Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: World Tennis Day

1 Comment

Tennis in 2016 has gotten off to an um, interesting, start.  And it’s only March!  Which means two of the biggest tournaments in the US are coming up, with Indian Wells starting on Wednesday and the Miami Open at the end of the month.    Here’s our roundup of the news of the week.  Happy World Tennis Day!

This Week’s Tournaments
BNP Paribas Open – Indian Wells, CA

Davis Cup Quarterfinals Set
After a drama filled weekend and some great matches, the Davis Cup quarterfinals are set!  The next round takes place July 15-17, just after Wimbledon.  We’re thrilled the US is back in the quarters after a 3 year absence (and are hoping the tie will take place somewhere near NYC so we can go!)   John Isner was impressive in his 2 wins, even hitting one of the fastest serves on record (157mph).

USA* vs Croatia
France vs Czech Republic*
Italy* vs Argentina
Serbia* vs Great Britain
*host country

World Tennis Day
Today is World Tennis Day!  Celebrations are happening all over the world, including the BNP Paribas Showdown tonight at Madison Square Garden.  The event features Gael Monfils vs Stan Wawrinka and Serena Williams vs Caroline Wozniacki in an exhibition match.  Tickets are available here.  The event kicks off a month of fun activities hosted by the USTA.   Visit their website for more info.

bnp--paribas-showdown2016

Maria Sharapova Announcment
Rumors started flying as soon as Maria gave notice of a press conference on Monday, with a “major announcement.”  Would she be announcing her retirement?  A new Sugarpova flavor?  It turned out to be neither.  Maria tested positive for a banned substance at the Australian Open, taking full responsibility in her press conference which you can watch below.  One thing is for sure, when she does announce her retirement, it will not be in a place with ugly carpet.

ATP World Tour Announces “Next Gen”
The ATP announced their “Next Generation” Campaign for 2016, featuring 14 of the hottest young stars under 21.  The list includes Americans Taylor Fritz, Jared Donaldson, and Frances Tiafoe, along with Borna Coric, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Nick Kyrgios and more.  Get to know the “next gen” here!  (side note: that Nike kit is almost the official uniform of the #nextgen)

ATP_NextGen_2016

Jack Sock Signs with Nike
Speaking of that next gen Nike kit, Jack Sock will also be sporting the look starting with Indian Wells!  He just signed a new deal with Nike, leaving old sponsor Adidas.

TV shows

Dancing With The Stars Season 22 Cast Revealed

Leave a comment

The cast for the 22nd season of “Dancing With The Stars” was announced live on “GMA” this morning!  The celebrity dancers feature the usual mix of actors, musicians, sports stars, and those that fall into the ‘misc.’ category.  We’re most excited for Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men and Mischa Barton of “The O.C.” fame.   Check out the full lineup below and tune into ABC on March 21st for the premiere!

Marla Maples with Tony Dovolani

Mischa Barton with Artem Chigvintsev

Antonio Brown with Sharna Burgess

Doug Flutie with Karina Smirnoff

Wanya Morris with Lindsay Arnold

Paige VanZant with Mark Ballas

Von Miller with Witney Carson

Geraldo Rivera with Edyta Sliwinska

Kim Fields with Sasha Farber

Ginger Zee with Val Chmerkovskiy

Jodie Sweetin with Keo Motsepe

Nyle DiMarco with Peta Murgatroyd

Relive the magic that was Carlos PenaVega on the show last season.

Be sure to follow DWTS & Secret Fangirls for more updates.

Friday Five, Music

The Friday Five: Songs Of The Week

1 Comment

After a week of extreme fangirling (seriously how is it always 3+ shows in one week or nothing?), we are so ready for the weekend! Starting with Fall Out Boy & PRVIS tonight at Madison Square Garden.  Here’s what we’ve been jamming to all week!

  1. AJR – “Let The Games Begin”

2. MAX – “Holla”

3. Dierks Bentley – “Somewhere On A Beach”

4. SWMRS – “Figuring It Out”

5. Simple Plan – “Opinion Overload”

Album Release, Music

Listen to Rooney’s “My Heart Beats 4 U” From Upcoming Album “Washed Away” Out 5/6

Leave a comment

Rooney just released the first official single from their upcoming album, “Washed Away,” due out May 6th!  (We are so excited to just be able to write that sentence omg).  The entire album was written, produced, mixed and recorded by Robert Schwartzman for you.  The upbeat new single, “My Heart Beats 4 U,” was co-written by Travis Clark of We The Kings.  Stream the track on Spotify now!

