Cheezwiz

I had hoped this would be a fun distraction in the time of Covid, and it still kind of is, but just the sheer decadence and wanton wastefulness of the lifestyle they're pushing is kind of upsetting me. Because you know someone who is dropping 44 million on a house might not necessarily doing something kosher for a living, but it's presented as something aspirational. I know it's amped up for TV, and not representative of the totality of LA, but good God there are some ridiculous people there. I think this show might be actually turning me into a Bolshevik or something.

Ah, too bad - I hadn't gotten far enough into Season 2 - she seemed alright first episode. In answer to your final question - yes. In fact, that's probably the sole qualification to work in their "agency".

Just watched episode 1 of Season 2. Holy moly that Hillside property is utterly douchetastic. $44 million and it looks like either a 2.5 tremor on the Richter scale, or a heavy rainfall would send it sliding right off its perch and onto the Sunset Strip. I don't like the glass/concrete boxy houses they typically feature on show, but the one they were doing a walkthrough in with Amanza was quite nice. So far, she seems like she's alright. Oh man, I had totally forgotten about Mary and her pouty French himbo boyfriend (fiance?). I had also completely forgotten about the little twin bald freaks who run the agency. I was very surprised that the season opened with Chrishell still married. I wonder if her storyline will feature the messy divorce from her cheating husband. Maya's baby is very cute. Davina is... there. Good luck to Christine's husband-to-be.

I work in an educational setting with young people too - if anyone comes at me with that line, I respond with "yeah, I'm old, and you will be one day too and it will happen far, far faster than you think". They might not think much of it in the moment, but they will later on, 'cause it's true!

No, the show will not end until they've subjected us to at least a year's worth of Stassi's bridezilla antics. There's no way she'd go for some low-key off camera wedding in the time of Covid. If you thought her birthdays were bad... Jax will undoubtably be back pretending he has mental health issues, because he's hung around for this long so why not milk it a little longer? It was fun seeing Lisa hand him his ass in the finale, but she's also enabled him for the entire run of the show, so it didn't exactly ring true. I'm hoping James' attempt at sobriety is genuine. It was hard for me to root for him at all after seeing such vile, misogynistic behavior and language, but he seems to be responding to the positive feedback. Despite her not being the brightest bulb, I was surprised at how much I liked Raquel (or perhaps the edit she was given). I hope James improves his treatment of her, because it was looking abusive. I haven't watched for many seasons - could anyone give me a quick rundown on his family background? I know he initially got on the show as a friend of the un-golden child Max. His Mom is also now in recovery from alcoholism? It sounded like she's American, not British? I understand he is also related to George Michael somehow? Is that on his Dad's side? His parents split up? What's his deal? When I was last watching the show years ago, he had started shagging & mooching off of Kristen, and I've missed everything in between. After glancing through photos from prior seasons, it appears that Scheana has only gotten more ridiculous as time has worn on. She actually looked cute and semi-normal before she went all Ariana Grande. The new people suck and I don't care about any of them. Most of the old people suck too - especially Lala/Lauren from Utah. Pun intended.

I just watched this ep. Brett looks EXACTLY like a llama or alpaca with his silly new 'do. The manufactured "love triangle" story is ridiculous, because both dudes are ridiculous. I kinda feel bad for Dayna for being contractually obligated to pretend to be interested in either of those tools. Scheana is just the ultimate in cringe. Jax continues to be a 'roid raging asshole because he's not the center of attention. Never in a million years did I think I'd be rooting for Kristen.

I don't think the show is actually attempting to rehabilitate Steve - I think Judy the character is attempting to retcon him in her mind. After she had waxed nostalgic about him in one of the scenes, there was a very brief flashback of him yelling at her abusively following the car-wreck. I don't think it's an attempt to repaint his character, I think the writers are just doing a poor job of demonstrating what Judy is supposed to be feeling, and how it's at odds with who he actually was.

