Bastet

Yeah, I still have an old corded phone in my office closet just in case.

Ken saying "arrondissement" made me smile, thinking of how Alex would have said it with relish. No one even guessing Corvette for a Chevy sports car was surprising. I was also a bit surprised they didn't get left hand or 1500 metres (and by how far off most of their guesses were), but another good game. Only a decent one for me - a handful of misses in each round and I didn't get FJ; I tend to do poorly with children's lit categories, since I don't have kids and it was so long ago that I read children's books - and I don't think I ever read that one to begin with (or maybe that's a little kids book, meaning it would have been read to me - in that case, even if it was, I don't have memories that far back).

Well, that's a ridiculously low ranking. This is very old news, since Tammy Wynette has been dead for over 20 years, but I've been listening to Kathleen Madigan read Loretta Lynn's Still Woman Enough memoir (good lord, that woman's life is a hillbilly shit show [I mean, we all knew that from Coal Miner's Daughter, but wow]), and Loretta told a story about Tammy being at some event where a young singer told her the older women of country music ought to move aside to make way for the new crop of singers -- Tammy smiled and said, "Move me." You tell 'er, Tammy.

Mayim Bialik said shitty victim-blaming things when stories of sexual harassment and assault within the entertainment industry finally started getting wider attention, and I loathe the "adorkable misogyny" of The Big Bang Theory (which was not her fault - she merely accepted a role that may well have looked positive on paper - but she's widely associated with that shitshow I can't believe a couple of intellectuals have asked me to swallow), but she in general seems a good egg - and certainly a smart one! - who has a good sense of humor about herself (I saw her on an episode of What Not to Wear when she welcomed help incorporating her "modesty" rules into the real world), so I think she's a good fit as a guest host. I think the way they're buying time by asking celebrity fans of the show to guest host while they think long and hard - the remainder of this season plus hiatus - about who will take over next season is a good strategy. But with giving Ken Jennings an extended on-air audition and then filling in with another show insider before finishing off the season with that roster of celebrity appearances, they're risking some audience whiplash. I think it will work out, even though I have no idea who I want as the next host (but, so help me, Levar Burton better be under consideration).

McCrane did a great job as an actor in that episode, and he'd already directed a couple of episodes - and went on to direct several more - in the series. He and Laura Innes both carved out impressive TV directing careers that started from directing episodes of ER and branched out considerably and to this day.

[Insert usual grumbling about we want to see the actors' faces production reality creating what would be a real-life shitshow of people wearing masks when they're alone, and then taking them off to converse with the people they've walked up to, the exact opposite of what should happen.] I've been excited ever since I read about Candice Bergen making an appearance, and she did not disappoint - great casting for a character with her own sense of humor and dysfunction but who doesn't fit with the Conner family. Her introduction generated some great lines, particularly Jackie saying, "I'm sorry for your loss, or, if you're relieved, I'm happy for your freedom" and Ben saying, "You must be exhausted from all that alienating" when she's been there mere minutes. And Jackie calling her "Bizarro Bev" after finding her quite familiar. The way the secret of Ben's paternity came up was funny; as telegraphed as it was, I still enjoyed the stories his mom and Darlene shared to get there. And in the midst of the comedy, Darlene had some nice, quiet reaction moments when Ben's mom answered his questions so horrifyingly. The few moments in previous seasons where the writers lost their minds and presented Becky as wanting to do anything other than co-parent with Emilio always rang false, so I hope they don't have her backtrack again. This makes a lot more sense, and is a lot more interesting. But, holy hell, Becky, do not call a father taking care of his child "babysitting"; remember your mom's words when Crystal spewed the same crap: "Hell, they're his kids". Mark got in a good line in his brief appearance: "I'd like to be the first person out of this house by 40."

I don't hate him - just like I don't hate the animals in those godsawful fundraising commercials - I think he's been scripted/directed to be way too much, and thus he annoys me in the commercials. I truly have a hard time comprehending that one I embedded is a real ad, not a parody of such ads, he is so exaggerated even given the norms of the genre.

