Brooke Astor

Bleecker Street: Greenwich Village In The 60's
$44.98
Sometimes the whole is less than the sum of its parts. Look at the artists, look at the songs, and you'd expect a whole lot more. I, at least, expected a celebration of the 60's singer-songwriters with a new generation insight. Instead, what you get here is pretty much pale note-for-note copies of the originals. And where that is not the case, the take is wrong --Jules Shear sounds like he can't wait to get through Darling Be Home Soon and John Gorka sounds like he's never going to get through Thirsty Boots. Highlights come early -- Jonatha Brooke and Bleeker Street, the inimitable Chrissie Hynde and Morning Glory, and Iris Dement and Loudon Wainwright with Pack Up Your Sorrows. Listening to this CD here on vacation at the beach, I now understand why it remained on the shelf without a hearing since about six or seven years ago. It's basically a well-intentioned snoozer.

Charlie Rose - An Appreciation of Brooke Astor (August 17, 2007)
$24.95
Brooke Astor who was New York's most well- known social - figure, and a major philanthropist for many years died in 2007 at the age of 105. Charlie Rose was a personal friend of hers, and in fact she had helped fund his show in its early years. The interview he rebroadcasts was made thirteen years before when she was ninety- two. Sharp of mind and lively in spirit Astor talked to Rose about her childhood with two loving parents, one a Marine military officer, her three marriages, one bad , one very happy, the third good, her decision to devote herself to philanthropy, her general attitude towards life. Perhaps the last is what will strike the viewer as important. She is the kind of person who does not regret or wallow but tries to take delight in every day. Much is made of her wide circle of acquaintances and friends, and her niceness to all, both big and small. Rose has a very good chemistry with her and they clearly like each other and enjoy each other's company.
His tribute is a very fine gesture to a good friend.

The Last Mrs. Astor: A New York Story
$15.95
The beginning started off slow and then picked up towards the middle. At the end though, it started to get boring. I didn't like the author's writing style. She was constantly quoting someone and was flipping around with dates and times.

Charlie Rose - Charles Ferguson & Esther Dyson & Brooke Marshall Astor (August 14, 2007)
$24.95
The heart of the show is a long interview with Dyson. She talks about her interests, her decision to make her 'genetic profile' known to all on the Internet, her sense of the changes coming in health- care in the U.S. , her interest in space- exploration and belief the take- off will come when it goes largely private, her sense of the new world being brought into being by 'Facebook' and whether it will be to 'Google' what Google might possibly be to 'Microsoft', her criticism of American society which has been lazy and less hard- working in comparison to China and India, her strong sense of the need for increased scientific knowledge on the part of the American public , her feeling that the unipolar world is over and China and India will be significant players in the future. Dyson is knowledegable and thoughtful- interesting- she is not brilliant and inspiring but she makes good sense has wide knowledge and much can be learned from her.