Faulkner

This is too funny.

Women’s seedings are based on rankings but the committee can intervene (like when Serena got a seeding after having fallen out of the top 100 due to her maternity break).

Luann’s confessionals with that photo of her in the background are hilarious.

The response to the Harper’s letter:

The problem with BH is that they’re almost all unlikable, so it’s hard to pick sides. Aaron’s intentions are good, and he’s not like a Joe Gorga or a Slade or a Peter just trying to get screen time IMO. But he is overbearing and yes, a mansplainer. Denise clearly indicates she wants him to back off. Still, Erika and Teddi are insufferable. It’s funny that Bravo tried to make Erika look badass in the promos by making it appear as if she’d said, “Come see about me, I don’t GAF” to Aaron’s face. She’s definitely a confessional sniper.

From Cape Town, South Africa 🇿🇦

Still waiting on a Sheila week. A Jill week seems like a no-brainer.

The Crown has gone back to ending with six seasons instead of a truncated five: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/crown-be-extended-six-seasons-netflix-1302590

He doesn’t know when to just be quiet and lay low. And maybe he thinks only talking to Serbian press won’t get out. He’s very wrong. Federer and Nadal probably have egos to rival his, but they have teams that manage them so much better. They choose their moments to speak and act, and they maintain a bit of distance and mystique appropriate for their massive level of stardom. He has the money to invest in a good team, but for whatever reason, chooses not to. Maybe it is ego. Again, he’s giving his haters so much ammo and making it harder for his supporters. A lot of players (most of the French ATP guys, Thiem, Schwartzman, et al) have spoken out in his defense, given that he’s friendly with them, but he’s doing them a disservice. Focus on getting match-ready for USO and/or RG, dude.

Speaking of evening news slots...

From Leeds, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇬🇧

Replacing the WaPo link with a CNN one due to the paywall:

And Kathryn’s husband was beautiful.

Not going so well...

I think Erika feels she can coast on glam and ‘tude, with a glimpse of vulnerability, and for her vocal stans, that’s enough. Some people think she’s some tough, witty, deadpan truth teller, which she can be from time to time, but the act is stale. (Initially it appeared she’d hitch her wagon to Garcelle, but that seems to have faded.) Maybe if she decides to finally go fully in on Kyle, she might be more interesting. I just think as long as BH does well in the ratings relative to their other series, they don’t have much incentive to shake things up.

Someone described it as the “Imagine” video for media intellectuals. Lord knows I have my issues with the discourse in this country, but the conversation around it has all been a bit silly. Lots of people are talking in circles. This has all just made the media look more insular than before.

From Dallas 🇺🇸

This has made the rounds today among the chattering classes: Which prompted this response from Emily VanDerWerff about her colleague, Matthew Yglesias, having signed it:

Their son is the frontman of a popular emo band that’s been around forever.

From Shanghai 🇨🇳