Hump Day Hottie

Rachel Uchitel

Minimal Thoughts Monday

I'll make this quick since I'm in the middle of a major project for my Math, Science & Technology course. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger...by now I'm assuming you all know the story of Eldrick Woods' car crash Thanksgiving night and the numerous rumors over his alleged infidelities which may have been the cause of his fleeing his own home at 2AM that evening. This story has legs folks and if Tiger thinks he is going to sneak away quietly having only issued his recent statement applauding his Swedish Nanny wife as a hero, boy does he have another thing coming. It was actually humorous watching mainstream media outlets initially attempting to report this as a straight story with Elin as a courageous wife attempting to free her husband from the truck with a golf club. Seriously? On the same day that the National Inquirer put out a story about Tiger spending time in Austrailia with Rachel Uchitel? Doubt it. Not when Eldrick reportedly at least entertained the thought of purchasing a 'Kobe Special' earlier in the week...

Does anyone else find some irony in the fact that Sports Illustrated announced this morning that Tiger's buddy Derek Jeter was named Sportsman of the Year?

NFL Picks: Week 12 (Shorty vs Lovins)

Shorty vs. Lovins

Green Bay (-11) <--------> Green Bay (-11)
Dallas (-14) <-------->Dallas (-14)
Denver (+7)<-------->NY Giants (-7)
Indianapolis (-3.5) $50 <-------->Indianapolis (-3.5)
Cleveland (+14) <-------->Cincinnati (-14)
Philadelphia (-9) $25 <-------->Philadelphia (-9) $50
Buffalo (+3.5) <-------->Miami (-3.5)
Seattle (-3) $50 <--------> Seattle (-3) $50
Tampa Bay (+13) <-------->Atlanta (-13)
Carolina (+3) $25 <-------->Carolina (+3) $50
San Francisco (-3.5) <--------> San Francisco (-3.5) $50
San Diego (-14) <-------> San Diego (-14)
Chicago (+11) <-------> Minnesota (-11)
Tennessee (-3) <-------->Tennessee (-3)
Baltimore (-8.5) <-------> Baltimore (-8.5)
New England (+3) $50 <-------->New England (+3)

The United Brothers, 3-Team Turkey Day,"Throw the Mortgage on it", Absolutely 110%, Sure Thing Teaser of the Week = Green Bay (-1), Oakland (+24) and Denver (+17)

Ten Week Totals
Shorty (81-75-2) -$250 (5-5) teaser
Lovins (81-75-2) -$150 (5-5) teaser

Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week...

"Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week" is a weekly feature where I link to a few blog posts which I found interesting during the week. Every Friday we focus on sports, movies, television and whatever else is going on in the world. The weekly feature regularly showcases new music downloads and video clips. I hope you enjoy...

College Hoops version of Colts-Pats rivalry takes place tonight in the NIT Final - New York Post

LOST: Season Six premiere now only two months away - Entertainment Weekly (Doc Jensen)

Colt McCoy re-emerges as Heisman Favorite after last night's showcase game against rival Texas A&M - Sporting News

Lupe Fiasco: Enemy of the State Mixtape - Miss Info

Is Allen Iverson a lock for the Hall of Fame? - Straight to the League

Greatest Television Day Of The Year

I love Thanksgiving, you love Thanksgiving, we all love Thanksgiving. The food, the family, the football. Forget the football for just a second and let me explain why Turkey Day is also the greatest day for television programming all year. Memorial Day & Independence Day are two holidays which usually embrace the 'boob-tube' by offering various Rocky marathons and the like, but this year Thanksgiving provides the most impressive tv lineup that I can ever remember. Don't believe me? Look for yourself:

AMC (7:30 AM) -- Roll right out of bed and into the Godfather Trilogy

SyFY (8AM) -- James Bond Marathon

NBC (9AM) -- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

SpikeTV (9:30 AM) -- Band of Brothers Marathon is perfect DVR material for those who have never seen the Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg produced classic mini-series

G4TV (11AM) -- Back to back Bruce Lee (Fist of Fury & Way of the Dragon) followed by the greatest Vampire movie of all-time, The Lost Boys

VH1 (12PM) -- Hip Hop Behind the Music featuring episodes chronicling the careers of T.I., Lil Wayne & 50 Cent

FX (12PM) -- Running the original Home Alone continuously the entire day

ESPN (3PM) -- Re-showing the entire impressive 30 for 30 series

ABC (8PM) -- Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special

Hump Day Hottie

Shakira

NFL Playoff Predictions

Every year right around Thanksgiving is the time when you really start glancing at the NFL schedule and trying to figure out where your respective team stands in terms of a possible postseason birth. This year while the NFC appears to be pretty much scripted for the most part, the AFC is a muddled mess behind Indianapolis & New England, specifically in the AFC North where the Steelers, Bengals & Ravens all fell this past weekend. The following is my prediction for how the regular season will round out over the final six weekends:

AFC Playoff Picture
1. Indianapolis (14-2) BYE
2. San Diego (12-4) BYE

3. Cincinnati (11-5) vs 6. Miami (9-7)
4. New England (11-5) vs 5. Pittsburgh (10-6)

Outside Looking In
Denver (9-7) Baltimore (8-8) Houston (8-8) Jacksonville (8-8)
Tennessee (7-9) NY Jets (6-10)

NFC Playoff Picture
1. Minnesota (13-3) BYE
2. New Orleans (12-4) BYE

3. Arizona (10-6) vs 6. Green Bay (9-7)
4. New York Giants (10-6) vs 5. Dallas (10-6)

Outside Looking In
Philly (9-7) Atlanta (9-7) San Fran (8-8)
Carolina (6-10) Chicago (6-10)

Hova Throws Subliminal Shots @ 50

Connecticut Pride

If you don't live in the state, it's difficult to fully grasp the significance of Saturday afternoon's thrilling upset victory in South Bend. I had someone ask me over the weekend why everyone was making such a big deal about this game. I stopped and thought about it before realizing that you would be hard pressed to find a game between two mediocre Division I programs with more at stake than in Saturday's double OT classic. Start with the Irish and the obvious theme of Charlie Weis being driven out as head coach of Notre Dame. Going into the game everyone involved knew what the implications of another home loss would be. That's why the Fighting Irish players walked out of the tunnel arm in arm led by their beleaguered coach. The only problem for the Domers that day is that they were playing against a Connecticut team with heavy hearts who knew that this would be their last chance to honor their fallen teammate...and boy, did they ever make the most of it. The Huskies have only been a Division I-A program for just under a decade now and although they have been to a few Bowl games and even won one while Dan Orlovsky was behind the center, this game was clearly the most important in the history of UConn football.

Playing in front of 80,000 and a national audience, Randy Edsall's hard nosed Huskies ran the ball down the throats of Notre Dame and showed a type of perseverance that they hadn't shown in their three consecutive heart-breaking losses immediately following the tragic death of cornerback Jasper Howard. The roller coaster ride that was the final two minutes of regulation proved to be a perfect metaphor for the madness of the Huskies season. Only this time, Connecticut would fight through a missed field goal, at least one (if not two) questionable holding calls and Edsall's own overcautiousness which nearly cost them the game. This time, finally, the Huskies would finish out a game and in doing so, have salvaged a broken season. For the next few years when Connecticut brings recruits to Storrs in an attempt to sway them to sign to play for the Huskies, right before mentioning that UConn had three players taken in the first two rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft, they will be able to show the video clip of Coach Edsall, teary-eyed immediately following the game, telling the family of Jasper Howard that the game ball is coming home to them. If I had to guess, I would bet that Edsall will have this program in a BCS Bowl game within the next five seasons. If you think that sounds crazy, imagine what you would have said five years ago if I had told you that the Huskies were going to head into South Bend and thump the Fighting Irish right before the eyes of Touchdown Jesus...

NFL Picks: Week 11 (Shorty vs Lovins)

This weeks picks are gonna be a Thriller!!!!!

Shorty vs. Lovins

Detroit (-3) <-------->Detroit (-3)
Buffalo (+9)<-------->Jacksonville (-9)
Pittsburgh (-10) <-------->Pittsburgh (-10) $50
Indianapolis (-2) $50 <-------->Baltimore (+2)
Atlanta (+7) <--------> Atlanta (+7)
San Francisco (+7) <--------> San Francisco (+7)
Minnesota (-11)<--------> Minnesota (-11) $25
Dallas (-11) <-------->Dallas (-11)
New Orleans (-11) <-------->New Orleans (-11)
New England (-11) $25 <--------> New England (-11)
Arizona (-9)<-------->Arizona (-9) $75
Oakland (+10)<--------> Cincinnati (-10)
San Diego (-3) $100 <------->San Diego (-3)$25
Philadelphia (-3) <------->Philadelphia (-3) $25
Tennessee (+4.5) $25<-------->Tennessee (+4.5)

The United Brothers, "Throw the Mortgage on it", Absolutely 110%, Sure Thing Teaser of the Week = Pittsburgh (-4) and New England (-5)

Ten Week Totals
Shorty (71-71-2) -$400 (4-5) teaser
Lovins (73-69-2) -$100 (4-5) teaser

Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week...

"Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week" is a weekly feature where I link to a few blog posts which I found interesting during the week. Every Friday we focus on sports, movies, television and whatever else is going on in the world. The weekly feature regularly showcases new music downloads and video clips. I hope you enjoy...

I apologize for the lack of content lately due to schoolwork, but here's a peek at the best new blog in the industry to hold you over until my triumphant return - Lazy Eyed Girl

UConn football to play for the first time in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus tomorrow - Connecticut Sports Law

Call of Duty 2: Modern Warfare setting all sorts of sales records - LA Times

From the people who brought you 'F' My Life & Texts from Last Night - Sh*t My GF Says

Thierry Henry's Handball heard round the world - 200 Percent

Hump Day Hottie

Leighton Meester

Jean-Michel Basquiat

NFL Picks: Week 10 (Shorty vs Lovins)

Shorty vs. Lovins

San Francisco (-3) $50 <-------->San Francisco (-3)
Jacksonville (+7)<-------->New York Jets(-7)
Denver (-4) $50<-------->Denver(-4) $50
Pittsburgh (-7) <--------> Cincinnati (+7)
Buffalo (+8) <--------> Tennessee(-8)
Detroit (+17) <--------> Minnesota(-17)
New Orleans (-14) $50 <--------> New Orleans (-14)
Atlanta (-2) <--------> Atlanta (-2) $50
Tampa Bay (+10) <--------> Miami (-10)
Oakland (-2) <--------> Oakland (-2) $50
Arizona (-9)<--------> Arizona (-9)
Philadelphia (+1) <--------> Philadelphia (+1)
Dallas (-3) $50 <------->Dallas (-3) $50
Indianapolis (-3)<-------> New England (+3)
Cleveland (+11) <--------> Baltimore (-11)

The United Brothers, "Throw the Mortgage on it", Absolutely 110%, Sure Thing Teaser of the Week = Denver(+2) and Cincinnati(+13)

Nine Week Totals
Shorty (67-61-1) -$300 (4-4) teaser
Lovins (67-61-1) $100 (4-4) teaser

Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week...

"Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week" is a weekly feature where I link to a few blog posts which I found interesting during the week. Every Friday we focus on sports, movies, television and whatever else is going on in the world. The weekly feature regularly showcases new music downloads and video clips. I hope you enjoy...

Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto this weekend - Dog House Boxing

I said at the time the Knicks should have took Brandon Jennings - Josh Q. Public

Is Curtis Granderson really available this offseason? - Hartwell's 1984

Kill the Kardashians: new online videogame - Liquid Generation

Beanie Sigel & 50 Cent: "I Go Off" - Two Dope Boyz

Random Thoughts Thursday

We are now exactly two weeks away from my favorite holiday. Food, football, cocktails, more food and even more football. If that's not a recipe for success than I honestly don't know what is. Sorry to those of you (like Deez...which reminds me; did you retire from blogging?) who don't have the NFL Network, but for the rest of us tonight marks the beginning of Thursday night games which is quite the treat. My brother and I will both be taking San Francisco (-3) tonight for our weekly picks segment. I love the fact that the 49ers have gone back to their glory days uniforms this year, slightly tweaking the red and gold combo and making a minor adjustment to the old school helmet. If only Steve Young's other team would do the same thing. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers collected their first victory in over a year this past weekend and they did so in style as you can see from the photo of Tiki Barber above. The Bucs, Broncos and Patriots should all go back to their original uniforms as in each case the current helmet cannot hold a candle to the original product. Just a few random thoughts before providing my recent movie grades:

*The Jimmy the Greek ESPN Documentary did not disappoint, although I did not like how they had some random guy narrate as if he were the ghost of the Greek. Could have done without that part...

*I find it funny that less than a year after being crowned as the worst defensive shortstop in the American League, Derek Jeter captured the Golden Glove in what was one of the best seasons of his illustrious career...

*This season's fall television schedule has introduced us to two of the funniest new shows in recent memory in FX's The League and ABC's Modern Family. if you haven't jump on either bandwagon yet, do so immediately before there's no room left...

This Week in MoviesThis week features a national release for the latest end of the world action film 2012. I've had it with these over the top apocolyptic movies which bank of pulling in audiences to see historic national landmarks get destroyed. At what point does this get tired and repititive? In addition, Men Who Stare At Goats released in most areas last weekend and although I'm a big fan of George Clooney, this one has gotten thrashed by critics and appeared a bit quirky to begin with. As I mentioned a week or two ago, I'm just getting myself amped up for The Road & Shutter Island which will both release over the next month or so...

Paranormal Activity -> A-This Is It -> BObserve & Report-> CDuplicity -> B-The Thing ->B-Drag Me To Hell -> C+

Weezy F. Wednesday

AKA this week in hip hop music...before I drop a few links, let me just say that in my estimation the one guy who took not being included on the MTV Hottest MC's list the most personal was Lupe Fiasco. Although he probably didn't deserve to be included on the list at the time, you would have a difficult time finding any hip hop artist who is putting out more in terms of quality freestyles & mixtape worthy material at the moment. I've always thought Lupe was a bit on the underrated side and now he truly seems to be taking his game to another level. Don't just take my word for it, check out the few freestyles I included on the Wild Things mixtape at the top right hand corner of the page. Now, on to the obligatory music links for this week. BTW, not really feeling the Robin Thicke-Jay Z collabo. Enjoy...

Top Ten Sports References From No Ceilings Mixtape -- Thank God I'm Famous

Beanie Sigel & 50 Cent collabo on the way -- Miss Info

Joe Budden-Tahiry-50 Cent-Somaya Reece -- Real Talk NY

Dame Dash's new project drops 11/27 - Blakroc

Hump Day Hottie: Veterans Day Edition

Jessica Simpson

Happy Birthday Sesame Street

Top Five Characters

1. Oscar the Grouch

2. Big Bird

3. Cookie Monster

4. Count Von Count

5. Bert & Ernie

The Ghost of Sammy Sosa

NFL Picks: Week 9 (Shorty vs Lovins)

Shorty vs. Lovins

Jacksonville (-7)<-------->Jacksonville (-7)
Baltimore (-3) $50 <-------->Baltimore (-3) $50
Indianapolis (-9) <-------->Houston (+9)
Atlanta (-10) <--------> Atlanta (-10) $50
Green Bay (-10) <--------> Green Bay (-10) $50
Arizona (+3) <--------> Chicago (-3)
New England (-11) <--------> Miami (+11)
Carolina (+13.5) <--------> New Orleans (-13.5)
San Diego (+4.5) <--------> NY Giants (-4.5) $50
Detroit (+10) <--------> Seattle (-10)
San Francisco (-4.5) $50 <--------> San Francisco (-4.5)
Philadelphia (-3) $50 <--------> Philadelphia (-3)
Pittsburgh (-3) $50 <-------> Denver (+3)

The United Brothers, "Throw the Mortgage on it", Absolutely 110%, Sure Thing Teaser of the Week = Falcons (-4) & Packers (-4)

Eight Week Totals
Shorty (62-53-1) -$200 (4-3) teaser
Lovins (63-52-1) $200 (4-3) teaser

Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week...

"Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week" is a weekly feature where I link to a few blog posts which I found interesting during the week. Every Friday we focus on sports, movies, television and whatever else is going on in the world. The weekly feature regularly showcases new music downloads and video clips. I hope you enjoy...

Chad Dawson to honor Jasper Howard on Saturday Night - Hartford Courant

Shaq hooking up with Gilbert Arenas' fiance? - Young, Black & Fabulous

Alec Baldwin & Steve Martin to host the Oscars - I Watch Stuff

NFL Fastest Man Competition - The Big Lead

Bill Simmons' Book of Basketball is up next on my Kindle - Mediaite

27 Random Thoughts

1. It was nice to see Matsui lock up the MVP in what was very likely his final series with the Bombers. There is just no way the Yankee front office can justify carrying both he & Johnny Damon moving forward, especially with Austin Jackson in the fold...

2. Mariano Rivera is not human. He looked just as dominant this postseason as he did way back in the late 90's. The pivotal game five was the epitome of his performance in the series as he came in after Brad Lidge imploded in the top of the inning to shut down the Phillies on only eight pitches and three consecutive groundouts to first base...

3. Speaking of first base, Mark Teixiera doesn't need to put up huge offensive numbers if he's going to flash that kind of leather. He is the best defensive first baseman to play in the Bronx since Donnie Baseball...

4. The Red Sox (not the Yankees) are the team of this decade. The Bombers won two titles which bookended this decade, but Boston overcame nearly a century of hardship to capture two titles in four seasons in the middle of the decade...

5. It's amazing the frequency with which 50 Cent positions himself in the middle of calculated beef...

6. South Park hasn't been nearly as solid this season as it was last year...

7. ESPN's 30 for 30 series has been even better than I anticipated up until this point...

8. If I were to re-order my All-Time Horror movie list, Paranormal Activity would fall somewhere in my top three...

9. Michael Jackson's This Is It was a fitting tribute to the greatest performer of our generation. It's also a bittersweet movie going experience because you are only seeing glimpses of MJ's greatness and never actually get to see him going all in...

10. Speaking of 'All In', there is something about Phil Ivey that makes me want to watch the World Series of Poker final table this year...

11. Film versions of two of my favorite novels ever both open nationwide in the next month and a half. Hopefully The Road & Shutter Island come across better on the big screen than Jose Saramago's Blindness did last year...

12. Andy Pettitte is not a Hall of Fame pitcher. He is an all-time Yankee and their official 'Big Game Hunter' but let's not forget that he did get destroyed in Game 6 in 2001 in Arizona and also spit the bit against Boston in 2003. That said, he is the all-time winningest postseason pitcher and no one got a bigger ovation from the Yankee Stadium crowd last night than Andy...

13. A-Rod's postseason was downright magical. The guy who had earned a reputation for never coming through in the clutch in his first few years in the Big Apple, is now officially the one guy you don't wanna see at the plate in a key moment if you are in the opposing dugout...

14. Mike Francesca is never wrong...about anything...don't believe me? Just ask him...

15. Is George Steinbrenner a vegetable at this point?

16. Last night was the loudest I have heard the new building. The Who's Your Daddy? chants got things started early and the fans were on their toes for the remainder of the game...

17. It took a while, but we finally got to see what all the fuss was about in terms of Damaso Marte. If you had told me even just a few weeks ago that the former Pirate would wind up being the secret Yankee weapon out of the bullpen, I would have called you a liar...

18. John Sterling's radio Home Run calls are epic...

19. Dexter is my most disappointing show this season. Following up on a tremendous third season which featured an outstanding performance by Jimmy Smits, the producers have underutilized John Lithgow and spent far too much time on Deb Morgan who is easily the least likeable character on television...

20. Sons of Anarchy is a show that just continues to get better week by week. The sophomore season premiered with a bang and hasn't slowed down since...

21. ABC's two new Sci-Fi attempts at replacing LOST have failed to impress me at this point. That said, I'd say that V has a better chance of success than the tedious Flash Forward...

22. Gambling on NBA Basketball is nowhere near as fun as throwing money on NFL Football. The same could be said for fantasy for each sport...

23. Is Brandon Spikes the only one who realized just how terrible an act his eye gauging incident was?

24. Can't wait to hear the full version of the new Nas Just Blaze produced track, the Scientist...

25. I initially wanted to use this photo for this week's Hump Day Hottie, but thought better of it...

26. Derek Jeter's career postseason numbers speak for themselves: .356 10 HR 23 RBI 37 Runs & 5 Championship Rings in 7 World Series appearances...

27. The Yankees will get number 28 next season...

Hump Day Hottie

Josie Maran

Election Day 2009

Minimal Thoughts Monday

I'm still drained from the English Language Learners class I attended all weekend, so I'm not sure where this post is headed...your guess is as good as mine. I'm probably just going to vomit whatever thoughts I have about the weekend onto this page and call it a day. Let me start by saying that nobody around these parts has a better steak & cheese grinder than D'Angelos. Now, with my weekend course and the Yankees in Philadelphia I barely even noticed that it was Halloween. I've mentioned previously that October 31 is far and away my least favorite holiday, although I do enjoy a good horror flick. I attempted to watch John Carpenter's 'The Thing' on Friday night but passed out approximately 8 minutes into the film. Hopefully I'll find time to watch it over the next few weeks but who knows with school these days. I didn't set out to accomplish this before hand, but for whatever reason I did not have one single piece of chocolate/candy over the weekend. Crazy...

So the Yanks are now just one victory away from locking up their first title since 2000. Although neither Sabathia nor A-Rod have had a huge World Series, they both had a major hand in last night's victory. Game Four was critical for the Pinstripers for several reasons, number one being that they needed to be up in the series heading into tonight's match-up with Cliff Lee. Additionally, the Pedro Feliz homer off Joba with two outs in the eighth had all the makings of a series shifting at bat. Chamberlain looked dominant up until that point overpowering both Jason Werth & Raul Ibanez, only to give up the bomb to the Phillies third baseman. All of that is forgotten, however, thanks to the dramatic two stolen bases on one play by Johnny Damon and subsequent clutch double by A-God. Damon has taken the lead in the MVP voting since the series shifted to Philadelphia with Jeter and Rivera follwing close behind both looking for their second individual award...

Despite not getting to see it live, the most rewarding aspect of my weekend was most definitely the Miami Dolphins pulling off the season sweep of the overrated New York Jets. The Fish managed to muster merely 104 total yards of offense but were sparked by two consecutive Ted Ginn kickoff returns. Ginn does not appear to have the hands to be even an average NFL wide receiver, however, his speed is top notch and he proved yesterday that he can still be quite the dangerous weapon for Miami moving forward. The Dolphins head to Foxboro next weekend to take on the first place Pats in a game they desperately need if they plan on keeping any hope of qualifying for the postseason. The 3-4 Dolphins could very easily be 5-2 at this point, but there's no use in crying over spilled milk...

Finally, my new favorite blog, Complex comes through yet again this week with a solid top ten list of the greatest Beanie Sigel-Jay Z collabo's in honor of the ongoing feud between the former Roc-A-Fella partners. Here's the Average Cat download for those of you who haven't heard it yet. Parting shot: take the Falcons (+12) & the Over (55) tonight...risk $25 to win $65...

NFL Picks: Week 8 (Shorty vs Lovins)

Trick or Treat Scumbags!!!!

Shorty vs. Lovins

Baltimore (-3) $50<-------->Baltimore (-3)
Cleveland (+14)<--------> Cleveland (+14)
Houston (-3.5) $50 <-------->Houston (-3.5) $75
San Francisco (+13.5) <--------> Indianapolis (-13.5)
NY Jets (-3.5) <--------> Miami (+3.5)
St. Louis (+4) <--------> Detroit (-4)
Seattle (+10) <--------> Dallas (-10)
NY Giants (-1.5) $75 <--------> NY Giants (-1.5)
Oakland (+17) <--------> Oakland (+17) $25
Jacksonville (+3) $25 <--------> Jacksonville (+3)
Minnesota (+3) <--------> Minnesota (+3) $50
Carolina (+10.5) <--------> Arizona (-10.5)
Atlanta (+11) <-------> Atlanta (+11) $50

The United Brothers, "This Is It", "Throw the Mortgage on it", Absolutely 110%, Sure Thing Teaser of the Week = Raiders (+23) & Vikings (+3)

Seven Week Totals
Shorty (54-48-1) -$200 (4-2) teaser
Lovins (56-46-1) even (4-2) teaser

Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week...

"Shorty's $$$ Picks of the Week" is a weekly feature where I link to a few blog posts which I found interesting during the week. Every Friday we focus on sports, movies, television and whatever else is going on in the world. The weekly feature regularly showcases new music downloads and video clips. I hope you enjoy...

Andre Agassi was a major fan of Crystal meth - Drug Addiction Treatment

Strat-o-Matic adds Negro League players - Sly Oyster

Entire Lil' Wayne: No Ceilings Mixtape - Ill Roots

Caron Butler cuts down on Mountain Dew habit - Sports By Brooks

Michael Jackson: This Is It review - Film School Rejects

Paranormal Activity: Original Ending

This ending is nowhere near as frightening as the theatrical release. Legend has it that Steven Spielberg is actually the one who suggested an alternate ending after loving the original film but being a wee bit disappointed in the final few moments. Thankfully, the powers that be came up with the now infamous closing scene. Entertainment Weekly has a terrific article on their website comparing this film with it's natural older brother The Blair Witch Project. In my opinion, it's hard to match the originality of Blair Witch; imagine watching Paranormal Activity in a theater filled with nearly half the audience thinking that what they are viewing are 'real' events. The ingenious marketing strategy of Dreamworks has done wonders for what is for all intents & purposes, the scariest horror film of the decade. Yet, the Blair Witch campaign was so shrewd that literally millions of people went to the theaters on opening night in 1999 convinced they were watching a snuff film. I LOVED both of these films and have a difficult time deciding which one I liked better...so I won't. I will say this, however, when it comes to scary movies the ending is generally what sets the good ones apart from the great ones. In this case of The Blair Witch Project, the final scene features an eye opening "Oh Sh*t" moment that scrambles your brain. Meanwhile, Paranormal Activity provides far less room for mental thought as the you clench your armrest and jump halfway out of the theater. Either way, in my estimation they are two of the top five scariest films ever made...

World Series Preview

I'm honestly not too sure where to go with this particular blog post. Normally, I would make my predictions, drop a few notes and be on my merry way. However, this marks the first time that one of my teams has reached the Championship Round since I officially began blogging over three years ago now. Thus, I'm left in a no win situation: if I picked the Yankees I risk jinxing them, yet I sure as sh*t can't pick against them. Therefore, there will be no predictions, but instead I will tell you which specific areas I see each team having the advantage. Let's start with the everyday lineups which I think are dead even. Sure the Bronx Bombers have A-Rod, Jeter and Tex but the Fightin Phils counter with Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. In the games played at Yankee Stadium the Yanks might have a slight advantage due to the DH, but when the series shifts to Philadelphia the Yankees will lose either Matsui or Posada (or perhaps both) while the Phillies will keep the likes of Victorino and Jason Werth in theirs. Both teams boast decent benches with Philly having the advantage in defensive replacements and power hitters, but the Yankees having Brett Gardner ready to be a menace on the basepaths. Lineup & Bench = Push

In terms of starting pitching I again think it is a push. CC has been dominant, but former teammate Cliff Lee has been nearly unhittable. Andy Pettitte seems to have saved his best for the postseason and so has the ageless Pedro Martinez. Both teams have a wild card in their respective rotations who could make or break the series. AJ Burnett has been hit or miss all season long and it will be interesting to see how Joe Girardi manuevers around the possibility of Burnett pitching to Jorge Posada in a potential game five scenario at Citizens Bank Park. For Philly, reigning World Series MVP Cole Hamels has not looked good during the playoffs, but if he can return to his old ways, the Phillies may very well be on their way to a repeat. Starting Rotation = Push

The one area in which I give the Pinstripes the clear advantage is the same place that they hold a distinct advantage over everyone else in baseball. Mariano Rivera. Brad Lidge has reverted back to his winning ways this posteason after a horrendous regular season and he will be assisted by a few starting pitchers being utilized in the Phillies bullpen including rookie J.A. Happ. The Yankees young guns haven't been nearly as consistent with both Joba & Phil Hughes having roller coaster postseasons thus far. Bullpen = Advantage Yankees

BET Cypher: Mos Def, Black Thought & Eminem

Hump Day Hottie

Suleika

NBA Preview/Predictions

Eastern Conference

1. Boston Celtics: Health will be the biggest factor for the C's who added Rasheed Wallace to bolster their thin frontcourt. This may be the year of Rajon Rondo's emergence...
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron's last stand in Cleveland before inevitably abandoning his home state for the Big Apple...
3. Orlando Magic: Not sold on the defending conference champs replacing Turkolu w/ Vinsanity from a team chemistry persepctive...
4. Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson may very well be the league's most underrated player and the Hawks are stacked with young talent...
5. Philadelphia 76ers: If Elton Brand can stay on the court, they might be able to compete for home court in the first round...
6. Washington Wizards: w/ Caron Butler emerging as a star in his absense, Arenas will need to share the ball for them to make the postseason...
7. Miami Heat: Need to make the most of Dwayne Wade while he's still in South Beach; Their young nucleus will be lost without him...
8. Detroit Pistons: Gotta go with the UConn Pistons to edge out Chicago for the last postseason slot. Am I the only one who believes the Bulls are going to miss Ben Gordon big time?

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers: The only question is whether their chances of repeating will be helped or hindered by Ron Artest. My guess is that Kobe will keep the 'Warrior' on a short leash...
2. San Antonio Spurs: The addition of Richard Jefferson infuses some much needed athleticism for a team which simply couldn't run with L. A. last season...
3. Portland Trail Blazers: One of the deepest bench's in the league should help Brandon Roy lead the Blazers towards the top of the conference. If Greg Oden can produce anything close to his potential, Portland could be a handful out West...
4. Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony probably still needs a capable wingman, but their frontcourt is experienced and Chauncey Billups is the quintescential backcourt leader...
5. Dallas Mavericks: Mark Cuban's boys will need Dirk to put last season's off court drama behind him. Dallas should be the percect fit for Shawn Marion...
6. Utah Jazz: Deron Williams & company will have to deal with an unhappy Carlos Boozer who can't possibly like the idea of Paul Milsap making that much money...
7. New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul & David West are too talented a combo for the Hornets to not qualify for the postseason despite the fact that Okafor is already looking like a problem...
8. Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin will resurrect this franchise...as soon as he recovers from his broken kneecap...