BusyOctober

Good job getting that ‘teamwork’ message through to all those line cooks chefs. GR tells them teamwork is vital, communication is key, and success happens when individuals work together for a common goal. As soon as the timer starts the challenge, pretty much everyone of these people announced “I am in this for ME!”....”I don’t care what the others are doing, I’m just focusing on MY dish!” Bret is a walking cartoon. Magilla Gorilla crossed with a bad Vegas Sylvester Stallone impersonator. He’s also one weak corpuscle away from his head exploding during one of his (Italian!) silverback gorilla, pacing in its cage, roid rage rants. I admit I’m only watching now to see him get eliminated.

Wowza! The defendant in the cat case looked like a complete mess! From her tragic hair “style” to her coordinating tats and top, she looked like one of those “re-enactors” on an ID Channel “Swamp Murders” episode. casting agent: “we’re looking for a stereotypical Kentucky holler meth addict...she’s in her late 20’s, but looks 45. You know the type...bleached, over processed hair. Badly done, highly visible tattoos.... actress reading for part: “blank stare, bad teeth. High school dropout?” casting agent: “more like 3rd grade education. Let’s try a line...How would you respond if I ask you ‘so, what happened to the cat, Stephanie?” actress: dead eyed, slack jawed. “it got ranned over.” casting agent: “NAILED IT!”

I tried to watch Ep6 and couldn’t get past the first 20 min. Overall I am iffy about finishing this series. I came into it hoping to learn more about the Romanoffs legacy because that’s one of my favorite historical eras. Instead, it’s been...meh. A few episodes were interesting stories, but aside from a few gossamer threads tying the characters to the tragic Romanoffs, it wasn’t all that great. The first ep was good except I don’t like seeing 50-something guys hooking up with 20 year olds. The second one was entertaining. Ep 3 was a total WTF. Ep 4 & 5 were good enough for short stories ...that mention the name “Romanoffs” a couple of times. As said above, I couldn’t get through #6. I am kinda curious about the next one because I like Kathryn Hahn, so fingers crossed, I guess???

I'm holding my breath until this abuser story concludes....Autumn had better not announce to her poor emotionally wrecked parents that's she's pregnant with that scumbag's baby. Even if she finds a few working brain cells and leaves that asshole, if she has his kid, they will ALL be tied to him forever. Of course Mr. Wonderful would insist on being in the baby's life just as a means of control. And then the cycle of assholery will live on in another generation... All these shows with abusers have taught me only one thing...Restraining Orders don't mean anything to anyone. The person (usually female) who took out the order is either stalked, hurt, maimed or murdered at the hands of the abuser. God help me if anyone I'm close to ever needs an order of protection/restraining order. My advice would be to either move or look into hiring a hit man to take the SOB out before he gets a chance to do anything.

I think I’m starting to hate-watch this show, and I am sad about that. Like every post above, I just don’t get why Claire keeps insisting on judging everyone & everything in the eighteenth century by her twentieth century ideals and experiences. She should be using her knowledge of history to avoid certain things, and to capitalize on others. One person, especially a woman, is not going to force the Emancipation Proclamation a hundred years sooner just because she is morally outraged. Claire (and Jamie’s by association) sensibilities in general will never match up to the world they are operating in now. Telling North Carolinian planters (who have been established and economically thriving for a few generations) that you (a foreign new comer with no knowledge of the laws or culture)plan to free your slaves and pay them a living wage in the 1760’s is not going to get you a positive reaction. As a couple they are constantly warning each other not to get in trouble, don’t antagonize the locals, yadda yadda. Then in the next scenes; Jamie’s all, “ ooh! a sleeping bear! Imma goin’ ta poke it, jus a wee bit!” Meanwhile, Claire is gathering HERbs near by, “Do I hear buzzing? I could use some honey for my healing! Oh! Here’s a big stick to swat down the hive!” These two are supposed to be smart, but they are the most socially stupid people! I know there is no path to the Pacific yet in their time line, but if I were Claire, I’d high tail it to what will be Sacramento with some shovels and start planning for gold! She and Jamie could be millionaires. Bonus, no moral compass upset having to deal with slavery, American Revolution, screwing up the lives of various friends. I’m also sick of Claire being attacked and almost raped/killed by nay man she runs into. At least this episode skipped that scene.

So I guess if I ever made it onto a baking show judged by Nancy, I would grab a bottle of moonshine and wrap it in a flaky crust, top it off with a booze-soaked, <fill in the theme here> tuille. Boo-ya! I win!

Happy Noah got the final "Save", but I'm even happier the dumb "Saves" are gone. BTW- didn't we all know already that whichever kid was in the bottom would get saved?? They kept saying there was only 1 left, and they are down to 5 contestants, so it seemed like an obvious "save", no? I'm rooting for Nikki & Noah as final 2. They are all very talented and poised and mature beyond their years...the dolts on "Hell's Kitchen" should take a cue from these kids to see what real talent and maturity look like. Rodgers is just too smug. Eric's sing-song-y, up-speak makes it impossible for me to listen to him. I mute his TH's. Londyn is the real deal as far as her knowledge of food & flavors, but those damn bows just tip the scale to the "NO" side for me. Did I see matching bows on her shoulders too??? Good God, they are spreading like a bad poison ivy rash. I wonder if the next round will be a double elimination to get to Final 3? I'm sure there's a scavenger hunt type race through some part of Universal Studios coming, like they did last season. I thought that looked like so much fun!

I finally figured out why Bret annoys me so much. Aside from all his ridiculous “pep talks” to his teammates, and his stupid yo-yo-yo way of speaking, and the affected mannerism of “kiss the gold cross pendant and look skyward & point” to give ‘props’ to his main Lord & OG; my main issue is Bret looks like a less intelligent, less articulate and more chromosomally deficient Vin Diesel. I haaaaaaaate Vin Diesel with a nuclear meltdown level of intensity. And the production minions keep getting Bret’s age wrong in his chyron...it keeps showing as “34”. Someone keeps mistaking the “3” for a “5”. There is NO WAY that dude is in his 30’s!

Did anyone see "Gypsy's Revenge" on ID 11.6.18? Wow...what a freak show from start to finish! I think the Gypsy was a victim, but I also think she was actively contributing to her mother's grifting ways as she got older. Both the mom & the daughter were "Street smart" in the ways of conning the people around them. Even though they both looked mentally challenged, they were acting IMO. Gypsy was in FULL control of the murder plot. She duped the "BF" just like her Mommy Dearest duped their friends & family. Gypsy took advantage of Nick's autism and ran the scheme. She was savvy enough to a) setup fake FB accounts, sneak onto mom's computer & phone; b) not leave the murder weapon behind; c) mail the knife vs. carrying it with them in case of metal detectors; d) take the money envelope from her dead mom's drawer. Her mom may have created the monster, but Gypsy is guilty of murder. I feel bad the poor girl was tortured physically & psychologically, but I think Gypsy knew all the fun & games & attention & money would stop if she stopped pretending she was disabled. BTW- HOW in the Hell do doctors just perform surgical procedures on a creepy mother's insistence it be done "because"? How does a doctor agree to feeding tubes without investigating first? I had severe abdominal pain for a few weeks and went to see 2 different doctors. I suggested it could be gall stones since my sister had the same kind of pain the year before & that was the issue in her case. Neither doctor thought an ultra sound or scan was needed. I was told by both doctors that I should try over the counter meds to alleviate pain because "no doctor wants to perform unnecessary or costly procedures". Two weeks after the last doctor appointment I ended up in the ER, unable to walk and in so much pain. I had over 40 gall stones and was septic. The ER doc said if I waited another few hours I could have died. And oh my God, those voices! Both the mom & Gypsy had the most annoying high pitched baby voices! I feel bad for any dogs living in their neighborhood. That feeble voice was just accentuated to add to the "poor little sick waif" persona they were cultivating.

Kinda happy Salty Smurf is gone. The “lookatmeee, I am a rebel arty type!” rainbow colored hair some contestants have just bugs me for irrational reasons. Looking at her cutesy, dyed-to-match blue hued food week after week would be too much for me to take. I wouldn’t last very long on any show “judged” by Nancy. If she ever told me there wasn’t enough of the <<surprise!>> alcohol element in my bake, I douse her serving with a puddle of cognac/brandy/schnapps, and set it on fire. Bet she’d feel the burn of that bourbon as it flambés those stupid glasses perched on her head. That Brazilian ganache (not the right name, but I can’t remember what she called it) looked awesome! I need to look up that recipe when I figure out the proper name.

I KNOW!!! As soon as I heard the opening song had been restyled to sound less Celtic, I thought oh, we are in America now, so the musical cues will reflect that...nice move show! But then... in the scene right before the pirates boarded, and the piano music started, I was all “WTF? Please don’t tell me there is anachronistic upright piano on board that flat bottom boat, and the only unseen sleeping person, the freed black tiller man, is tickling the ivories & anachronistically introducing us to the birth of the Blues on the Cape Fear River!” And then I was even more confused when Ray Charles started singing his amazing rendition of “America the Beautiful”. Double WTF. I get the (very heavy handed) point the director was making. We all get it. It was a very bad artistic choice to put 20th century music in this period piece. Hope this won’t be a theme the rest of the season. That green screen was sooo poorly done! Even my husband who never notices that stuff commented how bad it was. As for the pirate character, all I could think of was my old 80’s crush, Adam Ant, and his MTV video for “Stand and Deliver”.

I missed the first half. How old was that “13 years sober” woman on today’s show? She has an 8 year old AND just had another baby?? She looked like she was pushing 60, but loser BF (husband?) looked around 30. Before I started actively listening to the program, I assumed she was the GRANDMOTHER of the 8 yo.

FMany of us have noted how the dead girl or woman in all these stories is always "the most beautiful/gifted/charitable/pious/talented/friend to all/brilliant" person any of their grieving friends & family ever met (bonus points for having "a smile that could light up a room"). Obviously, these poor victims didn't deserve to die at the hands of the typically vile ex-spouse or BF or lover. It is a tragedy and the families should get justice by seeing the murder behind bars for a very long time. However...most of the time in these Dateline (or 48 Hours) shows some other details about the victim are casually sprinkled in. In the case of "The Landing", Heather was dating an older married man and actively hoping he'd leave his wife. Not the most heinous thing in the world, but still...it ain't right for someone who has been described as so wonderful and virtuous. In other cases, we find out the victim: * hung out with known criminals/drug dealers * was addicted to drugs or alcohol * aided & abetted in a crime * skipped or dropped out of school * had baby/babies as a teen * had affairs * had a secret online sex business * had a secret life as a stripper * had a secret life as an escort Again...none of these actions makes the victim worthless or deserved violence against her. It makes them flawed humans like the rest of the population. So why does every self-assigned "BFF" of the dead friend insist that her bestie was a saint? "Sure, she stole her momma's credit cards & shop lifted to support her heroin addiction, but she was a single teen mom, struggling to get child support from one of the 3 possible baby daddies while working part time as a minimum wage stripper for her older married pimp/boyfriend. In her spare time she was trying to earn her GED AND a Law degree! She was ah-Mazing! She was like Mother Theresa!"

I know they are just children and part of me feels awful for it, but I am over some of these kids. I can not stand Rogers. He has bugged me for weeks with his smug attitude and the eye rolling. Londyn’s bows have worn out their welcome. The tails of the ribbon hanging over her forehead every damn day makes me wish I could reach thru the screen and yank them off her head. They just look backwards....if the ribbon went down the back of head, it wouldn’t irk me as badly. Eric? Is a cute kid? But his up-speak? For every sentence? Is like an ice pick? Being jabbed? In my ear?

I don’t understand why the cops weren’t waiting outside to cart that POS off to jail. It is illegal to commit assault and battery. He also held her captive against her will while she recuperated from her beating(s). That’s false imprisonment or kidnapping. He admitted to doing everything, including almost killing her....TWICE!! The GF agreed with all of it. So, am I to understand...unless she presses charges, there are NO legal ramifications for that POS??? If a criminal confesses to robbing a bank, or mowing down a pedestrian, or stealing a car....the criminal can’t be held accountable unless the offended party officially presses charges? That is fucked up. And the ex GF should take a copy of the transcript and march her ass to Family Court to terminate or at least suspend that POS’s parental rights until that POS gets mandated psychiatric services. No WAY I allow my kid to be in that environment. Now his school knows what’s going on in the home. The neighbors, the local cops, relatives...all have been made aware of that POS’s actions. Someone in that little boy’s world has to be a mandated reporter (looking at you, Dr. Phil) and get that child outta there.

So, if “babies” are “delivered “ after a decade long “pregnancy”, WTF do they look like? Full set of teeth? Rappunzel length hair? Good God, the finger and toe nails must look like talons. I am no biologist, but I don’t think one’s own body can slow the pace of dividing embryonic and fetal cells. Meiosis (or is it Mitosis???) happens at a set rate for a viable organism. Or maybe that’s what the cigarettes are for? Again, I do not hold advanced degrees in Bullshit Biology. My pregnancy only lasted 39 weeks, so can I claim I had a Cryptic Premie?

This ep went too far with the precocious "cuteness". Originally I thought Poppy's kid was juuuust on the edge of obnoxious. Last night he exceeded that boundary as did the twins. Blackmail and bullying from 7 year olds isn't funny. It wouldn't be any funnier if they were tweens/teens, but it would make a little more sense versus 1st graders. Poppy seems like a normal, nice, empathetic person, same for Will and Angie. So how did they raise such jaded, snarky, sarcastic children? Again, they are only 7. Their helicoptering parents haven't once let them face disappointment or adversity, so why are these kids so world- weary and "over" everything? Doug is gruffer and exudes misanthropy so I can kinda see how his girls got so creepily hardened. But I do not like seeing kids disparaging or name calling their parents (or anyone). The best part of this show continues to be Taran. I watch because of him. If Hannah Simone is going to be a semi-regular, I will keep watching for sure. I just will wait for the DVR to record then FF through the parts with the kids.

Oops wrong episode

Do you think the 6 babies will know which vagina to shoot out of when the big day finally arrives? Does she have a network of fallopian tubes and ovaries in addition to her uterine multiplex? It must look like the Matrix in there! Does her GYN charge a premium? So many questions left unanswered Dr. Phil!!!

For a show that was 'must see' S1 & S2, S3 is not doing it for me. I get that we are watching a multi-generational/multi-time line show about a specific family, so of course it would be "Pearson" focused. Yet the self centeredness of the Big 3 and their constant "LOOKATMEEE! SEE MEEE??? I HAVE NEEEEEEEDS!!" shtick is becoming a problem. They are getting very close to what I dubbed the "Braverman Black Hole" territory...anyone in the orbit of that family on (the also once good show) "Parenthood" got sucked into a vortex of selfishness and ego maniacal behavior (and additionally, had to bear witness to all the various implausible 'miracles' that the Bravermans could perform). Now it's happening on this show. Beth, Toby, Miguel, Zoey, Deja...all of their individuality is being stripped away or somehow turned into something Randall/Kate/Kevin has to handle/control/fix to satisfy their own needs. Even the episodes centered around the Pearsons' spouses is flipped back to the effects their own issues have on R/K/K. They are just 'moons' of Planet Pearson. The election plot is just beyond stupid. No way that it ends in a believable way unless Randall loses or drops out of the race. If he wins...I'm out next season. I'm a creative person and can release my tenuous grip on reality to go along with fictional TV...but only to a point. A non-resident of the district or the Goddamned STATE he's planning to represent is more "out there" than anything happening in any SciFi offering on Netflix. And bringing Beth into the campaign...WTF? No financial concerns about keeping a roof over your family's heads on a city Councillor & local municipal campaign employee salaries? What about childcare conflict? Any thought to Deja's adoption in jeopardy b/c of loss of income or lack of parental presence in the home? Same implausibility applies to the Girl Scout Cookie plot. I was a GS leader & Cookie Mom for 5 years. The competition to get a cookie booth is brutal. No, you don't just show up with a few cases of Thin Mints & open for business. It is a huge, pain in the ass process. You think hockey moms are tough? I witnessed a physical fight between a bunch of GS moms in front of a CHURCH when 2 troops set up tables one year. I always stuck to pedaling to friends and family via work & Facebook. If the newest twist in Jack's story is he has a Vietnamese love child (God, please Nooo)...why would be a flaw in 'perfect' Jack's character? He wasn't married or dating anyone while he was in Vietnam, so he didn't cheat on the girl back home. If he had fathered a child, it is likely he may not have even known about it. Based on what we know about Jack so far, I don't think he'd ever actively choose to abandon his child and the mother. Plus, 'perfect' Jack's character already has a notch in it- his drinking problem. I think (HOPE) we will find out the woman in the picture was his brother's GF, or maybe she was the GF of a soldier in his unit who died. Please let it be anything other than another Pearson who's been sucking all the air out of the room in Hanoi while looking for his/her father.

I don't like this new format either. And there are just so many spooky or food puns I can take in a given period of time. I don't like the judges very much any more. Carla wears on my last nerve but once upon a time, she was one of my all time favs on Top Chef. Anyone know if there is a forum for Haunted Gingerbread Showdown? I know it ended 10/28, but I would like to know if anyone shares my utter contempt and burning hate for contestant, Steve. What an asshat he is! I remember him from some other Food Network show & I disliked him immediately then.

Politics aside, I think Megyn Kelly is a moron. ANY nationally televised personality on a network widely recognized as extremely liberal, and with half the IQ and self awareness of an avocado should know that "blackface" is WRONG. Always was and always will be, in ANY circumstance. And here's a helpful heads up, Megyn- it also NOT OK to put on war paint to "portray" Native Americans. Nor is it OK to hold up the corner of one's eyes to "honor" Asians. And don't stick on a fake Bindi to "celebrate" Indian women. Mmmkay? There's your "How Not to Be a Racist in 2018" lesson for the day. Yes, she has college degrees, was a lawyer & has been on TV interviewing lots of people in powerful positions. She is dumb as a brick on that morning show. If she is spouting a political opinion essay, she sounds OK (whether I agree or not with the sentiment- she can express herself well in those pieces). But as soon as she tries to engage with guests or chat about basic everyday things that basic everyday people deal with (cooking, parenting, shopping, work-home balance), she shows her true ignorance. She seems baffled by simple kitchen tools or understanding how to get through a working parent's day. I don't know her background, but I don't think she was born into the lap of luxury with servants to do everything for her. So one would think at some point between the ages of 6 & 22, she would have had a passing encounter with a frickin' apple corer or a crock pot. Or at lease heard those words spoken. Yet she has the same look of bewilderment in her "cooking" segments as young chimpanzee in the wild being handed a 2 piece puzzle for the first time. Being an accomplished person with an education and successful career is admirable, and I don't think she should be a 50's housewife. I just think she looks like a unrelatable fool when she tries to interact with anyone she isn't interrogating interviewing. I don't think any of the on-screen talent at NBC ever wanted Megyn to darken the door of their shrine to liberal politics. I bet their was no warm welcome, and gleeful snickering when Megyn's ratings weren't great. Al Roker & Tamara Hall were pushed aside to make room for the network's token conservative, so I'm sure there were some hard feelings all over the set. Again, I'm no fan of hers and I am glad she will finally put out to pasture, but I don't think she was ever made to feel like part of the "family" at 30 Rockerfeller Plaza.

Simon Helberg is so good at impersonations. Mayim did a nice "Bernie" too. Loved Leonard's Inspector Gadget costume, Raj & almost Mrs. Raj's couple costume. If all the other couples did couple-themes, why didn't Leonard & Penny? She was the one who complained that women are always expected to be "sexy" <fill in the blank>. Then she shows up as buxom St. Pauli Girl? Is it in her contract that the actress must always be the "hot" one in the room? It's similar to Modern Family's star Sofia Vagara. Her character is always wearing low cut and tight clothes, no matter the scene or situation. Anyway, re. Penny & Leonard not matching...just speaks to why they are not a good couple. The only thing Penny seems to like about Leonard is having sex with him. She just doesn't show any loving interest or concern for him. She was sweeter to him when she was dating other people. Over the years Penny has become unlikeable. I'm glad this is the final season. Most of these characters have worn out their welcome.

For all the helicopter parenting these people do, it appears they don't give any thought to therapy for their "kiddoes" (the moms at my daughter's school use this & "Littles" All.The.Time. I haaate both with the fire of a thousand nuns (TM old school Twopper)). Graham would benefit from seeing someone for his anxiety, and the twin girls for their early onset of sociopathy, and maybe Will's daughter to help her cope with her father's insecurity manifesting itself in smothering her with ALL his attention. Poppy's son seems very self aware, and other than the 'only on TV' hyper preciousness, he's OK and his mom seems to be maintaining a balance. If this were the real world, I think some mandated reporter would call in the authorities on Miggy's baby's behalf. If this show lasts another season, next year that kid will have a higher IQ than his dad. Speaking of which...It's a stereotypical sitcom trope, but it's so annoying to have every kid on every show written as the mature, wise beyond their years parental figure. I think I'm just over the same old story lines on most network sitcoms. Don't even get me started on the majority of network procedural dramas...especially anything on CBS. Any one of those NCIS or FBI crime investigations could be solved by Miggy's baby. Or Miggy.

I finally watched this one. Same shitty drab-ma different day. However, my biggest question of the night: how the fuck does “Chicken Parm” represent ‘air’??? Chickens can flap a few feet off the ground, but don’t really fly to be considered creatures of the air! A turkey can get more altitude, so can duck, geese, pheasant or pigeons(squab). If they had to squeeze the tortured premise of ‘air, land and sea’ being represented, the choice of chicken is weird to me. It would have made more sense if the theme was serving American soldiers some of the most popular American menu items...STUNNING chicken parm, INCREDIBLE steak and THE MOST ah-MAZING fish and chips. Brett is a damn fool. First of all, if he’s 34, that can’t be in human years. He looks rough for 54 IMO. Next, all his ‘yo yo yo’ OG, gangsta patois seems so put on and fake. As for him going on the reward to ‘gather intel’...a) what intel would they have that your team doesn’t? Don’t you ALL cook the same recipes? b) I think the Golden Retriever puppies in those Disney “Buddies” movies have more stealth moves and higher IQs.