Tennis anyone?

Well I would play with her any day, and she would totally kick my butt. It's Maria Sharapova and she has made it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon this year. She is not only a great tennis player but also one beautiful woman. Women's tennis could use more like her.

Simulated Dating?

Evidently "simulated dating" is the latest way for singles to meet in New York. According to a report on MSNBC, singles are going to extremes to meet the right someone, including "simulated dating", "Dinner in the Dark", "speed dating", and internet dating, called "Dating on Demand". I am not making this up!!! Here is the first part of the report.

NEW YORK - Boy meets girl. Boy likes girl. Boy and girl have coffee together. Girl evaluates boy's interpersonal style. Girl tells boy what he did and did not do right. Boy never sees girl again. Whole thing costs boy $195.

Sound like a bad date? Not exactly.

In the cutthroat world of New York dating, it's one of the many ways singles look for an edge. This service, a simulated "date," is offered by First Impressions Consulting; one of many quirky methods available nowadays to meet a mate.

It's no wonder as the number of single American adults — around 86 million, according to the American Association of Single People — is believed to be at an all-time high.

And they are going to ever-greater lengths to meet their match.

The process at First Impressions is simple, but has an almost cloak-and-dagger feel to it.

Clients are told they will meet their "date" at a stylish cafe in New York’s Soho area. The date will be sitting alone, reading a copy of The New York Times. If you are a boy, you are told your date's name is Susan Green. You are told she is single and lives in the area. She likes film, travel and painting. You are to assume that she's roughly your age and that you find her attractive. As the client, the onus is on you to approach her, introduce yourself and pick up the tab at the cafe.

Afterward, your date — actually a First Impressions consultant with an advanced degree in psychology — reveals her real name, describes what kind of impression was made and makes suggestions for improvements.

Of course, the immediate reaction of some people when told they, for example, don't give out enough personal information, or they don't make enough eye contact, is: what gives you the right …?

There are plenty of other quirky matchmaking services.

In New York, there's Dinner in the Dark, which arranges meals in a pitch-black bar and restaurant. Waiters equipped with night goggles are the only ones who can see — leaving clients to fumble with their utensil-free dinner while getting to know their prospective matches, from the inside out. Candles are lit during dessert, when clients see who is sitting next to them.

In San Francisco, there's Table for Six, which sets groups of singles up for dinner at upscale restaurants. After the meal, organizers make follow-up matchmaking phone calls for interested clients.

No time to waste? Try speed dating. ...read more here

Washington Capitals draft Russian

Selecting first overall for the first time in 28 years, the Washington Capitals picked left wing Alexander Ovechkin, an 18-year-old Russian projected to be a franchise player.
The Capitals fielded offers from more than a dozen teams for the No. 1 pick but held onto it with the chance to take the consensus top prospect.
At 6-2 and 200 pounds, Ovechkin has the size to ease right into the NHL. He also has the bloodlines - his mother won two Olympic gold medals in women's basketball and his father was a soccer player.

Here are the players selected by the Capitals.

1-1. Alexander Ovechkin, lw, Dynamo Moscow (Russia)
 1-27. Jeff Schultz, d, Calgary (WHL)
 1-29. Mike Green, d, Saskatoon (WHL)
 2-33. Christopher Bourque, c, Cushing Academy (USHS)
 2-62. Michail Yunkov, c, Krylja (Russia)
 3-66. Sami Lepisto, d, Jokerit (Finland)
 3-88. Clayton Barthel, d, Seattle (WHL)
5-132. Oscar Hedman, d, MoDo (Sweden)
5-138. Pasi Salonen, w, IFK (Finland)
6-166. Peter Guggisberg, w, Davos (Swiss)
7-197. Andrew Gordon, rw, Notre Dame (SJHL)
8-230. Justin Mrazek, g, Estevan (SJHL)
9-263. Travis Morin, c, Minnesota State (WCHA)

Blame it on the "down-loaders"

The upcoming 2004 edition of the Lollapalooza traveling rock festival, one of the marquee events of the summer U.S. concert season, was canceled on Tuesday due to weak ticket sales, organizers said. Boasting an eclectic but aging roster headlined by such alternative acts as Morrissey, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, the Flaming Lips, Pixies and Wilco, the tour succumbed to sluggish demand that has been dogging the concert industry as a whole, organizers and industry watchers said. Maybe they should blame it on music down-loaders, like the RIAA does on low CD sales. Or maybe it's just the cost and people don't want to pay??

Velvet Revolver

Time for a new "Album of the Month" and it's "Contraband" by Velvet Revolver. Velvet Revolver is a consortium of Guns N' Roses alumni Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner and Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland. Last week, the first single "Slither" reached the top of Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, which is based on radio airplay. The band is in the midst of its first North American tour. My new music is from the album and is "Loving The Alien", also called "Sometimes". Check out Velvet Revolver

Happy Father's Day

FATHERS' DAY HISTORY

Sonora Dodd, of Washington, first had the idea of a "father's day." She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910. President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day.

Men's skin care

Found the following article on men's skin care. With summer here it is essential that we take care of our skin and guys are especially not good about doing this - including yours truly. But I am going to start and here is some good advice.

A Skin Care Makeover For Men

Many men prefer an "essentials only" skincare routine.

By Evita N. Torre

Have you noticed his products crowding yours out of the medicine cabinet? You're not alone. Call it the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy effect; men are catching on that clear, soft skin looks great on everyone. Is your guy still using bar soap and water? Here, a starter routine -- with tips from Queer Eye's Kyan Douglas and others -- to get him up to speed:

Exfoliate "Every man should have a form of exfoliation. A gentle scrub is probably the most practical," recommends Douglas, the resident grooming guru on Bravo's hit makeover show. An exfoliator will get rid of ingrown hairs and the dead skin cells that cause them, and will remove the grayish sheen haunting your man's mug.

Shave Following a shower, your guy should apply pre-shave oil to soften the beard. Some argue it dulls the razor, but, either way, blades should be changed weekly. Next, apply shaving cream and wait 30 seconds to let it soften the hair. Shave slowly with the grain, making only one pass over each section. Begin with the sides of the face and end with the lips and neck. "Shaving in the shower should be done at the end of the shower so that the beard has had time to soften," advises Douglas.

"To make your blades last longer, soak your razor overnight in mineral oil. It will prevent bacteria growth and water corrosion," suggests Dr. Howard Steinman, a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon in Chula Vista, California.

Cleanse Just say no to soap. Instead, he should adopt a cleanser for his specific skin type: oily, dry, or combination. "Following a shower, if your skin feels tight, it's dry. If your nose and cheeks are greasy, it's oily. If you're oily in your T-zone (brows, nose, cheeks) but dry around the edges of your face, it's combination," says Dr. Steinman. Not sure which brand of cleanser to get? Dermatologists' favorite drugstore brands include Cetaphil and Neutrogena.

Tone Toners remove any traces of dirt and should be used all over the face for oily skin and in the T-zone for combination skin (if you have dry skin, skip it). Beware of brands with high alcohol content, which can dry out the skin. "Witch hazel, available in economy sizes at the drugstore, is a great alternative," recommends Anna Augustsson, an aesthetician at New York's men-only spa, Nickel.

Moisturize This product does exactly what its name implies: it rehydrates the skin with water. Dot the moisturizer around the face, beginning with the forehead and working down to the neck. If his skin is oily, he may be able to skip moisturizer altogether. Is your guy starting to look a little too weathered? Eye creams are for men, too. Gently dot a small amount around crow's feet (the wrinkles around the eye) and the undereye area.

Sunscreen This is the most important step to prevent both aging and cancer. He should use an SPF of at least 15 every day. The Sun Protection Factor multiplies the maximum amount of time you can spend in the sun before you turn pink. So, if your guy is fair-skinned, he may need to use an even higher SPF.

Fight Acne Acne is, unfortunately, not just a teenage problem. "Salicylic

Excellent tickets...just released

This was the headline for a full page ad in my Washington Post "Arts" section this past Sunday. You see, Madonna was in town for two shows, Sunday and Monday - her "Reinvention Tour". I had decided I didn't want to go when the tickets first went on sale about two months ago, and they quickly "sold out" both shows. So my question is where did these "excellent tickets for both shows just released" come from? By the way, she got a great review for the show and I now wish I had gotten tickets. Oh well, going to see Sting and Annie Lennox(together) later this summer.

