I had a free ticket to Anchorman 2 so I used this weekend. You won’t be surprised that Diane and I were the only ones in the theater (talk about private showing!). Will Ferrell returns as goofy anchorman Ron Burgundy. He’s offered a job on the new GNN cable news network (the film is set in the 1980s). Ron Burgundy has to gather his news team–Steve Carell, Pual Rudd, and David Koechner–and begin a new chapter in broadcast history. I particularly liked Kristen Wiig as Chani (who marries Steve Carell’s character and has 11 kids). I felt the interracial subplot was embarrassing lame. But we laughed a few times and the movie flew by. If you get a free ticket, go see Anchorman 2. Otherwise wait to see Anchorman 2 on cable or Netflix if you’re in the mood for something silly. GRADE: B
Main cast
Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy
Steve Carell as Brick Tamland
Paul Rudd as Brian Fantana
David Koechner as Champ Kind
Christina Applegate as Veronica Corningstone-Burgundy
Meagan Good as Linda Jackson
James Marsden as Jack Lime
Kristen Wiig as Chani
Fred Willard as Edward “Ed” Harken
Chris Parnell as Garth Holliday
Dylan Baker as Freddie Shapp
Greg Kinnear as Gary
Josh Lawson as Kench Allenby
Luke Wilson as Frank Vitchard
Cameos
Harrison Ford as Mack Tannen
Vince Vaughn as Wes Mantooth
Will Smith as an ESPN anchor
Jim Carrey and Marion Cotillard as CBC News anchors
Sacha Baron Cohen as a BBC News reporter
Drake as a Ron Burgundy fan
Kirsten Dunst as a El Trousias Maiden of the Clouds
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as leaders of the Entertainment Tonight news team.
Liam Neeson as a History Channel reporter
John C. Reilly as Stonewall Jackson’s Ghost
Kanye West as MTV News correspondent

Priscilla Hitchins (nicknamed “Hutch”) is an interstellar pilot who manages to get into all kinds of adventures…and trouble. I’ve read all of the previous Hutch novels–The Engines of God, Deepsix, Chindi, Omega, Odyssey, and Cauldron. Starhawk is a departure from those other SF novels. Starhawk is a prequel and tells the story of how Hutch became an interstellar pilot. As you might suspect, the road to being a pilot is rocky for Hutch. She’s feisty and bucks authority. There are two mysterious First Contact sub-plots. There’s heroism and loss. McDevitt works in the Heinlein and Poul Anderson tradition. If you enjoy that kind of classic storytelling, you’ll like Starhawk. GRADE: B

I’m taking the Seattle Seawhawks and the 2 1/2 points.

Who do you think will win the Super Bowl today?

Financially Fearless: The LearnVest Program for Taking Control of Your Money presents a solid system for money management. I liked the chapters on protecting yourself from credit card fraud and identity theft. Financial planning tends to bore people, but Alexa Von Tobel’s book deals with complex financial topics like improving your credit score and investing in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) clearly and succinctly. I usually recommend Suze Orman’s Women & Money book to people looking for financial guidance. But Financially Fearless is more up-to-date. GRADE: B

The subtitle to Peter Haining’s The Art of Mystery & Detective Stories is “The Best Illustrations From Over a Centry of Crime Fiction.” That pretty much sums up what you’re getting in this nifty volume. The Art of Mystery & Detective Stories was first published in Great Britain in 1977. The edition I own was published in 1986 by Treasure Press. As you might suspect, this collection has a distinctive British flavor. For fans of pulp magazine artwork, this book will be like crack. Peter Haining does his usual professional job with the Introduction and informative mini-essays.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Introduction
2. The Annals of Newgate
3. The Father of the Detective Story
4. Le Roman Policier
5. The Opening of the Case
7. The Sensational Sleuths
8. The Master of Detectives
9. A Rash of Detectives
10. The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
11. The American Crime Fighters
12. The Arch Villians
13. The Lady Detectives
14. The Golden Era
15. The Hardboiled Dicks

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 37 years since I first played Boston and listened to “More Than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” and “Smokin'” with Tom Scholz’s distinctive guitar riffs. Boston hasn’t brought out a new CD in 11 years, but just before Christmas Life, Love & Hope showed up just in time to be a stocking-stuffer. For hardcore Boston fans, Life, Love & Hope is a must-buy. For casual fans…not so much. There are some remastered songs on this CD like “Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love,” “Someone,” and “You Gave Up on Love” and the rest is little more than background music. I think listening to one of the Best of Boston compilations would be more satisfying for most listeners than to buy this lackluster effort. GRADE: C+

Adrian McKinty’s gritty “The Troubles Trilogy” kicks off with The Cold Cold Ground. We’re introduced to Sean Duffy, a young police detective working the chaotic streets of Belfast in 1981. Two bodies are found miles apart. But each has the other’s arm. Why the killer switched body parts leads Duffy into another investigation: the missing ex-wife of an IRA prisoner on a hunger strike. McKinty captures the desolation and urban violence of those times very well.

In Book Two of “The Troubles Trilogy,” Duffy investigates a case where an American is found dead in a suitcase. The cause of death is poisoning. The plot includes Margaret Thatcher and John DeLorean (the guy who made that great car in the Back to the Future series). As you might expect, there’s plenty of violence in these books. My minor quibble is that Sean Duffy takes a lot of punishment in these books. But, he has incredible luck when he’s in those near-death situations. If you’re in the mood for something different, you might want to give “The Troubles Trilogy” a try. The third book will be published in March 2014. I already have it on order. GRADE: B (for both books)

This version of Cat People is a remake of the 1942 Jacques Tourneur noir classic. Cat People stars Nastassia Kinski as Irena and Malcolm McDowell as her brother. Written and directed by Paul Schrader, this story of first love and its tragic consequences captures some of the darkness of the original, but this version amps up the sex and violence. If you’re looking for a shape-shifting beauty in a noirish plot, Cat People delivers.

I bought 5000 shares of Medical Marijuana, Inc (ticker symbol MJNA) last week. The stock price was 20 cents per share. I’m convinced marijuana will be legalized in the United States (it’s already legal in Colorado and Washington State, 20 other states allow for medical marijuana). In his State of the State message last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that medical marijuana would be made available at 20 NY hospitals. That is just the beginning. I’m sure more legalization of marijuana initiatives will be on state ballots in November. Even President Obama said in an recent interview with The New Yorker that he considers weed to be similar to alcohol. The tide for legalization of marijuana is growing stronger. I also bought more shares of Lorillard (LO) maker of Newport cigarettes and a leader in the electronic cigarette market. I’m betting that the tobacco companies will be heavily involved in the marketing, distribution, and tax collection of marijuana in the years ahead. I’m playing the Long Game because it will probably take 10 years for weed to be completely legalized. If I’m right, the share prices of these stocks will soar!

I’m a fan of Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. I own all their CDs and enjoy listening to them. Their latest CD, Give The People What They Want, was supposed to be released during the Summer of 2013. But Sharon Jones’ heath problems delayed the CD until now. Once again, it was great to listen to Sharon Jones sing soulful songs backed by The Dap-Kings! If you enjoy soul music, you’ll find some good listening here! Check out the video below. GRADE: B+