February 9th's Weekly TV Thoughts

It's the first week of February sweeps, and we have several shows MIA.  I guess that usually happens thanks to special stuff on Sundays, but it seems funny to me.

Arrow – The most fun I’ve had watching Arrow in a while.  The documentary was fun, and letting us seeing some previous characters was a hoot.  Plus they still worked some forward movement into the episode plus gave us something on the flash forward.  Still need digging the future, but I was impressed with how they did it.  A great 150^th episode.

The Flash – Iris was so stupid!  It was fun to see Barry and Ralph working together without their powers.  They made a very good team.  But the most fun for me was seeing Sherlock with his exes and current love interest.  I wonder if they will be doing more with her.  Apparently, they have starred together several times in the past, but I’ve seen them teamed up in the Hallmark Darrow and Darrow movies.

The Masked Singer – They’ve been saying Ricki Lake all season for Raven, or at least for a few weeks, so I wasn’t surprised when that’s who it turned out to be.  I’m glad Dr. Ken isn’t the “reigning champion” any more.  He’s pretty annoying.

Suits – Yes, my favorite part of that episode was Harvey calling Mike at the end of the episode.  I miss him, too.  I miss him more than Rachel, but I always saw Mike and Harvey as the central relationship of the series.  I hope Katrina and Brian are able to work together now and we’ve worked through that story line.  As you know, I’ve been worried about it all season.  Glad they are paying back the money the investment fund lost.

The Big Bang Theory – I figured Penny would change her mind about having kids by the end of the season.  I’m sad we won’t get to see them as parents.  Sheldon and Amy either.  I know she hasn’t said yes yet, but I think that is where they are going to go.  I feel badly for Howard not getting to go on the plane, but that was a very funny outcome to that story line.

Book Review: Murder on Lenox Hill by Victoria Thompson (Gaslight Mysteries #7)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Characters and changes in their lives

Cons: Plot is predictable

The Bottom Line:

Predictable plot

Still good to see characters

Mixed book overall

My First Disappointment in This Series

Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten very hooked on the Gaslight Mystery by Victoria Thompson.  Each book is usually a fun trip back in time to 1890’s New York City, and the leads are wonderful characters.  It’s been a few months since I was last able to visit them, so I was really looking forward to reading Murder on Lenox Hill.  Sadly, it was the first true stumble for the series.

It’s a cold winter’s day when midwife Sarah Brandt is summoned to the Linton home.  When she arrives, it is to discovered they are worried about their daughter Grace.  While biologically almost a young woman, mentally she is still a child.  And yet, her parents think she is pregnant.  Sarah’s examination confirms their suspicions, but Grace never leaves them.  How could this have happened to her?  Who would take advantage of her like that?

Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy has been summoned to see Sarah’s father.  Mr. Decker wants Frank to work further on his investigation into the murder of Sarah’s husband, Tom.  Decker insists that Tom was not that man that Sarah thought he was, and he is certain that this investigation will help Sarah learn the truth.  Is Decker correct?  Can Frank find the truth while sparing Sarah from any pain?

You’ll noticed I didn’t mention anything about a current murder in my teaser.  Yes, we do get a dead body before the book is over, but it comes very late in the proceedings.  However, there is plenty of mystery and story before that happens, and it does a good job of setting up suspects, so we are able to jump right in.

Unfortunately, I found the plot fairly predictable.  I am often a plot point ahead of Sarah and Frank as I read these books, but this one was fairly obvious from the start.

However, the characters were definitely a redeeming feature of the book for me.  Tom Brandt’s murder has been an on-going storyline since the series began, and we definitely got some interesting twists to the story here.  While the romance between Frank and Sarah continues to be a very slow burn, there are some interesting developments in other areas.  In fact, that final scene will have fan scrambling to find the next book in the series to find out what happens next.

As you’ve probably guessed, there are some more delicate things usually avoided in the cozies I read that are part of the story here.  Given the characters involved, they are still handled without getting into any details.  Just know there are some sensitive subjects discussed here and you should be fine.

