Pi Day This n That

It’s 3-14, and you know what that means. Yep, it’s Pi Day! Pi, as in 3.14159. It’s strange, the things I remember from tv shows that I could never remember in science class back in the day. I remember Pi because it was used as a riddle in an episode of Stargate SG-1. There are many other scientific stuff that I’ve learned from Stargate, CSI, NCIS, Rizzoli & Isles, and more. Oh, the power of television. 

Apparently, it's also National Potato Chip Day today as well. So that means a celebration with both pie and potato chips - and for me, that's the sour cream & onion variety.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

So, we’ve already had the time jump to Daylight Saving time, and we’re in the middle of March Madness, so the only thing I’m waiting for right now is…spring. Has anyone seen it? It sure hasn’t come to the Upper Midwest yet. Mother Nature really needs a new battery in her weather calendar.

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about This n That on television, so let’s play catch-up.

* March Madness (aka the NCAA basketball tournaments) are here. All I will say on that is…Go Lady Vols!! Other than that, I really don’t pay much attention to it. The only thing it really does is screw up the tv viewing schedule for my regular shows – many of which are coming down to their season finales shortly.

My main shows at the moment include:

- NCIS … in which we’ll get to finally meet McGee’s father (an Admiral, no less). We’ve gotten a bit of closure on the death of Jackie Vance with Leon coming back to work, but have they already forgotten that Ziva lost her father as well? (or did she?) I’d like to see some continuation on that subject. Will she really go back to business-as-usual with no change in demeanor after something of that magnitude?

- Chicago Fire … are they really going to continue with this Shay/baby thing? Really? Please end that soon. Ugh! Such a cliched story line. I kind of like the Milson hookup (Peter/Gabriela), but please let them stay professional at work. The kiss in the middle of the hallway was SO not who those two are. I’m not really crazy about the whole mess that was brought up at the end of the last episode, with the whole Chief Boden/Mills Family saga, and now having Gabriela seemingly in the middle of it. The biggest question I have is – are we ever going to get story lines for Capp & Hadley? We see them on the fire runs & rescues, but they rarely get speaking parts, let alone actual story lines. I’ll admit that having Pouch the pooch is a nice addition. I just hope they don’t do what Rizzoli & Isles did with Bass & Jo Friday, where the pets become AWOL for a long time. (more on R&I in a little bit)

- SVU … a couple weeks ago, I watched what I consider to be one of the greatest episodes of the show. It centered on Amanda and her conniving sister, Kim, who set her up to be arrested for a murder. It was a great episode for Kelli Giddish, as well as the woman who played her sister. My only complaint of that episode is why it had to be Amaro who is the one to eventually ‘save the day.’ Seriously. Why not Liv? Why not Finn? Why is it always my least-favorite character on a show that always ends up being the hero? (think: CSI/Langston or Nick) It’s annoying.

- speaking of CSI … I need to give big kudos to Jorja Fox for bringing us a great episode a few weeks ago. It was an episode where Sara was framed for murder by Ronald Basderic (a suspect in a previous episode earlier this season). Sara gets to show her BAMF side (in confronting him & proving her innocence); her vulnerable side (celebrating her birthday alone at a restaurant & talking about her personal life with her co-workers); and her loving daughter side (as we finally get to meet her mother). Oh, and did I mention the revelation that Grissom/Sara (GSR) are separated? Hallelujah! (I know it’s too good to be true in the long run, but I’ll celebrate for the moment anyway) However, the episode made me miss the presence of Catherine, considering the subject of failed relationships and being a target.

* Since I mentioned Catherine, let’s talk about new opportunities for a couple of CSI alumni. Details continue to be released (almost daily, it seems) for upcoming pilots (new shows) to be shot.

- Marg has been cast in the CBS drama, Intelligence, which also features Josh Holloway. The logline states that the show “Centers of US Cyber Command, a unit that has been created around one agent with a very special gift: a microchip that has been implanted in his brain that allows him to access the entire electromagnetic spectrum.” While I was trying to make sense of what that actually means, it made me wonder if that’s like the character, Gary, on the Syfy show, Being Human, where he could visualize audio & visual signals.  I can only hope that Marg isn’t relegated to “second fiddle” status like she was on the later seasons of CSI.

- Marg’s former CSI co-star, Louise Lombard, has also been tabbed for a new show. It’s a drama for CW titled, The Selection. The logline states: “Set 300 years in the future, the drama is an epic romance centering on a working-class young woman chosen by lottery to participate in a competition with 25 other women for the Royal Prince’s hand to become the nations’ next queen. Balancing her loyalty to family, true love and the kingdom, she must attempt to remain true to herself as she navigates the cutthroat competition and palace intrigue, all while a budding rebellion threatens to topple the crown.” I saw that Louise garnered the role of the current queen.

