Thanks CineCraft.  It's comments like yours that make the AV Club special, and the main reason I return.  The commentators here bring a depth of knowledge that really deepen my understanding of my favorite pop culture.  I very much hope that you continue to be a regular on The Bridge.

Speaking of Pizza Hut in China, they are now removing salad bars because people were building huge towers of food to get the most out of their one-plate-per-visit.

I thought it was Sophie B. Hawkins that did it first.

Aaron Paul looks like he's in a hostage situation.

@avclub-e129a878f7b0e5aa9ac09e0282f64ea6:disqus  I'm older than you, the competitions were in the mid-'80s.  I remember the second year I went, the classroom where I actually took the test was pretty run-down and grimy looking.  But the gym where we gathered was nice, and so were the outside grounds when we were on…

That story of playing tic-tac-toe is a winner.  I'm going to ask my friend's kid who plays catcher if he's ever done that.

Hey Don Bosco!  My junior high went to a math competition there every year.  I came in 3rd one year.  That campus seemed so nice to my adolescent eyes.

Has anyone finished off Raymond Feist's Riftwar series?  I stopped a few years ago around At The Gates of Darkness, when I started reading A Song of Ice and Fire.  George R.R. Martin's grittiness and backstabbing seemed to drive a Mack truck through my interest in the Midkemia world.  I was thinking of getting back…

I'll be re-reading AFFC, probably in conjunction with the next season or the season after of the TV show.  I'm expecting to enjoy it more the second time through.  *SPOILERS*  Since Tyrion is my favorite character, I kept reading that book expecting to read one of his POV chapters.  It wasn't until the Author's Note…

I just finished Team of Rivals, and for such a long book, I actually thought it ended kind of abruptly.  I think I wanted to know more about the remaining lives of the people introduced in the book.  It seemed like a a page was given to each of the Cabinet members, just not enough in my opinion, and I wanted to know…

I also want to chime in on the love for Persuasion.  Pride and Prejudice is Austen at her most witty and fun (didn't she describe it as "light, bright, and sparkling"?), but Persuasion's more melancholy themes really struck a chord with me.

I watched the first three of the BBC Sharpe adaptations (Sean Bean!), and have the rest on my Netflix queue.  I hadn't thought to read the books, that might be a good choice.

I went through the Aubrey/Maturin series about six years ago.  As I was reading them, I was struck by how he left a couple of those novels at ridiculous cliffhangers.  I think I would have been going nuts if I had read them as he published them.

I call you and raise you a "Smuggler's Blues".  At least "The Heat Is On" gives some kitschy good vibes from the association with Beverly Hills Cop.  "Smuggler's Blues", a song written for an episode of Miami Vice, gack!

What happened to the sixth paragraph here?

I had the same opinion of Aimee until I saw her bit in the Funny or Die video for the Postal Service Auditions.  http://www.funnyordie.com/v…

As an Eagles fan, I was with Heller until "Disco Strangler".  No.  Just No.  That may be their worst song.

I get even more confused by the chain of Korean supermarkets in Southern California called Zion Market.

I knew that cub reporter looked familiar!  Thanks for pointing her out.  I loved the little moments Emily Rios got in Men of a Certain Age.  I hope she gets to show off her subtle comedic skills on this show.

Too bad this show isn't set at the San Diego - Tijuana border.  I miss me my San Diego sights in Terriers.