Dejana

Another murder at the hotel in a matter of weeks? They are going to have to explain why anyone ever bothers to go and stay there in future episodes. Non-refundable bookings? Maybe that's why the scene is switching to Jane's student teaching next week. I doubt that's the last we've seen of Michael's sleazy brother. I wish it were; he gives me the creeps. Petra and Rafael...she's unbelievably shady, but you have to wonder about the guy who picks her as a wife. I know, he's changed, but how much and for how long? There was a bit of an edge there, in the scenes about him wanting custody of the child. Where is Luisa? Her stepmother/girlfriend didn't seem to be worried about her this week.

I think with Scandal, because it was the first drama in so long led by a black woman, that it drew a certain segment of viewers watching it for that reason, even though the premise, where the central romance is an extramarital affair, or that the black female lead is/was a mistress, bothers them on a fundamental level, and perhaps the Rhimes ouevre really isn't to their tastes. Sure, there are viewers who get super worked up about the affairs on Mad Men, too, but at this point it pretty obviously goes with the territory, and there are dozens of other dramas on TV starring white characters who don't commit adultery, so viewers not into moral ambiguity just don't bother with a show like that, expecting it to be something that it's not. Or, they thought (hoped?) Olivia's relationship with Fitz would always be some minor consideration between Olivia being this power fixer in cases of the week. I always forget that some viewers of Scandal didn't followed Grey's Anatomy, so when things happen like Olivia seeming more passive and whiny and relegated to hitting the same beats over and over in a toxic relationship, while other supporting characters get more prominent roles and are more refreshing to watch, I'm thinking, "This is Meredith on Grey's circa 2006-7! It was too soon for Meredith and McDreamy's happily ever after, so when she wasn't pining for Derek and having another ridiculous argument with him, they stuck her with McVet, she was a kind of a drip and Chandra Wilson and Sandra Oh were much more interesting to watch." But when it's Olivia and Mellie on Scandal, it becomes this whole conversation about white privilege and a dozen terrible tropes about black women allegedly being propagated. I think Shonda Rhimes just has some...interesting ideas about relationships, and, judging by the writing on her shows at least, seems to think it's not really a grand romance without five or six years of strife, tears, messy breakups and verbal abuse.

Superheroes trump space, but I was honestly expecting better results for both, though the reviews with Interstellar were a bit of a warning sign. Also, with the actual numbers, Ouija was #1 last weekend, not Nightcrawler, and the difference was more like 300K. November 7–9, 2014 Estimates: 1 (N) Big Hero 6, $56,200,000 | 3,761 Theaters | $14,943 Avg. | $56,200,000 2 (N) Interstellar, $50,000,000 | 3,561 Theaters | $14,041 Avg. | $52,151,000 3 (4) Gone Girl, $6,100,000 | 2,224 Theaters | $2,743 Avg. | $145,428,000 4 (1) Ouija, $6,017,000 | 2,680 Theaters | $2,245 Avg. | $43,472,000 5 (7) St. Vincent, $5,707,000 | 2,455 Theaters | $2,325 Avg. | $27,356,000 6 (2) Nightcrawler, $5,512,000 | 2,766 Theaters | $1,993 Avg. | $19,756,000 7 (3) Fury (2014), $5,500,000 | 2,834 Theaters | $1,941 Avg. | $69,268,000 8 (6) John Wick, $4,075,000 | 2,152 Theaters | $1,894 Avg. | $34,745,000 9 (8) Alexander and the Terrible... $3,495,000 | 2,381 Theaters | $1,468 Avg. | $59,208,000 10 (5) The Book of Life (2014), $2,800,000 | 2,166 Theaters | $1,293 Avg. | $45,215,000 Outside the Top 10: Birdman, $2,300,000 | 462 Theaters | $4,978 Avg. | $8,086,000 Guardians of the Galaxy, $415,000 | 296 Theaters | $1,402 Avg. | $330,004,000 Whiplash, $347,000 | 88 Theaters | $3,943 Avg. | $1,557,000 On Any Sunday: The Next Chapter, $344,000 | 231 Theaters | $1,489 Avg. | $344,000 Laggies, $258,000 | 306 Theaters | $843 Avg. | $461,000 Citizenfour, $207,800 | 59 Theaters | $3,522 Avg. | $667,300 The Theory of Everything, $207,000 | 5 Theaters | $41,400 Avg. | $207,000 Awake: The Life of Yogananda, $86,100 | 21 Theaters | $4,100 Avg. | $447,400 Global Totals: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: $438M Overseas Total | $768M Global Total TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: $273.2M Overseas Total | $464M Global Total THE MAZE RUNNER: $225M Overseas Total | $324M Global Total GONE GIRL: $158.2M Overseas Total | $303.6M Global Total ANNABELLE: $160.5M Overseas Total | $244M Global Total DRACULA UNTOLD: $147.7M Overseas Total | $202.6M Global Total THE EQUALIZER: $88.6M Overseas Total | $186.6M Global Total INTERSTELLAR: $80M Overseas Total | $132.25M Global Total FURY: $51.5M Overseas Total | $120.5M Global Total BIG HERO 6: $23M Overseas Total | $79.2M Global Total ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY: $19.3M Overseas Total | $78.5M Global Total THE BOOK OF LIFE: $35.1M Overseas Total | $78.3M Global Total

