Bastet

Last night I watched the one where Bev gets picked up for DUI and decides not only is she an alcoholic, but basically everyone who drinks is, too, and it should be an awful episode to watch because her passive-aggressive behavior (something, as I've said, she should teach graduate level courses in) and emotional manipulation - not to mention all-around annoying voice and mannerisms (I love how Estelle Parsons just went for it, and embraced making Bev unlikable in so many ways) - are on one of their brightest displays, but instead it's fantastic because of lines like, "You didn't tell me I'd be baking with Drunken Hines" and "We can't go back in there, she's in there! Bev. Beverage. Non-alchoholic Beverage is in there!" And in the opening sequence when Jackie asks, "Can I get that [Bev's mug shot] in wallet size?" Followed by, "At least give me numbers off the bottom; I want to go play the Lotto." I also like when everyone leaves because Bev and Roseanne say no one can drink in the house (which is so ridiculous, yet another example of how this episode is saved by the humorous lines) and Bev tells Dan she hopes his friends didn't get upset and he says, "No, Bev, you know these Super Bowl parties all pretty much break up after kick-off anyway."

As I said, I think that was the reason behind ending things with Brian before they ever even slept together, and that made me view the quick demise of all subsequent potential love interests with suspicion. I loved when she moved in with them, because at their house she could be the kid she's entitled to be, while at Reba's she was expected to be another adult. But I also appreciated Reba's rock and a hard place frustration, where she knew she should let Cheyenne and Van fall on their asses and figure it out for themselves, and would if it not for Elizabeth, but couldn't precisely because of Elizabeth.

I'm 5'8" and I've put on weight in recent years (ceasing all exercise yet continuing to eat and drink the same will do that), but for most of my adult life I was a size 10. I wasn't slim, because I have wide hips, a big butt, and big breasts, but it was the ideal weight/shape for my body and I looked great. So you can imagine my reaction to all the commercials for diet pills and weight loss programs that had the "before" fretting about how she was a size ten and just couldn't bear to be seen in public until she whittled herself down to a size four.

I thought that was Galecki sitting with the network execs, but then thought it wasn't because of the glasses (I don't watch his show). That's cool.

I hate Malucci; I'm surprised Benton is the only one of his co-workers who's punched him. I know Sally Field was something of a big get for the series, but they've had a lot of heavy hitters guest star as characters' parents without feeling the need to make them such a big part of the show. Jeez, the episode descriptions for all three of today's episodes are about Maggie. I, too, liked the storyline with Peter and his former teacher. And I also noticed that the normally wooden Cleo really came alive interacting with Reese. (On a shallow note, Michael Michele is stunningly beautiful.)

I've been watching seasons one through three recently, and it's the first time I've seen most of these episodes in many years; I generally just watch Bad Blood, Small Potatoes, CBFR, and JCFOS. In Pusher, when Mulder wakes Scully up during the stakeout ("I think you drooled on me"), she says, "No luck [finding Modell], I assume," and Mulder confirms, then tells her no luck at the two previous places, either. I don't know why I never got this until now, but that means he's been driving a sleeping Scully around from stakeout to stakeout. It's 3:00 in the morning, they've been in that parking lot for at least an hour (Modell tells him he watched them until an hour ago), so presumably they were at each location for a couple of hours at least. So if Scully doesn't know that the previous two were busts, that means she slept through them. Hee. Also, when Modell tells Mulder to shoot Scully, because she shot him once, he says, "I read it in her file." But after the incident with Holly, Skinner checked and Mulder's file was the only one Modell accessed. It should have been, "I read it in your file." Another thing I noticed for the first time is how cheap and cheaply-furnished Modell's apartment is for someone who has been paid to commit over a dozen murders in the past year and a half. Now, I've never hired a hitman, but I suspect they're a bit costly. What did Modell do with all the money, spend it on those energy drinks? Something that has always bugged me about this stellar episode: There's all this attention paid to how Modell talks people into doing things, his voice is the key, etc. but when it comes time to get into the Hoover Building with his handwritten "PASS," he doesn't have to say a word to the guard in order to put the whammy on him. ("Please explain to me the scientific nature of the whammy.") Same with Holly; he eventually talks to her, but initially he just walks in and starts closing the blinds and she's immediately under his spell. I've been watching one disc per night, and last night's was quite the mixed bag - it's bookended by Pusher and JCFOS, two of the best episodes of the season, and in the middle sit Teso Dos Bichos and Hell Money, two of the worst. I slept through Hell Money.

Charlie and C.J. Ainsley and Sam Vinnick and Sheila

I do that a lot, because I love shoes (and clothes) but I hate shopping, so probably half my purchases are online. If they don't fit, I send them back, but that doesn't happen very often.

Charlie and C.J. - I don't see them as friends, and I hate that stupid prank war I'm supposed to find funny Ainsley and Sam - for the same reasons I didn't like them as a potential couple Vinnick and Sheila

So, once again, another character mishandles a situation alongside Kerry but she's the only one presented as in the wrong? Because it was clear Mark, and my beloved Elizabeth, were never going to be honest about his capabilities, so my just-slightly-less-beloved Kerry - without giving final, okay, I am going over all our heads if you don't take this last chance to come clean, warning - jumped from point B to point Z, and the situation is on her? Fuck that, I don't care how likable Mark is.

It is insane how happy that makes me.

I like the two Beckys sitting next to each other, and can't wait to see who Sarah Chalke plays. It would be great if she's Becky's girlfriend. Since the actor playing Darlene's son is sitting next to Sara, I wondered if the kid next to Michael is D.J.'s, then I thought D.J. seems too young to have a kid that old, then I thought, wait, not in this family, and then I realized just how old the Conner "kids" all are now. D.J. is in his mid thirties! Time flies. I like the idea of the same cabinets in the kitchen (and the wallpaper, too, because I can buy that nobody ever wanted to bother stripping it), and think it would be nice to see mismatched appliances -- the old stove still works, but they had to get a new fridge, so they have brown and white. And some new furniture in the living room, but that afghan has still got to be around somewhere. A mix of new and old items displayed on the mantle and walls, etc.

If I was nearby, I'd have gladly come by and fixed it for you! I'm glad that's what it turned out to be, allowing you to get it fixed rather than having to buy a new washing machine (particularly at a time when you really don't want to be hit with large, unexpected expenses). I have a friend of a friend who's one of those "If it breaks, toss it" - regardless of cost, waste, or any other analysis as to whether repair or replace makes the most sense under the circumstances - people, and he happened to call just after I finished changing my lid switch to talk to me about the mutual friend's upcoming birthday party. I like some things about him, but he winds up bugging me every time we interact. So the conversation inevitably went: -What are you up to? -[Story of washing machine, focused on appreciation for parts manager staying late and thankfulness it's an easy fix] -Why don't you just get a new washing machine? -Because the lid switch is $50 and a new machine is ten times that. Everything else about it works fine. The matching dryer works fine. -I'd just replace them both. -Yeah, and you'd probably put the old ones out for trash pick-up rather than giving them to someone in need. Can we talk about the birthday party now? Sorry for the trip down memory lane, but that's guy's a peeve!

I'm nervous around any dog (whom I don't know personally) not under her/his owner's control. Pit bull hysteria makes me very angry. I don't know whether that played into you being threatened with a gun, @friendperidot, behavior that is despicable regardless of motivation, but what a mess. I'm glad at the end of it everyone is okay. And, yes, Hyperbole and a Half is a national treasure.

Oh, I don't want them to just air six seasons of a fifteen-season show on a loop, and I'm glad they're finally airing the show in its entirety. (I only watched the first six seasons once, then waited for them to continue -- to me, it's an enjoyable show to pass the time with, but not something I get invested in to the point of wanting to watch multiple times.) And I'm being hyperbolic by saying this season sucks. But it is aggravating in its changes - the increase in personal storylines (which had long been an intermittent problem for me now seems to be the norm), the anvil-like closing music montages - and I hope things smooth out a bit. It was sad to watch Carter having to deal with the anti-vaccine mother and think all these years later doctors are still banging their heads against the wall with this bullshit. Same with Mark's frustration with people wanting antibiotics for the flu or "just in case." Grrr. Science, people; it's your friend. So far, I like what they're doing with Kerry's awkwardness in dating a woman. When she says, "I just care about you, I'm not interested in adopting a lifestyle," I share Legaspi's "I can't believe you just said that" reaction but I also sympathize with Kerry's confusion and discomfort. I like what they're doing - although, in the way that abandons any subtlety that might have once existed - with her becoming hyper-aware of how her colleagues speak about gay people, contributing to her fear of being open about her new relationship. Given Mark's condition and the symptoms he was displaying, I don't understand being aghast that Kerry would want it established that he's capable of practicing emergency medicine. All the restrictions on Carter even when he's sober, and Mark is supposed to be able to continue with no verification his mental status isn't altered so as to endanger patients? What if he mixes up doses the way he was mixing up pronouns? But, being Kerry, she probably went about it an insensitive way; I wasn't paying attention until I heard Corday snapping at her.

Good night, Irene, have there been any patients in today's two episodes? It seems like every time I tune in, we're out of the hospital. And can this priest hurry up and die? Man, this season sucks.

They are the best chips! And I love that you can just go buy them at Ralphs. I love that the interviews and the street segments have been focused on the people and programs working on Chicago's problems. I love that night one started out by just blowing apart this ridiculous narrative that Chicago is more dangerous than a Middle East war zone -- Start with the "Um, people? Number of murders is not what determines level of danger, it's the per capita murder rate" refresher course, list off a bunch of cities with higher rates, and wonder, then, why it might be that Chicago is Republicans' focus. Cue montage of Fox fuckwits braying about Obama "couldn't even keep his own city safe." Then in the midst of jokes about rats and pizza, we're getting a look at the people/programs making a difference. I think it's great. It's revolting that the rehabilitation aspect of our prison system has been largely abandoned to focus on the punishment prong of incarceration - a system that doesn't help the incarcerated, or the society they will be released back into - so I appreciate any time a prison program teaching inmates skills (and treating them like human beings) is spotlighted. I'm enjoying this Chicago week a lot so far. Thick crust I can suffer my way through, but deep dish is "Thanks, I'll just have a salad and some wings" time.