Fans will need to read Murder on Lenox Hill to find out what is happening in the lives of these characters.  But if you are new to the series, definitely don’t pick up this book since it would be a very disappointing introduction to a usually fine series.

Looking for more books in the series?  Here are the rest of the Gaslight Mysteries.

This book is part of this week's Friday's Forgotten Books.

Disney Pin Review: Wisdom Collection Pennant

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great way to display pin sets

Cons: It, and the writing, are big

The Bottom Line:

Banner for your pins

Large size, will it hold them all?

Great quote in middle

A Pennant for Your Wisdom Pins

When The Disney Store announced their new Wisdom Collection this year, they also announced a limited edition pennant to go with it.  I would have been tempted to get it anyway, but then I saw that it had one of my (many) favorite quotes from Walt Disney on it.

The banner is large.  It is 14 inches wide and 17 inches long at its longest point.  The wooden dowel at the top has Mickey heads on both sides.  It’s an off-white color with a border of a rainbow of colors running around the outside.  And right in the middle is the quote stitched in calligraphy.  “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”  That sums up Disney’s life so well, doesn’t it?

And this sold with a bonus pin.  It’s the same quote on a Mickey head.  Honestly, even if I didn’t want the banner, I think I’d want this pin.  However, the pin was only available if you bought the pennant.  Fortunately, I wanted both.

The Wisdom Collection pin sets are going to be coming out once a month in 2019, and I’m assuming they will be like the first two sets, which have three pins each.  That means this pennant will need to have room for 37 pins on it if you are going to have the entire collection on it.  Admittedly, we are only one month into these sets being released, but I’m wondering if they will all fit since the quote takes up a lot of room in the middle.  But there just might be room around the sides and the top for all the pins to fit.  It will be tight if they do.  If not, then the 12 pins with the quotes should fit no problem.

I keep going back to the size.  It’s big.  But if it is going to have any hope of holding all the pins, it will have to be.  The quote could be a little smaller and then all the pins would fit for sure.

I’m going to have to figure out where to hang this in my condo.  It’s definitely going on a wall somewhere so I can enjoy it full time.  This pennant is a great way to display the complete Disney Wisdom collection.

Movie Review: Rent Live!

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: Great music, acting, and singing

Cons: Characters behavior is extremely hard to get behind.

The Bottom Line:

This iconic show

Gets a great live performance

But characters ruin

A Contrary Review of the Musical of My Generation

I’ve always enjoyed musicals, so I remember hearing about Rent in the late 1990’s.  At the time, it was the musical that everyone was dying to see.  When I heard what it was about, I decided to skip it, so I never saw the touring cast or the original movie.  However, I finally gave in and watched the recent Rent – Live! Production that Fox aired.  As I expected, I didn’t care for it, but not for the reasons I expected to.

The musical tells the story of a group of friends in New York City.  Act 1 all takes place on Christmas Eve 1991, and Act 2 follows them over the next 12 months.  We first meet Mark Cohen (Jordan Fisher), a videographer, and Roger Davis (Brennin Hunt), a musician.  They are roommates and struggling to make ends meet.  Heck, they can’t even pay the rent.  Slowly, we are introduced to their circle of friends and loves.  There’s neighbor Mimi (Tinashe), a drug addict, Mark’s ex-girlfriend Maureen (Vanessa Hudgens), a performance artist planning an act for that night.  There’s Maureen’s current girlfriend, Joanne (Kiersey Clemons).  We get to witness their friend Tom (Brandon Victor Dixon) meet the love of his life, trans person Angel (Valentina).  Rounding out the group is Ben (Mario), a former roommate who married into the family that owns their building.  And four of these people are HIV positive.  How will that impact them this night and going through 1992?

Like with last year’s Jesus Christ Superstar in Concert, the set was mainly steel scaffolding, although there were more sets than we saw last year.  This allowed the actors to freely move from one area to another.  It’s a look that takes a little getting used to, especially when watching a filmed version instead of a play on stage, but I soon got lost in the story.

The music is pretty good.  This is a rock musical, and most of the story is told in song, with very little spoken dialogue between the numbers.  Some of the songs are fun, and some are beautiful.  Some are even heartbreaking.  I can certainly understand why people love it so much.

I’ve never seen the original cast, but I am familiar with a few members of this cast.  I thought they were all great in their various roles.  They pulled me in, and their voices were strong.  Just about everyone gets a chance to shine, and they all take full advantage of their moments.

Unfortunately, the live audience detracts from that some.  There are times they are cheering a performance or a favorite song, drowning out the actor or actress singing.  It really bugs me and detracts from the show for me.

This was advertised as being live, and it almost was.  The night before, Brennin Hunt broke his ankle at the final dress rehearsal.  Fortunately, they were filming it, and they were able to use that dress rehearsal footage for most of the show.  The final 15 minutes, including appearances by the original cast, is still live.  Honestly, that didn’t bother me one way or the other, just an interesting note.

So far, it’s sounding like I enjoyed it, right?  And I can easily see why it is so iconic and so beloved.  This was one of the few pieces of entertainment to really deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in any meaningful way, or at least ones that have reached this level of status in pop culture.  It is powerful.  I felt myself chocking up multiple times in the final hour of the show as things start to turn tragic for the characters.  As I’ve already said, the songs are fun, and some of them are powerful.

I had avoided the show because I had heard the character’s lives don’t reflect my values.  And that was certainly an issue for me.  I am a Christian, so I’m sure you can see where I would have issues with how the characters are living their lives.  There’s one song in particular in the second act that I didn’t enjoy.  I understand that some of the lines had been changed, and the “F” word was taken out since this was airing on network TV.  But that’s not my biggest issue with the show.

There are three main couples in this piece.  (Poor Mark, our window into their world, is single for the entire thing.)  Of those couples, only one shows any real love or devotion to each other over the course of the show.  And they are a very minor couple.  The two couples we see the most of are constantly fighting.  They don’t trust each other.  Yet we are supposed to believe all these characters are great friends?  And we are supposed to root for at least one of these characters to have a happy ending?  Personally, I was rooting they would grow up enough to realize how bad their relationships were and break up permanently.

So, I recommend Rent – Live! only for people like me who are curious about the play.  It’s a good way to get the story.  But the story and characters themselves keep me from really recommending it, even recognizing why it is so beloved.

Book Review: Manuscript for Murder by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land (Murder, She Wrote #48)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Page turning plot

Cons: Darker for franchise; characters mean to each other

The Bottom Line:

Jessica in race

Caught in political plot

Average result

Is Jessica Reading a Motive for Murder?

Last year, I finally read my first Murder, She Wrote novel even though I’ve been a fan of the TV series for years.  I enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to reading Manuscript for Murder, the newest in the series.  Unfortunately, I had a mixed reaction to it.

Jessica Fletcher is in New York City for the launch of her newest book.  As a result, she has a run in with Thomas Rudd.  The two authors share the same publisher, but Rudd doesn’t have nice things to say about Lane Barfield.  Rudd thinks that Lane is skimming money off his royalties.  Jessica finds it hard to believe, but she decides to look into it.

However, before Jessica can fully do that, both Rudd and Lane are dead.  And Jessica begins to think that the motive is the political thriller that Lane asked her to read.  Is that as crazy as it sounds?  Or is Jessica now in danger herself?

Without giving too much away (beyond what the title implies), this book turns into a political thriller to rival the one that Jessica is reading.  It’s definitely different territory for the franchise (at least based on the TV show), but I quickly got caught up in the action.  There was so much danger, I devoured the book as quickly as I could to find out how Jessica was going to survive it all.

Along the way, the book turns the franchise very gray.  I wouldn’t call it fully dark, but some of the twists and turns of the plot definitely were darker than anything we would normally find on the show.  These bothered me at the time and are still bothering me now.

