Merlin wasn't always immortal, nor did he always possess magic. Before the age of Arthur (1,000 years ago), Merlin drank from the Holy Grail, which didn't just quench his thirst. The cup transformed him into one of the most powerful wizards to ever live.
2. The flame of Prometheus is important
To forge Excalibur and the dagger, the flame of Prometheus is needed, because it's heat is the one that created Excalibur in the first place. Actually, the original Dark One took Prometheus in the form of an ember. As showcased in the episode, Emma got the ember back. However, back in present day Storybrooke, Emma used it to make Excalibur whole again. I have a feeling bad things are ahead for Storybrooke and lightness.
3. The Dark One can kill Merlin
In Camelot, Merlin told Emma that the Dark One is capable of killing him, despite him being immortal. Also, if he dies, it is because of Emma, because she succumbed to the Darkness and became the most powerful Dark One ever in existence.
4. Nimue is his one true love and the original Dark One
The original Dark One is revealed
The original Dark One is revealed
As many fans previously guessed, Nimue turned out to be Merlin's one true love and the original Dark One. After drinking from the Holy Grail and becoming immortal like Merlin, Nimue crushed Vortigen's heart (the man who destroyed her village) and turned dark. She's also the one responsible for breaking Excalibur into two.
Not only did Merlin create Excalibur, but he also made the dagger. He forged Excalibur by melting the Holy Grail. His hopes were to create a sword so powerful that it would strip him of his immortality and magic, which would lead to a normal life with Nimue. Obviously, that's not how things went. After Nimue broke Excalibur, Merlin created the dagger as a way to control Nimue/the Dark One. He and his apprentice also ensured Excalibur's safety by putting it inside the stone.
6. Nimue trapped him in the tree
Despite making the dagger, somehow Nimue got control of it and placed Merlin inside the tree.
See? There's so much more to Merlin than his magical abilities.
You're entering a tricky time when people will use polite and technical sounding words to not say what they mean and not mean what they say. Nothing bothers you more than doublespeak, but you'd be well-advised to get with the program. There's some pretty heavy jockeying for position going on at work over the next couple of weeks, and you could find yourself squeezed out before you know it. You'll need to get creative and read up on nonsensical terms so that when a supervisor tries putting words in your mouth, you can respond with some gibberish of your own.
You were born under the most territorial sign of the zodiac. When you stake out turf — like putting your water bottle on a spin bike before class or throwing your jacket on the back of an empty chair — then you expect people to recognize that this is yours. But that won't be happening while Mars is in Libra. You'll notice a profound lack of respect for boundaries ranging from colleagues horning in on your territory at work to women glomming on to your boyfriend. You will have to find peaceful ways to reassert your claim without getting nasty.
You need to think long and hard about the future you want to create. You have a special talent for working with what life hands you. Other people born under other zodiac signs will fixate on what's missing or throw up their hands if circumstances aren't in perfect alignment, but you will come alive. That's because you have a puzzle-builder's eye for recognizing that each piece of life's puzzle is unique — that it's there for a reason — and that they will all fit together eventually. Combining and recombining all the variables is the secret to your inventive genius.
Changes in the lives of loved ones can't help but impact you, but this is when you need to curb your protective instincts and let people hash out their own differences. There is a lot of quarrelsome and combative energy coursing through that part of your solar chart that pertains to hearth, home and family. And try as you may to prevail upon feuding parties to resolve their differences, this won't be happening any time soon. In fact, a current dispute could take as long as January to resolve. Expect to alternate between mediator and referee until then.
Don't be in such a hurry to seal the deal. This probably flies in the face of recent developments and the information you have in front of you, but an auspicious sun/Jupiter sextile on Nov. 10 shows that you can get better terms than what you are asking for. Either the seller isn't in a position to be so choosy or the need to lock you in is more desperate than you know. In any case, you can afford to stall for just a few days longer (like until Saturday). You'll find that it's worth your while.
