Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 4, 2015

9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, April 4, 2015 

Jeff’s Book Picks By Jeff Brown

SEAN’S SHAMELESS REVIEWS: 

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE – ‘KINTSUGI’ 


By Sean Kayden

TO EXPLAIN THE WORLD: THE DISCOVERY OF MODERN SCIENCE 

by Steven Weinberg


A masterful commentary on the history of science from the Greeks to modern 
times, by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg—a thought-
provoking and important book by one of the most distinguished scientists 
and intellectuals of our time.In this rich, irreverent, and compelling history, 
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Steven Weinberg takes us across centuries 
from ancient Miletus to medieval Baghdad and Oxford, from Plato’s 
Academy and the Museum of Alexandria to the cathedral school of Chartres 
and the Royal Society of London. He shows that the scientists of ancient 
and medieval times not only did not understand what we understand about 
the world—they did not understand what there is to understand, or how 
to understand it. Yet over the centuries, through the struggle to solve such 
mysteries as the curious backward movement of the planets and the rise 
and fall of the tides, the modern discipline of science eventually emerged. 
Along the way, Weinberg examines historic clashes and collaborations 
between science and the competing spheres of religion, technology, poetry, 
mathematics, and philosophy.An illuminating exploration of the way 
we consider and analyze the world around us, To Explain the World is a 
sweeping, ambitious account of how difficult it was to discover the goals 
and methods of modern science, and the impact of this discovery on human knowledge and development.


EMPTY MANSIONS: THE MYSTERIOUS LIFE OF HUGUETTE CLARK AND THE 
SPENDING OF A GREAT AMERICAN by Bill Dedman 


When Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Bill Dedman noticed in 2009 a 
grand home for sale, unoccupied for nearly sixty years, he stumbled through 
a surprising portal into American history. Empty Mansions is a rich mystery 
of wealth and loss, connecting the Gilded Age opulence of the nineteenth 
century with a twenty-first-century battle over a $300 million inheritance. At 
its heart is a reclusive heiress named Huguette Clark, a woman so secretive 
that, at the time of her death at age 104, no new photograph of her had been 
seen in decades. Though she owned palatial homes in California, New York, 
and Connecticut, why had she lived for twenty years in a simple hospital 
room, despite being in excellent health? Why were her valuables being sold 
off? Was she in control of her fortune, or controlled by those managing 
her money?Dedman has collaborated with Huguette Clark’s cousin, Paul 
Clark Newell, Jr., one of the few relatives to have frequent conversations 
with her. Dedman and Newell tell a fairy tale in reverse: the bright, talented 
daughter, born into a family of extreme wealth and privilege, who secrets 
herself away from the outside world.Huguette was the daughter of self-made 
copper industrialist W. A. Clark, nearly as rich as Rockefeller in his day, a 
controversial senator, railroad builder, and founder of Las Vegas. She grew 
up in the largest house in New York City, a remarkable dwelling with 121 rooms for a family of four. She 
owned paintings by Degas and Renoir, a world-renowned Stradivarius violin, a vast collection of antique 
dolls. But wanting more than treasures, she devoted her wealth to buying gifts for friends and strangers alike, 
to quietly pursuing her own work as an artist, and to guarding the privacy she valued above all else.The Clark 
family story spans nearly all of American history in three generations, from a log cabin in Pennsylvania to 
mining camps in the Montana gold rush, from backdoor politics in Washington to a distress call from an 
elegant Fifth Avenue apartment. The same Huguette who was touched by the terror attacks of 9/11 held a 
ticket nine decades earlier for a first-class stateroom on the second voyage of the Titanic.Empty Mansions 
reveals a complex portrait of the mysterious Huguette and her intimate circle. We meet her extravagant 
father, her publicity-shy mother, her star-crossed sister, her French boyfriend, her nurse who received more 
than $30 million in gifts, and the relatives fighting to inherit Huguette’s copper fortune. Richly illustrated 
with more than seventy photographs, it is an enthralling story of an eccentric of the highest order, a last jewel 
of the Gilded Age who lived life on her own terms.

Here’s a band that needs 
no introduction. Death 
Cab For Cutie has been 
together for 17 years, but 
original guitarist and 
producer Chris Walla 
departed late last year. While ‘Kintsugi’ is the 
indie heavyweight’s eight-studio album, they feel 
innovative again. After a pair (‘Narrow Stairs’ 
and ‘Codes & Keys’) of moderately disappointing 
attempts, the band’s first record in four years is 
a welcoming return to form. In fact, this may be 
considered one of their finest endeavors over the 
span of their lengthy career. ‘Kintsugi’ is a breakup 
record, but suggests much more than just that. 
While the single, “Black Sun” was admittedly less 
than stellar on first listen; everything else found 
on ‘Kintsugi’ is simply breathtaking. Death Cab 
For Cutie makes one excited again for the future 
of rock music. For the future of music period is 
more like it. They are establishing a much-needed 
new lease on life for the age-old expression, “indie 
rock.” Songs like “Everything’s A Ceiling” and “El 
Dorado” are the purest form of bliss. These two 
tracks aren’t anything like Death Cab For Cutie 
has ever crafted, but the results are remarkable in 
every possible way. However, the impressiveness 
that surrounds this record doesn’t end just there. 

 “No Room in Frame” kicks off the record in 
winning spirit. Ben Gibbard’s provides his usual 
sweet vocals with a powerful sounding chorus. It 
seems like a song written about his former wife, 
actress Zooey Deschanel. While it’s an unfortunate 
circumstance, Gibbard’s is constructing his best 
music in years now. “The Ghosts of Beverly Drive” 
is another strong addition to the band’s repertoire. 
With Rich Costey producing the album, (the first 
time guitarist Chris Walla didn’t produce a DCFC 
album), the results are spacey synth textures and 
crisply propulsive beats. It’s such a lively record 
with potent lyrics that allows melancholy to blend 
with uplifting undertones. “You’ve Haunted Me 
All My Life” slows down the record a bit with 
the strumming of guitar and mellow synth layers 
floating in the background. Gibbard pours out 
his heart in such an effective and powerful way. 
This is the first album in awhile from DCFC you’ll 
genuinely be entirely moved by. The stories that 
are unraveling are absolutely universal for anyone 
and everybody to relate to on some emotional 
level. 

 As I mentioned before, “Everything’s A 
Ceiling,” is distinctively beautiful. With lyrical 
elegance and an inherent sadness, it’s a stirring 
experience from beginning to end. “El Dorado” 
keeps driving forward with slick guitar riffs, 
atmospheric synths and faster paced drums than 
most Death Cab For Cutie songs. “Ingenue” is 
another appealing track with Gibbard releases 
pure catharsis. The ballad “Binary Sea” closes out 
the album on a lovely number. Death Cab For 
Cutie expands beyond their natural sound for 
something much different, something that feels 
exceptional again. It’s a refreshing new beginning 
for a band steadily formulating good albums even 
if their last two were slightly misguided. With 
a new mentality in mind and traveling down 
a brand new road, Death Cab For Cutie is born 
again. As a whole, ‘Kintsugi’ may very well be one 
of the best albums 2015 will have to offer. 

 Key Tracks: “No Room In Frame,” “The Ghosts 
Of Beverly Drive,” “Everything’s A Ceiling,” and 
“El Dorado”

Grade: 9 out of 10


Artist: Death Cab For Cutie

Album: Kintsugi

Label: Atlantic Records 

Release Date: March 31st, 2015


FOOD & DRINK

There are certainly advantages to drinking wine with the “closure” being a screw top. There are no 
bottle openers, no cork residue, plus screw tops don’t contaminate the wine like some corks tend 
to do. In fact, 75% of the wine in Australia now has a screw top. As recently as last week, I was at 
a wine and cheese party and was making fun of the “screw top” wines that my friends buy. The 
conversation turned to “Have you ever had the Seven Daughters Cabernet?” Why no, I hadn’t. I 
quickly checked my own wine snobbishness and decided to give it a try.

