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.

That he seems to be a non-stop smoker and is pretty much a walking ashtray -- as well as a fairly heavy drinker -- doesn't help his situation. If he doesn't watch it, he's going to be looking like Benjamin Button by the end of the season.

After visiting Australia a few times, I feel the behind-the-times thing is a bit overblown. In some ways (the absorption of various Asian cuisines into the mainstream), I've found them to be slightly ahead of much of the US. Related to this, you get little sense from RHOM, or many portrayals of Australia in the media, just how multicultural it is, at least in the big cities. One in four Australians is born overseas and just over 40 percent have at least one parent who was born overseas. http://abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/CO-59 At one point, Melbourne was said to have the second or third largest Greek population in the world. http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/aboutmelbourne/history/pages/multiculturalhistory.aspx Australian pop culture is starting to showcase this, such as with the excellent series East West 101 (sort of a Wire/Homicide: Life on the Street set in a Middle Eastern community in western Sydney). But this hasn't reached the wider world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_West_101 Outside of Gina being of Italian heritage and Jackie being of Eastern European heritage, there's little of this reality that you see walking around the streets of Sydney or Melbourne on a daily basis reflected on RHOM. (Of course, this is true of the American franchises as well but most viewers already know how diverse NY/LA/NJ are.)

Not sure if this is the right place to put this but Ashley Zuckerman, who plays Charlie, is also in another series at the moment, 'The Code,' on the Audience Network (through DirecTV). It's a contemporary political thriller set in Australia. It's good and his character is quite different from Charlie. Not sure how many people are watching either of his shows but both are quite nice for the resume.

He was the drummer in Silverchair, not the lead singer, and drummers aren't always the "prettiest" guys in the band. And, at the risk of sounding lookist, a lot of sins can be hidden behind a drum kit!

Would Radioactive Man's illness happen that quickly though or would it be more the case of developing some horrible, aggressive form of cancer months or years later? Are any of the characters beyond Oppenheimer based on any real person? I know little about the Manhattan Project so, for me, it makes for good drama without having to worry about historical accuracy. But I wonder if perhaps the African-American character is based on the experiences of someone who was there. I'm sure in doing research for the show, the show runners came across interesting tidbits that may not have been previously widely known. It may seem anachronistic but, as there are always unsung pioneers in every era pushing boundaries in every walk of life, there could be some truth there.

The whole liquor line thing seems contrived. Does anyone know if their line of tequilas or whatever came out? While I usually find the Housewives shows a test of patience, this one makes me laugh. Maybe it's the accents? I am a sucker for a good Aussie accent. Are they filming a second season? Did they do a reunion? And I wonder why Bravo is burning this one off by showing it on Sunday mornings and not giving it a regular slot. It's at least as deserving as "Ladies of London" or "Extreme Guide to Parenting." So many questions. An addendum to the racism discussion, that aforementioned barista in Sydney who wasn't hired because he was black was inundated with job offers and has accepted one. And I assume the offending cafe owner is on his way back to Shanghai with a failed business and an expensive lesson learned. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/black-barista-nilson-dos-santos-finds-work-after-being-refused-job-at-darlinghurst-cafe-20140828-109g0a.html As clueless as the Melbourne women may be regarding race and culture, they're not (yet) as bad as the OC's Vicki and her awful comment about a Chinese client or Atlanta's Phaedra saying that white people only eat canned food. Ah, but the season is young. I'm sure there will be many moments of awful behavior ahead. Shine, shine, shine!

Not to defend Ben and "Chinese whispers" but this isn't quite the whole story. The bar owner was a Chinese citizen (not Australian) and there was so much outrage after it got out what happened to the black guy (a Brazilian but naturalized Australian citizen) that the bar was egged and flour bombed, employees quit, the Facebook page was overwhelmed with angry comments and people stopped patronizing the place. It's now closed -- after just several days of a boycott. You can read more about it here: http://ugc.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/darlinghurst-cafe-forbes-burton-believed-to-have-closed-after-antiracist-hate-campaign/story-fnii5s3x-1227036257715 But, yeah, the wearing of Native American headdresses needs to stop.

In Australia, Silverchair were certainly more than the one-hit wonders they were in the US. They had five consecutive No. 1 albums, had several top 10 singles, and headlined arenas. In the Australian context, they were rock stars. So Jackie isn't incorrect though it also makes Ben appearing in this extra sad. They were also more popular in the UK than the US. And I would disagree that the later albums weren't good. "Diorama" is actually a little slice of awesome.

Depends on where you are in the country and the season. Australia is as big as the continental US. Melbourne is known for its changeable weather and having "four seasons in one day," as the group Crowded House (who were based in Melbourne for a time) sang back in the day. The stereotype within Australia is that it's cold and rains all the time in Melbourne though that's not really true. Summers, like anywhere in Australia with the possible exception of Tasmania, can be hot. But it's neither Singapore nor the Amazon so I'm not sure that explains their hair.

I was a big Silverchair fan so it's interesting to see what happened to Ben Gilles. Americans who may not remember their music might remember them on this side of the Pacific because lead singer Daniel Johns made news when he: a) dated and then married (and later divorced) Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia, who had the big hit "Torn," and b) talked about battling anorexia and reactive arthritis, maladies that almost permanently disabled him. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/05/1086377186083.html