EllenB

It sounded like a cuckoo clock was going off during the music. What the hell was that?

Or his ridiculous slobbering over the Not Russian skaters.

I've never seen "Moulin Rouge" so I want to know why Cookie Monster was singing in that early part of V/M's program.

I'm just here for the Twizzles. Especially the Shibizzles.

I don't mind if it's done briefly during a spin. Since the elimination of school figures years ago, there have been too many spins that drift too far, and sometimes that can only be seen on an overhead shot. It's too hard to tell on regular shots if the problem is with the skater or the camera, unless you really line up the skater and one background item and blot out everything else.

I miss the sleazy innocence of earlier seasons, before spin-offs and Instagram gave more chances for further famewhoring. And although there have been nice Bachelors, creepy Bachelors, and boring Bachelors, my favorite was Horndog Charlie. He was just there for the partying and sex, but he was good-natured and fun, with a good mix of normal-to-crazy chicks. And damned if he didn't fall in love, against everyone's expectations! They eventually split, but lasted much longer than most couplings from this show. I think the show has gotten overly scripted and over planned now, with much less spontaneity. Most recent seasons are pretty interchangeable, with just slightly different faces. In a month or so, I probably won't remember who was the most recent Bachelor. Harry? Gary? Oh, yeah, that Arie guy.

I never cared for Costas. I remember when he first started as a co-announcer for the University of Missouri sports on KMOX in St. Louis and he was like an obnoxious little kid then, and I never understood how or why he became such a big deal. Although I could occasionally appreciate the snarky comments from him, and his sports knowledge, what I absolutely hated was the emphasis on sob stories - which seems to be an NBC problem even at a local level. OMG, "John Doe had a hangnail at the age of ten, but with determination and an indomitable spirit, he overcame this tragedy to become the most special athlete of all time.". Ugh. I like Johnny Weir, but Tara annoys the hell out of me. She never shuts up! It is not the Tara Lipinsky Show, but she seems to think it is. I like Mike Tirico. He's smooth and professional, but not impersonal. I think there's less emphasis on some of the cultural and local behind-the-scenes stuff than in the 1990s and earlier because people have access to most of that via internet and so many travel shows. And there may be some sensitivity to the political situation in that part of the world that's keeping the broadcasters from situations where they might accidentally say or do the wrong thing.

I liked Marty, even his DD impression. I liked Frank, too. It seems like robotic contestants attract haters, but so do over-animated ones. If I became a contestant, I'd probably present a basketful of annoying mannerisms without being aware of them. I don't even remember the third person, but I'm sure there was one. A contestant has to be a full-out shrieking moron for me to start side-eying them. I don't mind category jumping or starting in the middle. If you're trailing, it makes sense to try to get a larger chunk of money on a question. And if a contestant is more comfortable with a different category, why shouldn't they switch to it?

Oh, thank you! Okay, there were a few very tiny bobbles on the jumps, but for sheer artistry, very few skaters have measured up. The way the programs are all about the math now, there's no time for those gorgeous extended moves anymore.

I don't seem to be able to do links from my phone since I am a tech-challenged geezer, but my favorite Olympic skating moment was Paul Wylie's breakout performance that won a silver. I think his LP score was actually higher than Viktor Petrenko's. Wylie had been around for years and had some nice routines, but always choked on jumps at Nationals. He was the third member on the U.S. team and I don't think anyone expected much from him. The two "stars" of the team were a party animal who pretty much decided to wing it on his routine after not practicing, and failed miserably (Bowman?), and a guy whose name I don't remember who turned his impressive Nationals routine to "West Side Story" into a splatfest. So I am always hoping that someone will come out of obscurity and have a similar memorable, perfect star-making routine as Wylie did.

Hmm, maybe Lauren does look like Emily. But I don't think she's ever smiled on the show, so I didn't recognize that picture as her at first.

Every time a racer says "Good job! Good job!" to their partner, all I can think of is a two-year-old being praised for pooping. I'm terrible at names, but I really liked the blond skier telling the Big Brother female that they needed to talk about their task and not the other teams.

I honestly can't remember if I watched the Arie/LaurenWho date or not. And I thought that while the show was still on. That must be a new low in boredom.

Once Bekah is gone, I won't know who any of them are. Long blond hair vs. long brunette hair generic hamsters for the most part.

Back to the religion question - my hubby is very Catholic churchy and goes every week. Me, never. Our son did church growing up, then stopped at age 18 and didn't go for the next 18 years. He's recently joined an Episcopal congregation, partly as a social and cultural experience. We each do our own thing and it's worked for us just fine. Different religious attitudes are only an issue if you let them be one.

Krystal may be attempting a Britt 2.0 impression, but she reminds me most of Big Sarah from skeevy Charlie's season, just less flabby. Remember how even her father told Charlie she was delusional in how awesome she thought she was?