riverheightsnancy

No problem DeLurker! If it weren't for Zahdii's recaps, I wouldn't have even have known about it! So credit goes to her and everyone else who tried to do something. I would bet that those instances that she has written about have NOT been broadcast on air. I missed episode 2 because of work, but I think that they are selectively broadcasting things that aren't too awful. Of course, no one is really watching so, they could be abusing all the animals they want and having sex on TV and no one would really know.

A spark of good news for those that are concerned about the animals. I received a direct email back from the head of the SPCA for LA County Santa Clarita. This is what she said: Hi L, I have received your email. We had an officer inspect the premises and will do what we can to ensure the health and safety of the animals. They were fine when we inspected. The Humane Society monitors all filming in movie sets and filming locations. If you have the live feed maybe you could send it to us, so we can see what you are seeing and further investigate. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Thank you, ~Karen Obviously, we do not know when there were last there, but the situation may have changed since then... so, I do not have the feeds downloaded or saved to hard drive, and I already PM'd Zahdii, if anyone has them archived or knows of a spot that they can view them directly, please send that info them directly to Karen Stepp KStepp@animalcare.lacounty.gov. This is a public email for a governmental office and her name is listed on their website, so I am not breaching personal info here. If anyone wants to send any personal observations regarding what you have seen on the live feeds, then I suggest emailing her as well. I know several of you have knowledge of farming methods and can speak more knowledgeably than I can. Thanks for your help everyone, I think that we just made a huge crack in the "outer gate" of Utopia. Take that FOX and your 50 million dollar debacle! ETA: Just got a response from PETA as well. They are sending it on the right people to help.

Yup, me too Zandii. I emailed ALL of the network TV stations in LA as well. All we need is some intrepid reporter to get this going in the right direction. I don't use Facebook, but has anyone noticed if people are asking about the animals or is it just us? Does anyone frequent any other sites for this show? PETA did have a direct hotline, but I wasn't certain if the situation fit the criteria.

Ok all, I have had it with the treatment of the animals. It is taking away any enjoyment of snarking on the idiocy of the Utopians and the show. So I sent the following (not the best constructed letter because I did it quickly, but you get the idea) to the following places: The local Santa Clarita TV station, TMZ, the local SPCA, & PETA. I am still looking for a good email for FOX corporate. Generally PETA says that if an animal is in immediate danger, that one should call the local police. I may do that depending upon the feeds. http://scvtv.com/?page_id=12579 http://www.peta.org/about-peta/contact-peta/ http://ccspca.com/contact/ http://animalcare.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/acc/?1dmy&page=dept.lac.acc.home.about-us.detail.hidden&urile=wcm%3apath%3a/animal+care+content/animal+care+site/home/about+us/animal+care+centers/ac+centers+links/castaic "There is currently a reality television show being filmed in Santa Clarita, CA, called Utopia. People all across the US have been watching the show and in particular the uncensored live feeds. The live feeds illustrate abject animal cruelty going on at the compound and this situation is starting an internet groundswell of outrage against Fox, the TV show participants, and the producers of the show. If you could investigate or put pressure on the producers/Fox , to at the very least, do the right thing for the animals, the viewers would really appreciate it. We don't know what to do to help the animals and the live feeds are showing the cows starving and none of the "Utopians" are willing to learn or help them. The live feed viewers are up in arms about what they are seeing and are starting to organize to get the cruelty stopped. Thank you for anything that you can do. My Name" If anyone feels inclined you may use the links provided to also send an email or whatever. If anyone tweets (I don't have an account), perhaps tweeting at the show directly, PETA, or at any celebrity well known for their animal activism (Pam Anderson comes to mind, but there are many, many others) can help get it out there. If we can get one person to shed light on this, I think that we can save the animals and go back to enjoying the idiots do themselves in. I think a tweet with a very outrageous title might get this going in the right direction. Here's to MY Utopia where animals are not harmed because of my abject arrogance and stupidity! ETA: As a bizarre side note, they Utopia producers had casting tables at The Animal Rights National Convention this past July. See here: http://www.utopiatvcasting.com/events

Personally, after having read Zhandi's great recap, I am becoming very concerned for the animals and it is upsetting me quite a bit. I give it one or 2 more days (because this is a live feed) and if they do not start to act more responsible and caring for Christ's sake, I will personally, start emailing & calling PETA, and the ASPCA in that area. I have absolutely NO TRUCK for people who willingly hurt children or animals. When Michael Vick did what he did with the fighting dogs, I was one of the many who personally called the NFL to protest his being allowed back to play. It may not sound like a lot, but I cannot allow myself to know that these animals are suffering and I watched and attempted to do nothing. They put this on a live feed and I refuse to be a bystander!

