Ramblin' with Roger

Sunday Stealing Looks Back on September

booze, cookies and hair dye

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

We’re stealing this meme about last month – it looks back on September – from Life of a Fool. This blogger maintains this meme has “been seen everywhere.” The questions only require a yes or no, but if you’d like to elaborate, we’d like to hear what you have to say. (That’s good because this would be very short otherwise.)

In the Past Month Meme

During September, did you …

1. Drink alcohol? I don’t believe so. I had suggested to my wife that we could have a glass of wine from the bottle sitting on the kitchen counter, probably for the last few months, but it’s never gotten beyond that. It’s interesting how alcohol which was such a wonderful thing to discover in my 20s, has largely fallen by the wayside.

2. Try a new recipe? No I don’t really look at recipes and I only make the same six items anyway.

Shop Around

3. Go shopping with friends? I avoid going shopping at all. The only thing I bought that wasn’t groceries in September was at Lodge’s, the oldest department store in Albany, and I purchased a couple of pairs of slippers to walk around in the house.

I really don’t like shopping with other people. I have stories. One time this past decade, my wife was going to buy me a winter coat for Christmas, so we went into JCPenney’s. I looked at two coats and liked the second one. I tried it on; it fit, and I said, “Okay, we’re done.” She said, “Don’t you want to look at some others?” “NO!”

I like buying books and music because I generally know what I want. Grocery shopping is okay.

4. Eat an entire box of cookies by yourself? No, and don’t think I ever did. I ate a whole package of oatmeal raisin cookies in September, but there were only two cookies.

5. Dye your hair? If I’ve ever dyed my hair, I have no recollection. I might have done so for Halloween many years ago. When I was in high school stage crew, a young woman named Mary, the lead in a production, sprayed my hair blond.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

Hot Adult Contemporary #1s for 1985

Beverly Hills Cop

Here are the Hot Adult Contemporary #1s for 1985. The category went from Easy Listening in 1965 to Adult Contemporary in 1979, to Hot Adult Contemporary with the 20 October 1984 Billboard.

There was a lot of crossover between these and the pop and soul charts.

Cherish – Kool and the Gang, six weeks at #1. It was #2 for three weeks on the pop charts.

Careless Whisper – Wham!, featuring George Michael, five weeks at #1, three weeks at #1 pop.

Say You, Say Me – Lionel Richie, five weeks at #1, four weeks at #1 pop

The Search Is Over – Survivor, four weeks at #1. It went to #4 pop.

One More Night – Phil Collins, three weeks at #1

Who’s Holding Donna Now – DeBarge, three weeks at #1. #6 pop.

Saving All My Love For You – Whitney Houston, three weeks at #1, one week at #1 pop

Part-Time Lover, three weeks at #1. “It was the first single from his twentieth studio album, In Square Circle. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B, dance, and adult contemporary charts, becoming Wonder’s final number one hit to date.”

Separate Lives – Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin, three weeks at #1, one week at #1 pop

Two weeks at #1

All I Need -Jack Wagner. He was on the soap opera General Hospital. Madonna’s Like A Virgin kept him from reaching #1 on the pop charts

You’re My Inspiration – Chicago. #3 for two weeks pop.

Too Late For Goodbye – Julian Lennon. It was released in September 1984 in the UK, but not until January 1985 in the US, where it reached #5 on the pop charts. Sam Peckinpah directed a music video for the song, but I don’t know for certain that this is it.

We Are The World – USA for Africa, #1 for four weeks pop. This is the radio edit.

Suddenly – Billy Ocean. #4 pop.

Smooth Operator – Sade. #5 pop.

Axel F – Harold Faltermeyer, two weeks at #1. This is the “theme tune to the film Beverly Hills Cop, its eponymous character played by Eddie Murphy, and the film franchise it is based on.” It became an international number one hit in 1985, but only went to #3 on the pop charts for three weeks in the US. I believe it’s Faltermeyer in the video.

Every Time You Go Away – Paul Young, two weeks at #1, #1 for one week pop

The only song to top the AC charts in 1985 for only one week was Rhythm of the Night—DeBarge. It went to #3 for two weeks on the pop charts.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

a social examination

I suppose the strange thing about going to see the movie Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and the two previous films, the eponymous one and A New Era, is, as previously noted, that I never watched the television series.

But by this third film, I had become more familiar with the relationships. Robert Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) has decided to pass the property management to his elder daughter, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery). But then a “scandal” is revealed, making the transition more complicated. There’s a quick, funny bit about hiding under a staircase.

Meanwhile, the American-born Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern), Robert’s wife and Mary’s mother, had left her brother Harold (Paul Giamatti) in charge of their resources in the US, and apparently, he has made a mess of things, despite the assistance of his charming friend Gus (Alessandro Nivola). I’m a big Paul Giamatti fan.

Changes

One definite relationship change was between Lady Mary and Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael). Transitions are also taking place with the house staff, and at least one seems uncomfortable with letting go.

Katie Walsh noted: “With its mix of old characters and new, worldly upheaval and small-town drama, [Julian] Fellowes illustrates what ‘Downton’ has always done best, which is a social examination of how much things have changed and how they haven’t changed at all.”

This movie has fun sets away from the main venue, the theater district in town, and a horse race track. The whole film was a joy to watch.

And while she barely appeared, except in a large painting, the film created closure for the late Violet Grantham and her portrayer, the late Maggie Smith.

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale received a 92% positive rating from the Rotten Tomatoes critics, and the audience was more enthralled, with 96% positive. The first film was 84/94 and the second, 87/97. This was a suitable ending, if it is the last word from this Julian Fellowes universe.