I wonder if the genre has shifted to TV to some extent, between all the cutesy/quirky/twee love story sitcoms and the glut of Christmas movies with romantic comedy setups offered by the Hallmark Channel and Lifetime starting earlier and earlier each year (Hallmark was showing Christmas movies on Halloween). A lot of mid-budget movies of all stripes have slipped through the cracks with the big studios, as they try to chase after the next big franchise. Serious dramas at least have the hope of Oscar glory to boost their box office, but rom-coms were never awards darlings, so they slipped further down on the priority list. Then, someone like Katherine Heigl, who could have become the next rom-com sweetheart, burned bridges in record time, and Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock have moved on from/aged out of the genre. Then, as romantic comedy started to tank commercially, the next big thing for young actresses to do was to latch onto a YA/action franchise as their ticket to box office glory. The genre could also use some more diversity, something like a Fast & Furious approach that studios just can't write off as only appealing to the "urban" market. The guy looking for a woman with the same name as his ex to go on a free trip around the world with him seems like such a rom-com plot waiting to happen.

Lucy and Ricky Ricardo were an acceptable pair to middle America in the 1950s in a way that a pairing of a black woman and white man probably wouldn't have been, so on that level, it's not surprising that the "Interracial Couple!" baggage never really stuck to Jessie/Slater in the early 1990s like it did for Lisa/Zack. It is a good point that negative fan response couldn't have killed a romance with just one episode filmed; I think it would take longer to filter back to TPTB even now. I remember my kid self thinking Zack would run from pursuing anything with Screech's longtime crush. There was a limited dating pool, but some of the other characters had more of a frenemy dynamic, where there would be less consideration about who would be considered "off limits". Still, it's hard to picture network execs getting worked up about a bro code violation with regard to Lisa/Zack, but wanting to squelch controversy with a kiddie show, sure.

Who Will Be The Next Duggar to Marry? The Family Weighs In. People.com also has a poll going, too. Jim Bob says there have been guys pursuing Jana and Jinger, but they haven't been interested. Supposedly applications have been pouring in for John David ever since he joked about looking for a wife at Jill's wedding rehearsal, but I'm going to need to see the receipts on that one...

I wanted to see if Carrie would still change into a million different outfits or if the pregnancy would slow that down. Nope! She really is having a boy, BTW.

Rafael seems not to know that the stepmother was ever romantically involved with Luisa. Rogelio is hilarious. Very self-absorbed but likeably so. Great to see Tony Plana aka Ignacio Suarez as the priest counseling Jane and Michael.

I prefer Jon Hamm/Coldplay as far as 2008 episodes go, but this one did have the Palin appearance, Amy's rap, Mark Wahlberg and one of Adele's first US TV performances, so it was an understandable choice.

