RIP: Davy Jones

Davy Jones passed away at the age of 66 as a result of a fatal heart attack. He was a singer with The Monkees.

During their 1997 Reunion Tour, they performed at old Cardinal Stadium on July 26, 1997. I was in attendance for that concert, which took place following a Louisville Redbirds game.

He will be missed.

Michael Nesmith released a statement:

All the lovely people. Where do they all come from?

So many lovely and heartfelt messages of condolence and sympathy, I don’t know what to say, except my sincere thank you to all. I share and appreciate your feelings.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

While it is jarring, and sometimes seems unjust, or strange, this transition we call dying and death is a constant in the mortal experience that we know almost nothing about. I am of the mind that it is a transition and I carry with me a certainty of the continuity of existence. While I don’t exactly know what happens in these times, there is an ongoing sense of life that reaches in my mind out far beyond the near horizons of mortality and into the reaches of infinity.

That David has stepped beyond my view causes me the sadness that it does many of you. I will miss him, but I won’t abandon him to mortality. I will think of him as existing within the animating life that insures existence. I will think of him and his family with that gentle regard in spite of all the contrary appearances on the mortal plane.

David’s spirit and soul live well in my heart, among all the lovely people, who remember with me the good times, and the healing times, that were created for so many, including us.

I have fond memories. I wish him safe travels.

Peter Tork also released a statement:

It is with great sadness that I reflect on the sudden passing of my long-time friend and fellow-adventurer, David Jones.

His talent will be much missed; his gifts will be with us always. My deepest sympathy to Jessica and the rest of his family.

Adios, to the Manchester Cowboy.

Peace and love, Peter T.

Mickey Dolenz released a statement:

I am in a state of shock; Davy and I grew up together and shared in the unique success of what became The Monkees phenomena. The time we worked together and had together is something I'll never forget. He was the brother I never had and this leaves a gigantic hole in my heart. The memories have and will last a lifetime. My condolences go out to his family.

84th Annual Academy Award (Oscars) Winners

The 84th Annual Oscar Winners are listed below. The win by Meryl Streep is a reason why there needs to be more diversity amongst Academy voters. She should not have won. That Oscar belongs to Viola Davis.

Billy Crystal gets an A+ for his hosting. A much better go around compared to James Franco and Anne Hathaway.

Actor in a Leading Role: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Actress in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Actress in a Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Animated Feature Film: Rango Gore Verbinski
Art Direction: Hugo, Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
Cinematography: Robert Richardson, Hugo
Costume Design: Mark Bridges, The Artist
Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Documentary (Feature): Undefeated, TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
Documentary (Short Subject): Saving Face, Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Film Editing: Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Foreign Language Film: A Separation Iran
Makeup: Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, The Iron Lady
Music (Original Score): Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Music (Original Song): “Man or Muppet” from The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
Best Picture: The Artist, Thomas Langmann, Producer
Short Film (Animated): The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
Short Film (Live Action): The Shore, Terry George and Oorlagh George
Sound Editing: Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty, Hugo
Sound Mixing: Tom Fleischman and John Midgley, Hugo
Visual Effects: Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning, Hugo
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Writing (Original Screenplay): Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen

You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations by Michael Ian Black

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Gallery Books (February 28, 2018

In You're Not Doing It Right: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations, comedian Michael Ian Black shares his memoir in a comical way, of course.

In 256 pages, readers will learn why he is the way he is. Black hates kids but has two of them with his wife, anyway.

In a comical way, Black shares of how he and his wife went through marriage counseling. Most people usually would not share their most private of private things with others but Black does. It's not the why of why he does it but the how of how he does it. Anyone else would not get away with it but Michael Ian Black does so because of who he is.

Described as "darkly humorous," Michael Ian Black writes his memoir by telling readers of his life with "raw honesty." It's with the "unexpected candor" that Black delves into the issues surrounding his life, such as marriage, sex, death, his late dog, middle school fights, etc.

I enjoyed this book tremendously. As comic memoirs go, I would--yes--rank it higher than last year's best-selling book by Tina Fey. Why? Because Michael Ian Black is not afraid to tell it how it is. I would not even dare say half of what Black tackles in a book, let alone on twitter, facebook, or a blog. But he does. And he does it in a funny kind of way. I wouldn't expect anything less of him.

I've had the pleasure of seeing Black perform twice at the Improv in Louisville. The second time, he told me I had a great name for a comedy writer and that Stella would be touring in the spring.

Grade: A-

Naismith Hall of Fame finalists announced

Candidates for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame have been announced. You can click on the link for more information on players and coaches named as finalists.

First time finalist for the Hoop Hall include: Reggie Miller, Rick Pitino, Bill Fitch and Katrina McClain.

This year’s list includes four first-time finalists: five-time NBA All-Star Reggie Miller, five-time NCAA Final Four coach Rick Pitino, two-time NBA Coach of the Year Bill Fitch and two-time Olympic gold medalist Katrina McClain.  Previous finalists included again this year for consideration are Maurice Cheeks, Bernard King, Dick Motta, Don Nelson, Hank Nichols, Ralph Sampson, Jamaal Wilkes and the All American Red Heads.  The Class of 2012 will be unveiled at the NCAA Final Four in April.

UK connections: Rick Pitino
Boston Celtics connections: Rick Pitino, Bill Fitch, and Don Nelson

As for when we will know how the voting goes:

The Class of 2012 will be announced on Monday, April 2 at a news conference in New Orleans prior to the NCAA’s Men’s Championship game. A finalist needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee for election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2012 will be enshrined during festivities in Springfield, Mass. on Friday, September 7.

84th Annual Academy Award (Oscars) Predictions

My predictions:

Best Picture The Artist
Best Director Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actor George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actress Viola Davis, The Help
Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Original Screenplay Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Best Adapted Screenplay Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, and Nat Faxon, The Descendants
Best Editing The Artist
Best Cinematography The Tree of Life
Best Costume Design The Artist
Best Art Direction Hugo
Best Original Score The Artist
Best Original Song “Man or Muppet,” The Muppets
Best Makeup The Iron Lady
Best Sound Editing Hugo
Best Sound Mixing Hugo
Best Visual Effects Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Foreign-Language Film A Separation
Best Documentary Feature Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Best Animated Feature Rango
Best Animated Short The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Best Live-Action Short The Shore
Best Documentary Short Saving Face

Hopkins interview

Larry Vaught has a nice interview with Cougar Town star Josh Hopkins.

David Williams wins while Kentucky loses

Kentucky's treasury department has lost out on the potential for an increase in revenue. The horse industry, already losing horses, trainers, and breeders to other states with higher purse money, is a loser in this fight.

Christian conservatives, being who they are and forcing their own damn beliefs on everyone else in the damn state, won the battle.

If they hate gambling so damn much, why is it that they haven't gotten rid of the lottery or force Churchill, Keeneland, Turfway and others to go out of business? It's fucking hypocrisy. That's what the fuck this is.

Why don't they stop raffle fundraisers since that's the same fucking thing?

It's fucking bullshit, you stupid assfucks. That's what the fucking hell it is. And why? Because some damn religious Republican thinks that everyone should believe as they fucking do? No. It does not fucking work that way, you stupid asshole.

The entire commonwealth lost the battle. Ohio won. Indiana won. Missouri won. Illinois won. All the Indiana casinos won because Kentuckians have nowhere else to fucking gamble because Frankfort cares more about making sure we get our cold and allergy medicine by prescription? Wait, no. That legislation got withdrawn.

So where the fuck does this fucking leave us? Stuck with fucking assholes who don't fucking care about their fucking jobs. They lost their pride and dignity a long fucking time ago. David Williams will gamble in Indiana but he doesn't want to see you gamble in Kentucky. What a fucking prick!

2012 NCAA Tournament Announcers

Meet your 2012 NCAA Tournament announcers from CBS and Turner Sports.

