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Does anyone who lives in NY - know why our local PBS channel, Channel 13, is not showing the David Tennant Masterpiece Theater series "The Escape Artist"? Instead the listing is for Do Wop Music in the 1940s or 1950s.

[Note to Channel 13 - this is not how you get and keep subscribers/donators. It's actually how you lose them.]

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1. The concert reading of the play that I co-wrote and collaborated on went rather well last night. It was a small, friendly, and intimate audience, as well as a diverse one.
We got some positive feedback and it seemed that our play touched a few people's lives.
Which is what telling stories is all about.

2. Currently watching the Peter Gabriel induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who stopped preforming ages ago. He's older now, bald on top, heavier, his voice cracks in the higher octaves, and he wears a hearing aid. Almost unrecognizable, yet you can recognize his voice if you listen closely enough.

I adored Peter Gabriel in the 1980s. Listened to him as the front-runner of Genesis. Then followed him when he broke out and started his own solo career. My brother - when I went to college, used to make me mixed tapes with Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Talking Heads, Brian Eno, Lou Reed, and Kate Busch. And when I was studying in London in 1987, I was able to see Peter Gabriel live in concert, at the tail end Kate Busch joined him to sing In Your Eyes, and Biko. It was by the far the best live concert I've seen.

He sort of disappeared after a bit. But before he faded from the public view, he created some amazing songs: Biko, In Your Eyes, Don't Give Up (which is my favorite).
His songs often blended African music and rhythmic beats.

They are also inducting Linda Ronstadt - who was my favorite rock musician as a little girl during the 1970s. Had one of the most versatile voices that I've ever seen. Ronstadt jumped genres from Country to Gospel to Opera to Rock to Pop. And she created Country Rock, both Glenn Fry and Don Henley started with Rondstadt. She also created The Eagles - another favorite band of mine during the 1980s. Unfortunately, it was announced publicly in August 2013 that Linda had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in December 2012, which left her unable to sing. Tragic. In the early part of the 21st century, she became a serious social activist, often getting herself booted from concerts and venues for speaking against the WAR in IRAQ and for environmental causes.

Hee. All the inductees are 1970s and 1980s bands and singers. Makes me feel rather nostalgic. (KISS, E Street Band, Cat Stevens) What's interesting about KISS is that KISS broke rules, did what they wanted despite critics, hecklers, and societal boundaries. Weirdly there was no musical tribute to KISS, just a speech. They aren't well liked by a lot of people. (Okay, maybe that's not so weird. Let's face it they are a bunch of assholes.) Nor did they perform. Not that I'm disappointed, I admittedly never understood the appeal of KISS. It appeared to be more about doing outrageous things and less about the music.

Cat Stevens is another favorite performer from the 1970s and 1980s. I collected everything he did for a bit. And Art Garfunkle is introducing Cat Stevens - absolutely perfect. Because Garfunkle had a similar style. They were both major league folk artists in Rock. Cat Stevens changed his name when he became a Muslim. [Cat Stevens made an interesting comment about KISS - "I never thought I'd share the same stage as KISS, but they aren't up here right now...so that's okay." Also he is the polar opposite of KISS - as he states, "they voted for someone who doesn't smoke, drink, sleep with anyone other than his wife, throw televisions out of hotel rooms, or get into fights...that's a huge thing."] Stevens is actually performing his music. Didn't know he still performed. I admittedly stopped listening to him after he got religious.

Now, "Hall and Oates"??? Another 1970s/1980s band - which I admittedly rarely listened to. [They mention that they are only Philadelphia band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - and how horrid it is that Chubby Checker never got inducted. Which, I'd have to agree with...considering they inducted KISS and Hall and Oats.]

3. Finished Jim Butcher's The Skin Game - and it didn't quite work for me.
What I liked? I enjoyed the scenes with Murphy. But mainly it lagged, and the pacing was sluggish at times. Also the plot...felt contrived in places and the twist, did not work or quite track. In any event, it left me sort of..meh.

( Review includes Spoilers )