Oscar Recap:

What was that disaster of a show I just finished watching? I actually thought James Franco and Anne Hathaway would do a nice job hosting. But Franco seemed to say "Fuck it!" around 9:00 and then Anne became the "Whoo Girl". After every intro, there was a "Whoo!" from Hathaway.

Next year's host needs to be either:

Charlie Sheen: "Yes, I'm on a drug and it's called Charlie Sheen." -OR-

Kirk Douglas and Eli Wallach. Kirk leers at the babes while Eli does his bird whistles from "Wall Street 2".

OK, so the Oscars get two young hosts and then beat us over the head with old stuff? Good grief, we had two presenters present a presenter. Hilary Swank (whose career might be dead)-Kathryn Bigelow and Billy Crystal-Bob Hope (who's really dead). My God, we had a "Gone With The Wind" clip.

Tom Hanks has fallen so far down the acting ladder, he is presenting the first awards.

Can you believe Roger Deakins lost for Cinematography? Again? Oscar Scoreboard: "Alice In Wonderland" 2, Roger Deakins 0. "The Wolfman" 1, Roger Deakins 0. I believe "True Grit" had the second most nominations ever, not to have a win. The guy who beat him, Wally Pfister, used to do Skinemax movies. Good God.

Melissa Leo, in her typical rambling speech, dropped an F-bomb, caught by the 7-second delay. And I think she hit on Kirk Douglas, her presenter. If Dick Clark makes you cringe, make sure you catch Kirk's act these days. Painful. I guess since Jack wasn't around, they needed Kirk as the Old Hollywood connection. And it was only the 83rd Oscars, not some special anniversary. Anyhow, Melissa was seen singing, "Somewhere Over The Fucking Rainbow" at the end of the show with PS 22.

Did anyone notice the Best Animated Short was won by a Short man?

Why did Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin wear the same white tux? They presented the Adapted Screenplay award to Aaron Sorkin, as I said, the bone for "The Social Network". BTW, after each Facebook joke, Jesse Eisenberg reacts as if he's really Mark Zuckerberg. And I knew the Original Screenplay would go to "The King's Speech". Unfortunately, the writer David Seidler stuttered as a kid and is apparently blind now as he asked, "Where's the mic?"

Hugh Jackman is sitting next to Halle Berry. Or Wolverine is sitting next to Storm. The bit about Jackman not wanting to sing with Hathaway. Was it a bit? I mean, if that needs to be explained, its humor was engulfed by the uncomfortable.

Russell Brand is a presenter on my Oscars. Get the fuck outta town!

Christian Bale and his beard won! Be sure you go to www.dickekland.com for boxing tips. Did he forget his wife's name there or crack? Hard to say.

ABC has the Oscar telecast through 2020. I hope Kirk Douglas is on.

Cleveland Oscar Scoreboard: Trent Reznor, 1. Bob Hope, 0.

I'm surprised that Matthew McConaughey had a shirt on. because it looked like he and Scarlett Johannson just had sex. Now every time I see McConaughey, I keep hearing him say, "Beef. It's what's for dinner."

Marisa Tomei gave out the Techie awards this year. This segment gets shorter each passing year.

Cate Blanchett with a godawful dress. Rick Baker wins for Makeup for "The Wolfman". Oscar Scoreboard: Rick Baker 7, Roger Deakins 0. Baker just lets his partner do most of the acceptance speech now.

Kevin Spacey introduces some Best Song nominees.

"Inside Job" wins for Best Doc. The only political statement of the evening follows that not one financial executive has gone to jail. That's after Oprah was kinda loitering by the mic.

As I predicted, "God of Love" won Best Live Short. The filmmaker also starred in the movie. He was a modern-day Cupid. He also thanked Delaware.

Robert Downey, Jr. allows Jude Law to increase his profile at his expense. Not sure what that was.

Jennifer Hudson intros the final Best Song noms and has trouble reading them. Weight Watchers is like a reverse "The King's Speech". I think I just saw Fake Dido and Indian Sting do a song. Then Gwyneth Paltrow does not do "Melissa Leo You", but a song from the Jim Thome biopic, "Country Strong". Randy Newman wins! He is now 2-for-20. Best speech of the evening. Randy Newman Chicken! Last time he won, he said, "I don't want your pity." Did you notice Newman is like Dale Jr., who doesn't have to thank anyone, like his sponsors.

I leave the room and the Dead People Scroll comes on unannounced. Jeezy creezy, Celine Dion is singing, so we can't hear who the cool kids were that everyone applauds. Leslie Neilsen in his umpire gear smiling. I am beyond happy the Dennis Hopper clip was from "Blue Velvet". Apparently, Lena Horne was the most important person to die last year. Or was this year's nod to diversity death. Not sure which. But it allowed Halle Berry to tear up and look vulnerable.

