I'VE BEEN THERE I KNOW THE WAY: According to my New Yorker, every part of a shopping mall -- from the placement of the stores to the give of the pavement to the little touches made to remind you of how rich and powerful you are -- are meticulously controlled and planned to separate you from your money. So how is it that the architects were able to sell the developers on the commerce-defeating concept of the shopping maze?

An hour ago I was at the Westfield in downtown San Diego wolfing down some food-court fare. On my way out, while walking on what was either the third floor or the third-and-a-half floor, I spied a Banana Republic right across the and greater than or equal to a half-floor below me. But I could not for the life of me figure out how to get there. The escalators that crossed the atrium only ran up, and there were no nearby stairs or elevators. By the time I found a way down, I had walked halfway across the mall and was at the exit, so: screw it. I have had this exact experience at Frank Gehry's Escher-like Santa Monica Place, at the recently renovated, favorably reviewed, and inhumanely designed Rudolph Hall (formerly the Art & Architecture building) at Yale, and driving in downtown Los Angeles, the latter two of which are not malls but which are similarly built around the singularly infuriating concept of "you can't get there from here."

SIR LAURENCE OLIVIER AND STEPHEN BALDWIN ARE THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER: I can pretty much imagine how the casting meetings for The Day the Earth Stood Still went:

CASTING AGENT: You're going to love this. You get to wear suits and it's not on basic cable.
DON DRAPER: I'm in.

(later)

CA: You're going to love this. Don Draper is in it.
COACH TAYLOR: I'm in.

(later)

CA: Guys, I want you to meet your lead, the bass player for Dogstar and the star of the hit films Cancer Lady Made Me a Better Man, Two Dumbshits and a Time Machine, I Now Hate Shakespeare, and Paycheck, Please.
DON DRAPER: [walks out, philanders]
COACH TAYLOR: [hair stands up]

KISSING MEREDITH GREY: For all of the sins of Grey's this season, you have to admit that they regularly cast quality folks in guest roles (some of which turn into regulars)--Mary McDonnell, Joshua Malina, Kevin McKidd, Brooke Smith (and Melissa George as the exception). Seems that the trend is continuing, with Jennifer Westfeldt about to sign for a recurring role as a patient. (Interestingly, this will place Westfeldt in direct competition with her off-screen boyfriend, Jon Hamm, who's apparently going to be a love interest for Liz Lemon on 30 Rock.)

A MEAL FIT FOR JOE BETHERSON ... TON: It is time, once again, to review our Thanksgiving menu choices and questions. For me, nothing new this year -- the 1999 Bon Appetit Sage-Roasted Turkey with Caramelized Onions and Sage Gravy remains so outstanding as to preclude the consideration of another recipe, and there's been a request for the return of the pan-roasted duck breasts using the Mark Bittman plan for whole duck. For a stuffing, I thought I was booking this 2003 Tom Colicchio recipe for sausage stuffing with caramelized onions for its second straight trip to final table, because I'm a big fan of the kick provided by the toasted fennel seeds, but now that I see that Epicurious claims 42 sausage + fennel stuffings, some more research is required.

(Wow, I'm a caramelized onion fan for the day. Who knew?)

Everything else is someone else's responsibility -- stuffing #2, vegetables, sweet potato pie, desserts, etc. What's on your table?

MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA, G-G-G-GEORGIA? I don't know what to say about this leg of the Race that we haven't said repeatedly through this season -- read the f'n clue, people. Beyond that, not much suspense, though it was neat to see the return of an issue I don't recall seeing since Uchenna and Joyce at the end of Season 7, albeit with a different resolution, and one far less satisfying from a race Race justice/strict construction perspective.

Phil Sheridan: Shame on Reid | Philadelphia Inquirer | 11/23/2008

MAN UP: Obviously, either the Reid era or the McNabb era -- and perhaps both -- will end in Philadelphia after this football season. When that time comes, I will be effusive in my praise of the decade of mostly-excellence that they provided, including a run of six playoff appearances (and four straight conference championship games) in seven years. Everything short of a Super Bowl win, they delivered.

Tonight, however, I'm a bit disgusted. Coach, if you're going to bench your quarterback of the past ten years for performance -- for the first time! -- at halftime of a game you're only losing by three points, then for heaven's sake, you need to tell him yourself. Don't turf that one to an assistant. Ugh.

As for what I want for next season, right now I'm leaning towards keeping McNabb for one more year -- assuming his mechanics are fixable -- but with a new coach from outside the organization. I think we've reached the limits of what Andy Reid can teach the members of this team, and it's time for him to move on.

CALL FRAU BLUCHER:The carnage on the Great White Way continues--The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein will close in January. It joins Hairspray, Spring Awakening, Spamalot, and 13 in posting a notice for January. The rumored next tenant for the cavernous Hilton has been Julie Taymor's Spider-Man, with music by Bono and The Edge, and allegedly to star Jim Sturgess and Evan Rachel Wood. No idea if they'll push it in this season to fight with Billy Elliot for the big awards.