Thurston Clarke Circles the Globe

Bassist Eberhad Weber's new album, on the ECM label, is airy, effects-laden, and often devoid of blues-inflected harmony. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says it's the kind of thing he usually hates -- but he still likes Weber's music.

Pinsky says he's suspicious of literary criticism, even though he often writes it himself. His new book, Poetry and the World, looks back on his past, including growing up in New Jersey.

TV critic David Bianculli reviews the new made-for-TV movie about a murder investigation on a space colony. It's enjoyable enough -- but even with a scantily clad star and improbable plot, it's no Barbarella.