The NFL, beer, and other fine arts.

Winter beer choices.

2010-01-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, we have all been there gentlemen, and lets face it....it's inevitable. I could blow smoke up your ass and tell you to drink moderately, and turn down that shot of Jameson. However; we all know that isn't going to happen, so lets talk about what we should be getting obliterated drinking this time of year instead. Obviously Sam Winter is always a fantastic treat, and it only comes around but once a year so don't miss it. A dark wheat Lager brewed with winter spices.....salivate. Ok, ok, we all know how I feel about Sam Adams products. Another teriffic winter beer is a good Whiskey Porter, youve seen em, but have you tried them? They are always around, if your in my neck of the woods Brown in Troy has a fabulous home brewed Whickey Porter, that will also know your sock off. O.K, now well say you have tried a Whiskey Porter, and you have enjoyed it..obviouisly! Now I want you to have your bar-tender make you a black and tan (Guiness) with your favorite Whiskey Porter. Ecxtesey ensuse. The Sweetness from the Whiskey (or bourbon if necessarey) combined with the richness of the Guiness is a Winter treat that would warm the heart of Scrooge himself. One other tip, for you novice drinkers out there: Is your bartender doing your black and tan combo justice? I'll give you a tip. A well made black and tan alwayts looks like there is more tan than black, proportionally. This is because a Guiness glass carries more fluid in the top half than the bottom. this means if your Black and tan was eye balled to a 50/50 ration there is probably too much black and not enough tan.

As my friend from Dos Equis says: "Stay thirst my friends." A terrible beer, but a hilarious ad campaign!

The Book of Eli

2010-01-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

It's only once in a great while that a film comes along, so compelling and wonderfully complex and discrete in its story telling that it has you thinking about it and pondering it's possible messages for days on end. When that does happen, it is oh so sweet, and the Book of Eli is just this kind of fantastic movie making. I could shower the Book of Eli with accolades for several hours on end, and never truly do it justice. Part of what made me so pleasantly surprised at this movie was how it was marketed. Upon seeing the previews to this film one would have imagined that it was going to be a fun, yet run of the mill post-apocalyptic action movie. Much to my surprise The Book of Eli is anything but run of the mill. This is movie making at it's best. A more thoughtful, and though provoking story telling you will not find, and it's because of one of holly woods lost arts. The art of subtlety! Making people think about the story, and it's messages. We have gotten to a point, sadly, where every message in a movie has to be concrete and heavy handed, lost is the wonderful subtle style of The Book of Eli. Much like some of the greatest Russian Literature of our time like "Crime and Punishment," Sometimes themes are better off when they meant to be pondered and examaned, rather than concrete black and white themes like movies such as "Crash," which is about as subtle as a swift kick in the nuts. It's hard for me to go too in-depth with the plot and not destroy the experience for you, and it is an experience. Denzel Washington, and Gary Oldman deliver powerhouse performances, as per their usual. In a film that is character, and idea driven these two actors were perfect for these roles. roles that are so much larger than you can imagine, or that first meets the eye, but you'll be pondering these characters for a week after you see the film. I won't go any further talking about Eli, because I want people to see this masterpiece with fresh eyes that haven't already been tainted by short sighted reviewers. I will say this, see this movie, and be preppared for great film, not a mindless action picture.

Rating: six and a half out of seven stars.

Disaster in Haiti. John Cusack to lead survivors to career suicide.

2010-01-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

No one hates a tragic natural disaster like I do, but isn't U.S overdoing things with a 100 Million dollar donation? Last time I checked were broke right? If we have all this cash to burn, I should be getting another god dam stimulus check in the mail. Has Haiti ever even had 100 million dollars? I know this earthquake was tragic but aren't most of the building over there huts with straw tops? I know it sucks when someone knocks over your lincoln logs, but it doesn't take 100 mill to put them back together.

A quick word on recent Games!

2010-01-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

I won't bother to mention Modern Warefare 2. It's a great game, and everyone knows it's a great game. I'm here to tell you about two games it would be a mistake to miss this year. Marvel Ultimate alliance II, and Wet. Both of these titles could go under the radar due to thier release at the same time as other, bigger releases. Wet is really a can't miss, despite it's inexplicable mediocre revies (7.5 on Gamespot) this styleistic action game is more than you could hope for in an action game. Wet is like playing a Quentin Tarantino movie, with a cool cheesey 70's action movie feel. Wet even feature funny intermission sequences like you were at the drive inns long ago watching a great B-rate action flick. Weather your sliceing someone in half with your sword, or sliding across a table with both barrels blazing, Wet is exhilirating action fun from start to finish.

Rating: Marvel Ultimate Alliance II: Four out of six stars. Wet: Five out of six stars.

Dragon's Age....um, hell yes!

2010-01-20T21:21:00.000-08:00

If your anything like me, and if your a meat eating beer guzzling male, you are, then from time to time you utterly crave a good old fashioned role playing game, and Dragon's age provides that nectar that you are craving. These are utterly high accolades for a role player, because the past few years have been pretty plentiful with the great role players. Oblivion, and the Shivering Isles ad on were terrific, as was the more recent Fallout 3, and Mass Effect. That said Dragon's age delivers in a time when good role players have been churned out on a pretty regular basis, and it certainly hold it's own. Do you like a good story? If yes, your in luck, to say the least. DA delivers a great story, more story, and then a little more good story. You'll find yourself so wrapped up in the intriguing dialogue of DA that it seems more like a terrific interactive movie than a game, but thankfully those wonderful parts are follo0wed up by epic battles and lengthy quests, which will test your ability to utilize unique combinations of party members, and tactics. There are so many fascinating ways to approach a battle, and each battle is unique in what will best work to triumph. You may at times want archers and mages, but leave a rouge behind and you may find you cann'ot pick a certain lock or disarm a trap. You may also control if your parts rushes forward and attacks at will, or should they hold position and give you a chance to throw a few aarows before your tanks rush in and risk a quick death. The combat choices are incredibley interesting and keep the game fresh till the very end. There are also a myriad of ways to approach how you level up your team. There are so many different skills, and combat tactics to inprove, and each one has a drastic effect on what each of your party will excell at it, or what their weaknesses will be. Armor, weapons, shields, potions....oh my. There are a lot, and plenty of variations to each. You'll spend so much time with merchants outfitting your team that you'll say; "Makers Breath, how is it four in the morning?"

Overall: Four and a half stars out of six. If this game has a weakness it is probvably the graphics, which are a little weak, but not enough to make this anything other than a must play game in 2010. It does fall short of fallout 3, but in all fairnesss that is a role player that sets the bar so high, it's allmost impossible to touch it. In short; buy Draggon's Age. Play it, live it, love it, and don't make any plans for a while.

Championship weekend 2010

2010-01-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

Alright, alright, it's been a while. Fear not faithful men and women, my wit and wisdom are back! First and foremost are our NFL title games. The most exciting weekend in sports every year, and 2010 is no different, infact these are two of the best match-ups in recent memory. The New York Football Jets will travel to Inianapolis to take on the Colts in a battle of wills. These are two of the most stubborn teams in football, as capsulized by their head coaches, Rex Ryan and Jim Caldwell respectively. You have to admire Rex Ryans commitment to hard nosed football, the Jets do not panic. They just keep playing defense and running, until someone finally makes a big play. Jim Caldwell also sticks to his guns, including his decision to rest starters down the regular season stretch, a decision that is now a mute point. They both stick to paying their style of football with unwavering passion, and this weekend should be no different. The Jets have a lot going for them in this game. The Colts run defense is horrendus, and noone runs better than the Jets and their powerful o-line. The real key to this game is if N.Y can survive the first ten minutes of this game. The Colts will no-doubt come out firing in front of their home crowd, and it will be crucial for N.Y to get through the first quarter with a low or zero score. If the Jets do this they will have a chance to wear out a bad run defense and keep the football away from Peyton Manning. More shots of Manning standing on the sidelines helpless in a Jets game, is exactly what Rex Ryan needs to ahppen. Defensively the Jets are one of few teams that stand of chance of confusing Peyton with their blizt schemes. Why can the Jets do this? A simple answer; "Revis Island." Darrell Revis can man cover any receiver in the league without help, and because of this the Jets can bring pressure and crowd the line of scrimmage at will. This is a more difficult task against a Clots team that spread the ball out, but N.Y only has to force Peyton into shorter throws and extra snaps to frushtrate and force Indianapolis into mistakes.

Pick: J...E....T....S Jets, Jets, Jets!!! Call me crazy if you want, but one thing never changes in the NFL. Come playoff time there are two things you want to be doing well; running the ball, and playing defense. The Jets are REALLY good at both of those things.

Vikings at Saints: Tough game to pick. The one seed, and the two seed go head to head in what should be an epic battle for the NFC title. For the Vikings it's as simple as it is for the Jets, they must run and keep Drew Brees away from the football, but unlike N.Y I'm not convinced the Brett Favres Vikings are patient enough to do the job. Adrian Peterson hasn't been on track in weeks, and should the run game start slowly it will be tempting for Minni to turn to their future hall of famer to try and keep up with the Saints, but this wil be a trap. The Vikings will not win a shoot-out with New Orleans they must not loose their patients. For the Vikings to have a chance they must keep feeding Peterson, and try to keep the game close unitll the Saints D starts to tire.

Pick: Who Dat? Thats right, pick Saints. Unlike Rex Ryan and the Jets iron will, I think the vikings will panic and find themselves in a hole early and often. Look for Darren Sharper to be a big hero Sunday against his old teammate Brett Favre.

Why do Pakistanis love water, but hate ice????

2007-10-02T00:34:00.000-07:00

"DON'T FREEZE THAT WATER!!!"

Having worked in the restaurant business for a very, very long time. I have observed many funny quirks about different groups of people, but none quite as interesting as the love hate relationship between Pakistanis and H2O. Pakistanis will always order water as sure as they will not tip, but they always also insist that the water be served without ice. This is such a curious phenomenon to me, why do these people have such a grudge against water when it changes state? Do they also hate H2O when it breaks into gaseous form I wonder? I'm sure it isn't a cleanliness issue because the guests usually smell like a bums nut-sack to begin with. We certainly can't assume a hygiene concern when they are a typically smelly, and dirty people to begin with. What does this leave us with? Poor dental hygiene which causes teeth to ache when confronted with very cold materials....perhaps. More likely though is a simple propensity to be annoying, and cheap at the same time.

Cool stuff

2007-09-26T10:29:00.001-07:00

"The Manningsmind.com website gives fans the chance to match wits with one of the fastest brains in football via an online experience called ManningsMind.com. The site lets fans test their NFL knowledge and the speed of that knowledge against Peyton Manning. Mano a mano. Armchair quarterback vs. champion quarterback. Every second counts as fans try to answer questions correctly and march their team down a futuristic field, complete with hologram players running across an illuminated game table. Manning is “alive” across the illuminated game table, jeering and interacting with opponents who dare to take him on.

Fans will go head-to-head with the fastest brain in football by answering trivia questions such as: “Jason Elam's 63-yarder tied who's career record? Tom Dempsey, Mark Moseley, Wade Tollison” If you don't answer in time you'll get responses back such as: “You're going to have to be faster than that,” followed with a written message saying: “Take on the fastest brain in football.” Other responses include for correct answers, “Not bad for a rookie, I'll be waiting for you,” or for a wrong response, “That would be right if it wasn't so wrong.” Other messaging included in textual form include, “As soon as he thinks it, you see it.”

The site will include a standings page, rules page and players can receive invitations to play.

href=" http://manningsmind.fromthefan.com/?L3503 ">

THATS IT!! I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE

2007-09-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

In the past I have been Rex Grossman's staunchest supporter. Through thick and thin, I defended what appeared to be a plucky and talented young quarterback. Despite the criticism, and despite what people told me, I defended Rex. Fellow Bears fans have gone so far as to label me a "Rex Grossman apologist." Insinuating that I was a better T-rex spin master than most white house press secretary. In all fairness Grossman hasn't always had things working in his favor, pass-protection breakdowns, lack of a consistent running game, and dropped passes. However; Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys Wrecks Gross-Man made me eat all of words and then some. At one point in the game I felt bad for Grossman. It looked like the Bears took a reasonably talented athlete that had never played QB before in his life, and put him into the game. In short; Rex Grossman is a massive retard. Bad decisions, complete lack of vision, and a complete inability to correct any of it. The Chicago Bears cannot continue to let, what is a great football team, be lead by a man who just can't play a lick of quarterback. Even if Kyle Orton was the Bears starting QB they would be 3-0. Orton had a complete inability to make plays, but he also didn't hurt Chicago...time after time, after God Dam Time!!!! Rex Grossman is in fact God Awful. There it is on record for all time! It's time the squeaky wheel got the Brian Griese. There was a time that Rex had the unwavering support of his teammates, because he does have an innate ability to be likable, but that time has past. Those blind statements of support have gone by the waste side and instead of being a likable guy who may come out of his tail-spin, Grossman has grown into a complete joke. A man without a prayer. I once saw Rex as the spark-plug the Bears needed, now I know he is the one thing the Bears canno't afford. I still think there is a lot of talent hidden behind the youth and bad decision making, but his stay in Chi-town must come to an end. There is no way Grossman can overcome his complete lack of confidence, and support. I once had a good feeling about Grossman, but no one I blindly support ever pays me back, and it's time to eat Crow once again.

Bio-shock

2007-09-20T12:35:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! Bio-shock for X-box 360 is positively insane! When it comes to chalenge, story, graphics, and fun look no further. This is one first peron shooter that could make Halo 3 seem like a let down. From it's unbelievably beauitful environments, to it's unique style of combat Bio-shhock challenges the player to find their own combination of powers and abilities to dispatch bad guys. Constantly altering your genetic code to gain a myriad of cool powers, from telekenises to weilding flame. Fighting in Bio-shock never gets stle. Also neat is the ability to research bad guys. Armed with camera you may photograph your foes and reveal their weaknesses, making ammo selection that much more important. I also like the ability to save your progress at any time durring the game, this makes Bio that much playable since a large block of time is not necessary to enjoy it. All in all this is some of the most innovative and fun gameing in recent memory. I'll report back a more detailed review, upon completion but for now buy this game!! Now, today!

3:10 to Yuma

2007-09-20T10:46:00.000-07:00

I don't think I have ever been so disappointed in the last thirty minutes of a movie, as I was for this film. I literally put my head in my hands and asked "why" Why would they ruin such a great classic western? The first two hours of this movie are as exciting and entertaining as any in recent memory, it was just a classic western, with a classic western story...that's all we need. Audiences haven't seen a good western in decades, and this was perfect! The acting was phenomenal, with crowe and Bale giving life to old characters. Then it happens. I will not give away the movie, but I will simply say that one of the characters undergoes such a dramatic personality change that it's laughable. Not only was it laughable, but it was grossly unnecessary. This movie didn't need some half-assed attempt at the human condition, it needed a classic western finish. What we got was one of the biggest "almosts" I can remember.

Week 3 in the NFL!

2007-09-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Bills at Patriots: J.P "Lose man" is horrible, gone are the days when he even shows flashes of a bright future. Juron isn't smart enough to protect him with play calling, instead he is exposed and a decent defense and running game are overshadowed by boobery. I'm sure the Pats will lose a game eventually, but it's not going to be at home.

Pick team 007

Vikings at Chiefs: The Vikings have been playing some stout defense, although a half-conscious John Kitna managed to find holes. The Chiefs haven't shown us much of anything so far, but at home I expect Larry Johnson to be resurrected. The way the vikings are turning the ball over, K.C will have plenty of chances on their home turf.

Pick Chiefs

Lions at Eagles: Now this is an interesting match-up. What are the odds of Philly going 0-3 after such an impressive campaign last year with Jeff Garcia....pretty good. Jeff Garcia is gone now, leaving only McNabb to throw passes at peoples feet. Donovan is so inaccurate and erratic it's ridiculous, his completion percentage is high due to the 60-70 swing passes per game to Brian Westbrook, but don't let that fool you. The Lions are playing pretty well, and they certainly have their rally caps on, but but a trip into Philadelphia where the Eagles have their backs up against the wall may be a bit too much for Detroit.

Pick Eagles

49er's at Steelers: It's going to be hard to pick against the Steelers at home this year. "Big" Ben is playing some great football, and so is "fast" Willie Parker, and the always reliable Hines Ward. The Steelers D has been excellent, but I am waiting to see them against real competition. Frank Gore ran wild against the Rams but he won't find so much bad tackling against the Pittsburgh front seven. Alex Smith still hasn't shown me that he can consistently make throws, making this an easy pick.

Pick Steelers

Rams at Buccaneers: St. Louis has to be one of the biggest disappointments of 07 so far. Their defense has been "fair" but their star studded offense has done less than nothing. Bulger and Steven Jackson need to get on the ball, and fast before Seattle and San Fran have a four game lead. The Buc's launched an areal assault against the Saints, but in all fairness the Saints are still reeling from Hurricane Katrina, and various other disasters that happened a really long time ago. As long as Garcia stays sharp, I don't see the Buc's getting beat at home. They still enough good defenders to keep the Rams in check.

Pick Tampa

Dolphins at Jets: Trent Green was God awful against Dallas last week, and they were in that game at the half. Too many defensive breakdowns, and offensive blunders at home. I expect the fins to get badly out-coached again this week, against a Jets team that is fighting a pretty hard schedule. N.Y was impressive last week in their almost comeback against Baltimore, making great adjustments at the half to stop their QB from getting the beating of his life. If not for stone hands Mcarrins, the Jets would have brought the Ravens to O.T

Pick Jets

Colts at Texans: Houston is giving us quite a surprise so far, their offense is humming and the defense has been adequate. Peyton Manning and the Colts were tested last week against the Titans, but that's just the magic of Jeff Fischer and his ability to build a game-plan for anyone. I don't see Houston doing as good a job of containing the Colts, and with Andre Johnson hurting they won't keep up either.

Pick Colts

Chargers at Packers: Norv Turner has certainly put his stamp on the Chargers, after a 13-3 campaign a year ago San Diego (which means a whales vagina) cleaned out it's coaching staff...? What? Doesn't make a lot of sense, but you have the result of what I like to call "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Green Bay has been playing well on both sides of the ball, and when the Packers start to believe in themselves with Brett Favre as the QB things could get dangerous.

Pick Green Bay

Cardinals at Ravens: Baltimore survived a late threat by the Jets, and they had better find a way to posses the football a little more this week. On the bright side they should be able to dish out a good sound beating to Leinart. I don't see Arizona being able to pass protect adequately against the Ravens.

Pick Ravens

Bengals at Seahawks: The seahawks blundered in Arizona Cardinals style, and lost a game they should have easily won. Seattle has been terrible on the road, but fortunately they face a defenseless Bengals team at home.Also noteworthy; Chad Johnson isn't anywhere near as funny as Terell Owens.

Pick Seahawks

Browns at Raiders: I have been waiting all summer for this clash of the titans (subtle sarcasm). The Raiders typically play pretty solid defense, but if Cleveland can duplicate their areal masterpiece it will be a long day for the Raiders. Things really started to open up for Jamal Lewis also, which can make the Browns kinda scary. I'm not going to get too high on Cleveland because that Bengals defense is absolutely horrific, but they did keep it up for four quarters. The Raiders will have to not turn the ball over....may as well ask for it to rain cows.

pick Browns

Jaguars at Bronco's: Where are you Jaguars? Where is that run stuffing D, and power running game? I'm sure what is happening to Jacksonville, but Denver is a 2-0 team that could easily be 0-2. They will have a big test this week against a hungry Jaguars team. On the positive side Jay cutler has played really well, he isn't throwing 70 yard bombs, but he also isn't making the mistakes you expect from a young quarterback. Travis Henrey has been excellent, as he always has been. The Bronco D isn't as stout as it once was, but they still make the big stops, and at home that should do the trick. The Jaguars have got to show us something before they get any more consideration.

pick Bronco's

Giants at Redskins: I don't know about Joe Gibbs, far too often the Skins looked confused. Their time management isn't great, and they always look indecisive in critical moments. Offensively they are loaded with talent, and that should be enough this week. That Giants team is bad, bad, bad.

Pick Redskins

Panthers at Falcons: Joey Harrington is still the QB for Atlanta.

Pick Panthers

Cowboys at Bears: NFC super powers meet under the lights for Sunday night football. Dallas has been very impressive, and Romo has nothing short of spectacular but this week he will face a relentless pass-rush. Bears defense is undeniably the best in the NFL, and if Rex Grossman can somehow come out of his funk there will be many things to take advantage of. Dallas doesn't cover the pass very well, and Bernard Berrian should find himself wide open down field. Chicago is tough anywhere, but they are darn near unbeatable at home.

Pick Bears

Titans at Saints: The Titans didn't get a win for their efforts last week against the Colts, but they did gain some respect. The Saints have been hemorrhaging respect since the begging of the season, and if they keep getting drubbed they are going to be a laughing stock (will the paper bags return?) I never thought that the Saints had a very good defense, but it is their sputtering offense that has my eyebrows arched. Drew Brees, Bush, Mcalister, and Colston are good weapons. There is no reason why the Saints shouldn't be scoring some points. I don't expect the offensive slide to last very long.

Pick Saints Win one for Katrina victims!!!!

Pro-football week 2

2007-09-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

Colts at titans: Indy is playing way too good right now, even for the up-start Titans. The Vince Young madden curse watch is on!

Pick Colts

Packers at Giants: This is an interesting macth-up. On one hand the Giants passing game looked really good in a Sunday night loss to Dallas. On the other hand Green Bay won an incredibly sloppy game versus the Eagles. If Eli is ready to go this should be one hec of a ball game, but something tells me that by years end N.Y will be little more than a bad punchline.

Pick Packers

Bengals at Browns: Reports of Cleveland's resurgence have been greatly exaggerated.
By report, I mean my own bad reports.

Pick Bengals

Texans at Panthers: It's back to earth time for Houston as they visit Carolina, and a red hot Jack Delhome. I fully expect that shoddy Houston O-line to rear it's ugly head against Peppers and Company. Matt Schaub should be in store for the beating of his life, and gain a little respect for his predecessor.

Pick Panthers

Saints at Buc's: Jeff Garcia and company will turn this game into a shoot-out, and it won't be an easy win for the Saints. I really like Drew Brees and Reggie Bush to rebound from their abysmal opening day performances. Have I mentioned that John Gruden inherited a Superbowl team, and turned it into a perennial loser?

Pick Saints

Bills at Steelers: The Steelers offense looked super charged against Cleveland, but that may not mean much. Super "Big" Ben or no, the Steelers have a good enough defense to put the clamps on an anemic Dick Juron style offense. Although the Bills played ok defense, they are still a few vertebrae short of a solid team.

Pick Steelers

Falcons at Jaguars: This Jags could easily go either way. Something tells me that the Jaguars are going to be plenty pissed after getting run on so badly against the Titans. Jags are better than their week one showing and should eat the Falcons run game alive with no fear of repercussions from Joey Harrington. One other question that needs answering: "Where in the world is Jones Drew Maurice?" The Titans need Jones Drew, and so do the rest of us because it's such a fun name to say.

Pcik Jags

49er's at Rams: St. Louis didn't look very good in their opener against the Panthers, but this is still an offense brimming with talent. As for the 49er's their defense looked really good, but Alex Smith still looks way too green for that offense to progress too much. Look for Stephen Jackson and the Rams too be just a scotch too much for the 49er's. I'd like to see the Rams play this season, I haven't seen much of them after a lengthy boycott for fear of seeing Kurt Warners ugly wife on television.

Pick Rams

Vikings at Lions: Detroit is 1-0 but they surrendered way too ways yards and points to a hapless Raiders team in week one. The vikings play really solid D, and should have very little trouble besting a defenseless Lions team. They can add as many defenders with nicknames as they want, but "Boss" Baily and the Lions still couldn't hold water.

Pick Vikings

Seahawks at Cardinals: The Seahawks are one of the NFC's best teams, and should crush this Cardinals team. Arizona did their usually collapse, and their passing game looked pretty bad doing it. The Cardinals are who we thought they were (couldn't resist).

Pick Seahawks

Cowboys at Dolphins: So much for Wade Phillips bringing a staunch 3-4 D to big D, however Tony romo more than made up for the defensive blunders. Trent Green and the Dolphins should make lots of strides this year but facing a true contender this week won't go in their favor. Trent Green could have a good game against the Dallas secondary, especially Roy Williams. When they say Roy williams is like an extra linebacker they mean that he is way too slow to be at the safety position.

Pick Cowboys

Chiefs at Bears: So much for the K.C. school of "hard knocks" The Chiefs looked woeful and already miss Trent Green. Without the threat of a passing game, K.C will really feel the brunt of Chicago's awesome front seven.

Pick Bears

Jets at Ravens: This game bothers me quite a bit. I certainly like the Ravens D against the Jets back-up QB, but if Kyle Boller starts for Baltimore it may be a wash. The Jet are far more talented than they looked against Patriots, and could take advantage over the middle with their bigger WR. The Ravens will really have to get their run game going, and be patient in this one.

Pick Ravens

Raiders at Bronco's: I want to save some Raiders jokes for the coming weeks.

Pick Bronco's

Chargers at Patriots: Will Bill Belicheat and the Pats be able to beat an elite team without cheating? The Patriot look incredible this year, but maybe they wont if they don't already know the other teams plays are. All in all I still think NE is the class of the league, even if they are now on the up and up.

Pick Patriots

Redskins at Eagles: Washington won their first game, and they certainly have talent. The Eagles lost, and looked sloppy doing it, but this is a team that should contend for the East crown.

Pick Eagles

Lets cut the B.S guys!!!

2007-09-11T21:32:00.001-07:00

I'm getting just a little tired of hearing about how gross Britney Spears looked at her most recent performance. Does she look as good as she used to. Of course not. Is she living up to super-star standards? Certainly not. My problem is listening to every fat hairy jack ass with a mouth telling me how repulsive she looks, when the fact of the matter is that if this chick walked into a bar and ordered a beer there would be a line about mile long to buy her a drink.....I'm sure she'd take all of them too....the drinks. It's one thing to say that Britney isn't as hot as she used to be, but its just plain intolerable to listen to a bunch of fat bloated knuckle draggers tell me how gross she is. Face it boys, she isn't a pin up anymore, but Spears is still super-dooable.

Week 1 in the NFL

2007-09-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

The Patriots, the Colts, and everybody else. Gone are the days when we would talk about "parody" running rampant throughout the NFL. Salary caps and free agents have not yielded a competitive balance in the NFL, but rather a new age similar to the days when San Fran and Dallas were heads and tails above the rest of the league every year. The Patriots and Colts are absolutely the class of the NFL. This entire NFL season will be a waiting game for the playoff clash between them. The Colts demolished the Saints on Thursdays night, a team that appeared in last years NFC title game, and boasted the leagues #1 ranked offense last year. The Patriots dismantled their chief AFC East rival, and only competition, the Jets. Tom Brady enjoyed the most ridiculous pass-protection I have ever seen in my life. Brady enjoyed five or six seconds!! at times, so relaxed and un-touchable that he didn't even have to move his feet.

The Cardinals showed their true colors and blew another victory on Monday night. Leading 17-13 Arizona pinned the 49er's deep in their own territory. The 49er's had done less than nothing the entire game, and surely were done for. Not so fast! Arizona did their usual prime-time magic, and completely folded. blowing coverages, getting penalties, and blowing a potential game ending fumble recovery opportunity. The sad part of the whole situation was that there was really never any doubt. As soon the Cardinals punted the ball with over a minute left to play, you just knew that Arizona would find a way to lose. It was just a question of how or why. It's all the same, only the names have changed.

The Chargers won a home game against the NFC champion Bears, overcoming a stifling defense. The Chargers unleashed a great pass-rush of their own, and kept Chicago from doing anything at all on offense. Lovie Smith has to be concerned about his offenses total lack of productivity. The Bears also lost safety Mike Brown for the season. Browns regular season appearances are getting shorter and shorter, as are his ligaments.

The Buffalo Bills also gave away an easy win, leading nearly the entire fourth quarter. Buffalo seemed paralyzed down the stretch....too soon? The good news for Buffalo is that a very young defense, and rookie RB showed real promise. It's no surprise that Denver stole a game on the road, the Broncos are very solid especially if Jay Cutler continues to improve.

The Dallas Cowboys have been a source of much off-season discussion, and they won their game over the Giants. Sadly for Dallas they defeated a team that probably wont get that close to winning another game this season. The Giants certainly won't find themselves in another shoot-out with that big fat ass excuse for a quarterback. This Jarred sure isn't on the subway diet.

The disappointment of the week!! Shame on the Jacksonville Jaguars. This squad was supposed to challenge Indy for the division title this year, but instead they seem destined to always be a group of underachievers masquerading as overachievers. The time has come to realise that Jack Delrios squad of rouge misfit's is actually a pretty talented football team, far too talented to lose a home game against the young titans. Not to take any credit away from Jeff Fisher and his team, but there is no way the Jags should allow that Manny rushing yards against them in a home opener. Stroud and Henderson anchor what should be the NFL's best run defense and have no business allowing that many yards to the Titans. Worse yet the Jag's failed to find their own rushing attack, making the much heralded Jones Drew Maurice a giant week one disappointment.

The Redskins beat Miami in overtime.....I still don't care.

Another wagging finger of shame goes to St. Louis who got blown out by Carolina at home. It's not that I'm surprised the Panthers won a road game, they are a very solid football team, but holding St. Louis to 13 is a real head scratch er. The Rams have FAR too much talent to only score 13 points on a Panthers D with weaknesses. I know it's only week one but there has to be a coaching problem. Bulger, Jackson, Bruce, Holt, and McMichael.....13??? at home?

The biggest surprise of the week comes from Houston, where the Texans clobbered the Chiefs. Herm Edwards should have known how much the team would miss Trent Green. Green has engineered a top ten offense for years, without the aid of even a reasonable number one receiver. My hats off to the Texans for finally utilizing the abilities of WR Andre Johnson, I look forward to seeing the progression of this franchise.

The Steelers lambasted the Cleveland Browns 34-7, and it seems that "Big" Ben is ready for redemption. I am a little disappointed that Cleveland had such a poor showing, I really thought that Romeo Crenel had this tram pointed in the right direction. I am very puzzled by Charlie Fry getting traded just days after his start against the steelers. How could you enter the regular season convinced that Fry was your best option, and then deal him after only one start?

The Packers beat Philadelphia in what can only be described as a slop festival. These two teams took turns trying to give the game away, but the Eagles finally prevailed with their second inexplicable muffed punt. The Eagles were a playoff team a year ago, so I can't imagine why they looked so horrible against a lack luster Packers team.

The Seahawks crushed Tampa 20-6. More important than the game was the injury to Buc's QB Jeff Garcia. Any lengthy injury to Garcia will curb the Buc's chances of being competitive this year. Does it seem as though the more John Gruden puts his stamp on this team the worse they get?

The Detroit Lions had their bye week, and defeated the Raiders 36-21.

Labor day weekend!! I could explode

2007-09-03T22:00:00.000-07:00

Man alive, I will take any excuse to eat and drink like a pig. "It is labor day weekend after all." Why wouldn't you eat and drink enough for six normal human beings. After all it is the celebration of....labor? I wouldn't have eaten that second tray of nacho's but as a very funny cvomedian once said of holiday splurges: "I think the founding would have wanted it this way." Eat, drink and be merry fellow U.S Americans, such as. The holidays were meant to be spent around loved ones, spluging, laughing, and beng extrodinarily silly. Bust ass the rest of the year, but take full advantage of those guilt free moments, because they are far too rare, far too rare indeed. Getting a chance to be around the ones who you truly care about, and cut loose is too great not to indulge in.

Guitar hero II on 360 is INSANE!!!

2007-09-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

I was very skeptical of tis game for a very long time, Guitar hero is what I would categorise as a party game. Not necessarily a ton of fun, unless your getting bombed with friends. I was wrong. Dead wrong. The first time you play "Surrender" by cheap trick....it's over. So over. "Message in a bottle" by the police, need I say more? There are so many cool rock songs, that you know and love, and maybe have even forgotten. Better yet, if you don't play the song correctly, you can't really hear it. In all fairness I was playing the gamer on an insane plasma TV, with great surround sound set-up, but this game should stand up on any reasonable setting. The replay value is astounding, leaving you chomping at the bit for more and more songs, and unlockables. Guitar hero III comes out in October, and you had better believe that this rock n' roll loving hombre will be first in line!!!

3 stars!

Pats Giants pre-season final

2007-08-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

I attended last nights pre-season finale at Gillette stadium last night and I can safely say two things: 1) Giants fans embrace the possibilities of next year, 2) Patriots need to keep Tom Brady in a glass booth unless absolutely necessary.

It wasn't all bad for N.Y Eli Manning was reasonably sharp finding his tight end Shockey four times on their opening drive. The run game was reasonably effective with Jacobs having a pretty good average, but Giants football was lack luster, and almost completely without imagination. I don't know if this was a product this being the fourth and final pre-season game of the year and not wanting to tip their playbook too much, or if it was typical Giants football. I can say this with certainty, it took N.Y five tries from the one yard line to score a TD against second sting Patriots. The Giants also got far, far too many penalties (exhibition or not). Depth wise it doesn't look very Rosy for the G-men where back-up quarterback Jared Lorenze was anything but special. The hugely fat QB was sacked seven times, and ate two peantbutter sandwiches. Lorenzen seems to barely be able to get out of his way much less lead an offense. When Lorenzen first took the field I thought he was a guard or a tackle, and the Giants were up to some trickery. Instead of a trick play, Fat Albert simply became acquainted with the turf at Gillette stadium....over and over again.

As for the Patriots it is a bright dawn upon 07. New England, as usual, displayed great depth at every position as well as rock solid play. I am convinced that the Pats second string unit could easily have handed the starting Giants team a loss in sixty minutes of football. Particularly impressive was WR C.J Jones (#2). Jones is more than likely on the bubble with a glut of receivers in New England, but he certainly made a case for himself. Plucking errant passes out of the air, and making positive plays from nothing, Jones will surely impress the coaching staff. Knowing what type of coach Belichek is, he will have been very satisfied from the level of effort from Jones. It's all great for the Pats, I did get the feeling that behind Tom Brady....there isn't much. Matt Cassel was admirable making fair throws, but mostly just benefiting from the best schemes and coaching in the NFL. No one knows how to get receivers and backs in space like the Patriots do. Behind cassel is the sixty seven year old Vinney Testaverde. Vinney T did his best, but is clearly past prime. When I say past prime, I mean his kids are probably past their primes. So long as the Pats keep Brady VERY well protected, this is a deep and talented Patriot roster.

GILLETTE STADIUM: This is one spectacular arena!! I have been to many, many NFL venues in my day but the new Gillette stadium is truly a site to behold. A beautiful tower can be seen from far away. The tower holds a giants circular monitopr which blast red, white and blue images of the Pats and their colors running up and down this enormous cylinder. If that isn't Patriotic enough a slew of revolutionary war soldiers fire a plethora of gun blasts into air, every time the Pats score a TD. There is a Sam Adams brew house!!! Need I say more? Imagine getting a good beer at reasonable prices at a football game? That time has come my friends, it has come indeed. The refreshments are also among the best I have ever consumed at a game of any kind. I got an order of chili cheese fries which was served in an enormous, and sturdy, bowl. The fries cost $6.75 and really wasn't a bad price at all considering the quantity given, and the nice bowl which made consumption so much easier. The stadium is also very open, and convenient. although my seat was pretty high up there was restrooms, and vendors located almost directly off of the stair well. The smoking area was also so close to the seats, that I could still see the field!! It is also worth mentioning that no one immediately dropped dead of lung cancer in this huge OPEN AIR arena. Overall the Patriots home is one beautiful, and convenient venue. I would see a game there anytime.

Where are you marketing people?

2007-08-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

Hey where are all the market ring people out there? It has been a long time since I have been able to whore myself out for some free merchandise or tickets. I hate going this long without selling my opinion, and my good name. Get with it people! I'm for sale, and I'm cheap as hell.

A little heavy lately? Not to worry faithful, not to worry indeed.

2007-08-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

OK fans I have been a little heavy lately with my poetic side, but don't worry about that. I have emerged from my man cocoon of Booze sorrow with a new found vigor for all things manly!! I should also add that Bulleit is a spectacular bourbon, and is solely responsible for any misspelling this evening. Bring on the NFL, babes, gadgets, and maps. That's right laddies and gentlemen I am going to do my part to help a map poor America get maps. I personally believe that many US Americans cannot locate America on a map, because many Americans in our nation do not have maps. All of the map hoarding rich out there hear this! The poor in our nation such as. Will acquire maps and education from nations such as South Africa, and Iraq such as. So get ready historians, America is about to educated from Iraq, such as.

I am also attending tomorrow nights pre-season NFL game between the Patriots and the New York football Giants. So I will most certainly report to you upon the state of these teams as they prepare to enter the regular season. Depth will be the biggest issue in the last exhibition, especially since Brady and other starters will only see a few snaps. I'd be surprised if Brady wasn't enclosed in a "pope mobile" type of apparatus for the game. Few players are as valuable to their teams as Tom Brady is to the Patriots.

Corrections? I think not!!

2007-08-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

A reader recently tried to tell me that the man picture in my umbrella piece was not Gene Kelly, but was infact Fred Astaire. I was perfectly wiling to make this correction to my hilarious article, but upon further research it turns out that I was 100% correct. Fred Astaire never apeared in the film "Singing in the rain." The actor in question is Grace Kelley the films star.

Despite this ill-fated attempt to prove me wrong I heartily encourage all of my faithful readers to attempt to point out any mis-information I could be guilty of.

Nice try smarty pants, maybe next time!

Nothing says homo like an umbrella

2007-08-28T11:29:00.001-07:00

Look at this pitiful bastard (above). I'm sorry guys but nothing screams FAG like the use of an umbrella. If your a man, and your not in a VERY expensive suit don't do it. I implore you not to use an umbrella. "I'm so afraid of a few rain drops, thats how gay I am."---Thats what every guy you pass is thinking about a man with an umbrella. Think about it boys, if Grace Kelly looks stupid with one....you most certainly do.

Ever get jilted and regret your actions?

2007-08-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever really been in love with someone, and it didn't work out? You gave it your all, and fought tooth and nail for your relationship survival. It doesn't happen very often, in fact being in love is a feet far too rare in this day and age. People get used up and spit out so furiously that you don't even remember whose bra is whoso half the time. On those rare occasions that you find yourself getting separated from someone truly special to you, those times are unforgettable aren't they. Perhaps made even more special by that rarity of connection in our busy modern world of wham bam thank you mam. Have you ever acted truly foolish after being jilted by someone you loved? Have you ever cared about someone so much that you disregarded your most core need of being cool, independent, coy, and nonchalant. You acted desperate, pitiful, and....maybe felt a little disgraced afterwards. You regret your actions, your phone calls, you wish you had been cool about it. It makes you mad that you gave the other person all of the power, and let them know that you are destroyed. You feel embarrassed, dis empowered, weak, and sad.

I have recently found myself in these shoes. After a long relationship with someone I loved, I was dumped and acted like the before mentioned jack-ass. In a full blown panic, I left behind my resilient care-free attitude and sullied my good reputation with a series of terribly regrettable actions....but do I really regret them? I was mad, upset, sad, devastated, and back to the beginning again. Even though the ego in me wants to dam myself to hell for acting so weak in this time, another part of me is glad I did it. Being intimately connected to another human is something that just doen't happen enough. That range of emotion and feeling just isn't soemthing to wish away, It's how you know your truly alive! This is why it's great to be a human being, beacuse you feel and emote. You exerience life through an emotional standpoint, unlike other animals that merely seek to survive. Even though you think that you have hit your lowest possible point, you haven't. You have reached the peak of true humanity. Although, I feel stupid right now and I'm addmitidly on the dramatic side, the truth is I wouldn't change a God dam thing. You have just been in love, and most people don't get to go through that very many times if at all. The next time your breaking up with someone and it's far too easy, you will look back on your so called foolishness, and wish to hell that it was hard like that one.

Don't wish away the hard times. Don't regret your idiotic behaivor. If you get caught up in pure emotion, your one up on most of world, and living life the way it should be lived. All in!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2007-08-24T00:53:00.000-07:00

I enjoy the summer months as much as the next guy, but when it's time for Autumn to rear it's ugly head there is much to be thankful for. Sure the dog days of summer are nearly over, and there will be no more floating in the swimming pool or rollerblading. However; there will be entertainment! It's about time for those lawn mowing Sundays to turn into every mans man fantasy, of sitting on his duffy for twelve straight hours drinking beer, and eating cheap orange cheese on tortilla chips. What I'm talking about is the return of Americas favorite obsession, the national football league. From that first Thursday night kick-off to the Superbowl a lifetimes worth of fond friends, memories, and pizza boxes. There will be emotional highs and lows, there will battles won and lost. There will graceful acrobatics, and there will devastating brutality. Many wars fought, many beers drunk, and all of these things will happen every single Sunday in the magic that is an NFL Sunday. So prepare yourselves men! Loosen up those index fingers, buy some beer and prepare to be elated by not moving a muscle, a feet that happens far too infrequently.

Enjoy boys! Our time is now.

So funny, it doesn't even need a caption

2007-08-24T00:51:00.000-07:00

Funny Muslim pics

2007-08-24T00:48:00.001-07:00

Funny Muslim pictures

2007-08-24T00:46:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone remembers who's who in this picture.

Mail-bag!!!!!

2007-08-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

It's once again time for reader E-mails, and it seems the focus is on the upcoming football season and the fantasy football world as we know it.

Jay from Albany: "I like how you focus on running backs in your Fantasy Studs column. I hate it when people talk about QB's too much. Quarterbacks are great but after the first few can't miss guys, or may well not even bother with one until late in your drafts."

Jay, couldn't agree more. There is much more significant drop in talent after the top five or six receivers and tight ends than there is for QB's. If you can't draft a Peyton Manning, or a Drew Brees than the next level has many, many players that will fill your needs at the same level. After the top crop of QB's there is Matt Hasselbeck, and arc Bulger and whole host of pretty Good QB's that will perform adequately. However; if you wait on receiver and fail to get a Steve Smith or a Chad Johnson, the next group of wide-outs are significantly less productive. Plexico Burris, and Bernard Berrian are much less like to help your fantasy team. I strongly recommend that is you get caught without a stud QB, just hold off and make sure you can get a quality WR or TE.

Pete from Mass: "How can you not mention Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson as a potential fantasy stud?

Pete, You hit the nail on the head, when you said "potential." While Adrian Peterson has a world of talent, and has looked phenomenal in pre-season, I have seen far too many rookie runners fall flat in year one. Chester Taylor will likely take a fair share of the Vikings carries, especially on gaol-line which as you know is key in fantasy. If you have a high round pick, wait on Peterson, and take a sure thing first.

Brian from Cohoes, N.Y: "What do you think of fantasy defenses? Seems like a difficult crop this year."

Brian, it is indeed a tough pickins for DST's. I would rank the top group as follows: 1-Bears (can't under-value a DST with Devin Hester) 2-Baltimore 3-New England 4-Sandiego (lots of sacks) 5-Steelers (look for Pitt to be prominent again) 6-Dallas 7-Panthers After that it's anyone guess, draft Bills or Raiders and play match-up every week.

That's all of your post-worthy commentary for now dear readers, as I have been a bit lazy with the blogging as of late. But I promise you much new content in the coming months.

Madden 08 an improvement.....in most ways

2007-08-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

The always much anticipated release of Madden football finally came, and much to my surprise there was an apprecable increase in game-play quality. Much to my sha-grin there was absolutely to improvemnt graphically, possibly a step-backwards. Madden has much to learn from 2K sports about smooth animation, especially regarding post-play behavior.

Game-play: It seems like the franchise has taken a positive step towards realism. Although the game proudly boasts a sticker that says "#1 selling pro-football franchise," this is amusing because Madden claimed an exclusive NFL players association license, and thus has no competition. This is frustrating to me, becasue the 2K franchise was a much better football engine. At any rate, the game play has improved for Madden. It seems as though the annoying endless scads of 80 plus yard touchdown plays, have been toned down significantly. Defenses are more realistically alert, and you have an impressive amount of pre-snap adjustments you can make at the line of scrimmage to help defend against a teams strengths. Marquee players are also defined by their strengths, and have special abilities. A brick-wall defender for instance, is less-likely to have a runner break his tackle, or get away from his grasp. A smart safety can read plays from his position, and possibly figure out a passing play before the snap. These new features make MAdden a much more active football game, and make it a lot harder to go into cruise control. Offensively the game is also more intruiging, with the same types of player attribute matchups, and counter adjustments. The franchise mode is a deep and engrossing venture into NFL football. I reqally like to practice modes, and the chance to improve players attributes for the season.

Graphics: I can't say anything good about Madden 08 graphically. There is no improvement of any kind over last years Madden, and maybe even a step backwards. Players faces do not look good, coaches look horrible. Players on the sidelines look ridiculous. The players are ridgid, with far too many straight lines, and not enough smoothness. From a polished look stand-point the Madden 08 engine is nowhere near where 2K sports was before they were blocked from being able to compete. The worst part about Madden is the players between plays. After making a tackle, players jog occwardly back to the huddle. They do not adjust their pads, or walk, or gab realistically. They look like something from a football game that was out five years ago. I now know why there haven't been manny Madden commercials this year showing gameplay, because EA sports is (and should be) ashamed of the way this game looks.

Synopsis: Three stars. The feel is teriffic, you will have a great time. The looks: You will be severly underwhelmed. I beg of the NFLPA and EA sports, please give the license to 2K sports again. There is nothing like healthy competition, have the guts to be the best, by being the best, not by being the only game in town.

Stephon Marbury could be the dumbest man alive

2007-08-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

NBA player Stephon Marbury regailed reporters today with his highly educated, intellegent view of the Michael Vick situation. Marbury said: "From what I understand about dog-fighting, it's a sport. It just happens behind closed doors." What a revelation!! Crack coccaine is also a recreational drug, it just happens to be illegal. Lets follow this string of loggic a little further shall we. Rape is just sex, except that it's non-concensual, and against the law.

Stephon went on to say that "It's terrible how we build up Vick, and then tear him down." It is tragic, when will this society stop this practice. The media did the same thing to Charles Manson, and Adolph Hitler. We just love to catch famous people commiting unspeakable atroscities against humanity, and then we pounce all over them. For the love of God! why does this country insist upon crucifying people that par-take in illegal acts of animal cruelty? So Michael Vick fough dogs, slammed a few into walls, and electrocute them. Why should we use this kind of behavior as an excuse to "tear him down."

In all seriousness, Get a fu$%ing grip Stephon!!!!!!!!!!!! You are one out of touch, highly retarded, ideodic, piece of human trash. You and your cheap sneakers can take a long walk off of a short pier. Marbury now ranks amoung the bumbest people on earth, possibly the dumbest. His comments are ceratinly the dumbest I have heard in a great long time.

JanSport "Big student pack" is awsome!!

2007-08-16T23:28:00.000-07:00

I just received a new JanSport big student pack, and it certainly lives up to it's billing. Available in 14 different colors and patterns, the bag is more eye appealing than your run of the mill nap-sack. The Big Student is also sturdy, with particularly strong straps that will hold up to the punishment of anything you can cram into your bag. As a student I can attest there is nothing more annoying than a bag whose straps are so strained from carrying books around that it seems the straps will completely tear away from the bag itself. This will not happen with the Big student, and it would be a challenge just to fill this curiously large back-pack. The bag is designed to make excellent use of an extra zipper pouch, maximizing load capacity, while minimizing overall size. Keeping this a true back-pack, suitable for either work or play.

Don't forget to enter the Big Student Fall-break sweepstakes. A chance to win this great pack, and an all inclusive trip for four to the grand-canyon. Log onto: http://www.jansport.com/bigstudent , then click the Facebook logo and log in or sign up for Facebook and join the JanSport: Go Big group —it's that simple!

For more information on the Big student pack, please visit: http://www.jansport.com/js_tbsp_landing.php

JanSport press release

2007-08-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

PRESS RELEASE

Enter to Win The Big Student Fall Break Sweepstakes

SAN LEANDRO , CALIF. (July 23, 2007) – Meet the Big Student: A pack designed to fit your style and all your stuff, with more colors, more patterns and more capacity. What more could your backpack ask for? The JanSport ® Big Student is available in 14 different colors and patterns as individual as you and wins technical points for its two large main compartments for versatile storage, front utility pocket with audio electronics organizer and a quick -find cell phone pocket.

JanSport is giving everyone a chance to win this pack and a much needed Fall Break trip with their Big Student Fall Break Sweepstakes . Grand prize is a trip for 4 to the Grand Canyon , including flight, lodging, entrance fees, ground transportation and meal costs. Runners up can bag a prize too with JanSport's Big Student Pack Giveaway —giving away one Big Student pack a day through September 19th.

Now, how to enter: JanSport has partnered with Facebook.com to launch their Big Student Pack. To find out more about this awesome pack and enter to win the Big Student Fall Break Sweepstakes, log onto www.jansport.com/ bigstudent , then click the Facebook logo and log in or sign up for Facebook and join the JanSport: Go Big group —it's that simple!

About JanSport

Founded in 1967 JanSport ® , a division of VF Outdoor Inc., is headquartered in San Leandro , California , and is a leading manufacturer and global marketer of backpacks, travel bags and accessories. The Company offers products for school, business, travel and all outdoor adventures. JanSport ® products are sold in a variety of retail stores throughout the world. To find additional information, log onto www.jansport.com.

About the Company
VF Corporation is a leader in branded lifestyle apparel including jeanswear, outdoor products, image apparel and sportswear. Its principal brands include Wrangler , Lee , Riders , Rustler, The North Face, Vans, Reef, Napapijri, Kipling, Nautica , John Varvatos , JanSport , Eastpak , Eagle Creek , Lee Sport , Majestic and Red Kap .

Sooooo ready for the 2007 NFL football season!!

2007-08-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

I guess it's time for me to tell you all how things are going to shake out this year and why. Don't forget to bookmark this site, because at years end you will be amazed at how close my pre-season prediction come to the actualy outcome.

AFC East:

1)New England Patriots: Was there really any doubt? The rich get richer, as the Pats add some quality help at wide-out. Randy Moss, onte Stallworth, and Wes Welker give the Patriots more than enough fire-power to keep defenders away from the line of scrimmage and all of things they love to do with star running back Laurence Marouney. This gives the best QB in the game, Tom Brady, a lot to work with. Good news for the rest of the league, stud quarterbacks should be in grand supply as long as Brady is intent on scattering his DNA across theis vast country of ours. The question remaining is weather or not an aging defense has been ignored too much this off-season.

2) New York Jets: Don't be surprised to see the Jets give the Patriots a run for their money in the East thiss year. Pennington orchestrates a tremendous passing attack with Coles, and Cotchery. The addition of Thomas Jones at running back should add stability and a sound running game, as opposed to last years everybody try one or two running plays a quarter and see if anybody does anything good policy. Jets defense lacked adeqaute pass coverage, but a revamped secondary should improve that. Pass defense always takes time to gel, so don't expect New York to turn around too dramatically in one season, although a wild-card spot is not out of the question here.

3) Miami Dolphins: This is the difficult call, in the division. Miami and Buffalo could easily flip-flop here at 3 and 4, but for now I have to with
Miami. Adding Trent Green was a superb move, and Ronnie Brown is going to be a very good runner. If the Dolphins can pass block a little bit the also have a couple of pretty darn good receivers in Chris Chambers and Marty Booker. The only problem is they let tight-end Randy McMichael leave to St. Louis. McMichael is a very good pass-catching tight-end and Trent Green loves his tight-ends. On defense the Fish are always fairly sound, and that should improve even further under Dom Cappers direction.

4)Buffalo Bills: Letting Willis McGahee go was more than a bit puzzling, and I don't even think Buffalo got enough for him. Dick Juron isn't what I would consider an A-list coach, and by not A-list I mean he sucks. However; his players always seem to love him, so given enough talent, I'm sure he can provide some competitive football. Lossman is coming around, and has a couple of pretty fair WR's but its really up to Anthony Thomas and the running game. If the A-train can muster enough of a running game to keep the dogs oof of Lossman, the Bills will be competitive. Buffalo has a very talented young secondary, but a lack of leadership and experiance at the linebacker position will hamper the unit and intensify their growing pains, especially early in the season. Other than that...I guess there is an applebee's.

AFC NORTH

1) Pittsburgh Steelers: "Big" Ben Rothelisburger, and "Fast" Willie Parker have both cool nicknames and talent. I expect the Steeler offense to improve dramatically this season with Rothlisberger not suffering severe head trauma prior to the season. Parker is a very underrated RB, and he can used out of the backfield as well. Lets not forget about the Pittsburgh rock, Hines Ward. Steelers D won't be dominating, but they they do have enough playmakers to win a lot of football games.

2) Baltimore Ravens: Old school footbal is always in-vougue in the NFL, and few aer going to do it better than B-more this season. A punishing defense with stagerring pass rushers, and playmakes in the secondary make Ravens defense very stout. Baltimore can also pursue the run game of their glory days (day) with Willis Mcgahee at running back. McNair can still lead an offense, and make plays, but how long he can last as the starter remains to be seen. If McNair stays healthy and the Ravens can run-block and work play-action with, also oft injurred TE Todd Heap, than the Ravens will be a force to be dealt with. Also don't miss the Ray Lewis, O.J Simpson charity stabbing competition on Sept 12.

3) Cincinnati Bengals: I know, I know, I can hear you all now; "Bull crap, Carson Palmer and ocho Stinko, blah blah blah...." Let me tell you something friends. The game of football has changed in many, many ways but one thing has never changed. If you can't stop anybody, you can't beat anybody. Not only does Cincinnati have a lousy crap defense, but they haven't even attempted to adressee it, at least not in recent memory.

4) Cleveland Browns: Romeo Crenel has this franchise pointed in the right direction, I just hope they give him enough time to finish the job. Rock solid receiving core. Braylon Edwrads provides the big play, while Joe Jerivicus is the posession receiver. It still remains to be seen, wheather or not Super Dave will be a good TE or not, maybe well get the answers to that this season. In the end Cleveland has the most problems in the trenches, I still think Charlie Fry could be a very good QB if given enough protection.

AFC SOUTH

1) Jacksonville Jaguars: Old school football at it's finest. Fred Taylor and Jones Drew Maurice provide a sensational rushing attack, and Byron "Fat Albert" Leftwhich an be as effective as anyone with enough support. Defensively the Jags have a virtuaslly impenitrable run defense with Stroud and Henderson in the middle of the D-line. They also have a shut down corner, and one of the most underrated players in the game today in Rashean Mathis.

2) Indianapolis Colts: The offense is as poweful as ever, but you can't lose players on defense when you have zero depth to begin with. Look for the same-old Colts this year, to lose a lot of high scoring games.

3) Tenneesse Titans: Jeff Fisher is definately one of the most under-rated coaches in the game of football today. He consistently has the Titans competing, and playing hard late into the season despite a serious talent defeciency.The Titans have been mired in salary cap hell since their superbowl run. Even though Vince Young looks great as a young quarterback, the Titans are still a ways away from playoff contention. I just hope Fisher gets a chance to still be the coach when they turn the corner.

4) Houston Texans: I don't care who the QB is, if Houton can't protect him he won't be successful. I really feel like the Texans made a mistake with David Carr, if he hadn't been sacked two billion times he would have been very successful in Houston. As it is the Texans have far too many holes to fill, to be bringing in veteran quarterbacks.

AFC WEST

1) Sandiego Chagers: There is a lot to worry about when facing the Chargers. Tomlinson, Gates, and Rivers are as talented as any offensive tri in the game today. Chargers also benefit from a phenominal o-line and a great pass-rush. In the defensive secondary Quinten Jammer is a very underrated corner, and could be poised for a break-out year. Jammer also plays in the AFC West where there aren't a tremendous amount of good WR's to face.

2) Denevr Bronco's: Denver will push Sandiego for the top spot in the west. Javon Walker is a very good threat at wide-out, and Travis Henrey can still be a stud runner, especially in Denver where Broncos are consistently the best run blocking team in the NFL. Rookie quarterback Jay Cutler will have his share of growing pains, and in the end that will be the difference between play-offs and not. Denver always plays solid defense, do I relly have to mention Champ Baily? I didn't think so.

3) Kansas city Chiefs: It seems Larry Johnson is about reay to re-join his mates in K.C and it's a good thing because there isn't much there. An aging Chiefs offense features Tony Gonzalez, and Edddie Kennison. These players are fine, and I love Gonzo as much as the next guy buy they are most definately on the downsides of their career. You can have an offense with veterans skill players like that, but only if you are featuring a smart veteran quarterback.....like Trent Green for instance. In his absence I just don't see how this K.C offense will work at all, it's a complex scheme that works but a rookie QB is going to need better WR's than the Cheifs have. Defensively the Cheifs upgraded several positions, but they still look far too vulnerable against the run, they have a ways to go.

4)Oakland Raiders: You have to give Rex Ryan and his defense some accolades for last season. Raiders d performed exceptionally well, especially considering the fact that they were well out of contention early in the season. Oaklands run defense will sorely miss big Ted Washington in the middle, but they have a lot of young talent at linebacker. Offensivley this is another team like Houston and Cleveland that needed an up-grade on the o-line sorely. Wheathers it's culpepper, Russel, or McCown they will have a tough time throwing the football behind that swiss cheese line.

NFC EAST

1) Dallas Cowboys: This is a pick that I trust the least. Dallas certainly has a very talented young football team, without glarring weakness. However; Wade Phillips is just plain dumb. Dallas had a chance to land a good young coach, but insisted they needed a coach with experiance. What good is experiance, when it comes with a lot of getting fired and loseing big games? Dallas is picked first becasue I love Tony Romo, Owens, Jones, Glenn, and Witten. But I wouldn't be all that surprised to see the Boys get out-coached in a few key games and let Philly win this division again. Defensively Dallas should be very sound despite short comings in coverage. Phillips is good at masking that with a nice pass-rush, and he has the tols to do that here.

2) Philadelphia Eagles: With a very solid offensive line, Brian Westbrook and one of my favrite young tight ends in L.J Smith, the Eagles will be just fine. If Greg Lewis can emerge into a consistent speed threat McNabb will be a happy camper. Brian Dawkins still anchors a tough Philly defense, but this unit will show signs of wear and tear this year. Kurse and McDougle could be an imposeing pair of pass-rushers, if they are the players they were before serious injurry.

3) Washington Redskins: On paper this is a team that should challenge Dallas, but the skins always look good on paper. Santanna Moss, Clinton Portis, Chris Cooley, Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randel El, and a very solid group of veteran offensive lineman. The defense always plays very well under the direction of Gregg Williams. I guess the only real question is did the game pass Joe Gibbs by? If it didn't than this Redskins team is a Lion waiting the bushes.

4) New York Giants: Head coach Lame Duck has his work cut out for him with this re-building franchise. Eli Manning and the passing game will probably make manny teams nervous this year, Manning is poised to take another step forward and he the receiving help to do it. I like Rueben Droughns as a running back, but he certainly can't do all of things that Barber did for N.Y especially in the passing game. Defensively the Giants have manny problems. New York has a very good pass rush, which shows us just how bad that secondary really is. Gianst biggest problmes will be at linebacker. There isn't much in the way of talent here, and opposing teams will shove those pass-rushing ends up field and attack New York right up the gut where they don't have an answer. There are many different ways I could see the NFC East turning out by years end, but all of the scenarious have the G-men in the basement.

NFC NORTH

1) Chicago Bears: I see no reason why the Bears shouldn't once again be annointed the kings of the NFC. I think Dennis Green said it best; "You wanna crown, than cron their ass." Devestating defense, especially when a healthy Tomas Harris can cause havic in the middle of that D-line, tremendous special teams, and an offense with numerous young weapons. As long as Rex Grossman improves the Bears should have no problem mowing down the North.

2) Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings got the steal of the draft when Peterson fell into thier laps. Peterson will provide the perfect compliment to RB Chester Talyor who does the power game, and wears out defenses. A very talented young Vikings defense should Minnesota in a lot of games, but their inexperianced QB will lose some of them.

3) Detroit Lions: Tatum Bell, and a talented receiving core certainly make the Lions look like an imposeing force, but they still haven't adressed a very average o-line or a spotty defense. Look for John Kitna to have a lot of great efforts in defeat.

