Lantern7

With True Blood coming back on Sunday, I figured I could rerun some motivators . . .

In Devyn's defense, didn't she say she'd go at her own pace before we found out she'd be partnered with the guys? I'm still rooting for her, whether it's to win, finish, or weigh down Johnny. New idea for "Free Agents" format: instead of winning players voting people into Elimination, they would vote one male and female to be exempt from The Draw. Then you'd have two Kill Cards for each gender in play. Just tossing that out there.

And after the commerical, BMP plays Destiny Child's "Say My Name," while David admits not knowing the name of his latest conquest. The look on his face: "My mother is going to KILL me for this." Melissa still blogs every now and then . . . you can read it here.

I'm sorry, Caprice. I hope you got some cathartic yelling out. I probably would have. Nothing like watching the World Cup and seeing forlorn Swiss fans in painted faces, helmets, and giant wedges of Swiss Cheese on the helmets.

That was a fun, angst-free episode. Sure, it spoke of the temptation of having too much money, but there wasn't any real drama. Just an out-of-control Jake trying to make Wildberry Kingdom citizens to do stuff for money that they're not comfortable doing. Also: Wildberry Princess = Maria Bamford, and that's always a bonus. And with a juice-stained Finn, there's a good chance that he might've killed a berry-person, or severely wounded one.

Well, that sucked. As much as I like the idea of a final Elimination, I didn't like how it shook out. Laurel won because she's a killbot. Johnny won because he's lucky. I should add that I will never give Johnny an ounce of credit. He could climb the volcano with Devyn in one arm and a box of every weave she's ever worn and will wear in the other, and I'd be all, "Johnny's fortunate that the stress got to Devyn, because she probably lost a lot of weight." I'm glad CT got 83 percent of the Twitter vote, because that means that either people see him as someone worth rooting for, and/or they see Johnny as an absolute shitweasel like I do. Laurel getting 60 percent fit, because I'm "meh" on Theresa in general. And yeah, WTF is up with pairing people up?!? Did we learn nothing from the end of Duel II? It sucks. Also, we'll be getting a finale where times will be added up, and that's not suspenseful, unless they stagger the fourth or fifth stage starts. Am I wrong for hoping Devyn sinks Johnny like an anchor? I felt bad for her . . . though can you imagine what would've happened if she got paired with Frank? He would've hit her with the oar. Zach is lucky that he's a hunk, or nobody would like him. Note to Cara Maria and CT: Don't come back. CM, I don't see you as a would-be dominatrix that was your original status quo. You're not weak, but you wind up in painful situations. CT, you're the man. Don't let anyone tell you different. But if you keep doing the Challenge, you basically become Mark Long; that is, somebody too old for the party that keeps coming. You should've went out on top, man. Seeing you lose to fucking Johnny was painful to watch. Go home, marry Diem, and adopt some cute kids. So . . . go "Johnny Portland" and Devyn, I guess. I saw Devyn scaling the mountain, so it looks like she doesn't get disqualified. And if she beats Laurel, that would be hysterical.

Heads up: there won't be an After Show tonight. ETA: I still remember some of the stuff on MTV.com . . . like the time Blair tried to make Abram upset by yelling at him behind a Donell mask.

So . . . how bad did writer Angela Nissel fuck up a Stinkmeaner episode? Well, the guy at the AV Club gave it a D-minus. I merely see it as the Rocky V of what should have been a trilogy. Stinkmeaner himself broke the fourth wall in calling it a reboot, adding that the show doesn't respect the audience's intelligence. At least things are upfront now, right? Anyway, Stinkmeaner gets cloned, and the double starts some you-know-what moments with Robert. "Hilarity" ensues, with Robert trying to follow Huey's lead to squash the beef (thanks to an Empire Strikes Back dream), fail, then more or less becomes Stinkmeaner himself. You know . . . a you-know-what. I'd say the word, but Nissel decided to follow AMc's lead, using it like punctuation, so it would be redundant. Ed Asner returns as Robert Wunclear in a role designed for Ed Jr., pushing the Robert/Stinkmeaner fight forward. Actually, hearing that gruff voice makes me nostalgic for episodes like "The Itis" and "The Red Ball." Then I start missing Charlie Murphy as Ed III. And Samuel L. Jackson as Gin Rummy. I guess slumming on Agents of SHIELD took him away from this show. Oh, and Ruckus only gets one scene. That makes the episode a C-minus at worse. Next week: A RIley episode! And it's the finale! All we need are all evidence that this season exists, a 20-foot hole, and a shitload of concrete. And maybe all of the writers for penning a shitty, shitty season and not bothering to give us Michael Caesar to appease the fans.

