The Strange World of Thomas P. Coombe

Mad Men: Bad Santa

  Given the nature of my TV watching habits -- a lot of marathon viewing, either through DVD, the Internet or On Demand -- I find myself watching the designated Christmas episodes of quite a few shows well outside the Christmas season.

 It's always a little off-putting: it's 90 degrees outside, and here's this show with a version of, say, "Let It Snow" playing on the soundtrack.

 Let's give thanks then to Mad Men, for airing a supremely uncomfortable, out-of-season Christmas episode, timed not to get us into the holiday spirit, but to have its characters end 1964 in unpleasant spirits.

Life is a Wheel: LOST, Destiny and Stephen King

  Note: If you still haven't watched last week's Lost, or haven't read Stephen King's The Shining, The Stand or his Dark Tower books, there are spoilers for all those things ahead.

 I don't keep in touch with my friend Phil nearly enough as I should. Consequently, when we do talk, our conversations tend to be pretty lengthy. And in the past few years, our talks always end up making their way towards Lost.

 We're both fans of the show, and both Stephen King readers -- much like the writers of Lost, who claim King as a major influence -- and the conversation turned to a point where the two intersect.