I watched a weirdly celebrity packed* late Simpsons episode yesterday with Martin Short. Like in Only Murders he plays an effete and insane visionary Broadway director, but skimming his IMDB I couldn’t figure out why that’d be a recurring interest. And even though he and Martin apparently work together a lot, I can’t…

I do wonder what’s up with whatever South Korean tourist boards or tax incentives went on. I think Black Panther and Age of Ultron were two of the Marvel movies to shoot in Korea, yet each of them only had about one or two Asian actors with multiple speaking lines?

For whatever reason didn’t they take Lupita Nyongo’s previously all CG character and make her a practical effect in the last one? I forget if there was a reason for doing that (cost? curiosity?) but having a more limited movement stand in still might help.

I surprised myself with the vehemence I felt the 7-ish minute version of Untouchable is leagues ahead of the still fun single version, and the idea I would ever care enough to about really any music to be that kind of “album vs radio vs other edits” person. (But “We’ve been doing pain for so long” is a much more…

The Protege seems like it’s close enough to the specifics and even came/comes out this year yet somehow it doesn’t seem to be on anyone’s radar. Was I the only person who got banner ads for that?

The songwriting and production was so bonkers and occasionally nonsensical— yet the members all managed to totally own their particular niches. Harding was amazing at selling the feeling behind her lines and was so vivacious, I’ve apparently been in a funk about this all day.

To be fair, I assume that’s since she worked with Lisa Joy on Westworld. I figured it was some combination of a favor for a directorial debut, they like each other, and they’ve liked the work they managed to produce together in the past. 

There’s also Naomi Ackie’s non-entity former stormtrooper who’s sort of ambiguously Lando’s daughter or potential love interest, and Erin Kellyman’s masked Solo character I think— though I may have just assumed the actress is mixed.

I just started watching the Harley Quinn cartoon and I really love their take on Ivy as a level headed person who doesn’t consider herself evil but just really really into botany.

I see enough appeal in how Paquin’s Rogue was more withdrawn, whether through crew fiat and/or acting choices. (She can’t really do anything about the series never evolving the character a bit closer towards the bombastic popular version of the character.)

While I side with those who argue Not Another Teen Movie did She’s All That but better and could have done with more analysis or thought than just the two nods to that version—

I don’t know the specifics but it’s a visual signifier of the cost/decay that goes hand in hand with the ability to bring life and power (also the desiccating and veins trope they also used in Wandavision)? I also wonder if it has to do with the recurring tradition of the virgin, mother, and crone archetypes to see…

I did not know that was a different company from apparently rentboy.com, where the CEO got arrested. But it seemed like a lot of companies go pretty far to protect themselves; even those “missing connection” style blurbs were too much for Craigslist?

Seattle is irritatingly about 3.5 hours away from both Vancouver, WA and Vancouver, BC so shared names in different countries doesn’t always work out either.

I think the casino planet really could have worked if it were more clearly a temptation and/or if the characters staged more of a perfect heist that still ultimately didn’t work.

I think it was just after Don Jon it seemed like he kind of disappeared from prominence for a little while, even though that seems to essentially only have been three years?

Is Elaine May kind of analogous? Starting off in comedy (albeit improv) and in front of camera stuff to writing and directing? Taika Waititi seems kind of similar too but happened afterward. Albert Brooks maybe?

I think there’ve been a lot of headlines or articles that tried to give more context, but even after reading some of the explainers some of the specifics got muddled along the way. (I wanted to see the movie first and maybe the late wave ones I caught really erased some of the narrative.)

I didn’t realize there are a couple places that do it until I just googled, but my hometown had a place that did Cajun-style pho.

I could have sworn that was a much older phrase I mostly associate with minority academia (and maybe eastern influenced philosophy?) but I’m having trouble pinpointing any particular origin.