The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

View a collection of videos on Professor Wilson entitled "On the Relation of Science and the Humanities"

In his new preface E. O. Wilson reflects on how he came to write this book: how The Insect Societies led him to write Sociobiology, and how the political and religious uproar that e! ngulfed that book persuaded him to write another book that would better explain the relevance of biology to the understanding of human behavior.

(20041219)Over four previous editions, Ten Theories of Human Nature has been a remarkably popular introduction to some of the most influential developments in Western and Eastern thought. This fifth edition features a new chapter on Buddhism and a completely revised and reorganized chapter on Darwinian theories.
Lucid and accessible, Ten Theories of Human Nature, Fifth Edition, compresses into a small space the essence of such ancient traditions as Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and the Old and New Testaments as well as the theories of Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, and Jean-Paul Sartre. The authors juxtapose the ideas of these and other thinkers and traditions in a way that helps readers understand how humanity has struggled to comprehend its nature. To encourage readers to think cri! tically for themselves and to underscore the similarities and ! differen ces between the many theories, the book examines each one on four points--the nature of the universe, the nature of humanity, the diagnosis of the ills of humanity, and the proposed cure for these problems. Ideal for introductory courses in human nature, philosophy, religious studies, and intellectual history, Ten Theories of Human Nature, Fifth Edition, will engage and motivate students and other readers to consider how we can understand and improve both ourselves and human society.From the creators of Being John Malkovich and starring Tim Robbins and Patricia Arquette comes a deliciously twisted film with biting dialogue wild twists and plenty of comic turns.Running Time: 96 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY UPC: 794043572623This fascinating comedy questions what we mean when we use words like "nature" and "civilization." Lila (Patricia Arquette, Lost Highway, True Romance), a nature writer who grows hair all over her body, falls in love! with Nathan (Tim Robbins, The Player, The Hudsucker Proxy), a scientist attempting to teach table manners to mice. While hiking in the woods, they discover Puff (Rhys Ifans, Notting Hill), a man raised in the wild since childhood, whom Nathan seizes as a test subject for his experiments--and soon these three, along with Nathan's French lab assistant (Miranda Otto) are embroiled in criss-crossed love affairs as they (and the audience) attempt to figure out what it means to be true to one's own nature. Though Human Nature isn't as surefooted as Being John Malkovich (which was also written by distinctive screenwriter Charlie Kaufman), it has moments of startling comic genius. --Bret FetzerWhy do we behave the way we do? Biologist Paul Ehrlich suggests that although people share a common genetic code, these genes "do not shout commands at us . . . at the very most, they whisper suggestions." He argues that human nature is not so much t! he result of genetic coding; rather, it is heavily influenced ! by cultu ral conditioning and environmental factors. With personal anecdotes, a well-written narrative, and clear examples, Human Natures is a major work of synthesis and scholarship as well as a valuable primer on genetics and evolution that makes complex scientific concepts accessible to lay readers.

"I doubt whether anyone will write as good a book of this sort on [human evolution] for another two or three decades." (Science)

"Ehrlich's book is so well researched and so elegantly presented that it stands as one of the best introductions to human evolution in recent memory." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)It's common to blame "human nature" for some of the unpleasant facts of life--road rage, say, or murder, or war. The problem with this convenient out, argues the distinguished scientist Paul Ehrlich, is that there really is no single human nature. Humans, it's true, share a common genetic code with remarkably few large-scale differen! ces (if all but native Africans disappeared from the planet, he notes, "humanity would still retain somewhat more than 90 percent of its genetic variability"); and evolution has endowed us with capabilities shared by no other species. But for all that, he adds, our separation into haves and have-nots, weak and strong, and other such categories is more often than not a product of cultural evolution, a process far more complex than the mere mutation and adaptation of a few genes. And, in any event, those genes "do not shout commands to us about our behavior," Ehrlich says. "At the very most, they whisper suggestions."