The sun/Jupiter sextile (Nov. 10) is all about building on what you have. It's more creative than ambitious in nature, and it requires some pretty heavy thinking about where you want to go from here. What the sun/Jupiter sextile does is show you the ways that you could grow if you want to. Maybe it's by updating your skills, expanding your business or going back to school so you can get a better paying job. These are the paths to success that you don't have to take but will want to take if you want to succeed.
Mars will be in your zodiac sign from Nov. 12 to Jan. 3. Mars brings conflict wherever it goes, so you can expect to deal with upsets, challenges and crises. But this doesn't have to be bad. In fact, it could be good because Mars strengthens your resolve and bolsters your willpower. You won't feel so beholden to others anymore. However, you will have to focus on harnessing this powerful energy so that it doesn't run roughshod over the rest of your life. Remember that once you step up to the plate, there can be no stepping back.
You're entering a time when you will reap what you have sown regarding your relationships. If you have truly given of yourself spiritually and emotionally, then you will see a bumper crop of good fortune. You will find yourself surrounded by more love and support then you could ever ask for. If, however, things look like slim pickings friendship-wise, then you need to understand that this is in direct response to what you put out there. Thankfully, you have plenty of time to turn this around, but it will require a sincere and sustained effort of goodwill.
Expect to hear lots of talk about forming creative collaborations and profitable alliances. It's flattering that so many people see you as the secret ingredient to their formula for success and that they're eager to join forces with you. It's a far cry from where you were a year ago. But flattery aside, you will have to make yourself ask about money. You can't afford to work for free. Be forewarned that this could be an immediate buzzkill, but you will see one serious taker talking to you about figures by the end of the week.
Mars will occupy a prominent position in your horoscope for the next eight weeks. It's very important that you set the right intention for yourself while this planet is so influential. The intention should be positive, and it should involve a goal that takes you out of your comfort zone. Focus on the things you want to see happen in your life and not on the things that you are afraid will happen. Mars supports brave moves, not timid ones. Give direction to this powerful force, and you will go further than you have ever gone before.
You believe that there's an intelligent design to the universe. There are the things we know about — governed by rules, principles and formulas — and then there are the things that we don't. Being an Aquarius, you won't try to explain away the unexplainable but that won't stop you from struggling to understand it. This week a new path will open up in your life. It's a spiritual path that won't square easily with what has come before. This promises to broaden your horizons and to expand those mental margins that have grown a bit too narrow lately.
You often talk about the things you would do if you could do them. It's your way of dreaming out loud and — like a dream — it's something that you don't really take all that seriously. However, developments unfolding this week may give you moment for pause. The sun/Jupiter sextile on Nov. 10 shows you meeting someone who can help you to help yourself. Now, is this person going to do all the work? No. You are. But what this person brings to the table is the know-how, the contacts and the wherewithal to make your dreams a reality.
You see, Mathias couldn't bear to wait six months until holiday break to see Anna. So, the Danish man maxed out his credit cards — and took out an extra $200 in cash — to buy a ticket to see his sweetie studying in Santa Barbara, California.
Naturally, Anna was more than a little shocked when Mathias knocked at her door, but her cursing is likely more of an "I can't believe he came to see me" rather than an "OMG why is he here?" sort of thing.
At least that's what we're hoping.
These two high school sweethearts have a tough road ahead when it comes to dating long distance, judging from the difficulties other people in LDRs have to go through to maintain intimacy and communication.
"Thanks to the tech gods responsible for today's communication innovations, my relationship doesn't have to seem so distant," Betsy Farber wrote in a SheKnows essay about maintaining her relationship with her long-distance sweetie. "We viber, email, Gchat, occasionally make phone calls, but the most priceless selection form of our communication buffet is Skype. This magical conduit has become a part of our relationship — a sort of life preserver that keeps our connection afloat when the hardships of the distance try to drown out our love."
And it helps if you have one partner willing to plunk down the cash at a moment's notice to travel around the world. We're rooting for you, Mathias and Anna!
The marriage of Real Housewives of Atlanta stars Cynthia Bailey and Peter Thomas has been a hot-button issue for fans of the show, and tonight's revelation of a video of Thomas getting a little too hands-on with a female not named Cynthia Bailey has added more fuel to the fire. When confronted with the video, Thomas claimed that he was simply having a conversation with the young lady, but his body language in the video said more than his words ever could, as it was quite obvious that Thomas' busy hands were speaking the language of love (or lust)...for another woman.
