This was the easiest gifting event I’ve ever been to in my entire career! I really appreciated it.

Karen Salkin at the 2026 Beauty Convergence. Photo by Roz Wolf.

And as a beauty-loving chick from way back, (my fascination with makeup, skin care, and hair care began when I was 12!,) this one meant even more to me than the usuals because all the gifts were…beauty products! And all the gift givers were experts in their fields, so we guests got to learn a lot, which was a major bonus.

The MUAHS Beauty Convergence VIP Gifting Event was held at the beauty mecca of LA—Smashbox Studios in Culver City—and it seemed like everybody in the beauty business was there. (I’m assuming that the “convergence” in the title refers to the meeting of these beauty brands with the professional makeup artists and hairstylists.) It was actually a preview party ahead of their awards show that will be in February. I love people who don’t wait until the last minute to throw their accompanying fete, so this timing was perfect.

“MUAHS” stands for the Make-Up and Hair Stylists Guild. As a media personality, occasional actress, and sometime talk show guest, I always have the utmost respect for members of that guild. Without them, we would not look our best in the public eye.

Photo of the entrance to the gifting floor by Karen Salkin, as is the one at the top of this page.

As a matter of fact, I’ve never worn face makeup in real life, (of course, I’ve done so when I’ve modeled or been on TV or film,) so at this point in my life, that’s something I’ve been really interested in learning how to do for myself. And many of the product reps at Beauty Convergence were very helpful to me in that area, so I’m especially grateful to have been included in this marvelous event.

The co-writer I brought along is Roz because she’s been talking about how she wanted to discover new lipsticks, so I figured she was the right person for this assignment. She observed, “The ambiance of this place was so cool. Amazing people who create the characters from the world of hair and makeup came together in one place that felt very chic.”

After the easiest check-in ever, we were each handed a fabulous big clear backpack to fill with our discoveries. And they’re perfect for all the concert-goers out there because some music venues say you can carry only a clear bag. So these will get a lot of use from all the hipsters in attendance. (And yes, I just might be one of them.) And then we just walked right onto the gifting floor and went at our own pace. Roz and I were lucky to be there on the early side because the place got really crowded later on. But no one seemed rushed, and there were many small groups of people enjoying their time networking. Everyone appeared to be having a wonderful time. It was all really lovely.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

The most interesting thing to me was that all the company reps seemed delighted to be giving-out their items, whether it was samples or full sizes. And if their gift involved choosing colors, as for lips or skin tones, they were more than happy to help us figure it out.

And I really liked the variety of ways that the different companies made us aware of their products. Some had gift bags all ready for us, chock full of goodies; some had you choose which color(s) you wanted for foundations and lipsticks; some just gave-out little bags with samples in them; and one company even had you spin a wheel to find out what your gift would be! It was a true potpourri of experiences.

Roz and I were fans of all the items we discovered, but we each had a few faves that I want to tell you about. First up are mine:

Photo by Karen Salkin.

As I said at the top, I am a makeup junkie. So my favorite gift was the Self-Love Edition eyeshadow palette from l.ys Beauty. It’s a combination of six perfect flat shades that will enhance everyone’s eye color, and five shimmering ones. I had literally just been looking for the perfect sparkly shadow to use to try out a new eye makeup design, and it appears that this one is it! So next time you see me, I will be looking totally glam.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

When I was a senior in high school, I used to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, just to have extra time to apply my false eyelashes! No lie. My bestie Jill and I would never be seen without them! But then in recent years, I’ve gotten too lazy to spend that extra bit of time. But when I saw all the stunning iterations of lashes at the Ardell Lashes table the other day, including 3-D faux mink ones, I realized that I want to go back to looking glamorous at all times. And the bonus is that a pro lash applicator was included among their generous gifts, so it will be sooo much easier to apply them now.

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Dermasuri was gifting a choice of a body exfoliating cloth or a deep exfoliating foot scrub duo of a spray and a dual-sided foot file. I’ve been walking barefoot so often in my life, ever since I was a teenager in Brooklyn, so, as you can imagine, my feet practically jumped out of their (dead dry) skin when they saw the latter product. So, for perhaps the first time since I was seventeen, I will have my baby soft heels on display.

And here are Roz’s faves. Her comments are the ones in quotes.

Photo by Roz Wolf.

As I said above, she really wanted to discover new lip items, and she got her wish with this one. She says, “I was hoping to find a great lip product, and there it was. Le Mieux makes theirs with ceramide, and it’s a lip glaze, so not exactly a lipstick or gloss. The difference is that a glaze, with all these great ingredients, has a healing effect. I liked the Mulberry color in a rich deep red that can be perfect to match with a fall wardrobe.”

Photo by Karen Salkin.

The reps at the Armani face makeup table were really helpful in choosing the shades that were good for us. And they let each guest pick three of them to take home! Roz says, “I loved the Armani makeup! All that I tried were super silky and brilliant in their total coverage. I was dealing with a minor skin problem on my face, and this product made it just disappear!”

