Lola16

I help run a biannual designer auction event in a NYC suburb and work with many top designers. Most source their furniture and furnishings from non-chain stores, quite a few from consignment, a majority of pieces are custom and besides Ethan Allen and Stickley Audi, I don't know any other showrooms they'd shop from. Perhaps Direct Buy is used by designers in small markets, I don't know. But I do know that it isn't a brand I'd want to be associated with.

Sarah - the tests felt very Apprentice like which is where I first 'met' Marcus. And Dean needed his feet held to the fire as a designer because he's also a co-owner and he shouldn't design stuff his people can't make. That said, if these workers have been there as long as it seemed, they should know better than to produce sub-par product.

I drive past the Greenwich Crumbs location fairly often but haven't had a chance to drop in yet. From the street, it looks closed but maybe it's just really dark. I'll try to make an effort next time. I popped into Courage B this week. Some really nice stuff. Prices are high even on sale. I almost never pay full price on clothes etc, prefer to pay at least 1/2 of retail having learned the mark-up in school. Even with 40% off, I wasn't tempted. They did have the signature bags plus some really cool laser cut leather totes in a variety of colors. The clothes were hit and miss. Some of the fabrics were cheap and didn't feel nice or premium. The jewelry was nothing special and was really ordinary. Didn't see anyone from the show. Sales help was nice, a little too attentive and chatty but I'm guessing she was really bored and just happy someone popped in. The store front is high up on the avenue so I don't think they get too much browsing traffic. If they could afford to move a block down, they'd do so much better but the rents there are very high. Hope overall they are doing well.

I wonder if Dean got a lot of heat for the production because previously he had his hand in everything and wasn't doing it well. While I agree that Dean should be responsible for the execution (he's the designer in a small shop, he has to be sure that what he designs, the team can produce), I think the fabricators and installers need to step up as well. If something looks crappy (like the sparse trees) or if there's a seam in a bad place (like the middle of a word and that word is the first thing customers see), they need to speak up. Perhaps they did and were shot down many times before? We didn't get much drama this episode (thankfully) so hard to know. While there were no graffiti murals, the auto shop looked like sticker murals with the columns. Way over done. And the half car jutting out of a wall? Too much. Just as ugly and tacky as the original design. I like the idea of the rooms being named after cars. Hopefully those are cars that they do carry (when they have stock). Color wise - yea, it did look like Blockbuster.

Definitely more fancy than 5 Guys and a lot more expensive. I forget where I was the other day but I waked past a big bin of loose potatoes in the customer area and I was like no....this doesn't make me feel like your fries are fresher. Makes me hope that you aren't serving these to anyone! I don't know if you've ever been to a BGR but it really is a copy. I'm in a burb of NYC and we've got so many burger chains to choose from, without something new, I don't see how these will make it nationally.

She's just not that likeable. And she's so midwestern sorority girl. Looks just like a pharmaceutical sales rep. Would have been interesting if last season we had Edmonds wife # 2 and this season, the current wife. He could rotate a wife every season or 2. That'd keep it fresh.

Is Victoria wearing a shaper slip instead of a dress? Very smart of Luann to use one of those new autotune karaoke mics. Her skirt was scandalous - maybe that will be a title of a new song.

Puff Diddy Daddy? He's go a lot of successful businesses he can plug. And he's no stranger to reality tv.

Is Leona Hemsley still alive? Bloomberg would be dry as toast. What about Vince McMahon? It needs a strong personality and a brand.

^5 Sarah.

Speaking chemistry... where's Jules?

If that means Tracy leaves... ugh... another reason to not watch. I was so happy to see the vets when I tuned in last year. I'm ok with this Luke leaving (he's nothing like the 78-80 Luke I knew).

All Lulu had to tell Dante was that her mother was having some sort of 'issue' and that she was going to help her. Not sure what would account for Dillon tagging along but at least she wouldn't be lying about what country she was in --- which is very discoverable. For someone who can't stand to be away from her son, she hasn't mentioned him once. (I'm OK with it but it's all we heard during that Levi kidnap caper). I liked Val in the beginning. Then she started with those scrunchy screwed up facial expressions. And the fake niceness. Plus she's always grabbing at Dante physically which (and I get it, he's hot) girl please.

I missed the Direct Buy part. Agree that that's a scam. They use such high pressure techniques. I think they are worse than the timeshare people. The product placements in this show are always awkward.

I just got caught up on 2 weeks worth of episodes and umm... wth?! I guess. It would squick me out to no end. I mean I could maybe get behind sexing up Julian and then Lucas. But if one of them had sexed up my mom and then was interested in me... yea no. Just no. Sam had bugged the phone and was listening to it on her laptop. Doesn't it record it? Couldn't she play it more than once? Maybe for other people? Great PI. And no-one still thought to pull the phone logs of the company phone or cell phone to see who Rosalie calls? The actress looks damn good for 50 something. Thanks to the poster for posting the 1980s Jennifer. Don't remember her then but this actress does have a passing resemblance. Of course the story that Lucky was kidnapped by someone who wants Luke and Laura to play a couple is pretty ridic. Then layer on that an old flame who looks 1/2 his age wants to sex him up. More ridic. Did like Laura's faces though. Now Holly shows up. It's going to be a who's who I guess. Kinda lame last adventure that feels thrown together. They need to bring Audrey Hardy back and she can fish that gun out of the toilet and take out Luke, Nina, Franco, Kiki and Denise. Amongst others. I thought maybe Laura was behind it. Guessing the anvils are falling that it's Helena.

Only redeeming factor is if the houses are really in the Rockaways. Great memories as a kid surfing there, the boardwalk, the white sand..

Ugly. Out of place. And very one-trick-pony. I think Marcus obviously has good general business sense. I don't think he knows enough about all the industries that he gets into and just applies MBA school logic to them all. In this one, suggesting they do 3 levels of furniture is good for a big company. For a small family owned business, only 2 levels make sense. Custom and semi-custom. And their showroom needs to be designed by a retailer not looking like a garage sale from a McMansion foreclosure.

I can buy that Victor misappropriated some family funds. The ELQ plot was Helena's though and Nik only came into it well after it was hatched. If Nik needs money that badly, he could have married Nina. Spencer deserves her as a mother.

Well, that would be smart. I did remark to Nik that he should buy Rosalie a burner. Fluke had one. The Cassadines should have a box of them in the same pantry with the candy. But I don't think that he did.

The cell phone is ELQ property. Tracy overheard Rosalie talking to Nik on it while in the Q livingroom. Tracy told Rosalie all she had to do was place one call to IT and she'd know who Rosalie was talking to. Rosalie about broke out into a sweat. Tracy then got sidetracked with Lulu busting in that Luke wasn't at the looney bin anymore.

The show doesn't really write well for any POCs (or perhaps for any people for that matter) without devolving into stereotypes. Here we have 2 nurses who are Latinas. One sweet, one fiery though Nurse 1 is now fiery too. Nurse 1 loses her job (due to her own devices) and is now a nanny even though she could be a nurse at Mercy, local doctor's office, Pentonville, Silas' personal basement hospital etc. Nurse 2 is suddenly not a nurse anymore and is now a secretary. Both are 'help'. Both are dating / have dated their boss (white man/boy) who seamlessly moved from one to the other. And in the last encounter with Nurse 2, he acts as if he'd be happy with being with her instead. Doesn't mention being with Nurse 1 or expressing a preference. More like, what you were still interested in me, damn wish I knew. Hmmm. To me, it seems 'interchangeable' from the show POV. Maybe I'm missing something - I haven't even been watching for a year yet at this point so maybe there were other Latinas who had their own identities and weren't stereotypes (not thinking what I heard of Lily to fit but who knows). I will acknowledge that I am over sensitized to this issue as I'm doing a piece on diversity in media now for school.

Add in the booze and you get a teary B. She's doing way too much single mother working hard to support her family so take it easy on her. (And yes, she has called herself a single mom.) I get that she needs to keep promoting the brand (supposedly it's in her contract with JB) and she also wants to put her story out there. But if it's really stressing her out this much, she needs to take a break. Lest she turn into Kelly B.

.No. Jake is trying to be clean and legit. So lacking a social is a hindrance to him. You'd think Jake would have the phone records and emails checked by IT. That would out Rosalie right away. Instead, he's going to cast aspersions at Sam?

I don't think Sabrina and Rosalie look anything alike - other than female, similar age and hair color (thanks to GH). What I am saying is that the show is treating them like they are interchangeable because they are Latinas. It's a POC thing.

It was big news about 2 years ago - racial profiling by stores. I remember quite a few incidents at Barney's. Oprah herself had an incident overseas. So kudos for GH in tackling the issue now (would have been better back when it was new news but hey...). Glad TJ isn't turning to a life of crime but I don't like that he thought to shove the guard so he could visit precious Shawn. If he ran out and the guard slipped while chasing him and TJ got arrested for leaving, that would have been more in character. Hate that the show made Sabrina a nanny --- as if her RN degree and experience is interchangeable. Wonder if Ron got fired, if he'd be OK with playing the Hamburgler. You know, it's pretty much the same - both are creative jobs. Also hate that the show is setting up Michael's love life with interchangeable Latinas. Both of whom are now hired help. #smh Rosalie's secret was not supposed to be something she had done, but something about her past and related to her overbearing father. Today Nina says it's something Rosalie did. I floved the scenes with Nina and Molly. Comic gold. I floved them even more than Silas at The Floating Rib Mon-Tues. No more Franco, Dr O or Magda. And someone brush Magda's hair please. Don't like Liz's hair either but everyone else's hair was good today. How is Jake getting by with no social? Can't Alexis file for a new one? Or he can get some temporary one? Maybe Ric can buy him one.