Rick Nelson and Claude Peck dispense unasked-for advice about clothing, etiquette, culture, relationships, grooming and more.
CP: Time to count our blessings, make some lumpy gravy, push "mute" on holiday TV commercials and tell those who are listening about some of the many things we love.
RN: I don't make lumpy gravy. But, whatever.
CP: I find myself in a mild, lingering depression after finishing the final season of "Wallander," the Swedish detective series based on the Henning Mankell books. As the title character, Krister Henriksson is wonderfully understated, delightfully flawed and entirely addictive. So unlike American counterparts in the genre. Plus, I have picked up some rudimentary Swedish.
RN: Since it's not airing stateside until January, I'm grateful to the fast-thinking Brits who have posted episodes of the final season of "Downton Abbey" on YouTube. Spoiler alert: Crawley sisters Lady Mary and Lady Edith are still hissing at each other, and look fabulous while doing so.
CP: While we're on returning series, I have marked Dec. 4 on my calendar. That's when "Transparent" Season 2 launches, and I think to myself, who needs to sleep?
RN: I'm thankful that James Sewell Ballet is taking on the laugh riot that is choreographer Myron Johnson's "Nutcracker (not so) Suite," and that the brilliant Kevin McCormick is stepping back into his high heels and reviving the pivotal role of Momma. It opens Dec. 4 at the Cowles, and I can't wait.
CP: Even though Ron Howard directed, I look forward to "In the Heart of the Sea," a harrowing man-vs.-whale movie based on Nathan Philbrick's page-turner of the same name.
