G.I. Joe Trailer arrives!

Go check out the G.I. Joe teaser trailer to be shown tomorrow during "The Big Game."

First impression?

Not as bad as I was expecting. Sienna Miller looked hot. Snakes and Stormy looked alright. The rest was passable. I'm not about to shoot my expectations into the stratosphere but...

I am now officially cautiously optimistic.

Coachella

Earlier today, the Coachella lineup was announced which is always kind of a cool thing. Not because I'd actually go, mind you, because at my advanced age, the idea of spending three days in 110 degree heat to see bands - awesome or not - does not sound that appealing. But I'm usually more curious about the lineup because I always like to see how many of the bands I've actually heard of. It's kind of an indie street cred test thing.

I decided to raise the bar this year and look to see how many bands performing at the festival I actually OWN music by.

Those bands that I have at least one song from are bolded below:

A Place To Bury Strangers
Alberta Cross
Amanda Palmer
Amy Winehouse
Antony and the Johnsons
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Atmosphere
Bajofondo
Band Of Horses
Beirut
Billy Talent
Blitzen Trapper
Bob Mould Band
Booker T
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Buraka Som Sistema
Cage the Elephant
Calexico
Christopher Lawrence
Clipse
Cloud Cult
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Craze and Klever
Crookers
Crystal Castles
Dear and the Headlights
Dr. Dog
Drive By Truckers
Drop The Lime
Electric Touch
Felix da Housecat
Fleet Foxes
Franz Ferdinand
Friendly Fires
Fucked Up
Gang Gang Dance
Genghis Tron
Ghostland Observatory
Girl Talk
Glass Candy
Glasvegas
Groove Armada (DJ Set)
Gui Boratto
Henry Rollins (What? I don't have anything by Henry Rollins? Weird!)
Hercules and Love Affair
Ida Maria
James Morrison
Jenny Lewis
Junior Boys
K'naan
Late of the Pier
Leonard Cohen
Liars
Los Campesinos!
Lupe Fiasco
Lykke Li
M. Ward
M.A.N.D.Y.
Marshall Barnes
Mastodon
Mexican Institute of Sound
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Molotov
Morrissey
MSTRKRFT
My Bloody Valentine
N.A.S.A.
No Age
Noah and the Whale
Okkervil River
Paolo Nutini
Patton & Rahzel
Paul McCartney
Paul Weller
Peanut Butter Wolf
People Under the Stairs
Perry Farrell
Peter Bjorn and John
Public Enemy
Roni Size Reprazent
Ryan Bingham
Sebastien Tellier
Shepard Fairey
Silversun Pickups
Steve Aoki
Superchunk
Supermayer
Surkin, Para One (Live)
Switch
The Aggrolites
The Airborne Toxic Event
The Black Keys
The Bloody Beetroots
The Bug
The Courteeners
The Crystal Method
The Cure
The Gaslight Anthem
The Hold Steady
The Horrors
The Killers
The Kills
The Knux
The Night Marchers
The Presets
The Ting Tings
Themselves
Thenewno2
Thievery Corporation
Throbbing Gristle
Tinariwen
TRAV$DJ-AM
Turbonegro
TV On The Radio
Vivian Girls
We Are Scientists
White Lies
X
Yeah Yeah Yeah's
Zane Lowe
Zizek Club

So, of the 122 bands listed as currently playing Coachella, I have music from 44 of them for a grand total of:

36%

Total FAILING grade on the indie street cred front BUT I bet if you took out all the electronica bands that I basically ignore and the international acts that I don't listen to - I probably managed to pull off a respectable score.

Right?

Please?

Come on!

Poor Multi-Millionaire

There's been a lot of talk on the Manny front this week so it seemed like a good time for a little rundown on what's being discussed.

Let's start ten days ago just for a complete roundup...

January 19th
---
Ken Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers have roughly 50 million in payroll flexibility assuming they're aiming for a similar payroll to last season. You have to imagine they were holding half of that for Manny. But the other half? Beats me. They're not likely to spend $25 mil on pitching at this stage of the off-season in my opinion. I'm guessing they'll come up far short of the 50 mil which'll get them worlds of shit from the fans but... no point on spending money for no reason, right? Save it just in case you can find a trade mid-season.

Rosenthal also speculates that the Giants have one eye on Manny but are really looking to fill their "big hitter" role in a trade - perhaps Prince Fielder. Makes sense. They do have some talented prospects to work with - probably more prospects than money.

Dylan Hernandez also reports that day that there's basically a stalemate between the Dodgers and Scott Boras. The Dodgers are holding firm on their two-year $25 mil offer so that they don't bid against themselves. Boras is holding firm on his desire for a four or five year deal. So... stalemate. But apparently Boras and Ned Coletti had a 15 minute conversation the day prior... so that's... something?


January 20th
---
SI's Tom Verducci reports that although the Giants aren't in the market for an outfielder, they'd make an exception for Manny. But they're not willing to enter a bidding war for him meaning they're looking for the big bargain too.

January 22nd
---
Ken Rosenthal says the Giants might consider Manny in a high dollar offer because they have a lot of low-cost younger players right now. It's a similar situation that the Dodgers find themselves in except a lot better since they don't have albatrosses like Jones and Pierre hanging on them.

SI's Jon Heyman believes the Dodgers will eventually bid against themselves and go to three years to land Manny [which is what I've suggested for a lonnnnnng while now.] I still believe if you stick him with a 2 year deal, you just might not like what you end up with.

A little fly in the ointment popped up this day when the Mets CEO made headlines by stating that Minaya has never asked if he could try to sign Manny. Obviously, the Mets getting into this would potentially be a game-changer. Some hopeful Mets fans see this as a public signal to Boras to try to get the Mets involved - like he hasn't already been trying for months.

The final piece of Manny-related news [sorta] that day was Kobe making headlines by offering to play LF for the Dodgers. Yes, it was a joke. But I bet it'd put some asses in the seats.


January 23rd
---
ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Dodgers intend to finish up with their pitching staff before really looking to finish the Manny situation. Again, that makes sense because that'll really let you know how much financial flexibility is left.


January 26th
---
Things picked up a little bit after a few days of silence. The day started with Bill Shaikin saying the Dodgers were still waiting for a counter-offer from Boras on their 2 year deal offered before. Boras is such an ass. Apparently Coletti doesn't believe Boras repeatedly re-starting his "dresm deal" constitutes negotiating. Like him or not, Ned's on target here. All of LA wants Manny but if the price isn't right, I'll take a season of Adam Dunn for half the price.

Later in the day, Jon Heyman reiterates that Manny still wants the 4 or 5 year deal at $25 mil per. Another baseball exec is quoted in the same article as saying he believes the Dodgers and Manny are in the "fourth inning" of negotiations. No idea what the fuck that means.


January 27th
---
Rosenthal tries his hand at matchmaker a few weeks early when he not only speculates the Giants would be a bad fit for Manny considering the ballpark and questionable supporting cast but that a good compromise with LA might be two years with a third year option and no-trade protection for the first two season. I can live with that as well. It's bidding against ourselves a bit but I'd rather have a happy Manny than "Manny Being Manny."


January 28th
---
Boras made headlines today with "news" that most people universally shat upon as being total and complete bullshit. So, first he claimed that "the train had left the station" with the Manny negotiations in progress with the Dodgers and other mystery clubs he won't name. He also proclaimed that Manny would be signed by Spring Training [which I kinda think is true.] The Mets manager piped in by saying he'd love Manny on his team but apparently the manager and the CEO being interested isn't enough - hopefully.


January 29th
---
Jayson Stark kicks us off by speculating that Manny could wait until March to sign. God, I hope not. I can't take much more Manny Watch. He also says that Adam Dunn is waiting for Manny to sign because Dunn prefers LA. I'm starting to think it may be time to turn up the pressure on Boras. Well, once we have a starting pitcher or two anyways.

But here's my favorite story and the reason I decided to write this tonight...

