Another year older

Happy Birthday to my favourite athlete Ms. Martina Hingis who turns 27 today. Hope she's having a good one.

The new "Bionic Woman" a hit or a miss?

Well, after watching the much-hyped NBC series premiere of Bionic Woman last night, all I have to say is four little words: more Katee Sackhoff please! :D.

Damn, that woman can play a villain like nobody's business and I thought she was good as "Starbuck" on BSG. Thank you David Eick. And here's hoping we see more of the first Bionic Woman. Why is it that fights in the rain always look so good on t.v. ? :D.

Now that I got that out of the way let's talk about the show itself. Really enjoyable:). Ok, so maybe I enjoyed it more then others seeing as I never saw the original therefore it's all new to me.

People who saw the original show were probably bored with all the exposition, but for those who never saw it, it was kinda necessary so I will not be downgrading it for that.

I definitely like the British actress, Michelle Ryan who plays the main character, granted I think she still has some growing to do in terms of the acting, but I'm sure that will come with time and as the actors and creators/writers flesh out the characters. In fact I'm looking forward to the progression of both (assuming it does well of course).

The only real weak point for me personally was the romantic story-line between main character Jaime Sommers and her boyfriend.

The whole thing felt really rushed and as a result you couldn't identify with the pain and devastation she was suppose to be feeling after the boyfriend died. It felt more like because you knew he was gonna die, you were just waiting for that moment and not really caring. It could have also been the lack of chemistry (particularly sexual) between the two.

Other then that though I was definitely intrigued, the end left me wanting more and I'm definitely tuning in next week!.

"ER" surprises

Forgot to mention this yesterday in regards to "ER" there are rumors that S14 will be it's last. Which I'm so hoping isn't true, what the hell am I gonna watch on Thursday nights!.

The good news however is that there are plans to bring back a lot of characters from the previous seasons, characters like Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) . Gloria Reuben (as Jeannie Boulet) and Julianna Margulies (as Carol Hathaway), yay!. Eriq La Salle, William H. Macy, Sally Field, Danny Glover, Laura Innes and Shane West. There's even a possibility of George Clooney making an appearance.

All my old favourites in one season?, pinch me I must be dreaming :D. Although, Shane West? really?, interesting since I've heard he was being written out. I guess it's a very short leave lol. Who am I kidding? he can come back as many times as he wants;) :D.

It's also interesting to note that Sherry Stringfield (Susan Lewis) is not mentioned, well I guess it's not like we really had time to miss her character, she came back so frequently lol.

Is it Thursday yet?

No more re-runs!

The end of September means, the end of the t.v. bore-fest that is summer reality t.v. This week my fave t.v. shows return from their summer hiatus. (yay!! and about damn time lol). The most anticipated new show for me is of course the new "Bionic Woman" this Wednesday on NBC.

Which I will be watching with a fresh perspective having not seen the original series, (plus as I've mentioned before you can't go wrong with Katie Sackhoff as a villain:D).

Then there's my favorite forensics team from "Bones" (Tuesday on FOX). Which I'm hoping will finally get something going between Booth and Brannon. No more teasing! lol. And I'm curious to see the resolution of the cliffhanger between Angela and Hogins.

And finally there's the long running hospital drama "ER" back for it's 14th season!. This is one show I'm looking forward to the most. Finally we get some answers to the big cliffhanger we were left with in May. Will Neela survive?, will Gates go off the deep end?, how will Ray be written out? and of course most importantly how will Luka and Abby exit the show?. But that we probably won't know till next year.

It's gonna be a good season, I'm already getting excited! lol. I'm also curious about some of the other new shows like "Caine", "Pushing Daisies" and "Life" and of course "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" (which starts next year, damn!). Definitely planning on checking those out.

Although at the same time I can't help but wonder how many of these shows will actually survive. Let's just hope that t.v. strike mentioned earlier this year doesn't come along and put the kibosh on everything.

Hingis sightseeing in China

What do you do after losing another match while playing in China for the first time?, why you go sightseeing of course:D. Or more precisely you go and see the Great Wall of China.

That's one way to dull the pain. I'm guessing that's probably what Martina was thinking while she was climbing it with her mom alongside her. And well, I can't say I disagree. Maybe it'll give her some inspiration.

Martina Hingis hanging with mom

Looks like the weird hat gene was passed on to Martina as well LOL

hingis.org

"Across the Universe" rant

Ok, so lately I've been completely bonkers about a little movie called "Across the Universe". Which stars Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen, Once and Again).

For those who don't know it's a musical love story composed entirely of songs by the Beatles and takes place in the 60's during the revolution. It is directed by Julie Taymor, the woman responsible for bringing "The Lion King" to the stage.

Not only is this movie a treat for the ears, but it is visually stunning (and so far all I've seen is the trailer!). I can only imagine how much better it'll be once I've actually seen the whole thing on the big screen.

