The Closer starts a five-episode run starting tonight on TNT. If you haven’t watched this ensemble series, you’re missing one of the best programs on television. Kyra Sedgwick (Brenda Lee Johnson) and her team investigate crimes–mostly murders–with the episode usually ending with an interrogation, conducted by Brenda Lee, and a confession. Tune in for some soap-opera elements, some humor, and some very good drama.

I’ve been a fan of Mark Bittman since I read his How to Cook Everything years ago. Bittman is a columnist for the New York Times. His column, “The Minimalist,” presents a common-sense approach to preparing food. In his new book, Food Matters, Bittman applies the concepts that Michael Polian presented in last year’s In Defense of Food. Of Bittman’s 77 recipes in this book, I made copies of 12. I’ll let you know how the easy whole grain bread recipe turns out.

Based on Terry Goodkind’s fantasies, this TV series is produced by the same group who gave us Xena, Warrior Princess. It’s low-budget, B-movie entertainment. But a gritty hero, a beautiful Confessor, and a wacky wizard make the quest of the Seeker to overthrow the tyranny of evil Darken Rahl worth consulting your local television listings to find out when your cable company is showing it in your area. My favorite episode so far is #9, “The Puppeteer.” For more information, check out www.legendoftheseeker.com.

With the plethora of women detectives gracing mystery fiction today, many readers might take this trend for granted. For me, Honey West kicked off that trend in G. G. Fickling’s This Girl for Hire (1957). In 1965, Honey West showed up in an episode of Burke’s Law called “Who Killed the Jackpot.” Honey West was played by Anne Francis. The character proved to be so popular, ABC created a half-hour series. The Honey West TV episodes have recently been released in a nice DVD box set of all 30 episodes. Well worth watching.

Night Shade Books is issuing the most complete collection of Clark Ashton Smith’s work yet. A Vintage from Atlantis is the third of a projected five volume set. Clark Ashton Smith wrote wonderful fantasies that influenced a generation of SF and fantasy writers. Probably Jack Vance was most affected by Clark Ashton Smith’s work. You can see Smith’s influence in many of Vance’s stories like “The Last Castle” and Tales of the Dying Earth. If you’re a fan of classic fantasy, investing in this marvelous series is a no-brainer. For more about Clark Ashton Smith, check out www.eldritchdark.com.

Peter Gunn is the first private eye TV show I can remember watching. I liked it, but being nine at the time, I didn’t “get” a lot of what was going on. Some might complain that these DVDs are bit hissy and the editing is heavy-handed. Granted. However, until a better, cleaner, more complete set of Peter Gunn disks show up, these will do nicely.

This slim book speaks Truth to Power. Bacevich, a retired U. S. Army Colonel and presently a professor of history and international relations at Boston University, doesn’t sugar-coat his words. America is in deep shit and we’re sliding ever closer to the Abyss. Our failed wars, our collapsed economy, and our illusions of the Future are dissected by Bacevich’s scalpel of Reason. Bacevich’s eloquence and insight into our problems makes The Limits of Power compelling reading. GRADE: A

Rhino Records has just released a three-disc expanded Deluxe Edition of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb’s 1969 double-LP pop masterpiece, presented in deluxe packaging that reproduces the original release’s red-flocked cover, including a poster and sticker. Disc one features the original stereo mixes of the title’s 17 song sequence. Disc two marks the U.S. recording debut of the original mono mixes of the same 17 songs. Bonus disc 3 boasts 22 previously unreleased recordings, including 20 alternate takes and demos plus two songs not featured on the original album–“Pity” and “Nobody’s Someone.” If you’re only familiar with the disco Bee Gees and “Stayin’ Alive” you’re in for a treat. Odessa is classic baroque pop.
GRADE: A

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. What more do you need? In this romantic comedy for adults (instead of the Generation Y antics of He’s Just Not That Into You) two older folks find Real Love. The plot is totally conventional and is not up to the Star Power of Hoffman and Thompson. It would have been nice if the script had given Hoffman and Thompson some challenges. But in this frequently mawkish genre, Last Chance Harvey projects genuine warmth. GRADE: B

I’ve been listening to Vonda Shepard’s sultry, soulful voice for 20 years. Her big break was becoming the musical “voice” of Ally McBeal. But since the end of Ally McBeal Vonda Shepard fans haven’t had a lot to listen to except for the old CDs. However, the end of 2008 brought two new CDs: Vonda Shepard Live-A Retrospective (an import from Germany available from AMAZON) and From the Sun. Hardcore fans will want both. Causal fans would be wise to stick with the live album which comes with a DVD. The DVD is coded for “Region 2” but I was able to view it on my DELL computer which reads other “Region” formats. From the Sun is okay, but only 34 minutes long. If you’ve never listened to Vonda Shepard sing “Baby, Don’t You Break My Heart Slow” your life is incomplete.