Visit Rooney’s website to download the single and to access special pre-order packages for the album, including a signed copy and exclusive merch.  Check out the awesome album art below.

Rooney_WashedAway_Album

Read Robert Schwartzman’s message to fans about the return of Rooney below.

Be sure to follow Rooney & Secret Fangirls for more updates!

Music, Music Video

MAX Releases “Holla” Video

Leave a comment

MAX dropped the music video for his new single “Holla,” from his upcoming album “Hell’s Kitchen Angel,” due April 8th.   Seriously, this song is so good it makes us want to holla at everyone we know / people on the street to go check it out.   The video shows MAX getting a shocking new look from none other than Pete Wentz, as sort of an initiation to DCD2.  He later wins over the crowd at the fight club/punk rock club.  We’re sure he learned a thing or two about winning over a crowd when he opened for the “Boyz of Zummer” Tour with Fall Out Boy and Hoodie Allen last Summer.

If you get the chance to see MAX on tour, go! We caught MAX opening for R5 over the weekend and we can honestly say that it was one of the most fun opener sets we’ve seen in a really long time.

Watch the official video for “Holla” below.

Pre-order your copy of “Hell’s Kitchen Angel” on iTunes or Amazon and instantly get 3 tracks off the album.

Be sure to follow MAX & Secret Fangirls on Twitter.

Music, On Tour

The Weekend Riot Announce Spring Tour Dates

Leave a comment

The Weekend Riot just announced their Spring tour dates, including shows with Kris Allen and Kawehi and a headlining show in PA. We’re excited they’ll be back in NYC!   Check out the dates below and get your tickets now!  The guys are just as fun live as you would expect and it’s guaranteed to be a night to remember.

weekendriot spring2016tour

The Weekend Riot Spring Tour 2016
April 16th – Wateska Theatre – Wateska, IL – Buy Tickets  W/Kris Allen
April 19th – Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON – Buy Tickets W/Kawehi
April 21st – Daryl’s House – Pawling, NY – Buy Tickets w/ Kawehi
April 22nd – Mercury Lounge, New York, NY – Buy Tickets w/ Kawehi
April 23rd – LAUNCH Music Conference – Lancaster, PA – Buy Tickets *Full band headliner
April 25th – Middle East – Cambridge, MA – Buy Tickets w/ Kawehi
April 27th – The Boot & Saddle – Philadelphia, PA – Buy Tickets w/ Kawehi
April 28th – Jammin Java – Vienna, VA – Buy Tickets w/ Kawehi
April 29th – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC – Buy Tickets w/ Kawehi

Watch the video for “25 Minutes” below and pickup a copy of the “Remember This Night” EP on iTunes now!  Also, we highly recommend following TWR on Twitter and YouTube for their Riot Monday videos.  Just do it, you won’t regret it.

Follow The Weekend Riot & Secret Fangirls on Twitter for the latest news!

On Tour

DigiTour Announces Spring Break Tour 2016

Leave a comment

It’s March and that means time to start thinking about what you’re doing for Spring Break!   No need to go anywhere because DigiTour is bringing your favorite social media stars like 5Quad, Crawford Collins, Weston Koury, DuhItzMark, and Loren Gray to you!   They’re bringing back fan favorites and your soon to be favorites to a city near you this April.  DigiTour listened to the fans to create the perfect Spring Break tour that’s all about you!

Watch the video announcement below.  

VIP packages are available for every date on the tour that include early entry, meet&greets with your favorite stars, and exclusive merch like laminates and a tour poster!

DigiTour Spring Break 2016
April 1st – Grove of Anaheim – Anaheim, CA – Buy Tickets
April 2nd – SOMA Side Room – San Diego, CA – Buy Tickets
April 3rd – Crescent Ballroom – Phoenix, AZ – Buy Tickets
April 5th – Jake’s Backroom – Lubbock, TX – Buy Tickets
April 6th – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX – Buy Tickets
April 7th – Alamo City Music Hall – San Antonio, TX – Buy Tickets
April 8th – The Civic Center – New Orleans, LA – Buy Tickets
April 9th – The Concourse – Knoxville, TN – Buy Tickets
April 10th – The Loft – Atlanta, GA – Buy Tickets
April 12th – Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC – Buy Tickets
April 13th – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC – Buy Tickets
April 15th – Ram’s Head Live – Baltimore, MD – Buy Tickets
April 16th – The National – Richmond, VA – Buy Tickets
April 17th – Altar Bar – Pittsburgh, PA – Buy Tickets
April 18th – Crofoot Ballroom – Detroit, MI – Buy Tickets
April 19th – Metro – Chicago, IL – Buy Tickets
April 21st – Turner Hall Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI – Buy Tickets
April 22nd – Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, MN – Buy Tickets
April 23rd – Fargo Theatre – Fargo, ND – Buy Tickets
April 24th – Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA – Buy Tickets
April 26th – Gothic Theatre – Denver, CO – Buy Tickets
April 27th – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT – Buy Tickets
April 28th – Knitting Factory – Boise, ID – Buy Tickets
April 29th – WOW Hall – Eugene, OR – Buy Tickets
April 30th – Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, OR – Buy Tickets
May 2nd – Neptune Theatre – Seattle, WA – Buy Tickets
May 4th – Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – Buy Tickets
May 5th – Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA – Buy Tickets

Be sure to follow DigiTour and Secret Fangirls on Twitter for the latest news!

Music, On Tour

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Announce “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made” US Tour

Leave a comment

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis announced a string of US tour dates for Summer 2016 and they’re bringing their unruly mess with them.  The duo’s sophomore album was released last week and has been hanging at the top of the charts.   Pre-sales start March 2nd and Macklemore.com, with general public on-sales this Friday, March 4th.  Check out the dates below!

macklemoreryanlewis_Tourdates

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – This Unruly Mess I’ve Made US Tour
May 25th – PNE Forum – Vancouver, BC
May 26th – Memorial Coliseum – Portland, OR s
May 28th – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium -San Fran Cisco, CA
May 31st – Shrine Exposition Hall – Los Angeles, CA
June 3rd – The Great Salt Air – Salt Lake City, UT
June 5th – 1st Bank Center – Broomfield, CO
June 8th – US Bank Theatre – Minneapolis, MN
June 9th – Riviera Theatre – Chicago, IL
June 11th – Bonnaroo Festival – Manchester, TN
June 13th – Tower Theatre – Upper Darby, PA
June 14th – Stage AE – Indoor – Pittsburgh, PA
June 15th – TD Echo Beach – Toronto, ON
June 17th – Agganis Arena – Boston, MA
June 21st – Hammerstein Ballroom – New York, NY

Grab a copy of “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made” on iTunes or Amazon and watch the video for “Kevin” below featuring Leon Bridges below.

Follow Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, & Secret Fangirls on Twitter.

Sports, Tennis

Tennis Tuesday: Davis Cup Preview

Leave a comment

Of all of the tennis tournaments that happen throughout the year, Davis Cup weekends are always our favorites to watch.  We love the team spirit and camaraderie that happens amongst players, and of course, the loud,energetic crowds that seem to be a Davis Cup tradition.  Here’s a look at the World Group action happening this weekend, March 4-6!

USA vs Australia
Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne Australia
Team USA
John Isner / Jack Sock
Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan

Team Australia
Bernard Tomic / Nick Kyrgios
Sam Groth / John Peers

The US Davis Cup team is looking to advance to the World Group Quarterfinals for the first time since 2013(?) after back to back losses to Great Britain in 2014 and 2015. But they have a tough match up in Australia against Nick Kyrgios, who just won his first title in Marseille, and Acapulco finalist Bernard Tomic.  We’re also excited for Lleyton Hewitt’s first tie as Davis Cup captain!

France vs Canada
Vélodrome Amédée Detraux in Guadeloupe
Team France
Jo-Wilfred Tsonga / Richard Gasquet
Gael Monfils / Gilles Simon

Team Canada
Vasek Pospisil / Frank Dancevic
Phillip Bester /Adil Shamasdin

With the depth of talented French players currently on tour, it’s surprising they haven’t yet had Davis Cup glory. They’ve made it to the finals and lost to eventual champions Great Britain and Switzerland in 2014 and 2015.  With a new captain, Yannick Noah, and a talented team, we’re hoping this is the year they can make it all the way!   Unfortunately Canada’s top player, Milos Raonic, had to withdraw with injury.

Germany vs Czech Republic
TUI Arena in Hannover, Germany
Team Germany
Philipp Kohlschreiber / Alexander Zverev
Dustin Brown / Philipp Petzschner

Team Czech Republic
Tomas Berdych / Lukas Rosol
Jiri Vesely / Radek Stepanek

Radek Stepanek is ready to go with his infamous shirt.

Great Britain vs Japan
Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England
Team Great Britain
Andy Murray / Kyle Edmund
Jamie Murray / Dominic Inglot

Team Japan
Kei Nishikori / Taro Daniel
Yoshihito Nishioka / Yasutaka Uchiyama

2015’s Davis Cup champions Great Britain take on Japan in their opening round.  This one should be interesting to watch – if nothing else the British tennis fans always BRING IT.

Belgium vs Croatia
Country Hall du Sart-Tilman in Liège, Belgium
Team Belgium
David Goffin / Kimmer Coppejans
Ruben Bemelmans / Arthur de Greef

Team Croatia
Marin Cilic / Borna Coric
Ivan Dodig / Marin Draganja

Belgium had an impressive run to the final in 2015.  Can they repeat last year’s success?

Poland vs Argentina
Ergo Arena in Gdansk, Poland
Team Poland
Jerzy Janowicz / Kamil Majchrzak
Lukasz Kubot / Marcin Matkowski

Team Argentina
Leonardo Mayer / Guido Pella
Carlos Berlocq / Renzo Olivo

Italy vs Switzerland
Adriatic Arena in Pessaro, Italy
Team Italy
Andreas Seppi / Paolo Lorenzi
Simone Bolleli / Marco Cecchinato

Team Switzerland
Marco Chiudinelli / Henri Laaksonen
Adrien Bossel / Antoine Bellier

Serbia vs Kazakhstan
Pionir Hall in Belgrade, Serbia
Team Serbia
Novak Djokovic / Viktor Troicki
Filip Krajinovic / Nenad Zimonjic

Team Kazakhstan
Mikhail Kukushkin / Andrey Golubev
Aleksandr Nedovyesov / Dmitry Popko

It’s great to see that Djokovic is back playing for his country. Winning the title in 2010 helped launch one of the greatest years of his career.

Music, Show Review

R5 & MAX Rock NYC’s Beacon Theatre On “Sometime Last Night” Tour

Leave a comment

R5’s “Sometime Last Night” Tour with special guest MAX hit the Beacon Theatre in NYC on Saturday night for a sold out show.  It was one of those concerts where you could feel the energy and excitement from the crowd from the moment you walked in the door.  Fans were decked out in homemade shirts and glow bracelets and singing R5 songs before they even took the stage.  In other words, it was just our kind of concert.

P1400976

MAX got the show off to a rocking start.   His onstage energy and stage presence is off the charts.  It was our first time seeing him and he easily became one of the best performers we’ve seen live. MAX showed off his impressive dance moves (including jumping into the splits) and his serious vocal range.  If you’ve listened to his music before and wondered “but can he hit that note live?”  The answer is yes, yes he can.  He also showed the crowd he could rap, taking over Hoodie Allen’s verse in his hit “Gibberish.”  MAX had just announced the release of his debut album, “Hell’s Kitchen Angel,” and played his new single “Holla,” a song best described as 🔥🔥🔥🔥.  We’re sure he won over quite a few new fans and are hoping MAX will be back in NYC soon on a headlining tour!

P1410073

MAX Setlist
Puppeteer
Holla
Wrong
Apologize/Sorry (cover)
Streets of Gold
Gibberish
Mugshot

P1410215

R5’s set rocked the Beacon Theatre – literally.  The entire house was dancing and jumping so hard we could feel the balcony shaking!   Fans of all ages were singing and dancing to their fun pop-rock sound.  We even caught quite a few parents rocking out!  Their set included many of the tracks from their sophomore album “Sometime Last Night.”

P1420333

R5’s new single is called “Dark Side,” and at times it seemed the band wanted to show just that, beyond their Disney beginnings. They certainly know how to rock and put on a good show.

P1430203

The sold out show was streamed live on Periscope for fans that couldn’t attend thanks to a GoPro camera that the band members took turns wearing.

P1420857

R5 Setlist
New Sensation
Dark Side
All Night
Easy Love
Wild Hearts
Heart Made Up On You
I Know You Got Away
Doctor Doctor
Cali Girls
Always
Repeating Days
Lightning Strikes
Feel Good
Let’s Go Crazy
I Want U Bad
Did You Have Your Fun?
Loud
All These Things That I’ve Done (cover)
Smile

P1420956

Check out the rest of the dates for the “Sometime Last Night” Tour here!   Pickup a copy of R5’s latest album on iTunes now!

P1440057

Be sure to follow R5, MAX & Secret Fangirls for more updates!

P1420266

We are all fangirls at heart.