Souris

Catching up on some of the early ladies free skates I missed last night. Hanna Harrell was intriguing. But I’m totally over skaters throwing their arms over their head on every jump. I know it’s harder, yadda yadda, but I’m over it.

I never really associated “fun” with Chock/Bates, but that routine was FUN! And that lift was awesome. H/D seem a bit mature to be doing Romeo and Juliet. At least the subject matter forced them to tone down the sex sneers. They’re always so overwrought though. That first bit, yeesh.

Manta/Johnson aren’t as smooth as the top teams, but that routine sure was fun. A bit late of a comment, but I squee’d at Denney/Frazier using David Cook’s version of “Billie Jean” for the short dance. I’m going to be sorely tested for the foreseeable future at the Hubbell/Donahue tongue baths. ETA: Yikes, HartofDixie, that death glare from Madison!

I hate H&D. Haaaaaate! That over-the-top sex sneering is not my cup of tea. Unfortunately, that seems to be the chosen presentation in ice dance. Blech. That's part of why I loved the ShibSibs so much -- they COULDN'T do that, so they were like a breath of fresh air to me. U.S. figure skating has had so many Next Big Things that didn't pan out, so we'll see about Alysa. I hope she's able to capitalize on the promise and grow artistically, but I'm not holding my breath. (Nathan Chen is one of the few who actually DID pan out, regardless of how he fared at the Olympics -- I remember the excitement about him at Nationals when he was 10.) I think Mariah Bell is such a lovely skater. Darn that one jump! I think she'd have won if not for that.

It was obvious that this day was coming, but it's still heart-breaking. So young and so talented.

I thought Leave Me AlURN with included lower-back spikes was hysterical. And yet also sadly too true.

The Nellie Bly movie tonight was disappointing -- they ended up

Indeed. I was shocked to see the report of his suspension from the sport, and then shocked to see the news of his suicide. I know nothing about what did or didn't happen in regard to whatever charges were made against him, but what a terrible situation all around. It's definitely going to hang over Nationals. I wonder if they will talk about it on the air or try to avoid the subject?

The second Brandon said he used xanthan gum, I knew he was a goner. Good point about the amount of meat they were given vs. the number of people they had to feed. But still, so many of the dishes just sounded and looked underwhelming. I found it kind of odd the amount of people who used berries with their beef. I don't think of those things as going together at all.

I have no idea how they didn't just yank the model off the runway and auf him IMMEDIATELY. That was truly, truly awful. In fact, I think that was one of the most hideous things I've ever seen sent down the PR runway. Ever. EV-ER. Seriously, how was that monstrosity not in the bottom? Evan's was my favorite.

Article from a few months ago about Christian Siriano's design inclusivity.

I'm so happy for you. And so sad for Fatima. Cancer SUCKS.

It was funny how they showed everybody yelling about the cream boiling over or needing attention. Well, Brother sure was a flash in the pan. Which is fine, I didn't care to see him come back, but I'm surprised Tom let the LCK returnee get knifed so quickly. Happy for Eric to get the win! He must've been an oyster-shucking machine. And then to have time to plate them all? I have to say, I missed where the pumpernickel toast was in his dish -- I couldn't see it when they showed it. Padma having a fringe-off with other guests, LOL.

I fear that the editing is pointing to Nini getting eliminated -- based on what was shown, she looked like she was indecisive and doing NOTHING. Probably Brian is the other eliminatee.

I'm another one who did a double-take and said "Who's that??" when she popped up, because I had zero recollection of her. With some of the fugliest wallpaper I've ever seen in the foyer. WTF is that?

"Seductive outlaw." Nice.

Pic of Colin filming with Jim Belushi.

Fairytale of New York has added Jim Belushi to the cast, and the main female character's name has been changed.

I think I lurve him. His reaction to the dog sealed it.

Ugh, it’s totally gonna be three Goliaths in the final, and it’s gonna include Mike and Angelina, and that will SUCK. They’re awful. Davids screwed it up starting with the Carl vote. Why did they not just stick together?? They started cannibalizing too soon and totally ruined it. I want Davey to win. That’s it.

I really, really liked the live-action Cinderella, too. Cinderella was kind and good, but had a backbone. It actually fleshed out the prince some. Their relationship was based on more than one dance (not much more, but at least something more). It explained why the Evil Stepmother was the way she was without excusing (!!!) her behavior at all. I thought it made an effort to put some emotional heft and realism behind the fairy tale, while still hitting all the major points. A lot of touches that Once could've learned from. Ahem. God, I DESPISED that movie and its Once-level villain-aggrandizing, and it ticks me off they're making a sequel.

I hope not. Actors sometimes sing in biopics (assuming they can, of course!). I know Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon actually sang in Walk the Line, but it was mostly actually Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. The Pogues' singer's voice is pretty distinctive, though. Although the character names are the names of the singers, I wonder if they're just using them as an homage for the characters in the song.

I thought the Women of SNL "All I Want For Christmas" skit was the best of the night -- shame it was last! I'm not a Claire Foy fan (I find her vastly overrated), but I thought she was likable, charming and fun in this. She really seemed like she was having a good time, even if they really didn't give her all that much to do.

I could never, ever, ever have bought Swanfire as a viable, rootable ship after: 1) what Neal did to Emma in "Tallahassee" and 2) the way he acted toward her when they met again, literally laughing in her face at her pain over his betrayal. "Manhattan" utterly killed any possibility of my accepting Emma ending up with Neal. I wanted to kick him in the groin repeatedly after that episode. At that point, I still thought they were probably going to have Emma and Neal end up together, and boy did that thought make me cranky and queasy. What a douchecanoe Neal was. Honestly, I'm not sure which relationship would've ultimately been more toxic for Emma, Swanfire or Swan Queen. Both would be nothing but demeaning to Emma -- and both were in what we were shown onscreen, given how the other halves consistently treated her. In short, eff Neal forever and ever, amen. He was in no way a hero, no matter what the show kept trying to sell after he died. (I'm still flummoxed over how the awesome Original Recipe Baelfire devolved into Neal. Inexplicable. That's probably part of why I didn't like Neal -- he never felt "right" as the character he was supposed to be.)

Colin's IMDB page has been updated with the Dolly Parton series and what looks like a small-budget movie filming in Ireland. I’m thinking the latter, Fairytale of New York, is likely based on the song of the same name by The Pogues. In which case, dare we hope it involves Colin singing??