Tuesday Night Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 10:41:57 PM EST
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Tonight's DWTS is just another reminder this show is merely a popularity contest and has little to do with dancing ability. Nancy Grace, whose schmaltzy waltz last night got the second lowest scores of the night, is safe. David Arguette, whose feet didn't do any more dancing than Chaz Bono (who got the lowest score) is safe. Neither Nancy or David have the redeeming quality that Chaz Bono has -- a likeable TV presence and a buoyant personality. So I'm not criticizing voters for keeping Chaz. I'm glad about that. But to keep Nancy Grace or David Arquette or Rob Kardashian and send Kristin Cavalieri home? Or put Hope in the bottom two? Ridiculous.

Of course, Hope may not have really been in the bottom two. The announcer always reminds the audience that one of the final two couples might not have received the second lowest combined votes and judge scores. In other words, the safe couple in the final two is placed there because the producers think it will make the show more interesting. It's a total manipulation. [More...]

Unfortunately, there are no dancing stars on this season's show. Rikki Lake is propped up by Derek who could make a moose dance, Chynna Philips is plastic, Rob Kardashian is lead-footed, and Carson is a flashy and harmless cartoon character. The season will go to J.R. Martinez, the war hero. But at least he can dance, so as of now, that's the best possible outcome.

Update: Nancy Grace gave an interview after DWTS and said Amanda Knox being freed is a "miscarriage of justice" and that she "knows the facts."

"I think that people in general, including myself, want to believe good about other people and the population wants to believe that Amanda Knox is innocent," the 51-year-old legal commenter added. "They want to believe that and I don't blame them. I'd like to believe it too, I just happen to know the facts."

I feel sorry for her twins who will grow up with such a perverse mentality drummed into them. To me, she's far more "Mommie Dearest" than the mother of the century she thinks she is. The only good thing about her being on DWTS is there's fewer nights for her to pollute people's minds on her talk show.

This is an open thread, all topics, TV related or not, are welcome.

< Amanda Knox: Plane Lands in Seattle | From The "Presidential Speeches Don't Matter" File >

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Tuesday Night Open Thread | 42 comments (42 topical)

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From New Yorker column, the Pope's tweets: (5.00 / 0) (#1)
by oculus on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 10:48:18 PM EST

"Nancy Grace" would be a good name for the first gay pope.

Not to pontificate (5.00 / 2) (#7)
by CoralGables on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 11:40:59 PM EST

but that ship has probably sailed....quietly of course.


Oh, we've had straight popes? (5.00 / 1) (#8)
by observed on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 11:54:51 PM EST

Lots of illegitimate children of Popes. (none / 0) (#30)
by oculus on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 12:59:07 PM EST

John Travolta has children, too... (none / 0) (#38)
by observed on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 10:00:31 PM EST

I seemed to have missed something! (none / 0) (#39)
by oculus on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:19:31 PM EST

well, I won't pontificate anymore...and (5.00 / 1) (#40)
by observed on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:32:17 PM EST

besides, I have more important things to tell you.
I MAY post my first music review tomorrow (day after tomorrow for slowpokes in CA).
One of the staff members invited me and another professor to a piano recital tonight.
It will be at the titanium blue arts school, one of those super duper new structures, visible from my window as well. The top of this one is an uneven, inverted conical bowl.


: We only pontificate (5.00 / 1) (#41)
by CoralGables on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:41:14 PM EST

on pontiffs here.

: Is Carrie Fisher your source re Travolta? (none / 0) (#42)
by oculus on Thu Oct 06, 2011 at 02:23:51 PM EST

Hmm.. I'm looking for the Wednesday (5.00 / 3) (#3)
by observed on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 11:14:15 PM EST

morning open thread. I guess this will be a continuing issue.
Day 2: I'm awake. I can't say much else positive about my condition. I hope I can stay here at work for the day, but that may be overly optimistic.

What time/day is it (none / 0) (#5)
by caseyOR on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 11:19:29 PM EST

in Astana?


: 10:18 am, Wednesday (none / 0) (#6)
by observed on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 11:22:04 PM EST

Yesterday was quite nice, with a high around 70.
This morning it was both chilly and windy, so I put on my parka when I went out.
There is a chartered bus which takes us to work.
I arrived here a little before 8.

Very quietly (5.00 / 1) (#10)
by CoralGables on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 12:54:42 AM EST

by TL standards, right of center Earl Ray Tomblin(D) won the gubernatorial election tonight over far right of center Bill Maloney(R) to finish out the term of Joe Manchin in West Virginia.

In a high priced affair that included all kinds of accusations and one actual filed charge of extortion, the Dems hold onto the seat in the special election that was necessary due to a ruling of the West Virginia Supreme Court, and will hold the seat until the next election in November 2012.

Another innocent released yesterday (5.00 / 1) (#11)
by Inspector Gadget on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 07:05:26 AM EST

In court today, Harle told Morton that if it turns out -- as the evidence indicates now -- that Morton is innocent, then he apologizes. "You do have my sympathies," Harle said. "We don't have a perfect system of justice, but we do have the best system in the world."

Innocence Project rescues another. After 25 years in prison, Michael Morton is released. I'd love to know what it is about our system that makes it the best in the world. Lawyers and jurors with attitudes like Nancy Grace are contrary to the idea that a "fair" trial is even possible. Maybe in theory it's the best, but in practice not so much.

Elizabeth Warren (5.00 / 2) (#12)
by MO Blue on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 07:44:16 AM EST

"The people on Wall Street broke this country, and they did it one lousy mortgage at a time. It happened more than three years ago, and there has been no real accountability, and there has been no real effort to fix it. That's why I want to run for the United States Senate," she said, according to the New York Times.
...
"Forbes magazine named Scott Brown Wall Street's favorite senator. I was thinking, `That's probably not an award that I'm going to get,'" said Warren, according to the Boston Herald. link

: Love it (none / 0) (#15)
by ruffian on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 08:38:34 AM EST

Finally someone saying it, loud and clear.

For real this time... (5.00 / 4) (#13)
by kdog on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 07:48:36 AM EST

waiting on an off-peak train to head over to Zuccotti today, several labor unions joining the freedom campers for a march.

I'll report back with some first hand observations on the glorious scene tonight after softball semis deciding Game 3. If I get locked up the fellas will kill me! :)

: Heading down to Occupy SF in an hour (none / 0) (#22)
by Dadler on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:11:42 AM EST

And remember...wait on that ball!

: kdog: (from Word-a-day e-mail) (none / 0) (#31)
by oculus on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 01:01:10 PM EST

"If they give you lined paper, write the other way." Juan Ramon Jimenez, poet, Nobel Prize in Literature (1881-1958)

JP Morgan Chase owns the police, it seems (5.00 / 3) (#19)
by Dadler on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 10:21:04 AM EST

And it's tax deductible, too!

Jump forward to today. The bailed-out Wall Street megabank JP Morgan Chase gave a tax-deductible $4.6m donation to the New York City Police Foundation, which has protesters asking: who is the NYPD paid to protect, the public or the corporations? The 99% or the 1%?
Marina Sitrin, part of Occupy Wall Street's legal working group, told me that the protest was going to be based at Chase Plaza, but the NYPD pre-emptively closed it. The protesters moved to Zuccotti Park, which they renamed Liberty Square.
According to an undated press release on JP Morgan Chase's website, in response to the $4.6m donation:
"New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly sent CEO and Chairman Jamie Dimon a note expressing 'profound gratitude' for the company's donation."
Given the size of the donation, and the police harassment and violence against the protesters, we must question how Kelly shows his gratitude.
(LINK)

: And right there (none / 0) (#26)
by sj on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:34:13 AM EST

is the answer to the question of whether or not Wall Street is paying attention.
I love the reaction of some of the arrestees (is that a word) which was "the police are also part of the 99%". Eventually the rank and file are going to figure that out as well.

"Stars?" (none / 0) (#2)
by andgarden on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 11:13:33 PM EST

Um, OK.

Dancing with the (5.00 / 1) (#18)
by ruffian on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 10:13:05 AM EST

People You Might Have Heard Of


: Or Know Their Last Name... (none / 0) (#23)
by ScottW714 on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:12:48 AM EST

nancy Grace strikes me as a (none / 0) (#4)
by caseyOR on Tue Oct 04, 2011 at 11:18:51 PM EST

nitwit, as well as a bad dancer.

While I was fixing dinner tonight Entertainment Tonight was on the TV. For who knows what reason the celebrity dancers were asked to give their opinions on Amanda Knox's overturned conviction. Mostly, people were just glad Amanda was home. Nancy Grace, OTOH, was kind of appalled at the decision by the Italian judges.

Grace is convinced that Knox got away with murder. Grace's theory? Knox and her boyfriend were in the house, the boyfriend killed Meredith Kercher, and Knox urged him on.

Oh, and Nancy hopes Knox takes advantage of this undeserved second chance.

Why does this woman have a TV show?

