Scandal: The Line of Succession for Press Secretary

Tonight while watching Scandal, I realized there have been entirely too many people in the role of press secretary. People with this position end up dead or blackmailed. There have been more press secretaries than seasons of the show.  Here is the master list of mentioned White House Press Secretaries:

 1. Britta Kagan
This poor gal was the first press secretary of the Grant administration. As a loyal staffer,  Ms. Kagan was shot along alongside  President Grant when they arrived at his birthday dinner (season 2). President Grant recovered and Kagan died.

2. Olivia Pope
In the wake of the Grant shooting, Olivia Pope came back to the White House (season She guided the administration  through a challenging media storm. She also helped the staff make it appear President Grant was ready to resusme power from VP Sally Langston way before he was ready.

3. Jeannine Locke
Although never offically named on the show,  Jeannine became the de facto press secretary. She took on the press in season 3 after Olivia retired and went back to professional fixing. Locke was forced to leave the White House after a very public declatation as the president's mistress. She sacrificed herself (and recieved a nice payout) to protect Olivia and President Grant's secret relationship.

4.  James Novak
Novak was was a journalist who bargained with his husband, Chief of Staff Cyrus Beene, to get a baby. As an out of work stay-at-home dad, Novak leveraged his husband again to get the open Press secrstary job.  This time, the stakes were much higher. James was tricked by bis husband into having an affair with VP Langston's closeted husband, all in the name of outing the man and ruining the VP's presidential campaign. Then James discovered his husband covered up VP Langston's murder of her sinner husband (season 3). There were a lot of complicated emotions involved there. When James began leaking details of the murder to the attorney general (under an alias),  he was killed by Jake, the leader of a super secret US-based CIA organization, B-613.

5. Olivia Pope (again)
In the season 5 finale, Olivia held a press conference announcing the death of President Fitzgarald's son, Jerry.

6. Abby Wheelan
Abby begins season 4 as the new press secretary for President Grant's second term. Olivia goes awol at the end of season 4 and shuts down Pope and Associates, leaving abby to find a new job. 'Red' became President Fitz's work wife and was promoted to Chief of Staff, which she remained into season 5. She left the White House in a scandal as well.

7. Marcus Walker
I have no idea if there was a press awcratarybin between Abby and Marcus, be he was defibtely press secrstary5 in season 6. Walker fell in love with Mrs. Grant during her run for office (season 5-6) and left with her ex-husband to start a foundation at the beginning of season 7.

8. Audrey Campo
Audrey was seen on screen as the press secretary for President Mellie Grant in tonight's episode when Olivia falsely promised to resign as chief of staff.

Scandal: I Choose Jam in Vermont

President Fitz and Olivia Pope
Image from Easymemes.com

     I am always in favor of a bizarre alternate reality episode of my favorite shows. Tonight's 100th episode of Scandal delivered  a great sideways reality. This is one of those episodes where all of the characters made different choices, but still end up coming back to the same situations.  We begin with Olivia (Kerry Washington) and Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) arguing about what to do with the group that fixed the election. This gang has already been indirectly responsible for the murders of Olivia's dad's girlfriend, some prison guards, President-elect Frankie Vargas (Ricardo Chavira) and his aide Jennifer, and the near-murder of Huck. This group also has manipulated Attorney General David Rosen (Josh Malina), imprisoned VP-elect Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry), and took whatever was left of White House Chief of Staff Abby Whelan's (Darby Stanchfield) dignity. Fitz wants to take action, to make his ex-wife (the other presidential candidate) Mellie into the next president. Olivia feels conflicted because eight years ago, she helped make Fitz president through lies, deception, and a faulty voting machine in Defiance, Ohio. Oliva thinks back to the night when she and the dream team voted for Fitz's future. Each member of the team was promised something for their contribution. For Mellie (Bellamy Young), it was to be the first lady, and for Olivia (having a secret affair with Fitz), it was a top job in the White House. Cyrus would become the Chief of Staff, and Verna a Supreme Court justice. Finally, the brains of the operation, oil tycoon Hollis Doyle, requested the government grant him favors as needed.

