I haven't updated this in a while so I thought I'd give it a look in a slightly different fashion. Instead of just listing a pile of shows that I think sound snazzy, I thought I'd spotlight a handful of my favorites that I'd like to go to the absolute most and then give a little insight as to why.
Sound good? Good!
Tuesday - Feb 17 - Largo - Ben Lee
This is a record release show for Ben Lee and since I kinda dug his last record, I'm thinking I might kinda dig this one too. For someone who went from my least favorite of the Bens [Folds y Kweller being the others,] I've quickly developed a fondness for Mr. Lee. Bonus points if he gets Mandy Moore there to duet on Birds And Bees.
Tuesday - Feb 17 - Glass House - Lykke Li
I really wanted to see Lykke Li at a live in-store at Amoeba late in '08 but didn't make it. I think I'd enjoy this show - or I'd leave it absolutely hating Lykke Li. It's one or the other - I don't think there's an in-between on that one.
Thursday - Feb 26 - Largo - Colin Hay
I've extolled the virtues of how awesome Colin Hay is on this page a handful of times. Mix his newer solo stuff with his acoustic greatness in tackling the old Men At Work jams and I'd have to imagine Colin Hay is one hell of a show to see.
Thursday - Feb 26 - Club Nokia - Tenacious D
Oh, come on. It's the D! Do I really need to go further? The first time I heard more than one or two songs from the D was when they performed at Comic-Con a few years ago. An actual sorta full concert at Comic-Con in front of 7,000+ geeks. You've gotta love that. Oh, and don't forget that Jack Black was on stage a couple hours earlier to answer questions about King Kong and got only D questions instead. Awesome.
Tuesday - March 10 - Henry Fonda - Cut Copy
Cut Copy was one of my favorite discoveries of 2008. Their amazing blend of retro 80's sounding greatness mixed with a tinge of the modern electronic style made theirs a sound that I loved to hear over and over throughout the year. And people are still discovering Cut Copy so I'd love to see them in a small venue before they potentially explode.
Thursday - March 26 - Glass House - The Airborne Toxic Event
One of my favorite band names EVER - The Airborne Toxic Event also holds the honor of being the only KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic podcast that I've actually taken the time to listen to of the 20+ on my iPhone. They played a fantastic acoustic set on that show and ever since I heard it, I thought seeing them live in a small venue would be amazing.
Thursday - April 2 - The Wiltern - Lily Allen
Well, since I enjoyed Kate Nash so much, it only seems fitting that I might enjoy the artist that most people confuse Kate Nash for. Lily Allen preceded Kate Nash by about a year but I just never got as into her as I did Kate Nash. But the Lily Allen album has provided some surprising moments for me on shuffle over the past six months or so.
Wednesday - April 15 - LA Sports Arena - Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band
Arguably my favorite band in the world and almost definitely my favorite live act of all time? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I want to go to this show. The only thing holding me back is the shitty venue. The LA Sports Arena? Really? Bruce, how can you make all the 25-65 year olds that make up your demographic travel down to the fuckin' ghetto to see you live? It's just mean!
Thursday - April 16 - Staples Center - Britney Spears
Now, I'm only half-joking about this one. I mean, I'd go - I seriously would go. But there's a handful of reasons it'll never happen. 1] I would hate every single person in the arena. There's not a doubt in my mind that I'd ponder several times throughout the night the best way to permanently silence 15,000 voices. 2] She'll lip sync and I'll be pissed. It'll be some bullshit "Oh, she has to focus on the dancing" excuse that'll make me want to tear down the heavens because Janet Jackson and Madonna dance as hard as Britney does and they don't use that shit as an excuse. 3] Well, I just don't know if I'd want to admit I was at the show. It's bad enough that I have to tell people I saw New Edition in concert. How many strikes against my street cred can I have?
Thursday - April 23 - Henry Fonda - Mates Of State/Black Kids
That's a hell of a double bill. I adore Mates Of State and have ever since they outshined everyone musically at the Death Cab show a few years back. Seeing them in that small of a building would be a fantastic night. Plus, you get the Black Kids who have one of my favorite songs of the moment. It's a win-win night.
Tuesday - May 19 - The Palladium - The Decemberists
I don't think I've been to the Palladium for somewhere approaching a decade and since they recently renovated the place, I'd love to check it out to see what they've done. Plus, I've been wanting to see The Decemberists for a long while since I had to miss out on their night at the Bowl with the Orchestra to attend a bachelor party.
Sunday - May 24 - Greek Theatre - Flight Of The Conchords
The greatest comedy act of our time in one of my favorite concert venues? How can we go wrong? But I'm not sure I'm willing to cough up $50 for this show.
2009-02-11
2009-02-10
CHRISTIAN!
Well, it was quite the unexpected and blah return but Christian is back. And in honor of that...
2009-02-09
Rejection
Eh... most people probably have guessed/assumed by now but I might as well make it official. A couple days ago, I finally got a reply from the fellowship I had submitted my screenplay to and... well, since I'm not doing cartwheels, I'm sure you get the idea.
I don't want to turn this into some crazy introspective "where do we go from here" style post soooooo...
Yeah.
I don't have much to say about it. I'll just have to figure out what to attempt next.
Thanks for all the support.
I don't want to turn this into some crazy introspective "where do we go from here" style post soooooo...
Yeah.
I don't have much to say about it. I'll just have to figure out what to attempt next.
Thanks for all the support.
2009-02-08
BSG vs Lost: Week Three
Alright, let's do this before I completely forget.
Lost tried to strike a big blow back to retake the crown this week but really, all I can seem to remember about it was that I was kinda brainscrambled when it was over. Not that I'm one of those people bitching about it being too confusing or what have you - but I just remember my brain being a little fuzzy when it was all said and done. I actually didn't care for it as much as the week before even with the big shocker of a finish.
BSG was highly anticipated this week after the big cliffhanger with the grenade last week. This was the week that Adama and the gang fought back. Some bloodshed ensued and in the end, someone got executed.
Damn right he did!
My brain is a little fuzzy after being at work for 12 hours today so let's make this easy...
BSG - 2
Lost - 1
But this week, I'm nowhere near as excited about BSG as I was last week. This is Lost's chance to pull the comeback.
Oh, and I officially gave up Heroes this week. We'll see if they can win me back when Bryan Fuller gets back in the game.
Lost tried to strike a big blow back to retake the crown this week but really, all I can seem to remember about it was that I was kinda brainscrambled when it was over. Not that I'm one of those people bitching about it being too confusing or what have you - but I just remember my brain being a little fuzzy when it was all said and done. I actually didn't care for it as much as the week before even with the big shocker of a finish.
BSG was highly anticipated this week after the big cliffhanger with the grenade last week. This was the week that Adama and the gang fought back. Some bloodshed ensued and in the end, someone got executed.
Damn right he did!
My brain is a little fuzzy after being at work for 12 hours today so let's make this easy...
BSG - 2
Lost - 1
But this week, I'm nowhere near as excited about BSG as I was last week. This is Lost's chance to pull the comeback.
Oh, and I officially gave up Heroes this week. We'll see if they can win me back when Bryan Fuller gets back in the game.
2009-02-07
2009-02-06
Top Five Friday: RAIN!
Don't call it a comeback - just call it the long awaited return of Top Five Friday!
In honor of the rainy weather (my favorite) washing down all over Southern California and the craziness of Madonna's "Rain" coming up on random during my drive home, I decided to make this list.
Without further adieu...
THE TOP FIVE SONGS IN MY ITUNES LIBRARY WITH "RAIN" IN THE TITLE!
5. Rain King - Counting Crows
Ahhh, Counting Crows. I used to love them. I don't think I've heard anything new from them in years but that first album from them was golden. I couldn't even begin to imagine how many times that disc got spun round and round. The other thing that I'll always remember about them is that they were the first band that I listened to that my aunts got into later. For years it was the opposite - Springsteen, Petty, Styx, The Eagles, whatever. But the Crows were the first that I had first! Oh, and the live version I'm linking to is pretty fun. They sound like they're having a good time.
4. No Rain - Blind Melon
Now THIS one takes me back. Unfortunately, the first memory that came to mind only took me back a few months but that's okay. One of the girls at work said they planned on going as a bumblebee for Halloween and I queried if they were going for the Bee Girl. Looks of puzzlement ensued and I felt old. Turns out she had no idea who the Bee Girl was nor did she know Blind Melon. A quick YouTubin' made her recognize the song but she'd never seen the video. I blame MTV and their lack of livin' up to their name if you ask me.
3. Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
I don't think I have any funny stories about this song. But it's an awesome song with "rain" in the title so... nyah!
2. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
It's odd that two of my favorite CCR songs both involve "rain." It's even odder that perhaps my most vivid memory of this song is an R.E.M. show from several years ago. I remember it quite well because as long-time readers of this page know, R.E.M. is one of the Missus' favorite bands. We had tickets for a show at the nearby venue formerly known as Irvine Meadows and now known as OUTDOOR VENUE SOLD TO THE HIGHEST CORPORATE WHORE. So, we were supposed to go see R.E.M. at OVSTTHCW but it had been raining all day. Now, you know how your Ticketbastard tickets say "Rain Or Shine" on them? Fuck it all if they don't actually mean that shit. The debate was on - do we swallow the price of the tickets and skip the show or do we brave the elements and hope the rain doesn't arrive? Much to my dismay, we did the latter - which turned out okay for most of the night. But at one opportune moment, the skies opened up and it started to sprinkle which prompted this absolutely awesome one minute of stage time where Michael Stipe did an impromptu cover of this song as the rain fell down upon him. And so I say... simply... awesome.
And the #1 song with the word "Rain" in the title currently in my iTunes library...
1. November Rain - Guns N' Roses
Oh, don't act so surprised. Now, I can share two memories of this song for you. First? Remember when this song "hit it big" and all the Top 40 stations wanted to play it for all the little fuckers who saw the video on MTV? Remember how they bastardized it by ripping out the guitar solo and the end of the song? No? Well, obviously I do and I'm scarred for life over it! Oh, my other memory of this song? When I saw GNR in concert a couple of years ago and my friend Poff and I ceased and desisted all searching for our missing, drunk friend Phil so that we could watch this song be performed. Hey - you've got to have priorities, people.
And that's that. Let it rain!
SeeqPod - Playable Search
In honor of the rainy weather (my favorite) washing down all over Southern California and the craziness of Madonna's "Rain" coming up on random during my drive home, I decided to make this list.
Without further adieu...
THE TOP FIVE SONGS IN MY ITUNES LIBRARY WITH "RAIN" IN THE TITLE!
5. Rain King - Counting Crows
Ahhh, Counting Crows. I used to love them. I don't think I've heard anything new from them in years but that first album from them was golden. I couldn't even begin to imagine how many times that disc got spun round and round. The other thing that I'll always remember about them is that they were the first band that I listened to that my aunts got into later. For years it was the opposite - Springsteen, Petty, Styx, The Eagles, whatever. But the Crows were the first that I had first! Oh, and the live version I'm linking to is pretty fun. They sound like they're having a good time.
4. No Rain - Blind Melon
Now THIS one takes me back. Unfortunately, the first memory that came to mind only took me back a few months but that's okay. One of the girls at work said they planned on going as a bumblebee for Halloween and I queried if they were going for the Bee Girl. Looks of puzzlement ensued and I felt old. Turns out she had no idea who the Bee Girl was nor did she know Blind Melon. A quick YouTubin' made her recognize the song but she'd never seen the video. I blame MTV and their lack of livin' up to their name if you ask me.
3. Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
I don't think I have any funny stories about this song. But it's an awesome song with "rain" in the title so... nyah!
2. Have You Ever Seen The Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival
It's odd that two of my favorite CCR songs both involve "rain." It's even odder that perhaps my most vivid memory of this song is an R.E.M. show from several years ago. I remember it quite well because as long-time readers of this page know, R.E.M. is one of the Missus' favorite bands. We had tickets for a show at the nearby venue formerly known as Irvine Meadows and now known as OUTDOOR VENUE SOLD TO THE HIGHEST CORPORATE WHORE. So, we were supposed to go see R.E.M. at OVSTTHCW but it had been raining all day. Now, you know how your Ticketbastard tickets say "Rain Or Shine" on them? Fuck it all if they don't actually mean that shit. The debate was on - do we swallow the price of the tickets and skip the show or do we brave the elements and hope the rain doesn't arrive? Much to my dismay, we did the latter - which turned out okay for most of the night. But at one opportune moment, the skies opened up and it started to sprinkle which prompted this absolutely awesome one minute of stage time where Michael Stipe did an impromptu cover of this song as the rain fell down upon him. And so I say... simply... awesome.
And the #1 song with the word "Rain" in the title currently in my iTunes library...
1. November Rain - Guns N' Roses
Oh, don't act so surprised. Now, I can share two memories of this song for you. First? Remember when this song "hit it big" and all the Top 40 stations wanted to play it for all the little fuckers who saw the video on MTV? Remember how they bastardized it by ripping out the guitar solo and the end of the song? No? Well, obviously I do and I'm scarred for life over it! Oh, my other memory of this song? When I saw GNR in concert a couple of years ago and my friend Poff and I ceased and desisted all searching for our missing, drunk friend Phil so that we could watch this song be performed. Hey - you've got to have priorities, people.
And that's that. Let it rain!
SeeqPod - Playable Search
2009-02-05
2009-02-04
The Facts Are These...
On a night where my brain feels a little mushy after enduring the absolute glory that is Group Day on American Idol (arguably the greatest day of the Idol season for sheer amazing trainwreck television) and another swirly mindbending episode of Lost, I needed some assistance in finding the way to a (somewhat) coherent post. So, I dug "deep" into Yahoo and pulled up about ten headlines that looked interesting from every section. Let's see if I was right!
U.S. Government Helps Angry Springsteen Fans
The facts are these - Ticketmaster had a fuck-up during a Bruce on-sale over the weekend. Apparently some people attempting to buy from the pre-sale got "accidentally" redirected to Ticketmaster's resale site where buyers sell their high demand tickets at a premium. Many fans cried "scam!" and got Ticketmaster to issue a statement offering to refund the difference to anyone who felt they bought from the resale site in error. Somewhere in here, the government decided to intervene and tell Ticketmaster they fucked up. That's good. Because it's not like there are more important problems the government should be addressing right now. Fuck, man - it's almost enough to make you become an anarchist at times.
