I would like to get back to one of my original goals of the tennis coverage here, which was to shine a spotlight on some of the lesser known yet highly talented tennis players on Tour right now.  There were two WTA players who had breakthrough tourneys last week in Monterrey and they are both named Anastasi(j)a.  Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, best known possibly for her hard to pronounce last name, won her first Tour title last week.  She has quietly been moving her way up the rankings (from #28 to #25 this week), so be on the lookout…her name is pretty easy to find on the drawsheet though.   Eighteen year old Anastatsia won three Junior Grand Slam titles, and it looks like she is ready to make her move in the big leagues now with her booming serve and powerful groundstrokes.

Anastasija Sevastova followed in the footsteps of her Latvian countryman Ernest Gulbis who moved up from #72 to #45 in the rankings by winning Delray Beach the week before last.  Sevastova also ranked #72 before her breakthrough week was not able to win the title, but she did rack up a few upset wins including one over former #1 Jelena Jankovic to make the semis and inch up to #63.  Will Latvia be another small country tennis powerhouse like Belgiun and Serbia?  Stay tuned.

Well, the USA team lost 1st round to Serbia on the wisely chosen clay courts in Belgrade.  For those unfamiliar with Davis Cup, the home team gets to decide the court surface and home court advantage rotates back and forth between the two affected teams.

The story of all of the first round rubbers was that Chile hosted Israel in Coquimbo only a week after the devastating earthquakes there.  The matches did start a day later than planned due to the country’s tragic events.  Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu who both seem to play better when they play for their country were able to win their singles matches against Dudi Sela and Harely Levy.  There was definitely some debate over suspending the tie as Massu in particular was vocal about the fact that this should have been delayed longer than just a day.  I am not sure if it was the the right decision, but I do think they gave the Chilean people a welcome and enjoyable distraction from all the pain they have suffered recently.  Fernando Gonzalez will be skipping Indian Wells to assist with earthquake relief, and there is info at the end of this video if you would like to assist with the relief efforts as well.

I’m not sure if all of you Manhattanites realize that Brooklyn has some of the best restaurants in the city.  And yes, Brooklyn is a part of the city so please don’t ask me if I’m coming in to the city today, ok?  Brooklyn is the “the city” too.  I live in Brooklyn, therefore I live in the city.  Transitive property, people!!!

So anyway, even we Brooklynites get lazy and stay in our own 10-block-radius neighborhoods, but we’re trying to break that trend.  So we actually got on the Union Street bus for a five-minute ride from Park Slope to Carroll Gardens to give Buttermilk Channel a try.  Even though it was a Saturday night, we were a bit surprised when we were told that there was a 45-minute wait….which wound up being only 20 minutes actually.  Yayyyy, we were starving!

Needless to say, I am glad we waited.  I really liked the “snacks” on the menu….the waitress described them as half-sized appetizers but they were by no means small but we over-orderd nonetheless.  Our snacks included homemade pickles, bacon-smoked almonds, and sweet potato croquettes.  All of these were fantastic, and we also got one official-sized appetizer (spare ribs) that was good but nothing special.  The entrees of Lamb Salad and Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffles were delicious….and even better the next day.  I am looking forward to trying their brunch because I think that might be an even better time to check out this upscale comfort food neighborhood fave.

Oh yeah, and get the Pecan Pie Sundae if you love pecan pie as much as I do.

So I promised I would help you win your office Oscar pool a few posts ago.  I don’t know how one becomes an expert in this field, but I have won quite a few Oscar pools so let me see if I can help you out this year.  This is an interesting year because I think there will be a lot of surprises.  The only “lock” is Mo’Nique in the Supporting Actress category which in years past is where there have been the most upsets (think Marisa Tomei for My Cousin Vinny).  Let’s go category by category….

Best Picture  (Avatar, Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up In the Air):  Please don’t get me started on the expansion to 10 nominees this year.  The Hurt Locker won Best Picture from the Directors Guild of America (DGA), and this almost always predicts which film will win the Oscar for Best Picture.  Box office hits also tend to not win Best Picture actually, but I think Avatar will be breaking all the rules in a clean sweep on Oscar night.  After all, this was a much bigger box office hit in a year where the economy was struggling to say the least and since Hollywood is a business after all, Avatar will be rewarded for helping the whole industry.  Many Academy members will also want to recognize the advancement of technical filmmaking this film brought with the new equipment and film technique it created.  I not only think Avatar will win the Best Picture Oscar, but I also advise that when in doubt you should check Avatar off as the winner in virtually every category.

