Maybe it’s the stress and strain of the end-of-semester chaos that drove me to retreat back into my childhood when I’d spend whole afternoons reading Batman and Justice League comic books. I was in BJ’s Warehouse and spied this new Blu-ray edition (so new AMAZON doesn’t even have it yet) for a pittance. I bought it and enjoyed FOUR HOURS of Batman: Gotham Knight and The Justice League: The New Frontier. Both of these have been released a few years ago, but this Double Feature Blu-ray packages these animated features for dirt cheap. If you need to revisit your childhood, this Batman/Justice League double feature will take you there for the price of popcorn at a movie theater. GRADE: B+

I’m a sucker for books like My Ideal Bookshelf. La Force and Mount have gathered the favorite books of many writers and personalities and presented them in a unique fashion. Some of the book choices come from Malcolm Gladwell, Thomas Keller, Michael Chabon, Alice Waters, James Patterson, Maira Kalman, Judd Apatow, Chuck Klosterman, Miranda July, Alex Ross, Nancy Pearl, David Chang, Patti Smith, Jennifer Egan, and Dave Eggers among others. My Ideal Bookshelf is a browser’s delight. And, for that hard-to-buy-for book lover on your Christmas list, My Ideal Bookself would be an ideal present!

The Seattle Seahawks vs. Buffalo Bills game will be played in Toronto, Canada at the Rogers Center (a dome stadium). Rumors abound that there’s so little interest in this game among the Canadians that some of the tickets are being discounted heavily. Bills fans, who watched their team give up a WIN in the last minute of last week’s game against the Rams, have no interest in this game. What’s happening with your favorite NFL team? The Playoffs are just three weeks away!

I liked The Hobbit. Yes, it’s a tad too long at two hours and 49 minutes. And, yes, there’s padding (but it’s so well done I didn’t mind it). We’re back in Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth with the wizard Gandalf the Gray (Ian McKellen) and Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and a dozen dwarves. They’re on a quest to reclaim the home of the dwarves: lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. The scenery is spectacular. I almost want to travel to New Zealand (where the film was shot) to see the magnificent mountains and valleys. After a slow start, the action picks up and the last 30 minutes will take your breath-away. I can’t wait for the next two episodes! GRADE: A-

If you are a fan of H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthuthu Mythos, you might find these novels of Brian Lumley entertaining. Lumley is best known for his Necroscope series. But early in his career, Lumley wrote these horror novels which TOR Books reprinted in the late 1990s. The books are available online and in most libraries. Titus Crow is a an amalgam of Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones. Volume One is an omnibus edition of The Burrowers Beneath (giant malignant worms!) and The Transition of Titus Crow (attack of the Hounds of Tindalos!). Volume Two includes The Clock of Dreams and Spawn of the Winds. Volume Three concludes with In the Moons of Borea and Elysia . Try as he might, Lumley cannot capture the trademark Lovecraft dread in these novels. Yes, scary horrible things attack our hero. But the atmosphere cannot approach Lovecraft’s best work like “The Dunwich Horror” or “Pickman’s Model.” Still, I found these Cthuthu Mythos novels amusing and you might too.

The students in my MARKETING class gave me a Christmas card at the end of our last class. All the students in the class signed it and many wrote messages, too. The message in the middle of the card was “Happy Holidays to the best teacher ALIVE!!!” Some people wonder why I’m still teaching. Here’s one reason why.

While I was shopping at Sam’s Club, I looked at the usually pathetic CD offerings. And, guess what jumped out at me? Carly Simon: Original Album Series with Carly Simon’s first five albums! This cool set includes Carly Simon, Anticipation, No Secrets, Hot Cakes, and Playing Possum (with the album cover that generated tons of erotic dreams when I was a teenager). This nice package was only $19.86. I also checked AMAZON by putting “Original Album Series” in the search box and up popped over 30 other box sets by artists I listen to (Hall & Oates, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, etc.) all assembled by Rhino. Check out the sample listing below to get an idea of what you would be buying.
Tim Buckley, Original Album Series (Elektra/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Tim Buckley (originally released as Elektra EKS-74004, 1966)

Disc 2: Goodbye and Hello (originally released as Elektra EKS-74028, 1967)

Disc 3: Happy Sad (originally released as Elektra EKS-74045, 1969)

Disc 4: Blue Afternoon (originally released as Straight STS-1060, 1969)

Disc 5: Lorca (originally released as Elektra EKS-74074, 1970)

CHIC, Original Album Series (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: CHIC (originally released as Atlantic SD-19153, 1977)

Disc 2: C’est CHIC (originally released as Atlantic SD-19209, 1978)

Disc 3: Risqué (originally released as Atlantic SD-16003, 1979)

Disc 4: Real People (originally released as Atlantic SD-16016, 1980)

Disc 5: Take It Off (originally released as Atlantic SD-19323, 1981)

Bobby Darin, Original Album Series (ATCO/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Darin at The Copa (originally released as ATCO SD 33-122, 1960)

Disc 2: For Teenagers Only (originally released as ATCO 1001, 1960)

Disc 3: Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer, Two of a Kind (originally released as ATCO SD 33-122, 1961)

Disc 4: Love Swings (originally released as ATCO SD 33-134, 1961)

Disc 5: Twist with Bobby Darin (originally released as ATCO SD 33-138, 1961)

The Doobie Brothers, Original Album Series (Warner Bros. Records/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Toulouse Street (originally released as Warner Bros. Records BS-2364, 1971)

Disc 2: The Captain and Me (originally released as Warner Bros. Records BS-2694, 1973)

Disc 3: What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (originally released as Warner Bros. Records W-2750, 1974)

Disc 4: Stampede (originally released as Warner Bros. Records BS-2835, 1975)

Disc 5: Takin’ It to the Streets (originally released as Warner Bros. Records BS-2899, 1976)

Sérgio Mendes, Original Album Series (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: The Swinger from Rio (originally released as Atlantic SD-1434, 1965)

Disc 2: In Person at El Matador (originally released as Atlantic SD-8112, 1965)

Disc 3: The Great Arrival (originally released as Atlantic SD-1466, 1966)

Disc 4: The Beat of Brazil (originally released as Atlantic SD-1480, 1967)

Disc 5: Sérgio Mendes’ Favorite Things (originally released as Atlantic SD-8177, 1968)

Bette Midler, Original Album Series (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: The Divine Miss M (originally released as Atlantic SD-7238, 1972)

Disc 2: Bette Midler (originally released as Atlantic SD-7270, 1973)

Disc 3: Songs for the New Depression (originally released as Atlantic SD-18155, 1976)

Disc 4: Broken Blossom (originally released as Atlantic SD-19151, 1977)

Disc 5: The Rose: Original Soundtrack Recording (originally released as Atlantic SD-16010, 1979)

Ministry, Original Album Series (Sire/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Twitch (originally released as Sire 25309, 1986)

Disc 2: The Land of Rape and Honey (originally released as Sire 25799, 1988)

Disc 3: The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (originally released as Sire 26004, 1989)

Disc 4: In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up (Live) (originally released as Sire 26266, 1990)

Disc 5: ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (Psalm 69) (originally released as Sire 26727, 1992)

Montrose, Original Album Series (Warner Bros./Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Montrose (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK-3106, 1973)

Disc 2: Paper Money (originally released as Warner Bros. BS-2823, 1974)

Disc 3: Warner Bros. Presents Montrose! (originally released as Warner Bros. BS-2892, 1975)

Disc 4: Jump on It (originally released as Warner Bros. BS-2963, 1976)

Disc 5: Ronnie Montrose, Open Fire (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK-3134, 1978)

Randy Newman, Original Album Series (Warner Bros./Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Randy Newman (originally released as Reprise RS-6286, 1968)

Disc 2: 12 Songs (originally released as Reprise RS-6373, 1970)

