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This just in: Phil is feeling optimistic about TAR's future. Bonus points for giving love to the fans.

Dumber way to go out: on a game with no real learning curve, or on a completed puzzle you didn’t go to unlock? Gotta go with the latter. Biggest question now is if anybody is gonna give Joey shit on July 4. And Lucas proposed to Brittany. Whatever. How many proposals is this for TAR? I’m thinking three at least. Would’ve been better if he hadn’t gotten snippy with her in the first hour. But they lived, got first place, and Lucas figured that was the best time to pop the (long overdue) question. Can’t say that I blame him, though doing it on a reality show is really cheesy. On the other hand, I think TAR has the edge on the Bachelor franchise in terms of successful marriages. Head to Head? Not working. It’s a momentum murderer. Which firefighter is the one making dad jokes? Or is it both guys? Hey, a TAR1 flashback! And one with the Frats winning! Was that the one where they picked up tea on a Fast Forward?

Here's one of the two covers for Rick and Morty #37, due out in April. Not only is it a sweet homage to Uncanny X-Men #141, artists Marc Ellerby with Allison Strejlau threw in all the guys Pickle Rick killed in this episode.

HOF Reactions Fuck Larry Jones. Really. I don't really remember Vlad Guerreo. I mean, I knew the name, but I can't remember anything except that he started with the Expos. Jim Thome . . . wasn't he the Human Rain Delay? I'm totally confusing him with someone else, aren't I? (It's Mike Hargrove. Indians thing?) Please please please PLEASE play "Hell's Bells" at the induction!!! Congrats, Trevor Hoffman! Annnnnnnnd fuck Barry and Roger. Awesome!

Vice, right? Viceland? Whatever . . . I have too many IASIP episodes on the DVR from Comedy Central as it is.

Just wondering if anybody reading this is in the New York City area. There's going to be a Challenge-heavy get-together in June, and I reckon that I can only work up the nerve to go if I had people I knew (or kinda know) coming as well. I mean, the last time I went to an event, I basically kept to myself . . . and that shit was free. Here's the latest poster . . . Emily is the latest addition. I swear, I am not looking for an excuse to go in order to lure Johnny to the restroom and beat the snot out of him. This would be under TARCon rules . . . setting is holy ground, don't start trouble.

I realize that Nicole gets a lot of shit, and I can understand that. However, she was cast in a season of The Real World where BMP would bring in story-enhancing "Skeletons" of the roommates. Nicole's entry? Her triplet sisters, whom she had no beef with. I mean, they may have wrecked her "play," but how was that the same as bringing in exes and estranged people? I know Nicole can be . . . Nicole, but I think she is more normal than a lot of BMPers. 1. What about Leroy? When I think back to overall "careers," I don't recall a major beef with him. Okay, he did fool around with Nia, but I didn't hate him for it. 2. I went with Randy because he was also a meathead. He just wasn't as huge a meathead as Brad.

Reality Blurred links to True Dork Times' hidden immunity idol stats. Of course, I went to TBT and found more stats. I can grasp some stuff, but then people have to go one step beyond. It's like how I don't know the formula to "Wins Above Replacement" in baseball.

I don't think I've ever done Rick and Morty here. Let me remedy that. And here's the one time Jerry was a badass.

Jeeeeeeeeeeezzzz. Kinda wanting Jefferson to suit up twice an episode, because life in Freeville sucks. On an emotional level, I mean, though having a guy running shit calling himself "Lala" doesn't help. Seriously . . ."Lala." Or "La La." Thanks to Tobias and a few corrupt FPD cops for getting him killed. Also fucked up: the two dudes working in the hotel. The 100 take it over, and those two still came to work? Okay, they were probably forced into it, but my brain was all, "Wait . . . you want me to come to work ?!? It's my day off! And the local gang is holed up there! I'm not supposed to be working today!!!" At least there's no ambiguity to where Lynn stands with Jefferson. I mean, Freeville is descending into hell, but I cannot blame her for sticking to her principles. Black Lightning can be a mighty force, but his mission is probably endless, even if he keeps his crusade to Freeville. One problem gets solved, two more pop up. Like a hydra, only you don't have fire to cauterize the stumps where the heads get severed. I think her folks already know . . . unlike they think that odd name (can't remember what it was) means "boy." Did not notice Cress's gun show. I'll have to look for that, though David Ramsey has the best right to bare arms at this moment. Also: sweet effect with the electricity under the skin. And it seems like this Jefferson had his power from the start, as to using a souped-up device.

Forgot about that. So funny. And Axel could have made a little money selling those on eBay. Now . . . how do you get one of those faux Furbys on Arrow? Forgot about her in CoEX, because I was thinking of Ralph and somebody completely different. I am a sad excuse of a fanboy. More Pushing Daisies would have been nice. What show doesn't need an "alive again" Golden Retriever? Yeah, I know who you mean, @CletusMusashi, but I couldn't resist. When Barry went for the touch, anybody else expecting somebody to call his name, get distracted, and blow up the glass? Not that I wanted Barry or Iris to get hurt, but that could totally happen to Barry with his recent bad luck.

Another episode, another series of clusterfucks. Yes, Virginia, these are grown-ass adults. And while Marie's immature, Brad . . . well, he's gone. Long gone. The last decent part of him died when Darrel gave the others an impromptu boxing demonstration in The Ruins. Brad was a jackass in Cutthroat, he's a jackass now. And that sucks because he was a hard luck guy; perhaps one of the biggest ones ever. Remember the veteran guys hosing him in BOTS2? Or losing to Abram and Derrick in subsequent seasons? Maybe we'd feel better if Randy came out of retirement. I mean, Jacquese was better, but BMP lost his number a long time ago. Bottom line: Brad is basically Ken Marino as actor Just Falcon on Children's Hospital . . . just a beard and buggy eyes. Nicole is getting play. Good for her. I hope Melissa doesn't think all New Yorkers talk like her. Or Staten Islanders. I mean, Marie is right friggin' there . . . Another messed up mission that doesn't count as trivia because only two questions were asked. Teege didn't even need the cheesy suit. But hey, we get the epic story of Tony eating rotten cheese, marshmallows and mayonnaise to get $8,000 and a spot in the Troika. Yeah, this was a big step towards respectability. You betcha. Okay, the same could have been said for CT back in the day, but he was a real troubled case. Tony is just a putz.

Good episode. Ralph is still a putz, but he’s learning, and he had the Big Hero Moment, risking what he thought was certain death. Minimum? Really, really nasty pain. Is that shorthand at the end? I mean, no mystery who the lady is supposed to be if you know comics canon, but the symbols are . . . huh? Has there been anything like that popped up before? [ETA: Shit, didn't recognize her, never mind] At least Barry made a friend . . . and, of course, he’s somebody Henry saved. One question: I know “Big Sir” is based on something, but I don’t know what. “Elongated Man”? A bit postmodern, but it’s held up over the decades. Alternate title: “Mark Hamil Was Really Busy.” Good efforts from Axel and his mom. And Cisco throws a little shade on Nineties fashion, which is fun. Now . . . constantly yelling at a Caitlin to trigger Frost! That’s gonna bite the team in the ass.

Last night, I was wondering if the XY chromosome existed beyond humans, and if that would definitely apply to J’onn. It reminded me of an old JLA story where Amos Fortune plagued the team by giving them bad luck. He theorized that he could drain their “luck glands” where they’d have misfortune all the time. Martian Manhunter turned the tide because — get ready — Martians don’t have luck glands. Of course. I’m good with the Legion so far, even with a telekinetic Saturn Girl and a weirdly-colored Brainiac 5. If anybody else drops in, it’ll be a heavy hitter. I think the only one that’s for sure is off the board is XS, who may have visited Barry Allen (her grandfather in canon) before the Nazis dropped in. Different Earth, you see.

Totally missed the news the first time: Logan got nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. While one wonders if the Academy decided to throw a bone at one movie with comic origins and completely ignore another (Wonder Woman) even in the tech categories, it is a big moment for geeks like us. Also, we'd get a new printing of Wolverine: Old Man Logan with "INSPIRED THE MOVIE NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR" at the top of the book. Given the acquisition of Fox properties by Disney, I ask whether a loose adaptation of OML worked. I still think it does. The story was great, but it was basically Mark Millar making everybody suck in a dystopia save for Logan himself. Then he goes on one of the bloodiest rampages in comics history. And there were a lot of stuff related to Disney-owned characters. I like what we got in the end.

