(S18E12)

Homer: Why would I go to Utah? I love booze, caffeine and monogamy.

This episode really felt like two episodes in one, with both Lisa's story about her made up Native American heritage and Bart becoming involved with an older girl (played by Natalie Portman). Overall, my first reaction --having only seen the episode once-- is that it felt like the quintessential Simpsons episode with plenty of smart dialogue and enough hidden gags I know I probably won't catch until the second or third round in syndication. Of course, that could just be because I'm really slow.

Every elementary student knows that April showers bring May flowers, and that Mayflowers bring pilgrims. However, do we really know all there is about the journey these religious hat-loving folk took to the new land? Well, no, we probably don't, because history is always murky and unclear. However, if you're interested in that fateful journey upon the fabled ship, the History Channel is airing Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of The Mayflower, a 180-minute look at what it was like for the people aboard the ship, and what followed when they finally landed on Plymouth Rock.

Most of us know a kind of Cliff's Notes version of the Thanksgiving story: pilgrims left England to escape religious persecution, landed here, made pals with the Native Americans, ate some turkey, and watched the football game. This special, however, looks at the hardships the pilgrims faced on the four-month journey that killed half the crew. The special will feature reenactments based on authentic documentation from the actual events. The special will air on the History Channel on November 19 at 8 pm, and will repeat throughout the week.

Anna Paquin will star opposite of Aidan Quinn in the HBO movie, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, about how the Native Americans were displaced as the United States moved westward. Paquin will play Elaine Goodale Eastman, a writer who stood up for Native American rights back in the late 1800s. She opened a school on the Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, where she witnessed the Wounded Knee massacre. Production begins this month in Calgary and, interestingly, the project is being executive produced by Law and Order creator Dick Wolf. No air date is set for the HBO movie.

Anna Paquin won an Oscar at the age of eleven for her role in The Piano, co-starring with Holly Hunter. Of course, she's also in The X-Men movies, and she has a supporting role in one of my all-time favorite movies, Almost Famous.