Photo by Karen Salkin.

Roz was already aware of “one of the most well-known brands,” Giovani haircare. She tells us, “The reason it is so enduring is that they always deliver high quality, and their products satisfy the current trend demands. My favorite item from their beautiful black satin bag is a 100% Pure Castor Oil for hair. This is the kind of thing dry damaged hair needs for most occasions. I love how silky it feels.”

Since this event was billed as a “VIP Party” on the invite, I really didn’t know what to expect. So everything about it was a lovely surprise, including the catered snacks over in one corner. It was the first day I’ve been hungry in a really long time, so I was actually thrilled. A selection of fruits, cheeses, and crackers was on one high-top table, a giant tray of fresh veggies was on the next, and salami, turkey, prosciutto, pickles, onions, and all kinds of bread were on the third. Roz said, “The food was perfectly displayed; it was well thought-out, so people didn’t hoover on one table.”  And they had desserts over in another area. There were little coffee cakes, all kinds of cookies, cherries, and the best brownies I’ve ever had in my whole life. It was a great little pick-me-up in the middle of the day.

Some of the snacks. Photo by Roz Wolf.

There was also a pretty bar set up with not only beverages, but very interesting energy bars and flavored waters. It seems like the organizers thought of everything to keep us hydrated, full, and happy to have the energy for all the meeting-and-greeting. I seriously loved it all.

The professional makeup artists and hairstylists had their own designated time there the next day, and I was invited to that one, as well. I really wish I hadn’t already had plans because I would have loved to be there again, to chat with them all.

Suffice it to say that I was bowled-over by all the easygoing gifting, and appreciative of the entire MUAHS Beauty Convergence experience. And now I look forward to their awards event in February. If they have a category of “Best Usage of All These VIP Gifts,” I hope I’m nominated!

Now I’ve officially seen everything! In a good way. If you think you’ve seen it all, I’m here to tell you—unless you have participated in a fabulous Diner En Blanc, you have not.

This event was definitely mysterious, and truth be told, some of it is still a mystery to me, such as its raison d’etre. In the month leading up to it, everyone kept asking me what Diner En Blanc is about. And for once, I literally had no idea. And now that I’ve attended it…I still don’t! But that doesn’t matter at all because it was honestly the most special event I’ve ever been to! And, in my very looong career as a bon vivette, that’s saying something.

The official “waving of the napkins.” Photo courtesy of Diner en Blanc.

The whole thing was sort of Fellini-esque. And it reminded some of Mardi Gras, including Mr. X, who wasn’t even there! He was just going by my tales of it when I got home. I felt like I was in the 1966 movie Blow-up. (Okay, someone stop me already!)

I’ll explain this utterly unique event as best I can, and then you can always go to their site for more information, so that no matter where in the world you are, you don’t miss the next one. (Link at the bottom of this article.)

The guy in the middle won the night for me. Photo courtesy of Diner en Blanc.

Diner En Blanc is a sporadic international dinner-dancing-entertainment event, which began in Paris, (of course,) in 1988. From what I understand, it takes place in different cities from year-to-year.

As fascinating as it all is, the organization has many strict rules for attendance. But half the fun is following them!!! For example, attendees must wear all white; not cream, not oyster, not off-white, not bone, not even French vanilla! Just real white! (And everyone, I’m sure quite happily, did so on Saturday night!) I love playing dress-up, so that was perfect for me. (But I had not noticed that this year’s theme was “La Belle Époque,” so I missed-out on rocking lace and pearls! I could have even come up with several pairs of gloves had I known!)

This was the most visually stunning event, created almost entirely by the attendees! Guests either rent tables and chairs, which the organizers set-up on-site before the arrivals, or choose to…bring their own! (And many people do!) The same with the food, linen, and tableware. But the gorgeous and creative decorations are all up to each pair or group of diners. It’s really amazing what some guests do. Several people come up with unbelievably elaborate creations. For just that one night! A good part of the enjoyment is the setting-up. And then everyone is able to go around and gush over each other’s attire, repast, and table decor. (And I’m happy to say that one rule is that everyone has to clean-up after themselves. You can leave nothing behind. As a hater of litterbugs, I very much appreciate that.)

This group was the most fabulous for not only that incredible table structure, but for decorating their chairs with ribbons! Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one at the top of this page.

The most intriguing part of the entire evening is that the exact location is always a mystery! The ticket holders get a text a couple of hours before the start time letting them know where it is. (In this case, all we knew ahead of time is that it was somewhere in LA, but I believe that it’s never too far away and within the parameters of the host city.)

This location, right in front of the majestic Beverly Hills City Hall, was cleverly chosen. It was smack dab in the middle of Beverly Hills, right across from the renowned Wallis theatre, on a street that is very easy to get to, and it being closed to traffic didn’t really inconvenience drivers in the area. And best of all, the expected heat didn’t affect the festivities there! Wow. I had been a tad trepidatious about attending because of LA’s current brutal heatwave, so when the secret location was revealed a couple of hours earlier, my friend and I were thrilled; the Westside of LA is soooo much cooler than Downtown or the Valley. So I’m sure we all thank whoever picked it for that wise choice.

