The Kentucky Democrat

Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games, and Oscar

2012-01-30T19:42:00.003-05:00

The Hunger Games director Gary Ross believes that Jennifer Lawrence's performance at Katniss Everdeen is strong enough to be worthy of an Oscar nomination.

“The range in this performance, the emotional terrain that she investigates, the demands of what this role are,” he raves of Lawrence’s portrayal of series heroine Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old forced alongside other children into a televised fight-to-the-death. “It’s such an intensely physical role and an emotional one. She carries the entire movie. To be able to do that at that age is so kind of incredible that I was in a little bit of awe. Do I think she should be nominated? Absolutely."

Art houses

2012-01-30T19:36:00.003-05:00

Indie filmmakers tend to have their films play at art houses more than the mainstream cinemas. I know. I've seen a large number of films across the city in Louisville when I could drive just 2-5 minutes away to see something at Cinemark.

David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson looks at the future of the Art House.

18th Annual SAG Awards Winners

2012-01-29T22:56:00.002-05:00

It was a big win for The Help tonight over Oscar favorite The Artist. But if you recall, in January 2010, Inglorious Basterds took home best cast. However, George Clooney was getting a clean sweep through awards season for his role as Matt King in The Descendants. It is hard to say whether a loss in the SAG Awards will help or hurt his chances...the only difference is that Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated instead of Gary Oldman for SAG.

Best Cast, Motion Picture The Help

Best Actress, Motion Picture Viola Davis, The Help

Best Actor, Motion Picture Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Cast, TV Drama Boardwalk Empire

Best Actor, TV Drama Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Best Actress, TV Drama Jessica Lange, American Horror Story

Best Actor, Miniseries or TV Movie Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail

Best Actress, Miniseries or TV Movie Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Best Cast, TV Comedy Modern Family

Best Actress, TV Comedy Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

Best Actor, TV Comedy Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Supporting Actor, Motion Picture Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Stunt Ensemble, Film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Stunt Ensemble, TV Game of Thrones

Support booksellers

2012-01-29T19:41:00.003-05:00

In addition to Amazon.com for your one-stop shopping needs, booksellers need your help now, perhaps more than ever before.

Barnes and Noble, perhaps, is on its last stand.

THESE are trying times for almost everyone in the book business. Since 2002, the United States has lost roughly 500 independent bookstores — nearly one out of five. About 650 bookstores vanished when Borders went out of business last year.

No wonder that some New York publishers have gone so far as to sketch out what the industry might look like without Barnes & Noble. It’s not a happy thought for them: Certainly, there would be fewer places to sell books. Independents account for less than 10 percent of business, and Target, Walmart and the like carry far smaller selections than traditional bookstores.

Without Barnes & Noble, the publishers’ marketing proposition crumbles. The idea that publishers can spot, mold and publicize new talent, then get someone to buy books at prices that actually makes economic sense, suddenly seems a reach. Marketing books via Twitter, and relying on reviews, advertising and perhaps an appearance on the “Today” show doesn’t sound like a winning plan.

What publishers count on from bookstores is the browsing effect. Surveys indicate that only a third of the people who step into a bookstore and walk out with a book actually arrived with the specific desire to buy one.

“That display space they have in the store is really one of the most valuable places that exists in this country for communicating to the consumer that a book is a big deal,” said Madeline McIntosh, president of sales, operations and digital for Random House.

What’s more, sales of older books — the so-called backlist, which has traditionally accounted for anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of the average big publisher’s sales — would suffer terribly.

Seth Rogen talks 50/50 snub

2012-01-26T09:13:00.002-05:00

Seth Rogen talked about 50/50 being snubbed by the Academy.

Yesterday when the Academy announced this year’s nominees, it tellingly avoided giving comedy blockbuster Bridesmaids that 10th Best Picture slot in favor of a Supporting Actress nod for Melissa McCarthy and one for Original Screenplay, while the touching, poignant, critically adored 50/50 was left completely shut out. Actually, 50/50's producer-star Seth Rogen predicted just such a snub when his film’s Oscar potential was first discussed back in September. “I know for a fact that some people are appalled by the movie,” Rogen told EW.[...]

50/50 was nominated for Best Comedy/Musical at the Golden Globes, and Reiser won the National Board of Review’s award for Best Original Screenplay. But the film was completely snubbed at the Oscars, where Reiser was thought to have a good shot at landing a Best Original Screenplay nod.

Reiser was nominated for original screenplay by the WGA as well.

My thoughts on the Oscar snubs

2012-01-24T18:03:00.001-05:00

The morning that the Oscar nominations are announced are one of the times of year that I look forward to. It’s tied with Selection Sunday. Why is that? Because the nominations are chosen by people within the industry.

Sometimes, like today, they don’t get it right. Other times, there are just so many great fucking performances that there just are not enough slots to be able to award everyone with a nomination.
Shailene Woodley was one such actress. Her performance in The Descendants was received with rave reviews but sadly, she was snubbed of a nomination.

In the category of best actor, both Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender were snubbed. Gosling and Fassbender opened many films in the calendar year. Gosling should have been nominated for his performance in Drive or The Ides of March. Fassbender was though to be a fucking shoe-in for his performance as a sex addict in Shame. Did the NC-17 factor turn off some votes? I don’t know.

Disney was shut out of animation this year. They released Cars 2, which was only made for the toys and shit, but Winnie the Pooh was snubbed?!? Come on, voters!

Only two songs, out of all eligible songs were nominated. The Muppets are the de facto winner even with one song making the final cut. Time to change the rules, music branch.

Both Original and Adapted screenplay saw snubs with not including 50/50, Win Win, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, or The Help. Win Win would have gotten some better recognition had the film been released in the 3rd or 4th quarter of the year.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was nominated, or as most folks are calling it Extremely Awful and Incredibly Shitty. When you take into account Rotten Tomatoes, this is the worst fucking film of all time to have ever received a nomination for Best Picture. The Stephen Daldry Effect? Maybe. This film could very well see both an Oscar nomination for best picture AND a Razzie nomination for Worst Picture. Now, wouldn’t that be something!

84th Annual Academy Award Nominations

2012-01-24T17:46:00.004-05:00

Here is the complete list of nominees for 84th Academy Awards (Oscar) ceremony.

Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Animated Feature Film
A Cat in Paris Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
Chico & Rita Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
Kung Fu Panda 2 Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Puss in Boots Chris Miller
Rango Gore Verbinski

Art Direction
The Artist, Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
Hugo, Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
Midnight in Paris, Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
War Horse, Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography
Guillaume Schiffman, The Artist
Jeff Cronenweth, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
Janusz Kaminski, War Horse

Costume Design
Lisy Christl, Anonymous
Mark Bridges, The Artist
Sandy Powell, Hugo
Michael O'Connor, Jane Eyre
Arianne Phillips, W.E.

Directing
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Documentary (Feature)
Hell and Back Again, Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Pina, Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
Undefeated, TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement, Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
God Is the Bigger Elvis, Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
Incident in New Baghdad, James Spione
Saving Face, Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

Film Editing
Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Kevin Tent, The Descendants
Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Thelma Schoonmaker, Hugo
Christopher Tellefsen, Moneyball

Foreign Language Film
Bullhead Belgium
Footnote Israel
In Darkness Poland
Monsieur Lazhar Canada
A Separation Iran

Makeup
Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle, Albert Nobbs
Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, The Iron Lady

Music (Original Score)
John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Howard Shore, Hugo
Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
John Williams, War Horse

Music (Original Song)
“Man or Muppet” from The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett

Best Picture
The Artist, Thomas Langmann, Producer
The Descendants, Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Scott Rudin, Producer
The Help, Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
Hugo, Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
Midnight in Paris, Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
Moneyball, Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
The Tree of Life, Nominees to be determined
War Horse, Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Short Film (Animated)
Dimanche/Sunday, Patrick Doyon
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
La Luna, Enrico Casarosa
A Morning Stroll, Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
Wild Life, Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)
Pentecost, Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
Raju, Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
The Shore, Terry George and Oorlagh George
Time Freak ,Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
Tuba Atlantic, Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing
Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis, Drive
Ren Klyce, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty, Hugo
Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom, War Horse

Sound Mixing
David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Tom Fleischman and John Midgley, Hugo
Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick, Moneyball
Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson, War Horse

Visual Effects
Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning, Hugo
Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg, Real Steel
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier, Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan
The Ides of March, Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Artist, Written by Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
Margin Call, Written by J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen
A Separation, Written by Asghar Farhadi

8

2012-01-24T17:46:00.001-05:00

Rand Paul detained

2012-01-23T18:15:00.002-05:00

Rand Paul was alledgedly detained by the TSA today.

The Kentucky senator triggered an alarm during routine airport screening and declined to finish the process, said a TSA official, but was “not detained at any point.” A targeted pat-down is usually used to address the alarm.

“Passengers, as in this case, who refuse to comply with security procedures are denied access to the secure gate area. He was escorted out of the screening area by local law enforcement,” the official said.

When I flew back from Midway last year, one time I went through the body scanner AND got patted down. The second time? Just went through the scanner and no pat down.

Bachelorette

2012-01-23T18:11:00.002-05:00

Adam McKay and Will Ferrell produced Bachelorette, which debuts this week at Sundance.

Here's a brief synopsis of the film written and directed by Leslye Headland:

Regan is used to being first at everything. Imagine her horror and chagrin when she finds out the girl everyone called Pig Face in high school is going to tie the knot before she does! But Regan sucks it up and takes on bridesmaid duties along with her childhood pals: substance-abusing, promiscuous Gena and ditzy Katie. The single ladies are determined to put their bitterness aside and have an awesomely hedonistic bachelorette party. Armed with acerbic wit and seemingly endless supplies of coke and booze, the foul-mouthed femmes embark on one very long and emotional night filled with major wedding-dress panic, various bodily fluids, and cute ex-boyfriends.

The film has an impressive cast, too, starring Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, James Marsden, Adam Scott, and Kyle Bornheimer.

Book Review: Lunatics

2012-01-22T00:14:00.004-05:00

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (January 10, 2012)

I have not laughed this hard since I watched Bridesmaids. Let me repeat. I have not laughed this hard at ANYTHING since watching Bridesmaids.

Abbott and Costello. Laurel and Hardy. Hope and Crosby. Martin and Lewis. Matthau and Lemmon. Belushi and Aykroyd. Farley and Spade. Now comes the buddy comedy team of Horkman and Peckerman.

What happens when humor writer Dave Barry writes a book with former Saturday Night Live writer Alan Zweibel? The answer: a shitload of hilarious fun that requires the presence of food to stay no more than 20 feet away. Do you want the book to be spit on? I didn't think so.

Lunatics is described as "an outrageous, laugh-your-butt off comic masterpiece of our time" and tackles issues that very well could have been inspired by 2011's Arab Spring as both Phillip Horkman and Jeffrey Peckerman find themselves being wanted for shooting a police officer on the George Washington Bridge, sneak onto a clothing-optional cruise ship, overthrow the Cuban government, bring food to Somolia, tackle the Middle East conflict, before bringing democracy to China, and urinating on Sarah Palin. It's not just that they do all those things but in the way that they just somehow happen to be there at the right time and still feuding with each other no matter the cost.

Steve Carell is already attached to star in the movie adaptation as Phillip Horkman. For some reason, I forgot that and was reading the Jeffrey Peckerman character in my head with Carell's voice. Oh, well. It does not make a difference who he plays because if the film is done right, and I expect that it will be, it will be one of Carell's finest films by far.

Zweibel writes the character of Horkman while co-author Dave Barry pens the chapters that come from Jeffrey Peckerman's point of view. Barry describes the character of Horkman as "a big, loveable, well-meaning dork" whereas Zweibel describes Peckerman as "a loud, offensively vile creature...in other words: Mel Gibson."

Phillip Horkman is a soccer referee and owner of The Wine Shop, which, to Peckerman's dismay, does not actually sell wine but instead, sells pets. Lots and lots of pets. A few days before, Peckerman, a forensic plumber, was upset with Horkman as his 10 year old daughter is called offsides. He feuds. The action begins.

The fight between Horkman and Peckerman escalate as they soon find themselves on the run and being hunted down by the NYPD and government for being terrorists. The rest is history for America's Most Wanted Terrorists.

Throughout the book, we get NBC News reports from Brian Williams. Williams, the funniest anchor in years, should have the comic chops to play himself in the film. More so, both Williams and Tom Brokaw cover this year's GOP convention which leads to more, promised hilarity as the GOP is at a stalemate over a presidential nominee. It gets worse. After Horkman recieves the GOP nomination, Peckerman is nominated by the Democratic Party.

Horkman and Peckerman have this ability, uncanny as it seems, to show up at the right place at the right time. In doing so, they become worldwide heroes.

Grade: A+

If you want to laugh your pants off, go read this book. Stop reading this blog right now and go read this book.

Why the KDP will never get my money...

2012-01-21T23:45:00.002-05:00

Since Steve Beshear signed the redistricting plans into law and could not stand up to David Williams, then the Kentucky Democratic Party will never get any of my money ever again. If KY allowed independents to vote in primaries, I'd have switched a long time ago. But no, Beshear is gutless and has no fucking spine at all.

Go read a piece at Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.

he House, Senate, and Gov Beshear have passed re-districting plans that are vindictive against specific lawmakers, leave at least one incumbent lawmaker without a district to run for re-election, give constituents in another district a new senator who lives halfway across the state from the district he will now represent, and creates very oddly shaped districts that unnecessarily divide coherent communities and constituencies.

For example, Lexington's own Sen. Kathy Stein (a sponsor of KFTC’s Stream Saver Bill in the Senate), who has represented her constituents in either the House or Senate since 1997, will have the Lexington district she now represents moved to northern Kentucky. The western Kentucky district now represented by Sen. Dorsey Ridley – 200 miles away – will be moved to Lexington.

This leaves many in Lexington without an effective Senator who understands this community for the next 2 years.

A fucking shame and a digrace to Kentucky voters. Especially to those of us who voted Steve Beshear into office.

Steve Beshear does it again

2012-01-20T12:58:00.002-05:00

A sad day has already gone to a shitty day.

Steve Beshear decided to send a "FUCK YOU" to all of us who voted for him when he decided to sign HB 1 and thus kicking State Senator Kathy Stein out of the Senate. This is not just a loss for the Lexington district she represents (they will be represented by a Western Kentucky Democrat who represents an area closer to Evansville than Lexington) but for the Democratic caucus in the State Senate.

It's already been a shitty day with the death of a friend, and then the news that Etta James died after a battle with cancer and dementia, but this is just the nail in the fucking coffin on Beshear's dwindling reputation amongst Kentucky Democrats.

At least if Jonathan Miller didn't pull out of the race, the only thing we'd be afraid of right now is Tim Tebow being named an honorary Kentucky Colonel. Miller would not have signed that bill. You can trust me on that.

In Colts news...

2012-01-20T09:16:00.003-05:00

CBS Sports writer Gregg Doyel writes that the head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts is the best one on the market because of the franchise quarterback factor.

Colts owner Jim Irsay made even more changes as he fired 8 assistant coaches.

Among the eight assistant coaches let go Thursday were defensive line coach John Teerlinck and his son, Bill; Frank Reich, the onetime quarterbacks coach who coached the receivers this season, and longtime conditioning coach Jon Torine. Linebackers coach Mike Murphy, who served on the staffs of Jim Mora, Tony Dungy and Caldwell and was promoted to defensive coordinator in late November, decided to retire after 27 seasons on the NFL sideline.

That's not all.

