Bastet

Their mom named Darryl after Darryl Zanuck. She desperately wanted to be in pictures, but couldn't make it, so she plopped Darryl into singing and dancing as a toddler and lived vicariously through him from then on. It's interesting to hear him talk about being a child actor -- he really enjoyed the experience of making movies (he liked going to different places, he liked the other MGM kids he got to pal around with, etc.) but says it's a wholly abnormal way to grow up and when people ask him to coach their kids he says no - if they want to act when they're 18, great, but not before then. Despite being the quintessential stage mom, he says she was a nice woman and one of the things he liked most about working with Cornel Wilde - who'd play ball with him during breaks in filming Heaven - was how Wilde went out of his way to be welcoming to Ms. Hickman when they were all staying at a Bass Lake lodge for several weeks filming the exterior Back of the Moon scenes.

Oh, yes - Tom Hanks' body language as Jimmy reins himself in with Evelyn. The hands, the face. Wonderful. I also love the early exchange with Mr. Harvey, starting with Jimmy apologizing for selling off the team's equipment. And then: -Let me be blunt. Are you still a fall-down drunk? -No sir, I've quit drinking. -You've seen the error of your ways. -No, I just can't afford it. And then Mr. Harvey says he could still be playing if he'd just laid off the booze, and Jimmy protests he hurt his knee. -You fell out of a hotel, that's how you hurt it. -Well, there was a fire. -Which you started, and which I had to pay for. -Well, now, I was going to send you a thank-you card, Mr. Harvey, but I wasn't allowed anything sharp to write with.

I listened to Darryl Hickman's commentary on the Leave Her to Heaven DVD (he played Cornel Wilde's little brother) last night - let us just say he did not enjoy working with Gene Tierney - so this morning I looked him up on IMDb to see if he's still alive (he is), and I did not realize what a long career he's had. I knew he made the transition from child to adult actor, and kept working steadily through the sixties and got gigs in the seventies and eighties as well, but I had no idea he'd also spent much of the nineties as a voice actor. Per the DVD commentary, after a short stint as a network exec in NY, he decided to become an acting teacher and to intensely study different methods of acting in the quest to conceptualize the next process for the 21st century - sort of "beyond method." He's well informed and very passionate about the craft and art of acting - and about filmmaking in general - but probably one of those people you'd meet at a party, ask "So what do you do for a living?" and then half an hour later you're desperately trying to signal your friend or partner to come rescue you. There's also commentary from film critic Richard Schickel, which falls in line with what I like and don't like about the film, but doesn't really add much. I had somehow forgot Ray Collins was in this film. He is such a solid actor; I really enjoy his presence in just about anything I see him in. I need to get rid of some DVDs, so I'm going through the "maybe" pile right now. I don't think I'll keep this one. Visually, it's one of the most gorgeous films I've ever seen. So much to marvel at, especially the lighting. And Tierney is perfect for the role (which even Hickman readily grants). But it's just not something I watch often, so I think I'll clear up a bit of space and just catch it occasionally on TCM.

That cracked me up. I find this latest one pretty bland, but that one gave me a good laugh.

I'd like a "George likes his chicken spicy" retort to one of the judges complaining about the heat level. Damn, I should have watched. The last time I tried tuning in, it was the blind date thing, and I tuned right back out.

To really emulate Chopped (or Top Chef) contestants, I'd have to present food to the cats by saying, "Tonight, we've prepared for you ..." even though I had no help in opening the can. What the hell is that? I've just watched them cook alone from start to finish, so who comprises this "we" stuff? Maybe a holdover from their restaurant kitchen, where it's a group effort, but it sounds so stupid.

Yes! I've never made a spreadsheet or anything, but it's a safe bet I dislike or have no interest in more Disney movies than I like. But the ones I like, I love. And, even though I know better, every single time I'm going around the program guide and see The Parent Trap on one of the Disney stations, I get excited for a beat before confirming it's the remake rather than the original. (The same happens with Freaky Friday, which I love even more.) So I will tune in to watch the original yet again, for many reasons, including seeing the delightful Una Merkel still going strong as Verbena.

This was one of the first lessons for me to learn back when I gained my first taste of supervisory capacity. I have control issues, plus a sense that what looks best to me looks best period. And I had to get over that. If people did something wrong, by all means I was going to require they change it. But if they were just doing something differently, I needed to either accept that the world works that way or do it all myself. It can be hard, but it's part of being an adult, never mind a supervisor. Micro-managing is insulting, and counter-productive. I have a very low tolerance for that sort of thing, because if I can recognize that and overcome it, anyone can.

That certainly holds true for me; I didn't ever love him as a leading man (so often, I'd think "this movie would be better with [other actor who'd played a similar role or worked well with the female co-star] instead," but when he got older and shifted to supporting roles I'd often find him one of the best parts of a film.

Any time an idea was proposed - doing the town hall meeting in the first place, going ahead with it when the hate group canceled, etc. - Jazz jumped in to say yes before Jeanette said anything. Now, since these are conversations for the camera about things that have likely already been discussed, that's not definitive proof that she, not Jeanette, is the one pushing for it, but I think this comes from Jazz. And I think she's lucky to have the balance of Jeanette and Greg as she makes these decisions -- Jeanette accompanies her to all these things for support and supervision, knowing how desperately Jazz would have loved for something similar to have been available to her when she was younger, and Greg makes sure the "is it worth it?" analysis isn't something Jazz glosses over. That event was sparsely attended and largely populated by allies, so I wonder what the real timing was on the group backing out. I chuckled at Jeanette with her glasses and her AARP membership. And the boys with their analysis that their case of senioritis is thus far a mild one. I missed the first ten minutes or so, and I think that means I missed some discussion about Jazz going through the recent period of pretty deep depression. It will be interesting to see her reconnect with her friends after she isolated herself during that time. Jazz has a wonderful family, but I think good friendships are just as invaluable. I'm sure income from the show will easily cover having the implant replaced, and the family may have even negotiated that any medical procedures they let the show cover get paid for by the show. The family also seems to be upper middle class, and I suspect Jeanette's parents are sitting on some cash (if Jackie didn't spend it all on her face). So I didn't have a problem with using Jazz, rather than just the parents, to be explicit about how much these procedures cost and the fact they are not always covered by insurance. It's a big issue, period, and especially for patients with a lot less money. The conversation was of the "Whoever pays for it, she needs it, so we get it done and battle out reimbursement later" variety rather than "If this isn't covered, she can't have it," so I'm not worried about Jazz being made to feel guilty over this expenditure.

From that TVGuide article: Thank you, universe! It sounds like I am going to be thoroughly annoyed by the ending, but at least it won't be with Martinez. I'm looking forward to Sharon Gless appearing. Yvette Nicole Brown and JoBeth Williams, too, but - Sharon Gless! I'm not pleased this Alice Sands storyline - which I didn't find anywhere near as compelling as they wanted me to - is going to continue throughout the season. That Maura's injury won't just be dropped is promising, though.

Ask ten people, and you may very well get ten different answers. The Census Bureau splits the country up into four geographic regions, and the one called Midwest - which used to be called North Central, mind you - consists of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. But survey after survey shows most people divide the country up into more than four regions, and the boundaries of those regions are quite fluid. To me, Illinois is the quintessential midwestern state, yet I saw one survey - of people who classify themselves as midwesterners - where only 80% of respondents identified it as such.

From the season seven episode schedule linked to in another thread, I see that, in a classic final season move, Angie and Sasha are each getting to direct an episode.

I don't even need all my fingers to count the number of musicals I like, so I was pretty surprised to run the Best Musical Actor category. Next up (I was reading the archive, having missed the show) was the art category, another weak point, but since all you really needed to know was history, I was fine. I ran the statistics category, too, but then wound up just as stumped as the contestants on torrid in the double R category. Same with cormorant. Other than those, two, though I was golden in the first round. Then we got to the second round, and my brain just went on vacation during the book category. I knew Mao Zedong and Abbie Hoffman, but that was it -- I couldn't even spit out Doomsday! And even though I could wear one of those "I Saw Tucker" t-shirts (and I'll see your pre-Blockbuster video rental and raise you with I rented that sucker on laserdisc), I couldn't come up with it. I didn't know Tiguan, either -- never heard of it. Robots do not interest me, and it showed in my performance in that category. I did get the Ob river TS, but otherwise DJ wasn't really my round. FJ came to me pretty quickly, just thinking about midwestern state capitals with someone's name in them.

