Written by Jon Williams
On Monday,
the prestigious Pulitzer Prizes were awarded by Columbia University. While most
closely associated with journalism (being named after newspaper publisher
Joseph Pulitzer), Prizes are also awarded in several literary categories, in addition
to one for music.
This year’s
fiction and non-fiction awards went to a pair of incredibly deserving books. The
Goldfinch, released in October, was Donna Tartt’s first novel in eleven
years, following up 2002’s The Little
Friend (currently out of print). The Goldfinch opens with the main
character, teenaged Theo, surviving a terrorist bombing (which claims the life
of his mother) at an art museum, and follows as the repercussions of that day
reverberate throughout his life. Tartt is an interesting figure in the literary
world, shunning interviews and fame and producing new books only rarely; The Goldfinch is just her third novel,
with the first being published in 1992.
In the
non-fiction category, this year’s Prize went to Dan Fagin for his book Toms
River: A Story of Science and Salvation. Toms River, New Jersey, is a
town renowned for its propensity for sending youngsters to play in the Little
League World Series. It has another history, though, as home to a cancer
cluster that in 2001 was legally linked to a pattern of toxic dumping. Fagin
brings to light the story of how that judgment came about, including the
deception of those who kept the dumping going on for so long and the struggles
of those who had to live with the consequences of their actions.
With their
wins, these authors have etched their names in history alongside a number of
well-known books both classic and contemporary. In just the past ten years,
Pulitzer Prizes for fiction have gone to such books as A
Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (2011), Olive
Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (2009), and The
Road by Cormac McCarthy (2007), just to name a few. Since the award was
first given in 1918, winners have included The
Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (1928), The
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1940), The
Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk (1952), The
Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (1952), To
Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1961), A
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (1981), Beloved
by Toni Morrison (1988), and The
Hours by Michael Cunningham (1999).
Again, this
is just a small sampling of the many wonderful and beloved books that have won
the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction over the years. Still more have won for
non-fiction, in the general category as well as for history and biography. For
a full selection of Pulitzer Prize winners available from CVS Midwest Tape,
SmartBrowse ‘Pulitzer Prize’ on our homepage.
Written by Jon Williams
Now here's something we all can enjoy. Coming to the TNT network later this year, a new TV series called The
Librarians will
continue the story of the highly successful movie trilogy whose installments
have aired on the network in 2004, 2006, and 2008, respectively.
The movies
starred Noah
Wyle (of ER
fame) as scholar Flynn Carsen, who’s hired for a post at the Metropolitan
Library. Once ensconced in this new job, he must undertake an action-packed Da Vinci
Code-type quest to solve cryptic clues to retrieve and then protect a
collection of powerful objects and artifacts. He is joined in all three films
by Jane
Curtin and Bob
Newhart, who serve as his mentors in his role as the Librarian.
In the first
film, Quest
for the Spear, Carsen first takes the job as Librarian and discovers
what his new role entails. Soon, a piece of the Spear of Destiny is stolen by
Edward Wilde ( Kyle
MacLachlan), the previous Librarian, and Wyle’s character must recover it
and track down the remaining two pieces to keep them out of the hands of evil.
The second installment, Return
to King Solomon’s Mines, features an amulet that is key to the
discovery of the Book of Solomon, which in turn gives its possessor the power
to control space and time. Finally, in The
Curse of the Judas Chalice, Carsen must try and keep the fabled chalice
from a powerful, ancient vampire.
The Librarians will pick up where the
last movie left off. While Wyle will appear in his role as Flynn Carsen, he’ll
be joined by four new recruits brought in to assist in a role that is growing
far too unwieldy for just one person to handle. Chief among the newcomers will
be Eve Baird, played by Rebecca
Romijn. While both Curtin and Newhart will also be returning, the new
ringleader for this group of librarians will be played by veteran actor John
Larroquette. This group will be opposed by the Serpent Brotherhood that was
led by Kyle MacLachlan in the first film, now headed by a mysterious figure
named Dulaque, played by Matt
Frewer.