Defensive backs coach Alan Williams is leaving the Colts after 10 seasons to become the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator.

All this came despite the midseason firing of defensive coordinator Larry Coyer and the postseason firing of special teams coordinator Ray Rychleski, Caldwell's first two hires.

That leaves only nine of 20 coaches who started the season still on Indy's staff, and their fates may not be determined until the Colts hire a new head coach. The most notable holdover is offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen. Team vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian were both fired the day after Indy finished a 2-14 season, its worst in two decades.[...]

f they take Luck, Irsay could elect not to pay Manning a $28 million bonus and let him walk away as a free agent. Or Manning could retire.

New GM Ryan Grigson said earlier this week that he hadn't yet spoken with Manning and that the medical details would likely dictate Manning's future. Irsay has said he will pay Manning if he's healthy enough to play.

The other coaches let go Thursday were assistant Devin Fitzsimmons, offensive line coach Pete Metzelaars, special assistant to the defense Rod Perry, and quarterbacks coach Ron Turner.

Indy has reportedly sought permission to speak with Tennessee defensive coordinator Jerry Gray, New Orleans offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

As for Jim Tressel? I'm with Mike Freeman on the matter.

Finally, a look at the candidates for the head coaching job.

Dane Cook is NOT funny

2012-01-19T18:32:00.003-05:00

We all know the truth. Dane Cook is not a comedian. He just thinks that he is. So bravo to my good friend, T.J. Miller, for giving it to Dane.

“Fucking Dane Cook is eating [shit] at the laugh factory. He bumped [Bobby Lee] and is being just mean… The hubris of this man unfortunately led to his fall, but I'm afraid he is a damaged man & well, that's about it. He [is] certainly not a comedian… Watching him try and work through his own shit on stage when he is saying, ‘Go fuck a dirty whore. That's the best therapy.’ #lord… Dane. You've been doing standup for so many years and you still believe it’s okay to bomb and talk about your issues? You. Didn't. Earn This…

I remember hearing [about] someone named 'Dane Cook' in college on Napster. I heard Harmful If Swallowed after college… Then there was a backlash (there always is, it's inevitable), but it grew. It was more than I could believe, and it was due in part to him… I liked him. His snake bit, a lot of sort of absurdist stuff. Suddenly he was on SNL, he was the 'king' of MySpace, [and] he was famous. Good Luck Chuck and Vicious Circle sealed his fate in contemporary culture.

And then last night, he got on stage and was vicious, misogynistic, cruel, and arrogant. He talked about not paying for an abortion. He talked about finding some whore to fuck to take out his anger at his ex-girlfriend. He talked about how girls would do anything for him ‘because I'm me.’ He got mad when people were texting. ‘Dane Cook is onstage,’ he said. ‘Have some fucking respect.’

Here's an idea, Dane: have some fucking respect for the audience that gave you the chance to be what you dreamed of being, and don't be mad at them because you fucked it all up from hubris and thirst for fame. Don't disrespect the people that gave you a chance. Don’t do an hour of mean-spirited trash. And Dane Cook, certainly don't ask anyone to feel sorry for you. If you are the person you were onstage last night then you are not a good person. And the way you talk about women is disgusting and pathetic, but really just hurtful. So Good Luck Chuck. [You] need all the luck in the world to realize you need to go to therapy & figure out how to not be a hateful person. Stop performing until [you] do so.”

Hat tip to the AV Club.

David Williams: GO FUCK YOURSELF!

2012-01-19T12:26:00.002-05:00

Kentucky State Senate Dictator David Williams can go fuck himself. How dare he treat Kentucky Democrats in the State Senate with the least amount of respect is beyond me.

Instead of bringing this state forward into the 21st century by helping the senate push for a decent bill on allowing expanded gambling in this state, he would rather fucking force out Kentucky Democrats that actually give a damn about the state and its citizens.

Instead, no, David Williams is a fucking coward. If he had his own fucking way, he would be DICTATOR OF KENTUCKY. Because you know what? He fucking is already. The Kentucky State Senate has it's own motto: WHERE ALL THE BILLS FROM THE HOUSE GO TO DIE. Williams doesn't give a damn about Kentucky and yet all the Senate Republicans keep re-electing him as state dictator of the senate.

So David Williams, I say to you: GO FUCK YOURSELF, YOU FUCKING PRICK!

That's right, Dictator Williams: FUCK YOU!

Pretty cool

2012-01-19T10:32:00.003-05:00

These are some pretty cool stats coming from Ben Roberts at Next Cats. Looking at average scoring, most of the higher scoring stats come from the freshman class of 2007-08. There are several pages so be warned. It's an excellent read.

Sundance 2012

2012-01-19T09:27:00.003-05:00

Sundance is right around the corner and there are 10 performances to look out for. However, Seth Rogen's wife, Lauren Miller, may be on to a big year in 2012--depending on who buys the distribution rights, of course.

Lauren Miller, For A Good Time Call... (directed by Jamie Travis) – Not only does Lauren Anne Miller (50/50 and Superbad) have a producer and co-writing credit in this Sundance Premieres feature, but this may very well be her breakthrough in addition to her first starring role. Miller stars opposite Ari Graynor (also in Sundance’s Celeste & Jesse) playing college frenemies that move in together. One intrudes on the other’s late night and loud bedroom antics, discovering a dirty little secret that brings the two closer. Miller’s husband is Seth Rogen who co-stars in the film though it’s “her time to shine” say those in the know.

Take a look at the list though.

It's the end of an era for Eastman-Kodak as they have filed for bankruptcy. They didn't jump on the digital train fast enough and now they are going under.

Rabbi Ethan Tucker pens an op-ed on Jack Lew and the Power of Shabbat.

Albert Brooks talks to The Arty Semite, a Forward blog, about how he got the role in Drive.

Meanwhile, some of the folks in Big Blue Nation were really nasty yesterday to sportswriter Jeff Pearlman. I know he said some things that we, as a whole, did not like. But is that a reason to act anti-Semitic and say you would rather read Hitler's book than read his material? I don't think so. Take a look at the email of the day that Pearlman posted yesterday on his website.

On the other hand, he did realize he was wrong in picking on only John Calipari and not other coaches who coached one-and-done players.

The myriad critics of my Kentucky Tweet were right in one regard—it’s not just Calipari, and to single him out was silly. He’s just a guy; a product of a system; a man who is hired to win, win and win at (almost) all costs. So, in that regard, I was off. I wouldn’t want my kid to play for him—or 800 others coaches.

The number one draft pick last year played for Duke. He didn't even play a full season's worth of games, too!

Now some folks argued that Jeff Pearlman is a nobody. He's not a nobody. It's just that he's not Gary Parrish, Jeff Goodman, Andy Katz, or Seth Davis. The regular folks that we know of who follow college basketball for CBS Sports, ESPN, SI, etc. Kentucky fans have probably read his work but they just didn't know it yet at the time they tweeted to him. There's something I do agree with re Pearlman. We don't like the screaming talking heads like Skip Bayless.

The reason you don’t see me screaming on ESPN or Fox or wherever is because I don’t want to scream on ESPN or Fox or wherever. The world doesn’t need another Skip or Stephen A, setting aside texture in the name of volume and airport recognition.

Ainge considering Celtics trades

2012-01-19T00:19:00.003-05:00

Boston Celtics General Manager Danny Ainge is considering move that would be considered ballsy with the fan base.

The Boston Globe reports:

Celtics vice president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said today he would consider a major move involving the Big Three if it would help foster the team's transition to the next era.[...]

"First of all it’s a different era," Ainge told the Globe. "I sat with Red (Auerbach) during a Christmas party (in the 1990s). Red was talking to Larry, Kevin, and myself and there was a lot of trade discussion at the time and Red actually shared some of the trade discussions. And I told Red what are you doing? Why are you waiting?

"He had a chance to trade Larry (to Indiana) for Chuck Person and Herb Williams and (Steve) Stipanovich and he had a chance to trade Kevin (to Dallas) for Detlef Schrempf and Sam Perkins. I was like are you kidding? I mean I feel that way now. If I were presented with those kind of deals for our aging veterans, it’s a done deal to continue the success."

Ainge said he does not want a repeat of the 1990s in Boston.

"After those guys retired, the Celtics had a long drought," he said. "But those (types of fruitful trades) aren’t presenting themselves. In today’s day and age with 30 teams in the NBA, 15 teams know they have no chance of winning a championship. They are building with young players. It’s a different era that we live in. It’s easy to say conceptually but you have to always weigh what are real opportunities."

Two tragedies happened that ruined Boston for the 1990s. One was the death of Len Bias a few days after the NBA Draft in 1986. The second was when Reggie Lewis died in 1993.

If they didn't die, the Celtics would not have been a bust during the 1990s. Would they have drafted Paul Pierce? Who knows. I definitely do not see Pierce getting moved to another team. He's a lifer although it appears there are teams interested in the Celtics forward.

evin Garnett and Ray Allen come off the books this summer, while Pierce has two years and $32 million left on his contract. No matter what you think Ainge will do, it's clear the team has plans to use the money they save on Garnett/Allen to sign a high-profile free agent. Moving Pierce for an expiring contract and a draft pick might allow them to sign more than one player to a big deal this offseason.

It's possible that Rasheed Wallace could make an NBA comeback.

Archie Manning reacts to Rob Lowe tweets

2012-01-18T17:25:00.001-05:00

Rob Lowe tweeted earlier that he heard Peyton Manning was going to retire.

Hearing my fave, #18 Peyton Manning will not return to #NFL. Wow. #Colts

Chris Mortenson asked Archie Manning and got this response.

Archie Manning laughed when he heard @RobLowe said Peyton will retire, "Noooo...he ain't retiring. I think he would've told me." #NFL32

Another response from Archie via Mort:

Archie's latest reax to the Twitter buzz: "Amazing" ...knows @RobLowe is chummy with @JimIrsay & goes to Colts games ...still, "Amazing"

On last night's Golden Globe Awards...

2012-01-16T19:28:00.002-05:00

I wrote this on yesterday's Golden Globes awards ceremony...if you wish you call it an awards ceremony as the HFPA picks favorites instead of voting for the BEST PERFORMANCES.

I, umm, shit you not. The fucking Hollywood Foreign Press Association has done it again. Any other year, I would have had no fucking problem with Meryl Streep taking home another award. Not this year. Not with her fellow nominees in the category of drama.

This was to be the year of Viola Davis. Don’t get me wrong as I was very fucking impressed by the performances of Michele Williams and Rooney Mara in their respective films. But take any award by the HFPA with a grain of salt.

The voting base for the HFPA does not overlap with that of the Academy. The guild awards will do a better job of determining who will get what award at the Oscars. Unless a film is not eligible, they do a very fucking awesome job at predicting the award for Best Picture and the other acting awards.

The HFPA got it right for supporting actors in naming Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer. The only one that can really give Octavia a run for the money is Melissa McCarthy but the HFPA did not even consider her. Is that fair? No fucking way.

Ignoring Breaking Bad during it’s best fucking season is when I have a fucking problem. I’ll let it slide with Homeland winning (based on critical acclaim and word of mouth) even though the series is on a premium channel, which deserve their own awards for fucking crying out loud!

Everyone always seems to have a problem when someone gets snubbed and someone gets nominated when they don’t even fucking deserve it. The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards got it right. It’s a better precursor to the Oscars than the fucking Golden Globes.

It’s a shame that the Golden Globes air on NBC. Outside of pro football, it’s the highest ratings that they get all fucking year. That’s what happens when you give up on television and replace it with shit like Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea!

Fourth place until the fucking end of time…whether that is December 21st or not!

The Artist is coming to Louisville

2012-01-16T11:52:00.001-05:00

I have received confirmation that The Artist will indeed be opening in Louisville, KY either this Friday (January 20) or next Friday (January 27). About dang time.

THR was reporting an expansion of 500 screens for this weekend.

69th Annual Golden Globe Awards Winners

2012-01-15T23:03:00.002-05:00

Aside from pitting the race between Hugo, The Descendants, and The Artist for best picture, the shock of the night was Viola Davis losing out to Meryl Streep. The HFPA did an injustice right there.

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2012
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE: CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – BEGINNERS
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL: LAURA DERN – ENLIGHTENED
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: DOWNTON ABBEY (MASTERPIECE) – PBS - A Carnival/Masterpiece Co-production
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: KATE WINSLET – MILDRED PIERCE
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA: KELSEY GRAMMAR – BOSS
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMAHOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
SHOWTIME Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE: LUDOVIC BOURCE – THE ARTIST
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE: “MASTERPIECE” — W.E.
Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION: IDRIS ELBA – LUTHER
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL: MICHELLE WILLIAMS – MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV: PETER DINKLAGE – GAME OF THRONES
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN – Paramount/Columbia/Hemisphere Capital/Amblin/Wingnut Films/Kennedy/Marshall Production
BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE: WOODY ALLEN – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV: JESSICA LANGE – AMERICAN HORROR STORY
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: A SEPARATION (IRAN) (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) – Asghar Farhadi; Sony Pictures Classics
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA: CLAIRE DANES – HOMELAND
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL: MATT LEBLANC – EPISODES
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE: OCTAVIA SPENCER – THE HELP
CECIL B. DeMILLE AWARD (Previously Announced): MORGAN FREEMAN
BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE: MARTIN SCORSESE – HUGO
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL: MODERN FAMILY – ABC – Levitan-Lloyd Productions in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL: JEAN DUJARDIN – THE ARTIST
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA: MERYL STREEP – THE IRON LADY
BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL: THE ARTIST – La Petite Reine, Studio 37, La Classe Americaine, JD Prod, France3 Cinema, Jouror Production, uFilms; The Weinstein Company
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA: GEORGE CLOONEY – THE DESCENDANTS
BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA: THE DESCENDANTS - Ad Hominem Enterprises; Fox Searchlight Pictures

Book Review: The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed Basketball

2012-01-14T20:23:00.004-05:00

Hardcover: 320 pages (January 5, 2012)
Publisher: Blue Rider Press/ESPN Books

Gene Wojciechowski, a senior national columnist for ESPN.com, takes college basketball fans back to March 28, 1992, whether we like to revisit that game or not.

When I originally saw that there was going to be a book published on that game, I wanted to know why. Of course, I'm one of those Kentucky fans that is forever haunted every March. Every CBS broadcast. You know what I'm talking about. THE SHOT. The shot that gets forced down our throats every year no matter how many times we cringe in disbelief.

In 320 pages, Wojciechowski takes us through memory lane. After a prologue with various coaches watching the final 2.1 seconds wondering why there was not a defender guarding the inbounds pass from Grant Hill. It's after that where we start going back into the past with what it was like growing up for Coach K and how he got the job at Duke.

We revisit a dark period for Kentucky basketball that saw the firing of Kentucky legend Cliff Hagan. Gene revisits the hiring of C.M. Newton and Rick Pitino. Yes, Jerry Tipton picked fights then as he still does now.

Whether it's Rock Oliver being hired as a strength and conditioning coach (after John Calipari told him to take the job) or seeing the Unforgettables come together as a team, Wojciechowski revisits it all. To think that there was a time when Richie Farmer quit basketball. Or Jamal Mashburn wanting to walk away from it all.

In 300 plus pages, Wojciechowski gives us the behind-the-scenes details that lead up to March 28th and the legacy that that game imprinted on the programs be it discipline, strategy, gamemanship, philosophy, etc. that made people legends, for good or for bad.

Wojciechowski tells us of why Bob Knight did not want anything to do with Coach K for nearly 9 years.

It all leads up to March 28, 1992. If we could end the game after Sean Woods' floater, we would (Thank you, Jeff Sheppard, not that I watched that replay in 2009).

If you haven't seen Fab Five, Gene provides us with some information given that Michigan played Duke in 1992 for the National Championship.

In an epilogue, Wojciechowski tells us how the members of the Unforgettables feel when it comes to watching replays of that game. Like me, many of them can't. Sure, some will, but knowing what happens, it's just so hard to do.

We all know where we were that fateful day just like we know where we were during the classic rematch that followed in 1998. I know exactly where I was that day. I was at home. During the first half, and I don't like bragging about this, I was rooting for the team in white until my father corrected me and told me Kentucky was wearing the blue jerseys. I was 7 years old at the time.

The Unforgettables are a team that nobody will ever forget. They restored the glory to Big Blue Nation after a dark period. Four seniors on that team (Sean Woods, John Pelphrey, Deron Feldhaus and Richie Farmer) saw their jerseys get retired without ever having won an NCAA Championship game.

I won't lie that I cried while reading this book. Despite that, it's a must read for anyone who considers themself a fan of college basketball. Wojciechowski successfully alternates chapters between Kentucky and Duke so it's not just a Duke book or a Kentucky book. It's devoted to both.

Critics' Choice Movie Awards Winners

2012-01-13T13:08:00.001-05:00

The winners are posted below.

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: Aaron Sorkin & Steven Zaillain, Moneyball
Best Acting Ensemble: The Help
Best Animated Film: Rango
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Best Comedy: Bridesmaids
Best Action Movie: Drive
Best Young Actor/Actress: Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Best Makeup: Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 2
Best Song: “Life’s A Happy Song,” The Muppets
Best Costume Design: The Artist
Best Score: The Artist
Best Editing: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Best Sound: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Cinematography: (tie) War Horse and The Tree of Life

What happened to Pittsburgh?

2012-01-12T12:59:00.001-05:00

Things just don’t get better for the Big East Conference. In Big East Conference play as of this morning, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Villanova are a combined 2-11 in conference play. Pittsburgh, who was a #1 seed during last year’s NCAA tournament, suffered their most humiliating loss in nearly 40 years.

You don’t fucking lose at home to Rutgers and not score less than 40 points. It’s not supposed to fucking happen. Jamie Dixon is probably the one person feeling worse than Rick Pitino at the moment.

If your team is shooting a meager 12.5% in the first half, you are not playing good basketball. Your team is playing TERRIBLE basketball. More like shitty basketball. To see a Pittsburgh team struggle all season long in just winning a game is depressing. And they are leaving for the ACC? Oy gevalt. If next year’s Pitt team is anything like this season’s Pitt team, it will be a fucking embarrassment.

Pitt lost to a DePaul team that can’t even find a way to win in coference play. Granted, they lost by a 3 pointer…but still, Pitt found a fucking way to LOSE!

ESPN College Gameday will be in attendance for the Pittsburgh Louisville game on the 21st. That’s not going to be a great day to look forward to if you call yourself a sports fan. It’s astonishing to believe that both of these teams were ranked in the preseason top ten for the Associated Press’s weekly college basketball rankings.

Strap on your seat belt. This is going to be one hell of a ride as we make our way through March. It won’t be pretty for the Big East. It definitely won’t be pretty for Pitt, Louisville, and Villanova.

More thoughts on Louisville-Providence

2012-01-12T12:36:00.001-05:00

Forget the Republican primary in New Hampshire. The bigger news is what was going on in nearby Providence, Rhode Island. The Providence Friars honored former head coach Rick Pitino—who led them to the 1987 Final Four with the aid of lead scorer Billy Donovan, of course—in the only fucking way possible.

They did not just beat the University of Louisville Cardinals but they gave them a shellacking! With a final score of 90-59 (that’s not a typo), the Cardinals got fucking blown out on the road. To a team that had yet to win in their first four conference games in Big East play.

This was a team that was ranked in the preseason top ten?!? Of course, the voters didn’t have a fucking clue that McDonald’s All-American freshman Wayne Blackshear would be out for a majority of the season with recovering from a torn shoulder labrum. Without him, the Cardinals are not even worthy of being in the top ten.

What they are, though, is a killer example of teams that literally play nobody until they get to the conference portion of the season. Do you really count Butler as a big non-conference opponent at this point? They don’t have Matt Howard or Shelvin Mack anymore as they graduated or went to the NBA. It’s not the same team.

The really humiliating part about the Cardinals? They’ve lost 4 times in their last 5 games and now sit 1-3 in the Big East. Next up? A DePaul team that beat a Pittsburgh team but not by much. Both Pittsburgh and UConn were ranked in the preseason top 25 but not at the moment.

Meanwhile, all those Louisville fans who facebooked and tweeted right after the Kentucky loss on the road to Indiana are not that talkative when it comes to Louisville losing at home and on the road. Not so funny now, is it?

The moral of the fucking story here: Don’t take opponents for granted when it comes to a horrible record in conference play.

Canada gives it to News Corp.!

2012-01-12T11:57:00.003-05:00

This comes via Say It Ain't So Already. News Corp. was hoping to open a television channel similar to FOX News only to find out that Canada has a law saying you can't lie during a newscast. This just bit FOX in the tuchas because they lie so frequently that it is a joke.

Books and more...

2012-01-11T23:36:00.002-05:00

View a list of 2011's best-selling books as compiled by USA Today. Here's some of the trends from the past year in books.

Meanwhile, check out who Richard Deitsch and James Andrew Miller think are indispensable it comes to NFL broadcasters.

Tony La Russa said Pujols offered the Cardinals a discount during contract negotiations. Really? A discount? I thought he said he didn't feel like he was getting the love.

Albert Pujols offered the St. Louis Cardinals a hometown discount before signing with the Los Angeles Angels, Tony La Russa said this week in an interview on KNBR-AM in San Francisco.

"I know it is true," the retired Cardinals manager said. "Albert was ready to give the Cardinals a tremendous and significant home discount. I am talking about signing for something like $60 or $65 million less than he signed for.

"That's a lot of money he would have walked away from, but even at that level the Cardinals could not have swung it."

Reading these emails that Lach posted will not get old. I'd hate to think what would have happened if he were working for a sports talk radio program in Pittsburgh.

Watch this

2012-01-10T23:41:00.001-05:00

I saw it after Mayim Bialik posted it on Facebook.

Shit Christians Say to Jews:

Louisville Cardinals got crushed against Providence Friars

2012-01-10T22:44:00.002-05:00

Providence was honoring the 1987 Final Four appearance since it's the 25th anniversary this season. Providence honored Louisville head coach Rick Pitino by creaming the Louisville Cardinals with a final score of 90-59

This is a Louisville team playing without one of their McDonald's All-Americans (Wayne Blackshear). Most of the knowledgable sportswriters commented early in the season that they would not have ranked Louisville that high knowing how injured the team was. Once they started Big East conference play, they only had 1 win (road game against St. John's). They lost at home to Georgetown and Notre Dame. They lost on the road to Kentucky and got CRUSHED by a Providence team that had yet to win a single game in Big East play.

Louisville doesn't exist? Maybe.

Larry Vaught named KY Sportswriter of the Year

2012-01-10T21:17:00.003-05:00

Larry Vaught was named Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year. Drew Deener, according to WHAS Radio this afternoon, was named the Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year. Congrats to both of them.

In what has become an annual event, Larry Vaught of The Advocate Messenger and vaughtsviews.com has been named Kentucky’s 2011 National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

This is the sixth consecutive year Vaught has received the award, and seventh in the last nine years.

“It never ceases to amaze me that my peers deem me worthy of this prestigious award,” said Vaught. “It’s a tremendous honor once again to receive this award, and I’m not sure exactly what I have done to deserve it. I enjoy providing information for Advocate-Messenger and vaughtsviews.com readers and try to find different story ideas to share on a regular basis.”[...]

Mary Jo Perino, sports director for WLEX-TV in Lexington and last year’s Kentucky Sportscaster honoree by NSSA, had this to say about Vaught:

“Larry Vaught is Kentucky sportswriting,” said Perino, now serving as the first female board member for NSSA. “The stories he tells aren’t just about the games, the coaches or the players, he tells stories about the fans. His readers know him on a personal level because of that. His passion comes through in every story he does, from a high school player to the Final Four. Larry is a true treasure in our state.”

Thoughts on Last Night's BCS game

2012-01-10T17:48:00.001-05:00

Despite all the complaints that Oklahoma State should have been playing against Louisiana State in the BCS championship game, we saw the best two teams in the entire fucking country playing last night.

Here’s the part that I don’t get...despite all the excellent defense on account of both teams, there were numerous complaints that it was a snooze fest. However, when there is a pitching duel going on in a baseball game, it’s labeled as an instant classic!

Don’t get me wrong. I love baseball and always enjoy a nice pitching duel and that means a game could be over in slightly over, or even under 2 hours, when both pitchers are pitching lights out.

I’m a die-hard Kentucky fan. As such, I always root for our Southeastern Conference (SEC) brethren when it comes to postseason play...even when it is Tennessee.

That LSU team that won it all in 2008? They had two losses during the regular season that went into 3OT! One was at #17 Kentucky, where they were ranked #1 at the nation, and lossed 43-37. The second was a home game against Arkansas, where they would lose 50-48 in a 3OT thriller. It should be noted that going into the SEC Championship game, the Tigers were rated 7th in the nation according to the Coaches Poll! Of course, they were ranked #2 before becoming the second straight SEC team to beat Ohio State for the championship.

The SEC is the best fucking conference in all of college football. I fucking dare you to show me a better all-around conference in football. Guess what? YOU CAN’T! It’s true. If other conferences were so great, then why can they not beat SEC teams for the national championship.

Don’t give me that fucking bullshit about the lack of a college football playoff system. The SEC tried to push that through but the other conferences were against it!

Obama names new chief of staff

2012-01-09T17:10:00.003-05:00

With Bill Daley stepping down as chief of staff to President Obama, the president has tapped Jack Lew, an observant Jew, to replace him.

Lew, an Orthodox Jew, will replace William Daley, the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.

Lew is currently the director of the Office of Management and Budget, a Cabinet-level position and a post he also filled during the Clinton administration.

He was previously Obama's deputy secretary of state.

Daley is leaving after just over a year on the job; he replaced Rahm Emanuel, who left the White House to run successfully for Chicago's mayor.

Lew, like Emanuel, has close Jewish community ties.

Similar to the case of Rahm Emanuel being in on a conference call on Rosh HaShanah:

One story making the rounds in the United States is that Lew, when he was director for the Office of Management and Budget for former U.S. President Bill Clinton, refused to answer an urgent phone call from the president on the Sabbath, when using the phone is prohibited except in life-saving situations.

The speakerphone was turned on, and Clinton reportedly said, “I know it is the Sabbath, but this is urgent. G-d would understand.”

Lew later consulted with his rabbi, who told him that the Jewish concept of “pikuach Nefesh,” or saving lives, is applicable when the president calls urgently and that he can pick up the phone on the Sabbath without violating the Jewish law.

John Yarmuth files for re-election

2012-01-09T17:07:00.001-05:00

Congressman Awesome, I mean John Yarmuth, has filed with Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes' office for re-election.

Press release:

Today, Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) filed paperwork with the Secretary of State to officially launch his campaign to continue representing Louisville in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Even in our divided country, we can all agree that the 112th Congress is failing us,” Yarmuth said. “A culture that refuses compromise and places more value on showmanship that statesmanship has prevented us from doing the simple things necessary to accelerate our economy. Instead, we find the most basic and vital tenets of American success under attack, everything from education and infrastructure to job training and veterans' programs; even Medicare and Social Security have been threatened.

“Since I was first elected, I have fought for the needs and priorities of Louisville’s working families,” Yarmuth said. “I’m running for re-election because the stakes are far too high to stop fighting now.”

Yarmuth’s tenure has been marked by work on initiatives to expand education and job-training programs, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and extend affordable health care coverage to millions of Americans. He was a major supporter of federal investment that helped revitalize manufacturing at the Ford plants and GE's Appliance Park, and he secured funding for the new VA hospital in Louisville.

Recently, Yarmuth has been an outspoken critic of Congressional dysfunction and inaction, calling for leaders to get past ideological differences and make choices that benefit the American people.

Although major fundraising efforts have yet to begin, Yarmuth heads into his fourth campaign with more than $400,000 in the bank. This puts him in an excellent position for another big victory, said Campaign Treasurer Sarah Martin, although it's not the only indicator.

“We beat the national trend last year by a double-digit margin, but we didn’t do it because of money,” Martin said. “We did it because of John’s ideas and passion, because he listens to people, and because Louisvillians know he always puts them first.”

Barry Larkin elected to Baseball Hall of Fame

2012-01-09T15:00:00.003-05:00

It was announced on the MLB Network (simulcast on MLB.com) that former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin was elected with 86.4% of the vote and will be enshrined this July into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson made the announcement around 3 PM. Larkin is the 22nd shortstop to be inducted.

Jack Morris is gaining with 67% and Jeff Bagwell is closing the gap at 56% of the vote. Tim Raines is gaining steam amongst writers, too.

The Hall of Fame news release can be found here. The breakdown amongst voters:

Barry Larkin 495 (86.4%), Jack Morris 382 (66.7%), Jeff Bagwell 321 (56.0%), Lee Smith 290 (50.6%), Tim Raines 279 (48.7%), Edgar Martinez 209 (36.5%), Alan Trammell 211 (36.8%), Fred McGriff 137 (23.9%), Larry Walker 131 (22.9%), Mark McGwire 112 (19.5%), Don Mattingly 102 (17.8%), Dale Murphy 83 (14.5%), Rafael Palmeiro 72 (12.6%), Bernie Williams 55 (9.6%), Juan Gonzalez 23 (4.0%), Vinny Castilla 6 (1.0%), Tim Salmon 5 (0.9%), Bill Mueller 4 (0.7%), Brad Radke 2 (0.3%), Javy Lopez 1 (0.2%), Eric Young 1 (0.2%), Jeromy Burnitz 0, Brian Jordan 0, Terry Mulholland 0, Phil Nevin 0, Ruben Sierra 0, Tony Womack 0.

MLB.com article.

Um, yeah....

2012-01-09T13:44:00.001-05:00

The 700 Club is still airing on ABC Family but it's not aired under their brand name and it's not really their choice. In a perfect world, it would be elsewhere like FOX News.

Variety:

Riley addressed the perennial issue of Pat Robertson's "The 700 Club" being contractually required to appear (though not under the ABC Family branding) on a channel that has received GLAAD's highest rating. The channel's roots date back to a founding by Robertson for his ministry.

"It's obviously a show that is on our air," Riley said. "It's not a show we put on there, and we think our audience understands this. I think most viewers understand that they come to our network to watch the shows they want to watch."

DGA Award Nominees

2012-01-09T13:16:00.003-05:00

The Directors Guild of America have announced their nominations for the calendar year of 2011. These are usually a good precursor to the Oscar nominations in the same category.

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

The DGA will announce the winner January 28, 2012.

Kansas GOP speaker prays for president's death

2012-01-08T16:24:00.002-05:00

Kansas Republican Mike O'Neal, who also serves as their Speaker of the House, prays for the death of President Barack Obama. I'm not buying his fucking bullshit apology.

The Republican speaker of the Kansas statehouse issued an apology this week after sending emails from his personal account referring to First Lady Michelle Obama as “Mrs. YoMama” and quoting a Bible verse cited by some as a reference to presidential assassination.

Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal [above], from the city of Hutchison, sent an email before Christmas that compared the president’s wife to the Dr. Seuss character The Grinch, with a tagline asking: “Twins separated at birth?”

The city of Hutchison, Kansas should be embarrassed. This is a fucking disgrace.

Michele Bachmann talking retirement

2012-01-07T22:58:00.003-05:00

There are some reports this evening that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is considering a retirement from Congress. I hope it's true for the entire state of Minnesota and for America as well. I first saw it from NewsMax, who took it from WaPo. Either way, Bachmann should get as far as she fucking can from DC. She does the entire country a disservice.

Book Review: Mr. Funny Pants

2012-01-07T21:45:00.003-05:00

Hardcover: 288 pages (February 22, 2011)
Paperback: 288 pages (February 10, 2012)
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

In Mr. Funny Pants by comedian Michael Showalter, he does not as much write a comical memoir in as much as he writes about writing a book. Fans of Showalter's prior work (The State, Stella, Michael and Michael Have Issues, Wet Hot American Summer) will be impressed with Showalter's writing.

Showalter offers pointers on selling a screenplay in Hollywood. In typical comical fashion, of course, the rule of three's are involved. The comedian gives the do's and don'ts when it comes to dating and informs girls that telling the guy that you have a boyfriend three hours later is not a really good idea.

In perfect comedic fashion, the comedian authors the perfect fill-in-the-blank screenplay treatment for the romantic comedy genre, full of cliches of course!

Showalter apologizes for coming short of his goal of 1200 pages but in 250ish pages, he brings the funny. In reading his book, I found myself laughing numerous times so even though he falls short of writing a profound memoir, he does not fall short of laughs.

Grade: A

2012 WGA Awards

2012-01-06T14:31:00.001-05:00

The screen nominations for the WGA Awards were released yesterday. They are as follows:

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
50/50, Written by Will Reiser; Summit Entertainment
Bridesmaids, Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig; Universal Pictures
Midnight in Paris, Written by Woody Allen; Sony Pictures Classics
Win Win, Screenplay by Tom McCarthy; Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni; Fox Searchlight
Young Adult, Written by Diablo Cody; Paramount Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants, Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash; Based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemming; Fox Searchlight
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian; Based on the novel by Stieg Larsson, originally published by Norstedts; Columbia Pictures
The Help, Screenplay by Tate Taylor; Based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett; DreamWorks Pictures
Hugo, Screenplay by John Logan; Based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick; Paramount Pictures
Moneyball, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin; Based on the book by Michael Lewis; Columbia Pictures

Per the release:

Feature films eligible for a Writers Guild Award were exhibited theatrically for at least one week in Los Angeles during 2011 and were written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Australian Writers Guild, Writers Guild of Canada, Writers Guild of Great Britain, Irish Playwrights & Screenwriters Guild or the New Zealand Writers Guild. Theatrical screenplays produced under the jurisdiction of the WGA or an affiliate Guild must have been submitted for WGA awards consideration.

The winners will be announced on February 19th.

Books piling up...

2012-01-06T14:05:00.002-05:00

If I am light in blogging over the next month, don't be alarmed. It's just that I'm going to be very busy reading books to review here in this space of the interwebs. First up is Mr. Funny Pants by comedian Michael Showalter.

Also in the pile:
You're Not Doing It Right by Michael Ian Black
Lunatics by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel
The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky by Gene Wojciechowski
the 50 Funniest American Writers by Andy Borowitz
The Hunger Pains by the Harvard Lampoon.

Your Tax Money at Work

2012-01-06T09:37:00.001-05:00

Hey, it's your tax money at work!

Paul Feig talks sequel

2012-01-06T00:09:00.004-05:00

Paul Feig talks Bridesmaids sequel with Vanity Fair. There's been some talk that the studio would do a sequel even if it meant not having Kristen Wiig in the cast. Feig does not bring that up at all but I honestly do not see a sequel produced without Wiig's involvement!

Most of the time, sequels are produced to bring in more money from the fans of the first film. Sometimes, such as in the case of last year's sequel to The Hangover, they don't always build upon the success of the first film. The first one finished it's run in 2009 to a grand total of $277,322,503 whereas the sequel finished it's 2011 run (with an increase in ticket prices, no less) with a smaller total: $254,464,305.

I heard today that there was talk of a sequel to Horrible Bosses and I don't get that. Does Kevin Spacey get out of jail or something in the sequel? Or does Jennifer Aniston do something more extreme? You can't just beat a dead horse over and over for more money. It just does not fucking work. It simply does not. Don't get me wrong--I like the cast and writers involved in the film but unless they have new horribly insane bosses, what else can they do?

FYI

2012-01-05T13:18:00.002-05:00

Now that the holiday season is finally over until Pesach starts in April, I hope to blogging REGULARLY once more. Yes, with a satirical take on things. You know me by now.

Also, will somebody please remind me to remove PAGE ONE KENTUCKY from the sidebar? I've been slacking in that department but only because I noticed that the douchebag removed my blog from the blogroll.

Yesterday's post on the Iowa results is just a preview of things to come.

Also, I do a lot of reading and movie watching yearly. I'm going to review those on a frequent basis.

RIP Gatewood. He'll be missed. One of my regrets is not interviewing him for a blogterview. I met him back in 2007 at the Northern Kentucky Regional Gubernatorial Debate. Nice guy...signed a free book, too. He showed up...unlike Steve Henry, who though a commercial shoot was more important!

Changes coming also include less blocking and quoting.

Romney wins Iowa Caucus

2012-01-04T17:23:00.001-05:00

The following is excerpt from my untitled second book due out in January 2013.

As for the Iowa Caucus results, the story is not that Mitt Romney won but how he beat the fucking douchebag we like to call Rick Santorum. One has a flip-flop problem. The other has a Google problem.

Congressman Ben Chandler (D-KY6) must certainly know how Mitt Romney must feel with escaping after such a small margin of victory. Chandler barely won during the Tea Party Tidal Wave of 2010. Of course, Chandler’s victory was by a margin of 647 votes—nothing like that of Romney but still, it’s not a great figure! Romney won by a final margin of 8 fucking votes.

Eight. Not 5, not 6, not 7, but EIGHT. That’s less than the number of people you can count on your hand if you are as so inclined to do so.

With the majority of the vote split between Romney, Santorum and crazy nutcase Ron Paul, the nation should be so lucky that we never have to hear from Michele Bachmann as a presidential candidate since she’s toast following a shitty performance in her native state of Iowa.

Rick Perry? Despite a shitty showing as well, he’s hanging in the race. By a thread, I hope. He’ll be forced to leave after South Carolina seeing as how he’s nowhere close to the views of liberal New Hampshire. They are fucking liberal, right?

The smart betting money would have to be on the Bachman supporters deciding to make the decision to switch their votes over to someone like a Rick Perry or Newt Gingrich. Maybe even Rick Santorum…but then again, there’s that Google problem. Newt has a family values problem so he would be a hard sell in any event.

For most of the conservative Republicans, it’s the anybody-but-Mitt bandwagon. It’s been that case during the entire pre-primary season. The Baskin-Robbins Flavor of the Month if you will.

Aykroyd joins political comedy

2012-01-02T17:18:00.001-05:00

Word has it that Dan Aykroyd is joining the cast of the political comedy Dog Fight.

Dan Aykroyd has joined Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in the political comedy "Dog Fight," TheWrap has confirmed.

"Dog Fight," due Aug. 10, stars Ferrell and Galifianakis as bumbling, rival politicians battling for a congressional seat in North Carolina. All three are producing the movie, along with frequent Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay.[...]

"Dog Fight," distributed by Warner Bros., also stars John Lithgow, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, Thomas Middleditch and Brian Cox.

The film was written by "Eastbound & Down" scribe Shawn Harwell and one of the HBO show's executive producers, Chris Henchy.

Should be interesting.

Indianapolis Colts fire Bill and Chris Polian

2012-01-02T15:18:00.001-05:00

I'm completely shocked that this happened. I thought a lot of the losses this season came down to the fact that Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter are not even close to the quarterback that Peyton Manning is.

The Colts fired vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian, according to a league source. A move has yet to come down on coach Jim Caldwell, who is still likely to be fired after the Colts finished 2-14 in his third season.

If the coaching job in Indianapolis opens up, it will be a coveted position. Given the return of quarterback Peyton Manning and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, the team will very quickly take on a different shape.

With the Rams, that was a non-shocker that Spags was fired after three seasons. But with the Colts? I'm stunned.

A presser has been scheduled for 5 PM today.

2011 in Film

2012-01-01T10:07:00.005-05:00

While I am not a professional critic, I’m posting my awards for this year’s crop in film.

Top Ten Films of 2011
War Horse
The Descendants
The Ides of March
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Bridesmaids
The Muppets
The Help
Midnight in Paris
50/50
Seven Bonus Films of 2011
Moneyball
Drive
Warrior
Hugo
Young Adult
Cedar Rapids
Crazy, Stupid, Love

Best Animated Feature: The Adventures of Tintin
Best Director: Steven Speilberg, War Horse
Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants
Best Comic Book Movie: Captain America

Drama
Best Actor: Ryan Gosling, Drive
Best Actress (tie): Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Viola Davis, The Help; Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Best Supporting Actor (tie): Christopher Plummer, Beginners; Albert Brooks, Drive
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Breakthrough Performance in Drama: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy

Comedy
Best Actor: Steve Carell, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Best Actress: Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Best Supporting Actor: Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Breakthrough Performance in Comedy: Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids

Surprising Performance in a Comedy from a Dramatic Actor: Ryan Gosling (Crazy, Stupid, Love
Actor Most Likely to Be In Every Movie This Year: Michael Fassbender (Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class, A Dangerous Method, Shame, and the short film Pitch Black Heist)

Favorite Ten Comedies of 2011
The Muppets
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love
50/50
Young Adult
Paul
Cedar Rapids
Horrible Bosses
Our Idiot Brother
Friends with Benefits

The next list consists only of the films I saw this year and that's after reading the reviews!

WORST MOVIES OF 2011
The Tree of Live
Just Go With It
Battle: LA
Sucker Punch
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

A mini-interview with Gene Wojciechowski

2011-12-30T09:41:00.004-05:00

Gene Wojciechowski's upcoming book published by Blue Rider Press, The Last Great Game: Duke vs. Kentucky and the 2.1 Seconds That Changed Basketball, hits bookstores everywhere on January 5, 2012. I conducted a mini-interview with the senior national ESPN.com columnist.

Daniel Solzman: What made you want to write a book on the game? I’m a die-hard Kentucky fan and am planning to read it even if I hate those final seconds that get forced down our throats each and every year.
Gene Wojciechowski: I wrote the book because it's the best game I've ever seen and/or covered in person. I wrote it because I loved the story of the Unforgettables, Pitino, Mashburn and CM Newton. I wrote it because I admired what Krzyzewski did with a dysfunctional Duke team. I wrote it because Laettner intrigued me. I wrote it because I love the passion of UK fans. Most of all, I wrote it because it was the only game I've ever seen where the losing team didn't really lose. That game helped make Kentucky, well, Kentucky again. Even in defeat, it was a defining moment for that program and those players. I know they lost a game, but they won back the Kentucky basketball name.

Daniel Solzman: You said it was the best game that you have ever seen and/or covered in person? Which other games would rank out your top 5?
Gene Wojciechowski: Best game I've ever watched. Best game I've ever covered. The rest of the top 5? I'd have to think about that. I've seen a lot of stuff. Game 6 of this latest World Series was amazing. I covered the Villanova win against Georgetown for the national title—at Rupp. I covered the infamous Chris Webber timeout call against North Carolina in the national championship game at the Superdome. I was there for the Bartman Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. And I've seen a lot of Tiger Woods.

Daniel Solzman: Even though it was the greatest college basketball game of all time, there are some fans out there that hate Duke with a passion and might not want to read it thinking it’s more of a Duke book then a Kentucky book. What do you say to those types of fans?
Gene Wojciechowski: As for Kentucky fans who don't want to read about Duke...

Well, I would tell them there's nothing I can do about the final score. Laettner made a shot for the ages and Kentucky fans, who are among the most knowledgeable hoops fans on the planet, surely have to appreciate what he did from a basketball standpoint. They might not like Duke, Laettner or The Shot, but they know they witnessed something historic.

But the book isn't just about the game. It's about how C.M. Newton and President Roselle put back together the pieces of the UK program. How Pitino came to be the head coach. How a little-known strength and conditioning coach named Rock Oliver helped make those players into a basketball machine. How three Kentucky kids and an Indiana kid became legends for UK. How Mashburn helped save the program. How, even in defeat, Kentucky really won.

I loved writing about the Kentucky players and staff. And Duke's players and coaches, to this day, marvel at the dignity, integrity and talent displayed by that 1992 UK team. Some of the very best stuff in the book is Krzyzewski and Laettner and Grant Hill talking about how great that UK team was.

Stan The Man: Book Review

2011-12-30T09:37:00.001-05:00

I'm just over halfway through Stan The Man by Wayne Stewart. Published in 2010 by Triumph Books, this book is one of a few released recently about the Cardinal great.

It's a good read. At times, I feel as if Stewart is giving us too much information about Jackie Robinson or Branch Rickey.

The first chapter deals with his childhood in Donora, PA. Some anecdotes relate to Ken Griffey, Jr. as Musial played with Sr.'s father, Buddy in high school.

The next few chapters, we learn just how he became The Man, why he treats his fans the way that he does, etc.

Stewart not only interviews family and friends but he does his research with quoting former ballplayers that wrote books.

Rick Ankiel was not the first Cardinal to be converted from pitcher to hitter. Stan started out as a pitcher but he was a good hitter at the time. An injury to his throwing shoulder and next thing you know, he's asked to play in the outfield. We know what happens next.

The book covers the great decade of the 1940s for the Cardinals, a decade that took the Cards to 4 World Series, winning 3 of them. Stewart discusses how Stan was robbed of a triple crown.

After finishing the book, I can say that it's definitely more of a linear biography moreso than anything else. Wayne Stewart talks with friends and family of Stan and most of Stan's quotes in the book, I feel as if they came elsewhere from press in the media rather than The Man himself. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. But we do find out interesting things though. During the memorabilia craze of the early 90s, Stan the Man, Inc. was formed and even though the goal was to SELL memorabilia, Musial had no problem with giving away autographs for free. I should know...I'm the owner of one of those free autographs.

It's a fast read, too. When one works and has to find time to read, you shouldn't have a problem. It's not like some other books that take forever to read because we're reading about one of the greatest guys of all time to play the game.

Stewart does go into detail on why he's not beloved nationally as say a guy like Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, or even Ted Williams.

It's highly recommended.

Pujols deal backloaded

2011-12-29T22:54:00.002-05:00

Seriously, I don't understand why he did not take a contract with DEFERRED money when his deal with the Angels comes with BACKLOADED money. Jerry Crasnick reports:

Pujols will make a base salary of $12 million in 2012 and $16 million in 2013, said a source. His salary will gradually increase until it surpasses $30 million annually near the end of the deal.[...]

Sources said Pujols' deal could peak at about $265 million if he attains some reachable award bonuses and milestone incentives. A source confirmed a recent Yahoo! Sports report that Pujols will receive $3 million from the Angels for his 3,000th hit and $7 million if he breaks Barry Bonds' career record of 762 home runs.

