Veteran film and television actor Len Lesser died Wednesday morning at his home in Burbank, Calif., of complicated from pneumonia. He was 88.

Mr. Lesser, who reportedly died in his sleep, was best-known as Uncle Leo on the legendary television show “Seinfeld.”

“It was very peaceful,” his daughter, Michele Lesser, told CNN yesterday. “He was a great grandpa, and an amazing father. He had a heart of gold — and a sense of humor of platinum.”

Beyond “Seinfeld,” Mr. Lesser was a legendary small and big screen personality, making more than 500 film, television, and stage appearances.

Mr. Lesser appeared in “The Outlaw Josey Wales” and “Kelly’s Heroes” and played Garvin on “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

He was also an Army veteran, serving in World War II.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Lesser leaves a son, David, and three grandchildren.

Thanksgiving is this Thursday. I’ll let you chew on that morsel for a bit. You done? Okay. Although most stores ushered in the Christmas season the second after Halloween, let me assure you that the eat-until-you-burst holiday is still on this year. Let’s all take a collective sigh of relief; I kept thinking I’d missed it too.

The Mom and Pop Store

Here are your first 5 episodes, let’s call them the appetizers and salad. Each is scored out of 10 wishbones for laughs, Thanksgiving relevance, and cheesiness factor. Come back tomorrow for the turkey and pie (or if you aren’t imaginative, the next 5 on the list).

10. Full House: The Miracle of Thanksgiving

Are you feeling the miracle (ba-bu-bu-baaa) of Thanksgiving? If not, maybe you should take 20 minutes of your life and watch this heartwarming episode. Yes, it is cheesy, and yes, it has “soft rock sharing time” but it is also funny and heart wrenching. This is the first TG without the girls’ mom, and with their grandma snowed in, all they have are three goofy and kitchen illiterate guys to cook their feast. But even a frozen turkey and a dropped Pumpkin pie can be healed with the power of family love.

+ 8 Wishbones for Jessie & Joey’s awesome mullets
- 2 for Joey getting his tongue stuck in a bottle for a little too long
6 Wishbones

9. The Cosby Show: Cliff’s Wet Adventure

The Huxtables are having everyone over for Thanksgiving including the random neighbor kid and Denise’s husband’s ex-wife. Of course awkward moments abound as the family plots how best to meet such the strange addition to the party. But the biggest laughs come from Cliff. He spends his holiday repeatedly braving the raging storm to gather the few items he keeps forgetting. Whenever he came on the screen, I couldn’t help but giggle.

+8 for Olivia’s darling Thanksgiving song for her mom (AND Cliff’s face every time he came in the door)
-2 Wishbones for a who cares convo between Denise and her husband’s ex-wife
6 Wishbones

8. The Brady Bunch “The Un-Underground Movie”

Greg has a really groovy history teacher, and for his creative class project he ropes his whole family into making a movie detailing the Pilgrims’ first year in the new world. Although the Brady’s put the corn in corny, I’ll admit there are a few genuine laughs cooked in. Alice wears a mustache, Bobby plays a dramatic death, and Mike’s slow motion shivers with the best of them. You may give Greg an A for his movie too.

+ 7 wishbones for the legitimately funny movie screening scene
- 1 for general overacting and cheesiness
6 Wishbones

7. Dexter: Hungry Man

And you thought your family gatherings were intense. Dexter gobbles up family awkwardness with his host and fellow serial killer, Trinity. Trinity heats up the psycho factor as his family’s perfect façade crumbles. No Trinity, breaking your son’s finger as punishment, locking your daughter in her room, or calling your wife a horrible name, is not normal TG behavior. Good thing Dexter has Rita and the kids to go home to.

+8 for awesome Trinity tension
-1 for Angel and LaGuerta’s random romantic side plot
7 Wishbones

6. Seinfeld: The Mom & Pop Store

Seinfeld heaps a big serving of quirky fun in this holiday ‘sode (that’s short for “episode”, Nana). And no, I’m not going to stop using food imagery, so get over it. Each character deals with their own tangled situation ranging from George buying Jon(h) Voight’s car, Kramer accidently running a small business out of town, to Elaine winning a spot for her boss on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But Jerry’s struggle to figure out whether he’s invited to a friend’s Thanksgiving party taught me a great interpersonal lesson: interpreting inflection. It can be quite crucial.

+ 8 Wishbones for George’s personal rendition of “Everybody’s Talking”
- 1 For lack of holiday relevance. This is really a pre-Thanksgiving episode, not a pure day of let’s make a Thanksgiving feast kind of sode.
Total: 7 Wishbones

Come back ready for more tomorrow as I count down to the top Thanksgiving episodes!

Here’s a rare Hollywood story. An actor hit a bicyclist while driving, and he didn’t run off or end up getting arrested for DUI.

Jason Alexander, who we know and love as George Costanza from “Seinfeld,” accidentally hit the 14-year-old cyclist on Tuesday along Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. Alexander stayed with the boy and waited for police and firefighters to arrive.

The boy wasn’t seriously injured, and Alexander was not cited for wrongdoing.

Alexander’s publicist Ron Hoffman told the Associated Press that the actor acknowledged responsibility and acted properly by waiting for police and paramedics to arrive. He says Alexander is grateful that the boy wasn’t seriously hurt.

Well isn’t that nice.

For those of you who love Jerry Seinfeld and have always wanted him to put down that cereal, kick off his sneakers and make sweet love to… someone, check out the Seinfeld porn parody teaser trailer just released by New Sensations:

The film is set to be released on June 22, but if you’re under 18, “No porn for you!”

Buy The Boston Globe or turn to Boston.com on Sunday to see John Guilfoil’s business spending column on executive pens.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been writing — actually writing with my hands, not a keyboard — more than usual. That’s because I’ve been testing out various executive and designer pens for a “Globe Tests” column.

I tested out four writing instruments, including a MontBlanc and a Cross, which you can read about tomorrow when the column runs, but for now, here are a few that didn’t make the cut:

Pierre Cardin Black Pen
$9.99

Pros: It writes. It comes with a free mechanical pencil and a nifty box to keep them in. They’re shiny and black.

Cons: This is a cheap pen. We had a good laugh at the stack of these on the store shelf, just knowing they’d be thrown into stockings and gift bags this year.

Overall: Pierre Cardin does make some decent pens. We say spend the extra money on something worth holding onto.

Classic Century Lustrous Chrome
$30 – $50

Pros: The recognized, slender shape of the Cross pen means something in the handwriting world. This is the equivalent of an E-class Mercedes, and it’s a way for you to own one without breaking the bank. (Read the Globe to see an example of one that does break the bank)

Cons: The large black tip gives it away as the “cheap” cross. You can get the pure silver model for about double the price

Overall: It’s a good pen. Maybe not great, but good.

Fisher Space Pen X-750
$30

Pros: It writes upside-down! Think of all the Seinfeld references! (Read the Globe to see another Space Pen example)

Cons: The ink is a little blotty.

Overall: The X-750 is a great gift, a perfect conversation piece and the ultimate writing-related novelty.

Cross Townsend Emerald Ballpoint Pen
$110

Pros: It’s a sturdy, solid pen that writes very well. Handsome design makes it a great gift.

Cons: Price may be a bit high, especially if you go for some of the precious metal-plated models.

Overall: The Townsend is Cross’ larger-sized mainstay. It comes in ballpoint, roller-ball and fountain.

Faber-Castell Pen of the Year 2008
$3,000

Pros: You may never find a more stunning looking pen. It’s shell is made of Indian satinwood woven into a parquet pattern that usually requires a flat surface.

Cons: It costs three thousand dollars.

Overall: I mean, seriously, if you can afford this pen, go for it.

Making fun of Trekies and Star Wars aficionados seems like second nature to some. But now, television addicts can be put on the hot seat just the same. Seinfeld fans can spend their time watching the show on-line and enter for a chance to win a complete ninth season DVD collection after voting for their favorite episodes.

Sony Pictures Television, with help from affiliates in 99 percent of the country carrying the highly-rated sitcom in syndication, are asking viewers to vote in the Seinfeld Viewers Choice. Voting started on October 15 and will run through November 5.

Clips from 35 of the most popular episodes will be showcased as streaming content on Yahoo! TV (www.tv.yahoo.com) and viewers will be asked to select their 10 faves from the clips available. Votes will then be tabulated and the top 10 episodes will air as part of two Viewers Choice themed weeks on November 12 and November 19.

"Seinfeld is the greatest comedy in television history," said Robert Oswaks, executive vice president of marketing for Sony Pictures Television. "This promotion is a great way to let Seinfeld’s huge viewer base vote on and watch their favorite episodes in the November sweep."

A random winner from all of the online voters will be drawn to win a grand prize. The prize consists of a $4,500 shopping spree from Overstock.com and a Seinfeld fan package, which includes the ninth season DVDs, a Seinfeld hat, T-Shirt and mug. Throughout the entry period, voters can also enter for a chance to win 10 other prizes.

Premiering in 1990, Seinfeld told the story of four single friends living in New York. It earned well-deserved reputation for generating water cooler conversation from hilariously random and original storylines about Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld), George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Kramer (Michael Richards). The series scenarios have left viewers with lasting memories about puffy shirts, close talkers, big salads, black & white cookies, shrinkage, killer envelopes, marble ryes and the unmistakable "yada yada yada."

While on air, the show was nominated for 57 Emmy Awards and won a total of 13. TV Guide also ranked it number one on its list of 50 Greatest Shows of All Time an in its current season in syndication Seinfeld consistently ranks as the number one off network comedy. If not chosen as grand prize winners fans can get the ninth season DVD’s, out November 6, to try and get closure for never getting a tenth one.