My Leading Lady

Sandra Pullman/Amanda Redman

One of the things I admire the most about Superintendent Sandra Pullman is her spirit. She a career girl whose aim in life is to lock up bad guys, and I for one enjoy watching her do it. I think what I like the most is that she's a dame in charge, even though she gets on well with her boys they all know who's giving the orders. She's not afraid to boss around those below her or defy those above, which is fair enough as she's usually right. Her success in her professional life has lead to a general demise of her personal one, but during the show we see how the rest of the team is helping her to build relationships with people. She's developed strong bonds with all of her team even if she does think their crazy, she cares for them. It's no secret that my taste tends to lean towards women who can both mentally and physically kick ass. Sandra is definitely one of these people, this girl knows how to throw a punch. She's feisty, female and in charge, what more can a girl ask for.

My Weekly Addiction

New Tricks

This has got to be one of the few decent shows still running on British TV. The drama that follows a group of retired officers headed up by Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman. The UCOS team's job is to investigate unsolved 'cold' cases. Each member has their own unique character and quirks, and when working together they always get their man, even if they do have to bend a few rules along the way. Its one of those shows that although its main focus is crime and drama, it regularly weaves elements of comedy throughout. With such a great cast and interesting story-lines the shows bound to be a success.

My Leading Lady

Lorelai Gilmore/Lauren Graham

I'm fairly certain that their isn't a person in the world who can say they don't like Lorelai, for the simple fact that she is so lovable. Her sweet nature and sharp sarcasm can win over even the most cynical of people. Lets face it she the kinda Mom we all wish we had. The way she chose to raise her daughter so that she could be an individual rather than sticking with her rich parents who would easily turn her into another step-ford drone. Don't get me wrong I love Rory but occasionally she gets on my nerves which is why Lorelai takes the prize. I should also point out that even though Emily is a whole new level of infuriating a part of me can't help but love her, especially as the show progresses. But anyway back to the lovely Lorelai, I gotta say she damn fine too. The complete package, and you also have the added bonus of knowing that where ever she is, coffee is never far behind.

My Weekly Addiction

Gilmore Girls

I'm not ashamed to say that Gilmore Girls is still one of my guilty pleasures. There's something about that small town and the quirky mother/daughter relationship that keeps me hooked. I'm sure there's not a woman or girl alive who does not crave the connection that Lorelai and Rory have. Their timeless banter and insane obsession with all things that resemble food and coffee, especially coffee, create the foundations for what is a great show. It's virtually unique in the fact that it relies on emotions and relationships rather that explosions, violence and generally dramatic events. I must also confess I adore the town in which they live, sleepy stars hollow creates this atmosphere that you can't help but crave from your own humble abode. The intimacy between residents and the way they always look out for one another, is something rarely seen. Of course I can't forget the wonder that is Luke's diner and it's endless supply of delicious looking food. Just watching makes me hungry.

Religion

Saint Or Sinner?

With the pope's visit in full swing I felt it was appropriate that my rant for the week revolved around that ever controversial topic of religion. I personally am not a fan. It's not the belief or faith I object to, it's the concept of religion itself, in particular it tendency to discriminate and promote hate. I believe that everyone is entitled to believe in what they believe and worship whoever they choose, however it is the notion that everyone must live by a set moral code that is not only outdated but at times outright ridiculous.

Don't just take my word for it. The fake President of the United States of America agrees.

But back to the Pope, on the one hand I think its an amazing thing that one person can mean so much to so many people. The problem I have with this is that I have always believed that a person must do something to gain that level of respect. When you think about it he's not really that different to the Paris Hilton's of this world.

My Leading Lady

Regina Barnes/Paula Marshall & Lydia Barnes/Stockard Channing

I simply couldn't choose between these two lovely ladies, so I decided to make this a special Mother/Daughter edition of My Leading Lady. Both these women have been graced with the gift of comic timing as well as a sharp sarcastic wit. With their grace. elegance and frankness, no episode is every boring. And lets face its they're not bad on the eyes either. When you watch them you can't help but marvel at their relationship, although they fight you can see that they love and support each other. They shine as individuals and are even better as a team.

My Weekly Addiction

Out Of Practice

This has to be one of the most under appreciated comedy's of my generation. This quirky show about a family of Doctors is without a doubt one of the funniest and most upbeat shows I have seen in my entire life, and I've seen a lot of shows. Despite the fact that it hit all the right buttons and had a fantastic cast it somehow failed to impress the network and CBS axed it before it even completed its first season. So we the fans are stuck mourning the loss without even a DVD set for comfort. It is such a shame as it truly was great. Any show that can make me laugh out loud repeatedly wins my approval. I'm a big fan of Stockard and it was great to see her in such a fun role, the chemistry between the entire cast was perfect. Lets not forget the fabulous and very gay Regina. I mean seriously what more do you need?

Education

What's It Really Worth?

