Read it!
Groucho: The Life and Times of Julius Henry Marx
by Stefan Kanfer/Knopf Publishing/
Random House (Canada)
  It's not hard to understand why 23 years after his death, this detailed biography of Groucho Marx has jumped onto the bestseller list quickly after its release. After all, the subject has been a true icon of American comedy since performing with the other Marx Brothers (Chico and Harpo) in the early 1900s.
  Spanning his vaudeville, Broadway and Hollywood career, Groucho's story unfolds against a changing world and a star-studded milieu, including other classic comic figures such as Charlie Chaplin and W.C. Fields.
Jerry Seinfeld probably said it best about the father of modern comedy when he reminisced: "He was a very silly full grown man. What a good idea."
- Gerry Young
Hear it!
Music from
and inspired
by Shaft
Without a doubt, Isaac Hayes has hung around the music scene years longer than most music fans have lived, but this is not a knock on the man who has an Oscar and 13 Grammys to his credit. In the soundtrack of the recent Samuel L. Jackson movie, Isaac's reworked signature title song kicks off the proceedings, and is immediately followed by a couple of smokin' R. Kelly tracks. Other notable offerings include Donell Jones and Sleepy Brown, featuring BackBone and Big Rube.

Grass CD Soundtrack
Apart from a couple of mediocre soundbites from Mark Mothersbaugh and John Prine, this soundtrack for the Ron Mann film literally "smokes" with raucous cuts by Cab Calloway and Cats and the Fiddle leading it off. Follow those juicy bits with The Small Faces, J.J. Cale and Peter Tosh and you have the makings of a standout soundtrack - whatever state you're in.
- Gerry Young

Play it!
On Oct. 26, 2000
Sony Computer Entertainment will release the
PlayStation 2
computer entertainment system. Designed to bring together games, music
and movies, the system will eventually serve as a network platform in the broadband era.		 Access it!
The Women's Executive Network is introducing WXN e-Mentoring, the world's first on-line program matching 600 of Canada's most successful women executives with 600 enterprising young women.
If you're interested in becoming an e-protegee, visit the WXN web site at www.wxnetwork.com. An application form is in the E-Mentoring section.
Smell It !
  Remember when Patchouli and musk were at the height of their popularity in the 70's.   A new scent from Cacharel Paris called NOA recalls that hipness from the "Me Generation" with a few modern twists. The scent is a feminine mix of white musk, blended with peony, milk (really!) and pepper notes. A touch of spice comes from coriander, coffee and incense. Its crystal ball-like bottle gets a dash of Hollywood glamor with a single pearl suspended in the scent itself. Available at department and specialty stores.
- Michele Sponagle