In this wide-ranging survey of what it is that has made and that continues to make us human, Ehrlich touches on a number of themes--among them, his recurrent observation that science has taught us little about how genes influence human behavior. (Instead, he notes wryly, "science tells us that we are creatures of accident clinging to a ball o! f mud hurtling aimlessly through space. This is not a notion ! to warm hearts or rouse multitudes.") He urges that scientists take a larger, interdisciplinary view that looks beyond mere genetics to the larger forces that shape our lives, a view for which Human Natures makes a handy, and highly accessible, primer. --Gregory McNamee In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading experts on language and the mind, explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits-a doctrine held by many intellectuals during the past century-denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts. Injecting calm and rationality into debates that are notorious for ax-grinding and mud-slinging, Pinker shows the importance of an hones! t acknowledgment of human nature based on science and common sense.

Alaska: A Novel

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In this sweeping epic of the northernmost American frontier, James A. Michener guides us across Alaska’s fierce terrain, from the long-forgotten past to the bustling technological present, as his characters struggle for survival. The exciting high points of Alaska’s story, from its brutal prehistory, through the nineteenth century and the American acquisition, to its modern status as America’s thriving forty-ninth state, are brought vividly to life in this remarkable novel: the gold rush; the tremendous growth and exploitation of the salmon industry; the discovery of oil and its social and economic consequences; the difficult construction of the Alcan Highway, which made possible the defense of t! he territory in World War II. A spellbinding portrait of a human community struggling to establish its place in the world, Alaska traces a bold and majestic history of the enduring spirit of a land and its people.

Lackawanna Blues

• Based on the award winning play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this poignant and colorful drama tells the inspirational story of a courageous woman, Nanny, whose spirit and strength served as the foundation for a struggling community trying to survive during the segregation era. Starring an exceptional ensemble cast led by Jimmy Smits, Rosie Perez, and Macy Gray, this inspiring drama from HBO Films is

DOWN IN THE DELTA brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community, and friendship! In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard -- STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, MUMFORD) -- a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhood -- is sent to spend a summer in her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and widsom of her hardworking Uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her youn! g children and reverse the downward slide of her life. A heartwarming, critically acclaimed motion picture also starring Wesley Snipes (BLADE, U.S. MARSHALS) and Loretta Devine (WAITING TO EXHALE) -- share in this remarkable journey to discover the strength of a family's roots and the power of unconditional love!This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother! . Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do som! e acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsThis family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from ! his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsDown In The Delta brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community and friendship.
In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard, The Family That Preys)â€"a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhoodâ€"is sent to spend a summer at her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and wisdom of her hardworking uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her young children and reverse the downward slide of her life. Also starring Loretta Devine (TV's Grey's Anatomy) and Wesley Snipes (Brooklyn! 's Finest).This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago ne! ighborho od with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly HeinrichsThis family drama be! gins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimber! ly HeinrichsEVE'S BAYOU (SIGNATURE SERIES) - DVD MovieActr! ess Kasi Lemmons made an auspicious debut as a writer and director with this delicately handled, wrenchingly emotional drama, hailed by critic Roger Ebert as one of the best films of 1997. Eve's Bayou begins with ominous narration: "The summer I killed my father, I was 10 years old." From that point the story moves backward in time and memory to Louisiana in 1962, when a young girl named Eve (Jurnee Smollett) witnesses a shocking act on the part of her womanizing father (Samuel L. Jackson). But what really happened? And can Eve be certain about what she saw when there is more than one interpretation of the facts? Less a mystery than a study of deeply rooted emotions rising to the surface to affect an entire family, the film has the quality of classic Southern literature, with layers of memory unfolding to reveal a carefully guarded truth. --Jeff ShannonBased on the award winning play by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, this poignant and colorful drama tells the inspirational sto! ry of a courageous woman, Nanny, whose spirit and strength served as the foundation for a struggling community trying to survive during the segregation era. Starring an exceptional ensemble cast led by Jimmy Smits, Rosie Perez, and Macy Gray, this inspiring drama from HBO Films is a celebration of the good things in life, no matter how tough times may be.