To get to the other side. <groan> It's that time of year (at least in some places) -- early summer is nesting season for turtles, so they're heading for their familiar territory to lay their eggs. Many states have issued motorist advisories to look out for turtles crossing the road.

Yep. I have only the vaguest memories of it - I think maybe it was half about the attack and half about her activism afterwards - but I know she did, in fact, star in it herself.

But there was no door directly to the basement, otherwise Jackie would have come in rather than talking to Roseanne through the window, and David would have used it rather than climbing through the window.

To avoid the risk of discussing something that happened in the first episode in the thread for the second, I'll put everything here. Fundamentally - oh, come the fuck on! Because the series is drawing to a close, the only possible thing we can do is hook everyone up with a romantic partner - because that's the sole key to happiness - so we encourage Maura to date the weirdo Kent and, even more inexplicably, prod Jane to call the creepshow that is Martinez. Yeah, because that's why I watch the show. Angela "keeps her mouth shut" about people's personal lives? Since when? The kid Annabeth Gish took hostage is old enough to testify, and can speak to what she said (pretty much all of which is a hearsay exemption/exception), so what’s the big suspense going forward? Petty stuff: - The directing was pretty ham-fisted in general (e.g. the dissolve from one stained-glass shot to another), and there were continuity errors as well, such as switching back and forth from a tight shot when Jane has her hands at her waist as per usual to a longer shot when they're at her sides. - Maura's wound, however it was sealed to minimize infection risk and avoid infection, would be mostly closed. Two steri-strips in the middle with an open wound on either side is not right.

Similarly, some company is using In the Summertime in its commercials, and, yes, it's a catchy tune and they're not sampling the offensive lyrics, but since I know the song I can't hear any part of it without hearing in my head, "If her daddy's rich take her out for a meal, if her daddy's poor just do what you feel."

That commercial has been much discussed, and I agree with all the "but why didn't she ..." questions (particularly the one asking why the allergy sufferer didn't already have an epi-pen), but this latest raising of the issue leads me to a new question: How the hell old am I that I never took those people as teens? It doesn't look like a house party while the 'rents are gone scenario to me; I figured it was someone's apartment and everyone was early 20s. Are they teenagers and they just look older to me?

Oh yeah, that's a penguin noise -- they make cute sounds.

The NBC thread has "No Brain Cells Network" for its subtitle. The CBS thread just sits there boring, with no similar insult to its executives' intelligence; someone should fill that in and hit the trifecta.

I don't believe there is one for the network, but there is one for DIY shows in the Genre forum.

Dan tells the kids they're getting a taste of what nature can do, and Roseanne pulls them away, saying, "You're also about to get a taste of that plate glass window." Another thing that bothers me about the episode is that Becky is the only one who cares about the pets. I don't care that they're "just" guinea pigs or whatever Pebbles and Bam-Bam were (I can't recall) - they're dependent living creates for whom the Conners are responsible. Not that they're any safer in the house than the garage, given the basement issue, it's just that Becky running out in the middle of a storm to get them shouldn't have been an issue, because they should have been accounted for long before that. But I love Jackie - who had previously gone on about how it's all meaningless and if a tornado is going to get you, it's going to get you - grabbing Roseanne to declare, "I want to live," and Roseanne saying, "Think it over." And Darlene reporting that a neighbor called to say she has Dan's Bears boxer shorts. Roseanne jokes, "To think I trusted you," and Dan insists, "I was thinking about you the whole time." Dual marathon Saturday was great, and I, indeed, did not get up until it was over -- one network was showing season two, which is when the show really started firing on all cylinders for me, and the other was showing season four, which is my favorite of the series. I was in Roseanne heaven.

Which is yet another thing that enrages.