Same here. I think I stopped watching around the end of Season 3. The only newbie at that time was someone named Vail. No idea what happened to her, but as for the rest? They're all STILL the same. Still the same vapid vacuous crew, and here I am, watching them again. I think I'm watching mostly to enjoy the commentary on here. Random thoughts: Stassi is marginally better than she was on earlier seasons, but still in Regina George mode. Having to come crawling back to the show doesn't seem to have humbled her at all. Nice that she's finally found a lap-dog/purse-carrier to bully into matrimony. Scheana - still a blinking barn owl (TM someone on a TWop thread years ago) only more desperate and clingy than ever! Her hilariously un-self aware singing "Good as Gold" on the bar-top has been the highlight of this season for me. Lala - good grief she's awful, why does anyone voluntarily spend time with her? And her D-list Producer beau is an annoying dolt, and probably a long-standing industry joke to boot. Jax & his Hillbilly queen. Ugh. I give them four more years. Tops. Brittany's rictus grin as she jealously recounted Stassi's engagement party at Villa Rosa was hilarious to behold. I did find Jax's rhapsodizing about lawns & lawn mowing this episode strangely endearing though. The one new girl I don't mind too much is Dayna, but she needs to shut-up about Max. And the producers have not done a good job fabricating a storyline and convincing me that Max pulls all these women. He just looks like a greasy little weasel to me. Also not minding Raquel so far, she's been given a good edit. Dumber than a box of hair, but likeable up to this point. Charli sucks. Did anyone notice that she looks almost EXACTLY the same as the softball photo they showed of her at age 10? Also couldn't care less about the breathalyzer chick whose name starts with 'D' but I can't remember. I hated HATED Kristin in the early seasons I watched, and could never understand why Lisa didn't fire her ass. Damn you show for making me feel a little bit bad for her! I actually like her little house the best out of all of them. Katie & Peter both look freakin' huge. They probably look normal IRL but next to all the tiny waify size '0' people on the show, they look girnormo. I wouldn't normally comment on someone's size, but these folks are all such shallow twits who put a premium on appearance, (and would probably do the same in a hot minute) that I don't feel bad. I still have an inexplicable love for Lisa and her OTT ridiculousness, but boy am I tired of those sad ratty bald little dogs that she & Ken carry everywhere. I thought Giggy would be long gone at this point, but apparently they found doppelganger replacements. No idea why I typed all of the above. Covidoldrums I guess.

"Dream A Little Dream" actually wasn't done by the Mamas & Papas - Cass Elliott did it as a solo release after they broke up (probably very early 70's). I assumed this was the original version that she did - it sounded like her voice to me, but now that you mention it, it did seem a bit muted. I'm way too lazy to look it up on IMDB at the moment, so I'm gonna say it was Cass Elliott's version.

Ooh I like your alternative history much better. Much more realistic and poignant. I just couldn't get past all the fairytale schmaltz of this show.

Yeah, the twin thing is so soapy and silly. I was momentarily hoping Steve wasn't actually dead and had come back to scare the crap out of them and do even more nefarious things. Is Jen going to take the Fentanyl her MIL gave her? Is her MIL hoping Jen will OD so she can take the boys? Don't do it Jen! So they've just left Steve in the garage in an unlocked deep-freezer that anyone could open?

I've discovered a few more tidbits about Scotty Bower's memoir. I haven't read it myself, but heard it wasn't all that great - apparently a few people were involved in ghostwriting it for him. I did see the documentary on him, and it also wasn't that great, but bits of it were interesting. You'll have to update us with your thoughts on the book. Also I am with you on the reading thing - normally it's one of my biggest pleasures in life, and I find myself unable to get through even the simplest things these days

Right. I had forgotten about that particular plot point. And Applegate is one of the producers, so she's no doubt contributed some of her personal experience to the writing.

No idea what is going on plot-wise, but I'm glad to see these two ladies back. Regardless of what's going on with the writing, they are both stellar in their roles. I can't remember if Jen's childhood was discussed last season. We saw her crying with a portrait of what looked like her and her Mom this episode. I liked the scene where Judy was sitting in Abe's car - that was very sweet, and beautifully acted. I also liked the scene where they were sitting on the bed watching an old re-run of Facts of Life (a wee nostalgia bomb there). The nosy neighbour is amusing me.

