Open Letter to Netflix subscribers regarding new plan policy

Dear fellow subscribers,

Like many of you this week,I received an e-mail from Netflix about their new policy to divide their DVD rental by mail and website streaming services,starting this September. The main thrust of this deal is that you have the choice of either regular rentals or streaming for 7.99(the lowest price plan available)and if you want both,you have to pay double.

Granted,this doesn't seem like a smart move on the company's part,given the harsh economic times that we're living in. However,some of Netflix's motivation for doing this now is an alternative to their simply going to a website available only option.

Talk was in the wind about this,with their customers making it loud and clear that removing DVDs from their service was not acceptable. Other reasons for this change include the rising cost of licensing fees for streaming and increased postage rates as well.



Naturally,this new Netflix plan is irksome to most of you and there certainly has been no lack of shyness in making your opinions known to not only the company but the world at large as well.

Personally,I see this as a good way for me to save a little money on my home entertainment expenses and to discard an option that I wasn't using that much to begin with(DVD rentals work better for me and my family).

I know that a good number of you agree with me on this and even those who are reasonably annoyed about such a rapid rise in pricing here have just plainly stated your displeasure and moved on to other more important matters of the day:





However,I must to speak to those among us whose reaction to this change has been alarmingly inappropriate and down right offensive in their comparisons.

You people need to get a grip,okay? If a six dollar price hike is the worst of your problems,you should be beyond grateful that your situation in life is that secure unlike most of the country or out in the wider world for that matter.

Bringing up Casey Anthony and equating this to rape is insulting and insane. I know you're going to tell me "I'm not being literal!" but still,those terms are a gross exaggeration of this change in every sense of the word.

It's especially bad to see such misplaced outrage when there are other people out there getting royally screwed by big league power brokers and this over the top commentary doesn't help your argument at all. Try to keep this in perspective,folks:





If you think that I'm just being too hard on you,let me get down to the brass tacks;Netflix is a luxury item not a necessity! Your responses would be somewhat understandable if we were talking about heat,water or electric rates going up to a 60% increase but not this.

If streaming content online is that important to you,there are other options out there to pursue(hopefully you go for the legal ones).

The same applies for DVD rental via mail. Look into them and express your anger with dollars not vulgar and derogatory Twitter comments. This isn't taxation without representation,people!:



So,in the end I believe that we will be able to weather this mild tempest in the pop culture teapot as long as things remain reasonably civil. There are more important issues out there to fret about and getting all worked up over such a trifling matter as this is not worth half of the new Netflix fee.

Sincerely,

Lady T and the rest of us sensible souls

P.S. Besides,we have the final Harry Potter movie out this weekend and that's more of a reason to vent a little angst,if you ask me:

Food Network Star's food truck follies,Design Star sets up shop and True Blood's sparkly shocker

The theme for this week's challenges on The Next Food Network Star was food trucks,with Tyler Florence(host of FN's Great Food Truck Race)as the special guest adviser.

Teams of three were formed and before folks could check out which meals on wheels to sample,everyone watched the promo videos that each team made to showcase their concept.

While the other two teams received a decent reception for their mini-commercials,Jeffrey,Whitney and Susie seemed to have ruined the appetites of all with their "Balls on a Roll" theme. No one lined up to taste their food while the other wagons had crowds galore.



Things weren't harmonious for the other teams,either-Penny took forever and a day to make her wraps ready and customers had to wait extra long because of her slowness.Lucky for her,those wraps were the best of the bunch served that day.

Mary Beth and Penny wound up snapping at each other during the judging,with Penny literally being catty at one point. If it wasn't for her decent dishes,I think the judges would've kicked Penny out long ago.



However,it was Orchid who went home this week for being easily overshadowed by her team mates. Too many expectations were placed on her from the start of this season and while she did her level best,Orchid was a bit too subtle to really catch on fire here.

Next week,tensions boil over as the remaining contenders make a eight course meal for Wolfgang Puck and accusations as well as embarrassing cooking lessons are added to the menu:





A brand new of Design Star started on it's new night,Monday,along with a new host(Tanika Ray)and a mentor,S1 winner David Bromstad.

