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Neighbor Sienna comes for a visit…

A trip to Spirited Tart and Coffee…

Ear tuck?  Yes/No

The morning routine…

Scrapping with Bubbie…

Sniffing out his Advent calendar…

Treat spotting…

Tuna puffs…

The post November 30, 2025: Sharky Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

It all comes down to this.  Choose…

VS

I’m going with Carter.  You?

Next up, we’ll be selecting our Science Officer so I have a feeling that whoever loses out there may still end up a part of the crew.

And another 2025 Crime Read recommendation brings my list of recommended titles up to 41 (out of 380 books)…

They All Fall the Same by Wes Browne

Depending on how busy I am next year, I’m thinking of keeping up my torrid reading pace, but switching from crime to the sci-fi genre.  What do you think?

An organized crime boss in Kentucky believes money and power are everything until his enterprise collides with a family tragedy.

My hapless Snow Monkeys may see their season come to a premature end this weekend in fantasy football play.  If they can survive this week, they have another must-win game next week…and then must rely on one of the teams ahead of us losing out in order to capture that final playoff spot.  It would truly be a Christmas miracle.

The post November 29, 2025: The Saturday Report! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

This episode first aired on January 10 1994. The tie Fielding Chase wears in the opening scene is the same tie that Lauren Staton bought Columbo in ‘It’s All In The Game’. Fielding Chase’s gorgeous home sat on 22 acres and boasted 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. Built in 1983, it was owned by Elvis Presley. This episode was written by Peter S. Fischer who also wrote such standout episodes as “Publish or Perish”, “A Friend in Deed”, and “Negative Reaction”. Dennis Dugan, who directed this episode, would go on to direct Happy Gilmore (1996). My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…  He’s the Joe Rogan of 90’s talk radio! “The environmental chicken littles who scare people like you.” Al Gore predicted that 20 years later, the Arctic would be ice-free. Devastating. Prediction for him. Fielding lives in a castle!  Field deep-sixes his daughter’s book. What a jerk! “What’re you going to do, kill me?”Uttered in front of witnesses no less. He tells his daughter her book just wasn’t good enough and its poor quality might be used against him by his enemies. Not sure how but I guess better safe than sorry. This is a well-planned murder. The handkerchief is a bit of an obvious touch. Ah, intro Columbo and his backfiring Peugeot. “Not at eyewitness, sir.  An EARwitness.” Columbo considering one of those cancer-causing phones. Don’t do it, Columbo! Columbo yukking it up with the cop who my wife would describe as “an easy laugher”. “Jerry was gay, lieutenant.” Dum dum daaaaah! Columbo questions how Fielding knew the victim was shot in the back. Fielding’s explanation, that Jerry would have mentioned seeing someone over the phone if he was facing his murderer, is clearly hogwash. No doubt Columbo has already made him his prime suspect. “Oh, right. I completely forget I conveniently had the entire murder recorded.” Shatner is absolutely brilliant in this episode. At first, she couldn’t find the extra key to his place but, later, she found it. Hmmmm. “These rock guys they give me an earache,”says Columbo. But in “Murder of a Rock Star” he seemed to be enjoying his wife’s singing. It was her father’s idea that she work that afternoon. Hmmmm. The circumstantial evidence continues to mount. Love this bit of Columbo being mistaken for a homeless extra. “Nice shoes. I like the touch.” “For heaven’s sake please don’t try to act.” All extras should heed this advice. Columbo ruins the shot – just like he did in “Fade in to Murder”, another episode guest-starring William Shatner as the murderer. Aha! Dry pancake make-up on the discarded handkerchief and the gun. Again, shades of “Fade in to Murder”. His lover has an alibi! Why would Fielding ask this woman about the Senator’s illegitimate love child, thereby tipping his hand before the interview? More importantly, why, after learning Fielding has this information, does she not tip the Senator off before his appearance on the radio show? 10-12 million listeners a night! Columbo on getting a Fielding’s autograph for his cousin Dominic: “He’’ll get a kick out of this.  Dominic, he doesn’t have much of a life.” “Anything I can’t stand is lukewarm tea.”  Not me. I love my tea lukewarm. Who the hell can drink hot tea? Oh, his daughter is angered by his decision to publish an unsubstantiated story. Fielding discovers Columbo in his office. A classic Columbo move. The view out the office window is the same phony backdrop from the film set. I like this bit of Columbo having to put out the flaming waste paper basket while never getting to the point. Columbo suspects the handkerchief was planted. “There is, sir, just one more thing.”“Lieutenant, there’s always just one more thing.  Do you have a problem with short term memory?  Perhaps you should consult with a physician.”Great. Phone company has no record of Fielding making the call from his home phone.  Fielding clarifies he never said he made it from home.  He made it from his car.  “That would explain it!”says Columbo.  Would explain the four minute window between shot and call to 911.  Columbo is relieved he was able to explain it for him. “Well, well, well.  The ubiquitous lieutenant Columbo.” This is kind of a sad and sweet story about him taking in the young girl after her mother dies. Adds some depth to his character. He ambushes the Senator. Again, I don’t understand the point of the previous restaurant scene outside of serving as a wholly expository somewhat illogical beat. His daughter is going to New York. Now he’s done it! Columbo claims he has a suspect who says Fielding offered him 10k to kill Jerry. Off to the station they go! Never trust a cyclist. Love this suspenseful beat of Fielding going for the gun in his trunk. Oh, here comes the bike cavalry! Did Columbo really need to bring Fielding to this location and set up the whole bit? Couldn’t he have just told him all this about the phone back at his place? No, I guess it wouldn’t have proven quite as dramatically impactful I suppose. Yes, I had some logic issues with this episode. And, yes, I did find Shatner’s ever-changing mustache kind of maddening. Still, Falk and Shatner are terrific, especially in the scenes they share and there are several fun beats. The Gotcha set-up is wholly unnecessary but hugely entertaining nevertheless. Even though some Columbo aficionados rank this one in the middle of the pack when it comes to New Columbo, I’d rank it as one of my favorites. P.S. Can someone explain the title to me? Next episode, Columbo goes undercover in the appropriately titled “Undercover!

The post November 28, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch continues with…”Butterfly in Shades of Grey”! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

We’ve done The Twilight Zone (1959), The Outer Limits (1973), and are finishing up Columbo (1971).  So what classic series should be our next rewatch? Thinking something a little lighter like The Flintstones (1960), Spider-Man (1967), Batman (1966), or Get Smart (1965).  Thoughts?

A couple more 2025 crime read recommendations (Ticking up towards a Top 40 of the 375 books I checked out this year)…

North Country by Matt Bondurant

After taking a job as an enforcer for a local kingpin, Tom Kaiser spirals through the underbelly of drugs and crime, discovering the roots of evil run deep in the North Country.

Venetian Vespers by John Banville1899. Struggling writer Evelyn Dolman and his new bride visit Venice for their honeymoon, but a series of inexplicable events soon have him questioning his sanity.We move on to the semifinals of our Choose Your First Officer/Second-in-Command tournament!Choose… VS Choose… VS Who you got?Tomorrow, we discuss the next episode on our Columbo rewatch, “Butterfly in Shades of Grey”, guest-starring the ever-terrific William Shatner.

The post November 27, 2025: What’s our next rewatch? Two more 2025 Crime Read recommendations! And Choose Your First Officer/Second-in-Command – The Final Four! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

A few that caught my eye this week…

Black Cat #4 – cover art by Derrick Chew

Black Cat #4 – cover art by Inhyuk Lee

The Mortal Thor #4 – cover art by Inhyuk Lee

Uncanny X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis – cover art by Chris Bachalo

Batman/Green Arrow: The Question Arcadia #1 – cover art by Gabriel Hardman

Detective Comics #1103 – cover art by Mikel Janin

Detective Comics #1103 – cover art by Greg Smallwood

Detective Comics #1103 – cover art by Lee Garbett

Robot + Girl #10 – cover art by Courtney Costello

So, which were YOUR favorites?

The post November 26, 2025: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Now it gets harder.  On to the Elite Eight.  Choose…

VS

Choose…

VS

Choose…

VS

Choose…

VS

Personally, I’m going Ivanova, Carter, Chakotay, and Spock.