- I saw the new trailer for the upcoming show, Hannibal, which stars another former CSI alum, Laurence Fishburne. I’d love to watch a series that features Hannibal Lecter, however, in watching the trailer, I came to the conclusion that there will be way too much of Laurence in this show for my tastes. It brought back memories of what I call the “bad years” of CSI – the ones that featured Ray Langston (aka Fishburne). So, I guess I won’t be glued to my seat for this new series.

- another movie-to-tv series (beginning shortly) is Bates Motel on A&E (based loosely on the movie, Psycho). I’ve seen some of the previews, and I guess it looked a bit boring, but we’ll see.

- NBC is trying its luck at resurrecting an old classic (which means it’s sure to be a flop), with a remake of Ironside – the crime/drama that featured Raymond Burr as a detective in a wheelchair. The updated version features Blair Underwood in that role. Why do they do this to the old classics? WHY? Ugh!

- NBC is also bringing to life a present-day version of Hatfields & McCoys. I guess that means another Dallas-esque show about backstabbing, jealousy, and greed.

- CBS is doing its usual “since-it-ain’t-broke, add-another-spinoff” theory to the NCIS franchise. Yes, a third series, NCIS: Red, will be coming your way, with a ‘back-door pilot’ to air as an episode of NCIS:LA this spring. Thankfully, this one is a bit different as it follows a mobile team of agents as they solve crimes all across the country, thus they’re not stuck in a particular town/setting, which I think is the only way a third series could survive – by being more original. (remember what having a third CSI show with the same concept did to the franchise? Adios, Miami!)

- in looking at some of the names attached to a few other pilots, I’m intrigued by a small handful of them, including:

Killer women (Tricia Helfer), Murder in Manhattan (Annie Potts), Anatomy of Violence (Skeet Ulrich), The Crazy Ones (Robin Williams),Westside (Jennifer Beals, Dean Winters), Boomerang (Felicity Huffman, Anthony LaPaglia), as well as looking at the loglines for The Wild Blue (a mix of ER, The West Wing & Top Gun – about those working on a US Aircraft Carrier), and Sleepy Hollow (yes, as in “the legend of…”), as well as The Sixth Gun (a supernatural Western).

* moving on to my current favorite show, Rizzoli & Isles, which is currently filming season 4, I’m excited to see that they’ve got both Paddy Doyle and Hope Martin (Maura’s bio dad & mom) as the trial against Paddy gets underway, and even the return of Bass & Jo Friday (I call them, “the kids”). 

* news from another of my favorite shows – Downton Abbey – is not as pleasant, however, as I heard that Siobhan Finneran (Ms. O’Brien) did not renew her contract for season 4. So, along with the losses of Sybil and Matthew, we’re also going to lose O’Brien. Oy.

* speaking of departures – this one is of the very sad variety. Earlier this week, I watched the episode of Dallas, which featured J.R.’s funeral (precipitated by the death of Larry Hagman). While it was great to see some of the Knots Landing characters back to pay their respects, the most heartwarming (or maybe I should say heartbreaking) part of the episode was Sue Ellen’s speech – first saying that J.R. was the reason she drank, then admitting she was still a bit drunk as she was talking, reading J.R.’s letter to her about wanting to make amends and get together for dinner, and finally sobbing her reply, “YES.” I had to chuckle, though, at how they’re continuing the saga of “who shot J.R.?”  If they had to re-use a story line from the original, at least they went with that instead of Bobby-in-the-shower/it’s-all-a-dream.  LOL

* Earlier this week, I got the new issue of TV Guide, which included a list of the 60 Sexiest Couples Of All Time.

1.        Doug & Carol (ER) – I watched that one a little bit, I guess.

2.        Rob & Laura (The Dick Van Dyke Show) – my mom watched that one.

3.        Angel & Buffy (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) – didn’t watch it.

4.        Eric & Tami (Friday Night Lights) – didn’t watch it.

5.        Ross & Rachel (Friends) – that show was ANNOYING!

6.        Mulder & Scully (The X Files) – now there we go! Awesome couple.

7.        Sam & Diane (Cheers) – they were okay, but would get annoying.

8.        Mr Big & Carrie (Sex & the City) – didn’t watch it.

9.        David & Maggie (Moonlighting) – funny, hilarious, and almost slapstick-like.

10.     J.R. & Sue Ellen (Dallas) – backstabbing & manipulation … from both sides. What could be better?

The other 50 were listed by show & not numbered. Here are a few of my favorites:

-          Gomez & Morticia (The Addams Family) – so sweet.

-          Darrin & Samantha (Bewitched) – I loved the 1^st Darrin better.