I've already seen some mixed reviews, some think it's brilliant and incredible, some say it's too Disney-like. I say, hey if the Beatles and even Yoko Ono like it. It's gotta be good.

And personally I love the fresh take on the songs. Which leads me to the soundtrack of the same name. The songs are done by unknowns (but soon to be household names I'm sure), Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, T.V. Carpio and Evan Rachel Wood.

Who's voice sounds better then ever, and posses a more mature raspy quality. Something that's very evident in the song "It Won't Be Long" which is one of my absolute faves and definitely a stand out along with Jim Sturgess version of "Hey Jude".

Other note worthy songs are "I've Just Seen a Face", "All My Loving", "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and Evan's version of "Blackbird". Can I just say how freakin' happy I am that Evan sings in this movie.

As a long time fan of hers, I've always known she had an incredible voice, and it's about time she showed it off. Part of me is still hoping she'll put out her own CD one of these days, probably won't happen, but hey I can dream can't I? lol.

I would definitely recommend this movie and it's soundtrack to anyone who's not only a fan of the Beatles but is looking for something new and different.

Anyway, there is my Evan Rachel Wood plug for the month lol, you can expect a lot more of those in the future :D. I'm off to listen to "Hey Jude" for the 100th million time this week LOL.

I hope y'all go out and get yourself a copy so you can do the same, I guarantee you'll not regret it.

Here's a little taste of what you can expect:

Hingis out of China Open

hingis.org

Looks like Martina had another very short lived victory. She advanced to the second round in China beating Sun Tiantian 6-2, 6-3. Only to lose to Peng Shuai 7-5, 6-1.

I'm not really surprised as I've mentioned in an earlier post this was going to be a challenge for Hingis. Chinese players are tough. So much for her mother's coaching influence, oh well. There's always next year.

More photos of my little feather head

At this point I'm getting close to a hundred photos of the little guy lol, what can I say?, he's photogenic :D. Judge for yourself.

Playing with one of my earings:D

Taking a little nap

More napping

Finally got a good one of him giving kisses

Hingis arriving at China Open

This year Martina is skipping out on Sunfeast Open in Kalkata (of which she is the defending champ) and going to China instead. Playing Chinese players in their home country should be quite a test for her, but will hopefully have some positive results.

Good to see she has brought her mom along for support, been a while since Malanie has travelled with her daughter. Training with her mom again might prove very beneficial for her as well, guess we'll see that on Tuesday when she plays her first match. In the meantime enjoy some pics of Hingis arriving at the airport :).

Martina with mom Melanie Molitor, who as you can see has not stopped her habit of sporting weird hats lol

hingis.org

The other golden statue

So, I checked out, well, ok skimmed lol The Emmy's tonight. One of the few award shows I even remotely bother to watch every year.

It was pretty good, some humor worked, some seemed really forced as it does every year lol. It's good to see more and more award shows moving with the times though and embracing the net.

Oh, and one other thing before I mention the awards themselves. Why exactly were the Emmy's on FOX this year?, what the heck happened to NBC and CBS and all the other networks? did they all just go "no thanks I'll pass"? LOL.

All in all it was a fairly enjoyable night. Not sure if I liked Ryan Seacrest as host, but since all I really cared about was the nominees I guess it doesn't matter.

And can I just say I am SO glad The Sopranos has finally come to an end, now maybe some other well deserving shows will actually win an Emmy.

Anyway, let's get to the good stuff, congratulations to Kathrine Heigl (yay!), America Ferrera, The Amazing Race, 30 Rock (yay Tina Fey!) and a whole bunch of others I am totally forgetting lol.

I was really disappointed Ronald D. More got snubbed again for BSG, but hopefully he'll get one next year. Give credit where credit is due (Emmy voters).

I'm going to end with my favourite quote of the night from the great Sally Field "If mother's ruled the world there would be no freaking war". Well said Ms. Field, well said :).

Catching up

So, I know that it's a week late due to my Internet issues, but who saw the conclusion of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships this year?. I decided to check out both the women's and the men's.

I usually don't follow the rest of the tournament after my favourite loses but I decided to make an exception this time and I am so glad I did, because it was definitely one exciting weekend!.

Justine Henin beat both Williams sisters (hell yes!) back to back to reach the final then she proceeded to trash Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2 easy sets winning her 7th grand slam title.

The most unsurprising thing about the Williams loss?, Serena Williams, less then gracious loser speech during her post match press conference:

"I just think she made a lot of lucky shots and I made a lot of errors," Williams said at her news conference".

"I really don't feel like talking about it. It's like I don't want to get fined. That's the only reason I came. I can't afford to pay the fines because I keep losing".

Source

These quotes just affirm my dislike of this player, granted she has never been known to lose in a graceful fashion, much less admit when she is outplayed but with these statements she reached a new low.

I always knew there was a reason I liked Venus better then Serena (though in general I could care less about both), but at least Venus still knows the meaning of the word class. Serena needs to go and look up the meaning of the word in a dictionary.

But enough about that let's talk about the invincible Roger Federer, seriously could this man be anymore classy and amazing?, and perhaps more importantly can he ever be beat? lol. It seems Nadal remains the only man who can still put a chink in Roger's armor.

Mr. Federer won his 4th consecutive U.S. Open by beating a Serbian hot shot and 3rd seed Novak Djokovich in 3 thrilling sets. After watching Novak play, he's definitely become a favourite of mine, I have no doubt that he's got a promising career ahead.

With this win Roger set another record ( I know what else is new right? lol), becoming only the second man in the open era to win the U.S. Open 4 times in a row.

The win give him his 12th grand slam title, bringing him that much closer to tying Pete Sampras's record of 14. Something tells me Roger is up to the challenge. Now to be fair this win certainly wasn't a cake walk.

Djokovic actually had ample chances to win the match (7 to be exact) and each time Roger pulled through denying his opponent the opportunity. I think for the first time in a while I actually enjoyed the men's final more then the women's.

And say what you will about Roger Federer, but there's honestly no denying that the man is the best in the sport. Especially after this win, I have no idea how he pulled it off, how he continues to pull off tough matches under intense pressure.

Well, I guess that's what makes him a true champion. Ok, now that I got all of that off my chest lol, enjoy some pics of Roger in his stylish black outfit. You gotta love a Champion who knows how to dress.

Trials and tribulations of installing a new modem

Wow, it seems like forever since I've updated, well that's what happens when your ISP suddenly decides to change their modems. Any technological change for me always leads to frustration and this time was no exception.

It was suppose to be a simple swap, and instead turned into a 7 day nightmare. After hours of waiting and talking to tech support no one could figure out why my spiffy new DSL modem didn't want to connect to the Internet when the hardware seemed fine.

What was first perceived to be a major issue turned out to be a combination of pure simplicity, stupidity and miscommunication.

A simple misspelling of an account password (by one letter no less!). Another perfect example of why when it comes to technology you should always look at the obvious instead of the more complicated.

Good thing I took the initiative and called after a week of waiting 'cause something tells me I would have waited another week otherwise. If I never talk to another tech person again it'll be too soon.

Taking the initiative wasn't that hard really, if I had to wait another week I think I might have gone insane with boredom. In any case it's good to be back :).

Never forget....

All the lives lost and still being lost till this day.

Hingis out on a day of upsets at the U.S. Open

hingis.org

The first day of September turned out to be a bad day for the seeded players with the biggest shocker being Maria Sharapova who lost to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in 3 sets of the 3rd round. The earliest exit for the #2 seed since 2004.

Now in all fairness Sharapova played absolutely terrible, committing a total of 12 double faults!. But a huge credit still goes to Radwanska for scoring one of the biggest wins of her young career, all the while keeping her cool and not being intimidated in the least throughout the match.

She actually did some intimidating of her own, which I'm sure surprised the hell out of Sharapova lol. This was actually a happy upset, made me proud to be from Poland.

Nadia Petrova and Patty Schnyder were the other seeds who lost yesterday leaving the bottom half of the draw wide open.

The most disappointing loss came in the late afternoon, when Martina Hingis lost to Victoria Azarenka in 3 sets 6/3 1/6 0/6. Hingis won the first set after battling from 2 breaks down, then lost the second winning only 1 game.

I'm still not sure what happened in the last set, but I would venture she just run out of gas, or at least I'm really hoping that's the reason and not her injury announcing itself again. Also perhaps playing singles and doubles took it's toll on her as well.

I think I'm still more upset at how easily she lost more then I am by the loss itself, because let's face it, it was not unexpected.

Though people who actually saw the match claim she put up some what of a fight. I was once again unable to see the match this time due to CBS's sexist coverage of men's matches. So I'm only going by what I've read.

I would really chuck this loss up to lack of match play, which as we all know equals lack of confidence and mental toughness. Anyway, it's another loss and another lost opportunity at what could have been a semi or final of a grand slam. At this point it's beyond sad.

Here's hoping she gets a chance at regaining some of that lost confidence in her doubles match with Daniela Hantuchova today. Winning the title in doubles isn't the same as singles, but it would certainly be a nice consolation price. Plus it would give her some much needed ranking points.

Ok, now that I've ranted about all things negative lol. Let's try looking at a more positive side. Yes, Hingis lost but at least she made it one round further then last year, and she's still in the doubles tournament.

To all those people complaining saying she should retire I say, chill. Seriously. The woman just came back from very serious injuries. She's still human, so as I've said many times before cut her some slack.

I've heard that she is working with a coach and a nutritionist, so that can only lead to good. But improvement can only come with time. It doesn't happen overnight.

Besides if she retired again, I guarantee after a year we'd all want her back. So I say let's just wait and see how things go for the rest of this year before completely writing her off.