Archery

Find and watch the Murphy Brown (original version) episode with Aretha Franklin, I beg you.

So what if she is? Is there some rule that a contestant cannot have any moments of frustration or fatigue, and act on it while doing a month-long, exhausting, stressful racearoundtheworld for a million dollars? If that's the case, nobody within the sound of my keyboard would be able to meet that standard.

My heart broke for Bishme. Right decision, but I was really rooting for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a chance at an internship with CFDA anyway, cuz the guest judge was having some feelings. Hester dresses herself, every time. She even said, “Three Hesters,” during the runway show, because she’s so in love with her precious self. Hasn’t Garo ever seen earlier seasons of PR? Make a cigarette pant and a jacket. Nina loves a cigarette pant. Sebastian better take this whole thing. It’s official: I like Christian as a mentor more than Tim Gunn. Who’d have thought?

I've decided that I like the U-Turn of Democracy--for this season. It's a nice little nod to the Survivor contestants.

But again, CXG subverted this trope. Season 1 Paula is all up in Rebecca's obsession, the very definition of an enabler. She eventually completely realizes what she's doing and how unhealthy and unnecessary her actions have been (as Rebecca spirals out of control). This is the theme of the great Gypsy-esque production number, After Everything I've Done For You (That You Never Asked Me For). I mean, the episode itself is titled, "Paula Needs To Get Over Josh."

At the end of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's run, I was totally expecting Paula, a paralegal who had spent the run of the show getting into and through law school (while working full time and raising a family) to give up her big law firm job (and salary) and go back to practicing zoning law at the Whitefeather law firm with her quirky work-family. Instead, she convinces the law partner to start a pro bono program so she can keep representing incarcerated women on the side. She clearly is a superstar associate, really good at what she does and loving it. Any other show, particularly a close knit comedy, would have her returning to her original little world. So refreshing to see that trope kicked to the curb!

Once Victoria was voted out, I really didn't care who won as long at it wasn't Devens. His wacky trickster schtick got very old. However, Chris's fire-making move won me over. I also liked: Chris helping Julie balance her puzzle. Maybe it was gameplay; maybe it was him being decent (since he wasn't going to win that challenge). Julie taking Chris on reward, noting that he had had nothing to eat but coconut and rice for 35 days. Ditto on the decency/gameplay. The reveal of the cleaned-up jury. Yikes, some of those people were beautiful. (Much more attractive than the over-made-up versions at the Reunion.) I agree that no more Idols would be a good thing going forward.

People erroneously use "Hallelujah" as a pseudo-religious song because the word itself is considered sacred and because of the King David and Samson imagery. I can't tell you how many times I've seen it performed with singers dressed in white, or with a robed choir, or some damn thing. People latch onto that one word and disregard the rest of the lyrics. It's a beautiful song in the right singer's hands, like Maelyn's . Also, agree-- it should be put on hiatus. I loved how John Legend gave Maelyn the last note of "Unforgettable," with a courtly bow. That wave-the-flag song made me stabby.

Say it again for the folks in the back!

I loved Bishme's Red Bull + coffee stream of consciousness run on sentence at Mood while the employee was cutting the fabric. I think his dress accomplished what he set out to do: make a message and a dress that one of his mentees could wear. Disconnected from the "story," I didn't mind Garo's dress, but when the judges automatically know it's yours, you are one note. OTOH, Jamall lucked into a challenge where the puffer jacket carried the message. I was shocked Hester was safe: that thing looked like dress-up play time at daycare. And no grownup should use the expression "AF" unironically, ever. I really liked when the guest judge told a crying Venny, "You'll nail that jacket another time." The fact that he couldn't execute it here doesn't mean he couldn't execute it ever. I thought that was very kind of her. I'm really considering buying his i have a name T-shirt for my son, though, because it's a perfect encapsulation of his experience walking around the world in this place and time. When they panned past all of those T-shirt slogans, I did think, What if someone's passion was pro-life or something conservative like that. I think they would self-censor instantly and pick something the judges could get on board with.

I am unreasonably obsessed with the hope that Maelyn dusts TeamBlakex3.

Chris Hemsworth in Ghostbusters.

When Carson said, "patriotic anthem," I told my son that if it's God Bless the USA, I would vomit. And then the flag handkerchief around the mic. Barf. Even Kelly was like, hoo boy. Went to bed after hearing Yesterday and Stay. Maelin made me tear up on both songs (in a good way).

Jake Gyllenhall has the ability to make Tom Holland look even cuter in the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer. Didn’t think that was possible, actually.

It turns out, I love the MCU movies and TV shows a lot. MCU fans, not so much.

I wish I had seen Endgame with a more enthusiastic crowd, because there were a lot of Hell Yeah! moments.

That's some conspiracy theory right there. I totally thought that was where Karli was going when she said they were deadlocked and the bottom two were separated by 1/2 a point. It would have been a reasonable solution to eliminate 2 next week instead, since the agreed worst look had immunity. It was the classic judging dilemma between the design that tries and fails, versus the one that doesn't try anything innovative. Jamall needs to send Christian flowers for suggesting that he scrap the muslin pattern and just drape. What happened to Tessa's cinch-waist reveal, after all of the talking heads about not just making a boxy jacket? (And, BTW, what's with Brandon's dislike of reveals? A couple episodes, he's muttering, "Ugh, another reveal. . .") Spit-take when Christian sniffed that there was no helping each other in his season. I love his humour.

I did roll my eyes at the "let's pair up our two black friends" aspect of it, but I always processed this as her getting together with one of the only other people in the world who knows what it was like to travel with the Doctor. I love the Martha season, and I love her "Yeah, I am awesome" exit.

One of the reasons why I loved reading the Spenser novels when I was a kid: the geography of Boston and its suburbs was just so specific.

I'm not a Beyoncé fan, really -- there are individual songs I like and I've liked most of her movie roles. I'm also not a hater and I get impatient with people who don't give her credit as a performer because they think she's over-exposed, or believe conspiracy theories, or are all up in her marriage, etc. I'm 2/3 of the way through Homecoming, and I am, on the whole, really impressed. I don't know very many of the songs from her albums (a few phrases here and there, like "Becky with the good hair"), so I'm watching with closed captioning on (yay for those captioners -- hard job!). Lots of profanity, not my bag. Lots of sex references, ditto (I'm old -- although I had to laugh at the "when he f--- me good, I take his ass to Red Lobster": she owns her countryness, LOL.) Would love for her to put on some pants. But, damn. She works hard. Those rehearsal moments when she's struggling with the choreo, or disappointed about her weight loss, or overjoyed that she can zip up her old costume, or thrilled when her "forty-eleven children" come to visit the studio -- I legit teared up. I appreciated the touchstones of black culture being used as moments of beauty and history and fierceness. The Nina Simone, the Malcolm X, the Audre Lorde quotes. I loved that there was no explanation -- this was a conversation with black America, and everyone else just gets to listen in, a total reversal of the way we've been eavesdropping on white America's family conversations all our lives. I am so impressed how she owns every moment, beat, and costume choice. I don't think I'm anywhere near buying into the Bey-mythology, but I can't deny she is a force majeure, for sure. Good for her.

I am honestly baffled about Wolf Hall. I couldn't tell who the characters were at any given time -- and I love Tudor literature. It was given to me as a gift when I was recuperating, and I ended up donating it to charity. I finally did watch the miniseries, and it's probably the one time I can think of that the film/TV show was worlds better than the book.

There is a more family friendly version of Smalls' story in Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History, which is on Netflix. Just as funny, but no swearing or anything.

I finally got up the courage to see this last night. I love scary, tense, creepy movies, so this one really did it for me. Are there questions remaining? Of course, but I'm not gonna worry. I left the theatre thinking, what if? What if I'd been a little closer to Red, and not Adelaide? What if the one or two advantages that broke my way hadn't? I think about the "of course-ness" of young Ade's life, crystallized for me in that moment she drops the unbeaten candy apple, unmindful, like it didn't cost money and it didn't matter. That image really stuck with me. Young Red would have given anything for that one little luxury. Also, I appreciated the comedy, because as wisecracking as the husband was, he did not act stupidly. He reminded me of the TSA agent friend in Get Out. Such smart choices, like going to the boat for Chekhov's flare gun--and then he biffs it.

I have a trilogy of "woman with gay best friend' rom-com movies: in order of quality, best to least, they are: My Best Friend's Wedding, with Julia Roberts and Rupert Everett (I've been known to derisively spit "food critic!" in Cameron Diaz's voice when displeased over a judging result on competitive cooking shows), Object of My Affection, with Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd (there are scenes in this movie that legit break my heart), and The Next Best Thing, with Madonna and Rupert Everett (again) -- this one is probably objectively terrible, but I love it. Yes, I had a crush on Rupert Everett in the late '90s (Paul Rudd being an honorary Rupert Everett for that one film).

Sober, by Demi Lovato. This live version is just her on piano. Her voice breaks, and the fans' reaction to her saying she's sorry for letting them down just undid me.