-          Matthew & Mary (Downton Abbey) – did they really have to kill him off? Couldn’t they have him away somewhere, doing something? Ugh.

-          Tony & Jeannie (I dream of Jeannie) – loved these two. They were much like Darrin & Samantha from Bewitched.

-          Ricky & Lucy (I Love Lucy) – I think Lucy/Ethel were a better couple than Ricky/Lucy. Lucy/Ethel remind me of Jane/Maura on Rizzoli & Isles. But, I guess the criteria is “sexiest” couple, so…I still don’t see Ricky/Lucy on that list.

-          Greg & Paige (Knots Landing) – really? If you’re going to have a “sexiest” couple from Knots, how does it not include Abby? Seriously.  In comparison, Nicolette Sheridan was a bonfire, but Donna Mills was an inferno.

-          Shane & Carmen (The L Word) – Absolutely. I loved those two.

-          Tony & Ziva (NCIS) – TIVA rules! I love how Ziva can kick Tony’s ass at any given time…and he knows it.

-          Bobby & Diane (NYPD Blue) – loved these two. I also loved how they tried their best to be so professional at work, but still kept it hot & spicy. I’ll also say that Andy/Sylvia were pretty hot as well. The pairing I never did understand was Andy/Connie.

-          Beecher & Keller (Oz) – I’m so glad they included these two. Any couple that includes Chris Meloni is tops in my book. I just wish they would have found a way to include Elliot/Liv from SVU – even though they weren’t ‘technically’ a couple, they were still sexy & hot as partners.

-          Remington & Laura (Remington Steele) – yeah, that was a hot couple from back in the day.

-          Castle & Beckett (Castle) – only watch the show occasionally. They’re okay, I guess.

-          Booth & Bones (Bones) – I’ve only seen a couple shows. Didn’t see enough spark to make them ‘sexy’.

Couples that should have been included:

-          Michael & Nikita (La Femme Nikita) – a deadly (and sexy) combination. Roy Dupuis & Peta Wilson were HOT together!

-          Jonathan & Jennifer Hart (Hart to Hart) sexy, with class

-          K.C. & Boonie (China Beach) – hello! Sparks flying.

-          Bo & Hope (Days of our Lives) – I haven’t watched the show in almost 20 years, but I remember seeing the sparks fly even back then.

-          Sam & Jack (Stargate SG-1) – okay, so they technically weren’t a couple (at least until season 9, and then it was offscreen), but the eye-sex those two had for all of those years could burn holes hotter than a Goa’uld staff weapon.

-          Doug & Karen (ER) – George Clooney + Marg Helgenberger, anyone? That totally blew Doug/Carol out of the water.

-          Helen & John (Sanctuary) – Dr Helen Magnus + Jack-the-ripper. Perfect.

-          Matt & Kitty (Gunsmoke) – don’t tell me they didn’t ever hook up.

-          Olivia & Elliot (SVU) – as I mentioned previously, totally sexy & hot together as partners

-          Jane & Maura (Rizzoli & Isles) – Don’t say it. This is my world here, and these two are totally together. 

The Legacy Lives On

It was 50 years ago today that the world lost a treasure.

On March 5, 1963, the music world was stunned by the deaths of country music stars Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins, along with Patsy’s manager, Randy Hughes, who was also the pilot of the plane. The four had been flying back home to Nashville in the midst of inclement weather, and crashed in the forest outside Camden, Tennessee.

 

 

She may have died (at the age of 30) five years before I was born, but the legacy of Patsy Cline has had an impact on my life. I consider her the greatest musical voice to ever grace this planet. Some may not know just how short her musical career actually was (1955-1963), considering how well her musical legacy has stood the test of time.  That legacy includes: “Crazy,” “walkin’ after midnight,” “I fall to pieces,” “a church, a courtroom, and goodbye,” “she’s got you,” “crazy dreams,” “just a closer walk with thee,” and a few of my all-time favorites – “Yes, I understand,” “back in baby’s arms,” and “three cigarettes in an ashtray.”  

If you want to hear the true Patsy Cline experience, take a listen to one of her “live” albums, specifically, “Live at the Cimarron Ballroom,” which was recorded live only about a month after her serious auto accident in 1961.

In 2004, I had the chance to visit the Willie Nelson Museum in Nashville and saw the wristwatch that Patsy was wearing when she died. It had been stopped/broken at 6:35pm – presumably at the time of the crash that ended her life.

In 2011, I visited Patsy’s hometown of Winchester, Virginia, where she was born Virginia Patterson Hensley. I saw the house where she grew up (608. S Kent Street), and the house where she married Charlie Dick (720 S. Kent Street), as well as Patsy’s grave site at Shenandoah Memorial Park (“Death can not kill what never dies. Love”)