Doug

Holy shit this album is so good on first listen - Maggots For Brains and Expectations are absolute smashes!! The Cure is actually one of my least favourites on the album along with a couple of the ballads which don't do as much for me as the Sour ballads did. But this album in general probably had as much as much punch on first listen as Sour did for me, certainly better than Guts which was good but not as powerful.

Yeah I agree completely, Vekic is potentially one of the biggest landmines on grass that any player could face when in form and I’ve not been watching her play this tournament, but if she’s in the same form she’s been in all year then Katie should on paper have no problem against her. What’s helped Vekic is a pretty easy draw including a walkover, I don’t think she’s been properly tested here yet. I’d love to think that Emma could win both matches today but according to the order of play, if she does beat Rakhimova then the gap between finishing and starting again won’t be as big as Katie’s and I can imagine the fatigue hitting her more. Plus as you say Jovic seems to have a pretty big grass friendly game and has had a huge rise over the year - Anisimova being out of form has helped her get one step further but I can absolutely see Emma falling to her, potentially Katie too but the latter has more fire behind her recently.

+5: Hate That I Made You Love Me +4: I Knew It I Knew You +3: Midnight Sun +2: Dracula +1: Go -1: The Cure -2: Rein Me In -3: Billie Jean -4: Beat It -5: Janice STFU

Katie getting her biggest career win so far in Rybakina AND it being the second match she played in one day, maybe tennis is healing!!

Mother 🙏🏻 we don’t need to announce the rest of the cast - the winner is right there.

Avril was robbed on SO many occasions.

Yippee-Ki-Yay absolutely robbed here!! T-Pain’s addition is so much fun and I’ve got so much love for him as a rapper who always delivers and is on our side. Hope the original does better at least! Also sad that My First Kiss and Dirty Picture didn’t do much better.

08 // Girls Aloud - Biology 10 // Sugababes - Red Dress 09 // Gwen Stefani - What You Waiting For? 08 // The Pussycat Dolls - Don't Cha (feat. Busta Rhymes) 11 // Charlotte Church - Crazy Chick 10 // Britney Spears - Toxic 07 // Ashlee Simpson - Boyfriend 09 // P!nk - Trouble 06 // t.A.T.u. - All About Us 10 // Rachel Stevens - Some Girls 09 // Atomic Kitten - The Tide Is High (Get The Feeling) 07 // Louise - Pandora's Kiss 07 // Dannii Minogue & The Soul Seekerz - Perfection 10 // Mis-teeq - Can't Get It Back 07 // Lindsay Lohan - Over 09 // Nelly Furtado - Turn Off the Light 10 // Ciara - Goodies (feat. Petey Pablo) 10 // Amerie - 1 Thing 10 // Rihanna - Pon De Replay Some absolute all-time classics on this one once again! I spent a good few minutes torn between Crazy Chick and Pon De Replay but just had to break it on the former being Charlotte’s best song while Riri has a few better songs, even if it is a timeless banger.

AS2 - Roxxxy had no business being anywhere near the final, she did terrible week after week and the format allowed her to make it there based off Alaska and/or Detox always doing well. AS3 - lesser extent here but Kennedy was the outright worst in several challenges similarly to Roxxxy and as you said the lipstick for top 2 built her and Trixie up further than they should have ended up (in hindsight it’s actually pretty relieving that Shangela didn’t make it - Bendela eliminating herself was sadly out of anyone’s hands, she was the winner of this season in my mind) AS4 - little explanation needed, a finalist who sucked for the most part milking the format when it came into her hands and a joint-winner who also had no business being there while the one who performed the best throughout was the biggest casualty of this format. For the one challenge Manila didn’t do so well, Naomi had several. AS5 - the only series where it actually worked out fairly and quality made the final or at least got close. I agree with Liam - the beaver/chippy may be a tactical fiddle for those in the wrong hands (looking at you Canada S6) but at least it allows the queens in trouble to put up a fight to save themselves and if they choose not to (e.g. Sminty) then it’s fully on them.

No to the lipstick format returning, it results well for absolutely no one and imo it allowed for shoddy finals. The bracket system isn’t perfect but at least it allows everyone to have a bit of a moment - controversial take but I’d definitely have some sanctioning on the MVQ points so it’s more relied on queens doing well to advance. Lady C dominating her bracket I do hope so!! I can’t abide Luxx or Plane at all but I can’t see either of them not destroying their bracket too, I hope to be proven wrong (unless it’s Joella, also no thank you)

Flavio Letdown Cobolli. Tennis is ruined. Pass the noose

The womanbeater said that if he loses this final then he’s retiring because he knows he’ll never have an opportunity to win a slam like this again, correct! Stakes are higher now Flavio come on and win it for everybody 👏

I applied just because but got rejected, no surprise beside the rejection coming on a Saturday 😅

Absolutely thrilled for Mirra!! So deserved, Maja’s game just doesn’t have enough oomph to it at all but good on her for having a decent run. Flávio to get the same success tomorrow pls

Dirty Love is an absolute banger but would be perfect if it wasn’t for Iggy’s contribution, I imagine that’s why it’s not so popular.

Flávio Cobolli I need you to lock IN to this match on Sunday and be a legend. Absolutely cannot deal with Z****v winning a slam, he shouldn’t even be allowed to play. Rooting for Mirra to come through tomorrow afternoon, she really deserves this with the trajectory she’s been on. Maja has had a great run and a great story behind her, but I’m just not sure if she’ll back the results up with consistency - if she wins this but doesn’t bother doing anything during the grass season I’ll be annoyed.

+5: Hate That I Made You Love Me +4: Midnight Sun +3: Dracula +2: Go +1: The Cure -1: Rein Me In -2: Billie Jean -3: Beat It -4: Lush Life -5: Janice STFU

It's nice and cute but not hitting as much as I was hoping on first listen, can see it growing though!

Sabalenka losing to a seemingly out of form Shnaider (judging by how the year has been for her) and getting a bagel out of it was not on my bingo card before this tournament started! Either or or a qualifier in Chwalinska making the final is one hell of a surprise result! Hoping it seals that Kostyuk or Andreeva will get their first slam here, preferably the former but I’ll be happy with either, both really deserve it. Over on the men’s I’m just team anybody beside ATP’s version of Chris Brown, hoping Mensik will continue to stun and get rid of him before winning the whole thing.

Literally this - Prism is an absolute masterpiece and the very last time she produced quality work, and of all of the gems on the album she picks… this? If it wasn’t clear that she was mentally ill enough already.

Congrats to you @King Rollo!! And thank you @Julian_ for doing this, was such a thrill and I look forward to the next one, next time my votes won’t come anywhere near as late 😅 Big thanks to everyone who gave my tune points too! Delighted with how mine finished!

Colour me SO excited!! I still need to watch Toy Story 4 😅 but my sister reckons this is likely to be about Jessie seeing as the film is supposed to be heavily centred around her. If it’s in anyway as tearjerking as When She Loved Me then I might go into cardiac arrest 😭

This has always been such a banger and it’s a shame that this era got paid dust chartwise, it encapsulates the mid-00s dance music essence while in true Basement Jaxx style fusing genres together and being a complete joy. Flattered that this was seen as a contender by a few of you guys! 💙

Fun fact - I only heard of Regina Spektor's name but wasn't familiar with her songs knowing they were by her, only upon listening to On the Radio I was like oh THIS is her! I spent ages trying to figure out what a song was called off the beat when I heard it on an advert once and I realised that song was Fidelity! Both bangers! Glad to see mine doing well so far!

Crystal is absolutely killing it in ways where Ginger had holes last season - I do think the latter deserved to qualify although winning definitely not, still bitter about a non-Bosco/Irene top 2. But Crystal is really showing how she’s a girl who can do it all and her drag is so up my street, and she’s such a sweetheart, it’s impossible not to root for her. I’m also really coming around to Aura, again she’s really sweet and not as bad as others make her out to be. She still seems to lack a bit of confidence and needs a bit of a boost rather than going into a challenge preparing to lose.