What do you do when there is no real football (Pro Bowl doesn't count) since September? You watch TMZ Weekend and laugh your ass off. I don't see the daily show very often, because they keep moving it around locally. So the weekend effort is chock full of funnies.

Oh, I could also talk about the hefty lesbians in line in front of me (boy, were they jolly) at the grocery, but I'll save that for another day. If you thought fake laughing was rampant on NFL pre-game shows, you had to witness this.

And you see there is already a Winter Storm Watch posted for Monday night through Wednesday morning. Am I the only one who thinks these postings are coming earlier and earlier?

And, last night, I watched that old classic. "Bad Day at Black Rock". Man, they don't make 'em like that anymore.

Meal of Links

How many Twitter Revolutions have there been already? Stop it.

This is a no-brainer. I have tons of cable channels I don't watch. But it's probably time for Al-Jazeera English to be added.

By now, we should probably bank on this being truthful. That Spider-Man musical must blow hard.

Finally saw the Season 2 opener of "Archer" from last Thursday. Trust me, it has not lost a beat since last year.

Exercise Yard

Qatar had a test run for the World Cup by hosting the Asian Cup. The result? Uh, not so good.

Visitor

None, on a decent winter Sunday.

If Jason Statham is in a movie, I am there pronto. So, today, Shaun and I hit the early viewing of the remake of "The Mechanic". Statham plays Arthur, the hitman who is really a no-nonsense kind of a guy. Gets the assignment, does the job cleanly, gets out, gets paid. And goes back to his fancy bayou home near New Orleans.

Donald Sutherland is his mentor, who gets involved with a mess with Tony Goldwyn, the top guy in the organization. After he gets taken out, his out of control son, Ben Foster, starts to learn the ropes from Statham. Foster wanted to be Statham, but Sutherland chose Jason to carry out all of the assignments. So, Foster wasn't exactly a neophyte. In the original, this was Charles Bronson taking Jan-Michael Vincent under his wing.

This version was better than expected. Contrary to the trailers, this was not a shoot 'em up from start-to-finish. It was only 90 minutes and after a bit of a slow start that actually included a couple of killings, it moved quickly to a very satisfying conclusion.

This was a Chartoff-Winkler production, sons of the team that did the original version. I was intrigued that they mentioned "The Gambler" was ripe for a remake, as well. Of course, that starred James Caan and he was outstanding in that one. One of my all-timers that is rarely seen these days.

Meal of Links

After that movie, Gale and I hit Vieng's Asian Bistro for some chow. I had the Hot and Sour Soup, which was really good today. And then had me some General Tso's. They also have Shiner on tap. Now, that was a meal that hit the spot on a cold day.

7 smart animals. Homing pigeons top the list.

It's The Coenfographic. The great thing about it is the rundown of the character names. From Garth Pancake to Gale Snopes.

Hangin' out at White Castle. Do their fries still only come in one size?

Exercise Yard

The LPGA is in a sticky situation. They hardly play any American events anymore and when they do, they run into this. They are going to stage a Founders Event next month, where the players don't actually get any prize money.

Visitor

5 Down: CNN Gulf War reporter (6 letters) Answer: Arnett

I got my new front doors installed today. Well, almost. The drywall was not drying sufficiently (too cold in the foyer), so the guy has to come back and do the necessary sanding. Plus, I need a different sort of hinge on my storm door, so it can open up like it should. But it was a long day, as they got here at 9 and were finally wrapping up until almost 8. And, as I suspected, it was probably wishful thinking that it would take only one day.

Already had a neighbor call and she liked the way the doors looked. And I must say, from the inside they did a hell of a job of reconfiguring my round-top entry way. So, it'll just be a bit longer to have this project finished.

Meal of Links

Hot chicks at the Snowsports Industry America Show. Scull Candy sells headphones and earbuds, but who noticed? If they sold hot water, I think I'd buy it. Actually, the slide show was kinda disappointing.

It's the Renewal Scorecard. Which of your network TV favorites will get renewed?

John Lydon lives by the beach. And wouldn't we all like to do that?

Egypt is all fouled up. Al-Jazeera English was the place to be online earlier today.

