Yes, it is that time of year again. fresh off the back of a fantastic clay court season the green grass of Wimbledon will once again become the focus of the Tennis world. This is made all the more special by the fact that the All England Club are hosting this years Olympic Tennis as well.
This preview will discuss the Mens side of the game ONLY. nothing against the woman, but i feel the quality isn't the best and i have watched far too little womens Tennis this year to comment. HOWEVER, my pick would be Australia's Sam Stosur, frankly in my opinion she is the best womans player at the moment. The mens singles this year is shaping up to be really exciting, and i will talk a little about the contenders and dark horses, that will challenge for the title in my view.
Defending Champion and world number one Novak Djokovic, will undoubtably be many peoples favourite for the title. The man has had an unbelieve year and a half and is hungry to recover after his loss at the French Open to Rafael Nadal, another former champion with more than a great shot at the title. The reason i have put these two men in the same paragraph is simple... while both are former winners, i can't help but feel that on grass they simply aren't the best. Not to say they aren't good on the stuff, far from it.
This is why my pick for this years title is Roger Federer. Arguably and in my opinion the greatest grass court player we have seen, Federer has had a good year and will want to improve upon his dissapointing loss to Djokovic in the French Semi-Final. On grass, i think that Federer will be too strong for the above mentioned Nadal and Djokovic.
The next men in my opinion are outsiders and even dark horses. What of Andy Murray you ask? Murray will not win Wimbledon this year. Heck, i'm not sure he will make the Semi-Final. His form this year hasn't been great, and i think he will fall at the Quarter-Final,stage this year. In fact, i have doubts he will ever win this title. It seems likely he will win an Australian or a US Open however.
The draw will have other players to watch as well, former finalist Tomas Berdych and the Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga being the other two threats on grass. Berdych is impressive on grass and Tsonga was beaten in the Semi-Final by Djokoivc last year - definitely two players to watch.
To end this quick preview, there are two rank outsiders for this title. Two players who, on their days, and especially on grass, could upset anyone in the draw. One, was the winner of this tournament in 2002, Lleyton Hewitt. The other, 3 time runner-up, Andy Roddick. These two fromer world number one's are two of the greatest grass court players of all time, and Hewitt currently holds the record for most wins on grass (just ahead of Federer). They could easily upset anyone.
Thursday 21 June 2012
Thursday 10 May 2012
The Origin of Symmetry Gigs Review
Friday August 26th 2011. Muse return to the UK to headline Reading and Leeds festivals after a 5 year absence. Yes these gigs were a little under a year ago, but i find myself wanting to write my review of this event.
From the point of accepting the headline slot, the band didn't wish for the the festivals to be part of the Resistance tour. After the band pondered how to differentiate the occasion, Matthew Bellamy recalled that it was the tenth anniversary of Origin of Symmetry's release, and suggested that the album be performed during the festivals.
This made these gigs a "must see" attraction for any Muse fan. Most songs from their sophomore album are never played live, and the chance to see those gems of songs was to irresistable.
The day of the first gig, at Leeds Festival, was a day dominated by poor weather conditions, and whether or not this would clear by the time Muse came to stage. Luckily, the support throughout the day was above average, with Friendly Fires and Elbow stealing the show during the day. Come the end of Elbows sub-healine set, the rain had long since quelled and the crowd at the Main Stage grew ever larger. At 9pm, the lights were turned out on the stage, and the crowd begin to cheer excitedly (as did my excitement levels).
"Whats he Building in there?" provided the most amazing, spooky and excitement trapping intro i have seen live, before the signature "New Born" piano kicks in, and the crowd erupts as the stage set up (incluidng the tuning forks from the album cover) is revealed. About a minute later, the shit really kicks off. The piano stops, Matt rises and the background screen on the stage changes to the artwork for Origin of Symmetry, as the crowd pops for Matt teasng them with his guitar. Cue the New Born riff, and an insane crowd.
During New Born, we are treated some really amazing graphics on the screens, and it is some way to open a headline slot. Following on from this is the slick synth intro of "Bliss", a personal favourite of mine. A great song live, this crowd pleaser provdes a great follow on from the rip roaring opener, before "Space Dementia" gives all fans the treat of a song not played for years. Notably, the outro to the song is HUGE, literally shaking my body it is that powerful.
Next up is arguably the most anticipated song from tonights gig, a real fan favourite - "Hyper Music". The song is refreshing having not been played since the Origins days, and has a new touch added, as Bassist Chris Wolstenholme sings the chorus. "Plug in Baby" lifts the entire crowd, as arguably Muse's most must see song for festival attendees sends the entire crowd insane. The back end of origin, unfortunately proves too much for some, as the crowd becomes restless, and less into the much longer back end which includes the wonderful "Citizen Erased", "Micro Cuts", "Screenager", "Darkshines", "Feeling good" and "Megalomania".
Then, the "Protestors" intro begins, and morphs into "Uprising", a real crowd pleaser, and the beginning of a "greatest hits" type second half. "Supermassive Black Hole" is as popular as ever, and "Hysteria" complete with Back in Black as an outro riff is that powerful that it actually cuts the sound from the Main Stage for a few seconds. Cue "Time is Running Out", which gets the whole crowd jumping for the sky, before "Helsinki Jam" provides some rest for us. Next, quite shockingly for me, they played "Undisclosed Desires", which got a few groans from the crowd, although it was accompanied with some really amazing Purple lasers, and an amazing screen in the background (below).
"Resistance" is more of an expected track, and is a good song live. "Starlight" sparks the crowd back into life, and induces a mass sing-a-long to one of Muse's most famous songs. "Stockholm Syndrome" is then thrashed out, before the finale of "Knights of Cydonia" send things all just a little bit mental.
Muse tend to do things on a pretty big and over-the-top scale, and that evening was no exception. By far the best gig/festival i have attended, and a performance that might never be topped for me.
Hopefully Muse will endeavour to play more Origin tracks, during the next tour.
Muse Played:
From the point of accepting the headline slot, the band didn't wish for the the festivals to be part of the Resistance tour. After the band pondered how to differentiate the occasion, Matthew Bellamy recalled that it was the tenth anniversary of Origin of Symmetry's release, and suggested that the album be performed during the festivals.
This made these gigs a "must see" attraction for any Muse fan. Most songs from their sophomore album are never played live, and the chance to see those gems of songs was to irresistable.
The day of the first gig, at Leeds Festival, was a day dominated by poor weather conditions, and whether or not this would clear by the time Muse came to stage. Luckily, the support throughout the day was above average, with Friendly Fires and Elbow stealing the show during the day. Come the end of Elbows sub-healine set, the rain had long since quelled and the crowd at the Main Stage grew ever larger. At 9pm, the lights were turned out on the stage, and the crowd begin to cheer excitedly (as did my excitement levels).
"Whats he Building in there?" provided the most amazing, spooky and excitement trapping intro i have seen live, before the signature "New Born" piano kicks in, and the crowd erupts as the stage set up (incluidng the tuning forks from the album cover) is revealed. About a minute later, the shit really kicks off. The piano stops, Matt rises and the background screen on the stage changes to the artwork for Origin of Symmetry, as the crowd pops for Matt teasng them with his guitar. Cue the New Born riff, and an insane crowd.
Next up is arguably the most anticipated song from tonights gig, a real fan favourite - "Hyper Music". The song is refreshing having not been played since the Origins days, and has a new touch added, as Bassist Chris Wolstenholme sings the chorus. "Plug in Baby" lifts the entire crowd, as arguably Muse's most must see song for festival attendees sends the entire crowd insane. The back end of origin, unfortunately proves too much for some, as the crowd becomes restless, and less into the much longer back end which includes the wonderful "Citizen Erased", "Micro Cuts", "Screenager", "Darkshines", "Feeling good" and "Megalomania".
Then, the "Protestors" intro begins, and morphs into "Uprising", a real crowd pleaser, and the beginning of a "greatest hits" type second half. "Supermassive Black Hole" is as popular as ever, and "Hysteria" complete with Back in Black as an outro riff is that powerful that it actually cuts the sound from the Main Stage for a few seconds. Cue "Time is Running Out", which gets the whole crowd jumping for the sky, before "Helsinki Jam" provides some rest for us. Next, quite shockingly for me, they played "Undisclosed Desires", which got a few groans from the crowd, although it was accompanied with some really amazing Purple lasers, and an amazing screen in the background (below).
Muse tend to do things on a pretty big and over-the-top scale, and that evening was no exception. By far the best gig/festival i have attended, and a performance that might never be topped for me.
Hopefully Muse will endeavour to play more Origin tracks, during the next tour.
- Whats he Building in There? + New Born
- Bliss (Extended)
- Space Dementia
- Hyper Music
- Plug in Baby
- Citizen Erased
- Micro Cuts
- Screenager
- Darkshines
- Feeling Good
Megalomania- Protestor Intro + Uprising
- Supermassive Black Hole
- Interlude + Hysteria + Back in Black
- House of the Rising Sun + Time is Running Out
- Helsinki Jam
- Undisclosed Desires
- Resistance
- Starlight
- Stockholm Syndrome
- Man with a Harmonica + Knights of Cydonia
Monday 9 April 2012
Big Bubba beats King Louis: The Masters 2012
The 2012 Masters Tournament was the 76th edition of the Masters Tournament, one of golf's four Major Championships and the first for the 2012 season. American Bubba Watson defeated former Open Champion Louis Oosthuizen on the second hole of a playoff.
Oosthuizen had started the final round seven under par, two strokes behind leader Peter Hanson, but a rare albatross on the second hole sent the South African into the lead. Watson began his final round six under par, three strokes off the lead. He shot 68 (four under par) to reach ten under par, level with Oosthuizen. The Victory was Watsons first Major Championship.
Two golfers that were heavily favoured to win the tournament, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, both finished at five over par and tied for 40th place. Old fan favourite and 1992 champion Freddie Couples also had a great tournament, leading for a while before a small slump put him out of contention. Former 3 time champion Phil Mickelson was also in contention for the win during the final round, but a triple-bogey on the fourth hole contributed to him finishing the day two strokes behind Oosthuizen and Watson. Bo Van Pelt posted the lowest round of the tournament, with a 64 on the last day, propelling him up the leaderboard to a tie of 17th place for the tournament.
In my opinion, both Oosthuizen and Watson will go on to big things. Expect a lot from the two. All eyes now turn to the U.S Open Championship, and expect these two to contend there as well.
Oosthuizen had started the final round seven under par, two strokes behind leader Peter Hanson, but a rare albatross on the second hole sent the South African into the lead. Watson began his final round six under par, three strokes off the lead. He shot 68 (four under par) to reach ten under par, level with Oosthuizen. The Victory was Watsons first Major Championship.
Two golfers that were heavily favoured to win the tournament, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, both finished at five over par and tied for 40th place. Old fan favourite and 1992 champion Freddie Couples also had a great tournament, leading for a while before a small slump put him out of contention. Former 3 time champion Phil Mickelson was also in contention for the win during the final round, but a triple-bogey on the fourth hole contributed to him finishing the day two strokes behind Oosthuizen and Watson. Bo Van Pelt posted the lowest round of the tournament, with a 64 on the last day, propelling him up the leaderboard to a tie of 17th place for the tournament.
In my opinion, both Oosthuizen and Watson will go on to big things. Expect a lot from the two. All eyes now turn to the U.S Open Championship, and expect these two to contend there as well.
Thursday 5 April 2012
The Hunger Games: film review: May the odds be ever in your favour
Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of the "The Hunger Games" book series by Suzanne Collins.
"The Hunger Games" is not very easy source material. The book is written in first person narrative with very detailed descriptions of everything form the characters' looks to the strange futuristic devices they use in Panem, the future version of the U.S. where the story takes place. I couldn't imagine that they would be able to convey every detail as I had imagined it and make the story believable without an R-rating or a huge budget. All of my concerns were wiped away when I saw the movie.
I've never seen a more faithful adaption of a book in my life. All of the costumes, the sets, the locations, the cast is as if they were exactly replicated from the book.
The cast is stellar. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss carries the movie and makes me regret complaining about her casting because she was too "hot" and not starved enough. She IS Katniss and one can feel the graveness of an situation just by looking at one of her expressions. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta is also a true breakout performance. The way he looks at Katniss will makes girls all over the world envy her, just like it's supposed to be. Other standouts in the cast include Stanley Tucci as the flamboyant talk-show host Caesar Flickerman, Woody Harrelson as the sarcastic but caring mentor Haymitch and Wes Bentley as the sinister game-maker Seneca Crane (his final scene might be the best one in the whole movie). Harrelson is wonderful as Haymitch, and wipes away any concern over his casting.
Despite the 12A rating the movie doesn't gloss over or sugarcoat anything for their audience. The violence may not be gloriously graphic but it's still there. The only complaint I can think of is that the movie feels too short. It's almost two and a half hours long, but it feels as if it goes by in a blink. Along with this, the character of "Rue" and her relationship with Katniss is not everplored as much as in the book. This is a minor dissapointment, but does not take away from the film.
The film is a true success story, and is about as faithful to the book as i have ever seen. Expect the following two films based on the books to do big things.
Happy Hunger Games.
"The Hunger Games" is not very easy source material. The book is written in first person narrative with very detailed descriptions of everything form the characters' looks to the strange futuristic devices they use in Panem, the future version of the U.S. where the story takes place. I couldn't imagine that they would be able to convey every detail as I had imagined it and make the story believable without an R-rating or a huge budget. All of my concerns were wiped away when I saw the movie.
I've never seen a more faithful adaption of a book in my life. All of the costumes, the sets, the locations, the cast is as if they were exactly replicated from the book.
The cast is stellar. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss carries the movie and makes me regret complaining about her casting because she was too "hot" and not starved enough. She IS Katniss and one can feel the graveness of an situation just by looking at one of her expressions. Josh Hutcherson as Peeta is also a true breakout performance. The way he looks at Katniss will makes girls all over the world envy her, just like it's supposed to be. Other standouts in the cast include Stanley Tucci as the flamboyant talk-show host Caesar Flickerman, Woody Harrelson as the sarcastic but caring mentor Haymitch and Wes Bentley as the sinister game-maker Seneca Crane (his final scene might be the best one in the whole movie). Harrelson is wonderful as Haymitch, and wipes away any concern over his casting.
Despite the 12A rating the movie doesn't gloss over or sugarcoat anything for their audience. The violence may not be gloriously graphic but it's still there. The only complaint I can think of is that the movie feels too short. It's almost two and a half hours long, but it feels as if it goes by in a blink. Along with this, the character of "Rue" and her relationship with Katniss is not everplored as much as in the book. This is a minor dissapointment, but does not take away from the film.
The film is a true success story, and is about as faithful to the book as i have ever seen. Expect the following two films based on the books to do big things.
Happy Hunger Games.
Tuesday 3 April 2012
Here Comes the Pain: Brock Lesnar returns, RAW 4/2/12
The first RAW after Wrestlemania is always an exciting concept. What new feuds will the WWE excite us with? How will current feuds continue? There is always an air of unpredictability. Tonights RAW was no different. A great Miami crowd, made up of what appeared to be a similar audience to the previous nights 'Mania crowd, were treated to one of the best post 'Mania RAW episodes i have seen.
A great post 'Mania RAW, with lots of good stuff. Lesnars return is huge, and it looks as if he will appear quite regularly. It's early days yet, but expect Lesnar vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania 29.
- New Smackdown and RAW GM John Laurinaitis kicked off the show in a backstage segment announcing the evenings matches. The Show then kicked off officially, and The Rock the ring, to a huge "boots to asses" chant. Rock thanked the crowd and told them that this wasn't the end. Rock has a vision, and that vision is to become WWE Champion again. Cue the crowd going nuts. An interesting promo from Rocky, and a possible sign of things ahead. A Title match at 'Mania 29? A big possibility.
- Next up, a triple threat match for the US Title between Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Santino. A decent match with Santino retaining, and Brodus Clay squashing ZigSwag after the match. What are they doing with Ziggler? A main event push is surely due for the E's best worker of the past 6 months.
- Lord Tensai' debut was up next. The former A-Train came out looking like something from The Last Samurai, which was actually pretty cool imo. He squashed Alex Riley, and even good a few "welcome back" chants from the WWE faithful.
- CM Punk and Mark Henry faced off for the WWE title, in a mediocre match. The drama came after the match with Chris Jericho attacking Punk, and pouring alcohol over him, then proceeding to smash the bottle accross Punks head. Adding a more personal note to the "Best in the World" feud is ok, but if it goes on too long, they may lose sight of the original plan. This segment however was spot on, and I for one, want Punk to kill Jericho at Extreme Rules.
- Alberto Del Rio returned interrupting Sheamus (who got heat from the crowd). Nothing special, with SHeamus hitting a Brogue Kick to Del Rio. The Miz beat Zack Ryder, and Kofi Kingston also defeated Cody Rhodes.
- John Cena came out to boos from the crowd, and talked about 'Mania. Cenas new green power ranger/Jolly Green Giant attire is horrible. He looks like an idiot. Cena sucks up to The Rock, congratulates him, and invites him out. Cue Brock Lesnar. The crowd ERUPTS big time, and pops bigger when Lesnar hits the stage. We even get a "Holy Shit" chant. Nice. Lesnar enters the ring and offers Cena his hand. Cena goes to shake it, but Lesnar grabs him and hits an F-5 to a HUGE pop from the crowd.
A great post 'Mania RAW, with lots of good stuff. Lesnars return is huge, and it looks as if he will appear quite regularly. It's early days yet, but expect Lesnar vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania 29.
Monday 2 April 2012
The Rock rules the Sun Life Stadium at Wrestlemania 28
A year long build up. Some called the WWE mad for proposing such an idea. Announcing John Cena vs The Rock a year before the actual event could quite easily have caused a disaster. In the end however, it was a fruitful endeavour on their part.
The 28th annual Wrestlemania, the fagship show of WWE, and the "Showcase of the Immortals" was live from Sun Life Stadium in Miami. A stacked card promised possibly the best Wrestlemania since Wrestlemania 19. Did it live up to all the hype? Lets find out below:
Match 1: World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan(c) vs. Sheamus - The first match of the night. A chance to get the crowd going, and what did the 'E do? Thats right, they royaly angered the fans. Sheamus defeats Bryan within 20 seconds, and arguably burys the World Title in the process. This could have been a great match, and the crowd were so into Bryan. As openers go, this one killed the crowd for the next 2 matches.
Match 2: Randy Orton vs Kane - Kane vs Orton. Set up to be boring, was in actual fact an ok match. What's even more surprisng, is that Kane WON. Yes, you did not misread that, he won. Via a chokeslam from the top rope no less. Solid match from these two.
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Big Show - The build up focused entirely on the fact that 'Show has never won at Mania before. So it was no surprise that he prevailed here. Rhodes has held the title for a long time now, and has even brought some prestige back to the belt. Show wins via KO punch, after a possible botched spear.
Match 4: Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs. Beth Phoenix and Eve - Standard divas filler match here. LOTS of Daniel Bryan chants here. Maria rolls up Beth for the win.
Match 5: Hell in a Cell, HHH vs. The Undertaker (Special Ref. Shawn Michaels) - WHAT A MATCH. Match of the night, by a long way. An absolute emotional rollercoaster. The crowd came alive for 3 of the greatest performers to have graced a WWE ring. A brutal match that topped last years match between the two, cuminating in a nod back to the way Taker ended HBKs career, with HHH on his knees. HBK gave us a great and emotional performance as the conflicted ref, and HHH played the "do anything to win" role to a tee. At one point hitting 'Takers back a good ten times with a chair, and asking HBK to get Taker to throw the towel in. Sledgehammers, Sweet Chin Music, Chokeslams, Tombstones, Pedigrees, this match had it all. The crowd soaked it up, and were the loudest they had been all night.
Match 6: Team Johnny vs Team Teddy - Why oh why was this not eimination rules? Or better yet, a Lumberjack match? The crowd was dead for this, not a surprise after the last match. Dolph Ziggler was the star with some good selling here, in what was in the end, just a filler match really.
Match 7: WWE Title: CM Punk(c) vs. Chris Jericho - A great match. THe crowd, initially dead, came into it at the end, and boy were they treated to a great finish. Counter after counter, then Jericho taps out, after trolling Punk about his father in an attempt to get him DQ(and win the title after GM Johnny decreed that Y2J would win the title if Punk got DQ'd). 2nd best match of the event.
Match 8: John Cena vs The Rock - The crowd were back in full force for this. Split 70/30 in favour of The Rock. The two put on a great match, which culminated in a cocky Cena attempting The Peoples Eblow, only to get caught with a Rock Bottom. The matach was not a let down, but perhaps did not live up to its hype.
Overall, 'Mania 28 was a good 'Mania, but could have been so much better. HHH vs. 'Taker ws clear match of the night, however, Rock/Cena and Jericho/Punk were also very good matches.
I give Wrestlemania 28, 7 out of 10 Stars
The 28th annual Wrestlemania, the fagship show of WWE, and the "Showcase of the Immortals" was live from Sun Life Stadium in Miami. A stacked card promised possibly the best Wrestlemania since Wrestlemania 19. Did it live up to all the hype? Lets find out below:
Match 1: World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan(c) vs. Sheamus - The first match of the night. A chance to get the crowd going, and what did the 'E do? Thats right, they royaly angered the fans. Sheamus defeats Bryan within 20 seconds, and arguably burys the World Title in the process. This could have been a great match, and the crowd were so into Bryan. As openers go, this one killed the crowd for the next 2 matches.
Match 2: Randy Orton vs Kane - Kane vs Orton. Set up to be boring, was in actual fact an ok match. What's even more surprisng, is that Kane WON. Yes, you did not misread that, he won. Via a chokeslam from the top rope no less. Solid match from these two.
Match 3: Intercontinental Championship: Cody Rhodes(c) vs. Big Show - The build up focused entirely on the fact that 'Show has never won at Mania before. So it was no surprise that he prevailed here. Rhodes has held the title for a long time now, and has even brought some prestige back to the belt. Show wins via KO punch, after a possible botched spear.
Match 4: Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs. Beth Phoenix and Eve - Standard divas filler match here. LOTS of Daniel Bryan chants here. Maria rolls up Beth for the win.
Match 5: Hell in a Cell, HHH vs. The Undertaker (Special Ref. Shawn Michaels) - WHAT A MATCH. Match of the night, by a long way. An absolute emotional rollercoaster. The crowd came alive for 3 of the greatest performers to have graced a WWE ring. A brutal match that topped last years match between the two, cuminating in a nod back to the way Taker ended HBKs career, with HHH on his knees. HBK gave us a great and emotional performance as the conflicted ref, and HHH played the "do anything to win" role to a tee. At one point hitting 'Takers back a good ten times with a chair, and asking HBK to get Taker to throw the towel in. Sledgehammers, Sweet Chin Music, Chokeslams, Tombstones, Pedigrees, this match had it all. The crowd soaked it up, and were the loudest they had been all night.
Match 6: Team Johnny vs Team Teddy - Why oh why was this not eimination rules? Or better yet, a Lumberjack match? The crowd was dead for this, not a surprise after the last match. Dolph Ziggler was the star with some good selling here, in what was in the end, just a filler match really.
Match 7: WWE Title: CM Punk(c) vs. Chris Jericho - A great match. THe crowd, initially dead, came into it at the end, and boy were they treated to a great finish. Counter after counter, then Jericho taps out, after trolling Punk about his father in an attempt to get him DQ(and win the title after GM Johnny decreed that Y2J would win the title if Punk got DQ'd). 2nd best match of the event.
Match 8: John Cena vs The Rock - The crowd were back in full force for this. Split 70/30 in favour of The Rock. The two put on a great match, which culminated in a cocky Cena attempting The Peoples Eblow, only to get caught with a Rock Bottom. The matach was not a let down, but perhaps did not live up to its hype.
Overall, 'Mania 28 was a good 'Mania, but could have been so much better. HHH vs. 'Taker ws clear match of the night, however, Rock/Cena and Jericho/Punk were also very good matches.
I give Wrestlemania 28, 7 out of 10 Stars
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