pasdetrois

His permit is for the site of the old Clarendon Ballroom, not far from Oz. That ballroom has been many things - dance place, restaurant, HQ for a business incubator, etc. It is near Clarendon metro, which is a plus, but on-street parking is impossible. Clarendon restaurants fail continually. Sometimes I wonder if these scenarios serve a different purpose than the obvious one.

Having grown up eating BBQ in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, I was shocked when I first ate it in South Carolina. The sauce was mustard-based.

Last Saturday night multiple Arlington, VA, neighborhoods flooded the police switchboards due to loud partying at an open beer lot. Guess who is behind the noise? Michael Darby's Monument Realty leased the space for 21 months in order to run "pop up" bars. We've all suffered since, including during the height of the pandemic when masses of young adults jammed into the lot, most not wearing masks. As the lease nears its end, Michael applied for a building permit for a new restaurant in a nearby location. So his Oz failure didn't teach him any lessons.

I love her quiet little reactions to all the drama, gossip, etc. She does amazing bits of business with a hankie or a tea cup. I could watch Violet, Lady Danbury and the Queen forever. These broads have seen a thing or two. As opposed to The Gilded Age and Sanditon, I feel that Bridgerton's actors really inhabit their roles, and the scenes feel more organic. The exception is the one-dimensional Lady Whistledown; I think the actress is weak. And I'm taken out of the scenes with how bad they are making tomboyish Eloise look this season. They are combing her hair straight down in many scenes, and then jamming dumb hats on her. She runs around like a lunatic. I don't think their efforts at her "spinsterish" appearance were that pronounced in the first season. Someone explain Kate's and Edwina's fathers to me please. Kate's father was a penniless clerk who died young?

I've assumed during the last several seasons that they are no longer involved with each renovation on a detailed level. I think when we see Ben doing demo or Erin talking about cabinets that an invisible design team is actually managing the project. Who can blame Ben for not wanting to tear out drywall in Mississippi's heat and humidity if he can be in his beloved workshop? The loft is beautiful. Our dogs sleep on the same floor as we do, so I wonder if the owner really specified that Zeus be on a different floor, or if Zeus actually sleeps near the owner's bedroom. And I think Zeus can easily clear the Dutch door. The balcony will be like an oven from about June through September, but it's a nice option. Maybe coffee in the morning.

From a blind gossip site: scroll down to item #332. Claims of racism on the current season and also that chef Marcos sleeps with the series executive producer. http://www.agcwebpages.com/BLINDITEMS/2022/MARCH.html ETA: possible spoilers in the linked page.

Very little was said about the twins' father. I seem to recall that he was a manager of sorts - and at the time I got strong vibes about real lack of boundaries. I think he heavily promoted their sexuality. Lots of naked "incest" photos.

I binged all episodes last night. Pleasantly surprised, although HBO's determination to jam in as many prosthetic penises as possible is tiresome. I like all the actors. The lead has a Deborah Walley thing going on. I wondered if they are trying to clone Jenn Lyon (Jennifer in Claws) via Bambi - beautiful, statuesque, big blond hair, dumb-but-not-really, distinctive voice. After watching the disturbing Secrets of Playboy, the publisher's similarity to Hefner was a bit unsettling. Hope there's a second season.

Yes, but I think when Betsy heard the words "trust" and "I will be sure your girls get the money" she did not realize Pam would have the power to do whatever she wanted with the money. Or she trusted Pam to do the right thing. Maybe the show sidestepped some more serious problems with Russ and the daughters being irresponsible. Maybe Betsy believed Pam was the only safe choice.

I suspect Betsy did not understand the nature of a revocable trust, and the power it gave Pam to do what she wanted with the money.

There were subtle hints that the judge, DA and jurors were conservative and religious, and that they all judged Russ and perhaps his family for being uncouth. (The fighting, drinking, Dungeons and Dragons, etc. And Russ appears to be a bit dim.). They were ready to convict. Typical small-town meanness. There's an expression "I'm not a XXXXXXX, but I play one on TV." Well, I'm not an attorney but TV (and history) have taught me to not trust law enforcement and the judicial system. Even in my own progressive and diverse community, there has been at least one known egregious case of prosecutorial misconduct. I think it's a desperation to be re-elected to office. I'm a trustee for two family trusts (the routine revocable kind that protect routine assets - anyone can create one). How did Pam get away with the money shenanigans?

Exactly. Shove the old gals onto an island, with minimal production costs, and maximize profits while you can. This arrangement will be a real financial blow to the original housewives. Their show income will be greatly reduced from when they appeared in full seasons.

I love design for cozy spaces. Perhaps it was the late hour when I watched, or my TV screen, but Nate and Jeremiah looked pale and sickly. Weird. They hardly said anything. Just dashed into each house, summed up their observations, and left. The magenta paint with gold accents was garish and unappealing. It's like the designer is learning on the job.

The recreation of the scene where her father showed up, asking if anyone had seen her, was heartbreaking. I'm hoping he gets justice or at least some information (if he's still alive).

I was interested in this episode because we finally got some acknowledgement that the doctor's daughter was traumatized by her childhood. Every time I watched her speak, I wondered how she made it out alive. Her detachment when discussing these events is a survival mechanism. When Hefner married, I wondered why and figured that he wanted sons and that the marriage was transactional. Now I think it was timed to offset his worry that the public would be finding out more about the Playboy nastiness - a PR move.

