Diane and I read Lisa Genova’s Still Alice years ago when it was first published. The story of a middle-aged college professor who discovers she’s suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s is a chilling story. Julianne Moore’s performance in this movie version shows the heart-breaking decline of the professor’s memory and life. This is a grim movie, but well worth seeing. GRADE: B+

I have no inside information. I have seen most of the Oscar nominated movies. Here are my guesses about who will win.
BEST MOVIE: Boyhood
BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
BEST ACTOR: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Who do you think will win?

I bought this CD because I thought I was getting a lot of value for my money. I like most of the songs and although I own a lot of them (on other CDs) it’s nice to have all 18 songs on one CD. The price was right, too: $9.99. My only quibble is that I wish Madonna’s “Live to Tell” had been included. GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
1. Bohemian Rhapsody Queen 5:55
2. It Will Rain (From “Twilight”) Bruno Mars 4:17
3. I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston 4:31
4. My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from “Titanic”) Celine Dion 4:40
5. Streets of Philadelphia Bruce Springsteen 3:16
6. Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) Phil Collins 3:24
7. Kiss From a Rose Seal 3:38
8. Almost Paradise (Love Theme from “Footloose”) Mike Reno feat. Ann Wilson 3:49
9. Tiny Dancer Elton John 6:12 Album Only
10. God Only Knows The Beach Boys 2:53
11. How Deep Is Your Love Bee Gees 4:03
12. Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison 3:04
13. Cups (Movie Version) Anna Kendrick 1:14
14. I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (aus “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) The Soggy Bottom Boys 3:10
15. Eye of the Tiger Survivor 4:06
16. Danger Zone Kenny Loggins 3:36
17. Hooked on a Feeling Blue Swede 2:53
18. Happy (From “Despicable Me 2”) Pharrell Williams

Most of my students would have no idea what a “key club” was but those of us of a certain age remember the Playboy Clubs and the various key club offshoots. Published in 1962, Murder in the Key Club (aka, Murder in the Harlem Club) features one of carter brown’s series characters, Hollywood private eye Rick Holman. “carter brown” was the pseudonym of Alan Geoffrey Yates (1923-1985) who lived in Australia. From 1953 to 1981, over 100 “carter brown” novels were published. This 126-page paperback features plenty of action and, given the time period, a lot of “suggested” sex. It also sports a nice Robert McGinnis cover.

As a diabetic, I’m always on the lookout for low-carb food that tastes good. Recently, I tried one of Nature Valley’s new Nut Crisp Bars. I chose the Almond Dark Chocolate Nut Crisp Bars (there are three other choices: Almond Crunch Roasted Nut Crunch Bars, Peanut Crunch Roasted Nut Crunch Bars, and Salted Caramel Peanut Nut Crisp Bars). The Almond Dark Chocolate Nut Crisp Bars are only 130 calories. But the payoff is in the carbohydrates: only 11 grams. Once you subtract the 2 grams of fiber, the net carbs for one of these tasty bars is only 9 grams of carbohydrate. If you’re looking for a good tasting, low-carb snack I’d recommend Nature Valley Nut Crisp Bars. What is your favorite snack?

I’ve used TURBOTAX for years. We have a fairly straight-forward tax return since our kids are on their own and our house is paid for. Not many deductions (except for charitable giving). TURBOTAX for tax year 2014 installed in minutes. It did a quick update and then I was ready to input my tax data. TURBOTAX has two modes: the “hand-holding” mode that takes you step-by-step through the tax return and the more independent approach. Since I’ve been using TURBOTAX all these years and my return is simple, I choose the independent approach. After I inputed my numbers, I had the results: I owed the Feds about $200 and NY State about $800. TURBOTAX eFiled both the Federal and State returns. The whole process took about a half hour. Have you done your taxes?

While going through the DVDs at BIG LOTS, I found a copy of WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? For a couple of bucks, I couldn’t resist buying it. I hadn’t watched WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? since the 1980s when I had a VHS tape of it. Rewatching the movie made me realize how great Elizabeth Taylor’s performance was. Richard Burton’s performance as an associate professor in a marriage filled with secrets and games is sensational, too. George Segal plays an ambitious biology professor whose wife, Sandy Dennis, has plenty of secrets of her own. Mike Nichols shot the movie in black & white, resisting pressures to shoot the movie in color. The starkness of b&w makes the film even more powerful. If you haven’t seen WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? in a while, it’s a film with scintillating performances.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh: Commentary
2. Cinematographer Haskell Wexler: Commentary

A friend of mine recommended Rage Against the Dying to me. I picked up a copy from the library and read it. Brigid Quinn tracked down sexual predators for the FBI. But one case–the Route 66 murders–frustrated Brigid and eventually led to her retirement from the FBI. Brigid tries to move on. She marries a nice guy, Carlo. She acquires some dogs. She works out. But the events of the Route 66 murders haunt Brigid and she just can’t let the case go. So she gets involved in the investigation. As you might suspect, the Real Killer targets Brigid. There’s some suspense in Rage Against the Dying but not enough of it for me. I figured things out early on and then read on to see things work out pretty much as I imagined. This is Becky Masterman’s first novel. I’m sure the next one will be better. GRADE: C+