It’s hard to believe the Buffalo Bills (3-1) are 14-point favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-3) despite the lengthy list of injured players. Although the weather at Highmark Stadium projects to be benign–54 degrees and sunny–the winds off Lake Erie could present a problem to passers. The Steelers claim they’re going to start rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett which strikes me as a panic move. Head Coach Sean McDermott has an 8-3 record against rookie QBs. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

Andor is a 12 episode series that’s a prequel to the Star Wars spin-off film Rogue One (2016). This Disney+ series follows thief-turned-Rebel spy Cassian Andor during the five years leading up to the events of Rogue One.

I’ve only watched the five episodes available–a new episode is released each week. The first episode was slow. The second episode picked up some speed. Finally, things got rolling in the third episode. Basically, Andor provides the backstory to the Rebel Alliance that will topple the Empire in future Star Wars movies.

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll put up with the slow start and enjoy the faster-moving events of the later episodes. If you’re not a Star Wars fan you can safely ignore this series. GRADE: Incomplete

This Puffin Books 2018 collection of stories about The Doctor’s companions feature four of the clever women who manage to avert disaster in The Doctor’s Life.

“Sarah Jane and the Temple of Eyes,” set in the time of the Roman Empire, presents a puzzle of why people suddenly are afflicted with blindness. A mysterious female cult factors into the plot. GRADE: B

My favorite story in this collection is “Rose and the Snow Window” by Jenny T. Colgan. Jenny Colgan, one of Diane’s favorite romance writers, has also written a lot of Doctor Who stories over the years, too. When The Doctor investigates a Time Anomaly, it sends Rose on an adventure that blends Russian aristocrats, sweet romance, and Time problems into a thrilling tale. GRADE: A

 “Clara and the Maze of Cui Palta” takes the arrogant Doctor–who claims he can solve any maze–into a mind-bending maze where Clara and The Doctor may be lost forever! Very suspenseful! GRADE: B+

“Bill and the Three Jackets” by Dorothy Koomson revolves around the situation that Bill’s got herself another date and she wants to really dress up for this special occasion. Bill goes to try on three jackets, but finds herself getting far more than she bargained for.  I found this the weakest of the four stories. GRADE: C+

If you’re a Doctor Who fan and enjoy the various companions, Doctor Who: The Day She Save The Doctor will delight you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Sarah Jane and the temple of eyes / Jacqueline Rayner — 7

Rose and the snow window / Jenny T. Colgan — 19

Clara and the maze of Cui Palta / Susan Calman — 105

Bill and the three jackets / Dorothy Koomson — 145

“When I was 18 years old, I went on the road with my dad after I graduated from high school. And we were riding on the tour bus one day, kind of rolling through the south, and he mentioned a song. We started talking about songs, and he mentioned one, and I said, I don’t know that one. And he mentioned another. I said, I don’t know that one either, Dad. And he became very alarmed that I didn’t know what he considered my own musical genealogy. And I was very steeped in pop and rock music, and I grew up in Southern California. So he spent the rest of the afternoon making a list for me. And at the end of the day, he said, this is your education. And across the top of the page, he wrote 100 essential country songs. The list might have been better titled “100 Essential American Songs” because it was very comprehensive. He covered every critical point in Southern and American music, early folk songs, protest songs, Delta blues, Southern gospel, early country music, Appalachian. Everything that fed into modern country music was on that list. So his overview was really of a musicologist but formed by his instincts, you know, and just the rhythm in his own blood. So I realized when he gave me the list at the age of 18 that this was an important document, and I set about learning these songs. But it took me, I think, until now to realize that he was really giving me himself, a part of his heart and soul.”

So far as I know, that entire list has never been revealed. But, in 2009, Rosanne Cash decided to record 12 of the songs on Johnny Cash’s list. And Rosanne has help: Bruce Springsteen on “Sea of Heartbreak,” Elvis Costello on “Heartaches by the Number,” Jeff Tweedy on “Long Black Veil,” and Rufus Wainwright on “Silver Wings.” How many of these classic songs do you know? I’m very curious about the other songs on The List. GRADE: B+

Track listing:

