Michael*

She found fame as the resident numbers expert on 'Countdown', a long-running daytime quiz show in the UK. You wouldn't believe how often they cut to her in the edits. Or maybe you would. I ended up neglecting this thread for quite a while as decent pics turned out to be thinner on the ground than I’d imagined. Great to see a few more starting to appear though, thanks Shep for posting them.

The Marie Claire ed is just great, confrontational and soothing at the same time. Eniko really is killing it lately.

Harper's Bazaar UK July 2015 Photography by David Slijper

Managed to see it at the weekend. What a film. What a lovely film. It wasn’t just a brilliant action movie, it was a brilliant movie full stop. Relentlessly thrilling, genuinely, refreshingly volatile and full of surprises. Standout performances for me were Theron and Hoult (other than Miller himself who is the film's MVP). I fully expected Theron to be great as Furiosa, but I was surprised at how good Hoult was as Nux. Hardy was pretty good too, although it's no secret that he can do this kind of role in his sleep. The people online currently throwing around terms like 'mindless action' are completely missing the point, because it was so much more than just two hours of crashing and bashing with nothing between its ears. Sure, some of it was contained within the action, but the movie has theme, narrative and character in spades. I already feel like seeing it again, because everything just whipped past so quickly that I probably missed a few things.

Hello, good evening and welcome!

Hello, good evening and welcome!

Always a pleasure. Thanks Shepherd!

Yeah, ‘Avengers’ was a critical and commerical smash, although I didn't think it presented itself as anything other than a good, fun superhero adventure, which is exactly what it was. My expectations were nowhere near as high for it as they were for TDKR, but it delivered on virtually everything I'd hoped. A lot depended on the believability of the CGI Hulk, and he was almost perfect. The hype surrounding the movie seemed to gather pace over time, I suspect because it improves with repeated viewings. In the tradition of things like 'Back to the Future' or 'Jurassic Park', it has an energy to it that draws you in over and over again. I wouldn’t necessarily make a point of sitting down to watch the DVD, but even now, when it comes on TV I almost always end up watching the whole thing. For 'Ultron', I thought they equaled the action and wit of the original, but some of the fun factor of the first one lay in the clear lines and the breeziness of the plot, and Joss Whedon simply didn't have that luxury this time around. 'Phase 2' has prioritised the ongoing MCU arc, so each individual story is inevitably going to cover more than just the immediate threat of, let’s say, Ronan or Ultron. The introduction and reintroduction of characters, the referencing of what had gone before, and the laying of groundwork for the next wave of movies felt like obstacles to the main plot at times, almost to the point where Ultron himself lost relevance. Basically, the movie was never going to be a leap forward from its predecessor because it had to veer off in so many directions. Overall, I consider it a minor miracle that Whedon was able to pull all the different strands together neatly enough to create another enjoyable summer blockbuster.

An intense and exciting final to bring the curtain down on the season. Several candidates for MOTM - Suarez and Neymar for their goals, Messi for participating in all three, particularly the decisive second, Morata for the havoc he created when Juve were in possession, Pogba for being everywhere, Buffon for a couple of world class saves. The array of hairstyles on display was truly diabolical, though. Because these are the things that really matter.

This is true. I've always enjoyed watching information about casting choices and suchlike roll in, the various interpretations on how future storylines might intertwine with past ones, and announcements that inspire new ideas. That being said, I think it can be a bit of a double-edged sword at times. It seemed like the hype machine kicked into gear particularly early for 'Ultron', and that inevitably brings backlash. It's very easy to fall into the trap of building yourself up so much and becoming so fixated on being determined to enjoy a film for what it is, that it can stop you from being fully 'in the moment' when you see it. Take something like 'Frozen' for example, the folks who originally saw it hyped it up so much that when the stragglers eventually got around to going, they had unrealistic expectations and were almost invariably disappointed. I was one of those who saw it much much later, long after everyone else had told me how wonderful and different it was, and how much better it was than the standard Disney fare. Sadly, it was always going to be a uphill struggle for the film to live up to that. Although I suppose it's a bit different with Marvel, by the nature of how they choose to tell their stories. The level of planning and commitment they show to their continuing arc is pretty astounding, but at the same time, if you don't particularly care for one of the individual stories, there'll be another one along in a minute that you might prefer.

CTV Upfront event, Toronto June 2015

British Cycling's 'Breeze' Ambassador June 2015

Their story gave me a flashback to the young boy in 'Schindler's List' who, when asked by Ralph Fiennes about a theft, pointed to the bloke Fiennes had just shot dead. I presume Sepp will just continue to try and 'bare faced cheek' his way through the whole mess until the day he's led away in cuffs. They'll of course need more than the evidence from the one scumbag charged thus far to make anything stick, though. I had hoped that when they finally did get exposed by the seemingly inevitable trials as being part of the corruption, it would cause FIFA to implode and have to be reconstituted with some transparency. Things may not get any better if the only change is new faces in the old corrupt offices. Here's hoping for a barnstorming Champions League final that affords the actual football some attention.

Thank you Mrs Advocaat! By this time next week, Sunderland and Newcastle should both have Dutch managers. Who'd have thought it?

One of the explanations put forth by FIFA the other day, that a ten million bung to the Caribbean Football Union was solely authorised by a man who is now deceased and no-one else was remotely aware of it, was pretty hilarious. Case dismissed, m'lud?

The Harper's shoot is Eniko's best for ages. There's a lot to be said for just letting natural beauty speak for itself.

But it would be a start, as would these so-called 'integrity checks' being done by someone other than FIFA themselves. It wouldn't surprise me if we eventually saw Blatter in a role similar to the one Joao Havelange was given years ago, with a sizeable expense account and continued influence. If we're not careful, the hydra will just grow a new head.

A good time to remind everyone that at all parties, no matter where in the world, there's always one clammy handed Rafa Benitez fan sitting alone quietly mumbling about Valencia's 2004 pass completion percentage! Rafa's divisive reputation in full effect this past month. From potentially showing Carlton Cole the door at Upton Park to welcoming Cristiano Ronaldo back for pre-season training. The same game, but in name only.

It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if, somewhere down the road, Old Man Sepp still tried to renege on his pledge to resign. You'd hope that the FIFA rebuild would start now, although I suspect it'll only happen if and when he eventually gets around to actually going. The International Olympic Committee was able to make the necessary changes after the Salt Lake City scandal, and that reform is one that perhaps football can look to as an example.

Long time no see, Michele! Thanks again for posting, Mahi!

What a jaw-dropping ed. Thanks for posting, Mat!

Sorry, name changes are only granted to members who have been here for at least three months. The only exception we make is when a member has accidentally misspelled their display name.

:Dinah:

At this point, it wouldn't surprise me if that were literally the case. So while the British media were busy laughing about their attitude towards 'our' game and trying to belittle them with crap gags, turns out that the Americans were actually doing what nobody else would - properly investigating FIFA and acting upon the evidence. Who saw that coming?