It was CousinFest at Alesci's last night. Cousin Gale, Cousin Ron, Lisa and I went to see Roger Waters at Quicken Loans Arena last night. And Cousin Barb went to the Tribe game. How was the show? Well, "Should I trust the government?". That would be a huge negatory, as it was one of the most overtly political shows I've seen. And I loved it.

Tickets: We decided to be seat snobs and didn't bite at the $20 tickets available in the uppers and decided to go the scalping route. Ron was in contact with a guy who was selling the $127's for $100. We got him down to $80. With all of the add-on costs, I'd say we saved about $60 a ticket. Thanks, Charlie! When we got there, we were in the 6th row in Section 110. Can you say "Look how fuckin' close we are!"?

The Band: Probably the best-dressed band since the days of Robert Palmer or Sting's "Bring on the Night" era. Everyone wore black, including the three backup singers, one of which (my future wife) filled out her dress in all the right spots. Did I say we were up close to see her? Thanks, Charlie! Don't know who was in the band, except for Andy Fairweather-Low, who I think most people would know. Note that it took two people to replace Gilmour. I'm just sayin'.

The Crowd: Let me say this. This crowd was so old, the chaperone hat remained neatly tucked. It probably rotated amongst 5,000 others, however. For a smoke-free arena, there was a helluva lot of smoke. The hippy lettuce appeared by the end of song two. Afterward, the lobby was noticeably smoky and the silent alarms were going off.

One guy was very dramatic when standing a couple of rows ahead of us. Lots of arm gesturing and the wrist-over-wrist "X" thing. Begged to be imitated and it was.

Backdrop: When Floyd is involved, you have lots of visuals and they did not disappoint. Before the start, they had a film with a tight shot of an old radio, a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red in front, and smoke billowing from a cigarette. Every so often, this guy's hand would come into view and turn the knob for a new channel, or pour a drink. Very cool. He reappeared at the end during "Comfortably Numb" with extremely long drags on the heater.

We had pictures of Syd during "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". Pretty classy. Also during that tune, bubbles floated down from the ceiling, then hanging chads floated down during a later song. After a lull, we had two radio-controlled items that flew on our side of the arena from the back to the side of the stage. One was a NASA astronaut and he was right above us, flying like he was on a spacewalk. I can't describe how cool that was. "Sorry, Dave, I can't do that."

Then, the pig appeared during "Sheep". The pig!!!!! YES!!!!! Although, this time, the pig had political messages sprayed on him. Things like: "Habeas corpus matters", "Impeach Bush now" (with an arrow pointing to the word Bush saying, "Horribly unaware" or something like that), and "Don't get led to the slaughter, vote Nov. 7". The pig actually flew over my head. There I am, drinking a beer and a pig is soaring above my head. An incredible feeling. Thanks, Charlie!

During "Leaving Beirut", the song was told visually in comic book form. This was the song where Waters, while a teen, was hitchhiking through Lebanon after his car ran out of gas, and he was taken in by a guy and his wife and treated very nicely. The old "Hey, I know we're bombing them now, but they aren't bad people. Let's make the film into an a-ha video tribute" kind of a thing.

And Bush got lumped with bad guys like Stalin on a video from another song.

They also had pyrotechnics. During one song, we have a Google maps view of London and we zoom down upon a water-filled Wembley Stadium, where we have a game being described by Marv Albert over the radio like a football match. This sub destroys this aircraft carrier and kaboom, we have this loud noise and flames shooting out at the back of the stage. We were so close, we could feel the heat. Thanks, Charlie! Wait, could that be construed as fireworks? On second thought, they were just OK.

The Music: Let's face it. Roger's voice isn't the greatest these days, but when he did sing, they really made him sound much better than the last time I saw him, at Live 8. The power of electronics, I guess. The backup singers and the "guys who sang Gilmour's parts" were really good. Musicianship was also good. The show consisted of three parts. The opening set contained some new stuff and some old. Here's what I remember (and I know I'm missing several):

"In the Flesh"
"Mother"
"Shine On You Crazy Diamond"
"Have A Cigar"
"Wish You Were Here"
"Great Gig In The Sky"
"Leaving Beirut"
"Sheep"

15-minute intermission (and it was only enough time for a bathroom break, get a beer and get back to your seat), then the reason everyone came:

"Dark Side of the Moon"

Encore:

"Another Brick in the Wall"
"Comfortably Numb"

Wish you could have been there. Thanks, Charlie!

Meal of Links

I'm not dead yet. Guy who said he wrote hit record, actually didn't. He dies, family puts that in his obit. Real writer of tune, says hey, I'm gettin' calls that I'm dead. Great quote from dead guy's wife: "I don't know what that man (the real Paul Vance of Coral Springs) is trying to accomplish," she said. "If he's getting royalties, why is he bothering (to come forward)." I think he's coming forward to stop people from calling him and asking if he's dead, idiot. Oh, sorry about your loss.

Cinema takes a death blow from another "Jackass".

New York wants to ban trans fats. In a country where pizza joints sell brownies. Amazing.

Exercise Yard

My Dad clued me in to an absurd statement by Mark Shapiro: "If you look around baseball, we do not need as much as teams like Boston, the Yankees, Toronto, Baltimore, Philadelphia and some other clubs." He didn't really say that, did he? Lemme guess, he was at the Roger Waters show.

ESPN smartly includes us in baseball's biggest disappointments. No mention of Hafner though. The most underappreciated star in the game.

Visitor

37 Across: Atom-splitting Nobelist (5 letters) Answer: Fermi

What is with the Jumble? Worse than Marmaduke, I think they ran out of words in 1963. But what is the point of having a final answer you can deduce, without having all of the words solved? Like today.

The first word is "havoc", second is "pause". That took about 2.5 seconds. Fourth word is "powder", another easy one. I am taking my time with the third one, when I realize the bonus answer is "horsepower". OK, should I continue with the third word?
Well, the word was "frieze". Not "freeze". And that's my point. Why can't this puzzle use words we actually use? Not dumb it down, but use words that are spoken in 2006. "Frieze" is an architectural term, but who the hell uses it in a sentence.

The good thing about it being so easy, it allowed me to complete the triple of Jumble, Sudoku and Crossword during lunch. Take that, British guy.

Meal of Links

This guy watched the Food Network for 72 straight hours. I'm still puzzled by the low carb show I watched on Fit TV. It was hosted by a fat guy and no, it wasn't Dr. Phil.

A list of the largest Google AdSense publishers. Take a look at Digg, if you haven't already.

I don't watch "Boston Legal", but it sounds like fun. "You should have included me in that conference. I'm a good actor. I won an Emmy."

Exercise Yard

Barker Davis is as good as it gets when it comes to writing about golf. I failed to mention his Sunday skewering of FIGJAM.

Visitor

9 Down: Hairy man-monster (8 letters) Answer: Werewolf (Sometimes your own answers are funnier, but then that would ruin the puzzle, wouldn't it?)

I'm pumped that "Arrested Development" is back on HDTV. This is one of those stumbling through the channels, "Hey, that's on" I think I'll watch kind of shows. Like "Seinfeld".

And I like the fact "The Office" had a bit of an homage to AD in its debut last week when Steve Carrell said, "Hey, I watch "The L Word" and "Queer as Fuck"." Except they bleeped "fuck". Very funny and very AD-like. Which reminds me. Before the Browns game yesterday, they had five local Marines on a feed wishing the Browns luck, live from Fallujah. Lots of Hoorahs and other stuff. But the second guy was a classic. He was a Cleveland cop with a laundry list of shoutouts. Obviously, it was too long and he started to mess up and finally said, "Ah, shit!" to the delight of the crowd.

BTW, I know "The Wire" has been on HBO for a long time, but I just started watching it. It's one of the best dramas I've seen in a long time.

One more thing. Delroy Lindo is on "Kidnapped" and I think he plays the same sort of guy in "Ransom". I wonder if someone said, "Hey, remember "Ransom"? If we get a Delroy Lindo-type, that would be awesome." Then they called him.

Meal of Links

Marmaduke explained. I know, I know. But the fact this is still being printed amazes me. I get it, he's big. Ha ha ha.

Dress Steve Jobs. Because you can.

Attention, Achievers. LebowskiFest is this weekend. "I can get you a toe..."

Exercise Yard

Gee, you think you're gonna read about Game 6, but divorce overshadows it. "Little roller along 1st...behind the bag...gets through Buckner...".

Visitor

60 Across: Comics redhead at Riverdale High (6 letters) Answer: Archie

Randomness from today's Browns home game:

My brother Jeff was today's special guest. Browns Version 2.3 is sucking wind and is winless coming into this game. A non-effort against the Saints and an ugly result against the Bengals. The opponent: The dreaded Baltimore Ravens. The Old Browns, if you will. Only one old Brown remains and that's the kicker, Matt Stover. The Ravens are unbeaten this season with their defense carrying the load. Looking like the vaunted Raven defense of old.

The weather was not bad today. The rain held off, but it was windy as hell. Surprisingly, the Browns do not select the wind for the 4th quarter. That would prove costly.

Today's giveaway: There wasn't any.

Section 345 was into the game today. Another home game where we had to stay until the end. No fights, no drunks and an increasing problem. No vendors. Well, maybe none is too harsh, but very few. The good thing is folks drink less when they have to walk for it.

No running game today as Reuben Droughns sat out. Charlie Frye had a big first half throwing the ball, when he was upright. Oh, he'll know tomorrow he was in a football game, because the Ravens sacked him 7 times, one where I thought he was going to be planted shoulder first about six feet under. And when they didn't sack him, they hit him several other times.

No G.E. Smith Band, but the Ohio State Marching Band was there.

Worst Browns play: The interception that Frye threw in the endzone after a long Browns drive. After I had said, "Seven points puts it out of reach, three probably clinches it."

Unknown Worst Browns play: Lawrence Vickers seemingly losing track of where he was on the field after a 29-yard catch and run. He basically gave himself up on the play when he could have gone at least 10 more yards.

Best line from me: Before the game, Mo Scarry of the 1946 Browns was introduced as an honorary captain. "Mo Scarry? Is he representing the Browns offense?"

Best line from several randoms: After Braylon Edwards TD. "Su-per Bowl! Su-per Bowl!"

Oddest Browns jersey: Morgan 81

No in-game purchases.

Best Browns play: Had to be the 58-yard TD pass from Frye to Edwards. A thing of beauty.

Many boas at today's game, but old man with spray painted orange hair was a definite head turner.

Best Fan Cam picture: The Travis Bickle lookalike. The mohawk was bad enough. However, the shirt and army jacket put it over the top and concerned me. Deeply.

Worst stat: The Browns had 2 yards per rushing attempt. Ugly.

2nd worst stat: Two Browns turnovers. Clearly a turnover by either side would lead to victory. Of course, it was the Browms who turned it over.

Most interesting stat: Except for the Ravens first quarter field goal, all the points were scored at our end of the field.

Not-so-much-a-stat: A really strange defensive game. I thought the Browns defense played well for most of the game. For many stretches, the Ravens offense was exposed. Only 3 yards per rush. And Steve McNair is definitely an imposter this year, but somehow with the game on the line, he came through. A game where his receivers made him look better than he is, with several acrobatic receptions.

Outside of the second quarter (one drive was the Edwards TD catch as the only play) and the 76-yard non-scoring drive in the 4th, I thought the Ravens defense was dominant. They are just as fast as the old days, maybe faster. Probably vulnerable a tad in pass defense, but they will beat up lesser teams like the Browns.

What can I say? It was actually fun to be a Browns fan for a while. It's amazing how a 58-yard TD pass out of the blue can make you forget all the sad stuff until that point. But once again, the defense comes up short when it matters the most and gives up just enough yardage on the Ravens last drive to set up the game-winning field goal. To have to defend the west endzone with the wind helped Stover kick that 52-yarder.

So, the season ends before October.

And to quote Bill Murray from "Stripes": "Then depression set in."

Meal of Links

"Jackass: Number Two" is Number One at the box office. No wonder they hate us.

How to look for cheap airfares.

Bill Clinton did not appreciate being interviewed by Fox News. Here's why.

Exercise Yard

It will probably be overlooked in the future, but Paul McGinley showed tremendous sportsmanship at the Ryder Cup today. Most times, you don't see it so overtly displayed. But at the 18th hole of a match that was all-square, a streaker interrupted play for what seemed like a long time. McGinley conceded a long birdie putt by J.J. Henry to halve the hole and the match. For McGinley to do that, when he was winless over the weekend, about to win his first match, in front of his home crowd, and ultimately preventing the Europeans from setting a victory margin record, is very impressive to me.

This isn't like Tiger Woods who has other accomplishments to rest on. This is an average golfer who has really made his mark in Ryder Cups. I think it was a great gesture.

Visitor

None, it was a late football Sunday.

