Reviews and More

Before a recent road trip up to Wisconsin, I found myself with no new audiobooks at my disposal — except for a bunch of Michael Connelly CDs that a friend of mine loaned me a long time ago. So faced with the prospect of a long, boring drive, I caved in and decided to listen to Trunk Music despite having sworn off Connelly and his favorite protagonist, detective Harry Bosch, a while ago. Here’s what happened.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): In the last Bosch novel, Harry was considering retiring from the LAPD for good, but I guess that didn’t happen since he’s back on the job full-time in this book.

As the novel opens, Bosch and his two partners Jerry Edgar and Kiz Rider have been called out to a murder scene near the Hollywood Bowl. A cop on patrol discovered a Rolls Royce just sitting there, and a subsequent investigation turned up a body in the trunk. The detectives’ initial take is that they’re dealing with a mob hit, so Bosch calls up the Organized Crime Division to give them the name of the victim. Organized Crime has nothing on the deceased, a film producer named Tony Aliso, so Bosch and his team stay on the case.

After processing the crime scene, Bosch gets a few good leads to work with. He goes to interview Aliso’s wife Veronica, and also checks out Aliso’s movie company, TNA Productions. Bosch discovers that Aliso is living a lavish lifestyle that doesn’t seem in keeping with the revenue his straight-to-video garbage would generate.

The investigative trail soon leads to Las Vegas, so Bosch and his team head there as well. Once in Sin City, Bosch learns that the mystery surrounding Aliso’s death is far more complex than he initially thought it would be. Harry also reconnects with disgraced ex-FBI agent Eleanor Wish, which leads to some major decisions regarding his personal life.

The plot goes through the usual twists and turns you’d expect from a Connelly novel, and then ends more or less as something from this genre would — with the cops coming out on top.

My Reaction: I have to admit that I liked this novel better than any of the previous books from the Bosch series. I guess those that have said the later works are far superior to the early stuff are right. Don’t get me wrong: I’m not a completely converted Harry Bosch fan now. Far from it. It’s just that Trunk Music wasn’t as utterly predictable as the others have been.

I still haven’t warmed to Bosch at all, but at least Connelly had him making mistakes and wrong guesses in this book, whereas previously Bosch was always right. That’s a good change, but Connelly doesn’t go far enough. Why does Bosch still continue to treat other cops like shit? Why does he think he’s so much better than the rest of them? Why is his knee-jerk reaction to anyone who questions what he’s doing a snarling “Fuck you”? Give me a break! It’s stuff like this that turns Bosch into a cartoon character for me rather than a believable cop.

And the perp was once again a cop gone bad. What does Connelly have against the LAPD?

Anyway, I did like the fact that Harry got back together with Eleanor. I guess Connelly is determined to have love scenes/hookups in every single book, and with that being the case, this was a far more believable scenario than having Harry sleep with some random woman 2 hours after meeting her. I liked Eleanor from The Black Echo, so this pairing actually worked for me.

The murder mystery itself was decent enough, and I guess it was plausible that the two perpetrators would actually try to pull something like that off. I really don’t think it’s the stories I’m objecting to here; just the way Bosch is characterized.

Overall, I think Trunk Music is the best of the Bosch novels I’ve read thus far. However, that’s nothing but faint praise since I’m not exactly a fan of this series to begin with…!

Now that we’re officially into the holiday season, this would be a great time to surprise that someone special in your life with a gift of diamonds. Whether you’re planning to propose to your sweetheart, would like to commemorate a decade of wedded bliss, or simply want to express your love and appreciation, nothing conveys these sentiments quite like the perfect diamond.

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I was in the mood to see a holiday movie the other day, so while my son was at preschool I went off to catch a matinée showing of Fred Claus. Before going in, I knew the film hadn’t received very good reviews, but I usually like Vince Vaughn movies no matter what, so I was kind of prepared for anything. Plus, the supporting cast included Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, and Kathy Bates, so I figured it would at least be watchable. Turns out I was just barely right.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Vaughn stars as Fred Claus, the unheard-of older brother of Santa Claus (played by Giamatti). Ever since Nick was born, Fred has been overshadowed by his generosity and kindness. Their mother (Bates) especially enjoyed comparing the two boys, and was forever asking Fred why he couldn’t be more like Nick. Fred started feeling a lot of resentment towards his family in general and brother in particular, so he moves away to Chicago and doesn’t keep in close contact with them.

Fred works as a repo man, but his dream is to open an OTB facility across the street from the Mercantile Exchange. The problem is, he needs $50,000 within a couple of weeks in order to secure the storefront he wants. Fred doesn’t have that kind of money, so he tries to raise it by posing as a charity rep and ringing a bell like the Salvation Army santas. He’s discovered as a fraud, pursued, and arrested. He then has to call Nick to send money to bail him out of jail. And, with no other means of raising the $50,000 in time, Fred agrees to visit the North Pole and work for Nick.