CBS Sports and Turner Sports today announced their lineup of broadcast teams for the second year of combined coverage of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Once again, Turner Sports and CBS Sports will provide live, full national coverage of the tournament’s 67 games across four national television networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV – as well as across multiple platforms including NCAA March Madness Live.

The tournament tips-off on Tuesday, March 13 and Wednesday, March 14 with the NCAA FIRST FOUR® on truTV. Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr will be courtside calling the action from Dayton, Ohio on March 13, with Tracy Wolfson reporting. Last year, tournament darling VCU advanced from the inaugural FIRST FOUR® to the NCAA Final Four®. The quartet will team up again when the tournament concludes on CBS Sports with the Final Four® and National Championship game live from New Orleans, La. on Saturday, March 31, and Monday, April 2. This marks the second consecutive year Nantz, Kellogg, Kerr and Wolfson will team up to work the Final Four® and National Championship.

Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, along with courtside reporter Lewis Johnson, handle the call for the FIRST FOUR games on Wednesday, March 14.

Following are the announcer pairings for the second and third rounds (Thursday, March 15-Sunday, March 18):

Play-By-Play / Analyst
*Regional Announce TeamsJim Nantz / Clark Kellogg*
Marv Albert / Steve Kerr*
Verne Lundquist / Bill Raftery*
Kevin Harlan / Len Elmore / Reggie Miller*
Ian Eagle / Jim Spanarkel
Brian Anderson / Dan Bonner
Tim Brando / Mike Gminski
Spero Dedes / Bob Wenzel

Tracy Wolfson, Craig Sager, Lesley Visser, Marty Snider, Lewis Johnson, Jaime Maggio and Otis Livingston will serve as courtside reporters throughout the tournament.

Studio CoverageFor the second consecutive year, CBS Sports and Turner Sports will utilize two studios, based in New York and Atlanta, to cover all the tournament action. Studio coverage will again be anchored by Greg Gumbel and Ernie Johnson with Charles Barkley, Greg Anthony and Kenny Smith providing analysis throughout the tournament from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Matt Winer anchors the coverage from Turner Broadcasting’s Atlanta studio and will be joined by Seth Davis and Steve Smith.

During the Regional semi-finals and finals, Gumbel will remain in the New York studio alongside Barkley, Anthony and Kenny Smith, while Johnson will shift to the Atlanta studios to join Davis and Steve Smith.

Studio coverage for the FIRST FOUR® originates from Atlanta and will feature Johnson, Barkley, Anthony, Davis and Kenny Smith on Tuesday with Winer, Davis and Steve Smith providing analysis on Wednesday.

Cinemark plans new Louisville movie theater

Bill Goodykoontz, a critic out of Arizona, had his Oscar picks published but I can't seem to find a link. Locally though, I found a link. His analysis, I feel, is very much spot-on. I prefer Clooney for best actor, though.

Also, 10 Best Picture winners that have excellent replay value.

Cinemark is planning on another movie theater in Louisville!

Cinemark plans to construct a movie theater complex at Mall St. Matthews, said Dee Snyder, marketing manager for mall owner General Growth Properties.

The vacant remainder of a building that used to be a Bacon’s and then a Dillards department store will be torn down and the theater built in its place, Snyder said. The building is now home to Forever 21, which will remain.

Snyder said General Growth recently signed a lease with Cinemark. Details, such as how many screens the theater will have, will be dictated by the permitting process, she said.

“I think it’s great for St. Matthews,” Snyder said, noting that there are no major theaters in the suburban city.

I'm interested in seeing whether this means more indie films coming to Louisville. There are filmgoers out in the East End of town that would prefer not to drive all the way out to Baxter!