While these
characters’ jobs may be slightly out of line from what’s typically expected of
a librarian, we say that anything to draw attention to public libraries is a
good thing. While no premiere date has been set, look for the first of the
series’ ten episodes to air before the end of 2014.
Written by Jon Williams
Speaking of
TV singing competitions, here comes one with a twist.
Premiering
on Saturday, May 31, ABC’s Sing Your Face
Off will not feature an unknown cast of varying talents vying for fame and
recording contracts. Instead, it will feature a number of celebrities who will
attempt to bring an iconic singer or pop star (such as Lady
Gaga or Luciano
Pavarotti) to life through individual performances. This is not limited to
the choice of song, but will be judged also on criteria such as mannerisms and
incorporation of signature dance movies, for instance. If the show stays true
to its inspiration, the international hit Your
Face Sounds Familiar, the performer each contestant must impersonate will
be randomly selected each week.
The five
people selected to complete on this show reflect a wide range of celebrity
backgrounds. One contestant will be NBA star Landry Fields, who plays for the
Toronto Raptors. His fellow performers come from more conventionally related
fields in the entertainment industry. One is actress Lisa
Rinna, best known for her roles on Days
of Our Lives and Melrose
Place. She’ll be joined by fellow actor and comedian Jon
Lovitz, a Saturday
Night Live alumnus who has appeared in a number of movies and TV shows
in addition to voiceover work and Broadway shows. Combining the acting and
music worlds is China Anne McClain, best known for starring in the Disney
Channel series A.N.T. Farm and
performing on the soundtrack.
Rounding out the cast is rocker Sebastian Bach, who fronted the band Skid Row
in their late-eighties/ early-nineties
heyday and his since embarked on a solo
career.
Of course,
as with any singing show, its success will depend as much on the judges as it
does on the cast. Sing Your Face Off’s
regular panel of judges will consist of two members. On the musical/singing
side there’s Debbie
Gibson, the ‘80s pop sensation who first hit #1 with her 1988 single
“Foolish Beat.” Judging other aspects of the performances will be Darrell
Hammond, another SNL alum known
for his hilarious impressions of various well-known figures. The show is also
scheduled to have a number of celebrity guest judges. And serving as host will
be Scottish actor John Barrowman. In addition to a number of roles on Broadway,
Barrowman’s face is familiar from his role as Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor
Who and its spinoff, Torchwood.
With its
varied array of talent and its far-out premise, this show promises to be a good
time, and will likely garner quite a bit of attention when it airs. Make sure
your patrons have access to the work of all the celebrities who will appear on
the show so they can explore their previous work.
Written by Jon Williams
The singing
competition show The Voice began in
2011 as other networks looked to capitalize on the phenomenal popularity and ratings
enjoyed by Fox’s American Idol.
Knowing that Idol was brought to the
U.S. from the U.K., NBC also looked abroad for inspiration, bringing The Voice stateside from its origins in
Holland.
For those
who haven’t seen it, the concept of The
Voice begins, similar to Idol and
other singing competitions, with a singer coming onstage and performing for a
panel of judges. The twist is that, on this show, the judges are facing away
from the performer and are able to make their appraisals only on the person’s
voice and singing ability. When one (or more) of the judges hears something
they like, pressing a button swings their chair around to face the performer,
thereby “claiming” that performer. From that point on, the judge becomes a
coach, helping the performer to achieve their fullest potential as the show
progresses.
As much as
the performers themselves, the show attracts attention due to its high-powered
panel of celebrity judges/coaches. The original group consisted of rocker Adam
Levine of Maroon
5, hip-hop and R&B star Cee
Lo Green, pop diva Christina
Aguilera, and country heartthrob Blake
Shelton. That combination stayed together for three seasons. For the fourth
season, Cee Lo and Christina Aguilera stepped away, and their seats were filled
by Usher
and Shakira.
The original group reunited for season five, but the current season sees the
season four group together again.
