DramatistDreamer

Wenner and his/minions’ awful lists on Rolling Stone have always come off as overly self-important. Those lists are always completely predicated on opinion with no empirical basis. I am completely unsurprised that this is how he thinks. It was always evident to me. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/rolling-stone-co-founder-jann-wenner-removed-rock-roll-hall-fame-board-2023-09-17/

It’s not only that, but when she did a blood test near the end of September 2022, after the U.S. Open (she had already tested positive the previous month after her urine was tested after her first round loss) and the results of her blood test were compared with her profile of her Biological passport, showing obvious irregularities. In any case, this statement listed in the report pretty much negates her whole argument of not being at fault. In any case, it’s inconceivable to me that a millionaire whose career depended on keeping banned substances out of her body would only ask her coach and phsyio if a supplement is safe to take when she could have easily just taken the supplement to a lab and had it tested for a couple hundred dollars. Her defense doesn’t make sense.

Oh damn, to click into this thread after venturing onto this site for the first time today, what sad news to encounter. It seems as if there is always an ebb tide in regards to news on soap stars over the past several years. Getting hit by a tide of bad news, then seemingly waiting to get hit by the next wave. May he R.I.P.

^^The London Times also has a podcast where the reporters discuss how they went about conducting their investigation and reporting on this story. From the headlines alone, it feels as though I will have to wait until I can stomach the details of these events. Sadly, I can’t say that I am surprised as Brand has always come off as a very off-putting wannabe cult leader.

He, as well as Darrin Cahill, who has vociferously defended Halep over the course of this entire process. Also, I don’t like how closed-mouthed some tennis media entities are being right now but it doesn’t surprise me, as I remember how they were with the Zverev’s DV allegations.

For anyone who doesn’t have the time to read all 126 pages of the tribunal’s conclusions regarding Halep’s ban, BBC summarized it here: https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/66805953 This article discusses the disparity in results between a volunteer who took the supplement that Halep claimed to have taken and compared it to Halep’s actual results. There were massive disparities in the results. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/sep/14/tennis-simona-halep-tribunal-suspected-blood-doping-wimbledon Hm, I may just read the full report myself.

ICYMI, members of the UAW have gone on strike.

Was Davis Cup always this close to the end of the U.S. Open? The only thing that has drawn my attention about Davis Cup is hearing about the argument going on between Stan Wawrinka and Gerard Piqué concerning whether (or not) Piqué has ruined Davis Cup.

Isn’t Niles’ son David also going to be in the series? It would be interesting if both Freddie and David are more like their grandfather Martin than their fathers. Looking at Lyndhurst, yes, I can see a bit of a resemblance. I do wonder though if Lyndhurst’s character will be something akin to the way Daphne was in later seasons, when she had dropped the formality with Frasier, especially after she married Niles. I would still like to think that, if the series gets a Season 2, that Niles might eventually make an appearance.

Just how much of Freddie is like his grandfather Martin?

Child poverty has come roaring back, as have declines in income. https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/child-poverty-us-jumped-income-declined-2022-coronavirus-103122755

Uhn, uhn unh. https://www.tennis.com/baseline/articles/did-serena-williams-just-call-out-simona-halep-supreme-shade-doping-wimbledon

It’s always been clear to me that the NFL functions like something akin to a modern day plantation system, where team owners act as if they don’t only own the team but as if they own the very human beings that comprise the team. I lost interest in the NFL when I saw that athletes were being diagnosed with CTE and not only did the NFL appear indifferent, they set out to destroy the medical pathologist that was only trying to do his job in making the initial diagnosis. I admit, this has caused me to look at Jessica Pegula a certain way. I know she has trained and worked to get to her ranking but she is definitely a beneficiary of that NFL system and NFL money, which has no doubt, gone to pay coaches, physiotherapist and travel for training and tournaments. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way trying to take anything away from her, but we know there are many talented players who don’t have the resources to get as accomplished and achieve anything on the level that she has had the opportunity to achieve. I forgot all about Halep. With Twitter being a much diminished platform, it seems like the vibrant conversations that took place years ago when Sharapova was banned are not taking place now with Halep’s ban.

TBH, I didn’t watch all of the match and I didn’t need to, it was pretty much telegraphed what the results were going to be early on in the match. That flopping dead fish that was part of Medvedev’s first U.S. Open victory celebration? Well, that was pretty much how he played during the men’s final. The match just wasn’t very good tennis for me, I don’t know how others felt about it. Congratulations to Djokovic. You all know, that I am far from a fan, but this is quite an achievement for him. It’s no knock on him but the men’s game holds no lustre for me at this time. It’s just a lot of the same. We get a peek at a few new stars with the potential to energize the game and they all land the same way. There is little appeal to me. I may not care for all aspects of the women’s game but at least I get the sense that there are more than one or two possibilities for finalists and champions. There is a diversity of winners in the women’s game that is missing from men’s tennis. The men’s game feels very much stalled and I find myself mostly disinterested right now.

They must’ve warned him to pick up his sh*t before they dump it. Instead of having security meet him at the door (they obviously disabled his key card as he is no longer an employee) and escort him through the building, they had PR meet him, where he could pick up his inflatable doo-dads and tchotchkes. Davidson is now talking about the horrible way many people are treated in the workplace but did he ever stand up for any of his colleagues when they were treated poorly at Y&R? He mentioned Laura Birn but does he remember how Stephanie E. Williams? Did he ask “Where is Kristoff” when KSJ was obviously off screen for an oddly long period of time?

Me too. Maybe it was the stubble. Or the fact that his early interactions on the show were comprised of mainly Meg, Lily and Dusty, who all seemed so much younger than him onscreen.

Admittedly, I haven’t seen it but I will take your word for it. They probably had to be dragged by their PR people to make the video in the first place. It’s anybody’s guess whether they are being sincere or worried about future opportunities. But I have noticed a lot of people doing and saying ignorant things, only to reverse themselves or try a tactic to cast themselves in better lights. That’s the PR machine at work, it seems to be in overdrive, which surprised me because I would have thought the strike would have slowed them down but I guess ignorance and stupidity are clearly not on strike.

Who knew that actors’ PR would be so busy during a strike?

Just earlier today, I was thinking about that 2001 women’s final and remembering what a huge deal that was culturally, not to mention 22 million viewers at home in addition to the star studded spectators in attendance. I don’t think American tennis will see those type of viewership again.

Coco really had a well spoken message to her detractors and it was deftly delivered. ESPN’s coverage has been abysmal. ABC should really, at least take over the Semis and Finals like CBS used to do.

Yessss, Coco!

Barry Diller suggested as much weeks ago.