["The View": Week Of 10/22/2018]

The thing that I notice about Meghan is that she has a habit of turning challenging real-world situations into mere "optics" and "red meat for the base."  I'm sorry [™ Whoopi], but I don't think a caravan of human beings literally running for their lives from violence and terror is merely a red meat talking point for politicians and "pundints" [™ Meghan].  Abby had the decency to express sadness for the families and a desire for a humane outcome, but Meghan was having none of it.  Does the woman really not have a heart?  Even if a person believes that the US cannot absorb all of the caravan, can she not see how desperate they must be to walk for untold miles--with children in tow--in search of refuge.  Isn't it possible for her to throw out some suggestions and alternatives to aid the families?   But no, instead of first acknowledging the gravity of the situation and some measure of sympathy for her fellow human beings, she immediately starts snarling about being a nation of laws, and self-described "extreme" on the issue.  How is a person like this a self-anointed voice for the struggling blue-collar, border-state-cum-Middle America class?  She shows zero empathy on a daily basis.  I'm liking Abby more each day.

[S05.E04: It's Her Kid]

Since Frank and Oliver are keeping tabs on Gabriel, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Gabriel is also tracking them.  If he’s as smart as the show wants us to believe, he's probably got his own apartment under surveillance and has already seen footage that Frank broke in last episode.  And as an earlier poster suggested, he may even have two computers.  I have no idea if any of this is true or just another red herring, but it makes me wonder.

ETA:  I was under the impression that Bonnie was raped by her father, and so her son would be a product of incest.  It’s a surprise to me that so many are speculating that Gabriel is possibly Bonnie’s son; the actor appears biracial.  What did I miss?

[S05.E02: Whose Blood Is That?]

At one point, Annalise called Bonnie to ask for a computer password.   Bonnie replies that it’s the usual XYZ, while she and the DA are fumbling with their clothes.  Annalise hears the commotion and asks if something is going on.  Bonnie says no, and they finish the call.  Am I being paranoid, or did Mr. district attorney probably make a mental note of that password?  Bet it will come up again later.

[Making It - General Discussion]

I thought Dayna--aka, the Etsy lady--was completely hypocritical in her review of Khiem's cake topper.  She woefully mentioned (paraphrasing) that she'd already seen numerous peg doll items on Etsy already, like that was a bad thing.  Normally when something is plentiful on Etsy, Dayna would have raved that his wooden peg family was "on trend," which would have been a good thing.  Then she gushed that Jo's cake topper included the couple's two girls and the  joining of the families as a positive element.  But that aspect of  Khiem's cake topper was completely ignored.  His creation had the same married couple, two girls--and dog to boot!--but Dayna didn't mention that at all in her judging of Khiem's project.  

Hoping for more consistent critiques next season.

At first, I couldn't stand the banter between Amy and Nick.  Now it is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the show.  They have really relaxed into their roles.   I'm looking forward to a new season; warts and all.

[Brother Vs. Brother - General Discussion]

I'm still watching too.  I mostly FF through the bits with the twins joking around with the brother or anything that looks goofy, and just watch the parts of the rooms being transformed.  Then I skip the judge coming to joke around with the twins, FF again to the reveals, and turn it off immediately--right before whatever stupid bet they have is shown.  I, too, thought Drew's room was the clear winner.  I really like Scott McGilvrey, but even he couldn't make me watch another moment of joking with the Property Brothers.  So I got through the show pretty quickly.  

I didn't like the plant wall at all, but I think it was maintenance free (unless it gets all dusty, I suppose).  I think I remember there being a note onscreen that said the sap of the plants were removed and replaced with glycerin, making them maintenance-free.  So, it would actually work for people with "black thumbs" hee.   I just thought that since it wasn't completely green, it may dictate your color scheme.  I would have taken it down as soon as I bought the place and replaced it with some nice artwork.

