CeeBeeGee

I agree that Han and Leia were sexy as hell but have you SEEN The Last Jedi?!?! The best sex in the Star Wars universe, ever, was Kylo Ren and Rey fighting together against the guards in the throne room. (Plus, shirtless Kylo Ren.) Seriously, those two are fiiiiiiine together. I am loving Baby Yoda so much, I just can't even. He is break-the-internet ADORABLE. This episode was fantastic--OMG, the dread we ALL felt when Mando sees the abandoned baby carriage in the dumpster. Perfect, wordless storytelling. And Baby Yoda's tiny cry of distress when Daddy walks away...Loved how one of the Mandalorians said something about how "only one of us can be aboveground at a time" and at the end the jetpack cavalry swoops in to save him. The score is stunning.

HIDEOUS hat. Elizabeth's couture was fully hideous in the dark days of the late '60s, '70s and '80s. She really looks super smart nowadays. I've read that, at Gordonstoun at least, there was strong aversion among the student body to being seem to "suck up" to the future king. He was in a tough position--the perversity was that any kid who reached out to him was by definition seen as a suck-up and therefore not desirable. You'd think by university they would've gotten over that though. Yes, Charles did theater--he performed at Gordonstoun as well. I know he played Macbeth at one point. Richard II, a very meta play about the nature of being a king (appropriately since Richard II was deposed).

Wait, what the actual FUCK? Upset, why? Because she's sponsoring/setting up her own tour as opposed to dutifully doing USAG's tour? Why on earth should she be expected to be beholden to anything they do? "You had one job." I'm so stoked about this tour. I've seen the last two--this time I'm going to get the super-expensive tickets so I can cheer for Simone from Row 3.

When the abdication was looming, apparently some advisors didn't think Elizabeth's father was suited for the throne (because of his severe stutter) and were pushing to go over him to the Duke of Gloucester or the Duke of Kent.

HAHAHAHAHA I literally laughed out loud at this. LOVE this show!

It was generally well-received. I think the show is telescoping the overall reaction here--it was only after a few years that Elizabeth came to see that perhaps she'd made a mistake. But at first reaction was very positive. Anne was great! I loved her taciturn conversation with Philip. And she was certainly a Swingin' Sixties bird! I also loved seeing Young Philip again--he was extraordinary in Paterfamilias last year, a great young actor. LOVE that movie! And of course when Wallis Simpson first appears they play what I call the Slutty Music Cue (sultry horns) so the viewer knows right away What Kind of Woman she is. Did Princess Andrew (as she was styled after her marriage to Philip's father) get an operation or something for her deafness? She said she was "born deaf," as though she no longer were, and it didn't seem to be a problem for her. I wish we could heard more about her extraordinary life.

That mountain, looming darkly like Leviathon in the background was terrifying. Imagine being that teacher, standing at the window watching doom approach, the people digging through coal with their hands--GOD. Absolutely wrenching. Yes, the closing credits were very effective. Very reminiscent of The Queen. Rewatching: the teflon quality of the NCB, the utter refusal to accept responsibility--GOD. That stiff little board of institutional men is lucky they weren't lynched on the spot. The bodies in the chapel remind me of the Hartford Circus Fire, in Connecticut in--'44, I think? I enjoyed the exchange between Margaret and Antony. He was Welsh (or part-) and, well, a human being, so of course this affected him. I think I remember Margaret went on the record about how horrible this was. I lift mine eyes up unto the hills, whence cometh my help...

TM is great here. I had my doubts--mainly because his excellent portrayal of the nebbish Edmure in Game of Thrones was so convincing, I didn't think he could nail alpha male Philip. But he's fantastic. (Although the slightest of nitpicks--the scene when he's talking to the spy, at the art gallery, they show him in profile. The makeup artists should've either just shaved him right before shooting or applied a better foundation. It's obvious he is not the blond Philip is, as you can see his five o'clock shadow in profile.

Because in general we continue to blame women victims for their own rape and murder, we continue to discount the pervasiveness and seriousness of these crimes and the justice system is still deeply, systematically misogynistic. Not much has changed since 1986. Think Brock Turner, think the two NYC cops (Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata) who were colluding in rape in 2011 who were found innocent despite Moreno confessing on tape, think Michael Pena, the guy in Inwood a few years ago who was caught in the act raping a young schoolteacher and whose jury deadlocked on a rape conviction (he was found guilty of lesser charges) because a juror said "If she doesn't remember these details [she couldn't remember the color of aa car parked nearby], how does she know she was penetrated," one of the holdouts reportedly said, according to sources." The media acted abominably in this case. Steve Dunleavy and every one of those jackals should be ashamed for the rest of their lives over how they smeared this girl. The sections with Jennifer's mother and sister were well done. It's haunting seeing the mother, whom Jennifer resembled so strongly, and seeing her friends 30 years later. Thirty years she was never given. I loved Linda Fairstein and Mike Sheehan meeting at the tree at the end. I loved seeing so many pictures of Jennifer, as a child, as a tween. I loved seeing the outrage of Jennifer's friends. I loved it when one of her friends told off the press at the funeral. Right on, girl. Dorrian's Red Hand is still there, on 84th and 2nd. That family owned another bar downtown, The Falls, where another horrible murder originated, that of Imette St. Guillen in 2006. There's a book out about this case called Wasted, a brilliant title IMO. Jennifer's life and intelligence and energy--wasted. A potentially brilliant career and adulthood (Chambers had the connections and the support system had he chosen to apply himself--my God, he went to Choate at one point)--wasted. And of course it refers to Chambers's preferred state of being, with his constant substance abuse.

