High on 'Euphoria'

Stories about teen sex and addiction have been done so many times I had little hope for HBO's "Euphoria." But I'm so in love with the characters -- especially sweet Jules (sublimely played by Hunter Schafer) -- that I'm completely, um, hooked. And bonus points for reiterating my belief that I am SO GLAD I didn't grow up in the era of smartphones and social media!

Fake Blood

Finally watched “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.” Elizabeth ”I’ve never blinked” Holmes is the perfect poster child for this “don’t let anyone stand in the way of your dreams” reality-TV generation ... even if your “dreams” are ill-conceived or completely based on lies. What a nut.

Song of the Day: 'Gonna Find a Rainbow' by the Brady Bunch

An Eve Plumb guest role with Brady kids closing number is just one (two?) of the reasons I'm sad to see "Crashing" go ..

Song of the Day: 'Love Is Stronger Than Pride' by Amber Mark

I'm kind of in love with Issa Rae -- she's so adorable and "Insecure" is my favorite show lately, even though I can only understand about half of what's going on. And now I have her to thank for introducing me to this true-to-the-original cover of Sade's "Love Is Stronger Than Pride." 

SPOILER: Did you see the Coachella episode yet? I'm such an old lady I couldn't even enjoy it because I was too worried the gals were mixing drugs and might get hurt; Molly wouldn't get her brief done on time; and that the gang was going to miss Beyonce! 

Song of the Day: 'Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose' by Tony Orlando and Dawn

All I'm going to tell you is stop what you're doing right now and watch "Mommy Dead and Dearest," an HBO documentary about Dee Dee Blanchard and her young daughter, Gypsy Rose, that is the craziest fucking thing I have ever seen -- and I watch this type of true-crime stuff every chance I get!

Page 1 Roundup (07/31)

The Daily News: 'He seemed nice at first'

Plenty of trouble ...

New York Post: State shuts down boy’s lemonade stand after complaint

The New York Times: Trump administration reportedly considering $100 billion tax cut to the rich without approval from Congress

Trump again threatens to shut down the government

KIT212: 'Silicon Valley' insider contradicts Alice Wetterlund's claims -- sort of

Towleroad: New Land O’Lakes CEO Beth Ford breaks barrier as first openly gay woman to lead a Fortune 500 company

Los Angeles Times: Deficits only matter when Democrats are in charge

The Washington Post: U.S. spy agencies say North Korea is working on new missiles

The Wall Street Journal: After eating at 99 of the world’s best restaurants, a gourmet whiffs at 100

Dueling Dongs

I haven't bothered watching HBO's "The Deuce." It looks like "Vinyl 2: Electric Boogaloo" -- and we all know how good that was. But if Cameron Cowperthwaite and John Paul Harkins are going to do full-frontal nudity, maybe it's time to give it a shot. See HERE.

Thrones of Passion

I got Miranda.

'Curb Your Enthusiasm' to Return Oct. 1

Larry David's brilliant HBO show finished its eighth season in September 2011, then we never heard another word about it. What a treat that the "Seinfeld" co-creator has decided to give us more awkwardness for these most awkward times! 

Justin Theroux Will Get Naked if 'The Leftovers' Wins an Emmy

Co-creator Damon Lindelof claims the sweatpants will come off if "The Leftovers" garners an Emmy. And we know there's PLENTY to see. 

Getting to re-appreciate how hot JT was on "Six Feet Under" while watching the series again with Damian.

And to think people once pitied Jennifer Aniston for losing Brad Pitt!

Robert Michael Morris, Mickey the Hairdresser on 'The Comeback,' Is Dead at 77

Positively heartbroken to read that Robert Michael Morris, who played Lisa Kudrow's hopelessly devoted hairdresser, Mickey Dean, on "The Comeback" has died at 77. The cause of death wasn't immediately available. As great as HBO's show about a washed-up actress trying to claw her way back into the spotlight in the age of reality television was, the show wouldn't have been half as good without Mickey by Valerie's side -- always there to make her feel the world was still her oyster, like it was perennially 1992. Deadline has more on the playwright, director and teacher who only took up acting later in life -- onetime student Michael Patrick King wrote the Mickey part with Morris in mind -- and thank god he did! Read HERE.

Perhaps the duo's greatest moment of all ...

We got a taste of what it would be like if anything ever happened to Mickey on Season 2 of the show, but it hurts way more in real life. RIP, Mickey.

