Under The Gun!

Trying to watch the Celebrity Apprentice Finale before Mrs. Blue falls asleep. So, I don't have time for a full post. Take this and enjoy it!

108-95

What can you say?

The Lakers have their own fate in their hands. They went into tonight leading the Western Conference - albeit barely. The Conference is in the tightest race of all time where one or two wins or losses can move you drastically in either direction.

It is a crazy race and one where you can not afford to lose to the teams you should be beating.

Tonight, the Spurs beat the Clippers... like they're supposed to. Houston beat Minnesota... like they're supposed to. New Orleans beat Cleveland... which you can debate all you want but they were probably supposed to.

And Phoenix lost to the Celtics... like they were supposed to!

The Lakers? The Lakers fell 108-95 to the Charlotte Bobcats - the same Bobcats that are in 12th place in the horrid Eastern Conference. The same Bobcats who were 6-28 on the road going in to tonight. The same- you get the point.

I realize they're undermanned right now with Pau and Bynum... and Ariza... and Mihm... and... good lord. But, it's the Bobcats. You gotta beat teams like that. You just don't have a choice. You can't put it in neutral until your big men come back.

So, if the Lakers manage to win the Conference, tonight's loss is just a memory. But if they don't, it's one of those games you can look back on and cringe as to the reason they're facing a better team in the first round than they should.

Only about a month left, boys. Don't take your foot off the gas now.

Oh, and just to add a little more cloud to your silver lining, Kobe scored two technicials in the fourth quarter to earn himself an ejection. Not a problem on the surface but #24 leads the league in technicials with 15. One more technical in the regular season earns him a one game suspension.

Is there any chance in hell that that won't happen in the next month? I doubt it.

Scandal!

EDIT #2 - 10:42 PM - Alright, fine. I jumped the gun. After reading something elsewhere, I tracked down a Youtube of the performance and Seacrest actually introduced it as being Chris Cornell's version of the song. Of course, you could barely hear him say that and the judges completely ignored it. Eh... I'm not deleting my post though! It still counts, dammit!



On a bit of a lighter note from yesterday, I just finished watching American Idol. Idol is one of those shows that I thought I would hate from the minute I heard about it. As a self-admitted "music snob," the mere idea of having some kind of a singing contest to produce music's next big superstar was abhorrent to me. I didn't even watch the first season while operating under this same umbrella.

At some point, I heard Kelly Clarkson sing and thought, "Huh. Well, she's not so bad." But I really didn't watch Season 2 either until close to the very end. And in the end, I thought Rubin had a good voice but probably wouldn't be a star because R&B as a genre is in the toilet right now buried under a pile of pop and hip hop. So it goes. I watched Season 3 and thought it had some bright spots but was a little nauseous when Fantasia won.

Season 4 was awesome and I was hooked. Now we watch every season.

For those of you who haven't been watching this season, there's a contestant by the name of David Cook who is quickly becoming the "odds on favorite." He's a "rocker." I use quotes because Idol really doesn't have actual rockers... but they have a kinda generic quasi-rocker. Which isn't to say it's bad... it's just... light rock. If you've heard Chris Daughtry, you know what I'm trying to say.

David Cook is the second coming of Chris Daughtry and it almost feels like Idol is trying to "do it right" this time. Daughtry didn't make it to win his season but promptly outsold those who finished above him. I think Idol would like to finally crown a "rocker" just to get a little street cred back.

The problem with David Cook is not his vocals or his performing or any of that. The problem is the arrangements. And it's not his fault. The arrangements are usually pretty good actually.

The problem is that the arrangements are someone else's.

Which also wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that no one gets credited for them.

You see, when Daughtry was steamrolling his way through his season of Idol, he busted out a version of "I Walk The Line" one week by the immortal Johnny Cash. It had a "hard rock" style arrangement to it that went over very well with the judges and the fans.

It also wasn't Chris' arrangement. He had swiped it from Live's cover of the same tune. Like I said, not a bad thing to do... but at least give them some credit for it. At the time, when people figured out what he'd done, there was quite a bit of controversy around it and the Idol people eventually ended up giving Live credit on air. Good of them but it would be nice for the voters to know they're not voting for an original arrangement before they vote.

But I digress.

This year, David Cook has awed the judges and fans with his arrangements. First, a nifty little version of Lionel Richie's "Hello." There seems to be another one too but it's escaping me at the moment. And tonight? A rocky version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."

The problem? The arrangement of "Hello" was apparently used by Incubus before.

The arrangement of "Billie Jean" I instantly identified as Chris Cornell's horrific cover of it.

So, I give the kid credit for outdoing Chris Cornell tonight... but I can't give him credit for an original arrangement.

The hard part is listening to the judges fawn all over his "originality" and "bravery" while he sits there and smiles and soaks up their praise. If you respect the artist enough to want to use their arrangement, I would think you would respect them enough to want to give them credit on-air for it.

Maybe I'm being too hard on the boy. Maybe the Idol producers told him to shut his mouth and do it.

But a few years ago, it was a scandal not to it. What happened?

Am I just being silly to expect scruples from a reality show?


EDIT: Oh! And I forgot my other point. They were supposed to be singing songs from the year they were born. In David Cook's case, that was 1982. "Billie Jean" was on the Thriller album that is celebrating it's 25th anniversary this year - which means it was released in 1983. January 3, 1983 to be precise.

So, not only did they rip off the arrangement... they fudged the dates! Incredible.

Context Is Key

I know, I know... I keep saying we're not doing the politics thing. But there are things that bother me that sometimes I just can't help but share with the rest of the class.

Context is key.

CNN Contributor Roland Martin on "Chickens coming home to roost":

"As this whole sordid episode regarding the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has played out over the last week, I wanted to understand what he ACTUALLY said in this speech. I’ve been saying all week on CNN that context is important, and I just wanted to know what the heck is going on.

I have now actually listened to the sermon Rev. Wright gave after September 11 titled, “The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall.” It was delivered on Sept. 16, 2001.


One of the most controversial statements in this sermon was when he mentioned “chickens coming home to roost.” He was actually quoting Edward Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and deputy director of President Reagan’s terrorism task force, who was speaking on FOX News. That’s what he told the congregation.

He was quoting Peck as saying that America’s foreign policy has put the nation in peril:

“I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday did anybody else see or hear him? He was on FOX News, this is a white man, and he was upsetting the FOX News commentators to no end, he pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true, he said Americas chickens, are coming home to roost.”

“We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism.

“We took Africans away from their country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.

“We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.

“We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.

“We bombed Qaddafi’s home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your children’s head against the rock.

“We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that they’d never get back home.

“We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye.

“Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day.

“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.

“Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said that y’all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said the people we have wounded don’t have the military capability we have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them. And we need to come to grips with that.”

He went on to describe seeing the photos of the aftermath of 9/11 because he was in Newark, N.J., when the planes struck. After turning on the TV and seeing the second plane slam into one of the twin towers, he spoke passionately about what if you never got a chance to say hello to your family again.

“What is the state of your family?” he asked.

And then he told his congregation that he loved them and asked the church to tell each other they loved themselves.

His sermon thesis:

1. This is a time for self-examination of ourselves and our families.

2. This is a time for social transformation (then he went on to say they won’t put me on PBS or national cable for what I’m about to say. Talk about prophetic!)

“We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a society,” he said.

Wright then said we can’t stop messing over people and thinking they can’t touch us. He said we may need to declare war on racism, injustice, and greed, instead of war on other countries.

“Maybe we need to declare war on AIDS. In five minutes the Congress found $40 billion to rebuild New York and the families that died in sudden death, do you think we can find the money to make medicine available for people who are dying a slow death? Maybe we need to declare war on the nation’s healthcare system that leaves the nation’s poor with no health coverage? Maybe we need to declare war on the mishandled educational system and provide quality education for everybody, every citizen, based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay. This is a time for social transformation.”

3. This is time to tell God thank you for all that he has provided and that he gave him and others another chance to do His will.

By the way, nowhere in this sermon did he said “God damn America.” I’m not sure which sermon that came from.

This doesn’t explain anything away, nor does it absolve Wright of using the N-word, but what it does do is add an accurate perspective to this conversation.