4) Green Bay Packers: Is it too soon to start asking about wheather or not Brett Favre will retire next year? Aside from that on going drama there isn't much in the way of good football to talk about concerning the Pack. Al Harris and A.J Hawk are good players, but they won't shine without more help from that D-line. Offensively the Packers will be looking to put all of the load of Favre, without a devent running game to turn to. Normally Favre can make plays with very little talent, but with only Donald Driver to lean on things could get tough. The Packers relly needed to find a good receiving TE this offseason to help Favre, but they faied miserably.

NFC SOUTH

1) New Orleans Saints: Tough call here, but the Saints have too much power for an underachieving Pathers defense. Brees, Bush, and Colston should be able to score enough points to keep their division rivals at bay, but this should be a hotly contested division. The Saints have plenty of holes on defense, but it shouldn't matter much in the South. They will not be a factor in the play-offs.

2) Carolina Panthers: Offensively the Panthers have enough talent to have a good year. Steve Smith must be respected, and Foster can be a very good back (when healthy). The problem for Carolina is a defense that never quite rises to expectations. Despute talent up front and good corners and safties, the Panthers never turn into that dominating force they should be. I hate to say this because I have been a hugh John Fox fan, but perhaps his unit gets out-schemed far too often.

3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Thats right folks!! I'm calling for TB to edge out the Falcons. Jeff Garcia will run Gruedens offense to perction, and he has plenty of help. The Bucs have been quietly assembling a nice little offense down there in the Bay. Joey Galloway has really shined since joiing Tampa, and Michael Clayton should emerge into a teriffic posession receiver. Alex Smith is a promising youg TE, and the O-line is slightly revamped. Even if the Buc's line isn't as patched up as it outgh to be, Garcia will help mask that defeciency with his ability to move around and scramble. Tampa will have to most problems of defense but solid leadreship at LB and in the secondary will help this unit continue to be competitive. Next season the Bucs will be the trendy break-out team.

4) Atlanta Falcons: There hasn't been much talk about Atlanta aside from Michael Vick and his propensity for mistreating four legged animals. I am not a huge Vick fan, I don't think he is a very good passer, and often hampers this team. Unfortunately the Falcons signed the only available quarterback who would not be an upgrade in the passing game. Bringing Joey Harrington aboard was not a great move for this club, they should have held onto to Schaub. The erratic Harrinton will be looking to aging WR Joe Horn who is just a shaddow of his former self. Atlanta defense loooks good on paper, but they will not overcome the offenses turnovers, and lack of time of posession.

NFC WEST

1) Seattle Seahawks: This is a rock solid football team, and the only club will legitimately challenge Chicago for the NFC title. A healthy Matt Hasselbeck armed with a tremendous power run game, and a more acclimated Deion Branch will be a force to be dealt with. Seattle defense is un-spectacular but solid, and that all it will take to be a force in the NFC. Rocky Bernard, and Patrick Kerney will help a nice front four, while Marcus Traufant provides the good man coverage. Hawks linebackers aren't the most talented in the league, but they play smart. Seattle rarely gives up the big play.

2) St. Louis Rams: I love what the St. Louis Rams are doing. A pwer run game powered b mac truck Steven Jackson, accompanied by the most under-appreciated QB in the NFL. Marc Bulger is a tremendous passer, he never quite gets his due, but should. The receivers are aging a shade in Tory Holt, and Sir Issac Bruce but with a veteran signal caller, they will beable to best most opponents. I also really like the addition of tight end Randy McMichael. The Rams also boast a defense that could really break out in 07. Leonard Little, and Le'roi Glover should provide a substantial pass rush up-front, and a talented linebacking core should continue to progress. The real problem here is in the secondary where there really aren't any good corners, but Chavious should help at safety.

3) San Francisco 49er's: I know this is the trendy pick to be the new team, I still see the 49er's as a year or two away from serious play-off contention. I certainly see the potential for a threatening offense with Gore, Davis, and Jackson, but Alex Smith will have a difficult year two with mounting pressure for success. The 49er's defense is without recognizeable names, accept for the over-achieving CB Walt Harris. This is a franchise headed in the right direction, but they still need help.

4) Arizona Cardinals: Exactly who I thought they were. They suck.

Movies you should rent

2007-08-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

I recently had an opportunity to watch Idiocracy, a little known movie that didn't even make it to the big screen. Written and produced by Mike Judge, Idiocracy offers some of the funniest moments in recent movie memory. Luke Wilson stars as Joe Baurs, an army man who is chosen for a special military experiment. Baurs is frozen and wakes up 500 years into the future. Joe quickly discovers than man-kind has grown progressively dumber, and that he is now the smartest man alive. Humans have been reduced to crude physical comedy, and sexual impulses. you can imagine how the jokes unfold, and there is a heavy supply of very, very funny moments. If you haven't had an opportunity to see this movie, you owe it to yourself to try it. Idiocracy is hilarious!

Also well worth watching is the thriller "Breach" Breach is abut the greatest security threat in the history of the United States. It is based an actual events, and is a taught thriller, filled with thought provoking events, and impeccable acting. Chris Cooper is positively brilliant in this film.

2007 Fantasy football studs! Who the hell are they?

2007-08-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

What an odd year it is going to be for fantasy football players. Unlike the last several years, there really isn't a clear-cut top group of running backs to covet going into your draft. Sure, Tomlinson, is certainly numero uno, but after that it gets fuzzy. Larry Johnson is surrounded in contract turmoil making him virtually untouchable (too-eaely in a draft)So who rounds out your top ten? I'm not sure, but I do have some suggestions:

1)Steven Jackson: Jackson was a work-horse for the Rams last year, and there is no reason why he wont be that guy again. Jacksons explosive style of power running also makes him a great candidate to get the rock in the red zone.

2) Thomas Jones: Don't let Jones slip too far in your draft. The Jets boast an awsome passing game with Pennington, Jerricho, and Coles, making it very hard for teams to stack the line of scrimmage. Jones had great seasons with Chicago when opposing defenses never worried about the threat of the pass. He's a great slashing runner, get T.J if you can.

3)Jones Drew Maurice: The Jaguars have found something special in Jones Drew "the human pin-ball" Watching this guy bounce off of defender after defender after defender...it's like watching someone play a Madden video game. Maurice could be the next Earl Cambell, I have rarely seen that type of tackle breaking ability.

4) Willis Mcgahee: Mcgahee on the Ravens is a scary proposition. Willis is definatekly a talented running back, and Baltimore is typically an excellent run-blocking team.

5) "Fast" Willie Parker: Parker had a great fantasy season year with the Steelers, even in a down season, and I see no reason why he wont do even better this year. Parker has the ability to go the distanc on any given carry, and he gets a lot of action in the passing game as well.

6) Naturally Laurence Maroney, Clinton Portis,Reggie Bush and Ruddy Johnson are still top candidates.

7) Also, closely monitor the RB sittuatiion for the Bronco's and the Giants. Both teams starters should be well worth a roster spot, especially Denver who routinely churns out great fantasy Running backs.

The Cheesecake factory, a unique restaurant

2007-03-25T21:47:00.001-07:00

A cheesecake facotry finally opened in my area, and after almost a year of ignoring what would seem a typical chain restaurant, I finally dinned there. I have never been so surprised by a national chain restaurant unlike the usual Fridays, Outback, or Caraba's The factory's food and drink are as good as it's young energetic atmosphere. Beauitfully decorated The restaurant offers a very cunning cross between something that screams youth, or class. There is a bar, which you'll become aquainted withg due to the non-stop waiting list, decorated with large flat-screen T.V's. The facory also has a very clever "open line" where the kitchen is seemingly open for view, but convientiently can't really be seen from any table in the house.

I had a mojito which was much to my surprise the best I have had in a very long time. I was fully preppared for the usual chain drink which entails a goldfishbowl the size of your head, and very little taste, but the Factory gave a modest sized cocktail that tasted wonderful. My meal began with an order of "Buffalo blasts" a delightfully decedant treat. Buffalo tyle chicken meat packed inside of a fried wonton. Served with buffalo sauce, and blue cheese. For an entree I choose The fried pork piccata style, served with macaroni and cheese. The pork, pounded untra thin, was fantastic! Topped with a handfull of capers. The Macaroni and cheese was also a great surprise with at least three exotic cheeses flavoring this normally 'back yard' style treat. My dining companion also had an outstanding dinner, in the Jambalaya pasta.

Outstanding food and drinks made this a memorable dining experiance. With a rather large menu to choose from the facory can satisfy nearly every appetite, from hamburgers to sea bass. My sole complaint would be the tables themselves, packed tightly together, I sometimes felt as though I was eating with complete strangers. My complaints are minor, the Cheesecake factory has re-defined what a chain restaurantr can be. I will most certainly be dining there again.

Stanley cup play-offs are almost here!!

2007-03-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

while NHL hockey is our second favorite sport here at football and beer, we always acknowledge that Lord Stanley's Cup is the hardest trophey to bring home. Seven game series in each round of the p[layoffs, including god knows how many overtimes, makes hockey the hardest sport to win a championship in. The non-stop night after night, banging, crashing, slashing, punching, and shot blocking fury of playoff hockey is about as adrenaline filled a testosterone ride as there is.....don't miss this. If your not a hockey fan, I implore you to watch opne series of playoff hockey. Any series will do, and you'll never look back. Whethere it's a goal-tender making improbable save after improbable save, under the most harsh of offensive onslaughts or a true goal scorer turning the tides of a scoreless game with first rate stick handling and skating abiliity, the stanley cup playoffs has it all. A defenseman laying it all on the line for his team and blocking a slap shot with velocity near 100mph is not only heroic, it's common place when fighting for a hockey championship.

We will be covering the quest for cup here at football and beer, and I urge newcomers to the sport to watch and enjoy!

Sorry little girl....HE'S GAY, GAY, GAY!!!!

2007-03-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

The 50 signs your getting older

2007-03-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

1) You still think tattoos are edgey.
2) You still believe that smoking makes someone tough and cool
3) You refer to women as broads
4) You refer to broads as chicks
5) You are still amazed every time you see breakdancing
6) You no-longer like music that has been re-made
7) You find sports like golf, and bowling increasingly intruigeing
8) You refuse to replace your DVD collection with blue-rays
9) You were also the last person to replace his VHS collection with DVD's
10) You are baffled by the I-pod's "wheel."
11) You continually comment on the overabundance of Starbucks
12) You often complain about never seeing 'Star-trek the next generation' re-runs
13) Every time you spot 'Big League Chew' you say "oooh."
14) You still contemplate whether MC Hammer was a great dancer, or was it those magnificent pants?
15) You can't believe you can take pictures with your telephone
16) You get overly excited when you see retro clothing at the mall
17) You still remember Jayne Seymour as "one spicey mamma."
18) You referance 'L.A Law' as the greatest legal drama ever made
19) You frequently immitate the sounds that an old dial up computer connection makes
20) You giggle at your dial-up connection impression
21) You get every SINGLE obscure reference on the 'Family Guy'
22) You insist the writers of 'Family Guy' must be "real cool dudes."
23) You smile every times Randy Jackson says, "dope," and no one laughs at him
24) You eagerly await anoher comedy from that youngster John Cusack
25) You watch 'deal or no deal' to see if Howie Mandell will put a rubber glove on his head
26) You talked about Rocky 6 for weeks before it's release
27) You still compare every great videogame to 'golden-eye'
28) You talk about that one great snow storm that was like no other
29) You know who played in Super bowl I
30) You love humerous bumper-stickers
31) You can't figure out how to scilence the messagging noises on your IM
32) You mute your entire PC to over IM noises
33) Somewhere in your basement you own 'Jarts' thye lawn darts game
34) Every summer you bum rush the 'slip n' slide' trying desperately to emulate that dam commercial
35) The only way you are exposed to modern music is by watching 'American Idol'
36) You still plan to eventually conquer the 'Rubix Cube'
37) You DVR the A-team every chance ytou get
38) Every time you watch the late show you wonder what ever happened to Connans side kick? You know, that guy that was actually funny
39) You know all of the 'Golden Girls' names. First and last
40) Every comedian you ever liked now hosts a game-show. You also notice that Jeff Foxworthy hosts a game show
41) every time another Jurassic park comes out you say: "It's about time."
42) You think fast zombies are an obscenity
43) You can't fathom Eddie murphy making family comedies
44) You still wonder how pumping up your sneakers can possibly help
45) You are still laughing about Randy Jackson saying "Dope"
46) You insist that clothing sizes run smaller than they used to
47) You fantascize about napping more than sex
48) In the morning you no longer have the strength to hold off relieving yourself untill after you have made the coffee
49) You count CSI as mental stimulation
50) You once rode the party line, but now say that all politicians are full of crap

Reins on NBC, I love it!!!

2007-03-16T00:23:00.000-07:00

Cool, unique, deifferent, and awsome new detective show is the only way to describe NBC's "Reins." Detective Reins, played by Jeff Goldbloom, solves cases by visualizing the victims in his cases. But Reins visuals, are startlingly life like, and even talk to him. Although the dead people Reins talks to don't actually give the detective clues, but only serve as his way of visulaizing various events, or following logic strings while trying to solve murder cases. Jeff Goldbloom is his usual brilliant self, and is very humerous with his dead pan style of one-liners. Although I have only seen the piliot, I can't wait to see this show again! Reins has great potential.

Won't you help feed Lance Briggs??

2007-03-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

Lance Briggs is preparred to hold out for the season. Briggs says there is no long term stability with the Bears who are preppared to pay him over seven million dollars for next season. Whats more is, Briggs says this with a straight face. Lance is ready to take out a loan so he can live while holding out....I couldn't make this stuff up. So out of touch with reality is todays athlete, that they actually expect us to pitty them when they cannot possibly find "long term stability" in SEVEN MILLION FREAKING DOLLARS. Heres a tip Lance, if you want to talk like some SNL skit characture of a pampered athlete then save it for your agent, the rest us don't wanna hear this crap.

Gay rights groups are clearly prejudice

2007-03-10T23:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a snipit taken from NFL.com: "Some local and national gay rights groups have questioned Dungy's decision to appear at a fundraising banquet this month for the institute, which has been a leading supporter of a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between one man and one woman".

The institute in question is a conservative christian group, but I question the wisdom of making such bold acusations against coach Dungey just for making a key note adresse. don't think for a second that this isn't discrimination, and downright slander. I shudder to think what would be said if Elton John was accused of being anti-semitic for attending a Mel Gibson movie premiere. There comes a time when every "Equal rights" group gets just a tad too big for their britches, and begins runnign rampant through society with the righteous indigation of Nelson Mandella himslef. I for one have had enough of the double standard, and we are now ready for these poor downtrodden control freak groups to shut the hell up. Even if Coach Dun gy didn't believe in same sex marriage....so what, this is still America isn't it? Since when is it a crime to disagree in this country? There is a very dangerous trend lately for for certain issues to be treated as matters of fact, and not as opinion which they most certainly are. Issues aren't black and white, they are not right and wrong, they are matters of opinion for open debate amounst the masses. This is America isn't it?

Season one of "The Loop" is a breath of fresh air

2007-03-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

In an era filled with copy cat sitcoms and an endless brigade of investigative dramas, Fox's "The Loop" is a fresh and bright new comedy ripe with potential. If your sick and tired of the same old married life comedys, or single guy sitcoms then "The Loop" is definately for you. Much like NBC's "The Office" The show takes us into the corporate space for some unique humor, but "The Loop" relies more heavily on snappy dialouge and clever word play than "The office" does. Loop deals with that strange time in life between college and growing up. Our main character Sam, played by Bret Harrison, is a twenty something airline executive trying desperately to balance work and play. Sams brother and two roomates make getting to bed on time, and working at home nearly impossible and usually find a way for Sam to be fashionably late to important meetings,ill preparred, or at the very least inapropriately dressed. Sam does have an ally at work in the form of his fourty something year old superior Meryl, played by Mimi Rogers. Meryl has the hots for Sam, and often protects him from the big boss Russ, played by the brilliant Philip Baker Hall. Russ is the engine that drives this clever show with his perfect delivery of funny one-liners, and his wonderfully unflappable expression even in the face of madness.

The Piolit epside of "The Loop" is positively hysterical wasting no time, and jumping right into a story as if we have already known all of the key characters and it seems like we do. I particularly like the way characters are first introduced with a brief freeze frame and a humerous two or three word subtitle summary of the character. One unlikeable repeat character is simply introduced as: Derek (Deuche). The second episode of season one is entitled "Jack air." This episode is worth the entire purchase price of the Loop season one. "Jack air" is as funny a thirty minutes of television as I have ever seen. Sam finds a humerous flaw with a new lost cost airline pitch, and suddenly finds himself in charge of re-vamping the project. Unfortunately for Sam he has very little time to work on the project when he falls into a steamy romance with a girl who works for a major tequilla company. More complitcations arise when Sam fails his physical after competing in an egg eating contest. The hilarity ensues as Sam tries desperately to get back from Mexico, lower his cholesterol, and come up with a low cost airline pitch for Russ.

Every episode of "The Loop" season one is littered with funny one-liners and unique story lines, coming up with a variety of clever ways for sams roomates to get him into trouble. Wheather they have stolen his car, taken the sleeves from his work shirts, or shaved a stripe on his head for passing out drunk. The season is only seven episodes long but none of them disapoint, and the DVD leaves me chomping at the bit for the new season to begin. I can only hope that the cast remains stable, and the writing stays this fresh for a long time to come. Joy Osmanski is also worth mentioning for her role as Sams secrectary, Darcy. Darcy is a Chineese MIT graduate and has a variety of wonderful punchlines delievered in believable dead-pan fashion. "The Loop" is great fun with a nice blend of high and low brow comedey with both work and social settings to play with, Loop story lines are almost limitless. The paceing of the show is phenominal and the half hour shows pass like ten minutes. Snappy line, after snappy line keeps the laughs rolling and you wondering how the situations Sam is in will possibly be resolved. Wheather Sam is cutting out of work to keep his life long crush, Piper, from hooking up with the wrong guy, or Sam is trying to give a work presentation with a magic marker bra drawn onto his naked chest, the laughs keep coming and coming. The writers of this show come up witrh the most unique story lines, and the way the funny coincidences and mishaps end up comning full circle is pure genious, in that respect this show reminds me a bit of "Frasier." While it's not fair to compare any show one one of the all time greats, "The Loops" is as crisp, smart, and fresh as any show in recent memory. I highly reccomend picking up a copy of season one.

Things that irritate the crap out of me

2007-03-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

Why is it that every time a single snow flake falls, the stores and gas stations are flooded with every moron on the face of the planet. In this day and age the worst of weather conditions only have you cooped up in the house for maybe a day. Yet every pre-storm visit to wal-mart features the same old pandemonia. People stocking up on can goods as if it were the nuclear holocost!! On the eve of the last great N.Y snow storm I saw a woman with THREE 24 packs of toilet papper. You couldn't go that much if you were stuck in the house for a month. All I really wanted was a tweleve pack of beer and a movie, but instead I get stuck in line behind the same three hundred idieots that will soon rush the gas station because they are afraid they will STUCK IN THE HOUSE...NOT DRIVING ANYWHERE!!!!!!

omething else I have grtown particularly tired of, is people in restaurant who are bapparently too weak to open their menu's. There is nothing more annoying than a couple of old bags sitting down and asking their server threehundred questions about food, because they are too dumb, and or, lazy to open the menu and read all about the food. It's a stunning concept really, food listed in menus....WOW! At what age does soup become the single most important piece of information available to mankind??

Heres another idea for eeating out: Try picking something out a fifty plus item menu, and eating it. Stick your modification up you A@$, it doesn't make you picky or special to change everything you eat until it doesn't even resemble any type of food the eatery is good at making. Odd's are Emeril isn't in the back, you should stick to the formula. I recently waited on a "man" who sent his entree back because there was too much parsely on it, and parsely chokes him. The obvious outrage in this is that you would have to turn in your testicles to say that "prsely chokes me," but the funny part is that this particular fat slob was two fisting handfulls of the bars popcorn....worried about the parsely???

The Black Donnellys premieres

2007-03-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

(The Donnelley brothers aren't nearly as cheery as this fellow, but they are about as stereotypical as our leprachaun friend.)

Kevin, Sean, Jimmy, and Tommy Donnelly are four "typical" Irish brothers growing up in the local pub as all Irish brothers do. Naturally the brothers are always up to all kinds of mischif and tom foolery. Thanksfully one brother is smarter than the others and he gets the other three out of trouble. Even the good son gets himself in a jam when he starts a mob war with the Itallians to defend his family. Thats about all you need to know.

Despite it's deceptively simple plot line, this is actually a pretty entertaining show. The acting is very good, and the story telling is compelling. The mood, and look of the show is fantastic. I would definately watch this one again.

Know the beer your drinking!!

2007-03-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

It's March 1st and the Sam Adams season is White ale. I'm sure most of you have already enjoyed a few pints, but do you really know what it is your pouring down your fat gullets?? Fear notgentle citizens, that what I'm here for.

This beer's roots are in Belgium, and the classic Wit biers produced by Belgium's brewers. The style gets its name from the white, milky appearance of this unfiltered wheat ale. The brewers of Samuel Adams® beer, taking inspiration from the Belgians, have created a classic of their own. On the malt side, we use malted two row Pale barley, malted wheat, and Munich malt to give this beer a crisp, malty, cereal finish and smooth mouth feel. The hops used are Noble Tettnang Tettnanger hops. At the end of the kettle boil, we add a proprietary spice blend to give Samuel Adams® White Ale a unique and complex flavor, without being overpowering or cloying. The spice blend includes orange and lemon peel, dried plum, grains of paradise, coriander, anise, hibiscus, rose hips, tamarind, and vanilla. It is this special blend of spices that gives Samuel Adams® White Ale its unique character, complexity and refreshing drinkability. The beer is coarse filtered, leaving a white haze from the malt proteins. Our proprietary top fermenting ale yeast ferments the beer, imparting its signature character - bright and slightly fruity.

Antonella Barba says: "I love Head."

2007-03-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

American Idol contestants have a good showing

2007-02-28T23:09:00.000-08:00

"Can you help me solve my gender crisis?"

What a good season for Americna Idol as almost all contestants have a good showing. Sure there were some so-so performances but nothing truly bad like in past seaseons (Scott Sabol, John Peter Lewis ect.) Ryan Seacrest is still completely intollerable and un-funny but Simon saves the day with his with although Randy and Paula are usually too dumb and or drunk to get his jokes.

Here is the top boys:
1)Blake Lewis: I origianlly thought this beat boxer was silly as hell, but I have really been taken in by his originality, and he can sing.
2)AJ Tabaldo: I really enjoyed his past two performances, maybe nothing stellar, but very consistent and pleasant.
3)Nicholas Pedro: "Vote for Pedro" Here is my dark horse candidate. Maybe he hasn't quite hit his stride yet, but that unique smokey voice will eventually pay off. I think he's a bit like a Don Henley, and under the right circumstances he could really shine.
4)Jared Cotter: It was risky to sing a novelty song, but he pulled it off nicely with a Marvin Gay ditty.
5)Sundance Head: I really like his voice last week as well as this week, although I didn't like the song. I think the judges were a little harsh with him previously.
6)Chris Sligh: He can certainly sing in his domain, but he could fall victim to the wrong theme week
7)Brandon Rogers: Always pleasant, and always forgettable
8)Chris Richardson: I don't understand what the judges see in him, I think he's kind of goffy.
9)Phil Stacey: I AM BAFFLED BY THE JUDGES ON THIS ONE!! I haven't been impressed by him at all. This week completely lacked originality, and I thought last week was horrible.
10)Sanjaya Malakar: A complete joke

Top Girls:
1)Sabrina Sloan: Amazing, original, and the most darring by far.
2)Lakisha Jones: Great vocalist, but please no more short skirts! I had just eaten when she sang.
3)Stephanie Edwards: Very consistent, also a risk taker that makes for memorable songs.
4)Gina Gloksen: A very nice redition of Hearts "Alone," but Simon is right. She should look more punk like Avril, catch a niche. She's nbot pretty enough to just wear fancy dresses.
5)Melinda Doolittle: It will hard not to root for her, she seems like a great girl. You can tell she expects the judges to say something bad about her even though she's always brilliant. You gotta love a talented modest girl like that.
6)Jordin Sparks: A great singer, I'm just not sure she has the personality to overcome some of the other contestants.
7)Haley Scarnato: I really didn't like her before, but I thought her version of "Queen of the night," was really entertaining.
8)Alaina Alexander: I really don't agree with the harsh critisism of this contestant. She makes excellent song choices. Always popular, and avoiding artists that would be considered iconic. I think she has been pretty entertaining, and she may still surprise us.
9)Leslie Hunt: Certainly has potential, but I could take her or leave her.
10)Antonella Barba: Her best performance is already available on the internet.

Contestant I most wanted to see return: Nicole Tranquillo. It's a shame the talentless Antonella outlasted her, she had a voice ripe with awe potential.

PRESS RELEASE

2007-02-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

“Finally, a clever new sitcom .” – Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly “A lively comedy!” – Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post Gazette

SIT BACK, RELAX AND PREPARE TO FLY THE FUNNY SKIES WITH THE HILARIOUS NEW SITCOM

“THE LOOP ”

Season One DVD Collection

Catch Up On T h e First Outrageous Episodes
Before The New Season Debuts on FOX

Available March 6 th on DVD from Fox Home Entertainment

As we reach our early 20's and face the daunting challenges of real life, there are those who choose to embark on a career path and those who'd rather goof off with friends…and then, there's someone who is crazy e nough to set out and do both! Set in Chicago , “THE LOOP” is the hilarious new s itcom about the wild workplace adventures of Sam Sullivan, the youngest executive at the corporate headquarters of a major airline, and the first of his friends to get a real job. Struggling to maintain his sanity between his serious work life which features a lunatic boss and a co-worker that brings sexual harassment to a whole new level, plus the non-stop social demands of his three room mates including his slacker brother, his hard-drinking college buddy and the (secret) girl of his dreams, his life makes for a truly a wild sitcom . Funny, fresh and wildly irreverent, “THE LOOP ” will have you flying high on laughs!

Debuting earlier this year as a midseason comedy on FOX starring Bret Harrison (“Grounded for Life”), Eric Christian Olsen ( Not Another Teen Movie ), Mi m i Rogers ( Lost in Space ) and Philip Baker Hall ( In Good C ompany, Bruce Almighty ), “THE LOOP” Season One DVD will be available on March 6th , timed to release just before the new season debuts again this Spring. Featuring the first seven original episodes of the series, “ THE LOOP ” Season One DVD will be available to own for the suggested retail price of $19.98 U.S. / $25.98 Canada .

SYNOPSIS :
Meet twenty-so m ething Sam Sullivan, the youngest executive at a major airline, and the first among his friends to land a real job. Half slacker, half suit, Sam precariously straddles both worlds as his desire to climb the corporate ladder is matched only by his desire — nd ability— to party hardy with his wild and crazy room mates. There's Sully, Sam 's hedonistic older brother who refuses to grow up, Piper, Sam's college buddy whom he secretly has a crush on, and Lizzy, the ditzy bartender who k eeps the party rolling!

EPISODE SYNOPSES:

PILOT -- The love-struck S a m plans a birthday party t h at Piper will never forget, whether her boyfriend is able to att e nd or not…hopefully not!

JACK AIR – Lizzy's sexy pal Jenna convinces Sam to join her in a promotional tequila- drinking challenge…not the best idea for someone who has to work in the morning.

TIGER EXPRESS – Sam bumps into an old flame and hopes that a dinner date to Hong Kong will a u to m atically qualify him for “third date status,” with all of its implied benefits.

TROUBLE IN THE SADDLE – A zip-line mishap and ensuing groin injury nearly p re v ent Sam from sealing a business deal at Russ's horse ranch.

YEAR OF THE DOG – Sully's dog-sitting business puts Sam in the doghouse when a hungry hound swallows Sam's flash drive.

BEAR DROP SOUP – Sam 's new promotion angers his co-workers, while Piper's new Anato my tutor puts her in a hairy predicament.

RUSTY TROMBONE – Sam's plan nearly backfires when he sneaks out of work to m e et Piper at a Dandy Warhols concert.

"The Loop" cooming soon to DVD!!

2007-02-28T00:03:00.000-08:00

"The Loop" season one, is to be released on DVD for 3/6/07. I have been promised a copy of this DVD, in exchange for my review, so look for that in the next couple of weeks. The Loop had been one of my favorite new shows when it originally aired, but unfortunately it didn't last very long. The show centered on a fresh college graduate struggling to put his adolescence behind him and take his job as an airline executive seriously. "The loop" starred Bret Harrison as Sam Sullivan, and the very funny Philip Baker Hall as Sam's boss.

You don't have time to watch everything on T.V, so let me tell you how to set up the DVR

2007-02-26T01:17:00.000-08:00

Numero uno and some T.V newcomers:

Fox still presents the best bang for your hour long buck, in the form of House. House serves as the most interesting medical drama available, while delivering and endless supply of sarcastic humor. Jennifer Morrison is also easy on the eyes.

NBC's Hero's has provided a welcomed change to the monotony of typical prime time dramas. With an endless supply of interesting people with interesting powers, Hero's manages to fold us into a seemingly impossible world of fantasy in a gritty and believable way.

Friday Night Light's is perhaps the best surprise on television this year. The show does what once seemed impossible. Lights makes the high school drama fresh and interesting to a wide variety of audiences. Kyle chandler is positively superb as coach Taylor, and he is surrounded by a talented cast of both young and old actors. If you haven't seen this show, do so.

USA's Psych is unapologetic fun. If there is one thing I never fail to reward on this blog it is being different, and imaginative. Shawn Spencer is a pretend psychic with an identic memory who works for the police force to solve a variety of well written crime stories. Corbin Berson is also excellent as Sahwn's father on the show, I highly recommend Psych as a crime show for people who like to giggle once in a while.

One of the best new shows on the air is NBC's Rules Of Engagement. This is one of those rare comedies that doesn't have a particularly good idea, or particularly great writing but it delivers what few shows can. Perfect chemistry. Oliva Hudson, Bianca Kajlich, Megyn Price, David Spade, and Patrick Warburton (putty) are simply hilarious together, and although the writers of the show seem intent on recycling tired old comedy story lines, this is still a very funny thirty minutes of T.V

CBS has my favorite new show in Criminal Minds. Criminal Minds Ad's suspense, and thrills to CSI type of television. Criminal Minds also delves into the lives of it's stars and ads an interesting look into the minds of high ranking law enforcement agents, while not overpowering it's always stellar story lines of 'cops and robbers.' The show features a superb cast headlined by former Chicago Hope star Mandy Patinkin.