My thoughts? Remember the good ol' days when it was "illegal" to resell tickets and you had to go to a "licensed ticket broker" like Night On The Town tickets. Do those places still exist? How is it possible to maintain the overhead to have an office like that when everyone and their mother is selling Miley Cyrus tickets through eBay, Craigslist, StubHub, or some other online store? Oh, the story - nah, I doubt Ticketmaster really tried to defraud people. I'm sure it's just another in a long line of historic Ticketmaster fuckups. Hey, remember when Pearl Jam told Ticketmaster to fuck off over their huge service charges? I sure do. Every time I pay those service charges for any show - especially Pearl Jam. Can't fight City Hall.
'90s Pop Star May Add Drama To New 'Survivor'
The facts are these - Tamara "Taj" Johnson, formerly of SWV, is going to be on the next Survivor.
My thoughts? Two come to mind. 1) Who is the dopey ass "journalist" writing these headlines and having the nerve to call this chick a "star?" Talk about writing a headline only for the click-through. This fucker's no better than on those shitty wrestling newz sites that have headlines like, "HOGAN AT WRESTLEMANIA!" only to find out when you click through that Reliant Stadium has a janitor named Steve Hogan who will be cleaning up some spilled beer after the show. The other? Does anyone still fucking watch Survivor? I'm sorry for all the swearing tonight. I'm feeling a little cranky.
Era of $60 Video Games May Be Ending
The facts are these - some older video game titles had their prices cut for the holidays and then didn't go back up after the holidays ended. But all the other "news" in this article says they expect new titles to keep their higher price point.
My thoughts? What the fuck was the point of this story? How slow of a news day is it? You wrote an article teasing lower video game prices only to state straight-away that there's basically no fucking chance that's happening?
Baseball Commissioner's Surprisingly Large Salary
The facts are these - I'm sure most people have read this one by now. Bud Selig - yes, the Bud Selig who had a World Series cancelled on his watch... yep, also the one who let an All-Star Game end in a tie... yes, the one who let the steroid saga spiral all out of control until the U.S. Government had to intervene [another fantastic use of their time by the way]... he's been paid a shitload of money. Just shy of 18 million in 2007 to be precise.
My thoughts? I thought the fucker was overpaid when I thought he was getting paid a shitload less. No wonder he's stalled so long in leaving the job he said he'd leave ages ago. My other thought? Did anyone else hear the talk that Bush might take the Commissioner job he's always wanted when Selig steps down? And did anyone else have total faith that MLB would be bankrupt and invading Iran a few months after he gets the gig? He already fucked up the country - do we really need him fucking up our National Pastime as well?
NBA Adds H-O-R-S-E To All-Star Weekend
The facts are these - after getting absolutely drilled by the sports media over the past few years for how awful they've allowed the fun parts of the All Star Game to slip, the NBA is scrambling to become hip again. Of course, they once had Hall And Oates perform at an All Star Game so I have little hope that David Stern will suddenly be street.
My thoughts? This could be a lot of fun although the "no dunking" rule already makes me a little annoyed. However, I fully expect that the NBA will be unable to compel their big stars to compete in this - just like the Slam Dunk contest - and it will probably suck balls. But all is not lost because where else besides All Star Weekend can I see Bill Laimbeer tossing up half-court shots competitively?
You know... I just don't think I can do the rest of these.
There's a story about the FBI searching the home of a man linked to poisoning Tylenol in 1982.
1982?
Seriously?
OJ really MIGHT find Nicole's killer before the fuzz.
There's another one about Russia wanting to help the U.S. in Afghanistan while spouting lots of anti-U.S. rhetoric and making strong demands of the Obama administration. I swear to God, these two countries just aren't happy unless the threat of global annihilation hangs over us all. I hope we didn't mothballs all the air raid sirens. But with all the movies and such that have been made about nuclear wars, do you think we can still convince people they'd survive a nuclear strike if they got under their desk and covered their head with their arms?
The last one is just so damn awful, it doesn't even merit discussion. It's such a disgusting yet dead-on-balls-accurate statement of society as a whole, I don't even think I can joke about it.
Well, I probably could but...
Let's let it speak for itself.
Insert your own punchline.... HERE!
U.S. Government Helps Angry Springsteen Fans
The facts are these - Ticketmaster had a fuck-up during a Bruce on-sale over the weekend. Apparently some people attempting to buy from the pre-sale got "accidentally" redirected to Ticketmaster's resale site where buyers sell their high demand tickets at a premium. Many fans cried "scam!" and got Ticketmaster to issue a statement offering to refund the difference to anyone who felt they bought from the resale site in error. Somewhere in here, the government decided to intervene and tell Ticketmaster they fucked up. That's good. Because it's not like there are more important problems the government should be addressing right now. Fuck, man - it's almost enough to make you become an anarchist at times.
My thoughts? Remember the good ol' days when it was "illegal" to resell tickets and you had to go to a "licensed ticket broker" like Night On The Town tickets. Do those places still exist? How is it possible to maintain the overhead to have an office like that when everyone and their mother is selling Miley Cyrus tickets through eBay, Craigslist, StubHub, or some other online store? Oh, the story - nah, I doubt Ticketmaster really tried to defraud people. I'm sure it's just another in a long line of historic Ticketmaster fuckups. Hey, remember when Pearl Jam told Ticketmaster to fuck off over their huge service charges? I sure do. Every time I pay those service charges for any show - especially Pearl Jam. Can't fight City Hall.
'90s Pop Star May Add Drama To New 'Survivor'
The facts are these - Tamara "Taj" Johnson, formerly of SWV, is going to be on the next Survivor.
My thoughts? Two come to mind. 1) Who is the dopey ass "journalist" writing these headlines and having the nerve to call this chick a "star?" Talk about writing a headline only for the click-through. This fucker's no better than on those shitty wrestling newz sites that have headlines like, "HOGAN AT WRESTLEMANIA!" only to find out when you click through that Reliant Stadium has a janitor named Steve Hogan who will be cleaning up some spilled beer after the show. The other? Does anyone still fucking watch Survivor? I'm sorry for all the swearing tonight. I'm feeling a little cranky.
Era of $60 Video Games May Be Ending
The facts are these - some older video game titles had their prices cut for the holidays and then didn't go back up after the holidays ended. But all the other "news" in this article says they expect new titles to keep their higher price point.
My thoughts? What the fuck was the point of this story? How slow of a news day is it? You wrote an article teasing lower video game prices only to state straight-away that there's basically no fucking chance that's happening?
Baseball Commissioner's Surprisingly Large Salary
The facts are these - I'm sure most people have read this one by now. Bud Selig - yes, the Bud Selig who had a World Series cancelled on his watch... yep, also the one who let an All-Star Game end in a tie... yes, the one who let the steroid saga spiral all out of control until the U.S. Government had to intervene [another fantastic use of their time by the way]... he's been paid a shitload of money. Just shy of 18 million in 2007 to be precise.
