DramatistDreamer

How do you solve a problem like Kagame? During his presidency, Rwanda has made incredible strides in healthcare, education and technology. Its handling of the coronavirus has put richer countries to shame, but even citizens have complained of draconian measures being taken and Kagame has been in office for 20 years! The twists and turns of this saga with Rusesbagina (who unfortunately gave Kagame a motive by being aligned with a group that has an armed wing) seems like an autocrat who is determined to stamp out any hint of dissent by completely quashing it, so that he can maintain power. I will never forget when President Obama spoke at a university in Addis Ababa and he questioned why anybody would want to stay in office for 20,30 years? He made the very good and memorable point that if you have been in leadership of a country and believe that only you can be in charge or that country's government/system will collapse, you haven't been effective as a leader. A good leader paves the way for new, fresh ideas and nurtures new leaders who can help the country's people advance even further. There was a lot of hearty applause but I sensed a lot nervous shifting in seats.

Players letting out primal screams in a nearly empty stadium seems like a weird flex but in nine (is it nine?) previous matches Diego hadn't beaten Nadal so perhaps Diego was just really feeling the moment. It's likely he didn't even care about what was going on with Nadal on the other side of the net.

Well, well, well. Excuse me, Mr. Schwartzman!

Andy Kavovit's anecdote about P&G's "thanks" to him after he won the Daytime Emmy was so telling in how the corporation (dis)regarded its daytime dramas.

Something else to provide a moment of respite. Although I didn't watch the town hall, I read a lot about this particular exchange and was curious about the woman who asked the question. A follow-up:

Rest well, Justice Vader Ginsburg.

There are no words.

Me too. Each actor did kind of talk about points I was interested in so, I was entertained. They had great conversation, which was the most important thing to me.

What I've noticed from these reunions is that Marland seemed to have wanted actors to maintain a link with the show, even if only for brief story arcs. I really enjoyed the flow of conversation, and then, well... Alan should try to make it clear that drop-in appearances should be limited to five minutes, not the rest of the show, lol. When Melanie said she was the worst actor in the beginning, I was like, "Gurl, you weren't even the worst actress in that role!" 😄😭😂.

Haven't been able to watch but OMG the Rome courts have been horrendous for ages!

Well sh*t, now I don't feel as bad as I did when I read about Vee's loss- at least her 40 year old behind kept Vika out there for 2 hours and, from the look of the score, kept the match competitive. Sofia, the new Australian Open champ got her as$ double bagelled! Haven't the lights gone out at the Italian Open before? I seem to remember this happening years ago. They just got lights for night-time play, like, a decade ago.

Thanks!

Maybe you can ask Alan to open up comments early for those of us who want to pose a question, make a comment in advance because we can't make it to the livestream on time. I'm not on Facebook. Maybe I could even type it here tomorrow before I leave and someone could copy and paste it but you know I can go on and on and I don't want to give anyone extra work to do, especially since most people will have questions of their own. If Alan could open up the comments section, even an hour before the livestream, that would be ideal. My appointment is exactly at 2p.m. and I doubt I'll be out of there before and home before 3.

Seriously sick of it!

Is anyone going to be able to make the livestream? How do I get a question/comment to the actors beforehand?

It grieved me a lot more when Daffy's closed because you could find some designer made gems at steals (the kind of bargains you'd find at those secret sales at an "undisclosed" location, i.e. warehouse). My sole issue with Daffy's was that even on a "quiet" day, the store often looked like a whirlwind had hit the racks. On a busier day...well, let's not get into that.😟😬

I can remember shopping at Century 21. Honestly, after September 11th, 2001 I don't think I ever shopped there again. The store closed for awhile and I avoided that entire area for a couple of years and I guess I just never returned. Funny how one can fall out of a habit as I once used to frequently visit that entire area.

Sometimes Nadine could be incredibly selfish and self-absorbed beyond belief and you wanted to scream at her. Then there were other times when she could be the salt of the earth, showing such generosity, you just wanted to hug her. Jean Carol was so utterly convincing that it was easy to believe that the two people cout exist in the same person. That dynamic owes much to the skill, talent and commitment of Carol. Nadine could've easily been the model for a new type of matriarch but we all know what GL was doing to matriarchs at that time.

Just compare the speech Osaka gave in IW two years ago to this speech. The growth!

Don't know what to think of some of these points. Some well played points and some stinkers.

A third set is what many of us expected, no?

Pam is talking nonsense. Does she not remember Naomi winning a whole other Slam title since then? I didn't even watch the Western & South Open and from Vika's post Championship interview I could tell that she was super confident and hungry for more titles. This is no surprise and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone truly paying attention. Pam is sleeping on the job.

This one really hurts

Is ESPN the only network streaming this women's final?! Ugh! I refuse to make prognostications but Vika looks hungry for this.

Naomi is indeed unique and she seems fully aware that her achievements in sport have given her platform that some from similar backgrounds don't have. That is a rare position to be in. Someone once joked that I had the United Nations of friendship circles, so the dual and multiple cultural identities are very familiar to me. One of my friends and former roommates is Haitian/Indigenous and speaks 5 languages and is unassuming and humble but draws people like flies to honey, lol. I read about that tragic suicide and the bullying that preceded it. That show, it was a Japanese show, no? I just wonder whether the show would've been slightly different has it taken place in NYC. We are constantly reminded that Osaka spent most of her life in the States. I think people tend to dismiss the intricacies of being a first generation or a 1.5 or second generation and the ways in which it shapes your identity, how you carry yourself, your sensibility, your entire worldview. Not initially fitting in can make you very adaptable, once you learn how to roll with it, accept it. I also suspect that part of Naomi may have become comfortable and confident in who she is that she may not care what most people think, only those most important to her.