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Audio Commentary with director George C. Wolfe and writer Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Deleted Scenes
Featurette

Cool music, a wonderful atmospheric feel, and first-rate performances by a stellar cast distinguish Lackawanna Blues, a 2005, 90-minute film originally broadcast by HBO. Director George C. Wolfe's theater background (as a writer and/or director he's been responsible for The Colored Museum, Jelly's Last Jam, and Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk) is apparent; adapted by scriptwriter Ruben Santiago-Hudson from his! own autobiographical play, Lackawanna Blues is less a ! story th an a reminiscence, told by a young man (an affecting performance by Marcus Carl Franklin) raised by the indefatigable Rachel "Nanny" Crosby (an equally fine turn by S. Epatha Merkerson, known to many from her role in TV's Law & Order) in that upstate New York town. The focus is on Nanny's rooming house, which is populated by all manner of colorful characters (played by the likes of Macy Gray, Jeffrey Wright, and many others, with Jimmy Smits and Carmen Ejogo as the boy's wayward parents). The roomers include drunks, hustlers, ex-cons, and other shady types, but while plenty of bad stuff goes on, it's all coated with a certain patina of sentiment that tends to minimize the hard realities of life for African Americans in the early 1960s. That's fine; Wolfe, with the help of some superb editing by Brian Kates, gives the film such a delightful period vibe that it's easy to overlook its few shortcomings. The music (available on a soundtrack CD), ranging from downhom! e country blues to uptown swing, jump blues, and more, also makes a major contribution to the delightful diversion that is Lackawanna Blues. --Sam Graham

Callas Forever (Callas Por Siempre) [NTSC/REGION 1 & 4 DVD. Import-Latin America]

• AUDIO: Spanish & English
• SUBTITLES: English & Spanish
• REGION: 1 & 4
• Latinamerica Import DVD

In this loving tribute to Maria Callas, Zeffirelli imagines what could have happened at the end of her life at the age of 53.Franco Zeffirelli was and is clearly in love with Maria Callas, but unlike the average Callas fan, as a movie director, he was able to do something about it. This superbly made film, about the last few months of the great soprano's life in 1977, moves easily between fact and fantasy to express that love and to give her a more upbeat ending than the one that fate actually dealt her. It is made with the attention to small details that is a hallmark of Zeffirelli's work.

In reality, Callas became a recluse in her luxurious Paris apartment, mourning the loss of her voice, the breakup of her relationship to Aristotle Onassis and the disintegration of her ! career. Her final days were a nightmare. But Zeffirelli uses his imagination to rewrite that unhappy ending. He invents a rock producer, Tom Kelly (Jeremy Irons) who clearly is a Zeffirelli figure (the names rhyme). Kelly used to be her manager and has a scheme to revive her career in movies: he will film her greatest roles, using her recordings as soundtracks; she will go through the motions and lip-synch the words. It might have worked; experiments with Carmen, which she recorded but never sang onstage, were certainly promising. But Callas turned down the plan, on grounds of artistic integrity.

But in fact, Zeffirelli does make it work in this movie. Fanny Ardant does a marvelous job as Callas, not only shaping the words of her various arias (digitized and sounding better than ever) but also using facial expressions that speak as eloquently as words. Here is Callas reborn, with all her temperament, anguish and pride. Raw emotions are unleashed, particularly i! n a production of Tosca, when she stabs the villainous ! Scarpia (Justino Diaz) shouting savagely "muori dannato, muori, muori, muori" ("die , damn you, die, die die") She is avenging all the insults and disappointments of her life; Ardant becomes Callas in such moments. --Joe McLellanInternationally acclaimed director Franco Zeffirelli (Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet) beautifully recreates the magic, passion and artistry of the opera diva Maria Callas, known as "the voice of the century." In this loving tribute to his longtime friend, Zeffirelli imagines what could have happened at the end of Callas' life close to her death at the age of 53. Popular French actress Fanny Ardant perfectly fits the role of the temperamental diva, capturing all the fiery intensity of the legend on and off the stage. Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons shines as the diva's former manager who persuades her to re-launch her career, despite her fading powers. A unique, rare gem of a film featuring actual sound recordings of Callas in performance, CALLAS FOREVER makes ! a lasting impact as a stunning human portrayal of one of the greatest artists of our time.Franco Zeffirelli was and is clearly in love with Maria Callas, but unlike the average Callas fan, as a movie director, he was able to do something about it. This superbly made film, about the last few months of the great soprano's life in 1977, moves easily between fact and fantasy to express that love and to give her a more upbeat ending than the one that fate actually dealt her. It is made with the attention to small details that is a hallmark of Zeffirelli's work.

