"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... Trailer for new Coen Bros. film, 'A Serious Man' - Creative Loafing
Arturo Gatti's death ruled suicide by purse strap - Scared Monkeys
There really is only one national movie opening worth mentioning this week. I know there are probably some horror fanatics out there who might be excited about The Collector, but let's be serious. Funny People marks the first Judd Apatow production to be met with some skeptics since...well...since he became Judd Apatow. So much so that a second, less serious trailer was released which showcased several of the funnier scenes. The dramatic elements of having Adam Sandler's character find out he's facing imminent death has plenty of people thinking twice about whether this is the type of comedy they want to spend their $15 on. My hunch is that there are just far too many, yup you guessed it, Funny People starring in this comedy for it to not be worth some serious laughs. Also, there is apparenty a cameo with Marshall Mathers that supposedly kills, so be on the lookout for that. I'm upset with myself over still not having gone and seen Public Enemies so it might be a coin-toss between this one and the Dillinger biopic over the next week or so. Either way I need to hit up the theaters soon.
As for the few films I have checked out recently, the grades are listed below, but let me just say that Bruno was just what I told you it would be, a Borat sequel aimed at homophobia in our country. This time around everything seemed like something you had already seen before and although it had a few hysterical moments, was not the laugh out loud machine that Borat became. Worth checking out on DVD when it comes out, but in the theaters? Nah, I wouldn't recommend it.
With the latest Strikeforce/Affliction PPV cancelling due to Josh Barnett being caught with steroids in his system and no one worthy to fight Fedor, what's next? With the lack of quality talent in Srikeforce to step up and headline without Fedor, what's next? With Jake Shields being the only other draw in Strikeforce and not available to fight due his recent fight with Robbie Lawler, what's next? What's next for Strikeforce? I'll tell you what should be next.
Yesterday marked the culmination of two fantastic baseball careers as both Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson were inducted into Cooperstown. For Rice it was the pot of gold at the end of a seemingly everlasting rainbow as he finally got in after years of narrow misses. The Red Sox slugger was a dominant power hitter for just over a decade from the mid 70's into the mid 80's who appeared in one World Series in 1986 and there are many Boston fans who feel as though if he hadn't been injured late in the 1975 season, the Red Sox would have knocked off the Cincinnati Reds in that World Series. From my personal perspective, my baseball memory predominantly begins in the 1985 season, so I never got to see the best of Jim Rice, but I'm glad to see him get into the Hall since he numbers are quite impressive and he put them up in a time previous to the steroid era...
As for the 'Man of Steel', the name Rickey Henderson brings back numerous memories for me. Over the weekend I was recalling when I was a kid and Rickey played for the Yankees. My grandfather would take us to games and become so angered by Henderson's on field antics, specifically his 'snap catches' in the outfield. For my generation however, this was just Rickey being Rickey long before Manny arrived. Henderson was quite simply the greatest lead-off hitter and base stealer that the game has ever seen. He was a one man wrecking crew on the base paths: Walk + Steal + Steal + Sacrifice Fly = The Rickey Rally. A couple weeks ago during the All-Star break, everyone and their mother was putting together their own All-Time All Star teams. I refrained at the time, but today I think I'll post my A.L. team although I won't include any active players. If I did, I'd probably have to include A-Rod, Griffey and Jeter. Keep in mind that anytime someone puts together one of these lists, it has to contain only players they have seen during their own lifetime otherwise the list immediately becomes invalid. Enjoy the list and Congrats to both Rickey and Rice...
He is, in my humble opinion, beyond the shadow of a doubt the most underrated starting pitcher of this generation. In this world of Fantasy statistics and "That's Nasty" segments of Baseball Tonight, Buehrle is the classic example of a pitcher whose underwhelming statistical resume somehow overshadows just how consistently efficient this guy has been over his outstanding career. Only once, in 2006, did the White Sox ace finish with a record below .500 when he wound up 12-13. He's a four time All-Star who was brilliant down the stretch in 2005, pitching to a 3.12 ERA as Chicago cruised to their first World Series Title in nearly a century. He won 16 games in the regular season that year before going 2-0 with a Save in the magical White Sox postseason.
In Game Two of the divisional series against the defending champion Red Sox, Buehrle fell behind 4-0 after three innings but grinded out four more innings of scoreless ball as the ChiSox rallied and got him a 5-4 win in the most important game of the series. In the League Championship series against the California Angels, Buehrle again took the mound in the second game and this time he went the distance pitching a five hit 2-1 gem. In game two of the World Series against the Houston Astros he left in the eighth inning in line to get the victory but the bullpen blew the lead. No worries though as he came into the 14th inning of Game Three just two nights later and earned a save.
Since that time Mark Buehrle has put some finishing touches on the personal portion of his resume, racking up complete games and now adding a Perfect Game to his already impressive No-Hitter just two seasons ago. Is he Roy Halladay? No...but then, who is? What he is is a model of consistency who if everything falls into place might have quite the gaudy trophy case.
On this day in 1944, there was a failed assassination attempt on the Fuhrer himself, Adolf Hitler. The July 20 Plot, as it was later referred to, was detailed in the recent Tom Cruise film Valkyrie. Hitler obviously survived the Wolf's Lair explosion and you can probably guess what happened to everyone involved in the planning of the assassination attempt...
Forty years ago today also marked the Apollo 11 successful landing on the lunar surface and Neil Armstrong's subsequent "giant leap for mankind." As part of this momentous anniversary, NASA has released enhanced footage of the 1969 moonwalk by Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The only problem with this new video, is that NASA admits that this is not the original footage since they believe they may have recorded over the original tape. So wait, you are going to tell me that NASA recorded over the most important footage of any space mission in our nation's history? This is the moon landing for God's sake, not a mother taping over her son's Little League game for her latest soap opera. And yet we wonder why more and more Americans have an inkling of doubt over whether or not the entire thing is just a hoax done in a studio somewhere with wires...
July 20th also marks the birthdays of several key pop culture figures such as my favorite novelist, Cormac McCarthy, Boston Globe sports writer Dan Shaughnessy, Pittsburgh Steeler coach and star of such films as Major League II and The Program, Omar Epps, UConn's own Ray Allen, and perhaps most importantly the uber-talented Simon Rex. Have a solid Monday and a terrific week everyone!
"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... Steve McNair's death was NOT a win for women scorned - Absolute Brook
This Jeremy Mayfield saga gets crazier by the minute - On Pit Row
There is no worse day of the year than the day after the MLB All-Star Game. There is absolutely nothing going on in the world of sports. I'm generally not a big fan of the Home Run Derby, but at least it's something to pass time on the night prior to the game. Even ESPN royally screws the pooch by having the ESPY's but refusing to air them live and instead putting them on Sunday Night when no one gives two sh*ts. Anyway, I'm tired, cranky and ridiculously sun burnt; so here are a bunch of quick thoughts and accompanying links to make up for Friday's lack of $$$ Links. Enjoy!
*Mariah destroys Marshall in her newest video...
*I honestly think that Boston will put together some package including the likes of Clay Buchholz, Lars Anderson and Michael Bowden to acquire Roy Halladay. Subsequently, the Sox dominate the second half of the season and win the World Series in yet another sweep. I also have a feeling that this injury plagued first half may be just what the Mets need in order to fly under the radar and perhaps even upset the Phillies down the stretch in the NL East. If Reyes and Beltran both return at 100%, watch out for the Amazin's...
*This new never before seen video of MJ getting his scalp burned during the now infamous 1984 Pepsi commercial is downright creepy for several reasons. First off, watch how long Mike dances around without ever realizing his head is on fire. Also, knowing that this would trigger the start of his prescription drug abuse makes this event all the more tragic in my opinion...
*Bri-G had a nice breakdown on Arturi Gatti the other day. I still don't understand how one of the greatest warriors boxing has ever seen gets choked out by his wife's purse. While I'm not quite ready to say that I wish Brett Favre would switch places with Steve McNair and take a dirt nap, I do wish that he would just go away already...
*We partied with Diana Taurasi one year at X-Lot during Spring Weekend up in Storrs and she told us that Geno (Auriemma) could "lick her cl*t"; so the news of her arrest really came as no surprise to me...
*The recently released deleted death scene of Hollis Mason from The Watchmen film makes me wish it had been included in the original version in theaters...
I have to start with the Jay Z concert I attended Friday Night at Mohegan Sun. I had previously seen Jay in concert alongside DMX and Meth & Redman for the Hard Knock Life Tour ten years ago, but this was a different beast altogether. Seeing a revitalized Hova perform an hour and forty minute solo set in which he absolutely tore it down was nothing short of amazing. He opened the show with an earth rattling rendition of Death of Autotune, dropped his much buzzed about Blueprint III Intro midway through and closed shop with Encore as expected. While I've always been a huge Marshall Mathers fan as well, there is just no debate right now as to who the greatest rapper alive is. Reasonable Doubt dropped just over thirteen years ago and Sean Carter has done nothing but grow stronger every year since then. His career is clearly unmatched in a hip-hop world where this sort of longevity is simply unheard of...
*This weekend also featured a huge UFC 100 card that also did not disappoint. Brock Lesnar dominated his rematch with Frank Mir, pummeling the submission artist's face into ground beef before the fight was mercifully stopped in the second round. the former WWE champion then added insult to injury by mocking Mir in his post fight interview with Joe Rogan. Dana White needs to find a way to get this guy and Fedor into the octagon at the same time. The undercard was just as exciting as GSP dominated his match-up with Thiago Alves, setting up a possible catch-weight Superbout with fellow pound for pound king Anderson Silva. The truth is that neither of these great champions have anything left to prove in their respective weight divisions, so a Superbout seems logical to me. Finally, Dan Henderson hit Michael Bisping with one of the most viscious knockouts you will ever see. Henderson floored the UK's top fighter with a jarring right hand that had the Count out on his feet, although that didn't stop Henderson from drilling Bisping once more for good measure when he was already motionless on the ground. When Bisping finally awoke nearly two minutes later, he hadn't the slightest clue what had happened. Classic knockout...
*The Bronx Bombers have been playing really solid baseball over the past few weeks culminating in a three game sweep of the Twins in Minnesota. However, any Yankee fan can tell you that the Yanks always own the Twinkies. By the same token, the Angels generally have the pinstripers in their back pocket. Sure enough, New York has gone to Anaheim and blown consecutive leads to the Halos en route to losing two straight. Joba and Pettite were both atrocious, while the bullpen has begun to show some warts. If I had my way, I'd take the All-Star break as a perfect opportunity to switch roles for Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain...
The links will have to come a day late this week because I'm off to Mohegan Sun to check out the Jay Z concert...have a wonderful weekend everyone and don't forget the UFC 100 Pay Per View Saturday Night! Toodles!
I honestly don't even know where to start for this event. This is the best event since last Decembers' card. In all 11 matchups, there could be something to write about. I'll try to leave this short with my predictions for all 11 fights.
Before I get to the latest from Sacha Baron Cohen, I am sad to say that I still haven't had an opportunity to check out Public Enemies. Bad Choice Pop Culture Consultant Chad Brampion saw the Michael Mann flick on Sunday and tells me basically the same things I've read in reviews and heard from my cousin Matt. Essentially, Johnny Depp is phenomenal as expected, and while the film ultimately falls somewhere in the solid to strong range, Christian Bale's character is under-developed and therefore the overall film is diminished in some respects. In the end, I still have to see this for myself before it leaves the theaters to get my own feel for it.
Meanwhile, Bruno opens nationwide this week and is likely to do ridiculous numbers at the box office. I saw Borat live in theaters upon its original release and look forward to checking out Bruno at some point, although I must admit a tinge of apprehension at seeing this one in the theaters. Listen, I'm the same guy who went and saw Milk by himself on a random Wednesday afternoon, but there is just something uncomfortably homophobic about this one. While I'm sure the movie is utterly hysterical, I'm leaning towards waiting till it makes its DVD release so I can watch it in the comforts of my own home. Below are a few grades of recent DVD viewings you might or might not enjoy:
Part I: Young Mike
Part II: Mike At His Baddest
Part III: Epic Michael
I've had a considerable amount of free time on my hands since school ended in May. I've been reading, working, and running a little bit. Chris was wondering when I was going to post again on my recent visit to Connecticut; granted, I don't have an on-going feud with Jermaine Dupri, or care about Major League Baseball, so I didn't have a lot to say. I'm glad I passed on the Green Revolution in Iran, the recession, health care reform, and Governor Palin's resignation so I could live blog Michael Jackson's funeral.
I wanted to welcome back Trey Lorenz to the land of the living! Is Al B Sure backstage? Could Keith Sweat not afford a plane ticket to California? Where is Bubbles? Where is Macauley?
How in fact did Michael Jackson make Magic Johnson a better point guard? How old was Kobe Bryant when Thriller was released? I dislike Kobe that much more for being on television. I prefer the Kobe puppet.
Jermaine Jackson's career got shortchanged big time! Although, he was nominated for a Grammy; I bet you didn't know that. He sold a significant number of records, too.
Smokey Robinson is probably 100 years old, he looks pretty good.
A resolution to honor Michael Jackson in the House of Representatives? Considering all the charity work he did to battle poverty and HIV in Africa, it doesn't seem that far off the mark. Republican Peter King lashed out at the coverage of Jackson's death; his argument is that we don't pay enough attention to the people that make our country safer and stronger. He's 100% correct. However, what has Congressman King done to end the gridlock in Albany? Now that's a travesty of justice: NYC has to initiate a hiring freeze because these bozos are having a pissing contest.
Who is this Shaheen character? I dig him.
Corey Feldman in the house dressed as Michael Jackson; I thought they hated each other?
Still no Bubbles...
In summary...budget deficits are bad. Public option for health care is inevitable. Iranian revolution is good. I may not be able to be a lot of things, but I can certainly be the Minnesota Timberwolves GM.
See you in August...I'll be home on the 15th!
I think we all know who's bad? R.I.P. MJ; you were a talented musician. It's terrible that you have several children left behind that have to grow up without you. The speech by his daughter was very moving. I wish we heard from the family a little bit more.
Brandon, MJ's brother, died at birth many years ago.
From the kid who brought you Fargo Rock City — the first book in history to garner the praise of Stephen King, David Byrne, Donna Gaines, Sebastian Bach, Jonathan Lethem, and Rivers Cuomo — comes Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs — the first book in history to examine breakfast cereal, reality television, tribute bands, Internet porn, serial killers, and the Dixie Chicks.
Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation, but no one has done it quite like Chuck Klosterman — with an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and a seemingly effortless ability to spin brilliant prose out of unlikely subject matter. Whether deconstructing Saved by the Bell episodes or the artistic legacy of Billy Joel, the symbolic importance of The Empire Strikes Back or the Celtics/Lakers rivalry of the 1980s, Chuck will make you think, he'll make you laugh, and he'll drive you insane — usually all at once.
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs is ostensibly about movies, sports, television, music, books, video games, and kittens...but, really, it's about us. All of us. As Klosterman realizes late at night, in the moment before he falls asleep, "In and of itself, nothing really matters. What matters is that nothing is ever 'in and of itself.'""
"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... Fernando Vina is a joke - Jeff Pearlman
Fourth of July sports history lesson - NBC Sports
As the sport of MMA continues to grow all over the world, UFC has been the leader in all aspects. The UFC is the major leagues compared to the rest of the MMA organizations. Many of the best MMA fighters are in the UFC with some others fighting in smaller less recognized organizations. Japan was moving towards the right direction with Pride but then sold out to... UFC. There are some other smaller organizations both here in the US and Japan that have some very good fighters. Because UFC is so accessible its easy to write about them and find out alot of stuff that fans may want to know. This is an introduction to some of these other premier fighters that are fighting elsewhere.
Of all the fantasy sports I play, Basketball de Imaginacion is the one that I just can't seem to get into. The weekly head to head format featuring some players taking part in multiple games while another player might only play once in a given week doesn't translate to an exciting fantasy sport for me. Therefore a few years ago when my season had gone down the toilet early I attempted to collect as many UConn players as I could. After seeing SportsCenter this morning, I can't help but wonder if Joe Dumars is employing that very same strategy to the Detroit Pistons. On Draft day the Pistons allegedly attempted to acquire Ray Allen via a trade, albeit, one that would have likely sent fellow Husky alum Richard Hamilton to Boston in exchange. With that potential trade going by the wayside, Dumars signed former 2004 National Championship teammates Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva last evening to play alongside Rip. Now, if the Pistons could find a way to send Tayshaun Prince and some expiring contracts to Washington, perhaps Caron Butler would be attainable. Rasheed Wallace to Charlotte for Emeka Okafor straight up? Marcus Williams is somwhere out there in the vast nowhere just waiting to be the point guard of this squad...
