NAOMI OSAKA IS THE HIGHEST PAID FEMALE ATHLETE IN HISTORY

22 year old tennis player Naomi Osaka is the highest paid female athlete in history beating Maria Sharapova who previously held the record when she earned $29.7 million in 2015, according to Forbes.  Osaka, who placed 29th overall, has reportedly earned $37.4 million in the past 12 months which include her endorsements and prize money. Serena Williams also made the 100 highest paid athletes list, at No. 33, earning $1.4 million dollars less than Osaka. This marks the first time since 2016 that 2 women have appeared on the top 100 highest paid athletes list. 

Osaka won her first Grand Slam at the 2018 US Open Finals after a controversial match with Serena Williams. She also won the 2019 Australian Open making her the first Asian tennis player ever to rank number 1 in the world.

The full Forbes 100 highest paid athletes list will be released this week.

Asian Representation - 2019 Golden Globe Nominations

The 2019 Golden Globe nominations were announced live this morning from the Beverly Hilton Hotel. As expected, Sandra Oh received a Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama nomination for her role in Killing Eve.  It’s been a wonderful 2018 for the actress who made history this year as the “first woman of Asian descent to be nominated for best lead actress in a drama series” for her work on the BBC America show Killing Eve. Previously, Oh received 5 Emmy nominations for best supporting actress in a drama series while playing Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC’s hit drama Grey’s Anatomy. She will also co-host the 2019 Golden Globes with comedian and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Andy Samberg.

Filipino American Singer and Emmy winning actor Darren Criss also received a (Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television) nomination for his role as Andrew Cunanan in The Assasination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The FX Show also received a nomination for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television and will be going up against TNT’s The Alienist, Showtime’s Escape at Dannemora, HBO’s Sharp Objects and Amazon’s A Very English Scandal. Criss’ costars Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez were also recognized for their work.

NBC’s The Good Place which stars Kristin Bell, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil and Filipino born Canadian actor Manny Jacinto also received a nomination for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

On the big screen, the blockbuster hit Crazy Rich Asians received a Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nod with Constance Wu also being recognized with a Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nomination for her lead role in the film.

The animated movie Mirai was honored with a Best Motion Picture - Animated nomination. Mirai tells the story of a boy who runs away from home because he feels forgotten when his little sister Mirai joins his family. He encounters an enchanted garden where he meets a teenage Mirai and they enter a world of wonder, meeting characters from their past and future as they uncover their beautiful family’s story. Featuring the voices of John Cho and Daniel Dae Kim, Mirai is the 10th highest grossing Japanese film in 2018 (according to Wikipedia).

Another Japanese film, Shoplifters also received a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language. According to Wikipedia, Shoplifters is the 4th highest grossing Japanese film of 2018. Upon receiving the Golden Globe nomination, Director Hirokazu Kore-eda said, “Thanks to many people’s help, Shoplifters has spread its wings farther and farther since the Cannes Film Festival in May. As it is my first nomination for Golden Globe Awards, I am looking forward to being a part of this new experience. My thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press.”

Shoplifters won the Palm d’Or at the 2018 Cannes International Film Festival.

Filipino American Cinematographer and Academy Award nominee Matthew Libatique was the man behind the camera lens for A Star Is Born which received a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Libatique also made a couple of cameos in the film. In addition, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper received nominations for Best Actress and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. Cooper also received a Best Director – Motion Picture for the project.  

The 2019 Golden Globes will air live on NBC Sunday, January 6th.

For a complete list of the nominees, you can click here

NAOMI OSAKA BEATS SERENA WILLIAMS AND BECOMES 1ST JAPANESE PLAYER TO WIN THE GRAND SLAM

By Carine06 from UK (Naomi Osaka) [CC BY-SA 2.0  (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

20 year old Tennis player Naomi Osaka made history this weekend when she beat her idol, Serena Williams at the 2018 US Open. Osaka's win makes her the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam singles tournament. 

But the tournament was also overshadowed by much controversy. During the match, 23 time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams received a code violation when umpire, Carlos Ramos, claimed that Williams was receiving hand signals from her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. Williams argued with Ramos, denying the accusation and stated that her coach was only giving her a thumbs up for doing a good job, adding, "I don't cheat to win. I'd rather lose." After the game however, William's coach did admit in a television interview that he was coaching Serena but added, "I don't think she looked at me" and "everybody does it." 

Williams received another violation when she smashed her racquet after losing her serve. She went back to Ramos, still disappointed at the previous call and stated, "I have never cheated in my life. I have a daughter and I stand for what's right for her. I have never cheated." As the match continued, Williams continued to speak to Ramos and eventually calling him a thief and a liar. Upon doing so, Williams received a third violation for verbal abuse and was penalized a game. 

All the while, Osaka maintained her concentration and determination to win the tournament by jumping around, facing the wall and looking at her racquet. After her 6-2, 6-4 win, she stated, "I didn't know what was going on, I was just trying to focus. Since it was my first grand Slam final, I didn't want to get overwhelmed... I didn't really hear anything I had my back turned." 

The awards ceremony was a bittersweet moment for all and the most awkward for Osaka. Loud boos were heard from the crowd and you can see Osaka crying as she pulls her hat down to cover her face. Williams consoles Osaka by putting her arm around her. When Serena receives the microphone, she tells the crowd to stop booing. "She played well and this is her first Grand Slam...let's make this the best moment we can, we'll get through it. Let's give everyone credit where credit's due. Let's not boo anymore...Let's stay positive. Congratulations, Naomi. No more booing! Let's not boo anymore." During Osaka's moment, she tells the crowd, "I know everyone was cheering for her (Serena Williams) and I am sorry it has to end like this. It was always my dream to play Serena in the U.S. Open finals so I'm really glad I was able to do that."  

This isn't the first time Osaka beat Williams. Earlier this year, Naomi beat Serena at the Miami Masters, 6-3, 6-2. Naomi Osaka who was born in Osaka, Japan to a Japanese mother and Haitian father moved to the United States when she was just 3 years old. Growing up, Serena Williams was her idol and disclosed that she even did a report on Serena when she was in the third grade. After her win, she said, "When I step onto the court, I feel like a different person, right? I'm not a Serena fan. I'm just a tennis player playing another tennis player...when I hugged her at the net, I felt like a little kid again."