July 2008 – Page 2 – procrastinationchronicles.com

wimbledon

Well after a few early round upsets the grass courts of the Championships at Wimbledon are clocking in as many expected. Men’s have a round on Friday for one last chance at upset. Roger Federer (1) is playing Safin and Nadal (2) is taking on Schuettler in the semis. The two are scheduled to meet Sunday morning in a much anticipated rematch.

Roger wasn’t able to step it up in their last meeting at French, Nadal’s best surface. Nadal has improved his game on grass and he came close in last year’s finals. Questions of Roger’s fade could be countered by noting his mono early in the year, though his poor performace in the French final wasn’t a good sign. He hasn’t dropped a set yet here on his favorite surface and we’ve seen moments of his greatness yet again. Is it enough to stop Nadal’s rise or will Nadal stop Roger from taking his sixth Wimbledon title? I should note that even if he is able to take this one, his track record at the upcoming US Open isn’t quite as optimistic.

On the women’s side we’re all set for the final on Saturday. There are some groans as Serena (6) and Venus (7) Williams are set to go. The top seeds have all fallen but Venus and Serena are no strangers to the top spots, they just haven’t played enough or consistently enough to get their rankings up. It seems they’re rededicated and in shape, and their performance shows it.

As for the groans, when the Williams sisters first made their way to the tops their play against each other was always quite lackluster. Though this is their first final meeting in five years so we’re hoping they’ve matured to give us a good show. And who will win? Anyone’s guess as Venus has had more success here at 4 to 2 but Serena’s had a stronger path in. The gals are also doubles partners heading into the semis tomorrow for that as well.

I always forget how much more coverage of this slam there is than any other, they say it’s because it’s more popular, chicken/egg I say. Regardless, tune in to see who will end up triumphant. NBC network coverage (times noted are PST) and full coverage at: http://www.wimbledon.org

Friday noon – Men’s Semis
Saturday 6am – Women’s Final
Sunday 6am – Men’s Final

strike 2?

Well as some may have heard rumors of strike, as of last night the actors contracts are up for both SAG (Screen Actors Guild) and AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). SAG actors received a last minute offer that is currently being reviewed. Until then no lockout or authorization to strike vote so all parties might keep working. Initial comments on the offer were that they hadn’t addressed all the actors concerns.

AFTRA, reached a tentative deal in May and is waiting for a vote to ratify the agreement which should come, or not, next week. Since the unions overlap with more than half of AFTRA’s 70,000 members also in SAG, some members of SAG have been leaning on AFTRA not to ratify as they think the deal isn’t quite good enough, and of course their united power would be that much greater.

At this point we’re talking about nuances in contracts similar to the precedent set by the writers’ strike. Issues like new media as well as minimum payments and product placements are some of the concerns. What is fair is a little unclear. What is clear is that a deal is preferable to a strike.

Should we face a strike there is some hope that all other aspects of the shows could keep moving. Now that we have writers on board, and could be ready to start shooting again the moments the actors walk back on set, as opposed to taking weeks to get rolling again. But how long would the actors be out?

Things are already winding down production to prepare for the worst. Some contingency plans are being made for reality and a few foreign based shows but the real question is would the networks air just a few episodes produced if that’s all they’ve got. Comedy and standalone drama perhaps. But shows like Heroes and other new ones waiting….

I guess the real, real question is if we face another strike would people permanently find something to watch besides television?