Symbols, imagination, signs…
It is very interesting to analyze the way our brains work.

For instance. What do you see on this picture?
I see a crappy logo which is pink.

As I was told today by a friend who is studying animation, this was called “Lisa Simpson giving a blowjob”.
The idea is that the logo is so crappy that it is very easy to imply almost anything in it.
But what is more interesting, almost all people with whom I have talked said that they see “Lisa” (3 women and 3 men. Almost all the women couldn’t see it, before I told them where exactly to look, the same I was told but all of the man saw it without any help from me. Interesting, huh?). Is that the only arrangement?
No.

Is Freud right when speaking that all we can think of is sex? Well, not exactly.
You see, people see this in the logo mainly because we are so obsessed with sex that any implications of it are treated as something bad so we are spending more time to search for those things in the world around us.
Although sex is not the taboo it was some time ago, it is still perceived as something dirty and secretive and hilarious, and many young people spend their teens in search for anything even remotely resembling sex or sex-like activities.

But do not take my word for it.
Check it yourself and tell me what do you see and how many other figures did you manage to see.
I will be interested in your answers.

Part three of the Lady Business Gift Guides for Fictional Characters is all about a character who is, for most women who grew up in the 90s, very near and dear to our hearts. That little lady is Lisa Simpson.

1. Le Petit Prince par Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
   
   No precocious little girl’s education is complete without a copy of this magical book en français. $7.92 at Amazon.com
2. Plush Bookworm
   
   Lisa may love reading books at the 12th grade level, eating tofu and protesting against various injustices, but she is also 8 years old and there is nothing that little girls love more than cute things. And this tiny bookworm is down right adorable! $7.99 at Modcloth.com
3. Lovely Red Flats
   
   Now Lisa doesn’t buy into the whole “fashion” thing, but these shoes are so darling I don’t think she would be able to resist. There a bit big for her now, but she’ll surely grow into them. $28 at Fredflare.com
4. Alarm Clock that Runs on Water
   
   Lisa is a big fan of going green, and nothing is more green than this. With this kit, she can construct her very own alarm clock that runs soley on water. If she doesn’t want to use water, than she can use anything else including “toothpaste and cola” (although she may not want to be reminded of science experiments involving teeth and soda). $22 at Urbanoutfitters.com
5. Glee, Volume One: Road to Sectionals
   
   Josh Groban. Jazz Bands. Dark Humor. These are all things that Lisa Simpson likes, and she can find them in the beloved musical extravaganza that is “Glee.” It doesn’t come out until the 29th, but I’m sure Lisa will be more than willing to wait. $24.49 at amazon.com

Who’s a failed meme now?

Lisa Simpson = Glenn Beck. You heard it hear first.

One of my favorite moments in The Simpsons happens during the episode ‘Much Apu about Nothing‘. A lone bear wandering the streets of Springfield prompts local residents to demand that Mayor Quimby ‘think of the children’ and create a gigantic government program called Bear Patrol to keep their streets bear-free. Homer, looking approvingly at an overhead Bear Patrol helicopter, tells Lisa:

HOMER: Not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol is working like a charm!

LISA: That’s specious reasoning, dad.

HOMER: Thank you, honey.

LISA: By your logic, I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away.

HOMER: Hmm; how does it work?

LISA: It doesn’t work; it’s just a stupid rock!

HOMER: Uh-huh

LISA: … but I don’t see any tigers around, do you?

HOMER: Lisa, I want to buy your rock…

LISA: Sigh. Okay…

Statisticians often cite this little scene when explaining that correlation does not imply causation. For me, the more important lesson is that smart people (like Lisa) can take advantage of other peoples’ ignorance and stupidity to make a buck.

With that in mind, let’s turn to a story in Politico today. (Side note: I cringe to link to Politico and encourage its lowest-common-denominator, know-nothing style of reporting. That’s not a knock at the truly wonderful people I know who happen to work for the rag. Just a knock at the rag itself. Besides, a person has to make a buck, right?)

Today in Politico we read about how Glenn Beck and other right-wing media personalities are actively encouraging their listening audience to buy gold. They also happen to receive large sums of money from scam artist firms that sell gold coins at highly inflated prices. Beck insists that his recommendations to buy gold stem from his legitimate worry about government spending, debt, inflation, and economic collapse. “When the system eventually collapses, and the government comes with guns and confiscates, you know, everything in your home and all your possessions, and then you fight off the raving mad cannibalistic crowds that Ted Turner talked about, don’t come crying to me. I told you: get gold.”