The rest of the film then deals with how the two brothers first acknowledge their wrecked relationship, and then go about repairing it. In addition, there’s a plotline involving an “efficiency agent” named Northcut (Spacey) who has been sent to the North Pole to monitor Santa’s gift-making and delivery abilities. If Northcut decides that Santa’s workshop is too inefficient, Santa will be shut down for good.

My Reaction: I was pretty disappointed with Fred Claus. There were very few funny scenes (or even lines) in the movie, so most of the time I was just trying not to fall asleep. In fact, I think the funniest scene was the one that felt the most tacked on: the Siblings Anonymous meeting featuring less-famous siblings like Frank Stallone, Roger Clinton, and Stephen Baldwin. Other than that, I don’t recall anything else that generated so much as an audible giggle from the rest of the audience.

I didn’t even like any of the performances in this film. Vaughn basically played the same guy that he does in all of his movies (have you ever noticed how interchangeable his roles are?), and Giamatti just seemed wrong for the part of Santa Claus. Even the usually dependable Spacey was lame as Northcut — mostly because the character wasn’t developed at all and was there just for the sake of having a bad guy.

Overall, Fred Claus certainly isn’t going to join classic comedies like A Christmas Story and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation as must-see movies during the holiday season. I give this film just 4.0 stars out of 10, and advise you not to waste your money on it!

I know this is hard to believe, but I didn’t become a Johnny Depp fan until after I saw him in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2003. I’d known about him for a number of years before then, of course, but his acting never really had an impact on me one way or the other. However, after I saw him in Pirates, I started taking more notice of his work. Then, his turn as JM Barrie in Finding Neverland officially sealed the deal for me: I finally subscribed to the notion that Depp is one of the best actors of our time.

There were so many great moments in Pirates of the Caribbean and Finding Neverland that it’s hard for me to select a single favorite. For example, I love the scene in Neverland where JM Barrie is talking to Peter on the park bench after Peter’s mother has died. This was a very touching moment that really stood out in the film:

Barrie: “When I think of your mother, I will always remember how happy she looked, sitting there in the parlor watching a play about her family, about her boys that never grew up. She went to Neverland. And you can visit her any time you like if you just go there yourself.”
Peter: “How?”
Barrie: “By believing, Peter. Just believe.”

And even though Depp’s role in Pirates was vastly different, he was equally as brilliant in it. My favorite scene from that film was when Jack Sparrow and Will Turner have their first sword fight. I especially liked the bit of dialog right before they start:

Jack: “Do you think this wise, boy? Crossing blades with a pirate?”
Will: “You threatened Miss Swann.”
Jack: “Only a little.”

Such great delivery on Depp’s part there!

I guess if I had to choose between those two, I’d select the bench scene from Finding Neverland as my favorite Johnny Depp movie moment. The film was just so powerful and emotional on the whole, and that scene was an excellent example of Depp at his very best.

Anyway, it shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m anxiously awaiting the release of Depp’s latest project, Sweeney Tood: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This film will be Depp’s fifth collaboration with director Tim Burton, and looks to be even better than anything they’ve done before.

I decided to visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site earlier this morning to watch the trailer and get more info on the film. It’s a musical, and tells the story of a man who takes revenge on the people responsible for falsely imprisoning him for 15 years. These same people also raped his wife, causing her to ultimately commit suicide, and they now hold his daughter as a ward — also against her will.

This sounds like a very dark story, and, being a musical, is quite different from anything Depp has done before. Opening day will be December 21, and I hope to see it then.

In the meantime, I’m off to visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace for more clips, downloads, and soundtrack info. You should definitely do the same if you’re a Johnny Depp fan!

I felt like watching a couple of lighthearted films last weekend, so I picked up Chasing Liberty while I was at the video store. Just from reading the description on the back of the DVD case, I could pretty much guess exactly how the movie would play out, but I still decided to rent it because I wanted to see Mandy Moore and Jeremy Piven in something other than Entourage. (I know Moore isn’t famous because of Entourage; that’s just the only thing I’ve ever seen her in.) It turns out that I could have done worse, as this film was actually mildly entertaining.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Moore stars as 18-year-old First Daughter Anna Foster who has spent almost her entire life living in either the Governor’s Mansion or the White House. That means she has grown up under the close scrutiny of the press, and has always had a contingent of Secret Service agents following her every move. She has never been free to be a kid, do anything mildly improper, or even go on a date without incident. Now that she’s getting older, however, she wants all that to change.

Anna sees an upcoming diplomatic trip to Prague with her father (played by Mark Harmon) and mother (Caroline Goodall) as a prime opportunity to assert her independence. In Prague, she’ll be meeting up with Gabrielle (Beatrice Rosen), the French Ambassador’s daughter, so they can go to the Berlin Love Parade together. The President is opposed, but Anna and Gabrille manage to slip away, with two agents named Weiss (Piven) and Morales (Annabella Sciorra) giving chase.

Once outside, Anna bumps into Ben Calder (Matthew Goode), a young photographer with a scooter. Anna asks him to give her a ride anywhere, just so she can escape from Weiss and Morales. He complies, and they end up spending time together in a bar.