CBS also features The Ghost Whisperer, which is a show that I never thought I would like, but I cannot stop watching it. From Ghosts to zombies to the devil himself, the Ghost whisperer offers a variety of wild horror stories, and a unique set of solutions week to week. Always confronting the human drama of relationsahips, past and present, The Ghost Whisperer will satisfy every member of your household. I should also add that Jenniefer Love Hewitte is positively brilliant on this show week after week, her acting never disappoints!!

The Class on CBS is also a great new comedy. The class is another show with chemistry that offers some unique insight into thew singles life, as well as relationships in general. A lot of great Young comedic talent can be seen on this show.

N.C.I.S is a show that I rarely miss. Featuring Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly N.C.I.S has great chemistry, although they did take a significant loss when they killed off the character of "Kate." N.C.I.S perseveres with clever story's and great dialogue.

Jericho is also quickly emerging as a must see. I just hope they can keep it fresh.

Shows that are still great: My name is Earl, C.S.I, 24, The Family Guy, The Simpsons and Two and a Half Men are still performing at peak levels after their early stages. Also still worth watching are; Scrubs, Survivor, and American Idol.

Show that it most overlooked: The King of Queens. CBS's The King of Queens is possibly the most overlooked show of the past five or six years. Consistently funny, and always with great hilarious story lines this show is powered by comic heavy weights Kevin James, Jerry Stiller, and Leah Remini. Every time I see this show on re-runs I wonder, "Why don't I watch this every week? It's hilarious!"

Shows that have past their primes...quickly: Maybe the biggest disappointment of this decade is Grey's Anatomy. Grey's Anatomy has done in two years what it took E.R ten seasons to do. Forget all about being an interesting medical drama, and become a mindless prime time soap-opera for the bed-ridden. What started out as an exciting new doctor show has quickly degenerated into an endless pile of personnel crap complete with the most trite absurd monologues by each and every character.

Las Vegas was also an interesting show at once, offering a unique T.V experience but that quickly turned into the silly. Vegas moved swiftly into the Hawaii five o variety of nonsense plots and story lines. I wish what happened in Vegas stayed in Vegas.

Numbers is also a show I like initially, but also quickly and unskillfully moved into more and more absurd story lines. Gone are the days when an interesting drama made insane story lines once or twice a year, now it has to happen every week.

Shows that could still become good: How I met you mother is a show that is terribly frustrating. The program is either is very funny, or not funny at all. A consistency of writing must be achieved in order to make this a show that people can't miss. C.S.I N.Y is a show that has actually gotten progressively better and better. Detective Mac Taylor, played by Gary sinese, along with Detective Don flack, played by Eddie Cahill, power what has become a tremendous cast. When the show first started I truly saw the cast of N.Y to be an achilles heal, b ut the actors have truly evolved...and quickly into one of the better casts on prime time dramas.
I still haven't given up on The New Adventure of Old Christine, although it hasn't been funny for a while now.

shows that should get the 86 right away: WOW am I sick of Donald Trump!! The Apprentice jumped the shark two years ago. How is it entertainig to have a 'contest' where most of the contestants are already wildly successful? who gives a dam if these people win anything? Close to Home, and Cold Case are a couple of heroine driven investigative dramas too many. Shark is another so-called lawyer show that leans too heavily on it's characters...none of which are terribly interesting. C.S.I Miami is also a show that couldn't be less entertaining. Bringing bad acting, and unbelievable stupid plot lines to a new level C.S.I Miami belongs on the T.v around 1:00pm with the rest of the soaps. George Lopez, E.R, and The Knight of Prosperity are also losers.

The shows I miss the most: Justice on Fox was one of the most interesting legal dramas I had ever seen, and was quickly becoming must see television for me. I couldn't be more disappointed that Fox didn't give it a fair shake. I was also growing quite found of The Nine. A show about about nine people who were caught up in a violent bank robbery for over 24 hours. The details of the robbery were only leaked out in brief meeting held within the group of hostages from week to week. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as people never want anything different or imaginative, but only the same old cookie cutter B.S the likes of which have brought us three Law and Orders, and three C.S.I's.

The Academy Awards or a party for Al Gore???

2007-02-26T00:59:00.000-08:00

Rarely have I seen an award show degenerate into a love fest like last nights 76th annual "I love Al Gore" awards show. I almost went into a diabetic coma watching star after star salivate over Al Gore, the only thing keeping me from truly being warm and fuzzy was the message of impending global doom being shoved down my throat. At one point I was sure Leonardo DiCaprio would get down on all fours and truly thank Al Gore for all of his brave work, which is ironic because at the beginning of the evening I was sure the only open mouth kiss would be between Elen DeGeneres and Melissa Ethridge. Thankfully the shows un-funny, and unentertaining format was saved by a hilarious bit by Jerry Seinfeld, although it was lost on the out of touch celebrities. I should also mention that Jack Nicholson sure is cool in his shades (try to imagine a slightly sarcastic tone of voice).

The good part of this awards show was the results for a change. A well deserved best picture award to the fabulous film, "The Departed." I thought "The Departed," was an excellent look at the gangster life in the modern day era, complete with an great cast rounded out by the very funny Alec Baldwin. I was also happy to see Alkan Arkin take home a Oscar for his supporting role in "Little Miss Sunshine," an excellent film that most certainly would not have flown without the hysterical work of Arkin. It was refreshing to see movies win Oscars that were actually seen by the public for a change, as opposed to a bunch of politically charged boor-feasts that no one wanted to pay to see.

The Wii

2007-02-26T00:17:00.000-08:00

This is truly a tale of two cities. The Wii has both made me smile in wonderment, as well as scratch my head and wonder what year it is. The Wii has the ability to do what no game console of my time has done. The Wii has the ability to bridge the gap between gamers, and non-gamers. People who have little or no interest in video games pick up the wii-mote, and quickly smile and laugh at the unique games and certainly unique game play. Boxing, swinging the wii-mote as a tennis raquette, bowling, or even playing air-hockey are all things that will be new to the home gamer, as well as waking up from a night of playing video games and having a sore shoulder. I have certainly found myself addicted to playing Wii sports, and and I would have never imagined playing games with my girlfriend for hours on end, but again this system is making things so unique that there will no longer be a steep learning curve to those that have never played games before and for that I say bravo!!

What I don't like about Wii: The first thing you will notice about that the Wii is the fact that the graphics looks strikingly like that original Nintendo, and in some cases are not even as impressive as it's predecessor the Gamecube. We all enjoy a nice cartoonish game once in a blue-moon, but when it becomes all you offer it's very limiting. While the Wii may very well overwhelm the community I consider to be 'party' gamers, it will most certainly alienate the true hard core gamers of the world. There is no good reason not to combine this technology with some gripping more realistic games to satisfy both communities, we don't all find 'monkey ball' endlessly amusing. "Trauma Center" is a neat title, but it also falls flat on it's face when it comes to visual appeal, as well as having terrible sounds. There is no reason on this earth, that in the year 2007 I should be reading text off of a screen instead of some voice-acting, albeit the voice acting would be over the lifeless cartoon figures that move onto and off of the screen like color forms, but it would be nice none the less. I also find that at times the game-play is more ambitious than the technology, far too often the sensors will think you are swinging that Wii-mote around like a bola-ball, when in fact you are simply on your back swing preparing to make a play on a tennis ball.

Synopsis: While I truly appreciate what the Wii is trying to do for gaming, in making it a different kind of experience, there was no good reason to release it with pathetic looking graphics and sounds. As much fun as I have had playing Wii sports, I still find myself salivating at the opportunity to purchase a similar type of add on for the X-box or the PS3. I would think that the idea should have been to take next-gen gaming and add a new wrinkle on that, but instead Nintendo made a unique thing and left out the modern day gaming experience. Just imagine how cool it would be to hit a tennis ball while resembling Roger Federrer, as opposed to being a blob without arms or legs. Hard to master different tennis strokes, when you can't see your arms isn't it?

The best new games to play

2007-02-25T23:35:00.000-08:00

Cool, doesn't quite say it. "Gears of War," is quite simply the kind of addictive, and revolutionary game that could drag a former gamer right back into the fray. Gears has the magnitude of a "Golden eye," or an "Altered beast," the ability to addict and infect gamers like crack cocaine. After Gears you will be salivating at the opportunity to once again play anything like it. Gears of war stretches the boundaries on what we expect from so called 'great' or next gen graphics and adds a whole new category that will have you wondering how one game can so masterfully maximizer the technology, while other fall woe fully short of what Gears does. The war torn worlds of Gears are unbelievable vivid, bright, and detailed. From the rubble filled streets of war torn earth, to the smoke coming from your recently fired futuristic machine gun, "Gears Of War" delivers the most immerseive experience available for next generation gaming. The game play is also superb, in a game that feels chaotic, and delivers realistic seeming all out fire fights, Gears can often be quite a tactical shooter. Seeking the perfect cover, in fire fight situations, you must maneuver you squad into the best possible position to defeat the alien enemy. Although you May be kneeling and squashed against the fender of a rusty old car, you can still put your gun over your head and 'blind fire' your weapon. Blind firring is a cool new wrinkle on combat games, where you can keep your enemy from advancing on your position, while trying to figure out where to go next, or whom to fire on first.

The bad: Although, there really isn't anything bad about "Gears of War" nothing is perfect. If I had a complaint it would be a common one, lack of story length. Gears ends a little too quickly, but in all fairness it's the kind of game that is so much fun you play it non-stop until you beat it. Gears is also better in a short period of time, than other next gen game, even if it goes on for three years.

synopsis: Sights, sounds, and fun. Gears of War gets full marks for everything it does, and grips us with wholly engrossing world where blasting aliens and saving humanity will become you personality and your job until it's over. I love this game, and it most definitely would reap a place in my top 100 games of all time, probably in the top ten.

Nine and a half out of ten stars!!!!!

also well worth playing:

"Fear" is a game that combines intense first person shooting, with uinique and scary horror elements. Fear skillfully leads you times of all out combat, to quiet creepy moments of jump out of your chair scares. An experiance as much as a game, definately check this one out!

Seven and a half out of ten stars

"Marvel Ultimate Alliance" Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the gaming season this year, Marvel Ultimate Alliance does what no super-hero game has done before it...it's actaully fun. Acting as role-playing type of game, you are able to upgrade your hero's, and shuffle your team around to suit yourt needs. Marvel touches every corner of the comic book world, and will have you smiling nastaligally about the comic characters and their catch phrases you knew from your child-hood. Loaded with extras for the hard core geeks, Marvel Alliance will please all.

Seven out of ten stars

"Call of Duty 3" I will never tire of shooting Nazi's!! Will you let the armies of darkness march all over the face of the earth??

Eight out of ten stars

"Prey" A tad too easy, and some graphics are woefully inadequate for the modern era, but "Prey" is very unique. Being different is something that we whole heartedly smile upon here at football and beer, "Prey" certainly delivers that. Some real moments of awe early in this game, as you explore a alien world where humans are totured and consumed, but these moments are too few. The game does present some truly cool puzzles in the midst of an action game in a zero gravity environment. Well worth a play, and I would eagerly anticipate a sequall.

Six out of ten stars!

Daughtry album not what I expected

2007-02-25T23:23:00.000-08:00

For me this was one of the most anticipated albums in recent memory, Chris Daughtry awed me and millions of others with his unapologetic rock and roll style of music on American idol, but his album leaves me hungry for his performances of the past. While "Daughtry" is certainly worth listening to, its a prime example of over-produced music. Daughtry's powerful rock and roll voice seems rather hampered by loud unimaginative music, and very poor song writing. It seems Chris is determined to be a heart throb, and changed fun in for sad.

All things considered Chris still has the making of one of the better musical artists of our time, if only he can acquire some help with the writing and less of an image overhaul. That said: 'it's not over,' 'Home,' and 'What I want,' are all excellent songs off of the new CD, and hopefully a window to the future.

I give Chris's new album a 6 out of 10, and hope that our rock star will rebound and really give us what we want.

What do you think?? Am I being too harsh, let me hear about it!!!

The Worst hire in recent memory, and a big fat quitter

2007-02-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

His father may have sounded dumb, but Wade is the real article. Responsible for what is almost universally accepted as the worst coaching decision in NFL history, Wade Phillips brings Dallas a resume of underachieving and blundering like no other. Dallas was dead set on getting a front man with "experience," passing on quality candidates like Mike singletary, and Ron Rivera. I must ask the question. What good is experience, when it is riddled with past failures and wrong turns?

Consider a very formidable Bills team of the late 90's. A season that started poorly but was saved one Sunday afternoon at Orchard park, when Doug Flutie mounted a furious comeback victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Flutie went on to lead the Bills steaming head first into the playoffs against the Titans. This upstart Bills team could have really done some damage too if not for the fact that Wade Phillips opted to bench his star quarterback in favor of Brad Johnson. Johnson started the last game of the regular season (an irrelevant match-up) and in Wades mind it seemed a good move to pull the QB that won all of the games, in favor of the QB that won a single meaningless game at the end of the season. Phillips buffoonery paved the way for the music city miracle, and a great Superbowl between the Titans and the Rams, but as for Brad Johnson his career ended much before the forty something year old Doug Fluties did. No one ever wanted to put Rob Johnson on a box of cereal, and for good reason.

Dallas hiring Wade Phillips is both stupid, and gutless. Trying to re-tread Phillips is as sissy a move as there is, and the reasoning behind it is even worse. Other than a lack of experience the Cowboys also claimed to be worried about Ron Rivera's unwillingness to use a 3-4 defense, which Dallas has been drafting for under Bill Parcells. Rivera runs the 4-3 which would entail one extra down lineman, and one less linebacker....WOW. Not exactly tearing down the statute of liberty and starting from scratch, especially since the Dallas defense was woefully inadequate down the stretch this season. How much weight should even be placed on a base defense in today's NFL? With all of the exotic formations that modern offenses present on first and second downs as well as third downs, how often does a defense actually get to line-up in its true base anyway?

All of this discussion wouldn't be necessary if Bill Parcells weren't a big fat quitter. There is no coach in NFL history who deserves less of his accolades than the "big tuna." Coach Parcells specializes in leaving NFL teams in a lurch, and almost never finishes the job, accept in New York where he had Bill Belichek to lean on. The fat tuna left the Patriots after a Superbowl loss, he then raided the Patriots as the Jets head coach and left them with unfinished business. After the jets Bill Parcells really put the screws to the Buccaneers, where he agreed in principle to the head man job, then backed out. The Buc's were coach less and forced to trade high end draft picks to the Raiders for coach John Gruden. This latest Dallas debacle is just the same old, same old for Parcells. Improve a team a little bit, but if you can't turn it around over night, just throw your hands up and quit. Some people may tout Parcells a genius, but to me he's just an average coach with spectacular man boobs.

NFL Power Poll

2006-09-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

1) Chicago Bears: Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure this could be viewed as a “homer” pick, but consider it for a moment. Chicago has faced divisional opponents in back to back weeks and emerged victorious by a combined score of 60-7!!!! That’s pretty shocking. The Bears boast the most dominating defense in all of football, and as long as Rex Grossman has complete and utter control of that offense there is no stopping Chicago.

2) Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens defense is playing stout football again, and appear to have regained their once dominant form. Steve McNair has provided more offense than usual, although he doesn’t appear 100% comfortable in that offense yet. Should Jamal Lewis start running the ball like he did before he was a member of ‘the gridiron gang’ B-more will be difficult to handle.

3) San Diego Chargers: This is a bit of a surprise, but the Chargers are considerably better on both sides of the football than they were a year ago. Diego has put up a crushing pass-rush, and continues to impose their will on offense, feeding their opponents seconds and thirds of Ladanian Tomlinson.

4) Jacksonville Jaguars: That was some stout defense against Pittsburgh, but Byron ‘fat Albert’ Leftwich really needs to make a few more throws to elevate this club to the next level.

5) Atlanta Falcons: Playing some terrific defense, the Falcons displayed a deep and talented secondary so far this season. Michael Vick is his usual unimpressive self, rushing for a lot of yards in the first half, throwing inaccurate passes, and not scoring a lot of points. Sooner or later Atlanta needs to find a passing game, because that ‘option’ style of running play will not fly against the elite defenses.

6) Cincinnati Bengals: We know that Carson Palmer and company can score a lot of points, but it’s the Bengal’s defense that has people humming. They have been more efficient than usual, and are keeping Cincinnati out of shoot-outs.

7) New England Patriots: Until proven otherwise the Patriots just plain know how to win football games. Tom Brady may have lost Deion Branch, but as long as he has Troy Brown out there working his tail off for food stamps they will be just fine.

8) Indianapolis Colts: Same old, same old,. Peyton Manning...yada, yada, yada. Still can’t truly shut-down an opponent, on defense and that’s what wins tickets to the super-bowl.

9) Seattle Seahawks: The Hawks appear rusty, but have managed to creep into week 3 undefeated. When you can slump and still win, your doing well.

10) Pittsburgh Steelers: ‘Big’ Ben may have had his bell rung a few times too many, but they are still wearing the rings until proven otherwise.

PS3 too much money?

2006-05-11T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a few lines from a story about the upcoming release of PS3, and it's shocking cost of $599.

"But at $599, is Sony is pushing - or perhaps even crossing - the line on what consumers will be willing to pay for games?
Sony executives have insisted the PS3's pricing is appropriate, given all its high-tech innards."

--There you have it. It’s a reasonable price for all them high- tech innards! I know my high-tch innards, and this is a fair price.

Reader E-mail

2006-05-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

Holly from N.Y: “You sir, are an abomination! So dreadful a human being that I pitty the immediate dark world around you.”
Much love to you too Holly

Bill from N.J: “I can’t believe how insensitive you are. You don’t know the first thing about being funny, humor isn’t about hurting peoples feeling or making crude jokes about women.”
Bill you’re an idiot….enough said.

Mary from Florida: “You sick pig! I caught my boyfriend reading your page, and I slapped him across the face.”
Come on Mary, you know it’s the first time in moths that the old man was smiling when you snuck up on him.

Jeremy from N.Y: “Hysterical friend, simply hysterical. Brilliant stuff, how can you be so funny, yet so serious and topical at the same time?”
That’s a fine question Jeremy, I guess I’m just lucky.

Question for the audience

2006-05-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

I do an excessive amount of driving this time of year, and that time in the car is usually occupied by the off-key sketchy sounds of my own voice. I always sing when alone, and on long trips, and like you when I turn the volume down it is so shocking that I shudder to think what Simon Cowell would say about it. Then again there is always something that is the “best of the worst” So my question to everyone out there is this: If someone put a gun to your head, and told you your life depended on your being able to sing one song, as best you can. What is that song? My personnel answer is “A matter of Trust,” by Billy Joel, followed by “Code of Silence,” by Billy Joel.

So what is your song America? What makes you arch you eyebrows and look into that review mirror and say “not too shabby” I’m curious.

American Disaster

2006-05-10T20:20:00.000-07:00

This is a sad, sad day for the entertainment world. Chris Daughtry voted off of American Idol last night, in what was probably the most gut wrenching thirty seconds in the history of reality television. I am certain that I have never been that mortified in all of my life. My mouth wide open, and completely flabbergasted, I just kept expecting Ryan to say he was joking, or he made a mistake. HOW CAN THIS HAVE HAPPENED? Without question Chris is the single most talented performer in the five-year history of American Idol, and clearly something has to change. Idol is now completely without credibility for me, who ever wins will most certainly be 100 times LESS talented than the ninth person voted off. Perhaps a format needs to exist where the judges may each over-rule one of Americans decisions. All I really know is that I will never ever watch that program again. Tuesday night, what have you got for me?????

Who in the hell is voting for Taylor Hicks? Yeah he’s ok, but he is also as big a sideshow as was John Peter Lewis. Put that clown on a record, and it wouldn’t be good enough to entertain a Karaoke crowd. I hope all of you lousy shut-ins out there are happy. Every dumb ass 60 year old bag lady who voted for Taylor, because you have now robbed me of the pleasure of hearing a great artist on a weekly basis. You shall never be forgiven, and this day will live on in infamy.

So it will be the same-old same-old pop star jammed down our throats, but this time most of us can't complain about it...you asked for it!

American Idol

2006-04-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

Adios pickle! The end of Kellie Pickler’s reign of terror on American Idol is finally upon us, and let me be the first to say thank God. Listening to Kellie try to sign a real song is a lot like poking yourself in the eye repeatedly; accept that if you went blind you wouldn’t appreciate the performance at all. Pickler’s version of unchained melody was about as satisfying as Ashlee Simpson on Saturday night live, but without the excitement of the after jokes. She was cute and all, but that shouldn’t be enough.
I must say this has to be the greatest top five in Idol history, everyone left can certainly sing. It’s going to be curious if entertainment value comes in play now, will Taylor’s craziness boost his scorers? Will Chris rock us into submission? And will Katharine finally show us some more….range?

How Cynthia McKinney was elected to public office, I'll never understand

2006-04-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a great article taken from http://www.slate.com

Cynthia McKinney
The rep who cries racism.
By Chris SuellentropPosted Friday, April 19, 2002, at 10:45 AM ET

All of us have voices in our heads, whispering insanities. Rep. Cynthia McKinney's problem is that she lets hers speak. She's the Christopher Walken character in Annie Hall, except when she's tempted to swerve into a car's oncoming headlights, she actually does it.
After all, she's not the first liberal to spin the fantasy that President Bush had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks, which McKinney insinuated last month during a radio interview with a Berkeley, Calif., station. The New Yorker's drama critic John Lahr admitted in Slate to a similar notion. And McKinney's colleague, Rep. Melvin Watt, D-N.C., told the Washington Post that "a number of people say it."
But McKinney, a Georgia Democrat, appears to be the first to take it seriously. After confessing his suspicion, Lahr attributed it to "paranoia." Watt hastily followed up his comment by saying, "I can't say that it would be a widely held view." McKinney, weeks after her statement, would say only, "A complete investigation might reveal" that "President Bush or members of his administration have personally profited from the attacks of 9-11."
It's not the first time McKinney's mouth has gotten her in trouble. In her 10 years in Congress, hardly a year has gone by when she didn't make news for an outlandish accusation or a wild conspiracy theory (ideally, as in this case, a combination of both). During a nasty 1996 congressional campaign with racial tension on both sides, she called supporters of her Republican opponent "holdovers from the Civil War days" and "a ragtag group of neo-Confederates." Never mind that her opponent was Jewish. And during the 2000 presidential campaign, she wrote that "Gore's Negro tolerance level has never been too high. I've never known him to have more than one black person around him at any given time." Never mind that Gore's campaign manager was black. (McKinney is not a particularly partisan finger-pointer—there are enough delusions for both sides.)
Around every corner, McKinney sees a secret cabal plotting her demise. After the majority-black district that first elected her to Congress was struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutionally gerrymandered, she lashed out at the court as racist. She compared the verdict to Dred Scott, the decision that declared slaves were nothing more than chattel, and Plessy v. Ferguson, which legitimized separate-but-equal American apartheid. (Never mind that she was re-elected in a white majority district two years later.) During her next election, she declared that Georgia's kaolin industry engineered the case that eliminated her district, as payback for her fights against the industry in Congress. (Kaolin is a white clay that is used in a number of products, including porcelain.) And last fall, she tried to solicit money for black Americans from a Saudi prince who said U.S. policy in the Middle East was partly to blame for the Sept. 11 attacks, then she wrote in a Washington Post op-ed, "Why such a negative reaction to my letter? I believe that when it comes to major foreign policy issues, many prefer to have black people seen and not heard." (To which the National Review's Jonah Goldberg retorted that "she needs to explain why I keep finding these quotes in my morning paper by Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell.")
But being the Girl Who Cried Racism means that people will also roll their eyes at the legitimate slights that the first black Congresswoman from Georgia has faced. In August 1993, during her first term in office, a Capitol Hill police officer tried to prevent her from bypassing a metal detector, as members of Congress are allowed to do. For years afterward, The Hill reports, the Capitol Police pinned a picture of McKinney to an office wall, warning officers to learn her face because she refuses to wear her member's pin. (And because officers are innately suspicious of a black woman with braided hair and gold shoes.) Five years later, she blasted White House security after guards thought her 23-year-old white aide was the congresswoman.
Incidents like these ground her wilder scenarios in a reality with which many of her constituents are familiar. As McKinney put it in a 1996 interview with the Progressive, "African Americans have always known that a little bit of paranoia was healthy for us." Like most conspiracy-mongers, McKinney taps that paranoia to weave facts into a web of fiction.
She knows that a portion of her constituency is receptive to the allegations she makes, and she deliberately plays on their fears. Her comments aren't flippant ad-libs. The Oliver Stone-style plot she relayed to Berkeley's radio listeners was part of a prepared statement, "Thoughts on Our War Against Terrorism," that McKinney later published in the left-wing newsletter Counterpunch. (Click here to hear her read it on the March 25 edition of KPFA's Flashpoints. Her statement begins at the 30-minute mark.) What many people see as outrageous demagoguery, others see as courageous truth-telling.
And by disseminating her more fanciful messages in obscure media outlets, McKinney insulates herself somewhat from the chunk of her constituents who would be outraged by her antics. She backs down slightly when the mainstream media come calling. After her comments about Gore's "Negro tolerance level" were posted on her House Web site, she disclaimed them and canceled four scheduled interviews with the Associated Press to discuss the incident. She employed a similar strategy in '96 when her father repeatedly called her opponent a "racist Jew." (When asked about his comments by the New York Times, he replied, "He is a racist Jew, that's what he is, isn't he?") After ignoring his comments for a week, she distanced herself from them and "fired" him from her campaign, though he had no formal role.
Despite her controversial reputation, McKinney hasn't had a close race in her five congressional elections, winning with at least 58 percent of the vote each time. This year she faces a primary opponent, Denise Majette, who says she will exploit her 9/11 comments. But if history is any guide, Majette will discover that voters don't elect McKinney in spite of her mouth. They elect her because of it.
Chris Suellentrop, a writer in Washington, D.C., is a former Slate staffer. Illustration by Charlie Powell.

NOW gang going in a different direction

2006-04-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Kim Gandy, President of the National Organization For Women (NOW), made some curious remarks at a recently at the 2006 summit for young feminists. Gandy encouraged women all over the world to expose their breasts and send pictures of those boobs to http://www.flashyourrack.com/ “If our ta-ta’s aren’t appreciated, then nothing we do will ever be appreciated,” Gandy said to a shocked crowd of combat boot wearing feminists. “If we are to move forward in this world, then our boobs must be examined. Then and only then can we proceed with other business.”

Normally I would never support the idea of treating women like objects, but if Kim Gandy says it will help women advance towards the future, then I have no choice but to support that idea. If having your breasts out in the open for the entire world to see is the best way to move forward with women’s equality, then I am on board!
There you have girls, get cracking. Kim Gandy wants every boob in American on the Internet!

Funny article

2006-04-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

On my links, go to "The great Movie Blog" and read the post entitled "Gym etiquette" it's quite funny.

Cool fish

2006-04-24T10:37:00.000-07:00

Here one of my favorite fish, the Green Mandarin Goby. Synchiropus splendidus, is a marine ornamental fish often kept in home reef aquariums. He feeds almost exclusively on live copepods, and as such most fish keepers have a hard time keeping him alive. When he can be kept it is well worth it, for this is one unique and beautiful creature, often noted for its swimming pattern, which appear as “hovering” almost like a humming bird.

Shocking story about pope Benedict

2006-04-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Shocking report from the Vatican today, shows newly anointed pope Benedict sharing his feeling on religious persecution, and pulling no punches. “It’s a sad, sad day. Our lord and savior is routinely ridiculed, while false gods are shielded from such treatment,” said Benedict. The pope has long had great anxiety over the mocking of Catholics on public television, but this recent controversy over comedy centrals decision on parody has Benedict on his last rope. Comedy central recently aired an episode of their popular adult cartoon, South Park, which featured images and dialogue depicting Jesus in an extremely propane manor. The episode was also supposed to feature images and parody of the prophet Muhammad, however comedy central executives refused to air the images of Muhammad. This seems to have been the straw that broke the camels back, in what can only be described as an extreme outburst, pope Benedict ripped off his pointy hat, spiked it like a foot ball and spewed the following rant: “I am so tired of hearing about Muhammad, everyone know that Jesus Christ would whip Muhammad’s ass in a brawl. Think about it! That little pussy riding around on his magic carpet like Aladdin would piss in his rags when saw Christ walking on freaking water!! What’s so scary about that rag head anyway? Are you going to hijack another airplane….oh no, ever heard of the F%#^%ing plagues you sissy! You know something; I’m tired of the Jews also. This isn’t Santa clause were talking about, Jesus is real weather you believe in him or not. So you dammed, god forsaken heathens just go back to your mud huts or your temples, and get ready for that giant can of whoop ass that will be your eternal DAMNATION!!”
I am far too shocked to comment on all of this, but I will say that Vatican could stand a better screening process when picking popes.

Movie quiz

2006-04-20T10:13:00.000-07:00

Do you need help picking entertainment? Do you always wind up seeing the worst possible movie any given week? If you answered yes, your not alone, but help is here. My brother and his fiancé’ go to the movies virtually every week, and it has recently occurred to me that they virtually always see the worst films available to them. They complain, and rationalize the choices, but it’s the same, sad waste of twenty bucks week after week. I on the other hand have impeccable radar when it comes to excellent entertainment. I will give you some guidelines for picking the good from the bad, and the next time the lights on the theatre go back up, you’ll only be disappointed in the fact that your still sleeping with the same woman.We’ll begin with a short quiz! Below is a list of movies currently listed at cross gates mall, cinema 18. Go through the list, and pick out a movie, and pretend you haven’t seen any of them. Note: New releases are given preferential treatment over films that have been out for a week or more.

Don’t cheat. Pick your top 4 before you look at the answers (A,B,C,D).

1)ATL
2)Akellah and the bee
3)American Dreamz
4)Failure to Launch
5)Friends with money
6)Hoot
7)Ice age: The Meltdown
8)Inside man
9)Lucky Number Sleven
10)Mission Impossible III
11)Phat Girlz
12)Posieden
13)Scary Movie 4
14)Silent Hill
15)Stay Alive
16)Take the Lead
17)Thank you for smoking
18)The Benchwarmers
19)The Sentinel
20)The Wild
21)V for Vendetta
22)Wide spread panic: Earth to America

Answers:

Did you choose ATL? I hope not because this movie is DOA.

Akellah and the bee?? If your taste is this bad, I suggest you go see ATL.

American Dreamz. A humerous parady of American Idol was inevitable, but this doen’t look like the one.

Did you pick Failure to Launch? I’m sure you could do worse, but I’m positive you can do better

Friends with mony, lets keep it that way and not waste $20 on this piece of crap

Hoot. It’s shame those truth in advertising laws aren’t tougher.

Ice age 2: The Meltdown. Positive this is a great film for kids, and adults alike. Great choice for the family man.

If you picked Inside man your cooking! Denzel Washinton is almost always money in the bank, and mixed reveiews have me even more sure this is a good flick.

Luck Number Sleven. Ding, ding, ding!!! By far the best picture than has been out for a week or more. Willis, Freeman, and Hartnet are astounding in this hip and stylish thriller/mystery.

Mission Impossible III. It looks cool, but I’m put off by the fact that Aliens (our true creators) aren’t in any of this picture. How can that happen?

Don’t pick Phat Grilz. You can see this at the sizzler any time you want.

Congradulations! You picked this weeks choice B Poseidon. A Titanic for those of us who don’t like drippy romance.

Scary Movie 4. I don’t know, only the first of this series was even remotely humerous. The only reason I hesitate is because Leslie Neilson is in it, and he’s the all time master in arms at the goofball comedy.

You picked Silent Hill, this weeks correct choice C. Video Game movies are dangerous business, but the “R” rating tells me that this wont be a sell out. This is a horror that means business, and isn’t just interested in selling as mang tickets as possible to teeny-boppers.

If you picked Stay Alive, you should be labotomized. Go see silent Hill, and don’t even think about this B-rate disaster.

Did you pick Take the Lead? Maybe take your temperature, your sick.

Thank you for smoking, your welcome. I’m in no mood to see cigarettes, nor am I het reformed enough to recommend this.

You picked the Benchwarmers. Good pick, this looks reallly funny, and has a lot of funny people in it. Rob Schneider always makes me laugh, I even thought the Animal was funny.

AHHHHHHHH! You did it, if you picked The Sentinel. This weeks clear cut choice A. Keiffer Sutherland and Michael Douglas deliver a cool political thriller, I can’t wait to see this one myself.

If you picked The Wild, you should be beatin with a rubber hose. Go take your kids to see Ice Age 2, you bastard!

V For Vendetta, I thoughroughly enjoyed this movie, however it has come to my attention that I may have been less than perceptive to its underlying messages. I will not comment at this time, I must view this picture again.

If you picked Wide spread panic: Earth to America, go get an ice pick and put you F#@%ing eyes out, you don’t need them anymore.

Answer Key: A-The Sentinel B-Poseidon C-Silent Hill D-Lucky Number sleven
Honorable mention: Benchwarmers, and MI3.

What did you pick? Were you in the top four (A,B,C,D)? If not, pay attention, and I’ll lay down some ground rules.
1)Don’t march to the theatre with a certain blood lust. Don’t subject yourself to “the Devils Rejects” because your in the mood for a horror film, good slashers movies are hard to come by, save that passion for a flick like “the Ring”
2)Who’s in the dam movie? Some actors have the innate ability to entertain, no matter what film they are in. Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, and a few others can salvage even the dumbest of pictures.
3)Who made (director) this movie? What have they done in the past? It’s ok if you don’t know anything, it could still be good, but if there last two films were………say……scary movie 2, and 3, you’re probably barking up the wrong tree. On the other side of the coin, is the director Ron Howard, or Sam Rami? Now you are definitely looking at a well-made picture. For example; when “The Da vinci Code” comes out, it will certainly be the most attractive film available. Howard, and Hanks==good.
4)If your starring a sequel down, ask if there is really anything left to say. Are there more stories to tell? Can a funny white guy make Blade 3 different enough to enjoy? A copy can be good sometimes, but only if the original cast is completely in place, and they can be creative enough to make you
forget how much of a copy it is (Beverly Hills Cop 2 ****).

Comedy Central can go to hell

2006-04-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

(I can't get enough of this hilarious cartoon)

Shame on Comedy central! The “edgy” station recently refused to air satirical images of “The Prophet Muhammad” on an episode of South Park. Frankly I am sick and tired of the hypocrisy, of people in the general media. South Park frequently takes pot shots at Catholics, and all other types of religion, and Jesus is often pictured and sati red. Why are Muslims off limits? Is it because they are dangerous? Will we not make fun of Muhammad because we are afraid to be blown to smithereens? Or have we come to the point in this country that we are so overly sensitive to every jackass who complains, that we are actually nicer to people that want to KILL us than to our own neighbors? I for one have had enough of this nonsense, no religion is great that it can’t take a pot shot or two, but no religion deserves it more than the Muslims.

I said it before, and I’ll say it again: Muslims are dangerous violent people, and they should be ridiculed as much as possible! I have never in my life heard the word ‘Muslim’ without it being attached to a story about violence!

Disturbing article

2006-04-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

Heres a story ripped from todays headlines:

Threatening Literature?
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
By Brit Hume
Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
An Ohio State University librarian is being investigated for "sexual harassment" after he suggested four conservative books for a freshmen reading program. After several English professors at the university's Mansfield campus recommended books by Jimmy Carter, among others, for the program, Scott Savage suggested adding David Kupelian's "The Marketing of Evil" — a book that, among other things, denounces homosexuality.
But faculty members voted unanimously to file sexual harassment charges against Savage after two openly gay professors complained they felt "threatened" by the proposal and one formally notified school officials that he no longer felt safe doing his job because of Savage's action. The university says it takes the charges seriously.

I must say I find it terribly disturbing when someone believes in something, and refuses to even entertain the other side of the issue. Not one of us on this earth, is so smart that he can't benefit from the opinions of his opposition.

Help me, I need nicotine!!!!!

2006-04-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

That dark day that I have long feared is finally upon me. I hate quit smoking and after only a few short hours, I find myself ready to ring the necks of anyone who passes near me. If Peter Griffin had the strength and mental fortitude to stand up to El Dorado cigarettes, then so do I, by God! You may be asking yourselves; why would I give up the sweet and flavorful treat that brightens my day? Why not succumb to that rich flavor, that beautiful throat tickling sensation? Well my friends the answer is simple. Unfortunately we live in a society where smoking is frowned upon; it’s sad but true. People look down upon smokers like they are the very dregs of society. It seems quitting smoking would be the last puzzle piece to an otherwise well orchestrated life. You see I am brutally handsome, educated, sophisticated, funny, charming, witty, hard working, perceptive, and also have a freakishly large penis. It would be a shame if all of my attributes were overlooked because of the cancer sticks. It is with a sad face, that I am saying farewell to the Marlboro man, and Joe Camel. I will truly miss you guys! I just hope there is some young man out there around the age of 15 to take my place.

COOMING SOON: Dear audience, I know these last couple weeks of writings have been sparse, and for that I apologies. It is crunch time at school, but soon I will be blogging my bloody eyes out!!!

-I have engaged in the final chapter of the Prince of Persia trilogy (The two thrones) and I will review that upon completion.

I will certainly comment on Comedy Centrals hypocrisy surrounding Muslims.

I will also comment on the absurdity of a 22-year-old teacher being arrested for having sex with a 19-year-old student.

Lets not forget that the NFL draft is approaching.

I will also being doing a “Hot sheet” (list) although I have not yet picked the topic

I will also be giving another movie choices quiz next week. please bring a number 2 pencil.

mailbag

2006-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

I know it’s high time I answered some of your Emails; the old letter bag is getting pretty full. Without further ado..

Mike from L.A: “Keep up the great work, your blog is hilarious!”
Thanks Mike!

Chris from N.Y: “Football and beer is the only place where guys can be themselves. I tell everyone about your site. I miss the funny captions, post more funny picture.”
It’s pictures you want, you got it Chris!

Jen from N.Y: “You are a disgusting pig, and I would not cross the street to spit on you.”
Sounds like someone has a little sexual tension built up, send me a picture Jen

Ahmed from Toronto: “How dare you make fun of Muslims, that is my faith you are stepping onto. How would it be if I make fun of Christian.”
It wouldn’t be funny, I know that. Usually I fix the grammar for the mailbag but I left Ahmeds alone so we can sound out the stupidity in his voice. I’m just glad theres a border between us Ahmed.

Bill from Boston: “Funny S%^# dude! When are you going to talk about baseball? Go Red-sox!”
Does this count? Otherwise never.

Jessica from Conneticut: “I don’t think your funny. I think it’s sick what you pass of as humor. The Pam Anderson thing was gross, the Muslim things are in poor taste, and you lists stink. I hope you get kicked off of the net!” (Jessica did a lot more rambling, but this is the point of it.)
Wow Jessica, thanks for reading 90% of my posts! Keep up the good work.

Melissa from N.Y: “I love your movie list. That was so interesting, and well written. It’s nice to see a list from someone that isn’t pretentious, or pretending to be something it’s not. I would also like to agree that you should call your excellent lists ‘the hot sheet’ I would like to see an animated movies list, will you do it?”
Thanks for the kind words Melissa. I probably will get around to it, but maybe not for a few weeks.

Andy from Florida: “You should do more Muslim jokes, those are hysterical. Those people are such idiots.”
Don’t worry Andy they can’t go too long without doing something stupid, and when they do…I’ll be waiting.

Muslims attack another American institution.

2006-04-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

Those crazy Muslims are it again! Here is a group of Muslims in Indonesia protesting the launch of Playboy. The protesters also threw rocks at the building, in an attempt to make my job a lot easier and do something outright stupid. Do any of these jerk-offs have a day job for god’s sake?? If you can’t be a productive member of society the least you can do is enjoy a freaking Playboy without causing uproar, this whole incident just proves once again that Muslims are sub-human. I don’t know what they are mad about from day to day, besides next months issue is going to have the Prophet Muhammad posing nude with a bomb between his legs----let’s hope it goes off.

Daily Reflections

2006-04-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

How bad can Hepatitis really be?????

Statistics on the 150 greatest movies list

2006-04-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I would put together a few statistics for my “150 greatest movies of all time” list. I should preface this by saying that I had absolutely no correlation in mind when I began compiling these films.

Actors/directors: I have often said that a great supporting cast is frequently what came turn a great movie into a classic movie. When going through my list I found that actor Chris Cooper appears as a supporting actor in a stunning 4 of the top 15 movies!!

Here are some other people with multiple appearances for acting or directing or both.
Bruce willis: 6
Mel Gibson: 5
Steven Spielberg: 5
Clint Eastwood: 5
Harisson Ford: 5
James Cameron: 4
Sean Connery: 4
John McTiernan: 4
Eddie Murphy: 3
Russell Crowe: 3
Morgan Freeman: 3
Joel Schumacker: 3
Rob Reiner: 3
Tony Scott: 3
Paul Vehoven: 2
Ron Howard: 2
***Michael Bay directed two, but had his hands in a stunning number of these films.

Genre:
Drama: 41
Comedy: 34
Action: 33
Sci-Fi: 16
Horror: 13
War: 7
Sports: 6

Time Period:
00’s: 42
90’s: 55
80’s: 45
70’s: 6
60’s: 1
50’s: 1

Greatest single years:
2000: 8
2001: 8
2002: 9
2003: 9
2004: 5
2005: 2

1990: 2
1991: 5
1992: 4
1993: 4
1994: 2
1995: 5
1996: 9
1997: 6
1998: 3
1999: 14

1980:1
1981: 2
1982: 4
1983: 0
1984: 4
1985: 7
1986: 7
1987: 9
1988: 4
1989: 5

1971: 1
1973: 1
1976: 1
1977: 1
1978: 1
1979: 1

1964: 1

1959: 1

The grand daddy of them all was 1999!!! The last year of the 90’s produced a stunning 14 movies in the top 150. I was sure it would be the 80’s, but then again I have always said that moviemaking is one thing that has gotten better over the years.

It’s been a pleasure to bring you the top 150 movies. Remember this is your source for best of lists, where my fans have nicknamed this blog: The Hot Sheet!”

New T.V to keep an eye on.

2006-04-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

You have to check out “The Loop” on Fox. I saw an episode of this last week and it was hilarious! Brett Harrison plays Sam, a young executive working in the corporate headquarters of a major airline. Fresh out of college Sam must learn to balance work and play as he strives for a VERY healthy social life as well as career achievement. Philip Baker Hall plays the boss on the show, as Russ. I have only seen one episode so far, but Hall was unbelievably funny, and the show was as different and creative as it is humorous. Sam’s roommates are also very funny, these are people that influence Sam to skip his work and drink beer. This is one show, I am very excited to see more of. The show airs next on Thursday night at 8:30pm.

One other show that’s reasonably entertaining (When I say reasonably it implies the addition of a mild supply of alcohol to your bloodstream) Pros versus Joe’s on Spike T.V. This show pits former professional athletes against average guys. The Joe who does the best against the pros wins 20,000 smackers! The show is actually fun, last week guys had to try and catch a pass while being covered by former 4 time super bowl winner Bill Romanowski. Romanowski was really hitting these guys too, it was hysterical! Check it out Sunday’s at 9pm.

The 150 Greatest Movies of all time!

2006-04-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

"These are the best movies EVER!"

Okay movie fans here are the 150 greatest films of all time!! Hopefully our friends, and experts at MOVIEMOJO will offer up some insights into this list. Before I get right to it, let me explain how I come up with this list, and give you the guidelines I followed when ranking these films.

I am not a part of the school of thought that a movie has to be boring to be good. I think a great film is both though provoking and entertaining.

I believe that a comedy, if done just right, is every bit as artful as a drama. If you excel at your craft you have made beautiful art, even if it’s funny.

This list is contemporary!! If I haven’t seen it, it’s not here. There is nothing in black and white, and if were being realistic movie making has gotten better over the years.

There is nothing musical, or play like on my list. You will not find “Chicago” or “The Wizard of Oz” here. They are great works of art, but I really don’t accept them as films. These are plays, and shouldn’t overshadow true movie.

There will be no cartoons on my list. I absolutely love “Finding Nemo” and “The incredibles” but if we get into that the whole list is going to be animated, and that’s also not fair to works that had so many actors, directs, make-up artists, and numerous other things going into their production. Cartoon flicks are a list onto itself.

I’m sorry to disappoint all of you fat Italian meatballs out there, but I’m not a huge fan of the gangster movie. You’re not going to find “The Godfather” or “Goodfellahs” they are good, but not my cup of tea.

I give a lot of consideration for originality, and films that were breakthroughs at the time of their release.

Re-play value is a huge factor for me. We can’t ignore the fact that we re-watch certain films every single time we run across them channel surfing, and then say that they aren’t great.

That’s enough said, so lets get to it!!!

Braveheart (1995): It is once in a lifetime that a movie of this magnitude comes along, and for my generation there is no doubt that it is Braveheart. Mel Gibson does a world-class job of both acting and directing this epic picture. This is a movie that has a little bit of everything. It’s exciting, funny, dramatic, and sad. This picture also features what I consider to be the greatest scene in movie history; the character of William Wallace crying out “Freeeeeeedom!” at the time of his torture/death.

The Patriot (2000): I’m not a Mel Gibson fanatic, but I absolutely love this picture. I always find it strange that despite the fact that the revolutionary war was the most important conflict in our countries history, it is rarely depicted in film. This movie does an amazing job of depicting the war, and a reluctant hero and father. The acting is superb all around, including a particularly stout performance by Lisa Brenner as Ann Howard. This film can tug at the heartstring, and inspire the true patriot in all of us. This picture also includes one of my favorite pieces of movie magic, in the last battle scene when the Americans are on the verge of giving up and retreating. Benjamin Martin sees his troops faltering and puts his own vendetta aside to inspire his men. Martin grabs an American flag and runs to the forefront of the conflict screaming “no retreat, hold the line!” It is amazingly well done, in an amazingly well done and well-rounded film. I suspect that this movie would have been considered a classic by the “experts” had it not followed Braveheart. It seemed the trendy criticism to compare the two, while I see no reason to walk all over a great movie just because it is also of the war genre.

Cinderella Man (2005): A better-made movie, you will never see. From start to finish there isn’t a single frame of Cinderella Man that isn’t positively perfect. It is not only an uplifting story, but it is a true story. I have read two of the books about the depression era fighter depicted in this film, and a more accurate job of translating this remarkable story to film could not have been done. Everything single minute detail of James Braddock’s life that was even the tiniest bit important is integrated into his picture, even if in just a particularly clever sentence or two of dialogue. There is a particular scene of note where our hero has finally reached rock bottom and must go begging for money. The scene is sad and makes us cry, what is so unusual about this is the fact that an emotional response is elicited through pity. Sure we have been made to cry before in movies, but always through the use of death, or romance, or even a victory sniffle. I think it’s a hell of an achievement to set up your audience to be emotional because they have so much empathy and pity for a characters well being. Russell Crow, Renee Zellweger, and Paul Giamantti are all give world-class performances. Ron Howard is an amazing filmmaker and he does justice to the real life story of a true American hero.

Saving Private Ryan (1998): Steven Spielberg’s true masterpiece. This movie actually changed the way I though about war. So powerful was this film in its depiction of deadly conflict that I actually had to step back and really think about such things. The beaches of Normandy was always known and read about in books, but when I saw it in this movie it really made me say; “Wow, that was absolutely insane! I could not have done that.” That kind of though provocation is what great filmmaking is all about, and Spielberg’s really gets the job done here. Tom Hanks is also brilliant, and his character is absurdly intriguing. Captain John H. Miller is a former schoolteacher, and as we learn about his becoming a captain we realize how ‘war hero’s’ are just everyday people who get throw into not so everyday circumstances. Amazingly powerful visuals, and some of the most compelling dialogues you will ever hear. Seldom can a long one on one conversation between two secondary characters engross us so much, but it works here because the writing is second to none.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Enter the adventure film. To this day, Raiders is the definitive adventure movie, and Harrison Ford proves that we absolutely can’t take our eyes off of his humorous kick ass style. Rarely can a character be believably rugged, brave, and intelligent at the same time, but Indiana Jones is that man without question. Raider’s is an epic adventure worth seeing a thousand times, with as many laughs as it has thrills. The scene where Indiana has to steal the truck carrying the ark from the Nazi’s always sticks out in my mind, as one of the finest in film history.

The Sixth Sense (1999): I have never in my life been in such a shocked theatre as at the end of the sixth sense. M Night Shylamalan pulls the rug out from under us like no one has ever done before. It’s worth noting that this is a great movie before the twist. The fear we feel for the character of Coal Sear is undeniable. Seldom can a film make us truly afraid for it’s character but it’s done here brilliantly, and it’s done in a child performance the likes of which will never be matched. The Sixth Sense is positively brilliant from start to finish, and Bruce Willis shows us that he can as “deadly” serious as the next actor.

Jaws (1975): This is the third Spielberg picture to show up in the top ten, I guess he must get his due. Jaws is one of those rare films that holds up to modern standards in every conceivable way. It was made in 1975, but it’s absolutely flawless and looks gorgeous to us even today in our CGI world. Jaws is cast to perfection, and the interaction and camaraderie between our three heroes’s is priceless. Roy Schieder, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss all deliver knock out performances in the movie that made people fear the water.

The Untouchables (1987): I love this picture! Directed by Brian Depalma, Untouchables tell the story of prohibition. A curious little page from American history that included a lot of violence and crime. Kevin Costner, and Sean Connery are superb as the leading characters and movies don’t get much more intense than this. The story surrounds the real life crusade of Elliot Ness and his band of cops trying to squash Al Capone as his illegal boot legging business in Chicago. This is a brilliant picture, which deserves more attention than it gets. Andy Garcia is also excellent in this movie.

Star Wars (1977): Episode I? Maybe 4? I’m confused now, but I mean to praise the first Star Wars that ever came to theaters. George Lucus writes and directs the very first sci-fi pic that is well received by all audiences. Rarely is the perfect cast brought together, but it is done here. From top to bottom our characters have incredible chemistry, and it comes across in this enormously entertaining movie. The picture has stood the test of time, and is still the greatest sci-fi of them all.

Man on Fire (2004): The critics clobbered this movie, but I’ll never understand why. Tony Scott does a remarkable job with brilliant scenes, and engrossing cuts, and flashbacks. We get to know these characters better than we do most in an action picture, and without wasting a lot of time. Denzel Washington is genius in this movie, and his character is very intriguing. Dakota Fanning is also great, and her relationship with Criese (Washington) is done with care and brilliance. Although we have seen the adult, child bonding before there is something different here. There is something unique and special about Criese and this little girl.

October Sky (1999): This movie is based on a true story, and so interesting that it made me read the book the film is based on. October sky is the true story of Homer H. Hikam, a boy in a mining town, who would someday become an astronaut. It is a beautiful made movie, with wonderful scenery and performances. There is a particularly good performance by Chris Cooper. I think this film would have received more attention had it not been based on a true story. I think sometimes a film depicts events that are so amazing we just don’t believe them possible, when in reality the moviemakers are sticking pretty close to the story all along.

In the Line of Fire (1993): I have heard applause in a movie theatre four maybe five times, and this was one of them. A terrific story about an aging secret service agent, his guilt, and a new enemy. Clint Eastwood plays agent Frank Horrigan and John Malkovich plays Mitch Leary. Both Horrigan and Leary are wonderfully flawed, and complex characters and the interaction between them is pure movie magic. The funny thing about this movie is that it came out before Clint Eastwood was ‘considered’ a great actor/movie maker. I think if this film were released tomorrow he would be considered for an Oscar, as would John Malkovich. Rene Ruso also gives a nice performance here as the love interest. The film also has some wonderful scenes splicing Eastwood into the past, as a part of John F. Kennedy’s motorcade.

A Time to Kill (1996): A long time before there was “Crash” A Time to Kill dealt with race relations and did it better than anything before it or since. I’m not allergic to such issues, especially when they are done this well. This movie is based on a John Grisham novel, but it reminds me a lot of the classic “To Kill a Mockingbird.” This is an all-star cast including: Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Kevin Spacey, Ashley Judd, Donald Sutherland, Keiffer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, and Chris Cooper. WOW, that’s what you call star-power!! It would be easy to overlook the director here, but we won’t. Joel Schumacher does a remarkable job of weaving an interesting and intelligent film here. There is a lot of excitement, and lot of dialogue but it never feels like we are bored or in “down time,” the movie is kept wonderfully interesting from start to finish.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Jodi Foster and Anthony Hopkins drive this vehicle into greatness, in what is the greatest psychological thrill ride in movie history. Clarice Starling and Dr. Hannibal Lector’s interaction are both brilliant and creepy. Rarely has a film been able to make our skin crawl through conversation, but Silence of the Lambs does it effectively, and often. This was a great movie, and is still Anthony Hopkins crowning achievement.

The Hunt for Red October (1990): This is not going to be a popular choice, but it’s one of my favorites. Hunt for Red October brings to the screen the novel by Tom Clancy. This picture is wonderfully directed by John McTiernan, and we will see his name again on this list. October was the first great submarine movie, and a true suspense ride. Sean Connery plays Russian defector Marko Ramius, and Alec Baldwin plays Jack Ryan. Ryan is the only person who understands Ramius, and the only person who can validate the Russians intentions. The film is able to facility a brilliant chess match and some wonderful character development throughout a non-stop pulse pounding adventure. If you haven’t seen this movie, do so.

American Beauty (1999): This is another picture that proves a movie can be entertaining and great at the same time. I would also point out that this film deals with homosexuality, but its done well. The film doesn’t beat you over the head with heavy-handed messages, but instead subtle and clever character interaction, which is why it is on this list. I will not universally dismiss any social issue, if it done this well. Kevin Spacey plays Lester Burnham a character that wakes up one day and finds that hates the direction his life has taken. He goes on an interesting journey of self-discovery and takes with him the reluctant Carolyn Burnham played by Annette Benning. This movie is a fascinating study in “normal” and no matter what neighborhood your in people are strange in their own ways, and beautiful in their own ways. There is a lot more to it than that, but I can’t get into everything. There is also a great performance here by supporting actor Chris Cooper as Colonel Frank Fitz.

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987): This is the second film in the top 20 that was directed by Tony Scott. Scott brings us what we have never seen before, or since. This is positively the best action comedy of all time, and as such earns a place in the top twenty. Never before have I seen a film that was this funny, and still had serious action that is this good. Eddie Murphy plays Detroit native Axel Foley, who must team up with Beverly Hills native’s Judge Reinhold and John Ashton who play Rosewood and Taggert. The chemistry between the three is remarkable, and it’s serious when it has to be. One amazing scene is this picture is a depiction of the criminals in the progress of robbing a bank, at the same time as our hero’s have figured it out and are racing to the scene. The tension is very high, and it is as exciting, and funny, a scene as has ever been shot.

Se7en (1995): Written by Andrew Kevin Walker this is a movie that functions first and foremost because it is original and an awesome story. Seven is diabolically gripping right from the get go, and never lets up. Morgan Freeman plays Detective Lt. William Somerset, and Gwyenth Paltro plays Tracy Mills. The interaction between Somerset, the old and worldly cop, and Tracy Mills, the suburban type woman, give this movie some of its best moments. This is another exciting movie whose lulls aren’t boring because the characters are so dam good. Also brilliant is Kevin Spacey as John Doe. Brad Pitt is O.K but probably replaceable in this movie.

As Good as it Gets (1997): Did I mention that movie could be both entertaining and great at the same time? If I didn’t this is a fine a time to mention it. As Good as it Gets is both an exercise in big league performance by talented actors, and unique story line. Jack Nicholson play Melvin Udall an O.C.D writer who has an unusual relationship with a waitress named Carol Connelly played by Helen Hunt. What I really like about this movie is that it doesn’t get bogged down by the OCD, there is enough here so that we know what is wrong with Melvin and we are pretty sure what it is, there is no need for excess footage of him washing his hands. This picture also has a great part by Greg Kinnear, who plays Melvin’s gay neighbor.

Dirty Harry (1971): Can you imagine that this guy turned into one of the premiere movie makers in all of Hollywood? Interesting, but true. Lone before Clint Eastwood made great movies, he starred in them and this character is truly one of movie histories best. This gritty, gritty police story introduces us to old-school Harry Callahan who is a great cop surrounded at times by red tape and bureaucracy. Callahan is forced to play games, until it’s time to do things his way, and the sparks fly. Callahan is an interesting character and this is really a terrific film. Sadly, because there were so many sequels, people forget just how great the original was.

Blade (1998): Maybe never before has a movie set out to be an ass-kicker, and succeeded as well as Blade did. This movie is pure fun from start to finish, with relentless action and some unique characters. Blade was a super cool idea, and is brought to life here perfectly by the “enhanced” Wesley Snipes (insert steroid joke here). Blade breathed new life into the vampire movie and lays the groundwork for films like Underworld, by showing that this type of film can be entertaining as an action based genre. Blade achieves greatness by being an uncompromising, unapologetically fun. Blade undoes the undead, in a variety of unique and satisfying ways thanks to his weapons expert and partner Whistler, played by Khris Kristofferson. Stephen Dorff is also great here as Blades nemesis.

Back to the Future (1985): This is one of those movies I described in the introduction to this piece. If you run across Back to the future on television, you watch it. A Robert Zemeckis classic filled with humor, adventure, and heart. Michael J. Fox is probably the only person on the planet suited for this role, as is Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmitt Brown. The casting is superb and the movie flows beautifully. A unique picture that stands the test of time, no pun intended. How many times have we laughed at Marty McFly in the 50’s trying to order a drink at the café: [In 1955, Tab and Pepsi Free aren't invented yet] Lou: You gonna order something, kid? Marty McFly: Ah, yeah... Give me a Tab. Lou: Tab? I can't give you a tab unless you order something. Marty McFly: Alright, give me a Pepsi Free. Lou: You want a Pepsi, PAL, you're gonna pay for it.

Lethal Weapon (1987): Hear me out! This Richard Donner picture is not what the franchise turned into. This is a fabulous movie with awesome action, and wonderfully complex characters. Mel Gibson’s plays Martin Riggs, a cop on the edge. Not just the edge, but also the very edge, and his portrayal of a man losing the will to live is incredibly gripping. This is a very serious film, that is as intense as it is fun, and it takes a long time to accept Riggs but Donner makes the audience discover him along with his partner. Danny Glover’s character Roger Murtah is as uncertain about his partner’s mental state as the audience is, and his eventual friendship is very nice work by Donner and company. I also firmly believe that this is one of Gibson’s finest acting pieces, if you don’t think so give it another watch.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982): Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry. This original cast of Star Trek was such a wonderful team. Shatner, Nimoy, Kelly, Doohan all were believable as true comrades, and adventurers. There has been nothing like Star Trek since, or probably ever will be again. Gene Rodenberrys true vision of this fantastic journey through space was truly realized in this epic motion picture. Kahn, one of the shows original villains, surfaces to chase his nemesis Captain Kirk through space and he acquires a deadly weapon of planetary concern. To stop him the crew of the enterprise may have to sacrifice one of its dearest members. William shatner never gets much credit as an actor, but there are few scenes here that his above and beyond the performance expectations of a science fiction picture. The “burial” scene is among the most memorable in movie history.

The Naked Gun: From the files of Police Squad! (1988): Rarely does clever meet silly humor, but when it does my god is it funny. There are plenty of goofy movies out there but none of them are as meticulously clever, and out right hilarious as this is. This is a prime example of great comedy being art, here David Zucker treats us to a truly brilliant comedy. Leslie Nielson as Lt. Frank Drebin is funny beyond belief, as is his sidekick Capt. Ed Hocken played by George Kennady. This is still the most I have ever laughed in a theatre in my entire life. Naked Gun and all of its sequels set the bar for silly comedy, and it hasn’t been reached since.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987): John Candy and Steve Martin light up the screen and our hearts in this comedy about people, personality, and circumstance. John Hughes directs this holiday classic about two distinctly different people trying desperately to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Their adventures are hilarious and among the most memorable in film, along with a very interesting journey of self-discovery. Del Griffith and Neal Page are two silver screen characters that will live on in our hearts for a lifetime.

