Lonesome Rhodes

Sorry. The terrorists would have seen to it that the fuel tanks would be blown to kingdom come in the event the Yankees came. How convenient that all the dead were couped up in that one room. Nobody died in some random areas? Gotta love precision shelling from a 5-inch barrel. Hahahahahaha. In the area? Sure. But, that?! Riiiiiight. And precision air gauges? The writing for the XO is so beyond laughable. What happened to bitching at Capt. God? Now he turns into badass warrior who plays chess in battle (thinks several levels instantly) who is all about wiping out whatever he needs to. Then, when ONE sailor is down, he decides he needs to risk the only hope for mankind? Hahahahaha. The Russke Captain is also a joke. He knows good and darn well that there is no more world order. Why would he go out of his way to ruin any chance for a cure? What good does leading a ship do ya when you are doomed without figuring out how to get along with whatever modernities have survived? Ugh. One thing I really liked was the communal sharing on deck. That was an excellent command decision and it was beautiful, to boot. They had to come to terms with reality and be OK about moving on as a crew. Good stuff.

Empire Records is a gem. How it hasn't received its due given the young starlets is beyond me. So many fun moments. It also captured a particular time in the youth culture as well as any film has. I need to see it again super soon.

Can not stand Brittany. You have not one, not two, but THREE little ones. Your life is NOT about you at this stage. That horse left the barn a few years ago. Then, you come on like a pageant contestant being introduced and announce you've had three children! Pathetic self image. More pathetic need for superficial affirmation. This makes you the ugliest of the house, dear. I see no way that Donny avoids a nom. The HOHs have no choice but to nom the weakest comp players. The rest should be females from what I recall about relative physicality in the house. It's too early for a thinking/knowledge comp. Gonna be interesting to see what the first cause of division will be.

OK. I'm gonna be booted for this one for sure... Audrey Hepburn was never "all that" to me. Cute? Absolutely. Luminescent or transcendent beauty? Not to me.

I am most moved by South Pacific, but the greatest of all, to me is My Fair Lady. Thinking of all the horrors of WWII and the awesome folks who have suffered/died while wearing the uniform really bubbles up when I watch this show. Also, I am floored at the audacity of Carefully Taught. The show and its creators have never received proper due for this song. The brilliance of the lyrics and the book, along with the incredible staging and art direction put MFL at the pinnacle, in my opinion. The length of the show is a bit much, but aside from reducing or eliminating Get Me to the Church On Time, I'll be dogged if I know where I would want to cut.

Nothing gets me more fired up about Disco than their insistence on repurposing footage of Phil Harris. It's bad enough that they show the CM and Josh as it is. Screw Disco for what they did inserting Phil as "inspiration." Fine by me if Josh chooses to look to his dad. But, watching the vultures who run this production continue to bring Phil back boils my butt. Overwrought edit for the TB, until the leak. They had heavy seas, yes. However, they had zero ice. They were also on decent crab. Ridiculous, made for TV, NW edit. No harm, no foul. But, ridiculous all the same. Disco stinks yet again. The water shortage IS a very big deal. Why the need to create something more? Loved seeing Miles, the Cape Caution horn, making the great effort. Vomiting after that head injury es no bueno. Nick was dead wrong to try to shame Miles into working. To me, Nick is just a jerk and he has not earned it. I wish no ill for Mandy, but, just no.

Of course, everything Malvo did is "on" Malvo. Yet, how I, or anyone else, reacts when confronted by evil is on me/us. A major theme of this show was the nature of good and evil. When a good person remains silent in the face of evil, does that good person necessarily become a part of the evil? I say yes. The classic quote that all it takes for evil to flourish is for good folks to stay silent about it fully applies here, in my opinion. For me, the hardest choices are between two goods. Which should take precedence? Molly had the closest call to make: Don't risk the baby, or go after Malvo on her own, if necessary (and it was necessary for weeks and weeks). All the others had lesser goods to weigh. Self survival is not, in my belief, a valid concern in a moral decision. The survival of others most definitely is. If it IS about others, then it is on each one of us to act as sentinels. To my eyes, Molly is the only one who did this fully. While I am usually hard on inconsistencies, Malvo's failure to keep a firearm within reach didn't feel that way to me. He had little cause to believe his hideaway had been discovered. I also give him the benefit of the doubt due to his extreme physical problems.

Man. I absolutely had an animus towards Nick Cannon in his MTV "playah" days. I never doubted his magnetism, but I hated the persona he put out there. I love, love, love how he is showing a goofball self now. When he joined Juan Carlos roller guy on stage, I thought what a great guy he has become. Maybe his illness helped him discover the better man inside. Frank was Fee-nominal. No way he wins as AGT has already had the aging (if not amazing) singer bringing back the American Songbook. I hope we get to see every appearance he makes until he is eliminated. It appears Comcast's mission was accomplished as this "special edition" won the night and blunted the debut of the singing show on Disney/ABC.

I nominate Jenny's dad in Forrest Gump. FG was so right, sometimes there aren't enough rocks. My take on Spanglish is a bit different. Yes, the Leoni mom was a bad mom. Yet, for me, Paz Vega's mom selfishly rejected the opportunity her daughter had at the end of the movie. As soooo many latin/hispanic folks do, she places keeping family close ahead of other compelling needs - typically work and school advancement. I was furious at her for doing this to her daughter. Is she a horrible person? No. But, for me, any parent who puts the needs of anything above their children's right to seek their own honorable course is tragically misguided. It's not your life, mom and dad. It's theirs. Let them go and grow!

So much stupidity. How did C-I-C know that the captain had been briefed by the scientist? Worse, if she knew this ship was pretty much the last hope, why hadn't she contacted her earlier and told the captain to give the scientists whatever the hell they asked for and more???? If the ship were truly radio-silent, how on earth did the transmissions escape notice by her own electronics? Of course the bad guys had the worst aim in history and the good guys get a kill with their first shot. It's tens of degrees below zero and there was no discernible frost on railings or any weapon platforms. GQ is a clangin' and nobody has gloves on and all have no issues attaching their weaponry and grasping their weaponry. Not one frostbite report. Just what was the captain gonna do for poor Frankie? (Dude seemed to have excellent mission clarity and then goes all soft). Captain has to physically go down to com room to receive messages???? What was the point of the family video? WTF was up with the exec? "Who are you, God?" memo to exec - YES. Just where is home to any of them? How dense does that tool have to be? Oh. It's TV. We need tension in the command structure. They are desperate to make any com contact with anyone and the Russian spy is able to transmit and won't be noticed. When will the radiation poisoning among the crew commence?

JLo, as so many AI contestants before her, has a fundamental problem: Her genius is in being seen, not heard. This entire movement to visual presentations trumping the actual music has led to ruination. MTV started it and the big money propagated it as it is much easier to produce dance than music.

This was s good as this show can get! Loved seeing LB get her gamesmanship smacked back in her face. Daddy is no prize. but that was a smackdown for the ages! I also enjoyed the heck out of watching Maddie being the reasonable one who sits back and smiles at the chaos all around. Murray was a total ass for dumping the flour on her. too. I hope she gets super-sweet revenge. I was struck at how virtually every shot of them in the club was the cast doing things with each other. There wasn't any interaction with the locals, save Boudreaux going off on that one dude. Clarke County wins again! Of course, they were late for the first day on the job. I was disappointed that the owner did not go off. I'll bet he will, though. I'd love to know if the cast had to indemnify the home owner for damages, or if production took that on.

So, since these are sequels, does this mean we get to meet and learn more about the group who truly (according to Lucas' myth-making) brought down the Empire, the Ewoks?

So long as I understand that the show is an infomercial/marketing effort and expense for each company, I better enjoy the episodes. Every once in a rare while, a given CEO really does take this stuff to heart. Said CEO pays out of his own pocket and offers his own personal time. Otherwise, it's all corporatism, all the time. Remember Buffets, Inc (now called Ovation) from October? Not one thing he said would be implemented systemwide, including the horrid cash registers, has happened at the unit closest to me. Labor standards for training? Riiiiiiight. What has been implemented? Fewer meat-based proteins offered, a significant drop in the quality of the steaks, and tighter windows for the redemptions of coupons/offers.

For me, the open of the movie, transitioning into the gorgeous title sequences is the best part of Bond. My favorite of these is You Only Live Twice. The other title song I most love is From Russia With Love. Not sure which movie it was (my guess is Live and let Die) but the funniest moment in the series was when Bond gets into a taxi in New orleans and tells the black cabbie there's an extra $20 in it for him if he gets him to the destination with alacrity. The cabbie says happily and excitedly, "For $20 I'd take you straight to a Ku Klux Klan convention!" A villain I thought was magnificent, but is not often mentioned is Baron Samedi - the voodoo guy in LALD who ends up getting killed by the snakes he usually killed his prey with. Geoffrey Holder was a piece of work! Do y'all remember how he went on to voice over 7-UP commercials for years? Awesome. Two other things, each from Diamonds are Forever, I've really enjoyed: "I'm Bambi. I'm Thumper." "But, of course you are." And just the fact that they had Jimmy Dean playing a conglomerate honcho. He was the real sausage king, y'all. Abe Froman had nothing on him.

Well, Star Wars was better when Han shot first.

What happened to the awesome pacing that started the season? Ugh. My daughter-in-law is Colombian and I have known several others from years and years before. The cultural pecking order that we heard about tonight is a very, very, real thing to Colombians. It's the cause of bitterness. They have distinctive dances which have typically been disregarded by other latin countries/cultures. Colombian dance is virtually unknown to Americans. This act did an excellent job. I do agree, however, that the addition of the younger ones was not necessary. They would have been wise to save that for the next round. I'll be shocked if they get past the next cuts. The card magician was especially clever. He should play the Magic Castle if he does not already. I want to see more of the wire balancer. The 12 y.o. fool was not appropriate for this show. The worst of Howie and Howard came out as he vomited his material for all to (up)chuckle.

Essentially, a yes to choreo by the jidges means you are not cut - yet. A ticket means you are through to the next round (Vegas) - you are done, except for the reaction shots or any production needs for putting together packages. Nigel always, always, always makes decisions based on how it will play to the audience. If a given decision happens to correlate to actual dance ability? A bonus.

Allison Tolman would be perfect for this show. She is the total unknown actress who just killed it in Fargo. She is also not exactly the most fit ingenue. If her attitude is as she has expressed through many interviews, she would win over the entire ballroom. If she manages any proficiency at dance whatsoever? Super.

Man, Nigel gets on my last best nerve sometimes. It seems Silky was preordained to go through, but that fool Englishman interrupts immediately and demands to know what is up. Then, HE dares get flustered when poor Silky instantly decides to give Nigel whatever he wants and the heck with his own artistry. What in blazes do you expect, Nigel? I don't believe Silky was rounded (by his own admission!) enough to merit a ticket straight away, but, I'm OK with it since he was especially charismatic and Nigel messed with him. The rest of the first hour and change did very little for me. However, the promise of the montaged dancers is exciting. Did Lil Buck do anything? Maybe the least involved jidges edit I've yet seen. Crazy Legs may have been "ATL Cranking," but to me, it felt like nothing evolutionary. If this were a true advance, Nigel would have fallen all over himself passing him through past choreo. Now, the guy had some talent, no doubt, and he was super personable. But, a visionary he is not. I honestly did not get why Angelina was given sooooo much time in her package and performance. The jidges' comments (which were actually good) dragged on forever, as well. Beyond being nervous, she seemed a bit odd, beginning with her husky/low voice. I don't think she will make it to even the green mile. I loved the aura of that young boy who has endured all those surgeries! Props to Nigel for identifying with him. I really feel for the choreo partner of the various "street" style dancers who have so little partnering experience. What a huge disadvantage they are put in! The girl in the gray unitard in the second day seemed pretty good, but I didn't see her getting a ticket. Does anyone know if they ever have the 'decent" partner go again with a more rounded partner? Oh well, off to Pasadena!

Fantastic Q&A with BBT. I love his take on what Malvo really was - and what he believed Malvo was thinking as Gus confronted him at the end. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/goldstandard/la-et-st-billy-bob-thornton-fargo-finale-20140617-story.html

What a great ep! Hate that Josh is taking up any air time, but the rest of it was really, really, something. Bill's son was being stupid. If everything is is the most important with the same level of yelling, then nothing is. The horn had no real way of knowing the two or three things he had to always keep in mind - especially about handling pots. Loved this horn's 'tude. Loved the regard Bill hd for him as he was speaking to him and the horn was humble. That, my friends, was respect from the good captain. When he came back with the insult about dude's face being ugly, I knew Bill liked this guy. That kind of ribbing is reserved for those who have earned it. Now, super serious question...was the deck boss yelling at the horn and distracting him as the pot which cold cocked him was coming around, or was this a sound edit by the edit monkeys? If it was not an edit, Bill's son takes a chunk of the blame, imo. Boy, did Keith blow it with that ice buildup. He was fortunate to have such a top crew save his behind. Then, as he is saying he is an hour's steaming away from the grounds he wanted, he dropped the pots right away. So, he was wrong twice and he got rewarded anyway. To be fair, it was a seasoned move to make that decision to just fish where he was and not compound his error on the ice. Have any of y'all seen "captains" who just plow right through with a plan no matter the consequences? I sure have. I appreciated Keith's narration as to his mistakes. He does have some genuine humility in my eyes.

Duluth PD would have been involved because 1) They have a long-term relationship with BPD and would make a big effort to help with the murder of the BPD Chief, 2) One of their very own was murdered by Malvo, 3) They really blew it by releasing Malvo as they did. They very much owed BPD significant back-up. I love that this show is allowing all of us the chance at debating these nuances.

Reading Alan Sepinwell's interview with Hawley (and other reports) revealed lots of intention. Among these: Lester did buy and print out a separate ticket for Linda. Malvo was not involved in the Sioux Falls crimes mentioned by Lou. Malvo was human (and it was BBT's idea to have that last death throe). The final scene between Malvo and Mr. Wrench was one of the rare changes to the script which had been complete for many weeks prior to the first frame being filmed. As they were writing the script, they thought it would be Molly who finally confronted Malvo, but changed their minds as having Gus redeem himself was more important to the central theme of good overcoming evil. http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/fargo-creator-noah-hawley-talks-season-1-and-the-possibility-of-season-2/single-page While I accept his intentions, my hermeneutical reading says he went way too far with the mystical and unexplained occurrences - especially the fishes. I am fine with Gus being made a hero. First, Malvo needed killing. Second, every LE agency who touched this case massively screwed-up. None of them would want anything to do with a criminal trial which would expose it all in defense of Gus - a thoroughly likeable guy. Third, communities have a need for "heroes" and a hero story - especially for something this epic and horrible. Was I alone in rolling my eyes when yet another gun failed as it was about to be used against Malvo? The reason I am dead certain that Gus would have saved the FBI agents' lives is that for once, a freaking cavalry would have descended upon that cabin. Said cavalry largely composed of competent Duluth and State LE. It was a misstep to not have shown us Molly contacting them to create the alert regarding Malvo. Now, would the agents have been killed in an en masse takedown of Malvo? Always possible - but that would not be on Gus and his prideful and fearful silence. I am a little disappointed with how Lou's reveal to Molly about having met Malvo went down. He was far too sanguine, in my opinion. His failure to immediately see the newer Malvo in that older picture is almost stupefying to me, A definite misstep. Then, he becomes Papa Bear and hauls bootay with super-duper intensity. To me, this whole scene was poorly executed. I did enjoy Lou telling Lester that use of the bathroom was free with the meal. Such a Midwest thing! This has happened to me several times in that region. Classic throwaway/small touch that enriched this whole enterprise. Open question: Can anyone recall a character who was clearly to the dark side who did not meet a Malvonian end, excepting Mr. Wrench and Stavros? Those two sure weren't looking at much of a life, eh?

This is as close to a must read as I can imagine for fans of this show: http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/fargo-creator-noah-hawley-talks-season-1-and-the-possibility-of-season-2/single-page Lots of doors closed.