My thoughts? I thought the fucker was overpaid when I thought he was getting paid a shitload less. No wonder he's stalled so long in leaving the job he said he'd leave ages ago. My other thought? Did anyone else hear the talk that Bush might take the Commissioner job he's always wanted when Selig steps down? And did anyone else have total faith that MLB would be bankrupt and invading Iran a few months after he gets the gig? He already fucked up the country - do we really need him fucking up our National Pastime as well?
NBA Adds H-O-R-S-E To All-Star Weekend
The facts are these - after getting absolutely drilled by the sports media over the past few years for how awful they've allowed the fun parts of the All Star Game to slip, the NBA is scrambling to become hip again. Of course, they once had Hall And Oates perform at an All Star Game so I have little hope that David Stern will suddenly be street.
My thoughts? This could be a lot of fun although the "no dunking" rule already makes me a little annoyed. However, I fully expect that the NBA will be unable to compel their big stars to compete in this - just like the Slam Dunk contest - and it will probably suck balls. But all is not lost because where else besides All Star Weekend can I see Bill Laimbeer tossing up half-court shots competitively?
You know... I just don't think I can do the rest of these.
There's a story about the FBI searching the home of a man linked to poisoning Tylenol in 1982.
1982?
Seriously?
OJ really MIGHT find Nicole's killer before the fuzz.
There's another one about Russia wanting to help the U.S. in Afghanistan while spouting lots of anti-U.S. rhetoric and making strong demands of the Obama administration. I swear to God, these two countries just aren't happy unless the threat of global annihilation hangs over us all. I hope we didn't mothballs all the air raid sirens. But with all the movies and such that have been made about nuclear wars, do you think we can still convince people they'd survive a nuclear strike if they got under their desk and covered their head with their arms?
The last one is just so damn awful, it doesn't even merit discussion. It's such a disgusting yet dead-on-balls-accurate statement of society as a whole, I don't even think I can joke about it.
Well, I probably could but...
Let's let it speak for itself.
The ex-husband of one of the nine people killed at a Christmas Eve party in Covina has received demands from a landlord to pay the dead woman's rent.
Broadcrest Foothill Apartment Homes claims Alicia Ortiz broke her lease on an Upland apartment when she and her 17-year-old son were killed by her sister's disgruntled ex-husband. The landlord informed her former husband, Carlos Ortiz, that she gave "insufficient notice to vacate." The company says it is owed $2,821 in rent and penalties.
Insert your own punchline.... HERE!
2009-02-03
Manny Watch Continues
Honestly, I'm getting a little sick of all this so I'm going to make this my last post discussing the Manny Ramirez situation until he's signed - here or elsewhere.
Last night took an interesting turn in the saga as the Dodgers offered up a one year, $25 million dollar offer that would have:
a] Allowed the Dodgers to dangle the free agency carrot over his head all year, presumably ensuring maximum effort while also ensuring he would be able to hit the free agency market next winter when he could hope for better results
b] Make Manny the second highest paid player in the Major Leagues - not too shabby
c] Keep the Dodgers payroll-flexible beyond this season
Within 24 hours, Manny and his puppetmaster had rejected the deal. No big surprise to me. I didn't think his pride [or Boras' bank account] would let him take a one year deal after all the bluster about needing 4 or 5 years. Apparently, somewhere and somehow, Boras must think there's a better offer out there.
Not from the Nationals who shot down rumors of their interest today. The Mets did likewise last week.
That basically leaves the Giants as the only other team with public interest and they appear to not be willing to go past two years. So, will they go higher than the Dodgers originally offered for the two year + option deal? If they don't, Mr. Boras may find himself minus one high profile client in the near future.
So, will the Dodgers stay in this little race?
Right now, the odds are pointing against it. Check out these little tidbits.
** Once again, the Dodgers are showing signs of weariness at dealing with Boras. Frank McCourt was quoted as saying, "His agent is challenging to work with. It's been over three months, and [we're] two weeks away from spring training, and we still have not received a specific number from the agent. At some point in time, it's time to move on." Now that may be a lot of public posturing but it could also mean that I'm not the only one growing tired of being jerked around by the Dreadlocked One and his minion.
** There has been an increase in rumors over recent days that many in the Dodgers Front Office are advocating spending the Manny money on Randy Wolf, Orlando Hudson, and either Bobby Abreu or Adam Dunn. Coletti restated the team's interest in Abreu today as well according to Abreu's agent. Dunn is playing the waiting game as well as the Dodgers are apparently his top choice if the Manny negotiations go south.
** "We have tried to bring closure to this," McCourt said. "Three times, we've tried to bring closure to this. It's not for a lack of effort. What should be clear to everyone is that signing Manny was -- and remains -- a priority. How long that remains a priority will depend on other things that happen as we get closer and closer to the real season."
Closure, huh?
Sounds kinda nice, doesn't it?
Despite signs pointing the other direction, Coletti apparently did not contact the agents for any of the Dunn/Abreu/Hudson triumvirate today - holding firm to the company line that they're still trying to bring back Manny.
I'm sure I'm not alone - Larry Bowa agrees! - in thinking that (a happy) Manny is the Dodgers' best option and if at all possible, they should make that happen.
By the same token, they can not allow themselves to be held hostage by Scott Boras and Manny Ramirez at the possible expense of other free agents that could be gotten to make the team better. Is Adam Dunn a better player than Manny? Hell no. But at a fraction of the cost and to go into Spring Training with your full squad? Possibly.
I think the Dodgers owe it to themselves, their fans, and to Manny to make one final offer. Make it the very best offer you're willing to make and slap a deadline on it. 24 hours, 48 hours, 5 days - whatever works.
If it's accepted, the streets of Los Angeles will be lined with dreadlocks and dreams of playing in October once more.
If it's rejected or ignored, it's time to move on - for all of us.
2009-02-02
Lost vs BSG: Week Two
TOTALLY forgot to do this last week until someone reminded me on Sunday.
So, last week featured a showdown between a FRICKIN' HYDROGEN BOMB on the Lost island and... well... complete and unbridled chaos on BSG.
Lost was incredibly good as we dove even deeper into the whole time travel thing - Desmond getting involved (maybe TOO involved for his own good) in trying to discover what happened and getting obsessed with himself being the only person to potentially save the people on the island. We found out that Farraday FUCKED SHIT UP before vanishing off the face of the Earth. We also got more of the Locke and Richard story. Plus, the Others speak Latin? What the fuck? It was some crazy shit going down... and oh, did I mention A FUCKING HYDROGEN BOMB?!?!
I really didn't think BSG stood a chance of knocking Lost off their lofty perch in Week 2 of this head-to-head showdown and to be honest, I hadn't really given the show much thought when I dragged my tired ass home late on Friday after working a closing shift. By the way, if I haven't said it before, I believe there's a special circle oF Hell reserved for the person who invented the late closing shift on Friday.
So, there I was... tired and ready for sleep when I decided that I should probably give BSG a watch before I went to bed.
There's this science fiction story that some of you may have heard of. Starts off with a pretty basic set-up...
"It is a period of civil war."
That saga turned out pretty okay so I guess it's only fitting that before BSG wanders off into the nostalgia of our minds that they go through their own civil war.
AND WHAT A CIVIL WAR IT'S TURNING OUT TO BE!
