aradia22

https://www.justjared.com/2023/01/02/stalker-breaks-into-youtuber-jenna-marbles-home-after-months-of-harassing-star-husband-julien-solomita/ Yikes. Jenna hasn't been an internet presence for a while but I saw that post of their wedding announcement. Just let them live in peace.

I watched Last Holiday for Christmas. There's much less romance than I remembered. It really just bookends the movie. Though I appreciate that other people are attracted to her on her holiday even if they aren't viable rivals for the main love interest. It's much more "chick flick" than "rom com."

tbh, you'd probably get better results feeding the facts to an AI and letting it write quick "news" articles... especially for the articles that just use press releases. Also, I'd buy a mood ring if it reliably changed color. Costume jewelry should be fun. The shift you get with opals (or even fake opals) is so pretty. My old mood ring was just a blue piece of plastic.

Eh... I think it's kind of rude to leave someone on read for days. I communicate mostly through IM so I think of text conversations as things that largely happen in real time. Anything outside the flow of a normal conversation gets a response in a day or two if it's someone I'm friendly with unless it's something that doesn't require an actual response (e.g. a link to an article). The exception is if someone is trying to reach me on a random social media platform that I don't check regularly, but my friends have other ways of contacting me. btw, I deleted my okcupid account like 2 years ago and I have no regrets. I do think if you're not actively looking for a partner, you should delete the apps. The way they're designed doesn't do good things for your brain.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/AINT-NO-MO-To-Close-On-Broadway-December-18-20221209

@oliviabenson What do you use? I used Google Voice when I was doing phone banking and also for an old job but I don't use it consistently enough to keep it. Also, I feel like GV has too much overlap with old users and I'd worry about privacy. They seem to preserve old texts and voicemails.

They have been putting questionable "facts" in his scripts all season. Reading the thread, I was reminded of the guitar task. Trying to break through a crowd of unmasked, slow-walking tourists (while carrying something heavy) is my nightmare. Honestly, they're probably less safe in some US states. Aside from the countries that have banned US travelers, I hope they can go to some different locations next season. Even hearing Derek and Claire's correct playthrough, I don't think it sounded too much like the theme. I think it's fair that they didn't make the piano so melodic and you really needed to guess the clues to put everything in the right order. There have been many times (usually when they're on foot) where I wish they had a simple map. Make it a navigation task rather than a "who can find a friendly, helpful stranger first" task. The blind dating season was way too much chaos. If they want to pair up strangers (which I still think is a bad idea) at least let it be race superfans and not poorly matched couples. My dream is a season of super tough challenges and highly competent racers, but I know I was in the minority of people who loved Marcus and Michael.

I watched the episode Wednesday night but it was late so I didn't respond here. Loved seeing Emily and Molly's quiet, efficient competence at the bottle task but it was yet another waste of time that barely created separation between the teams. I feel like they're making a lot of their ages but they're only 36, they just have gray hairs. The theme song piano task was a cool one. I appreciated that it was a tough memory task (with misdirects mixed in) along with a physical challenge to hit the piano keys in the right order within 11 seconds. I don't know if it was happening multiple times or they were just replaying the same soundbite but I thought it was cute how Emily and Molly would say "oh my God" perfectly in sync. I'm fine with the Derek and Clare win but as they were racing towards the finish, I realized how much I wanted Emily and Molly to somehow manage a win. Any reason the football coach team wasn't at the finish line? I think that was the only team missing.

This vibes with what I know about his prosperity gospel Christianity.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/KPOP-Announces-Final-Performance-on-Broadway-20221206

So... I would really like to share my thoughts on KPOP but the recent discussions have been way too depressing for me to clear my head and write without that negativity weighing me down. I even skipped the Audra McDonald concert at Carnegie Hall because I just couldn't leave the house. If I don't get to writing about KPOP anytime soon, I would urge you to see it if you can IF you like pop music (obviously don't see it if the idea of a pop concert doesn't appeal) and if you're open to treating it like an off-Broadway show doing something interesting with diegetic music. If there's one positive thing that has come from feeling so excluded by this community, it's that the subsequent discussions have helped codify my own understanding and appreciation for the way the show presents a story beyond the typical musical theater form through performance. In a way, it's not that different from a dance musical and I think that's the kind of approach you should take when seeing it. https://playbill.com/article/the-new-york-times-responds-to-kpop-review-controversy

Full disclosure, I'm not really in the mood to be writing but I have too many shows kicking around in my brain and I need to get some thoughts out... especially since I'm only going to be seeing more things in the next few weeks. I'm starting with Ain't No Mo which I saw yesterday as I don't think sitting with it any longer is going to help. It's one of those shows that was a good experience in the theater but started flying out of my head as soon as I stepped outside. In this case it's because it's a little bit dense so it's difficult to retain without having the script in hand or being able to see it again. I remember the plot in broad strokes but not all the arguments and specific dialogue. (I am tempted to see it again but December is way too busy for me to be pulling those kinds of shenanigans.) I am glad that I saw it but I didn't find it to be the revelation some people are describing. It's just a very solid play. The play has a wide reach, opening its arms to encompass many different ideas. It doesn't feel shallow but it does feel like a thought experiment or a gentle exploration even for all the moments that are challenging or incisive. Like, I cannot look at the play at the whole and say that it feels anxious or angry or personal or pained even though parts of it do. It doesn't have one driving force. But I also don't want to give the impression that it's confused or lacking in some way. If there's one unifying theme, it's a preoccupation with post-Obama America. I think it will help to talk about structure... The play consists of a series of entirely discrete scenes linked by the overall concept of black Americans being offered a free plane trip to Africa. Except for the first scene, what this generally means is you'll be watching a scene and at some point the concept of the flight will come up and the characters will react. And in between all those scenes, you have solo monologues (though sometimes she's pretending to talk to customers or someone on the phone) from Peaches, the drag queen flight attendant scanning everyone in to board the flight at the airport. Personally, I found Peaches to be the most dynamic character because of the force of Jordan E. Cooper's charisma but it probably also helped that we kept revisiting her character so she started to feel like a familiar friend whose story was evolving throughout the show. I'd say the other big strength of the writing is how seamlessly Cooper is able to weave in cultural references. I don't know how the show will age (though a lot of the references are older/timeless) but they made the show feel more current and more in conversation with our world than plays usually do... seeming to try to exist outside of time divorced from pop culture or current/historical events. This play is the opposite of that. There has been some talk of Crystal Lucas-Perry maybe deserving a Tony for this. idk... it would depend on the rest of the season. She does play a lot of different characters but so do the other actors and I personally did not think her performance outweighed any of theirs. Time for spoilers... I think this is the sort of play that starts a lot of discussions. It isn't making decisive declarations but I don't think it aims to. It isn't telling you exactly what to think. It's asking questions and pushing you to think. I don't think this is a weakness. It's still well-written. But it is a different experience than a play that lets you sit with the emotional journey of the same characters the entire time or has a project of trying to convince you of a singular POV by the time you leave the theater.

Some men are genetically blessed but there are also surgical interventions. No one's hairline magically regrows like that or changes shape completely without help. (Not speaking about Benicio specifically, but about why everyone has 30-something hair.)

My guess based on past experience is that Molly probably talks about her medical background and Emily talks about her daughter. There was that one cute soundbite where they listed all the things they had figured out they had in common. They started leaving those things out and focusing exclusively on her leg. And they will show it anytime they cry. idk... the editors don't seem to want to let them be adorable, even though they are. Ugh, very annoyed at the editing. They're clearly more drawn to Derek and Luis as "personalities" even though they don't say anything particularly interesting or hilarious. I'm watching TAR because I want to watch a show with normies, not people ready to deliver for the camera. (Though I do like everyone left for the most part and they're nowhere near as annoying as past season attention-seekers.) She says "and I'm your Bond girl, right?" and he says "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah..." but in a weird way. He was pretty complimentary to her this leg but outside of tasks, it does strangely seem like she's more into him than vice versa. Yes. Especially when she said something like 'I probably should have washed my hands.'

HOORAY for Emily and Molly! Aubrey was a little annoying so I'm glad we're going into the final with three teams I'd be happy to see win. I really do hope Emily hasn't done permanent damage to her leg walking/running with an injury. Iceland was a gorgeous landscape. Lord of the Rings New Zealand vibes. I'm torn because the scenery was beautiful and the challenges were finally a little difficult but the way everyone bunched up still felt like underwhelming race design. The glacier climb just seemed like a formality because everyone kept the same pace. The roadblock seemed a little tough in requiring multiple steps but it mainly seemed to require some athleticism and the ability to not drown. There was someone at the detour but were there any safety measures to ensure David didn't drown? The water level didn't look that high, but David is not a tall guy. The dandelion bit was a little cute. I'm sure the editors have cut out a lot of Emily and Molly because they find them boring... which is sad. The snorkel detour felt like the kind of task they should have had all season. The cold and the exertion added stress to the memory challenge. Claire's specific clues made no sense to me but she was smart to have a system. It was still impressive that the next two teams were only two switched clues off from getting it right on the first go. I don't feel so bad about David and Aubrey (aside from his swimming struggles) because they were so off on their two attempts, it was nowhere close even without the 2 hour penalty. The wetsuits were incredibly unflattering. Added to the cold, no one looked good resurfacing from the water. Will the finale finally break us out of this rut or are the top three times going to be minutes behind each other? I hope they sort this out for next season.

Disagree on Dolly still looking like Dolly. If you compare photos of when she first debuted to now, that's a different person. I think she's always been open about plastic surgery and the changes have been gradual enough to not seem as jarring. But also, unlike Madonna, I think she's maintained enough of the same aesthetic that you miss how different her face looks. Blonde hair, makeup, big bust, sometimes rhinestones... I think Cher has managed to have a lot of plastic surgery while still looking recognizable. Though it would be more difficult if she ever cut her hair short again.

Haven't seen Top Gun but I don't mind older actors as action heroes... my issue is the much younger love interests. I think I vaguely remember hearing that at some point both Cary Grant and Fred Astaire were like... enough already, stop pairing me with ingenues, it's creepy. I was in a Bed, Bath, and Beyond the other day and almost lost my mind. The proportion of decent alternative Christmas songs (even the covers) is so low. And stores insist on playing every garbage song you've never heard of until you're longing for that terrible Christmas shoes song.

@Spartan Girl I don't know if this helps, but I'm also very cautious about covid and I felt fine at my last two shows. At 1776 I think I was the only one in a mask (the usher was wearing his wrong). There were more people masked at KPOP and they were all wearing their masks correctly (mostly N95/KN95s too... which makes sense if you're going to bother to wear a mask at this point). Granted, 1776 was undersold and KPOP had well-spaced seats but I didn't feel anymore nervous than I would going to the grocery store. If you feel good about your N95/KN95 and you're not immunocompromised, I think it's okay. Of course, I did have a practice run in the summer with Into the Woods where I did freak out about people mostly wearing masks but mainly surgical/cloth masks and also how packed the theater was. I might freak out again having to go to the Met Opera and Carnegie Hall which are more sardine-like. But try to calm down before you go and evaluate how you feel when you're there. You might be pleasantly surprised. Also, I've gotten lucky and not had anyone sneezing or coughing near me. You can always leave or ask to be moved if there are bad vibes like that.

You know I take forever with reviews if I don't jump on it immediately. I'm working on it but for now I'll say that I saw 1776 last month and I saw KPOP tonight. They are flawed productions but they have definite redeeming qualities (which I will hopefully enumerate soon) so if you're on the fence, I would go, but only if you can get an affordable ticket (in both cases).

I don't think it's who you're thinking of but Shirley MacLaine said something like this once. Scrub to around 12:45. I might be scandalized (probably not) if I knew who either of those people were. I know you explained, but I swear I've never heard those names in my entire life. Googled them and I don't even recognize their photos.

Yes. And yes. The quality of the episodes has really varied but this one had a much larger share of that old magic. It was taking so long I truly thought part of their plan was to extend the blackout and somehow make them look foolish by showing they'd lost control of their own security.

I thought everyone on the oil rig died. They were careful about showing us those five actors; I recognize each of them. "Fire fixes everything." "Yes, I do. I want to kill a lot of people, all the time. I just don't." I love Parker I appreciated the two month time jump, though I kind of wish this was one of those jobs where they called in a backup squad. Hard to believe RIZ can't identify their faces and that they even got that far into the building. That was a HUGE risk. Given that they're supposed to have all these teams, this would have been the episode to bring in guest actors. They didn't even put a temporary wrap on the food truck? I was worried they were going to know Harry was infiltrating RIZ, so I'm glad they stuck to him really going undercover on his own. And it was the perfect time for Hardison to show up again. Giggled at Pony Fans. Aldis even makes the dumb jokes work. Well, they managed to keep Maria for a season. Harry was lucky RIZ didn't shoot him immediately. She wasn't that exciting of an actress but I think they did a decent job with the Big Bad from RIZ. Finally a character who has earned an evil villain monologue. The blackout was good cover for meh special effects. Though I still saw every bit of texture on everyone's skin... pores, wrinkles, everything. What kind of magical drone could carry a server that size? They can't just get a helicopter or something? I know Harry will be back but it makes sense for him to focus on being a dad. I hope that doesn't get lost in season 2 even if he can't quite return to civilian life.

Agreed on both counts. I read Ethan as potentially being a super privileged trust fund kid who coasted through life and landed this cushy job. Too dumb to actually know what was going on. (The line he said to Harry at the country club about not getting to where he was without knowing about everything pointed me in this direction.) Maybe he did have some hippie-ish leanings and genuinely believed in the oil company doing good so they used him as a kinder face for the company's evil practices. I think I read a lot into the long hair but yeah, the non-twist was underwhelming though it set me up for the seemingly guileless wife being ruthless and self-serving.

I resisted coming back to this show after the allegations but I needed a TV to watch and I saw that Aldis is in at least some of season 2. It is still weird to see scenes with Eliot. I appreciate Maria returning and how the Redemption series seems focused on longterm character development. But I can't really look past the actor to see the character right now. The fake security guards seemed pretty unimpressive. Not even worth the fight choreography. The woman playing Chandis was a terrible actress. Every so often, I'm reminded I'm watching freevee. Her eyes were very red. Also, little to no makeup on the other actors in that scene. They dressed Sophie decently but you can really see them slacking on the costumes. I feel like the episode was kind of low energy given the personal connection to Harry. They've been way more fired up about other jobs. Maybe it's the two part episode but I feel like that's a reason to have more buildup, not less. It was dull. "He takes care of me" is a terrible argument from Harry's ex-wife. She almost came across as more evil than the oil company... at least until they blew up the rig with all of Armus Vagra's friendly coworkers.

Warning: Do NOT click to look at the comments in the thread. It's not worth it.