White House Plumbers is an American satirical political drama television miniseries created and written by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck and directed by David Mandel, based on the 2007 book Integrity by Egil Krogh and Matthew Krogh. The 5-episode series stars Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Domhnall Gleeson, Kiernan Shipka, and Lena Headey and it premiered on HBO on May 1, 2023. A new episode is released every Monday.

G. Gordon Liddy and his associate, Howard Hunt, who led the disastrous espionage operations later known as the Watergate scandal, considered their actions as patriotic. This miniseries from co-creators Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck presents the two wacky “Dirty Tricks” specialists motivated by their extreme loyalty to the country and President Nixon. But this leads to Liddy and Hunt’s shady and clumsy work with Daniel Ellsberg (The Pentagon Papers) leak and then the Watergate break-in. And their superiors, like Attorney General John Mitchell and White House Counsel John Dean, supported and funded them. In White House Plumbers John Dean is both a co-conspirator and accessory to the political shenanigans that later brought down Nixon.

Justin Theroux  in his role of G. Gordon Liddy goes over the top with the tar-black, openly fake-looking mustache of Liddy. Theroux revels in the dangerous craziness of his character displaying the agent’s troubling love of Hitler’s speeches, guns, and propensity to keep his hand over a flame as a gesture of his trustworthiness and toughness.

Woody Herrelson delivers a blend of comedy and tragedy with his role as Howard Hunt attempting to rein in Liddy’s nutty actions. At the same time, Hunt’s family is in crisis and his financial problems increase. Herrelson’s controlled performance balances the wild escapades of Liddy.

I was surprised to learn the actual Watergate break-in was the FOURTH attempt by the Plumbers to access files in the Democratic National Committee (DNC) office. If you’re interested in the bizarre and twisted story of the Watergate break-in, White House Plumbers reveals the actual true events in all their humorous yet disturbing detail. GRADE: A–

I have been accused of using too many exclamation points (aka, exclamation marks in the UK)–mostly by Cap’n Bob. But Florence Hazrat’s slim book, An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark!, encourages its use and defends its usage.

!Ay caramba! became Bart Simpson’s catchphrase (but was his first exclamation when he saw his parents having sex). (p. 55) That deserved double exclamation points.

But, like Cap’n Bob, others have found “overuse” of exclamation points objectionable. Hazrat notes that H. W. Fowler, author of The King’s English, set modern exclamatory rules limiting the use of exclamation marks (p. 44). Fowler frowned on use of multiple exclamation marks!!!

I was surprised to learn early typewriters like the Remington did not have an exclamation point key. Hazrat speculates this was a result of the first typewriters were marketed to businesses who apparently had no use for an exclamation mark in their business correspondence. But later, as more people outside of commercial enterprises purchased typewriters, the exclamation point was awarded a key (that typically it shared with the Number 1).

Hazrat explores how various writers like Shakespeare, Jane Austin, James Joyce, Elmore Leonard, and Cormac McCarthy used the exclamation point. She points out Elmore Leonard broke his own rules regarding use of the exclamation point. I had forgotten Anton Chekhov wrote a story called “The Exclamation Point” (1885) where a clerk becomes obsessed with exclamation points. (p. 73)

I’m always interested in grammar and punctuation. I’ve reviewed SEMICOLON: THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF A MISUNDERSTOOD MARK By Cecelia Watson (you can read my review here) and BETWEEN YOU AND ME: CONFESSIONS OF A COMMA QUEEN and IT’S GREEK TO ME: ADVENTURES OF THE COMMA QUEEN By Mary Norris (you can read my review here). Florence Hazrat’s excellent An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark! joins these wonderful books on the use of punctuation! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: The spiked delights of ! — 9

A very pathetical point : ! through ages — 23

The period that blew its top : thinking and feeling ! — 51

‘so !f!’ : literature and the flaming pink scarf — 73

Oi!!! : perking up with punctuation — 108

Radiating punctuation : exclamatory politics and the nuclear bomb — 122

At your fingertips : digital ! — 136

Epilogue: Quo vadis! — 153

Index!! — 168

“The second volume of Star Wars Visions expanded the show’s reach to various studios across the globe. This new series features shorts from animation studios El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). The creators at each studio are given free rein to re-envision the ideas of Star Wars as they see fit, while receiving guidance from Lucasfilm’s executive team; further, D’art Shtajio’s short was co-produced by Lucasfilm.”

If you’re in the mood for some Star Wars international animation, you might want to give the new Star Wars Visions series a try. The nine episodes feature stories from various parts of the Lucasfilm Universe. I enjoyed all nine episodes in this second season of Star Wars Visions and my favorite was “Journey to the Dark Head” that tells the story of a committed pilot and a troubled Jedi–quite an odd couple. You’ll find the gorgeous animation in this series a real treat! GRADE: A

Here are summaries of each of the nine new episodes:

S2 E1 · Sith

May 4, 2023

A former Sith living a peaceful life is confronted with her past when her former master finds her.

