One of the guys I swim with at the pool each day is an electrician. His name is Mark and he’s between jobs right now. “Do you have anything electrical that needs to be done around your home?” Mark asked me one day. I put the question to Diane and she said, “I’d like all of our electrical outlets replaced with new ones.” I took this answer back to Mark and he agreed to come out and replace all of our 50 electrical outlets.

Of course, one thing leads to another. Diane hated our kitchen light (the square one above). She wanted a new light. So when she asked Mark about it, Mark said, “Buy a new light and I’ll install it for you.” Diane took me to a lighting place and after about an hour of looking at lights, Diane decided on the Quozel light that looks like a teardrop above. After Mark was done replacing all of our outlets, he installed the new light and Diane is delighted. Are you planning any home improves this Summer?

Kate McKinnon and Scarlett Johansson are largely wasted in Rough Night. The premise is a Girls Go Wild bachelorette weekend that goes wrong. Rough Night is based on Peter Berg’s Very Bad Things from 1998. In this new version with a female cast, very bad things do happen…it’s just that they aren’t very funny. Even though this movie is only 101 minutes long, it seems a lot longer. The last 10 minutes holds a few surprises, but you’ll find this movie more aggravating than humorous. GRADE: C

I just received my PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) test results. I scored a 1.1 which is the same number I had in 2016. Just call me Mr. Consistent. I know there’s been recent debate about the usefulness of the PSA in older men, but I’m a Believer.

Detecting prostate cancel early is a key component to effective treatment. The PSA test is basically the best tool to accomplish that diagnosis. I know a lot of health insurance companies don’t want to pay for it especially for older patients. But detecting a problem early rather than late makes all the difference. If you’re 50 years old or older, I urge you to get a PSA test every year. If you have a man you love in your life, urge him to have a PSA test yearly. And, if your PSA is above 5.0, take action quickly!

James Blish had a successful career as a Science Fiction writer before he started writing “novelizations” of Star Trek episodes. But, as fate would have it, Blish is almost entirely remembered today because of his Star Trek work. James Blish wrote a dozen books of stories based on Star Trek episodes. The Star Trek Reader is an omnibus of three of those volumes. Now, you would think the editors would approach reprinting those volumes in chronological order…but no. The second, third, and eighth books are included in this omnibus edition. The other nine books were collected in other omnibus volumes, but in some ways this first volume is the best. Three of my favorite Star Trek episodes are included: “Arena” (teleplay by Gene L. Coon based on a story by Fredric Brown), “The City On the Edge of Forever,” (teleplay by Harlan Ellison), and “The Trouble With Tribbles” (teleplay by David Gerrold). What’s your favorite Star Trek episode?
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Book 1: Star trek 2.
Arena.
A taste of Armageddon.
Tomorrow is yesterday.
Errand of mercy.
Court martial.
Operation: annihilate!
The city on the edge of forever.
Space seed.
Book 2: Star trek 3.
The trouble with tribbles.
The last gunfight.
The doomsday machine.
Assignment: Earth.
Mirror, mirror.
Friday’s child.
Amok time.
Book 3: Star trek 8.
Spock’s brain.
The enemy within.
Catspaw.
Where no man has gone before.
Wolf in the fold.
For the world is hollow and I have touched the sky.

I’ve enjoyed Timothy Zahn’s BLACKCOLLAR and COBRA Science Fiction series over the years. Zahn is a prolific SF writer who has written over 30 novels. Pawn features an alien abduction of an alcoholic woman named Nichole Hammond. Her life on the mean streets of Philadelphia vanishes when Nicole wakes up on a giant starship a thousand light-years from Earth. Nicole is told she’s a “Sibyl,” a human who can communicate with the mind that controls the vessel. So far, so good. But Pawn gets bogged down in Nichole and her work crew fixing broken components of the ship. There’s also a tedious plot centering around food dispensers. After 350 pages, we finally get some Answers about what’s going on (mostly to set up a sequel). But I won’t be reading it. GRADE: C

Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie sounds a lot like Fleetwood Mac-lite. The songs are bouncy and lively for the most part. I liked “Red Son” and “Game of Pretend” best. In general, this new CD is vapid and unmemorable. You can safely skip this one. What’s your favorite Fleetwood Mac song? GRADE: C