What bothers me more is how Jessica interacted with some of the other characters.  We get plenty of recurring characters like Harry McGraw and Artie Gelber, not to mention Mort and Seth back in Cabot Cove.  However, none of these characters really seem to get along.  I suspect that the author was going for teasing, but instead it comes across as mean.  Mind you, these are all characters I looked forward to seeing on the show since I loved seeing Jessica interacting with them.  They were friends.  Here, they don’t really come across as friends.

And there’s the fact that we really have two different plots.  I can’t even say one is a sub-plot since it really gets dropped.  This book actually would have worked better if it had focused on the story the author really wanted to tell.

This is a hard book to rate as a result.  On the one hand, I was racing through it, but on the other, I was deeply disappointed with aspects of it.

If you are a fan of Murder, She Wrote, there is no reason to rush out and read Manuscript for Murder.  If it is a sign that Jon Land is planning to take the series darker, maybe I will stick with my DVD set when I want to revisit Jessica Fletcher.  Or try to read the earlier novels.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Ornament Review: Tie Fighter - 2018 Hallmark Star Wars Storyteller Ornament

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Looks great

Cons: Too loud, sound effects only sound

The Bottom Line:

This great looking piece

Adds little to total show

But does it loudly

This Tie Fighter Adds Little to the Star Wars Storyteller Set, but It Does So Loudly

In 2017, Hallmark introduced the first three of seven planned ornaments in a Hallmark Star Wars Storytellers series that feature sounds clips from the original movie.  2018 saw the release of the next two ornaments (with the final two coming later this year).  Sadly, the Tie Fighter ornament is the weakest of this series so far.

The ornament itself looks good.  It perfectly captures a tie fighter from the Star Wars movies.  They’ve even included grooves and patterns in the sides just like the real ships have.  It is larger than a typical Hallmark ornament, but not so bad that it takes up too much real estate.

This and other Storytellers ornaments plug into Hallmark’s Power Cord, also introduced in 2017.  That allows it to put on a show, and the more ornaments you buy in the Star Wars set, the longer the show lasts as the ornaments build on each other and unlock new moments.

Here’s where this ornament disappoints.  It doesn’t add much to the overall show.  Instead, it contributes sound effects when the other ornaments are doing the fight scenes from the movie.  On its own, it just contributes a moment where a commander is telling troops to head into battle.  It lasts all of 15 seconds.  Okay, so there aren’t really any scenes that take place on a tie fighter that should have been included, so it doesn’t surprise me in one way.  But it is still a bit disappointing.

Worse yet, it is the loudest ornaments, so the sound effects drown out the others when they are actually trying to say something.  That means you need to keep this one away from the others.  Fortunately, you can do this easily since you don’t have to have all the ornaments on the same cord for them to work.  You could plug this one in across the room and get the effects without them overwhelming everything thing else.

These ornaments do include light, too, that flash when the ornament is contributing to the show.  There is a light in the cockpit of this ornament.  It doesn’t add too much, but it is something.

You could set this ornament out, although I wouldn’t want to trust the wings to hold it up long term.  However, when you go to hang this ornament on your tree, you’ll find that it hangs straight.

I really am disappointed with the Tie Fighter ornament.  While I looks great, I wish it contributed something meaningful to the Star Wars Storytellers set.

Original Price: $39.99

Disney Mug Review: Dumbo - Disney Wisdom Collection #1

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Great mug with a fun quote

Cons: Might be a little wide for most dishwashers

The Bottom Line:

A mug with a quote

Very blue; really looks great

So series starts well

Inspiration from a Mug

I have a number of mugs that I've collected over the years.  Some are souvenirs, but quite a few are Disney related.  So when I saw the mugs that are part of the Disney Wisdom Collection, I knew I had to get them, starting with Dumbo.

Each mug in this series will feature a different inspiring quote from a different Disney movie.  They kicked things off with a quote from Dumbo.  "The very things that held you down are going to carry you up, up, up!"  This is a quote from Timothy as he is encouraging Dumbo to fly again when they are both awake.  This quote is on one side of the mug.  It's mainly written in a dark blue, but a couple of key words are in red.  Plus we've got the magic feather hiding in there in yellow.  The other side of the mug features Dumbo and Timothy.  While Timothy is trying to encourage Dumbo to try flying again, Dumbo is looking at the magic feather in doubt.

