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Was it ANTM where they made them come up with alter egos/nicknames for themselves one year? There have been so many seasons that I don't know whether I hallucinated some of these things. Imagine if next season along with makeovers they get a nickname from Yu Tsai. The more offensive the better.

I liked Keith, Raelia, Will, Lennox, Ivy, and Matthew in that order. Ivy is fine for a shoe ad but bad as a model. Matthew looks more like he's on the poster for an action movie and he's not really selling the shoes. Also, I just realized that because of the stupid fan score, everyone gets to go to Korea. This is unacceptable. Also, damn, some of those other shots were bad. I agree that she was right to stand up to Yu Tsai. But we have seen her change her makeup and hair. The thing with Keith might have been said in a private moment when there were no cameras around. They will sometimes film them getting ready but I'm sure there are some privacy rules about when they're using the bathroom and whatnot. The contestants know how to get around the cameras. And she never denied it. She was just mad that they revealed something she confided during 'girl talk' or whatever which is a bad excuse. It reflects poorly on Keith's character and more than that, to spread a rumor like that takes away some of your agency and your power to create your own self image. Imagine if Adam had gossiped like that about hooking up with Lennox (I picked those two because I think their ages are comparable). I feel like it's just more of the same. It's great that you're tall or short or you have vitiligo or whatever new issue Tyra dreams up. But the age of the supermodel has passed. The point is to blend in not stand out. Even the biggest models like Karlie Kloss get so much work because they can adapt to so many different brands. The exception might be someone like Kate Upton who is a horrible model but keeps getting booked because... guys find her attractive/people are interested in her. I don't know. Look at her ads sometimes and imagine her on top model. Her face, the way she positions her body... terrible. Also, Chantelle never took really great pictures. When they ran through her photos at the end there were maybe one or two that I liked. Slow down. I don't like the word 'bitch' either but it's Mirjana we're talking about it. It's not like it's entirely unwarranted. That made me laugh way too hard. Thanks for reminding me about that. I felt like they kept repeating it but they didn't push it really hard because they knew it was a blatant lie. You'd have to be bloody fantastic (or more likely an actor like Hugh Jackman or Brad Pitt) for them to accommodate you like that. It's highly unlikely they'd go out of their way to make a model who was 6'6 an outfit even if it just the matter of one job like a photo shoot and not casting for a runway show or something.

While ANTM's 'anyone can model' nonsense can be kind of fun I did enjoy the smack down this week on the go-sees. Will is too tall. Adam is too short. No one is into Chantelle's vitaligo. Shei's makeover is weird. I particularly loved the 'why are her eyebrows two different colors' part. Lennox is a blank slate = good working model.

