Storm damage, for sure, but Irene was nothing as predicted, right? My sense is that this got so much coverage because:

a) It was a weekend
b) New York was involved

I get the uniqueness of NYC being a target of a hurricane. But it seemed the networks were just aching to show some familiar landmarks engulfed by a natural disaster. Then they blamed the fact that Irene's landfall hit in North Carolina took some steam out of it, plus it tracked a bit differently after that. I'm no meteorologist and even I know when a storm makes landfall, it traditionally weakens.

Unfortunately on Saturday evening, I saw a Weather Channel clip where two guys said there was no way they couldn't see flooding in lower Manhattan near Wall Street. Mainly because of a storm surge and high tides. That didn't happen.

Oh well, at least I got to see Geraldo doing hurricane duty. On Broadway.

"Reggae On Broadway"/Bob Marley



Meal of Links

Errol Morris with a different twist this time. A book.

I wanna stay in a hotel. That's cheap and chic. Here you go.

"Good Eats" is wrapping up this week. Always an excellent show.

Exercise Yard

I saw Joey Barton at the Wigan-QPR match yesterday. They need him.

Visitor

None, on a cloudy, then sunny Sunday.

The men in my family took my niece to see the old alma mater take on Brooklyn. I don't even know what they call this rivalry these days. The Backyard Brawl? The Battle of Biddulph? All I know is Rhodes is dominating this series lately and won last night, 64-14. That's right they scored 64 points! Would have been 70 if they had a kicker or were not just 4 of 8 on 2-point conversions.

First of all, it's a pretty cheap night. $5 to get in, pop and pizza squares were a dollar and it's $1.50 for popcorn. But there seems to be a malaise hanging over the football games at Brooklyn. Clearly, the kids who go in don't even care about the game as they congregate and do their own thing seemingly miles apart from the game. The cheerleaders don't have any focus and don't seem too thrilled to participate. They have a mascot without any direction. The band doesn't seem fired up. If I were an administrator at the school, I'd be embarrassed, or at least concerned, about the overall production.

Shockingly, Rhodes actually had fans show up on their side. They have a band this year, as well. And the guys really play hard on the field. Seems like some good things happening there.

But, much like last year's game we attended, Rhodes had big plays all night. I mean plays you wouldn't think would result in 6 points. They led, 20-0, at the end of the first quarter and it was inconceivably 40-0 at the half. Rhodes only put the ball in the air three times that I recall. A stupid backward pass on the first play of the game that failed and resulted in a turnover. A beautiful two-point conversion that made it 20-0. And a failed pass attempt on a 4th down play late in the fourth quarter. Otherwise, they must have run for at least 500 yards. Seriously. Their big running back, Wall, totaled 116 yards on his first two carries and had TD runs of 94, 36, 55 and 3 yards.

Here were the TDs:

A 94-yard run (6-0)
A 64-yard run (12-0)
A 36-yard run (20-0)
A 70-yard punt return (28-0)
A 10-yard run (34-0)
A 55-yard run (40-0)
A 3-yard run (46-0)
A 15-yard run (52-0)
A 45-yard fumble return (58-7)
A 65-yard kick return to finish the game (64-14)

Needless to say, lots of fun to watch.

Meal of Links

Irene must be important because I see Wolf Blitzer on my TV. No Geraldo sighting yet, my favorite part of hurricanes. Details here. Mail was delivered in Virginia Beach today. Kudos.

Now I find this interesting. Fox, yes, Fox, the big network, will start showing tape-delayed EPL games on a few Sundays they don't have football doubleheaders. And on Super Bowl Sunday, Chelsea and Manchester United will be on Fox that morning. As long as Michael Strahan makes no appearances and my drinks are cold, that will be the start to a great day.

Do you have any of the !00 Most Sought-After Out of Print Books. Some interesting titles, but I don't have any of them. Although, I thought I had a copy of "Cards As Weapons' by Ricky Jay laying around here, but have his other book, "Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women". That's out of print, but not as popular, I guess.

How to discover new music. I still haven't had time to comprehend Spotify, but I will.

More "Louie". Although his Afghanistan looked a lot like the Korea of "M*A*S*H".

"Say Something Nice"



Upping the antihero. "Breaking Bad', "Psych" and "Dexter".

Exercise Yard

Ric Flair not only has trouble inside the ring, he's got huge issues outside the squared circle. A long history of failed marriages and financial turmoil.