Each mug in this series will be a different color, and this one is mostly a light baby blue.  Even the characters are mostly light blue, with darker blue, black, and white helping us see them.  It's a bit of a different look for the characters, but it works here and I love it.

I was a bit worried about how much the mugs would hold, but I've been pleasantly surprised.  While it is short, it is wide, allowing plenty of liquid to sit in there quite easily.  I’m sure the official size is 16 oz., but I put 14 oz. in with no issues of spilling.  It's width might make it a little more awkward of a fit into your dishwasher, but for me that's a minor issue.  And yes, it is dishwasher and microwave safe.

And the quote itself is inspiring, a reminder that we need to look for the positive in any given situation.  Not all the quotes are as good, in my opinion, but this one is great.

I'm not quite sure what I will do with all twelve mugs in the series storage wise, but I must get them.  Dumbo starts things off very nicely.

Disney Pin Review: Dumbo - Disney Wisdom Collection #1

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Unique look really works, great quote

Cons: None

The Bottom Line:

New series kicks off

Great quote; pretty blue color

This pin set is great

Disney Kicks Off a New Collection with an Uplifting Quote

I managed to avoid the limited series that the Disney Store released last year for Mickey's 90th birthday because what they were releasing didn't really appeal to me.  However, as soon as I saw the collection for 2019, I knew I was doomed.  The Wisdom Collection will feature inspiring quote from various Disney movies, and these quotes and characters from the movie will be featured in plush, pins, journals, and mugs.  They started with a quote from Dumbo, and this pin set is wonderful.

The quote they chose comes from Timothy when he first realizes that Dumbo can fly.  "The very things that held you down are going to carry you up, up, up!" is featured on one of the pins in this three pin set.  Dumbo, naturally, is featured in the second.  He's holding his magic feather and looking like he doesn't believe a thing he's been told.  Timothy himself is on the third, and you can just picture him saying this line to encourage Dumbo.

Each entry in this series is going to have a theme color, and this month's color is blue.  Specifically, it is a pretty baby blue.  All three pins are predominately that color.  The two characters feature a darker shade of blue as well as white and black for outlining and accents.  The quote is in darker blue with some key words emphasized in red, and the magic feather shows up in the quote’s pin in yellow.  Individually, all three pins are typical Disney pin size.

And I love them.  While they don't look exactly like the characters because of the color choices, they are easy to identify, and the color scheme is fun.  In fact, with all the pins from the collection together, they are doing to look amazing.

While I don't love all the quotes they've chosen, this one definitely makes me smile.  Yes, the things we think are struggles can be blessings if we remember to look for the good and are willing to think outside the box.  As a Christian, this even echoes scriptures that talk about God using the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  Yes, even the things that we think held us down.  This is always a good reminder.

So the new Disney Wisdom Collection is off to a fantastic start with Dumbo.  I can't wait to get the rest of the sets as the year progresses.

February 2nd's Weekly TV Thoughts

Happy Groundhog Day!  Here, to distract you for the fact that we've got more winter no matter what he saw, are my weekly TV thoughts.

American Ninja Warrior USA Vs. the World – What a competition.  I’m surprised that Europe didn’t do better.  In fact, I started rooting for them.  Australia was very impressive.  But I’m glad the trophy is back here in the states.

Supergirl – My biggest question with Nia is how she is going to have these powers since they are passed on to a woman.  And the writers addressed it in this episode by making this plot hole a hateful thing that her sister says to her.  Sorry, but it is a very good question.

Arrow – It’s nice to see Oliver admitting his family’s mistakes in such a public way.  He’s been growing in this way for a while now, but I like seeing it continue.  I’m also enjoying Laurel’s continued redemption.  And seeing her working with others is great.  I see where Curtis is coming from, but I think I’m okay with the bombs in their brains.  Really makes someone want to cooperate, you know?  And considering who they are using for this, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for them.

