Host Padma Lakshmi and head judge chef Tom Colicchio, alongside judges Gail Simmons and new this season, best-selling author and chef, Anthony Bourdain, serve up their patented cooking competition. Eighteen chefs will battle to show who can whip up the most impressive food. Rumor has it, the 18 chefs will be made up of former Top Chef contestants. We’ll see. I don’t watch much reality TV, but I’ve watched Top Chef the past three seasons. The food looks amazing and the challenges are innovative. You might want to give Top Chef a try. Look for it on the BRAVO channel in the 10 P.M. time slot on Wednesday nights.

You know the setup to this film: the Duke of York has a terrible stammer. Yet, his position demands that he make public appearances and make speeches. World War II is looming and the Duke becomes a King who needs to make an important radio speech. Colin Firth plays the troubled Duke and Helena Bonham Carter plays his devoted wife who finds Lionel Logue (played by Geoffrey Rush), an unconventional speech therapist. Firth and Rush are terrific in their roles so expect Oscar nominations. Helena Bonham Carter always brightens the screen, but she isn’t given much to do. The plot is predictable, but the strong performances keep you watching. GRADE: A-

Tonight’s season finale marks the penultimate season for The Closer. Kyra Sedgwick announced Season Seven will be the last season of The Closer. At least we have that to look forward to. I think The Closer is leaving TNT at just the right time. The quality of the series is good, ennui hasn’t set in yet, and the fan base is supportive. The Closer takes risks. The recent two-part Christmas segments dealt with honor killings with roots in Kosovo. You don’t see that featured in holiday segments of any other cop show. Yet the ensemble cast chemistry keeps watchers happy. You can’t ask for any more from a cable TV program. Check your local listings for times in your area.

I’m keeping this very simple. I want to lose 11 pounds in 2011. That’s less than a pound a month. I’m going to try to cut back on the desserts and second helpings and up the exercise at the pool each day. No grandiose resolutions, just one that I really need to focus on. Good luck with your resolutions!

You could buy the complete Apple Records catalog on iTunes or you could buy this bargain CD of some of the best songs Apple ever released. I’m including the descriptions of the 21 tracks on this great anthology. If you’re a fan of Apple Records, this is a must-buy!
TRACK DETAILS FOR COME AND GET IT: THE BEST OF APPLE RECORDS:
1 Those Were The Days / Mary Hopkin
The multi-million selling debut 45 by Mary Hopkin was UK No. 1 for six weeks in 1968 and was produced by Paul McCartney, who discovered this 1920s Russian folk song in a London night club.

2 Carolina In My Mind / James Taylor
Taken from his self-titled debut album, this is the original version of ‘Carolina In My Mind’, cut in London in 1968. Issued as a US single, it features Paul McCartney on bass and George Harrison on backing vocals.

3 Maybe Tomorrow / The Iveys
The Iveys were brought to Apple by former Beatles roadie Mal Evans and ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ was a hit in Holland and a minor hit in the US, before the band changed its name to Badfinger.

4 Thingumybob / The Black Dyke Mills Band
Paul McCartney’s theme tune for a 1968 British TV comedy drama series, recorded by the most famous brass band in the world.

5 King Of Fuh / Brute Force
Brute Force is a New York songwriter and this single was championed by John Lennon and George Harrison, but ‘Fuh’ rhymes with ‘Uh’, and ‘the Fuh king’ was therefore banned back in 1969.

6 Sour Milk Sea / Jackie Lomax
Jackie Lomax has a great blue-eyed soul voice that more than does justice to this otherwise unavailable ‘White Album’-era song by George Harrison. Paul and Ringo provide rhythm and Eric Clapton plays lead guitar.

7 Goodbye / Mary Hopkin
Mary’s hugely successful follow-up to ‘Those Were The Days’ was written by Paul McCartney, and features Paul providing his own thigh-slapping percussion throughout.

8 That’s The Way God Planned It / Billy Preston
Billy Preston’s breakthrough UK hit, reaching No. 11, features the stellar line-up of Billy on keyboards, George Harrison on guitar, Keith Richards on bass, Ginger Baker on drums and Eric Clapton on lead guitar.

9 New Day / Jackie Lomax
An original non-album Lomax 45 that was co-produced with Mal Evans, and single-handedly defines the Jackie Lomax sound: British soul meets R&B with horns.

10 Golden Slumbers-Carry That Weight / Trash
A powerful interpretation of two songs from The Beatles’ Abbey Road, recorded by Trash, a heavy Scottish group that came to Apple via their producer, former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan.

11 Give Peace A Chance / Hot Chocolate Band
This completely re-worded British reggae version of John Lennon’s peace anthem was brought to Apple in a one-off deal by the band that became hugely popular in the Seventies with a string of classic disco hits.

12 Come And Get It / Badfinger
Written and produced by Paul McCartney for The Magic Christian film starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, ‘Come And Get It’ was a massive worldwide hit and the first record issued by The Iveys under their new name of Badfinger.

13 Ain’t That Cute / Doris Troy
Soul singer-songwriter Doris Troy had scored hits before coming to Apple in 1969, and she and George Harrison wrote ‘Ain’t That Cute’ from scratch in the studio — the first time George had ever written a song that way.

14 My Sweet Lord / Billy Preston
George Harrison produced this soulful, gospel version of his most famous solo song, which he gave to Billy Preston before he had recorded it and released it himself.

15 Try Some Buy Some / Ronnie Spector
Ronnie Spector, one-time Ronette and former wife of legendary producer Phil, recorded this George Harrison original in 1971. George later re-cut it himself for Living In The Material World, using the exact same backing as Ronnie’s single.

16 Govinda / Radha Krishna Temple
‘Govinda’ is a Sanskrit hymn to Krishna, and was a UK Top 30 hit for the Radha Krishna Temple in 1970. Produced by George Harrison, who also plays bass and accordion.

17 We’re On Our Way / Chris Hodge
In 1972, Chris Hodge, a young British pop singer with a fascination for UFOs, caught the attention of Ringo Starr who signed Chris to Apple. ‘We’re On Our Way’ was recorded at Apple’s own studio in the basement of 3 Savile Row, London, and was a hit in America.

18 Saturday Nite Special / The Sundown Playboys
‘Saturday Nite Special’ is a lover’s lament sung in Cajun French by this cross-generational collective from Louisiana, USA, who came to Apple when their teenage accordionist sent in the song on a whim.

19 God Save Us / Bill Elliot & The Elastic Oz Band
John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote this fundraiser for the defense in the famous Oz Obscenity Trial of 1971 and produced it too with Mal Evans and Phil Spector. Vocalist Bill Elliot later signed to George Harrison’s Dark Horse label.

20 Sweet Music / Lon & Derrek van Eaton
New Jersey’s Lon & Derrek van Eaton were one of the last acts to sign to Apple in 1971 and the first to make use of Apple’s then state-of-the-art recording studio. George Harrison produced ‘Sweet Music’ and Ringo played drums.

21 Day After Day / Badfinger
The band’s third single for Apple was produced by George Harrison, who duetted with the band’s Pete Ham on the slide guitar solo. It went UK Top 10 in 1972, and peaked at No. 4 Billboard in the US, in the same week that Nilsson’s cover of Badfinger’s ‘Without You’ was at No. 1.