Naked and Afraid is more what I expected this show to be than it actually is.

Bubbacat & Auntie Anxiety, I totally forgot about RAAAIIINNN! I will be here for the duration or when it gets to Hotel Hell awful.

OMG - then we know each other, as I am a transplant from TWOPs forum from Starting Over (same name here too). Iyanla as the Great M-F---ker, the woman who drank wine and that didn't make her a drunk -it was more high class, all the arts and crafts healing people, tying people to chairs, instigating emotional breakdowns, and Baby Chloe. I often wonder where those ladies are today. Anyway, I digress- Here's my question, I don't know anything about chickens, but I see people will real farms let them roam around. Can't they let them do that? Or create a larger fenced area around the garden?

Male pattern baldness? Just kidding!

Yes, that's the name. I liked that show a lot.

I had been reading the blogs for the live feeds, so while I knew what would happen, I envisioned it somewhat differently. The actual people were worse than my imagination! Recollecting about the live feed, I think that they left out critical things about people which means some people are worse than shown. I feel like they left a lot of detail about the attempted sexual assault out of the TV showing. I cannot remember the name of the show, but there was this reality show on a cable channel (maybe Scifi) about a group of people (in their own small compound, as if a war had occurred) being attacked by outside forces. They had to create a "pseudo world" to protect themselves from attack. They needed to get water, forage for food, find ways to make machines and siphon gas from abandoned cars, etc...While it was a live interpretation of a video game (it was NOT the show Siberia), the people on that show, took the entire concept of trying to create a world and protecting themselves from invading forces much more seriously. I agree with everyone who said that they had high hopes and it really was bad. The live feed blogs are pretty interesting though.

Hated it, but that's HOW for you. Did they flinch away from Lily Bell and killing her off? Nope. Did they stop and sweeten up Eva giving away the baby? Nope. Did they make Eva getting rape again and her current situation easier? No way. In fact, I would say that most of us looked at Elam as some noble and loving character (I know I remembered him in that light). He wasn't. He was so angry at Eva for giving away the baby (not that I blame him) he pushed her away and shunned her. And he has done other things that weren't so nice. He went behind Mr. Toole's back and messed with Eva, when he could have had her earlier. I am not saying that he deserved what happened and he did try to change, however, his innate personality was always there, just lurking under the surface. In addition, brain damage can radically change a person (TBI-Traumatic brain injury). If he had frontal lobe damage, personality, logic, judgment, morals and ability to regulate behaviors could be compromised as well. He may have also been in enormous pain and anyone who has had to take care of a person in extreme pain, they may act in the most abusive ways. I have been on the receiving end of that when working in a hospital. I don't think that he will be able to be pulled back from the brink. It seems like he is very confused as to specific memories from his past. He may have some type of amnesia or actual brain lesions from the trauma which could also be adding to his memory, confusion and anger issues. Not sure if the writers went through all of this and thought it through that deeply pertaining to brain trauma, but maybe. It makes sense from our contemporary knowledge of those issues.

Elam! Cannot wait for next week. As much as I dislike the actress playing Naomi, I was holding my breath that she or the baby might get killed. I think that the character (cannot remember his named) that knew of Cullen's past, truly illustrated how far Cullen has come in his own personal development,

Made my day Kieyra! Made my day.

YES! Can't wait to see where this all goes.