Badass Adama and Ty throwin' down with the young punks, whippin' out assault rifles and pistols like they're on Arnold's team in Predator. We've got Starbuck blastin' suckas like she's straight out of Boyz N The Hood - or that scene in Swingers where Sue gets stepped to. Plus, there's Lee getting suckerpunched by some fool. Balthar and the President working together - sorta. And so much more.
And don't forget that weaselly little fuck Gaeta stirring shit up all the while. Ohhh, I want to see that fucker sucked out an airlock in the worst possible way right now. Adama better not forget that shit. We do not train to be merciful here - mercy is for the weak.
To wrap things up, we've got Ty and Adama like Butch and Sundance ready for one final gunfight.
AND THEN IT ENDS?!?!
The judging should end there - I know this. But I have to give BSG bonus points for the teaser of next week's show - Ty dead? Adama getting airlocked? And Bad Ass Roslin screaming "I'M COMING FOR YOU ALL!"
Holy crap!
If you haven't guessed yet, BSG takes this week in a walk. As awesome as Lost was, I'm SOOOOO much more looking forward to this week's BSG and that's the real test.
After two weeks of battle...
Lost - 1
BSG - 1
Tune in next week - same frakin' time, same frakin' channel.
So, last week featured a showdown between a FRICKIN' HYDROGEN BOMB on the Lost island and... well... complete and unbridled chaos on BSG.
Lost was incredibly good as we dove even deeper into the whole time travel thing - Desmond getting involved (maybe TOO involved for his own good) in trying to discover what happened and getting obsessed with himself being the only person to potentially save the people on the island. We found out that Farraday FUCKED SHIT UP before vanishing off the face of the Earth. We also got more of the Locke and Richard story. Plus, the Others speak Latin? What the fuck? It was some crazy shit going down... and oh, did I mention A FUCKING HYDROGEN BOMB?!?!
I really didn't think BSG stood a chance of knocking Lost off their lofty perch in Week 2 of this head-to-head showdown and to be honest, I hadn't really given the show much thought when I dragged my tired ass home late on Friday after working a closing shift. By the way, if I haven't said it before, I believe there's a special circle oF Hell reserved for the person who invented the late closing shift on Friday.
So, there I was... tired and ready for sleep when I decided that I should probably give BSG a watch before I went to bed.
There's this science fiction story that some of you may have heard of. Starts off with a pretty basic set-up...
"It is a period of civil war."
That saga turned out pretty okay so I guess it's only fitting that before BSG wanders off into the nostalgia of our minds that they go through their own civil war.
AND WHAT A CIVIL WAR IT'S TURNING OUT TO BE!
Badass Adama and Ty throwin' down with the young punks, whippin' out assault rifles and pistols like they're on Arnold's team in Predator. We've got Starbuck blastin' suckas like she's straight out of Boyz N The Hood - or that scene in Swingers where Sue gets stepped to. Plus, there's Lee getting suckerpunched by some fool. Balthar and the President working together - sorta. And so much more.
And don't forget that weaselly little fuck Gaeta stirring shit up all the while. Ohhh, I want to see that fucker sucked out an airlock in the worst possible way right now. Adama better not forget that shit. We do not train to be merciful here - mercy is for the weak.
To wrap things up, we've got Ty and Adama like Butch and Sundance ready for one final gunfight.
AND THEN IT ENDS?!?!
The judging should end there - I know this. But I have to give BSG bonus points for the teaser of next week's show - Ty dead? Adama getting airlocked? And Bad Ass Roslin screaming "I'M COMING FOR YOU ALL!"
Holy crap!
If you haven't guessed yet, BSG takes this week in a walk. As awesome as Lost was, I'm SOOOOO much more looking forward to this week's BSG and that's the real test.
After two weeks of battle...
Lost - 1
BSG - 1
Tune in next week - same frakin' time, same frakin' channel.
2009-02-01
January In Music
I decided to make a conscious effort to cover music a little more around here in 2009 and I think I've been doing okay thusfar. If you were here at the end of the past couple years, you know that I usually end up posting a Top of the previous year. But for '09, I've elected to do one of those each and every month.
Without further adieu, the Top 5 Most Played "New" Songs of January 2009:
Honorable Mention:
You You You You You - The 6ths And Katharine Whalen
Half Asleep - School Of Seven Bells
Let It Slip - The School
More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley
5. The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen
If this was a subjective list instead of based on playcount, I'd have this as my Number One song of the month. I hadn't really heard much of the song until we went to actually see The Wrestler a couple of weeks ago. So, after this fantastic, gripping, heartbreaking story that hits far too close to home for someone who has watched pro wrestling since the mid-80s, the end credits come on and this song starts up. If there's such a thing as an absolutely perfect song to sum up a movie, it's this one. One of my favorite "new" Bruce songs ever.
4. Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
It's Soundtrack Mania here at the B-Spot for the month of January as three of the Top 5 spots are held by songs from movies. I dug the hell out of Slumdog. As much as I loved The Wrestler, I thought Slumdog was even better. And I'm really glad I didn't see Slumdog in 2008 so I wouldn't have to face the struggle between that and The Dark Knight as my favorite movie of 2008. But what really surprised me was how much I liked the soundtrack. I'm not much of an electronica guy and even less of a guy who likes "world music." But somehow, they knocked that combo out of the park with the Slumdog soundtrack that I bought the night we saw the movie.
3. Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle - The Mountain Goats & Kaki King
Okay, okay - I'll admit it. I downloaded the song because of the Super Mario reference. Are you happy now? But the beauty of it was that the song turned out not to be some gimmicky tune aimed at those of us feelin' the nostalgia of the 80s - it's actually a good damn song. I always have to give credit to a band that has the balls to stick their vocalist out there all alone to sing with hardly any accompaniment. That's got to be a tremendously difficult thing to pull off. But with a simple piano backing and a little shuffling percussion, the lead singer here knocks this the hell out of the park Roy Hobbs style.
2. We Rule The School - Belle & Sebastian
What was I saying about a band with the balls to toss their singer out there almost all alone to sing their hearts out? Oh yeah, Belle & Sebastian does that almost every single time out of the gates. I linked to a live version of this song instead of the studio version that the Blues have been rockin' out to over the past month but the point still stands. Belle & Sebastian are easily one of my favorite bands so it's always very cool to stumble upon a song from them that I haven't yet stumbled upon.
And the #1 song of January 2009...
1. Latika's Theme - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
Soundtrack Mania strikes again! Oh, and in this case, you can also say that the Missus strikes again because as much as I love this song and think it's probably the best piece of music on the Slumdog soundtrack, I did NOT listen to it eleven times in January! When I was updating iTunes this morning, this song had 5 plays until I plugged in Mrs. Blue's iPhone. As Joe Rogan would say... BAAAA-BLAAAAAAM!
But seriously, for those of you who haven't seen Slumdog yet or if you have and didn't bother to check out the soundtrack, listen to the two very different songs on the Top 5 of January and see if you change your tune.