Is Glenn Beck a Certified Financial Analyst? Does he have any relevant economics background? No. Read Salon.com for an insightful profile of Beck’s origins, and you’ll find that Beck is something of a media prodigy, having started out DJ-ing on the radio in his mid-teens. But you’ll also find that he has zero higher education. If his high school curriculum was anything like mine, then the most he is likely to know about monetary policy and investment is how to spell the words (if that).

But with Beck’s native intelligence, he must know that he doesn’t know enough about monetary policy to be dishing out financial advice to millions of viewers. Presumably this would set off some sort of ethics alarm inside a normal person, causing them to re-evaluate their actions. But as with Lisa preferring her father’s money to her own dignity, Beck is all too happy to shout, “Gold!” and cash in on the profits.

Lest we forget, gold has basically zero intrinsic value (other than as plating on high-end electronic hook ups). If Beck were really worried about hedging against USD debasement, he really should tell people to look into Euros or Yen or some other major world currency whose value is based on actual economic fundamentals and whose value would likely increase in the event of USD inflation. The reason he turned to gold instead of real world currencies, however, is that its hard to sell 1 Euro for more than the dollar price of 1 Euro. Even regular Beck watchers aren’t that stupid. But gold takes on a certain aura in the mind of the uneducated, defying rational appreciation. Hence Goldline’s ability to market $1,600 in Swiss gold coins for $5,000. C’est la vie.

It’s funny to watch Lisa take advantage of Homer. You kinda get the feeling that Homer’s happiness in believing in the power of his anti-tiger rock far outweighs the money Lisa conned out of him. And maybe we should feel the same way about Beck’s viewers. Maybe they’re happier in their Waco compounds, sitting on a pile of overpriced Swiss coins,  cleaning their rifles, and muttering about the apocalypse. But that doesn’t stop Beck from being a sleazy huckster.

Lisa Simpson: According to Junior Skeptic magazine the chances are 175 million to one of another form of life actually coming into contact with ours.

Homer: So?

Lisa: It’s just that the people who claim they’ve seen aliens are always pathetic low-lifes with boring jobs . . . oh, and you, Dad . . . heh heh.

An Apologetics.com Podcast on logic mentioned how over 70% of people polled believe in some sort of JFK conspiracy, over 30% believe that 9/11 was an inside job and a large amount believe the government is covering up alien activity.

So why don’t people get excited over the very real conspiracy behind the man-made global warming fraud?  The media continues to ignore it.  The Houston Chronicle had an article buried that noted the controversy but focused on the “experts” who still claim that warming is real — you know, the folks whose livelihoods depend on perpetuating the myth.  The Chronicle didn’t bother to list the evidence. Another article didn’t even mention the controversy.

If you only get your news from the mainstream media you are being fooled daily.

—–

Great points by Ann Coulter:

These e-mails aren’t a tempest in a teapot. They are evidence of pervasive fraud by a massively influential institution that has dominated news coverage of global warming.

CRU was regularly cited as the leading authority on “global climate analysis” — including by the very news outlets that are burying the current scandal, such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. The CRU alone received more than $23 million in taxpayer funds for its work on global warming.

. . .

Most disturbingly, the CRU-affiliated “scientists” were caught red-handed conspiring to kill the careers and reputations of scientists who dissented from the religion of global warming. Indignant that scientific journals were publishing papers skeptical of global warming, the cult members plotted to get editors ousted and the publications discredited.

This sabotage of global warming dissenters may be more galling than their manipulation of the data. Until now, the global warming cult’s sole argument has been to demand that everyone shut up in response to the “scientific consensus” that human activity was causing global warming.

Manchmal wundert man sich doch, was leute in einer Grafik alles sehen können, aber diese Tintenkleckse funktionieren ja auch. Hier gehts um Olympia 2012 in London. Eine Gruppe auf Facebook denkt bei dem Logo eher an Pornografie.

Echtes Logo:

Lisa Simpson mach schmutzige Sachen:

Was so ein bischen Farbe auslösen kann! Aber mal im Ernst, was soll das Logo eigentlich darstellen?

(Danke Brüderchen, via Heavy)

Behold, the 2010 London Olympics Logo.