While Bailey was willing to forgive and possibly forget Thomas' indiscretion, Twitter users were adamant in their view that this should have been the final nail in the coffin for their marriage.
RHOA Cheating
RHOA Cheating
RHOA Peter gone
RHOA Peter gone
RHOA Eyewear
RHOA Eyewear
Thomas certainly didn't help matters when he joked to Moore about the incident at Bailey's eyewear launch party, saying he was late to the event because he was spending time with the woman in the video. Moore always seems to find herself in the middle of everyone else's business, so it was no surprise that she was able to get her two cents in on the topic of Bailey and Thomas' marriage.
Although Moore's insistence on sticking her nose where it doesn't belong can get a bit grating at times, she does have a good instinct for when the men in the RHOA gals' lives are acting up. After all, who could forget the drama last season with Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida? Moore certainly won't let fans forget that she was right about Nida's sleaziness all along. This situation feels a bit similar to last year's marital drama, but rehashed with Bailey and Thomas. To be fair, Thomas doesn't appear to be heading for a lengthy prison sentence, although it's impossible to predict what's to come for the couple that has been newly crowned as RHOA's most dramatic pair.
What do you think of Cynthia Bailey's decision to stick with her husband in spite of the cheating rumors featured on tonight's episode of RHOA? Comment and share your opinion below.
If you have to make a mad dash every morning to get out the door, you're bound to forget something (except stress — you'll have that in abundance!). Take control of your morning by prepping for it the previous night before bed. Set the coffee maker to brew your favorite dark roast, stash your lunch in a stow-and-go container and put out your outfit.
2. Resist the urge to snooze
dog with blanket gif
dog with blanket gif
As tempting as it may be to hit that snooze button <del>once</del> <del>twice</del> three times to eke out 10 extra minutes of sleep, you may actually be sabotaging yourself — studies have shown that hitting snooze actually restarts your sleep cycle, making you feel groggy much longer once you've actually rolled out of bed. Aim for being up and at 'em by 6 a.m. That's the magic hour major execs from Twitter, Disney and more have quoted as their wake-up call.
3. Get your blood flowing
Image: Dave & Les Jacobs/Blend Images/Getty IMages
Even if you don't feel particularly awake yet, you can convince your body and brain you are if you just get your blood flowing. Exercise is an obvious (and excellent) option, but even running through a few simple stretches or doing jumping jacks in place will make that blood pump and create a feeling of alertness.
4. Rock out
rock out gif
rock out gif
Why not cue up your favorite playlist while you're waking up? Or, better yet, listen to it and dance around the room to get your blood flowing (it's a great alternative to traditional exercise). Science has proven that music makes you feel happy, and that flood of endorphins will give you the boost you need to have your best day.
5. Avoid your inbox
baboon
baboon
Yes, it is tempting to check your email as soon as you wake up. You'll get no judgment here — I'm just as guilty as the next girl. However, this is a known time-sucker. You respond to one email, then another, than field responses and, before you know it, an hour has passed and your hair is still in curlers. Before you get swept into that vacuum, tend to the tasks pertinent to getting you up, ready and out the door. Email can wait until you get to the office.
6. Avoid technology altogether
Image: CJGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Getty Images
Sacrilege, I know! But — like checking your email — watching TV, talking on the phone or browsing on your tablet will distract you from your agenda. They can also cause your stress levels to spike, thanks to catastrophic headlines, work-related emails and the like. All in all, they unnecessarily draw out your morning routine.
7. Eat breakfast
breakfast
breakfast
We've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it's totally true. Not only does it provide obvious health and nutritional benefits, but it improves your concentration, strength and stamina all day long. Talk about starting your day off on the right foot!
8. Carve out some QT
Image: JGI/Jamie Grill/Blend Images/Getty Images
If you can find the time, do squeeze in a few minutes with your family before you all go different directions for the day. After all, you're busy and it may be the only time of day you can all sit down and share together. Spending time laughing with your loved ones will remind you what you're working so hard for, and that sense of purpose will put a smile on your face that will linger all morning long.
A lot happened on Sunday's episode of Sister Wives: The Browns went to Alaska, had the world's most cumbersome grocery shopping trip, Kody awkwardly discussed "boundaries" with Maddie and Caleb (including a creepy story about courting Robyn) and we learned that Robyn and Kody are having a girl. Here's what did not happen: Meri did not talk about her catfishing situation with the family. At all. In spite of what viewers were led to believe by last week's previews, there was zero mention of Meri's scandalous online activities, and fans who were primed for a dramatic announcement were frustrated, to say the least.
With next week being the season finale, it's hard to imagine that either of Meri's story lines — the catfishing or her health scare — could be addressed in any meaningful way. The fact that Sunday's episode didn't include either of these issues, but did include a reveal of the sex of Robyn and Kody's baby, as well as Kody managing to shoehorn information about his courtship with Robyn into his talk with Maddie and Caleb, just made viewers crankier about how Robyn-focused the season has been and continues to be.
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SW tweet 11
Of course, there is the possibility that the show is planning to talk about Meri's scandal and/or health problems next week and leave fans hanging until the premiere of Season 7, but would it make up for slighting Meri, and all the other wives, this season? We still haven't heard anything about Janelle and Meri's therapy — is it happening? Is their relationship better? There was also the matter of Christine and Kody's relationship troubles, which only received one episode's worth of treatment and zero follow-up. It's pretty impressive that the adoption arc was able to be stretched out as long as it was. Here we are, a week away from the season finale, and the issue that's been burning a hole through computer monitors all over the country remains unaddressed, except for the occasional shot of Meri glancing longingly at her computer screen (which no one would have noticed if the news about the catfishing wasn't everywhere). The previews for next week show a sobbing Meri, but so did the previews for this week's episode, so maybe getting our hopes up isn't the best idea.
Were you expecting to see more (or anything) on Meri's scandal this week? Are you fed up with not hearing about it on the show? What do you hope to see in next week's season finale?
We also saw (Spoiler alert! If you have not watched this week's episode, you've been warned) two potential romances budding, found out Maggie is pregnant and watched Deanna morph into a badass or a stark raving lunatic. Admittedly, it's kind of a fine line in the zombie apocalypse.
And, as intriguing as all of these developments were, it was the final scene that had me scratching my head. As Deanna walks along the perimeter of the gate after trolling the zombies just beyond, blood appears to be running down the interior wall.
I was not alone in wondering about the meaning and potential implications of this wall blood, either.
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TWD Week 6 Tweet 1
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TWD Week 5 Tweet 5
What does the blood on the wall mean for Rick and the rest of the people in Alexandria? Naturally, there are a few possible ways this could go as far as the source of the blood and what it heralds for our apocalyptic friends. So, where is the blood coming from?
1. Spencer
First of all, WTH, Spence? You went from hero to zero in about five minutes flat tonight. When a bunch of random people who will inevitably die before I actually learn their names started raiding the pantry, Deanna's surviving son made a stirring speech that had me all...
TWD Week 5 Tweet 6
TWD Week 5 Tweet 6
Fast forward a couple of scenes, and he's getting drunk and chowing down on stolen items from the very pantry he just preached to the other people about raiding. Deanna calls him out, at which point he reads her the riot act. Granted, he made some good points — but you don't talk to your mama like that, even if it is the zombie apocalypse. Tut, tut. The next time we see Spencer, he relieves Rosie on the wall (he's eating pilfered crackers, mind you). So he could very well have either hurt himself or perhaps somehow fallen prey to a walker, and that blood is dripping down from him on the watchtower.
2. A wayward walker
It's also entirely plausible that the point in the wall Deanna walks past with blood dripping isn't remotely near the watchtower. Who can tell? The blood could still be coming from above, only instead of belonging to Spencer it could be coming from a walker. It may not signal the end of the world for everyone, but that rogue walker could signal the end of the world for at least one unlucky Alexandrianite.
3. A throng of walkers
I find this theory to be the second most likely, outside of Spencer. In this scenario, the blood isn't coming from above — rather, it is oozing from the rivets in the wall. What I imagine this means is that the throng of zombies is becoming so overwhelming that they are literally starting to squish each other against the wall due to the sheer pressure of their mindless forward momentum. This would obviously also serve as a major warning sign the walls can't possibly hold much longer.
This would be entirely tragic and, therefore, hopefully unlikely. However, dark times are upon Alexandria, so it isn't completely out of the question. In one of the rare moments we have seen Ron not in the midst of a fit of teen angst, he goes to Rick on the watchtower and asks Rick to teach him how to shoot. Rick unloads the gun of all but one bullet, and then the implication is that Rick shows him how to shoot by using a walker as target practice. Since this whole exchange seems so out of character for Ron, maybe Ron sneaked back up to the platform that evening and hurt himself while trying to shoot a walker or, in general, prove something to his mom, Rick, Carl, whoever. Clearly, this would likely nip the 'ship between Rick and Jessie in the bud.
5. Carl
Let's just say Ron did have a change of heart and has decided to change his moody teen ways, in which case he probably wasn't up on that platform. However, we know from his slap-fight with Carl earlier that afternoon that Carl was itching to head beyond the gates to hunt for their mutual crush, Enid. Although Rick presumably found Carl that afternoon, it's not crazy to think that Carl might have tried to sneak out that evening and somehow have gotten hurt. The thing is, we know Rick is going to spiral here soon. The season teaser trailer revealed that, at some point, a Ricktatorship would develop and Morgan would try to "stop" Rick. Carl dying would certainly push Rick over the edge.
6. Glenn
Listen, I'm not ready to give up on Glenn yet — and you shouldn't be either. Maggie isn't! She scrubbed his name off the wall, right? I caught some flak last week for suggesting the show was hinting at Glenn's survival, but I refuse to say goodbye to Glenn until I see his walker body weaving through a sea of the undead. And even then, I'll probably try to convince myself (and possibly you) that this is all a dream. Having said that, maybe Glenn somehow made it back to Alexandria and is crawling over the wall as we speak. It's a lovely thought, isn't it?
Holy bomb threats! Tonight's episode of Quantico was pretty explosive — and now that suspicions are falling on an outside terrorist cell, it's looking like Parrish is actually getting closer to clearing her name... if she can just survive long enough to bring the real terrorist to justice.
Last week, Quantico left Parrish and Haas thinking that Nimah and Raina might be at the center of the attack, but we quickly learned this week that the twins have been undercover in a terrorist cell on American soil.
Quantico Tweet
Quantico Tweet
This new twist was particularly exciting, since we got to watch the recruits all work together to disarm a faux bomb tonight — with that much togetherness, it's heartbreaking to imagine one of the people in that room betraying everyone.
All season long we've been scratching our heads over which one of Parrish's Quantico peers could be responsible for blowing up Grand Central Station — but we were just following Agent O'Connor's suspiciously pointed finger. What if, in his desire to skewer Parrish, O'Connor has just sent all of us on a wild goose chase (and wasted the FBI's valuable time)?
Of course, that doesn't mean we're clearing O'Connor, because he is most definitely still guilty of some major shady business... I mean, why does he have it out for Parrish in the first place? And why did he let Booth take the fall for whatever happened under his watch in Chicago? Tonight's episode brought us a little bit closer to finding out, but not close enough.
But the truth isn't the only thing getting closer... Parrish and Booth shared more than a few steamy moments, giving us hope that they'll wind up rekindling the romance. A possibility that seems more and more likely, with Parrish's confession tonight that Booth should get away from her because everyone she cares about winds up getting hurt.
But what's going to happen now that Booth's been shot? Agent Vasquez, who turned everyone in, decided to let Parrish run off with the bleeding hottie, but to what end? And will the twins be safe now that their cover has been blown?
Basically, we can't believe we have to wait a whole week to see what happens next.
What do you think? Is the terrorist cell responsible for the bomb, or is it just a red herring? Tell us in the comments below.
Obviously sleeping with a father/son duo is just asking for trouble. Normally, I'm all for ladies doing whatever makes them happy in the bedroom. But not when that happiness has the potential to completely destroy a family.
Plus, the fact that she felt the need to sleep with Hap and Wick wasn't because of some happiness goal. It was because something inside her is messed up.
Either way, she is clearly going on the losing end of whatever romantic ideals she had floating around in her head when this super messed up love triangle began.
As Hap even said tonight, the Briggs family might not always get along, but when someone from the outside threatens them, the wagons circle. It'll be interesting to see if he holds to that proclamation now that Jules is the threat and their relationship is out of the bag.
How she ever thought she could make a relationship work while also sleeping with Hap is well beyond me, but Wick's speech tonight put her in her place in the best possible way.
There is no amount of "I love hims" that could have saved Jules from Wick's wrath tonight. And the boy deserved to be angry.
And he wasn't just angry at Jules. What he's got planned for his father is much, much worse. This definitely isn't all Jules' fault. Hap is just as much to blame.
Where Wick is concerned, Hap can forget those circling wagons for good. Wick wants to all-out abandon Hap to rot in a prison cell for the rest of his life. And it's a punishment that would absolutely fit Hap's myriad of crimes. Something tells me we haven't even seen the half of them yet.
Unfortunately for Wick, he's the one who's crossed the line with the law in so many questionable ways that he'll probably be the one rotting away in a cell before Hap ever sees an orange jumpsuit. Sad, but the truth. Because Hap isn't going down without a fight, and Wick doesn't seem to have much fight left at this point.
Not to mention the fact that Cody's attacker woke up at the end of the episode and probably won't hesitate to point the finger of blame at Wick. On top of that, Jules knows Wick's secret about the oil fire. And since Wick told her she was just another one of Hap's conquests to be tossed aside, she probably isn't too keen on keeping his secrets right now.
Jury's still out on Billy's long-term moral potential, what with his proclivity for lying to Cody so early in the game. And every other character on the show only seems to have the get rich quick motive fueling their every action.
Do you think Wick did the right thing letting Jules have it on tonight's Blood & Oil?
These drop-dead gorgeous baking boxes arrive at your door filled to the brim with high-quality, premeasured ingredients, along with a detailed instructions card so that baking becomes simple and fun! Red Velvet NYC currently has over 20 delicious recipes to try. From the Fancy Birthday Cake to the Nutella Cupcakes, you can't go wrong!
Julie Yoon is the perfect example of a true, authentic chef turned Internet entrepreneur. She began her website, www.chefjulieyoon.com, with her husband Joe after working in the New York City cooking world for years, and has not looked back since. Now, we too can enjoy her delicious recipes through her beautiful, relatable videos on her YouTube channel. Our favorite show is Bits and Pieces.
Love With Food searches the globe and selectively curates the most healthy, affordable snacks for our kids. Best of all, they deliver them right to our door, once a month. No more relying on the same old, not-so-healthy treats from the grocery store. Love With Food will revolutionize your snack time!
Twist Your Spirits kits arrive to your home with everything you need to create gorgeous cocktails for anything from a party to a fun date night in. The kits allow you to stop spending money on expensive drinks and to tap into your creative side!
One Potato takes the hassle out of cooking meals for your family. The meals arrive ready to prepare and with your family's health and happiness in mind. Catherine McCord's first priority is bringing families together in the kitchen and ending the cycle of cooking a different meal for every family member. We love it!
Caitlin McGrone has produced a line of meats and cheeses so that every vegan can enjoy a wide variety and range of foods. Mcgrone doesn't think vegans should have to make any sacrifices, and we agree!
It's the perfect snooze spot for the prickly little guys — until one of them wakes up and decides it's time for the rest of them to join him. There's always one, right?
According to YouTube user Fabulous Mr. Pug, the tiny hedgehogs are of the African Pygmy variety.
Wattenberg’s research revealed that Sophia/Sofia is the number one girl's name in nine countries, including Italy, Slovakia, Mexico, Estonia, Chile and Russia. “It just blew me away that so many different languages and cultures would arrive at the same sound at the same time,” she said.