Seven Daughters is named after the seven 
grapes that the winery uses to produce a host 
of varieties of wine (sorry, there weren’t seven 
daughters to be found for this story). I enjoyed 
a glass of their cabernet with dinner at home, 
and I can agree with my recent host that screw tops have come a long way. To this end, I suggest 
allowing it to breathe for a little while when consuming straight out of the bottle. The tannins 
were soft, the color was a dreamy ruby red, and the taste was right up there with any of the $20 
California cabernets that I have written about in 
the last year. For $10 you can’t go wrong with this 
well-balanced cabernet from the Monterey area 
of the Central Coast. It’s a picnic wine, for sure. 
Consider pairing it with glazed spare ribs, pizza 
or even a rotisserie chicken. Seven Daughters 
also produces a pinot noir and a chardonnay in 
the same price range.

Dills Score


Each week I will give you my Dills Score. Starting 
with a base of 50 points, I have added 8 points 
for color, 8 points for aroma or “nose”, 8 points for taste, 8 points for finish, and 8 points for my 
overall impression, which includes my value rating.

Total Score 88

Listen to Dining with Dills this Sunday at 12 Noon on KLAA AM 830 and watch the TV version 
Saturday and Sundays at 7 PM on Charter Channel 188 

Save the Date: For South Pasadena’s Eat on the Street, “A Taste of South Pasadena” Wednesday, 
April 22nd 5 PM to 9 PM For more info http://www.southpasadenarotary.org/2015Event.cfm

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARING 
FOR POTENTIAL INCAPACITY

Have you thought about the possibility that 
you or your spouse could become incapable of 
handling your own medical or financial affairs? 
Avoiding the need for a conservatorship – the 
process whereby someone is appointed by a court 
to assume responsibility for the property or the 
personal welfare of an incapacitated adult – is 
important.

A serious illness or accident can happen suddenly 
at any age. And, as Americans are living longer 
than ever, we have a greater likelihood of 
experiencing senility, dementia, Alzheimer’s 
disease, or a host of other ailments during our 
golden years, any of which will affect our ability 
to make sound decisions about healthcare, or to 
pay bills, write checks, make deposits, sell assets, 
or otherwise manage our affairs.

The best way to avoid the need for expensive 
and burdensome conservatorship proceedings is 
through estate planning tools like these:

Durable Financial Powers of Attorney -- 
Executing a durable power of attorney enables 
you to name a conservator to act on your behalf 
if you become incapacitated. The conservator 
is empowered to handle all your financial and 
business affairs in case you cannot do so yourself. 
Although it can become effective immediately, 
it only becomes active if or when you become 
incapacitated. To be valid, it must be executed 
prior to any incapacitation.

Advance Health Care Directives -- Executing 
an advance health care directive designates 
someone to serve as your agent for making health 
care decisions in the event of your incapacitation. 
This can include temporary hospitalizations 
or end-of-life care, and your choice should be 
someone you trust to honor your wishes when 
it comes to your medical care. This document 
must also be executed prior to any incapacitation 
to be valid.

Revocable Living Trusts -- Executing a revocable 
living trust avoids the need for conservatorship 
proceedings by designating a successor trustee 
to serve during a period of incapacity. You can 
serve as co-trustee along with a trusted person 
or financial institution of your choice. If you 
become incapacitated, the co-trustee you have 
designated will take over the management of your 
assets held in the trust. Remember though, this 
is only valid if your property is properly titled in 
the name of your Living Trust before incapacity.

One of the main goals of my law practice is to 
help families like yours plan for the protection of 
yourself and your loved ones. If you’re ready to 
start thinking about your own estate planning, 
call my office today to schedule a time for us to 
sit down and talk.

To you family’s health, wealth, and happiness,

 

 A local attorney, father, and CASA volunteer 
(Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children), 
Marc Garlett is on a mission to help parents 
protect what they love most. His office is located 
at 49 S. Baldwin Ave., Ste. G, Sierra Madre, CA 
91024. Schedule an appointment to sit down and 
talk about ensuring a legacy of love and financial 
security for your family by calling 626.355.4000 or 
visit www.GarlettLaw.com for more information.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com