NBey6's Blog

Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Federer cruises into 3rd round in Madrid

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Associated Press

MADRID -- Defending champion Roger Federer improved his clay-court game, defeating Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-2, 7-6 (4) on Tuesday to reach the third round of the Madrid Masters.

 

 

The top-seeded Federer broke serve right away and again to close out the first set. He missed two match points when leading 6-5 in the second set before taking control of the tiebreak.

 

Federer is seeking to regain his form on clay ahead of the French Open. He lost his first clay-court match of the year at the Rome Masters before exiting the Estoril Open at the semifinal stage.

 

"I'm happy with the way I reacted after all that happened in the last few weeks and months," Federer said. "The moment the match started, I felt great. I was hitting the ball fine, and I think the center court here just feels right to me."

 

The Swiss player captured the Madrid Masters title last year, before going on to win the French Open and Wimbledon. Federer will play either Stanislas Wawrinka or Julien Benneteau in the next round.

 

Fernando Verdasco lived up to his billing as home favorite by beating Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 7-6 (5), 6-3 in their first meeting on clay.

 

In a tight opening set, Verdasco struggled to handle Karlovic's serve although the sixth seed looked more comfortable in the second.

 

"The tiebreak in the first set boosted my confidence and allowed me to play more calmly in the second set and in the end to break him," said Verdasco.

 

Wild-card entrant David Nalbandian, the champion in 2007, and opponent Tomas Berdych each withdrew because of injuries before their match. Organizers did not describe the injuries.

 

Michael Russell and Mardy Fish, two players who narrowly failed to get through the qualifying phase, were drafted in as replacements. Fish won the match 6-2, 7-6 (1).

 

In the first round, 16th-seeded Thomaz Bellucci defeated Pere Riba of Spain 7-6 (5), 6-1.

 

Juan Ignacio Chela, Eduardo Schwank, Philipp Petzschner Ernests Gulbis, Marcos Baghdatis, Victor Hanescu, John Isner, Mikhail Youzhny and Daniel Munoz-De La Nava also progressed to the second round.

 

On the women's side, 2009 finalist Caroline Wozniacki was beaten 6-2, 6-3 in an upset by 26th-ranked Alona Bondarenko. The Ukrainian will play Li Na of China in the third round.

 

Wozniacki said she was still recovering from an ankle injury although she was confident of being fully fit for the French Open.

 

"When you've twisted your ankle a few times, as I have, you need your confidence back, especially on clay. It's uneven, and you need to be confident that you really can go out there and slide really wide," she said.

 

Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania beat sixth seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.

 

In other second-round matches, Patty Schnyder rallied past Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, and Anabel Medina Garrigues defeated Marion Bartoli 6-2, 6-0.

 

Nadia Petrova stopped Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 7-5 in an all-Russian match, and Shahar Peer of Israel and Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic also advanced. Andrea Petkovic stopped Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (3), 6-3 in her Madrid debut.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Star athlete at Permian HS really 22

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Associated Press

ODESSA, Texas -- A West Texas student who led his high school basketball team to the state playoffs last season was actually a 22-year-old man, police said Tuesday.

 

Police say the basketball star was really Guerdwich Montimere, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Haiti who school officials say was recognized last month by Florida coaches as having been a star high school player in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a few years ago.

 

Ector County school district officials said the man posed as 16-year-old Jerry Joseph and enrolled at Permian High School in Odessa for the 2009-2010 academic year. He also presented himself as homeless to the school's basketball coach, Danny Wright, who took the boy in last summer, the coach said.

 

Montimere was arrested at Permian High on Tuesday and booked into Ector County jail on a charge of presenting false identification to a police officer.

 

Officials said Jerry Joseph originally enrolled at the local junior high as a 15-year-old in February 2009, then moved on to high school.

 

Permian High officials say suspicions about the player's identity first arose when three Florida basketball coaches familiar with Montimere recognized him last month at an amateur tournament in Little Rock, Ark. The Odessa American reported that the coaches recognized him as Montimere, who graduated from Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale in 2007.

 

School district officials said they grew more suspicious after contacting U.S. immigration officials.

 

Police said they arrested Montimere after confronting him about his identity.

 

"I feel like I was hit by a ton of bricks," district athletic director Leon Fuller said. "In my 50 years in education, I've never heard of anything like this."

 

Wright told The American that the player was like a family member.

 

"This affected a lot of people. The whole school of Permian embraced that kid. He deceived us and played on everyone's emotions," Wright said.

 

Montimere was being held on $500 bond Tuesday night, according to jail records. Jail officials said no attorney was listed for Montimere.

 

If convicted of the misdemeanor, Montimere could face up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

 

The revelation means Permian likely will have to forfeit the 2009 basketball season in which the 6-foot-5 player known as Jerry Joseph led the team to District 2-5A state playoffs and earned newcomer of the year accolades.

 

"I feel sick, but now that we've gotten the truth we can move on from here," said Permian principal Roy Garcia.

 

Permian High School's football program and the community support for it inspired the book "Friday Night Lights."

Movie night with Jamie Foxx is an ‘Idol’ dud

Crystal Bowersox is the only singer with a noteworthy performance

TODAYshow.com contributor

updated 10:32 p.m. ET,

Tues., May 11, 2010

 

On “Songs of the Cinema” night, it was Crystal Bowersox who earned the “American Idol” Oscar.

 

She was the only singer to come through with a noteworthy solo performance, which got her more effusive praise than she’s earned over the past two weeks. Indeed, after Bowersox finished her hit-worthy cover of “I’m Alright” from the movie “Caddyshack,” Simon Cowell told her she was “back in the game.”

 

That could well be the dumbest thing the British judge has said in his nine seasons. “Back in the game?” Had she ever left? She’s been the favorite all year, has never been in the bottom three, and is by far the most polished and artistic of the remaining finalists. Saying that she’s back is like saying the New York Yankees are back in the play-off race this year.

 

It was not a great week for Simon in general, who apparently isn’t much for movies. He had to ask which films the songs came from, which just made him look silly and served no useful purpose. Who cares that “Free Willy” and “Caddyshack” were among the films honored, or what the plots of those movies are? Was he planning to make a Redbox run after the show?

 

But regardless of that, Bowersox was again the star. She preceded her solo with a duet with Lee Dewyze, singing “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova and doing a nice job on a song that helped Kris Allen win the “Idol” crown a year ago.

 

Not that she was flawless on the night. For example, she has to have a serious talk with her boyfriend. He’s getting more TV time every week, so it’s time for him to make a commitment … to his wardrobe. Track down Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, film a rapid episode of “What Not to Wear” and come up with some outfits that don’t make him look like he’s a college senior who just rolled out of bed and had to run to the morning psych lecture in his pajamas. Flag pants? Seriously?

 

However, her duet was a huge boost for Dewyze, who was the worst he’s been in weeks when he opened the show with Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose.” There’s taking a risk, and then there’s picking a song that’s impossible to pull off in the “Idol” setting, and Dewyze was in the latter camp. Maybe it was the result of the Jamie Foxx motivational techniques, as the guest mentor got about two inches from Dewyze’s face at their rehearsal session. Lord bless him … for the second season in a row, Foxx had the contestants wondering whether he was a genius or a nut.

 

Michael Lynche told Ryan Seacrest that he made the goal a year ago to make it to the top three, since that’s when the remaining singers go back to their hometowns to be feted and fussed over by the mayor, high-school cheerleaders and the local Fox affiliates. Not unreasonably, Ellen DeGeneres dinged him for not stating that his goal was to win it.

 

It was a banner night all around for Ellen, who’s been struggling to be relevant. She had her funniest line of the year after Lynche and Casey James finished their duet, “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” by Bryan Adams. “As a matter of fact, yes I have loved a woman,” she said. Take that, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

 

Lynche, on the other hand, has had better weeks. He sang Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There,” and the best you could say about it was that he didn’t forget the lyrics as he apparently did in his rehearsal session.

 

That move made him the only singer offered the “Contestant” T-shirt by Foxx — everyone else got the “Artist” ones, which was the more desirable choice, but Lynche didn’t accept it on camera. That could be costly — the shirt would sell for big bucks on eBay.

 

His duet partner, James was … different, for him. He sang “Mrs. Robinson,” which brought back the whole “I bet he’s singing to KARA! OMG! Casey likes Kara!!!!” story line that seemed overplayed two months ago, but probably can’t do anything but help him now because it makes him more interesting.

 

The fact that nobody got truly slammed makes this an unpredictable week, but Lynche and James are in the greatest danger of going home.

"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."

- Eleanor Roosevelt -

Enjoy the Tibetan Singing Bowls!!

A meditation video to center you!!

     :l Luna's Day l: Midday 5-10-10 Evening

** until 5-13-10 **

012 013 017 018 026 027 035 036 039 045 048 049 057 058 067 089 125 126 129 134 135 138 139 147 148 156 157 179 189 234 237 238 246 247 256 269 278 279 359 368 369 378 458 459 468 489 579 589 678 679 003 004 008 009 112 116 117 022 224 225 228 229 233 044 144 449 255 558 066 166 669 778 188 288 588 688 099 399 499 899 111 999

   

Last year it was Tony Parker that dealt the blow, guess who it was this year?

TIW CT 5-9-10 Evening

Winning Numbers: 837 & 5832

 

085, 178, 410, 482, 457, 521, 396, 702
0486, 9041, 8529, 1654, 1739, 6903, 6183
7508, 7201, 7296, 7984, 5023, 4283, 3547

 

085, 196, 207, 318, 429, 530, 641, 752, 863, 974

0508, 1508, 2508, 3508, 4508, 5508, 6508, 7508, 8508, 9508

7500, 7501, 7502, 7503, 7504, 7505, 7506, 7507, 7508, 7509

 

53 and/or 08 pair

'Iron Man 2' blasts past original with $133.6M

Posted: 1:51 p.m. yesterday
Updated: 9:08 p.m. yesterday

LOS ANGELES &mdash

Tony Stark piloted to the top of the box office but not the record books.

"Iron Man 2," the sequel starring Robert Downey Jr. as Marvel's gadget-happy billionaire superhero, earned $133.6 million domestically on its opening weekend, according to distributor Paramount Pictures' estimates Sunday. The opening rocketed past the original $98.6 million debut in 2008 and landed the record as the fifth-biggest opening weekend.

"We're thrilled with the combination of the way it's playing across the board," said Don Harris, Paramount's vice president of distribution. "It's playing as a fanboy movie, but it's also playing as family movie, too. I even know a bunch of people who are planning to take their mothers to see 'Iron Man 2' on Mother's Day, which really made me chuckle."

"Iron Man 2" has taken in $194 million overseas since it debuted in many international markets last week, bringing its worldwide total to over $327 million. While Hollywood blockbusters typically open around the same date in most countries, some get an overseas jump of a week or more on their U.S. debuts. The biggest opening came from China with $7.3 million.

"It's a perfect kickoff to the summer of 2010," said Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com. "It literally sets the tone for the entire summer movie season. To have the fifth biggest opening week of all time certainly sends a message that this summer season is going to make its mark. Audiences really do get caught up in that."

The victory of "Iron Man 2," which is only available in 2-D, comes at time when 3-D films like "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland" have recently dominated the box office. IMAX chairman and president Greg Foster said the $10.2 million earned by "Iron Man 2" from IMAX theaters set IMAX's 2-D record, beating out the $8.5 million debut of "Star Trek" last year.

"I think people recognize IMAX is the way to see blockbuster titles, whether it's a 2-D or 3-D movie," he said.

The film continues the story of Stark, a genius industrialist who builds metal suits loaded with gadgets. In the follow-up, the superhero employs the assistance of his longtime friend and fellow crime fighter James Rhodes, played by Don Cheadle, to battle baddies such as Whiplash, a nasty villain with his own high-tech arsenal, played by Mickey Rourke.

"When we opened the original 'Iron Man,' it seemed to be one of the lesser known properties in the Marvel galaxy," said Paramount's Harris. "Two years later, it's one of the most beloved characters. I think the people at Marvel are incredibly bullish about how future 'Iron Man' movies might do and how 'Iron Man' interacts with their other characters."

Despite the triumph over its predecessor, "Iron Man 2" didn't best the $158.4 million bow of "The Dark Knight" in 2008 or the $151.1 million debut of "Spider-Man 3" in 2007. It also didn't surpass last year's $142.8 million dawn of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" or the $135.6 million course charted by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" in 2006.

"Iron Man 2" was untouchable at this weekend's box office though. The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, the Warner Bros. remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street," fell to No. 2 with $9.1 million, clawing to a total of $48.5 million. DreamWorks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon" remained at No. 3 with $6.7 million, bringing its seven-week total to $201 million.

"Babies," the Focus Features documentary that tracks four tots during the first year of their lives, was the only other new release, debuting in 534 theaters at the No. 10 spot with $1.5 million. Hollywood.com's Dergarabedian said "Babies" could continue to crawl along this summer as an alternative to flicks like "Robin Hood" and "Prince of Persia."

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com; final figures will be released Monday:

1. "Iron Man 2," $133.6 million.

2. "A Nightmare on Elm Street," $9.1 million.

3. "How to Train Your Dragon," $6.7 million.

4. "Date Night," $5.3 million.

5. "The Back-up Plan," $4.3 million.

6. "Furry Vengeance," $4 million.

7. "Clash of the Titans," $2.3 million.

8. "Death at a Funeral," $2.1 million.

9. "The Losers," $1.8 million.

10. "Babies," $1.5 million.

Monday, May 10, 2010
Serena staves off Dushevina in Madrid

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Associated Press

MADRID -- Serena Williams saved a match point before beating Vera Dushevina of Russia 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) to reach the third round of the Madrid Masters.

 

The top-seeded American was facing defeat when serving at 5-6 in the second set Monday, but held on despite her game being littered with unforced errors.

 

Williams left the court for treatment to her right leg when 3-2 up in the third set, and returned with her right thigh wrapped.

 

In another second-round match, Francesca Schiavone beat Sybille Bammer 6-2, 6-1.

 

In first-round action, Peng Shuai advanced when 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka retired while trailing 3-0. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 16th-seeded Nadia Petrova, Alisa Kleybanova and Patty Schnyder also won.

"The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people."      - Woodrow Wilson -

Sony Ericsson WTA Singles Rankings

As of  May 10, 2010

1   (1)      WILLIAMS, SERENA USA    8340.00

2   (2)      WOZNIACKI, CAROLINE DEN    6250.00

3   (4)      WILLIAMS, VENUS USA    5691.00

4   (7)      JANKOVIC, JELENA SRB    5160.00

5   (3)      SAFINA, DINARA RUS    5151.00

6   (6)      DEMENTIEVA, ELENA RUS    4890.00

7   (5)      KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA RUS    4661.00

8   (8)      STOSUR, SAMANTHA AUS    4235.00

9   (9)      RADWANSKA, AGNIESZKA POL    4115.00

10   (11)  CLIJSTERS, KIM BEL      3890.00

  "God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers."

- Jewish Proverb -