I've been a fan of HBC going all the way back to Lady Jane. She's an incredibly good actor who has to some degree been typecast of late (past 10-15 years or so) as a character actor due in part to her association with Tim Burton and her magnificent turn as Bellatrix in the HP movies. (GOD, did I love HNC as Bellatrix. She was just so committed to the insanity. 🎼 I killed Sirius Black!) But she was a great young leading lady in Lady Jane and Room with a view. I love her as Margaret. It's nice to see her unleash the charisma and humor in an un-quirky, un-eccentric role. Tobias was great (and I have been pleasantly surprised at his performance--I was none too sure about his casting). But that kind of long, insightful monologue about the Windsors strikes me as out of character. I don't really mind it--it was interesting--but that was the show talking, not Philip. Philip is not that insightful. (And to address the substance of the monologue itself--there is some truth to it but who in their right mind would lump in Prince Eddy with the dashing, charismatic, dangerous Windsors a la Margaret, Uncle Nazi, etc.? Eddy was the most uncharismatic, unimpressive, personality-less Windsor ever to have been conceived. The Windsors really dodged a bullet when he died. Stodgy as George V was, he was 100 times more suited for the monarchy than his older brother. Huh? Quebecois accents and...what? What does that have to do with this show, The Crown? I don't understand how a comment about this show led to this sweeping generalization about "most American productions." To be fair, Elizabeth was pretty dowdy in the '60s, '70s and '80s. She upped her game significantly after that and now looks spectacular on a regular basis. I love the color block look! But back then, those hats...these middle-aged decades were not good for her. I love me some supremely masculine bitchy Tommy Lascelles...but need he have been so mean? This was a child, acting on a child's impulses. Obviously it was never going to happen but again, she was a child. He came off as kind of a jerk to her, IMO. This is taking me out of HBC's performance a bit--she is fantastic but, as Sweeney Todd demonstrated, not exactly a great singer. (Still loved her as Mrs. Lovett though!) Can't they dub her with a decent singer?

The actor did a fantastic job. I've always despised Tyler (I haaaaaaaate creepers and Nice Guys) but damn if he didn't win me over. Beautiful work. (Though I still think that storyline is irresponsible--I'm terribly worried some impressionable teen is going to run out to pull a Clay on a school shooter and get murdered for his efforts.) The guy playing Bryce is absolutely fantastic. He brings an incredible amount of nuance and charm--you can see how Bryce works, how he's able to turn the charm on and off like a light switch for his own aims. He's so good. ALL the actors are great--for all the problems I have with this show, they certainly have a strong cast. Aren't they in the fall of their senior year? I thought Hannah killed herself in October of their junior year, the trial was that winter/spring and the spring fling was, well, in the spring. And this is the following fall. (Although I thought Bryce was a year ahead of them which throws off that timeline, so what do I know?) Teeth must've slipped... Yes to ALL of the above re: Monty. What I'm most disgusted by is that Monty was arguably the most interesting new(ish) player this season--and they killed him off. We've seen Monty gradually coming to the forefront over the past two seasons. We've seen him act like a bully, we've seen him act like a fucking monster, we've seen his truly horrific home life. And then at the rich kids party--when he walked into Winston's room I remember a whole bunch of thoughts running through my head, like holy shit is THAT what's up? that actually fits all of the available evidence oh my God they're actually going there. Like, the tension in that scene was electric. And then they shocked me all over again (but upon reflection it felt very plausible) when he beats Winston. And they had the scene with the counselor--why go to the extra effort of showing how he could be so much more, how he's actually pretty intelligent, how utterly tragic his life is in many ways, if you're just going to casually dispose of him off-screen. I'm really, truly annoyed by this. This is just wasteful writing. I didn't hate Ani--I was mostly indifferent to her--but why????? Why couldn't we have had Courtney (where the hell was she this season?) or Sheri to be the narrator? We LOVE Sheri--bring her back. Buy out her contract for whatever other show she's doing and bring her back. Because whoever said Ani was kind of fan-fiction-y made a brilliant point. She's too smart, too good, too in the know, no apparent flaws. Just not feeling it. Bring back Sheri! Justice for Sheri! Also yes to the underlined section above about the dearth of female characters. And no, the HO group, which was largely (not always but too often) cartoonishly shrill and confrontational. This show doesn't exactly pass the Bechdel test with flying colors. Lastly, of all the strong actors in this very strong cast, the guy playing Justin blows me away. He's got incredible range. I've been writing an actor-to-actor appreciation letter in my head because I think his work is so strong.

