If it were not for the gentle reminders of the IRS, I would go through 1997 without a single glance backward at 1996. But thanks to tax time, I find myself meditating on the year past, taking stock, counting my gains and losses.Today is our national day of summing-up, the day when Uncle Sam says, “Was it a very good year? Send it in.”Prompted by this deadline, I look over the year past. Under debits: auto.

Our nationally recognized critics and writers put their deep knowledge and critical acumen to work to help readers make informed choices about how to negotiate the area’s rich array of cultural offerings. Whether it’s a long-established arts organization or an all-but-unknown project that’s just getting off the ground, The Chronicle’s readers know about it first from us. A SpokenEdition transforms written content into human-read audio you can listen to anywhere. It's perfect for times when you can’t read - while driving, at the gym, doing chores, etc. Find more at www.spokenedition.com

We all want job satisfaction, right? To go home at night, put our feet up and feel we’ve accomplished something at work that day? So is it really wrong for a young woman to take pleasure in her job, even if her job is killing random strangers for a price?“Killing Eve” is a new drama from Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator of the singularly screwy charmer “Fleabag,” premiering on BBC America on Sunday, April 8.

“Fary Is the New Black” is the title of a stand-up special available on Netflix today starring the French comic Fary.“The Middle” moves to the ICU ... OK, well, slight exaggeration: “new time slot” of 8:30 p.m. on ABC. It is in its well-deserved final victory lap. “Roseanne” is occupying the 8 p.m. slot on ABC for eight weeks.The Discovery Channel airs a two-hour “Deadliest Catch” special at 9 p.m.

Joe Paterno was the winningest coach in NCAA football history, with a 61-year career at Penn State. It all came tumbling down in 2011 when his former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, was charged with 52 counts of sexual molestation of minors. Paterno inevitably became part of the story as the media and other investigators pushed to find out if he and university officials covered up Sandusky’s actions out of fear their revelation would hurt the university and its football program.

Editor’s note: It’s time for another installment from our esteemed advice columnist, that Doctor of Communications himself, known to his legion of fans as simply Dr. C.Dear Dr. C: I’ve been married for over 40 years to the same wonderful woman. She knows absolutely everything about me. She’s heard all my stories and remembers all my jokes. We’re about to embark on a three-week vacation where we’ll be together 24 hours a day.

Cirque du Soleil has taken to the ice and may break Disney’s stranglehold on skating rink spectacles. The new show, “Crystal,” Cirque’s 42nd original production but first on ice, strives to meld the exhilarating speed and elegant flow of ice skating with Cirque’s daredevil gymnastic circus arts. The two elements come together surprising well through out the sharply paced two hour performance.

Published in the 18th century, William Blackstone’s “Commentaries of the Law of England” became the most influential legal treatise in Anglo-American history. Among the important subjects addressed by Blackstone were the rights and duties of corporations, which he defined as “artificial persons.

As you may have noticed, April Fool’s Day isn’t what it used to be, either. No wallet on a string, to be yanked away by guffawing youngsters as you reach down to pick it off the sidewalk. No phone messages to call a “Mr. Lyon” at a number that turns out to be the zoo — hoo-boy — and no rubber spiders in your bed.

Two figures star in Indigo Moor’s new book, “In the Room of Thirsts and Hungers.” One is Shakespeare’s Othello. The other is Paul Robeson, remembered chiefly for his acting, singing and political activism that landed him on Hollywood’s blacklist during the McCarthy years. Moor’s obsession with Robeson echoes Robeson’s approach to playing Othello, whom he portrayed many times on stage.