slowpoked

I think The Bear’s Season 2 far outpaces Season 1 in terms of quality, and ironically, it felt much more cohesive to me despite having more solo character spotlight episodes for most of the season instead of true ensemble pieces. After seeing Long, Long Time of The Last of Us, I thought it would be really hard to top that TV episode, and that came out in January 2023! But Forks was just amazing on an entirely different level. It made me appreciate Ebon’s character more, and it focused on the misconception about how fine dining can be snobbish and hoity-toity. I’ve been to two well-known fine dining restaurants and they do go way above and beyond excellent service, similar to how they showed it in Forks. That sequence of the service night, to Ebon’s triumphant drive home, to the episode’s quiet climax with its star cameo was just a really well done piece of writing, editing, acting and directing. This makes me sad that it’s highly probable Greta Lee will be the odd woman out for Actress. And it’s easy to see why - it’s not a very meaty role compared to others, and it’s a very understated and quiet performance in itself. But it would be really nice for her to sneak in, if only to show that such understated performances and roles do have a place in the Oscars if it’s done excellently.

Yes, I’m aware Lily won the GG for Drama. But from most forecast and odds, Emma still leads the pack. It’s an unconventional role with unconventional acting, and from most accounts, Emma is well-liked within the academy and industry. But Lily would provide the Oscars a nice story too, especially after Michelle’s win last year. I do hope Margot gets nominated for Best Actress along with Emma. It’s about time we have more than one comedic performance competing for the top acting prize. The Actor looks dark and grim with Leo, Bradley and Cillian leading the way. Was Brendan really an upset? I thought he had it long in the bag early in the season. The GG loss was because of a sexual harrasment issue that Brendan personally had with an HFPA exec. But all other awards after GG, Brendan swept. Poor Colin couldn’t even hack it in BAFTA where you would think the voters would be the most favorable and friendliest to him.

It’s the year 2024, and you would think we would have evolved from boobies jokes by now. But no. Especially on a movie that cuts right through those types of jokes. There were a lot of funny, good-natured jokes that can be made about Barbie the movie, but he went for the gross low hanging fruit. I was cringing through the entire monologue. When that sushi joke didn’t land well, and mind you, that’s already the least offensive part, I knew it was going to be a tough 10 minutes. I’m Filipino so I’m familiar with Jo Koy. His schtick was funny at first, but when he didn’t evolve from making fun of his mom and the Filipino accent, it got old really fast. His movie Easter Sunday was full of Filipino stereotypes that I didn’t finish the movie. Yes, he’s not with the “in” crowd, like Kimmel, Fey/Poehler were. And he’s not cool and suave enough to pull of Gervais’ “I don’t give a shit” schtick. But to be an effective host, you gotta mix the jokes with some self-deprecation. It’s what made Amy Schumer’s bit on the three-host Oscars effective. She made fun of herself enough that people can laugh along. Instead, he doubled down by blaming the writers, and saying he didn’t get the gig till late. Blaming others when the jokes didn’t land, regardless of who wrote them, aren’t going to endear you to the crowd any further. Other than that, there were no major surprises for me. Cillian and Emma seems like they have locked up the major acting categories, unless Lily can make a heck of an awards campaign. Although I can see an upset by the French actress in Anatomy of a Fall. For picture, it seems to be a two-way race between Oppenheimer and KOTFM, with Oppenheimer way ahead. I’m sad that my little-film-that-could, Past Lives, will go home empty handed, although I’m rooting for a writing win for Celine Song. It feels like a predictable awards season. I don’t see any races that will come down to the wire, ala Cate vs. Michelle last year, or a last minute surprise, ala JLC overtaking Angela Basset by the last two weeks.