Andrea Faustini: It was fine. I still find him underwhelming. Good in comparison to the X Factor competition. Extremely average compared to other people who have performed this song. Lauren Platt: I love Nat King Cole. Like, he's one of the only non-Broadway male singers that I listen to. Not sure if this was a great choice for her voice but it's perfect for her personality and stage presence. Trying to be happy and young but ultimately kind of melancholy and a bit too serious. It was fine. But I wish she'd give her voice more support. She's kind of holding the notes but she's not really singing them properly. You could hear it more in the beginning. It's like if an older singer with vocal damage and years of smoking were performing. It was pretty but kind of mediocre. Like, if an actress that wasn't known for singing did this I would think it was OK but this is not the performance that should be coming from a professional singer. Also, it started to get pitchy it in the middle and a little tortured. She doesn't have her technique down. Jay James: The Empire State of Mind bit was weak. The actual Big Band part wasn't bad. Like, still cruise ship. But he sounded fine and much less annoying. I'll give him credit for improving. His vowels were much better in this song. But I still don't think he's good and he better not win. Also, don't come to NY, Jay. We don't want you. Stereo Kicks: I know it's Big Band week but this is a terrible song choice. This is a band struggling to seem relevant and you give them Mack the Knife? This is the kind of song they would have given to Chloe Jasmine. On the one hand, it was a simple enough song that their voices weren't overwhelmed so they sounded alright and didn't stray off key. On the other hand, it exposed how weak most of their voices are. This is why they didn't cut it as solo artists. They don't have technique and their vocal quality isn't special or all that appealing. The one I like who isn't James Graham kind of flubbed his first solo but he was better the second time he came in. Really though the only one who held it down was James Graham. And he keeps looking in random directions and looking a little listless until he remembers to smile because there are eight guys and they don't have time to teach him how to act on stage. GAH! Maybe they should just go be actors or something. That was rather terrible considering most of the solos only lasted a few seconds. You had most of the week to practice 2-3 lines of a song. Even a few hours is enough to learn that much. (I know they changed song choices.) Ben Haenow: I know it's his arrangement but I hate that this is referred to as Michael Buble's Cry Me a River. UGH, Buble. Kind of rough. I feel like he wasn't landing the pitch most of the time. It just wasn't pleasant to listen to. I want to go listen to Julie London again. However, like Lauren, it fit his stage persona. He struggles with genuine. He's good with angry and kind of pissy. Only the Young: OK, Louis, I've been amused by your choices in the past but this one's embarrassing. A Katie Waissel number? Really? Only the Young are better than that. This is perfect for the really clean way the guys sing though. If you're not going to swing it or make it more like jazz or Sinatra, then Big Band is good for people who can sing cleanly. The brunette was super flat on the last note and she made the girls' small solo sound like karaoke. I needed more of the blond's baby voice punctuated throughout. Stevi Ritchie: I do not get Stevi's voice. He's not genuinely terrible like the joke acts usually are. But he's also not good. But there are moments when he sounds like he can sing. But more often he sounds breathless or out of the pocket or slightly off pitch or... I don't even know what's happening. I did enjoy the dancers whipping off their wigs and using them as pom-poms. Who came up with that amazingly stupid bit of choreography? Fleur East: For Big Band week? How is this going to work? What the hell have they dressed her in? This is a terrible arrangement of Bang Bang but I liked Fleur. I did feel like they were making me work hard to decide whether or not I liked her voice or performance with this terrible forced Big Band arrangement. Rankings: 1. Only the Young 2. Fleur East 3. Andrea Faustini 4. Jay James 5. Lauren Platt 6. Stereo Kicks 7. Ben Haenow 8. Stevi Ritchie

This can only end in tears. I may have used that line before.

Ugh. Designers do not even pretend you know the actresses currently starring in Wicked. I'm me and I don't even know the actresses currently starring in Wicked. Maybe if it had been Idina and Kristen or Stephanie J. Block or Julia Murney or Lindsay Mendez and Alli Mauzey. But do not pretend you know who these people are. I feel like a good number of the designers have no respect for Zanna (as it should be) and you can tell who is younger or lacking in confidence by who actually listens to her. "I don't know how couture it is, except for the fact that you can see her cooter" is my favorite quote of the week. Everyone is trying to be a little sassy for screentime but some of them are just so much better at it. Alyssa looked like she deflated a seat cushion and strapped it to her chest. I actually think Helen did a good job with the ruffles. The problem is the silhouette. She put all the work into the ruffles and not the design. It makes it look like she just stapled insulation to her hip. Benjamin's was very Cruella de Vil. He could have done something better with the skirt. I feel like Gunnar didn't make a terrible dress but something about it just feels old and sad. Maybe it's the colors and fabrics. Dimitri's look is a little ballroom and the slit is too high but I love it. Without the high slit and with a fuller skirt I could believe this was couture. I hate the short skirt with the butt cape. That said, Sonjia made smart decisions and chose good fabrics. I hate nude fabrics with sheer black overlays. It looks so cheap. I don't like the fabrics but I think Kate has the stronger design. I'd give the win to Sonjia because hers ended up looking better but I don't think it was due to what she put into it if that makes sense. Regardless, they're both good. Michelle's look was sad. Like futuristic insane asylum sad. This is the opposite of sparkling. Chris's look wasn't great. The one shoulder and the ruffles at the bottom felt very flamenco Barbie. That said, he went for something. Maybe it would have been better if it wasn't in that gray. Not good but better. Fabio's was OK. Justin's was clearly better. Though they need to stop with the high slits. Jay made something for Alyssa. I like Samantha's look. It was appropriately Wicked.

Maybe they look at experience/quality of work more than age? Regardless of how I feel about the designs the skill it took for Claire and Matt to put together their looks seems on par with the other. Brianna seems to be the weak link in terms of construction but as we know, that doesn't even stop people on regular Project Runway.

