Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff
Susan Boyle's 'Dream' CD, McCartney concert magic at New York's Citi Field, D.C.'s holiday celebrations on TNT, and more.
Six hours of celebration
The largest multicultural arts celebration in the nation performs a six-hour, free community event at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles every year. And for the first time, this year it will stream live at www.kcet.org. The Dec. 24 event, which runs from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., includes everything from an aerial dance company to an a capella choir to a band that blends flamenco, Armenian, Arabic, and Greek sounds.
A killer returns
What do you do if you’re sure someone is guilty, but have no proof? That’s a conundrum that Chief Inspector Wexford has grappled with ever since his first murder case as a young constable. Locking eyes with a man walking his dog, Wexford knew he’d found the killer. Decades (and a couple of suspicious deaths) later, the man has returned to Kingsmarkham, and not even Wexford’s trusted partner believes he’s guilty. Fans of Ruth Rendell’s complex mysteries will find themselves rewarded by “Monster in the Box.”
No longer just dreams
After a meteoric rise to fame, “Britain’s Got Talent” legend Susan Boyle has released her debut album, “I Dreamed a Dream” – a collection of classics and pop covers with a lovely, honest sound. The album, which has broken sales records on both sides of the Atlantic, opens with soft, low-key tracks and builds to the final stirring and powerful renditions of “Who I Was Born To Be” and “Silent Night.” The album won’t rock your world, but it will warm your heart.