Tom Hooper virtually guarantees an almost sweep for "The King's Speech" by getting Best Director. He also directed "The Damned United", my soccer movie from 2009.

Jeff Bridges presents Best Actress to Natalie Portman. There is a guy sitting behind Portman that looks like Alan Colmes. On stage, she sends a shoutout to Luc Besson! Yes!

Sandra Bullock, on orders from her therapist, does return to give the Best Actor statue to Colin Firth. Y-y-ya-yawn. Then Sandy goes looking for McConaughey.

The Best Picture Oscar goes to "The King's Speech".

As PS 22 comes out to sing the closer, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", all of the winners come back on stage. Hathaway starts high-fiving all the kids and I realize I can never go bowling with her.

For reasons I can't really explain, I found myself at the Golden Corral after the CSU game yesterday. I think this joint has now replaced the mall as the place to watch what's wrong with the world these days.

First of all, you have people willing to stand in a long line, almost out the door, for their place at the feeding trough. Then you have no semblance of rules or order at any food station, requests for additional drinks or any other exercise you go through.

And trust me on this one, very few people in attendance are getting the appropriate exercise. Except for the kids who use the Golden Corral as their own personal playground.

Plus, since you are stuffing your piehole, you'll eat any combination of food to get your money's worth. I had salad, tacos, bourbon chicken with rice and a piece of steak. I can't recall the last time I polished off tacos and said, "Boy, I could go for a steak right now." BTW, the salad was fresh, tacos were OK, bourbon chicken average, but the medium steak I had was actually pretty good.

In my defense, I didn't have lunch nor dinner, so this was kind of the in-between chow and I didn't have a meal later. I'll have to go sometime later to see if there are still Menu Changers on Sundays who show up before breakfast ends, but stay until that day's entrees come out, to get the best of both worlds.

Meal of Links

Is Roger Ailes about to be indicted? We'll know this week.

Hitch wonders if President Obama is secretly Swiss? Might be true.

The Razzies were held last night. Here are the winners. I mean, losers. Shyamalan rules as we knew he would. "The Last Airbender" was criticized intensely.

Exercise Yard

I'm watching the Carling Cup Final this morning and suddenly, Obafemi Martins (who may be as old as Greg Oden) comes on as a sub. Geez, this guy has bounced around. Showed up in Birmingham three weeks ago. I remember his goal celebrations always consisted of some handsprings and flips. So, he scores the gamewinner.

Visitor

None, on a snow-melting Sunday.

It looks like Billy Crystal makes an appearance tomorrow on the Oscars for the heavy lifting. James Franco and Anne Hathaway have already said they are not there to judge anyone, which makes one wonder why they didn't get Crystal in the first place.

Oscar Predictions

After having seen virtually all of the nominees, here are the choices for the Oscars. I think it is unusually clear cut this year.

Best Picture: "The King's Speech"

In October, there was no doubt "The Social Network" had taken the lead. Up to that point, only "Inception" seemed Oscar-worthy. "Toy Story 3", as well, but that'll never happen. But "The King's Speech" was the only film I saw last year where people applauded when it finished. OK, I applauded at the end of "Marmaduke" for different reasons. I went in with zero expectations on "The King's Speech" and was taken aback by how good it was.

Best Actor: Colin Firth in "The King's Speech"

Here's your lifetime achievement winner this year. Firth has been nominated a few times. Tough for older Oscar voters. Jesse Eisenberg talks way too fast and Firth stutters.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman in "Black Swan"

Portman even took the Independent Spirit Award and should be considered a shoo-in. And I predict it will be at least 10 years before she gets nominated again. She makes some really odd acting choices. My vote would have gone to Michelle Williams.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale in "The Fighter"

Bale, as ever, absolutely leaps off the screen. Again. I'd watch him in virtually anything.

Best Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech"

Probably the toughest one to pick, but Carter is still the standout here, because Melissa Leo was so over the top in "The Fighter" which led to her Golden Globe and SAG wins. This one usually goes early and if Carter wins, "The King's Speech" will sweep.

Others:

Roger Deakins should win for Cinematography for "True Grit".

"Toy Story 3" gets Best Animated Film.

Tom Hooper should get the Best Director nod for "The King's Speech".

All the doc buzz lately has gone to Banksy. He'll win for "Exit Through The Gift Shop".

I saw the Live Short Films today and "God of Love", about a modern-day Cupid, was my favorite. "Na Wewe" will probably win though.

"The Social Network" gets a bone tossed to it, as Aaron Sorkin gets Best Adapted Screenplay. This consolation prize takes place a lot. "Sideways" and "Pulp Fiction" come to mind.