In reality, Callas became a recluse in her luxurious Paris apartment, mourning the loss of her voice, the breakup of her relationship to Aristotle Onassis and the disintegration of her career. Her final days were a nightmare. But Zeffirelli uses his imagination to rewrite that unhappy ending. He invents a rock producer, Tom Kelly (Jeremy Irons) who clearly is a Zeffirelli figure (the names rhyme). Kelly used to be h! er manager and has a scheme to revive her career in movies: he! will fi lm her greatest roles, using her recordings as soundtracks; she will go through the motions and lip-synch the words. It might have worked; experiments with Carmen, which she recorded but never sang onstage, were certainly promising. But Callas turned down the plan, on grounds of artistic integrity.

But in fact, Zeffirelli does make it work in this movie. Fanny Ardant does a marvelous job as Callas, not only shaping the words of her various arias (digitized and sounding better than ever) but also using facial expressions that speak as eloquently as words. Here is Callas reborn, with all her temperament, anguish and pride. Raw emotions are unleashed, particularly in a production of Tosca, when she stabs the villainous Scarpia (Justino Diaz) shouting savagely "muori dannato, muori, muori, muori" ("die , damn you, die, die die") She is avenging all the insults and disappointments of her life; Ardant becomes Callas in such moments. --Joe McLellanThis di! gital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Thomson Gale on July 25, 2004. The length of the article is 817 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: María Callas vista por Franco Zeffirelli.(Callas Forever)(Reseña de película)
Author: Tomás Pérez Turrent
Publication: Siempre! (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 25, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 51 Issue: 2667 Page: 76(1)

Article Type: Reseña de película

Distributed by Thomson GaleUn grupo de rock llega a París, donde les recibe un grupo de admiradores, periodistas y fotógrafos entre vítores y ! aplausos. Acompaña al grupo su manager, un señor inglés de ! cincuent a años que responde al nombre de Larry Kelly; en el pasado Larry organizó varias giras para María Callas. Larry intenta sin éxito llamar por teléfono a la famosa cantante de ópera. Se acerca al apartamento de María en París, donde sabe que lleva viviendo un tiempo como una ermitaña, y le intenta convencer de que haga una aparición especial con el nombre de Callas Por Siempre. María no es ni la sombra de lo que era, de la mujer elegante y segura de sí misma que todos conocemos. Tiene insomnio y se pasa todas las noches en vela escuchando los discos que grabó. Durante el día vive voluntariamente exiliada con la ayuda de drogas varias. Rechaza la oferta de Larry con firmeza. Su carrera ha terminado. Pero Larry sabe que sigue ejerciendo cierto poder sobre María y con la ayuda de Sarah, una periodista inglesa amiga de toda la vida de la cantante de ópera, la convencen de que le acompañe a un estudio de televisión. En el estudio le explican que el proyecto consiste en una serie de vídeos en los que María recreará las más memorables de sus actuaciones acompañada por la voz de sus antiguos discos. Fascinada por las posibilidades tecnológicas de hoy día, María accede a hacer el primer vídeo, Carmen, una ópera que nunca cantó sobre el escenario.

Copying Beethoven

• COPYING BEETHOVEN

When young Anna Holz (Diane Kruger), a Viennese music student is asked to transcribe scoring notes for the great Ludwig van Beethoven (Harris), she eagerly accepts, despite warnings about his volatile behavior. Part maestro, part mentor and part madman, Beethoven reluctantly relies on Anna to help him realize the culmination of his art.

