Up until the night before the Grammys, very few people were listening to Whitney Houston’s songs. Although this 2-CD collection came out in 2000, the events of the past couple of weeks makes this music all the more memorable. It’s been over 10 years since Whitney Houston had a hit. Her disastrous marriage to Bobby Brown and their twin addictions are too dismal to recount. But the music survives. At one time, Whitney Houston had seven Number One hits in a row. Elvis didn’t do that. Neither did The Beatles. Whitney Houston lit up the screen in The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale. Her film career crashed and burned just as her recording career melted down. But the music survives. They’ll be listening to these songs 100 years from now. Just listening to Whitney sing “The Star Spangled Banner” from Super Bowl XXV in 1991 sends chills down my spine. GRADE: A
DISC ONE
1. You Give Good Love Whitney Houston 4:09
2. Saving All My Love For You Whitney Houston 3:54
3. Greatest Love Of All Whitney Houston 4:48
4. All At Once Whitney Houston 4:25
5. If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful (Remastered: 2000) Whitney Houston with Jermaine Jackson 4:16
6. Didn’t We Almost Have It All Whitney Houston 4:34
7. Where Do Broken Hearts Go Whitney Houston 4:35
8. All The Man That I Need Whitney Houston 3:54
9. Run To You Whitney Houston 4:24
10. I Have Nothing (Remastered: 2000) Whitney Houston 4:47
11. I Will Always Love You Whitney Houston 4:23
12. Exhale (Shoop Shoop) Whitney Houston 3:21
13. Why Does It Hurt So Bad Whitney Houston 4:37
14. I Believe In You And Me (Film Version) Whitney Houston 3:52
15. Heartbreak Hotel Whitney Houston feat. Faith Evans and Kelly Price 4:05
16. My Love Is Your Love Whitney Houston 4:19
17. Same Script, Different Cast Whitney Houston & Deborah Cox 4:58
18. Could I Have This Kiss Forever (Metro Mix/Remastered: 2000) Whitney Houston with Enrique Iglesias 3:55

DISC TWO:
1. Fine (Remastered: 2000) Whitney Houston 3:34
2. If I Told You That Whitney Houston 4:33
3. It’s Not Right But It’s Okay (Thunderpuss Mix) Whitney Houston 4:15
4. My Love Is Your Love (Jonathan Peters Radio Mix II) Whitney Houston Feat. Dyme 4:18
5. Heartbreak Hotel (Hex Hector Radio Mix) Whitney Houston featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price 4:20
6. I Learned From The Best (HQ2 Radio Mix) Whitney Houston 4:23
7. Step By Step (Junior Vasquez Tribal X Beats) Whitney Houston 4:05
8. I’m Every Woman (Radio Edit/C + C Club Mix) Whitney Houston 4:30
9. Queen Of The Night (CJ’s Single Edit) Whitney Houston 3:46
10. I Will Always Love You (Hex Hector Radio Mix: Remastered 2000) Whitney Houston 4:50
11. Love Will Save The Day (Jellybean & David Morales 1987 Classic Underground Mix) Whitney Houston 5:06
12. I’m Your Baby Tonight (Dronez Club Mix) Whitney Houston 5:05
13. So Emotional (Dave Morales Mix) Whitney Houston 3:57
14. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Junior’s Happy Handbag Mix) Whitney Houston 4:25
15. How Will I Know (Junior Vasquez Club Mix) Whitney Houston 4:09
16. Greatest Love of All (Junior Vasquez Mix) Whitney Houston 4:51
17. One Moment In Time Whitney Houston 4:44
18. The Star Spangled Banner

Boy gets girl, boy loses girl to amnesia, boy has to get girl to remember him again. That’s pretty much the plot of The Vow. I was prepared to hate this movie, but Rachel McAdams won me over despite the predictable plot. Rachel McAdams plays a recently married woman who gets into a car accident that robs her of years of her memories. She doesn’t remember her loving husband (played by Channing Tatum) or her dysfunctional family. But she does remember her old boy friend. Complications ensue. Her husband has to try to get his wife fall in love with him again. There’s nothing original or surprising in this movie. But when Rachel McAdams smiles, my heart does back-flips. GRADE: B

Watching this movie will rot your brain! Tons of mindless sex and graphic violence! The only reason I’m not giving this movie an “F” is that someone in the Marketing Department came up with that catchy title. I was hoping for something sophisticated and witty and ironic. Nude Nuns With Big Guns is none of these. You’ve been WARNED! GRADE: D (for dumb)

“Happy Birthday, Mr. President…”

Only Lassie and Gunsmoke broadcast more episodes. With tonight’s 500th episode, The Simpsons moves into Third Place on the most TV Broadcasts list. It’s hard to believe that The Simpsons has been around for 23 years. I watched the first four years faithfully. Then, I slowly drifted away. But, if I’m not busy, I’ll catch a random episode now and then. I’m always impressed that The Simpsons continue to take on contemporary themes and celebrities. The 500th episode of The Simpsons airs here tonight at 8:00 P.M. on FOX. Check your local listings if you want to tune in to history.