Now I am no Graphic Designer, quite obviously – but what is this supposed to be? An abstract hand or something holding up a square with the rings in it, with a few more boxes? I am not going to bother researching it, shouldn’t it make sense anyway? Ok, so it’s art, it’s subjective, whatever.

It atleast shouldn’t look like the first thing that came to mind, maybe my mind is in the gutter but hey. We all have sex on the brain, or atleast they say men do. I thought this before I had seen it written anywhere else but from further discussion and looking into it, many people have had the same thoughts.

I don’t know what it looks like, but it is wack. It looks like a Lego Man had too much to drink and couldn’t keep his dinner down. Does this logo not look to you, even remotely, like Lisa Simpson giving err sexual favours?

Just an observation.. but honestly what a mess.

After thought:

Obviously those colours aren’t correct, but all the same.. say what.
I think I am behind the times on this.

http://www.london2012.com/about/our-brand/index.php

Makes sense but jesus, bad bad designers. 1 million for THAT?

” Our emblem is simple, distinct, bold and buzzing with energy. Its form is inclusive yet consistent and has incredible flexibility to encourage access and participation. It can communicate with anyone from commercial organisations to kids playing sport.”

Yeah, Bart bending over like that, flexibility alright… and yeah pretty sure most kids know The Simpsons chilluns.

Homer goes to Paris on a business trip but while he’s away, does Marge have an affair with Ned Flanders?

Find out in the brand new, only just aired in the US a couple hours ago, never aired in the UK, not going to be aired in the UK for months, episode of the Simpsons from the 21st season!

http://www.wtso.net/movie/464-2105_The_Devil_Wears_Nada.html

Joan Jett, Cyndi Lauper, and Debbie Harry as dolls; image courtesy of southern4life.blogspot.com

Attention holiday shoppers, ’80s nostalgists, and feminist music geeks! Debbie Harry, Joan Jett, and Cyndi Lauper went Barbie for Mattel’s Ladies of the ’80s collection. Apparently this was announced late last month, but I didn’t hear about it until checking Caryn Rose’s Twitter feed last night.

So, as with most things, I’m a bit ambivalent about this collection. For one, it’s hard for me to imagine pre-pubescent playing with these dolls. Furthermore, with the collection’s bent toward ’80s nostalgia, there’s a good chance that girls today don’t know who these rockin’ ladies are (though I hope today’s parents are exposing their children to this music — I know many of the campers at GRCA this summer knew who Debbie, Joan, and Cyndi were when I taught the music history workshops with my friend Kristen). 

I also take issue with how the women’s features have been homogenized to look more like Barbie. While this seems appropriate for Harry, as she has delicate features and was very slender during her days with Blondie, I’d appreciate it if Lauper was curvier and maintained her multi-colored mane. Jett’s costuming is fine, but I’d like her mullet to be more pronounced. Also, get the lady a leather jacket, please. And maybe the rest of The Runaways to reunite with her.

There’s also the issue of price. After a quick glance at Barbie’s Web site, it looks as though the average price for a doll is around $20. While hardly inexpensive for some folks, the retail value of the Ladies of the ’80s collection is $35 a rocker chick. Imagine how the price would go up if they decided to create and market ’80s-era girl bands, like The Go-Gos. 

Let’s not overlook race either. It looks as though Mattel only considered white women when selecting the female pop stars that best defined the era. Where’s Janet Jackson or Tina Turner, to name but two examples? Also, I’d like an expansion of the collection to include male musical artists. How about starting with Michael Jackson and Prince? 

And finally, there’s the issue of turning these women into dolls at all. Now, I was never much of a doll enthusiast as a girl. I understand that feminist and doll collector are not mutually exclusive identity markers (after all, “Lisa Vs. Malibu Stacy“ is my favorite Simpsons episode). Still, it’s hard for me to see the collection and not think of how this group of punk-y women and their individual contributions to popular music challenged how women could look and sound in media culture are being normalized and exploited for corporate gains.

But, as Erica Rand points out in her wonderful book, Barbie’s Queer Accessories, the cultural limitations of the doll are defined by the collector, not the corporation.

Cover of Barbie's Queer Accessories (Duke, 1995); image courtesy of dukeupress.edu

Here’s hoping that some collectors use their imaginations to maximize these doll’s progressive or even transgressive potential. With any luck, the dolls will have formed a band, cured cancer, come out, gone bald, or dyed green in some homes by the end of the holiday season.