I've seen their commercial and, trust me, they don't emphasize it enough. Denny's has $4 all-you-can-eat pancakes!

"Restrepo" airs February 2. On the National Geographic Channel. Terrific doc.

The movie, "Series 7: The Contenders", is awesome. I saw this over at the Shaker Cinema, where it was up for maybe a week. Surprisingly, this came out 10 years ago, before Reality TV really got going. In this movie, the contenders try to kill each other. Hey, now.

Charlie Sheen finally goes to rehab. I stuck up for him the other day, saying how I don't think he's missed any work. But that's good that someone decided to have an intervention.

The New York Times explains its WikiLeaks connection. Lots of cloak-and-dagger stuff, publishing-style.

Exercise Yard

A must-read from The New Yorker. Football and concussions.

Visitor

31 Across: 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate (4 letters) Answer: Barr

The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday. And, for the most part, I think they got it right. I was a bit surprised of the love for "The Fighter". I did not think it was Best Picture-worthy, thus eliminating David O. Russell out of the Best Director category. But they both made it, unbelievably leaving out Christopher Nolan for "Inception".

Also, Amy Adams must now be the 21st century's Meryl Streep. She was good in "The Fighter" and for once, didn't play a nun. That somehow got her a nomination.

For me, the best nomination was the brother of Kenny Fuckin' Powers, John Hawkes, who was nominated for "Winter's Bone". Not onscreen that much, and I thought it would kill his chances, but he was one tough hombre in that role and deserved the nomination.

Other than that, I thought it was ludicrous to think "The Town" would get any nominations outside of Jeremy Renner. And it didn't get any other major consideration.

And the documentary nominations differed from the DGA list quite a bit. "Inside Job" and "Restrepo" made both lists. But Oscar went with "Gasland", which aired on HBO over the summer, "Waste Land", about a landfill in Brazil, and "Exit Through The Gift Shop" which if it wins, how do we know the real Banksy picks up the award? That's why the DGA didn't go for it. "Client 9", "Last Train Home" and "Waiting For Superman" were the other DGA nominations.

Where to see all this stuff? Crocker Park is the place to be this weekend as many of the nominated films and actors are out there. Even Franco, Kidman and Michelle Williams. Meanwhile, I'm psyched and will be there for "The Mechanic" with Jason Statham. The Capitol has the Oscar Short Films starting Feb. 11.

You can also catch these films on Time Warner On-Demand:

"Inception"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"The Town"
"Toy Story 3"
"Winter's Bone"

Turner starts 31 Days of Oscar on February 1.

Meal of Links

Leave it to Hitch. "The King's Speech" contains some untruths.

Yep. He's my congressman.

You don't hear much about Charley Pride these days. But he was big.

It's the last column for The Miminalist. Oh, Bittman will stay with the New York Times, but he'll be doing other things.

America's Top 10 New Sandwiches. I want the Crispy Drunken Sandwich immediately.

Marriott bids adieu to porn. I guess people are bringing their own.

I don't know what it is. But I wouldn't put my lips on it.

The Old Spice Guy returns.

Taco Bell. It ain't all beef.

You do realize there is a May 2 GOP debate? No one has declared yet. What if no one shows up?

I will be watching this series. Simply beacuse I was the only one in the theater to get the Stirling Moss reference in "The Crying Game".

Exercise Yard

Since I have tickets to March Madness this year, I am intrigued by the most recent Bracketology. Both CBS and ESPN have agreed.

If Ohio State and Pitt maintain how they're playing and both get No. 1 seeds, they will play here. That means we will see a No. 1 seed in both sessions on Friday and probably see them both again on Sunday. Not bad.

Visitor

17 Across: Diana Prince's alter ego (11 letters) Answer: Wonder Woman

At first, I wasn't sure if I was seeing things because it was news to me. But there was a female lines official who worked the Wolves-Liverpool match this past weekend. Kind of a big deal, being that it was a televised match and all. Apparently, this was her second match.

Of course, the first goal was at her end and she had to decide on an offsides call, which she correctly called. There was no offsides, the flag stayed down, and Liverpool was leading 1-0. As usual, Wolves players had their arms up and started to yell at the ref. Almost instantly, when they realized it was a woman, they shut up. It was funny to see the protest die quickly. If it was a guy, they would still be scowling.

