Drawing the curtains at Downton Abbey,Chopped Canada and revving up for Rupaul's Drag Race!

The fourth season of Downton Abbey is nearly at the end,with several plot line being tied up while others get an extension.

Speaking of extensions,I love how Countess Violet zeroes in on the truth about Edith(something that her own mother seems incapable of-really,is a charity bazaar so distracting that you can't see the anguish your daughter's going through right under your nose?!) and reluctantly admitting that Rosemund's plan to take an extended vacation in Switzerland where the baby can be adopted far from England is a good one:

 Also glad that horrid Mr. Green is dead,mainly for Anna's sake(and yes, Mary,if Mr. Bates had anything to do with it,you should let him get away with it) and I hope that is the end of that sad storyline.

There's a lot of potential romance in the air(not surprised about Rose and Jack breaking up,as she clearly was motivated by the need to shock her elders rather than true love and he deserves better than that) and with Tom and perhaps even Isobel finding a little love interest,next season may have some real delights for us in that department.

The finale is this Sunday,with Shirley MacLaine making a return appearance as Cora's feisty mother and Paul Giamatti making his Downton debut as Harold,the feckless enterprising brother. That ought to be rather amusing indeed to see such a snarky fellow up against the likes of Countess Violet:

For the past few weeks,Food Network has been airing Chopped Canada, the version of one of their most popular programs as done by our neighbors to the North.

The set-up is pretty much the same,with the main difference being the host is Dean McDermott(a winner of Rachel vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-off) and judges from that part of the world.

 I will say that I really like the warm earth tones of this Chopped set and the pantry section seems to be laid out a little better than the US one. Some of the food choices for the mystery baskets are local Canadian items,which is interesting because one of the joys of any Chopped show is finding out about edible goods that don't turn up in your neighborhood grocery store.

As someone who doesn't know much or seen anything other than episodes of Degrassi about Canada,this is a fun foodie way to learn a bit more about that neck of the woods. It airs on Thursday nights and I hope it becomes a regular part of the FN rotation:

Arriving at long last is the new season of Rupaul's Drag Race,
starting next Monday on Logo. The fresh crop of queens eager to fight for the crown will certainly warm up the small screen and chase away these dire winter blues.

Yes,it is a campy reality show but when done right,is oh so fun,especially by the time they get to the Snatch Game(you gotta see it to believe it). Plus,how can you hate on the strong sense of humor that Drag Race about itself,I ask you?:

RANDOM NOTES:

GAME OF THRONES: Season four is coming soon than winter is leaving us and for those who feel torn up by the Red Wedding,take heart in the payback that is yet to come: