Led Zeppelin DVDs

July was Led Zeppelin month. Some of you may know that I am a Led Zeppelin fan, and a very big Jimmy Page fan. I can't get enough of that man, I've been in love with him for 39 years, since he ws 28 years old (I was 4). Handsome never dies!

For those who have been under a rock for the past 40 years, Jimmy is the one in the middle, the raven haired beauty.

Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same

I actually haven't watched this one in about 20 years, but it is one of my favs. This is the concert filmed July 27-29 1973 at New York City's Madison Square Garden. Intertwined with this concert footage, is the fantasy scenes for each member as well as some candid footage. We also get to see a glimpse of young Scarlet Page, Jimmy's first child.

The Story of the Yardbirds

This DVD goes through the creation of The Yardbirds to the creation of 'The New Yardbirds' aka Led Zeppelin. We get to see some vintage footage of the group featuring Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page (not all in at the same time). To see a young Jimmy Page always makes me smile. I enjoyed hearing the bluesy sounds of the band before they 'sold out'.

Led Zeppelin - Videobiography

A 2-disc DVD showing concert footage from various concerts. There are some cool clips that I've never seen. Some interview clips are weaved in as well. Nothing really new here for fans. A chronological trek through the life of Led Zeppelin. Of course, I watched the whole thing, it is hard not to.

A to Zeppelin - The Story of Led Zeppelin

A pretty shotty put together documentary, however, any chance I get to see the band perform is worth my time. Not too much in the way of interviews with the band, which I enjoy I think more than the live concert footage.

Led Zeppelin - DVD

Another 'official' DVD. This one was produced by Jimmy Page, and is a 2 disc DVD set. It contains live concert footage of the band spanning the years 1969 to 1979. The recording of the DVD includes performances from the Royal Albert Hall (1970), Madison Square Garden (1973), Earls Court (1975) and Knebworth (1979), plus other footage. Bootleg footage from some of the concerts is interspersed with the professionally shot material. This DVD is purely concert footage, no interviews. Lots of long sets, and a great solo by Jimmy Page (White Summer). Also the Special Features are a treat. There is one special feature that shows the band in their early days performing in France. You could see the French are being polite, some are covering their ears. This was real early, maybe 1969, before they became the rock gods they are.

The Bronx Accent by Lloyd Olden

The Bronx Accent: A Literary and Pictorial History of the Borough is not your ordinary dry history book. This book starts with the arrival of the Dutch in the 1600s. It explained how Jonas Bronck (1600–1643) was not a Dutch immigrant as previously believed but was actually an immigrant from Komstad in Sävsjö, Sweden. Jonas Bronck had a farm that spanned only half of what is currently known as the Bronx. Later the borough was expanded north, which was once part of Westchester County.

It went on to talk about some prominent people from the literary world who lived in the borough such as, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain and Theodore Dreiser to name a few.


The book is peppered with excerpts from stories about The Bronx and poetry about the borough. Not to mention pictures from earlier in the 20th century and before that, drawings of places familiar to Bronxites such as Kingsbridge, and Varian House.


Lloyd Ultan is the current Bronx historian. He has had his hand in several books about The Bronx, all which are amazing.

People usually have a negative view of The Bronx, thanks to movies such as "Fort Apache, The Bronx". Although that movie was accurate to the time. In the 1960s and 1970s, The Bronx was a hell hole, and buildings burned on a daily basis. It amazes me how we made it out of those decades alive. We have our Mayor at the time Ed Koch and Jimmy Carter (who was President), who was the only President to ever visited The Bronx. Thanks to their efforts, the borough was rebuilt.

The Bronx has a rich history. A lot of famous people were born and grew up here, and others transplanted themselves here. Regis Philbin who lived at 1990 Cruger Avenue (now named Regis Philbin Way), Bobby Darin, Anne Bancroft, Ralph Lauren, Woody Allen, Penny & Garry Marshall, and many more.

Maybe one day, my name will be added to that list.

I don't think anyone who isn't from The Bronx, would have much interest in this book. I came across it because of a Book Challenge to read a book about my local history. It isn't hard to find a book about the history of New York city, but I wanted to get even more local. I was happy with this book. 4.5 out of 5.

And even cooler, was a picture of my current neighborhood was on the back cover. However, this is actually a drawing, and is quite old. Probably from when the neighborhood was first built in 1940.

I Write Like... & Up the Down Staircase.

This cool link was brought to my attention.
I Write Like

It analyzes you writing, and tells you who you most write like. I was wondering if it was more of a random generator. A lot of people on the board I found the link on got Stephen King. And so did I, the first time.

I whipped up a two paragraph random piece of fiction. Not really thinking about it, just something quick. When I got Stephen King, I thought "OK yeah." I mean, I love Stephen, but we all can't write like him! Then I thought about putting up a non-fiction piece. I put up one of my blog posts about being Catholic, and guess who it said I write like? Dan Brown.

Tell me that's not funny! LOL!

I'm sure there is little science to this. It probably picks out random words and uses that as some type of algorithm I suppose. But it is all in fun.

Yesterday I watched a movie from 1967 entitled "Up the Down Staircase" starring Sandy Dennis.

A young white teacher has her first assignment in a tough urban high school. Not a new storyline as "The Blackboard Jungle" tackled it first. Nor was it the final one as "Dangerous Minds" came decades after. However, this is one of the better ones I've seen.

Ms. Barrett is an inexperienced teacher who teaches English to a group of rowdy high school students. As it is set in the late 60s, we see a lot of racial tension. With that in the background, she has to deal with kids who are abused, neglected, have self-esteem issues, sexual identity crisis, basically, she is dealing with the reality of being a teacher.

There is that one student that gets under her skin. The more she reaches, the more he resists. There is the student that shows appreciation for her, thus changing her outlook.

Those of us who like to read, will like the fact that Ms. Barrett is an English teacher and talks about Emily Dickinson and Charles Dickens. The class reads "A Tale of Two Cities", and discusses it, though not in depth in this movie.

I'm usually iffy on the movies from the late 60s/early 70s, but this one is very good.

4 out of 5 stars.

On a side note, I felt sad when I saw Florence Stanley in this movie. Those of you may remember Ms. Stanley from the hit TV show "Fish" starring Abe Vigoda.

I met Florence in the strangest of places. We had a class together. It was at the 96th Street Y in Manhattan. We were in a writing class, along with several other people. She was the most senior person in the class. No one else recognized her, but I sure did. It was the early 90s, and she was living in NYC at the time.

We struck up a friendship. She was a lovely woman, and very down to earth. I am not sure if anyone ever recognized her, and I never gave her secret away. We lost her 7 years ago, I think about her every now and again. I was sad but also happy to see here in the movie. Haven't seen anything by her in a while.

SALT & INCEPTION

I had an affinity to this movie. I got a chance to see the New York City scene being filmed. I like Angelina but I could take her or leave her, but I'm glad I didn't leave her this time.

Salt is one big adriniline ride from the first scene. By the end of the film, we still aren't sure if Agent Salt is an American spy or an enemy spy. There are just enough twists in this film to keep you guessing until the end and beyond. Angelina was a powerhouse, kick-ass woman who beat the crap out of every man that came across her path.

I recommend this film. 4.5 out of 5 stars.


My Photos

This is the Church scene where the coffin is bought in.

Funeral procession scene.

Inception is layer upon layer of downright interesting. I haven't been this involved in a movie since "Shutter Island". DeCaprio is brilliant in this movie as well as the rest of the cast. The special effects were neat, but the story outweighed all of it. One really has to pay attention, no, don't get up to use the bathroom HOLD IT!. If you do, you will miss something important.
This movie revolves around the nature of dreams. A lot of detail was paid to timing and how dreams work. I would love to give more info about this movie, however, I don't want to give anything away. This is a must see. Especially for those of us who like intricate stories.
I rate this 4.5 out of 5.

The Beautiful Beautiful Bronx

I am currently reading Bronx Accent: A Literary and Pictorial History of the Borough by Lloyd Ultan, Barbara Unger. While reading this, I became interested in other books (novels) that take place in The Bronx. There are quite a few, but these seem very interesting.



The Buddha Book by Abraham Rodriguez Jr.

American Book Award winner Rodriguez revisits the bleak streets of the South Bronx in this novel of guilt and redemption. Jose, who has murdered his ex-girlfriend in a fit of rage, and Dinky, the son of a drug kingpin, are the creators of an underground comic called The Buddha Book. As the chaos around them escalates, this comic becomes the vehicle for a catharsis, which culminates in an apocalyptic reckoning on the streets of the Bronx.

The Kingsbridge Plot by Mann Meyers (Young Adult)

In 1775, young Peter Tonneman returns to New York City from studying medicine in England to find its residents in turmoil-not only because of disagreements with the mother country, but also because someone has been decapitating the local young ladies. As a citizen, the doctor must decide which nation will receive his allegiance; as a coroner, he must assist in the search for the murderer. The plot is enriched by a scheme to assassinate George Washington.

Note: The King's Bridge, erected in 1693 by Frederick Philipse, a local Lord loyal to the British Monarch. The bridge spanned the now-filled-in Spuyten Duyvil Creek, roughly south-parallel with today's 230th Street. The Kingsbridge carried Boston Post Road, connecting southern Westchester County (which became The Bronx) with Marble Hill.

Billy Bathgate by E.L. Doctrow

In the Bronx of the 1930s, 15-year-old Billy Bathgate hooks up with a legendary mobster, Dutch Schultz. Schultz becomes an unlikely surrogate parent to the boy, introducing him to the ways of the world and training Billy to follow in his footsteps. After Billy falls for Schulz's latest girlfriend, he begins to question the actions of the mob he was so eager to join. As he seeks to protect the young woman, he gains strength in following his own heart and makes a courageous passage from boyhood to adulthood.

When The Bronx Burned By John J. Finucane

In his novel, When the Bronx Burned, John Finucane, a retired lieutenant with the New York City Fire Department, tells the fascinating story of the burning of the Charlotte Street area of New York’s South Bronx during the late1960s and 70s; an era when arson-for-profit drove hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. It’s an intriguing story that shows a New York that most people are completely unfamiliar with. The premise allows for a great deal of conflict and action, for the heroes aren't just fighting flames, they are fighting a brutal gang of arsonists, the slumlords that employ them, and the political machine that permits the scheme to take place.

Stoner by John Edward Williams

William Stoner grew up and worked on a farm with his parents. He attained the opportunity to attend college, and he took it. This classic tale, told in a classic way, takes us through the life of a less than ordinary man.

This book takes us from the early part of the 20th century through his life. John Williams is masterful in the way he takes us through the years and how we look at an aging man. He doesn't leave out scandal but doesn't over-sensationalize.

William Stoner is the man we stand next to in the supermarket, he is the man we pass in the street. He is the man we never wonder about.

Wikipedia has summed this book up better than I could ever:

Stoner is a 1965 novel by the American writer John Williams.

The central character is an undistinguished English professor (Stoner) who pursues a largely uneventful career at a drab Midwestern university. Neither Stoner's wife, nor his colleagues, nor his students think much of him.

The achievement of the book is in the resonant telling of a small, ordinary life. In a 2007 review of the recently reissued work, Morris Dickstein wrote that Stoner is "a perfect novel, so well told and beautifully written, so deeply moving that it takes your breath away."

C.P Snow, writing in The Financial Times in 1973 asked "Why isn't this book famous?"

I had wondered why I never heard of this book, nor this author. Why isn't this book famous? I've read many a classics that had a lot less to offer than this, they were dry and uninteresting. Stoner isn't.

So how did I come to learn of this particular book? One word: Oprah. This was on her website. I can't recall if it was on a book club list or one of the best books of all time or something to that effect. I'm not one to run out and read every Oprah suggestion, but something about the synopsis struck me.

Rating: 4 out of 5

If you want to learn more about the author, you can read about John Edward Williams on Wikipedia.

Support Your Local Library 2010

I have not posted about this yet this year. So in typical fashion, it is July and I will now.

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. There are four levels:

--The Mini – Check out and read 25 library books.

--Just My Size – Check out and read 50 library books.

--Stepping It Up – Check out and read 75 library books.

--Super Size Me – Check out and read 100 library books.

(Aim high. As long as you read 25 by the end of 2010, you are a winner.)

3. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Young Reader – any book as long as it is checked out from the library count. Checked out like with a library card, not purchased at a library sale.

4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

5. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

6. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

7. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post where your library books will be listed. Include the URL to this post so that other viewers can find this fun challenge. If you’d prefer to put your list in the sidebar of your blog, please leave your viewers the link to the sign up page. Again, so viewers can join the challenge too.
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To make it easy for everyone to find the books I read. I will put the list in my sidebar.