Shangrilala

I may think that Kanye West is the ultimate douchecanoe, but this picture is actually quite cute. North and Kanye in the studio. https://gma.yahoo.com/cute-photo-kanye-west-brings-north-studio-183854065--abc-news-celebrities.html

Ok I now think something really effed up went on between Khloe, Rob and Lamar. Khloe saying that Rob says "that house was so dark it made me do dark things." And her then talking about how nobody but her, Rob and Lamar know what went on in that house, and how she couldn't protect him. Wtf was going in there that resulted in Rob being THIS messed up and has Khloe making comments like this? What dark things did Rob do - drugs? Something more?

I've actually thought for a long time that something not quite right has gone on in Rob's relationship with his sisters. I think because the girls were given no boundries about appropriate behavior, Rob was exposed, at a very young age, to intimate information about his sisters that most girls would shield from their brother and most brothers wouldn't know. I can't give specific examples, and this is the only way I know how to explain it. But I also think that Rob knows that it's not quite right, as far as family dynamics go, and it's a part of his issues. For example, it's no big secret that Khloe and Lamar liked their toys, I shudder to think what Rob witnessed in that household, whether it was what he heard or what he saw. I remember back after he left Kim's wedding there were those quotes talking about how Rob doesn't fit into the Kardashian glam world. I think that's on target, but I don't think he wants to fit into the Kardashian world anymore, because to do so requires a level of intimate knowledge about his sisters that, as he's grown older, makes him immensely uncomfortable. I've often heard Khloe and Rob talk about their relationship, and how they were always close because they were close in age. That's great. But they often follow those statements up with things like "it's like we're married, platonically" or some such thing. I don't think there's anything wrong with them being close. To have your brother be your best friend, to be your roommate, to have been close to your husband, is not abnormal. But there's something about their "close" relationship that borders on "intimate" (emotionally, I don't think physically). I mean, from what we know, Rob knows his sister Kim was in a sex tape, has probably heard details about it, if he hasn't actually seen it himself. He knows his sister Khole liked role-playing and toys in the bedroom, and perhaps some light BDSM from what we've seen. And who knows about Kourtney. Most brothers? Don't know that about their sisters, no matter how close they are. Khloe, Kim and Kourtney all needed a lessen in discretion.

Oh, I assumed that Bethany was the twin. The TV version of Courtney. When Spencer and Aria were flipping through the sketch book, there was a picture of a long haired blonde looking in a mirror, and of course there was the psycho roommate. It seemed like such a parallel to the book. I'm assuming the reference to Toby's mom was nothing more than a red herring. Plus, in last season's finale, we had that flash of Mrs. D on the phone with the police, asking them to call her as soon as they knew anything, saying she was very worried. At the time, I assumed it meant she was scared for her own personal safety. Perhaps instead, she was informed that Bethany was missing and she was scared for Bethany's safety. And because she was scared for Bethany's safety, she wanted to keep Ali close, hence why she told her she could go out that night. It also explains why Mrs. D was burying Ali, to protect her other daughter, while crying and asking her "why would you do that." AS for who killed Bethany, I have no idea. Professor Plum, in the sitting room, perhaps? That said, as I write this, it doesn't work. The DiLaurentis and Hastings families have been neighbors for a long time, too long to cover up the birth of a twin and subsequent admittance to Radley. Oh well.

So...twins. Right?

Maybe that is his job - people who have been fertile in the past, without complication, are selected to attempt to mate with each other. It's a little handmaid's tale-esque. But without actually setting up the whole pesky dystopian setting. Although, you'd think that this show could research fertility a little bit better if it's going to be the major focus of the storyline. The optimal timing for sex when trying to get pregnant, is actually right before you start ovulating and then through the 12-24 hour ovulation period. Not right as ovulation starts, you're likely to miss your window of opportunity. Not to mention, while it's certainly possible to get pregnant having sex 1 time during that period, your odds are better with more frequency. The script said: "just in time, I just started ovulating" was wrong. She should have said "Just in time. I'll ovulate tomorrow. Let's do it now and come back again in the morning."