We then see Ben on his cell phone telling someone that he has Anna and that she’s safe. It turns out that Ben is a European agent lending support to the President’s regular staff. The President then talks to Ben and tells him to let Anna think that he’s just an ordinary citizen. That way, Anna can get a taste of the freedom she so desperately wants while actually being safe in Ben’s care. Ben reluctantly agrees.

The rest of the film then shows Anna and Ben having various adventures and meeting new people as they slowly make their way to Berlin. Of course they develop feelings for each other, but those feelings are put to the test when Anna finds out that Ben is really an agent.

My Reaction: I have to say that I liked Chasing Liberty despite all of its obvious flaws. For instance, the plot wasn’t exactly original material and there were zero surprises along the way. Of course Anna and Ben were going to fall in love, of course they were going to have a major fight, and of course they were going to get back together in the end. That’s what the formula calls for, and that’s what the screenwriters gave us — no more, no less.

But I thought all the actors did a wonderful job, which really saved the film for me. Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode were both extremely likable in their roles, and made a cute onscreen couple. Yes, he looked a bit old to be going after an 18-year-old, but I soon got past that and was able to enjoy watching their relationship develop.

Moreover, I thought the parallel relationship between Weiss and Morales was also handled pretty well. There was just the right amount of those two to balance what was going on with Anna and Ben, without distracting too much from the main storyline.

Were any of the events in this movie realistic or believable? Nah, but that’s not what I expect from a lightweight romantic comedy in the first place.

Overall, I give Chasing Liberty 6.5 stars out of 10, and recommend it when you’re in the mood to sit back with a big bowl of popcorn for a couple hours of mindless entertainment.

It was never my intention to focus solely on movie and TV show reviews on this site, but looking back over my posts of the past few months, that’s precisely what I’ve been doing. It gets boring for me to write about the same things all the time, so I want to move away from entertainment a little bit and get back into reviewing great websites that I come across on my daily web wanderings — like I used to do when I first launched this blog. Towards that end, I want to tell you about shadesshuttersblinds.com, a site I found while shopping for blinds a couple days ago.

The first thing that struck me about the shadesshuttersblinds.com website was the nice selection of products available. I was originally thinking about just purchasing something basic — like mini blinds — for the living room and maybe the bedroom, but once I started browsing through all the different styles and materials on the site, I knew I’d end up changing my mind.

That’s because shadesshuttersblinds.com has such great prices on Plantation shutters, Roman shades, sheer shades, faux wood blinds, real wood blinds, and cellular shades as well. All of these products are available in hundreds of different colors, so there’s not going to be a problem matching my purchase to the existing color scheme in my home. Many of the products are on sale for even lower prices now, which means this is the perfect time for me to buy!

Another thing I like about this website the fact that it’s extremely user-friendly. The navigation menu made it easy to find precisely what I wanted with just a few clicks of the mouse. In addition to browsing through the products, I was also able to find a couple of great tutorials showing me how to measure my windows for blinds and how to install my blinds once I receive them.

And finally, I loved how the contact information (including a phone number) for shadesshuttersblinds.com was located in a highly visible area on the site. It’s always comforting to know that the retailer I’m choosing to do business with is actually interested in hearing from customers before, during, and/or after the transaction. In fact, I never make a purchase from a website that doesn’t have their contact information prominently displayed, so that would have been a deal-breaker here as well.

Overall, I think shadesshuttersblinds.com is a great place to start if you’re looking to purchase affordable blinds or window coverings online. Check the site out today; I’m sure you’ll find the entire process to be as straightforward as I did!

House was back with a new episode last night. It was called “Games”, and finally (FINALLY!) put an end to the job competition between the so-called numbers. Taub, Kutner, and 13 were all selected to stay on as House’s helpers. Here are some random thoughts and reactions I had while watching ep 4×09.

– I am not at all excited about Taub coming on board as a regular. The character does nothing at all for me and is the most boring person on the show — by far. Hell, I’d take Cameron back instead of this guy!

– I didn’t understand Cuddy saying that Kutner should be hired. Didn’t she just make a deal with Big Love last week to get rid of him? I can only hope that she told House to keep him because she thought House would do the opposite of whatever she wanted.

– How many friggin’ times was Kutner fired during this competition?? He got fired again in this ep, but, like before, just started talking faster and faster until House let him stay. WTF??? Let me try that the next time my boss tries firing me.

– I usually like Wilson, but his storyline was dumb. Maybe it’s because I just saw the exact same thing on Grey’s Anatomy a few weeks ago.

– Why are Jesse Spencer and Jennifer Morrison still in the opening credits when they basically have one short scene apiece each week? They should either have more significant roles in the PoTW case or they should just be cut loose.

– I don’t mind that 13 is going to be a regular; I just wish the writers would do something interesting with her character. Giving her a 50/50 chance of having a fatal disease or having her spout platitudes to House every week isn’t gonna be enough.

