aradia22

Given the preview for the next episode, what is the protocol for someone

I don't know if it was in comparison to the Megaleg or if they just wanted to get in and out of Jordan quickly but this leg felt super easy. The "Petra" clues didn't seem to be buried that deep. If you picked the puzzle, it didn't seem to be a huge challenge. The worst parts seemed to be the heat and the running around. And everyone still seemed to finish around the same time. I found it funny that everyone kept saying the location was like something "out of a movie" but they couldn't name a single movie. I wonder if that was a producer prompt. It was interesting that they didn't block off areas for each person to search. There really was a big incentive to find the clue ASAP because the search got harder with fewer clues available. I did find it funny when they were eventually finding cans and other junk in the sand. I love that the two sibling teams (Military Brothers and Twins) were the only two teams shown wearing their masks CORRECTLY in the car the whole time. They only seemed to take them off when they were outside. Why did Sharik skip the Roadblock??? Come on now. There's no way you get anxiety using a metal detector. And you don't get to volunteer your dad for a task and then complain the whole time about how he's doing it. "I just would've done this so much better." Girl, why are you making it so hard to like you? Marcus and Michael made the big mistake of so many athletic teams in always picking the physical challenge. I know TAR has presented tough puzzles in the past but I hope they didn't wear themselves out too bad just to avoid a slide puzzle. I like them and even if they don't win, I don't want them to burn themselves out early. Also, I appreciated that they seemed like the only team to learn "thank you" in the native language. I am growing increasingly unamused by Derek. The woos from him and Abby were a little more annoying with nothing else going on. And he had no sympathy for Claire, joking after she fell. Speaking of injuries, is there a system if they need medical attention? Can someone figure out what's going on with the twin's leg before they leave for the next destination? Will someone patch up Claire? Or do they have to figure that stuff out on their own time? A positive about Glenda and Lumumba is that while they bicker a little, they seem to get over it very quickly. I appreciated that two teams chose Camel Caravan so I could see camels and puppies on this leg. I'm neutral about Luis and Michelle winning. It's nice to be surprised by shakeups in placement but I'm not actively rooting for them.

I haven't been a Corden fan for a while but yeah, the last time I remember hearing about Balthazar was when staff was complaining about the lack of covid safety measures and not being treated well so I'm not sure there are heroes here. https://www.grubstreet.com/2021/12/balthazar-staff-worried-about-restaurants-covid-response.html

The Hailey Bieber look seems indicative of a very specific kind of ruching that's becoming trendy again. See also: Kerry Washington, Kaia Gerber I'm not a fan of the see-through gown either. Sheer fabric should be used sparingly and thoughtfully. The pink feathers just make it more confused. Not my vibe, but I don't hate Emma Stone's look. It just doesn't match the severe hair and restrained makeup. It ages her rather than elevating the youthful outfit. Jurnee's dress is weird and Diana Silvers looks like she wrapped toilet paper around her waist. Audrey Hepburn my foot. I like Alexandra Daddario's look but she will forever be unmemorable. WHO DID THAT TO KEKE PALMER? Outrageous. Lily Collins' gown is weirdly thrift shop. She usually dresses better. Selma Blair looked great. I hope she's doing okay. Sophie and Joe were a lot and very FASHION but in a way that worked. I LOVED Michelle Yeoh's look. That is how you incorporate some sheer fabric. Haim wore the most ridiculous outfits I've seen in a while.

I haven't watched Bridgerton, but the youtube algorithm showed me this trailer. Julia Quinn is not my favorite romance novelist but when she's good, she's good. This dialogue is like fanfic. Bad fanfic. Who wrote this???

I actually thought they made some solid, thoughtful points. And 75% doesn't really bother me in the context of her saying that you have to reserve some of yourself to function in the rest of your life ("How am I going to have time for myself, for my partner, or for my family?"), especially as she says she considers 1776 to be a compromise job and makes out Six to be a sellout job where they'd have to pay her a ton to consider it. But it is A LOT. They're very... honest. And while I don't think she ever misspeaks, everyone's not going to take that well and I'm not sure how it's going to get her closer to a talent agent (you should read her twitter to see what she's been "manifesting" or a Tony nomination. Even if you're ready to write off establishment theater, people in establishment theater are the ones who would nominate you for a Tony and they're still largely the ones who will bankroll any substantial project. But maybe she will get Instagram followers and clout. Personally, I love mess so I was entertained and I did appreciate both their thoughts on the production and their revelations about what things were like backstage (e.g. not engaging with queerness, directing them to "posture" as men, the weird rehearsals where people were separated into groups). Though there's privilege in even making statements like this and the response she's been getting.

I'm sorry if it's behind a paywall but it's way too long to quote. https://www.vulture.com/2022/10/1776-star-sara-porkalob-interview-molasses-to-rum.html Wow. Just wow. Most actors aren't this bold when the show has closed... and it's still running until January.

Same. I may complain the whole time, or get pissy in the moment and then complain at home, but I will power through once I've committed to something. I was surprised when she stopped participating (e.g. standing in place and refusing to walk anymore or ask for directions) though she did eventually continue to tag along once they knew where they were going. But I was surprised at how seriously she seemed to be ready to quit. I kept expecting her to bounce back as they were getting closer to finishing the leg. Maybe she thought she could just do the "easy" or less physical tasks? But they struggled at anatomy and she was apparently too anxious for yodeling. Look, I hate discomfort and pain and wandering around aimlessly when I'm tired, but barring a physical chronic illness, someone in good enough shape to make it through the whole race should be able to handle an hour and a half of chiseling and then navigating between a few restaurants. I am not in great shape, but it didn't seem like an unbearable task for even me, though I might be sore the next day.

Episode 4 Find That Cake - Instantly 1, 5, and 6 stood out at a distance. Close up, definitely 1. I didn't get a great read on Justin's portfolio because he did a lot of stylized stuff but the purse cakes looked good. Steve's cakes were a little stylized as well but the textures he was going for with the fruit basket, frog, etc. seemed spot on. It definitely looked more like home decor stuff than cake. I don't like milk chocolate but otherwise the cake flavors sounded good. I don't pay that much attention because unlike Food Network shows or Bake Off, you'll never find recipes posted anywhere. Farley was actually the only judge I recognized. Who are these people? Justin's steak really didn't look very good at all. It was harder to tell from a distance but the styrofoam tray was also wonky. I thought Steve did a pretty good job with his produce. The asparagus spears weren't perfect because he didn't use a mold but the colors were solid. His mold didn't capture all the spikes on the fruit but I don't know if you could tell at a distance. I think he was helped by the other display items being so weirdly shiny. Why was all the asparagus so shiny? I appreciated his work smarter not harder strategy here because the simpler techniques seemed to give him time to nail all the colors. The cauliflower was suspicious. He could have done a better job but it was mostly hidden by the other objects. Andrew did a lovely job with the challah bread. The colors were great. Cake or Cash - Obviously 2. But they did something to the screens on cash register 1. Again, these seem like weird prop items.

Aubrey and David are a couple. They are apparently both ballroom dancers, but also David is a helicopter mechanic??? Luis (firefighter) is with Michelle (Pitbull dancer). He makes jokes sometimes and takes on the physical tasks. She is... there. They are Team Miami. Quinton and Mattie are the cheerleaders. Whenever we see him, I find him pretty likable. Mattie was good at the anatomy task. ngl, I did have to look up her name just now. I forget about Amy and Will (race superfans and college sweethearts) all the time until the reappear on the screen. I remember who they are, I just forget they're in the race. They're from Alabama. I think the other blonde you're referring to is Claire from the Big Brother team. I like them for the most part but I agree with earlier comments that Derek kind of fades into the background which makes his choice to be an influencer questionable. Sharik (of the father/daughter team) also apparently dances (though not professionally). idk, I don't have to care deeply about every team. They just have to be likable enough on screen and stand out enough for me to keep track of who is getting eliminated.

Hugh Jackman birthday celebration at The Music Man

Same. Even with Dom, this has been the most enjoyable race in a while. Sure, I have quibbles about the tasks and destinations but it's so nice to watch a show where people might be competitive or get frustrated but people aren't scheming or fighting with each other or doing other nonsense things that get you the villain edit. And no one is going too hard on trying to be a media personality either. I got really burned out on the old style of reality TV. Aubrey and David don't do that much to stand out but I can remember both of their faces. I remember Luis (admittedly because I find him attractive) but I can never remember Michelle. I might need a reminder about who is still in the race but I can recognize everyone else by now and mostly remember their names and gimmicks. I'm curious how Rich and Dom got together. Did they meet when he was less attractive and more insecure? Did a psychic tell him she was his soulmate? Is she just more bearable in real life? Obviously the woo woo stuff doesn't bother him but I'd still get worn down by the rest of it if she behaves anything like she did on the race normally.

Oh my God, I LOVED the original show. Attractiveness is subjective, but the fact that they seem to have exclusively cast pretty, young people (or at least people who would qualify for Love is Blind) doesn't give me high hopes. Are the challenges difficult? I might get back to this in a couple months.

Episode 3: The cooler looked like cake because it had a similar fakey texture to the purse Nina made and the lines weren't straight. But the other objects did throw me, even in close up. For that round of Is It Cake, it felt like they really made some prop items. Like the towels were suspiciously squared off. The shell seemed to have a heavier base that a normal shell. The coconut was extra hairy and sitting on a weird base. The balloon seemed painted and made of something other than that synthetic/vinyl stuff. Some of the cakes in Andrew's portfolio were impressive. Though I continue to wonder why so many of them paint rather than airbrushing or piping when they get such streaky results. Dessiree's cake sounded DELICIOUS. The few portfolio cakes they showed looked impressive. Why wouldn't you airbrush wafer paper? Okay, we hit the episode with the contestants trying too hard to be cute. I do think they grated a little more because I've been watching Halloween Cookie Challenge on Food Network where everyone is pretty chill (unless there's a disaster brewing) and not trying to ham it up for the camera. I do love that they were so bored they came up with tiltscape. It's crazy they make them sit there for hours not doing anything. Andrew did a nice job coloring the shell with the pigments. So many of the conchs up there looked weird. I would have avoided 2 and 3 just for being pointy. For Nina, 1 and 3 were good decoys because you could easily replicated a coconut like that. 5 was obvious if you were close enough to see the ugly sugar strands but 2 and 4 also looked weird. Production is really helping with the decoys. But I continue to be unimpressed with Nina's work. It's so obviously cake if you're near it. Dessiree's cake was mostly a bucket and she was able to use that as a mold... Up close you could see some air bubbles but that floppy handle is what really messed her up. Andrew's cake was OBVIOUSLY better. In Cake or Cash, the cake was obviously on the right, even from a distance. Though it might be hard to be so sure in 15 seconds.

That kind of talk sounds like reddit stuff to me. Or not reddit but anywhere else where people misinterpret psychology and things you hear in therapy to justify their behavior.

Even if you confine it to Western art, 1/3 of the world's art treasures are in Florence feels like dubious claim. I liked the sculpting Roadblock. It got a little boring to watch but it was a cute concept to chisel away the plaster and I appreciated that there was a little more involved with it because if you went too crazy, there'd be more to repair before you could complete the task and get the clue. For some reason, I never noticed that Sharik wasn't doing any of the roadblocks. I get having anxiety, but I would have just done the yodeling task. Obviously it's TV but from all appearances, Linton seems like a really good dad. He was really patient with her through her meltdown, even when she was getting truly bratty and refusing to participate. I do think I'm a little more sympathetic because it took her a while to get to this place (vs. Dom who seems to have a breakdown every couple hours). The second half of a megaleg... doing a lot of running around on foot. It's also... you think you're going to be a Claire but I know I'm more of a Sharik (which is one of the many reasons I'd never apply for this show). Especially with my dad around... I'd regress and get a little whiny and dependent, though I don't think I'd be ready to quit that easily. Speaking of Dom, her first reaction to the sculpting task was wild. I know everyone was shaken at first but to actually say "I just know this is not something I can do." As a MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER. I can't with her. And Rich had to beg her to keep at it for 15 minutes. Also, much later in the episode Rich says "I love you, sweetie. Happy anniversary." And there's just a musical cue because SHE DOES NOT RESPOND. I know she says sweet things at the end of the episode. I guess she's just not someone who handles any kind of pressure well. I didn't love either of the Detours. It just seemed to be a lot of running around. The fashion wasn't great (not that I really like Italian fashion anyway) and I didn't get a clear sense of how difficult and detailed they made the memory part. And the window food delivery was a fun concept but not that dynamic to watch and no one dropped food. So again, just lots of running around and keeping track of each team's placement. I had a random thought when the firefighter was joking about wanting to eat the food they were delivering... when do they eat on the race if it's in between pit stops? I remember Glenda and Lumumba saying they were hungry (though I was unclear on if that was physical hunger or they were hungry to keep racing) and at the mat, Sharik said she just wanted to sleep. Though Emily and Molly talked about it being a tough morning leaving Ducati so I assumed it was just one long day. I don't hate Team Miami and Team Cheerleader joining forces even though Will and Abby went faster running their own race. As they said, they were pretty burned out, which is why they seemed to pick the windows vs. another memory task anyway. If you know you're racing in the middle of the pack and things aren't likely to change much, why kill yourself on an early leg? I was happy to see Emily and Molly get a win. They really deserved it for simply being great racers, not relying on any inherent advantages but just navigating well, doing their best at tasks, reading tasks/generally being focused and meticulous. The obvious nighttime confessionals were obvious. It was easy to tell that Glenda/Lumumba, Linton/Sharik, and Rich/Dom would be among the final teams this leg. But I didn't imagine it would be that close between the final two teams. I was losing interest a little but I perked right back up when you could see Linton/Sharik and Rich/Dom in the same shot. I kind of love having the end of the Detours (the place where they delivered the food/the place where they judged the memory task) next to each other for that reason. I started to stress when Linton/Sharik still seemed to be wandering aimlessly to the pit stop but thankfully, they did make it there. I was a little taken aback that Sharik was still that bratty at the Pit Stop with Phil. Dom seemed to actually be melting when they reached the Pit Stop. They were not in their element on the race. Maybe they're less dysfunctional at home.

I'm enjoying the Halloween Cookie Challenge. It's nowhere near Great British Bake Off chill. But it looks somewhere between a Netflix show or Food Network Star rather than the other saccharine baking shows on FN and I like that it doesn't have a host hamming it up. It is WAY toned down from Justin Willman, Jonathan Bennett, Nicole Byer, Mikey Day, etc. I don't feel like someone is constantly making jokes at me or shouting. The judging is Top Chef style but it's very... compliment sandwich. It's pretty friendly judging and they always find something nice to say to go along with the constructive criticism. Episode 1 had the strongest contestants so far. The episode 2 contestants were notably weaker (e.g. mostly relying on piping tips, stencils, etc. The episode 3 contestants were a little closer to episode 1 but they seemed to struggle with time management and what was asked of them so we didn't see anything like what they showed in their portfolios. People played it very safe. I mainly started watching for Ro but it's a pleasant show to watch at night and it doesn't make me hungry.

@chessiegal If you get a high enough score in all three rounds to beat the Titans, you get $25,000. I agree it's subjective, which is why the points make it worse, at least when you only have one judge.

I watched episode 2. I liked it enough to keep watching but not to watch regularly... and it'll get bumped if I need space on the DVR. I might have more to say later but I like that it seems relatively chill but competitive. It has a hangout vibe and while the music is dramatic (though no where near as bad as Masterchef), the people involved aren't hamming it up like it's the end of the world if they don't win. It's pretty friendly. The stress comes from cooking within the time limit. The competitive part comes from strategy (choosing a Titan you think you can beat/ingredients that play to your strengths in the last round, playing to what the judge seems to like, etc.) No caviar or anything but I like that they seem to giving them a lot of ingredients and equipment to play with rather than it being all about limitations. It has Iron Chef energy in that way. Here are the ingredients, make the best thing you can. It does also have inevitable top chef energy because two of the Titans are from Top Chef. I remember Brooke as an unimpressive cook but they were really selling her and, if nothing else, she's become really good at narrating from the sidelines. She has become someone who gives producer soundbites without needing prompting from a producer. Michael Voltaggio is a little more charismatic than I remember. He's still not "big" on camera but he has a more affable vibe. His new look is HILARIOUS though. Jet black hair with all the tattoos and the way he dresses... I don't want to be mean, but if you saw it, it's giving off a very specific energy... Speaking of rigged though... are cooking shows subject to game show rules? Because the scoring system seemed insane. Taste is subjective anyway, but I think I'd be more accepting if there weren't number scores or if there was more than one judge. Because it seemed way too easy to "cheat" the scores, at least in this episode. Two rounds with almost perfect scores seems ludicrous, as does the convenience of a tie going into round with the scores basically swapped (aside from 1 point). And then the competitor got such a low score in the last round, it was insulting. Maybe the judge truly hated it but if he couldn't accept the dish by that much, I don't think he had the right palate to be the sole judge.

I appreciate how much the TryGuys and DeuxMoi subreddits are not having it with this narrative and Ned's friend, and also calling out SNL on their history of accepting/covering up misconduct

Google maps can be useful if you really have no idea where you are because you can see on your phone if you're going the wrong way down the street or you can get step by step directions. Personally, I tend to just look up directions (if I'm going somewhere unfamiliar) before I leave the house, and I usually do fine unless there are weird intersections or random street names. I feel like part of the difficulty (at least in Europe) is the street signs being tiny plaques on the side of buildings. For me, the real advantage of a map on a screen is it can be any size I want. Paper maps usually aren't printed at a scale that's accessible for me to use them easily.

I'm not sure if I can stand for three hours (plus time in line) for Funny Girl. I'm not in my twenties anymore. But I don't know how much I can budget yet. Hopefully they bring rush back. I'm still waiting to hear what Only Gold is like. I'm getting zero read on anything released so far. I can't even tell what time/reality it's supposed to take place in. I've been thinking about Little Shop of Horrors. I have until November to see Bryce Pinkham and it'd be fun for Halloween season. I definitely want to see A Man of No Importance but not until November. Hopefully tickets aren't impossible. I've been thinking it over and I think I'm going to skip Parade. There are still decent balcony tickets but re-listening to the score, I can see how Micaela and Ben make perfect sense vocally, but I can picture their performances and I'm not into it. Yeah, Howard McGillin and Grace McLean will be there but I don't think they have songs and while Paul Nolan might have book scenes, he seems to only have one or two songs (depending which version they use). If he was playing Tom Watson, that would be something. I'm not excited for Jay Armstrong Johnson as Britt Craig (he'll be fine but just... fine). I can't go just for A Rumblin' and a Rollin' and the big Leo and Lucille songs. I'm sure they'll sing wonderfully, but I just don't think I'll emotionally connect to Micaela and Ben. Still thinking about Dear World. Part scheduling/part budgeting. If only it was in April.

I like Claire and Derek (more her than him) but I do not understand their gameplay right now for this reason. If you know she's tone deaf or awkward about choreography and Derek is more musical, just let him do yodeling. It's not like every other task will be something she can't do. It's going to end up being an even split anyway. My memory is of him breaking the ice block and mainly handling the cheese wheel task but otherwise I think she's done the tasks or they've done them together. Fair, but she just keeps confirming what a bad motivational speaker she seems to be (at least in any kind of stressful situation vs. just giving an abstract talk). Maybe they exclusively give pep talks at schools rather than doing any life coaching or counseling or mentoring but yikes. It's like if a therapist was a racer and they constantly shouted at their partner, didn't listen, mocked their feelings, etc.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/metoo-five-years-later-times-up-1235228096/ Basically, the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund has been effective after the initial burst of fundraising, but the actual Time's Up organization doesn't seem to be doing anything anymore after three years of activity. The article cites many examples of when people involved in the organization had ties to or supported men who had been credibly accused of sexual harassment and sexual assault.