Enero

Which is interesting considering when Duchess Meghan encouraged women to mentor other women for at least (40) minutes on her 40th birthday, it was an initiative to promote mentoring and supporting women in the work place, Ms. Couric was one of the first to tweet her support and plans to participate in the intiative. With all the other celebrity tweets promising to participate in the initiative, I wondered who would actually do the work and who were just tweeting their plan to participate as a publicity stunt. Based on what I'm learning about Ms. Couric I'm betting her tweet of support for this initiative was all about the latter and that she had no intention of (and did not) mentoring anyone.

This! At the end of the day she’s an adult. No one should have that type of control over her life to the point where she can’t make decisions for herself (even bad ones), unless she is severely mentally unstable or completely incapacitated and thus incapable of making her own choices and functioning as an adult. As I’ve said before I can see why her father stepped in 13 years ago. She seemed to be in the mist of a public mental breakdown. Someone, family, did need to step in and help her. But then things appear to have gone way beyond that initial purpose which has resulted in the current situation. I wonder once she’s free of this conservatorship if she’ll perform again? I know she’s stated that she wouldn’t but I think that was to cut off the money train to her family. In her prime she really seemed to love performing so I can see her eventually returning to that if she feels mentally ready. Also, she may have to get back to work if her finances have truly been mismanaged under her father’s management as suspected.

I think once the vampire’s blood “ healed” Erin by essentially aborting the pregnancy that was that. Unlike Leeza’s paralysis which could potentially be healed but then return if the vampire’s blood was not ingested, once the pregnancy was terminated there was no way for Erin to regain that pregnancy even if she stopped communion. That “healing” was permanent unless she became pregnant again the old fashion way or through medical intervention.

Hope he gets more than the minimum (10 years), 30+ years is what he should get. Glad they finally got him. Better late than never but dam he was able to ruin so many lives and live the best years of his life unscathed. Hopefully he lives the next 20-30 years in misery. Rumor has it he only has $2 million to his name. He doesn’t own any of his masters. Apparently he was swindled out of them years ago. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy. So the rumors may be true. If true, he probably couldn’t afford a good attorney.

Well I finished binging this series. Though not as entertaining as I’d hoped, it was still an easy, quick watch. Ultimately this was another story about religious zealots going completely off the rails. I’m still baffled by the fact that no one thought ‘we get bitten, we drink the blood of the person we’re bitten by and now we can’t tolerate sunlight at.all., and have an intense hunger for blood, hmmm…could this be the legend of the vampire?’ Very odd that thought never came up. Most disturbing thing about this episode was seeing the vampire attack Erin. We’d seen it attack others but the way that scene was shot was more disturbing than other attacks. It looked like rape.But I guess when you think about it, it is a form of rape, attacking someone, forcing your will upon them, and draining them of blood from one of the most intimate parts of the body, the neck. I had to laugh when Bev and her group of dumb and blind followers realized they had no backup plan if a) the shelter they’d use to protect them from the sun during the day was destroyed, and stupidly they destroyed any backup plan for that themselves, b) they didn’t leave a follower or two human to take care of things that could only be managed during the day, and c) they had no one guarding their transportation off the island. All were very zealous but not very bright. Though it was implied that the Alpha vampire died due to his wings being too damaged to fly him to the mainland and thus shelter, this story still may not be over. Though the Alpha had a lair on the island, he obviously disappeared from the island for long stretches of time, per the Father’s illness due to the lack of the Alpha’s blood. He could’ve already turned people on the mainland. But I guess if he did die the true death, those whom he turned would’ve died too. This series had some interesting themes, but the story wasn’t strong enough to support those themes.

I completely agree. This series has such an interesting concept but has for the most part been poorly executed, very boring. As you said, way too many monologues that add nothing to the story. I will say that this priest is the epitome of arrogance and delusion. For him, and his assistant, to justify what they’re doing as God’s work completely contradicts the very religion and God they call themselves worshipping.

So I guessed early on in this episode that Father Paul was the Monsignor who was supposedly resting on the mainland. So could the miracles in town be due in part to the blood of the winged vampire and its keeper the Father being fed to these people in small doses? So the Father nearly died because he needs blood to survive and probably nearly poisoned himself to death eating human food. Lol. His assistant now knows who he is, but I doubt she knows what he is. How could they possibly think he has experienced the hand of God considering how he was brought back? Have these folks never heard of vampires? Lol. It’s odd that they have younger actors caked with aging makeup. I’m guessing later in the series these folks may suddenly turn “young” again cause otherwise why not just cast older actors to play these roles? I think the Muslim father has a point. Why would God heal some but allow others to suffer. And the end of this episode proves just that. Will this become an island of vampires whom the Muslim cop and others will have to fight off? We shall see.

Clint has passed away. He was in horrible shape during his intervention episode. I'm surprised he lasted this long. Very sad. RIP Clint. 🙁 https://mountpleasantgroup.permavita.com/site/ClintRobertPascal.html

Did anyone watch the 20/20 special edition hosted by Robin Roberts - The Women Survivors of 9/11? Good documentary. I don’t recall hearing many stories from women who survived 9/11. Though I know many did. Absolutely compelling stories. The woman who was in the Pentagon sucking on her “wet” sweater only to learn later it wasn’t wet due to the sprinklers coming on but due to jet fuel from the plane that crashed into the building was horrifying. Genelle being under the rubble for 27 hours before being rescued must’ve been terrifying. I can’t help but think how many others were buried alive like her but died before being rescued. What a horrible way to go. The woman whose lower body was nearly destroyed by injuries she suffered that day, not being able to really leave the house and take a vacation until now, 20 years later, was sad, but inspiring in that she kept fighting. Never giving up. None of them did. It was wonderful seeing how these ladies were able to move forward with their lives, despite all the unimaginable struggles. All of them are incredibly strong, amazing women.

Well, that’s because said celebrity is not interested in the adult parents. Disgustingly, they want the children ie Michael Jackson and others. With the Michael Jackson and R.Kelly cases there were several instances where the parents were aware of the rumored abuse or were making foul decisions regarding their kids ie letting them move in with a said celebrity, spend the night with the celebrity etc. Perhaps they believed the celebrity couldn’t possibly be a pedophile because they are a …celebrity? The parents were willing to disregard all inappropriate behavior because the person is famous and have money. When the likelihood of them allowing their child to move in with or spend the night with (in the same bed mind you) with a regular everyday stranger is close to nil, unless the parent has some type of addiction issue. It’s all about the potential financial rewards and access to things that come with status. It’s truly despicable how many of these parents pimped their kids out, which is just as bad as what the predators have done to them.

It's nothing to hear about regular everyday people who've lived fairly well in their prime having to downsize once they reach retirement due to less income coming in, health issues etc. Perhaps those who've had extremely lucrative careers sometimes have to do the same. He may still be able to live better than the average person, but maybe not as lavishly.

Agreed. When Aaliyah first launched her career, it was widely rumored that she was married to Kelly and was pregnant. Looking back now at some of the footage of them doing interviews together where he, a grown ass man, repeatedly states that a 14 year old child is his “best friend” is disgusting. Not to mention the songs he wrote for her. Some of which were too mature for a 14 year old to be singing. People within and outside of the industry knew. But it was a different time and nobody cared. After all, this type of predatory behavior had be going on for decades ie Elvis/Priscilla, Jerry LeeLewis/Myra Brown , Bill Wyman/numerous girls, Don/Melanie etc., and thus had been normalized.

Perhaps. But I do wonder if this filing is two fold. Of course if it's removed, he's free and clear of being exposed of any wrongdoing. However, this could also be a gamble on his part to prove to the world that Britney indeed DOES need the conservatorship. As you've stated, he's said she's been getting worse for months. He knows the judge likely won't just end the conservatorship based on his request alone. They'll likely have to do a mental evaluation of Britney (something she has adamantly stated she does not want to do). If the court evaluates her and finds that she is unstable and in need of the conservatorship to continue Jamie will no doubt feel vindicated. Also, I find it interesting that Britney has not yet made a request to end the conservatorship herself. But perhaps her lawyers are advising the misuse of funds etc., is investigated and resolved first before making a request to end the conservatorship.

Very sad to hear about Michael K. Williams. Out of all the stars to launch from The Wire, his portrayal of the Omar character was the most memorable. He was such an interesting and great actor. Condolences to his family. RIP Michael. 😢

Indeed. It’s really sad how the vultures start to swirl once someone is in dire health. And this doesn’t just happen with celebrities but everyday folks too. Everyone wants to get their foot in the door to get a piece of whatever monies might be available big or small when said person is incapacitated or nearing death. Anyway, from the article posted it sounds like the son may be doing the right thing and has the support of the family. It’s the outsiders who seem to be causing trouble. I don’t understand why her manager thinks he should have conservatorship over her when she has capable family to do that and why her friend is demanding the courts allow her to visit with Nichele. There could be a number of reasons why the son doesn’t want the friend to visit. Going to court demanding she’s allowed to visit seems extreme.

Well to be fair Britney hadn’t exactly surrounded herself with “good” people. Before Jamie stepped in she was having an utter melt down and was being essentially controlled by Sam Lufti who was posing as some type of entertainment manager. But who, as I understand, was nothing more than a fraud and a leech himself. I do think someone needed to step in to help her, at that time. Family was the logical choice. And perhaps things did start off reasonable, but then over time evolved into this horrible situation it apparently became.

This! Now that he’s resigning from his role as conservator I think we may start to see the reality of what was really going on, and thus whether a conservator is needed or not. With him stepping down I would think this would perhaps make it easier for her to get out of the conservatorship all together but we’ll see.

This! I don’t know how she still had legs to run the 10k after running the 1500k and 5k. But then not only that, she pretty much chills during most of the 10k, then turns it up during the final 200m to essentially crush the field. Amazing. I was not at all surprised when she collapsed when it was over. I’m sure she was not only physically spent, but emotionally raw due to finally finishing her last race at these Games and with a gold medal! Congrats to the U.S. women and men in the 4x400. Both teams smoked the field. Great line up for the women’s team. And Felix now holds the most T&F Olympic medals by an American! Great way to end her career. It’s been a pleasure watching her over the years.

The men's relay was awesome! Cannot believe the Jamaicans didn't make the podium, but looked to have had some trouble during at least one of the handoffs. Congratulations to the Italians! Great win!

The U.S. did a good job making up ground after being a little behind on the 2nd leg of the 4x100 relay. Congrats on their silver win! Seeing all the ladies from all the different countries hug and interact after the race, I was surprised to see how tiny Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is. She looks to be about 5'3 no more than 5'4. Really love the Kenyan national anthem! The Japanese anthem is another one I think is wonderful.

Wow Miller Ubio smoked the field in the 400m! Great race! Congratulations to Allyson Felix. So impressive. Another "old" woman (in relation to the sport) still being competitive. Congrats on her bronze. I feel bad for McPhearson from Jamaica. She was just crushed after not having enough to push past Allyson for the bronze. Anyway great race!

Thanks for the link! Honestly, based on the clip provided above, I didn't really see anything wrong with what he said. Yes. It could've been stated more eloquently, but he wasn't being sexist, mysogynistic or homophobic at all. The bottom line is Americans see figure skating as a female sport - ballerinas on ice, and thus doesn't take it seriously when it comes to men. I believe his thought is, as you said, by incorporating more mainstream music into his programs i.e. hip-hop and pop, he may be able to change perceptions of the sport and perhaps draw the interest of diverse youth who can better relate to the latest pop/hip-hop hit than a tune from more than a century ago.

The Men's 110m hurdles was a great race. The commentator called it during the semi-finals that Holloway comes out strong in the beginning, but loses ground at the end of the race. If competitors can keep him close they can overtake him with the last three hurdles and that's exactly what happened. Parchment was able to overtake him. Honestly I'm surprised Holloway was able to hold onto silver because the field was right on his heels coming to the finish. Anyway, congrats to him on his silver medal win! Embarrassing and disastrous. I don't understand why, after so many ridiculous mishaps over the years, which could be prevented simply by practicing, they don't practice. What's the deal with that?

The men's horizontal competition was pretty amazing, but goodness some of the guys lost their grip on the bars not once, but twice. Thankfully none of them injured themselves. Hashimoto was pretty spectacular, but I miss Kohei Uchimira at these Games. I understand he was due to compete on the horizontal bar, but failed to qualify. He may not be as young as he once was and thus not the best in the world anymore, but he will always be one of the GOAT. Am I the only one who loves the Japanese national anthem? It's one of my favorites. Belated congrats to Simone on her bronze medal.

This! I just finished watching the replay on NBC Sports App. They finally released it! RME. Lol. Anyway, Guan was by far the most gorgeous and interesting gymnast on the beam. I enjoyed all of the extra touches she added, specifically in her hand movements, that almost gave her routine the appearance of a dance. Very lovely. Gold medal well-deserved.