The point that I have always made as a journalist is that our job is to seek the truth, and not the partial truth.

I am also listening to the other sermons delivered by Rev. Wright that have been the subject of controversy.

And let me be clear: Where I believe he was wrong and not justified in what he said based upon the facts, I will say so. But where the facts support his argument, that will also be said.

So stay tuned."




Roland Martin on "God Damn America":

"I just finished listening to the nearly 40-minute sermon Rev. Jeremiah Wright gave on April 13, 2003, titled, “Confusing God and Government.”
ALT TEXT

For those of us watching and listening to the media in the last week, it is better known as the “God Damn America” sermon.

Wright’s scriptural focus was Luke 19:37-44 (reading from the New Revised Standard Version).

In this sermon, Wright spoke about the military rule during biblical days, led by Pontius Pilate. It was clear, through his language, such as “occupying military brigade” that he was making an analogy to the war in Iraq.

“War does not make for peace,” he said. “Fighting for peace is like raping for virginity.”

“War does not make for peace. War only makes for escalating violence and a mindset to pay the enemy back by any means necessary,” he said.

He then gets to the thesis of his sermon, saying, “y’all looking to the government for only what God can give. A lot of people confuse God with their government.”

Wright criticizes the Bush administration and its supporters for using Godly language to justify the war in Iraq. He equates using God in America as condoning the war in Iraq to the same perspective of Islamic fundamentalists.

“We can see clearly the confusion in the mind of a few Muslims, and please notice I did not say all Muslims, I said a few Muslims, who see Allah as condoning killing and killing any and all who don’t believe what they don’t believe. They call it jihad. We can see clearly the confusion in their minds, but we cannot see clearly what it is that we do. We call it crusade when we turn right around and say that our God condones the killing of innocent civilians as a necessary means to an end. WE say that God understand collateral damage. We say that God knows how to forgive friendly fire.”

“We say that God will bless the shock and awe as we take over unilaterally another country, calling it a coalition because we’ve got three guys from Australia, going against the United Nations, going against the majority of Christians, Muslims and Jews throughout the world, making a pre-emptive strike in the name of God. We cannot see how what we are doing is the same thing that Al-Qaeda is doing under a different color flag – calling on the name of a different God to sanction and approve our murder and our mayhem.”

He continues on his thesis of equating government with our God, saying that God sent the early settlers to America to take the country from Native Americans; ordained slavery; and that “we believe that God approves of 6 percent of the people on the face of this earth controlling all of the wealth on the face of this earth while the other 94 percent live in poverty and squalor while we give millions of tax breaks to the white rich.”

He also criticizes the “lily white” G-7 nations for controlling the world’s capital.

Then Wright speaks to:

1. Governments lie.

“This government lied about their belief that all men were created equal. The truth is they believed that all white men were created equal. The truth is they did not even believe that white women were created equal, in creation nor civilization. The government had to pass an amendment to the Constitution to get white women the vote. Then the government had to pass an equal rights amendment to get equal protection under the law for women. The government still thinks a woman has no rights over her own body, and between Uncle Clarence (Thomas), who sexually harassed Anita Hill, and a closeted Klan court, that is a throwback to the 19th century, handpicked by Daddy Bush, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford, between Clarence and that stacked court, they are about to un-do Roe vs. Wade, just like they are about to un-do affirmative action. The government lied in its founding documents and the government is still lying today. Governments lie.”

“The government lied about Pearl Harbor. They knew the Japanese were going to attack. Governments lie. The government lied about the Gulf of Tonkin. They wanted that resolution to get us in the Vietnam War. Governments lie. The government lied about Nelson Mandela and our CIA helped put him in prison and keep him there for 27 years. The South African government lied on Nelson Mandela. Governments lie.”

“The government lied about the Tuskegee experiment. They purposely infected African American men with syphilis. Governments lie. The government lied about bombing Cambodia and Richard Nixon stood in front of the camera, ‘Let me make myself perfectly clear…’ Governments lie. The government lied about the drugs for arms Contra scheme orchestrated by Oliver North, and then the government pardoned all the perpetrators so they could get better jobs in the government. Governments lie.”

“The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. Governments lie. The government lied about a connection between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein and a connection between 9.11.01 and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Governments lie.”

“The government lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq being a threat to the United States peace. And guess what else? If they don’t find them some weapons of mass destruction, they gonna do just like the LAPD, and plant the some weapons of mass destruction. Governments lie.”

2. Governments change. He said long before the United States colonized the world, so did Egypt.

“All colonizers are not white. Turn to your neighbors and say that oppressors come in all colors.”

He then went back to the Bible and spoke about the changing of kings in Babylonia.

“Prior to Abraham Lincoln, the government in this country said it was legal to hold African in slavery in perpetuity…when Lincoln got in office, the government changed. Prior to the passing of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, government defined African as slaves, as property. Property, people with no rights to be respected by any whites anywhere. The Supreme Court of the government, same court, granddaddy of the court that stole the 2000 election. Supreme court said in it’s Dred Scott decision in the 1850s, no African anywhere in this country has any rights that any white person has to respect at any place, any time. That was the government’s official position backed up by the Supreme Court – that’s the judiciary; backed up by the executive branch – that’s the president; backed up by the legislative branch and enforced by the military of the government. But I stop by to tell you tonight that government’s change.”

“Prior to Harry Truman’s government, the military was segregated. But governments change.”

“Prior to the Civil Rights and equal accommodation laws of the government in this country, there was backed segregation by the country, legal discrimination by the government, prohibited blacks from voting by the government, you had to eat and sit in separate places by the government, you had sit in different places from white folks because the government said so, and you had to buried in a separate cemetery. It was apartheid, American style, from the cradle to the grave, all because the government backed it up.”

“But guess what? Governments change. Under Bill Clinton, we got a messed up welfare to work bill, but under Clinton blacks had an intelligent friend in the Oval Office. Oh, but governments change.”

“The election was stolen. We went from an intelligent friend to a dumb Dixiecrat. A rich Republican who has never held a job in his life; is against affirmative action (and) against education – I guess he is; against healthcare, against benefits for his own military, and gives tax breaks to the wealthiest contributors to his campaign. Governments change. Sometimes for the good, and sometimes for the bad.”

“Where governments change, God does not change. God is the same yesterday, today and forever more. That’s what his name I Am means. He does not change.”

“God was against slavery on yesterday, and God, who does not change, is still against slavery today. God was a God of love yesterday, and God who does not change, is still a God of love today. God was a God of justice on yesterday, and God who does not change, is still a God of justice today.”

“God does not change.”

3. He then speaks of the government in his Bible text and said the Romans failed. Then he said the British government failed even after it colonized the world. He said the Russian government failed. The Japanese government failed. The German government failed.

“And the United States of America government, when it came to treating her citizens of Indian descent, she failed. She put them on reservations.”

“When it came to putting her citizens of Japanese descent fairly, she failed. She put them in interment prison camps.”

“When it came to putting the citizens of African descent fairly, America failed. She put them in chains. The government put them on slave quarters. Put them on auction blocks. Put them in cotton fields. Put them in inferior schools. Put them in substandard housing. Put them scientific experiments. Put them in the lower paying jobs. Put them outside the equal protection of the law. Kept them out of their racist bastions of higher education, and locked them into positions of hopelessness and helplessness.”

“The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three strike law and then wants us to sing God Bless America. Naw, naw, naw. Not God Bless America. God Damn America! That’s in the Bible. For killing innocent people. God Damn America for treating us citizens as less than human. God Damn America as long as she tries to act like she is God and she is Supreme.”

“The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent. Think about this. Think about this. For every one Oprah, a billionaire, you’ve got 5 million blacks that are out of work. For every one Colin Powell, a millionaire, you’ve got 10 million blacks who cannot read. For every one Condi-Skeezer Rice, you’ve got 1 million in prison. For every one Tiger Woods, who needs to get beat at the Masters, with his Cablanasian hips, playing on a course that discriminates against women, God has this way of brining you up short when you get to big for your Cablanasian britches. For every one Tiger Woods, we’ve got 10,000 black kids who will never see a golf course. The United States government has failed the vast majority of her citizens of African descent.”

