MsNewsradio

Out of our group of four, two of us were dusted by Thanos and two were spared. He wasn't kidding about that whole 50% thing!

Disney is notoriously strict when it comes to appearance, even for what would be considered after hours cleaning staff. If she had a tattoo that was easily coverable it might be different, but with the amount she had, it's highly unlikely they'd hire her for any role, especially not anything where she could remotely come in contact with guests. Not sure how strict the other parks (Universal, Sea World, etc.) are in that respect, but her overall attitude made it seem like she didn't care very much about anything beyond existing day-to-day. Just watched this myself and really enjoyed the performances. Agree with those who have said it felt more like viewing a slice of someone's life rather than watching a movie.

I honestly can't tell if it's because we lost so many people over the last couple of years that it seems super short in comparison, or that they left a bunch of people out, but yea, that seemed...abrupt.

I'm so, so happy about Jordan's win. Loved a lot of people in that category and would have been happy with a number of results, especially The Big Sick, but awesome win here.

I have absolutely nothing to add to this @Robert - I just wanted to salute you for the Enid Blyton reference.

My friends and I went to see this and had very low expectations...we’d initially had no interest when the film was first announced, but the trailers actually made us laugh and so we figured it would be a nice, silly, girls night out sort of thing. We loved it. Had a wonderful time, thought everyone did a great job. Bobby’s character had the least dimension, but did he really need much, esp. for a video game villain? Lots of laughs for us and some genuinely tense moments with the various wildlife (why did it have to be snakes?). Will definitely see it again at some point. This may also mark the first time I’ve ever cared about a Jonas brother in anything, lol.

John Legend is Jesus: https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/John-Legend-to-Star-in-Title-Role-of-NBCs-JESUS-CHRIST-SUPERSTAR-LIVE-20171219

Some autistics like being touched. Some don't. Some like being touched only if it's deep pressure touch (like Temple Grandin and her hugging machine), and some only like it if it's light touch. Some are fine being touched if they are the ones initiating or can anticipate that it's coming, but can't deal with it otherwise (such as if they are approached from behind in a hug). Really depends on the person's individual sensory issues and if they are overall sensory avoidant or sensory seeking. The only evidence I've seen so far that he doesn't want to be touched (and someone please correct me if there's been other instances, as I frankly have to watch episodes of this while doing something else or I get bothered by all the inconsistencies) is the (second?) episode with the girl whose house he went to when he realized she was really sick - her parents hugged him in gratitude at the hospital and he tensed up a bit as they did so (which could honestly be chalked up to what I said before about not having anticipated it, rather than not liking being hugged at all). If they are going to push Leah and Shaun as a possible romantic pairing, please be later in the series...right now I don't trust the writers at all to handle that with the necessary nuance. I liked Shaun's humor in this episode. People act like we can't use sarcasm, or have senses of humor - nice to see that refuted even a little. Could have done without the over-explanation of it, but one step at a time I guess. Also for God's sake, take the rabbit out of the episode recaps. Enough already.

It isn't the landlord's responsibility to be keeping an eye out for Shaun - and honestly, Dr. Glassman has no right to disclose his autism to the landlord or anyone else. Shaun is an adult - if he wants someone to be aware he is autistic, he should absolutely disclose that to his landlord or whomever else he wants, but that should be his decision, and no one else's. I don't keep my autism a secret, but I also don't bring it up if it isn't necessary - my workplace is unaware, my landlords over the years certainly weren't informed, and I would be incredibly angry if some well meaning person in my life told my boss or my landlord without my consent. Unfortunately, far too many of us experience a shift in how people interact with us once that news is shared, and often not for the better, so disclosure or "coming out" is a very fraught topic. Sometimes it can't be helped, such as when accommodations are needed at school or in the workplace, but even then some of us find it is better to muddle through on our own rather than deal with others prejudices and preconceptions. The problem is what we are seeing on screen is not matching up with his character background. The show treats him at times as though he's never had interaction with other people before. Shaun was able to get through college and med school. He's able to live on his own, likely for some time. He would have developed a number of coping strategies to help him through everyday life by this point (something that was actually depicted very well with the episode showing the many alarms set on his phone to make sure he got all his morning tasks done). I'd like to chalk everything in these first few episodes up to him being stressed at his new environment and getting used to new routines, but I think that may be giving too much credit to the writers at this point. I think the show still has a lot of potential though - holding out hope over here. I also hope Shaun keeps the cat. Cats are awesome. :)

