Category Archives: People

Punk to Paragon

  By zarine | July 11, 2011 - 7:29 pm | People
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If past lives are even real and not just a product of mankind’s crazy imagination, I would be tempted to think that Andre Agassi was a writer in his previous incarnations. His father even claimed that Andre’s eight-grade education doesn’t stop him from speaking better than persons with PhDs. And I’m not sure I’ll disagree with that. He has such eloquence, albeit more emotionally rooted than anywhere else, which makes the words coming out of his mouth seem to pack more meaning and sincerity. For someone who was known as a punk, and his own imperfections he detailed with candor in his recently published autobiography Open, Andre has completely reinvented himself in a way not many people can and have the will to do. If only anyone can just use dickies scrubs to clean up his or her act.

This weekend, Andre Agassi was rightfully inducted to the International Tennis Federation’s Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of other past greats of the sport, which includes his wife Steffi Graf.

Andre’s love letter to Steffi, who now prefers to be called by her real given name, Stefanie:

 

Source:

http://www.agassifoundation.org/andre-s-personal-tributes-2/

 

Keeping It Real

  By zarine | June 6, 2010 - 9:30 am | Music, People
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“I hate photoshoots. It’s like you’re there all day and you end up with four pictures that you use for everything.”

Hahaha! I love this girl. What she said about the red carpet walk is pretty darn true, it’s amusing to hear it from a star herself.  One other thing that sets Kelly Clarkson apart from most wannabe singers, besides her having a one-of-kind truly awesome voice, is her insistence to stay normal and not be “tainted” by Hollywood. Sure, we want our stars all glittery and elegant and nice to look at (because that’s their job), and we have movie stars for that, but sometimes having these down-to-earth types is all the more refreshing. So rock on, KC. And she doesn’t really need those apidexin reviews people are talking about.

Fan Bias? You Be the Judge

  By zarine | February 21, 2010 - 11:56 pm | People, Tennis
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This has got to be one of my favorite tennis videos. Like, ever. Thanks to the very creative YouTube uploader.

First, the subtitles are completely false (except perhaps for a few things, like names mentioned). The commentator sounds like he is cheering for Federer and someone thought to make his own interpretations of the rather overly enthusiastic comments about our hgh (his greatest-of-all-time highness) Federer.

Federer Fan Files

  By zarine | February 21, 2010 - 10:44 pm | People, Tennis
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Roger Federer’s fans, rather expectedly, range from the average tennis spectator, his colleagues, journalists,  fellow athletes, and fellow sporting heroes. I’ll never forget the late David Foster Wallace’s New York Times piece “Federer as a Religious Experience.” Take it as you will, but it was written with such passion for both the sport and the talent of the man who accomplished enough to transcend it.

Then there’s this interview with Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn (alpine skier). What got my attention is this part (because I’ve always wondered about it):

You got to meet him after this year’s French Open final. What was your first impression when you met him?
I thought he was a lot taller. On TV, he looks a little bit skinny. You can’t really see his height. When I saw him in person, he really had a big presence. He had a much bigger presence than I was anticipating. He was a tall guy, had broad shoulders, and didn’t look small at all.

Seeing Roger Federer on TV, you’d think sports build muscle but apparently not tennis. Time to rethink that theory. It’s scary to think, in this context, how bulky Rafa looks then.

Shoes, Anyone?

  By zarine | February 17, 2010 - 8:47 pm | Badminton, People, Sports
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Speaking of badminton, here’s Maria Sharapova for Cole Haan.

A friend wondered what’s the deal about the shoes. We wondered about the outfit, too. And the racket on the left hand of the right-handed Russian. Well, I guess it’s just for pose. They’re trying to sell the shoes (which she helped design, I gather), not really the sport. Not even her sport – tennis. It’s a good thing they didn’t put a bag on her, though.

AO Day 4: Prince William Drops By

  By zarine | January 21, 2010 - 7:15 pm | People, Sports, Tennis
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Prince William was touring Victoria, Australia, and decided to drop by to watch some tennis in Melbourne at the end of his 3-day visit to the country. He arrived just in time to see Roger Federer complete his 2nd-round match and stayed to watch the ladies match between Australian Casey Dellacqua and Croatian Karolina Sprem. Too bad all British players will be playing tomorrow.

In the post-match interview, Federer was asked to welcome the prince. A bit shyly, he said, “Your royal highness, from the tennis world, thanks for coming.”

