Julian Fellowes, the mastermind behind the Downton Abbey series, decides to juggle the massive cast of 39 characters in Downton Abbey: A New Era by running two parallel plots. The first plot is Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) confronting the problem of a leaky roof at Downtown Abbey with the solution offered by a film crew who want to shoot their new movie on site–and will pay handsomely for the privilege. Fellowes “borrows” from Singin’ in the Rain when the silent film morphs into a talkie.

The second track involves what the Dowager Countess Violet Grantham (Maggie Smith) did 50 years ago with the Marquis de Montmirail that caused the Marquis to leave a fabulous villa in Southern France to Violet after his death. Lord and Lady Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern) with a posse of family members, travel to France to investigate.

I confess, my eyes misted up a couple of time during this movie. Julian Fellowes knows how to use his gifted cast to move an audience. The sold-out AMC theater where Diane and I watched Downton Abbey: A New Era sniffled right with me during those dramatic moments.

If you’re a Downton Abbey fan, you’ll love Downton Abbey: A New Era. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will walk out of the theater filled with enjoyment of an old fashioned movie. GRADE: A

When I first started reading Science Fiction in the late 1950s, my favorite SF writers were Robert A. Heinlein, Poul Anderson, and Andre Norton.

In the early 1960s, I was mowing lawns to make some spending money. And I spent some of it on Andre Norton ACE Books paperbacks. I later discovered that Andre Norton was actually Alice Mary Norton!

I enjoyed all the Andre Norton SF books I read. Storm Over Warlock with the iconic EMSH cover might be my favorite. But I read all the Andre Norton books I could get my hands on.

BAEN Books published Crosstime in 2008. It brings together two alternative Earths novels: The Crossroads of Time (1956) and Quest Crosstime (1965).

I first read The Crossroads of Time as part of ACE Double (D-164) that had Mankind on the Run by Gordon R. Dickson on the other side. Years later, I read the hardcover version of Quest Crosstime published by Viking Press.

If you’re in the mood for classic action and adventure in the old fashioned SF mode, CROSSTIME delivers! GRADE: B+

Track Listing

Prime 17 Ultimate Classic Rock (2007) may not be the Ultimate and some of these songs may not be classics, but there’s a lot to like on this CD. There seems to be a little something here for almost every taste in rock music.

The Velvet Underground rubs shoulders with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. Classics like “Smoke on the Water,” “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” (short version), and “Slow Ride” still sound great.

I was also amused by this CD’s logo: 17 ORIGINAL RECORDINGS — 8 TOP 10 HITS! I would have thought all these songs hit the Top 10 but apparently not. Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Langston Hughes was best known for his poetry, but he also wrote short stories. The Ways of White Folks (1933) shows the troubled aspects of blacks and whites interacting in daily life.

In “Cora Unashamed,” a black servant for a white family overcomes the death of her infant child by helping raise the white infant daughter of her employer. Years later, when the white daughter becomes pregnant, Cora is at the center of action.

I found “Home” the most striking story in this collection. A gifted black musician, who finds success in Europe, returns to his home town of Hopkinsville, Missouri to visit his mother. He finds a culture of hate and violence.

A young black boy discovers in “One Christmas Eve” what Santa Claus is all about. Langston Hughes captures the cruelty of every day life as black folk try to live with white folk in an uneasy truce. Powerful stories! GRADE: A

1   Cora Unashamed — 3
2   Slave on the Block — 19
3   Home — 33
4   Passing — 51
5   A Good Job Gone — 57
6   Rejuvenation Through Joy — 69
7   The Blues I’m Playing — 99
8   Red-Headed Baby — 125
9   Poor Little Black Fellow — 133
10 Little Dog — 161
11 Berry — 177
12 Mother and Child — 189
13 One Christmas Eve — 199
14 Father and Son. — 207

Diane, Katie, and I saw Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations on Broadway in 2016 (you can read my review here). The touring company for this version of Ain’t Too Proud projected high energy and the sold out show we attended at Shea’s Performing Arts Center celebrated the great music we grew up with in the Sixties.

The Temptations morphed into the R&B superstar group through constant touring and recording hit songs. The voice that put The Temptations sound into the stratosphere of record sales, air play on the radio, and TV appearances was David Ruffin (played by Elijah Ahmad Lewis). But, of course, Ruffin’s demons plague the group despite his incredible voice and his ability to do splits during a song performance.

The musical is based on the biography of Otis Wilson (played by Marcus Paul James) who is the last surviving member of the original group. Otis narrates the action as The Temptations move up the charts and become Motown Records biggest group, eclipsing The Supremes.

But, despite the fame and fortune, one by one the members of The Temptations succumb to alcohol, drugs, and physical aliments. Yet, with all the singers who came and went, the music stayed compelling. If Ain’t Too Proud shows up in your neighborhood, I highly recommend it! Are you a fan of The Temptations? GRADE: A

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

About six weeks ago my right leg started to hurt. The pain started in my lower back and shot down the back of my leg to my ankle. I took ibuprofen and it lessened the pain…for a few days. Then, even though I increased my dose of ibuprofen, it had minimal effect on my leg pain. I contacted my orthopedic surgeon, got an MRI and X-ray and then attended an appointment with Dr. Stube to go over the results.

Dr. Stube, basing his opinion on the test results, diagnosed me as having spinal stenosis. From the print-out report of our meeting: “Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spaces within your spine, which can put pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine. Spinal stenosis occurs most often in the lower back and the neck.” That “pressure on the nerves” resulted in my leg pain.

Dr. Stube told me, “I want to put you on Celebrex.” He called in the prescription, I picked it up at Rite-Aid, ate lunch with Diane, took a Celebrex (Dr. Stube advised me to take Celebrex with food)…and an hour later HALF OF MY LEG PAIN WAS GONE! For the first time in weeks, I was actually able to get a good night sleep!

The next morning, the pain was increasing so after breakfast I took another Celebrex. An hour later ALL MY LEG PAIN WAS GONE. I’ve now been on Celebrex for three weeks and I’m pain-free. Celebrex is a Wonder Drug…at least for me!

I know a number of the participants of this blog are suffering from pain. There are risks with all medications. But if the benefits–freedom from pain–out-weigh the risks (in this case, Celebrex can cause your blood pressure to go up), you might consider it. Here’s the Mayo Clinic description of Celebrex:

“This medication is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), specifically a COX-2 inhibitor, which relieves pain and swelling (inflammation). It is used to treat arthritis, acute pain, and menstrual pain and discomfort. The pain and swelling relief provided by this medication helps you perform more of your normal daily activities.”

Yesterday at 2:30 P. M. a gunman motivated by hate and dressed in tactical gear killed 10 people and wounded three others at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket where I’ve shopped.

Officials said the gunman streamed the attack on a social media platform.

The suspect, an 18-year-old white man, dressed in tactical gear, was taken into custody after shooting 13 people at the Tops Friendly Market supermarket. Four store employees, including a security guard, were among the victims. Eleven of the shooting victims are Black, two are white. The captured gunman will be charged with a Hate Crime among other charges.

You have to wonder what would possess someone to don a helmet and Kevlar armor, drive 200 miles, and shoot innocent people doing their Saturday grocery shopping. Our country continues to decline into chaos. And, if this mass shooting can happen in placid Buffalo, NY it can happen anywhere.

In the first episode of Bosch: Legacy, the sequel spin-off to Amazon Prime Video’s long-running detective procedural, an earthquake strikes Los Angeles and shakes the foundation of Harry Bosch’s beautiful home in the Hollywood Hills with cracks everywhere.

Bosch’s house, a glass-encased two-bedroom on stilts, was also featured in the Michael Mann classic Heat—it’s where Amy Brenneman’s graphic designer (and Robert De Niro love interest) Eady lives—and it’s an essential part of the Bosch experience. It’s the perfect metaphorical space for a detective to brood while playing jazz records and nursing a Fat Tire beer. Now, because of the structural damage, Bosch, never exactly a work/life balance adherent, has to sleep in his office.

With Bosch (Titus Welliver) leaving the police force and becoming a private detective, the focus becomes equally focused on the Past…and the Future. Having never known his own father, Bosch gets personally wrapped up in solving the case of a wealthy, dying client (William Devane) who seeks to discover what happened to the woman he got pregnant 70 years ago.

Played by Madison Lintz, Bosch’s daughter Maddie struggles in her new career in the police force. Honey “Money” Chandler (Mimi Rogers), a civil rights lawyer who faced off with Bosch in the courtroom over seven seasons, eventually finds she needs Bosch’s help after almost being murdered.

If you’re a Bosch fan, you’ll enjoy Bosch: Legacy. A second season has already been approved. GRADE: B

At a certain point in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Roger Zelazny became my favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy writer. Zelazny won six Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards so I wasn’t alone in considering him a wonderful writer.

But, as so often happens, I couldn’t keep up with Zelazny’s output. And, other writers nudged Zelazny from my Top Spot so I still bought his books…but didn’t get around to reading many of them. That’s the case with Changeling (1980) and Madwand (1981). Some critics thought Zelazny was going to launch another series like his famous Amber series with these two novels. But whatever the reason, these two books remain alone.

Changeling begins with a battle. The sorcerer of Rondoval faces defeat and death. His wife, Lady Lydia, flees while leaving her infant son, Pol. When the baby is discovered, some of the soldiers suggest killing the child. But the victorious sorcerer, Mor, decides to exile the baby to an alternate Earth (ours). However, Magic demands a balance so Mor travels to Earth with baby Pol and exchanges the infant with another infant named Mark.

As time passes, Pol grows up in a technological society where his magic powers disrupts the workings of all machinery–much to the frustration of his computer using father. Meanwhile, Mark grows up on a farm in the magic world and begins to invent useful items–which are not appreciated by the villagers. As you might guess, Changeling ends up with a battle between Mark and Pol. GRADE: B

Madwand continues Pol’s story as he attempts to learn about his past and master the magic arts. I found this sequel lacking in the intensity of the original novel. GRADE: C+

Last week I posted about Southern Rock Classics, Volume 2 (you can read my review here). The Allman Brothers Band received accolades for their songs on the compilation CD so I decided to dig out my 20th Century Masters: The Best of the Allman Brothers Band, The Millennium Collection (2000) and listen to it again.

The Allman Brothers Band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guitar, vocals, songwriting), Berry Oakley (bass guitar), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson (drums). Subsequently, based in Macon, Georgia, The Allman Brothers Band incorporated elements of blues, jazz, and country music. Their popular live shows featured improvisation and instrumentals.

Group leader Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971.  Bassist Berry Oakley died one year and 13 days later on November 11, 1972 in a similar motorcycle accident. Butch Trucks died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on January 24, 2017, in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the age of 69. Gregg Allman died from complications arising from liver cancer on May 27, 2017, at his home in Georgia, also at the age of 69.

The Allman Brothers Band has been awarded seven gold and four platinum albums, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Rolling Stone ranked them 52nd on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004. Great band, great music, tragic history. GRADE: A

TRACKLIST: