Marisa LaScala: Writer, Editor, and Good Addition to Your Bar Trivia Team

Ahh, the August stretch of TV season—aka the dregs. Still, this month for Bustle, I...

...ranked all of the OK Go videos I could find to honor the anniversary of their album, Oh No, which gave us the famous treadmill video. 

...recommended that Saturday Night Live add more than on young, white, male cast member. They need someone who can do a decent Hillary!

...scoped out the competition for two of America's Top Model Cycle 22 contestants—Nyle DiMarco and Mame Adjei—plus the prizes they'll get if they win. 

...rooted for Project Runway underdog Amanda Perna, who almost made it on the show once before.

...hoped that Job or No Job's Jane Buckingham would give me career advice.

...dug up some more train based entertainment to kill time while waiting for the second half of the last season of Hell on Wheels. 

...discovered who the heck Michael Carbonaro is, and what make his prank show different. (Close-up magic!)

...looked into what's cooking for Below Deck's new chef.

...found out there's no one, real sugar baby behind Lifetime's Sugar Babies. 

...speculated about the possibility of more seasons of Becoming Us, Hollywood Cycle, Humans, Stitchers, and Proof, and gave advice on what to watch while we wait. (Phew!)

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty

This month on Bustle, I...

...read way too much into the (possible) symbolic meaning behind Felicia, the waitress with the scars, on True Detective. 

...learned I wasn't the only one with crazy True Detective theories. 

...wrote an ode to True Detective's Paul Woodrugh, the show's true underdog. 

...made a case for why Halt and Catch Fire deserves another season (love you, Cameron).

...speculated about some of the (many, many) cameos in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and (fewer) returning castmembers for the last Teen Nick episodes of Degrassi. 

...figured out the real-life musical inspirations behind Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, including Denis Leary himself and his previous hit single.

...explained how non-Stewart, non-Hamilton Dean Geistlinger fits into Stewarts & Hamiltons, and what his (surprisingly big) claim to fame is.

...researched who plays Jim Gaffigan's wife on The Jim Gaffigan Show (and how she compares to her real-life counterpart),who plays Fin's (replacement) daughter on Sharknado 3 (since you never know—the last daughter is now the star of the Jem and the Holograms movie), and who is the host of VH1's Twinning (spoiler alert: she's not a twin).   

...found a clue that suggests Laura Prepon will return next year on Orange Is the New Black. (But will it just be a flashback/dream sequence?) 

...explained to viewers what to expect from Spike's Tut.

...told fans of the brothers Winchester that they'll have to wait for a while still before Supernatural season 10 comes to Netflix, but there are other movies they can stream in the meantime if they need a fix.

Recently on Bustle, I...

...wondered if True Detective's Ray Velcoro could be the new Rust Cohle.

...came up with some theories about what True Detective's mysterious Black Mountain could be (though I'm pretty sure my first guess is correct).

...praised Orange Is the New Black for forcing its actresses to use different creative muscles, like taking singer Annie Golden and making her character near-mute.  

...speculated about whether or not Fake Off, The Comedians, and Happyish will be renewed for more seasons. 

...explored Boom! host Tom Papa's friendships with Seinfeld and Soderbergh.

Image: Lacey Terrell/HBO

I've been behind in posting my Bustle articles—very behind—but here are some of my favorite posts I've done in the meantime:

Mad Men Season 7 Premiere "Severance" Has An Ominous Title, But Does It Actually Tell Us Anything?

15 Selina Meyer Quotes That Prove The President (Yeah, President!) Has The Perfect Thing To Say In Every Situation

As Justified Rides Off Into The Sunset, Here's What's Going Ro Be Missed The Most

Aquarius Lead Sam Hodiak Vs. Fox Mulder: They Have More Than David Duchovny In Common

Halt And Catch Fire Season 2 Emphasizes The Women Of The Show & We Couldn't Be More Excited

Here are the rest of the TV shows I've covered since I last posted:

AD: The Bible Continues (2); Agent Carter (2, 3); American Odyssey; The Americans; Aquarius (2, 3); Battle Creek; Between; Black-ish; The Blacklist;  Blood, Sweat, and Heels; Brides Gone Styled; Catfish; The Casual Vacancy; Cleveland Abduction; The Critics' Choice Awards; The 87th Academy Awards (2); Dancing with the Stars; Empire (2, 3, 4); Gotham; 500 Questions; Forever; Halt and Catch Fire; Hindsight; The Josh Wolf Show; Lake Placid vs. Anaconda; Labor Games; The Last Man on Earth (2); Little Women: NY (2); The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2); Mad Men; The  Making of the Mob: New York (2); The Messengers; MTV's Scream; New Girl (2, 3); Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards; Orange Is the New Black; Parks and Recreation; The Prancing Elites; Proof; The Returned (2); Saturday Night Live (2, 3); Seeds of Yesterday; Sense8; Shark Tank; Stitchers; Sons of Winter; Swab Stories; Texas Rising; 'Til Death Do Us Part; The Tony Awards; 12 Monkeys; Turn: Washington's Spies (2); Undateable; Weird Loners; The Willis Family

I also got to spoil Fifty Shades of Grey for people who didn't want to watch the movie and just wanted to know if the ending deviated from the book.