I will give this a few more episodes, as I think it has potential, but to be honest, the things that I find most interesting were barely touched up on in the pilot. I think they jumped way too fast to the fertilization of the embryos and left out so many elements. For example: what type of government is this now, that they have this "Department of humanity" or whatever they were called that basically took this child away? The "dystopian" aspect of this needed to be set up better and could make the setting much more interesting. All we got as introduction was two sentences. What about the panic? What about the global response? What about the economy? What about the role of government? Medical ethics? Individual psyche? I feel like the pilot tried to tease a few of these things. For example, the humanity department, the "opposition" which I'm assuming doesn't mean democrats or republicans, access to people's ancestral information, etc. It's like the put some elements out there, but it didn't come off as a teaser, but rather as a glossover. The main character annoyed me. I think there was reference to her being a security threat somehow, and that's why they fired her. But because there was no background to that, I don't know if she legitimately had something going on that made her unfit to see the project through, or if the big bad government guy was just being a powerhungry jackass. But everything she did after she got fired was outright stupid. She found the name of a donor and told her what she had accomplished with her egg. What was she hoping to achieve? Get more info on the subject, I suppose, and perhaps get her to offer her body/eggs to science, but did she not think about the woman's reaction? That after there has not been a single birth in the world in 9 years, and no doubt this woman has been trying to have a child as well, and suddenly she'd be content to just answer a few questions? Then, after she realizes she's being followed, she heads home. To pack her suitcase. After a government agent was willing to snatch her on a public and crowded commuter train, in front of everybody. Good god, woman, just go to Target and buy a sweater. Use cash.

Bruce has also made it pretty clear, his thoughts on addiction and the role personal choice plays in recovery. I got the impression that he rejects the addiction as a disease concept because it can remove the consequences of personal responsibility and he basically views addiction as weakness. I also don't think Bruce drinks, does he? He's made comments in the past about how it's possible to feel great and have a good time without alcohol. We know he wouldn't touch drugs with a 10 foot pole.

To be fair, I'm not so sure the designers want the spark and charisma on the runway. They want it to be about the fashion. Not the person walking down the runway. And for Kendall to be successful, I think it may be even more important that she "blend" a bit. Not entirely, but she comes with a family name that has a bit of notoriety around it. They don't want "hey, there's Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian's sister" on the runway. It seems like her team gets this - Kendall the model seems to be develping a different personality than Kendall as a Kardashian. When she first hit the runways this year, people were commenting about the lack of the Kardashian presence and I think that was intentional. I think it was meant to send a message to the fashion world.

I wonder if Kim (and Magic-Ass-Growing Khloe) are wearing this: http://www.hourglassangel.com/ann-chery-amalia-powernet-short-1045 We know that they wear shapewear, they've never hid that. So I wouldn't be surprised if that's part of what's going on with their butts. Especially Khloe. Her ass seems to defy the laws of gravity right now. Remember those pictures of her shopping in the Hamptons? She's got powernet ass. Huh. I have no idea if this belongs in the Kim or Khloe thread now.

I think what Kourtney says about an infants style was actually pretty spot on. You can get tons of adorable outfits for your baby and then for some reason when you put some of them on him or her, it's just not...them. It doesn't work. But Kim and her whole "North doesn't like pink!" talk was ridiculous. You and Kanye don't like pink and you don't dress her in pink, and that's why it looks strange to you. It has nothing to do with her not liking pink. I can't wait for North to go shopping with her mom when she's about 4 years old and ask for a hot pink shirt with minnie mouse or Cinderella plastered all over the front.

One of the funniest moments in RHONJ moments was last year when Juicy and JoGo got into a fight. Melissa kept running around after JoGo trying to get his hat back on his head (after she blamed Teresa for the whole thing, of course) and after everybody got them off of each other, they were covered with all of this black stuff. You had clips of Kathy and Richie saying "what is all this black shit everywhere? It's like tar" and then you heard Juicy and Tre talking about what had just happened and Tre saying "what is all this black shit? You're covered in it" and then even JoGo and Melissa talking about "what is all of this tar?" It turns out that yes, JoGo's hair is thinning and he was using a colored hair spray to make it look thicker, and basically cover up any of the bald spots coming through. After that, he shaved his head. AT the very least, in the clip, Joe owned it and said "yeah, it was me." It was actually quite funny. Amber being the control freak annoyed me at first, until I realized that given what she went through wtih breast cancer at a young age, her controlling tendancies probably took off after that. A psychological after effect of feeling like you have no control over your health and body. So I can forgive that. So did Dina really introduce herself as "The Bitch Is Back" and then follow it up with "I'm Zen now!" And then follow it up with criticism of a front walkway and what a bad host Amber was as a result? I've never liked Dina, I've always found her to be insincere and, well, bitchy. To be fair to Amber, this winter was beyond brutal for the northeast, and quite frankly I don't know a single person who had a fully clear front walkway, despite best efforts to clear it off. Although I think the timing of the event was off. It was called a Harvest party? The first snowstorm hit in December, then it just sort of kept snowing after that. Wouldn't a harvest party be in November? Where was the harvest part? Anyway - should she have had a better place for people to wipe their feet? Yes? Could she have done better with the sidewalk? Under most circumstances I would say yes, but this winter? What we saw wasn't too shabby. The twins...l just can't. For 1, I can't tell them apart. 2, their voices grate. 3, they are trying too hard. 4, how old are they? Did not miss Caro or Jacq or Kathy.

I'm not so sure about that. I think there were some complexities about Ali that we were never explained to us in the earlier seasons. We saw a few moments of her and Veronica that led us to believe that something more was going on her life. There was the scene when she showed up to the girls house in tears and tried to brush it off. We had the scene where Ali taught Hanna how to throw up her food. We saw her interest in death as an equivalent to immortality. I actually think there was quite a bit of unhappiness/darkness in Ali's life, which would have added plenty of complexity to the character, had they chosen to explore it. This would have provided plenty of acting opportunity for the actress, without bringing her back to life. I'm not sure that I'm unhappy with Ali being alive, but I also think they missed a great opportunity to really build the character of Ali, after her death. Here's the bottom line about all of the relationships: They bring the characters down. Ezria: Enough said Spoby: The only episode I've liked with these two was Spencer confronting Toby about A, mainly because I think that Troian rocked that scene in the kitchen and then afterwards when she's crying by Toby's door. Hanna/Caleb/Travis: I actually don't mind Hanna and Caleb, I especially liked them when they got together. So if I have to choose one, I'll choose Hanna and Caleb. I don't feel like I know Travis well enough to Emily: Mona tried too hard. Paige isn't terrible but I don't really like the actress, plus I think Emily should have walked away from her the minute she held her head under the water. Ali and Emily? That just screams of unhealthy codependence. I don't understand why the girls have to be paired up? Do they all need to be in relationships? Why can't we have, for example, fun Hanna, single and dating? PLL is falling into the teenage drama trap that everybody needs to be paired up in order for them to have their own storyline. And it's not always necessary.

Did Kim have a lift or boob job post-North? There's no way a 30-something year old woman who was fairly well-endowed to begin with and was just pregnant and breast-fed her daughter is able to go braless. The laws of gravity do not exclude Kim Kardashian. So either she's wearing something to give her support or she had a lift/implants/something.

My theory? Ali is A+. The reason why? Because she is batshit crazy, that's why. Nothing more, nothing less. No twin, no family secret. Ali is A because she is a nutjob. Did I hear 7 phones go off at the end of the show? Is A tormenting all of them now, not just the core 4/5 girls? I kind of loved the Mona/Ali showdown because we got to see classic Ali. This Ali-victim making amends to those she hurt is annoying. Not to mention, I always got the impression that Ali was loved and hated. Right now all we are seeing is the hate. Where are all of the people who were her friends? Certainly they extended past 4 girls. Otherwise, she never would have been at the top of the high school stratosphere. I'd love to see the high school class warfare, but only if we get it with Ali as ALI. I kind of miss the days when A made people eat cupcakes or sent anonymous letters to parents. This car bomb stuff is a bit of a stretch, IMO. This is supposed to be about high school. Not the deparment of homeland security.

I found Khloe's talk of saying "Hastag! my daughter is black" etc.to be utterly annoying. I don't know why. Life is not a fucking hashtag. Who talks like that? There is no way that story on the plane is true. There's no way the pilots had to come out and restrain the woman. There's no way a person, in this day and age, was so outraged by a bi-racial baby that they started screaming on a plane like that. And certainly not somebody flying first class from Vienna to Los Angeles. We would have known about it by now. I mean, I know when Kim crosses the street. This would have been kept hush hush? No way. This episode was VERY carefully orchestrated. I, too, noticed that they didn't say Richard Luger's name. They didn't talk about the groping/manhandling that was reported when they came back. IN fact, he was nothing more than the person who greeted them when they got off of the plane. I also aassumed that Lugner's rent-a-date contract always included sex. I mean...that's what happens right? My favorite part of the episode? Bruce and Mason racing.

It's not just Kourtney, it's all of them. Remember when Kim moved into her home several seasons ago, she didn't want people walking on her floors? And when Khloe moved in with Rob, he freaked out about cheese not being neatly stacked in the fridge (among other things)?