Albert Pujols says that he can't understand why no one has signed Manny and that his good friend has told him that "nobody wants him" or some such. Pujols went as far as to exchange numbers with Tony LaRussa and Manny in hopes Manny would give some kind of discount to the Cards. The Cards GM says they're not interested either.

So, Mr. Pujols, as talented as he is, can't comprehend why a team might be scared of signing Manny? Really?

As much as I love watching Manny the player and I enjoyed meeting Manny the person, even his biggest fan has to admit he's a powderkeg always dangerously close to a spark. You just don't know what Manny you'll get from night to night. Dodger fans who are calling for Coletti's head to sign him could just as easily be calling for Coletti's head in August when Manny has a phantom knee injury because global warming has left field in LA around 86 degrees.

Production = dollars in baseball... usually. But even the most desperate of offense-starved teams has to give Manny a second look.

Can you blame them? Really?

Mixtape Of The Month: January 2009

In keeping with the spirit of last night's post about Indie 103, I decided it was finally time to put up the mixtape I've been slowly working on. As you know, I've toyed with different formats to this over the months and I still haven't really found one that I liked but for now, I thought I'd go with this...

Fuck Corporate Radio
January 28, 2009
Runtime: 58:39

Side A
------
The Sound - Moody Motorcycle


This is one of those songs that if you're not incredibly careful - it'll end up dancing around your head for the entirety of the day. The chorus is as catchy as peanut butter salmonella and twice as deadly! I went back and forth on it at first if I liked the song at all but by the end, I found myself humming it when I hadn't heard it in hours. So, now that I've got you bobbing your head and singing along to the opening track...

New Room - The Botticellis
Time to take it down a step. It's a nice, simple, melodic song with nothing fancy to it. But the vocals are sharp and the music is passable. Together, it's a killer combination. Imeem doesn't have this one - BOOOOOO! - but I've linked to the kind folks at My Old Kentucky Blog. Hopefully they won't mind the extra traffic.

Border Guards - The Rosebuds

It's still a little down but the beat is up at least. I was afraid I might put you guys to sleep if I went with what I really wanted to slot in here. This'll keep you in the same groove as the Botticellis but it'll pick things up a notch.

Blue Ocean Blue - Lake

This song sounds like it should have been done by Mates Of State - which is an amazingly awesome compliment in my book because I adore Mates of State. The music actually kinda sounds like something out of an 80's videogame which is an odd comparison but when you hear it, you'll believe me. POSSIBLE KILL SCREEN!

Snowblind - +/-

You've got to appreciate a song that can start off with just a slight backing track and a soft, simple vocal and still manage to hold your attention until the song really kicks to the next level. Reminds me a little of The Postal Service at times. This is actually one of my favorite songs at the moment.

We Intertwined - The Hush Sound
Sadly, I couldn't find this anywhere for you guys. It's a real shame too because this is one of my favorite songs on this mix. I heard Fastball's "Out Of My Head" on my way to work today and it strikes me that the lead singer for them and the lead singer for The Hush Sound sound a lot alike - on this song at least. Go out of your way to hunt this one down. You won't be disappointed.

Big Star - Haley Bonar

I'll be damned if this song doesn't sound like it belongs in a movie or TV show. Especially when the chorus hits. The song isn't very remarkable and may end up quite forgettable in the end. But for now, the chorus sticks a bit in my head. The vocals sorta remind me of a solo version of Tegan & Sara for some reason. Anyone else getting that vibe?

Unforgettable Season - Cut Copy

To close out Side A, here's some words of comfort: If you're one of the few people left in the indie music listening world that somehow managed to miss out on the Cut Copy craze in 2008, it's going to be okay. The perfect blend of modern electronic music with a loving glance back at the 80's music of our youth - Cut Copy's music makes me happy. That's the only reason you should need to listen to them.


Side B
------

Singing The Devil's Tune - Nick Jaina

Before I knock you back out cold with some shoegazing, I thought I'd let Nick Jaina make sure you're still aware. This is another one that could be stuck in your head in an instant so be wary when the background vocals kick in.