2012 WGA Award Winners

This is big in that The Descendants beat Hugo, Moneyball, The Help, and The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. The only difference from the Oscars is that the latter two are replaced by The Ides of March and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

MOTION PICTURES
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen (Sony Pictures Classics)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings (Fox Searchlight)

TELEVISION WINNERS

COMEDY SERIES
Modern Family, Written by Cindy Chupack, Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Carol Leifer, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Brad Walsh, Ilana Wernick, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker (ABC)

EPISODIC COMEDY
“Caught in the Act” (Modern Family), Written by Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman (ABC)

NEW SERIES
Homeland – Written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Gideon Raff, Meredith Stiehm (Showtime)

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL
Cinema Verite – Written by David Seltzer (HBO)

LONG FORM – ADAPTED
Too Big To Fail – Written by Peter Gould, Based on the book written by Andrew Ross Sorkin (HBO)

COMEDY / VARIETY – (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES
The Colbert Report, Writers: Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Dan Guterman, Peter Gwinn, Jay Katsir, Barry Julien, Frank Lesser, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Meredith Scardino, Scott Sherman, Max Werner (Comedy Central)

COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
After the Academy Awards, Head Writers: Gary Greenberg, Molly McNearney; Writers: Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, John N. Huss, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Jonathan Kimmel, Jacob Lentz, Danny Ricker, Richard G. Rosner (ABC)

ANIMATION
“Homer the Father” (The Simpsons), Written by Joel H. Cohen (Fox)

Rogen talks Oscars

Seth Rogen recently talked about the Oscars:

“I’ve got to be honest,” Seth Rogen, this year’s Independent Spirit Awards host, confessed this morning during a conference call with members of the press. “I’m not the most in-tune guy with what is getting nominated and winning awards in general.”[...]

Asked whether he was bothered that the Academy hadn’t recognized 50/50, too, Rogen answered bluntly: “Overall, there are very few moments when the Oscars’ taste intersects directly with my taste, so I don’t consider it a snub. That implies that I assumed it was going to happen. I work under the assumption that generally speaking, my tastes and [those of] the Oscar voters are not the same.”

To prove his point, the actor revealed that he has not yet seen this year’s awards front-runner, The Artist (“It’s one of the ones on my list. I have to watch it before the award show next weekend”) and that he used his Oscar ballot to vote for a very dark horse.

“I honestly thought that Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was one of the best movies of the year,” he said. “It got no love from the awards whatsoever. I loved that fucking movie. It was great. . . . I’m an Oscar voter. I voted for it.”

Aykroyd gives Ghostbusters 3 update

Dan Aykroyd gave an update to Empire Online with regards to Ghostbusters 3. There's talking of Jack Ryan-ing the role of Peter Venkman (played by Bill Murray).

[Talking about the reclusive Rick Moranis] "If we can get the script to Ghostbusters 3 right, then it would definitely have Moranis as a major component. None of us would want to do the movie without having him as a participant."

Even more intriguingly, Aykroyd hinted that Bill Murray may not return as Peter Venkman, and that the character could be played by a different actor, a la Jack Ryan.

[Talking about Ghostbusters 3 generally] "The script must be perfect. We cannot release a film that is any less than that. We have more work to do."

Vague, granted, but there you go. As for the internet rumour that Murray recently shredded a Ghostbusters 3 script and sent it back with a note that said, "No-one wants to pay money to see fat, old men chasing ghosts", Aykroyd denied it with vigour.

"Bill Murray is not capable of such behaviour. This is simply something that would not be in his nature. We have a deep, private personal relationship that transcends business. We communicate frequently and his position on the involvement in Ghostbusters 3 has been made clear and I respect that. But Bill has too much positive estimation of my writing skills to shred the work."

Paul McCartney

If you have to fucking ask just who Paul McCartney is, please delete your twitter account.

Learn how to Google or read Wikipedia.

Macca is one of the greatest songwriters and bass players of all fucking time.

Buzzfeed

That's not pretty...

Thomas Friedman:

WATCHING the Republican Party struggling to agree on a presidential candidate, one wonders whether the G.O.P. shouldn’t just sit this election out — just give 2012 a pass.[...]