Hey, my favorite sign from last week's show: "It doesn't matter what my sign says".

Visitor

3 Down: Country that eliminated the United States at the last two World Cups (5 letters) Answer: Ghana

Today, in tech world, it was like Black Friday. Because the HP TouchPads were being dumped on the market at prices that would make Crazy Eddie proud.

Two of the biggest online retailers haven't dropped their price yet. That would be Newegg and Amazon, but that'll happen later today or tomorrow. Best Buy claims they still have some in-store and will be sold starting tonight or tomorrow, but that seems completely random, as they allegedly sent all their stock back. But the Office Depot/OfficeMax/Staples Axis of Evil seems to be out. As are Target and Wal-Mart and your warehouse clubs.

Meal of Links

Groupon is running low on cash. This is really good insight as to how the company actually operates and how they get paid. And how accounting principles allow you to tell a story that is kinda true.

Probably the quintessential piece on the demise of Borders. The last time I was in the Crocker store was last Christmas and could not believe how much that store had changed. Especially when I found they now opened at 10:00.

Controversy about the Gay Softball World Series. Who knew?

Emeritus interviews Michael Vick in GQ. I found it interesting that after probation ends next summer, Vick can legally own a dog.

You can get a PBR around here for, what, $2? In China, that'll set you back $46 a bottle.

The new sports talker in Cleveland starts on August 29. Finally.

The Postal Service has to change for its survival. The battle starts in Washington when the recess ends.

Top 10 things you don't need to buy because they are already in your home. Vick's VapoRub solves itching? WTF?

Did the Libyan rebels actually pull this off? Gadhafi flees Tripoli. I guess illegal wars can work.

I see Wolf Blitzer once in a while. Yes, he's boring.

This is why Jon Huntsman matters. A Republican who says you can't shun science.

Finally got a look at "Ebert Presents: At The Movies", while stumbling around the dial after the Browns and Indians last night. A trip down memory lane as Roger and Gene talked about overlooked acting of the '80s. Got affirmation when Gene mentioned Gene Hackman in "The Conversation" and Roger piped up with James Caan in "The Gambler". Looks like WVIZ runs this on Fridays at 10:30 with overnight reruns on early Saturdays and Sundays.

Recent news about Ted Williams. The voice guy.

Exercise Yard

A nice story about the Tribe. Well done, men.

Visitor

37 Across: Classic Leontyne Price role (4 letters) Answer: Aida

Yeah, it's over.

No more Podium Girls.







































No more Road ID ads with Bobke.



No more El Diablo.






















No more fear of a fan impeding a rider.



























I love the Tour de France, because it fits so nicely within the July sports calendar when there is a not much goin' on, 'cept the rent.







































This year gives us the first Aussie winner, the first winner from the Southern Hemisphere and the second-oldest winner ever. It was Cadel Evans and he gave it quite the ride this year.

Meal of Links

They are correct. Olivia Wilde is jarringly beautiful. She was on Bill Maher's show once and I think she was overwhelmed at that time. They need to bring her back.

I think I've waited a year-and-a-half to find a Thermopen on sale. It finally happened.

This guy's church HAS to be fun. "Boogity, Boggity, Amen!"

Invocation of the Year



"Wedgie, you're doing a heckuva job." The Mariners have lost 15 straight.

NFL seems to be starting again this week. BTW, Jay Cutler dumped his girlfriend and there will be no "Hard Knocks" this season.

The good old days.

About that Borders liquidation sale. You may want to wait.

Campbell's looks at the facts. It's hard to sell low-sodium soup. So, they are adding salt to the Select Harvest line.

Exercise Yard

I don't know if there is anyone out there who can help the Tribe. But, after today's game, I wonder "if the ship be sinking."

I'll be at either Monday's or Wednesday's game and have a better sense of what is going on.

Visitor

None, on a still humid Sunday.

It's not the heat, it's the stupidity.

Try a secret beach.

Meal of Links

Richard Jewell still had a court case against the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That case was dismissed last week. Unclear if it will be appealed.

The Weinermobile is now 75 years old. Not on my list for the next car I get.

The 5-album test. I kinda like it.

How about a limburger cheese sammie? I don't think I've ever had one.

The Gang of Six. And their plan.

Modern poverty includes an Xbox No, can't be.

As always, the day to watch the Tour de France is when they get to Alpe d'Huez. BTW, that is this Friday. It's also snowing in the Alps. Huh?

Borders is dead.

Exercise Yard

NFL free agency starts in a few days. And what a whirlwind that will be. 5 months compressed into a fortnight.

Avoid these types of players.

Visitor

67 Across: Buck of country music (5 letters) Answer: Owens

You can tell CSU has a new Athletic Director, I had been getting calls from my ticket rep a couple months ago about renewal. I was thinking, pump your brakes, dude, as I had been able to renew virtually up to tipoff of the new season. So, I get a letter today and their new renewal date is August 1.

I guess, like most schools, this allows them to sell the non-renewals as season tickets. It seems they also have lopped some heads in the athletic department. The new Senior Associate AD is a woman, so I assume she is being groomed to take over the whole thing eventually. They also have a new SID and The Ticket Guy is also gone.

Meal of Links

Are we witnessing the death of the DVD? Netflix adjusts pricing and divides streaming and DVD rentals.

Are you still reading the newspaper? There are the same number of newspapers in 2011, as there were in 1890.

"Mad Men" reruns on Sunday mornings, from the beginning. Time to catch up.

The most popular e-reader is? The Nook Color? Not Kindle? Mmmm.

I Will Not Be Riding "The Takabisha"



Can you think of a street sign that is constantly stolen? How about Stoner Avenue?

Joe Jackson. I think, at one time, I had memorized the entire "Look Sharp" album. So, "Got the Time" seems appropriate. This is my favorite song of his...

"Right And Wrong"/Joe Jackson



PolitiFact takes on Sarah Palin. And Slim Jims.

Exercise Yard

Michael Irvin champions gay marriage. Another twist in his story.

Visitor

25 Across: "Two Tickets To Paradise" singer (10 letters) Answer: Eddie Money (At the Pickerington Violet Festival in Pickerington on July 30)

Eddie Money Commercial

One would say Randy Lerner has had a track record of not hiring well when it comes to his sports teams. It seems he is going to do it again with the signing of Alex MacLeish as the new coach of Randy Lerner's Other Team. You see, MacLeish was the coach of their local rival, Birmingham City. I say was, because he got canned from Birmingham after they found out he was talking with Aston Villa. This was after Birmingham had committed to him even though the club had been relegated.




















So, Villa fans have been in an uproar. They had 1,000 fans storm Villa Park last night. You know, with the usual obscenities and graffiti. Many have said they will turn in their season tickets if MacLeish is hired, which looks like a go for Friday. A Facebook page "Aston Villa Supporters - We don't want Alex McLeish" has 17,000 followers. Did the Browns ever have protests like this? Oh yeah, the Dawg Pound Mike fiasco.

The main thing we are realizing with this latest coaching circus at Aston Villa is this. Randy Lerner is trying to do it on the cheap. They'll sell some more players this offseason and won't spend for the replacements. That's why they are ending up with a coach many do not want. The better candidates have been ignored or have stayed away.

The scoop.

This guy says the Villa fans are wrong.

BTW, next year's fixtures come out tomorrow.

Meal of Links

Speaking of soccer, Fox Soccer Channel becomes Fox Soccer in August. New logos, new studios and let's hope they get us to matches 5 minutes earlier. It wouldn't hurt to see the players come onto the pitch.

And the new sponsor of the FA Cup was announced today. It's Budweiser! The King of Beers hosts the match at teatime.

Cheer up. Keanu Reeves is an author. Who eats sandwiches.

"Moneyball" Trailer

How to eat when you're broke. I'm thinking "cinnamon crispas".

Polkas. Weird Al style. I guarantee you will smile. If not, listen to the one with "Loser" on it.

"America's Next Great Restaurant". Not so fast.

Mitt Romney is NOT unemployed. He's just not working.

Today's meme.

Exercise Yard

I thought Shaq was supposed to enjoy his retirement. I don't think an attempted murder and kidnapping trial is where he wanted to focus his time.

Visitor

10 Down: Dudley Do-Right's gp. (4 letters) Answer: RCMP

Hey, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup last night. Well, that only took 40 years.

How about that city? In the last decade, each of their major sports team has won a title. We are still waiting since 1964. For any team.

Look out for the riots in Vancouver. Apparently you riot-win or lose.

Meal of Links

"Spider-Man" officially opened on Broadway. Oh, it still sucks, but in more of an official way.

The 100 Greatest Non-Fiction Books. I haven't read a lot of these.

NPR lists their 25 favorite albums from this year, thus far. That's a lot of unknowns there.

E! has a show tonight on commercial stars. The Most Interesting Man in the World is featured.

Facebook lost 6 million users in the USA during May. Even Bill Gates couldn't take it.

Exercise Yard

Progressive Field will host an Ohio State-Michigan game. In hockey!

Game will be held on January 15.

Visitor

21 Down: Actor Matthau (6 letters) Answer: Walter

"The Fortune Cookie"

Things are looking up. The Cavs got the Number 1 pick in the draft and also got the Number 4 pick, from the Baron Davis trade. So, the NBA lottery goes our way!

The ramifications of that go way beyond just the players acquired. If those two are parlayed into star players, along with the trade exception still lingering, they may be able to get back to respectability quickly. Hence, fewer empty seats, more revenues, and on and on.

Who cares if it was fixed.

Just can't have the world end this Saturday.

Meal of Links

The ESPN book comes out next week and the buzz is really high. GQ has an excerpt. The subject of the excerpt? Why, Keith Olbermann, of course. His reign of terror at ESPN was legendary. "Welcome to the end of my career." still rates as one of the best lines ever uttered on TV.

Jerry Lewis is out as the MDA Telethon host. Probably due to the fact it's only 6 hours this year.

Elaine's in New York is closing. She once threatened this guy.

Dylan and his cult. One man wants it stopped.

According to Peter Griffin on last week's "Family Guy": "1985 brought us the gayest music video of all time":



"This happened and we all let it happen." I was on the floor.

Seth Macfarlane reboots "The Flintstones". That has hit written all over it.

You hit a deer. Now what? I ain't movin' no fuckin' deer.

Earworms? Maybe "Dancin' In The Streets".

The Pearl Jam doc goes to PBS. This is the Cameron Crowe one. Should be appointment TV.

"Wires"/Red Fang



Cuddy leaves. "House" becomes a sausage fest.

Huey Lewis and the News hit Number One with "Sports". Patrick Bateman, in "American Psycho" said this: "Their early work was a little too new wave for my tastes, but when "Sports" came out in '83, I think they really came into their own, commercially and artistically. The whole album has a clear, crisp sound, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the songs a big boost. He's been compared to Elvis Costello, but I think Huey has a far much more bitter, cynical sense of humor." Then he put "Fore" on and killed Paul Allen.

Exercise Yard

Dean Smith vs. segregation. Nice history about Dean-o pushing for his Kansas school to be desegregated on the court in the late '40s.

Visitor

66 Across: Country star Travis (5 letters) Answer: Randy

"Better Class of Losers"/Randy Travis

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

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.

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

I took a day off to get a lot of errand running done. One of the things was to get an eye exam at EyeMasters. They had a coupon a while back and it expired tomorrow, so to save $15, I went.

But this necessitated a trip to Parmatown Mall. I hate malls, but I swear the ad read that EyeMasters opens at 9. Uh, no they don't. It's actually 10. So, I had to kill 45 minutes. I grabbed a bench and looked around. Mall walkers! Yes, people still do this! Macy's and JCPenney are open early, but most of the people there are mall walking.

So, I proceed with the exam by getting in there right at 10. Do all the tests, get the eyedrops, etc. Everything checks out well. No glaucoma, no retina detachment, I just can't see and need a bit of a stronger prescription.

As I leave the mall, I notice there still aren't that many people and it's about 11:00. I know Strongsville had taken away a lot of business, hence, the WalMart at Parmatown. And Kohl's and Target are to the immediate South. But, man, it's dyin' over there. Parma has their recreation office there and even Dennis! has an office. And, if you drive by the strip portion, there are a lot of empty storefronts.

Honestly, I shouldn't have been surprised, but it threw me for a bit of a loop. It used to be insane getting around there during the holidays.

Meal of Links

Miley Cyrus hits the bong. It had salvia in it.

2010's Most Contagious. Indian Fever not mentioned.

Slate names its Best Books of 2010. I read "The Big Short", so I am 1 for 15.

Many Introductions (including "I'm your huckleberry!")



Catching up with Bin Laden. He is not moving rock to rock, cave to cave.

Do you have $418? You can travel the world.

Bruno Ganz talks about playing Hitler. And he's not really mad at anyone, like those YouTube videos.

The Best Fictional Parties. Damn right, you'd love to be invited to the wedding in "The Godfather". Plus the rehearsal dinner from "Rachel Getting Married" always looks pretty cool.

Proverbial Wallets. Awesome idea.

Exercise Yard

This guy. Again. I am really ambivalent towards this story. I like the fact our community is helping out a guy. Helps that he's white and a Browns fan. But how about helping our own? It's just nutty.

Visitor

43 Across: "This American Life" radio host Glass (3 letters) Answer: Ira

Crap. They didn't even give us a full week. "Terriers" is cancelled.

FX explains it here.

Creator Ted Griffin explains it here.

Eleven One-Season TV Wonders. Interesting that "Comeback", "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared" are all in rotation on IFC right now.

I'm not giving up on FX though. In January, it's the debut of "Lights Out" and the return of "Archer".

Meal of Links

Don Meredith died today. He took a lot of unwarranted heat at the end of his career for the failure of the Cowboys to "win the big one". The Browns contributed to his demise in a 1968 playoff game. I am not sure, but I think he was responsible for the term "rubber band defense", applied to the Browns.

Obviously, he gained more fame in the Monday Night Football booth, when that was event TV. But look who did some time in the NBC booth, as well.

NBC Opening-1975 AFC Title Game



Google started a bookstore. You can download those Dickens books that Oprah wants you to read for "F-R-E-E, that spells free".

Got $3 million? Let's buy "The Godfather" house.

Jimmy Kimmel. The new Johnny Carson. I admit it, I rarely see his show.

I think I wanna go to this hotel.

Funny. Nicole Kidman tries to move her face.

Exercise Yard

The Patriots destroy the Jets. That was a hard knock.

Visitor

14 Across: "Tiny Bubbles" singer (5 letters) Answer: Don Ho

I took today off, because I still had over a week of vacation that was untouched. Wouldn't you know it, I wake up and I'm having trouble walking. This is very reminiscent of the time I had plantar fascitis.

That sounds like the dumbest thing you can get. But as someone who has flat feet, it can be a royal pain. So, I'm tryin' to stretch that puppy out and keep moving. And I got my repaired shoe back today, so maybe that will help.

Or alcohol.

Meal of Links

Every now and then, I check the Programming Notices on Time Warner Cable. Mainly so I can complain about what I don't have. But, lookee here, Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus seem to be arriving in HD before the holidays.

Boxing and movies do go together. that's why I'm also anxious about the FX show, "Lights Out" in January.

Home stretch for "Terriers". Here's why it should not get cancelled. It's gonna be a fight to the finish, ratings-wise. For the first time ever, I am joining the crusade and writing FX.

(NSFW) Here is how your Playboy centerfold pics are done. It's a thing called Photoshop. As if you did not know.

Your guide to NFL Concession Stands.

All of Pee-Wee's Secret Words are here. Around, whoo-o-o-o-ooo!

Time for Turkey Day TV Marathons. Highlights: "Phineas and Ferb" on Wednesday. "Man vs. Food" on Thursday seems apt. TBS has "Seinfeld" on Friday, same day as "Hitler's Bodyguard".

Black Friday shopping? How about a free Slurpee? 7-11 is calling it "Purple Friday".

Bizarre entries from the ""2011 Guinness Book". Longest handshake was over 12 hours.

The Mayor of London suggests W. avoid a European book tour. Something about that pesky thing called torture.

Alec Baldwin is doing commercials for Wegmans! Fairly straightforward, too.

The payroll tax holiday sounds like a good idea. But what if it didn't expire after one year. Uh-oh.

It's the latest Pew Research News IQ Quiz. Come on, it's not that tough.

Exercise Yard

Yesterday was a great day for statheads. For King Felix won the AL Cy Young Award.

Visitor

19 Across: Cash in Nashville (6 letters) Answer: Johnny

I feel like the drunk yelling at the corner to no one in particular. Because I have seen the movie "Unstoppable" and it should have been named "Unbelievable". But somehow, the critics have been overly kind to this crappy movie. And I'm really at a loss as to why.

Once again, this movie pairs up director Tony Scott with actor Denzel Washington. For the fifth time. These two were responsible for the extremely underrated "Man on Fire". But they were also responsible for last year's dreck that involved a train, the remake of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3". After viewing "Unstoppable", they need to get off the train at the next station.

Look, I'm willing to suspend belief for most movies, but this one was tough to take. I'm not even sure Denzel had the most lines, as that honor went to Rosario Dawson. Let's face it, Hollywood still hasn't figured out what to do with her yet. Anyhow, she is the operations chief at one of the railyards. You know, where Jason Lee's brother from "Earl" carelessly hopped off an engine to pull a switch on a track, but then realized he was too out of shape to run down the train, as it moves out of the yard. Thought to be a "coaster", Earl's brother also allowed the throttle to fall to full, so the train is now cruising at 70 mph.

Of course, this is also a day some local kids are getting a train ride back to this station. Rosario is doing her best to inform her dispatcher and her boss as to what is going on. And is pretty much the focal point from this point forward.

Rosario: "Where are you, Frank?"
Denzel: "We just passed milepost number 57."
Rosario "7-7-7 is about three miles away."
Denzel: "Roger that."

Riveting, eh?

I'll take a timeout here to say the movie also tried to make some statements. Silly, as they were. Chris Pine from "Star Trek" comes on as a young buck who gets to work with the old train vet, Denzel, for the day. This causes resentment among the older members, because the kids "are takin' our jobs." As the train is barreling down the countryside, the Chairman of the train company is obviously on the golf course, because no executive actually works, right? And while figuring out what to do, the company's operations chief is more concerned with the bottom line, while a finance guy is only concerned with what an accident will do to the stock. Then they form their rescue plan, which doesn't work. Only about three times.

Meanwhile, Pine and Denzel are taking a train, which Pine conveniently added five cars as a mistake, on the same track toward the runaway. First up is the kiddie train. Of course, they move onto a parallel track in the nick of time. Denzel has to pass up a really easy exit out of harm's way because Pine's mistake won't allow the train to move completely off the track. Of course, they do finally exit in a close call as the runaway clips off one of the last cars on their train.

Then to set up the preposterous last third of the movie, Denzel and Pine decide they are going to chase that runaway, hook their engine up to it, and slowly work their braking magic and save the day. Did I mention they had to go in reverse?

Clearly, this had to be a comedy, as I laughed all the way through it. And I like action movies. I saw "Transporter 3", OK. But this was so inane, I couldn't take it.

By all means, spare the 90 minutes for cable and turn up the surround sound. But don't spend a cent on this garbage and encourage Hollywood to do more of the same.

This is the only spot-on review I could find.

Meal of Links

The Gus Johnson Top 10. "ha-HA."

TSA body scanners are getting the heat. I wonder if "Don't touch my junk" Guy is related to "Don't tase me, bro" Guy. Shocker that Michael Chertoff is involved with the scanner company.

Eva Longoria. Tony Parker. Very confusing.

This could be good. Joel McHale gets to host this year's Independent Spirit Awards.

This week, it's Buck Owens and the Bakersfield sound. "My Heart Skips A Beat" is my favorite record of his.

This guy really hates the dancing of Bristol Palin.

Gotta give it up for Hitch. Still doing the interviews.

Exercise Yard

This story absolutely kills me. You know, the one where the drunk Browns fan tackles the kid wearing the Jets jersey. if true, I'm sure the guy muttered something like, "I'm gonna sack Sanchez."

Wisely, the Dad is staying away from this story.

Visitor

42 Across: Vibraphone virtuoso Lionel (7 letters) Answer: Hampton

"Flying Home"/Lionel Hampton

Did you ever try cooking popcorn with Coconut Oil? How about trying to find it? Anyhow, I had to get my Halloween candy from Target yesterday, mainly because I could get a pack of light bulbs over there for 50 cents (with a coupon) and I had a ton of candy coupons. So, with Giant Eagle right next door, I went over to the 117th Street complex.

After Target, I go to the Iggle and grab a rotisserie chicken and some other provisions and find myself in the oil/cereal aisle. First of all, they have a shitload of corn oil, then canola oil followed by olive oil. I even saw a small amount of peanut oil, then some sunflower oil. So, as I am mesmerized by these oils, a little kid comes by and says, "Excuse me." I thought she wanted to get her cart by, so I move away and she says, "Excuse me." again. And I said, "What do you need?"

I noticed she was with her Mom and two sisters. The mother wearing traditional Muslim garb. The girl, who I gotta say, had a lot of spunk, then asked, "Can you let us know what cereals we can buy? You know, it's kind of a second language thing.", as she gave me the head nod to her Mom who had the food stamps out. OK, now I get it.

I guess they were allowed a box (any box? sugary good ones, too?) up to the 18-oz. size or, at least, that's what their coupon said. I then realized I don't buy a lot of cereal, but those sizes were all at the bottom shelf and I told them to make sure you get the largest box you can, then I saw the WIC sticker and and had the epiphany of what they could buy.

(Later study showed you cannot load up on the Sugar Smacks. They confine you to the likes of Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Life, Special K and Chex. Looks like Grape Nuts got eliminated on the yuk factor for the kids.)

See, not all my trips to the market are bad ones. And I still can refer to myself as "Ambassador".

Meal of Links

Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert Rally



















There was talk of attending the Jon Stewart Rally in DC today. But after watching it on TV today, I'm really glad I didn't go. Truly, this was a made-to-watch-on-TV event. Although the roster of entertainers was good, wow, it kinda skewed old. I would have grumbled quite a bit if I travelled all that way and spent $ on gas and lodging to see Fr. Guido Sarducci.

Favorite Signs:

"Hawaii Birthers For Statehood"
"Sarah Palin Stole My Cane"
"I Masturbate AND I Vote"
"This Sign Mocks Extremists In A Witty And Humorous Manner"
"Bacon IS Good For You!"
"Down With Zippers"
"Colbert For Dicatator"

Clearly, Stephen Colbert had the funniest lines of the day, perhaps by design. When he interrupted Yusuf Islam during "Peace Train" and called him "Joe", I lost it. But, we haven't heard "Peace Train" that much these days and although the bit was funny (Islam with "Peace Train"and Ozzy with "Crazy Train" folded into the O'Jays "Love Train"), it might have been nice to hear the whole thing.

Setlist:

"Thought At Work"/The Roots
"Dear God 2.0"/John Legend and The Roots
"Hard Times"/John Legend and The Roots
"I Can't Write Left-Handed"/John Legend and the Roots
"National Anthem"/Four Troops (a terrific job)

(Note: Stewart takes the stage for the first time and it's 1:00. Colbert joins shortly from his Fear Bunker. Then we hear Fr. Guido Sarducci give the benediction. Skewing old, remember? Seriously, I thought Burl Ives was backstage.)

"Peace Train"/Yusuf Islam
"Crazy Train"/Ozzy Osbourne
"Love Train"/O'Jays

(Note: Like Glenn Beck, both Stewart and Colbert handed out medals. Stewart's went to: Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga, Obama questioner Velma Hart, Wrestler Mick Foley (God, everyone loves Mick!) and Koran saver from the Internet, Jacob Isom. Colbert's went to: All the news organizations who banned their reporters from attending, Anderson Cooper's tight black T-shirt and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg.)

"You Are Not Alone"/Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples
"The Least That I Can Do is Care"/Kid Rock, T.I. and Sheryl Crow
"Peaceful Feeling"/Sheryl Crow
"America the Beautiful"/Tony Bennett (My God, that guy still has it)
"I'll Take You There"/The Cast

And then it's off to start my day.

The Amish. They have electricity.

It's starting already. Yusuf Islam backlash.

WTF? A tribe in the Congo thinks Bryan Ferry is a god. Not like Clapton, like a real god.

Exercise Yard

Little bit late with this, but Joe Pos had a post a while back about 32 great calls. That is, sports announcing calls.

The most striking of the 32, Howard Cosell's absolute excitement in his voice during the George Foreman-Joe Frazier bout, which gave us "Down goes Frazier!". From a time when a Heavyweight Championship Fight captured most of the attention of the sports world.

Visitor

13 Down: Dan Aykroyd's birthplace (6 letters) Answer: Ottawa

The Browns bid adieu to Jerome Harrison today. It's a classic "I'll trade my bad guy for your bad guy" trade. So, the Browns get Mike Bell in return.

Harrison is one of those guys who seemed to be the People's Choice. Many words have been written about him, urging the Browns to use him more. Outside of an unbelievable stretch at the end of last year, he had good results that were few and far between.

This year, it's almost like he was wearing cement shoes. Absolutely no fire and obviously disgruntled, so the Browns got what they could for him under the circumstances.

Let's see how much production he'll get in Philly behind Shady McCoy.

Meal of Links

An adult film star tested positive for HIV. That means studios start going on Operation Shutdown.

You buy a car, there's always that pesky insurance you need. Here are the cars that provide the most and least expensive insurance.

Zach Galifianakis has another "Between Two Ferns" up. This time with Bruce Willis. "Did you know that some actors turn down roles?" Genius.

The most powerful bald men in America. Charles Barkley is Number One.

Chris Dudley. Former Cav. Oregon gubernatorial candidate. Minority?

Another appreciation of Sally Menke.

Confessions of a Bad News Bear. Don't get too excited, it's good, but it's Toby.

Joe Queenan writes about the author, Jimmy Carter. Carter has now written 25 books. Very funny.

Exercise Yard

This is so sad, it's beyond words. Tommie Smith is selling his gold medal.

Visitor

12 Down: Joan of "Knots Landing" (6 letters) Answer: Van Ark

I was over at the Lakewood Winking Lizard today. Mr. Mix threw Mrs. Mix a surprise birthday party. And it actually worked as a surprise. But they had a nice spread on the stage area regarding the food. Fun had by all.

I was there during the Browns game and there were a lot of Steelers fans there. Many other fans, too, because of the Sunday Ticket. But the roars of the Steeler game were overwhelming any Browns action. The Browns didn't have most of my attention, but they won their first game today against the Bengals. Even though the defense was torched by Carson Palmer, who had looked average coming into the game.

Meal of Links

My Dad and I, being the wise horsemen that we are, thought we would see a sneak preview of "Secretariat" at Crocker last night. Unbeknown to us, they stuck it in a smaller basement theater, therefore we arrived after it was sold out. So, making a quick decision, we opted for "The Town".

"The Town" is directed, written and starred by Ben Affleck. Let's take a look at the men in the movie. Chris Cooper (as Affleck's prison-bound father) and Pete Postlethwaite (as a crime lord florist) are pro's pros in their limited screen time. I could not get beyond the "Hey, it's Ben Affleck with a Boston accent" view. Jeremy Renner, as intense as ever, is a solid casting choice. A scuffed up Jon Hamm is dominated in almost all of his scenes by another character even when he should be the dominant one. A fault of the writing, not him.

But the real revelation, once again, is Rebecca Hall as the female lead. I'm telling you, Hall is the most natural actress on screen since a young Sandra Bullock. You never get the sense she is reading her lines, but is actually the character on the screen. She gets to display all the emotions here and does a great job with what is obviously an unbelievable storyline. Clearly, I am smitten.

But the movie is one where the whole is greater than any of the individual pieces/parts. Not a great movie by any means, but entertaining enough to offset the $10.50 I paid to see it.

How Disney is selling "Secretariat".

The 5 most dangerous places in the world. New Orleans is the only US city, with Mogadishu the leader in the clubhouse.

Donald Duck Explains the State of the Nation (with Glenn Beck)



The Best Film Books. By 51 critics.

Watch Andy Kaufman be Alive. Absolutely incredible.

Exercise Yard

A blast at that Canadian institution. "Hockey Night in Canada".

Visitor

None, on a mainly cloudy Sunday.

I had a bottle of Frank's Wing Sauce just sitting around. So, I was on the lookout for a really good chicken wing recipe. I've done wings in the past decently, but wanted to step my game up. Well, Serious Eats did the job with this recipe. OK, science is involved, but they tasted really good.

You can adjust the salt, as the baking powder has to be the key. And I put parchment paper over the rack and poked holes in it, while the rack sits on a foil-lined baking pan.

Like the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together.

Meal of Links

25 strange credit card designs. What's with that EPOS stuff?

Man takes pictures of a water tower. Then fear happens.

Maybe God Doesn't Like Kansas State Football
















Did you know they finally closed the Liberace Museum? Remember him at Wrestlemania? I can't remember if it was at Wrestlemania I, but it was an early one.

Have you have ever heard of Arthur Anderson? He's the voice from the Lucky Charms commercial and has written an autobiography. More importantly, he was the me of "Me and Orson Welles".

When artists lie. Does it affect how their work is viewed?

Exercise Yard

Ken Burns has added a "Tenth Inning" to his "Baseball" series. This has been widely mocked over the years, but I didn't mind hearing about the old days.

The new program details action since 1995. PBS has it Tuesday and Wednesday.

Visitor

16 Across: Foe of Marc Antony (6 letters) Answer: Cicero (Tricky puzzle today)