Bastet

Technically, but it wasn't much of a risk. It wasn't a conflict of interest that precluded Jack from undertaking the representation, it was just something that needed to be disclosed so the client was fully informed, and, under the circumstances, it wasn't something likely to give Speedy pause. Speedy was only a witness at that point, and they just needed to trade away his parole violations for info on what he saw -- low stakes for him, which leads to an easily-waved-away disclosure on Jack's side. Sure, they're married, but only technically, so since he's not a suspect and this is all a formality, it's far better to go with a court-appointed attorney willing to do it - since no PDs were available - than wait around for another one. Once he became a suspect (in Melissa's death), that's when things changed.

I don't know. One of the things I like about the characterization is that Jack is clearly a good attorney, he just keeps blowing up his life by choosing to chase the next big win at a poker table instead. Like Rusty told him in Internal Affairs, he already had the jackpot - great wife, great kids, successful career. It just wasn't ever enough for him; I suspect he had this idea in his head that the gambling wasn't actually a problem the way the drinking had been, that one day he'd win really big, and then he wouldn't feel this wanderlust anymore, and finally be ready to settle into "regular" life - with the wife and kids he deluded himself into believing would still be waiting around for him. Where he trips himself up professionally is where he sees a big prize on the horizon - something like a damages award in a wrongful imprisonment case is equal to a big win at the card table to him - and loses sight in trying to get to it. Court-appointed representation of witness with parole violations is just a means to an end for him - no high stakes, so no reason to cut corners. Once he knows Speedy killed Melissa for Browning, and they'll need Speedy's testimony to nail Browning, now the stakes are higher and he can come away having negotiated a great deal for a guy facing murder-for-hire charges. So it's then that he gets sloppy, with the "you don't even have the missing girl's body yet" slip.

That and him being somewhat famous; remember in The Closer when Brenda admitted to that annoying reporter that Pope determined what was a major crime largely by what cases were going to garner media scrutiny? Taylor is cut from the same cloth. Really, it happening in the Palisades would be all they need, kind of like in the "Hanging Chad" episode when Andy said what made it a major crime was being west of the 405 -- in both cases, rich areas -- but the inevitable media blitz upped the ante and had Taylor and Emma so anxious to get out in front of it. Anyway, Frey wouldn't have had time to consider the media coverage, or much of anything, and he was always going to be in the clear for the shooting because Matty had broken in. He just had no idea the video existed, so didn't know Matty's accusations would come forward even after his death. If Matty hadn't made that video, the squad - who knew something was off with his "I barely remember him" bullshit, but not what - probably never would have found out about the molestation, because Matty never told anyone. So without knowing that about him (and knowing these predators rarely only do it to one kid), they wouldn't have done their press release routine, meaning it's highly unlikely any other victims would have come forward with only the news of the shooting to prompt them. Like they said, Matty was a hero. Those types of things generally come much more from the actors than the writers or directors; there will be a vague "gesturing" notation in the script and then the actor takes it from there, possibly with input from the director (usually in the form of a "what about ..." suggestion of an alternate way after the first take). Heh. We actually have to suspend disbelief even beyond the whole "well, Emma and Jack would have exchanged information" thing, because Jack would have disclosed the marriage to his client. But just like the pesky reality of Emma knowing Jack's name (and inevitably doing the "any relation?" follow-up) would have meant no hilarious "Of course not, he's my husband" scene, Jack disclosing to Speedy when he was just a witness with parole violations would have meant no "we're now holding you on suspicion of murder, and, btw, you should know your attorney is my husband" revelation. Since I love both scenes, I'm willing to play along. I hadn't really thought about him being underrated, but now that you bring it up I bet a lot of people who mostly think about Jake Taylor from Major League and those action/thriller movies he did wouldn't peg him for someone who studied acting and started out on stage. (He did get an Oscar nomination for Platoon, but I think that's a bit forgotten.) I think the movie itself is just okay, but I really liked his performance in Shattered.

They only present to the judges, so, no, they don't serve the crowd, but we do see them shop and cook for that many, and it's a recurring issue with their planning, budget, prep time, plating, etc.

I haven't, either, at least not significantly/overall - there was one night where I completely sucked in round one, but I can have a really bad round in a given regular episode, too, and I thought the William Blake FJ (which I happened to get right on a wild-ass guess rooted in ignorance) was a good bit harder than average, but, again, an outlier pops up from time to time in a regular game - but I have often found the all-stars faster to ring in and rattle off the answer, so there are more times than usual that I'm sitting here trying to pull it out of my brain and don't get the chance before the first one of them answers. But it has still been fun; I watch for the clues, not the contestants, so other than enduring Austin (whom I missed the first time around - and am now retroactively grateful for my busy work schedule at the time), it has just been a variation on the norm for me. I'm looking forward to the two-day final, which should be pretty much the regular format, just switching out the interview segment for the strategizing segment, which I like, even though it's probably something they film as a recap after having their actual strategizing session (which in itself probably amounts to discussing whether to alter the strategy they had coming in).

This is a repeat from the Roseanne game, but it hasn't been played here and we seem stalled, so ... U is for the umbrella holder (in the form of a Dalmation) Roseanne bought off the guys burglarizing the Bowman house, whom she thought were workers from a charitable organization; the Conners had no idea what it was actually for until Kathy spotted it and said, "That's my umbrella stand!"

I love Sharon dealing with Rusty’s “illness” in Rules of Engagement – her first reaction is concern, but this is also her third rodeo, so she quickly knows not only that he’s faking but exactly why he’s doing it – and tonight I also noticed how funny Jack’s facial expressions are through the whole thing. I like Jack and Rusty’s plotting, and that even though Jack knows he’s going to pull his usual disappearing act, and on yet another kid this time, he still reins himself in – he doesn’t snap, “Dude, just tell her you’re gay,” he gives Rusty another way to get out of this thing with Kris, and pretends like he’ll see him at home. Tom Berenger nails that pause and forced joviality when Rusty says he’ll see him later. For how much this show loves looking at how every.fucking.thing that happens to anyone affects Rusty, I’m surprised they completely skipped over addressing how Rusty, who ignored Sharon’s warning not to get attached because Jack only stays long enough to get what he wants, feels about Jack taking off. Sharon’s reaction to Jack’s enthusiasm and gratitude when she brings him in as a court-appointed attorney is touching. Her getting door-slamming frustrated with him in the interview is affecting, too (before that, I love her face when Jack says they can’t ask about donuts). And I never fail to laugh out loud when Emma asks Sharon if she’s sleeping with him and Sharon responds, “Of course not. He’s my husband.” (Of course, in reality, Jack and Emma would have exchanged info and she’d have known his last name, but I let it go.) It’s a nice bit of humor in the midst of this latest implosion of their relationship. When Sharon snaps at Jack that he’s the one who takes this relationship for granted is great, but Mary McDonnell absolutely kills it when Sharon comes home and finds that note. Her face when she turns on the light and sees Jack’s stuff gone, her deep breath when she picks up the note, and then the several emotions in evidence when she rips it up unread – it all tells us it says what it always says, because he’s done this before. Probably apologizing, and then listing the things that if she’d just do differently, be different, he wouldn’t have to leave. As I’ve said before, I love this initial Jack arc – all his appearances, but especially this pre-divorce run of episodes – for what it shows us about Sharon. I also like RoE for Julio telling Rios off – “… and you stop talking to me like I’m your waiter” - but as much as I hate her, I still roll my eyes at Buzz piling on. Because, you know, Buzz. (I also love Julio’s snark about Morro Bay being a popular weekend getaway destination for gang members and their families.) I have to give Emma her first the material witness in one case is your foster son, and now another one is represented by your husband?! frustration, though. I also enjoy Provenza’s reliable irritation with Speedy’s Jesus talk; being on the same wavelength, his reactions to all things church never fail to entertain me. (I love Sharon’s eye roll when Amy reports that Speedy’s parole officer says he found Jesus in jail; I miss this version of Sharon come season five and six, when Duff decides to make her only slightly less Catholic than the Pope, but even that Sharon manipulates her relationship with her priest to conduct an interrogation in the confessional booth, so I can’t complain too much.) And the “How Stupid Do You Think I Am?” game is funny; my favorite part is Taylor offering to keep track of coincidences and Sharon – on the phone the whole time – handing him a pen to physically do so. It’s also another one where Amy openly hates an abusive man; I always love that about her, and Sharon – when they have to deal with one of these guys, they only hide their disdain if they have to, strategically; otherwise, it’s on. The opening sequence is telling on more than one level, for how people raise their kids not to look at "those guys" just in case, but that the woman pumping gas wasn’t, as Provenza lamented, collateral damage in a gang hit – it was a purely personal beef dressed up to look like a gang-on-gang drive-by precisely because the police would bite, hard, on that assumption, but she and the gang members are victims of an entitled white guy. The Deep End is a heartbreaking case. When Mr. Torres hears the coach’s name and realizes the confrontation that resulted in his son’s death was inadvertently prompted by him, because he lashed out and told Mateo the truth about being taken off the team, is one thing, but when he realizes the son he thought was an aimless slacker was actually the traumatized victim of sexual abuse, it’s palpable horror, grief, and regret. And then to find out Frey will suffer zero consequences specific to Matty? It’s a situation in which it’s not right, of course, but understandable given human nature that he goes vigilante, and that just compounds the tragedy; in a horrible mindset, he makes a choice that only ruins more lives. His poor wife; she basically loses her son and husband at once. And Frey’s victims are spared testifying, but they also don’t get to see him officially declared guilty of molestation. It's all so ugly. And the other victims coming forward following the deliberate misdirection press release, but being past the statute of limitations – the actors all play the squad’s reaction to their inability to do anything for these victims of a horrible pattern wonderfully. When they see the guy, obviously young enough to pursue a claim, hesitating in the doorway, and Sharon says not to go get him, he has to choose to do it himself – so good. His interview is even better. And Matty’s video? This episode is a gut punch. The case also yields another sad moment between Sharon and Rusty, when she again offers therapy and he again resists because of his misconception of who needs it and who doesn’t. The “thirteen is really young for all that/fifteen is, too” talk is painful, and it's quite telling that in addition to the various perpetrators Rusty rattles off as needing a doctor, he includes Matty, a victim currently on everyone's mind - but not himself. He still hasn’t grasped the fact the “choices” he made in soliciting to survive were not actual choices; he was an abandoned child, unable to consent, and he’s just as much a victim as someone like Matty, where no money changed hands. And I like the progress that Rusty lashes out with his “You’re still married to a guy you haven’t lived with for 20 years and you’re giving me break-up advice?” defense, but also immediately recognizes what he’s doing and apologizes without Sharon having to do anything but stare at him. Sharon telling him the only thing he needs to do beyond applying himself as a student is to be safe and be kind is beautiful. (And I love that they continue the thread, that she always calls him on when he’s not being kind - both before this, and after, sometimes explicitly referencing this talk.) Help me, I have to give it up to Rios for a moment in this one, too – her childish antics are annoying 99% of the time, but when she sticks her fingers in her ears and assures “I’m not listening” when Andy realizes she’s following along with his tale of Nicole’s wedding, I laugh. And I really have to sympathize with her frustration with Provenza figuratively sticking his fingers in his ears, refusing to deal with how the racial angle of this case will inevitably be discussed. All his “I’m just trying to solve a case” bluster bugs me; if he’s irked by the fact a rich white dude killing an unarmed Latino young man in “defense” will raise some eyebrows, take it up with his fellow boys in blue who declare open season on people of color/excuse the civilians who do the same, not the DDA trying to deal with the fallout of that national reality. I love that when Sharon learns that Andy is being an ass about his daughter’s wedding, she makes him join her for the rest of the case whenever they have to deal with the victim’s parents – she subtly gives him the perspective check he needs. And then once he pulls his head out on his own, she offers to go with him as a buffer. “I like weddings.” Hee. There isn’t much else humorous, but I do love Provenza trying to get his suave on with Mrs. Slater before he realizes who she is, and, especially, his hand signals to Buzz to cover the Murder Board and to Rusty to stay out of sight; those gestures are SO Sharon, and I love imagining his reaction would it be pointed out he’s picked up some of her mannerisms.

I read the court documents years ago, and don't remember which twin it was, but one of them was in it up to his eyeballs and was dealing with a drug problem. If Aren faced a life sentence (and took a ten-year stretch) for his stepson, that would be quite a sacrifice. The twin would have received a far lighter sentence (due to lack of priors), so I don't think he was covering for anyone; the stolen property was there either because of him (as the prosecutor alleged) or because of one of the parolees (as Aren claimed). I don't know and won't ever know. I do know I hate the prosecutor on that case, the courthouse his case was heard in (the judges are notoriously biased against defendants), and loathe with every fiber of my being CA's draconian "three strikes" law, so Aren was behind the eight ball and if he wasn't guilty, he got thoroughly screwed. If he was, he faced a far-longer sentence than he should have, and even the ten-year deal is excessive. Tia spent a shit ton of money on his defense, so I hope he was worth it. I have my doubts, but I respect that she doesn't talk about it. At any rate, the twins both turned out incredibly well for how they started out, and I'm really glad Mariah brought "the strays" home and started them down the road that wound up giving them a family far better than the one they'd been born into. Now they're doing work they love and found great women to share their lives - and that work - with. My cat and I were cleaning out my closet during tonight's episode (it took longer than I thought and I didn't want to lose momentum by pausing to focus on the show), but I still got to see plenty. Tamale drinking out of the toilet in her new home and promptly being handed a water bowl instead was hilarious. And I loved M2 saying Earl would do the jog testing and she'd do the "hang out at a restaurant with a drink" testing and Earl protesting that's backwards. I'm glad Cordelia got out of the shelter; it's impressive for a shelter with that few resources to reach out to a rescue for proper temperament testing rather than just euthanizing an "aggressive" dog. I'm also glad - and pleasantly surprised - only one of Valentina's tumors was malignant. I appreciate them including the vet explicitly saying if you spay a dog young, she will not get mammary tumors, if you let her go for years, she probably will. I remember reading that sweet little pajama-clad Almonaster didn't make it, but I think this was the first time it was said on the show, and he was such a sad yet hopeful case I like that they used Valentina's skin condition as a means to remind us of/update us on his story.

Add me to the curiosity list; I don't even use self check-out for a variety of reasons, let alone online ordering (but for this I have no real objections other than control), so I want to hear what irks you about the latter. Grocery peeves bring me to ... A while back, I complained about my local Ralphs (Kroger) undergoing renovation that involved moving things around seemingly just for the purpose of moving them around. I mostly shop at a couple of independent markets, but I read the sale ads at the chains each week and sometimes drop in at Ralphs or Vons if there's a good enough deal on something I want; it's sporadic enough I get easily discombobulated by reconfiguration. A minor quibble about this renovation was replacing some of the regular checkout lanes with self-checkout lanes. Well, it turns out they didn't only add more self-checkout lanes, they eliminated the express lanes. Seriously? They now have the dubious distinction of being the only grocery store in the area - other food markets whether independent or chain, multi-purpose store with grocery like Smart & Final, etc. - not to offer at least one express lane. It's now take your chances or use the self-checkout. Because I have tremendous flexibility with my schedule and can thus shop at off-peak hours (that plus only occasionally shopping at the chain to begin with is why it took me a while to notice the change), it's usually not an issue, but twice I have been stuck in heavy "traffic" with my little basket. Thankfully, both times, an employee (who knows - from prior conversations - that one of the reasons I don't use self-checkout is it being designed to replace human workers) has sidled up and offered to do the self-checkout for me, so I don't have to be unreasonably delayed by waiting OR deal with the annoying quirks of this increasingly-inevitable system. Basically, grocery stores are a minefield of nuisances for everyone involved.

I was stunned Alex missed the Pulp Fiction DD; to wager that big – with a good lead today and with a big ol’ goose egg from yesterday - he should know a good deal about soundtracks, and that soundtrack was HUGE. It was an instaget for me, and when he didn't answer, I thought he was doing his usual pretend not to know until the last second routine. My jaw dropped a bit when he guessed wrong. I'm not sad saying good-bye to Buzzy, but I'd have loved to see Alex play in the finals. Oh well. At least no Austin!!

And that's another one where it's not only refusing to believe the friend, but being so damn mean about it -- they get mad at Rose like she's "falsely" accusing their kids, not her own sister whom they just met, of something.

I don't know, it seems like a bit of a no-win situation. The Fresca example is pretty straightforward - same thing in a six pack or two small bottles. Then again, maybe a customer would be annoyed by the increased cost and would rather have a liter bottle of another soda. Salsa? Spicy would be the key for me, too, but taste/quality varies significantly from brand to brand, so maybe I'd rather have the mild version of Brand A than the spicy version of Brand B if I hate Brand B. (What I'd really prefer is to skip it if they didn't have the spicy kind I liked, but I'll get to that in a minute.) And there really isn't a substitute for zucchini, except for maybe another type of squash, but different customers would prefer different ones. Cucumber was fucking dumb, yes, but otherwise I think it is asking for more guessing than the employee should have to undertake. Rather than a general substitutions yay or nay option (which is what I assumed from your post, but I may be wrong), you should be able to select yes or no for each item, and then have a field to specify what you want instead for those you select substitutions. So, for example, you could select substitutions okay for the chips, and then in the field say you'd like Brand #2 barbecue or Brand #1 different flavor.

Triple Stumper (a clue that none of the contestants get correct) There's a glossary here of commonly-used abbreviations and such - the "inside language" of the forum.

Here's Alyssa Milano's tweet about Helmond, and I love that she included a fairly recent photograph along with the older ones (since it's so common to avoid showing old folks as, gasp, old).

<sniff> I talked with her a bit at a charity event for local animal welfare organizations, during her Who's The Boss? days. She was nice, funny, and an animal lover -- aces in my book. (Okay, she also told me I had beautiful hair, but I swear that's not the only reason I liked her. 🙂 ) I liked her on Soap, loved her as Mona on WTB?, and would tune in to Everybody Loves Raymond, a show I otherwise avoided, when she and Robert Culp guest starred as Debra's parents, because they were hilariously good.

No, there's no restriction on her reading someone their rights. She/the writers gave the rest of the squad so little to do, maybe always having someone else deliver the Miranda warning was a characterization detail -- one of the few things over which she'd routinely cede control? I never noticed that; good eye (ear)! And, hey, her delegation gave us Julio's classic take, something like, "You have the right to shut up. Any stupid thing you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If your broke ass can't afford an attorney, one will be appointed."

Colby, Buzzy, and Austin in the same round? Annoyance meters all over the country were pegged tonight. (I’m entertained by Colby and his eyebrow, but Buzzy and Austin at the same time is too much to ask anyone to bear.) Good game, though. My brain took a while to kick in; I did reasonably well in DJ, but I was astoundingly bad in the first round; I just sort of sat here with my brain saying "processing, please wait" while they spit out answer after answer. I got the wet hen TS and FJ, so good for me. With FJ, it was a matter of knowing precious little about poetry, so Blake was simply the only British poet of anything resembling that era (based on my very loose calculation of when The Jungle Book came out, minus 100 years) I could think of; I didn't actually know anything about The Tyger/"Tiger! Tiger!" and think that was a really hard clue that I just happened to luck my way into guessing -- as a contestant, I might have psyched myself out of even writing down my wild-ass guess.

I enjoyed the QF so much I didn’t even mind the presence of Graham Elliot. Only ten minutes to menu plan when you’re about to shop in a foreign market to cook for 200 people? Ouch. I hate black-eyed peas, so I wouldn’t want to eat Kelsey’s dish, but if not for those I very much would, and I thought she did a really great job of combining her traditional New Year’s food with what she found in the local market for their New Year celebration. I was not surprised to see her win; her dish sounded smart from the word go. It was nice to see Adrienne walking away disappointed she wouldn't be going further, but not regretting any of the choices she made along the way. They all made good food, and I look forward to the rest of this final stretch. LOL at Sara learning a few curse words among standard phrases in preparation for the trip.

I hate most police procedurals - mostly because they glorify bad practices and behavior by the police, but also for the lack of characterization/character development - but my two exceptions, Cold Case and, especially, Major Crimes, are total comfort TV that I can watch over and over. CC I used to marathon weekly when it aired in a long block on ION (I don't get whatever station it's on now, dammit), and MC I watch on DVD frequently and still watch the syndicated episodes every weekend.