– I barely noticed the patient this week because the ep was more about the doctors than about diagnosing the guy’s problems. That helped make the hour a snooze for me. More medicine, please (even if it’s not 100% accurate!).

Well, that’s all I can remember for now. House is going on hiatus until January, when it will return with three brand-new episodes. That’s all that’s left in the can, so if the writers’ strike doesn’t get resolved soon, we could be headed for an extended stay in rerun hell.

I just finished watching my Boston Legal DVDs from Season 2, and wanted to comment a bit on the extra features included on Disc 7. There were only two featurettes, which was kind of disappointing, but one of them presented an extensive look at the set design of the Crane, Poole & Schmidt offices.

I was surprised to learn that all the props in the offices are real items, from the framed diplomas to the staplers, files, mail, and other supplies. The furniture and architecture is all real too, which of course helps the show feel more authentic to viewers.

This was surprising to me because the Crane, Poole & Schmidt offices a pretty luxurious — as they should be, given the stature of the firm. They have top quality everything, from granite-topped conference tables and leather chairs to gold-trimmed bathroom vanities in the restrooms.

I can’t even begin to imagine what it must do to production costs to use (and maintain) all that beautiful furniture in ever single episode, but I admit that it really does separate the Boston Legal set from all the other shows on TV!

Last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother seemed like it was hyped to death (I watched football all weekend, and saw promos during nearly every commercial break) as being mostly about the Victoria’s Secret after-party, so I was surprised to see that those scenes only last a few minutes. I guess I was expecting a majority of the episode to take place there. Anyway, here’s what happened on “The Yips”.

Ted/Robin/Marshall/Lily: Ted gets winded running into his room to grab some money for a pizza, so he decides that it would be a good idea to join a gym. He convinces Robin, Marshall, and Lily to join with him.

Marshall signs up with a hardcore trainer who makes him do endless sets of sit-ups and push ups. Lily, meanwhile, gets a trainer who wants to “stretch her out” to improve her flexibility. And Robin turns into a mannish caricature of herself, which leads to her friends making lesbian jokes during the entire ep.

Nothing really comes out of these gym scenes except that we learn Lily’s trainer wasn’t affiliated with the club at all; Ted and Robin’s lingering sexual tension disappears; and they all stop going after one week.

Barney: At the gym’s smoothie bar, Barney runs into the woman he lost his virginity to. She’s a much older friend of his mother’s, and was known as the “man maker” of the neighborhood because of her penchant for bedding younger men. Barney is crushed when Rhonda doesn’t remember him, especially since back then she told him that he “rocked her world” and was the best she’d ever had.

This puts Barney in a funk, so he decides that going to the Victoria’s Secret after-party will get him back on his game. But he turns into a stumbling, bumbling fool who can’t even come out with a complete sentence or finish his signature, “Legen… wait for it… dary” line. Barney calls this inability to perform “the yips”, a term he got from his brother James.

Barney thinks the only way he can get back to being his old self again is to bed Rhonda one more time — and rock her world for real. He does, and is Barney again by the end of the ep.

My Reaction: I didn’t like this episode very much at all. I love Barney, but only in small doses. He’s great as a sidekick; not so much as the main focus of an entire ep. I thought there were a few funny moments in his story (mostly the scenes with James), but found it mostly boring.

And what was up with that health club storyline? I kinda smiled when Robin was shown grunting loudly while lifting weights, and again when Lily said her trainer wasn’t really a trainers, but found the rest of the scenes incredibly dull.

Oh, well. I know that not every episode is going to be a winner, so I’ll give them a pass on this one.

From what I’ve read, this was the last episode of How I Met Your Mother that was filmed before the writers’ strike. That means there won’t be any new eps until the strike is resolved, which I hope is soon. After all, I don’t want “The Yips” to be my last memory of HIMYM!

My best friend’s husband works in sales, and he always says that one of the most frustrating aspects of his job is wasting his time on people who have no real interest in the products he’s pushing. His company might have gotten the prospects’ names from a recycled mailing list or sign-up sheet for a completely different product or service, and figured that it wouldn’t hurt to call about their products as well.

Obviously, no one is going to close very many deals that way. Instead, it’s much more productive to work off a targeted mailing list from a marketing leader like Martin Worldwide. For example, if you want to pitch your company’s refinancing services to homeowners, then a mortgage mailing list containing names of people who are genuinely interested in the service will take you a lot farther than a generic list. The prospects will actually listen to what you have to say, your conversion rate will improve, and you won’t feel like you’re wasting your time.

Martin Worldwide offers a variety of targeted lists, so you’re sure to find something that fits your needs. Check out their site today, and see how much your productivity increases once you have the right tools for the job!

Like most movie fans, I heard considerable buzz about The Last King of Scotland during Oscar season earlier this year. While I usually try to see all Oscar contenders in major categories, I deliberately kept putting this particular film off because I was under the impression that it was mostly about Idi Amin’s politics — not something I was interested in seeing at all.

