Amanda Marshall has a bizarre story, too. Marshall’s first CD, Amanda Marshall (1995), was terrific. Marshall’s next CD, Tuesday’s Child (1999), was very good, too. But my favorite Amanda Marshall album is Everybody’s Got a Story (2001). It includes “Double Agent,” one of my favorite songs. But after this CD, Amanda Marshall got into a long and bitter fight with her record company. No more original albums were released. Amanda Marshall’s career was over. For a brief time, she produced some enjoyable music. Then, it just stopped.
TRACK LIST:
1.”Everybody’s Got a Story” (Marshall, Mann, Molecules) – 4:11
2.”The Voice Inside” (Marshall, Mann, Molecules) – 3:01
3.”The Gypsy” (Marshall, Mann, Molecules) – 4:30
4.”Colleen (I Saw Him First)” (Marshall, Mann, Molecules) – 5:10
5.”Double Agent” (Marshall, Mann, Asher, Molecules) – 4:41
6.”Red Magic Marker” (Marshall, Mann, Asher, Molecules) – 3:26
7.”Sunday Morning After” (Marshall, Mann, Asher, Molecules) – 4:44
8.”Love Is My Witness” (Marshall, Mann) – 3:21
9.”Dizzy” (Marshall, Mann, Molecules) – 4:02
10.”Brand New Beau” (Marshall, Mann, Asher, Molecules) – 4:24
11.”Marry Me” (Marshall, Misener) – 3:51
12.”Inside the Tornado” (Amanda Marshall, Billy Mann) – 1:43

I’ve been a fan of Neil Gaiman’s work for years. I’ve read his previous short story collections and enjoyed them. One of the features I enjoy the most is Gaiman’s introductions to his stories. He tells you when, where, why, and how the story came about. Gaiman credits Harlan Ellison for inspiring him to write his clever introductions. Like Neil Gaiman, I remember reading Harlan Ellison’s short story collections and marveling at the scintillating introductions. No one wrote story introductions like Harlan Ellison! And now, no one writes introductions to stories like Neil Gaiman. Carl Anderson wrote a wonderful review of Trigger Warning here. Check it out. GRADE: A-
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
01. Making a Chair
02. A Lunar Labyrinth
03. The Thing about Cassandra
04. Down to the Sunless Sea
05. “The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains . . . “
06. My Last Landlady
07. Adventure Story
08. ORANGE
09. A Calender of Tales
10. The Case of Death and Honey
11. The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury
12. Jerusalem
13. Click-Clack the Rattlebag
14. An Invocation of Incuriousity
15. “And Weep, Like Alexander”
16. Nothing O’Clock
17. Pearls: A Fairy Tale
18. Kether to Malkuth
19. Feminine Endings
20. Observing the Formalities
21. The Sleeper and the Spindle
22. Witch Work
23. In Relig Odhrain
24. Black Dog

I spent last week reading James Jones’ Some Came Running. After I finished it, I wanted to see the movie version that stars Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Shirley MacClaine. The movie came out in 1959, just two years after the book was published. Frank Sinatra plays Dave Hirsh, a service man just returning home after serving in WWII. Home is Parkman, Illinois: a small town that’s growing after the war. Dave’s brother, Frank, owns a jewelry store and stands to make a lot of money as the town grows. Dean Martin plays Bama Dillert, a professional gambler who becomes attached to Dave Hirsh. Shirley MacLaine plays a loose woman named Ginnie Moorehead who falls in love with Dave Hirsh. Dave falls in love with Gwen French, a teacher. As you might suspect, plenty of complications ensue. The conclusion is slightly different from the novel version. I was impressed that the movie version of Some Came Running captured the essence of the 1,266-page book. Not a bad trick for a 2-hour movie. GRADE: B+

Diane and I read Lisa Genova’s Still Alice years ago when it was first published. The story of a middle-aged college professor who discovers she’s suffering from early-onset Alzheimer’s is a chilling story. Julianne Moore’s performance in this movie version shows the heart-breaking decline of the professor’s memory and life. This is a grim movie, but well worth seeing. GRADE: B+

I have no inside information. I have seen most of the Oscar nominated movies. Here are my guesses about who will win.
BEST MOVIE: Boyhood
BEST DIRECTOR: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
BEST ACTOR: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore, Still Alice
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Who do you think will win?