Would you pay $35,000 in rent?

Apparently Nicole Kidman would. That is how much she pays on a Manhattan apartment for one month. The New York Observer reports the Oscar winner is shelling out that much for a 4000-sq.-ft-plus three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath Soho loft with 12-foot ceilings, a study, and a fireplace. Kidman's rep isn't commenting on her pricey pad, but the "Stepford Wives" star is no stranger to the New York real estate market. In fact, she owns but has yet to occupy an $8 million loft in the Richard Meier-designed glass-walled towers in the West Village. According to published reports, she's less than thrilled with the planned construction of another tower, which will obstruct her fabulous views of downtown Manhattan. But, I want be able to see Times Square on New Years's eve!!!! In other Nicole news, Liz Smith reports the actress recently donated $25,000 to the New York Parks Department to fund after-school programs for kids. A measly $25,000????????? That is not even a month's rent for Nicole.

RIAA at it again

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Digital radio broadcasts that bring CD-quality sound to the airwaves could lead to unfettered song copying if protections are not put in place, a recording-industry trade group warned on Friday. Without copy protections, music fans could cherry-pick songs off the air and redistribute them over the Internet, further deepening the copyright woes of record labels, the Recording Industry Association of America(RIAA) said. Read more... here

MTV Movie Awards

Don't forget to watch the MTV Movie Awards tonight(Thursday), which is being hosted by Lindsay Lohan. Lindsay also wins an award, as you can see holding her "popcorn". D12 with Eminem, the Yeah Yeahs and the Beastie Boys are all performing. Do I sound like a commercail?? It really is the best awards show. IMO.

There's a moon out tonight

Here's something you won't see on Thursday's "MTV Movie Awards" show. Eminem mooning the audience. Evidently MTV has cut this from the show that airs tomorrow night. Can't understand why. I still plan to watch - it's always a fun show. Got to like "Best kiss", "Best fight", etc.

J-Lo given 3-1 odds to stay married

Place your bets!!! Actress and singer Jennifer Lopez has married for a third time, tying the knot with Latin crooner Marc Anthony in a surprise ceremony. British bookmakers offered odds of 3-1 Monday that J-Lo and her new husband Marc Anthony would divorce by the end of the year. The "bookie" is also offering 10-1 odds that J-Lo marries more than eight times in her life, beating Elizabeth Taylor's seven marriages. Why bother?

What If?

Creed, after eight years of selling over 30 million records, a Grammy,and hits "Higher", "With Arms Wide Open", "Sacrifice", and "One", have decided to calll it quits. There last album "Weathered" issued in 2001 has sold over 6 million copies. So they go out on top.

What If?
by Creed

I can't find the rhyme in all my reason I've lost sense of time and all seasons I feel I've been beaten down By the words of men who have no grounds I can't sleep beneath the trees of wisdom When your ax has cut the roots that feed them Forked tongues in bitter mouths Can drive a man to bleed from inside out What if you did? What if you lied? What if I avenge? What if eye for an eye? I've seen the wicked fruit of your vine Destroy the man who lacks a strong mind Human pride sings a vengeful song Inspired by the times you've been walked on My stage is shared by many millions Who lift their hands up high because they feel this We are one We are strong The more you hold us down the more we press on What if you did? What if you lied? What if I avenge? What if eye for an eye? I know I can't hold the hate inside my mind 'Cause what consumes your thoughts controls your life So I'll just ask a question What if? What if your words could be judged like a crime?

No Reason

The Reason by Hoobastank

I'm not a perfect person There's many things I wish I didn't do But I continue learning I never meant to do those things to you And so I have to say before I go That I just want you to know I've found a reason for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new and the reason is you I'm sorry that I hurt you It's something I must live with everyday And all the pain I put you through I wish that I could take it all away And be the one who catches all your tears Thats why i need you to hear I've found a resaon for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new and the reason is You [x4] I'm not a perfect person I never meant to do those things to you And so I have to say before I go That I just want you to know I've found a reason for me To change who I used to be A reason to start over new and the reason is you I've found a reason to show A side of me you didn't know A reason for all that I do And the reason is you