Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker divorced in 1992 after more than 30 years of marriage
She married longtime family friend Roe Messner in 1993 and remained with him until her death
Tammy became an LGBTQ+ advocate, wrote books and appeared on reality television before her death in 2007 at 65
Tammy Faye Bakker was known as the First Lady of Televangelism over the course of her decades-long career.
The outspoken television personality rose to fame in the 1970s alongside her former husband Jim Bakker as the hosts of their religious talk show, The PTL Club. Tammy, who was known for her extravagant makeup and tearful testimonies, became a symbol of empowerment for many fundamentalist women.

#tammy #television

Jim Bakker, who along with his first wife Tammy Faye built an evangelical empire around the hugely successful "The PTL Club" TV show, only to lose it all over a ****** scandal and financial crimes, has died. He was 86.
Bakker died Monday, his second wife, Lori Bakker, said in a statement. His cause of death was not immediately clear.
"He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry," she said.
The pair lived near the Missouri entertainment town of Branson and filmed their TV show "The Jim Bakker Show" there since it launched in 2003. Bakker suffered a stroke in 2020.
But it was another evangelical program that made Jim and his first wife Tammy Faye Bakker cultural icons — so much so that they were often skewered in the 1980s and 1990s by late-night comedians and parodied on "Saturday Night Live." A theatrical movie on their lives, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye," was released in September 2021.

#show

Aston Villa host **** nal at Villa Park on Monday looking to respond after a 4-0 opening-weekend defeat at Brighton, a result that left Unai Emery's side without a point or a shot on target.
The visit of the champions arrives amid significant summer turnover at Villa Park, with several new signings in line to feature for the first time.
Leon Bailey, Amadou Onana (knee), Johan Manzambi (knee) and Brian Madjo (ankle/foot) are all unavailable, and Joao Gomes is suspended. Tammy Abraham is a doubt with a groin/hip issue. Ollie Watkins departed the club this summer, adding to the selection questions facing Emery in attack.
Zion Suzuki, a £30 million signing from Parma, is expected to make his Villa debut in goal after Marco Bizot started the defeat at Brighton. Leon Goretzka, who joined the club on Thursday, is set to come straight into midfield in place of the suspended Gomes, partnering Boubacar Kamara. Nicolas Jackson is also in line for his first involvement, leading the line in Watkins' absence, with John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía and George Hemmings providing support behind him.
Aston Villa possible starting XI (4-2-3-1): Suzuki; Cash, Lindelöf, Torres, Maatsen; Kamara, Goretzka; McGinn, Buendía, Hemmings; Jackson

#villa #line #park #leon

Aston Villa travel to the American Express Stadium on Sunday afternoon to open their Premier League campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Unai Emery's side finished fourth and won the Europa League last season, but a summer of major departures and a troubled pre-season — five defeats in seven matches, including the UEFA Super Cup final loss to PSG — has left question marks over how quickly the new-look squad can find its feet.
Amadou Onana remains a long-term absentee, ruled out until at least the spring after a serious knee injury sustained while representing Belgium at the World Cup. Johan Manzambi, signed this summer, is still yet to make a competitive appearance for the club because of a knee issue picked up at the same tournament, though he may have a chance of returning before the September international break.
João Gomes, another summer arrival, sustained a calf injury in the Super Cup final and is targeting a return around 5 September against Hull City. Brian Madjo, the 17-year-old who impressed against PSG before being forced off with his own injury, is unlikely to be available before September. Leon Bailey is also out with a muscle problem.
Tammy Abraham was withdrawn after slipping awkwardly against Borussia Mönchengladbach last weekend and there has been no official update on his condition since. Alejandro Garnacho has not featured since sustaining a facial injury in a friendly on 5 August and his clearance through concussion protocols remains uncertain, though a place on the bench has not been ruled out.

#september #summer

Aston Villa have received a warning over Ollie Watkins' future after Al-Hilal agreed personal terms with the England striker, according to TEAMtalk, with Graeme Bailey reporting on 18 August that the Saudi giants now stand ready to open negotiations. Al-Hilal still need to clear Karim Benzema's situation before they can push ahead.
Watkins, 30, comes off a campaign. He scored 16 Premier League goals and supplied three ******* ists in 37 appearances, then added five goals and two ******* ists in 15 Europa League matches as Villa won the competition. He went to the 2026 World Cup with England, and the Three Lions finished third after beating France 6-4 in Miami. Villa secured their first continental trophy since 1982.
From Villa's perspective, this timing could hardly look worse. Jhon Duran has left for Al-Nassr at the start of the year, Tammy Abraham has struggled to impress and carries an injury concern, while teenager Brian Madjo faces a spell out after picking up an injury. That leaves Watkins as the senior focal point when Emery's side needs attacking continuity. Watkins has scored 15 or more goals in four successive European seasons, so losing that output creates a problem that money can't replace overnight.
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS – JUNE 21: Ollie Watkins #19 of England speaks to the media during an England Press Conference during an England FIFA World Cup 2026 Camp on June 21, 2026 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Personal terms, however, don't equal a transfer. Villa should reject any offer and demand a fee that reflects Watkins' importance and his contract, which runs until June 2028. A bid above £60-70 million would create a different discussion because Watkins is 30 and near peak market value.

