Considering the abysmal failure that has been Fear The Walking Dead Season 4, it’s time to celebrate when an actual decent episode rolls around. So pop open the champagne – last night’s 10th episode, entitled Close Your Eyes, was decent. Not great but not bad either.
The hurricane has hit and Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) has found refuge in an abandoned house. She kills a couple of zombies and looks for food, only to hear a noise upstairs. When she investigates, she finds none other than her brother Nick’s murderer, Charlie, played by Alexa Nisenson.
Ticket to Die: Alicia tries to open the car door. AMC TV.
Alicia plans to drive away from the house in a car parked outside but she can’t open the driver’s side door. A gust of wind blows it open full force and she ends up falling to the ground and passing out. When next we see her, she wakes up inside the house and it appears Charlie has dragged her there. Alicia calls her but she’s in a bedroom with the door locked. Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead Recap – Close Your Eyes”→
With the loss of its lead character, Madison (Kim Dickens), in the Mid-Season 4 finale this past June, Fear the Walking Dead has continued the journey of eviscerating its female characters.
From Strong to Sulky: Luciana brooding over Nick. AMC Studios.
When we initially saw the character of Luciana (Danay Garcia) in Season 2, Episode 9, she was a hard-core warrior. Encountering Nick (Frank Dillane) for the first time, she attacked him with a baseball bat and subsequently spurned his romantic advances until he eventually won her over. In Season 3, Luciana was strong enough to leave Nick in the dust at Broke Jaw Ranch when she realized those running it were not what they seemed. With new showrunners Andrew Chambliss, Ian Goldberg and executive producer Scott M. Gimple at the helm for Season 4, this fierce female character was relegated to lying around a mansion, moping over her lost love, on last night’s mid-season premiere.
Meanwhile, Strand (Colman Domingo) reunited with his lost love, alcohol, and the scenes of him stumbling around the mansion that boasts a “fully stocked wine cellar” were the highlight of the episode. I couldn’t help wondering, though, how much more entertaining these scenes could have been if his drinking buddy Madison had been with him. Continue reading “Fear The Walking Dead’s Fall From Grace”→
Adopting and owning a pet can be a double-edged sword. They can be high maintenance, expensive and a pain in the butt to clean up after, but what we humans get in return is well worth it. Numerous medical studies have cited that pets not only provide their owners with social interaction, companionship and exercise, but they can also help relieve stress and lower blood pressure.
Darcy and Tucker: Although I am a die-hard cat person, the occasional dog or two has won me over.
Dogs and cats can vastly improve their human companions’ physical and mental health, but even horses, birds, turtles and fish can make a difference in their owners’ lives. Here’s how adopting a pet can improve your life:
Daily Exercise
Nebby: Named after Nebula, a Pokemon character.
I do not like dogs – there, I said it. However, my cold, dog-disliking heart has somewhat softened lately towards little dogs. Maybe it’s because I know a lot of people who own little dogs. Aside from my opinion on dogs, walking one daily can provide heart-healthy physical activity people may not otherwise get. And dog owners often have the chance to interact with other humans on a regular basis, as people walking their dogs typically appear friendly and approachable. One of my friends and her kids recently moved into a new house and adopted a Shih Tzu, from the Animal Hospital of Cambridge. The little dog, her daughter aptly named Nebby, has helped them get to know their neighbours when they take her out for walks.
Another enjoyable, albeit more expensive, animal that can provide its owner with regular exercise is a horse, of course. Horses are beautiful and gentle creatures and anyone who has gone horseback riding knows it is a great work out for your thighs and glutes. When I worked as a reporter, in a time when Breaking News arrived daily on your front stoop in the form of a newspaper, one of my favourite assignments was writing a feature article on the local horseback riding stables. Continue reading “How Our Furry Friends Improve Our Health”→
Steffy Forrester and Liam Spencer have been married three times on the Bold and the Beautiful, and it has never worked out. Liam has broken her heart on countless occasions and when push comes to shove, he inevitably chooses her rival, Hope Logan, over her. Can we all agree that this toxic relationship has finally run its course? It’s time for Steffy to move on with a real man, Liam’s father Dollar Bill Spencer. Now that Bill has proposed to Steffy, she needs to marry him as soon as possible, for the following 5 reasons.
5. Bill And Steffy Sizzle
There’s a reason Steffy slept with her father-in-law one evening last November and not just because her husband Liam had confessed to kissing another woman – she and Bill have always had an undeniable chemistry between them. The pair wanted to be together years ago but the night Bill planned to tell his wife Katie he was leaving her, he returned home to find all their friends and family in his living room. It turned out Katie had secretly arranged for them to renew their wedding vows. Surprise!
The Good Old Days: Bill and Steffy, circa 2010. Sean Smith, jpistudios.com.
4. Liam is Waffling Again
Poor Liam. He is in love with two beautiful women (Steffy and Hope) and can’t seem to make up his mind which one he wants more. Haven’t we watched this scenario play out countless times for the past eight years? And hasn’t Steffy gone through this enough? Even worse, while she was at home with their baby daughter Kelly, Liam was backstage previewing the Forrester Hope for the Future fashion show and then sampling Hope herself in her dressing room. Luckily, Steffy walked in and caught the the hypocrite in the act. When he quickly apologized, Steffy told him it was too late (the man put her through hell after she had cheated, only to turn around and cheat himself) and she immediately went to see Bill.
Sampling the Wares: Steffy catches Liam with Hope. Howard Wise, jpistudios.com.
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in Step Brothers. Sony Pictures.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Step Brothers, which was released in theaters 10 years ago today, you will know that there’s at least one, albeit extreme, life lesson included – what not to do in a job interview.
Life goes haywire for Dale Doback and Brennan Huff at the start of the film when their parents, Robert and Nancy, meet at a conference, fall in love and get married. The pair are thrust together in the same house and even have to share a bedroom. Although this is a common occurrence for a lot of children in modern families these days, the main difference here is that Dale and Brennan are 40-year-old men.
Sibling Rivalry
Things get off to a rough, and hilarious, start for the new step brothers, played by John C. Reilly (Dale) and Will Ferrell (Brennan), who were brought together not only by circumstance but by their sheer and utter laziness. Each has lived with his respective parent his whole life and they despise each other on sight, which eventually culminates in a knock-down, drag-out fight on their parent’s lawn, the repercussions of which include a TV ban during Shark Week. But even worse, they both have to find a job.
That same day, after a family dinner, Dale punches Brennan’s egotistical, ass-hat brother Derek (Adam Scott) in the face, gaining Brennan’s respect and the two discover they have much more in common than not. “Did we just become best friends?” Brennan asks. “Yep!” Dale replies.
Dale’s long-suffering father Robert (Richard Jenkins) and Brennan’s mom Nancy (Mary Steenburgen) pull some strings and get the two man-childs job interviews at several potential workplaces. For anyone who has ever been on lot of job interviews, watching the two of them show up wearing tuxedos, interviewing as a team, pushing people out of their way as they strut through a reception area and Dale yelling, “We’re here to f*ck sh*t up!” will find this scene extremely cathartic. Continue reading “Step Brothers: What Not To Do in a Job Interview”→
Most summers, my sister and her husband have one blow-out bash at their house on a Saturday in July. It’s usually attended by at least 50 people and to feed everyone they barbecue beef, chicken and pork and the rest of the food is provided through a potluck. One of my favourite side dishes to make for any potluck is German Potato Salad (I will post this recipe at a later date) but my brother-in-law’s mom also makes it, and it’s really good. So, at the first summer bash I attended, I left it to his mom to provide her German Potato Salad to the hungry masses. Meanwhile, I needed an alternative, so I brought another favourite of mine, Chickpea Salad.
As guests were mingling at the potluck table and filling their plates, my sister’s friend turned to her and commented: “Who brings a chick pea salad to a party?” She smirked and replied: “My sister.”
It has now become a running joke, with her friends and mine, that their yearly bash is not really a party if there’s no chickpea salad.
Since then, I’ve modified the recipe, using mixed beans instead of just chickpeas – it’s actually tastier and has less calories – but this recipe will work with either. Enjoy.
Open a can of Unico Bean Medley, pour it into a strainer and rinse beans well with cold tap water.
Dice all vegetables on a cutting board.
Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, adding the olive oil and white wine vinegar (more or less than 1/4 cup can be used, according to taste) until they are well coated.
While mixing the ingredients, add sea salt and freshly ground pepper, according to taste.
Can be served immediately or refrigerated for later use. Refrigerate any unused portions for up to three days.
Recipe Notes
*If you replace the Mixed Bean Medley with a can of Chick Peas, the calorie count rises by 40 calories per serving.
On Saturday evening, my brother and I were enjoying barbecued pork souvlaki skewers and Greek salad and talking about how the meal reminded us of growing up in Toronto’s East End and heading to Greektown for dinner on the weekends. His favourite restaurant was Asteria Souvlaki Place, one of the least expensive restaurants with amazing food. I remembered going to Pappas Grill with friends when I was in high school. In the early 1990s, my sister and I would take him out on his birthday for Greek food and drinks on the Danforth. The atmosphere in the neighbourhood was relaxed, casual and friendly; just everyday people getting together for a fun night-out.
This morning, I woke up to the news that 15 people were shot on Danforth Avenue in Greektown last night. Two of those people have died, an 18-year-old woman and a 10-year old girl. The victims were innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Most were just enjoying an evening out with family and friends. Reports say the gunman walked down the Danforth, firing bullets into restaurants and at people walking down the street.
I haven’t lived in Toronto for years but I still visit regularly for TIFF and to hang out with friends. I will continue to do so. But the horrific van attack in North York this past Spring and the mass shooting leaves me with a heavy heart today, thinking about these tragedies that have befallen my hometown.
I hate to admit this, but I love Tom Cruise. Not Tom Cruise the brain-washed Scientology fool with his arranged relationships/marriages/couch jumping antics, I’m talking Tom Cruise the actor. And before you say you can’t stand him or “he makes my skin crawl,” you must admit the man can act. And very often, he can act well. The first film I remember seeing him in was Risky Business (1983). Admit it ladies, I know I wasn’t the only teenage girl at the time who enjoyed watching him dancing around in tighty whities in his parent’s living room, singing along with Bob Seger.
Interview With Vampire: Louis and Lestat.
And let’s not forget Cruise’s chilling portrayal of one of my favourite literary characters, The Vampire Lestat, alongside the equally hot and talented Brad Pitt (who co-starred as Louis), in Interview With The Vampire (1994). I wasn’t all that confident about Cruise playing Lestat when the casting was first announced. But when I sat down in the movie theater and he appeared onscreen, I changed my mind in a hurry. If that movie didn’t get your blood pumping, I’m not sure what would.
Cruise was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, in his role as Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia in 1999. He has also won Golden Globe Awards. But anyone who had to sit through the hot mess that was The Mummy (2017) would not be surprised to learn that the film garnered him a 2018 Razzie Award for Worst Actor. Continue reading “A Closeted Tom Cruise Fan Comes Out”→
When I was a kid, I was convinced my grandmother was a witch, but she sure as hell had nothing on Marie L’Angell, Jesse Custer’s Gran’ma on AMC’s Preacher.
I didn’t like my grandmother much and the feeling was mutual. She had a knack for upsetting me, like telling me I looked like I was pregnant when I’d wear a bathing suit as a teenager, leading to the inevitable body image issues I’ve had since then. Her taunts later progressed into calling me an old maid, in front of my parents and younger siblings, because I was still single at the ripe old age of 30. I would dread special occasions and big family dinners because she would be there.
I was even stressed out before her wake a few years ago – right up until the moment I looked into her coffin and realized, with sweet relief, that she was dead and I’d never have to put up with her bullshit ever again.
Betty Buckley as Marie L’Angelle. Photo: Alfonso Bresciani/AMC/Sony Pictures Television.
Preacher is one of those shows that’s an acquired taste. I took a pass when it first aired and then binge-watched the first season during an AMC marathon right before Season 2 began. It’s based on a comic book series about a not-so-pious, you guessed it – preacher. Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon wrote the comics. Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin developed the comics into a TV series. Keep Reading!
I was listening to the Bay City Rollers in my car yesterday while driving home from my parent’s house in Owen Sound, singing along with Rock and Roll Love Letter. I was thinking about how there was a time in my life when I was too embarrassed to admit I had ever even liked them.
In my Rollers gear!
But when I was a kid, I lived and breathed the Bay City Rollers. Their pictures adorned my bedroom walls. I listened to their albums continuously and had the full “Rollers” uniform – tam, scarf and pants trimmed with tartan. My mother would wake me up in the middle of the night so I could watch their appearances on late-night programs like The Midnight Special.
The Bay City Rollers were the first band I ever saw live. I saw them on August 11, 1976, at Maple Leaf Gardens and August 22, 1977, at Exhibition Stadium.
The man who started it all, Bay City Rollers founder Alan Longmuir, died today at the age of 70. Keep Reading!
