Bastet

Although I absolutely loved this show up until the last season or so, I also love this MadTV parody of it (especially the ghost's admonition that Lilly fix her hair):

I can't say I ever noticed Laura doing the bulk of the driving (perhaps because the driving duties in my family were shared far more equally than in yours?), but I suppose the reason for that would be two-fold: a bit of a control thing, but mostly that having lived nearly all her life in Los Angeles she knows her way around better.

The Kirkland brand organic extra virgin olive oil at Costco is really good for the price, too. It has been praised in several articles, such as this one from CBS News:

Although I wasn't watching the show by this point, I kept up with the major developments, and I could never wrap my mind around Scully having any reaction other than this to mysteriously turning up pregnant despite being, you know, infertile. (I also couldn't understand her carrying through with said pregnancy, so it was a good thing I wasn't watching.)

I've only ever read about it as opposed to actually having seen it, but that has pretty much been my reaction (right after "WTF?"). They actually go with the one plausible resolution, that she's dead, and then muck it up with this starlight silliness.

I remember discussing that one at TWoP when it first came out, and I still say there's just no way that's a truly unintended message. Now, I don't mean that someone set out to write that implication into the line, but that there's no way no one involved realized the double entendre once it was written yet they decided to go ahead with it.

Yeah, I looked the product up the first time I saw the commercial because I had the same thought as Maverick, and OSM Mom is right about the one-way mirror. Now, of course, I worry that the mirror will confuse the birds.

I don't know if it was always scripted or something JLD came up with during rehearsals, but Elaine blowing on her glasses in the middle of her sentence makes the scene for me.

I probably watch one of the Thin Man movies at least once a month (well, less often for the last two). I have the boxed set, and when I'm not yet ready for sleep but not in the mood to read or watch the news as per usual, a Thin Man film is one of the first things I'll think of. I miss the marathon TCM used to do with some frequency (or at least it seemed) on New Year's Eve. And, yes, it is one of those films that even though I've seen it a million times and can watch any time I want on DVD, I must watch it when I come across it on TV.

I remember lying in bed sick years back, unable to muster up the energy to find the remote when some entertainment news program came on after whatever I'd been watching. They were on the red carpet of some charity event that had drawn celebrities - and "celebrities" - from many different genres. They wound up putting together a little montage of the wide variety of people who, during their interview, either spotted Dolly Parton or otherwise learned she was there. To a person, there was an "OMG, Dolly Parton is here? I love her!" reaction.

I go back and forth on that one; in theory, it annoys me, but with how willing so many of these HHs are to toss their alleged budget out the window when they get distracted by granite and stainless steel, I let it slide. Especially if it seems a scenario where there's a good chance the asking price can be negotiated down substantially.

Yes, I've incorporated so much of that - especially "[it] wasn't food, it wasn't shelter, and it sure wasn't sports" - into conversations about hunting that I probably owe Aaron Sorkin royalties. (Just try and collect, Benjamin.) That scene is all Joshua Malina's, of course, but Felicity Huffman and Robert Guillaume show why they're respected pros by genuinely listening and reacting to the monologue. "I know these are animals, and they don't play bridge and go the prom, but you can't tell me the little one didn't know who his mother was. That's gotta mean something." This is also the episode in which we see quite clearly that Isaac is the greatest boss in the world.

Oh, yes - about first-year Harvard medical students. I remember when it first began (what, 20+ years ago now?) and it was so interesting to check back in on them as middle-aged professionals in the last documentary (the one called Doctors' Diaries that was half recap of the previous ones and half update). I think there were five films made altogether, and I wonder if we'll get another one when they retire. It reminds me of the fantastic Up series of documentaries in the way it keeps checking back in with the same people as they go through stages of their lives.

I made Ina's parmesan-roasted broccoli again last night. I generally eat my broccoli simply steamed or roasted, but I like this dish every once in a while because I can still very much taste the broccoli; it's not loaded up with a bunch of crap to appeal to someone who doesn't like broccoli. The lemon gives it a light and refreshing taste, and the toasted pine nuts are a nice complement. I cook it for only 15-20 minutes as I like my cooked veggies to remain pretty firm, and although I just eyeball the amount of cheese I'm sure it's less than the recipe calls for. And sometimes I may use a different herb than basil depending on what I've already plucked from the garden.

It probably should bug me, but I find it oddly entertaining whenever sitcoms and soaps repurpose sets (which, given the space, time and money involved in constructing a new set, I'm surprised they don't do more often) -- I like analyzing the differences.

Maybe this one should be slightly tweaked to "Past Episodes: Chicken 100 Ways ..." and then, when new episodes start up again, we can do specific episode threads. At any rate, yes, I do think the two threads would be better merged into one. (We should probably also have an Ina thread - for her tweets, book signings and other non-show stuff - so whomever comes up with a good title for it, go for it.)

I'm so glad you shared the story of your username, because as soon as I saw it I started singing Jolene. I, too, am quite a fan of Dolly Parton. Hers was the first concert I attended (back in the early '80s some time) and I last saw her on stage about five years ago for the Backwoods Barbie tour.

Everyone involved has freely admitted that while they formed a unique bond filming the show, they were not friends outside of it back then and in fact went through times where they really weren't even speaking between takes. I think by the time they filmed IWTB, most of what was annoying about doing the series - feeling like they were trapped in an arranged marriage, working long days together for years on end, frustration with the sense they were filming the same storylines/dialogue over and over, getting restless to move on to other things, etc. - had long since passed but the good stuff was left and they enjoyed revisiting those things. It really came through in the publicity junket for IWTB, something neither one used to suffer gladly. Seeing them together at WonderCon (in the midst of IWTB filming) was a revelation, and in the time since they seem to have finally developed a real friendship. (I take them at their word they are not dating.) What I love is how amazing the dynamic between their characters always was regardless of what was going on behind the scenes; there is not one scene I can point to among the 7 years I watched and say "That has a strangely distant feel to it; it must have been filmed during one of the times they weren't getting along."

I loathe that kid with the heat of a nova because he sounds like he has a mouth full of marbles. The commercial could have been cute (had they not aired it for years on end) if they'd cast someone who could actually enunciate.

I saw her in an episode of L&O: SVU quite some time back, which was fun. As I recall, she was playing a pretty down on her luck character, meaning the haggard look was intentional. I really liked Lecy in Boys Don't Cry and Love, Ludlow.

I love football (although the NFL increasingly makes it difficult), but I can't stand Kevin Costner. So this is one I'll wait to catch on TV, but I'll definitely watch it when it does make its television debut ... I cannot resist a football film. (I have the Blu-Ray of Remember the Titans, yet will still watch it every one of the numerous times it airs on television just because.)

There is a commercial for Barilla (dried) pasta claiming it cooks right every time -- "always al dente." Now, I assume this means if I cook it per the package directions it will turn out al dente, but the actual verbiage suggests I could boil it for half an hour and have it magically turn out right.

Lura, I think it helps, as a TWoP refugee, to understand that every show here gets its own forum, rather than some being relegated to single threads. So the "Small Talk" thread that exists within every one of those forums is akin to the "Meet Market" thread that only some shows got at TWoP -- it's the place for the off-topic chatter that was verboten in single-thread shows. Who are you, what else do you like and dislike in life, etc. Discussion of the show itself goes in the most-appropriate thread within the forum (an episode or season thread, or general discussion, a "character" (or, in this case, host) thread, a quotes thread, etc.) ... and if there isn't yet a good thread for a line of conversation, any user can make one.

Coming up: Asparagus and Artichoke Sauté with Toasted Bread Crumbs. But first, let me recommend the cookbook whence it came: Deborah Madison's Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers' Markets. It is not strictly vegetarian, but since it focuses on items found in most farmers' markets, it is heavily vegetarian. I'm an omnivore for whom veggies are generally a (much-loved) side dish, and I like this book because it's important to me to supplement the staples I grow in my garden with local, seasonal produce from independent, sustainable farms ... but some of the stuff I grab because it looks or smells so good I don't actually know what to do with when I get home. This cookbook is my go-to in such scenarios; I just look the ingredient up in the index and inevitably find several delicious recipes using that plus other ingredients in season at the same time. Now, onto the recipe (when cooking for one or two, I cut this in half): 4 medium artichokes, trimmed and quartered 1 pound asparagus, thinly sliced on the diagonal 1/2 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 bunch scallions, whites plus an inch of the greens, chopped 2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick 1/2 cup parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp grated lemon zest 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs 1/4 cup olive oil (I use less) 1/4 cup white wine 1 cup stock (or water per the recipe, but I've always used my homemade stock) freshly grated parmesan cheese (S&P to taste) Simmer the artichoke quarters in 1 quart water with 2 tsp salt until tender-firm, about 6 minutes. Remove and slice them thinly. Cut up the rest of the vegetables as described above. Chop the parsley, garlic and lemon zest together and set aside. Brown the bread crumbs in 1 T of the oil in a small skillet, then set aside. Heat the remaining oil in a wide nonstick skillet. Add the artichokes, asparagus and zucchini. Sauté over moderately high heat until they start to brown, then add the scallions and mushrooms. Sauté 5 minutes more, then season to taste. Add the wine. Let it reduce by about half, then add the stock and simmer for a few more minutes (or until the veggies are cookied to your liking). Toss in the parsley/garlic/lemon zest mixture and bread crumbs, then transfer onto a serving plate. Top with a light dusting of grated parmesan cheese.

"She is there, behind the rich and powerful, beside the rich and powerful ... under the rich and powerful." I hadn't heard of her passing. I never watched Dynasty, so she'll always be "Jacks" to me. I absolutely love her in the New Year's Eve episode (and obviously stole her line "too late to flush her now" in titling Saffy's thread). This link to that BBC article should work.