If the question “Who killed Laura Palmer?” means anything to you, you’re going to want to scoot a little closer to your computer screen. Are you ready? Are you comfortable? Are you in a place a possible yelp of delight will go unnoticed by coworkers or worried passersby? Right, then, here it is: all two seasons of Twin Peaks are streaming for free at CBS.com. Right now. This very second. Totally free. Yelp!

This is, excuse me, a damn fine cup of coffee news. CBS recently added the full catalog of the beyond-quirky-into-down-right strange series to its online archives, along with several other classic TV shows including The Love Boat, Family Ties, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek and Beverly Hills 90210. I watched some Twin Peaks episodes over Memorial Day weekend and from the moment Special Agent Dale Cooper (the impeccably coiffed Kyle MacLachlan) took his first sip of coffee, I was hooked again.

That eerie theme song with its placid images of the Pacific-Northwest still ranks among the best opening credits of all time. It gives me chills every time I listen to it.

I was obsessed, in mostly a healthy way, with Twin Peaks throughout its two season run back in the early '90s. This totally weird show about murder, the unexplained and creepy characters was like nothing I’d seen or – to be perfectly honest – have seen since on television. I remember my parents, who were normally unconcerned about the innocuous sitcoms and dramas I watched, looked at me midway through the pilot episode and asked, with some alarm, “What the hell are you watching?” … continue reading

I just took a look at the current issue of TV Guide (yes, the actual paper version; it's awesome) and felt like I was reading a bunch of AfterEllen.com headlines in the listings for tonight. Lovely ladies everywhere!

First, don't forget: Top Chef starts tonight (Bravo, 10/9c), with three — count 'em, THREE — lesbian contestants. Read Dara Nai's interview with those three here, and read blog posts about Padma Lakshmi here. And check back next week for Dorothy Snarker's recap!

Before that, tonight's episode of America's Next Top Model (The CW, 8/7c) features former winner Jaslene and a visit to the meat-packing district. Check out TV Guide's interview with Paulina Porizkova here.

On Law & Order (NBC, 10/9c), Lara Flynn Boyle guest stars as a reporter who gets entangled in a murder investigation. She'll always be Donna from Twin Peaks to me.

Two AfterEllen.com faves are on the talk shows tonight: Charlize Theron is on Letterman, and Sheryl Crow sings from Detours on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Finally, it may not be obviously lesbianish, but I'm expecting occasionally great things from Lewis Black's Root of All Evil (Comedy Central, 10:30/9:30c). Black and various guest comedians will compare "things from life," asking which is more evil — e.g., . Kim Jong Il or Tila Tequila? Yes, that's one of the examples Black gives. And one of his examples of not-at-all-evil is Mary-Louise Parker. For a show that's essentially 30 minutes of ranting, that sounds pretty promising.

Remember when “Who killed Laura Palmer?” was the question everyone was asking? I certainly do. It was 1990 and I was a junior in college — watching television on the little black-and-white set I had in my Resident Assistant dorm room. Now, I'm not a David Lynch fan by anyone's definition, but I was captivated by Twin Peaks, at least for a while. (Then it got too supernatural and weird for me.)

I read that the 10-disc “Definitive Gold-Box Edition” of Twin Peaks was releasing this week, and the memories came rushing back. There was the haunting Julee Cruise theme song. And the incredibly tantalizing intrigue and mystery of the murder. And, of course, the bizarre dream sequence — with the giant and dwarf and Jenny being chased at the carnival. Oh, wait ... I believe I've conflated the compelling dream sequence and the stupid.

Take a look at the promo for the DVD box set to have it all come rushing back. … continue reading