But then I discovered that Gillian Anderson was in this, and, being a huge fan of her work, I finally decided to rent the film and give it at least 30 minutes to draw me in. I sat there for a half an hour, and by that time was completely absorbed with what was going on. This turned out to be an excellent movie, so I’m glad I finally gave it a try!

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The Last King of Scotland isn’t so much a political thriller as it is a work of historical fiction. In other words, the screenwriters mixed real people, places, and events with fictional ones to create this story, which is seen through the eyes of young Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan (played by James McAvoy).

After taking his degree in Scotland, Garrigan can’t bear the thought of turning into a crusty old doctor like his father. Instead, he craves adventure, and decides to travel to Uganda where he’ll work as an assistant to Dr. Merrit (Adam Kotz) and his wife Sarah (Anderson) at their tiny clinic in an impoverished part of the country.

One day, Nicholas and Sarah hear that the old president has been overthrown in a coup d’etat, and that a military leader, Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker), has taken his place. Sarah seems distressed by this news, but Nicholas is excited. It’s just all part of the adventure to him. He convinces Sarah to go watch Amin deliver a speech, and it’s clear that Nicholas thinks Amin is pretty charismatic.

As Nicholas and Sarah are driving home, they’re suddenly overtaken by a car from Amin’s entourage. The new president has been in an accident and needs a doctor immediately. Nicholas and Sarah arrive on the scene to discover that Amin has a broken wrist. Nicholas treats the injury, and gets to talking with Amin. Amin takes a liking to this young man (he already has an affinity for all things Scottish), and several days later, extends a job offer. Nicholas is to move to Kampala to be Amin’s personal physician.

From that point forward, the film deals with the developing relationship between Nicholas and Amin. At first, Nicholas gets drawn in by the dictator’s charisma and by the power he derives by being part of the inner circle. He fails to see that Amin is mentally unstable and a brutal killer to boot, until Amin starts lashing out at Nicholas himself. Nicholas then gets caught up in a deadly chain of events that nearly cost him his life, before escaping the country by posing as a French hostage.

My Reaction: I was surprised at how engrossing this story was right from the start. I liked the premise of having the story told from Nicholas’ point of view instead of from Amin’s. It was easy to identify with Nicholas as the outsider, the newcomer intoxicated by his sudden proximity to power. Yes, the character made colossally stupid decisions and was at times insufferable, but he was a young man fresh out of university. It’s hard to imagine anyone acting any other way in his situation.

I thought Gillian Anderson was fantastic as Sarah; I only wish she had been in the film longer than she was. I found her scenes with Nicholas to be engaging, even though I knew as soon as the two appeared on screen together that there would be some sort of lustful undertone to their association.

Forest Whitaker was simply awesome as Amin, and I can easily see why he won the Best Actor Oscar. He could go from charismatic to scary, from stable to insane in a matter of seconds. I was terrified of Amin, and can’t believe that Nicholas was able to hang in there as long as he did. For example, when Amin took his Scottish passport and replaced it with a Ugandan one, I would have taken that as a clue to get the hell out of Dodge.

Several of the plot points seemed highly contrived, especially the part about Nicholas sleeping with one of Amin’s wives. By then, Nicholas knew damn well that Amin was off his rocker, so I don’t believe for a second that he would have risked his life like that. Plus, they walked off together at a freakin’ party with, like, 100 witnesses around. No one is that stupid!

Overall, I thought The Last King of Scotland was an excellent film that lives up to all its Oscar buzz. I give it 8.0 stars out of 10, and recommend that you rent it soon. I think you’ll be as pleasantly surprised by it as I was!

Fresh off the heels of my recent Run Athletics shoe giveaway, I’m now giving you all a chance to win a copy of Andy Dick’s latest film. It’s called Danny Roane: First Time Director, and is essentially a “mockumentary” detailing the main character’s attempts to clean up his act and get his career back on track.

Andy Dick stars as Danny Roane, an actor whose career (and personal life) have hit rock bottom because of his drinking problem. He decides to get sober, get behind the camera, and direct a film about (what else?) drinking and drug use!

This film from Lionsgate is a black comedy with some that will appeal to people who like dark humor or perhaps know a thing or two about drug and alcohol rehab. Along with an engaging plot, there are tons cameos from recognizable Hollywood stars such as Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Jimmy Kimmel, Frankie Muniz, James Van Der Beek, and Anthony Rapp to keep viewers on their toes.

I had a chance to watch this movie over the weekend, and thought it was pretty good. There were lots of laughs along the way, and the cameos definitely livened things up for me. Danny Roane: First Time Director is certainly worth owning, so if you can win a copy of the DVD here, then you’ll be in great shape!

To enter, all you have to do is send an email to contest@reviewsandmore.net with the phrase “Danny Roane DVD Giveaway” in the subject line between now and Monday, December 3 at 5pm ET. At that point, I’ll draw a winner from all eligible entries. Simple as that!

This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents (sorry). Also, if I don’t hear back from the winner within 48 hours of sending the notification email, I’ll select another winner from the eligible entries.

Good luck to you all!!

