Book Review - Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, Time Travelers Strictly Cash and Callahan's Secret

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (1977), Time Travelers Strictly Cash (1981), Callahan's Secret (1986) by Spider Robinson - There isn't a bar like Mike Callahan's place.  But there ought to be.  And if there is I would politely request directions.

In the tradition of Arthur C. Clarke's "Tales From the White Hart" and L. Sprague DeCamp and Fletcher Pratt's "Tales From Gavagan's Bar" Spider Robinson (wait, you don't know Spider Robinson?  I'm astounded how often I get that reaction.  You must go immediately to where ever it is that you get books and check out all the Spider Robinson you can find.  He is a writer of great thought and skill.  Come back when you're done).

Where was I?

Ah yes, Spider Robinson creates a wonderful bar where just about any thing can, has and does happen.  From Punday to talking dogs to aliens and time travel and the end of the world.  In between Mike runs a merry place guided by Callahan's Law (also known as the Law of Conservation of Pain and Joy): "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased....".  Like any great bar it has its own set of rules and its own way of doing things.  Robinson does a fabulous job of weaving science fiction, humor and humanity into the stories.  The books have gained a dedicated following over the years.

There are a total of 10 books that are part of the canon for Callahan's.  These three lead off and in my opinion are the best of the bunch.  Robinson makes it clear in "Callahan's Secret" that he doesn't want to write any more Callahan stories.  He goes on at great length in the Foreward about it being the last of the Callahan's books.  In fact he goes so far as to invoke the name of Reichenbach Falls.  And then at the end makes sure that there can't be any more stories from Callahan's.  Except there are.  Three years after Secret comes the next one "Callahan's Lady".  He cranks out several more books through 2003 when it looks like he's done again only to jump back with a book of the collected writings from the wall at Callahan's.  He should have known when the Falls were conjured that this wasn't going to go away.

In the end these three should be on your list of books to be read.  Even if you're not a science fiction fan I think you'll enjoy these.  Spider is quick to note that he's never been a hard science fiction author and that makes his work much more accessible to the general audience.

Pull up a seat, drop a dollar on the bar and offer a toast.  Stop by Callahan's.

Rating *****  Put It In Your Library

Movie Review - An Inconvenient Truth and War Horse

An Inconvenient Truth - (2006) - This is a documentary about things like Global Warming and mankind's impact on the environment.  It's also a documentary about Al Gore.  The one is really important.  I'm not so sure about the other.

The movie is based on the book and related public presentations that the former Senator and Vice President has been doing in the years following his failed run at the White House.  The Gore we see here is relaxed and easy going and all the things he tended NOT to be during that campaign.  So it's inevitable that we're going to see a lot of Al during the movie.

The problem is that I was not ever really convinced that the two stories really meld into one convincing narrative.  I kept getting this nagging feeling of "Geez, more Gore?  Why?" as I watched the movie.  It wasn't that it was badly done, it wasn't (the movie won 2 Oscars - Best Documentary and Best Original Song plus grossed 50 million dollars world wide.  It's a fine movie) but it kept feeling like the Gore story got in the way of the other story.  The one bit that I thought was utterly compelling was Gore talking about his father's rejection of tobacco farming after the elder Albert's daughter died of lung cancer.

In the end you get a fascinating discussion of what's happening on Planet Earth and what isn't.  Anyone interested in the discussion should see this movie.

Rating - **** Recommended.

War Horse (2011) - This is the story of a boy and his horse.  Based on a children's book from the early '80s the story is pretty predictable.  If you're surprised by anything, including the ending, then you haven't seen many movies.  Having said that "War Horse" is a well made movie that will draw you in.  There is one sequence that folks who love animals will find uncomfortable but the rest is almost a Disney film.  The acting is wonderful, great story, Spielberg direction, visually gorgeous.  Add in the fact that the horse that did the primary "acting" was also the star of my one of my other favorite horse movies "Seabiscuit".  And it will leave you with at least a lump in your throat if not a tear in your eye.

