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Dennis Farina, cop-turned-actor, has died

by sernabad

Dennis Farina, a Chicago police officer for 18 years before becoming an actor, has died.

Farina picked up acting jobs on the side during his career as a Windy City cop. He had roles in several movies, including Get Shorty (1995), Saving Private Ryan (199), and HBO's Empire Falls (2005), based on the novel by the same name by Richard Russo.

But it was his role, for three season, as the crusty, snappy-dressed detective, Joe Fontana, that endeared him to the hit TV franchise, Law and Order fans. His years in the Chicago PD burglary division served him well and gave his performances wonderful authenticity.

Farina, who was 69, died from a blood clot in his lungs in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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“There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here!”

by PattySmith

In the mood for a throw back cartoon that will transport you to your days of youth? “There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here!” Underdog is an American animated TV series that ran from 1964-1973. It featured the mild mannered Shoeshine boy (dog!) who transforms himself into a super hero canine by eating a super energy pill he keeps in his ring. (Incidentally, when the series re-ran on the Nickelodeon channel the network chose to edit out the pill popping part.) Revisit this gem and watch Underdog fight villains the likes of Riff Raff and Simon Bar Sinister, all in the defense of his love, Sweet Polly Purebred. For a more modern version, check out the 2007 live action movie released by Disney that features Jason Lee, Peter Dinklage and Amy Adams.

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Meet Top Chef Season 10 Seattle Winner, Kristen Kish!

by erin

Sunday July 21, 2013: 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm -- Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Spend the afternoon with Kristen Kish - the winner of Top Chef Season 10!

Kristen is the chef de cuisine at Menton Boston and is the second female winner in Top Chef history! Hear about her Michigan roots, her culinary journey, her Top Chef experience, and her chef career in Boston.

Born in South Korea and adopted into a family in Kentwood, MI, Kristen's love for cooking began at the young age of six years old as she watched Great Chefs of the World on the Discovery channel. While in college, her mother suggested she go to culinary school. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago and has never looked back.

After culinary school, Kristen worked for numerous world-renowned chefs, including Michelin-star chef Guy Martin, and she currently works for James Beard Award Winner and Relais & Chateaux Grand Chef Barbara Lynch. Most recently, Kristen took home the winning title of Top Chef on "Top Chef: Seattle," fighting her way back to the finale through the Last Chance Kitchen after elimination earlier in the season.

Do not miss this chance to meet the most recent Top Chef winner!

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Samantha Brown's Asia

by Enzy

If you are like me and cannot get away to far away destinations but enjoy learning about them, you may enjoy watching travel shows. A few years ago I discovered Samantha Brown’s travel program on the Travel Channel and her show quickly became my favorite. She has a bubbly personality that wins people over no matter where she goes. This is proven every time she randomly approaches a stranger and makes a joke or asks them a question. She seems fearless, but she has the charm to make anyone feel at ease, including the viewer.

The library has recently added Samantha Brown’s Asia disc 1 and disc 2 to our collection. In these two DVDs Brown takes us on a tour of Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and Bali. Meeting up with natives who then show her around their home, Brown provides viewers with practical advice and insight into the individually unique cultures of these different locations.

If you breeze through these two discs and want more, AADL does own quite a few Anthony Bourdain DVDs that will keep you occupied for a while.

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Jean Stapleton, a.k.a. Edith Bunker to a whole generation of adoring fans, has died

by sernabad

Jean Stapleton, who forever endeared herself to millions of TV viewers in her role of the ditzy-but-wise Edith Bunker, has died.

As Edith Bunker, sweet wife to the unapologetic, stuck-in-his-ways, working class Queens, NY conservative bigot Archie Bunker (played by the late Carroll O'Connor) in the popular 1970s sitcom All in the Family, Stapleton packed whole essays of timid disagreement into her nasally, softly screechy "Oh, Archie" or "Oh, my!". And when Archie would go too far and Edith stood up to him, Archie cowed and audiences cheered.

Ms. Stapleton played against character. She was a strong feminist playing the role of a meek, submissive, taunted housewife to Archie's often-derisive persona. As the women's movement gained traction on the national political stage, the shows' writers kept pace. One of the most memorable episodes centered on Edith's rare flare-up, pushing back against Archie's resistance to her volunteer work in a senior citizens' residence.

In addition to the four consecutive Emmys that the show won, Ms. Stapleton earned three (19721, 1972, and 1978) or her own.

For those who thought glass would shatter on a weekly basis with the opening song of All in the Family, sung by O'Connor and Ms. Stapleton, whose latter contribution was to hit impossibly loud off-key fingers-down-the-blackboard notes, it may come as a surprise to learn that Ms. Stapleton had a lovely voice, as evidenced by her extensive work on Broadway, the movies Bells Are Ringing (2005), and TV (she sang with The Muppets).

Ms. Stapleton, who was 90, died Friday in New York.

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New TV shows on DVD @ AADL

by manz

The library is always acquiring additional TV shows, be they hot and new, or oldies but goodies. Here are some new series on their way to AADL:

Grimm
A drama series inspired by the classic Grimm's Fairy Tales. Portland homicide Detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as 'Grimms', charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures.

