Although I’m a fan of Aaron Copeland’s music, I found this CD of his “lost” film music pretty much a bore. Music Copeland wrote to accompany “From Sorcery to Science,” “The City (Suite),” “The Cummington Story (Suite, Arr Sheffer),” and “The North Star (Suite)” sounds too brassy to my ears. The Eos Orchestra plays these pieces well, but the result is a dull sameness. The CD lasts about an hour, but I found myself constantly looking at my watch. GRADE: C

Imagine a world where computers write the books and authors are mere marketing devices to help sell the product. This is the world Fritz Leiber imagined nearly 50 years ago. Leiber, a brilliant writer and innovator, wrote SF like the Change War series where agents of the future battle to change the timeline (or protect it). His most famous work was the Fafard and Gray Mouser series of sword-and-sorcery adventures. But Leiber, ever the innovator, came up with the concept of The Silver Eggheads which seems to be coming to fruition in the near future. Until then, we have real writers who actually write the books they hawk to the reading public. Let’s celebrate them until the computers take over writing the books as Leiber predicted.

“No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader,” wrote Robert Frost. While much 20th Century poetry trended to confessional styles and obscurity, Robert Frost’s poetry dazzled readers with its clarity and depth. What most readers of Frost’s poetry don’t know is that Frost also wrote eloquently about poetry and the writing of poetry. That’s why I’m recommending this collection. It contains many of Frost’s best poems plus his best essays on his craft. There are plenty of surprises in Frost. His deceptively simple style hides some deep thoughts. Ponder this short poem:
THE HARDSHIP OF ACCOUNTING
Never ask of money spent
Where the spender thinks it went
Nobody was ever meant
To remember or invent
What he did with every cent.

But accounting for the money is EXACTLY what accounting was invented to do! So what is Frost getting at in this poem? I like to point out to my Accounting students that they have a herculean task when they attempt to keep track of funds when the spirit of most of the spending people in the organization is “Who cares?” I like to think Frost is saying people don’t like to account for their money or their actions. But, somebody has to. Or should we be living our lives not worrying about accounting for our actions. Either way, this short poem has generated plenty of thought and discussion in my classes over the years. And, that’s just the tip of the Robert Frost iceberg. GRADE: A

Season One of Legend of the Seeker held my interest right down to the Season Finale where the Seeker and the evil Darken Rahl had their ultimate confrontation. This sword-and-sorcery series was loosely based on Terry Goodkind’s THE SWORD OF TRUTH novels. I found most of the episodes satisfying. Some were better than others. “Puppeteer” was my favorite episode. Craig Horner played a reluctant hero, Richard Cypher, accompanied by the beautiful Confessor, Kahlan Amnell, played by the fetching Bridget Regan, and wacky wizard, Zeddicus “Zedd” Zu’l Zorander, played by Bruce Spence. Now, Season Two begins and new threats need to be vanquished. This is not “must-see” TV, but if you’re in the mood for a low-rent adventure program with wit and intelligence, check your local listings for broadcast times. You can watch all of Season One’s episodes at the official Legend of the Seeker web site: http://www.dadt.com/lots/.

Curtis Jackson (aka, 50 Cent), one-time street hustler turned rapper and Robert Greene, author of The 48 Laws of Power, team up in this self-help book. This is mostly Greene’s book. He supplies the historical examples from Napoleon to Barack Obama. Greene supplies the quotes from Machiavelli and von Clausewitz to Malcolm X. Sprinkled into all the stories and quotations is 50 Cent’s take on Life. The 50th Law is “Fear Nothing.” After 50 Cent was shot nine times and survived, he launched his career on the premise of “No Fear.” My problem with this book revolves around the familiarity of the stories Greene tells and the banality of 50 Cent’s philosophy. I found nothing new here. GRADE: C

With this final episode of Season Three airing tonight on AMC, I have to admit I’m a bit disappointed in this third season of MAD MEN. Don’t get me wrong, I still think this program is the best drama on TV. But the writers or producers or both have made several Bad Decisions. Joan, the smart and sexy redhead, was allowed to leave the advertising agency. Bring her back! The compelling homosexual Art Director was banished from the ad agency. Bring him back, too! Peggy, the talented copywriter, seemed to disappear for episodes only to reappear and enter into a completely WRONG sexual relationship with Duck! PLEASE STOP THIS AT ONCE! And Don Draper and his wife seem to be headed for divorce. Not enough of the storyline involved actual advertising campaigns, which weakens the whole concept of the show. Quibbles aside, I’ll be watching tonight.

A few weeks ago, Rick Robinson recommended, as part of his SATURDAY SOUNDTRACKS feature, The Film Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, VOLUME ONE on his excellent blog, http://brokenbullhorn.wordpress.com/. I found that Chandos offered a box set of Williams’ film music in their 3 for 2 series so I bought all three volumes for the price of two (almost a Bargain of the Week!). Volume One features Scott of the Antarctic, Coastal Command Suite, and The People’s Land. Volume 2 contains 49th Parallel, The Dim Little Island, and The England of Elizabeth. Volume 3 has some of Williams’ most atmospheric music with The Story of a Flemish Farm, The Loves of Joanna Godden, and Bitter Springs. Great music, plenty of hours of delight! GRADE:A

Whether it’s the famous “spanking” scene, or Mike Hammer’s virulent anti-Communist diatribes or the muscular prose of this relentless novel, One Lonely Night is a book that doesn’t deserve to be forgotten. Mickey Spillane was once the best selling writer in the United States. Today, a few of my students might remember Spillane from the series of Miller Lite beer commercials he performed in, but none of them would know his writings. From I, the Jury to Tomorrow I Die Spilane’s output was impressive. “I’m the most translated writer in the world, behind Lenin, Tolstoy, Gorki and Jules Verne. And they’re all dead…” Spillane once quipped. Sadly, after his death, Spillane’s work receded into obscurity. But it’s worth seeking out One Lonely Night if you haven’t read it to see why millions once read Mickey Spillane.

This album is Moby’s best since his 1999 hit, Play. You’ve heard Moby’s work as music in commercials by Nokia, Vodafone, and dozens of companies. Wait for Me features atmospheric music with haunting melodies. I know many people who refuse to listen to techno, but Moby’s music eschews the relentless synthesizer rhythms that turn most people off. I found this album refreshing and I think you will, too. GRADE: B+