Today, I found out that Titan Publishing will be publishing a Twelfth Doctor-based series to go along with books with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. This seems to be as good as time as any to start a thread on Doctor Who comics. While I consider myself to be a fan and a geek, I don't think I'll be picking up the "new" adventures of Ten and Eleven, because it would be costly in the long run for me. Besides, I put in my time when IDW had the license, and the comics were pretty good. I'd recommend picking up the trade paperbacks . . . like "The Forgotten," where the Doctor has to piece together his lost past at a museum seemingly devoted to him. I'm also reading the Eleventh's stories in Doctor Who Magazine. The imported tpbs are a bit pricey, but some of the stories are stellar. For instance, "The Betrothal of Sontar" collection includes "The Lodger," where Ten rooms with Mickey after losing his TARDIS. Yes, that's where the Eleven story came from. And there's "The Time Of My Life," which was the perfect tearjerking coda for Donna Noble. I also lucked into a collection of Nine stories, including one where he and Rose meet Shakespeare long before "The Shakespeare Code." For spits and giggles, here are two variant covers for the Titan books. I saw them at Special Edition at the Midtown booth, and I just had to share. Of course, poor Mickey gets shafted, but I like the other showcased companions.

Question: wouldn't it be easier for NBC to air LCS on Monday nights at 8, instead of showing the repeat? That works better for me, because I can chase it with American Ninja Warrior for a full three-hour experience. Instead, they run it on Thursdays at 10, when I'm watching The Challenge. I'd like to see more Amy Schumer. Is she the only LCS alumnus slated to be involved this season? Or am I forgetting somebody else? ETA: WTF was Tell It To My Balls Lady thinking with the ukelele? And the bow tie again??

The octopus is dead? That would explain the cloud and the halo.

That would explain the octopus trying to choose between boxes marked after Belgium and Algeria. Kinda. Sorta.

Caprice . . . I'm a crap magnet myself. I went to the library and missed the first US goal. Who scores in under a minute? I managed to get home and caught the rest of the game, including Ghana's equalizer and the US going up 2-1 four minutes later. One game down, two to go . . . and maybe more afterward.

I should be taking notes because I'm bad at names. To review: No women completed the course. Over 30 people completed the course, including a dude dressed as a "ninja baby." His wife was cheering him on while wearing a bonnet. A father/son team walked onto the course. Dad wrecked his leg on the Warped Wall, while Junior couldn't make it up there. The guy in the promos with the prosthetic foot? Fell in the second obstacle. Flip Rodriguez wound up getting his butt wet climbing down the cargo net. "Devastating" just about covers it. Meanwhile, his rival (whose name escapes me) wound up finishing the course in under a minute.

Out of curiosity, is anybody reading Dracula's Gauntlet online? I'm limited tech-wise, so I'll probably wait until it's collected. It's a little jarring to see Wade suddenly hitched to Shiklah, because I don't read online-exclusive material. So far, the Original Sin tie-in seems to be working well. If the search for Wade's daughter doesn't tickle your fancy, there's always Deadpool teaming with a time-displaced Dazzler (in her roller disco glory) to fight vampires.

Just checking to see if anybody is reading the book. I got to meet Kurt Busiek yesterday. I asked if there was going to be anything special for the book's 20th anniversary next year. He said that it would be embarrassing to go twenty years having done (by his count) 80 issues. He's also been healthy, so he should be plugging away on Astro City for some time.

I'm still recovering from Special Edition. A lot of it comes from walking . . . because there was no shuttle services, I had to walk down 34th Street. I wound up walking 16,077 and 12,717 steps. The con itself was pretty mellow. I was expecting something bigger, but it was a nice comics-exclusive show that was a nice lead-in to NYCC in October. Also, I got to see Gail Simone for the first time in a long while, and I managed to carry on a conversation with Kurt Busiek without being a total dork about it. I wound up getting eleven sketches, including five on blank covers. Those things are like crack for me, since I can get them filled out while I keep my sketchbook on me. Here's what I got: Aquaman #15 God Hates Astronauts Preview X-Men Legacy #1 Black Widow #1 Ghost Rider #1 Space Dandy Shiklah (Deadpool) Nami (One Piece) as Catwoman Deadpool Wapol (One Piece) Excalibur (Soul Eater) And here are my pics. Not as many as AnimeNEXT. Also, my camera was acting wonky, and it might be time to have it replaced.

