Faulkner

Adonis O’Holi

Was somewhat expected. Lucky loser Jason Jung of Taiwan takes his place.

A tribute to Senegal 🇸🇳

I still remember, “I now pronounce you SANDY... SWAN!” “NO!” Shane McDermott and SMG had a nice Valmont/Merteuil chemistry, sort of presaging SMG’s role opposite Ryan Phillippe in Cruel Intentions.

I loved me some Paradise Beach. As I’ve said before Ingo and Manu Bennett made me realize some things about myself. Swan’s Crossing had the most ridiculously ‘90s opening credits, though, with everyone awkwardly dancing. Also loved Fifteen and cheered when Kelly stabbed her evil bestie Brooke in the back. It’s funny that Enuka Okuma has had the most enduring career of any cast member (aside from Ryan Reynolds, of course).

I still like Dorinda a lot but agree that the honeymoon is over. If she survives this and any associated backlash, she’s a lifer.

Djokovic is going to play Laver Cup as part of Team Europe, it has been announced. Also, Del Potro will play for Team World:

As did Bouchard, I saw. Lisicki, the other former finalist, lost her first match in qualies. I just saw Wozniacki beat Barty in Eastbourne, which is interesting because grass is by far her worst surface. And Kukushkin upset Kyle Edmund, who had just beaten Andy Murray. A glamour shot from two great tennis survivors:

Look at Aga with her statement win:

Luann looks amazing. Rehab/prison has been good to her. Dorinda and her gang signs.... 😆. Can’t wait for the rest of this season!

Whoa. He sent her sailing...

OMG, she’d be “cancelled.” But, yeah, no reggae to be heard in that clip.

Serena is seeded #25 at Wimbledon. Kvitova has withdrawn from her Eastbourne match with Aga. I’m sure she’s just trying to stay healthy for Wimbledon.

Aside from CZP, did anyone from pre-1980 ATWT get featured much in that last decade? Don Hastings and Kathryn Hays certainly weren’t featured much, if I recall correctly.

I wouldn’t go that far (I still think Frances could improve a lot under the right tutelage, perhaps because he’s so unorthodox), but there’s no obvious successor to Sampras, Agassi, McEnroe, Connors, Ashe, Courier, Chang, or even Roddick. Jack Sock could be an all-time great doubles specialist if he focused on that.

Donald Young just lost in the second round of qualifying. He’s down to No. 209 in the rankings. It’s very sad because it seemed like he had found a home in the top 100. (He was as high as No. 38 in 2012.)

LOL I tend to like counterpunchers as long as they can switch to offense from time to time. From what I saw of the Babos match, she was able to do that a bit and not just do her pusher thing.

Keeping an eye on Aga. She’s in better form at Eastbourne than she has been in a LONG time.

Sheffer seemed like such a breath of fresh air initially. I remember Laiman had written Andy as faking paralysis, and it was such a silly, inane plot. Then Hogan’s stuff started, and he included a scene of Andy in a support group with people actually dealing with disabilities, and I thought, “That’s a character moment Laiman would have never done.” And the Rose D’Angelo doppelgänger story became so much more than a dumb lookalike plot, and he seemed to value Colleen Zenk. Of course, we all saw the misogynistic mess the show devolved into (Hogan giving the guys their “dicks” back).

😂

I’m coming to appreciate Tinsley. Of course, she’s the newbie and the most disposable, but she’s fun, young, and up for anything, yet doesn’t throw off the chemistry as much as Kristen or Jules. She’s willing to take a back seat, and that’s fine. She’s not gunning for a perch next to Andy at reunion like many other first or second season HWs. At the same time, I think she contributes a sort of dippy, drunken lightness. I like her (and her mom). These shows are like puzzles, and I feel like RHONYC has the right pieces at the moment. Perhaps that will change, but I’ve been loving the past season-and-a-half. Heather was one of the only things that worked about Seasons 5-6, and I wouldn’t mind seeing her again down the line. It was nice seeing Jill too (even under tragic circumstances), but then I remember all the things that led to her still-unsurpassed implosion on the show (in terms of falling from fan favorite to demonized). Then, I think, “Yeah, I’m good.”