Have You Forgotten - Denison Whitmer
Damn it to hell. Another song I couldn't find online for y'all. I was on a roll here with snapping off a trio of what could totally pass as folk music - the kind of song that would fit right in with some imagery out of The Grapes Of Wrath or some such shit like that. Man, I'm a terrible music writer. I'm gifted with the ability of bullshit in so many areas - why can't I write music-related bullshit?

Murder In The City - The Avett Brothers
The exciting conclusion to my Grapes Of Wrath trilogy! Are you still awake? It could be worse. I could've slipped in some Greg Graffin folk music here. Did everyone know that Greg Graffin - yes, Bad Religion's lead singer Greg Graffin - has his own folk album? Who knew? Thanks for expanding my musical horizons, Danny. I'm going to link elsewhere for this one too to the AMAZING I Am Fuel, You Are Friends

Hey Hey Hey (That Kids Okay) - Ruby Isle
Thanks to FensePost for the link.

Again, I'm not sure I'll like this song next month - or tomorrow for that matter. Hell, I might decide it's shit by the time I finish this sentence. But for now, in this time and place, I find this to be a perfectly harmless piece of fluff to break up the folk rock-a-thon.

My Friend - Dr. Dog

Okay, this one - I'm late to the party on. For months, the Interweb has been all afiery about the awesomeness of Dr. Dog and I just couldn't get it. I could listen to it - but I couldn't hear it in the immortal words of the brilliant screenwriter for White Men Can't Jump. But this one? I kinda dig it. It's got something kinda cool - a throwback sorta sound at times while avoiding being pigeonholed into some kind of "retro" slot. This one won't be for everyone but check it out. Give it a spin.

Holy Cow (demo) - Margot & The Nuclear So And Sos

Beautiful song - and don't look now, but this chorus will be wedged between your firing synapses in no time as well. The linked version isn't the demo but it'll do, donkey. I dig the demo because it's stripped down to the very basics. It really adds a charm to it that I don't think the final product has in quite as strong supply.

Sad Song (Pacific Remix) - Au Revoir Simone

This is an okay-to-good song. There are parts of it that I really, really like and parts of it I'm just kinda "meh" over. But in the end, it's a nice pick me up before the slow song that wraps up this edition of the Mixtape Of The Month.

Butterfly Nets - Bishop Allen

Sheer awesomeness. If you don't like this song, I'm not sure I like you anymore and I really doubt we can be friends. So, if you value our friendship, listen to the song again and change your mind.

I'm waiting.



STILL waiting!


Okay... you're back. Change your mind?


Awesome! Now we can be friends again! Now where the fuck did I put that hugging emoticon?

Keepin' It Real, Indie 103 Style

Fans of the LA music scene are probably aware by now that Indie 103 has shuttered its doors and have taken themselves off your radio dial - moving to the Internet instead.

When Indie 103 first hit the airwaves, it was a breath of fresh air - maybe a hurricane of fresh air. Shows by the Sex Pistols' Steve Jones, by Henry Rollins, by Camp Freddy, and even Dickie from the Mighty Might Bosstones. They played whatever they fuck they wanted and it was absolutely awesome.

But slowly, it started to fall apart. Dickie was replaced from his morning show gig without warning. That was the first sign.

Then... the playlist seems to take on a very heavy rotation feel. When Indie first started, it was rare to hear the same song multiple times in one listen but when it happened, I started to lose interest. And then the playlist started to become... KROQish... which wasn't at all appealing because there was a very good reason why I don't listen to KROQ anymore.

So, when the death knoll sounded recently, it didn't really affect my day-to-day listening since I've long abandoned Indie for the most part. But I did feel a little sad. It was a fantastic station at one time that fell victim to the usual blend of corporate bullshit that tends to tear down most great things.

LA Weekly wrapped up this whole scenario a lot better than I can...

Here's a sample...