Quick question: if I like a profile on OKC, and then I can't find it the next day in my "likes," does that mean the person removed the profile? I remember seeing a nice woman yesterday, but I didn't have time to message her. I am 85 percent certain I clicked "Like," and I was going to message her today . . . only I can't find the profile. Any feedback would be appreciated. ETA: I had printed out the profile yesterday, but I can't seem to narrow down the range (age, height, religion, etc.) on OKC, which is a little frustrating.

Apparently, the Fullmetal Alchemist movie will be on Netflix in February. While I think it probably looks better on a large screen, I still think it was a good movie.

Well, there's the Brainiac 5 most people have read . . . really smart, even more irritable. Of course, if any of us were sent back to the year 1018, we'd be short on stuff like Brainy is now. And Winn got the turning point done, which has got to chap Brainy's weird-colored ass. "Okay, we have a deep space mission. Oh, and anybody with a Y-chromosome dies." How?!? I mean, would it be a given that all life adheres closely to what we know, even the life that is way out there? Do Martians have chromosomes and/or similar DNA to humans? I have more of a problem with that than Reign flying from Earth to Fort Rozz. At least Live Wire went out a hero, and Psi (whom I do not remember) broke Reign for about a minute. Oh, and now there's another human-looking woman who's basically massive destruction on two legs. BTW, where was her friend afterward? I imagine the lady squirming between the crashed cars, and the friend running as far as she can go, as fast as she can run. Is it a spoiler to say that Sam dies at season's end, and Alex adopts Ruby? Because it's way too sprocking obvious at this point. They're a good team . . . at least until Alex starts telling a bully about getting arrested. That was overkill. Funny overkill, though. And Ruby a few feet away trying not to laugh was a sweet bonus. Heh . . . "Matilda." If Doctor Who teaches us anything, it's that everybody will sound British in the far-flung future.

The second collection comes out on January 31.

Enough . . . with . . . The Nerd. Actually, he did hype the coming of a seventh Star Wars movie, so why not insert him into The Force Awakens? And throw shade on Kylo Ren? And get horrified by the way Han Solo went out? And shit, I can't remember anything else. It's like last week, when I totally forgot about the Smash Bros/Hunger Games mashup. And the live Cats revival. It's not that the bits from tonight sucked. I remember getting a kick out of some of that. But the final sketch is jammed deep into my brain, and I can't recall the other stuff. ETA: Just remembered the Stone Protectors bit. And, holy shit, that was actually a cartoon, as opposed to something Seth and/or Matt made up.

I checked Wikipedia . . . Hot Streets only has eight episodes. That's why I'm holding off on suggesting threads for a new forum. Same deal with Apollo Gauntlet. I think Hot Streets will become a fixture on Adult Swim. I mean, we got wallet light sabers, murder powder, and knowledge wizards!

@peachmangosteen: but that would mean The Amazing Race gets absorbed, and I like that show a lot better than this one. Well, there's less guilt involved. I'm just annoyed at the prospect of Cody and/or Jessica going from Big Brother to TAR to The Challenge. Aside from the alt-media stars from TAR28, I can't imagine anybody from this series being "awesome" enough to hang with the regular gang of idiots.

I read a trade paperback from the library covering Black Lightning's first adventures. Nice of the show to insert Thomas Randolph's "Justice, Like Lightning" quote in the beginning of the pilot. Also, that poem was used for Marvel's Thunderbolts in the mid-Nineties. Anyway, I think the stories hold up well. I'm wondering if the CW version will take after the original, in the sense that the electric stuff was part of his costume (the belt, I think), and he somehow managed to replicate that on his own. One thing that won't make the transition: Jefferson putting on a wig and talking more "street" as Black Lightning.

@Terrafamilia . . . crap. I haven't been watching DBZK, and I forgot that part. But still, death is never that final with those people. Gotenks is a jackass, I'll give you that . . . though he/they became the first living Saiyan(s) to go to the third level. ETA for @Terrafamilia .. . maybe the Dragon Balls are still out there. Remember, the "old" rules were negated when Kami fused with Piccolo and Dende was brought in. I don't know. To quote Goku in Team Four Star's abridgement of the Broly movie: "I'm sure I'll pull something out my butt."

@Sandman87: in defense of Goten and Trunks, it's easy to be nonplussed when massive death tolls can be undone with the Dragon Balls. Unlike Gohan, those two have lived with those things always in play. Gohan had one as a beanie for his hat.