#england #kansas #hilal

Here is the paradox at the center of Broadway economics: the production that just broke the box-office record for a filmed stage musical was not built by anyone with the authority to greenlight it. It was built over 19 years by a Vermont folk singer who kept handing control to other people.
On the last weekend of July, the live capture of Hadestown opened on fewer than 2,000 screens. It took in $10.2 million, the largest opening ever recorded for a filmed Broadway musical, ahead of Hamilton. The distributor had booked it as a five-day event. Within 72 hours it announced an indefinite run. Its strongest per-screen results came from Huntsville, Salt Lake City, Eugene, and Boise: markets with no Broadway house at all.
I have spent a career focused on how the screen reshapes commerce—as President and CEO of The Museum of Television & Radio (now The Paley Center for Media), as Harvard Law School's inaugural Visiting Professor of Entertainment and Media Law, and as a management consultant on entertainment and media industry strategies. What Anaïs Mitchell built with Hadestown is the clearest working refutation I have seen of the instinct that destroys founder-led ventures in various market sectors.
The operational reality is unforgiving. A modern Broadway musical is a highly capitalized joint venture requiring upwards of $15 million against a weekly burn rate that can approach $700,000. The people who put up that money are not patrons of the arts. They are investors, and the directors, general managers, and marketing leads they hire are the operators who convert a creative vision into a going concern. Broadway posted the highest-grossing season in its history in 2025–2026, roughly $1.9 billion, and only six new musicals opened all year. More money is chasing fewer bets.
The industry's default bet is a famous name. Elton John's Tammy Faye and the Avett Brothers' Swept Away both took that bet recently, and both closed within weeks of opening. Neither was a failure of talent. Both were failures of organizational architecture. The creative founders believed that dominance in one market guaranteed fit in another, and they overruled the operators who knew better.

#hadestown #people

Aston Villa are still awaiting the outcome of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as they try to register Brian Madjo, who joined from Metz for £10m in January and does not turn 18 until January next year.
Under-18s cannot complete international transfers, but Villa have argued Madjo was born in London and should be exempt, despite having three caps for Luxembourg.
Fifa does allow some exemptions for minor players to make moves, including if a 16 or 17-year-old transfers within the European Union - something the UK is no longer part of.
At 6ft 4in, Madjo has already been compared to Belgium's Romelu Lukaku and his leveller against Real Sociedad to make it 2-2 after 56 minutes was simple enough but showed a predatory instinct.
He was a handful for Real, with strength and power unsettling the visiting defenders and, with Ollie Watkins still on a break following England's World Cup campaign and Tammy Abraham returning from a shoulder issue, Madjo has the chance to impress.

#january #real #transfers #aston

Yastika Bhatia on Sunday became the first woman to score a Test century at the Home of Cricket as India closed in on a famous victory over England in the historic first-ever Women’s Test at Lord’s.

While vice-captain Smriti Mandhana was unfortunate to be caught down the leg side off Lauren Bell for 70 (130b, 9x4, 1x6), the less-fancied left-hander Yastika produced a sublime maiden Test hundred, scoring 113 off 158 ****** with 14 fours, as India declared at 341 for seven shortly before tea.

The visitors set England a daunting target of 457.

England, who had been bowled out for 170 in their first innings, ended Day Three reeling at 130 for six, still needing 327 runs with only four wickets in hand.

India’s seamers once again led the charge. Kranti Gaud (2-40), fresh from her first-innings five for 37 that made her the first woman to claim a Test five-wicket haul at Lord’s, struck twice early. She bowled Tammy Beaumont for a firstball duck in the opener’s farewell Test before removing former captain Heather Knight (13), who was caught behind by Richa Ghosh after being given a guard of honour by the Indian players following her retirement announcement on Saturday.

Gaud has figures of seven for 77 in the match. Sayali Satghare (2-19) provided excellent support, trapping Maia Bouchier (2) lbw before claiming another wicket.

