A California Online Magazine with Local Focus and Global Appeal
BritBox is an extraordinary streaming option for Anglophiles, and one of which I have been a member for a reasonable fee that you can choose to make monthly ($6.99) or annually ($69.99) for a discount. For several years I’ve enjoyed their extensive library, updated regularly, with access to decades-old favorites or “fresh out of lockdown” TV shows, mini series, and movies to meet my every mood: comedies, dramas, mysteries, or nail-biting police procedurals.
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To Catch a Spy is a new series entry in Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Signature Movies lineup. It stars Nathalie Kelly as Chole Day, a travel magazine writer, and Colin Donnell as Aaron Maxwell, an FBI agent.
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The pandemic has directly effected our lives in many ways and we have tried desperately to find ways to keep ourselves engaged or distracted. We’re used to reruns, and in many cases don’t mind binging our favorite sit-com and movie series, but there’s On Demand, Netflix, Pay-Per-View, and a wide selection of streaming services for reasonable to “Ouch!” fees. For several years now, my “reasonable” membership in two streaming services has provided this Anglophile access to a wide variety of UK television shows and movies, some new and some longtime favorites.
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The newest Hallmark Movies and Mysteries entry is the fifteenth in the Aurora Teagarden franchise. How to Con a Con stars Candace Cameron Bure as Aurora Teagarden, local librarian and president of the Real Murders Club. Her new fiancé Nick Miller (Niall Matter) is a college professor of psychology, an eager member of the Club, and very supportive of Aurora’s interest in all things murder. Marilu Henner, as Aurora’s mother Aida, isn’t a murder fan and usually is very vocal against any extraneous investigation, but will participate under serious protest.
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Law & Order is an iconic American television drama spinning off other iconic and long-running shows, so why not send it over the pond to the UK? Law & Order | UK aired originally in 2009, and currently, AcornTV is showing the first five seasons with a cast that in my opinion rivals, if not surpasses, its American cousin. The “police who investigate crime” is led by Detective Sergeant Ronnie Brooks (brilliantly cast with Bradley Walsh), partnered with Detective Sergeant Matt Devlin (Jamie Bamber), and under the supervision of Senior Inspecting Officer Natalie Chandler (all-time favorite Harriet Walter).
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Hallmark Movies and Mysteries continue to give us great movies in the various lineups with new ones coming out every month. For a fun night’s entertainment check all them out. You won’t be disappointed.
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In 2020, I reviewed a record 181 entertaining books and explored a few cookbooks along with connecting with talented and delightfully friendly authors, including some beta reading opportunities. It was again a daunting task to choose my annual “Tops” because every book, and a few television shows, have provided me with hours of entertainment and some inspiration.
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It’s 1958 London, and the tabloids are all over the news—Inspector Michael Jericho has received the Queen’s Award for Bravery, and with his impeccable team at Scotland Yard, “London can sleep safe at night.” However, the realty is darker, more intense, more…murderous than the headlines: Jericho: The Man of Action
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“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is a well-worn adage that seems better suited to illustrate cultural and generational differences than an older generation incapable of learning something new. However, maybe it is a better and more successful strategy to combine the old with the new rather than scrapping one for the other. My new find, New Tricks, has a contemporary, yet seasoned, female detective superintendent being placed in charge of three older, retired, male detectives.
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BritBox has been a lifesaver in keeping me entertained. For a nominal monthly ($6.99) or annual ($69.99) membership fee, I have had access to a huge library, regularly updated, of comedies, dramas, and a mix of both with detectives, private eyes, doctors, and nosy neighbors, some good, some bad, but all entertaining!
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It’s North West England, and murders from gangland conflicts to family scrabbles from crimes of passion to serial killers to historical cases are investigated by Syndicate Nine Major Incident Team (MIT) as part of the Manchester Metropolitan Police. The group is lead by Detective Chief Inspector Gill Murray (Amelia Bullmore; credited for some writing) whose tough, by-the-book manner is tempered with keen intellect, compassion, and a bit of a sharp tongue. Her team includes several capable professionals, but not without their weaknesses and flaws.
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BritBox offers a variety of programming options for a reasonable monthly or annual fee. There are movies, documentaries, and television comedies and dramas enough to binge or just for a quiet respite. These days afternoons have been perfect for binging all-time favorite comedies like Are You Being Served?, Are You Being Served? Again, and The Vicar of Dibley, then exploring some engaging dramas like Scott & Bailey, DSI Bancroft, and Casualty 1900s London Hospital. This past month two surprises popped up with new police dramedies McDonald & Dobbs and Wild Bill. Check out the trial offer.
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PBS is an easy, free way to see some favorite and popular U.K. mysteries and police procedural with access to Masterpiece Mystery on KVIE and KVIE2 (Sacramento) and KQED (San Francisco). Every year Endeavour shows up, but with infrequent reruns the rest of the year. Father Brown is a regular with weekly reruns from the current and some of the previous seasons. I also make regular weekly visits to watch favorites like Vera, Death in Paradise, Prime Suspect, Grantchester, Morse, Lewis, Midsomer Murders, The Dr. Blake Mysteries and more although not the full series and not all the time. However, even with issues of regularity, variety, and completeness, PBS is a good way for many to enjoy these popular favorites.
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What better way to fill the “stay home” hours than by streaming clever and fun murder mysteries! AcornTV has an excellent library of vintage, iconic, and contemporary mysteries, dramas, and police procedurals. Get your Sherlock on with lots of Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple, then Pie in the Sky, Above Suspicion, and Deadwater Fell. But your reasonable monthly or annual membership also includes comedies (French Fields, Trivia), documentaries (The Family Farm, Bollywood), and feature films (The Return, The Scapegoat).
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Meet little dolly Molly, she is a kitty who has a quiet elegance, a big heart, and an undemanding personality. She is independent, sits back to observe before exploring. Such a down-to-earth attitude is probably the result of being the single sister with three lively brothers who all have easy, undemanding natures, but love playtime and each other. Like them, this pretty sweetheart does love to leap and swing at toys on a wand, is especially fond of chicken, and can’t resist a tasty kitty treat! She has also gotten along with bigger cats and small dogs. A beautiful, silky black and white ensemble has her always looking dressed for success. What a devoted and adorable addition lovely Molly will be in a home where she will be given time to adjust to a new situation. How about your home sweet home? Molly is very shy and will need a lot of time to adjust to a new home, she is a little hissy with lots of attitude she would be a great friend for a current kitty and not much of a person cat. She loves other cats. Molly is available for adoption at their Blackstone Ave Petco Adoption Center, from Cat House on the Kings.