My recap is up on trashtalktv. The first time I watched it on the DVR this morning it felt blandly inoffensive. There were no big personalities this episode. The clothes weren't great. The judges felt like they were bringing their B or C game with the commentary. But it flew by pretty quickly. It felt like the kind of thing you watch when you're kind of zoned out. Writing the recap I found it more irritating. Last week kind of felt like a high point so this week was more annoying in comparison. I was hoping that it would be smooth sailing from here. Matt's gold lame dress wasn't that bad, cheap materials and insistence on studs aside. His Surprise Door Challenge dress was incredibly stupid. I get that you sometimes have to glue a bunch of things on the dress with the time constraints. I don't get any of the choices he made. They weren't flattering. It felt like he wasn't taking it seriously. Claire took Katy Perry who's tacky in a kind of fabulous way and just made it tacky by making knockoff Halloween costumes. The fit on the Dark Horse one seemed good though. With Claire and Matt both turning out embarrassing second looks it was easy for Brianna to sweep in and take it. Matt had the better challenge dress but if you compare her challenge dress to their second dresses, then both of her looks beat their combined looks. I'm about to pass out from exhaustion. Glad some other people are hanging in there with me.

I'm into it. I agree that Cristela is a great lead. It's kind of shocking she doesn't have more acting experience. It's traditional sitcom acting but so far I don't see any weak links in the cast. One thing that stood out to me was how these jokes would have worked better in the context of a stand up act. Having her present some of those mom jokes would have made them land in a way they didn't with the mom just doing it. I don't speak Spanish but I thought they included it in a way that felt natural without feeling obligated to translate for an English speaking audience. I didn't catch anything but I never felt alienated. Super weird seeing Pelant and not thinking of him as creepy.

I can kind of see what she was doing with Paul. She wanted him to be more like Bruno Mars. A contemporary pop artist with a bit of a throwback sound. But that's not Paul. Paul is awkward and uncomfortable on stage. Paul is not a fun guy. I don't even think Paul can do Aloe Black. Paul is more like the guy they get to sing the cover when they don't want to do a straight up sample. Like Madcon's Beggin if they had a different person come in to sing the Frankie Valli part. I don't think he's a star but they didn't do a good job of showing where he'd fit in the market. He seemed smoother in auditions but I think that's because we had low expectations at that stage and weren't as concerned with him closing his eyes and making weird faces and not moving around much.

Poor Will. Though if he's not in love and all he wants is sex can't he... you know... take care of that himself? Also, didn't the show kind of confirm that with her pathetic attempt at writing songs last season? The new one they made her record doesn't sound too bad. One thing you can say for her is that she's a good singer. I tend to like the songs they give her. Scarlett's Magical Negro made me laugh. Oh, Nashville. You're so silly sometimes. Will he get signed to Highway 65? Maybe he'll help Scarlett get over her stage fright. I'm sure in a past life he was also a musician who was traumatized by touring life. Or maybe he's secretly someone from another character's past. They love that. Right now Derek Hough's character is not giving me secretly evil vibes like Luke. He has more of a "magical perfect boyfriend" feel. Maybe they've decided to reward Juliette for once. Layla breaking the mirror was some crazy Black Swan nonsense. Who wrote this episode? It's not good. But it's kind of amazing. I get where Rayna would be hurt. Getting your ears pierced can kind of be a right of passage. And Maddie getting highlights isn't awful but I think it was meant to show that she's focusing on outward beauty as being the best possible version of herself (though didn't we just do this with the whole drinking and not fitting in thing?). I'm glad Teddy/the show called Rayna out on lashing out because she was feeling hurt. She made choices and she's going to have make sacrifices because of them. Is awesome, supportive Deacon coming back? Because that would be so great. Remember season 1 Deacon, you guys? I hope they'll really give Laura something to do this season. She and Hayden could act circles around the rest of the cast. Is Zoe about to All About Eve, Juliette? What with the looking at her outfits and learning about her secrets and hanging about her dressing room and covering for her on stage? Don't do it, Nashville. Don't do it.

So that's Scarlett's version of a party song? And they're happy with it? Didn't she supposedly write Crazy Tonight. Whatever. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. So the show and Rayna will only pay attention to Daphne if she's as bratty as Maddy? Real great message and parenting there. Juliette's texting skills are fantastic. And Luke is totally the #blessed type. Hey, offended personal trainer dude? You realize that he's married and you're sleeping around with him on the down low. It's not like he tricked you into thinking you were his boyfriend. Get down off your high horse. Also, um, how long have you been hanging out? It's a little soon to jump to love, isn't it?

I'm getting so tired of the way they're stretching it out and having people talk past each other. I'm glad at least some people know now. Of course, the opposite side of that is where almost everyone knows the secret except for one person which is also incredibly frustrating. I'm torn about how to feel about Glenn looking for pills and going to talk to Avery. On the one hand, he's looking out for her but on the other hand he's really overstepping. I feel like the show is also of two minds. Sometimes we get an awesome, capable Juliette. And sometimes they write her like a child who's about to fall apart at any moment. I loves me some Laura Benanti so I might be feeling more positive about her character than other people. They're written Juliette as a lot of things but from Gasoline and Matches I think they might be making this Sadie character as more of a bad girl of country in that Miranda Lambert way. Deacon does not need another love interest but if it keeps him happy off in the corner until they're ready to split up Luke and Rayna I guess I'm OK with it. Also, I enjoyed their little country music rap battle. They should turn that into a song. I miss the duets. Nice moment with Rayna's argument about why Sadie should sign to highway 65. I thought Jeff was going to go after Juliette and thought 'damn it, not again. Poor Juliette.' I really have no idea how he's going to go after her daughters. That makes no sense. It would have been awesome if she'd been that character all along but those of us who have been here since the beginning know that isn't true. That was HILARIOUS. "Not everything is about you" while I'm making your going away party all about me. As I make everything all about me. Rayna's dress was ugly. It would be barely acceptable as a red carpet dress. Maybe something terrible will happen to it and she'll get a new one. Or she'll end up marrying Deacon and wear a different dress. Probably something simpler with lace. None of the gold on the dress did anything for her and it looked super cheap. I can't tell if the show is trying to draw a million parallels on purpose or if the writers can only come up with a handful of plotlines. Does everyone have to have a plotline that echoes Rayna/Deacon? Before it was Gunnar and Scarlett. Now it's happening with Juliette being pregnant and Avery working his way to alcoholism.

So I'm behind but this is how I usually watch Nashville, saving a bunch of episodes up so the cliffhangers at the end don't drive me crazy. First of all, OMG, guest stars up the wazoo. Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Amanda Valentine, Alexa Vega, Laura Benanti, etc. Calm the eff down, guys. Secondly, at least so far we haven't had what I'd consider a great moment but I am enjoying the show. Rayna's relationship stuff is just kind of boring but not aggravating. Either they've finally figured out how to write it or they've just cut her off from most of the other characters that used to result in terrible writing (Teddy, Lamar, Deacon for the most part, Liam). I feel like there was a bit of backtracking with her and Scarlett. I was promised a ton of melodrama with Luke vs. Deacon and I don't feel like the show delivered. They told me Scarlett was leaving but that didn't happen and now she's just sort of floating about. It seems like they're trying to rewrite Luke as a generally nice guy and I'm not sure if they're trying to backtrack on all the ways they implied he was creepy or if they're just trying to have the eventual reveal have more impact. Zoe and Gunnar still aren't compelling. I feel like we're just waiting for them to break up and for Gunnar and Scarlett to get back together which... yes, show, please! I need more Gunnar/Scarlett duets. Sad, drunk Avery is not working for me. I'm so happy that unless they're thinking of being tricksy the baby is Avery's. Just have them get back together. They're really committing to eh whole bratty Maddie thing. I would like to know more about Daphne. I wonder what will come of her obsession with Luke. Also, she's just adorable. The show has been doing a decent job integrating touches of feminism with the head of the company asking if Jeff has a problem with women and the woman running the songwriting company (who strangely had no problem with Scarlett not working for ages even though she's under contract) talking about how they want music from a female perspective. And then there's Layla. On the one hand, I like that they've gone back to evil Layla and not secretly a virginal perfectionist Layla who they wanted us to feel bad for. On the other hand... all the bad female stereotypes! The train is on the tracks. I just need it to go somewhere.

I want to be there with you, Rinaldo. Just give me some more time with the video blog. I'm not feeling it yet. I do not trust easily. What I'm perceiving as broad comedy is making me nervous and I'm waiting for something that's going to reassure me I'm going to be blown away by their voices. But the promise of that orchestra is alluring. Though maybe I'll give the lottery a shot. I did a quick bit of youtube research. Aida seems like a spectacle of a production which appeals to me as someone who will probably be in the nosebleed seats unless I work some magic with rush tickets. I'm leaning towards Yoncheva and Gheorghiu in La Boheme with the advantage to the latter. Also, I totally fell down a rabbit hole of assessing the ABT's and NYCB's 2015 seasons. Maybe the municipal ID thing will be in effect by then. Though that could just make it more difficult to get tickets.

Cheryl wouldn't have this problem if she didn't love picking female contestants who can't sing. I've grown to like the blonde. Her singing is fine. Her voice is just a little odd. But it gives the group... not edge, really, but color, I guess. Something that makes them stand out and sound a little less generic.

So I watched the Into the Woods trailer with singing in it. Meryl Streep's voice does sound very thin. However, even though she and Johnny Depp seem to be falling back on what's comfortable as far as comedy goes, it does kind of work. At least in the trailer. My big problem is that I don't see a lot of emotions in the actors' eyes or faces. If you want me to believe in the silly world, you have to believe in the silly world. Now obviously these are very short out of context clips but it bothers me that they were so flat for much of the trailer. I did think that Anna Kendrick and Emily Blunt and Chris Pine had some moments. But right now it feels a little stilted and emotionless.

Hi, everyone! I need some advice. So I promised to do my best to see Cabaret but things are trickier than I anticipated. I've got a pretty flexible schedule but my friend does not. The only available dates now are around Christmas and then they start to free up around Jan 6. But I feel uncomfortable booking so far in advance in case Emma Stone or Alan Cumming are out sick or on vacation or we're hit with a crazy snowstorm (not outside of the realm of possibility here in NY). Any advice? I'm worried that if we don't book, we'll miss out on using Hiptix but if we do, we'll be struck by the bad luck and unforeseen circumstances genie. I'm going to try calling audience services to see if they know anything about Emma or Alan leaving later in the run due to prior commitments and if they will offer refunds or the ability to reschedule. That's the best I can come up with. Also, I'm thinking about going to see Aida or La Boheme live at the Met. Any opinions on the singers?

It's a shame it took them so long to get a taxi. Unless there's a team I particularly dislike, I'm not a big fan of taxi drama, or to a lesser extent flight drama. I'd rather have the rankings be based on how well teams do at their tasks. Brooke seems to be one of those people who is really happy when she's doing well and can't handle it when she's not. There was a bit too much complaining about the food scientists beating them. You're not out of the game. Relax. Who cares how you're ranked? Yeah, they got to the task first but they would have struggled the same amount before Amy and Maya got there regardless.

I think this is the first time another team has mentioned disliking them for anything other than being the team to beat. Jim is overly competitive but unlike a lot of other racers I think for the most part he avoids being a jerk about it. At least in person.

Yay! Another week without strength/physical challenges! I don't know what the better detour option would have been. On the one hand, I love opera and costumes so I feel like I could rock that out. Also, as memory tasks go it was fairly easy. On the other hand, if you have a steady hand and a fair bit of artistic ability the fresco task wasn't that demanding. I guess I'd give the edge to the opera as none of the teams seemed great at painting. It was a color in the lines situation. It reminded me a little of the bookmaking task in the All Stars season. You know what I mean. The one where they had to apply gold leaf and do calligraphy? The judge didn't seem that exacting here. I'm happy that Tim and Te Jay get to experience another leg of the race but I don't think they'll be around much longer.

I had a feeling it would be a NEL. They'll likely be out soon unless the wrestlers go first or another team majorly screws up but I do like them.

They continued to be fun this episode. I also think they might be the first team to really speak out against the dentists. It's a shame they couldn't secure another win but as they admitted, the dentists beat them fair and square.

I pretty much agree with you, Donny. I was happy to see them do well. They're resilient. I wish they were a little more competent but in a way they're even stronger for doing as well as they did given those setbacks.

were in the sing off. was in the sing off, you guys! Hooray! Sadly, was the one who ended up going home. Not sad because I feel any real attachment to was always fairly competent and I was really hoping it would be . Oh, well.