Saturday, February 25, 2012
El Talismán #19 Fri 2/24/12 The Case of the Twisted Sister: or How Pedro lost his Mojo.
It was an ordinary day in Fresno.
The last time I saw a face like that it was on a stone Olmec carving in the Natural History Museum. This one is on an old guy, squat and angry. Incongruous in black tie, he’s heading to the Businessman’s Gala with his daughter-in-law, the secret star of the Fresno bordello. The guy’s body is already under attack by the poison that will lead him inexorably to a slow and ghastly demise. Even so, he lives to destroy the Pi Man, Pedro Ibarra, and take El Talismán away from him.
The old guy’s slutty daughter, bruised and bloodied from her brother’s beatdown, obsesses about the Pi Man’s avocados.
I spy the old guy’s slacker son pacing around his twisted, battered sister. He is sunk in a miasma of self-pity and guilt – this would-be patricide, this brute, this drunk who dances on the edge of incest.
I knew the Pi Man was his opposite. As long Pedro existed, the universe would be in Karmic balance. And I intended to keep it that way.
In another part of town, a black widow is so busy spinning her own web that she can’t see the one she’s getting trapped in.
But they’re just background noise to me. I came here to solve a mystery: How the Pi Man Lost His Mojo. By now I was sorry I had accepted the case. Did it matter how he lost it? I wasn’t sure he’d ever get it back.
Then I spotted them standing in the field. Camila was a tall girl. Really tall, like a sad-browed Alice after chugging a bottle of DRINK ME. She was hunched over a little as if to hide her size, and it made her seem sweet and vulnerable.
Pedro had it bad for this dame. But why was he so uncomfortable with her? (I learned much later that for the first six weeks of shooting, he thought he was in a Woody Allen movie.)
When they kissed, I had to look away, fixing my eye on the horses that flanked them.
And when I heard him defending Lucrecia, I knew the poor sap needed help. Maybe more than I could give.
Alcatrash:
Florencia and Fabiola haven’t learned to go for the jugular yet. I hear little Flor talk of sparing Claudio’s feelings. But he has to know he’s out of the picture, she insists. She has “met someone”.
Antonio and Lucrecia, in a bedroom
Lu is sprawled on the bed, senseless, her face bruised and bloodied.
The broad was trouble, I knew. Even on a good day, you could see the crazy in her eyes as she peeked out slyly from a tangled honey-blonde curtain of curls, curls she fingered over and over and over.
She played dirty, even in her dreams. She’d keep Cami and Pedro apart even if she had to put on a transparent white dress and dance until her boobs hurt from the bouncing. (Nobody had ever told this babe about sports bras and I wasn’t going to be the one to put her out of her misery.) She’d hire cellists, if she had to.
Antonio is pacing, a bundle of remorse and resentment. I knew the type. A pretty boy in a tight jersey, the fine features clouded by disappointment. And a sneer that became a snarl when he was crossed.
The Only Hotel Inn™
Armando didn’t want to get sucked into his mother’s vendetta by playing Fabi against Flor. The Negrete girls were innocent, he knew, and they deserved better. But he was as weak as a watered-down Margarita in a tourist trap, no match for El Viral.
They warned me the El Viral dame was cold. And aggressive. But I still took an involuntary step back and gasped when I finally saw her: The whole arc of her body -- from the forward slant of her sharpened incisors to the upward tilt of her jutting butt -- was a poison-tipped arrow poised to take flight.
I overhear her giving her boy some advice: Do unto others before they do unto you.
Then I see her brush him off like a flake of dandruff on a black sweater. She needs time to apply the last coat of varnish for her date with a millionaire.
Armando doesn’t like the sound of that. He doesn’t want his ma being a rich man’s honey.
Mister Renato Betancourt, aka The Gigolo
If the dame only knew. I follow her “millionaire” to the place where he’s renting a car on Tracy’s dime. Tracy -- A dollface living on hopes, dreams and sales of homemade empanadas.
The Church
Word on the street was the story needed a priest. No one knew that Padre Serafin was waiting in the wings with the Blessing of the Chevies.
In the afterglow of the blessing, Claudio takes another Flor shot. He gets nothing but air. Flor tries to let Claudio down easy but the dude takes it hard.
Still, when I see Claudio’s dashed hopes reflected in the driver’s side mirror of his classic Chevy truck, I know that sooner or later she’ll be sorrier than one of El Viral’s headbands for what she has just done.
Pedro leads Camila to the cabaña. Roses are everywhere. Before I have a chance to look away, they kiss. Pedro mouths the words “I love you”. But the pained look on his face puts the lie to his words. Before he can go any further, one of the ranch workers walks in on them. The couple look relieved.
And the Mystery of the Pi Man persists.
Later I get to meet Genoveva, Camila’s assistant. She’s a long drink of water who keeps the hot dialed way down at work.
Mister Renato’s place
Tracy’s as mad as a Negrete when she realizes her money has been pinched. And even madder when Rennie’s chiquita Rita outs herself by snarking that it’s Tracy’s own fault for hiding the money in a box in the kitchen and not putting it in the bank.
Rita was hot. Not as hot as Geno, maybe, but she was one broad who knew how to work it.
I see Pedro and Cami heading back to the Hotel. She wants to square things away with her mother and brother and meet up with Team Smith, Geno and Tomás.
Armando is in the lobby when the PC duo enter. He had to get away from El Viral’s veneno for a moment. He’s surprised and kind of worried when he sees them together. He doesn’t want his sister hurt. (This Armando guy wasn’t all bad – I could see that. But he was weak. And it would be his downfall.)
El Viral doesn’t get it -- Why go for Pedro when the ripe fruit of rich, seriously deranged, rich, married with two kids, rich Antonio is hers for the plucking? Did she mention rich? Camila stands her ground. She and Pedro are together. She has a three-month gig in Fresno, and she’ll be living at El Talismán for her work. (That meant the Pi Man had three months to get his mojo back. I wasn’t sure it could be done. I lit a fatty and inhaled thoughtfully.)
Alcatrash
I knew Lucrecia wasn’t going to miss her chance. The blood and bruises are real. She IS a victim. And she knows soft-hearted Pedro can’t turn her away. She’ll use the pity card to force open the door of the room where Pedro and Cami’s passion is being maintained on life support. She plans to pull the plug. Antonio modestly hopes that his beating will be of some use.
Lu looks so bad as she edges towards the door with Antonio that even Gregorio notices there’s a limp in her slither. But she won’t say what happened. And she threatens to call the police and say her father beat her if he doesn’t stop pressing her. Gregorio mutters that she is getting to be as crazy as her mother.
Shrewd Doris guesses the beating was Antonio’s doing. And I was guessing she was talking from experience.
The Hotel Inn
Pedro, Camila, Geno and Tomás cross paths with Renato, now on his way to pick up El Viral. Renato’s eyes widen at the sight of the handsome group. Because of the guapos or the guapas? I’m not sure. But I knew El Viral’s ego would take a beating when Rennie finally realized Camila was her daughter.
Luckily for the Pi Man, no one invited him to the Gala.
So he is free this evening to escort Camila and Genoveva to the cabaña, its air still heavy with the perfume of desperation mingled with too many roses. Good night, my love, he says to Camila. He kisses her chastely.
The two friends are left alone to settle in. We all relax a bit when he is gone. My thoughts stray to allergies and I wonder if the practical Geno has an Epi-pen handy.
Slouching towards El Talismán
Lucrecia and Antonio stumble in the dark towards the Pi Man and El Tal. The whiskey glass in Antonio’s hand is just visible in the moonlight. Has he lost his boda bag? It could be important ...
Call me as soon as you can, the tender brute tells little sister before leaving.
Claudio returns to ET, still smarting from Flor’s rejection. The Pi Man would offer manly solace, I’m sure, but before he can do so he is distracted by a plaintive wail that cuts the silence of the night –
Pedro! Pedro!
Pedro rushes toward the voice and discovers Lucrecia sprawled on the ground. Acting on instinct, he scoops her up in his arms and carries her inside. The Pi Man blames himself for Lu’s sorry state. He should never have left her at Alcatrash! It was her father, wasn’t it? He’ll pay for what he did!
At the Hotel, El Viral and Renato meet up and he is, as usual, full of ... piropos. I could see that these two scorpions were a perfect match. I wondered if they would be careful. A love bite would be fatal.
In the cabaña, Camila is just asking for trouble when she tells Geno that the love she and Pedro share is a dream come true and no one and nothing can separate them...
...except maybe a slutty girl who’s willing to provoke her crazy brother to beat her to a bloody pulp so Pedro will protect her.
Lucrecia doesn’t want a doctor. A doctor would have to notify the police and then her father would really kill her. But Tía ignores her and calls a local médico. I take another thoughtful drag – they still make housecalls in Fresno.
The Gala
Rita in egg-yolk yellow awaits the arrival of Uncle Rennie and El Viral.
Greg in penguin suit grouses about the Lucrecia problem, his “acid” stomach and having to be at this stupid dinner. He growls at Doris to ramp up the smile – he brought her there to play a part. He doesn’t know that role-playing is Doris’s favorite pastime.
Back at Alcatrash
Antonio gets sloshed and waits for Lu’s call. He tells himself he’ll have to learn to control his rage attacks if he wants to win Camila’s heart and be the head of Alcatrash. (I've heard there are directed therapy groups in prison.)
He interrupts loutish Valentín’s supper to confirm that his father took his pills. Val – who seems to know all about the beating -- mentions that Greg was asking questions about Lucrecia. Antonio isn’t worried – he knows Lu won’t spill.
Fabi and Flor are on the scene. At their entrance, Antonio switches from murderous son, battering brother and pathetic drunk to loving father. The switch happen so quickly, I nearly miss it. By the way the girls rush into his arms, I realize they must be immune to daddy’s booze breath.
When Fabi gets a call from pusillaninous Armando, Antonio takes the phone out of her hands, introduces himself as Fabi’s father, and demands to know what his intentions are with his daughter. On the other end of the line, a whole lot of silence. I knew the dude was in a cold sweat.
The doctor gets to El Tal and examines Lu. She is badly bruised but there are no internal injuries. (They don’t need no stinkin’ x-rays in Fresno.) He does have to report the beating to the police ... Lucrecia’s bloody face is inscrutable and I start to think maybe that’s what she was angling for.
As the Fresno day draws to a close, the Pi Man’s Mojo is still missing. And I was more doubtful than ever that he’d be able to get it back.
Avances: Camila’s not taking the invasion of the Lu-monster sitting down.
The last time I saw a face like that it was on a stone Olmec carving in the Natural History Museum. This one is on an old guy, squat and angry. Incongruous in black tie, he’s heading to the Businessman’s Gala with his daughter-in-law, the secret star of the Fresno bordello. The guy’s body is already under attack by the poison that will lead him inexorably to a slow and ghastly demise. Even so, he lives to destroy the Pi Man, Pedro Ibarra, and take El Talismán away from him.
The old guy’s slutty daughter, bruised and bloodied from her brother’s beatdown, obsesses about the Pi Man’s avocados.
I spy the old guy’s slacker son pacing around his twisted, battered sister. He is sunk in a miasma of self-pity and guilt – this would-be patricide, this brute, this drunk who dances on the edge of incest.
I knew the Pi Man was his opposite. As long Pedro existed, the universe would be in Karmic balance. And I intended to keep it that way.
In another part of town, a black widow is so busy spinning her own web that she can’t see the one she’s getting trapped in.
But they’re just background noise to me. I came here to solve a mystery: How the Pi Man Lost His Mojo. By now I was sorry I had accepted the case. Did it matter how he lost it? I wasn’t sure he’d ever get it back.
Then I spotted them standing in the field. Camila was a tall girl. Really tall, like a sad-browed Alice after chugging a bottle of DRINK ME. She was hunched over a little as if to hide her size, and it made her seem sweet and vulnerable.
Pedro had it bad for this dame. But why was he so uncomfortable with her? (I learned much later that for the first six weeks of shooting, he thought he was in a Woody Allen movie.)
When they kissed, I had to look away, fixing my eye on the horses that flanked them.
And when I heard him defending Lucrecia, I knew the poor sap needed help. Maybe more than I could give.
Alcatrash:
Florencia and Fabiola haven’t learned to go for the jugular yet. I hear little Flor talk of sparing Claudio’s feelings. But he has to know he’s out of the picture, she insists. She has “met someone”.
Antonio and Lucrecia, in a bedroom
Lu is sprawled on the bed, senseless, her face bruised and bloodied.
The broad was trouble, I knew. Even on a good day, you could see the crazy in her eyes as she peeked out slyly from a tangled honey-blonde curtain of curls, curls she fingered over and over and over.
She played dirty, even in her dreams. She’d keep Cami and Pedro apart even if she had to put on a transparent white dress and dance until her boobs hurt from the bouncing. (Nobody had ever told this babe about sports bras and I wasn’t going to be the one to put her out of her misery.) She’d hire cellists, if she had to.
Antonio is pacing, a bundle of remorse and resentment. I knew the type. A pretty boy in a tight jersey, the fine features clouded by disappointment. And a sneer that became a snarl when he was crossed.
The Only Hotel Inn™
Armando didn’t want to get sucked into his mother’s vendetta by playing Fabi against Flor. The Negrete girls were innocent, he knew, and they deserved better. But he was as weak as a watered-down Margarita in a tourist trap, no match for El Viral.
They warned me the El Viral dame was cold. And aggressive. But I still took an involuntary step back and gasped when I finally saw her: The whole arc of her body -- from the forward slant of her sharpened incisors to the upward tilt of her jutting butt -- was a poison-tipped arrow poised to take flight.
I overhear her giving her boy some advice: Do unto others before they do unto you.
Then I see her brush him off like a flake of dandruff on a black sweater. She needs time to apply the last coat of varnish for her date with a millionaire.
Armando doesn’t like the sound of that. He doesn’t want his ma being a rich man’s honey.
Mister Renato Betancourt, aka The Gigolo
If the dame only knew. I follow her “millionaire” to the place where he’s renting a car on Tracy’s dime. Tracy -- A dollface living on hopes, dreams and sales of homemade empanadas.
The Church
Word on the street was the story needed a priest. No one knew that Padre Serafin was waiting in the wings with the Blessing of the Chevies.
In the afterglow of the blessing, Claudio takes another Flor shot. He gets nothing but air. Flor tries to let Claudio down easy but the dude takes it hard.
Still, when I see Claudio’s dashed hopes reflected in the driver’s side mirror of his classic Chevy truck, I know that sooner or later she’ll be sorrier than one of El Viral’s headbands for what she has just done.
Pedro leads Camila to the cabaña. Roses are everywhere. Before I have a chance to look away, they kiss. Pedro mouths the words “I love you”. But the pained look on his face puts the lie to his words. Before he can go any further, one of the ranch workers walks in on them. The couple look relieved.
And the Mystery of the Pi Man persists.
Later I get to meet Genoveva, Camila’s assistant. She’s a long drink of water who keeps the hot dialed way down at work.
Mister Renato’s place
Tracy’s as mad as a Negrete when she realizes her money has been pinched. And even madder when Rennie’s chiquita Rita outs herself by snarking that it’s Tracy’s own fault for hiding the money in a box in the kitchen and not putting it in the bank.
Rita was hot. Not as hot as Geno, maybe, but she was one broad who knew how to work it.
I see Pedro and Cami heading back to the Hotel. She wants to square things away with her mother and brother and meet up with Team Smith, Geno and Tomás.
Armando is in the lobby when the PC duo enter. He had to get away from El Viral’s veneno for a moment. He’s surprised and kind of worried when he sees them together. He doesn’t want his sister hurt. (This Armando guy wasn’t all bad – I could see that. But he was weak. And it would be his downfall.)
El Viral doesn’t get it -- Why go for Pedro when the ripe fruit of rich, seriously deranged, rich, married with two kids, rich Antonio is hers for the plucking? Did she mention rich? Camila stands her ground. She and Pedro are together. She has a three-month gig in Fresno, and she’ll be living at El Talismán for her work. (That meant the Pi Man had three months to get his mojo back. I wasn’t sure it could be done. I lit a fatty and inhaled thoughtfully.)
Alcatrash
I knew Lucrecia wasn’t going to miss her chance. The blood and bruises are real. She IS a victim. And she knows soft-hearted Pedro can’t turn her away. She’ll use the pity card to force open the door of the room where Pedro and Cami’s passion is being maintained on life support. She plans to pull the plug. Antonio modestly hopes that his beating will be of some use.
Lu looks so bad as she edges towards the door with Antonio that even Gregorio notices there’s a limp in her slither. But she won’t say what happened. And she threatens to call the police and say her father beat her if he doesn’t stop pressing her. Gregorio mutters that she is getting to be as crazy as her mother.
Shrewd Doris guesses the beating was Antonio’s doing. And I was guessing she was talking from experience.
The Hotel Inn
Pedro, Camila, Geno and Tomás cross paths with Renato, now on his way to pick up El Viral. Renato’s eyes widen at the sight of the handsome group. Because of the guapos or the guapas? I’m not sure. But I knew El Viral’s ego would take a beating when Rennie finally realized Camila was her daughter.
Luckily for the Pi Man, no one invited him to the Gala.
So he is free this evening to escort Camila and Genoveva to the cabaña, its air still heavy with the perfume of desperation mingled with too many roses. Good night, my love, he says to Camila. He kisses her chastely.
The two friends are left alone to settle in. We all relax a bit when he is gone. My thoughts stray to allergies and I wonder if the practical Geno has an Epi-pen handy.
Slouching towards El Talismán
Lucrecia and Antonio stumble in the dark towards the Pi Man and El Tal. The whiskey glass in Antonio’s hand is just visible in the moonlight. Has he lost his boda bag? It could be important ...
Call me as soon as you can, the tender brute tells little sister before leaving.
Claudio returns to ET, still smarting from Flor’s rejection. The Pi Man would offer manly solace, I’m sure, but before he can do so he is distracted by a plaintive wail that cuts the silence of the night –
Pedro! Pedro!
Pedro rushes toward the voice and discovers Lucrecia sprawled on the ground. Acting on instinct, he scoops her up in his arms and carries her inside. The Pi Man blames himself for Lu’s sorry state. He should never have left her at Alcatrash! It was her father, wasn’t it? He’ll pay for what he did!
At the Hotel, El Viral and Renato meet up and he is, as usual, full of ... piropos. I could see that these two scorpions were a perfect match. I wondered if they would be careful. A love bite would be fatal.
In the cabaña, Camila is just asking for trouble when she tells Geno that the love she and Pedro share is a dream come true and no one and nothing can separate them...
...except maybe a slutty girl who’s willing to provoke her crazy brother to beat her to a bloody pulp so Pedro will protect her.
Lucrecia doesn’t want a doctor. A doctor would have to notify the police and then her father would really kill her. But Tía ignores her and calls a local médico. I take another thoughtful drag – they still make housecalls in Fresno.
The Gala
Rita in egg-yolk yellow awaits the arrival of Uncle Rennie and El Viral.
Greg in penguin suit grouses about the Lucrecia problem, his “acid” stomach and having to be at this stupid dinner. He growls at Doris to ramp up the smile – he brought her there to play a part. He doesn’t know that role-playing is Doris’s favorite pastime.
Back at Alcatrash
Antonio gets sloshed and waits for Lu’s call. He tells himself he’ll have to learn to control his rage attacks if he wants to win Camila’s heart and be the head of Alcatrash. (I've heard there are directed therapy groups in prison.)
He interrupts loutish Valentín’s supper to confirm that his father took his pills. Val – who seems to know all about the beating -- mentions that Greg was asking questions about Lucrecia. Antonio isn’t worried – he knows Lu won’t spill.
Fabi and Flor are on the scene. At their entrance, Antonio switches from murderous son, battering brother and pathetic drunk to loving father. The switch happen so quickly, I nearly miss it. By the way the girls rush into his arms, I realize they must be immune to daddy’s booze breath.
When Fabi gets a call from pusillaninous Armando, Antonio takes the phone out of her hands, introduces himself as Fabi’s father, and demands to know what his intentions are with his daughter. On the other end of the line, a whole lot of silence. I knew the dude was in a cold sweat.
The doctor gets to El Tal and examines Lu. She is badly bruised but there are no internal injuries. (They don’t need no stinkin’ x-rays in Fresno.) He does have to report the beating to the police ... Lucrecia’s bloody face is inscrutable and I start to think maybe that’s what she was angling for.
As the Fresno day draws to a close, the Pi Man’s Mojo is still missing. And I was more doubtful than ever that he’d be able to get it back.
Avances: Camila’s not taking the invasion of the Lu-monster sitting down.
Labels: Talisman
Comments:
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Oh wow, NM!!! It's really hard to feed and care for a recapper properly when one is left speechless at the magnitude of greatness they are witnessing. This goes for the ENTIRE El Tal recapping team. Yesterday we get Shakespearean and today Raymond Chandler.
Obviously, I can't list all my favorite lines as there are so many, but the highlights include:
"The old guy’s slutty daughter, ...obsesses about the Pi Man’s avocados."
"She’d hire cellists, if she had to."
"But he was as weak as a watered-down Margarita in a tourist trap, no match for El Viral."
Oh I could go onanonandonandon....
Obviously, I can't list all my favorite lines as there are so many, but the highlights include:
"The old guy’s slutty daughter, ...obsesses about the Pi Man’s avocados."
"She’d hire cellists, if she had to."
"But he was as weak as a watered-down Margarita in a tourist trap, no match for El Viral."
Oh I could go onanonandonandon....
Billy S now Ray C, who's next, Doc S?
I'm once again awed by the cleverness you guys are devoting to this groundbreaking show.
Carlos
I'm once again awed by the cleverness you guys are devoting to this groundbreaking show.
Carlos
Is that Philip Marlowe channeling our Dear NovelaMaven? With maybe some Joe Friday?
NM - if I were to list my favorite lines, I'd be re-writing the entire re-cap. Like Judy said, it's a work of genius! Thank you.
Here are my favorites of the favorites:
-The title! lol
-"I learned much later that for the 1st 6 weeks of shooting he thought he was in a Woody Allen movie."
-The whole paragraph with "She played dirty, even in her dreams... dance until her boobs hurt... sports bra... she'd hire cellists if she had to."
-The description of the arc of Elvira's body is hysterical with the sharpened incisors and jutting butt being a poison tipped arrow poised to take flight. How did you come up with that? Soooooo funny!!!!!
-"sorrier than one of Elvira's headbands"
I love this whole re-cap. Another "must-read" out loud to my family.
Wow! Gen looked hot! She does dress down for work.
lol about Rita blaming Tracy for hiding her money in a box in the kitchen.
another lol when Elvira commented on Renato's beautiful car.
How funny would it be for Armani to really fall in love with F1 and then when he "meets" F2 he can pretend he's never seen her before and she is having a case of mistaken identity? Poor F2 and her family would think she is going nuts, or making up her "Jose". That could be comical, and this is a comedy after all.
Thanks for starting the weekend off on a great note, NM!
Rosemary la Otra
NM - if I were to list my favorite lines, I'd be re-writing the entire re-cap. Like Judy said, it's a work of genius! Thank you.
Here are my favorites of the favorites:
-The title! lol
-"I learned much later that for the 1st 6 weeks of shooting he thought he was in a Woody Allen movie."
-The whole paragraph with "She played dirty, even in her dreams... dance until her boobs hurt... sports bra... she'd hire cellists if she had to."
-The description of the arc of Elvira's body is hysterical with the sharpened incisors and jutting butt being a poison tipped arrow poised to take flight. How did you come up with that? Soooooo funny!!!!!
-"sorrier than one of Elvira's headbands"
I love this whole re-cap. Another "must-read" out loud to my family.
Wow! Gen looked hot! She does dress down for work.
lol about Rita blaming Tracy for hiding her money in a box in the kitchen.
another lol when Elvira commented on Renato's beautiful car.
How funny would it be for Armani to really fall in love with F1 and then when he "meets" F2 he can pretend he's never seen her before and she is having a case of mistaken identity? Poor F2 and her family would think she is going nuts, or making up her "Jose". That could be comical, and this is a comedy after all.
Thanks for starting the weekend off on a great note, NM!
Rosemary la Otra
Novela Maven
You are a superb hard boiled detective, helping Pedro get his mojo back. Keep puffing that blunt, sister, you need the THC to keep you happy in this sorry mess of a tale.
I simply loved this recap/story. Fabulous, brilliant, gold medal material. It has the right tone, feel and your Private Detective's tongue is firmly in her cheek.
Dare I say that I detect that she has a girl-crush on Geno? (I could be projecting here...)
You are a prodigy. May I fan you with adoration? May I tell people that I know you? Will you autograph my avocados?
In reverence,
Elna June
You are a superb hard boiled detective, helping Pedro get his mojo back. Keep puffing that blunt, sister, you need the THC to keep you happy in this sorry mess of a tale.
I simply loved this recap/story. Fabulous, brilliant, gold medal material. It has the right tone, feel and your Private Detective's tongue is firmly in her cheek.
Dare I say that I detect that she has a girl-crush on Geno? (I could be projecting here...)