After one week off, Desperate Housewives was back with an all-new episode last night. It was called “A Distant Past”, and mostly dealt with Mike’s addiction, Gabby and Carlos’ saga with Victor, and Lynette’s search for Stella. There seemed to be a lot going on in the hour, but none of the major plotlines actually moved forward very much, so I would consider this to be a filler ep more than anything else. Here’s what happened:

Gabby/Carlos/Victor: Victor’s office reported him missing, so the cops come to ask Gabby some questions. She plays dumb until they leave. She then immediately calls Carlos and tells him their best move would be to keep quiet. Carlos disagrees, thinking that someone’s eventually going to figure out that he and Gabby were on the boat with Victor. They knocked him overboard in self-defense, so if they come clean now, maybe the cops will believe the story.

The debate ends up being moot because a couple of fishermen find Victor’s body. He was unconscious, but stable. Gabby and the cops go to see Victor in the hospital, where he pretends not to remember anything about his ordeal. After the detectives leave, however, he grabs Gabby’s face and says (in his most ominous voice), “I remember everything.”

Lynette/Stella: Lynette hasn’t had any luck tracking Stella down since she took off in a taxi. Then she gets a visit from someone she hasn’t seen in more than 30 years: her stepfather Glen. Glen says that Stella called him to borrow some money, and since she also said she’d been sleeping in a car, Glen figured Lynette would want to know about it.

So the two of them go to meet Stella, and after Stella’s initial anger subsides, everyone starts talking. It turns out that Glen didn’t leave Stella because she was cheating; he left her because he realized he was gay.

Lynette and Stella then hash things out and realize that they’ve been getting along better than they ever have before. Lynette invites Stella to move back in, but Stella doesn’t want to ruin their current relationship. So Glen pipes in and says Stella can live with him. His longtime partner died, and he’s been feeling a little lonely lately. He and Stella always had a great time together, so why not? Stella agrees, and everyone’s happy for the time being.

Mike/Susan: Mike owes money to his drug dealer Barrett, a college kid who’s studying to be a doctor. Barrett actually shows up at Susan’s house to collect, at which point Susan cluelessly works on setting him up with Julie. The next day, Barrett comes by again to take Julie to visit his campus. Mike flips when he sees Barrett cozying up to Julie, so he comes clean and tells Susan that the kid is a drug dealer.

With that drug pipeline cut off, Mike ends up getting a prescription from Orson — after Adam Mayfair leaned on him due to pressure from Mike. Later, Susan sees Mike sneaking some pills in his truck, even though he swore to her that he was done.

Bree/Orson/Andrew: The baby is causing a strain in Bree and Orson’s marriage because Bree insists on letting him sleep in the “family bed”. This prevents Orson from getting sleep and getting sex, so he’s on edge. Bree decides to visit Orson at the office for a quickie, which seems to appease him for the time being.

Meanwhile, Andrew can tell that he doesn’t fit in at home anymore. Bree and Orson have their marriage to worry about, and now the new baby to look after, so Andrew is the last thing on their minds. Furthermore, Bree constantly refers to Andrew as an example of her parenting mistakes, and says that her family consists of three people — leaving both Andrew and Danielle out of the equation entirely.

So Andrew decides to move out on his own. He takes a crappy apartment in a bad neighborhood, and tells Bree that he doesn’t need any more help from her. Later, Bree visits and they finally get a chance to talk. Andrew says everything in the past is forgiven, and that he’s ready to move on.

Adam Mayfair: Lydia, a woman from Adam’s past, suddenly shows up at his door. From their short conversation, we get the idea that Lydia is some kind of mentally unbalanced stalker that Adam wants to hide from Katherine. Adam tells Lydia to get out and never come back, but later we see her lurking beside the garage, watching him.

My Reaction: As I said, I thought this episode was mostly filler. I’m glad Victor’s body surfaced so quickly because the last thing I want is for that miserable storyline to get dragged out any longer than necessary. I’m glad he’s not dead so we don’t have to deal with Gabby and Carlos being murderers, but at the same time, I just want the character to be gone. But I guess we have to go through some blackmail/revenge storyline first. Whatever.

Mike’s drug addiction storyline is also boring as hell. I mean, at this point he’s just doing the same thing every single week: telling Susan that he quit, sneaking off to pop pills somewhere else, and being dumb enough to do it where Susan can see him. Yawn.

I was completely unspoiled for this ep, so I didn’t know that Richard Chamberlain would be guest starring! I loved him as Father Ralph on The Thorn Birds ages and ages ago, and thought he was fun as Glen. Let’s hope this is a recurring role, because I wouldn’t mind if he stuck around for a while.

I don’t really have anything else to say about this episode. It was pretty boring on the whole, and didn’t answer any major questions. I wish I could say that I’m intrigued by the new stalker, but I’m not. How many different Mayfair mysteries are we supposed to have going on at one time here???

Tornado next week — I can’t wait!!

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I held the drawing for my Run Athletics shoe giveaway earlier today, and the lucky winner is Carol E. of Portland, OR. Congratulations to Carol, and thanks to everyone else who sent in their entries.

Keep checking back for more great prize giveaways in the future!!

I haven’t been reading the classics as much as I usually do, so I wanted to take a break from my current round of mystery novels to take in something more substantial and heady. I opted to go with Daniel Deronda by George Eliot. I’d actually tried reading Deronda a couple of times in the past, but never made it past the first few chapters. So this time I figured it would be a good idea to listen to the free Librivox audiobook recording of the tome, since I usually stick audiobooks out until the end regardless of whether I like the work or not. As it turns out, I made a pretty good choice!

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): There are two main plots in Daniel Deronda, with the titular character’s involvement in both serving as a bridge between the different stories. The first involves a young, spoiled, selfish woman named Gwendolen Harleth. She comes from a wealthy background, but while traveling abroad, she learns that the entire family fortune has been lost. Gwendolen immediately returns home to weigh her options.

Her education would allow her to take a position as governess, but Gwendolen’s spirit rebukes such a prospect. Instead, she would much rather try something romantic and exciting, such as being a singer. Gwendolen even goes so far as to demonstrate her talent in front of a music scholar to gauge her chances of success. The review, however, is unfavorable, which leaves Gwendolen stuck back at square one. She finally decides to marry the rich Mallinger Grandcourt (despite warnings that he is not an honorable man) to ensure financial security for her mother and sisters.

The second major plot follows Daniel Deronda, a young man raised by Mallinger Grandcourt’s uncle. We learn early on that Deronda doesn’t know who his parents are, but always suspected that Sir Hugo Grandcourt, posing as his uncle, was really his father. Deronda’s search for his parents (and, consequently, his own history and identity) will become an important theme in his life.

Deronda’s world changes forever when he rescues a young woman about to drown herself in the Thames. The woman is named Mirah Lapidoth, and soon Daniel learns her tragic history. Mirah’s father took her away from her mother and brother when she was just a child in order to make a name for herself on the stage. Mirah ran away from her father after he tried “selling” her in an arranged marriage to a much older count. After returning to London, Mirah unsuccessfully searched for her mother. Then, realizing she had nothing left in the world, she decided to end her life. Deronda subsequently takes it upon himself to find the girl’s relations, if they’re still alive.

The rest of the novel then deals with Deronda’s involvement in the lives of both Gwendolen Harleth and Mirah Lapidoth, as well as his continued search for the truth about his own parentage. Deronda’s sharply contrasting views of the two women in his life serve to foreshadow the ending, in which one lives happily ever after while the other is fated to be alone with her regrets.

My Reaction: I ended up liking this novel more than I thought I would, given my history of failed attempts to get through it on my own. I think it really helped that I listened to the audiobook, because in all honesty, I probably would have ended up skimming all the Hebrew study scenes between Deronda and Mordecai. Those were supremely boring to me, and took me completely out of the rest of the story.

I liked the Gwendolen Harleth plot far more than the Mirah Lapidoth one, and felt that this book would have been close to perfect if Eliot had concentrated solely on that story and left the other parts out. I mean, to me, this seemed almost like two entirely different novels, so it was hard to stay involved in both stories. And even though this was supposed to be Deronda’s story, it felt as though Gwendolen commanded the spotlight most of the time. I preferred it that way, and would have enjoyed the book far more without the Zionist stuff. (Yeah, I’m not a literary scholar — so sue me!)

Since this was an audiobook, I ought to say something about the reader as well. I thought it was amazing that one person (a volunteer, no less) recorded the entire novel on her own! I can’t even imagine how long it must have taken to complete the recording, but I’m sure it was a considerable amount of time. At any rate, the reader had a pleasant voice and the pace was perfect (neither too fast nor too slow), so the book was enjoyable to listen to.

If you’ve never read Daniel Deronda on your own, or if you simply want to revisit an old favorite, I recommend checking out the Librivox recording. I think you’ll be impressed with what you hear!

One of my favorite ways to relax and unwind after a tough day is to play a few hands of blackjack. I live about 20 minutes away from a riverboat casino, so I’m sure to hit the tables out there at least once a month. But for those times when I can’t get away from home or simply don’t want to deal with traffic, crowds, and an enormous amount of cigarette smoke, I enjoy playing online as well.

Like most gambling enthusiasts, I’ve got a favorite online casino or two that I play at more than others, but I also like to broaden my horizons from time to time and try out different game rooms as well — which is why I find a site like Pro360.com to be so helpful. Pro360.com is a site that provides comprehensive reviews of online casinos so that players like me can make informed decisions about where to spend our money.

Right on the front page of the site, there’s a table listing some of the top-rated casinos on the Internet. I can take in a particular casino’s Pro360.com rating, player rating, max bonus percentage, certification, and whether or not they accept U.S. players all in a single glance, or I can click through for a full review from the experts on Pro360.com’s staff.

From there, it’s just a matter of selecting a casino that meets my own personal criteria, and I can find myself playing blackjack within a few minutes. How cool is that?!

If you’re serious about playing online poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, and more at only the best-rated websites, then you’ve got to check out Pro360.com. They’ll get you started in the right direction!

CBS aired a brand-new episode of CSI on Thursday night, despite the fact that it was Thanksgiving. This trend has been going on for a few years now, and I have to say that I like it. Most people are finished with their Thanksgiving dinners by late afternoon/early evening, so when primetime rolls around, there’s usually not much left to do except watch TV. Previously, there were only reruns or cheesy holiday specials available, but now networks are opting to go with regular programming. Good choice!

Anyway, this last ep of CSI was called “You Kill Me”, and was very different from anything else I’d ever seen on this show before. Here’s what happened.

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): The episode opens with Archie photographing a drug stash in the lab. As he lifts out one of the bags, it suddenly explodes in his hands. Archie is knocked to the floor, and it looks like he’s dead. We then cut to Hodges and Wendy sitting in the break room joking about the whole thing. That’s when we learn that Archie’s death is just a “scenario” that Hodges created to see how Wendy would handle the investigation if she was a CSI.

From there, we get several more scenarios created by Hodges, each with different lab techs getting killed in different ways, and each with a few running jokes. For example, David always says, “No sign of sexual trauma,” much to Doc Robbins’ chagrin, and Bobby the gun guy always gets framed for the murders. Moreover, the regular CSIs make appearances to investigate the crimes, and occasionally look directly into the camera to give hints about what to do next.

It turns out that there’s a reason Hodges has thought of all these scenarios and wants opinions on them: he’s created a board game based on what happens in the CSI labs, and he needs some honest input about what he’s done.

My Reaction: I have always found Hodges pretty annoying before, but I actually liked this episode! It was CSI Lite for sure, but it was fun and entertaining. I usually don’t like to break away from the formula that has worked so well for the past seven-plus years (remember this year’s Halloween episode?), so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed watching this.

It was funny to see all the characters from Hodges’ point of view. For instance, what does he have against Bobby?? Does he really think that all David does is check for sexual trauma? Does he really see Brass as that much of a badass?

It was also cool to see Grissom sit down and play the game with Hodges, especially since Grissom just blows the guy off 95% of the time.

Overall, this was a fun episode that was just perfect for theThanksgiving week. We’ll probably be back to regular crime scene investigation stuff soon, so I might even watch this ep again before next week — which is something I never, ever do!

My husband loves Westerns, so he has wanted to visit places like Durango (where parts of How the West Was Won, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and lots of other movies were filmed) and Cañon City (True Grit) for a long time now. These places are kind of off the beaten track, so I think it would be neat to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life for a while.

I was thinking of checking out a Colorado bed and breakfast directory to help get an idea of where to stay and what to do in those places. I don’t think we’d want to go to that area in winter, but it might be kind of cool to head out there for summer vacation. Maybe we could even take in the Grand Canyon as well!

I’ve never really been partial to Westerns myself, but if we’re going to visit these sites, then I definitely want to watch a couple of these films beforehand. I guess I’ll have to rent them the next time I’m at Blockbuster.

As with last year, ABC aired a brand-new episode of Grey’s Anatomy despite the fact that it was Thanksgiving night. I watched football and caught a movie with my husband, so I didn’t get a chance to see the show until this morning. And, as I’m going to be heading out the door soon to go shopping, I am just going to post my reactions to this ep (called “Crash Into Me — Part One”, by the way) instead of writing an entire recap. Please bear with me as I start slacking off for the holidays!!

– For the second week in a row, we got an ep that didn’t focus almost exclusively on the private lives of the doctors. Instead, most of the drama occurred with patients and surgeries, which is as it should be.

– Ava again? For the love of god, what is that woman still doing on this show??? What is her purpose? I can’t stand her or the way she expects Alex to drop everything for her when she shows up unannounced. Get off my screen!!

– Seth Green’s exploding carotid artery (and the pressure buildup beforehand) was one of the most disgusting things I’ve seen on this show. And yes, that includes the freakin’ pencil in the eye case from last week. Nasty!

– I liked the paramedics stuck in the ambulance, and almost lost it when Stan’s wife came down to see him. I hope they can at least save Ray.

– Swastika guy made me sick. Is it too much to hope that he’ll die on the table?

– On one of the GA message boards that I read, most of the other fans absolutely hate Rose, the nurse that Derek is suddenly friends with. I don’t have strong feelings about her either way. Just as long as her presence keeps me from having to suffer through more Mer/Der angst, I’m fine.

– I can’t believe that Izzie was bitching about how close Meredith and Cristina are as friends. Why does everything have to be about her????

– Looks like there’s going to be some major trouble in the Bailey household. Why can’t any of these characters be happy and have successful careers? I mean, seriously… who’s the least dysfunctional out of all of them? My vote would have to go with Sydney, the always happy doctor who went out on one date with Derek before dumping his ass.

That’s all I can think of right now, so I’ll just wrap this post up. No show next week, but we’ll get the conclusion to this ep on December 6.