Australian Open 2020: Garbine's Got it in the Bag But I Want Sofia to Shock Us

I have only seen Sofia Kenin play this Aussie Open yet she has shown amazing fighting spirit that reminds you of the sport's greats!

On paper, this is Garbine Muguruza's title to lose - a French Open and Wimbledon champion already, this win will bring her a step closer to a career grand slam! One of the only few women ever to do it!

It does look like Garbine's already got it in the bag, but I want Sofia to shock us. I have seen how she dismantled the feisty Ashleigh Barty before the hometown crowd.

She has the ability to do it again, against Garbine, in the finals.

That's why it's going to be an exciting women's finals!

Australian Open 2020: Baby Thiem Should Be in Another Grand Slam Final

Who do you cheer for when you love both players, lol - a quandary I usually find myself in from time to time 😀

Well, I did cheer for Stan against Alexander and for Dominic against Rafa. Different sets of players, different levels of adulation.

Might cheer more for my baby Dominic though, this time.

I think, among the young players, he has the most weapons and the most experience in the finals to stop Novak from breaking Roger's record of number of grand slam titles, lol

Otherwise, within a year or two, Novak will eclipse Roger - and that would be a major upheaval in men's tennis which I could not accept easily......

Taylor Swift's 'The Man' Tops My International Top 10 Countdown This Week

Taylor Swift's "The Man" tops my international Top 10 countdown this week.  It's the second song from her 'Lover' album that tops the countdown.

Here are my ten favorite songs this week by international artists -

#1 The Man (#2)
     Taylor Swift

#2 Megatron (#3)
     Nicki Minaj

#3 Blessing (#4)
     Laura Story

#4 NASA (#5)
     Ariana Grande

#5 Earfquake (#6)
     Tyler the Creator

#6 Don't Feel Like Crying (#8)
     Sigrid

#7 Rare (#10)
       Selena Gomez

#8 Make It Right (NEW)
      BTS

#9 Don't Start Now (NEW)
     Dua Lipa

#10 Yummy (NEW)
       Justin Bieber

Spongecola and Karylle Top My OPM Top 10 Countdown for a Second Week

Spongecola and Karylle top my OPM Top 10 countdown for a second week.

Here are my ten favorite OPM songs for the week ending January 24, 2020 -

#1 Promises (#1)* 2 weeks
     Spongecola / Karylle

#2 Tipints (#3)
     Alex Gonzaga

#3 Umaga (#4)
     Shanne Dandan

#4 Rewind (#5)
     Riva Quenery

#5 Body Crashes (#6)
     Rhian

#6 Patawad, Paalam (#7)
     Moira dela Torre / I Belong to the Zoo

#7 Lagi (#10)
       John Roa

#8 Di Lahat (NEW)
     Donnalyn Bartolome

#9 Keke Love (NEW)
     Mimi / Elmo Magalona

#10 Lazy Day (NEW)
       Keane Trinity

Australian Open 2020: The Last 4 Women

These are the four women who have survived all the stunning upsets that have been happening in the women's game this fortnight - and all are playing at the top of their game, without anyone dropping a set in their quarterfinal matches.

One interesting characteristic about them is that three of them are French Open champions, with only Sofia Kenin as the greenhorn. So even with all the upsets, the depth of women's tennis is still wide enough to cast a net of three former and current grand slam champions.

Local darling Ashleigh Barty will square off with American Sofia Kenin.  Barty has been handling the pressure of being the first Australian woman in 40 years to reach the final here - and she has a very good chance of getting there - as Kenin is fairly a newbie this deep in a grand slam. Experience may help Barty win their match.

Simona Halep has been to the final here and she gets another shot later today - against Garbine Muguruza of Spain, her fellow French Open champion.  It would be interesting to see the two play as Garbine is known for her aggressive play and Simona is more of a counterpuncher.

I will be gunning for a Barty-Halep final.  Let's see how it unfolds!

Australian Open 2020: It Has Officially Become A Free For All in the Women's Draw

The women's draw in this year's Australian Open is in such topsy-turvy state that if you do a head-to-head of the remaining players, it would be Sofia Kenin vs. Alison Riske in the upper half and Garbine Muguruza vs. Simona Halep in the lower half when it comes to the semifinals stage of the tournament.

Of course, you can throw those statistics out the window since Barty and Gauff would want those data to be revised, and they could!

So the best thing to do is just sit back and relax and let the remaining 16 women surprise you!

It has now officially become a free for all!

Tony's Movie Review: Jojo Rabbit Reconciles Innocence with the Cruelties of War

Jojo Rabbit is an all out satire on Adolf Hitler and Nazism but done in a lighthearted manner that you can actually bring your kid to watch it.

I think it was written and directed purposely for children as the main protagonist is a ten year old boy played endearingly Roman Griffin Davis.

In his young and innocent mind, he is excited over the prospect of being part of Hitler's Youth group and doing fun things like throwing grenades and hunting for Jews.

Comedy and Hitler and the extermination of the Jews has been done well several times, my favorite being Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds - maybe because Tarantino allowed us to have our revenge over the Nazi bastards - even if only in film.

Despite being a comedy, what is good about Jojo Rabbit is that it did not shy away from showing the cruelty and the harshness of life at that time - the eerie demeanor of the Gestapo - and the hanging of anti-Nazi sympathizers.

"Let everything happen to you

Beauty and terror

Just keep going

No feeling is final"

This short excerpt from a poem by Rainer Marie Rilke was shown in the end of the movie and in a way it encapsulates the whole World War II experience of Jojo Betzler, the boy in the movie.

Scarlett Johansson plays his Mom and is the moral center of the story. Taika Waititi, the director and screenwriter is from New Zealand so it's amazing that he tackles this sticky subject matter with fearlessness. He also plays Adolf really well, it's a pity he did not get any acting nominations.

There is even a hint of homosexuality in the role of Sam Rockwell as the boys' trainer. It is done subtly and played wonderfully by Sam! No wonder every director wants him! He can play anything!

It's good the movie has fans among the Academy members, as it was nominated for Best Picture. Comedy still has a place in a year of big, masculine dramas.