David Seidler will pick up the Best Original Screenplay for "The King's Speech".

Nate Silver gets in on the action.

This guy from Time is doing the 24-hour AMC Oscar Marathon. That would have been ideal here on Friday with all the snow.

Meal of Links

Hate talking on the phone? Here's why.

The economics of "Two And A Half Men". $250 million is in the balance if the show does not return next year. Obviously, a new show makes up some of that, but...

Libyans



I like it when a movie goes above the norm with its title sequences. IFC has its Top 50. Yes, Lola is still running. "Snatch" is in here. "Reservoir Dogs", of course. "Bullitt" gets some love. "Catch Me If You Can" is a classic throwback. "Warriors" with its montage of gangs almost made the top 10. Can't go wrong with any of the top 10.

Exercise Yard

Cleveland State won today and was determined to be a tri-champion of the Horizon League. Didn't matter as Milwaukee and Butler both won and are now seeded through to the league tournament semis. The Detroit loss on the road after the Butler home loss was probably the killer, although losing at home to Milwaukee didn't help. The road to March Madness just got a whole lot tougher, as CSU needs 4 conference tourney wins to advance.

CSU beats Green Bay, 64-57. Should have been over early, as Green Bay only shot 19% in the first half.

Visitor

11 Down: Goldfinger portrayer Frobe (4 letters) Answer: Gert

Well, they said the airport got 8.9 inches of snow today and I firmly believe it. Because I shoveled it for a long period of time today. I had the plow come by twice today. The first time was the small deposit, as usual, at the end of the drive.

The second time? Yikes! It was as if the guy wanted to get to the exact measure of the curbside. I can't recall a dumping well up the driveway like that. I saw it up the street where he had not earlier because of a parked car and man, it just poured over the sides like a tsunami.

All we can do now is wait for the flooding.

Meal of Links

The Cavs made some interesting moves before the NBA trade deadline. But has the NBA become the EPL? There are parallels.

This may be why the App Store and Google Apps beat RIM's App World. It is a difficult process to become a developer.

50 ads starring Oscar winners. F. Murray Abraham and Richard Dreyfuss as tough New Yorkers. Dustin Hoffman for VW! George Clooney in a rather obvious Nespresso ad. Al Pacino likes coffee.

A look back at the movie version "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Johnny Depp is perfect as Hunter S. Thompson. I thought the scene where Depp is thrashing away with the fly swatter was genius.

Ken Jennings is still talking about Watson. Trebek was not happy.

Sympathizing with both Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen. I expect Charlie to visit just about every radio show in existence.

Americans is stupid. Only 52% think the healthcare reform act is the law of the land. 22% of our idiots think it has been repealed.

Would you pay a congestion fee at the supermarket. If it gets you ahead at Disney, why not the Iggle?

What is the real Best Picture? I think my last pre-Oscar task is the Live Shorts on PPV.

Kathleen Parker finally leaves "Parker Spitzer". I happened to catch a snippet of a program earlier this week and it was uncomfortable to watch. Spitzer asked multiple questions of Libyan experts while Parker sat there calmly, adding nothing to the proceedings. This continued when Spitzer even took the audience to the commercial break, which I thought Parker would do, to remind people she was still there. Unwatchable.

Exercise Yard

While the owners and the NFLPA are still meeting with the mediator, what to do about that schedule? Should it be 18 games or go back to 16 game in 18 weeks?

I think we are on track for the Super Bowl to become a Presidents Day Weekend tradition. Which would supplant Black Thanksgiving and the already-moved Daytona 500.

Visitor

19 Across: Danish poker star Gus (6 letters) Answer: Hansen

Hey, what's this. The Seattle Times editorializes the legalization of marijuana. This is the new casino money. Ohio should not ignore that fact. Get real and start taxing the damn stuff. And think of the job creation.

Meal of Links

Be sure to look for the brother of Kenny Fuckin' Powers at the Oscars. John Hawkes swears a lot, too.

The Scott Walker Prank Call. Yep, it happened.

The Best GIFs from the Oscar nominees. I think "The Fighter" is the best one.

More Awards. This time it's Mr. Skin.

Exercise Yard

Now we know all about Tim Horton's deathly car accident. He was drunk.

Visitor

17 Across: Country singer with the 1961 hit "Crazy" (10 letters) Answer: Patsy Cline

"Crazy"/Patsy Cline

We had some crime in the hood last night. Some brave soul went up and down everyone's driveway, looking for easy marks. Yes, I was one, as I left my car unlocked after chipping off a whole bunch of ice Monday, thinking last night's mix was going to be a nuisance. I suffered an incredibly minor loss. My neighbor, ouch. He got nicked bad.

Meal of Links

Memories...the 5 most dangerous cars. Of course, the Pinto was Number 1.

With St. Patrick's Day nearing, it's Shamrock Shake time. Here is your Shamrock Shake Locater.

If you stumble upon it, I guarantee you'll get some laughs. The world of Adult Swim.

Always had a thing for Judy Greer. So, here you go.

What you will see on the Oscar telecast. What really bothers me is when they basically show the trailer for nominated films. Why not pick the best scene, like they used to?

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

Renting. Not a bad idea anymore.

Some people go ga-ga for their Oscar parties. Especially their food selections. "127 Hours", I guess, provides stumpy foods?

Palin with an old trick. The second online identity! Amen.

Exercise Yard

Norris Cole gets some ESPN love. He is clearly the best player CSU has had in the last 20 years, surpassing J'Nathan Bullock.

If the Gary Waters Era truly takes off, I look for Cole's number to eventually be retired.

Visitor

24 Across: Jazz guitarist Montgomery (3 letters) Answer: Wes

I saw another Oscar contender yesterday, "The Kids Are All Right". Annette Bening with a Best Actress nom, Mark Ruffalo for Best Supporting Actor, along with the movie itself for Best Picture.

Better than I thought, as Annette Bening and Julianne Moore (doing a Diane Keaton impersonation) play a lesbian couple. Each of them having a baby from sperm donor Mark Ruffalo's donation. The kids are now an 18-year old daughter (with Bening) and a 15-year old son (with Moore) who want to find out who their biological father is. The movie never explains why they went back with the Ruffalo model for their second child, but I assume they liked the way the daughter turned out.

Ruffalo plays a college dropout who now owns a restaurant and uses the products from an organic farm, down the road a piece, which he also owns. He starts to creep into the kids lives and finds himself having a lot in common with Moore. Bening senses she is falling out of favor with her all of her family, hence, her angst.

Ruffalo eventually hires Moore to do landscaping at his house. Because she's there all the time, they eventually have lots of sex, although I thought she was a lesbian. It is very mindful of the "Seinfeld" episode where Elaine tries to get a gay guy to switch teams, but he decides to stay on his own team, because he's a starting shortstop. Julianne Moore is like that in this movie.

Bening finds out that Moore and Ruffalo are having sex and the shit hits the fan. Everyone ends up disliking Ruffalo and Bening and Moore decide to stay together, with approval from the kids.

Overall, the movie is OK. The casting of the kids is spot on, and Bening and Ruffalo do a nice job, as well. How it got to Best Picture status, I do not know. Maybe someone needs to start Oscar Bracketology.

Meal of Links

Dave Duerson committed suicide late last week. He though he might have chronic traumatic encephalopathy and requested his brain be studied. He may be the first to realize he had the disease before his death.

Are we starting to see a second dotcom bubble. Signs point to yes.

Roger Deakins will probably end his jinx and pick up the Cinematography Oscar this year for "True Grit". He explains his shot of the year.

Exercise Yard

The unlikeliest driver, Trevor Bayne, wins the Daytona 500. And he gets the historic Wood Brothers team back in Victory Lane for the first time in 10 years. They had not been there since Elliott Sadler stole the spring Bristol race in 2001.

Earlier in the day, NASCAR blinked. With Lord Football moving closer, it seems, to an 18-game schedule, NASCAR moves the Daytona 500 one week later for 2012.

Visitor

None, on a sunny, snowy, rainy, sleety Sunday.

I'm thinking that NBC move to all comedy on Thursdays is not working. It tied an all-time ratings low for them this week. Hey, I'm watching "Archer" at 10, I can't tell you what NBC has on that time.



Meal of Links

Hal Needham is still around. Now, he's written a book. There was a time when his outtakes were better than his movies.

Oscars through the years. It's smaller than a bowling pin.

The Cars have a new single. Yes, The Cars! Is it just me or does this sound like Devo?

"Blue Tip"/The Cars



Congress can try and neuter Planned Parenthood. But don't touch military sponsorships in NASCAR.

In case you did not know, we are in the midst of "Black Thanksgiving". Enjoy.

Chicago elects their next mayor soon. In three days, if there is no runoff.

Exercise Yard

It is BracketBusters weekend, and for the first time in a long while, the matchups are pretty good. Cleveland State has a massive game at Old Dominion tomorrow. I'm still thinking no at-large bid from the Horizon League, but a win at Norfolk at least muddies the picture in that regard.

Looking ahead to your March Madness pool...do not sleep on George Mason.

Visitor

34 Across: Lonely guy in 60-Down (15 letters) Answer: Maytag Repairman

The situation in Wisconsin was inevitable with their newly-elected Governor Walker. Trust me, this is the start of John Kasich's wet dream. he's got a lot in common with Walker. They have both rejected high-speed rail and want to balance their respective state budgets with a little union-busting along the way.

I don't think Madison's seen these types of protests since Vietnam. The pictures are pretty awesome. And Columbus hasn't seen anything like this in 25 years.

Time to join Progressives United.

Meal of Links

With the Oscars coming up soon, how about a look back at "Inception"? This deals with the architecture and the mind.

Banksy has a unique Oscar campaign. How can he not be seen doing his work?

We knew it was coming. Post-bankruptcy Borders.

Uncle Leo died. Can you believe he was only in 15 "Seinfeld" episodes?

Uncle Leo



Working at the Apple Store. True confessions.

Why Meg White matters. Maybe not so much today.

One scene wonders. Alec Baldwin: "Fuck you is my name." Also, "Boogie Nights" and "Network". Should have had Wilford Brimley in "Absence of Malice".

Scott Raab talks to Chris Rock. Rock is pro-LeBron, pro-Howard Stern and pro-Louis C.K. and a tip to this funny guy:

Hannibal Buress



The Ghost Signs of Chicago. There are still a few of of these in town.

If Walker and Kasich think they have government employee issues, look at California. Jerry Brown adopted a real mess.

Exercise Yard

Speaking of "Seinfeld", the poisoning of the Auburn trees is nuts. That Bama fan holds a grudge longer than Khomeini.

Visitor

32 Across: #1 tennis player for much of the '80s (9 letters) Answer: Ivan Lendl

Look Who's Back...The Rock!!!



Just when you think you're done with wrestling, they pull you back in.

Meal of Links

Chuck Lorre had another funny vanity card after "Two And A Half Men". It was about Charlie Sheen.

Kenneth Mars died. OK, I'll give you his "Young Frankenstein" quote. Complete with eyepatch AND monocle: "To the lumber yard!"

I heard the commercial last week. "This American Life" may have found the formula for Coke.

Bonnaroo releases the 2011 lineup. Buffalo Springfield?

Snowmobiling...in Detroit...on the Lodge!



Did anyone find it, oh, I don't know, oddly karmic that one of the guys who never missed a Super Bowl, actually missed this year's Super Bowl? Now he's dead.

Birthers. Again.

Billy Ray Cyrus is a nutbag. And David Lynch gets some blame.

Exercise Yard

The NFL is now like that Rangefinder on "Price is Right". The price for the Super Bowl fiasco keeps going up.

Visitor

35 Down: Poker Flat creator (5 letters) Answer: Harte

Now that football is gone for a while, one of the better things on Sundays is I get back to listening to Harry Shearer on "Le Show". Really good music today, like this:

"(Everytime I Turn Around) Back In Love"/LTD



And his news of the "greenest Olympics" in Sochi was really funny today. The best tidbit:

Perhaps Sochi's biggest challenge will come from the heavens: It's another temperate maritime city like Vancouver, where snow had to be trucked and airlifted in for the ski events in 2010, and adequate snow cover will be a challenge. As a climate scientist said last year, "I rolled my eyes when they picked a city on the Black Sea," said Simon Donner. "I'm pretty certain it never snows in the city. They grow palm trees there."

Meal of Links

BAFTAs or Grammys? I actually leaned more towards the BAFTAs tonight. Those winners are here. With Best Film handed out by Samuel L.!

BTW, Detroit has a significant indie movie presence. I applaud Cinemark for filling the void locally when a trip to the Cedar Lee is out of the question.

Top 7 destinations after 10 p.m. Good suggestions.

Prison economics. Fish and coffee are now king. I did not know cigarettes are banned in federal pens.

This Is Cool



Exercise Yard

Weird hockey stuff, including Ovie Christ. And this is choice:

Ovie. Russian Spy?



Visitor

None, on a thawed-out Sunday.

Our long national nightmare is over. CAVS WIN!!!!

And then this...

Wayne Rooney Goal



I was in the midst of eating a piece of bacon when, all of a sudden, it was a goal for the ages in Manchester. My jaw dropped, but the bacon hung on my lip like a cigarette. Last view shows how great it was. Goal of a career material.

Meal of Links

I saw "Blue Valentine" on Wednesday. Terrific piece of film making, but it would be hard-pressed to find an audience, given its $6 million gross, thus far. It's such a a gut punch, but not a proverbial country record, it's like a proverbial country album, complete with a dead dog.

After watching it, here's what the demographics say:

Singles: "Thank God!"

Divorced: "Hey, I lived that."

Happily married: "Whew!"

Hardly married: "Uh-oh."

Box office is around $7 million after 7 weeks. It's a hard sell.

Acting is superb. Michelle Williams is great and Ryan Gosling, as ever, just kills it. It's the story of a couple who has been married about 5 or 6 years and their marriage is coming apart at the seams. There are some flashbacks to when they first met, seeing their relationship develop and evolve into marriage, no matter how blindly they may have got into it.

For, you see, Williams was studying to be a doctor in Western PA, while Gosling worked for a moving company in Brooklyn. All their dreams come to a grinding halt when, shortly after dating Gosling, Williams realizes she's pregnant from another guy. They decide to get married.

Eventually, she becomes a nurse and he becomes a house painter. He winds up attached to the daughter more than her, as Gosling tends to act as a child for the most part. So, Williams is, in effect, raising two kids. Gosling wants nothing more out of life then what he has, she can't stand what's happening to them both.

And you get two hours of that. As I said, extremely well done, and a great movie for winter where it's already dark and gloomy.

Boeing's next-generation intercontinental plane. Much attention to first class space, in which you will never fly.

John Hughes-inspired art. There is some good stuff here.

This critic really dislikes Martin Lawrence. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Martin Lawrence, sole owner-occupier of his own special zone of terrible."

Mubarak used most of the last three weeks to save his fortune. Seems he may have gotten ahead of the Swiss banks.

Bourdain is doing some writing for "Treme". Even scenes with the infamous Alan Richman.

From the time flies category, "Arrested Development" has been off the air five years.

Uncle Jack



Speaking of John Hughes, there has been a recent news item. They have determined the dates of the baseball game played in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"

Algeria might be next.

Mark Wahlberg. Big-time producer. Another show. This time, CBS hires Rob Riggle for "Home Game".

Now this guy can fill a scorecard. It shows how personal these can be. I'm just happy someone still keeps core at the ballpark. You have a better shot at seeing a Yeti.

John Dahl has been mostly involved in TV lately, directing some episodes of "Dexter" and "Californication". Hell, he even did an episode of "Terriers". But he also directed the noir gem, "The Last Seduction".

The hardest part about giving up drinking? Dating.

Regrets? The FDA Scientist who approved LASIK surgery has some.

Porn. An industry in financial trouble.

Exercise Yard

Norris Cole was a man today. 41 points, 20 rebounds (!), 9 assists. One shy of the first triple-double in CSU history. And they needed him, too.

In perhaps the sleepiest game of the year, CSU beats the Fighting Penguins of Youngstown State, 86-76. YSU is in last place and pushed the Vikings to almost the end of the game, as the three-ball kept them in it. Cole needed to be dominant and, thankfully, he was.

Visitor

49 Across: Knighted son of King Ban (8 letters) Answer: Lancelot

I finally recovered from the Tron Fest that was the Black Eyed Peas.

On to the Super Bowl commercials. Overall, I thought things were pretty tame or lame, I guess. I can't name one that you'll think about during the coming year and say, oh, yeah, that was a Super Bowl highlight.

Traditionally, there are two types of ads that suck. Those for cars and those for movies. That pretty much held this year. And, oh, how those car manufacturers really tried to get out of their rut. Clearly, the best car ad was Eminem touting Detroit for Chrysler, the first two-minute ad during a Super Bowl:



Now, most people will tout the VW ad with the kid as Darth Vader as the best one for cars, but for art's sake, the ode to Detroit was awfully cool.

I, for one, was very happy to see that CareerBuilder was back on board this year. And they brought back the original guy who works with chimps in clothes! Nebraska plates!



As for the good ads, that was about it. Honestly. Nothing else resonated and there were some really strange efforts.

OK, the Doritos ads. I thought the pug was going to go through the window. And the guy sucking fingers was awfully gross. Not funny.

The other car ads. Audi with Kenny G. just took too long to tell the tale. The new generation of rich prison escapees prefers Audi instead of BMW. Got it. Yawn. Chevy missed badly on the seniors who couldn't hear and the Silverado that replaced Lassie. The worst had to be Mini with the "Cram it in the boot". The suggestiveness of the ad (with a Craig Ferguson-like host) reaches over-the-top status with the "Cram Cam" showing the guy shoving the extra long sub into the rear of the Mini:



Go Daddy is really wasting money at this point, aren't they?

Best Buy has Ozzy and Bieber and produces a WTF?

Snickers showed how tough it was to follow the Betty White/Abe Vigoda classic. The casting of Richard Lewis and Roseanne as whiners is spot on, but it had a sense of been there, done that.

Even the beer commercials were so-so this year. The Bud Light one where the guy was dog-sitting scored very high, but I'm not sure that some of the others were not worth the effort. Bud, especially, previewed their ad during the Conference Championship games and the possibilities were endless. I actually perked up when I saw that Peter Stormare (Buscemi's partner form "Fargo") entered the bar as the cowboy. To have them eventually sing "Tiny Dancer" was a major letdown.



Of course, he'll never top "German engineering in da house, yah" when he was unpimping autos way back when:



The Stella Artois ad was, well, um, different:



And, lastly, the Groupon ad with Timothy Hutton. It may have missed being a classic by this much. Christopher Guest has directed all of their ads and there is a charitable bent to the ads. However, when you have to explain the joke, it's probably not funny. But, oh, so close. The opening line especially: "The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their very culture is in jeopardy. But they still whip up an amazing fish curry."



Not my rule, but the bottom line is you can't make fun of Tibet.

Meal of Links

Keith Olbermann goes to Current TV. Raise your hand if you've ever watched Current. I watched it a long time ago when they had home movies of U2. That was it. Sorry, Al.

Liam Gallagher has stopped fighting his brother and has a new band. It's called Beady Eye.

The Top 100 British Films. "Don't Look Now" is Number One. Boy, there are a lot at the top I haven't seen. "Trainspotting" was 10. "24 Hour Party People" checked in at 94.

A detailed look back at one of Richard Pryor's classics, "Blue Collar". And that ain't no comedy.

Confession? There's an app for that.

Sexiest Cinematic Psychos. The popcorn-feeding Cameron Diaz is on the list from "Vanilla Sky".

Great observation on the AOL-HuffPo merger. SEO Speedwagon.

No wonder the "Basterds" had trouble in that movie. How you tell time in Germany clues everyone in to where you live.

Prince takes a stand.

Is the Super Bowl getting out of hand for those who attend. How about that half a million flyover of an unopened stadium?

Exercise Yard

I heard Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk this morning, talking about NFL relocation. He said the new CBA would allow for not one, but two teams to relocate to Los Angeles. Acknowledging that would be the Chargers and the Vikings.

The topic of the Jaguars came up and he said don't sleep on London. If Lord Football moves there, I'm convinced there is no way that home team plays at Wembley, considering its hallowed ground status. However, the new Olympic Stadium is allegedly going to seat 60,000 for the EPL team that moves there. Be it West Ham or Tottenham Hotspur, so I think that's where they would play.

The London games at Wembley have been selling out and the Super Bowl had record ratings there.

Visitor

8 Across: Buster who played Flash Gordon (6 letters) Answer: Crabbe

I was at the CSU-Butler game and now we know how many people it takes to fill the Bart with its curtain in place. Word is it was considered a sellout at 8490 and, even the last rows of the upper were filled. That, by far, is the largest crowd since North Carolina visited several years ago. It was a Blackout day where everyone was encouraged to wear black and even the players got to sport spiffy new black jerseys.

Don't let the casual fan describe what happened today. The refs today were not that good, but I am a firm believer they never really cause you to lose. You have to play through these things. And I find it unacceptable to follow the "homered at home" crowd when CSU was 19-25 from the line. CSU had Butler in some early foul trouble, as Matt Howard sat most of the first half with 2 fouls and for some reason, CSU did not attack Andrew Smith when he remained in the game with 2 fouls in the first half.























People have to realize that Butler is a bad matchup for CSU. Kind of like Orlando vs. the Cavs two years ago. Today, CSU moved Tim Kamczyc to guard Howard and Aaron Pogue took Smith. With Howard out, Kamczyc drew Khyle Marshall and that puts him in a quandary. Not big enough to guard Smith, and not athletic enough to guard Marshall.

Butler had an excellent floor game today with only 6 turnovers (1 in the first half) and 55% shooting in the second half helped a lot. That's tough to beat. And, obviously, very disappointing for the newbies and grizzled old veterans of the home crowd.

Butler forced CSU into a halfcourt game and it's not how the Vikings get the job done. I hope the people come back.

CSU loses, 73-61 .

Meal of Links

Melissa Leo goes rogue for her Oscar campaign. Let's see if it works (or was even necessary).

Super Bowl wings? Use Frank's, of course. Or you can get some hot dogs from places featured in the Rachael Ray Hot Dog Bracket. Those would be from Skyline, Seti's or Steve's.

Landing in LA



It's David Lynch. Sorry, I'm hooked on the guy.

Exercise Yard

Insane day of soccer. Most goals ever in one day of Premier League play. It was like hockey scores on a rainy day in England.

Biggest win: (Last place) Wolves 2, (First place and unbeaten) Manchester United 1.

The big one tomorrow, which deserves the Big Breakfast on Super Bowl Sunday: Liverpool at Chelsea.

Visitor

16 Across: Actor who said "Some people have youth, some have beauty. I have menace." (15 letters) Answer: Edward G. Robinson

Cleveland State's white whale, Butler, comes to town for a Noon game tomorrow. Probably the largest attended CSU game since a Butler matchup in the Massimino era.