I've been feeling a bit blah lately, so today I wanted something different to eat and I stumbled upon this recipe for BBQ Cornbread. Pretty easy to make and I must say, it tasted damn good. Topping really gives it a nice kick, too.

But while I was eating it, I watched Randy Lerner's other team, Aston Villa, remain unbeaten with another win today against Charlton, 2-0. The locals are excited. Looks like he'll be back during the Browns bye week. Let's hope the Browns do not become his other team.

Meal of Links

Here are some NYC Subway smells. Lots of sweat at Fulton St.-Broadway-Nassau.

If you have lots of time to waste, play this game. M&M's, in a dark chocolate promo, hides 50 "dark movies" in a painting. You have to find them. At least get "The Hills Have Eyes".

Ricky Gervais halts his podcasts. Loved the first 12. Didn't listen to the next 12, because they were not free.

Exercise Yard

Why can't the US win the Ryder Cup? Things got so bad, Johnny Miller suggested a new form of congratulations besides "touching knuckles".

Visitor

51 Down: Filmdom nickname, with "The" (4 letters) Answer: Duke

Since it's the non-Fox week of premieres, I've been watching the tube this week. I will stick with NBC's "Kidnapped" on Wednesdays at 10:00. Simply because I showed up late to the "Vanished" party. So, I'm on this one from the start.

BTW, "Lucky Louie" got cancelled by HBO. Easily one of the five worst shows they ever produced. But "Entourage" gets 20 shows next year.

Saw the premieres of "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" this evening. They have lost nothing over the summer break.

Meal of Links

Richard Branson sings "If I had 3 billion dollars, I wouldn't buy you a fur coat." Because of global warming.

The case involving Barry Bonds gets serious, More reporters jailed. That's the sound of freedom being chipped away. Again.

The Knack is suing Run DMC for copyright infringement. Seems "It's Tricky" sampled "My Sharona". Actually, it's pretty obvious. But why wait 20 years to file the suit? "It's Tricky to rock a rhyme, to rock a rhyme that's right on time."

Exercise Yard

What the Stanley Cup did on its summer vacation. It actually made it to Boston, but not with a Bruin.

Visitor

35 Across: "Project Runway" host (9 letters) Answer: Heidi Klum

I got a huge kick watching "Once in a Lifetime", the story of the New York Cosmos, on ESPN2 in HD, of course. Some tidbits:

Matt Dillon with the narration.

Good music: "Up The Neck" by the Pretenders, Sparks' "This Town Ain't Big Enough For The Both Of Us" and Steely Dan's "Dirty Work" was the closing theme.

Bugs Bunny was the on-field Cosmos mascot.

Giorgio Chinaglia is a bit of an ass, widely regarded as the one who ruined the Cosmos. The only guy to call out Pele. Pele: "You shoot from too many fucking angles." Giorgio: "The reason Chinaglia shoots from those angles is because Chinaglia can score from those angles." No ego there.

Henry Kissinger assisted in the signing of Pele.

The Cosmos had their own table at Studio 54.

Gordon Bradley, the coach, wanted to throw this long-haired skinny guy out of the locker room once, because he was obviously on drugs. Yep, Mick Jagger looked horrible in the photos.

One of my old-timey favorites, Rodney Marsh, was on. Late '70s: "Rodney, some people refer to you as the white Pele." Marsh: "I like to think of Pele as the black Rodney Marsh."

Pele declined to be interviewed for the movie. He wanted $.

The US tried to get the World Cup in 1986, when Colombia bailed early on from hosting duties. It was awarded to Mexico.

The two Cosmos who probably come off the best (why would we think it wouldn't be this way?) were "The Kaiser", Franz Beckenbauer, and Carlos Alberto. When the Kaiser showed up, Chinaglia was relegated to "third banana".

As an aside, each time I see Beckenbauer, I must say, I start to think of the Germany-Greece Philosophers Football Match from Monty Python. This is where Beckenbauer was the only actual soccer player on either team, "a surprise inclusion" on the German team. Confucius was the referee. "Confucius say, "Name go in book." when he carded some guy. The great thing is that no one actually kicked the ball, the philosophers would just walk around the field pondering things. Finally, Archimedes says, "Eureka!" and discovers that he can kick the ball, it somehow gets to Socrates, who scores on a diving header. In the 89th minute, of course, to set up this joke. The Germans dispute the call; "Hegel is arguing that the reality is merely an a priori adjunct of non-naturalistic ethics, Kant via the categorical imperative is holding that ontologically it exists only in the imagination, and Marx is claiming it was offside."

Meal of Links

A bunch of ways college students can save money. They seem to be big on avoiding tips.

McDonald's may sell breakfast all day. It is lunacy to try and beat the clock on a weekend. Still haven't had a McGriddle.

Live cheap. Eat cheap. Furnish cheap.

Video of the Week

I absolutely love this video. Adrian Belew's daughter keeps asking questions like you tell me you're a rock star, but where's the hit record, the big car, cash, and what are you gonna get me? Things to look for: The rubber guitar, Belew's six-necked guitar, his Tucker Carlson dance steps, the animated Elvis Cadillac.

Adrian Belew-"Oh Daddy"



Exercise Yard

The A-Rod article from SI. OK, only two guys in the meeting between Joe Torre and Rodriguez. Lots of details. Who talked? It is interesting that Derek Jeter clams up on the situation (again) and who knew that Jason Giambi was a team leader.

Visitor

21 Across: Goddess of the dawn (3 letters) Answer: Eos

Does anyone else wanna pound that Steelers fan, L.J., on the eHarmony commercial? OK, it may have been cute once, but jeezy creezy, I am officially sick of it.

One thing I am not sick of is anti-drug PSAs. But it kills me that I can't remember the tagline from a really old one. It was kind of a pre-"Midnight Express" PSA, where the narrator comes on and basically says if you get busted for drugs over there (you know in some foreign place), you're history, man. That one scared the crap out of me more times than I care to admit. I think that's why I never went over the border. Of Ohio.

Meal of Links

Paula Deen stole my Savory Ritz Bites recipe! Hey, she skipped the step of getting that cheese between those tiny crackers though.

You do know that David Letterman is having a "Ventriloquist Week", don't you? Hard to figure that Willie Tyler has aged better than Lester. Lester: "Willie was born in Detroit and comes from good stock. I was born in New York and come from Woodstock." They're here all week.

Fergie tells gays to stop using drugs. "Hey, you gays, stop it." She's talking about drugs quite a bit.