S2 E2 · Screecher’s Reach

May 4, 2023

A young girl seeking relief from her days in a rural workshop discovers a legendary haunted cave with her friends. The cave’s dark call will change the trajectory of her life forever.

S2 E3 · In the Stars

May 4, 2023

Two sisters, who are the last of their kind, fight for survival when Imperial forces discover them.

S2 E4 · I Am Your Mother

May 4, 2023

Young pilot Anni is forced to participate with her caring but nagging mother, of whom she is ashamed, in a reckless flight academy family competition where their relationship is tested by their old ship.

S2 E5 · Journey to the Dark Head

May 4, 2023

An optimistic mechanic/pilot and a disillusioned young Jedi join forces on an unlikely and risky mission to turn the tide of galactic warfare, but dark forces follow them on their quest.

S2 E6 · The Spy Dancer

May 4, 2023

The prima ballerina of a well-known cabaret frequented by imperials uses her unique skills to do espionage on behalf of the Rebellion, but the presence of a mysterious officer threatens to compromise her mission.

S2 E7 · The Bandits of Golak

May 4, 2023

A young boy and his Force-sensitive younger sister flee their village by train. They are pursued by ruthless Imperial forces, so they seek refuge in a bustling and dangerous marketplace.

S2 E8 · The Pit

May 4, 2023

A brave young prisoner, forced by the Empire to dig the earth to extract kyber crystals, plans a risky escape for himself and his people when the Imperials abandon the workers in the mine.

S2 E9 · Aau’s Song

May 4, 2023

An alien child, eager to sing, is brought up by a loving but strict father, who forces her to keep silent because of the disastrous effect her voice has on the crystals in some mines.

As you can see on the cover of this new edition of Fools Die on Friday (1947),  Raymond Chandler wrote to Erle Stanley Gardner in 1948 and complemented him with these words: “Fools Die on Friday is about the best of the series since the first two. Perhaps since the very first.” Those words may have been premature given that the Donald Lam-Bertha Cool series has 30 books and Fools Die on Friday is only book #11.

The title comes from Erle Stanley Gardner’s observation that most executions occur on a Friday. In this case Donald Lam and Bertha Cool are hired to prevent a potential poisoning. Donald Lam decides on a tricky strategy that sounds good in theory…but fails monumentally. Lam and Cool have to scramble to limit the damage and catch the killer.

I read Fools Die on Friday back in the 1960s when I binged on both of Gardner’s series: Perry Mason and Lam-Cool. Fools Die on Friday is the sixth book of the series that Hard Case Crime has reprinted. I’m hoping they reprint the whole series! The plots are tricky and the action causes the pages to turn. GRADE: B

Since no Beatles songs were included on Classic Rock: 1965 this compilation gives a skewed picture of the music of 1965. Yes, Motown shows up strong: Wilson Pickett, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, and The Supremes.

Classics like The Righteous Brothers’s “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” and “I Got You Babe” by Sonny and Cher rub shoulders with novelty songs like “Wooly Bully” by Sam The Sham (related to George Santos) and The Pharaohs and “Down in The Boondocks” by Billy Joe Royal.

“Help Me, Rhonda” is one of my favorite Beach Boys songs. And I never tire of listening to The Byrds’s rendition of “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Do you remember these songs from 1965? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:

1	The Byrds–	Mr. Tambourine Man Written-By – Bob Dylan	2:22
2	The Yardbirds–	For Your Love Written-By – Graham Gouldman	2:31
3	Wilson Pickett–	In The Midnight Hour Written-By – Steve Cropper, Wilson Pickett	2:28
4	The Miracles–	The Tracks Of My Tears Written-By – Marvin Tarplin, William Robinson*, Warren Moore	2:56
5	The Beau Brummels–	Just A Little Written-By – Robert Durand, Ron Elliott	2:26
6	The Righteous Brothers–	You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ Written-By – Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Phil Spector	3:43
7	The Temptations–	My Girl Written-By – Ronald White, William Robinson	2:44
8	Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs*–	Wooly Bully Written-By – Domingo Samudio	2:21
9	Billy Joe Royal–	Down In The Boondocks Written-By – Joe South	2:36
10	The Beach Boys–	Help Me, Rhonda Written-By – Brian Wilson	2:47
11	Barbara Lewis–	Baby, I’m Yours Written-By – Van McCoy	2:32
12	The Lovin’ Spoonful–	Do You Believe In Magic? Written-By – John Sebastian	2:06
13	The Four Tops*–	I Can’t Help Myself Written-By – Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier And Edward Holland Jr.	2:43
14	The Kinks–	Tired Of Waiting For You Written-By – Ray Davies	2:34
15	The McCoys–	Hang On Sloopy Written-By – Bert Russell, Wes Farrell	3:04
16	The Yardbirds–	Heart Full Of Soul Written-By – Graham Gouldman	2:30
17	Junior Walker And The All Stars*–	Shotgun Written-By – Autry DeWalt	3:04
18	Sonny And Cher*–	I Got You Babe Written-By – Sonny Bono	3:12
19	The Castaways–	Liar, Liar Written-By – Jim Donna	1:53
20	The Supremes–	Back In My Arms AgainWritten-By – Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier And Edward Holland Jr.	2:54
21	Gary Lewis And The Playboys*–	This Diamond Ring Written-By – Al Kooper, Bob Brass (2), Irwin Levine	2:10
22	The Toys–	A Lover’s Concerto Written-By – Denny Randell, Sandy Linzer	2:35