You know how in Scrabble sometimes you look at your seven letters and you’ve got only vowels that spell nothing? What do you do? You go back to the pile. You throw your letters back and hope to pick up better ones to work with. That’s what Republican primary voters seem to be doing. They just keep going back to the pile but still coming up with only vowels that spell nothing.

The Hunger Pains: A Parody by the Harvard Lampoon

Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (February 7, 2012)

The Harvard Lampoon is at it again. Scene-for-scene, the Lampoon parodies the bestselling book, The Hunger Games in a "hilarious send-up of the immensely popular dystopian young adult novel."

Some of the character names were changed to names that were really funny. Caesar becomes Jaesar Lenoman and yes, his monologue jokes are as horrible as Leno's--interview style as well. Effie--she's now Effu Poorpeople. Haywood becomes Buttitch Totalapathy. Katniss and Peeta are the only characters that really have names that hold true to their counterparts in the trilogy. They are now Kantkiss Neverclean and Pita Malarkey.

In the parody, we actually get to hear some of the dialogue that the people in the hovercraft are saying. Also, there are still mutations. It still makes for a fun parody.

If you enjoyed Suzanne Collins' books, I think you will laugh at the send-up.

Grade: A

Washington Nationals commit baseball sin

I agree with Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, Jr..

Excerpt from his statement:

Annually, Phillies fans from Pennsylvania and around the region have packed Nationals’ stadium when their team plays in Washington. Recently, the Nationals announced a new gimmick to keep Phillies fans out. According to recent reports about the plan, tickets to Phillies/Nationals games in DC would first be made available to credit card holders from Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia – effectively limiting and potentially eliminating opportunities for Pennsylvania fans to purchase tickets.

Here's the full text of his letter to Theodore Lerner, the principal owner of the Washington Nationals. This policy is fucking bullshit. I could understand a college limiting the tickets that the opponent gets for their fans but a MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL team?!? Surely, you must be fucking kidding?!?

Theodore N. Lerner
Managing Principal Owner
Washington Nationals
Nationals Park
1500 South Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Dear Mr. Lerner,

I write regarding the recently announced “Take Back the Park” ticket policy at Washington Nationals Park and to respectfully request its elimination. I am concerned that dedicated Philadelphia Phillies fans will be unfairly denied access to games when their team plays against the Nationals.

It has come to my attention that residents of Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland have been given special priority access to tickets sales on the dates in May when the Nationals and the Phillies compete. According to the team’s website, only credit card billing addresses from these two states and the District of Columbia will be processed for the presale, effectively blocking thousands of Phillies fans who root for their team by visiting Nationals Park. I appreciate the desire to enjoy a home field advantage, but this unprecedented policy solely and unfairly targets Phillies fans.

As the Nation’s capital, Washington DC uniquely plays host to visitors from across the country. In addition to the fans who visit exclusively for Phillies games, tourists from the Commonwealth who hope to include a game on their Washington, DC itinerary could be blocked from attendance. In the spirit of good sportsmanship and healthy competition, I urge you to reconsider the policy and immediately allow Phillies fans equal access to ticket sales at Nationals Park.

Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senator

cc: Allan H. Selig, Commissioner, Major League Baseball
cc: Andrew Feffer, Chief Operating Officer, Washington Nationals

Bossypants by Tina Fey: Book Review

Publisher: Reagan Arthur / Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (January 3, 2012)
Pages: 304

Tina Fey delivers a comic memoir that is hilarious from start to finish.

We travel back through time with her as she shares what it was like growing up in Pennsylvania, going to college, what it was like to live in Chicago, and of course, life in New York.

Fey writes comically about her cruise ship honeymoon and how nobody even recognized her even though she had been on Weekend Update for two years. We get a take for what it is like to either write or act on Saturday Night Live. The late nights, the rewrites, etc.

We find out what actually led Fey to appear on SNL as Sarah Palin. I remember those episodes. Apparently, it was the same weekend that Oprah was shooting scenes for 30 Rock and they were also throwing a birthday party for Alice. Talk about a big weekend for Fey!

