I have often heard the remark: "Who in history would you like to have dinner with?" and when asked I feel obliged to pull out the big guns and prepare a formal affair with myself, Jesus Christ, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Gandhi and John Paul II along with Confucious just to keep it interesting. (epigrams are great conversation starters) However, a much more interesting question is whom would you like to have a beer or three with? Here you think less about what great questions you need answered but more about who would it be very cool to pass an hour or so with? Mike Rowe strikes me as someone who would be high on such a list. I dislike the phrase "man's man" quite a bit but it keeps swimming to the forefront of my mind as I write and I suppose that is what he seems to be. He sounds quite intelligent without seeming effete and yet he also seems like a guy who is unafraid of hard work or play. I think I summed it up when I told my wife recently: "I hope that Mike Rowe is as cool a guy in reality as he seems on his show". I'd be crushed if he wasn't. Meanwhile Mike call me about the beer.

I very much wanted to like this series. Parker Posey is a personal favorite of mine and I have thought Lauren Ambrose was fascinating since Six Feet Under. So imagine my disappointment when I tuned in to The Return Of Jezabel James full of anticipation to find a show with dialoge from twenty plus years ago and acting that seemed to belong more on a community theatre stage than television.

Posey seemed to be aware of how sub par the material was and attempting to make up for the shortfall by chewing as much scenery as possible. Her over the top version of the SMILE song in the final episode was almost painful to watch.

I really hope that both stars get another show soon. They are both wonderful actors and deserve better material than this.

The Whitest Kid's U Know is crude disgusting... and freakin' hilarious! At forty years old, I realize I am not the target demographic for this show, but I love sketch comedy and clicked on just in time to see the sketch where the guy pulls a turd out of his pants in a business meeting. I was appalled but couldn't turn away. I was immediately reminded of my first time watching Kids In The Hall. I'm not suggesting its a rip-off, only that it has the same feeling of being on the cutting edge that "Kids" had in the early 90's. I think the guys are fearless and it pays off. I hope that with the switch from FUSE to IFC the guys will not allow the added freedom to make them lazy. So far it doesn't seem to be happening and the second season seems to be off to a good start.

From the beginning of the series I was drawn to Eugene Roe. As a Cajun myself, I was glad to see one of my people presented as something other than a cartoonish stereotype. My Godfather was fighting in Europe at about the same time this was taking place so the episode had special significance.

Shane Taylor is fabulous as Roe. I was shocked when I found out that he was British. His accent was excellent and he could teach others who try to do a Cajun dialect a thing or two. The scenes with the Belgian nurse are beautiful and heart breaking at the same time. The moment they have while sharing the chocolate bar after loosing the soldier to an internal bleeder was pure understated brilliance. I'm not ashamed to say I cried like a baby while watching this episode. I was very proud to be American in general and Cajun in particular.

I remember watching this late at night when I was a teenager. The quick cut sketches and clips were great. Even if you didn't like the way the current piece was trending, a new bit was right on its heels. Unless my memory is seriously faulty, this show was also where I first saw Dana Carvey. Clips of his stage act were used including the "Chopping Broccoli" bit that he later brought to SNL. The jump cut humor reminds me in a way of the premise of Robot Chicken today and I can't help but wonder if it influenced Seth Green and pals since they are about my age and would have been potentially watching around the same time.