Once again I was surprised to learn about a book series I didn’t know existed. I picked up this slim paperback (105 pages of BIG PRINT!) at a Library Book Sale and learned this is the first book in a seven book series (you can check out the entire series below). Here’s the low-down from the Quick Reads website:

“Quick Reads is a literacy organisation which works with book publishers to provide low-cost, low-page count books to encourage people to read. A major focus of their outreach are adult readers who need to improve their literacy skills. BBC Books is one of the non-profit’s partners. Beginning in 2006, this relationship produced original Doctor Who fiction.

During the David Tennant years, one Tenth Doctor Quick Reads novella was released each year, including the “transition” year of 2010. No Quick Reads were issued in 2011, but the series resumed in 2012 with the Eleventh Doctor, but was discontinued after the 2013 release (though non-Doctor Who Quick Reads novellas continue to be published).

The 2007 release Made of Steel was notable for being the first piece of original fiction based upon the revival series to be written by Terrance Dicks, a script editor and writer for the original TV series, as well as a prolific writer of Doctor Who prose fiction. The novella was also published a month before the episode Smith and Jones was first broadcast, thus making it the first appearance of companion Martha Jones.”

I found I Am a Dalek a quick 20-minute read. The reading level and plot are set at a low level, but the story was typical Doctor Who stuff which always appeals to me. If you’re a Doctor Who fan, you might be interested in these Quick Reads. GRADE: B

	I am a Dalek	Gareth Roberts	May 2006	0-563-48648-1		9
	Made of Steel	Terrance Dicks	Mar 2007	978-1-84607-204-8
	Revenge of the Judoon	Terrance Dicks	Mar 2008	978-1-84607-372-4
	The Sontaran Games	Jacqueline Rayner	Feb 2009	978-1-84607-643-5
	Code of the Krillitanes	Justin Richards	Mar 2010	978-1-84607-928-3
	Magic of The Angels	Jacqueline Rayner	Feb 2012	978-1-84990-286-1
	The Silurian Gift	Mike Tucker	Dec 2012

 Billy Joel performed two concerts at Shea Stadium in New York City on July 16 and 18 of 2008. This DVD version was released on March 8, 2011. The film was produced by Jon Small, Joel’s former bandmate in the 1960s groups The Hassles and Attila. The film aired on PBS as part of Great Performances.

The two concerts were the last performed at Shea Stadium before it was demolished to make way for Citi Field. This DVD features guest appearances by Tony Bennett, Garth Brooks, John Mayer, Steven Tyler, Roger Daltrey, John Mellencamp, Mark Wood, and Paul McCartney.

Usually I’m not a fan of concert videos–many feature bad sound–but this DVD delivers crisp footage and clear sound. Worth a look and a listen. Are you a Billy Joel fan? GRADE: B+

TRACKLIST:

	Billy Joel–	Prelude / Angry Young Man
	Billy Joel–	My Life
	Billy Joel–	Summer, Highland Falls
	Billy Joel–	Everybody Loves You Now
	Billy Joel–	Zanzibar
	Billy Joel With Tony Bennett–	New York State Of Mind
	Billy Joel–	Allentown
	Billy Joel–	The Ballad Of Billy The Kid
	Billy Joel–	She’s Always A Woman
	Billy Joel–	Goodnight Saigon
	Billy Joel–	Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)
	Billy Joel With Garth Brooks–	Shameless
	Billy Joel With John Mayer–	This Is The Time
	Billy Joel–	Keeping The Faith
	Billy Joel–	Captain Jack
	Billy Joel–	Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)
		The River Of Dreams / A Hard Days Night
	Billy Joel–	The River Of Dreams
	Billy Joel–	A Hard Day’s Night
		–
	Billy Joel–	We Didn’t Start The Fire
	Billy Joel–	You May Be Right
	Billy Joel–	Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
	Billy Joel–	Only The Good Die Young
	Billy Joel With Paul McCartney–	I Saw Her Standing There
	Billy Joel–	Take Me Out To The Ballgame
	Billy Joel–	Piano Man
	Billy Joel With Paul McCartney–	Let It Be
		Bonus Performances
	Billy Joel With Steven Tyler–	Walk This Way
	Billy Joel With Roger Daltrey–	My Generation
	Billy Joel With John Mellencamp*–	Pink Houses