While I miss the former host Clive,Tanika seems nice and including David was a smart move,indeed. He's a very nurturing presence and the contestants would do well to heed his suggestions.



They began with this show's now classic opening challenge,which is to decorate your living space. One of the better rooms in the penthouse suite that the designers are sharing in Brooklyn was the Bonus room done by Kellie and Karl.

While Kellie worked wonders with the under the stairs nook,Karl earned an early win for his tastefully striped focal walls that gave the right amount of pop to the room without overwhelming it.



In second place were Leslie and Cathy,who pulled the Great Room together nicely. Leslie scored some major points for the rubber tire coffee table while Cathy's wall seating wasn't very comfortable there.

Despite a slight clash of personalities at one point(over a large table that was too big for the moving men to deliver in any way,shape or form),the ladies managed to work well with each other and created an amazing room in the process.



The first to go home was Blanche,who teamed up with Mark on one of the bedrooms. Mark's unpainted or not even varnished bookshelves were at least well made and useful as room dividers but Blanche's attempt to frame wallpaper was messy.

Worst of all,the tea lights that she tacked up on the walls looked awful. Judge Vern called them "Grandma's dollies" and they did seriously detract from the aesthetic value of the room.

Next week,another classic challenge will be on deck,the "white box" makeover. That should be fun to see but scary for some to pull off:





As usual,a lot is going on with the gang on True Blood,as Jason is being painfully turned into a werepanther breeding stud,Sam's little brother plots to rip off his benefactress and Sookie runs into Alcide,who is back with a seemingly reformed Debbie Pelt.

However,let's check in with Eric and the witches;Lafayette is understandably terrified at the prospect of dealing with Eric and planned to plead for mercy at Fangtasia,unaware that his dreaded enemy has lost his memory and is in a rather meek and mild state of mind(for a vampire,anyway).

Pam is definitely in the know and furious about it,demanding that Sookie keeps Eric at her house and quiet about what happened. She's convinced that Bill set Eric up and is more than happy to take out her frustrations upon Lafayette. Fortunately,Tara and Jesus are determined to save him from Pam's boot stomping fury and Tara was smart enough to enter the fray armed and ready:





Meanwhile,Sookie is dealing with an amnesiac Eric in her home and by nightfall, he's on the loose when she gets a most unwelcome knock on her door. Her fairy godmother Claudine has returned and insists that Sookie go back with her to Fairy Land,something that Sookie has no interest in considering her last visit.

While this little stand-off is going on,Eric swoops in and drags Claudine off to the side to drink her blood. He winds up draining her dry,which causes her to change back into her natural Brothers Grimm persona before poofing into fairy dust.

That was a surprise,considering that it didn't happen in the books. I don't know where the show is going with this but so far,my interest is peaked,indeed:



RANDOM NOTES:

HELL'S KITCHEN: Gordon Ramsey plans to open those dreaded doors yet again for another batch of culinary misfits and he promises that big changes are on the way. Even so,we'll still get many of our old favorites including Gordon's flame broiled wrath upon his less than sharp chef contenders:

Waiting my turn on the dance floor for A Dance With Dragons

At long last,George R.R.Martin's fifth book in the celebrated Song of Ice and Fire series,A Dance With Dragons,has been officially released for public consumption. Like many of fans,I put in my advanced order online and have been diligently checking on the book's progress as this hefty volume makes it's way towards my doorstep.

The reviews,so far,have all been positive and plenty of good word of mouth is circulating all around. While I am still in the midst of book number four(A Feast for Crows),my yearning for this fresh addition to what may be a truly never ending story is intensely strong.



No doubt,some will see this desire as merely a grown-up extension of Harry Potter/Twilight/Hunger Games mania but that's sort of the natural response that sci-fi/fantasy genre material inspires in it's devotees.

Especially when there are stories set within an elaborately created yet somewhat familiar fictional world combined with characters that reflect the best and worst of human nature(even if some of those folk are not entirely human to begin with).