Earlier, Yastika produced an innings to remember.

Resuming on her overnight 39, the 25-year-old enjoyed an early reprieve when a Lauren Bell delivery clipped her leg stump without dislodging the bails. She responded immediately by driving Bell straight down the ground for four and soon completed her second Test fifty. Batting with elegance and ****** urance, the Baroda wicketkeeper unfurled crisp cover drives, authoritative pulls and deft late cuts while using her feet confidently against the spinners.

On 91, she struck back-to-back boundaries off Issy Wong before nudging a single to deep extra cover to bring up a landmark maiden Test century.
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Brief scores: India 285 & 341/ 7 decl (Y Bhatia 113, S Mandhana 70, R Ghosh 50*, S Ecclestone 5/118) vs England: 170 & 130/6 (A Jones 52, S Satghare 2/19, K Gaud 2/40)

India Women moved to the brink of a historic maiden Test victory at Lord's after a dominant third day, powered by Yastika Bhatia's record-breaking maiden century before the bowlers reduced England to 130/6 in pursuit of an improbable 457-run target.

With just four wickets separating them from scripting history at the Home of Cricket, Harmanpreet Kaur's side ended the day firmly in control despite a spirited lower-order resistance from Amy Jones and Mady Villiers.
Resuming Day 3 with a healthy first-innings lead, India continued to pile on the runs despite England enjoying a better opening session with the ball. Lauren Bell removed Smriti Mandhana (70) early before also dismissing Jemimah Rodrigues. Sophie Ecclestone then trapped Harmanpreet Kaur lbw as England briefly clawed their way back into the contest.

However, Yastika Bhatia remained unfazed. Displaying remarkable composure and elegant strokeplay, the left-hander brought up her maiden Test century to become the first-ever woman to score a Test hundred at Lord's. Her memorable knock of 113 off 158 ***** also became the highest score by an Indian woman in the third or fourth innings of a Test match.

England spinner Sophie Ecclestone fought tirelessly and completed her fourth five-wicket haul in Women's Tests, but lacked support from the other end as India continued to dominate.
Following Bhatia's departure, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh injected fresh momentum into the innings with a brisk unbeaten 50 off 52 ***** , taking the attack to the England bowlers. With India's lead swelling beyond 450, captain Harmanpreet Kaur declared the innings at 341/7, leaving England with a mammoth 457-run target to survive or chase down.
India's bowlers wasted little time in tightening their grip on the contest.

Debutant Kranti Gaud and Sayali Satghare produced another outstanding new-ball spell, removing openers Tammy Beaumont and Maia Bouchier inside the opening four overs. Beaumont's dismissal also marked the end of her international career, while former captain Heather Knight, playing her final Test before retirement, was later dismissed by Kranti Gaud and received a touching guard of honour from the Indian team as she walked off.

England's problems deepened when Sneh Rana bowled Nat Sciver-Brunt with a beauty before Sayali breached Alice Capsey's defence, reducing the hosts to 59/5.
Just when India appeared set to wrap up the match on the third evening itself, Amy Jones and Mady Villiers mounted a determined fightback. The duo stitched together a resilient 67-run partnership, frustrating the Indian attack and briefly keeping England's hopes alive.

The stand was eventually broken in spectacular fashion as Richa Ghosh pulled off a stunning close-in catch at silly point to dismiss Villiers off Sneh Rana's bowling. Jones continued her resistance, bringing up a gritty half-century, but England still finished the day in deep trouble at 130/6, requiring another 327 runs with only four w

Former England captain Heather Knight has revealed she is at peace with her decision to retire from international cricket, saying she is excited about the next chapter of her life after bringing the curtain down on a glittering career at the conclusion of the historic one-off Women's Test against India at Lord's.

Knight admitted she had made up her mind months before the start of the English summer and felt the timing was perfect to step away from the international stage.

"I definitely knew about two or three months ago. I came into the summer pretty sure it was going to be my last one. I have thought about it for quite some time, as you do, and talked to a lot of people close to me. To be able to finish with a home World Cup and a Test match at Lord's, it felt really right. I am happy and content with the decision. It is not an easy thing to step away from, but I am really grateful for the career I have had. It is perfect timing for me to go," Knight said during a chat with the broadcasters.

The 34-year-old also revealed that while retiring from international cricket is never an easy decision, she feels her motivation has begun to shift towards life beyond the game.

"The main thing is that I am excited for what's next in my life and career. Things are dragging me away from the game and, after this summer, I probably feel that I haven't got the drive and energy to keep going, to keep doing what you need to do to be an international cricketer," she added.

At the end of Day 2's play, Knight confirmed she would retire from international cricket alongside opening batter Tammy Beaumont after the conclusion of the first-ever women's Test at Lord's.

Knight will bring down the curtain on an illustrious career spanning 320 international appearances, having scored 7,988 international runs across formats. She also holds the distinction of being the first England cricketer to score centuries in all three international formats.

Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (83, 108b, 11x4, 1x6), captain Harmanpreet Kaur (58, 121b, 7x4) and seasoned allrounder Deepti Sharma (57, 87b, 7x4) struck resolute fifties as India posted 285 before pacer Kranti Gaud's early breakthrough left England at 21 for one on an engrossing opening day of the historic first-ever women's Test at Lord's.

After opting to bat, India looked set for a much bigger total at 190 for three but suffered a collapse, losing seven wickets for 95 runs.

England dominated the final session, taking the last four wickets for just 11 runs in 42 ***** . Leftarm spinner Sophie Ecclestone (368) finished with three wickets, including the final three, as India were bowled out in 74.5 overs.

India struck back late when pacer Kranti Gaud trapped opener Tammy Beaumont (2), playing the final Test of her career, lbw with a sharp inswinger. Gaud nearly dismissed Heather Knight too, but India declined a review that balltracking later showed would have hit the stumps. Maia Bouchier was unbeaten on 17 and Knight on one at stumps.

Earlier, England made the perfect start. Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer struck inside the opening seven overs, removing Shafali Verma for a duck and Yastika Bhatia (12). Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues (35) rebuilt with a brisk 64run stand before Rodrigues dragged Issy Wong onto her stumps.

Mandhana then combined with Harmanpreet in an 89-run fourthwicket partnership that steadied India after a shaky start. The lefthander played with characteristic fluency, peppering the off-side with elegant drives and also launching Ecclestone for six. However, she fell for 83, edging Wong behind while chasing a wide delivery.

Harmanpreet, under scrutiny after India's group-stage exit at the Women's T20 World Cup, responded with a patient half-century despite battling cramps. Soon after Mandhana's dismissal, she was undone by debutant off-spinner Mady Villiers, who picked up her maiden Test wicket with a delivery that drifted and turned through the gate.

Richa Ghosh (13) failed to make an impact, but Deepti's composed knock and a 46-run stand with Sneh Rana kept India afloat before another collapse ended the innings.

Brief Scores:

India 285 (Mandhana 83, Harmanpreet 58, Sharma 57) lead England 21-1 by 264 runs.

India and England shared the honours on an engrossing opening day of the historic first-ever women's Test at Lord's, with the visitors posting 285 before reducing England to 21/1 at stumps on Friday.

After England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt won the toss and chose to field, India appeared well placed for a much bigger total thanks to impressive half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma. However, a late collapse ensured England regained control before the close of play.

The hosts then negotiated 11 overs in fading light but lost opener Tammy Beaumont cheaply, leaving the match finely balanced heading into Day 2.
India endured a shaky start after losing Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia early, but Smriti Mandhana once again showcased her class with a fluent innings of 83 off 108 **** . The left-hander was positive from the outset, driving elegantly through the covers and punishing anything overpitched. She struck 11 fours and a six while stitching together crucial partnerships that helped India recover from the early setbacks.

Jemimah Rodrigues looked comfortable during her brief stay, adding a valuable stand with Mandhana before throwing away a promising start.
Captain Harmanpreet Kaur then joined Mandhana to steady the innings with an important 89-run partnership. While Mandhana played the aggressor, Harmanpreet anchored the innings with a patient 58 off 121 deliveries, ensuring India remained in a commanding position through the afternoon session.

At 190/3, India looked set to cross the 350-run mark. But Mandhana's dismissal shifted the momentum dramatically.

England's spinners, led by Sophie Ecclestone, exploited the ageing ball brilliantly. Ecclestone extracted sharp turn and bounce to finish with 3/68, while debutant Mady Villiers made an immediate impact as India slipped from a position of strength.

With wickets falling regularly around her, Deepti Sharma produced a composed knock under pressure. The experienced all-rounder compiled a valuable 57 from 87 **** , striking seven boundaries and guiding India to a competitive 285 before becoming the last batter to fall in the 75th over.
England had only 11 overs to negotiate before stumps and suffered an early setback when Kranti Gaud dismissed Tammy Beaumont for just two. Maia Bouchier looked **** ured during her unbeaten 17, while captain Heather Knight remained unbeaten on one as England closed the day on 21/1, trailing India by 264 runs.
India: 285 all out in 74.5 overs (Smriti Mandhana 83, Harmanpreet Kaur 58, Deepti Sharma 57; Sophie Ecclestone 3/68, Issy Wong 2/41)

England: 21/1 in 11 overs (Maia Bouchier 17*, Heather Knight 1*; Kranti Gaud 1/8)

When the T20 World Cup begins on Friday, it will be the first women's World Cup in the UK since England famously won the 50-over ******* le in 2017.
Everyone remembers the iconic final at a sold-out Lord's - one of the most significant days in the history of the women's game.
But leading up to it there was the dropping of legendary captain Charlotte Edwards, a poor opening-day defeat by India, a tense group stage and a nail-biter of a semi-final against South Africa.
This is the story of England's 2017 World Cup triumph, told by those who were at the centre of it - captain Heather Knight, openers Tammy Beaumont and Lauren Winfield-Hill and bowler Anya Shrubsole.
A shock group-stage exit? T20 World Cup team guide

England Women have announced a 15-player squad for their one-off Test against India, which will mark the team's historic maiden women's Test match at Lord's Cricket Ground. The squad includes five uncapped players as England prepares for the landmark fixture.

Star all-rounder Alice Capsey is expected to make her Test debut against India. The right-handed batter has already represented England in 89 limited-overs internationals and is among the most exciting young talents in the women's game. Cricketing prodigy Tilly Corteen-Coleman is also in contention for a place in the playing XI, while Durham all-rounder Mady Villiers, Grace Potts and Ellie Threlkeld are the other uncapped players named in the squad.

England's current T20 captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt, has been named to lead the side for the historic encounter. However, her availability remains subject to fitness as she leads the T20 squad from the sidelines in the ongoing T20 World Cup with a calf strain. The four-day Test is scheduled to begin on July 10, just four days after the World Cup final.

Emma Lamb and Issy Wong also remain in contention for selection. Meanwhile, Sophia Dunkley, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Ryana MacDonald-Gay are among the notable omissions despite featuring in England's most recent Test appearance against Australia at the MCG during the 2024-25 Women's Ashes.

Tammy Beaumont is another notable inclusion in the squad. The 35-year-old has yet to feature for England in any format.
"We have selected a strong Test squad under the leadership of Nat Sciver-Brunt for what will be another historic few days at Lord's for women's cricket," Clare Connor, the ECB's managing director of women's cricket, said.

"Test cricket is a rare and wonderfully challenging experience in the women's game and I know how proud our players are to represent England in this format. For the 11 women who will get the chance to be the first to enjoy that feeling at Lord's, it will be a moment to savour," she added.

England Test squad: Nat Sciver-Brunt (C), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Tilly Corteen-Coleman, Sophie Ecclestone, Lauren Filer, Amy Jones, Heather Knight, Emma Lamb, Grace Potts, Ellie Threlkeld, Mady Villiers, Issy Wong.

SEATTLE (AP) — A group of Democratic senators and one Republican, as well as two Democratic House committees, sent letters Monday to the National Science Foundation asking it to reverse course on its plan to dismantle a sprawling ocean monitoring network, with House lawmakers going further and accusing the agency of acting illegally.
The Ocean Observatories Initiative is a network of more than 900 ocean sensors built at a cost of $386 million. Over the last decade it has tracked ocean circulation, marine ecosystems, climate change and extreme weather, producing data freely available to the public and informing more than 500 scientific publications. The project was slated to run another 15 to 20 years.
The National Science Foundation had directed the removal of most of the system's instruments from waters off Oregon, Washington, Alaska, North Carolina and Greenland by 2027 — a decision scientists said came with no warning and no scientific review. The independent federal agency, which was established by Congress, described the move not as a cancellation but as a "descoping" aligned with a strategy to prioritize "evolving scientific priorities and emerging technologies." The Trump administration's proposed 2026 budget had included a 55% cut to the agency.
"It just seems like this is supreme stupidity and a violation of the fundamental distribution of powers in our Constitution," Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon told The ****** ociated Press. "This program is authorized, it's funded, and for the administration to shut it down without direction from Congress violates that vision in which the people's representatives decide what's done and funded, and the executive branch executes that vision."
Merkley and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska co-led the letter, which was also signed by Democratic Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Ron Wyden of Oregon. It urged the National Science Foundation, or NSF, to halt the dismantling of the Ocean Observatories Initiative and conduct a thorough review, including consultation with the marine science community, before any further action is taken.

Tammy was upp Fam. Gm gm
Enjoy the weather out here. It's a decent day today