Is this not the happiest-looking face you've ever seen? I swear I cannot help smiling back.

"The winner of the Saidye Bronfman Award for excellence in the fine crafts was also announced. The 2007 recipient is Paul Mathieu, a native of Bouchette, Que., who lives in Vancouver.

Mathieu has had 20 solo exhibitions of his ceramics, which he describes as 'handmade, very permanent, tactile, functional and based on direct physical experience in its making and appreciation.' "

-from this webpage

***

I have always liked Hank Azaria, so when I saw he was starring in a new television series, Huff, I made sure to watch it. Huff is a psychiatrist who, in the very first episode, witnesses the suicide of a teenage client in his office. A malpractice suit is brought by the boy’s parents, so Huff’s old friend, a lawyer, is called upon. This character, played to sleazy perfection by Oliver Platt, lives a risky lifestyle centred on illicit drugs and sex with strangers, while managing his courtroom work brilliantly. Back at Huff’s home, Blythe Danner is his self-righteous mother, a bitch who lives in the guesthouse and antagonizes his wife, an upscale party planner with whom he enjoys a passionate marriage. Their 14-year-old son is too mature, respectful and well-adjusted to be true, but you can’t help loving the kid.

I’ve seen all three episodes and will be trying to remember to watch the rest. Oliver Platt’s portrayal of the full-speed-ahead lawyer should win him an Emmy Award, and Blythe Danner’s role, too, will win her accolades. She makes my teeth grind— if she was my mother-in-law, she’d be kicked off my property long ago— while Platt’s lascivious lawyer is a trainwreck waiting to happen but I can’t take my eyes off him.

NP: Colin James & the Little Big Band, 3

*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,