The Evil Dead (1981): Long before Sam Raimi directed blockbuster Spiderman movies he was making cult classics like this one. The Evil Dead makes this list because it does the impossible. Here we are absolutely scared stupid by a movie with virtually no budget of any kind. The special effects are minimal, and not very good at that, so this picture has to survive of story, atmosphere, and characters. The film succeeds at just that, and Bruce Campbell, who has become a sort of funny hero type, is deadly serious here and spends a great deal of this movie alone. There is really some pretty good acting going on here, Campbell has us terrified for him and Raimi pulls out all of the creepy stops. This is movie making at it’s best because minimal tools are taken and turned into a horror classic.

The Replacements (2000): There have been many attempts at football movies over the years but all of them fail to do what is done here by the most unlikely of candidates. The Replacements is a comedy, but it is also the most realistic football action ever captured on film. Unlike movies like “Any Given Sunday” there aren’t a lot of silly plays with guys flying through the air, and doing 360’s every other play. In the Replacements the action is extraordinarily realistic, and it keeps us involved in this hilarious comedy. When the professional players go on strike, Jimmy McGinty, played by Gene Hackman, must assemble a group of replacement players and try to make the play-offs. Hackmans players aren’t totally silly, they are all ex players, or former busts. Shane Falco the QB, played by Keanu Reeves, is particularly believable in this role and even has an intriguing relationship with the head cheerleader. The Replacements is pure comic genius and the great football action is the icing on this cake.

Goldfinger (1964): Welcome 007! The original action hero brought from the mind of Ian Flemming to the screen by Sean Connery. Goldfinger was well ahead of its time an action packed adventure film, filled with intrigue and the customary tongue and cheek Bond style humor. This movie is so much fun and truly gave birth to the franchise, although it wasn’t the first Bond movie, it was the first one that had effects and capabilities to keep up with it’s brave ideas. Goldfinger is still the consummate super villain played here by Gert Forbe. Who could forget honor Blackman as Pussy Galore.

Spiderman 2 (2004): Not only is Spiderman 2 the greatest superhero movie of all time, but it is also the first superhero film that is great as a movie period. Sam Raimi puts together a story and characters that can keep up with the brilliant and furious special effects show, and that isn’t easy to do. The film is visually stunning with amazingly dramatic fight scenes between Spiderman and Doctor Octopus, weather it is in a bank, or on the side of a building. This is a film with real heart, and the most interesting of the superhero’s because Peter Parker is such an average everyday guy with extraordinary gifts. That theme was a major part of the comic books, and Raimi brings it to the film perfectly here. Parker and his relationship with Mary Jane, and Harry Osborn, and grandma are all complex due to his dual identity and the fine line Parker walks is depicted flawlessly. As a fan of the comic I also feel compelled to mention the casting of J.K Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, the head of the newspaper. A more perfect fit could not have been made for this memorable character, and thats what makes a great movie great. The special attention to detail right down to the fifth and sixth characters.

The Terminator (1984): A super cool story written and directed by James Cameron. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born to play this part, and he does it to perfection here. The sophisticated robot sent back in time to eliminate Sarah Conner, who would become important to the human resistance in the future. This movie is Sci-Fi at it’s creative best, and was way, way, way ahead of it’s time visually.

Gladiator (2000): An epic picture that resonates with its brutal realities and heart-warming compassions. Gladiator was such a great film, and driven by two of the finest actors in film today in Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix. Gladiator is another fine example of a great film that is entertaining, and insightful. The film is spectacular and speaks for itself.

Armageddon (1998): Most picture that Michael Bay are involved in are above average and this is no exception to say the least. I know there are some pretty far out things in place here, but the characters and action are so good, I gladly put all of that aside. Bruce Willis is his usual brilliant self as Harry S. Stamper and his daughter Grace Stamper, played by Liv Tyler are both wonderful. Stamper and his cast of misfit oil drillers are thrust into an opportunity to save the world from impending doom, and they do just that with heroics chemistry and humor. This is one of those pictures that has a little bit of everything, and if you don’t tear up a bit, you just aren’t human. Steve Buscemi and Willaim Fitchner are also great here in supporting roles. Armageddon writes the book on summer blockbusters.

Die Hard (1988): One against many as been tried before, but never as affectively as it is done here. Bruce Willis plays John McClain a N.Y city policeman in the middle of a terrorist threat in L.A. Willis writes McClain as one of our favorite characters of all time, a semi disgruntled cop with skills, and a an iron will. The action is breathtaking and the dialogue is great, maybe no one does snappy one-liners like Willis. John McTiernan again shows us how good he is at directing this kind of pic.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1894): Wes Craven brings us what we had been craving for a long, long time. A scary movie, with a lot of creativity, and originality. A Nightmare on Elm Street brings some great scary scenes and keeps us on the edge of our seat. The character of “Freddy” has been revisited so many times now that it’s hard to remember just how cool an idea this was, but it was just that. The acting is only O.K but the story is engrossing enough to shove that to the side, and make this a true horror classic.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): Although these are all very good movies, this is the only one that I consider to be flawless. I thought the last installment was long, and poorly edited. The Towers is a very exciting, and magical journey through this wonderfully creative world. The battle simply looks amazing, and the special effects here are second to none. I don’t think it’s the perfect cast and keeps the other two of the trilogy off of my list, but it is a great story and told brilliantly by Peter Jackson.

Top Gun (1986): Again, if Top Gun is on your T.V you watch it. This is just one of those movies that is pure entertainment from start to finish. Directed by Tony Scott, this is first time we have been this interested in an aviation movie, but it’s no wonder because the flight combat scenes here are absolutely breathtaking. Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards are maybe a little hokey here as the stereotypical best friends, but the film still makes it work and work well. Tom skerritt is also really good here as ‘viper.’ This picture also has an excellent score, and the scenes are paced well with some great original sounds and songs.

Throw Momma from the Train (1987): There is a chance someone out there hasn’t seen this film, and if that is the case get it IMMEDIATELY! This is one of the funniest and most original comedies of all time. Featuring Billy Crystal, Danny Devito, and the hysterical Anne Ramsey. Devito plays Owen, who misinterprets his English teachers talk about a former Hitchcock film as a pack to trade murders. Owen wants Larry Donner, played by Billy Crystal, to kill his mother in exchange for Owen’s murder of Larry’s ex-wife. What keeps Larry from coming to his senses is that Owen’s mother, Anne Ramsey, is so hate able that everyone wants to kill her. This film is pure original comic genius, and the interaction between these three characters is truly great.

Hard Ball (2001): I know this isn’t going to be a popular choice, but I really like this picture. Hard Ball is an intriguing story about a man on the end of his rope, with a severe gambling problem and the little league team he is ordered to coach. Connor O’ Neil is the gambler and his character is fairly complex, this isn’t the typical Bad News Bears scenario. O’Neil is played brilliantly by the surprising Keanu Reeves, and on paper this isn’t a part he can play. Not only does he play it but, he plays it very well. This film takes a lot of twists and turns, and never becomes a typical little league type film, but focuses more on relationships and change. It’s a great movie, and well worthy of it spot here.

Major League (1989): Speaking of baseball movies, this is not to be forgotten. Major League is a hilarious look at ball players, in unusual circumstances. Cast to perfection with Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Corbin Bernson, Wesley Snipes (before the steroids), and James Gammon. I don’t know how many times I have seen parts of this film, but I know that I have laughed every single time.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002): This may be another unpopular choice, but seldom has a film kept my interests an intently as this one. Mothman is different, and intriguing from start to finish. This movie really has us on the edge of our seats to see what on earth will happen next. Ricahrd Gere is tremendous here as John Klein who is either losing his mind or having supernatural experiences. The bazaar circumstances surrounding his wife’s (Deborah Messing) death take Klein on a strange and very suspenseful chase for the truth, or sanity. This is such a well-made movie, and filmmakers would be hard pressed to be as suspenseful or intriguing as Mothman is. This movie also has a superb surprise ending.

Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999): Rob Schneider is so funny in this comedy, about an unlikely male prostitute. The picture shows a lot of originality with its story, and covers a lot of new jokes, while leaving alone tired old material. Deuce is hilarious without parading out the same old jokes over and over again, as some many comedies do these days. Worth a laugh every time!

The Ring (2002): Perhaps the most pleasantly surprised I have ever been after a film. I didn’t expect much from this horror except the same old, but I got a lot more than that. The Ring even sets us up early for old school type horror. The first scene with a college age girl all seems sort of run of the mill, but this movie quickly changes gears and scares the daylights out of us. Acted extraordinarily well by Naomi Watts, and David Dorfman this film takes horror to the next level. It takes it’s time and build up the suspense and atmosphere to a feverish pitch, and then they pull the rug out with a phenomenal ending. This is a smart horror, and that’s very rare.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): One of our most beloved characters is teamed up with Sean Connery in this third installment of the franchise. The Last Crusade lives up to the first two films and then some, in an adventure that has yet to be duplicated. Indiana Jones and his father race against the Nazi’s to acquire the Holy Grail. As with all great films the Last Crusade has a touch of everything from action, to humor, and a wonderful cast of secondary characters.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): James Cameron takes Sci-fi to next level once again with this terrifically entertaining picture. Once again a cyborg from the future has been sent to eliminate the future leader of the human resistance (John Conner) but this time the resistance has sent their own cyborg to protect Conner. The Machines engage in epic battles and some of the best chase sequences ever filmed, and Sarah Conner, played by Linda Hamilton, gets caught up in a very interesting moral dilemma. When faced with the opportunity to stop the machine wars before they happen, she must choose weather or not to accomplish this by killing a man who is far shy of being evil. Great story, amazing visuals, and a ton of imagination.

First Blood (1982): This is another franchise that makes people forget about the ideas of the original. First Blood is a very serious film about John Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone, and his inability to fit back into civilian life after war. Vietnam was not a popular war, and Rambo finds himself very much helpless despite the fact that he was a hero overseas. The end of this movie has a very compelling dialogue between Rambo and Colonel Troutman, played by Richard Crenna. Rambo expresses his frustrations with a world that won’t take him back into civilized society. This is a too often forgot about and overlooked movie, Stallone is really quite good and the film offers a tremendous story that surely was a real life problem for veterans everywhere.

The Breakfast Club (1985): Maybe no one has ever done a better job of making very funny movies, while sneaking in some big ideas, as does John Hughes. The Breakfast Club is a fascinating character study of the typical high-school mix, as much as it is a hilarious comedy. The film is centered on a Saturday detention with every click represented; Jocks, nerds, beauty queen, misfits, and rebels are all here, and they must interact. The group finds themselves not so different in the grand scheme of things, with parental problems, and inadequacy issues. Although the breakfast club is a buffet worth of laughs, it also serves up some food for thought.

The Rock (1996): Another Michael Bay blockbuster! The rock features Nicholas Cage as Dr. Stanley Goodspeed, and Sean Connery as John Patrick Mason. The two don’t trust each other, but they must work together if they wish to survive and save the west coast from biological attack. Mason is the last living human who knows the former prison Alkatrz, but long imprisoned wrongfully, he is reluctant to help. Goodspeed is a biological expert and must find a way to engage Mason in the mission and shut down the bio-threat. The film is exciting from start to finish, and has some of the best action sequence to this day. The Rock is a thrill ride that is positively unrelenting, and the banter between our heroes’s is positively hilarious. The picture also has a great performance by Ed Harris.

Stand by Me (1986): Rob Reiner brings to life this Stephen King story about boys coming of age. There are many, many stories like this one, but few have been done as well as Stand By Me. A group of young men go in search of the body of a missing boy, and learn a lot about each other and themselves along the way. This film is mostly dialogue driven and is a true credit to Stephen King’s diversity as a writer.

Pet Cemetery (1989): The back-to-back Stephen King credits are not intentional here, but it sure is appropriate. The wonderfully creative story is brought to the big screen with great care. The movie has a wonderfully creepy atmosphere, and is sure to make your neck hair stand on end. An old Indian burial ground has magical properties that will make the dead come back, but they don’t come back the same way. Louis Creed, a grieved father and husband, crosses the line one too many times, despite the warnings from beyond.

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980): Still far ahead of it’s time, this franchise delivers more thrills, and great characters in Princess Layla, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca and many others. Here Lucus is brave as our hero’s quest takes a turn for the worse, and the film end on a sad note. Empire Strikes back does a magnificent job of picking up where the first left off as well as leaving us hungry for the next film. The sights and sounds, at the time, were “light years” ahead of what everyone else was doing in movies.

Police Academy (1984): This is another movie that is a victim of its sequels. While the franchise grew into silly PG rated flicks, this original was a comic masterpiece. Steve Guttenburg is terrific as Carey Mahoney, a cadet who is trying desperately to get thrown out of the academy. The very funny G.W. Baily, as Thaddeus Harris, is trying his best to accommodate Mahoney’s wishes. This is such a hysterical comedy with lots of funny adult humor, and lots of funny people. George Gains is also note worthy for his portrayal of the absent-minded commandant Eric Lassard.

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation (1989): Both of the original two ‘vacation’ movies are very funny, but Christmas vacation takes the cake. One of the funniest movies of all time, as well as one of the best holiday movies to date, Christmas vacation delivers the kind of laugh out loud humor that doesn’t come around very often. Chevy Chase plays the consummate family man in Clark W.Grizzwold. Clark wants desperately to have the perfect holiday for his family, but they just won’t let him. Disaster after hilarious disaster in this original film makes it a true comic classic, and introduces us to our lovable loser cousin Eddie. Think about how many movies have tried to imitate a “cat gag” since Vacation.

Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995): John Mctiernan directs another great action movie. One of our favorite characters, John McClane, is revisited on a grand scale in this satisfying blockbuster. McClane must parade through N.Y city at the whim of a mad man with a lot of explosives, but he must travel with Zeus Carver, played by Samuel L. Jackson. McClane and carver’s adventures are awesome, as the action heats up early and never cools off. McClane and Carver are also very funny together and explore some race issues in a lighthearted fashion. Die Hard 3 is filled great effects and sounds all in crowded N.Y city, an amazing feet.

Liar Liar(1997): The funniest Jim Carrey film by far! Carrey plays attorney Fletcher Reede, who one day finds himself unable to lie. As you can imagine this posses a particular problem for a lawyer, but especially Fletcher. This movie truly delivers laugh, after laugh, after laugh. Liar, liar is simply a side splitter, and Jim Carrey shows us how funny he can be when he doesn’t get carried away.

The World is not Enough (1999): This is the second James Bond movie to make the list, but this one is special for different reasons. This particular Bond movie is so well put together as an action vehicle, that people who aren’t fans of the franchise will still really enjoy it. The story is particularly good, and even has some unusually clever twists and turns for a 007 film. Pierce Brosnan show us why he is the second best Bond of all time, and his adventures span the globe in this epic spy film.

Unbreakable (2000): Rarely is a movie put together and acted as well as Unbreakable is. Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson are brilliant here as some unique characters. The sorry is awesome and told as only M. Night Syamalan can. Elijah Price (Jackson) has a rare brittle bone disease and he is in search of his opposite. Somewhere in the world must exist a man who is not brittle, but indestructible. Price believes that is David Dunn (Willis) but Dunn is reluctant to accept it. David Dunn is very unhappy and has a poor relationship with his family, but Elijah Price may have the key to everything. There is a lot going on in this film, and the acting is truly superb, and the story is both engrossing and satisfying. If Unbreakable has a fault it’s that it cam after the Sixth Sense, although Unbreakable is a great movie, everything after a true “classic” gets compared to it. In my mind Syamalan more than lived up to the expectations, this is a great film.

Back draft (1991): Another great work by Ron Howard. Back draft is the first and last word on fire-fighter movies. Beautifully written, directed, and acted back draft delivers a great cinematic experience. The action scenes are astounding, and you can almost feel the flames licking your face, and nipping at your feet. William Baldwin, as Brian McCaffery, and Robert Deniro, as Donald Rimgale, are outstanding here as fire inspectors trying to solve a series of arson fires. Kurt Russel is also excellent as “Bull” a firefighter and Baldwin’s older bother. This is an excellent action slash mystery pic, as well as the definitive word on Fireman movies. Donald Sutherland also makes a tremendous contribution here as an arsonist.

Fletch (1985): Chevy Chase invents this hilarious character as only he can. There aren’t many movies that have as many memorable lines and scenes in them as Fletch does. Fletch, an undercover newspaper reporter, stumbles onto an unusual story, when a man dieing of cancer wants to pay Fletch to kill him. The plot grows increasingly complicated and eventually threatens Fetch’s freedom, and life. Fletch must go undercover to uncover this mystery. This is a hilarious mystery/comedy and I could go on all day quoting funny lines but I wouldn’t do justice to Chevy Chase’s original character or remarkable comic timing. The sequel to this film is pretty darn funny, also.

Total Recall (1990): This is an awesome glimpse into the future. Total Recall brings a cool Sci-fi story to the big screen, and takes us from earth to mars, and toys with our sense of reality versus dreams. A wonderfully written script adapted from the work of Philip K. Dick. Douglas Quaid, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, wakes up one day and finds he is not who he thought he was. Having had his memory wiped clean, and a chance to start from scratch, Quaid chooses a different path and undoes the evils of his past. I can’t possibly do justice to the plot here; it’s terrific and takes a lot of cool twists and turns along the way. Sharon Stone, and Michel Ironsides give some nice support in this film, but it is it’s great story that steers the ship.

48 Hrs. (1982): In a lot of ways this is the true birth of the buddy cop style of picture, but it is much grittier than anything that followed it. Policeman Jack Cates, played by Nick Nolte, must team up with inmate Reggie Hammond, played by Eddie Murphy, in order to catch some cop killers. The two have hilarious chemistry but unlike a lot of pictures like this, they really don’t like each other for nearly the entire movie. The two even have a drop down drag out fist-fight, and it isn’t until the very end that Cates and Hammond truly bond. This is an excellent action comedy, and Eddie Murphy is always hysterical.

Back to School (1986): The definitive work of one of the funniest men who ever live, Rodney Dangerfield. Rodney plays Thorton Mellon a middle-aged businessman who decides to return to college to help his son Jason Melon, played by Keith Gordon. Melon can party with the best of them, and has a romance with his English teacher but he must face the music when accused of cheating. Melon has to pull it together and pass a comprehensive oral exam by all of his professors or face expulsion. This is such a funny movie, and Dangerfield is truly at his best. With great one-liners, and funny expression Rodney does comedy across the board in this movie. This movie also features one of the funniest scenes in movie history featuring Sam Kinison.

Star ship Troopers (1997): Paul Verhoeven directs this action sci-fi picture, and it has always been one of my favorites. Starship Troopers was a really action picture set in the distant future, where mankind battles arachnids for interstellar domination. The special effects are positively amazing, and this is the very first DVD I ever watched. Troopers is also a movie that isn’t afraid to have a little fun with itself, with some clever news broadcasts reminiscent of the type in Robocop, the film takes a few shots at itself and has some laughs at people in general. The jokes don’t compromise the action of the picture, so they work together quite well, and our hero Johnny Rico, played by Casper Van Dien, has quite an enjoyable adventure. This film has some very memorable moments when the troopers are in boot camp with career sergeant Zim, portrayed by Clancy Brown.

Rocky (1976): Who ever would have thought the ability to play stupid would pay off such handsome dividends. Sylvester Stallone plays Rocky Balboa a nobody boxer determined to fight his way to the top. It’s a classic picture and Sly is really quite good in it, but did you know that he also wrote it. It’s a well cast film, and a remarkable story of determination and self-improvement.

8 mm (1999): This Joel Schumacher film is much more than it was cracked up to be. Nicolas Cage plays Tom wells a private investigator who’s been hired by a very rich widow. The widow finds a “snuff” (murder/sex) movie in her late husbands things and wants desperately to know that it is not real. Wells set off to find the answers but he very disappointed when he learns the truth. Well’s character changes dramatically and the events that unfold justify it. Well’s character meets the mother of the victim in the movie, and their interactions are done amazingly well. Well’s wants desperately to share information with the mother who is uncertain of her daughter’s actual fate, but the circumstances do not allow him to completely come clean. The film is thoroughly thought provoking and begs the question of weather or not men can change for the worse even if for the right reasons. There is also an interesting appearance in this movie by a very young Joaqin Phoenix as Max California.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992): Dracula was finally given the treatment it deserves in this epic re-telling of an old classic. More interesting origins on the prince of darkness are given and lend the story even more mystery and intrigue than ever before. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable vampire film, and its atmosphere is truly outstanding. Down to the last detail Dracula’s castle is both creepy and fantastically supplied with detail and imagination. There are several excellent performances here also Anthony Hopkins plays Abraham Van Helsing, and Winona Ryder in phenomenal as Mina Eisabeta.

Jerry Maguire (1996): The first and only movie I can remember being focused on a sports super-agent. Jerry Maguire suffers an attack of conscience one day and gets fired form his corporate job, and must start over as a company onto himself. Unfortunately Jerry’s only client is the insatiable Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. Maguire eventually falls into a relationship with his only employee Dorothy Boyd, played by Renee Zellweger, but most learn to truly appreciate what he’s got before he can really love her back. This movie is hip, smart, funny, heart warming, and entertaining. An all around great movie centered on some unique characters.

Twister (1996): The mother of all natural disaster films! Twister is an excellent thrill ride and a foray into some rarely portrayed characters…storm chasers. Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton headline this very nice cast, and their adventures in studying and escaping tornados are awesome. Some of this movies sights and sounds are among the most impressive in movie history.

Platoon (1986): Oliver Stone brings this amazing Vietnam story to us through the eyes of a young and green volunteer played by Charlie Sheen. Sheen’s character, Chris Taylor, learns about the horrors of war the hard way and must choose a path of either loyalty or survival when push comes to shove. Tom Berenger is amazing in this film as SSgt. Bob Barnes, and William Dafoe is also outstanding as Elias Grodin. Although this picture doesn’t always have the best dialogue it is superbly acted and put together making the final product a great movie.

Red Dragon (2002): This prequel to Silence of the Lambs tells the story of the toothy fairy killer. Retired FBI agent, and expert profiler Will Graham, played by Edward Norton Jr., Must use his special abilities to think like the killer, in order to find the tooth fairy. Graham also must communicate with the diabolical Hannibal Lector, played by Anthony Hopkins, to help solve the case before more people die. This is fantastic psychological thriller/mystery, and some of the tactics Will Graham employs in profiling the killer are really interesting and depicted in a super cool way in this movie. Suspenseful from start to finish, and a showcase for Edward Norton Jr.

Speed (1994): You’d be lying if you didn’t thoroughly enjoy this unique roller coaster ride on a bus. Officer Jack Traven is a cop caught up in the clever scheme of a madman. Howard Payne, played by Dennis Hoper, who has wired a crowded public bus to explode should the bus’s speed slip beneath fifty miles an hour. The film is set at a frantic pace, and also features the talents of Sandra Bullock and Jeff Daniels. This is as exciting a movie as there is, and director Jan de Bont keeps it as a fever pitch throughout, and finds some really creative ways make things interesting all through this wild ride.

Spies Like US (1985): “Good golly miss molly?” if you don’t recognize that quote than you are missing out on one of the funniest films I can remember. John Landis directs this film about the most unlikely team of spies, who are supposed to fail. Austin Millbarge, played by Dan Ayroyd, and Emmett Fitz-Hume, played by Chevy Chase are supposed to be decoys to distract the enemy, but they might just bumble their way into saving the world. This film was written by Dave Thomas, and Dan Aykeroyd and is every bit as funny as those two men. Chase and Aykeroyd are magic together, and their “cheating test” scene is one of the most hilarious scenes is movie history. This is one of few pictures that make you laugh out every single time you see it.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991): This perfect retelling of a timeless classic surely deserves a spot on my list. It’s not easy to re-tell a tale that has been told a thousand times over, but here it is done masterfully with the help of Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, and Marian Dubois as Maid Marion.

Outbreak (1995): Wolfgang Peterson directs this super charged thriller, about a major viral threat that could wipe out the entire country. Col. Sam Daniels, played by Dustin Hoffman, and Maj. Salt, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., are poised to find a cure but they stumble onto an even bigger threat as the military is trying desperately to cover their own tracts in a weapons scandal. Morgan Freeman and Donald Sutherland both give knockout performances as military men, and Rene Russo is very good also. This is great movie and worthy of our attention for certain.

Ghost Busters (1984): This unique and satisfying comedy, and is well worth more than a few watches. This comedy directed by Ivan Reitman delivers big laughs and great special effects in a kind of movie we had never seen before. Dr. Peter Venkman, played by Bill Murray and Dr. Raymond Stantz, played by Dan Aykeroyd headline a great cast of comics. Harlod Ramis is terrific as the straight man here playing Dr. Egon Spenglar. Rick Moranis, and Sigourney Weaver are also very funny in this. Ghost Busters is a true classic and a stand-alone type of film, because it really is something that has never been done before.

Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995): A fabulous film and the definitive work for Richard Dreyfuss. A high school music teacher finds himself and direction as he inspires his students, in this fabulous drama about life and art. This film has a lot of great moments but the scene where the school is considering cutting the music budget always sticks out in my mind:

Vice Principal Wolters: I care about these kids just as much as you do. And if I'm forced to choose between Mozart and reading and writing and long division, I choose long division. Glenn Holland: Well, I guess you can cut the arts as much as you want, Gene. Sooner or later, these kids aren't going to have anything to read or write about

77. Unforgiven (1992): Clint Eastwood writes and directs this tale of the true old west. A gritty and realistic tale of killing, and its consequences. Clint Eastwood plays William Bill Munny a retired gunslinger that must revisit his evil ways in the name of good? Gene Hackman plays the local law, and pursues Munny in his crooked little town. Unforgiven is an amazing film that really visits the concepts of hero’s and villains and the fine line in between. Morgan Freeman also gives his usual excellent performance as Ned Logan.

78. The Nutty Professor (1996): A hilarious comedy that truly showcases the comedic talents of Eddie Murphy. Eddie Murphy plays ten different parts, and each one of them is very funny in their own way. It’s really a remarkable feet, Eddie Murphy is able to create a cast of hilarious individuals all by himself. The main character Professor Sherman Klump is obsessed with weight loss and gives himself an experimental drug to be slim. The drug has severe personality side affects, and the hilarity ensues. Nutty Professor 2 was also quite funny.

79. My Cousin Vinny (1992): Here is another comedy that truly resonates with me. Here the very funny but seldom utilized comic talents of Joe Pesci Marisa Tomei are front in center in this film about a couple of kids wrongfully accused of murder. Their only hope is a city guy named Vincent Gambini (Pesci) who has never actually practiced trial law. The judge overseeing the case is played by Fred Gwynne and the interactions between him and Gambini are priceless. This movie has some of my favorite courtroom scenes of all time not only because they are funny, but some of the story here is pretty darn clever also.

80. RoboCop (1987): Awesome is the first word that comes to mind in this sci-fi cop movie. In the future corporation own and operate the police, and have devised a way to make more efficient cops. The first test is deceased Alex Murphy, played by Peter Weller, after he is murdered in brutal graphic fashion his body is used to become the first cyborg policeman. This movie has a lot of great kick-ass action sequences and a really nice villain played by Kurtwood Smith. Robocop is much more than a testosterone charged action movie though, as RoboCop slowly regains fragments of his memory he must come to grips with the loss of his family, and the fact that he is no longer a man. The film is put together exceptionally well by director Paul Verhoeven.

81. Jurassic Park (1993): This Steven Spielberg film was quite a sight the first time we saw it. Bringing amazingly realistic dinosaurs to life on the big screen, and a very nice cast of actors including the always-entertaining Jeff Goldbloom. When Dinosaur island suffers a security breech everyone there must fight through the jungle for their lives, and only paleontologist Dr. Allen Grant, played by Sam Neil, has the background to survive these predators. A terrific adventure movie with great dialogue courtesy of Goldblooom, although all of it’s sequels were less than great.

82. L. A. Confidential (1997): This crime story is an acting bonanza. Featuring Russell Crow, Danny Devito, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, and Kim Basinger this cast couldn’t fail no matter what the script was, but fortunately for us it’s a dam good one. Three different cops try to solve the same crime; all in their own unique styles, and the plots takes many wonderful twists and turns. This is truly a great police story.

83. Kingpin (1996): A true comic classic, Kingpin comes up with more unique gags, and interesting jokes that make us laugh time and time again. Roy Munson, played by Woody Harelson, is a former star bowler who hope to ride a new prodigy to riches in Ishmael Boorg, played by Randy Quaid. Boorg is Amish and Muson is deplorable so you can imagine the contrast, and things only get better when the two have to compete against Ernie McCracken, played by Bill Murray. There is nothing I like better than a comedy that comes up with something different and special as opposed to say….Mr. Deeds an ordinary guy who inherits a billion dollars!! Wow, Mr. Sandler, did you write that in the bathroom?

84. Spaceballs (1987): I think everyone knew that sooner or later Star Wars would get the parody treatment, but only Mel Brooks could have made it quite this funny. Rick Moranis, John Candy, and Bill Pullman all-star in this hilarious spoof of the star wars franchise. Brooks had made many very funny films including: Robin Hood Men in Tights, but this is by far his best work.

85. The Abyss (1989): James Cameron directs this sci-fi adventure and puts new twits on the underwater film. A team of civilian divers encounter an aquatic race of aliens, and their lives are put at risk. The team faces both alien and human threats as mental stability and stress take their toll on the teams well being. Ed Harris plays Virgil Brigman and must try to keep his troops inline while stopping Lt. Coffey, played by Michael Biehn, from killing everyone with his dementia. This is a really, really neat pic, and it has a lot of mystery surrounding it that makes it even better. Cameron chooses not to be heavy handed while unraveling the mysteries and it really paid off and let us concentrates on the people more and their circumstance.

86. Million Dollar Baby (2004): Directed and starred in by Clint Eastwood, this is not you everyday sports movie, but rather a film about relationships and their fray or repair. Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) is and old boxers manager and he is reluctant to take eon the eager Maggie Fitzgerald, played by Hillary Swank, but eventually he does the two form a very close relationship. Dunn is completely estranged from his own daughter so for him this is an opportunity to prove to himself that he can have that sort of relationship with a woman. When Maggie gets seriously injured Dunn musty deal with her impending loss, and the unspeakable favor she asks of him. This is just another fantastic movie filled with great story and great performances across the board. There are some truly magical scenes here with Dunn and Eddie Dupris, played by Morgan Freeman, that are just amazing. The two of them on screen together is phenomenal and a story is told through tremendous dialogue and direction by Eastwood.

87. Pirates of the Caribbean: The curse of the Black Peal (2003): When the term Swashbuckler was first coined, this is the film it had in mind. It’s a big film with a big imagination, and larger than life characters. Johnny Deep is positively entertaining as Captain Jack Sparrow, and Orlando Bloom is wonderful as Will turner. There are a lot of great, and fun performances here; Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightly, and Jack Davenport are all great. It’s a big time adventure movie that really doesn’t disappoint. I definitely file this under my most pleasant surprises file.

88.The Matrix (1999): What if humans were kept alive in a computer simulation to later be fed on by an alien race? Pretty neat huh? The Matrix explores this and many other nifty ideas in the film that breathed new life into the science fiction world. Keanu Reeves does a nice job here as Neo, and Lawrence Fishburne plays the intriguing Morpheus. Fishburne is a very underrated actor and he is superb in this picture as well as its sequels. The Matrix is a very cool movie that had the perfect ideas for our current computer age wonderment.

89. A Few Good Men (1992): Directed by Rob Reiner this movie centers on the mysterious death of a military man. Lt. Daniel Caffey, played by Tom Cruise, is the lead counsel for two marines accused of murder and he must get to the truth in what seems like a giant cover-up involving high-ranking officers. Kieffer Sutherland, and Jack Nicholson are absolutely outstanding here as high ranking officers standing in Caffeys way. Kevin Pollock and Demi Moore are also very good. This is a terrific courtroom drama with superb acting, great story telling, and a pinch of comic relief.

90. Day of the Dead (1985): We have to pay homage to the king of the zombie movie and his masterpiece. George A. Romero writes and directs this haunting picture about a group of military officers in an underground bunker while the rest of the world has been overrun by the un-dead. There are no good performances here, but the suspense and effects more than make up for it, in this gruesome horror. Day of the Dead is one of those films that resonates “spook” in you long after you have watched it. A true classic horror, and the best zombie movie by far.

91. One Crazy Summer (1986): An aspiring teenage cartoonist and his friends come to the aid of a singer trying to save her family property from developers. The cartoonist is Hoops McCann, played by John Cusack and the singer, Cassandra, is a very young Demi Moore. This is a very funny film with many memorable scenes, especially the sadistic developer who practices his crossbow by pinning a live lobster to a moving target. Bob Goldthwait is also really funny here, as this misfit team must try to win a boat race in order to save Cassandra’s very nice ass. If your in the mood for a laugh and have never seen this, I highly recommend it.

92. Sleepy Hollow (1999): This Tim Burton film is the re-telling of a well-known and classic tale. This tale gets the new school treatment, and it comes across exceedingly well. The always-interesting Johnny Deep has the lead here as Ichabood Crane and he delivers a very interesting character. Christina Ricci is also great here as Katrina Van Tassel. Tim Burton does such a good job of giving his all of his films a unique and identifying look and feel to them, and Sleepy Hollow is no exception. It’s an old tale but Burton makes it new and truly makes it his own story.

93. The Last Boys scout (1991): Maybe this is a guilty pleasure, but this is such a fun movie to me Great action, and absolutely hilarious dialogue from start to finish. Private eye Joe Hallenbeck, played by Bruce Willis, must team up with former pro-quarterback Jimmy Dix, played by Damon Wayans, in order to solve multiple homicides. The pair quickly gets in over their heads, and have to fight their way out. Non-stop action and funny one-liners makes this movie one giant hour and a half long smile.

94. Gothika (2003): I know I am in the minority on this one, but I absolutely love this picture. I love the idea, I love the atmosphere, I love the pacing, and I love the actors. Halle Berry plays therapist Miranda Grey who wakes up one day as an inmate at an insane asylum with no recollection of how she got there, or why? This is a masterfully crafted ghost story with plenty of suspense, scares, and plot twists. I though it was creepy and very smart for a ghost movie. Also good here is Robert Downey Jr. as Pete Graham.

95. Life of Brian (1979): An all out comedy brought to us by the Monty Python comedy troop. Biran is born next door to Jesus and is mistaken throughout his life as the messiah. This is a really, really funny movie with some of the most memorable scenes in history, such as the “stoning” and “Bikus Dickus.”

96. Clerks (1994): If you haven’t seen clerks I really feel sorry for you. Written and directed by Kevin Smith, this film consisted of virtually no budget, or sets of any kind. The film surrounds a day in the lives of two convenience store clerks; Dante, and Randall. This film is really good, and has some very funny people in it. Because there is virtually no budget the dialogue has to be crisp and funny, and it is. Clerks and the films that followed have become cult classics, but only this original made my list.

97. The Exorcist (1973): It’s hard to believe they made such a scary movie back in 1973, but they did. The Exorcist is one of those films that was so well made moviemakers have been trying to copy it or sequel it for decades, but they all fall painfully short. Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, and Jason Miller are all good in this.

98. Aliens (1986): No great surprise here James Cameron is the director. This second installment of the Alien series has mankind on the hunt to exterminate the Aliens for good, but a corrupt scientist wants to take some back alive. Everything falls apart, and the crew is soon fighting for their lives with no way out. Sigourney Weaver of course plays Ellen Ripley again. Carrie Henn is remarkable here as ‘newt’ a little girl who had survived on her own in the alien infested station for years. Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, and Lance Henriksen (cyborg) are all very good in this film also. This is such an exciting Sci-fi picture that took a bold new direction from the first. This film doesn’t pretend to try to be scary it is all out action right from start, and excellent action at that.

99. Rush Hour (1998): This is probably the second most pleasantly surprised I have been in a movie theatre. Directed by Brett Ratner this movie delivers great action scenes, and an unbelievable amount of laughs to go with them. Detective James Carter, played by Chris Tucker, must team up with Chief Inspector Lee, played by Jackie Chan, to investigate the kidnapping of the Chinese counsels daughter. The FBI only wants Carter to keep Lee out of trouble, but Carter and Lee are intent on solving the case. Watching Jackie Chan do his stunts is worth the price of admission all by itself, but mixed with the hilarious banter between him and the flamboyant Chris Tucker, and you have a recipe for entertainment. Rush Hour 2 was also very good, not on this list but pretty close

100. Bad Santa (2003): Funny doesn’t quite say it. This is one of the funnier films in years, as you may have noticed there aren’t a lot of comedies on this list from 2000 or beyond. Bad Santa came up with a unique concept, and then pushed their extreme characters to the very, very limits. It’s not just outrageous material it’s also clever, and Billy bob Thorton’s character has been set up in such a way that you expect most of it from him. So it isn’t all about shock value, the writing is pretty crisp here. Bernie Mac, and Tony Cox (midget) are both very funny in this also.

101. Signs (2002): Another Shyamalan masterpiece. M. Night has turned a strange corner for me where anything he does I anticipate eagerly. I have rarely felt that way about directors, but Syamalan has become the must see director in film today. Signs is another amazing installment into his impressive body of thriller/suspense and it doesn’t disappoint. Signs does such an excellent job of building the suspense and making things increasingly interesting, even through only one on one dialogues. This is an awesome movie before the plot twits, and that’s something I don’t feel enough people appreciate. Graham Hes, played by Mel Gibson, is a former reverend and simple farmer who one day discovers crop circles on his land. Despite Graham’s attempts to explain it away, it becomes increasingly apparent that an alien invasion is imminent. Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, and Abigail Breslin are all superb.

102. X-Men (2000): Rarely is the treatment of a superhero movie quite this good, with the exception of Spiderman. X-Men does justice to its comic origins and brings some difficult characters to the silver screen. Professor Charles Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart, runs the academy for the gifted (mutants). Xavier and his X-Men aren’t accepted by the human race in kid, but when humanity is threatened the will fight for humans. All of the parts were cast very well, especially Logan, played by Hugh Jackman.

103. The Last Samurai (2003): Tom Cruise plays Nathan Algren, an American military advisor hired to hunt Samurai’s. Algren is captured and eventually learns to embrace the culture he was once being payed to destroy, as well as a lesson in true honor. Algren also forges a special relationship with Katsumoto, played by Ken Watanabe, among other villagers. Last Samurai is an excellent all around film about culture, people and decisions. The cinematography is the film is also brilliant, as are the epic battles.

104. Poltergeist (1982): This classic thrill machine is anything but your typical haunted house movie, although that is the simple premise. Steven Spielberg wrote the story and it is a calculating, suspense building mechanism that fires on all cylinders. Is there anything more recognizable in all of horror films than that little girl and the television? Craig T. Nelson is great in this movie; I will never understand why Nelson isn’t in more films.

105. A Knight’s Tale (2001): I know this wasn’t a very popular movie, but I really fell in love with it. It has all the elements of a classic fairy tale with all of the wit and sophistication of modern times. Sir William Thatcher, played by Heath Ledger, is a simple squire who takes his masters identity after his untimely demise. With the help of his friends; Roland, played by Mark Addy, and Wat Falhurst, played by Alan Tudyk, Thatcher aspires to become the best jouster in all of the land. This is really a great movie filled with laughs and fun, and is truly the magical fairy tale it claims to be. You may recognize Roland he is currently the star of the T.V show “Still Standing.” Also worth mentioning is Paul Bettany who is very good as Chaucer.

106.Minority Report (2002): This is great imagination at work. Steven Spielberg directs this adapted short fiction work by Philip K. Dick. Imagine a future where three psychics can predict every murder that will happen, and the police can stop the crimes before they start. That’s the premise here until one day Chief John Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, is flagged for a future murder. Anderton must now run for his life, and attempt solve the mystery of who and why he is going to kill someone. This film is inventive, fun, and exciting from tail to tail. The picture is also gorgeous with the most realistic future world throughout the film. I recently saw “Ultra-violet” which is also set in the future but really looked fake, so I appreciate the effects here even more.

107.Independence Day (1996): Often referred to simply as ID4 this is the definitive full-scale alien invasion movie. Completely overrun and desperate, the human race must mount one more desperate assault on the alien invaders or be completely exterminated. This is a really cool movie, with outstanding sound, visuals, and not a bad little story either. Will smith and Jeff Goldbloom are very good on screen together, and Bill Pullman is terrific as the President. Robert Loggia is also noteworthy as general Grey.

108. The Postman (1997): Not a lot of people liked this film, but I happen to think it is phenomenal. This film has the most wonderfully creative story and builds a truly unique and thought provoking experience. The Postman, played by Kevin Costner, lives in a wasteland that is post-apocalyptic America. Those few villages that remain intact do not allow visitors for security, and resource reason. The postman begins to use the mail as a means to enter these towns and simply eat, but this con game quickly turns into a means to rebuild civilization. This is an outstanding movie, and I strongly urge people to see it for themselves. I know many critics have said bad things about this film, but you really have to judge this one for yourself.

109. The Others (2001): Nichole Kidman plays Grace Stewart a woman who lives in a darkened house with her two light sensitive children. Stewart quickly becomes convinced that her family is being haunted, and her housekeeper is suspiciously calm. This is a super-cool ghost movie, because it isn’t even remotely typical. A wonderfully written story, with twists that would make our friend M. Night jealous. Nicole Kidman is positively delightful in this movie, and she is on screen for nearly all of it.

110. Master and commander: The far side of the world (2003): Peter Weir directs, and movies don’t get much better than this. Russell Crowe plays Captain Jack Aubrey a British sea captain. Aubrey is chasing after a French war vessel, and his obsession becomes reminiscent of Mobey Dick. With his crew exhausted and his supplies dwindling Aubrey pushes on to the far reaches of South America. Just an outstanding movie, with terrific performances across the board, and some wonderful visuals. The film really looks and feels like it’s time period, and the battle scenes are positively breathtaking.

111. The Fugitive (1993): This is one of those rare cases where an old T.V show got the royal treatment, and actually lived up to it’s billing. Dr. Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford, has been falsely accused of murdering his wife and when unusual circumstances grant his freedom he is free to investigate. Tommy Lee Jones plays Marshall Samuel Gerrard who will stop at nothing to capture Kimble. I love this picture; Jones and Ford are both awesome as usual. Harrison Ford really makes this part work with his unique ability to be believable as both rugged and intellectual at the same time. I know I mention this before, but it’s a rare trait. Think of Ford in “Patriot games,” or “clear and Present Danger,” how many actors would be good in those roles?

112. Mystic River (2003): A true achievement in film making as Clint Eastwood dispels all doubts about his prowess as a director. Jimmy Markum, played by Sean Penn, has lost his daughter to a brutal murder. The murder is a mystery but Markum will stop at nothing to seek his own style of revenge. Dave Boyle, played by Tim Robbins, was a childhood friend of Markum but is also a prime suspect in the investigation. Kevin Bacon plays Sean Devine the lead police investigator. I can’t possibly do the plot justice with a snapshot because this is one complicated and careful woven script. All of the characters here are wonderfully complex and beyond intriguing. The dialogue is superb, and all of the performances are amazing, but especially Tim Robbins. Eastwood does a fantastic job of making this film, I really love the way he uses shadows to make us focus on two characters faces during particularly important conversations.

113. Saw (2004): It’s rare that I see a horror movie these days that has even an ounce of originality in it, so you can imagine my delight at Saw. Adam, played by Leigh Wannell, and Dr. Lawrence Gordon, played by Cary Elwes wake up chained in dingy bathroom with a dead body between them. They are captive of “the jigsaw killer” and are forced to play his sadistic games, as well as trying to figure out why they are there. I really love this movie because it does more than just try to scare us; a nice job of building suspense and even mystery is paid attention to in this smart horror. As we eventually learn about the jigsaw killer himself a pretty interesting, and satisfying back-story is learned about him. This is what horror should always be about, not just gross out material, but also suspense, and tension.

114. Broken Arrow (1996): John woo directs this action lovers delight and makes a movie for the shoot-em up fan in all of us. Maj. Vi Deakins, played by John Travolta, has stolen nuclear warhead off a military plane, but his co-pilot Capt. Riley Hale, played by Christian Slater, is determined to foil his plans. This is just supercharged action entertainment at it’s best. John Travolta is so good a playing the villain, and he really energizes this movie. This film has some of the best gun battles in movie history in it, well worth more than one entertaining watch.

115. Old School (2003): Ahhh the college comedy isn’t quite dead yet! Mitch Martin, played by Luke Wilson, is fed up with life and with the help of his friends he will revisit his college days as a party animal. Vince Vaughn is laugh out loud funny every single time he’s on the screen, and Will Farrell is also very funny. I really like Will Farrell when he’s a third character, but not much more than that. Luke Wilson makes the perfect lead here; he’s funny but not silly. Think about Seinfeld for a moment. That focus can’t be too off the wall or it will make everything too ridiculous.

116. The Mask of Zorro (1998): Another excellent job of retelling a classic tale. Antonio Bederas plays Zorro but before he can put on the mask he is trained by the best in Anthony Hopkins. Benderas and Hopkins are really fun together in this movie, and picture is a wonderful adventure full of terrific sword fights and chase scenes. Zorro is hell bent of revenge, but manages to learn a little something about giving along the way.

117. Troy (2004): Wolfgang Peterson directs this adoption Homer’s classic work. This film is both amazing in it’s visual effects but also in it’s clever handling of the Greek mythology behind the story. This film does a really great job of alluding to some of the magical qualities of some of the characters, like Achilles, without making it seem totally absurd, and that was a task. The battle scenes are truly epic, especially the fight between Achilles, played by Bad Pitt, and Hector, played by Eric Banna. There are some fairly nice characters here too and plenty of time was spent developing them between fight scenes. There is one particularly great scene where Priam, played by Peter O’ Toole, has snuck into the enemy camp to beg Achilles for the body of his son, whom Achilles dragged off with him after vanquishing him.

118. Hellraiser (1987): Written and directed by Clive Barker this is a horror classic. Frank Cotton meddled with a cube that was the gateway to hell and brutally, and for all of eternity, damned to suffer. A freak accident brings Cotton back to life but he must feed on human flesh to fully restore himself. Frank’s brother wife is obsessed with him and aids in his restoration. There are no performances worth mentioning here, but it’s a terrific story and a real skin crawler. This film will have you wincing in no time at all. Clive Barker knows how to tell a dark tale but if his work has a fault at all it’s that it was more ambitious than the times allowed for special effects.

119. The Majestic (2001): This is truly a great film. I never thought I would be praising Jim Carrey in a drama but he truly earns it here. Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) gets into a bad car accident and suffers from amnesia. Appleton wins up in a strange town where he is mistaken for a couples long lost son. Appleton winds up engaging the entire town in a project to restore an old movie theatre, and along the way gains clues as to his true identity. This is a wonderful and imaginative picture ripe with great dialogue and a great old fashioned feel to its retro-world. The Majestic is worthy of a lot more applause than it got.

120. Training Day (2001): Jake Hoyt, played by Ethan Hawke, is working on his first day at a new job. His partner is Det. Alanzo Harris, played by Denzel Washington, and Hoyt quickly learns that corruption and illegality runs deep between Harris and all of his associates. This is a really neat movie, for the most part it is like an episode of the shield with great action scenes, but then there is something that most action pictures don’t have. This movie brings two really powerful performances by Denzel Washington, and Ethan Hawke. A great action movie powered by huge performances is always a treat.

121. Full Metal Jacket (1987): Stanley Kubricks Full Metal Jacket is an interesting look at how war changes people. Private Joker, played by Mathew Modine, is the focus and the real stabilizing force in this picture as we see the people around him truly become less and less human. From boot camp to war this film studies the dehumanizing effects of combat on people. This is a great film with great acting across the board, and it’s a pretty big cast at that. Also, who could ever forget Gunnery sergeant Hartman, played by R. Lee Ermey.

122. Miracle (2004): How can we possibly ignore this terrific treatment of one of the most important sporting events in the history of athletics. Remember Al Michaels? Miracle is the story of Coach Herb Brook and his U.S Olympic Hockey team who played and defeated the Invincible Russian team in 1980. There was more than gold medals at stake in 1980, the cold war was hotter than ever, and Russians and Americans wanted nothing more than to beat each other at anything. Kurt Russell plays Herb Brooks and he is outstand in this picture as the demonstrative hockey coach. Goalie Jim Craig is a troubled young man, and he is played very well by Edie Cahill. One scene in this film I am particularly fond of is when Brooks sees that game is really won he rushes into the tunnel all alone, and in disbelief, and finally lets it all out. I though that was a nice touch because we have heard of that moment for years from the real Herb Brooks when recounting that amazing game.

123. North by Northwest (1959): This Alfred Hitchcock classic is chock full of so many great elements I don’t even know where to begin. Roger Thornhill, played by Cary Grant, is mistaken for a spy and kidnapped by the bad-guys who try to kill him. The threats on Thorhill persist and he now must run for his life, as well try to track down the man for whom he is mistaken. This story takes many wild and interesting twists and turns, and the plot truly thickens with each one. Mystery, suspense, action, romance, humor, its all here and in no short supple either. This film is a real treat to any movie fan, and although it was made in 1959 it has the feel of modern film, and is even risqué certainly for it’s time. Some of the best parts of this movie are the courting scenes between Thornhill and Eve Kendall, played by Eva Maria Saint. The banter between Grant and Saints is fantastic.

124. Behind enemy Lines (2001): Lt. Chris Burnett, played by Owen Wilson, is shot down in enemy territory and is ruthlessly pursued by the enemy there. Admiral Leslie Reigert, played by Gene Hackman, wants to rescue his pilot, but his hand are tied due to a deadly game of world politics. This movie is so much better than anyone thinks it is, just because Wilson’s is the star doesn’t mean this isn’t a serious drama/action picture, because it is. Behind enemy lines is very exciting with great action survival scenes, but it is also an interesting character study of the men who let politics threaten Burnett’s life. Some of the best scenes in the movie are between Admiral Reigert, and admiral Piquet (United Nations head honcho), played by Joaquim de Almeda, as they battle about red-tape with a life in the balance. I strongly recommend giving this flick a second look if you have already scene it. There is more here than it would seem upon first glance.

125. Big Fish (2003): Will Bloom, played by Billy Crudup, is facing the impending death of his father, whom he feels he knows nothing about. Will relives all of his father’s stories, and tall tales and soon learns that there is a lot of information about his dad in those stories when you stop and listen. Ed Bloom, played by Albert Finney, is the father. This is a magical story, not just about fairy tale like stories, but also about the bond between father and son, and the mending of old wounds. Tim Burton does what he does best in this picture by immersing us in a world far away, but never so far that we can’t think about our own lives in some way.

126. Pearl Harbor (2001): Although much maligned by the critics I thought this was a true masterpiece. Pearl Harbor immerses us in the lives of some very good characters, and then recounts their part in the only attack on American soil in history. The bombing scene in this film is among the most fantastic pieces of film I have ever scene with amazing effects and tremendous detail. Although I have heard many complaints about the romance element in this movie, I personally thought it was done quite well and made audiences really invest in these characters. Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale are all superb in this picture. Cuba Gooding Jr. also has a very nice part here, although limited. This is another film that I think the critics blacklisted for everyone, but I suggest a fresh view having put Ebert and Roeper out of your minds.

127. Meet the Parents (2000): Male nurse Greg Focker, played by Ben Stiller, must spend a week with his girlfriends parents before proposing. But weeks with the Byrnes family, Robert Deniro and Teri Polo, may make him reconsider his courtship. This is a really, really funny movie with plenty of fresh gags and all of the great dialogue we expect from Stiller. Deniro is the perfect nightmare father in law and he really powers all of the funny stuff in this picture. I will never forget the scene with grandma Byrnes ashes in it, this is just classic stuff.

128. Sling Blade (1996): Karl Childers, played by Billy Bob Thornton, is a simple man who has been hospitalized since the death of his mother. Childers try’s to make a new life as best he can given his disability, in a small town, but things get complicated when he meets a young boy who is in much the same circumstance as he was as a youngster. This is really an amazing movie, and Billy Bob Thornton doesn’t get anywhere near as much attention as he deserved for it. In my opinion Thornton’s role here is far superior to Tom Hanks portrayal of a handicapped man in Forrest Gump.

129. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988): How can I not mention this groundbreaking movie? Remember, when this film first cam out it was unbelievable!! No one had ever before combined live action and cartoon before, and it was truly amazing in this movie. Directed by Robert Zemeckis this man versus toon story is really a classic. Bob Hoskins, plays Eddie Valiant, and Christopher Lloyd plays “Judge Doom” they are both perfect for this film, and really make this crazy idea work for all ages.

130. Enemy at the Gates (2001): During the battle of Stalingrad a Russian sniper named Vassili Zaitsev, played by Jude Law, gave hope to his country and became a national hero. The best German sniper Maj. Konig, played by Ed Harris, would stop at nothing to squash Vassili and with him Russia’s hope. This is a really great movie that a lot of people have never seen. The deadly art of snipers and their hunt for each other came off as both different and highly exciting. Jude Law is tremendous, as is Ed Harris in this untold story of the war. Rachael Weisz is also outstanding as Vassili’s love interest.

131. The Mummy (1999): Rick ‘O’ Connell, played by Brendan Frasier, along with Evelyn Carnahan, played by Rachael weisz, must stop the Mummy before hell on earth ensues. This is one of those pull out all the stops, span the globe adventure films, except this one unlike so many others truly entertains. The great thing about the Mummy is that it has all of those really interesting secondary characters like; John Hannah, Kevin O’ Conner, and Oded Fehr that really make an adventure like this work. Frasier is really good in this role, and it’s a very fun adventure, it’s not Indiana Jones, but it’s the best thing since.

132. Highlander (1986): This is a great movie, with a terrifically cast group of actors. Connor McLeod, played by Christopher Lambert, is an immortal. McLeod finds himself on the streets of New York City in modern times (1980’s) being pursued by another powerful immortal. The only way an immortal can really be killed is if his head is cut clean from his body, and then another immortal can absorb his essence. “There can be only one.” It’s a very interesting story and Lambert was made for this role. McLeod has flashbacks to his day in Scotland where his mentor, Juan Remirez, played by Sean Connery, taught him how to use a sword. The scenes with Lambert and Connery are really fantastic, and the fact that some mystery if left to these immortals adds to the charm of this sci-fi classic.

133. When Harry met Sally (1989): Directed by Rob Reiner this picture is not just a romantic story, but also more a fascinating study in human behavior, body language, and mind games. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan make some unforgettable movie moments in this romantic comedy that filmmakers have been trying feebly to duplicate ever since.

134. The Man Without a Face (1993): Young Chuck Norstadt, played by Nick Stahe, desperately wants to leave home and go off to school but bad grades prevent him from doing so. One day Norstadt discovers a badly disfigured former teacher who lives in relative seclusion from people. The teacher is Justin McLeod, played by Mel Gibson, and although he is reluctant he eventually decides to help Norstadt. I know this movie is anything but original, and you can see the plot coming long before I tell you what happens. The town thinks McLeod is a monster because of his looks and his mythical checkered past and he must prove himself as a human being. The plot being what it is, this is still a great movie, mostly thanks to the knock your socks off acting of Gibson, as well as his direction of this picture. It’s really quite a good watch despite its shortcoming in story.

135. House on Haunted Hill (1999): Millionaire Stephen Price, played by Geoffrey Rush, offers a group of total strangers one million dollars to spend the night in haunted house. Not terribly original material here, but there is some innovation. There are some of the creepiest scenes horror films have seen in a great long time. Not just a mindless slasher film, this movie takes the time to develop really scary lingering scenes. If you’re looking for some Goosebumps, look no further.

136. Midnight Run (1988): Jack Walsh, played by Robert Deniro, is a bounty hunter who must transport Joathan Mardukas, played by Charles Grodin, across country. Unfortunately for Walsh the F.B.I, mafia, and competing bounty hunters also want Mardukas for themselves. This is a great action/comedy that brings some pretty unique situations to us, and with two fine actors in the lead. The banter between Grodin, and Walsh is absolutely hysterical. Yaphet Kotto also ads some great support as the F.B.I man.

137. Galaxy Quest (1999): An alien race asks for the help of a sci-fi T.V show cast believing that they are actually world-class space travelers and not actors. This underrated comedy puts the definitive spoof on Star Trek. I never heard anyone talk about this movie, but I should have because it’s really hilarious. Tim Allen is brilliant looking right at home in this comedy.

138. For Love of the Game (1999): Billy chapel, played by Kevin Costner, is a pitcher at the tail end of his career but he is intent on playing one last great baseball game. Chapel is playing the game of his life, and throughout he ponders his past and we learn all about his life, and the choices he has made to get to that point. Directed by Sam Riami, this baseball/love story is a real achievement. The way we learn about our main characters throughout what could be his last game, is really done nicely here and leaves a lasting impression. Kelly Preston is also excellent here as the love interest. If you’re in the mood for a nice romance film, with some pretty darn good spots in it, this is your movie.

139. Serenity (2005): The captain of the serenity finds himself holding a young lady who threatens the evil powers that be, and he and his crew must decide to protect her or to throw her to wolves. This plot is much more complicated than it seems, and in fact is one of the best and most original futuristic stories I have seen in a very long time. Serenity lends us a superb story, with wonderfully entertaining characters, awesome looking worlds, and great battles. Serenity if the sci-fi treats of the decade, and is nearly second to none. A highly imaginative film, that pays off big time! Nathan Fillion, and Alan Tudyk are very, very enjoyable. Outside of “Minority Report” (they are very different) this is the best Sci-fi in a very, very long time.

140. Weird Science (1985): Written and directed by John Hughes this is another teen comedy, that’s starts will some really off the wall ideas. Gary Wallace, played by Anthony Michael Hall, and Wyatt Donnelly, played by Ilan Mitchell Smith, creates the perfect woman in their parent’s attic. A freak lightning bolt turns their play into reality as Lisa, played by Kelly LeBrock is born. Lisa has almost unlimited powers and an appetite for partying, and she is determined to turn Gary and Wyatt from nerd to cool kids. This is such a funny movie, I know it’s really off the wall, but it still delivers. A touch of a coming of age story, and a lot of comedy isn’t original, but John Hughes always makes it work. Anthony Michael Hall is positively hilarious in this and Bill Paxton is pretty funny too, and his brother.

141. Animal House (1978): Dean wormer is fed up with the antics of the Delta House and he going to expel them if it kills him, and it just mite. It’s only 1978 and still they got the college movie just right. Directed by John Landis and driven by the talents of John Belushi this movie delivers big laughs in a big way. All of the characters here are really very funny, and the film is certainly ahead of its time.

142. Shanghai Noon (2000): Chon Wanh, played by Jackie Chan, is a Chinaman who finds himself in the old-west looking for a kidnapped princess. He ends up teaming with a train robber in Roy O’ Bannon, played by Owen Wilson, and its fair to say they are an odd pair. This is such a breath of fresh air, not only do people not make westerns any more, but also it never gets the comic treatment we see here. Not only are there classic old west shootouts, but there is hilarious banter between Wanh and O’ Bannon. This is a very funny movie, with great action.

143. Underworld (2003): Selene, played by Kate Beckinsale, is a vampire who hunts werewolves. She falls into an unlikely alliance with Michael Corvin, played by Scott Speedman, who is half werewolf, and Selene must choose a side. This film also falls under the category of pleasant surprise. I didn’t expect much from it, thinking it was a mechanism to get vampires and werewolves fighting each other, but I found that it was quite a clever little story. The mood is set beautifully, and all of the sights and sounds are totally original. This is a really fun action film, with plenty of satisfying back-story to power it.

144. Dodge ball: A True Underdog Story (2002): Peter La Fleur, played by Vince Vaugh, is going to lose his gym if he doesn’t find a way to make some money. Along with the help of his misfit friends, La Fluer enters a Las Vegas Dodge ball tournament, but is opposed by his nemesis White Goodman, played by Ben Stiller. Goodman runs the corporate Globo-gym and wishes to acquire La Fleur real estate. This is another comic treat that delivered more than I expected. You’ll laugh from start to finish and Vaugh and Stiller are just perfect together in this comedy. Christine Taylor is also really good here as the straight character and love interest for La Fleur.