Or whether it was her first job in Chicago working at a YMCA and being so happy to be hired by the Second City National Touring Company and never looking back.

Fey writes about 30 Rock and how NBC paid her to just think of ideas. Before the rewrites, she wrote Alec Baldwin as a conservative Republican. Think about it. Playing against type is what got Baldwin all these Emmy victories! Having Lorne Michaels producing the show is what mainly led Baldwin to play Jack Donaghy.

All in all, it's a fun read and I recommend Bossypants without reservation.

Movie news...

Deadline talks to Rachael Horovitz and Michael De Luca about Moneyball's film adaptation.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is moving behind the camera for his first directorial gig.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt will make his feature directing debut on an untitled comedy he’ll star in with Scarlett Johansson.[...]

While Gordon-Levitt would not give up too many details, I got this much: the film is a sexy comedy about about a modern-day Don Juan, and his quest to become less of a “selfish dick.” He plays that character, and there is another female lead role that will be filled shortly.

Greg Daniels is lining up some lead cast members for the NBC pilot, Friday Night Dinner.

mmy winners Allison Janney and Tony Shalhoub are finalizing deals to star in Greg Daniels’ NBC comedy pilot Friday Night Dinner. The single-camera project, based on the British format, centers on a quirky family that has dinner together every Friday night. Janney will play Barbara and Shalhoub will play Gene, the matriarch and patriarch of the family.

I just hope they keep the Jewish aspect of the series.

Finally, in sports news, Gary Parrish informs us that Josh Pastner's job is going to get a bit harder.

Bill Adkins files for KY-4

Bill Adkins has filed to run for Congress as a Democrat in Kentucky's 4th District.

A victory for Kathy Stein!

A Kentucky judge struck down the General Assembly's recent redistricting plan. This is not only a victory for Kathy Stein but for Western Kentucky as well.

A judge struck down the legislative redistricting plan as unconstitutional Tuesday and ordered the 2012 elections to be run in the districts that have been in place for the last decade — unless the House and Senate can pass bills that meet constitutional muster.

“The court … concludes that the redistricting cure of House Bill 1 is worse than the malapportionment disease that it is legally required to remedy, at least for two years,” Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd wrote.[...]

e said there is “no controlling case law” to determine if the legislature violated the constitution when it switched numbers on two Senate districts and effectively disenfranchised more than 100,000 Fayette County residents for the next two years. But he said it needs “full adjudication.”

Shepherd pushed the deadline to file for office back until 4 p.m. Friday.

Sen. Kathy Stein, the Lexington Democrat who was effectively prohibited from running for re-election this year, said the disenfranchisement of her constituents under the House-Senate plan “does not comport with democracy.” She flashed the “thumb’s up” sign to supporters after hearing of the ruling.

Stein said she’s resigned to the likelihood that she will be redistricted out of office under any new plan, but will consider it a victory if Fayette County isn’t represented by someone outside of the county.

Clint Eastwood on Chrysler Ad

Clint Eastwood spoke to FOX News about the Chrysler ad. His comments are below:

I just want to say that the spin stops with you guys, and there is no spin in that ad. On this I am certain.

I am certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama. It was meant to be a message about just about job growth and the spirit of America. I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was OK.

I am not supporting any politician at this time.

Chrysler to their credit didn’t even have cars in the ad.

Anything they gave me for it went for charity.

If any Obama or any other politician wants to run with the spirit of that ad, go for it.

Giants win Super Bowl 46

Manning wins second:

NFL players share bonds in a unique fraternity. Brothers share an even tighter one. Eli is five years younger than Peyton, and they have an NFL lineage that includes father, Archie. When asked about having bragging rights on his older brother who won the MVP award when Indianapolis topped Chicago in Super Bowl XLI, the two-time Giants MVP stressed team accomplishments are more important than a sibling connection.

