This week, Cat is on the prowl in New York City with special guest Mary-Louise Parker. The ladies attend the Emery Awards, where Mary-Louise is honored by the Hetrick-Martin Institute for her support of the LGBTQ community. Tim Gunn hosts, out actor Cheyenne Jackson croons (and almost turns Cat straight) and the youth of Harvey Milk High School inspire.

Then Mary-Louise shows off her "wingwoman" skills when she and Cat cruise for chicks in the never-before-seen sketch that was the inspiration for Cat on the Prowl.

Look for a new episode of Cat on the Prowl every Wednesday afternoon. For more information on Cat, visit www.myspace.com/catdaviscomedy.

The grass is always greener on the other side of California. At least, that's what Nancy Botwin is hoping in Season 4 of Weeds. (Fair warning: spoilers ahead.) If you're still catching up on Season 3, just move along, folks: nothing to see here – except Mary Louise Parker, of course.

Still with us? OK, first, I feel the need to get a little Season 3 hangover out of the way. In an apparent effort to prove that they have first-hand experience with their subject matter, Showtime producers have entered Mary-Kate Olsen in the Emmy Award race for best guest actress. Olsen played Tara, Silas' Bible-thumping, pot-inhaling girlfriend. Interesting stunt casting, sure. Emmy worthy? Well, you decide.

Whatever your opinion of the performance, Mary-Kate's role apparently went up with smoke along with Weeds' fictional setting, Agrestic. The Botwins have high-tailed it to Ren Mar, a beach community near the San Diego/Mexico border. Unfortunately, two of the show's more interesting regulars, Conrad (Romany Malco) and Heylia (Tonye Patano), didn't make the move. (Although a late-breaking rumor has it that they may show up from time to time.)

That’s sad news, as far as I’m concerned. I will especially miss Heylia, whose diva dealer attitude was a nice foil for Nancy. But the changing of the ganja guard is in keeping with a new direction in the story line for Season 4 – and a necessary one at that, since Nancy no longer is a naïve widow forced to sell pot to pay the bills. “What began in the original pilot as a suburban housewife who was making ends meet by dealing dime bags has turned into the story of a woman who is a drug dealer,” executive producer Roberto Benabib told the New York Post. “As she’s changed, the show has changed.” … continue reading

And with that question, film critic Joe Queenan isn't questioning movies like Beowulf or 300, with CGI background or characters. I might have been with him on that.

No, Queenan is lamenting what the advent of the information age has done to movies. His case in point: Psycho. If it were set in today's world, TripAdvisor.com and her PDA could save Janet Leigh from that fatal shower at the Bates motel.

I sort of see his point: I'm as tired of post-Matrix computer-age drivel as anyone else. But the pre-cell-phone-era films Queenan applauds, such as Beowulf, American Gangster, and No Country for Old Men, have something in common (aside from limiting cutting-edge technology to spear manufacturing or bolt pistols): a decided lack of strong female roles. You might as well call the Coen brothers' movie No Country for Women at All. … continue reading

Food is a good thing. That is my profound post-Thanksgiving pronouncement. My mother is an extraordinary, amazing cook — a fact I remember acutely when I visit my parents. By virtue of having grown up in a home with good food, I've continued to appreciate good food all my life. And it's still a connection I share with my mother: I call her when I've had a great meal, when I've cooked something interesting and when I've seen a good food movie.

So, in the spirit of the overeating I've been doing at my parents' home for the past few days, I've been thinking about some of my favorite food movies. These are not all great movies, and they are not necessarily the greatest food movies, but they're all food movies that I've enjoyed, and that came to mind recently.

1. What's Cooking? (2000)

What's Cooking? is the no-brainer. First, we have gay-friendly director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham). Then there's the mouthwatering multi-ethnic Thanksgiving food prepared by Joan Chen, Mercedes Ruehl, Alfre Woodard, Julianna Margulies and Kyra Sedgwick, among others. Last, and most important, we have Julianna Margulies and Kyra Sedgwick as perhaps the most attractive and appealing lesbian couple in the history of movie lesbians.

Yes, the movie has its flaws. (Every time I watch, I cannot believe the Vietnamese college student tells his parents he's not coming home for Thanksgiving and then goes to his girlfriend's house. Across the street from his parents' house.) But then Julianna Margulies flexes her perfect arms, and she and Kyra Sedgwick giggle over the turkey baster. And all is well in the world. … continue reading

Last weekend, I stumbled across a strange little movie that is likely not playing at a theater near you. (Unless you live in New York. Then it's playing at the Quad Cinema.) The movie, Romance and Cigarettes, was written and directed by John Turturro and has what may be the best ensemble cast in the history of weird little independent movies.

James Gandolfini plays the lead, and his odd best friend is Steve Buscemi. His wife is Susan Sarandon.

His girlfriend is Kate Winslet. … continue reading

In a somewhat ironically timed announcement, one of the best-written shows on television has been renewed for a fourth season.

Weeds, Showtime's most popular original show, is due to start production in April for a summer 2008 premiere. If the writers strike isn't settled fairly quickly, that schedule will, of course, change. (Hey, producer/mogul types, just give the writers their fair share of DVD and new media sales, mm-kay?) But whenever the next season is, I'm happy we'll be seeing more of the ever-hot Mary-Louise Parker, who plays pot-selling mom Nancy Botwin, and Elizabeth Perkins as her frustrated foil, Celia Hodes.

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Weeds' third season has managed to stay original and funny, with enough twists to keep me hooked. (No way to say that without a drug pun.)

Believe it or not, 2007 is quickly winding down. The new year will be upon us before you know it. As a result, I am currently trying to decide which new calendar will adorn my sparsely decorated cubicle in the coming year. Really, the idea of shopping around for a new calendar is the fault of Sporty, Posh and the rest of the Spice Girls. They will not be adorning my walls, but news of their new 2008 calendar is what prompted my train of thought.

Sure, they're not horrible to look at or anything, but the two-month reunion tour will be more than enough Spice Girls for me. A full 12 months would just be overkill in my world. Paris Hilton has a 2008 calendar too, but any time spent with her would be too much for me.

Instead, I'm thinking something more along the lines of Battlestar Galactica or The L Word. The only problem is, while my cubicle is sparsely decorated, I have room for only one 2008 calendar. And frankly, the options are almost endless. So, instead of shelling out my hard-earned cash for something published by someone else, I decided to create my own calendar for 2008. And what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't share my latest brainstorm with all of you? (A non-working one, that's what kind.) So, for your perusal and enjoyment, here is Siege's 2008 wall calendar.

January — Melissa Etheridge

Her voice alone would keep me warm on a cold January night in the Midwest, and frankly, it has. Oh, to be the lucky farm girl who gets to curl up next to this every night. … continue reading

The current season of Weeds disappointed me at first. I found myself longing for the innocence and quirk of seasons past. (BTW, to enhance that kind of long-term appreciation, you might try Kera Bolonik's new book In the Weeds. It's the best kind of companion book — reading it is like chatting with a fellow fan, albeit an extremely well-informed one.)

But with the demise of U-Turn (a particularly loathsome character, if you ask me) and the arrival of Brooke Smith, I'm back on the Weeds bandwagon. I've been a Smith fan for a long time, since The Silence of the Lambs and Vanya on 42nd Street. She's so ... steady. Intense. She can really hold a gaze or say a line in a way that makes it linger in the air for a while.

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That's why it's pretty funny that she's playing someone rather unhinged on Weeds. [Warning: slight spoilers]

I’d be less than honest if I said I’m excited about Mary-Kate Olsen’s debut on Weeds tonight. My feelings are so mixed that ... well, I can’t think of a metaphor, but I can show you why I’m conflicted. To me, this is Mary-Kate Olsen.

OK, I’m not certain it’s Mary-Kate. It could be Ashley. But you get the point. Don’t you just want to squeeze her cherubic little cheeks? I know she’s 21 and thus officially an adult. I know she would kick my butt if I got anywhere near her cheeks. And I know that now she looks like this.

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But she’ll always be Michelle Tanner to me. Still, I’m looking forward to meeting Tara Lindman, the character Olsen plays in Weeds.

Can we all agree that the American Idolification of the Emmys, what with its theater-in-the-round and hiring of Ryan Seacrest, was a bad idea? A very bad idea. The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards was a largely dull affair interspersed with some worthy winners, fitting send-offs, head-scratching choices and spectacularly bad jokes.Two gags about Hayden Panettiere finally reaching the age of consent? Classy, people, classy. And then there was the bleeping: Brad Garrett making an off-color milk remark about his co-star’s décolletage? Fine. Sally Field making a political statement about “goddamned wars”? Censored. Context, censors, context.

Here's a look at some of the highlights and lowlights from the telecast (for a complete list of winners, go here). Let’s kick things off with Ellen and Portia. Sure, they didn’t win anything. But they did color coordinate. Plus, if you look closely, in the top right corner you’ll see Ellen’s mom.

Tina Fey, Marry Me: Fine, she’s already married. But you can understand my inclination when after winning Best Comedy for 30 Rock, she said, “I want to thank the parents, child, spouse and gay partner of every person that works on our show ... and our dozens and dozens of viewers.” She then told the press backstage that she was going to celebrate by overeating. Sigh. The good ones are always taken.

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We've been hearing an awful lot about the elder stateswomen of Hollywood taking over the airwaves lately. From Glenn Close in Damages, Kyra Sedgwick in The Closer, Sally Field in Brothers & Sisters to Mary-Louise Parker in Weeds, Lili Taylor in State of Mind and Holly Hunter in Saving Grace, women of a certain age have been generating a whole lot of buzz. Even Whoopi Goldberg joining The View could be viewed as part of the "trend."

With all this positivity going on around about these lovely ladies, I'm led to wonder about the future. What I want to know is this: Are any of today's youngsters going to be ready to step up to the plate when these ladies take their final bows and gracefully exit the stage? Now, I know that's likely a long way off, but that doesn't make my curiosity any less. So I decided to don my Carnac the Magnificent-like turban and see if I could find any answers in my crystal ball. Forgive me if said crystal ball provides some somewhat strange replies. The power is on the fritz here due to some nasty thunderstorms last night, and I'm afraid my battery supply is being used elsewhere. (I meant in flashlights, people!) … continue reading

Before we get started, let's take a few minutes to revisit the photos of Mary-Louise Parker that Dorothy Snarker shared several weeks ago. Take your time; I'll wait.

I don't know about you, but those pictures pretty much guarantee I don't inhale. (Come on, I had to say it.) But Parker is just one of the reasons I'm looking forward to the third season premiere of Weeds (tonight at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime).

Weeds has a rare combination of great acting — besides Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Nealon and Justin Kirk star — and superb writing. I care about these characters and I can't wait to see what happens. (My aging Mac won't let me watch online.) And even though the premise of a widowed soccer mom selling pot to make ends meet is outside my realm of experience (honest), I relate to these people.

In fact, I can tell you the scene that hooked me on Weeds. In the second episode, Nancy (Parker) pulls up to a stoplight beside a car with the radio blasting hip-hop and the occupants rocking to the beat. In turn, Nancy turns up the volume of her radio and starts bobbing her head — to the theme music from Public Radio International's The World. That's my kind of dorkiness. … continue reading