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I mean, during the original run there weren't the instantaneous social media fan reactions that there are now, but producers and showrunners still heard from viewers/critics and had to have realized how unpopular Neelix was. Right? Their reaction to increase his presence mystified me: "It's a shame he's restricted to the kitchen! Let's make him an ambassador so he can also go on almost every away mission and provide extra counsel to Janeway! Who better?" It didn't seem like Ethan Phillips was ever asked to tone it down or modify his fussy mannerisms to make Neelix more palatable, either.

I don't think either I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners holds up nowadays. I couldn't stand the Ralph Kramden character even when the show was originally airing, but while I have some nostalgic fondness for Lucy and Ethel* and did love the show at the time, it would bore me now as well. I guess I'm just past laughing at unrealistic screwball escapades. I recently rewatched a bit of The Dick Van Dyke show and, same thing. As for Gleason himself, he seems like somebody I would have avoided at a party. That's a lot of personality. *Not so much Fred and Ricky, but they weren't the point, really.

But every parent can testify that 7 is the age of reason!

I was trying to think how I'd answer the questionnaire. A lot of issues just aren't yes/no black and white. Do I like tattoos? Um, some yes. Others definitely not. But not too many. And not Derek's. But Adam Levin's would be fine. Is occasional cigarette/cigar smoking acceptable? I mean, I'd rather he didn't and never in the house. But once a month when he's out with his friends at a bar, yeah okay. I would definitely bring down the deal-breaker gavel on chewing tobacco, though, any amount, any time. How important is sex in your marriage? I dunno. It was the driving force in one relationship and that didn't work out. I lived with another guy who had a low sex drive and was perfectly fine with cuddling. It varies! Etc.

Teaser trailers for season 3 and some casting notes. Mild spoilers if you don't want to know anything. No release date yet. The worst news for me is Eyebrows Jim being back because I'm not sure I can take any more of his perma-face expression of worry and trepidation, underlaid with sexual longing. Ick!

Gaten's singing is interesting because according to the Duffer Brothers, his voice dropped after filming and it was so different they weren't even able to use him for redubs. I'd love to hear him sing again now!

My first thought was jeeze, they might as well change MB's name to Kenny. Three was also pretty much the same when they temporarily regained their memories. The guy ranges from gun-happy and snarky to gun-happier and snarkier.

I became a fan of creative director Patrick Clair, of all things, after he was responsible for half of the Outstanding Main Title Design emmy nominations last year (Daredevil, Man in the High Castle, Halt and Catch Fire.) Poor guy's down down to only one this year, for The Night Manager.

So far: Heather and Derek? Stubborn and childish, they suck as a couple. At 35 and 32, they should be better at life. Lillian and Tom? I give them a 50/50 chance. He is most of the problem. If he's able to eventually release the desperate hold on his slacker lifestyle (which he won't be after only six weeks), their odds go up. Sonia and Nick? Insecure matched with emotionally reserved is not optimal, but if the coaches do their jobs and help them work through that they might have the best shot.

Ha! My Catholic school come-not-to-Jesus moment was when I had my first boyfriend in 8th grade. I was in confession and one of my sins was that I had kissed a boy X times (remember to specify the exact number of transgressions!). The priest asked if it was a brotherly kiss (ew, no!) or if I had lust in my heart, which he said was a MORTAL sin. The problem was that I had to go in peace and promise to try to "sin no more." I knew I wasn't going to stop kissing him so the whole thing was a farce. Luckily my mother couldn't afford parochial tuition after elementary school and, once released to public education, I didn't have to pretend to be Catholic any more.

I think it's ridiculous when shows are cancelled and the stars or hosts become teary on air and/or throw public snit fits, blaming the networks, insufficient promotion, poor lead-ins, etc. Never themselves, of course. The entertainment industry is both fickle and ratings-driven, and nobody forced them to claw and fight their way to be a part of it. "Wah, mommy and daddy took my toys away!" A lot of the rest of us peons are in at-will jobs and can be fired for no reason. We deal with it and celebrities need to get a grip as well. It's damned annoying and I have zero sympathy.

"I want to thank lube." For once, an anal sex joke that made me laugh. I looked Milana up after this and didn't realize she's the woman in the AT&T ads, which wouldn't be half as tolerable without her facial expressions and reactions.

I like him, too. So deadpan. Thursday's show made me guffaw a few times but is a funny show every 20 outings reason enough to watch? I'm still on the fence.

I got the questions about which church I attended when I first moved to the upper Midwest. I mean, people just wanted to know if we had a connection and perhaps would meet on Sundays, but I felt like if I said "none," they'd start proselytizing. I settled on, "I'm a Universalist," because there weren't any UU churches in town and it forestalled any further conversation. I have gone to UU services in the past so didn't feel totally shady. One of my favorite leisure activities is tracking packages online! I'm no logistics/supply chain expert, but Amazon has a warehouse about 90 minutes from me and I always wonder why they insist on sending things from a couple thousand miles away. The only time they ship from next door is when I request overnight, and then the package is put on a truck but still goes to one intermediate station in the wrong direction first.

I watched a couple episodes of her show before deciding it wasn't for me, but she acts pretty much the same -- exuberant and fast-talking -- when I've seen her on talk shows. She apparently doesn't have a setting for "calm."

"Luxury yacht designer" is an odd choice of occupation for someone who claims to despise materialism. Of course, the guy's also been described as a "boat interior designer" and "yacht interior specialist" so who knows. My guess is that he installs cabinetry or something.

I can't work up the strength to dislike Suzanne, but I did roll my eyes when she snuck out for liposuction during her Thigh Master days, then claimed it was related to her breast cancer treatment. She and Marilu are both cut from the same "health expert" cloth in that they think they know how the rest of us should live.

Seems like Schumer also blocked a few of her followers who had tweeted asking that she address it with Kurt. Pfft. I think her responses only made her look bad. (But I long ago dropped off the Amy fan wagon so am not inclined to give her the benefit of any doubts.)

God, the doughnut hole! I read that shit at least 10 times and still don't understand the analogy or exactly what's happening except that I feel like I'm in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. How does this make any sense as a process? Say my medication is $500/month, then after some period of time I go in the hole and it's $1000/month, then after I hit the "catastrophic" yearly out of pocket maximum of around $5000 I don't pay anything. The next year it starts all over again. (Mind you, this is an additional policy I have to buy and pay premiums on because basic Medicare doesn't cover prescriptions.) Medicare issues an 8.5 X 11 phone book sized guide of 153 pages to "help" me understand. I threw it at the wall this week.

I've been rewatching The Staircase about the Peterson murder and have to say again that I think Dr. Henry Lee is a complete fraud and liar. I haven't believed anything he's said since OJ. His more recent accusations of hiding evidence in the Phil Spector trial is just another example. The man obligingly twists himself in knots in order to provide whatever theory he's paid to espouse (usually the defendant), no matter how many other forensic experts disagree. That he's attained such a position of prominence and power is shameful. The emperor has no clothes, people!

@TattleTeeny, Medicare made me cry today, if that's any consolation. As usual when things don't personally apply, I had no idea Medicare was so (1) complicated and (2) expensive. I've spent a lot of time in the past month meeting with a SHINE representative, insurance agent, talking to friends, reading government materials as well as all the promotional shit I've been receiving in the mail. Then it was another three hours on the phone today with various insurance companies trying to find out what my estimated ANNUAL out of pocket costs would be for my prescriptions under their various plans, only to find out later that to them, ANNUAL means Oct/Nov/Dec of this year! And nobody thought that was worth mentioning. Plus of course I kept getting different answers to the same questions depending on who I spoke to. Seriously. Fuck me with a chainsaw.

That made me unattractively snort-laugh! I try to give the casting agents/producers/experts the benefit of the doubt with regard to selecting the participants because people present themselves very differently when they're trying to make an impression as opposed to when they're disengaged and emotionally shut down. But even during the casting special, Heather was unsmiling and self-contained. A pursed-lip, unbending snoot is absolutely the worst type of personality for this show and the producers need to stop it already with that.

Melrose Place! (Except that was retro-cool Spanish style.) Even the poorest college student with roommates never lives here.

My stomach clenches a little in sympathy for Daniel every time he gets through another season -- like, sorry you're having to go through this, my man. But for sure there were strong responses, pro and con, to the "fat girl" speech!

It's unclear (deliberately, I assume) in the episode if Heather and Derek are arguing about cigarettes or weed, but I tend to think it's drugs. IF it is, the incredible, willful stupidity is what I'd be pissed about were I in Heather's place. In Puerto Rico, a first offense for possession of any amount of marijuana is a felony punishable by 2-5 years in jail. And that's leaving aside the possibility that Derek just casually threw a baggie in his suitcase.