ribboninthesky1
-
Posts
2.2k -
Joined
Content Type
Blogs
Gallery
Downloads
Discussion
Posts posted by ribboninthesky1
-
-
1 hour ago, ParadoxLost said:
I still have cable and I still like cable and I still hate cable companies.
The people I know who give up cable make me want to scream and put me off the very idea. Because must I really listen to you strategize how you will get rid of your cable, and still get all of your programs and save tons of money, through the most convoluted approach possible for six months. Then must I really inspect your handy work and how all your various programs and devices that you must flip through get you the programs you want for the six months after that.
You know what I do? I turn on the TV or I go to any website and type in my cable provider or click on demand. Then once a year I call the cable company and bitch at them about the price for 15 minutes and they lower it.
The only time I think about ditching cable is when I'm forced to interact with the cable company. But you know all these people ditching cable still need internet. They ditched cable but not the providers.
Can you guess that I'm currently in the phase where the cable ditchers are explaining to me that when Google Fiber is available in their area the world will be a utopia where unicorns shoot high speed internet for free out of their butts.
This is the funniest thing I've read today. Thank you. I understand how annoying that must be.
-
2
-
-
12 hours ago, Dee said:
Remy is a jewel. I kind of hate how erratic he's being with the Bordelons though. Ralph Angel is way too mercurial a presence for him to be playing hot and cold with their family business.
I took it as Remy trying to respect family boundaries. He's not family, and he seems to give advice mainly because Charley consults with him. If Charley hadn't approached him, I suspect he would have kept his distance. He couldn't force Charley to hire a farm manager.
So far, his advice seems sound, but Charley and Nova are trying to balance their careers and personal lives with running a farm, and it's not going to work. I'm a lot more sympathetic to Charley because her career and personal life is seriously blurred at the moment, both of her siblings have gone off on her when she's tried to help, and IMO, she's rightly focused on her own family at the moment.
-
3 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:
I agree that RA exercises bad judgment left and right but it's not as if his sisters don't know that. Sure, he should take responsibility for his mistakes and lower his pride enough to accept help when it's sincerely offered. However, it seems to me that he was almost set up to fail and it could easily have been avoided if they had put better structure in place to help him whether he wanted it or not. Of course, $15,000 is chump change to Charley--she probably spends that much on a designer bag or two each season--so the financial loss is minimal to her. As the oldest sister Nova's probably grown weary of having to play babysitter for Ralph Angel and clean up his minor messes. But for a guy who'll rob a convenience store in broad daylight just to get a handful of bills, $15K probably feels like a unfathomable loss. I don't think that was a lesson he needed to learn just because his sisters are too busy doing other things.
No, I don't see it that way. It's probably more like why RA would see it that way. Funny thing though, there probably really is an effort afoot to keep the farm from succeeding or at least not do anything to help it succeed.
Charley staked $100,000 in the project to plant and bring in the crop. That's what was going on when RA was at the bank. He's been given complete access to the money including debit/credit cards.
I agree that the farm is being set up to fail - that doesn't have anything to do with Ralph Angel, though. He had one job - get the seed cane. I don't hold what happened with the initial seller against him per se, or any of them, since none of them seem to know about running a farm, and could miss details. But the very least he could have done was have Remy with him to check what he bought from his co-worker's cousin. Heck, even call him and have him on the phone. None of that is on Nova or Charley, because they'd be mature enough to admit they don't know what the hell they're doing and consult with someone who does. Or hell, he could have even stopped avoiding Charley's calls and talked to her - let her know he couldn't get the seed cane because they weren't registered with the state. Part of being an adult is having the tough conversations.
2 hours ago, plurie said:It was my impression that the Bourdelons hadn't registered with the state, so the seller couldn't sell him the seed cane. Remy asked RA if he'd registered, and RA blew him off. All the seed cane for St. Joe's Parish had already been sold to the registered farmers.
Thanks for clarifying that - I thought the seller was in collusion with the man who wanted to buy the land, and that's why he refused to sell.
I think Charley's biggest mistake was not listening to Remy and hiring a farm manager. But then we'd have more scenes with RA whining how they don't trust him, and Vi trying to emotionally manipulate them into coddling him. I know what it's like to deal with untrustworthy family members, and have other family conjoling me into giving them umpteeth chances. $15,000 may not be much to Charley now, but that was when the money was rolling in. With Davis about to be dropped from the team, and a possible divorce looming, I don't think Charley wants to be wasting money unnecessarily, either. And that's not counting if ol' Goldie decides on a civil lawsuit, or her rape kit comes back with Davis' DNA and he goes to trial.
