renard
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Posts posted by renard
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How did Phil sleep-hoverboard down the stairs?
I've been waiting for this thread to open so that I could ask the same question.
On one hand I think Claire and Phil would make a good pair running the company together; on the other hand, they are a (more) comedic version of Lynette and Tom Schavo from Desperate Housewives.
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I liked most of the episode but the ending has me calling BS; the Secret Service (if not the protective details for the other nations also) would have had all roof tops locked down. Hate to see Dmitri sacrificed.
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Normally I would join in wholeheartedly on the "Fuck ESPN!" sentiments, but this year all the TV courts are available live and on replay on the usopen.org website. It's the ESPN3 service they're always touting, but this year was the first time I could use it. They used to restrict it to customers of certain cable providers, but suddenly I can watch it this year. It's really very good if you don't mind watching on your computer or phone or whatever.
I expect they'll be showing all the doubles. I've watched several doubles matches on there during the tournament.
I have not yet upgraded to a SmartTV, AppleTV, etc. so I still depend on and actual...TV and the AT&T U-verse set top box. ESPN is forcing us to "learn" to watch TV on devices other than ordinary TV; they do not see tennis on network channels in the future (low ad revenues) but only available via app/internet. I certainly enjoyed the experiment a few years back wherein Tennis Channel utilized multiple channels via DirecTV to show all of the courts. I have used the usopen.org website before when there was conflict with local midday news and CBS's coverage as well as Saturday coverage on CBS when I was at a high school event. I'll have to borrow a 2nd laptop and set both up on my desk to watch instead of working on my laptop and looking up at the TV as I do with everything else. Also, I can't record anything while I'm gone on an airport run this afternoon. To think that in 2015, we're back to the days before the VCR.
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Despite some very good doubles on Armstrong today (both Men's SFs, the 2nd Women's SF and a Men's Champions match with Cash, Philippoussis and the McEnroes) there will be NO tennis broadcast by ESPN until the Women's Singles tonight on Ashe. FUCK ESPN!!! I'm not really liking this new schedule; I'm guessing it will be the same tomorrow.
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Wow...congratulations to two of the most boring quaterfinal matches ever. I wasn't expecting much from Gasquet so that's no surprise and I guess that win against Murray took everything about Anderson because this was like a practice session for Wawrinka. This is especially disappointing coming off some really great women's quaterfinal matches.
Yeah, the chauvinistic schedule (women in the day session/men at night) really bit them in the ass. Now they're showing the Djokovic match from last night even though we didn't get to see all of the Wawrinka match. Hopefully TC will d a better job.
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Rain delay in New York. Which is too bad--Azarenka and Halep are having a great match. They're battling it out in the third set.
There does seem to be a regular weather pattern which produces 30 minute-1 hour rain showers on Wednesday-Saturday of the 2nd week going back about a decade or so. Then again, we were doing just fine when Cliff Drysdale opened his big yap yesterday talking about the roof superstructure and remarking that it would be ready for play next year but luckily hasn't been needed this year. Schmuck.
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Which will be about 7 pm in Italy, where I am. :)
Well, that should be nice dinnertime programming. But a,so means the Federer match won't start until abut 2-3AM. Ouch. That's what we get during the Australian Open.
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Seriously Genie? Was that stunt queen walk with the Hoodie and sunglasses really necessary? She already knows at this point whether she's going to play or not so she can spare me with the fragile-I'm-about-to-pass-out stroll into the locker room. I know she has a lot of fans, but for some reason I just can't stand her.
I just saw footage of this, and yeah - I also got a LOOK AT ME!!!! stunt queen vibe. If she actually felt as bad as she looked there is no way she should have been there. I've had a concussion and lord knows I feel for her (both for the injury and for having to withdraw), but did she actually have to withdraw in person?
I give her a pass. FTR, I believe she is young and has shown flighty behavior more indicative of a 15 year old. But in this case, I'm not certain of the rules but I think they DO have to show up unless they are actually in the hospital, etc. The "scene" I blame on the tournament(s)/USTA. A few years ago, the USTA had an deal with Lexus who supplied car service for the players; they even installed cameras in the cars and some players recorded messages of them riding through Manhattan to/from their hotels/the tournament or going out in the city for the day evening. As a result, the tournament created this "non red carpet" entrance which is staffed by photogs to get pics of players as they arrive. The one the really gets me is the wakl through the Wimbledon grounds, especially of Murray, surrounded by this throng of people as they head out to outer courts. For that matter, I really don't like the shots in the hallway as they walk out of the locker rooms either at Wimbledon or the US Open; give the payers that final few minutes to collect themselves without a camera in their face, much less one of the idiots asking "What's your game plan?" It's all the whoring of the sport and players for extra advertising dollars, not that I'm against all whoring or dollars-far from it-but there has to be a line.
