I haven't been sleeping well lately. I don't know what's up. I have been staying up on the weekends until 4, 5, or even 6 AM. And when I do finally turn in for the night I'm not really even sleepy. It's weird. On weeknights I have been able to make myself go to bed about midnight or twelve thirty, but normally I end up lying there for a while before I drift off.
Beth's work schedule has changed several times lately and this might have something do with it. First of all I have been really slow to adjust to having someone sleeping in the bed with me. Some nights it is no big deal and some nights I lay there in agony just wishing that I could stretch out. My body literally aches. And on those nights I usually move to the futon in the middle of the night. But recently Beth has had to work an earlier schedule and therefore is going to bed earlier. As I said before, I can't go to bed at 11 at night so I usually slip into bed a while later. Maybe this is causing the sleeping problems. I'm trying to get to sleep, but feel like I can't toss and turn like I normally do to get to get comfortable because I don't want to wake her up.
Most of you know that I have been blessed with never really having any sleeping problems in the past. We all have bouts of insomnia once in a while, but for me they were few and far between. Not anymore. I guess a trip to the doctor for some sleep aid is in my future if things don't change soon. The good news it that Beth's schedule is supposed to change again in a week or two and she will be working later in the day. This means she can go to bed later and by going to bed at the same time I will be able to move around and get comfortable before she is asleep. I will keep you posted...
-OUT
Monday, May 05, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
It Was Real...And Imaginary
Well I promised to never blog on this site again if the Tigers didn't win the national championship. So this is my last post on here ever...
But never fear, my new blog is bigger, better, and more awesome than ever before. Also I hope the address is easier to remember. You can add it to your bookmarks and start reading it now!!!
www.chriscarwile.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading. I had over 850 original people read this blog over the last 5 months and from 18 different countries. Pretty cool if you ask me. Pass the new address off to your friends and make sure to leave me lots of comments.
And one last time I type it:
-OUT!
But never fear, my new blog is bigger, better, and more awesome than ever before. Also I hope the address is easier to remember. You can add it to your bookmarks and start reading it now!!!
www.chriscarwile.blogspot.com
Thanks for reading. I had over 850 original people read this blog over the last 5 months and from 18 different countries. Pretty cool if you ask me. Pass the new address off to your friends and make sure to leave me lots of comments.
And one last time I type it:
-OUT!
Monday, April 07, 2008
Housewives Correction
Marc Cherry, creator and executive producer for Desperate Housewives says that the rumors about the time shift were not true. The show plans to pick up where they left off before the strike and that there will not be a time jump in the last few minutes of the season. He did say 2 other interesting things. The first (non-spoiler) is that they will solve the Mary Katherine mystery by the end of the season. We will know why she left Wysteria Lane and the secret about her husband child. The second thing Cherry said (VERY SPOILERY) is that one of the main 5 ladies would likely not be with the show next year. He said who that person is and to find out, just hightlight the rest of this line... Edie Brit (Nicolette Sheridan)
Sunday, April 06, 2008
When Will They Learn?
I am pretty much tired of great movies being produced into shitty, get-rich-quick, remakes. The latest in a long line of movies being optioned for a re-do is one of my favorite movies. The flicks: Short Circuit. Has Hollywood run out of original ideas? Are they just lazy? Have moviegoers really turned their backs on going to the theater so much that the big wigs think that the only way to draw us back in is by reheating something we used to like? What's next, a Goonies remake? What about Stand By Me or The Breakfast Club or god-forbid a Big Trouble in Little China update. Make it stop, please!!!
-OUT
-OUT
Friday, April 04, 2008
All Good Things Must Come To An End...
If the Tigers don't win the national championship then I am going to close this blog forever. So Go Tigers....
Rock The Republican Vote?
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -
If you are male and a Led Zeppelin fan, chances are you may be leaning toward voting Republican in the U.S. presidential election, according to a survey of rock radio fans released on Wednesday.
It found that John McCain, the Republican candidate for U.S. president, was the top pick for the Oval Office for men and classic rock partisans -- those people who tune in to stations playing music from the "original classic rock era" of 1964 to 1975, comprised of bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd.
Jacobs Media said the survey, conducted among 69 U.S. rock-formatted stations in markets as diverse as Los Angeles and Knoxville to Buffalo, found 84 percent of the respondents planned to vote in the November election.
"People are clearly engaged by this election, even rockers. A lot of stations tend to shy away from politics because it's so polarizing, but this data suggests they'd better find a way to talk about politics this fall to keep listeners interested," said Fred Jacobs, president of Jacobs Media. He said the company threw the political questions in as an afterthought and was surprised by the results.
About 30 percent of the respondents called themselves Democrats, while nearly 22 percent described their politics as Republican and 21 percent declared they were independents.
About 26 percent of the respondents either named a different party, preferred not to answer, or refused to categorize themselves.
The survey found women and fans of alternative radio, featuring '80s and '90s rock, tend to be Democratic, while men and classic rockers lean Republican.
Asked about their overall presidential preference, Democrat Barack Obama led the pack with 26 percent support among those planning on voting in the November election.
McCain ranked second with 22 percent and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton drew 18 percent.
