"I have a feeling it'll be all the rage this year"

Heard it's actually gonna be the late Wacko Jacko. Fitting, I'd say.

"Who were you expecting to win originally and who's your pick now? And what - or who - has been the biggest surprise?"

Serena originally and especially now. Caroline is the biggest surprise because she came to Doha with an injured hamstring and managed to gut out 2 wins. She made the semifinals when Victoria imploded from 6-2,4-0. Vika served for the match at 5-2 and 5-4.

Doha Semifinals
Caroline vs Serena
Jelena vs Venus

Miss Jackie, have a safe trip and enjoy the capitol city! Btw I have friends in DC who are trying to do this scavenger hunt zombie hunt thing :) If you see crazies running around the Mall area, don't worry they're just my friends. I can't stay for long, Colorado got BLASTED by a snowstorm this week :) The problem is I have to drive across town on a Friday evening with pretty disgusting roads.

On a side note, I had my first real-life TWibe encounter!!! I got to meet Jenn and baby Cameron this week, before the snow arrived. He is SOOO cute, just so everybody knows

So I wrote a book for everybody and then typepad ate it - grr

Miss Jackie, have a safe trip and enjoy it :) I have friends in DC who are doing this combo zombie/scavenger hunt thing, so if you see guys running around the Mall area wearing combat gear, don't worry it's just my crazy friends :) I can't stay for long, I just wanted to stop by and say Hi to all. Colorado got BLASTED with this awesome snowstorm this past week :) The unfortunate piece is I have to drive across town on a Friday afternoon on less than pretty roads.

On a side note, I had my first real-life TWibe encounter!!! I got meet up with Jenn and baby Cameron this past week before the snow arrived. Baby Cameron is adorable, just sos you knows :)

NP How come you are always first on Miss Jackie's post

You pop up from nowhere.pfft.

apologies for the likely double post - apparently my internet connection is belated or something

Anyway, gotta roll, hopefully the roads will be okay.

*hugs to all* I'm in particularly good mood today thanks to all the snow :)

How come NP is always first on Miss Jackie's post

He appears from nowhere

Must know people in high places.

Ooh! Fashion discussion!

I like Elena's overall look best. It's not -great- but it's least offensive to my delicate fashionista sensibilities. :)

Also kind of like Vee's getup - it's a bit reminiscent of MObama style with the wide belt and full skirt.

ReRe is my girl, but No. Just? No. To quote a wise man, "How dreadful!"

"Heard it's actually gonna be the late Wacko Jacko. Fitting, I'd say."

Get one King of Pop, add numerous zombies, et voila! Instant Thriller party.

Would love to see Roddick dressed as Lady Gaga

Enjoy Washington, Jackie.
Hey, i might continue with my i-have-no-idea-what-i'm-talking-about baseball predictions. I think i got the finalists right the last time, i seem to remember i picked those 2. Now, Jackie comments on 2 games already and i have no idea of the results, but i'll pick the Yankees, again because that's the only baseball team you'll hear about over here.
My original pick to win was Kuzzy, which shows how much i know. Right now, as for everyone else, it has to be Serena. And i agree with Master Ace, the Hott Woz has been the biggest surprise, getting to the SFs the way she has, even though Serena will destroy her tomorrow.
As for the photo, i wouldnt give the "best look" to anyone other than Woz, but i would say the "most improved" are JJ and Dementieva. No idea about dresses.

I actually like Serena's jumpsuit. The rest of them look like they're bridesmaids or prom dates. And I can't really tell who's who in the line-up of blondes.

I always pick Serena, and I'm sticking with her now. I'll be doing my Halloween in Vermont, where I'm expecting fewer Lady Gagas and more Hobos. I'm finally using my Radovan Karadzic as "Dragan Dabic" costume from last year, when car trouble kept me from the Rutland parade.

Sorry about the double post

Tye pad is going cuckoo again

Have a great,safe trip Miss Jackie

Your sister a concert pianist WOW!