Unbelievable. This is especially infuriating because there has been more than once instance of Russian media accusing Simone Biles (and sometimes Serena Williams) of doping. Komova even tweeted it after the Russia didn't get a team medal in 2015, she called the Americans "steroid users" (this after she'd fallen from the beam!). Paseka has said similar things. This is infuriating. I doubt any of them juiced (mainly because it doesn't really help you in gymnastics) but for any of them to point the finger at a better team...fuck that noise. (I still haven't forgiven Russia for gifting Sotnikova the gold in Sochi. What an embarrassment that was. Golds at any cost, I guess.)

WTH is up with this new "Kiss and Cry" area? Let the gymnasts have their privacy after a routine, FFS. Watching poor Sunisa have to sit there, alone, after her bars and wait for what she knew was going to be a bad score is heartless. She needs a hug and some kind words, not to have to sit there by herself. Brooklyn Moors is absolutely breathtaking on the floor. Who is tumbling to Danse Macabre? I love it when someone chooses Halloween music for Worlds. Gutted for poor Melanie. She's such a beautiful gymnast. Hopefully event finals will go better for her and Suni. Loved Nina's sassy choreography on floor. Also loved Flavia's floor set. Great showmanship from both of them. Way to finish strong, Suni! And congratulations again to Simone!!!

Most decorated American or most overall in the world?

It seems more like the movie Election than DEH to me. Cam someone explain the timeline to me? Everyone's getting their acceptance/rejection/waitlist letters, which happens no earlier than December, correct? But he's also running for president? Doesn't that happen the previous spring?

I feel bad for Morgan but it's not as though she hasn't already had an incredible Worlds career. (And hopefully will again.) And I am thrilled for Mykayla. She looked GREAT at camp. Kind of hoping she is on the team proper and Jade is the alternate--I love them both but I am still pissed that Mykayla was left off the Rio team. I love her big tricks. Happy with the rest of the team--I guess it's easier that Riley was sick because I would love for her to be there as well.

Rewatching Season 8 now (HBO is doing a Season 8 marathon) and I have to say, to whoever called Harry Strickland "Dollar store Jaime Lannister" and (probably a different person) called Euron v. Jaime "the fight no one wanted"... please know that I have been laughing at those two remarks ever since. That is some seriously funny shit.

From the Onion: Flipping Simone Biles Still Floating Through Upper Mesophere

WAKE UP SHEEPLE

Simone looked so unhappy even before her floor set. I'm worried about her. And I'm not at all someone who polices these girls' faces or thinks they need to smile all the time (Nastia, for example, was naturally quite serious during competition). But Simone always seems so sunny out there. I hope she's doing okay--she looked much happier after her beam. Morgan also looked devastated after her floor. Stay strong, you beautiful gymnasts! We all love you!

That was my first thought--they made El lose her powers because otherwise she would find out he was alive in a hot minute. They're maintaining suspense this way. Oh God, of course not. (And how did they think that him ending up with Andie and that fug dress was a good idea? No wonder the test audiences hated it. Ducky, the most annoying and desperate and thirsty character in movie existence--the proto-Nice Guy--is rewarded for his shitty behavior by "getting" the girl? She was never, ever attracted to him and made that very clear throughout the movie.) I'm wondering that myself! Oh my God, I will be heartbroken if he stays dead. The Russian (американский 😉 ) had better be him. Every time I see a movie like The Poseidon Adventure that's what I think about--how much it must suck to have to wear the same costume every. single. day. of that months long shoot.

Oh God, I LOVED that episode! I taped it on our Beta VCR! "You disgust me. I hate you." And "Sam and I have decided to traverse the fall line of our aloneness." And "Oh, Mr. Jammers!" So many great lines! God, I miss Coach. Murray's speech would've been fine had this been the first time. But frankly, I was grossed out by Murray's speech to Nancy and Jonathan last season. It is not appropriate for an adult to be urging teenagers to have sex. I was a cohort of Nancy--I remember being her age in the '80s. I had no problem watching (at least some) teens in movies have sex. I remember watching All the Right Moves and arguing with a friend that Lea Thompson's character seemed to be in love with Tom Cruise's character and that was the right choice for her. But not all of us were having sex as teens in the '80s and even those who were, the adults need to mind their business. Nancy waking up at Jonathan's (at the beginning of the season) is off. Adults weren't that oblivious. That was adorable. Poor Mike, stammering through that...

Oh, and I wonder if Hopper commandeering the car is a shout-out to Bill Maxwell, the FBI agent in The Greatest American Hero. Bill used to commandeer some random stranger's car every few episodes.

Utterly ridiculous. I despise--I mean despise--smoking but it's a fact that a lot more people smoked back then. Hell, high schools had smoking lounges, FFS. The hospital chase scene had to have been a shoutout to Halloween II.

It helps that Russia is spelled pretty much exactly how it sounds--no hidden consonants such as in French. Plus there are a TON of cognates in Russian, which makes it easier to pick up vocabulary.