-
59 minutes ago, kiddo82 said:
So while I feel like I personally can justify $9.99 worth of entertainment a month, what happens when $9.99 becomes $19.99 becomes $24.99 becomes $39.99? You're now getting into a territory where want vs need gets assessed particularly as the content becomes more diluted because it will.
Good point. I'm notorious for renewing my Netflix and Hulu accounts only when they're offering a free trial period, but I keep my Prime subscription because there are other benefits besides video-streaming. My cable package is part of my apartment lease agreement, so I'm stuck with it. I'm not interested in paying additional money for these other streaming services, especially Netflix. I think Hulu is going the smarter route in partnering with Time Warner and strategizing to replace traditional cable.
As already stated, there's so much content out there, and only so much time to watch it. I know people who have all of these paid subscriptions, but rarely have time to watch most of it. Not sure it's any more cost-effective than having traditional cable service when you add it all up (and mind you, most people still have to pay for Internet on top of everything else).
ETA:
Related to the saturation of content - I think TPTB are missing that people like to socialize and discuss their favorites. With ever increasing quantity, people's attention spans become more fractured, and social groups bonding over shows become smaller. There will probably always be the "cool kid" shows, but people won't care to watch them because there are so many, and few will care.
-
2
-
-
Ralph Angel kind of reminds me of Mary Jane's niece from Being Mary Jane - always quick to blame and guilt trip other people for their circumstances and poor decision-making, despite having a ton of familial support. At least her immaturity was more age-based - I think she was late teens when the show started, maybe early 20s.
Personally, I thought it was low of Ralph Angel to throw Nova's supposed lack of visitation in her face just because he can't handle when things aren't going his way and actually take the help being offered by someone with common sense. I don't know how Nova was supposed to help since she knows nothing about farming, either. But he does that - something doesn't go his way, he has a tantrum, and lashes out at the very people who support him. If we hadn't had the early scene with Remy, I'd be more sympathetic. Otherwise, meh. I don't feel the least bit sorry for someone who's been coddled for who knows how long, and then is too ridiculous to accept even more help from someone who knows farming.
As for drugs and jail - it could be as simple as him getting involved with the wrong crowd. If something traumatic happened, I'll concede the point. I don't think the show has stated how long he was incarcerated - I do recall the first episode indicating he'd been out for six months.
1 hour ago, represent said:I do to, it makes for good story telling and I think I'm supposed to be frustrated with this aspect of his character. Still root for him, get frustrated and want to ring his ears at the setbacks, but never stop rooting for him, for all of them.
The last two episodes have ended with one or both of the sisters capitulating to Ralph Angel, despite his general lack of personal responsibility. I have a different view - I suspect the show is like, "See! This young black man is trying, y'all! But the system is against him!" Nah son, I see a spoiled (albeit fine via the actor) manchild who leaves his child alone in a park while he robs a corner store, not for money to eat or pay rent or buy school clothes mind you, but to give to his aunt out of some warped sense of pride...but had to be forced by his probation officer, literally threatened with more jail time, to get a job? I can't. I'll root for him when he starts acting like an adult. I don't mind mistakes, but that's not what I'm seeing from Ralph Angel to date. When a 15 year-old comes off more mature than someone almost twice his age...it's hard to support.
-
11
-
-
So...is Ralph Angel gonna have some kind of tantrum/borderline breakdown every episode? Dude was born in 1989, so that would make him 26 or 27. He's not a child. He's annoyed me from the jump, and the irritation grows with each episode.
I don't blame Charley or Nova for Ralph Angel's immaturity (especially since Vi, without a hint of irony, coddled him with the emotional manipulation BS about them "bullying" him in the previous ep). He presumably grew up on the farm - he didn't learn anything about farm operations? At all? Earnest taught him nothing? The way he was going on last week, I thought he knew something. Boy, bye.
I feel for the sisters - their father left them with a big mess to clean up because he was too proud to admit the farm was in trouble, and now there's Ralph Angel flailing about with his ego and pride against what are already serious headwinds. It really resonates - it's been my observation and experience that (particularly lower class) black women often have to pick up the pieces and hold things together while coddling adult males. Thank goodness for Remy and Hollywood - for now, at least.
