Just Me

Miss Asia Pageant 2011/12

2012-01-21T15:42:00.001Z

This year has sadly been a disappointment but thankfully my initial favourite No.19 Michelle managed to sprint through this chaos to be the winner. The quality of candidates definitely dropped this year and the actual event was boring as hell. 2009 was amazing, 2010 was sleazy but 2011/12 was boring but bitchy.

The actual show was tremendously boring with routine after routine of shoddy dancing, I just don't get why they don't cut those segments out and have more Q&A etc. And I "loved" how they tried to play the MHK card by talking about friendship (playing the same song as last year I think) and then having a segment where the Top 4 bitched about each other! lol. Friendship I see... right...

What I'm annoyed about was the total lack of Q&A, the Q&A they did wasn't really a Q&A as some girls didn't even get to speak.

Anyway this year has truly been awe inspiring because supposedly the whole process started in August! Yes they've had a Hong Kong stage, a Greater China Stage and now a "World" Stage, poor Michelle, she had to go through numbers of bitches before she managed to finally take the crown she deserved from Day 1. So let's have a roundup of our 20 delegates.

No.1 Hong Yi Joo - Korea

To be honest I thought last years Korean delegate, Jessica Kwon Hyesu, to be better looking but what I liked about Yi Joo was that she stayed classy and sophisticated even when ATV asked her to bitch about No.18 Koey Wong Ka Man. She was pretty and deserved a Top 3 spot I guess but I found her to be rather abrupt in conversation and she has an odd nose.

No.2 Monica Lin Chien An - Taiwan

I never understood why she was a favourite. Her looks reminded me of "haggard and fake" queen from 2009 Viona Wang who incidently was also No.2. I think she was very eloquent and probably a nice girl; I think she won Miss Friendship in the Greater China final, but her look was just odd.

No.3 Shelly Inoue - Japan

I was half-half with this girl, she's pretty but not really a pageant girl if you know what I mean. In the end she made her rightful spot in the Top 10 but she shouldn't place any higher.

No.4 Judy Lim - Cambodia

Quite shocked they managed to find a girl from Cambodia but I'm sorry she is just not pageant material.

No.5 Zhou Shuang - Hainan

This girl was a later addition for the Filipino candidate who quit (I actually liked the Filipino candidate, such a shame). But anyway she actually was a decent replacement but momentum was definitely not on her side when half of the girls had been there for more than a month already.

No.6 Jolene Dong Yu Berube - Toronto

Jolene definitely did not shine in the finals, her spark at the Greater China Final was gone. I like Jolene but there were many other girls who had the winners aura more than she did.

No.7 Amelia Liew Huann Ran - Malaysia

Say high to Lenna Lim for me... I'm guessing Malaysia is too TVB for anybody to bother with ATV.

No.8 Mico Chang Wai Chun - Taiwan

I think there's no doubt that Mico has had plastic surgery, her face just doesn't look natural but she does has very appealing angles and is generally telegenic but not always photogenic. She's also a very typical Taiwanese girl in that she's very feminine but she just didn't strike me as a winner.

No.9 Nataliia Basenko - Kazakhstan

She was OK but didn't really stand out, sad that she didn't make the Top 10 cut but not shocked.

No.10 Jodi Lee - Singapore

I can see she's a very nice girl but sadly her appearance didn't match up.

No.11 Maggie Chen Yi Di - Jilin

Facially she does transform with makeup but her physique is in need of massive toning and she looks plain without the makeup.

No.12 Elizabeth Nguyen - Vietnam

Who?

No.13 Daria Pechurina - Russia

Daria should try out for Miss Russia cause I can see potential in her representing Russia in some small international pageants like Miss Tourism Queen, Miss Supranational etc. I think Daria was definitely one of the most photogenic amongst the group but she didn't get the chance to talk really and Miss Asia doesn't favour "whites".

No.14 Samansa Hu - Brazil

Nice girl but never really saw the potential in her besides the huge knockers.

No.15 Arlene Liang - New York

Nice girl but I think she outstayed her welcome, she was nice and friendly but wasn't that eloquent or pretty.

No.16 Vasinee Veraphong - Thailand

She won Miss Friendship, good for you, but awful styling on the night.

No.17 Tiffany Feng Yu Xuan - Sichuan

Tiffany is the bitch, come on even ATV played it to gain news. However bitch or not she was one of the strongest competitors in the group. What I didn't like about ATV was how they always tried to instigate a fight between Tiffany and Koey so they always asked them to bitch about each other in Q&A segments in which it was always Koey trying desperately to be nice and then Tiffany being all cute but bitchy and then Koey getting angry and bitching back... urgh.

No.18 Koey Wong Ka Man - Hong Kong

I like Koey but not enough to put her into my Top 3 or even Top 5. She's nice but she's so miserable that I can't imagine her being a good 1st Runner Up. I wonder if she'll go into ATV? If she does she better brush up on her people skills.

No.19 Michelle Feng Xu Bing - Beijing

She was the only girl with the package of looks and good conversational skills thus she was instantly going to win. It would definitely be better if she had a better physique but you can't have everything right. It's amazing how Miss Asia 2011 has lasted so long and the winner was in front of them from the very start.

No.20 Crystal Yan Xing Ting - Sichuan

This girl looked like a baby Roseline Luo, don't you think? However she wasn't the full package but a strong contender I must say.

So the results were

Winner - No.19 Michelle Feng

1st Runner Up - No.18 Koey Wong

2nd Runner Up - No.1 Hong Yi Joo

3rd Runner Up - No.20 Crystal Yan

3 of the 4 were from the Hong Kong selections, makes me wonder what's the point of having Greater China and World finals...

Anyway my Top 4 would have been

Winner - No.19 Michelle Feng

1st Runner Up - No.13 Daria Pechurina

2nd Runner Up - No.20 Crystal Yan

3rd Runner Up - No.17 Tiffany Feng

Alternatives:

No.1 - Hong Yi Joo

No.5 - Zhou Shuang

No.6 - Jolene Berube

No.8 - Mico Chang

Oh and also interesting was how Wong Hei was a judge here.

Sadly I haven't managed to watch the whole of Miss Chinese International because I can't find the full video on stream anywhere but the results seem ok, if I get to watch the full video I'll post a very late update of it.

Miss Chinese International 2012 Update (10/01/12)

2012-01-09T20:08:00.000Z

I don't think we're going to get much press of the girls so I'm treating everything as a bonus. Today we finally got the official portraits, despite the lack of coverage my favourites are starting to form.

Good Portraits

Contestants that look better or just as good from the portraits

No.2 Auckland Hilbe Cai

No.12 London Roro Chen

No.14 Montreal Amanda Chung

No.15 New York Jasmine Hayter

Awful Portraits

Contestants that look worse from the portraits

No.3 Bangkok Biliya Wiriyapan - old and chubby

No.11 - for a model...

No.26 - WTF she looks like a mamasan!

Top 7

2. Auckland (11) Hilbe Cai

3. Bangkok Biliya Wiriyapan

5. Kuala Lumpur (11) Lenna Lim

12. London Roro Chen

15. New York Jasmine Hayter

16. Toronto (10) Hilary Tam

26. Hong Kong Rebbeca Zhu

Basically these 7 are the only girls who I would consider for My Top 5 atm.

If I was to chose a Top 3 now I think I'd go for...

Winner - 15. New York

1st Runner Up - 16 Toronto

2nd Runner Up - 26 Hong Kong

Jasmine has been the most consistent girl I think. Hilary hasn't performed since she arrived but I'm still hoping she looks as good as she did at MCT. Finally Rebecca has been awful in most of her photos at MCI but having seen her perform at MsHK I know she has potential.

Bubbling Up

6. Manila Kady Wilson

9. Singapore Cheryl Wee

11. Chicago Kelly Cheung

14. Montreal (11) Amanda Chung

17. Toronto (11) Ashton Hong

22. Beijing Yuerong Huang

24. Dalian Alice Li

25. Dalian Maggie Yu

Kady has a great body, hopefully she'll look good on the night. Cheryl is pretty but she lacks height. I know photos can lie so I'm waiting to see Kelly on video. Amanda is actually quite photogenic but a bit bland. Ashton is my dark horse, we'll see what happens with her on the 15th. Yuerong could be a potential threat. Alice has suddenly sparked my interest, I want to see more of her. Maggie is still the best from China but she is facing tougher competition than expected.

My first prediction

Winner - 26. Hong Kong Rebecca Zhu

1st Runner Up - 16. Toronto Hilary Tam

2nd Runner Up - 15. New York Jasmine Hayter

Top 5

5. Kuala Lumpur Lenna Lim

19. Vancouver Erica Chui

It's hard to predict with such little to go on but because of that there's no reason to doubt TVB will not continue to love Rebecca. Come on she's already being heavily promoted, winning Hong Kong a 3rd MCI title, last time it was Sonija Kwok, can only create even more hype surrounding her like when Michelle Reis and Sonija Kwok won. However I can equally see TVB trying to reserve her at 1st Runner Up.

I think Hilary has potential to win. The first time I saw a photo of her I knew she had that winner's look. Despite performing poorly during these past few days I think if Hilary can produce an energetic and confident performance at MCI she'll make the Top 3.

Jasmine is a question mark to me because I wonder if she is more "gwei" or more Chinese. I think she'll make the Top 5 and depending on her personality break into the Top 3.

I think Lenna will be shut out of the Top 3 but her elegant but vibrant personality should secure her a Top 5 spot. I'm not sure I can see both her and Rebecca making the Top 3.

Finally Erica might make the Top 5 because of her connections or at least win an award I think.

Hopefully TVB will give me more to base my opinion on next time I update.

JSG music Awards 2011

2012-01-08T13:08:00.000Z

I really hoped these awards wouldn't be shambolic but it has been worse! Only one hour in and there have already been many questionable awardees. I'm a fan of Raymond Lam but honestly "Chok" a Top 10 song? I feel that somebody is trying to sabotage Raymond's career and sadly it's working because there is going to be so much backlash, they are not helping him to draw more fans.

EDIT (after ceremony)

JSG has dug itself a huge hole. I thought the recent news of TVB and HKRIA being on good terms would help JSG revive its former glory but instead it has turned worse with this years awards the most ludicrous of them all. I don't know why TVB even bothers anymore. The Top 10 songs was the first point of ridicule with Grasshopper's 華麗舞台 taking one of the spots and then Raymond Lam's Chok also given a Top 10! TVB seems to have forgotten these awards are about music not the amount of airtime you've given the artists. I don't see why TVB seem to be hellbent on recognising Raymond's music feats because its just sabotaging him. What's worse is they dare to give Raymond Gold Song Gold with Chok! Raymond is a good singer and I really like a few of his songs but definitely NOT Chok! It is a song that's enough to stop his entire career but TVB insists on replaying this song to the point that they'd give it Gold Song Gold! I don't understand TVB's logic and I thought last years Gold Song Gold given to Janice and JW was bad.

Other obvious biases, though of a lesser severity, were Mag Lam's three award wins, Leo Ku winning Top 10 song and Favourite Male even though he has had such a terrible year (but I understand TVB doesn't have anybody to award their awards to) and Grasshoppers winning Best Group! WHAT!

I also didn't like how Pong Nam managed to beat Ivana in the Singer-Songwriter category. In my opinion Pong Nam has not released a single noteworthy song and his most recent hit 晚晚禮拜六 is one of the worst songs this year in my opinion. What is also shocking was William Chan making Bronze for this category, I guess they had to award him something.

Disappointed that Ella Koon only took Bronze in that award (can't remember the name) when Wong Cho Lam and Jonathan Wong beat her!

The only thing I was happy with on the night was Ivana Wong being recognised as Asia Pacific's Favourite Hong Kong Female Singer. To be honest the name is irrelevant as it's like the Best Actor and My Favourite Male Character award in the TVB series awards in that Favourite Singer is above Asia Pacific's Favourite HK Singer but still having Ivana win this is amazing since Joey was obviously going to win one (or both!) I think most would have tipped Twins or Charlene on her own.

Anyway TVB's awards tonight have really put a huge question mark over Raymond's potential of actually becoming a legitimate and well received singer. It's not about awarding Raymond Gold Song Gold it's about awarding "Chok" Gold Song Gold and with that entails constant ridicule for Raymond as he has to live with this for the rest of his career. I really hope this time next year TVB will have smoothened the contract details with HKRIA therefore allowing the Big 5 companies back into contention, if not then there's no point even considering JSG next year. Instead it would be CRHK and RTHK, and maybe Metro.

Miss Chinese International 2012

2012-01-06T16:10:00.000Z

After a long wait MCI finally comes back but without much of a bang. Despite having 28 contestants this year there seems to be even less anticipation for this years event compared to the past and considering there's only 9 days until the final I have doubts whether the public will even know any contestants before they are pushed onto the stage.

This year's batch varies, despite huge anticipation for some contestants nobody seemed to shine in the few pictures I saw of the press conference. Nobody naturally stood out and initial frontrunners seemed to have been relegated to common bystanders. I think TVB really should have taken the opportunity to fight against Miss Asia Pageant since both are being held in January but whilst ATV has prepared months for their pageant TVB is holding theirs in a matter of days.

From early glances my frontrunners are

5. Kuala Lumpur

15. New York

16. Toronto

26. Hong Kong

However none of these four shone at the press conference thus I'm confused for the finals.

The reason why I like No.5 Lenna is because she has a good vibe about her and has a natural elegance, she is not as strong as some pit her to be but she's still a hot contender if she performs strongly.

No.15 Jasmine is a risky bet. I expected her to shine at the press conference but she didn't, she'll need to be much more of a standout if she wants to win this pageant because being mixed can be problematic in TVB. MCI has now become a big recruiting ground for TVB and the winner is now obviously someone TVB thinks will do well with them but being mixed race will immediately limit the amount of work she can participate in so winning could be difficult for Jasmine.

Prior to the pageant No.16 Hilary was always my favourite, she had a great smile, a natural elegance, a good physique and a very marketable look but she was nowhere to be seen at the press conference and I didn't even recognise her in the group shot!

No.26 Rebecca is still a frontrunner for me despite looking pretty average at the press conference. I'm definitely going to be biased in this point because I've seen her perform already so know her potential. TVB is also pulling all the stops to promote her so if the other 27 girls don't step up their games Rebecca is going to run away with the crown.

Other strong contestants at this point look like...

No.3 Bangkok

No.6 Manila

No.11 Chicago

No.17 Toronto

No.25 Dalian

I didn't know of Bangkok or Manila's participation until today but I'm pleasantly surprised. No.3 Bangkok looks to have a decent chance, though I need to see more photos of her whilst No.6 Manila instantly stands out with her height and slender figure but she sometimes photographs masculine.

No.11 Kelly was a disappointment but who wasn't today! I was expecting a lot more from a professional model, maybe it's just the angles.

No.17 Ashton is a huge question mark for me, she manages to look amazing in some pictures but plain in others. However I should expect a good calibre candidate from Toronto however seeing the two Vancouverites doesn't help solidify this point.

No.25 Miao Yu looks like the only Chinese delegate to stand a chance at the moment however I'm still unsure about her.

These girls could potentially rise up I think.

No.1 Auckland

No.2 Auckland

No.7 Melbourne
No.10 Sydney

No.12 London

No.18 Vancouver

No.22 Beijing

The girls from Auckland don't look like strong contenders at the moment but I think with the right styling they could provide a shock.

No.7 from Melbourne looked surprisingly good at the press conference. I've seen some photos of No.10 from Sydney, I think she has potential. I remember No.12 Roro at MCE where Simwayn won, it's such a shame that MCE discontinued the pageant because they were producing great girls; Oceane, Julie and Simwayn all had winning potential. I think Roro can be a hit or a miss, her look can work at MCI but it depends on her performance entirely as she isn't facially as strong as Oceane, Julie or Simwayn.

I think both the Vancouverites are weak which is very odd for this MCI powerhouse but if one has potential I think it's No.18 not No.19 who has a lot of connections and will probably make the Top 5.

The other decent girl from China I think is No.22 because she looks fresh.

Hopefully there'll be more news reports in the following days so I can form a decent favourites list.

CHIK CHAK 903 2011 Awards Results

2012-01-01T16:27:00.001Z

Best Newcomer

Bronze: Joyce Cheng

Silver: Mag Lam

Gold: Alfred Hui

Best Song

10th: Endy Chow - 陽光燦爛的日子

9th: Kary Ng - 我本人

8th: William So - 那誰

7th: Hacken Lee - 天河

6th: Ivana Wong - 末日
5th: Joey Yung - 牆紙
4th: Paul Wong - Can't Bring Me Down
3rd: Eason Chan - 六月飛霜
2nd: Wu Xia - 那些年
1st: Khalil Fong - 好不容易

Best Producer: 舒文
Best Arrangement: Eric Kwok
Best Songwriter: Khalil Fong
Best Lyricist: Wyman Wong

Best Singer-Songwriter
Bronze: Ivana Wong
Silver: Endy Chow
Gold: Khalil Fong

Best Group/Band
Bronze: Wildchild
Silver: Mr.
Gold: C Allstar

Best Male Artiste
Bronze: Pakho Chau
Silver: Khalil Fong
Gold: Eason Chan

Best Female Artiste
Bronze: Denise Ho
Silver: Kay Tse
Gold: Joey Yung

Best Album
15 - Khalil Fong

My Favourite Group/Band: C Allstar
My Favourite Female Artiste: Miriam Yeung
My Favourite Male Artiste: Eason Chan
My Favourite Song: Wu Xia - 那些年

This awards ceremony is very emotional for some reason everybody is crying but I'm so happy for Ivana, her first Chik Chak Top 10.

TVB Awards 2011 - Another post

2011-12-10T00:02:00.001Z

I'm just going to mish mash this post with notes on the 45th awards ceremony and actually the past 14 ceremonies. It's the 15th year already!

Firstly, what was Liza wearing! I'm just lost for words.

Secondly TVB cut the short rehearsed introductions of all the artistes, cringing to the max.

Big names that did not attend: Steven Ma, Raymond Lam, Maggie Cheung

Why is Maggie never in attendance.

I love Kam Jer (Lee Heung Kam) however I was feeling so worried for her when she was on screen, I hope she's in good health.

TVB give the artistes more time for acceptance speeches!

I loved most of the presenters especially seeing Mariane Chan back (her presenting speech was good) and Wu Fung but the Teddy Robin and guy from Shine skit was too long.

