TV Idols

My Russian ex-wife told me that she and her aunt back in Moscow both wished that they could hook up with a man just like Tony Soprano. (Yes, "The Sopranos" was shown in Russia) I was completely flabbergasted. True, Tony’s family lives in a really big house and perhaps it’s nice to know that if the checkout clerk at the supermarket disses you, your hubby can have the kids' legs broken. But what kind of woman wants a husband who does drugs, has a serious gambling problem, has stolen or extorted everything he has from other people, cheats on her on a regular basis and orders contract killings as part of his business, even doing a few hits himself? Furthermore, a woman like Carmela Soprano knows perfectly well that the feds might put Tony away for fifty years on a RICO case and that one of his associates just might have Tony whacked at any time. (I really wouldn’t like the idea of sitting next to Tony at a restaurant. I do not want to be an innocent bystander!)

Then I got to thinking. Who are my favorite all-time female television characters? For example, back in the early 80s, I had a major cinematic crush on Veronica Hamel as she played Public Defender Joyce Davenport on Hill Street Blues- frequently doing really steamy scenes with Daniel J. Travanti. (I learned many years later that in real life, Mr. Travanti is gay. Life is not fair!) In the 90s, I had a real thing for Mariel Hemingway. She played domestic relations attorney Sidney Guilford on Civil Wars. At the turn of the millennium, I tried never to miss an episode of Relic Hunter, starring Tia Carrere as Professor Sidney Fox. (No snide comments, please. They’re much too obvious in her case.) More recently, I was quite smitten with Rosemarie DeWitt as she played FBI hostage negotiator Special Agent Emily Lehman on Standoff. (The character of Special Agent Lehman is supposed to have a doctorate in Psychology from Princeton.)

I wonder if maybe my listing of my TV feminine ideals gives a bit of an insight into my psyche. Two women with law degrees, one tenured professor and the holder of an Ivy League doctorate. I guess I have a real thing for extremely intelligent women. (Just like all the brainy ladies I trade e-mails with.) :)

Kent