Enero

I didn’t know where else to put this, but since it’s a Christmas movie I thought it would be fine for this thread. Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story (Netflix)- This was sort of a modern day take on Santa Claus but was based in a late 19th/early 20th century fantasy world and different from all past toymaker stories the genius toymaker/innovator was black. I really loved the look of this movie. It did an excellent job capturing that classic look of late 19th/early 20th century town at Christmas. I was surprised that this turned out to be somewhat of a musical, which I usually hate, but I didn’t mind it at all here. The music was overall good, as was the singing. The acting was great and the story was very well written. I enjoyed this one immensely I hope that it will become a classic for future holiday viewing audiences.

I don’t understand why Naveah is having all these nightmares about Cassie and even visiting her, considering she didn’t meet her and thus didn’t know her. I feel like there are way too many unnecessary sex scenes in this. None of them have added anything to the story or the characters. Bette’s mom giving her Vicodin, or was it Percocet, to get her through a minor injury spells a recipe for disaster. And June seems a bit daft, does she not see what a coincidence it is that she and her partner get locked on the roof, which results in Bette, her best friend, conveniently there to fill the gap. Yet she blames this debacle on Naveah. Ok. I didn’t realize this show is based on a series of books. I’m betting the books are better I thought the show would improve with this episode but it didn’t. I’ll likely not continue watching from here.

I agree with all. The acting is pretty bad from everyone but the dancing is beautiful. I think June being the attempted murderer is a red herring. I actually think the choreographer seems the most suspicious at this point. I’m not bored with this but I’m not completely enthralled either. It’s just ok. I’ll give it a couple of more episodes to see if things get better.

I completely agree with the bolded. I still like Naomi but her “plan” to save her son was ridiculous at best. I know she said she had to try, but IMO it was obvious this was more about herself than him. She needed to try and alleviate the guilt she feels over abandoning him all those years ago. She feels responsible for what he’s become, which she partially is. But she can’t undo years of conditioning by his radical and violent father. He’s been taught that message of radicalism since he was a child. She should’ve known that trip would’ve been fruitless and disastrous for her. The writers using the “mother’s love” trope as the driving force behind one of the smartest characters on the show doing something extremely stupid is frustrating. I don’t know why they had Naomi think she could walk into the lion’s den and walk out unscathed. I suspect though, her kidnapping will certainly be the catalyst to whatever catastrophe we’ll be led into this season. I can’t say enough how much I’m enjoying the Holden/Fred Johnson partnership. But am I the only one who thinks the guard whose always in the room with them when highly confidential topics are being discussed could be the spy? Alex is a f^ckin idiot with his diarrhea of the mouth. I knew the woman who was so enamored with his protomolecule experiences was the source of the illegal weapons dealing. Bobbie’s timing was thankfully impeccable and she saved his ass. Additionally he was at least able to get a little information out the female soldier. However, I do wonder if the ship name she gave him is legitimate. I felt bad for Drummer in her grief. She and Ashford had worked together for many years and were very close. So her grief and first response being to go after Marco was palatable. I’m glad she has someone who cares about her to talk her off the ledge. But this is far from over for her. Though she’s stated this is not her fight anymore, I doubt she’ll be able to stay out of the war that’s to come. The first episode of this season was meh, but the storylines have progressed nicely. Overall, the season has been very good thus far.

I agree. It went by fast though. I thought is was much better the episode 1. Loved seeing Drummer again. Holden and Fred continue to shine together. Lol. Glad the reporter is ok. But wonder why whomever didn’t just kill her? I really enjoyed the backstory on Amos. I too wonder what business he needs to resolve before leaving earth for good.

Meh start to the season. But like others I loved seeing Tyco Station again and Fred Johnson. I enjoyed the scene between him and Holden. I understand Naomi’s reasoning, but it’s unreasonable. She’s not her son’s mother anymore. She really never was considering how young he was when she abandoned him. He doesn’t know her. He was raised by his father and is his son. She won’t be able to save him. He’s already a monster. Bobbie going off on Alex was a...well dam moment. LOL. But it was truthful. The wife’s smackdown too. The only way Alex will be able to rebuild a relationship with his family is if he sticks around which I doubt he’ll do. The last scene with him where he observed all the businesses going out of business and spaces for rent was sad. Mars will inevitably become a desolate Inner planet ghetto. All the planning and work the Martians spent decades doing destroyed by the greener pastures that are the rings. Very unfortunate.

Just caught up on the latest episodes: Cover Story: My heart broke for those three kids who lost their mother. She was young, still had her life ahead of her. Sad that she got caught up in a relationship with abusive trash. The brothers who were behind the murder are POS. I guess it’s something that the one brother - Terry, pleaded guilty to accessory to murder and witness intimidation. I’m assuming he’ll be testifying against his brother. But both should be in jail and never get out. They truly are a menace to society . Death In Desire: Great to see the New Orleans detectives again. But goodness, I’d forgot how brutal the crimes in NO can be. I think some of the most brutal cases profiled on the show have happened in NO and sadly those cases have always entailed crimes against women. With regard to this case, drugs will always lead to no good end, even for something as “harmless” as marijuana. Very sad that the victim lost her life the way she did. Tell No Tales / Unfair Fight: Again another brutal murder case in NO where a woman was the victim. I wonder how the victim ended up alone in NO, into prostitution, robbery, using a fake identity and doing god knows what else, all the way from Canada? She was a beautiful young woman, only 29 years old. The NO detectives said she had prostitution charges back to age 16. SMH. I’m guessing addiction likely played a role in her choices and ultimately her death. Very sad. I don’t know how the guys who attempted to have a weapon free confrontation/fight expected that incident to end other than the way it did. The days when you can confront someone and the worst that can happen is a cursing out or an ass beating are long gone. If you get into a confrontation with anyone nowadays, the risk is higher , I think, that someone will pull a weapon and use it. It’s very unfortunate that someone lost their life over this situation. While watching these episodes it was interesting to note that the cases were from as far back as 2014. They appeared ON DEMAND as new episodes. However, it looks like all these cases were recently resolved. So maybe that’s why the producers pulled them out the vault to air for the first time because they had resolutions? Or perhaps I missed these episodes when they first aired?

Just saw the trailer for this....Yikes! It looks like a hot ass mess. SMH. The acting looks terrible.

Last I read she was in a very difficult position. Though the woman who raised her had stolen her from her real parents, it sounded like the lady was very good to her. So despite being a victim of kidnapping and being stolen from her birth parents she still loved her kidnapper ie “mom” and refused to sever the relationship. Unfortunately this caused tension with her biological parents as they felt like she should cut off the kidnapper completely. Sadly, the situation wasn’t as simple as that. It was complicated. During all of this I remember reading that Carina’s biological mother gave her an ultimatum either she choose her or the kidnapper. Of course, that didn’t go well and from what I understand it resulted in an estrangement. That was many years ago. So hopefully Carina and her biological parents have been able to work through the complexity of their unique situation and have reconciled.

As everyone will see I’m completely behind on FS news. With everything that’s been going on I haven’t been keeping up. Just a few comments. I’m stunned about the James/Cipres news. I was a fan. Loved them, but I’m disgusted by Cipres alleged actions. I feel terrible for Vanessa as this was her last chance to perhaps win an Olympic medal. She’s too old to start over with a new partner. So her career will remain just what it is and in part tarnished by her partner’s alleged actions. With the Grand Prix final being postponed, I don’t think a new date has been selected, and now with the cancellation of Skate Canada and Four Continents, this FS season looks to be turning into a bust. I was also shocked to read Medvedeva is back with Eteri. Considering how contentious their parting was I thought it’d be a cold day in hell before they reunited but COVID seems to be wrecking havoc on many situations. Her situation is unfortunate as well as her competitive career is more likely than not over. Very sad. It’ll be interesting to see what the skating world looks like after the pandemic calms. I suspect many who were staples in the sport before all this happened will disappear into the ether and perhaps those who were up and coming phenoms will too. A lot can change in a year without the motivation that comes with competing, injury, growth spurts (for the tweens), aging (for the older competitors) etc., which can quickly change the game.

This case was rather odd. It seemed strange that the police would become alarmed about a car sitting in a church parking lot for a couple of hours and then went searching for footprints, conveniently finding them by the lake. The car could’ve been parked there for a number of reasons, none of which should’ve led to a nefarious conclusion. Also, according to an article I read the police’s timeline with finding the car, running it’s tags and eventually informing the family of their mother’s disappearance does not mesh with when the coast guard started their search for Mrs. Romaine in the lake. The timelines are off by an hour. That's a pretty big discrepancy. So either one of these parties didn't properly record their timeline, which would speak to what appears to be the police's incompetence or something unethical is going on with one of these authorities. I tend to lean towards the former. I also read that she died from a “dry” drowning, having no water in her lungs. Additionally, I read that a set of keys Joanne told her family had gone missing weeks earlier, reappeared at the police station days after her disappearance without any explanation from the police as to how the keys got there. I’m not convinced she committed suicide. I think foul play was likely involved. I think her death is probably related to the ongoing disputes she was having with family members. I honestly think any one of them could’ve been involved with what happened to her. The brother and the cousin seemed rather shady to me. So who knows what they were in to. And once again, the cops show how incompetent they can sometimes be. I can’t tell you how many crime shows I’ve watched where the cops jump to a conclusion about an incident without thoroughly investigating all angles first and in turn end up botching any opportunity for learning the truth of what happened. I feel terrible for these mothers. I'm guessing these children were kidnapped and raised by other people. It was very sad to see at the end of the episode, how many children have gone missing as babies, and the few pictures they showed was not even a fraction of the number of people who have been kidnapped as children and still remain missing. Very sad. This season was okay. Definitely not as good as last season, but engaging enough. I do hope they’ll continue with more seasons.

Agreed. It was absolutely unbelievable that prison authorities would allow criminals who are supposed to be serving life in prison, for murder no less, go on a Christmas shopping trip at the mall, in civilian clothes, with tax payer’s money and without a guard. And then on top of that they did not take any steps to ensure he would be re-captured. Infuriating. I honestly don't think it was a clerical error as one of the people said in the episode. I just think authorities didn't give a dam. Perhaps they thought he'd served enough time for his crime, and it wasn't a big deal that he escaped. After all, he'd managed to be included in that program which allowed inmates more freedom that some folks get who are not locked up. They probably thought he was rehabilitiated and thus didn't warrant chasing. The dad was a POS. Lester mercilessly killed a little girl. He didn't deserve an opportunity to start a new life. Moreover, I find it hard to believe that this guy turned over a new leaf. He had a history of being a sex offender and killed a child in cold blood. I doubt he was able to let go of those depraved desires that drove his crimes. Sadly, the family will likely not get justice. He could very well be dead by now. If he’s still alive he’d be 77 years old, likely unrecognizable and still living off the grid. I hope they catch him though, if he is still around. Even if he only has a few years left, he doesn’t deserve to live them free. Tsunami Ghosts in Japan – What I found most interesting about this episode was learning more about Japanese culture, how they view life and death how they handle a deceased’s funeral etc., With regards to the ghost sightings and possessions, I’m a skeptic when it comes to such things. I’m not sure what these people were experiencing, but I think it was mostly likely PTSD rather than some supernatural experience.

I've started watching the new season. I watched the first couple of episodes while working today... Jack Wheeler – I think the incident at the neighbor’s house and the kitchen of his home being a mess were just what they were. As the person speculated in the episode, he likely smoke bombed the neighbor’s house and when he returned home he trashed his own home out of frustration. Also, it sounds like he might’ve had early onset of Alzheimer’s? Perhaps the family was in denial? Because it seems strange that he was so forgetful. Regularly forgetting where he parked. Keeping his walks to a limited area for fear of forgetting how to get home etc. Of course this still doesn’t explain his murder. I don’t know if his murder was a hit. Wouldn’t it be cleaner just to shoot him to death rather than to beat him to death? I'm also not convinced that it was connected to the dispute with the neighbor being as they would’ve had to follow him all the way to Delaware to kill him. Was it possible for him to move with those injuries from the beating? I’m wondering if his death did just come down to him being in the wrong place at the wrong time and he climbed into the dumpster to hide from his attackers and later died? Regarding his briefcase, being that he was so forgetful, he could've misplaced it anywhere. Jane Doe in Oslo – Very strange case. I definitely think this woman may have been an intelligence agent or involved with organized crime. I know that’s one of the oldest conspiracies in the book, but it’s odd that she was able to check into the hotel without any ID, that the hotel cameras were not checked, all of her clothes having no tags, no ID, keys etc., toiletries, hairbrush, toothbrush etc., not found in the hotel room etc. And then the way she died. According to forensics there’s no way she could’ve still been holding that gun if she shot herself, due to the gun's kick back when fired. She was likely killed by another intelligence agent or someone affiliated with organized crime. They spent a lot of time trying to figure out who this woman was, which was valid. However, I wish they would've explored more the theory if she had been killed rather committed suicide. How would the killer have exited her room being as they found the door locked from the inside? Would the killer have been able to escape from a balcony or window connected to her room? Interesting case.

I don’t believe for one second she bought that house on her own and just from working. Working doing what? When in Colorado she was virtually unemployed. Even in NC a house that big would cost at least $400k-$500k. I’m betting her story about working hard to buy that house was a story that had way more to it, similar to her stories about her perfect life. I don’t doubt she worked a job, but her divorce and likely her parents contributed greatly to her having the money to secure a loan to build that house. Agreed. This makes me think of the Netflix documentary I watched on Bundy. Even the judge who sentenced him for murdering those young ladies in Florida was enthralled with him. It was really disgusting to hear him talk about Buddy’s intelligence and how him having to serve time was a loss to the community. As if him killing those two women, and countless others was a mere traffic ticket. Just disgusting. Back to CW, I’m pretty sure he’s getting all the attention he ever desired from women, even though he’s in prison for murdering his family, due to his looks. Scott Peterson is the same way. I think I read that he gets hundreds of letters a day from women all over the world. Not raging at him for his crime, but wanting a romantic relationship with him. It’s sad, baffling and infuriating.

I would not be surprised if that marriage was nothing but sex and trouble from the start. Though Shannan claimed she pushed Chris away in the beginning and that he relentlessly pursued her until he wore her down, I find that hard to believe. He did seem rather dim-witted, indifferent and easily pushed around. Maybe that was because he had become disinterested in the marriage. But Shannan did state in one of her SM posts that she wore the pants in the relationship. So again, I wonder how much of their relationship (and even their decision to marry) was driven by him. His responses to her text messages over those last 5 weeks were a clear indicator that he just wanted to shut her up, placate her until he could execute his plan to kill her IMO. It was almost creepy how similar the girlfriend looked to Shannan.

They didn’t learn anything because they didn’t think any mistakes were made. What happened was par for the course in the pursuit of progress in their eyes. I agree with whom ever upthread. I’d like to see a new season of this series which explores the Columbia disaster.

Great documentary. Very interesting. I didn’t know much about the Challenger because I was a kid when it happened except Christa McAuliffe, Christa McAuliffe, Christa McAuliffe. I know she was going to be the first teacher in space. Hence all the fanfare around her, but like always when something like this happens the other victims seemed to be neglected for the person who the media deemed as the face of the tragedy. It was great to hear not only more about the diversification of the space program , training methods, etc., but about the other astronauts and from their families. I had no idea the astronauts were found in tact. Heartbreaking. I hope they died instantly from the loss of cabin pressure because to have died otherwise....I can’t even imagine how horrifying that would’ve been. Lucas and Malloy...I just can’t with these men. How do they even sleep at night is baffling to me. No remorse. No care. Just casualties of progress is their thought. Disgusting. I’d forgotten about the Columbia disaster in 2003 until it was mentioned in the ending credits of the series. Amazing that despite being aware of the catastrophic risk of launching, the fear of the loss of money prevailed, even when there was a risk of loss of life. This behavior will never change in humans and continues to this day, which is sad.

Delurking to say my sister got me watching this train wreck, but the commentary in these episode threads are way more interesting than the show. You guys have me LMAO and often agreeing with your comments. Regarding Tyrice’s “engineering” job, after seeing his place of residence I wonder if Engineering is nothing more than a supped up name for IT Specialist. At times an IT professional can carry the title of Systems Engineer and I’m wondering if that’s the case with Tyrice. If he is a true Engineer he’d be at least in the low-mid $100k+ and would surely be able to afford a place of residence that had a modern kitchen and furniture that was not equivalent to something you’d see in a hotel room from the 90s. And don’t even get me started on the leather couch with holes in it. Unless they were filming at a location that wasn’t his home. However, the ill fitting suit and the fact that he was trolling for a girlfriend on a prison pen pal site also gives me pause and makes me question how successful this guy truly is or isn’t.

He looked gravely ill in photos seen of him from a few months ago. Fans speculated that he was sick, but didn’t want to believe that what he was battling was terminal. He was a trooper though to be receiving treatment and surgery for the cancer in between filming. Sounds like he fought hard. This is extremely sad. And unfortunate. May he RIP.

