Survivor Finale: My Thoughts

I can sum it up in one word: Meh.

After such a good season with so many great contestants - to have Maryanne, Romeo, and Mike as the final three - sigh. 

My dream final four would have been Johnathan, Drea, Hai, and Omar. Of those four, I think Omar should have won, although my preference would have been for either Drea or Johnathan to win. Omar was a surprisingly strategic player, although it's hard for me to root for someone who plays so deviously. I'm still a fan of Johnathan, although I did not like the way he spoke to the female contestants. If Jonathan had made to the final three, even with Maryanne and Romeo, I'm not sure he would have won. He pissed off too many people with his attitude as the season progressed. 

Usually, I root for underdogs, but in my opinion, none of the final three deserved to win. I found it laughable at the beginning of the final tribal council when everyone on the jury was apparently trying to convince the audience what an amazing final three this was. 

Still, I'm glad that Romeo and Mike each won important challenges, and I'm glad they both got what they wanted out of the game. I like Maryanne as a person; she is enthusiastic, authentic, and a Survivor superfan. But she didn't win any challenges, and she only made one big move in the game - getting out Omar. Was that move, and getting to the end with a idol in her pocket worthy of a million dollars? Or did she win because Mike choked on his sense of integrity, Romeo was a goat, and everyone underestimated her? 

Outplay? Nope

Outwit? Twice at most (Omar and Lindsay)

Outlast? Yes. And in the end, that's all you need to win. 

librarianintx

Matthew Morrison Fired From "So You Think You Can Dance" - My Thoughts

 Matthew Morrison was fired from "So You Think You Can Dance" a few days ago. This was his first season as a judge on the FOX dance competition series. 

Matthew's first comment was that he was let go for not following "competition production protocols."

Then an article came out that he was fired for "sending flirty text messages" to a contestant. 

On Thursday of last week, this article appeared on yahoo!: Matthew Morrison Shared The Only Message He Sent A Dancer, Which Reportedly Got Him Fired From “So You Think You Can Dance” (yahoo.com)

In this article, Matthew claims he only sent one text message, which read "Hey! It's Matthew. If you don't mind, would love to get your number and talk you through some things."

So if Matthew is to be believed, that text message isn't flirty. For the sake of his wife and children, I hope he is telling the truth, and this is another case of the media sensationalizing what actually transpired. Matthew insists he sent the text because he was trying to get the contestant a job as a choreographer. 

But the bottom line is, Matthew deserves to be fired. Even if that is the only message he sent, and it was not in any way sexual, he was still showing favoritism toward a contestant, which is unacceptable for a judge. 

So while he may not be sleezy, he is woefully clueless. In sharing that text, he might clear his name as a potential adulterer, but proves the show's case that he violated the rules and his termination was justified. 

librarianintx

A Misleading Article About the Royal Family

Obviously, there are lot of articles and news stories about the Royal Family this weekend. The Queen is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee - Seventy years on the throne! What an amazing accomplishment! 

The rift between her grandsons, William and Harry, has been discussed and written about endlessly. We know from their own mouths that there is indeed a rift, but there is only speculation about how bad it is, or if there has been any improvement in their relationship. 

This morning I read this article on yahoo!: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Hold First Birthday Party for Lilibet. No Senior Royals Went. (yahoo.com)

The headline is misleading and designed to elicit sympathy for Harry and Meghan. Aren't the senior royals horrible people for refusing to attend a child's first birthday party? 

What the article doesn't explain is that the senior royals - William & Kate, Charles & Camilla, and Anne, all had previous engagements yesterday. They were representing the Queen at Platinum Jubilee events in various places. They didn't refuse to go to the party. This wasn't an insult to Harry, Meghan, or Lillibet. They had somewhere else to be. Yes, a child's birthday party is important. But a sovereign's Platinum Jubilee obviously takes precedence. I would hope Harry and Meghan would understand that. The Queen was planning to attend the birthday party, but word has it that she did not. Again, this was not an insult. She has not been well enough to attend most of the Jubilee events. I assume she was saving her strength to hopefully make an appearance on the last day of the celebration. 

The article goes on to speculate about why Harry & Meghan did not attend the Party at the Palace concert and other events, and why they were seated so far from William & Kate at the National Service of Thanksgiving. It also mentioned once again that the Sussexes were not on the balcony at the Trooping the Colour. The language and tone of the article was so inflammatory. Poor Meghan and Harry that they were barred from the balcony and William and Kate didn't even look at them at the service, blah blah blah. It was Meghan and Harry's decision to step down as senior royals. They can't expect to live in America and not perform royal duties and then go back to England and have the privileges and visibility that being a working royal affords. 

I hope that William and Harry can repair their relationship. I don't dislike Harry and Meghan. I think it could be possible for them to split their time between the two countries and resume their royal duties at least part time. I also believe that Meghan has experienced discrimination, racism, and emotional distress within the Royal Family and the Firm, and I think that is inexcusable. The Royal Family should have learned their lesson after what happened to Princess Diana. Considering their wealth, status, and privilege, one would think they could all work harder to treat each other better, for the Queen, the Commonwealth, and their own health, happiness, peace, and purpose. 

librarianintx