aradia22

Agreed. I went back to check. The hint was "who's been paying attention?" Arguably they should have been paying attention to the picture that brought them to Ronda in the first place. I can't remember what the clue was when they were in France at the castle doing the matches with the family tree.

I have complained about Derek's behavior (and I stand by those complaints) but he seemed fine this episode. It was a weird choice to send Claire out there when she is SO afraid of heights just because it was a memory challenge. What's their split like on Roadblocks? Did she have to do this one? The worst thing you could say is that he wasn't as supportive as David (such a sweet hug) but Claire really didn't seem to want to be touched or comforted much when she got back. Though again, I've never seen her teasing him back when he says something critical. I think they took an alternate path (I remember ridiculous stairs that I refused to go down) but either way, it's very steep and she had to do a lot of walking to get down there. She's really powering through her injury. I hope she's healing well now. I think one was green and purple. And another was yellow and red. So... kinda. I think letting go of Michael and Marcus is also tough because it was nice to have two sibling teams. Long lost siblings and age gap (8 years) siblings who don't get to see each other often. They brought in an interesting dynamic. If Emily and Molly go next and the only variation is that Derek and Claire are a newer couple? Meh. How have friend teams been doing lately? I don't think they cast friend teams well enough this season (though Quinton/Mattie were pretty strong except for navigation). I wonder if they're not giving the editors soundbites they like. Obviously they're going to talk about her leg organically every episode but I've noticed them repeating the same clip about wanting to spend more time together. I disagree. I do think they're stronger than the other teams generally. But it's stressful to fight from the back of the pack and with the burnout at this point of the race (and Emily's injury), I don't think either team has been coping well. It doesn't help that the task design doesn't have a lot of room for shaking up placement. When you're stressed, you're going to make more mistakes. Emily and Molly had to repeat the flamenco dancer task way too many times. Also, I think Michael is the more detail-oriented brother (so Marcus should not have done the painting)... but Michael also forgot his keys so he's not above mistakes. Doesn't Derek want to be an influencer? I remember someone posting a youtube video. I get that contestants are going to see what happens if they've been popular on the race. It's less annoying than people who come on the show who already have their youtube branded personalities. And at least it's not like Bachelor Nation where they all try to start podcasts. The world does not need any more podcasts.

I watched it today. It was very fun and tonally perfect... people were actually trying to play and the humor wasn't forced. The all ages pairings also gave it some TAR flavor where everyone could participate. I would 100% watch if they did it again... as long as they didn't change anything but bringing in new players. Funny to see Phil fall into the category of

I have been to Ronda so that made the episode extra fun for me. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in person. TAR didn't do it justice. You feel like you're in a painting; that's how beautifully unreal it is to look out over those mountains. I don't know about the flamenco Detour but all the other locations are pretty close together (walking distance) so there wasn't a big opportunity to shake up placement unless you really screwed up tasks. If they're going to choose locations where everything is so close together, the tasks need to be more difficult. Am I disappointed that Marcus and Michael are out? Yes. They were my early favorites. But it helped that they were in a mess of their own making and that they really seemed to know they'd be out near the end so they had a good time and weren't stressing too much. It wasn't a miserable crawl to the mat. Also, I think I'm convincing myself to like Luis and Michelle now that they could win. The only team that would be a little lackluster for me now is David and Aubrey. David seems quite sweet; Aubrey is just... a lot. The editors were being shady with that "5 minutes later" thing when Derek was trying to turn in that tight street. I know the flamenco dancer was a memory challenge and not a dance challenge but it truly feels like they built in more dance challenges than ever this season. What would they have done if all the dancers had been eliminated early? Again, I wonder if there's something requiring at least one team to do a Detour. It was difficult to tell for sure whether the brick task or the dancer task was more difficult. The bricks were only one location but it seemed like Marcus and Michael also muscled them into place a little in a way the other teams wouldn't have been able to do without tools. The dancer task required them to find the store as well and there seemed to be more running around (which really only seemed tough on Emily and Molly with the leg injury). I did appreciate that they went to an actual store which made the task a lot more difficult than the usual display with just a few options to choose from. Was there any rule about only taking one of each item at a time? We got some more collaboration this leg. I think the tasks were so quick that the help didn't matter too much (and wouldn't really have upset placement). Derek and Claire did have the advantage of pairing with a Spanish speaking team which I'm sure helped with directions. They got help on the castanets but that was also poorly designed because if you were there at the same time as another team, you could just look over at what they got right. It only reset in between... before Molly and Emily showed up. I think Aubrey helped Claire pick the right flag but I'm fine with that because I didn't need to see Claire melt down for any longer than she did. The rope walk + flag task was hilarious to me as a concept. I wish it had been more difficult... like put some fake flags so they look almost identical but that probably would have been too traumatizing to those with a fear of heights to have to keep repeating the task.

