THE 'SEX' QUESTION: I haven't yet decided if I'm going to watch the upcoming fifth season of "Sex and the City"- I've enjoyed the show in the past, yet every time I tune in I do what most men do while watching it- that is, cringe at the evidence of just how insane women can be. And yes, I must say there's a little bit of bitterness on my part in that this is the third season of "Sex and the City" to air since the last "Sopranos" season, and I'm also a little upset that they took one of my favorite all-time actors, Kyle MacLachlan, and made him into a simpering, impotent girly-man.
Still, there's no denying that that "Sex and the City," more than Oprah, The Rules, or anything else, has become the primary arbiter of how American women (especially yuppie women) are supposed to think, act, look, dress, and date. I'm still trying to figure out whether or not that's a good thing, but I can say that tomorrow night, while millions of lonely single women nationwide will be watching the season premiere, my friend Dena will be doing something much more fun and productive- she'll be getting married.