Recently,
Cee Lo announced that he would not be returning to the show. Although the sixth
season is still ongoing (the finale is set for Tuesday, May 20), a new judge
for season seven has already be introduced. It will be none other than Pharrell
Williams, riding the wave of success caused by his hit song “Happy” from Despicable
Me 2, which also features on his recently released sophomore album, GIRL.
This won’t be Pharrell’s first experience with The Voice; Usher brought him in to mentor his performers (and
perform himself) during season four.
In 2013,
Canada got its own version of The Voice,
titled La Voix. Originating in
Quebec, it is currently in its second season. The first season winner, Valerie
Carpentier, released her
debut album in November. She was coached by Ariane
Moffatt; other first season coaches were Jean-Pierre
Ferland, Marie-Mai,
and Marc
Dupre. Of that group, only Dupre is back for the second season, which
premiered on January 19. He is joined this season by Eric
Lapointe, Isabelle Boulay, and Louis-Jean
Cormier.
Season seven
of The Voice (U.S.) will air on NBC later
this year. If the excitement over Pharrell’s involvement is any indication, it’s
primed to be a bigger hit than ever. Make sure to have plenty of music by past
performers and their coaches on your shelves for your patrons to explore and
enjoy.
Written by Jon Williams
As we wait
for spring to kick into full gear, it’s never too early to start thinking about
summer beach reading and audiobooks for long trips. There is a wonderful slate of
books scheduled for release later this spring and into the summer, but June
looks to be a monster, with highly anticipated new titles coming from two
juggernauts of the literary world.
It was
recently announced that June 24 would bring The
Silkworm by Robert Galbraith. This will be the second crime novel
featuring private detective Cormoran Strike. The first Strike novel was last
year’s The
Cuckoo’s Calling, in which Strike investigated the death of supermodel
Lula Landry, the adopted sister of his childhood friend. That book, of course,
made news (and jumped to the top of the bestseller lists) when it was revealed
that Robert Galbraith was, in fact, the pen name of J.K. Rowling, the wildly
famous author of the Harry
Potter books. After that series concluded in 2007, she made her first
foray into writing for adults with 2012’s The
Casual Vacancy. When that book was an automatic bestseller, she decided
to use a pen name for her next book in order to see how it would perform on its
own merits. That plan was foiled shortly after The Cuckoo’s Calling was published; however, it was drawing rave
reviews even before the truth about its authorship was revealed. The Silkworm promises to pick up where
the first book left off, with Strike this time investigating the case of an
author gone missing before the publication of a devastating tell-all.
Before that
comes out, though, June 3 will bring a new novel from Stephen King. Like
Galbraith’s crime novels, King calls Mr.
Mercedes his first “hard-boiled” detective novel, with his own
signature macabre twist. The tale deals with a killer who operates by driving a
stolen car into crowds of people, and the retired police officer on the trail
to track him down before he can strike again. This is King’s first novel since
last year’s Doctor
Sleep, the long-awaited sequel to his early classic The Shining, and it kicks off a busy month
for the horror master. On June 30, Under
the Dome returns to CBS, a show based on King’s 2009
tome about a small town mysteriously trapped under an invisible force field
that completely seals them off from the outside world. The second season’s
premiere episode was written by King himself. In addition, later this year (November
11) King will publish Revival,
a story more typical to his roots in the horror genre.
And of
course, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of great stories coming
out this spring and summer. Are there any titles you or your patrons are
particularly excited about? Let us know in the comments section below.
Written by Jon Williams
Disney’s Frozen was released into theatres on
November 27, 2013, intended as a delightful holiday treat for the kids. It
quickly turned into a phenomenon. It pulled in over $110 million at box offices
around the world just during its opening weekend, no mean feat for a film with
a $150 million budget. Even more impressive has been the film’s staying power.
It was #1 at U.S. box offices three different times, the latest being its seventh
week of release, challenging and beating other movies that were more likely
blockbusters. As of today, it has earned close to $398 million domestically and
over $1 billion worldwide. The movie came out last week on DVD
and Blu-ray,
where no doubt it will be hugely popular as well.