Very close race for the top this weekend! October 31–November 2, 2014 Estimates: 1 (N) Nightcrawler, $10,909,000 | 2,766 Theaters | $3,944 Avg. | $10,909,000 2 (1) Ouija, $10,900,000 | 2,899 Theaters | $3,760 Avg. | $34,963,000 3 (3) Fury (2014), $9,100,000 | 3,313 Theaters | $2,747 Avg. | $60,437,000 4 (4) Gone Girl, $8,800,000 | 2,834 Theaters | $3,105 Avg. | $136,602,000 5 (5) The Book of Life (2014), $8,300,000 | 2,794 Theaters | $2,971 Avg. | $40,524,000 6 (2) John Wick, $8,050,000 | 2,589 Theaters | $3,109 Avg. | $27,589,000 7 (6) St. Vincent, $7,752,000 | 2,552 Theaters | $3,038 Avg. | $19,527,000 8 (7) Alexander and the Terrible... $6,485,000 | 2,896 Theaters | $2,239 Avg. | $53,626,000 9 (10) The Judge, $3,400,000 | 1,942 Theaters | $1,751 Avg. | $39,550,000 10 (9) Dracula Untold, $2,946,000 | 1,913 Theaters | $1,540 Avg. | $52,859,000 Outside the Top 10: Birdman, $2,510,000 | 231 Theaters | $10,866 Theaters | $5,004,000 Before I Go To Sleep, $2,025,000 | 1,902 Theaters | $1,065 Avg. | $2,025,000 Saw 10th Anniversary, $650,000 | 2,063 Theaters | $315 Avg. | $650,000 Whiplash, $275,000 | 61 Theaters | $4,508 Avg. | $1,111,000 Citizenfour, $210,000 | 37 Theaters | $5,676 Avg. | $391,000 The Skeleton Twins, $104,000 | 94 Theaters | $1,106 Avg. | $5,078,000 Horns, $104,000 | 103 Theaters | $1,010 Avg. | $104,000 Global Totals: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: $435.7M Overseas Total | $765M Global Total LUCY: $317M Overseas Total | $443.5M Global Total THE MAZE RUNNER: $209.5M Overseas Total | $306.5M Global Total GONE GIRL: $142.9M Overseas Total | $279.5M Global Total ANNABELLE: $149M Overseas Total | $231.5M Global Total THE BOOK OF LIFE: $29.4M Overseas Total | $69.9M Global Total THE JUDGE: $29M Overseas Total | $68.5M Global Total ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE... $15.9M Overseas Total | $69.5M Global Total

A chyron during the show said that if the weddings of every Duggar daughter cost the national average (which will probably never happen), then that would amount to $200,000. This factoid got twisted, making it onto E! News as, "Jill's wedding cost 200K!" By the looks of things, it didn't even cost a tenth of that. It's more Jim-Bob's style to brag about how much money he's saved, as opposed to spent.

Several boys in the family seem to suffer from acne as well, but makeup probably doesn't help. Was the wedding definitely set for Saturday? Very odd to hear so little about it so close to the big day. Since they were still advertising the proposal episode on Tuesday, a postponement seems unlikely. Maybe Jessa really is going to elope!

I don't see the nature/genre of Sleepy Hollow precluding any sort of romantic Ichabbie involvement down the line, but a Jenny/Hawley/Abbie triangle, or some guy causing "tension" between the two sisters...no. If this were a Shonda Rimes thing or Revenge or whatever, I wouldn't think twice about a development like that, but those are very different sorts of shows where "twisty" romantic developments were part of the landscape from day one.

Why so many root beer floats? Does every guest need two or three?