“Tell your neighbor he’s (going to) help us one last time. Turn back and say forgive him for the God Damn, that’s in the Bible though. Blessings and curses is in the Bible. It’s in the Bible.

“Where government fail, God never fails. When God says it, it’s done. God never fails. When God wills it, you better get out the way, cause God never fails. When God fixes it, oh believe me it’s fixed. God never fails. Somebody right now, you think you can’t make it, but I want you to know that you are more than a conqueror through Christ. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.”

He then went on to talk about the salvation of Christians through the death of Jesus Christ. The sermon ended with a song proclaiming, “God never fails.”"


And that's that.

Context is key, people. Always remember.


EDIT: And if you managed to wade through all that, here's your reward!

One Week

As I once again race to beat "the deadline" so I can continue the streak, I'm looking for a nice, simple topic to write about so I don't have to think too much.

With that in mind, we find ourselves approximately seven days from two of my favorite days of the year.

Next Sunday will be Wrestlemania - always a holiday for me. The price has gone up yet again and the show doesn't have a lot of the same flair [no pun intended] that it has in past years but there is still plenty about it that I'm looking forward to. I'll probably do a little more thorough rundown later in the week so I don't want to burn all that up right now but I will say that I almost feel bad for Shawn Michaels heading into next Sunday. He's been put into one of the toughest positions imaginable where he needs to figure out a way to work his Wrestlemania magic and give Ric Flair a final match that no one will ever forget. It won't be easy... Flair hasn't had a truly memorable match in quite some time. But it will be a huge moment one way or the other.

Next Monday will be the Dodgers Opening Day. And with seven days to go til the 2008 season opens at home, the Dodgers _still_ have a lot of questions to be answers for their team. As short-term problems, they need to figure out if Jeff Kent will be ready for Opening Day and if not, who will take his spot [my money is on Abreu although Marcus Giles got cut today and immediately becomes a dark horse candidate for me.] Nomar appears to be missing Opening Day and LaRoche is sidelined for a month or so more after that. My guess is that Hu and Abreu will double up at the hot corner until Nomar is ready to go. We still need a fifth starter which has settled into a battle between Park and Loaiza. My gut still stays Loaiza gets the gig because of his contract but Park has pitched well enough to earn a shot... if not in Dodger Blue, somewhere else in the big leagues. All signs are that Kuo and Young will both make the squad because they're out of minor league options - meaning we either keep them with the big club or risk losing them to another team via waivers. That'll make for quite the roster crunch. Supposedly, we should expect some big cuts tomorrow so it'll be interesting to see who is left standing.

I'm done! Be back tomorrow with something a little more... well... who knows really.

Hehehehe... he said "anal fissures"

One of the most overlooked and underappreciated forms of humor is the list of injuries that players have somehow managed to acquire over the years to force them out of action. While you never want to laugh at an injury, well... sometimes you just have to.

Who can forget Jeff Kent's broken wrist from "falling out of his truck while washing it?" Of course, it was later revealed that he broke it while doing wheelies on his motorcycle... a violation of his contract that pretty much was the beginning of the end of his stint with the San Francisco Giants. Washing your truck or doing wheelies? Either one is a pretty dumb way to get injured.

But baseball players aren't the only ones to get injured in dumb ways. Laker fans will not forgive or forget Vladimir Radmanovic for his injury over the 2006-07 All Star Break. It was shortly after the break that he announced he had suffered a separated shoulder when he slipped on a icy sidewalk in Utah. Very few, if any, bought the excuse and it was just days later that he told the truth - it was a snowboarding injury which was, of course, again a violation of his contract. The Lakers "went easy" on Vlad Rad and opted not to terminate his contract for the breach - instead fining him $500,000 for his boneheaded move.

And one more of those, "million to one shot, doc" injuries... Houston Astros' outfielder Hunter Pence had my favorite injury of the winter when he accidentally jumped through a glass door, shattering it and slicing himself to shit in the process. How could such a thing happen, you ask? He and "a friend" were hot-tubbing on his deck when he suddenly decided he needed to use the bathroom. He jumped out of the hot tub and jumped towards the door - only to discover his "friend" had shut it. The door shattered and hilarity ensued.

But not all of the best injury stories come from the way they happen. Sometimes you just have to laugh at the injury itself. And no, I'm not talking about the occasional chuckle when someone gets a strained groin. I'm not even talking about the Dodgers' Tony Abreu and his INJURED ASS this spring. Maybe I'm talking about Clemens' ass injury discussed during his Congressional testimony?

Well, no... but that was a good one too.

My new favorite injury popped up [so to speak] this evening when I was watching some old AWA wrestling on ESPN Classic that I had DVRd last week. Something on the news crawl caught my eye in a "Did that just say..."

Yes, it did.

Kaz Matsui was going on the disabled list for... anal fissures.

Now, if you're like most of America, you're only experience with that term came from The Office a couple seasons back when Dwight was picking a new health plan and Kevin wanted to make sure that "anal fissures" would be covered because "someone had them."

And if you never bothered at that point to discover what they were... well, I'm here to educate one and all.

"An anal fissure is an unnatural crack or tear in the anus skin. As a fissure, these tiny tears may show as bright red rectal bleeding and cause severe periodic pain after defecation. [...] Most anal fissures are caused by stretching of the anal mucosa beyond its capability. Various causes of this fissure include:

* Straining to defecate, especially if the stool is hard and dry
* Severe and chronic constipation
* Severe and chronic diarrhea
* Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis
* Tight sphincter muscles
* Anal intercourse"

Sounds... pleasant!

So, poor Kaz will be sliding headfirst for a while apparently as he recovers from his... well, utter and total humiliation at having this disclosed to the entire sporting world, I'd imagine. Best of luck to you, buddy. And if they bench you... don't forget the donut.

Oh, by the way, while doing "intensive research" for this posting, I may have discovered my new favorite sports injury...

Apparently the Spring of '08 is going to be big for bizarre injuries because as odd as Matsui's is... check out poor Cubs outfielder Felix Pie.

"Pie is suffering from what's called testicular torsion, or, in layman's terms, a twisted testicle. It happened early in camp, but Pie had the problem reduced manually, sources said, and was able to continue playing. He was scheduled to have the corrective surgery on the Cubs off-day next Monday, but when Pie reported to camp with soreness Monday, the Cubs decided to get the procedure done today."

ANAL FISSURES... TWISTED TESTICLES... Sweet Lord have mercy on us all.

It's almost enough to make you wish Jeff Kent would wash his truck again.

Almost.

Top Five Friday

With two and a half hours until "deadline," i've struggled to find a good Top Five for this Friday. Mrs. Blue has given me a bunch of possible topics that I've cruelly shot down one by one much to her dismay.

Finally, she picked one that I had kind of thought of earlier in the day. So, with options running out, I present...

The Top Five Places To Buy Music [All-Time Edition]

5. Best Buy
Oh come on. Sometimes you just need to find something fast and somewhat cheap. However, Best Buy was much cooler when they first opened when they were actually trying to run out all the music store chains. The prices were cheap, the racks were well-stocked and organized. Now, they just don't care because they figure that you can't go anywhere else. So, basically, they suck now but they had potential once upon a time.

4. Virgin Megastore
And I'm talking a very specific Virgin Megastore - the one that formerly existed in the Triangle Square shopping center in Costa Mesa. I have very fond and vivid memories of going to that store with my friends for a few years [about 1994-96.] It really was unlike any store we'd ever seen. So massive, so many choices... and all those awesome listening stations where you could hear all the stuff that you'd never heard of before. It was expensive as shit though. I remember going there before my first concert [Stone Temple Pilots at formerly Irvine Meadows] and buying the Beastie Boys disc that had "Sabotage" on it. I don't even own that CD anymore I don't believe but at the time, it was the shit. That store is gone now like most music stores seem to be but the memories live on.