You are a prodigy. May I fan you with adoration? May I tell people that I know you? Will you autograph my avocados?
In reverence,
Elna June
I so dig the Raymond Chandler thing. My favorite so far: The broad was trouble, I knew. Even on a good day, you could see the crazy in her eyes as she peeked out slyly from a tangled honey-blonde curtain of curls, curls she fingered over and over and over.
She played dirty, even in her dreams. She’d keep Cami and Pedro apart even if she had to put on a transparent white dress and dance until her boobs hurt from the bouncing. (Nobody had ever told this babe about sports bras and I wasn’t going to be the one to put her out of her misery.) She’d hire cellists, if she had to.
Actually, her chest would hurt if she tried to sleep on her stomach....
Pedro needs to worry more about his brain than his mojo at this point. He needs to fly -- not run -- as far away from Lucrazia as he can.
She played dirty, even in her dreams. She’d keep Cami and Pedro apart even if she had to put on a transparent white dress and dance until her boobs hurt from the bouncing. (Nobody had ever told this babe about sports bras and I wasn’t going to be the one to put her out of her misery.) She’d hire cellists, if she had to.
Actually, her chest would hurt if she tried to sleep on her stomach....
Pedro needs to worry more about his brain than his mojo at this point. He needs to fly -- not run -- as far away from Lucrazia as he can.
"Nobody had ever told this babe about sports bras and I wasn’t going to be the one to put her out of her misery."
Amen to that, Mr. Chandler, amen to that...
Amen to that, Mr. Chandler, amen to that...
YOU are one heckaofa recapper! You have turned this miserable piece of trash...this sordid,laughable, pathetic story full of such unbelievable stupidity...into SOMETHING.
Why aren't you working for the goons who are putting out this piece of wretched refuse?! Why aren't you teaching them a thing or two!
Why aren't you working for the goons who are putting out this piece of wretched refuse?! Why aren't you teaching them a thing or two!
Permalink posted by 
: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 2:38:00 PM EST
: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 2:38:00 PM EST
Thank you all, my dears! You are Chicken Soup for a Recapper's Soul. I posted this one with some trepidation -- you all have the most discriminating literary palates on CarayCaray -- and I am so relieved it gave you a few giggles.
Now Dr. S -- there's an idea ...
EJ, I fear you may well be projecting ... What is it with you and Geno? :)
This novela is "groundbreaking"? You mean in the "How low can you go before you're in Hades?" kind of groundbreaking?
Now Dr. S -- there's an idea ...
EJ, I fear you may well be projecting ... What is it with you and Geno? :)
This novela is "groundbreaking"? You mean in the "How low can you go before you're in Hades?" kind of groundbreaking?
NovelaMaven, what an inspired well-crafted recap. My favorite line from a work teeming with potential candidates:
"Really tall, like a sad-browed Alice after chugging a bottle of DRINK ME. She was hunched over a little as if to hide her size, and it made her seem sweet and vulnerable."
Well, I'm really settling in to enjoy this show, but I think that everyone involved in its production must still be holding his breath to see if it works.
They slapped us in the face with bad writing, curious casting, excessive violence, ridiculous costuming, and improbable venue... I think in an attempt to pull off a heavy-handed parody of the genre.
So far I think that the actors are showing varying degrees of success with their assigned characters.
My favorites are:
Antonio who is perfect as the sleaze but is coming dangerously close to winking at us.
Lucrezia who is delicious.
and Tracy who is fresh delightful.
Also, I'm beginning to appreciate our big lunkhead, Pedro who reminds me of Li'l Abner.
My fear is that unless the writing improves measurably this may become tedious and repetitious.
Carlos
"Really tall, like a sad-browed Alice after chugging a bottle of DRINK ME. She was hunched over a little as if to hide her size, and it made her seem sweet and vulnerable."
Well, I'm really settling in to enjoy this show, but I think that everyone involved in its production must still be holding his breath to see if it works.
They slapped us in the face with bad writing, curious casting, excessive violence, ridiculous costuming, and improbable venue... I think in an attempt to pull off a heavy-handed parody of the genre.
So far I think that the actors are showing varying degrees of success with their assigned characters.
My favorites are:
Antonio who is perfect as the sleaze but is coming dangerously close to winking at us.
Lucrezia who is delicious.
and Tracy who is fresh delightful.
Also, I'm beginning to appreciate our big lunkhead, Pedro who reminds me of Li'l Abner.
My fear is that unless the writing improves measurably this may become tedious and repetitious.
Carlos
The writing is certainly more ambitious than for Eva Luna, with more stories being juggled at this point than at the same point in that show, but the execution (including some of those amazing choices for plot points) has been...I'll be kind and call it simply scattershot.
Out of the whole cast Aaron Diaz seems to be the one person who's both completely in on the joke and going absolutely gonzo with his part (the "Can you believe what I have to put up with?" look straight into the camera when Tony was talking to Valentin in Thursday's episode). Maybe followed by Lola Ponce, since Lucrecia went full skank (wait for it...never go full skank!) and isn't coming back any time soon--though I suppose that brings us right back to that awesome inappropriate sibling chemistry, which may well be the most cracked-out single aspect of this show. And Camila at least being a fairly proactive heroine, even if she's being dragged over into the sharing-the-brain-hamster zone, is still a nice change of pace.
Out of the whole cast Aaron Diaz seems to be the one person who's both completely in on the joke and going absolutely gonzo with his part (the "Can you believe what I have to put up with?" look straight into the camera when Tony was talking to Valentin in Thursday's episode). Maybe followed by Lola Ponce, since Lucrecia went full skank (wait for it...never go full skank!) and isn't coming back any time soon--though I suppose that brings us right back to that awesome inappropriate sibling chemistry, which may well be the most cracked-out single aspect of this show. And Camila at least being a fairly proactive heroine, even if she's being dragged over into the sharing-the-brain-hamster zone, is still a nice change of pace.
Guy Noir! I heard his voice the whole time I read it. Awesome!
Loved the poison-tipped arrow, Woody Allen movie and all of the rest.
Watered down margarita versus still at the pap. Which do I choose? ROTFLOL!
Audrey
Loved the poison-tipped arrow, Woody Allen movie and all of the rest.
Watered down margarita versus still at the pap. Which do I choose? ROTFLOL!
Audrey
Permalink posted by : Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 5:23:00 PM EST
: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 5:23:00 PM EST
A few Dr. Seuss books tailored to fit with the El Talisman theme:
If I Ran the Brothel
The 500 Swimming Suits of Lucrecia
Pedro, The Big-Hearted Moose
Oh, The Places You'll Go to Avoid Watching This Show
El Narizpicador in the Hat
Green Eggs and Ham When I Told You I Wanted Red Eggs and Ham?
Horton Hears a Who and Camila Says Que Que
Fox in Hooker Mask
How the Grinch Stole His Son's Wife
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish in Spanglish
R la O
If I Ran the Brothel
The 500 Swimming Suits of Lucrecia
Pedro, The Big-Hearted Moose
Oh, The Places You'll Go to Avoid Watching This Show
El Narizpicador in the Hat
Green Eggs and Ham When I Told You I Wanted Red Eggs and Ham?
Horton Hears a Who and Camila Says Que Que
Fox in Hooker Mask
How the Grinch Stole His Son's Wife
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish in Spanglish
R la O
Holy Hyperbole, Batman!!!
That was one great, metaphor laden recap, NovelaMaven. We miss your mad skilz over at El Mundo de Telemundo.
I loved every word of your recap.
And, Audrey, yes! Loved the Guy Noir reference.
That was one great, metaphor laden recap, NovelaMaven. We miss your mad skilz over at El Mundo de Telemundo.
I loved every word of your recap.
And, Audrey, yes! Loved the Guy Noir reference.
LMAO R la O! Green Eggs and Ham when I said I wanted Red Eggs and Ham is just awesome!!!!!
Omigosh thanks for the belly laugh. Things over at LQNPA have gotten very dark. El Tal is my escape and your Dr S inspired take on it is inspired!
Omigosh thanks for the belly laugh. Things over at LQNPA have gotten very dark. El Tal is my escape and your Dr S inspired take on it is inspired!
lol Thanks, Sara. I am hit and miss with LQNPA and haven't seen the last few. I better read the re-caps tomorrow to catch up on all the darkness.
Speaking of darkness.... Did anyone watch the last Glee? OMG about Quinn.
Speaking of darkness.... Did anyone watch the last Glee? OMG about Quinn.
Oh my God, Rosemary, that's it. Pedro, the Big-Hearted Moose! (Oh, if only Eduardo Santamarina had been available...)
I LOVE Eduardo Santamarino! Juan Querendon was our first novela. Pedro is certainly big-hearted - too bad he doesn't have a brain to match.
Novela Maven, your recap was fun, imaginative, a joy to read. My memories of the show were in black and white! Thanks!!
(I still am not a robot)
Novela Maven, your recap was fun, imaginative, a joy to read. My memories of the show were in black and white! Thanks!!
(I still am not a robot)
wow, NM, LOVED IT!! from title all the way to the preview for next ep.
Camila’s not taking the invasion of the Lu-monster sitting down...
totally agree...
and Doris thinking it was Antonio because probably she had got the same treatment.. ITA on that too...
how clever a take on the recap! my admiration to you NM!
Camila’s not taking the invasion of the Lu-monster sitting down...
totally agree...
and Doris thinking it was Antonio because probably she had got the same treatment.. ITA on that too...
how clever a take on the recap! my admiration to you NM!
Just how many bottles of beer can Antonio splash all over his dad's studio (should we call it that?) in one day? seems at every scene with Valentin, he was splashing a bottle all over!
Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the floor, ninety-nine bottles of beer! Take one down, splash it around, one hundred bottles of beer on the floor!
I am in awe of the level of literary talent shared with us here on CC for the low, low cost of a telenovela addiction. I actually tried to write a recap in noir detective mode once and couldn't pull it off, so hats off to you all the more, NM.
I am in awe of the level of literary talent shared with us here on CC for the low, low cost of a telenovela addiction. I actually tried to write a recap in noir detective mode once and couldn't pull it off, so hats off to you all the more, NM.
"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the floor, ninety-nine bottles of beer! Take one down, splash it around, one hundred bottles of beer on the floor!"
---
There are just no words for how much I appreciate all these giggles today!!!
---
There are just no words for how much I appreciate all these giggles today!!!
I am running out of adjectives -- and I *collect* them. This recap was simply breathtaking. NM, you outdid yourself.
These last 4 days may have been the most entertaining of my entire life -- and, as Julia points out, it's ALL FREE. O brave new world, that has such people in it!
And R la O, your Seussical suggestions were pure genius. Please make more; you can sell them on the street and support us all.
These last 4 days may have been the most entertaining of my entire life -- and, as Julia points out, it's ALL FREE. O brave new world, that has such people in it!
And R la O, your Seussical suggestions were pure genius. Please make more; you can sell them on the street and support us all.
Permalink posted by : Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 11:06:00 PM EST
: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 11:06:00 PM EST
If R la O doesn't mind my working off her list (And since Gertrude McFuzz was not included:)
LuLo McSlut.
LuLo McSlut.
Thanks again, guys!
R la O,
I love your Seussicals! Too funny! Like Sara, I'm especially partial to: Green Eggs and Ham When I Told You I Wanted Red Eggs and Ham?
Novelera,
"Holy Hyperbole, Batman!!!"
Yeah, well you know, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't:) I'm glad to see a Telemundo buddy in this barrio.
BillC,
Speaking of --
"...that awesome inappropriate sibling chemistry, which may well be the most cracked-out single aspect of this show."
I think you nailed it. That Tony-Lu thing is powerful in every way and it completely eclipses the story of the bland protagonistas.
Carlos,
"Antonio who is perfect as the sleaze but is coming dangerously close to winking at us."
I wasn't sure about Aaron Díaz at first -- he seemed so insubstantial -- but I love what he is doing with the role. I think he actually IS winking at us and we're glad to be in on the joke.
Audrey,
Thanks for reminding me about Guy Noir -- an old favorite of mine.
Oh Marta, yes, that was a whole lot of splashing, wasn't it? But I still think the funniest booze detail was Antonio carrying a glass during his trek to El Tal.
R la O,
I love your Seussicals! Too funny! Like Sara, I'm especially partial to: Green Eggs and Ham When I Told You I Wanted Red Eggs and Ham?
Novelera,
"Holy Hyperbole, Batman!!!"
Yeah, well you know, sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't:) I'm glad to see a Telemundo buddy in this barrio.
BillC,
Speaking of --
"...that awesome inappropriate sibling chemistry, which may well be the most cracked-out single aspect of this show."
I think you nailed it. That Tony-Lu thing is powerful in every way and it completely eclipses the story of the bland protagonistas.
Carlos,
"Antonio who is perfect as the sleaze but is coming dangerously close to winking at us."
I wasn't sure about Aaron Díaz at first -- he seemed so insubstantial -- but I love what he is doing with the role. I think he actually IS winking at us and we're glad to be in on the joke.
Audrey,
Thanks for reminding me about Guy Noir -- an old favorite of mine.
Oh Marta, yes, that was a whole lot of splashing, wasn't it? But I still think the funniest booze detail was Antonio carrying a glass during his trek to El Tal.
Right on!! I made my honey hook my lap top up through his Android phone because I just KNEW there was gonna be something friggin' brilliant coming out of Novela Maven's brain. I love hard-boiled and this was absolutely spot-on all the way through.
I have a favorite line, it's been mentioned but I enjoyed it so much I'm gonna repeat: "The whole arc of her body -- from the forward slant of her sharpened incisors to the upward tilt of her jutting butt -- was a poison-tipped arrow poised to take flight."
N Maven, I am so jazzed to be on your recapping team. This was a hoot.
I think I have a motto for the El Talisman recapping team: "Doing the impossible daily". Or something like that.
Hey R la O, your Dr. Seuss titles are fantastic! How about:
Horton hears a Ho
I think we all know exactly of whom I speak.
Shoot, I've got to get disconnected so someone can use his phone. Boo hoo, I hate being disconnected. I'll try to check back in later.
Oh, one more thing, was it just me or did it seem like Rafael Novoa was trying just a little bit harder last night to actually act?
I have a favorite line, it's been mentioned but I enjoyed it so much I'm gonna repeat: "The whole arc of her body -- from the forward slant of her sharpened incisors to the upward tilt of her jutting butt -- was a poison-tipped arrow poised to take flight."
N Maven, I am so jazzed to be on your recapping team. This was a hoot.
I think I have a motto for the El Talisman recapping team: "Doing the impossible daily". Or something like that.
Hey R la O, your Dr. Seuss titles are fantastic! How about:
Horton hears a Ho
I think we all know exactly of whom I speak.
Shoot, I've got to get disconnected so someone can use his phone. Boo hoo, I hate being disconnected. I'll try to check back in later.
Oh, one more thing, was it just me or did it seem like Rafael Novoa was trying just a little bit harder last night to actually act?
I thought he did a good job list night. At one point Camila was blabbing about something and I was too busy watching his come-hither look to pay attention to her. I can see why Lucrazy is going after him. I may have to cut her some slack. Gotta appreciate her tenacity at least.
Kelly
Kelly
Permalink posted by : Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 11:45:00 PM EST
: Saturday, February 25, 2012 at 11:45:00 PM EST
Julia,
I'm not planning to do another like this any time soon. It turned out to be way harder than I thought it would be. Although it might work over on the Telemundo page with our mini-recap format ... hmmm.
Blue Lass,
We'll NEVER run out of adjectives. But if the supply seems to be getting perilously low, let the Talismaniacs know -- we'll make some up. On white? On rye? In English? Spanish? Spanglish? Just say the word ...
I'm not planning to do another like this any time soon. It turned out to be way harder than I thought it would be. Although it might work over on the Telemundo page with our mini-recap format ... hmmm.
Blue Lass,
We'll NEVER run out of adjectives. But if the supply seems to be getting perilously low, let the Talismaniacs know -- we'll make some up. On white? On rye? In English? Spanish? Spanglish? Just say the word ...
Correction: That should be the motto for all The Talismaniacs, not just recappers. What was I thinking? You commenters are the funniest group ever. If ever there was a group who can truly make a silk purse out of a sow's ear you guys are it.
Recappers and Commenters All:
The best thing about this abysmal telenovela is that it allows us (forces us) to exercise our creativity. Look at Blue Lass' "Quien es mas tonto?" offering on Tuesday. I LOVE being on this recapping team.
I want to do a little shout out to Marta, without whose Wednesday exact translations I would be sunk. Marta, you catching EVERY detail allows me the freedom on every other Tuesday to have fun with the recap. Thank you very much.