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	“Miss the Mississippi and You”	William Heagney	3:12
2.	“Motherless Children“	Public Domain, arr. by Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal	3:06
3.	“Sea of Heartbreak” (featuring Bruce Springsteen)	Hal David, Paul Hampton	3:06
4.	“Take These Chains from My Heart“	Hy Heath, Fred Rose	3:32
5.	“I’m Movin’ On“	Hank Snow	3:45
6.	“Heartaches by the Number” (featuring Elvis Costello)	Harlan Howard	3:21
7.	“500 Miles“	Hedy West	3:04
8.	“Long Black Veil” (featuring Jeff Tweedy)	Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin	3:10
9.	“She’s Got You“	Hank Cochran	3:07
10.	“Girl from the North Country“	Bob Dylan	3:32
11.	“Silver Wings” (featuring Rufus Wainwright)	Merle Haggard	3:45
12.	“Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow”	A. P. Carter	3:33

Just in time for Halloween, Ellen Datlow’s Screams From the Dark presents 29 “scary” stories for readers to shudder about. My favorite stories, not surprisingly, come from “name” writers. Joyce Carol Oates takes us to the horrors of a pre-Civil War southern planation in rural Alabama in “‘The Father of Modern Gynecology’: J. Marion Syms, M. D. (1713–1883.”

Richard Kadrey, author of the Sandman Slim series, delivers a disturbing story with “What Is Love But the Quiet Moments After Dinner.” Two stories feature creepy islands: “The Island” by Norman Partridge and “Flaming Teeth” by Garry Kilworth. Partridge’s island is a living thing who controls most of the elements around it. A couple of vampires enter the island’s sphere of influence and mayhem results. Kilworth’s island isn’t on any maps and when a yacht with three couples explore the secret island, they find something that deserves to stay hidden.

I’ve read over a dozen Ellen Datlow anthologies and enjoyed them all. Screams From the Dark will get you in the mood for the Halloween season. GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction by Ellen Datlow — 1
You Have What I Need by Ian Rogers — 4
The Midway by Fran Wilde — 20
Wet Red Grin by Gemma Files — 39
The Virgin Jimmy Peck by Daryl Gregory — 59
The Ghost of a Flea by Priya Sharma — 82
The Atrocity Exhibitionists by Brian Hodge — 100
“The Father of Modern Gynecology”: J. Marion Syms, M.D. (1813-1883) by Joyce Carol Oates — 120
Here Comes Your Man by Indrapramit Das — 134
Siolaigh by Siobhan Carroll — 148
What Is Love But the Quiet Moments After Dinner? by Richard Kadrey — 165
The Island by Norman Partridge — 182
Flaming Teeth by Garry Kilworth — 202
Strandling by Caitlín R. Kiernan — 216
The Special One by Chikodili Emelumadu — 232
Devil by Glen Hirshberg — 241
Crick Crack Rattle Tap by A. C. Wise — 260
Children of the Night by Stephen Graham Jones — 278
The Smell of Waiting by Kaaron Warren — 289
Now Voyager by Livia Llewellyn — 306
The Last Drop by Carole Johnstone — 327

Three Mothers Mountain by Nathan Ballingrud — 342

Widow-Light by Margo Lanagan — 359
Sweet Potato by Joe R. Lansdale — 368
Knock, Knock by Brian Evenson — 379
What is Meat with No God? by Cassandra Khaw — 392
Bitten by Himself by Laird Barron — 397
Burial by Kristi DeMeester — 411
Beautiful Dreamer by Jeffrey Ford — 420
Bloedzuiger by John Langan — 432
About the Authors — 473
About the Editor –479

Diane and I saw The Prom at Shea’s Performing Arts Center with an almost sold-out audience. Plenty of teenagers!

The Prom is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, based on an original concept by Jack Viertel.  When their play flops on Broadway two aging actors decide to generate positive publicity when they travel to the conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help a lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to high school prom.

The culture clash between the conservative parents and the liberal actors generate much of the story. You can pretty much guess how this all turns out. Very predictable. The best song is “Unruly Heart” about Love works. There was a Netflix version of The Prom that we didn’t see. The Prom is a mildly entertaining musical. What do you remember about your Prom? GRADE: B

Musical numbers:

Act I “Changing Lives” – Dee Dee, Barry, Ensemble” Changing Lives” (Reprise) – Dee Dee, Barry, Angie, Trent “Just Breathe” – Emma “It’s Not About Me” – Dee Dee, Barry, Angie, Trent, Ensemble “Dance with You” – Emma, Alyssa “The Acceptance Song” – Trent, Dee Dee, Barry, Angie, Ensemble “You Happened” – Emma, Alyssa, Kevin, Nick, Ensemble “We Look to You” – Mr. Hawkins “Tonight Belongs to You” – Barry, Emma, Mrs. Greene, Ashley, Mandy, Ensemble