There were also a fair share of write-in votes. Mickey Mouse ranked as the top presidential choice of 11 respondents, and singer Ted Nugent was written in by three members of the Rock sample.
If you are male and a Led Zeppelin fan, chances are you may be leaning toward voting Republican in the U.S. presidential election, according to a survey of rock radio fans released on Wednesday.
It found that John McCain, the Republican candidate for U.S. president, was the top pick for the Oval Office for men and classic rock partisans -- those people who tune in to stations playing music from the "original classic rock era" of 1964 to 1975, comprised of bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd.
Jacobs Media said the survey, conducted among 69 U.S. rock-formatted stations in markets as diverse as Los Angeles and Knoxville to Buffalo, found 84 percent of the respondents planned to vote in the November election.
"People are clearly engaged by this election, even rockers. A lot of stations tend to shy away from politics because it's so polarizing, but this data suggests they'd better find a way to talk about politics this fall to keep listeners interested," said Fred Jacobs, president of Jacobs Media. He said the company threw the political questions in as an afterthought and was surprised by the results.
About 30 percent of the respondents called themselves Democrats, while nearly 22 percent described their politics as Republican and 21 percent declared they were independents.
About 26 percent of the respondents either named a different party, preferred not to answer, or refused to categorize themselves.
The survey found women and fans of alternative radio, featuring '80s and '90s rock, tend to be Democratic, while men and classic rockers lean Republican.
Asked about their overall presidential preference, Democrat Barack Obama led the pack with 26 percent support among those planning on voting in the November election.
McCain ranked second with 22 percent and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton drew 18 percent.
There were also a fair share of write-in votes. Mickey Mouse ranked as the top presidential choice of 11 respondents, and singer Ted Nugent was written in by three members of the Rock sample.
How We All Became John Calipari
When this 2007-2008 basketball campaign was about to kick off I wrote a post on my blog about how I felt that the next 3 months would bring this city together in ways that we never dreamed possible. One of the most racially torn, rags to riches cities in America would band together for what was for sure to be a magical run. It seemed like all of the pieces were finally in place. After back to back elite 8 runs it was the the Tigers' turn.
Driving in to work this morning on Sam Cooper Blvd I saw a giant tent set up on the south side of the road just east of Tillman. Under this giant blue tent was a man (woman?) dressed in a Tiger suit waving a huge Go Tigers flag. As car after car passed by each honked, waved, and shouted. This city is on it's feet glued to what's about to happen in San Antonio, Texas and I'm loving every minute of it.
When John Calipari came here after the firing of Tic Price following the 1999-2000 season I felt like a savior had been brought to us from the heavens of the NBA ranks. Five years later many in Memphis had turned on Coach Cal. We had only won one NCAA tournament game, we had just finished in the bottom ranks of the C-USA standings. Radio sports-talk guys were ready to crucify the man. At that time I didn't get it, but Cal did. He told those that begged for his resignation, that put for-sale signs in his yard, that moaned about the Big East raid on C-USA that we were close and that in the next year or two Memphis would be back on the map. He told us that the world was against us, but that we were going to do it.
That attitude, the world against us, is Cal's philosophy. And over the past four years following an NIT Championship, two Elite 8 appearances, and now a Final Four this city has bought into the madness. Every place I turn I hear about how ESPN hates us. I hear that the pundits all want us to lose because we don't represent a BCS conference. I hear from people that refs make calls against us because we aren't one of the storied programs. We have all become the man that so many hated earlier this century. We've all become Coach Cal. We've all become believers that this is our destiny and that everyone and anyone wants to stand in our way to get it.
Pittsburgh is known as the steel-city. Their sports fans are known for their blue-collar attitudes and their take no prisoner mentality. Philadelphia is know as the city that boos even Santa Claus. They will boo anyone if you aren't leading them to a championship. And now Memphis has become the loner city; a city on an island out there defending itself against the rest of the world. And this mentality has brought us all together and for once we're all fighting for the same thing. Our neighbors, once foes are now friends. And our enemies are now common among us. Our leader is the most polarizing man in the sport and we owe him big time for taking us back to the Final Four, which was his promise to us when RC Johnson brought him here.
Go Tigers Go!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
1985 Tigers - From USA Today
SAN ANTONIO — Once upon a time, they were the toast of Memphis. A hometown college basketball team composed nearly entirely of hometown kids, stubborn and proud and hungry in the way they played, clawing their way to a men's Final Four, as a city around them fell in love.
"It was," point guard Andre Turner would say 23 years later, "like a big, huge family moment."
Memphis had not seen another Final Four team until this year. But during that golden March of 1985, it seemed as if the good times might never end.
They would, however, for so many of those Memphis State Tigers.
For William Bedford, the 7-foot center who was led by drugs from so much promise in basketball to a cul-de-sac in prison.
And Baskerville Holmes, the happy-go-lucky forward with the unforgettable name who died in a horrific moment of rage.
And Dana Kirk, the affable coach who might have become a national champion with a couple more timely baskets but instead ended up dismissed after one more season and later briefly jailed on a tax evasion charge.
And Keith Lee, the star forward whose highly anticipated NBA career faded so quickly, as if it never happened.
And Aaron Price, the reserve guard who was shot down in a carjacking.
And Larry Finch, the assistant coach who was robbed of so much of his life by a series of strokes.
"You want everyone to go on and lead a good life, the American dream," Turner said over the phone from Spain, where he still plays professionally at 44. "Life isn't like that a lot of times. We're all dealt different cards."
Hoop dream
But it was such a joy while it lasted, wasn't it? To have been part of this native-son mission — 11 of the 12 players were from Memphis or across the Mississippi River in West Memphis, Ark. — and have won the second-round game against Alabama at Birmingham by one point in overtime, the regional semifinal against Boston College by two, the regional championship against Oklahoma by two.
"Basketball was their life. That's what they were all about," said Lee Fowler, then an assistant coach and now director of athletics at North Carolina State. "They played all through Memphis on concrete courts. That was their way out."
"It was the best time of my life," said Vincent Askew, another starting guard and now a coach in the CBA. "Those guys were the guys you grew up with when you didn't have a penny. We all had a common goal, and that was to win."
Win they did, until Villanova, a destiny-touched Cinderella, beat them 52-45 in the national semifinal. Two nights later, the Wildcats stunned Georgetown.
"I was two games away from shaking hands with President Reagan," said reserve guard John Wilfong, now a senior vice president for a Memphis investment firm. "I got to shake hands with the ball boy and the manager."
Still, there was much to be proud of. They were from different backgrounds, and some were not that close off the court. "But they would always pull together for Memphis," Fowler said.
But soon after, the shadows began to fall upon the Tigers of 1985.
Kirk was let go one year later, with NCAA probation on the way for recruiting violations, a penalty that included vacating the records from the 1985 tournament. Officially, 1985 never happened. Later would come Kirk's legal problems.
Lee went No. 11 in the 1985 NBA draft — "Any game that mattered, he would score 25 points and get 15 rebounds," Wilfong said — but was gone in three years.
Bedford was the No. 6 pick in the 1986 draft and a member of the Detroit Pistons' champion "Bad Boys" in 1989 and '90. But drug use hastened the end of his career and the beginning of several incarcerations. Bedford was No. 50 in the 1985 team picture. Bureau of Federal Prisons officials in Washington report a 7-foot-1 male born at the same time in Tennessee is inmate No. 16426-179 in a facility in Fort Worth, on a cocaine charge, due for release in 2013.
Wilfong was Bedford's freshman roommate. "He was a great kid. We played against each other in the state championship game, and I had a lot of fun putting my MVP trophy over his bed in our dorm room, and he had fun telling me about winning the championship.
"I visited him once when he played for Detroit, and Dennis Rodman grabbed me by the lapel and told me to tell William to grow up."
Holmes was considered one of the team's most likable players. "Baskerville Holmes," Askew said, "was the heart of our team." March 18, 1997, after an argument, he shot his longtime girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself, according to several news accounts.
Holmes' grave is in a small, neglected cemetery in Mississippi, and by his headstone is a vase with his nickname from the Memphis days: Batman.
Price was killed in November 1998, the victim of a West Memphis carjacking that has never been solved, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Two years later, his brother was murdered.
In 2002, Finch — who scored 29 points for Memphis State in the 1973 national title game vs. UCLA and was head coach for 11 years after Kirk's dismissal — suffered his most debilitating stroke. Since then, he has spent much of his time in a Memphis nursing facility. Wife Vickie did not return a message.
"For a guy who had so much life," Fowler said, "it's so sad to see him this way."
Ups and downs
Misfortune, piled upon tragedy, piled upon trouble. The legacy of the 1985 Memphis State Tigers became a tale of two morals, as different as sunshine and darkness: How much could be achieved together and how much could go wrong once the cheering stopped.
Turner: "I think more than anything people will look back at it as a family event. Guys from pretty much one hometown went to the Final Four. When we played, people would stop working; in the barbershops, they'd stop cutting. It was all about us."
Wilfong: "What people don't realize is it's really hard to get through that glamour at such a young age. You can end up living your life looking back instead of forward. Some guys ended up looking backwards."
Askew: "Every team, every corporation has things that go wrong. Success and failure are not that far apart."
Memphis cheers for another Final Four team this weekend, composed of many players not born in 1985. The new Tigers should know one thing.
The old Tigers are watching.
Turner will be, from Zaragoza, Spain, where he's in a tournament pool. "And I'm in the running for it, because I picked my boys all the way," he said
Askew will be, from somewhere in the Alamodome, his season done as coach of the Albany Patroons. He senses a familiar fire in these young Tigers to prove the critics wrong. "It's an us-against-the-world mentality," he said. "But that's Memphis." During this interview, he pleaded that his certainty of a Tigers championship be included. So included it is.
Wilfong will be. He took his three young sons to the airport last Sunday night to greet a triumphant Memphis team, just as a crowd greeted his team 23 years before. "It probably meant more to me than to them," he said of the moment.
Kirk will be. He still is a friendly presence in Memphis, so long as the subject is not the past. "Leave me your number, I'll get right back, because I look forward to talking to you," his answering machine chirps.
Well, maybe not all that much forward. Asked about 1985, Kirk said he would have to check with his attorney to see if he could discuss the matter, and he never called back.
Lee, still the school's all-time leading scorer, likely will be watching. He lives in Memphis, occasionally attends games and works at a Christian center. He did not respond to a request for an interview left there. "That's always been him," Turner said. "A very private fellow."
While there has been conspicuous misfortune, there are conspicuous bright stories to share, too.
Take Turner. "The Little General" was his college nickname. He is a physical marvel, playing at 44, married with five daughters.
And May 3 he plans on having one of the best days of his life. He'll get his degree from the University of Memphis, so named since 1994.
"The heart and the head — everything is going to be full that day," he said.
Turner, Askew, Wilfong. They sounded happy and young. The subject was the Final Four, the Memphis State Tigers were together. It was 1985 again.
"It was," point guard Andre Turner would say 23 years later, "like a big, huge family moment."
Memphis had not seen another Final Four team until this year. But during that golden March of 1985, it seemed as if the good times might never end.
They would, however, for so many of those Memphis State Tigers.
For William Bedford, the 7-foot center who was led by drugs from so much promise in basketball to a cul-de-sac in prison.
And Baskerville Holmes, the happy-go-lucky forward with the unforgettable name who died in a horrific moment of rage.
And Dana Kirk, the affable coach who might have become a national champion with a couple more timely baskets but instead ended up dismissed after one more season and later briefly jailed on a tax evasion charge.
And Keith Lee, the star forward whose highly anticipated NBA career faded so quickly, as if it never happened.
And Aaron Price, the reserve guard who was shot down in a carjacking.
And Larry Finch, the assistant coach who was robbed of so much of his life by a series of strokes.
"You want everyone to go on and lead a good life, the American dream," Turner said over the phone from Spain, where he still plays professionally at 44. "Life isn't like that a lot of times. We're all dealt different cards."
Hoop dream
But it was such a joy while it lasted, wasn't it? To have been part of this native-son mission — 11 of the 12 players were from Memphis or across the Mississippi River in West Memphis, Ark. — and have won the second-round game against Alabama at Birmingham by one point in overtime, the regional semifinal against Boston College by two, the regional championship against Oklahoma by two.
"Basketball was their life. That's what they were all about," said Lee Fowler, then an assistant coach and now director of athletics at North Carolina State. "They played all through Memphis on concrete courts. That was their way out."
"It was the best time of my life," said Vincent Askew, another starting guard and now a coach in the CBA. "Those guys were the guys you grew up with when you didn't have a penny. We all had a common goal, and that was to win."
Win they did, until Villanova, a destiny-touched Cinderella, beat them 52-45 in the national semifinal. Two nights later, the Wildcats stunned Georgetown.
"I was two games away from shaking hands with President Reagan," said reserve guard John Wilfong, now a senior vice president for a Memphis investment firm. "I got to shake hands with the ball boy and the manager."
Still, there was much to be proud of. They were from different backgrounds, and some were not that close off the court. "But they would always pull together for Memphis," Fowler said.
But soon after, the shadows began to fall upon the Tigers of 1985.
Kirk was let go one year later, with NCAA probation on the way for recruiting violations, a penalty that included vacating the records from the 1985 tournament. Officially, 1985 never happened. Later would come Kirk's legal problems.
Lee went No. 11 in the 1985 NBA draft — "Any game that mattered, he would score 25 points and get 15 rebounds," Wilfong said — but was gone in three years.
Bedford was the No. 6 pick in the 1986 draft and a member of the Detroit Pistons' champion "Bad Boys" in 1989 and '90. But drug use hastened the end of his career and the beginning of several incarcerations. Bedford was No. 50 in the 1985 team picture. Bureau of Federal Prisons officials in Washington report a 7-foot-1 male born at the same time in Tennessee is inmate No. 16426-179 in a facility in Fort Worth, on a cocaine charge, due for release in 2013.
Wilfong was Bedford's freshman roommate. "He was a great kid. We played against each other in the state championship game, and I had a lot of fun putting my MVP trophy over his bed in our dorm room, and he had fun telling me about winning the championship.
"I visited him once when he played for Detroit, and Dennis Rodman grabbed me by the lapel and told me to tell William to grow up."
Holmes was considered one of the team's most likable players. "Baskerville Holmes," Askew said, "was the heart of our team." March 18, 1997, after an argument, he shot his longtime girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself, according to several news accounts.
Holmes' grave is in a small, neglected cemetery in Mississippi, and by his headstone is a vase with his nickname from the Memphis days: Batman.
Price was killed in November 1998, the victim of a West Memphis carjacking that has never been solved, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Two years later, his brother was murdered.
In 2002, Finch — who scored 29 points for Memphis State in the 1973 national title game vs. UCLA and was head coach for 11 years after Kirk's dismissal — suffered his most debilitating stroke. Since then, he has spent much of his time in a Memphis nursing facility. Wife Vickie did not return a message.
"For a guy who had so much life," Fowler said, "it's so sad to see him this way."
Ups and downs
Misfortune, piled upon tragedy, piled upon trouble. The legacy of the 1985 Memphis State Tigers became a tale of two morals, as different as sunshine and darkness: How much could be achieved together and how much could go wrong once the cheering stopped.
Turner: "I think more than anything people will look back at it as a family event. Guys from pretty much one hometown went to the Final Four. When we played, people would stop working; in the barbershops, they'd stop cutting. It was all about us."
Wilfong: "What people don't realize is it's really hard to get through that glamour at such a young age. You can end up living your life looking back instead of forward. Some guys ended up looking backwards."
Askew: "Every team, every corporation has things that go wrong. Success and failure are not that far apart."
Memphis cheers for another Final Four team this weekend, composed of many players not born in 1985. The new Tigers should know one thing.
The old Tigers are watching.
Turner will be, from Zaragoza, Spain, where he's in a tournament pool. "And I'm in the running for it, because I picked my boys all the way," he said
Askew will be, from somewhere in the Alamodome, his season done as coach of the Albany Patroons. He senses a familiar fire in these young Tigers to prove the critics wrong. "It's an us-against-the-world mentality," he said. "But that's Memphis." During this interview, he pleaded that his certainty of a Tigers championship be included. So included it is.
Wilfong will be. He took his three young sons to the airport last Sunday night to greet a triumphant Memphis team, just as a crowd greeted his team 23 years before. "It probably meant more to me than to them," he said of the moment.
Kirk will be. He still is a friendly presence in Memphis, so long as the subject is not the past. "Leave me your number, I'll get right back, because I look forward to talking to you," his answering machine chirps.
Well, maybe not all that much forward. Asked about 1985, Kirk said he would have to check with his attorney to see if he could discuss the matter, and he never called back.
Lee, still the school's all-time leading scorer, likely will be watching. He lives in Memphis, occasionally attends games and works at a Christian center. He did not respond to a request for an interview left there. "That's always been him," Turner said. "A very private fellow."
While there has been conspicuous misfortune, there are conspicuous bright stories to share, too.
Take Turner. "The Little General" was his college nickname. He is a physical marvel, playing at 44, married with five daughters.
And May 3 he plans on having one of the best days of his life. He'll get his degree from the University of Memphis, so named since 1994.
"The heart and the head — everything is going to be full that day," he said.
Turner, Askew, Wilfong. They sounded happy and young. The subject was the Final Four, the Memphis State Tigers were together. It was 1985 again.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Too Interesting Not To Post
From CNN.COM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Maybe men had it right all along: It doesn't take long to satisfy a woman in bed.
Sex takes 3 to 13 minutes, study says
NEW YORK (AP) -- Maybe men had it right all along: It doesn't take long to satisfy a woman in bed.
It's difficult for men of all ages to make sexual intercourse last much longer, a psychologist says.
A survey of sex therapists concluded the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse was 3 to 13 minutes. The findings, to be published in the May issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, strike at the notion that endurance is the key to a great sex life.
If that sounds like good news to you, don't cheer too loudly. The time does not count foreplay, and the therapists did rate sexual intercourse that lasts from 1 to 2 minutes as "too short."
Researcher Eric Corty said he hoped to ease the minds of those who believe "more of something good is better, and if you really want to satisfy your partner, you should last forever."
The questions were not gender-specific, said Corty. But he said prior research has shown men and women want foreplay and sexual intercourse to last longer.
Dr. Irwin Goldstein, editor of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, cited a four-week study of 1,500 couples in 2005 that found the median time for sexual intercourse was 7.3 minutes. (Women in the study were armed with stopwatches.)
It's difficult for both older men and young men to make sexual intercourse last much longer, said Marianne Brandon, a clinical psychologist and director of Wellminds Wellbodies in Annapolis, Maryland.
"There are so many myths in our culture of what other people are doing sexually," Brandon said. "Most people's sex lives are not as exciting as other people think they are."
Fifty members of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research in the U.S. and Canada were surveyed by Corty, an associate professor of psychology at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, and student Jenay Guardiani. Thirty-four members, or 68 percent, responded, although some said the optimal time depended on the couple.
Corty said he hoped to give an idea of what therapists find to be normal and satisfactory among the couples they see.
"People who read this will say, 'I last five minutes or my partner lasts eight minutes,' and say, 'That's OK,' " he said. "They will relax a little bit."Big Brother Is Still A Hot Tranny Mess
James, James, Crazy ol' James. You my friend are a cat. One that has spent 5 of it's 9 lives, but a cat you are indeed. What really makes me laugh is that Natalie, A-Baller, Ryan, and Sheila still haven't figured out what James has known all along. He's the best player in the house and the only way to get him out is through the back door. And from what I hear, he really likes it in the back door. Ok, enough gay porn past jokes, that's the last one, I swear.
Sheila is both the smartest and dumbest players in the game. She is part of the strong alliance, but it determined to make sure that when they start turning on one another, she's the first one to get dropped.
The editing on Big Brother last night was amazing. Watching Josh completely turn on yet another friend in the house while Sharon gets a pep talk about how holy Josh is and that they will be friends outside of this house forever. Great job Big Bro.
Funniest moment of the night was for sure A-Baller hearing James and the others mention his name while he was reading the Bible. What does he do? He burst in, speaking as fast as humanly possible, screaming about something that should have been translated at the bottom of the screen but wasn't. And then as soon as he realizes that he wasn't being thrown under the bus (an over-used big brother cliche) he smiles and goes back to his Bible.