October 24–26, 2014 Estimates: 1 (N) Ouija, $20,006,000 | 2,858 Theaters | $7,000 Avg. | $20,006,000 2 (N) John Wick, $14,150,000 | 2,589 Theaters | $5,465 Avg. | $14,150,000 3 (1) Fury (2014), $13,000,000 | 3,173 Theaters | $4,097 Avg. | $46,050,000 4 (2) Gone Girl, $11,100,000 | 3,106 Theaters | $3,574 Avg. | $124,093,000 5 (3) The Book of Life (2014), $9,800,000 | 3,113 Theaters | $3,148 Avg. | $29,913,000 6 (15) St. Vincent, $8,058,000 | 2,282 Theaters | $3,531 Avg. | $9,189,000 7 (4) Alexander and the Terrible... $7,023,000 | 3,117 Theaters | $2,253 Avg. | $45,544,000 8 (5) The Best of Me, $4,736,000 | 2,936 Theaters | $1,613 Avg. | $17,663,000 9 (7) The Judge, $4,345,000 | 2,610 Theaters | $1,665 Avg. | $34,377,000 10 (6) Dracula Untold, $4,302,000 | 2,364 Theaters | $1,820 Avg. | $48,328,000 Outside the Top 10: Birdman, $1,436,000 | 50 Theaters | $28,720 Avg. | $2,067,000 Dear White People, $1,314,000 | 384 Theaters | $3,422 Avg. | $1,757,000 23 Blast, $402,000 | 617 Theaters | $652 Avg. | $402,000 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), $360,000 | 300 Theaters | $1,200 Avg. | $190,100,000 Whiplash, $266,000 | 46 Theaters | $5,783 Avg. | $748,000 Pride (2014), $154,000 | 124 Theaters | $1,242 Avg. | $1,107,000 Citizenfour, $125,000 | 5 Theaters | $25,000 Avg. | $125,000 Glen Campbell... I'll Be Me, $86,800 | 10 Theaters | $8,680 Avg. | $86,800 Laggies, $78,500 | 5 Theaters | $15,700 Avg. | $78,500 Men, Women & Children, $60,000 | 542 Theaters | $111 Avg. | $664,000 Global Totals: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: $424M Overseas Total | $752.6M Global Total LUCY: $307.6M Overseas Total | $434M Global Total TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: $201.9M Overseas Total | $392M Global Total THE MAZE RUNNER: $179.2M Overseas Total | $273.2M Global Total GONE GIRL: $118.3M Overseas Total | $242.3M Global Total ANNABELLE: $126.7M Overseas Total | $206.2M Global Total DRACULA UNTOLD: $117.7M Overseas Total | $166M Global Total THE BOXTROLLS: $41.5M Overseas Total | $89M Global Total THE JUDGE: $19M Overseas | $54.2M Global Total

I have no idea what Shonda's going for with Fitz...he has the guy he thinks ordered his son's murder, but he's actually angrier about him screwing his mistress... this is supposed to make Fitz more appealing, how exactly? All of the characters look worse for being involved in this triangle.

Most intrigued by the Annalise/Wes interactions, can't wait to see where it goes.

I think Leo would prefer a make-up Academy Award down the line to Peter O'Toole's Oscar fate. I've been hearing Big Eyes is not so good and given Amy's understated performance, she might miss the nomination altogether (if you want to get nominated for a film with a bad RT/Metacritic score, you have to chew the scenery). Before Julianne entered the race, there was a debate among award watchers about the strength of Adams' "overdue" narrative, anyway. She's been nominated five times without winning, but how often was she perceived as close to winning in those years, and is it seen as some huge acting injustice that she's Oscar-less? I got that sense about Kate Winslet (maybe she helped along that narrative along quite a bit) and someone like Susan Sarandon as well, that year she finally won. Amy Adams, I don't know. It's not that I think she isn't talented, but in the list of living actresses who don't have Oscars, either..she's only so high up. I think Interstellar could win if it's emotional enough (doesn't seem "cold" to voters), is viewed as something more than a technical masterpiece and isn't overloaded with aliens or cutesy kids. There's a perception that only dramas about the distant past or movies on a certain scale can win Best Picture, but it isn't really true. It depends on a lot of things, like the competition in any given year. Some years it's beneficial to be a period drama and other years the sentiment might be against that sort of film.

Diana has been very anti-fanfic in the past; not sure if her stance has loosened since Outlander became a TV show.

St. Vincent's box office isn't setting all-time records for limited release but its performance could hardly be described as bombing. And 100K per theater for a live-action film opening in under ten theaters is pretty much a box office dream come true in the world of small dramas. Birdman ranks 19th in all-time per-theater average and much higher if you take out all the animated flicks Disney ran in their first weeks in 1-2 theaters with sky-high ticket prices. Ultimately it could go the way of Inside Llewyn Davis ($13.2M total) or American Hustle ($150M), but it will probably land somewhere in between.

