Pop stuff :What I'm hearing, reading, watching, etc.

Produced by George Martin. This is a DVD released of a recently aired BBC Arena special and well worth picking up if your a Beatles fan.

Paul and Ringo both appear and join Martin in tender recollections of their work together back in the 1960s, when Martin sat on the other side of the glass from them in the Abbey Road recording studios. Their scenes together are funny and informal, like watching old friends reminiscing, which, I guess, is exactly what they are.

But it's not all Beatles. We take a look at Martin's pre-Fabs career, too, when he served in the RAF during World War II, went to music school and ultimately became a record producer at EMI's eclectic, low-budge Parlophone label, producing everything from trad jazz to light classical, to comedy albums and Scottish dance recordings. Fortunately for the world, he opted to give rock'n'roll from Liverpool a try.

Martin's son, Giles, asks him to share details and stories from the early days, and George's charming wife, Judy, is present, too, to share her recollections about working alongside him while a secretary at Abbey Road.

Ex-Python Michael Palin chats with George about the comedy days, when Martin produced records by Goon Show greats Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan. We get an overview of Martin's post-Beatles career, too, when he produced hit recordings by America and worked with Jeff Beck and the Mahavishnu Orchestra.

The film is only and hour long and a quick breeze through a long career, yet it still contains great details and interviews. Another hour or so of extras is well worth checking out, especially a series of interviews in which noted record producers, such as T-Bone Burnett, Rick Rubin and others, discuss Martin's impact and influence.

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The Lennon Letters. More Beatles, which isn't terribly unusual around this place. I'm about three-quarters through this long-awaited and heavily hyped collection of Lennon's written-down odds and ends compiled by Hunter Davies, author of the Beatle's 1968 authorized biography.

This isn't a collection of letters as you might see from a politician or famous authors, where intimate prose serves as a sort of memoir or autobiography. Lennon didn't write many letters like that. Mostly, he jotted quick notes and postcards to fans, friends and relatives. They were witty, provocative and sometimes offered up revealing insights into his personality and moods, but they tended toward brevity.

Anything where Lennon put pen to paper is fair game to Davies, who includes notes Lennon wrote to his housekeeper and even a shopping list or two. But there are more interesting items, as well.

I found it fascinating that Lennon took the time to write back to fans on occasion and tended to be very gracious in answering their questions. One letter includes him writing back to a student at Quarry Bank High School, his old alma mater. Another couple show him explaining the Beatles' interest in Transcendental Meditation to concerned/interested fans.

Lennon's long diatribes in Britain's music papers, attacking Paul McCartney and the Beatles myth, are also included, as are his many letters to critics and newspapers promoting and sticking up for the art and music of his wife, Yoko Ono.

Many of the "letters" also include his funny drawings and his humorous/sometimes aggravating wordplay. Lennon certainly liked to put his thoughts, no matter how fleeting, in writing. If he was still around today, he'd likely be producing one of the most entertaining blogs on the Web.

 If you go into with reasonable expectations, and love Lennon, it's a book worth checking out.

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Revolution. Not the song, but the new TV series on NBC.

After the terrible conclusion of "Lost," I approached a new show produced by J.J. Abrams with some trepidation. But the basic, yet intriguing, premise of this show -- the world has completely lost electricity and has been thrown into chaos as a result -- made me decide to give it a try.

So far, it's not been terrifically engaging, though the most recent episode I watched ("The Plague Dogs" on Oct. 8) injected some pathos into the plot that made the characters and story a little more interesting.

America after the lights go out is pretty much what you might expect: Everybody's freaked out. Food is in short supply and everyone is out for themselves. The NRA must love it, because those with guns are the best off. I'm sure there are survivalists out there right now stocking up on more ammo and saying "I told you so."

Yet, the good guys on this show are gun-free. They are trying to live peacefully and have run afoul of the militia that is, literally, calling the shots.

Though, as I said, the show seems to be getting better, none of the characters is immediately as captivating as those on "Lost."

The plot isn't as much of a grabber, either. We know right off the bat what's going on. Yet, there is some mystery, too. We don't know why the power went out -- though some of the characters may. We also don't know if it can be switched back on -- though there are hints that it can. We also don't know why the leader of the militia and some of the key rebels, who were pals before the big blackout, are now at odds.

So, I'll hang in there for a while, and hope that it doesn't end up that they were all in Heaven and dead all along.

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Nashville.  My wife and I checked this one out, mainly to see Connie Britton, who was so fantastic and likeable on "Friday Night Lights." But we didn't make it past the pilot.

Britton plays Rayna James, country star facing a mid-life slump in record sales. To help re-spark interest from the fans, her label wants her to tour with an up-and-coming and annoying young star played by Hayden Panettiere. The script kept referring to her as an ingenue, which, I guess, is French for "little bitch."

Anyway, it's all very soapy, with subplots involving Rayna's husband, who is running for mayor, and the nefarious schemes of Rayna's dad, Lamar Wyatt, who is basically the J.R. Ewing of the piece.

Had this been a straight drama, not a soap, it might be fun. But, as is, it's too cheesy even for guilty pleasure status.

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