I suppose that some of the upset (for many people) has to do with who or what we thought he is. If this were a raunchy comedienne contest and we saw that side of him, then maybe it would have been a-ok. Some of his stuff looks like it belongs on that Jackass show or Bam's show. There is a market for that type of humor and if that is what he wants to do, then go for it. However, I think many viewers of FNS believe that there is some authenticity in the presentation. They want to believe that even if the person is playing their "role" or POV to be a bit bigger or grandiose than they normally are, that their essence is still true. That there is a kernel of real there. I think some may feel like they were fooled, that Lenny played us and he is nothing that he portrayed, That stings a bit, because we want to believe in the people we vote for. By vicariously supporting someone, it is an extension of our own personal beliefs and views of ourselves (social psychology stuff going on here), and we may not even be aware of these dynamics either. That may be part of the reason why people will be really offended and be quite upset seeing the "real" Lenny. Notwithstanding that for some, the material is offensive period. I actually liked him on the show and I liked his POV. As a New Englander originally, I don't like that he hid that. I actually thought that he was from the South and I "bought in". I was going to vote for him, but forgot to. I don't follow this show too closely, but I can say that I actually did like him, but wish that he wasn't coming across as a total lie (even if it isn't 100% fake - it sure feels that way). Additionally, by neither party addressing the issue, it tells me that there may be more things of concern that we are not aware of. If it was a stupid prank, then say so. The fact that these things were left up, speaks to Lenny's absolute arrogance, his inability to read the room, and no comprehension to anticipate consequences as related to behavior. My professional experience tells me that he will not last long because they are dealing with someone who does not understand the concept of knowing what is considered appropriate for the job as a TV host/Chef on a mainstream network.

I agree. I think the Luca of FNS, with some training and relaxing in front of the camera, will become a very nice host of whatever show he could end up doing. I have to imagine, as a native English speaker, that when you aren't fluent yet in a second language, there is that delay as you work through what you want to say. I think once the anxiety settles, he will just get better and better. Plus, he seems authentic and a nice person. Still love me some Fabio though.

And all of this because of Lenny! See what he has caused? For shame FN. For shame. ;) I was thinking about Luca and while I like him and think that he is attractive, he doesn't have that "it" thing. Now Fabio, from top Chef, I think would have won in a landslide on FNS. Some of his talking heads when he was on Top Chef are my favorite of all time. Like when he talked about walking his turtles and continuing to cook with a broken finger and how he would chop it off and seer it on the grill in order to keep cooking. He was not so tongue tied as Luca seems to be which makes him a character and endearing all at the same time.

All it is going to take for Lenny to get shit-canned is for him to be Lenny, which we now know is who he really is, God's gift to the "little ladies". I cannot imagine that he hasn't heard the rumors about Giada's personal habits. Being the manly, rugged Cowboy that he is, I can imagine him "wooing" her with a belching whisper while her craps on a toilet, "Hey, Little Lady, Gimme some of dat c--t, fetch me a brisket and then I'll cream your corn.". Then he will give her those psychotic scary eyes. THAT is all it will take. As an aside, not to worry that the videos were removed. They were copied. They still exist and I have seen sites make mention of re-posting. . (not meaning to offend with the aforementioned " Lenny poetry"-but I totally can envision him saying exactly things like that after the videos).

I MUST find a screen shot of that last scene and Bohnanon's eyes. SWOON. I would have been like Original Naomi in the barn too! To more serious matters, I wish that they had shown us a few short scenes of the Mormons and their subtle, little doubts about the Bishop. A few of the wives talking about how he did something odd or said the wrong prayer while they hang out clothes. A few of the men mentioning that the Bishop changed protocol on how X is performed while they tend the field. It is beyond the pale that a non-religious person can fake a deep knowledge of the Mormon Bible, however, most importantly the customs and rituals of the entire group. PLUS, he doesn't even have any wives! That would almost seem unacceptable for a person in the Mormon faith, especially the leader. I wish that they would have shown us, small subtle things here and there, so that when the Swede outed himself, it would make a lot of sense to the people who had started to have doubts.

Yup, I said that as well. Could be a reaction to certain psychiatric meds perhaps. I won't go name specific drugs, but it really reminds me of tardive dyskenesia symptoms that I have seen with patients who have been on long-term, old school anti-psychotics for schizophrenia. Yeah, but who are we kidding? His ticks are not some type of exotic psychiatric neuro disorder. He is plain old anxious, and stressed, and he cannot bear to lose. It is NOT in his lexicon. Through it all, he wants to appear humble and circumspect and he is trying so hard not to react to the judges when they say negative things.