Disc 3: Sail Away (originally released as Reprise MS-2064, 1972)

Disc 4: Good Old Boys (originally released as Reprise MS-2193, 1974)

Disc 5: Little Criminals (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK-3079, 1977)

Pantera, Original Album Classics (ATCO/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Cowboys from Hell (originally released as ATCO 91372, 1990)

Disc 2: Vulgar Display of Power (originally released as ATCO 91758, 1991)

Disc 3: Far Beyond Driven (originally released as EastWest 92302, 1994)

Disc 4: The Great Southern Trendkill (originally released as EastWest 61908, 1996)

Disc 5: Reinventing the Steel (originally released as EastWest 62451, 2000)

Carly Simon, Original Album Classics (Elektra/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Carly Simon (originally released as Elektra EKS-75016, 1971)

Disc 2: Anticipation (originally released as Elektra EKS-74082, 1971)

Disc 3: No Secrets (originally released as Elektra EKS-75049, 1972)

Disc 4: Hotcakes (originally released as Elektra 7E-1002, 1974)

Playing Possum (originally released as Elektra 7E-1033, 1975)

Sister Sledge, Original Album Classics (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Circle of Love (originally released as ATCO SD 36-105, 1975)

Disc 2: Together (originally released as Cotillion SD-9919, 1977)

Disc 3: We Are Family (originally released as Cotillion SD-5209, 1979)

Disc 4: Love Somebody Today (originally released as Cotillion SD-16012, 1980)

Disc 5: All-American Girls (originally released as Cotillion SD-16027, 1981)

The Young Rascals, Original Album Series (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: The Young Rascals (originally released as Atlantic SD-8123, 1966)

Disc 2: Collections (originally released as Atlantic SD-8134, 1967)

Disc 3: Groovin’ (originally released as Atlantic SD-8148, 1967)

Disc 4: Once Upon a Dream (originally released as Atlantic SD-8169, 1968)

Disc 5: Freedom Suite (originally released as Atlantic SD-2901, 1969)

For the Noir fan on your Christmas list, Turner Class Movies and Universal have just released this wonderful box set of three crime thrillers from the 1940s. The Glass Key (1942), The Phantom Lady (1944), and The Blue Dahlia (1946) have never before been on DVD. For some unknown reason, this box set is NOT available on AMAZON, but you can buy it here. As most of you know, I am firmly in the Blu-ray world. But I’ve found that the higher definition format doesn’t make a big difference with these older Black & White films. So, of course, I’ve ordered this as a Christmas present for me!

I like Colbie Caillat’s pop music so when I saw this Christmas music CD on sale at BEST BUY for $9.99 I couldn’t resist. After listening to Colbie and friends sing these songs a few times, I’d have to rate Christmas in the Sand a mixed bag. “Merry Christmas Baby” is good, but “Silver Bells” not so much. My favorite song on this CD is “Mistletoe” (check it out below). If you’re a Colbie Caillat fan, you already have this CD. For the rest of you, this is not an essential purchase. GRADE: C+
TRACK LIST:

1. Merry Christmas Baby (Feat. Brad Paisley) 3:41

2. Santa Baby – 2:57

3. Christmas in the Sand 3:48

4. Baby It’s Cold Outside (Feat. Gavin Degraw)3:20

5. The Christmas Song (Feat. Justin Young) 3:18

6. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town 3:10

7. Every Day is Christmas (Feat. Jason Reeves) 4:25

8. Sliver Bells 3:43

9. Winter Wonderland – 2:50

10. Mistletoe – 3:51

11. Happy Christmas – 3:46

12. Auld Lang Syne 3:46

Today, two NFL teams who are just playing out the season meet in a nearly meaningless game. The Bills have a number of their starters injured so it will be interesting to see who plays in today’s game. St. Louis defeated the mighty San Francisco Forty-niners last week, but somehow the bookies aren’t impressed because the Bills are 3-point favorites. How is your favorite NFL team going to fare today?