I was going to compile a top ten list for the year, but then I remembered I hate end-of-the-year top tens. Or should I say, I hate writing them. My memory ain't what it used to be, and I can't remember what I had for lunch yesterday, let alone a TV show I watched back in February that I liked enough to write about again. Also, I'm really, really lazy. So, much like I......

California cuisine means something different to everyone. Some equate it with local, artisanal producers. Some cast it as a Mediterranean cuisine realized with California ingredients and American techniques. But for us, it all comes down to the fennel. Every chef who's come through Chez Panisse's kitchens uses this anisey, wintergreen-colored vegetable. We're pretty sure that if you made a pizza with grilled fennel, meyer lemon-infused artisanal olive oil, and rocket, the space-time continuum would......

These are the dog days of TV watching. There aren't a lot of big summer series starting, and a lot of the networks are instead promoting their re-runs big time. (Such as the aforementioned "Arrested Development" blocks on Friday nights. As well as the return of "Boston Public Legal" on its new night, Tuesdays at 10 p.m.) This is, of course, in an effort to get the excitement rolling for all those season premieres......