Mel, I completely disagree with your assessment. Totally subjective is right! Ha! I don't really have a favorite between either of them, so I am not coming at this from a bias toward wanting one over the other. So, having said that, I thought Sotnikova was mechanical and uninspired. I thought her team did well to…

I definitely think Wagner does herself no favors. She's blunt and speaks her mind, even if they might offend people in charge. In figure skating, that has consequences. I think her scores reflect the judges' feelings toward her rather than her skating quality. She had mistakes, but I think she got underscored.…

I generally like what Weir and Lipinski have to say about the skating. They are offering an interesting and very well-informed commentary. I like the silences, too. Lets viewers get engrossed, too. However, they are both brutal speakers. Poor grammar, made-up words ("unpossible," for example), meandering sentences,…

The artistic side of skating is definitely not respected enough in the new point system. I think people should be rewarded for the athletic/jumping aspect of the sport, but they also have to better reward the artistic side. The difference between a level three step sequence and a level four is only .6 of a point. The…

Steve, one of the Russians did fall. Twice, actually. And had a step out on a third jump.

Ashley Wagner absolutely has a point about the scoring — she seemed to be speaking more generally than just her own scores. Wagner was underscored, I thought, but she more or less ended up where she should have been. Gold, too.

Ho…

US Figure Skating made it known a while ago that they weren't going to automatically take the top three (or two, for men and pairs) at Nationals. The US has fallen off a cliff in ladies, men and pairs. They want skaters that *might* get a medal (and other than in ice dance, the US chances are slim). They also have to…

I very highly doubt it came down to race. In fact, I'd be willing to bet the decision came down not to Wagner vs Nagasu, but Edmunds vs. Nagasu. Regardless, Wagner is a much, much better bet at a medal and that's what US Figure Skating wants. It's being run more like Gymnastics now.

Nagasu landed her jumps, but that…

Yes. I, too, am wondering what lifestyle decisions have been made that bars anyone over 5'6". Like, did they really take the "paleo" diet to heart and move to a low-ceiling cave? Drive a Mini? Do a lot of traveling in coach? Need a coxswain for their rowing crew? I'm very curious.

Well, Hank Schulman (he of the Sulia quote above, about asking fans for input on Biggio and Kent) also wrote a few days ago about his feelings on the guy who voted solely for Jack Morris. Basically: Schulman has known the LA writer for a long time and doesn't think it was an attention-getting move. Apparently the dude…

ronmexico, I think your take on Bonds is accurate... at least sometimes. By numerous accounts through the years, Bonds could be a great, helpful teammate. Coaching young players hitting tips, for example. That dugout fight with Kent was because Kent wouldn't shut up about a fielding mistake by another player (which…

Oh I don't think Rolf is in on the joke. In the movie he's all about rules and regulations and order. He is just an idiotic kid who's getting off on following the power of the Third Reich. I think he fully believes he is SO much more worldly and intelligent than the poor, naive girl. He's so pompous, he doesn't even…

While I pretty much agree that the costumes were fairly ridiculous, I also read that one of the real von Trapp sisters wore her traditional dress every day until she died in like her 70s or something. So maybe it was a thing in their family?

Icebreaker merino wool undies. They are amazing. Actually, everything from Icebreaker is amazing. They are breathable, dry quickly, resist odors and are super-soft. What they aren't, however, is cheap. It's almost $30 for a single pair, but they do have sales on occasion.

PortraltOfMmeX: I have a friend who went to boarding school, is a trained Opera singer and studied Classics at Oxford and he watches ridiculous television. Plus he's friends with me. Those public school boys aren't fancy all the time! Those two crazy kids could be great together!

Well, Blake Shelton wore jeans to his own wedding, so I don't think he's ever going to decide to dress up for the CMAs or AMAs or anything else.

There are some really, really awkward-looking babies out there. But, I tend to find the babies cute anyway because I like my friends or family and thus I want to like their kids. Well, babies I know. A stranger's baby just remains weird looking.

That's funny, Arlahead! No, you're not broken. Just relax a little bit and let your taste buds be your guide. A lot of people are naturally drawn to the sweeter wines because most people like sweet things in general. It's just a fact of, uh, tongues, I suppose.

Having worked in vineyards and in the wine industry, I can tell you that it's not all bullshit (though some people are ridiculously over-the-top). Different grape varieties can taste and smell different from one another. Depending on what the winemaker does (yeasts, techniques, barrels, blends, etc.), wines from the…

Well, I'm just going to say that I think I know my friend far better than you do. You telling me that the description doesn't fit his personality is akin to me telling you that your friend isn't actually mellow and faithful to his girlfriends. I don't know him, I can't tell you what he's like.

Yeah. Normally I think the lip synching is sort of ridiculous, but in this case I think it was absolutely necessary. This was filmed just a couple weeks after Cory Monteith's death. They are real people who were clearly upset about the loss of their friend. They had to address his death on the show, he was too…