Amen, brother!

No commentary from me on this one. I think this quote stands alone.

"Deep-fried bacon. The words alone — like a song."
—Alton Brown, during Battle Breakfast on "Iron Chef America"

Will the real Mia please stand up?

In this week's episode of "Gilmore Girls," the ladies traveled to North Carolina to attend a wedding. Whose wedding? Why, that of Mia, the wonderful woman who gave the Gilmore Girls a home when Lorelai was pregnant and in need of a job and shelter. As a loyal fan of the show, I recalled the appearance of Mia in an earlier episode and was excited to see her return because she had been an engaging character.

So the entire time that the Gilmores were making their way down to the wedding, I was looking forward to seeing Mia: Antics in the car — boring; where's Mia? Antics at the diner — boring; where's Mia? Antics at the motel — boring; where's Mia? Finally, there was a phone call and here was the beloved Mia! But wait, that wasn't Mia...

That's right folks, it was a completely different actress playing Mia! Previously, she had been played by Elizabeth Franz, but this time around she was being played by Kathy Baker.

Fine, I thought, maybe they couldn't get Elizabeth Franz, I can understand that. But then Kathy Baker opened her mouth and started speaking in a ceremoniously gentle manner, and I was filled with rage. The whole reason I had been intrigued by the character of Mia in the first place was because of the way Elizabeth Franz had played her: sharp and no-nonsense but also obviously warm and caring. Couldn't they have at least had Kathy Baker turn in a performance consistent with Elizabeth Franz's depiction of the character? I guess not. This new Mia One-Note was fakey and dull and I spent the rest of the episode completely distracted by the switch-up.

Oh, well, I don't know why I expected any more from "Gilmore Girls." That show sucks a big one this season anyway.

MTV for Empathy?

I've recently gotten back into MTV's show "I'm From Rolling Stone," and it has really surprised me how much I'm rooting for those crazy kids. At first, almost all of them annoyed me, but now I find myself reveling in their successes.

Well, some of them still aggravate me (I'm talking to you, Miss "Jagger"), but I did manage to find a little place in my heart for Krish and Peter, both of whom struck me as pretty ridiculous figures earlier on in the series.

Maybe if I watch more reality TV I'll become a more empathetic person. On the other hand, there's "My Super Sweet Sixteen," which pretty much decimates any warm feelings I have towards the human race.