My picks for entertainment ~ suggested movies, TV shows, music, and books ~ so you can enjoy some quality ME time! (ATTN Korean drama addicts! This blog has lots of K-drama love.)
Think you might like reading a historical mystery book series set in ancient Rome? (Written for young readers but nobody has to know you’re an adult. One of my guilty pleasures is reading children's books.) Here is a recommendation. This series has won awards. It’s called The Roman Mysteries and was written by Caroline Lawrence. Her goal for undertaking this task was to entertain children while reading and educate them about this ancient civilization. She succeeded. In fact, her books received praise from teachers and parents, as well as awards and recognition. This is not the only mystery series she has written but since it deals with life in ancient Rome which is one of my favorite topics, it is being suggested for mystery lovers who also have an interest in the Roman Empire.
Set in 1st century A.D., Book 1 of the series is titled “The Thieves of Ostia”. The last of the series, Book 17 is “Man from Pomegranate Street”. The reading material targets ages 10 through 14 and the novels are available in various formats: hard copy, audio, digital, etc.
♦♦♦♦♦♦
The books were adapted to film and you can watch the episode on YouTube. Below is the complete Roman Mysteries book series:
Did you know that sunflowers turn to follow the sun? In Greek mythology, a young nymph fell in love with the sun god Apollo. What do you think the gods did to her? It's a tragic love story. The movie "Sunflower" which stars Sophia Loren is also a tragic love story. Where to Watch.
But the sunflower has more than one love story.
Do you enjoy old movies?Are you also a fan of Sophia Loren? If so, you may have already seen this film, but if you haven't, it comes highly recommended. (That means my husband liked it! ☺) It's a very moving love story about a newly wedded couple. The woman's husband went to war and did not return home. Even though others tell her he is probably dead, she believes her husband is alive and sets out to prove it."In the Soviet Union, Giovanna visits the sunflower fields, where there is supposedly one flower for each fallen Italian soldier, and where the Germans forced the Italians to dig their own mass graves." (Quote Source) That's it! No spoilers. That's all you'll get out of me, except to say that, this movie would make a great addition to your personal video library. Ms. Loren has starred in many movies that just didn't enough publicity or airtime. This is one of them.
Not much needs to be said about this American singer; one of the female song singers from my generation who left a mark on my musical psyche. Her voice is timeless. The songs that she sang were timeless. The group that she was the lead singer for, they are also timeless. Who am I talking about? I’m talking about Stevie Nicks, lead singer for Fleetwood Mac. She’s one of a kind. Timeless!
Fans of Monica Belluci will likely agree that this was her best film ever! It's the most touching love story about true genuine everlasting love and about how hateful people can be really cruel to an innocent woman who has done them no wrong.
My tribute to the iconic and legendary Tony Bennett. From Frank Sinatra and Sean Martin to Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga? Yes! Speaking of the man who left his heart in San Francisco but made his way into the hearts of generations of Americans beginning in 1949. Now that's hip! \
In Memory Of: Anthony Dominick Benedetto aka Tony Bennett (August 3, 1926 - July 21, 2023)
People who know him would describe him as a genuinely warm, humble, and kind-hearted human being. He was not just an entertainer but a civil rights activist who lent his celebrity status to support the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
The late Frank Sinatra or Old Blue Eyes as we liked to call him is considered an American Master, a standard, for all other American entertainers to measure up to. But one of his contemporaries is equally worthy of praise: Tony Bennett, a crooner like no other.
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (1926 - ) is
an American singer; also an actor, artist, and activist.
He is a humble yet
great Italian-American, born in Astoria, Queens, New York who marched
with Martin Luther King Jr. and has been a tireless fighter for equal
rights. Sinatra and Bennett had mutual respect and admiration for one
another. Sinatra once said: “For my money, Tony Bennett is the
best singer in the business. He excites me when I watch him. He moves
me.” Bennett complimented Sinatra by founding a high school in his
hometown that offers diplomas in fine art, dance, vocal and
instrumental music, drama, and film. Whereas he could have named the
school after himself, instead the institution is named Frank
Sinatra School of Arts.
