Month: September 2009

Clijsters climbs to top, wins US Open Championship

Kim Clijsters must have been happy she came out of retirement, because she has had quite a run since her return. This comment she posted on Twitter says it all:

The fairy tale goes on – some how, I’m in the US Open final on Sunday beating both Venus and Serena along the way… am i dreaming???

No, Kim, you’re not dreaming, but it must feel that way after the splendid run you have had throughout this tournament. You had a tough draw, including both Serena and Venus Williams, but you managed to make it to the finals. And oh what a night it was.

It was a night of first. For the first time in the history of the sport, an unseeded player won a major final. Also a first was the two women involved ever facing each other. Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki gave everyone in Arthur Ashe stadium a show Sunday night when Clijsters battled her way to a 7-5, 6-3 win. The first set was tight, with both players struggling to hold serve. Each game was another epic battle, many going to deuce. Eventually Clijsters was able to take the set 7-5.

The second set was not nearly as eventfully, at least until Clijsters broke for a 4-2 lead. The players stayed on serve and Clijsters eventually served it out to take the second set at 6-3 with a spectacular display in her final game. After making her climb to the top of the charts complete she proceeded to climb to the top of the stands for a congratulatory kiss from her husband, as well as hugs from the rest of her box. With trophy in one hand and daughter Jada in the other, this is one dream Clijsters won’t want to wake up from.

Barrel Full of Monkies

I did some promotion here a few days ago for a show Friday, September 11 with Lili Roquelin, Alyson Greenfield, and Yula Beeri at Monkey Town. The show was a combination of music and visual presentation, which made it more interesting than a typical performance (although Alyson and Yula can be interesting all on their own). Yula especially put on quite a show last night. There were dancers and props included on top of the song and video presentation. As the photographer for the evening, here are some shots to show you what you missed out on.

LiLi Roquelin

Alyson Greenfield

Yula Beeri

Just a small sample to entice you. The first one, I have been told, will be featured on LiLi’s MySpace page. The rest will be on the TM Promotions MySpace, probably later today.

Never Forget

Does everyone remember where they were when the events of 8 years ago took place? September 11, 2001, picture this: Students are sitting in English class preparing for an exam. Across the hall our history teacher (whose class we just left a few minutes ago) is running up and down the halls asking who has seen and for us to turn on our TVs. We do, and take our quiz while silent images of destruction fly across the screen. One of those students was me. I was in the 8th grade at the time. I will never forget who I sat next to or what we said as events unfolded. I doubt any of us will.

Another story. Imagine you were supposed to work in that building but had called out earlier because your wife was going into labor and about to have her baby. How lucky would you feel? Not only starting your family, but you have been saved from the horror that others had to go through. This is what happened to a friend of my father’s. This was one of those moments where even a doubter has to believe in a greater Power than oneself.

I hope everyone takes the time to remember today and those who were not as fortunate. Most importantly don’t forget to live, not just today but every day. Make every moment count, because you never know when it may all have to come to an end.

Alyson Greenfield @ Monkey Town

Tomorrow night (9/11) Yula Beeri, Alyson Greenfield, and LiLi Roquelin will be making an appearance at Monkey Town in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Doors are at 6:30 and show starts at 7. It is recommended you reserve your spots in advance. Price is $7, which you would pay at the door regardless of whether or not reservations were made. This promises to be a great show so come on out. Hope to see you all there — I’ll be the one with the camera in one hand and clipboard containing Ms Greenfield’s mailing list in the other.

President Challenges Students To Succeed

President Obama, in a speech made yesterday, challenged students to stay in school and explore their potential. He predicted that some of the students he addressed could go on to do many great things in a number of different fields but would never know that unless they had the experiences given to them at school and completed their education. It was a very positive speech that talked directly to the youth of the nation without talking down at them. He mentioned that some may not have ideal living experiences now but that didn’t always have to be the case.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

President Obama wasn’t exclusively optimistic either. Yes the message was hopeful, but it was also realistic. He told the youth they may not necessarily all become instant celebrities, but with some hard work they could do whatever they put their minds to. They may not be good at every subject, but our failures can define us as much as our successes, citing JK Rowling and her Harry Potter series as an example. He concluded by saying that there is no shame in needing to ask for help and admitting you are not perfect. Life is about not giving up despite any challenges you may face. Finally he asked the youth what contributions they would add to our great nation.

There were many who had somewhat negative expectations of this speech, but I found it to be very well written and delivered. I hope that schools had their students actually listen to what the President had to say. I think it will be beneficial to them to hear his words of inspiration.

The Rising Star of Women’s Tennis

I have always said that men’s tennis was infinitely more interesting than watching the ladies play. Maybe there was a day when they were equally enjoyable, but now that the final match is usually a question of “Serena or Venus?” the sport has lost its hold on me. That was until this year, however. In a strange twist of fate the men’s section has become the predictable one with Roger Federer’s dominance of play, while the ladies draw has me waiting with anticipation to see who will make the finals. Kim Clijsters continues to make her bid at reclaiming the title with her family supporting her every step of the way. Meanwhile, a new star has come across my path: Melanie Oudin. Her fourth round victory over Nadia Petrova put her in the Quarterfinals, and she’s only seventeen. To get to her match with Petrova she also had to beat Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva, all matches that were with tough opponents and went to three sets. This is one girl you don’t want to mess with. If both Clijsters and Oudin can keep this up they may just see each other in the finals. That will be a match I won’t want to miss, and neither should you.

Famous Last Words

This is a prelimanry review. Pictures and commentary, as well as links to videos, will be posted within the week.

Last night was Star Child’s last show at 89.5 WSOU, Seton Hall’s radio station. It was evident from the first moments that she put a lot of thought into each and every detail. There were specialty blocks including New York/New Jersey bands and even a tiny trip down memory lane with some 90s tunes. There were also plenty of stories from friends who dropped by the studio and hung around to be a part of Star’s final moments on air. These were after her last interviews with some local artists, each with varying levels of popularity. Included in this list were ShiraGirl, Exit She Calls, Joe Wilson, and Kevin Devine. There was a very chill vibe in the studio, as if even the artists were friends just dropping by to say “hi”. (Of course, many of them were friends as well so that did help matters a bit). It was a great environment to have a show, and I was glad I was able to be a part of it all.

Encore

The tennis world has been lacking in female greats not named “Williams” for a few years now, but one shining star is ready to make a comeback.

Throughout her career, Clijsters was known for her outstanding athleticism and defense and moved around the court arguably better than anyone in the world, with her speed and ability to slide on almost any surface. Her slides usually ended in a famous Clijsters split, showcasing her flexibility. (Quote from title linked article)

That’s right folks, Kim Clijsters is looking to come out of retirement and become a full time tennis professional again. So far her encore has been going well. She made it to the third round with her victory over Marion Bartoli 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the second round and a first round victory over Viktoriya Kutuzova 6-1, 6-1 before that. It will be interesting to see how far she can make it, especially since her last tournament was her winning the title here at the U.S. Open in 2005. Stayed tuned for continuing coverage of Clijsters and the remains of the tournament.

Disneyfied

Today we look at the recently announced Disney/Marvel merger and what it really means. The title link helped to formulate some of the thoughts shared here. When I first heard about it my only thought was uncertainty. I wasn’t sure what to think about a seemingly odd merger. What would it mean for the Marvel characters we have grown to love? Will Disney take over and turn our heroes into a watered-down version of their former selves? After reading more about the possibilities here I realized that this doesn’t have to be the nightmare scenario some may be conjuring in their heads right now. It could be that Daddy Disney lets Marvel do its own thing while offering support where needed. This would mean the characters would be unchanged and possibly find a new playground to conquer. Plus Disney gets exposure of its own to the faithful followers of the Marvel brigade. Everybody wins; everybody is happy.

And they all lived happily ever after.