Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose: Friday Night Lights on DVD

Friday Night Lights (2006-)
Season Three (13 episodes)
Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Zach Gilford, Taylor Kitsch, Adrianne Palicki, Minka Kelly, Jesse Plemons, Aimee Teegarden

Recently released on DVD, season three of this critically acclaimed TV show returns for another strong season. More than simply a show about high school football, Friday Night Lights is about friendships, family, love, loss, and growing up. Tami (Connie Britton) is the new principal at Dillon High, where her husband Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) is head coach of the football team, the Dillon Panthers. Britton and Chandler's chemistry is wonderful to watch. For me, Tami and Eric Taylor sit alongside Pam and Jim from The Office and Lily and Marshall from How I Met Your Mother as the best couples on TV.

Some of the other storylines from this season:
Matt's (Zach Gilford) position as starting quarterback seems to be threatened when a new quarterback, freshman J.D. McCoy (Jeremy Sumpter), joins the team. Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) applies to college and falls for a rodeo cowboy. Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) also makes the effort to apply to college with some support from his girlfriend Lila Garrity (Minka Kelly). Landry (Jesse Plemons) appears to be looking for love in all the wrong places. Landry has evolved since season one of this show, and this change is most evident in season three. Quite possibly the nicest guy ever, he is at once hilarious and charming. Plus, he's in a pretty rockin' band.

During the course of the season we say goodbye to graduated players Smash Williams (Gaius Charles) and Jason Street (Scott Porter). I think the moments between Coach Taylor and Smash in the episodes "How the Other Half Live" and "Hello, Goodbye" are some of the most powerful of the season. If you can watch this show without crying just a little you are way stronger than I am.

The end of the season provides plenty of emotional moments (in addition to football action), as Tyra's sister Mindy marries Billy Riggins, Tyra awaits her college acceptance letters, and Matt's grandma and Julie (Aimee Teegarden) prepare for him to leave for college in Chicago. Without giving anything away, the end of season three leaves several characters contemplating some big changes in their lives. Season four, like this season, will first air on DirecTV in the fall and then air on NBC during the winter. If you have not given this show a chance, take advantage of the library's collection and check out this show starting with season one, because Friday Night Lights was recently renewed for another two seasons!

Friday Night Lights (season three): Find it in the catalog!
Friday Night Lights (season two): Find it in the catalog!
Friday Night Lights (season one): Find it in the catalog!

Movies in July

Thursday night we had 36 people attend our free showing of The Tale of Despereaux. Thank you to everyone who came to see the movie! We have two more movies to show coming up in July.

Inkheart
Thursday, July 16 at 6 PM
Doors open at 5:30 PM
Rated PG
106 minutes

Hotel for Dogs
Saturday, July 18 at 2 PM
Doors open at 1:30 PM
Rated PG
100 minutes

Tickets will be available July 1 at the Media Desk. On the day of the show be sure to arrive a few minutes early so you can get a drink and popcorn before you sit down!

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

The King of Pop: 1958-2009

A short-list of Michael Jackson's acclaimed musical career:

Invincible
Find it in the catalog!

Bad
Find it in the catalog!

Thriller 25: The World's Biggest Selling Album of All Time
Find it in the catalog!

Off the Wall
Find it in the catalog!

Gold, a two-disc compilation of Michael's solo hits
Find it in the catalog!

The Ultimate Collection, a compilation of Michael's early work with the Jackson 5
Find it in the catalog!

Triumph, a 1980 "reunion" for the Jacksons
Find it in the catalog!

Oscars, now and then

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that it will nominate 10 films for Best Picture next year. It has been speculated that this decision was due to lack of nominations for movies that don't fit the stereotype. Hopefully, this will open the field to more "unusual" nominees (which, ironically, might mean some more mainstream movies).

So, this got me thinking: what are some movies I wish had been nominated in past years?
Tropic Thunder Find it in the catalog!
Bourne Ultimatum Find it in the catalog!
Rescue Dawn Find it in the catalog!
Best in Show Find it in the catalog!

Give us your list-- what do you wish had been nominated? Are there any films so far this year that should be nominated?

DVDs out June 23rd

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Find it in the catalog!

My Dinner With Andre, this Louis Malle classic finally gets the Criterion treatment
Find it in the catalog!

The Pink Panther 2
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Waltz With Bashir
Find it in the catalog!

What we're listening to. . .

Noble Beast by Andrew Bird: The one word that comes to mind when I think of this album is "pretty." Now, just hear me out. Sometimes what makes an album good are the lyrics, and sometimes it is the overall sound and arrangement. (Sometimes both-- then you know you're on to something really good.) In this case, for me, it is the gorgeous sounds Bird creates throughout the disc; he plays the violin and whistles on several tracks. A couple of my favorites include "Fitz and Dizzyspells" and "Anonanimal." See if you agree.

Find it in the catalog!

New Audiobooks Coming this summer

June brings us:
Brimstone by Robert Parker
Fugitive by Phillips Margolin
Apostle by Brad Thor
Swimsuit by James Patterson

July brings us:
Burn by Linda Howard
Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini
Hot Pursuit by Suzanne Brockman

August brings us:
Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson
206 Bones by Kathy Reich
Vanished by Joseph Finder

What we're listening to...

The Foundation

by Zac Brown Band:

I had never heard of Zac Brown before, but I love this band. The favorite song is "Chicken Fried." Zac is a Georgia boy and proud of it. It is what he is about. Last night, at the 2009 CMT Music Awards, the Zac Brown Band took home the "USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year" Award for "Chicken Fried." Try it...you might like them too!

Find it in the catalog!

DVDs out June 16th

Friday the 13th, a 2009 reboot of the original slasher flick
Find it in the catalog!

Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail
Find it in the catalog!

Bogey

This month the Media department is highlighting the work of beloved American actor Humphrey Bogart.

Perhaps best remembered as night-club owner Rick Blaine in the 1942 classic Casablanca or as the quintessential hard-boiled private eye in 1941's The Maltese Falcon, Bogart turned out a remarkable number of engaging performances throughout his Hollywood tenure.

For this viewer's money, it doesn't get any better than the 1950 crime drama In a Lonely Place. Directed by Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause), the film follows the doomed romance of screen-writer Dixon Steele and aspiring starlet Laurel Gray (exquisitely acted by the often underrated Gloria Grahame). Bogart's take on the disillusioned Dixon Steele is perhaps the most harrowing, and genuinely disturbing, performance of his career.

Follow the links below to find these and other Bogey titles in our online catalog:

The African Queen

The Big Sleep

The Caine Mutiny

Casablanca

High Sierra

In a Lonely Place

The Maltese Falcon

Sabrina

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

For a full list of Humphrey Bogart DVDs in our collection, enter the search term "Humphrey Bogart" into our online catalog and click on "author".

DVDs out June 9th

Gran Torino, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood
Find it in the catalog!

The International, starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts
Find it in the catalog!

DVDs out June 2nd

Defiance, an epic WWII drama starring Daniel Craig
Find it in the catalog!

He's Just Not That Into You, starring Ben Affleck & Jennifer Aniston
Find it in the catalog!

Revolutionary Road, which reunites Titanic stars Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet
Find it in the catalog!