I have spent the last 14 years of my life in the education system. I've progressed through the various stages of primary school, secondary school and college. I'm now at a point in my life where I can reflect on where that has gotten me. As it turns out, it hasn't gotten me that much. All I have to show for my many years of tedious studying is a few sheets of paper with a bunch of letters on them. Unfortunately for someone looking for a job, any job, aka me; these pieces of paper are completely worthless. So now I'm struggling to find a job for the simple fact that I spent my life sat in a classroom like everyone told me to do rather than gaining the experience that every potential employer seems to require. Don't get me wrong I understand the potential benefits that education has for some people, but the simple fact is that generally its worthless. If your not aiming for a specialist career that requires certain qualifications, several A-levels and a degree aren't necessarily going to make the slightest difference in getting you to where you want to be. The problem with education today is that it has lost so much of what it should be about. The pursuit of knowledge has been replaced by a league tables and exam results. There's a small loophole in this reality, occasionally students are blessed with a teacher who cares about helping kids get a well rounded education. These teachers challenge the system by daring to stray from the curriculum and telling the student something that's not necessarily going to help them pass the test but might instead give them knowledge they didn't have and may even make them better people. However there's still classrooms in which the teacher says "It doesn't matter if you don't understand it, so long as you can remember to write it in the exam." I don't blame the teachers though, I blame the system. The problem is education has lost its integrity.

My Leading Lady

Dr Beverly Crusher/Gates McFadden

One thing that's for certain, I wouldn't mind being sick if this was the woman looking after me. Dr Crusher certainly has a spark about her, she's feisty and she stands her ground even against the Captain and she usually right too. Of course it helps that she's stunning, eternally graceful and strong. I imagine all it would take is one look into her eyes and you couldn't help but submit to her every whim. I'm only on the first season of Next Generation but my curiosity got the better of me and I had to do a bit of research into the direction the show was heading. You can imagine my surprise when I read that Beverly had been completely cut out of season two. Luckily they rectified their mistake and restored her to her rightful place on board the Enterprise for season 3. I've got to admit I'm glad they brought her back or else I don't know if I could carrying on watching the show. It simply wouldn't be the same without the redhead to bright up my day.

My Weekly Addiction

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Now a while ago a friend of mine introduced me to the wonder that is Star Trek, it started with the latest movie, then she lent me Enterprise, followed by Voyager. Then this week she lent me the first season of Next Gen. I quickly found that this one is just as addictive as the rest. Now I'm sat twiddling my thumbs trying to resist spending my money on the rest of the seasons. I couldn't help but become fascinated with the ins and outs of each crew members personality, it seemed bizarre at first for the captain to appear so disconnected from the rest of the crew, but you quickly realise that he's merely connected in a different Jean-Luc kinda way. I also found it interesting to see a Star Trek that included families on board the ship and to have one of the children as a regular character was a great new angle. I must admit I also enjoy the quality that this show has, as it was made before our huge advancements in special effects the show focused much more on the characters and less flashy dramas which give it more depth than many of today's shows. Another highlight of the show is that we get to see several strong leading women throughout, which lets face it is what we really want.

Men and Alcohol

Never a Good Combination

Unfortunately circumstances beyond my control, namely the economy and an irritating need of money to survive, have resulted in me working as a barmaid at the local pub. Don't get me wrong I admire barmaids and its a decent job, for people who aren't me. I simply don't have the personality for it. But getting to the point one of the observations I have come to make during my recent shifts is that men rarely improve with the consumption of alcohol. To be fair though men aren't exactly appealing to me at the best of times, basically never. With a few exceptions, in a strictly platonic sense, although they are usually gay anyway (you know who you are). So during my usual people watching session tonight I came across a group of males, consisting of both young and "mature" i use the term loosely. Out of all these males none of them failed to hit on me. Which fair enough I work behind a bar so I'm used to putting up with a certain degree of flirting and tasteless comments. But tonight one male in particular was persistent. I found him stood behind the bar patting his thighs and jutting his pelvis towards me. As if that was going to help him get in my pants. Apparently my earlier threat to put my stiletto through a certain part of his anatomy was not clear enough. So I tried again; simply stating that he shouldn't do that because he hasn't got anything I want. This finally seemed to do the trick. So I'm curious, why does alcohol make men think they are invincible and irresistible?

My Leading Lady

Jennifer Angell/ Emmanuelle Vaugier

Detective Angell may not have been a lead character in the series but she certainly won my heart. She comes across as tough and can certainly take care of herself. Throughout the series we got to see several side to her, including her light-hearted and more flirty nature during the course of her relationship with Don. One thing that is a definitive part of who she is is her ability to do her job and to do it well. As with most of the characters her jobs is very important to her, a constant throughout her life. Coming from a family of police, its hardly surprising that that's the path her life took. I'm sure I'm not the only one who shed a tear when her life was taken, but she fought well and went down shooting. Over all she came across as a bit of a tomboy but she combined it perfectly with her femininity and beauty. The result was a unique balance that could only be Detective Angell.