TRACK LIST:
1. “Sleeping Around the Corner” 3:48
2. “Feel About You” 3:28
3. “In My World” 4:25
4. “Red Sun” 3:15
5. “Love Is Here to Stay” 4:25
6. “Too Far Gone” 3:20
7. “Lay Down for Free” 3:56
8. “Game of Pretend” 4:33
9. “On with the Show” 3:46
10. “Carnival Begin” 3:31

I saw The LEGO Batman Movie early this year. You can read my review here. Today, the DVD and Blu-ray versions go on sale. As you can see, the SPECIAL FEATURES bundled with the movie are extensive. If you’re fan of the LEGO movies, you’ll love this. If you’re a Batman fan, this is a must-buy. Should be a lot of fun!

SPECIAL FEATURES:
Original Animation Shorts: Dark Hoser
– Original Animation Shorts: Batman is Just Not That Into You
– Original Animation Shorts: Cooking with Alfred
– Original Animation Shorts: Movie Sound Effects: How Do They Do That?
– The Master: A LEGO Ninjago Short
– Deleted Scenes
– One Brick at a Time: Making the Lego Batman Movie
– Rebrick Contest Winners
– Inside Wayne Manor
– Brick by Brick: Making of the LEGO Batman
– Behind the Brick
– Me and My Mini Fig
– Trailer 2
– Trailer 3
– Trailer 4
– Lego Life Trailer
– Follow Me Online
– Don’t Skip
– Happy Holidays Jingle
– Batsby New Year’s
– Comic Con Panel
– Team Cutdown
– Director and Crew Commentary

I’m a huge fan of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s songs so when I heard Rumer had released an all Bacharah/David CD, I had to have it. Rumer had a hit album with Seasons of My Soul back in 2010. This new album mixes familiar Bacharach/David hits with some more obscure songs. Delightful music! What’s your favorite Bacharach & David song? GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
1 The Look Of Love 4:17
2 Balance Of Nature 4:06
3 One Less Bell To Answer 3:20
4 Are You There (With Another Girl) 3:15
5 (They Long To Be) Close To You 4:05
6 You’ll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart) 4:04
7 Land Of Make Believe 3:29
8 A House Is Not A Home 3:47
9 Walk On By 3:16
10 The Last One To Be Loved 3:41
11 This Girl’s In Love With You 4:54
12 What The World Needs Now Is Love 3:48

This latest resurrection of The Mummy is directed by Alex Kurtzman who produces Scorpion and Hawaii Five-O on CBS. The Mummy has a TV feel to it as Tom Cruise and his love interest, Annabelle Wallis, discover an Egyptian tomb in Iraq (a weird occurrence). The mummy (Sofia Bontella) in the tomb wants Tom Cruise to become the vessel to embody the God of Death, Set. Yes, there are several scary scenes. Plenty of thrills. Rats, spiders, and deadly birds. Yes, Russell Crowe is wasted in a silly role.

The Wall Street Journal headline to the review of The Mummy read: TOM CRUISE FALLS INTO A SAND TRAP. The movie reviewer, Joe Morgenstern, zinged the acting in The Mummy with lines like: “Jenny Halsey, a beautiful archaeologist played vervelessly by Annabelle Wallis…” Love “vervelessly”! This version of The Mummy doesn’t compare to the 1932 Boris Karloff film or the 1959 Christopher Lee classic. But if you’re looking for a mindless Summer popcorn movie, The Mummy will fit the bill. GRADE: C

The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition began in 1962 and features the world’s best young pianists ages 18 to 30. While the competition is available online at http://www.cliburn.org/ you may find the web site sluggish because of the heavy volume of watchers. FATHOM EVENTS is bringing the Finals to selected theaters so I’ve decided to go see these fine pianists today at our local Regal Theater. If you have any interest in classic music, you’ll enjoy these performances. The Competition starts in the afternoon so there’s still time to buy a ticket!
UPDATE:
Prize Winners of the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition

Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medal
Yekwon Sunwoo, 28, South Korea

Silver Medal
Kenneth Broberg, 23, United States

Bronze Medal
Daniel Hsu, 19, United States

Audience Award
Rachel Cheung, 25, Hong Kong