Best Director  (James Cameron/Avatar, Kathryn Bigelow/The Hurt Locker, Quentin Tarantino/Inglorious Basterds, Lee Daniels/Precious, Jason Reitman/Up in the Air):  It’s a Battle of the Exes here.  Cameron and Bigelow used to be married, but now they will be battling it out for Oscar.  It’s a tight race, but like I said when in doubt go with Avatar….and James Cameron.

Best Supporting Actress  (Penelope Cruz/Nine, Vera Fermiga/Up in the Air, Maggie Gyllenhaal/Crazy Heart, Anna Kendrick/Up in the Air, Mo’Nique/Precious):  No doubt about it, Mo’Nique all the way!

Best Supporting Actor  (Matt Damon/Invictus, Woody Harrelson/The Messenger, Christopher Plummer/The Last Station, Stanley Tucci/Lovely Bones, Christopher Waltz/Inglorious Basterds):  Christopher Waltz has been winning every single major award leading up to Oscar night, but something tells me he may not be “popular” enough to win an Oscar.  I think the Academy may want to award Christopher Plummer for a long but unrecognized career as this is the first nomination for the 80-year old actor.  Go with Waltz to play it safe, but go with me and Plummer if you’re feeling a bit risky.

Best Leading Actress  (Sandra Bullock/The Blind Side, Helen Mirren/The Last Station, Carey Mulligan/An Education, Gabourey Sidibe/Precious, Meryl Streep/Julie & Julia):  I hope I am wrong, but I do not think frontrunner Sandra Bullock will win.  The ‘surprise’ Oscar winner will be Meryl Streep, who should probably win every single year.  She has been nominated a record 16 times although she has only won twice.  Ms. Streep has lost 11 times in a row dating back to her last win in 1982 for Sophie’s Choice, and that slump will be coming to a close.

Best Leading Actor  (Jeff Bridges/Crazy Heart, George Clooney/Up in the Air, Colin Firth/A Single Man, Morgan Freeman/Invictus, Jeremy Renner/The Hurt Locker):  The smart money is on Jeff Bridges, but how many Academy members have even seen this indie?  I’ll stick with the smart money since I’ve probably been a bit too risky already.

Now let’s go rapid-fire for the remainder of the categories….

Animated Film – Up (another lock);  Art Direction – Avatar (there is some doubt, but when in doubt pick Avatar);  Cinematography – Avatar (ditto);  Costume Design – Coco Before Chanel  (duh, it’s about Chanel);  Documentary – The Cove (haven’t seen any of them, but it won the DGA);  Documentary Short – China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (um, always go with the longest title for documentary short);  Film Editing – Avatar (yes, again);  Foreign Language – The White Ribbon (not sure why La Nana from Chile did not make cut, but I am sure this will win);  Make-Up – Star Trek (this is the only Oscar category where you go with Aliens over Victorian period pieces);  Original Score – Up (exception to rule as Avatar was nominated, but I just loved the score from Up way too much);  Original Song – The Weary Kind/Crazy Heart (and why wasn’t Cinema Italiano nominated?);  Animated Short Film – Granny O’Grimm (see earlier post for in-depth coverage);  Live Action Short – The New Tenants (ditto);  Sound Editing – Avatar (and no doubt about this one);  Sound Mixing – Avatar (ditto, yet not sure why these need to be two different categories);  Visual Effects – Avatar (getting bored yet?);  Adapted Screenplay – Up in the Air (pains me to not pick Precious, but I’m going with the WGA winner);  Original Screenplay – The Hurt Locker (same scenario but with both Up and Inglorious Basterds)

I hope this was mildly entertaining and more importantly that it helps you win a few bucks from your friends and co-workers.  At the very least, I imagine you should now be prepared to sit through the always-lengthy telecast if you were able to read this tome all the way through.  Good luck, Cinephiles!!!

