If you’re in the mood for a Downton Abbey clone, I recommend Belgravia on EPIX (I accessed it through AMAZON PRIME Video). Julian Fellowes, who came up with Downton Abbey goes back a little farther in time. Wellington defeats Napoleon at Waterloo and that marks the beginning of a plot involving the up-and-coming merchant family–the Trenchards (Anne Trenchard is my favorite character)–and the British aristocracy which is declining in Victorian England. Anne Trenchard (Tamsin Greig) is my favorite character. Her husband is referred to as “The Magician” by the military forces because of his skill providing them with critical wartime supplies.

Julian Fellowes also wrote Belgravia, a novel that the 6-episode mini-series is based on (Belgravia is also available as an audiobook). The mini-series follows the novel closely.

What are you watching on TV? GRADE: A

It’s been nearly two months since my last haircut. All the barber shops and beauty parlors and spas are closed here and not likely to open soon.

Diane trimmed my bushy sideburns a couple weeks ago, but couldn’t really address the hair growing on my head. Her scissors just pinched too much with my long hair.

So we ordered the Panasonic trimmer. It includes several attachments which should do the job. We’re busy reading the instructions now and we might watch some YouTube videos to help us with the haircutting process. How are you and your hair getting along during this pandemic?

When looking at the Fake Fans in the South Korean stadium above, I’m reminded that the United States faces a crisis in the Fall when the NFL plans to play games. Will NFL teams compete in empty stadiums? Will only a portion of the seats be filled with fans who can “prove” they don’t have coronavirus? Or will we resort to the South Korean solution of filling our stadiums with Fake Fans? It’s all a big mystery!

What do you think will happen? What do you think of your favorite NFL team’s schedule?

BUFFALO BILLS 2020 SCHEDULE

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Introduction by Martin H. Greenberg 9
• “Mariana” by Fritz Leiber (FANTASTIC, February 1960) 15
• “The Day the Icicle Works Closed” by Frederik Pohl (GALAXY, February 1960) 23
• “The Fellow Who Married the Maxill Girl” by Ward Moore (MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, February 1960) 70
• “Mine Own Ways” by Richard M. McKenna (MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, February 1960) 108
• “Make Mine Homogenized” by Rick Raphael (ASTOUNDING, April 1960) 132
• “The Lady Who Sailed the Soul” by Cordwainer Smith (GALAXY, April 1960) 196
• “I Remember Babylon” by Arthur C. Clarke (PLAYBOY, May 1960) 231
• “Chief” by Henry Slesar (PLAYBOY, June 1960) 247
• “Mind Partner” by Christopher Anvil (GALAXY, August 1960) 250
• “The Handler” by Damon Knight (ROGUE, August 1960) 297
• “The Voices of Time” by J. G. Ballard (NEW WORLDS, October 1960) 304

The most recognizable stories from The Great SF Stories #22 (1960) would be “The Lady Who Sailed the Soul” by Cordwainer Smith followed by J. G. Ballard’s “The Voices of Time.” I liked Richard M. McKenna’s “Mine Own Ways” a lot. Henry Slesar’s “Chief” provides one of his patented clever short-short stories.

What was the beginning of a growing trend, SF stories printed in “men’s magazines” like Playboy and Rogue started to show up in YEAR’S BEST SCIENCE FICTION anthologies. In this case, Damon Knight’s “The Handler” and Arthur C. Clarke’s “I Remember Babylon” are represented.

I’d also forgotten how good prolific SF writers like “Christopher Anvil (aka, Christopher Crosby) could be. “Mind Partner” is first-rate. I’ve only a few more volumes in this series to reread and review. I’m feeling sad about this 25-month project nearing its end. GRADE: A-

I’ve been listening to a lot of music during this Stay-at-Home lifestyle. Just by accident, I found some Women & Music CDs and I’m both in the process of listening to them and buying the CDs in the series that I lack (only two more to go!).

I thought I’d start with a 2-CD set, Women & Music: Beginnings. One of the usual aspects of this set is that singers from different musical eras rub shoulders with one another. I remember the first time I heard Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” (featuring Mick Jagger) in 1972 and immediately headed to the local record store to buy No Secrets with the daring (for that time) braless photo album cover. On Disc 1, it follows Mary Wells’s “My Guy” which expresses a completely different attitude toward guys.

Marie Muldaur is represented by “Midnight at the Oasis” and Melissa Manchester’s “Midnight Blue” sounds great. I’m a big fan of Doris Troy’s “Just One Look” and Nicolette Larson’s “Lotta Love” which sounds like a faux-Fleetwood Mac song to me.