Na História da Riqueza do Homem (Leo Huberman), descreve-se a trajetória do comércio desde o período em que se trocavam mercadorias até a invenção da moeda.

Hoje, com o cartão de crédito e as mudanças cada vez mais rápidas na tecnologia, a maioria dos consumidores preferem jogar fora o velho pra adquirir o novo.

É como dizem meus amigos do Grupo Molungo (www.myspace.com/grupomolungo) na música Dinheiro, “é só passar o cartão”…

Ao mesmo tempo, surge, no mundo todo, um movimento contrário a este tipo de prática que promove o escambo, a troca de produtos que não servem mais pra uns mas podem, perfeitamente, fazer a alegria de outros.

Este domingo, 08/11, a Garage abre suas portas pra quem queira fazer parte deste movimento e trocar tudo o que ocupa espaço e está sem uso: livros, revistas, CDs, roupas…

É o primeiro Mini Bazar de Trocas promovido por Lisa Simpson, proprietária da Garage.

Se você quer dar uma renovada no guarda-roupa e ainda praticar um toma-lá-dá-cá sem envolver dinheiro na brincadeira, apareça!

Quando: domingo, 08/11/09

Horário: das 10:00 às 18:00

Onde: Garage - R. Jaime Reis, 278, centro histórico de Curitiba

Informação: http://agentecostura.blogspot.com/

Play the saxophone;
Be just like Lisa Simpson,
Just not so yellow.

.

It’s Marooned without a Compass Day, Saxophone Day, and International Drum Month.

É… como todo mundo já deve estar sabendo, Marge Simpson se rendeu ao machismo e posou nua, e é capa da “tal revista”.

Lisa Simpson, que é nossa sister feminista, deve estar se contorcendo de tristeza e chorando sangue de desgosto, trancada em seu quarto, lendo Sylvia Plath.

O melhor são alguns trechos da entrevista que Marge também deu à revista:

Sobre quando ela descobriu que Homer era o homem de sua vida: “Bem, quando o médico disse que eu estava grávida, ouvi uma voz dizendo: ´esse é o homem que você vai se casar´. A voz era da minha mãe!”.

Sobre os conselhos que ela dá para o seu filho Bart em relação às mulheres: “Eu digo ´você não vai encontrar nenhuma menina na prisão, que parece ser para onde você quer ir´”.

Peguei aqui.

I’ll be blunt: the fourth season of The Simpsons is the best season of the show ever produced. Period.

The Simpsons may be in their twenty-first season, but the heart and soul of the show died years ago. My boys over at Dead Homers Society will wholeheartedly agree with that statement. Lucky for me, I have access to seasons one through ten of The Simpsons, so I can watch the golden years whenever I want. Whenever plagued with the “Hmm…which season to watch?” question, I always lean toward season four. I never quite knew why. In this post, I hope to show you why I feel this fondly about every episode in this season.

David Medster, a contributor for Bullz-Eye.com, wrote a intriguing review of season four. He states:

They picked a good episode to start with, too: “Kamp Krusty” has Bart and Lisa going off to a summer camp (as the bus pulls away, Lisa says, “If the pets die, don’t replace them, I’ll know.”) that’s supposedly run by Krusty the Klown. But Krusty being Krusty, he just sold his name to some goon who’s in fact running a sweatshop. Bart and Lisa mutiny, they make national news, and eventually Krusty does the right thing: he takes the kids to Tijuana.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Simpson children were allowed to attend camp if both Bart and Lisa earned C averages in school. Before receiving their grades, Lisa states, “with no false modesty, you’re looking at one happy camper.” However, Bart isn’t as lucky: he gets all D’s on his report card. After some minor alterations, Bart presents his report card to Homer.

Bart Simpson: Well Dad, here’s my report card. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Homer Simpson: (incredulously) A plus?!? You don’t think much of me, do you boy?
Bart Simpson: (almost proudly) No sir!
Homer Simpson: You know a D turns into a B so easily. You just got greedy.

George Meyer penned the classic episode “Homer the Heretic.” In this episode, Homer decides to skip church on an especially frigid day. Homer proceeds to have the greatest morning ever. He cranks up the heat; dances around in his underwear; makes his patented “space-age out-of-this-world moon waffles”; and gets to watch a football game with a Duff in hand. When his family returns from a less than stellar morning, he decides that he is never going to church again. The episode comes full circle when Homer accidentally burns down his home on Evergreen Terrace and the local firefighters come to save him. Each firefighter is representative of different religions in town: Ned Flanders, Christian; Krusty the Klown, Jew; and Apu, Hindu. This episode is so effective because the plot is well thought out. Homer has a religious epiphany and makes his way back into church, asleep in the front pew.