["The View": Week Of 5/21/2018]

What upsets me most about Meghan's reaction to the players kneeling, is that she acts as if ONLY white, conservative, red-state, tribal people are military members, vets, or police officers.  As if they are the sole province of where patriotism resides, and that they have collectively decided that the only proper and tolerable behavior when the National Anthem is played is to stand and salute the flag.  Has she no knowledge of history--and even recent events--where black men fought valiantly for our country and came home to be treated like garbage and second-class citizens  for "living-while-black?"  How can she not comprehend this?  Does she not understand the value of civil disobedience in a democracy?

My husband is a 15 year Navy veteran, and my cousin just recently retired (30 years!) from the Marines.  Both are black men and have given their service and put their lives on the line for this country.  Yet, my husband got pulled over by the cops for a minor traffic violation, and he said they had their hands on their guns as they approached the vehicle.  Oh, and called for back-up.  He explained he was tired from working a 12-hour IT shift, and missed the traffic sign.  Luckily things didn't escalate, but it's scary to think what could have happened with the wrong officer.

Years ago, I remember being furious at George Stephanopolous in an interview with Obama during his first Presidential campaign.  George (with a straight face) asked Obama if he believed that Rev. Jeremiah Wright "loved America," simply because of the outcry that Rev. Wright complained about the U.S. during one of his sermons.  The reverend was a veteran!  He put his life on the line for this country.  Whether you agreed with what he said or not, he surely had a right to say it freely.  One poster up thread said it best, the mindset seems to be, if you have problems with America, then you don't love America.  Go back to Africa. 

Neither my husband nor my cousin has an issue with the players kneeling for the national anthem in protest.  Meghan acts like because she has family members who served, and she has flags and Presidential memorabilia in every room of her home, that her opinion on the matter is the only one that counts.  She is the true patriot, by proxy.

For the record, as a black, retired vet, my husband doesn't stand for the National Anthem out of protest.  As a black woman I do stand, sing, and salute the flag, to honor my ancestors' fortitude and sacrifice to attain civil rights in a country that they helped build, yet treated them as second-class citizens.  Even those who served militarily were often met with terrorism, injustice, violence, and daily microaggressions,   We each have our different reasons and experiences for how we approach the issue.  I cannot for the life of me understand why Meghan McCain thinks that there is only one true way to be a patriotic American.

["The View": Week Of 5/7/18]

I found it interesting that Meghan was so measured and calm in her response to all the vitriol that some in her “tribe” have spewed against her father—a hero and patriot by any reasonable standard.  I was waiting for her to explain to us why the Trump voter and Christian conservatives in middle America are okay with this despicable rhetoric, and why we should understand and accept their feelings.  Could have even thrown in some poll numbers about how nothing that’s been said about her father will change the “base” or their support for Trump and his administration. She seemed like a totally different person than the Meghan who normally occupies that seat.  

[Glam Masters - General Discussion]

I swear I kept drifting off to sleep and having to rewind my DVR several times to get through this “finale.”  Laverne is a horrible host, and I don’t know who convinced her (or why she believed) that her pretentious, robotic, odd sentence pauses, and over the top strutting, posing, and general demeanor was a good look for her.  I don’t remember ever seeing her that way before, and I hope I never see her on my screen again.  She made the whole thing nearly unwatchable for me.  I will watch nearly every creative competition show there is, but if she comes back as host you can count me out.  

FWIW, the time constraints were ridiculous, and Zanna and Laverne’s makeup often looked hideous to me; so much of it seemed to be troweled on.  I guess this is the makeup of the future.  Don’t use makeup to enhance your features—spackle it on to literally create a completely different face, with wild colors and bizarre eyebrows to finish it off.  It actually reminds me of the Capitol residents in The Hunger Games.  Reality meets fiction.

In spite of all of the colors, pigments, metallics, foils, fake lashes and embellishments, I didn’t feel inspired by the finale. I felt grumpy and underwhelmed.

