Remembering George Frideric Handel

It was 250 years ago today that the world saw the passing of George Frideric Handel. The German born musician started his career as an organist for the Calvinist Domkirche (cathedral) but soon traveled to Hamburg, Italy, Hanover, and finally settling in England. Handel was first composer to break from court and church patrons to receive his living directly the public.

Read more about Handel's life and career in:
Arts and Humanities Through the Eras, 2005.
UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2003.
Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World, 2004.

Listen to Excerpts to Handel's Water Music Suite No.1 from Classical Music library
Mvt. 3: Allegro
Mvt.4: Andante
Mvt.6: Air
Mvt.8: Bourree
Mvt.9: Hornpipe

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New Quick Flicks for the Week of 4/14/09

Do you want to know the newest DVD titles available at your library? Check here to find the newest Quick Flicks released at the Gail Borden Library. This fast turnover, no reserves collection is where you will find multiple copies of the most popular DVDs.

A Secret By Miller, Claude 2009/03 - Strand BL01873DVD Check Our Catalog Claude Miller directs this engrossing drama about a Jewish boy in post-World War II Paris who stumbles upon a mysterious toy in the attic, exposing his family's secret dark past and how it survived Nazi atrocities. ...More

Gospel Hill By 2009/02 - Twentieth Century-Fox 0024543566090 Check Our Catalog Angela Bassett and Danny Glover lead a celebrated cast including Julia Stiles, Adam Baldwin and Giancarlo Esposito in this riveting tale about a decades-old murder mystery and a town struggling to overcome the ghosts of its tormented past. In the town of Julia, prejudice is still an unspoken part of life thirty years after the assassination of a beloved civil rights leader. And his son, John (Glover), has learned to live with the memory of the unsolved murder and the towns thin veneer of peace. As dissension threatens to tear the community apart, an explosive revelation forces John to act!and to choose between forgiveness and renewed hatred. ...More

New York City Serenade By Whaley, Frank Prinze, Freddie Klein, Chris 2009/03 - Starz/Sphe 0013131613896 Check Our Catalog ...More

The Reader By Daldry, Stephen 2009/04 - Weinstein Company BL05098DVD Check Our Catalog Michael Berg reflects on the formative sexual relationship he had with older woman Hanna Schmitz as a young teenager in this poignant drama set in post-World War II Germany. The passionate affair ended when Hanna disappeared. But years later, Michael learns she's on trial for horrific Nazi war crimes. ...More

Secrets of the Furious Five By 2009/03 - Paramount Home Video 0097361391748 Check Our Catalog ...More

The Spirit By Miller Frank 2009/04 - Lionsgate BL05099DVD Check Our Catalog After rookie Central City cop Denny Colt is murdered, he's mysteriously reborn as masked superhero the Spirit. Setting out to rid the streets of crime, he finds his archnemesis in the Octopus, whose quest for immortality imperils the entire city. ...More

Remembering Kurt Cobain: 1967-1994

Today is the fifteenth anniversary of the discovery of Kurt Cobain's body. Cobain was the singer and songwriter for grunge band Nirvana. Cobain has been compared to John Morrison and John Lennon, but what is certain is he impacted a generation of music.

Check out a Nivana CD:

Bleach. Sub Pop, 1989.
Nevermind. DGC, 1991.
Incesticide. Sub Pop, 1992.
In Utero. Geffin, 1993.
MTV Unplugged in New York. Geffin, 1994.
From the muddy banks of the Wishkah. DGC, 1996.

Read an article about Cobain's death from 1994:

The mourning after. Entertainment Weekly, April 29, 1994.
Generation exit. The New Yorker, April 25, 1994.
No way out. People Weekly, April 25, 1994.

Check out a book about Kurt Cobain:

Journals By Cobain, Kurt 2002/11 - Riverhead Books 1573222321 Check Our Catalog Kurt Cobain filled dozens of notebooks with lyrics, drawings, and writings about his plans for Nirvana and his thoughts about fame, the state of music, and the people who bought his music. Over 20 of these notebooks survived his many moves and travels and have been locked in a safe since his death. Now, printed here for the first time, his journals reveal an artist who loved records, who knew the history of rock, and was determined to define his place in that history. Full color. ...More

Cobain Unseen By Cross, Charles R. 2008/10 - Little Brown and Company 0316033723 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title An unparalleled look inside the brilliant mind of one of America's most revered rock legends, "Cobain Unseen" collects previously unseen artifacts and photographs from the estate's archives to form a fascinating portrait of the creativity, madness, and genius of Kurt Cobain. ...More

Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain By Cross, Charles R. 2001/08 - Hyperion Books 0786865059 Check Our Catalog Published on the 10th anniversary of Nirvana's album "Nevermind", this in-depth biography includes new information from over 400 interviews and exclusive access to Cobain's unpublished diaries. More than the history of a rock and roll star, it's a portrait of the will to turn pain into art. Photos. ...More

Kurt Cobain: Oh Well, Whatever, Nevermind By Burlingame, Jeff 2006/11 - Enslow Publishers 0766024261 Check Our Catalog - Biographies of famous American rebels, from movie stars to writers and musicians - Dramatic, highly readable stories of controversial lives - Examines how each rebel's work spoke to the social problems of his time - Tracks the lasting impact of each subject's work on American culture - Supports the History/Social Studies, Language Arts, and Cultural Studies curricula ...More

Some links may require a Gail Borden Library card number.

