ATP Finals: Storylines To Watch

There's still Davis Cup in December between defending champion Spain and former champion Czech Republic. But all eyes will be in London for the ATP World Tour Finals with the eight best players duke it out for the grand finale of the ATP season. Here are some storylines to look out for:

Battle for Year-End #1 Ranking

World no. 1 Roger Federer takes a 945-point cushion into the tour finals against no. 2 Rafael Nadal. With 1500 points in contention, there is a possibility that with a strong showing, Nadal can overtake Federer for the top spot, but it will have to be a very strong showing. According to the ATP, Nadal will have to perform better than he has ever done in years past and reach the finals to have a chance. He also has to hope that Federer, who has historically done well here, win less than two matches. It happened last year and weirder things have happened this year, so we'll see.

Serbian Rising

For most of the year, third ranked Novak Djokovic has been second fiddle to all of the other bigger storylines of the season. In the past few weeks, however, this Grand Slam champion is making himself heard. He beat Roger Federer in the Basel finals and then crushed Rafael Nadal in Paris en route to his fourth and fifth titles of the season. He is also the tour final defending champion and thus will be seen as the favorite.

Fairtytale Season Redux?

Newly crowned Grand Slam winner Juan Martin Del Potro and French Open finalist Robin Soderling did the unthinkable this season. Del Potro edged out 5-time US Open champion Federer at the US Open and Soderling toppled 6-time French Open champion Nadal who was then undefeated in Roland Garros. Del Potro has struggled since winning the US Open a few months ago, while Soderling with his solid results this fall season along with the late withdrawal from ailing Andy Roddick catapulted himself for the first time into this elite group of eight.

Homecourt Advantage?

Brit Andy Murray broke the duopoly of Federer and Nadal by rising to number two in the rankings this summer. Since then he has fallen back to #4 and has to be disappointed in his Slam results for the past year. He's now back in London since a shocking loss to Andy Roddick in the semifinals in this year's Wimbledon. Can he take win a big one in London finally?

Big Bang's Adorable Kitties

I'm a huge fan of How I Met Your Mother and it was only because of this that I checked out Big Bang Theory two years ago. And now Big Bang Theory is more than holding its own. Last night's episode was one of the funniest for the series and it was headline by the adorable pair of Kaley Cuoco and Jim Parsons.

Soft kitty, warm kitty
Little ball of fur
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty
Purr, purr, purr

In a scene that nearly killed me with all the cuteness, Penny (Cuoco) asked Sheldon (Parsons) to sing "Soft Kitty" which was established in an earlier episode as the song that was sung to Sheldon whenever he was sick. This sudden switch, of course, made Sheldon uncomfortable, but not only does he sing, but they performed it together!

Images courtesy of BetterNovembers, one of the biggest BBT and Penny/Sheldon fans that I know.

Dollhouse Canceled

Dollhouse has been canceled. It's not a surprise, but it's still quite sad. Here's what Joss Whedon had to say via Whedonesque:

I don't have a lot to say. I'm extremely proud of the people I've worked with: my star, my staff, my cast, my crew. I feel the show is getting better pretty much every week, and I think you'll agree in the coming months. I'm grateful that we got to put it on, and then come back and put it on again.

I'm off to pursue internet ventures/binge drinking. Possibly that relaxation thing I've read so much about. By the time the last episode airs, you'll know what my next project is. But for now there's a lot of work still to be done, and disappointment to bear.

Thank you all for your support, your patience, your excellent adverts. See you again.

Despite a few iffy episodes, the great talent in front and behind the camera deserve all the props they can get. It was also just great having Joss Whedon back on TV. Plus without Dollhouse, I would've never discovered Enver Gjokaj and Dichen Lachman who played Victor and Sierra respectively.

See below for the cuteness:




Sigh.

Looking Forward To...

A Single Man
Release: December 11. 2009
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Director: Tom Ford
Starring: Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Ginnifer Goodwin, Colin Firth, Lee Pace, and Nicholas Hoult

Marat Safin Bids Adieu

Two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin has played his final professional tournament at the Paris Masters losing to US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro in three close sets 4-6, 7-5, 4-6.

Former world no. 1 Safin leaves the sport after 13 seasons amassing 15 titles including the 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open beating hometown favorites Pete Sampras and Lleyton Hewitt respectively. He is one of three men to win a Grand Slam title since 2005 not named Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Many say that despite reaching the top of the rankings and winning two Slam titles, the Russian didn't meet his full potential. I say, that may be true, but it's his life, not ours. And no matter what he'll still certainly be missed.

The 00s: TV Premieres

A few people are already staring to make not only their end-of-year lists, but also their end-of-decade lists! And you may not know this, but I'm just a wee bit crazy when it comes to lists. They have to be as complete as possible and I drive myself mad every year. And this year I now have to worry about the whole decade?! Dear God.

Therefore, I'm starting my research early. I thought I would start with TV shows first since there's at least some sort of continuity through the decade unlike movies which change every year. So using IMDB, Wikipedia, and my obsessive compulsive nature, I've listed below a few key shows that premiered during the decade:

2000 - Ed, Boston Public, Dark Angel, Gilmore Girls, Survivor, CSI, Queer As Folk, Curb Your Enthusiasm

2001 - Alias, 24, Amazing Race, Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, Six Feet Under


2002 - American Idol, Everwood, Without A Trace, Firefly, 8 Simple Rules, The Wire, Monk, The Dead Zone, The Shield, Stargate SG-1

2003 - Arrested Development, The O.C., Tru Calling, Wonderfalls, Two and a Half Men, NCIS, Joan of Arcadia, Dead Like Me, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Nip/Tuck


2004 - Desperate Housewives, Jack & Bobby, Veronica Mars, Lost, House, Battlestar Galactica, Boston Legal, Entourage, The L Word, Deadwood, Project Runway, The 4400, Rescue Me

2005 - Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, Supernatural, The Office, SYTYCD, Doctor Who, Rome, Weeds, Medium, N3MBERS, Prison Break, Bones, Criminal Minds, The Closer


2006 - Brothers & Sisters, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Studio 60, 30 Rock, Dexter, Ugly Betty, Torchwood, New Adventures of Old Christine, Big Love, Psych, Eureka

2007 - Big Bang Theory, Chuck, Journeyman, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Gossip Girl, Mad Men, Samantha Who, Reaper, Flight of the Conchords, Burn Notice, Saving Grace, Damages


2008 - Terminator, Eli Stone, Castle, The Mentalist, Fringe, Dollhouse, True Blood, Sons of Anarchy

2009 - V, The Good Wife, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Glee, FlashForward, Community, Better Off Ted, The Middle, Vampire Diaries, United States of Tara, Nurse Jackie, Warehouse 13

Whew! This is obviously not everything. My goal here really wasn't to be comprehensive, but to list shows I either have seen or those shows that made some sort of impact this decade. If you think I'm missing anything worth it, I'd greatly appreciate your help to fill in any blanks.

Now... where can I get a comprehensive list of movies released by year? Oh man, what have I gotten myself into?

TV Roundup

Comedies Still Rule

It began with an insta-classic episode of How I Met Your Mother full of bagpiping and its usual affinity to play fun with how to tell a story. On the same night, Big Bang Theory had Sheldon teaching Leonard about the finer points of football and really that's all that needs to said.

Modern Family and Cougar Town shined this week taking advantage of Glee taking a week off due to the World Series. The former delivered another A+ episode about parents finding pride in what their children do while the latter had its first episode not entirely focused on how old Courtney Cox's character is.

Finally, this past Thursday chaos ruled as Jeff was thrown out of his posh condo in Community and Liz had to navigate a hectic audition for a new cast member in 30 Rock. The robot? Really? Can't wait to see how messed up that becomes.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Shows Display Spark

Genre TV woke up this week a bit as not only did we get an above average episode of Heroes, but the much anticipated V premiered on ABC with blockbuster ratings. Talking about the latter first, headlined by veteran sci-fi/fantasy actors such as Morenna Baccarin and Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost), and Joel Grethsch (The 4400) the show became the second most watched premiere this fall and was the best 8pm drama to premiere on ABC since Lost. Reviews of the show was mixed with mostly negative from those who have seen the original and mostly positive from those who have not. With only three more episodes set to air, it will need to make a lasting impression if it hopes to not be forgotten by the time it comes back in March.

Heroes hasn't been bad this season, but Hiro's time travelling adventure to save Charlie and "help" Sylar brought the really first good storyline for the character since season one. FlashForward meanwhile delivered a fairly uninteresting episode until the last 11 minutes or so when the episode quickly became a game-changer with a death of a main character. The repercussions will be fun to see next week.

Recapping Reality Results

Tonight's episode of Amazing Race sees the return of an infamous roadblock that will hopefully cause much turmoil to the remaining teams. It's already been a harsh season with teams being eliminated for other reasons than coming in last highlighted by last week's elimination of the Poker Girls who were physically unable to complete the roadblock.

Project Runway is heading into its final episodes this season after a double elimination this week giving us the final three designers: Irina, Althea, and Carol-Hannah. If you've been watching the past season, this result shouldn't be too much of a surprise especially considering how Gordana and Christopher has done all season. Talent-wise Irina should win, but the fact that she feels SO entitled has been a big turn-off and therefore I'm hoping for one of the other two designers to win it all. Moment of silence for Matar, my favorite model, who didn't make it into Bryant Park.

Finally, as both of those shows are winding down, So You Think You Can Dance is just ramping up. Due to the World Series, the public had been unable to vote for the dancers. Instead the judges picked the people to go and unfortunately one of my favorites, Bianca, was one of the casualties. As expected, I already have favorites namely Peter, Nathan, and Karen. I'm hoping they all reach the Top 10.

Quick Word About Everything Else

I've really been enjoying Grey's Anatomy the past few weeks which is a lot since I HATED last season. I don't know if it's solely because of Izzie not being there, but it can't be a coincidence.

It's good to see Tommy again in Brothers & Sisters. I can't believe Greek is done until January. I can't wait that long! And finally, I miss Dollhouse and Glee.

Tennis Roundup

- Serena Williams dominated the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships winning all five of her matches including beating her sister in the finals. She also clinched the year-end number one ranking when Dinara Safina had to retire in her first match. It's clears up for the moment the question of who is the best player in the world right now, but let's all wish Serena Williams takes her commitment and drive that she has for the big events and show up in the normal WTA tour next year.

- Both sisters opted out of the Fed Cup finals against Italy. Not shockingly Italy, led by Flavia Pennetta, handedly beat the US winning the four rubbers played. The men's equivalent, Davis Cup, will be contested in a month between the Czech Republic defending champion Spain.

- Andre Agassi admitted to using crystal meth during the 1997 season and then lying to ATP officials who then threw out the case. Of course this was all in time for the release of Agassi's new biography. Reactions are varied, but most saw the revelation as a tainting the man's legacy and the sport as a whole. At least Agassi was able to overcome and come back to the game in top form. But for me it's hard to see one of your idols be knocked off the pedestal and it just makes me sad to think about Martina Hingis' situation.

- Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray win titles at Basel and Valencia respectively strengtening their positions heading into Paris and then to London for the ATP World Tour Finals. Djokovic was able to defeat hometown favorite Roger Federer while Murray took apart Russian Mikhail Youzhny. Djokovic leads the ATP with the most wins and Murray leads the tour with the most titles. Both, however, were Slam-less this year.

- After Basel and Valencia, there are now seven men fighting for the last two spots of the ATP World Tour Finals. Nikolay Davydenko and Fernando Verdasco more or less only need to show up in Paris to qualify with the other five men needing to reach the finals or win to have a chance.

Looking Forward To...

Sherlock Holmes
Release: December 25, 2009
Distributor: Warner Brothers
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, and Robert Downey Jr.

Oscars Go For Two Hosts

I wonder what Meryl Streep has to say about this.

Her It's Complicated co-stars, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, have been tapped to co-host the next Academy Awards. This will be the first time Baldwin will be hosting while this will be the third time for Martin. It'll be interesting to see the dynamics of having two hosts, but for these two I think they will play off each other very well.

Now while I like them both, I do wish the Academy went in another direction. My dream host would have been Neil Patrick Harris who has already hosted the Tonys and the Emmys this year. It probably would've been overkill if he also hosted the Oscars, but even if he wasn't able to do it I sort of wanted the Academy to take a bigger risk. I mean two middle-aged white men? Really thinking outside the box there, Academy.

Maybe someone like Meryl Streep? Now that would be something worth watching.