Top Picks: 'My Old Lady' on DVD and Blu-ray, Chuck Prophet's album 'Night Surfer,' and more
Rockin鈥� Under the radar
San Francisco鈥檚 Chuck Prophet is one of those artists that makes you shake your head and wonder, 鈥淲hy isn鈥檛 he the biggest rock star in the world?鈥� He鈥檚 got the songs, the hooks, the swagger, and that voice 鈥� iconic, ironic, and every bit as commanding as Dylan鈥檚, Petty鈥檚, or Jagger鈥檚. Take a listen to his latest album, Night Surfer, and get in on rock 鈥檔鈥� roll鈥檚 best-kept secret.聽
Parisian charm
With My Old Lady, director Israel Horovitz adapts his play of the same name for the screen. Kevin Kline stars as Mathias Gold, who inherits a Paris apartment unaware that it鈥檚 still occupied by a 92-year-old Englishwoman, Mathilde (Maggie Smith), and her daughter. According to French law, Mathilde can stay put and collect monthly payments from Mathias until her death. It鈥檚 out on DVD and Blu-ray Jan. 27.聽
Colder than you are
Think you have it bad with freezing January temperatures? Meet the residents of Yakutsk, Russia, which is often called the coldest city in the world. There, temperatures have already dropped to minus 50 degrees F. Photographer Amos Chapple鈥檚 series captures the locals going about their day swathed in fur against beautiful snow-covered vistas. Bundle up and check out his cool photo gallery at http://bit.ly/yakutskcold.
Actors on the Bard
Who better to teach about Shakespeare than the actors who love him? In the PBS series Shakespeare Uncovered, renowned actors who have taken on some of the best-known roles from the Bard discuss the plays, delving into the history of each work. In the first installments, 鈥�Downton Abbey鈥� actor Hugh Bonneville explores 鈥淎 Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream鈥� and Oscar winner Christopher Plummer looks at 鈥�King Lear.鈥� It premi猫res Jan. 30 at 9 p.m. Check local broadcast listings.聽
On the road with Kristof
In A Path Appears, writers Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, as well as celebrity activists such as Jennifer Garner and Mia Farrow, explore such topics as teen mothers and child slavery. Although viewers should be aware of graphic content, the three-part series, which debuts on PBS鈥檚 鈥淚ndependent Lens鈥� on Jan. 26 at 10 p.m., has a heartening message as it highlights efforts to improve lives. The series concludes Feb. 9.
