Time for a show...

Zen is a detective crime story set in Rome, Italy. The title character, Aurelio Zen, is an outsider. A Venetian, he has a reputation for honesty and integrity. This makes him the perfect fall guy, given the machinations of the corrupt Italian power structure. Zen, however, is not as straightforward as they take him to be. The series is based on a series of books by British crime writer Michael Dibdin. The character is played to perfection by Rufus Sewell. This is good stuff. Join us as we take a look into the life of Aurelio Zen.

Relief appears in the midst of drudgery

My favorite blogger, April Gavaza, has returned to internet commentary and has begun posting on her blog the Hyacinth Girl.

For those of you unfamiliar with her work, she is a very bright spitfire of a gal who writes on a broad base of subjects, from political commentary to fashion interests. Whose? Why, hers of course! And no matter how far off the subject is from my normal world of interests, it all comes out good. It's like reading Steyn when he is talking about show tunes of the 1950s. Even if not really my cup of tea, it's always a good read. Anyway, it is a ray of sunshine in an otherwise long, dark passage, and for however long it lasts I'm planning on enjoying it.

You should too!!

Law and Order: Assistant DA Competition

NBC's long running law drama series Law and Order has had a number of intriguing Assistant DAs backing the prosecution over the shows twenty years. Which of them did we like best? Let us ponder the possibilities:




Richard Brooks in the role of Paul Robinette.

This guy held no interest for me when I first watched the show. Well, in truth I did not watch the show when it was Moriarity, Brooks, Sorvino and Noth. Nothing personal, just didn't look all that interesting to me.  Going back now that I am a hooked Law and Order guy, I love Paul Robinette. This guy, whether in his acting or the way the part was written for him, or both, but this guy was one smart lawyer. Way quicker than Moriarity's Ben Stone. I loved the guy.



Jill Hennessy as Claire Kincaid

You gotta love Claire Kincaid.



Carey Lowell as Jamie Ross.

For quite some time those dull eyes and the flat delivery left me wondering why life sometimes seemed so unfair, but I eventually warmed up to her... some.



Angie Harmon as Assistant District Attorney Abbie Carmichael

Woah. Abbie Carmichael was amazing. Okay, this was when I first started watching the show, and you've got to admit, this was a pretty good reason. My lord, that hair, that sharp delivery, that rascally smile... I loved her.



Elisabeth Röhm as Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn

Elizabeth Röhm played the very bright Serena Southerlyn, and brought a decidedly comic aspect to the role. I couldn't figure out if they wrote her this way or if it was just her delivery.  She consistently displayed no common feelings whatsoever with the characters she was interacting with. Gruff, tough, and dumb as a brick. Often times they would cut away to her when Jack was giving his super summary, just as they had for years before with Claire, Jamie and Abbie, but this time the consistent "Dear in the headlights" look about her just made me laugh. And yeah, I meant to spell it that way. Does she get what is going on?  This is a murder trial, isn't it?  Is she following the argument?  In a word... no.  Never liked her. And that last minute throw in: "Oh, by the way, my character is a homosexual, and has been for the past four years, just nobody ever noticed." Okay, well in that case, why tell me about it now? Forget it.



Annie Parisse as Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Borgia

I really liked this ADA. Don't know exactly why.



Alana de la Garza as Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa

Yeah, well... naah.  She wasn't helped by that dingbat she was working with. That was a fair amount of water she was carrying for the bat wielding, moral compass lacking, trite Executive ADA Michael Cutter.  Even if she could have managed to cut loose from Cutter, she still would have needed a little something.

Okay, there they are. Which would you pick as the top ADA? And which do you think I picked? Get both answers right and you could win a gold star. I know, I've been away for a long time, and you don't think I will come through with the prize. Yeah, well, this little rodeo is up for grabs.   I'm pulling for ya!



Darrell's Gold Star bonus!

'Downton Abbey' at Movie Club

Now Showing at Movie Club

Obama, Fellow Gun Nuts Have No Care For A Free People

Bringing this point home is blog fav George Jonas:

Strictly speaking, no one "needs" anything but a breath of air, a cup of water and a bowl of rice. The rest are individual choices we make as free human beings, if that's what we are, instead of wards of the state. Liberty means not having to answer, explain, or justify, any of our choices to anyone.

Why does anyone need a military assault rifle? I've no idea. I certainly don't, but at one time I owned six motorcycles (and knew people who owned 20). I would have had no trouble explaining why I needed them, but would have highly resented having to do so. Just yesterday, I heard of a person who owns nine cats. She keeps them in her apartment, and doesn't have to justify to me why she needs them. And if city hall thinks she does, city hall is wrong.

Whether people collect cats, rifles, motorcycles, travel experiences or books, in a free country their "need" is fully justified by their "want." End of story.

But in fact guns are easier to justify than motorcycles or cats.

Guns protect. We buy them as taxpayers for our politicians' bodyguards. As long as we don't buy them for our own protection, few politicians object.

The basic hypocricy is Biden wants to be protected, and he has people around him with guns to protect him. The president wants to be protected. Even comedian and former celebrity Rosie O'Donnell wants to be protected. They all want guns for their own protection. I have no problem with that. They desire to be protected and they should be protected. But they don't trust you to protect yourself or your loved ones.

Well, this is about as eloquent as I can make it: To hell with those a-holes.

Hmmm.

Just spent fifteen minutes catching up on The Hyacinth Girl. That girl is good for my insides. Loved, loved, loved the post on her keyboard. That's right, a post was written entirely devoted to the arrival of a new keyboard... apparently one that is easily portable. She titled it "Ha!"

: )

That girl kills me! What would I do, what would I do, without the Hyacinth Girl? Anyway, check it all out.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to all my friends!