Harry Potter gets very dark

Returned home less than upbeat after taking in Deathly Hallows Part 1. Poor Hedwig. Poor Dobby. 

Not that it wasn't well done, because it was. It's just not a happy movie. There are a few minutes of lightness, but not many. And some of those almost feel artificial. Ron Weasley is just a bit too out of touch, though his family keeps things light without seeming forced. 

One of the best scenes is created independently of the book, when Harry and Hermione are separated from Ron and to relieve things they dance together. It shows they are friends and under different circumstances could have been more than that. 

The three principals continue to show depth as actors. Much of the rest of the cast, other than Ralph Fiennes as He Who Must Not Be Named, are in and out of scenes so quickly as to be hardly noticeable. Fiennes is under so much makeup it's hard to get much more than a sense of menace from him. Best of the bunch is probably Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood. 

If you like the books, you'll like the movie. If you love the books, you'll like the movie. If you haven't read the books, you will probably find it hard to follow along, especially if you haven't seen the earlier movies. But chances are if you haven't seen the others, you aren't going to see this one, so what's the point?

Return to the Seventh Galaxy

Received in the mail today, the upcoming two-disc set Forever from jazz icons Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White. They explore an acoustic version of their partnership previously known as Return to Forever. In addition to the trio, the set also includes contributions from Chaka Khan, original RTF guitarist Bill Connors, and violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, who previously worked alongside Clarke and Connors's replacement, Al Di Meola, as the Rite of Strings.

While the jury is still out on the recording - hey, I've only had it for a couple hours - the best news is in the accompanying liner notes. There is a promised RTF Mk. 4 tour in the works. To bring everyone up to speed:

RTF Mk. 1     Light As A Feather, w/Corea, Clarke,White, Joe Farrell, Flora Purim, Airto (also Corea's LP Return to Forever, whence the group's name)
RTF Mk.2      Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, w/CCW and Connors
RTF Mk. 2.5  Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, Romantic Warrior, w/CCW and Di Meola
RTF Mk. 3     MusicMagic and a live set, w/CC, Gerry Brown, Gayle Moran, Farrell, and a horn section
RTF Mk. 4    Corea, Clarke, White, Connors, Ponty
                  
There was an earlier undocumented group between Mk. 1 and 2 with Earl Klugh.

The group's 2008 reunion with Di Meola was arguably the jazz event of the year, and the accompanying disc, Returns, gives those of us who were unable to witness the shows in person a memento. And makes us feel even worse for not being there in person.

So you've been warned. Keep your eyes open this summer for the next great fusion tour, and in the meantime keep your ears open for this disc, due to drop Feb. 22.

Pomp and bombast

Listening to the TSO today. Not the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Will be interviewing head honcho Paul O'Neill soon to preview the TSO Christmas show in Grand Rapids. If you look up bombastic in the dictionary I'm sure Paul's photo is there. Always over the top, then piling on more, more, more. Great fun, but it can wear after a while. So just one disc at a time.

Then more CTI. The label produced some of the greatest jazz of the 70s, with powerhouses like George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Jobim, Deodato, Hubert Laws and more. Some was commercial/crossover, some straightahead, some Brazilian. All was melodic and listenable.The four-disc boxed set gives a great taste of the label's offerings. More in-depth coverage later here, and in Northern Express, along with new Bruce Springsteen, Dwight Twilley, Yoso, Bryan Ferry, and more.

On another note, go Green! MSU pulls it out in the fourth quarter. Michigan can't help the Spartans, though, getting roughed up by Wisconsin. Other than their decisive loss at State, they do look like the best team in the Big 11.

Dont' lie to me - Human Target is back.

So now we've seen the first episode of Human Target. At least a few of us have, as the ratings were pretty dismal. That's too bad, because this is an entertaining show. Mark Valley is cool throughout, Chi McBride is Chi McBride in his best role since House or Pushing Daisies or all the way back to Laroquette, and Jackie Earle Haley is a hoot, especially when he decks new cast member Janet Montgomery's Ames with a right to her face. Good stuff.

But - and this is a huge but - they wrapped up last season's cliffhanger in the first three minutes, without a hint of Armand Assante. Assante was previously Chance's (Valley's) boss, mentor and father figure in the assassin game, and he appeared out of the blue at the end of last season's cliffhanger to help Chance get back Winston. And not even a mention? Bad. Cheap. Copout. The whole episode seemed hurried. Entertaining, but hurried. If it would have been 90 minutes instead of an hour, they could have included Assante, wrapped up the storyline with Timothy Omundson's baddie (and his mysterious book, which we've still got no clue about), and then gotten on with the rest.

The new cast members are fine, though Haley's still a little too funny to be scary. Needs more darkness. And I'm still looking for more Autumn Reese as Layla, the computer tech who appeared in a couple shows last season. Still, it's fun. A great way to spend an hour. And great explosions!

Unfortunately I was one of the reasons that the ratings were down. Not home to see the show, so I watched it on Hulu. What a great thing. Now it's time to catch up with this week's episode of Lie To Me.

Dont' lie to me - Human Target is back.

So now we've seen the first episode of Human Target. At least a few of us have, as the ratings were pretty dismal. That's too bad, because this is an entertaining show. Mark Valley is cool throughout, Chi McBride is Chi McBride in his best role since House or Pushing Daisies or all the way back to Laroquette, and Jackie Earle Haley is a hoot, especially when he decks new cast member Janet Montgomery's Ames with a right to her face. Good stuff.

But - and this is a huge but - they wrapped up last season's cliffhanger in the first three minutes, without a hint of Armand Assante. Assante was previously Chance's (Valley's) boss, mentor and father figure in the assassin game, and he appeared out of the blue at the end of last season's cliffhanger to help Chance get back Winston. And not even a mention? Bad. Cheap. Copout. The whole episode seemed hurried. Entertaining, but hurried. If it would have been 90 minutes instead of an hour, they could have included Assante, wrapped up the storyline with Timothy Omundson's baddie (and his mysterious book, which we've still got no clue about), and then gotten on with the rest.

The new cast members are fine, though Haley's still a little too funny to be scary. Needs more darkness. And I'm still looking for more Autumn Reese as Layla, the computer tech who appeared in a couple shows last season. Still, it's fun. A great way to spend an hour. And great explosions!

Lie to me. Go ahead.

Hard to believe department: Dancing with the Stars is the #1 show in America. It's great to live in such a shallow country. And come on, they're not even stars! I mean, Bristol Palin? Really? That's the best you can do?

Pathetic as I find it, what that does to Lie to Me is the real concern. It has rather quietly become one of the best shows on the tube. The science of detecting lies has never been shown as intriguingly. And the interactions among the characters are like nothing else on television. It's all set up by the brilliant and intriguing Dr. Lightman, the second-most interesting Sherlock Holmes type character on TV.

Of course, the most interesting Sherlock Holmes character on TV is - Sherlock. The PBS show has now shown its initial run of three shows. The end of the third one is a classic cliffhanger, the best since Picard became Borg. Actually, the third episode was probably the weakest of the three, though the introduction of Holmes's mortal enemy Moriarty was imaginative.

Fourplay's newest another solid effort

Fourplay, the smooth jazz supergroup, gets critically slammed as much as it does praised. That's because many jazz critics can't stand the band's laid-back vibe. And assuredly, these guys can all play their asses off. It's just that in this setting they seldom choose to. Bob James is simply one of the best pianists in jazz and has been for many years. Harvey Mason is a dynamic drummer, at home in any situation. If it's versatility you're looking for, bassist Nathan East has earned plaudits in jazz and rock alike, from Eric Clapton to Johnny Mathis, Kenny Rogers to Kenny Loggins. And new member Chuck Loeb has been a mainstay of the jazz scene for years as well, first coming to notice with Stan Getz, later Steps Ahead and most recently for his own discs.

On their new disc, Let's Touch the Sky, the four create a bumper crop of melodic jazz. Great songs, nimbly played. James is deft and though usually in the spotlight, never overshadows his companions. East's bass sets the tone, while Mason's drums are solid and his cymbals add just the right accents. Loeb's guitar fits right in the pocket. The singers - Ruben Studdard, Anita Baker, and East - are adequate but truthfully mostly superfluous. Having guest singers has been a Fourplay tradition, but they're hardly ever necessary. The real stars are the songs. As always, there are contributions from every member of the band, with James's gentle "Golden Faders" and Loeb's "3rd Degree" among the highlights. Sunny, enjoyable stuff.