Pujols, a nine-time All-Star and three-time MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals, will enter this season with 2,073 career hits and 445 home runs.

Meanwhile, Ken Rosenthal reveals why he voted for who he did for induction into the Hall of Fame. It's too much for me to quote here as it must be read in it's entirety but his vote for Jeff Bagwell was the easiest.

Thoughts on the Hall of Fame...

2011-12-29T17:16:00.000-05:00

I wrote my thoughts on who I would vote for if I were a BBWAA voter. You can read them at Redbird Rants.

Skip Bayless takes over your TV!

2011-12-28T18:01:00.001-05:00

I'll take Mike and Mike In The Morning over Skip Bayless constantly defending Tim Tebow any day of the week.

Read Richard Deitsch's extended tweet while you are at it.

Cougar Town: Season 3

2011-12-28T06:54:00.003-05:00

A special congrats to the cast and crew of Cougar Town for the upcoming third season. They started doing viewing parties last night. At Drake's in Louisville, we had the opportunity to watch the third season premiere and the 5th episode. The 5th episode features a really fun Scrubs reunion. This season looks pretty sweet.

As the show found it's way and what it wanted to be, the audience wanted what happens in the premiere to, umm, actually happen. Yes, they still mess around with the opening title credits but the writing is strong.

Both Josh Hopkins, Ryan Devlin, and writer/story editor Mary Fitzgerald were in attendance.

It was nice talking to Josh after the episodes aired about not just CT but also what's happening with Community. It's a fun fact: If Cheers were to have made it's debut in this age with the type of audience it had when the show started, it would not have lasted past a few weeks. For the show to survive, people have to watch.

Interview with Colin Cosell

2011-12-26T09:15:00.000-05:00

Daniel Solzman: Colin, thank you for joining The Kentucky Democrat. How are things treating you in New York?
Colin Cosell: Things are great here in NYC! It's tough to complain when you live in the greatest city in the world.

DS: What was it like growing up as the grandson of the legendary sportscaster Howard Cosell? Are there any favorite memories that you have?
CC: He was an amazing grandfather -- very loving, selfless and caring. It wasn't until I started getting older that I realized the size and depth of his celebrity, which also made me realize how well he managed to shelter his grandchildren from his life away from home. Don't get me wrong; we all knew he was on TV and was recognized everywhere he went. We knew our life and lifestyle were different because of his work. We were simply able to lead very normal lives in spite of these facts.

DS: You started a facebook fan page for Howard Cosell and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Right now, 291 people like the page. What other efforts are going on to spread awareness with regards to your grandfather one day receiving the Pete Rozelle Award?
CC: It's an interesting process, because I honestly believed the Facebook page would serve as a sure-fire, foolproof vehicle for spreading the word while acting as an electronic petition. Instead, it fell into the hands of a ton of industry people ranging from Donna DeVerona to Dave Sims. This has allowed me direct access to numerous journalists, radio shows and television personalities who have either granted me interviews or have sent in their own personal nomination. The Facebook page has since become secondary, although I'd love to have thousands of people on there rather than just a few hundred.

With regards to the Rozelle Award, I have received countless endorsements, including those of Frank Gifford and Joe Horrigan. Frank is important because of his ties to the NFL, as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Joe Horrigan, on the other hand, oversees the balloting and induction process. That said, the Pete Rozelle Award seems to be within reach. The focus has since become more honed on actual induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, despite Howard's being a member of the media.

DS: Have any big names in the sports media industry gotten behind your efforts?
CC: There has been a great outpouring of support from some of the people I've already mentioned, plus great writers and broadcasters whose careers span generations ie: Jim Nantz and Frank DeFord.

DS: Thirteen years on Monday Night Football is a long time, even for broadcasting standards. But still, your grandfather was one of the first people in the Monday Night Football broadcast booth, correct? You would think that they would have honored him by now. I think it is a damn shame that he hasn’t posthumously received the award.
CC: My grandfather was in the booth for the inaugural MNF broadcast. It is a shame that, over 40 years later, his presence is absent from the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

DS: Do you think some of his criticism about sports in general is true today?
CC: Absolutely. The behavior of professional athletes, and even amateurs, has only deteriorated. Between drugs, infidelity, domestic disputes, guns and PED's, it has become almost commonplace for us fans to hear of an athlete doing something wrong on an almost weekly basis. My grandfather saw this starting to take shape over 30 years ago.

DS: What about Tebow? Can you imagine him being in the booth today during one of the Tebow games?
CC: I think my grandfather would appreciate Tebow's work ethic and personal ethics. As for Tebow's game on the field, I'm sure it would provide my grandfather some endless banter and enjoyment (with a dash of frustration).

DS: Have you had a chance to read Mark Ribowsky’s book, Howard Cosell: The Man, The Myth, And The Transformation of American Sports? Any thoughts?
CC: I have not, but I've mostly heard good things.

DS: I see that you’ve gone into the family business. How is your broadcasting career coming along?
CC: So far, so good. I'm currently covering a number of sports for a network in the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area called MSG Varsity. We're a purely high school-centric network, which is definitely exciting. However, I'm looking to start making a move to my true passion: the NHL.

DS: Thanks again and have a Happy Chanukah! Anything else you wish to add?
CC: All set! Happy Holidays!

I did not see that coming....

2011-12-23T11:22:00.003-05:00

Best wishes to Matthew Leach as he moves on from the St. Louis Cardinals beat to a national columnist/writer for MLB.com. As a longtime Cardinals blogger, I've gotten to know him very well through facebook, twitter, and the like. I wish him well as he moves on to bigger and better things.

In the meantime, congrats to Jenifer Langosch as she is moving to take over the beat in St. Louis.

Celtics roundup

2011-12-18T10:22:00.002-05:00

Bob Ryan writes how the Boston Celtics are in year 5 of a three year plan. It's a very good read if you are a Cs fan.

The sad news that came out this weekend is that Jeff Green is out for the season as he is to go under the knife soon. An aortic aneurysm after he underwent a physical last week.

The club said Green should be able to resume his career next season, and that if his contract is voided, as expected, the Celtics would have first rights to re-sign him as a restricted free agent.[...]

Green was acquired by the Celtics Feb. 23 in a controversial trade that sent Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder. Green’s play was uneven last season, as he averaged 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 26 games.[...]

The Celtics are losing a versatile player who could score from the perimeter or the paint and would have provided relief to Paul Pierce during a 66-game season compacted because of the lockout. Rivers said Friday night that Marquis Daniels and Sasha Pavlovic would become the primary options at small forward if Green were unable to play.

The Celtics also may try to sign another swingman. One intriguing name is ex-Celtic James Posey, most recently with Indiana, who was waived via the league’s amnesty clause. But he would have to accept the veteran’s minimum to come to Boston, which could be a stumbling block.

Gary Washburn looks at how the Celtics will replace Green's offense from within the organization.

Young Adult

2011-12-16T16:52:00.001-05:00

Young Adult marks the fourth film that Jason Reitman has directed and the second collaboration between him and screenwriter Diablo Cody. Reitman has released his fourth successful film. In my book, he can do no wrong.

The official synopsis:

Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, Mavis forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn't quite gotten over high school, either.

Reitman directed the film on a $12 million budget in a 30 day span. That said, the the 93 minute film does not feel as if it were forced.

The overall critical consensus from Rotten Tomatoes is Certified Fresh with 81% positive reviews (83% top): "Despite its somewhat dour approach, Young Adult is a funny and ultimately powerful no-holds-barred examination of prolonged adolescence, thanks largely to a convincing performance by Charlize Theron."

Her performance is one of the best acting jobs that I've seen this year. You don't have to be a big fan of hers to enjoy it. I laughed several times during the comedy. Theron's character, Mavis, is trying to win back her ex-boyfriend, who is married and has a child, but it's clear that she's unhappy being back in her hometown of Mercury. She catches up with Matt, a classmate that was beaten up and walks with a crutch. He tells her it's a bad idea.

Here are some comments from Frank Lovece:

An amazing little movie with a Streep-wise performance by Theron—who impossibly, impeccably, gives her character humanity—Young Adult cost a modest $12 million to make and was shot in 30 days. Like The Wrestler or Crazy Heart or even Reitman's own Up in the Air, it's one of those small end-of-year films that, rightfully, charms audiences and Academy voters alike. OK, maybe we're kvelling—but how many movies with such a distinctly Midwestern milieu make you kvell?

Frank also interviews the Reitman, Cody, and Theron in the article but this gets to the gist of why the film was written:

FJI: Let's talk about how the film came together. Diablo, you've said Mavis is partly based on you. She lives in Minneapolis, as you did for a time, so what part of you is she based on besides the living-in-Minneapolis part?

Cody: This common question I would get at Q & As or press junkets or what-have-you was: "Why are you so fixated on [movies about] adolescents?" [I began wondering:] Am I stunted somehow? And so as I thought about my own life, I thought, "Gosh, that would be a great character—a woman in her 30s who writes young-adult fiction and does in fact cling to deluded teenage fantasies in her real life, and is obsessed with recreating her teenage years come hell or high water."

I cannot recommend this film enough. You can make no mistake right now that I will be buying the bluray at some point next year.

RIP Chris Hitchens

2011-12-16T00:04:00.001-05:00

Within the last half hour, we learned that Christopher Hitchens passed away after a lengthy bout with cancer. Hitchens, whose prose has appeared in Vanity Fair since 1992, was 62. May he rest in peace.

BREAKING NEWS: Trey Grayson releases statement

2011-12-15T22:06:00.001-05:00

In thanking retiring Congressman Geoff Davis (KY-4) for his service to the 4th congressional district former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson has made known what his plans are.

Although many people have reached out to me tonight to inquire about my future plans, I am extremely fulfilled in my current position as the Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University, and more importantly, spending time with my family. At some point, I will return to my Kentucky home, but for now, I plan to remain in Boston and continue to serve in my position as Director.

69th Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominees

2011-12-15T09:50:00.003-05:00

Below are the nominees. My Week With Marilyn was somehow nominated as a comedy/musical. I have not seen the film yet. The Muppets were completely shutout by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. That will definitely change at the Oscars. Also, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association can suck it for not properly formatting a press release.

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2012
GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
THE DESCENDANTS - Ad Hominem Enterprises; Fox Searchlight Pictures
THE HELP – DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media; Touchstone Pictures
HUGO – Paramount Pictures presents a GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures
THE IDES OF MARCH – Columbia Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media Group, Crystal City Entertainment; Sony Pictures Releasing
MONEYBALL – Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing International
WAR HORSE – DreamWorks Pictures; Touchstone Pictures

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
GLENN CLOSE – ALBERT NOBBS
VIOLA DAVIS – THE HELP
ROONEY MARA – THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
MERYL STREEP – THE IRON LADY
TILDA SWINTON – WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
GEORGE CLOONEY – THE DESCENDANTS
LEONARDO DICAPRIO – J. EDGAR
MICHAEL FASSBENDER – SHAME
RYAN GOSLING – THE IDES OF MARCH
BRAD PITT – MONEYBALL

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
50/50 – Summit Entertainment and Mandate Pictures; Summit Entertainment
THE ARTIST – La Petite Reine, Studio 37, La Classe Americaine, JD Prod, France3 Cinema, Jouror Production, uFilms; The Weinstein Company
BRIDESMAIDS – Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Apatow Productions; Universal Pictures
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – A Mediapro, Versatil Cinema & Gravier Production; Sony Pictures Classics
MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – The Weinstein Company

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JODIE FOSTER – CARNAGE
CHARLIZE THERON – YOUNG ADULT
KRISTEN WIIG – BRIDESMAIDS
MICHELLE WILLIAMS – MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
KATE WINSLET – CARNAGE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JEAN DUJARDIN – THE ARTIST
BRENDAN GLEESON – THE GUARD
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT – 50/50
RYAN GOSLING – CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.
OWEN WILSON – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN – Paramount/Columbia/Hemisphere Capital/Amblin/Wingnut Films/Kennedy/Marshall Production
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS – Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing International
CARS 2 – Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Pictures
PUSS IN BOOTS – DreamWorks Animation; Paramount Pictures
RANGO – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, A Blind Wink/GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE FLOWERS OF WAR (CHINA) (Jing Ling Shi San Chai) – New Pictures Film Company; New Pictures Film Company
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY (USA) – GK Films; FilmDistrict
THE KID WITH A BIKE (BELGIUM) (Le Gamin au Velo) – Les Films du Fleuve; Sundance Selects
A SEPARATION (IRAN) (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) – Asghar Farhadi; Sony Pictures Classics
THE SKIN I LIVE IN (SPAIN) (La piel que habito) – El Deseo D.A., S.L.U.; Sony Pictures Classics

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
BERENICE BEJO – THE ARTIST
JESSICA CHASTAIN – THE HELP
JANET MCTEER – ALBERT NOBBS
OCTAVIA SPENCER – THE HELP
SHAILENE WOODLEY – THE DESCENDANTS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
KENNETH BRANAGH – MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
ALBERT BROOKS – DRIVE
JONAH HILL – MONEYBALL
VIGGO MORTENSEN – A DANGEROUS METHOD
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – BEGINNERS

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
WOODY ALLEN – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
GEORGE CLOONEY – THE IDES OF MARCH
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS – THE ARTIST
ALEXANDER PAYNE – THE DESCENDANTS
MARTIN SCORSESE – HUGO

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
WOODY ALLEN – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
GEORGE CLOONEY, GRANT HESLOV, BEAU WILLIMON – THE IDES OF MARCH
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS – THE ARTIST
ALEXANDER PAYNE, NAT FAXON, JIM RASH - THE DESCENDANTS
STEVEN ZAILLIAN, AARON SORKIN – MONEYBALL

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
LUDOVIC BOURCE – THE ARTIST
ABEL KORZENIOWSKI - W.E.
TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS - THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HOWARD SHORE – HUGO
JOHN WILLIAMS – WAR HORSE

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“HELLO HELLO” — GNOMEO & JULIET
Music by: Elton John, Lyrics by: Bernie Taupin
“THE KEEPER” — MACHINE GUN PREACHER
Music & Lyrics by: Chris Cornell
“LAY YOUR HEAD DOWN” — ALBERT NOBBS
Music by: Brian Byrne, Lyrics by: Glenn Close
“THE LIVING PROOF” — THE HELP
Music by: Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason, Jr., Lyrics by: Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason, Jr., Damon Thomas
“MASTERPIECE” — W.E.
Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
AMERICAN HORROR STORY FX
Twentieth Century Fox Television
BOARDWALK EMPIRE HBO
Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
BOSS STARZ
Lionsgate Television in association with Grammnet NH Productions, Roya Productions and Old Friends Productions
GAME OF THRONES HBO
Bighead, Littlehead, 360 Television, Grok and Generator Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
HOMELAND SHOWTIME
SHOWTIME Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
CLAIRE DANES – HOMELAND
MIREILLE ENOS – THE KILLING
JULIANNA MARGULIES – THE GOOD WIFE
MADELEINE STOWE – REVENGE
CALLIE THORNE – NECESSARY ROUGHNESS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
STEVE BUSCEMI – BOARDWALK EMPIRE
BRYAN CRANSTON – BREAKING BAD
KELSEY GRAMMER – BOSS
JEREMY IRONS – THE BORGIAS
DAMIAN LEWIS – HOMELAND