When I read Michael Lewis’ Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game when it was published in 2003, I never dreamed it would be turned into a movie. Brad Pitt, in an obvious labor of love, took this story about Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland Athletics major league baseball team and produced an insightful and off-beat film. Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane as a man struggling with his own failure in baseball. But Pitt’s character also has the instincts to go with a new concept. You wouldn’t think that audiences would be interested in watching an exercise in sabermetrics, a statistical approach to building a team. But Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay captures the initial condemnation of Beane’s approach and, later, the thrill of victory. Jonah Hill as Yale University trained economist Peter Brand who introduces Billy Beane to sabermetrics delivers a solid performance. Even people who don’t care for baseball will enjoy Moneyball. GRADE: B+

Back in the Seventies, I was reading Richard Stark’s Parker novels in order. Parker is a professional thief who undertakes carefully planned capers in every book. But, of course, things go wrong. Things go very wrong in Slayground, my favorite Parker novel. Parker, his occasional partner (and actor) Grofield, and a driver knock off an armored car. But in the ensuing escape, the driver crashes the car. Parker flees the scene of the crime with a satchel holding $73,000. But things go from bad to worse when Parker accidentally witnesses a pay-off between the local gangster and two dirty cops. Then Parker takes refuge in a shut-down amusement park, preparing for the gangsters who will come to kill him. I always thought that Slayground would have made a great film in the Die Hard series as Parker stealthily takes out gangster after gangster. Parker might be outnumbered, but he’s deadly. If you haven’t read Slayground or the rest of Donald E. Westlake’s “Richard Stark” novels, you’re in for a treat.
THE PARKER SERIES
1 The Hunter 1962
2 The Man With the Getaway Face 1963
3 The Outfit 1963
4 The Mourner 1963
5 The Score 1964
6 The Jugger 1965
7 The Seventh 1966
8 The Handle 1966
G-1 The Damsel (Grofield) 1967
9 The Rare Coin Score 1967
10 The Green Eagle Score 1967
G-2 The Dame (Grofield) 1968
11 The Black Ice Score 1968
12 The Sour Lemon Score 1969
G-3 The Blackbird (Grofield) 1969
13 Deadly Edge 1971
14 Slayground 1971
G-4 Lemons Never Lie (Grofield) 1971
15 Plunder Squad 1972
16 Butcher’s Moon 1974
17 Comeback 1997
18 Backflash 1998
19 Flashfire 2000
20 Firebreak 2001
21 Breakout 2002
22 Nobody Runs Forever 2004
23 Ask the Parrot 2006
24 Dirty Money 2008

Edward Schuyler, a 62-year-old science teacher and bird-watcher, finds himself a widower after his beloved wife, Bee, dies of pancreatic cancer. Edward’s adult step-children decide to “help” him by putting an ad in the New York Review of Books. The 42 responses to the ad for “Science Guy” jump-start Edward’s social life. Hilma Wolitzer captures the spectrum of experiences Edward encounters when he goes “dating after death.” Some of the dates are funny, some sad, some bizarre. I was faked me out twice in reading Hilma Wolitzer’s comedy of manners. If you’re looking for savvy story about love and sex, An Available Man will delight you. GRADE: B+

One of my chronic conditions is sleep apnea. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea 17 years ago. That’s when I used my first CPAP (Continuous Positive Air Pressure) device. It was a Healthdyne Tranquility Plus unit (top) that looked like a Macintosh computer and weighed about 20 pounds. Instantly, my life improved: I was less sleepy, my mind was sharper, and Diane didn’t have to endure the cacophony of my snoring each night. Seven years later, I upgraded to a RemStar (left) which was the size of a loaf of bread and weighed about five pounds. And now I have the new, compact ResMed S-9 (right). It’s about the size of a box set of Blu-rays and weighs about two pounds. If I hadn’t used a CPAP all these years, I’d probably be dead now. If you know someone who has a snoring problem, urge them to get it checked out!