Without further adieu, the Top 5 Most Played "New" Songs of January 2009:
Honorable Mention:
You You You You You - The 6ths And Katharine Whalen
Half Asleep - School Of Seven Bells
Let It Slip - The School
More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley
5. The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen
If this was a subjective list instead of based on playcount, I'd have this as my Number One song of the month. I hadn't really heard much of the song until we went to actually see The Wrestler a couple of weeks ago. So, after this fantastic, gripping, heartbreaking story that hits far too close to home for someone who has watched pro wrestling since the mid-80s, the end credits come on and this song starts up. If there's such a thing as an absolutely perfect song to sum up a movie, it's this one. One of my favorite "new" Bruce songs ever.
4. Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
It's Soundtrack Mania here at the B-Spot for the month of January as three of the Top 5 spots are held by songs from movies. I dug the hell out of Slumdog. As much as I loved The Wrestler, I thought Slumdog was even better. And I'm really glad I didn't see Slumdog in 2008 so I wouldn't have to face the struggle between that and The Dark Knight as my favorite movie of 2008. But what really surprised me was how much I liked the soundtrack. I'm not much of an electronica guy and even less of a guy who likes "world music." But somehow, they knocked that combo out of the park with the Slumdog soundtrack that I bought the night we saw the movie.
3. Thank You Mario But Our Princess Is In Another Castle - The Mountain Goats & Kaki King
Okay, okay - I'll admit it. I downloaded the song because of the Super Mario reference. Are you happy now? But the beauty of it was that the song turned out not to be some gimmicky tune aimed at those of us feelin' the nostalgia of the 80s - it's actually a good damn song. I always have to give credit to a band that has the balls to stick their vocalist out there all alone to sing with hardly any accompaniment. That's got to be a tremendously difficult thing to pull off. But with a simple piano backing and a little shuffling percussion, the lead singer here knocks this the hell out of the park Roy Hobbs style.
2. We Rule The School - Belle & Sebastian
What was I saying about a band with the balls to toss their singer out there almost all alone to sing their hearts out? Oh yeah, Belle & Sebastian does that almost every single time out of the gates. I linked to a live version of this song instead of the studio version that the Blues have been rockin' out to over the past month but the point still stands. Belle & Sebastian are easily one of my favorite bands so it's always very cool to stumble upon a song from them that I haven't yet stumbled upon.
And the #1 song of January 2009...
1. Latika's Theme - Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
Soundtrack Mania strikes again! Oh, and in this case, you can also say that the Missus strikes again because as much as I love this song and think it's probably the best piece of music on the Slumdog soundtrack, I did NOT listen to it eleven times in January! When I was updating iTunes this morning, this song had 5 plays until I plugged in Mrs. Blue's iPhone. As Joe Rogan would say... BAAAA-BLAAAAAAM!
But seriously, for those of you who haven't seen Slumdog yet or if you have and didn't bother to check out the soundtrack, listen to the two very different songs on the Top 5 of January and see if you change your tune.
2009-01-31
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.
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.
2009-01-30
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!
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!
2009-01-29
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?
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?
2009-01-28
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?
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?
2009-01-27
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...
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.
2009-01-26
2009-01-25
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
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
2009-01-24
2009-01-23
Lost vs BSG: Week One
It only seems fitting with these two obviously being the best shows on television right now to take a look at both shows each week in a head to head showdown.
Lost made its long-awaited return on Wednesday night with a doubleheader of goodness from the mysterious island. Now, Lost was at an advantage since it was two hours, right? And it also had an edge because it was the season premiere as opposed to the second episode of the season like BSG. Here's the crazy thing about Lost... it was crazy! Time jumps, bizarre goings-on, and more sci-fi than you can shake a stick at. For years now, there has been a very vocal group of Lost fans who've bitched about the sci-fi and how it took away from the show.
Welp, if you didn't like the sci-fi elements of Lost before, I hope you skipped Wednesday night's show because THE...SHIT...WAS...ON! Nobody knows when the hell they are... nobody knows why some people are in certain places/times... nobody knows... well, much of anything at the moment. While it's confusing for now, I'm fully confident that the powers that be will get shit cleared up in no time flat... well, as clear as Lost gets anyways.
And BSG? Well, big frakkin' spoiler alert but...
THE ADMIRAL AND THE PREZ ARE GETTIN' FREAKY!
Plus, the Chief's baby isn't the Chief's baby which means someone else actually slept with his vicious hag of a wife. Ty is having a baby with a Cylon.
AND NEXT WEEK LOOKS EVEN NUTTIER!
But... as awesome as BSG was this week...
I'm goin' with the time jumpin' island.
Lost - 1
BSG - 0
Tune in next week to see if Lost can keep the streak going!
Lost made its long-awaited return on Wednesday night with a doubleheader of goodness from the mysterious island. Now, Lost was at an advantage since it was two hours, right? And it also had an edge because it was the season premiere as opposed to the second episode of the season like BSG. Here's the crazy thing about Lost... it was crazy! Time jumps, bizarre goings-on, and more sci-fi than you can shake a stick at. For years now, there has been a very vocal group of Lost fans who've bitched about the sci-fi and how it took away from the show.
Welp, if you didn't like the sci-fi elements of Lost before, I hope you skipped Wednesday night's show because THE...SHIT...WAS...ON! Nobody knows when the hell they are... nobody knows why some people are in certain places/times... nobody knows... well, much of anything at the moment. While it's confusing for now, I'm fully confident that the powers that be will get shit cleared up in no time flat... well, as clear as Lost gets anyways.
And BSG? Well, big frakkin' spoiler alert but...
THE ADMIRAL AND THE PREZ ARE GETTIN' FREAKY!
Plus, the Chief's baby isn't the Chief's baby which means someone else actually slept with his vicious hag of a wife. Ty is having a baby with a Cylon.
AND NEXT WEEK LOOKS EVEN NUTTIER!
But... as awesome as BSG was this week...
I'm goin' with the time jumpin' island.
Lost - 1
BSG - 0
Tune in next week to see if Lost can keep the streak going!
2009-01-22
2009-01-21
2009-01-20
2009-01-19
Feel The Burn
So, with my arms and shoulders feeling like they may barely be able to move at my command in the morning, I guess it's safe to say that I belong to a gym again. Tonight was the "orientation/free sample personal training session" which basically exists so they can try to hard sell you on the Personal Training upsell after they kick your ass for 15 minutes.
Lessee... I did a bench press set using an actual free weight bench press - something I probably haven't done since High School and I didn't enjoy it much then either. Then he made me do "dips" - trying to hoist my body weight up and down while using the bench to push off of. Fun stuff.
But the embarrassment was still to come!
Did some other kind of chest press weight thing which went okay. And then it happened. A conversation ensued.
"Six pushups between sets."
"Uh oh."
"Do the best you can."
"Okay."
Sadly, the best I could involved me trying to push up off the ground and failing miserably. After the ass-kicking at the bench press, I had no strength left in my shoulders. I just couldn't do it. So after a couple horrific moments laying facefirst on the floor, flopping around like a fish trying to get off the ground... I had to figure out a new way to stand.
Since I'm typing this from home, you can be sure I figured out how to stand up again thankfully.
The rest? Not so bad. But that one moment will be sufficient humiliation for this week.
Why can't all gyms be like this...?
Lessee... I did a bench press set using an actual free weight bench press - something I probably haven't done since High School and I didn't enjoy it much then either. Then he made me do "dips" - trying to hoist my body weight up and down while using the bench to push off of. Fun stuff.