I can understand the reticence with P&R if all you've seen is Season 1...took me until mid-way through Season 2 for it to click with me. Sister City is easily the weakest episode of Season 2 of P&R and is really not indicative of its overall quality. If anything it feels like an episode of Season 1 that somehow got shelved (even though that wasn't the case). I will say though that The Good Place has explanations for everything you've referred to, and didn't write themselves into a corner at all...if anything I would call them one of the more tightly plotted shows currently airing. Different strokes :) This is one of the few shows I make a point to watch the night it airs - absolutely love how it has surpassed my expectations from the pilot.

Asperger's is actually autism. It used to be a separate sub-diagnosis under the autism umbrella, but the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) folded everything under the same term in 2013 (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Aspergers is still a widely used term though (I use Aspergers and autistic interchangeably when referring to myself). Basically - all Aspergians are autistic, but not all autistics are Aspergian. Eye contact isn't an issue for every autistic, but it is for a majority. Eye contact can be incredibly stressful and overwhelming for us. When I'm speaking with someone, if I'm talking to them I'm looking at either the bridge of their nose or their forehead (a nifty trick some blessed teacher taught me in middle school, long before I was diagnosed - visually to the other person, it looks like I'm maintaining eye contact). When the person I'm in conversation with is speaking, I'm typically watching their mouth, which helps me focus on what they are saying instead of everything else around me. Often, struggling to make eye contact can be a detriment because so much energy is being focused there that we don't have enough left over to actually pay attention to all the other stimuli around us, including the conversation we're in. I joke that people can either have a conversation with me or a facsimile of one, and they can pick what's more important to them.

Yes, autistic people change their expressions. You should see how mine changed after reading this comment. (Just kidding.) In all seriousness, autistic people have the same range of emotions and facial expressions as anyone else. We may not always be great at utilizing them in a neurotypical way (may smile in a situation where it isn't appropriate, could be really happy but externally not smiling -Resting Bitch Face, anyone?). We aren't always great at reading emotions/expressions in others, and sometimes that trouble extends to identifying/describing our own emotions (alexithymia). So everything doesn't always "match up", so to speak. I know a few people who always look like they are smiling, and it stems from being severely anxious in their surroundings - it's a defensive mechanism. In the case of the show, however, my guess is it's an actor choice moreso than anything else.

Also, he's answered questions before, right? The pilot had the board ask him why he wanted to be a doctor, and he answered. He has answered questions before, and this is also something that would have come up numerous times in his life long before he ever got to this point (getting through college/med school without ever having to answer a question? Come on), but the writers apparently chose this from the Wheel of Autism this week. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't come up as an issue in subsequent episodes at all. I've been trying to put my finger on what bothers me so much about Shaun's character (and to be fair, Freddie is doing a good job with what he has, and I'm finding his performance far less grating than other portrayals I've seen), and I think this author sums it up far more eloquently than I can: https://chavisory.wordpress.com/2017/10/05/invisible-history/ . I want to like this show, but they are just making it so hard!

My roommate and I are getting through a bunch of episodes on the DVR and started to wonder if we were the only ones who hate the character of Cassandra. Happy to know we aren't alone, lol!

NOS Mag, which specializes in Neurodiverse culture and representation, is covering reviews of The Good Doctor from an autistic perspective. http://nosmag.org/tag/the-good-doctor/.

I'm really hoping that the writing improves on this show. Too many of the "jokes" seem to center on the audience laughing at Shaun's autism. Haha, it's so funny he doesn't get sarcasm and speaks literally. Or does something weird. Which is a strange whiplash from the rest of the time when it seems they are trying to have the audience feel bad for him because of his treatment by the others at the hospital. While there are certainly jokes that can be derived from autism (heck, my family and I joke about mine all the time), this show as it stands lacks the subtlety and nuance to execute them well. Then there are moments like his asking what the point of sarcasm is that are just completely unrealistic. He's an adult. There's no way that conversation hadn't already occurred a long, long time ago. Going to give the show another episode or two, but if things don't improve across the board I'm probably out. I've seen too many crappy portrayals of autistic characters, I don't need to suffer through another one.

