The unset alarm clock

tv commentary

  • Down the Rabbit Hole in Montreal

    This week on “Retired Librarian Goes Down the Rabbit Hole:” on the Season One finale of the CBS sitcom “Ghosts,” the main characters play a game of pickleball vs. their neighbors at a “country club” on a beautiful, indoor badminton court (pickleball courts don’t have alleys). It’s a short scene, but I had to discover… Continue reading

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  • 2020 in review: another disappointing year for books

    You would think that 2020 would be a year with lots of reading, which would lead to lots of great books to recommend. The former was certainly true as I have finished 135 books since last December, but just like in 2019, I found very few that were worthy of discussing in my 18th annual… Continue reading

  • 2019 in review: tv bests books

    I can’t believe I am about to say this, but I got more enjoyment watching television this year than reading books.  What an uninspiring year it was between the pages as more than one of my favorite authors produced duds, none of the non-fiction titles I read were special enough to warrant inclusion on my… Continue reading

  • I Killed

    I Killed: true stories of the road from America’s top comics compiled by Ritch Shydner and Mark Schiff. “Make me laugh!” “Entertain me!” That’s been the unrelenting demand from audiences throughout time and across cultures. Although today’s jesters need not fear for their heads if their jokes fall flat in front of royalty, as these… Continue reading

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  • My name on television

    Have you ever wondered how characters get named on television shows? What would it be like to share the name of a famous character like Richie Cunningham, Sam Malone or Adrian Monk? I have a fairly common first name, but my last name can be spelled several ways and my family’s is one of the… Continue reading

  • Summer television recap

    With Labor Day approaching, it’s time for a summer television recap. I don’t go much for reality programs like Survivor or Big Brother. Neither do the dancing shows or the contests like Project Runway hold any appeal. That said I do like Kathy Griffin’s My Life on the D-List, though others don’t find her funny… Continue reading

  • The Protest Games

    Isn’t it ironic that with the Olympic Games being hosted by a government that suppresses dissent by its citizens and refused all demonstrations in designated areas, these Games have been filled with protests both large and small? It began with complaints about the use of lip-synching and computer graphics at the opening ceremonies and continued… Continue reading

  • Four Brothers on TNT

    Four Brothers on TNT. If there is such a thing as a complex “revenge” film, then this one qualifies. It begins as a simple story of four brothers who return home after their foster mother is killed in an apparent robbery turned murder, but they soon discover that appearances can be deceiving. Mark Wahlberg leads… Continue reading

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  • Around the world in 80 rounds

    Around the world in 80 rounds by David Wood. Go ahead. I dare you to follow in David Wood’s footsteps. Sell your condo and your car. Put everything else in storage except a travel bag, a laptop and your trusty (well, sometimes trusty) set of golf clubs. Then head out on a round-the-world adventure to… Continue reading

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  • Million Dollar Password on CBS

    Million Dollar Password on CBS. I used to watch this game show as much as possible growing up, or at least I did whenever I was home in the morning and not in school. The latest version premiered Sunday night with Regis Philbin as host and Rachel Ray and Neil Patrick Harris as the celebrity… Continue reading