New Quick Flicks for the Week of 4/7/09

Do you want to know the newest DVD titles available at your library? Check here to find the newest Quick Flicks released at the Gail Borden Library. This fast turnover, no reserves collection is where you will find multiple copies of the most popular DVDs.

Bedtime Stories By Shankman, Adam 2009/04 - Buena Vista BL05874DVD Check Our Catalog Skeeter Bronson is a down-on-his-luck guy who's always telling bedtime stories to his niece and nephew, and whose life is turned upside down when these fantastical stories suddenly turn into reality. ...More

The Day the Earth Stood Still By Derrickson, Scott 2009/04 - 20th Century Fox BL05096DVD Check Our Catalog In this updated version of the 1951 classic sci-fi thriller, Keanu Reeves stars as an alien named Klaatu who's sent to Earth to warn the leaders of the world about the consequences of their dangerous ways. ...More

Doubt By Shanley, John Patrick 2009/04 - Buena Vista Home Entertainment 0788885995 Check Our Catalog Set in 1964 at St. Nicholas Church in the Bronx, Fr. Brendan Flynns (Philip Seymour Hoffman) progressive views and charismatic presence have won him the respect and admiration of the congregation. At the parish school, principal Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) keeps her students in line with old-fashioned fear and intimidation. When young Sister James (Amy Adams) shares with Sister Aloysius her concern that that Father Flynn has taken an interest in twelve-year-old Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), the school's first Negro student, the older nun launches her own investigation. Determined to protect every one of her charges, Sister Aloysius attempts to use the evidence she discovers to have Flynn removed from the school. John Patrick Shanleys finely shaded script takes audiences through a spectrum of truth, emotion and belief, and ask ...More

Marley and Me By Frankel, David 2009/03 - 20th Century Fox BL05871DVD Check Our Catalog Based on the best-selling memoir, this feature adaptation centers on Jennifer and John Grogan, who, as newlyweds about to start a family, learn many of life's important lessons from Marley, their lovable yet trouble-seeking canine. This heartwarming story examines the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting ones' own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog. ...More

Not Easily Broken By Duke, Bill 2009/04 - Sony BL04871DVD Check Our Catalog Based on the novel by televangelist T.D. Jakes, this faith-based drama follows the trials and tribulations of Dave and Clarice Johnson, a married couple forced to reevaluate the strength of their bond after Clarice is injured in a car accident. ...More

Tale of Despereaux By Fell, Sam Stevenhagen, Robert 2009/03 - Universal Studios BL05091DVD Check Our Catalog Despereaux is different from other mice: He reads books, has ears too big for his too-small body and loves the human Princess Pea. With his friend, a rat named Roscuro, Despereaux sets out to escape the castle dungeon and win the girl of his dreams. ...More

Vacancy 2: The First Cut By 2009/01 - Sony Pictures Home Ent 1435931742 Check Our Catalog Suspecting only a night of hard beds and tacky decor, Caleb, his sexy new fiancee Jessica and his sarcastic best friend Tanner, check into the Meadow View Inn. They have no idea that it is not just another lonely motel, but a horrific trap where guests are brutally tortured and murdered while the sadistic maniac Mr. Smith and his greedy accomplices film the grisly slayings for profit. Caught in a deadly game or cat and mouse, the three young friends now must fight to survive. ...More

Yes Man By Reed, Peyton 2009/03 - Warner Home Video BL05092DVD Check Our Catalog Based on the comedic memoir by Danny Wallace, this film stars Jim Carrey as Carl, a man who, as an antidote to unhappiness, resolves to say yes to everything that comes his way for a whole year. Initially, Carl's new practice proves successful in lifting his spirits, but soon he is confronted with unexpected and seemingly unbeatable challenges stemming from his unique self-imposed regime. ...More

Now Showing at the Gail Borden Library: After the Thin Man

After the Thin Man
April 13, 2009, at 11:00 a.m.

A murder takes place among Nora's own blue-blooded relatives on posh Nob Hill in San Francisco. Nick must leap into the case to find the real culprit. Naturally his ever-loving Nora and their frisky dog Asta are on hand to help.