Bennett began singing at an early but
his signature song, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco", was
released in 1962. He has won numerous awards and sold millions of
records and still continues to perform. Several young artists such
as Lady Gaga, and the late Amy Winehouse, were honored to be chosen
to collaborate with him on his “Duets”
album. You can find several YouTube music videos, but for my listening pleasure, I start with this one wonderful collaboration between Bennett and the late Amy Winehouse.*
An excellent review and comparison of two war movies both named "Midway". One released in 1976 with a powerful cast of stars including Charlton Heston and his contemporaries, released in 1976. Per the reviewer: "a messy mix of history and melodrama that aimed for historical accuracy but muddled it". Ouch! The remake released in 2019. The cast? Not nearly as impressive. Per the reviewer: "Casual viewers will probably enjoy it; it is, after all, a film about one of the most famous U.S. victories of World War II; ... History buffs, though, will find more that is foul than fair in Midway." Uh-huh. I'm thinking that's not a compliment. According to the movie reviewer Alex Diaz-Granados, it doesn't matter who the actors were, both films were disappointing. Quite frankly, I am very sorry to read this kind of review of a war movie. US military/war movies are for the express purpose of stoking one's patriotic fervor. It makes no sense to make a war movie that sucks! (O.o) There are veterans still alive who survived World War II. If they watch such movies, what must they think? Eh! It is what it is. It's a movie! If you want historical facts on record, you should probably watch a documentary. I suppose if you just want to be entertained you should add either film to your Watch List. But it's unlikely that you'll feel like jumping up and singing the Battle Hymn of the Republic when you get to The End.
Do you like the study of the Renaissance period? If you do, you are not the only one. I’m with you! Not only is that period in history very interesting, but the meaning of the word also gives you a license to apply it to so many other things. Renaissance means “rebirth”. From there it’s a short walk to the road of “rediscovery”. Well, my logic dictates that if you were reborn then you also have to rediscover. Agree?
OK. At this point, my logic may come across a tad bit illogical. But not much.
It’s nice to rediscover jewels from your youth. Although this group is not a rediscovery for me. They’re brand new! Although they’ve been around since 1969 (i.e. my youth), I never heard of them. However, I do like their style. The group is called Renaissance, and they experiment between rock, folk, and classical music forms. According to Wikipedia, the appropriate genre with regard to how to classify their music style is “progressive rock”.
How would I describe their sound? Are you familiar with the Irish singer Enya? The vocals for this group have that charming soothing Celtic kind of tone in their voices just like this fabulous lady. The instrumentalists sound like classically trained musicians who could have played to entertain the kings and queens of the Middle Ages; so it’s no surprise that they were invited to perform at Carnegie Hall (Manhattan, New York USA) and Royal Albert Hall (South Kensington, London, England).
To date, they have released 89 albums. Listed below are just a few.
A listing of my five (5) favorite female violinists, along with a few bio facts and a little bit of background information on how I discovered these fabulous musicians.
(1) British Violinist Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson is a British violinist known simply as Vanessa-Mae (?? Chén Mei). She was born October 27, 1978, to a Singaporean mother and a Thai father, but she was adopted by a British citizen and was raised in England. At the age of 4, she started playing the violin. My discovery of this talented violinist was accidental. Several years ago, I joined a music club so that I could buy world music at discount prices. I heard her play a song that was very popular during my teenage years. In fact it was one of my favorite pop songs and hearing her play it brought back a joyful memory for me. The name of the musical piece was “Classical Gas”, which was composed and originally performed by Mason Williams. When I heard her play it, I became an instant Vanessa-Mae fan. So I bought some of her albums to add to my music library. Her album sales were so phenomenal that in 2006, she was considered one of the wealthiest entertainers under 30 in the United Kingdom. Ms. Mae calls her musical style “techno-acoustic fusion.” I call it mind-blowing!
(2) American Violinist Karen Briggs
My late husband introduced me to the new age music genre and one of the best selling artists in this genre is Yanni. While listening to a televised Yanni concert that he was video taping (his hobby) so we could re-watch the program over and over, I was introduced to this fantastic female violinist: Ms. Karen Briggs.