Frozen’s popularity extends beyond the
film itself, though. If you pay attention to the music charts, no doubt you’ve
noticed the Frozen soundtrack hovering at or near the
top since its release. It’s been in the top ten
for seventeen weeks, and at #1 for seven of them—including this week. Like
the film, the soundtrack has challenged or beaten out albums more likely to be
at the top of the charts. Led by the Academy Award winner for Best Song, “Let
It Go,” the soundtrack has captured the hearts (and ears) of young ones
everywhere—and their parents.
“Let It Go”
in the movie is sung by the character Elsa, the snow queen, voiced by Broadway
star Idina
Menzel. She is joined on the soundtrack by actress Kristen
Bell (the character Princess Anna), best known for her recently resurrected
role as Veronica
Mars, as well as Jonathan Groff (Kristoff) from Glee
Josh Gad (Olaf), and Demi
Lovato, who performs the single version of “Let It Go.” The soundtrack also
features pieces from the score by acclaimed film composer Christophe
Beck.
At this
early date, the soundtrack is already set to be one of the biggest (if not the biggest) selling CDs of 2014. And
for those who just can’t seem to get enough, it is also available in a two-disc
deluxe edition that includes 23 additional tracks, featuring demos and
outtakes of several songs, plus additional pieces from the score. It has also
inspired an
edition in the Disney
Karaoke series, allowing kids (or whoever) to bring the music home and perform
their own renditions.
Needless to
say, Frozen fever is at its peak and
shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon—especially with news that the hit film is in the planning stages for an adaptation on Broadway. If you don’t have the movie or the
music on your shelves, what are you waiting for? Just head on over to our
website, where you can find it all, as well as plenty of other always-popular
Disney films and soundtracks.
Written by Jon Williams
I can hear
the shrieks of frustration over this headline, as News and Views readers look
at their calendars. “Wasn’t yesterday the equinox?” I hear you asking. “Isn’t
winter finally over?”
In one
sense, yes, that’s absolutely true. In another sense, however, the harshest
days of winter are still on the horizon. “Winter is coming” are the words of
the Starks of Winterfell, one of seven families locked in a war that has swept
through the kingdom of Westeros in HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones. The show’s
fourth season premieres on Sunday, April 6, at 9:00 p.m.
The first
season of Game of Thrones made
its HBO debut on April 17, 2011. It quickly won acclaim from viewers and
critics alike. The first episode (itself titled “Winter Is Coming”) scored 2.2
million viewers, and that number grew to over three million before the season
was over. It was nominated for thirteen Emmy Awards, winning two of them,
including Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister,
better known as “The Imp.”
Upon seeing
the numbers for the first season’s premiere episode, HBO executives immediately
renewed Game of Thrones for a second
season, which began on April 1, 2012. That season built upon the critical
and commercial success of the first, growing to over four million viewers for
the season finale and garnering another eleven Emmy nominations and six wins.
The third
season grew to even more notable heights, averaging more than five million
viewers for its ten episodes, plus sixteen Emmy nominations and two wins. The
ninth episode, titled “The Rains of Castamere,” featured the Red Wedding, one
of the most shocking scenes ever shown on television. I won’t give away any
spoilers, but those of you who watch—you know what I mean.
The series,
of course, is based on bestselling author George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy
novels. The first season covers the first book, A
Game of Thrones (originally published in 1996), from which the series
took its name. Likewise, the second season follows the second novel, A
Clash of Kings. The third season, however, only covers roughly half of A
Storm of Swords; the fourth season, reputed to be the darkest yet, will
take on the rest. Two other books in the series have been published: A
Feast for Crows and A
Dance with Dragons. The sixth book will be titled The Winds of Winter; no release date has been announced, but it’s
close enough to completion for Martin to have released excerpts onto the
Internet. The series will conclude with the seventh book, A Dream of Spring.
The Game of Thrones series and Song of Ice and Fire books are extremely
popular right now. Make sure you have them all on your shelves so patrons can
catch up on what’s happening in Westeros in advance of the Season 4 premiere.
|
Contact Us