Yay, Lucy! The bespectacled dude only betting $500 on the first round DD when he was in the hole did not endear him to me, and then when he had no idea about the Delta Blues, I was rooting for her even harder. Then came the prop comedy. Oh, dear. After he couldn't come up with the other element in salt after sodium was ruled out ... that guy really rubbed me wrong in a way contestants rarely do, but I am so glad he was a one and done. The shipwreck TS really surprised me, and "Jeremy" and sixth sense of humor a little bit, but that's it. I joined the contestants in being stumped by two of the flag clues, and, unlike them, I didn't know Lorde's real name, but I got everything else in the first round. In DJ, I didn't do very well in the books category, missed a couple choreographers and several other scattered clues, but still okay. Thanks to regularly quizzing myself on geography, FJ was easy for me, so a good game overall.

My friend and I spent a full ten minutes of our weekly call discussing how annoying the bow-tied kid in the Shriners Hospital commercials is, especially at the end of this one, which I cannot believe is an actual effort at soliciting donations rather than a parody of such ads:

He's been on the show; he was in the celebrity tournament five years ago and won his game.

Baxter thought evil lurked in the shower in my old condo, because he stood guard (well, lying down) on the mat as soon as I got in, and when he heard the water turn off, he meowed until I opened the door to show him I had once again escaped being sucked down the drain. Once we moved into my house, he stopped.

If we weren't in the middle of a pandemic, I could come perform Clue in your home for anyone who misses it; I know the movie verbatim. So do three of my friends, so if we got a few more, we could each take a role. The witty dialogue, the social commentary, the performances ... it's a delight. I have to bite my tongue whenever someone other than my friends and family who are used to me saying it and know its origin says "To make a long story short," because interjecting with "Too late" is as natural to me as breathing. (Same with "You could've fooled me," because, thanks to Moonlighting's Maddie Hayes, my instinct is to snap, "A gnat with a lobotomy could fool you.")

It's my fix-it version of a recipe I saw online years ago, @MargeGunderson, and I just eyeball things, but here's what I'd say for six tacos: Dressing: 1-1/2 T mayonnaise 1 tsp sambal oelek (could use sriracha instead) Juice of 1 lime A pinch of sugar (I'd omit this if you use sriracha) 1/2 T chopped cilantro Slaw: 1/2 (heaping) cup each red and green cabbage, thinly sliced Half a mango, thinly sliced A quarter of a red onion, thinly sliced 1/4 cup chopped cilantro Half an avocado, thinly sliced Shrimp: 24 shrimp (extra-large size), peeled and deveined (so, four shrimp per taco) Tortillas: 6 corn tortillas, warmed Mix the dressing ingredients together and toss 1 T of it with the shrimp. Mix the slaw ingredients together and toss with the remaining dressing. Let everything sit, covered in the refrigerator, for about an hour. Sauté the shrimp until fully cooked while warming the tortillas. Assemble and enjoy.

The more people hate on Tiffani, the more I like her.

That commercial just plain makes me happy every time it airs. I love the daughter's I can't with this retreat, but I also love the way Tag Team and the parents totally get into the spirit.

I don't have a gun, and I don't want a gun anywhere near me, which is good, because I might shoot my television if either of those scenarios came to be.

I like Lucy and hope she sticks around. The crawl TS surprised me a bit, and United Farm Workers both surprised and saddened me. I was embarrassingly bad in the History category, but I knew everything else in the first round other than the Lana Del Rey song. In FJ, I missed several clowns and children's books, but otherwise did well. For FJ, I initially only got as far as "Not Latka, but something like that" and then it came to me.

