LIVE FOREVER is a newly released 3-CD set of Bob Marley and The Wailers’ last concert. Marley had collapsed while jogging in New York City when he was performing at Madison Square Garden as part of the Uprising Tour. Marley was advised to cancel his Pittsburgh concert, but he didn’t want to disappoint his fans so he went ahead and performed. Bob Marley died a few months later. This Pittsburgh concert was originally not intended for general release. It was taped at the sound board so Marley and The Wailers could have a record of this night from their tour. The Deluxe ten-page booklet contains information on the Pittsburgh concert and photos of Marley and the band. If you’re a Bob Marley and The Wailers fan, this is a must-buy.
TRACK LIST
Disc 1
1 Greetings 0:31
2 Natural Mystic 4:40
3 Positive Vibration 4:47
4 Burnin’ Lootin’ 3:35
5 Them Belly Full 3:47
6 The Heathen 4:25
7 Running Away 2:50
8 Crazy Baldhead 5:02
9 War/No More Trouble 6:03
10 Zimbabwe 3:39
11 Zion Train 3:50
12 No Woman No Cry 6:05

Disc 2
1 Jamming 4:31
2 Exodus 7:01
3 Redemption Song 4:07
4 Coming in from the Cold 3:37
5 Could You Be Loved 7:40
6 Is This Love 3:37
7 Work 4:15
8 Get Up Stand Up 6:38

This marvelous set retails for $125. After Scott Cupp reviewed it last Friday I went to AMAZON and could not believe my eyes! AMAZON had the set listed for $28.55! Amazing! So a couple clicks later, I had it ordered. It arrived today and I can’t put it down! Gahan Wilson is a genius. Sadly, someone at AMAZON realized their mistake because now Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons is going to cost you $58.77 (Barnes & Noble want $103.20 for this set). It’s still a bargain. Buy this slipcased 3-volume set before they’re gone forever. Somehow, I don’t think Gahan Wilson’s cartoons will look as good on a Kindle.

Filmmakers Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, imbedded with the Second Platoon, document the besieged soliders who dubbed their stronghold Outpost Restrepo in honor of their fallen comrade PFC Juan Restrepo. Restrepo is the story of the U. S. military operations in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, an al-Qaeda and Taliban stronghold. Throughout this documentary, the footage from the Korengal Valley shows some of the fiercest fighting I’ve ever seen. I kept thinking, “What are Junger and Hetherington doing as these bullets are flying around them?” What they were doing is showing the futility of that operation and the human cost of warfare. GRADE: A

If you put Alfred Hitchcock and Philip K. Dick in a blender, the result would be something like Unknown. Liam Neeson plays a biochemist about to present a paper at a conference in Berlin. But he almost dies in an automobile accident and ends up in a coma. When Neeson wakes up four days later, he has trouble remembering his past. His doctor is puzzled because Neeson has no identification on him. When Neeson confronts his wife (played by January Jones) she doesn’t recognize him. In desperation, Neeson turns to an elderly private investigator (a former East German spy) to help him sort things out. Unknown features some of the best car chases I’ve seen in years. All in all, Unknown managed to hold my interest even when the plot twists tested the limits of credibility. GRADE: B+

Kelly Ripa read It’s a Book to Regis Philbin on LIVE WITH REGIS & KELLY (which immediately made the book a best seller on the NY TIMES CHILDREN’S BOOKS list). Diane had to read the book herself and took It’s a Book out of our public library. Then, of course, I had to read it. It’s basically the story of a monkey who tries to explain what a book is to a techie jackass. “Do you need a password?” the jackass asks. “No,” replies the monkey. Sadly, we might be going through this scenario with our grandkids in a few years. It’s a Book doesn’t have a Kindle version. Yet. GRADE: A

Ben Affleck plays a cocky, smirky marketing manager for major corporation. One day, he shows up at work after playing a terrific round of golf and finds out he’s been laid off. Over 6,000 other employees of the corporation have been laid off, too. Affleck drives his Porsche home to his million dollar house to tell his wife he’s lost his job. Initially, Affleck remains optimistic. He thinks he’ll just rebound and find a similar job. But that doesn’t happen. Affleck’s severance checks run out, his home is foreclosed, and his Porsche is repossessed. Affleck, his wife, teenage son, and young daughter move into Affleck’s parent’s house. Affleck swallows his pride and asks his brother-in-law, a building contractor, for a job. The scenes of Affleck putting up drywall and making cement are ironic and sad at the same time. Once a six-figure earning executive, Affleck learns what hard labor is all about. Tommy Lee Jones plays a maverick VP, Chris Cooper plays a 60-ish executive trying to hold on to his job in order to pay his daughter’s tuition at Brown University. Kevin Costner is convincing as Affleck’s acerbic brother-in-law. This talented cast present a portrait of the American workplace that is all too real. GRADE: B+

Although Trollope’s The Eustace Diamonds is the third novel in the Palliser series, it can safely be read without knowledge of the two previous books. The Eustace Diamonds blends mystery with humor and explores the social culture of London. Following the death of her husband, Sir Florian, beautiful but conniving Lizzie Eustace comes into possession of an expensive diamond necklace. Lizzie insists that the necklace was a gift from her husband (it wasn’t), but the Eustace lawyers insist she give it up. Lizzie’s ambitious cousin Frank, a lawyer, takes her side. However, Lizzie’s new lover, Lord Fawn, declares that he will only marry her if the necklace is surrendered to the Eustace lawyers. Lizzie becomes the object of gossip and scandal. Then, the necklace is stolen! Trollope’s creation of Lizzie Eustace trumps Becky Sharp of Vanity Fair in skulduggery and manipulation. The Eustace Diamonds will challenge and delight you.

Despite the Super Bowl debacle, Christina Aguilera can belt out a song. In Burlesque, Christina belts out several songs. Cher sings a ballad. There’s plenty of pretty women in various stages of undress. The storyline is just connective tissue to link the musical numbers together. Stanley Tucci steals every scene he’s in as the Stage Manager. Yes, there’s plenty of lame dialogue and much of Burlesque is predictable. But there was one twist that I didn’t see coming. Don’t go out of your way to see Burlesque, but when it shows up on cable, you might want to give it a try. GRADE: B

The last two nights on Jeopardy I watched IBM’s supercomputer, Watson, kick the butts of former Jeopardy All-Time winners Ken and Brad. After tonight’s episode, Watson leads Brad (who’s in 2nd Place) by $25,000 and Ken by $30,000. Tonight’s episode is the final meeting in the “IBM Challenge.” Back in the 1990s, IBM’s Deep Blue computer took on Russian Grand Master Garry Kasparov and beat him. After two nights of competition, it looks like history is about to repeat itself. If you want to view this historic final showdown between humans and a very smart machine, check your local listings for tonight’s broadcast time. As Bill Crider might say: “I welcome our new supercomputer AI masters.”

No, this isn’t William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but there are some echoes. Montague and the Capulet feud is symbolized by the red capped lawn gnomes vs. the blue capped lawn gnomes. Gnomeo meets Juliet and sparks fly. Emily Blunt voices Juliet exquisitely. James McAvoy is the voice of Gnomeo. Ozzy Osborne, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart, and a few more surprise voices animate their ceramic, plastic, or metal characters. Music for the movie is supplied amply by Sir Elton John. If you’re a fan, you’ll want to own the excellent soundtrack. Gnomeo & Juliet is sweet, clever fun for children of all ages. GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST
1 Hello Hello / Elton John Version 3:45
2 Crocodile Rock / Nelly Furtado 3:27
3 Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) / Elton John 4:53
4 Don’t Go Breaking My Heart / Kiki Dee 4:31
5 Love Builds a Garden / Elton John 3:35
6 Your Song / Elton John 4:02
7 Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) / Elton John 4:42
8 Tiny Dancer / Elton John 6:16
9 Bennie and the Jets / Elton John Live 5:23
10 Gnomeo and Juliet / James Newton Howard 4:22
11 Dandelions / James Newton Howard 4:25
12 Bennie and the Bunnies / James Newton Howard 2:52
13 Terrafirminator / James Newton Howard 5:34
14 The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room / The Mellomen 2:38