TVSquad

Every elementary student knows that April showers bring May flowers, and that Mayflowers bring pilgrims. However, do we really know all there is about the journey these religious hat-loving folk took to the new land? Well, no, we probably don't, because history is always murky and unclear. However, if you're interested in that fateful journey upon the fabled ship, the History Channel is airing Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of The Mayflower, a 180-minute look at what it was like for the people aboard the ship, and what followed when they finally landed on Plymouth Rock.

Most of us know a kind of Cliff's Notes version of the Thanksgiving story: pilgrims left England to escape religious persecution, landed here, made pals with the Native Americans, ate some turkey, and watched the football game. This special, however, looks at the hardships the pilgrims faced on the four-month journey that killed half the crew. The special will feature reenactments based on authentic documentation from the actual events. The special will air on the History Channel on November 19 at 8 pm, and will repeat throughout the week.

(S03E06) You know, this show does it to me every time. I've probably reviewed about 10 episodes of The Office that I have considered classics. Well, you can count this one as number 11.

The episode focused on "Diwali", a major Hindu festival which is celebrated, coincidentally, at this time of the year. In this instance, Kelly has invited the entire staff to a Diwali celebration, and most of the folks are enthusiastic about going, but some, including Angela, are a bit skeptical, if not downright hostile to the idea.

To drum up enthusiasm, Michael convenes a meeting where he attempts to explain "Hindu Halloween" and celebrate the diversity of the Indian/Hindu culture. His presentation includes pictures of famous Indians, and one of them was Apu from The Simpsons, which elicited guffaws from this blogger. Absolute brilliance from the writers.

Anna Paquin will star opposite of Aidan Quinn in the HBO movie, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, about how the Native Americans were displaced as the United States moved westward. Paquin will play Elaine Goodale Eastman, a writer who stood up for Native American rights back in the late 1800s. She opened a school on the Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, where she witnessed the Wounded Knee massacre. Production begins this month in Calgary and, interestingly, the project is being executive produced by Law and Order creator Dick Wolf. No air date is set for the HBO movie.

Anna Paquin won an Oscar at the age of eleven for her role in The Piano, co-starring with Holly Hunter. Of course, she's also in The X-Men movies, and she has a supporting role in one of my all-time favorite movies, Almost Famous.

(S05E16) So I'm sitting in my new apartment, all alone, it's quiet as hell, and I'm watching the opening of The Family Guy and they show a scene from JAG. And I laughed, very loudly, all alone in my apartment. I felt kinda silly, but when Mac asks Harm if anyone even watches the show anymore and he says, "not really, they don't really pay attention" then looks at the camera and says "Remember the forties?" I just lost it.

Sure, JAG isn't even on anymore, but it was still funny.