Your local PBS station is broadcasting this 3-part series about one of the dumbest social experiments in history. Part One was broadcast last night, but I’m sure you can find it on the PBS rebroadcast schedule. Part One dealt with the run-up to Prohibition. Partly social movement, partly religious imperative, and mostly political chicanery Prohibition had a 14 year run in the U.S. warping values and turning most people into law-breakers. I’m looking forward to Part Two (tonight) and Part Three (Tuesday night). Check your local listings for broadcast times in your area. I’ve enjoyed all of Ken Burns’ documentaries. Prohibition continues his streak of producing compelling historical films. GRADE: A

Will The Curse of the Sports Illustrated cover doom the Bills today when the face the Cincinnati Bengals? We’ll see. This issue of Sports Illustrated also includes a nice interview with Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. Much is made of his Harvard University connection. To be perfectly honest, most Bills fans are still in shock with the team’s 3-0 start. No one predicted this. Most fans thought the Bills would be lucky to win five games this season. Back in 2008, the Bills had a 5-0 start. Then they played the Arizona Cardinals and Bills QB Trent Edwards got drilled into the carpet. After that concussion, Trent was never the same player. Anything can happen in the NFL so we’ll see if the Bills’ good fortune continues.

I’ve really enjoyed this season of Doctor Who featuring Matt Smith as The Doctor and Karen Gillian as Amy Pond (the hot redhead companion). Tonight’s episode should resolve the issue of The Doctor’s death, the conspiracy of The Silence, and the resolution of several subplots. I’m looking forward to the Finale even though I know they’ll throw in some cliff-hangers. For those of you who haven’t watched Doctor Who BBC America is featuring a marathon of Doctor Who episodes all day long. The perfect way to get caught up! The Finale is scheduled to start at 7:05 P.M. EST.

Ghost Guns is the first W. C. Tuttle screwball western I’ve ever read, but it won’t be my last. Henry Harrison Conroy, former vaudevillian, is Sheriff of Tonto City, Arizona. Although Henry takes a comic view of the world, he’s smart. And he needs all of his intelligence to solve a series of murders that involve a blonde angel who packs a rifle, a gambler’s ghost, a stage-coach robbery, a sale of a gold mine, and some wild gunplay. If you’re looking for a completely different kind of Western, Ghost Guns delivers. I want to thank James Reasoner for touting W. C. Tuttle on his blog. James’ remarks lead me to seek out and read this fine book.

Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco, still sounds great after all of these years. I owned all of Donna Summer’s albums. Now, you can buy Bad Girls, her best album, on CD for a mere $8.48 on AMAZON. Giorgio Moroder knew how to infuse songs with infectious hooks. You’ll remember plenty of these songs like “Hot Stuff” and “All Through the Night.” Of course, “Bad Girls” led to a TV special. Nowadays, few people listen to Donna Summer songs anymore. But, maybe they should.
TRACK LIST:
1. Hot Stuff 5:15
2. Bad Girls 4:55
3. Love Will Always Find You 3:59
4. Walk Away 4:29
6. Journey To The Center Of Your Heart 4:36
7. One Night In A Lifetime 4:12
8. Can’t Get To Sleep At Night 4:41
9. On My Honor 3:33
10. There Will Always Be A You 5:02
11. All Through The Night 5:58
12. My Baby Understands 3:58
13. Our Love 4:53
14. Lucky 4:37
15. Sunset People

This was our third k.d. lang concert. As usual, k.d. entertained the crowd with her humor and good nature between songs. She sang two of her biggest hits, “Hallelujah” (the Leonard Cohen classic) and “Constant Craving.” The crowd called out for “Crying,” but k.d. didn’t sing it this time. She did sing several songs from her 2011 CD, Sing It Loud. Grumpy Brit, Teddy Thompson, was the solo warm-up act. All in all, a satisfying evening of wonderful music.

Colm Toibin’s latest collection of short stories is a mixed bag. My favorite story is “Silence.” A woman marries an older, richer man. While on trip to Egypt, she has an affair with a poet. Later, back in London, the woman is seated next to Henry James (Toibin adores James) and she tells him a variation of her affair with the old “a friend of mine…” preface. Henry James writes down the details. I also liked “The Pearl Fishers” which is a complicated menage a trois involving the sex lives of students. Some of the stories in The Empty Family explore gay relationships and feature some graphic sex. Toibin is a crafty writer and capable of surprising the reader. Unfortunately, he didn’t do it enough in The Empty Family. GRADE: C+

Yes, I’ve been on a bit of a SF artwork binge. John Freeman’s collection features a different mix of artists: Brett Norton, Liam Sharp, Paul McCaffrey, Klaus Hutter, and John Picacio. But the artwork is top-notch and the package is nicely done. I’ve enjoyed all three of the collections of artwork I’ve posted about the last three days. If you enjoy SF artwork, check these books out. You’ll be glad you did!

Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art: A Collection of the Most Inspiring Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Gaming Illustrators in the World is another terrific collection of SF and fantasy artwork. Karen Haber has attempted to show the range of genre art and for the most part I think she succeeds. Some of my favorite SF and fantasy artists are represented: Brom, Jim Burns, Ken Wong, Greg Spalenka, Galan Pang, Marta Dahlig, and James Gurney. If you’re a fan of these talented artists, or if you’re just interested in genre artwork in general, you’ll find Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art a wonderful book.

Back in the 1970s, I discovered some fabulous SF artwork on some British editions. They were later termed “industrial” covers. Massive starships, giant alien structures, and weird (but colorful) futuristic craft. Very cool. Later, I learned the artist was Chris Foss and I looked for his work in Canada where I could find plenty of British paperbacks. Now, a new coffee table book of the best of Chris Foss artwork has just been published. Hardware is a terrific collection of Chris Foss’s best SF covers. If you like this style of artwork, you’ll be delighted by this eye-popping collection.