If I had it my way, I’d ramble on about how “A Streetcar Named Marge” made Tennessee Williams’ play accessible to a new generation; how “Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie” shows that Homer wants to be a strong, disciplined parent toward Bart; or how “Lisa the Beauty Queen” provides integral character development for Homer. This last statement is worth elaborating on. While at the town fair, Lisa feels ugly after an artist draws an unflattering picture of her. At the same fair, Homer wins a ride on the Duff blimp. He sells his beloved ride in order to enter Lisa into the Little Miss Springfield pageant. Marge questions Homer’s motives for entering Lisa into a pageant without her consent:

Homer Simpson: Hey, nobody’s prettier than my little girl!
Marge Simpson: Mmmm, you’re looking at her through a father’s eyes.
Homer Simpson: Well if I could gouge out somebody else’s eyes and shove them into my eye sockets I would; but to me she’s beautiful!
Marge Simpson: (moved) That is so sweet.

David Medsker recaps season four with extreme accuracy. He states:

And then there is the 1992-1993 season. To paraphrase Matt Johnson and The The [sic], “The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season” is when things fall into place. Each episode in this four-disc set is not only good, it’s spectacular, jam packed with physical humor, social commentary, massive character development, the best animation yet (a slightly larger budget will do that), and some of the most unforgettable lines in TV history (“Uh, Amanda Hugginkiss? I’m looking for Amanda Hugginkiss? Why can’t I find Amanda Hugginkiss?!”). There were episodes in the years down the road that rivaled the ones here, but in terms of one season’s worth of work, it doesn’t get any better than this.

References:
Medsker, D. The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season. Posted to www.bullz-eye.com.
Holtz, M. (1994). Homer the Heretic. Posted to www.snpp.com

Lisa Simpson: But seven goes into twenty-eight four times.

Mathemagician: Uh.. this is a MAGIC seven!

Eilmeldung:

Heute um 20:15 Uhr wird auf Pro7 die Kreuzworträtsel-Folge der Simpons gesendet, über die ich hier schon einmal geschrieben hatte.

ANSCHAUEN !!!    

Just a quick one this evening but I simply had to say something about the fact that Playboy have a new cover star. And this time it’s Marge – from The Simpsons. Yes – even innocent cartoon characters cannot escape the clutches of Hugh Hefner.

I imagine that for many people, on first glance, it’s all a bit of innocent fun. It’s only a cartoon after all. But start thinking about it and I’m filled with horror on many counts. Firstly, it’s Marge! She’s a hero. She’s funny, intelligent, different – an icon. And she is loved by children all over the world. Secondly, Playboy have said that the reason they want to feature Marge is because they want to attract more 20-somethings as readers. That’s readers of porn – in case we forget. Thirdly – it sanitises and legitimises porn. It makes it something which can creep unnoticed into the realms of popular culture – and into the consciousness of our children.

We don’t yet know what hideousness awaits us inside the magazine, but Playboy’s editorial director promises us “it’s very, very racy,”. He goes on to say: “She is a stunning example of the cartoon form.”

Not amused

Innocent fun? I don’t feel like laughing. I feel like Marge has been robbed from us in the name of porn. Whipped away from under our noses. She is a cartoon character who actually inspires many young girls to dare to be different. She’s been given the treatment – she’s been sexed up – and turned into an object to be leared at. Isn’t this the pressure that girls are under from every angle every day of their lives: sex yourself up – it’s the only way to succeed. How on earth do I explain to my daughter what this is all about?

And it’s only a matter of time before they move on … to Lisa perhaps? Not so funny when you start thinking about it like that is it?

More here on Shakira from the Guardian

(Season 21, Episode 3)

“Call me a killjoy, but I think that because this is not to my taste, no one else should be able to enjoy it!” –Marge Simpson on Ultimate Punching

I’m not a fan of Ultimate Fighting, though I think that other people should be able to watch it, if they’re so inclined. But it is an all too common stance among watchdog groups, including mothers, sympathetic school officials and the clergy, as Nelson so kindly pointed out. Of course, this has been going on for years, but it was still a clever enough send-up of the problem.

