RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Alright, last batch of random thoughts before August comes to a close. Here we go:
The following were on my mind between Monday, August 22nd and Monday, August 29th:
- The fact that "Breaking In" was renewed by FOX while other shows more deserving of cancellation resurrection like "The Chicago Code" (which actually increased in ratings during their last two episodes), "Rubicon," "Terriers" and "Party Down" remain gone for good is the epitome of unfair.
- The only reason why I like the preseason is because a week of it finished means a week closer to actual NFL games that matter. Otherwise, it's an annual event worse than two Hurricane Irenes.
- There is absolutely no better way to spend a hot, humid, high 90s day than in your garage, putting on new inflatable tubes on your bike only to watch them both pop before you can even ride it.
(true story)
- That weird sound that you heard Sunday night was the sound of a bunch of dramatic TV actors watching "Breaking Bad" and sighing, knowing that there's no way in hell they're going to beat Aaron Paul in next year's Emmy race. His performance during the monologue scene at the end was just too good.
- Little does Arian Foster know that 60-75% of the people who actually care about his injury are his fantasy owners. (http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-08-28/texans-rb-arian-foster-expresses-frustration-toward-fantasy-football-players-on-)
- So, apparently, Billboard ranked this the #1 hit song from the year that I was born:
1994: a very great year for movies ("Pulp Fiction," "The Shawshank Redemption," "Forrest Gump," "Quiz Show," "Speed," "Hoop Dreams," "The Lion King," etc.), but a not-so-good of a year for pop songs (especially considering that 1993's #1 song was Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" while 1995's #1 song was Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise").
Normally, this would be the part of the post where I say that the next random thoughts posts would be on Monday. Well, I'm not because it isn't. It will be either Thursday or Friday and it will be as part of my annual Write As Many Stuff As Possible Now So That I Don't Have To on Labor Day Weekend post, along with an early "End of the Week" and an "End of the Month" for what was a very interesting August all-around. Hope you join me then! Otherwise, keep enjoying the remainder of summer!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
End of the Week: 08/21/11- 08/27/11
From the Carolinas all the way through maine, Hurricane Irene proved to be a menace in the East Coast.
END OF THE WEEK:
Lots to get to in this installment, from rare earthquakes to large hurricanes to major developments regarding Apple Inc. and the country of Libya, so I'm just gonna skip this monologue portion and move on. As promised, here are just a few of the people and moments that helped define these past seven days of the 2011 calendar:
Video of the Week: "OK Go and The Muppets- Muppet Show Theme Song"
Hmm, a band famous for making entertaining viral videos teaming up with the worldwide beloved Muppets. This can only mean one thing: awesomeness.
Yep.
Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week: Libyan Rebel Forces Take Over Most of Tripoli
So what if their takeover of power isn't fully complete and that Gaddafi promises to fight on until he either achieves full victory or death. This is still a major positive development in the rebel cause, and one that has dramatically shorted the remaining days of the Gaddafi regime. Considering that they took the town fairly easily and that they even captured one of his sons in the process, it should be all over very soon.
- The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: Marines Banned From Audible Farting
a.k.a. the "Don't Ask, Don't Smell" rule
Major Resignation of the Week: Steve Jobs Resigning as CEO of Apple
Jobs during his sudden yet inevitable resignation letter: "I have always said if there ever came a day when we no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come." Two days later, these photos were released of him. Pancreatic cancer can seriously go screw itself. Tim Cook is going to have some major gigabytes of memories to fill.
Tweets of the Week: As noted by web culture monitor Uproxx, this week's 5.8 magnitude earthquake was a goldmine for Twitter. Some great ones, to name a few, are:
Danny Zucker (@DannyZucker): "Oh, God. What did you do to her? RT @chrisbrown Please pray for Virginia."
Old Hoss Radbourn (@OldHoddRadbourn): "Oh no, the most self-important part of the planet was struck by an earth quake."
The False Prophet (@YUCKYBOT): "Text 'You spilled your chai latte' to 90999 to donate $1 to the victims of the U.S. East Coast earthquake."
@scoopANDslam: "Can we forget about the earthquake already?? Pat Summit has!" (Ed. note: Hilarious and wrong- the perfect combo).
Message of the Week: Jim Carrey's Message to Emma Stone
Yeah, this is not creepy at all. Not one bit.
People of the Week: East Coasters
Well they had an interesting week, didn't they? While most of the United States experienced some pretty good, heat waves and rainfall in the Northwest not withstanding, it was in this area of the country that had quite a string of natural disasters First, there was the whole earthquake that occurred around 1:50 p.m. local time Tuesday afternoon. With a magnitude of 5.8 that could be felt around Virginia (including the
small town of Mineral, its epicenter), in Washington D.C., across parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania and as far as New York and New England, it was the largest earthquake to take place in that region of the country since 1944.
Then, of course, there's Hurricane Irene (eventually downgraded to Tropical Storm Irene Sunday afternoon), the largest hurricane to strike the nation since Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast in 2008. Throughout the weekend, the storm, which was listed as high as a Category 3 hurricane and was reported to be about the size of the continent of Europe, made its way through fourteen different states and made an impact on the lives of around 50 million. The end result? One of the wettest hurricanes in recent memory, winds gusting as high as 90 mph, 11 killed, 3 to 4 million people without power, around 2.5 million forced to evacuate (most notably along parts of the Jersey Shore), and massive amounts of property damage. Yes, it wasn't as destructive and as terrifying as many people thought it would be, and that you could say that it was hyped up by today's sensationalistic media, but it was still a hurricane nonetheless. Meanwhile, us Midwesterners were stuck with wonderful, sunshiny days and moderately pleasant temperatures. What a ripoff!
-Runner-ups: Libyan Rebel Forces for being closer to their dream of a government without Gaddafi in charge that has been over six months in the making.
And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, or at least stay safe if you just so happen to be under the peril of the now Tropical Storm Irene. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend the rest of the day outside, enjoying the fact that I've been blessed with some beautiful weather in my necks of the woods and not under...well, you know.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Random Thoughts: 08/15/11- 08/23/11
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Yeah, yeah, I know that I'm a day late! So what? What are you, imaginary reader, gonna do about it? Besides, it's not like I have a lot of obligations when it comes to this blog like last month. Right now this is more of a slow, relaxing period in the blog calendar year for me, before September kicks off and then we get right down to business with August's "End of the Month," the 3rd annual NFL picks column (woohoo!) and the probable return of the Thursday "Random Thoughts."
Child-like explanation aside, the following were on my mind between Monday, August 15th and Tuesday, August 23rd:
- As a Chicago Bulls fan, I love watching NBA TV during the summer because a quarter of time they always seem to show some classic Jordan era game from the '80s and '90s.
- First, there was news of a prequel on The CW, and now there are rumors of a third movie. When will the "Sex and the City" franchise just learn to die, die DIE!
- I'm thinking of writing a rock song called "America Is Awesome!" It's about a middle class family screwed out of the American dream with some few anti-war protest messages sprinkled in there, but it's totally gonna have an awesome hook! I can't wait to see which prominent Republican presidential candidate uses it during their campaign.
- This is a timeline of what I thought of LMFAO's hit song "Party Rock Anthem" during this past summer:
a. June 20th (the first time I heard it): What in the world? What the hell is this electric pop song that's raping my ear drums?
b. June 21st- July 5th: God, this is awful! Why is this still popular?
c. July 6th- August 1st: Actually, this song isn't quite that bad. The hook is pretty catchy, and it's an okay song to dance to (as you can tell, I developed quite a severe case of Stockholm syndrome with this song during that period).
d. August 2nd- August 10th: (listens to song again on multiple occasions listening to the radio) No, this is still a bad song.
e. August 11th- now: (continues to listen to it despite having the ability to change the station) Urge to kill...rising.
- So, the Republicans are against abortion and they hate the gays...but what about gay abortions?
- "I am the one who knocks!" What a instant classic quote from Walter White! Such a bad-ass saying from such a bad-ass asshole.
- Patrick Stump's "This City" is one of the laziest songs ever written, even lazier than Bruno Mars' "The Lazy Song." Not only does it basically use every standard "my city is awesome!" cliche, but he can't even bother to name the damn city that he's praising, as if he wants to make as much money with it as possible without taking any risks. Then again, this could just be a parody of every "my city is awesome!" song from the past thirty years, in which case I applaud Mr. Stump and Lupe Fiasco for their effort.
- Are you ready for the return of the TV Top Ten! Well, it doesn't matter, because here it is. Here is a ranking of my ten favorite TV shows from the moment that the last list was created (May 31st) to now:
10 (tie). "Falling Skies" (position previously held by "30 Rock" and "Sports Show with Norm MacDonald")
10 (tie). "The Simpsons"* (still #10)
9. "The Soup" (position previously held by "South Park")
8. "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (position previously held by "The Chicago Code")
7. "Treme" (down from #5, position previously held by "Fringe")
6. "Curb Your Enthusiasm (position previously held by "The Office")
5. "The Colbert Report" (position previously held by "Treme")
4. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (down from #3, position previously held by "Game of Thrones")
3. "Game of Thrones" (up from #4, position previously held by "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart")
2. "Louie" (position previously held by "Community")
1. "Breaking Bad" (position previously held by "Parks and Recreations")
Up from Last List (May 2011): "The Soup," "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Falling Skies," "The Colbert Report," "Game of Thrones," "Louie," "Breaking Bad."
Down from Last List (May 2011): "Parks and Recreations," "Community," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," "Treme,""The Office," "Fringe," "The Chicago Code," "South Park," "Sports Show with Norm MacDonald," "30 Rock."
New From Last List (May 2011): "Breaking Bad," "Louie," "The Colber Report," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," "The Soup," "Falling Skies."
Just Barely Missed Cut: "Futurama," "Wilfred," "Conan," "Jon Benjamin Has a Van," "Hell's Kitchen."
Other Thoughts:
a. It was a very close decision for my #1 spot. "Louie" is having an all-time season, but I just thought that "Breaking Bad" slightly trumped it.
b. Ah, summer! The only time of the year when late night talk shows have as much of a presence on the list as their primetime counterparts.
c. Outside of "Falling Skies," I was pretty dissapointed by this year's slate of prominent rookie summer shows. "Jon Benjamin Has a Van" was hit or miss most of the time while "Wilfred" failed to be more than an amusing half-hour predecessor to "Louie," which was the real show that I looked forward to every Thursday night.
d. Don't let that drop by "Treme" fool you! It was still a very good season as a whole.
e. As mentioned during the last TV Top Ten, this is most likely the last time that I will include "The Simpsons" as the sole automatic recipient onto the list. From now on, if this iconic show ever wants to get back on the list again, then they have earn it and not because they were once the best show on the planet.
f. A lot of shows to look out for potentially on the next list, which will probably happen sometime in late October. They include returning shows like two time #1 show "Parks and Recreations," one time #1 show "Community," "30 Rock," "The Office," "The Walking Dead," "Boardwalk Empire," "American Dad," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Archer," South Park," "Dexter" & Fringe" and new shows like "The New Girl," "2 Broke Girls," "Person of Interest" & "Pan-Am."
More random thoughts to come next Monday. And don't worry, it will be posted on that Monday, and not the day after like tonight. Until then, enjoy the workweek!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Yeah, yeah, I know that I'm a day late! So what? What are you, imaginary reader, gonna do about it? Besides, it's not like I have a lot of obligations when it comes to this blog like last month. Right now this is more of a slow, relaxing period in the blog calendar year for me, before September kicks off and then we get right down to business with August's "End of the Month," the 3rd annual NFL picks column (woohoo!) and the probable return of the Thursday "Random Thoughts."
Child-like explanation aside, the following were on my mind between Monday, August 15th and Tuesday, August 23rd:
- As a Chicago Bulls fan, I love watching NBA TV during the summer because a quarter of time they always seem to show some classic Jordan era game from the '80s and '90s.
- First, there was news of a prequel on The CW, and now there are rumors of a third movie. When will the "Sex and the City" franchise just learn to die, die DIE!
- I'm thinking of writing a rock song called "America Is Awesome!" It's about a middle class family screwed out of the American dream with some few anti-war protest messages sprinkled in there, but it's totally gonna have an awesome hook! I can't wait to see which prominent Republican presidential candidate uses it during their campaign.
- This is a timeline of what I thought of LMFAO's hit song "Party Rock Anthem" during this past summer:
a. June 20th (the first time I heard it): What in the world? What the hell is this electric pop song that's raping my ear drums?
b. June 21st- July 5th: God, this is awful! Why is this still popular?
c. July 6th- August 1st: Actually, this song isn't quite that bad. The hook is pretty catchy, and it's an okay song to dance to (as you can tell, I developed quite a severe case of Stockholm syndrome with this song during that period).
d. August 2nd- August 10th: (listens to song again on multiple occasions listening to the radio) No, this is still a bad song.
e. August 11th- now: (continues to listen to it despite having the ability to change the station) Urge to kill...rising.
- So, the Republicans are against abortion and they hate the gays...but what about gay abortions?
- "I am the one who knocks!" What a instant classic quote from Walter White! Such a bad-ass saying from such a bad-ass asshole.
- Patrick Stump's "This City" is one of the laziest songs ever written, even lazier than Bruno Mars' "The Lazy Song." Not only does it basically use every standard "my city is awesome!" cliche, but he can't even bother to name the damn city that he's praising, as if he wants to make as much money with it as possible without taking any risks. Then again, this could just be a parody of every "my city is awesome!" song from the past thirty years, in which case I applaud Mr. Stump and Lupe Fiasco for their effort.
- Are you ready for the return of the TV Top Ten! Well, it doesn't matter, because here it is. Here is a ranking of my ten favorite TV shows from the moment that the last list was created (May 31st) to now:
10 (tie). "Falling Skies" (position previously held by "30 Rock" and "Sports Show with Norm MacDonald")
10 (tie). "The Simpsons"* (still #10)
9. "The Soup" (position previously held by "South Park")
8. "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" (position previously held by "The Chicago Code")
7. "Treme" (down from #5, position previously held by "Fringe")
6. "Curb Your Enthusiasm (position previously held by "The Office")
5. "The Colbert Report" (position previously held by "Treme")
4. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (down from #3, position previously held by "Game of Thrones")
3. "Game of Thrones" (up from #4, position previously held by "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart")
2. "Louie" (position previously held by "Community")
1. "Breaking Bad" (position previously held by "Parks and Recreations")
Up from Last List (May 2011): "The Soup," "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Falling Skies," "The Colbert Report," "Game of Thrones," "Louie," "Breaking Bad."
Down from Last List (May 2011): "Parks and Recreations," "Community," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," "Treme,""The Office," "Fringe," "The Chicago Code," "South Park," "Sports Show with Norm MacDonald," "30 Rock."
New From Last List (May 2011): "Breaking Bad," "Louie," "The Colber Report," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," "The Soup," "Falling Skies."
Just Barely Missed Cut: "Futurama," "Wilfred," "Conan," "Jon Benjamin Has a Van," "Hell's Kitchen."
Other Thoughts:
a. It was a very close decision for my #1 spot. "Louie" is having an all-time season, but I just thought that "Breaking Bad" slightly trumped it.
b. Ah, summer! The only time of the year when late night talk shows have as much of a presence on the list as their primetime counterparts.
c. Outside of "Falling Skies," I was pretty dissapointed by this year's slate of prominent rookie summer shows. "Jon Benjamin Has a Van" was hit or miss most of the time while "Wilfred" failed to be more than an amusing half-hour predecessor to "Louie," which was the real show that I looked forward to every Thursday night.
d. Don't let that drop by "Treme" fool you! It was still a very good season as a whole.
e. As mentioned during the last TV Top Ten, this is most likely the last time that I will include "The Simpsons" as the sole automatic recipient onto the list. From now on, if this iconic show ever wants to get back on the list again, then they have earn it and not because they were once the best show on the planet.
f. A lot of shows to look out for potentially on the next list, which will probably happen sometime in late October. They include returning shows like two time #1 show "Parks and Recreations," one time #1 show "Community," "30 Rock," "The Office," "The Walking Dead," "Boardwalk Empire," "American Dad," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Archer," South Park," "Dexter" & Fringe" and new shows like "The New Girl," "2 Broke Girls," "Person of Interest" & "Pan-Am."
More random thoughts to come next Monday. And don't worry, it will be posted on that Monday, and not the day after like tonight. Until then, enjoy the workweek!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
End of the Week: 08/14/11- 08/20/11
END OF THE WEEK:
Another week, another string of events ranging from the good and the bad to the interesting enough and the "this is really news?" Here to present the highlights from the past seven days at The mj15 Blog is, as always, another edition of "End of the Week." Enjoy:
Marriage of the Week: Reality TV Star Kim Kardashian and NBA Player Kris Humphries
This kid pretty much summed up my feelings about this entire affair. Unfortunately, with the nuptials making nationwide headlines this week and the Kardashians being apparently this generation's the Kennedys, it looks like I'm just part of the minority.
Video of the Week: "California Girls at 8am"
Who needs a cup of coffee when you got this guy lisping at the top of his lungs to wake you up in the morning on your way to work?
Freed Men of the Week: The West Memphis Three
after finally being released from prison in a parole hearing after 18 years behind bars thanks to a weird plea agreement in which they would "maintain their innocence and admit frankly that they are pleading guilty because they consider it in their best interest." Considering how DNA testing in 2007 revealed that the scene of the crime had none of the three men's DNA and that, in the 1993 movie "Paradise Lost," it was suspected that they might have been targeted as main suspects because of how they behaved (all black clothes, listeners to heavy metal, alleged involving in satanic cults, stating that they're Wiccans) and not because of evidence, this was a moment of justice being done in an American prison. I'm sure that Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, directors of "Paradise Lost 3," the second sequel to "Paradise Lost," are going to enjoy editing the ending to their new movie.
Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week: Indiana State Fair Stage Collapses During Sugarland Concert, Kills 5
Considering this story and the other tragic stage collapse at Belgium's Pukkelpop Festival (whose benefits woudl be going to Norway to the victims of the horrible killings over there), apparently it looks like nature is giving the world a wake-up call over its poor building codes at festivals.
-The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Story of the Week: David Letterman Marked For Death By Jihad Terrorists
Great, just what this poor man needs: another damn apology to give! Hasn't that man created enough controversy in his time that people would stop creating a hoopla over his jokes?
Brawl of the Week: The University of Georgetown Basketball Team and the Bayi Rockets Chinese Team
Well, so much for the "Goodwill" part of their tour to try to strengthen the sports diplomacy of these two nations..
Person of the Week: Investigative Reporter Charles Robinson
for his Yahoo! Sports Report on the illicit player benefits to former University of Miami football players that was truly amazing. On Tuesday afternoon, Robinson's in-depth 11 month investigation into the University of Miami's football program was finally published on Yahoo! Sports, and it truly was a remarkable, groundbreaking piece of reporting. In 7,000 words, Robinson was able to detail eight years of scandalous details involving the program with the help of over 100 interviews (most notably one with former booster Nevin Shapiro) and roughly 30,000 pages of reseatch that including the payments of millions of dollars given in players benefits through forms of cash, entertainment, prostitutes (Shapiro even gave money to one prostitute for an abortion), jewelry, night clubs, etc. involving at least 72 former Hurricane football players ranging from Kellen Winslow Jr. to Devin Hester to Vince Wolfork. The incredible report resulted in a media sh*tstorm for the program, with some rather entertaining interviews by former Hurricane coaches and players in response to the story and a few people even bringing up the possibility that these list of allegations might lead the NCAA to impose the second ever "Death Penalty" and the first since SMU was given one in the late 1980s, though I personally consider that to be highly unlikely (hint: think of how much this would hurt the ACC money wise if it were to happen). In addition, it also heightened the integrity and quality of Yahoo! Sport's journalism, while also diminishing the level of reporting from its competitors, particularly ESPN.com. And to think, none of that would have ever happened had he and Dan Wetzel not began the investigation this time last year!
Great job, Robinson. You made the other members in your field very proud for this story, one that I'm sure has elevated your career.
-Runner-up: Katy Perry, for tying Michael Jackson in the record of most #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 from one album. The five songs in question are "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework," E.T." and "This Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," and all of them are from her third studio album, "Teenage Dream." Normally under these circumstances I would start going on a rant about how screwed up this culture is and how could my generation possibly give the singer so much popularity. However, Perry is easy on the eyes and her singles are mostly good than bad, so I'm gonna give her a break in this one. Now, if this were Ke$ha...
And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, dear reader!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Another week, another string of events ranging from the good and the bad to the interesting enough and the "this is really news?" Here to present the highlights from the past seven days at The mj15 Blog is, as always, another edition of "End of the Week." Enjoy:
Marriage of the Week: Reality TV Star Kim Kardashian and NBA Player Kris Humphries
This kid pretty much summed up my feelings about this entire affair. Unfortunately, with the nuptials making nationwide headlines this week and the Kardashians being apparently this generation's the Kennedys, it looks like I'm just part of the minority.
Video of the Week: "California Girls at 8am"
Who needs a cup of coffee when you got this guy lisping at the top of his lungs to wake you up in the morning on your way to work?
Freed Men of the Week: The West Memphis Three
after finally being released from prison in a parole hearing after 18 years behind bars thanks to a weird plea agreement in which they would "maintain their innocence and admit frankly that they are pleading guilty because they consider it in their best interest." Considering how DNA testing in 2007 revealed that the scene of the crime had none of the three men's DNA and that, in the 1993 movie "Paradise Lost," it was suspected that they might have been targeted as main suspects because of how they behaved (all black clothes, listeners to heavy metal, alleged involving in satanic cults, stating that they're Wiccans) and not because of evidence, this was a moment of justice being done in an American prison. I'm sure that Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, directors of "Paradise Lost 3," the second sequel to "Paradise Lost," are going to enjoy editing the ending to their new movie.
Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week: Indiana State Fair Stage Collapses During Sugarland Concert, Kills 5
Considering this story and the other tragic stage collapse at Belgium's Pukkelpop Festival (whose benefits woudl be going to Norway to the victims of the horrible killings over there), apparently it looks like nature is giving the world a wake-up call over its poor building codes at festivals.
-The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Story of the Week: David Letterman Marked For Death By Jihad Terrorists
Great, just what this poor man needs: another damn apology to give! Hasn't that man created enough controversy in his time that people would stop creating a hoopla over his jokes?
Brawl of the Week: The University of Georgetown Basketball Team and the Bayi Rockets Chinese Team
Well, so much for the "Goodwill" part of their tour to try to strengthen the sports diplomacy of these two nations..
Person of the Week: Investigative Reporter Charles Robinson
for his Yahoo! Sports Report on the illicit player benefits to former University of Miami football players that was truly amazing. On Tuesday afternoon, Robinson's in-depth 11 month investigation into the University of Miami's football program was finally published on Yahoo! Sports, and it truly was a remarkable, groundbreaking piece of reporting. In 7,000 words, Robinson was able to detail eight years of scandalous details involving the program with the help of over 100 interviews (most notably one with former booster Nevin Shapiro) and roughly 30,000 pages of reseatch that including the payments of millions of dollars given in players benefits through forms of cash, entertainment, prostitutes (Shapiro even gave money to one prostitute for an abortion), jewelry, night clubs, etc. involving at least 72 former Hurricane football players ranging from Kellen Winslow Jr. to Devin Hester to Vince Wolfork. The incredible report resulted in a media sh*tstorm for the program, with some rather entertaining interviews by former Hurricane coaches and players in response to the story and a few people even bringing up the possibility that these list of allegations might lead the NCAA to impose the second ever "Death Penalty" and the first since SMU was given one in the late 1980s, though I personally consider that to be highly unlikely (hint: think of how much this would hurt the ACC money wise if it were to happen). In addition, it also heightened the integrity and quality of Yahoo! Sport's journalism, while also diminishing the level of reporting from its competitors, particularly ESPN.com. And to think, none of that would have ever happened had he and Dan Wetzel not began the investigation this time last year!
Great job, Robinson. You made the other members in your field very proud for this story, one that I'm sure has elevated your career.
-Runner-up: Katy Perry, for tying Michael Jackson in the record of most #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 from one album. The five songs in question are "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "Firework," E.T." and "This Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," and all of them are from her third studio album, "Teenage Dream." Normally under these circumstances I would start going on a rant about how screwed up this culture is and how could my generation possibly give the singer so much popularity. However, Perry is easy on the eyes and her singles are mostly good than bad, so I'm gonna give her a break in this one. Now, if this were Ke$ha...
And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, dear reader!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Random Thoughts: 08/08/11- 08/15/11
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
This past week, when a friend of mine criticized me, I responded by whipping my hair back and forth. Needless to say, I looked like an idiot. Willow Smith should stop giving people advice.
With that opening bit out of the way, it's time to get right down to business. The following were on my mind between Monday, August 8th and Monday, August 15th:
- It's that time of the year again! For the third year in a row, it's time for another list of films soon to be released in the coming year (August 2011-July 2012 to be exact) that I am really excited for and am anticipating the most (click here for both the 2009 and 2010 list). But first, let me make it clear before I begin that just because I am excited for these movies does not mean that I am guaranteeing that they will be good. Take last year's list for example, as there were a bunch of the movies that I listed that wound up being a disappointment (i.e. "Machete," "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," "The Green Lantern" and "The Hangover: Part 2"). Instead, it's a list that I created by a three-step process in which all I did was look through a catalog of films that have a confirmed release date in the next twelve months, looked over the major aspects of it (Who's in it? Who's the director? Who wrote it? What's the premise? Does it have a trailer that makes it look promising?) and then ranked them based on how badly do I really want to see them. Anyways, here it is, and it's been extended again this time from a top 13 to a top 15:
15. "The Amazing Spider-Man" (07/03/2012)
This isn't so much a case of excitement as it is of curiosity. In early 2010, it was announced that the original Spider-Man movie franchise (one that proved to be a huge success in the box office, garnering at least $336 million domestically and, in the case of the 3rd movie, breaking the record for greatest opening weekend) would be cancelled after three enjoyable and satisfying flicks directed by Sam Raimi and starring the trio of Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco when Raimi permanently withdrew from the making of a "Spider-Man 4." Almost simultaneously, Sony Pictures announced that they have decided to keep making Spider-Man movies, but that it would be a reboot. Now, instead of Raimi, "(500) Days of Summer" director Marc Webb will be at the helm of the project and Academy Award nominated actor Andrew Garfield will play a younger, more skinnier Spidey. Also, instead of beginning the story with Peter Parker working as a freelance photographer like from the 2000s films, it will begin by focusing on his early childhood and development of the superhero powers while in high schools. Mary Jane is also not present in the film, so don't expect another unforgettable kiss between the two as in the 2002 original.
If this movie can manage to stand on its own, much like the Christopher Nolan Batman films to the Tim Burton originals, for instance, then I will be able to leave the movie theaters a happy man.
14. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (12/21/2011)
As if the 2009 Swedish film weren't enough, now Hollywood apparently decided on making another one with Daniel Craig as the star and Rooney Mara as the iconic character Lisbeth Salander. David Fincher is directing this one, fresh off his Golden Globe victory for his work in"The Social Network," and an Oscar-nominee streak at two in a row with that film and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," so it should at least be viewed to see if he can work his magic once again. It's also based on the wildly popular and award winning book of the same name by Stieg Larsson (one that I really enjoyed reading) and has a trailer that is simply amazing. I will definitely give it a shot.
13. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (12/16/2011)
The first Sherlock Holmes movie, released two years ago, wasn't quite as good as I would've liked it to be. Nonetheless, it was still a highly entertaining film to watch with a fun and action packed mystery plot, and some strong work by the duo of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, and the second promises to be just as good, if not better. Downey and Law are returning with the additions of Jared Harris from "Mad Men" as Holmes' nemesis, Dr. Moriarty, and Noomi Rapace (the Lisbeth Salander from the Swedish film) making her American movie debut. So, you know, the movie has a chance to be another fun winter-flick. And if you weren't a fan of the first movie...well, then there's always the BBC series "Sherlock" for your viewing pleasure.
12. "The Dictator" (05/11/2012)
Sacha Baren Cohen and Larry Charles teaming up once again to make a movie based on a Saddam Hussein novel? And it has Ben Kingsley and J.B. Smoove as co-stars? I'm in! Although, I do hope that this movie, can be funnier than the hilariously constructed beard that Cohen is going to sport.
11. "The Ides of March" (10/14/2011)
I'm always a sucker for another good political drama, and judging from the trailer, this one has a chance to be just that. After all, it does boast an impressive cast of actors, from Ryan Gosling and Paul Giammati to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei and George Clooney (who is also directing this one). I have a strong feeling that this movie will be one of the first fall films to get some serious Oscar buzz once it premieres.
10. "The Muppets" (11/23/2011)
Anyone who has read this site in the past probably knows by now by enjoyment of the trailers, whether it was the one linked above, their "The Hangover: Part II" trailer spoof (Danny Trejo cameo!) or even their parody of "The Green Lantern." So, it comes with no surprise that I can not wait for the return of these furry little creations of the late, great Jim Henson at the big screen. Plus, it's the freakin' Muppets we're talking about! The Muppets, I say! If you aren't excited to see them, something is wrong with you.
9. "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn" (12/23/2011)
Yes, it's going to happen. The wildly popular series of comics by Hergé (over 350 million copies) beloved by the world over is finally coming to the big screen in what promises to be an ambitious set of 3-D films with some great visual effects, kind of like if "The Lord of the Rings" crossed over with "The Polar Express." Why? Well, just look at the two top men involved in the project. Steven Spielberg is the film's director, while Peter Jackson is an executive producer and the presumed director of the sequel (if there is one). Now that's a film with some good pedigree.
8. "J. Edgar" (11/09/2011)
It's Clint Eastwood directing a biopic of fifty years in the life of legendary former FBI chief J. Edgar Hooever, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. It's a movie that pretty much oozes critical acclaim. What other explanation do you need?
7. "Happy Feet 2" (11/17/2011)
I am a fan of that first movie. It was fun to watch, it was touching, it was hilarious, the animation was top-notch; a stupendous movie as a whole, well deserving of the Academy Award it got for Best Animated Feature. I have a strong belief that director George Miller will do a good job once again with the making of this film.
6. "War Horse" (12/28/2011)
The winter of 2011-12 promises to be the Season of Spielberg. Five days after the movie "The Adventures of Tintin" is going to be released, the two-time Academy Award winning director will be at it again with the premiere of another movie of his, "War Horse." It's a movie based on the Michael Morpurgo novel about the life and times of a horse named Joey that is sold off to help the British cavalry fight in World War I and the relationship with its owner, Albert Narracott. It stars David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch (God, what a great Britishy name!), and Jeremy Irvine in his first silver screen role. I'm anticipating this movie more than the other Spielberg film for one reason: Oscar buzz, which I think this will do a better job of generating going forward (even though 'Tintin' might win Best Animated Feature). It's been five years since the last time Spielberg was nominated for Best Director. Could this film help him break the drought?
5. "Prometheus" (06/08/2012)
Ridley Scott is back, folks. The director of such great movies as "Alien," "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator" returns with another science-fiction film starring a cast the likes of Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Ben Foster, Idris Elba and Noomi Rapace (making her second appearance on this list). Little is known about the premise other than the fact that it's, according to the synopsis, "a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life’s ultimate mystery" with ideas that Scott calls "unique, large and provocative." The script of the movie is also co-written by "Lost" creator Damon Lindelof. If there's any movie that you can point to as maybe being the next great sci-fi thriller, this is it.
4. "Brave" (06/22/2012)
2011 was a pretty big bump in the road for the current king of animated movies, Pixar, with "Cars 2," easily the worst of the franchise that ended an unbelievable streak of great movies (one that has included six Oscars) and one where you can say was solely made to generate more revenue from the billions that the first movie created. However, don't expect that to continue in 2012 with the release of "Brave," the studio's first attempt to do a film of the fantasy genre. Then again, I don't think you really should start worrying about the quality of a Pixar film unless Larry the Cable Guy is involved.
3. "Contagion" (09/09/2011)
Matt Damon. Kate Winslett. Marion Cottilard. Jude Law. Laurence Fishburne. Gwyneth Paltrow. Bryan Cranston. What do these seven actors have in common, besides the fact that they have a combined 4 Oscars and 4 Emmys (5 if you count Winslett's inevitable Emmy win for "Mildred Pierce")? They are all big names starring in this upcoming action thriller film about a deadly virus, the results and the race to find the cure. Did I happen to mention that this same film is also directed by Steven Soderbergh? Did I even need to include that little tidbit? Wasn't the cast list good enough?
2. "The Avengers" (05/04/2012)
It's going to be the first blockbuster movie of the 2012 summer season, and it promises to be a doozy. Written and directed by Joss Whedon, always a favorite among sci-fi and fantasy nerds thanks to shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel" and "Firefly," it features an unprecedented All-Star cast of Marvel superheroes, from Iron Man and Captain America to Thor, The Hulk, and Nick Fury, fighting to save the world from the brink of disaster (whatever that will be). It's going to be the "Ocean's Eleven" of superhero movie. Let's hope that the film can live up to the expectations given to it.
1. "The Dark Knight Rises" (07/20/2012)
There are just so many reasons why I can't wait for this movie to premiere. For starters, Batman is, by far, my favorite comic book hero. Second, it is the final movie of a trilogy whose previous film ("The Dark Knight") is by-far the greatest superhero movie of all-time and arguably the best movie of the past three years, so I'm very intrigued to see how the story wraps up and whether they can maintain the same quality of the first two films (they probably won't). Third, it's directed by Christopher Nolan, who is coming off the impeccable "Inception" and has yet to direct a movie in the 21st Century that disappointed me, so my expectations for it are pretty high. Finally, I'm interested to see Anne Hathaway's Catwoman and Tom Hardy's Bane in action, and whether they can do a good enough job of filling the shoes of Heath Ledger and his legendary performance of The Joker in "The Dark Knight" (a performance that won him an Academy Award, no less). If there's one reason for me to get excited about the year 2012 (besides the Summer Olympics, of course), it would be this.
- Remember Apple's "1984" ad where the lady that represents the company destroyed a screen of Big Brother, a.k.a. IBM? Now that Apple is largest company in the world, I think it's safe to say that the real hidden message of the ad was that the company were just jealous of IBM and were going to do everything they could to destroy it in competition.
- Man, those first three "Austin Powers" movies have aged terribly. Maybe it shouldn't be a good idea for Mike Myers to do a fourth movie.
- I wonder how many votes Rick Parry got during the Iowa straw poll, and whether or not the voting officials counted it to Rick Perry's vote total.
- All right, "The Human Centipede" is, honestly, the worst ass-to-mouth surgery movie that I've ever seen. And I've seen, like, one of those kinds of movies...this one...just recently. (clears voice) Movin' on...
- Michael Smith made a good point this past week on "Around the Horn." Tiger Woods is to Stevie Williams as Bill Clinton was to Monica Lewinsky. The man's so famous that he could make his caddie famous just by association.
- You knew that the economy was bad this week when the European stock market relied on Germany of all places.
- First, NBC made "The Playboy Club." Then, ABC made "Pan-Am." Now, CBS greenlit something called "Ralph Lamb." Pretty interesting how so many major networks are creating their own 1960s-centered show because of "Mad Men" when "Mad Men," despite critical success, only averages about 2 million viewers per every new episode.
More RTs to come next Monday. Enjoy living life!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
This past week, when a friend of mine criticized me, I responded by whipping my hair back and forth. Needless to say, I looked like an idiot. Willow Smith should stop giving people advice.
With that opening bit out of the way, it's time to get right down to business. The following were on my mind between Monday, August 8th and Monday, August 15th:
- It's that time of the year again! For the third year in a row, it's time for another list of films soon to be released in the coming year (August 2011-July 2012 to be exact) that I am really excited for and am anticipating the most (click here for both the 2009 and 2010 list). But first, let me make it clear before I begin that just because I am excited for these movies does not mean that I am guaranteeing that they will be good. Take last year's list for example, as there were a bunch of the movies that I listed that wound up being a disappointment (i.e. "Machete," "Pirates of the Caribbean 4," "The Green Lantern" and "The Hangover: Part 2"). Instead, it's a list that I created by a three-step process in which all I did was look through a catalog of films that have a confirmed release date in the next twelve months, looked over the major aspects of it (Who's in it? Who's the director? Who wrote it? What's the premise? Does it have a trailer that makes it look promising?) and then ranked them based on how badly do I really want to see them. Anyways, here it is, and it's been extended again this time from a top 13 to a top 15:
15. "The Amazing Spider-Man" (07/03/2012)
This isn't so much a case of excitement as it is of curiosity. In early 2010, it was announced that the original Spider-Man movie franchise (one that proved to be a huge success in the box office, garnering at least $336 million domestically and, in the case of the 3rd movie, breaking the record for greatest opening weekend) would be cancelled after three enjoyable and satisfying flicks directed by Sam Raimi and starring the trio of Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco when Raimi permanently withdrew from the making of a "Spider-Man 4." Almost simultaneously, Sony Pictures announced that they have decided to keep making Spider-Man movies, but that it would be a reboot. Now, instead of Raimi, "(500) Days of Summer" director Marc Webb will be at the helm of the project and Academy Award nominated actor Andrew Garfield will play a younger, more skinnier Spidey. Also, instead of beginning the story with Peter Parker working as a freelance photographer like from the 2000s films, it will begin by focusing on his early childhood and development of the superhero powers while in high schools. Mary Jane is also not present in the film, so don't expect another unforgettable kiss between the two as in the 2002 original.
If this movie can manage to stand on its own, much like the Christopher Nolan Batman films to the Tim Burton originals, for instance, then I will be able to leave the movie theaters a happy man.
14. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (12/21/2011)
As if the 2009 Swedish film weren't enough, now Hollywood apparently decided on making another one with Daniel Craig as the star and Rooney Mara as the iconic character Lisbeth Salander. David Fincher is directing this one, fresh off his Golden Globe victory for his work in"The Social Network," and an Oscar-nominee streak at two in a row with that film and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," so it should at least be viewed to see if he can work his magic once again. It's also based on the wildly popular and award winning book of the same name by Stieg Larsson (one that I really enjoyed reading) and has a trailer that is simply amazing. I will definitely give it a shot.
13. "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" (12/16/2011)
The first Sherlock Holmes movie, released two years ago, wasn't quite as good as I would've liked it to be. Nonetheless, it was still a highly entertaining film to watch with a fun and action packed mystery plot, and some strong work by the duo of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, and the second promises to be just as good, if not better. Downey and Law are returning with the additions of Jared Harris from "Mad Men" as Holmes' nemesis, Dr. Moriarty, and Noomi Rapace (the Lisbeth Salander from the Swedish film) making her American movie debut. So, you know, the movie has a chance to be another fun winter-flick. And if you weren't a fan of the first movie...well, then there's always the BBC series "Sherlock" for your viewing pleasure.
12. "The Dictator" (05/11/2012)
Sacha Baren Cohen and Larry Charles teaming up once again to make a movie based on a Saddam Hussein novel? And it has Ben Kingsley and J.B. Smoove as co-stars? I'm in! Although, I do hope that this movie, can be funnier than the hilariously constructed beard that Cohen is going to sport.
11. "The Ides of March" (10/14/2011)
I'm always a sucker for another good political drama, and judging from the trailer, this one has a chance to be just that. After all, it does boast an impressive cast of actors, from Ryan Gosling and Paul Giammati to Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei and George Clooney (who is also directing this one). I have a strong feeling that this movie will be one of the first fall films to get some serious Oscar buzz once it premieres.
10. "The Muppets" (11/23/2011)
Anyone who has read this site in the past probably knows by now by enjoyment of the trailers, whether it was the one linked above, their "The Hangover: Part II" trailer spoof (Danny Trejo cameo!) or even their parody of "The Green Lantern." So, it comes with no surprise that I can not wait for the return of these furry little creations of the late, great Jim Henson at the big screen. Plus, it's the freakin' Muppets we're talking about! The Muppets, I say! If you aren't excited to see them, something is wrong with you.
9. "The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn" (12/23/2011)
Yes, it's going to happen. The wildly popular series of comics by Hergé (over 350 million copies) beloved by the world over is finally coming to the big screen in what promises to be an ambitious set of 3-D films with some great visual effects, kind of like if "The Lord of the Rings" crossed over with "The Polar Express." Why? Well, just look at the two top men involved in the project. Steven Spielberg is the film's director, while Peter Jackson is an executive producer and the presumed director of the sequel (if there is one). Now that's a film with some good pedigree.
8. "J. Edgar" (11/09/2011)
It's Clint Eastwood directing a biopic of fifty years in the life of legendary former FBI chief J. Edgar Hooever, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. It's a movie that pretty much oozes critical acclaim. What other explanation do you need?
7. "Happy Feet 2" (11/17/2011)
I am a fan of that first movie. It was fun to watch, it was touching, it was hilarious, the animation was top-notch; a stupendous movie as a whole, well deserving of the Academy Award it got for Best Animated Feature. I have a strong belief that director George Miller will do a good job once again with the making of this film.
6. "War Horse" (12/28/2011)
The winter of 2011-12 promises to be the Season of Spielberg. Five days after the movie "The Adventures of Tintin" is going to be released, the two-time Academy Award winning director will be at it again with the premiere of another movie of his, "War Horse." It's a movie based on the Michael Morpurgo novel about the life and times of a horse named Joey that is sold off to help the British cavalry fight in World War I and the relationship with its owner, Albert Narracott. It stars David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch (God, what a great Britishy name!), and Jeremy Irvine in his first silver screen role. I'm anticipating this movie more than the other Spielberg film for one reason: Oscar buzz, which I think this will do a better job of generating going forward (even though 'Tintin' might win Best Animated Feature). It's been five years since the last time Spielberg was nominated for Best Director. Could this film help him break the drought?
5. "Prometheus" (06/08/2012)
Ridley Scott is back, folks. The director of such great movies as "Alien," "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator" returns with another science-fiction film starring a cast the likes of Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Ben Foster, Idris Elba and Noomi Rapace (making her second appearance on this list). Little is known about the premise other than the fact that it's, according to the synopsis, "a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life’s ultimate mystery" with ideas that Scott calls "unique, large and provocative." The script of the movie is also co-written by "Lost" creator Damon Lindelof. If there's any movie that you can point to as maybe being the next great sci-fi thriller, this is it.
4. "Brave" (06/22/2012)
2011 was a pretty big bump in the road for the current king of animated movies, Pixar, with "Cars 2," easily the worst of the franchise that ended an unbelievable streak of great movies (one that has included six Oscars) and one where you can say was solely made to generate more revenue from the billions that the first movie created. However, don't expect that to continue in 2012 with the release of "Brave," the studio's first attempt to do a film of the fantasy genre. Then again, I don't think you really should start worrying about the quality of a Pixar film unless Larry the Cable Guy is involved.
3. "Contagion" (09/09/2011)
Matt Damon. Kate Winslett. Marion Cottilard. Jude Law. Laurence Fishburne. Gwyneth Paltrow. Bryan Cranston. What do these seven actors have in common, besides the fact that they have a combined 4 Oscars and 4 Emmys (5 if you count Winslett's inevitable Emmy win for "Mildred Pierce")? They are all big names starring in this upcoming action thriller film about a deadly virus, the results and the race to find the cure. Did I happen to mention that this same film is also directed by Steven Soderbergh? Did I even need to include that little tidbit? Wasn't the cast list good enough?
2. "The Avengers" (05/04/2012)
It's going to be the first blockbuster movie of the 2012 summer season, and it promises to be a doozy. Written and directed by Joss Whedon, always a favorite among sci-fi and fantasy nerds thanks to shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel" and "Firefly," it features an unprecedented All-Star cast of Marvel superheroes, from Iron Man and Captain America to Thor, The Hulk, and Nick Fury, fighting to save the world from the brink of disaster (whatever that will be). It's going to be the "Ocean's Eleven" of superhero movie. Let's hope that the film can live up to the expectations given to it.
1. "The Dark Knight Rises" (07/20/2012)
There are just so many reasons why I can't wait for this movie to premiere. For starters, Batman is, by far, my favorite comic book hero. Second, it is the final movie of a trilogy whose previous film ("The Dark Knight") is by-far the greatest superhero movie of all-time and arguably the best movie of the past three years, so I'm very intrigued to see how the story wraps up and whether they can maintain the same quality of the first two films (they probably won't). Third, it's directed by Christopher Nolan, who is coming off the impeccable "Inception" and has yet to direct a movie in the 21st Century that disappointed me, so my expectations for it are pretty high. Finally, I'm interested to see Anne Hathaway's Catwoman and Tom Hardy's Bane in action, and whether they can do a good enough job of filling the shoes of Heath Ledger and his legendary performance of The Joker in "The Dark Knight" (a performance that won him an Academy Award, no less). If there's one reason for me to get excited about the year 2012 (besides the Summer Olympics, of course), it would be this.
- Remember Apple's "1984" ad where the lady that represents the company destroyed a screen of Big Brother, a.k.a. IBM? Now that Apple is largest company in the world, I think it's safe to say that the real hidden message of the ad was that the company were just jealous of IBM and were going to do everything they could to destroy it in competition.
- Man, those first three "Austin Powers" movies have aged terribly. Maybe it shouldn't be a good idea for Mike Myers to do a fourth movie.
- I wonder how many votes Rick Parry got during the Iowa straw poll, and whether or not the voting officials counted it to Rick Perry's vote total.
- All right, "The Human Centipede" is, honestly, the worst ass-to-mouth surgery movie that I've ever seen. And I've seen, like, one of those kinds of movies...this one...just recently. (clears voice) Movin' on...
- Michael Smith made a good point this past week on "Around the Horn." Tiger Woods is to Stevie Williams as Bill Clinton was to Monica Lewinsky. The man's so famous that he could make his caddie famous just by association.
- You knew that the economy was bad this week when the European stock market relied on Germany of all places.
- First, NBC made "The Playboy Club." Then, ABC made "Pan-Am." Now, CBS greenlit something called "Ralph Lamb." Pretty interesting how so many major networks are creating their own 1960s-centered show because of "Mad Men" when "Mad Men," despite critical success, only averages about 2 million viewers per every new episode.
More RTs to come next Monday. Enjoy living life!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
End of the Week: 08/07/11- 08/13/11
END OF THE WEEK:
Oh, man, what a week! From the riots that took place across England to the Republicans battling out in Iowa to win a poll that has predicted the Republican presidential nominee only twice in the past thirty years, you could've described these past seven days in a thousand ways, none of which would include the word "boring." As with every weekend, here are my choices for the weeks bests and most memorable...
Pictures of the Week: Scenes From the London Riots
Because when you're feeling oppressed and angry by the government, you should do it by rioting, looting and destroying your own neighborhoods!
Video of the Week: "A. Samuels 'Livin De Life'"
How is it that I am embarrassed of this video?
Debate of the Week: The Ames, Iowa Republican Presidential Debate
The highlights:
-The usual stuff, I guess: Freedom good, taxes bad, spending cuts good, abortions bad, Reagan good, Obama bad, better protection of border good, gay marriage bad, etc. etc. etc.
- Michelle Bachmann being asked whether she would be submissive to her probably closeted-gay husband Marcus and then strangely leaving the stage for some reason (was it to go to the bathroom?). She also stated once again in her belief that the debt ceiling should not have been raised. That alone should have gotten her eliminated from the race, but whatever.
- Mitt Romney doesn't want to eat Obama's dog food...or continue to have less than three emotions. But he does think that corporations are people, too.
-Ron Paul, once again, wins when it comes to the defense portion of the questions.
-Tim Pawlenty was less of a pussy, actually criticizing his top opponents in the race (including Bachmann).
- FOX News...with gotcha questions? Newt Gingrich, are you sure you know what channel this debate was being broadcasted in? But, yeah, the questions they gave were pleasantly hard-hitting, which I do complement them on.
- Herman Cain promising to fix the economy within 90 days as President. What an awesome idea! Why couldn't Obama have thought of such things?
-Rick Santorum is apparently the hipster candidate of this debate, saying that he was into the Tea Party before it went mainstream. Can't wait to see him sporting those stereotypical glasses during the next debate.
- Jon Huntsman wants to leave those two years working for Obama in the past.
-Everyone raised their hands when asked if they would reject the idea of raising taxes as President. Expect that promise to be broken within a year of being elected.
-All of these people will probably lose to Rick Perry next year.
Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week (Besides the Riots in England): This Week's Wacky Stock Market
On Monday, the Dow Jones fell 634 points (the 6th largest one day drop in history). Then, on Tuesday, Wall Street made a late comeback to increase it by 430 points. On Wednesday, it went back down by sliding 520 points. Finally, on Thursday and Friday it rose by a combined 548 points (423 on Thursday, 125 on Friday). The NYSE this past week was basically like a depressed person screwing with their Prozac consumption.
- The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: 98 Year Old Woman Receives 10th Degree Black Belt
I bet I can still take her on.
People of the Week: The Rioters in England
for, well, making big headlines this week by rioting, of course! The riots began a week ago today in the blue collar North London town of Tottenham as a result of several factors, but more recently the local police officers shooting 29 year old alleged crack-cocaine dealer Mark Duggan while attempting to arrest him two days earlier. A protest was held led by Duggan's family in many local residents marched from Broadwater Farm to the Tottenham Police Station. The demonstration was initially peaceful, but by around 10 p.m. BST some people (allegedly not even part of the vigil) got so angry that they set a few nearly police cars on fire, and from then on a full blown riot was in moments. Thousands of individuals, most of whom were male and less than 40 years old, began a wide range of destruction from burning buildings, smashing windows, looting shops and overall just making it completely dangerous to be around in the street that night.
That initial act of rioting would then go on to last for days and expand across multiple areas around London and across the nation's cities, from Birmingham and West Bromwich to Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds and more (why in their neighborhoods, I still can't comprehend). The riots eventually resulted in over 2275 arrests, 1000 people charged with crime, the destruction of over 100 homes and businesses by arson and looting (most famously the Sony Music warehouse in Enfield which held a bunch of LPs and CDs for hundreds of independent labels), hundreds of millions of pounds in property damage and a potentially brutal recovery for the cities' local businesses, and a widespread panic across the British Isles. Now, obviously this was a very shameful act committed by the individuals involved, most of whom were probably just doing it for the looting than to actually send a message of some important (like how badly the country has treated its poor minority residents), and there really is no excuse for their behavior. However, I will give them this: at least with the riot it gives an increase in attentions to the immediate and long term riots involving the cities, albeit in a much extreme way. And that's something that the number of protests and demonstrations that occurred in the past really didn't do compared to what happened this past week.
-Runner-up: Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann
for winning the ever so notorious title of the winner in Ames, Iowa Republican straw poll that is held every year before the general election by a whopping 152 points over Ron Paul. She must be a very happy woman tonight. Also very happy tonight? Barack Obama, hearing the news that Michelle Bachmann won the Ames, Iowa Republican straw poll.
And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Random Thoughts: 08/01/11- 08/08/11
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
The following were on my mind between Monday, August 1st and Monday, August 8th:
- Why did the Discovery Channel (Or should I just call them Discovery? Whatever.) air a "Save the Sharks" nonprofit organization ad during an episode of "Killer Sharks" this past week? That's like if you were a member of the Ku Klux Klan that also just happened to be dating a black woman.
- Oh, for God's sakes, ESPN! Please let the Favre returning to play in Miami rumors die already! The man was never gonna go to Miami, and the only reason that rumor started in the first place was because some Miami newspaper writer wrote a column suggesting that the team should reach out for him after the fans booed Chad Henne on the practice field that one time. Besides, he's 40 years old, has plenty of money saved away in fortunes and his agent, Bus Cook, has stated repeatedly (even on Friday) that he will remain retired.
- Great, just we needed: another Yankees-Red Sox games that lasted for hours to complete nine innings, only to have to go play extras. How delightful!
- Why is it that White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen still insists on hitting .160 hitter Adam Dunn 4th in the line-up? That man is sure being passive aggressive this late into the season.
- Kind of ironic that a channel that's named "Comedy Central" doesn't even round out the top three in channels with the best comedies (FX, Adult Swim, NBC). Outside of the four veteran shows that they have on the network ("The Daily Show," "South Park," "The Colbert Report"), all that's left is a bunch of average clip shows and new programs that almost always get cancelled after one season.
- Really enjoyed "Bullet Points," yesterday's episode of "Breaking Bad." It reminded me quite a lot of the best episodes from season two. It was focused, dynamic, and well-constructed, with the plot that was building up in the previous two episodes finally coming into full motion. The cold open, with Mike inside that Los Pollos Locos truck was bad-ass, the episode brought tons of hilarity (Walt and Skyler's script rehearsal, Gale singing "Major Tom"), Jesse's road to nihilism was once again captivating, and it ultimately set up what should be a suspenseful episode next week.
- Yes, the stock market has been down since the debt ceiling deal (Damn Democrats, giving into the Republicans like that!) and the credit downgrade. However, I think that we should all just relax for now. When Obama came into office, the Dow Jones was at around 7,000. Now, it's just a bit under 11,000. We will be fine and we will all get through this...I hope.
/gulp
And that's all there is for now. Be sure to by next week for some more RTs! Until then, have a wonderful workweek. Let's hope that the Dow Jones and NASDAQ average doesn't spiral down towards hell in the meantime.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
The following were on my mind between Monday, August 1st and Monday, August 8th:
- Why did the Discovery Channel (Or should I just call them Discovery? Whatever.) air a "Save the Sharks" nonprofit organization ad during an episode of "Killer Sharks" this past week? That's like if you were a member of the Ku Klux Klan that also just happened to be dating a black woman.
- Oh, for God's sakes, ESPN! Please let the Favre returning to play in Miami rumors die already! The man was never gonna go to Miami, and the only reason that rumor started in the first place was because some Miami newspaper writer wrote a column suggesting that the team should reach out for him after the fans booed Chad Henne on the practice field that one time. Besides, he's 40 years old, has plenty of money saved away in fortunes and his agent, Bus Cook, has stated repeatedly (even on Friday) that he will remain retired.
- Great, just we needed: another Yankees-Red Sox games that lasted for hours to complete nine innings, only to have to go play extras. How delightful!
- Why is it that White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen still insists on hitting .160 hitter Adam Dunn 4th in the line-up? That man is sure being passive aggressive this late into the season.
- Kind of ironic that a channel that's named "Comedy Central" doesn't even round out the top three in channels with the best comedies (FX, Adult Swim, NBC). Outside of the four veteran shows that they have on the network ("The Daily Show," "South Park," "The Colbert Report"), all that's left is a bunch of average clip shows and new programs that almost always get cancelled after one season.
- Really enjoyed "Bullet Points," yesterday's episode of "Breaking Bad." It reminded me quite a lot of the best episodes from season two. It was focused, dynamic, and well-constructed, with the plot that was building up in the previous two episodes finally coming into full motion. The cold open, with Mike inside that Los Pollos Locos truck was bad-ass, the episode brought tons of hilarity (Walt and Skyler's script rehearsal, Gale singing "Major Tom"), Jesse's road to nihilism was once again captivating, and it ultimately set up what should be a suspenseful episode next week.
- Yes, the stock market has been down since the debt ceiling deal (Damn Democrats, giving into the Republicans like that!) and the credit downgrade. However, I think that we should all just relax for now. When Obama came into office, the Dow Jones was at around 7,000. Now, it's just a bit under 11,000. We will be fine and we will all get through this...I hope.
/gulp
And that's all there is for now. Be sure to by next week for some more RTs! Until then, have a wonderful workweek. Let's hope that the Dow Jones and NASDAQ average doesn't spiral down towards hell in the meantime.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
The mj15 Blog's 2011 Hall of Fame Honorable Mentions and A Salute to the July That Was (a.k.a. Blog #341)
This .gif of Katy Perry was one of the most popular items from the past year on The mj15 Blog. So why didn't it help Perry earn a spot into the Hall of Fame?
What a memorable and exciting past month it has been here at The mj15 Blog. From the three part Emmy predictions column to, of course, the second annual Hall of Fame inductions, it has been a month filled with posts that I have enjoyed writing about immensely and I hope that you simultaneously enjoyed reading as a result. So what better way to end one of my favorite months of the year (from the blog's standpoint, that is) with a tribute to some of its best (and worst) people, stories and moments? Nothing, that's what!
But first, I want to take some time to once again commemorate the individuals and moments that were selected into the 2011 class of The mj15 Blog Hall of Game. To recap, those five that were enshrined for the better part of the past week and a half were:
Brett Favre
Charlie Sheen
Karen Owen
The Decision
Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert ( joint inductees)
And here are the five 2010 inductees that they will be forever joined with:
The Tiger Woods Thanksgiving Car Crash/Sex Scandal/Break From Golf Story
South Carolina
Matthew Clemmens
The 2010 Tonight Show Conflict
Bill Simmons
Congratulations to all ten total inductees, each of whom deserved it in their own, special way. And now, in continuation of last year, it's time to end this prolonged celebration of the site's two years of existence with a list of the people, places and things that had some pretty good resumes worthy of having them included into this year's Fabulous Five, but just missed out of the final cut. From television shows to politicians to even a famous comedy band, here are this year's Hall of Fame honorable mentions, featuring the reasons why I could've selected them and an explanation for why I ultimately didn't:
Rebecca Black:
-Why She Could've Been Selected: Those of you familiar with the Internet culture and its past and current fads know Black as the singer in the music video of "Friday," an awful song written by the heads of Ark Music Factory in which she sang about the joys of the workweek's final day and the trials and tribulations of having to choose between sitting in either the front or back seat. Because of the song's awfulness, the video became a massive hit. It gained over 100 million views, it held the title of the most disliked video in YouTube history, and became the new song to sing ironically to people, most likely to annoy others (I, for one, held the lyrics to it being sung out loud around 6 times a day at the height of its popularity) before Black finally took it down this past June. On the bright side, the song was so bad that it sparked a string of brilliant parodies, and each week I chronicled the best for a five week period on "End of the Week." In addition, I also named "Friday" the song of the month back in March's "End of the Month" and even named her one of that month's top people.
-Why She Wasn't Selected: Black actually came very close to being inducted, as she did fit perfectly under the criteria for Hall of Fame candidates. However, as with most of the other honorable mentions, it was a simple case of her not having the "it" factor to get into the Hall over, say, Stewart & Colbert (whose resume dates back much longer than Black) and Sheen (who was more prominent in the headlines at his peak than Black). If there was anyone who Black would have defeated to get into the Fabulous Five, it would have been Owen. However, I wanted someone to get inducted this year that was the most similar to 2010 inductee Matthew Clemmens, and Owen fit that bill the most. Oh, well...I suppose.
Christine O'Donnell
- Why She Could've Been Selected: The Delaware Tea Party politician ran as the Republican candidate for Joe Biden's vacant Senate Seat in the fall of 2010 to much headlines until she ended up losing big. During that span, the American public found out many interesting things about her and her beliefs, including the fact that she once practiced witchcraft (leading her to run the infamous "I'm You" ad) and that she believed AIDS funding in this country was too much. O'Donnell was also voted September 2010's "Person of the Month" by this blog.
-Why She Wasn't Selected: Crazy and/or dumb U.S. politicians are a dime a dozen these days, especially during the past two years. Just look at Rand Paul and Jimmy McMillan as two examples. With that in mind, the fact that one female politician managed to out-crazy the rest isn't really that impressive enough. In fact, its actually kind of sad.
Mad Men
-Why It Could've Been Selected: What can I say? It was simply another brilliant year for the show, one that will probably give them another Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and one that was discussed on multiple occasions here on this blog (including a 13 point analysis of the season four finale and a spot on my list of the 10 Best Shows of 2010). Not many other shows on TV this past year was as mentioned or as praised here on this site than this show.
-Why It Wasn't Selected: Another year, another Hall of Fame honorable mention for "Mad Men." Why is that the case? Same reason as last year: it still has plenty of time left to get in. Creator of the show Matthew Weiner just signed a massive contract with AMC to run the show for three more years, and I have no doubt that the show will still continue to ooze greatness. With that in mind, why not award a spot into the Hall for someone like Owen or Favre that will probably not get another shot in future years?
Community/The Office/Parks and Recreations/30 Rock
-Why They Could've Been Selected: Well, there was that time that I spent ranking these Thursday night NBC comedies episode-by-episode. Also, like "Mad Men," I have dedicated multiple posts over the past two year discussing them, most of the times in a positive light (especially when it came to "Community" and "Parks and Recreations"), but occasionally in a negative light as well (pre-Fall 2010 "30 Rock," "The Office" seasons 6+).
-Why They Weren't Selected: Same reason as "Mad Men." These shows (and even others that I haven't mentioned in this column like "Breaking Bad" or "Game of Thrones") have at least another year to get nominated.
Anthony Weiner
-Why He Could've Been Selected: This former New York congressman spent the majority of June 2011 dominated the headlines with the story of his sexual Internet encounters on the job which eventually led to his resignation. This story prompted myself to vote Weiner as not only a Person of the Week, but also a Person of the Month.
-Why He Wasn't Selected: Oooh, a politician that was forced to resign because of a sex scandal! Like I haven't heard that before!
Ben Roethlisberger
-Why He Could've Been Selected: In the blog's first year, the Steelers quarterback spent the majority that time getting himself into some messy situations. He was accused of rape by two different women in a nine month period (the second rape case influenced me to name him my April 2010 Person of the Month) and was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for 4-6 games for not staying away from trouble in the offseason. In the blog's second year, Roethlisberger did all he could to redeem himself on the football field, helping to lead Pittsburgh to an AFC North division title and a trip to Super Bowl XLV in which the team came within five point of potentially winning. In other words, it was a tale of two Roethlisbergers, and this blog covered both.
-Why He Wasn't Selected: Because redemption stories are boring, that's why! In all seriousness, Roethlisberger was just another case of "close, but no cigar" where he had a good case of getting in but was ultimately beaten by five others that were slightly better. Just look at the two sports-related inductees from this year as an example. Favre had a good-year, bad-year situation just like Roethlisberger. However, unlike Big Ben, those two years were more dramatic in that one season he went to the NFC Championship and the other he finished it on the bench (Roethlisberger, on the other hand) was good in both 2009 and 2010, proving that those rape allegations didn't do anything to his on-the-field play). Meanwhile, Lebron James and his first season on the Miami Heat was a bigger sports story.
Katy Perry
-Why She Could've Been Selected: That .gif of her on Saturday Night Live from last September that you see just below the headline lead to one of the top search keywords that brought viewers to this site and for that post which it was involved in to become the site's third most read ever. Also, there was this small period in from mid-September 2010 to early-October 2010 in which I mentioned her in three straight "End of the Weeks." Not many people have accomplished such things in this blog.
-Why She Wasn't Selected: The case for her was a bit weak in my taste. But, hey, at least you get to stare at them bouncing Tickle Me Elmos some more!
The Season 1 Finale of The Killing
-Why It Could've Been Selected: That episode basically tore the Internet up in half from TV critics like Alan Sepinwall and Maureen Ryan to disgruntled viewers of the show going online and releasing their anger of the episode's polarizing ending. I was one of those people that hated the ending, and I expressed my frustration on multiple occasions in this blog for the past month and a half (including now). That episode was also selected into my June 2011 edition of "End of the Month" and led me to give the show's executive producer, Veena Sud, a Person of the Week recipient (with a five paragraph explanation/rant to boot).
-Why It Wasn't Selected: A criteria for getting into the Hall of Fame is that I had to enjoy writing about it. Believe me when I say that I not only hating that episode, but I also hated writing about it.
Kanye West
-Why It Could've Been Selected: Two reasons: 1) The Taylor Swift incident back in September of 2009, and 2) His 2010 album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," which was awesome and received rave reviews and multiple "Album of the Year" picks by....well, just about everyone.
-Why It Wasn't Selected: One of the three on the list to get an Honorable Mention for two years in a row, West wasn't selected simply because his two year resume, in my mind, was a bit too light to get in. But, hey! There's always next year!
Andy Samberg
-Why He Could've Been Selected: "On the Ground." "On a Boat." "Shy Ronnie." "A Great Day." "The Curse." "The Roomate." "Jack Sparrow (ft. Michael Bolton)." These are some of the names of SNL Digital Shorts and skits featuring Samberg that have been mentioned on this blog, usually as a "Video of the Week" selectee. Basically, my love of this guy's sketches have been unrivaled by any other comedian or "Saturday Night Live" cast member.
-Why He Wasn't Selected: I trust Samberg to deliver in quality during the upcoming 37th season of "Saturday Night Live," so there's no rush by me in giving the man a Hall of Fame induction. It's a lot like why I didn't pick "Mad Men," in other words.
Osama Bin Laden's Assassination
-Why It Could've Been Selected: Simply one of the biggest stories to come out of 2011, much like the Middle East uprisings and the lockouts in both the NFL and NBA. It was such a big story that it became the first to dominate an entire installment of "End of the Week" back in early May.
-Why It Wasn't Selected: Another really tough choices in this Hall of Fame selection process was having to decide whether this should've gotten in or not. I suppose I chose not to induct this story was because I only discussed it about four or five times whereas all of the five things that were selected (with the exception of Karen Owen) were mentioned on this blog much, much more.
Julian Assange
-Why He Could've Been Selected: The founder of the controversial website WikiLeaks.org.mad headlines over the past year releasing previously classified documents by the U.S. government regarding such topics as the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the country's diplomacy. As a result of that, he became the person ever in the history of The mj15 Blog to get selected as "Person of the Week" for two weeks in a row and the blog's selection for 2010's Person of the Year (take that, Zuckerberg!).
- Why He Wasn't Selected: (thinks it over) Yeah...I've made a huge mistake with this one, and I'm not afraid to admit it. But hey, at least that Person of the Year award is a very nice consolation prize...right?
And there you have it. Congrats to all 12 on coming oh, so close to making it. Should be interesting to see which of these twelve get brought up again next year either as another honorable mention, or as a member of the 2012 Fabulous Five (at last). And now, to wrap up this post, here is a brand new "End of the Month" for the July 2011 that was. Enjoy:
END OF THE MONTH:
Verdict of the Month: Casey Anthony Found Not Guilty For First-Degree Murder of Daughter Caylee
Sure, she wasn't convicted of something that she probably did do. At least we got to see Nancy Grace come mere seconds away from having her head explode like in the movie "Scanners." Man, I hate that woman (Grace, though Anthony is not of my liking either)!
World Record: Takeru Kobayashi's Record 69 Hot Dogs in 10 Minutes
The record isn't as amazing as much as the story behind it. The man set the world record in New York City a few miles from Coney Island where the year's annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest was being held on the Fourth of July because he was not eligible to compete as he had not agreed to exclusively be part of the competitive food eating organization that was holding the event. He also broke that unofficial world record at the same time that Joey Chestnut officially broke the world record that he set a year ago with 62, seven less than Kobayashi. A fantastic act of revenge, if I do say so myself.
Deaths of the Month: Singer Amy Winehouse and Former First Lady Betty Ford
July was not a kind month for famous substance abuser.
Stories of the Month:
- The Weirdest of the Weird: Woman Died From Allergic Reaction To Sex With Dog
Ireland, huh? Looks like they and the Southeast are more alike than I thought! Speaking of bestiality...
- The Best Revival of a Blog Favorite: Kentucky Man Charged With Repeat Horse-Sex Offense
Somewhere, what's left of the carcass of Rodell Vereen is happy knowing that he's not alone.
- The Best Kamikazi: Konrad Schmidt, Suicidal Son, Crashes Plane To Mother's House With Her In It
That's for not liking my Mother's Day present, mom!
- The End of an Era: Space Shuttle Atlantis Lands, Ending 30 Year Space Program
Houston, we have...nothing.
- The Best Shenanigan: Intoxicated Men Take Dead, Flattened Alligator Off-Roading in Livingston County
Following the report of the story, the Detroit Free-Press was swamped by phone call leads.
-The Saddest: Texas Rangers Fan Dies Reaching For Ball in Outfield
Great! As if Josh Hamilton didn't have enough demons in his life.
- Thanks, Phone Hacking Scandal!: News of the World Shut Down
Goodbye, cruel World!
- The Most Relieving (For Him): The Charges Against Dominique Strauss-Kahn Are Stopped
Hah! Take that non-believers! You suck!
- The Plumpest: Woman Gives Birth to 16 Pound Baby
Well, you know what they say about things in Texas...
- The Best Proposal: Mila Kunis to Attend Marine Ball With Sgt. Moore
Too bad that she eventually said no. I thought it would have been a nice cross-promotion for her movie "Friends With Benefits" with "good PR" counting as the "benefit."
- The Most Horrifying: Norway Devastated With Oslo Bombings, Youth Camp Shooting
- The Most Petulant: Dave Chappelle Tells Single Joke, Sighs For Remaining 45 Minutes
Dave Chappelle: the real life version of Joaquin Phoenix's character in "I'm Still Here."
- The Most Hypocritical: Kim Jong-Il Gets Big Macs Delivered From China to North Korea
Well, at least the U.S. can now share responsibility for his death.
- The Most Heroic: Scared Chihuahua Scares Off Two Robbers
I think we know who's gonna cameo in the new "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" movie!
Mugshot of the Month: Adam "Pacman" Jones
CHUH-CHUH.
Milestone of the Month: Derek Jeter's 3000th Hit As a MLB Player
He became the first Yankee in major league history to ever achieve such a milestone, and on a day where he had his best single game offensively, going 5-for-5, a home run (#3000), two RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base. It was a great day to be a baseball fan, and an even better day to be a non-Yankees fan knowing that the unnecessary extra attention put on him was immediately diminished.
Retirement of the Month: Basketball Player Yao Ming From the NBA
He will leave behind an impact on the sport as big as his size.
Videos of the Month:
- The Most Embarrassing: "Fausto Carmona Baserunning FAIL"
Oh My God! An MLB clip on YouTube that has yet to be taken down! It's an August miracle! I wonder how long before the league realizes of its existence?
- The Most Inspirational: "Pastor Joe Nelms' Prayer Before NASCAR Nationwide Series Race"
Must have been awkward for the Christian pastor when he realized that he was thanking God for science.
- The Funniest: "George C. Scott Watches the 'Jack and Jill' Trailer"
Hitler Reacts videos, meet your newest competitor (besides the movie studios taking you down because of copyright). Also, couldn't have put it better myself, really.
- The Least Cat-astrophic: "All of Harry Potter Re-Enacted By Cats in 1 Minute"
Damn, that was pretty thorough. And I read all those books for nothing!
- The Coolest: "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: History of Rap (Part 2) w/ Justin Timberlake"
Jimmy Fallon - Jokes + Singing & Dancing + Justin Timberlake + Classic Songs = Gold.
- The Biggest Brat: "Kid Pouts at Giants-Dodgers Game Over Missed Foul Ball"
The kid was eventually rewarded for his anger by the Giants TV crew with another foul ball to call his own. Personally, I thought that was a nice gesture. Very important to teach children entitlement at such an early age.
-The Bravest: "Soldiers Answer Simple Questions in Tear Gas"
America's finest in training!
- The Funnest: "Blob Jump Official Guinness World Record"
I sure hope the amount of depth between the top of the water and the ground were sufficient enough for the guy. Seems like a bad way to end something so cool.
- The Most Awesome: Abby Wambach's Goal in 122nd Minute vs. Brazil in Women's World Cup Quarterfinals
Sure, the ladies ended up losing during penalty kicks at the championship game against Japan. But at least we will always have this great moment in our memories. A simple wonderful play by the U.S. Women's Soccer team, doing the impossible in a time where things seemed very bleak.
Fake Tweets of the Month: Barack Obama's Assassination on FOX News' Twitter Feed
It was hacked? Are we sure? For all we know, the tweet could have been pre-written as a draft like obituaries for famous old people.
Photoshoot of the Month: Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs on GQ
Now, will you watch "Community"?
Person of the Month: Newscorp. CEO Rupert Murdoch
It was widely known before July that Rupert Murdoch was basically the Mr. Burns of reality. However, what the past few weeks have done basically all but affirmed it, from the phone hacking scandal to the cancellation of News of the World to the Parliamentary hearing.
-Honorable Mentions: U.S. Congressmen, Derek Jeter, Christian Lopez, Women's Soccer Aficionados, Casey Anthony, Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith, NFL Fans, NASA Haters.
And there you have it: a really long post dedicate to a bunch of things that happened in the past. If you have any complaints of this column, or if you have anything else to add that probably should've been included on "End of the Month," please feel free to express it in the comments. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday night/early Monday morning! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a very good episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" to re-watch.
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
End of the Week: 07/31/11- 08/06/11
END OF THE WEEK:
Another week, another batch full of (summer) memories, both good and bad. From the passing of the U.S. debt ceiling to the following credit downgrade, here are my picks of some of the best and most memorable moments from the past seven days (Note: I was in a bit of a hurry writing this post, so I apologize if some of you might think that this post lacked in the usual amount of material):
Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week: Debt Ceiling Deal Reached To Avert Default
And if you thought this partisan paralysis battle was unbearable, wait until September when the second government shutdown battle of the year rages on! As if there weren't any other reason to hate this session of Congress!
- The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: Nicki Minaj's Wardrobe Malfunction on "Good Morning America"
In other news: DAT ASS!
Video of the Week: "Man Accidentally Proposes to Girlfriend on Live TV"
...once again proving my theory that people tend to increase their horniness at airports.
Credit Downgrade of the Week: The United States From "AAA" to "AA+" by Standard & Poor's
In other words, because the Republicans are harebrained idiots driving the economy down the toilet because they refuse to raise revenue and because the Democrats have allowed their bullying to go on to what is now the Debt Ceiling Amendment Bill of 2011, a deal in which Boehner & company got 98% of what they wanted, the credit ratings agency has refused to keep them at a low-risk level of AAA. And there's a possibility that they might even lower it to an AA rating in the next two years if the long term outlook doesn't improve. Thanks, Congress! No wonder this batch of elected legislative officials was voted the most-hated of all-time.
Basketball Performance of the Week: Kevin Durant Scores 66 Points In Game at Rucker Park
Five straight fourth-quarter three pointers in a row from over 30 feet? Now that's the stuff of legends!
Person of the Week: Congressional Republicans
for getting 98% of what they wanted in the debt negotiations, duh. But, with the stock market falling this week not just here but around the world and Standard & Poor's credit downgrade, was it really all worth it?
And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, everyone!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Another week, another batch full of (summer) memories, both good and bad. From the passing of the U.S. debt ceiling to the following credit downgrade, here are my picks of some of the best and most memorable moments from the past seven days (Note: I was in a bit of a hurry writing this post, so I apologize if some of you might think that this post lacked in the usual amount of material):
Stories of the Week:
-The Actual Story of the Week: Debt Ceiling Deal Reached To Avert Default
And if you thought this partisan paralysis battle was unbearable, wait until September when the second government shutdown battle of the year rages on! As if there weren't any other reason to hate this session of Congress!
- The Tiger Woods Saga of '09 Memorial Story of the Week: Nicki Minaj's Wardrobe Malfunction on "Good Morning America"
In other news: DAT ASS!
Video of the Week: "Man Accidentally Proposes to Girlfriend on Live TV"
...once again proving my theory that people tend to increase their horniness at airports.
Credit Downgrade of the Week: The United States From "AAA" to "AA+" by Standard & Poor's
In other words, because the Republicans are harebrained idiots driving the economy down the toilet because they refuse to raise revenue and because the Democrats have allowed their bullying to go on to what is now the Debt Ceiling Amendment Bill of 2011, a deal in which Boehner & company got 98% of what they wanted, the credit ratings agency has refused to keep them at a low-risk level of AAA. And there's a possibility that they might even lower it to an AA rating in the next two years if the long term outlook doesn't improve. Thanks, Congress! No wonder this batch of elected legislative officials was voted the most-hated of all-time.
Basketball Performance of the Week: Kevin Durant Scores 66 Points In Game at Rucker Park
Five straight fourth-quarter three pointers in a row from over 30 feet? Now that's the stuff of legends!
Person of the Week: Congressional Republicans
for getting 98% of what they wanted in the debt negotiations, duh. But, with the stock market falling this week not just here but around the world and Standard & Poor's credit downgrade, was it really all worth it?
And that's the way it was! Enjoy the rest of your Saturday, everyone!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
2011 NFL Offseason Check-up: A Convenient Post-Lockout Transactions Recap
Donovan McNabb to the Vikings was just one of many notable moves to take place in the NFL this past week.
All is good again. After five months of labor negotiations and apprehension about the possibility that there might not be regular season games played, the NFL lockout finally came to a close July 25th on the 136th day when the NFLPA agreed to the deal that the owners unanimously approved of four days earlier and began the process of re-certifying. It was a joyous day for fans of the game as it meant that now everything outside of the cancelled Hall of Fame game would go on as planned, from training camp to all sixteen regular season games. It also meant that, beginning the day after, the league would embark on an unprecedented period of transactions, where everything from free agency to trades to signing draft picks (something that would usually start in early March and would last for a period of three or four months) would be shifted into maximum overdrive...all while training camp was set to begin taking place! And, yes sir, this week has certainly featured a whole lotta transactin' going on!
So, with that in mind, here is a list of a bunch of notable trades, players signings, retirements and player holdouts of note from the past week along with a few future storylines to watch out for in the coming days ahead in this crazy, never before seen and probably never going to be seen again (at least for another ten years) moment in the history of the NFL:
- Seven days in, no other team in the NFL has made greater use of free agency to help boost their roster and elevate their chances of going to the Super Bowl than the Philadelphia Eagles. Not only were they the winners of the Nnamdi Asomugha sweepstakes (arguably the most coveted free agent of 2011) over teams like the Jets, the Texans (ha!) and the Cowboys, but they've also received Dominque Rogers-Cromartie via trade, improving their pass rush that was second worst in the NFL last year (31 passing TDs allowed) while also adding to their cornerback talent pool that already features Asante Samuel. In addition, they've also managed to sign 2008 Pro Bowler and occasionally great-when-healthy running back Ronnie Brown to back up the explosive LeSean McCoy, defensive end Jason Babin and defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins to improve their front four, and quarterback Vince Young to back-up Michael Vick (officially put the rumor of Brett Favre coming back to play in Philadelphia rumor at rest). I think it's safe to say that their odds of winning the Lombardi Trophy in February have risen exponentially over the past few days.
- Speaking of Philadelphia, they also ended up making headlines this past week by trading away Kevin Kolb, former first round pick and the guy that was originally set up to be their starting QB last year (you know, before he got injured in game 1 and Vick took over), to the Arizona Cardinals for Cromartie and a 2nd round pick. Time will tell whether Eagles made a right decision to go for the short term route (Vick) than the long term one (Kolb), but two thing are for sure right now: the Cardinals have improved themselves offensively, and Larry Fitzgerald is a happy man knowing that he will be catching passes from Kolb than from the list of mediocre post-Warner quarterbacks that he had on his roster in 2010.
-The Arizona Cardinals have also signed linebacker Stewart Bradley and tight end Todd Heap to multi-year deals.
- Donovan McNabb has been traded to the Minnesota Vikings for a sixth round pick in 2012 and 2013, leaving behind a legacy in Washington of one wasted season, a lost fourth round pick that ended up going to rival Philadelphia in the April 2010 trade, and a baffling five year, $78 million extension that the team gave him in November. In other words, it was exactly what the Eagles hoped would have happened, and it did.
- Matt Hasselback has been traded to the Tennessee Titans to be their new starting quarterback as well as a mentor for their first round pick, Jake Locker. Apparently, the team decided that they rather enjoyed the Kerry Collins years so much, they felt that they wanted to do it again with another aging, ex-Pro Bowler in the twilight of his career.
- The Seattle Seahawks are apparently the Minnesota Vikings West, signing 6'4'' wide receiver Sidney Rice (who had that breakout, 1,000 yard season in '09 before spending the majority of the 2010 season injured) and quarterback Tavaris Jackson (who is like Matt Hasselback, only more athletic). Considering how much those Seattle residents love angst, I have a feeling that Jackson will be providing them with a lot of it this season.
- Albert Haynesworth has been traded from the Washington Redskins to the New England Patriots in hopes that his new location will finally motivate himself to prove that the $100 million contract he signed two years ago was not God-awful. Since both Haynesworth and the majority of the Patriots' fanbase don't find black woman attractive, I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
- In continuation of their quest to apparently acquire players that other teams have gotten tired of, New England has also traded a 5th and 6th round draft pick for Cincinnati's Chad Ochocinco. Ooh, what wonderful juxtaposition! On one side, you have the strict, disciplinarian coaching of Bill Belichick and on the other, you have the fun-loving and exciting to watch Ochocinco. Such a shame to know that those old Ochocinco days are probably going to be over if the man wants to stay with the Patriots.
- Speaking of the AFC East, you have the New York Jets doing their best to try to improve their targets for Mark Sanchez, re-signing Santonio Holmes and, in a rather surprising move, becoming Plaxico Burress' first post-jail playing team. The Burress situation will be a fascinating one to watch, but I have a feeling that it will turn out all right in the end. After all, last time I checked, the man is still 6'5'' and in really good shape to play the position. Meanwhile, in Miami, the Dolphins (in an effort to boost interest and hope from the fanbase) have traded with the Saints to acquire running back Reggie Bush.
-The New Orleans Saints have signed Darren Sproles, quickly filling the void (if there was any) that was lost when they traded Bush to the Dolphins while also adding another notable running back to a roster that already has Pierre Thomas and Marc Ingram. Also signed by the Saints? Wide receiver Lance Moore (again) and defensive linemen Aubrayo Franklin and Shaun Rodgers. Not bad, New Orleans. Not bad at all.
- So, outside of trading away McNabb and Haynesworth, what have the Redskins done in the free agency market to actually, you know, improve their team? Umm...well, er, uh....how does Donte Stallworth and Jabar Gaffney sound? Or how about Tim Hightower? Remember all those goal-line TDs that he had in 2008?
- In Chicago, the Bears have acquired Roy Williams, formerly of Detroit and Dallas fame, in their quest to add a big name to their wide receiver position, even if that wide receiver is a man who happens to once lead the league in dropped balls and hilarious marriage proposals gone wrong. But, considering that he did have his best statistical season in 2006 under Mike Martz, who is now the offensive coordinator for the Bears, there is a chance that Williams might make a difference (in a good way). In addition, the Bears have also signed former Pro Bowl running back Marion Barber III (yay!) and Amobi Okoye (okay?) while also releasing the team's veteran center, Olin Kreutz, after 13 seasons (choosing instead to sign Chris Spencer at that position) and punter Brad Maynard. Some of you may not think of the Maynard release as a big deal, but for the better part of the decade, this man (along with Robbie Gould) really was one of our offensive MVPs, much like Shane Lechler was in Oakland. I wish Maynard luck in Houston, along with Kreutz in...whatever team he signs in.
- The 49ers are the Jack Twist to Alex Smith's Ennis Del Mar in that San Francisco just doesn't know how to quit the other, even after six mediocre seasons. On the bright side, at least the David Aikers signing was nice, right?
- Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss is retired. Apparently, he just felt that there weren't enough good offers to accept, and did what he always did when he wasn't happy: quit. Marc Bulger also announced his retirement this morning, but no one gives a crap about that (not even Rams fans).
- QB Carson Palmer is apparently never going to play another NFL game again. In a July 26th press conference, Bengals owner Mike Brown has made it clear that he will not trade Palmer and that the only team that he will play in 2011 (if he chooses to play) will be in Cincinnati. Palmer, who has made it clear this offseason that he doesn't want to play for Cincinnati and wants to be traded, currently has four years left on a deal with the Bengals worth around $40 million and appears to be as stubborn in his trade request as Brown. So, look out Bengals fans, 'cause here comes the Andy Dalton era!
- In other Cincinnati news, after rushing for two straight 1,000+ yard seasons for the team, the Bengals have wisely re-signed running back Cedric Benson.
- The Carolina Panthers have made it a mission in this short free agency period to lock up their own, signing running back DeAngelo Williams for 5 years and $43 million and defensive end Charles Johnson for 6 years and $72 million. They have also acquired great receiving tight end Greg Olsen from the Chicago Bears. That's great and all, Carolina, but that still doesn't solve the fact that you are coming off a 2-14 season, are playing in a tough division, and have two awful quarterbacks (Derek Anderson and Jimmy Clausen) and one soon-to-be awful quarterback (Cam Newton) battling for the starting job.
- It's official: to the shock of nobody, the Colts have resigned quarterback Peyton Manning to a 5 year, $90 million contract extension, tying him with Tom Brady for the highest annual salary in the NFL with $18.5 million per year.
- The St. Louis Rams have signed former Jacksonville wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker and are probably going to sign Cadillac Williams to back-up Stephen Jackson at running back (UPDATE 08/03: It's official).
-Eric Weddle has signed a deal with the San Diego Chargers to become the highest paid safety in the league for 5 years and $40 million. Seriously.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers expectedly re-signed cornerback Ike Taylor.
- The Houston Texans made a slight improvement to last year's historically bad passing defense, signing cornerback and kick returner Daniel Manning, formerly of the Chicago Bears. They've also re-signed Matt Leinart, because....
- Running back Willis McGahee, second in the league behind the Jets' Antonio Cromartie for most kids by an active player, was signed by the Denver Broncos.
- Meanwhile, in Titletown, the defending champion Green Bay Packers have been pretty quiet on the free agency side of things, outside of re-signing players like wide receiver James Jones and releasing linebacker Nick Barnett (who ended up later signing with Buffalo). However, because the core players that helped them win a Super Bowl last year (Aaron Rodgers, Charles Woodson, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Clay Matthews, A.J. Hawk, etc.), not many Packers fans seem to mind that (nor should they).
- In NFL holdout news, Titans running back Chris Johnson, who has led the league in rushing since 2009, has been missing the team's training camp after wanting to restructure his contract (the bargain price of $800,000 this season), of which he has vastly outplayed in the last three years (and then some!). The man reportedly wants a deal that is worth at least $30 million guaranteed. Elsewhere, fellow 2008 draft class member DeSean Jackson, one of the fastest players in the game and owner of two straight 1,000+ receiving yard season with the Eagles, has also been thinking about holding out while Bears running back Matt Forte was rumored to be holding out until he didn't. In the Meadowlands, Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora (who had a great season last year) was allowed to seek a trade after skipping a few days of training camps, until that stopped.
- Every first round pick of the 2011 NFL draft has been signed expect for the Patriots' Nate Sodler (#17), the Chargers' Corey Liuget (#18) and the Giants' Prince Amukamara (#19).
-Notable free agents still left on the market: Michael Bush (RB), Leonard Davis (DE), Derrick Dockery (DE), Braylon Edwards (WR), Shaun Ellis (DE), Malcolm Floyd (WR), Tamba Hali (LB), Olin Kreutz (C), Bryant McKinnie (T), Terrell Owens (WR), Clinton Portis (RB), Steve Smith (WR), Pat Williams (DT), and Ricky Williams (RB).
-Major QB controversy in Denver! Tebow vs. Orton! Jesus vs. Neckbeard! Orton's looking good at training camp! Tebow's struggling! No one's getting traded! One start, the other sits on the bench! WHO'S! IT! GONNA! BE! BYAAAAH!
(Probably Orton)
- And, in what is probably the worst thing to come out of this wave of post-lockout NFL news, HBO officially announced that there will be no "Hard Knocks" this year since none of the 32 teams want to be a part of it. So, expect to wait at least a year to see more great moments like these broadcasted every Wednesday in August:
I hope that you thought this compilation of news was thorough enough for your reading pleasure. The league's annual preseason kicks off Thursday, August 11th with Baltimore vs. Philadelphia, Jacksonville vs. New England, Seattle vs. San Diego, Denver vs. Dallas and Arizona vs. Oakland. Man, it feels good to just be able to say that!
Sincerely,
Your pal: mj15
If you have any opinions on today's post, or if you just have any suggestions or tips for my next blog entry, e-mail me at: mj1599@aol.com. Your e-mails are greatly appreciated.
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