BusyOctober

Another thing that bugged me about Billy - wen he first started talking about his son he called him "a mistake". Granted he followed it immediately by saying it was the best "mistake" he ever made and it sounds like he has a good relationship with the kid. But "mistake" is just so damaging to a kid's psyche IMO. Even if Little Billy is 16 and he knows all about the birds n' bees, it'd be better hearing his mother/father use another phrase or word. Take it as an opportunity to discuss responsible behavior, safe sex, contraception, STD's etc. (as each parent thinks its appropriate time/age). I have a feeling Big Billy is probably more concerned his kid is as smooth an operator as (he thinks) he is.

Jeanne seems sweet and I hope she had 3rd thought and dropped this "relationship". Billy will not settle down, and that's OK. Just means Jeanne shouldn't waste her time chasing something that she'll never attain. I'm sure there are plenty of worth datable guys in Cali for her. Now with the positivity out of the way, I must snark... What is it with grown adult women speaking with that breathy baby-doll voice??? Do a lot of non-pedophile tendency men find that attractive? Do these women use the same "poor widdle girwl" voice at work or with their friends and family? So irritating. It's almost as bad as the vocal fry or up-speak habits. Nails on a chalk board!

I just checked the handbook, and thankfully there is no badge for "Future Fame Whore"...yet

If this show continues for another season, I hope they get a new decorator/designer. Enough with the fakey fake "wood" motif In. Every. Damn. Hotel. Somebody has a timber fetish. It may have been appropriate at the pot head's CA hotel but not in CT, VT, AZ etc. And when the new designer comes in I hope he/she bans any shade of GREEN paint being used in the guest rooms. I think every room in every hotel GR has been to ends up with GREEN somewhere on the premises. I'm with the camp that thinks the historical importance was stripped away with the new look. There's a way to make it CLEAN and FRESH without dumping a trailer full of Home Goods tchotchkes all over the place. Seriously...did you see any space on the dressers or vanity areas for guests' personal items? When I travel, even if its only for an overnight trip, I'm the OCD type who needs to unpack and hang things up or fold things into the dresser drawers. I put all my toiletry stuff in the bathroom and set up my iPad or laptop somewhere. Gordon's re-dos leave no space for this! I don't need a giant wall collage of TGIFridays cast offs over my bed. I need drawers and clutter free flat surfaces. And semen stain-free bedding would be appreciated. The Employee of the Month doofus was so clueless. He and his buddies will sell out or lose the place soon. From what we saw there is no way he has any concept of being a business owner. If they wanted to party all night why didn't they just open a bar? Why ruin the historical hotel? Another question for anyone who lives in or near Murphy's...are there no town ordinances that close bars down after a certain hour? Those guys were still going strong after 1:30am. I know places like South Beach go until 5am, but I'd have thought a quaint wine country town would have some regulations to shut it down by 1am. And were all those people shown outside on the streets of the town or on Murphy's property? A lot of places I've lived in don't allow big rowdy congregations milling around the street with "open containers" of alcohol (again, New Orleans and Miami are known exceptions).

Here is a true comparison of the TV Utopia and my experience of working with a group of strangers for the first time. Yesterday afternoon I met with a new social/volunteer group. There are 15 of us. We met for one hour and accomplished the following: * established guidelines for how we will conduct meetings (wrote up a "Meeting Agreement") * discussed our goals for the next year and broke it down into smaller milestones * elected a treasurer and collected dues * created a list of jobs/tasks we will all share for meeting prep &/or clean up * agreed what kind of foods/drinks we could bring to avoid allergy or diet concerns * made adjustments to the meeting room to accommodate a few members' physical needs MY Utopia was a Brownie meeting of 13 second grade girls and 2 adult volunteers.

I re-watched and found a few more WTF's... First the host - Leon Redbone is pissed 'cos bitch stole his look: I thought this was a "starting with nothing" kind of show where the people would have limited resources, no? * There was a shot of several hair dryers, electric razors, etc. hanging on the wall at one point. So when they had to decide what "must haves" needed to go into the big crate, there was room for personal grooming devices for 15 people? What was the big debate over what to keep about then? * I also saw a big bottle of Tide or some other orange bottle brand of laundry detergent in the background. Do they have a washing machine? * When bi-polar Bella was squatting in what must be her corner of the barn, the floor was littered with medications (which, OK, she's the last person I'd want off her meds), but also a bunch of cosmetics, lotions, moisturizers. So there was room in the big box for everyone's stash of Mary Kay too? * Is there an endless supply of alcohol in the barn? I know Red brought a bottle of whiskey, but between Josh, Hex and several others, they must have drained that bottle on Night 1. Yet, the bottle doesn't seem to ever empty. * Why does everyone keep referring to "MY Utopia"? Isn't a Utopia supposed to be about the group vs. the individual, the betterment of society based on mutual agreement? * The promos made it sound like as a group they'd need to decide if their new world would have guns, have religion, be a democracy or a dictatorship and so on. There didn't seem to be any discussion on any of this. "MEtopia" is apparently about letting ME do whatever the hell I want - drink, smoke, run around naked, bring my guns, eat dead chickens.... Silly me for expecting Fox to run a legit show...the more I watched the more it reminded my of last summer's NBC debacle Siberia. Totally scripted. Totally a waste of time.

Oh, where to begin? Why do they keep calling her "Huntress Hex"? It sounds more like "Hunter's Ex" to me. I guess it would be copyright infringement to call her what she is probably dying to be called - "Catniss" If there are "no rules", why all the old school morality and mores? Like how the men should act & talk around the "girls"? I'm not saying the guys have any right to accost anyone else, it just speaks to the idea (in my opinion) that you can't take a group of people who have been entrenched in societal rules for generations and realistically expect that those embedded ideas of right/wrong will be left at the gate. I equate this show less with a true social experiment & more with a college freshman's experience the first few weeks away from their home town bubble. No parents or peers or neighbors watching you. You can temporarily break the rules you had to live by and test new boundaries. Woo-hoo! I can drink in the day time! I can go skinny dipping! I can wear the mantle of free-loving, tree hugging to impress the cute boy/girl down the hall! Forgot to add...WTF were those things around their necks? Shock collars? Bike locks? I may tune in again to see just how low this crap will go. And I'm dying to see a chicken tractor in action.

Even if you are Howard Hughes level of a loner, how did Amanda not go off the deep end after 16 days, alone, doing NOTHING except squat by her tent and let the monkey defecate on her from above? She attempted to make fire only once (as far as we saw)??? She didn't even try to find more pineapples or nuts? I'm sure the producers were going crazy with the lack of any film-able action. Whatever her (lack of) reason for her immobility, good on her for finishing what Mr. "I'm gonna kick Mother Nature's ass with my roll o' teal duct tape". I guess it never crossed his mind or the medical/safety advisers to suggest Joshua try to kick nicotine a few weeks or days before flying to Nicaragua vs. an hour before.

I need a few things answered so I'm reaching out to all you Boardwalk fans and history buffs ( I could just go to Wikipedia, but its so much more educational in these forums)... 1) When Margaret opened DeadBoss' file cabinet, what/whose name was on the envelope? Rothstein? The scam company she helped sell? I couldn't make it out and I don't have rewind abilities. 2) The mini riot in the street in Cuba (before the attack on Nucky) - was that the precursor to the Castro takeover? I vaguely remember the history before Castro took over that there was a US -friendly President in place. I think he was even supported or hand picked by the US to be a puppet dictator. 3) Was Myer in Cuba to scope out Bacardi business as well or for more nefarious reasons, like stalking & killing Nucky? 4) What did Chalky's chain gang friend say to him when they were escaping? I couldn't hear/understand it and, again, no way to rewind to replay it. 5) Was that Gretchen Mol doing the voice over for that poem Lil Nucky was reading? Sure sounded a lot like her! Aside from these missing pieces, I'm happy to be back on the Boardwalk. I know (hope) we'll find out what's Eli up to, how his killer kid made out and where Gillian is, but I was a little disappointed none of those characters made an appearance last night.

I'm gonna need Elam wearing an eye patch ASAP because I can't look at that another minute. Eye injuries or threat of eye injury freaks me waaaaay out and I watched most of this episode covering my own eyes. In addition to his head trauma could Elam have a blood infection from the bites or rabies too? I don't know much about the symptoms and I don't feel like Googling it, but maybe that is causing his cuckoo for cocoa puffs behavior? For his involvement in the raid and for murdering the trapper, I'm guessing Elam will not last much longer in. Cheyenne. If the white woman lives, she's going to tell all about Jimmy. She could tell about his murdering White Feather, but I don't think the white folks or white law men will care so much about one less Comanche. I'm also in the camp that thinks Cullen will be the one to do the dirty work of eliminating Elam.

Korina's look won fair and square since it was the only finished and over all well styled thing shown. However, I'm still confused over Nina & Heidi's love for it since they both crave a "youthful" esthetic. That Southwestern-y carpet coat only brought one thing to my mind...Chico's. It's a nice store but hardly the place any of these designers' "girls" would be shopping in for another 20-30 years. I guess I'm stupider than I thought when it comes to fashion because I would label Amanda's jumpsuit as a catsuit. And can we please STOP with the jumpsuit? Very few women can pull that look off. There isn't a high demand for them as far as I can tell. When I look around TJ Maxx or Marshall's, their clearance racks have several of them sadly clinging to their dreams of relevance by a broken hanger while their flared cuffs sweep the floor, slowly being devoured by dust bunnies. I totally agree Sean's gown was a Princess Di rip off. However, Princess Di's designer would never allow the messy looking bunched up seams where the velvet hem was sewn onto the dress. Can one of the other contestants use some scrap material to make a little chinstrap for Alexander? He looks as if he were...lobotomized? Given electro-shock therapy?...with his mouth hanging open all the time. If Char really did tell Amanda last week that every one of her wins takes a win away from someone else, I wish Amanda had said "now that you used up Tim's Save, you've taken it away from one of us."

I rarely watch The View, and haven't seen it in a long time, but the announcement of the new line up has guaranteed I'll never tune in again. Rosie O'Donnell and Whoopie are nails on a chalkboard to me. Adding Rosie Perez to the mix is the equivalent of having an ice pick repeatedly jammed in my ears while still being able to hear the screech of nails on a chalkboard.

Can one of you in the know enlighten me? In the real world of real competitions with accredited studios, scores that can be validated and no fame whore aka- I want my kid to be famous so I can bathe in the glow of her/his glory until I forget how unfulfilled my own childhood was - parents...would a studio be able to just throw in a new dance in the already planned program? Unless Maddie's solo was preplanned (Melissa just happened to have Maddie's "cosh-toom"?) and her music was already in the audio file/CD player I don't think any authentic competition would be cool with "walk-on" routines. That said we all know Abby only attends fake made for TV "competitions", but I'm just curious if this is allowed in the legit competitive dance world.

I wonder what Oakland mom of 3 teens does for work. I'm assuming se must be in marketing or image consulting with her stress on how one "presents" oneself. The girls were beautiful and obviously talented, but there was too much focus on how Bianca "looked". I had tears in my eyes during the scene at the salon. Poor girl probably felt so unattractive and insecure at that moment. I'm really happy the mom seemed to ease up a bit toward the end. I'm super impressed with Bianca's career. She's a working writer/reporter at 16. She's off to either Cornell or Columbia and her sisters appear to be successful in their chosen talents as well. The mom was critical but she did a fantastic job raising those 3 young women, so she did something right. The other parents...I don't know. I get that you want your kids to excel but I think there's a lot to be said for raising well-rounded kids and letting them explore a few creative or academic outlets vs. high intensity laser focus on one. I'm so happy for little Leila that she can keep dancing. I hope the "warrior" parents remember that moment of joy/relief in their daughter's face when the other kids want to try different activities. I hate that they are creating body issues for their kids at such young ages. I know "weight class" is an issue for many competitive sports (dance included), but it's a fine line to walk. If you keep healthy foods in the house and cook healthy things & you model the eating habits you want for the kids, that's the best you can do. Telling a kid she can't have more rice b/c her body stores it as fat isn't the way to go with a 9 yr old. Why not say "if you're still hungry, there's more carrots/chicken/sushi. I'd rather you have more protein or veggies than rice b/c they build muscle & strong bones for your sport." And some kids are just going to be bigger than others regardless of what they eat. Warrior mom and dad look physically fit but neither of them is exactly in the feather weight class themselves.

Alexander is semi-talented, certainly not the best of the designers left, but he won a little piece of my heart when he described the top of Sandhya's dress as looking like a corn cob after it was eaten. That captured it exactly! What the holy hell was that? The color was off-putting but maybe if she and Char worked in some other "citrus" colors, it could have worked? Still wouldn't be my style, but I think if one or both of them broke up the canary yellow with tangerine or lime or magenta it wouldn't have scorched the eyeballs so much. Of course, the execution of both dresses was abominable, so more fabric probably would work against them. Even though it wasn't new or innovative, Sean's (ahem - Kini's) top was gorgeous! It was classic and moved so beautifully. I could never wear tuxedo pants or high waist pants, but I loved the completed look. Kini's dress was great too. As Heidi said "look what he can do in ONE day!". Even though Amanda didn't do fringe, she did 4th cousin twice removed o' fringe with those little flappy triangles. Her dress was OK. Korina's outfit was boring and not stylish at all. How many times do we need to hear her whine "I don't do X". You are on a show that has a reputation for making designers work out of their comfort zone. Not too many of the past or present designers "do" clothes made out of contact paper or watering cans or what ever else is found on Ace Hardware shelves. Many contestants don't "do" menswear on a regular basis, but that will probably come up too. The point of this show (in theory) is to find people who can design and construct beautiful clothes when challenged to rely on their creativity. If she wanted to showcase her collection on her terms using materials she selected then she should start a GoFundMe or Kick Starter page to raise cash for her vanity project. Thanks to some of you I have a little more knowledge on who the hell Dita Von Teese (really???) is. Ditto on the lack of facial movement. YIKES. When will the Betty Page thing finally die? I'm so tired of seeing them on various reality shows. There was an extra annoying one on Top Chef recently. Pack up your red matte lipstick, '40's hair and Rosie the Riveter head rags and retire already.

I've posted this before @ TWOP, but why does Abby give the girls 3-7 DAYS to learn a routine that will compete against studios who've been working on their routines for months? (Guess the answer has to be because now we know all the competitions she goes to are fake). I wasn't a competitive dancer, but I was with a very well respected studio for 10 years. The owner/director/lead choreographer was amazing. Her annual recitals were legendary and so professionally done. Many other studios used her dances for their own recitals. But she and her staff perfected every dance for the kids from Dec- June. It didn't matter if the class was full of 2 year olds or in high school. I don't think any kid ever felt the pressure to "be perfect", but we knew the steps and the music so well, there were no mistakes. That's how you encourage kids to keep going and find the passion in something. It's not a bad life lesson either...being prepared and understanding your topic can help you succeed.

I think the ticket to success for this place is to amp up the dog resort angle. Tons of people want to take their dogs on vacation and having a "spa" for them in a close but separate area is better than leaving them behind in a kennel. He could even get add-on business by having a pet themed gift shop - "My mom/dad went to Vermont and all I got was this tee-shirt". I'm still befuddled by employees working for NO money. So what if he gives you a free room to live in? What about food, car, clothes, personal items, healthcare, entertainment? Do they eat at the inn and make togas out of the bed sheets? Those little hotel shampoo bottles only go so far. Does Hula Hoop girl provide a nightly show in lieu of hitting the town for a movie? Don't get it. I always wonder if the various State Dpt's of Labor swoop in for an audit after GR leaves town. Those freebies from sheet suppliers and Overstock.com will need to be sold off quickly to cover the fines these jackholes will incur for NOT PAYING people. And when will "hoteliers" learn that if you have an outdoor pool on property & you list it as an amenity, you gotta clean it! If I ever drove into a hotel or motel and saw the pool or outdoor facilities in such shitty shape it would clue me in that the management does not care. I'd assume the lackadaisical attitude continues on to the rooms and restaurant as well. I'd complete a U-Turn in their driveway and keep going down the road to the next place.

I don't wish harm to come to Naomi and the baby but can the writers find a way to make them go away? There is no chemistry between them and Cullen is "married" to the RR and the group of misfits that make up the town. He's never going to be a model Mormon/farmer/merchant Naomi is hoping for, so why put the audience through the "torment" of their relationship? The Swede, on the other hand...I wish loads of harm on him. Mostly because I'm tired of the character. He was excellent in the first 2 seasons but, now? YAWN. Now we have to wait for Brigham Young to roll into town, take the Swede's side and watch him menace any Mormons who challenged him. Up until Ezra somehow crosses paths with him again and drops the DUN-DUN- DAH bomb to lead us into the next season. YAWN That said, I still enjoy this show. Any way they can show Anson shirtless more often? Oooh boy!

Tyler looked like a Neanderthal to me. His personality was caveman like too. Selfish class-A prick. I hated everything about him except for the 2 kids he helped make. He only seemed concerned with what HE wanted or needed. A doormat wife and obedient, don't question my authority kids. Jerk wad. Money wasn't an object for this family. I'm not sure how they amassed enough cash to fund this lifestyle. The idea of shunning material things and traveling the world is a wonderful ideal but I don't think that lifestyle can be supported long term. Maybe a 3-5 year plan but I don't see teen Iaasac and Belle sticking around much longer. They'll probably run off with some new "friends". They are so desperate for company I'm worried the kids will be vulnerable to the attentions from the wrong person. Mom's voice is annoying an.d very much like that Schaal woman. But her physical appearance reminded me of the woman on Food Network- Pioneer Country? Prarie Cooking? Anyway, same redish hair and frozen, frightening rictus smile.

WTF with CryBaby's dark pantyhose with every outfit? And her out dated "power suits"? I had that pink suit myself... In 1990. But I never wore it with black tights. And why was she sobbing 'thank you!' When. Gordon told her to get the fuck back to the big city? I laughed out loud when she was ranting how she always achieves what she sets her mind to. Then she couldn't t name one thing she's done on her own. Now for Evil Sister #2...what a biatch! Complaining she can't do her "projects" because of the staff?? Loved her 6th grade folder labeled "projects" in marker. I'm surprised it wasn't a Hello Kitty Trapper Keeper. I would guess if she got out of bed by 11am vs. 3pm she could get one or two things accomplished in between her sniping at the staff sessions. The parents - epic FAIL. IMO it is my main goal as a parent to make sure my kids are equipped with skills to stand on their own and be productive. It bugs me to no end when I hear a mom or dad say they are "raising children". Um, no you are not. You are raising future adults. Even wealthy parents manage to have kids who grow up with empathy and a work ethic. These hotel girls are stunted and appallingly ill equipped to even cross the street on their own. I'm sure the goldfish held their breath and committed fishacide rather than spend their numbered days in the care of those two idiots. Gordon will be getting hate mail from PETA for endangering those little guys.

Amanda's Trippy Hippie atrocity was reminiscent of her 20- yr old picture from last episode (you remember- the patchwork quilt dress she made to hang out with her brother in the basement, laying down "sweet tunes" or some such puke). I wouldn't ever equate that with "high fashion" unless I were the offspring of Pa Ingalls and Holly Hobbie. And I do not like how she acts on the runway with the judges. Someone mentioned it last week, but she comes off as if she were one of them and hanging at a cocktail party. Just because you were there in Season 11 does not make you BFF's w/ Heidi and Co. I think her act of "humility" and "I was NOT expecting that!!!" when announced the winner is so fake. Good riddance to Hernan. So young and so bitter! I'm sure he thought Tim would save his ass but I'm so glad he didn't! Although, maybe if Tim had wasted his "save" on Hernan, then it'd be gone before he could save Amanda if/when the judges get sick of her fringe. In four shows, only 2 designers have won. I'm convinced now more than last week that the judges are determined to mind-fuck the contestants and the audience just for kicks.

The new "elite" team girl Sarah is not ready to be on this regular team. I think she's just there to keep the age average low so Abby doesn't have to compete with older, more mature dancers. Sarah is a nice little dancer but she doesn't have the skills (that I have seen anyway) that the other regulars have. She's a beat or two behind a lot. Her mother on the other hand is delusional and trying to get her own show or something. Obvious camera hog. Jill was complaining that Maddie got more dance time since she is home schooled and if all the girls spent as much time in studio as Maddie they'd all excel. I think Jill is missing the major red flag...Maddie IS IN THE STUDIO more than she's in a classroom! Hello? Yes Maddie wants to be a professional dancer but her mother (and some of the other moms) don't see the big picture. God forbid one of the kids gets a serious injury. Knees, hips, ankles get worn down, especially when they've been stressed since toddler years.. Are the parents planning on supporting their non-dancing, non-degree holding daughters? Or is there a huge demand for more Pittsburgh dance studios run by has-been flunkies of Abby's?

Watched for the first time last night and it was interesting enough that I'd watch again. I didn't know who the "Diva Chef" was but she annoyed me instantaneously. Glad she only got to make one item, or I would have turned it off. I did recognize the rest - Kent, Casey, Duff = nice to see you again! Vic = please stay in Vegas. I thought I was done with you after Next Food Network "Star" My biggest question of the night has nothing to do with cooking or food. How the Hell did Duff keep that stupid hat on his bald head? Did he have a velcro implant? It seriously bugged and distracted me so much I didn't follow any of the preparation of one of my favorite dishes - Eggs Benny mmmmmmm.

If this new season focuses on those 2 goofballs, I'm out. I've already had to limit my viewing of other shows thanks to douchey "characters" placed by TPTB in hopes "HI-larity ensues". I find those 2 idiots so devoid of anything interesting or charming or funny in any way. I like the W brothers and the mom and the restaurant.

Anyone know if Joe has a CD/DVD? He was my favorite and I want to support him and get his name out there! I hope he tours soon. I really would have been happy with Joe/Lachlan/Rod Man F3 and any of them as the winner. I guess I'm for Rod Man or Lachlan, but I have a weird feeling since this is NBC and they are looking for a TV show, Nikki may get it. She's bland enough to mold into the stereotypical urban single mom/grandmother w/ multi generations in the house, cute Cosby-esque kids... and she seems ripe for some writer to make up a crazy sitcom catch phrase. Her delivery wears me out. Stop yelling the punch line. Ugh.