My problem with our weak show is that it takes me much more TIME to make something amusing out of the swill being dished out by ElTal. And the amount of time spent this week by Sylvia on 'Will's' recap and by NM on the 'Case of the Twisted Sister'—well I am guessing that you ladies spent many hours in creating these creative masterpieces.
Thank you all, recappers and commenters, for a wonderfully entertaining week. Y'll are more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
ElnaJune
The best thing about this abysmal telenovela is that it allows us (forces us) to exercise our creativity. Look at Blue Lass' "Quien es mas tonto?" offering on Tuesday. I LOVE being on this recapping team.
I want to do a little shout out to Marta, without whose Wednesday exact translations I would be sunk. Marta, you catching EVERY detail allows me the freedom on every other Tuesday to have fun with the recap. Thank you very much.
My problem with our weak show is that it takes me much more TIME to make something amusing out of the swill being dished out by ElTal. And the amount of time spent this week by Sylvia on 'Will's' recap and by NM on the 'Case of the Twisted Sister'—well I am guessing that you ladies spent many hours in creating these creative masterpieces.
Thank you all, recappers and commenters, for a wonderfully entertaining week. Y'll are more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
ElnaJune
More Dr. Seuss books:
Oh, the Thinks You Can Not Bother To Think!
Ten Avocados Up On Top!
Hop On Pop, And Crush Him Nearly To Death But Leave Him In Lingering Agony
Mr. Ibarra Can Woo! Can You?
The Footsie Book
There's a Wocket In My Pocket, Or Maybe I'm Just Happy To See My Sister
If I Ran the Circus, Maybe the Plot Would Make Any Sense
The Bitter Battle Book
Oh, the Thinks You Can Not Bother To Think!
Ten Avocados Up On Top!
Hop On Pop, And Crush Him Nearly To Death But Leave Him In Lingering Agony
Mr. Ibarra Can Woo! Can You?
The Footsie Book
There's a Wocket In My Pocket, Or Maybe I'm Just Happy To See My Sister
If I Ran the Circus, Maybe the Plot Would Make Any Sense
The Bitter Battle Book
OMG Julia, more Seussicals! I'm plotzing here! Too clever!
Talismaniacs Sub-Motto:
"Making Something Out of Nothing Since January 2012. Although it seems like much longer."
Talismaniacs Sub-Motto:
"Making Something Out of Nothing Since January 2012. Although it seems like much longer."
Permalink posted by : Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 8:04:00 AM EST
: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 8:04:00 AM EST
And yet nobody pulled out the obvious Seussical: And To Think That I Saw It On El Talisman! It was right there, y'all! :)
Fair Lass of Blue, plotz not but press on stoutly, through whate’er foul and gormless glop, thy wit held firmly aloft, thy tongue in cheek.
Julia, Bill C – Oh Seussiana! What great additions.
Sara – How did “LuLu McSlut” slip under my radar? [NM is heard to snort in a distinctly unladylike fashion.]
May I add one? “Doris the Horis Hatches a Plot”
or Lewis Carroll anyone?*
“You are old, Meester Rennie,” the young man said
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly mack on my ma --
Do you think, at your age it is right?”
*Found in a newly recovered manuscript fragment from The Hunting of the Snark
Julia, Bill C – Oh Seussiana! What great additions.
Sara – How did “LuLu McSlut” slip under my radar? [NM is heard to snort in a distinctly unladylike fashion.]
May I add one? “Doris the Horis Hatches a Plot”
or Lewis Carroll anyone?*
“You are old, Meester Rennie,” the young man said
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly mack on my ma --
Do you think, at your age it is right?”
*Found in a newly recovered manuscript fragment from The Hunting of the Snark
The Fox that Rocks
The Screetches
Hop on Pop (needs no revision)
There's a Rocket in My Pocket
Here, for your amusement:
http://www.annexed.net/box/drseuss/index.html
The Screetches
Hop on Pop (needs no revision)
There's a Rocket in My Pocket
Here, for your amusement:
http://www.annexed.net/box/drseuss/index.html
My, my, What literary treasures we are building up. Pretty soon we'll need a larger safe.
NM--Your recap was A PAGE TURNER, no doubt about it. The comments were over the top.
Seussisms--What fun. I grew up on Classic Dr. Seuss, my children on the new generation of read-it-yourself Seuss. Thank you,Bill C. for remembering where it all started.
Here's a very thinly disguised one.
...The 500 feathers of Camm-ila Cubbins. [Najera just didn't fit the cadence]
We're going to have to open a children's book section in Tal*Mart, even though most of the offerings will be rated PG-13.
Anita
NM--Your recap was A PAGE TURNER, no doubt about it. The comments were over the top.
Seussisms--What fun. I grew up on Classic Dr. Seuss, my children on the new generation of read-it-yourself Seuss. Thank you,Bill C. for remembering where it all started.
Here's a very thinly disguised one.
...The 500 feathers of Camm-ila Cubbins. [Najera just didn't fit the cadence]
We're going to have to open a children's book section in Tal*Mart, even though most of the offerings will be rated PG-13.
Anita
Nicely played, Urban. And thanks for the link reminding us that:
Nihil sub sole novum (there's nothing new under the sun.)
Maybe it will make us more appreciative of the ... er ... conventional nature of telenovela plots and devices.
Nihil sub sole novum (there's nothing new under the sun.)
Maybe it will make us more appreciative of the ... er ... conventional nature of telenovela plots and devices.
And for the shorter Seussical section:
Too Many Johns
(Although, in truth, there seem to be too few -- you can't avoid running into someone you're related to!)
Too Many Johns
(Although, in truth, there seem to be too few -- you can't avoid running into someone you're related to!)
Permalink posted by : Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 4:58:00 PM EST
: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 4:58:00 PM EST
Ahhh, back in the land of the living and now I have time to relax, sit back and enjoy the recap (again without rushing) and comments.
Novela Maven, cute shout-out to Julia in your first sentence. What a memory you have.
In honor of Oscar night my favorite line today is: "I learned much later that for the first six weeks of shooting, he thought he was in a Woody Allen movie."
Julia, "ninety-nine bottle of beer on the floor", LOL! That is so true. Everytime Antonio walks by with a drink in his hand I just know the booze is gonna fly.
Novela Maven, Your version of The Hunting of the Snark, Bwahahaha!
I love the Seussisms y'all. Well done with those.
Blue Lass, I think yours is the definitive motto: "Making Something Out of Nothing Since January 2012. Although it seems like much longer."
EJ, Let me second your shout-out to our resident treasure Marta. I've said it before but I'll say it again, when I get to follow Marta's Wednesday night recaps I know I'm the beneficiary of her superb details and I get schooled on exactly what's been going on. It definitely makes my job easier. So Marta, thank you! Enjoy your night off this Wed (even though it means I will have to pay more attention on Thursday, blech).
Thanks for all the terrific comments everyone.
By the way, I borrowed "A Better Life" from the library and watched it last night. Demian Bichir was nominated for an Oscar. It's an excellent, thought-provoking movie and the acting is superb.
Novela Maven, cute shout-out to Julia in your first sentence. What a memory you have.
In honor of Oscar night my favorite line today is: "I learned much later that for the first six weeks of shooting, he thought he was in a Woody Allen movie."
Julia, "ninety-nine bottle of beer on the floor", LOL! That is so true. Everytime Antonio walks by with a drink in his hand I just know the booze is gonna fly.
Novela Maven, Your version of The Hunting of the Snark, Bwahahaha!
I love the Seussisms y'all. Well done with those.
Blue Lass, I think yours is the definitive motto: "Making Something Out of Nothing Since January 2012. Although it seems like much longer."
EJ, Let me second your shout-out to our resident treasure Marta. I've said it before but I'll say it again, when I get to follow Marta's Wednesday night recaps I know I'm the beneficiary of her superb details and I get schooled on exactly what's been going on. It definitely makes my job easier. So Marta, thank you! Enjoy your night off this Wed (even though it means I will have to pay more attention on Thursday, blech).
Thanks for all the terrific comments everyone.
By the way, I borrowed "A Better Life" from the library and watched it last night. Demian Bichir was nominated for an Oscar. It's an excellent, thought-provoking movie and the acting is superb.
I was away for a long weekend, so I didn't get to take part in the, ah, study group as much as usual. That's the bad news. The good news is that I have 2 full episodes DVR'ed and ready to go...let me just pour myself a glass of wine.
