House has been around for a few years, but could be considered the forerunner of addiction-centered characterization. Hugh Lori plays Dr. House, a brilliant diagnostician with a nasty Vicodin-popping habit. Although the reactions of his co-workers are unrealistic at best and downright absurd at worst (what hospital would allow one of its doctors to obnoxiously rub his addiction in everyone’s face?), the story of his descent into debilitating addiction is compelling. At the end of this past season, House’s hallucinations motivated his best friend to drop him off at a psychiatric hospital.

The latest addition to addiction drama is Nurse Jackie, another hospital-centered series that reflects the growing issue of drug addiction among health care workers. Nurse Jackie is even more centered on addiction as the driving force. The central focus of her life is to obtain pain medication, usually through by lying to and manipulating family, friends, and co-workers.

The show truly captures the lengths to which a prescription drug addict will go to feed the need. She pretends to be single so she can develop a sexual relationship with the hospital pharmacist who slips her pain medication when she complains about her back. She barely conceals her lack of concern for how a new automated medication dispenser will eliminate his job – in her mind that machine is just going to make it so much harder to get her OxyContin and Vicodin. She conceals powdered pain pills in re-sealed sweetener packets. She scrounges in the sink drain with a jerry-rigged, gum-ended stick to find that one last Vicodin she accidentally dropped.

Nurse Jackie shows great compassion for her patients, but realizes at one point she almost killed an unconscious patient because of a careless mistake. Compassion only goes so far when you are a drug addict.

Many other TV dramas weave alcoholism and addiction through their story lines. Saving Grace has its fill of alcohol-fuel sexcapades, and even TrueBlood dabbles in addiction to V, the blood of vampires that in the novel makes humans stronger and more attractive but in the HBO series makes them hallucinate and experience euphoric states.

Rescue Me, the New York Fire Department drama starring Dennis Leary as lead character Tommy Gavin, offers a family legacy of alcoholism – father, uncle, son, sister. Tommy Gavin recently decided he is no longer an alcoholic; his heavy drinking was merely a reaction to the stress of 9/11 that set him on a self-destructive path. He makes an awkward speech at an AA meeting one week after receiving his one-year chip for sobriety: they are all a bunch of whiners and he’s going to go drink now. The next week he questions himself and asks a friend, “Do you think I’m an alcoholic?” She punches him and says, “No! You’re a high-functioning alcoholic.” Okay, that settles it.

The HBO drama Weeds follows the story of a marijuana-dealing suburban mom, while Californication shows the unintended consequences of compulsive sexual behavior.

There is no question that addiction has become a prominent theme throughout TV dramas and plays smaller roles in countless other shows, from the drug-addicted Iraq war veteran on Brothers and Sisters to the alcohol-abusing mother on In Plain Site. The persistence of this theme likely reflects some of the stresses and challenges of the real world right now. Certainly alcoholism and drug addiction can be just some of the consequences of a damaged economy where ordinary people suddenly find themselves on the precipice of financial ruin. Addiction is not caused by a bad economy, but severe stress can push someone with addictive tendencies into more abusive drinking or drug use. Addiction is a progressive disease, and stress can kick that progression into high gear.

The show opened with some marble reliefs and readings from Shakespeare. My first reaction? These are not real people. That must come later. Wrong. Apollo and the Nine muses came next – stunning human recreations of Wedgwood statues. The masterful “paintings” kept coming: Degas, Toulouse-Latrec, and of course the annual finale, Da Vinci’s The Last Supper.

My favorite moments when they allowed the actors to move during the transition to the next “frame.” You honestly cannot believe when they dim the lights, bring them back up, and those people you just saw moving into position look as if they are part of a canvas.

This was a show I have wanted to attend for years and FINALLY did the whole re-dial over and over to try to get tickets (it sells out every year). It was well worth it and I plan to attend every year!

If you are anything like me – you would rather pay a little more to get excellent service than save a few bucks and be disappointed and frustrated. That famous saying, “Penny wise, pound foolish” is more true today than ever before. You can get cheap labor – but is the job going to be done the way you want it? Not only that, but is it going to be done in a SAFE way that protects you as a homeowner from liability?
These roofers are fully licensed and insured, including for workers’ comp. The rates are reasonable – even if they are a bit more – if you find a company that can do it for significantly less, they are likely not carrying the appropriate amount of insurance to protect you and your property. Don’t think it won’t impact you if you hire workers who are not properly covered.

