Everything's bigger on the critic-pleasing HBO series "Big Love," and with that in mind, and just ahead of the show's appearance at the PaleyFest, we wanted to draw up a list of what we especially like. (If you are also a fan, see Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin, Amanda Seyfried and several other players on Wednesday, April 22 at the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight Hollywood. Everything starts at 7PM. Tickets: $45-$60 general.)
1. Roman Grant's hats. Stylish, old world, gentlemanly. The wonderful Harry Dean Stanton wears cowboy hats with such savoir faire.
2. Grace Zabriskie. Just Grace Zabriskie. We adored her as Laura Palmer's toeing-the-edge-of-sanity mom in "Twin Peaks," we applauded her other David Lynch film roles (like the mystery woman in "Wild at Heart"), we love the beautiful boxes she creates (Ms. Zabriskie, in addition to being a primo actor, is also an artist).
3. That sunny, pool-blessed, toy-strewn backyard that serves all three houses. There's something so strange and unsettling about a trio of homes sharing one yard, and we mean that in the best sense.
4. The cast, the cast, the cast. Did we say the cast? We're fans of absolutely everyone, but we'll give special props to Mary Kay Place (who will be at PaleyFest), Matt Ross as Alby (ditto), and Tina Majorino (not listed as joining the panel, fyi).
5. It's a show set in the West. While we like a good series set in a large urban environment somewhere on the Eastern Seaboard, we're always happy to see programs that take place on this side of the country. Yes, we've got some West pride going, but the settings are so expansive, and hold so many secrets -- the "Big Love" compound is a prime example of this -- that it just feels like the ideal spot to land a really big show.
