kinuta

Missing 1st episode Ashley Judd in an awful and unwatchable newbie. Truly dire.

Ikebukuro. My favourite place in Tokyo.

Don't know which thread is appropriate. Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol - Brad Bird (2011) Great, Leave brains & plot dissection kit at the door, sit back and enjoy one of the best action flics in a l-o-n-g time.

Shake rattle & roll- the encore. Rather alarming 6.0 quake hit here last night. The Missus in full doom is nigh mode. Hope this monster has solid foundations.

Rewatching some of The Mentalist Season 1. The quirky waistcoats and tea drinking apart these shows are very tightly written and often complex. The cast play well together, the Joe Friday poker faced Cho and the tired looking Lisbon all balance things out nicely. The Red John backstory is never allowed to intrude too much into the episodes. I was quite indifferent to The Mentalist when it started but it's now one of my favourites and doesn't tire on subsequent viewings. The Missus is also a fan.

I've also been here since '03 and the demise of the BNBB, where I posted as champ. I like the congeniality and absence of elitism here and the home from home feel.

In Treatment Season 3 The Debra Winger episodes. What a great actor.

Frontline PBS Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown Sober and educational. Essential viewing. Click here to watch. My link

Tippy Hedren Joan Armatrading Leggy Mountbatten

Millicent Martin Shelley Winters Eleanor Bron

Buffalo Bill Cody Cody Jarrett Hank Fallon

Brian Glazer Sparky Anderson Christopher Plumber

It would be interesting to hear other peoples take on this season. I'm sometimes overcritical but I've found it very disappointing so far. Maybe it's a case of one trip too many to the well, the TV corporations in America do have a bad habit of squeezing the vitality out of shows that should have naturally reached a peak and finished. I've got uneasy feelings about the future of Breaking Bad too. The last episode of the previous season just felt like such a natural end to the show, I fear they could make a total hash of the final season. We shall see. I agree about Alcatraz, I've given up on it too.

Fringe Well, as far as I'm concerned this season has been totally crap. The momentum it built in the last season using long story threads has been squandered in annoying and insipid stories that seem filched from the X Files trash can.

White House Blues gig- saw a few clips, man Jeff Beck laid down some killer licks.

Many happy returns, Hans.

Agreed! That one was a winner - and very little noticed, too. Great film, amazing long takes.

Happy birthday, Vic

Luck HBO On paper this looks like a can't miss show but, two episodes in, I'm having quite major problems just following it. Clearly my lack of knowledge of American horse racing and it's vernacular is a serious impediment to my enjoyment.

http://www.tvguide.co.uk/titlesearch.asp?title=Inspector%20Montalbano Might have been on before. I've not seen it. As a fan of Donna Leon and Michael Dibdin's Italian 'tec novels I'm sure I'll enjoy it. Even if my Italian is not as fluent as my Danish or Swedish!!!! Mmm... I watched three or four episodes of Inspector Montalbano hoping it would grow on me but I just found it uninvolving and although it was pleasant eye candy I have to use the dreaded word.. boring. I prefer something grittier. The second series of Borgen also got off to an iffy start with the Afghan episode. We shall see. Nothing tops The Good Wife at present.

Cabbage is versatile, cheap and good. Chinese wok fried with pork and dried mushrooms, or with garlic, ginger turmeric and chillies plus a touch of garam masala, shredded and cooked with mashed potatoes in patties covered in Besan batter- the list is endless. Here it's often shredded and eaten raw as an accompaniment to many deep fried dishes.

I've watched and really enjoyed the first and second episodes. I'm looking forward to the rest. What's the upcoming Italian detective drama ?