Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff
Dream cheese
A small cheesemaking company in Vermont has made the world of specialty cheese, so long associated with a trip to Europe, a distinctly American affair. 鈥淚n a Cheesemaker鈥檚 Kitchen鈥� ($19.95), Allison Hooper, cofounder of the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, gives a tour of artisan cheesemaking while the chefs who rely on the company鈥檚 award-winning dairy products offer their own recipes 鈥� a cr猫me fra卯che-lover鈥檚 dream.
American troubadour
Freedy Johnston鈥檚 love of the 1970s singer-songwriter era, from Burt Bacharach to Jimmy Webb, does not mean his own music is awash in soft-focus rainbows or glitterball beats. One of the most beloved songwriters of the 1990s, whose new album of originals, 鈥淩ain on the City鈥� (Bar None), is the first in eight years. Johnston casts hard-worn sentiments inside lovely melodies built for rainy afternoons. Ranging from folk-pop to jazz, these songs are crafted so well every moment is a warm fit.
鈥楩ame鈥� seekers
The presence of such heavy hitters as Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Megan Mullally, and Debbie Allen suggested that filmmakers had little confidence in the 2009 remake of the 1980 fan favorite, 鈥�Fame.鈥� But the update is a worthy reinvention of the populist yet insightful tale about a high school for gifted young artists. The film is still a showcase for new talent and the new DVD out Jan. 12 includes highlights of the national talent search along with outtakes.
Survival tactics
One of the many Iraq war movies produced in the last decade, 鈥�The Hurt Locker,鈥� just out on DVD, is about Army bomb-squad technicians in Baghdad. It鈥檚 documentarylike style creates a riveting immediacy as the film unravels the tale of Staff Sgt. William James (Jeremy Renner), an adrenaline junkie whose double-edged heroism threatens those he has pledged to protect.
Travel easy
Travel plans for 2010 won鈥檛 take hours to book with Tripeedo.com. Type the details of your trip just once into the site, which launches eight travel sites (including Travelocity, Orbitz, and Expedia) for a side-by-side price comparison. New Facebook integration notifies friends of your trip and identifies friends living near your destination. Make sure to read the site鈥檚 wink-worthy comments, like 鈥淗ey, good lookin鈥� 鈥� and 鈥淢ay your flight be completely free of crying babies.鈥�
Trash or treasure
A Ferris wheel, a rusty Harley Davidson crank, a 1930s boy鈥檚 bicycle 鈥� these are the 鈥渞usty gold鈥� found by Mike and Frank, the one-man鈥檚-junk-is-another-man鈥檚-treasure hunters on History Channel鈥檚 new 10-part series, 鈥�American Pickers,鈥� launching Jan. 18 at 9 p.m. This duo digs through the barns and basements of the nation鈥檚 pack rats, feeding the pipeline of antiques and collectible sellers coast to coast 鈥� not to mention everyone鈥檚 secret dream that the old painting in Grandma鈥檚 house is a Rembrandt.
