All hail his Noodliness! Ra-men.

I once met a native German man who was an English teacher and was married to a British woman from Dorset. He'd learned RP English (as do most Europeans, I gather), but after living with his Dorset-born wife for many years, he had acquired a Dorset accent when he spoke English. His accent was a super odd/unusual German…

FUCK YES, BALTIMORE!!!!!

I knew a girl from Bulgaria when I was in grad school who spoke I think six languages, and she spoke all of them with a nearly native accent, regardless of what age she had learned them. I don't know if I've ever been more envious of anything in my life than I was of that skill of hers.

I'm not going to look it up, but statistically speaking, that film, like most, was probably written, directed, and produced by men. It's a male fantasy, that men remain attractive to young women all their lives. Individuals vary, but the ONE medium that traffics in fantasy by and for women clearly shows that it isn't…

Your point about Dougal being the elderly first husband of the mysteriously still virginal heroine is spot-on, though. Lord help me I'm glad that trope finally eased off.

I don't know if it has to do with the fact that I have read all the books (more than twice), but I don't consider Outlander a romance novel. It is a love story set in a well-researched background of history, surrounded by complex and very interesting characters. and situtaions. I've sampled two "romance" novels…

Ah, now yes I can see that. What I was reacting to - and too strongly, probably, so sorry - is the idea that romance is full of rapey old guys and young women who fall for them because they're powerful, when old never meant 40 or over, and when this particular series was the one that broke the barrier for older…

My goodness, this man.

Dougal is in his fifties. No romance novel would ever feature him as the hero. His typical role would be the too old first husband of the heroine, and his job would be to die so she could marry the actual hero.

I totally agree with you about the frankly excessive female nudity on the show, but this really is one scene where Cersei has to be naked. It's crucial. It's absolutely critical to the plot that she's undressed in this very specific way. If they were only allowed one nude scene in the entire series, it would need to…

Don't fuck with Retta OR Donna Meagle.

It's not the smiling, it's emoting at all. Namely in roles where she's being paid to emote.

its probably more about her ability to act

I'm a grad school TA. Honestly, there have been one or two moments where I thought a student might be flirting, but more likely they just wanted to get into my class next quarter.

I've heard rumors of one or two TAs going down to Undergrad Bone Town, but it just seems so not worth it for several reasons, least of all…

You know that part in The Handmaid's Tale, where Offred described how Serena Joy was some powerful bigshot anti-feminist fundamentalist televangelist in the old America. And when Gilead was created and everything that she preached for came true, all she's left in her pathetic little life with is the power to make a…

i don't know. i'm taking the whole thing as they were both super drunk and started having sex in public. the "do you want this" sounds like the bystander is asking if she wants to be doing this - having sex in public and being photographed, etc.

"price upon request" is Fashion for "you can't afford it. AT. ALL."

I am the person who loves Lucky. I don't care about that Vogue artsy shit, just show me cute clothes etc. and tell me how much they cost and where to get them, and with none of that "price upon request" bullshit.