The conclusion was disappointing big-time. I was enjoying the ride for the first half, but it started to feel too fantastical, too schmaltzy, too pat, too trite. As someone mentioned above, it felt like a back-patting session for white guy showing how progressive he is. It does a disservice to real-life people like Anna May Wong and Hattie McDaniel, who truly had to face obstacles and terrible treatment. I love happy endings, but this felt totally unearned. I guess I'm just not a fan of alternative histories, because the reality is so grim and impossible to dream away. Black people are gunned down in the street for jogging, and many Hollywood actors are still in the closet. Agree 100%. I thought Samara Weaving & Jeremy Pope were pretty decent, but the rest of the younger cast was entirely forgettable. I was there for the veterans, who managed to spin gold out of malarkey. Also bummed that they killed off Dick Samuels. I'd honestly watch another season if it featured more of him and Holland Taylor. Honestly? My favourite part of the conclusion was the costuming. The Oscar dresses and jewels were fun to look at.

Needs more crotchety movie editor! Felt happy for Ernie, nice he gets to live the dream before he departs. Hopefully this season, like Meg, will have a happy ending. I wonder if they will feature a different set of characters if the show is renewed? Or will they stick with this bunch? I'm definitely partial to the studio characters. Wouldn't mind a change-up on the actors though.

Awww... I really felt for poor Ellen this episode, but glad Dick is starting to feel more comfortable with himself. I really like the scenes with Ellen Avis & Jeanne: girl power! That was my exact reaction as well: how conveeeeeeenient!!! He won't be saddled with a wife and kids, and can now boink blondie with abandon. Apparently it was. The real-life Henry Willson was just awful, but don't worry, he did NOT become a producer, and was visited by karma big-time in real life some years later. Also did anyone catch the little scene that revealed his secretary's name this episode? Phyllis Gates? She was a real life person. The studio fixing mobster stuff might seem cliche, but so much of that staff went on in Hollywood back in the day. It's unbelievable how much stuff they had to sweep under the rug and hide from tabloid press. So far the only problem I have with this show is the actress playing Camille. Though lovely, she is really not a good actress. And I don't mean in a faux way because she's playing an inexperienced character, I mean, she's just really flat and uninteresting. I find myself tuning out whenever she's onscreen. I wish they had found someone a bit more dynamic or charismatic for the part. The other young actors seem to have varying talent, but it's the veterans in the show I'm most interested in.

Another fun episode, and like others, I'm still much more interested in the older actors. Rob Reiner's crass vulgarity made me laugh. Loved the scene between Avis & Jeanne Crandall. Really enjoying Mira Sorvino as that character, and hope they continue to feature her. I believe Harry Truman would have been president at this time, and President Roosevelt had passed away just before the war ended, but Eleanor Roosevelt was a much venerated public figure back then, who travelled extensively on speaking engagements, and was involved in humanitarian causes. It probably would have been a big deal for her to show up unexpectedly at the studio. Here's an interesting article on the early career of Rock Hudson, and his slimy agent extraordinare Henry Willson. Willson represented quite a stable of hunky young men. https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/05/netflix-hollywoood-rock-hudson-agent-henry-willson

I'm feeling the same way. The younger actors are attractive (and I think Jeremy Pope as Archie has a ton of charisma and talent), but most of them seem a bit generic to me. The actor playing Jack Castello works for me because he's supposed to be a bit of a dolt. Maybe because I skew closer in age to them, but I'm finding more poignancy in the stories of the older veteran characters. I'm absolutely loving the Dick Samuels character played by Joe Mantello. His studio manager character is a thoroughly decent man, so you can tell things are probably not going to go well for him when he decides to take a big risk casting a picture at the studio. His pairing with Holland Taylor is fantastic - I could watch a whole show about just the two of them! The party scene was interesting - I was paying close attention to see which famous party guests they had inserted. The actor they cast as George Cukor looked very much like him. Tallulah Bankhead had the right look, but not the right voice. The actress playing Vivien Leigh seemed a little too OTT (even though Vivien was bipolar), and frankly it would be impossible to find a modern-day actress who has a similar delicate beauty she did. I feel like they're getting the Rock Hudson character right from what I know about his life and early career. It will be interesting if this show runs for further seasons and they cover his faux arranged marriage to his agent's secretary. And it was a pleasant surprise to see Rob Reiner playing fictional movie mogul Ace Amberg. I had read a magazine profile not long ago featuring Rob's dad Carl, and Mel Brooks, and how they've had a decades long friendship and like to have nightly dinners together now that they're widowers. Rob made a brief appearance during the interview, and the writer seemed to imply that he was in much worse physical and mental condition than his 90-something Dad (the article made it sound like Rob had the onset of alzheimer's or something), which made me really sad. So it was great to see him turn up in this looking healthy and together, and he suits the character of a studio head perfectly! Meathead appears to be okay, and that made me glad.

I have to say, that never have I ever found Dylan McDermott memorable in ANYTHING EVER. In fact, apart from his role in the first season of American Horror Story, I cannot name a single movie or TV show he's starred in, even though I know he's been in tons. I think that partly accounts for the constant confusion between him and Dermot Mulroney - similar names, similar looks, similar generic roles. However on this show, he's so much fun to watch - just a twinkly mischevious delight. It's honestly the best performance I've ever seen him give. Not sure if it's the onset of maturity from being in late middle-age or what, but he's clearly having a ball with this part.

This looks like fun so far! I didn't even recognize Patti Lupone at first - I just thought she was fabulous whoever she was! And it also took me a long time to place Dylan McDermott, I knew he was familiar, and it was driving me nuts for about the first third of the episode until it clicked. I thought he was hilarious in the role. Fantastic production values in this - sets, cars & costumes are all beautiful. And for anyone who might have thought the gas-station/man-whore set up was far-fetched and unbelievable, it was based on a 100% a real thing in L.A. It was run by a man named Scotty Bowers from the late 40's into the late 60's. He pimped out handsome young men trying to make it in the movie industry, and he claimed to have "serviced" all of the big industry players (male and female actors and studio honchos). He wrote a book about it, and there's also a documentary that was made about him as well. The documentary wasn't that great, but he was obviously the real-life inspiration for Dylan McDermott's character. Apparently a few real-life movie stars are also set to be sprinkled throughout the series along with the fictional ones. Should be interesting.

I just finished binging this, and like everyone else, I enjoyed the series, but was about to burst a blood-vessel at the conclusion:

Yowza @Giant Misfit, that is some juicy stuff you dug up! First of all, during my binge as I watched the old video footage of Kirkham, who appears to have once had a legit career in TV broadcasting, I kept thinking " wow, what the hell happened to him?" I know those video clips from earlier in his career are probably at least 25 years old, but he looks 900 years old now, and just completely wrecked. Now I know why. I wasn't able to make out the details of Carole's ex-beau's legal documents (they wouldn't enlarge enough for me to read), but colour me completely unsurprised that there are restraining orders that have been put out on her. Probably not the only one is my guess.

@Stiggs LOL! It actually took a loooong while for me to clue in to the fact that only Carol's "sanctuary" was in Florida, and the others were located in different states. I just took it at face value they must all be in the sunshine state, because if ever anyone embodied the "Florida Man" stereotype, it's these goons! Just think, the U.S. missed out on having him as President!

Same. I didn't know how much more I could take of these mulleted toothless wackadoo underground narcissists, but the sudden mention of the mysterious disappearance of Carol's husband got me hooked. These people are ALL utterly batshit crazy and all had the same megalomaniacal personality traits. Only in America. As an aside, the sheer unbelievability and bizarreness of the story and characters reminded me a lot of Netflix's other nutty true-life doc "Wild Wild Country". If you haven't seen it yet, highly recommended. There was absolutely no difference between Carol and the other tiger people. The earlier footage that had been dug up from the early days of her cat collecting showed her doing the exact same thing as Joe & Doc - snatching tiny newborn cubs from their mothers and using them for profit. She simply found a more palatable way to package and market herself to look like a saviour and protector, when really her operation was no better than any of the other sleazy low-rent two-bit zoos. She probably killed her husband too. My heart broke for all of those poor animals living such miserable lives trapped in cages, used and discarded in horrible ways. To be honest, I kept rooting for the tigers to eat every last one of them!