I whine about this all of the time. People should do what makes them happy, but the frequent renovations to follow trends are wasteful and harmful to the planet (all those landfills). Many people go into debt they cannot afford in order to have huge bathrooms, massive kitchen islands, mud rooms, etc. Three of us made do with one bathroom, including bathing a large dog. I give the twins credit for their success in Washington State, but they have the ugliest design aesthetics I've ever seen. Agree that the contest is rigged. They don't even try to hide the obvious signs.

I'm always taken aback by people who want to believe that the Playboy lifestyle was just sexy fun. Any time male wealth and privilege meet booze and bimbos, it's not pretty.

I watched the recap episode (kind of a greatest hits). My favorite thing about the show is the old NOLA accents. Keeley's and the other, older EMT's accents are the strongest. I miss that about living in NOLA. Where is Dan? Perhaps he sat this season out? A couple of hears ago he and Titus were on a different show (pre-COVID) where they sat on a set and commented on incidents. I love Dan because he loves dogs.

I don't have a link, but my VCR shows a new, one-minute "episode" that I assume is an advertisement for the new season.

I learned recently that a childhood friend's big sister had a safe abortion in the late 1960s. Her medical student husband performed the procedure in their kitchen. If she wishes to, medical student Mei can find a way. Luke Kirby did a swell job not turning the Bruce portrayal into a caricature. At the end of this season, I enjoyed the burlesque routines more than anything else. They had some fantastic dancers play those parts. The bathtub performance was awesome. I wondered if the magician was gender fluid, but settled on a "him." What a weird character.

I have suspected this all along. The days of not comprehending expenses vs. income are over; Coach is not a clueless 1950s housewife. I assume he has his own attorney who is advising him how to navigate the situation to avoid being charged. He's probably been grilled by law enforcement. As it is he may suffer some consequences if Jen is convicted. When I read a while back that he was making $450K annually, I immediately thought that that salary alone would not support Jen spending "$50K each month" and "$80K for a party." After taxes he may be clearing $300K in take-home pay, or $25K monthly. Or less if he pays for health insurance, rent, private schools, and so on. Before the indictment, I assumed they were living beyond their means with a lot of debt. I wonder if Jen filed taxes separately? Will the trial reveal her income? I guess the big legal question is whether she received proceeds from the scammed victims. Lots of people sell leads and data legally. I think Jen will try to say her involvement stopped there. I think the media reported that she claimed this. I'm glad I watched last night, as there were some good nuggets of information: - Coach's well-rehearsed explanation of the phone call and his medical visit seemed like lies to me. - The cyber security consultant winnowed down available information to pinpoint a small intersection of Meredith's potential cyber harassers, and concluded it was probably Jen. Even without proof, that's damning. - Meredith is an attorney? - Gossip said Bravo kept Jennie just to skewer her about her racist social media during the reunion, but they did not show it. - They did delve into Jen's situation, and although she could not comment, the viewers were reminded of the dirty details. - Duy's obsession with another child is weird and offensive to Jennie. He's an asshole. - Meredith visiting Seth in Hattiesburg, MS, defies the imagination. - Jen reverting to type and playing 1) the sobbing victim and 2) the race card. - Everyone but Jennie knows a lot more than we've been shown...Heather's casual reference to some thug who isn't allowed to be near her, the thefts at Meredith's store, the Cameron stuff. These housewives are beginning to come off as tarnished. Someone please explain Heather's devotion to the sociopath Jen. I'd understand it if Heather was devoted to a true, loving, long-time friend or family member, but devotion to this degenerate who treats everybody like trash and rips off unfortunates? ETA: Let's all watch to see if Jen works to assist others who have been mistreated by the judicial system. When Hell freezes over...

In the first episode they showed a young boy lighting the gas street lamps. One presumes the servants ran around turning up the gas lamps in these mansions.

Would the secret play room work for a dog? I can't watch the twins' show. They are essentially realtors who are trying to break into design and a store, and their lack of experience shows. I think the cutesy twins schtick has worked for them in life, but it doesn't translate to TV. The other contestants blur together as they all strive for the same HGTV personality. There are lots of fireplaces in old Charleston houses, and living in the deep south I've always had a fireplace. So did my parents. I watched the Knight guy's show - two seasons I think. He does true restoration and I was glad to see him on this show.

I dropped my jaw at this, because when I tried to save my former neighbor's camellias (a developer cleared the lot and inserted a monstrous three-story concrete cube), two landscapers told me that old camellias don't transplant well. I've always regretted not saving those gorgeous camellias. I didn't mind that this is a commercial space. It retains the old charm and it's not a big box store. The family is trying to hold onto its heritage. I have always felt this way about her on-camera persona. It's forced. I posted seasons ago that she tends to stroll into scenes, makes a useless comment, and then strolls out. The flirty giggle drives me crazy. I also have noticed the Friends and Family pattern. These are well-to-do folks with connections to Ben and Erin - and their empire - and that's no longer the spirit of the original show. The need for a big budget rules out a lot of potential homeowners.

For years I was an avid true crime reader (Ann Rule) and watched early Datelines, but I always felt unsettled by the fact that people were making money off of victims' pain. I wandered away from the genre, although I remember that Keith Morrison is Matthew Perry's stepfather. I had that same unsettled feeling while watching this first episode. Knew nothing about the case and wasn't expecting the dark comedy treatment. Not sure if I will finish the series. The fat suit is distracting because there has been so much discussion about them in the media. I was pleased to see Katy Mixon as Betsy. Katy was hilarious in "Four Christmases" and I have not seen her in anythng since. Also spotted Pamela Adlon's daughter playing one of Betsy's daughters. I am still shocked every time I hear about prosecutorial or police misconduct that results in a flawed conviction.