I think this speaks to the shrinking pool of small American businesses and entrepreneurs who really deserve our respect for trying to play by the rules in a hyper-competitive environment where many do not.
Beyond that – the service was exceptionally fast and efficient. If you have ever torn your hair out waiting for someone you hired to finish the work they were hired to do, you know the value in finding someone who does it on time, on schedule, and doesn’t leave a mess behind. With Mar Vista roofers they left the are pristine so it was as if they were never there. No crushed bushes, crap lying around – none of that – they really finished the job.

How refreshing!

Millie managed to get us fourth row tickets to a show that sold out in ten minutes. I won’t tell you her secret – don’t want too many people to know the trick of getting the best seats

Garth’s wife Trisha Yearwood showed up to do a duet and one of my favorites of her songs, Walkaway Joe.

(Photos by Millie)

SPOILER ALERT – I’m putting the rest of the post after the jump so those of you who DVR’d don’t have to continue if you don’t want to know the ending.

Also, lots of four-letter words after the jump so if words offend you (prude) don’t click the link…

OK

So what the fuck? Or as Paulie would likely say, “Cocksuckers left our dicks hanging in the wind.”

The last scene was brilliantly done – tension building, the family gathering at the diner, even the scene with Meadow trying to park her damn car…the guy getting up from the counter to go to the bathroom ala Godfather’s Pacino scene…

Then it goes to black.

What the fuck?

In some ways it is utterly brilliant, but it was also the epitome of viewer manipulation. As the hours pass since watching it, I’m appreciating it more and more…but the first reaction was, “Did my DVR fuck up? I’m going to kill someone.”

What did you think of the final episode?

I’m wondering if they didn’t leave it open for a possible movie one day…hmm…wouldn’t surprise me. The integrity of the story can always be sacrificed for the possibility of making a few more bucks off a “franchise.”

It was definitely a bizarre place from another era – weird sort of Disney-on-skid-row feel and a motley crowd of diners.

The food was very below average and our tummies weren’t too happy.

Here’s a little video scanning the decor of the multi-leveled seating areas.

A few months ago the U.S. lifted the ban on importing beef from Japan – very quickly boneless cuts of Wagyu (sometimes called Kobe beef) made their way back into American restaurants.

I read a number of reviews about how different the Japanese-bred beef is compared with American-bred wagyu beef (which is what you got up until recently, and probably what you will still get 99% of the time because of the cost of the imported meat). Food reviews made authentic wagyu sound like it was worth the crazy prize tag. Granada, a little Japanese market on Sawtelle Blvd., advertised that it had authentic wagyu imported from Japan, so I decided to try it.

Wagyu is known for its intense marbling – in fact in Australia they grade it on a scale of 3-12.

They carried only rib eye cuts, and it’s really a site to behold as you can see. Supposedly the fats are healthier than in typical steaks because it is high in omega 3 and omega 6 oils. I don’t know if this really makes it healthy though – it looks and tastes like a heart attack (translation: holy shit this is like the best steak I’ve ever tasted).

I served it with risotto.

It was well worth the cost to at least try this remarkable beef that is buttery tender, but at $99 a pound, it’s not something you can indulge in very often!

It’s a personal vulnerability that she protects and nurtures, the one piece of her that cannot be corrupted by the necessary evils of her professional (and simply because of the nature of her work – personal) life.

She surprises in subtle ways – Courtney Cox has truly taken on a fantastic role and she has created a female character with all the contradictions of modern life. Determinedely single. Singularly determined. You can’t hate Lucy Spiller no matter what hateful things she does – just like you can’t hate Vic Mackey. FX is giving HBO a run for their money when it comes to TRULY developed and original characters.

Speaking of Vic Mackey – if you haven’t seen the new trailer for the upcoming season, it gives chills. The herky-jerky camera soaring in then stalling and redirecting its gaze. The sudden moment when the (very hot) Vic Mackey gazes at the camera for just a moment, then looks back to the gravestone in front of him. The music that warns you he knows he can’t be forgiven but hopes he can be given some peace…it’s a million times better on my 50-inch plasma screen, but here it is: