MiamiGuy

Excellent series. Not OJ excellent, as noted above, but still gripping. What happened with Andrew's two siblings? We see them briefly in one episode, dad mentions that he loves Andrew more than them, and that's it. If not for that glimpse, the general impression left is that Andrew was an only child. Obviously, so many events had to be omitted or telescoped but it seems odd that with everything going on with their father and brother, and with their mom descending into her own private hell, that neither one of them showed up. Did they turn out well-adjusted or were they as twisted as Andrew in their own way? Or did they just bail and not look back? If it's the latter, I can't really blame them.

Fantastic episode. And it's great to see Middle Eastern actors playing characters who have nothing to do with terrorism, especially the wonderful Iranian actor Peyman Moaadi as Naz's dad. Check out the Iranian film 'A Separation' (which won the foreign-language film Oscar in 2012) or the 2009 film 'About Elly' and you really see how compelling he can be. And now maybe Riz Ahmed, who was so good in a small film from a few years ago called 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist,' will get some name recognition and won't just be that guy from 'Nightcrawler.' Can't wait for episode 3.

Looks like the entire season, including Buenos Aires, is available on Amazon so I guess I'll have to watch it there.

It doesn't look like it's going to air tonight (Sunday, June 19) either. It's too bad as I was really looking forward to this one. You'd think that either CNN or Anthony would post something about when/if the episode will air. I can't imagine they just won't ever show it.

I hope this is the right place to put this. Ratings for the third episode are in and they continue to sink: http://unclebarky.com/dfw_files/4fe713db83660cff88eac19b595618e4-3651.html I don't think it's even going to get the two seasons Miami got.

Here's more on the Real Housewives of Auckland with one woman who was approached but refused to participate: http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/76939149/businesswoman-why-i-turned-down-real-housewives-of-auckland

Having help from two other chefs might help explain why, when I went to Yelp to look up his two restaurants, that I was surprised to see both getting four stars and there were tons of raves from diners. One even mentioned the glory that is the strawberry salad!

When she produced "Dear White People," which came out last year, her Duly Noted company is listed in the credits. i re-watched it recently and that definitely jumped out.

Two odd things about that whole exchange regarding the black limo driver: While Effie was complaining there were no black wedding-guest extras in that scene, there were two or three in the next shot. I didn't DVR it but I don't think I imagined them. Maybe she thought there should have been more, which is fine, but the way that scene was put together made it seem as if she didn't know what she was talking about. (Or maybe the PG editors just don't like her?) I realize she has a lot on her plate, being caught between HBO and Daffleck on one hand and Jason Mann on the other, but it seems like she should have had a word with the casting director prior to the moment when they're ready to shoot the scene. Which brings me to... What happens to the black actor who was set to play the limo driver and was replaced with a white guy? Does he get another walk-on part or does he get sent home without getting paid? If it's the latter, and I were that actor, I would be angry with Effie for taking food off my table.

Earlier this summer, Bravo was promoting a New York version of the reality show 'Workout." I'd been something of a fan of the trainwreck that was the LA edition a few years ago and was looking forward to at least checking this new one, if only for the snark factor. But I stopped seeing commercials for it and it's not listed on the Bravo site. I googled but came up empty on it being cancelled. Does anyone if it's been pulled and why? Will it be rescheduled? Even MTV's much reviled "House of Food" got to air at least a few episodes before being summarily pulled.

I believe they're airing in Australia but they start here in the US on Thursday. http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-melbourne

This is a good piece on why the US version doesn't hold a candle to the Aussie original: http://junkee.com/the-reviews-of-the-american-remake-of-the-slap-are-in-and-its-kind-of-terrible/51442

The Australian version is very good. And, yes, in it -- and in the novel -- there are eight chapters and each chapter is devoted to a different character who has a different view of "the slap" based on where they are in their lives. For example, one of Hector's friends at the party in the Aussie version is an Aboriginal man who converted to Islam and his white Australian wife who has also converted. Though neither of them is one of the eight main characters, their outlook on life is different from hippie-ish Rosie and her husband or John Galt-wannabe Harry. I posted in the Slap in the Media board a good piece on why the US version is inferior the original if anyone is interested in differences between the two.

A lot of this Anouk stuff was unique to this American version. The biggest difference is that in the Australian version, she has the abortion. I had a feeling they wouldn't go with it in the US version and I was right. Le sigh. As I recall, she also loses her big-time TV-soap writing job, too, in the Aussie version.

Bruno needs to calm the eff down. That type of bullying behavior shouldn't be acceptable, even in the wilds of reality TV. How is he going to make it in life/the workplace/marriage/parenthood if every little thing that annoys him sets him off to the point where he explodes? He's like a walking IED. While he didn't hit anyone, he was so aggressive -- to both men and women -- that it certainly qualifies as emotional abuse. Even after things calm down, there's always going to be that tension because you don't know what's going to light his fuse. If he's not careful, he's going to go off on the wrong person and end up in jail or dead. Tony might not be able to give him a smackdown but there are people out there who could. Though, more than likely, he'll probably just end up making a career out of the Challenges and continue to be rewarded for his behavior. Though I did laugh when, right after the fight, Madison was trying to console Tony and he was all anguished about what happened -- and then he unzips Madison's blouse. Tony, the man who always has his priorities straight! Side note: how much furniture gets destroyed in the average 'Real World' season these days? At the end of the season, they should present Bruno with a big bill.