BSR

This is exactly why we need propaganda parrots like Kimmel to fill a jester role in our society. There, I fixed it for you.

Kimmel’s ratings were dismal, 1.1 million vs. 2.8 million for Colbert and 3.1 million for Greg Gutfeld (the first two are on broadcast networks whereas Gutfeld’s on cable). We know that Colbert’s show was losing $40 million a year despite higher ratings. I can only imagine how many $millions Kimmel’s was losing. That’s not censorship. That’s capitalism.

This sea otter pup just melts my heart …

Does JetBlue call them “throne seats”? It sounds like your assigned seat was the airplane toilet.

When I saw the Encore Las Vegas advertising a show with Matteo Lane, I had to look him up because I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I had never heard of him. Once I saw a few of his videos on YT, I was hooked. OMG, the guy is hilarious! I wish he’d perform in Las Vegas more often. He was at the Rio way back in 2018, and it’s been more than 2 years since he was at the Encore.

Not sure who exactly you’re referring to, so to be clear: you think it’s OK to put your finger up someone’s asshole without consent?

For the umpteenth time, I absolutely condemn what Luigi allegedly did, but my gawd, his beauty takes my breath away.

No word on when or even if El cautivo (The Captive) will be released in the US, but since Netflix is one of the producers, it should be on the platform soon enough. It’s the story of Spanish great Miguel de Cervantes’s five years held hostage in Algeria, written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, known for The Sea Inside and Ágora. The film sparked some (mild) controversy because it suggests that Cervantes was able to survive his 5 years of captivity and 4 escape attempts thanks to his sexual relationship with his captor. Of course, I have no idea if that theory is correct or not. While there is no historical evidence of it, one can’t entirely dismiss the possibility. If it were true, I’m sure Cervantes would have kept quiet about it in Spain, and his captor even quieter about it in Algeria. Reviews are mixed, and not because of the theory about a gay relationship. Critics take issue with the film’s lack of depth, failure to explore what made Cervantes the literary great that he would become decades later. I thought the film did succeed on that count, but plenty disagree. In any case, I enjoyed the movie. It’s a helluva tall order playing a giant like Cervantes, but the relatively inexperienced actor Julio Peña rises to the occasion. I liked even more Alessandro Borghi, who plays the Algerian captor Hasán, who falls in love with Cervantes and protects him, despite great personal risk. The sex is all implicit, nothing more than a passionate kiss is shown, but at least you get a glimpse of Peña’s beautiful furry butt. The chemistry between the two actors works; I really believed that Hasán was in love with the young Cervantes. When it shows up on US Netflix, give it a look. Wouldn’t say it’s a great film, but IMO definitely worth watching.

I am drawing lines of distinction, and I hope others on this thread are too. In my opinion, there is a helluva difference between groping someone’s clothed ass (like at a gay bar), someone’s naked ass (like at a gay clothing-optional resort) and sticking a finger up someone’s butthole without permission. I don’t care where you are or what the “culture” is, penetration without consent is way over the line, and I’m shocked it is considered acceptable, even at a gay clothing-optional pool/hot tub with a bunch of drunk, horned-up guys. I have to admit that because I’ve never been to a gay clothing-optional resort (in Palm Springs or anywhere else), groping someone’s naked ass seems too aggressive, something I would never do, but if that is indeed the culture at such spots, I guess one has choose to accept it or choose to avoid those places. Groping someone’s clothed ass, pffft, smile, tell the groper you’re not interested, and move on.

A dick? I assumed that was Don King in those gray sweatpants.

While I’m slow-traveling, I’ve been keeping up with the situation back home. Yes, Las Vegas survived downturns like the Great Depression (then a small town, it actually boomed thanks to the Hoover Dam construction) and the 2008 GFC, but this downturn is all of its own making. The appeal of old Vegas was that middle-class tourists could come and feel like VIPs. Sure, you lost money gambling, but pit bosses were generous with the comps. Even when Steve Wynn changed the business model with 1989 opening of the Mirage, visitors still felt like they were getting decent value. Restaurants were pricey, but most were really good. Comped or at least discounted rooms were common, and free drinks were a given. First came the resort fees, which started small and have been climbing ever since. IMO, the snowball started rolling down the hill when the casinos ended free parking. The old-timers said tourists would boycott, but nope they kept coming, just grumbled a bit. That gave the bean-counters the green light to start death by a thousand cuts, nickel $ dimeing visitors with service charges at every turn and even charging a high-roller ($25K a hand!) for a $10 smoothie. Of course, the high-rollers (refusal to comp the smoothie aside) are still treated like royalty, as are high-end business travelers, but according to numerous reports, the average Vegas visitor is treated like sh!t. For a while, the top-tier spending more than made up for the loss of the nurse from San Antonio and the plumber from Chicago, until the desertion of the middle-class became so great that there simply weren’t enough 1 percenters to offset. I’ve heard that the casinos are realizing their error and are trying to lure back the middle-class they so recently scorned. Unfortunately, once you really piss off a regular customer, it’s just not that easy to get him back.