[S03.E13: Eye of the Storm]

I don’t understand the timeline. If Gellis was killed in the 1700s, and Clare witnessed proof of her bones in 1960, then how was Gellis also alive in the 1960s for Claire and Brianna to meet?  Gellis was alive in Ireland and dead in a Boston laboratory—at the same time??  Shades of Schrödinger's cat thought experiment?

I guess I don’t get time travel.

Each episode has gotten increasingly unbelievable, and is beginning to feel like a poorly written Harlequin romance book.  I can suspend disbelief to enjoy a show to some extent, but when every plot point is so conveniently contrived to save the couple from the latest, so-called cliffhanger, it’s redundant and boring.

Makes me sad because I used to love this show.

["The View": Week Of 9/18/17]

Knocked me over with a feather!  I was not expecting today's show at all.  I don't agree with much of anything Jed says, but I have always liked her.  She definitely had her flaws, but I thought she was a good panelist overall and seemed to mesh well with the other ladies (maybe not Whoopi so much; who couldn't even be bothered to get up and run over to give her a genuine "goodbye" hug (but humorlessly shoved some candy in her direction instead...WTH)?

Maybe I've been inoculated by spending  a decade with Bitsy at the table, but Jed never bugged me a fraction as much as Elisabeth did.  Aside from political discussions, Jed was enjoyable to me and she could laugh easily and seemed comfortable with herself. She wasn't overly precious like Candace, or making up stories and hiking up her micro-mini skirts to show off her Christian legs, like Elisabeth.  And I just don't particularly like Paula's personality.

Table of one, I know, but I was really sad at the news of Jedi's abrupt departure and the way it came out during Sara's celebration.  I didn't appreciate Candace's snark at Joy, or her listening to her bask in the glory of spotlight sex and the joy of being "lifted" like she's some sexy, religious, Disney Princess.  Yuk. 

 Whoopi's rudeness to Sunny was so unprofessional and nasty, that she should be required to apologize to both Sunny and the audience.  I was truly offended by Whoopi today, and I tend to like her some days.  

This should have been a WTH Wednesday episode.

["The View": Week Of 6/5/17]

Just finished yesterday's show and am so annoyed by Whoopi's know-it-all attitude about "rappers and young people taking back the N-word, and making it toothless."  That's so illogical on its face.  How do I know?  Simple...if rappers have taken away the word's power, then everybody would be comfortable both hearing and saying it -- no matter the race.  There would be no "only certain people can say it" caveat.  No one would have batted an eyelash upon hearing Paula Deen and her sons slinging the word around in their kitchen.  Good luck getting a roomful of black rappers and young black people to be "okay with" being casually called the N-word by random white people.  They haven't "taken the word back;" they're just used to saying it and want to continue saying it amongst themselves without any grief.  Wonder if Whoopi would be okay with #45 referring to black citizens as N-words.  Knowing her, she would probably defend it.

As a black woman, I agreed with Sunny that there are a gazillion words in the dictionary.  Pick another one.  Hell, create a new, cool one that you can use instead.  Whoopi, just please stop trying to normalize a word associated with such a brutal past.  I remember Oprah once saying that the word offended her so, because it was very likely the last word many of our ancestors heard ringing in their ears while being lynched and terrorized.  I physically shivered when she said that.  Yes that is powerful.  As it should be.

I wonder if Whoopi thinks young Jewish kids should take back the swastika. Make jewelry out of it and give to loved ones to take the power out of the symbol.  I don't mean to be glib about another painful history, but just to illustrate how ridiculous I find her so-called logic.

And one last Whoopi-ism that annoys me every time she says it.  "If you don't believe in abortions, then don't have one."  My mind immediately turns that argument into, if you Northern states don't believe in slaves, then don't have any.  We in the South want to keep ours, thank.you.very.much.  I am pro-choice, but I can understand that there are people who truly find abortion to be a moral wrong and don't want to see it federally sanctioned.  We can always debate the details, but people can fight for something even if it doesn't personally impact them.

