Review - The Wrong Paris - Netflix

For Valentine's weekend, I chose to watch a romcom, The Wrong Paris, a Netflix Original directed by Janeen Damian and starring Miranda Cosgrove and Pierson Fodé.

When the film began, I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the stereotypes and clichés associated with Texas. I was about ready to stop the film, but I decided to give it another 5 minutes.

I'm glad I did because the movie proved to be delightful in its portrayal of a billionaire Texan and the woman who found herself stuck on a reality TV show that wasn't what she thought it was.

The premise of the TV show is the same as The Bachelor. Instead of a rose, this Texas cowboy gives his approval by giving the woman a—no, I won't tell you what, but I found it funny.

The supporting cast of Madison Pettis, Torrance Coombs, Frances Fisher, and Yvonne Orji are excellent, but the story and the charm belong to the 2 stars, Miranda Cosgrove as Dawn and Pierson Fodé. as Trey McAllen

THE DETAILS

The screenplay was written by Nicole Henrich, produced by Brad Krevoy and Michael Damian, edited by Scott Hill, and with Cinematography by Graham Robbins. 

The music was by Nathan Lanier, and some of the scenes—I'm thinking of the scene where Trey McAllen (Pierson Fodé) is tending his horse—has pop music that makes the scene hysterically funny.

The Production companies involved were MPCA and Brad Krevoy Productions with distribution by Netflix. The film was released in September of 2025. I don't know if it was on Netflix immediately. If it was, it simply wasn't on my radar.

The "famous" critics panned the movie with some harsh comments. A couple of critics said rather dismissively that it was for "hopeless romantics" which was the most flattering remark about those who might find the film worth watching.

What? Hopeless romantic? I'm not that. I'm a HOPEFUL romantic! And I bet you are too!

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If you're looking for a fun movie that is a hopeful romcom (is there any other kind?), watch The Wrong Paris on Netflix. It will entertain and delight you.

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Monday Magic - Time Management App

If you find yourself complaing about your inability to get important tasks completed, today's free app, Todoist, is for you.

Todoist has 3 levels of subscription: Beginner, Pro, and Business.

The Beginner level is always free and may be perfect for you. The othr levels are low-priced too.

WHAT CAN TODOIST DO FOR YOU

Used worldwide by millions, Todoist is simple to use and powerful. It's also considered by users to be the best to-do app on the market. You simply open the app, speak into your phone, and list your primary tasks. With the app, you can:

• sort your tasks into Today, Upcoming, or use custom filters
• see only what you need to see and when you need it
• schedule due dates
• visualize your week in calendar view
• set recurring tasks with ease.

If you work with a team, you can collaborate using the app. Also, you don't have to create your personal to do list from scratch, there are over 50 templates you can use.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

If poor time management is holding you back, try Todoist. It just might be what you need.

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Thought for the Week - Age

 

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Don't let your age define you.

People of every age achieve amazing things.

Just believe in yourself.

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Saturday Share - Valentine's Day Recipe

To celebrate Valentine's Day, I'm giving an easy recipe for a spectacular dessert. Even though it's composed of 4 layers, it's really easy to make.

A friend gave me this recipe long ago. It calls for Cool Whip which I stopped using decades ago. Instead, I use whipped cream.

It also uses Pistachio Jello Instant Pudding Mix. I've not found a suitable substitute for it. 

I don't make it often enough to be overly concerned about the ingredients in the pudding mix. Oh, and if you don't care for pistachio, you can substitue Instant Chocolate pudding instead.

PISTACHIO DELIGHT

Layer 1: The Cookie Base

Ingredients and Directions

1 1/2 cups of self-rising flour

1 stick of butter cut into pieces

2 tablespoons of sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Prepare a 9 x 13 pretty baking dish from which you'll serve the dessert and preheat oven to 350º F. (175º C.). Mix all the ingredients well and press into the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. When baked, cool it completely before adding the other layers.

Layer 2: The Cheesecake Filling

Ingredients and Directions

7 cups whipped cream, sweetened to taste (or 1 large tub of Cool Whip) reserve 2-3 cups for 4th layer

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened at room temperature

2/3 cup powdered sugar

Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy. Gently fold in the whipped cream, reserving 2-3 cups of it for the 4th layer. When the cookie layer is completely cooled,  spread this mixture over the cookie layer.

Get a pretty casserole dish! (Amazon)

Layer 3: The Pistachio Layer

Ingredients and Directions

2 packages of Instant Pistachio Pudding and 2 1/2 cups cold milk.

Prepare according to package directions which basically means adding the pudding mixes to cold milk and beating with a hand mixer until thickened. Spread this mixture evenly over the previous layers in the dish.

Layer 4: The Finishing Layer

Ingredients and Directions

Spread the reserved whipped cream over the top as the finishing layer.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This dessert is one that everyone in my family loves. It's light, delicious, and creamy. In fact, I've never found anyone who didn't like it. Happy Valentine's Day!

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

BLAME IT ON CHOCOLATE

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Friday Facts About Poldark

Poldark Books on Amazon

Poldark, the BBC series that was recently added to Netflix, is a train-wreck of a series that I simply can't get enough of!