Yeah . . . from what I remember, he's gone from the bullpen into the rotation. I don't think he's as old as Pedro Martinez when the Mets picked him up. I'm still recovering from Special Edition. Here are the eleven sketches I picked up over both days. I've uploaded the pics (which are a little light) onto my new laptop, and I'll post those later tonight. I'm a little conned out right now . . . dunno when my next fix will come in, and I'm not in any real rush. ETA: Here's the latest Epic Rap Battle, and it comes with a few surprises. Also, the duo behind ERB are featured in YouTube commercials, and the next concept has been revealed.

I think I set a personal record today. I logged in 16,077 steps today at Special Edition NYC. Wound up getting five sketches total, and I'll be going tomorrow for more. If I'm not a whimpering wreck by Monday, I'll consider it a victory. ETA: Logged in 12,717 steps today. All in all, it was a small, mellow convention, though it does make for a nice appetizer for the main course in October.

Just caught the episode. Damn, Eren was a little psychopath. He killed two grown men, and probably would've gotten the third if he knew about him. And yeah, I think we need a little humor, because a lot of the people on this show are evil enough without Titans gobbling folks up. Armin is the blonde kid, right? How long until he snaps and frags somebody? Turns out there's a "Crowning Moment of Funny" page for this show on TVTropes.com . . . and that's where I found this GIF. Late for school indeed.

According to TV Guide and the Animal Planet website, there's going to be an "Episode 36" on Saturday, June 21. Start crossing your fingers for which undiscovered puppies/kittens you want covered. ETA: Looks like we'll be getting kittens next Saturday . . .

Latest column from David Jacoby. It's all about The Challenge this time, with no Bachelorette at all. Sadly, he's a little too appreciative of Teege's abilities as a host.

Johnny and Devyn are beyond lucky. I'm guessing Devyn got off the hook because the universe demanded a battle more epic than (ugh) Bananas/Jordan. Of course, Cara Maria is hurt, and she has to smack her wounded hand into the wall in order to win. It's like Ralph Macchio/Billy Zabka, with CT as Pat Morita. Of course, CT can't apply healing magic to Cara's wounded paw because he has to bury Leroy. That's a no-win battle, because both are good guys. Meanwhile, Zach is a Tarzan-wannabe, Johnny is meh (only best when interacting with Averey and Daisy), and fucking Bananas is Bananas. Who wants him to win a fifth Challenge? Looks like the finale will be with four people per gender, with fourth place getting pocket change. Even with the highlight teaser, it's still fun to imagine Devyn beating Laurel. Who doesn't root for that? Hell, Laurel has finished second three times. What's once more time, just to piss her off and send her into a baby-eating spree? That's assuming she beats Cara Maria, of course. Speaking of CM . . . even with entitlement issues, I think she's got guts. She deserves a better break than the ones she's been getting. And if she winds up winning the whole thing, I might consider that bigger than Sarah winning five Gauntlets and a share of the winning team's pot in The Gauntlet. And I still friggin' adore her.

Just what I always wanted . . . Kenny. And highlights with Abram, Evan, and Julie. Oh, and CT when he was a Cro-Magon. And friggin' Snooki, who doesn't seem to have a personality. Man, I kinda wish I was running the show, because I'm more of a "Superfan," even when I hate myself for it. There were good moments, though . . . seeing Katie rip Veronica is always awesome, because -- you might want to pull up a chair, Zach -- bitch had it coming. CT & Diem was sweet, though not as sweet as "Bananas Backpack." And it's good to see that Laurel would draw the line at what Julie did. Damn, seeing her making the crybaby motions still pisses me off . . . not as much as Veronica ridiculing Sarah, though. Seriously, who hooks up with Abram? He's probably more of a psycho than people make CT out to be. And yes, I'm beginning to see how some people like Zach. If he behaves and cuts his hair, maybe there's something worth rooting for. Oh, and I like CT cleaned up.

Here's the blog on what got covered at the "Anime We'll Never Get Panel." There was some interesting stuff, like mecha maids, a bartender-based anime, sports anime, and Saint Young Men, which is still bonkers to me. And here's what was covered in the "Great Openings" panel. I would've thrown in Neon Genesis Evangelion and at least one theme from Asian Kung Fu Generation, but that's me. ETA: Also off the hook . . . Legend of Koizumi, which is like Yu-Gi-Oh!, only with mahjong instead of a children's card game, and world leaders instead of snot-nosed kids. Here's the (unsubbed) trailer with Bushes Sr. and Jr.