Lantern7

To review: Big Brother and Survivor contestants get inserted into The Amazing Race. Twins Natalie & Nadiya from TAR go into one season of Survivor (Nadiya's the first one out; Natalie wins the whole thing). We got Big Brother people on The Challenge, and there have been a few names we know that are rumored to be in Celebrity Big Brother. At this point, I think we're about five years away from a Battle Of The Viacom Stars situation, where "famous" people just get stuffed into one place, get fed alcohol every few hours, and we get to see the resulting chaos.

This week: The crew visits Papa Avdol; Polnareff makes wishes on an old lamp, and brings back his sister as . . . well, I think "Ghoul" fits, given that this is an anime. Next week: Polnareff tells his friends what happened; his friends take the first half of the episode trying to beat the stupid out of him. Maybe it's all that hair weighing down on his brain. I know that characters are apt to lose intelligence in situations like that, but it looked like horror movies never ran in France. Maybe people weren't as savvy about tropes in the Eighties, but it never occurred to Polnareff that wishing his dead sister Cherie back to life was a bad idea. Of course the genie -- "Cameo" -- was a Stand. My guess is that Joseph attempts to keep DIO away from Papa Avdol was in vain, and DIO probably parked a dude on the island "just in case." If he has a right hand person like Enyaba was, someone that could see where the gang was heading, I'd also buy that. Not much else to add. Papa Avdol has names for the chickens . . . in particular, "Michael," "Prince" and "Lionel." I am an easy mark, because that was funny.

This week: Future Trunks. And what's worse than two nihilist cyborgs androids running amok after murdering all the superior fighters (and Yamcha)? Goku Black. We get less than a minute of him, and I reckon he's smarter than our guy. Like @Sandman87 said, he's got a Kai earring. Botched resurrection? Evil Goku from another universe? Another timeline? Both? And we know he's evil because he killed Bulma. Dude, Vegeta doesn't do that, and Standard Model Goku is way nicer. I'm guessing Krillin didn't think Goku could go to Beerus' world without Whis. But Goku can, and he does, and he gets punched in the face upon arrivial. If the movies are canon (shaky, I know), that's the second time he's gone Instant Transmission into a punch . . . first team was from Krillin in the Broly movie.

No, she has been invited to this motherfucker. Maybe. Like I said, it's all speculative. Maybe she expressed interest in returning. Maybe she made a donation to TJ's favorite charity to "atone" for bailing out of Gauntlet III. I believe she peaked around Fresh Meat, and she might be as relevant to the series as Veronica these days. But yes, the prospect of the bitch that's worth rooting for does excite me.

@snappy : PM coming your way. I haven't been paying attention to Travelocity commercials. Do they still have the talking gnome? I'd wonder if they could bring in plush gnomes that talk what you squeeze 'em, but then we wouldn't have the suspense of their possibly breaking, so that's probably never going to happen on TAR.

The figures came out two weeks ago, with a suggested retail price of $9.99. So, of course, after hitting a bunch of places, I got two at Hot Topic for $11.90 each. Plus tax. Here's what I wound up with: a "chase" Twelve and the Face of Boe. Helpful hint: if you hold the box and it feels heavier than usual (maybe a few ounces), you'll probably be getting FoB, or ether of the TARDIS consoles. The picture doesn't show the trends and the equipment on the back of the figure. I got a sketch of teeny FoB with Cassandra in 2011, and I figure that the figure would make excellent reference material for an artist for something a little bigger.

Yep, the series that will not friggin' die is prepping for another season. Like the last two times, I'm setting up a thread on who will appear that series. If you want to share results spoilers. please start another thread for that. I found this list via Facebook, with folks that got asked and who's out of the running. I recommend taking a few grains of salt with you, because it's speculative at this point. Once again, BMP is reaching beyond their universe . . . and two cast members from Survivor: Millennial vs. Gen X are in play. I do not remember Taylor or Jessica at all. I think she went by "Figgy," but the name is all I can recall. For the most part, it's a mix of the same assholes that keep succeeding, the mainstays that seldom progress, and a lot of names I do not recognize. Or want to do research on. There are a few interesting bits: The "Contacted" list has Brad and Tori . . . Hall. The prospect of Brad's ex sharing a season with him after casting so much shade might be reason enough to tune in. Oh, and Britni ias in play. It probably won't happen, but fans of extreme chaos might love that prospect. Also on the list: Tony and Madison. Ugggggh. Sarah is on the list. I know, this is all speculative, and I can't see a way for her to return to the series that doesn't involve Camila-level amounts of damage. She is on the list. That could change. Also listed: Abram (maybe taking a break from serial killing?), Jay (possible return after bowing out of the BOTS2 finale) Robb (St. Thomas; who remembers him?), Jenna (all healed up from CvS), and fucking Tina. You remember her last appearance . . . facing two woman in the final Gulag and losing both times. Also, she barely hit Beth in The Duel. Cody and Jessica from Big Brother are on the list. This is starting to bug me. They met last summer on Big Brother, they're currently seen running The Amazing Race, and now this. I'm not seeing the appeal. Coral. Is. On. The. Contacted. List. My reaction upon seeing her name was basically, "Don't you bastards fucking tease me!!" She's been out of the game, she might not be as athletic as in her heyday (she did make three straight finals), but I am genuinely excited at the mere prospect. Cut to July/August, where she doesn't get an invite or she turns it down, and I'm wistfully reading this thread, imagining what could have been, and praying for an anvil to land on Johnny's head. He's on the list, by the way. Surprise, right? What do you guys think? Once again, this is mostly speculation, and I tend to trust Stop Being Polite about rumors, but at least it's a decent starting point.

I just need to get stuff cleared up. Daisy destroys the world The gang manages to survive, though they're frustrated by Robin's abilities. Robin meets the team we know . . . . . . but they were propelled forward in time by Enoch. So, if SHIELD goes back to their proper time, the crap timeline doesn't happen. But Daisy still might destroy the world But her teammates survived and acted like they had not been in the future. It's like I can grasp the concept, but it keeps slipping out of my hand. Basically, I'm kinda tired of blue assholes and human assholes and giant cockroach assholes. The only really nice part of this week's episode is seeing May as the greatest post-apocalyptic adoptive mother ever. Oh, and Mack demonstrates the magic of the shotgun axe to Flint. Who needs Mjolnir? Just send Mack to meet Thanos and embed that baby in the swollen purple noggin. But then we wouldn't get a fourth Avengers movie . . . ETA for the two or three people who would get it: "Now there are three Axls. But Axl is dead."

Do the Mets really need the attendance boost, especially when it'll probably be minute at best?

Like I said, I never write back when I am denied, and I think this is the first time I've been on the other side, so I don't know all of the unwritten rules. Also, I did not made my decision to get on that side. My intent was not to offend, @theredhead77.

Short story: the date was mostly okay, but I decided it wasn't going to work. New question: I wrote my sentiments three days after the date. Is she under any obligation to write back to confirm? I do not believe she is, mostly because I never respond when a potential match turns me down. Basically, the most I would do is smile in a forced manner, say "Good luck" behind clenched teeth, and proceed to hate myself for a few days. I don't think I'm that mature, to be honest.

I was hoping that the designers (and Jodie, as it turns out) looked at Six's cat broach, and worked in a black cat with Thirteen. Bit of a leap, but it might have been cute.

How about this . . . Oliver finds a rando, gives him hockey gear and a gun, and that guy is the new Wild Dog. "Rene, I totally respect your decision. I was thinking of retiring your identity, especially since we got Diggle stabilized. But I figured people expect a guy in a mask with little peripheral vision firing an automatic weapon. Also, the only thing he says is 'Hoss,' so it's like you never left!" Hey, I can be snarky. Also, if Rene dies, Oliver might wind up "saving" the daughter by adopting her. I know some folks are tolerating William, but that might have been a fluke. [ETA: I mean that I saw a lot of people rooting for William to die a gruesome death last season, but he seems okay . . . at least for a boy who lost his mother, and his biological father is a mayor of a large city and a vigilante. Small "v," not capital.]

Once again, my hope is that CBS would see TAR as worthy of renewal. Two seasons/cycles would be good, though I'll understand if we get the single edition. And yes, I'm concerned CBS pulled the plug. I realize that thirty seasons is far better than the raw deal ABC gave The Mole (five seasons total, two "celebrity" editions, exiled to crap time slots), but I'm still prepared to be very, very upset.

I'll try to articulate, since I've been having problems with that lately. Basically, I feel that both sides have done shady shit. I don't think that those actions cancel each other, and Rene turning on Oliver to get his kid back -- a girl whom he's finding it difficult to bond with -- is unjustified and irredeemable. Okay . . . I get the hate. I just don't get the "these people should get killed in humiliating ways" POV. I mean, everybody is fictional, but it seem feels like overkill. That's how I feel. Once again . . . I hope that I've said my peace (piece?) in a comprehensible manner.

NTA = New Team Arrow = Curtis/Rene/Dinah? I'm sorry, guys, but I get their point of view. I also get Oliver's POV as well, which makes the split worse. If this had happened before Earth-X, the only way NTA would've fought is if there knew that the other Oliver was the leader. Then they'd try for catharsis. I'm not gonna hate NTA or whatever they'll dub themselves (if anything), and I'll be more concerned about how all of the bad guys are going to be taken down. Also, hoping that Quentin and Thea break their kindasorta father/daughter relationship by turning it into something more . .. dubious. Seriously, has Oliver faced a mob like this? A bunch of asshole enemies and their respective armies . . . doesn't seem fair. I know, that's the point, and that's nowhere near as bad as what's going on in The Flash ("Hey, can we borrow Vibe or Kille- . .. wait, what do you mean your hands are tied?") , but even with casualities on his side, Oliver will probably win, and that mean a less-believable story. For a superhero-based drama, I mean.

Funimation is putting out a DVD set for Yuri!!! on Ice next month. I think this is the first dubbed version, but I'm probably wrong. Here's the trailer. In case you were wondering . . . yes, "History Maker" is a big part of it, and it is the definition of "earworm."

Rolling Stone interviews Jonathan Murray and Julie Pizzi. Basic gist: show is awesome, they get great characters, Johnny is good TV, and the "Champs Vs." series might be an ongoing thing. as well as a place for Mark Long to return. Oh, and it was MTV's idea to import cast members beyond AYTO, which probably means the series will become "Battle Of The Viacom Stars" in about five years.

I could have phrased that a lot better. In my mind, the Big Brother casting department brings in a lot of nutters. Perhaps nothing but. And there was a time -- back in 2001 --- when a contestant got ejected for holding a knife to a woman's throat. I think that might be the most extreme case, but I don't keep up with BB controversies. I saw that Cody spent a lot of time in the military, there is a part of me that is thankful for his service. But mostly, my brain goes, "Shit, a Big Brother contestant that can fire a weapon and once had the authority to do so?" That's a bit scary, even if Cody is "better" than the average BB contestant. Also, I tend to see a lot of people on reality television which I consider "Section 8," regardless of being in the armed forces . . . like Philip Shepherd (two seasons of Survivor, bad mix of clueless and arrogant) and Abram Boise (longtime Challenge veteran, whom I believe to murder drifters and hobos on a semi-regular basis). ETA: Ah, spit. Sorry about that, @Whimsy.

Mets reveal Free Shirt Friday designs. Only three feature players, and just one has a face . . . who is that for June 22? I can't read his neck. My fave is the pizza place shirt, but it's white. I never wear white t-shirts. Too easy to see me sweat.

Oh, I thought the official term was a French word, either from TARCAN or wherever that got started. "Face-Off" sounds good . . . though given that hockey isn't as big in the US as it is in Canada (which is not a disparaging jumping-off point, I swear), "Head-to-Head" works. I stand by my ideas to tweak it, especially if those get planted at the end of a leg.

The Melissa/Natalie cheerleader footage got posted on Instagram by the show. I saw that posted on Facebook with this reaction from Jordan: "I legit got dumber after watching this..." Dude, tell us what you really think. This is The Challenge. All optics are average at best, and the players don't give a flying fuck.

Challenge stuff up for auction to benefit MedGift. Item with the biggest bid thus far? Diem's game-worn Gauntlet III jersey at $320. Terrell Owens' jersey from CvS is currently at $56. which also equals the amount of money he left behind bailing out. Probably not, but it's fun to imagine.

One more idea: if you wind up waiting for an extended period (like Goat Gals last week), you should get an advantage when the contest begins. From what I heard, the Firefighters kept the Goats waiting for three hours. I know that the ladies probably would've imploded over time, but that ending for them didn't seem right.

Shit. Le Gimmick returns at least once next week. And it centers on bocce ball? *sigh* Why, Elise & Bert? Seriously, I'd like to know what stuff was their ideas, and what CBS "recommended" for the series to continuing airing. I'm not rooting for anyone in particular yet, but the Kristi & Jen bandwagon probably has room, and they have finished in the top three every leg thus far. And "Well Strung" has finished fourth all three episodes.