The Music of My Life
Neil Sedaka
CD ($11.98)
The prolific singer-songwriter behind dozens of pop hits, including “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,” “Love Will Keep Us Together” and “Laughter In The Rain,” headed back to the studio after a decade-long hiatus to create this gorgeous collection of reflective pop ballads, do-wop delights and soaring love songs. Calling on six decades of influences, emotions and creative touchstones, Sedaka, now 71, shows he’s still got the ageless musical mojo that once helped fuel the careers of Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Cher and dozens of other singing stars.
—Neil Pond, American Profile
Amelia
DVD ($29.99)
Hillary Swank stars in this high-flying biopic of the groundbreaking female aviator Amelia Earhart. Even knowing how it ends---with an ill-fated flight into the history books---doesn’t diminish the drama of how she earned her wings, her long marriage to a supportive publishing mogul (Richard Gere) or her alleged affair with another pilot (a dashing Ewan McGregor). Extras include a making-of doc plus Movietone News Reels of the real Earhart and her record-setting achievements.
—Neil Pond, American Profile
Vampire Forensics
By Mark Jenkins
Hardcover, 303 pages ($25)
Vampires are hot again on TV and movies, but they’ve been around virtually forever. In this entertaining, engrossing and enlightening look at the history, folklore, superstition and science behind the enduring concept of immortal creatures that have to constantly refuel with human blood, the former chief archive historian of the National Geographic Society creatively combs through the lore and the legend.
—Neil Pond, American Profile
Alice in Wonderland
DVD ($19.98)
Facing bankruptcy in 1933, Paramount Pictures herded most of its star stable---including Cary Grant, Clark Gable, W.C. Fields and Richard Arlen---into this live-action remake of the Lewis Carroll fantasy masterpiece. But it fizzled at the box office because almost none of the cast was recognizable behind the heavy makeup and crazy costumes. Now available for the first time on DVD, it’s a closet classic certainly worth checking out to see this ambitious, strange and now almost forgotten all-star misfire.
—Neil Pond, American Profile
