Ambivalence

Watching "Rome" on HBO – and AmericanCaesar should LOVE it, but he doesn't. Easy to explain - it's more of a pot-boiler, with lesbian incest and shit of that nature than stentorian oration. If it had stuck to being an Aaron Sorkinian-travelogue of the Palatine Hill, I'd be all up ons. Instead, creator Bruno Heller delivers us a weird fusion of "Laguna Beach" meets "I Clavdivs."

Still, we're liking James Purefoy's Marcus Antonius, Max Pirkis's Octavian and, of course, the big man: Ciaran Hinds (photo, above) as Gaius Julius hisself. Been a fan of the Irish actor's sence seeing him in small roles in "Sum of All Fears," "Road to Perdition," and, from the looks of it, the upcoming "Munich." He lends an authoritative air of authenticity to the proceedings. Bringing this guy on will do that for you.

Also, prizzops to David Bamber as Cicero – loved him since we saw him back in the BBC's 1995 adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility."

(Photo used without permission from HBO.)