Entertainment

During the interview, Dance Mom appears to have a more glamorous Hollywood vibe – those stylish cowboy boots are quite chic! She’s joking around with Deborah about her new role as a grandmother now. A sweet touch was the stock image of a baby wearing one of Deborah’s signature wigs. By the way, she’ll be known as “Aunt Deborah” from now on. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that her dance performances are resonating with the studio audience. However, it seems like things are going smoothly for her, which means good news for her representatives, Jimmy and Kayla: Old Navy is offering her a deal, planning a significant investment in Deborah’s show. Isn’t the idea of synergy exciting!

The main issue I have with this episode lies in the scale of the central crisis: the collapse of the apartment building that was left hanging last week. It seems out of proportion when compared to events like a tsunami, an overturned cruise ship, or even a bee-nado. The 19-story building’s collapse doesn’t feel as significant as it should, perhaps due to the narrow focus on just a few residents. We follow Graham — also known as Cart Cop — his rival in the laundry room Donnie, and Donnie’s girlfriend, Crystal. Additionally, we meet Jessa and her mother, who express concerns about the building’s safety (which is unheard of in the 9-1-1 universe!). Later, we encounter an older man named Flint West. Although I acknowledge that the lab lockdown and potential outbreak are challenging to surpass, particularly given Bobby’s death being tied into it, these characters don’t capture enough interest to warrant as much screen time as they receive in this episode.

It’s great news that the upcoming Buffy reboot has found its new teenage vampire slayer in Ryan Kiera Armstrong, who starred in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. On Wednesday afternoon, Sarah Michelle Gellar announced this on Instagram by video call, where she informed Armstrong about her role as the new lead slayer on the show. Since … Read more

The show is designed to be relatable due to its focus on comedian Benito Skinner, aged 31, who grew up as a secretly gay football star in Idaho. He openly discussed his college years filled with parties at straight men’s homes and encounters in fratty bathrooms adorned with posters of popular celebrities like Megan Fox and Kate Upton. The show mirrors Skinner’s life experiences, creating a character named Benny, also from Idaho, who shares the same obsession with Megan Fox, as evidenced by a poster in his dorm room and fantasized conversations. However, unlike Michael Bay, Benny is more of a fan of Jennifer’s Body (2009) and other pop culture icons such as Brendan Fraser from George of the Jungle (1997), Lucky-era Britney Spears, and Glee. These preferences suggest a millennial upbringing that aligns with Skinner’s assumed experiences at age 18. Additionally, when Benny gets drunk at karaoke, he reveals his true feelings by singing Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass,” released in 2010 and promoted as a single in early 2011. Therefore, it can be deduced that the show is set around 2011, providing a slightly nostalgic atmosphere, reminiscent of the style seen in Lady Bird.

#MomTok, despite its initial significance, has evolved into something more abstract than a formal organization. It’s a collective concept shared among certain individuals, loosely tied together by their participation in a perceived community, similar to but not identical to the reality show. The name #MomTok offers little insight into its purpose or function for Mormon wives, and many women on TikTok use it casually. There’s no governing body, no set of defined rules, and no official leader or membership process. Its existence is largely a product of their collective imagination, which makes for engaging television due to the inconsistencies between the idealized image and reality. (Apologies to Benedict Anderson.) In essence, #MomTok is as real as its members choose to believe it is.

As a film enthusiast, I’ve found myself in a peculiar predicament while watching the first season of Duster, premiering tonight on HBO Max and airing weekly thereafter. The series boasts numerous high-speed chases and the lead character, Holloway’s Vietnam vet-turned-mobster, frequently smirks and leans against his gleaming ruby-red Plymouth. However, watching Duster is akin to following incorrect GPS directions, making multiple U-turns, getting lost again, and driving in circles.

The show embraces the vintage aesthetics of ’70s series like Charlie’s Angels and Starsky and Hutch, but it’s not content with merely being a retro imitation. It aspires to be more – more enigmatic, more intricate, more feminist, more inclusive – and these aspirations push the series further away from any brainless entertainment value it might have had initially. The tension between these elements gives Duster an unsettling feeling of being a prolonged prequel to the story that Morgan and Abrams intend to unfold in a potential second season, rather than a collection of episodes that can stand alone. If there’s ever been a series that requires a binge-watch for maintaining viewer interest, it’s this one. And if there’s ever been a series that could do without an overarching conspiracy, it’s also this one.

Avoiding sociological jargon, therapy discussions often transform conflicts into a murky stew of terms. Personally, I’d prefer being labeled a ‘whore’ over ‘narcissist,’ or ‘a cheater’ over ‘gaslighter.’ It seems quite challenging to craft a redemption story when you need to pull out the DSM-5 manual and explain, “I only meet three-fifths of the minimum criteria for diagnosis, and personality disorders in the cluster-B category are notoriously misunderstood.” Phew, I’d rather pass! But just to clarify, Zac still doesn’t get any leniency from me.

As a fan and admirer of the original “The Four Seasons” film by Fey, Lang Fisher, and Tracey Wigfield, I must confess that this classic work served as a guiding light for us when envisioning our own project. Instead of striving to produce something similar to “The Four Seasons,” we decided to reimagine the movie itself, preserving its charming sensibility and humor that Alan Alda brought to life. Embracing the same slice-of-life approach became a creative challenge for us writers, allowing us to explore different tones beyond our usual comedic styles. As Tina Fey put it in an interview with Decider, “All of the comedies we’ve written are high speed and packed with jokes, inevitably becoming absurd and explosive. I was curious if we could hold ourselves back to focus on genuine human behavior while still maintaining a sense of humor.

It turns out that the pivotal scene from the movie was directed by a child who won a competition to contribute to the film, and surprisingly enough, this became the most impactful part of the entire production. I have no clue where he is now, but he had the audacity to request that the actress stand in the street and yell, ‘What are you waiting for, huh?’ I was taken aback by his suggestion, but intrigued at the same time – I thought to myself, ‘Could this really be what we’re going to do?’ Nevertheless, I decided to go ahead with it, and the outcome was nothing short of incredible.

In the process of our discussion, let’s ponder some questions: Is sharing a sex dream with someone equivalent to infidelity? What if physical affection like kissing is permitted and doesn’t constitute cheating? Would your perspective alter if the individuals involved were named “Chase McWhorter”? Prior to delving into MomTok, I would have presumed that many Mormons might find sexual intimacy a more severe marital transgression than dream interpretation. Evidently, there’s much for me to grasp. Let’s open the classrooms and learn!