While Wattenberg admits she "can't say definitively that Sofia is the world's most common girl's name in terms of number of babies born", simply because name data isn't available from many countries (such as Brazil, China and India) she claims the name is "the most widely popular", taking the number one spot from the traditional Maria/Mary in many countries.
Interestingly, unlike Maria (and Mohamed, which is the top global boy's name), Sofia's popularity "is a phenomenon of fashion, not faith", says Wattenberg.
"Most of the forces behind other global fashion trends, like clothing or music, don't apply here," says Wattenberg. "There are no commercial influences on baby names, no marketing or advertising campaigns. Nor is this a celebrity-driven phenomenon. While there are famous Sofias and Sophies today, they don't approach the global fame that Sophia Loren achieved fifty years ago."
Fiona, 38, named her four-year-old daughter Sophia but says there was "no great thought" involved: she saw the name in a magazine when waiting to be induced and liked it. For 36-year-old Pamela, there were a few reasons for choosing Sofia for her now 17-month-old daughter. It has the same "ia" ending as big sister Olivia, and spelling it with an "f" made it look less like Sophie, the name of her best friend's baby girl. There was also something of a commercial influence, insofar as the Disney cartoon Sofia the First was Olivia's favourite.
According to Nameberry, Sophia means "wisdom" and first became famous thanks to St. Sophia, who is revered in the Greek Orthodox church and was the mother of three daughters named Faith, Hope and Love. It began to be used in England in the seventeenth century, and was the name of George I's mother and wife.
If you haven't seen it yet, we apologize in advance for bringing it to your attention, but it really is like a train wreck from which you can't look away. From the horrible, off-key, monotone singing to the blatantly shallow subject matter, it's just plain amazingly wretched.
But it is amazing. You can watch it in its entirety here.
Kim Kardashian posted the 7-minute, 54-second-long reign of terror on her website in honor of Mama Jenner, and although it's hard to watch, we have to admit we were kind of digging the '80s nostalgia.
Our biggest issue with the video, however, is that it just conjured up so much confusion that now we want some answers! Here are all the moments that left us scratching our heads and asking, "Seriously... WTF?!"
1. Do her friends even love her, though?
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Kris Jenner gif 1
We get it, we get it, Kris loves her friends. The big question here is, why is she making a video about how much she loves her friends on her own birthday? Shouldn't it be the other way around? But, alas, if she didn't make the video, then she wouldn't be able to show off her lavish lifestyle and how totally tubular she is while driving around town.
2. How did she not injure herself on that dang treadmill?
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Kris Jenner gif 2
That early-model treadmill looks precarious, to say the least. Kris should probably be wearing some longer pants to fend off carpet burn in case she falls off during her fancy footwork.
Sure hope they gave this guy a meal or something and didn't just throw him in the middle of their video about decadence for entertainment value because they thought it was funny.
The details seems to be all speculation, but The Real Mr. Housewife claims to have a production source who can dish all the details — and the website has taken the time to go back through old episodes to corroborate it.
The source said, "Fans may remember that Vicki went to Cabo San Lucas with Tamra Judge back in August of 2010 during taping for Season 6. There’s a scene where they were doing shots in the pool and met a man — that man was Smith Walker!"
Smith Walker is rumored to be Gunvalson’s newest beau.
But that’s not all. The source also says, “Fans may also remember that Tamra brought up this guy at the reunion, in May of 2011, claiming Vicki had called her and claimed she woke up naked next to a guy,” the source continued. “Vicki swore on her grandchild that it wasn’t true, but it was — and it was Smith Walker she was next to. She slept with him while she was still married to Donn, as this was August of 2010 and she didn’t file for divorce from Donn until October of 2010.”
The insider concluded, “While some thought Brooks was who she cheated on Donn with, this simply wasn’t the case. Vicki has been trying to already spin a story that she’s only known this man for four years, so that people won’t put the pieces together, but that’s not true. She has stayed in touch with Smith since she met him five years ago, even while Brooks and her were together. In fact, Brooks even caught her texting with Smith while they were in a relationship. Her stepping out with him in public is, simply, shocking."
