Shailene Woodley: Breakout Star

If you saw The Descendants this weekend, you saw one hell of a performance by actress Shailene Woodley, who just turned 20 this past month.

USA Today profiled her.

At year's end, when studios launch their best hopes for Oscar attention, there usually is one or two Cinderellas poised to step into the lead or supporting-actress category.

It might be Woodley's turn, thanks to her knockout performance as Alex, a recovering addict whose profanity-laced resentment toward her distant dad gradually shifts to respect after her mother falls into a coma.

"She really elevates that role from a stereotype," Clooney says with paternal pride of his movie daughter, who has been acting on TV since she was 5. "You can write and direct it. But at the end of the day, someone has to play it." The scene that grabs 'em every time: Alex's breakdown in a pool after being told tragic news. "She cries underwater," marvels the actor.

A Thanksgiving Message - 2011 Edition

May you have a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving.

On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my family and friends. Times have been rough, more so these past three years than possibly ever before. Those friends have come through for me in more ways than they could possibly imagine and for that, I'm grateful.

I am thankful for my great-grandparents getting out of Europe and Russia before the war started.

I am thankful for my public school education, although the state of Kentucky has a lot of work to do. The education system in this state needs work. Teachers need to teach, not show the movie Forrest Gump on a rainy day because they don't want to deal with students. No excuse for having seen that movie five times while in the public school system, especially when it had nothing to do with the curriculum. Seriously, teachers. Get with it. A history class? Sure. Other classes, no way.

I am thankful to those of you who have forgiven me for doing that which will not be mentioned, although it gave me my first fifteen minutes of fame. If you don't know what I am talking about here, please message me appropriately. Strike that. In 2009, I was told by a friend of mine that used to be on mainstage at Second City that he loved it. These guys know what they are talking about. They do this for a living. It makes up for all the death threats that I recieved, whether those were done in a joking manner or not.

I am thankful for our troops serving us overseas even if I disagree with why we went over there in the first place, except for Afghanistan which was justified.

I am thankful to be living in a free country which allows the freedom of religion. On that note, especially this year, I am thankful for the Anshe Sholom community for their warm welcome following my move from Kentucky to Chicago in 2008. And their warm welcome each and every time that I go back to visit until I can get back their for good.

I am thankful for the Jewish comedians of the vaudeville and Borscht Belt eras for paving the way for comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Jon Stewart.

I am thankful for President Bush for providing so much comedic material along with Sarah Palin as well. She's self-destructing when she doesn't realize it.

I am thankful that shows like The Daily Show, Conan, The Late Show with David Letterman, Saturday Night Live, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, CSI: NY, Modern Family, Community, Parks and Recreation, The Office, 30 Rock, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory, Last Man Standing, Revenge, The New Girl, and The Colbert Report were approved by the networks so that I have television to enjoy.

I am thankful for the writing room of Caesar's Hour, considered to be the smartest and funniest room since Thomas Jefferson dined alone at the White House.

I am thankful for all my friends in the improv and sketch comedy scene, be it in Chicago, New York, or LA.

Last but not least, I am thankful that my first book, Turn That $#!+ Off! has finally been published. It's on sale via CreateSpace, Amazon, and Amazon Kindle as of now.

Classic!

George C. Scott watched the Jack and Jill trailer with Adam Sandler. My thoughts exactly, George.

OVC rejects NKU

The Ohio Valley Conference has rejected Northern Kentucky University due to the lack of a college football program.

Earlier this year, when the news broke, I mentioned that the Horizon League would make the best sense for the school.

It's live!

Turn That $#!+ Off! is now live. You can already purchase the 190 page trade paperback at the CreateSpace Store.

In addition to Create Space, which I HIGHLY RECOMMEND, you can buy via Amazon now.

The Book is finished

More to come on this of course but Turn That $#!+ Off! is now finished. Joe Sonka of Barefoot and Progressive wrote the foreward with less than 24 hours notice, no less.

This book is a series of comical rants and ramblings on politics, sports, entertainment, and life in general. Plus, some oldies but goodies are thrown in.

Cardinals hire Mike Matheny as next manager

It will take some time getting used to referring to Mike Matheny as the newest Cardinals' manager but that's what he is.

The Cardinals announced it this evening and will be hosting a press conference at 11 central.

Former Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny manager will become the team's new manager, the club announced Sunday evening.

He will be introduced at a Busch Stadium news conference on Monday at 11 a.m. CT.

Here's to the very best of wishes for next season.

Crit's future

As Adam Edelen prepares to fill in some really huge shoes, State Auditor Crit Luellen shares her plans with Tom Eblen.

sked what advice she would give her successor, Luallen said Edelen should surround himself with an outstanding professional staff, as she has done. Also, she said, "Never let political considerations or personal relationships color your decisions in this job."

Luallen thinks she accomplished that, despite the fact that many audits had political implications or involved people she had known for years, if not decades. "I can't think of a single thing we did that was not carefully grounded in the facts," she said.

As for her future, Luallen, 59, said she plans to seek elected office again but hasn't decided which one. She has been mentioned as a challenger to U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2014 or a future candidate for governor. "I'll be looking at all of my options," she said.

After leaving the auditor's office next month, Luallen said she plans to take a break to travel and spend time with her husband, Lynn, and their large extended family.

"My husband is a big advocate for me taking a break," she said. "We're negotiating on how long the break is. He's thinking maybe a year. I'm thinking maybe 15 minutes."

New Kentucky Colonels book published

While I have not had a chance to read the book, Mark Story has an interview with Lloyd "Pink" Gardner, author of The Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association: The Real Story of a Team Left Behind alongside Gary West.

Here's one tidbit of what might be had Dan Issel not been traded:

Q: After winning the ABA title in 1975, the Colonels traded Dan Issel in a cost-cutting move that did not go down well with fans. If that trade hadn't happened, would the Colonels be in the NBA now?

A: The phones rang off the hooks with people canceling season tickets because we'd gotten rid of Dan Issel. In my opinion, if we hadn't traded Dan, we would be in the NBA today.

Q: If the NBA came to Louisville now, would it work?

A: In 1975, both U of L and UK were in the Final Four and the Colonels won the (ABA) championship. So they all were surviving.

Could pro basketball survive (in Kentucky) today with the salaries? Who knows? I certainly would have liked to see it.

Gary West was the former daily sports editor with The Kentucky Kernal.

RIP Andy Rooney

Andy Rooney passed away at the age of 92. May he rest in peace.

Shame on you, Howard Fineman!

Howard Finemahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifn made a big mistake in an article for The Huffington Post. He chose to treat Jonathan Miller like "chopped liver."

And then there is the charm factor. [Governor Steve] Beshear is a good ol’ boy of the old school, the kind of guy you’d see at the lunch counter. [Running mate Jerry] Abramson — who would be the first Jew elected to statewide office in Kentucky — looks like a prosperous, well-barbered guy in the good seats at the ballgame, but he’s just as gregarious, and he’s traveling the state from Pikeville to Paducah to talk about the jobs he has managed to bring to the Louisville area. (Emphais added)

Shame on Fineman.