Hill Street Blues, first broadcast in 1981 on NBC, was not an instant hit. The drama had an ensemble cast, it used hand-held cameras that gave the episodes a documentary feel, and the dialogue had a natural flow that was unusual for TV dramas at that time. Most episodic crime dramas were self-contained. Hill Street Blues featured “long-form” storylines that extended over several episodes, another unusual feature at that time. But after a couple of seasons and several Emmy Awards, the TV audience found Hill Street Blues and stayed with it for seven seasons. This box set of the complete series includes all 144 episodes. Special features include:
THE HISTORY OF HILL STREET: Steven Bocho and others talk about the creation of the show; INTERVIEWS WITH THE OFFICERS: Featuring cast members James B. Sikking, Dennis Franz, Bruce Weitz, Charles Haid and Dennis Dugan.
WRITERS ON THE HILL:A Discussion with Steven Bochco, Robert Crais, Jeffrey Lewis and Alan Rachins about writing for the show.
ROLL CALL: Looking back on HILL STREET BLUES
GAG REEL
FOUR EPISODE COMMENTARIES: Including Creator Steven Bochco, Actors James B. Sikking, Joe Spano, Bruce Weitz, Charles Haid and Dennis Dugan, Writer Jeffrey Lewis and Story Consultant Robert Crais.
Commemorative 24-page book.
GRADE: A+

Megan McArdle’s practical and entertaining book is full of great stories of people who fail initially, but then succeed spectacularly. McArdle also shows why we fail. Many times, it’s because we’re trying to accomplish complicated tasks where one wrong move can ruin everything. McArdle uses her own life as an example in a couple of cases. McArdle’s mother complained of an upset stomach. McArdle and her sister mishandled the mother’s distress until they were forced to take her to the ER. More went wrong: a botched CT scan, an X-ray misread, and a plugged drain that was supposed to remove infected fluids. But then some things went right. The surgeon correctly diagnosed AcArdle’s mother’s burst appendix. And, fortunately, a special antibiotic was available that saved her life.

McArdle’s other personal story was about her breakup with a boyfriend. Plenty went wrong, but McArdle was prone to misunderstanding the concept of “sunk costs” in trying to solve her problems. There are some great tips about reducing failures and coping with failures. McArdle’s breezy writing style and comprehensive research makes The Up Side of Down a practical book. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Preface
1 Failure Is Fundamental
How a Brain Scientist and a Psychologist Helped Me Stop Procrastinating
2 The Virtuous Society
What Two Economists and an Anthropologist Can Teach Us about Free Markets
3 The Experimenters
Why There Are No Guarantees in Hollywood or Silicon Valley
4 Accidents, Mistakes, Failures, And Disasters
What the Hospital System Can Teach Us about the Mistakes We Make
5 Crisis
What a Bad Breakup Can Tell Us about the GM Bailout
6 Admitting You Have A Problem
What Gamblers Anonymous Could Have Taught Dan Rather
7 Getting Unstuck
Adopting the Way of the Shark
8 Blame
Blamestorming and the Moral of the Financial Crisis
9 Punishment
Why Consistency Is the Secret to Breaking Bad Behavior
10 Forgiveness
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Easy Bankruptcy (Though Not Personally)

Coda
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index

I’ve been a fan of Sarah McLachlan’s for decades. I own all her CDs. I’ve seen her in concert three times (all great performances!) and may see her a fourth time this summer When Sarah McLachlan shows up at Artpark. All that being said, you might guess this review of Shine On might be a wee bit biased. Shine On is not one of Sarah McLachlan’s better albums. Yes, the songs are pleasant, but there’s nothing compelling here. If you really want the best of Sarah McLachlan, I recommend THE ESSENTIAL SARAH MCLACHLAN which came out last year. Two CDs full of great music for $10 on AMAZON. More music, better music for less money. Shine One will only appeal to hard-core fans. GRADE: C
TRACK LIST:
1 In Your Shoes (3:53)
2 Flesh and Blood (4:19)
3 Monsters (3:13)
4 Broken Heart (3:18)
5 Surrender and Certainty (4:47)
6 Song For My Father (3:17)
7 Turn The Lights Down Low (3:56)
8 Love Beside Me (4:37)
9 Brink of Destruction (3:58)
10 Beautiful Girl (3:34)
11 The Sound That Love Makes (2:15)

TRACK LIST:
Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. Vox
2. Steaming
3. Ben’s Song
4. The Path of Thorns
5. Into the Fire
6. Drawn to the Rhythm (Live)
7. Back Door Man (Live)
8. Possession
9. Good Enough
10. Elsewhere
11. Fear
12. Ice Cream
13. Hold On
14. Dear God
15. I Will Remember You (Theme from “The Brothers McMullen”)
16. Building a Mystery
17. Sweet Surrender
Disc: 2
1. Adia
2. Angel
3. Silence (Radio Edit)
4. When She Loved Me
5. Blackbird
6. The Rainbow Connection
7. Fallen (Album Mix)
8. Stupid
9. World on Fire
10. Push
11. Witness
12. Time After Time
13. Ordinary Miracle
14. Don’t Give up on Us
15. U Want Me 2
16. Loving You Is Easy
17. Forgiveness
18. Illusions of Bliss

Stark House has just published two of Clifton Adams’ noir classics: Death’s Sweet Song and Whom Gods Destroy. Cullen Gallagher’s informative Introduction traces Clifton Adams’ prolific writing career. Cullen gives credit to Bill Crider and Ed Gorman for their writing on Clifton Adams. Adams wrote over 50 novels mostly in the crime and western genres. This new Stark House omnibus volume includes two of Clifton Adams’ best novels. Very noirsh and very readable! Don’t miss this one!

I’m a big fan of Alastair Reynolds so I immediately bought this BBC DOCTOR WHO novel. Although Harvest of Time was published in 2013, Reynolds features the flamboyant Jon Pertwee verson of The Doctor. In addition, The Master is up to his usual dastardly schemes, UNIT is constantly blowing things up, and there’s a sinister alien invasion. Reynolds juggles several plotlines as this complicated story comes together in a shattering conclusion. If you’re a fan of Alastair Reynolds’ work, you’ll want to read Harvest of Time. If you’re a Doctor Who fan, you’ll enjoy this book, too. GRADE: B+

The Devil’s Door is the second book in Sharan Newman’s Catherine LaVendeur series of medieval mysteries. Set in the 12th Century, Catherine investigates the beating death of the wife of a local Count. But one death leads to another as various forces vie for the land the death woman left to the Paraclete convent. Why is this undeveloped land so sought after? Why is it so valuable to so many powerful nobles? I enjoyed Sharan Newman’s first Catherine LaVendeur Macavity Award winning mystery, Death Comes as Epiphany (1993). The Devil’s Door is just as good. GRADE: B+

This mini-series should be be called 12 because there are only 12 episodes instead of the traditional 24 episodes. Last night in a 2-hour premire, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), after a four year hiatus, shows up in London to stop the Bad Guys who want to kill the visiting U.S. president (William Devane). Cranky Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is back, but hostile (so far) to Jack. For those of you who didn’t watch the original 24 , the format was that all the action happened in one day. Each of the 24 episodes presented one day of action against terrorists. This stripped-down version of 24 is a good example of half a loaf being better than none. I hope the ratings are high and 24 returns to it’s old format next season.

Each year the North Tonawanda Library holds a book sale. On the final two days, there’s a “bag sale.” You buy a shopping bag for $5 and you can fill it with as many books as you can jam in the bag. These hardcovers are the goodies I took home in my bag.

A week ago I woke and got out of bed. A stab of pain started in my back and then radiated down my left leg. I figured I just slept wrong. But, the next day, I woke up to more pain. I took some 800mg Motrins (they didn’t do much). The pain got worse. So I called my doctor, but he was totally booked (plenty of people around here are still getting the flu). But I was offered an appointment with Diane’s doctor, Dr. O’Donnell, and I grabbed it. By the time the appointment rolled around, my pain was intense. Dr. O’Donnell examined me and she said, “I know what your problem is and I know what caused it.”

I couldn’t believe what she said next! “You are experiencing sciatic nerve pain caused by your wallet.” Art Scott can attest to the fatness of my wallet. It’s about 4 inches thick. I carried all my credit cards and ID cards around with me. Dr. O’Donnell told me she sees guys–especially truck drivers with those huge wallets–coming in all the time with sciatic nerve pain. The wallet over time creates stress on the back and that triggers the sciatic nerve pain. I’m on a muscle relaxer, Cyclobenzaprine, and those 800mg Motrins. The pain is slowly receding–Dr. O’Donnell said it would take about a week–and I’ve been doing the exercises she recommended in the pool.

So please heed my warning: don’t carry that huge wallet in your back pocket!