     We go back to 2010, where Olivia turns down the pact to commit voter fraud in Defiance. With this change to the timeline, Fitz loses the presidency and leaves Mellie to be with Olivia. The two are happy, marrying in a beautiful ceremony a few months later. A blushing Olivia is given away by Huck, her less socially evolved co-worker. Maid of Honor Abby makes eyes at David Rosen, and it seems like they might have an honest shot at a relationship in this world. Olivia jumps into lobbying for gun reform with Marcus and Abby  in what I suppose is a less sophisticated version of Pope and Associates in a dingy storefront.

Mellie Grant- Paste Magazine Meme

     Meanwhile, Mellie wallows and commiserates with Cyrus, who marries her to further both of their careers.  Cyrus eventually gets the idea to make Mellie run for president in the next election, but once again, it seems like he's pushing a candidate to fuel his own need for power. Did Mellie really not realize Cyrus was in love with men, or was she choosing again to look the other way? In this reality, Cyrus and James did not get married and Cyrus stayed in the closet. It's upsetting, but at least James wasn't murdered by B-613 in this reality. Speaking of those lovable secret ops, Olivia's dad (aka "Command") seems to still be in charge of the organization, but he's not ordering tons of murders in this timeline. Because Olivia is not close to the White House, her dad never came back into her life. He watches the wedding from the back of the church. Speaking of murders (which we always speak of when it comes to this show), Quinn never had to become Quinn. Since her boyfriend didn't work at the company of the voter rigging software, the building didn't blow up, and Lindsay was never wrongly blamed for the explosion. She didn't need an alternate identity or to start life over in D.C., so she makes the rounds of celebrity dating shows. I loved this twist the most!

     Instead of talking about moving to Vermont and making jam, Fitz and Olivia falter. The two had nothing to overcome except Mellie's vitriol. Still, their love wasn't smooth sailing. Olivia was still  wrapped up in her work, and Fitz was still a bit checked out, looking for the next thing. He almost got together with slutty Quinn/Lindsay (Katie Lowes)!  As the preeminent political talk show host (no Liberty report in this reality), he lacked the sexy power and authority of the president. Poor Olivia had no friends in the White House and waited all day to get a meeting with President Reston, only to be told her bill was going nowhere and their meeting was a mistake. In the end, Mellie still came to Olivia about her campaign. In this reality, there is no baby Teddy Grant, no audio of the President bedding someone in the office,  and no sniper murder of Fitz and Mellie's eldest son/brother? (still not clear), Jerry III. There is also no Olivia/Fitz /Jake love triangle. Fitz never had Jake NSA-style spy on Olivia because they are actually together. With him not being president,t there's also a lot less shady stuff (kidnapped by the VP) going on around the gang. So did Olivia and Fitz have kids? No, not yet. By the end, they agreed to buy a townhouse together in an attempt to really make their lives together as one.

     The episode ends with Olivia having a weird flashback face. She goes up to Fitz and say "I'm in." Is she in for their future? Is she in to make Mellie the next president? Is she in to bring down the organization that has even  her own menacing father scared? Is she in for a double Gettysburger? Maybe it's all of the above.

Who's That Guy? - Ricardo Chavira

GIF from Tumblr

Ricardo Chavira is owning television in 2017. The actor first rose to popularity on Desperate Housewives as Gabrielle's jealous husband, Carlos Solis. The actor's chemistry with his television wife Eva Longoria sizzled so much that he guest starred in her short lived 2016 sitcom Telenovela.

 President Chavira
 Chiavera spent most of 2016 playing fictional Pennsylvania governor/Democratic presidential nominee Frankie Vargas on ABC's  Scandal. During the season, political mastermind and possible sociopath Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) pushed Vargas to the front of America's consciousness. Beene went as far as to secretly initiate a shooting at the PA Capitol building, where the unknowing Vargas rescued co-workers and became an American hero. The race came down the kind Vargas candidate and the ex-first lady turned senator Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young).

     Last season's finale was drawing to a close as the clock ran down on on finding a running mate. In the last minutes of the show, Vargas called Beene to the stage, announcing him as his VP candidate. This season picked up in January with a shocking jump through the election. Vargas was announced as the winner and on stage to make his speech as President-Elect. Then he got SHOT! This is the second attempted presidential assassination on Scandal. Unlike the fortunate President Grant, Vargas did not survive, (Poor Vargas). Now Chavira appears in flashbacks that explain what happened along the campaign trail.  At first it seemed like VP-elect Beene was manipulating America, putting out an ideal candidate and plotting to taking him out so Beene himself would be the default leader. At this point in the story, we're still not sure who ordered President Vargas to be assassinated, but Beene and his secret lover (FBI agent Tom) have confessed their innocence in jail. Olivia (Kerry Washington) has also come to the conclusion that her accusation of Cyrus was wrong. Scandal show runner Shonda Rhimes said that  this season's story is about the electoral college and how it chooses the president when the people's candidate is taken out of the race. Many have argued that the show has picked up on an unrest in the country, even though the story line was on film long before the results of the election. I can't wait to find out more about what got Vargas assassinated in the coming weeks.

Lover Chavira
     Chavira also has a growing role as Bruce on the CW's Jane the Virgin. On Monday's episode, Bruce proposed to Jane's mother Xiomara (Andrea Navedo), known as Xo. In the first few episodes of the series, we learn Xo had an off-screen affair with Bruce and he recently broke up with her. Bruce was also cheating on his wife with Xo. Jane (Golden Globe winner Gina Rodriguez) and her grandmother vehemently despised Bruce for the turmoil he brought to their family.  Xo spent the first two seasons of the show finding her way back to Jane's over-dramatic telenovela star father, Rogelio De La Vega (played by Jaime Camil). Check out Rogelio's hilarious tweets here.

     Bruce is the complete opposite of Rogelio. Where Rogelio is vain and tweeting his feelings, Bruce is a quiet and reserved , and he is a lawyer. The triangle developed between the three has been intriguing over the last few months. Rogelio financed Xo to open her own dance studio, which coincidentally happened to be in the same complex as Bruce's new office. Xo seemed to have all her dreams coming true; Bruce and the studio, but at the cost of her friendship with Rogelio, The couple broke up as teens and Xo chose to raise Jane on her own. In their adult relationship, they got drunkenly married in Las Vegas, then engaged for real months later. In planning their life together, Xo chose to end things  because Rogelio wanted more children and she had already raised their daughter, who is now in her 20's.

     In the weeks since January's three-year jump and the death of Jane's husband Michael, Bruce and Xo have been going strong. As the show's least dramatic couple, their triumphs have been small, Xo and Jane winning over Bruce's teen daughter. This relationship one of the most real parts of the show.  I partly hope Xo and Bruce get married because she needs something stable in her life, although I am a hard-core Rogelio fan. Mr. De Le Vega got into a reality TV marriage with his matchmaker Darcy on the show, the De Le Vega-Factor. The show pieced together clips of Xo to look like a jealous ex, and fans of Rogelio actively name-call and throw coffee. Through this rift, Bruce encourages Xo to forgive Rogelio, and that makes me like Bruce even more! He helped Rogelio with legal advice on his lawsuit against the "DLVF" production company, because he knows it will please Xo. This whole situation brings up an important question in Jane's life. Can two people raise a child and not let their feelings get involved?  Jane and her baby daddy Raphael are also faced with the same question as she recovers from her husband's tragic death.

Officer Chavira

     “He doesn’t think we killed Gary, he’s just obsessed with ants!” remarked Sheila (Drew Barrymore) in episode 4 of The Santa Clarita Diet. The new Netflix show is reminiscent of Weeds, except instead of growing pot plants, Sheila is a new zombie. She and her husband Joel (Timothy Olyphant) start murdering people and storing them in a freezer in their storage unit so she can feed on their bodies. Chavira played their couple's nosy neighbor, Officer Dan. This guy was a crooked yet tough officer from the L.A. County Sheriff's office (he mocked a neighbor that works for the cushy Santa Monica police dept.) who became suspicious of the Hammonds.  This character reminds me the most of Chavira's character from Desperate Housewives. He is not a nice person. His gentle, nerdy stepson Eric constantly verbally abused at his own hand. Even Dan's wife Lisa (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) began an affair to get away from him.

     It's important to note that Sheila became a zombie through some unclear reason in episode 1. As of episode 8 (2 more to go), there is no explanation how this happened. She fed on her smarmy co-worker Gary in the backyard, eating his fingers and eventually his body. Joel, their daughter Abby, and Eric cover up the murder. Dan continued asking why Joel was outside spraying their lawn for ants in the middle of the night, which was a cover for washing away the blood. Dan was so obsessed with the lawn that he found a rogue finger and and blackmailed  Joel into attempting to murder a convict that could not be convicted. The couple reasoned this was in line with their new motto, only killing bad people that deserve it.  After a bad situation where the convict became a zombie, Dan took it too far. He falsified a dossier and asked them to kill Lisa's side dish, spreading horrible lies about the pediatric doctor (Scott Michael Foster).   Joel stood up to Dan as Abby and Eric planted a flash bomb in his garden. He was going out one way or another! Joel killed Dan in episode 5, smashing a shovel into his head, and marking the family's first non-zombie committed kill. Lisa and Dan's partner began a search for him, assuming he took off because of the contraband the teens discovered in the garage. Was his death justified? Will anyone figure out Joel killed Dan? I'm guessing this is an issue for season 2. 

Holiday Road.... Top RT Audio for the Holiday Season

     I have been spending so much time in the car lately. It's easy for me to get tired of the radio. I've tried everything (but cassette tapes) to keep me sane behind the wheel. I've put together my top three songs and top 5 podcasts that have been helping me deal with holiday traffic.

SONGS:
     It's that cold time of year again. My current local temperature is about 22 degrees, which makes car travel less fun toff the bat. I need music to get me in the car. A good holiday song will make you forget you're in traffic. A great song will turn your boring commute into a party-like atmosphere , which is great when there is a bottleneck to view an accident on the other side of the highway.

3. Florida Georgia Line: Cruise
"I've got my windows down, and my radio up..."
This 2013 radio staple get me to roll down my windows and relax (if it is above 40 degrees out). I caught FGL in the summer of 2013 touring with Luke Bryan as this song was burning up the country, pop and hip hop charts. It was a near religious experience on a sweltering Labor Day weekend in Pennsylvania  as Tyler Hubbard (Georgia of the aforementioned Line) yelled out "Yeah Girl" to my "Let's cruise" sign. Something about the song on the radio takes me back to that concert and the memories of that weekend. Cruise and other songs about sipping beers, falling in love, dancing in fields, and other summer fun can be found on Here's to the Good Times.

2. Maren Morris: 80's Mercedes
"...Feel like a hard to get starlet when I'm driving...." 
I love listening to this song in the car. It reminds me of summertime, no traffic, and it's very catchy. Maren Morris has blown up the country scene this year, winning Bes New Artist at November's CMA Awards. Her mix of pop, soul and country make her Summer 2016 album Hero on repeat.

1. Tim McGraw: Shotgun Rider
"...No I don't ever want to know... no  other shotgun rider beside you, singing along to the radio."