YES. I went looking, because I knew I must have complained about that song here, I hate it so much. And, sure enough: At least I don't hear it nearly as often any more!

The Triangle was on last night, and I'd forgotten just how awful Dorothy is in it. I absolutely cannot stand when women are told by a friend that the guy they're dating is a louse and believe the guy over the friend (especially when they're just newly dating). So that alone would have aggravated me, but been a typical sitcom plot. But she turns absolutely vicious on a dime. Yes, Blanche came onto him when she first saw him - as Blanche does - but when Dorothy did the "I saw him first" routine (how old are we, ladies?), she said okay, fair is fair, just let her know if he has a friend who makes house calls. And, yes, this is very early in the series and I don't remember how long they'd been living together when the show opened, but whatever the length of time, Blanche is her friend and this guy is someone she has been dating A WEEK. Dorothy thinking Blanche is jealous that a handsome doctor didn't fall at her feet, but instead drooled a little and then continued dating Dorothy is natural, given the characters. But thinking Blanche lied about him making a pass - especially when she was so uncomfortable saying it, something she waited up to tell her, not something she snapped off like an insult in the middle of an argument or anything - and saying it's because she's "a slut ... an amoral, back-backstabbing, self-centered Jezebel"?! We'd have been done right then and there. (Blanche would laugh at the same exact words in another context, but the way they were hurled at her here, no.) When Dorothy confronted him about Blanche's accusation, he lied, she believed him, and Blanche said she'd been a very good friend to Dorothy and she won't stand for her taking some stranger's word over hers in her own house, so get out, I disturbed the cat by cheering - and then groaning because I knew it would soon all be swept under the rug. She apologizes for not believing her, as she damn well should, but all the rest just gets a "there's no excuse for my behavior" and the next thing you know there's a group hug.

Composer and conductor (and winner of four Oscars and ten Grammys) Andre Previn has died at the age of 89. As a teenager, he played piano at a Hollywood theatre, improvising scores at (silent) film screenings; I love this story: "There was one of those huge silent epics which kept vacillating allegorically between biblical times and the Roaring '20s, and so I really had to pay attention," Previn told NPR's Weekend Edition in 1991. "But I noticed that each time they switched venues, as it were, it would stay there for a while. So we came out of a biblical time and back into people Charlestoning their life away. And I thought, 'Well, I'm safe for a few minutes.' And so I started playing 'Tiger Rag,' and I heard a commotion in the audience, and the manager was storming down the aisle. And I took a quick look up on the screen — and I was playing 'Tiger Rag' to the Crucifixion, which was a bad choice. And I was out on the pavement about three minutes later."

The clunky answer came from the clunky clue, contorted to meet the 4,3,4 category. Had it been "To ascertain someone's thoughts, as by telepathy," most people would have forgotten the category and said "read their mind" (or maybe "read your mind"), so they hammered it home by using "to ascertain one person's thoughts" - and the contestant still had to pause and reconfigure his, well, mind to come up with an answer that fit the category, because it's not a natural way of phrasing. Like a poster above, I think "read her mind" or "read his mind" were also on the list of acceptable answers.

Desert Fox was a surprising TS, as were five and dime and Cro-Magnon. I’m also a bit surprised no one at least guessed Portland. In the USS Missouri clue, it just said “USS ___,” but didn’t Alex say “USS this state”? Including pictures in three of the African-American Actresses clues was ridiculous. FJ was one of those things I didn't know I knew until it came flying out of my mouth as soon as I finished reading the clue. I'm sorry to see Team Julia go, as I really like her and Ben, but they under performed and that's what happens. Painful to be the one team not going forward, but this is a pretty damn good group to be the worst of.

In the Pets thread, @theredhead77 recommended the new animated short Kitbull, and I must second that. Here's an article about it, and below is the film itself. She also recommended tissues, and I second that as well, but it's heartwarming (with a happy ending), I promise. It's nicely done. The way the cat is drawn in the playing scenes is spot on, and cracked me up. There are too many things that teared me up to list, and I got so caught up in the escape scene I was muttering, "Come on, come on!" at my screen.