Rambling randomness

I've never understood why casseroles are so popular in the United States.  This one contains ground beef, green beans, tator tots, cheese and the requisite can of soup.  This is an exception to the proverbial "rose by any other name."  If you called this slop, no one would eat it.  Call it a casserole and it's a family favorite.  Fortunately not my family.  Perhaps I'm a snob, but I'd much prefer a hamburger steak, steamed green beans, and a baked potato with a small wedge of cheese (forget the soup) than this concoction. It would be a much more appetizing presentation and would not require much additional labor.

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Quote seen on Facebook Sunday:  "Tomorrow is the beginning of the second US Civil War."  People are not at all pleased with the health care bill.  Even if there is no second civil war, I think some politicians who voted yes will be in the unemployment lines after the next election.

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I don't condone the N-word, but in the 1960's Rep. John Lewis was a protester angry at people in power, so why is he intolerant of protesters who are angry at  him now that he's the one with the power ?

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I"m now watching Season 2 of "Damages." I think I enjoy this series so much because most of the evil, conniving people are baby boomers: Glen Close, William Hurt, Ted Danson, Michael Nouri and Marcia Gay Harden. Ok, I'm really watching it because of William Hurt, the star of all my early adulthood fantasies.

Unfortunately, he's put on some weight and hasn't aged well, but I still think he's a great actor, especially when portraying a brooding, soft spoken intellectual.

By the way, Happy 60th Birthday, Bill (March 20, 1950).

The gray area between right and wrong

As some of you have previously learned, I do not subscribe to cable TV and therefore don't get to watch some series until they are available on DVD.

I just finished watching season one of AMC's "Breaking Bad," and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys intelligent, off-beat dramas with bits of dark humor. I have not enjoyed a series this much since HBO's "Six Feet Under."

Actor Bryan Cranston, whom I loved in Malcolm in the Middle, truly deserves those Emmys he's picked up for his role. He shifts effortlessly from mild-mannered, hen-pecked teacher to cancer patient to drug bad-ass.

The writing is superb and interjects bits of philosophy and chemistry into a storyline of a dying high school chemistry teacher joining forces with a former pupil in a meth making business in order to generate an endowment for his family's future after he's gone.

Every character in the show appears to be breaking the law in some form or another and begs the question of where that line between right and wrong really exists.

DWTS Eye Candy

I think most women would agree that one reason to watch Dancing with the Stars this season is Gilles Marini: But sometimes he looks a bit like Craig Ferguson in a comedy skit:

I bet it's the target audience

Jay Leno is staying with NBC and moving to an every night gig in prime time. In addition to financial savings and keeping him from jumping ship, NBC surely knows that Leno's audience has more gray hairs than the other late night hosts. This will bring prime time ratings to a new high and allow more hours of sleep to his audience. Good decision by NBC in my opinion.

The BIggest Loser Bachelor

As intellectual as I am, I do have a certain affinity for mindless reality TV entertainment. Therefore I hereby admit to you that I never miss an episode of The Biggest Loser and The Bachelor.

Watching contestants grunt, sweat, climb, and run while I sit in my comfortable chair with my cool refreshing beverage, provides me with an air of superiority that, lucky me, I don't have to go through all that crap. Of course, after four months, those contestants look buff and beautiful, and my rear end has doubled from all that sitting while watching them, but hey, I wasn't the one who signed up to look like a big ass fool on national television or promise to give up my soft drinks.

The female contestants on The Bachelor always fascinate me. Are there really that many stupid college educated women that are so desperate for a man that they'll slip the Bachelor a pair of their panties, or sway their booty in his face?

Apparently the answer is yes. I watch this show as a parent and wonder if these girls' parents are hiding under the covers at home thinking "that's really not our Emily, Staci, Suzi.... is it? Please don't let her make the Final Four or else we'll have to appear on TV with her for the home visit and then everyone will know who raised this wonderful specimen of a daughter."

I swear this show is like a beauty pageant Girls Gone Wild series. No wonder none of these guys (except one) ever stay long with the girl they pick in the end - reality steps in and he sees just how much substance the girl really doesn't have. Still, it's awfully fun to watch them make fools of themselves.