Ms. Briggs is also known as the “Lady in Red”. She was born on August 12, 1963, in Manhattan, New York. She was blessed to come from a family of musicians. She started playing the violin at age 12 and at age 15, she decided that she wanted to play professionally. I had never heard of this virtuosa until I watched her solo performance on Yanni’s Live at the Acropolis concert. I could say she was splendid or even magnificent. But if you saw her perform you would say the compliment was insufficient. There are no words to sufficiently describe her. She toured with Yanni for thirteen years. Her latest performance was in 2019. She was invited to perform in Iraq and she was the only woman in the ensemble. Unfortunately because of COVID-19, her 2020 live performances have been canceled until further notice.
(3) Irish Violinist Máiréad Nesbitt
In America, we are fortunate to have a PBS station (Public Broadcasting Service) which airs most of the Celtic Woman concerts. I love these remarkably talented female singers. They voices are magical, even heavenly. Máiréad Nesbitt (pronounced like “parade” with an “M”) does not sing. However, this adorable violinist appears as a solo violinist at all of Celtic Woman concerts. Her parents are both music teachers and all of her siblings are musicians. She has been playing the violin since the age of six. The NY Times describes her as “A demon of a Fiddle Player.” I know they mean that as a compliment. However, I think the best word to aptly describe all of the performances that I have seen is … electrifying! She lights up the stage and literally dances all over the place while she’s playing. You can’t take your eyes off of her. Fans are encouraged to follow her Twitter feed (@MaireadNesbitt) to keep up with her activities.
(4) American Violinist Lindsey Stirling
My youngest daughter told me that it was impossible for me to say that I liked female violinists and not know about Lindsey Stirling. So I looked her up on YouTube. OK! So now I can say that I like female violinists. Ms. Stirling was born on September 21, 1986, and attended junior high and high school in Arizona. She is not only an excellent violinist, be she is a composer and a dancer.
According to her true life story, she said in an interview with NewMediaRockstars, an online magazine which shines a spotlight on successful YouTubers, “…ever since I was a kid, I’ve always wished that I could dance, but my parents said, ‘You [can] choose violin or you [can] choose dance, but we can’t afford both’”. She chose the violin, i.e. her parents paid for and supported her violin playing. However, when it came to being a dancer she didn’t give up her dream. It’s just that her parents didn’t pay for dancing lessons. Her YouTube music videos are enchanting; especially the Christmas videos. She started her YouTube channel in 2007 and she presents her very own choreographed violin performances. The YT channel is the best way to keep up with her.
(5) Lebanese Violinist Hanine El Alam
Once again my late husband gets the credit for discovering this jewel. He was searching for either Arabian music or Arabian artists (another hobby) and found Hanine El Alam. Words to describe her performances? Exotic. Exciting. Exhilarating. In a 2017 article published by Scene Noise, she is described as follows:
“Hanine El Alam is a fiercely talented and diverse violinist from Lebanon. Her “performances” are hardly just that; they are dazzling, larger than life spectacles, featuring adorned dancers, magnetic collaborations and a full band blending techno, Latin and Arabic flavors — not to mention the razzle-dazzle wardrobes. Her music videos are equally as dramatic and extravagant.”
That quote says it all. I could not have said it better. For more about her, she has an official website and you can find her on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Although Mission Kashmir was released more than 20 years ago, it's still a good movie. If you have not watched it you should add it to your watch list.
This is a quick movie review/recommendation of an Indian film starring some of Bollywood’s finest: Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, and others. The name of this film is "Mission Kashmir". My alternate title for this movie is “Crayons and a Pink House”.
When Divyansh Pandey picked this topic to write about, he probably did not realize it but he picked a part of the world to write about that is of interest to me. His description of this wonderland is both charming and sad. In one instance, he calls Kashmir the “Switzerland of India” but in the title of his post, he calls this place “The Bleeding Heaven”. Extracted some profound and thought-provoking statements from the short article written by Mr. Pandey:
“Kids are picked up from school by militants and brainwashed to fight against India. For them, Its like ‘Born in Heaven brought up in hell’.”