Rating **** Recommended

The Reality of Virtual Relationships, RIP Dear Abby, Cyber-bullying

 "The View From the Phlipside" is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY.  It can be heard Tuesday through Friday just after 8 AM and 5 PM.  The following are scripts which may not exactly match the aired version of the program.  Mostly because the host may suddenly choose to add or subtract words at a moments notice.  WRFA-LP is not responsible for any such silliness or the opinions expressed.  You can listen to a live stream of WRFA or find a podcast of this program at wrfalp.com.  Copyright 2012 by Jay Phillippi.  All Rights Reserved.  You like what you see?  Drop me a line and we can talk.

Program scripts from week of January 21, 2013



My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside. 

RIP Dear Abby                                                                                                         

Most of us went most of our lives without knowing her real name.  We knew her sister was in the exact same line of work.  In fact in their prime the two sisters were their only mutual competition.  Last week we lost a true American icon with the death of Pauline Phillips.  The world knew her better as Dear Abby.

A lot of people are called icons but I’m not sure all of them deserve it.  A quick check of my dictionary tells me that an icon is “A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol of something”.  Dear Abby is iconic for her representation of middle American common sense.  Her advice was honest but tempered by kindness.  Women’s advice columns before Dear Abby tended to be formulaic and safe.  There were some subjects that were not to be discussed.  Dear Abby took on them all.

Behind the pen name of Abigail Van Buren was Pauline Esther Friedman (her twin sister who became Ann Landers was Esther Pauline Friedman) born to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants who settled in Iowa and ran movie theaters.  Abby (let’s stick to that name since it’s the one most of us know here by) got started writing advice columns in San Francisco with typical blunt honesty.  She got in touch with the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and told him she could write better than their regular columnist.  He gave her a handful of letters and a week to write up her replies.  She handed them back 90 minutes later and he hired her.  The column would go into syndication and become the most widely syndicated newspaper column in the world.

Dear Abby didn’t become an icon because she was famous.  She became an icon because she represented an awful lot of what is best and unique about Middle America.  A willingness to take on any subject, to have an opinion but to leave the mean spiritedness aside.  We could use more Dear Abby today I think.

Pauline Phillips, the original Dear Abby, was 94 years old.

Cyber-bullying                                                                                                        

If you work with teenagers as I do in my real life it is one of the top three topics of conversation these days.  If you’re a parent you probably hear about it a lot as well.  It’s called cyber-bullying, emotional and verbal abuse on the internet.  Because our kids spend so much time online we’ve begun to wonder just how emotionally dangerous it may be.  There’s no doubt that for a young person in the wrong emotional place at the wrong time it can be devastating.  None of us want to see the young people we care about being abused.  To that end a variety of states have passed laws against cyber-bullying.

The real problem is defining just what we’re talking about.  Is just being mean the same as being a bully?  I think most of us would say no to that.  Kids are in the process of working out who they are and how they interact with others.  That takes them to some mean places at times.  Virtually all of us have been mean to someone else at some point in our lives.  It doesn’t make us terrible people.

In pursuit of defining what cyber-bullying may be the folks at the Pew Research Center did a nationwide survey of teenagers and asked them about their experience online.  The results can help us parse this complex issue.

First people may be surprised by the overall positive experience most teens say they have.  While 88% say they’ve seen someone being “mean or cruel”, two thirds of those surveyed said that people are mostly kind online.  20% said they’ve been bullied (although the largest percentage note that it was in person rather than online) and 20% have admitted that they have joined in on cruelty to others.

What’s interesting to me is that most of the teens that Pew spoke with said they just ignore the negativity when it invades their lives.  They’re pretty good at using the privacy controls offered them to limit who can see their posts on places like Facebook and Twitter as well.  They also turn to friends and sometimes parents when they need support.

