Agent Palmer

Your affinity for John Candy depends on your age and how you were first introduced to him. From there, you probably know a few of his more notable films. 

And then, perhaps, you dig a little deeper. You might happen to see John Candy in a lesser-known or a new-to-you movie, either on TV or suggested through a streaming service.

If you’re seeking a feel-good, behind-the-scenes documentary about some Canadian rockers who found continued success despite everything initially stacked against them, set aside some time to watch Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd.

Simple Plan didn’t just succeed in a difficult music industry. They gave people a place to belong, started a foundation, and in truth, did more in the time since I last listened to them on their sophomore album than most bands do in a career.

Authors Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack have captured the heart of Aaron Sorkin’s goal to have the first few seasons of The West Wing serve as a “love letter to public service.” They should know it well. Fitzgerald and McCormack portrayed Carol Fitzpatrick and Kate Harper, respectively, in the watershed political drama and released “What’s Next” in 2024.

This book may be the first in a long line of others to come. It fulfills its subtitle and then some, which is appropriately length as “A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service.”

Over the past decade or so, I’ve recapped most Tours due France. I’ve watched all of them, but somehow it has only recently become an annual thing.

I also watch every Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, and sometimes I write about them. As a spectator, both Tours offer excitement, and for me, it’s the joy of experiencing two Tours per year, which I’m all for.

When you want to know more about The Beatles and James Bond, two of Britain’s largest popular culture exports, and what both meant to Britain and the rest of the world, you need to reach for John Higgs’ Love and Let Die: James Bond, The Beatles, and the British Psyche.

This book starts on Friday, 5 October 1962, when The Beatles’ first record, ‘Love Me Do,’ and the first James Bond film were both released. As Higgs states, “The Beatles were about to become the most successful and important band in history. Not to be outdone, James Bond would go on to become the single most successful movie character ever.”