But the embarrassment was still to come!
Did some other kind of chest press weight thing which went okay. And then it happened. A conversation ensued.
"Six pushups between sets."
"Uh oh."
"Do the best you can."
"Okay."
Sadly, the best I could involved me trying to push up off the ground and failing miserably. After the ass-kicking at the bench press, I had no strength left in my shoulders. I just couldn't do it. So after a couple horrific moments laying facefirst on the floor, flopping around like a fish trying to get off the ground... I had to figure out a new way to stand.
Since I'm typing this from home, you can be sure I figured out how to stand up again thankfully.
The rest? Not so bad. But that one moment will be sufficient humiliation for this week.
Why can't all gyms be like this...?
2009-01-18
ITube, YouTube, WeAllTube
No desire to write tonight or more specifically - no idea what to write about.
On this big football day, here's one of my favorite scenes from a football movie.
On this big football day, here's one of my favorite scenes from a football movie.
2009-01-17
The Adventure Of Links
Links you all should be checkin' out is a good way to wrap up Saturday...
* Awesome Battlestar Galactica article with some really amazing stuff that gave me a mixture of the giggles and the chills to read.
* Chuck vs Shogun gets a Main Event nod - and the crowd goes mild.
* Rampage vs Jardine's a Main Event too? Really? Is the UFC running out of Main Events that people actually want to pay to see? Have they already burned out the viewing public? What's got two thumbs and is kinda bored with the MMA world at large? THIS GUY right here!
* Latest batch of Manny news.
* Apple hits the 15,000 app mark on the App Store as well as a half billion downloads. Now, the question is - just how many of those involve fart noises?
* Some thoughts on what Apple should do with Mr. Jobs on health leave. They missed the part where they activate the army of Jobs Clones that has slowly been developed over time.
* Circuit City is closing their doors. Other than feeling sorry for the 30,000 workers hitting the unemployment line and reminiscing fondly about when they reluctantly price-matched a "door buster" price on Guitar Hero 2 for me, this should wrap up what everyone should be feeling about the ol' CC.
* The death of Indie 103 is all over the LA blogs. A couple great reads on it can be found here and here.
* Awesome Battlestar Galactica article with some really amazing stuff that gave me a mixture of the giggles and the chills to read.
* Chuck vs Shogun gets a Main Event nod - and the crowd goes mild.
* Rampage vs Jardine's a Main Event too? Really? Is the UFC running out of Main Events that people actually want to pay to see? Have they already burned out the viewing public? What's got two thumbs and is kinda bored with the MMA world at large? THIS GUY right here!
* Latest batch of Manny news.
* Apple hits the 15,000 app mark on the App Store as well as a half billion downloads. Now, the question is - just how many of those involve fart noises?
* Some thoughts on what Apple should do with Mr. Jobs on health leave. They missed the part where they activate the army of Jobs Clones that has slowly been developed over time.
* Circuit City is closing their doors. Other than feeling sorry for the 30,000 workers hitting the unemployment line and reminiscing fondly about when they reluctantly price-matched a "door buster" price on Guitar Hero 2 for me, this should wrap up what everyone should be feeling about the ol' CC.
* The death of Indie 103 is all over the LA blogs. A couple great reads on it can be found here and here.
2009-01-16
Holy Frak (spoilers!)
Well, that was a mindfucker of 60 minutes of television.
I'm so glad we caught up with all the past seasons so we could watch the final episodes as they happen but I didn't expect the first of the final to go down like that.
Another crew member dead?
Earth in ruins?
THE CYLONS LIVED ON EARTH?!?!
Starbuck is... well, what?
And then, of course, the "final" Cylon is revealed.
I don't want to completely spoil anything so I'll hold off on details other than to say one final thing...
Lost has its work cut out for it to top this one next week.
2009-01-15
A Musical Miracle!
As I was driving to work today, I was thinking how awesome it'd be if "Hearts On Fire" from Rocky IV would come on the iPod. It didn't.
BUT...
On the way home, IT DID! It's a Musical Miracle!
BUT...
On the way home, IT DID! It's a Musical Miracle!
2009-01-14
R.I.P. Ricardo Montalban
Man, like the Steve Jobs news today wasn't bad enough.
In yet another sign that I work with people much younger than me, very few people knew who Ricardo Monalban was. Fantasy Island references accomplished absolutely nothing. The Naked Gun seemed to spark a few memories but nothing significant.
He was such an awesome villain in The Naked Gun.
...
That's really the extent of my glowing tribute to Ricardo Montalban. That's kinda sad. I'm sure he was in other stuff where he was good, right?
Quickly reading AICN's obit, I see he was in the Spy Kids movies. He also apparently had quite the history days back in the old studio days of Hollywood. I'd like to say that I'll check those out someday but odds are I won't.
Hey, at least I'm honest. I mean, I'm still the guy who wants to be a screenwriter and has never seen Casablanca and a ton of other cinema classics.
He also apparently played Khan in The Wrath Of Khan. Harry says he gave the best performance in Star Trek movie history.
Yeah, probably will never see that either.
But dammit, he was great in The Naked Gun! And who didn't love Fantasy Island?
In yet another sign that I work with people much younger than me, very few people knew who Ricardo Monalban was. Fantasy Island references accomplished absolutely nothing. The Naked Gun seemed to spark a few memories but nothing significant.
He was such an awesome villain in The Naked Gun.
...
That's really the extent of my glowing tribute to Ricardo Montalban. That's kinda sad. I'm sure he was in other stuff where he was good, right?
Quickly reading AICN's obit, I see he was in the Spy Kids movies. He also apparently had quite the history days back in the old studio days of Hollywood. I'd like to say that I'll check those out someday but odds are I won't.
Hey, at least I'm honest. I mean, I'm still the guy who wants to be a screenwriter and has never seen Casablanca and a ton of other cinema classics.
He also apparently played Khan in The Wrath Of Khan. Harry says he gave the best performance in Star Trek movie history.
Yeah, probably will never see that either.
But dammit, he was great in The Naked Gun! And who didn't love Fantasy Island?
2009-01-13
How 'Bout Them Lakers?
No, seriously. How about them?
It's been a weird NBA season for me. I'm not sure what it is - maybe the extended caring for the MLB season since the Dodgers were in the postseason a little longer than usual - but for whatever reason, I just haven't really gotten into the NBA this year. I've watched a couple of games but I don't have that same fire for it that I've had before.
I know that they're winning and winning often. I also know that after a brief stint of lockdown defense, they've apparently settled for trying to outscore everyone which worked so well against the Celtics in the Finals last year. I've seen quite a few nailbiter victories in recent weeks as well - against teams that didn't really seem like they should be nailbiters.
So, how about those Lakers? Are they as good as their record looks or are they as bad as these close wins to overmatched teams indicates?
And why don't I care as much this season? Why is it the heart of NBA season and I'm already counting the days 'til pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training (31, btw)?
Anyone?
Bueller?
It's been a weird NBA season for me. I'm not sure what it is - maybe the extended caring for the MLB season since the Dodgers were in the postseason a little longer than usual - but for whatever reason, I just haven't really gotten into the NBA this year. I've watched a couple of games but I don't have that same fire for it that I've had before.
