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Press release for "Cock Magic." Even with a rated-PG-sounding synopsis, I'm still scared about the implications of the title.

Just checking to see if anybody else is reading the event. Earth-4 (the Charlton Comics-based world that inspired Watchmen) comes into play this week. Also, it turns out Jim Lee will be providing art on "The Mastermen," which is due out in February.

Damn. And I think of myself as a hater. Who'd go after Daisy like that? I'd even give somebody like Nia a pass on showing support, and I think of her as a gold digging bitch most of the time. Has there been any indication as to when MTV would do a tribute? I would think they'd do it soon, as opposed to wait until the Challenge airs. It's not as if any of their programming would suffer for it, right?

Thanks for being a jackass, Knight! I do wonder how Jamie Chung knows Diem, given how her one tour of Challenge duty (Inferno II) took place before Fresh Meat. I guess Jamie stays in contact with the BMP circle, as opposed to fleeing for stardom. And I'm curious as to how BMP will handle Diem's departure. I honestly wouldn't blame them if they took her and CT out of the series. I do expect them to do something clunky and unhealthy no matter what, since it's BMP we're talking about. Has there been any contact information as to where to send condolences? Or to get in touch with CT? I confess that I'm worried about the lunk myself, given his history with Diem.

Sandman87. . . it was pretty bad. Sanji had the thick Brooklyn accent (see also: "Wheeler, Joey") and he was sucking lollipops. Smoker's cigars were edited out as well. And Luffy wasn't bloodied when he was fighting Crocodile for the third time . . . apparently, he was "sweating" really hard, and that was the difference in fighting the guy with the sand-sand power. Didn't Kalifa and Kaku get told that they'd know what their Devil Fruit powers would be after eating it? I guess Shanks found out about the Gum-Gum Fruit before Luffy could.

*hugging Maharincess, just because* Anybody else having trouble relating to the mainstay Challengers as human beings? With their reactions to Diem's passing, I might have to see them as more than one-dimensional people from now on.

I wouldn't call it "needless," especially since Toonami decided to pick up the series from the 200s. Also, the dub is from Funimation, which means no shenanigans. It means no Sanji with a Brooklyn axe-ent, which is a bit of a shame, but something I can live without.

Yikes . . . HD-unfriendly bars! Flashbacks from 1999! Sadly, we're getting at least three more weeks of filler, so we'll have to get used to it. Also, Luffy's backstory isn't anywhere close to being revealed. On the other hand . . . damn, Shanks is a badass. How the hell does he not bleed out after the sea king ate his arm? Oh, snap . . . Straw Hat Theatre! Did not expect Funimation to dub that. It's silly filler . . . but at least it's not bland.

Given the passing of Diem yesterday, I figured that we could talk about her original tour of duty on Free Agents. She was part of an experiment, to infuse new talent into the Challenge franchise, pairing newbies with cast members from The Real World and Road Rules. Truth be told, I've forgotten a lot about FM. For one thing, all I can remember about Diem was how she went out in the final endgame along with her teammate Derrick, who was still in his hard luck phase of his career. Also, this was before the cancer hit her for the first time. Darrell & Aviv wound up winning . . . the latter being a former Israeli solider (IIRC) who would never be seen on the franchise again because she was too normal. We'd wind up with the likes of obnoxious Kenny (paired with Tina), fat guy Eric (Katie), and agro Evelyn (Danny). There was also the scrub Casey, who would win five times partnered with Wes, tying Sarah's record in The Gauntlet. I try not to think about that, because both first-timers sucked so hard. On the flip side, Coral found a buddy in Evan, and they topped the standings for the bulk of the first half of the season, being entertaining in the process. Then Evan suffered a hernia, Coral got hurt as well, and they were forced to bow out. This was back when I regarded the Canadian as far less of a pantload than I do now. Coral will always be golden for me. Anybody else want to share fractured memories about Fresh Meat?

lathspel . . . yeah, I think "Aokiji" is an official name. I think it's a vice-admiral thing.

I like the boys' horrified reactions to Cartman's suggestion. Then he volunteers Butters for the task, forcing the little guy to wonder what kind of team he was on.

Review of the latest episode. It seems the memorization challenge was taken off the trash heap thanks to Dalton Ross convincing Probst to do so. Also, Mike White had dinner at Probst's house, and he reacted negatively to Redemption Island. Apparently, if you have Probst's attention, he would be open to making changes. Something to keep in mind for the future. Also, I'm tickled that Natalie could win the game, and she still wouldn't have made the greatest impact on the show for an ex-Racer. I still think sticking a hidden idol in the tribal idol is the way to go. I will give the production team credit for making the idols a little harder to find. It didn't stop Jon from finding the latest idol, but I'm convinced Alec wouldn't have gotten it as easily if he was sent to Exile Island.

"Believe in the Luffy that believes in you"? I can see that.

Today, I found out that a long-time Challenger passed away from a cancer relapse. Diem Brown was 32, which is too young for that sort of thing. Between that, the twentieth anniversary of Pedro Zamora's death, a sucky Survivor and TAR getting shelved for some bogus movie awards show tonight, I'd say this isn't a good time to be into reality television. Meanwhile, Carl makes his pick in Bears/Vikings, and he pays for it. Dearly. Sorry for the mood whiplash, but I'm a sucker for those videos.

I didn't find out until just now. I know she wasn't the most popular cast member, but I don't think anybody should have to go through what she had to endure, not even those that are beyond redemption. As entitled as she could be on the show, I don't think she was that hate-worthy. And yeah, I can't imagine what CT is going through. After BOTExes, I wanted them to get hitched and adopt lots of kids. To me, they were the Elaine & Puddy of the Challenges. Anybody have some good memories of her? Right now, I'm thinking of her and CT in The Duel. I'm trying to avoid how he let her down at the end of BOTE. I can barely remember her and Derrick in Fresh Meat.

I've started getting into AMVs. Here's one about OTP/shipping. I had to pause a few times to read the small print. Needless to say, the Eren Yeager/Edward Elric fanfic is pretty traumatic to read, even if the dialogue is rated PG-13. And I suspect everybody's tolerance of Haruhi is different, so to each their own. Personally, I found her extremely annoying, and I just watched her anime's first DVD. ETA: Any thoughts about InuYasha: The Final Act? It's going to run on Toonami/[adult swim] starting this Saturday. I found the original anime to be one long blur with a few good moments. I'll give credit to Kagome, who was into the bow long before it became cool.

I forgot about the "Arsenal" line. That was also amusing. Not as much as the boxing glove arrow, but it was a cute in-joke.

I think this was an average episode saved by a killer ending. And yes, watching Butters punch his dad in the nuts was awesome. Too bad it was all an illusion in Stan's simulation.

Boxing glove arrow FTW. I laughed and cheered seeing that. I know, it's not feasible in actual practice, but dammit, it's a cute nod. I liked the episode, probably because I didn't want Laurel to get smacked. And I didn't feel that she was being propped up to be more, though her interactions with Ted were inappropriate on a legal level. How can the DA have a conversation with her trainer when he's accused of murder? Anybody else a little bummed that Ted didn't wear a wildcat suit at any time during the episode? I guess I'm a fan of the timeless palooka of the JSA. At least Roy got closure about Sara. Of course, now he has to think about having killed an officer, but I'm sure that'll be hand-waved away. And I don't think Cupid did it. Who isn't into archery these days? Every Tom, Dick and Katniss is picking up a bow.

That was kind of fun. At least I can tell Josh and Reed apart now. Whose idea was it to send Jon to Exile? If you're going for fair play and safety, Alec would've been the correct pick, because he probably wouldn't have been able to decipher the clue. He doesn't strike me as a bright boy. Jon acts like he's got a few marbles in his head, so his figuring out the clue was all but guaranteed. Can't pick a side between the boys and girls. I'm a guy, but I wouldn't try to be that rude to anyone. On the other hand, Baylor probably needs to be checked for a pulse worse than Julie. Not that I'd say that with Missy within earshot, of course. Nice to see Natalie behaving herself, because I feel that I need a dog in this race (so to speak). I keep expecting a teaser where she flares up, like she did with John, but that hasn't happened again. Good for her.

Saw the movie today. Compared to the live-action Marvel movies, it falls flat. By itself? Not bad. I give it a "B" . . . not as good as The Lego Movie, but it's a fun ride. Baymax steals the show as the cuddliest robot ever invented. I know, I know . . . but you'd cut yourself if you tried to snuggle WALL-E. There is an after-credits epilogue: dorky Fred finds out his father is a secret superhero. Voiced by and modeled after Stan Lee, of course. It's a cute scene, but it pales -- once again -- to the live-action Marvel movies, especially when you have a full bladder and you really have to go to the restroom. Oh, and I don't think this would tie BH6 to The Incredibles, though I'm guessing that won't stop some people. ETA: The short film preceding BH6 -- "Feast" -- was also pretty cute. It wasn't annoying, even after going through a seemingly infinite amount of kiddy movie trailers, including the Annie relaunch. Not happening for me, guys.

Story on the 20th anniversary of Pedro Zamora's death. Anyone else feel really old now?

It takes me a while to process the episodes, since I'm usually only half-watching in the beginning while posting on The Flash. What I've seen is a tighter show, with fewer headaches and a Skye that doesn't need to be smacked. Isn't that all we asked for? It's going to be disappointing when the show gets shelved in January. Was it ever established what TAHITI stood for, if anything? I saw a meme that suggested it meant "The Alien Hidden In The Incubator," but I'm guessing that's unofficial. Lucky that no Avengers were subjected to it . . . imagine a revived Captain America carving on walls with his shield. Or Thor with his hammer. Sad thought. "Hail Hydra." That cracked me up. Thanks, Skye! And damn, Ward + razor = awesomeness. And he cleans up wicked nice. Richard Kimble would be jealous. ETA: I should consider Coulson to be an asshole, especially what he did with Skye, but I'm still on his side. I guess Clark Gregg is that good.

Grodd! Awright!! Sorry . . . I know we have Plastique and Clancy Friggin' Brown, but Wells' plans involve more than a throwaway reference from the pilot. If this show can make Grodd into a credible character, then we'll be dealing with some next-level stuff. I'm Cisco-level giddy. Tonight's episode? Once again surpasses Arrow in the sense that it's not gloomy, even when somebody gets killed. Plastique deserved better than to get killed and blown up, but it didn't feel extraneous. Meanwhile, Iris has a conversation with (eyeroll) "The Streak," and she doesn't come off as painful to watch as Laurel. Or Barbara over on Gotham. Iris might be a pain in the ass, but she's a relatable pain. And I hope General Elling comes back, because Clancy Brown rocks hard. I'm glad Wells didn't kill him. I'm also glad that Elling might know that Wells is faking, and that would make him into a worthy nemesis. We got to see Barry run on water and up a building. It's basic Flash-stuff, but it's good to realize it on screen. On the other hand, I can't recall a story where Barry (or Wally) couldn't get buzzed. 500 proof alcohol is no joke, and it's sad that Barry still can't feel a buzz for long . . . but I like sober Barry. Fewer hang-ups than Ollie.

So . . . who else watches the show? I get a few LOL moments, and having a satanic dog as the protagonist is interesting . . . but a lot of the time, it's just a way to kill time before Squidbillies. And watching the father coma-dream about being a dog was a little too surreal. Stupid question . . . Dethklok does the theme song, don't they? Otherwise, that's one helluva Nathan Explosion impression the lead singer has going. Anybody else fanwank that Mr. Pickles is a show in the Metalocalypse universe, produced by Dethklok?