amy shever featured 260x152 13901654111

A 2nd Chance for Orphaned Pets

Pets orphaned by their deceased or ill owners are an at-risk group. AMY SHEVER, founder of 2nd CHANCE 4 PETS, is about making sure these animals don't wind up discarded in shelters.
by David McGee
 

 
 
collins keys to christmas

The Key Man Claus(e)

On his all-instrumental Yuletide offering, KEYS TO CHRISTMAS, pianist-producer JEFF COLLINS offers seasonal delights with a twist, and engaging thoughtful moments as well.
by David McGee
 

 

 
sweet november drtheater spotlight 880x385 1384393948

Sweet November (1968)

In DEEP ROOTS THEATER, ANTHONY NEWLEY and SANDY DENNIS star in one of 1968's great date movies, SWEET NOVEMBER, a bonafide multi-hanky romance with a tragic underpinning and a challenge to conventional notions of relationships....
by David McGee
 

 
 
alexandra featured

Sniffing Out Revelations About the Canine Sense of Smell

After reading ALEXANDRA HOROWITZ’s 'Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell,' it turns out that many of us may have severely underestimated just how much that nose knows. DUNCAN STRAUSS investigates.
by David McGee
 

 

 
 

VIOLENT SATURDAY (1955)

Director RICHARD FLEISCHER's VIOLENT SATURDAY is an excellent film noir entry from 1955 starring a young Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine and Victor Mature; plus Donald Duck in a mellow satire on hunting, 'No Hunting' (1955)
by David McGee
 

 
 
farmer jason christmas

The Real Christmas Miracle

JASON RINGENBERG may have taken to farming but he hasn't left his rock 'n' roll years behind him. He's back with a Yuletide gem outfitted with flourishes of punk and straight ahead rock 'n' roll that recalls his glory years fro...
by David McGee
 

 

 
john muir featured

Letter to a Friend

In 1868, JOHN MUIR, then a University of Wisconsin student, wrote to his 'spiritual mother' to tell her of his recent travels and his growing devotion to a joyous and reverent communion with Nature.
by David McGee
 

 
 
summer beach party spotlight3

Swingin’ and A-Surfin’, All Summer Long

SUMMER BEACH PARTY offers 19 examples of the music featured in various Beach Party-style movies in the '60s. Not to worry--for every FRANKIE AVALON, there's two DICK DALES, or THE ASTRONAUTS, or JAN AND DEAN, or THE BEACH BOYS...
by David McGee
 

 

 
7Impossible logo 260x152 1366383739

From the Desk of Intern Susan:

The story of JEMMY BUTTON, one of the oddest true tales of the 19th century, is the subject of a new children's book. Co-illustrator JENNIFER UMAN discusses the work.
by David McGee
 

 
 
rafiki jazz har dam sahara

Expressing the Power and Beauty of Difference

A powerful commentary on migration, refugees and human rights, the multicultural RAFIKI JAZZ's third album, HAR DAM SAHARA, speaks eloquently to our time.
by David McGee
 

 

 
grimmwood henselt cover

Music of a Forgotten Master

On his new disc, DANIEL GRIMWOOD offers the piano works of ADOLF VON HENSELT, a forgotten master whose music 'breathes the same air as that of Chopin and Liszt,' says ROBERT HUGILL.
by David McGee
 

 
 
detour spotlight 1

DETOUR (1945)

'No one who has seen it has easily forgotten it.' So says ROGER EBERT of the film noir classic, DETOUR, a gem from the Poverty Row era, filmed on a miniscule budget in a matter of days, but aging better than many big budget epi...
by David McGee