About three months ago, while I was driving home from LAX on a Saturday night, the car stereo was barely on, my mind was far away, and I just wanted to get home. Then the riff on the radio registered in my head — it was the slow, syrupy Sabbath-esque run of the song “Dopesmoker” by a band called Sleep. But “song” isn’t the right word for “Dopesmoker” because it’s an hour long, one meandering monster chord progression rolling over and over as cymbals fly, the bass hums, and the band sinks deeper and deeper into the riff’s abyss. Think Velvet Underground’s “Sister Ray” multiplied by 666. As I drove up La Brea and watched the lights of Hollywood roll across the basin, Indie 103.1 had once again delivered a jolt of spirit into an otherwise mundane cruise through L.A. That night Henry Rollins played the entire 63-minute song. On commercial radio. In the second-largest market in the country.

Every diehard loyal to Indie 103.1 FM over its improbable five-year run as Los Angeles’ most consistently surprising rock radio station has had similar Eureka moments. This being L.A., these no-way-did-they-just-play-that-song epiphanies usually occurred in the car, when something joyous would erupt from the speakers as if from the stars above. Maybe a Modern Lovers groover, or the Minutemen, the Melvins, Postal Service, or No Age, Joy Division, the Cure, or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. If you were a rock fan, the surprises kept coming.

The station’s biggest surprise, however, came Thursday at 10 a.m., when regular programming abruptly ceased and the staff was laid off with no warning. Morning DJ TK had just ended his show by playing “My Way,” not the Sid Vicious version most familiar to Indie listeners, but the Frank Sinatra original. An announcement followed: “This is an important message for the Indie 103.1 Radio Audience,” said the male voice — not a regular Indie DJ but one of the station’s salespeople — “Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge. Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option — to play the corporate radio game.”

The announcer informed listeners that Indie “had decided not to play that game anymore,” and bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves in favor of the Internet. Entravision Communications, the station’s Santa Monica-based owner, played the message the next two days between a half-dozen Indie classics, including X’s “The New World,” Black Flag’s “Jealous Again,” the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the UK” and “My Way,” this time by Sid Vicious. Each replay was like a little stab in the heart — especially when people learned that the “decision” to go online meant firing the staff that built and maintained Indie. The frequency is now home to Spanish-language El Gato 103.

Indie 103.1 FM, a renegade music machine built from scratch by two guys over Christmas break in 2003 after a $2,500 shopping spree at Amoeba Records, was an anarchic and influential juggernaut in the L.A. music scene. Ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones’s noontime “Jonesy’s Jukebox” was the station’s flagship show, and one of the most unlikely star turns that the station’s founding creative team, program director Michael Steele and music director Mark “Mr. Shovel” Sovel, helped orchestrate.

The station launched after Entravision, which owns 48 mostly Spanish-language radio stations (among other media properties), teamed with Clear Channel Communications to unleash an alternative-rock station on Los Angeles. “Both parties saw an open market for a station like this — that this community wasn’t being served at all on commercial radio,” recalls Sovel. “There was KCRW, but they don’t play much music during the day. And there was nothing on KROQ worth listening to.”

So Sovel canceled his Christmas plans and with Steele “hunkered down while the city was empty, scheming to get [Indie] on the air.” He says that the two were given complete creative freedom by their corporate overlords. They started ripping their favorite classic punk, new-wave and alt-rock tracks to create a database, then headed to Amoeba with the company credit card. “We just started grabbing every album that we loved,” remembers Sovel. “It was so cool to be able to look through [The Clash’s] Sandinista and go, ‘Oh my god, “Hitsville UK!” I’d love to hear that on the radio,’ knowing that we were about to throw out this bomb on L.A.”

When Steele and Sovel visited Jones, a gruff, Cockney, aging punk living in the Hollywood Hills, “We sat in his house and he said, ‘I want to be a DJ on your station,’” recalls Sovel. “We didn’t know what that meant. I didn’t know what he had in mind. I don’t even know if he knew.” Jones debuted “Jonesy’s Jukebox” in February 2004, and Sovel — whom Jones dubbed “Mr. Shovel” — became his producer.

Randy The Ram vs Chris Jericho?

Now... how in the HELL is that going to work?

It's Time To Rumble Royally

Once again, it's time for my second favorite day of the year as a wrestling fan - Royal Rumble Day! I've often said it before - a few times on this very blog - but even if I stopped watching wrestling all together at some point in my life, I think I would always come back for the Rumble and Wrestlemania.

So, keeping with tradition, here are my predictions for the card as well as the Rumble match itself. This info is all off of WWE.com so don't blame me if they pull a swerve and change matches or what have you.

Women's Title Match: Beth Phoenix (c) vs Melina
With the two most talented women on the roster squaring off at the Rumble, I'm guessing this year's Playboy model (Kelly Kelly?) will end up getting the shot at Wrestlemania but I'm going to hold out a glimmer of hope that they'll convince Trish to come back for a Wrestlemania program. This should be a fun match but I'm guessing the booking will end up being something about Beth's stalker fan interfering to spin off into a feud of her own with Melina. I don't really see the need for a title change here but Beth is quickly running out of challengers.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Beth Phoenix
WHO WILL WIN: Beth Phoenix

ECW Title Match: Jack Swagger (c) vs Matt Hardy
While I was entertained by their title match on ECW a couple of weeks ago, I thought they were capable of something better. Unfortunately, being on the Rumble show usually means the undercard (perhaps minus the main title matches) comes up way short on time so I'm not sure they'll have enough time to get this above their TV match. Jack Swagger is obviously the "next big thing" so I expect he'll run right over everyone until it's time to move to Raw or Smackdown.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Jack Swagger
WHO WILL WIN: Jack Swagger

WWE Title Match: Jeff Hardy (c) vs Edge
No one wants to see Jeff Hardy lose but it seems unlikely to me that they'll let him run with this ball all the way through Wrestlemania. All signs point to Triple H being in the Smackdown Mania Main Event... and I'm guessing they like the idea of HHH vs Edge at Mania more than HHH vs Jeff. I'm not sure which of those that I like better actually. I guess the real question is... does Christian return tonight to cost Jeff the title? I'm betting he does.
WHO SHOULD WIN: Jeff Hardy
WHO WILL WIN: Edge

World Title Match: John Cena (c) vs JBL
What looked like a throwaway title match at the beginning of January has turned into a red hot angle with HBK involved. The entire point of this match will be - what will HBK do? At a key point of the match, will he turn on JBL and help Cena retain or will he attack Cena and let JBL win the title? But the real question is - will Vince ride the hottest angle he has into a title match at Mania? Can he stomach the idea of JBL vs HBK for the World Title on the biggest stage of the year? That match will go down at Mania - we just don't know if it'll be for the gold. I don't know what you do with Cena if he loses though.
WHO SHOULD WIN: JBL
WHO WILL WIN: John Cena

And then there's the Rumble. As of "press time", there are only 23 names announced for the Rumble. Of the seven remaining, well, there definitely could be something major. HBK joining the Rumble? Jeff losing the title and getting in the Rumble? Edge losing his shot and Vickie putting him in? Of course, there's bound to be a couple other midcard guys getting slots - maybe Goldust to eliminate Cody for his Raw comments? The return of Umaga almost seems certain. Umaga returning and tossing Taker and then beating him down could lead directly to Umaga/Taker at Mania. Maybe Snuka and Manu?

But I'm going to play with the cards I've been given and take my prediction from there...

NO CHANCE IN HELL
***
Great Khali
The big friendly giant is a fun gimmick for Khali, I suppose. But the big killer giant is a much more likely path to the Wrestlemania Main Event. Not that it's likely he'll ever get there with his talent level but... yeah.

Chavo Guerrero
Chavo will continue to play the role of Vickie and Edge's flunky. I'm guessing he'll get tossed by Triple H to continue that story.

Carlito
I have no idea why he's in this match.

R-Truth
With all the buzz being that he's in the WWE doghouse, I'm guessing he's just there so he can rap to the ring for a unique entrance.


ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE
***
This section is dedicated to those people who might stand a chance someday if the stars were all aligned.

Mark Henry
Mark's window is probably closing. While he's actually the best he's been in years, he's already had his shot at both the big golds and taken on most of the top talent. It seems unlikely at this point that he'll ever end up in the Mania title match... but there's a slim chance.

Finlay
Huh. I actually can't envision any scenario where he'd get the title match.

The Brian Kendrick
While they seemed ready to push Kendrick earlier in the year, he's now settled into a tag role with his bodyguard and I can only imagine they're counting the days until the bodyguard can pull a Diesel and break away. Kendrick has amazing upside but they've got to show the faith in booking him to see him show it.

Kane
Kane's probably never going to end up in that match but he always seems to be on the edge of the title scene. You never know. One of these days he just might get the lifetime achievement award of a Mania title match.

The Miz
He's greatly improving every week but even I have a hard time imagining him in a singles title match at Mania.

John Morrison
He'll be there. I'm sure of it. But not yet.

Cody Rhodes
Cody's got potential as well. Hopefully he learns well from Randy Orton in his time in Legacy. I think a feud with Dustin could be a lot of greatness as well. If we could only find Dustin a tag partner to feud with Rhodes/Dibiase. Speaking of which...

Ted DiBiase
I'm not quite sold on Ted Jr. yet.

Santino Marella
Seems pretty unlikely.

Kofi Kingston
One of my favorite new WWE stars but I don't think he's getting the title match quite yet.

Vladimir Kozlov
The big Russian is a lot of fun to watch in squashes but I'm not sure I buy him in matches where he actually has to work yet. I don't think Vince would trust him in that major of a role yet.

Shelton Benjamin
He seems to be getting a little more faith from the booking team right now but he's not in that spot.


WE'RE LIVIN' ON THE EDGE
***
The few names who COULD make it but seem to just not quite fit this year.

Rey Mysterio
Super popular as always, fun worker. He could make it. But will he? I just don't see a clearcut angle for him that would make sense unless he was going back to Smackdown. If he was going back to Smackdown, Rey challenging either Jeff or Edge would get my money. Rey challenging JBL? No thanks. Rey challenging Cena? That's an interesting one but it'd stray very far from Cena's strengths as a face.

C.M. Punk
While I'd personally love to see Punk vs Edge or Punk vs Cena for the gold on the big stage, I think we're more likely to see Punk in Money In The Bank again or perhaps a big IC Title defense for the first time in ages. Punk's time will come, I think, but it's just not going to happen this year.


COULD BE, MIGHT BE... NAH
***
Three names that would make a lot of sense but... there's something just not quite right.

Chris Jericho
If we look at the four possibles, Jericho vs Cena? Been there, done that. Jericho vs JBL? Not gonna happen again. Jericho vs Edge? That'd be fun but I don't think Heel vs Heel is going to be at Mania. Jericho vs Jeff Hardy? I could see that but are they ready to move Jericho to Smackdown? I don't think so.

Big Show
While the seeds have been planted for a big Edge/Big Show showdown for the title, I'm not sure they're ready to pull the trigger on it. And I don't see any of the other three making sense at the moment.

Undertaker
While I'm expecting Umaga to get the Taker match for Mania, a Taker/Cena match at Mania would be amazing. The Streak vs The Title. For Wrestlemania 25, this could be an absolutely epic showdown. I'd really like to see it happen but it puts them in quite the booking quandry.


THE USUAL SUSPECTS
***
Triple H and Randy Orton
So, Triple H was supposed to start Number One but the Rumble was "re-booked" and that angle was smashed. I would expect that if HHH was to win this thing, he'd want to go bell-to-bell to do it so he could add that to his resume. Since he's no longer #1 in the draw, I'm guessing he won't win this. But I now fully expect Mr. Orton to be put in at #1 by the McMahons due to his actions on Raw. And I expect he'll battle all the way through 29 other men to win the Rumble. Orton vs Cena? Eh. I guess that'll do.

In the end...

WHO SHOULD WIN: Undertaker
WHO WILL WIN: Randy Orton