TV, VCR, DVR Alert

In case you've been away, really away, you may not be aware that Season Three of 'Downton Abbey' starts on Sunday, January 6. Forget the clever crap that liking 'Downton Abbey' might be like liking '50 Shades of Grey.' This can't possibly be the same audience. Enjoy it with no guilt, and no injuries.

Season Three opens in 1920, so Lord Grantham has surely put the uniform away in storage. It will remain to be seen if the series makes it to WWII and Lord G. attempts to fit into it 19 years or so later. Apparently, 'Downton Abbey' was only supposed to last one season. Whether they make it to WWII will depend on deaths, cast defections, good writing, and continued audience interest.

If Lord G. is around to even try his uniform on he's not going to want to look like he's invading Poland, since Hitler's doing just that. The British health care system will also be on display if they can carry that cast into the 1940s. Stay tuned.

The long-awaited appearance of Lary Cora's American mother is going to unfold in the form of Shirley MacLaine. She's given a suitable number of zingers, and creates a number in return.

Ol' Shirl's name is Martha. This is of course ridiculous. She's no more a 'Martha' than I'm a Lord. This is just some British screenwriter's attempt at American history by naming her the same as the American first First Lady.

It is hoped that the British screenwriters will have Ol' Shirl, as Martha, reveal to the entire family at some sumptuous supper, that she is half-Jewish on her mother's side (where it counts). This will no doubt turn the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet, violet, and we'll get to see how fast first-responders respond in 1920s England to country estates. A chimney in the old pile is also likely to collapse at this news and make quite a mess of a drawing room. A bit of hurricane Sandy.

It's going to be fun.

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