A couple more 2025 Crime Fiction releases to put on your radar…

My Father’s House by Ulf Kvensler

After accepting an invitation to meet his estranged father at a remote island retreat, Isak soon finds himself thrown into a twisted psychological game of life and death.

The Botanist’s Assistant by Peggy Townsend

A murder in the science lab shatters a woman’s quiet and ordered life when she decides she must solve the crime herself.

The post November 25, 2025: Choose Your First Officer/Second-in-Commmand (The Elite Eight)! Plus two more 2025 Crime Read Recommendations! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

This episode first aired October 31, 1993.

This episode was written by Peter Falk who wrote a first draft back in the 70’s, shelved it, submitted it for consideration in the 80’s only to have it deemed not good enough, shelved it, then rewrote it and finally had it accepted in the 90’s. Of course, it probably helped that he was the show’s sole Executive Producer.

Faye Dunaway won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Lauren Staton in this episode.

Dawn Wells, who played Mary-Anne on Gilligan’s Island, can be glimpsed as a guest in the opening party sequence.

Joe Finnegan, who played Barney the restaurant owner in this episode, made 13 appearances on Columbo, portraying 11 different characters including Lieutenant Duffy and the Chief of Police.

My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…

Love both Faye Dunaway and Claudia Christian.

The women he is two-timing are plotting against him.

Using an electric blanket to keep the body warm – I’ve seen this episode! “Suitable for Framing”.

The lights are out. In retrospect, is there any real reason they had to cut the power? Lauren could have just stepped in from the other room and just shot him all the same, no? What does the “lights out” get us – besides providing some clues for Columbo to follow later?

“No, it’s the other woman.” And bang. Sorry, more like thwp. She uses a suppressor. The ladies came prepared!

Are these two women lovers? Kind of risqué for the 90’s, no?

Mighty weird for the hostess to call it quits while her party is in full swing.

The accomplice firing the shot to establish a false timeline – I’ve seen this episode! Again, “Suitable for Framing”.

Columbo at the crime scene with his hardboiled eggs.

Water in the freezer tray. Hmmm.

Clocking the thermostat. Hmmm.

“She’s a knockout,”the cop tells Columbo, referring to the grieving woman in the next room.

Columbo primping before the questioning. Wants to looks his best…in his pajamas.

Love the fact he asks for his coffee back at the end of the interview.

Love this bit of Columbo pouring Dog some water in a giant mixing bowl.

“Some people they can take the sun. Not me. I start sweating. It comes right out through my shirt. But mostly my feet. I guess that’s why I have such soft feet. Perspiration softens them up.” Columbo, you old smooth talker you. What lady can resist sweat-softened feet?

Not sure about feet, but Lauren likes the smell of cigars. A woman after Columbo’s heart!

He is unusually spry questioning THIS witness.

“There’s something about him. I can’t put my finger on it,”she tells her accomplice. “I think he likes me.” Reveal Columbo stalking her.

There was no poker game being played the night Nick was killed despite him telling her there was. She redirects the questioning by taking off his tie and getting him a new one – I’ve seen this episode before! “Requiem for a Falling Star”.

“I love you.” “I love you.” They ARE lovers.

Columbo helping himself to the dead man’s peanut butter and raisins. Why let them go to waste?

Columbo tells Barney “She’s making a play for me.” He is clearly flattered.

She adjusts his tie as he goes on about electricity – then blows in his ear. Another distraction. A weird one. Then she kisses him. Twice! He seems receptive. Refresh my memory, did Mrs. Columbo actually die in “Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo”?

“Do you drink in the afternoon.”
“No but I do in the evening.”
Liar. He was always day-drinking through those early episodes. Clearly, he’s playing her. And I don’t know how I feel about that.

“What’s your first name?”
“Lieutenant.”
Great.

She has potential answers to all of his burning questions. Always a mistake on the part of the killer.

“He’s fun to be with,”she confides. “I really like him.” Uh, he IS married.

Aha! He has traced the call to Lisa Fiore!

Does he have a warrant to search her place?