So in the end the Pew research gives a little better handle on the issue.  Cyber-bullying does exist, it can be harmful.  Our best reaction?  To continue to help our kids defend themselves by giving them the tools they need in life and on the web.

On the Reality of Virtual Relationships

Last week I was introduced to a concept called Catfishing.  If you missed it to “catfish” is to create a fake online persona for the purposes of a hoax, a joke or to generally deceive someone.  This is different than having an online persona for your own personal use.  Where it came up is with the story of Manti T’eo the senior linebacker at Notre Dame.  It appears that he believed that he had developed a relationship with a young woman online.  Turns out she was a catfish created by a young man who may done this to several other people as well.

I’m not going to get into the “what did he know and when did he know it” aspect of this discussion.  That will come out slowly over the next month or so as more of the principal characters come forward.  I want to talk about a response I heard several times from commentators about one media aspect of the story.

Several commentators have had great fun with the idea that you can’t have a “real” relationship just via the internet or phone.  That it’s not possible to have a relationship with a person you’ve never met in person.

I think those commentators are showing their age.

Let’s remember that T’eo is not quite 22 years old.  He grew up on the Internet.  Young people are much more comfortable, in fact often too comfortable, sharing large portions of their lives and thoughts on line.  Just the way you do with friends.  They’ve had long conversations with people who live tens, hundreds and thousands of miles away from them.  This is a normal and routine part of their social lives.  So why wouldn’t they make friends there?

And who is to say that romantic feelings couldn’t bloom as well?  Well lots of grumpy middle aged men for whom the Internet is a tool rather than an integral part of their lives have been trying to make that exact point.  There’s a whole new generation that says they’re wrong.

Virtual communications can miss a lot of nuance and can make this kind of hoax all too easy.  But before we simply mark this young man off as a fool for believing in a serious online relationship maybe we need to examine our preconceptions about the virtual world.


Call that the View From the Phlipside

Book Review - I Invented the Modern Age-The Rise of Henry Ford

I Invented the Modern Age - The Rise of Henry Ford by Richard Snow  I grew up in a car family.  My father's first job out of college was the culmination of a lifelong dream.  He went to work for Ford Motor Company in the Body Design Department (A document in the family archives seems to indicate that he was the first draftsman trained outside of Ford to be hired in that department).  For a fan of well written biographies and histories of American business icons Richard Snow has written a must read book.  For automotive history and especially Ford fans Snow has written a must own one.

The title comes from a statement made by Ford himself.  It might easily be written off as the expression of a massive ego (and folks like Edison and Tesla might take exception) but there's a very real argument that it is Ford who takes America and the rest of the world into modernity.  By creating a car for every one and then perfecting the manufacturing process to create it cheaply Ford changed the whole structure of our world.  The Model T changes life in both the rural and urban setting.  Without a car for the working man there are no suburbs.  It changes the life of farmers because now their world is no longer contained within the circle of the horizon.  No one else, then or since, can lay claim to have changed society as fundamentally as Ford.

The book is also the story of two different Henry Fords.  Ford the younger who raised the daily wage to $5 much to the outrage of his fellow automakers.  The man who insisted on lowering the price of the car year after year to insure that the most people possible could own one (he eventually sold more than 15 million Model T's alone).  The Ford who chartered a ship and sailed to Europe in an attempt to end World War I.  Ford the elder became a distant, mean spirited man who drove away those closest to him in business and at least tacitly agreed to turning his largest factory into a grim place run by gangs of thugs.  His relationship with his son Edsel is believed by some to have driven the son to an early grave.

In the end Snow walks you through the stages of Ford's growth and fall.  The book is eminently readable and the story will draw you right in.  If there's a complaint to be made the author occasionally drops in a personal comment that seems out of place.  (Snow dislikes the term "flivver" as one of the nicknames for the Model T as an example.  Not sure why I'm supposed to care or would be interested.  That knowledge certainly adds nothing to the otherwise great book)

As I said before if you're an automotive history buff or a Ford Motor Company fan this is probably a 5 star Must Own rating.  For the general audience I think we'll settle at 4 stars.