A couple more Seussicals:
Slam, Bam, Thank-You-Ma-am I Am
And in honor of Antonio:
The Thorax
A couple more Seussicals:
Slam, Bam, Thank-You-Ma-am I Am
And in honor of Antonio:
The Thorax
Permalink posted by : Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 5:14:00 PM EST
: Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 5:14:00 PM EST
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL Gol for Blue Lass! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's right, Sylvia. I was trying to remember who had gone to the Pig Statue Museum and it was Julia.
NM, that was a really fun sentence to start your re-cap. And the more we see of Pig, the more we feel sorry for the statue.
Here's another for our Children's Books Section at Tal*Mart:
The Boda Bag Battle Book
So... nobody else saw Glee? Nobody out there can predict if Quinn murio' ?
R la O
NM, that was a really fun sentence to start your re-cap. And the more we see of Pig, the more we feel sorry for the statue.
Here's another for our Children's Books Section at Tal*Mart:
The Boda Bag Battle Book
So... nobody else saw Glee? Nobody out there can predict if Quinn murio' ?
R la O
I have a dumb question- Geno is not the same actress who played Esperanza in Teresa is it? Or do the two actresses just favor each other?
Too lazy to turn on computer to search and too clumsy on iPhone.
Too lazy to turn on computer to search and too clumsy on iPhone.
Oh my, Sylvia and R la O,
The last thing you should accuse me of is having a good memory. I am one "Where the *#/$*!* did I park the car???" away from Aricept. So if I echoed Julia, it was unintentionally. Having said that, let me hasten to add that I steal freely and only from the best.
Thank you, Julia, for sowing your seeds of wit in my (frequently) unconscious brain.
You visited the Pig Statue Museum? Pretty impressive, huh?
In an earlier millenium, I had to walk past a collection of Pre-Columbian stone carvings to get to my office at the Museum of Natural History (don't get excited, I was just one of the peones -- although I did ride up in an elevator with Margaret Mead once!) These images have stayed with me over the years and when the Troll walked on stage, I saw the family resemblance at once.
Oye Sara,
Just to show I'm not too far gone to Google --
Genoveva is Tatiana Rodríguez
Esperanza is Fabiola Campomanes
The last thing you should accuse me of is having a good memory. I am one "Where the *#/$*!* did I park the car???" away from Aricept. So if I echoed Julia, it was unintentionally. Having said that, let me hasten to add that I steal freely and only from the best.
Thank you, Julia, for sowing your seeds of wit in my (frequently) unconscious brain.
You visited the Pig Statue Museum? Pretty impressive, huh?
In an earlier millenium, I had to walk past a collection of Pre-Columbian stone carvings to get to my office at the Museum of Natural History (don't get excited, I was just one of the peones -- although I did ride up in an elevator with Margaret Mead once!) These images have stayed with me over the years and when the Troll walked on stage, I saw the family resemblance at once.
Oye Sara,
Just to show I'm not too far gone to Google --
Genoveva is Tatiana Rodríguez
Esperanza is Fabiola Campomanes
Henceforth and forever I shall refer to the Seattle Art Museum as "The Pig Statue Museum."
Come to think of it, they also have a giant statue of a rat creeping on a bed who wouldn't be out of place on our show either.
People can complain about the quality of this television production all they want, but I say, if it inspires these discussions, it is THE BEST SHOW EVER. Comedy platinum.
Come to think of it, they also have a giant statue of a rat creeping on a bed who wouldn't be out of place on our show either.
People can complain about the quality of this television production all they want, but I say, if it inspires these discussions, it is THE BEST SHOW EVER. Comedy platinum.
Henceforth and forever I shall refer to the Seattle Art Museum as "The Pig Statue Museum"
Is that where they hold the MENSA meetings? It would be a ways to travel, but clearly it'd be worth it.
Is that where they hold the MENSA meetings? It would be a ways to travel, but clearly it'd be worth it.
thanks EJ and Sylvia... i just wish i had more experience with the snark and the nice effects some of you all put into the recap... but usually by the time everyone goes to bed and i get to type up my recap rewatching the ep, my brain is on half juice... but at least my translation skill is still there for you all.
"At least my translation skill is there for you..."
My goodness, Marta, your translation skill is fabulous, of course, but I love the way you tell a story. I love your humor. And your hunches about where the plot is heading are uncannily on the mark.
If you weren't here, your absence would leave a great gaping hole in the blog.
The great thing about this particular group of recappers and commenters is the diversity of voices -- we're each quirky in our own way but when we get together, some fun things happen. And some of us even learn a little Spanish.
So thank you, Marta, for the great job you do.
My goodness, Marta, your translation skill is fabulous, of course, but I love the way you tell a story. I love your humor. And your hunches about where the plot is heading are uncannily on the mark.
If you weren't here, your absence would leave a great gaping hole in the blog.
The great thing about this particular group of recappers and commenters is the diversity of voices -- we're each quirky in our own way but when we get together, some fun things happen. And some of us even learn a little Spanish.
So thank you, Marta, for the great job you do.
Marta - Ditto what NM just said. You have helped me a lot in my quest to learn Spanish, all while infusing humor into the "lesson". I can't believe how lucky I am to have found all of the recappers first mid-way through CME and now on El Tal. You are the smartest MENSA group I know and I continually read your recaps with my jar dropped in awe.
You made me feel so welcome on Day One. I am glad I stayed and became part of this awesome, and yes quirky, community! Take that "quirky" part as the compliment it was intended to be.
You made me feel so welcome on Day One. I am glad I stayed and became part of this awesome, and yes quirky, community! Take that "quirky" part as the compliment it was intended to be.
I am learning so much marvelous vocabulary here! My life is just not exciting enough to use it.
But if I ever find myself having to converse with my irrational father-in-law through a creepy underworld hooker mask, I'll be ready...
But if I ever find myself having to converse with my irrational father-in-law through a creepy underworld hooker mask, I'll be ready...
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 7:11:00 AM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 7:11:00 AM EST
Oh yeah, I always wanted to be a MENSA, now at last I can brag.
"But if I ever find myself having to converse with my irrational father-in-law through a creepy underworld hooker mask, I'll be ready...", Bwahahaha!!! That's Caray Caray, always teaching good life skills.
"But if I ever find myself having to converse with my irrational father-in-law through a creepy underworld hooker mask, I'll be ready...", Bwahahaha!!! That's Caray Caray, always teaching good life skills.
Oh Blue Lass you are a hoot! I feel the same about my heavily influenced by TNs vocab. I may not be able to buy a train ticket in Barcelona but I can pick a fight, declare my undying love and no puede ser til the vacas come back to the hacienda.
Jijí. Where is that "like" button?
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 8:40:00 AM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 8:40:00 AM EST
Srsly Blue Lass- we must be peas in a pod. Not a day goes by that I don't wish blogger had a like button for comments.
But if we also got a Dislike Button we could not take it too seriously as Poor Carlos and Bill C would get gonged everytime they mentioned their approval of Slutcrecia's clothes.
And, as long as we are wishing, wouldn't it be fun to have live video chats with all of our faces posted ala The Brady Bunch. Of course, I wouldn't want it first thing in the morning when I check the blog before washing my face, nor last thing at night AFTER I wash my face. So basically my live chats would revolve around lavo de cara.
Upon hearing there would be no Tal on Wed, was anyone else disappointed? Come on... the first step is admitting it.
And, as long as we are wishing, wouldn't it be fun to have live video chats with all of our faces posted ala The Brady Bunch. Of course, I wouldn't want it first thing in the morning when I check the blog before washing my face, nor last thing at night AFTER I wash my face. So basically my live chats would revolve around lavo de cara.
Upon hearing there would be no Tal on Wed, was anyone else disappointed? Come on... the first step is admitting it.
Yes.
[[[LLANTO]]]
I am powerless against the unhealthy substance...
[[[LLANTO]]]
I am powerless against the unhealthy substance...
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 9:25:00 AM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 9:25:00 AM EST
Blue Lass,
"My life is just not exciting enough to use it."
I say be proactive and go ahead and use it. I'm betting that your life will suddenly become more exciting.
Carlos
"My life is just not exciting enough to use it."
I say be proactive and go ahead and use it. I'm betting that your life will suddenly become more exciting.
Carlos
do we have a new recapper for monday's ep? i could do it if noone else can. since i have wed off this week anyway...
Sara, i love the idea of the 'like' button... although as Rosemary said, we might want a 'not like' button too... or 'please stop it!' button
Marta, that would be great! And parties are so much fun...
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 12:07:00 PM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 12:07:00 PM EST
Really, Marta? ¡Guau! Good news for us -- good enough to pull me out of my "Ay ay ay, es la última semana de La Hija del Mariachi" funk. :)
NovelaMaven, I'm sorry for your loss.
