BSR

What can I say? Marton's chiseled physique just brings out the giver in me.

2022 player entry is still done by rankings, except that Russians and Belarusians are locked out. Now that Wimbledon lost its ranking points, they can do seedings based on whatever they want, but no announcement yet. The old grass formula for men used to be a player's point total + 100% of points on grass from the previous year + 50% of grass points from 2 years ago. That grass-weighted total adjusted seedings for the top 32 players but was not calculated for players outside the top 32. For example, #40 on the ATP ranking couldn't get bumped up to #32 (and therefore get the last seed) thanks to strong grass results. Anyway, because there was no 2020 tournament, they had to ditch the grass-adjusted formula in 2021 and just base seedings straight-up on rankings. On the men's side, 4 Russians and 1 Belarusian are locked out. The women's side is worse: 11 Russians and Belarusians (WTA website erased their nationality, so I can only count the total, not how many from each country) are denied entry.

Any meaningful player boycott would have to be lead by the superstars. As a die-hard fanboy, I follow all things Novak but haven't heard even a hint about him withdrawing from Wimbledon. No buzz from any of the other big names either. So far, all the top guys are still playing. News of the loss of ranking points just came out yesterday, maybe too early still to assess sponsorship impact. My guess is that Wimbledon is so big and so prestigious that sponsors will stay put. That would not have been the case with Queens and Eastbourne, whose sponsors would have ditched like they were running out of a burning building. As controversial as the ATP's double standard is, as a pragmatic matter I have to agree with their decision to save those 2 smaller tournaments. I thought only about last year's 4 semifinalists because they will lose the most points, but 2021 quarterfinalist Marton Fucsovics is probably hurt most by the no-points decision. On his Instagram account, he claimed that his ranking will drop from #60 to #130 -- ouch! #60 means direct entry into Slams and most ATP tournaments. #130 means you have to play qualies everywhere, even the 250s. Poor Marton, I will selflessly offer him a massage to make him feel better.

The most obvious Romeo & Juliet remake is West Side Story, which copies the plot of R&J almost line for line. But the plot is almost beside the point because West Side Story's great contribution to the arts was its dazzling and original music and dance. Was there anything dazzling and original about the American remake of Queer as Folk? If there was, I must have missed it. Will there be even the faintest spark of originality in the latest remake? Pffft ...

A friend of mine took a drawing class in college (early 1980s). She was psyched one day when the nude model, instead of the flabby middle-aged man they had previously, was a fellow student with a trim physique and a sizable package. Nonetheless, she focused on her work and did the best she could. As she looked around to see how her drawing compared to other students', she noticed that the professor (very openly gay, a rarity at the time) had used his entire 20" x 30" tablet sheet to draw only the model's cock.

Half the rationale for keeping ranking points for Queens and Eastbourne is that Russian and Belarusian players still have the option of playing Halle and Mallorca the same weeks, for the same points even though Queens and Eastbourne violate the same rule as Wimbledon does -- entry based solely on ranking. Obviously, there is no equivalent alternative to Wimbledon. As for the other half of their rationale, at least the ATP (I confess I don't follow the women's side closely) was up-front about applying a double standard. The ATP stated publicly that if they had stripped Queens and Eastbourne of ranking points, those tournaments would have financially collapsed. Granted, "we can't let them go bankrupt" isn't the most noble argument for giving a tournament a free pass, but at least you gotta respect the ATP for their honesty. In contrast, Wimbledon will be flush with cash, ranking points or not. Besides the 2 ATP grass tournaments, there's a grass Challenger in Nottingham that I assume also kept its ranking points. Besides the two previous reasons, I have to think biggest reason the ATP left Nottingham's points intact is that Challenger players (the tennis equivalent of minor leaguers) so desperately need ranking points. All the players playing Nottingham had to commit by April 25 (commitment is 6 weeks in advance for all tournaments), yet the ATP made its announcement May 20, too late to back out & opt for another Challenger (3 others the same week). If the ATP had stripped Nottingham of points, that would have massively screwed the players entered.

Showtime's "Queer as Folk" was the American version of the British series. Now they're remaking it? I didn't love the 2000-2005 series, didn't hate it either. But I would much prefer that they come up with an original idea for a new gay series.

It's official: the ATP & WTA have stripped Wimbledon 2022 of ranking points. Also, the ATP will drop the points earned from 2021, no "freezing" of points like they did with Covid-canceled tournaments. The tours had to do this because the Russian & Belarusian player ban violates the rules of both tours. So Novak's point total will drop by 2000 points because the 2021 points will come off and the 2022 tournament has no ranking points. Even if Novak defends his Roland Garros title (by no means a given), he will drop to #3. If he doesn't defend, he'll drop a lot more, maybe #5 or #6. The Roland Garros draw is lopsided because 3 of the top 4 contenders (Novak, Rafa, Alcaraz) ended up in one half whereas Tsitsipas is by himself in the other. Draws will become even more lopsided when arguably the world's best player is ranked #3 or lower.

Wichita cops identify ‘poopetrator’ who defecated in middle of beauty store What on earth possesses someone to drop a deuce in a wig store??

I finished "The Barrier," a series about a dystopian Spain in the year 2045. After a nuclear WW3 and a terrible plague (series was written & shot pre-Covid), Madrid is divided into a wealthy section, where people live in security and abundance, and a poor section, where people suffer from food shortages, squalor, and martial law. The barrier is the Berlin Wall-style fence that divides rich from poor. It started a bit slow but picked up about halfway, and the last 2 episodes were action-packed awesome. It runs for only 1 season, 13 episodes. It's on Netflix & definitely worth a binge.

I have such a crush on Bruno that I couldn't figure out why Pol was so hooked on Rai. But like you said, the heart wants what the heart wants. Or as they say in Spain, sobre el gusto no hay nada escrito. Word-for-word translates to "about taste there's nothing written," but a better translation would be "there's no accounting for taste." When oh when will Netflix show the second season of Merli Sapere Aude??

Congratulations to Kalush Orchestra! They won Eurovision 2022! Ukraine was the sentimental favorite for obvious reasons, but I do like the song.

"McMillan & Wife" was one of the NBC Mysteries that cycled with "McCloud." Unfortunately, I could never watch because they were on past my bedtime. I was crushed because I really wanted to see Dennis Weaver. But like you, I hadn't quite figured out why I liked him at the time.

It'll be like Nadia Comaneci's first ever 10.00 in the sport of gymnastics. The judges had to post it as "1.00" because the sign wasn't formatted to allow for 4 digits.

Cash: Plenty of it. In a natural disaster, businesses might not be able to take credit cards. Plus you might meet a really hunky FEMA worker looking to moonlight. Water bottle w/biofilter: potable water can be scarce during/after a natural disaster. Gun & ammo: Crazy sh*t happens during a natural disaster. Ya never know.

I was a huge Judds fan and am so sorry to hear about Naomi. Wow, she lived a roller coaster of a life, some great highs but a lot of crushing lows: hepatitis, diagnosed terminal, crippling bouts of depression, and finally suicide. R.I.P.

*gulp* $588-882?! Is that just for the ticket, or is that some special "deluxe package" that includes a 1-hour escorting session with the cast member of your choice??

"A dangerous covid19 winter" ... hmm, where have I heard that before? Oh right, that's what Biden said about this past winter: Biden warns of winter of 'severe illness and death' for unvaccinated due to Omicron

"Anima Ardens" is a dance work in which 11 male dancers perform nude. A movie "Bare" was made about the auditions, rehearsals, and performance. Why isn't "Bare" on Netflix?! The video below is a short clip:

Thanks for posting. I really like the song on its own merits, unrelated to the war in Ukraine. I'm glad they posted English subtitles because I find it hard to connect with a song without understanding the lyrics. Best of luck to these guys.

I just finished watching Seasons 4 & 5 of "Money Heist." Wow, I think it's the best series I've ever seen: a super-sophisticated plot, great twists, compelling characters, edge-of-your-seat suspense. "Velvet" is still my sentimental favorite, but "Money Heist" is in a league of its own. I've heard that the MH producer wants to do a prequel with Berlin as the protagonist. If so, I can't wait because Berlin is my favorite character.

The air inside a plane's cabin is circulated every 3 minutes and filtered through surgical-grade HEPA filters. Yes, people are packed in, but the circulation from ceiling to floor makes airplane cabin air cleaner than inside homes or even operating rooms. I don't know the specifics of subway air, but my guess is the filtering is far below surgical grade and the air circulates, dunno, once every mayoral term?

Any ATP boycott would have to be led by the Big 3, or in this case just Novak & Rafa because Roger is sidelined. Just my sense as a die-hard Novak fan, the Serb desperately wants to play in as many Slams as possible, especially since (as of now) he still cannot enter the US or Australia. I highly doubt he's willing to skip Wimbledon this year. And if Novak's playing, wild horses couldn't drag Rafa away. Lower-ranked players are hugely loyal to the Big 3. As recently retired Tommy Robredo said, when he started on the tour, 1st round prize money at the Slams was $6000, now it's $60,000 (USO even higher, $75K). Roger, Rafa, and Novak campaigned to reduce prize money in latter rounds (in other words, their prize money) to pay far more in early rounds. Today, a guy ranked #95 can make a decent living because even a 1st round loss in all 4 Slams pays enough to cover expenses for the whole year, including a traveling coach and physio. Pre-Big 3, a full-time traveling coach and physio were a "luxury" only top 10 players could afford. While individual players can vote however they want, you can't underestimate their loyalty to the Big 3. So my guess is no player boycott of Wimbledon this year. However, if Wimbledon and the other UK grass tournaments are stripped of ranking points, I'm sure plenty of players will skip them. If you've never done well at Wimbledon (a lot of players struggle with the movement on grass), it might not be worth the expense & travel. Better to use the brief grass season to rest up or heal up for the long and physically grueling hardcourt stretch.