How many of these songs do you remember? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:

Disc 1

1. God Bless the Child [4:00]
   • (performed by Billie Holiday)
2. What a Diff’rence a Day Made [2:31]
   • (performed by Dinah Washington)
3. Fever [3:22]
   • (performed by Peggy Lee)
4. Son of a Preacher Man [2:27]
   • (performed by Dusty Springfield)
5. Respect [2:26]
   • (performed by Aretha Franklin)
6. Downtown [3:11]
   • (performed by Petula Clark)
7. Walkin’ After Midnight [2:01]
   • (performed by Patsy Cline)
8. Ode to Billie Joe [4:16]
   • (performed by Bobbie Gentry)
9. Put a Little Love in Your Heart [2:35]
   • (performed by Jackie DeShannon)
10. Midnight Train to Georgia [4:40]
    • (performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips)
11. Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off [4:30]
    • (performed by Ella Fitzgerald)
12. My Guy [2:53]
    • (performed by Mary Wells)
13. You’re So Vain [4:20]
    • (performed by Carly Simon)
14. The Rose [3:33]
    • (performed by Bette Midler)
15. Me and Bobby McGee [4:30]
    • (performed by Janis Joplin)

Disc 2

1. I Feel the Earth Move [3:00]
   • (performed by Carole King)
2. Lotta Love [3:09]
   • (performed by Nicolette Larson)
3. At Last [3:02]
   • (performed by Etta James)
4. Chuck E’s in Love [3:31]
   • (performed by Rickie Lee Jones)
5. Just One Look [2:32]
   • (performed by Doris Troy)
6. So Long [2:39]
   • (performed by Ruth Brown)
7. Baby I’m Yours [2:32]
   • (performed by Barbara Lewis)
8. I’ll Never Fall in Love Again [3:03]
   • (performed by Dionne Warwick)
9. Midnight at the Oasis [3:47]
   • (performed by Maria Muldaur)
10. Reflections [2:53]
    • (performed by The Supremes)
11. Misty [3:02]
    • (performed by Sarah Vaughan)
12. Midnight Blue [3:55]
    • (performed by Melissa Manchester)
13. Blue Bayou [3:55]
    • (performed by Linda Ronstadt)
14. Both Sides Now [3:16]
    • (performed by Judy Collins)
15. I Will Always Love You [3:07]
    • (performed by Dolly Parton)
16. Over the Rainbow [3:30]
    • (performed by Judy Garland)

Diane and I saw Jerry Seinfeld at a local venue, Melody Fair (which has since been leveled and turned into a Super War-Mart) back in 1990. Seinfeld was clever and funny and not a four-letter word passed his lips (which is rare for stand-up comedians). The sell-out crowd left the performance delighted.

Now in the Age of Coronavirus, we need to watch our stand-up comedians on a streaming service like Netflix. In an interview with NPR, Seinfeld admitted that he needs to do stand-up occasionally. We’re looking forward to this Netflix performance today. If you have Netflix, you’ll probably enjoy it, too. Were you a fan of Seinfeld? Do you have a favorite episode?

Bone Silence concludes the trilogy about the Ness sisters who ran away from home and became space pirates…and a lot more. I’m a fan of Alastair Reynolds’s space operas, but this Young Adult trilogy fell flat with me. I thought the first book, Revenger (you can read my review here), was the strongest book of the three. It introduced the reader to the feisty Ness sisters, Arafura and Adrana, and their AI, Paladin. The second novel, Shadow Captain, ratcheted up the violence with some bloody battles in space (you can read my review here). This third volume, at 603 pages, pretty much ties up all the loose ends of a story that encompasses millions of years.

A number of mysteries, disappearances, reappearances, and skullduggery swirl around the plot of Bone Silence. There are a couple of deus ex machina moments that might annoy some readers. But the scope of the 20,000 worlds of the Congregation lends itself to grand moments. If you’re looking for a diverting and mildly entertaining YA space opera trilogy, Alastair Reynolds provides one with these books. Just make sure you don’t set the bar too high. GRADE: B

World War II was never this soapy. World on Fire captures the essence of WWII in seven episodes with characters scattered in five countries as the Nazis begin their relentless movement to conquer Poland. Helen Hunt plays an American war correspondent who witnesses the German invasion of Warsaw and reports it in her radio commentary in Berlin. Sean Bean plays a pacifist in London whose daughter and son get involved in the War.

In Paris, a gay American doctor (Brian Jacob Smith) resists pleas to leave the city as the Germans move in…with dire consequences. Jonah Hauer-King as Harry Chase, creates most of the love interest in this series. Chase starts out as an interpreter for the British Government, but gets involved with a Polish girl named Kasia (played by Zofia Wichłacz). In a soap opera moment, Harry marries Kasia in hopes he can get her out of Poland before the Germans invade. But, of course, Something Else happens.

Harry Chase also has another girl friend, Lois (played by Julia Brown), who is a factory worker by day and a talented night club singer at night. Harry’s two love interests power much of the action in these episodes.

My favorite character is Robina Chase (played by Leslie Manville), Harry’s wealthy and imperious mother. But, World War II forces her to evolve as events upend her world.

Normally, I wouldn’t be watching something like World on Fire but the coronavirus, like WWII, changed everything. This ensemble series is mildly enlightening if you’re not allergic to soap. GRADE: B