I figured the man who tried to buy the farm would implicitly cause problems for them, and I assumed that's what happened with the initial attempt to purchase seed cane. I also knew Ralph Angel's co-worker was setting him up for a con as soon as he mentioned the farm.
At first, I didn't understand why Micah was more devastated about Stella cheating on him than being expelled. Then I remembered he's a teenager, heh.
I'm assuming Nova's story, which was the most interesting part of the plot this week, is gonna cause a wee bit of conflict with Calvin. That corruption doesn't just impact black men, though I would be surprised to see the show explore how that system doubly devastates black women and girls.
-
16
-
-
12 minutes ago, topanga said:
But there's also something smarmy about him--like he knows how to turn on the charm but can be a big asshole in his real life.
Yep, pretty much, except I don't find him charming. I think it was Nicole Murphy he was with once upon a time.
-
3
-
-
I'm indifferent as well, but I was highly amused at her temper tantrum over Strahan leaving. That said, I've never understood his appeal at all.
-
4
-
-
Sometimes, rewatching a film I enjoyed years ago doesn't serve me well. I recently watched the first two Bridget Jones' films, and Bridget is considerably more insufferable and desperate than I remembered. And to be even more unpopular, I wasn't much of a Darcy fan. Not I think Bridget should have ended up with Hugh Grant's character, but Darcy was quite rude before the "I like you just as you are" moment, and it wasn't enough to get me to root for them the way I did all those years ago. There's socially awkward, and then there's just being an ass, and Darcy was firmly the latter for a significant part of the film. I haven't seen the third one, but they aren't remotely compatible.
-
2
-
-
Well, mileage varies. I've never thought much of Lawrence as an actor and not a Pratt fan, either. If the spoilers are true, Keanu Reeves would have been much more convincing for me, assuming the film is trying to sell a "romantic" lead. Rachel McAdams can balance vulnerability and resilience well, and I am curious how she would have played opposite Reeves. Oh, what might have been.
-
4
-
-
People writing thinkpieces or leveraging social media to voice their opinions isn't analogous to boycotting or blocking productions of films about blacks produced by whites. After all, whites have dominated mainstream films about blacks since the beginning. Hidden Figures was written and produced by white people - I'm still looking forward to it. Ultimately, I believe people have a right to spend their time and money however they want to, and I think black creatives have a right to their perspective.
I don't think Ava suggests that blacks are a monolith. All she is saying that when she's seen work about blacks not written by them, it feels like an intepretation. Your mileage may vary, and that's fair.
16 minutes ago, topanga said:I know this sounds corny, but aren't stories about people of color ultimately for everyone? Aren't our stories ultimately just human stories?
Absolutely. But we don't experience humanity the same way.
-
5
-
-
3 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:
I liked him as Boomerang in Suicide Squad, and as the punk villain in the Divergent series. I really do think that is where Courtney needs to go. He doesn't have the sexual charisma needed to play the romantic leading young man.
He was also a villain in Jack Reacher. I think he has some sexual potential, but more twisted and dark. I can't see him as a good guy romantic lead, but maybe he needs the right opposite. Emilia Clarke was not it. They seemed more like bickering siblings.
Speaking of Divergent, Shailene Woodley certainly doesn't seem to be an it-girl anymore. And what's going on with Theo James? Besides that awful-looking installment of the Underworld franchise?
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, LakeGal said:
I think Nick looks younger than Robby.
Agreed - Nick could easily pass for mid-to-late 20s.
44 minutes ago, huahaha said:I don't like watching a young bachelor, unless it's one of the more serious/religious guys like Ben or Sean. Most 26-year-old guys are not going to feel driven to commit with 30 pairs of boobs in their face. Even the dumpy ones start getting aspirations (see Ben Flajnik).
Hee! See, also: Bob Guiney, though he wasn't that young. I never saw him as attractive.
-
1
-
-
I assumed it was a nickname. That little actor is adorable.
I'm nowhere near Charlie's wealth, but I sympathize with her the most of the three. I feel like she's been penalized for having a different mother, and leaving home to live the high life. I wonder if the former is what pushed her towards the latter. But she didn't let her trainwreck of a life supercede trying to help.