Everybody was complaining about Vincent and I agree he's pretty green but remember he is new to this give him a chance.

Poor Linda, even Myolie thought that she stole her award. However Myolie was far too exaggerated in expressing her disappointment when she won My Favourite Female Character award, it was borderline rude. TVB should just scrap this and go back to the Top 15 favourite characters of the year. However she somewhat redeemed herself during the Best Actress speech.

Interesting seating configurations. Elena Kong and Selena Li on front row! Woohoo! Ruco Chan front row! Woohoo but Raymond Wong is on 2nd row...

Anyway after watching the show and realising Moses had been nominated (Top 5) for 7 consecutive year I decided to look back on the past shows and do a little tallying here are my results...

When everybody thinks who is the most successful in terms of TVB Awards I doubt anybody would not say Gallen Lo who was nominated six times from 1997-2002 and managed to win 3 of those but disregarding the amount of wins Moses Chan and Bobby Au Yeung have both been nominated 8 times each! However this is topped by Jessica Hsuan having a whopping 9 nominations and 7 consecutively. Her last nomination was in 2007 which means she was nominated 9 times in the first 11 years. Charmaine Sheh also has a 8 nominations to her name with Ada Choi coming close at 7.

Gallen Lo leads with most wins at 3. Louis Koo, Roger Kwok, Wayne Lai and most recently Kevin Cheng have won two but only Wayne and Kevin I think have a chance to increase this number. On the women's side Liza Wang and Sheren Tang have won two each, each I think with the potential to add more to that number.

Raymond Lam tops every actor in the number of nominations without a win at 5. No other actor has had more than 3 nominations and not won so TVB please give Raymond a great role so that he can once again be nominated and win! But he is beaten by Kenix Kwok who has been nominated 6 times and still not been given the title she deserves

Since Ha Yu's win in 2008 he has been snubbed by the awards.

The supporting roles have only been awarded for 7 years but in this time there have been a diverse number of actors nominated, only Pierre Ngo has managed to muster up three nominations but I think he'll win very soon. It has also been a good place to gauge where TVB will find their next TV king with Ha Yu and Wayne Lai (and nearly Michael Tse) both winning this and Best Actor later in their career. The actresses also have a very mixed field of nominees with Fala Chen doing the best, winning 2 times and being nominated 4 times - still a shock to many how she has won twice. Nancy Wu has the most nominations without a win however I think Nancy will be a huge contender for next year.

The My Favourite awards are less varied and have been in existence since 2006. Raymond has already racked up 4 nominations and won twice here whilst Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Moses Chan and Wayne Lai have all been nominated three times and besides Michael all have won once already. The females sport an even less diverse group with most nominees having at least two nominations besides Aimee Chan, Maggie Cheung and Niki Chow. Charmaine Sheh rules the roost with 6 nominations in 6 years but she had two nominations in one year. It took her to leave TVB for them to stop nominating her for this. Linda and Sheren have had the most disappointment from these awards with Linda losing 4 times and Sheren 3 times. I still don't understand why TVB didn't give Linda the awards this year whilst Sheren should have won with all her amazing characters.

The Most Improved Artiste award has been in existence since 2002, I am not counting Nick Cheung's Award in 1998 because it was solely made to award Nick (and maybe Chin Kar Lok) with something. From this award we can see TVB's favoured doing very well. Luckily no actor has been put to shame by being nominated here more than twice... for now. Most interestingly Kevin was nominated here the year he won Best Actor! On the women's side TVB's favoured continue to shine but shockingly Fala Chen has never won this award, obviously she was so good that TVB leapfrogged her over this... Selena Li has the shame of being nominated here the most without a win, three times to be exact. She has now been promoted to leading actress status but I believe if she finally gets a breakthrough role TVB might just bung her in here again. But none other has been shamed as much as Tavia Yeung who even after winning the award in 2003 has been nominated three more times afterwards! TVB is Tavia that bad she has to improve and improve until she reaches supporting status? Most winners won on their first nomination besides Kenneth Ma, Raymond Wong, Wong Cho Lam and Natalie Tong which just goes to show how this award is just given to TVBs favourites.

Moses, Wayne, Kevin, Charmaine and Myolie have all managed to win both the Best and My Favourite categories in their respective years.

So some interesting statistics, which leads me to my main question... When will Raymond finally win the Best Actor title? Whilst I'd love him to win I really want him to win it for a role that most people agree upon because he deserves to be congratulated rather than degraded like how Kevin was in 2006. I just hope TVB gives Raymond more big series so that he has a fighting chance.

TVB Awards 2011 - Result

2011-12-05T20:34:00.001Z

There are things that shock me and things that are so predictable in this year's winners so let me elaborate...

BEST ACTOR
Top 5 - Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Moses Chan, Wayne Lai, Bosco Wong

All my Lock Ons made it and Moses and Bosco, both in my Add Ons made it. Not shocking at all and as I said I expected Kevin to win his second Best Actor Award, whilst I think he did well I still found his performance average in some areas during Ghetto Justice. In other news Moses continues his streak, this is his seventh consecutive year of being in the Top 5!

BEST ACTRESS
Top 5 - Myolie Wu, Liza Wang, Myolie Wu, Fala Chen, Linda Chung, Maggie Cheung

Obviously Myolie and Fala both in the Top 5 as well as Maggie, Linda and as I said Liza was always a safe bet. Whilst it's sad seeing the omission of Tavia. This year wasn't her year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Top 5 - Ben Wong, Derek Kwok, Jazz Lam, Pierre Ngo, Lee Kwok Lun

This year the Best Supporting Actor Award was all for Ben Wong really. Pierre, Derek, Jazz also made it but didn't expect Lee Kwok Lun. I so wish that Power was nominated. Jazz nominated in Top 5 which begs the question "Why did he lose to MC Jin in Most Improved?"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Top 5 - Sharon Chan, Nancy Wu, Natalie Tong, Aimee Chan, Helen Ma

Happy that Sharon won but it was a joke Aimee made the Top 5. I don't dislike Aimee, in fact a lot of the times I support her but come on she was pretty average in The Other Truth and only appeared in three episodes. I kind of think the same for Helen Ma as well actually. So frustrated Elena Kong is not nominated! TVB SUPPORT HER PLEASE!

MY FAVOURITE TV MALE CHARACTER
Top 5 - Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Bosco Wong, Wayne Lai, Ruco Chan

Predicted the Top 5 but I can't quite believe that Kevin won both the awards (and would eventually end with three for the night). Is TVB trying to say they judge fairly?

MY FAVOURITE TV FEMALE CHARACTER
Top 5 - Myolie Wu, Linda Chung, Fala Chen, Maggie Cheung, Aimee Chan

Pretty gobsmacked that it wasn't Linda, I was so sure as well. I've come to learn that TVB regards filming series dedicated to you as a form of congratulation so you don't need an award - as seen with Michael Tse. But another thing, Aimee REALLY! I think Aimee is going to get a lot more haters now. Pretty interesting Kate and Tavia were both blanked, I'd call them and Fala, Myolie and Linda as the new five Fa Dans of TVB.

MOST IMPROVED MALE ARTISTE
I thought Jazz would make it but TVB's love for MC Jin came over. Sorry it's just unfair wasn't Lives of Omission his first main series?

MOST IMPROVED FEMALE ARTISTE
Sire Ma, oh well Mandy still has time but Sire's win is premature to me.

BEST HOST: Grasshoppers (All Star Glam Exam)
Nah... I found them pretentious and annoying most of the time it was the guests that saved the show.

BEST SERIES
Top 5 - Lives of Omission, Yes Sir Sorry Sir, Ghetto Justice, The Other Truth, Forensic Heroes III

TVB cannot continue to give this award as a consolation to the "losing" series. How can Lives of Omission be better than Ghetto Justice if the Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, Favourite Male and Female Character came from Ghetto Justice? I just don't get that. NB I'm a Lives of Omission fan.

BEST VARIETY PROGRAMME: All Star Glam Exam

BEST INFORMATION PROGRAMME: Water of Life
...

tvb.com WEIBO POPULARITY AWARD - Kevin Chen
REALLY! Three Awards! I'd much rather TVB shared the pork when Kevin really wasn't that much better than everyone else.

MOST ADMIRABLE AWARD: Hong Kong Back Then

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Lee Heung Kam
yay! Love Kam jer

EXTRAORDINARY ELEGANT MALE AND FEMALE ARTISTES: Bosco Wong and Myolie Wu
... really ... so where's the Professional Performance Award now coughporkawardcough

TVB Awards 2011: Final Preshow Post

2011-12-03T23:31:00.001Z

So that this blog doesn't fade into oblivion I am updating it even though I really shouldn't be with the amount of work I have but I just wanted to update my predictions for the awards.

Sorry for the lack of photos, they just take time!

BEST ACTOR

TVB's Choice

Lock Ons - Kevin Cheng, Michael Tse, Wayne Lai

Others - Moses Chan, Raymond Lam, Bosco Wong, Ruco Chan (in order of likelihood)

We all know it is a battle between Kevin and Michael but as the weeks have passed I feel like Kevin is slowly edging ahead. Personally I feel Kevin did a good job but it would be so unjust if Kevin wins this award for the second time. I find it amusing that nobody seems to remember Kevin in Home Troopers where he wasn't that great. Michael has been getting a lot of negative news about his personality but I liked his acting in Lives of Omission so I'd much rather he won than Kevin. Wayne is a given, he's the new Gallen Lo to TVB.

I think TVB might complete the list with Moses just for old times sake, he has been in the top 5 like every year! Raymond might make it because I can't see TVB just blanking him the whole night, unless he wins one of those pork awards like Professional Performance or Blog Popularity. Bosco was pretty well received in Lives of Omission so if TVB is trying to slowly increase his chances of winning the award someday they need to start portraying him as a contender. Whilst Ruco Chan is a dark horse but yet again he received a lot of attention from The Other Truth so it would seem odd for TVB to blank him. Would TVB include Steven Ma? It seems like everyone believes Steven should win it some day.

Just a note I find it interesting that Sunny has acted in a number of leading roles this year but has gained no traction.

My Choice (not necessarily in Top 15)

Raymond Lam - My Sister of Eternal Flower

Bosco Wong - Lives of Omission

Ruco Chan - The Other Truth

Michael Tse - Lives of Omission

Wayne Lai - Forensic Heroes III

But as you know I want Steven Ma to win it because he's the most worthy of the award right now.

BEST ACTRESS

TVB's Choice

Lock Ons - Myolie Wu, Fala Chen

Others - Maggie Cheung, Kate Tsui, Tavia Yeung, Linda Chung, Liza Wang, Charmaine Sheh

Yet again another two way battle this time between Myolie Wu and Fala Chen. However I think TVB favour Myolie at the moment and I think the general consensus is that Myolie is a better choice. With Fala's illness I wonder how it will affect her chances, will it give her a better chance because TVB wants to maximize her opportunities when she recovers or will she be forgotten because she might be gone for a while?

As I see it Maggie Cheung is being promoted as TVBs headline "powerhouse" actress because she's the only previous generation actress that is still with them so I'd believe TVB would like to be in Maggie's good books. Kate, Tavia and Linda will all be fillers to boost their reputation. Liza will always be a good filler if needs be whilst I don't know what TVB will do with Charmaine. And I wonder if TVB will continue to blank Jessica.

My Choice

Yoyo Mung - Only You

Charmaine Sheh - My Sister of Eternal Flower

Myolie Wu - The Rippling Blossom

Tavia Yeung - The Other Truth

Fala Chen - Lives of Omission

I really want to add Maggie but I've only watched one episode of Forensic Heroes III but I thought the above 5 did well. To be honest I support Yoyo and Myolie and am I the only one that thought Charmaine did well?

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

TVB's Choice

Lock Ons - Ben Wong

Others - Pierre Ngo, Law Lok Lam, Sam Lee, Elliot Ngok, Derek Kwok, Jazz Lam, Power Chan

If Ben doesn't win this I honestly can't imagine who else would, Ben's the only one talked about so I think it's 99% his. Pierre hasn't actually won the Best Supporting Actor gong yet so maybe he'll be the other 1%. I see Law Lok Lam being nominated to continue the gimmick whilst the others are just more names (to TVB) to fill up the list.

My Choice

Raymond Wong - Twilight Investigation

Damian Lau - Lives of Omission

Ben Wong - Lives of Omission

Elliot Ngok - Grace Under Fire

Power Chan - Twilight Investigation

Besides Raymond Wong and Damian Lau nobody has really struck me this year. I consider Damian's role as a supporting because the story never really focused on him. I'm really becoming a Damian fan, I remember back in the day when I couldn't stand him.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

TVB's Choice

Lock Ons - Sharon Chan, Nancy Wu, Elena Kong

Others - Joyce Tang, Natalie Tong, Aimee Chan

I think Sharon is most likely going to get this but I'm not saying Nancy and Elena don't have a chance, to be honest Sharon is only in the lead because of the momentum she has received from the press and Nancy is also favoured by TVB as her series are always aired around the anniversary period.

Joyce and Natalie seem to be two safe options as well because they were both liked in their roles. To be honest I think there are a lot of fillers in this category. I hope TVB doesn't go crazy and put Aimee Chan in the Top 5!

My Choice

Mimi Lo - 7 Days in Life

Elaine Yiu - The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Elena Kong - Lives of Omission

Sharon Chan - Ghetto Justice

Joyce Tang - Ghetto Justice

I liked Natalie also and I might have considered Nancy if I saw more of Forensic Heroes III. Can't think of that many I liked this year but I remember Elaine was quite captivating in The Life and Times of a Sentinel

FAVOURITE TV MALE CHARACTER

TVB's Choice

Lock Ons - Michael Tse, Kevin Cheng, Wayne Lai

Others - Bosco Wong, Ruco Chan, Raymond Wong, Wong Cho Lam, Julian Cheung, Moses Chan, Steven Ma

Basically I think if Kevin wins Best Actor I think Michael will win this and vice versa. I think Kevin's role was the most well received but I can't imagine him winning both awards and I can't imagine TVB giving Michael a Professional Performance or Blog Popularity Award to compensate for losing on either of the main two awards.

Bosco is probably going to make it into the Top 5, depends on how his other nominations go. Ruco and Raymond will probably appear as a pair or neither at all. Wong Cho Lam might be a good bet as people seemed to like his character, same goes to Julian. I can't imagine how Moses' character is in any way liked but you know TVB.

My Choice

Raymond Lam - My Sister of Eternal Flower

Raymond Wong - Twilight Investigation

Julian Cheung - The Rippling Blossom

Wong Hei - Twilight Investigation

Damien Lau - The Rippling Blossom

FAVOURITE TV FEMALE CHARACTER

TVB's Choice

Lock Ons - Linda Chung, Myolie Wu, Fala Chen

Others - Sharon Chan, Kate Tsui, Tavia Yeung

Rumor is that Linda Chung doesn't win this and instead it would be given to Fala, I can see that possibility but I still think it would make more sense if Linda won this.

Sharon Chan's role caused a mini storm as well so maybe she will get recognition for it. To be honest I find it hard to predict who will make this list but I'm sure that the Myolie/Fala war will continue and Linda will also be there.

My Choice

Yoyo Mung - Only You

Kate Tsui - Relic of an Emissary

Charmaine Sheh - My Sister of Eternal Flower

Myolie Wu - The Rippling Blossom

Linda Chung - Twilight Investigation

Yoyo, loved her. Kate's Qian Sham was very intriguing in my memory, felt sad when she died. And rather than in Yes Sir Sorry Sir I liked Linda much more in Twilight Investigation.

MOST IMPROVED MALE ARTIST

Jazz Lam is the only one nominated in Best Supporting so I think that automatically makes him the favourite. Then MC Jin comes closely behind

My Choice

Oscar Leung

Sammy Shum

Him Law

Jazz Lam

Chris Lai

These are the 5 guys I can think of that TVB should promote. It's a shame that Chris Lai is still in this category.

MOST IMPROVED FEMALE ARTIST

Same situation for Sire Ma as Jazz Lam. I don't get how Cilla Kung is a huge threat to Sire though. I just really hope Mandy wins this.

My Choice

Sire Ma

Mandy Wong

Joyce Cheng

Claire Yiu

Yoyo Chen

The only 5 names I can think of now. I don't think TVB should promote Joyce but I think she has definitely improved.

BEST DRAMA

I think it'll be Lives of Omission but I can equally see Ghetto Justice taking it.

My Choice

Twilight Investigation

Grace Under Fire

Ghetto Justice

Lives of Omission

My Sister of Eternal Flower

OTHER AWARDS

Best Informative Programme - Only remember Travelling with Koyo and Kung Fu Supernova but can't quite understand how they are informative.

Best Host - I can see Big Boys Club or Apprentice Chef winning this as a consolation to MC Jin or Steven Ma. Personally I think Margie and Kristal for Deja Love or Steven for Apprentice Chef would be good.

Best Variety Show - This will probably go to All Star Glam Exam, not been a huge fan of any and wow The Voice hasn't been nominated for anything, will Season 3 be the last?

Professional Performance Award - Tavia and Moses have won this, maybe this year it would go to Wayne to tell him that they still value him.

Microblog's Popularity Award - Don't know how this is given but I'm guessing Raymond or Wayne, some say Ruco but I'm not sure he's popular enough to garner a Popularity contest.

Lifetime Achievement Award - Don't know, only person I can think of right now is Lau Siu Ming.

So just to recap

Best Actor - Kevin Cheng

Best Actress - Myolie Wu

Best Supporting Actor - Ben Wong

Best Supporting Actress - Sharon Chan

Favourite TV Male Character - Michael Tse

Favourite TV Female Character - Linda Chung

Most Improved Male Artiste - Jazz Lam

Most Improved Female Artiste - Sire Ma

Best Series - Lives of Omission

So a few changes from last time

and just to remind you, I would like this to happen

TVB Awards 2011 nominees

2011-11-12T03:06:00.001Z

As I promised I will be posting about the nominees list for the 45th TVB Anniversary Awards (should be 44th but TVB has decided to skip 44th because 4 sounds like die in Chinese)

I've watched most series this year besides Forensic Heroes III, Super Snoops and Curse of the Royal Harem, basically everything after late September.

