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Halloween spooktacular by Stephen King

This novel is a get-away, and leaves you with a renewed sense of wonder
Posted by Fred Steiner on Friday, October 23, 2020

Review by Robert McCool
Stephen King's latest “The Outsider” ( Simon and Shuster, ISBN 978-1-9821-4824-9) doesn't disappoint.

Everything that can be said about Stephen King has already been said. One of the world's most popular authors can be depended upon to deliver a good old supernatural yarn. Still, he remains a matter of taste to many. He either gives you a case of the shivers, as in this latest novel, or disgusts with too much realism when it comes to violence. So, I don't like everything he's written, but I do like this book.

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Icon music review: The Rarities - Mariah Carey

The album is can’t miss listening for Mariah Carey fans
Posted by Fred Steiner on Thursday, October 22, 2020

Reviewed by Craig Hoffman
The Rarities is the eighth compilation album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released in October by Columbia and Legacy Records.

The artist is also a record producer, actress, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Carey is the definition of megastar and has the talent to more than back that description.

Carey is the first artist in history to have five singles become consecutive number one songs on the Billboard Hot 100. She is perhaps most famous for her ethereal-like five-octave vocal range. The “Songbird Supreme” does not disappoint with her latest effort.

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Icon movie review: Here's another scary October flashback

Jaws works so well precisely because of what it doesn’t do: show you the shark
Posted by Fred Steiner on Thursday, October 15, 2020

As I considered what to review next, I asked myself the question “what’s a horror movie the family can watch together?”

Turns out, horror doesn’t lend itself to producing those sorts of movies! But in the summer of 1975, a horror/thriller was released that you may have heard of: Jaws.

Jaws is the 7th highest-grossing movie of all-time in the United States when adjusted for inflation. It is the major breakthrough for Steven Spielberg, who continues to be a prominent figure in Hollywood 45 years later, and is the main reason lots of little ones (and I) are still skittish about going in the water. 

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A nostalgic ride back to Estefan’s glory days

Icon music review: Brazil305 - Gloria Estefan
Posted by Fred Steiner on Friday, October 9, 2020

Reviewed by Craig Hoffman
Gloria Estefan released Brazil305 in August 2020. It is the fourteenth studio album by the three-time Grammy Award winning Cuban-American singer. It is also her first album since the 2013 release of Standards.

Estefan pioneered the first Latin pop explosion, paving the way for artists like Ricky Martin and Shakira. Her earlier works combined pop, R&B, salsa, and Latin funk with great success. It’s perfect timing for the album as Latin pop music is once more en vogue in the music world.

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Icon book review: John Grisham's Camino Winds

This is Grisham's 43rd novel, and continues his very earnest genre writing
Posted by Fred Steiner on Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Review by Robert McCool

Get blown away by the end of hurricane season.

John Grisham scores again.

In Camino Winds (Doubleday ISBN 978-385-5493-8) John Grisham sets his opening during Hurricane Leo, and a questionable death of one of Camino Island's writers.

The book is set around one Bruce Cable, owner of Bay Books, the book store and anchor for all of the island's authors. The book follows Bruce, a character from the previous novel “Camino Island, as he investigates Nelson Kerr's presumed murder. With a group of friends like Bob, Nick, and Larry they decide that  Nelson's death was committed by a mysterious woman named Ingrid.

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Icon movie review: It's October, let the screaming begin

A look back and some spooky movies
Posted by Fred Steiner on Monday, October 5, 2020

Now that we’ve entered October, it feels appropriate to entertain some spookier fare. This month my goal is to share about some horror classics and why they’re worthy of revisiting in 2020. First up, is 1996’s Scream.

Scream opens with the best sequence in the film that runs close to 15 minutes as Casey Becker (DREW BARRYMORE) is terrorized by the film’s killer.

Home alone, Casey decides to pop some popcorn and put on a scary movie while she waits for her boyfriend, Steve, to come over. While she’s getting ready, she receives a phone call from a mystery person who may have dialed the wrong number.

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