Season 2 of Covert Affairs starts tonight on the USA Network. I was mildly entertained by Season 1, but Covert Affairs is not must-see TV. However, Piper Perabo as a C.I.A. agent Annie Walker delivers earnest performances and the cast that surrounds her (Peter Gallagher as C.I.A. Chief, Kari Matchett in her cocktail dresses as Annie’s boss, and Christopher Gorham as Annie’s blind colleague) is surprisingly strong for a cable show with a limited budget. Hopefully, the scripts in Season 2 will be stronger than Season 1.

Imagine my surprise when I learned Chris Van Allsburg, master children’s book writer and illustrator, was going to show up at Wegmans’ grocery store to sign books. That would be like LeBron James appearing at a local Mobile gas station to autograph Miami Heat gear. Van Allsburg is promoting his latest book, Queen of the Falls, the true story of Annie Taylor, 62-year-old former teacher, who goes over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Of course, Van Allsburg is best known for his Caldecott Award winning books like The Polar Express and Jumanji. I have a particular fondness for Zathura.

When I showed up at Wegmans, the line had already formed. I was Number 89. Van Allsburg showed up and started signing. It was clear from the beginning of the event, Van Allsburg would be a gracious signer. He posed with fans for photos to be taken. The woman ahead of me had a stack of at least 10 Van Allsburg books. He signed them all without complain. I asked for my copy of Queen of the Falls to be inscribed: TO DIANE. Van Allsburg asked me who Diane was. I said, “She’s my wife. She read all of your books to her students.” “I like her already,” Van Allsburg quipped.

I finally got around to watching Rango, a homage to western movies. Johnny Depp plays Rango, a silly lizard who becomes a western town’s Sheriff. Someone is stealing the town’s water and Rango has to solve the mystery. There are plenty of excellent character actors voicing many of the roles: Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton, and Timothy Olyphant. Rango uses the tropes from High Noon to spaghetti westerns to tell its story. If you’re a western fan, you’ll enjoy this animated romp. GRADE: B

X-Men: First Class is a prequel to the popular X-Men movie franchise. James McEvoy plays Professor X, Michael Fassbender plays Magneto. And Kevin Bacon plays the Bad Guy, Sebastian Shaw. We see how Magneto, as a young boy, is forced to use his mutant powers by the Nazis. And, we learn how Charles Xavier hopes to build a school for those with “special abilities.” I found January Jones as Emma Frost quite cool. If you’re a fan of Marvel super-heroes, you’ll really love this movie. Director Matthew Vaughn captures the spirit of the X-Men and the hostility of the non-mutant humans. GRADE: A

High Adventure once was a popular genre with many pulp magazines providing markets for writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Alistair MacLean, and Talbot Mundy. Sadly, those magazines are gone. But thanks to Otto Penzler, we have an 874-page tome of adventure stories to delight us. Penzler takes a thematic approach by group stories in groups like “Sand and Sun” and “Island Paradise.” If you’re a fan of adventure stories, you’ll enjoy this massive collection.
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