3. Tower Records

Whether it was the Tower Records in Costa Mesa or the historic one on Sunset, most people miss Tower Records. Me? I miss the one that was in West Covina. You see, that particular Tower was off the freeway on the way from my aunts' house going back home. So, if I was really annoying, I could sometimes get my mom to stop there on the way home so I could race inside and spend some money. I was way too young to appreciate the awesome selection and basically ended up dropping money on some cassette singles at $3 each [see, even as a kid I knew that the record industry was putting out shit for full albums.] In my later years, I didn't shop there so much because the prices were so high but I never thought the whole chain would fold up like they did last year. I went in to the local Tower to pick up some "going out of business" stuff but it was so sad being in there. I might have even shed a tear if it was at _my_ Tower.

2. The Mad Platter

I think that everyone who goes "away" to college has their local music store that brings back so many fond memories. The Mad Platter in Riverside was mine. Tucked away on a side street in the "not-so-nice" side of town, the Mad Platter sold tons of local bands, tons of ska and punk, and tons of used CDs that I could thumb through for hours trying to find what to spend my hard-earned Work Study money on. They would even open the CDs for you to listen to on the in-store CD players if you asked. For a youngster, the most eye-opening thing to discover were bootlegs. I'd always _heard_ of bootlegs but actually discovering that you could get an entire concert of your favorite band for $20-30 bucks was amazing. I still treasure the Pearl Jam Rarities bootleg that I bought there that had their entire MTV Unplugged set plus "Sonic Reducer" that I used to shove in the face of people who thought they were hardcore PJ fans. Ahhhh, the innocent days of being a music snob. The Mad Platter was also the source to discover all the shows coming to town... you know, before the Internet. This store is gone too. Sounds like a broken record, huh?

1. Amoeba Music

In the heart of Hollywood, I had heard of this store for ages but never actually made it up there until May of '06. Needless to say, I instantly fell in love with it. Two stories of greatness, tons and tons and tons of CDs everywhere to be found. New CDs, used CDs, local CDs, big time CDs. There's racks of vinyl [something I'm efforting to get into very soon.] There are little side rooms that cover Jazz and Soundtracks. There are sections for country, for international, for... just about anything you can imagine. They even have DVDs upstairs if that's what you're looking for. The walls are absolutely papered with posters for bands and movies and... yeah. I can spend hours in the store digging through the entire used music section, wander upstairs with a handbasket overflowing with CDs pulled off the racks, and then listening to them all on the listening stations upstairs that scan the barcode to pull them up in the system. Yeah, sometimes that system doesn't work but dammit, it's the thought that counts. Honestly, it's a good thing I live an hour away from Amoeba because if I was any closer, they might get almost every dime I have. Oh, and they also feature in-store concerts from time to time... something I've failed to see so far but intend to remedy soon. It's still open... for now. Show 'em some love and keep it that way, okay?

And that's that.

On a side note, I had an internal debate on whether or not to include iTunes Music Store in this list seeing that's where I buy most of music nowadays. I decided not to because it's an uneven playing field for convenience but if you're looking for music in a hurry and at [usually] the most reasonable price you can find, you can't beat the ITMS. For those of you who prefer an actual disc or piece of vinyl in your hands, head on down to Hollywood.

Best Laid Plans...

With my head slowly clearing, I was prepared to attempt a longish blog post tonight. Something about the frailty of man as we endeavor to achieve lasting greatness in a cynical, apathetic world.

But then I saw this...



This is the first publicity photo of Ray Park in costume.

No other words needed.

EDIT: A BONUS PHOTO!

It's The Brain Pain, Coach

Sorry for the late... and short... post but I've been laid up for most of the past two days with a really bad head cold. I think it's starting to finally get better but I'm having a hard time focusing on the computer to write anything.

So, this is all you get...

Farewell to Dodgertown

With the Dodgers making their final appearance in a Grapefruit League game today on the road, it only seems fitting to make a farewell to Dodgertown today.

After making Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Florida, their spring training home for the past 60 years, the Dodgers have played their final game in Holman Stadium. In fitting fashion, thanks to the China trip, Tommy Lasorda was the manager for the final game. Unfortunately, the Dodgers weren't able to pull out a victory [despite uber-rare 9 inning stints for both Andre Ethier and Rafael Furcal - who both requested to stay in the game to try and get Tommy and the Dodgers the win] but it does little to take away the warm and fuzzies that many hold to their heart over that stadium and complex.

Tommy said it best in a pre-game address to the sold-out crowd. "You're going to make me cry, huh? I can't find the words to express my feeling for all of you people. We are going to leave, but we will have the memories forever. God bless you."

For longtime Dodgers fans, everyone has their own special memory of Dodgertown to recall. Whether it's that fateful day each spring when after months of waiting, you heard the sound of Vin Scully's voice wishing you a terrific day "wherever you may be" from Holman Stadium. Whether it's the crazy stories that have trickled out of those old army barracks through the years [the Strongman practical joke, the Green Phantom, among others.] Maybe it's 1988 when the Dodgers' new Free Agent acquisition got pissed off and stormed off the practice field when Jesse Orosco played a prank on him.
Or for others, it's the stories of Dodgers legends Sandy Koufax stopping in to camp to give a few words of advice to young pitchers or Maury Willis teaching bunting at "Maury's Pit."

Whatever it is, there is almost always something about Dodgertown that will bring a smile to a fan's face. I've never seen another spring training complex like it and for a now-31 year old, my fondest memories of Dodgertown come from the 5 days I spent there in the spring of 1989.

Memories like chasing down Kirk Gibson just before he stepped into a batting cage, getting his autograph, and [I've always told the story] getting the flu from him as he wiped his nose before handing back my pen.

Memories like chasing down an unknown Dodger legend with a baseball to get signed... only to discover it was Al Downing. Hey, at least he's famous for something, right?

Memories like Tommy Lasorda throwing batting practice and giving running commentary while doing so. "Where do you wanna live? I wanna live at 6-4-3 DP Lane!"

Memories like sitting in Vero Beach's only movie theatre watching Rain Man and hearing Vin Scully's trademark voice laughing at the Fernando joke and getting chills up and down my spine.

Memories that'll last a lifetime.


Little Blue in Dodgertown

Blue's Concert Calendar

So, I'm sitting here watching Styx perform a concert with a children's youth orchestra which is pretty fuckin' rad and I decided that I'd put together a list of the concerts in the Southern California that I wish I was going to [and highly suggest that you go to!]

I think I'll try to keep this somewhat up to date and post it once a week or so. We'll see how that plot turns out.

Here's my first stab at this one. If you see something I'm obviously missing, please send it in.

March
-----
3/19 - Nada Surf & Sea Wolf @ The Fonda in Hollywood
3/20 - Vampire Weekend @ The El Rey
3/21 - Nada Surf & Sea Wolf @ Glass House in Pomona

April
-----
4/4-5 - Bon Jovi & Daughtry @ The Venue Formerly Known As The Pond
4/7-8 - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band @ The Pond
4/9 - Bon Jovi & Daughtry @ Staples Center
4/12-13 - Eddie Vedder & Liam Finn @ The Wiltern
4/16-17 - Eels @ The El Rey
4/24 - Rilo Kiley @ Glass House in Pomona
4/28 - I'm From Barcelona @ The El Rey

May
---
5/15 - Eisley @ The El Rey
5/17 - Eisley @ Glass House
5/27 - The Police @ Hollywood Bowl
5/29 - R.E.M. @ Hollywood Bowl

June
----
6/25 - Tom Petty @ Hollywood Bowl

July
----
7/11-12 - Ricky Gervais @ Kodak Theatre

August
------
8/1 - Rod Stewart/Bryan Adams @ The Venue Formerly Known As Irvine Meadows
8/22 - Tom Petty @ Verizon Wireless
8/29-30 - John Williams @ Hollywood Bowl

WOOOO EDDIE!

Holy shit! I was at this show!

EMERGENCY POST!

Gotta keep the streak alive, right?

Was gone most of the day so this is all you get.

Top Five Friday

This came to me sometime this week when I was thinking about attempting to put together a concert chronology of my life - a document cataloging the MANY concerts I've been to in my 31 years. I started to ponder what bands that I want to see that I never have. And it had to be bands still possible to see. Like, I couldn't pick Nirvana or something.

And so, I present...

Top Five Bands/Artists I Still Want To See In Concert

SURPRISE! Because I'm having some fun with this one, I present a special SUPER-SIZED edition of this list. You get a Top 10, baby!

10. Rod Stewart

This one is a "problem" pick for me. It almost falls into the category of concerts that aren't possible to see anymore. You see, I want to see Rod Stewart rocking all his stuff from the 70s and 80s... not the standards that he's singing now to put food on his table. You can blame my Aunts for this one as I grew up listening to Stewart, Springsteen, Manilow, and Petty among others. Ultimately, Springsteen became one of my favorite [if not my favorite] artists but I still have a soft spot for Rod Stewart and the others.

9. Madonna

We actually had tickets to see Madonna in concert several years ago but as we got close to the night of the show, I checked some setlists to see what she was performing. To my horror, she was only singing songs off her new album [which I think was the Ray of Light tour... could be wrong.] I don't get these older performers. I understand the desire to create and perform new music but seriously, you MUST understand that people come to your concerts to see their old favs. So, we sold the tix for a nice profit and skipped the show. Someday she'll come through with a greatest hits album or something and I'll be there, baby!

8.Styx

This is another one that borders on the "can't really happen anymore." Some of you are confused by that as Styx pretty much plays in your area several times a year. Yes, that's true. Unfortunately though, Dennis DeYoung... the original Styx vocalist does not tour with them. From what I understand, guitarist Tommy Shaw does all the vocals himself. While it'd still be cool to hear Styx rock the joint, it will not be the same without Dennis' mile high melodic voice on the ballads especially. I still want to check them out someday though as they're one of my favorite rock bands.

7. AC/DC

One of the greatest rock bands of all time. It's not quite the same with Brian Johnson on vocals rather than Bon Scott but it'd do for me. One of the first CDs I ever owned was AC/DC Live and I still remember being in awe of how much they rocked. At some point, I sold that CD as a dumb youth and only recently bought a new copy of it. The album has the same kind of magic as the INXS Live album had that made you think being at that concert would have been one of the coolest nights of your life.

6. Led Zeppelin

I know, right? How could this not make the Top 5, especially since it just recently became possible again? Well, don't get me wrong, I really like Led Zeppelin.. but they've just never been one of my favorites. I can't explain it really but they just never have resonated that much with me. But I do realize how historically epic they are and for that reason alone, I'd go to see them. It's similar to The Who or Pink Floyd that also missed the list. Not one of my favs but I'd go see them if given the opportunity.

5. Bon Jovi

Next to Styx, this is probably the silliest band to still be on my list. It seems like Bon Jovi is playing locally every year to year and a half. Hell, they're going to be playing in Anaheim here very shortly in fact. But the timing always seems off. This year? No funds. Another year? Was elsewhere. The stars just don't align for Mr. Bon Jovi and myself to be in the same building. Some day though... some day.

4. The Rolling Stones

You know, I've always had a slight desire to see the Stones. I remember when Metallica opened for them and when Pearl Jam another time. Both times I thought that was my chance to see them since I loved their opening act. It was a "worst case scenario" kind of thing. I figured even if the Stones didn't rock, the opener would. But the thing is, I'm fairly sure the Stones would rock. And now that this new doc is coming out directed by Scorcese of one of their concerts, I'm fairly sure that I'm about to move this up to #1 on the list.

3. The Eagles

The Eagles have always been one of my favorite bands. Their blend of country-rock always kinda worked for me for some reason. It's another one of those bands I grew up listening to so their songs have always been part of my life. I have a little bit of fear of seeing these guys now because they all seem to really dislike one another so much, I'm afraid the show would seem like musicians going through the motions rather than a band actually feeling their performance. I'd be willing to take the risk though.

2. Prince

Really? Do I have to explain? It's motherfuckin' Prince, yo.

1. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Ahhh... yet another band that is playing locally this year. I really hope I get to make this show because after seeing a doc on the band earlier this year, I seriously wonder how many more chances I will get. I love the band... always have [and yes, I said that in the William Wallace accent.] What more can I say?

Think It Over... Creep.

Don't worry. I've still got a Top 5 Friday for you later today [and I think it's a pretty good one] but I just this from our friends at AICN and had to comment.

What the hell is with the movie and TV industries these days?

I know that seems to be a frequent topic around here but as a struggling and aspiring writer, it's painful to see dreck after dreck after dreck green-lighted while I chip away at something new and fresh and fun. See, if I was already successful at this career path, I could just rip off something already out there and be a millionaire overnight [that little faggot's got his own jet airplane... that little faggot he's a millionaire... we got to install- never mind.]

I really don't get it. I don't understand why it's so difficult for Hollywood to embrace new ideas. I understand why from a business aspect, I suppose... the devil you know and all. But creatively, it's a nightmare. You saw my post last night about a relaunch of Beverly Hills 90210. It's a perfect example. It's just the brand name they want. As you read more and more about it, it becomes more and more apparent they plan to start fresh with completely new characters. Then why call it 90210? Branding. It's a familiar brand to people and it's a blatant attempt to cash in on the good will of fans of the first show.

Want some more?

What about the piles of remakes and sequels that are filling up the slates of every movie studio [and some TV studios - Bionic Woman, anyone?] in town?

Take a look at this snippet from an MGM press release...

"MGM is planning an exciting fall and winter release schedule. In partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, MGM will bring new installments of two of its tentpole franchises -- the new James Bond movie QUANTUM OF SOLACE and Steve Martin in PINK PANTHER 2. MGM will also release United Artists' international thriller VALKYRIE, starring Tom Cruise on October 3. With the appointment of Parent, MGM will enter its new phase of evolution by focusing on its major movie franchises highlighted by JAMES BOND and PINK PANTHER sequels, THE HOBBIT, THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR 2, THE OUTER LIMITS, ROBOCOP, DEATH WISH and FAME, among others."

Okay... so, another Bond. That's fine. Casino Royale was a lot of fun so they earned some street cred from me on that one. Pink Panther 2?! Did anyone even see Pink Panther 1?! I have yet to ever have a conversation with anyone in the world that contained the phrase, "Hey, you really should check out the Pink Panther movie!" So, in that one we have a sequel to a franchise that probably should have been left alone.

The Hobbit? No complaints there.

Thomas Crown Affair 2? What the fuck? Was there some great untold story in the life of Thomas Crown that I missed in the first one? I won't completely shat on this one because I dug the first one... although that in itself is a remake. Sequels to remakes... what will they think of next?

FAME?! You're re-doing FAME?! Let me guess. It'll be "modernized" into a "Step Up 2" style plot line. Awesome. We don't have enough dance crew movies and TV shows. It's soddin' brilliant, mate.

I'm going to ignore the other two in favor of going...



WHY IN THE HOLY FUCK WOULD YOU GO BACK TO ROBOCOP?!

There are two possibilities here. They're going to slightly piss me off by going back and doing another sequel to a movie that had two too many shitty sequels OR they're going to SEVERELY piss me off and go back and remake one of the most picture perfect action movies ever. Either way, it's enough to make you want to track down MGM's studio head and give him a, "Dead or alive, you're coming with me."

And now to add on to the, "What the fuck?" for the day.

Thanks to AICN, I also discovered that NBC is close to green-lighting a show where Christian Slater plays a dual personality... a Jekyll/Hyde thing where one personality is a nice, kind stay at home dad versus a superspy. Oooookay. And to top it off, this is operating under NBC's new policy of not needing a pilot to approve the series. Really? You sure you want to do that, guys? Christian Slater rules the world and all but... seriously?

And the icing on the cake. FOX is close to greenlighting a new animated series by the creator of the brilliant Arrested Development. But before they do, the entire future of that series will be decided by the network suits watching a reading of the show's script by the cast.

...

An animated series... being judged on a cast reading.

I don't even know where to start with that.

And so I won't!

Let Donna Martin Graduate!

In one of the most bizarre stories I've seen in a while, rumors abound that the CW has approached Rob Thomas [of the uber-brilliant and sadly unappreciated Veronica Mars fame] about writing a remake of Beverly Hills 90210 for launch this fall.

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that.

I was an off-and-on fan of 90210 the first time around. It wasn't something that I adored but there were times when I didn't think it was the worst way to kill an hour either. And granted, when it hit syndication, I probably saw a very large chunk of the episodes.

I was an adorer of Veronica Mars... even the much-maligned third season... and was crushed when it was canceled only to be excited by the idea of Veronica FBI... and then crushed again when they didn't pick that up. The CW used and abused my emotions on Veronica Mars and I will forever resent them for it. But the idea of Rob Thomas writing for television again... well, let's just say there are few better ways to get me stoked about a TV show.

The other thing that throws the monkey in the wrench for me for this one is Gossip Girl. The article actually claims that 90210 would be a good partner for Gossip Girl... basically filling the other part of a night nicely. While I agree they'll probably hit the same demo, I'd be concerned that they would be too similar. I mean, GG covers elitist rich as shit teens trying to cope in NYC. 90210 covers elitist rich as shit teens trying to cope in Beverly Hills. Is there really enough of a difference between NYC and BH to warrant two shows with the same premise?

The intriguing piece? They reference the possibility that some cast members from the original might return. I can't really recall how the show ended so I don't know who or what would work for that but it might make the show a definite DVR add for curiosity.

Whatchu think, peeps?

By Popular Demand...

As you know, I occasionally take requests for blog topics. And when such a request comes from the Best Man at my wedding, I pretty much am required by Man Law to discuss.

So, he asked three questions... and I shall answer.

1) Houston Rockets are attempting to go 20-0 tonight
Absolutely incredible. An amazing team running off a streak like that is impressive enough and the Rockets just aren't an amazing team. Three-quarters of this streak was run off while Yao Ming was still active on the team which makes it slightly less impressive since he made them much closer to an elite team. But nonetheless, a T-Mac [and T-Mac alone] led team winning 5 or 6 in a row is impressive. I can't imagine the streak will last much longer but if it does, Lebron and Kobe better make room for a third man in the MVP race. The interesting thing will be if they're still on the streak when they play the Lakers on Sunday. That will be a wild one especially since...

2] The Lakers are 1/2 game ahead of the Western Conference and playing cocky going 15 for 32 of the 3-point line last night
The Lakers are at a crossroads right now. While they're still winning, they're not winning impressively at the moment. Their defense is bad... real bad... very bad... shitty bad. You just can't let teams like Toronto and Sacramento run you up for over 100 points. I understand they're playing a faster pace offense at the moment and putting up big numbers too but come playoff time, you gotta be able to play tough D when it counts. If they think they can play the high octane offense and run San Antonio, Boston, or Detroit off the floor, they're sadly mistaken. This is the time to tighten the screws, get the defense in order, stop fucking falling in love with the three pointers, and play solid basketball for the next couple months until the playoffs. I don't like seeing Kobe say "We played well" after letting Toronto get a near win and losing to Sacramento at friggin' home. I hope they get their heads on straight... and quickly.

3] "F'n City Slicker Billy Crystal is going to play for the N.Y. Yankees tomorrow against the Pirates."

Seriously, man? This is what you want to use your last question on? Really? Alright, fine. Why do I care about this story at all? He's a has-been actor who hasn't been in anything of interest in well over a decade. It's the Evil Empire of baseball making headlines again for what really isn't a baseball story. Next you'll tell me that the Yankees will be producing a new reality game show series called "Pitching With The Stars" where 16 celebrities train with Roger Clemens in an effort to become the next Yankees starting pitcher.

Hey... I think I might watch that.

Somebody call my agent!

You Tryin' To Say Jesus Christ Can't Hit A Curveball?

Here's a brief rundown on the news out of Dodgertown as we get closer and closer to Opening Day:

** Clayton Kershaw makes headlines
You've seen them... you know you have. Hyping up Kershaw's killer curveball now known throughout baseball as "Public Enemy No. 1" Thankfully, it appears that Joe Torre has the good sense to let the kid stew in the minors a little longer before bringing him up to the big leagues. But just to whet your appetite, take a look at this hammer...



Lawd have mercy.

** Who's on third?
Nomar's wrist is still sore. LaRoche is out to 6 to 8 weeks. Abreu has an injured ass [completely and totally serious.] They've got Hu taking grounders at third. They've got Young taking grounders at third. And every friggin' baseball rumor site has Dodgers trade rumors for third-baggers. Personally, I let Hu or Young do it. Nomar should be ready soon enough. LaRoche will be back before you know it. I know, I know... they don't like either of those options anyways but I don't like any of the trade options. So, unless Coletti is about bust out a Mitch Kupchak, hold your ground and keep your cards close.

** Tommy being Tommy
The newsbirds were all excited because Tommy stormed the field during his first exhibition game he was coaching today. It gives me a chuckle but it's just Tommy being Tommy. He wouldn't know any other way. I did find his protests over having to stick to pitch counts kinda funny though. They quoted him as saying, "You want to be the guy to tell Koufax he's done? The pen's got it? Get the hell off my mound?" I'd rather tell Koufax than Drysdale but... yeah, I'm glad they've got Tommy doing pitch counts. I'm also glad Tommy's still using small ball to show some people how it's done. Apparently he put a hit and run in motion with Pierre on first, sending him from first to third where he scored on a GDP. Much better than playing station to station and waiting for the 3-run homer.

** 5th starter
Loaiza inched closer to getting that spot with a nice outing over the weekend. As well as Chan Ho has pitched, I still say he's got no shot unless Loaiza implodes over the next couple weeks. He's simply making too much money to get passed up for a NRI.

** Brad Penny pinch hit
Hehe... good shit. Apparently with half the team leaving for China tomorrow, they didn't leave enough hitters for Tommy so in a potential run-scoring situation today, he sent up Penny to take some hacks. Didn't pay off but I fondly remember the days of Fernando pinch hitting and Orel pinch-running for the Blue Crew... or as we call them, "the good ol' days."

Misleading Media

A few weeks ago, I had quite the tantrum on here regarding the irresponsibility of the media when it came to a Black Crowes album review in Maxim magazine that was written without the reviewer even listening to the album.

Another media trend that drives me absolutely crazy is misleading headlines. There are few things worse than clicking an intriguing link to find an article beneath that had very little to do with the published headline. The reason for the tactic is obvious... more clicks = more money... and that's just on the Internet. This practice is in no way limited to the Internet as you can pick up your local newspaper or turn on your television to see it repeated there as well.

What sparked my outrage today?

Yahoo had a headline that read "Ledger's Will Leaves Nothing To Daughter, Ex-Girlfriend"

A terrible headline, right? The average reader who doesn't click the link believes that the late actor was a heartless monster who had no desire to leave any of his fortune to his young daughter nor her mother. "What a sick excuse for a human being he is," you think. "He probably had nothing left to give her after spending all his money on drugs," you ponder. "I bet he left it all to some whore," you speculate.

You click the link, curious to see how this dreg of society betrayed his child... even from beyond the grave. Full of rage, you start to read...

"Heath Ledger's will leaves nothing to his former girlfriend and their 2-year-old daughter because it was never updated after they became part of his life."

...

Oh.

So, wait. He didn't intentionally leave them out of his will? He just... never added them after they entered his world?

Indeed.

And while that certainly makes him short-sighted, it doesn't make him the evil, evil creature that Yahoo wanted to imply he was.

They wanted you to think he was a despicable human being... because it was in their best interest for you think so. Because if you thought he was a bad person, you'd probably click the link to see what possible excuse he could have.

It's the same practice as your local news that promises to tell about a "major disease outbreak in local fast food locales" throughout their entire show only to drop in a 10 second piece at the end of the show letting you know that an employee at a Taco Bell had the runs last week.

It's the same practice that has inflammatory headlines in huge font above the fold and then tiny print below that explains why the situation's not as bad as they wanted you to think.

It's the same practice that the media has used for years to great success... because no one ever calls them out on just how despicable it is.

IT'S THE YEH-TAY!

For the next time someone tells you the WWE in 2008 is ridiculous...

WCW - Yeti à Halloween Havoc 95
Uploaded by scandy

Tsk tsk tsk

Top 5 Friday

Just barely going to sneak it in before midnight! The streak continues!