I liked that Reba had plenty going on in her life, was quite happy, and felt no need to go man-hunting; if she happened to meet an interesting man, she was happy to date him, but she wasn't out looking (other than when Park Overall's character talked her into it). But the way they backed away from intimacy with her boyfriend played by the Mark & Brian guy made me think they were purposely avoiding the sexual aspect of Reba's life for fear of offending McEntire's crazy conservative fans. In that light, the fact any time she she spent more than five minutes with a potential love interest something happened to mess it up bugged me a lot more than it otherwise would have. I did like that there was a line in the finale where someone - Cheyenne, probably - said it was sad that Reba was the only one not coupled up and Reba was like, "Um, look around - I'm very happy with my life."

Will and Donna - I only vaguely remember this, but I never liked Will and by the time he came along I was sick of Donna, so I probably didn't like it Donna and Sam - Does not remotely read as friendship to me. Doesn't read as anything, other she was his best friend's assistant Arnie Vinnick and Sheila - Not a fair vote, as I don't know either character, but I'm not ready to vote for anyone else yet

I hate deep dish pizza, so Ronny cracked me up. "This looks like me eating pizza, throwing it up into a bread bowl, and then leaving it out in the sun to dry." I can recite huge chunks of The Shawshank Redemption verbatim while watching it, so I liked the parody, too.

No, because I just have these on my office TV while I work, and only pay sporadic attention. At this point I still like Abby (and I remember liking her for however long I watched the first time around), but what the actual fuck with complaining a romantic partner isn't jealous? Jealousy should be a deal breaker, not a goal! Let's look at the relevant definitions, shall we? - disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness - vigilant in guarding a possession So she wants her boyfriend to view/respond to her every action as if she's untrustworthy, and/or regard her as a possession?! Maybe this is why I apparently repressed the memory of watching this shit.

Bringing Up Baby is one of my favorite films, so I'm predisposed to dismissing What's Up Doc? as an inferior knock-off, but in fact I find it a love letter to it (and screwball comedies of the era in general). Peter Bogdanovich loves movies, and it really shows here. I think it's a terrific comedy in its own right. I'm not a non-fan of Streisand or O'Neal as actors by any means, but I'm not overly excited by either one of them, either. Yet I love them in this film.

I know I can just wait and see, but how does Abby wind up with Carter, anyway? She's dating Luka (why you keep dating someone who kills a mugger on your first date, I do not know) and Carter immediately dismissed her "men and women aren't supposed to sponsor each other" reminder (her "thanks" in response was pretty funny), meaning he doesn't think of her that way. So does this become some insipid triangle, and she switches from Luka to Carter, then back? Ugh; not exactly something to look forward to. I've apparently blocked the entire relationship from my mind; I remember her with Luka, but not with Carter (and I was definitely watching, because I remember Gamma dying -- I have just somehow managed to forget someone falling in a grave).

No, her hilarious role in Tremors was well before this, and she was in the TV movie version of her song Is There Life Out There. (Probably some other things; that's just what I remember.) I think it was the reviews and ticket sales for her Annie Oakley performance on Broadway that led to her getting her own show.

Yes. Last time this came up in discussion here, I looked up exact quotes from him, so I'm just going to copy and paste my previous post: I liked Benton and Corday together, but that relationship didn't exist in a vacuum, and I thus don't take issue with LaSalle's objections to it. There weren't exactly a plethora of black couples on top-rated prime time shows back then. I remembered the gist of what he said, but went back to look at old articles for specifics. He said he liked working with Alex Kingston and liked the relationship, but in context he just was not comfortable with the message it was sending to the show's large black audience: "As an African American man, it becomes a bit offensive if the negative things [in relationships between black characters] are all you’re showing. Because in real life, we romance and get on each other’s nerves and laugh and do all the things that any other race of people do. So if the only time you show a balanced relationship is in an interracial relationship, whether it’s conscious or sub-conscious, it sends a message I’m not comfortable with. “They were sending a message that I didn’t want to be a part of, which was the only time that this man becomes human and tender and vulnerable and open is when he falls in love with a white woman.” “[Of] the two relationships that I had prior to Corday, one was an adulterous relationship with Jeanie Boulet and then the next relationship I got into was with Carla. And unfortunately the writing there was, every time you see them they’re either fighting or fucking.” (In another interview, he said the same thing: "We have to take care of the message that we're sending as African Americans . . . that we have the exact same type of exchanges with our mates that we get to see our white counterparts have.")