Stinger97

Review: A.V. Club (A)

Review: A.V. Club (A-)

According to Adam F. Goldberg, the show's creator, this episode wasn't what they originally had planned:

Review: A.V. Club (B+)

Review: A.V. Club (A)

Seeing an episode of Gimme' a Break in this episode gave me such joy. I'm sure that Adam's "I bet Nell Carter gives good hugs" was his hormones talking, but I really do think she probably gave great hugs. Just sayin'. While I like that the show is actively acknowledging that Sean Giambrone is currently going through puberty, I hope the entire season won't be storyline after storyline about it. An episode about how his voice changing was enough for a little while, which is why I'm surprised they went back to that well so soon. Maybe they figure they should mine these storylines while there's still time. In an episode about We Are The World, I was surprised we didn't hear the actual song. Maybe Bob Geldof wasn't so willing to license the music.

Review: A.V. Club (B+)

I loved Short Circuit as a kid, but for some reason it never comes to my mind when thinking about classic 80s films. It was nice to be reminded of it. One thing I think this show does well is giving equal weight to each of the stories playing that week. This week was no different, as each of the characters got some funny scenes. I always adore when Adam and Pops share scenes together (one of my favorite episodes is Adam realizing that Pops wouldn't be around forever), and throwing Murray into the mix is never disappointing. The same goes for Barry and Beverly who, under lesser writers would become mundane and one-note, still make me laugh and still make me feel something for their relationship. The A.V. Club review I posted makes mention of a small little detail that was actually added a nice touch: the title cards in Beverly's "schmoopilation" video were inconsistent in that sometimes they preceded what was happening on screen, and sometimes they'd come after what was happening. Similarly, instead of the title cards being added directly over the picture (as they were in Barry's "Jampilation" video), they were handwritten and shot with the camera. It made sense, since Bev wouldn't be as proficient with the video camera as Barry is.

I caught the episode hours after it aired and somehow managed to inadvertently spoil myself re: Nadiya's win, and yet I still found it to be an incredibly satisfying finale. I was quite impressed with the look of Tamal's showstopper. Although it looked a bit messy and disheveled, it was clear that that was what Tamal was going for. The sugar web tying each of the tiers together was absolutely brilliant. It was also great to hear that the sticky toffee not-pudding cake tasted great. For me, Nadiya's showstopper was less impressive than Tamal's, but better than Ian's. I was impressed with her homemade fondant, handmade fondant roses, and perfectly baked tiers. Ian's carrot cake looked delicious, but I didn't think the presentation was what it needed to be for a final showstopper. Moreover, I didn't find the giant carrot spanning each of the tiers to be that original of an idea. I have found myself sad to say goodbye to the bakers at the end of each series, and this one is no different. I truly fell in love with watching Nadiya and Tamal bake, and I'll miss having them on my screen each week. Which is why I typically search out my favorite bakers on Twitter and start following them. I hope to hear big things from those two!

My one thought after watching this schlock tonight? If I had to sleep with Ryan Murphy to land a role on this show, you can bet that I'd first make him agree to give me 5 lines of dialogue so that I could at least get my SAG card out of it. So many attractive, dead extras being degraded tonight! Also, Matt Bomer and Lady Gaga are some terribly inefficient vampires. You slice open someone's jugular and barely lick their neck? Like, the mattress got more blood than the actual vampires did. Oy.

As has been pointed out, though, those aren't actually continuity errors. An example of a continuity error would be Rose claiming to have graduated from high school in an earlier episode, but then claiming she'd never graduated in the episode in which Dorothy was her teacher. Rose being unqualified to be a hospital administrator, associate producer, and a grief counselor, is more a flaw in the storytelling.

Review: A.V. Club (A-)

Not sure how I feel about

Matt Jackson is a fun-sponge, and when he smiles he looks like he's smelling a fart. That's pretty much all I've got.

I had known that Estelle Getty brought Sophia over to the show as a series regular once Golden Palace was cancelled, but I never realized that Getty's health was really beginning to deteriorate by that point. By season 6 or 7 of EN, she's clearly not the vibrant woman she was while on The Golden Girls. Her voice sounds weak and she even looks frail. I point that out not as a knock against her, but just to say that it's been difficult to watch. So sad.

Since the new Laff Network is currently airing Empty Nest reruns, I thought some might be interested in discussing it here. EN was one of two series spun off from The Golden Girls-- the other being Nurses-- which aired on NBC from 1988 to 1995. It followed the life of the GIrls' widowed neighbor, Dr. Harry Weston, his two daughters, Barbara and Carol, and his faithful dog, Dreyfuss.

I was about to ask how one cooks a pancake in a tray! I see now that they're muesli bars, which makes much more sense.

It really is, though! I love a good blueberry muffin myself, but I avoid them at all costs because I can't justify eating cake for breakfast. I know I'm adult and I can do what I want, but it just seems irresponsible! And also my waistline can't afford it.

Even if Flora was rightfully sent home this week (and I'm not sure that she was), it was a bit of let down in how predictable it was. In fact, this entire series has been one predictable elimination after another which, if I'm being honest, takes some of the fun out of it. I realize that some of that might be the fault of the editing and how telegraphed everything always seems to be (i.e. We hear Flora say, "The passionfruit layer might be a bit over baked," as she's working, and then later Mary and Paul say just that during judging), but I also think there's some bit of favoritism that plays into it as well. Like, there was no way Ian was going home over Flora this episode, unless Ian like, served Paul and Mary an actual plate of chocolate modeled to look like dog poop. And even then, I'm sure Paul and Mary would fall all over themselves to point out how meticulous and perfect a dog poop it was. I'll take solace in the fact that Nadiya was awarded Star Baker and is going onto the finals with Tamal, although I'm a little surprised at Nadiya's high marks this week. I thought her chocolate tart looked a bit sloppy, but Paul thought it deserved a handshake. Then I thought her peacock looked a little sloppy as well, and Mary and Paul seemed to love it. So, moral of the story? I don't know what I'm talking about.

That big blue makeup case that Adam stomped off with after doing his lip syncing performance for Bev and Pops? Both my sister and my mother had (have?) one, except theirs were pink. Nice attention to detail. I know some might take issue with the fact that the Milli Vanilli scandal occurred more in early 1990 than it did in 89', but I felt like it was the most appropriate (and funny) way to address Sean Giambrone's journey into puberty. Moreover, I checked Wikipedia to get some more info, and apparently the "Girl, you know it's... girl, you know it's... girl, you know it's..." fiasco occurred on July 21, 1989, so it makes sense that this episode was set in September of that year. I might be thinking *way* too much about this, though. Finally, is it too soon to ship Geoff & Erica? And we can call them Gerica? Y'know, like from Jem? Because I really, really want to.

Abi is the literal worst. She acts completely insane and is rude to everyone, and then somehow Spencer and Shirin pay for it. Say what? All the Joe love and adoration is making me hopeful that they're setting him up for a very satisfying blindside later on in the season. No one can be that perfect at everything and sail smoothly to the end, can they? Moreover, the guy has a great body but he's not working with much in the face. So the "Oh, Joe's so perfect!" comments are lost on me. That scene with Savage recounting how he met his wife and their eventual marriage was... weird? Like, it just felt like it came out of nowhere.

Much like the title of this episode, it's time to move on in regard to Michaela and her apparent homophobia. Please keep discussion about the episode. Thanks!

That's sweet. And even though Puck looks like a drunk middle-aged woman, it's nice that he decided to come out and support the cause. You know, even if he couldn't be bothered to comb his hair or tuck in his shirt. Oy.

Judging from Tyra's new talk show, it's going to be a while then.

So, after a little bit of Googling, I found this video which shows pictures of some European "cream cakes." According to these folks, a cream cake is typically Chantilly cream, sandwiched between two pieces of sponge cake or pastry. The author of that video creates her own American version of cream cake, with a custard sandwiched between two pieces of puff pastry, with whipped cream layered on top. I don't know if that's an accurate portrayal of what European cream cakes typically are, but it makes the most sense to me. Like, more sense than a bundt cake being referred to as a "creme cake."