‘The Third Man Factor’ (Books)

“The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible” (Weinstein Books, 254 pages, $24.95) by John Geiger: Some call it a guardian angel, some call it divine intervention; others say it’s a hallucination. Whatever it’s called, people in life-or-death situations commonly say they get help from someone who helps them overcome a dire circumstance. It’s called the “Third Man factor.”

John Geiger, a fellow at the University of Toronto and the Explorers Club, New York, and a governor of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, cites many examples of people getting help from the Third Man, including a survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, mountaineers, scuba divers, soldiers and sailors, even Charles Lindbergh.

The stories in “The Third Man Factor” are much alike: During a life-threatening event, each person experienced the close presence of a companion and helper.

The term was coined by adventurer Ernest Shackleton, who, with two members of his crew, made a perilous trip in 1915 to get help after his ship, the Endurance, was trapped by pack ice in the Weddell Sea adjacent to Antarctica. During the grueling trek, Shackleton said he and his companions felt that someone else was among them. “It seemed to me often that we were four, not three,” he wrote.

John Fogerty (Music)

After the 1972 flameout of Creedence Clearwater Revival, ending its short reign as America’s most popular rock band, John Fogerty launched a solo career in a surprising way. His debut effort was titled “The Blue Ridge Rangers” and consisted of country and folk-rooted songs he always had loved. Suddenly without a band behind him, Fogerty played all the instruments and sang all the vocals himself.

Now, 36 years after that album was released, he’s resurrected the concept with a new collection, “The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again.”

This time, however, Fogerty rounded up some of the most respected names in roots/Americana music, including guitarists Buddy Miller and Herb Pedersen, steel guitarist Greg Leisz and drummer Jay Bellerose.

He then assembled another batch of songs, the only common thread being that they were ones Fogerty loved, tunes he would turn to if he ever got called up in a bar or nightclub to play something.

Several selections would delight country purists, such as Buck Owens’ “I Don’t Care (Just as Long as You Love Me),” Ray Price’s “I’ll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)” and the Kendalls’ bouncy “Heaven’s Just a Sin Away.”

There’s also a version of the Everly Brothers’ “When Will I Be Loved” on which he duets with a fellow named Springsteen.

‘Valentino: The Last Emperor’ (DVD)

“Valentino: The Last Emperor” (PG-13, 136 minutes): The legendary fashion designer Valentino Garavani glides through the movie in expensive suits and with the facial expression of one who has just smelled unwashed feet. Accompanied almost everywhere by his silver-haired business partner and ex-boyfriend, Giancarlo Giammetti, and a retinue of five Shar-Peis, he’s given to making such pronouncements as, “An evening gown that reveals a woman’s ankles while she’s walking is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen.”

It’s not surprising, though, given the fact that Valentino created, during a 45-year run in the rag biz that lasted until his retirement from fashion in 2007, what Giammetti calls “a world unto himself.” Calling him the last emperor may be hyperbolic, but he certainly is the last of a breed. Contains a bit of crude language and brief toplessness. DVD Extras: Includes previously deleted scenes and extra footage.