Aug 17

Catherine Zeta Jones Born in Swansea

Posted in History, Travel

Swansea Wales is well known for its outstanding university and great beaches as well as many seaside attractions. What might be lesser known, however, is that it is also the birthplace of famous film actor Catherine Zeta Jones. She is not the only world famous person to have been born here, though she is certainly one of the most popular. Guests staying in a Swansea hotel may be unlikely to run into her in person, however they may be likely to encounter and image or dedication to the fine performer.

Zeta Jones was born in Swansea in September of 1969, though she is now based in the United States. Her mother was a seamstress of Irish descent and her father was a Welsh sweets maker and factory owner. Jones left school early to pursue her acting ambitions and attended moved to London to attend the Arts Educational Schools. While she was there in Chiswick, West London, she took part in a three year full time musical theatre program. Jones had been featured and stared in multiple television and small film roles in the United Kingdom before making her transition to Hollywood.

Her early work in Hollywood brought her solid critical acclaim and initiated her prominent status in the industry. These early films included The Mask of Zorro, Entrapment and The Phantom. One of her most famous performances came in 2002 with the film adaptation of the musical Chicago. This performance gained her a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. In addition, she did win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in this film. Other major performances of hers include her role opposite of George Clooney in Intolerable Cruelty as well as Ocean’s Twelve, which is the sequel to the popular Ocean’s Eleven. Jones has become a daily figure due to her multiple appearances in commercials for T Mobile cellular services.

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Aug 17

Nadal and Federer set to meet in Montreal

Posted in Sports

Tennis has just not been the same without Rafael Nadal. Nadal has not played competitively since his loss to Robin Soderling in the fourth round of the French Open at Roland Garros Stadium. Tennis fans were shocked that the clay court master and all around tennis champion did not dominate on clay. That was until he pulled out of Wimbledon due to tendonitis in his knees. He has said in articles that he has been unable to train at the level he needs to be at his most competitive and effective.

Meanwhile, while Nadal has been on the bench, Federer has been making all of his tennis dreams come true. And he looks to keep that streak alive with US Open tennis as well. Federer picked up the only tennis Grand Slam title that eluded him at this year’s French Open. He also picked up another Wimbledon title after beating Andy Roddick in the longest set in the history of the match.

But the question is still going to be there when we look back in tennis history. Could Federer have done it if Nadal was in good health? He could not before, so perhaps those victories don’t mean as much unless you are competing against the best and beating them. Not to take anything away from Roger though. Despite the fact that Nadal missed one of the major Grand Slam tournaments, he is still holding on to his number 2 in the world ranking. Although, Andy Murray is on his heels.

The two will meet up again at the Montreal Masters aka Roger’s Cup for the first time since Nadal had to drop out of the competitive circuit. It will be interesting to see if Nadal is able to shake off his injury and compete to the best of his ability. I really do hope they end up in the final together.

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