If anyone ever wonders where some of these ideas come from, I just watched this year's Smallville cliffhanger. It was another great one from a show known for them. Not in order but at the top.

10. "Who shot J.R." from Dallas- I think this was the first one, but not a particular favorite, but as the first, deserves mention here.

9. Without a trace- last year ended with a shock- the episode appeared to be resolved when some of the agents suddenly came under fire- as I will say again on this list, some of the best ones were ones you never saw coming.

8. "Basics", Star Trek Voyager- this may get some flack, but it was a wild one, with a seemingly insurmountable dilemna.

7. Highlander, pt.1 of the immortal-watchers war. Another cliffhanger that was a surprise.

6. Dynasty, "The Moldavian Massacre"- any cliffhanger where the whole cast gets machine gunned at the end of pt.1 is cool with me.

5. "The Best of Both Worlds", Star Trek TNG- a lot of people's favorite, but I admit Im influenced by how poorly pt.2 lived up to pt.1.

4. Jag, the one with Harm and Mac in Russia. Freezing it with to be continued with a rocket about to hit their jet kept us all wondering all summer.

3. Descent, Star Trek TNG- Would have been number one if pt.2 had lived up to pt.1.

2. Star Trek DS9, the one where Dax dies and Sisko quits- not a true one with everyone in danger, but it was so heartfelt, and seemed to have no solution.

1. Diagnosis Murder, the one where the hospital is blown up. If you see this four parter in syndication now, you have no idea that pt.2 was a shocking, surprise season ending cliffhanger. I watched it when it was originally broadcast, and was floored by it as was everyone I knew. My personal favorite for a slew of reasons.

Well, I told people that I wasnt going to disappear from here while I was on vacation, but have only been keeping up with other people's blogs. I did see three movies in the last two days (I do this every year while on vacation, catch up on movies), so here are three quick reviews of the first three summer potential blockbusters-

The Sentinal- I came to it with high expectations as a big Keifer Sutherland fan (see previous comments on 24), and for the most part it lived up to its expectations. It was a little predictable, but he and Michael Douglas were great.

MI3- I have a love hate thing with Tom Cruise, but mostly I like him on the screen, and hate him in real life. This may have been the best of the MI films, thanx at least in part to Phillip Seymore Hoffman, who obviously is enjoying playing one of the best bad guys to come along in a while. A movie well worth seeing. I may even rent Capote to see him again.

United 93- The best of the three, but very graphic and the language is harsh. Be warned if you go to see it, but it is worth it, and the impact it has cant be denied.