currently, we’re down to the four chefs pictured above. From left to right we have Stefan, Hosea, Fabio, and Carla. Stefan is the best cook, but he’s arrogant and egotistical and nobody likes him. Hosea is the weakest chef, but he owns a seafood restaurant and this last segment of Top Chef takes place in New Orleans, a seafood mecca. This may work to Hosea’s strength. Fabio oozes Italian charm. He’s the most uneven chef. Fabio either hits home runs with his food or he completely strikes out. Finally, Carla is the wild card. She’s the oldest chef. Carla got off to a slow start in the beginning episodes, but she’s a classically trained chef who has come on strong in the competitions that count. I’m predicting Hosea will be sent packing at the end of tonight’s episode on BRAVO at 10:00 P.M. Eastern Time.

Okay, it’s a corny movie. But any movie with Ming the Merciless will attract my attention. Flash Gordon: The Saviour of the Universe Edition includes an interview with Alex Ross, the Comic Book artist, on how Flash Gordon influenced him. Also included is a Flash Gordon 1936 serial episode, Planet at Peril! and an interview with Lorenzo Semple, Jr., screenwriter of the original Flash Gordon. And who can resist Dale Arden?

I’m constantly amazed at the number of Americans who have NOT read The Federalist Papers. After the Constitution, I consider The Federalist Papers the next most important political document in our history. These essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay explain how the machinery of government is supposed to work. This edition includes a copy of the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation. Once you’ve read The Federalist Papers you’ll want to enjoy Garry Wills’ insightful Explaining America: The Federalist. You can’t find a better analysis or a better companion to this great work.

There are just two reasons to see He’s Just Not That Into You: Gennifer Goodwin and Scarlett Johansson. Gennifer is very cute and Scarlett plays her vamp role to perfection. Jennifer Connelly and Drew Barrymore are largely wasted. Jennifer Aniston looks all of her 40 years and more. Since all the male actors play idiots, their “performances” can safely be ignored. Based on the best selling self-help book, this fragmented movie has its moments: mostly when Gennifer or Scarlett are on the screen. GRADE: B-.

The tragic crash of Continental 3407 a mere five miles from the Buffalo Airport (and only a few miles from my house) is under investigation. The weather here was horrible: high winds, snow, and fog. I suspect the cause of this disaster will involve the wings icing up. My condolences go out to the families and friends of the 50 victims of this terrible catastrophe.

In the 1960s and early 1970s a number of writers ghosted Ellery Queen novels. Face to Face has been attributed to Jack Vance. It certainly reads like a Jack Vance novel: the murdered singer leaves a dying clue: the letters “f a c e” are scrawled on a piece of paper. Given that Vance later wrote a novel in his Demon Princes series called The Face the evidence seems incontrovertible. And then there are the fanciful Vancean character names: Ardene Piggyback Vlietland, Daffy Dingle, Gertie Hodge Huppenkleimer, and Glory Guild. If you enjoy puzzle novels, this mystery will challenge you. Jack Vance ghosted three other Ellery Queen novels: A Room to Die In, The Four Johns, and The Madman Theory. All are worth reading.

David Herbert Donald’s single volume biography of Lincoln is considered the best of hundreds available. Donald’s lucid prose and meticulous research makes the story of Lincoln’s life as gripping as a suspense novel. The details never bog down the momentum of events. You’ll come away from Donald’s biography wanting to read more about Lincoln. You have some wonderful choices: the Library of America’s two volumes of Lincoln’s speeches and writings. Or you can go all the way and read the 2-volume, 2000-page, million-word Abraham Lincoln: A Life by Michael Burlingame. Published by Johns Hopkins University Press it’s only $125!

Historical writer Bernard Cornwell’s latest epic, Agincourt, just entered the New York Times Best Sellers List at Number Four. For most readers, Agincourt is just a battle in Shakespeare’s Henry V. But in the history of warfare, Agincourt holds a special place. Agincourt is one of those rare battles where a smaller force defeated a much greater force. In 1415, the English army of 6000 achieved victory over the French army of 30,000! Although they were outnumbered 5 to 1, one of the deciding factors was the English use of new military technology: the long bow. Cornwell tells his story of Agincourt through the eyes of an English archer named Nicholas Hook. If you’ve read any of Cornwell’s previous works, you know Cornwell does not glamorize warfare. Quite the opposite. Cornwell dwells on the brutality, butchery, sickness, and terror that are the byproducts of battle. Battle tactics, weapons, and strategy are convincingly presented within the storyline. Cornwell doesn’t pick sides, the English commit as many atrocities as the French. Yet it’s nearly impossible for a reader not to hope Nicholas Hook and his archer friends survive the horrors of this terrible battle. Cornwell’s Agincourt captures a classic moment of warfare in a most suspenseful fashion. Historical fiction doesn’t get much better than this. GRADE: A-.

The wonderful Beth Fedyn sent this set of DVDs to me and I’ve had about eight hours of laughs as a result. Black Books is a bookstore in London. Bernard Black, the dour owner of the shop, regards customers with hostility. He’d rather be left alone to drink and smoke and read. Bernard, though a series of comic events, finds himself a bizarre assistant. Manny, with wild hair and bulging eyes, does all the heavy lifting, cleaning, and selling in the shop. Fran, once Bernard’s girl friend, is the straw that stirs this sit-com’s drink. You think Fran is the “sane” one until she isn’t. The episode where Fran goes away with her school chums for a “hens” weekend will leave you in stitches. If you’re a fan of British humor and zany comedy, give The Complete Black Books a try.