"I Invented The Modern Age - The Rise of Henry Ford" will be on shelves starting May 14, 2013.

Rating - **** Recommended

Movie Reviews - Catch Up!

Was just sifting back through what I've watched recently and realized I'd missed a bunch of movies back in December.  So here are the quick catch up reviews:

Moneyball - (2011) - Movie based on the story of  Billy Beane, General Manager of the Oakland A's, and his conversion to a more statistics based method of evaluating players.  It was a change that was and still is being resisted by the old guard in baseball.  It's a fun movie if you're a baseball fan.  Add in a cast of Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Wright and it's a good time.  If you're not a baseball fan I don't know how much you'd enjoy it.  But it's possible.
Rating - *** Worth A Look

Pan's Labyrinth - (2006) Gillermo del Toro directs this dark fantasy of fascist Spain.  A little girl is drawn into the orbit of a sadistic Falangist officer who has married her mother.  She finds a magical world centered on an old faun who tells her that she is a princess.  But before she can take her place she must complete three tasks.  This is NOT a Hollywood style movie and that's part of its charm (if that's the word).  I found the story compelling and was drawn completely  into the movie.  Not a movie for small children even though its central character is one.
Rating -**** Recommended

Larry Crowne - (2011) This movie is a waste.  A waste of a neat idea, a waste of a good cast, a waste of 98 minutes of your life.  Larry Crowne(Tom Hanks) is a former Navy cook who found a job working in a big box store.  A job that he really liked and at which he was very good.  But corporate policy says you have to be a candidate for advancement to stay with the company.  With not college degree that let's Larry out and he's shown the door.  He decides to improve himself by taking classes at the local community college where he lands in a public speaking class led by a bitter disillusioned professor (Julia Roberts).  The rest of the story from that point is pretty obvious.  But there's a really enjoyable cast of supporting characters, virtually none of whom are developed at all.  Roberts character is nasty and unpleasant till she makes a sudden change that seems to come out of nowhere.

There's actually a cute little movie concept here that dies from lack of attention.  The ONLY thing that makes this movie worth watching is the cast which has some fun with what they're given.  Too bad, could have so much better.
Rating - ** Not Impressed

Late Night Revolution, Musberger Mess, When The News Is The News

 "The View From the Phlipside" is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY.  It can be heard Tuesday through Friday just after 8 AM and 5 PM.  The following are scripts which may not exactly match the aired version of the program.  Mostly because the host may suddenly choose to add or subtract words at a moments notice.  WRFA-LP is not responsible for any such silliness or the opinions expressed.  You can listen to a live stream of WRFA or find a podcast of this program at wrfalp.com.  Copyright 2012 by Jay Phillippi.  All Rights Reserved.  You like what you see?  Drop me a line and we can talk.

Program scripts from week of January 14, 2013



My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside. 

Late Night Revolution                                                                                               

You never want to jump to a conclusion but it looks like there may be something very interesting about to happen in late night TV.  Late night television has been one of the most astoundingly stable time periods in TV history.  First there was Steve Allen, the Jack Paar, then there was Johnny Carson.  And for 30 years that was pretty much it.  When Carson retired Jay Leno stepped up and David Letterman stepped up and a bunch of other guys tried to pick up the crumbs.  But it’s been Leno and Letterman holding down most of the late night audience.

The problem is that both of the top guys are getting old.  Leno is 63 and Letterman is 65.  And the question has to be who is the next king of late night?

It looked like Conan O’Brien might be that person.  Maybe it’s Jimmy Fallon.  Or maybe it’s Jimmy Kimmel.  Kimmel’s show on ABC got moved last week to the same time slot as both Leno and Letterman.  While Kimmel has been saying all the right things, like he thinks he’ll eventually settle into third place behind the two veteran hosts, the results of his first show in the competitive time slot have to have the big boys worried.