Also,in the incredibly harsh times that we're living in at the moment,books like these are a great way to cleanse your mental palate from the stress of coping with all too real circumstances-a good number of which are beyond our direct control. Don't get me wrong,I am not advocating a complete break from reality here but stories like this do provide a welcome shelter from the storm(not to mention an affordable vacation for those of us already triple tightening our purse strings):





While I'm waiting for my book to arrive,a nice distracting topic for discussion would be my favorite characters from both the HBO adaptation of Games of Thrones and the books themselves. As I mentioned earlier this week,Daenerys Targaryen is on the top of my list of fierce females from realm of Westeros,despite the fact she hasn't set foot in King's Landing yet.

Daenerys,aka Dany,is the last daughter of her House due to the uprising which lead to the death of her royal father known as "The Mad King" and most of her other blood relations.

Living in exile since birth with her nearly as insane brother,Dany has no taste for conquest but after gaining some much needed self worth and confidence from her arranged marriage to Dothraki warlord Drogo,she grows into her role as a queen in pursuit of her true kingdom. While her journey has not yet been completed,Daenerys has proven herself to be worthy of following:





Another young woman in search of her place in the world under pressure,Arya Stark is one of the few members of her noble family who has managed to survive the fallout from her father's unjustified execution.

Unlike her elder sister Sansa(who finds herself trapped by the very civility she was trained for),Arya has always been an independent spirit with no interest in being made into a "proper lady". She does have her fair share of emotional scars from her experiences and will probably acquire more before the last page has been written in this series. Yet,her trials and tribulations will fit into the massive framework of kingdoms won and lost in a very small but vital way,I suspect.

What ever her fate will ultimately be,there's no doubt that in the end Arya will make her first dancing master proud to have introduced her to the water dance:





Known as The Imp even to his closest relations,Tyrion Lannister would be the first to mock his status as the dwarf son of the proud and wealthy House of Lannister.

His humor and occasionally bawdy wit are more than verbal shields against a society that pays respect to him for his bloodline to his face but snickers behind his back;they are hallmarks of the sharp mind and cunning that Tyrion possesses in abundance.

Sadly,his merits are not appreciated even by his family and they're the first ones to blame Tyrion for many things that do go wrong. While he does have a few decent intentions,his dark nature does come forth at the worst moments to reek havoc upon himself and those eager to hold him back. Tyrion is loved and hated by many,especially those who know the truth of his father's vicious contempt for him:



Soon enough,I'll have my copy of A Dance With Dragons and will happily indulge in it's bountiful delights. Patience is a virtue and unlike those who have been waiting six years for this book to arrive,my place in line hasn't been quite as long.

Having something to look forward to keeps us sane amidst the daily madness,in my opinion,and I feel most assured that George R.R.Martin feels the same way:

The Movie Remake Train just keeps rolling along

While I am willing to admit that some of the remakes that come out of Hollywood these days are not all bad,the true gems amongst those cinematic rhinestones are few and far between. Perhaps my take on this subject is too harsh,so let's look over a handful of upcoming new versions of old favorites and see how they stack up.

First up is Rise of the Planet of the Apes,which goes for the reboot approach. Instead of apes being the domestic servants of humanity,we have a scientist(James Franco)testing out a cure for Alzheimer's by injecting a chimp named Caesar with an experimental drug that dramatically increases his intelligence.

When Caesar grows up and becomes too hard to handle for his human keepers,he's dumped back into a lab with his fellow test subjects,allowing him the opportunity to stage a rebellion. This concept is not half bad but it'll need a solid script and a steady hand on the wheel to make it more than just another Planet of the Apes knockoff:





Moving from the seventies to the eighties,Fright Night features Colin Farrell as Jerry,the new vampire next door ready to school his nosy young neighbor Charlie about privacy issues the gruesomely hard way.

The most recent trailers showcase Peter Vincent(played by David Tennant and made famous by Roddy McDowell),the mentor for Charlie in his quest to save his girlfriend and mother from the clutches of Jerry. In this version,Peter Vincent is sort of a Criss Angel type of entertainer,not my first choice for vampire slayer there.