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ENLIGHTENED – HBO - Ripcord Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
EPISODES – SHOWTIME – SHOWTIME Presents, Hat Trick Productions, Crane Klarik Productions
GLEE - FOX – Ryan Murphy Television in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television
MODERN FAMILY – ABC – Levitan-Lloyd Productions in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television
NEW GIRL - FOX – Chernin Entertainment in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
LAURA DERN – ENLIGHTENED
ZOOEY DESCHANEL – NEW GIRL
TINA FEY – 30 ROCK
LAURA LINNEY – THE BIG C
AMY POEHLER – PARKS AND RECREATION

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ALEC BALDWIN – 30 ROCK
DAVID DUCHOVNY – CALIFORNICATION
JOHNNY GALECKI – THE BIG BANG THEORY
THOMAS JANE – HUNG
MATT LEBLANC – EPISODES

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
CINEMA VERITE – HBO - A Pariah Production in association with HBO Films
DOWNTON ABBEY (MASTERPIECE) – PBS - A Carnival/Masterpiece Co-production
THE HOUR – BBC AMERICA – Kudos Film and Television/BBC America co-production.
MILDRED PIERCE – HBO - A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with MGM and HBO Miniseries
TOO BIG TO FAIL – HBO – A Spring Creek and A Deuce Three Production in association with HBO Films

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
ROMOLA GARAI – THE HOUR
DIANE LANE – CINEMA VERITE
ELIZABETH MCGOVERN – DOWNTON ABBEY (MASTERPIECE)
EMILY WATSON – APPROPRIATE ADULT
KATE WINSLET – MILDRED PIERCE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
HUGH BONNEVILLE – DOWNTON ABBEY (MASTERPIECE)
IDRIS ELBA – LUTHER
WILLIAM HURT – TOO BIG TO FAIL
BILL NIGHY – PAGE EIGHT (MASTERPIECE)
DOMINIC WEST – THE HOUR

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV
JESSICA LANGE – AMERICAN HORROR STORY
KELLY MACDONALD – BOARDWALK EMPIRE
MAGGIE SMITH – DOWNTON ABBEY (MASTERPIECE)
SOFIA VERGARA – MODERN FAMILY
EVAN RACHEL WOOD – MILDRED PIERCE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV
PETER DINKLAGE – GAME OF THRONES
PAUL GIAMATTI – TOO BIG TO FAIL
GUY PEARCE – MILDRED PIERCE
TIM ROBBINS – CINEMA VERITE
ERIC STONESTREET – MODERN FAMILY

18th Annual SAG Awards Nominations

2011-12-14T19:22:00.001-05:00

18th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
DEMIÁN BICHIR / Carlos Galindo - A BETTER LIFE (Summit Entertainment)
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King - THE DESCENDANTS (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
LEONARDO DiCAPRIO / J. Edgar Hoover - J. EDGAR (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JEAN DUJARDIN / George - THE ARTIST (The Weinstein Company)
BRAD PITT / Billy Beane - MONEYBALL (Columbia Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
GLENN CLOSE / Albert Nobbs - ALBERT NOBBS (Roadside Attractions)
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark - THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MERYL STREEP / Margaret Thatcher - THE IRON LADY (The Weinstein Company)
TILDA SWINTON / Eva - WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Marilyn Monroe - MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
KENNETH BRANAGH / Sir Laurence Olivier - MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (The Weinstein Company)
ARMIE HAMMER / Clyde Tolson - J. EDGAR (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JONAH HILL / Peter Brand - MONEYBALL (Columbia Pictures)
NICK NOLTE / Paddy Conlon - WARRIOR (Lionsgate)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER / Hal - BEGINNERS (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy - THE ARTIST (The Weinstein Company)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote - THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan - BRIDESMAIDS (Universal Pictures)
JANET McTEER / Hubert Page - ALBERT NOBBS (Roadside Attractions)
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson - THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
THE ARTIST (The Weinstein Company)
BÉRÉNICE BEJO / Peppy
JAMES CROMWELL / Clifton
JEAN DUJARDIN / George
JOHN GOODMAN / Al Zimmer
PENELOPE ANN MILLER / Doris

BRIDESMAIDS (Universal Pictures)
ROSE BYRNE / Helen
JILL CLAYBURGH / Annie’s Mom
ELLIE KEMPER / Becca
MATT LUCAS / Gil
MELISSA McCARTHY / Megan
WENDI McLENDON-COVEY / Rita
CHRIS O’DOWD / Rhodes
MAYA RUDOLPH / Lillian
KRISTEN WIIG / Annie

THE DESCENDANTS (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
BEAU BRIDGES / Cousin Hugh
GEORGE CLOONEY / Matt King
ROBERT FORSTER / Scott Thorson
JUDY GREER / Julie Speer
MATTHEW LILLARD / Brian Speer
SHAILENE WOODLEY / Alexandra King

THE HELP (DreamWorks Pictures / Touchstone Pictures)
JESSICA CHASTAIN / Celia Foote
VIOLA DAVIS / Aibileen Clark
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / Hilly Holbrook
ALLISON JANNEY / Charlotte Phelan
CHRIS LOWELL / Stuart Whitworth
AHNA O’REILLY / Elizabeth Leefolt
SISSY SPACEK / Missus Walters
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Minny Jackson
MARY STEENBURGEN / Elaine Stein
EMMA STONE / Skeeter Phelan
CICELY TYSON / Constantine Jefferson
MIKE VOGEL / Johnny Foote

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Sony Pictures Classics)
KATHY BATES / Gertrude Stein
ADRIEN BRODY / Salvador Dali
CARLA BRUNI / Museum Guide
MARION COTILLARD / Adriana
RACHEL McADAMS / Inez
MICHAEL SHEEN / Paul
OWEN WILSON / Gil

PRIMETIME TELEVISION
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURENCE FISHBURNE / Thurgood Marshall - THURGOOD (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / Ben Bernanke - TOO BIG TO FAIL (HBO)
GREG KINNEAR / Jack Kennedy - THE KENNEDYS (REELZ CHANNEL)
GUY PEARCE / Monty Beragon - MILDRED PIERCE (HBO)
JAMES WOODS / Richard Fuld - TOO BIG TO FAIL (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
DIANE LANE / Pat Loud - CINEMA VERITE (HBO)
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham - DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)
EMILY WATSON / Janet Leach - APPROPRIATE ADULT (Sundance Channel)
BETTY WHITE / Caroline Thomas - HALLMARK HALL OF FAME: THE LOST VALENTINE (CBS)
KATE WINSLET / Mildred Pierce - MILDRED PIERCE (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
PATRICK J. ADAMS / Mike Ross - SUITS (USA)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thomson - BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
KYLE CHANDLER / Eric Taylor - FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DirecTV)
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White - BREAKING BAD (AMC)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - DEXTER (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
KATHY BATES / Harriet Korn - HARRY’S LAW (NBC)
GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes - DAMAGES (DirecTV)
JESSICA LANGE / Constance - AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX)
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick - THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dept. Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson - THE CLOSER (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - 30 ROCK (NBC)
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy - MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - THE OFFICE (NBC)
JON CRYER / Alan Harper - TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS)
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron Tucker - MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy - MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton - NURSE JACKIE (Showtime)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - 30 ROCK (NBC)
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria Delgado-Pritchett - MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
BETTY WHITE / Elka Ostrovsky - HOT IN CLEVELAND (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson
DOMINIC CHIANESE / Leander Cephas Whitlock
ROBERT CLOHESSY / Ward Boss Jim Neary
DABNEY COLEMAN / Commodore Louis Kaestner
CHARLIE COX / Owen Sleater
JOSIE & LUCY GALLINA / Emily Schroeder
STEPHEN GRAHAM / Al Capone
JACK HUSTON / Richard Harrow
ANTHONY LACIURA / Eddie Kessler
HEATHER LIND / Katy
KELLY MACDONALD / Margaret Schroeder
RORY & DECLAN McTIGUE / Teddy Schroeder
GRETCHEN MOL / Gillian Darmody
BRADY & CONNOR NOON/ Tommy Darmody
KEVIN O’ROURKE / Mayor Edward Bader
ALEKSA PALLADINO / Angela Darmody
JACQUELINE PENNEWILL / Lilian
VINCENT PIAZZA / Lucky Luciano
MICHAEL PITT / Jimmy Darmody
MICHAEL SHANNON / Agent Nelson Van Alden
PAUL SPARKS / Mickey Doyle
MICHAEL STUHLBARG / Arnold Rothstein
PETER VAN WAGNER / Isaac “Icky” Ginsburg
SHEA WHIGHAM / Sheriff Elias Thompson
MICHAEL KENNETH WILLIAMS / Chalky White
ANATOL YUSEF / Meyer Lansky

BREAKING BAD (AMC)
JONATHAN BANKS / Mike
BETSY BRANDT / Marie Schrader
RAY CAMPBELL / Tyrus Kitt
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White
GIANCARLO ESPOSITO / Gus Fring
ANNA GUNN / Skyler White
RJ MITTE / Walter White, Jr.
DEAN NORRIS / Hank Schrader
BOB ODENKIRK / Saul Goodman
AARON PAUL / Jesse Pinkman

DEXTER (Showtime)
BILLY BROWN / Chicago Mike
JENNIFER CARPENTER / Debra Morgan
JOSH COOKE / Louis
AIMEE GARCIA / Jamie Batista
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan
COLIN HANKS / Travis Marshall
DESMOND HARRINGTON / Joey Quinn
MARIA DOYLE KENNEDY / Sonya
RYA KIHLSTEDT / Michelle
C.S. LEE / Vince Masuka
EDWARD JAMES OLMOS / Professor Gellar
JAMES REMAR / Harry Morgan
LAUREN VELEZ / Lt. Maria LaGuerta
PETER WELLER / Liddy
DAVID ZAYAS / Sgt. Angel Batista

GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
AMRITA ACHARIA / Irri
MARK ADDY / King Robert Baratheon
ALFIE ALLEN / Theon Greyjoy
JOSEF ALTIN / Pypar
SEAN BEAN / Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark
SUSAN BROWN / Septa Mordane
EMILIA CLARKE / Daenerys Targaryen
NIKOLAJ COSTER-WALDAU / Ser Jaime Lannister
PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister
RON DONACHIE / Ser Rodrik Cassel
MICHELLE FAIRLEY / Lady Catelyn Stark
JEROME FLYNN / Bronn
ELYES GABEL / Rakharo
AIDEN GILLEN / “Littlefinger” Petyr Baelish
JACK GLEESON / Joffrey Baratheon
IAIN GLEN / Ser Jorah Mormont
JULIAN GLOVER / Grand Maester Pycelle
KIT HARINGTON / Jon Snow
LENA HEADEY / Queen Cersei Lannister
ISAAC HEMPSTEAD WRIGHT / Bran Stark
CONLETH HILL / Lord Varys
RICHARD MADDEN / Robb Stark
JASON MAMOA / Kahl Drogo
RORY McCANN / Sandor Clegane
IAN McELHINNEY / Barristan Selmy
LUKE McEWAN / Rast
ROXANNE McKEE / Doreah
DAR SALIM / Qotho
MARK STANLEY / Grenn
DONALD SUMPTER / Maester Luwin
SOPHIE TURNER / Sansa Stark
MAISIE WILLIAMS / Arya Stark

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
CHRISTINE BARANSKI / Diane Lockhart
JOSH CHARLES / Will Gardner
ALAN CUMMING / Eli Gold
MATT CZUCHRY / Cary Agos
JULIANNA MARGULIES / Alicia Florrick
CHRIS NOTH / Peter Florrick
ARCHIE PANJABI / Kalinda Sharma
GRAHAM PHILLIPS / Zach Florrick
MAKENZIE VEGA / Grace Florrick

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 ROCK (NBC)
SCOTT ADSIT / Pete Hornberger
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy
KATRINA BOWDEN / Cerie
KEVIN BROWN / Dotcom
GRIZZ CHAPMAN / Grizz
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon
JUDAH FRIEDLANDER / Frank Rossitano
JANE KRAKOWSKI / Jenna Maroney
JOHN LUTZ / Lutz
JACK MCBRAYER / Kenneth Parcell
TRACY MORGAN / Tracy Jordan
MAULIK PANCHOLY / Jonathan
KEITH POWELL / Toofer

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
MAYIM BIALIK / Amy Farrah Fowler
KALEY CUOCO / Penny
JOHNNY GALECKI / Leonard Hofstadter
SIMON HELBERG / Howard Wolowitz
KUNAL NAYYAR / Rajesh Koothrappali
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper
MELISSA RAUCH / Bernadette Rostenkowski

GLEE (FOX)
DIANNA AGRON / Quinn Fabray
CHRIS COLFER / Kurt Hummel
DARREN CRISS / Blaine Anderson
ASHLEY FINK / Lauren Zizes
DOT MARIE JONES / Coach Beiste
JANE LYNCH / Sue Sylvester
JAYMA MAYS / Emma Pillsbury
KEVIN McHALE / Artie Abrams
LEA MICHELE / Rachel Berry
CORY MONTEITH / Finn Hudson
HEATHER MORRIS / Brittany Pierce
MATTHEW MORRISON / Will Schuester
MIKE O’MALLEY / Burt Hummel
CHORD OVERSTREET / Sam Evans
LAUREN POTTER / Becky Johnson
AMBER RILEY / Mercedes Jones
NAYA RIVERA / Santana Lopez
MARK SALLING / Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman
HARRY SHUM, JR. / Mike Chang
IQBAL THEBA / Principal Figgins
JENNA USHKOWITZ / Tina Cohen-Chang

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
AUBREY ANDERSON-EMMONS / Lily
JULIE BOWEN / Claire
TY BURRELL / Phil
JESSE TYLER FERGUSON / Mitchell
NOLAN GOULD / Luke
SARAH HYLAND / Haley
ED O’NEILL / Jay
RICO RODRIGUEZ / Manny
ERIC STONESTREET / Cameron
SOFIA VERGARA / Gloria
ARIEL WINTER / Alex

THE OFFICE (NBC)
LESLIE DAVID BAKER / Stanley Hudson
BRIAN BAUMGARTNER / Kevin Malone
CREED BRATTON / Creed Bratton
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott
JENNA FISCHER / Pam Beesly Halpert
KATE FLANNERY / Meredith Palmer
ED HELMS / Andy Bernard
MINDY KALING / Kelly Kapoor
ELLIE KEMPER / Erin Hannon
ANGELA KINSEY / Angela Martin
JOHN KRASINSKI / Jim Halpert
PAUL LIEBERSTEIN / Toby Flenderson
B.J. NOVAK / Ryan Howard
OSCAR NUÑEZ / Oscar Martinez
CRAIG ROBINSON / Daryll Philbin
JAMES SPADER / Robert California
PHYLLIS SMITH / Phyllis Lapin-Vance
RAINN WILSON / Dwight Schrute
ZACH WOODS / Gabe Lewis

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
COWBOYS & ALIENS (UNIVERSAL PICTURES)
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (WARNER BROS. PICTURES)
TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON (PARAMOUNT PICTURES)
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS (20TH CENTURY FOX)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
SOUTHLAND (TNT)
SPARTACUS: GODS OF THE ARENA (STARZ)
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

Screen Actors Guild Awards 48th Annual Life Achievement Award
MARY TYLER MOORE

Presidential dollar coin program to end

2011-12-13T18:04:00.000-05:00

It's a sad day for the presidential dollar program. Here it is, I had just ordered volume 2 of the Presidential Dollar folder, which starts up with the 2012 coins on to the end of the program.

And perhaps for that very reason, Vice President Joseph Biden announced Tuesday that the U.S. Mint would halt the production of those pesky $1 coins for circulation, because they’re not exactly in demand.

In fact, the U.S. Treasury Department said there are 1.4 billion surplus $1 presidential coins just sitting in the vaults of the Federal Reserve, and that the government would save taxpayers at least $50 million per year in production and storage costs by suspending their production.

Instead, U.S. Mint will produce a limited number of the coins, which “will be sold at a premium to collectors, so it will ensure that the coins will not be produced at a cost to taxpayers,” said Treasury spokesman Matt Anderson.

Until Tuesday's announcement, the U.S. Mint had been on track to produce 1.6 billion more of the $1 presidential coins through the year 2016, even though the 1.4 billion in surplus is enough to meet demand for more than a decade, Anderson said.

Shame on you, my fellow Americans. Shame on you!

Critics's Choice Nominations

2011-12-13T07:25:00.000-05:00

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney – “The Descendants”
Leonardo DiCaprio – “J. Edgar”
Jean Dujardin – “The Artist”
Michael Fassbender – “Shame”
Ryan Gosling – “Drive”
Brad Pitt – “Moneyball”

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis – “The Help”
Elizabeth Olsen – “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Meryl Streep – “The Iron Lady”
Tilda Swinton – “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Charlize Theron – “Young Adult”
Michelle Williams – “My Week With Marilyn”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh – “My Week With Marilyn”
Albert Brooks – “Drive”
Nick Nolte – “Warrior”
Patton Oswalt – “Young Adult”
Christopher Plummer – “Beginners”
Andy Serkis – “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo – “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain – “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy – “Bridesmaids”
Carey Mulligan – “Shame”
Octavia Spencer – “The Help”
Shailene Woodley – “The Descendants”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Asa Butterfield – “Hugo”
Elle Fanning – “Super 8”
Thomas Horn – “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Ezra Miller – “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Saoirse Ronan – “Hanna”
Shailene Woodley – “The Descendants”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March

BEST DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry – “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
Michel Hazanavicius – “The Artist”
Alexander Payne – “The Descendants”
Nicolas Winding Refn – “Drive”
Martin Scorsese – “Hugo”
Steven Spielberg – “War Horse”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius
“50/50” – Will Reiser
“Midnight in Paris” – Woody Allen
“Win Win” – Screenplay by Tom McCarthy, Story by Tom McCarthy & Joe Tiboni
“Young Adult” – Diablo Cody

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Descendants” – Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” – Eric Roth
“The Help” – Tate Taylor
“Hugo” – John Logan
“Moneyball” – Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Story by Stan Chervin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Artist” – Guillaume Schiffman
“Drive” – Newton Thomas Sigel
“Hugo” – Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” – Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” – Janusz Kaminski

BEST ART DIRECTION
“The Artist” – Production Designer: Laurence Bennett, Art Director: Gregory S. Hooper
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” – Production Designer: Stuart Craig, Set Decorator: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo” – Production Designer: Dante Ferretti, Set Decorator: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“The Tree of Life” – Production Designer: Jack Fisk, Art Director: David Crank
“War Horse” – Production Designer: Rick Carter, Set Decorator: Lee Sandales

BEST EDITING
“The Artist” – Michel Hazanavicius and Anne-Sophie Bion
“Drive” – Matthew Newman
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” – Thelma Schoonmaker
“War Horse” – Michael Kahn

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“The Artist” – Mark Bridges
“The Help” – Sharen Davis
“Hugo” – Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” – Michael O’Connor
“My Week With Marilyn” – Jill Taylor

BEST MAKEUP
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady
J. Edgar
My Week With Marilyn

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
The Tree of Life

BEST SOUND
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Super 8
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Drive
Fast Five
Hanna
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8

BEST COMEDY
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Horrible Bosses
Midnight in Paris
The Muppets

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
In Darkness
Le Havre
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Where Do We Go Now?

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Buck
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Page One: Inside the New York Times
Project Nim
Undefeated

BEST SONG
“Hello Hello” – performed by Elton John and Lady Gaga/written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin – Gnomeo & Juliet
“Life’s a Happy Song” – performed by Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – The Muppets
“The Living Proof” – performed by Mary J. Blige/written by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman and Harvey Mason, Jr. – The Help
“Man or Muppet” – performed by Jason Segel and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – The Muppets
“Pictures in My Head” – performed by Kermit and the Muppets/written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis and Chen Neeman – The Muppets

BEST SCORE
“The Artist” – Ludovic Bource
“Drive” – Cliff Martinez
“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
“Hugo” – Howard Shore
“War Horse” – John Williams

Rhodes

2011-12-11T19:39:00.001-05:00

Mark Story catches up with ex-Wildcat Rodrick Rhodes.

AFI 2011 Top Ten

2011-12-11T15:38:00.002-05:00

I can't find it online at AFI but EW is reporting the following.

AFI Movies of the Year
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
J. Edgar
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

AFI Special Awards
The Artist
The Harry Potter Series

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR
Breaking Bad
Boardwalk Empire
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Game Of Thrones
The Good Wife
Homeland
Justified
Louie
Modern Family
Parks And Recreation

Not eligible were The Artist or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Not making the list are: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Ides of March, Young Adult, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 , although the latter received a special award as well as The Artist.

Celtics news

2011-12-10T22:43:00.002-05:00

Adrian Wojnarowski reports the following on twitter:

Boston-NO deal for David West still on hold, sources say. Waiting on NBA. C's rookies, JaJuan Johnson and E'Twan Moore discussed in deal.

It's hard to speculate at just moment just how much of this relates to the fallout of the Chris Paul trade. The two-time All Star, a graduate of Xavier University, has played all 8 seasons with the New Orleans Hornets.

Celtics Life has reports updated to Friday night. It's probably going to happen but it's a matter of who all is involved. Reports have mentioned Jermaine O'Neal as a possible candidate.

Chauncey Billups has a warning for those wanting his services.

“I’ m tired of being the good guy,” Billups told Yahoo! Sports by phone on Saturday afternoon. “I’m tired of being viewed as the guy. After a while, you just kind of get taken advantage of in these situations. I’ve been known as a leader, and I am a leader, but a leader can be as disruptive as he can be productive, especially when you carry a strong voice and people rally around you. This is about me now. This is about me, and teams should know that right now.”[...]

“I just don’t deserve the treatment that I’ve continually gotten,” Billups said. “Historically, these things never happen to the supposed great players and good guys. They continually happen to me, and it gets old. Listen, I feel I’ve been blessed in the game, and I’ve been given back, but these things start to wear on you. But there’s not another guy in history who keeps dealing with this, getting thrown into these things to make the money right. I really believe it’s because people take my kindness and professionalism for weakness. They think I’ll be OK with this. I won’t be OK with this. I’ve saved my money. I may just retire if I don’t get my freedom here.

“I want my freedom. My goal is to control my own destiny. And as you’ve seen in my career, I’ve never been in a position to do that. I know some teams out there are saying, ‘Oh, Chauncey will be great in mentoring’ and I’m tired of that. I’ve got a few good years left to play, and I’m not trying to come in and sit on the bench, or be a mentor. I’m not going to be that guy. I want to go somewhere and win. I want to choose.”

Clooney to produce Smothers Brothers biopic

2011-12-10T20:43:00.000-05:00

This smells Oscar all over if you ask me.

Sony Pictures and Smokehouse partners George Clooney and Grant Heslov will turn the story of 60s comedians Tom and Dicky Smothers into a feature film. They’ve optioned the David Bianculli book Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story Of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and they’ve set Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman to write the script. Clooney and Heslov will produce. It’s too early to determine whether or not Clooney will star or direct.

Kentucky blows foul, Ryan Braun tests positive

2011-12-10T19:51:00.002-05:00

While everyone is disgusted with the fact that Kentucky blew an opportunity to foul in the final seconds against Indiana, let's turn our attention to Ryan Braun.

ESPN is reporting tonight that 2011 National League MVP Ryan Braun has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The report from ESPN states as follows:

National League MVP Ryan Braun, who last season led the Milwaukee Brewers to their first division title in nearly three decades, has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and faces a 50-game suspension if the initial finding is upheld, two sources familiar with the case told "Outside the Lines."

Major League Baseball has not announced the positive test because Braun is disputing the result through arbitration.

A spokesman for Braun issued a statement Saturday: "There are highly unusual circumstances surrounding this case which will support Ryan's complete innocence and demonstrate there was absolutely no intentional violation of the program. While Ryan has impeccable character and no previous history, unfortunately, because of the process we have to maintain confidentiality and are not able to discuss it any further, but we are confident he will ultimately be exonerated."[...]

To affirm the results and strengthen its case, MLB asked the World Anti-Doping Agency lab in Montreal, which conducts its testing, to perform a secondary test to determine whether the testosterone spike resulted from natural variations within Braun's body or from an artificial source. The test indicated the testosterone was exogenous, meaning it came from outside his body.

There's more in the article but this is a huge blow to the Milwaukee Brewers as they possibly lose star first baseman Prince Fielder to free agency.

Grimes names transition team

2011-12-09T10:51:00.002-05:00

Secretary of State-elect Alison Lundergan Grimes has announced her transition team. The following was sent in an email blast.

Hon. Tim Firkins - Chairman

1. OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
Hon. David Boswell
Sharon Kaye Charles
Dr. Charles Derrickson

2. COMMUNICATIONS
Leah Adkins
Craig Blanton
Tim Wireman

3. LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES
Rep. Darryl T. Owens
Senator Robert Leeper
Rep. Alecia Webb-Edington

4. BUDGET
Kyna Koch
Gov. Julian Carroll
Hon. Teresa Isaac

5. ELECTIONS & ELECTION FINANCE
Dr. Don Butler
Michael Kem
Willie Payton
Scott White, Esq.

6. BUSINESS & CIVICS EDUCATION
Tom Rutledge, Esq.
Dr. Jack Rose
Col. Mike Weaver

Tayshaun Prince extends NBA career

2011-12-08T15:40:00.002-05:00

Former Kentucky Wildcat star Tayshaun Prince has signed a new deal with the Detroit Pistons.

Tayshaun Prince will be returning to the Detroit Pistons after reaching agreement on a $27 million, four-year contract, a league source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.

Prince, an unrestricted free agent, has spent his entire career with the Pistons since coming into the league in 2002. The veteran swingman averaged 14.1 points in 78 games last season.

Pujols leaves Cards, goes Hollywood

2011-12-08T11:04:00.001-05:00

Albert Pujols has decided to leave the greatest baseball city in the world to head west to Los Angeles, where he will play for the Angels.

Reports are that it is a 10 year deal for $250 million. I'm also hearing reports that there is no opt-out contained in the contract.

It cements the fact that Stan Musial remains the greatest Cardinal of all time. If there is one thing that fans appreciate the most, it's the guys that put their heart and soul into the organization and don't care about how high their salary is.

Mark McGwire fell in love with the city and the fans--he gave the club a hometown discount.

Ten years at a quarter-billion dollars, honestly, is too much to pay especially when you look at the age factor and injury factor.

Could St. Louis still be a contender for the playoffs next season? It's hard to say. We're losing a lot of offensive production in Albert Pujols' departure for Hollywood.

Albert Pujols is one of the once-in-a-generation players and will surely be a lock for the Hall of Fame but I don't place him in the same category as Lebron James but this is one of those that will take some time to really digest.

Curt Schilling says Pujols would do better in St. Louis than Hollywood.

The legacy factor is where one must really think about things. Pujols could have been the greatest Cardinal of all time but as of now, he is in second place to many of Stan's numbers.

2012 BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot

2011-12-08T09:24:00.003-05:00

The candidates on the ballot this winter for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame next summer include:
Jeff Bagwell
Jeromy Burnitz
Vinny Castilla
Juan Gonzalez
Brian Jordan
Barry Larkin
Javy Lopez
Edgar Martinez
Don Mattingly
Fred McGriff
Mark McGwire
Jack Morris
Bill Mueller
Terry Mulholland
Dale Murphy
Phil Nevin
Rafael Palmeiro
Brad Radke
Tim Raines
Tim Salmon
Ruben Sierra
Lee Smith
Alan Trammell
Larry Walker
Bernie Williams
Tony Womack
Eric Young

Of that list, those appearing on the first time are Williams, Mueller, Sierra, Castilla, Salmon, Lopez, Womack, Mulholland, Radke, Burnitz, Jordan, Young and Nevin.

Returning candidates: Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Dale Murphy, Tim Raines, Alan Trammell, Edgar Martinez, and Lee Smith.

At some point over the next few days or weeks, I'll look at their stats and tell you who I would vote for.

Shaking my head: Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez

2011-12-06T18:00:00.002-05:00

The Miami Marlins have Hanley Ramirez signed through 2014. He plays short stop. The problem? The Marlins just signed Jose Reyes for a 6 year deal to play short stop. Ramirez has no interest in moving positions--something that the Marlins probably did not even stop to consider.

This past season was a very down year for Ramirez but I feel that he will be back to form next season. There are mixed reports surfacing regarding Hanley Ramirez and a trade demand.

Fincher on advanced screenings

2011-12-06T17:48:00.002-05:00

David Fincher has some really harsh things to say about advanced screenings.

"Embargoes … look, if it were up to me, I wouldn’t show movies to anybody before they were released," Fincher told Miami Herald critic Rene Rodriguez. "I wouldn’t give clips to talk shows. I would do one trailer and three television spots and let the chips fall where they may....If I had my way, the New York Film Critics Circle would not have seen this movie and then we would not be in this situation. I would be opening this movie on Wednesday Dec. 21, and I would have three screenings on Tuesday Dec. 20 and that would be it."

As a film buff, I've seen a huge amount of promotional screenings, the most recent being War Horse last week. They might take away from the box office but in the long run, they add to the box office as the word of mouth spreads around.

I'm not a professional critic. G-d knows how many we have of those...I always find it interesting when the local paper publishes the worst review for a highly praised film. Maybe that's just me though.

Yarmuth changes

2011-12-05T17:38:00.003-05:00

Trey Pollard will be leaving Congressman John Yarmuth's office to work as a deputy Press Secretary for the national Sierra Club. He will be replaced by Stephen George as the new communications director. George previously wrote for LEO Weekly, where he also served as editor.

Ron Santo inducted to HOF

2011-12-05T17:32:00.001-05:00

Ron Santo has finally got his due. Too late in my opinion as he is not alive to see it. I may be a die-hard St. Louis fan but I know HOF-caliber ballplayers when I see them.

Santo was the lone candidate among a ballot of 10 men, whose greatest contributions were realized between 1947 and 1972, to receive the 12 votes necessary to earn 75 percent and election to the Hall of Fame by the Golden Era Committee. Santo received 15 votes from the 16-member electorate and will be enshrined into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 22nd in Cooperstown.

"The numbers of are there," said Committee member and Hall of Famer Billy Williams. "Everybody saw the numbers, the home runs, the Gold Gloves. And I think everyone looked at it with a different view saying, 'This guy should be in the Hall of Fame.'"

Santo died on December 3, 2010, but his wife believes he is celebrating today.

"I am sure he is smiling down on this day," she said. "I am a believer in what's meant to be. I believe he was meant to be in the Hall, unfortunately it couldn't be during his lifetime. But I think the message is to never give up. This was always his dream."

Santo becomes the 12th major league third baseman to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first elected at the position since Wade Boggs in 2005. Including three selections from the Negro leagues, there are now 15 third basemen in the Hall of Fame. In 15 major league seasons, Santo compiled a .277 lifetime batting average, with 2,254 hits in 2,243 games, while totaling 1,331 runs batted in and 365 doubles.[...]

Santo played for 14 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and one with the Chicago White Sox and was a nine-time All-Star. He hit 342 career home runs and won five Rawlings Gold Glove Awards for his defense at third base. He was honored by the Cubs Walk of Fame, becoming a member of the inaugural Class of 1992 and was selected to the club's all-century team in 1999. He was also a Cubs broadcaster for 21 years.[...]

"[During the voting process], some people brought out more than the numbers of Ron Santo," said Williams. "And talked about what he did for the community."

Here's how the voting went down:

Results of the Golden Era Ballot (12 votes needed for election): Ron Santo (15 votes, 93.75%); Jim Kaat (10 votes, 62.5%); Gil Hodges (9 votes, 56.25%); Minnie Minoso (9 votes, 56.25%); Tony Oliva (8 votes, 50%); Buzzie Bavasi, Ken Boyer, Charlie Finley, Allie Reynolds and Luis Tiant each received less than three votes.

The 16-member Golden Era Committee was comprised of Hall of Fame members Hank Aaron, Pat Gillick, Al Kaline, Ralph Kiner, Tommy Lasorda, Juan Marichal, Brooks Robinson and Billy Williams; major league executives Paul Beeston (Blue Jays), Bill DeWitt (Cardinals), Roland Hemond (Diamondbacks), Gene Michael (Yankees) and Al Rosen (retired); and veteran media members Dick Kaegel, Jack O'Connell and Dave Van Dyck. Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark served as the non-voting chairman of the Golden Era Committee.

DC Film Critics

2011-12-05T17:25:00.001-05:00

After announcing their nominations the other day, the Washington, DC Film Critics announced their winners this morning.

The interesting thing to note is that they are the second group so far this awards season to name The Descendants for Adapted Screenplay and 50/50 for original screenplay.

Best Film:
The Artist

Best Director:
Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

Best Actor:
George Clooney (The Descendants)

Best Actress:
Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)

Best Supporting Actor:
Albert Brooks (Drive)

Best Supporting Actress:
Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Best Acting Ensemble:
Bridesmaids

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants)

Best Original Screenplay:
Will Reiser (50/50)

Best Animated Feature:
Rango

Best Documentary:
Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Best Foreign Language Film:
The Skin I Live In

Best Art Direction:
Dante Ferretti, Production Designer, and Francesca Lo Schiavo, Set Decorator (Hugo)

Best Cinematography:
Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)

Best Score:
Ludovic Bource (The Artist)

The whole BCS thing...

2011-12-04T09:27:00.002-05:00

Why there has not been a playoff set up is beyond me. This year, more than ever, there are many non-SEC fans upset at the likelihood of the BCS Championship game being a rematch from this past season and that's not a non-conference game.

Dan Wetzel is right on the money here (to borrow a line from CJ columnist Eric Crawford) in his recent article on Mike Slive's fight for a BCS playoff system.

There’s a sizeable portion of college football that is lamenting that the BCS championship game could feature a rematch of two teams from the same league – LSU and Alabama of the Southeastern Conference.[...]

If it were up to the SEC, though, it never would’ve happened. At least not without giving teams from two other leagues a chance to prove themselves on the field.

In 2008, commissioner Mike Slive pitched a so-called “plus-one” plan that essentially was a four-team playoff using existing bowl games. Other than the ACC, the other conferences not only summarily rejected the plan, they refused to even discuss its details.

“I remember it being a lonely meeting,” Slive said Saturday. “That’s all I want to say about it.”[...]

Slive is humble guy, a genteel 71-year old, almost allergic to trash talk. Besides, he doesn’t have to say it because in this case, to the rejected go the spoils. Sticking with a simple 1-2 matchup in the BCS title game has proven to be a boon for the SEC and a disaster for just about everyone else.

Under Slive’s plan, LSU and Alabama would’ve had to beat two extremely good teams on a neutral field to assure this season’s title game.[...]

Besides, a one-loss SEC team is almost always going to get the benefit of the doubt with voters over a one-loss anyone else. That’s just how it is in a subjective system.

The BCS built the SEC’s reputation. And now the SEC’s reputation has overwhelmed the BCS.[...]

Slive went back to Birmingham humbled. Now his league has grown so dominant that in any given season, the SEC is all but assured of one spot in the title game. The other 100-some odd schools compete for the other.

And now they have to compete with the second-best SEC team for it.

“The decision was made a long time ago in the BCS to say you don’t have to be a champion, that there shouldn’t be any constraints, either formal or informal,” Slive said. “If it’s the two best teams in our league or the two best in another league, they are the two best teams.

“This may put this in perspective that people may not have thought about.”

National Board of Review announces 2011 winners

2011-12-01T16:17:00.000-05:00

The National Board of Review announced their awards today. They are usually the first out of the gate just like Iowa is with the presidential campaign but the NY Film Critics jumped ahead this year. Anyway, their announcement includes more awards than the NY critics included.

Best Film: Hugo

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants

Best Actress: Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser, 50/50

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The Descendants

Best Animated Feature: Rango

Breakthrough Performance: Felicity Jones, Like Crazy

Breakthrough Performance: Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Debut Director: J.C. Chandor, Margin Call

Best Ensemble: The Help

Spotlight Award: Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Jane Eyre, Shame, X-Men: First Class)

NBR Freedom of Expression: Crime After Crime

NBR Freedom of Expression: Pariah

Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation

Best Documentary: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Special Achievement in Filmmaking: The Harry Potter Franchise – A Distinguished Translation from Book to Film

Top Films
(in alphabetical order)
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Ides of March
J. Edgar
Tree of Life
War Horse

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
(in Alphabetical Order)
13 Assassins
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within
Footnote
Le Havre
Point Blank

Top 5 Documentaries
(in Alphabetical Order)
Born to be Wild
Buck
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Project Nim
Senna

Top 10 Independent Films
(in Alphabetical Order)
50/50
Another Earth
Beginners
A Better Life
Cedar Rapids
Margin Call
Shame
Take Shelter
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Win Win

NY Film Critics Awards

2011-12-01T16:16:00.000-05:00

I didn't post the NY Film Critics awards the other day but I meant to. Here is how they voted:

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life)
Best Screenplay: Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball)
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Foreign-Language Film: A Separation
Best Actor: Brad Pitt (Moneyball, The Tree Of Life)
Best Actress: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain (The Tree Of Life, The Help and Take Shelter)
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks (Drive)
Best Nonfiction Film: Cave Of Forgotten Dreams
Best First Feature: Margin Call
2011 Special Award: Raoul Ruiz (posthumous)

War Horse Movie Review

2011-12-01T09:44:00.003-05:00

The following contains my review of War Horse so I have the trailer shown first so as to avoid any spoilers.

I saw an advanced screening of War Horse this evening. It is, without the shadow of a doubt, the best picture I have seen this year and that includes a lengthy list of Oscar contenders.

Steven Spielberg originally signed on to produce but opted to direct the film when he read the first draft of the screenplay. This film likely would not have happened had it not been for Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy attending the London stage production with their two daughters. At the time in 2009 when they saw it, nobody had bothered to buy the film rights so they did. When DreamWorks optioned the rights sometime thereafter, Spielberg was quoted as saying:

"From the moment I read Michael Morpurgo's novel War Horse, I knew this was a film I wanted DreamWorks to make ... Its heart and its message provide a story that can be felt in every country."

At the heart of this film is the phenomenal story of a friendship between a boy and his horse. They become separated at the start of the war but someway, somehow, their story finds a miraculous way be intertwined as they try to survive the horrors of World War I.

The film featured a nice reunion towards the end of the film when one officer asks that the horse be shot due to the extent of his injuries but then the horse reacts to a noise in the distance coming from Albert, the boy that raised him. It's a reunion that leaves you teary eyed.

There was a nice scene in which the English and Germans come to a truce to free Joey (Albert named him that) from the barbed wire.

Based on the book of the same name published in 1982 by Michael Morpurgo, Spielberg directs from a screenplay by Richard Curtis and Lee Hall. It's a well done script as well so don't be shocked if it somehow takes the lead as front runner for adapted screenplay. The cast includes David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, and Tom Hiddleston.

The play was adapted by Nick Stafford.

The usual suspects are involved as far as music, cinematography, and editing. John Williams composed an amazing score that fit the film. Janusz Kamiński, as he has since 1993, did the cinematography. Michael Kahn edited the film. There was a nice shot where the mother was sewing and they did a quick shot to the plowing of the farm. It could be because this is the first of Spielberg's films to be digitally edited.

You can't ask for a better director than Speilberg to film a war movie. Keep in mind that he's directed six set during or before WW2 (1941, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire of the Sun, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan). He's produced both Clint Eastwood movies set during WW2 (Flags of our Fathers, Letters to Iwo Jima).

Producer Kathleen Kennedy commented about the appeal of the story saying "In cinema we've told very few stories about World War I and I think that's one of the things that attracted us to this ... It's a forgotten war in the United States, and that had a very powerful effect on Steven and I."

The synopsis via RT:

Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets-British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter-before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse-an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.

I cannot recommend this film enough. It's definitely going to see a bluray purchase this spring.

Shailene Woodley: Breakout Star

2011-11-25T11:30:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-24T08:22:00.002-05:00

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!

2011-11-21T19:42:00.001-05:00

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

OVC rejects NKU

2011-11-17T11:37:00.002-05:00

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!

2011-11-16T07:01:00.002-05:00

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

2011-11-14T21:20:00.003-05:00

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

2011-11-13T18:58:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-13T15:43:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-13T09:11:00.003-05:00

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

2011-11-05T20:25:00.001-04:00

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

Shame on you, Howard Fineman!

2011-11-04T17:01:00.002-04:00

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.

Tony La Russa announces retirement

2011-10-31T18:59:00.001-04:00

After 16 seasons as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Tony La Russa retired following 33 years managing in the big leagues. La Russa retires as one of only two managers to win a World Series in both leagues.

There isn't one [factor] that dominates [my decision]," La Russa said. "They all just come together, telling you your time is over.

"We went through the season, and I felt that this just feels like it's time to end it, and I think it's going to be great for the Cardinals to refresh what's going on here."[...]

For the time being, La Russa does not have a next job in line. He does not expect to return to the organization but indicated that he had some interest in continuing to work in baseball.

Mozeliak acknowledged that he has a preliminary list of people in mind to be the Cardinals' next manager, but he made it clear that he expects that list to change in the coming days. Mozeliak did not rule out any possibility for the next skipper, from internal candidates to managers not currently with a team to coaches or managers with other teams.

As Matt notes, La Russa joined Billy Southworth as the only Cardinal managers with more than one World Series championship.

In 16 seasons with the Cardinals, La Russa won 1,408 games, and led the Cards to 9 postseason appearances, including winning the NL pennant in 2004, 2006, and 2011. La Russa retires with 1,408 wins over all, good enough for second place behind Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763). While many of us Cardinals fans thought the skipper would have decided to manage to the point where he would finish second all-time, it was never in La Russa's plans as Matt notes here:

La Russa said that he did not consider continuing in order to get the 36 wins he would have needed and pass McGraw on the all-time list.

"I'm aware of the history of the game," La Russa said. "But I would not be happy with myself if the reason I came back was to move up one spot. That's not why you manage...it's not something that motivates me. Wherever you finish, you finish."

La Russa finishes with the following numbers:
Postseason wins: 70 (2nd)
Games: 5,097 (2nd)
Losses: 2,365 (2nd)
Years: 33 (2nd - tie)
Wins: 2,728 (3rd)
Playoffs: 14 (3rd)
World Series titles: 3 (6th - tie)

You can send a note of thanks to Tony La Russa here.

Postseason Award Predictions

2011-10-30T00:31:00.001-04:00

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Rookie of the Year: Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves
Most Valuable Player: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers
Cy Young Award: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

AMERICAN LEAGUE
Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays
Most Valuable Player: Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees
Cy Young Award: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers

It's interesting to note that Kershaw and Verlander both led their leagues in Wins, Strikeouts, and ERA. It's the first time since 1924 that two pitchers have won the Triple Crown in their league respectively.

Game 6: An Instant Classic

2011-10-28T10:15:00.002-04:00

David Freese saved the St. Louis Cardinals twice tonight. In the bottom of the 9th inning, he tripled to bring in Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman.

In the 11th, he scores the game-winning walk-off home run to win the game for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Freese joins postseason lore with Kirk Gibson, Carlton Fisk, and Joe Carter with a walk-off home run to end the game. Not only that but he joins Jim Edmonds and Ozzie Smith has the only Cardinals to win a postseason game with a walk-off home run. Ozzie with his Game 5 win of the 1985 NLCS. Edmonds did so in extra innings in Game 6 of the 2004 NLCS.

This is an unbelievable season. Down 10.5 at the end of August, the Cards were thought to be out of the postseason. Nope. Atlanta started losing while the Cardinals started winning.

Like in 2006, I did not get any sleep.

Big 12 Takes West Virginia

2011-10-28T09:41:00.001-04:00

Louisville fans will just have to wait.
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According to CBS Sports:

West Virginia has been invited to join the Big 12 Conference, college football industry sources told CBSSports.com Friday.

The Mountaineers will accept the invitation, sources said. The Big 12 is expected to officially announce the invitation later today.

The Big 12's board of directors voted Friday morning and chose West Virginia over Louisville. They will stay at 10 schools, a source said.

Millarworld in the News

2011-10-24T17:11:00.004-04:00

Mark Millar has been in the news a lot recently with several developments.

Wanted 2 is being written at the moment. At the moment, I don't know how it can be done with Angelina Jolie's character having been killed. Derek Haas and Michael Brandt, who adapted the original script, were just hired to write the sequel.

Meanwhile, news surrounding a new Millarworld project is being developed by none other than Matthew Vaughn.

Matthew Vaughn hasn’t yet picked a project to direct after the critical and financial success of X-Men: First Class, but a picture is forming as to what his options could be, and they all involve comic book writer Mark Millar.

Vaughn, Millar and artist Dave Gibbons (best known for as the co-creator of The Watchmen) unveiled this week a new comic titled The Secret Service. While plot details are under wraps, Vaughn not only co-created the concept but holds the movie rights.[...]

Vaughn also has the movie rights to Superior, a comic Millar is writing with Leinil Francis Yu doing the art. The plot revolves around a superhero and comic book-idolizing boy afflicted with multiple sclerosis who is given the chance to become a superhero named Superior. The chance, of course, comes with a heavy cost.

THR notes that no writers have been attached to either project but speculation is that Vaughn will co-write with Jane Goldman.

Both projects are in the early stages, with no screenwriters attached. Vaughn is likely to tackle the script for Secret Service himself, possibly with frequent collaborator Jane Goldman, just as he did with Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class. For Superior, he will supervise the writing, according to sources.

A fourth Millarworld project was announced with Universal picking up rights to War Heroes.

Universal is in negotiations to pick up War Heroes, the project based on the Mark Millar-Tony Harris comic book. Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer, who are writing Doctor Strange for Marvel, are in negotiations to write the script.

Michael De Luca, Chris Morgan and Trigger Street’s Dana Brunetti are attached to produce.[...]

The story centers on a U.S. military experimental program developed in light of dwindling enlistments and the expanding war on terrorism that gives ordinary soldiers superpowers. When a rogue group of the super-soldiers breaks off to form a criminal enterprise, one hero rises from their ranks to prevent catastrophic results.