“You’ve come to tell me there’s one more thing.”
Great.

The quirky romantic music that plays at the end of every scene they share is a little on-the-nose.

He gets her flowers. What a hopeless romantic. Or a surprisingly devious detective.

She explains their problems. His problem is his report Her problem is that she’s attracted to him. Uh, isn’t his wife both of their problems?

The background music is mixed too loudly in some of these scenes. I can barely hear the dialogue.

Awkward/goofy Columbo is a little cringe.

He seems disappointed with himself as he checks out his reflection in the mirror and removes his tie. Having second thoughts about the game he is playing.

Hooboy. The giggly cleaner. ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF!
Actress Shelley Morrison, who plays the maid here, would go on to find fame playing maid Rosario Salazar on Will & Grace.

He makes her his world famous peanut butter and raisin sandwich. Didn’t Nick have anything else in the pantry?

She got him a dog bed. What a great gift!

His line of questioning about her relationship with Nick has set her off. Their first fight.

Lauren enters to discover the police questioning her accomplice. And going at her pretty hard. Where is her lawyer? Also, I feel like I’ve seen this episode – “Mind Over Mayhem”.

Columbo recognizes the hand-carved one-of-a-kind chair in both photos. Hmmm.

He releases Lisa and tells her to leave the country. “Lauren wants it this way.”

In exchange for her signed confession.

Lisa is her daughter! What a twist!

I do feel sorry for her. That creep deserved to die.

“I’m ready. Thanks for the flowers.”
Kind of heart-breaking.

And gives his tie away.

Back at the diner, Barney asks him how he could do that to a woman he had feelings for. Columbon implies it was all a ruse and says he’s going bowling with his wife. Cold.

There was a lot to like about this episode. Falk is great, as always, and the guest stars are outstanding, especially Dunaway. I really did like Lauren as a character and thought her a worthy adversary for Columbo. I also loved the final twist that reveals Lisa is her daughter. On the other hand, while I really like the idea of this episode, I just had a hard time buying into her clunky attempts to seduce him and his goofball “lovestruck” antics – made even worse by the fact that he is playing her throughout. We do hint at the fact that Columbo second-guesses his strategy (that glance in the mirror), but it still feels pretty conniving for this character, especially when we find out that Lauren committed the murder out of a desperate attempt to save her daughter.

Overall, though, a pretty enjoyable episode, especially within the context of the New Columbo Era.

Next episode, William Shatner returns in “Butterfly in Shades of Grey”!

The post November 24, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch continues with…”It’s All in the Game”! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Sharky is going caroling!

Shark(y) Attack!

Sharky doing some banking.

Chatty!

Out and About – Ratelier…

Sneezy!

The post November 23, 2025: Sharky Sunday! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

Choose!

VS

Choose!

VS

Choose!

VS

Choose!

VS

Choose!

VS

Choose!

VS

Choose!

VS

Choose!

VS

VS

Who ya got?

The post November 22, 2025: Choose your First Officer/Second-in-Command (The Sweet Sixteen)! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

This episode for aired November 22, 1992

This is the only episode where Columbo is actually at the scene to witness the murder.

This is the only episode where Columbo must contend with THREE murders.

The football footage shown pitting the fictional Stallions against Elks at the beginning is actually old footage from the Canadian Football League featuring the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Edmonton Eskimos…who eventually changed their name to the Elks.

Holy! Our old friend Don S. Davis in the opening titles!

Written by Jackson Gillis who scripted classics like “Suitable for Framing”, “Requiem for a Falling Star”, “Double Shock”, and “Troubled Waters”. This bodes well!

It’s BJ from BJ and the Bear!

And Cagney! Or is it Lacey?

Whoa! I thought Delores was his mom – up until the point where she kisses him full on the lips.

Kicking on third down? This IS the CFL.

Oh, man, I feel his pain. My Snow Monkey are floundering in my fantasy football league.

A thrilling but highly implausible turn-of-events for the Stallions.

Clearly marked “EXPLOSIVE POWDER”. Not exactly an inspired name for the product.