Does no one in the house remember that Sharon has already lost once? James got evicted and brought back in...but so did Sharon. And Sharon wasn't even a houseguest vote it was decided by Joshua and only Joshie poo. Why is James held to a higher standard? Oh yeah, because he is the best player in the game.
Speaking of James, his break down was quite difficult to watch. Was it just me or did he not look like some sort of sea creature when his lips pouted outward and his eyes welled with tears? He kind of looked like a sponge. I was disturbed by the whole thing. Honestly, it was the first time in the house that I didn't enjoy watching him.
We're getting close to the end of the season and that means an inevitable double elimination week looms in the near future. Could it be that James is nominated and pulls out of danger two times in one week? I would pay to see that. From what I hear, if you can't get enough of James on Big Brother there are some other places you can go an pay to see him pull out again...okay, sorry. I promised no more porn jokes, but this is Big Brother and no one keeps their word, right?
OUT!
Sheila is both the smartest and dumbest players in the game. She is part of the strong alliance, but it determined to make sure that when they start turning on one another, she's the first one to get dropped.
The editing on Big Brother last night was amazing. Watching Josh completely turn on yet another friend in the house while Sharon gets a pep talk about how holy Josh is and that they will be friends outside of this house forever. Great job Big Bro.
Funniest moment of the night was for sure A-Baller hearing James and the others mention his name while he was reading the Bible. What does he do? He burst in, speaking as fast as humanly possible, screaming about something that should have been translated at the bottom of the screen but wasn't. And then as soon as he realizes that he wasn't being thrown under the bus (an over-used big brother cliche) he smiles and goes back to his Bible.
Does no one in the house remember that Sharon has already lost once? James got evicted and brought back in...but so did Sharon. And Sharon wasn't even a houseguest vote it was decided by Joshua and only Joshie poo. Why is James held to a higher standard? Oh yeah, because he is the best player in the game.
Speaking of James, his break down was quite difficult to watch. Was it just me or did he not look like some sort of sea creature when his lips pouted outward and his eyes welled with tears? He kind of looked like a sponge. I was disturbed by the whole thing. Honestly, it was the first time in the house that I didn't enjoy watching him.
We're getting close to the end of the season and that means an inevitable double elimination week looms in the near future. Could it be that James is nominated and pulls out of danger two times in one week? I would pay to see that. From what I hear, if you can't get enough of James on Big Brother there are some other places you can go an pay to see him pull out again...okay, sorry. I promised no more porn jokes, but this is Big Brother and no one keeps their word, right?
OUT!
NBC has Big Plans...Housewives Has Bigger
Ok, so a good bit of TV news coming out of Hollywood today as we get NBC's year round programming announcement.
The Good:
The Office will be back. Medium will be back at mid season. Earl is back. 30 Rock will keep rockin'. SNL will have 4 half hour 'TNL' episodes to air in the fall after The Office to make fun of the election process, because obviously they think Hillary hasn't made enough of a mockery out of the whole thing by herself. Lastly Chuck and Friday Night Lights are both back. Chuck will return in the fall and so will FNL. The catch, FNL will be on in the fall on Directv only and then reair in the winter on NBC.
The Bad:
ER, yes that show is still on, will be back for its 15th year. I guess it is trying to outlast The Simpsons.
The Crazy: An Office spin-off will debut after the Super Bowl in early February and will then begin airing after the original Office on Thursday nights. HUH? Yeah, that long rumored, never believed tale about the best comedy on tv getting a sibling turned out to actually be true. Whether the show follows a current character like Dwight or ends up going to another Scranton branch altogether (with Karen?) remains to be seen. I'll let you know more as I do.
New:
Knight Rider will be a show again, airing on Wednesdays. Kings, a Biblical drama will be a back door movie pilot and if successful will be picked up as a series to air on The Lord's Day after Medium. Christian Slater's Jekyl and Hyde style show My Own Worst Enemy will also debut. Plus a new sitcom starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair will be in play.
Now The Desperate Housewives news from ABC. When the show returns in late April it will pick up 5 months after the last aired episode...but that's not the scoop. The truth is the show is likely to jump forward 5 years into the future in the season finale...and stay 5 years in the future when it returns in the fall. That means major cast changes and WHOLE NEW MYSTERIES. What do you think???
The Good:
The Office will be back. Medium will be back at mid season. Earl is back. 30 Rock will keep rockin'. SNL will have 4 half hour 'TNL' episodes to air in the fall after The Office to make fun of the election process, because obviously they think Hillary hasn't made enough of a mockery out of the whole thing by herself. Lastly Chuck and Friday Night Lights are both back. Chuck will return in the fall and so will FNL. The catch, FNL will be on in the fall on Directv only and then reair in the winter on NBC.
The Bad:
ER, yes that show is still on, will be back for its 15th year. I guess it is trying to outlast The Simpsons.
The Crazy: An Office spin-off will debut after the Super Bowl in early February and will then begin airing after the original Office on Thursday nights. HUH? Yeah, that long rumored, never believed tale about the best comedy on tv getting a sibling turned out to actually be true. Whether the show follows a current character like Dwight or ends up going to another Scranton branch altogether (with Karen?) remains to be seen. I'll let you know more as I do.
