I know this is a week later than expected, but I had all those fabulous theater events to review that took precedence last week. But better late than never, right.

So, Wimbledon 2026 wrapped-up on July 12th. For the most part, the tournament was fun and intriguing as it went along. But the last weekend, which featured the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Finals, gutted me.

Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one above.

I’m absolutely crushed for Karolina Muchova, who lost the Final to her fellow Czech, Linda Nozkova. And then the very next day, the #2 men’s player in the world, Alexander Zverev, lost his Final to #1 Jannik Sinner. Both runners-up made matches of the Finals, but I’m almost as disappointed as they are.

Following are some of my thoughts over the fortnight, in order. I had done several tweets along the way, but not as many as I should have because, with the extreme time difference, (LA is 8 hours behind London,) I was always watching late in the day. You can always still read them on Twitter/X; my “handle” there is @MajorCelebrity.

All the tennis commentators need to check out these pages before the next tourney!

And yes, for those of you who are also grammatically knowledgeable, the announcers’ habit of always leaving off the “ly”s at the end of words, did make me crazy! I already covered their adverb deficit in a column a couple of weeks ago, but it’s always worth a read, especially for those people who need that lesson. So here’s the link: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/karens-lessons-please-espn-buy-your-tennis-commentators-an-ly.

Okay, here are the rest of my random Wimbledon thoughts:

I found it a tad hard to listen to new studio Rece Davis’ “l” speech impediment.

Just when I thought that, even with his impediment, at least his hiring meant that we wouldn’t have to listen to creepy former host, Chris McKendry this year, there she was, calling the first match. Ugh. (She’s the one who always adds an “l” to the ends of “saw”s and “draw”s!

I love Mary Jo Fernandez, but her usually-gorgeous, thick hair looks weird. So I looked-up old pix of her to show Mr. X, and something hit me—she has always looked worried! I mean it—look her up yourselves.

I was worried that we were going to hear about Serena ad nauseam, (as we did for the first 2 days,) so thank goodness she lost in the…first round! Yay!

The giant glass behind the ESPN studio hosts is the cleanest, least reflective window I’ve ever seen! I’m impressed with the team that maintains it. Great job!

The chair referee having to move rude Naomi Osaka’s bundle of crazy clothing! Photo by Karen Salkin.

I can’t stand Naomi Osaka. Poor girl must be so insecure; she feels that she has to wear crazy outfits to get attention. The chair referee had to move her discarded outfit that she was so rude to leave all over her chairs, so the ball kids could fall on it! I know she’s admitted she has mental health issues, (who doesn’t, actually?,) but she should not subject everyone to her nuttiness.

What the heck happened to Caroline Wozniacki??? She looks like a sixty-year-old #skeleton!!!

I really like Malika Andrews, but what is she doing there? It’s just confusing me. I’ve seen her do only basketball before, so this will take some getting used to.

Chinese player Wu Yibing did great against Novak. He was impressive.

Sam Querry has quickly become the best commentator on there. Great voice, pretty intelligent, and he even said that Taylor Fritz looked “resplendent” in his crazy new outfit. (In case you were lucky enough to miss it, it was a white suit jacket, a long white tuxedo scarf, and…tear-away pants! What an idiot.) Sam also said the clever, “Working on the tan during this match, with the sleeveless,” regarding player Miomir Kecmanović ’s shirt.

Miomir Kecmanović watching his friend play after losing his own match the day before! That’s basically unheard of! Photo by Karen Salkin.

Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki is the worst one, with her weak voice.

Speaking of Miomir Kecmanović, how kind was he to stay at the tourney the day after his five-setter against Sinner, to watch his “lucky loser”* pal play his own match? Most tennis players are on the next plane as soon as they lose! (A “lucky loser” is a competitor who fails to advance during the qualifying rounds of a tournament but is given a spot in the main draw because another player withdraws before the tournament begins.)

So glad to be rid of McKendry as the host, but she may be even worse as the play-by-play person on some matches. She talked through the entirety of one of Iga Swiatek’s games!!!

And ESPN kept making us miss matches to show us Serena Williams walking! They’re making the entire tourney about her!!!

Ben Shelton after he lost a 5-setter in the first round. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I feel for #4 Ben Shelton to have lost a heartbreaker in the first round, but he needs to stop yelling an uber-loud “A” every time he hits the ball. It’s soooo distracting to his opponent. Not fair. Or nice. He should be docked a point every time he does that. At one point, commentator James Blake said, “He’s going for a screaming winner.” Exactly.

ESPN announced the wrong time for Serena’s match, (which I’m sure they did on purpose, to get her fans to tune in early,) and then the channel kept trying to rush the other matches. When eventual finalist Alexander Zverev got to two sets to one in his matches, they kept announcing, “Only one more set till Serena,” totally minimizing Zverev’s opponent, who could have won the fourth set, thus making the match go the full five sets! And they did so repeatedly!!! So rude.

I like Patrick McEnroe, but how can he not know the correct word here is “hallowed???” He declared, “She’s back. On the hollowed grounds of centre court.” So he thinks there’s a hole in the court, instead of being revered!!! Why are all these people so stupid???

One of the commentators said that Serena being back, (which turned-out to be for just one match—she was a complete and utter bust,) is an “oh so pleasant surprise.” Speak for yourself, John. It’s disgusting that ESPN made the entire first week of the tournament about her! There were two hundred fifty-five other competitors in just the singles draws, each with an interesting story, and they were all being ignored. And Serena was back only to show off her weight loss!!! How much is that drug company paying her to go back??? Horrible.

They say how all the players are so excited about her comeback, but they all are basically forced to say those things. If they said they don’t give a fig, they would be iced out.

Serena Williams rudely sticking her arm out to Maya Joint who had just beaten her…in the first round!!!

So a beyond-major congrats to young Aussie Maya Joint for that amazing win over Serena Williams! You rock! And could Serena have been any less gracious in defeat? I think not. And she was so rude that not only did she not congratulate nor praise Maya, but she refused to do the mandatory post-match presser! That behavior was disgusting.

I hate when the winners, like Naomi Osaka, say, “Good match,” to the person they just beat! It’s beyond pat. There are soooo many other things to say, even if the two competitors had never met before! How about, “Nice to meet you,” “I hope to see you again,” “You play well,” “Nice dress,” etc.

And Naomi said in one of her post-match interviews that she was glad she won because the next day was her young daughter’s birthday, and she “didn’t want to make her get on a plane on her birthday.” Is she an idiot??? She wouldn’t have to fly home because she lost! She could stay in London an extra day and give her daughter a fabulous b-day to remember!!!

The statement that many of us believe is a big untruth! Photo by Karen Salkin.

We were subjected to yet another of Serena’s lies! (Remember when she said she couldn’t play because she had stepped on broken glass outside of a restaurant in Munich? There was no record of the incident nor any images, and the eatery was never named. Nor sued! Everyone in the know feels it was all a big fat lie so she would have an excuse to not play in the next tourney, where she had been disqualified in the semis for her behavior the year before!!! Look it up—it’s a fascinating tale.) This time the fabrication was that she injured her knee at the end of the 1st set against Maya Joint, (so she now had an excuse for her loss.) During the match, she never once touched her knee, called a trainer, or looked like anything was wrong physically. Am I the only one who’s sick of her??? Even Chris Fowler and Andy Roddick said they didn’t notice anything wrong during the match.

I don’t dislike Coco Gauff anymore, but I almost started to again when she said “comrididdie” for “camaraderie!!!” It took me a while to try to figure-out what she was even trying to say! And she wasn’t tripping over the word—she said it like she meant it! Oysh.

Very young American, Iva Jovic, is the most mature and speaks the best and says the most intelligent things.

They need to tell us who is in the players’ boxes already! They rarely do, which is just nuts, especially when the camera is showing them every other second.

This is the photo Learner Tien posted, in which the commentators didn’t notice his hospital bracelet nor IV! Wow. Photo by Karen Salkin.

How could Andy Roddick and Rece Davis see this pic of Learner Tien, and not see his hospital bracelet and IV??? They just kept making jokes about how much he was eating! It’s major news when a player is in the hospital shortly after competing!!!

I’m very ashamed of John McEnroe and Chris Fowler for how much they were making fun of British player Jan Choinski! They were chuckling about that he’s #100 in the world. How about that he’s getting to play at his country’s home tourney, which is the most prestigious in the world, without even needing a wild card or to play qualifying matches?! How about mention that??? They should have been lauding him to the max! And they were dissing him because he was playing American Francis Tiafoe. Disgusting behavior from them.

Studio host Malika Andrews said, “There’s no better way to celebrate the holiday weekend than that,” about watching the Williams sisters! Is she out of her mind??? I used to love her, and then she was changing all that in just those few days. (But luckily for us, Serena dropped out of the doubles, I’m assuming so it would look like she was telling the truth about her aforementioned “knee injury.”)

Now I love young Jakub Menšík for being so happy for Grigor Dmitrov who just beat him when Jakub was the seeded player!!!

Rece David just told us who Novak Djokovic “is playing in the next round,” even though he had not played today’s match yet! That totally ignored his opponent for today!!!

Sam Querry and Mike Monaco. Photo by Karen Salkin.

As Wimbledon went on, one commentary duo emerged as the best for me. Sam Querrey and Mike Monaco both have great voices and speak well and intelligently. And are interesting and entertaining without pushing. Sam made Mr. X and me laugh several times, by simply being honest.

But right after I wrote that note, Sam got something majorly wrong. As they played a video of some of the players in the security line at the practice courts, he said of Coco Gauff, “Coco is”waiting her turn in line, she’s not cutting.” But…the video shows she and her party totally cut the line!!! They just went ahead of everyone without permission!!! It looked like they had no plans to do the right thing, at all!!!

Every sport needs to have a website, preferably public, where the athletes say their own names a couple of times, so that the broadcasters will know how to pronounce them! I don’t mean this as a diss; I’m only trying to be helpful. (And let’s face it—it’s a brilliant idea!)

Back to the selfishness of Serena Williams. She screwed her own sister, plus a second player who could have competed alongside Venus in the Doubles, as Leylah Fernandez did last year. Serena truly thinks it’s all about herself. And…she took soooo much attention away from the entirety of the tournament from the get-go! Only two good things came out of having Serena attempt a comeback at Wimbledon. The first is that Maya Joint gets to now say that she beat Serena Williams, which she never thought she’d even have the opportunity to do. Second is that we got to see her lose in the first round, which was a pleasure. But she’s totally lying about her knee. And, because sooo many people didn’t believe her tale, she had to withdraw from Doubles, to not look like the big fat liar that she is. Even the commentators, who always have to make believe they’re in her corner, have all said that they didn’t see anything happen to her knee in that match.

Any excuse to show Matteo Berrettini’s beautiful visage! Photo by Karen Salkin.

Sadly, (to me,) Malika Andrews kept mispronouncing gorgeous Matteo Berrettini’s last name. She kept putting an “n” in the wrong place, saying “BerreNtini” instead of “Berrettini” with no “N” in it! I loved her doing basketball, but not so much for tennis. She seems like she doesn’t know that much about it. Shame.

I’m happy for new Filipina star Alex Eala, but in an on-court post-match interview, her supposedly improvised line about her “ruffled socks and chubby cheeks” as a little girl sounded so pat and rehearsed. She even repeated it twice in that same interview, and again in the studio the next day! She needs to get some new material already. It sounded like she read that about herself in an article, and decided to use the line herself whenever she can. (And by the way—what little girl did not have those two things?!)

Alex Eala in the studio with a pic of her as a kid. Notice that her cheeks are chubby now, not then! Photo by Karen Salkin.

But I love her hair, both the off-the-court wearing it down, and that adorbs compartmentalized ponytail on the court.

Speaking of hairstyles, I just finally figured something out—ESPN probably doesn’t have hair people for their “talent,” so Malika Andrews had to give up her classy and fun basketball work ‘dos, and go with the not-great braids, (pieces of which looked out of place for the entire fortnight,) because like me, she has no hair talent herself! That has got to be it!

The worst pretty Malika Andrews has ever looked! Photo by Karen Salkin.

Look at the difference in kindness and graciousness between the two American girls who played each other and the two Czech ones who did the same in the Quarter-Finals. Shame on the US ones, who always make believe they’re such good friends!

I’m sick for World #1 Aryna Sabalenka to have been ousted in the Quarter-final. I think her issue is that she just cares too much and is too desperate to win.

As I’ve mentioned, I always write good things about Malika Andrews. But even though I’m not a fan of Naomi Osaka, Malika really needs her to stop mispronouncing her name. She keeps saying “NIomi” instead of the correct “NAomi!” Malika is better than that, so can someone at ESPN please correct her already?!

This match was very exciting—a pair of Wild Cards met on Centre Court in the Round of 16!!! Wow. Grigor Dmitrov and Brit Arthur Fery. They both have such interesting stories that are waaaay too long to tell her, so, if you’re a fan or sports, comebacks, and the like, look them up when you get a sec.

Alexander Zverev. Photo by Karen Salkin.

The most honest thing anyone said during the entire fortnight was, “This sport is really rough,” said by Mary Jo Fernandez matter-of-factly after Coco Gauff’s opponent beat her after Coco was just two points away from the win.

When Mr. X heard play-by-play man, Brit Jason Goodall, he asked, entirely seriously, “Is his mic was off?” I call him “The Whisperer.”

After making it into the Semis, Alexander Zverev gave the most charming post-match speech ever!!! The British interviewer told him, “You’re a gent, and you’ve got a beautiful way with words, as well.” I’ve never heard him tell any other player something like that. I concur with it all.

And that’s a wrap for my Wimbledon 2026 wrap-up. Much more tennis to come during next months’ US Open!

Mexodus is quite possibly the best show I’ve ever seen! (And between reviewing theatre now and growing up in New York, I’ve seen at least thirty shows a year since I was about two!!! I saw three last weekend alone!)

And please know that no matter how many superlatives I use in this review, Mexodus is even better than I can possibly portray! Everything about it is fascinating! Here’s how much I loved it—I’m absolutely sick that Mr. X missed it! If I had known exactly what was to come, I would have insisted that my krump dancing bae go with me. (But my friend Jeanine, who got that honor in his place, keeps saying it’s “so amazing!” And, trust me, hip-hop is far from her thing. She’s doing a role on a TV hospital show now, and she said that she was thinking about the show so much in her “hospital bed” on set the day after the opening that she fell asleep doing so! A crew member had to wake her!)

Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson. Photo by Jeff Lorch, as is the one above.

I actually almost turned down the invitation to Opening Night of Mexodus because I was, as usual, overbooked for that weekend. But I adore the Pasadena Playhouse, so I changed my schedule around, even though the title and image on the invitation did not really make clear what I would find there. But as soon as I did a bit of research on this show, I could not wait to see it. It’s just two guys, Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson, (who also wrote the script and all the music!!!,) yet it’s won several Best Musical awards in New York! I could not imagine how that was even possible.

And now that I’ve seen it, I have my answer. I can’t remember ever before witnessing so much creativity from just two humans! It’s literally mind-boggling. I rarely call anything “amazing,” but in this case, that word is not even good enough!

Besides what we’re seeing on the stage, my head spins from picturing them conjuring-up this entire show! So much work went into it. I can absolutely see why Mexodus was the season’s most award-winning off-Broadway musical. (Sidebar: The cute girl sitting next to me told me that her brother, who lives in New York, had missed the show there, so he flew out here to see it!)

So what could this be about really, you might ask? I feel that there’s no way to describe the show that will do it justice, but I’ll try. It does actually have a story. It’s a tale of two men who come together in Mexico in 1851 through the Underground Railroad of that era. Nygel plays Henry, a runaway American slave, and Brian is Carlos, the Mexican man who saves him. That historic lesson is very important, of course, especially in these times when so many minorities are being heavily discriminated against in this country once again. I worry every time I don’t hear from any of my non-Caucasian pals for a couple of days.

Nygel D. Robinson and Brian Quijada. Photo by Jeff Lorch.

But it’s the jaw-dropping massive talent of these guys that’s the reason to see the show. Besides all the writing of the narrative, music, and lyrics, and the outrageous musicianship, (they each play multiple instruments, including Brian on…accordion!; and Nygel even appears to be a concert pianist!,) the guys are funny and serious and poignant actors. They literally have enough talent for about forty people each. Hey buddies-– leave some for the rest of us!

Adding to the excellence is that the performers are enjoying themselves as much as the audience is! Brian is also basically the emcee of the proceedings, and he’s charming. He asked if we were ready to “get lit,” which it appeared that the younger-than-usual audience was. And they’re both cute, which does not hurt. The two of them must have been the life of every party as youngsters. (And now, as well! Never since I saw Mr. X on stage as a teenager, and knew right away that I wanted him in my life, have I wanted to be friends with the actors/musicians I’ve seen in a show before!) [Auxiliary note: I met Nygel’s girlfriend at the fun afterparty, and she’s beautiful, too!]

I was a fan of just their voices and music, even when I didn’t understand the words. One amazing aspect of what they do is layer each instrument’s sound, building all the music from scratch at each performance right in front of our eyes. It’s mostly hip-hop, but there’s actually a touch of other styles along the way—some soul, gospel, traditional Mexican, a bit of blues, and even that tiny bit of classical piano I mentioned before. (I would have loved to hear Nygel play even more of that!) It’s all totally my kind of music.

And, for once, I was far from the only person bopping to the music! I was happy to see that audience movement. It was actually sort-of hard to stay in my seat except for the fact that I wanted to watch the guys even more than to dance myself!

Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson. Photo by Jeff Lorch.

I do have to admit that I couldn’t really follow the story at first. (Perhaps that’s because my aural comprehension has gotten a tad lazy due to using closed captions on TV.) But after about fifteen of the ninety minutes, I got the narrative, and was all in. But I enjoyed it all from the get-go because of the incredible music and the energy of the duo performing it.

I also appreciated much of the dialogue, both amusing and heavy. Brian’s character pointed-out that as a people, “we are taught to separate.” Spot-on. And one of them said, “It’s not safe anywhere,” as the character in 1851—ring any bells for these days?

One line that especially struck me was, “What are you doing with the days that your ancestors have earned you?” That was just one sentence in the middle of all of it, but it really hit home. Clearly, this duo is doing the absolute most with their days!!! You know when people ask what you bring to the table? Well, these guys built the table!

This is how good Mexodus is—for once, I’m not even going to equate it to a story from my own life! There is no comparison. (How’s that for a recommendation???)

Of course, Brian and Nygel can’t do everything by themselves, so they had David Mendizábal direct it, (he also did the tiny bit of costuming there is,) and Tony Thomas choreographed the bit of movement. (The crowd went wild when the guys did literally one second of Kid ’n Play’s famous move!) I also have to give props to “looping systems architecture and sound designer” Mikhail Fiksel, who won a Tony for the also-fascinating Dana H., (which I reviewed here, if you want to see what else this guy can do: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/theatre-dana-h.)

To sum up, if you love great music, and are a fan of talent, you have got to see Mexodus!

Brian Quijada, (in the cowboy hat–note the shoes!,) and Nygel D. Robinson, (in the shades,) at the afterparty, surrounded by pals and admirers. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I have to add a couple of props for the Pasadena Playhouse itself. One is that they always provide little bottles of ice cold water for the audience on hot days. You have no idea how much I appreciate that. And my friend pointed-out that there is plenty of room between the rows for people to get by without stepping on your feet, which is also a pleasure. So go see this show there already! You have only two more weeks!

Mexodus running through August 2, 2026
Pasadena Playhouse 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena
626-356-7529 www.pasadenaplayhouse.org

Muse/Ique returned, once again, to its most frequent home in LA, downtown’s Mark Taper Forum, with its new show, Defiantly Joni. And you have just tomorrow through Sunday to see it for yourselves.

Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one above.

Several of my friends and I have become big fans of Muse/Ique in the past year. If you’ve missed my previous reviews of this company’s shows, let me briefly explain the concept: Muse/Ique is an orchestra of different musicians for each show, depending on what’s needed, led by long-time conductor Rachael Worby. When the show is about one person’s work, they play not only the songs of that featured artist, but also a few artist-adjacent numbers. (Example: They ended this presentation, of Joni Mitchell’s music, with Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, a song written by Carole King and made famous in 1960 by The Shirelles. It’s included here because when Carole recorded it for her own album in 1971, Joni and James Taylor did background vocals for it. Hence artist-adjacent!)

And along the way, Rachael shares stories about each song. And, actually, gives us general information that surrounds the singer(s) or composer(s.) In this case, we even learned a bit about a bunch of Joni Mitchell’s former neighbors! And Rachael always seems so happy to impart all this info!

I love variety in all things in life, so I appreciate that each Muse/Ique show is done a bit differently from each other. They actually happily make me hark back to all my fabulous bday bashes that I used to throw—I changed-up the location and execution every year! And that’s exactly what Muse/Ique does now! Sometimes it’s a big orchestra, and sometimes, as for this one, they go with a much smaller group of stellar musicians. Occasionally there are dancers, and they vary the two to three soloists. I adore that we audiences get to experience so many talented music people each year!

Just one of Muse/Ique’s many visuals, this one of Graham Nash’s handwritten lyrics to Our House. hoto by Karen Salkin.

The “Joni” of the title this time is Joni Mitchell. (Is there even another one?) Somehow, although I didn’t move out here to LA until that whole Laurel Canyon period of fame was over, I already knew a bunch of the stories about her younger self because Angelenos loved telling stories about that musical posse to this wide-eyed teenager from New York. I can’t believe that I’ve still never gone over to see Joni’s old house that Graham Nash, her former bae, immortalized in Our House, (which still makes me cry. Or perhaps those tears are due to even hearing about cats, to which I’m deathly allergic!)

I think a lot of us, including myself, (which is what made me think of it to begin with!,) take Joni Mitchell for granted. Her music has always just been there, so I never think about it. But this show inspired me to go home and research her for the first time in my life, and I’m absolutely amazed at everything she’s accomplished! For we fans who thought we knew everything about her from our decades of fanship, there’s so much more to learn! And Rachael Worby really helps with that.

The female vocalist this time is Effie Passero, who I read also sings in Postmodern Jukebox, a show I had just learned of the night before this one! And let me tell you—this chick can sing! The guy singer is Chris Pierce, who is very smooth, especially on The Circle Game, which I’ve been humming ever since. And I was very happy to see and hear a quartet of members of the DC6 Singers Collective again.

The DC6 Singers Collective. Photo by Haoyuan Ren.

Musicians are magic to me, and this time, percussionists Sidney Hopson and Mona Tavakoli really add to the proceedings, especially on I Shall Be Released. And there seems to be a bigger wind section than usual, which really works for A Case of You. We’re also treated to one very special musician—dulcimer designer and player, Joellen Lapidus, who sold her first one to Joni in Big Sur way back in the day. I had never heard of this woman before, but I got all choked-up when she appeared on stage and then played.

Joellen Lapidus on the right, leaving the stage after her surprise performance. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I have always loved I Shall Be Released, but I never heard it performed this way, with bongos and Chris Pierce on harmonica. They turned this usually somber-esque piece into very jazzy music. It took me a second to get used to it, but then I was all in.

I hope that some of you remember my precious Clarence, The Singing Dog, who sang on my TV show back in the day. We usually did Whitney Houston songs, (although I cannot sing myself, at all!,) but his favorite at home was Joni’s Conversation, so I sort-of wish they had done it in this show. (But I have a feeling that no one in the world but Joni Mitchell can really sing that song.)

Actually, truth be told, I care about Joni’s music only if she is the one singing it. But I’m so fascinated by Muse/Ique that I always want to see everything they present. There is no easier life music experience anywhere! And I have to say that they totally made me appreciate all these songs, even done by other people.

Joni Mitchell’s painting of a rain barrel against Georgia O’Keefe’s wall.

I’m so happy that this show also featured some of Joni’s fabulous artwork, pointing-out that she painted all her own album covers! I had forgotten about that aspect of her many talents. And it gave me a wonderful personal memory. (Of course!) Decades ago, I had taken my friend Nancy to the opening of a gallery show of art from famous musicians, and she fell in love with Joni Mitchell’s painting of a rain barrel on the side of Georgia O’Keefe’s house. I always did very special things for the birthdays of close friends in those days, but I, of course, could not afford to buy it for her. So I…painted a copy of it! I was shocked that I did it myself. And my pal, an artist herself, thought it was the real thing! I had totally forgotten about that entire experience until Muse/Ique jogged my memory. And now I’m on a search through my house to find a photo of it.

I have a feeling that at least some of Muse/Ique’s Defiantly Joni will also bring up special feelings and memories for everyone who sees it in these next few days. So please make sure that you’re one of them!

Muse/Ique: Defiantly Joni running through July 19, 2026
Mark Taper Forum 135 N. Grand Ave.
213-972-4400 www.centertheatregroup.org/shows-tickets/taper/2025-26/museique-defiantly-joni

Do not miss this Broadway-quality show, from 5-Star Theatricals! We’re very lucky to have it in SoCal!!! It’s perfect for absolutely everyone! But you have only this weekend left to see it.

The rest of the images do not do the production justice, so please don’t judge by them.

There’s soooo much to say, all good, about this The Wizard of Oz, so this review may be a tad long. But I need to laud every single cast member and aspect of the production. This is one I really wish was not such a limited-time production because otherwise, it could, and should, run for years! And for perhaps the very first time, I have not one negative thing to say!

First let me declare my complete love of the classic film version of The Wizard of Oz. So, even though I love all the presentations I’ve seen from 5* Theatricals, I was a tad skeptical this time because I could not figure out how they could possibly do this story as a live production—there are so many parts of the film that I thought could not be recreated on a stage. So I’m thrilled that they stayed as close to the movie as possible. Such a gargantuan effort is needed to do this show right, and 5-Star Theatricals went beyond!

My usually very critical self would not change even one little thing about it. The performances are all excellent, which rarely happens. The music is great, the costumes are stunners, the sets are a surprise delight, and all the special touches are spectacular surprises. The direction, choreography, and musicians are spot-on. And it’s fun from the get-go, when a real live Toto runs across the stage!

Most impressive is that they do basically the entire movie just about word-for-word. (And believe me, I know that script! It’s Mr. X and my romantic movie! Don’t ask.) My friend Doug enjoyed the show with me on opening night, and said, “When you do a story that everybody loves, you have to be careful to not try to reinvent the wheel and create something completely new. It’ll lose its charm. And this company has done a very good job of paying homage to the story with a creative adaptation for the stage, which carries all of the film’s original charm.” So we were happy that they didn’t change anything except having Auntie Em and Uncle Henry play two of the characters in Dorothy’s dream, which they don’t in the movie. I give full credit to director Richard Israel for all of that.

Becky Lythgoe and Hannah Sedlacek, not in the costumes from the show. (L-R) Tom Anawalt, Lucas Alifano, Hannah Sedlacek, and Eric Stanton Betts. Photo by Veronica Slavin, as is the one at the top of this review.

This production even includes a fabulous musical number, The Jitterbug, which was part of the original movie before it got cut. So that was a really fun surprise, even to me, (who did not know of that omission before,) especially because it’s the big production number. They do all the original song lead-ins, as well.

This version features a very attractive cast, all the way around, even the Wicked Witch! I love that casting directors Michael Donovan and Richie Ferris had the foresight to cast someone as pretty as Becky Lythgoe in that role. She’s so wonderfully wicked that you don’t even notice her looks, though—just her comedic evilness. I know her a bit in real life, and now may never look at her the same way in person again.

And I’m happy to report that I loved the trio of Dorothy’s new pals: Eric Stanton Betts as the Scarecrow, Lucas Alifano as the Tin Man, and Tom Anawalt as the Cowardly Lion. Their portrayals were all exactly right. But my fave was a surprise to even myself—it’s the Cowardly Lion! We, the public, always look for actors to make roles “their own,” but in the case of this musical, the movie is perfection, so I really wanted the characters to not be reinventions, especially for the children who will look to this show as their introduction to the classic story. And Tom is as close to giving us the full charm of Bert Lahr as one can! I absolutely adored him!

(L-R) Tom Anawalt, Lucas Alifano, Hannah Sedlacek, and Eric Stanton Betts. Photo by Veronica Slavin.

The most beautiful voice belongs to Cassandra Marie Murphy, as Glinda, The Good Witch. (She also plays Auntie Em, though I didn’t realize that until the end.) [Note: I love talented couples, so I have to point out that both “witches” have equally talented husbands in real life! Cassandra’s is actor John Shartzer, who has been my favorite actor in a few productions I’ve reviewed in recent years; I wish he was in every show! And Becky’s hubby is also one of my favorite people—fabulous producer and writer, Kris Lythgoe. I wish that everyone was as clever, and especially lovely, as he is! “Search” all of their names in this e-zine to see past positive reviews I’ve written about the work of the quartet of them.]

In a slight twist, Mike Baker, who also plays Uncle Henry, is the most charming Emerald City gatekeeper. I still haven’t reconciled that both characters are the same actor! Noah Kaplan is splendidly comedic as Professor Marvel and The Wizard. And my pal Doug gave immediate props to Hannah Sedlacek for her understated Dorothy and her sweet singing of the iconic Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Something that does not happen often in shows is that a few ensemble members catch our eyes. But it definitely did in this one! As a ballet lover, I literally gasped when ballet dancers Samantha Bell and Jacob Ray did just a few gorgeous moves. As much as I love this The Wizard of Oz, I literally wanted to just freeze it for a moment and watch these two magnificent dancers for a few hours! Choreographer Clarice Ordaz was wise to feature them.

And then, as the “munchkins” were dancing, my eyes kept being drawn to one of them. It was Bayley Tanenbaum, who was not doing anything crazy to make me notice her, but I just did. And then, just as I was making a note of that, Doug whispered the very same thing, telling me,“That girl is very charismatic.”

(L-R) Hannah Sedlacek, Becky Lythgoe, and Cassandra Marie Murphy. Photo by Veronica Slavin.

Actually, everyone in this show is excellent, even the kids in the ensemble. None of them are obnoxious, or looking like they’re just kidding around up there. They all give it everything they’ve got, and appear to be having the time of their lives doing so. What a marvelous opportunity 5-Star Theatricals is providing for these youngsters!

This is how enthralled with the show I was—for perhaps the first time ever, I forgot to take curtain call photos because I was applauding so fervently! I feel bad about that because I really did want to show you the entire superb cast! (So you’ll just have to see the show for yourselves this final weekend.)

Now let’s get to the technical aspects of this The Wizard of Oz. The entire production is incredibly well done, and features so many fun visuals.The sets are all beautiful, and the costumes are colorful and spot-on. The famous ruby slippers are downright dazzling! (And I should know—I have two pairs myself! I wish I had thought to wear them to opening night.)

Doug pointed-out that the colors of the set and costumes get vibrant when Dorothy’s house lands in Munchkinland, to emulate that the movie goes from black-and-white to color at that point. Brilliant!

Hannah Sedlacek and Eric Stanton Betts. Photo by Veronica Slavin.

And they do the yellow brick road in such a clever way. I was looking down to write a note about something else at that point, and I heard the entire audience ooh and ahh, so I looked up and saw it. And was immediately impressed.

Every bit of the show is so creative—the flying, the monkeys, the poppies, the guards. Even a trio of crows in the background of If I Only Had a Brain are a great addition to the proceedings.

On a slight personal note, I chuckled knowingly when Auntie Em told Dorothy, “You want fun, go join the circus.” But I can tell you from experience, (because I was in one as a teenager,) it’s not that much fun. Trust me on that.

Before the show begins, 5-Star Theatricals’ Executive Director, Cindy Murray, ends her brief “welcome” speech, with “There’s no place like the theater,” which is a lovely riff on the famous line, “There’s no place like home,” that Dorothy says at the end of the show. I love that full-circle situation.

I desperately want Mr. X to experience this wonderful The Wizard of Oz because he had to miss the opening, so I’ll be seeing it again this final weekend. I hope you all do the same, especially the children of SoCal, or you’ll be seriously missing out!

The Wizard of Oz running through July 19, 2026
Bank of America Performing Arts Center’s Fred Kavli Theatre
2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. Thousand Oaks
805-449-2787 www.5startheatricals.com

I feel like I need to host the Wheel of Illiteracy! For a lot of people who don’t speak correctly. But for this fortnight, I’m concentrating on the ESPN tennis commentators. And on one particular thing they say wrong, just about all the time.

ESPN needs to buy their staff these flash cards by Twinkl!

Hence my grammar lesson for today is “Adverbs.” The category choice is because those tennis commentators obviously never heard of an “ly!” Seriously, how can they all leave those letters off every word that should definitely have them at the end???? They must have all been absent that day! And why is there not one person on the rest of the staff who’s intelligent enough to correct them??? Or at least read my tweets on the topic, and realize someone has to say something to them??? I honestly can’t understand it.

I was going to save this subject to include in my Wimbledon 2016 wrap-up, (which will have to wait over a week from the end of the tournament,) but their communal practice of leaving the “ly” off just about word that needs it has become even more like nails on a chalkboard to me, so here we are.

In case you don’t remember your “adverb” lessons yourself, here’s the very brief explanation: When verbs, such as “aggressive,” are used to describe how an action is performed, the suffix “ly” is added to the word, making it into “aggressively.”

Therefore, when you want to state how an athlete is playing tennis, (or any sport or game,) the correct term is that he or she is playing “aggressively.” Simple enough to understand and put into practice, right?

But these ESPN commentators do not get that very simple concept!!! How is that possible? Some of them even went to college! But they all speak like they didn’t even pass kindergarten!

Caroline Wozniacki. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Here are just a very few examples, with notes from me, from the past two weeks. (If I recorded them all, I wouldn’t have time to write anything else! And amusingly, my gmail kept trying to correct all of them when I sent this article to my proofreader!):

Perhaps the worst offender is Caroline Wozniacki. She does it all the time! One time, she referred to “the one who played more aggressive.”

“He played phenomenal,” as opposed to “phenomenally,” by Sam Querrey, who has many good things to say otherwise.

He also asked a player, “What could you have done different in this match?”

Chris Eubanks said, “He hit patient,” instead of the correct “patiently.”

He also exclaimed, “She played flawless.”

That one must have been catching, because even the young-ish play-by-play guy, Mike Monaco, said, “Wow—he played flawless.”

“What they’ve done so amazing throughout their careers is…,” said by the older, very wealthy, and usually well-spoken Jessica Pegula!!!

Here’s a brief chart to get you started.

There have been soooooooo many more of those, but it’s offending my ears to even just write them! But you get the picture.

What is wrong with these people? Don’t they hear themselves??? It’s like incorrect grammar is contagious!

Or does ESPN send out a memo to all of them to speak illiterately??? I don’t get how so many of them can be so stupid like that!

So, please anyone at ESPN, I beg of you to buy them all a whole bunch of “ly”s! If not for this final weekend of Wimbledon, then at least by next month’s US Open! If worst comes to worst, fly me out to hold a grammar seminar for your entire staff. I’ll do that for you guys happy! (I hope that you get that I really mean “happily!”)

I actually had forgotten to plan to write about our anniversary this year! I had written an entirely different article for today, and then realized the date, and quickly whipped this up.

So what to say, what to say about our thousandth anniversary this time?

How we started. (Sort-of.) Photo by Paparazzi.

I don’t like ever repeating myself, but I doubt that there’s even one person out there who remembers everything I’ve ever written. Even I don’t! So I’m happy to again share one of my previous “Happy Anniversary To Us” columns, the one from exactly ten years ago. (Which means we made it through another decade! Will wonders never cease?) It features so many funny things Mr. X has said about our relationship over the years that this one is worth repeating. Here’s the link to his wonderful bon mots: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/special-day-my-1000th-anniversary-with-mr-x.

Here’s one little tidbit I never told you here before, even though I did discuss it on my TV show. Way back in the day, before we even lived together, Mr. X had a fun idea. He said, “Let’s throw a surprise wedding!” I said he can’t surprise me because, even though we all know how madly in love with him I was, (and still am,) I didn’t believe in marriage. But he said the surprise wasn’t for me—it was for the guests!!! I asked how that would work, and he said that we would invite them to a party, (which we had all the time back then,) and once there, they’d find-out we were getting married! What fun for everyone!

How it’s going. Photo by Karen Salkin.

While that would have been hilarious, I asked, “What about the presents?!” And told him I’m not getting married without receiving some much-needed bowls! (A category in which I still need some!) So, after jokingly berating me a bit for needing gifts, he came up with a brilliant idea—we’d have a “Wheel of Fortune” with the gifts we wanted, and after the ceremony, the guests would spin it to find-out what they should get us! Genius!

But then I queried, “Wait—what about our poor friends? I don’t want them to have to buy us anything.” So he came up with yet another brilliant idea. He told me that they would still spin the wheel, but then we would buy them whatever it landed on!!! Wow. What a thoughtful and ingenious idea.

For a couple of years now, I’ve regretted that I did not go along with that insane-yet-adorable plan. But I did talk about what a great idea it was on my show back then, so a few celebs copied us! Grrr.

What we definitely won’t be doing to celebrate, on any level, this year!

So how are we going to celebrate our thousandth anniversary this year, you may ask? I can confidently tell you that there will be no surprises this time. That’s because I know exactly what we’ll be doing, and it’s a combo of our choices. Mine is to stay home and continue to watch the Wimbledon tennis tourney! Duh. Mr. X’s choice is to stay home and just relax and have good food be delivered. And while doing all of that, both of us will be awaiting Lebron’s announcement, of course. We’ll be honored that he waited until our anniversary to share his new team with the world! (Go Cavs!)

So Happy Anniversary to all of us! But really just to Mr. X and me. Here’s to another thousand, my love.

Some call it our birthday, some say anniversary, and what July 4 really signifies in 2026 is that the date is 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

So I guess it IS “anniversary.”

No matter what you label it, this Fourth of July is due to be a major party, especially because it’s on a Saturday this year!

For those of you who would prefer to stay in and avoid the crowds, (hello, Mr. X!,) there are at least a few fun things to watch on TV over the weekend. Perhaps the most interesting choice is to watch the Disney Celebrates America 250 marathon. It’s a 24-hour multi-platform broadcast which runs from tonight, Friday, July 3, at 10:00 p.m. EDT through Saturday, July 4th. I don’t remember anything like this since the turn-of-the-century all day and night televising of the New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world.

This new presentation includes performances, memories, a bit of American history lessons, and, of course, fireworks. I can’t figure-out the entire schedule, but it will all be available across ABC, Disney+, ESPN, Hulu, National Geographic, Freeform, FX, and ABC News Live. My DVR is already set to record it all on basic ABC, because, as you’ll read in a minute, I will be otherwise occupied for just about all of that historic day.  [Note: You can’t record streaming, which is just one of the reasons I hate those platforms!]

It might be fun to watch at least SOME part of it.

For sports nuts such as myself, there’s a plethora of choices. The main one for many is the World Cup. But, thank goodness for small favors, I could never get into soccer. Whew. There are also a ton of important baseball games. But, for me, it’s solely the middle weekend of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, which I’ve been watching obsessively since it began on Monday. It’s literally on for twelve hours a day, so I’m exhausted from just sitting on the couch!

And we’re all still on LeBron watch! I predict that will last all weekend, because he wouldn’t want to disturb this special holiday for everyone, including his own fam.

Not the most flattering still from my Fourth of July Parade video, but perhaps representative of it. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Do you want to stay in, but are not a fan of sports nor of round-the-clock Disney celebrations? You can always catch-up on all my YouTube videos, especially my favorite one about a “Fourth of July Parade” I went to a number of years ago. (I may or may not be going back again this weekend.) Here’s the link to that particular video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtLqXvbYNOE. And the link to my YouTube Channel in general is right here: www.youtube.com/channel/UCF7mwI2jwcB2xB9dBCBxLZg.

Now, to get serious for a moment, this is what I wrote at the end of my Fourth of July column in 2018: “I wish all of you a very happy and above all, safe, Fourth of July. And please spare a thought for how lucky we are to live in this country. Let’s all hope it gets better soon, despite an evil madman running it for a bit longer.” I had no idea that we’d still be here at this late date.

So, because of this lunatic, I was actually a tad concerned about if we normal folk are supposed to be celebrating America these days. But I realized that we can’t let the bad actors ruin our appreciation of this country for us—they’re already ruining much of the country itself. But I feel that we all have to be grateful for what we had before this regime, and hopefully will again beginning in January 2029. We all just have to hold on a bit longer and come together to get through it.

Now go celebrate this special occasion tomorrow, and all weekend. Just please stay safe out there. (And please make sure to check back here early next week to see what else I’ll be celebrating then!)

Before I discuss last week’s NBA Draft, I must first address the LeBron James news that broke yesterday. In case you didn’t hear it yet, he’s leaving the Lakers! Am I the only one who’s not shocked? He’s old, and this will most likely be his final year as a player.

Everyone’s weighing in, so here are my predictions for the future of LeBron James in basketball.  Dating back to the NBA playoffs in April, I’ve been saying that he is going to leave LA and go to…the Cavs! That’s right—the Cleveland Cavaliers. Where he’s from. I feel that he wants to end his career with his hometown and original team. And he’d be playing with a younger team than the geriatric Warriors, (which is where everyone else is predicting he’ll go.) Just sayin’.

My prediction of where LeBron is going to take his talents to!

I had also been thinking that his son Bronny would be part of any deal he makes, and that would be way more important to him than the money, for sure. But it turns-out that Bronny re-signed with the Lakers the day before LeBron told them he’s leaving, so perhaps his timing was to make sure that his son was taken care of with them despite his own act of desertion.

Lastly on the topic, I think that LeBron will become a coach, possibly for the Cavs or Lakers, after the one or two years he signs to play for next year. I just wonder if his head is spinning deciding to where he will “take his talents”as much as the brains of those of us rabid basketball fans!

A bit lost in the LeBron news is the other shock that Kawhi Leonard is leaving the LA Clippers to go back to the Toronto Raptors, with whom he won the 2019 Championship. That’s a curious turn of events, for sure.

So now, this is the deal with the NBA Draft for me this year. I was, unfortunately, in the hospital that night, and they didn’t get me up to the room that day until the Draft was just about over! And then…there was no ESPN! At tony Cedars-Sinai! Even the doctors couldn’t believe it. (That dearth meant that I wound-up just watching…all the meal menus on the television! That was actually almost as good as the Draft for me. No lie.)

So I had to resort to seeing Round One on-line. Alone. In the hospital. And I actually commented out loud enough for the nurses to hear me! And then I still watched the entire proceedings once I was home for a few days, and could get my mind together.

My favorite thing about the proceedings, as always, was watching the draftees celebrating with their families when their names were called.

On the other hand, there’s one aspect that I absolutely detest, and that is that there is usually at least one last guy waiting in the “green room,” (of sorts—it’s not really that because it has everyone sitting at tables right in front of everyone, and not behind the scenes, which is what a green room really is,) who is not chosen in the first round, and he has to be embarrassed in front of his family and everyone, and then be relegated to the next day’s Round Two. (I liked it better when they did both rounds in a row on just one night. I’m sure they thought they’d have more interest if they did not have the audience fatigue factor.) This time, there was just one guy, Isaiah Evans, still sitting there, which is just heartbreaking. And he was already in all the pix of the “2026 Draft Class.” I’m sick for him. The entire attitude of the room went from upbeat to devastatingly sad in about one hour. I feel awful that he didn’t come back for the second round after his disappointment. Shame. And he got picked second in that round, so he would have been happy!

The good news is that I believe that no one was left sitting there at the end of the two days.

But on that tip, OKC stalwart Alex Caruso needs to speak to every college player in the world!!! He went undrafted, and has since won…two NBA Championships. And as an important contributor, not a benchwarmer! So the guys who were not drafted, whether or not they were invited to the proceedings, should learn from his example. Just put your head down and work as hard as you can, and do your absolute best. And I add—have fun.

Three members of the NCAA Champion Michigan team got drafted in the first round! (L-R) Morez Johnson, Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg, and Aday Mara. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Now to the newest members of the NBA: Every single one of them seems darling, which is not always the case in the Draft. I was a blubbering mess the entire time! Some got to me more than others, but they all did at least a bit. Especially when adores pix of them as kids were flashed on the screen! I wish I had the time and space to write about every single one of the draftees, and their fams, but I’m watching a dozen hours of tennis a day right now, so I’ll just give you some of the highlights for me.

I was especially happy for a few of the guys with whom I’m the most familiar. New college champion, (with Michigan,) Yaxel Lendeborg, (who has the most heartwarming personal story,) is going to the Warriors, so I guess I have to stop hating them now. And Iowa’s Bennett Stirtz is going to none other than last year’s NBA Champions, OKC!!!  And UConn’s Alex Karaban, who wasn’t even one of the twenty-four first night invitees, went #29 to the Sacramento Kings, who can really use him. I was honestly worried that he wasn’t going to be drafted because he actually graduated college, while most of the rest left after only one year! And he won not one but two NCAA Championships with them. I’m also happy for the teams that were lucky enough to get these young (and I do mean young,) men.

It was very smart of Cameron Boozer’s twin, Cayden, to stay in school, (Duke,) at least one more year, mainly so he can develop further, but also, (which most others will not mention,) so he won’t have to compete with his bro. But I love their State Farm commercial together!!! And I love that Cayden was at the Draft for him. [Note: I always wanted a twin sister. Always. Until now, that is. I just wanted to have a friend around 24/7 who’s as fun as I am. And, truth be told, I wanted to see what my face really looks like, not just in a mirror. But it never before hit me before that perhaps we would wind-up with different levels of success, which might irk me a bit. So I actually thank the Boozers for finally knocking the pain of not having a twin out of me.]

The Boozer fam. Cameron is in the front, in white, and Cayden is on the right in the back. Note the very uncomfortable seats! Photo by Karen Salkin.

Some guys made me cry, especially Yaxel and Cameron, who both wore white suits and got the most cheers when the invited two dozen were introduced.

Now I’m going in the order that the Draft itself did:

AJ Dybantsa’s very proud dad. Photo by Karen Salkin.

#1 AJ Dybantsa seems sweet. And Mr. X and I loved his outfit. But his very-bitten fingernails made me queasy!

Darryn Peterson looked so goony in his pic with the commish, after his dreads just about popped his new team the cap off. Mr. X said, “He’s practically Alfred E. Newman!”

I hate the director of the ESPN show for totally depriving me of seeing Cameron Boozer embrace his twin who showed up there for him! Grrr.

Caleb Wilson’s dad told us that his son already helps out his Atlanta community, which choked me up, of course. But the dad used a triple redundancy by saying that Caleb has “genuine true authenticity.”

#5 Keaton Wagler’s parents are the most attractive! And they’re a charming family. Good for them!

How is Mikel Brown, Jr.’s father named Christopher instead of Mikel??? How is the son a “Jr.” if he does not have the same name as his dad??? I mean it. Please, someone explain that to me.

Kingston Flemings had written a letter to all the GMs that very day!!!

I absolutely adore that new Dallas Mavericks coach, Dusty May, got one of his own Michigan guys, Morez Johnson, Jr.! I predict great things for the Mavs next season.

I love all the shiny logos on  the caps that made them special ones.

I feel bad for #10 Brayden Burries, the guy who’s going to the Bucks. He’ll be one of five strangers who will be on that once-great team next year. Wait—make that six strangers because they also got pick #13. (And they have the youngest looking war room I’ve ever seen!!!)

Emotional Yale Lendeborg and his mom. Photo by Karen Salkin.

Yaxel and his mom are the best story! It’s too long to tell her, so I suggest you look it up when you have time and want your heart warmed.

I got really into Nate Ament’s family!

There are two really interesting things about #21 Karim Lopez. He’s the first Mexican 1st round draftee, and will play his entire rookie season at age 19! (He doesn’t turn 20 next April 12th.)

Chris Cenac, Jr. went 27th, thank goodness. He was still trying not to cry when he took his pic with the commish.

Mr. X liked that #31 Bruce Thornton said, “I’m built for the moment.”

How does Spaniard Baba Miller have no accent??? At all.

They saved the absolute most charming, best personality (by far) guy, Ugonna Onysenso, for last. He seemed honestly surprised when he got chosen, and declared, “I wasn’t expecting it!”

If you want to see the list of all sixty 2026 draftees, just click here: www.nba.com/news/2026-nba-draft-order.

And a few last notes on the other aspects of the proceedings:

At least they did Round Two in the same place, Barclays Center, as Round One this year. That nonsense of moving it into a small room in a studio two years ago was just insulting.  (I missed last year’s Draft because, as usual, I was overbooked on those two nights. But at least the league obviously  listened to my complaints after the 2024 rendition.)

ESPN Draft Night host Malika Andrews is so good at this! I love that she always sneaks in little tidbits about the draftees’ lives, as I would do in that position. And once again I laud her great enunciation.

And newcomer to the analysts’ panel, Iman Shumpert, was surprisingly good. (It doesn’t hurt that he sounds like Barry White! I kept expecting him to break into Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe at any second!) I knew he could dance, because I voted for him to win Dancing With The Stars, (which he did.) I even implored all my readers to do so, as well. (You can still read that 2021 plea here: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/televisiondancekarens-rants-please-vote-for-iman-shumpert-and-daniella-karagach-on-dancing-with-the-stars-tonight-and-every-monday-night.) But I did not know that he would work as well as a basketball commentator, even though he won the 2016 Championship with my Cleveland Cavaliers!

The Round One ESPN commentators, with host Malika Andrews on the left. Photo by Karen Salkin.

The couches on the set where the new guys and their families were interviewed looked sooooo uncomfortable! No one knew how to sit on them properly.

But Lisa Salters, the interviewer, was much better at them than many others in the past. But she left Cayden Boozer entirely out of the interviews with the rest of the fam, which made me so sad. He was even ready with the microphone.

To wrap-up, I can’t wait to see where all these guys actually land next season. And for the rest of their careers, which I hope are long and successful.

Now it’s back to wondering about LeBron, and trying to figure-out why Kawhi Leonard chose to return to his old team, the Toronto Raptors, after he left them to come home to the LA Clippers all those years ago. But I’ll do it all after Wimbledon.

Throughout each year, I attend several events at the Hollywood Museum. Most of them are for the purpose of introducing a new exhibit. And they’re all fabulous.

But on a few special occasions, the equally lovely fetes are right in the lobby. And I recently went to one of those. It was to celebrate the release of a new book, A Letter is Better! The Art of Thank You, written by Erica Gerard Di Bona, who is known to be a constant letter writer. If her last name is familiar, that’s most likely because you’ve seen it on your TV a zillion times—her husband is prolific television producer Vin Di Bona, who created America’s Funniest Home Videos, and has produced a myriad of other shows.

(L-R) Erica Gerard Di Bona, Vin Di Bona, and Karen Salkin. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I love a supportive man, so Vin is right up there with Carl Reiner, who was always so proud of the singing of his wife Estelle, and of course, the most supportive guy ever, Mr. X, who not only came to most of my TV show tapings, but is actually the person who created my cable series, Karen’s Restaurant Revue! (And then, as I was about to go through the curtain for my first appearance on The Tonight Show, he got to sarcastically say, “Yeah, Kah, you were right—doing a cable show was a bad idea.”)

And Vin Di Bona and I have a mutual very dear friend, Paul Gilbert, so I really wanted to meet Vin, especially after Paul told me that he’s a “great guy.” And he was absolutely lovely. It’s always fun, (and a bit rare,) to meet an uber-successful person who’s also very nice. So Vin was the highlight of the event for me. (And he told me that he had just been talking about Paul that day!)

But the entire event was good, right from the get-go, as it always is at the Hollywood Museum. There was a makeshift bar on one side of the space, with nice bartenders, and a pretty buffet set-up on the opposite end of the lobby. The fare was different than any I’ve ever seen there before, which was fun because I’m a fan of diversity. There were three kinds of finger sandwiches, caprese bites, (with a choice of tomatoes or blackberries on the skewers with the mozzarella chunks,) tiny onion tarts, and a whole bunch of delish desserts. I’m either ashamed or proud to admit that I ate a handful of mini strawberry shortcakes in cups! The pièces de résistance were bite-sized cranberry scones. (My friend Roz said, “The cookies are hard,” so I explained, “That’s because they’re scones!”)

Just a bit of the fare. Photo by Karen Salkin.

There was a plethora of speeches from the happy assemblage, including E.T.’s Dee Wallace and Hollywood Museum Founder Donelle Dadigan. I was the most entertained by artist Shepard Fairey, (whose credits include designing that famous Obama “Hope” poster.) He said that he and Erica had met on the Board of Trustees at The Rhode Island School of Design, (RISD,) where he went to college. I actually love that place, having gone to both the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island College. I used to drive by RISD, and think about all the gifted artists who must be behind those walls! (I love having things in common with talented people. For example, Vin also lived in Rhode Island, and he and I both attended UCLA, as did Mr. X, also in the Master of Fine Arts program some time after Vin. And yes, I did go to all three of those colleges, and even one more!)

The gist of the many tributes was that Erica writes wonderful “thank you” letters, and the recipients are so lucky. Erica herself quipped that “a letter is so much better than anything.” She told us that she doesn’t start her letters with “thank you,” preferring to end with it. (But I do both!) I was happy that she and I agree on the usage of exclamation points when others say no to them! (See?)

Hollywood Museum Founder Donelle Dadigan at the podium to begin the speeches. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I also appreciated that she said to write a letter “on anything” and “in any method that you can.” Erica and my mother would have gotten along great because the latter used to write her missives on the backs of paper placemats from the restaurants my parents ate in while traveling! One of her old pals still mentions how much he always loved receiving those.

My favorite quote of the night came from Vin. About the sound of his wife’s typing, he said, “It’s like hearing children laugh in a playground.” What an absolutely charming and loving way to put it.

When the speeches were over, guests could purchase the books, and Erica signed them all in the “Blondes Only Room.” (The hair color rooms, which are my fave part of the Museum, date back to when the building was the Max Factor Salon. I featured them on a television special I hosted on The Travel Channel way back in the day, and have adored them ever since.)

Photo by Karen Salkin.

I got a gander at one of the books, and found it to be very interesting. And it’s not a little coffee table book—it has sooo much substance! There’s even a section for “Young People,” complete with advice on “How to Address an Envelope!” I love life lessons that we might think are basic, but are far from it these days.

I also love that “Thank You” is mentioned right in the title, A Letter is Better! The Art of Thank You, because I’m a stickler for saying that phrase! I actually just thanked a PR person for always thanking me for my reviews. My mother used to semi make fun of my signature, “Thank you so much!,” but I mean it every time.

Speaking of my little mo, (which I do a lot,) I have to say that, as a supreme letter-writer herself, she would have really liked Erica’s book. And she would have enjoyed her collection of typewriters, as well. I’m now the proud owner of my parents’ vintage one, so perhaps I should show it to Erica sometime. I should also pick her brain about how to put a good book together because I’ve been finding some of my mom’s letters around my house recently, and they are a riot! One in particular has become famous among my friends, and it’s been suggested many times that I should publish a book of them so more people can laugh until they cry.

Apropos of Erica’s book about saying “Thank You, “I’ll leave you with this little poem that I used to recite with my young students when I was a teacher. (See if you can spot the big mistake in it.):

“Hearts like doors will ope with ease
To two little words, and the words are these:
Thank you, sir, and if you please.”

Do you see the mistake? Those are six words, not two! I didn’t write it, of course, because in addition to always expressing gratitude, I can also count! But I do very much believe in the sentiment. I know that Erica Gerard Di Bona does, as well. I just wish that everyone did.

My sports-loving self is so happy that the annual summer Wimbledon tennis tournament begins on Monday! Basketball is over for the season, (I’ll delve into this week’s NBA draft next week,) and shockingly…I am not into the World Cup! Soccer is one of the few sports I just cannot get into. Thankfully so, because sports-watching already takes up enough of my time, so I don’t need any more than I’m already interested in.

I always want the Wimbledon towels.

And a lot has been happening in the tennis world since I last wrote about this sport in September. There are a lot of promising newcomers, top guy Carlos Alcaraz is injured and is therefore sitting out for the second Major in a row, and creepy Serena Williams is back, (playing doubles and, in a recent surprise, singles, as well, and, I’m sure, doing so to advertise show-off her Ozempic—or whichever drug she’s taking—weight loss, which she denied for a long time, until she could make money off it!) Even though I can’t stand her, this is the biggest news in the tennis world since someone beat Sabalenka last month!

Before I get off the Serena tip, I have one more catty fun comment on the situation. Because I write about sports so often, many official oddsmakers include me in their missives. So I see a lot of odds in many categories. For example: who will be rookie of the year, what players will be traded and to whom, which teams will win championships the next year, etc. But the most interesting one that I’ve ever received is this one from last week: “What will be Serena Williams’ playing weight at Wimbledon? Over/Under 160 pounds.”

That so cracked me up! Mr. X still can’t get over that in her playing days, when she was clearly close to 200 pounds, she had her weight listed as…a mere 135! He still mentions it when he sees her.

Serena Williams SINCE she’s lost weight! Oysh.

But the rest of the ladies must be quaking in their boots right about now. Since she’s entering as a Wild Card, because she longer has her old-time seeded player status, anyone can be unfortunate to play her in the first round! Anyone!!! That includes even World #1 Aryna Sabalenka! And all of today’s top players, including defending Wimbledon Champion Iga Świątek. So that might be an interesting wrinkle to this usually drama-free tourney.

As to the rest of Wimbledon 2026, perhaps most interestingly, the French Open a couple of weeks ago wound-up with not one, but both first-time Major Champions!!! On the men’s side, #1 Jannik Sinner and #3 Novak Djokovic both were defeated in…the second round!!! #2 Sasha Zverev took advantage, stayed the course, and after losing his first three Major finals over the years, he finally won one. I’m so happy for him.

New first-time French Open Champs, Mirra Andreeva and Jannik Sinner.

The jury is out on my happiness for the women’s winner, young Mirra Andreeva. I’ve seen her be sort-of sweet when she started out, but in recent times, I’ve seen her be a bit nasty.

Mr. X asked me who my top players are now. He knows I’ve never had the same love of the sport since The Stranger I Love Most, Roger Federer, retired. I do sort-of always root for Carlos in Roger’s stead, but he’s out this year. So, even though I have a feeling that Matteo Berrettini will never win a Major, he’s been my guy for several years now, shallowly, I admit, because of his extreme beauty. But the powers-that-be at these tournaments must be jealous of him because they rarely show his matches, (on normal TV—all the matches are available to stream,) unless he makes it so far that they must! Shame.

Just one pic of gorgeous Matteo Berrettini. I’m grateful for the opportunity to research so many images of this man’s beautiful face!

On the Ladies’ side, I have been rooting mainly for Elina Svitolina for several years because A) she’s a really good person, B) she’s Ukrainian, and I would like that country to have every little bit of happiness, and C) I adore her hilarious husband, Gael Monfils, and I always want him to be happy. Outside of Elina, I’ve rooted for Aryna Sabalenka for a few years because she’s so entertaining, both on and off the court. But there are several girls I wouldn’t mind if they won, as well. As long as Serena Williams does not.

No matter what happens, I will be watching it all. And, of course, I plan to tweet about the goings-on as much as I can, so please follow me @MajorCelebrity now if you don’t already. I’ll also do a full wrap-up when it’s all over.

But most of all, I can’t wait for the Finals to savor my yearly Breakfast at Wimbledon strawberries and cream. Yu-um!