the buzz log

This weekend, the battle over the Sonia Sotomayor nomination continued, Serena Williams called her French Open opponent a cheater, and the Obamas wowed New York City but not the Republican National Committee. Just a few of the most popular stories in Yahoo! Buzz...(Oh, and Susan Boyle lost.)

Sotomayor debate continues
Sonia Sotomayor has been dubbed both the riskiest and savviest pick on President Obama's short list to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter. The debate continued this weekend, with Republican senators trying to tone down some of the harsher and more racially charged criticism coming from their party. Meanwhile, Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said that Sotomayor is "virtually filibuster-proof" and Republicans weren't far from agreeing. Conservative opposition is focusing on a speech in which Sotomayor argued that judges' backgrounds affect their decisions; an opinion dismissing a reverse-discrimination suit; and Obama’s desire for a judge with “empathy”—code, to some, for liberal. Sotomayor is the court's first Latino or Latina candidate.

Serena unserene
A lot of le Buzz emanated from the French Open this weekend. No. 1-ranked Rafael Nadal lost at the tournament for the first time, leaving a possible door open for Roger Federer, who has never won that particular Grand Slam event. But the juiciest drama involved Serena Williams, naturally, who accused her opponent, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, of cheating after Williams blasted a backhand that appeared to ricochet off Martinez Sanchez’s forearm before hitting her racket and sailing over the net for game point. Tennis etiquette usually calls for players to acknowledge when a ball hits them, and even though she won the match, Williams was testy afterward. "She knew that ball hit her… I would never do that… I've never sunk low," to which Martinez Sanchez replied later, “It’s a stupid comment.” Williams also said, "I'm, like, drama. And I don't want to be drama.”

Barack and Michelle's big date
Barack and Michelle Obama ate dinner in Greenwich Village and took in a Broadway show on Saturday, just like a lot of New York City tourists. While this outing probably doesn't stack up to a meeting with the queen or Carla Bruni, there hasn't been as much attention paid to a date since Jason Mesnick and Melissa Rycroft broke up. The Obamas saw August Wilson's play "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," at the Belasco Theater. "I am taking my wife to New York City because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished," said the president in a statement. And who, after all, would deny the first couple their night out? The Republican National Committee, that's who. "If President Obama wants to go to the theater, isn't the presidential box at the Kennedy Center good enough?" an RNC spokesperson said.

 Also buzzing this weekend...

• That's right, she lost... 
• ...as did LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
• Yahoo! News has continuing updates on the murder of late-term abortion doctor George Tiller.