It’s a manual titled “How to Make a Pipe Bomb”. The subtle foreshadowing! Next let’s have a scene of him online checking out the article: “How to kill your wealthy football team-owning uncle”.

What?! Big Fred was the victim of a hit-and-run? What a twist!

Harold driving onto the estate with the grief-stricken widow looks…mighty suspicious. They seem very…close.

Finding Columbo in the car is a funny bit that also adds some tension when you realize it contains the bomb.

“And if we have to move it, I’m sure we can find the key.” Uh oh.

Loving this tense little sequence. That car bomb is like Chekov’s Gun.

Someone stole the gardener’s truck to commit the hit-and-run!

Another wonderfully suspenseful little moment of Harold ALMOST retrieving the bomb – only to be interrupted.

Well, all these cars can back up…OR someone could move the Rolls.

Oh no! Poor Fernando, blown to smithereens.

Delores wants to fire GM Don!

The camera crew has footage of the bomb going off. I suspect this will come in handy down the line.

The poor salesman as Columbo crawls under the car and asks for a pair of pliers.

Why is he drawing a crowd of onlookers? What is so amusing about him crawling under a car? This bit is just weird.

Aha. The scuff marks his heels left on the showroom floor!

Why are these people applauding? I guess this is supposed to be…funny?

“If he’s left-handed, like you are…”Columbo tells Harold.

“Those Beverly Hills cowboy boots. The ones I’ve seen you wearing.” Oh, he is so cooked.

Delores finally cuts Harold off. The gravy train has stopped running! Is he going to have to kill her?

No. Worse (for him). He’s going to blackmail her because he knows she’s responsible for Big Fred’s death.

Who is going to kill who first?

She packs away…her milk?

“But, Harold – this is the last time.” As she racks the slide on her gun.

Police have been called to the scene. Harold is dead. This is a fun episode!

Columbo is running late because he’s been working on a crossword puzzle. Wonder if one of the crossword answers will figure into a crime scene revelation. [Spoiler alert: It does not.]

It doesn’t look like the usually sympathetic Columbo is buying Delores’s sob story.

Why is Columbo instructing the photographer to snap photos of Dolores’s car? Dolores is clearly uncomfortable.

Aha! The 2:30 to Chicago was circled. How convenient.

Looks like the bed wasn’t slept in.

5k found in his boot. Where else would you keep your cash? Loose change goes in your shoes.

The way Columbo is handling those damp, cheesy socks makes me shudder.

Okay, with the invitation to the poker tourney we’ve clearly established this guy never went to bed.

“Either Harold was lying to Dolores, or Dolores was lying to us.”

In reviewing footage of the car bomb going off, we note that Harold flinches BEFORE the explosion. Not really, but close enough I guess.

Columbo is laying it out for Delores, catching her out on her lies. This is the clever Columbo I have missed.

Also, Columbo admits his feet sweat: “Very bad”.

Aha! Freshly cut hairs inside Harold’s cowboy hat found at her place upends her timeline!

“You’ve been a big help, Bertie. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.” But don’t feel sorry for Bertie. He will some day go on to command a secret military operation beneath Cheyenne Mountain.

Her outfit makes her look like the statue of liberty. Assuming that was intentional?

Well, I really enjoyed this episode. I think one of the big reasons is that, aesthetically, it didn’t FEEL to me like a 90’s episode. It had all of the charm and look of classic Columbo. It also helped that we had a terrific script from series veteran Jackson Gillis, a story with some fun twists and turns that, while atypical for the show, was still very much in the spirit of its predecessors. Sure, some of the clues and detective work felt a little clunky and easy, but that’s on par with Columbo’s. There were, admittedly, a few grips – the crowd of bewilderingly delighted spectators to Columbo’s show room antics, and the fact that neither Harold nor Delores possessed the gravitas or charisma of past murderers – but still, all in all, a surprisingly enjoyable episode.

Will the next episode, “It’s All in the Game”, continue the show’s current win streak? Written by Peter Falk and guest-starring two of my favorites in Faye Dunaway and Claudia Christian. This also bodes very well.

The post November 21, 2025: The Columbo rewatch continues with…”A Bird in the Hand”! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.