Bastet

I recently re-watched Grace Under Fire (on Pluto), which I hadn't seen since it aired and which I remembered liking and the general plot and characters but no specifics, and it's one where watching in hindsight with knowledge of what was going on behind the scenes makes it a very different experience. If I didn't know what a holy terror Brett Butler was during production, I'd say it holds up well - the relationships are timeless, as are the struggles of a single mother in a small town. But knowing what was going on backstage made it difficult to just get lost in the stories. Grace's friendship with Nadine was a highlight of the series, but the knowledge Julie White refused to come back for season five because of Brett Butler's behavior cast a shadow long before I even got to that season. Most of all, Grace's interaction with the kids is great (especially for an actor who is not a mom) and Quentin is a right royal shit (but a realistic one; I can't stand him, but in a very natural way), but it was utterly impossible not to think about the fact the actor playing him was one of her victims (and wound up committing suicide as an adult) every time I was irritated by the character. Specifically, the big story as to why his parents finally yanked him from the show is that when Butler got breast implants, she showed them off on set, including once when the young actor was there. Well, post-augmentation, there is an episode with Libby wondering when she'll get breasts and if they'll look like her mom's, and there's a meta joke from Grace directly referencing Brett's surgery. Hearing that joke after knowing about her exposing herself is horrible. I continued to the end, but it was never the same, and I'll never watch it again.

I've never seen it, or Spaceballs; both are films I figure I should watch because of their writers, directors, and/or cast - which might make them far better than they sound based on their plots - but I've still yet to muster up enough interest to do so with either one.

Libeled Lady is their best non-Thin Man collaboration; it's divine. Love Crazy is another great one; most fans seem to like that even more than I Love You Again, but I go back and forth between those two. They're all worth seeing - it's Myrna Loy and William Powell! - but some maybe only once. Double Wedding is their comedy that doesn't quite work - it's slapstick - but it still has its has memorable scenes. The dramas - Manhattan Melodrama (their first pairing), Evelyn Prentice, and The Great Ziegfeld (which isn't a typical Loy/Powell pairing; it's more like she's in it) - aren't as good as the comedies, but I quite like the first one and have watched the second several times (I have the Loy/Powell DVD set). Their on-screen collaboration ends with an uncredited cameo by Loy in Powell's The Senator Was Indiscreet; his character has a wife we hear about and see him talking to on the phone throughout the film, but don't see until the end - one line, she turns around, and it's Loy. As for the comedic imbalance, it's always there, but Loy does get her moments.

The sun coming up in the morning never wakes me up (it practically takes an act of Congress to wake me up in the morning; it's in the middle of the night that I often can't get back to sleep). I wouldn't want any room in my house to be dark during the day; it would depress me to look at. And annoy me if I went in there to do something during the day and had to turn on a light. (Granted, if I had to live with a sunlight-deprived room, the bedroom wouldn't be as bad as the others, since I'm hardly ever in there during the day.) When I replaced my house's windows and realized just how many of them there are, I thought, "No wonder I like this place so much." I like lots of natural light and fresh air.

Right, because the wacky hijinks are already built in by virtue of Keys being bound and determined to prove to Immigration that the marriage is a sham, so they've got to keep up appearances while navigating a relationship that isn't remotely ready for marriage but is in fact real, albeit a bit fractured at the moment. So you can still have the mystery to be solved that Keys turns up murdered, and of course Steele is a suspect. And then still do the Daniel stuff, to resolve that storyline. Steele having to earn back the trust he betrayed with all the lies and shenanigans surrounding the fake wedding to a prostitute is PLENTY to explain why it takes them until the finale to well and truly reconcile; there's no need for an illogical infatuation with a third party to drag things out! I know; it's so infuriating how he's written as if the first half of season four never happened. They are so completely committed to each other after "Steele Searching" (when she gives him the Remington Steele passport and he comes home) and then "Forged Steele" cements the progress they've made. But in the second half of season four, their dynamic is regressed to about season two, culminating in the nonsense that is "Bonds of Steele".

Maybe you're confusing him with Daniel Pilon (who also played Alan); he died a couple of years ago. And of course the original Alan, Chris Bernau, died a long time ago.

What annoys me about the Tony Roselli character was that he (meaning a rival for Laura's affections who was the polar opposite of Steele <yawn, and didn't we already do this stupidity with Butch Beemis>) was planned for season five before the show got cancelled. Once the show was cancelled and then dragged back with an order for only a two-hour premiere - in January, mind you - and four subsequent episodes (with the possibility of being continued depending on ratings), WHY stick with the tired love triangle plan? It would have been bad enough in a regular season, but at least it would make sense in terms of the reality that this is what TV writers, especially in the '80s, did in order to go as long as possible before finally putting the characters together. When you know six hours is almost certainly all you're going to get, spend them wisely!

I wouldn't be surprised. The farm calls are time on the road and sometimes physically taxing, and we know from Dr. Emily's blog that they are expected to see a crazy number of clients per shift in the clinic. To also have to sit and answer the producers' same questions on each filming day would tend to get old. Plus, their actions are scrutinized based on an edited-for-time presentation of the consultation and treatment. I think she's probably quite settled into her life and just no longer thinks the extra money from the show is worth the extra work and attention; it has gone on long enough, and she just wants to put her head down and work.

I am re-watching several things right now, and I think when I’m caught up with those I’ll add this show into the mix; I haven’t done a re-watch in several years, I don't think. As for favorite episodes, "Vintage Steele" (the monks at the winery) is my absolute favorite, but "Red Holt Steele" (when Laura’s house is blown up) is a close second. I’m a Laura fangirl, so I like the episodes focused on her. Especially if written by Susan Baskin, my favorite of the writers (and the only woman <sigh>) – which is why I also love “Steele Sweet On You” (with Donald, Frances, and the dental convention). I also really like the Major Descoine episodes, "Beg, Borrow, or Steele" (when they’re “dead”), "Steele Trap" (the “And Then There Were None” episode), "A Good Night’s Steele" (undercover at the sleep clinic), and "Steele Your Heart Away" (amnesia in Ireland).

Ouch. Legendary, indeed; even more important than transforming Hoya basketball and preparing future NBA superstars like Ewing and Iverson for the pros, he was a wonderful advocate for his players and the Black community at large, speaking truth to power.

Oh yeah, resolved - Brenda's sugar moratorium (during which she forbid anyone in the Murder Room from having it, like that's fair) was short-lived. My favorite moment of Brenda's candy drawer other than when Fritz comes in during "Reloaded" to collect its contents while apologetically shrugging at Sharon is in The Closer, when Sharon opens it for Brenda, forcing her to finally fess up that Gabriel asked the multi-million dollar question and Brenda indeed said yeah, let's leave this guy here, revealing there was a leak in the division fueling the Baylor lawsuit.

That was quite the memorable entrance. I didn't think Mary Marsh deserved an apology to begin with, so once she really showed her ass in that meeting, it was so gratifying for the president - whom they'd been bending over backwards to distance Josh from - to turn out to be a guy who'd come in and tell everyone to get their fat asses out of his White House.

Heh. Indeed, CU. I react to most of these songs (at least the ones I know) with either "meh" or "ugh". This should be higher. As problematic as Anne Murray is, this is the song of hers that definitely belongs on the list, but not in the top 500. This was the most interesting; all three nailed the commentary on this one (I particularly love the one who said it's not her best country single, and it's not even her best recording of this song, yet it still belongs because that's how damn good she is), and learning there are only two Linda Ronstadt songs on this list blew me away. Yes, she combines so many genres she often defies them, but, good gods, look at how much of this list should not count as country.

Same here; there more I learned about her, I started thinking, "She's the Most Interesting Woman in the World." She was one of my favorite racers to watch, and, especially, to listen to.

I wish I could forget it; that was a repugnant take on public assistance. That episode, the "spanking is good" episode, and the one where Van is harassed for not wanting to attend church anymore are unwatchable.

That may be Reba McEntire's best acting in the whole series (I generally don't think she's very good). It's a great scene - Reba is so disgusted and disappointed with Cheyenne, and with herself a bit, realizing there's an extent to which she has been harming rather than helping her and Van by protecting them from their own foolish choices, but she's also stuck, because letting them fall on their asses affects Elizabeth, too, and she can't bring herself to do that. But in this instance it means choosing to hurt Kyra, who is also innocent in the whole mess, instead. She knows what she's doing and feels awful about it, but feels she's making the best of her two shitty choices. It's very real. As is Kyra deciding to move in with Brock and Barbra Jean after this final straw, because there she can be the kid she's entitled to be, instead of being treated like another adult - of whom more maturity is expected than the other two actual adults - at Reba's. Kyra understands Reba's decision, knows it was the one she essentially had to make and that she'll have to keep on making. She doesn't blame her, but she doesn't want to live that way, she shouldn't have to live that way, so she's availing herself of her better option. (And Reba's reaction - to Kyra, and to Brock - is when she is at her absolute worst; I understand she's upset, but Kyra is moving to her dad's house, which is right around the damn corner, for very clear, very good reasons, so she has no right to act like it's a betrayal.)

I will never have a carpeted home again. Yes, it's much faster to vacuum a carpeted place than needing to sweep/vacuum and then mop, so I miss the time it took me to clean my condo compared to cleaning my house, but hardwood is so much more attractive to me I am willing to put up with it. I will put an area rug in the dining room and maybe the living room once I finally stumble across the perfect one(s), as additional decorative elements. Right now, I just have a rug on which my office chair sits (to protect the floor from its wheels) and a runner in the hallway because I like it so much I can't bear to part with it until it wears out. (I have one room in my house, my study, that's carpeted, and even with regular vacuuming, when I shampoo that carpet every six months, the water I dump out is black, so carpet may look clean, but it isn't. I'm not a germaphobe, though, so I don't care.)

Right, and who cares? Maybe he said more and it was edited. Maybe, and more likely, he was simply focused on the point that this was his first show, proper - as an adult, that went somewhere, and after many years in movies - and he didn't realize at the time but does now all the ways in which it was a wonderfully different experience than the typical one.

Yeah, Brock crying poor was always bullshit (if he was ever actually short on money, it was his own doing), and quite aggravating since it fostered the ridiculous notion men are financially harmed by divorce; in reality, most men, especially fathers, are significantly better off financially, while most women are significantly harmed financially. (This is because most men opt not to be the primary custodial parent, and the child support [and possibly alimony] they pay does not begin to cover their half of what the custodial mom winds up shelling out. Reba not getting a "real" job, though, that was realistic. She tried, and she had a couple of jobs, but she was a prime example of what happens when a couple agrees the woman will be a SAHM and then years later there is a divorce - she's been so long out of the workforce, very few companies are willing to hire her. Those that will pay her entry level, due to her lack of experience, recent salary history, and updated skills. So, again, child support or child support and alimony aren't cutting it, but if she still has young kids in the home, she has to factor in the cost of daycare/babysitting when evaluating her low-wage employment options.

How exciting that this has finally been picked up in syndication! I don't get StartTV, either (which is really starting to irk me, because this is the third or fourth show I love to air on it; time for a strongly-worded email to Dish about is pitiful offering of over-the-air channels), but I'll check the schedule and, once its airings catch up to where I left off in my re-watch, I'll watch in sync. Hell, maybe I'll start over and watch in sync. Hopefully we can get some discussion going. I suspect the audience for that network skews older, but it would be wonderful if young folks discovered the show; I think they'd be quite surprised to see what was being discussed and presented on this show back in 1998-2002.

Of course not, but Trebek has also talked about the times the pain resulting from the disease and its treatment left him crying and writhing on the floor of his dressing room. Then there's the fear and depression present throughout such a battle (which your example Alex Trebek has also been open about). A whole lot of us would choose to just curl up with our loved ones and things, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but for someone to press on through it all despite terrible times and odds due to their love of the work and what it means to the audience is admirable.

I don't get that station (I have a satellite, so I don't get a lot of these "new" over-the-air channels) and I have the DVDs, but yay for everyone getting another source of residuals, especially now when most of them can't work even if everything else fell into place since production is still largely shut down. I’ve never had even a flash of recognition about the actor playing the killer in “Sweet Revenge” before, but somehow tonight as soon as he opened his mouth, I realized I knew that voice from something. I still didn’t recognize his face, but looking him up, I learned he played the asshole boyfriend in a movie I haven’t seen in years, Where the Heart Is. I have no idea why that suddenly came to me. The episode reveals how they wrote themselves into a corner, because it makes no sense that Ricky – who not only has a good relationship with Sharon and lives in the same state, but has met Provenza and calls Andy by his first name – has never met Rusty; Rusty doesn’t go anywhere (in fact, for quite some time he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere), so that would have to mean Ricky hasn’t visited this whole time. But I forgive it, because the stuff with Sharon and Ricky is fantastic. Fundamentally, I like that Sharon has a good relationship with her kids, instead of going down the usual TV path where a career woman has resentful adult children. Specifically, I love that Sharon is disappointed the case limits her time with Ricky, but she’s not guilt-ridden about it; she just apologizes and moves on. I also appreciate that Sharon is not blinded by her love for Ricky and excitement at his visit; she assures Rusty this is just the usual sibling adjustment period (I so adore "they're always three") but she takes notice of Ricky’s little comments and when it escalates, she lets him have it. And, hoo boy, does she let him have it. I love every moment of that conversation at the condo: her face when she realizes these are Jack’s words coming out of her son’s mouth, mocking her “loneliness” when he tries to mansplain her life, pointing her finger at him about the advantages he’s taken for granted every day of his life, and delivering a guilt trip – complete with full-naming him – that belongs in the Mom Hall of Fame. The final part is something I now have to work to keep from being tainted by Sharon’s death, because when Ricky asks if she really wants her future grandkids calling that guy “Uncle Rusty” my mind wants to sob its way down the they’ll call him that, but she won’t see it path and I have to force myself to stay in the moment. Because “That is a whole lot better than what I’m thinking of calling you right now” is perfectly delivered, and it somehow gets even better from there. The actor playing Ricky nails the response to her "Oh my god, I am so disappointed in you, I don't even know what to say"; he's new to the role and relationship, but tears up and looks devastated.) It’s a nice scene at the end, with the sweet definition of family, but my favorite is Ricky telling Sharon not to “snort laugh” at him, since Mary McDonnell does that in real life. I also like the case; there’s some funny stuff at the crime scene, like Amy's “Why are men ever up late at night on their computers?” and all the guys just looking like oh, yeah. But it’s weird for Provenza to be the one on the ladder, since climbing is among the things he doesn’t do. Fundamentally, I love that they were able to nail the surviving slimeballs behind the website. The scruffy man-child’s gross entitlement is so realistic I instantly hate him when he’s on about how women have been breaking up with men without a second thought. The killer’s son blaming himself for his mom’s suicide as much as he blames the victim, and trying to protect his dad, is pretty sad. I love how no one wants his life ruined over this, given his mental state and age when he made the decision. Sharon trying to assure him mothers know when their sons are temporarily being insensitive idiots and thus don’t take their words to heart is sweet; her face when she realizes he blames himself always makes my heart clench. Since by the end of The Closer I was watching for the evolving relationship between Brenda and Sharon, it always intrigues me that the walk and talk between Sharon and Fritz as the episode opens reveals she already knows about Brenda’s job offer in D.C. – did Fritz already mention it to her, or are she and Brenda still in occasional touch? One little thing that only sticks out to me this many viewings in: During the night one scene in the hallway, when Taylor says he’s going to supervise looking for the sniper, the skirt of Sharon’s white dress is wrinkled. If that scene existed in a vacuum, it would be nice touch of realism, that after a long day in and out of chairs her skirt was mussed. But in the scene set immediately after in the break room, it’s intact. So it wasn’t deliberate, and how did no one, especially the script supervisor (in charge of continuity) or wardrobe peeps, fail to notice in that one scene that the costume needed to be steamed? On the flip side, and in tune with my love for the episode, no matter how many times I’ve seen it, it never fails to make me laugh that Mike’s phone is programmed to bring up a photo of Provenza in his white hat when he calls.

Damn, addiction is such a beast. I was hoping, when the promo revealed he'd been arrested, it wasn't going to be any way related to drugs, but I also couldn't imagine him otherwise being reckless enough to risk arrest. At least he seems nowhere near as far gone as what preceded him going into rehab, so hopefully some quiet time away from the city and with Tia around will help him get back up on the wagon. Tia bailing him out (not just the ten percent, putting her collateral on the line for the whole thing) is touching. Based on the offense, it shouldn't have been much (and, holy shit, should we abolish our bail system, but that's for another forum), but with his history, who knows; they may well have over-charged. Whatever the amount, she puts almost all the money she has into the rescue, so for her to put any of it on the line trusting that Earl will make his court appearance just speaks to how he truly is family to her. Winston running over to his mommy whenever a similar-sized dog came up to him, and then being okay with little Dopey was so cute - good idea, M2. It looked like the adopters didn't even really get to know Dopey until the home check, but of course there's a lot we don't see. Regardless, they very obviously let Winston pick, and that's great. I like when they had the realization maybe Winston didn't want another sister, just Mommy and Daddy did, because you can tell if that had wound up being the case they wouldn't have adopted another dog. How great for Mariah to find Jan waltzing right into the exam room; it was hard for her to have to let someone else handle a rescue's initial vet visit, especially since she's dropping off a dog she's afraid may need extensive surgery, and then she picks up a dog who just needed her hip popped back into place. Screw whoever tied her up there; look at how she snuggled up to Spencer - I don't understand dumping any animal, but a sweet, friendly one? If life has gone to hell and you're truly out of good options, pick the best of the bad ones and take your pet to a shelter if no rescue can take her/him. Some of the chains on that wall never fail to boggle my mind.

As long as I still had ample cabinet space, I would not be bothered by having my washer/dryer in the kitchen. My utility room is directly off my kitchen, and I never close the door to it (since my cat needs access to it for her food and to the half bath off of it for her litter box), so I hear the machines running in the kitchen just as I would if they were in there. (Or are cabinet space and/or noise not the issue? I actually don't even know why Americans are so horrified by it - is this yet another germaphobe thing?)

One of my closest friends lived in Belmont Shore for several years, and I drove down a lot, but, yeah, for most other people, I'd have been less willing to deal with the parking. At least once I got situated, everything was walkable. Do you know where in Long Beach the house was? (I didn't watch.) Because there are still plenty of pockets of L.B. where one wouldn't want to live if they had better options, and a smaller place in a better neighborhood would definitely win out.