Megan Kelly and Donald Trump

The only thing I will say about Megyn Kelly's absurd interview the other night with Donald Trump on Fox -- in which each tried to prove how more powerful than the other they were -- is:  why ask questions if one is not prepared to follow through?  When Kelly asked Trump his favorite movie and Trump said "Citizen Kane" Kelly did not follow up at all, when she easily could have asked what he liked about that movie about a powerful man who was his own worst enemy and treated the women in his life badly (I would not expect any appreciation of its innovative style from either person)  When she asked his favorite book he said "All Quiet on the Western Front" and again she did not follow up, when she could easily have asked why someone as militaristic and belligerent as he is liked Remarque's novel about WWI, perceived by many as anti-war.  My educated guess is that Trump has not seen Welles's movie or read Remarque's book and, judging by Kelly's non-response to each of Trump's answers she has not seen the movie or read the book either!

The Good Wife 2009-2016

The Good Wife may be the last of its kind, the last TV show that has 22 episodes a year of relatively high quality.  All credit to Robert and Michelle King, who created the show and stayed with it from beginning to end (they wrote and directed the final episode).  And all credit to Julianna Margulies, who stayed with the show for its entire run, with her plastic surgery being done gradually so that her blank and relatively inexpressive face helped to express her isolation at the end of the show, when she was left without her boyfriend, her best friend, her husband (a divorce at last) and children (off to college).

When I was growing up TV shows had the same characters but plots did not generally overlap from episode to episode. This all changed with Hill Street Blues, Steven Bochco's show that started in 1981 and was followed by high-quality shows such as L.A. Law, ER and The West Wing.  The rise of these shows coincided with the rise of the VCR and the internet:  if you missed a show you might have a friend who taped it or you might be able to watch it on-line.  No more graduation ceremonies postponed so that everyone could watch the finale of MASH.  Now we even have "on demand" for most shows; one doesn't even need a DVR or internet connection (though one cannot fast forward through the commercials.

Alicia Florick, Margulies character, was intelligent and resilient, especially in her work as an attorney.  Her real love was lawyer Will Gardner (played by Josh Charles), who died in season five and whom she never stopped loving.  One of the reasons the show was able to remain lively was the regular introduction of new characters, including a new partner for Alicia (Lucca, played by Cush Jumbo) and a new boyfriend (Jason, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in the final season. And the writing was always excellent, with detailed and interesting legal cases and constant battles among the lawyers.