halopub

After Nationals, I looked up his exhibition performances from the last two years and was struck by how different a skater he is when he's not in competition mode. Very expressive in the face and in his strides.

I checked my cable listings and that looks like just one of those two minute clips. Who knows, though...I didn't expect Animal Planet to cue up that preview episode with only two or three days notice either.

I liked the cheeky Tesla review - there was no way Jeremy was going to ignore the failed lawsuits against him. The silly doors on the X, though, are designed to open in tight spots so the "lawyers" wouldn't actually have been boxed into that parking space. Celebrity Face Off was about what I expected. Paris is much more likable when she feels secure enough not to resort to her baby voice. I actually liked that story of her and Nicky going joyriding in the golf carts as kids.

No need to go after New Yorkers here - it really is just Ralph Lauren's shtick. The brand has been riffing on Western and various Americana motifs for ages and suede fringe makes frequent appearances. A heated jacket sounds great too. I got curious and looked it up. There were cowboy hats in Sydney, Nagano, Lillehammer, Barcelona, Albertville and Sarajevo. The hats in Atlanta also kind of looked like cowboy hats but with a rounder brim.

This reminds me of how elite swimmers were compelled to swim finals in the morning and prelims at night in Beijing. Many had trouble adjusting but Michael Phelps shrugged it off. In their case, I think at least one Grand Prix event prior to the Olympics had that format but the 2008 US trials had the more typical schedule with finals at night. That was also the case for the US skating nationals this year, with the competition on a typical nighttime schedule. Before the team skating competition the NBC app had a clip of one of Nathan's practices and it looked fine. The jumps weren't full bore but there wasn't anything alarming. Scott Hamilton said that Nathan doesn't worry about so-so warm ups and practices translating over into competitive routines but that maybe he should. While it's a bummer to be reminded that someone who did five quads while sick is still human, the best thing the USOC and corporate sponsors can do right now is to limit his media availability - the punny headlines this morning have been awful - and let the kid regroup without the added scrutiny. Let's learn from Dan Jansen and Michelle Kwan.

Motoring Box, with promo pics: If we set aside performance, I find all three of those SUVs to be aesthetically offensive in the front. In promoting season two, Jeremy has already talked to Mashable about liking aspects of the Model X. [video]

It is Penn & Teller, though. And Penn was quick with the quips. Dynamo, who I've never heard of, had tricks that would have been impressive had I not seen so many magicians do iterations of them on Penn & Teller: Fool Us.

Yep, Slate. I think they had three other dogs, including Bond who they say is still looking for a home. On the Puppy Bowl, the LA Times talked about how the production staff rooted for Wigglesworth when he suddenly woke up but then he pooped in the end zone. Hee!

That improvised harness for physical therapy was pretty cute and I was impressed the keepers were target training the bats. And I laughed when Dr. Sykes acknowledged his deadpan speaking style. It's good to have Mert and the show back.

According to Richard Porter on X-Ray, he had permission from the manufacturer. Subrookie may have been purposefully channeling that conversation about how drummers are called so-and-so's drummer rather than be known by their own name. I know I hadn't heard of Mitch Mitchell. I'm a fan of Stewart Copeland and really enjoyed seeming him on The Police's reunion tour ten years ago. It's good the show got a guest who could not only inject some entertaining energy - Kanye's my bitch! - but had good rapport with his fellow interviewee Nick Mason who he surprisingly hadn't met before. It feels a little odd that Richard has shown safety sense a few times this season but hopefully it means that these instances were filmed after the Rimac crash and he's learning some limits. I vaguely remember Mindy Hammond saying something about her having a bad feeling and unusually calling him twice before they filmed the hill climb.

I preferred the inaugural Dog Bowl yesterday to this year's Puppy Bowl. An hour was about the right viewing length and I do like seeing the older dogs get some attention. Plus that story line of the one dog 'breaking' the score board with all those touchdowns actually made me laugh.

There's also a season 2 preview on now that will hopefully will make the app/cable streaming tomorrow.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May attempt to build a road-legal amphibious car with which they can smash a British water speed record. Elsewhere in this show, Jeremy looks back at two 1990s supercars, the Jaguar XJ220 and Bugatti EB 110 SS, and Celebrity Face Off finds the world's fastest magician as Dynamo goes head-to-head against Penn and Teller.

Cape Town should be great. Venice needs a lot fewer tourists, though, not more. I only scanned it quickly, but Phil also posted pics from Buenos Aires, Dublin and Copenhagen on Instagram. I've become a big fan of øllebrød and desserts with seabuckthorn so I'm looking forward to the Denmark episode.

Promo:

Raan Jay Fai was awarded a Michelin star after filming and online reviewers have been planning five hour waits. According to Eater Jay Fai wants to give back the star.

Goldberg showed more of his collection when he was on Jay Leno's show two years ago. I think it'd be pretty kickass to be able to handbrake park. An old, official clip from the first season of Top Gear:

Richard Hammond and James May relive the tedium of getting fuel by inventing a new system for filling up without stopping and Jeremy Clarkson recounts the epic battle between Audi and Lancia during the 1983 world rally championship. Plus, Hammond is at the Eboladrome to test the Lamborghini Huracan Performante and boxer Anthony Joshua goes up against WWE star Bill Goldberg in Celebrity Face Off. Official promo:

I think something flew in his direction, right? Agreed, maybe it's just the way the interview was edited down, but I don't think Jeremy's quite figured out the multi-guest interview. It doesn't help that he's previously spoken to Kiefer about his car history.

I got to see the Stinger at an upscale mall the other week and I can confirm that the production car is as impressive as the model James tested. Sleek design and looked formidable without being over the top. Kia also made the smart decision to display a red one on upper floor, away from the Teslas and the other high end, white cars on display. Folks who watch naturalist shows or US talk shows will be familiar with Casey, though he probably had better name recognition five or ten years ago.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May try to prove that old Jaguars are not only stylish and roguish, but also strong and reliable with a road trip across Colorado featuring a dirt track, a dangerous runway and a brave attempt to go skiing in cars. Plus Luke Evans and Kiefer Sutherland go head-to-head in Celebrity Brain Crash. Promo:

On rewatch, I did like James May's hatchback review. Showing those staged sheep was painful. I get the conceit of the whole segment but it went way too long and wasn't funny like it could have been. Unless he's also a skilled amateur actor, the Grand Tour director genuinely looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel. While he does use drivers for stunts, we know Jeremy isn't that crappy a driver when he pays attention. Last year the show released that 360 video of him practicing the race through the Game of Thrones set, with the continual footage of his face to prove he was driving. I didn't expect Dominic Cooper to be so quiet compared to "Angelina Jolie." The rouge neck, je suis un nerd kicker quips did make me chuckle.

@PROFCRASH - I assumed Jeremy was using the C-word. It was definitely used to describe John Oliver's son. I've seen a number of actors talk in interviews about how the epithet can be used affectionately to describe males across the pond, without the associated violence against women and negativity, etc. Agreed on your gender points and I wish you luck in your efforts! We can be quickly entrenched by antiquated concepts at an early age. According to QI, by the way, pink long used to be the color for baby boys.

Official Trailer Promo pics from Motoring Box The Ripsaw footage was filmed in December 2016.

The show thanked the Torino police so we know they had authorities helping them with the roads. There's been speculation elsewhere that in addition to creative cuts that they may have used a professional driver and put cameras on police car bumpers.