“This isn’t about bragging rights. This is a lot bigger,” said Manning. “This is about a team, an organization being named world champions, and that was the ultimate goal. That’s the only thing that’s important, is the team finding a way to get a victory. That’s the only thing I care about and Peyton and I both know that’s what the goal is every year. It’s not about anything else.”

The victory was gained in dramatic fashion on the late-game march. The drive started with a 38-yard connection from Manning to wide receiver Mario Manningham, a play that will be remembered as one of the most noteworthy in Super Bowl history. On Monday, Manning relived that moment and the drive.

Commissioner Roger Goodell praised Indianapolis.

At the final Super Bowl press conference on Monday that honored Giants Head Coach Tom Coughlin and MVP Eli Manning, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke again of the outstanding efforts by so many local individuals and entities.

“Let me start by thanking the people of Indianapolis, starting with Jim Irsay and the Colts organization for pursuing the Super Bowl here in Indianapolis and their great leadership,” said Goodell. “The people did a fantastic job here, from the Super Bowl Host Committee to all the volunteers, to the leadership starting with Governor (Mitch) Daniels, Mayor (Greg) Ballard.

“We can’t say enough about the tremendous work that everybody did. I see (Host Committee Chairman) Mark (Miles) over here with the Super Bowl Host Committee. It was just an extraordinary effort and a great event, so we thank you all for a great week and a tremendous Super Bowl.”

Even Cris Collinsworth is satisfied with Lucas Oil Stadium.

“I’m thrilled it’s in Indianapolis,” said Collinsworth. “It was a two-hour drive for me. I don’t have to battle the airport on Monday morning. Even if you’re in Los Angeles or Miami, it’s an absolute zoo the day after the Super Bowl. I will get in the car and drive home.

“We’ve talked that Indianapolis (leaders) really intelligently designed this place to host big events. I came here for the Final Four when Butler lost to Duke on the last-second miss. It’s probably a good thing (the ball didn’t go in). That probably would have torn down the new stadium (Lucas Oil Stadium) if the ball had gone in from mid-court. Now, coming back for the Super Bowl, the city does a great job with big events. I love seeing a Midwestern city getting the chance to host a Super Bowl. I’m sure they will do an outstanding job.”

Collinsworth is enamored of the atmosphere Indianapolis provides, as well as for the amenities that has made this the 14th different site to hold a Super Bowl.

“The compact nature will add to the atmosphere,” said Collinsworth. “I know the Patriots are (practicing) at the Colts’ facility. The Giants are (somewhere else). It’s pretty amazing the city has so many world-class venues for these teams to practice within such a small area.

Well, crap

Of course, Jerry Tipton has to be the one to break the news. Seriously, why does he have to fucking rain on someone's parade.

LHL:

eague rules limit CBS to only five Kentucky games, two of which must be in the non-conference portion of the schedule. This season, CBS picked UK games against North Carolina and Louisville. As for next season, Aresco said the word in TV circles is that Kentucky will not play North Carolina. So CBS plans to select UK games against Louisville and Indiana.

I'm slacking off here...

A 30 year timeline of Judd Apatow's career.

I'm with Judd Apatow on having a best comedy category at the Oscars. The critcs' choice has a category. The Golden Globes have it, and they always butcher it, so why not the Oscars?

After all, Apatow argued, animated features have been separated into their own category. “It doesn’t seem like it’s screwing up Schindler’s List for Hangover to have its own category,” he said. “Since comedies are rarely up for Oscars, it does make sense to have a comedy category. It would just add more fun categories.”

Seth Rogen, while doing press junkets for 50/50, said he forgave Katherine Heigl for her negative comments regarding Knocked Up. No comments on her past few box office flops.

Judd will be recieving a special WGA award.

Kristen Wiig will honor her Bridesmaids producer Judd Apatow with the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy at the Writers Guild of America awards in New York City, the east coast wing of the WGA announced today. The award is named after the veteran TV writer (The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Saturday Night Live, The Dennis Miller Show) who was president of the WGA, East for 14 years.