Mrs. Blue kindly requested that this week's Top 5 not be MMA or wrestling related. You know, that really limits my options! And she won't be any happier if it's some major geekfest like "Top 5 Star Wars vehicles" or the like. This will take great focus to come up with something appropriate yet not dull.

I've got it! I was just reading something about American Idol being subject to the same regulations as "normal" game shows and it hit me!

And so, I present, my Top 5 Game Shows Ever!

5. Tic Tac Dough

Okay, first... I don't see how you can ever go wrong with a show hosted by a man named Wink Martindale. It's the perfect game show host name. It's also the perfect car salesman name... furniture salesman... insurance salesman... basically the scum of humanity should all be named "Wink" so that they at least can make you smile while they're bending you over their desks. Second? That dragon!
Oh my god, that dragon used to scare the hell out of me even though it was the most unscary looking digital dragon ever. If they ever bring this show back, they should CGI the dragon from Eragon in there... yes, the one I hated. It'd make kids smile and grownups go, "Awww... that dragon's kinda cute. I don't feel so bad for picking the wrong square now."

4. Classic Concentration

This show was so damn awesome. It's like Memory for adults who want to win really crappy prizes. But if you made it past the first round, you got to try to win a car by matching the names of other cars. It was sweet! This one definitely needs to come back. I even remember a video game for this game show that I loved as a kid. It always made me feel like a winner to be able to match one teapot to another... like I knew what to do with a teapot.

3. Wheel Of Fortune
I think I always liked Wheel of Fortune because it was the first game show I saw on television that I thought I would have legit chance of winning. I always seemed to be able to solve the puzzles a few minutes [at least] before the contestants. But I wouldn't want to be on WOF now. I'd want to be on WOF back in the 80's when they had to spend their money right on the spot. "Okay, Pat... I'll take that china creamer for $400. How much do I have- okay... ummm... alright, I'll take the ceramic dog." The ceramic dog was the shit! If I had a ceramic dog that I won on Wheel of Fortune, it'd be my most prized possession ever.

2. The Price Is Right
It was a tough one between #1 and #2 because I've always had a deep love for TPIR. TPIR has the absolute best games of all time. The mountain climber yodeling guy? The golf putt that Bob Barker could sink like nobody's business? The one where you punch holes in the wall and pull out pieces of paper with dollar amounts on them? THE CLOCK GAME?! And the absolute greatest invention in the history of all game shows...



Seriously! It's Plinko! If I ever get the opportunity to play Plinko on the Price Is Right stage, you'll have to drag me away from the top of that staircase because I will finally be home! I made the (quasi-joking) comment last weekend much to the wife's dismay that it's my life's ambition to play Plinko... hey, it's good to have goals.

1. Press Your Luck
Really? Do I need to explain why? It's the greatest game show in the history of the world because it gave us the phrase "Big Bucks, No Whammys annnnnnnnd STOP!" Everyone knows the phrase. EVERYONE! And everyone knows the legend of the guy who memorized the patterns and cleaned up on it. The next time the "brilliant" execs at the networks is looking for a gameshow to put on the air... don't rip off whatever is trendy in the UK... BRING BACK PRESS YOUR LUCK!

And until next week, Blue fans...

Let's Make It A Dodger Day

On a day when the Dodgers came from behind to score seven runs in the ninth to beat the Red Sox [in a lowly exhibition game at which point no players expected to make the clubs' rosters were playing], let's take a look at five pieces of news to ponder as we get closer to the season start.

1) Clayton Kershaw making a push for the roster
If you're not familiar with Clayton Kershaw, he's the best pitching prospect in the Dodgers organization and one of the best in the entire sport. Most expected the 19-year old to start the season at Single or Double A but... well... he got a couple innings of work in the big league camp the other day. Dodger All-Star catcher Russell Martin was asked if he thought Kershaw might make the opening day roster for the big club and had this to say, "I wouldn't be surprised. For the first time in a big league game -- wow. He's got just a heavy, heavy fastball and an easy delivery. He's very deceptive. His curveball, it just drops off the table. I think it's the best curveball I've ever caught, to be honest. He keeps the ball down. You can see he's a tremendous competitor, giving up a home run to the first batter, getting into a bases-loaded jam and bearing down to strike out two guys to get out of it. It's just how easy he throws. He's mechanically sound. I don't think he needs to learn anything mechanically. He looks polished. He wasn't holding anything back, he was just going after it. He's only 19. Man, that's impressive. A left-hander throwing 97 with a power curve, that's pretty unique. And he's got a changeup, but he only used it once. He didn't really need it. They couldn't get the bat head out, so why help them? I heard a lot of things about the guy, but I like to make my own opinion. A lot of young guys get called up early and have done well. Hopefully, he can be one of those guys."

Lots of key phrases in there to be excited about if you're a Dodger fan. Things like lefty, 97 MPH fastball, "best curveball I've ever caught." But at the end of the day, the kid is only nineteen and barring a major crisis where we need him ASAP, I'd rather let him spend another season in the minors.

2) Jeff Kent hurt
Kent's got a strained hammy and is out of action for a week. One of the hazards of having a veteran second baseman. He should be alright soon but I'd expect we'll see a few more twinges and tweaks from Kent this season. I hope we have a reliable backup ready.

3) Delwyn Young sparkling at second
And speaking of our backup at 2B, Young was kinda shoved into duty there last week as the Dodgers search for a roster spot for him. He's out of options so they either have to keep him or lose him so with his impressive bat in his ML stint last season, they're going to do their best to keep him. A former 2B who was converted to the OF because of bad defense, he's grabbed nothing but praise for his defense over the past couple weeks. With Abreu hurting as well, Young may be a lock for that backup 2B spot when the season starts.

4) The battle for the fifth spot
So, we already talked about Kershaw but the surprise of the spring so far is the performance of Chan Ho Park. Once thought a major longshot to make the rotation, he has thrown four perfect innings so far this spring and was named the starter for the first China game. If he does well there, the Dodgers may have to give him a serious, serious look... but I still say Loaiza would have to completely shit the bed to lose the spot as he's got the most money invested in him.

5) 115,000?
The Dodgers are looking to set the World Record for largest crowd to attend a baseball game at the Coliseum against the Sox. They added 25,000 standing room seats to attempt it. Whew. All I can think about is how bad traffic will be getting out of the ghetto on that lovely spring night.

More Posts For Posting's Sake

Forgive me. I'm feeling a little drained today. Why, you ask? I give a three part answer.

1) I was up til around 3:30 AM because I had a sudden burst of desire to try and adapt a book into a screenplay. Since I openly admitted that I've been having a lack of inspiration on that front, I seized the moment when I felt it and stayed up until I was about to drop.

2) One of the good things about being unemployed is that you can pretty much do anything at any point. What I mean by that is, for example, if you know the post office is crowded at a certain time of day, you're pretty much free to go at any other time of day you want. So, when I realized this morning that I needed to go to the bank, Juice It Up, and Trader Joe's... I knew I could go at any point today to avoid the crowds. And when does my dumbass go? Noon on the dot. Ugh. Although, I do have to admit it was pretty fun to be bumming around in my sandals and Dodger hat while all the businessmen in their suits were rushing to get through their one hour break.

3] Building off #2, I went to the gym at about 5:30 PM. At our gym, there are three treadmills... with usually anywhere between zero and one taken. Rarely two... and never three. On this night when I strolled in, all three were taken by three friends who decided to go to the gym together. It's all good. I decided to use the bike instead. All was perfectly fine for about ten minutes until I noticed the girl in the middle get off her treadmill and go outside to use her phone. I paused to watch, wondering if her treadmill was going to be free but then saw her friends wave away someone else who wanted to use it. She came back in and got on it so I shrugged it off. Then I notice she's walking very slowly on it... then I notice she's texting while walking very slowly... then I notice she's doing a Rubix Cube while she's walking very slowly on it. I start to get annoyed... but I don't want to be that guy... you know that guy. Then she changes all three TVs to some vapid MTV reality dating show... with absolutely no redeeming qualities at all. Great. I was listening to my iPod so I was still shrugging it off.