Philip Schultz won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry with a book called Failure. Comforts of the Abyss presents Schultz’s method of persona writing. I would call it memoir but apparently that’s an out-mode term. Here’s Schultz writing about the books that most affected him as a kid:

“…I’d go around pretending I was Jack Barnes In The Sun Also Rises and Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye, and even old Huck Finn in Adventurers of Huckleberry Finn. Their opinions and attitudes became mine and I would even try to talk and act the way I imagined they did. Which wasn’t an easy feat for a dyslexic.” (p. 1)

Schultz struggled in school because of his undiagnosed dyslexia. He thought he was dumb. Finally Schultz was diagnosed with dyslexia. He didn’t learn to read until he was 11…but he made up for lost time fast.

Much of Comforts of the Abyss chronicles Schultz’s interactions with famous writers: Philip Roth, Norman Mailer, Elizabeth Bishop, Joan Didon, etc. Those sections are buffered by the poems and poets that affected Schultz’s career as a teacher at Kalamazoo College. Schultz’s favorite contemporary poet is Elizabeth Bishop so he devotes multiple sections of this book to analyzing her work.

If you’d like to see how a poet lives his life, both ups and downs, what famous people he meets, what books and poems most affect him, Comforts of the Abyss reveals much of what made Philip Schultz a good poet. Do you read much poetry? GRADE: B

Table of Contents:

The Mind’s First Freedom 1

The Shitbird, Named and Unnamed 6

I Never Wanted to Be Me, I Don’t Think 13

Pity and Fear 23

My Two Libraries 32

The Poet and the Fiction Writer; Conduits of Revelation 48

Our Most Curious Artifact 62

Somebody Loves Us All 75

Penurious Arrogance 86

A Magic Act 98

Indian Wrestling 107

Which Side Are You On? 119

Voices Veiled and Unveiled 132

The Socratic Method 144

In the Nature of a Test 151

The Map of the World 160

Gussie 168

I Came, I Saw, I Suffered 176

In the Manner of Poetry 184

A New City of Words 193

Anger and Shame 202

The Argument and the Lullaby 211

What We Want 220

Acknowledgments 223

Credits 227

I decided to read a book by Annie Ernaux, winner of the Nobel Prize for 2022. Getting Lost, a diary from 1988 to 1990, shows Ernaux’s obsession with a married Soviet diplomat in Paris.

I confess I’m baffled by Ernaux’s obsession with this guy. Ernaux calls him “S” and he shows up at her door drunk most of the time. During sex, S talks about Stalin. S is younger than Ernaux–who is 48 at the beginning of this affair–so there’s a Mrs. Robinson and Benjamin vibe.

“11:45 P.M. He came and stayed five hours. It had been a long time since I’d experienced such perfection, and since we’d been so attuned to each other. Made love, four times, in different ways. (Bedroom, anal sex after many long and slow caresses—downstairs, sofa, missionary very tender too–bedroom, so moving: ‘I’m going to put my sperm on your belly’–the sofa, doggy style, so perfectly in tune.) An infinite need for the other’s body, his presence.” (p. 109)

And Annie Ernaux can be unintentionally funny. “I realized that I’d lost a contact lens,” Ernaux writes. “I found it on his penis.” (p. 33)

Even after a long sex session, Ernaux immediately starts fantasizing about their next encounter. From the minimal facts Ernaux reveals about her lover, he seems like a creep. Not a lot of long conversations between these two: it’s “Let’s Get It On” time whenever they’re together.

Getting Lost is a far cry from one of Deb’s romance novels. It’s almost clinical in the description of the sexual encounters.

The picture I get from reading Annie Ernaux’s diary of these years shows a woman trying to deal with the aging process by engaging in a relationship with a dubious fellow (he could be K.G.B. but Ernaux doesn’t seem to mind) like a compulsive cougar on the prowl.

Annie Ernaux refers to her son, her ex-husband, and her writing career. But, Getting Lost mostly centers around Ernaux getting lost with her Soviet sex toy. GRADE: C