Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Hotel deLuxe - Portland, OR

The re-opening of the Hotel deLuxe (formerly the Mallory Hotel) was the place to be last Wednesday night, as Portland's movers and shakers lined up to throw back free booze while rubbing elbows with Ted "Still the Governor" Kulongoski, and actors Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers (because Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn are dead). The biggest changes to the 93-year-old hotel? Owners Aspen Hotel Group, which also owns Portland's Hotel Lucia, added a new silver-screen theme and—it looks like—went on a major cleaning binge. And yes, as promised, the management has also reopened the hotel's beloved Rat Pack-style bar, the Driftwood Room.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

'Boston Legal' 2-Hour Finale Goes Hollywood

ABC will present the season finale of its hit legal drama, Boston Legal, on Tuesday, May 16 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) in a special two-hour block. In the first part of the broadcast, "Spring Fever," Denny Crane and Alan Shore travel to the Los Angeles office of Crane, Poole & Schmidt for business and wind up unexpectedly taking on a case with a decidedly Hollywood flavor.

Once there, they spend time with senior partner Barry Goal (Robert Wagner), a powerful and cagey attorney who, like Crane, is no stranger to the spotlight. Back in Boston, Shirley Schmidt must once again defend Professor Clifford Cabot (Ed Begley, Jr.), this time on charges of soliciting a prostitute -- an act he claims was purely for the purposes of academic research. Denise Bauer and Marlene Stanger (Parker Posey), who are both vying for partnership at the firm, compete to assist Schmidt in the case. Meanwhile, Brad Chase's teenaged niece is accused of giving pharmaceutical drugs to a boy at a party and is charged with his murder.

In the second part, "BL: Los Angeles,", Alan Shore takes on the attempted murder trial of the beautiful and sexy Courtney Rae (Jeri Ryan), a Hollywood celebrity who shot a paparazzo she felt was a threat to her life. Meanwhile both Denny Crane and the LA firm's senior partner, Barry Goal, are captivated with Ms. Rae.

Denise Bauer thinks the sly new associate, Marlene Stanger, will ruin her chances of making partner, so she employs some back-stabbing techniques of her own. And, after Brad Chase's sister fires him from defending his teenaged niece at her murder trial, the girl takes it upon herself to re-hire her uncle.

Monday, May 01, 2006

At the Movies: `Hoot'

This should be a real hoot: A film based on a Carl Hiaasen novel, produced by Jimmy Buffett and featuring songs by him, with both Florida boys appearing in small roles.

Robert Wagner pops in for a bit part at the end as the town's mayor and delivers the movie's funniest line.

The Towering Inferno: Special Edition DVD