Peter, Paul and Mary: In Concert

 Peter, Paul and Mary: In Concert, Warner Brothers Records, 1964.

Peter, Paul and Mary are a popular folk trio who in addition to writing some of their own music also covered Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Hedy Miles and others.  Peter Yarrow sings tenor and plays guitar, Paul Stookey is baritone and also plays guitar.  Mary Travers sings alto.  Together they make a very nice sound. and they were very popular in the 60s as part of the folk movement.

This album is of concert performances, but not one continuous concert.  They took recordings of several different concerts and put them together.  They start with a Bob Dylan son, The Times They Are a Changin'.  Later they sing another Bb Dylan, one of my favorite songs, Blowin' in the Wind, a classic. 

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind

Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, and how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows
That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind

They have some fun with Car Car and Puff the Magic Dragon.  

They end the two album set with anther 60s song, If I Had a Hammer.  

This album includes several comedy sketches, most bt Paul.  I didn't really get them and would have rather had more music.  

Harry Potter/ Fantastic Beasts Movies Summaries

*****  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  (2001) Introduces Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) who become fast friends.

**** Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. (2002) Harry Potter discovers he can talk to snakes, which is not necessarily good. 

****^ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban  (2004) In this movie Harry discovers he has a God-father, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) who did not betray his parents,  That was another friend, Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall).  He also forms and ally with a werewolf, Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) another friend of his father's.  

****^ Hatty Potter and the Goblet of Fire  (2005) In this movie Potter wins the goblet, but really loses.  The co-winner, Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) is murdered by Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes.). Barty Crouch (David Tenant) has snuck into school taking the place of Alastor Moody (Brendan Gleeson) using poly juice potion.

****^ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) Harry Potter takes over the teaching of defense against the dar arts, as the Minister's woman with the job, Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) refuses to teach but enjoys more torturing children.  Sirius Black is killed in this episode by Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter.) 

****^ Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009) Harry Potter discovers a journal belonging to Severus Snape (Alan Rickman) and without becomes very good at Potions.  He learns of Horcruxes from Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) and has to retrieve a memory of Professor Horace Slughorn (Jim Broadbent) who taught Voldemost of horcruxes man years ago.  Voldemort uses Draco (Tom Felton) to kill Dumbledore, but Snape does it in the end.

****^ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1 (2010). So begins the journey to destroy Voldemost once and for all.  Harry visits Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch) in his search for horcruxes.  Dobby (Toby Jones) ends up dead.

****^ Happy Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Part 2 (2011) This movie leads to a big battle at Hogwarts between the dark forces of Voldemort and the rest of the school.  Both sides do not escape unscathed.  But Harry and Ginny Weasley (Bonnie Wright) and Hermione and Ron are together as friends in the end.

***** Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) who is a student of magical creatures loses a few of them in New York.  Porpentina (Katherine Watterson) starts off his govermental agent but they form an attraction, as does her sister, Queenie (Alison Sudl) with regular guy Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler.) Grinelwald (Johnny Depp) was behind mayhem in New York for which Scamander was blamed.  Grindelwald was caught.

***** Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) Scamander is caught into the fray after Grindelwald escapes and starts amassing his army.  Magical laws do not allow Queenie and Kowalski to be together, so Queenie joins Grindelwald.

 Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) Much intrigue and magical manipulation to get to Grindelwald as he is seeking the highest international magical office.  Dumbledore (Jude Law) is greatly involved. Mads Mikkelsen portrays Grindelwald.  

Music Review: Josh Groban: Awake

 Josh Groban Awake was released in 2006.  It was Groban's third album and is a follow-up to his album Closer.  It is the third highest selling classical album of the 2000s.  Songs are in English, Italian and Spanish.

The song I most enjoy is "Un giorno per noi."  This is a "Time for Us" from Romeo and Juliet.  It is very beautiful.  The song "You are Loved" was made into a single.  The songs "Lullaby" and "Weeping" have a South African flavor and are recorded with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.  

I enjoy Groban's voice.  It is very evident that he works at shaping his words and tones.  Some songs he was singing very high.  It makes for an enjoyable album.  With Josh Groban you don't have to understand the words to enjoy the music.  This album also makes good use of orchestral music.

Music Review: Olivia Newton John: Back with a Heart

 Back with a Heart was released in 1998 by MCA Nashville.  It marked John's first album in four years as well as a return to Country after 20 years.  This album is mostly about love.  The title song, Back with a Heart, was released as a single and the flip side was I Honestly Love You.   This was released in both country style and contemporary style.  Precious Love was released as a single.  The song Love is a Gift won a Daytime Emmy after being played on the soap, "As the World Turns."  Olivia Newton John as a nice soprano voice that is fun to listen to.

Music Review: Eric Clapton: Unplugged

Eric Clapton is first a guitar player, and his guitar playing shines in the album.  He kicks right off with an instrumental, and through all the numbers the guitar playing is excellent.  He has two standby numbers which never disappoint, Tears in Heaven and Layla, an acoustic version.   This is a live album which was recorded in front of an MTV studio audience for the show, "Unplugged."  The album was very well received with three Grammys and the best selling live album of all time.

Movie Review: ****My Big Fat Greek wedding 3 (2023)

 The family is back minus the father who has passed away, but we are headed to Greece for a reunion of the father's family.  Fortoula (Nia Vardalos) wants to take her father's journal to his old friends.  Her brother, Nick (Louis Mandylor) wants to find a special tree for father's ashes.  Ian (John Corbett) travels with his wife.  The cousin who set up the reunion is hoping someone will stay as their town is drying up. literally; the spring has stopped flowing and everyone has gone away.  However during the course of their stay, the figure our why the sring had stopped, and reverse it.  The fathers friends had all moved away, but Ian was able to track them down with the help of a priest.  Other family brought them.  The tree was very obscure, but the locate it in the end.  And their daughter, Paris (Elena Kampouris) becomes engaged.  There is another wedding which takes place among relatives on the island.

A happy ending all around.  

Robin Williams Movie Review: ***^ Father's Day (1997)

 Collette Andrews (Nastassja Kinski) asks her old boyfriend, Jack (Villy Crystal) to search for her runaway son, Scott (Charlie Hofheimer) telling him he is the father.  When he says no, she asks another ex-boyfriend, Dale (Robin Williams) with the same message, "your are the father," and Dale agrees, and turns out Jack also begins searching.  There going after him embarrasses the actual father (Bruce Greenwood)

and he also starts hunting.  His hunt however goes awry with car issues, and a tipping of the portapotty.  He does get home however.  Jack and Dale join forces.  The finally catch up with him in Sacramento at a concert.  He and his older girlfriend are following a band.  The girlfriend ditches him for a band member, and the two fathers take him to a hotel, he was passed out from drugs or alcohol.  

They are ready to take him back, but he is determined to chase the girl.  He next catches up with her in Reno, with the two fathers close behind.  He has also stolen $5000 from a drug dealer and buys a necklace for the girl.  The drug dealers are after him, and the two fathers coe through with head butts so they can get away.  They have to convince the girl to quit leading him on and be honest with him.  Then they are set to go home.  They get Scott back to his mom, who admits she lied to her two exes.  However Scott confides to them both separately that they are his father.  Robin borrows Jack's car to go to the airport, but instead picks up a girl with the fancy car, and they decide to drive rather than take a plane.  

There is enough comedy in this film to be fun.  It opens with a suicide attempt on the part of Dale which was a bit alarming.  There is also drug usage and the concert seen is also a bit disturbing.