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 12:18:00 PM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 12:18:00 PM EST
Thank you, Blue Lass (Pues a lo mejor te estás burlando de mí, o sea eres burladolores -- ¿sí o sí?)
[Maybe you're making fun of me, that is you're a "she mocks+pains"]
[Maybe you're making fun of me, that is you're a "she mocks+pains"]
Ni hablar. Whenever a telenovela ends, I plunge into a kind of virtual depression, because I have suddenly lost all of my imaginary friends. I know EXACTLY how it feels, and no one in the "real" world is properly sympathetic.
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 12:36:00 PM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 12:36:00 PM EST
Not that I *wouldn't* make fun of you, given the chance. ;}
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 12:37:00 PM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 12:37:00 PM EST
NM, we are whining together at telenovela-world about all the cuts they are doing in Telefutila about cramping the last 2 wks worth of LHDM colombian ending into 7 episodes... they already smashed 3 eps into last thu/fri and today they covered another 1.5 eps into 1 hr... they have another 1.5 eps to cut from the remainder of this week... so a couple of us are letting everyone else know to watch online first but not to watch too far ahead... and we are letting them know what the network chopped.
Marta, as our inarticulate protagonista Camila would say --
¡QUÉ!!!??? QUE QUÉ???
I think I'll just watch it on tv as is and then maybe later go back and try to find what they cut. It might help me in the grieving process. :)
[Blue Lass, ni lo digas!]
¡QUÉ!!!??? QUE QUÉ???
I think I'll just watch it on tv as is and then maybe later go back and try to find what they cut. It might help me in the grieving process. :)
[Blue Lass, ni lo digas!]
NM, wasn't it Pedro who said 'Que?? Que que??' and laughed it off when Camila told him that Lookre was going to 'have his baby because his wife was sterile'.. LOL! i am still laughing along with Pedro on that one.
All:
I say "¿Que? ¿Que Que?" everytime I watch ElTal. Marta you are very kind to offer to do an extra recap.
EJ
I say "¿Que? ¿Que Que?" everytime I watch ElTal. Marta you are very kind to offer to do an extra recap.
EJ
Camila said "Que Que" in one of the first episodes. Maybe it's an inside joke now.
Someone explained to me how to change my keyboard setting so I can do Spanish punctuation.
Question: If I do that, do I have to turn it back so I can type in English? What do you lose in English punctuation if you don't turn it back? I would love to be able to use upside down exclamation points and accents on Que Que.
Someone explained to me how to change my keyboard setting so I can do Spanish punctuation.
Question: If I do that, do I have to turn it back so I can type in English? What do you lose in English punctuation if you don't turn it back? I would love to be able to use upside down exclamation points and accents on Que Que.
R la O, I use a free app called Zombie Keys. It really is a zombie, though -- it worked fine for a long time, then it stopped working for about a month, and now it's "alive" again. But did I mention it was free?
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 2:05:00 PM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 2:05:00 PM EST
You lose < > @
Those are the only things that come to mind that I have to switch back to English keyboard for (unless someone can tell me how to type them on Spanish keyboard).
Actually I know you can type @ by holding down Alt and then typing 64. I don't know how to do the others though.
Those are the only things that come to mind that I have to switch back to English keyboard for (unless someone can tell me how to type them on Spanish keyboard).
Actually I know you can type @ by holding down Alt and then typing 64. I don't know how to do the others though.
That Rich Businessmen's Dinner looked like a real snoozefest. I hope there are major shenanigans tonight to liven it up.
Sorry to be late in commenting, so if you'll forgive that:
- Sylvia, the Shakespeare theme was brilliant! Special thanks for identifying Valentin's gun as an "arquebus." Couldn't tell if it was a rifle or shotgun, but arquebus certainly works.
- NM, the film noir motif was so well done! Always a favorite and thank you!
- Julia, I changed my profile pic to one that Emilia took on our Seattle trip a couple of years ago. Two damn ugly pigs. Pigs abound in your city, as I recall.
And, yeah, let's see what happens tonight at the snoozefest. Is it heresy to say El Tal has picked up a bit in the last few days?
- Sylvia, the Shakespeare theme was brilliant! Special thanks for identifying Valentin's gun as an "arquebus." Couldn't tell if it was a rifle or shotgun, but arquebus certainly works.
- NM, the film noir motif was so well done! Always a favorite and thank you!
- Julia, I changed my profile pic to one that Emilia took on our Seattle trip a couple of years ago. Two damn ugly pigs. Pigs abound in your city, as I recall.
And, yeah, let's see what happens tonight at the snoozefest. Is it heresy to say El Tal has picked up a bit in the last few days?
the event might be a snoozefest but it might be much more exciting what happens at ElTal if CaMeela is indeed on to Lookrazia's shenanigans.
The Gala has potential.
-- Elviral and Pigorio may come snout to snout for the first time in years.
-- Someone may recognize Doris as a Horis.
-- Rita is an egg-yellow wild card.
-- If the médico reported Lu's beating and named Pig as a suspect, the crackerjack Fresno constabulary may come looking for his Pigness. Oh the rage! Oh the humiliation! Oh the fun!
-- Elviral and Pigorio may come snout to snout for the first time in years.
-- Someone may recognize Doris as a Horis.
-- Rita is an egg-yellow wild card.
-- If the médico reported Lu's beating and named Pig as a suspect, the crackerjack Fresno constabulary may come looking for his Pigness. Oh the rage! Oh the humiliation! Oh the fun!
NovelaMaven,
This is the last week of La Hija del Mariachi?
Yikes! It's my favorite show these days. I record it and watch when I get home each evening.
Carlos
This is the last week of La Hija del Mariachi?
Yikes! It's my favorite show these days. I record it and watch when I get home each evening.
Carlos
Yes, Carlos, sad but true. Rosario and the gang will disappear from our televidas after Friday. Sigh.
And don't forget, Pigorio could pitch face-first into the red and/or green salsa -- he DID take those poison-laced pills...
Permalink posted by : Monday, February 27, 2012 at 4:23:00 PM EST
: Monday, February 27, 2012 at 4:23:00 PM EST
Thanks Blue Lass and Julia for your keyboard help. Maybe I will give it a try when I get home. Or maybe I better wait til my son is visiting in case I totally pull a Pedro and do something really stupid.
That was the dreariest gala . Let's hope all of the above mentioned by NM happen with zeal tonight. Thanks for volunteering to recap, Marta!
That was the dreariest gala . Let's hope all of the above mentioned by NM happen with zeal tonight. Thanks for volunteering to recap, Marta!
NM, why do you think i volunteered for tonight's recap? ah the possibilities... to have a medieval jousting contest between Elviral/Rennie vs Pigorio/Horis...
and then the other battlefiend at ElTal... certainly many possibilities...
Carlos, not sure if you are aware there is a different ending for LHDM so you might extend your viewing pleasure watching 119-124 online for the shorter international ending if you have not seen it before, but watch this week first, it is the BETTER one BY FAR.
and then the other battlefiend at ElTal... certainly many possibilities...
Carlos, not sure if you are aware there is a different ending for LHDM so you might extend your viewing pleasure watching 119-124 online for the shorter international ending if you have not seen it before, but watch this week first, it is the BETTER one BY FAR.
I like the idea of Pigorio perishing by way of a face plant in the RED salsa. Seems like a fitting way for him to go.
Now you crazies (meant with affection) have me chomping at the bit for tonight's episode. SO GLAD that Marta is recapping.
Now you crazies (meant with affection) have me chomping at the bit for tonight's episode. SO GLAD that Marta is recapping.
Carlos. although the int'l finale is much rushed, there are GREAT moments in it ... i will give you one quote..
'where did you come from? are you the son of a rat or what?'
'where did you come from? are you the son of a rat or what?'
Blue lass... nope... its just there is this guy who certainly has NO heart whatsoever so he 'no tiene madre' (he is so evil no woman would want to recognize him)... (that type of thing)
Evidently that writer doesn't know how fond we are of the cute telenovela rats if he meant that as an insult.
Marta and NovelaMaven, I just watched today's episode of LHdM. Things are suddenly really moving fast and I really like where it seems to be headed. My eyes were teared up throughout the entire episode.
In a way it reminded me a bit of the beginnings of both Blues Brothers and Magnificent Seven.
Carlos
Carlos
In a way it reminded me a bit of the beginnings of both Blues Brothers and Magnificent Seven.
Carlos
Carlos
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