September 19, 2021

In order to try and catch up with life and because this is only a hobby, I really am going to try and keep posts short for the time being. Reasons being:

  1. I'm getting backlogged at work with no end in sight for a few months
  2. I really need to properly cleaning my house/car/etc. for the first time in months, i.e. fall cleaning.
  3. I'm trying to reread Dune. I'm excited to try and see the movie in theaters, but I read it about well over 20 years ago. I can remember liking but as far as the story only remember the broad strokes and I would like for it to be somewhat fresh.
  4. Although I've been starting to feel sort of run down in recent weeks, I'd still like to keep up with my regular running and biking.
  5. I'm trying to make more time to hang out with friends.

Maybe I should take a few days off, a fall break if you will, to catch back up with life, but that goes directly against point #1.

I know I spend way too much time discussing tennis for what is ostensibly a recap blog of a morning, but I'm going to continue doing it. It's what I am and do. I'll give Naomi Osaka a break this week, but I do have additional hot(?) takes regarding the once and future(?) world number 1.

Instead, I'm going to recap the US Open briefly via tweet. At the middle weekend, I posted this:

Would it have been cool if I had gotten both finals right? Sure! But show me who had Raducanu over Fernandez in the women's final, even after the fourth round, and I've got a winning lottery ticket for you. As for the men's side, anyone who didn't see that going for the grand slam was a struggle for Novak was not paying attention. And Medvedev is the second best player on tour, nearly unbeatable on hard court for going on three years now. It felt like time. Also, I had to pick Novak for the final because never Zverev. (Still waiting for that threat of litigation...)

What was the best tennis tweet of the past month or so?

I posted this:

but no one cares. Andy Murray posted this:

and everyone lost their shit. Some people got bent out of shape over Andy Murray's sour grapes some going so far as to say the lost some respect for him. It's clear that Andy regrets nothing about it, nor should he. It is an objectively good tweet. As Tony Kornheiser says, we'll forgive anything for being smart and funny. It's also a twofer - as a good a burn on Jeff Bezos as it is on Steve. It's a little mean without being too mean, which means it's just right for twitter. If you wondering how Andy and or Stefanos sleep at night given their respective rolls in potty-gate:

Along with supporting fellow Canadians, Milos tweeted this:

In reference to ESPN not even addressing the Zverev situation until they absolutely had to.

But the tweet of the tennis year is the following:

I've already confessed to being Brady stan. She's probably my favorite player, male or female (edging out the capricious - at least in terms of tennis play - Maria Sakkari). The tweet, like Jennifer Brady/sober Abbi Jacobson, is just unpretentious fun.

It was a rough year for Jen, who really never got over a foot injury she's had since May. Here's hoping my favorite Flex Seal spokeswoman is able to bounce back in 2022. I did get to see her play a set of tennis in Cincinnat after a Sakkari/Kerber match finished on the main court and Monday bled into Tuesday over on Court 3. The Flex Seal patch on her dress is a flex in an of itself.

Maybe next post or the one after, I'll reveal my tennis fashion power rankings.

The CBS SUNDAY MORNING POWER RANKINGS

1) Ted Koppel

God bless Ted Koppel for making a segment that is sure to make everyone angry by using the mythology of the The Andy Griffith Show as a barometer for present day American politics. On the one side he's pissed off one group for making something uncomplicated and wholesome like The Andy Griffith Show political, and he's pissed off the other side for giving a voice and platform to the Trump dead enders.

I don't think that The Andy Griffith Show is bad or that liking it is bad. In fact there is merit to the idea that it should be lauded for being moral and wholesome. It truly is relic in a cynical and salacious world. Let it be known that I sometimes, when I visit my parents, I'll find my Dad watching an episode if he's found it on TV. I get it. It's escapist and nostalgic. I could say that about some of my favorite things to go back and rewatch. There's nothing bad about looking back and remembering your good old days. It's not just the show, but there are also probably deep and meaningful memories there for a lot of people. I don't recommend any child watching four hours of television a day per the kid featured in the story, but better the The Andy Griffith Show than a lot of other crap out there.

But do try to remember that your good old days are your good old days. They do not represent the same thing to everyone. Divisive politics aside, life is better for more people than it was 50 years ago, than it was 150 years ago, than it was 500 years ago. Ted has to go and poke the bear by pointing out that the world of The Andy Griffith Show was not experienced by Black people. There is an almost comical part where they go through footage from the show and circle the individual Black folks who were background extras in Mayberry (the show had a single Black character with a speaking part during its run - which may have actually made it progressive for its time). They were in essence the flecks of pepper in the salt shaker.

But do not try to judge shows of a different era by modern standards. The Andy Griffith Show is fine. It's wholesome. It's also a fantasy.

I'd love to know what the crowds in Mount Airy, North Carolina think about Andy's first lead role in the film A Face In the Crowd.

The story of Mount Airy itself is worthy of a segment devoid of politics. A small city loses all its economic clout when industries die off or leave town and successfully reinvents itself as a tourist destination by turning itself into a three dimensional recreation of plywood Hollywood sets from an old TV show. The town and show have no connection other than North Carolina and Mount Airy sound like Mayberry.

2) Martha Teichner

Martha attemps an Icelandic accent and somehow did get the top spot. A formal investigation has been launched to figure out how this happened. I don't normally emebed the video, but just watch it:

3) Jane Pauley

The Sunday Summary was Jane's main contribution, but what really puts our host and leader at #3 is defiantly continuing to wear white after labor day. Or is it off white or even platinum? This is why I don't get invited to the Met gala.

What is the color of that jacket?

4) Mo Rocca

For some reason I though this was a repeat when the segment started. I was probably thinking about Rita Braver's 2016 segment. In this new segment Mo interview the silver fox because he has a book to promote.

Who'd win in a fight? Anderson Cooper or Roger Sterling? I know Anderson is real and Roger is fictional, but I don't we can get John Slattery to fight Anderson Cooper.

5) Sandhill Cranes, Norm McDonald (tie)

This footage of graceful sandhill cranes in Lodi, California is, as usual, brought to you by Florida Audubon.

Norm McDonald's sudden and not so sudden passing led to an outpouring of tributes and reminiscing from the comedy word. I can't claim to have been a huge Norm fan, but I did appreciate his energy when a joke offended and/or bombed. I think if I could have been at a Norm club show when he bombed, I would have been that guy in the back laughing hysterically with nobody else. Anyway, here's a couple of Norm clips that are making the rounds:

6) John Blackstone

 
Is it art?

Is wrapping architecture in fabric art? Are any of the temporary installations created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude? They are certainly something to behold and experience. I'm not sure if there is a statement or purpose to them. What's the phrase? Art for art's sake. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some of Christo's installations make me think, how many different architectural icons can be wrapped? Others can transport you to a fantasy world.

For what it's worth, I would be unaware of Christo if not for being frequently featured on Sunday Morning and since this is the deceased artists final hurrah, it could very well be the last I hear of him. Well, I'll always have this blog for posterity.

Also, Christo "stole" Jeanne-Claude from her first husband after he painted her portrait as a starving artist. I'd say there's a lesson about allowing young women to consort with artistic types, but they were partners in nearly every sense of the word for nearly 50 years. It was probably meant to be.

7) Tracy Smith

Being married to Barbara Streisand has its benefits:

Quaint.

People from my generation probably remember James Brolin best from his work on the syndicated TV series Pensacola: Wings of Gold.

Florida.

Is it a shame that scripted syndicated TV basically no longer exists today? If you have an idea for a TV show today, there are roughly 5000 networks and streaming services interested in exclusively carrying your show. I'm not sure I enjoy the glut of content/exclusivity. It's probably one of the reasons I like Sunday Morning so much.

It's probably just because I'm of the era, but the 90's were sort of golden era for syndicated TV. Syndicated TV is generally a little bit sillier/campier than network TV. They are really going for prestige drama. But they cater to fan base, stay in their lane, and are generally just good clean fun. 

Let remember some shows!  

  • Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
  • Xena: Warrior Princess
  • Pensacola: Wings of Gold
  • Babylon 5
  • Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
  • War of the Worlds
  • Baywatch
  • Star Treks: TNG and DS9 
  • And one of my personal favorites Due South (At least seasons 3 & 4 in the US).

Are all of them classics? No. Are any of them? I content yes. Are the titles rife with unnecessary colons? Absolutely!

Also, I find it hard to not confuse James with his son Josh. Here's my favorite scene from the nearly inscrutable Paul Thomas Anderson film, Inherent Vice, which I hoped they'd use to intro the segment while I still thought it would be about Josh instead of James.

I'm still not sure if I "get" that movie, but it's a wild trip and since I have no idea what is happening in it, it has high rewatchability. I should rewatch Magnolia sometime. Ok, I jumped the tracks. Moving on...

8) Serena Altschul

Serena Altschul runs down some re- or newly opened museums as society lurches back towards normalcy/ignores pandemic realities. Most prominently featured is The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which cost almost half a billion to build and is a comprehensive collection of film history. It certainly has more to offer than "The Institute":

As much as I profess to enjoy art, I really should take a day off and spend an afternoon at a local museum. Or museums. There are the traditional ones dedicated to the fine arts and or history. And then there are some wacky ones out there. If I go to one, I'll report back.

9) Lee Cowan

Lee Cowan runs down reasons to go back to the movies this fall. There's more than one I wouldn't mind seeing in theaters. As mentioned Dune is at the top of that list for me.

10) Steve Hartman

I guess a small high school football in an arid part of Colorado time going viral and getting half a million in donations to replace their dirt football field with a fancy artificial turf is heartwarming, but I'm the turd in the punch bowl wondering if there was a better use for that money.

On the other hand, give money to whatever good cause you want. Not everything has to be about refugees, world hunger, global warming, rain forests, and endangered animals. Sometimes a school needs a football field.

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