People are actually showing up. The confluence of an ugly sports year (CSU has more wins than the Browns and Cavs combined), cheap tickets and better marketing has boosted attendance. A far cry from an 11 a.m. game last year when I think 100 people showed up.

If you can bear the shitty ESPN broadcast team that is showing up, look for me on the tube. I'll be wearing black. Oh, wait a minute, we all are.

Meal of Links

The 5 sleepiest animals. Aren't squirrels on the most skittish list, as well?

Joyce Carol Oates on "The Fighter". Nails it, except for Wahlberg's performance.

I bet Marilu Henner remembers everything about this episode of "Taxi". I hope they break down a Vic Ferrari episode.

It's good to be the king. The Mubarak family's estimated worth is between $40 and $70 billion.

Joe Pos on Tiger Woods. It's difficult to watch Tiger struggle to even get three rounds out of four to go his way these days.

Michael Lewis turns his attention to the financial crisis in Ireland. "Now the Irish people finally caught a glimpse of the guy meant to be safeguarding them: the crazy uncle had been sprung from the family cellar."

Exercise Yard

The Super Bowl will never move to Saturday. But I can see it eventually moving to President's Day weekend with an 18-game schedule. Sorry, Daytona.

BTW, it'll be the Packers by 9 on Sunday.

Visitor

39 Across: Tesla, by birth (5 letters) Answer: Croat

"Tesla Girls"/OMD

Today is Groundhog Day. Today was only the 16th time that the groundhog did not see his shadow. Huh? 95 shadows to 16 non-shadows?

What a hoax!

Meal of Links

Later this month, AMC brings back its Best Picture Fest. February 19 and February 26 are the Saturdays at Ridge Park.

Are you a tourist? Or a traveler?

Cast of "Community" kiss each other. Or not.

Well, this kinda sucks. The White Stripes have officially called it quits.

Nearly 11 percent of all US homes are vacant. That seems like an awful "lot".

Palin's phrenology. Charlie Sheen said he was a phrenologist in "Men At Work". My favorite line in that one: "Pizza Cong comes with us. Get him on his feet, I'll get Tricky Dick."

Rob Neyer moved over to SB Nation from ESPN, but he wrote this about Omar Vizquel a few weeks ago. I think Omar has his place in Indians history, but he is not a Hall of Famer. I think Neyer explains why.

A counterpoint to Beck's chalkboards. No fires, no snowballs.

Exercise Yard

Fascinating stuff. The large arm of Bernie Madoff was stuffed into the pockets of the Mets.

Visitor

56 Across: Sportscaster Cross (3 letters) Answer: Irv

Not sure about the Storm of the Century. If there is one thing I've learned from Dick Goddard, it's when you're on the Southeast side of a Panhandle Hook, that's a good thing. And we lucked out, as the snow line seems to be going to our West.

I thought I was going to have to work from home today, but that looks more likely to happen tomorrow. I had more snow than I thought we'd get last night, around 6 inches. But after shoveling, I realized it wasn't snowing, wasn't that cold and there was a long window of not much weather happening, I decided to go in.

The ride took 60 minutes, which is 1.5x longer than normal. My Cleveland street was untouched. Brooklyn apparently won't pay its workers OT for snow removal. 480 was a disaster. 77 was decent. The turnpike was pristine. Route 8 was in fine condition.

A plow did arrive this afternoon. Dumping all of that snow into everyone's driveway. There has to be an invention out there, where that doesn't happen.

So, now it's "Ice Ice Baby" from here on out.

Meal of Links

I always thought there was something, I don't know, disingenuous about the VISA ads with the four guys who never miss a Super Bowl. Did you know the NFL sells them their tickets?

A new book looks at the early history of National Lampoon. A talk with an artist.

Comparing the Steelers and Packers. Both teams have no cheerleaders.

Accidents can happen. A list of odd deaths.

"Exit Through The Gift Shop" is streaming on Hulu. It's Oscar-nominated.

The 50 Most Controversial Films. They pretty much nailed the list. Many of these were actually protested, including the No. 1, "The Last Temptation Of Christ".

He is most interesting. "Stay thirsty, my friends."

Dog? Or colonoscopy?

Robert Osborne has my dream job. I love the guy. He and Alec Baldwin restart "The Essentials" in March.

Ask Men reveals its Top 99 Women. My litmus test on these lists is Kate Beckinsale. This year, she's 14. OK, I'll live with that.

More Beck Bullshit (with multiple blackboards)



Exercise Yard

Soccer's transfer window ended last night and it was insane. There was a record amount of money spent and even Randy Lerner was in on it.

Visitor

34 Across: Pop music's Lady ____ (4 letters) Answer: Gaga