Kofi Siriboe is only 22? LAWDDDDDDDDDD, help me. Agreed with the other comments that he should be in white always. I'm not that crazy about Ralph Angel, though. Maybe he went to prison for something he didn't do. If not, he's coming off mad hypocritical about Blu's mom. Also, she's managed to get a job...what is HE doing? I hope he's heavily involved with getting the farm back up and running.
I love that Aunt Violet, the older black woman has the hot, stable relationship with a younger man. That rarely happens.
Rutina and Greg have mad chemistry, but at the moment, all I see is NOLA Olivia and Fitz. If that wife, or anyone else, shows up calling Nova a whore or homewrecker, I may have to bail on the show. Not going through that shit again. I'm not sure why they couldn't still have the same relationship conflict without him being married.
SpoilerSupposedly, Calvin is single in the book.
-
3
-
-
Save for Selma, I've watched everything (I know of) that Ava's directed. So I wasn't surprised by the lush scenery and the fantastic lighting. I agree with Jesse Pinkman that the music was a bit overpowering at times.
I've not read the book, but I felt like this episode was a bit heavier on Ralph Angel than the sisters. Not sure how I feel about him yet, but it would seem that the show clearly wants me to sympathize with him and that bugs me. Whereas with the sisters, the show felt more neutral, if not antagonistic in relation to Charlie, with the unfolding of their stories.
I thought I would see more of Nova, because I'm in this for Rutina Wesley. Still, the supporting cast was a pleasant surprise.
Anyway, on to episode 2!
-
2
-
-
Manganiello as Deathstroke? Didn't see that coming. Isn't he still recovering from some kind of surgery?
-
On 9/5/2016 at 9:05 AM, Wiendish Fitch said:
My UO is that I don't mind if actors crap on previous movies they did. Every actor has to start somewhere, or did an awful movie for the money, or simply didn't like what they did, and you know what? I greatly prefer their candor to making mealy-mouthing sound bites about the issue for fear of offending someone. I don't think actors are latently insulting fans of the offending movie by not liking it. For instance, some people were offended when Renee Zellweger bad-mouthed Empire Records. Hey, it's a free country, and if she doesn't like it, well then, that's her prerogative. Liv Tyler didn't like it either, by the by.
I agree, though I don't have a problem with an actor criticizing relatively recent or current projects, either. Sometimes, you sign up for one kind of film, and it turns out to be another. Actors don't have much control over that. Example: Daniel Craig took heat for some of his Bond comments. But given what Spectre was, I can't blame him. I'm sure he's been well-compensated, but Sony/MGM has made an absurd amount of money off his portrayal as well. I'm okay with him being over the character. There are aspects of my job that I find utterly frustrating and counter-productive, but don't feel comfortable speaking out about. Maybe I live vicariously through the brutually honest in that regard.
6 hours ago, slf said:Though I do think actors can get away with this (to a degree) whereas actresses rarely can.
Yes, good point.
Another UPO: Beyond the lackluster title, I thought Quantum of Solace was overall a better film than Spectre.
-
2
-
-
On 8/31/2016 at 4:33 AM, Chas411 said:
After watching Terminator Genisys last night...
Jai Courtney - I can't decide what I think of him. He's a non entity in Suicide Squad and could be considered a movie curse considering any franchise he's part of bombs but after watching him in the Terminator reboot I think there's potential there. I blame bad writing and the miscasting of Sarah Connor for the failure of he film more then I blame him..
Emilia Clarke - horrendously miscast in Terminator. Great in Game of Thrones but kind of overacts in everything else I've seen her in..
Yeah, I think Clarke was a bigger miscast than Courtney. She wasn't awful, but she didn't make me care about Sarah. I don't dislike Courtney, but I suspect he'll go the way of Sam Worthington, unless he actively seeks villainous roles. Those seem to work for him.
As for the Jurassic Park franchise - I never got into it, but it's similar to Star Wars in my eyes. A mix of nostalgia and geeking out over the concept. Save any major miscasts, people will go see the film. I'm not a Pratt fan, so I don't see his appeal. I was probably one of the few who preferred Howard's character.
-
2
-
-
I don't know if she's fake or a bitch, but she's definitely got many giving her the benefit of the doubt in the Jared/Ashley mess and got people talking. It's more than can be said for others. No doubt she's generated more interest compared to her first Bachelor appearance. Caila, now's the time to shill on the 'gram!