You must be soo proud.

Enjoy the concert.Glad you are better.

As for Halloween, it's not big over here, so nothing special. The day when people wear costumes here is Carnival, in February, and it's not only the kids, but the teenagers go out disguised too (and end pretty drunk).
As for the costumes for tennis players:
-Vampire: is it even arguable? Who is Lestat anyway?
-Pirate: Grant. Err, i mean, Gonzo. That guy could be a Jack Sparrow.
-Devil: Oh, it's too easy. Maybe is shouldnt say it. Nah, i'll say it anyway: THE SOD.

"Must know people in high places."

Actually, AM, the fact is that I AM in the high places.

"Get one King of Pop, add numerous zombies, et voila! Instant Thriller party."

Grant, but that's what they've been doing 4 years. Think they're gonna get a little more creative this yr, like going under the knife firsthand.

I give Elena the nod in the fashion photos

Miss Vee looks like a up market waitress with that lace thing around her waist?pfft or she could have a part in the Sound of Music a remake of course.

Sevta I first didnt reconisze her.Looks great made up

Of course you are NP

"Think they're gonna get a little more creative this yr, like going under the knife firsthand."

1. Fill prescription drug bottles with candy.
2. Hand them out like crazy (note: you probably shouldn't do this with children)
3. Tell everyone you're MJ's doctor.

Grant, this is supposed to be a Thriller, not a Terminator.

It's more of a Smooth Criminal.

Most elegant look is definitely Elena, great posture and those lovely high cheekbone. Runner up is definitely Sveta, she often looks stunning with make-up. Afraid I don't like Serena's jumpsuit but Vee looks quite cute.

Clearly I have been eating too much pre-Halloween candy, (Lindt, of course), but for some bizarro reason I would like to see Fed in what Serena is wearing in the above picture.

You've been hit by, you've been hit by a Smooth Criminal. Ow!

I didnt realize that Grant and NP are soo close

AM, Grant ain't Another Part of Me.

CL,
Are you sure said candy didnt have something added to it? You know, the kind of stuff Andre added to his bottles back in 1997?:)
By the way, as tennis-related costume, i would go with that Slim guy.

NP - entirely possible. Though, having just finished reading the excerpt to AA's book that Ruth linked in the last thread, I think we might need a new Halloween fright costume: Mike Agassi.

Of course, that's one man's side of the story...but, sheesh...

Ok, when I saw vampire on the list, I immediately thought Muzz. 'nuff said.

I would love to see Nole in a ninja costume, please don't ask why...also think it would be fun if JMDP dressed up as a lion. (not a cowardly one, of course ;)

mmhm..Rafa as a pirate would be pretty cool...i guess. :)

Yeah I stink at this. Thankfully there are more creative/funny people on this board. :)

tina: I like Serena's jump suit, too -- and her individuality there. But, as long as she keeps showing off that tiny waist (that I've never had), I'll continue to hate her. :)

Don't care much for Venus's lace table cloth-y thingy, but the rest are too been-there-done-that for me to get really excited about any of them.

I saw larger and individual pictures of the ladies on another site; and, with the professional make-up jobs in place, Sveta's face, was, as usual, the most stunning one --after Venus's, of course...IMHO.

Lestat has to be the vampire, Rafa the pirate, Soderling the devil and Caro the angel. Roger could be the priest and JJ could be Cleo.

Jackie - have a wonderful trip and enjoy your sister's concert
we will miss you !

as for the fashion above - I am totally on board for Elena D - she looks lovely
Serena looks like she did not get the memo that this was a formal event - her clothing , while probably fine for a casual gathering , completely inappropriate for this party - seeing as how everyone else is dressed in formals . Of course , I doubt Serena cares. She always like being the one who stands out in a crowd.

Halloween ? for the tennis pros ? not sure - but the idea above of Nole as a Ninja does strike me as funny

another fashion note - catty variety
Dinara needs to have a party and invite her hem down to her shoes
she looks like she is dressed for high water

Well have fun everyone

Its Halloween here in Sydney

Hoping the kiddies like my lollies this year,as they did not last year.Maybe they wont knock at my door? Hopes

I am off to the hairdressers for a cut and colour enchancement lol!

Soon to be finished my most hectic day in ages - I had no idea that the last Friday of October was such a huge real estate day.

"I didnt realize that Grant and NP are soo close"

AM, you don't Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' here.

To be fair to Dinara, it's probably hard to find a floor-length dress when you're 6'3".

true Jenni - but why not wear flats ?
The high heels really accentuate the problem here .

CL, think that one was meant for Mr. X.

So we're still costume-matching. Guess I'll jump in.

Vampire - Agassi the bloodsucker. How dare he spill the beans while spitting on the hand that fed him!
Priest - Sampras. Think holy water.
DJ - Gasquet.
Devil - Fedal. Take your pick.
Angel - See above.
Peacemaker - Whoever the hell ends the Fedal war.
Hooker - JJ. Or so sez Scandinavian's No. 1's biggest fangirl.
Cowardly Lion - The ATP aka Federer's lapdogs.
Lady Gaga - This is too easy: Serena.

Ruth - just saw a few of your comments from the other thread
I had forgotten about TWBARF - that sure made me laugh :)

beth: If I had to choose, I'd take Dina's high-water length over Sveta's where-qre-my-feet length! :) I hope she didn't have too much trouble coming down the special staircase with the hem of her dress on the floor.

NP - I am thinking you are right , that Michael Jackson is gonna be the big costume
this year
along with Lady Gaga for the ladies

Grant, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.

Ruth - had not noticed how long Sveta's dress was - you are right
that could be a navigational nightmare

beth, did U write that with a Poker Face?

Frankly - while I think Elena D looks the best - just my opinion
I would not give you $25 for any one of those dresses
Not a one of them appeals to me really
they are quite generic - to be honest

did they have to bring a formal to the event - or did some KMart or Target fashion advisor help them out there in Qatar ?

of course I did
now call the papa - papa razzi

:)
and let's dance

Good evening,

Good to see that Marat has won.

Question: Are these ladies allowed to choose their dresses or is like for the men that they get their clothes from the WTF tournament?

Serena seems ready to go as backing vocalist in an Eros Ramazotti's concert. Elena, the best of all.

OK, some more costumes:
Priest: Gulbis, of course.
Witch: JJ, according to the same poster NP made reference to earlier.
Little Red Riding Hood: Vaidisova
Wolf: the Worm

beth: TWBARF has always been my favorite TW acronym, and the fact that it was created by our leader when he'd had it "up to here" with some overbearing TWibers makes it very special. :)

For the record, beth, it's JUST dance, not LET'S dance. Or was that a confession on the dance floor?

NP,

If you are interested:

http://www.musicalcriticism.com/news/berlinphil-tour-0909.shtml

NP - you are right there - I thought about that after I posted - that those were the wrong words
oh well - at least you got my meaning - not a confession , just a mistake

Ruth - it is a good one - and you brought it out at just the perfect time over there

Ruth - where did you see those individual photos of the ladies in their dresses
I was trying to get a better look to see if I liked the dresses better up close and I could not find any links ?

zenggi, I haven't the faintest idea why U thought I'd be interested in that, but thx anyway.

beth - there are lots of pics over at FD
http://cowbell.typepad.com/forty_deuce/page/2/

Of course I'm right, beth. BTW I was referring to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGqdw3i5xAA

beth, I don't understand why she wore heels either (especially with a broken back!) but I have to hand it to a girl who isn't afraid to wear platform heels at her height, as she did a couple of events ago.