(NOTE: The site where the article was published was shut down and I have been unable to find an online copy of the content republished elsewhere on the web.)
My interest in Kashmir developed after watching a film that was released in 2000 called “Mission Kashmir”. It was very sobering and there were two sentences or phrases that played over and over in my mind long after the movie had ended.
Movie Quote 1: “Were you dreaming of a pink house?”
Movie Quote 2: “… placing carbines instead of crayons in the hands of innocent children …”
Please bear in mind that my nationality is American, so my perspectives are that of an outsider. For me, the fragile thread of humanity extends all around the world and can so easily be snapped at any point. Kashmir, in my humble opinion, is one of those points.
A great movie! If you have not seen it, you should add it to your watch list.
♦
References:
Pandey, D. (2015, June 15). Kashmir: The bleeding Heaven – Bubblews. Retrieved from: bubblews.com/posts/kashmir-the-bleeding-heaven (Article unpublished.)
Shaikh, Mohammed Uzair. (2016, July 17). Tale of Kashmir: Who is entitled to the ‘bleeding heaven’ –India or Pakistan? – India. Retrieved from http://www.india.com/news/india/tale-of-kashmir-who-is-entitled-to-the-bleeding-heaven-india-or-pakistan-1337197/
Thanks to my high school English teachers I developed an appreciation for American literature and especially for short stories. Below is a link to an excellent review by a fellow blogger who often shares links to his posts via a Facebook Grop called "Authentic Blogger". Herman Melville was one of the authors my teachers introduced me to; however, I don't remember reading this particular short story. The review has piqued my interest. If you don't already know, Mr. Melville is famous for writing "Moby Dick".
"In two installments in November and December of 1853, Putnam’s Monthly Magazine published a longish short story by Herman Melville (1819-1891) ... It’s a lot of weight for a short story to carry. ..." Read more: Faith, Fiction, Friends: “Bartleby, The Scrivener” by Herman Melville
If you are making a list of greatest war movies, The Dirty Dozen (1967) has to go on that list. All-star cast. All-star action! “The Dirty Dozen” is a war movie classic.
Traditionally, in the United States, around Independence Day (4th of July), Memorial Day (celebrated the last Monday in May), Veterans Day (November 11), etc. television stations air military movies that are supposed to foster American patriotism. At one time FoxNews.com published a list of “The 30 Greatest War Movies of All Time”. Some of the movies I picked were on their list. Some were not. But they're still on my list for great war movies.
The Dirty Dozen (1967) is one of them.
This is a great movie about 12 convicts being given a second chance to start life over if they serve their country on a military mission and of course if they survive. I still enjoy it every time I watch it. These two lines are the ones I still remember.
*** (Background for the scene: There was an obvious commotion coming from the room; the definite sound of men fighting, or rather … settling their differences in the only way men know how.)
- Sergeant Clyde Bowren: [as Major Reisman exits the room ] : Whats going on, sir?
- Major John Reisman: Oh, the gentleman from the South had a question about the dining arrangements. He and his comrades are discussing place settings now.
*** Cracked up (laughed) when the major said that. Some say the movie Inglorious Basterds was inspired by this movie. Well it may have been inspired but it was nowhere near as good as this classic starring some of my favorite actors: Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas and Jim Brown, to name a few. They tried to do sequels but they are not as good as the original.
No argument that it's a classic. But some say the movie “Inglourious Basterds” was inspired by this movie. Inspired? Perhaps. Better than? Not even close!! Have no doubt Quentin Tarantino, the Director of "Inglorious Basterds", would say "Amen!" to my comparison. This classic film starred some of my favorite actors: Lee Marvin, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas and Jim Brown, to name a few.
I just can’t thank the British enough for invading America with their hugely talented singers and musicians. Singers like Steve Winwood. I just love this skinny British soul brother. He did several songs I like. But I narrowed it down to two videos (below). One of them was a collaborative effort with Chaka Khan. By the way, Chaka’s real name is Yvette Marie Stevens. I’m glad that one of her friends thought the name Chaka Khan suited her better. Cause to me she looks like a Chaka Khan. That name sounds so cool.
Poor Chaka. She underwent an operation on her vocal cords and feared she may never sing again. But she recovered and she still has the pipes!
As for Steve Winwood, he is still mellow. Even though he has not released any new music for years, it doesn’t matter. His old school music is timeless.
In
ancient Egypt, a scarab was a gem cut in the form of a scarab beetle,
often engraved with hieroglyphs on the flat underside. Their popular
use was as amulets and impression seals. In “The Chronicles of the Stone: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab” (Book 1), author Fiona
Ingram brings to life a 5000-year-old mystery and introduces us to
Adam and Justin Sinclair.
These tales written for children were
inspired by the author's own family trip to Egypt. If you enjoyed reading Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lawrence, you'll probably like this series as well. Like Ms. Lawrence, Ms. Ingram's books have also won awards.
Watched "The Pinkertons" on Netflix. It is no longer available. There was only one season, 22 episodes. My review? Cute and adorable. Sometimes corny! Written for an audience with a childlike mind. But the main characters grow on you and you get hooked. You will probably enjoy comparing the television series to books on the same subject.
"The Pinkertons is a Canadian Western police procedural television series which features crime cases of the Pinkerton detective agency. The show is officially licensed with the Pinkerton detective agency, and features stories based on actual cases from the Pinkerton detective agency archives dating to the 1860s." (Quote Source)
Are you an incurable Beatles-maniac? People who suffer from Beatlemania don’t want to be cured. Went through some of my old posts on one of my blogs and found one about The Beatles. This legendary group of singers and musicians is one that people never grow tired of. Their fandom extends across generations and their songs appeal to the youth of today just as much as they did to the youth of my day when they made television history by appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964.
Did you watch (or have you seen a video of) that historic moment when The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show?
People love news about The Beatles whether it’s history or brand new news. The Rolling Stone, a magazine publication that is just as iconic as The Beatles announced some exciting news on September 24th, 2018 about the “The White Album”, The Beatles’ 1968 masterpiece. The “Super Deluxe” album is full of unheard songs and new versions of well-known songs like “Hey Jude“. According to the article writer, it’s not a revolution, it’s a revelation. Fans will be pleased!
* According to Independent, a reputable UK publication, “Hey Jude” was on a Top 10 List of the most popular songs in 1968.
REF: Sheffield, Rob. “The Unheard White Album: An Exclusive First Listen.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, LLC, a Subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. , 24 Sept. 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/beatles-unheard-white-album-exclusive-first-listen-727928/.
If you’re compiling a list of American female singers with unique voices, Tracy Chapman has got to end up on your list somewhere. Not sure which number she would be on my list. Not sure if I would make a “Top 10” or a “Top 100” list. But she would definitely be on my list.
Ms. Chapman introduced herself to the music scene at the end of the 80s with 2 songs that are still popular even to this day, “Fast Car” and “Give Me One Reason”. Not only does she have great vocals but she can play the guitar and sounds good plugged or unplugged.
My current residence is in Austin, Texas, which is touted as the “Live Music Capital of the World”. Only I’ve never been to any of the live music shows. Fortunately, they air them on a television program called “Austin City Limits”. So when Ms. Chapman came here to Austin, I got to watch her performance on TV. She did not disappoint. Tracy Chapman – Austin City Limits show (2003)
I usually watch K-drama TV series. But I found a Korean drama movie to watch called “Love, Lies” (2016).
WARNING!! DO NOT watch this movie if you don’t want to be bummed out!
I got addicted to Korean drama 5+ years ago. So I know K-dramas always have a love triangle. It’s expected. However, this is the saddest, most painful, most sorrowful, and most tragic love triangle I have ever seen IN MY LIFE! (And I have watched a lot of sad love stories over the years.)
Two young Korean girls ~ Jung So-yul (played by Han Hyo-joo), and Seo Yeon-hee (played by Chun Woo-hee) ~ who have beautful voices were raised to be “artists”. (That’s what they were told. One of them found out later that they were just beautified to be “artful prostitutes” for the Japanese men.)
