| 'Direct invasion’: Russian convoy in Ukraine Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:50 AM PDT  NATO chief: Air, ground forces building; heavy weapons going to separatists.
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| U.S. cites 'dangerous' Chinese jet intercept, lodges protest Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:13 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon on Friday accused a Chinese fighter jet of conducting a "dangerous intercept" of a U.S. Navy aircraft off the coast of China in international airspace.
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| Rick Perry's Indictment Posted: 22 Aug 2014 03:08 AM PDT  For a politician facing two felony counts, Texas Governor Rick Perry certainly looked cheerful in his mug shot. On Tuesday, August 19, he appeared at an Austin courthouse to answer charges of abuse of power and coercion. After being booked and fingerprinted, he headed to a local burger joint for an ice cream cone and tweeted a photo.
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| 2 Michigan boys critically injured in Ferris wheel fall Posted: 22 Aug 2014 09:41 AM PDT  CHELSEA, Mich. (AP) — Authorities say two children are recovering from injuries after falling at least 15 feet from a Ferris wheel at a community fair in southeastern Michigan.
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| Russia massing forces near Ukraine: NATO Posted: 22 Aug 2014 08:19 AM PDT  NATO chief said air, ground forces building and heavy weapons going to separatists.
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| James Foley's brother: US could have done more to save Jim Posted: 22 Aug 2014 12:08 AM PDT  For the first time since the Islamic militant group ISIL released the shocking video of the beheading of American journalist James Foley earlier this week, his brother and sister are speaking about their grief.
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| The strange way tuberculosis came to American shores Posted: 22 Aug 2014 08:13 AM PDT  When European explorers landed in the Americas, they brought tuberculosis (TB) and a wave of other deadly diseases with them. In fact, these strains may have been brought to the Americas by seals and sea lions, researchers say. A new analysis of three ancient Peruvian human skeletons that date to between A.D. 1028 and 1280 — well before Europeans landed on American shores — shows evidence of tuberculosis, including skeletal lesions and curved spines. "It looked as though tuberculosis was present in the New World before [European] contact, based on these skeletons," said Kirsten Bos, the study's lead researcher and a postdoctoral fellow in paleogenetics at the University of Tübingen in Germany.
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| Who's paying Islamic State's bills? US wants to know Posted: 22 Aug 2014 07:23 AM PDT  NEW YORK (AP) — Officially, the FBI agents who swarmed Donald Ray Morgan at Kennedy Airport this month were there to arrest him on a mundane gun charge. But they whisked him away to their Manhattan office and grilled him for two hours on an entirely different topic: Islamic State extremists.
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| Oklahoma cop accused of traffic-stop sex assaults Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:51 AM PDT  OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma City police officer who was a star football player in high school and college is accused of sexually assaulting at least six women during traffic stops and investigators are looking into whether there are more victims.
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| $1 million back-to-school teacher boost Posted:  Exclusive: Katie Couric talks to Melinda Gates about donor challenge for books, tech, tools for classroom.
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| Fed chief: Data not telling true story about disrupted job market Posted: 22 Aug 2014 09:29 AM PDT  By Howard Schneider JACKSON HOLE Wyo. (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen called for a "pragmatic" approach to U.S. In a speech at the Fed's annual central banking conference, Yellen laid out in detail why she feels the unemployment rate alone was inadequate to evaluate the strength of the jobs market and why the central bank needed to move cautiously on raising rates. At the same time, she nodded to the concerns of some Fed officials who are growing uneasy with the sustained level of its monetary policy stimulus. Ahead of her comments, a number of other top Fed officials had pressed their case for an early hike in benchmark rates, which have been held near zero since December 2008.
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| Ukraine: Russian aid trucks crossing border a 'direct invasion' Posted: 22 Aug 2014 09:55 AM PDT  The West on Friday blasted Moscow for unilaterally sending a controversial aid convoy to east Ukraine's rebel-held Lugansk in a move Kiev decried as an "invasion". The European Union said it "deplored" Russia's decision to order in the convoy, which local officials said had begun arriving in Lugansk, without consent and called on Moscow to withdraw the trucks. Meanwhile, the UN Security Council was to hold snap consultations on the issue later Friday and NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen called Moscow's decision an escalation of the Ukraine crisis that "can only lead to Russia's further isolation".
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| Exclusive: Katie Couric talks to James Foley's brother, sister Posted:  Katie Couric talks to brother, sister in aftermath of journalist's death. Watch here.
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| Gaza rocket strikes Israeli synagogue, several wounded Posted: 22 Aug 2014 06:04 AM PDT  A rocket fired from Gaza hit a synagogue in the Israeli city of Ashdod on Friday, wounding three people, police said. "There is damage at the scene and a number of people were injured by shrapnel," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Ashdod is around 30 km (20 miles) from Gaza. Hamas and other militant groups fired more than two dozen rockets into Israel on Friday, injuring two other people, with no signs of a let up in the six-week war.
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| India's heaviest drinking state to go full teetotal Posted: 22 Aug 2014 05:21 AM PDT  By Shivam Srivastava BANGALORE (Reuters) - India's wettest state is planning to dry out, drop by drop. The tropical southern state of Kerala, which has the country's highest alcohol consumption per capita, is moving to become alcohol-free within 10 years. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, quoted in local media, said the state government was in favour of "total prohibition". An resident of Kerala typically drinks about 8.3 liters of alcohol per year, more than double the national average.
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| Among Syrian jihadists: Americans Posted: 21 Aug 2014 03:50 PM PDT  As many as 100 may have traveled, or tried to travel to Syria to join the conflict.
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| UN: death toll from Syrian civil war tops 191,000 Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:37 AM PDT  GENEVA (AP) — The death toll from three years of Syria's civil war has risen to more than 191,000 people, the United Nations reported Friday.
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| Calif.'s Coachella Valley hit by haboob Posted: 21 Aug 2014 10:38 PM PDT  A haboob swept through California's Coachella Valley on Thursday, August 21, blanketing Palm Springs in dust. The dust storm made for dangerous driving conditions while the 40mph winds that fuelled the haboob downed trees in Palm Springs. This video shows the storm rolling across Indio. Credit: Facebook/Jessika Atkins
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| Disputed Russian convoy finally crosses into Ukraine Posted: 22 Aug 2014 05:19 AM PDT  Trucks from a Russian aid convoy are moving into Ukraine, after the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Kiev of obstruction and announced its convoy would no longer wait at the border for permission to enter. "Our convoy with humanitarian aid is starting to move in the direction of Luhansk," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website Friday, according to Russian outlet RT. There was no immediate official response from the government in Kiev, which had previously warned that any unauthorized entry into Ukraine would be seen as an act of aggression. Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, the head of Ukraine's SBU security service, told the BBC that Russia's decision amounted to a "direct invasion."
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| US, EU, NATO condemn Russian aid convoy move Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:33 AM PDT  Russia sends an aid mission into eastern Ukraine without Kiev's approval.
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| Mo 'ne Davis's dream season comes to an end Posted:  Two of the best stories in an uplifting Little League World Series collided in Williamsport, and one had to lose.
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| LIVE: Katie Couric interviews Foley siblings Posted:  Exclusive: Journalist's family members speak in aftermath of brother's death. Watch live here now.
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| March, memorial service planned in embattled Missouri town Posted: 22 Aug 2014 10:04 AM PDT  By Nick Carey, Carey Gillam and Edward McAllister FERGUSON Mo. (Reuters) - Another march and a memorial service are planned for Friday in the violence-weary town of Ferguson, Missouri, where the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by a police officer has prompted two weeks of protests. Following two straight nights of relative calm in the St. Louis suburb, a drawdown of National Guard troops was expected to begin on Friday. Some protesters said they thought this was a good sign, but doubted it would have much impact. "It antagonized the people more having them here, but we never cared about them much anyway," said Mauricelm-Lei Millere, an advisor with the New Black Panther Party, which is planning a march at 7 p.m. CDT starting in the neighborhood where Michael Brown, 18, had lived before being shot on Aug. 9.
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| Legendary Philly DJ Don Cannon dies at 74 Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:18 AM PDT  Legendary Philadelphia DJ Don Cannon has died. He was 74 years old.
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| Golf - Donaldson stays on Ryder Cup course with Czech lead Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:17 AM PDT  - Welsh golfer Jamie Donaldson remained on course for a Ryder Cup place on Friday when he maintained a one-shot lead at the halfway point of the Czech Masters. The 38-year-old world number 29, who needs to finish the weekend in the top seven to book a maiden Ryder Cup appearance at Gleneagles next month, overcame a nervy conclusion to his second round.
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| Swimming - Britain's Adam Peaty sets new 50m breaststroke world record Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT  - Great Britain's Adam Peaty set a new 50m breaststroke world record of 26.62sec at the European Championships in Berlin on Friday. The 19-year-old took 0.05sec off Cameron van der Burgh's previous world record from the 2009 world championships in Rome at the height of the supersuit era. It has been a staggering few weeks for Peaty who won two golds and a silver for England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. This week he has already won the 100m breaststroke as well as gold with the Great Britain 4x100 mixed medley relay squad.
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| Cleveland's Manziel fined for obscene gesture Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:15 AM PDT  New York (AFP) - Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was fined $12,000 by the National Football League on Friday for making an obscene gesture toward the Washington Redskins' bench during a pre-season road loss Monday.
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| Book Club: For an epic roundup of all... Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:15 AM PDT  For an epic roundup of all the best cookbooks coming out this fall, head over to Eater National. From New York chefs expect Gabrielle Hamilton's massive 250 recipe Prune book, another from George Mendes on Portuguese food, and Dominique Ansel's...
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| Restaurants of the Future: Eater editor-in-chief Amanda Kludt asks, "can... Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:15 AM PDT  Eater editor-in-chief Amanda Kludt asks, "can the restaurants of the future be good to people?" over on our sister site The Verge. Foursquare, Yelp, payment and reservations apps, and other start-ups are increasing efficiency, but what if "great thinkers and...
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| Celebrity Real Estate: Inside Katie Holmes and Suri's New McMansion in Calabasas Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:13 AM PDT  TMZ reports today that Katie Holmes and the much-loved/-feared Suri Cruise have returned to Southern California after years in New York: Holmes just closed last week on a house in Calabasas, according...
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| Jetstar Hong Kong sells 3 aircraft as it awaits approval Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:13 AM PDT  New budget airline Jetstar Hong Kong said Friday it has sold a total of six of its aircraft because it is taking longer than expected to get a licence to operate. The airline, which is a joint venture between Australia's Qantas, China Eastern Airlines and Hong Kong-based Shun Tak Holdings applied for regulatory approval in 2012 in the southern Chinese city. An airline will only be given a operation license if its principle place of business and centre of its decision-making is in Hong Kong, according to local laws. "Jetstar Hong Kong can confirm the sale of a further three aircraft, now a total of six Airbus 320s, with three remaining in the fleet for launch," the airline's chief executive officer Edward Lau told AFP in an email.
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| Global stocks pause, dollar jumps on Yellen comments, Ukraine Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:12 AM PDT  By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) - Wall Street and other stock markets paused while the dollar rose on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said policymakers eyeing interest rate hikes need to move cautiously, while worsening Ukraine tensions dogged trading. Ukraine on Friday said Russia had launched a "direct invasion" of its territory after Moscow sent a convoy of aid trucks across the border into eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian rebels are fighting government forces. "We will probably be talking about Ukraine through the winter." The Dow Jones industrial average was down 20.55 points, or 0.12 percent, at 17,018.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 8.82 points, or 0.19 percent, at 4,540.92.
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| Mackay sorry for 'unacceptable' texts Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:10 AM PDT  Malky Mackay apologised Friday for "unacceptable" text messages sent while he was Cardiff boss after his former club called on the chief executive of England's League Managers' Association, Richard Bevan, to resign over his handling of the affair. The LMA spoke on behalf of Mackay on Thursday after the 42-year-old Scot and his right-hand man Iain Moody were alleged to have shared racist, sexist and homophobic texts when they worked together at Cardiff in a report published by Britain's Daily Mail. Mackay's conduct was explained by the LMA as a matter of "letting off steam to a friend during some friendly text message banter". The LMA apologised Friday and Mackay subsequently gave an interview to Sky Sports News, saying: "Out of 10,000 text messages in and out of someone's phone I sent three and that being the case, looking at them they are completely unacceptable, inappropriate and for that and for any offence I've caused I sincerely apologise for that.
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| Adam Peaty sets new 50m breaststroke world record Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:09 AM PDT  Great Britain's Adam Peaty set a new 50m breaststroke world record of 26.62sec at the European Championships in Berlin on Friday. The 19-year-old took 0.05sec off Cameron van der Burgh's previous world record from the 2009 world championships in Rome at the height of the supersuit era. It has been a staggering few weeks for Peaty who won two golds and a silver for England at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Peaty set his new record in the semi-finals on Friday although he admitted he still has work to do with Saturday's final still to come.
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| Europe launches two navigation satellites Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:09 AM PDT  Two satellites for Europe's rival to GPS were lifted into space on Friday to boost the Galileo constellation to six orbiters of a final 30, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. The launch of satellites Doresa and Milena, the first with full operational capability, brought the system a step closer to becoming fully functional. "The deployment of the constellation will now gather pace, with six to eight satellites launched per year," the ESA said in a statement. "The final constellation will consist of 24 satellites expected to be ready in 2017 and complemented by six in-orbit spares."
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| Verstappen focused on exams as well as F1 history Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:08 AM PDT  SPA, Belgium (AP) — Max Verstappen will find himself in a unique position next year: fitting school exams around his debut as the youngest ever Formula One driver.
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| postage stamp chic: The Ultimate Surfer's Bachelor Pad (Dude, Where's the Pool?) Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:08 AM PDT  Located at 31 Hampton Lane in Amagansett, this 4 bedroom 2 bathroom cottage is quite the charmer. Okay, we admit that it's not huge on style, but it's got a killer location. With only 1,200 sqft and .23 acres,...
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| Bugging Out: 50,000 Bees Found Hiding in the Ceiling of a Queens Apartment Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:08 AM PDT  50,000 bees have been recovered from the ceiling of an Elmhurst apartment belonging to a woman with apparently sub-par hearing capabilities. 50,000. Bees. The discovery came after building neighbors complained about the budding infestation, leading the ever-heroic Anthony "Tony...
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| Emmys 2014 Editors' Picks: Who We Think Should Win in This Year's Comedy Categories Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:08 AM PDT  Somehow, the Emmys are already upon us. The telecast is airing nearly a month earlier than usual this year, and on a Monday (August 25 at 8pm on NBC), to boot. Although many of the nominees didn't quite satisfy our dream choices, we here at TV.com are still committed to making sure the best possible people and shows take home the shiny trophies. Yesterday, we kicked things off with the miniseries races, and today we're all about those big LOLs in the comedy categories. Will Modern Family's reign of terror continue, or will great contenders like Orange Is the Black and Veep pry the trophies away from ABC's cold, dead hands? Regardless of the outcome, here's who we believe deserves some new hardware. SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES THE NOMINEES: Fred Armisen ( Portlandia), Andre Braugher ( Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Ty Burrell ( Modern Family), Adam Driver ( Girls), Jesse Tyler Ferguson ( Modern Family), and Tony Hale ( Veep) RECENT WINNERS: Tony Hale (2013), Eric Stonestreet (2012), and Ty Burrell (2011) OUR PICKS: Andy: Andre Braugher | Cory: Tony Hale | Jen: Andre Braugher | Kaitlin: Andre Braugher Nick: Fred Armisen | Noel: Andre Braugher | Tim: Tony Hale WHY FRED ARMISEN SHOULD WIN: Can you think of another sketch comedy series that has a richer mythology than Portlandia? It's like Fred Armisen wanted to do a show where he could be every returning character he ever wanted to be without a live audience or Lorne Michaels' Canadian browbeating holding him back. And he's kind of amazing in all of them. I finally get Fred Armisen. —Nick Campbell WHY ANDRE BRAUGHER SHOULD WIN: Throughout Brooklyn Nine-Nine's first season, the show's MVP often wasn't one of the comedians in the cast, but Andre Braugher, an actor known for his more serious roles on Homicide, Gideon's Crossing, and Men of a Certain Age. As Captain Holt on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Braugher manages to elevate deadpanning to new heights in increasingly absurd situations—never cracking a smile, never allowing Holt's serious and stoic personality to slip, explaining in crisp and clear tones that he finds Wii Tennis "very intuitive" and that he's already seen Safe House (he enjoyed it). I mean, the guy even managed to deadpan a pop-and-lock. On a show of clowns, Braugher has become the funniest member of the cast by not playing "funny" at all. —Noel Kirkpatrick SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES THE NOMINEES: Mayim Bialik ( The Big Bang Theory), Julie Bowen ( Modern Family), Anna Chlumsky ( Veep), Allison Janney ( Mom), Kate McKinnon ( Saturday Night Live), Kate Mulgrew ( Orange Is the New Black) RECENT WINNERS: Merritt Wever (2013) and Julie Bowen (2011 and 2012) OUR PICKS: Andy: Anna Chlumsky | Cory: Kate Mulgrew | Jen: Kate McKinnon | Kaitlin: Allison Janney Nick: Kate McKinnon | Noel: Kate Mulgrew | Tim: Kate Mulgrew WHY KATE McKINNON SHOULD WIN: As much as I love Anna Chlumsky on Veep and Kate Mulgrew on Orange Is the New Black and even Allison Janney on Mom, the crazy-eyed Kate McKinnon is becoming as invaluable to Saturday Night Live as Kristen Wiig was before her. While the sketch show will always have its ups and downs, McKinnon is a constant highlight, fully committing to every character she plays, whether she's doing more "routine" SNL stuff like impersonating German Chancellor Angela Merkel or Ellen or going all out with Russian peasant lady Olya Povlatsky or licking Louis C.K.'s face. Plus, seriously, those eyes. —Jen Trolio WHY ALLISON JANNEY SHOULD WIN: Mom might not be the best show on TV—it's not even the second, the third, or the fourth best show—but Allison Janney's performance as Bonnie is noteworthy in that she manages to make vagina jokes work. We've known for years that she's capable of delivering the drama (four Emmy wins for The West Wing, plus a brand-new one for Masters of Sex, prove that) but her comedic timing has always been an underrated strength. On Mom, she's run the gamut of emotions, expertly and admirably combining humor and heart, and I can't help but love this other side of her. — Kaitlin Thomas LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES THE NOMINEES: Louis C.K. ( Louie), Don Cheadle ( House of Lies), Ricky Gervais ( Derek), Matt LeBlanc ( Episodes), William H. Macy ( Shameless), and Jim Parsons ( The Big Bang Theory) RECENT WINNERS: J im Parsons (2013 and 2011) and Jon Cryer (2012) OUR PICKS: Andy: N/A | Cory: Jim Parsons | Jen: Louis C.K. | Kaitlin: Louis C.K. | Nick: Louis C.K. Noel: William H. Macy | Tim: Louis C.K. WHY WILLIAM H. MACY SHOULD WIN: Frank has suffered from not-so-great-writing and plotting for most of Shameless's existence, but Macy always makes it work, somehow. He's just that good. While his big moment in Season 4's "Lazarus" wasn't comedic in the slightest (worth noting: Shameless can be funny, but it isn't a comedy), it was still a great big moment for Macy and for Frank, hitting the arrogantly sad triumph of an addict who beat the odds..and then just that sweet hit of sadness. In a category where I haven't seen the performances (LeBlanc, Gervais), not really enamored with the performance (C.K.), am sort of over the performance (Parsons), or just abhor the show in general (Cheadle in House of Lies), I'm voting like probably many an actual Emmy voter and picking the name of the performer I generally like best. —Noel Kirkpatrick WHY LOUIS C.K. SHOULD WIN: Though it's often difficult to see Louie as a comedy—especially after Season 4—there's no denying that Louis C.K. is an unbelievably skilled performer. It's harder to play the average, schlubby everyman than he makes it look, and no one does dark comedy mixed with pathos better than C.K. does. —Jen Trolio LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES THE NOMINEES: Julia Louis-Dreyfus ( Veep), Lena Dunham ( Girls), Edie Falco ( Nurse Jackie), Melissa McCarthy ( Mike & Molly), Amy Poehler ( Parks and Recreation), and Taylor Schilling ( Orange Is the New Black) RECENT WINNERS: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2012 and 2013) and Melissa McCarthy (2011) OUR PICKS: Andy: Amy Poehler | Cory: Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Jen: Amy Poehler | Kaitlin: Amy Poehler Nick: Amy Poehler | Noel: Taylor Schilling | Tim: Julia Louis-Dreyfus WHY AMY POEHLER SHOULD WIN: Parks and Recreation's Leslie Knope is a Care Bear Stare personified, an intense and irresistible force who musters the best in everyone in her path. On paper, she's a character who would be very easy to get wrong in any number of ways. Instead, Amy Poehler's winning warmth and superlative comedic skill have made Leslie a person who's all too rare on contemporary TV: someone whose exceptional brains and ability are matched by unflappable decency and empathy. It's a performance that deserves to earn at least one Emmy before Parks and Recreation concludes its run after next season. —Andy Daglas WHY JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS SHOULD WIN: Going chalk is never fun, especially with the Emmys, but when we're talking about someone as good as Julia Louis-Dreyfus is on Veep, you have to embrace the value of repeat winners. Louis-Drefyus showed a few new sides to Vice President-turned-President (maybe) Selina Meyer in the show's third season, particularly in her more dramatic submission episode, "Crate." Jam-packed category be damned; the queen stays the queen —Cory Barker OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES THE NOMINEES: The Big Bang Theory, Louie, Modern Family, Orange Is the New Black, Silicon Valley, Veep RECENT WINNERS: Modern Family (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013) OUR PICKS: Andy: Veep | Cory: Orange Is the New Black | Jen: Orange Is the New Black | Kaitlin: Veep Nick: Louie | Noel: Orange Is the New Black | Tim: Orange Is the New Black WHY ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK SHOULD WIN: This is a year where all six nominees have some kind of real shot of winning, but it HAS to be Orange Is the New Black, right? Sure, it's not just a comedy, but neither are Louie or even Veep, at times. That first season blindsided many of us, telling a wonderful story filled to the brim with lively characters we couldn't wait to see again. Modern Family, kiss your winning streak goodbye. —Cory Barker WHY LOUIE SHOULD WIN: Inconsistent? Maybe. More shots of a middle-aged man's pasty behind than you'd hoped? Definitely. But there's no show deeper in the trenches of comedic-format warfare than Louie. —Nick Campbell Who do you think should win in this year's comedy races?
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| The Legend of Korra Book 3 Finale Review: All You Can Do Posted: 22 Aug 2014 11:08 AM PDT  The Legend of Korra S03E12 and S03E13: "Enter the Void" and "Venom of the Red Lotus" The overall thrust of these final two installments of Book 3 confirms for me that the writers really wanted to produce a lighter, less overtly political season of The Legend of Korra. It was heavy on the WHIZ-BANG-POW aspects, low on the concerns for global change—maybe the collapse of Ba Sing Se will be a central part of Book 4?—and essentially amounted to, "If we kill the hero, there'll be no one to stand in our way!" villainy, complete with a poorly conceived deathtrap. (Did Zaheer really think that some chains were going to hold an Avatar who was in the Avatar State? What a dolt.) With Book 3, Korra went whole-hog in becoming a fun Saturday morning cartoon romp. My invocation of Saturday-morning cartoons shouldn't be taken dismissively, as I enjoyed the finale a great deal. Certainly, it was better than Book 2's underwhelming and oddly dull conclusion, and it wasn't devoid of Korra's overarching interest in how its title character fits into the world—this time as the protector of an artificial (and corrupt) world order—but that "bigger-picture" outlook remained quiet for much of the finale before roaring to life in the closing minutes. So Book 3 was fun, fun in a way that Korra's never really been before. Tonal clashes, such as the one we saw in Book 2 when the show's humor ran up against Unalaq's seriousness, never really surfaced. Sure, sometimes the more comedic elements undercut dramatic moments, like the cut to Pabu and Naga playing with Mako's scarf in the finale, but given that Zaheer's goals remained a mystery to us until Episode 9, it was almost as if the show was telling us, "Yes, Zaheer's a bad dude, but don't stress out about it. Everything will end up (mostly) okay, so just enjoy the ride." And it turned out to be a pretty good ride. These two episodes were probably the best-looking and most exciting installments Korra's done since Book 1—aside from "Beginnings" Parts 1 and 2 from Book 2, of course. Korra chasing a flying Zaheer through a canyon was a particular standout, as it served up a long take that must've likewise taken a while to animate, and the time and care put into it showed. Korra, like Last Airbender before it, continues to find new ways to depict violent acts while staying within Nickelodeon's Standards & Practices guidelines—you know, like having P'Li BLOW OFF HER OWN HEAD after Su metalbended a piece of armor around it, with the shot cutting away quickly enough that we all knew what happened but didn't actually see it happen. It was also pretty nice how lavabending turned out to be interesting to watch once Bolin discovered he could do it as well. Previously, it had just been an easy way for Zaheer and the gang to get away, harass, and trap everyone else, and so it allowed Ghazan to come off as a little over-powered. Bolin provided a nice and much-needed check to that. Bolin actually proved to be the stealth star of Book 3, as much of the character assassination that'd been leveled against him in Book 2 was undone. Last season, Bolin was made out to be really dumb and pretty cowardly, as opposed to being a competent but insecure goofball, which is what he was in Book 1 and returned to being in Book 3. His humor was always on point, and he benefited from the season's "Change" subtitle more than most, finding a new confidence in his relationship with Opal and in his lavabending ability. It was very nice to see the character back in form, and also being developed a bit in the process. Let's talk a bit more about change as I wrap this up. Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino recently appeared on the Nerdist podcast and one of the things they discussed was that Korra wants to be the Avatar, in contrast to Aang, who had trouble accepting the role. And so, each season, they've created antagonists who threaten that identity. Amon took away bending, one of the key components of being the Avatar. Unalaq and Vaatu tried to eliminate Raava and the light. Zaheer wanted the Avatar gone entirely, as the Avatar protects order, and order is in direct opposition to the Red Lotus's political and philosophical goals. Each antagonist threatened Korra's place in the world, a world that increasingly isn't totally interested in the Avatar as a world presence. So each season so far has really been about the potential for drastic change, ending with either no change (Book 1) or major change that doesn't like a huge concern (Book 2). Book 3 ended with Korra in a wheelchair, and everyone talking about how she needs time to heal. President Raiko was even wondering how she could possibly be the Avatar from a wheelchair, which is probably a question that Korra herself is asking. It's a situation not unlike the one Korra found herself in at the end of Book 1, before the show quickly hand-waved away the question of how the Avatar can be the Avatar without bending (how the Avatar can be the Avatar without access to the past lives seems like less of a concern). I'm intrigued by the resulting story options, even as I suspect some folks will see these circumstances as further justification for their position that Korra's just a whiny, self-pitying brat. Tenzin has declared the airbenders to be de-facto Avatars while she recovers in the "wandering the world and solving problems" sort of way, something Korra herself has struggled to achieve in ways that don't involve her beating people up. It's all too easy for Korra to fall into the trap of thinking she's been replaced and thus has no value as the Avatar, something that, as I said above, the show has been grappling with since its inception. I want to see this issue addressed. I want it to be the driving force behind Korra becoming the Avatar she wants herself to be, to help her step out of her perception of Aang's shadow as well as her own insecurities. Book 4 will be the last for Korra and The Legend of Korra. It's time for both her and the show to do this. LEAVES ON THE WIND – How in the world did Jinora know that the Red Lotus poison was metal? Perhaps I missed it, but I don't think anyone said as much, at any point. Just like in the Book 2 finale, Jinora was the vessel for the show writing itself out of a weird corner with very little in the way of explanation. But, hey, she's an airbending master now! I'm excited about that. – Su's not a Red Lotus member...OR IS SHE JUST BIDING HER TIME, WAITING TO FILL THE POWER VACUUM LEFT BEHIND BY ZAHEER?! I'm going to cling to this theory until the bitter end. – So the answer to, "Why doesn't Mako just lightningbend?" appears to be, "He only lightningbends near really large pools of water while balancing between stalagmites, or when he's generating electricity for Republic City." – A very minor thing, but it may've been my favorite thing about these pair of episodes, and it was the height difference between P'Li and Zaheer and how Zaheer needed to crane his head up a touch to kiss her. Details like that matter a lot. – It's worth listening to that Nerdist podcast, unless you're one of those folks who routinely espouses the opinion that Korra is a crummy Avatar/character compared to Aang, as Konietzko and DiMartino aren't all that interested in your perspective. Of note, however, is the fact that the rushed released of Book 3 had nothing to do with the pirated episodes and everything to do with Nickelodeon only having a narrow window in which to air the show; it was either squeeze it in this summer or else hold it until sometime in 2015, which basically just makes Nickelodeon sound sort of awful at planning things. As for the network's decision to shift the show to online-only status, it seems that Konietzko and DiMartinob either can't or simply won't discuss the reasons why. – Best episodes of the season: "The Earth Queen," "The Stakeout," "Long Live the Queen," "Enter the Void," and "Venom of the Red Lotus." What did you think of the finale and Book 3 as a whole?
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