As a self-described tennis crack whore, I am so grateful to ESPN Deportes for televising the Abierto de Mexico en Acapulco.  I just watched the very in-form Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Nicolas Almagro in 3 sets.  For those of you who remember one of my earlier posts, this one could have easily been called Ferrero’s Lucky 13: Parte Dos since this win was JCF’s 13th straight victory on the Latin American clay court leg of the ATP tour.  And it sure looks like Ferrero has regained his own clay legs back.  Most of his greatest wins throughout his career have certainly come on clay, but in recent years he has struggled on clay while enjoying a few bright moments on grass and hard courts.

After watching a tremendoues Ladies Figure Skating competition (I’m not joking), I was thrilled to catch most of this match afterward.  Juan Carlos raced out to an easy 6-1 victory in the first set, but missed a few easy volleys at the end of the second set to lose that rather meekly at 7-5.  El Mosquito rebounded strong and raced away with the ultimate set at 6-2 as Almagro faded away and lost his temper as those are his signature moves.

Juan Carlos has moved up to #16 after his previous two victorious weeks where he was outside the Top 100 a year ago.  My estimation shows that from his semi or better showing in Acapulco he will move up to….yup, you guessed it….Lucky #13.  And since he has virtually no points to defend during the two upcoming US Master Series events and the entire European clay court season, his goal of getting back in to the Top Ten seems quite realistic now.

FYI, the picture shown above is not from Acapulco but I just like it for many reasons.  Viva la armada!!!!

 The two standouts for me were Instead of Abracadabra from Sweden and The New Tenants supposedly from Denmark, but you couldn’t find a more “New York” movie than this one.   Instead of Abracadabra is about a strange man Tomas who lives with his parents because he does not want to get a job other than to become a magician….and of the gothic mystery and mayhem variety, as he likes to clarify.  The New Tenants was a rare and special treat for the emotional reaction it elicited out of me.  Although a short film, there were a few times where I found myself laughing and crying at the same time about different things.  I don’t think I was alone with this one as it was the only short that received applause at the end.  At risk of spoiling the plot at all, I will just say that the film centers around a couple who have just moved in to their new NYC apartment.

Miracle Fish from Australia was a sweet but eerie film about a shy boy who goes to nap in the nurse’s office to escape the teasing of his classmates only to wake up to a completely abandoned school.  Both his reaction as well as the developing events that take place may surprise you.   Kavi from India also tell its tale from a young boy’s perspective, but this film’s message is about the 27 million people enslaved around the world today.   The Door from Ireland was my least favorite as it was just too depressing for me in its portrayal of how the Chernobyl incident affected one family in particular.

Just like the Animated Shorts, my Oscar prediction of The New Tenants is also my personal favorite.  These short film, documentary and foreign language categories are only voted by Academy members who have attested that they have viewed all nominated films.  I only point this out because the other categories being voted by the entire Academy regardless of whether or not they have viewed each film are therefore more likely to be determined by a popularity contest or other determining factors besides quality. 

I should also add that the acting in The New Tenants was spectacular across the board, especially from the two leads David Rakoff and Jamie Harrold.  Yet I am inclined to elaborate on the career of Helen Hanft who plays the nosy neighbor.  You have seen her face and heard her voice many times, but you probably have no idea who she is.  She has played some of the most memorable characters in the smallest of parts – from the abusive wife of Perry in Arthur to the DMV employee from Hell in License to Drive to the gum-chewing subway rider at the end of Coming to America to many other scene-stealing but thankless roles.  Well Helen Hanft, I THANK YOU!!!!!  

I am not sure when they started this, but I think it is such a great idea to compile these impressive but virtually unseen short films to reach a mass audience….well, relatively speaking.  There is another version of the Live-Action Short Films, which I will be reviewing in the near future as well.  The nominees for Animated Short Film include the following:

French Roast - a charming little tale about a businessman who cannot pay for his bill at a Paris cafe upon discovering that his wallet is missing.  While amusing, this was my least favorite of the five nominees. 

La Dama y La Muerte - this cartoon from Spain is at times angelically sweet but mostly devilishly funny in this short about an old lady who may or may not die as the Grim Reaper and a Hot Shot Doc battle for her life. 

A Matter of Loaf and Death – this is the latest installment from Wallace & Gromit, and I found myself laughing a lot even though I have never considered myself a big Wallace & Gromit fan. 

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty - Granny had me cracking up as she scares her granddaughter something silly while telling her very special version of the fairy tale classic.  The performance of Kathleen O’Rourke, who also created the Granny O’Grimm character, is the driving force of this film.

Logorama - this is the most ambitious of the lot as it uses corporate logos to weave its story of maniacal Ronald McDonald being chased by Michelin Man cops.  Quite frankly, I am amazed this movie got made as it seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen, and I can only hope McDonald’s does not sue me just for posting the still from the film. 

In addition to the five nominees listed, the film compilation includes three additional animated shorts described as highly commended.  These include Kinematograph from Poland, Runaway from Canada, and Partly Cloudy which is the Pixar short that preceeded Up in theatres.  Although the first two were my least favorite overall, they are worth viewing for some truly stunning visuals in the Polish short and a jazzy soundtrack in the Candian flick.   Once reluctant to admit, I must really be a full-fledged Pixar fan now as I found this entry both incredibly sweet and funny.

As far as my Oscar predictions go, I will hedge a little by saying that I think Logorama has a real chance of winning because it was the most unique of the nominees, but I have to go with my personal favorite and what seemed to be the audience favorite as well.  Take a look for yourself…

My favorites were the crispy brussel sprouts and seared foie gras.  The only thing that I would not order again is the Avocado Relleno.  Nothing bad about it, but it was a bit boring compared to what I was expecting.  In addition to these dishes, we also ordered the selection of Spanish cheeses, which I would also recommend.  Also the churros and a blueberry polenta cake for dessert.  And yeah, I am pretty full right now but I had two other lovely people helping me scarf it all down.  With all that food (and wine/cocktails/port), the bill came to a reasonable $180.  Trust me readers outside of NYC, that’s a pretty good deal.

The place is also pretty big for a Manhattan restaurant, which I like because you do not feel right on top of the next table.  The second floor tables overlook the first floor dining room, but both floors offer a nice ambience.  Give the place a try on 64 West 10th Street (see map).  Very nice selection of wines as well by the way, but I don’t know wine like I know food!

Juan Carlos Ferrero won his first Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2003 the same year that Roger Federer won his first at Wimbledon.  He also followed that up with a US Open Finals appearance later that year as well.  Since then, JCF has struggled with illness and injuries as well as overall stronger competition in the years to follow.  But this past year he has rebounded with a couple of smaller tournament victories (Brasil and Casablanca) as well as decent Grand Slam result (Wimby QF and US Open 4R), and I sure hope his recent success breeds even more success for this quiet Spaniard.  It certainly helps to have an improved ranking of #22 as opposed to #101 just a year ago.

I also want to share with my fellow tennis crack whores that I was able to watch the live feed of this final at atdhe.net.  I will not swear to the legality of these sites, but I enjoy watching live tennis online at sites such as this, stream2watch.com, and justin.tv for free.  These sites are not always reliable, so please share if you know of any others.

When we walked in, the place was empty and the decor definitely left something to be desired.  The menu also looked scary with dishes that I didn’t recognize by name or even by the scarier pictures.  Stuff like Bi Bim Bap and Bulgogi were only on the lunch menu for some reason.   But there were chicken gizzard and sardine dishes on the dinner menu.  We went a little safer with the Oh Dag Gu-Ie for two (chicken, calamari, rice cake, and veggies in a VERY spicy red sauce).  Delicious!  And be warned, their dishes for two probably serve 4-6 people.  The dumplings for starters were just OK, but something tells me we should’ve been a little more daring with our appy order.  They were probably just on the menu for us silly Caucasians.

Meanwhile, the place was empty when we arrived but completely packed when we left, yet we were still the only white people in the restaurant.  I turned to my friend and said, “I guess this place filled up since they knew the food would be good once they saw two white guys eating in the window.”

I hope this Quick Byte was quick enough.  I definitely recommend giving Song 7.2 a try, but for Korean fare I still prefer Do Hwa in the West Village and Moim in Park Slope.  But Song 7.2 is your place if you want to go casual, have lots of drinks, and eat authentic Korean cuisine (or at least what I imagine it to be since I have not made the trip yet).  Oh, and the techno-pop soundtrack will definitely make you smile and just that alone make this worth a late night visit.

