The Writer's Life: The Writer's Life 1/2

RIP songstress Natalie Cole, 65. nine-time Grammy winner. I'm sure being the daughter of the famous Nat King Cole opened doors for her, but her talent kept them open. She was a wonderful singer who sold millions of records and performed to sold out audiences worldwide. Her version of Unforgettable is one of the few of the duets between the living and the dead that is great. One can clearly discern the love she had for her dad. She dabbled in drama, most notably in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. Unfortunately, she succumbed to the temptations that get many in the music industry. She went into rehab in 1983, but the consequences of her walks on the wild side eventually led to Hepatitis C and other complications her weakened immune system could not handle. I've seen it happen to so many young men and women, particularly those 5-15 years younger than me. Her autobiography, Angel on My Shoulder, was published in 2000. Here she is performing a top ten single:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDblVjyHr_U

The Urban Dictionary has introduced a new word: Pedtextrian. Guess its meaning. Answer below.

PBS in NYC aired the only new episode of Sherlock filmed in 2015. I guess Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are so busy doing movies they no longer have time for the iconic roles they've mastered. As usual, the script lost me. It is amazing how something that is 95% dialogue moves at such a dazzling clip. Cumberbatch is able to speak more quickly than I can read the close captioning. The Abominable Bride has Holmes trying to solve a murder from the 1890's -- in his head. There were elements I really liked, such as Mrs. Hudson's banter, the neglected Mrs. Watson's complaints and keen insight, a fat 19th century Mycroft dispensing insults while gorging on treats, and an obviously female forensic scientist trying to pass as a male. The resolution seemed disappointing, although that may reflect my tendency to doze off between ten and ten-thirty. I will watch the episode again if it is aired at eight on one of the other PBS stations. Meanwhile, Elementary still has a half season to air, so aficionados have plenty to look forward to.

I watched four episodes of The Twilight Zone marathon at my sister's yesterday evening. The most famous of them was To Serve Man -- "It's a cook book!" It starred Lloyd Bochner, who was a frequent presence on TV from the early 50's through 2003. Richard Kiel, Jaws in the Bond films, played an alien. The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank featured James Best, Sherry Jackson, Dub Taylor and Edgar Buchanan; A Piano in the House starred Barry Morse and Joan Hackett; and The Fugitive had J. Pat O'Malley and Nancy Culp in a shrewish departure from her good egg role as Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies. It's amazing how well the episodes hold up. And no show has ever been more suited for black and white filming than TTZ. Curiously, Rod Sterling was not smoking in any of his appearances in these episodes.

Here's a sports oddity: This year Alabama won more games at the Cowboys' home field than the Cowboys did.

Pedtextrian: a person who texts while walking.

My thanks to Mr. Conspiracy, who bought a dictionary of bad grammar and who gave me a Happy New Year kiss laced with whatever alcoholic drink he'd been imbibing, and to Chris, who bought a self help book and returned later with a donation of several books, and who helped me lug my wares to the car.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Website: http://vicfortezzaauthor.my-free.website/