On the first night Kimmel finished in second place comfortably in front of Letterman, he finished the week with a couple of thirds and another second place finish.  But in the key 18-49 audience demographics Kimmel was a power.  He finished second the first night, tied Leno on the second night and easily out distanced the Tonight Show on the third night with growth in younger viewers every single night.

Now one week is way too small a sample size to be drawing any profound conclusions from but it’s well worth considering the potential that’s out there.  Over the last couple years the big boys have messed around (remember the whole Jay Leno to prime time catastrophe?) and that means there’s an opening that could be exploited by a smart, new, younger talent.  Someone like Jimmy Kimmel.

Kimmel is playing it smart.  He’s had the big name stars, he’s even teasing that he’ll finally pay off on a long running gag about having Matt Damon on the show.  And that’s exactly what he should be doing.

The hotshot young host says there will never be another king of late night like Carson.  He might be right.  But someone is going to be the new top dog.  That just might be him.

Musberger Mess                                                                                                          

It never ceases to astound me with all the REAL problems that exist in the world of the media when so much energy gets spent on a non-problem.  Like the tempest in a tea pot that erupted over comments made by ESPN sports commentator Brent Musberger.

In case you somehow missed all this let me offer a quick summary.  During the college football national championship game between Alabama and Notre Dame, where Musberger was one of the broadcast team, there came a moment when the camera found the family of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarren.  Sitting with the family was McCarren’s girlfriend, Katherine Webb, who also happens to be the current Miss Alabama.  Musberger commented on how good looking she was, noted that quarterbacks always seem to get the good looking girlfriends and recommended that young men should polish their football passing skills so they could get such good looking girlfriends too.  The whole thing took just over 30 seconds.  And the Mrs. Grundys of the Twitterverse promptly lost their minds.  ESPN displayed a complete lack of guts and apologized.

My question is - for what?

Let’s review the facts.  Miss Webb is by pretty much any contemporary standard a beautiful young woman.  And at least based on my experience quarterbacks DO tend to have good looking girlfriends.  Add to this the fact that not Miss Webb, her father OR her boyfriend were offended in any way shape or form.  They’ve all said so publicly.

Let’s also remember one other fact.  TV is about the picture.  And when a game gets as far out of hand as that did the director starts looking for other stories.  So there was exactly ZERO chance that they weren’t going to show the beauty queen girlfriend.

Did Musberger do anything wrong?  Yeah, he’s a 73 year man who came off as a little bit hummina, hummina, hummina because he went on past the first obvious comment.  He should be a little embarrassed.  His network should have said nothing.  And all those self appointed guardians of public morality, all the Mrs. Grundys of the world?  They need to go find something serious to worry about.

When The News Is The News

As a general rule there is one story that no news organization ever wants to have to report.  It’s the story when the news organization itself becomes the story.  Unless it’s crowing that you’ve won a Pulitzer Prize news organizations don’t want to be in the news.  Let’s face it, they know as well as we do that the vast majority of the news is when something bad happens.  And the mythology of the news biz is that all the bad stuff happens outside the newsroom.

That strange noise you just heard was every single person who has EVER worked in a newsroom snorting in derision at that last thought.

Never the less the Journal News, a newspaper serving the lower Hudson Valley, recently became the story when they ran article and accompanying map that showed the names and addresses of everyone in their region that had a legally registered gun.  Needless to say those folk did not appreciate the attention.  In fact some folks went so far as to threaten violence against the newspaper resulting in the paper hiring, ironically, armed guards to protect their building.

So what’s really the issue here?  Let’s review the facts.  The story ran shortly following the tragedy in Newtown.  In a time when gun violence, gun ownership, and gun regulation are major topics the question of how many legal guns are in the paper’s readership area is legitimate news.  The information they published was legally obtained from public records.
All of which has been met with a certain level of hysteria.  There are claims that gun owners were treated like sexual predators which seems a stretch to me or that they will be targeted by burglars.  White Plains police note that no such pattern has emerged.