Exercise Yard

Peter Gammons is back. And the world is a better place for it.

Visitor

11 Down: Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar (9 letters) Answer: Robertson "Hey, there's Cris Carter. But who's that old guy standing next to him?"

Sometimes as I'm stumbling through the dial, I come upon something that fascinates me and I cannot shut it off. Like that watchmaking program I saw several months back. Tonight, I watched this doc on Sundance called, "10th District Court".

They focused on this French judge as she heard cases in her court. It also gives you a primer in how the courts work over there. I couldn't imagine what would happen in our courts if your defense attorney kept agreeing with the other side. You'd be doing a lot of "Hey...hey, hey, hey...you're on my side, remember?"

Some may find it dull, but since I had to read the movie (subtitles), it hooked me.

Meal of Links

Iconoclasts looks like it has another good season coming up next month. Lots of good guests: Tarantino, Vedder, Chappelle.

The White Stripes landed on "The Simpsons". Bart drumming to "The Hardest Button to Button" is quite trippy. "Sorry, White Stripes!"

Are things this bad for the US auto industry? GM actually held talks about a possible merger with Ford.

Exercise Yard

Hey, where's the latest soccer scandal? Looks like: The Premiership.

Visitor

33 Across: Rene of "Ransom" (5 letters) Answer: Russo (Gimme back my son!")

Thanks to Co-Conspirator for the invite to the Autumnal on Saturday. Didn't even sing "Au-tum-nal for ya" like Boy George, which pleased everyone. Good food and I think I had a beer or two or eight. I'm trying to remember certain things. Definitely had the chaperone hat on. I think the oldest guy I saw was the padre who was tending to a christening at the neighbors, so he didn't count.

I seem to recall a conversation about camping, but I like a couple of things you may have heard of, electricity and shower facilities. I'm pretty "city-fied". BTW, do I have to buy a Steve Irwin outfit or something to go camping? Crikey. OK, that might be a dark suit these days, but I mean something he wore when he could fog a mirror. Hell, I had to use Off yesterday and we were only in Strongsville. So, the sober excuses can start now. I even have Uncle Joe on call to make pierogis the entire month of October, just in case. Hey, I know he's only days removed from the infirmary, but if your Dad can't help ya in a time of need, where do you turn?

Meal of Links

I lost my Mooch. OK, when I stumbled home after 1:00 on Saturday night, I must have had camping on my mind, so with a tip of the hat to Ben Franklin, I turned on the TV to see what was on. Watched some college football highlights and then turned on the NFL Network. Only to find that Time Warner finally deleted the channel. The horror, the horror! "Drunk, half naked, and lack of NFL Network is no way to go through life, son." The details.

Bob Dylan likes Alicia Keys. And Derek Jeter.

Male Restroom Etiquette

You've heard about the rules. Here is a video demonstration.



Exercise Yard

Big ups to Paul for bloodies, brats and the Browns today. What's that song, "Two out of three ain't bad"? I am now getting Grandpa Syndrome during these games and it's frightening. The Browns only waited 3 minutes to give up a touchdown today. I find myself yelling at the TV things like "What the fuck was that?" or "What the hell is he doing?" or "Stay off my grass." and they are playing so poorly, I get to repeat that a lot. As I'm driving home after the game, I start this mantra. "Next week, it's Baltimore. Three weeks in and it's the fuckin' season already." And then when I got home, I think I broke my toe, by kicking my imaginary dog. I mean, the Christmas catalogs haven't arrived yet and we could be done.

Gems from today. No running attack. And I swear my tombstone will read, "They still can't stop the fuckin' run up the middle." OK, someone paste a label with that on it because of the expense. We didn't even look at Winslow until the second quarter. McGinest can't lead if his ass is on the bench, but maybe he'd like to be part of the team, like stand up once in a while and show some interest. Buy him a foam finger, if need be. Defense gave up 481 yards. Ted Washington is fat. That's not a news flash, but the Bengals had two subs on the offensive line and now Ted looks old as well, as he was handled by one guy today. We didn't even blitz until the second quarter.

I like Chad Johnson, but man did he get drilled by Brian Russell late. Good Chicken Dance though. Hard to choose between Bengals looking good and Browns sucking. I think both are pretty accurate. Very difficult to see any improvement today. If someone tells you that they located some, it's bullshit.

Seriously, I must like the pain, as I was reminded of my penchant for attending Indians games in September when they've been done since May, Browns anytime and CSU basketball in the winter. Absolute torture...but I'm back the next day. Can you tell the Browns lost, 34-17?

Visitor

None, it was a Browns Sunday.

With the Tribe limping toward the finish, what better time than to have something different to eat at the ballyard. The Turkey Leg dinner is pretty good. OK, the leg looks like it came from one big-ass turkey, but you also get a little corn-on-the-cob, some cole slaw and a biscuit for $5.50. Might be one of the better bargains at Jacobs Field.

More eating today, as we went to Bo Loong for dim sum. A suggestion last night by Best Friend turned into an excursion today, because she can handle all of the ordering duties. Where else can 7 adults stuff themselves for less than $70? Great stuff. I now have the take-out menu, so I can practice what to order.

Meal of Links

Oh, boy. Now the Pope is in hot water.

The trend toward "Size Zero" models is making lots of people mad these days. You couldn't wear that stuff anyway.

The 10 most beautiful cars ever made. That Shelby Mustang looks fantastic.

Exercise Yard

I found this interesting. College fans as holidays. I think it translates to the pros, as well. As far as the Browns go. I'm an Easter fan.

Visitor

56 Across: Gore Vidal biographical subject (9 letters) Answer: Aaron Burr (Still laughing like Beavis at 33 Across-"They hold balls")

The good people from Wendy's near the Stow-Hudson border are starting to freak me out. Is this common everywhere now? They greet you at the drive-thru with "Hi! How ya doin'?" at both the speaker and your final window where you get the food.

I hope this isn't some odd customer service edict. I prefer being virtually ignored at these things. I don't want to have a conversation. "Hi! How ya doin'?" requires me to be civil. I just want my order to be correct, you clone.

Meal of Links

Further evidence on why "Rock Star: Supernova" sucked. They have now named the band "Rock Star: Supernova". Good luck with that.

I love The Onion. Today we found out that LeBron James was amazed a college student could stay up all night.

Borat will take over the world.

Exercise Yard

I am a big of Charles Barkley. And Gnarls Barkley, too. Anyhow, here are some Sir Charles quotes.

On Steve Nash: "I’ve only said this two times in my life, but that's a bad white boy."

"The only thing Christian Laettner has in common with Larry Bird is they both pee standing up."

Visitor

15 Across: Big name on runways (4 letters) Answer: Tyra

If you've ever sat back and wondered about treating others with kindness, this story demonstrates that those actions are well worth it. You never know how the little things you do can make a difference in someone's life. Even if they are complete strangers.

Meal of Links

Scene Magazine referred to this place on Detroit that is opening next week. Apparently they have lots of grilled cheese selections and beer. It's called Melt and here's the menu. Sort of a Velveeta Fusion thing.

The NFL may want to consider hiring these refs. I can't believe they allowed this goal. Note how the announcer's "Gol!" reflex takes over:

Ballboy Shoots...And It Counts!



If it's early in the week and you want to schedule your Sunday NFL viewing and don't have the Sunday Ticket, consult these maps. Subject to change.

Video of the Week

Since I didn't see Michael McDonald with Steely Dan recently, I dug up "Pretzel Logic" from the New York Rock and Soul Revue at the Beacon Theatre in 1991. BTW, this is a great album if you haven't heard it recently. Things to look for: It's a black and white version obviously. Donald Fagen's voice is in fine form. We have Mike in full Kenny Rogers mode. I agree with Fagen when he says, "My favorite part of the show, though, was when Mike sang the line about the shoes."

Donald Fagen-"Pretzel Logic"



Exercise Yard

You think sportswriting is an easy life? Try being Jay Mariotti.

Visitor

68 Across: Brother of Moses (5 letters) Answer: Aaron

Nothing beats cranking Strauss in your car via the XM Pops. All I could think of was "2001". BTW, XM has made some changes recently. Let's see, Oprah shows up in a couple of weeks. They canned MSNBC for some reason. Maybe they'll start streaming that online? They also canned most of Sporting News radio, keeping Tony Bruno and Tim Brando, and letting the rest go. That's why when you hear that WKNR has a choice between Fox and Sporting News Radio, they better choose Fox.

Meal of Links

Steve Jobs held Apple's "It's Showtime" (Jimmy Lennon, Jr. nowhere to be seen) presentation this afternoon. There are new Nanos, new iPods, a future product called ITV for the time being, and an iTunes 7.0 update. One sure-to-be-overlooked feature is the ability to have your music on more than one authorized computer, that's new. It looks like better iTunes Store searching, as well. Version 6 was definitely a step back in that regard. I really like the "Cover Flow" button, that is cool. And the ability to get the album artwork on songs from your own CDs is a nice touch. Looks like a nice upgrade from the 6.0 versions.

SmartMoney tells us when to buy just about everything. I don't get how groceries are cheaper on Sunday evenings. Duh, Sunday morning coupons!

Whoa. Luc Besson says he wants to stop making movies. I always found his films to be visually stunning from "Subway" to "La Femme Nikita" to "The Fifth Element". Still producing though, as if you thought I would not mention the "Transporter" series.

Exercise Yard

Shhh. Don't tell anyone. I still have the NFL Network. I'm waiting for Time Warner to drop the hammer on that right around Thanksgiving when the live games start.

Anyhow, I was stunned that the Browns-Saints game was one of the games chosen for replays this week. Did the Browns sign Diet Pepsi Machine yet? Other first week replays included Giants-Colts, Cowboys-Jaguars (Both seen locally here) and Patriots-Bills.

Visitor

16 Across: Actress Jennifer Jason _____ (5 letters) Answer: Leigh

Today is the fifth anniversary of 9/11. It's a bit sad that for many people, myself included, this day has already reached "just another day" status. I probably watched more football than any 9/11 remembrances today. People do not want to relive this event, given the numerous well-done efforts that seem to fail to reach any sort of audience. I'm sure if I were in NYC I'd feel differently, but I think Middle America feels oddly disconnected to 9/11 at this time.

While we here told how this event has changed the world, it's anniversary seems to have faded faster than Pearl Harbor Day and Flag Day. I can remember when those days got their proper due for a long while. But as time marches on, not many people want to be bothered with 9/11.

Meal of Links

Charlie Babbitt must be depressed. Because "Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll" dies this week.

Football fans have long memories. A group of DC fans do not want Heath Shuler near their city, as he runs for Congress.

How bout a little MySpace history for class today? And they seemed like such nice people.

Exercise Yard

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has a trash problem. He decided to promote good will amongst his new neighbors by dumping his trash in their yard.

Visitor

54 Down: Channel swimmer Gertrude (6 letters) Answer: Ederle

Randomness from today's Browns home game:

Gale was today's special guest. Browns Version 2.3 has high expectations coming into this season. I, for one, am not sold on Charlie Frye at QB. Oh, he'll make some good plays, but combined with an offensive coordinator who uses about 10% of the playbook, it's hard to get excited about our chances. The opponent: The New Orleans Saints. A very difficult read. With Katrina behind them, the Superdome open for business, a new coach and the drafting of Reggie Bush, are they a team on the rise? Or was last year's forgettable season a portend of their immediate future?

The weather was very nice today. Around 70 degrees, it was the coolest temperature for an opener in a long time. Some clouds, but it was the wind that was more a nuisance than anything.

Today's giveaway: One of the all-time favorites, the magnet schedule.

Section 345 was relatively tame today. We had a guy down the row from us who's been dormant for a couple of years, spring back to life today. This guy used to berate people for leaving early. Even in games we would be getting pasted by like 35 points. Finally, a younger guy got tired of his act one Sunday and I thought he was going to kill him. Anyhow, he decided to pull out the tired, poor, pathetic act of "we're not making enough noise." Jeezy creezy, if the Browns would make a first down once in a while, maybe we'd be fired up. Then when we started playing better in the second half, he was quiet. Funny how that works.

No smells today, except for the calls of our offensive coordinator. We gained a total of...ahem...186 yards.

The passing game today stunk. Nothing long. Very little of medium range. Mostly, it was 6-yard square-ins off a three-step drop. Bah!

The G.E. Smith Band has been canned. O Happy Day.

Worst Browns play: This could actually be termed my Pet Peeve of the Year and it's only Game One. Twice the Browns had a third down and less than a yard. Now if Reuben Droughns is your number one back, shouldn't we expect him to be in the game, especially in the first half, in these situations? And shouldn't we expect him to run the ball up the middle on those plays? Well, our braintrust decided to insert the immortal Lawrence Vickers into the game at those moments and had him run two sweeps. Needless to say, they both failed. Ugh! One other time, on a fourth-and-one, they threw the ball! Oh, it was completed, but negated by a penalty. I hope this does not reflect a lack of confidence in power football.

Best Presidential play: "Bush tackled by McKinley, Washington and Jackson."

Best line from me: I know it's a rerun, but before the game, I said, "How come when I hear that two priests bought a retirement home in Florida, the two words that pop into my head are "naked swimming"?"

Best line from the little girl next to me, whose father noted they were sitting next to a drunk (not me): "I think they were tailgating."

Oddest Browns jersey: Semper Fi 1

Best shirt: Got teeth? b/w Roethlisberger 7 T-shirt.

No in-game purchases, much to Gale's dismay. We ended up post-game at the Happy Dog for some BBQ pork chops.

Marky Nolan gave his weather update today while wearing a ballcap. He looked very much like the Village Idiot, Jeff Tanchak.

Best Browns play: This is a tie between Dennis Northcutt's 31-yard punt return in the second quarter and Chrlie Frye's scramble a la Curly Howard for a short pass play in the third, I think it was.

I actually saw a deely bopper at the game.

Best Fan Cam picture: I dunno, I still have a soft spot for the three-headed dog guy.

Worst stat: Charlie Frye was the Browns leading rusher.

2nd worst stat: Lawrence Vickers-2 rushes, none yards.

3rd worse not-so-much-a-stat: Although Ted Washington's name was called quite a bit, it appeared the Saints could run up the middle anytime they felt like it. Strangely, when Jeff Faine played here, we couldn't run up the middle. Now he moves to the Saints and he can push people out of the way up the middle? And where was Orpheus Roye? It may have been the smallest impact he's had on a game in quite some time. Reggie Bush is fast. I believe I'll be able to brag years from now about being at his first game. He held up very well, while doing everything, including returning kicks.

What can I say? The Browns rushing stats were padded by Frye's scrambles, otherwise that would have been an abysmal effort. In fact, it was an abysmal effort. The passing game was non-existent. The defense kept the Saints out of the endzone for the most part, but gave up too many third-down conversions, allowing some drives to continue. Once more, 150 yards on the ground is a killer. Both Bush and Deuce McAllister looked good running the ball for Nawlins. Having said that, Bodden and Jackson stood out on defense for the Browns.

Meal of Links

Has pop culture changed since 9/11. Not really. The characters may have changed but not the stories.

I like to look at Penelope Cruz. I do not like to hear Penelope Cruz speak English though.

The chairman of HP will probably have to resign. If you want to investigate leaks, that's OK. Just don't have the folks you hire perform illegalities.

Exercise Yard

The greatest tennis player in quite some time, Roger Federer, wins another U.S. Open. No doubt, the best artist with a racquet since Johnny Mac.

Visitor

None, it's NFL Kickoff Sunday.

Today's Plain Dealer sports page had what may have been the lamest attempts at humor since my "relish-catch up" joke last night. These are really bad.

In Bill Livingston's column about the OSU quarterback, Troy Smith, the headline reads:

"Smith's not Young, but he ages well"

That is a major groaner referring to last year's Texas QB, Vince Young, and the fact that Smith has a different approach to the position and has matured in his starting role.

The next one was more heinous. In Paul Hoynes' notes column about Aaron Boone, the headline is:

"Boone to tinker and see if there's ever a chance"

This could be the all-time stretch to get a "Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance" reference in a headline. What is their target demographic here, 72? An amazingly bad headline.

Meal of Links

Borat has a little problem at his film premiere in Toronto. At least he arrived in grand style.













Here are major news stories the media is ignoring. Some of these are pretty juicy.

In case you want your newborn to have hair. It's the baby toupee.

Exercise Yard

The EPL started again after the international break. I saw Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers play a crappy game. But Bay Village's own Brad Friedel stopped two penalties and then had a game saver in extra time to salvage a nil-nil tie.

Arsenal could only draw with Middlesbrough and Man U. beat Tottenham in the other Fox Soccer Channel games. After the Browns game tomorrow, I'll get my first look at Randy Lerner's other team, Aston Villa.

Visitor

44 Across: Oscar winner Signoret (6 letters) Answer: Simone

Have you ever seen anyone back away any faster from being linked with Jessica Simpson than John Mayer? She fires her publicist, he says he was used to promote record sales. I like him, but can a link to him really have that kind of an effect?

I have to spend more time at the hospital again, as my Dad went in for his prostate procedure yesterday. Fairly routine stuff, but he'll be in until Saturday. I guess if he can pee on his own, they'll send him home. I think he was more nervous about this one than his heart operation, because it involved his boy part region. But he told the people in the operating room he didn't want to hear the word "Oops." while he was in there and he got through it OK.

Meal of Links

It appears as if the US is cracking down on that most heinous of industries...online gambling. That's why betting on the ponies online is safe. It's legal.

Talk show host in Nawlins thinks he may have committed the perfect crime, killing his wife. But he forgot about the checklist detailing the crime. Whoops.

Suri Cruise rumors. Most of them false.

Video of the Week

This is why YouTube is such a great site. This isn't so much about making your own music video, it's making your own music video of Randy Newman's "Story of a Rock n' Roll Band". I love Randy Newman and he's at his satirical best here, poking fun at ELO. So, it's not things to watch in this video, but things to listen for.

My favorite line has to be "...and Bobby Joe played the big violin, the one that stands on the floor..." Again, not the greatest or even a standard issue video, but a quirky one.

Randy Newman-"Story of a Rock n' Roll Band"



Exercise Yard

Jeremy Shockey's column debuted in New York today. So8unds liek they're ready to play. Them and every other NFL team.

Visitor

21 Across: Warhol "superstar" Sedgwick (4 letters) Answer: Edie

Last night, I got back from Toronto and boy, are my legs tired. I walked and walked and walked to the point of getting old man calves. Yeow! Gale and I crammed lots of stuff to do between Sunday and Wednesday, so here's the report from the True North.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at the Sheraton Centre Toronto on the 29th floor. Her room overlooked City Hall facing North. Mine faced a bunch of buildings to the South. We got the rooms through a deal on Hotwire. Rooms were pretty good. King beds, lots of pillows, 50 channels on the tube, good bathroom. All you can ask for in a terrifically-priced room that you won't spend a lot of time in.

You cannot beat the location on Queen, which gives you easy access to just about everything in T.O. Did not set foot into the eateries at the hotel, so I don't know anything about them. Staff was OK, except for a maid that Gale had words with. A timing issue on a cleaning request. Other than that, it served its purpose.

Except we had to use the gaming remotes to operate the TVs. We had no regular remotes. They mysteriously appeared sometime on Monday.

Best elevator conversation (on Sunday):

Gale: "Did you finish the puzzle?"
Me: "No."
British Random: "I did. And I also finished the Acrostic. A rare Sunday double."
Me: "I'm still working on Saturday's."
British Random: "If you need any help, I'm in Room 2-8-Fuck-You."

He didn't really say that, but that's how it felt. I didn't have the heart to tell him I was referring to the Wonderword.

"The Man Who Loved Tim Horton's"

Earlier in the year, when Tom Gordon was kicking ass in Fantasy Baseball, I was "The Man Who Loved Tom Gordon", a la Stephen King's book. Well, I've changed my name.

Noted Torontonian, Fun Frank, told us to stop at Tim Horton's on the way up. Now, Timmy ("Timmy...Timmah...Timmy") is all over the place, except for Cleveland, it seems. Columbus has him, although they have everything these days. Anyhow, Tim Horton's is a coffee shop that sells donuts and sammies at lower-than-Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts rates. Fun Frank says the only way they will open in this area is when they have 25 franchises sold between Detroit and Erie, so they can pop them open at the same time. Otherwise, the market won't get any.

Out first stop was at Dunkirk, NY. Risking life and limb, because there was a state trooper killer on the loose nearby, we went to Tim Horton's. Real mugs and plates inside. Regular coffee cups for on-the-go folks. I had a really good egg-and-cheese breakfast sammie and something called a Butter Caramel Hot Smoothie. I don't drink coffee. But this is a decaf, non-coffee thingie. Instant addiction.

I also had a Raspberry Hot Smoothie later that day and wanted to try a French Vanilla one near our hotel on Monday, where this conversation took place:

Me: "Medium French Vanilla Hot Smoothie."
Worker: "Mjweffbvuhiatyvwi."
Me: "Medium French Vanilla Hot Smoothie."
Worker: "Mjweffbvuhiatyvwi."
(At this point, I sense the Hot Smoothies are not working. Not clear on what is actually happening, I go back to the standard.)
Me: "Medium Butter Caramel Hot Smoothie."
Worker then rings up order. The Labour Day Parade could not start fast enough at this point.

I think we stopped at five of these. Border crossing, Chinatown (a goldmine), near our hotel, after a Fun Frank driving tour on Bay, I think, and the shrine in Dunkirk. Sadly, I'm eating Timbits (little donuts) right now. My last connection to Tim Horton's for a while, I'm afraid.

Indians Games

We went to not one, but two Blue Jays-Indians games, at what is now called the Rogers Centre. The roof was open both days. The most affordable tickets were on the 200-level for $38. This is comparable to club seating at Jacobs Field and extends foul pole to foul pole. This is where we sat at the afternoon game on Labour Day.

But we didn't sit in our seats. There were two openings, one each in right and left field, that had tables and a bar in the back. Well, we parked it at the one in right and never left. Sat up front and had beer and a good view, with a comfortable chair. Great way to watch a game. This was a game where Pizza Pizza had a contest if they struck out 7 Indians, you get a free slice. Incredibly, we passed this in the fifth. We lost a tough one, as B.J. Ryan came on for a rare two-inning save with a final score of 4-3.

We also got a discount and went to the CN Tower after the game. It's high.

Tuesday night's game was Halladay vs. Sowers, a great matchup. We scalped tickets and got seats 12 rows behind home plate. Better hot dogs down there. Sowers was matching Halladay pitch for pitch, when Bengie Molina hit a homer off of him in the 7th for a 2-1 lead. In the top of the 8th, the Tribe rallied. Garko (Poor guy. Inexplicably, he was the whipping boy for Toronto fans. A Buffalo thing?) doubled, we had a couple of nubbers that turned in to a run that tied the game. Then Andy Marte hit a grand slam to put us ahead. Sowers got a win he really deserved.

We got to see a win and a loss. Attendance was that September-we're-out-of-it type numbers. 27,000 on the holiday, 18,000 the next night. It's an interesting place to watch a game. They have lots of fan involvement and show lots of fans on the video screens throughout the game. Contests, etc., as they have an in-game host, like Al, I guess. Fun time.

"The Illusionist"

Continuing my streak of seeing a movie in Toronto, we went to see "The Illusionist" at the Paramount Theatre on John and Richmond. This is the one that has the IMAX screen and it is really a neat theatre. "Superman Returns" was on the IMAX, but we opted for a non-chaperone title. You go up this long escalator where it is movie heaven.

You have a KFC, a Taco Bell, a coffee shop, big-ass concession stand and the Vivid Lounge, where you can throw back some cocktails. Ni-i-i-ice.

I liked the movie. Edward Norton, Jessica Biel (definitely climbing up my chart these days) and Paul Giamatti. It was a different sort of period piece and I think that is the hook. Well acted, but the credits revealed this was made in 2005. Typically when something sits on the shelf that long, it spells trouble. Combined with a Labour Day release really points to trouble. So I'm not sure what the future holds for this one, but it kept my interest.

Where We Ate

On Sunday, we walked for what seemed like forever, to eat at Johny Banana on Queen and Bathurst. They just got licensed about 10 days ago (Thank you, God!), so we're ready to roll. We were so famished, we absolutely destroyed the plate of nachos. They were awesome. I had this one beer drink with lots of spices in it, then switched to Negra Modelos while waiting for our favorite Torontonian, Fun Frank.

Fun Frank and Nance were going to join us from his family's palatial estate in Woodbridge, and they finally arrived at 6:00. Since we got there around 4:00, I thought I'd wait till they arrived to order my meal. Gale in the interim had a cream of cilantro soup that was great. When they finally got there, we had some mojitos, but FF wanted to show us around. I was a bit disappointed I didn't get a meal, but will go there next time. Great music, BTW.

FF took us to this place further west on Queen called Squirrely's, where he used to blow off work and go drink in the afternoon. This would be considered a dive, but it was cheap and I got to drink beer while sitting on a couch in case I needed to sleep. So cheap, we had a pitcher and pizza for $17. In Toronto, that's cheap. Then FF took us on a driving tour up and beyond Yorkville, etc. and it was nice to get a feel of the Uptown area where I have never ventured before.

There were a lot of places that were closed on Labour Day. I wanted to try the Italian place, Marinela's, but they were normally closed on Sundays and took advantage of the holiday and were shuttered on Monday. So, our second choice was Smokeless Joe on John Street. This was a unique joint. Only a 30-seater at basement level. It was disconcerting at first to be in a place that had no music or TV playing. Just the sound of people talking, which requires an adjustment, believe it or not.

But they had lots of beers. I mean lots. I had some Durham ESBs, an Ontario beer, and they were good and cold. My meal was red pasta, Gale had a salad and we had some bruschetta beforehand. We got some pie and ice cream to go. This was a nice relaxing place to go after a long day, but we definitely had our chaperone hats here. Food was very good.

After Tuesday's game, we headed up Yonge on the subway to Bar Volo, around the corner from the Wellesley subway station. Bar Volo has $4 pints on Mondays, but was closed for the holiday and switched that to Tuesday this week. The kitchen closed at 11:00, but we were able to sneak in an order of bruschetta (Joe's was better) and had a pizza slice/salad combo from their late night menu. Pizza was just OK, salad very good, the beer excellent. Nice atmosphere here with jazz in the background, nice patio, nice spot. Cannot beat $4 points in T.O. though, although I wish the food was better.

And to break out of the Tim Horton's mode for breakfast, on Tuesday we went to the Pickle Barrel in The Atrium on Bay. I recall going here with my Dad 10 years ago when we wanted a big breakfast, and this place always delivers.

Andy Warhol: Supernova

No, not RockStar: Supernova, but the Warhol exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. BTW, the AGO is going under a major redesign by Frank Gehry. This was an outstanding exhibit. The guest curator was the Canadian director, David Cronenberg, and he delivered an excellent commentary on the handhelds that walked you through the exhibit. This was from the period of 1962 through 1964.

This covered some of his pieces and films made during that time. The images were a contrast of celebrities with darker images of people meeting terrible fates. Warhol assumed the careers of all celebrities would meet some terrible end, while others less famous could gain fame by meeting a terrible end to their own existence.

Celebrity images consisted of Jackie Kennedy, Liz Taylor, Troy Donahue and Elvis Presley in his "Flaming Star" cowboy outfit. The darker images included an automobile wreck in "Five Deaths", two women killed by bad tuna in "Tunafish Disaster" which is humorous if you think about it, and "Foot and Tire" which consisted of someone getting run over by one of those big industrial vehicles with the big-ass tires. A real contrast.

The films were absurdly interesting pieces of art. "Couch" was something where Warhol filmed people who were allowed to do anything on a couch at The Factory. No rules, do what you want. The first images I saw were 4 people eating bananas kinda slowly. Another time, a menage a trois broke out.

"Screen Tests" consisted of 4-minute films where people (some celebrities, some not) would sit in front of a camera for that length of time, again staying in frame, but doing what they want. Some stared, I saw one chick open up a stick of Doublemint and start chewing. Way out there stuff, but really cool. They had close to 30 of these in a continuous loop.

"Blow Job" was fairly self-explanatory. He filmed the recipient, not the gifter, so you see his expressions throughout the experience. This one was 41 minutes long. No, I didn't watch the entire film.

"Kiss" was a 54-minute film of guess what? A guy and a girl kissing. The guy had a large mouth like a bass. Christ, I thought he may swallow her head at one point.

"Sleep" was the film where Warhol filmed a guy sleeping. This version was close to 6 hours. A very interesting WTF?

There were other selections as well, but this was an incredible show.

Where We Shopped

One of the main places where we shopped was, of course, at Lush. Two stores in the GTA, one on Queen, one in Eaton Centre. Hit 'em both. This was a stockup special to save shipping costs. Great smells.

The other was at IKEA. Two stores in the GTA, one in Etobicoke, while we went to the one in Burlington on the way back home. Barely made it there, because it's awfully confusing from the highway. You see it from the road, but like the Holy Grail, how do you find it? Where are those damn flags? Miraculously, I kept swearing to a minimum and we made it in.

Those pillows from the Sheraton made me do a reassessment, so I bought some pillows there. And I didn't have to assemble them! I slept on them last night. They are great.

Off to Toronto for a bit. Full report upon my return.

The Blue Angels are in the air today and let me say this. This is the loudest they've ever been in my neighborhood.

Great Lakes Brewing seems to be full of themselves these days. They have finally instituted a non-smoking policy on their patio. What, you say, I thought they were non-smoking for a while. Why yes, but that was indoors. Now it has extended to the oustide patio. Best Friend nailed three times on that one. The third time was pretty much the last straw and all of us had to exit before they really hated us.

Secondly, they have decided to discriminate against the non-eating tables outside. Get this, if you are there to drink outside, you get no wait service. You have to go into the bar to get your beer and bring it back out. If that's not enough of an issue, no one on the wait staff checks up on you as the evening progresses. If you change your mind and want to eat, it's almost like a formal decree has been handed down and now you're celebrated as an "eating table" with full wait service. Very unusual setup these days. Sadly, I still love that Dortmunder.

Meal of Links

Went to see "Crank" today at Crocker Park. First off, the trailers. Horror is in the air as we saw "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", "Saw III" and "Grudge 2". Costner's big comeback movie will not be "The Guardian, which should be named "Boat Durham". Nothing stood out.

Now for "Crank". Let's face it, Jason Statham has the best "I'm going to walk right up to you with my gun drawn to kill you stride" in the business. This movie was pretty good. Lots of action, but not much of the hand-to-hand stuff we're accustomed to with Statham. This was more gunplay-oriented. A horribly-acted villian did not sway me against the flick, as Dwight Yoakam put forth a pretty good performance as Statham's doctor. Good humor and a soundtrack that smacked of irony. Come on. "Miracles" by the Starship as a prelude to a potential sequel. That's genius. Rotten Tomatoes has this as the highest-rated of the "unscreened by critics" films of the year, even higher than "Snakes on a Plane".

This British film about a mock Bush assassination is kinda creepy.

High Times rates the stoner schools. The list comes straight from their stoner pocket.

Exercise Yard

James Blake's clothing tribute to Andre Agassi. Plain Dealer had an article with no pictures. Briliant.




















Browns news. Hank Fraley joins the Browns in a good move at center. Lee Suggs was cut and that's solely an injury-prone move, as he can't seem to stay healthy. "Run, William, Run!" barely makes the team on IR. So, this is the squad that will start against the Saints in 8 days.

Visitor

15 Across: 2002 Best Actor Tony winner for "Fortune's Fool" (9 letters) Answer: Alan Bates