The only improvement that I can pick up on here is in making Charlie's mom a little bit more of a developed character rather than the absent minded ditz from the original(it helps casting Toni Collette in the part). Beyond that,this fear flick seems more like the Thunderdome of bloodsport instead of the scary silly thrill ride many of us fondly recall:





Speaking of being stuck in the eighties,Footloose appears to be a very dated film to revive for a new generation. Despite making the whole "dancing is against the law" a matter of public safety in the small town of Bomont than a religious issue,this is still pretty hokey material to work with.

The real selling power of the original film was the music,with such hits as "Let's Hear It(For the Boy)","Holding out for a Hero" and of course,the title song. While some of those tunes will pop up in this new edition,it'll be up to the fresher set of songs on the soundtrack to help this remake worth picking up your Sunday shoes for:





And we go roaring back to the 1970s,with a remake of Sam Peckinpah's revenge classic Straw Dogs. James Marsden and Kate Bosworth take the roles originated by Dustin Hoffman and Susan George,as the big city couple who moves out into the country and is forced to mount a defense against the vicious gang of rural locals targeting them for trouble.

One of the main differences from the first film is that the locale is set in America instead of England. Also,the trailer seems to be suggesting a twisted love triangle between the urban wife and the leader of the local roughnecks(played by Alexander Skarsgard). I hope that I'm wrong about the second part,considering the horrific acts of violence against the lady of the house from the first time around.

Straw Dogs was a controversial movie in it's day and many film scholars still debate it's merits and flaws even nowadays. This remake has a lot to live up and if this is just an excuse to crank out another cheap thriller,that will be quite a disappointment as well as a waste of time and talent:



Well,the critics will have their say soon enough on all of these films and whether or not their opinions will hold sway with ticket buyers remains to be seen. The critics aren't always right but when they are,it can be devastating. That never stops Hollywood from doing the same thing over again but it can slow down a trend in it's tracks on occasion. Then again, one of the most classic of tropes is to rise from the ashes of failure and achieve success,so stranger things have happened,even for remakes:

The LRG's Top Five Fiercest Fantasy Heroines

Having taken more of an interest in fantasy literature over the past couple of years,I have found quite a number of my early expectations in this genre to be redefined,particularly when it comes to the women in these stories.

While some damsels in distress are on hand here,there are plenty of formidable females as well who can use either their wits,weapons or magic(in some cases,all three)to save the day just as well,if not better,as any man. Granted,I still have a ways to go in acquiring more knowledge in this field but I can name at least five fictional ladies who can do it for themselves:



5) KAHLAN AMNELL

In both the Sword of Truth novels by Terry Goodkind and it's short lived television series Legend of the Seeker,Kahlan has been one of the most compelling characters to the fans for her strength and vulnerability.

Born to be a "Confessor",her ability to take over the free will of others with a single touch has made Kahlan learn how to control her passions,even the deep love she feels for Richard,the Seeker that she has sworn to guide and protect. Yet,Kahlan is a loving,caring person who suffers as much from harsh decisions as does those directly affected by them.

However,do not be fooled into thinking that this Mother Confessor is an easy touch. When push comes to shove,Kahlan is a true force to be reckoned with:





4) MORGAINE

In most versions of the King Arthur legend,his half sister Morgan Le Fay is usually depicted as the villianess of the piece who gleefully encourages her son Mordred to undo all that his father has built.

That all changed with Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon,which sets it's sights upon the women behind the scenes who used their mystical power and influence to lead the men towards a better world.

Morgaine(as she's called here)does her best to unite the old ways of the Mother Goddess with the new faith growing amongst mortals in the world. In the end,however,her greatest strength lies in perseverance. By enduring the upheavals in her world and protecting what elements she could of the true essence of Avalon,Morgaine did her part to keep the spirit of the Goddess alive for generations to come:





3) PHEDRE no DELAUNEY and 2) MOIRIN

Since both of these next two fantasy females on the list are not only sprung from the mind of the same author,Jacqueline Carey,but one happens to be inspired by the other,I thought it best to showcase them side by side.

