Bastet

B is for breeding minks. B is also for Baby, the pig Dorothy and Blanche were (temporarily) willing to let suffer so they could get their hands on his inheritance.

Since the wine only required me to stand long enough to open and pour, I skipped the pasta and just had wine for dinner. Tonight I'm off for a short walk with a friend to get caught up as we've missed the last two weeks, and then I'm going to bake some salmon and reheat some roasted cauliflower. And, you know, more wine.

Going through a bunch of old records last night and coming across one by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, I was reminded of one of the many quotes I love from the episode in which Becky and Dana get drunk. As they're talking about the lame music their parents listen to: "Have you ever heard of Albert Herbert? He's from Tijuana."

The Client is the only Grisham adaptation I like (thank you, Susan Sarandon) and I watch it every time it's on TV, so I knew Edwards and Whitford were both in it, but I didn't know they'd bunked together during filming. That was a great article; Love's Labor Lost is one of the few episodes I remember with any clarity, so that was a nice walk down memory lane. That was definitely "water cooler" television. Not on par with the thirtysomething episode in which Gary died, but lots of "Oh my god, did you see that?" discussion the next day.

Yikes, that's depressing.

While those actors' performance of Satisfaction is intact on the DVDs, I'm reminded of the season one DVD release of Remington Steele, in which - as originally aired - a drunk Laura stumbles into the office singing the same song. Cut to her "where the hell is she?!" worried co-workers in Steele's office as they hear this and head out to the reception area to find their loopy boss, and carry on with an entertaining scene. In the "we don't want to pony up" DVD release, however, there is no licensing of Stephanie Zimbalist's performance. No replacement music, either, however -- just silence. So we see her stumbling out of the elevator, and cut to Steele, Murphy and Bernice reacting to the sound of ... nothing. Since such performances are almost always cheaper, failing to re-license them for DVD release really annoys me.

I'm far from a slob, but I'm no fashionista, either. So for me to notice clothing - good or bad - is uncommon. That pink dress that was such a focal point? I found it ugly as all get out.

Yeah, I'd probably find the commercial rather amusing (a rarity for commercials with children) if I wasn't so distracted by his sickly face, especially his eyes. The kid looks like he won't live to see driving age.

I have cramps, so probably a large bowl of pasta and a bottle of wine.

According to her bio on the show's website, she has her hand in several things other than dog rescue. So she's probably not around as much.

I'd pay to see that. Maybe with some empty picture frames hanging on the walls.

Sorry, I don't remember which interview it was as I watched a few. One of the ones on the show's website, possibly the one about answering fans' Facebook questions.

Revisiting season six now (I'm about halfway through), I'm struck by how my perception differs from frequent fan reaction to two things: First, Becky is widely - and deservedly - described as a brat. But, wow, is Darlene also a ridiculous, self-centered, conniving little snot once she moves to Chicago. First, her parents let her boyfriend move in with them. Not so she can have her boyfriend around, because his parents are shitty people, but still. Then, they let her quit high school and move out of town. She has a scholarship and a job at the bookstore, but they are also sending her a regular allowance. They continue to take care of David. So what does she do? Every time she comes home to visit, she spends all her time with David -- then fights with David, and stomps back off to Chicago. Then she and David concoct this scheme where he'll say he's going to live with his mom, but he's really shacking up with her in Chicago. They carry on this charade for months, and Darlene even skips Thanksgiving in order to stay with David. Then when they get caught and Dan kicks David out, she comes home with the attitude she shouldn't be in any trouble because learning the lesson that she and David weren't ready to live together is enough, no real apology, and even after Dan says they can put it behind them and move on, she sneaks David into the house. She acts like she's an emancipated minor instead of a teenager who happens to be living away from home. I love Darlene, and her attitude and actions reflect her age, but she's almost out-Beckied Becky here. (I know Darlene's limited time at home is a direct result of Sara's limited availability to film, but I'm just going by what we see on screen.) Second, Roseanne and Jackie take a lot of flak for the way they treat Bev, but the true meanness doesn't start until Bev moves to Lanford and buys into the Lunch Box, forcing them to deal with her hypercritical and passive aggressive commentary full time. Until then, Roseanne runs a lot of interference between Bev and Jackie trying to keep visits relatively civil. Jackie's relationship with Bev is more strained, but it's more nuanced when Bev is just visiting. There are nice little moments of affection in the midst of all the frustration; Roseanne tends to touch Bev a lot. I think the shift to a more relentlessly nasty disposition towards Bev is less about the characters becoming less three-dimensional as the series wears on that about the fact Bev is now always there - and always has something to say. And in this case, it takes three to tango. Bev is no bullied victim here; her first reaction to everything her daughters do is negative.

One of the reasons TDS' false equivalency segments piss me off so much is they ran a piece long ago (when Stephen was a correspondent) just annihilating the practice. Stephen was, of course, the arrogant but clueless reporter going on about how he was an objective newsman because he reported what one side said, and then reported what the other side said. Jon pointed out that what the other side said was clearly a lie, and therefore shouldn't Stephen's job as a journalist be to provide the public with the facts exposing it as a lie. So the recurring habit of engaging in the same crap for which they rightly mocked the mainstream media annoys me all the more.

I loathe Jimmy, and am perplexed as to show she's "not helping." Let's review, Jimmy -- you rear-ended someone in the middle of nowhere, so your mom teleported herself and her kitchen phone to the accident site in order to sit on hold with your crappy insurance company. You, on the other hand, have restricted your activities to grumbling, pouting, and discouraging your son's obvious affection for his grandmother. How is she the one not helping?

That's just what I was coming here to say -- this is the "Monana" plot from Friends.

I bought the first season on Hannibal on Blu-ray after I heard people whose tastes often align with mine raving about the show, and GA's character/performance in particular (of course), but I still haven't watched it.

I missed tonight's episode, too (and I never bother to record much of anything other than the occasional film; I have a stack of unused discs because if I'm not home to watch when a show is on, that's pretty well it, as I'm not likely to sit down later to watch). But even without having seen it -- a picture of Mussolini?!

I walked out of Streetcar saying, "She'd damn well better get an Olivier nomination for this," so I'm glad to hear she did! Also good news about The Fall. I don't watch it until it comes out on DVD, so I haven't seen the second season yet, but I loved the first.

I don't think you're allowed on HH if you don't want an open floor plan.

I've recently completed season five in my re-watch, and while I still very much enjoy the show that season, I also very much miss the original family dynamic; David is no substitute for Becky. Becky's absence is an interesting backdrop for the whole season, though. Dan's increasing discomfort with his sporadic employment is even sharper for his regret that had he not lost the bike shop, Becky would still be unmarried, at home, and in school. Darlene's shifting role within the house (having to take on some of the duties Becky used to shoulder, although she never seems to be treated as the third adult the way Becky was) and her developing relationship with David are greatly affected by the fact Dan and Roseanne are still reeling from Becky's decision; for a while, everything they do is greeted with suspicion. And certainly Dan and Roseanne's reaction to Darlene wanting to quit high school and move away in order to enter the writing program is heavily informed by Becky having run off with Mark. Their resistance, and then their change of heart as well -- they're not ready for another kid to leave the nest early, they're afraid her decisions are being made based on David, etc., so they say no, and then Dan fears yet another Conner woman is going to feel he messed up her life and held her back, so he relents. Season five also brings us the revelation Fisher has abused Jackie, and that arc strikes me anew with its brilliance no matter how many times I see it, for two reasons. One, it's just masterful how it plays out in hindsight; once you know he's abusive, you can look back and see the red flags. Two, it may be best example - in a series teeming with them - of how to combine humor and a serious subject matter.

I missed tonight's episode thanks to a power outage (still ongoing, so apparently I will be having a tuna sandwich for dinner instead of the tasty meal I had planned), but I would assume CeeLo Green not being accepted for Crazy refers to the fact the song was recorded by Gnarls Barkley -- which is CeeLo and Danger Mouse together, not just CeeLo. But, yeah - say Crazy without a year and I first think of Patsy Cline. Then Gnarls Barkley or Aerosmith. I like all those songs.

The answer to what's for dinner has turned from a mixed green salad, pork chop, roasted cauliflower and leftover mac & cheese to ... a tuna sandwich. Power is out in my neighborhood, the city hasn't yet found the cause, and repair time is thus estimated at 4-6 hours. I have electric kitchen appliances, so, tuna sandwich it is. The pork chop was all brined and ready to go when the power went out. I've obviously removed it from the brine and rinsed it, so I hope it will be okay tomorrow. Plus, I was in the middle of a really cool medical documentary on TV. Damn power outage! I wouldn't have made it in the pioneer days ...

Oh, for Pete's sake, show! Yes, if I was Maura and my identity was stolen, I'd certainly turn to a meddling bartender rather than one of my numerous colleagues in, you know, law enforcement.

I had never heard of him (I'm one of the three people who never watched The Simpsons) until it popped up on some animal welfare newsletters that he donated the bulk of his quite significant fortune to charity, mostly animal and nature related, when he got his terminal diagnosis. Here's an article about that.