So what then to say about the Journal News story?  I’m not sure I see the news value of printing the names of people involved in a perfectly legal activity.  There is a question of privacy.  While there may be a right to know about total numbers of guns or even areas of especially high concentrations the individual owners names strike me as an especially poor editorial decision.

Call that the View From the Phlipside

Book Review - The Complete Sherlock Holmes (e-book)

The Complete Sherlock Holmes Volume 1 - This is part of Barnes & Noble's Classic Series which offers great works of the past at low to no cost.  I snagged this at one point when it was available for free, I see it's now $3.99.  Still a deal if you're a fan or want to see where the great detective began.  This collection offers 3 novels (you'll see they claim four novels but there are only 4 Holmes novels.  "The Valley of Fear" is the other and it's not here.  I think they're including the multi-part story of "A Scandal in Bohemia" as the fourth) and 56 other stories including all of his most famous cases.

But what really makes this special is the attention to detail and use of the e-book format to help you get the most out of the book.  It includes great back story about Arthur Conan Doyle and the journey he took with his most famous character.  Conan Doyle didn't think much of the fame (and fortune) that Holmes brought him.  There was other writing that he thought much more important.  At one point to try and get out of having to write any more he began asking for more and more exorbitant fees from his publisher.  The publisher being no fool gave him whatever he wanted.  In its day the Holmes stories were pop super-events.

Even beyond that are the footnotes, each with a hyperlink that allows you to quickly leap from an obscure term (that had been well known in Conan Doyle's time) and then back to the action.  It fills in the gaps that sometimes occur when terminology is used that is utterly alien to the 21st Century reader.

I've been a fan of the Holmes stories for years.  It's interesting to see the liberties that TV and movie versions have taken with the character.  Some of which I don't mind and some of which are just silly.  If you love detective stories and you've never delved into the Great Detective this would be a great addition for you.  If you already know the scions of 221B Baker St London this would still be a great addition to your collection.  Volume 1 contains "A Study In Scarlet", "The Sign of Four", "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes", "The Hound of the Baskervilles".  Volume 2 contains "The Return of Sherlock Holmes".

Rating - ***** Put It In Your Library

Book Review - The Last Temptation of Clarence Odbody

The Last Temptation of Clarence Odbody by John Jughead Pierson (2011) - Pierson is a musician, writer and theater owner.  His writing as a playwright are done under the name Ian Pierce.  He was also a founding member of the punk band Screeching Weasel.  His other book is a semi-factual telling of the history of the band.

In this one Pierson does something very, very brave.  He takes the character of the angel from the classic movie "It's A Wonderful Life" and does a little alternate history with his story.  What if Clarence doesn't save George Bailey that cold and lonely night on the bridge in Bedford Falls?  What would happen then?

From that beginning Pierson weaves a fascinating tale of the Bailey children, of Mary, of the vile old man Henry Potter and all the other characters that have become icons in our culture.  My first reaction was one of shock but the movie is based on a much darker original short story ("The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern).  Once you step into the world that Pierson creates you are rewarded with some solid writing and story telling.  Things are tough for the children who must deal with abandonment issues especially Zuzu.  Potter eventually is taken down but many of George's family and friends will fall along the way as well.  And through it all wanders Clarence.  Ejected from heaven for his failure he wanders the world wondering if he had done the right thing and occasionally bumping into people from Bedford Falls.

Clarence is confronted at the critical moment by another angel who questions if saving Bailey is the best thing to do.  Consistent with the movie Clarence isn't too bright and let's himself be argued into not fulfilling his task.  It's a fascinating concept but it also leads to my greatest disappointment with the book.  The ending is very unsatisfying for me.  We never discover who the angel is or what exactly went on in that moment.  Plus the end includes five excerpts from conversations that are just left dangling.  We aren't told who is involved (I guess it's assumed we'll figure it out but I only came up with ideas for three) and they don't seem to resolve anything.