Richard's facial movements are becoming Tourette's like. Seriously, I can hardly watch him. He should consider botox so he CAN'T move his face! The stuff he was doing with his mouth looks like what people do who have lost teeth and their cheeks sink in. He just embodies the idea that he MUST WIN!!!!! His angst oozes out of every pore in his face! He has become so dour and sour that the duel wasn't even fun. I wanted Marcel to win because he does seem like an innovative chef. I will give him this, Blais did give Marcel compliments on his food and I think that says a lot because Blais is an uber perfectionist. Ok- Rooting for Shirley! (I do like Brooke though) Kristen! Kevin, Antonia (I hope that she goes far, she has always been a strong contender)

I just binge watched season 4 and signed up for Netflix just to watch it. I loved it. I loved all 4 seasons of the show in all it's slow, rainy, and gloomy glory and I really thought that the end with Linden and Holder was exactly right. I thought that it was going to end with her car leaving her house and I was already mighty disappointed if that was it. I loved when they pulled Skinner's car out of the water. I was totally back at season 1 with Rosie in the trunk. When Linden went running and she is by the water and it looks like the dead seal (which caused numerous speculation), right back to season 1. Even though I hated the Billy Campbell character, I was totally surprised to see him wheeled in for a tiny, but important plot point. This is how you weave in some important people and situations from a long series in the show finale Burn Notice! I will miss Holder, he has beautiful and expressive eyes.

Regarding the Swede and the speaking in tongues. My husband's family is Pentecostal and I have seen speaking in tongues. To be honest (not attempting to offend though), it comes across gibberish mostly, so a person who is motivated to fake it, probably can do so easily. Because the people who believe in it ascribe their own meaning to it, they do not actually require that the person "say" anything specific. The fact that a believer does it, means that God is speaking through them or they are having a religious experience which is then interpreted via hindsight. So, the fact that the Swede knows that these behaviors exists and the import placed upon them by the believers, he does them because that is what is required of him to continue his ruse. He may have now convinced himself that he is a "Bishop" and speaking in tongues is given to the most holy, then he speaks in tongues. I suppose that the Swede does not thinking he is lying anymore. After all, it isn't a lie, IF YOU believe it (George Costanza). Personally, I think that the Swede would be considered anti-social personality disordered and would not be a stretch at all for him to do the things that he has done. And, he may have been speaking in Norwegian, because no one would know (that we know of). As a side note, I was struck at the concept of one man being the head of this large family (including other men). Godlike and not to be questioned. You can see how this could be abused by a manipulative sociopath (like the Swede). It is possible that this doctrine could lead to a man running off the younger males and how men who are predisposed to wanting young women sexually, would be drawn towards this lifestyle which could set up a situation where abuse can occur. I had that hindsight thought when seeing the baby handled by the other men first and how Cullen was basically "neutered" by the other more "important" men. It just reminded me of the stories that have come out in contemporary times regarding the sexual abuse, physical abuse, and casting out of rival boys and men from some of these types of religious sects. One last side note: In this society, I thought that the Swede being in the room of a birthing woman, was beyond the pale. If she is supposed to be chaste, I do not think any man is supposed to see any aspect her lady-parts other than her husband, just saying.

Even though, I 100% agree that Joe is a sociopath, without his innate ability to see talent, Gordon and Cameron would never have been brought together to create this computer, which undoubtedly changed their lives (for the better). This project exposed Cameron (and her talents) to other people who vocally validated her worth and skills (IBM, the Xerox guy) and ditto for Gordon, who was dying in a self-imposed depression of self-hatred for failing at creating something he really valued. Donna also has benefited and will now realize her own potential. I think that Joe's REAL talent is recognizing that gift in others. One thing he doesn't have, but really wants. He is a dreamer with no dreams, so he must usurp them from others. It reminds me of the comment that Megan's mother said about her in Mad Men, "She has artistic temperament without the talent" (or something like that). It reminds me of Joe. He desperately wants to create something big and awesome, but has no talent for doing so.