October 17–19, 2014 Estimates: 1 (N) Fury (2014), $23,500,000 | 3,173 Theaters | $7,406 Avg. | $23,500,000 2 (1) Gone Girl, $17,800,000 | 3,249 Theaters | $5,479 Avg. | $107,069,000 3 (N) The Book of Life (2014), | $17,000,000 | 3,070 Avg. | $5,537 Avg. | $17,000,000 4 (3) Alexander and the Terrible..., $12,039,000 | 3,088 Theaters | $3,899 Avg. | $36,871,000 5 (N) The Best of Me, $10,200,000 | 2,936 Theaters | $3,474 Avg. | $10,200,000 6 (2) Dracula Untold, $9,889,000 | 2,900 Theaters | $3,410 Avg. | $40,735,000 7 (5) The Judge, $7,940,000 | 3,003 Theaters | $2,644 Avg. | $26,843,000 8 (4) Annabelle, $7,925,000 | 2,878 Theaters | $2,754 Avg. | $74,127,000 9 (6) The Equalizer, $5,450,000 | 2,262 Theaters | $2,409 Avg. | $89,170,000 10 (8) The Maze Runner, $4,500,000 | 2,155 Theaters | $2,088 Avg. | $90,837,000 Outside the Top 10: St. Vincent, $685,000 | 68 Theaters | $10,074 Avg. | $837,000 Kill the Messenger, $490,000 | 427 Theaters | $1,148 Avg. | $1,855,000 Birdman, $415,000 | 4 Theaters | $103,750 Avg. | $415,000 Dear White People, $344,000 | 11 Theaters | $31,273 Avg. | $344,000 Men, Women & Children, $320,000 | 608 Theaters | $526 Avg. | $475,000 My Old Lady, $214,000 | 128 Theaters | $1,672 Avg. | $3,177,000 Whiplash, $211,000 | 21 Theaters | $10,048 Avg. | $416,000 The Tale of The Princess Kaguya, $51,700 | 3 Theaters | $17,233 Avg. | $51,700 Listen Up Philip, $24,300 | 2 Theaters | $12,150 Avg. | $24,300 God the Father, $15,000 | 1 Theaters | $15,000 Avg. | $15,000 Global Totals: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: $404.8M Overseas Total | $732.6M Global Total LUCY: $288.7M Overseas Total | $415M Global Total TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: $185.4M Overseas Total | $374.9M Global Total THE MAZE RUNNER: $161.5M Overseas Total | $252.3M Global Total GONE GIRL: $94.7M Overseas Total | $201.7M Global Total DRACULA UNTOLD: $95.7M Overseas Total | $136.4M Global Total THE BOXTROLLS: $36.1M Overseas Total | $82.1M Global Total

If you suspected someone of being a devious killer, why would you let that person know it? If the guy has already had the president's teenage son killed shouldn't that be a hint of how ruthless he is? I hand-waved it with Harrison because of the off-screen situation with the actor. Jake can be pretty smug, but really, have some sense. It must be a corollary of the rule that makes movie villains reveal their nefarious plots when they have the hero all tied up. A movie is only two hours, though, and the writing/logic don't have to be sustained over the course of many episodes.

I didn't grow up fundie by any stretch, but did hear the "unfermented grape juice" line of reasoning and in the church covenant, we had to pledge "to abstain from the sale and use of the intoxicating drink as a beverage" and the pastor would disdainfully remark that not saying that part of the covenant didn't mean that people could get out of following it. Then I don't know, he had a change of heart or got a new interpretation or something, because he later conceded that the Bible doesn't totally forbid alcohol consumption, but he personally did not drink as the leader of the church, because the less restrained in the congregation might see his "endorsement" of alcohol as an excuse to drink to excess. One of the better arguments I've heard against the idea that the wine was really what modern day people would consider grape juice, is that reducing the wine to grape juice misses what made it a miracle. Anyone can turn grape into wine, but to turn water into wine was something special. Also, the praise about saving the best wine for last makes no sense if everyone was just drinking grape juice the whole time at all these super-long wedding feasts. Since it was wine, everyone would get drunk and the hosts hoped people were too sloshed to care about being served cheap booze after a while. To explain it to this crowd, it would be like being served home brewed sweet tea first, but after that ran out, getting the kind from the powder mix or Nestea from the can. You'd definitely notice the difference.

Women's trousers still reveal the form and the cleave of the backside; you can't have the wimmins walking around inspiring such lust in righteous men! The same would be true of men's trousers, but men's thoughts about women are much more impure, making a woman in slacks far more scandalous. Also, probably because it would make "boyish" physical activities much easier and more practical for girls/women, and we can't have that!

For a minute, I thought Annalise was going to put the moves on Wes! When networks hype the last five minutes or ten seconds of a show, it's just setting massive expectations they can rarely meet.