Eurovision 2010 Final

Well I've watched all the performances now and overall I'm slightly disappointed with the results.

Germany's win was predictable but not to my liking, I don't really understand why that song is such a hit with Europe, it's OK but I just don't find it anything special - I'd place her mid table in my rankings. The UK did give her 4 points though.

Turkey came 2nd which also predictable but I don't really like their song, it just bored me, there were definitely some good sections mostly the instrumental sections, the singing was just bland to me.

Romania was a shock third which was nice. So happy that Azerbaijan didn't make it further, still a bit disappointed it made 5th but oh well, as long as it didn't win. Belgium was sadly pipped to a Top 5 place, he should have made it, can't believe the UK didn't vote for him, nor did they vote for Cyprus which was shocking to me anyway (Iceland as well, considering Graham Norton kept on saying how we loved Iceland).

Armenia, Greece, Georgia, Ukraine and Denmark also made the Top 10. So disappointed with Europe that Russia made 11th, just total sucking up from the Eastern European countries. Only Portugal, out of Western Europe, voted for them and I was shocked that Turkey and Israel gave them good scores - I thought better of you two lol.

Israel should have placed higher, 14th is just too low for the best male vocal of the night. Portugal as well, I have been a fan of the Portuguese acts for the past 3 years but they just keep on getting lower and lower scores.

Not shocked that Albania and Iceland were placed quite low because I think Eurovision is actually growing out of its previously rather camp shell. Eurovision likes divas but it's verging towards wanting sexy divas.

Though I am slightly shocked Ireland was so low and a bit sad as well - Cyprus as well. I thought Ireland did a better job than many above her, not necessarily one of the best of the night but not deserving of such a low place. And I'm also extremely sad for Josh Dubovie but his performance was definitely one of the worst of the night (I would however have placed Russia ten places below 25th!) We nearly escaped bottom place if not for the utterly shocking 12 points to Belarus from Georgia.

Overall this is how I grouped the Final 25 entries.

Top 5: Belgium, Israel, France, Romania, Portugal

Top 10: Ireland, Greece, Ukraine, Iceland, Denmark

Top 15: Cyprus, Armenia, Germany, Norway, Georgia

Top 20: Albania, Azerbaijan, Serbia, Turkey, Moldova

Worst: Belarus, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, UK, Russia

Also now that I've seen the semifinal scores I'm happy that at least Sweden just missed the spot, Lithuania and Croatia right behind her.

Switzerland came last in the 2nd semi - he was saying how he wouldn't be able to go back to Switzerland if her didn't get to the final - well you came last and only got 2 points so...

Ok final words

Underrated; Israel, Portugal, to some extent Cyprus and Sweden

Overrated; Azerbaijan, Turkey, Germany

Over-scored; Russia! Azerbaijan, to a lesser extent Serbia, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Underscored; Ireland, Cyprus, Portugal, Israel, to a lesser extent Iceland, France, Belgium

UK CAME LAST :) - Eurovision of course

Haven't actually watched it but will now as I recorded it, but disappointed that Germany won.

In the Eye of the Beholder

To be brutally honest I lost interest in this series quickly I just didn't find it that funny and the story line just seemed a bit chaotic at one point. I'm a fan of Moses Chan and I'm one of the few remaining fans of Myolie Wu (it seems her fan base is dwindling) but this series just didn't strike a chord with me. The ending was truly weird and tbh utterly pointless, building up all that "drama" and just letting it go with that stupid 5 minutes. (bad job Lau Ka Ho, back to old ways - you can't do comedy sadly)

Here are my nominations...

Best Actor

No Nominations

Sadly I didn't find Moses Chan that good in this role.

Best Actress

No Nominations

Similarly with Myolie.

Best Supporting Actor

No Nominations

Best Supporting Actress

No Nominations

In what must be the most saturated nominees list at the moment for me nobody from this series made it!

Most Annoying Character

I just had to give them something! The whole cast for not making this a must watch but specifically Ha Yu's laugh.

Recognition Award

So this must be the first series where I haven't nominated anybody anything! This final award, not given because of this series, I made to give recognition to some cast members who never seem to get recognised and this goes to...

Elaine Yiu

Eurovision 2010 Semifinal 2

Just finished watching (as I tape recorded it) was slightly shocked with one or two outcomes but all in all this was definitely on the whole a stronger semifinal with 12 acts I'd put in my Top 10, to make the final, easily.

However I'm disheartened and disappointed by the exclusion of Sweden. I love the song and I love Anna! What I liked about the performance was Anna's true happiness to be on stage, she wasn't the best vocal but the song and how she performed it just pulled it all together for me. I'm still in shock she didn't make it, I did say it was a tough semifinal but I still expected my favourite of the night to land a spot in the Top 10.

Like the 1st semifinal two acts stood out to me the most, these were Sweden, as previously mentioned, and Israel - Israel more because I thought he performed exceptionally rather than for the song. Others in my Top 12 were Croatia; I was shocked Feminem didn't make it, and Lithuania; I thought it wouldn't work but I liked it. So two shocks tonight, Sweden and to a lesser extent Croatia. Whilst I understand how Turkey got in I wasn't a fan simply because their lighting was enough to give me epileptic fits and it didn't stick in my mind at all. I'm Ok with them getting through but had I known that Sweden wouldn't make it I'd probably have thrown temper tantrums upon hearing their name - lol.

Not being harsh or anything but when Denmark got the last spot I truly hated the Danish entry for the slightest of moment. Whilst they were Ok I liked Sweden much more but I'm happy for Denmark now (even though I'd prefer Sweden!)

And WOOHOO to Jon Lilygreen - not a huge fan of the song but I'm a fan of Jon! BECAUSE HE'S WELSH! (I'm not Welsh but it just gives me something besides the UK entry to cheer for!) I was however pleasantly surprised that he made it through.

Whilst I love Niamh I didn't get that explosiveness I was expecting from the entry. It still made my Top 12 but I was expecting bigger things from this.

Azerbaijan, the favourite? I don't understand??? Basically if I was to truly pick my Top 10 from tonight I would have left her out - she made my Top 12 though. The entry is just overrated and the song is sadly too big for Safura to sing, if she wins I'll be disappointed because there are better entries this year than Azerbaijan's much touted international affair - for once I agree with Pete Waterman who gave us the horrendous "That Sounds Good To Me" how ironic.

Sorry about this rant but I'm still confused why Sweden has lost grace with European voters... and Sweden were considered a Top 10 for the final as well.

Anyway from the two semifinals my Top 5 are...

Belgium - A sweet gem amongst the horde

Portugal - Beautiful voice

Sweden - such a distinct performance, can't believe she's out

Israel - Great vocals

Romania - I love the song, could be sung better though.

Israel is my best chance of winning but he's only at 4th with the bookies :(

Don't understand why Azerbaijan, Germany and Armenia are the favourite 3? This is definitely not an all girl year.

Eurovision 2010 Semifinal 1

Ok, I've finished watching the first semifinal, I definitely have mixed feelings about the show. Out of the 10 that went through to the final I'm absolutely gob-smacked Russia made it through, only thing to explain this is preferential voting from the Eastern bloc because that song was horrendous. You have to understand Eurovision creates its own meaning of horrendous but when the song is neither acceptable or outrageously fun to watch it becomes a boring mess of weird vocals and that was Russia in a nutshell. I was also shocked that Bosnia and Herzegovina made it through considering their "rock" performance was utterly boring. I wasn't expecting Belarus to make it either; I have to be honest, I loved their MV but their live performance was just drone, their voices sounded off as well. These types of songs rarely make it past the semis so I wasn't expecting them to make it through. Basically I think this semifinal was the weaker one.

Moldova was acceptable but they weren't that interesting and I hated that saxophone. Here me out on Serbia, I'm not a fan but I wasn't at all disappointed that they made the final because at least there was something to laugh at and some parts of the song were actually slightly addictive, slightly! The crackly chorus with all the "Balkans" was annoying as hell but the rest of the song was in fact ok, to me anyway - btw he doesn't wear that hairstyle as well as G-Dragon.

The best of the night for me was Belgium, he wasn't the best performer but it was a sweet gem amongst all the craziness. He needs to work on his falsetto but besides that Tom did really well. I also loved Portugal, I don't understand how she's not even recognised as a decent contestant. Iceland, Albania and Greece were also predictable but decent finalists.

Malta's exclusion was slightly shocking but Iceland probably kicked her out with her crowd pleasing anthem. I thought Finland would make it as well. I actually liked their performance much more compared to their video on eurovision's website.

Overall I was utterly bored until Tom Dice performed, after that everything went uphill I'd say. I think the next semifinal will be more competitive - see you then :)

Miss USA 2010 final night

Michigan, really! I'm shocked and tired so you'll hear more from me later but honestly this years scoring is so weird!

Miss USA 2010 - outside picks

I recently posted my Top 15 but I think there are a few girls who I would easily have swapped into the Top 15 as well so here they are.

Bubbling Under
California - I think she's very sweet but she didn't hit me in the prelims tbh.
Colorado - I was one of the first few people who liked her, I still do but I thought her prelims was slightly disappointed, but after hearing a lot of praise I may have to rewatch and reconsider
Iowa - I like Iowa but she needs to stand out more.
Michigan - Her exotic charms could get her into the Top 15 but like New York last year it seems Miss USA isn't ready for that yet.
Mississippi - I like Mississippi a lot, she was originally a strong Top 15 favourite of mine but her pout did annoy me.

Longer Shots
Arizona - if she can tone down some of her moves then she's in with a shot
Arkansas - I think her runway skills are a bit tame, she'll need to work on that
Georgia - A good prelim performance, I kind of see a Kristen Dalton resemblance
Hawaii - She was just such a diva, her looks are a bit too strong but she's decent.
North Carolina - She's sweet but somewhat forgettable.
Pennsylvania - she's a bit too plastic but her stage skills are good
Rhode Island - another plastic but she can look good.
Texas - A bit overhyped but she's decent.

Roland Garros

We're getting close to Roland Garros but the WTA tour seems to be in a state of chaos. This weeks tournament, the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open is a prime example to why I believe this years Roland Garros may be one of the most shocking Grand Slams in recent history. Just looks at the seeds, only Venus Williams made it into the semifinals and that's her weakest surface. Jelena Jankovic and Samantha Stosur are the only two Top 10 players who seem to be performing decently but even they have succumbed to shocking defeats. Justine Henin would have been a good bet seeing she made the Australian finals but even she lost abruptly to Aravane Rezai. Overall I wouldn't be shocked if this years semifinals only features 1 top 10 player considering Wozniacki's, Demetieva's, Kuznetsova's, Radwanska's and Azarenka's (she should be 10th seed) form, Serena and Venus's weakness on clay and Sam Stosur's inexperience in singles at that level (she did however make the semis last year) it all seems that for this years Roland Garros the most likely top 10 players to feature deep into the tournament will be Jelena Jankovic and possibly Serena Williams. I really hope Justine makes it but seeing her lose to Aravane Rezai at 6-0 in the third set definitely made me think twice. Shahar Peer is looking strong so watch out for her, Nadia Petrova is always a quite force and Aravane Rezai's amazing victories over two frontrunners - Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic, this week elevates her to a "potential shocker" status.

On the men's side I think Nadal has won it, yes he'll have competitors but I think Nadal will add to his Roland Garros trophy because of his form and dominance over clay.

Miss USA 2010

I have my Final 15 down. Before any Miss USA expert freaks out at my Top 15 I do have to agree that my Top 15 is rather different to a lot I've seen but having looked at all the photos, listened to their short introductory video and watched the prelims I think my decision is an informed one - the only thing I haven't done is trawled the Miss USA website for their every move!

So my Top 15 are...

Starting with... North Dakota!

I know she's a pretty unconventional choice but I like her. She was amongst a select batch I liked pre Miss USA 2010, whilst she hasn't really lived up to what I hoped for she still makes my Top 15.














Going to... Missouri

Another unconventional choice but I think Missouri has done well throughout this pageant, there are many decent shots of her and she did well in the prelims so here we go Missouri.














Flying of to... Tennessee

This one's more predictable, she's currently amongst the Top 10 on globalbeauties' favourites and I've seen her up and around some people's favourites lists and dark horses bunch etc. I personally think she's a well trained delegate who hasn't really done anything wrong but she lacks something to elevate her to the top for me.












Whizzing of to... Massachusetts

Her prelims disappointed me slightly, I thought she was going to be a huge stage presence but she just wasn't. I still like Massachusetts but I don't see her as a potential frontrunner anymore.














Going to... Virginia

It seems like Virginia is part of this years blonde crusade along with Oklahoma and Texas (I can tell you now only one of those two girls will make my Top 15 - guess who...). I like Virginia because of her bubbly sweet look but she somewhat disappointed me at the prelims.













Starting the top 10 is... New Mexico

New Mexico is an awkward one, I do find her looks to be a bit too harsh at times but her exotic looks make her different in such a blonde year. I think a decent prelim propelled her into my Top 10 whilst she previously did not feature.













Making the cut is... Wisconsin

From what I've read she's nowhere near getting into the Top 15 on a fan favourite basis. I don't know why she isn't garnering any attention as I think she looks gorgeous on video and candid shots. Her nose is a bit of a setback but it's not as pointed as Alaska's :p













Coming close is... New Jersey

She's definitely not been featured much and to be honest I didn't really notice her either but I found her prelims performance to be just fab; catapulting her into my Top 10. In fact she isn't all that bad either with a great body and a sweet look.













Climbing high is... South Carolina

South Carolina makes my cut because I like her look, her soft features make her different, she doesn't feel like the usual pageant girl to me even though her looks aren't necessarily uncommon she just resonates something different to me.













Just missing the Top 5 is... OKLAHOMA!

I've seen very few lists where she doesn't make the Top 5 but this is one of those lists where she sadly fails to break in. I just think she's slightly overrated. Yes she is a great contestant with sultry looks but I don't think she looks that gorgeous, pretty yes, one of the prettiest yes, but not out of this world pretty like some are pushing her up to be.












Starting the Top 5 is... Washington!

I don't think anybody besides me would put Washington above Oklahoma - and in fact Washington wins the best blonde category! Yes I said it, no more blondes in the Top 5. But I don't understand why she doesn't get any attention. She is very pretty and her height makes her stand out, yes like her sister she has a tendency to look a bit old but I think Washington looks amazing in most things I've seen her in.











Doing her state proud is... Florida!

For most of the pageant I had put Florida in my 16-25th category but after her prelims I couldn't deny her a spot, I just thought she performed exceptionally in the prelims and I have to say I think she looked the best out of all 51 girls in her Introductory interview section. Go Florida!













Third goes to... Nebraska

At first I didn't see the fuss but after seeing photos of her in Miss USA I knew she was going to be one of my favourites. She just looks sweet and fresh and has a killer smile. The only problem I saw was that she seemed a bit awkward on the runway and that may be her major downfall.












Just missing the Top is... Idaho

She is just the sweetest thing! She doesn't have the sassiness that normal Miss Universe's have but her sweet looks make up for that, she's not going to win the pageant but I hope she at least gets to the Top 10.














My winner is... KANSAS

You heard it my winner is Kansas, I don't understand why she isn't garnering any attention in the pageant because I think she's rarely done anything wrong. Last year my favourite was Arkansas - she made the Top 10 so will Kansas do the same? I think Kansas has the looks, the body, the style and the runway skills to make Miss USA 2010 a very interesting competition - so please let her in the Top 15 :)

Last year quite a few of my Top 15 made the actual cut, possibly one of my more successful pageants so will this year be the same? It'd be quite controversial though if my Top 15 made it, no California, no Texas - well we'll see.

Best and Worst of ANTM 14

I'm taking all photos out of context e.g. I don't care if they were supposed to sell something I'm just judging the photos based on how good they look a prime example is Krista's first Covergirl shot. As a Covergirl shot I think it's great but if we took the shot out of context I'm slightly less attracted to it.

8 girls made it into my Favourite 14 shots, who do you think they were?

14th

Brenda's first shot gave me hope, something that Brenda never managed to deliver. Zoom into her face and you'll see a fabulous portrait shot, yes this photo is slightly marred by the out of proportion body (too big for her head) but as a photo it is intriguing and still represents Brenda as a potential model.

13th

Not everybody will agree with me for this one but I really liked this shot, the hand doesn't bother me that much, it's weak but the face is strong enough to distract me. I think this shot (bar the hand) can really sell perfume and it truly put Alexandra as one of this cycles best face models - there weren't that many.

12th

Yet again not all will agree with me on this one but this shot is aesthetically very pleasing to me, in fact I think the first set of photos were one of the best sets of photos in this cycle. The garment is used well, even I want to buy it, there's strength yet sensuality and the symmetrical pose enhances this photo aesthetically, the only problem I have is with the slightly dead eyes.

11th

Yet another shot which divides. I like this shot of Raina because it's awkward but I can see a cheeky somewhat Charlie Chaplin style to it. The gangly arms and legs make the shot even more awkward but it's still very pretty and captivating.

10th

I think what made this shot so appealing to me at first was the total turn around made by Alasia from a girl who was going to be one of the first few to go to a girl who had potential in making it far. I love the pose of this shot and how the clothing just rotates around her, the whole image is very well crafted, the only problem I have with it is Alasia's mouth but that's a small problem for such an engaging photo.

9th

As a wide shot you don't see much of Raina but when you zoom in and focus on her face you see such a strong photo that nothing else matters. Whilst personally I'm not the biggest fan of this photo I still like it a lot because it shows how well Raina can work her face and this photo showed up the others' photos in this week imo.

8th

I don't actually think this shot is very Covergirl, I think if she was looking slightly more towards camera it would have been, but there is nobody that can deny this is a good shot of Angelea. Her face is serene and soft, whilst she is still doing the bitch-please look she is giving it another dimension - lol.

7th

I like this shot of Alasia as it is so pretty, whilst in a week where the photos weren't that pretty :) She manages to get some interesting angles going on in this shot and her hourglass figure is exquisite. The only problem, in fact it isn't really a problem, is that she's looking down. I actually think her looking down works but I would have liked to see her face towards the camera.

6th

This Covergirl shot of Raina is tantalising! Whilst I think Raina can give better eye contact and a smilier smile I think this photo is good as it is. Compared to Krista's I do think this shot blows hers out of the window.

5th

Alexandra produced this shot when everyone was questioning whether she deserved a Top 4 spot. Whilst one shot may not rest those who attacked her this shot is definitely one of the best this cycle. She managed to make a connection with the viewer and the camera, there's a vulnerability that makes this shot squeak - cut the crap ALT about her looking like somebody from Istanbul (ALT was complimenting her btw).

4th

Krista's one and only Top 14 shot comes in at 4th - yep she's not having any more :)

This is definitely the best shot in Krista's portfolio because it was one of the few shots were everything worked for her. She couldn't be safe with such a mad costume and her body is definitely not safe, in fact it looks a bit distorted - but not enough to make us squirm. Her face is also powerful but not menacing or boring like many of her other shots. All in all this shot is a powerful and interesting photo which commands attention.

3rd

Originally I had Krista's hair shot above Alasia's but what made me change my mind was that Alasia managed to make a dress made of hair work - I would buy it! The face to me lacks a little oomph but it's regal and demanding coupled with that pose this shot just makes Alasia's whole portfolio one of the best this cycle.

2nd

Finally we have Ren. In Ren's short stay she managed to shoot 3 photos, 2 were disasters but this shot was exquisite and will stay in my heart for a long long long long time. Everything works here and she makes that weird hat look like the next big thing. Her face is just mesmerising and her eyes captivating beyond belief. It's amazing how good this shot is and how much potential Ren had to produce something truly spectacular but in the end you need to want it to get it.

BEST

You must have guessed it by now, I think very few would not put this shot amongst their favourites this cycle (only Raina haters and even they may have to make an exception). This shot is commanding, dazzling and just sexy! Personally I don't care about the wolf thing, Tyra is trying to put too many comments onto her show e.g. Glee, Twilight etc etc. This photo stands as one of my favourite photos ever and definitely the best photo of  Raina during the competition.  

I will hopefully complete this at a later date so watch this space ;)

ANTM 14 is...

Krista - I said this ages ago about Top 8-7, nobody believed me then. Whilst I didn't expect the 4 consecutive top call outs I knew she was going to get a huge bias from the judges. I'm slightly disappointed. I do think Krista developed to be a very good model towards the latter half of the show but the praise she received was way over the top and made liking her incredibly difficult. I really don't see her becoming internationally successful, she could possibly prove us wrong by being a semi-successful model but international success is way too far-fetched.

I may be a Raina fan but I do think Raina outperformed Krista in the finale. For the photo shoot Krista's video looked really good - based on video I think they would have been neck on neck but the final outcome was a totally different story. Raina's fitted Covergirl much better and on the whole was a much better photograph, I would have liked to see her smile a bit more but it was still a gorgeous shot. On the other hand Krista looked dead in her shot, there was no life in her eyes and she looked a bit busted to me. I also think Raina outperformed Krista in the commercial. Firstly Krista forgot her lines - I don't think that's acceptable if the shoot originally didn't provide queue cards. She also looked a bit old in my opinion for Covergirl's style whilst Raina's needed a bit more vibrancy. It was weird that Ann Shoket didn't feature in this episode - what a relief :)

On the runway I'm slightly split. Krista's walk was definitely better but a bit over dramatic and slightly cheesy, personally I think they made her look incredibly weird with her bob as she looked like a teen from the 60s or something. Raina on the other hand oozed personality but her walk does need improving. I think Raina suited this runway better but I have to agree that Krista has more appeal on the runway for different types of shows.

Overall I think this cycle has been a disappointment not because Krista won, that's only one thing, but because of many different reasons such as the girls not living up to their potential, the exclusion of some girls with a lot of potential. What Cycle 15 needs to do is bring us another Nicole (cycle 13) with a much fiercer walk (Nicole has a good but safe walk) and a portfolio that will not divide viewers but make everyone think she is definitely the best. Inclusion of more runway such as the New York street stint the girls did this cycle (not the drag queen thing) and working closer with actual products and designers.

Anyway after judging the girls portfolio week by week my Top 6 (based on average scores) would be Raina, Alasia, Simone, Alexandra, Krista and Jessica. Tatianna was just outside this group because whilst she had huge potential and some very nice shots she failed to deliver consistently in my opinion. I'd also put Ren in that category whilst Brenda had a lot of potential but just didn't find her niche.

Next post... favourite and least favourite photos this cycle!

The Season of Fate

The Season of Fate like many series this year started off well but then just gradually lost the plot, I found the start to be rather interesting, a tad different and quite hilarious at points. Once it started to thicken the plot everything just began to dwindle and what made this series funny at first just looked a bit dumb by the end. Sometimes you don't need to watch things for a purpose, you just want a laugh, The Season of Fate was humorous but like all other TVB series they had to inject mysterious plot to the story making it all seem out of touch - mixing genres is what TVB loves to do but they rarely get it right. However despite that I think the acting was generally descent shame about the story.

Here are my nominations:

Best Actor

Roger Kwok

I'm not a Roger Kwok fan but I liked his portrayal here. I think he gave a mature but funny performance which captured different emotions well. I never really liked him as Ah Wong in Square Pegs nor did I like him as Jing Sir in D.I.E. it is in fact in one of his worst rated dramas where I think his best performance came.

Best Actress

Esther Kwan

I think Esther shouldn't do comedy, whilst she's a nice person and has a witty personality I just think she's more suited to mature drama performances. You can see how much more convincing her acting is when you compare her comedy acting to her serious acting, she's just much better at being angry or emotional. However she still put in a lovable performance

Michelle Yim

Her role as Yeuk Lam was so cute and believable, it's amazing how she managed to portray her character. Whilst I was sad when Yeuk Lam got her memory back Michelle arguably acted better in those parts but definitely the more lovable scenes were when Yeuk Lam was still a child.

Best Supporting Actor

Lawrence Ng

I think Lawrence did enough for me to nominate him, he was convincing in his portrayal it's just that his character was rather uninteresting and his "demise" equally so.

Best Supporting Actress

Mimi Lo

You don't get to appreciate how good an actress Mimi is until you see her portraying somebody none comedic. It's sad how she's just not famous, there are so many decent actors/actresses who just don't seem to be promoted or noticed by the public. Whilst her character was written very 1 dimensional I think Mimi portrayed that very well whilst still making us like her - if only for the slightest moment.

Best Couple

No Nominees

Most Improved Actor

Oscar Leung

I don't know if I'd say improved but he didn't do anything for me to dislike him so I guess that's improvement.

Most Improved Actress

No Nominee

Favourite Male Character

No Nominees

Favourite Female Character

Michelle Yim

The lovable Lam Lam.

Breakthrough Performance

Regen Cheung

For her debut on TV this was a good job, most TVB actresses would die to do as well as she did in her first role.

Best Chemistry

Esther Kwan and Michelle Yim

The "mother-daughter" scenes were just a joy to watch, there's nothing else to describe it besides an "awhhh...."

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix - Clay

I haven't posted about tennis for a while but this tournament has provided quite a few shocks so I had to.

Will Justine Henin win her first tournament back? I think so. Whilst Shahar Peer has made a few shocks against Agnieszka Radwanska and somewhat to Dinara Safina I think Justine will pull through, though Justine has had quite a tough journey into the semifinals. Sam Stosur will probably be her opponent in the final, she hasn't had as difficult a journey so I don't know if she's capable of beating Justine.

It's quite shocking that in a tournament with 7 of the world's top 10 that only one made the final 4. Of course I kind of count Justine Henin as part of that elite but Shahar Peer and Anna Lapushchenkova weren't obvious choices for semifinal spots.

Caroline Wozniacki losing to Lucie Safarova was the first shock then Victoria Azarenka losing to Anna Lapushchenkova, leaving that section of the draw seedless and ready for any shocks. Some say Svetlana Kuznetsova losing to Na Li was a huge shock, in a way it was because Na Li had come back from a losing streak but I always knew Na Li had it in her to topple the best of players. Agnieszka Radwanska losing to Shahar Peer meant that the "3" had lost before the third round, by the "3" I mean Caroline, Victoria and Agnieszka.

Overall I think the tour has actually suffered quite a lot even with the return of Clijsters and Henin. Firstly the big names such as the Williams and to some extent Dinara Safina have not been prevalent, then we have the younger generation of Wozniacki, Azarenka, Radwanska - who are good but not consistent enough. Overall nobody is really dominating and instead everyone is kind of falling by the wayside to Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin's return. The WTA really needs a huge revamp, something to raise the competition as at the moment it's lagging behind.