There's also Red Storm Rising — not a Jack Ryan universe book, but would nonetheless make for a cool TV miniseries.   I think I agree with you on the rest of the the books.

I got a Chi-tilly from a street vendor once.  Gave me the worst gas I ever had.

I've said it before, I'll say it again:  Eugene is one of the unsung heroes of modern comedy.  Go watch everything he's ever done.  Now.  GO!

Maybe there's something seriously wrong with me (probably the case), or maybe I'm just learning to selectively tune out the worst parts of the show as I'm watching…. but I thought this episode was great.  Stupid, campy, ridiculous fun plus the fab Derek/Tom showdown.  (And some crap with the boyfriend and dick…

If I were Tony's wife, I'd insist on two things going forward:

Odenkirk was the politician having the affair whose SUV Stan was sleeping behind.

Manimal 2012.  Let's make it real.

"Rash"

Maybe SNL will do a sketch where a girl is terrified of having "Smash" in her closet….

The net result of last night's show:  I appreciate Pat Benatar about 1000 times more than I did the day before.

God, Traveller…. haven't thought about that game in years.  It really was a great game, if you had the right people to play/run it.  But as an introduction to RPGs?  Dayam no.  That's like taking a first-day-of-class med student and throwing him into the OR to do brain surgery.

I'm now at the point where I'm watching solely because of Jack.  And Megan Hilty, who is gamely soldiering on as best she can.

They should cast Al Pacino as Mickey Mantle….

Lucy reference.

I was uncontrollably thrilled when Eugene Mirman actually hit the Hairy Mary level of screechiness in some of Gene's lines.  Between this and Lucy and Conchords and Delocated, he is truly the unsung hero of comedy.

Which was also genius.

Just for the record — Mr. Spoon did not invent the hoecake or the concept of "hoecake".  It's what the rest of the US refers to as "jonnycakes" -it's basically cornmeal cooked up into a cake.  It's called "hoecake" because you can (and many did) cook it on the blade of a hoe, stuck into a fire.

Her character here would be much funnier if it was just a grown-up version of Louise.

Because nobody else has, I'm going to say it:  Georgia Engel is still freakin' awesome.

Me too.  I thought it was pretty good.  Absurd, yes — but pretty good.