Pickles Aplenty

Just caught up and watched all three episodes. And, I locked horns with a person on another site who kept saying they thought Woody was innocent, and how Mia's story "has a lot of holes in it", and how Mia was probably mean to her kids, so no molestation could have occurred on Woody's end, and by the way, they really like Woody Allen's movies, so they've read a lot about how he's really innocent, and blah, blah, BLAH. I can't deal with people, anymore. How does Mia's story have a lot of "holes" in it? And what about Dylan's story? Dylan is 35, now. Does that not count for anything? I don't understand. Someone please club me over the head and put me out of my misery.

nevermind

Is Cate just going to keep birthing daughters until she hits menopause? Seems like it.

I wasn't talking specifically about the actors. I was talking about anyone involved who wants to bring this show back. I'm another one who doesn't see the point in bringing it back if two out of the three women are single again, because we've done that, already. What's the point? Seems tired and redundant, to me.

This is the universe telling them not to do this reboot. But, they won't listen, because money.

I never saw it that way. I don't think the writers ever wanted us to like Natasha, but I think were were meant to be on her side when she lays the smackdown on Carrie in the restaurant. Of course, Carrie doesn't learn jackshit from it, because then she thinks about how much it sucks that succubus Natasha is single again, but I never saw it as Natasha being a huge bitch we were supposed to hate, in that scene. I think they let her be the mouthpiece for every wife/monogamous woman in the audience. That's just how I interpreted it, though.

I never thought the writers wanted me to be on Carrie's side during the affair, but I think I'm in the minority.

Well, I started a rewatch this week, and I have already binged season one. I was 17 years old when this show debuted, so I thought it would be an interesting experiment to rewatch it as a near-40 year old woman. See if my opinions about the characters and situations have changed. I haven't seen any of the movies, and I don't plan to. I don't plan on tuning in for the reboot, either. ANYWAY...I want to start by saying I don't hate Carrie. I am annoyed with her a lot of the time, but I never hated her. Every time she would do something that lost me, she would win me back with being a good friend, or going out of her way to help someone when she didn't have to. HOWEVER. I was already super annoyed with her at the start of her relationship with Big. Literally the episode right after Carrie asks Big to "stand still" with her and be exclusive, she is whining to Miranda about how they don't have wild sex anymore, and how they have sweet sex. Carrie was supposed to be in her early 30's during the first season, I have a hard time believing that she wasn't aware that relationships go through phases, and the wild and crazy sex phase doesn't last forever. It seemed like it was WAY TOO SOON for her to be saying that, though. Like I said, they decided to be exclusive the episode right before this one. When people say Carrie is high-maintenance and never satisfied, I totally get it. And it started a lot earlier than I thought it did, because yikes, woman, slow your roll. Other observations: I kind of wish they had kept the street interviews, but I don't miss Carrie's wide variety of friends from the first few episodes. That didn't ring true, to me. I know it's NYC, but it's like Carrie was buddies with every kind of person there was, and it felt so contrived. I am not loving Samantha. I still think the character is funny, but this time around, she is annoying me, greatly. She constantly tries to fuck people, like it's a compulsion. It's so weird. I'm also not a fan of her cheesy, faux-sexy voice she uses with every interaction she has: "Yes, I think we would all love fresh pepper!". Ugh. I also hate Skipper, this time around. I used to think he was cute, but now I have NO IDEA what Miranda sees in the dude, or what he sees in her (okay, he was probably attracted to the fact that she was a sexy older woman who strung him along, but moving on). Miranda was so incredibly bitchy the first couple of episodes, but they toned her down without completely softening her after that, and I like her more now that I'm older. I didn't dislike her the first time, but I definitely relate to her more now that I'm middle aged, with a mortgage, and a job that can be mentally and physically exhausting. I understand where she's coming from a *little* better. Charlotte is Charlotte is Charlotte. She's exasperating, but she knows what she wants, and she doesn't try to be someone she isn't. I feel the same way about her that I did when I was 17. I think it's because Kristin Davis played the character in a way that made Charlotte very believable, even when she was saying something very rigid and ridiculous. I bought it. And, yeah, I'm finding Big MUCH more attractive now that I'm older. I still think he and Carrie are the worst communicators to ever exist in television history, but damn, Chris Noth was hot like FIRE, on this show. He's also very funny, and I think Chris Noth's comedic presence is often overlooked. I always liked Big's nonchalant, dry delivery. So, yeah, those are my random observations on SatC. I don't see the point in watching the reboot, especially without Samantha (I know I just said the character irritated me, but it just isn't the same show, without her). I hate everything being resurrected after it's clear the writers/creators have completely run out of ideas. Let stories END. Is that such a bad thing?

I agree. I have never liked Timberlake, and I never thought he was a good artist. Everything he did was a poor imitation of what African American artists did, much better. I would have cancelled him for lack of talent back in 2002, but that's just me.

I agree that dressing like a woman at 17 isn't that big a deal, and I never had a problem with Britney showing off her body, in general. I hope it didn't sound that way. What I was mostly thinking of were the Rolling Stone shots, that were VERY Lolita in their approach, and very gross. JMO, of course, but I agree with you in that there is a huge difference between wearing a crop top and seductively posing with a Tellatubby doll (ick). In other Britney-related news, I am so friggin' happy that Justin Timberlake is being put under the microscope for the way he treated Britney after their breakup: https://www.glamour.com/story/justin-timberlake-faces-backlash-over-the-new-britney-spears-doc-framing-britney I need to watch this doc. I have always disliked Timberlake for a few reasons, but the way he used Britney to launch his shitty career is at the top of the list. And I was WAY more offended by "What Goes Around...Comes Around" than "Cry Me A River", even though I hate both songs. At that point, the breakup was YEARS in the past, and he was still using it to prop himself up and make money. Fuck him.

I don't think you can compare the MGM star-making machine of the 1930's to the environment Gen Zers are living in, now. Judy Garland herself had lesbian relationships/experiences, but she never, ever had the option of talking about them the way Jojo Siwa does. Maybe if she did, and she had ONE thing she could have been totally honest and open about, she wouldn't have felt so alone and isolated. That's how people work, after all. As for Britney Spears, well, I'm Britney's age, I remember all of this very well, and Britney was always controversial from the moment her first video aired and she was wearing that skimpy schoolgirl uniform. She never had the "perfect" family narrative, either, even the kids in my high school wondered how the hell her mother could have allowed her to pose for the Rolling Stone spread. The opinion of Britney's parents, especially her mother, was that they were super ambitious stage parents who didn't care what Britney did, as long as she raked in the money. Let's not forget the time Brit danced as a Pussycat Doll for her brother's birthday. That family was always weird, and everyone talked about it.

Yeah, sorry for the confusion.

I never followed Marilyn Manson, so I had no idea about the Evan Rachel Wood stuff until just now. I did know they had dated years ago, and I remember thinking they were a weird couple. I'm horrified, reading about the abuse she suffered at his hands. It is truly terrible, and I hope she is able to process everything and heal. That goes to the rest of his victims, as well. I hope he gets the help he clearly needs, but I won't be holding my breath. I'm too old to say anything about Miley Cyrus, but I can tell you that Lindsay Lohan never had an "ideal family life", and that was known to the public from very early in her career. Lindsay was partying with her mom in clubs long before she was Jojo Siwa's age. She never had a grounded, well-adjusted public image.

I figured it out- it's a movie where I enjoy the performances a lot more than I enjoy the story. That's the perfect way to put it. I agree that the clothes and jewelry are pretty to look at, btw. Today, I'm watching the original version of A Star Is Born, with Janet Gaynor. I have never seen this movie, or any of the remakes, so I'm starting with the OG. We'll see how it goes.

It reminded me so much of Betty Draper: if your husband has strayed, what did YOU do to MAKE him stray? You must not have worked hard enough to make him happy. So, so gross.

I watched The Women, today. I had seen parts of it before, but this was the first time I sat down and watched it from start to finish. I have thoughts... I really enjoyed some things about this movie, but other things drove me absolutely nuts. For one thing, I couldn't understand why Stephen Haines was such a big prize to be fought over and won, since he was completely spineless and lacked agency. I also call bullshit on him really loving Mary, since he chose his mistress over her when confronted, and didn't seem to care at all that she was heartbroken. That is not love. I understand that the men weren't the true focus of the story, and that they only exist to propel the story forward for the sake of the women- which is actually pretty feminist for a movie made in 1939- but I still couldn't forget about that. It made the ending a huge disappointment. Another criticism I have is that Mary is given a couple of speeches by her mother and by Paulette Goddard's character about how to be a wife, and how "fighting" for her man is all part of the deal. Excuse me, but how did Mary not "fight" for her man? She confronted him, she told him he could choose his wife of ten years, or his flash-in-the-pan mistress, and the spineless wad chose is mistress. What else was she supposed to do, exactly? Yes, I know these are values straight out of 1939, when divorce was frowned upon and women had MUCH fewer options, but good LORD, was it hard to hear in 2021. Everything was put on Mary's shoulders, and Stephen was treated like a big, dumb animal who couldn't help himself. Mary should have known how to handle her delicate little baby-man. UGH. This makes it sound like I hated the movie, but that isn't true. I liked a lot of things about it. I wouldn't say it's one of my favorite movies of all-time, but I really liked the performances. Joan Crawford was perfectly cast as a bitchy shopgirl/homewrecker (I always like her better when she plays bitchy instead of nice). Norma Shearer elevated a boring role and had me feeling for her with her emotional reactions. Paulette Goddard is stunning, and completely arresting, onscreen. But, the one who really stole the show for me is Rosalind Russell. I adored her in this movie. Her whole look, her catty line delivery, the physical comedy she throws herself into, everything she does in this movie is sheer perfection. I've heard people say Joan Crawford steals this movie, and I think Joan is great, but for me, the MVP is Rosalind Russell. She's fantastic. Anyway, I am not sorry I watched this movie, and I really do understand things were different back then, but I don't know if I will watch it again. TBH, the energy of the movie is exhausting, especially the opening scene. I kept silently urging the women to stop and take a breath. I might just revisit clips on YouTube, instead. And those are my thoughts on The Women, thank you for reading, lol.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with a teenager coming out publicly. I have always known I was straight, so why couldn't someone else have always known they were LGBTQ+? What's the harm in sharing that information? We're living in the 21st century. We can be open and empathetic, and not have such a firm grasp on our pearls when people speak about living their lives differently. The times, they are a-changin'. GOOD.

People are still talking about the Ghostbusters remake? I forgot it existed. Anyway, Elliot Page and Emma Portner are getting a divorce: https://people.com/movies/elliot-page-emma-portner-announce-plans-to-divorce/

My nieces loved JoJo Siwa when they were in the 6-8 age range. They had a lot of her hair bows, and watched her videos on YouTube. I think it's great that she feels safe and supported enough to come out, and I wish her the best. It's not an easy thing to do, especially not as a teenager. Dave Chappelle and the rest are acting like awful people. I always hesitate to call anyone a straight up awful person, because people are complicated and I always want to give them the benefit of the doubt, but come on. Even if you believe you would be totally fine with Covid (and you can't even determine that, plenty of young and healthy people have died from it), you could very easily give it to someone else, and kill them. That's what infuriates me about people who don't follow the rules- it isn't all about you. Irresponsible, and just plain shitty, and everyone involved should be ashamed of themselves, but they won't be.

What a bunch of assholes.

My mother had a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1970's, and I was struck by how much Brendan's bakes reminded me of the pictures from that book, lol. The man was very precise, and undoubtedly a good baker, but I can see why John won. I got the feeling there was no where else for Brendan to go as a baker, whereas John was more imaginative with what he did. So, even though I wouldn't have been upset with a Brendan win, I can't say John was undeserving. The only one of the three who would have been was James, who completely blew it with stretching himself too thin making five cakes, instead of one. Child, what WERE you thinking? 😉 All in all, I don't think this was one of my favorite seasons. I liked it okay, but the bitchiness over American pies and the super reserved personalities of this season really left me cold. I can't imagine being in the final challenge of a competition and calmly saying, "Oh, there's my cake" as it splattered on the floor. If it were me, I would yell FUCK!!, and frantically scoop the remains off the floor while crying. Yes, I know it's a very British trait to not react in that way, but with this season, the attitudes were almost robotic, and it was hard for me to connect with them. Long story short, it was a very dry, boring season. NEXT.

Yeah, these are just "Folklore" castoffs. That's what I thought this album would be once I heard it was going to be released. There is talk of her releasing a third album, which would make this some kind of folk trilogy, but obviously, I have no idea if that is true. Fans say they're seeing it in one of her Easter eggs.

I listened to "Evermore" this morning. I liked a few tracks, but ultimately, I thought it was a snoozefest. But, she's getting positive reviews for it, so I must be a philistine who doesn't know what they're talking about.

I was wondering the same thing. If no one cared, why make it a challenge? lol Part of me wishes they would re-do this challenge and give the bakers more time to make some tart fruit pies that many, many Americans have grown up eating. Maybe they're not distinctive enough to qualify as American pies, since they are made in other cultures/countries. IDK, I think the whole challenge was a misfire from the very start, and definitely deserves a re-do (re-bake?).

Just watched this season on Netflix. I'm an American, and while I wasn't wild about Paul's comments on American pies, I wasn't super offended by them, either. I know that the British tend to like savory pies over sweet ones, so if Paul thinks American pies are too sweet, whatever. I *do* think it's annoying how traditional fruit pies were cut from the competition, though. My absolute favorite is blackberry pie, and there wasn't a single berry pie, in sight. I have never been to an American fair or bake sale without any kind of fruit pie, so what the hell? I have never liked pumpkin pie, so Danny's comment about it being "disgusting" didn't really bother me. I don't know what possessed Cathryn to put pumpkin, peanut butter, and chocolate together. Did she write AMERICAN FLAVORS on strips of paper and draw them out of a hat? Seems like it. While she was explaining what was in it, I actually said out loud, "Oh, honey, noooooo.". All in all, one of my least favorite episodes, but I didn't think it was as bad as people were saying. I'd still watch this one over any episode with Ruby in it.