My wife and I saw the movie at the Spectrum Theater in Albany in late September. After it ended and the lights came up, most people remained in their seats, absorbing what they had seen. It was fascinating

The freedom to read

Banned Books Week

Stealing from an APL email – check with your local library for more info:

The Albany Public Library always supports the freedom to read. But we put extra emphasis on this foundational belief during Banned Books Week (10/5-11) with programs and displays designed to draw attention to the dangers of censorship and encourage our community to stand up for the right to read. Please join us!

“I’m with the Banned” Book Display | Oct. 1-31 during open hours | Washington | For ages 0-18 | Check out a banned book and get a Stewart’s ice cream coupon.

Read for Your Rights: A Banned Books Readout | Oct. 7 at 6 pm | Washington | For teens and adults | Local artists, musicians, actors, and authors read selections from banned and challenged books that highlight the democratic freedoms of speech and expression. | Program partners: NYCLU Capital Region, League of Women Voters of Albany County, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, and Delta Sigma Theta Albany Alumnae Chapter.

Visit APL branches to view Banned Books Week displays and borrow books that have been banned or challenged in other cities.

To that end, the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024 from the American Library Association. Every year, the American Library Association compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books based on reports from the field and media coverage.

Unite Against Book Bans

The 2025 Banned Books Week theme — Censorship Is So 1984 — couldn’t be more timely and urgent. As many predicted, 2021’s explosion of community book banning has escalated beyond the point of crisis. Federal government censorship is now dominating the headlines.

This moment demands unprecedented visibility, advocacy, and action.

During Banned Books Week—and especially on Saturday, October 11, the Let Freedom Read Day of Action—we must make noise together. Here’s how we can stand up:

Defend our fundamental rights to read and speak freely by proudly using them.
Speak out on behalf of those already targeted, intimidated, or silenced. Read and share their stories.
Voice your concerns about censorship in a letter to the editor or by calling your elected representatives. Ask them to defend the right to read in your community.
Gather to support our libraries and librarians, teachers and students, authors and bookstores.

Courage may feel scarce, but it spreads when we model it. We must be bold, visible, and act now. Will you lend your voice and call upon others to join this fight?

Unite Against Book Bans is proud to partner with Public School Strong to connect Banned Books Week events with advocates nationwide. Through a new interactive calendar and map, communities can share, discover, and support local efforts to defend the freedom to read.

DelSo: The Librarians and the fight for free speech

APL Book Reviews and other special events

These are all on Tuesdays at 2 pm at the Washington Avenue auditorium, 161 Washington Avenue.

October 7 | Special Program | Alex Ashby & Amy Walsh of the Albany Water Department discuss Sustainable Forest Management for Water Quality.

October 14 | Book Review | The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging by Julia Hotz. Reviewer: Melanie Metzger, assistant director, APL.

October 21 | Book Review | Germinal by Émile Zola. Reviewer: Carl Strock, author & award-winning journalist.

October 28 | Special Program | Andrea Nicolay, Executive Director of APL, will talk about the APL and Current Events.

Robert Redford

He made helping others seem cool.

From the NYT (gift link): Robert Redford, Screen Idol Turned Director and Activist, Dies at 89. “He made serious topics like grief and political corruption resonate with the masses, in no small part because of his own star power.”

From 1440: Born Charles Robert Redford Jr. on Aug. 18, 1936, in Santa Monica, California, he became one of Hollywood’s defining figures over a career spanning six decades. [Famously, some records note his birth year as 1937 because his parents were married only three months before his birth.]

I probably saw Redford in early 1960s dramas such as Maverick, Perry Mason, Dr. Kildare, and The Defenders. I definitely saw the “Nothing in the Dark” episode of The Twilight Zone, in which Redford played Death personified.

The first film I saw with him was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) followed by The Way We Were (filmed partly in Schenectady’s Union College), The Sting, All The President’s Men, The Natural, Out Of Africa, A River Runs Through It (the narrator; he also directed), The Horse Whisperer (also directed), and Avengers: Endgame, all in the cinemas..

I also saw Barefoot In The Park, The Candidate, Sneakers, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier on television/video/DVD. Kelly wrote about Sneakers and linked to some James Horner soundtrack music.

PARADE: 10 Best Performances Ranked

But his most striking film was Ordinary People, his directorial debut, for which he earned an Oscar. He also directed the fine Quiz Show.

Sundance

THR: “From the filmmakers’ labs to its marquee Sundance Film Festival, the Redford-founded Sundance Institute has helped launch hundreds of careers, including Steven Soderbergh, Ryan Coogler, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Paul Thomas Anderson, Chloé Zhao, and Quentin Tarantino.” He was always was described as generous with his time and advice.

Variety: “In his ’70s heyday, few actors possessed Redford’s star wattage, aided considerably by his tousled blond locks, granite jaw and million-dollar smile,” writes Steve Chagollan in his obituary. “With his environmental activism, anti-establishment approach to filmmaking, and pioneering efforts in providing a platform for indie filmmakers, Redford was able to use his celebrity to subvert the status quo while advancing his own creative agenda.”

THR: Robert Redford’s Biggest Hollywood Innovation Was to Make Helping Others Seem Cool. “We seldom stop to think how, long before all of them [Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio], Redford was casually embracing causes, leveraging his power to help creatures and ecosystems via the NRDC and the Redford Center; protecting Native American rights; and, with his son James, helping to raise awareness for organ transplants.”

Watch three CBS “Sunday Morning” interviews with actor, director, and activist Robert Redford (from 1994, 2006, and 2018) about movies, Sundance, and his legacy.

Redford received the National Medal of Arts in 1996, an honorary Oscar in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2005, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.