The latest TV series was created and written by Debbie Horsfield, based on the book series by Winston Graham.

This 2015 offering of Poldark is not to be confused with the earlier Masterpiece series in 1975 which starred Robin Ellis as Ross Poldark and Angharad Rees as Demelza.

That production covered the first 7 of Graham’s novels, and it was a huge success on Masterpiece Theatre in the U.S.

The Netflix offering debuted in March 2015 and ran until August 2019 and was offered on PBS in the U.S. Like the 1975 production, this new version of Poldark was a huge success from the beginning.

TEASER

Aidan Turner is Capt. Ross Poldark, a redcoat returning to Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War. He discovers that his father is dead, his estate is in ruins, and his true love is engaged to marry his cousin. The action-packed series is full of drama, passion, and romance.

Rent or Buy Episodes on Amazon

But, I didn't actually sit down to write a review of Poldark.

I wanted to tell you about the YouTube channel LIFE AT THE MANOR, created by James Lowsley-Williams, the proud inheritor of Chavenage Estate, the 500 year-old Elizabethan Manor where Poldark 2015 was filmed.

I found the channel last year when I was doing a bit of research on historic mansions and castles.

James and his wife Emma reside at Chavenage and film their restoration and enhancement of the house and grounds, a 2,000-acre Cotswold estate that’s been in James’s family for 6 generations. The history of Chavenage is evident in every room.

The paintings that adorn the walls are breathtaking even to their frames. A centuries-old organ still works.

If you're a Poldark fan, you'll recognize the house as the family home where Poldark's uncle and family lived. Since he was the son of a second son, he didn't inherit the manor. 

If you watch James's channel, you'll recognize Elizabeth's bedroom, the window from which she gazed longingly at Poldark, the drawing room where she eavesdropped on her husband's conversations.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Be warned, Poldark is totally binge-worthy. If you like the historical series, you should watch Life at the Manor.

Joan participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to help websites earn advertising fees by linking to products on Amazon. If you click an Amazon link in her post, she may receive a small commision at no extra cost to you.

BLAME IT ON CHOCOLATE

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10 Things NOT To Give Your Valentine

Since many men are gift-challenged especially when it comes to Valentine's Day, I thought I'd post a list of gifts NOT to give your sweetheart.

10 Things NOT to Give Your Valentine

1. A kitchen countertop appliance. No, she doesn't want a stick blender, espresso maker, coffee grinder, or any other kind of gadget for her kitchen. They all  equal work. (Unless of course she asked for one. Then it's okay.)

2. A diet book. (Are you insane? Give the lady some chocolate for heaven's sake.)

3. Music or a Blu-ray movie that's your taste, not hers.

4. Any piece of clothing that your mother would probably wear.

5. A nighty so slutty that she would feel ridiculous wearing it. (She's smart enough to know you saw it at one of those sleezy lingerie shows at a so-called gentlemen's club.)

6. An exercise machine. Seriously? That ranks right up there with a diet book. (Unless you know she really, really wants one.)

7. Dinner out at Hooter's or Twin Peaks. LOL. No, I'm just kidding. You're really not  that thick-headed, are you?

8. Two tickets to any sporting event that only you can really appreciate. (She'll know you know that she'd hate it—that way you go with your buddy.)

9. An I. O. U. and a note that says you couldn't think of anything. (Seriously? She'd respect you more if you just admit that you forgot.)

10. Any gift that hasn't been wrapped, or worse, it's in the cheap plastic shopping bag the clerk bagged it in. (Don't ever, give something in the store bag. What's the matter? Can't take a few minutes to buy a gift bag and drop the gift in it?)

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

You know when you give a gift, it's really the thought that counts. So what's the thought that's going to count when your Valentine receives your gift?

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My Biggest Complaint About Videos

No humor or inspiration today on Hump Day. I'm a little POd and feel like sounding off. Not about you, dear SlingWords readers and visitors.

My complaint is with YouTubers who aren't serving their audiences.

HERE WE GO

There is a lot of educational content on YouTube. In fact, you can learn how to do just about anything from replacing a hard drive in a computer to cleaning the foggy headlamp covers on a car.

Awesome, right?

What isn't awesome is that too many YouTubers are editing the sound on their videos—removing natural pauses in the video so everything becomes one continuous stream of dialogue with no breaks whatsoever.

Not only is that unnatural, it makes it difficult for the viewer to actually absorb the information being given.

Today, I watched a woman YouTuber describing how she bought an old computer including where she purchased it and what it contained.

Without so much as a nano break between those topics, she went into into the process of removing Windows from the computer and downloading Linux—in exquisite detail.

From what I grasped, it sounded easy enough that I could probably do it EXCEPT she did the entire presentaton at warp speed with not even a breath of a break in the avalanche of words coming out of her mouth.

This is typical of too many videos now. If it's information I want, I have to go back to the beginning, slow the speed to 75% of normal, get a notepad to take notes, and still have to stop and rewind many times to capture this detailed tech information.

Now, she claims her audience is composed of "normal" people, not tech experts. 

Lady—and other YouTubers who may read this—you are NOT serving your respective audiences.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

Blog Readers, if you also hate this rushing river of dialogue, please leave a comment. I'd like to gather some stats on this.

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