Phedre and her realm of Terre d'Ange was first introduced to us in Kushiel's Dart where this outcast gal made the most of her sensuous nature,spy training and her inherited ability to not only withstand pain but take some joy in it to defeat the enemies of the kingdom and become a strong leader of her people.



The original trilogy of Kushiel books has spawned two others,with the current one on deck featuring Moirin,another young woman born with magical gifts who journeys to Terre d'Ange in search of her true destiny.

Much like her passionate predecessor,Moirin is forced to choose between her heart and the fate of others in lands far from her birth home as in the newest installment Naamah's Blessing.

So far,none of Carey's riveting sagas have been adapted for film but perhaps with the positive public response given to HBO for Game of Thrones,maybe Phedre and Moirin will make their live action debuts on the small screen. That would be something to see,indeed:





1) DAENERYS TARGARYEN

Speaking of Game of Thrones,choosing only one strong female from the ranks of George R.R. Martin's continuing saga is not a simple task. There are many maidens of might on hand,from determined mother Lady Catelyn Stark to her lone wolf daughter Arya and the insanely ambitious Queen Cersei(plus a few others that will be seen on the TV series as time goes on).

The warrior woman that I care to champion,however,is Daenerys,the last princess of the House of Targaryen aka Stormborn,First of her Name. Within the mountains of pages in the Song of Ice and Fire novels and the first season of the HBO series,she has grown from the timid girl forced into marriage with a foreign warlord as the price for her mad abusive brother's dreams of conquest to a woman ready to claim her true birthright,fueled by the sorrows of her past and embracing the powers of her ancestors.

With the release of the next book in Martin's planned seven book saga,more should be known about Dany's progress towards the Iron Throne. When and if she does reach those shores,this Dragon Queen will make all tremble in her wake and that will be worth the price of admission,truly:





While not all fantasy series do right by every type of character,the same can be said of nearly every genre and it's best to encourage such examples of those once oppressed but now empowered by their differences.

Like most imaginative genres,fantasy has it's highs and lows in the pop culture spotlight and when a strong female figure rises up from the rest to acclaim,she may not necessarily need your support but it never hurts to give it:

James Patterson and Marshall Karp play a thrilling game of Kill Me If You Can

When struggling art student Matthew Bannon stumbles across an old fashioned black medical bag chock full of diamonds during a crazed moment in New York's Grand Central Station,he thinks that this is his lucky day.

Certainly luckier for him than for Walter Zelvas, the man those gems did belong to,a thug who was stealing them from the smugglers that he worked for.

Walter's deceit had not gone unnoticed by his bosses and the hitman hired to take him down,a legendary figure known only as The Ghost,had intended for his demise to be done as cleanly as possible. However,that perfect plan went to bloody pieces,leaving the diamonds up for grabs.

The Ghost is then charged to find the new diamond thief and his employer is extreme anxious to reclaim this stash worth over 13 million dollars. It's not just the money involved that causes such concern;it's the fact that these precious stones were stolen from some of the most dangerous mobsters in the world,the Russian syndicate:





In addition to the Ghost,a few other players are called into the hunt for Matthew that range from a pair of crooked cops to a deadly hit woman who loves to take things slow,especially the termination of her targets,and would happily add the Ghost to her list of accomplishments.

Matthew,however,is not a complete sitting duck here. Having combat experience from his time in the Marines along with a sense of urgency,he persuades his current lady love, Parsons art instructor Katherine Sanborne,to join him on a supposedly spur of the moment trip to Paris.

What awaits the two of them there is more than the usual romantic tourist attractions,as Matthew soon realizes that something more valuable than the diamonds he's found are at risk. In order to save Katherine and himself,he has to rally all of the resources that he has on hand while doing his best to stay one step ahead of those hot on his trail:





Kill Me If You Can was written by two prominent authors in the mystery/thriller genre,James Patterson and Marshall Karp. Patterson is best known for his numerous suspense series titles such as The Women's Murder Club and his most popular detective,Alex Cross. He's also done literary collaborations with other writers as well,like Michael Ledwidge and Neil McMahon.