Henning Mankell's Wallander
Before anyone else played the part, Rolf Lassgard established the role of Kurt Wallander in the original Swedish film adaptations of Henning Mankell's bestselling crime novels. Kurt Wallander is a cop who gets the job done; decades of coming up against criminal minds has honed his instincts for investigations and he knows where to draw the line between the job and personal vendettas. Usually. (Swedish with English subtitles) If you’re a Wallander fan, be sure to also check out another TV version starring Kenneth Branagh.

Better off Ted
A satirical office comedy centered around a morally conscious man, Ted, who works for a research and development department at a morally lax corporation.

Eureka
The quirky town of Eureka, America's brightest scientists are working on some of the government's best-kept secrets-- some lead to brilliant inventions and some to total chaos. Making sense of the mysteries is Sheriff Jack Carter, a former U.S. marshal who is stranded in the surreal small town after a random car accident.

Rules of Engagement
One married couple, one engaged couple and one of their single friends, who are all at different places in their relationships, deal with dating, commitment, and marriage.

For more TV shows, be sure to check out AADL’s lists for HOT TV shows, as well as NEW TV shows.

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Dr. Joyce Brothers, the "mother of mass media psychology", has died

by sernabad

Dr. Joyce Brothers, whose soft voice, clear explanations, and preference for pastels calmed generations of anxious, questioning Americans, has died.

In 1955, Dr. Brothers was a wife and new mother. Her doctor husband was paid $50 a month as a resident. Looking for a way to pay the bills, Dr. Brothers studied the popular game show The $64,000 Question and realized that the most popular contestants were the ones with the most improbable interests. At 5', with delicate features, Brothers, who had a PhD from Columbia and a near-photographic memory, became a self-taught expert on boxing before becoming a contestant. The result of her astute analysis and hard-charging studying was that, after riveting weeks on the show, she became the first woman to win the big prize.

That national attention led to a multi-pronged media presence as a straight-shooting advice expert. She had several TV shows that bore her name, a call-in radio show, a column in Good Housekeeping magazine, and she enjoyed frequent guest appearances on television. She also authored several books, including the 1981 What Every Woman Should Know about Men.

Dr. Brothers, who was 85, died in Fort Lee, NY of respiratory failure.

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TV Spotlight: Homeland

by manz

Are you looking for a new TV show to get sucked into? Look no further. In Showtime’s Homeland, US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) returns home after spending eight years in Iraq as a prisoner of war, where he was found and rescued on a compound belonging to terrorist Abu Nazir. During an unauthorized mission in Iraq, CIA officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) was warned by an informant that an Amerian POW was “turned” by al-Qaeda, and Mathison now believes that Brody is the "turned" POW and that he's plotting an attack on the US. Thinking her superiors wouldn’t believe her and wanting immediate action, Mathison takes it upon herself to set up surveillance on Brody watching him 24/7.

The suspenseful and intense television show focuses on Brody’s reunion with his family after being MIA for so long and now being thought of as a war hero, as well as with Mathison’s obsession with finding intel on Brody. Mathison is dealing with her own mental health issues and this helps fuel her manic search for evidence.

The critically acclaimed Homeland has aired two seasons, winning a 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, as well as Outstanding Actor/Actress In A Drama Series awards for Lewis and Danes. As well as Golden Globe Awards for Best Television Series – Drama in both 2011 and 2012. A third season premieres this fall.

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New TV shows on DVD @ AADL

by manz

The library is always acquiring additional TV shows, be they hot and new, or oldies but goodies. Here are some new DVDs on their way to AADL:

St. Elsewhere, Season 1
The medical drama features the doctors and nurses of the fictional St. Eligius hospital in South Boston. The show was known for it’s gritty, realistic style, and interweaving storylines.

The Big C, Season 1
The show follows suburban mom and teacher Cathy Jamison, who finds out she has melanoma. At first she keeps the news of her cancer from her family, but as the show progresses she lets them in and learns to live for the first time.

Shameless, Season 1
Meet the fabulously dysfunctional Gallagher family. William H. Macy portrays a single father of six, between the ages of two and twenty one. The father struggles with alcoholism while trying to keep his family from falling off the deep end, while also letting them fend for themselves.

Mr. Selfridge, Season 1
Jeremy Piven stars as American entrepreneur and colorful retail magnate Harry Gordon Selfridge. Pioneering and reckless, with an almost manic energy, Harry Selfridge created a theater of retail for early 1900s Londoners where any topic or trend that was new, exciting, entertaining-or sometimes just eccentric-was showcased. Based on the book “Shopping, Seduction and Mr. Selfridge” by author Lindy Woodhead.

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Tiny Toon Adventures

by yugure

“We’re tiny, we’re toony, we’re all a little loony…”

So begins the theme song for the quintessential 90’s cartoon classic Tiny Toon Adventures. Featuring youthful versions of the arguably more famous Loony Tunes characters, Tiny Toons follows the wacky antics of Babs and Buster Bunny (no relation), Plucky Duck, Hampton Pig, and a slew of other characters during their time studying at Acme Looniversity and on their various misadventures.

Full of wacky humor, celebrity impressions, and brilliant music videos, Tiny Toon Adventures is sure to please new child audiences and the nostalgic adults!