I'm sorry, statsgirl, I'm sure you didn't mean it this way, but as an autistic person I just want to point out that Shaun has the same emotions everyone else does. He may have difficulty expressing them the same way, but they are still there, and at the very least are referenced in this episode in the fact that he clearly cared about his rabbit and his brother. The idea that autistics are less emotional or devoid of emotions is a myth that is a source of ire with the autistic community, as it paints us in a fairly inhuman or robotic light. In fact, recent science has shown it is far likely that we process too much emotion, rather than too little, and essentially overload. Shaun, brilliant though he may be, is still prone to the same mistakes as any other surgeon, including letting emotion cloud his judgement.

If it means keeping Lou Diamond Phillips around, hope Jake stays in prison for a long, long time. :D

Laurie Metcalf ended her run in A Doll's House Part 2, which has since closed, but she will be starring in Three Tall Women on Broadway (previews begin at the end of February, though I don't know how much earlier than that they will begin rehearsals). Here's hoping they are able to find the time to have her on again this season - she's always a welcome presence.

Agreed. I'm sorry, but I'm certainly not going to vilify Katie or Nicole because of their not speaking out. As it has been said many times, no one here knows the exact specifications of the agreement that allowed Katie to leave with the custody arrangement she has with Suri. Her child is 11 years old. Even if there were no provisions in the agreement regarding speaking out against the CO$ and the only threat was the harassment, I still wouldn't open my child up to possible attacks like that. They have proven to be an incredibly insidious and relentless organization. For crying out loud, they installed members as neighbors living next to Mike Rinder and his current wife to spy on them! If it were me, I would be keeping my mouth shut too, at least until my children were grown. If the stories about Katie and the divorce are true, she literally had to flee. Calling her selfish seems to be a bit much. Nothing that Nicole or Katie are being accused of ("abandoning" Connor and Isabella to escape, helping turn them against their mother as an SP) are unique to them in Scientology - many are actions that other people who have spoken on Leah's show have engaged in themselves with their own families and friends - the only difference is they aren't celebrities. Yes, those people are speaking out now, but for many it is after years of being silent. And that silence is predicated on the lasting psychological (and sometimes physical) effects of being in a cult, and the fear of the repercussions of said cult. I'm not judging the people who have gone on Leah's show for not speaking up sooner, and I'm not going to judge Nicole and Katie for their inaction simply because they have higher profiles. There is nothing to say that Nicole or Katie won't speak out in the future.

I think Mike Rinder has touched on this before - basically, Elizabeth would need permission to work with Nicole. They likely wouldn't spend much time together outside of the actual filming on set. And as always, it seems their celebrity members get dispensation to do things others, like those in the Sea Org, would not.

My understanding is that her children have disconnected with her due to their involvement in Scientology and were basically conditioned to hate their mother since the divorce. It's very sad and I'm not going to begin to throw stones at Nicole for not mentioning them in her speech. I'm sure it's been incredibly hard for her over the years. Unfortunately getting out of Scientology comes with a price, and for many it is the loss of any family members still involved with it, as they are not supposed to interact with "suppressive people". Thrilled for Sterling's win! So well deserved. I wish that they hadn't played him off - it's one thing when someone is just droning on and on and doing the "laundry list" of thanks, but when someone truly has something to say - for god's sake let them say it!

Watched the first episode tonight, and so far...not impressed. Unfortunately it looks like they're leaning on stereotypes for all the characters, especially Sam. Hoping this corrects itself as the season goes on. I'm committed to watching either way, but I hope I don't end up cringing through the rest.

Saw it again Sunday and loved it even more the second time. Brought the whole family with me, and they all loved it (especially my 88 year old grandmother, lol). Definitely hope to see it a third time before it leaves theaters.

My heart sank when I read that. The Bachelor-type antics are the antithesis of what this show was, so her reality tv background does not read as a positive to me. And they're touting it like it's this huge positive to make contestants strip or shave their heads or other contrived nonsense. Just have a really bad feeling about this.