New:
Knight Rider will be a show again, airing on Wednesdays. Kings, a Biblical drama will be a back door movie pilot and if successful will be picked up as a series to air on The Lord's Day after Medium. Christian Slater's Jekyl and Hyde style show My Own Worst Enemy will also debut. Plus a new sitcom starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair will be in play.
Now The Desperate Housewives news from ABC. When the show returns in late April it will pick up 5 months after the last aired episode...but that's not the scoop. The truth is the show is likely to jump forward 5 years into the future in the season finale...and stay 5 years in the future when it returns in the fall. That means major cast changes and WHOLE NEW MYSTERIES. What do you think???
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
STP a GO, VR a NO
Velvet Revolver splits with rocker Scott Weiland
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Four founding members of the rock band Velvet Revolver said on Tuesday they were splitting with the group's troubled singer, Scott Weiland, citing his "increasingly erratic" behavior.
The announcement came in a terse statement from the group's management company as Weiland, 40, and his recently reunited original band, Stone Temple Pilots, were set next week to announce plans for a highly anticipated summer tour.
The Pilots, also known by their acronym, STP, already have confirmed a handful of upcoming dates, beginning with the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio, on May 17-18.
For Weiland, whose career has long been overshadowed by heroin addiction, Rock on the Range will mark his first show with STP since the band played 13 concerts to promote its last album of new material, 2001's "Shangri-La Dee Da."
Following the breakup of STP, Weiland was welcomed as lead singer for Velvet Revolver, the newly formed grunge rock band founded by three former members of Guns N' Roses -- guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum -- along with second guitarist Dave Kushner.
Velvet Revolver was confronted from the start with Weiland's drug and legal problems as it juggled performance schedules, recording sessions and promotional work to accommodate his court dates and rehab.
Last month, Weiland pleaded innocent to a charge of driving under the influence of drugs stemming from his arrest on a Los Angeles freeway ramp in November. He is free on $40,000 bail and is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on Friday.
A public feud between Weiland and Velvet Revolver's drummer already had cast doubt on the band's future when the statement on behalf of Sorum, Slash, McKagan and Kushner was issued under the headline "Velvet Revolver to Part Ways with Singer."
"This band is all about its fans and its music, and Scott Weiland isn't 100% committed to either," Slash was quoted as saying. "Among other things, his increasingly erratic on-stage behavior and personal problems have forced us to move on."
There was no immediate comment from Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots or their representatives.
IF YOU VISIT STONETEMPLEPILOTS.COM YOU WILL SEE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT STP WILL BE BACK AS AN OFFICIAL BAND ON APRIL 7TH 2008 AND ARE EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE A FULL TOUR THIS SUMMER.
Gettin Close...
Cree's second annual photo scavenger hunt is coming up on April 19th. If you haven't RSVP yet, email me soon. Here are some funny images from last year's awesome night...
Monday, March 31, 2008
THE MOLE has a host...
Anderson Cooper will not be making a grand return to reality television (of course being a news anchor is kind of like hosting a reality tv program, right) but ABC has officially announced the new host of The Mole and you can read about it right here:
The identity of "The Mole" is still a secret, but the name of the show's new host can be revealed: Jon Kelley.
Kelley, a former weekend anchor for "Extra," replaces original "Mole" man Anderson Cooper. Cooper, an unknown at the time of the show's 2001 debut, is now a key CNN primetime anchor.
It's believed ABC is planning to air the new "Mole" Mondays at 10 p.m., starting May 26. Skein will likely be paired with another Alphabet reality revival, "The Bachelorette," which is being eyed for a possible May 19 debut.
The identity of "The Mole" is still a secret, but the name of the show's new host can be revealed: Jon Kelley.
Kelley, a former weekend anchor for "Extra," replaces original "Mole" man Anderson Cooper. Cooper, an unknown at the time of the show's 2001 debut, is now a key CNN primetime anchor.
It's believed ABC is planning to air the new "Mole" Mondays at 10 p.m., starting May 26. Skein will likely be paired with another Alphabet reality revival, "The Bachelorette," which is being eyed for a possible May 19 debut.
PATD; A Pretty Odd Review
After smashing the charts and making oodles of money on their breakthrough premiere album Panic! At The Disco are back with their sophomore attempt titled Pretty.Odd. The band is hoping to show their musical chops and aim for a more mature audience. So the first change was dropping the ! from their name. And for good reason. Gone are the flashy lyrics, the stinging one-liners, and the sexy attitude that made the tween crowds go ga-ga. What the band is presenting here is a much more trippy, adult-tinged foray into The Beatles and The Beach Boys bag o' tricks.
The band still implores the horns and the stringed sections from A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, but they're used much less frequently and not to increase the festive atmosphere, but to carry you away to a new atmosphere. The music is very melodic and slow and the boys have clearly decided that you don't have to sound like you're having a good time in order to make good music. But the truth is, you don't have to have a good time to be a good band. There in lies the catch.
This album is truly good. The lyrics are much more poignant and meaningful and the songs are arranged with a lot more care and precision. But the tempo of the entire album never gets above a loud roar. If Fever was an album of roller coaster theme park rides then Pretty.Odd is a kiddie sized merry-go-round. What they've managed to create are careful, lasting songs that people can listen to ten or fifteen years from now without feeling old. What they may have forgotten to take into account is that their fan base is not THAT much older since their 2005 debut. They might not be ready for the "laying in the lily field" sound that Panic has created.
When The Killers released Hot Fuss in 2004 they were the new face of glam rock. No, not your '80s glam, but a new era of boys in make-up playing good rock n' roll that the general public could tap their feet to. By the time their follow-up Sam's Town was released the make-up, flashy suits, and free spirit had been erased and replaced with bearded men with sulky faces. Their music wasn't worse, but the fun was gone and so were a lot of fans. I fear that Panic might be making the same mistake. Will the Fall Out Boy crowd follow these guys now that they want to be stars? I'm not so sure.
Either way, what it's really about is the music. And the album is full of top notch songs including the best tune "Behind the Sea" where Brandon Urie belts; "Behind the sea they sang, So our matching legs are marching clocks, And we're all too small to talk to God. Yes, we're all too smart to talk to God." Other great songs include the entirely too short, but appropriately named "Folkin' Around." Only two up-tempo songs make the cut one of which is the closing track "Mad as Rabbits."
The Beatles influence and White Album rip-offs (I mean that in a good way) don't end with the band's songs. They also recorded at Abbey Road. If the band can capture an older audience with the song's first single "Nine in the Afternoon," then they have a chance to grown a bigger, long-lasting fan base. I doubt they'll ever enter The Beatles stratosphere as far as album sales, but they've done a nice job here of capturing that atmosphere.
Album Grade: B+
Friday, March 28, 2008
Baseball Season Predictions
Here are my choices for division winners, wild cards and champions.
National League:
East - New York Mets
Central - Chicago Cubs
West - Arizona Diamondbacks
Wild Card - Los Angeles Dodgers
American League:
East - Boston Redsox
Central - Detroit Tigers
West- Los Angeles Angels
Wild Card - Cleveland Indians
Yes, I have the Yankees missing the playoffs. I also have the National League Pennant winners from 2007, the Colorado Rockies missing the playoffs. Call me crazy.
Mets over Dodgers
Cubs over Diamondbacks (revenge for last season's sweep)
Mets over Cubs
Redsox over Indians (no revenge here)
Tigers over Angels
Tigers over Redsox
Tigers over Mets in 7
You heard it here first. No need to to even watch the season...most of you wouldn't have anyway.
OUT!
National League:
East - New York Mets
Central - Chicago Cubs
West - Arizona Diamondbacks
Wild Card - Los Angeles Dodgers
American League:
East - Boston Redsox
Central - Detroit Tigers
West- Los Angeles Angels
Wild Card - Cleveland Indians
Yes, I have the Yankees missing the playoffs. I also have the National League Pennant winners from 2007, the Colorado Rockies missing the playoffs. Call me crazy.
Mets over Dodgers
Cubs over Diamondbacks (revenge for last season's sweep)
Mets over Cubs
Redsox over Indians (no revenge here)
Tigers over Angels
Tigers over Redsox
Tigers over Mets in 7
You heard it here first. No need to to even watch the season...most of you wouldn't have anyway.
OUT!
My Bru
Many of you ask to see more pictures of Brutus since I haven't put him up on the blog lately. So here ya go...Brutus all 13 months, 155 pound of sweetness.
Two Bands, One Night, Eight Fans, One Fight
Selena and I went to Little Rock two weeks ago to see Eve 6 and Wheatus. For those of you who don't remember Eve 6, they're a pop-punk trio from So.Cal famous for the hits "Here's To The Night," and "Inside Out." You remember "Inside Out," wanna put my tender heart in a blender, watch it spin around...
And what about Wheatus of the "Teenage Dirtbag" fame? You know...I'm just a teenage dirtbag baby, listen Iron Maiden maybe with youAnyway, if you don't remember no sweat. A lot of other people didn't either. 8 people showed up to hear Wheatus. The turn out for Eve 6 was quite a bit better at least. Here are a couple of pics.
Lindsey Davenport
I never got a chance to post any pictures on here from the tennis tournament. Here are a couple of shots of Lindsey Davenport. The grandslam champion is making a comeback after being out of tennis for over a year to have a child. She won the Cellular South Cup here in Memphis this year and we can only hope that she will return next year to defend her crown.
Remembering Kurt
I always get a little down in the dumps around this time of year. Early next month will mark the 14th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death. I am still reluctant to call it a suicide, but officially that's what it was. Nothing more, nothing less. If he didn't pull the trigger that day he likely would have killed himself eventually with the drugs and lifestyle that he was living. Nirvana's legacy will always be one that is debated. Some, like me feel that this band transformed the musical landscape and brought us out of the glam rock-cheese pop 80's. Others credit bands like The Melvins or The Pixies. My real feeling on the matter though is that Nirvana scored the popularity needed to focus America's attention to a new sound. We still have many copy cats and pretenders living off of the road paved by Cobain and Cornell and Mark Arm (Mudhoney) and The Screaming Trees. Those modern rock bands have watered down the sound and spirit of what the grunge movement was all about.
Either way Kurt was a pioneer and a unique soul and I still think about him every year around this time. He was the sound, voice, and the face of Generation X.
RIP
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