Meal of Links

This piece on Gabrielle Giffords is probably the best one regarding her recovery. No sugarcoating.

Papa John's might be in your house. Free pizza if the Super Bowl goes to overtime.

Subtitles. Or lack thereof in "The Godfather". Sollozzo gets it. Beautiful scene.

What it's like to interview Tommy Lee Jones. Not any easier these days, I'm afraid.

Exercise Yard

Steelers-Packers means one thing for Lord Football. Huge ratings.

Visitor

22 Down: NBA's ___ Ming (3 letters) Answer: Yao

Well, I think everyone got the best of both worlds for the Super Bowl as it wound up Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Both games today should really not have been as close as they turned out. Green Bay started failing to convert several third and shorts and allowed Chicago to hang around way too long. Even with a gift interception for a TD, the Packers allowed the Bears to get right back in it.

As for the Steelers, that game should have been over at the half. The Jets failure to score after a lengthy 4th quarter drive destroyed any chance they had, even after they got a quick safety as a followup. I actually gained much respect for the Jets for not folding at the half. The Steelers made way too many mistakes with the ball in the second half to keep the Jets in it.

The Super Bowl got a terrific matchup with about as many angles as the press needs for the buildup to the game.

Meal of Links

I took advantage of the late NFL starts today to see "The Fighter". It's the well-documented story of the boxer Micky Ward and his crack-addicted trainer, Dick Eklund, who is also his brother. Yeah, it's a boxing movie, so I had to see it.

The boxing sequences almost bordered on lame here. Really nothing memorable. You get an over-the-top performance from Melissa Leo as Ward's mother, who also served as his business manager for a time. Basically Ward was the family corporation and the movie details how his career got better when he got better management, meaning Leo had to take a backseat.

Christian Bale as Eklund is the gem here, as always. Like the young DeNiro, he immerses himself in any character he plays. Gets the crack addict persona down, with almost as much weight loss as he had for "The Machinist". You cannot believe this is the same guy that plays the Dark Knight. Mark Wahlberg as Ward is kinda so-so. I thought he didn't come close to demonstrating how tough of a fighter Ward was. And Amy Adams gets a sassy role for a change.

I expected better here. Ward himself says over the closing credits that he was glad the filming of the movie was finally over, as if he was tired of reliving his past. It's a decent enough tale, but somehow the movie went off the tracks just enough to not put it into the must-see category. Curiously, the movie ignores Ward's greatest triumphs a a boxer, the Ward-Gatti Trilogy. With the strange circumstances of his death, maybe that will be detailed in the Arturo Gatti Story.

Jack LaLanne finally unplugged his juicer. He was 96 and quite a fascinating individual.

Now we know the reason (well, 4.6 million of 'em) Baby Doc went back to Haiti. Straight cash, homey.

Exercise Yard

Yesterday, a pro bowler shot 100 in a televised match. It was the lowest score ever by a professional on TV. His opponent? He shot a 299.

Visitor

None, on a really cold Sunday.

Let's get back to it...

Since I was last here, I fully recovered from "Black Swan".

I saw CSU win two games over Detroit (a nice game) and Wright State (outside of Butler, the ugliest game of the year).

I got pulled over by the police. No headlights which resulted in a friendly advisory statement through our windows. It was cold and they didn't want to get out of their car and chat.

I went to Sokolowski's for the first time since 2009. Great meat loaf and pie right outta "Twin Peaks".

I got my new glasses (in brown) from Jerold Optical

Drank during another Polka Happy Hour.

Meal of Links

Detroit. The Mecca of urban ruins.

A must read. The New Yorker profiles Darrell Issa.

I look away for two minutes and Keith Olbermann is done? WTF? I love KO, but one criticism of his show I've had (unlike Maddow/O'Donnell) is no opposing view. Even the parroters on his show open up on others. Goodness knows, he's burned a lot of bridges along the way, but I have no idea where he goes now. CNN seems logical, but... Ed Schultz at 10, Lord help us.

