The small German town of Halle, known around the world for the grass court tennis event dominated by Roger Federer, has paid tribute to its biggest ambassador by naming a street after the 16-times Grand Slam champion.
The road leading to the tournament stadium has been renamed after the Swiss, who has won the Halle title five times.
"It was this personal commitment to us and the fact that he is highly respected the world over that led us to consider how we could honour him," tournament director Ralf Weber said on Tuesday.
Federer, 30, has used the event in the sleepy Westphalia town for more than a decade to prepare for Wimbledon. Most of his top rivals opted in the past to play the event at Queen's in London.
Apparently its rating are not doing as well as they did even 2 weeks ago, so how about Kylie to the rescue?
Might be a good idea me thinks! ;)
"Kylie Minogue and Cheryl Cole are being called into The Voice — to stop it croaking.
The two pop stars will parachute into the ailing show in a bid to bolster ratings by performing for the semi-final on May 26 and final on June 2.
The move comes with all the judges facing the axe after ratings plummeted by another 2 million and BBC bosses called crisis talks. Last Sunday’s show was watched by just 6.9 million, down a huge 2.1 million from the previous week’s 9 million.
The week before that the ratings were 11.3 million.
A BBC insider told The Sun: “If the show keeps bleeding two million viewers a week, serious changes are needed at the highest levels and no one is safe.”
The BBC bought The Voice format for £22 million and just last week Sir Tom Jones boasted he and his fellow judges Jessie J, Will.i.am and Danny O’Donoghue would be back next year.
To add to the Beeb’s woes, ITV1 rival Britain’s Got Talent’s ratings soared to 10.8 million as its live semi-finals started on Sunday.
Now bosses are bracing themselves for another pasting this weekend as the BGT final airs.
A source said of The Voice: “It’s the first year of the show and clearly it needs some tweaking.” reports The Sun
The BBC insider explained: “We’ve just signed Kylie this week and Cheryl is going to perform her new single in a massive exclusive for the show.
“We are also contacting a number of other huge stars, such as singer Adele, to add more quality to the show."
1. The Full Situp
To achieve the full situp, you must begin with the genuine intention of exercising your abs and promptly fall asleep midway through the task. This position is extremely advanced and not recommended for amateur sleepers.
2. The Awkward Spoon
The goal here is not so much intimacy as it is the socially uncomfortable sharing of a physical space with someone. Bonus points if your arm falls asleep but you're too embarrassed to move it.
3. The Sunbather
The trick is to look like someone who is acting comfortable whilst also appearing extremely uncomfortable. Let's take this excellent opportunity to coin the term "meta-comfortable."
4. The Double Bed
You will need a partner for this one. The goal is not so much comfort as an expression of sheer, unadulterated greed.
5. The Sleeping Baby
Find a baby. Imitate the baby.
6. The Fur Pile
For this, you will need at least three friends who are not averse to your sleeping on them.
7. The Full-Box
Just get your whole damn body in there no matter what it takes. Be the box.
8. The Drunken Radiator
Just because you are obviously some kind of gin-addled hobo doesn't mean you can't be nice and warm.
9. The Librarian
Bury your furry little head in your paws and try to look as contemplative and bookish as possible before drifting off.
10. The Ruler
Measure the floor with every inch of your tiny body.
11. The Windowsill
The whole world is your hammock.
12. The Clothes Dryer
Imagine that you are a wet T-shirt, fresh from the washing machine. Drape yourself accordingly.
13. The Pot Luck
Think of yourself as a last-minute fruit salad that everyone will be very polite about but probably not enjoy all that much.
14. The Head-Rush
Head to the ground, paws in the air - let gravity do the rest.
15. The Odd One Out
For this one you will need first to find two willing conformists.
16. The Mid-Sentence
Only recommended for individuals with extreme forms of narcolepsy.
17. The Bag Of Limbs (Box Edition)
Have a friend or loved one take you apart and put you back together haphazardly inside a box.
18. The Bag Of Limbs (Couch Edition)
Same as above, except (obviously) without the box.
19. The Dog Bed
Not a bed for dogs, but a bed that is made of dogs. I.e., the most comfortable bed you will ever sleep on that also smells kind of funky.
First of all I must say although it had a very good beginning, it did scared the h*ll out of many people, especially Kylie fans in May... In any case, it still remains one of the very good years in music!
So, here we go!
1. "Giving You Up" is a dance-pop song performed by Kylie Minogue from her greatest hits album, Ultimate Kylie (2004). The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling, Paul Woods, Nick Coler, and Minogue and produced by Higgins and Xenomania.
"Giving You Up" was released as the album's second single in March 2005. It was a commercial success. It was released with "Made of Glass" as a double A-side and was Kylie's last single release before her two year hiatus to battle breast cancer. Her next release would occur in late 2007.
2. "1, 2 Step" is a R&B/dance/hip hop song recorded by Ciara and Missy Elliott for Ciara's debut album Goodies (2004). Written by Ciara and Missy Elliott and produced by Jazze Pha, it was released as the album's 2nd single in the 2nd quarter of 2005 internationally. It reached the top ten in several countries worldwide. It was ranked 59th on Billboard's Top 100 Songs of the Decade. The song is the biggest hit by Ciara in the United States and worldwide to date: in the United States the song has sold 3.458.000 digital downloads, while internationally, the song has sold 7.000.000 digital downloads.
3. "Because of You" is a song performed by Kelly Clarkson. It was written by Clarkson, David Hodges and Ben Moody while the production was handled by Hodges and Moody. The song was released on August 16, 2005, as the 4th single (3rd in Europe) from Kelly's 2nd studio album, Breakaway. She originally wrote the first version of "Because of You" when she was 16 years old in order to cope with her parents' divorce. The song became Clarkson's most successful single around the world. Internationally, the song topped the charts in the Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland as well as reaching the top ten in Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
4. Whatever you say - love this song and whoop for PCD! ;) "Don't Cha" is the debut single by The Pussycat Dolls. It was released in 2005 as the lead single from the Dolls' debut studio album PCD. "Don't Cha" has received mostly positive reviews from most music critics who praised its R&B grooves and it high dose of energy. The song has also achieved commercial success by topping charts in Australia, Belgium, the Republic of Ireland, the New Zealand, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as reaching the top ten in many other countries.
5. The one that's on my playlist even now ;) "Hollaback Girl" is a song by Gwen Stefani from her debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby (2004). The song was written by Stefani, Pharrell Williams, and Chad Hugo as a response to Courtney Love's statement that Stefani was a "cheerleader" in an interview with Seventeen magazine. It was released as the album's 3rd single in early 2005 and was one of the year's most popular songs, peaking inside the Top 10 on the majority of the charts it entered. It reached No.1 in Australia and the United States, where it became the first digital download to sell one million copies. "Hollaback Girl" received several award nominations, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year at the 48th Grammy Awards.
6. Remember this young girl? Not a girl anymore! "Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun (2005). It was written and produced by Vada Nobles, Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers. Her debut single, the song was released on May 24, 2005, lead single from the album. The song was a commercial success, peaking at No.1 in New Zealand and on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It also reached No.2 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart, whilst achieving Top 5 positions in eight other countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, and Switzerland.
7. "We Belong Together" is a song by Mariah Carey from her 10th studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was released on March 29, 2005, through Island Records as the 2nd single from the album. Critics described it as Mariah's "return to form" and referred to it as the "return of The Voice". The song broke several records in the United States and became Carey's 16th chart topper on the US Billboard Hot 100. After staying at No.1 for 14 non-consecutive weeks, the song became the 2nd longest running No.1 song in US chart history, behind Carey's 1995 collaboration with Boyz II Men, "One Sweet Day". Billboard listed it as the "song of the decade" and the 9th most popular song of all time. Besides its chart success, the song broke several airplay records, and according to Nielsen BDS, gathered both the largest one-day and one-week audiences in history. The song charted strongly outside the US, topping the singles charts in Australia and the Netherlands, and reaching the op 2 positions in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
8. "You're Beautiful" is a song co-written by James Blunt, Sacha Skarbek, and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album Back to Bedlam (2004). It was released as the 3rd single from the album in 2005. In the UK and Australia the song reached No.1 and No.2 respectively. When released as the debut single from Back to Bedlam in Canada and the U.S., it reached No.1 on both charts and received widespread airplay. It remains Blunt's biggest hit single in the USA to date.
9. My dad's and my road trip song ;) "Photograph" is the title of a song recorded by Nickelback. It was released in September 2005 as the 1st single from their 5th studio album, All the Right Reasons. The song made multiple US and UK Top 10 charts, peaking at No.1 in several of them. The single became the band's 3rd Top 10 hit in the United States, peaking at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Photograph" has sold over 1.4 million digital downloads in the U.S. The song also topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Pop 100 charts. The single was also a huge success on the Canadian charts, peaking at No.1 and staying there for 7 weeks.
10. "Hung Up" is a song by Madonna. It was written and produced in collaboration with Stuart Price, and released as the first single from her tenth studio album, Confessions on a Dance Floor. It became Madonna's first track to be released to iTunes. Critics suggested it was Madonna's best dance track to date and have compared it favorably to her other tracks in the same genre. "Hung Up" became a worldwide commercial success, peaking atop the charts of 41 countries.
The Excitement:
We are all ready and excited!!! :))
Tonight Lovers will be tweeting to unlock some very special live footage taken at the first show in Melbourne, Australia. Once again we will need to tweet the correct song from the list of Anti Tour tracks which will appear on the right hand side of the page.
The Surprise:
Let it happen said Lovers and guess what - this time we were as quick as never before!!
Only moments after the excitement began, we figured out that April surprise was Cherry Bomb footage from the Anti Tour show in Melbourne - and that just proves how fast and furious Lovers are - all at the same time, with Kylie power in us, we unlocked Cherry Bomb in just under 20 minutes!!!
--->
It jumped up to the #1 spot in UK TT just in few minutes and raised to #2 WW, as well as hitting and staying on top and in TT in many other major countries for almost an hour!
p.s. Thank you Kylie for retweeting this - icing on the cake for tonight!!! <:) So happy!
The Masterpiece:
And here's the result and video I bet almost every single Lover was beyond happy to see ;)
The road leading to the tournament stadium has been renamed after the Swiss, who has won the Halle title five times.
