WATCH: PBS Masterpiece Theater's Sherlock

Let it be known that I am an unabashed Sherlockian --- fan of the BBC original (airing in the US on PBS' Masterpiece Mystery) Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson.  Since middle school, I have been fascinated by the stories of Sherlock Holmes and have enjoyed it's many incarnations, but this one by BBC is hands down and away my favorite.

Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson and Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes (credit: PBS Press)

It's clever, modern, smartly sexy and captivating.  I love the way that modern technology is woven into stories and that the characters are rich, full and allow you to get absorbed into each episode.  Film length, each episode could stand alone, but the story is deeper, like a great trilogy, if you've seen the back story.

Below is the Season 3: Prequel courtesy of BBC.

Season 3 is airing on Sundays now on PBS after my other period favorite Downton Abbey, but seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix and Amazon Direct.

And my here's a snippet of the witty banter that has made me a huge fan of the series.  In this segment, Mycroft, Sherlock and Irene Adler verbally duel... once again, smartly sexy.

Cheers to happy television.

WATCH: A Night with Aurelio Zen, Giada and Wichita Red




Me in on the canal in Venice (credit: Talya Blackshear)

It should be said that without a doubt, I have a love affair with the Viva Italiano.  I love the food, the culture, the art, music and style.  There is a romance, decadence, exploratory curiousity with a fluid grace to the lifestyle and an emphasis on simple pleasure, beauty and enjoyment.  It is a love - love relationship that makes me somewhat giddy.



Detective Aurelio Zen played by Rufus Sewell (credit:PBS)



Over the last couple of weeks, I have been watching a fantastic series on PBS online, Masterpiece Mystery!: Zen: Vendetta, Cabal and the finale is tonight's Ratking.  The series is based on the cult noir italiano series of Michael Dibdin.




Giada De Laurentiis' Lemon Spaghetti (credit:GDL)

  The tales feature the subtly sexy, Dectective Aurelio Zen, played by the dreamy Rufus Sewell, through a series murder and intrigue laden adventures set in Rome and Venice.  The scenes are beautifully shot, acting is better than many movies that I have seen recently and the scripts are thought-provoking and fun.  Ironically, they made me want to pick up the Dibdin series from Amazon to add to my kindle.  I hope that they bring to life the other books in the series, just so I can get my fix. 

For the last episode I watched, Zen:Cabal (available online until July 17, 2012), I figured that I would make a night of it and create one of Giada de Laurentiis' pasta recipes.  Might I suggest, Lemon Spaghetti with a side of sauteed chicken (though shrimp would have been nice too) and garlic spinach.  Wish I had taken a picture. Here's Giada's.  Grab a glass of Wichita Red and settle in for a night.

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To watch the series, visit Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS, here.
To order the book series from Amazon, visit here.
To score the recipe from Giada de Laurentiis, visit here.
To order a bottle of Wichita Red, visit here.