-
1
-
-
I suspect Amanda told Nick and Jen they could use the "special" bedroom not out of benevolence, but to avoid telling Josh she wanted to sleep in her own bed and would have the "well, someone else was using it" excuse to fall back on. I think they were both wrong - Amanda should have been direct, and Josh should have let it go and let her sleep.
When she was upset over what the twins said, and Josh wanted to talk about it right then - prime opportunity for her to stand her ground and she didn't. I haven't read Andi's book, so I don't think Josh is abusive based on what I've seen on the show. Domineering and controlling, yes. But I don't think the latter automatically makes someone abusive. It will be interesting to see their present dynamic if they show up on After Paradise.
-
5 hours ago, fib said:
Caila's mom is first generation, and her dad is all american blueblood. But she grew up as an expat all around the world, moving repeatedly, and in boarding school.
Interesting. Makes me think that she never took the franchise that seriously, but then I didn't pay much attention to her on original recipe.
I'm not sure Caila is sweet, and I'm okay with that. Polite, yes. But she seems to be direct enough when necessary, and when she's not into it, you can tell (i.e. her date with Brett). I chuckled when she told Jared she was leaving, and he said something like, "Wait, let me talk to Ashley." Her response was akin to, "OK, well, I'm leaving, I don't need to talk to anyone else."
I think someone like Amanda seems sweet, but also a clueless pushover.
I would not be at all surprised if Caila ends up in a serious relationship, if not engaged, within 12-18 months of this season's end. Maybe she'll pull an Ames and pretend like she wasn't a repeater (check out the article on Ames in the Bachelorette Media thread if you need context).
-
3
-
-
The reddit link was posted upthread. Whoever the alleged insider is that posted did not write that all other cast members except Caila were difficult. Not all cast members were listed, I believe those referenced included Caila, the twins, Nick, Ashley, Carly, Chad, Jubilee, Josh, and a couple others, I forget. Most of the alleged difficult/arrogant ones, if true, were no surprise.
I'm no Nick fan (though can acknowledge he's hot), yet I was surprised he would be listed. But grain of salt, mileage varies, and all that. His season will either bolster his redemption or be the nail in the coffin. We'll see.
-
On 9/1/2016 at 10:55 AM, dusang said:
Okay, I get that fertility decreases and you might get careless but (and maybe this is just a relic of me taking sex ed in the early- to mid-90s at the height of the AIDS awareness campaigns with such heavy emphasis on safety) if you're having casual sex with multiple partners WRAP IT UP!!
Agreed, though I think these days wrapping it up is more about birth control than concern about STDs (the latter is also easier to hide). And if you think you're too old to get pregnant...
On 9/1/2016 at 8:08 AM, Inquisitionist said:What would have been so hard about making a statement that she had medically necessary surgery on her eyelids? It may not be anybody's business, technically, but when you're a public figure who trades at least in part on appearance, stop being so outraged when people notice that appearance has changed in a way that's consistent with surgery.
On the one hand, I respect their sense of privacy about this. On the other, I wish celebrities would be more forthcoming about it since the general populace, especially the younger set, tends to believe these people are naturally more attractive/aging well. And some are. But I'll always believe those who haven't had some kind of work done are in the minority.
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, comosedice said:
Nobody seems to be asking why this guy, who some of you find attractive, needs to be on TV so badly to find a woman. Does America need to see him search for love a fourth time? Is he really searching for love or has he found a medium to satisfy his attention-seeking?
1 hour ago, LBS said:Does America need to see any of these galoots try and find love on TV? :) All of them are attractive enough to be able to find women/men on their own. If I had the opportunity to possibly find love in the most surreal way, I would try it if I wasn't happily engaged.
I have no doubt that Nick has any problem meeting women, even the strong-willed kind, outside of the show. Much like any of the men who have appeared. But Nick is unique in that this is his 4th appearance in the franchise. That's a red flag to me, but I'm taking a wait-and-see approach. He is an old pro at this point, and knows very well how he can be perceived.
-
2
-
The Business: News, Rumours, Analysis, and More
in Everything Else Movies
Lucas Till has a smug, "I'm an asshole" kind of face, poor thing. Plus, from the little I remember, wasn't Anderson in his 30s when he did MacGyver? Till is all of 25, so I'm not sure why I'm supposed to buy that this dude has the experience and knowledge that MacGyver is supposed to have. Till has his work cut out for him.