PBS’s MASTERPIECE THEATER is broadcasting a new production of Dickens’ Little Dorrit, a rags to riches tale. The Little Professor has raised some criticisms of this new adaptation here: http://littleprofessor.typepad.com/the_little_professor/2009/03/little-dorrit-i.html . If you’d rather not tune in Sunday nights all through April, you can buy or rent the DVD collection. I’m busy reading the Dickens’ novel in serial fashion to match the episodes being broadcast.

Okay, so Stevie Nicks is 60 years old. She still is an iconic Rock Star with a distinctive voice. This DVD of her concert in Chicago features most of her hits: “Stand Back,” “Crash (Dave Matthews Band cover),” “Sara,” “If Anyone Falls in Love,” and “Landslide (orchestra version).” I thought she put on an entertaining show. And Sam’s Club has the DVD priced at about the cost of the CD. What a bargain!

I’m a huge fan of Anthony Trollope’s work although he seems to be pretty much forgotten by the Academy and most of the reading public. Trollope explores the politics of love in Can You Forgive Her? Alice Vavasor is a lovely young woman who is torn between two proposals: the “safe” pick would be the plodding, but wealthy John Gray. The “dangerous” pick would be her cousin George Vavasor whose reputation is a bit shady. Alice’s dilemma gives Trollope the microscope to explore a woman’s role in a society where her freedom is constrained. To contrast Alice’s decision, Trollope gives us Lady Glencora Palliser, Alice’s regal cousin who married the rich and powerful Plantagent Palliser. Plantagent Palliser’s only interest is Parliament. Lady Glencora spends her days pining for the man she gave up to marry Palliser, the dashing but unsavory Burgo Fitzgerald. Trollope captures the compromises and sacrifices marriage entails, the disappointments and the joys. Other than Thomas Hardy, I can’t think of another male novelist who so completely creates believable, vibrant women characters as Anthony Trollope does.

This 2 CD and 1 DVD collection has all Annie Lennox’s hits: “Walking on Broken Glass,” “Why,” “No More I Love You’s,” and “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” There are plenty of other songs worth hearing. I like the duet with Alicia Keys, “Everybody Hurts.” The DVD contains the videos to all of Annie Lennox’s hits. If you’re a fan of Annie Lennox, this is the complete package you must own.

When I was a kid, I read comic books constantly. Yes, I had a huge comic book collection which came to a Bad End (you can read that Sad Story on the SUNY at Buffalo KELLEY COLLECTION web site). My favorite superhero was THE FLASH but close behind was GREEN LANTERN. The stories were expertly written by John Broome and exquisitely drawn by Gil Kane. DC has been reprinting these classic issues in their SHOWCASE series for a little more than $10 for each thick volume. If you missed these classics when you were growing up, they are well worth a look now. If you grew up reading these wonderful comic books, you need to reread these and take a trip down Memory Lane.

“Listening to finer music and attending concerts on a consistent basis makes your real age about four years younger.” Dr. Michale F. Roizen of the Cleveland Clinic made this statement on the front page of the New York Times Art & Leisure section yesterday. “Whether that’s due to stress relief or other properties, we see deceases in all-cause mortality, reflecting slower aging of arteries as well as cancer-related and environmental factors. Attending sports events like soccer or football offers none of these benefits.” So listen to Murray Perahia’s terrific Bach English Suites and stop aging!

John Mortimer died a few weeks ago and I figured I’d honor his memory by reading one of his books. Rumpole’s Last Case contains seven of Rumpole’s cleverest cases. I should admit right here that I think John Mortimer was one of the best short story writers I’ve ever read. His deceptively simple stories are both cannily constructed and cunningly balanced between the immediate case Rumpole is trying to solve and other, personal, issues of the characters. For example, in “Rumpole and the Old, Old Story” Rumpole and his wife, Hilda (aka “She Who Must Be Obeyed”) separate. Despite that drama, Rumpole goes ahead with his case and finds key evidence. No Rumpole story I’ve ever read has seemed too long. Mortimer never lets the story get bogged down in unnecessary detail. In “Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim” Rumpole takes a role in a court martial. Lesser writers might have spent much of the story structuring the military proceedings, but Mortimer, with just a few flourishes, keeps the story’s momentum. I highly recommend all the Rumpole collections, especially this one. GRADE: A.

Listeners to Helene Grimaud’s BACH either love it or hate it. One reviewer on AMAZON railed that Grimaud doesn’t have the faintest idea of how to play this music. I’ve listened to a lot of Bach over the years and I confess Grimaud’s Bach doesn’t really sound like Bach. As one critic might put it: “She knows all the notes, but she doesn’t have the tune.” I much prefer Murray Perahia playing Bach. The music has better balance. I did like Helene Grimaud’s CD with Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto #5” and “Piano Sonata #28.” Maybe she understands Beethoven better than she understands Bach. GRADE: C (for BACH) and B (for BEETHOVEN).