That episode was boring. The only interesting part to me was Hannah wondering why Mona made her into Ali.

God, these girls are stupid. For 1, I'm not sure what purpose it served running from New York other than making them look suspicious. You had Ezra, who was waking up in the hospital, able to identify Shauna as A and ID her as the person with the gun on the rooftop. You had Shauna with a gun in the theater and 4 eye witnesses to what happened. Furthermore, as soon as Ali opened her mouth about being kidnapped one of them should have spoken up. They also should have just ignored Jason and the car, let the police look for Mrs. DiLaurentis, and let it be over. I mean...don't they have homework or something else to do? If they just spoke up, this would end. They bring half this shit on themselves. Truly. That said, I wouldn't ever want to meet one of the Liars. I could wind up dead in 2 seasons.

Melissa running in at the end, and what did she say? We don't have much time? It made me think that perhaps she was the leader of the group and Mona was her second in command or some such thing.

It's not uncommon to fingerprint people who work in K-12 education. My prints are on file in the state of Maryland because my first job out of college was as an administrator at a private school. I can handle them using Shana as A because I never understood the purpose of her character and I don't think they knew what to do with her. One of the reasons season 1 worked so well, aside from the fact that it was before all this nonsensical junk, was the fact that they revolved the story around the girls and so many of the plotlines took place in the context of the high school. Once we started introducing random people, running off to different towns and cities, it lost its core. If sending CeeCee to Paris and killing off Shana means that they can get back to the core concept that Ali was such an awful person to the other kids at Rosewood that they created the A-team to get revenge on the friends who blindly followed her and treated everybody else terribly as well, then I'm okay with that. I'd rather watch the Rosewood A-team (I'm assuming that this is the a-team, or at least part of the a-team, that Mona referenced back in the seaon 1 finale). I can also handle characters like Melissa, Jason and Garret because they, too, are so strongly tied to the original 4. I realize we still have the bigger mystery at play, who didn't kill Ali, and I'm assuming it's the same person that killed Mrs. DiLaurentis. But like I said, let's bring it back to Rosewood, and keep it in Rosewood.

I bet it's around him wanting to bring his girlfriend to the wedding. Because, you know, it was a small wedding for their closest, nearest and dearest friends. All 500 of them. There was no room for a relatively new significant other. Kris trying to be young made me cringe. Okay, I get what she was saying about age being a number, and just because she is a grandmother it doesn't mean she has to act old. Somebody needs to tell her there's a LOT of middle ground between a stripper pole and a creaky old rocking chair. I CAN. NOT. WAIT. to see Bruce go off on Kris, that angry look he was giving her was unbelievably awesome.

Somebody back on TWOP had posted an article that basically pinpointed the downfall of Brenda Walsh to that moment, basically taking on the theory that the character was being punished for the decision to have sex. We know that the writers put in the pregnancy scare and breakup with Brenda to appease those pearl-clutching parents. And from there it was downhill. I liked Brenda's first time. It felt real. She said no before. She waited. She wanted to know she was in love and that her boyfriend loved her back. A hotel room and prom night? Okay, it's a bit of a cliche, but it happens that way. Not to mention, their talk on the dance floor, her giddiness and affection afterwards, her running up to Kelly, is just oh-so-teenage-girl. Beverly Hills did good by Brenda in that way. It's a shame the character had to become the punching bag. I have kids, and I know that one day they will have sex, and I hope that their first time, whether they are 16 or 26, is as positive an experience for them. It's better than Kelly and No-Blanket-Ross-Weber, Donna giving it up to a guy who cheated on her and had dumped her in the past for NOT having sex with her (what was all that you waited stuff that Donna spouted? No, he didn't. He boinked Ariel in the back of a limo. There was only one man in Donna's life who waited, and that was Joe, who shared the same feelings on pre-marital sex.), or Andrea having sex with her RA who she really didn't know that well. Bottom line? Brenda's first time sent a pretty positive message to teenage girls about how sex can and should be. It's a shame the viewing audience parental unit couldn't see that.

How does one go about hopping into this rewatch? I have FX on demand and know that they have Buffy on it, how do I know which episode and when?

Saw the pics on Dailiy Mail. Khloe is clearly channeling her inner-Kim, down to the puffed up lips and puffed out ass. In one side view shot, it actually looks like it's either a bad photo-shopping job, OR that she's got padding in her spanx. I suspect it's the photoshop job, because it also looks like one cheek sticks out more. Kourtney looks normal. Can't say I like Scott's bright pink shorts, though.