Thanksgiving Parade performances 2022 Six: This feels like the song they usually perform so it highlighted how much of a weaker performance it was since I've seen it done better elsewhere. The sound seemed to get a little mushy whenever they sang as a group vs. as soloists. You could really tell who has high placement and who the real belters are in the group. It was nice to have a recording of the new cast members but that's about it. Moulin Rouge: It was nice to get a peek at Derek Klena and Ashley Loren in these roles. It was just a little too chaotic for me. I thought it was filmed better than the Six performance but the timing of the orchestra/singers felt off. Seeing it like this made the choreo look unintentionally goofy and the medley was just grating. I don't remember this new medley well enough to know if they've changed any songs since it opened but compared to the movie it's just so much worse. It's harder to sing, especially live, (why the hell is Fidelity in there?) and it's so much harder to follow. The movie medley felt like they were grabbing pieces of songs to form a dialogue. The musical medley feels like they're trying to cram in as many references as possible and the switch of tempos, genres, etc. is jarring. I usually like Derek but I felt like he was trying too hard to make his voice sound deeper and fuller. He already has a rich tenor. I don't know if that was a wig but either way, Ashley's hair looked gorgeous. Maybe it's better in the theater but it seemed like the show is so busy they barely have a chance to focus on acting the material. Funny Girl: Lea has WON. SHE HAS WON. I cracked up laughing at the beginning of the parade. The lip-syncing on NBC is a little jarring after watching the in-theater performances on CBS but Lea's a pro from Glee so she knows how to lip-sync. I did think the rest of the cast was super awkward following her down the parade route. There's a reason you're static on stage. You can't act/react when you're walking like that when the focus character can't turn to look at anyone else... because you're all walking. Dumb. Anyway, things settled once they cut to the star. The costumes are still ugly, but God do I want to see her in this show. The Lion King: Maybe some of those costumes read better in the theater but I feel like they could be a little refreshed/updated. Some of the design and the puppets really are stunning though. It still holds up. And the current Rafiki sounded great. Some Like It Hot: Natasha Yvette! So happy to see her getting to shine. Mixed feelings on the costumes. I liked some elements, but they also looked shiny and cheap. Maybe it works better on stage under the lights. I've heard this song before. Of the ones I know, this felt like a smart choice. It's tuneful, the lyrics are decent, and it's pleasantly Cole Porter-adjacent. I get what people mean about it being a lot of tap... it felt like a lot even for that one number but it might be a choreo thing. A Beautiful Noise: Love seeing a truly diverse ensemble. I don't know if they all have speaking/named roles in the show, but if not, the casting is even more impressive. Maybe he's altering it slightly but unless we accept the premise that Will Swenson sounds like Neil Diamond, that's just Will Swenson's voice. The man has a very distinct voice. It sounds unchanged to me. It's already doing well but they definitely sold more tickets on the promise of a Sweet Caroline sing along. (I still don't know what that song has to do with sports.)

@Ailianna I stand corrected. I should have said it was a show from last season. Still, it's kicking the asses of newer shows.

https://www.thecut.com/2022/11/christina-ricci-sold-chanel-bags-divorce.html

The MJ musical is clearing $1.5 million a week when many other shows can't crack $700k (and many are well below that). And it's in its second year. A lot of people don't believe the allegations or are determined to ignore them. https://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses.cfm

WTF if it's true the producers got so far with that nonsense

Because he's not saying he's childfree, he's just leaving the door open to potentially join the old dads club. And men have always had the freedom to join the old dads club.

https://www.gawker.com/celebrity/andrew-garfield-has-freed-himself-from-the-societal-obligation-to-have-kids-before-40 🙄🙄🙄

It was tough to watch the beginning of the episode. You just had to watch Molly suffering. She wasn't really complaining, just clearly in pain. I hate Picasso but it was also a boring task to watch because you couldn't see any of the colors on TV. I don't know if it was the time of day they shot but everything looked dark on the glass. I assume the racers had a better sense of the colors in person. Watching Luis and Michelle and Derek and Claire this episode I feel like every other couple BUT the motivational speakers has demonstrated how to support and encourage a partner. Derek and Claire's dynamic finally felt balanced and healthy to me during the bike ride. I didn't expect so many people to hate fish. It's no worse than handling raw chicken, beef, etc. to me. I get it with Claire because she's a vegan but the others were pretty squeamish. I've been to Malaga. I don't know if this leg was more engaging to me because my two faves were at the bottom or because of the Megaleg but I was more invested in the episode even if the tasks weren't particularly exciting. The bike ride made for better footage than watching them from the inside of the cars and they at least interacted a bit more with people around the beach.

I don't think he's malicious (though it reads as a little "nice guy") but to me, it's a bad habit to constantly undermine your partner. No one else does it. Claire doesn't do it back. I get all the explanations when it happens in the episode, but when it keeps happening over and over, to me that's a bad habit you should try to reconsider. I agree. My favorite team is now Emily/Molly. Marcus/Molly next. Then, Claire/Derek, mostly because I like her. The other two teams winning would be... fine, but a lackluster finale.

Yeah, a little underwhelmed by this episode. I think they tried a bit with the rugby but only Marcus and Molly seemed to struggle (it's possible they cut more of Audrey struggling) and it wasn't dynamic to watch them fail to kick a ball upwards. No one who chose the bricks seemed to struggle that much, and also they shot it from a distance. And the poem had some running around but you were mainly looking at the people in costume and we've had so many memorization tasks already. I was bored. Also, I really felt the absence of other teams, but without the drama of racing for first. If they could figure out the turns ahead of time, it made sense for Claire to pass Derek notes while driving. I'm glad Aubrey also committed to "speaking nicely" and that they switched drivers early on. I haven't paid much attention to which partner does the driving but yeah, switch if one person is better at navigation... especially since they don't seem to be sending them on very long drives except for the Megaleg. I wonder how tricky it was to stay on the route/find the exit. Marcus and Michael obviously struggled and got stuck in traffic but other teams also seemed to be driving in circles, seeing the stadium but not sure how to get there. I feel like Marcus was not connecting with the ball and also not kicking it up. I'm not coordinated or athletic in the least but Quinton seemed to get it when he realized you could drop the ball slowly. Loved seeing him show off some athleticism besides dancing. They seemed to be pretty great at tasks... just terrible at navigation. I'm sorry to see them go. Took note of Claire trying to talk about her friends getting her to play rugby and Derek immediately needing to cut her down. This is what I mean about him undermining her. I don't think it's really KF but Marcus and Michael seem to be burning out a little. Dumb mistakes last leg (even though they still managed to win) and taking 7 attempts to kick a ball this time when the only other racers who struggled were women with short legs. I'm worried about Emily's knee. I hope someone actually looked at it and she's not doing damage to it by running around. Neither the bricks nor the poetry seemed that difficult. I would have been good at poetry. I also took French in high school and unlike Derek, my accent doesn't suck. They tried to make it dramatic but I don't think the last two teams were close to each other. I'm going to miss them. We saw so little of them in comparison but in what we did see, they were strong racers (finishing tasks quickly when they were at the back of the pack due to poor navigation) and pretty charming unlike the try hards who get cast. They felt like people in entertainment, not wannabe influencers.

https://variety.com/2022/film/news/warren-beatty-lawsuit-sex-coerced-1235426029/

https://www.thecut.com/2022/11/is-cher-flirting-with-alexander-edwards.html

Definitely this. That's what gets me about some of these entertainment stories. If it's happening on set, unless someone is being cornered away from everyone else, other people are complicit (and perhaps also participating in the harassment, ostracization, etc.).

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/christina-applegate-ms-diagnosis-cant-walk-without-cane-gained-40-pounds-213801672.html

https://www.gawker.com/culture/savage-x-fenty-show-to-feature-withering-husk-of-johnny-depp

I finally watched I'm Your Man on Hulu. It's a German language movie so you'll need to be okay with subtitles. It's definitely on the weirder, quieter end of rom-coms. More like The Lobster or Ruby Sparks or Destination Wedding. I think it's more charming and less intense than any of those movies but if I said it was quirky like Amelie, it'd give you the wrong impression and I think you need to go into this movie with your calibrations pitched appropriately. It's very European. I found it consistently funny but not in a laugh out loud kind of way. The pacing is a little slow at times but it's worth sticking with it. The actors are charming and Dan Stevens is partially great in this role. It asks questions about the nature of love and humanity and loneliness and what we should expect in relationships but it never felt too heavy or philosophical to me. What I appreciated most is it very much felt like a movie that was written and directed by a woman and that prioritized the female character's POV. Spoilers but content warning for

As someone who does vermicomposting, I'm somewhere in the middle on the worm costume. I do think it's fun that she goes all out and doesn't care about being sexy (even if she had a revealing sparkling bodysuit underneath). But they also made it kind of gross to accommodate her body and it ended up in a worm with very bloated and strange proportions. Also, it read well from a distance but worms don't have that much color variation up close. Cool for Halloween but I would not be impressed if that was on Face Off.

Are these available on any streaming service in the US? That reminds me... I definitely need to hunt down TaskMaster after this season of TAR is over.

Same. Sorry to the other teams, but I'd still prefer if the most competent racers won. I wish there was more of Quinton but maybe he only throws off little asides to camera. The way they always seem to include it when Claire says something and then rolls her eyes to camera.

It was so nice to watch the show at 9pm. I was a little distracted today so I didn't take notes. I liked having a leg where navigation made a big difference again. I was sorry to see Glenda and Lumumba go but they seemed way too far behind... and the van ran into a ditch, no matter what shenanigans the editors tried to pull showing David and Aubrey struggling with navigation. The castle task seemed exhausting with all of the running around. The actual task didn't seem too difficult once you figured out there were 5 clues that had to go in the right order. They definitely could have made it harder by having more name plaques than needed. I was impressed with Michael and Marcus really powering through after Michael left his keys at the task. Walnuts isn't really a strength task but I think they had a slight advantage. I was surprised so many teams were put off by the games. The walnuts were an endurance task where the games had a bit of skill/luck but a better chance of getting through it faster. KF didn't make David/Aubrey too unlikable but I would have preferred it if Glenda and Lumumba stayed. With fewer teams, Luis is becoming a little much but not to the point of being unlikable. I just feel like they could still leave that stuff out of the edit.

I get the desperation but not having money to drain feels like it makes them poor targets for scams. Presumably you'd want people with money in the bank who haven't exhausted all their other options.