Blergh

At least Thor MEANS something (and I've always liked the somewhat rare feminine form Thora) and as long as folks recognize that Rey actually is the Spanish word for 'king', I'm okay with it. The others, UGH (especially Katniss- not catness which somewhat soured those books for me).

Yes, I think Mr. and the 1st Mrs. Rance Howard were exceptional parents. One thing that also bears mentioning re how they saved their sons from the many pitfalls was that they made sure one of them were ALWAYS onset of their sons' shows right up to the boys' 18th birthdays. Consider how many child performers either went wild on their own or had the guardians' absences taken advantage of by unscrupulous folks, and one must bow the Howards' wisdom. IOWs, they knew that the boys had lots more to contend with than than bears and goats run amok. Also, I thought that Rance Howard from his appearances on "Gentle Ben" could have easily traded his acting skills and brooding outsider appearance into a successful, independent solo acting career but he never lost sight the importance of guiding his family taking priority over all. RIP, Mr. Howard.

Actually, I liked this one fairly well and it had some good touches- such as using a train worker's kerosene lamp to uncover a message in a burnt note (as opposed to the '74 version using a lady's hatbox) as not only would that have been more accessible under the circumstances but also unlikely to have caught fire. Also, I thought everyone gave good performances with Miss Pfeiffer especially shining going from a carefree bored Society divorcee to revealing what was truly driving her character. Also, I was a big fan of the train set itself being a sucker for trains. However; there were a few things that didn't quite set right for me. One is that it was supposed to have been set in a single train car- yet not only did it seem odd that this group alone had access to the dining car but also that the Russian princess's and the count+countess's own cabins each seemed larger than the train car itself! Also, in spite of a good number of the characters having to be outside in a snowy environment while in flimy 1930's cocktail attire without top coats or furs, not one of them seemed to either seem chilled by the outside temp or express relief being back inside the warmer train cabin. Lastly, I know it seems trivial but why was Mr. Brannaugh's upper lip covered in something that looked to be what a kindergartner would have used for a walrus costume? OK, even with the above strikes, I would recommend the move!

OK, here's another 'Get Off My Lawn, Whippersnappers' comment but since it's an UO, here goes: With all the news of rampant sexual harassment and even sexual battery in the music industry, etc., I have to wonder if things might have been at least less blatant if not had perps instantly called on their stuff instantly and had there been some attempts to draw lines and boundaries instead of pushing them beyond the bounds of conventional taste with no attempt to say 'enough',etc. way back when. Cases in point:instead of laughing off and considering it clever moves for Red Hot Chili Peppers to wear socks on parts other than feet onstage and TLC's now-deceased Left Eye to wear a condom over her left eye, could things have been more tolerable had their audiences called out"BOOOOO! BOOOOOOO! YUCK! VULGAR! VULGAR! GIVE US OUR MONEY BACK! " Just wondering.

I was tempted to put this in the Pet Peeves or Unpopular Opinions but since you all have provided an actual thread: WHY can't we see the floats and marching instead of all these frothy 'interviews' with TV stars and Al Roker and all these songs? When I watch a parade, I want to see it MOVE! And I can see Al Roker and the Today Show, five days a week but the Macy's parade only comes once a year. Oh, and I'm not happy that the ACTUAL parade coverage has now been put on Verizon while those of us living in the Stone Age just get tiny glimpses of floats on NBC.

I know that Mr. Cassidy had put his entire family through the mill the last few years but I can't help but feel that they must be devastated by the loss. I can't imagine that his stepmother Shirley Jones would have imagined that she'd outlive him. Is it too much to hope that somehow he was able to learn of having survived Mr. Manson and taking comfort in that? Speaking of the latter individual, I imagine that Doris Day and Candice Bergen are downright relieved at that news but for a time in the early 1970's, they as well as Miss Day's now deceased son Terry Melcher were believed to have been in danger due to Mr. Manson having orchestrated his worst atrocity on what had been Mr. Melcher and Miss Bergen's mutual residence. Back to Mr. Cassidy, I can only hope that his family and loved ones can take comfort from the memories of him before his downward spiral had happened. RIP, Mr. Cassidy as well as Mr. Melcher who can now rest easier.

Sad news re Miss Reese but she sure led an interesting life (and, in addition to being a wonderful singer, she was a great dramatic performer and an excellent comedienne)!

Mel Tillis has died at 85. I always was intrigued by the fact that, somewhat like Carly Simon, he was able to use his singing abilities to express himself even though he had to deal with that speech impediment. Moreover, by openly acknowledging the challenges he had to face, he was a great deal of inspiration to others who shared it. RIP, Mr. Tillis! yahoo.com/music/longtime-country-singer-songwriter-mel-tillis-dies-17032564.html

My fave role I recall her in was playing Charles Durning's wife Murleen in "Evening Shade" as a somewhat flaky but good-hearted soul who, it turned out was the birth mother of Hal Holbrook's character's much younger wife who'd she been the only one in town who'd accepted her from the start! Yeah, she could have been a one-note joke but Miss Wedgeworth gave her good textured depth. RIP, Miss Wedgeworth!

Yet, will Mr. Stine's legacy be as to future generations as William Shakespeare's or Mark Twain's have proven despite neither of them making anywhere close those monies in their lifetimes? Time will tell.

JT Mac, I've got what you're saying! It's been decades since I was in high school but every so often I'll hear someone call out my nickname that was never used before/since and I'll have to turn around and smile before catching up.

So nectarines not to be found there -despite that fruit's usage in the old memory trick.

I always thought Louis C K was a creep and his 'entertainment' was, at best, icky even BEFORE all these stories came out. He was always MUST miss TV to me!

I like the new Publix Thanksgiving ad which shows an extended family preparing a sumptuous meal, enjoying it together capped with a scene of a grandmother reading one last story to her eager granddaughter who begs for one more. Refreshing to see a commercial with a family where there are no fights or put downs and actually seem like folks one would like to know!

Ah, the old feeling sorry for what an individual has gone through yet STILL not being able to like them, conundrum. Perhaps, because none of the shows or movies she's been in were of any interest to me, I have to admit I never have seen her outside of snippets so I actually have just a 'meh' reaction to her as a personality. I guess what you're describing is how I feel re Rosie O'Donnell whom I started out liking but just wound up IMO being rude and grating as a personality. Yes, I do indeed feel sorry for things she has gone through and I really DO hope she finds her peace despite said things (as I do Miss McGowan). However; I can't say I really like her or have any interest in seeing her on TV any more.

That's virtually a Noel Coward soliloquy compared to how some cashiers do at my usual chain grocers. They're either gabbing with other employees, texting or doing both but not paying the slightest attention to us customers. We customers could be an endless robot parade armed with cards, Smartphones and cash to pay for these items plopped on their machines' belts for all the individual attention they give us. And they often seem surprised when I actually talk to them.

Yet the planets are so spread out that while it takes only eight minutes for the light of the Sun to reach Earth, it takes FOUR HOURS for it to reach Neptune! I wonder how long it would take to get any kind of tan there ( if one didn't freeze or suffocate).

Cute episode with Jen's med school friend and her kids spending the weekend at Casa Klein. However; why no mention of the friend's kids' male DNA donor? I mean, would it have killed the flow to have either had one sentence explaining 'Sorry Larry had to work this weekend and couldn't make it' OR 'She's had to work extra hard to juggle since their split/his death''. Bill seemed the odd man out in that he had no one to pal around his own age/gender that weekend while all the others did (and the friend's son seemed rather happy to be able to play with another boy even factoring Will's youth, smallness, etc.).

I wonder how long John Turturro's maternal grandfather was married to his African-American 3rd wife and was she still alive when he was born? I guess one way or the other she no longer was in the picture when Mr. Turturro was born or else his mother wouldn't have been able to have totally hidden the woman's existence from her son. Also, too bad nothing was mentioned re what happened to the troubled uncle who the authorities insisted on staying in the orphanage rather than letting the African-American stepmother raise him. Lastly, why nothing about the guests' DNA this episode? I mean the episode had good stories re all the guests (and no surprise Miss Johannson's more distant paternal ancestors were Swedish instead of Danish due to name ending) but it didn't seem to cover as much as others had.

Maybe it's a little late to get in the game but, speaking of "Close Encounters", where was Melinda Dillon's toddler's male DNA donor when their son got abducted by aliens? ALL the ever said was that she was a single parent but whether this was due to distance or death was never mentioned. Even if the unmentioned male DNA donor was breathing but had wanted nothing more to do with Miss Dillon's character after their split, why wouldn't he have at least been supportive of trying to find out what had happened to their son if not helped her do so? And if he was dead, how tough would it have been for her to have said so instead of leaving his whereabouts as mysterious as their son's?

Dandelions NOT native plants to North America. They actually were SHIPPED OVER by European immigrants who yearned for their leaves in salads and in dandelion wine but via the wind blowing the seeds, became a weed which the immigrants' descendants had no idea what to do with. Oh, and their name means 'lion's teeth' due to how their leaves appear.

Sometimes I wonder why established performers accept roles with folks who are irrefutably despicable or just plain annoying. Case in point: John Lithgow has an impressive body of work and seems to be one of the nicest folks in the business (AFIK), but he signed up to play Will Ferrell's father in "Daddy's Home 2"? Why he want to work with either Messrs. Gibson or Walberg whom it's public record have said and done despicable things or Mr. Ferrell who just seems annoying? Would it have killed him to turn down that part? I just don't get it.

I kind of wish Dr. Gates had tried to make the point to Miss DuVerney that her ancestor DID have to flee his home to emigrate to an entirely new land and become a refugee- twice ,so for that reason alone, it would have been nice to have had a little compassion! Not to mention that the ancestral DuVerney ALSO acknowledged his offspring by the biracial companion so he wasn't entirely without redeeming features. And, why was there no mention of her mother's side whatsoever- just her father and stepfather's sides? Also, interesting story of Mr. Coates's family in Virginia and Maryland (with him admitting that he DID know that his Maryland relatives had managed to be comfortable and independent for quite some time). . I wonder where he got his given name from (and what it means). At least Miss Mock did understand that her direct paternal ancestor must have felt some identification with his onetime owner's family to have kept the name after Emancipation. Also interesting that Miss Mock's maternal side seems to have been largely Native Hawaiian (which may not have entirely been happy with her mother marrying ANY non Hawaiian).

I wonder if he and Robert Guillaume ever crossed paths? I guess he preferred the tag Fats to his given name of 'Antoine, Jr.'. Still, I think it's fitting that he got to make his exit in the same place as he came into this world- the Crescent City! RIP, on that hill, Mr. Domino.

I'm grateful that a bus driver actually spotted my dropped wallet, followed me inside to my destination then gave it to me. I didn't even know it had been missing and, of course, it would have been a disaster had it been stolen! Anyway, it's good to know that there are still honest folks out there (and he left before I could get his name).