The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

At Risk & The Front Win Garano's Movies, Not Kay Scarpetta, but Definitely Patricia Cornwell

So, while I was checking out when the next Jesse Stone movie would air, I came across some more information that should be interesting to all of us mystery book lovers. Patricia Cornwell‘s Win Garano Mystery Series will be featured on the Lifetime channel.

At Risk (Saturday, April 10) and The Front (Saturday, April 17) will be made-for-television movies starring Andie MacDowell (as Monique “Money” Lamont) and Daniel Sunjata (as Win Garano).

I am sure that most of you know that Patricia Cornwell is a New York Times bestselling author. It surprised me to find out that Cornwell’s Win Garano mystery series is the one that was selected to be filmed. I would have guessed that Cornwell’s wildly popular Kay Scarpetta mystery series would have been the chosen one to film. 

I’m glad to see that the Lifetime channel is bringing us movies by more and more of our mystery authors. Recently they aired some of Ann Rule‘s true crime books, and now this.

Bravo for Lifetime!

No Remorse & Blue Bloods (formerly slated as Reagan's Law) … Two Tom Selleck Police Procedurals on the Horizon

Great news for all of you Jesse Stone fans. Another Robert  B. Parker movie will be broadcast some time soon. No Remorse will air on May 9, 2010. (Of course, since I don’t work for the network, I am getting this date from the Google-ing I did this afternoon. If anyone else has another date, please let us know.) I have already programmed the movie’s title, Tom Selleck, and Jesse Stone on my Replay machine… so I should know the exact date as soon as it pops up on one of my searches.

I am really looking forward to No Remorse, as I have enjoyed all of the other Jesse Stone movies. And, of course, Tom Selleck in no way makes it difficult to watch! And, I absolutely LOVE Jeff Beal‘s haunting musical score. (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!)  Seeing Kathy Baker & William Devane are added bonuses for me.

So, here’s what I found out while searching around for No Remorse >>>

There’s more good news in store for us! CBS is filming a pilot (currently called Blue Bloods >>> formerly called Reagan’s Law) which will be a police procedural starring Tom Selleck as NYPD’s chief of police, whose son (played by Donnie Wahlberg) is a detective. Len Cariou plays Selleck’s father, who was also a policeman, but who is now working for the mayor. Got the picture? A family of generation-after-generation of police officers! Some of you may remember Len Cairou as the man on the Murder, She Wrote TV show who seemed the most likely to have a romantic relationship with Jessica. (Boy, did I ever side-track on that!)

Anyway, it looks like there are some good things in store for all of us mystery lovers out there. Let’s just hope the networks air these shows… and don’t decide that what we really need is YET ONE MORE REALITY SHOW!!!

* * * * *This is not an April Fool’s gag…* * * * *

Pie In the Sky Mystery (Television) Series…

Pie in the Sky: Series One Here’s another British mystery “dramedy” (drama & light comedy) series that might have been “undiscovered” by many people outside of the United Kingdom. Pie in the Sky stars Richard Griffiths as Henry Crabbe, the main character of the series.

When we first meet Crabbe, we find out that he wants desperately to retire from the police force in order to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time chef in his very own restaurant. This is not to be!

Crabbe (deliciously portrayed by Griffiths!) is left to be a part-time chef and restaurateur, having to solve crimes while planning the menu, collecting the eggs from his chicken coop, and supervising his ex-convict sous chef. The name of his restaurant: Pie in the Sky.

Maggie Steed is perfectly cast as his wife Margaret, an accountant who eats to live, prefering numbers over the delectable fare Crabbe prepares at his restaurant. They make a delightful “opposites attract” couple. She simply does not enjoy food, even though they own a restaurant and he is a wonderful chef.

Bella Enahoro plays the detective who is assigned to Crabbe. Her purpose is to spy on Crabbe and keep his boss (Malcolm Sinclair) informed of everything Crabbe is up to. However, sometimes things don’t work out as intended…

Pie in the Sky is one of those detective series that is character-driven. There isn’t a fast chase scene in each episode, or a shoot-out that climaxes with several close-ups of the wounded. This is not to say that there is no plot!

My husband and I finished watching Pie in the Sky – second season. We think that the show improved with each episode, and that’s saying  a lot, since we both really enjoyed the first show!

We have yet to watch the Pie in the Sky third season, but are really looking forward to seeing it.

♦If you would like to see more TV and Movies suggestions, click here.♦

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppet Christmas Carol I cannot believe that I have never written an entry about this!!! It is by far one of our VERY favorite Christmas movies, and if you haven’t gotten a chance to see it, then watch for it! I am hoping that at least one network of the 100s of networks which now  exist airs it this holiday season. (And, good news… Yesterday I saw it in my local Blockbuster store!)

Our children grew up during Jim Henson’s later years, so we were treated with many, many hours of WONDERFUL enjoyment… be it in the form of Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street, or in some of the particularly wonderful Jim Henson (later the helm was taken up by his son Brian) holiday movies. The Christmas Toy, A Muppet Family Christmas, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and, there was even an Easter movie with the Muppets.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is a Jim Henson production, directed by his son (Brian Henson) with Michael Caine contributing his wonderful acting magic as Ebeneezer Scrooge. Kermit and Miss Piggy excellently portray Mr. & Mrs. Bob Crachit. (Only in dreams and movies does Miss Piggy finally get the part of Kermit’s wife!) Gonzo serves as our “guide” through the movie, and he is very effective in that role… but Rizzo, steals their scenes as Gonzo’s companion for the fateful night’s ride through time.

I don’t want this entry to make it sound like this movie is a children-only type of movie. I know that a lot of people may be turned off  thinking this is a watered-down version of the Charles Dickens Christmas novel. Far from the truth!

This is quite simply our very favorite Christmas movie… and now that both of our children are in their 20s, I think it’s safe to say that all four of us have adult tastes. But, at the same time, The Muppet Christmas Carol was also a favorite of our family when it came out years ago, when our children were under ten. It is a movie that all can enjoy. And, the music is just what you would expect from the wonderful Paul Williams… who, incidentally, appeared several times with the Muppets. I am writing this during the beginning of November, it has been over a year since I last watched The Muppet Christmas Carol, and I am humming some of the songs as I type this… The songs are that good!

I was just thinking of the people who might not enjoy this movie, and, could only come up with a few… and to them, I say simply: Bah! Humbug!

♦If you would like to see more TV & Movies suggestions, click here.♦

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