I bought this CD because I thought I was getting a lot of value for my money. I like most of the songs and although I own a lot of them (on other CDs) it’s nice to have all 18 songs on one CD. The price was right, too: $9.99. My only quibble is that I wish Madonna’s “Live to Tell” had been included. GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
1. Bohemian Rhapsody Queen 5:55
2. It Will Rain (From “Twilight”) Bruno Mars 4:17
3. I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston 4:31
4. My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme from “Titanic”) Celine Dion 4:40
5. Streets of Philadelphia Bruce Springsteen 3:16
6. Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) Phil Collins 3:24
7. Kiss From a Rose Seal 3:38
8. Almost Paradise (Love Theme from “Footloose”) Mike Reno feat. Ann Wilson 3:49
9. Tiny Dancer Elton John 6:12 Album Only
10. God Only Knows The Beach Boys 2:53
11. How Deep Is Your Love Bee Gees 4:03
12. Brown Eyed Girl Van Morrison 3:04
13. Cups (Movie Version) Anna Kendrick 1:14
14. I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow (aus “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) The Soggy Bottom Boys 3:10
15. Eye of the Tiger Survivor 4:06
16. Danger Zone Kenny Loggins 3:36
17. Hooked on a Feeling Blue Swede 2:53
18. Happy (From “Despicable Me 2”) Pharrell Williams

Most of my students would have no idea what a “key club” was but those of us of a certain age remember the Playboy Clubs and the various key club offshoots. Published in 1962, Murder in the Key Club (aka, Murder in the Harlem Club) features one of carter brown’s series characters, Hollywood private eye Rick Holman. “carter brown” was the pseudonym of Alan Geoffrey Yates (1923-1985) who lived in Australia. From 1953 to 1981, over 100 “carter brown” novels were published. This 126-page paperback features plenty of action and, given the time period, a lot of “suggested” sex. It also sports a nice Robert McGinnis cover.

As a diabetic, I’m always on the lookout for low-carb food that tastes good. Recently, I tried one of Nature Valley’s new Nut Crisp Bars. I chose the Almond Dark Chocolate Nut Crisp Bars (there are three other choices: Almond Crunch Roasted Nut Crunch Bars, Peanut Crunch Roasted Nut Crunch Bars, and Salted Caramel Peanut Nut Crisp Bars). The Almond Dark Chocolate Nut Crisp Bars are only 130 calories. But the payoff is in the carbohydrates: only 11 grams. Once you subtract the 2 grams of fiber, the net carbs for one of these tasty bars is only 9 grams of carbohydrate. If you’re looking for a good tasting, low-carb snack I’d recommend Nature Valley Nut Crisp Bars. What is your favorite snack?

I’ve used TURBOTAX for years. We have a fairly straight-forward tax return since our kids are on their own and our house is paid for. Not many deductions (except for charitable giving). TURBOTAX for tax year 2014 installed in minutes. It did a quick update and then I was ready to input my tax data. TURBOTAX has two modes: the “hand-holding” mode that takes you step-by-step through the tax return and the more independent approach. Since I’ve been using TURBOTAX all these years and my return is simple, I choose the independent approach. After I inputed my numbers, I had the results: I owed the Feds about $200 and NY State about $800. TURBOTAX eFiled both the Federal and State returns. The whole process took about a half hour. Have you done your taxes?

While going through the DVDs at BIG LOTS, I found a copy of WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? For a couple of bucks, I couldn’t resist buying it. I hadn’t watched WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? since the 1980s when I had a VHS tape of it. Rewatching the movie made me realize how great Elizabeth Taylor’s performance was. Richard Burton’s performance as an associate professor in a marriage filled with secrets and games is sensational, too. George Segal plays an ambitious biology professor whose wife, Sandy Dennis, has plenty of secrets of her own. Mike Nichols shot the movie in black & white, resisting pressures to shoot the movie in color. The starkness of b&w makes the film even more powerful. If you haven’t seen WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? in a while, it’s a film with scintillating performances.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
1. Mike Nichols and Steven Soderbergh: Commentary
2. Cinematographer Haskell Wexler: Commentary