Marshall Karp is no stranger to collaboration,having worked in Hollywood on numerous projects as writer and producer plus a stint in the advertising world. His Lomax and Biggs series of books follow along with two of the most entertaining detectives in L.A. as they use their wits and witticisms to catch some rather creative killers.

Having the two of them work together to make one good thriller was a true stroke of genre genius. The combination of Patterson's quick pacing with Karp's smart and snappy dialogue gives you a real roller-coaster ride of a read that is way better written than most of the popcorn action flicks slapped onto multiple screens at the multiplex these days.

Also,the plot twists and turns that crop up along the way are evened out with cleverly chosen moments of characterization that raise the game up to a whole other level of literary entertainment:



Kill Me If You Can will be available on August 29,quite a wait I know but one that is well worth it. If you're in the market for a late summer thriller that gives as good as it gets,this book is your golden ticket. James Patterson and Marshall Karp make for a great tag team and hopefully,this will not be their last literary romp together:

FLIPPING OUT FOR KARP



PATTERSON TAKES A FEW QUESTIONS

Rocco's Dinner Party slims down for summer,Food Network Star parties like it's 1776 and True Blood's Eric is spellbound

The theme of Rocco's Dinner Party this week was the "ultimate summer party",with an extra emphasis on healthy eating. The competing chefs for this episode,Jen and Ryan, had to make appetizers,entrees and dessert that had no more than 350 calories and eight grams of fat in each dish(that also included a cocktail).

Part of this was to promote Rocco's new diet cookbook,which is fine but a little self serving there at times. He even did a diet friendly demo for the chefs and had health conscious guests attend both parties such as Fitness magazine editor Betty Wong and celebrity personal trainer Joe Downdell.



Other guests included actor Chazz Palmintieri and comedian Jeffrey Ross,who had a couple of special requests. Jeff was hoping for more hearty fare and not a fan of seafood except for shrimp and lobster. Rocco said it was fine to make the kind of dishes that Jeff wanted but they had to stick to the set requirements of the rest of the meal for everyone else.



Ryan served first,in the intimate dining room,and his decor choices were fine but guest Jung Lee(a professional party planner)thought the look was "too busy." It was a bit much but the message/menu in a bottle gimmick at the table went over well.

Speaking of going over well,Jeffrey Ross loved the chicken salad that was made for him,using yogurt instead of mayo. Both chefs were smart enough to accommodate his needs(unlike last week)which made things a bit more even.



Most of the guests enjoyed Ryan's roasted scallop with watermelon salad and the cod that he served for the main course. His dessert didn't please any palates but neither did Jen's. Both chefs went for a fruit blend type of sweet treat yet clearly this is not their best end of the culinary ballpark.



Jen chose the terrace for her party and it was much more inviting,decorating wise. While her sniping at the wait staff and slow service at the start of the meal was less than appetizing,the matzoh brie that she made for Jeff won the group over. It was large enough for Jeff to share and everyone at the table loved it.



I'm convinced that the matzoh brie gave Jen the win,particularly since her barbecue pork tenderloin with rice and beans was a bust. The sauce on the meat tasted watery and bland,with one person comparing it to unflavored ketchup. Nonetheless,Jen claimed victory and the twenty grand prize for this round.



After being coached by Guy Fieri during a group filming of Diners,Drive-Ins and Dives, the remaining ten contenders on The Next Food Network Star were charged to rework some classic American dishes for a Fourth of July celebration.

Each person had to do an onstage demo before serving their food at their booth and some did better than others. Vic was especially great,wearing a goofy wig on his bald head which helped bring out the sweetness in his seemingly gruff exterior.



Penny was in her usual drama queen mode,constantly taking shots at people while complaining that everyone's out to get her(gee,I wonder why? NOT!).

Jyll,at one point during the judging,had enough of her nonsense and called her out for it and I don't blame her one bit. However,it was Justin D who went home for his awkward attempts at being more of a " big personality".