The Flash – Is Nora’s mission as cut and dry as we thought?  Is she warming up to her parents, or has she truly been trying to help them all along?  I certainly love seeing her relationship with Iris improving.  And I loved Barry in the Flash museum.  Sherlock definitely knows what is going on, but how long until the rest of the crew knows.

The Masked Singer – Tori Spelling had been the suspect I’d read several times for the unicorn, so I wasn’t super surprised when it was her.  I never knew she could sing, so I’m impressed.  And again, definitely not someone known for their singing.  The strongest contestant we’ve lost to date.

Suits – I’m so glad that Katrina and Brian did the right thing.  I really do hope this storyline dies there.  I fear it won’t, but I hope it does.  It would be nice to see a character to the right thing and stick with it for a change instead of wind up doing the right thing eventually.  Which brings us to Louis and Harvey.  It would be nice if they could act like adults upon occasion.

The Big Bang Theory – Rather average episode.  The Sheldon/Howard/Bernadette had potential but it didn’t live up to expectations.  I thought the funniest part was Stuart’s scenes in the comic book store.

The Orville – That was fun.  Definitely out there, but it was so much fun.  I’d thought that Claire seemed to be developing feelings for Isaac, so it was nice to know I wasn’t crazy.  And I like how, once again, they are building on things from last season.  It will be interesting to see where they go with this, but the episode itself was a lot of fun.

Movie Review: Mystery 101

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Twists and turns to the mystery, fun characters

Cons: A Hallmark movie, but light on the usual cheese

The Bottom Line:

Campus mystery

Filled with twists, clues, red herrings

Lots of fun to watch

“You and I Are Used to Mysteries That Live on the Page.  This is Different.”

Of the two new Hallmark mystery movies in January, I was looking forward to Mystery 101 more.  The premise of the movie – a college professor who is an expert in fictional mysteries getting involved in a case – intrigued me.  Then I found out that Lee Goldberg co-wrote the script, and I was sold since I’ve enjoyed his books for years.  I was not disappointed.

Amy Winslow (Jill Wagner) teaches English, but her favorite class is the one that focuses on mysteries.  One of her star students this semester is Lacey, but on this particular Monday, she isn’t able to focus.  Her boyfriend, Rex, has been missing all weekend.  Amy is concerned, but when Lacey then also goes missing, Amy begins to try to track the students down.

Unfortunately, Detective Travis Burke (Kristoffer Polaha) doesn’t seem too interested in the case until Amy uncovers a threat made to Rex.  Will the two be able to figure out what happened before tragedy strikes?  Or are they already too late?

The mystery is twisty, with plenty of suspects and motives to go around.  In fact, there are so many events, clues, and red herrings that they kept making me forget my theories.  It took Amy to explain how everything that happened fit together, and things did tie up neatly.

Amy loves mysteries.  It helps that her father, Graham, writes a bestselling series.  As a result, we get occasional references to some of the classics of the genre.  I thought the movie might have more references than it did, but it really didn’t need them.  They were sprinkled throughout in a fun way without overshadowing the current case.  And we don’t need anything taking away from the case Amy and Travis are investigating.  Trust me, the film needed all that time for the plot to unfold.  Travis isn’t a fan of mystery novels, so any references people might not get are explained in a natural way (which I appreciated a time or two).  This difference of opinion over mystery novels also adds even more to his relationship with Amy.

And their relationship was a fun element in the movie.  Amy claims to have no interest in Travis, but the rest of us can see the sparks flying.  I want to see more of them together, but all the characters are charming and I hope we get to visit all of them again soon.

This is the spot where I typically enter my Hallmark cheese warning.  To be honest, it was kept to a rock bottom minimum this time around.  The writing was sharp and the acting good.  There were still a few moments, but this is definitely on the light side.

So if you’ve missed the movie, now is the time to enroll in Mystery 101.  Personally, this is one class I hope is in session for years to come.