Oh JT, I know it’s hard to accept that she’s not just into you, but that is it. It happened to Rod earlier in the season too, and he just let it go. But I will forever like him for calling out Austen for the piece of shit that he is. If Austen “gets the girl,” then it must be really slim pickings in Charleston, huh? Aside from the chance of getting onto the show, I’m not sure what self-respecting women would see in this abomination, along with his stupid podcast and stupid beer. I can’t help but laugh when Whitney was like “eh, sure…” when Austen came with his stupid beer and he said to Whitney, “let’s stock you up!” Sure, Austen, Whitney is just dying to have your stupid beer along with his fancy, expensive 20-year old whiskeys that was especially procured for him. Cut the cord Olivia. At this point obviously you won’t/can’t have a civil, friendly relationship with Austen without all those bad feelings resurfacing. You don’t need that douche in your life. I cheered you when you told him to his face “look at the trail of pissed off women you left behind.” I was expecting to see a montage of women from his pre-Southern Charm girlfiend to Chelsea to Victoria to Madison and then her and Taylor. Austen is a slut, and at this point there really is no redeeming quality to him. This show really scraped the barrel when they decided to make Austen the focal point of the season.

Just saw this on Netflix and I liked it! This is the first time in long while that I can remember genuinely enjoying Jennifer Lawrence. I mean, she had good acting turns back when she was the IT girl, but this is the first movie that I really enjoyed in a “I wanna see this again” kind of way, because it exuded on the screen that she was really having fun and enjoying herself, and not acting in an Oscar-baity role, which to be fair to her, has been quite awhile. She should do more of these types of movies, she’s on par with Emma Stone, comedy-wise. It is her! And apparently didn’t even think twice about doing it! https://variety.com/2023/film/columns/jennifer-lawrence-nude-no-hard-feelings-fight-scene-1235652688/

It's pretty kind-hearted of you to give Shep (and the rest of the cast) a huge benefit of the doubt re: their drinking behaviors. But Shep being a horrible drunk has been very well documented many times before, outside of filming schedules: https://people.com/tv/southern-charm-shep-rose-mocks-woman-collecting-cans/ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-6824053/Southern-Charms-Shep-Rose-drank-little-escorted-VIP-tent-golf-tournament.html https://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2023/04/scheana-shay-shep-rose-got-too-drunk-to-bang-me/ https://okmagazine.com/p/southern-charm-shep-rose-allegedly-kiss-southern-hospitality-mia-alario/ From what I read, Craig and Austen are horrible drunks as well. Not too sure about the new and newer cast members.

No matter how he thinks he's so smart over everyone else just because he bloviates, or no matter how much money he's going to get from his parents, Shep is just a sorry excuse for a human being. What a waste of space for oxygen. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. But you made me mad, Taylor. You poked the bear." Fucking typical serial abuser. And all those who are still friendly with him after all this time of seeing how he treats other people around him with no respect whatsoever, are also the same sorry excuses for human beings just like him.

LOL. And even then it’s the wrong movie! Ashton’s movie is No Strings Attached. FWB is by that Timberlake douche. You guys are right - the way this “story” seems so stunted in the way Austen recalls it, the way he tells to it to other people, they way Rod confronts him about it…something doesn’t add up. So you’re telling us that production packed up for the day after Austen and Olivia had coffee and just conveniently did not shoot this part at his house? They never had problems showing Netflix and Chill before - Austen and Chelsea’s morning after was shown, and even them sharing the same bed while the other is still asleep. And on the off chance this is really true - Olivia hung out with Austen at his place - how itchy is this guy’s dick to have a booty call right after the girl he claims to be in love with just left?! The real scandal is that no one has complained yet of getting an STD from Austen!

Yes, this is what Olivia said in the article. Due to several misdiagnosis of his Lyme disease, her brother eventually got addicted to painkillers, whatever would make the pain go away. Because the family didn't know what he was dealing with. When he was eventually diagnosed with Lyme disease, he's into deep with his addiction. It was too late.

First, it was did they make out or not. Now, it's a bra. This season is really scraping the barrel. When will Bravo realize there's nothing left to scrape?

So it is indeed true that he died from an overdose. And why Olivia and her family kept on saying he died "suddenly."

I think the one good thing in this episode is Rod calling out Austen for playing the victim or thinking of himself as the victim when it's him who orchestrates all the messes he gets himself into. Austen showed this perfectly in an earlier episode where he was wondering why he couldn't be in a healthy, long, loving relationship with a woman. I mean, yeah, why can't any decent woman see him as a catch when he "accidentally" hangs out with two naked women in his apartment while in a relationship? One of life's greatest mysteries indeed. What a schmuck. Hope his parents are proud of him. I think Madison's one of the thirstiest Bravolebs I've seen in awhile, but it's obvious her blabbering of Taylor's nudes comes from a deep, personal place, where, arguably, she wasn't shown the same grace as the guys are begging to be shown to Taylor now. Madison has a point where all her sluttiness is out in the open - she doesn't pretend to be someone else she's not. But because Taylor is a southern, bible-thumping Barbie who was hurt from a previous relationship, it suddenly excuses what she did. I don't know who's in the right, and frankly, I don't care, because between Madison and Taylor it's like choosing eating my own puke or stepping into my own shit. But for once, I wasn't telling the TV to "shut up, Madison!"

Craig's girlfriend during the lockdown. Before Paige. Craig found out after they have broken up that Austen slept with her not too long after they separated. Chelsea was a "friend" of the main cast. Their storyline was that Shep first started to date her (or try to), then Austen swooped in, but tbf to Austen, Chelsea liked him more than Shep. They ended that season together as a couple. But the next season, they were broken up and Chelsea did tell Naomi's Austen's tendencies with other women. I would guess third or fourth season with Austen. First season - triangle with Chelsea and Shep. Second season - triangle Victoria and Chelsea. Third season - Madison??

So icky to end this episode on Austen's "therapy session," and for Bravo to sell him as this deeply misunderstood man who can't move on from his sister's death. Yes, I'm sure his sister's death is traumatic, and grief manifests itself in different ways. And for some, there's really no moving on even with time. But c'mon: 1. Breaking up with his long-time girlfriend to be on a Bravo reality show so he can piggyback on Shep's dick to sleep with more women, 2. Attending bachelorette parties while already in a relationship with Chelsea and coming over afterwards at her place expecting to have sex like nothing happened, 3. Flirting with Chelsea and keeping the door "ajar" even after he has already moved on from her with Victoria. 4. Sleeping/hooking up/kissing his friend's exes - Peyton (Shep), Lindsey (Craig), Taylor (Shep), and 5. Most infamous of them all, yanking on his dick when caught in the act by Madison with two naked chicks in his apartment and their underwear all over his place (immortalized by a tape itself) have nothing to do with his sister's traumatic death and him not being able to process it still. All the behavior above is just due to him being an asshole who can't keep his dick inside his pants when he's in a relationship - simple as that. There's no "layers" to Austen, and there's no need to pretend there is, producers. Even his parents can see through his schtick! At least Shep is self-aware enough to acknowledge he is who he is (an asshole who likes to sleep around). It's too late to separate yourself, Austen, from the man you emulated from the very beginning.

LOL, I know! "Did you kiss him?" "OMG, you guys kissed!" But like Olivia said, it wasn't the hookup itself that got her upset, it's that she asked Taylor about it point blank and she lied to her face numerous times. That's upsetting in any scenario, hooking up with earth scum or not. I'm so glad they aired a flashback to when Taylor said "hand on the bible, we did not hook up," because it's such a blatant lie. I've learned a long time ago that when bible thumpers do thump the bible, they always mean the opposite. They thump the bible in order to stoke fear in order to not question them anymore (because who wants to question the bible), but in reality, they're just blatantly lying to your faces.

The best thing Olivia has said, or will probably ever say on the show, is: "Fuck Austen, he's literally the scum of the earth." Preach, girl! And he proceeds to prove exactly her point during dinner and their conversation afterwards.

I was just going to say. Thomas/Kathryn has been the backbone of this show. Heck, you can even include Whitney in there. They were a triangle for a hot minute. Of course Kathryn is an adult, but watching that relationship unfold, I can't help but feel back then it felt like you're watching some kind of abuse.

A sign of how this show devolved is how a bit player like Austen has become its leading man where the scandal of the season revolves around him. Austen, you asked why you're having trouble being in a serious relationship - here's why. You can't keep your dick inside your pants for a hot second.

That was quite a nice finale, although the killer(s) were revealed early on in the episode. I thought too that they were going to do a double-twist to reveal Loretta really did kill Ben, after getting bailed out. Because that would be La Streep's ultimate farewell to the show. But ending on this hopeful and happy note gives an opening for La Streep to be back next season (not that I'm expecting her to, but if they don't break up off-season, I expect Oliver to mention her here and there about filming in LA). Overall I did enjoy this season very much. I was apprehensive at first when it was reported they're bringing the big guns like Meryl and Paul, but surprisingly, their presence didn't overwhelm the series. All of the episodes still centered the trio very well. I enjoyed the setting of the musical very much, getting Oliver to do what he loves to do, and getting Charles to "act" again, although in some cases, that sort of sidelined Mabel since she's not part of the industry. But still, it always came back to the three of them. I love it! I would love to see an actual Death Razzle Dazzle musical in NYC!! Bring on Season 4! By the way, where does Mabel live now?

Just so I’m not spreading rumors, straight from the source herself: That’s when Patricia chimed in to say that’s “not true.” She claimed, “I tried for years to get her on. She was at many #southerncharm events invited by me.” There could be something to that. Patricia’s son Whitney Sudler-Smith created Southern Charm and he’s a producer, so, perhaps, Patricia does have some major pull in regard to casting. “and ultimately on the show because of whom,” Austen asked in response to Patricia’s claims. That’s when Patricia said Madison joined “because I convinced her.” https://www.realitytea.com/2020/11/10/southern-charm-madison-used-austen/?amp Eh, I’m pretty sure Madison didn’t need a lot of convincing to join the show. EDIT: This is the IG post that the article was referring to: https://www.instagram.com/p/CHYU8RnJYPm/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I remember a little blurb from Patricia, where she said she’s been trying to get Madison in the show for a long time, that she’s invited her to all her parties that are filmed, so that Madison will get the exposure and get noticed and be on the show. I guess Madison got tired of being a background and decided to fuck a castmember instead, which is a much faster way to get into the show, and not just as a background, but a starring role at that.

I stand by what I said on my first impression with Olivia - she tried to make it as an actress/model while she was living in Los Angeles, and couldn't hack it, due to the immense competition. So she "moved back" to her parents' "house" in Charleston to be in a decently popular "reality" show in Bravo. Way easier to be able to get into a show set in a smaller town, rather than do all those auditions and casting calls in LA. Is it any coincidence her parents have "moved" to Houston, now that she's settled her role firmly in the show?

I was actually surprised by that. I thought I remembered something Madison said he's in real estate or something. The 8 days "off" is probably when he does paperwork, so that's why he can stay in Charleston. I would think all paperwork can be done remotely by now.

They should have finished this show a long time ago. Or gotten a whole NEW cast of characters, no leftovers. It was charming when it was young, single people doing foolish things. But when it's a 40+ year old, bloated Shep, who's still grabbing women in restaurants to forcibly kiss them when they're drunk, it's freaking creepy. Craig and Austen look old and bloated too. The women had the good sense to walk away when they knew it was time to walk away. But I guess famewhores like Shep and Austen are going to famewhore.

Taylor was obv drunk towards the end when she was railing her misplaced anger on Craig. That was some obvious drunk whining. It's such a huge flashing sign (or red flag) that guys like Austen, Shep and Craig hang on to this show for dear life because they will fade into irrelevance if they do, while women like Cameran, Naomie and Chelsea have moved on. Austen, is it really life's wonder why a woman won't stick with you? Maybe if you don't stick your dick in every walking stick figure in a skirt within your eyesight, you'll have a shot at a decent relationship. You're a hoe, Austen, and that's why women won't put up with you. It's that simple.