It's horrifying to realize (none / 0) (#9)
by gyrfalcon on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 12:05:25 AM EST

she has a large and slavishly adoring audience of mostly older women. I apologize on behalf of sane older women everywhere. These are people who, like Nancy Grace, mistake hatred for the accused or just the suspected for compassion and "standing up" for the victim. It's perverse.


As a sane (none / 0) (#14)
by Zorba on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 07:50:49 AM EST

(at least I'd like to think so) older woman, I apologize, as well. I never could stand Nancy DisGrace.


Gimme a Break... (5.00 / 2) (#27)
by ScottW714 on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:55:31 AM EST

We men got the market on tools, I would apologize every time one does something or says something really stupid, but there are only so many hours in a day.

If only we had a single Nancy Grace... Nope, one Glen Beck easily cancels her, then we got the rest of Fox news, probably half of the Senate, and even the White House. Start adding it creepy dudes and serial killers and it's down right shameful to be a 40 year old white male. That is if I am to judged based on gender, age, and race.

If I were you, I would be proud to only be associated with one idiot.


LOL! (none / 0) (#28)
by Zorba on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 12:25:11 PM EST

Of course, if we're going to get into the political, and not just the law, bloviators in the media, we've got Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingraham, and the women on the Fox news shows, too. Maybe it's just my own perception, but Coulter and Malkin seem easily as "out there" as Glenn Beck. (And then there's Orly Taitz, although she's a dentist and not a full-time media figure.) But, yes, I would agree that the men have the women beat in this realm. So far. ;-)


Has the President made a statement re (none / 0) (#29)
by oculus on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 12:54:00 PM EST

Ms. Knox?


Oh, jeez, oculus (5.00 / 1) (#32)
by Zorba on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 04:09:30 PM EST

You just made me spit out my Diet Coke! Hahahaha!


: Wouldn't you expect him to? Thinking U.S. (5.00 / 0) (#34)
by oculus on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 04:14:56 PM EST

hikers released by Iran.

You know what? (none / 0) (#17)
by Ga6thDem on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 09:58:41 AM EST

I honestly think her experience of having her fiancée murdered back in the 80's (I think) has colored her vision on every case. The person is ALWAYS guilty to her it seems.


: I've heard that before (5.00 / 1) (#21)
by sj on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:11:41 AM EST

and it makes a certain kind of sense. But I think it just pushed an already unbalanced personality over the edge. She sees everyone as guilty and that goes beyond a selective viewpoint into a whole other pathology.

Nancy Grace is a Disgrace ! (none / 0) (#16)
by samsguy18 on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 09:16:42 AM EST

It's all about ratings....I find it all disgusting!

: It's worse than that (none / 0) (#24)
by sj on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:18:47 AM EST

While I have no doubt she (and her employers) loves her ratings, she's pretty much a true believer.

How much would a car that gets <20 mph cost (none / 0) (#20)
by Jlvngstn on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:02:24 AM EST

if there were no oil subsidies? I would imagine the range rover's real cost would be 125k for example. Why are we subsidizing big car owners purchases and fuel costs?

It may not have been just Kristin that (none / 0) (#25)
by sj on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 11:30:26 AM EST

didn't acquire much of a fan base (although she really did come across as shallow). Her pro is Mark Ballas. While Derek "could make a moose dance" (I so agree) and always makes his partner look better than she is, Mark seems to think it's all about making himself look cool.

I check out the DWTS TV Recaps on ew.com (what? I can be shallow) and if the commenters there are a microcosm of the viewing public, contestants should dread getting Mark Ballas as their pro.

: This is the first season I've watched DWTS (none / 0) (#35)
by shoephone on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 06:28:35 PM EST

It's as if these "stars" were chosen for the show by being as awkward, uncoordinated, and unteachable as they could possibly be. And I'm actually appalled at how uniformly awful the choreography is. It's mostly posing rather than dancing. Sorry, but as someone who had to learn how to dance to get cast in a few musicals, it's just sad to see how amatateurish they ALL are. The pros create the choreography and Kristin what's-her-name's pro has done an even worse job than the others. (Yes, he does seem to be a shameless self-promoter.) But overall, watching this show is like watching local late-night cable of really bad pole dancing. Just with better costumes.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (none / 0) (#33)
by oculus on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 04:13:33 PM EST

orders briefing, videoconferencing argument, and stay re Judge Burns order sending Loughner back to mental hospital for more treatment to attempt to make him competent to stand trial: LAT

R.I.P. Steve Jobs (none / 0) (#36)
by nycstray on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 06:43:48 PM EST

local news is reporting he passed on today :(

: Oh no. (none / 0) (#37)
by shoephone on Wed Oct 05, 2011 at 06:46:36 PM EST