Song of the Day: 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' by Ituana

Spoiler-Adjacent Material Ahead:

After the internet exploded over the finale of "Big Little Lies," Damian decided to jump on the post-hype bandwagon. We both enjoyed it -- I've heard enough stories from my sister about the bitchiness and in-fighting among moms to know they nailed this good, and Reese Witherspoon's character was like Tracy Flick all grown up, which is to say perfect! -- but at the risk of being total sticks in the mud, Damian immediately figured out Plot Twist One and I figured out Plot Twist Two. (Was it really that hard to figure out the bad guy was the bad guy?) The music was a bit shoe-horned in -- and no kids in the history of the world have ever acted like these with their precocious love of Otis Redding, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane -- but we both thought it was really well done. This one's a fun cover I had never heard before ...

Andrew Rannells Is a Big 'Girl(s)'

If you say Elijah's hilarious audition for "White Men Can't Jump" then it might not surprise you to know that it was based on something that really happened to Andrew Rannells! Watch HERE.

Absolut Taconic

Not sure how I missed this 2011 documentary -- "There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane" -- about the infamous case of Diane Schuler, who drove a minivan full of children the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway that caused the deadliest accident in Westchester County, N.Y., in 80 years. An autopsy showed she was had a blood-alcohol content of 0.19 -- the equivalent of 10 shots, more than twice the legal limit -- as well as having high levels of THC in her system. (The medical examiner concluded she could have smoked marijuana as recently as 15 minutes before the fatal  accident.) Her family thought the findings had to be a mistake -- she, her husband, their two children and three of their nieces were driving back from a weekend camping trip early in the morning, and Schuler's husband said there was no way she would have been drinking or smoking pot -- so set out to clear her name. The documentary was filmed contemporaneously with these efforts and what the likely truth was became abundantly clear to Damian and me while watching it, yet her family still seems completely dumbfounded. Won't spoil -- leave a comment if you've seen or also reached a pretty reasonable conclusion. 

Info HERE.

Song of the Day: '(Every Time I Turn Around) Back in Love Again' by L.T.D.

I must say I am growing increasingly disillusioned with HBO's "Divorce." Thomas Haden Church's character is bordering on implausible, and Sarah Jessica Parker goes from being Carrie Bradshaw to Sharon Horgan's character in "Catastrophe" in a way that just doesn't ring true. We're down to the final episode of season one, and at this point all I can say is at least the music is great -- like this one from the pilot!

Feeling 'Insecure'

Damn. I see I'm not the only one completely blown away by Issa Rae's "Insecure." Here's hoping it gets picked up for another season. 

'Looking' Back

With "Looking" being released Nov. 15 in a special Blu-ray and DVD set containing the entire series and the movie, Boy Culture chatted with Michael Lannan, the guy who created "the show that took on HIV panic, infidelity, racism and classism in the LGBT community and, well, rimming." Read HERE.

HBO's Female One-Two Punch, 'Divorce' and 'Insecure,' Delivers

Tuned in to the premieres of "Divorce" and "Insecure" last night, HBO's latest half-hour dramedies. Had very low expectations for Sarah Jessica Parker's return to series television, but was pleasantly surprised that the show was so much better than its trailer. I credit creator/writer Sharon Horgan, whom I already adore from writing, creating and starring in "Catastrophe," with coming up with an unusual spin on the well-traveled midlife crisis. Parker, whom I feared would be especially unsympathetic in Horgan's hands, struck the right balance of selfish and sympathetic as a 50-something wife and mother whose extramarital dalliance blows up in her confused face.. (A strong supporting cast including Thomas Haden Church and Molly Shannon helped, too.) More surprisingly, though, was how much I loved "Insecure," a show I didn't know about until I went to DVR the other. Like SJP, Issa Rae plays a woman going through an identity crisis (a third-life crisis?). But instead of a wealthy, white woman starting a new life after leaving her husband in Westchester County life, Rae's fictionalized Issa Dee lives in a modest apartment in Los Angeles with her underachieving boyfriend and fears that time is running out. Rae describes the show as examining "the complexities of 'blackness' and the reality that you can’t escape being black." Rae also said, in regard to the potential mainstream reaction to the series: We’re just trying to convey that people of color are relatable. This is not a hood story. This is about regular people living life." Both got off to great starts.

HBO Unveils Poster for Sarah Jessica Parker's 'Divorce'

The TRAILER left me kind of cold, but I don't see not watching an HBO show with Lowell and Molly Shannon! "Divorce" premieres Oct. 9 at 10 p.m. 

'Looking' Back

Loved pretty much everything about HBO's "Looking" movie. (Seeing Kevin's point of view on the Patrick fiasco was pure genius, and I appreciate that they ended it with another ellipsis.) But nothing was better than Doris's quote, below.