BEST ACTOR

Julian Cheung - The Rippling Blossom

Stephen Au - Be Home For DInner

Moses Chan - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Kevin Cheng - Ghetto Justice

Roger Kwok - Wax and Wane

Ron Ng - Wax and Wane

Ruco Chan - The Other Truth

Steven Ma - The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Kenneth Ma - The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Michael Tse - Lives of Omission

Bosco Wong - Lives of Omission

Bobby Au Yeung - Men With No Shadows

Raymond Lam - Men With No Shadows

Wayne Lai - Forensic Heroes

Sunny Chan - Curse of the Royal Harem

This list is pretty predictable besides Stephen Au for Be Home for Dinner, I would have expected Damian (I liked him this year a lot), Bowie or even Joe Ma before they'd consider Stephen Au

Ruco did well in The Other Truth and has left a lasting impression. I felt that both leads in Lives of Omission were also very good. Then it gets tough. Steven Ma and Roger Kwok were decent but not too memorable whilst Wayne Lai is getting a lot of good feedback for his role and because I don't feel like nominating anyone else I'll nominate him. But to be honest I feel that Raymond Lam did well in My Sister of Eternal Flower so I might put him in as a darkhorse.

But to be honest I don't want Ruco, Michael or Bosco to win the award. I feel that the award should not only go for one performance but also for your performance as a whole in the past only because it has always been like that for TVB awards (i.e. I would never suggest this for the Oscars). Therefore I think Julian, Steven and Raymond should win this award before the three above.

Most Likely Top 5

Julian Cheung - The Rippling Blossom

Kevin Cheng - Ghetto Justice

Steven Ma - The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Michael Tse - Lives of Omission

Wayne Lai - Forensic Heroes III

Ok besides Kevin, Michael and Wayne I think the last two spots are not lock on yet. I see anyone from Julian, Moses, Ruco, Bosco or Raymond taking the last two spots. It will be interesting if Moses misses a spot though because he hasn't been out of the Top 5 since 2005.

In all honesty I find this years crop weak I think there's real potential for an upset this year but I think Michael looks like the favourite to me. I will be disappointed if Kevin wins again. Kevin has definitely improved by leaps and bounds and his performance in Only You and Ghetto Justice were good but I think he has been overrated for Ghetto Justice, I found him so over-exaggerated when he was in court and he should in no way be listed among the Multi-Best Actor awardees of Gallen, Louis, Roger and Wayne.

But before I move onto the next category I just want to say how disappointed I am that TVB seems to be putting Raymond in these uninspiring roles that typecast him into a certain character. He needs to be in a big series soon as his win is so overdue.

BEST ACTRESS

Liza Wang - Home Troopers

Tavia Yeung - The Rippling Blossom

Louise Lee - Only You

Yoyo Mung - Only You

Kristal Tin - Be Home For Dinner

Linda Chung - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Charmaine Sheh - My Sister of Eternal Flower

Selena Li - The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Fala Chen - Lives of Omission

Kate Tsui - Lives of Omission

Nancy Sit - River of WIne

Elena Kong - River of Wine

Maggie Cheung - Forensic Heroes III

Jessica Hsuan - Curse of the Royal Harem

Myolie Wu - Curse of the Royal Harem

I'm just going to blank out Tavia Yeung for The Rippling Blossom rather than The Other Truth but whoopee for Selena Li being elevated here.

I think I was one of the few who actually thought Charmaine did well here. Fala also did well in Lives of Omission. Elena Kong is so underrated by TVB whilst I expect Maggie to be doing good in Forensic Heroes III finally Myolie has had a great year. And I would like to commend Yoyo because I felt that her two roles this year were two of her best performances ever and it changed my opinion towards her.

I think Myolie should win the award this year because she has been memorable in all three of her roles this year and she was in her element in The Rippling Blossom.

Most Likely Top 5

Fala Chen - Lives of Omission

Maggie Cheung - Forensic Heroes III

Myolie Wu - Curse of the Royal Harem

Linda Chung - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Kate Tsui - Lives of Omission

Just to add I think Tavia and Charmaine are also potential Top 5 candidates but I decided to omit them because Tavia hasn't really had any memorable roles despite being in 4 or 5 dramas this year whilst Charmaine's move and bad press from the series might have affected her chances.

I think Fala and Myolie are sure inclusions with Maggie also being very likely. Linda and Kate are more maybes to me.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenny Wong - Links to Temptation

Ram Tseung - A Great Way To Care

Patrick Tang - 7 Days in Life

Elliot Yue - Grace Under Fire

Mat Yeung - Be Home For Dinner

Law Lok Lam - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Sam Lee - Ghetto Justice

Jazz Lam - Ghetto Justice

Lee Sing Cheung - The Other Truth

KK Cheung - The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Derek Kwok - Lives of Omission

Ben Wong - Lives of Omission

Pierre Ngo - River of Wine

Power Chan - Men With No Shadows

Lee Kwok Lun - Forensic Heroes III

Pretty uninterested in this list

I nominated Elliot Yue and Power simply based on past performance whilst I thought Sam and Jazz were quite refreshing and Ben was interesting in Lives of Omission.

Most Likely Top 5

Elliot Yue - Grace Under Fire

Law Lok Lam - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Derek Kwok - Lives of Omission

Ben Wong - Lives of Omission

Pierre Ngo - River of Wine

I find it pretty difficult to predict who will be nominated let alone win. I chose Elliot because he's always a good filler, Law Lok Lam because of his news, Derek and Ben because of Lives of Omission's success and Pierre because he's been in for the past two years. The only person who has been gaining any traction is Ben Wong in this group so I guess he's the favourite, if not Pierre Ngo might sneak in.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Vivien Yeo - A Great Way To Care

Yvonne Lam - Be Home For Dinner

Queenie Chu - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Sharon Chan - Ghetto Justice

Joyce Tang - Ghetto Justice

Mannor Chan - Wax and Wane

Florence Kwok - Wax and Wane

Aimee Chan - The Other Truth

Natalie Tong - The Other Truth

Helen Ma - The Other Truth

Ching Ho Wai - The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Elena Kong - Lives of Omission

Sire Ma - River of Wine

Nancy Wu - Forensic Heroes III

Gigi Wong - Curse of the Royal Harem

Interesting that Natalie and Selena both considered for most improving last year have suddenly seen a huge split in status. Natalie who won the award last year is now only Supporting whilst Selena who lost is a leading actress!

This is pretty easy for me. Sharon and Joyce were fantastic in Ghetto Justice, Natalie did well in The Other Truth. Elena was amazing for Lives of Omission whilst Nancy has been garnering a lot of attention in FH3. But honestly Aimee for a couple of episodes in The Other Truth! WHAT!

My favourite is Elena Kong then Sharon and maybe Nancy if I watched FH3.

Most Likely Top 5

Sharon Chan - Ghetto Justice

Joyce Tang - Ghetto Justice

Natalie Tong - The Other Truth

Elena Kong - Lives of Omission

Nancy Wu - Forensic Heroes III

YEP! I predict the same list as my Top 5, I can only see Helen or Gigi making a change to this Top 5 unless TVB lose their minds and go for Aimee Chan in three episodes of The Other Truth.

FAVOURITE TV MALE CHARACTER

Julian Cheung - The Rippling Blossom

Stephen Au - Be Home For Dinner

Jason Chan - Be Home For Dinner

Moses Chan - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Kevin Cheng - Ghetto Justice

Ruco Chan - The Other Truth

Raymond Wong - The Other Truth

Steven Ma - The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Michael Tse - Lives of Omission

Bosco Wong - Lives of Omission

MC Jin - Lives of Omission

Wong Cho Lam - Super Snoops

Louis Yuen - Super Snoops

Johnson Lee - Super Snoops

Wayne Lai - Forensic Heroes III

No Raymond! Stephen, Jason and Moses! Really! Jason is so annoying and I swear Lor Sir was the most hated character on Hong Kong TV this year.

Simply saying I didn't like any of the other nominees characters, of course besides the ones I haven't seen.

Most Likely Top 5

Julian Cheung - The Rippling Blossom

Kevin Cheng - Ghetto Justice

Michael Tse - Lives of Omission

Wong Cho Lam - Super Snoops

Wayne Lai - Forensic Heroes III

However I think it'd be odd if Moses was blanked in both categories. I think Julian, Kevin, Michael and Wayne seem the most likely roles to be considered for Favourite character whilst everybody seemed to love Wong Cho Lam's role in Super Snoops.

FAVOURITE TV FEMALE CHARACTER

Sonija Kwok - 7 Days in Life

Yoyo Mung - Only You

Louise Lee - Only You

Liu Xuan - Grace Under Fire

Kristal Tin - Be Home For Dinner

Linda Chung - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Myolie Wu - Ghetto Justice

Sharon Chan - Ghetto Justice

Toby Leung - Wax and Wane

Tavia Yeung - The Other Truth

Fala Chen - Lives of Omission

Kate Tsui - Lives of Omission

Liza Wang - Super Snoops

Maggie Cheung - Forensic Heroes III

Aimee Chan - Forensic Heroes III

Honestly Toby Leung! Her character and performance in Wax and Wane reminded me of why I hated Toby's acting when I started to like her after My Sister of Eternal Flower.

For some reason I loved Yoyo Mungs "Middle-Aged Woman" role. I pitied Linda's character in Yes Sir Sorry Sir so I nominated her there. Myolie was pretty cool in Ghetto Justice whilst I liked both Tavia and Fala in their respective roles also however I truly only loved Yoyo's character.

Most Likely Top 5

Linda Chung - Yes Sir Sorry Sir

Myolie Wu - Ghetto Justice

Fala Chen - Lives of Omission

Kate Tsui - Lives of Omission

Liza Wang - Super Snoops

Honestly isn't this award given to Linda already? Anyway besides Linda the others are just educated guesses that could easily be wrong.

MOST IMPROVED ACTOR

Jazz Lam

King Kong

Jason Chan

Mat Yeung

MC Jin

JAZZ! MC Jin is so overrated.

MOST IMPROVED ACTRESS

Samantha Ko

Sire Ma

Mandy Wong

Cilla Kung

Katy Kung

So actually awarding new faces! So Selena and Sharon have finally grown too old for this award and will forever be known as the two who were nominated nearly every year but never got the award. But I really think it should be given to Mandy Wong even though I'm quite sure it's Sire Ma's to lose.

BEST SERIES

Show Me The Happy

Twilight Investigation

Links to Temptation

Home Troopers

A Great Way To Care

7 Days in Life

The Rippling Blossom

Only You

Grace Under Fire

Be Home For Dinner

Relic of an Emissary

Yes Sir Sorry Sir

My Sister of Eternal Flower

Ghetto Justice

Wax and Wane

The Other Truth

The Life and Times of a Sentinel

Lives of Omission

River of Wine

Men With No Shadows

Super Snoops

Forensic Heroes III

Til Love Do Us Die

Curse of the Royal Harem

But I sadly did not finish River Of Wine, Men With No Shadows, Super Snoops, Forensic Heroes III, Till Love Do Us Die or Curse of the Royal Harem.

I really liked Twilight Investigation but nobody else seemed to. Grace Under Fire had some great scenes whilst I actually liked My Sister of Eternal Flower. Ghetto Justice was very different from the usual TVB series and written interestingly thus it was well received whilst I liked Lives of Omission more than I thought. Special mention to Julian, Damian, Myolie and Eileen's part of The Rippling Blossom and the cases and the way they were handled in The Other Truth.

To be honest this year is pretty bad in terms of a good set of winners, at this moment I think it might be

Best Actor - Michael Tse

Best Actress - Myolie Wu

Best Supporting Actor - Ben Wong

Best Supporting Actress - Nancy Wu

Favourite TV Male Character - Kevin Cheng

Favourite TV Female Character - Linda Chung

Most Improved Male Artiste - MC Jin

Most Improved Female Artiste - Sire Ma

Best Series - Lives of Omission

I would like this to happen

Best Actor - Steven Ma
Best Actress - Myolie Wu
Best Supporting Actor - Power Chan
Best Supporting Actress - Elena Kong
Favourite TV Male Character - Julian Cheung
Favourite TV Female Character - Yoyo Mung
Most Improved Male Artiste - Jazz Lam
Most Improved Female Artiste - Mandy Wong
Best Series - Lives of Omission

This is factoring in every equation so not only their performance in the said series but overall performance throughout the year and throughout their career and other factors as well.

Anyway see you soon for the actual awards results!

Leon

2011-10-19T18:21:00.000+01:00

I went back to London last weekend and one of the places I had dinner at was Leon. I've now been to two of their branches, one at Bluewater and one near the Tate Modern but neither of their offerings worked for me. This time I ordered the dinner £9.95 deal which included a starter, two dishes and brown rice to top it off. I chose the hummus and flatbread starter and chose Morrocan meatballs and garlic and chilli broccoli. I also ordered a lemonade for £1.75 which tasted rather average. The flatbread with hummus was the best part of the meal in my opinion, though for the amount of hummus given I would have liked more flatbread. The broccoli was interesting though a little too uncooked for me whilst the Meatballs were quite average when supposedly it's their most famous dish. The brown rice was horrible, dry and tasteless.

Overall I do not have fond memories of Leon and don't plan on going back any time soon. If I'm around there next time I'll try Del'Aziz or Tsuru.

The next step...

2011-09-25T22:40:00.000+01:00

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I just moved to my uni today and it has been a bit hectic. It's going to be difficult to continue with this blog but I assure you I'll continue to post, however infrequently.

Miss Universe 2011 Final Review

2011-09-14T01:50:00.001+01:00

I've re-watched the Miss Universe pageant and my main comment is that it was an odd year.

Lets start with a fuller review of the Top 16.

FRANCE - When Laury won her national pageant there were so many haters, I was one of few who thought she wasn't that bad and even considered her a contender however when everybody started liking her and putting her in their Top 16 I was unconvinced and placed her in my Top 30. I predicted she would make the Top 16 though.

KOSOVO - Way back in my first list she was in my Top 8. If you read that post you'd know I was unsure whether she deserved that placing and I was right to feel like that because when she arrived I was disappointed. She never climbed back to that high and slowly fell in my rankings to 42nd. Yet again I predicted her Top 16 placement though.

COLOMBIA - Colombia was never a favourite of mine, she did start to gather some steam before and after the preliminary competition but I didn't expect her Top 16 placement. To be honest I thought her "panties" fiasco was enough to bar her from placing and there were so many other Latinas I thought would take her place like Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico and Paraguay. She was 33rd on my list.

CHINA - China finally gave me something to cheer for, after 3 girls outside my Top 20 list I finally got someone inside my Top 10; China was 7th on my list. China has always been a predicament because I never found her beautiful instead it was her style and presence that caught my attention. It was also, for me, difficult to ignore a Chinese delegate who could actually do well in the competition.

ANGOLA - I'd be lying to you if I said I was ecstatic about her placement. At this stage I was praying for some of my favourites that another girl placed outside of my Top 20; 28th, wasn't a happy sight. Angola was always part of my bubbling under list and in fact her rather forgettable performance throughout the competition never excited me. However I was happy that Africa had a representative and she was on my 8 alternatives on my prediction list.

AUSTRALIA - Scherri-Lee was one of my favourites so I was over the moon about her placement. She was 6th on my list. Whilst most liked her prior to the pageant I think I grew to like her from looking at all the photos of their activities, her interview and her prelim performance. She represented a healthy, sporty girl and I loved her bubbly personality. She was amongst my Top 16 prediction list.

PUERTO RICO - At one point I loved Viviana, she peaked at 4th on my list but she slowly found her resting place at 13th. She just didn't provide as much spark as I had predicted and to be honest she didn't look her best on the night in my opinion. I was surprised to find out that it was her birthday on the finals. She also made my Top 16 predictions.

BRAZIL - Yet again a girl that once peaked inside my Top 15/16, at 12th, but just before and after the prelims she started to die down for me and ended at 29th. To be honest I didn't expect her placement despite being the home delegate because I thought her story was too much for her to handle but I did put her in my alternative 8. I think if she had been more vibrant during the prelims she could have stayed in my top 20.

NETHERLANDS - I jumped out of my seat when I saw this, I thought Kelly would be the favourite to fall or as some name it the "Ruth Ocumarez Award". I had not even considered her as an alternative in my predictions because I really had a feeling she'd be an Alida D'Angona of Miss Universe. I should have had more faith. She has been a permanent fixture in my Top 5, placing at 5th in the end.

USA - Thank god she made it. USA was always my No.1 until her preliminary which dropped her to 8th but she was still one of my faves. It would have been a shock if she didn't make it but I would also have understood her none placement. At this point I was really wondering how she'd look in the swimsuit competition because it could be what makes her lose before the Top 10 or even win it all.

UKRAINE - She was always my No.3 even when others thought she was a dud. I found her stunning and didn't really understand why others did not but that didn't matter anymore because she made the Top 16 (and we quickly found out that wasn't where she'd end). I was sure she'd make the Top 16 because of her undeniable sex appeal.

PANAMA - It was only after the preliminary pageant that I jumped on the bandwagon. She became my No.12. I thought she looked stunning when glammed up and I was extremely pleased that she made the Top 16. She was also in my Top 16 prediction list.

COSTA RICA - Costa Rica recently peaked at 16th on my favourites list so I was pleased with her inclusion. However I only put her as an alternative for my predictions list because I didn't expect the judges to like her much

PORTUGAL - Portugal was 24th on my list but never did I expect her to be in the Top 16 nor did I expect her to be voted in, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise I wouldn't want to see the viewers vote to always be between Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Puerto Rico. She also looked beautiful on the night.

PHILIPPINES - Philippines was always just outside my Top 10 but as I said she was amongst my Top 12 favourites for the finals. I have been a fan of Shamcey since Binibining Pilipinas and I'm proud to have been one of the few believers in her ever since she won her national pageant, I would also like to add whilst I liked Patricia Tumulak and MJ Lastimosa I think they wouldn't have fared as well at MU this year because they seemed to favour more natural girls this year. Personally I also like her more than Venus Raj and thought there was potential for her to make the Top 5.

VENEZUELA - I have never been a fan of Venezuela ever since she won her national pageant, I am one of the few who have never been a supporter, there were a dozen girls who I'd prefer over her but I did predict her Top 16 placement but she only placed 40th on my list. I would be more shocked if she didn't make the Top 16.

So I predicted 11 out of 16, and 2 in my alternative 8, pretty normal for me. I also had Greece, Malaysia, Peru, Spain and Thailand in my prediction list.

If I was to pick a Top 5 from this bunch of 16 without having watched their performances on the night I would have chosen Ukraine, Australia, Panama, USA and Netherlands

Anyway I want to talk a bit about the excluded girls

GREECE - Along with Malaysia and Peru she was the biggest shock exclusion. She had performed so well throughout the activities and she was so right for the pageant that I was left in shock she was excluded. By the end of this whole pre final process she was actually at the top spot for me. I was so upset she couldn't do her thing in front of Isabeli Fontana because she'd have probably advanced to the Top 5, though maybe she was cut because she was too much of a threat to Ukraine - both had that amazing stare.

MALAYSIA - Another absolute shock. She was my No.2! My top 2 both out! How come? GB even dedicated a section as to why they thought she missed the cut. I think if there was any reason to it it would be that MUO didn't want her to win and as she was too much of a danger if she made the Top 5 they wanted to be safe rather than sorry because there's no way she'd perform badly in the interviews and we all know very well she performed well in the prelims.

PERU - Another WTF non-placement, she was elegant and beautiful so I have no idea why she didn't place, the only reason I could think of is that maybe she rubbed the MUO the wrong way (as I said I expected she had a bitchy attitude) or because of her sash.

Others from my Top 16 favourites who missed out: Switzerland, Argentina, Russia, Israel.

MEXICO - As I had said her placement was in question because she was, in my opinion, stiff throughout this pageant process. She is undeniably gorgeous but she had everything against her including Ximena's win last year.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - Thank god

Overall I wasn't pleased with the Top 16 because it missed out three of the strongest girls in the bunch.

SWIMSUIT SEGMENT

I would have liked some more traditional sounding music for the swimsuit segment, maybe a capoeira inspired piece. I didn't like the song used for the swimsuit segment but the segment they used when the girls were walking was fine.

I hope MUO learn from this that the Lux Fan Score is rubbish because it degrades delegates that get 2 or 3 for their scores. They should just not have anything and then release the judges score, per judge, after the finals. I also don't understand why the public don't like Panama, she came bottom on both scores.

I also didn't like the stage, it was too small and I thought they would do something similar to MU2005 with the bridge but instead it looked cheap and awkward.

A small note on the girls

France - sexy and energetic but her flailing arm was distracting

Kosovo - undeniably sexy but I still don't like her look. Her walk was also a tad too slow

Colombia - A bit too pageant patty but decent

China - I actually found her a tad boring, but she was aided by her physical assets

Angola - Sadly I thought she was the weakest out of the 16

Australia - I love her sunny aura, she's such a beach babe

Puerto Rico - I actually found her walk too stumpy and a tad disappointing

Brazil - Her walk looked uncoordinated

Netherlands - Sadly flat and awkward hip bones

USA - Whilst she walked well and looked healthy she was undeniably much thinner than her compatriots and in Brazil that's an even bigger no-no

Ukraine - Gorgeous, her beginning pose was to die for

Panama - I liked her slight headflicks but her walk was average.

Costa Rica - I found her walk too fast

Portugal - I don't get why people disliked her, she did well

Philippines - Her walk looks good head on but not from the side

Venezuela - Surprisingly average

At this point my bottom 6 were Philippines, Venezuela, China, Brazil, Netherlands and Angola but realistically I would have eliminated Brazil, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Netherlands, Costa Rica and Angola, yes Angola I thought she was the weakest in Swimsuit.

Australia, Ukraine and France were my Top 3 after the swimsuit.

TOP 10

Only three of my Top 10 favourites made it here and only 5 from my Top 10 predictions made the cut - a pretty bad prediction if I must say. I let Costa Rica and France stay in the Top 16 whilst giving Puerto Rico and Venezuela a slot in my Top 10 prediction.

At first I was pretty shocked they left out USA, Puerto Rico and Venezuela but then they all underperformed. However leaving them but putting through Brazil was a questionable decision at that point. I was also shocked that Angola made it because I honestly believed she was the weakest in swimsuit.

EVENING GOWN SEGMENT

Australia - Her gown should have been carried in a regal manner rather than the way she did.

Costa Rica - She looked stiff and the gown didn't work

France - A tad boring

Ukraine - She is indeed a sex bomb

Portugal - She really popped for me

Panama - She looked flustered

Philippines - Beautiful, she was the only one that put it all together for the evening gown segment

Angola - Elegant but not that special

China - She looked elegant but I was expecting more

Brazil - Didn't like her walk

In my opinion Angola, Costa Rica, Brazil, France, Panama were the weaker five in this segment but I would have eliminated Costa Rica, France, Panama, Brazil and Angola on performance alone throughout the night.

I had a firm Top 3 from this Top 10 and they were Ukraine, Australia and Philippines.

TOP 5

I did predict all five of them making it once the evening gown competition ended. Though I was unsure whether it'd be Brazil, Australia or Costa Rica filling the 5th spot. Yet again I had only managed to predict one of the Top 5 from my pre-finals list, China, and only one of my Top 5 favourites made the cut, Ukraine.

FINAL QUESTION

UKRAINE - from Amelia Vega (one of my favourite MUs ever)

If you could trade lives with anyone in history who would it be and why?

Answer - I simply live my life and am very satisfied with it. But if I did have the chance to trade positions with someone I think I would chose Cleopatra. I think that she's a very powerful and strong woman who is very much worthy of respect. And I think a woman can also be a leader like Cleopatra.

My reaction - She managed to save her answer with her last line, if not it would have been a pretty weak answer in my opinion. I know they are nervous and therefore say the simplest things to buy them some time but she could have done without the first sentence and used that time to elaborate on why Cleopatra would be her choice.

PHILIPPINES - from Vivica A. Fox

Would you change your religious beliefs to marry the person you love? Why or why not.

Answer - If I had to change my religious beliefs I would not marry the person that I loved because the first person that I love is god, who created me and I have my faith, my principles and this is what makes me who I am and if that person loves me should love my god to. Thank you.

My reaction - Personally I don't like religious questions and thus answers and what if you were atheist or agnostic? Though you would not dare say that to an American organisation if you wanted to win the pageant! However Shamcey provided the most considered answer and delivered it with passion and charisma.

CHINA - from Isabeli Fontana

Nude beaches are common in many parts of the world. Is public nudity appropriate or inappropriate and why?

Answer - I think every country has its own rules and regulations and every country has its own habits as well. We should respect them and be more understanding.

My reaction - The flaunting of skin has never been a question well answered and sadly China didn't provide a strong answer either. She didn't really provide anything interesting to say, it was just very standard. And to those who said her translator did a terrible job, I can understand Mandarin and that's basically what Roseline said.

BRAZIL - from Helio Castroneves

What would you do to avoid fighting a war that you didn't agree with?

Answer - First of all I would explain to people the premier quality of human beings is respect and no war is based on respect. It is always on misunderstanding, it's always based on a lack of education. And so I would tell this person that they should respect each other as human beings. Thank you.

My reaction - Did I understand the question properly? Because he seemed to ask what would Miss Brazil do herself which is rather odd. Miss Brazil did very well with this answer, she spoke confidently and with a lot of poise however I just wonder whether she actually answered the question.

ANGOLA - from Lea Salonga

If you could change one of your physical characteristics, which one would it be and why?

Answer - Thank god I am very satisfied with the way god created me and I wouldn't change a thing. I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty, I have my principles. I have acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I plan to follow these through the rest of my life and now I would like to give all of you a piece of advice. Respect one another...

My reaction - She didn't get to finish her answer but to be honest she didn't answer her question despite it being a very stupid one. Why didn't she ask about characteristics alone rather than physical characteristics? Yeah I hate my nose so I want to get a nose job to make it look taller and thinner - ugh. Anyway I guess Angola twisted the question to the best of her abilities but it was rather a waffle.

I thought Philippines was the best followed by Ukraine and then Brazil. China was disappointingly the worst for me. However in review of the night as a whole my ranking was...

MU - Ukraine

1RU - Philippines

2RU - China

3RU - Brazil

4RU - Angola

If I am true to myself Angola was simply average throughout the night so in that perspective no she didn't deserve the crown but everybody is fickle when it comes down to beauty pageants because for the winner it doesn't really matter how they performed as long as you like them it is fine and yes I do like Angola and her win sat well with me. But my favourite was Ukraine and in fact she deserved it so I was very glad she came in as 1RU. Brazil's performance in the final question was strong but she had gone too far and China was a decent Top 5 as well.

However saying all this my heart yearned for a Ukraine, USA, Malaysia, Greece, Peru Top 5.

Just a little side note. I showed the top 5 to my dad (whilst they were giving their final walks) and he ranked the girls, in terms of beauty, like this; Philippines - Angola - Ukraine - China - Brazil

It was definitely a year of unpredictable outcomes and who could have guessed that Angola would be the one standing tall at the end. I'm just going to put it out there, Angola is by no means the best girl amongst the 89 but her win was a good one because she is graceful, elegant and beautiful and my god is it good to have a non-latina winning!

US Open 2011

2011-09-13T01:56:00.000+01:00

Just a quick congratulations to Novak Djokovic, Samantha Stosur, Melzer/Petzchner, Huber/Raymond, Oudin/Sock they definitely provided one of the most exciting US Opens ever and America should be very happy with their wins in the women's, mixed and girl's singles.

Whilst the highlight for me this year was definitely the men's final we shouldn't forget how amazing Stosur played to defeat Serena in the fashion she did. And a further congrats to Oliver Golding for providing hope to British men's tennis.

What a year it has been and I can't wait to be at the Barclay's ATP World Tour Finals which I have tickets for!

Miss Universe 2011 Final (Live updates)

2011-09-13T01:43:00.098+01:00

After the incredible high I've just got from the US Open finals I now go into another highlight of this year. As long as this stream doesn't get stuck and crashes like with the prelims I'll be posting a few updates here of the finals so watch out!

2:00 (GMT) It has started!

I'm literally shaking with excitement.

I'M NOT READY!

I can't believe it's all starting.

TOP 16

France - hmmm

Kosovo - not starting nicely

Colombia - actually awful start

China - finally someone I like

Angola - wow

Australia - YES

Puerto Rico - like she wouldn't - birthday girl!

Brazil - FUCK

Netherlands - YES!

USA - FRICKIN YES!

Ukraine - FRICKIN YES YES YES

Panama - YES

Costa Rica - ooh

Portugal - fan vote winner - wow - who expected her to win fan vote

Philippines - I saw the Filipinos fainting there.

Venezuela - F*CK SH*T F*CK SH*T F*CK - sorry.

GREECE PLEASE

I'm not liking the list atm.

Please Greece now no heartattack for me tonight please

Shit a load of shocks

This is a messed up list where is Greece, where is Malaysia, where is Peru

I'm seeing a riot here with Malaysia's exclusion.

Honestly how could they exclude Greece, Malaysia and Peru - they formed three of my Top 4! F*ck I so missed the cut - sorry for the constant swearing.

I new I should have included Portugal, just as I finished my Top 16 I was thinking about her placing because Miss Universe loves returning countries or ones that debut.

Unhappy with Kosovo, Colombia, Brazil over Greece, Malaysia and Peru.

I got 11 out of 16 from my predictions list, I guess that's about right and two are on my alternatives.

I can't believe with Isabeli Fontana Greece won't be performing for her.

Panama wins Best NC

So nine of my Top 16 made it. So happy for Netherlands, Ukraine and Australia. Another four were from my Top 30. Colombia was my No.33, Venezuela my No.40 and Kosovo my No.42.

For some reason I'm feeling that Alyssa will do well and make the Top 5, I hope I don't have to eat my words.

I'm shocked there aren't more "this is the 60th anniversary" doodle.

I won't be updating this until the swimsuit segment ends

Why couldn't they have used the Brazilian Capoeira music for the swimsuit segment.

Why didn't they use the bridge?

Sorry the jittering of the video I just can't score these girls, guess I'll need to watch it later for a proper scoring.

From the jittering I managed to see a bit of USA and she seems healthy, yeah!

Hah I hope MUO now realise how bad the Lux Fan Vote is with all those low scores.

Sadly I really couldn't see a thing from my stream, it was so jittery.

Top 10

Australia - Yippee

Costa Rica - woo.

France - wow

Ukraine - YES!

Portugal - WOW!

Sh*t this is going to be another shocking cut.

Panama - Woo.

Philippines

Ok please China, USA, Netherlands.

Angola - WOW

SH*T CHINA, USA, VENEZUELA who?

China

SH*T! WHO!

Brazil

WHAT!

This is a very weird Miss Universe this year.

So many shocks. I hope the Top 5 are Australia, Ukraine, Panama, Philippines and China.

So disappointed USA and Netherlands are out. And pretty shocked Venezuela is out - though extremely happy for it.

I'm very happy for Portugal.

Wait shit I just realised where is Puerto Rico? I didn't realise I missed her, yeah where is she?

I only managed 5 out of 10 for the Top 10. And if you look at my favourites list only three of my Top 10 made it! Ukraine, Australia and China - I'd be happy if they were the final 3 but knowing this pageant I might only get one.

Just looking at the 6 eliminated, Colombia, Venezuela, USA, Netherlands, Kosovo, Puerto Rico - it looks like the judges don't like Pageant powerhouses. In my opinion France and Angola have gone too far.

I really want to watch how Alyssa performed now because I didn't catch a thing with my stream, I wonder if she was eliminated with justification.

I'm not liking either music performances however the fill in music has been ok.

TOP 10 Evening Gown

Australia - No why is she holding her gown like that.

Costa Rica - uh oh same awful gown, ooh Shandi likes it.

France - Not really liking what I'm seeing.

Ukraine - gorgeous as ever.

Portugal - Not sure about the gown.

I guess we'll be seeing Portugal next year.

I think Ukraine should be a safe Top 5 bet.

I think France will yet again be barred from the Top 5.

Panama - I thought she changed her gown? Oh no not liking her walk from what I could see.

Philippines - Couldn't see a thing, jittered all the time but I know she'll be lovely! lol

Angola - The crowd loved it, she might make it.

China - I think she's in.

Brazil - I don't remember seeing this dress.

I'm going to do a fearful prediction of Ukraine, Philippines, Angola, China. I can't decide on the fourth, Brazil, Australia or Costa Rica maybe.

TOP 5

UKRAINE - YES

PHILIPPINES - YES

going well

CHINA - YES!

very well

Australia and Panama please

BRAZIL - No Feck.

ANGOLA - WOW

let's not even look at my pre pageant Top 5 I managed to predict four of the Top 5 just before it was announced, I'm pretty impressed with myself. However I didn't see Brazil making it.

Yet again MU11 has disappointed me with the exclusion of Australia and Panama. I hope the winner is between Ukraine, Philippines and China. However at this moment I can only imagine Shamcey doing well in the final question.

Honestly though who could have predicted this Top 5. I am not ashamed to say I only got 1 - China.

So the 5 eliminated

Australia, Costa Rica, France, Portugal, Panama

Personally I want it to be

MU - Ukraine

1RU - Philippines

2RU - China

3RU - Angola

4RU - Brazil

FINAL QUESTION

Ukraine - Amelia Vega - Trade lives with anyone in history - Not convinced with her answer. ooh final comment was decent though.

Philippines - Vivica A Fox - Change religious beliefs to marry someone - I guess this should work really well.

China - Isabeli Fontana - Public nudity, appropriate? An ok answer.

Brazil - Helio Castroneves - what would you do to avoid fighting a war that you don't agree with - I'm worried she might have hit the spot.

Angola - Lea Salonga - Change a physical characteristic - hmm... a boring answer but she looked stunning.

BTW what was the bridge used for.

Ok, this is tough, I can actually see any of them winning for different reasons.

erm my fearless prediction

MU - Philippines

1RU - Brazil

2RU - China

3RU - Angola

4RU - Ukraine

I can't believe I'm finally predicting Shamcey winning it all.

Looking back I'm pretty shocked Brazil is representing the Americas when North and South America managed to get seven of their girls in.

I'm going to cheer for Ukraine though. But I wouldn't mind any of them winning as long as it's not Brazil.

Can any pageant experts answer me this, are any of the Top 5 countries considered powerhouses? If not then it must be a first right?

UKRANE UKRAINE UKRAINE

even though I've predicted her as 5th.

Thinking back I really should have predicted Angola a top spot because it's obvious they want more Portuguese speakers.

Not liking the bridge.

I think Angola and Philippines are the current faves to win.

In a way I'm quite disappointed with this year, it promised to be so good but everything just gradually faded.

I'm still lamenting for the lost beauties of Greece, Malaysia, Peru, USA, Netherlands, Australia and Panama.

Funnily I'm not as excited as I was just before announcing the Top 16.

THIS IS IT

4RU - CHINA - wow

3RU - PHILIPPINES - WOAH! better than Venus though.

2RU - BRAZIL - YES!

OMG I think it's going to be Angola but please be Ukraine however Angola would be good as well.

1RU - UKRAINE

WINNER - ANGOLA - WOW

Honestly who would have predicted it, I did think it was between her and Shamcey in the Top 5 but still it's rather shocking. So pageant experts which one of you predicted this.

Angola was 28th on my list :S She didn't even make my Top 16 prediction list but she definitely stood out on the night. Twelve years after Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana won we finally have another African winner. Whilst Leila wasn't my pick I'm rather happy with her win and it makes sense. Anyway I'll need to rewatch the whole pageant to give a much better review of the pageant. It has definitely been an exciting night. See you later!

Djokovic wins US Open

2011-09-13T01:24:00.005+01:00

01:24 - No words can describe the match I just watched. Quick update later.

Djokovic wins in four sets 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1. I honestly couldn't watch the third set as it was so tense.

Firstly Nadal jogged into a 2-0 lead but Djokovic fought back and won six straight games. In the second set Nadal yet again broke Djokovic to lead 2-0 and then the two players started to peak with Djokovic winning the set 6-4. The peak of both players definitely came around the start of the third set with breaks in nearly every game, by then it was verging on three hours having not even past three sets. Then agonisingly for all Djokovic fans Nadal got angry and started ripping into Novak Djokovic at the end of the third set. Looking exhausted Djokovic called a medical time out early on the fourth set. An agonising wait ensued but Djokovic managed to fight on and ironically it looked like Nadal that was tiring allowing Djokovic to quickly close the fourth set and claim his third grand slam title of the year.

Sam Stosur wins US Open

2011-09-12T12:48:00.002+01:00

In an incredible twist Samantha Stosur from Australia claimed her first Grand Slam title against outright favourite Serena Williams. This is definitely one of the biggest shocks in recent women's tennis, not that Serena didn't win the US Open but that Sam Stosur beat her in the final after her sporadic year. But I am pleased that Samantha Stosur manages to reclaim the dignity of the players of the WTA as if Serena could easily win a Grand Slam in the fashion she did, until the final, it would bode very badly for the tour. But you just need to look at Stosur's Grand Slam record this year to see how much of an underdog she was.

So we've had three first time Grand Slam champions this year; Na Li, Petra Kvitova and now Samantha Stosur, three women who were definitely not considered favourites for their respective titles or even winning a slam this year. Now I wonder when the teen players like Wozniacki and Azarenka will mature and take their place on the winner's podium or will we see Serena, or other more experienced players, dominating again?

And finally just a tidbit for you Samantha Stosur becomes only the third woman to have beaten Serena in a slam final, the other two were Venus and Sharapova!

US Open 2011 Day 12 and 13

2011-09-11T13:56:00.000+01:00

So just to update all the way back to Day 12 Murray beat Isner in four sets whilst Nadal beat Roddick in three easy sets, which meant that once again the top four in the world all made the QFs. For all the talk of a possible shock it seems like ATP really is at a three way tie plus Murray.

In the SFs Djokovic beat Federer in five sets, I'm ashamed I didn't have enough trust for Djokovic but he'll go into the finals as the favourite. Murray could not find a way to beat Nadal but managed to take a set off of him.

In the women's draw it looks like Serena Williams will claim another Grand Slam after she thrashed Caroline Wozniacki. She will face Samantha Stosur in the final after she beat Angelique Kerber in three sets. I really doubt Stosur will have anything to give against Serena but hopefully it'll be a decent competition.

Miss Universe 2011 The Final Preview

2011-09-10T17:31:00.002+01:00

With the preliminary competition done and dusted and only two more days until the final I expect this to be the last MU post from me until the final review. It has been a hell of a pageant with favourites constantly rising and falling but the preliminaries definitely changed my favourites list, for better or for worse? This is going to be one hell of a post so sit tight and be prepared to read some honest opinions on all 89 girls, yes all of them.

So starting from No.89...

89TH

EL SALVADOR

Maura Aldana

Every competition needs a loser and in Miss Universe 2011 it's El Salvador. She looks extremely old especially with her heavy make up but she's only 24. She needs to stop giving the pageant patty smiles and moves because it makes her look even more mature. And I hated how she played with her dress.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

88TH

TANZANIA

Nelly Kamwelu

Nelly looks like a fun loving personality but her major downfall is her facial features. Her prominently pointed nose gives her a slight witch-like look. I like her energy on stage but she just doesn't stand out in the right ways.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

87TH

GEORGIA

Eka Gurtskaia

People say she's a model but I don't share the same opinion. Her looks are awkward and her walk isn't that great however she does have a very lean body which does suit the "hangar" model archetype. She hasn't shown personality which Miss Universe craves.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

86TH

NEW ZEALAND

Priyani Puketapu

Originally I didn't mind her, she was floating in the 60-70 section but preliminaries changed my mind. She undeniably has a healthy body but her stocky frame makes her look extremely short especially with her slicked back hair, ageing her considerably.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

85TH

BOTSWANA

Larona Motlatsi Kgabo

Her facial beauty is lacking, pre prelims people praised her for her cute face but I didn't see that either. She lacks stage projection and doesn't have that MU vibe. However there's some charm to her which keeps her from the bottom.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

84TH

JAMAICA

Shakira Martin

I hate to say it but from Yendi to Shakira! Facially she's not that bad but she lacks the confidence that Yendi had and she seems quite timid, worsened by her body which needs some toning. Chances of her building on Yendi's success is slim.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

83RD

BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

Sheroma Hodge

I actually thought she looked her best in the preliminaries but still Sheroma is not in the same league as the best of the competition. Her smile is her asset though so she should use it to her advantage.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

82ND

KAZAKHSTAN

Valeriya Aleinikova

To me Valeriya is a plain Jane. She has a face that is quite ordinary but can be glammed up to look decent. My disappointment is sadly on what could have been. The original delegate Zhanna could possibly have made the Top 15 but we are left with Valeriya who really doesn't stand a chance.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

81ST

SLOVENIA

Ema Jagodic

The problem with Slovenia is that she doesn't stand out. Her weak points aren't major problems but I also don't see many great points about her, that's why she falls into the 80 and below. She doesn't stand out and I find her black hair is too harsh for her facial features.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

80TH

GUYANA

Kara Lord

Kara's strength is her confidence but she needs to be wary that her confidence can be perceived as arrogance especially the way she projected it in the preliminaries. She needs to tone it down a bit in order to not look too "Diva-licious" and masculine.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

79TH

GUAM

Shayna Jo Afaisen

Shayna is cute but sadly that's about it. Her round face and thin hair doesn't work well at Miss Universe as well as the fact that she's only 5 foot 5.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

78TH

INDIA

Vasuki Sunkavalli

Sadly there's nothing about Vasuki that stands out to me. Personally I found last years delegate Usoshi had an elegance and sophistication which saved her a bit but I don't see anything special with Vasuki. However I guess you could call her a dusky beauty.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

77TH

GERMANY

Valeria Bystritskaya

Valeria really disappointed me in the prelims because I was hoping she'd prove all her doubters otherwise. Whilst I didn't think Valeria was anyway near the Top 15 I did think she was better than what people suggested but she just wasn't what I expected. She does have a bit of a Martina Lee don't you think?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

76TH

ITALY

Elisa Torrini

When she entered in the evening gown competition I was playing the intro of Beethoven's 5th Symphony in my head. She has the same style as most Miss Italy Universe's but sadly her confidence and glamour cannot be backed up with her beauty and elegance. Her smile can be awkward and to me she looks like a rich Italian housewife.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

75TH

GREAT BRITAIN

Chloe-Beth Morgan

I may be from Great Britain but once I knew Chloe-Beth was representing us I knew our bad luck would continue. I'm very happy with her success at Miss International but sadly I don't understand her appeal. Her eyes and nose are her biggest problems and on the preliminaries she looked aged coupled with bad styling. However her snap turn saved her from dropping into the abyss.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

74TH

SRI LANKA

Stephanie Siriwardhana

Honestly I feel so sorry for her with all the bashing comments about her weight. To be frank I don't think her body is that bad, yes not as lean or toned as many but still not enough to be making jokes about her running to the buffet every second. We've honestly seen worse! And actually I find her smile captivating however she has some very bad angles.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

73RD

NIGERIA

Sophie Gemal

Terrible styling in the preliminaries, it made her look masculine and a bit of a loon but there's something quite beautiful about Nigeria, I think it's her inner beauty that shines out but she's very timid and needs to get a stylist!

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

72ND

SOUTH AFRICA

Bokang Montjane

Bokang is an acquired taste but there's some reason why she outlasted all those pretty girls in her national competition. I think it's her confidence that won the judges over. Whilst I find her looks quite polarising I do seem to be drawn towards her when she's on camera.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

71ST

ST. LUCIA

Joy-Ann Biscette

It's always nice to see a delegate enjoying themselves even though they know they're not in contention, that's why Joy-Ann climbs up my rankings. Her smile is beautiful and whilst her look is plain she carries herself way.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

70TH

HONDURAS

Keylin Suzette Gomez

She is totally overshadowed by her afro but without it she'd be overshadowed by the competition. She has some lovely features beneath that mass of hair but it's just not shining out.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

69TH

BELGIUM

Justine De Jonckheere

Oh what were you thinking Justine? Possibly one of the biggest disasters of the night. Her gown was dreadful and her styling worsened her features. She's not the prettiest of delegates but she was doused with bad styling and makeup in the preliminaries to further worsen her cause. She manages to cling to 69th because she has an endearing personality.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

68TH

CURACAO

Evalina van Putten

This girl's spark has truly been blown out. She didn't exude any appeal in the preliminary competition and her plastic nose was more of a distraction than I thought it'd be. Yes she looks better than she was before but just because she's had a tremendous transformation does not automatically put her near the top.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

67TH

TURKS AND CAICOS

Easher Parker

She doesn't stand out but her intellect has caught the attention of pageant fans. Personally I find that she's very well spoken and has a solid beauty but her body needs toning and she doesn't excite.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

66TH

GUATEMALA

Alejandra Barillas

To be honest I don't understand how she beat Jessica Scheel in their national competition but she pleasantly surprised me in the prelims. She did extremely well so she rocketed up to 66th from basically rock bottom. However I would be shocked if she was included in the Top 16.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

65TH

URUGUAY

Fernanda Semino

This girl looks a bit like a teenager amongst the crowd, I think it's exacerbated by her smile. I think there's a decent girl behind what she is portraying herself as but I don't know how she can use it.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

64TH

CZECH REPUBLIC

Jitka Novackova

Was it the same girl competing in the preliminaries? I couldn't recognise her, or maybe it's because I don't know her look well enough because every time I rank her I need to look back at her photos. However she looks extremely old for only being 19. But will her Czech sash give her an advantage?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

63RD

ROMANIA

Larisa Popa

She was extremely exaggerated in the prelims but I have an inkling feeling she could be a dark horse. However I don't know whether her performance classified herself as a sophisticated lady or an old hag.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

62ND

SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Dagmar Kolesarova

She's been disappointing since her arrival and it continued into the prelims but she does command attention with her dark hair and dark eyes.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

61ST

DENMARK

Sandra Amer

I don't really know what to think about Sandra because her look is interesting but yet I think it is too harsh for her. I also don't like her excessive use of makeup which adds too many random colours to her already overloaded face.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

60TH

US VIRGIN ISLANDS

Alexandrya Evans

Alexandrya has been a pleasant surprise however she's still not ready to tackle the Top 50. Her body is stocky but undeniably toned and she actually has been looking decent in candids. I also liked her evening gown.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

59TH

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Gabrielle Walcott

Sadly I don't share the enthusiasm as others do for T&T. I like her attitude and her stage presence but she looks extremely old and verging on haggard. She also slaps on excessive amounts of makeup ageing her even further.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

58TH

SINGAPORE

Valerie Lim

Personally I think Valerie's look is a bit harsh and she hasn't been looking good in candids but she has a toned body and looked good in prelims so she manages to stay in the Top 60.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

57TH

ECUADOR

Claudia Schiess

She was pretty average in the preliminaries and I've never been a fan of her look but she has an interesting style that makes her stand out amongst those that fall below her.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

56TH

CYPRUS

Andri Karantoni

Whilst I don't really like her look she was undeniably radiant in the preliminary competition and looked the best she has been. However she still lacks on stage presentation compared to some of the hot favourites.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

55TH

BOLIVIA

Olivia Pinheiro

She's so over the top and pageant patty that it hurts. She has some strong points about her but her performance is distracting and annoying.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

54TH

IRELAND

Aoife Hannon

I actually find her OK, however many think she's trying too hard, she's no Rozanna Purcell but she's not as bad as I had initially thought. I like her poise and she does look quite glamorous at times, in fact what I'm annoyed about is not her look but her rather random humour.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

53RD

JAPAN

Maria Kamaiyama

She looked confident and sexy in the swimsuit competition but she still lacks real presence in my opinion. However I do love her personality and her constant smile but facially she just does not pop out.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

52ND

FINLAND

Pia Pakarinen

I never really understood her appeal and her rather lacklustre preliminary presentation confirmed that with me but she undeniably has some pretty angles.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

51ST

EGYPT

Sara El-Khouly

I'm starting to warm up to her, a bit. I do finally understand her beauty and she does have a bubbly personality but her very weak walk and lack of personality on stage will be the reasons for her exclusion.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

50TH

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Dalia Fernandez

At her best Dalia could really strike fear in some of the favourites, I admit, but 90% of the times she looks plain. To me she looked rather plain in the preliminaries and I still can't get over her nose.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

49TH

CAYMAN ISLANDS

Cristin Alexander

I never expected Cristin to make the Top 50 when she arrived at Sao Paulo but her elegance and confidence has really made an impression on me. She has a natural charm which is aided by her tall and toned physique.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

48TH

ALBANIA

Xhesika Berberi

I've never been a fan of Xhesika and that hasn't really changed after the prelims. Her fans were willing me to watch her on stage but to be honest she looked no better in the prelims to what I've seen in candids. She's definitely her best when she's glammed up in photos but she's not telegenic. However with Fadil by her side she could potentially make a claim for a Top 16 spot.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

47TH

CROATIA

Natalija Prica

Croatia has been a huge question mark for me since the beginning but she performed well in general in the preliminaries so she manages to make the Top 50. Her main problem is looking old and a bit heavy.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

46TH

SERBIA

Anja Saranovic

Her over vibrant personality is her USP but also something that annoys me. I'm not a fan of her but I do admit she has some good angles.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

45TH

MAURITIUS

Laetitia Darche

Smack bang in the middle of the bunch is Mauritius. I was slightly disappointed with her prelims to be honest but she manages to stay in a decent position two days before the finals. She's supposedly the best Miss Mauritius in history so does she have a chance in breaking Mauritius' bad luck?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

44TH

SPAIN

Paula Guillo

Starting off the positive end of our list is Spain. Personally I'm not attracted to Spain's masculine features but she has a good energy on stage which makes her possibly a Top 16 competitor but I hated her hairstyle in the prelims.. She also trained in Venezuela so she has huge potential to make the cut.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

43RD

LEBANON

Yara El Khoury Mikhael

Lebanon is one of a bunch of beautiful Middle Eastern girls but like many from the Middle East she has the looks but nothing much else. I would like to see her perform well but she just didn't stand out in the prelims.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Unlikely

42ND

KOSOVO

Aferdita Dreshaj

Miss Washed Out Pop Princess plops in at No.42. Being frank she looked average in the prelims but then she was very good in the swimsuit segment and obviously has a lot of fans. I highly doubt Fadil's pair of Albania and Kosovo will both be out of the Top 16 so I think Aferdita is on her way to the Top 16.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

41ST

CHILE

Vanessa Ceruti

She was climbing but then her boring prelim performance sealed the deal for me. She's facially not the best so she needs to excel in every other segment but sadly she's as interesting as a stick at the moment.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

40TH

VENEZUELA

Vanessa Goncalves

Riot in the house! I stand by my initial assessment that Vanessa is lacking as a frontrunner. She has the stage props and undeniably has a beautiful body but her face looked beyond human in the prelims to me, she looked so plastic it was unimaginable. She's so high on my list because she has everything but the face.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

39TH

POLAND

Rozalia Mancewicz

This Polish beauty better start standing out because like so many European delegates she just moves with little conviction however she is undeniably beautiful and can at her best contend with the top blondes but being in such a tough group (the P group) she'll probably be overlooked.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

38TH

HUNGARY

Betta Lipcsei

Possibly the worst gown this year, continuing the tradition of awful gowns from Miss Hungary's. There were a lot of choices for worst gown this year but Betta's "scrunched up tissue paper-like" bottom definitely beat them all. Anyway Betta is beautiful but yet again lacks the stage props which is quite common in European delegates.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

37TH

CANADA

Chelsae Durocher

This may be a bit unconventional but I still like Canada. I thought she looked decent in the prelims despite an average dress and not standing out. I think her best asset is her smile.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

36TH

MONTENEGRO

Nikolina Loncar

She has been climbing everyday for me and she peaks at 36th. I love her personality and somewhat tween (teen queen) appeal. She's also not bad looking and winning Miss Congeniality should mean she's likeable.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

35TH

TURKEY

Melisa Asli Pamuk

She has one of the faces of this pageant but her flabby stomach and her slightly timid performance let her down. However I thought she looked beautiful in her red evening gown.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

34TH

ESTONIA

Madli Vilsar

It was around a week or two into the pageant that I started to like her from initially side-lining her as a clapper. I thought she did well in the prelims, showcasing her bubbly personality however she does need to tone up a bit.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Unlikely

33RD

COLOMBIA

Catalina Robayo

This girl might not have the best facial features but she definitely knows how to work the crowd. She walks with conviction even though it borders on pageant patty. She's an interesting proposition, could she make the cut?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

32ND

GHANA

Yayra Erica Nego

Finally Yayra gives me a taste of why I originally had faith in her. She's not the prettiest but it is evident she enjoys walking on the stage and she definitely can walk. She has great presence on stage and her gown fitted her very well, it'll be interesting seeing if she'll land a spot.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

31ST

BAHAMAS

Anastagia Pierre

Another former Miss USA contender. She performed well at preliminaries. I hate to say this but her disproportional head has been a huge distraction for me. I didn't want to let it affect my decision but it really has played prominently in my mind. It's a shame because she has the potential to soar.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

We finally get down to the business end of the rankings, the Top 30.

30TH

FRANCE

Laury Thilleman

I was one of the few who supported her after her crowning and maintained my faith in her however by the time everybody jumped on her bandwagon I kind of wanted to jump out. She's undeniably a strong competitor but she is no Malika Menard or Chloe Mortaud. She's a contender but I wouldn't want to see her winning.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

29TH

BRAZIL

Priscila Machado

I was disappointed with Brazil's preliminary performance. We lost that regal queen and in exchange been given a pale and old looking latina. I don't know if it was the pressure that got to her but she's slowly falling back to where she was pre pageant.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

28TH

ANGOLA

Leila Lopes

I never really jumped on her bandwagon but then again I saw that she was genuinely quite pretty but she didn't showcase that in the preliminaries and I was left rather cold towards her. One thing that irked me was that Angola and Aruba were styled so similarly and they were so close together in the running order, will that affect their chances?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

27TH

THAILAND

Chanyasorn Sakornchan

She wasn't as strong as I had expected and to be honest Fonthip was better than her (and if we look even further back into Miss Thailand's Gavintra, Farung, Chananporn etc etc) but she continues the style of bubbly Thai delegates and has definitely improved since crowning. I would like to see her perform better though.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely (due to public vote)

26TH

ARUBA

Gillain Berry

The positive surprise of the pageant. Gillain wasn't even considered pre pageant but once she arrived she sparked massive fear into the hearts of other black delegates. If she can capture her best moments for the final she'll do well but the first step is making it in the Top 16.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

25TH

SWEDEN

Ronnia Fornstedt

I was a tad shocked when she won Miss Photogenic but I do think she's very pretty. She also presents herself well however she needs to show more personality. Her height and lean body definitely allow her to stand out.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

24TH

PORTUGAL

Laura Goncalves

There's something about Portugal I just love. She has a classy look that could also be cutesy or feminine if she wanted. However like with Poland making it from her group will be incredibly difficult with Peru, Panama, Philippines looking like very plausible Top 16 candidates.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

23RD

HAITI

Anedie Azael

Anedie is so adorable it's unreal. But wiping away the cutesy image she's also a decent competitor. However it could be difficult to breakthrough with her round face but she's definitely a pleasant surprise and very photo and telegenic.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

22ND

INDONESIA

Nadine Ames

Nadine performed very well in the prelims and has definitely pushed herself into a nice spot however I'm still unsure about her facially and she lacks presence in comparison to some of the other girls near her in this ranking.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

21ST

KOREA

Sora Jung

I was so disappointed with Sora's styling on the night, she could have been a huge contender but her styling messed her up in my opinion. However Sora still stays in my Top 25. I find it amusing that a load of people put her as a clapper pre arrival but when she landed she was knocking on the door of the favourites list. Also I love that she's bilingual

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

20TH

MEXICO

Karin Ontiveros

I don't for one moment doubt that Karin is one of the most beautiful this year but her stiff expressions have got to go. I'm not sure if her styling has worked for her, we'll just have to see what happens on the 12th but looking at history a lot of the times the reigning country doesn't make it the next year, only Canada, Japan and Venezuela have managed it in this past 10 years.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

19TH

PARAGUAY

Alba Riquelme

Confident, sultry and tall Alba has always been a dark horse in my list even when people didn't take notice of her but yes her major ailing point is her nose, like the thing that haunted Marelisa Gibson. I think she has a chance of making it into the Top 16 but it would be a hard fought battle.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

18TH

NICARAGUA

Adriana Dorn

Whilst I wasn't entirely sure of her preliminary performance Adriana has been climbing my rankings every day. She definitely has some very beautiful angles and can easily pull off both elegant and sultry however will her chances be wilted with a number of strong latinas in the competition?

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

17TH

VIETNAM

Vu Thi Hoang My

Vietnam looked the best she has been in the prelims and has sky-rocketed to 17th place in my list, what a shame, just one away from placing. She was sultry in her red evening gown and didn't let Venezuela's cheers take over her own performance, however with so many good Asians this year Vietnam might have to sit on the sidelines.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

and Finally the Top 16, some changes have been made to my Top 16 and a lot of internal shuffling so how does it look now?

16TH

COSTA RICA

Johanna Solano

A banging body, a beautiful smile and the pageant patty laugh Johanna knows what she is doing and can even carry off a heavy dress. She has pageantry written all over her but will Miss Universe accept her with open arms? It's a tough competition this year.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

15TH

SWITZERLAND

Kerstin Cook

With the classy one sided look donned also by former MU Stefania Fernandez, Kerstin looked ready to do her thing in the swimsuit competition. She has captivating eyes and a cosmopolitan edge about her that could be a hit with the judges.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

14TH

ARGENTINA

Natalia Rodriguez

ARGH, one of the most beautiful girls in the competition but ruined by her hairstyling. How could they make one of the best girls look so common? For some reason she also looked shorter than her 5 ft 8.5. I just wonder if her chances have been dashed because of this.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

13TH

PUERTO RICO

Viviana Ortiz

Easily the most captivating gown of the night and Viviana carried it with elegance and a hint of sex appeal. Puerto Rico is definitely on her way to the Top 16 but I'm just slightly worried about her masculine features, she does however give me an Ana Rodriguez feel.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

12TH

PANAMA

Sheldry Saez

Oh lord I finally see it! I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon. She is one of the best when glammed up, I still think she's not the best in candids but with preliminaries done it doesn't matter if she looks like shit in the morning because it's all about the final night now.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

11TH

PHILIPPINES

Shamcey Supsup

Shamcey so nearly made my Top 10, she probably will if she makes the Top 16 and produces a stunning performance. Whilst I'm not as crazy as some about her prelim performance I did think it was solid and distinctive, which is what gave Venus the edge. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of Shamcey in the finals.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

NOW FOR MY TOP 10

10TH

RUSSIA

Natalia Gantimurova

Whilst I'm extremely disappointed with her prelims (she looked like a Christmas present in the Evening Gown segment) I still think she is one of the most stunning girls in the pageant. Yes she didn't look as good in the prelims but I still have faith that if she makes the Top 16 cut she could be a danger.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

9TH

ISRAEL

Kim Edri

Another of my lovelies that didn't do well on the night. She is definitely one of the faces of the pageant but sadly her dress swamped her and her thighs are slightly big compared to most of the other girls. However it's not all over yet. If Irina Antonenko managed to make it last year, which I imagine is down to her beauty alone, then Kim Edri could possibly do it as well.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

Be prepared, be very prepared

8TH

USA

Alyssa Campanella

WHAT HAPPENED! My favourite since even when she participated in Miss California has now dropped to 8th! I just can't believe what we saw in the prelims. It was not her night, the biggest problem was her styling. Her swept back hair aged her considerably and didn't allow her to use it the way she did at Miss USA and secondly she looked so thin! She was visibly so much more frail compared to the other girls that it was disturbing to watch. I'm worried about her health because she was so much better at Miss USA. And her tan didn't help her either, it didn't look even and was possibly slabbed on to make her look healthier. Is this the end for Alyssa? She's no longer the frontrunner after this performance and I worry if she'll even be able to make it to the Top 16 as major backlash could ensue in America. However her interview and evening gown should be enough to save her as long as she doesn't fall into say 10th place and get eradicated by the MUO for not being a healthy role model to young girls. I hope it's all just styling. Her relatively high ranking is because of her candids and her interview and actually her Miss USA performance, sometimes I wonder whether I'm biased towards the girls I've watch the national pageants of, in brief I think I am but it would take reasonable consideration for me to be biased towards them.

The Alyssa we see now is not the same girl that won Miss USA, come back to us Alyssa and stay positive and healthy.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Dark Horse

7TH

CHINA

Roseline Luo

China is back on the map! And it's not even because of the preliminaries. Something just clicked for me this week that allowed Roseline to find her way back to the Top 10 for me and coupled with a good preliminary performance it seemed absurd not to include my fellow Chinese into the Top rung of candidates. She has been styled similarly to Honey Lee but they're really not that similar. However she'll excel and I can't wait to see her in the Top 5.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

6TH

AUSTRALIA

Scherri-Lee Biggs

I feel so sorry for Scherri-Lee because essentially at the moment it's Top 6 for me and Scherri-Lee unfortunately came in at 6th. To me she has always been in contention and her healthy body and brilliant smile affirmed my thinking. However she should not hold her dress the way she did instead she should walk with elegance and poise in order to stand a chance of making the Top 5 because I think she'll be a good bet for the Top 10 at least.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

FINALLY TOP 5, most of you'll know which five have made it but with Alyssa gone who'll be the new frontrunner?

5TH

NETHERLANDS

Kelly Weekers

Many believe she threw her chances away in the prelims, I don't really understand why because I thought she did well but I do think Kelly could be our shock exclusion in the Top 16, it's a gut feeling so I can't explain it but she does give me an Alida D'Angona vibe for some odd reason.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Average

4TH

PERU

Natalie Vertiz

Calm, sophisticated, classy, sexy with a hint of saucy is what describes Natalie. She has finally broken into my Top 5! I will be shocked if she is excluded from the Top 16 but I do get a slight bitchy attitude from her, I hope that's not true, however confidence is the key to winning.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

3RD

UKRAINE

Olesya Stefanko

Through all the chaos Ukraine has stayed comfortably in her spot. She is sex personified, from that captivating stare to her sultry walk everything is just a teenage boy's wet dream. However she'll need to know when to bring it down a notch for the live finals or she may come with 18+ censorship.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

2ND

MALAYSIA

Deborah Priya Henry

Did you guess it, Deborah at No.2? For all this time Deborah has been patiently waiting in the 2nd spot for Alyssa to fall and when she does someone else usurps her power. However Deborah is still a hot contender. She has barely placed a foot wrong in this whole competition and if she does manage to make the Top 5 be very afraid girls because she's not going to mess up her final answer.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Extremely Likely

1ST

GREECE

Iliana Papageorgiou

Did you see it coming? Iliana manages to climb all the way to No.1 because of a solid album of candid shots and a mesmerising preliminary performance. What I liked about her performance was that it was a little edgy, she used her modelling abilities to make her walk more cosmopolitan for the pageant scene and it really worked even when her gown looked slightly like a wedding dress. Some say she's too skinny but what I saw on the night she was a healthy skinny rather than what Alyssa looked. She's a dangerous proposition because she can make it all the way to the Top 5.

Chances of making the Top 16 - Likely

So all 89 girls done and dusted. I think I am currently operating on a Top 12 favourites ranking e.g. from Panama upwards are my favourites this year. And here's my fearless predictions for what would happen on the 12th.

Top 5

Panama, Puerto Rico, China, Malaysia, Greece

Top 10

Peru, Venezuela, Australia, Philippines, Ukraine

Top 16 (including Public Vote)

USA, France, Kosovo, Spain, Costa Rica, Thailand

This was actually incredibly hard. I'm working on a basis of who could shine in the respective competition. Since Top 16 is Swimsuit and Top 8 is Evening Gown I judged who would shine in each round.

USA will fall in the swimsuit round if she looks the same as she did in preliminaries, if she gets that far.

France doesn't strike me as a plausible Top 10 candidate.

Kosovo is a wildcard really but her facial features could be her downer

Spain doesn't strike me as a Top 10 girl either

Costa Rica has a smashing body so it was a difficult decision to cut her here but there are so many top contenders

Thailand is also strong but not strong enough. Will be a viewer vote with Shamcey getting through outright.

Peru might miss the cut because of her average evening gown.

I think this might be the time when Venezuela's facial beauty will get to her

Australia's way of carrying her gown could be her downfall here

I really think Philippines could push into the Top 5 but the 5 above look more plausible atm

Ukraine was another difficult one to cut but it's just a gut feeling.

I really doubt whether this would actually be the Top 5 because it looks so implausible to me but this is the best I've got atm.

If this does happen I think Puerto Rico and Malaysia will do the best in the final question whilst Panama and Greece will be the girls that confuse the judges because of their personalities. I think China might be the weak link here.

And just so I cover my back I'm going to give another 16 names.

Alternative 8

Mexico - she's a strong contender but her stiff smile is worrying me

Ghana - She has stage presence but I'm not sure

Brazil - Her controversy will be her downfall

Russia - With Ukraine in it might be tough to get Russia as well

Switzerland - Her look might give her an edge

Paraguay - She's facing strong competition but another latina is not impossible

Nicaragua - Just like Paraguay

Angola - If anyone is getting in from Africa it's very likely to be Angola

Bubbling Under

Romania - I have this inkling feeling she's a darkhorse

Vietnam - Might be one too many Asians

Korea - Yet again one too many

Indonesia - Same as Vietnam and Korea

Sweden - Possible with her Miss Photogenic award

Aruba - Regal beauty, could be a contender

Poland - Europe normally does well for Top 15 maybe another isn't impossible?

Albania - Fadil, end of.

Well it was a long but enjoyable post, see you on Monday?

US Open 2011 Day 11

2011-09-09T01:44:00.000+01:00

The weather has not been nice to the US Open for the past two days, no matches were completed on either day thus putting the scheduling into chaos. However today the weather gave a window for the tournament to complete some necessary matches.

MEN'S SECTION

Both Nadal and Murray progressed in straight sets whilst Djokovic took was leading 2 sets to 1 and 3 games to love before Tipsarevic called it quits. The Americans are staying strong however with Isner beating Simon in four tough sets and Roddick shocking Ferrer in four sets as well. The Federer/Tsonga match has been suspended so I'll update this post when that finishes.

WOMEN'S SECTION

No shocks here as Serena continues to steam-roll her way through the draw. Stosur beat Zvonareva comprehensively and is looking like a potential shocker. Wozniacki is staying strong beating Andrea Petkovic but her next opponent will be much tougher whilst could Angelique Kerber create a German quartet of dangerous players? She has a lowly ranking but managed to make the SFs beating Flavia Pennetta. Pennetta must be cursed in the QFs, she fell at the same stage in 2008 and 2009.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY David Ferrer

Australia's Next Top Model Cycle 7 (SPOILERS)

2011-09-07T21:50:00.000+01:00

AusNTM and BINTM are airing at the same time but oh how far AusNTM is ahead of BINTM, only Juste could match with the best of AusNTM. Anyway I just wanted to give my comment on these girls.

Amelia - She obviously has model acumen but she doesn't stand out in the bunch so how is she going to stand out in the modelling world? She could be a working model but not capable of breaking onto an international stage.

Caroline - I am so shocked to hear that she is going next because she's imo the best looking girl of the bunch. Even though she hasn't been the strongest in photos she is by no means the worst at the moment so I don't understand why the judges hate her so much.

Elizabeth - She has taken some great shots and is proving to be a strong contender but I just wonder if she's ready to be a top model.

Hazel - She's not taking good shots but she does have the look, however on her performance alone she should be worried about her position in this competition.

Izzy - She's very polarizing. I don't think she'll make it as a top model outside of the competition but she could be successful on NTM.

Jess - I'm divided on her, I want to like her but I'm just not sure.

Madeline - Beautiful yes but not a model

Montana - She is absolutely beautiful and the girl to beat in my honest opinion because if AusNTM wants to produce a girl that has any chance of making it to where Amanda has got it's Montana because she stands out from the bunch and if becoming stronger and stronger.

Neo - I love Neo and she has taken some astounding photos but I can't believe she'll be in a double elimination with Caroline, two of my favourite girls. She probably won't be good enough for the international market, there are already a number of black models with similar looks.

Rachel - She is indeed very beautiful and has striking features but she doesn't register well on camera and doesn't have the confidence.

Simone - She's the resident sex bomb and that's her main problem, her new makeover will keep her in for longer but she won't win.

Yolanda - Interesting and takes great photos but the judges ultimately will eliminate her before the finals.

My Top 4: Caroline, Montana, Neo, Elizabeth

Top 6: Rachel, Yolanda,

Bottom 6: Hazel, Izzy, Simone, Jess, Madeline, Amelia

Britain's & Ireland's Next Top Model Cycle 7

2011-09-07T21:14:00.000+01:00

I'm so frustrated with BINTM that I needed to post something about it. I just don't understand why Britain and Ireland can't summon up enough good girls for BINTM when AusNTM has more great girls than they can have with a third of the Britain and Ireland's population. Well actually I kind of understand because AusNTM and beauty competitions are so much more "now" for Australia with beauty queens and NTM winners doing well e.g. Jennifer Hawkins and Amanda Ware. BINTM needs to step it up and attract strong girls. We all thought Tiffany might have been the catapult for the show but the show hasn't really improved.

Now onto the actual competition, I just honestly don't understand what the judges are thinking, they seem to live on another planet half the time. I just can't believe the judges even need to decide who should win because Juste is by far head and shoulders and legs above the rest in terms of modelling potential. None of them besides Juste could actually become an international model. Jade is likeable but the modelling industry has enough beautiful and interesting girls to need to take her in. Grace said that the modelling industry is ready to take her look in but sadly the modelling industry doesn't need to take her in. Grace's idea (and actually Elle's as well) is to create a star not a model and that's the problem with this competition. Imogen has her moments but she is sadly not that special. She does have potential but she is not ready. Jessica, as nice as she is, is sadly not a model. Anastasija is ok but she is not in contention with Juste. Lets have a look at their photos.

Anastasija

Supporters: Julien's fave

Detractors: Charley

Imogen

Supporters: Charley's fave

Detractors: Julien

Jade

Supporters: Grace and Elle's fave, Julien

Detractors: None

Jessica

Supporters: Elle and Julien's fave

Detractors: I can't think of any (though her look and size is acknowledged)

Juste

Supporters: All like her but I don't think any of them favour her.

Detractors: None, though each judge questions whether she's a star

And by not having a callout this episode they totally robbed Juste of her first callout.

I just can't at how biased the judges are towards Jade. She will sadly fade into obscurity once the series finishes like so many of the past contestants. Sadly I think the final two will be Juste and Jade and Jade being crowned victorious because she's a "star".

Here's my ranking of the girl's portfolios

Name from best to worst (total points)

Girl in gold is leading, girl in yellow is second, girl in red is last

Shoot 1 - Tea Party

Juste (5)

Imogen (4)

Jessica (3)

Jade (2)

Anastasija (1)

Shoot 2 - Nude

Anastasija (6)

Juste (9)

Imogen (7)

Jessica (5)

Jade (3)

Shoot 3 - Birds of Prey

Jade (8)

Anastasija (10)

Juste (12)

Jessica (7)

Imogen (8)

Shoot 4 - Dance

Juste (17)

Anastasija (14)

Imogen (11)

Jessica (9)

Jade (9)

Shoot 5 - Underwater

Jade (14)

Jessica (13)

Anastasija (17)

Juste (19)

Imogen (12)

Shoot 6 - Crying

Anastasija (22)

Jade (18)

Juste (22)

Imogen (14)

Jessica (14)

Shoot 7 - Revlon

Juste (27)

Anastasija (26)

Jade (21)

Imogen (16)

Jessica (15)

Shoot 8 - Company

Imogen (21)

Juste (31)

Jessica (18)

Jade (23)

Anastasija - didn't shoot (27)

Final Rankings

Juste - 31 (3 firsts no lasts)

Anastasija - 27 (2 firsts and 1 last - not including shoot 8 as she didn't participate)

Jade - 23 (2 firsts and 3 lasts)

Imogen - 21 (1 first and 2 lasts)

Jessica - 18 (no firsts and 2 lasts)

If Juste doesn't win this I'll be so disappointed because they would have lost the best girl they've ever had and even Company magazine said she was the best ever they had filmed.

US Open 2011 Day 8

2011-09-06T16:17:00.000+01:00

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 & 2

Everything went according to plan, for me anyway. Djokovic beat Dolgopolov in straight sets though needed to extend the tie break to 16-14 in the first set. He will next face fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic which I imagine should be no problem. Federer stormed past Juan Monaco and is looking increasingly threatening with as a SF opponent against Tsonga. Whoever wins between Federer and Tsonga will be a tough match for Djokovic I think. And yes Tsonga made it past Mardy Fish in five sets.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 & 2

Wozniacki exceeded my expectations by beating Kuznetsova however the draw is only going to get tougher with Andrea Petkovic next and the promise of Serena in the SFs. Speaking of which Serena beat Ivanovic comprehensively and will next face Pavlyuchenkova, whom I predicted over Schiavone.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY Mardy Fish (though it was predictable)

US Open 2011 Day 7

2011-09-05T16:13:00.001+01:00

One week into the US Open and it's definitely shaping up as one of the more unpredictable slams, at this moment the favourites for the titles seem to be Djokovic and Serena.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 3 & 4

The biggest shock for me was Del Potro losing to Simon. Whilst I knew Simon would provide a tough challenge I was really expecting to see a Del Potro/Murray QF. Simon will now face Isner and the winner of that will play Andy Murray who stormed past Feliciano Lopez unlike his previous match against Robin Haase. Besides Fish and Isner Donald Young and Andy Roddick are flying the flag for Americans in the 4th Round but I doubt Young has a chance against Murray whilst Roddick is on the back foot against Ferrer. Finally Nadal beat Nalbandian in a tough three sets but will next face Gilles Muller, which should be easier.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 3 & 4
So Kerber will face Pennetta in one QF. I have full faith that Pennetta will be able to make her first US Open SF and be a contender for the finals. In the other QF Sam Stosur will face Vera Zvonareva. Zvonareva has looked the more prepared of the two beating Sabine Lisicki in two easy sets whilst Stosur has had two tough matches against Petrova and Kirilenko already, can she face another Russian test?

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY Juan Martin Del Potro

Australia Day 6,7 and 8 - Melbourne - Finishing the Journey

2011-09-05T15:31:00.000+01:00

Sorry I took a long hiatus on finishing this, it's just that Sydney was pretty much a trip I had full control of so most of the places we went to were memorable to me but it wasn't the case in Melbourne as we were in the hands of relatives and only on one day did we venture out ourselves. But I wanted to wrap this up and give a few more reviews of my trip to Australia.

The Grand Tofu - 102 Kingsway, Glen Waverley

This was our first meal in Melbourne, brought here by our relatives I had no idea what to expect. I ordered the Singaporean fried noodles but I would liked to have tried the Kway Tiew and the Laksa as well. The noodles were slightly different to the UK version, it was more moist and had a different taste. Don't try the free tea though as it tastes like water. It's a good quick spot to fill you up and it's very busy. I heard there are two Grand Tofu's sorry I don't know which I went to.

Glen Waverley BBQ Restaurant - 31 Railway Parade, Glen Waverley

A bit small and run down and generally seems like a family run place. The food was decent but I'd expect most that dine here are local Cantonese that have grown to love the place. My dad wasn't too keen of the food though, I must say it wasn't as good as Golden Century in Sydney.

Mocha Jo's - 87 Kingsway, Glen Waverley

Went here for breakfast upon recommendation. We got there basically right when they opened because we were preparing to go on a long journey to the Great Ocean Road. I ordered the NY toasted bagel and a cup of flat white. To be honest I don't have a strong memory of the food here though I do remember it being ok in general. If I ever go back to Glen Waverley I would like to try a few more of their offerings.

Fish and Chips at Port Campbell

Sorry for not knowing the name of the place, I wasn't all too bothered. Pretty average fish and chips, don't try the chicken and chips though because it's processed chicken meat, not actual chicken - I can't believe I'm reviewing a local chippie. But anyway it was the chippie not the restaurant.

Hong Kong Dim Sum - 77 Kingsway, Glen Waverley

A simple place where you order from a small tick list and wait a few minutes for your food. They also sell frozen dim sum and cater for parties as well. I actually thought the dim sum was ok, nothing special and not that memorable but better than expected. It's actually quite hard to make memorable dim sum as most places offer the exact same thing, it's only the really good places that make you remember a single dish.

Yu-U - 137 Flinders Lane

I loved almost everything about this place. It's amazing how Yu-U is one of the most highly rated restaurants in Melbourne but has a front door covered in graffiti and true to their style it's very low key even on the internet and has minimal advertising. But I liked it even more that we had to press a buzzer on the backdoor, because the front door was broken, to get in. At once we were greeted by a Japanese lady who looked a little rushed but managed to find us a spot. We were led to a private room which was huge and cozy though maybe a little bit too out of the way for a group of three. I liked that everything was minimal but to the point, it's nice to see a small menu in comparison to the huge lists you normally see in Chinese restaurants. The place is definitely authentic and for a good price (at lunch only). I ordered the pork set, I loved how the dishes were served in an authentic Japanese style, everything was delicious though the portion sizes were a tad small. The highlight for me was definitely the miso soup. Most of the time when you get miso soup there's a cloud of "debris" that forms at the bottom but at Yu-U they obviously spent time to make the soup as it was a clear broth.

All in all it was a great experience and to be honest it wasn't that hard to find once you knew what you were looking for.

MoVida Aqui - 500 Bourke Street Level 1

The biggest disappointment of the whole trip I believe. Caught out by the 3 month waiting list for MoVida we decided to take a detour to its little brother MoVida Aqui, which I believe is also hatted. I was amazed to find a pretty quiet restaurant when MoVida has a 3 month waiting list, don't give me the "it's difficult to fill a large restaurant" crap because Golden Century did just that and it's 3 times the size of this place.

Not having very much knowledge of tapas, the only time I had tapas was at Tossa Del Mar near Barcelona on a school trip, we pretty much decided to go for the cheaper options whilst my dad wanted some seafood for the larger options. I ordered a Bomba, and I think something else though I don't remember what, for starters. We were also lured into the Iberico Ham (the mid priced one) and ordered prawns and scallops as well as the Buey (wagyu beef) from the Raciones section. We were warned that there wasn't much but we moved forward anyway.

The complimentary bread was nice, and you could refill (which we did). The Bomba was disappointing, with minimal chorizo it was merely a potato ball for AUD4.50, I was expecting an explosion of flavours not this. The Iberico Ham was much better though much more expensive. The prawns didn't give me a lasting impression whilst the scallops were the worst of the night, it was filled with sand! Crunch, crunch, crunch. The Buey however was the highlight of the meal, lovely tastes and textures, though a tad on the skimpy side. I didn't realise they had paella on the menu, or maybe it was because we totally ignored the section that they said would take 45 minutes, but if we had known we'd probably have ordered that to fill us up.

Sadly I was left severely disappointed, the food wasn't the worse I have had but at that price it was definitely not worth it. We left feeling hungry and actually had to go to another place for a quick fix! What a way to convince my conservative Asian family on eating European cuisine! I don't get how it gets so many great reviews, or did I just eat the wrong foods on the wrong day? But the table next to us also weren't too happy from what I gathered.

Pie Face

I can't remember where I had my after-dinner fix of pie but I don't expect the chains to taste much different. I ordered the Thai Chicken Curry and ate in. If you do eat in eat with a knife and fork because if you don't it could get very messy! The pie didn't taste amazing, like most other pies really, but I just love the branding and the idea of it.

General Tourist Attractions
Phillip Island Penguin Reserve - Hundreds of people flock to this place every night so be prepared to join the bustling crowds. It's really hit or miss depending on the tide, if it's high tide you'll see very little but if it's low tide you'll see these black dots scurrying back to their shelters. The best time to see the penguins is on the boardwalks rather than the coast. Worth a visit but be prepared to stay here for a while.

Great Ocean Road - The entire Great Ocean Road is a beautiful spectacle with its natural rock formations and beautiful skyline. It will definitely take you at least a day to get around the place but if you don't mind you can go back through colac rather than following the Great Ocean Road.

Federation Square - a bit disappointing really, interesting shapes and architecture but a little bland.

National Gallery of Victoria - A very interesting gallery even if you don't go to the exhibitions. The Mousehole waterwall entrance, the bookshop and the Leonard French ceiling were definitely the highlights for us.

Sidney Myer Music Bowl - A great place to have a picnic, though we didn't.

US Open 2011 Day 6

2011-09-04T14:50:00.000+01:00

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 & 2

Djokovic continues to move through the draw with his next opponent being Alexandr Dolgopolov. In the bottom section both top seeds Berdych and Granollers retired whilst trailing their opponents. Federer and Monaco both took four sets to beat their opponents Cilic and Haas respectively. And finally Tsonga moved swiftly past Verdasco who will next play Fish. So this is how the fourth round looks.

Djokovic (1) VS Dolgopolov (22)

Tipsarevic (20) VS Ferrero

Federer (3) VS Monaco

Tsonga (11) VS Fish (8)

So I got 5 out of 8. Instead of Dolgopolov I chose Gasquet who lost to Ivo Karlovic. Instead of Ferrero I chose Monfils who lost to Ferrero in five sets and finally I chose Stepanek who retired against Monaco.

For the QFs I think it would be

Djokovic (1) VS Ferrero

Federer (3) VS Tsonga (11)

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 & 2

Wozniacki and Kuznetsova both won in straight sets. Their next opponent could potentially be Petkovic who will next play Carla Suarez Navarro. Serena Williams stormed past Victoria Azarenka so I'm not convinced anyone in her section of the draw could beat her. She next faces Ana Ivanovic who should be pretty simple. Jelena Jankovic continues to disappoint as she loses to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova who now faces a very shaky Francesca Schiavone.

So the draw looks like this for the women's 4th round.

Wozniacki (1) VS Kuznetsova (15)

Petkovic (10) VS Suarez Navarro

S.Williams (28) VS Ivanovic (16)

Pavlyuchenkova (17) VS Schiavone (7)

Niculescu VS Kerber

Peng (13) VS Pennetta (26)

Kirilenko (25) VS Stosur (9)

Lisicki (22) VS Zvonareva (2)

There are a lot of difficult matches to predict here. Wozniacki has been strong in the past at the US Open but she generally falls against power players like Kuznetsova. I wouldn't like to predict this match but at the moment I think Kuznetsova edges it.

Whoever wins there should face Petkovic.

I think there's no doubt in my mind or anyone's mind that Serena will beat Ivanovic. The question is who will face her in the QFs Pavlyuchenkova or Schiavone? I edge towards Pavlyuchenkova but probably only by 60/40.

Niculescu Vs Kerber and Peng Vs Pennetta should be 50/50, I really can't decide in either match but Pennetta does have a strong record here.

Finally I think Stosur will beat Kirilenko and then I think she'll face Lisicki who will beat Zvonareva in a rematch of the French Open but with Lisicki pulling through.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY Victoria Azarenka (though it was predicted)

US Open 2011 Day 5

2011-09-03T14:38:00.000+01:00

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 3

Day 5 saw a few shocks in the men's section but all of the favourites progressed safely. Isner beat fellow American Robby Ginepri in straight sets and will now face another American Alex Bogomolov Jr. But the main interest in this mini section is Del Potro who beat Diego Junquiera to play Gilles Simon in the third round.

Stanislas Wawrinka lost to an American Donald Young in five sets, surely this makes Andy Murray's draw even more simple until the possible match up against Del Potro. However Murray himself nearly got knocked out by Robin Haase who took the first two sets against Murray before Murray fought back in the final three sets. His next opponent is Feliciano Lopez who could test Murray further if he's not in form.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 4

Another few small shocks came in this section. Ernests Gulbis, who finally made the 2nd Round, lost against Gilles Muller in four sets. He will next face Igor Kunitsyn who beat Jurgen Melzer the 17th seed. Whilst David Nalbandian beat 30th seed Ivan Ljubicic meaning Nadal will not face a seed until the QFs.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 3

Just when I thought Lucie Safarova had a chance of making her first US Open QF she gets thrashed by Monica Niculescu 6-0,6-1. But the shocks of this section was not Lucie Safarova but the loss of Maria Sharapova, arguably the 2nd favourite. I've been rather disappointed with Sharapova because we have all been hyping her to win another Grand Slam but she hasn't lived up to expectation. This leaves this part of the draw wide open with Shuai Peng or Flavia Pennetta the most likely to benefit.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 4

However unlike Section 3 Section 4 still has a lot of tough contenders. In the third round Kirilenko will face Stosur after Stosur beat Nadia Petrova in the longest US Open women's match in history. Whilst Lisicki will face 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva which promises to be another tough match.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY Maria Sharapova

Sharapova is out!

2011-09-02T22:38:00.000+01:00

Flavia Pennetta, one of my favourite underdogs, defeats Maria Sharapova in three sets! Pennetta has always been a dark horse especially in the US Open but I honestly thought Sharapova would be too much for her to deal with. When I saw that Sharapova was one set down and a few games down in the second set I was already worried, she managed to win back the second but lost in the third. Pennetta now has a really strong chance of making her first semifinals as Radwanska and Kvitova are both out of this section, if not Shuai Peng will be happy to take it.

US Open 2011 Day 4

2011-09-02T15:27:00.000+01:00

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 1

Djokovic stormed through Carlos Berlocq 6-0,6-0,6-2 even I was shocked how easy it was for Djokovic. He will face Davydenko next which might be tougher. Dolgopolov faces a scare against Flavio Cipolla but safely made it through in five sets with Karlovic in the next round after he beat Richard Gasquet. The French suffered heavy losses today with Gasquet, Monfils and Llodra all out.

Berdych now looks favourite to make the QFs after Monfils was ousted by Ferrero in five tough sets.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 2

Federer also made it safely through against Dudi Sela. He will face Marin Cilic next. Quite amused how everybody doubted him but he thrashed Bernard Tomic 6-1,6-0,6-2.

My early predictions are starting to fall now as Radek Stepanek retired against Juan Monaco. The other matches were quite predictable with Llodra the only casualty.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 1

Nothing particular special happened here though Andrea Petkovic did face a tough match against Jie Zheng. It now looks increasingly likely that Wozniacki will make the SFs as her draw looks relatively simple.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 2

Serena continued to storm her way through the rounds but her next opponent is Victoria Azarenka. Whilst I really do hope Azarenka could make it through I really doubt it. The winner of this match will probably play against Ana Ivanovic after Cetkovska retired.

Nothing much happened in the lower half of this section with Jankovic and Schiavone scheduled to play in the 4th Round.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY Gael Monfils (finally a male shock)

Miss Universe 2011 Pre Show - 2nd Update

2011-09-01T14:23:00.000+01:00

With a week to go to the prelims my Top 15 has changed slightly.

TOP 15

15. China (5th in Asia and Oceania)

14. Peru (5th in the Americas)

13. Puerto Rico (4th in the Americas)

12. Brazil (3rd in the Americas)

11. Philippines (4th in Asia and Oceania)

China is dropping if it weren't for the promise of her amazing aura in the prelims she will probably have dropped to Top 20s.

Peru is also dropping, she is beautiful but I find her features harsher than I expected.

Puerto Rico needs to show me that competitive edge I saw in her pre pageant

Brazil is getting stronger and stronger, I'd be shocked if she didn't get a spot (unless her sordid past is factored in)

Philippines is just on the edge of a Top 10 spot, she needs to give me a bit more edge if she's going to push into the Top 10.

TOP 10

10. Switzerland (5th in Europe)

9. Australia (3rd in Asia and Oceania)

8. Greece (4th in Europe)

7. Israel (2nd in Asia and Oceania)

6. Argentina (2nd in the Americas)

Switzerland is beautiful though her candids can be varied, we'll see where she lands after prelims

People are starting to get bored of Scherri but she's still one of the most photogenic girls in the bunch

Greece has class and a model demeanour, if she fails to make the cut it would be MUO's loss.

She has possibly the face of the pageant, her body may not be as toned as some but she is stunning.

I still don't get the hate for Argentina because she has been one of the most consistent girls in the bunch.

TOP 5

5. Russia (3rd in Europe)

4. Netherlands (2nd in Europe)

3. Ukraine (1st in Europe)

2. Malaysia (1st in Asia and Oceania)

1. USA (1st in the Americas)

Russia is the "silent killer" she is absolutely stunning and she actually reminds me of Dayana Mendoza.

The only way is up for Kelly, she has not disappointed.

Ukraine stays at 3rd despite stiff competition. I just find her look mesmerising even in her supposedly bad shots.

Articulate, charming, beautiful are three of the many positives Malaysia has, if she makes the final 5 all of you girls should be worried.

USA still stays as my top, despite looking a bit thin she has it all and whoever drops her out of the Top 5 is a fool.

so 5 each from Americas, Europe and Asian and Oceania.

And 5 Alternatives

TOP 20

20. Bahamas

19. Thailand

18. Korea

17. Costa Rica

16. Angola

She knows how to carry herself but her unusually large features will be her main problem.

Thailand is bubbly and vivacious, they always seem to win me over.

I have kept faith in Korea since she was crowned, she has always been part of my Top 20

Johanna is one of those girls looking to take Roseline's spot, all will depend on her preliminary.

Angola has long been one away from my list but she has never had that catalyst to push her into the Top 15/16.

And 10 Bubbling Unders

30. Kosovo

29. Vietnam

28. France

27. Aruba

26. Hungary

25. Portugal

24. Panama

23. Indonesia

22. Paraguay

21. Mexico

Special Mentions: Nicaragua is very close to my Top 30. Chile is gaining steam. Venezuela is now 43rd on my list.

US Open 2011 Day 3

2011-09-01T13:02:00.001+01:00

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 3 TOP HALF
Robin Soderling retired before playing Irish qualifier Louk Sorensen leaving this section of the draw for Del Potro's taking. Isner fought a tough match against Marcos Baghdatis and now looks the favourite to make the fourth round against Del Potro as he plays fellow American Robby Ginepri next and the possibility of another American, Alex Bogomolov Jr.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 3 BOTTOM HALF
Nothing special though Murray did spend much longer than anticipated against Somdev Devvarman

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 4 TOP HALF
Almagro lost to Benneteau, something I wasn't expecting though it gives Roddick a huge boost in chances.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 3
The player that ousted Petra Kvitova, Alexandra Dulgheru loses to Romania compatriot Monica Niculescu. But the shock of this section was the loss of Agnieszka Radwanska. Just when everybody was hyping her as a possible contender she loses to Angelique Kerber. This opens up so many possibilities in this mini section with the 20th seed Yanina Wickmayer having to retire. Lucie Safarova must favour her chances in the QFs now. Whilst in the bottom half of this section all seeds made it through.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 4
More shocks came in section 4 with the 8th seeded Marion Bartoli losing to American Christina McHale. However with Kirilenko and Petrova/Stosur up next I don't see McHale moving any further. Dominika Cibulkova also lost to Irina Falconi, another American. Venus Williams retired before playing against Lisicki unfortunately so a number of huge names have been eliminated in this section leaving Stosur, Zvonareva and maybe Lisicki the favourites to make it through here.

Also I was rather shocked that the Bryan Brother's were ousted in the first round in the doubles, first time in ages.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY Agnieszka Radwanska

US Open 2011 Day 2

2011-08-31T23:42:00.001+01:00

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 TOP HALF

The Djokovic/Dodig (or should I say Davydenko) section wasn't played on Day 1. Djokovic flew past Conor Niland until Niland decided to retire. Whilst the most interesting match of this section was Davydenko Vs Dodig, a tough first round match which took five sets to decide a winner. Will Davydenko be competition to Djokovic? I doubt it in his form.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 2 BOTTOM HALF

Tsonga and Verdasco both made it through to Round 2, no shocks here. I was slightly surprised that Andreas Haider-Maurer lost to Sergei Bubka though, but that's irrelevant really because Tsonga will beat whoever won that match.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 3 BOTTOM HALF

No shocks here besides a minor upset for me of Tursunov losing in five sets.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 4 TOP HALF

Ferrer will play Blake in Round 2 after both took four sets to beat their respective opponents. I'm not convinced that Blake can beat Ferrer but the men's draw is in need of a shock.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 4 BOTTOM HALF

Another Top 16 seed is out and that is Mikhail Youzhny, that means Ernests Gulbis finally made the 2nd Round! It also means the first loss of my predicted final 16. Youzhny's draw was a shambles really so I wouldn't be shocked now if Gulbis makes it all the way.

The other point to make about this section was Nadal beating Andrey Golubev, but it wasn't the cleanest of wins. His draw is rather simple but could he survive Ferrer?

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 TOP HALF

Wozniacki makes it past Llagostera Vives as planned. The shock here was Hantuchova's loss to Pauline Parmentier. Hantuchova was improving on her consistency this year so I think most expected her as a threat to beating Wozniacki.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 BOTTOM HALF

The shock of the day definitely came in this section where we witnessed another Grand Slam champion lose in the first round. This means there will be four different Grand Slam winners this year. I feel really disappointed that Na Li has slumped since winning Roland Garros. This definitely gives Wozniacki a very good shot of making the SFs with Petkovic her main threat.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 2 TOP HALF

Everything went according to rank here which means we are moving ever closer to an Azarenka/Williams third round.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 2 BOTTOM HALF

The 32nd seed Martinez Sanchez lost to Mona Barthel and in British interest Anne Keothavong lost in straight sets to Chanelle Scheepers.

Out of the matches that were left from other sections there was nothing of note.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY Na Li

US Open 2011 Day 1

2011-08-30T16:08:00.000+01:00

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 TOP HALF

Dolgopolov and Gasquet, the two seeds that played, both made straight sets wins. Ivo Karlovic beat Fernando Gonzalez quite simply as well whilst Kei Nishikori retired two sets down. The Djokovic/Dodig section will be played on Day 2. Gasquet is still my pick to push through to the 4th Round.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 1 BOTTOM HALF

Monfils, Berdych, Tipsaveric and Granollers all went through in straight sets. No shocks here. All the unseeded matches went to four sets or more. My picks here are Tipsaveric and Monfils.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 2 TOP HALF

The first seed out in the men's draw is Viktor Troicki, he fell in five sets to Alejandro Falla. I wasn't convinced Troicki could make the 4th Round for starters. My pick here was Radek Stepanek. Though I do think Tommy Haas has the potential to make the 4th Round, in fact all of those four do. Whilst the one possible slight shock above is Dudi Sela beating Thomaz Bellucci. Not really a shock but I did tip Bellucci here. Whilst many thought Ryan Harrison would knock out Marin Cilic, me NOT included. Instead Harrison imploded. Stepanek and Federer are my picks here.

MEN'S DRAW SECTION 2 BOTTOM HALF

The Tsonga/Verdasco section will be played on day 2. The other matches here were quite predictable with Mardy Fish producing an impressive display. Here my choice is Tsonga and Fish.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 3 TOP HALF

The main shock on Day 1 was the loss of Petra Kvitova. She hasn't been as sharp since winning Wimbledon losing to Andrea Petkovic twice in relatively simple straight sets. I already did a little individual post on her shock lost considering Alexandra Dulgheru hasn't been in great form either. The main benefiter from this is definitely Agnieszka Radwanska as she looks to make the QF at least. I didn't post this beforehand but I'd probably have put Kvitova Vs A. Radwanska as the most likely fourth round matchup.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 3 BOTTOM HALF

No shocks here really but I do applaud Heather Watson for pushing Sharapova to three sets. My choice here would probably have been Shuai Peng Vs Maria Sharapova

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 4 TOP HALF

No shocks here. Both Marion Bartoli and Samantha Stosur made it through in straight sets. Maria Kirilenko had a scare against Ekaterina Makarova and will face another Russian in Round 2, Vera Dushevina. My picks here would probably have been Bartoli vs. Stosur despite Petrova's improved form.

WOMEN'S DRAW SECTION 4 TOP HALF

Yet again no shocks here but a huge congratulations to Laura Robson for making the 2nd Round, she has the potential to get to the third as well. I really wouldn't know who to predict between Cibulkova/V.Williams/Lisicki. I would chose Zvonareva on the other side because she doesn't have a difficult draw.

BIGGEST LOSS OF THE DAY: Petra Kvitova

Ana Ivanovic 2.0?

2011-08-29T22:22:00.000+01:00

Petra Kvitova the reigning Wimbledon champion was ousted earlier today by Alexandra Dulgheru 7-6(7-3), 6-3 in the first round. She becomes the only woman in the open era to have lost in the first round of the US Open after winning Wimbledon. So why do I compare her with Ana Ivanovic? Well the fact that since Ana Ivanovic's 2008 Roland Garros title she hasn't made it past the 4th Round of a Grand Slam. I just wonder if it was a little too much too early for Kvitova, is she finding it difficult to handle her new found success? I never really liked Ivanovic because she peaked too early and thus blew herself out before she could even solidify herself as a top player but I hope Kvitova can move on from this as she's a talented player.

US Open 2011 Women's Draw

2011-08-27T23:46:00.000+01:00

I'm exhausted after posting the men's draw so I'm going to keep this short.

Wozniacki stays as the No.1 seed for the US Open. Since becoming No.1 I think the main question on everyone's mind is when will she win a slam, sadly I don't think this will be the one. She had her chances a few slams ago but now a new breed of opponent has developed, she's no longer a favourite to win any slam. Coupled with her poor results pre US Open I think Wozniacki will be happy to even make the SFs.

I'd expect Wozniacki to be safe for the first three rounds but then there's Hantuchova and Kuznetsova on the horizon. Both are not in great form but both are capable of beating Wozniacki. It will depend what type of form Wozniacki is in herself.

Even more danger lurks after the 4th Round with Petkovic and Na Li being the main contenders for a SF spot. Petkovic possibly is the favourite here as Na Li hasn't been as strong since winning Roland Garros, the French Open must be cursed. It all depends on Wozniacki's own performance because in a way she has been given a good draw.

Azarenka is being considered the unlucky Top 8 player because she has been drawn against Serena Williams. I am so disappointed for her because I think she's ready to win a slam but facing Serena this early could be too much to handle. If she makes it through Peer and Ivanovic wil not be dangers. In fact if Azarenka manages to survive Serena she has a relatively OK draw with Jankovic, Pavlyuchenkova and Schiavone being her main threats. Jankovic saw a resurgence in Cincinnati but is she ready to become a top player again? Her Grand Slam record has been rather average since 2008. Schiavone is yet again seeing a slump after Roland Garros, she might as well hibernate for the year until Roland Garros comes around.

I remember when Wozniacki, Azarenka and Radwanska were named as the three rising stars of tennis. Wozniacki and Azarenka have both taken their places amongst the elite but it has only been the past month or so that Radwanska has finally responded. She has Petra Kvitova in her draw as well as dangers such as Lucie Safarova and Yanina Wickmayer so there's a lot to contend with. Unluckily enough she'll face her sister in the first round, Urzula Radwanska.

On the other side is Maria Sharapova who has Heather Watson as her Round 1 opponent. I think Sharapova must be second favourite to win the title. In her way are Flavia Pennetta, Julia Goerges and Shuai Peng. All have the potential to do damage but aren't really title contenders.

Finally there's Zvonareva's section which would be rather boring if it weren't for Venus Williams and Sabine Lisicki's 2nd Round match off. Besides Vera there is Bartoli, Stosur and Cibulkova looking to make the SFs. It's quite difficult to predict who will make it out of these six names because they're all rather unpredictable.

Sorry for the rather rushed analysis, I'm just really tired after typing up the men's draw.

US Open 2011 Men's Draw

2011-08-27T01:53:00.003+01:00

I missed out on Wimbledon but I definitely won't miss out on the US Open, from the looks of things it'll be a very interesting slam.

So Novak Djokovic begins his first Grand Slam as the No.1 seed his first opponent will be qualifier Conor Niland from Ireland who at 29 years of age is a rather slow burner. You just need to compare their Grand Slam records to realise how incomparable these two players are. Niland is playing his second Grand Slam whilst Djokovic is coming off two Grand Slams this year. There's no doubt that the US Open is where Djokovic is most consistent so I'll be shocked if he doesn't at least make the SF where he is drawn to play Roger Federer.

Round 2 should be nothing to worry about either. He has either Carlos Berlocq or Pere Riba, ranked 69 and 70th respectively. Both haven't been impressive in the ATP circuit but Berlocq seems to have the edge here.

Round 3 could potentially be more dangerous with Ivan Dodig and Nikolay Davydenko being potential opponents. Dodig is seeded 32nd and whilst having a slightly shaky season he has beaten Robin Soderling and Rafael Nadal this year. Davydenko has really nosedived these past two years but I wouldn't count him out just yet. Other potential, though unlikely, round three opponents are Potito Starace; who is coming off five first round losses in Grand Slams and six consecutive first round defeats at the US Open, and Michael Berrer.

If the first three rounds haven't yielded anything spectacular Round 4 might be a tougher contest, just. I'd say the most likely 4th Round opponent for Djokovic is Gasquet. Dolgopolov started the year well but has been much more shaky recently. He also lost to his potential first round opponent, Richard Gasquet, recently so I'm not convinced Dolgopolov can emulate his Australian Open performance. Kei Nishikori prefers the US Open but he doesn't look like a potential 4th Round opponent to Djokovic. Though rusty Ivo Karlovic and Fernando Gonzalez could be dangers, they will play each other in the first round.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

DJOKOVIC (1) VS GASQUET (13)

Leading Section 2 is Gael Monfils and Tomas Berdych. Despite a rather quiet year for Berdych he has consistently made it deep into tournaments and recently defeated Federer. Berdych is one of the more unpredictable top players so I wonder how he'll fare. He faces Romain Jouan in the first round so he should be safe from a 1st Round defeat at least. However most of us believed that for him at Roland Garros but he lost to Stephane Robert another Frenchmen.

Berdych's second round opponent could be Fabio Fognini but Fabio has never made it past the 1st Round in 3 attempts. Potential third round opponent Janko Tipsaveric could be Berdych's main test as he recently lost to him but if Berdych is in form he should stroll safely through.

On Monfils side Marcel Granollers poses the main threat but I'm unconvinced that Monfils wouldn't at least make the 4th Round. Another three Spaniards look to topple the Frenchmen but it will be an uphill battle. Monfils will face rising star Grigor Dimitrov in the 1st Round

Most likely 4th Round opponents

My brain screams for Tomas Berdych Vs. Gael Monfils but there's an inkling feeling in me that believes this won't happen so I'm going on a whim and saying...

TIPSAREVIC (20) VS MONFILS (7)

I might have to eat my words but it won't the first time.

Roger Federer leads Section 3 with supposedly a tough draw. His first round opponent is Santiago Giraldo, who I must agree is a tougher opponent than Djokovic's but it will be highly unlikely that we'll wave goodbye to Federer in Round 1. If he does luckily make it this far, I kid, he has the dangerous Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci to consider. However Bellucci is much more dangerous on clay than on the US hardcourts.

Moving onto the third round Federer has a number of young guns to look forward to. Helmed as two of tennis' brightest stars Bernard Tomic and Ryan Harrison will be amongst potential third round opponents but we should not forget Marin Cilic who is only 22 himself. Whilst Cilic lost in the first round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon I'm not going to write him off like some, I still think Federer's most likely third round opponent should be Cilic with Tomic never having competed at the US Open and the pressure on Ryan Harrison to do well.

So far so well for Federer but where is the supposed competition? If Federer is in good form then these opponents should not be worrying him. If Federer does want something to worry about the 4th Round might provide some danger in the form of Radek Stepnaek and Viktor Troicki but if Federer is eyeing on another US Open title these two should not be amongst his "to worry" list.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

A difficult one but purely on gut instinct I'm going for...

FEDERER (3) VS STEPANEK (23)

If you've been slightly disappointed by what is supposedly a tough draw for Federer don't be because his QF opponent will be one to look forward to. The most dangerous in the pack is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga has defeated Federer in their last two matches, one of which being the Wimbledon QFs. Now if that isn't a sign of a nemesis I don't know what is.

Tsonga's first three rounds look simple enough. He faces Yen-Hsun Lu in Round 1 and most likely Andreas Haider-Maurer in Round 2. If all goes according to plan then Tsonga will face Fernando Verdasco but Verdasco is not the player he once was a year or two ago despite pushing Nadal in Cincinnati.

On the other side is Mardy Fish who must be on a high after claiming the $1 million prize money for winning the US Open Series Title and being the No.1 American going into the US Open. With his current form and confidence he should be able to make the 4th Round. If I was pushed to name threats then Michael Llodra and Kevin Anderson might appear on the list.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

TSONGA (11) VS FISH (8)

The pair have never played each other before so I had to do a quick mock up.

Like Djokovic Soderling will have an Irish qualifier to contend with but unlike Djokovic Soderling has been out with an injury for the last six weeks. Most will question whether Soderling is ready to play and win but we'll have to wait until his first match to know whether he is match ready.

Most experts believe that Soderling's loss will come at the hands of Alex Bogomolov Jr. A few strong runs especially to R16 at Cincinnati from the qualifiers have solidified him as a threat but I'm not willing to write off Soderling just yet.

If Bogomolov isn't enough to end Soderling then Baghdatis or Isner will relish in beating a Top 10 player, will that happen though? Baghdatis has had a very shaky year with a less than impressive 18-19 W/L record. Isner on the other hand has faired slightly better though will playing in the US help or hinder him?

Potential fourth round opponents for Soderling include Del Potro and Simon. The 2009 Champion of course being the danger here but Del Potro is still trying to find the form that led him to the title in 2009. His recovery to the Top 10 should be a slow and steady one. If Del Potro fails there's always Simon to step up so Soderling has a tough job in his hands.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

ISNER (28) VS DEL POTRO (18)

Sadly nobody seemed to care the last three times they played each other so I had to make a crap mock up again. Every slam needs a major loss early on, it's almost a prerequisite. The anomaly is normally the Australian Open when most of the Top 8 are rested and ready for battle. And if most major commentators believe Soderling will be our first major loss then how can I argue. Though I'd like to see Soderling prove them, and me, wrong.

Soderling, or should I say Del Potro's, direct opponent for a SF spot is Andy Murray. His recent title at Cincinnati redeemed his first round loss at Montreal. Murray's year has been rather awkward. He has either made it to the semis and finals of tournaments or lost in the very first round however I doubt he'll lose early in the US with a rather simple draw early on. I always say this but it's the best time for Murray to make a move as both Nadal and Federer are on the low and nobody knows how much Djokovic's shoulder inklings will effect him.

I honestly believe that Murray has yet again been handed a very simple draw. If there is anybody for him to look out for it'd be Stanislas Wawrinka in a possible 4th Round match and Robin Haase who could potentially be a 2nd Round opponent. His road to the QF's is by far the easiest atm.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

WAWRINKA (14) VS MURRAY (4)

Finally we're down to the last quarter. David Ferrer is an absolute workhorse, it will take a top player to topple him over. Some believe that player is in the form of a resurgent James Blake. It is possible considering Ferrer has in both their prior meetings but I'm not sure if James Blake is truly ready to take on the big guns. If Ferrer survive Blake then I don't see him losing before the QFs

Third Round opponents should be a breeze for Ferrer whilst what he may need to worry about is his potential 4th Round opponents. Nicolas Almagro leads a very varied bunch of players. What I'd love to say here is that Roddick is a favourite but I just can't. He has had a poor year and has seen his ranking slump to 21. He had better years in 2009 and 2010 but didn't manage to make it past the third round in both so are we ready to call Roddick a threat?

Most likely 4th Round opponents

FERRER (5) VS ALMAGRO (10)

Not really a VS picture but it was the best I could find. And similarly I don't think Almagro should really make the 4th Round but he was the best I could find amongst that bunch.

Finally in Section 8 is Rafael Nadal with Mikhail Youzhny at the other end. Mikhail loves the US Open but he hasn't been on the best of forms. Ernests Gulbis is his first round opponent. Most believed he was a future star but with eight consecutive first round losses in Grand Slam level and a 16-16 W/L record this year it will really come down to who has luck on their side. Luckily Youzhny doesn't have a tough draw before he meets Nadal so Youzhny could make it through from pure grit. His main opponent after Ernests Gulbis is Jurgen Melzer but he himself has also been facing poor form and injury.

And finally Nadal, he has been given a very good draw, better even than Murray's so he better run with it. His first round opponent is Andrey Golubev, a talented player but has had an awful record this year of 5-23 and an 18 match losing streak.

Most likely 4th Round opponents

YOUZHNY (16) VS NADAL (2)

so an update,

DJOKOVIC (1) VS GASQUET (13)

TIPSAREVIC (20) VS MONFILS (7)

FEDERER (3) VS STEPANEK (23)

TSONGA (11) VS FISH (8)

ISNER (28) VS DEL POTRO (18)

WAWRINKA (14) VS MURRAY (4)

FERRER (5) VS ALMAGRO (10)

YOUZHNY (16) VS NADAL (2)

I highly doubt it would be all seeds though!

For now I would guess

DJOKOVIC (1) VS MONFILS (7)

FEDERER (3) VS TSONGA (11)

DEL POTRO (18) VS MURRAY (4)
FERRER (5) VS NADAL (2)

Oh how I wish.

I'm too tired now, I'll do the women's draw later.