I know that they're winning and winning often. I also know that after a brief stint of lockdown defense, they've apparently settled for trying to outscore everyone which worked so well against the Celtics in the Finals last year. I've seen quite a few nailbiter victories in recent weeks as well - against teams that didn't really seem like they should be nailbiters.
So, how about those Lakers? Are they as good as their record looks or are they as bad as these close wins to overmatched teams indicates?
And why don't I care as much this season? Why is it the heart of NBA season and I'm already counting the days 'til pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training (31, btw)?
Anyone?
Bueller?
2009-01-12
Ongoing 2009 Match Of The Year Blog
Welp, scratch that one. The angle continues though so I'll hold out hope for the classic.
Rey/Miz wasn't bad either. Not a MOTYC but it was okay.
Rey/Miz wasn't bad either. Not a MOTYC but it was okay.
Ongoing 2009 Match Of The Year Blog
So, I watched ECW this morning on the DVR.
Hardy/Henry was okay but fairly dull. The women's match was surprisingly decent. It's nice to see some women in the ring that don't usually get the chance. Boogeyman did his schtick and I didn't care.
BUT... there was a saving grace.
Jack Swagger vs Fit Finlay opened the show and had one hell of a match. Finlay was perfect as the tough-as-nails brawling veteran trying to outlast the up-and-coming arrogant youngster. Swagger worked Finlay's arm about as well as I've seen on WWE TV in a long, long while. There were some nice near falls sprinkled throughout and even your standard Hornswoggle comedy spot worked because Swagger got over on him right after it. They gave enough hope spots to make you think Finlay might take it but Swagger pulled it off in the end with a nice counter turned into the gutwrench powerbomb.
It was a fun as hell television match that I enjoyed a lot.
But was it a Match of the Year candidate? I've gone back and forth on that all day as I really liked it...
But... I think if I set the bar that low right away, I might be adding a lot of matches to this list throughout the year. I'm going to keep it on the DVR for a few more days while I think some more about it but right now, I'm leaning against it.
I also watched TNA Impact from last week... but fell asleep so I'm hoping I didn't miss anything of value. Sounds like there was a couple of matches on the TNA PPV from last night worth watching so I may need to check those out at some point.
But for now... Punk vs Regal is about to start. I've got high hopes for this one so I need to give it my attention!
Hardy/Henry was okay but fairly dull. The women's match was surprisingly decent. It's nice to see some women in the ring that don't usually get the chance. Boogeyman did his schtick and I didn't care.
BUT... there was a saving grace.
Jack Swagger vs Fit Finlay opened the show and had one hell of a match. Finlay was perfect as the tough-as-nails brawling veteran trying to outlast the up-and-coming arrogant youngster. Swagger worked Finlay's arm about as well as I've seen on WWE TV in a long, long while. There were some nice near falls sprinkled throughout and even your standard Hornswoggle comedy spot worked because Swagger got over on him right after it. They gave enough hope spots to make you think Finlay might take it but Swagger pulled it off in the end with a nice counter turned into the gutwrench powerbomb.
It was a fun as hell television match that I enjoyed a lot.
But was it a Match of the Year candidate? I've gone back and forth on that all day as I really liked it...
But... I think if I set the bar that low right away, I might be adding a lot of matches to this list throughout the year. I'm going to keep it on the DVR for a few more days while I think some more about it but right now, I'm leaning against it.
I also watched TNA Impact from last week... but fell asleep so I'm hoping I didn't miss anything of value. Sounds like there was a couple of matches on the TNA PPV from last night worth watching so I may need to check those out at some point.
But for now... Punk vs Regal is about to start. I've got high hopes for this one so I need to give it my attention!
2009-01-11
2009-01-10
Just Saw This
And my exact words were, "Oh, that's fucking cool..."
Yes, I'm quite the wordsmith at times - I'm aware.
Don't Change That Channel...
...because starting tomorrow night, TV is back, baby!
Okay, sure... a few things started trickling in this week. We had the return of Gossip Girl and 90210. Plus, there was the long-awaited premiere of Scrubs on NBC [and no, I haven't seen any of it yet as I've been too busy trying to clear old stuff off the DVR before tomorrow night.]
But the real burst of TV returns starts tomorrow night. Get your DVRs to do some deep-knee bends because it's heading straight for a world-class workout.
Tomorrow night, my DVR faces the brutal challenge of trying to find a way to get the usual recording of Desperate Housewives while three powerhouses of television compete for the other slot in my viewing schedule. The Golden Globes are on and while I'm usually pretty fond of checking them out, I'm going to have to take a pass this year. Why?
Because Jack Bauer is back! 24 returns with a vengeance with two hours on Sunday night and two hours on Monday night [a different problem altogether!] I'm super-stoked about this and can't wait to hear that countdown clock tomorrow night.
Oh, and the Battlestar Galactica Season 4 marathon wraps up on Universal HD tomorrow night which will have me fully caught up on BSG and ready and waiting for the second half of the season to premiere soon. After staying up til 2 AM to catch the first half of the marathon last weekend, I'm expecting to have to do the same tomorrow - thank God I have Monday off.
And speaking of Monday...
Raw? Check.
Gossip Girl? Check.
How I Met Your Mother return? Check.
Night 2 of the 24 premiere? Check.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
And to think, Heroes doesn't even come back until February! Looks like iTunes may be getting more of my money or the NBC website will get a very loyal Tuesday viewer.
For a TV fan, it's an exciting couple of days. And for those of you who aren't?
Go enjoy your "real lives," frackholes.
Okay, sure... a few things started trickling in this week. We had the return of Gossip Girl and 90210. Plus, there was the long-awaited premiere of Scrubs on NBC [and no, I haven't seen any of it yet as I've been too busy trying to clear old stuff off the DVR before tomorrow night.]
But the real burst of TV returns starts tomorrow night. Get your DVRs to do some deep-knee bends because it's heading straight for a world-class workout.
Tomorrow night, my DVR faces the brutal challenge of trying to find a way to get the usual recording of Desperate Housewives while three powerhouses of television compete for the other slot in my viewing schedule. The Golden Globes are on and while I'm usually pretty fond of checking them out, I'm going to have to take a pass this year. Why?
Because Jack Bauer is back! 24 returns with a vengeance with two hours on Sunday night and two hours on Monday night [a different problem altogether!] I'm super-stoked about this and can't wait to hear that countdown clock tomorrow night.
Oh, and the Battlestar Galactica Season 4 marathon wraps up on Universal HD tomorrow night which will have me fully caught up on BSG and ready and waiting for the second half of the season to premiere soon. After staying up til 2 AM to catch the first half of the marathon last weekend, I'm expecting to have to do the same tomorrow - thank God I have Monday off.
And speaking of Monday...
Raw? Check.
Gossip Girl? Check.
How I Met Your Mother return? Check.
Night 2 of the 24 premiere? Check.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
And to think, Heroes doesn't even come back until February! Looks like iTunes may be getting more of my money or the NBC website will get a very loyal Tuesday viewer.
For a TV fan, it's an exciting couple of days. And for those of you who aren't?
Go enjoy your "real lives," frackholes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