I look away for two minutes and the March Madness broadcast teams are announced. Remember, Turner has a piece this year, so there will be an NBA-influenced setting. Big moves: Dick Enberg/Jay Bilas out, Marv Albert/Steve Kerr in, More Gus!, I'm not sure of Reggie Miller joining Kevin Harlan and Dan Bonner, Steve Kerr broadcasting the Final Four, and the TNT NBA studio crew is in (that late night Thursday and Friday should be great with them). All I need is truTV in HD by then and I'm set.

Cracking the credit card code. Who knew?

Gang of Four are back. New record is out next week.

I look away for two minutes and the Coachella lineup is announced. Hopefully, they get their webcasting shit together.

One of my favorite music lists is out. Pazz and Jop 2010. Of course, Kanye West is No. 1 for albums, "Fuck You" for singles.

Speaking of "Fuck You", Regis Philbin "retires" because of a pay cut. Welcome to the jungle, Reege.

Of course, "Hawaii Five-O" would have a tsunami episode. Right after Sunday's AFC Championship Game, too. Wait a minute. Danno hates the water, gets on a board, then the tsunami comes? How convenient.

Vermont says a corporation is not a person. Hell, yes.

A look back at Harry Nilsson. "Everybody's Talkin'" was a monster hit, but it plays very pleasantly when you haven't heard it in a while.

"You're Breakin' My Heart"/Harry Nilsson



Exercise Yard

Randy Lerner can't find an Offensive Coordinator for his team. But his Other Team just spent a whole lot of cash on Darren Bent. Paid some early dividends as he scored the winner for Aston Villa today.

The great Eric Cantona (good goal-scoring compilation enclosed) is now running the New York Cosmos. Uh, the Cosmos aren't even in the MLS. They need a stadium to get entry.

Kenny Dalglish wins his first game in his Liverpool return.

Check Out Man U Today



Visitor

34 Across: Three-time Grammy award winner for comedy (9 letters) Answer: Chris Rock

I finally saw "Black Swan". But I'm not sure what I witnessed. Keep in mind, I've seen all of Darren Aronofsky's movies. Yes, I even paid to see "Pi".

Well, here we go. Natalie Portman plays a ballerina who's kinda getting up there in age. Winona Ryder plays the most recent oldie who gets tossed out on her ass. Portman sees this, while coveting the lead in an upcoming version of "Swan Lake". You know, where you have to dance the part of the White Swan and also the Black Swan. But Portman has a tough time connecting with her inner Black Swan. Even to the point of turning away the ballet director's advances.

That's where Mila Kunis comes in. At first, I thought Kunis was maybe a figment of Portman's imagination, because Natalie is, to be kind, mentally fragile. A perfectionist, she resents how natural Kunis is as a dancer and also as a human, it appears. In effect, her complete opposite, rather Black Swan-like that Kunis. Tatted up, a smoker, funny, out to have a good time, that's Mila all right. BTW, Portman lives with her mother, Barbara Hershey, who can be charitably described as overbearing, still a stage Mom at Portman's advanced balletic age.

Early on, before given the part, Portman has a dream where she is dancing the Black Swan. So, I guess the movie is a series of real-life hard work dancing combined with horrific dreams as Portman works to find that inner Black Swan. Because we have skin peeling, we have lesbian sex, we have Portman's body literally breaking, we have her Mom's paintings talking, we have Portman literally becoming a Black Swan.

At least, I think that was what happened. Not a huge WTF, but close.

Meal of Links

Don Kirshner died. "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" was always a hoot.

Weird exam answers. Might have seen these before, but still funny.

Wanda Jackson has a new album. Produced by Jack White.

God bless Finland. They are happy and wealthy.

Baltimore and David Simon are still debating "The Wire". Still.

Going off-script. Shouldn't Don Knotts be in here somewhere?

Joe Lieberman bags it. But he would not have won anyway.

If you're young...look at all the things you missed.

Exercise Yard

Anyone with half a brain knows how great Aaron Rodgers has become lately as QB of the Packers. There was a hit piece done by Pro Football Talk over the weekend of him avoiding signing an autograph for a cancer patient. At last, PFT apologizes.

Visitor

20 Across: Group with the #1 hit "ABC" (14 letters) Answer: The Jackson Five

Hey, I was hacked by the Chinese. Yep, my iTunes account was drained of the remaining total I had (pumped up by gift cards, no less) yesterday morning. I could not even access my account to change the password until this morning. It's like they took the account over for their exactly prescribed 12 hours.

I was able to change the password back, but I felt just enough pain here to get a new credit card. I didn't need that number floating about in China (not sure it really was as they negated the card on iTunes), so I opted for a new one. Not a lot of pain, as Apple is investigating, and I have already been compensated. But it's not a way I wanna spend a few hours on a day off, chasing things beyond my control.

Meal of Links

While watching some of the NFL playoffs that were blowouts this weekend, I noticed some things about the commercials:

Motorola has an airport scene where a guy is going through security. The security screen shows his phone as a PC, because it's so damn powerful. The security guy? Eddie Charles from that old Martin Tupper show, "Dream On".

When the iPad clicks on a TED lecture, that's Jamie Oliver walking across the stage.

The Sprint commercial with the injured football player and the team doctor with a Sprint phone? They must be channeling the Browns. There are three lameass "Division Winners" banners on the wall. One is from 1971-72, another in the '90s, the last one in the oughts.

Not liking the Bud Light "schmeplicate" ad. Don't like the women left behind at all in this commercial.

Borders. Tick...tick...tick. I suggest using gift cards from there quickly.

Matthew McConaughey has trouble standing.

The Horseshoe. Lego-style!

Uh-oh. I started watching "Lights Out" on FX this week. Here we go again. It's ratings-challenged at the start.

More commentary on 2010's bad movies. Ballots are here. Very funny.

Exercise Yard

Strange way to boost attendance. Lap dance contest for the mascot at a lacrosse match. Love the "boing" sound effect!

Visitor

None, on a cold Sunday.

I'm ba-ack.

What happened while I was away?

President Obama made a speech at the Tucson Memorial on Wednesday that was fine. But I thought the crowd (i.e. the Arizona students) were completely off the mark with their reactions. I mean, it was a memorial, not a pep rally. And the Native American blessing was straight out of the SNL playbook. With a National Anthem singer who looked like Glenn Beck...well, there you go. This touches on issues I had with the whole thing. Especially about the "rain puddles".

Pat Shurmur was hired as Browns coach. And Browns Version 2.5 begins. I guess we're running a 4-3 and Shurmur will call his own plays. That's about all we learned about Shurmur at yesterday's presser, along with his Eric Wedge-like use of the word "process".

And they finally broke ground on the Medical Mart yesterday. Glad to see the uninvolved like Kasich and Fitzgerald grabbing a shovel.

I craved beer all week, so I requested this song at the Happy Dog.

"I Like Beer"/Tom T. Hall



Meal of Links

Pope John Paul II is getting closer to becoming a saint. I guess he performed a miracle somewhere down the line. But you need two. Lemme guess, we'll hear about that soon after the beatification.

Football's chattiest announcers. Number One is Kevin Harlan, who I really like. The least? Kenny Albert, who I cannot stand.

Best docs of 2010. Ebert's doc picks. The Most Underappreciated Movies of 2010.

I forgot to mention this. Queensland is flooded and it's Brisbane, as in Lisbon. Not Bris-bane.

"Hannah Montana" is over. The problem I have with this show is it gives kids free reign to say unfunny stuff.

The TV press is out in Cali with all of the networks. Interesting news from Showtime. "Californication" is renewed, I don't watch this very much. "Dexter" is said to have a "long shelf life". And they are going to do a "24/7" HBO-like series on the San Francisco Giants next year.

The real genius of "Real Genius". This movie has grown on me over the years.

Should the idea of death threats on Sarah Palin be scrutinized. You betcha.

Tunisia is all fouled up.

Exercise Yard

More NFL Playoffs today. This weekend has three of the four games looking good on paper, and I think Chicago-Seattle will surprise, as well.

The picks (and I can't believe I have three road dogs):

Ravens +3
Packers +2.5
Patriots -8.5
Seahawks +10

Visitor

14 Down: Jim with 589 lifetime homers (5 letters) Answer: Thome "Essentially, Thome last season had the best hitting season for any part-time player since World War II. And by a lot..."

The bowl season has finally ended. Let me say this, I don't know how professional gamblers do it. Here I am, in this pool for the bowls, and I found myself watching more post-season NCAA football than ever. Yes, that was me watching the Kraft Hunger Bowl late on Sunday, pleading with Boston College to score in a 20-10 game, as I was getting 9.5 points. They obliged with a late, barely-made field goal to make it 20-13.

BTW, I have to go back to Christmas Eve and blame Tulsa for my avid interest this year. While driving home late after dinner, I had the Hawaii Bowl on the radio, lamenting the fact that Hawaii was getting killed. Two days later, I realized I had picked Tulsa over Hawaii and that gave me a 5-2 start. Somehow, that signalled to me that it was "Game on".

So, the Kraft Hunger Bowl allowed me to be in the running for not even first, but second place in the pool. That shows how crazy it was. All for a tie for second place, but with a cash prize. I had Oregon getting 3.5 points, and expecting a track meet, I had 81 points in the Tie-Breaker to win second place. As soon as I heard this from Kirk Herbstreit on Oregon's first drive: "Oregon is running a formation they have not used all year...", I knew I was cooked. That said to me that Oregon didn't feel they could beat Auburn using their prolific offense, so they had to try and outsmart Auburn. Hence, new plays, trick plays, any new look to confuse the opposition. I shut it off at 11:00, knowing my point total would not be reached. Not even close. So, I guess I'm happy Oregon covered, but it didn't mean anything to me.

However, I may have stumbled upon the proper betting technique. In this pool, you pick all 35 bowls ahead of time. That means any spreads that change, coaches that get fired, and other items don't matter. By December 17th, you have to look into the crystal ball and make your picks for all the games. I did and out of the 35 bowl games, I was 25-10 against the spread. Maybe I should bet events three weeks out from here on. OK, I spent maybe 20 minutes on the whole process, but still, I was awfully prescient this season.

And my interest really picked up on New Year's Day. That was really the make or break day for me, as I had kinda stumbled between the holidays. And I had a good New Year's, picking 5 of the 6 games correctly. After the early non-cover of Texas Tech over Northwestern on 1/1, I had the next 12 games in a row right, to put me back in contention.

So, what did I learn?

Virtually every team that scored first ended up winning. If you fell behind early, you were cooked. As a matter of fact, I think the only comebacks from a significant margin were Florida International over Toledo (17 points) and Louisville over Southern Miss (14 points). I had both Florida International and Southern Miss and they beat the spread.

Bad beats?

The late interception return by Iowa over Missouri cost me.

The salute after a TD by the Kansas State receiver against Syracuse. Missed the subsequent 2-pointer, which may have led to an overtime win.

Northwestern had a late interception return against Texas Tech.

Worst games (Blowout Division)?

Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14.

Alabama 49, Michigan State 7.

Troy 48, Ohio 21.

Worst game (Non-Blowout Division)?

Central Florida 10, Georgia 6.

Total misreads?

Did not see these wins at all: Illinois over Baylor, Washington over Nebraska, Maryland over East Carolina.

Late steals?

By far, the late Florida Pick-6 against Penn State with 55 seconds left. That was the only way I could win that one. Florida giving 7.5 and up by 6. It was either Penn State scoring or, if not, Florida running out the clock.

Wisconsin, getting 3.5, and scoring a TD with 2 minutes left against TCU to make it 21-19. They blow the conversion, TCU runs out the clock, OT is avoided, spread is beat.

Meal of Links

It may be getting near the end for Borders Looks like it's another Circuit City.

This will make you think. Or cry.

Seattle superhero gets "Kick-Assed". Unbelievably funny.

Peter Yates died the other day. "Bullitt" is still one of my all-timers. The scene where Steve McQueen's Mustang first appears in the bad guys rear-view mirror, and obviously the subsequent chase, is a classic. There should be a tribute on Turner. If there is, "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" needs to be included. Absolutely loved that one.

DVR alert. First, I'm gonna try the boxing series on FX. "Lights Out" premieres tonight. Tomorrow, "The Dude Abides" is on PBS. And if you have to ask who The Dude is, well...Thursday, Michel Gondry directs "Jimmy Kimmel Live".

A look back at the Ravishing one. Rick Rude.

Diet Myths. From the "Eat This, Not That" dude.

Jenny McCarthy and vaccines. Again.

Here he is. Johnny Paycheck, Job Shover. That one song clearly obscures his greatness.

ABC gives the Oscars more red carpet treatment, up to 90 minutes this year. Hopefully, better hosts!

Palin's missed opportunity. Seems she'll lay low for a while.

Exercise Yard

Michigan signed Brady Hoke as its new coach. Probably not a bad choice. He comes Lloyd Carr-approved and for a defensive coach, he surprisingly has had some prolific offenses.

He had Nate Davis at Ball State, and if you watched the bowls like I did, San Diego State had a fun offense to watch. Can easily see him improving the team immediately.

Visitor

43 Across: Actor Neeson (4 letters) Answer: Liam

The shooting of Congresswoman Giffords is a tough one to take. You know, the crosshairs, the rhetoric, etc. surrounding a rather conservative Democrat. But let's focus on the reporting for a bit, because we don't know much about the shooter (obviously a nutbag), his motives, or even if there is another person involved.

We've gone from Giffords being shot, to her being dead, to her "responding", to optimism about a recovery, to an induced coma, to now that she never awoke. How does that happen? If you are shot through your head, brain actually, optimism for recovery means what exactly? I sense that you'll survive, but at what capacity? That appears to be overlooked at the present. Maybe too tough to take, but man, there seems to be a lot of guessing or misinformation distributed over the airwaves.

Meal of Links

Kenny Dalglish goes back to Liverpool. This is comparable to Elvis returning. Of course, Liverpool lost their first game, an FA Cup match with Man U, upon his return. But, we'll always have this to look fondly on...

The Roy Hodgson Facerub



The 41 places to go this year. Even Durham, NC makes the cut.

BTW, my bad. Those weren't crosshairs, they were surveyor's symbols. Of course.

Exercise Yard

Seattle-New Orleans was a fun game to watch yesterday, really from nowhere. And the Jets beat Indy.

Today, Packers-Eagles looks good in the late game. I'll take the Pack and I really think the Ravens take it to KC.

Marshawn Lynch's Latest Highlight



Marshawn Lynch's Best Highlight



Visitor

None, on a cold, sunny Sunday.

The World Cup is all fouled up. Remember the 2022 bid that went to Qatar? You know, it's kinda hot there in the summer? Well, now Sepp Blatter thinks it could be held in the winter. What the hell, we have 11 years to figure it out. We'll conveniently forget that all the submitted bids were for a summer World Cup.

And certainly the World Cup butting heads with Lord Football is not a good idea. And I certainly never imagined I'd have to wear a Santa hat to watch any matches.

Meal of Links

While we all obsess over Ted Williams, here's a look at those he left behind. Now this is a story that should be celebrated.

ESPN looks like it will pay $2 billion a year to keep Monday Night Football. And keep NFL draft coverage, as well.

Dead wrestlers? We got 'em! Includes Ron Martinez, local Channel 43 announcer.

Bidding help for Priceline. Not a bad little assistant.

Facebook will fade. Stay tuned.

Aretha Franklin says she's OK. Somewhere Luther Vandross sang that sentence out loud.

Another Republican nutjob has power. I'm in a dream, aren't I?

Who is the world's most dangerous terrorist? Looks like Pakistan is the major threat to the West.

Palin in Alaska. Looks like her frontierswoman aura is debunked.

Matt Taibbi takes down Boehner. "The ultimate beltway hack..."

Exercise Yard

CSU played its worst game of the year losing to Butler. Game comes at the worst possible time, when they were getting more eyeballs in their direction. Let's see where the bandwagon goes after this defeat.

Visitor

55 Across: Law partner (5 letters) Answer: Order

I think we've all heard about the homeless guy who has these great pipes and then there's a video by the side of the road in Columbus, then there's a job offer from the Cavs, acceptance of work from MSNBC and Kraft, then there's also visits to the "Today Show". All the time, my spider-sense is tingling (well, maybe my cynical side) about this guy's past.

I mean, no one ever stepped up immediately and said, yeah, used to work with him, a peach of a guy, but he fell on some hard times. Nothing. Not one peep. Now, the truth is coming out bit by bit and no one wants to pee on the parade. I guess, because these feel-good stories sometimes have a dark side to them. And no one wants to admit that.

I get that this has an "Only in America" feel to it, but jeezy creezy.

I think the worst part was other local media outlets looking for talent among our homeless. Shameless.

Meal of Links

A very special episode of "The Tonight Show". Clips show Johnny Carson in a visit to LA before the permanent move a few years later.

Cable TV doesn't really like Netflix. They will be denied lots of content.

Fireworks. Hooray.

More Top 10 Movies. Love for "Scott Pilgrim".

Italy bans plastic bags. Only biodegradable going forward.

Who knew they still gave out the People's Choice Awards? Looking at the winners, it may be time for an overhaul.

Rich vs. poor. The poor do not exist in the eyes of the rich.

Exercise Yard

The upcoming BCS National Championship Game is the best-selling game in StubHub history. They had to pull the game, because of some sellers who didn't have tickets.

Visitor

41 Across: Reliant Stadium NFL team (6 letters) Answer: Texans

On this day in 1981, it was the coldest I have ever been. I'd still like to see if they could have made a field goal.

Noon start. After Red Right 88, I have never seen a stadium empty so quickly. Westbound Rapid froze after the game. Didn't get home until 7:30.

You can hardly explain the difference in enthusiasm between this game and the next home playoff game after the 1986 season. The buildup in 1986 was off the charts. Not sure why, but it was night and day during playoff runs from that day forward.

NBC Intro to "Red Right 88" 1981



Don Cockroft missed 5 PATs that year? WTF?

Meal of Links

Gerry Rafferty died today. I dare you to listen to "Stuck In the Middle With You" without thinking of the ear-cutting scene from "Reservoir Dogs". Listen to the "City To City" album. Sure, "Baker Street" is on it, but there are some other gems present.

Who'd have thought? The Irish love their movies.

Last night, I actually watched "Internal Affairs" with Andy Garcia and Richard Gere. To be honest, not sure why. Anyhow, here are 7 movies worth repeated viewings.

If you haven't been there lately, take heed. IFC runs commercials during their programming. Startling the first time you see it.

James VanDerMemes!

Some noise about Bill Hicks. I say he and Richard Pryor were the best at making you laugh and think. "Think of me as Chomsky...with dick jokes." Some commenters say Danny McBride should play him in a movie. That would be inspired.

Words can't describe the good work Barry Scheck performs. Today, another wrongly convicted guy in Dallas was deemed innocent after 30 years in jail.

Charlotte Knows Her Presidents



Exercise Yard

Do any of these potential Browns hires excite you? Unless the new coach calls his own plays, I'm more concerned at this point about what kind of an offensive coordinator would come here.

Since the Browns return, here are the OCs:

Chris Palmer 1999
Pete Carmichael 2000
Bruce Arians 2001-2003
Terry Robiskie 2004
Maurice Carthon 2005-2006
Jeff Davidson 2006
Rob Chudzinski 2007-2008
Brian Daboll 2009-2010

Palmer was OC at Jacksonville before he was hired. Pete Carmichael? I got nothin'. His son, Pete Jr., is currently OC at New Orleans. Robiskie was OC at Oakland for 5 seasons, 1989-93. Outside of these guys, no other Browns OC had ever called plays at the NFL level.

Visitor

23 Across: Mule's parent (3 letters) Answer: Ass

I guess I could think of some worse Browns-Steelers games, but today was pathetic. Since I dropped my tickets this year, I've been asked a lot if I regret it. Now that the season has ended, I can honestly say no.

Meal of Links

Colin Firth. Last man standing of his generation of British actors.

What's the matter with Broadway? 19 shows opened in fall 2010. Only 4 survived.

20 predictions for the next 25 years. No flying cars yet.

Back to work tomorrow. Time for a shower. A meteor shower.

Exercise Yard

OK, back to real football. The NFL playoff schedule is out for the next 2 weeks.

Visitor

None, on a sunny Browns Sunday.

Happy New Year, everyone!