NaT, hon, I didn't watch it last night for the very same reasons you're carping about! I f-ing HATE commercials! I rarely watch anything live bec. I can't f-ing STAND the f-ing things and they drive me f-ing INSANE!!!!! Crap promos for crap shows, and loud commercials for crappy vehicles. "Buy this truck! You'll have to work another job to pay for the gas cuz we don't have to adhere to any mileage regs cuz our buttboy's in the White House, and we hate innovation anyway cuz there's no easy money in it. WE RULE!!!! Suck on it, tree huggers!"

So I'll be watching Empire sometime soon and using the remote.

I thought that "insanely gorgeous" comment in the review was your editorial. Wow, it was the author? People mag gave a similar review - slagging the historical aspect (as in, there is none) and giving props to the players. Made some comment about VR's face going from hard military muscle to looking like he'd been crying after watching Sleepless in Seattle. Feh. I did catch glimpses of him last night in the first several minutes and I likee.

Wasn't the leather cuirass back then just a boiled hide fitted over a form of the torso to dry?

Videotaping shows like this are the best. I had a raging fever that night and I was just so glad to have taped it. Unfortunately, I seem to be obsessed with it. I've seen it like 5 times now. Of course for Vincent's scenes whereas I like skipping any and every scene with Santiago. The boy cannot act. What idiot hired him?!

Lil' Santiago's getting better, but the whole Octavian/Tyrannus story is "meh." I'd much rather keep the story in Rome with Brutus and Cassius and the political dealings/chess match with Antony.

I saw the "pleasure boy" aspect of Episode 2 taking some hits on a political discussion site, calling it good old-fashioned homophobia and disgusting. Maybe, but I was actually thinking of the "pretty boy" label that dogged Octavius (as it did his great-uncle). That's why both of them rogered others' wives left and right - to get a more acceptable reputation.

Oh well, what do I know? Apparently there's tons of gay subtext in "House" between House and Wilson, but I haven't noticed it at all. Me so dumb! People see what they want to see, I guess.

That last mention of pleasure boys reminded me of a book I was reading -- "Goat Song" by Frank Yerby -- perhaps the best trashy novel ever written.

I first came across it by accident in high school, and it totally corrupted my little mind. Just bought a used paperback edition for one penny, and it's worth every cent!

Although I usually don't approve of fictional characters interacting with real people during true events, I'm willing to overlook it this time. The plot may seem a bit melodramatic and the dialogue can be a little coarse, but then you have to remember that it's cunningly modeled on ancient Greek theatre.

If you're interested in writing that's historically accurate, but still sexually exploitive, I highly recommend this fine example of scholarly smut. There were passages that literally made me cackle out loud with unholy glee. As a gay man in a straight girl's body (to paraphrase Eddie Izzard), I find it most entertaining, but it should be required reading for any bi guy.

Here's the Amazon.com link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440129117/qid=1121190355/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/102-2897021-6164905?v=glance&s=books