A passionate, powerful drama based loosely on the final months of Ludwig van Beethoven's life, Copying Beethoven finds the maestro a haunted man, composing the most revolutionary yet unappreciated work of his lifetime; largely deaf; disappointed in his relationship with a wastrel nephew; and fascinated by a young, female composer, Anna Holtz (Diane Kruger), who goes to work for him transcribing music. Staying as a guest at a convent and engaged to a stolid engineer, Anna is drawn to Beethoven’s tempestuous genius. Half the time he'! s enchanted by her and seems to see straight through to her soul. The other half, he's shouting at her for her timidity or flattery. Hardly a mouse, Anna fights back. The more she does, the more Beethoven recognizes in her a kindred survivor, someone with whom he can reveal his vulnerability and the burden of his artistry. Ed Harris' Beethoven is wracked by pain but not overwhelmed by it; he looks like a man who understands his responsibility to nature too well to merely disintegrate. ("God whispers in most men's ears," Beethoven says. "He shouts in mine.") Director Agnieszka Holland (Olivier, Olivier) oversees a handsome, alternately tender and brutal drama, with several thrilling moments, including the stunned look of audience members hearing the world premiere of the glorious 9th Symphony. --Tom Keogh

Copying Beethoven Extras

Watch Ed Harris speak about portraying Beethoven in this exclusive clip.

Beyond Copying Beethoven

Copying Beethoven Soundtrack

Famous Composers: Ludwig Van Beethoven

More From MGM

Stills from Copying Beethoven

The Hangover (Rated Single-Disc Edition)

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• Format: DVD
• Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Full Screen; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC

From The Hangover director Todd Phillips, Due Date throws two unlikely companions together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous. Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) looks forward to his new child’s due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife’s side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, many friendships and Peter’s last nerve.From The Hangover director Todd Phillips, Due Date throws two unlikely companions together on a road ! trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous. Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) looks forward to his new child’s due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife’s side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, many friendships and Peter’s last nerve. Due Date is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Galifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. Due Date is like Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Nine! Months with a little of The Odd Couple thrown in. ! The writ ing of Due Date is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But Due Date gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, who's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to date--slovenly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of his first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situation is somewhat predictable, the comedic moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers may wonder if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not t! oo ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --A.T. HurleyDue Date is such a broad comedy, it needs the width of the whole United States in which to play out. Director Todd Phillips (The Hangover) lets the gross-out comedic charms of his frequent star Zach Galifianakis run wild, which is exactly what Galifianakis fans want. And Robert Downey Jr. reminds viewers of his appealing straight-man comic talents, too. Due Date is like Planes, Trains and Automobiles meets Nine Months with a little of The Odd Couple thrown in. The writing of Due Date is uneven--perhaps a result of its having had a minimum of six screenwriters working on it. And run time, at only 100 or so minutes, seems much longer. But Due Date gets its energy and charge from its two stars and from Phillips's slaphappy direction. Galifianakis plays Ethan, w! ho's a version of every character Galifianakis has played to d! ate--slo venly, irresponsible, and uncensored. Downey is Peter, a straitlaced new father-to-be, who through an improbable series of unfortunate events can find no other way to get across the country for the birth of his first child than to hitch a ride with Ethan. If the situation is somewhat predictable, the comedic moments are not--though by halfway though the trip, viewers may wonder if Peter will be able to resist strangling Ethan with his own scarf, or worse. The deft supporting cast includes Michelle Monaghan as Peter's wife, Jamie Foxx (in kind of a throwaway role), and Juliette Lewis, appealing and not too ditzy. Viewers who love Phillips's and Galifianakis's trademark slapstick shtick will find plenty to laugh about on this long, strange trip. --A.T. HurleyMovie Summary A first time expectant father has an adventurous trip with an aspiring actor while travelling cross country to be with his expecting wife. DVD Details * Actor(s): Robert Jr. Downey * Format: Widescreen! * Soundtrack: English * Additional: Additional Footage Behind the Scenes Include Digital Copy * Rating: R * MSRP: $35.99 * Release Date: 2 22 2011 * Number of Discs: 2A las vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures then must retrace their steps in order to find him. Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 12/15/2009 Starring: Bradley Cooper Heather Graham Run time: 100 minutes Rating: RIf you like your humor broadside up, hold the subtlety, you'll want to nurse this Hangover with your best buds. The ensemble cast meshes perfectly--it's like a super-R-rated episode of Friends: silly, slapstick, and completely in the viewer's face. When four pals go to Vegas to celebrate the imminent nuptials of one of them, they partake in a rooftop toast to "a night we'll never forget." But they're in for a big surprise: their celebration drinks were laced with date-rape drugs, so when they aw! ake in their hotel room 12 hours later, not only are they hung! over, b ut they can't remember what they did all night long. Oh, and they're missing the groom-to-be.

The film is so cheerfully raunchy, so fiercely crude, that the humor becomes as intoxicating as the mind-altering substances. The standout in the ensemble is Zach Galifianakis, who is alternately creepy and hilarious. Ed Helm (The Office), in addition to his memory, loses a tooth in uncomfortably realistic fashion, and Bradley Cooper (He's Just Not That into You) has deadpan comic timing that whips along at the speed of light. "Ma'am, you have an incredible rack," he blares to a pedestrian from the squad car the guys have "borrowed." "I should have been a [bleeping] cop," he tells himself approvingly.

Director Todd Phillips brings back his deft handling of the actors and the dude humor that worked so well in Old School, as well as the unctuous Dan Finnerty, memorable as a lounge/wedding singer in both films. But it's the nonstop volley of jokes--most chee! rily politically incorrect--that grabs the audience and thrashes it around the hotel room. Just watch out for the tiger in the bathroom. --A.T. Hurley

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Try as he might, Cliff Starkey just can’t keep out of trouble. With a dead-end career, there’s not much that makes him want to get out of bed in the mornings… except his one passion: Lawn Bowls. Almost as soon as he learned how to walk, he displayed a genius for the sport. To the dismay of the elderly, uptight bowls fraternity in town, Cliff honed his mastery of the game alone, playing by no one’s rules but his own. Now, the time has come for his skill to be recognized, and Rick Schwartz (Vince Vaughn), an American sports agent, is going to ensure that this ‘Bad Boy’ of bowls gets the spotlight he deserves. Cliff’s rock ‘n’ roll attitude and army of scre! aming female fans soon take England by storm, and he finds himself on the way to super-stardom! But can he take on the stuffy, business-like attitude of the Bowls Association and his senior arch-rival, Ray Speight? Starkey is only one match away from super-stardom as he joins forces with Ray in a ball-busting championship showdown!For 60 years professional baseball was a segregated sport. Even today, 44 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, most of the great black players of the Negro Leagues are forgotten or ignored. With this book, Holway sets out to rectify that. Features 25 tales of outstanding players."We were lucky to make it out of Shreveport alive on that early spring day in 1917.

"At noon, before the first game of our doubleheader, my All Nations team was taking batting practice, and as usual, I was studying the crowd. The people fascinated me: all those life stories that I’d never get a chance to hear, like that old colored man smiling! and singing to himself next to his stern, frowning wife in he! r flower ed hat, or the two white women with their cigarettes and exposed ankles. I was amazed by it all, though we never stayed in a place long enough to learn about anyone or anything more than the game and its players."

A story of the first truly integrated baseball team, decades before Jackie Robinson, set during the early years of World War I. Magic, miracles, and more...

"A Miracle in Shreveport" was first published in Electric Velocipede, May 2007, and was later reprinted in The All Nations Team. It also garnered an Honorable Mention in the Year’s Best Science Fiction vol. 25."We were lucky to make it out of Shreveport alive on that early spring day in 1917.

"At noon, before the first game of our doubleheader, my All Nations team was taking batting practice, and as usual, I was studying the crowd. The people fascinated me: all those life stories that I’d never get a chance to hear, like that old colored man smiling and singing to himself next ! to his stern, frowning wife in her flowered hat, or the two white women with their cigarettes and exposed ankles. I was amazed by it all, though we never stayed in a place long enough to learn about anyone or anything more than the game and its players."

A story of the first truly integrated baseball team, decades before Jackie Robinson, set during the early years of World War I. Magic, miracles, and more...

"A Miracle in Shreveport" was first published in Electric Velocipede, May 2007, and was later reprinted in The All Nations Team. It also garnered an Honorable Mention in the Year’s Best Science Fiction vol. 25.Custom Aluminum Street Sign. Made of aluminum and high quality 5-7 year outdoor vinyl lettering and graphics this sign is 4 x 18 inches. Made to last for years outdoors the sign is nice enough to display indoors. Want the 6"x24" size check out our other listings. Cannot find what your looking for just contact us we''''ll get it listed.