So first let me share that I like to refer to myself as a tennis crack whore.  I really can’t get enough – playing, watching, reading, discussing, etc.  Although I am sure I will write about the top players and the big matches at some point, the purpose I am really hoping this blog will serve* is to share with you some of the untold stories of the unheralded players in our wonderful sport of tennis.  The journeymen, the non-Americans, the players with 3-digit rankings, the unendorsed…who are also the fascinating, the charismatic, the cute, the struggling, and the future stars of the game.

* Not only was that pun intended, but there were two meanings.  Because in tennis, you always get at least two serves.

I am wishful that people from around the nation (USA) and the world will eventually find this blog, but I have to imagine my early readers will be located near me in NYC.  Brooklyn, represent!  No, not Brooklyn Decker…Andy Roddick’s wife who now graces the SI Swimsuit issue cover.  And that’s as much coverage you will see Andy Roddick get in this blog.  Back to my point about NYC…I am about to share with you a few players you should try to see during the US Open qualifying rounds (aka quallies).  Although this is more than 6 months away, the Grand Slam quallies are where you will find some of the highest drama,  most hard-fought matches, and other tennis crack whore fans in attendance.  These matches are also free of charge, and you can sit just a few feet from the players instead of miles away within Arthur Ashe stadium.

Here are just 3 players I am already looking forward to seeing at the 2010 US Open quallies:  Conor Niland, Dustin Brown, and Ryler DeHeart.

NOTE: Please go to tenniscrackwhore.wordpress.com as the blog is now 100% devoted to tennis.  Welcome, Tennis Crack Whores!!!!

tenniscrackwhore.com – CLICK HERE FOR ALL THINGS TENNIS AND DUSTIN BROWN!

1.Conor Niland (Ireland) – Let me ruin my tennis cred right from the start by letting you know that the main reason Conor is being featured is because he is adorable.  I have never actually seen him play, but he had me at google image search.  His adorability is not the only reason for this feature however.  At 28 years old with a rank of #250, he typifies the player I admire most.  He grabbed my attention while I watched the live scoreboard during the final round of Australian Open quallies as he and countryman Louk Sorensen were both competing for a place in the main draw.  Ireland has never had much success in professional tennis, so two main draw entries in a Grand Slam would have been huge.  Louk qualified, but Conor did not.  Let’s cheer this journeyman on to his first Grand Slam main draw this year in Flushing.

2.Dustin Brown (Jamaica) – Here is another player from a country with limited to no success in tennis.  He may not be as fast as Usain Bolt, but Dustin is currently racing his opponents off the court.  Although ranked outside of the Top 100 right now, his recent winning form may push his ranking high enough to qualify automatically for this year’s US Open main draw.  Last week, he made the quarterfinal of a tour-level event in Johannesberg and is still alive in the semis of a challenger event this week in Italy.  The ATP may visit the best places in the world, but it becomes very expensive for the lower-ranked players whose travel expenses are often higher than their prize money.  No one said it would be easy reaching new heights for Jamaican tennis, but that’s exactly what Dustin is doing.

3.Ryler DeHeart (USA) - The picture above shows Ryler working at Chipotle last year while he was recovering from an injury in order to make some extra money and more importanly to eat some free food.  Like I mentioned, it ain’t easy surviving the tour when you’re outside the Top 100.  I became a huge fan of Ryler at the 2008 US Open quallies watching him earn two gritty comeback wins to qualify for his first Grand Slam main draw.  He even capitalized on this in the 1st Round by beating one of my all-time favorite players Olivier Rochus, a tiny Belgian who has been ranked as high as #24 in the world.  It’s a shame Ryler suffered his injury shortly after that mini-breakthrough, but I predict an even bigger breakthrough for this tough lefty whose biggest asset might actually be DeHeart.  Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Please feel free to comment or share with us some of your favorite players ranked outside the Top 100 right now.  And for those of you not as interested in Conor or any of the other ATP hotties, here is a sneak peek at Brooklyn Decker and Ana Ivanovic from this year’s SI Swimsuit issue: