You might recognize Kaley Cuoco (“Penny” fromThe Big Bang Theory) wearing a red wig and sharing drinks with Bill Nighy in the photo above. Cuoco plays a highly paid assassin who wants to “retire.” But, because she’s such a good assassin, forces move to keep Cuoco “in the game.”

Where Role Play goes off the rails is when Cuoco flees to Berlin to meet up with her handler, Raj (Rudi Dharmalingam) and engages in a lot of fighting and shooting. That is just a prelude to Cuoco informing her clueless husband, Dave (David Oyelowo), that she’s a legendary international assassin and not just his workaholic wife. Then, the Bad Guys grab Cuoco’s children and Cuoco goes ballistic.

The best part of Role Play are the scenes with Bill Nighy, but those are all too brief. The rest of this movie is a mess. A good cast ruined by an idiotic script. GRADE: C

One of my great delights in Life is to come across a book I never knew existed. Richard A. Lupoff’s Lovecraft’s Book (1985) published by legendary Arkham House is one of those books. I discovered its existence a few weeks ago as I was researching another horror book. I’ve never seen a review of Lovecraft’s Book or any mention in the numerous articles I read on Lovecraft and his Mythos.

I tracked down a copy of Lovecraft’s Book and quickly read it. Here’s the background:

“Lovecraft’s Book is a historical novel by American author Richard A. Lupoff. It was released in 1985 by Arkham House in an edition of 3,544 copies. It was the author’s first book published by Arkham House.

Originally a 160,000-word manuscript, the published novel was a shorter popular re-write destined originally for mainstream publisher Putnam. When Putnam demanded even more re-writes, the Putnam version was sold to Arkham House and became Lovecraft’s Book. The original 160,000-word manuscript was lost, but a carbon-copy was found in 2000 and the full original novel was published unabridged as Marblehead: A Novel of H. P. Lovecraft (2006).”

Fascist sympathizer, George Sylvester Viereck hires Lovecraft to write a political tract in the vein of an American Mein Kampf. In return, Viereck promises to arrange for the publication of a volume of Lovecraft’s stories. A helter-skelter plot follows.

Hardcover editions of Lovecraft’s Book are pricey, but you can buy the inexpensive e-book version here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lovecrafts-book-richard-a-lupoff/1123153826

I’m a fan of Richard A. Lupoff and you can tell he is a true fan of H. P. Lovecraft after reading this book. Are you a Lovecraft fan? GRADE: B

It’s hard to believe it’s been 50 years since Joni Mitchell’s classic Court and Spark (1974) became Mitchell’s most successful album. It’s also my favorite Joni Mitchell album.

In the summer of 1973, Joni Mitchell hired the L.A. Express, a jazz-rock group of studio musicians, to back her in the studio. She had its leader, Tom Scott, who played on “For the Roses,” arrange the instrumental and orchestral accompaniment. Tom Scott would go on to write the TV theme songs for Baretta and Starsky & Hutch.

When “Court and Spark,” her sixth studio album, came out 50 years ago this month, Joni Mitchell’s voice and songs seemed energized by a new jazzy backdrop tailored to her approach. Mitchell’s strong vocals and bold lyrics, enhanced by L.A. Express and Tom Scott’s arrangements, gave her songs a new sound.

Court and Spark sold 500,000 copies just over a month after its release and peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 200 chart for four weeks. The single “Help Me” climbed to No. 7 and became her biggest career hit, and Joni Mitchell and Tom Scott shared the Grammy for Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist for the song “Down to You.” The LP was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004. 

Are you a fan of Court and Spark? What were you listening to 50 years ago? GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

Yes, I know that St. Thomas Aquinas listed “Seven Deadly Sins” in Summa Theologica but when the editors of The New York Times Book Review decided to invite writers to write about their favorite Sin, Joyce Carol Oates argued for the inclusion of “Despair” and she won the argument. So you get EIGHT Deadly Sins in this book from 1993.