Then she starts walking backwards on the treadmill.

Then she jumps off, gets behind her friend, puts her hands on her friend's waist and starts walking with her.

Then she gets back on her own and decides to hang on to the heart rate monitor bar, puts her feet on the plastic belt guard thing, and hangs backwards to let the belt drag against her feet.

Then I notice she's not wearing shoes.

And while I still don't want to say anything because now my workout's almost over and I still don't want to be that guy... it's at this point that I start wishing physical harm on this girl. Like something "tragic" where her toes get caught under the belt and the belt pulls her underneath and somehow she ends up like that guy who goes under the rock crusher in Temple of Doom leaving nothing but a bloody streak behind.

Does that make me a bad person?

Does it help if I point out it's at this point that I notice she's wearing a sorority sweatshirt?

I knew it would!

See, while there's many things I despise about the collegiate Greek system, one of the main ones that continue to affect us all is their tendency to spit out their members into society as self-involved, self-centered, egotistical, materialistic pieces of worm-ridden filth that aren't worthy of sharing oxygen with most of us.

It's a little too much generalization, I know, but dammit, I keep it real, yo.

I'm sure I was supposed to feel better about the situation when she left, walking over to give me the remote to the TVs so I could finally watch ESPN for the last ten minutes of my workout but I don't.

There's a serious scholastic study to be done about the social relevance and contribution to society of members spit out of the Greek system. I'm not the person to do said study because it would turn into a real life Sweeney Todd... but someone should do it.

A Post For Posting's Sake

I read this article on CNET that was about becoming famous via your blog... and of course, as you can tell by the high-browed, worldly content on here, that's exactly what I'm aiming for.

One of the suggestions they make is that you should make sure you're posting daily... just anything at all to give people something new to read if they happen to stop by because if you don't at least give them the option, they won't come back! Is that right?! You treacherous fucks!

Alright, fine. I'll try to post daily. Happy now?

So, in honor of that half-assed pledge, I present a post for posting's sake.

Give me a few minutes here to scour the Interweb for things to write about because I'm drawing a blank [total creative blank as I haven't been able to do anything screenplay-related in days either.]

Okay, here's something... well, I wouldn't say "good" per se... but it's amusing and relevant since it was a topic for brief discussion at family dinner on Sunday.

I've posted on here before some of my fears for the forthcoming Justice League movie and I'm far from the only JLA fanboy getting nervous every single time a piece of news comes out about this thing.

Honestly, the first sign of trouble was the news that they had no intention of casting Christian Bale as Batman or Brandon Routh as Superman.

...

What the fuck?

Why the hell do you make multi-hundred million dollar relaunches of two franchises and then not use the faces of those franchises when trying to launch a third that they're both integral to? It just makes no sense at all.

And just when the thought crosses your mind that "Any idiot on the Internet who has read JLA could probably do a better job than the shit they're tossing around right now"... you're proven dead, dead wrong. One of my favorite websites, Comics2film [I know... big shock, huh?] had an opinion column up by someone proposing another take on the JLA movie. I settled in to read moments ago expecting to be blown away by a fanboy's vision... or at least mildly entertained.

Instead?

Well, let's put it this way. When most people think of the Justice League of America, you probably think of something like this...



It's a Murderers Row of superhero teams. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash... you know, the heavy hitters.

Our friend at Comics2film has an alternate suggestion. He despises the idea of the fucky casting like most of us but he understands the expense of Bale/Routh might push the budget into another stratosphere. His solution?

Use a different team.

He proposes...

Well, he proposes a lineup that a quick 'net search can't even score me a picture of. He wants to use a post-Crisis on Infinite Earths lineup of Blue Beetle, Guy Gardner, Booster Gold, Dr. Fate, the female Dr. Light, Mr. Miracle and others.

Crikey.

Why not just pour money down a fucking hole?

The idea is so bad on so many different levels, I don't even feel like dissecting it. I can't bring myself to confront idiocy on that grand of a level.

So, the moral of our story?

"Just when you thought it couldn't get worst, you went on the Internet and realized the true nature of man is to be dumber than the guy next to them."

And that's one to grow on, kids.

The Good & Bad On G.I. Joe

Oddly enough, it seems we've become a bit of an unofficial source of tons of G.I. Joe movie information. Seeing as it's one of my favorite childhood sources of entertainment, I have absolutely no problem with that. And seeing as I stumbled upon two new articles about the movie this morning, I proudly present...

The Good & Bad On G.I. Joe

Our first source of info today comes from an interview that Dennis Quaid [who will be playing General Clayton Abernathy aka Hawk] did with MTV. Some scary stuff mixed in here. Take a look.

** Quaid is quoted as saying he'll be transforming the character to make him a "Hefner-like playboy."
First impression? BAD!
Second impression? Oh, that's bad. I see absolutely no benefit in making a Hawk a play-on Playa no matter how much on-screen tail that Dennis Quaid gets out of it. This seems like an attempt to make the character younger or in a Simon Cowell world "more relevant." But I don't like it... not one bit.

** Quaid was also given a list of characters to confirm or deny that they'll be in the movie.

Tomax and Xamot, the twins fronting the Crimson Guard? Negative, although he claims they may be in the second movie [that he has already signed on for.]
First impression? GOOD!
Second impression? Probably a good thing. I like the characters but we're already going overboard on villains with Destro, CC, the Baroness, and Zartan. Storm Shadow too [who is presumably a villain.] But I better be getting me some twins finishing each other's sentences in a future sequel.

Shipwreck? Negative.
First impression? GOOD!
Second impression? They probably couldn't have cast the parrot right anyways.

Wild Bill? Negative.
First impression? BAD!
Second impression? Would it really have been hard to toss in Wild Bill as a cameo in a helicopter flying scene?

** “‘G.I. Joe’ is kind of close to James Bond, the old James Bond with Dr. No,” Quaid said of the script he’ll begin shooting soon. “[Cobra is like] S.P.E.C.T.R.E., where they take over an entire island and are a sort of crime country unto themselves.”
First impression? BA-GOOD?
Second impression? I don't know about the Bond analogy but... excuse me? Did he mention Cobra taking over an island?! If we get a Cobra Island story, I just may wet myself.

** Catchphrases: Quaid confirms he does not get to scream "YO JOE!" during the movie but he does get a "Knowing is half the battle."
First impression? Mixed again.
Second impression? I like the nod to fans of the old cartoon but I'm going to be bummed if there's no "Yo Joe!" bellowed at some point.

Our other source of Joe info this morning comes from an interview MTV did with one of the Exec Producers...

** Comic writer Larry Hama is on board. Apparently he helped polish the script into something that he feels Joe fans will enjoy. And according to the exec producer, we may "even see him on screen." Who gives a fuck?
First impression? GOOD!
Second impression? Hama being on board with the script is a good thing. The comics were the best Joe stuff ever produced and he was responsible for them all. This increases my faith tenfold.

** All about the comics? The producer says they are going to largely avoid the TV show and tell the stories from the comics. He mentions delving into the Arishkage story with Snakes and Stormy. He mentions doing the origin story for Destro. Awesome stuff if they do it right. And he says, "this is really all about the rise of Cobra Commander." Again, awesome if they do it right.

And that's that.

Quick Pick Results

Hey, hey, hey... I did pretty well.

So, as a reminder, going into the show...

Picks Average For The Year: 13 out of 27 fights for a .482
Money For The Year: +$21

And after the show?

I got 8 of 10 right last night! Woooooo!

That puts me at 21 out of 37 for the year for a .568... getting better.

Moneywise? Let's take a look...

Lost $10 on Hazelett
Lost $10 on Bielkheden
Lost $10 on Wilson
Lost $10 on Tanner
Won $16 on Leben
Won $24.50 on Herring
Won $65 on Silva

So, I started at +$21 going into last night and on last night's show, I ended up at +$65.50.

And that puts me at up $86.50 for the year.

RECAP!

21 out of 37 for the year for .568
Moneywise - +86.50 for the year

Dueling Ads

Did someone wise and brilliant recently say something about "emotional blackmail?"




And the response ad...