After such a wonderful job working with his characters (he creates a story for a character who only appears in the background of the movie.  Potter's bodyguard is always there behind the chair of the venal old man.  Pierson creates a story for him but curiously uses the name of the actor who played him, Frank Hagney, as the characters name as well.  No idea why, would love to hear an explanation.  Particularly since Hagney is portrayed as a very bad man) to be left with such an inconclusive ending strikes me as very sad.  This is a fascinating and well written effort.  To fall at the final hurdle is a let down.

I snagged this while it was being offered for free, I see it's back up to $9.99.  Not sure I can recommend it at that price.  Otherwise well worth your time.

Rating - *** Worth A Look

Movie Review - Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - (2011) - Some movies have wonderful intricate plots.  And some don't.  This is a movie about people, about character and not about any particularly complex story line.  A bunch of old people from England are (mostly) looking for something different and cheap in retirement.  They end up in a hotel in India that isn't quite as wonderful as the brochure indicates.  In fact it is in the middle of what appears to be a doomed upgrade by a young, enthusiastic but not particularly realistic young man.  Along the way a variety of dreams will be fulfilled and everyone will learn a little about themselves.

Looking back at that paragraph I realize that it falls far short of the delight that I found in this movie.  Start with a brilliant cast - Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup and Celia Imrie for the English characters and Dev Patel, Tina Desae, Sid Makkar and Linette Dubey in the principal Indian roles.  Fill in around them with fabulous scenery and a solid supporting cast in both England and India and you're off and running.  I said this is a movie about people and these are real, breathing people with quirks and flaws and stories.  It is charming and human and just generally wonderful.

I love watching fine actors really showing off the art and craft.  This is a movie that lets them do just that.  Looking for a warm and wonderful story about people that you will come to care about?  Then find a couple hours for "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".

Rating - **** Recommended

Rock Can Kill You, College Bowl Games and The Great Experiment Fails

 "The View From the Phlipside" is a media commentary program airing on WRFA-LP, Jamestown NY.  It can be heard Tuesday through Friday just after 8 AM and 5 PM.  The following are scripts which may not exactly match the aired version of the program.  Mostly because the host may suddenly choose to add or subtract words at a moments notice.  WRFA-LP is not responsible for any such silliness or the opinions expressed.  You can listen to a live stream of WRFA or find a podcast of this program at wrfalp.com.  Copyright 2012 by Jay Phillippi.  All Rights Reserved.  You like what you see?  Drop me a line and we can talk.

Program scripts from week of December 31, 2012



My name is Jay Phillippi and I've spent my life in and around the media.  TV, radio, the movies and more.  I love them, and I hate them and I always have an opinion.  Call this the View from the Phlipside. 

The Great Experiment Fails                                                                                   

I’m not sure there’s another aspect of our relationship with media that continues to struggle more in the transition to the digital age than how we get our news.  Once the printing press started making print materials easier to produce something very much like our modern newspapers came into being.  For centuries this was the primary way, beyond word of mouth, that most people found out about what was happening in the larger world.  As the years went by the newspaper got bigger and offered more and more news.  Not just the local but the national and the international.  Feature stories, sports stories and my personal favorite - the funnies.  I remember waiting till my Dad got home from work because he always brought home the afternoon paper.  I could lay it out on the living room floor and read about all kinds of things.

I’ve talked before about the challenges facing newspapers, magazines, radio and TV news before.  Studies I’ve seen say that there is still a desire for that kind of information.  At the same time people are expecting a different approach that makes use of the technology that has become a larger and larger part of our lives.  Finding the way forward through all those questions has been a challenge.

You had to wonder if Rupert Murdoch had dealt himself the winning hand in February of 2011 when he launched “The Daily”.  The Daily was intended to be the newspaper of the future.  In its initial form it was for the iPad only and was designed to make use of the multi-media abilities of the world’s first successful tablet computer.  Murdoch’s News Corporation would seem to have been just the kind of organization to make it work.  Long history in the journalism field (admittedly not all of it of the highest calibre) and the deep pockets to fund it till it got rolling.  Turns out that became the problem.  It never got rolling.  Which is why they pulled the plug on The Daily December 15.

So the journey will continue into the new year.  How do we want our news delivered?  What business model can be found to make it work and show a profit?

As we watch the launch of a new leadership right here at our hometown newspaper we’ll have to see if there’s some bright business person out there with the idea to launch the next generation of the news.

College Bowl Games                                                                                                          

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, college bowl season was something special.  The college bowl games were the icing on the cake, the tinsel on the Christmas tree, the great way to kick off the New Year by watching the kickoffs of some of the best college football teams in the land.  Those days are dead, dead as a doornail, dead as Marley’s ghost.  What we have in its place is just about as welcome as a visit from Scrooge’s late partner as well.

As is my custom let me be clear - I am not a great college football fan.  I didn’t attend a college with a great football tradition.  I watch one game a year - the Army/Navy game.  Attending that game in person is on my bucket list.  Outside of that I have no use for the college game.  But back in the day I watched a great many of those bowl games.  They were an event back in the day.

Not so much today.

Here’s a quiz for you.  How many bowl games are scheduled for the 2012-13 football bowl season?  10? 20?  Not there yet.  25.  Nope.  30.  Nope.  35 bowl games between December 15 and the so called National Championship on January 7.  Among them you will find such luminaries as the Beef O’Brady bowl, the Kraft Fight Hunger bowl, the Famous Idaho Potato bowl, the Military bowl not to be confused with the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces bowl, the Buffalo Wild Wings bowl, the Belk bowl, the Franklin American Mortgage Music City bowl and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia bowl.  But all of this leads up to the big game, the National Championship, right?  So you’d expect the bowls to slowly crescendo right?  So explain to me why the last bowl game before the big one is the GoDaddy.com bowl featuring Arkansas State against Kent State.  Other than folks with bets on the game and alumni who watches these games?  I have a friend who is a huge college football fan.  The rule is don’t call on Saturday during football season.  You can visit as long as you sit down and watch the game.  He probably watches all them too.  I just can’t imagine why.

Once upon a time these games were special.

Today let’s just call them all the Irrelevant Football Cash Bowls and move on.

Rock Can Kill You

The New Year is always a time for me to sit back and re-assess my life.  Time to take a look at the goals I want to set for myself.  Plus a time to look at the things I’ve managed to tick off my Bucket List along the way.  This past year for example I finally managed to go to Europe for the first time.  I hope it won’t be the last but I can at least say I’ve done it.

Along the way there are also some things that you just have to admit you’re not ever going to do.  I am never going to play second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Or any other professional baseball team but my goal was always the Pirates.  For a lot of us on that dream list included singing or playing with a rock band.  The good news is that as Baby Boomer rockers continue to play well into their geezerhood there may still be hope for me on this one.  A recent academic study out of the United Kingdom may make me re-consider however.

The study was done by the British Health Department and the folks at Liverpool John Moores University.  They studied rock stars from Elvis Presley to the Arctic Monkeys (I looked them up, current English indie rock group).  What they discovered is not surprising and yet a little daunting all at the same time.

Over fourteen hundred stars from rock, punk, pop, R&B, rap, electronica and New Age who worked between 1956 and 2006.  Of that number 137 or just over 9% have died which is a higher percentage of the overall age demographic.  That’s right being a rock star is bad for your health.  Curiously North American music stars seem to live longer than their English cousins, 45.2 years versus 39.6.

Speaking of ages the study debunks the popular 27 year old myth.  While Joplin, Hendricks, Morrison, Cobain and Winehouse all died at that age they are the exception rather than the rule.

The other thing the study saw was that solo acts tend to die younger than members of groups.  It could be that having some support from your band mates make a difference.

Guess it’s true, you can get by, with a little help from your friends.

Call that the View From the Phlipside