Brothers & Sisters

A month ago, I asked “Which Walker’s your favorite?” And now, the flip side: “Which Brothers & Sisters character can you not stand?” Looking at B&S message boards, Holly seems to be a focus of a lot of hatred, and Sarah’s husband Joe seems also to have won some not-fans. Saul’s a little creepy and Justin’s a little clichéd and Kitty’s politics are awful nebulous for someone who’s supposed to be a professional conservative, but the character that grates on me the most is still Nora. I don’t know if it’s the writing or the performance or what, but in terms of which character sends me diving for the mute button on the remote, it’s Big Mama. Who’s bugging you?

_{Photo: ABC.com}

An article in the Hollister Free Lance looks at familiar faces in new roles and mentions two Brothers & Sisters favorites:

The Actress: Sally Field How We Remember Her: It’s hard to forget a two-time Oscar winner, or the myriad of roles she’s played on the big screen. But who can forget her heart-wrenching portrayal of mentally unstable mom Maggie Wyczenski in a recurring role on NBC’s “ER?” Dejà vu’d: “Brothers and Sisters” (ABC). Field’s portrayal of Nora Holden Walker will certainly be remembered around Emmy time. And for good reason. She steals almost every scene she occupies - and in the best way.The Actor: Rob Lowe How We Remember Him: Take your pick. There’s “St. Elmo’s Fire,” “About Last Night” and some other ’80s hits that made him the teen dream of cinema. A notorious sex-tape scandal in the late-’80s didn’t hurt his celebrity, but he’s now revered for helping make “West Wing” one of NBC’s stalwart dramas. Dejà vu’d: “Brothers and Sisters” (ABC). As Sen. Robert McCallister, he’s young, he’s republican and he’s chasing Calista Flockhart’s conservative Kitty Walker. Thus far, the chemistry between Flockhart and Lowe sizzles and Lowe’s presence adds more opportunities for this new series to explore outside the emotionally reactive core of its central family.

Other familar faces mentioned in the article are Alec Baldwin, Jacqueline Bisset, Larry Hagman, Brooke Shields, Candace Bergen, Shirley Jones, Cheryl Ladd, Ron Livingston, Edward James Olmos and Scott Wolf.

Sunday night’s replay of the “Date Night” episode shows us once again the awkward beginning of the brief romance between Nora and her contractor, played by Treat Williams. Any future they have as a couple is probably going to be compromised by the news that Williams is starring in a new show likely to be picked up by TNT. In Heartland, the actor will play a heart surgeon, and thank goodness! If there’s one thing you don’t see enough of on TV, it’s doctors. Those poor valiant medical professionals labor in obscurity while contractors waltz around wooing widows on family shows. Kudos to Williams for getting some well-deserved recognition for the scrubs set! Excellent work, TNT!

True to yesterday’s spoiler hints, TV Guide’s Ausiello Report comes through today with the exclusive casting news that Nora’s mother will be played by … Mrs. Cunningham! That’s Marion Ross, of course, and here’s the scoop: “Although unconfirmed by ABC, sources tell me that Ross has landed the one-episode gig and will show up in February. Her character is described as ‘tough, obstinate, judgmental, direct and uncompromising.’” Hmmm. Tough, obstinate, judgmental, direct and uncompromising. Who does that sound like, now? Any characters we know? Like mother, like daughter, for sure.

Would you like to smell like Calista Flockhart? Well, hey, if it keeps Harrison Ford interested, who wouldn’t want a little of that? An article at InsideBayArea.com about celebrity scents includes our own Kitty Walker, sharing that Flockhart wears a perfume called be by becker.eshaya, described as “a blend of Italian mandarin, pink peony, lily of the valley and rose damascena with a touch of sensual musk.” According to the becker.eshaya Web site, the actress shares her preference for the scent with Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Tyra Banks, Christina Aguilera, and Naomi Campbell, among other famous folk who can afford $65 for a 51ml bottle. For more frugal shoppers, online store de-frazzle.com has the same bottle for $45, and Beautysak offers a sample vial for $3. Smell like Calista on one wrist, anyway!

In other news, Tricia from Watching House reports on a St. Louis Today article that listed the hottest TV shows in various groups. Among those named “Best Scene Stealer” was Sally Field as Nora in Brothers & Sisters. Read Tricia’s post for the other categories and nominees.

ABC has a weekly poll up right now asking “Who is your mom most like?” and listing three moms from the network’s shows: Jane from Big Day, Dixie from All My Children, or our own Nora. The Brothers & Sisters mother is tops as of this writing, with nearly 50 percent of the total. I’ll admit, I’m in that group — my mom was a pretty expert wielder of guilt, not in Nora Walker’s league, maybe, but playing on the same field. Nora’s skill at playing mind games is prominently on display in tonight’s rerun of “Affairs of State,” the third episode of the show, which originally aired on October 8. It’s the one in which Nora throws a party that seems designed, whether innocently or passive-aggressively, to make every member of her family as uncomfortable as possible. She then caps off the festivities by revealing that she’s known all along that Holly, who is improbably a party guest, was William’s longtime mistress. At least, I think that’s what happened — the whole set-up made me so uncomfortable the first time around that I channel-surfed all through it, glad to be able to escape in a way that all those Brothers and Sisters would have loved to. I’ll force myself to suffer through with the siblings tonight, though, and have a recap up tomorrow.

Here’s a trivia question to launch you into the weekend: Sally Field and Tom Skerritt play wife and (dearly departed) husband in Brothers & Sisters. In what feature film did they also play a married couple? Hint: Julia Roberts was their daughter. For the answer, check the comments.