Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and figure out how to tease my hair like

Plus, it also gives me a chance to post a photo of this guy, who hugged me twice on the press line. Yeah, being a pretend journalist has its perks.

Theo Rossi at the Sons of Anarchy panel at PaleyFest Credit: Kevin Parry for PaleyFest

Full article after the jump!

Salty Language, SAMCRO’s Struggles and Season Five Scoop: Sons of Anarchy at PaleyFest

Kurt Sutter and Katey Sagal at the Sons of Anarchy panel at PaleyFest Credit: Kevin Parry for PaleyFest

Wednesday night’s PaleyFest panel was devoted to Sons of Anarchy, and true to the show’s name, it was a wild ride! Executive producer Kurt Sutter was joined on stage by his wife (and star) Sagal, and Theo Rossi, Tommy Flanagan, Dayton Callie, David Labrava and Michael Ornstein for a conversation moderated by Stuart Levine of Variety.

Between stories about Perlman’s lack of motorcycle prowess and working with Tom Arnold and David Hasselhoff, the gang spilled a few hints about season five. Starting off about a month after season four’s explosive finale, Jax and Tara will be front and center as they figure out how to operate within their new roles as president of SAMCRO and old lady. Or, as Sutter put it, “Can you be a leader of an organized crime syndicate and not become Clay? And if you choose not to become clay, are you forced to suffer the same fate as John Teller?” Sounds like life’s not cooling down for Jax any time soon!

Of course, Tig’s (Kim Coates) end-of-season rampage that accidentally killed Laroy’s girlfriend—who just happened to also be the daughter of a yet-to-be cast Oakland crime lord named David Pope—is going to “be some of the adrenaline that gets season five started,” Sutter promised.

Might some of that adrenaline carry on off the bikes, say between Tig and Gemma? Sutter acknowledged the attraction between the former president’s old lady and his sergeant-at-arms, but plays it close to the vest. “Tig has been the third wheel in that relationship for years, and I think there is that connection between the two of them. I don’t know where that’s going to go,” he said.

The cast members were excited to find out what their boss has planned for the gang in Charming, especially Dayton Callie. Playing cancer-stricken Unser, he wonders just one thing when every script gets to his door: “Am I f–king alive?” Considering how important Unser is to Charming and the Sons, chances are he’ll be sticking around—and we can’t wait to watch it all unfold.

Sons of Anarchy returns to FX this fall.

What do you want to see happen in season five? Who should be cast as David Pope? Sound off in the comments below!

ANYWAY. The Civil Wars covering Between The Bars is beautiful. So, enjoy.

And I got to thinking, well… what more could I possibly need to know about the Sherlock du jour, who shocked me as a blond in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy? Beyond that he has, quite possibly, the most terribly British name in the history of British names, in the best possible way. Also, why do I always associate Britain with adverbs?

I wonder, then, what is in that book. Surely not his weight, his inseam, whether he likes wacky socks or just plain black. His innermost secrets, nor his favorite chocolate beverage. Whether he likes to dunk digestives in his tea, or eat them on their own.

Since I have started writing this without googling Benedict Cumberbatch, I don’t know if he was a fan of Star Trek movies before signing on for this second film. I ponder if the book tells us how he feels about Martin Freeman, who will, to me, forever be Tim in the UK Office. I wonder if it will tell me what his favorite color is, if he knows how to iron a shirt or sew on a button, and how quickly he can run a mile.

Then I wonder things about Benedict Cumberbatch that I don’t even know about myself, making me then question the whole concept of “need to know”. Surely, I have many thoughts that nobody NEED know about, and the authors of Everything You Ever Needed to Know About Benedict Cumberbatch would surely not be privy to that information. unless of course, the author of said book is, in fact, Benedict Cumberbatch. Because really, who better than the man himself to decide what the world needs to know about him? I’m sure it’s far less than the British press thinks we should know about him.

In the end, there isn’t actually a whole lot I find myself needing to know about Benedict Cumberbatch. so, sadly, website with the incredibly random amazon affiliate links, i will not be lining your coffers with the fifteen cents you’d probably get from that purchase.

However, the book referencing a demon on your Chelsea Handler page was kind of funny.

Time to curl up with wine and pizza and Kleenex!

Now, I’d never heard of Dear Sugar before last Wednesday, but damn if I’m not in love with her now. Such wonderful, thoughtful, caring advice. It’s so nice to not see snarky and condescending “advice” being doled out somewhere. Plus, the advice has made me cry more than once.

So, if you haven’t yet, do yourself a favor and get on over to The Rumpus so you too can spend some time with Dear Sugar.

This is long, long, LONG overdue, but here are some songs that kind of lit a path through the ridiculous 365 days that are now long gone. What this list of songs has taught me: I am a sucker for a love song. Or maybe just a sucker in general.

Brett Dennen: Sydney

Everyone loves a 6’4″ ginger singing a song I still like to believe is about Sydney Bristow. Or, y’know, friendship (and the kind of friend I’d like to be).

Scars on 45: Give Me Something

OK, so this song is a little bit Grey’s Anatomy, but this plaintive song from some delightful Scots spent a few weeks lodged in my head in the spring as I urged the universe to give me some kind of clue about what to do next in my life.

Ray LaMontagne: You Are The Best Thing

Not a new song, for sure. But the opening notes never fail to make me smile and crank up the volume. Plus, it’s used to great effect in I Love You, Man, just before an extra calls Jason Segel a “shit giant”.

Amos Lee: Flower

The first (18) time(s) I heard “My heart is a flower,” I immediately switched radio stations. It kind of skeeves me out to hear a guy sing that because it makes me think of how gross it is when women refer to their virginity and/or lady parts as a flower. BARF. But eventually, I gave it a shot. Usually when I happened upon the song halfway through.

The song grew on me, and over the months it started to remind me of someone, but my brain wouldn’t reveal who. It was one of those tip of the tongue-type deals. And then, one day in late August, I was driving around L.A. when the identity of the mystery person exploded out of my synapses. Luckily, it didn’t cause an accident. Unluckily, the mystery person and I had never met. Brains be weird, yo.

TV on the Radio: Will Do

I can’t even find words to explain why I love this song. It might be the kind of song I’d write if I had any songwriting/poetic abilities whatsoever. But alas, I am prosaic. (But you’re reading this… you already knew that.)

Also, TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe and his performance of “Unknown Legend” in Rachel Getting Married remains one of my favorite musical moments in a movie, ever. I can’t find the scene from the movie online anywhere, so this little bonus clip will have to suffice. Because it’s always time to listen to “Unknown Legend”. And not just because I’m a Neil Young-loving Canadian. It’s just truth.

Ryan Adams: Lucky Now

I don’t even have words. I just love this song endlessly. Growing up, getting older. Figuring out your new identity, coming to terms with who you used to be. But it feels like this is all happening from a good place. I want that so bad, but I still feel like who I used to be. And I’m not sure I want to be her anymore. When will love mend my heart, make me “Lucky Now”?

Wilco: I Might

This song feels like so many sunny Saturday mornings. Especially in the version I link. Because, for some reason, electric piano/organ = sunny Saturday mornings. The line “You won’t set the kids on fire/ Oh but I might”… kind of the hilarious and terrifying way I imagine parenting to be.

The Black Keys: El Camino

I couldn’t pick just one song off this record. The Black Keys, really, were my band of 2011. From how often I cranked “Tighten Up” on my commutes to seeing them in concert (rock on, John Labatt Centre!) in July to the perfection that is “Lonely Boy” (I would gasp in pure joy and excitement every time it came on the radio this fall), and the endless correlations I can make between every single song on the record and my ridiculous life. Plus it was basically the soundtrack to my entire December. So here’s the video for Lonely Boy. Put it on and dance your ass off. I dare you not to.

Of course, now my mind is racing, and as a result, I will spend a day of Spring Break figuring out a whole bunch of career stuff.

Or, to quote the inestimable Julie “The Cat” Gaffney: “I left my team in Maine to show the world what I can do.”

Saw the hearse (and the movie!) at a sweet little theater in Long Beach on Valentine’s Day. It was a great evening!