Act II Entr’acte – Orchestra “Zazz” – Angie, Emma “The Lady’s Improving” – Dee Dee “Love Thy Neighbor” – Trent, Ensemble “Alyssa Greene” – Alyssa “Barry Is Going to Prom” – Barry “Unruly Heart” – Emma, Ensemble “It’s Time to Dance” – Emma, Alyssa, Company

The subtitle of Peter Shapiro’s The Music Never Stops is What Putting On 10,000 Shows Has Taught Me About Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Magic. Shapiro chronicles his long career as a rock concert promoter with all of its ups and downs.

It’s not easy to put on a concert of any kind, but rock concerts present special problems. Shapiro takes the reader through the process and writes about concerts where everything went right–like the Rainbow Grateful Dead Concert–to concerts where everything went wrong.

Shapiro’s decades of experience gives him perspectives on the evolution of rock concerts. He writes about the devastating effect the Pandemic had on live concerts–basically shutting them all down. Zoom concerts didn’t work.

If you’re a fan of rock concerts, The Music Never Stops gives you an insiders look at the music industry and the groups and performers who are trying to make a comeback after Covid-19. Are you planning to go to a concert in the next year? GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

1 Rainbows Are Real 1

2 And Miles to Go 6

3 Cold-Calling Kesey 11

4 American Road 16

5 Wetlands Preserved 22

6 Ten Thousand Shows 29

7 A Guest at My Own Party 36

8 Becca & Company 41

9 Seventy-Two Hours 46

10 You Can’t See It If You’re Not There 53

11 MMMBob! 58

12 Black Lily 63

13 Soldier Field: Part 1 68

14 Where Getting into a Jam Is a Good Thing 76

15 The Night Before 86

16 Operation Kinko’s 93

17 Inaugural Blues 100

18 Be the Last Man Standing … or the First to Leave 105

19 The Days Between 109

20 U2 in 3D 115

21 Roxy Music 121

22 Green Apples 129

23 Rock. And Roll. 134

24 Bowlive (So Many Memories I Don’t Remember) 143

25 Nearly Flaming Out and The Roots Redeemed 149

26 Bowl Train 154

27 GoogaMooga 161

28 The Obvious Is Obvious (Until You Miss It) 165

29 The Original Rock Palace 170

30 Choose Your Own Adventure 180

31 Garcia + Weir = POW! 187

32 Viva Las Vegas 193

33 Unbroken Chain 198

34 The Faraway End of the Far Away 205

35 The More I Practice, the Luckier I Get 211

36 Doubling Down 216

37 Attics of My Life 225

38 Formerly Interlocken 241

39 Jam The Vote 251

40 Bobby & Phil 256

41 The Apollo Mission 261

42 The Majority Party 266

43 Easy Rider Live, Baby! 271

44 There’s a Reward 276

45 Madison Square Funk 281

46 Jimmy Fallon’s Almost Dead 286

47 Be in the Stream 294

48 Rescue Squad 305

49 Grateful Mahalo 315

50 Weekends Don’t Happen Every Day 321

Acknowledgments 331

Photo Credits 333

After the Buffalo Bills melted down in Miami, losing to the Dolphins 21-19, the injury list grew. The Bills face the prospect of playing the elusive Lamar Jackson of the Ravens with a depleted defensive line and a makeshift secondary. Despite their injury woes, the Bills are favored by 3 1/2 points. It looks like the Bills and the Ravens will be playing in the wind and rain remnants of Hurricane Ian today. How will your favorite NFL team fare today?

Blonde, at two hours and 47 minutes, is Andrew Dominik’s pseudo-biography based on the Joyce Carol Oates 2000 novel of the same name (you can read my review here). The movie wallows in tragedy despite a moving portrayal by Ana de Armas of the tormented Marilyn Monroe.

Ana De Armas is glorious and the cinematography of Chayse Irvin, shifting between color and black-and-white, keeps all eyes on the star…just as the real Marilyn Monroe did. Dominik follows Oates’s novel with its sexual speculations and earns the movie’s NC-17 rating by showing Marilyn with men who rarely appreciate her…or respect her.

I came away from watching Blonde with similar feelings that I had when I finished Joyce Carol Oates’s novel over 20 years ago: sad and depressed. Are you a fan of Marilyn Monroe? GRADE: B