Maybe it’s because I don’t find Marge to be one of the funnier characters on the show and this episode focused on her, so there weren’t as many funny moments in the main storylines. Luckily, there were plenty of side characters and moments to spotlight.

–>to continue reading, follow the link over to the full article on TV Squad

Marge Poses for Playboy

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091009/ap_en_ot/us_playboy_marge_simpson;_ylt=AvebNHW6lYDAzyph8SR5q09xFb8C;_ylu=X3oDMTJwcG4wbTE1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMDkxMDA5L3VzX3BsYXlib3lfbWFyZ2Vfc2ltcHNvbgRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDYXllY2FydW1iYW1h

Cover of Playboy November 2009 Issue?!!!

The Simpsons

Todos os que me conhecem sabem que sou um super fã do Simpsons, e hoje quando via o telejornal descobri que a Marge Simpson vai ser a nova capa da revista masculina Playboy, pessoalmente acho que isto é bom por que está a dar mais protagonismo à série mas por outro lado penso que isto pode ser um pouco degradante para a série porque a Marge é uma personagem com uma postura bastante correcta e isto não se identifica com a sua personagem. Bem, fica ao critério de cada um. Comentem o blog!!!:p

“The Associated Press” is reporting that The Simpsons star Marge Simpson will appear on the cover of the November Issue of Playboy Magazine. There will be a three-page feature of the iconic television character.

The Magazine said in a statement that the cover celebrates the 20th anniversary of the The Simpsons.

The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The Simpson family includes Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield.  The magazine hits newsstands on October 16th. The Simpsons airs Sunday nights on Fox.

The girls of Glee are walking on sunshine; image courtesy of static.tvguide.com

Dammit, Glee. Quit hogging the posts!

I don’t intend to catalogue all of the events of “Vitamin D” (which ended with a double doozy — I know I’m gonna love Sue, the blythely devious cheerleading coach played with aplomb by Jane Lynch, mixing it up with the glee club; I don’t feel similarly about Emma’s impending nuptuals). I will say, though, that I liked Kurt’s alliance with the girls and Rachel’s alliance with pregnant cheerleader Quinn (who is dating Finn, Rachel’s crush). I also happen to think kids who abuse pep pills are funny. Ask Lisa Simpson. Or Jessie Spano. 

What I will highlight briefly is that I thought the show’s use of mash-ups were interesting and fun. I highly doubt that kids these days are stringing together Usher with Bon Jovi for strongly-regulated school competitions (my killjoy hunch is that Ohio, much like Texas, has a regulatory body that rules what songs are acceptable or legal to perform). However, that this increasingly ubiquitous format has become so mainstream that no one really seems to care if Danger Mouse pairs Jay-Z with The Beatles or Girl Talk combines Notorious B.I.G. with Elton John speaks to how drastically the way we hear music has changed over this decade.

Or does it? Because the other interesting thing tonight’s made-for-TV mash-ups made clear to me is how similar this is to a time-honored musical tradition: the medley. That the songs just happen to be from different artists opens up the suggestion that popular music is in constant dialogue with itself, contending generic conventions and its attendant identity baggage along the way.

As tonight’s episode was a battle of the sexes, I will keep in character and side with the girls. While I usually do this anyway, I think their mash-up was way better than the boys strained Danny-Zucco-by-way-of-The Strokes routine to Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” and Usher’s ”Confessions,” which just played too faux macho and triumphant. Also, I think I heard a bit of AutoTune doctoring with Finn’s solo, which is an automatic dq. You better bring it next week, fellas.

I think the girls totally brought it. Mercedes’s selection is Beyoncé’s “Halo,” perhaps an essentializing choice for the show’s lone African American character, but a lovely ballad nonetheless. It is paired with female-led band Katrina and The Waves’s “Walking on Sunshine,” a zippy new wave ode to urgent, addictive sexual ecstacy. I even like the mismatched yellow dresses fine. Initially, they brought bridesmaids to mind instead of girl groups. But I reconsidered after thinking about how the wardrobes may reflect each girl’s personality. Also, I wonder if the sunny color, which alludes to both songs, is a conscious choice to provide contrast to the myriad of dreary social and economic issues that Rachel hilariously rattles off to the judges prior to the girls’ performance. I wouldn’t put it past these girls, and don’t it feel good?