Last Saturday night’s Diner En Blanc was all so magical and well-organized. It was even exciting just seeing lines of all-white-clad peeps walking along Santa Monica Boulevard to the venue! I’m still in shock that even in jaded Los Angeles, over 1,100 people showed-up for this oh-so-different and entertaining event. The guest list was comprised of all (adult) ages, ethnicities, and persuasions; it was a beautiful blend of humanity, all there for the same purpose of having a great time. And everyone got along perfectly.

The guests arriving. Photo courtesy of Diner en Blanc.

And, although the first word is “dinner” in French, (the complete title is “Dinner In White,” for you non-Francophones,) it’s not solely an enchanting dinner party—there are soooo many aspects to it! I want to go back and relive them all! There are a duo of mainstays for Diner En Blanc, bookending the dinner portion of the event. First is the “waving of the white cloth napkins” to start the dining off. It is quite the sight. And then, to signal the end of the eating and beginning of the dancing, they hand out gigantic 36” sparklers, and we all light them at the same time. (Good thing the food is over because I used to put them on top of birthday cakes instead of candles, which made the frosting taste like sulphur! So please use that as a cautionary tale.)

There was also a tarot reader, a portrait artist, a photo booth, (which I feel bad I never got to,) a live female singer, a great DJ, and a juggler, (whom I also shamefully missed.) But I’m especially sad that we didn’t stay for the dancing. The DJ was playing great music, just like in my old hip-hop clubs, so I would have loved to dance the night away. But my friend really wanted to go, and I always try to accommodate my guests. So I may need the krump dancing Mr. X to come with me next time—we always close down the dance floor!

Monica Castaneda and Karen Salkin at the end of the Diner En Blanc. Photo by Victoria Westbrook.

I also want to make this point: In a town where so many are envious of what the next person has, everyone who participates in Diner En Blanc should be very pleased with their own lives that they have pals who are happy to do this distinctive event together. I sincerely mean that.

Towards the end of the festivities, I got to chat for a bit with one of the event hosts, Monica Castaneda. She told me that the organization plans to bring Diner En Blanc back to LA in…March! After not being held here for seven years before last week’s rendition, that’s great news to all of its SoCal fans, including the newest one, yours truly! I’m already planning my new wardrobe for it! (Will Winter White be an accepted shade?)

Here’s the link to learn more about the entire organization, and where they’ll be heading next: losangeles.dinerenblanc.com/city. Bon appetit!

I have rarely seen such an upbeat audience as the one on opening night of Puppet Up! at the Montalban theatre in Hollywood last weekend! This one was actually more than appreciative—their collective spirit was on stage with the performers.

Photo by Omar Gaieck, as is the one of Brian Henson above.

The show itself is a tad hard to explain fully. But creator Brian Henson, (yes, son of the legendary puppeteer-extraordinaire, Jim Henson,) told us in his very informative pre-curtain speech that the concept is “improv for adults, with puppets,” which just about sums it up. (And, as “improv” often secretly means, do not bring the kids, as many of the audience suggestions can get more than a tad risqué. Actually, no one under sixteen is allowed in.)

Puppet Up! has actually been going on for over two decades! How am I just hearing of it now??? So, to make sure all of you are in the know, I’m here to catch you up. There’s a cast of about seven, (from the list of performers on their site, it appears that they switch around from time to time,) who create the short scenes based on suggestions from the audience. We get to watch them actually work the puppets right out in the open on the stage, (which is rare,) and at the same time see only the puppets on two giant screens at the top of the stage. It’s all pretty fascinating.

The stage with the giant screen sabove it. Photo by Karen Salkin.

These artists are all uber-talented! They come up with so much clever and witty repartee, and do all the acting/singing/dancing on their own, all the while holding their puppets up high above their heads, to fit on the screen. That just blew my mind. It’s hard enough to be a puppeteer, and it’s hard enough to do improv. But to do both arts together is just bonkers. I still cannot wrap my head around how they make these inanimate objects have all the wonderful facial expressions that they do. It’s truly amazing.

And they change puppets for each brief segment. Everyone I saw it with went the most crazy over the skinny hot dog puppets, which I also fell in love with. (And the lobby concession stand sells them! I kind-of regret not bringing a couple home for myself.) As adorbs as they are as puppets, seeing them made me crave real hot dogs, with ketchup and onions, for the rest of the weekend! (I realized afterwards that they sell them upstairs, as well.)

The cast with the hot dog puppets. Photo from the Puppet Up! site.

I was in awe of the entire cast, (how could anyone not be?,) but the standouts for me were Peggy Etra and Sarah Oh. I think I noticed them because they not only seemed to be involved in most of the action, but they are very good singers, to boot.