"Personally, I never understood why Clarissa, the television series, should end," Kriegman shares. "It was still doing great in the ratings, there were way more stories to tell. There wasn't really a reason besides some relatively arbitrary rules Nickelodeon had about how old a star could be on the channel. Kind of like celebrity Logan's Run. So I've always had an eye to picking up her story again.
"And she's such a great character, enduring, clever and resourceful. In a novel, there's the opportunity to delve way deeper into her personality. Not only does she reveal the unspoken realities that were so captivating in the television series — like why she dressed the way she dressed, what the neighbors thought of Sam's ladder, her deeper relationship with Sam, why she has always been obsessed with lists and graphs, her hubcap collection, even what happened to Elvis — but there's also the chance to discover her limitations, how she wants to change, how the world has changed around her, how the relationships she's had with her mother and father have shaped her, but most of all, how she feels about love."
Friends of Clarissa may be scoffing. It's hard to imagine our favorite Darling could have limitations. But it's a huge part of Clarissa's life we only now get to explore when, roughly two decades later, fans have the chance to spend time with her again. Enter Things I Can't Explain, Kriegman's new novel. It puts us back at Clarissa's side, lets us look at her more closely and peek over her shoulder at her never-ending list of lists. But don't let Clarissa's doodles and notes fool you. Just like her fans on the other side of the tube, Clarissa has grown up. Or, well, at least she's supposed to have grown up.
"If you think about a girl who, as a teenager, is obsessed with lists and charts about her life and kind of a control freak who never loses," Kriegman suggests, "what happens to that girl when she reaches her twenties, where the world spirals out of control, where a list doesn't cut it unless you're a writer for BuzzFeed, where no matter how many lists you make there's another list to make and where all those lists don't replace that job that you just lost or those college loans you can't pay back or the rent? How does a girl who has those obsessions consider that process in the light of maturity?"
The answer is sticky and not without spoilers. In Things I Can't Explain, we see Clarissa deal with all of those things the same way a lot of people do by, in all actuality, not dealing with them at all. Even the most "grab the bull by the horns"-type girls have their moments where it's easier not to address the bigger picture. That's exactly what we see Clarissa do throughout the book. From not exactly being entirely honest with her parents to not stepping up and talking to the guy she likes, Clarissa's approach is both relatable and yet still uniquely Clarissa. All these years later, we find Clarissa in New York where the things around her are familiar and yet very different. Elvis still exists… sort of. And Sam? He's still a huge part of Clarissa's life. Just not in the same way. If it's easy for you to reacquaint yourself with Clarissa (and, trust me, it will be), know that it comes thanks to a lot of hard work from Kriegman.
"There were actually lots of challenges to overcome," he says. "The first was the tone. Clarissa Explains it All was a sitcom filled with breezy dialogue and prone to absurd plots and broad comedy. No one ever really got hurt, even Ferguson. I knew that a book would have a more literary bent and have to dig into the weeds of her life, while still capturing some of that breezy absurdity, so I spent a lot of time trying to find a balance in the book."
He goes on to admit there were plenty of minor details he needed help with, too.
"Then there was the absurd situation where I realized that fans knew Clarissa better than I did and I'd find myself googling to find Clarissa's middle name, for instance. I totally forgot that it was Marie and I had to Google to find out her old address…"
So, is Clarissa "back" or did she never really leave? Kriegman is adamant that Clarissa never really left. The key to Things I Can't Explain's perfection isn't in the flashbacks or the reappearance of familiar faces. What makes the book fun to read and what keeps Clarissa relatable and lovable is that she is very real in the way she's stayed the same and the ways she's changed.
"It's wonderful to be filled with nostalgia and fondness for what we remember, but Clarissa is alive, present day," Kriegman says. "The test of her character is how she lives now. I've seen books and television shows that only feed on nostalgia and I figure Clarissa and her fans are better than that. Clarissa is a tough cookie."
Catch up with Clarissa and the rest of the Darling family in Things I Can't Explain, out Nov. 10, to find out just how tough she is.