I'm going grocery shopping tomorrow, and was undecided on what type of soup I wanted to make next (I almost always have some in the fridge for lunches, and just finished my batch of sausage and kale), but that's sounding particularly good right now, so I've made a note on my list to get extra broccoli and some half and half, and that's what I'm going to make. I'm glad you mentioned it. I'm thawing some shrimp, having decided on shrimp tacos with mango and avocado slaw tonight. I make them a lot, but they're just so damn good. If I didn't try to keep half an eye on carbs, I could eat tacos or pizza every night - so many options.

I get that the whole point is the lines were blurred, because he's an employee who also became part of the family, but Angela was asked to shrug off quite a few things that wouldn't have been appropriate for an actual husband to do, let alone Tony. It matters that it's her house, her business, and her money, and she certainly wasn't going around acting like some imperious lady of the manor treating Tony and Samantha as beneath her and Jonathan, so it pissed me off when she got labeled as uptight (and more gendered terms) when she wanted to be professional about something that requires professionalism.

Yep, the 23rd - a friend and I exchange Happy Festivus cards every year, in which we write "A donation has been made in your name to The Human Fund".

Me too, and I like that they still all care about each other. I don't know how much everyone is in touch, but Judith Light and Tony Danza consider each other family, JL was the one whose counsel Danny Pintauro sought when the Enquirer was about to out him, TD and Alyssa Milano were planning the revival, etc. And I love that no one (TD, JL, his then-wife, or her husband) had any problem acknowledging, yeah, if TD and JL had met before they married other people, they absolutely would have dated.

It has never been explicitly acknowledged as an audition process, just a series of guest hosts to give them time to make a decision (and the audience time to get used to someone other than Alex being up there), and it seems clear there are going to be some who are not remotely in contention for a permanent gig, but simply guest hosts - celebrities who like the game and who the audience might enjoy seeing play at being host for a week. That runs the risk of feeling gimmicky - which is, I'm sure, why they started with someone who has extensive history with the show and could potentially take the reins for good - but we'll see. I'm here for the clues, so I don't particularly care who guest hosts unless it's someone I can't stand, but if someone I really like is announced, that might tickle me. Time will tell. What I wonder is if they'll wind up thinking they made a mistake taping so many with Ken, to start with such a long run with one person; if the audience gets into a groove with him, they may find it jarring to have someone else show up.

Maybe not the hydraulic joke in the interview! That sounded like quite an Alex moment to me, a joke he'd have thought of and split-second chosen whether or not to make, and Ken decided to go for it. So it was dumb, yet comforting. The interviews were the only segment where I found Ken awkward, but that sometimes happened with Alex despite 35+ years under his belt - contestants are nervous, the stories are dumb, etc. and it's hard to redirect that - so that's pretty far down in my checklist of evaluating guest hosts.

I think Ken handled himself very well for a first try. I'll have to get used to the way he says "no" when a contestant answers incorrectly, as there's something about it that hits my ear wrong, but I think his stint will go well; he seemed to really enjoy being there, despite the circumstances. They hit the perfect note with his opening remarks, and his delivery was clearly sincere. I was surprised none of them got eye teeth or out on a limb. Tenderloin and Tower Hill I also wasn't expecting to go unanswered. But it was a good game, with an impressive performance by Tanay. I did well, too, missing just a handful in each round, and knowing FJ instantly.

My best friend lived in Florida for two or three years before high-tailing it back to CA, and, as the HR director, she encountered that "well, that's how we do things here" objection when she pointed out numerous inappropriate religious references in the office, on company email/voicemail, etc. Her boss (the president of the company) supported the changes she made, but it was still frustrating for her. As were a lot of things about living there. I'm always reminded of her experience when you talk about how much you hate living in GA, @theredhead77, because she - who had moved because the cost of living was so much cheaper - felt the same way about FL and, after a few years, said, "Screw it; this is not for me, I don't care how much bigger my house is." Different strokes for different folks, and from my travels I'm sure I'd feel the way you both do. I'm glad you at least like your boss and job, so you're not entirely miserable, especially now when work is pretty much the only thing you get to do!