/end rant

[Nate And Jeremiah By Design - General Discussion]

19 hours ago, orangeiguana said:

So disturbed by this Jeremiah development. It's so obvious he is taking huge advantage of Nate and insults him at every opportunity. And now that they're married, Nate's up for an unpleasant $ surprise when boy toy moves on. Sorry Nate got roped into this relationship. J is terribly arrogant and bossy and complaining about his "daughter" doesn't help much. Nate is a sweetheart and deserves better.

What is the "Jeremiah development"?  How did Nate "get roped" into their relationship?  What are Jeremiah's complaints about their daughter?  I honestly don't know.  I've watched most of the shows and they both come across as very affectionate and loving to me, so I'm surprised to read this.

 I have loved Nate dearly since the Oprah days, so I really hope there isn't some behind-the-scenes crisis brewing.  He has always seemed to have a big heart and I'd hate to see him go through another huge heartbreak.

[All Episodes Talk: The Fixed]

I noticed that there wasn't an epilogue for the mama and sisters episodes.  So there must not have been anything good to report after the airings.  My biggest problem with Iyanla's format is the opening of extremely deep, extremely damaged wounds that cannot possibly be healed in a weekend; with some hugs, guttural cries, and chatty musical chairs from inside to outside.

 It just seems to me that these issues are torn open and laid bare, and then the subjects are left with the aftermath with no real, ongoing support.  Iyanla's wisdom may, in fact, be helpful to the audience (who doesn't have the first-hand experience of the problem), but I can see how it could be traumatic to the participants once the cameras are off, and they are left with raw emotions and no ongoing support.  We're not just talking about the "mom always loved you best" type of family dysfunction, but serious issues of molestation, abandonment, drug addiction, incestual sharing of sexual partners, abuse, etc.  I hated how the mother interacted with her daughters, but that was one seriously damaged woman.  I felt sorry for all of them.

[Underground - General Discussion]

6 hours ago, GodsBeloved said:

Ben is August's son.

Ohhhhh!   I did forget about him. LOL, and now I get the

On 5/17/2017 at 6:48 PM, goldil said:

Ben = Schrödinger's cat.

reference.  Good one.

[Underground - General Discussion]

On 5/17/2017 at 6:48 PM, goldil said:

Ben = Schrödinger's cat.

Who is Ben?  I don't even remember a character with that name...

[S06.E15: Tick Tock / S06.E16: Transfer of Power]

I'm sorry, but I absolutely cannot stand! Mama Pope--the actress, her delivery, the crazy-faces, the out of place monologue, the scenery-chewing--even the way she drawls "babbbby."  That interminable  "tick-tock" routine almost made me turn off the tv (but I couldn't find the remote fast enough).

I, too, am a completist.  Sadly, I will return for the final season to see how it ends, but I haven't actually enjoyed watching this show for years.  Horrible storylines, wretched overacting, tedious monologues instead of actual conversations, rapid-fire exposition when placing photos on the windows (to the point I have no idea what they're even talking about), and characters I've grown weary of ages ago--are just a handful of a million reasons why I hate this show now. 

And I hate myself for continuing to watch it.  Ugh!

[Underground - General Discussion]

When Rosalee "inconveniently" went into labor and delivered a baby while simultaneously heaving large furniture around to barricade the room, my eyes rolled so far out of my head that I'm still looking for them and typing this blind!  The whole season was about Rosalee unrealistically surviving every imaginable horror (covered in leeches while pregnant...really, show?) armed with a pistol and a few packets of herbs, in a pouch filled with gauze strips.  Who needs Harriet Tubman when you've got "super hero/MacGyver" Rosalee?  And when she does finally reunite with Noah, it was completely anti-climactic since his role was largely in the background this season (as CTrent29 noted above).

I love the premise of the show and some of the cast, but the writing was so scattered and nonsensical this year.  I'm not sorry to see this version of Underground end.  That said, if it does come back on another network, I'll give it a chance and hope for a more solid production.

[Underground - General Discussion]

I'm only still watching this because I have an unfortunate obsession of needing to finish a book or series to see how it ends; no matter that I ceased caring about these characters ages ago.  My husband threw in the towel near the start of the 2nd season.

As you say, North of Eden, everything seems so rushed and random.  Characters come and go with no explanation (still have no idea where Georgia came from or why/how she's "passing."  Cato's story makes zero sense, and Rosalee has become less a fully realized character and more of a canvas to illustrate every horror that slaves endured, whether or not it moves the story forward.  I'm truly disappointed in the series, but I'm hanging on until the end.

[Design Shows]

I tried searching for House To Home on Comcast/Xfinity, but it's not coming up.  Too bad...I love reno shows, although I'm sick to death of gray and white!

[S23.E11: Celebrity Life]

My DVR cut out early...what was the callout order?  I see from the recap that Tash was sent home but not sure about anyone else.  Thanks.

[The Fashion Fund - General Discussion]

Thanks for letting us know GaT.  I'm surprised that it seems to fall deeper into the weeds each season.  It's actually a truly interesting reality show without a lot of manufactured drama, so I wonder why it doesn't have more viewers or publicity.  I would have never, in a million years, thought to look for it online.  It's a shame, really.

["The View": Week of 11/07/2016]

I honestly think I've been inoculated by 10 years of Bitsy driving me up the wall, that none of these ladies bother me too much.  I actually like Jed most of the time (although your nicknames for her really crack me up!), CCB just makes me roll my eyes, and Paula barely registers anymore.  I don't feel any of the rise in blood pressure that Hasslebeck incited in me on a daily basis.   Sara is kind of clueless, but seems sweet and harmless (kind of like Debbie Matenopolous was) so I don't really expect much from her.  I don't know, I think I've finally given up expecting more from the show than what it is.  I watch it almost dispassionately now.  In the early days it was an enjoyable morning habit that I looked forward to.  In the Hasslebeck era it was must-watch TV to see the cohosts fight.  Now, it just...is.

[Project Runway: Fashion Startup - General Discussion]

I couldn't understand why the investor lady acted like her brother taking 51%!! ownership of the guy's Tsu-rag company was the best offer imaginable.  She was just so damn smug about it.  I was proud of him for not handing over his company like that.  None of the other inventors were "offered" more than 10 to 30 percent share.  I just found it disrespectful...they could have just passed like the Gwynnie Bee lady (sorry, can't remember names).  Or they could have made the offers, while admitting they weren't ideal (for him).

It will probably take him longer to get where he wants to be in his business, but there's definitely a market there and other avenues to explore to get his product traction.  I'm glad he didn't sell himself short to those two smuggy Mc Smuggersons who probably didn't clearly see his vision anyway.  He has much to learn, and he seems like the type who will happily do so under the right circumstances.  It just reminded me of record company label execs who take advantage of young talent and treat them as if they're doing them a favor signing them on, while quietly taking control of their future revenue potential.  

Clearly, this iteration of PR is not for me.  Made my blood boil.

Now I'm off to buy myself a couple of Tsu rags (dopey name though)...

["The View": Week of 09/26/2016]

Shallow comment alert...

The thing that bugs me almost as much as Whoopi's ubiquitous scarf is Sunny's mohawk eyelashes.  It seems like they are much longer in the center of her eyelids; to the point of distraction.  She deserves better, View makeup crew!   Is this a new "thing," like multicolored yarn hair?

[S01.E02: Evergreen]

I'm a little lost on where Vi fits in.  Is she Ernest's sister?  Ralph Angel's mother?  Even though Micah called her Auntie Vi, I'm assuming she's a great aunt, and not Charley's sister.