(c) PipPepPop

PODCASTS:

     Everyone has a podcast these days. All you need are some good microphones, the gift of gab, and an iTunes account. All you need to listen are ears. I have been devouring the following podcasts in no particular order :

5. Shondaland Revealed
     TGIT fans can rejoice! ABC super EP Betsy Beers is back bi-weekly this season and  interviewing her beloved Shonda Thursdays actors. Stars of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal (premieres next month), The Catch (premieres March) and How to Get Away with Murder come to chat about their shows. I also believe this started as a Scandal podcast and expanded out to the other shows. In the news, I have to know who is under the sheet (dead) on HTGAM! I know Betsy will have that interview (and the actor's fashion report) soon. The podcast is on iTunes alternate Fridays with first looks on EW.com Thursday nights.

4.  Buffering the Vampire Slayer
     Real-life couple Kristin Russo and Jenny Owens Young have just completed a watch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's season 1. January is the perfect time to jump in on the emotionally crippling season 2. There's some important conversations to be had here about the dialog (mostly from Xander) and situations from the 90's (just yell "The Patriarchy") that are no longer politically correct.  There's also much amazing fashion to discuss (t-shirts under camis and dresses, velour everything, anyone?) Buffy fans new and old will enjoy this podcast. I loved the interview with Armin Shimerman (aka Principal Synder) and hope to hear more behind the scenes tidbits as Buffy turns 20 this spring. Each episode ends with an original composition the ladies have written  about the theme of the episode. I know the upcoming School Hard already lends itself to an easy chorus. The podcast drops on iTunes Wednesday nights/Thursday mornings. Visit the podcast website here.

3. Bitch Sesh- A Real Housewives Breakdown Show
     Hosts Casey Warner and Danielle Schneider are celebrating year on the airwaves with special guest, Bravo's King Andy Cohen. Both women come from comedy writing and acting backgrounds, and they launched the Hulu original mockumentaries "The Real Housewives of Orlando" and "The Real Housewives of Las Vegas." This podcast is all bravo, all the time. The episodes recap all of the Real Housewives franchises (mainstays Orange County, Beverly Hills, NY, NJ, Atlanta, and the less successful Dallas, DC, and Potomac forays.) The podcast is usually found Wednesdays! Catch the crew on iTunes here.

2. Gossip Guys
     Andy Greene and Aaron Davitian have steered the ship USS Gossip Girl for nearly three seasons, and only spoiled one major plotline. If you listed to the "Never Have I Ever" episode, you and Andy will find out who is Gossip Girl.  The L.A.-based pair always have something to say as two guys watching a post-Internet boom teen drama. They push through the party and scheme of the  week, coining phrases such as 'manipiate': a manipulation, usually involving Nate. I've found myself yelling "It's not enough," when they honor Blair's stepdad Cyrus, or "It's a small island," whenever a character unfathomably appears in the next scene after going from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Join the guys as we head into the (personal opinion) turbulent and off-putting season 4. Let's hope next season will end with a "Summer of Serena" movie binge of Blake Lively classics. Episodes usually release Mondays. Spot the guys on iTunes here.

1. The Shipping Room
     If you've ever rooted for a TV couple, this podcast is for you! From The Wonder Years to Chicago P.D. and everything in between (usually 902010 or One Tree Hill), Christine and Tamar fearlessly plunge into important TV relationship topics. Past episodes have been about affairs, pregnancies and engagements. The ladies share weekly listener "Tip 10 Ships" lists and talk with top T.V. writers. Episodes drop on Fridays. Check them out on iTunes.

Gladiators in Dirty White Hats

"We're all bad people. That's the only thing we have in common."

-Bonnie (How to Get Away with Murder)

      I borrowed this quote from last night's HTGAM, but it very accurately relates to fellow Shondaland lead-in, Scandal. In tonight's episode, The Fish Rots From the Head, the distinct lack of conscience among the cast becomes blatantly obvious. Scandal has spent a long time diving into government conspiracies, election rigging, campaigns, secret spy organizations, and the inner workings of the White House. But this week, Olivia (Kerry Washington) and OP Associates have gone back to a good old fashioned fixing. It's a crime scene cover-up. At first glace, it looks like a prostitute OD's on drugs at a swanky hotel party with the secret service. On second, thought it could be murder, or at least manslaughter. What will the team do? 

     At this point, one must begin to wonder, does anyone on the show have a shred of morals, or do they all live in a gray area. First of all, President Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) is spiraling after his breakup with Olivia. He cares little about policy and spends his time bedding any journalist he can get his secret service to bring up to his residence. The secret service, meanwhile, is having parties with hookers. No big deal, right? At the heart of this conflict is Abby. Poor Abby wanted to be the press secretary, but she didn't know her job would include NDAs and phone holding for the president's floozies. Now she has now become the moral center of the show, but perhaps just until this week's episode is over.

     Olivia can't be bothered with the cases because she's still spiraling from the breakup with the president and her secret abortion, and her recent secret trysts with Scott Foley's Capt. Jake Ballard. Important to note here, Jake killed a bunch of people to get the President to name him the head of the NSA. Olivia is very bothered by this for obvious reasons and stalks jake when they're not having secret boots calls. After all, Jake is the same guy a few years back who was using all sort of spying equipment on Olivia before they fell for each other. Now he is the top government spy! Who can change this situation? Abby snaps Olivia back to reality during a Jake stakeout. Finally the OPA group figures out the real story  about the secret service and they seem to be a hair more moral than before (it's been a while since Huck killed anyone).) Olivia plans to bring the secret service to justice by going to speak to Fitz about his and their behavior and the bad culture he has set up for the ss. Then, just to make things even more odd, Olivia invites herself over to her father's house to see Jake, only to meet Jake's brand new fiancee, who he has only been out with 9 times.

     Senator Mellie Grant (aka Lady MacBeth in Louboutins, Bellamy Young) takes her son (Teddy, a.k.a. America's baby) to visit  his daddy in the hopes of getting his support for her campaign to be the Republican party front runner in the presidential primary. She breezes in with kisses, hugs and mushy family stuff (clearly not your typical Mellie) ans after spying one of the journalists in a robe, hugs Fitz and tells him to keep his whores away from the children, then delightfully escorts little Teddy out of the residency.  For those of us that's can't think of anything weirder than Mellie and Olivia getting along, they're actually becoming friends. Yes, they drink wine and lament about their past experiences (but  they never mention their vote rigging scandal that first got Fitz elected).

     On the other side, VP Susan Ross (Artemis Pebdani) does not want the President's approval because she knows he is complete scum. Susan's boyfriend, Attorney general David Rosen (Josh Malina) tries to convince her to get the approval anyway. He only is doing this because his secret other girlfriend Elizabeth North (Portia de Rossi) happens to be running Susan's campaign and she's another particular type of shrew. Speaking of shrews, how could we leave out Cyrus Beene? He is the true Macbeth of this show,with no scruples as far back as the election fixing scandal. He has killed (even if its not with his hands) many people, all int eh name of protecting America and Fitz. He has been cast out several times by Fitz, and despite being chief of staff, his power hunger has him looking for the next great candidate after being turned down by Mellie and Susan to run their campaigns.  He recently sent a shooter to the Pennsylvania state capitol so the governor (Francisco Vargas, played by Ricardo Chavras) could come out a hero. this week, Cyrus got the governor to run (even though the poor man has a child battling cancer) by telling a story about his fake disabled brother. Remember, Cyrus is the guy who was caught with a male gay prostitute and married him to keep up appearances.

     In summation, the fish rotted from Fitz's poor actions. But really, this fish was split open the moment Olivia, Mellie, Cyrus and other came in to fix Fitz's first election. All of the scandals are built on a central lie. Then there's the whole secret government group B-613 issue, which has caused a lot of drama (Mama Pope!). Scandal breeds scandal, and everyone  has added their own misdeeds to the fire, and it's going to combust.  #'Merica