Well, it’s hard not to be excited by the sight of royalty, just like the cameras pan to every celebrity tennis fan. I remember watching a video of Steffi Graf’s old championship match where William and Princess Diana was present. Seems like a long time ago; he was just a small boy, then. I can only imagine the life of someone born to privilege, like that. It’s not some title you get from Craigslist or a position you find from sites like Seattle job search. But as they say, with privilege comes great responsibility. Or something to that effect.

Very Rich Girl

  By zarine | January 17, 2010 - 9:55 am | People, Sports, Tennis
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Another bit of news from Melbourne, at the upcoming Australian Open. Maria Sharapova recently signed an eight-year $70 million deal with Nike. Wow. That means Nike will still be sponsoring her way after she retires, because I can’t see her still playing pro tennis eight years into the future.  A lot can be said about this girl – like she’s more suited to the glitz and glamor of the fashion scene than the tennis courts or that she’s an ice queen, or that her ear-splitting screams while playing are beyond annoying – but they don’t take away from the fact that when she’s at the top of her game, she’s a very formidable tennis player. Her powerful game took out Serena Williams in Wimbledon 2004 for her first Slam. Her accomplishments off the court are astonishing as well. She must be the highest-paid female athlete of all time now. She may be all sorts of out on the tennis circuit recently because of her nagging shoulder injury, but she remains the most bankable of all the pretty tennis WTA stars. Somehow, tennis as a commercial sport cannot do without her yet.

And here’s something that she’ll be wearing, aside from her Nike gear, at the tournament next week. Bet you won’t find those in promotional bags anywhere else.

Those stunning earrings are designed by Paloma Picasso for Tiffany & Co, and Maria  will be wearing them (while playing!) at the Australian Open.  Lucky girl.

Mr. Nice Guy

  By zarine | January 16, 2010 - 7:08 pm | People, Sports, Tennis
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On the eve of the first Grand Slam of the year, some of the highest ranking tennis stars (Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic, among others) decided to give up their last day of preparation to join in an exhibition for a cause.

b_federer_14_03

Roger Federer, the world’s no. 1 tennis player and the top seed at this year’s tournament, spearheaded a campaign to help the victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti, which has claimed so many lives and is continuing to be a harrowing experience for the people of the country.

They say Federer’s the quintessential Swiss. He’s a quintessential European. He makes me want to pack my bags, call cross country movers, and move to Europe right now.  In 2005, Federer also gathered his fellow players to help raise funds for the victims of the tsunami in Southeast Asia. It’s really heart-warming to see that people are trying to help the best way they can.

It’s a last-minute effort, and hopefully the people of Melbourne will make this event a success. Knowing how superstitious tennis players are – for example, a lot of them profess not to do anything out of habit during tournaments, like staying in the same hotels or eating the same kind of food – changing their schedules to make this happen really counts for something.

Update: Rafael Nadal is joining, too, even if he’s playing his first round on Monday. Vamos, Rafa!

<a href=”http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2529226320103664002kSoIcK”><img src=”http://inlinethumb19.webshots.com/11538/2529226320103664002S200x200Q85.jpg” alt=”b_federer_14_03″></a>

Heidi Klum Is an Alien?

  By zarine | November 24, 2009 - 1:27 am | People
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A celebrity gossip site commented that either Heidi Klum is hiding a super secret diet regimen or she must be an alien. Because she looks like this just five weeks after giving birth to her fourth child:

heidi-klum-300x400

This photo was taken on November 21 during the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York. She was supposed to be hosting the show but reportedly became the biggest crowd-pleaser when she made a surprise runway appearance.

I really don’t know her that much (meaning I don’t follow her career), despite watching her with Michael Kors and others in Project Runway, but she seems like a charming, well-grounded lady.  Not a lot of accomplished people in her profession share those qualities, or at least I don’t know that much.

Open

  By zarine | November 6, 2009 - 8:43 pm | People
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The recent revelations in relation to the publication of Andre Agassi’s autobiography, Open: An Autobiography, has rocked the sporting world in a way that I didn’t imagine it would.

openEric Rasco/SI

BOOK EXCERPT HERE

Andre was known as the “punk” during the early parts of his career. He was a bit of a callous persona before he transformed into the “paragon” that he is now being touted for. So his admission of drug use is as much of a surprise to me as seeing a smoker scouting for an electronic cigarette. It didn’t diminish how I see him as an exemplary human being now.  That he perpetrated a lie to cover up his bad decisions is subject to much criticism, and maybe rightly so.  But I am reserving my judgment until at least I get to read the book in its entirety to understand why being that “open” was necessary. I, for one, don’t believe that he did it for the money. He’s got everything to lose and nothing to gain with his honesty. The Agassi (celebrity) I know has always been candid and verbose. That’s why I’m sure this book is something I’m going to lap up.