Image: Justina Mintz/AMC

...researched the music behind some of the biggest Super Bowl ads, figuring out what band does the "500 Miles (I'm Gonna Be)" cover in the Budweiser ad, the "Pretty Woman" cover in the Nationwide ad, and the song in the BMW i3 commercial.

...found out when Better Call Saul takes place in relation to Breaking Bad.

...explained why I want to be Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran when I grow up.

...detangled the Dr. Crane/Scarecrow connections in Gotham.

...put a few things on the wedding registry for Donna Meagle on Parks and Recreation. 

...figured out where I might have seen Allegiance's Gavin Stenhouse before (opposite Kevin Spacey).

...distinguished Paz Vega from Paz de la Huerta, Alexa Panvega, and other actresses with sound-alike names.

...investigated what Little Women: LA's Briana Manson does for a living (apart from being on a reality show).

Image: Ben Leuner/AMC

...investigated whether or not Agent Sousa could end up marrying Agent Carter (because she deserves the best).

...argued that Nasim Pedrad deserves better than Mulaney. 

...flexed my 12 Monkeys fan muscles, explaining the movie's inspiration (La Jetée!), comparing the movie to the TV show, and looking into how the show changed Brad Pitt's character in a major, major way.

...tried to find a new career for April Ludgate on Parks and Recreation without defaulting to Moon Ambassador.

...remembered the good, the bad, and the Gosling-filled films of George Clooney's directing career.

...felt happy that Colin Hanks won't be in the next season of Fargo, because it means Gus Grimly is safe. 

...looked into the familiar face of King Richard and the not-yet-familiar face of Isabella on Galavant. 

...basically wrote a love letter to Lee Pace, who played Mindy's ex on an episode of The Mindy Project.

...recapped the fifth season of Justified, the one with all the Crowes, so that fans can be fresh for the final season.

...came up with some New Year's resolutions for the girls of Girls and guessed how long Hannah will be able to stick it out in Iowa.

...looked behind the curtain at the HFPA, the shadowy organization behind the Golden Globes.

...appreciated Jon Hamm's cameo on Parks and Rec, and guaranteed his character's return.

...told true history buffs to stay away from Sons of Liberty and its lack of historical accuracy.

...bemoaned Benedict Cumbebatch's poor odds for winning a SAG award.

...said goodbye to Cougar Town, A-to-Z, and, saddest of all Justified. 

Image: Gavin Bond/Syfy

Recently on Bustle, I...

...recapped everything we know about the sixth (and, sadly, final) season of Justified.

...lamented that Ben Folds, the best judge, wouldn't be returning to The Sing-Off, the charted the rise and fall of Sing-Off super-group The Exchange. 

...investigated when True Detective would return for its second season. 

...speculated about renewal chances for State of Affairs. 

...explained why the Madison Square Garden performance of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour was the best one to televise.

...looked into whether or not there were true stories behind Lifetime movies A Wife's Nightmare and Nanny Cam. 

Photo credit: Prashant Gupta/FX

...created a holiday gift-guide for die-hard Sherlock fans in case your mind palace was empty of ideas.

...rejoiced that Pixar came up with a new Toy Story short for the holidays.

...took at look at the times Melissa McCarthy and husband Ben Falcone teamed up on comedy projects.

...previewed the product that landed the biggest deal on Shark Tank then peeked behind the curtain at the home life of one of the sharks.

...looked into the literary inspirations behind The Librarians.

...attempted to find the real-life inspirations from Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin', his Christmas special.

...looked at the past careers of two other Christmas special stars, Alicia Witt of Christmas at Cartwrights, and John Reardon of The Christmas Secret.

...figured out how Nashville fans can bide their time until it returns from winter hiatus.

...found out that people can decorate Christmas trees for a living, as Bob Pranga and Debi Staron do.

Image: screenshot from kaieldesigns/Etsy

Recently on Bustle, I...

...felt perplexed that The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 was split into two movies, so I figured out the page of the book where the first movie ends, determined what's left for Mockingjay - Part 2, and argued that dividing the last book into two movies wasn't the best idea. Spoilers abound for those posts, obviously.

...helped sleepy (hungover?) parade-watchers figure out what time and what channel the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was on. I didn't know CBS had its own rogue broadcast.

...argued that the best times to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas are on Halloween, in Christmas, and on Thanksgiving, or halfway between Halloween and Christmas.

...gave advice to the makers of Catfish regarding what they should change in the show's fourth season.

...reassured Batman fans that Gotham's Ian Hargrove is not from the comics.

...found out that Seasons of Love's Cleo Anthony is rumored to be appearing in -- where else? -- a Marvel project.

...wondered how the Magic Cook featured on Shark Tank gets its magic heat.

Photo: Murray Close/Lionsgate

Recently on Bustle, I...

...seethed with jealousy that Chris Pratt braids Anna Faris' hair, just one of the many reasons they're the perfect couple.

...cooked up some easy, cheap Gotham Halloween costumes.

...found out why Mr. Wonderful is called that on Shark Tank, and looked into where you can buy one of the products that I liked, but the sharks didn't. I would make a lousy Shark.

...sought out the comic origins of the tattooed stranger and Agent Triplett on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 

...theorized that everything Victoria Gotti knows about reality stardom, she learned from her mobster father.

...found the perfect match for Briana on Are You the One, because it isn't Curti. 

...predicted that Amber is going to be the Snooki of Slednecks. 

...speaking of Snooki, who is her fiance, anyway? This guy.