As a founding member of the Laugh Factory Players improv troupe back in the day, I can testify to just how hard it is to do improv all the time, and make it different from show to show for the enthusiastic audience members who show-up every week. And I cannot even begin to imagine doing what we did while holding a puppet above my head, and looking at a screen to make the spacing right for the interactions with the other characters! These Puppet Up! performers possess genuinely outrageous abilities. (And their arms must really hurt. My friend Marc said he hopes that they have a physical therapist backstage.)

The cast has some on-stage assistance along the way. The proceedings are hosted by the co-creator and director of Puppet Up!, Patrick Bristow, who is very entertaining and keeps it all running smoothly. And there is a lone musician, Willie Etra, (with the same last name as Peggy, so perhaps they are related,) who is off to the side and unobtrusive; since the cast sings every now and then, he’s quite helpful.

Patrick Bristow in front of the wall of puppets. Photo by Omar Gaieck.

My two favorite parts of the show were, very surprisingly to me, the bits they did with audience members, (which can always be iffy.) Patrick invited one couple, Sarah and Jason, to the stage, and had the puppets act out their first date. The couple had to ring a bell for the parts the puppeteers got right, and hit a buzzer for the parts they got wrong. It was really hilarious. And quite by coincidence, the girl puppet had on the same outfit as Sarah! I got a kick out of that.

I also enjoyed an audience member named Carrie, who was quickly taught to operate a puppet herself, and then featured in the next sketch. She really did a good, understated job, which gave the puppeteers a lot to work off. And she looked adorable doing it—she was rocking a very cute dress and attractive flat shoes. (I wish that every audience member in the world would look like that even when it’s a casual event, such as this one is. But trust me on this—you can wear anything to this show. I’ve never seen so many people in shorts and T-shirts and caps in my life! But keep in mind that you may be one of the people brought up to the stage, so you may want to look a tad better than that.) I love that all the chosen participants received puppets for being good sports!

The troupe also recreated a few of Jim Henson’s classic routines from the ‘50s and ‘60s, so we got to see some of his early brilliance. One bit, to the song I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face, and another to Windy, seem so simple at first, but then take us by such astonishing surprise. The guffaws for those two were some of the deepest laughs of the whole night when I saw the show.

And in a fun coincidence for me, they did a spoof of the old classic TV series, The Dating Game, a segment of which Mr. X and I had watched on-line, for the first time ever, just the night before! (In our defense, it had come up on the side of a video we were looking at, and I noticed that Sally Field was on it, so I just had to check it out! Of course.) So I especially enjoyed that Puppet Up! bit.

A giant blue muppet for everyone to take pix with in the lobby. Photo by Karen Salkin.

One note about the Montalban. Even though it’s far from the most attractive or easiest theater out there, I have a soft spot in my heart for it for a couple of reasons. One is that, because Mr. X did a show with him way back in the day, I had the great pleasure of meeting the lovely Ricardo Montalban, and I can tell you that he was one of the nicest gentlemen I have ever met in my entire life, in or out of show business. The other is that I’ve been going to this theater since way back when it was the Doolittle, and it’s where I met my first theater PR person, who started inviting me to many of the important productions around town. He was just inviting me as a fan of my nutty TV show, without even asking me to review them, but since I don’t believe in being just a taker, I started reviewing them, and that’s how my whole career as a theatre critic began. So I love that place. I have so many fun memories there.

But I had not been there in a couple of years, except for parties on the rooftop, so I have to tell you that they totally updated that space on the level right above the lobby. There’s now a pretty beverage bar right in the center of it, and then a snack bar on one side. It’s all very hip and happening now. But I do have to warn you away from the popcorn. It was literally the worst popcorn I’ve ever had. They have one of those big popping machines right there, so I don’t understand how they wound-up with that tasteless, cardboard-textured product! (The last time I had been in this theater, which was a little over two years ago, I ended my review of that event with, “I just can’t wait to get back to The Montalban for that popcorn!” So obviously someone forgot how to make it between then and now.) I suggest that you all should instead get just a hotdog and a soda and a bag of candy, or just enjoy the presentation without snacks. You really don’t need any refreshments for this one. You might choke on them while laughing so hard!

You have only this coming weekend left to see Puppet Up! in Los Angeles, so don’t miss it. If you can wrest tickets from the gazillion ardent fans of the show, that is.

Puppet Up! running through August 9, 2026
The Montalban Theatre
1615 Vine Street, Hollywood
www.puppetup.com

This happened about a month ago, so I was not planning on writing about my hospital stay. But then I realized that I had the time to do it this week, and I wanted to laud the Cedars-Sinai personnel who were particularly helpful. And maybe impart some wisdom to you for your own future hospital visits, (which I sincerely hope you never need,) as well.

This pic is just to lighten the mood a bit. Doesn’t this device at the end of my bed look a bit like Wall-E? Or some other robot? Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one above.

Just to end the curiosity and not be mysterious about it, I had another TIA (mini-stroke.) It had been a decade and a half since my first one, so it was quite a shock. (But I think my health is status quo now—knock on wood—so please don’t worry about me.)

Like an idiot, (because I should have known better,) I did not go to the hospital right away, which I’ll warn you about in a bit. But, the next day, when I told my Stroke Neurologist what had happened, he basically insisted that I jump right up and go. The part I hate is that, even though the plan was already to admit me at least overnight, I had to go in through the Emergency Room, which is the part that gave me pause to begin with. Besides that I detest that experience for myself, I’ve been told that I’m an Empath, therefore seeing so many people be miserable and in great pain literally hurts my insides. It’s awful. I’m sad for everyone.

But once I got to my room, (four hours later!,) the experience picked-up, due to the personnel. Actually, the goodness began in the ER, with the guy who checked my vitals, the young female ER doctor, the girl who made sure to give me privacy amongst the crowd while she asked me all the important questions, and a caring nurse named Rachel, who even voluntarily accompanied me to my room, because that bit happened right after the trauma of them attempting to give me the wrong test!!!

The info on the wall of my room. Photo by Karen Salkin.

I was put in a unit that was not the stroke wing; I was told it had something to do with the ER, and trust me, it featured much less luxurious accommodations. But luckily for me, it had so many kind people, who could really have reason to be crabby. Each person had something to offer. My faves were my daytime nurse Kaitlyn, (who put up with me the most,) my overnight nurse Darwin, and “Clinical Partner” Ruby, who gasped when she noticed my age on my “chart!” Wait—that should actually make her my #1 favorite! (And I looked brutally bad those two days! I told Mr. X that I looked like “a prune in a wrinkly sack.”) But really, they all took great care of me.

I even made a wonderful discovery, courtesy of Jael, the girl who did my very first diagnostic test, and the young chaplain, Joey. People just came in and out of my room all day and night, and Joey showed-up and told me he was “the chaplain.” After I calmed down from thinking that meant I was going to die, (as it does on all hospital TV shows,) I explained that I was Jewish. And, as it turned-out, so is he!!! I thought chaplains were always some other denomination. My bad.

So I started sharing with Joey how, when I had told Jael the night before that I always want to give people the respect of learning their names, she had talked to me about how each and every name has a meaning. So Joey asked if I knew my Jewish name, which, shockingly, I do! And when I told him that it’s “Chaya,” he excitedly told me that it means…life! I love that! Or course. But I should have known, and celebrated, that fact my entire life, (get it?,) because I’m so into the number 18 because it is the symbol for the word “chai,” which means—say it with me—life! (As in “l’chaim—to life!”) All this proves that it’s never too late to learn.

The strange little man icon on my IV tape! (He’s upside-down, to try to fool me!) Photo by Karen Salkin.

And then there was Lauren, the really fun girl who did my Transcranial Doppler test. She and I started writing a mystery movie on the spot when we spied a tiny little man icon on…the tape holding my IV needle in place!!! OMG. (It’s a good tale, so watch for it in a few years. From my mouth to God’s ears, right?) By the way—Lauren is the only person in the world who has ever heard my brain!!! I’m sure she’s honored. (That’s a pic of it at the top of this page.)

And let’s not forget my fabulous stroke doctor, Dr. Konrad Schlick. One of the reasons I chose him lo those many years ago is that…we have the same initials! No lie. But I truly lucked-out because he’s the best doctor ever! And when he knocked on my door that next morning, in regular person attire, I thought he was just a cute young guy who was coming to bring me something! But he was kindly there to assess my health. He could have just sent a member of his team to do it, so I really appreciate that he was the one to discuss my brain with me, especially because I did not at all care for the other two neurologists the hospital sent to talk to me. I had forgotten how un-charming many health care professionals can be.

My first night’s mystery dinner. Photo by Karen Salkin.

There were actually only a quartet of less-than-fabulous aspects to my stay. The first was that I had to disappoint a friend by having to cancel on her for an event that second night. The docs had promised to try their best to get me out of there in time to go, but it wasn’t even close. (I was finally released at around 9PM the second night, and I can’t tell you how depressing it is to leave a hospital at night instead of in the daytime. Better than spending another night there, but still…)

The second not great thing was the food. Ugh! Cedars-Sinai is the most prestigious hospital in all of California, yet I had better food in the lunchroom of a poor little Rhode Island elementary school when I was first teaching!!! Unfortunately, that’s not even close to an exaggeration. This fare was literally disgusting. I was starving by the time I got to my room on the first day, but I could not even eat the mystery spaghetti that they brought me. I just know there has to be a separate kitchen for the many celebs who stay there. Right? I doubt that Elizabeth Taylor was given this slop. Thank goodness I was smart enough to buy a cookie on the way to the hospital!!!

My room–see what I mean? Photo by Karen Salkin.

The third thing was more weird than bad. It’s that in my room, right next to my bed, was…a toilet!!! It took me several hours to realize that there was a slight curtain you could pull around you when you had to go! I sort-of loved having the facilities literally one step away because I’m a lazy bugger. But it also reminded me of a prison cell, which was sort-of frightening.

But the worst thing for me was that I was there for both nights of the NBA Draft, and the TV did not have…ESPN! At tony Cedars-Sinai hospital!!! How was that even possible?! Even all the doctors were shocked by that development! So what’s a resourceful gal to do? What did I watch on my room’s television screen instead, you might ask? The answer is…the foodservice menus! Of course. Have ya met me??? Fortunately they were sort-of long, so it took me a while to get through them. And memorize them. And plan my lengthy orders!

One of the food menus…on the TV screen!!! Photo by Karen Salkin.

Okay, now here’s my warning about health knowledge and action. If you’re experiencing something iffy, no matter how much you hate hospitals, especially emergency rooms, go to the hospital! Do not delay! They really are there to help. And don’t drive yourself. If you have time and are not going far, and have someone there with you, have them drive. But if it appears serious at all, call an ambulance! Your health is more important than whatever it costs. And if you think it’s a stroke, tell them that because each town has certain hospitals set up to deal with them correctly. (Here’s the article I wrote on stroke prevention, with more info that everyone should know: itsnotaboutme.tv/news/health-stroke-prevention.)

And here are several tips for you once you’re inside the hospital: Always wear a mask. Don’t worry about being a pain in the butt if you need to ring the nurse’s bell for assistance. Be nice. Learn people’s names. Order everything you possibly can in a meal. And then keep what you can’t eat because you may need it later. Ask for more pillows and blankets. You have a right to know everything about your own care. Ask for amenities because they most likely will not give them out voluntarily. Ask every question you can about your own health and care. Don’t settle for a doctor you do not care for; always ask for another one. And most of all—do not be hungry when you’re going to stay at Cedars!!!

Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills always brings us something interesting, and this time, it’s the U.S. premiere of prolific Canadian playwright Norm Foster’s three-character comedy, Lakefront.

Daniel Leslie and Mouchette van Helsdingen. Photo by Eric Keitel, as is the one above.

For once, I’m going to tell you the premise of the play because, even though it’s totally funny, it may not be for everyone. The play takes place over one weekend, in a cabin in Canada where a couple of seniors who barely know each other are planning to have sex. So I’m either attracting you or warning you, depending on whether or not you’re a fan of hearing abut senior sex for a couple of hours.

The sixty-eight-year-old woman, (played by pretty Mouchette van Helsdingen,) and the seventy-year-old man, (played by Daniel Leslie,) had met recently, and decide to go away for a couple of days to have sex to remind themselves that they can still be attractive. Or something like that. However, unless the seniors are Pierce Brosnan and Sharon Stone, this is not my kind of topic. But I was already a fan of a few of Norm Foster’s other seventy-five plays, so I never even checked-out what it’s about before I went. All I knew was that it was sure to have a bunch of laughs, which it did.

As a matter of fact, I brought along my friend Marc, because I felt that he could really use a laugh right about now, (his precious dog had very recently passed away,) and he loved the show! He laughed the entire time; the evening at Theatre 40 was exactly what he needed.

I had seen Mouchette and Daniel in other plays before, and reviewed them favorably, and they’re equally good in this one. But the best parts of the play are when Michael Gabiano, as the nutty, naive cabin-keeper of sorts, Duane, shows-up! The action picks-up every time he enters! After his first scene, the audience knows what’s coming with each knock on the door.

Mouchette van Helsdingen, Michael Gabiano, and Daniel Leslie. Photo by Eric Keitel.

The only issue I have with the acting is that Daniel keeps trying, with little success, to do a Canadian accent-–because the writer is from that country, and therefore the play takes place there—but it’s sooo distracting. The poor man tries so hard, but he’s not really very close to it. It would be better if he would use it for just a bit, like when he says the word “sorry,” which is quite often, but he’s trying to do something weird on words such as “have” and “cabin,” and that’s just confusing. Mr. X’s family is from Canada, so I’ve spent a lot of time there, including living in Mississauga, Calgary, and Edmonton, (love their humongous mall!,) for little bits, and Toronto for one whole summer while he was starring in the National Tour of They’re Playing Our Song, and I never heard anybody talk the way that this guy does. And, when only one character who lives in that same area has an accent that’s supposed to be native to that area, it works even less.

But I enjoyed the experience overall. Lakefront features yet another excellent set from Jeff G. Rack. Marc said to tell you that he got the setting of the play right away, just from seeing the set design!

The set, before the show, with the main lights off, yet still fabulous! Photo by Karen Salkin.

I always appreciate special little touches, and in the case of Lakefront, it’s that there is mainly Canadian music in-between the scenes. One time it was Gordon Lightfoot singing If You Could Read My Mind, then there was Murray McLauchlan’s Revelation, and also a few instrumental chords of a Neil Young song.

The play did get a tad long, which is not the fault of this theatre—I believe that they have to do it as written. I feel that it should end with a little scene about tea; that would be a charming conclusion.

And, as much as I’m a fan of Foster’s writing, in general, I don’t get the title of this one. Yes, it takes place in a supposed “lakefront” cabin, but that’s about it. There is one tiny bit in the script about that location, but nothing more. And that brief mention is definitely not significant to the narrative. It’s absolutely no big deal—I’m just sayin’.

Here’s one little tip about your visit to Theatre 40 this summer: It’s freezing in the theater, which is good if you are in need of air-conditioning in this heat. It would be less expensive for you to buy a ticket and spend time in there than to go to a mall for their A/C and wind-up buying a bunch of unnecessary junk! But I strongly suggest that everyone definitely bring some heavy clothing when you go. One little woman in the front row was not only wearing heavy pants, a shirt, and a sweater, but she brought one of those wintery puffy jackets, and put it on within five minutes! This will explain the temperature in there: I was so cold that I was envious of the actress’ winter wardrobe! I kept wondering if I could be fast enough to run up on stage and grab her coat between scenes! So heed my warning to dress in layers.

Lakefront running through August 23, 2026
Theatre 40  241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills
310-364-0535 www.theatre40.org

My love affair with Los Angeles is the longest of my life! It actually predates the beginning of my stalking of obsession with dating Mr. X by three days!

I have a full day of interesting obligations planned for today, so I doubt that I can fit in my almost-annual *ride up and down PCH, which always resets my soul. So I’m a tad sad that I’ll miss doing it on my exact anniversary. But I’ll be getting so much done, things that I’ve been putting off due to my extreme laziness, that I’ll be happy with the day, anyhow. Knock on wood.

One of my previous anniversary trips down PCH. Photo by Karen Salkin.

*[Note: This is my anniversary drive: I go up PCH to a bit past Malibu, and then turn around and drive back down the entire coast pretending that it’s my very first time doing so, to emulate that long-ago July 27. I then take the 10 freeway to the 405 to Westwood, and go through the village to the first apartment building that I ever stayed in LA! And the entire time, I play the song that I heard on the radio the most back then. That whole experience is just the best!]

Karen Salkin, in a recent year, at her first apartment building. Photo by INAM staff.

Back to the present, one of those things that I’ll be doing today will be taking care of my health in a big way, so hopefully that will add another hundred years to my time in my beloved adopted home. So it’s all a win.

So many more things keep occurring to me to say to celebrate the occasion, but I have to get started on this busy day, so I’ll leave it here for now.

And now all of you have something to celebrate today—and that is: that you have to read only my shortest column ever! Yay!

So Happy Anniversary to LA and ME! I wish us many, many more happy years decades together.

I guess that even I can be wrong every now and then. Since the saga of where LeBron James would go once he announced he was leaving the Lakers on June 30th, I was just about positive that he would go back to Cleveland because that’s where he’s from, the Cavaliers were his first NBA team, and it would be so poetic for him to end his career there.

LeBron James. looking as confused as the rest of us!

And, when he didn’t announce his decision right away, it hit me that perhaps he would be going to the Miami Heat because that’s where he won his first championship, and that would have a symmetry of its own. But even though I love Giannis Antetokounmpo, I really didn’t think that LeBron would mesh with him as a winning duo down there. But I personally love Pat Riley because of meeting him back in the day, (which I’ll explain in a minute,) so I could see LeBron wanting to reunite with that man. But it just wasn’t sitting right for me.

Never for one second did I really consider that he would want to play on the geriatric Golden State Warriors, although the rest of the world seemed to. I’m sure that he really respects Steph Curry—who doesn’t—but even though Draymond Green always says that he and LeBron are such good friends, I did not think that LeBron would put up with Draymond’s terrible behavior on the court. LeBron wants to play the game the right way.

So then, when I read a statement from LeBron, true or not, (because I don’t trust anything on the internet these days,) saying that the decision would be up to his young daughter, I thought, “Uh-oh—he’s going back to Miami because what little girl would want to live in Cleveland instead of Miami?”

So I woke up this morning to a text from Mase, my new bestie in Arizona, saying, “Kinda wish he went back to the Cavs, to be honest.” I was more than half asleep, but I sat straight up and went, “Oh no!” So I looked up what was happening and the first thing I read was that his “storybook ending would take place in Miami instead of Cleveland.” Sad as I was, I still felt the need to contribute to this breaking news, so I jumped out of bed and wrote a whole article about him going to Miami Heat. My angle was that I believe that Giannis was getting them to put his two brothers on the team as part of his deal, and then I assumed that LeBron was going to get them to put his son on the team, as well. And then that would already be five people making up the Antetokounmpo-LeBron heat!

The new look Sixers!

So, of course, as I always do, I checked my sources once again to make sure I had it all right, and what did I see? That LeBron himself says he’s going to the Philadelphia 76ers! Even though I know that people had written that that was a possibility all along, I had really never considered it could be a reality. He has no connection to the team, I don’t think that Joel Embiid wants to give up being the star, and I can’t imagine that LeBron’s daughter really wants to live in Philadelphia.

So I’m left scratching my head over this whole situation. Except for maybe that he wanted to play with the Sixers’ other new acquisition, Jaylen Brown, (previously the co-star of the Celtics, who sort-of screwed him, even though he was the Finals MVP just two yeas ago!) Perhaps that’s it.

But Zhuri is just eleven-years-old, so she won’t be a teenager for two more years, by which time LeBron will be forty-three and will supposedly finally stop playing. So maybe she really did not have a say about where her dad was going to go. Or maybe she’s just a fan of Philly cheesesteaks.

Here’s LeBron’s whole statement this morning:

“I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and deicide if I still love this game. I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.

“The last few weeks have really been special. I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think. I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out. This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point?

“I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time. Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!” [Note: I left his statement as is, as hard as it is for me to not correct his spelling and grammar mistakes!]

Another puzzler–why did it take LeBron 4 tweets to put out his entire statement??? Is he not on the “premium plan,” where they allow many more characters than they do to us mere mortals???

I have to say that the whole thing is very strange to me. Why would he choose a team he’s never been on, a city he’s never lived in, and players he’s never played with except maybe for a second in an All-Star Game? We’ve never heard that he’s friends with anyone connected to that team at all, and even if they offered more money, which I don’t think is the case, I just can’t imagine what was in his mind. I really can’t. (But perhaps they included a good deal for Bronny to join him. Just sayin’.)

So I’m rooting for the Cavaliers more than I already do because I feel bad that LeBron rejected them once again. He and Donovan Mitchell would have been perfect together because Donovan really needs someone who has equal skills to his own, and he seems so wonderful and down to earth that he wouldn’t have even minded if LeBron was actually the first star of that team. Donovan has been my favorite player for several years now, (well, trading off with Luka Dončić from time to time,) and he will stay that way. That would have been a match made in heaven, everyone would’ve rooted for LeBron even more for being so loyal to his hometown, and it would have been his third time on that team so there would’ve been some magic numerology to the situation, as well. Oh well.

Perhaps LeBron is planning to recreate this duo in Philly. Just sayin’.

One more thing about this whole LeBron James odyssey. On Tuesday night, a livestream link titled “LeBron James Introductory Press Conference | July 27, 2026” by the Miami Heat was leaked, which indicated that there would be a press conference to announce LeBron was coming to them. They said they released it by accident, but it does mean that they had it ready. So that was either because he really was going to them, or that they were setting it up just in case, as publications do for celebrities’ obituaries. They always want to have them ready at a moments notice. It wasn’t a major deal, either way.

I guess we’ll be seeing a lot more of this image this coming NBA season!

Here’s one little personal note that I left till the end because I didn’t want my own Pat Riley story to muddle my thoughts on LeBron right now. Back when I was doing my TV show, Karen’s Restaurant Revue, grown-up celebrities Angie Dickinson and Jackie Collins invited Mr. X and me to this big charity dinner. Pat Riley was one of the people on the dais, and people at my table kept telling me that he was staring at me, which I had no idea what that meant. I have to admit that I was cute back in the day, so there was no shock if a male looked at me. And then about a year later, I was invited to the big dinner for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s retirement from the Lakers, and at the end of the night, I was speaking to Martin Mull’s wife, Wendy, when I felt an arm go around me, and Wendy’s face went white. So when I looked up to see who had his arm around me, it was none other than Pat Riley! I was so shocked that I really couldn’t form words. He knew I was struggling, so he offered by explanation, “You’re my favorite talk show person!” I almost passed out. And then we talked for a few minutes and said we’d see each other again soon. But it wasn’t soon. It was a year or two later when I was invited to be on the stage with him at some special honor he was receiving in LA. So that was special to me too. And then he was gone to Miami and all I’m left with is the memories. I’m kidding about that dramatic line, of course, but we will always have those three encounters.

These are what I’ve been typing this whole article with! Photo by Mr. X.

The last thing I’m going to say about LeBron’s decision is this: I’ve never minded the Philadelphia 76ers. I actually used to root for them when they had first Dr. J and then Charles Barkley, of course. And ever since then, I just haven’t cared about them one way or the other. I want to say that I wish him luck there, but I sort-of really don’t, because I feel like he screwed Cleveland once again, as he did back in the day when he left them the first time. I’m thinking that maybe he still has a grudge against their owner, Dan Gilbert, because he talked very badly about LeBron when he left the first time, so maybe LeBron was just trying to do one last slap in Gilbert’s face. It’s just a thought.

So there you have it. I’m just kind-of sad about the whole thing. So I’ll leave it here. And by the way—I would have published this about an hour earlier if I hadn’t just put fake nails on last night, which is making it extremely difficult for me to type. Just being honest here, as always.

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