Looking forward to Wawrinka-Young tonight.That match is actually in the afternoon, the 2nd up on Ashe-probably around 1PM EDT, in between Lepchencko/Azarenka and Stosur/Pennetta. Federer/Isner is the night men's match, last one of the day.
I won't even watch the Venus/Serena match because I don't want to hear the commentary in the booth. Actually, I'll be glad when this Open is over because I'm just tired of Serena Serena Serena 24/7. It's not her fault, but just can't take much more.
I agree and I feel bad for getting irritated because I know it's the stupid announcers hyping up the drama rather than Serena herself, but I just can't take it anymore. They're acting like the other women in the tournament are just supposed to roll over so Serena can get her Calender Slam.
SerenaFan (hate her behavior at times, etc.) and I hope she does prevail tomorrow night and on Saturday. But I must warn you, especially if she should win the end of year championships also, then the talk will turn to the Serena Golden Slam 2016; remember Steffi actually won a Golden Slam-all 4 Majors + the Olympics in 1988. Barring injury or other players stepping up, there isn't much reason to say it is impossible.
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So tennis experts, tell me - has Rafa ever lost after being up 2 sets in a match?
I'm not watching because this is painful. I really think this match is a testament to what Rafa has really struggled with since coming back from the injury. Much as John McEnroe bugs, I agree with him that Rafa is having problems sustaining his level during matches which is not something you ever saw before. There is absolutely NO reason this match had to get to that point.
I have and always will LOVE late night tennis from the Open.
I agree with you but from an entirely different perspective. Note: I am not a Rafa fan (FedFan) but I do recognize his gifts, etc. I think Fognini could and should have won this match in 4, maybe even 3 sets. He definitely should have won the 1st set imo. He just went off the beam for the final 3 or 4 games; Nadal remained solid but by no means spectacular. I think that allowed Nadal to continue to roll through the 2nd set which he may have won even if Fognini had won the 1st. Nadal will have to grind this out with some continued "help" from Fognini catching the net. (It's 2-2 now.) I don't see him running away with it but Fognini could.
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I had forgotten how much I hate Pam Shriver's interviews and pretty much everything else she does on ESPN. She talks too damn much.
I haven't watched tennis for a while, so I didn't know ESPN got the weekend days from CBS. I'm so old, I miss the USA coverage. Bill Macatee was my tv boyfriend every summer.
I agree that Rafa's shorts are too short and too tight.
While I'm no fan of...well, anyone on ESPN with the possible and sometime exception of Darren Cahill, Pam is a 2nd to Brad Gilbert in the "talks too damn much" category.
For the most part, there is no more network coverage of tennis; ESPN does tape-delayed replays of the finals of Wimbledon and the Australian Open on ABC in the afternoon after they've aired live. I forget the exact set-up for the French this year but they may have done the same.
I disagree about the length of Rafa's shorts; I actually like them and mentioned this either earlier this year or last year when he switched to them. I was one who teased mercilessly when he first arrived on the scene 10 years ago with hi clam-digger, Capri pants below the knee. The length he now wears was the standard for much of the 70s and 80s; there was a shorter length, initiated by Connors and Borg in the late 70s which was about 2 inches shorter. I say this as I grew up and started playing tennis during this era. I primarily wore the Arthur Ashe collection by Catalina in the 70s, then went to Le Coq Sportif and IXSPA in the 80s (also Arthur Ashe endorsements) with some Boast and Fila, later Polo Ralph Lauren. I had one set of Robert Bruce terry cloth shorts which were Jimmy Connors signature which were incredibly short, almost obscene, but I was a 17 horny American male. The problem that I have with the longer basketball-type shorts which became popular in the 90s with Sampras is the pockets which have you carrying the ball too low and loosely such that it can be distracting when you run. by hitting at or above your knee.
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I didn't see it, but she did an on-court interview with ESPN during the match, right? So weird.
Yeah, that's what she was talking about how brilliant or some such other nonsense ESPN was to do that. Of course in a similar vein, almost 40 years ago at the Commercial Union Masters at the Summit in Houston, TX, they did an interview with Charleston Heston in between sets of the finals; Wojtek Fibak was leading Manuel Orantes. Heston said not to count Orantes out and made some very positive comments which was put up on the arena screen; Orantes came back and won the match and title in 5 sets and he credited that "pep talk" and support of the crowd. I was at that match and the doubles finals the day before.
Also, wtf is up with turning opening night into some Broadway production? Just sing the National Anthem and get on with the tennis.
I skipped it this year and turned the TV back on at 5-0 in the first.
Rough day on the seeds.
And am I being overly-sensitive, or does Serena's half of the draw seem tougher than the bottom half? She has the potential to face some of the same heavy hitters she faced at Wimbledon: Sloane, Madison Keys, Venus, and/or Coco. Serena's quarter, especially, seems really tough. Hard to believe that the draws are random.
I know the other half has Azarenka, Halep, Muzuruza, and others, but it still doesn't seem as tough a draw.I'm old school; I wish they'd return to a standard power-protect matching, i.e.1v16, 2v15, 3v14, etc. and randomly inset seeds 17-32.
You may be interested in this article about how Washington was dropped from the US Open Series because of TV, because the tournament founder rejected ESPN's crap offer in favor of Tennis Channel's full coverage.
Thanks. I had not known the full story about Cincinnati before nor the fuckery with Cit Open. Good for Donald Dell; he was Arthur Ashe's lawyer so he is aces in my books. I remember him and Bud Collins on PBS, yes PBS, Saturday-Monday night during the summer series in the late 70s. QFs on Saturday; SFs on Sunday and Finals of both singles and doubles Monday night.
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Coco Vandeweghe just slurped ESPN big time after her win; she is DEAD to me!!!
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I just checked the schedule and see that ESPN is up to their usual shit again. Play starts at 11AM tomorrow so they won't start broadcasting (on TV) until 1PM; they switch coverage from the Mothership to the Deuce at 6. NOTHING important going on at 11, just Cibulkova v Ivanovic, Nishikori, Mardy Fish, Dimitrov, and Lauren Davis v Heather Watson. Same shit they pulled in Canada? with the women, only showing it online/ESPN3, I'm guessing. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the capability that the web channels afford in expanding coverage but when they chose to ONLY show matches there. I do also like that if you do choose (are able) to watch that way, you get that match and ONLY that match until it concludes, not ADHD tennis which generally happens the rest of the time, even in the overnight repeats. At least Blue Bell Ice Cream is back in stores in Houston starting tomorrow.
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Beginning of the end...? Honestly I don't remember now but there was some "special segment" series on the show this week which had me downloading the podcasts from iTunes. When I went to get Friday's show, it abruptly said that the podcast had been discontinued. Any rumblings? I had read an article earlier in the week that may heads may be rolling soon, mostly in the evening, as Phil/MSNBC tries to tack back from the Far Left. Rachel was said to be "safe" but most of the evening and afternoon line-up is slated for pink slips; Rev might get a weekend slot. No mention of the morning folk.
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Roger just posted his Spring/Early Summer schedule: [hardcourts] Dubai, Indian Wells, [clay] Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros, [grass] Halle, Wimbledon. No Miami giving him an extra 2 weeks before clay, an only 1 back-to-back (Madrid and Rome) otherwise anywhere from 1-3 weeks between tournaments. He didn't mention Davis Cup though. I'd suspect Cincinnati and Canada before the USOpen and 2-3 indoor Fall tournament, including Basel, before the year-end championships.
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I have a bad feeling about Gus Pfender. I don't know if it's a correct feeling or just that bad shit always goes down on Shameless in the end.
I think I agree with you although HE seemed to go down pretty well; I haven't been too impressed with the sex scenes on the show in the past few seasons, probably not since one between Stimmy and his "wife" but Fiona's tits were fantastic as she lay there on her back and him goin down on her was completely HAWT!!!
The whole Frank blows his insurance settlement in one night story was a waste, imo.
It looks like Carl may learn more in the summer while selling drugs than he learns all year at school but good to see him motivated to do ANYTHING. This plus his oral talents could be his ticket to something.
I like Amanda and like the development between Lip and her father. I was a little surprised that we didn't get a full blown sex scene with her parents finding them in their bed. I wish that her father had hooked Lip up with a job for the remainder of the summer but that might have kept him out of the shenanigans in the promo and other neighborhood rebellion against gentrification.
I'm really loving Kev as father and really getting annoyed with Vee.
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Re: last scene: I'm really not a prude (honest!), and I "get" hate-fucking, but I didn't care for it. Clearly Monica was into it but visions of rape were dancing through my head nonetheless. But as I've mentioned in another thread, I'm not a big fan of seeing Marty bang anyway so no doubt that had something to do with it for me.
Nice to see Alicia Witt as Ellis's partner. I've liked her since she played Christophuh Molitsanti's cousin on The Sopranos.
No Roscoe this week. So, to paraphrase the immortal words of Carl Spackler, this ep had that going for it, which was nice.
It seems to me that mutual angry, hate sex is an unwritten term of Marty and Monica's divorce settlement, maybe in lieu of spousal support or other financial/property terms. If tptb hadn't introduced the drunken sex with Jeanne and pregnancy, I cold have seen a storyline wherein Marty and Monica team up as a power couple and take over and merge Galweather Stern and Demarque(sp?) all while alternately fucking and fighting in the office and at home.
I didn't recognize Alicia Witt physically at first but thought it was some other actress doing a pitch-perfect impersonation; her voice is unmistakable. I've been a fan of hers since Cybill in the mid 90s.
Cannot agree more about Roscoe, although I do miss Grandpa/Marty's dad (and his nubile fuckbuddy).
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I did not initially recognize Mary McCormick in Marty's bed. I was confused at first thinking that she had been the FBI woman leading the raid on K&A but in fact she had been the FBI/NSA woman leading the team raiding Atlantis News on The Newsroom. I'm now trying to figure out exactly where she and Kristin Bell in their pregnancies during shooting. This could be an interesting arc presumably with Marty trying to roll up a string of boutique consulting firms to be swallowed by MMcC's company.
Best line in the night (IMO): Doug: Am I really intolerable? [in unison] Marty, Clyde, Jeanne: YES!
He is a complete schmuck and brought all this upon himself by marrying that shrew but I'm not sure he really deserves what she's presumably going to put him through. If she just runs around naked-stalking him and they eventually get back together, that might be alright in a no-harm/no-foul sense, although there IS the money.
I REEEEEALLY hated what Jeanne pulled with the Kroll's husband and wife (I assume).
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Ever since the first scene that revealed Frank's secret project in the basement, I knew that he would blow up the house; I was just waiting. When they left the junk yard guy down there and took their fight outside, I perked up and when the camera pulled back and framed Frank direct center with the house behind him, I knew the time was nigh. The strange and ironic thing is that Frank's beer is a great product (seemingly) capable of being a money maker and would be a success in the new gentrified neighborhood. We'll have to see if they drop it or if he recovers.
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Ouch! I still haven't had a chance to watch the last 6 episodes (the 2nd half of Season 3); I was rushed to the ER the night of the premier and still not well the following Monday. I had let they stack up on the DVR and expected to find tie to watch over the holidays but during one of the many snafus with U-Verse, an episode was erased by the system randomly and isn't available anywhere free that I can find. I was just in Sam's Club today and saw the DVD set with an added sticker at the bottom proclaiming "Dallas Final Season" and I was like WTF?!? Came here and glad to get the update but terrified now to wade in and see what carnage Cidre served up. If they can get rid of her, reboot, especially with the "new normal" of <$50/barrel oil, and return to stories related to oil/energy, politics and sex with plenty of family hijinks and skullduggery thrown in, I'd be in for more. And give Christopher a spine/testicle transplant because I'm sure he was still the same dull wuss last Fall that he has been the entire run of 2.0.
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I just read that he was the first governor in Virginia to be convicted.
Amateur. (Says the Illinoisan--four of our last seven governors have done time! Yes, we take a weird not-pride-but-more-resigned-acceptance to our corrupt officials...)
No disrespect to Illinois but Louisiana must be given its due also.
I had steeped away from all this for a while during Ferguson, etc. It's 5:30AM here and I just realized, "What did Rachel say last night?" Going to get the podcast now; will be somewhere this afternoon/evening thta I can go of in the corner and enjoy and will have a full hospitality room at my disposal. Can't wait.
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And he has those ambiguous ethnic looks that made me say "what is he?" and look him up.
I always assume being Australian that he was at least part Aboriginal, like Evonne Goolagong Cawley but they mentioned last night; I forget what his mother is but his father is Greek and I assume that is the source of his skin coloring.
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So some early upsets on the women's side. I think the most shocking, at least to me was Aggie. And that it was so straightforward. Meanwhile is the CiCi girl (is that her name) that upset Cibulkova going to be the next Melanie Oudin? A magical run at the Open and nothing much after that.
Please, let's give respect to my girl, the original, one and only and also previously unknown even to herself lovechild of Dr. J., Alexandra Stevenson and her magical run at Wimbledon in 1999 as a qualifier in her first year as a pro. She is currently still listed as an active player. I do belivee that her mother is the only one who knows as she traveled with and coached her.
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Apologies is I'm in the wrong place but I haven't found a generic MSNBC thread like on TWOP nor other specific shows beside Rachel's. Slept in a bit this morning and turned on the TV about 8:15CDT to see The Dauphine sitting in for Chuck. PLEASE, for the love of God, someone assure me quickly that Chuck's promotion does NOT mean that this twit gets a regular show. There isn't enough personal security in the world to protect the network executives if they pull the trigger on that. Let's start crowdsourcing to see who else is on the bench that could take that spot. My first guess would be Ari Melber since he has been everywhere subbing for Lawrence and others while still ostensibly a regular panelist on The Cycle. That would leave his chair open and I don't see Luke fitting in that group dynamic permanently.
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Tennis Thread
in Sports
I'm a big Dmitrov fan and enjoy watching him play but he MUST be disciplined/suspended for his actions today. That was both an epic collapse and unforgivably, childish behavior.