I forget which documentary it was I watched on this, but the agents who investigated the Atlanta child murders stated they believed those killings were carried out by family members. I definitely think the two females who were killed, one of which was abducted from her home were not Williams’ doing. Nor do I believe one of the first children killed via gunshot was Williams. However, I think, for the most part, the other killings were him.

I agree with all that big pharma definitely plays a role in the opioid crisis. However, I got the feeling that even without the knee injury that sent him on the road to heroin, Nathan might’ve still ended up on a destructive path. His family admitted that before the heroin he was a partier but didn’t “think” it involved hard drugs. Then his knee gets busted up not because of hockey, but due to him being involved in a bar brawl. He gets addicted. Gets clean but continues to hang out with troublemakers which resulted in him getting severely burned, and of course leads back to drugs. I didn’t finish the episode because honestly I was bored. I don’t know what it is but Intervention is not as good as it used to be. According to someone up thread Nathan did get help and was still on the path to recovery at the end of the episode. Glad to hear that. Hopefully he will be successful this time and stay clear of the rowdy friends and behavior.

I hope the father of her child saw this episode and noted that the child support money he’s sending is being spent on crack. I am so over these enabling parents who will send their kids to the grave in the name of “helping” them and “love.” The road to hell is paved with the best of intentions. I guess they get a few points for taking their grandchild to live with them, but they still don’t have full custody so she could take him back anytime she wanted and she’s still allowed to see him. I did find it interesting that the boyfriend who was so great and whom she pushed away has nothing to do with his child. Makes me wonder how great he truly was. The mom seemed just indifferent and just doing whatever Melanie wanted. Maybe she was just tired after all these years in dealing with her addiction and had given up trying to fight her on it, if she ever fought her on it at all. Indeed. She is a complete drama queen. Everything that is a self-centered 13 year old. I mean her behavior during the intervention was at times over the top, and honestly came off fake. That said, she does seem to have mental health issues. She was still bouncing off the walls even after three months of treatment. Sadly I wasn’t surprised when she relapsed. It seems to be rare for those who started using so young to get clean and stay clean for an extended period of time. It’s like the addiction becomes a fundamental part of who they are, which makes it impossible for them to escape it. Very sad.

Are any top skaters training or representing countries who don’t usually host a Grand Prix event? I’m thinking no, but I could be missing someone.

I watched this as well. It was a good start, but for such heavy subject matter it fell short. It really should’ve been much longer. I’d liked to have seen more diversity too from those who were speaking. Though they might’ve asked others to participate who declined. I think this hour long documentary barely scratched the surface, and will do little to make a difference with this issue that does needs to be taken seriously. What I found most interesting in the discussion was the statement that even when Olympic athletes are making money off their success, most will still be in financial debt while continuing to compete. I wonder how many Olympic athletes, successful or not, are still paying off fees for training etc. after retirement? I also wonder how this plays out with athletes from other countries where it seems like the federations (for some) play a bigger role in paying for training etc. for their premier Olympic athletes. I was glad to see them at least talk to athletes who made it to the Olympics but didn’t succeed (Lolo Jones, Kate Uhlaender, Jeremy Bloom), not all whom they spoke to even medaled at the games. I do have concerns about Gracie Gold, Lolo Jones and Kate Uhlaender. They all seemed to still be struggling, especially Kate. BOT: I’m glad to to hear the Grand Prix series will resume. I figured it would. They’d just have to keep out spectators and take special precautions to ensure all who are there social distance etc. However, I do wonder how they’ll handle the locations? Will the U.S. be cut out of the rotation and the event that’s normally held here be held in another country? Because we’re not exactly winning the war on COVID right now.

Isn’t that every reality TV show? LOL. Though the show revealed some interesting aspects of the Indian culture and what is expected with regards to marriage, I didn’t think any of these people were truly sincere in finding everlasting love and marriage through the matchmaker. I think they all had agendas for coming on the show and most had nothing to do with love. I’ve seen several people mention this and I just didn’t see it. They seemed to get along well but there was no sexual tension between them. More like a friendship vibe than anything else. Was I the only one who thought Vinay was gay? When Nadia spoke so highly of their commonalities and how great the date went I thought girl it’s never going to work because dude is gay. Then not surprising he eventually flakes without an explanation.