The poor guy did make an effort but it really felt forced. Next week,we'll have more Penny drama(I will be so glad to see her gone)and a food truck challenge with Tyler Florence that steams plenty of folks up. Perhaps a real food fight will break out,stay tuned!:





As Jason is getting a rude initiation into the werepanther clan and Sookie is still adjusting to the new changes in Bon Temps on True Blood,the big moment this week was Eric's visit to the new witches' coven in town.

Bill sent Eric to shut them down upon learning that the power to raise the dead is within their reach(something that vampires are naturally wary of)and Tara happened to be there,tagging along with Lafayette and Jesus which made things even more dicey.

Coven leader Marnie did have the nerve to step forward and challenge Eric's right to disband her group but wasn't as ready to whip out a magical defense on command. After Tara tried to help save Marnie,Lafayette joined the power circle that resulted in Marnie being briefly possessed by the spirit of a vanquished witch who laid the mind wipe on Eric good and proper there:



That spell saved their hides but having a powerful vampire wandering around with no idea of who or what he is can only lead to trouble. Sookie stumbled across him later that evening and it may be fortunate or unfortunate for them both here. Only one way to find out(beyond reading the books,that is):



RANDOM NOTES:



IN MEMORIAL: British actress Anna Massey passed away over the weekend,at the age of 73. While Ms. Massey did appear in feature films such as the cult classic Peeping Tom and the 2002 version of The Importance of Being Ernest,many of her performances were on the small screen.

Her television resume includes featured roles in miniseries such as 1974's The Pallisers,The Cherry Orchard in 1980 and 1985's Anna Karenina,along with appearances on mystery series such as Midsomer Murders and most recently on Agatha Christie's Inspector Poirot episodes.

My favorite Anna Massey performance was in the 1983 BBC miniseries Mansfield Park,where she played the obnoxious Aunt Norris to perfection. There are times when I read that book and can't help but hear her voice during certain passages. Part of the reason that this production is the only one that does the original novel justice is due to her presence,in my opinion.

Ms. Massey was a true gem in the crown of British acting and as we offer our condolences to her loved ones,I hope that many will seek out her work and cherish it as much as the rest of us do:

Beware the dance of spoilers cutting in on your Dance With Dragons

Author George R.R. Martin was mightily displeased to learn recently that Amazon's German distributors had shipped about 180 copies of the upcoming new book in his Song of Ice and Fire series,A Dance With Dragons,way before the official release date of July 12.

This incident has resulted in a flood of spoilers,some of which are false,all over the internet and threatens to ruin the enjoyment of discovery for many of the faithful fans of the books.

Since the last book in the series,A Feast for Crows,was released in 2005,this has been a rather long wait for those who were already enamored with the realm of Westeros long before the HBO miniseries had even begun. While I don't take Martin's comment about putting the head of the person who goofed up at Amazon on a pike seriously, I can see how metaphorically an author or a reader might at least want to give him/her a golden Viserys crown . After all,it's not as if this release date was a last minute surprise :





There are websites that are refusing to allow spoilers now because of this development along with many other folks out there insisting that they should just put the book out now for sale and be done with it.

As a former bookseller,I am willing to respect embargo dates and it would behoove the likes of Amazon to do the same. These dates aren't chosen to make the fans suffer but as part of a larger marketing and promotional plan for the book and it's author.

Not to mention that in this case,there are many new readers coming to these stories who need the time to catch up. I've only finished the first three books and will probably start on the fourth by the time my pre-ordered copy of ADWD is shipped out(my advance order was not placed with Amazon,by the way).

HBO's fierce push for the Game of Thrones show was very successful,especially since the production was nearly as great as the books are and combining those fanbases makes for a powerful pop culture force to be reckoned with,indeed:





Of course,it's not just impatient readers who are eager to spread the spoilers. Fantasy fans are a target for the malcontents amongst us who think it's the height of wit to ruin the fun for "geeks". A lot of these same people wouldn't be happy if one of their interests was mocked in this manner but then again,some of these folks are not the most introspective types to begin with.

Harry Potter fans have had to deal with this not only online but up close and in person,as these pranksters loved to crash midnight release parties and shout out spoilers to the waiting crowds from moving cars. Sort of the verbal equivalent of mooning,only without the added air of sophistication.

I wouldn't advise them to try that with GOT people,since they're more likely to carry swords than wands and while I'm not suggesting that anyone should get physically harmed here,teasing does have it's consequences(if you haven't read the last Potter book,don't watch the following video-you have been warned):



The best thing that anyone can do about this literary leakage is avoid what spoilers you can and take those that might cross your path with a huge grain of salt. In the grand scheme of things,this is far from being the worst event to have happened and if you let it bother you too much,the bad guys win. Besides,we still have a long ways to go with The Song of Ice and Fire and the journey tends to be the most entertaining part of the trip:

Sing a song of swearing

In 1972, George Carlin proclaimed that there were seven dirty words that you couldn't say on television and so far,a good number of them have managed to make it to the airwaves(via regular network or basic cable).

He didn't included recorded music but most of those notorious words are also frowned upon there as well,mainly for radio friendly music like pop and country. However,profanity has slowly but surely slipped it's way into the mainstream,with Cee Lo Green actually getting several Grammy nominations for what the academy had to call "The Song" on the televised award show(it did win one award that night at least).

This phenomenon is an interesting pop culture development and while I don't quite have all seven of the words on Carlin's list represented here,this set of singalong swears should shed a little more light on the subject:



DAMN- This word is relatively mild in the curse word pantheon yet at one time,it was shocking to hear Clark Gable utter it at the end of Gone With The Wind.

By 1992,it was safe enough for Sophie B. Hawkins to use in the title of the single from her first album,Tongues and Tails. "Damn,I Wish I Was Your Lover" was a Top Ten hit more so overseas than in the U.S.,which still says something about the power of this meek little profanity:





HELL- This term,whether you tell a person that it should be their proper destination or not,does raise a few eyebrows which is probably why it was perfectly suited for the finale number of the cult flick Phantom of the Paradise.

"The Hell of It" is a sardonically charming send-off for many of the devious characters in that piece and strangely enough,Paul Williams was allowed to perform on such wholesome variety shows as The Brady Bunch Variety Hour and the second season premiere of the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mystery series:





BITCH-Granted, Elton John paved the way for this one with his now classic The Bitch is Back but Meredith Brooks kicked down the door on this baby in 1997 with her simply titled "Bitch".

DJs were nervous about playing this ode to female empowerment on the air and it was censored in many places. Yet, the music video for Bitch wasn't shy about letting Brooks declare her emotional independence as loudly as she wanted to:





ASSHOLE-While this word wasn't on Carlin's list,it's use was pretty shocking back in 1989 when Andrew Dice Clay uttered during the live showing of the MTV Music Video Awards. Clay was never known for his verbal restraint to begin with but that slip of the tongue helped to open the floodgates for this term.

A better comedian,Denis Leary,actually had a song titled "Asshole"(from his first major comedy album and show No Cure For Cancer)that was popular enough to actually get airplay on MTV,mainly in an edited version. The uncensored version is the one that his fans naturally prefer,of course:





FUCK YOU- This zippy phrase has been in vogue quite a bit lately,with Doctor Dre as well as Cee Lo Green making full use of it but I wanted to highlight Lily Allen's perky take on it.

Her "Fuck You" is sweetly done,with a pointed focus on those who deal in hate mongering on a daily basis. It's hard not to imagine a group of well dressed ladies on their way to a Sunday tea party singing this little ditty at a polite protest rally or two:



If this musical rendition of blue language has given you the blues,I do apologize but you have to admit that these words do exist and are used commonly throughout our society.

To ignore them or spackle over them at all times is foolish and while I do agree that they don't need to be spoken upon every occasion,the social barriers against them are no longer as powerful as they used to be. You could sigh and reminisce about the good old days when such language wasn't tolerated in public but keep in mind just how "good" those days actually were and be thankful for what authentic civility we do have left: