As a diabetic, I’m always on the lookout for good tasting beverages that are also low-carb. I found a 12-pack of Welch’s Diet Peach Twist at Sam’s Club for less than a buck a bottle. It tastes great! There are only 10 calories per 14-oz. bottle. Only 20mg of sodium, zero carbohydrates! Welch’s also has Berry Pomegranate and Black Cherry flavors, but I haven’t tried them yet. According to the Welch’s web site, all three beverages are flavored with Splenda. I’ll be going back to Sam’s Club to buy more! Try it, you’ll like it!
WELCH’S DIET PEACH TWIST
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GREEN ZONE is the thriller The Hurt Locker tries to be. Directed by Paul Greengrass, whose work on the last two Jason Bourne movies made them so compelling, GREEN ZONE presents a scathing critique of the invasion of Iraq. The manufactured intelligence, the faulty claims of “weapons of mass destruction,” and cover-ups all enter into the breakneck pacing of this movie. Matt Damon shows off his action-hero chops. If you’re looking for a thrill ride with some serious political implications, go see GREEN ZONE. It will leave you breathless…and pondering. GRADE: A
When I was a horny teenager back in the Sixties, Carter Brown books held a mesmerizing fascination for me. Initially, it was the siren song of the fabulous Robert McGinnis covers that compelled me to buy them. But, believe it or not, I just didn’t drool over those sexy covers, I actually read those Carter Brown books, too. Carter Brown had a number of series characters: curvaceous (though ditzy) private detective Mavis Seidlitz; Al Wheeler, a homicide lieutenant from the fictional Pine Country, California, and Hollywood detective Rick Holman. The White Bikini (1963) features Rick Holman, a private detective who somehow always has a case that features slinky blonds and willing women. That was pretty hot stuff back then when I was 14. Alan G. Yates published about 150 Carter Brown novels that sold millions of copies. Today, they’re getting tougher to find. But, if you haven’t read any Carter Brown books, your life is incomplete.
I’m a sucker for a book like this. Thirty writers tell about that “special something” that most influenced them. For example, Joyce Carol Oates writes about the impact Nabokov, Donald Barthelme, John Gardner, Lewis Carroll, and Poe had on her writing. Jay Cantor remembers taking a class at Harvard with Bernard Malamud who inspired him to write. For Denis Johnson, it was reading Leonard Gardner’s cult classic Fat City that ignited Johnson’s passion to write. Each of the writers in this volume describe the person or book or place or an event that changed their writing lives forever. I loved reading their insightful essays and I bet you will, too. GRADE: A 
Peter Gabriel is one of my favorite artists. I first followed him when he was with Genesis. During his solo recording career, Gabriel recorded one of my favorite songs, “”Solsbury Hill.” I enjoyed Gabriel’s Top 40 singles “Sledgehammer” and “In Your Eyes.” When I first heard that Gabriel was recording an album of cover songs, I was excited. But then I heard rumors that there would be no guitars, no drums, only an orchestra backing up Gabriel’s vocals. That gave me pause. Scratch My Back was released last week and I’ve listened to it a couple of times. Both experiences were painful. I have never listened to more mournful music. Every song sounds like a dirge. This is sad, sad music totally lacking in joy. The only album I can think of that is about equally depressing is Joni Mitchell’s Blue. GRADE: D (for dismal and dull)
Diane and I have seen Natalie MacMaster in concert three or four times and Donnell Leahy in concert a couple of times. MacMaster and Leahy are brilliant fiddlers who ended up getting married. They are now touring together so this was a new experience for us. Backed up by two pianists, Natalie and Donnell played jigs, reels, waltzes, strathspeys, marches, and traditional folk songs. If this kind of music appeals to you, and the Master of the Fiddle tour comes to your area, check them out. Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy are two of the best fiddlers on this planet. GRADE: A
My Oscar Picks aren’t going to be earth-shaking or reveal any special insights. These are simply my best guesses of who the Academy will award with Oscars. However, with 10 movies nominated for BEST PICTURE, anything can happen with a fragmented vote in that category.
Back in the late 1960s, NBC introduced what would become a historical TV program: I, SPY. It featured Robert Culp as a tennis player who was actually a spy. Bill Cosby played his trainer. Together, they battled Bad Guys in exotic locales. When I first watched I, SPY, I was struck by the camaraderie and comic banter between Culp and Cosby. It was natural, not forced. Back in the Sixties, friendships between white men and black men were a novel idea on national television networks. AMAZON wants $15.49 for each set of 5 DVDs (the sets list for $19.99 each). I bought my sets at BJ’s Warehouse for $9.99 each. Another nostalgia purchase, granted, but the price was right. 
Ed McBain wrote 54 87th Precinct novels and I’ve read 40 of them. I’m slowly working my way through the last handful. Eighty Million Eyes was first published in 1966, the 21st book in the series. Some of the early 87th Precinct novels are dated, but Eighty Million Eyes only has a few jarring dated references. A comedian collapses during his show on prime-time TV. Forty million viewers (with 80 million eyes) witness what is later discovered to be a murder. The comedian was poisoned. And, as readers of this series know, a second case about a psycho stalker intersects the primary case. McBain slyly includes a producer talking to a director about changing a script. There’s plenty of mocking of writers in cynical Hollywood fashion. Very funny and very true based on McBain’s own dealings with movie and TV producers. If you haven’t read any 87th Precinct books, Eighty Million Eyes is a good place to jump in. No previous knowledge of the series is necessary to follow the action in this fine police procedural.