These are detailed pictures of the ladies:

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/javaImages/75/af/0,,12781~7516021,00.jpg

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/javaImages/7a/af/0,,12781~7516026,00.jpg

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/javaImages/7e/af/0,,12781~7516030,00.jpg

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/javaImages/82/af/0,,12781~7516034,00.jpg

sblily - thanks for the link
well , some of those dresses look better up close
but still - not much

and I am not seeing the Sveta love - not at all

NP - guess I missed that one , had not seen or heard of that song or album - sorry

NP,

My mistake. Forget it.

on closer inspection , I like Jelena's dress too
just not the flatironed hair

beth, you missed a lot. That album is just as good as Music, if not better. Here's another "confession" on the dance floor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FZxnGq6uNI

zenggi, for some reason I couldn't forget even if I tried. I wonder why.

Thanks for posting those links, sblily and zenggi. I originally saw the pictures on the Yahoo Tennis slideshow which is my one-stop place for pictures of on-going tennise happenings. Great site.

Elena looks better in her close-up pictures. In the one above, she reminds me of Dickens's Miss Havisham -- but I don't like the girl, so I may be biased.

You hold a grudge, Ruth....it hurts me so to find you're human like the rest of us. (must find new poster for vacant pedestal)

Nice post Miss Jax, enjoy your trip.
I'm with you, I think Lena D looks amazing in the above photo.

As for my Halloween costume, I'll be a slutty nun. Yep. 100% class.

Vampire: Maratski, for reasons I won't give cos kids read TW.
Pirate: I'll go with Vince Spadea, not sure why.
Devil: Rafa. Again, in order not to be explicit, I'll say no more
Angel: Blahroline Wozniacki, cos she's annoyingly sweet.
Ninja: Bjorn "Boom Boom" Phau, cos it'd be awesome sauce!
Priest: MoLay, cos I'd worship at his alter any day.
Witch: Alison Lang, cos she fails at life and at umpiring.
Cowardly Lion: The ATP, for a multitude of reasons
Little Red Riding Hood: Sorana Cirstea, cos she'd look hot in red!
Cleopatra: Flavia, because she is the Queen of awesome & I <3 her!
Lady Gaga: ReRe. Hands down.

Hi everybody!

I don't know, but it took me to give Dinara a second look! for that reason, she has my vote as the most stunning among the ladies. Svetlana is a close second.

Vee this time broke my heart. And while Serena's is the lousiest, she may just run with the winner's trophy.

As for haloween, I always love those Adam's Family costumes!

Sorry about that, M&MD. But I will always have a huge problem with anyone who, premeditatedly, says something vile about another person -- not once, but twice -- and NEVER apologizes (or gives proof of the charge). As anyone who knows me would tell you, I'm a pushover for "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have said/done that" -- even when I might think that the apology is not 100% sincere.

Just to get into the Halloween mood : http://tinyurl.com/y9mpftv

hopefully, Vee will be in the finals!

Yawn. I know it is not polite. But at least it is honest.

I was gonna ask what TWBARF stands for, but i checked it in the FAQs page. Now i understand who you were referring to, Ruth.
Some more costumes i have thought of:
FeVer as Hugh Hefner, with the robe, the pipe and all.
Dinara's coach as Dr. Evil.
Oudin as Cinderella.
Monfils and Tsonga as the Harlem Globetrotters.

Miss jewell and rafadoc!

Well, Ruth, I'll admit it does sound insincere:

"Later, the women’s tour issued a statement from Dementieva apologizing that English is her second language and that she meant to say “family situation.” A portion of the release adds:

I do not think for one second that matches between Serena and Venus are family decisions. What I meant was it is a unique situation for a family to be playing for a Grand Slam title. I cannot imagine what it must be like. I have a lot of respect for Serena and Venus, they are extremely professional in everything they do and have done so much for the sport. If they do play each other in the final, I expect a very tough match as they are two of the biggest fighters in the game."

If this Nike Commercial - when Roger was asliding into supposed oblivion in 2008 - is not SPOOKY GOOD, know not what is.

Staying Alive with Derek Jeter, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsqxTu8a5E8

hi, Ren.

I want to see:

Marin Cilic as a robot
Andy Murray as a werewolf (with an option on Hutch as Little Red Riding Hood)
Juan Martin del Potro as a fireman (he knows how to ride the trucks and everything)
JCF would make a fabulous vampire. Or dinosaur. That one can go either way.
The (new) Musketeers as, well, Musketeers. Or pirates! Gilles, Gael and Jo would make amazing pirates. Richard can be a wench. Or Roger the cabin boy. However the mood takes him.

WTA-wise, I'd really like to see Vika doing a convincing impersonation of someone who can play a good three-set match.

Mario can be a demon. (Scarlet tights!)

Ernie can be a fallen angel. (Topical.)

Nalby would make a lovely ballet dancer. In a full-on tutu.

Hi Arun. howdy?

Arun: any bet for the ladies' YEC?

doing ok, Ren.
I don't do predictions; they turn out to be the kiss_of_death in most of the cases. ;)

Anyone there? Managed to find a computer here ... thought I'd check in!

Clowns are generally a popular Halloween character.

Trying to remember whose upper-leg covering garb is evokes thoughts of clowns.

Evening Jackie.....trying to come up with a good costume for Marat. Any ideas?

Ren: Svetty and Dinara the most stunning of the group??? You have rather unusual taste in women, to say the least.

Juan Martin del Potro as a fireman (he knows how to ride the trucks and everything)

haha. i would love to see that. :)

Ah, forgot to add clown to the list! Maybe for Nole? :)

Mr. and Mrs. D, I haven't had a chance to catch up on comments ... has no one thought of anything for Marat? Wouldn't mind seeing him all decked out as a nerd or a scientist or something.

For Lady Gaga, I'd go with one of the Radwanska sissies. Have y'all seen this clip? ADORABLE.

http://bit.ly/fw5ff

hey Jackie.
Clown sounds like a good idea for Nole, but I would still love to see him as a ninja. :)

Jackie,

Glad you're finally all well. Have a great time in DC!

Happy Halloween . . . know it's not your favorite day, but it's not all bad . . . my birthday! lol

Okay, gotta run. Will try to stop by again soon! Keep the convo flowin', guys, and have a great weekend! XO

Ohhh, before I go ... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COBY! Yay, thanks to you, I won't dread the day so much. ;)

Rather ironic that because I'm in DC I can't play in the DC. Hardy har har!

Happy Birthday, Coby.

Vampire: MAndy
Pirate: Rafa (duh)
Devil: Sod (that would be one hot devil...hehe)
Angel: Vika (ROFL)
Ninja: Kolya
Priest: Marat
Witch: Woz
Cowardly Lion: Nole
Little Red Riding Hood: Justine
Cleopatra: Flavs
Lady Gaga: Masha or Agi (cos we know she's got the moves down! for those who haven't seen the vid yet, head over to eurosport's site.)

Happy Birthday Coby!

for you tennis fiends (and who on this board is not?) Rafa will be on Talk Asia CNN. That's a one-on-one interview with him and him alone - 30 minutes. (shot during shanghai open)

Just to chime in... I actually love Vee's frock, think it's old-school adorable.

Sveta looks amazing, who'da thunk it.

Had to agree with Tina, other than recognizing Sveta b/c of her shorter stature the "lineup of blondes" was a little indistinguishable. All in all though they all looked nice.

cnn talk asia with rafa -- airs on wednesday, then repeated a few times after that.

Morning, everyone. :)

Fun post, Jackie. :)

Sveta, Dinara, Vika and JJ look the best for me, having seen other pictures too.

Hi Jewell jusrt got back from the hairdressers with a new bob cut aka Anna Wintour though I am a Brunette.I wish I had half her clothes though lol!