“Generous clients only”

I have to think that shooting a series is more intense than most other workplace dynamics. You’re on set together, forced to interact, and under enormous ratings pressure for 12-16 hours a day, 5 days a week. That’s far more “togetherness” than other jobs. Also, it’s hard to stick to just business when the star of the show constantly blames everybody except herself when things go wrong. No evidence that’s what Linda Lavin did, but it’s typical difficult diva behavior. On one hand, Vic Tayback and Beth Howland lasted all 9 seasons on the series. On the other hand, I wonder if whoever played Flo (or her replacement character) got the brunt of Lavin’s nastiness because that character got the most laughs and fan mail.

https://x.com/swcosguy/status/1964322002438693084?s=61

https://x.com/jimreno6/status/1962375001837019427?s=61

https://x.com/jimreno6/status/1958717753088762154?s=61

https://x.com/hustlerdillonx/status/1962671180235657447?s=61

I noticed that Mr. Philippines doesn’t look Filipino at all. A quick google search reveals that his father is German and he was born in Germany. I wouldn’t be surprised if his Filipina mother were tisay (mestiza) because he looks a lot more puti (white) than Filipino. He’s a handsome guy, which all that matters, but he’s got some stiff competition. Will the pageant be shown via streaming or YouTube? In a moment of weakness, I might tune into the swimsuit competition.

“Flo” did last for more than one season, a 6-episode 1st season and a full 23-episode 2nd season, before getting canceled. I did some googling, and it looks like Polly Holliday might have had other motivations for leaving the series. The premise of her departure from “Alice” was that Flo was moving to Texas, originally to hostess at a fancy restaurant, ended up buying a run-down roadhouse bar. In other words, the door was open for a return to “Alice,” especially since her replacement Diane Ladd (who played Flo in the original movie) left after just 2 years (the series ran for 3 more after Ladd’s departure). Rumor has it that both Holliday and Ladd left because they had problems with the show’s star Linda Lavin.

Definitely self-confident, the guy’s got some serious BDE … https://x.com/the_daily_candy/status/1966579410858836228?s=61

Because I was working nights at the time, I usually woke up really late but for whatever reason that day woke up a bit before 9am. I normally didn’t turn on the television right away but for whatever reason did that morning. When I saw the footage of the first plane going into one of the towers, I thought it was the worst aviation accident in history. Sure, that sounds crazy now, but I simply couldn’t conceive that such an act could be deliberate, intentional. When the second plane struck, oh f*ck, that was no accident. A friend called that afternoon and insisted we get together because she needed to unload, get her feelings out, even though she wasn’t even sure of exactly what she was feeling. We went to our favorite bar, our version of Cheers. The conversations with the other regulars were brief: “Can you believe it?” “No, I can’t.”

Asparagus and red bell peppers, both good for a healthy digestive tract, but I have both often just because I like them. I chop the asparagus into quarters. The bottom quarter is the woody part, which gets tossed. I steam the 2nd quarter for a couple of minutes, add the 3rd quarter for a minute more, then the tips for 30 seconds. Sprinkle a little salt, ready to eat. Yes, they’re super yummy with butter, but I don’t need the calories. The red peppers I just get rid of the stems & seeds and eat them raw. Probably healthier, plus I don’t like how the taste changes once cooked.

Before going, I thought Iguazú was a bucket-list trip, one & done is all you need. But if I’m ever in the “neighborhood” again, I definitely plan on going back. They say the falls are a different experience depending on the weather. The days I went to the two sides, the weather was absolute shyte: cold, raining, windy. I had an umbrella but didn’t bother because the wind made the rain blow in sideways. Even though I’m a total weather wimp, I still stood on the viewing platforms for well over an hour on each side just because I was so entranced by the views. Fingers crossed it’s sunny the next time I go. The bonus of the trip was that I hit it off with my cabdriver, and we ended up going out for dinner and drinks 3 of the 4 nights I was there. He took me to an amazing steakhouse where a 1kilo dry-aged tomahawk was only $50! I didn’t go to a steakhouse in Buenos Aires because they were pricey, but I was so glad I got to try some of Argentina’s legendary beef. If anything, the ribeye actually exceeded expectations, high as they were.

Given that Carlos has already earned $48 million this year (and there’s still a boatload of prize money in the upcoming fall tournaments), I’m pretty sure he can pay for a haircut. Also, many tournaments provide free hair stylists as a player amenity. I’m guessing they were stuck somewhere, too late to find an open barbershop, and Álvaro offered to cut Carlitos’s hair — hey, it can’t be that tough, right? Uh oh …

It’s tough to argue that the waterfalls at Iguazú are underrated because everyone who goes raves about them, but I think “underrated” does apply because not that many Americans know about them. First, a confession, I’m actually not a big nature lover. My idea of enjoying the great outdoors is spending the afternoon sipping gin tonics on a Madrid terraza. I was seriously questioning the wisdom of all the bother of flying from Buenos Aires, getting a hotel, plus since I couldn’t figure out the online visa application to save my life, I wouldn’t be able to see the Brazil side. I lucked out and found a savvy cabdriver who said he could get me to the Brazil side without a visa. It cost me a hundred bucks (the online visa fee is $80, although it’s good for 10 years) but was totally worth it because the views and experience from the Brazil and Argentina sides are quite different. The other must-do is the boat tour near and literally under the falls. I was a mite annoyed that my savvy cabdriver didn’t tell me to bring a change of clothes, but it actually ended up being more fun getting totally drenched. After living in Las Vegas for the last 20 years, where greenery is sparse and water even sparser, I felt like I had been plopped into Jurassic Park surrounded by millions of gallons of gushing water and the lush rain forest. Would I go all the way from the US to Iguazú? No, but it’s definitely worth a side trip if you’re going to be in the “neighborhood” (Rio, São Paulo, Buenos Aires).