Monthly Archives: May 2012

FORGOTTEN MUSIC #25: GOLD By Donna Summer

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Donna Summer’s recent death from cancer at 63 brought to an end a tumultuous life of the Queen of Disco. I always enjoyed Donna Summer’s music. When Summer linked up with producer Giorgio Moroder, her career took off like a rocket. Her later years were plagued with health problems. I remember hearing Donna Summer’s first hit, “Love to Love You Baby,” and thinking “Wow!” Then came a string of hits from “Bad Girls” to “She Works Hard For the Money.” Once the disco craze died, much of Donna Summer’s popularity died with it although at its height, Donna Summer was “hot stuff” indeed. From time to time over the years, I’d play her music and it would make me happy.
TRACK LIST:
DISC ONE:
1. Love To Love You Baby 4:57
2. Could It Be Magic 3:55
3. Try Me, I Know We Can Make It 4:46
4. Spring Affair 4:01
5. Love’s Unkind 4:26
6. I Feel Love 5:52
7. I Love You 4:41
8. Last Dance 4:58
9. MacArthur Park 6:28
10. Heaven Knows 3:38
11. Hot Stuff 6:47
12. Bad Girls 4:56
13. Dim All The Lights 4:35
14. Sunset People 6:27
15. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) 4:48
16. On The Radio 4:05
DISC TWO:
1. The Wanderer 3:46
2. Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger) 4:19
3. State Of Independence 5:49
4. She Works Hard For The Money 5:19
5. Unconditional Love 4:42
6. There Goes My Baby 4:04
7. Supernatural Love 3:34
8. Dinner With Gershwin 4:38
9. All Systems Go 4:12
10. This Time I Know It’s For Real 3:37
11. I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt 3:26
12. Love’s About To Change My Heart 3:45
13. When Love Cries 4:30
14. Carry On 3:41
15. Melody Of Love (Wanna Be Loved) 4:14
16. I Will Go With You (Con Te Partiro) 4:08
17. Dream-A-Lot’s Theme (I Will Live For Love) 4:51
18. You’re So Beautiful 4:06

COLLEGE: WHAT IT WAS, IS, AND SHOULD BE By Andrew Delbanco

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Andrew Delbanco’s analysis of American colleges starts with a brief history of their development. Delbanco explores the changes in the university system. The biggest impact was the G.I. Bill after World War II. Thousands of young men who would have never thought of going to college (it was for the elite back then) changed college campuses forever. Later, during the Vietnam War, more young men who normally wouldn’t have considered college took the college-deferment. That swelled college populations. Now, parents and young people are saddled with thousands of dollars of debt from the ever-increasing college tuition. Delbanco is troubled by the sketchy curriculum (“Wine Tasting,” “Survey of the TWILIGHT Novels,” “Queer Theory,” etc.) many colleges and universities offer. Budget cuts, inflating class sizes, bogus online courses, and escalating costs threaten the access to a quality college education in the coming years. If you’re living in this nightmare, as I am, Delbanco’s book offers a refreshing view of possible options to improve the situation. GRADE: B+.

KELLY’S HEROES/WHERE EAGLES DARE [Blu-ray]

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Memorial Day spurred a marathon of watching war movies at the Kelley manse. Two of my favorites showed up on this bargain Blu-ray that I picked up at Wal-Mart for $7.99: Kelly’s Heros and Where Eagles Dare. Clint Eastwood leads a band of misfits in Kelly’s Heroes. Richard Burton stars in the film adaptation of one of my favorite Alistair MacLean novels, Where Eagles Dare. Burton leads a rescue mission to free a U.S. general from an Alpine fortress. Plenty of thrills in both films! GRADE: A

HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, JOHN CHEEVER!

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I’ve been reading John Cheever since the 1960s. In brilliant stories like “The Swimmer,” “The Enormous Radio,” and “Goodbye, My Brother” Cheever revealed himself to be a master story-teller. True, Cheever had plenty of demons. But he managed to keep the demons at bay long enough to produce some of the best short stories of the 20th Century. I’ve read Cheever’s novels, too. While they don’t reach the heights of Cheever’s short stories, his novels are witty, sly, and underrated. Celebrate what would have been Cheever’s 100th Birthday today by reading something Cheever wrote!

WORTH IT…NOT WORTH IT By Jack Otter

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Worth It…Not Worth It? cares the subtitle: Simple & Profitable Answers to Life’s Tough Financial Questions. Should you use a credit union or bank? Should you renovate the kitchen or finish the basement? (Or do both as Diane is considering!) Buy stocks or mutual funds? This slim volume explains aspects of the most common financial problems in clear, simple language. It weights the options and presents a rationale for choosing one option over another. Yes, you can probably find this information in books five or six times the size of Worth It…Not Worth It? But it would be a rare finance book that would lay out the information this neatly. I’m using this book in my INVESTMENTS class next Fall Semester. GRADE:
A

FORGOTTEN BOOKS #169: THE DEVIL WEARS WINGS By Harry Whittington

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Harry Whittington wrote in every genre except science fiction. Versatility was his strong suit. That skill comes into play in The Devil Wears Wings. The Devil Wears Wings is a caper novel. Buz Johnson was an ace pilot in World War II and Korea. But once he leaves the military, Johnson spirals down, down, down. The cause of most of Johnson’s problems is alcohol. When the story opens, Buz Johnson has been reduced to giving flying lessons in a small Florida town. Johnson is approached by creepy Sid Coates who has a scheme to make both of them rich. Coates needs a pilot to fly a plane to make his bank robbery plan work. Reluctantly, Buz Johnson agrees to fly the get-away-plane. Whittington, as always, throws in plenty of plot twists and turns. If you haven’t read Harry Whittington, The Devil Wears Wings is a good place to start.

VEEP on HBO

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Our Holiday Inn in Brookline had HBO so Sunday night at 10:30 P.M. we watched Julia Louis Dreyfus in VEEP. Dreyfus plays Selena Meyer, Vice President of the United States. Anna Chlumsky stands out as Dreyfus’ loyal and plucky assistant. Reid Scott, Matt Walsh, and Reid Scott are Dreyfus’ staff of political wonks. There’s plenty of political paranoia and shady shenanigans…as you might expect in a political comedy. I was less impressed by the overuse of four-letter words. Some people find them funny. I don’t. As for my opinion of VEEP, let’s just say we’re not signing up for HBO.

IMAGINE: HOW CREATIVITY WORKS By Jonah Lehrer

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Jonah Lehrer’s breezy guide to creativity is filled with wonderful stories. My favorite is how Mattel produced the Barbie doll and created the first billion dollar toy. Lehrer explores the elements of creativity. He suggests certain cities produce great ideas and products because of the way they’re designed. Why is General Electric the only company still existing from the original Dow Jones average? Imagine presents plenty of examples and research. Lehrer makes sense out of all the information in an entertaining, yet enlightening, manner. Worth a look! GRADE: A

THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL

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The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel stars Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. Around these two women, the rest of the ensemble revolve. Fans of Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, and Penelope Wilton, will love this movie about a group of aging Brits who stay at a run-down hotel in India. Based on the 2004 novel, These Foolish Things, by Deborah Moggach, the film offers fun and some serious moments. John Madden, director of Shakespeare in Love, keeps things moving. A light, but entertaining movie. GRADE: B+