One young Korean man ~ Kim Yoon-woo (played by Yoo Yeon-seok0 ~ who is a song-writer. But he writes popular songs for the common people ~ “Joseon’s Heart”. Not the traditional music (jeongga, or classical Korean songs) the girls have been trained to sing for the upper class Korean society and the Japanese occupiers.
Kim Yoon-woo says he is in love with one girl but then he meets her best friend. You might want to call the guy “a jive turkey”. But as the relationships develop, you almost feel like … he didn’t really do anything wrong.
WHY? I always say that if you are in a relationship, it is best that you find out BEFORE you get married that you don’t want to be in that relationship. No matter how much it may hurt the other person, you really should not marry somebody that you don’t love. Because that means two (2) people will be miserable in the relationship. Break it off before you marry so that the other person can … maybe … find someone else to be happy with.
I won’t tell you details of how this story unfolds but it was so so so so so so so so so so so so … painful!!
Half of the time I was watching the movie, one part of my mind kept telling me … Look away! You don’t want to see The End. The other part of my mind was saying … Look! You gotta know what happens in The End.
I watched it until The End and my heart was breaking for all three of them!
The cruelty that resulted from a woman’s bitterness, anger, and jealousy …?? I searched for one word to describe the things she did to get her revenge. But I came up with two words. INSANELY VICIOUS!!
By the end of the movie, I was totally shattered.
Many reviewers praised the movie; and I wholeheartedly agree with those reviews. I thought the acting was superb! In addition to the stellar acting by the three (3) main characters, this movie also gets my 5 star rating for: the music, the scenery, and the costumes. Especially, the traditional Hanbok clothing and the modern westernized clothing that both ladies wore. In every outfit, they were both gorgeous and extremely stylish. Their hairstyles whether long hair or short hair were beautiful!!
Also, I really liked the album covers. Both ladies released an album with them singing and the artwork for both album covers is incredible! I wouldn’t mind buying an art print.
In fact, that’s how the movie begins. Some people found an old record album and wanted to know the whole story behind it. (Kind of like that popular American movie “Titanic” (1997) where they found that art portrait and wanted to know who the woman was.)
The majority of reviewers gave this movie 4.8 stars out of 5. I agree.
NOTE: There is one thing I am curious about in this movie. Maybe my readers can enlighten me. The red and blue parasols given to the artists when they completed their training? Is that historical fact or historical fiction?
"Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz." PerWikipedia
Interesting question huh? Do you accept the Wikipedia answer? I'll tell you what I think and you tell me what you think.
I THINK: I think the soul creates the music. It has to be that way. Most songwriters or musicians will probably say they composed a piece as the result of something going on inside of them – their minds, their emotions, their heart, their soul. I think the soul music released by the late Marvin Gaye (1939-1984) was music produced from his soul.
Who doesn’t love it when an unsolved mystery is finally solved? Who doesn’t continue to wonder what really happened when a vessel that set sail several years ago, still has not been found? In case you also share my curiosity and fascination, this list is a compilation of videos and tweets about shipwrecks.
#1 Top Ten (10) Biggest Shipwrecks of All Time (https://youtu.be/6mx8HudeyXI )
#2 Nineteen (19) Most Famous Shipwrecks (https://youtu.be/us3UVXR9kfo )
#3 Twenty-Five (25) Coolest Shipwrecks
The 25 Coolest #Shipwrecks In the World: "Humans are really good at sinking ships. So good, that the United Nations estimates that there are three million wrecked along the ocean floor. ..." Here are 25 ships that make us scratch our heads. https://t.co/FED91xWomU via @flipboardpic.twitter.com/HGQKjrkVd3
— My Fox Nooze (aka Joie de Vivre Magazine) (@FoxMarks_ATX) January 15, 2020
Treathyl Fox aka Cmoneyspinner – Home Business Entrepreneur. Think. Dream. Focus. Believe in yourself? Hire yourself! Be your own boss! Do it! Self-employed and loving it! ♦ DISCLOSURE: In compliance with FTC rules and guidelines, be advised that some links shared via this websites might contain affiliate referral links which means commissions might be earned if product sales resulted from your click-through to the vendor’s website.
No argument that it's a classic. But some say the movie “