This The New York Times Book Review project updated the 1962 Sunday Times series masterminded by Ian Fleming of James Bond fame. Fleming included “The Seven Deadly Sins” in the series that featured seven English writers–Wilson, Sitwell, Connolly, Fermor, Waugh, Sykes, and Auden– discussing their preferred sins.

What makes this book special (it’s going for $90 on ABE.com) is the New York Times Book Review managed to attract the reclusive Thomas Pynchon, whose piece on “Sloth” is the most humorous in this book. Mary Gordon and John Updike take a higher-toned approach in their respective thoughts on “Anger” and “Lust.” Gore Vidal tackles Pride while Richard Howard writes a poem about “Avarice.” A.S. Byatt expounds on “Envy” while William Trevor feasts on “Gluttony.” And you might have some thoughts of despair when you read Joyce Carol Oates. If you’re in the mood for some literary heavy-weights weighing in on Sin, give Deadly Sins a try. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Sloth / Thomas Pynchon — 10

Anger / Mary Gordon — 34

Lust / John Updike — 40

Gluttony / Wiliam Trevor — 52

Pride / Gore Vidal — 64

Avarice / Richard Howard — 74

Envy / A. S. Byatt — 82

Despair / Joyce Carol Oates — 104

No, that’s not the Twelfth Doctor Who in the graphic above. That’s London Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (aka, Peter Capaldi) who becomes a prime part of a tangled series of crimes for this Apple TV+ 8-episode police procedural.

Writer/creator Paul Rutman’s Apple TV+ series “Criminal Record” begins on an unassuming night in London. Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (Peter Capaldi), moonlighting as a chauffeur, drives a luxury car down the dark streets. It sets the mood for the darkness to come.

Elsewhere in London, an anonymous, frightened young woman frantically calls Emergency Services from a public phone booth. She quickly tells the Emergency Services operator her boyfriend has been trying to kill her and that he killed an ex-girlfriend years prior, but another man is currently serving a 24-year prison sentence for the crime. Before the operator can get further details, the call drops. 

Detective Sergeant June Lenker (Cush Jumbo), who is the other face in that graphic above, arrives at her desk the following day and she’s asked to review the tape of the phone call of the terrified woman who called Emergency Services. Though Lenker’s apprehensive at first, she cross-references any prisoners who are serving 24 years for murder. After stumbling upon the name Errol Mathis (Tom Moutchi), June begins following a trail of clues, leading her right into the office of DCI Hegarty, who was in charge of Errol’s case more than a decade ago.

Hegarty comes off as a cranky, defensive detective. He’s not impressed with Lenker and her investigation and tries to scuttle the process. But Lenker senses she’s on to something rotten in the murder case and persists. I still have four more episodes to watch of this disturbing, well-acted, and intense drama. GRADE: INCOMPLETE (but trending towards a B+}

Dr. Hotez is a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at the Baylor College of Medicine. He is also co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development. And, Dr. Hotez gets a lot of death threats:

“…you print one more paper or blog suggesting the round up of free citizens to get an unproven untested shot that is no more a vaccine than an m and m is, I will suggest to all my Patriots friends that you be hunted and… Justice is on the way for you scumbag! ” (p. 1)

While Dr. Hotez is a leader in his field, his appearances on MSNBC and other media outlets about the dangers of Covid-19 put him in the cross-hairs of the vaccine-deniers. And, it wasn’t just Dr. Hotez being threatened, Dr. Fauci got emails like this one: “I will slaughter your entire family. You will pay with your children’s blood for your crimes.” (p. 95)

The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science documents the war on Science by the Right. Dr. Hotez provides documentation about the effects of the anti-vaccination campaign on FOX NEWS: over 200,000 lives could have been saved. But “The Ingraham Angle aired negative claims in 98% of its vaccine segments. Hannity was second with 91%, and Tucker Carlson Tonight and Fox News Primetime followed with 90% and 89%, respectively.” (p. 81). False claims against the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccines cost people their lives.

Science and rational thinking is being attacked by local groups, state politicians, and members of Congress. While the Trump administration has a lot to answer for, the continuous attacks on the CDC and NIH haven’t stopped. Bogus “experts” on Social Media spread false claims and provide fake information to confuse medical issues.

Dr. Holez provides some strategies to fight this growing problem and encourages Americans to take action. When it comes to attacks on Science, Holez quotes Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman: “…it cannot be appeased or comprised with. It can only be defeated.” (p. 146) GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Preface — xi
Chapter 1. An Army of Patriots Turns against the Scientists — 1
Chapter 2. Health Freedom Propaganda in America — 24
Chapter 3. Red COVID — 41
Chapter 4. An Anti-science Political Ecosystem — 64
Chapter 5. A Tough Time to Be a Scientist — 87
Chapter 6. The Authoritarian Playbook — 105
Chapter 7. The Hardest Science Communication Ever — 122
Chapter 8. Southern Poverty Law Center for Scientists — 143
Literature Cited — 163
Index — 209

The Buffalo Bills, eliminated in the NFL Divisional Round–again–will be sitting on the sidelines as the Kansas City Chiefs look to go to another Super Bowl. But, I’m rooting for Jeff Smith’s Baltimore Ravens (who are favored by 4 points) to knock off the Chiefs.

The Detroit Lions travel to the City by the Bay to battle with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers are favored by 7 points. Can the Lions pull off the Upset? Who do you think will win these games?

Alastair Reynolds’s new Machine Vendetta (2024) is the third book in the Prefect Tom Dreyfus series. The previous books are Aurora Rising (aka, The Prefect) (2007) and Elysium Fire  (2018). The setting is a series of habitats called the Glitter Band orbiting the planet Yellowstone. Dreyfus and his colleagues in the Panoply–a small police force who protects the 10,000 orbiting habitats (about 100 million quirky residents)–face two major threats. The first involves two rogue Artificial Intelligences: Aurora and The Clockmaker. The two AIs battle on the Panoply networks but remain at a stalemate. Yet, Dreyfus senses a change in the power dynamic that could doom the Glitter Band.

The second threat emerges when one of Panoply’s Prefects, Ingvar Tench, somehow lands on a restricted habitat where danger awaits her. How could an experienced Prefect make such a fatal mistake? Dreyfus suspects Panoply has been compromised and a mole is insidiously killing Prefects who venture too close to a Secret project.

If you’re a fan of Space Opera, you’re well aware of Alastair Reynolds and his long career of writing exciting space adventures. I’ve enjoyed these Prefect Tom Dreyfus novels because they blend mysteries with Science Fiction. If that blend appeals to you, check out these books. GRADE: A

This Al Wheeler mystery from 1967 features a murder of a ruthless and wealthy real estate developer, a wife who hated him, and a beautiful maid who knows more than she’s telling.

Until Temptation Do Us Part shows where temptation can take you. Al Wheeler is tempted by the cast of sexy suspects in various degrees of undress. The shady competitors of the dead developer surround themselves with willing women…some of whom may be deadly.

When a second murder upsets Al Wheeler’s investigation, it also opens the door to a blackmail plot and double-crosses. If you’re in the mood for a breezy mystery that you can finish in an hour (only 128 pages!) I recommend Until Temptation Do Us Part. GRADE: B

It’s hard to believe 30 years have rolled by since I first listened to Rosanne Cash’s The Wheel. I was a fan of Rosanne’s father, Johnny Cash, so when this album showed up, I wanted to listen to it. And I did listen to it…again and again and again and again… It didn’t take a musical genius to realize that the music on The Wheel was terrific and about to launch a great music career.

This newly remastered version of The Wheel includes plenty of extras to go along with the enhanced sound. Many of the songs sounded fresh with new energy, not just a collection of oldies.

Are you a fan of Rosanne Cash? Do you remember the songs on The Wheel? Are you a Johnny Cash fan? GRADE: A

TRACK LIST: