Sad for Kate and Jon

I know it's coming but I still feel sad that Jon and Kate Gosselin's marriage ended in divorce. I think fame have been too much for them. And even if they deny it, it's their reality show that started this out. Ironically, they cannot quit their TV show-- maybe they are under contract or something or maybe they are financially obliged to. The Gosselins have been well blessed with the show -- with a nice house, vacations, and a career for Kate but look where it led them.

It is just so sad to see Kate being so sad herself. On the other hand, Jon was indifferent. Like all the love to his wife had been flushed out of him. Every follower of Jon and Kate Plus 8 knows how Kate had treated Jon, even admitting to herself that she had been hard on him. But of course Kate justifies everything as she always does. She has this kind of thing about her -- that of packaging herself as blameless.

I don't want to judge her or him -- they have more than what's going on in front of the camera. It's just really really sad to know of the divorce and I thought about it all night.

Federer's First French Open Title

I'm happy for Roger Federer that he finally won a French Open title. In an interview with Jon McEnroe shortly after the championship ceremony, he said he deserves it.

It's really a crowning glory for him -- it's his 14th grand slam and he's now tie with Pete Sampras. He also is now the best tennis player ever lived because he has a career grand slam.

What I like about Federer besides his being a super tennis player is his devotion to his girlfriend. I heard from a commentator before, someone who used to be in the ATP tour himself, that they had never been apart since they met. And yesterday, I learned from Federer's speech that she is now his wife and she is pregnant.

I noticed the commentators mentioning Rafael Nadal so many times during and after the match or the whole broadcast itself. Actually, Nadal is always part of the conversation during the whole French Open. It's like was eliminated earlier on but he is still very much a part of the tournament.

Nadal is still the clay court king so to speak. And the world No. 1. In the last three grand slams that Federer played with Nadal - Fench Open 2008, Wimbledon 2008, and Australian Open 2009 - Federer lost. Nadal is still Federer's toughest opponent. As it is, Federer is only able to win a grand slam if it's not Nadal that he is playing with.

But I'm really glad that Federer won the French Open. And yes, I agree with him that he deserves it. I think destiny handed it to him.

Second Week of French Open

So this is the second week of French Open. New faces, some comeback, some upsets, some exciting games. Roger Federer almost lost to Haas in the round of 16. But the true marks of a champion shined through - with two sets down, he won the next three sets.

Nadal's Loss is Gain for Federer

It saddens me to learn about Rafael Nadal's loss. It was not aired on ESPN as it happened on a Sunday. The thing is, Nadal is supposed to win the French Open -- he is the best clay court player ever and the only one in the way of Federer winning a French Open. This opens up the opportunity for Federer to have a career grand slam and if he did, then this is the way fate has made a way for him to do so. After all, Federer is the greatest tennis player who ever lived.

Sharapova's Outfit

Now, I would like to comment on Maria Sharapova who is making a comeback after ten months of therapy for her shoulder. She looks really nice. She is on her quarterfinals after hard won victories over the first four matches.

Sharapova's outfit is the best outfit I've seen in the French Open. She does not have to bother with it, not pulling on it, or putting back it back in place after some intense court action. It just falls naturally and moves with her. The style is like a dress and perfectly cut and fitted; it also does not show too much skin. Sharapova is used to tucking a ball underneath and even the ball does not bulge on her hips. Sweat don't show as well. I would say Nike has engineered a very efficient and classy outfit for Sharapova.

Dinara Safina

Last year, I watched Dinara Safina beat Maria Sharapova in three sets in the round of 16. I would say that on that day, I became Dinara Safina's fan. I wrote a few posts about her in this blog the past year. Well, she is the No. 1 female tennis player today (has been for five weeks) and I could not be more proud of her. As I wrote here earlier, she would be No. 1 and she did. I hope this French Open would be her first grand slam victory (she lost in the 2008 finals against Ana Ivanovic).

The New American Idol: Unbelievable

The Winner

I was really really happy last night about the American Idol result. My husband said, it was not a singing contest. Just the previous night, he could not believe Shawn Johnson won Dancing With the Stars because his favorite Melissa Rycroft did not win it.

Oh well, American Idol is based on popularity, no matter what people say. And Kris Allen is popular to me. I want him to win. He's my the one I think deserves to win. A hundred million votes and Ryan Seacrest did not even mention by how much he won. It meant it's not necessary, Maybe it's a big gap, who knows. But the thing is, we have new American Idol.

The Show

Compared to the last two seasons, this American Idol season final is so well thought, so well coordinated. Even the scripted looked unscripted. And most of the top 13 contestants have a singing number except for the blind guy. I think the production did this because it will be very hard to direct.

The last American Idol I enjoyed so much and which I believe turned up a lot of singers is Season 5 - with Taylor Hicks winning (I liked him, too). That was the season I began watching American Idol.

I thought of the finale two years back and it looked like they were just throwing people in -- guests and numbers that have no coherence to the entire show. I figured that during the last two seasons there was Idol Gives Back. An event that is arguably bigger than the finale. Maybe all the production effort went to this very big event which was five weeks before the final show.

Last night I would say is the best finale ever in terms of production. One thing I noticed was a lot of old singers performed. Talk about legendary.

The Result

When Ryan announced Kris Allen it was like the Nokia Theater went to a shock. Yes, there was an applause but the audience could not believe it. The Lambert's camp could not believe it, the Allen's camp could not believe it, even Kris Allen himself could not believe it.

The last I saw before Fox finally ended the coverage five minutes after 10:00 PM is Kris finally breaking out when his wife came to hug him.

They showed Kris' first audition with him saying that there are probably better singers than him. He was right. But he was also modest, truthful, and down-to-earth. Maybe those were what the people saw and liked in him. Now, he is American Idol.

The Loser

As for Adam Lambert which my husband really liked and who I called the "vampire" because of his makeup and nail-polish and flamboyant outfits, I would say the American Idol is not the end of the road for him. I'm sure he would be in recording business and he would have his market share even if he lost the title.

During the last number when the two of them sang the same song, Adam out sang Kris. In that instant you know who must American Idol in terms of talent.

Simon Cowell

When the result was announced the camera showed a bit of Simon Cowell. He was not cheering, did not get up from his seat and the look in his face registers "duh."

Just last week I saw Simon in Oprah saying it would be Adam Lambert. I guess when he says things like this, it was to broadcast to the people who he thinks should win and who he thinks should people vote. Guess what? People did not listen.

Bikini Girl and Kara

I think it was so brave of Kara to get in there and expose herself. It was so uncharacteristic of her. She was not tanned like the bikini girl and she sure does not have the guts to bare herself. She covered herself so abashedly after the performance explaining it was all for charity.

I think Kara should have not done it. She should have not stooped down. During the audition of the bikini girl, she was insulted and her reaction was to show she was better. She sang to make a point. Point taken. Period. Because of last night, it's now twice a laugh.

Shawn Won the Dance!

Shawn Johnson deserves the Dancing With the Stars trophy. She worked hard for it and she really is a great dancer. Additionally, as compared to the other two contenders, she is a star.

People voted for Shawn because they love her and believe in her. She is just the epitome of America's sweetheart. She can be anyone's favorite. A sell-out to children, teens, and grown-ups. She is wholesome, clean, refreshing.

Earlier in this blog, I voiced out my support for Shawn and she did it. I'm so happy for the outcome of Dancing With the Stars -- the first season I ever watched the entirety of. It was great.