145. Face/off (1997): Sean Archer is about to undergo a revolutionary medical technique and take the form (face) of a master criminal he is pursuing. Unfortunately when things go wrong identities are mixed up and the hunter become the hunted. Directed by John Woo this action picture has all of the fun gun fighting scenes we expect, and then some. Nicholas Cage and John Travolta both play great super villains and here they both get a turn at it, which is really fun. It’s pretty interesting to watch these two adversaries take each other’s places, and in some way find the shortcoming of the other.

146. I-spy (2002): Kelly Robinson, played by Eddie Murphy, must help a government agent recover a lost spy plane. Owen Wilson plays special agent Alex Scott, and he’s non too pleased about working with Kelly Robinson, but if they don’t kill each other they might just be a great team. I’m sure this isn’t going to be a popular choice here, and I’ll probably take a lot of flak for this pick, but I’m sticking by it. I-Spy is absolutely hilarious! Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson are two of the funniest people in movies today and together they are a match mad in heaven. Not only is this a comedy, but it also a perfectly good spy story in it, and the action function as a realistic element also. If you have seen I-spy and didn’t care for it this much, give it one more try.

147. Ballistic: Ecks Versus Sever (2002): Tasked with destroying each other, an FBI agent and a rogue NSA agent soon discover that there's a much bigger enemy at work. Antonio Banderas and Lucy Lui are the combatants in this unapologetic shoot em up machine. This is by far the biggest guilt pleasure of the list, and I won’t pretend there is a lot of substance or story here. What this movie does have are some of the most entertaining full-scale action scenes ever shot. This film is really gripping from tail to tail, and delivers pure no questions asked entertainment.

148. Shaft (2000): John Shaft, played by Samuel L. Jackson, is a cop who goes on rouge mission to bring justice to a murderer. Directed by John singleton this movie brings a successful T.V translation to the big screen. It’s rare that one of these T.V remakes gets done well, but this picture was translated perfectly. Jackson is perfect for this role, and stops shy of overdoing it. It’s fun, great action, and a touch of humor.

149. Deep Blue Sea (1999): An underwater research facility is working or a cure for Alzheimer’s disease with sharks, unfortunately they make the sharks super intelligent and powerful. This is no Jaws, don’t get me wrong, but it is a lot of fun. There are some great looking super sharks, and a lot of really fun action/adventure stuff in here. Thomas Jane is terrific in this movie, and looked like an action star on the rise (I don’t know what happened.) The underwater scenes really look great, you have to give them a lot of credit for effects.

150. Summer Rental (1985): Jack Chester, played by John Candy, is a burned out air traffic controller, who takes his family on vacation. Of course the vacation turn into a nightmare and a feud with his condo landlord forces the family to win a boat race in order to stay on vacation. This is such a funny film, and a tribute to John Candy as a comedian. Laugh after laugh, this film delivers non-stop punch lines. Rip torn is also very funny in this movie

That’s it!!! You tell me readers, am I out of my mind??
I’ll try to post some statistics on this list a bit later in the week, see what similarities our top 150 have.

Honorable Mention: “Fast Time at Ridge Mont High” “Desperado” “Event Horizon” National Lampoons Vacation” “From Hell” “Shoot to Kill” “13 Ghosts” “The Gift” “12 Angry Men” “Goodfellahas” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” “Naked gun 2 1/2” “Naked gun 33 1/3” “Rush Hour 2” “The Replacement Killers” "The Princess Bride"

Send her back

2006-03-30T15:32:00.000-08:00

Journalist Jill Carroll (above) is back in the United States, but do we want her? This Iraqi sympathizer can’t stop talking about how well she was treated, WHILE BEING HELD AGAINST HER WILL, FOR RANSOME!!!!

Here are the new NFL rule changes

2006-03-30T07:04:00.000-08:00

A rushing defender cannot forcibly hit a passer who has one or both feet on the ground in the knee area or below, even if the initial contact is above the knee. It is not a foul if the defender is blocked (or fouled) into the passer and has no opportunity to avoid him.

Down by contact now can be reviewed by instant replay. For instance, no longer will the ability to determine if a player was down before or after a fumble be nullified by a whistle.

The time limit on replay reviews have been reduced from 90 to 60 seconds.

Horse-collar tackling has been expanded to prohibit grabbing a ball carrier from behind by the inside of the jersey, as well as the shoulder pads.

A defender no longer can line up directly across from the snapper on a field-goal attempt.

Blocking in the back above the waist is no longer allowed by a member of the kicking team while the ball is in flight during a scrimmage kick.

The first training-camp roster reduction this summer will be to 75 players. Previously, teams were allowed to keep 65, plus any player who played in NFL Europe for the cut after the third preseason game.

There’s an old saying: If it isn’t broke don’t fix it. People love NFL football, it’s the most popular sport on the planet, and it doesn’t need any tweaking. I don’t like the rules on hitting the quarterback, we already see too many stupid roughing calls in a game. As for the celebration rule, I think it’s funny how the league will crack down on things like this that don’t matter to anyone, but never in a million years stiffen penalties for players who break the law in “real life.” Who cares what lives are ruined through DWI’s or drug trafficking so long as they don’t celebrate on Sunday, and we can still watch them play. This is almost as funny as the NBA’s dress code. Stop concentrating on bells and whistles, and start enforcing penalties that count.

Final word on the NFL's biggest off season winners and losers.

2006-03-29T12:06:00.000-08:00

(above) Cleveland Brown head coach Romeo Crennel knows the formula for winning in the NFL.

This is final work on free agency’s biggest winners and losers. This list isn’t a top ten or five, it’s simply comprised of the teams that have either improved the most or declined significantly. All teams not on this list are perceived as being in a state of status quo.

WINNERS:

Cleveland Browns: Any time you get a chance to addressee all of your glaring weaknesses on both side of the football you have made an impact for your team’s future. The Browns picked up an excellent center and run blocker in Lecharles Bently, as well as a battled tested third down receiver in Joe Jurevicius. On the other side of the ball Cleveland went with proven winners who have skills, leadership, and good locker room attitude. All of these things were desperately needed on the Browns D, and Willie McGinest, and Ted Washington can sure provide that. Any time you can run the football, convert more third downs, and stop the run you are going to win a lot more football games.

Washington Redskins: Although Washington has been much criticized for the sheer mass of players they have signed, beyond that there is some real quality also. Washington played great down to down defense but they have brought in players that can help them become a big play defense. Adam Archuletta is a very underrated DB who has good cover skills, a nose for the ball, and can offer good run stopping support. Just to make sure Archuletta doesn’t have to cover for too long the Redskins added DE Andre Carter. Carter has long suffered with the pitiful 49ers and has gone overlooked, but make no mistake about it he is a dominant pass rusher. On offense the Skins looked to compliment stud receiver Santana Moss, and compliment they did. Antwaan Randle El can serve as an outstanding slot receiver and pose unique problems for defense with his speed and versatility, as well as his kick return ability. Christian Fauria will be the new tight end; this move is somewhat suspect for me because Fauria come from the Patriots. In New England Fauria had the opportunity to be utilized perfectly in red-zone situation, while the Pats used other tight end for the majority of the field (Ben Watson). My favorite move by far is the addition of form 49er’s WR Brandon Lloyd. Lloyd will be a great starting receiver for the Redskins; he was well on his way to a huge breakout season last year before San Francisco turned to a rookie quarterback. Lloyd has excellent skills, and could be the biggest bargain in all of this off-season.

New York Giants: There is nothing I love more than a team that knows what its weaknesses are, and addressees them as best they can. New York got a nice offensive tackle in Bob Whitfield, a player who can bring a lot of game experience. The Giants added both Sam Madison and R.W McQuarters to its defensive backfield. I know these two players aren’t exactly in their primes, but they are much better than what N.Y put on the field last season and that is improvement. R.W also ad’s outstanding kick return skills when needed, as well as a nose for the end zone. McQuarters is one of those players who has a knack for making momentum-changing plays, and that is invaluable.

Miami Dolphins: The addition of a great big arm in Daunte Culpepper is one of the best moves of the year. Culpepper will have an above average running game, and a great trio of receivers at his disposal. To make sure Daunte remains upright in the pocket, L.J Shelton was added to the O-line. Shelton is an above average pass protection guy. On defense Miami needs a lot more help because that side is ageing quickly, but they did pick up a nice stopgap in CB Will Allen.

Minnesota Vikings: This is another team that knows what direction it must take, and started heading there. The Vikings added a great run blocking full back in Tony Richardson, and someone to follow him through those holes in former Ravens RB Chester Taylor. Minnesota also acquired guard Steve Hutchinson from the Seahawks, and he’s no stranger to the power running game. We know the Vikings need a lot of help on defense, but an effective clock control running game will help out any D.

New Orleans Saints: The Saints finally threw its fans a life preserver (no pun intended) and landed an able quarterback. Drew Brees is a guy who can step in and do the job without all of the poor clock management, and turnovers associated with the Aaron Brooks era. Brees will have a health Duece McAllister, Joe Horn, and untapped talent Daunte Stallworth. This is one move that will allow a team to compete right away. On defense the Saints added DB Omar Stoutmire. Stoutmire isn’t the best DB available by any means, but it is a significant upgrade for the Saints.

Tennessee Titans: This is a team with a lot of problems, but they managed to get a lot healthier this off-season. WR David Givens from the Patriots will bring a winning attitude and sure hands. DB Chris Hope also ads valuable experience fresh off of his super bowl victory with the Steelers. The best move was adding center Kevin Mawae. Mawae is still one of the finest pass and run blockers in the game today, and he is also one of the smartest. Having a player of Mawae's caliber anchor your offensive line will go a long way to a stable run game, and a lot less missed assignments. Pound for pound the titan may have come away with the best value pick-ups.

San Francisco 49er’s: Not a lot done here, but it is quality work. This is a young team with a lot of needs, and will mostly be rebuilt through the draft. I like the quality of moves done this off-season. 49er’s picked up former Redskins CB Walt Harris. Harris isn’t a lock down corner, but he is an excellent cover guy, a smart guy, and dependable from down to down. On offense San Francisco got a whole lot of experience on the offensive line with Larry Allen. Allen may not be the man he once was, but half of what Allen used to be is better than most linemen. He brings incredible strength to the run blocking game, and more game experience than all of the 49er’s put together. I can just see all of the young 49er’s gathered around the campfire to listen to big Larry tell tales of the ‘play-offs.’

Losers:

Oakland Raiders: This is truly the most baffling off-season for any of the 32 teams in pro-football. Fed up with the erratic turnover laden style of Kerry Collins the Raiders turn to the services of the erratic turnover machine Aaron Brooks. This move doesn’t make any sense; it leaves the Raiders in the exact same state they were in last year if not worse. For God’s sake the Lions got two quarterbacks who would have been better choices than Brooks. Josh McCown, and John Kitna. McCown is ripe for some good ball, and we saw flashes of that last season, and Kitna always plays great when he gets an opportunity. The best part about Kitna is how little wear and tear he has taken recently.

Arizona Cardinals: The Arizona Cardinals examined their team needs and came up with the dumbest possible answer. Edgerrin James?? I’m sorry but I was under the impression that the Card’s just drafted J.J Arrington at RB last year. Surely he isn’t a bust already. The Cardinals problem is that they can’t block on offense, and they can’t make enough stops on defense. Fix up that shoddy O-line and you’ll see Arrington making some pretty good runs. I think with “Edge” that is too much money going into one position on a team with multiple needs.

Baltimore Ravens: WOW, what’s going on? This is a football team with a lot of needs, and they didn’t addressee any of them. There were many, many free agent quarterbacks available that could have served Baltimore well if not as the starter, than certainly as a back-up plan. Brian Griese comes to mind immediately, especially for a team in need of offensive leadership. A wide receiver would have been nice, but instead Baltimore opted to “swap” power running backs. After losing Chester Taylor to the Vikings, the Ravens brought in Denver’s Mike Anderson. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mike Anderson but this is a lateral move at best. You should also consider the fact that Denver routinely produces running backs that look like world-beaters with their superior system and excellent run blocking. Personally I feel like retaining Chester Taylor is a better move here because he is a known quantity. I also think your second running back should bring something to the table that your starter doesn’t, here Jamal Lewis and Mike Anderson are almost identical in style. Where is your change of pace guy? Who’s your third down back?

St. Louis Rams: I know that the Rams aren’t in the best financial situation in all of football, but they do have some glaring weaknesses. First the health of Marc Bulger has to start becoming an issue; it is getting more and more apparent that he cannot last an entire season as the starter. A better back up plan than Martin or Fitzpatrick would have been a very wise move. It is also becoming apparent that Rams quarterbacks get injured with alarming frequency, Kurt Warner got his bell rung so many times he still hasn’t divorced that beast he’s married to. Maybe it was Mike Martz’s pass happy system, if that’s the case so be it, but perhaps that O-line needs to be addressed. Last but not least, we all know the Rams need between 10-11 new starting defensive players. St. Louis suffered a major loss in safety Adam Archuletta and replaced him with Corey Chavous. Chavous comes from Minnesota where the word defense means “lawyer up” after a scandal. Chavous is among the most overrated players in all of football, he’s been on one of the worst pass defenses for a few years now and has failed to make it any better. It is beyond me why he was sought after at all, I watch a lot of NFC north games as a Bears fan, and Chavous is frequently out of position and useless in run support. Corey may make a few highlight reel plays a season but that doesn’t make up for all of times he doesn’t know what is going on.

Houston Texans: The Texans are in sorry shape, but it’s not as bad as you think. David Carr can pass with the best of them, and Andre Johnson has the makings of a true stud at WR, and Dominick Davis could be a very good running back. If only Houston could block a soul up front this offense could work very well. People want to point fingers at David Carr but it’s dam hard to throw the football when your flat on your back at all times, just look at Bledsoe’s last season with Buffalo. A little blocking goes a long way to show what your skill positions can really accomplish. Defensively Houston has more problems that that. They can’t stop the run, they can’t rush the passes, and they can’t stop the pass…. I’ll stop there before I sound too much like Jim Mora. This off-season Houston signed a glut of free agents; unfortunately it is the who’s who list of nobody’s. I have never seen such a long list of signings for guys I have never heard of in my entire life. With the exception of Jeb Putzier and excellent receiving tight end from Denver. Given that they have so many holes to fill maybe that was the way to go, We’ll see. I just hope that Texans DO NOT draft Reggie Bush. The Texans need to pick up picks, and fix the line on both side of the ball so they can compete. If they take Bush it’s going to be a long couple of years watching him run for his life for ten minutes a snap to get back to the original line of scrimmage. Houston has a golden opportunity to trade their pick for a mass of picks, and get a lot better in a hurry.

Chicago Bears: I am a Bears fan, but I have to be a little tough on Chicago here. The Bears are a team on the cusp of being a contender but so far they are standing pat. I heard a lot of talk before this off-season started about Chicago wanting to pick up a quality tight end, a decent cornerback, and good slot receiver. So far none of this has been accomplished, and there have been players available. I will not harass them for passing on Randle El, because he got far more money than he is worth, but the other positions have gone unfilled. I like the fact that Chicago is cap healthy, but there is money to burn this year and the Bears need help in pass defense. If you think I’m crazy talking defense then watch a tape of their loss to Carolina in the playoffs. A quality tight end ( Jeb Putzier) also would have made Rex Grossman’s life a lot easier. I will give Chicago credit for getting Brian Griese, anytime you get a starting quality QB to play second string it’s a major improvement.

Indianapolis Colts: The Indianapolis Colts are under the impression that one of the most accurate kickers in all of football is to blame for their playoff blunders. The addition of Adam Vinatieri. Does not make this a better football team. Lets remember that the Colts should not have even been in a position to attempt that field goal, because a Troy Polamalu interception of Peyton Manning on the Colts previous touchdown drive should have stood and effectively ended the game. I think switching kickers is a strange move and paying that much for one is even stranger. Don’t get me wrong there is nothing like a clutch kicker, but I think the price was too high. If the Colts really want to know why they lose playoff games they need to examine that no-huddle offense. You may light the world on fire in the regular season, and score tons upon tons of points, but the playoffs are different. When you go three and out quickly in the playoffs, and fatigue your offensive lineman by holding them at the line of scrimmage like Manning does a team like Pittsburgh will make you pay for it. Against quality defense you can’t go 3 and out that many times to open a game, the opposition will burry you with their own ball control and blitz the heck out of your tired lineman, who are standing in position for 35 seconds a snap for no good reason. Huddle up, run the ball and don’t let your QB get impatient and call bad plays.

Reader Feedback

2006-03-29T10:46:00.000-08:00

Reader I need you input, I am currently comprising a list of the greatest beers known to man, and I could use some insight. Tell me of some obscure beer I need to try before bringing this article to press.

Kwiki Mart rest-room

2006-03-27T20:02:00.000-08:00

I do a lot of traveling as part of my weekly routine, and much it is spent on long stretches of highways and other connecting roads, and I am forced to stop at many out of the way type gas stations to relieve myself. Frequently the bathroom door is locked and the key must be obtained, of course this means you have to be handed a grimy fly swatter from some Arab who can barely take his attention away from the satellite cast Aljazeera T.V long enough to help you. I recently reached my breaking point when I went to an Apu style mart and asked to use the restroom. I was given the grimy key and preceded to the restroom conveniently located on the opposite side of the building. Much to my dismay, and I should point out that I really had to go, the door was jammed and would not open. I finally went back inside and asked about it, where I was told that door was tricky and required some shaking and pulling. I tried this terrific advice in the exact order I was told, I shacked, pulled, and even did some prying, but it would not budge. Upon my third trip inside the store the kindly foreigner finally agreed to escort me to the door and try his own hand at opening it, after some shaking, pulling, prying, and some rattling the door finally opened. Inside was the most horrifying filth ridden excuse for a toilet that I have even seen in my entire life! My question is this: Why are you locking this door? Clearly it isn’t to keep the filth out. Are these gas station trying to keep the dirt locked in? Maybe it’s a public service, keeping all that disgusting bacteria from reaching the outside world. Whatever the case may be, it’s way, way, way too much trouble to take a piss. I will never buy anything at a station that does this, it’s absurd.

Gays are people too!!!

2006-03-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

I would like to take an opportunity to applaud the brave work done recently by Hollywood, and the movie industry. Of course I am talking about the groundbreaking film “Brokeback Mountain.” It does my heart good to see a film touch sensitive issues, and take on America on those issues. I can’t tell you how it pains me to hear about people with such old world ideas, behaving in such an archaic and bigoted manner. American’s needs to be enlightened join this brave new world and embrace faggots and dykes as fellow human beings. I can no longer sit idly by and watch my fellow man be ridiculed by others, I will stand up and support the queens and rug munchers. Queer’s everywhere can count on my unwavering support, and I will take this issue a step further; I am willing to suggest that butt pirates be given their own state!! One state in our union of 52 to belonging only to homos. Think about the advantages here to everyone. All of the butch super ugly women won’t be around in the straight states to take up our bar stools, or use up our bowling alleys. There will be no more disappointing encounters for desperate straight fat guys. A gay nation will happen! One nation under rainbows. There are still some concerns for an appropriate fag state, such as; how will the export business work? Surely the queer state will quickly die out without some imports. The fags are notorious for sexually transmitted diseases, and not reproducing, so how will they keep their numbers up? We will have to act quickly as a straight nation to export all new homos and dykes into the fag state, before they run out people. On the other hand what if an ass F@c%er has sex with a transvestite and decides he likes women again? Will we allow him to be imported back into the straight nation? When I ask that question I mean it with his best interests in mind.
I’m not sure if my brave ideas will ever become realized, but it let it be said that I am a man of enlightenment, and will never stop until I have reached a higher quality of life for my fellow man.

Hurricane Anferney knocks over a gas station!

2006-03-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

Can you imagine opening the newspaper and seeing that headline? You would think a boxer lost his marbles and went on a crime spree. Unfortunately Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) thinks there should be hurricane names that sound black. This is not a joke, an elected official actually said this. Sheila Jackson even went so far as to say that the current name for storms are too “lily white.” Sounds to me like someone is a racist, and it isn’t the weatherman.

Oakland Raiders are lost

2006-03-22T18:58:00.000-08:00

What are the Raiders thinking? You part ways with the erratic, inconsistent, interception prone, fumbling machine Kerry Collins in order to sign the erratic, inconsistent, interception prone, fumbling machine Aaron Brooks?? I really don’t get it. This is by far the worst off-season move of 2006.

Hilarious post on Pamela Anderson's "Blog"

2006-03-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

(left) a headless Pam Anderson, I finally found a picture of the perfect woman!

I was surfing the fox channel web site when I cam across a link for Pamela Anderson's "Blog" site for the show "Stacked." It never ceases to amuse me that people actually think Pam Anderson is writing her own blog, or answering the comments posted by any of her pathetic zit faced readers. Come on, if Pam knew anything about computers I wouldn't have this 45 minute video of her, now would I? There is nothing on these stars blogs accept information on when to watch their show, or what talk show they will be on. I did find one comment (clearly the comments are posted uniformly no matter what) that really made me laugh. The comment is below:

Hi Pam (if this really is you)I would just like to let you know that I would bang you silly. Thanks.
Posted by: Frank June 8, 2005 02:33 PM

Middle school teacher accused of having sex with a 14 year old

2006-03-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

Debra LaFave (above) had the charges against her dropped today, and im guessing it was at the request of the alleged victim. DAM!! I wish I got raped once in a while. Who says the school system is failing young men?

Here is a great article by NFL.com's Pat Kirwan

2006-03-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

(March 20, 2006) -- There is no doubt that the fast-approaching NFL draft brings a buzz to the media and the fans that is second only to playoff games.
For some reason, the top 32 players selected from the college ranks make a lot of money and the dreams and hopes of the franchise rest squarely on the shoulders of these young men.
Who gets Reggie Bush? Is Matt Leinart the next great quarterback? How far up does a team have to go to get Jay Cutler? Who can resist the athleticism of Vince Young? Is D'Brickashaw Ferguson the next Willie Roaf? Has anyone looked better coming out of college as a defensive end than Mario Williams? You get the picture!
Well, before we get too caught up in the hype, I thought it would be a good idea to go back and look at last year's top pick for each club. (I included the second-round selection of teams that didn't have a first-round pick, and four teams had two first-round selections.) The top 36 players, if you will, and how much bang for the buck the teams got for their picks.
In the past two years, this "elite" group of program-savers averaged about a $3 million signing bonus and a salary of about $500,000. In plain English, NFL teams will spend about $100 million in bonus money and another $20 million in salary on the top 36 players drafted this year, just like they did last year. In fact, with the new CBA, teams might spend even more money.

The 25th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Jason Campbell didn't attempt a pass last season.
Forgetting production, which takes time to develop, here's a look at the amount of time the top players were on the field learning how to play the pro game. A few years from now, a number of this year's top draft picks will claim they are underpaid but they will conveniently forget how much money they made back in their rookie year and what the club got in return for the cash.
The average top pick from the 2005 draft started seven games last season. There were only three 16-game starters: New England's Logan Mankins, Kansas City's Derrick Johnson and Dallas' DeMarcus Ware. Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay), Chris Spencer (Seattle) and Jason Campbell (Washington) didn't start a game.
When it came to the number of plays in a game, 20 of the 36 played more than 50 percent of the plays in each game and the average percentage of plays for these top 2005 draft picks was 49 percent. Got the picture? An average signing bonus of $3 million, an average salary of $500,000 and less than half the plays: overpaid or underpaid?
Since they averaged less than half the snaps on offense and defense, you would think they must have been on most of the special teams. Seven of these high-priced players did not play one snap of special teams. The average number of special-teams plays per player for the 16-game schedule was 62 plays, or slightly under four plays per game.
Thomas Davis of the Panthers contributed the most with 257 special-teams plays. The next closest rookie was Steelers tight end Heath Miller with 162 plays. The average NFL team has close to 500 special-teams per season. NFL special-teams coaches can look forward to the top rookies contributing on about 12 percent of the special-teams plays, but they also know some of their better veteran special-teams players get released or not re-signed to accommodate the big rookie salaries.
So, who got their money's worth in sweat last year from their top pick? Keyshawn Johnson made a point to me the other day when I asked him the question, "Now that you are free to talk to any team, who would want you?" The first thing he said was a team that wants a guy who plays over 1,000 plays a season every year. That point stuck with me all week.

Cedric Benson made just one start for Chicago despite being picked fourth overall.
The top 36 players in the draft last year produced only one player with 1,000-plus plays -- Logan Mankins. There were some other rookies that combined their special-teams plays with their regular offense or defense plays to give their team its money's worth: Derrick Johnson (1,113 plays), Mankins (1,114), Pacman Jones (954), Heath Miller (945), Jammal Brown (893) and Fabian Washington (890).
I understand and agree with the fact that quarterbacks take time to develop, and sitting the first season is part of the process. I also understand that injuries play a big part in playing time.
But something just doesn't sit right with me when the money doesn't equal the work. If the average top pick averages seven starts, less than 50 percent of the snaps, and 12 percent of the special-teams plays, then maybe there should be an adjustment in how much these players in training make.
A very successful Wall Street broker told me that at his firm, the young brokers don't really have a change in base pay for three years, but the bonuses go up as the brokers become more competent. That sounds like a good formula to me.

Nothing scientific about scientology.

2006-03-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Tom Cruise threatened not to promote Mission Impossible 3, if Paramount and Viacom allowed the second airing of a South Park episode that makes fun of Scientologists. The company caved and gave into the big baby. I wish they would have stuck to their guns, can’t they just promote the film with ‘capote’, you know that guy that won best actor that is also in this movie. Get a grip Cruise, you’re a freak and nobody cares.

Flight plan more like make other plans

2006-03-17T00:50:00.000-08:00

I try not to step on the toes of my good friends at great movie blog, but I don’t think they’ll mind my talking about a few old films. I will make one comment on the newly released V for Vendetta, it was superb. I can’t say the same for the ill fated “Flight plan” It has been a long time since I have sat through such a boring piece of crap like that. At first I thought I had made a mistake and was watching “Panic Room 2” but much to my dismay it wasn’t even as good as that would have been. It was actually cruel to almost suck us into the intrigue of what in the world happened to that poor woman’s daughter? It must be some amazing sinister plot right? There must be some reason why these alleged kidnappers would needed to fetch up such an elaborate plan? Sadly our answer is no, there is no good reason. The assailant is the most obvious of people in the air marshal, and his demands are sadly cleyshayed. “I want fifty million dollars, and a jet standing by”….are you joking? For the love of god! Not to mention the fact that the entire plan was predicated on the fact that none on the dam plane noticed the little girl to begin with. The entire plan would have been foiled had Jodi Foster not boarded the plane first, or had the flight attendant noticed them coming in. The funny thing is the flight attendant who is in on this ‘clever heist’ isn’t even the one who worked the gate, and had the bad memory. If it were my film, I would have made the girl who was in on it, having been the one who doesn’t remember seeing the little girl, that’s just me…and anyone else with half a brain!!!!! This is such a stupid movie with a lot of build up for a tired old plot, that isn’t even executed all that well. Jodi Foster may have a reputation for being picky, but that’s two stinkers in a row by my count.

Randy and Paula are responsible for this American Idol disaster

2006-03-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

(left) I hope your happy dummy, now we wont hear the gorgeous Melissa McGhee ever again. In an era of 'pop' star females McGhee could have been a Pat Benetar, and thats a pretty darn rare thing.

--(DIRECTLY above) She' a complete dolt,
but get a load of those sandbags!

Dear lord! What are people watching? Tonight on American Idol one of the most talented people by far was voted off, and some of the worst remained. The beautiful and talented Melissa McGhee was the first of the top twelve to be put down by a voting public that clearly is blind, deaf, and or dumb. In five season of this program McGhee’s version of Heart’s ‘what about love’ is one of the finest female performances in Idol’s history. Reaming contestant Kevin Covais is miserable singers in American Idol, but somehow managed to NOT be in the bottom three Wednesday night. Who is voting? Bucky Covington, and Kellie Pickler also lack a serious amount of singing talent. Lets face it, Pickler’s nice looking, but she can’t really carry a tune all that well, and Covington should be doing karaoke in a Honkey tonk bar somewhere.

So who’s to blame for this injustice? Look no further than Randy Jackson and Paula Abdual. Like it or lump it, people listen to all of the judges and when only one of them is being realistic, it hurts the chances for the public to make an intelligent decision. Randy and Paula have been blowing smoke up Kevins tail since day one for no good reason. Had they been real and dogged Covais a bit like Simon has, we wound not have said goodbye to one of the more talented contestants tonight. The damage is done, I just hope that Randy and Paula realize how they impacted one of the most talented contestants in favor of what is a complete joke in Kevin, and Bucky. It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things because Chris is so much better than anyone who has ever been on Idol before, but it does rob us of a better competition down the stretch.

NFL free-agency

2006-03-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

(above) Browns new center Lecharles Bentley.

The NFL free-agency period is heating up and there are already some clear-cut winners, loser’s, and head scratches.

The Strange: The Arizona Cardinals signed former Colts running back Edgerine James to a lucrative 4-year deal, but is it a good idea? I’m not doubting the talents of ‘Edge’ or his appeal on the open market, but Arizona just used a high first round draft pick on running back JJ. Arrington. This is a little bit of a quick hook, for a top ten pick RB. This is also the age of the salary cap, and I don’t see how a team with many needs on offensive and defensive line can possibly spend big dollars on two running backs. Maybe Arrington could make yards if he had holes to run through.

I know Washington is trying desperately to sign everyone who ever played the game of football, but I think they will be sorely disappointed with the services of former Patriots tight end Christian Fauria. Fauria was excellent for New England IN HIS ROLE, as a leading man, I just don’t know. Fauria was used in the red-zone with great success but the Patriots used other tight ends for the majority of the football field. Deep seem patterns, and perimeter work was done by Daniel Graham, and Ben Watson.

The Redskins also have the third most confusing move of the off-season by inking Antwaan Randle El to a contract worth almost 30 million dollars!! I know Randle El is a good return man, and serves as a double threat guy, but for that kind of money you can sign a bona fide number one threat at WR. For god’s sake lets not forget that Randle El has been making his name by playing opposite of Hines Ward, one of the very best players in all of football.

The Lions signed former Cowboys tight end Dan Campbell, he is an excellent all purpose TE, but the Lions just signed Marcus Pollard last season. Pollard is among the best receiving threats at TE’s in the game, and for a team with lots of (potentially great) receivers this seems a suspicious move. You only get one football per down.

The Rams were looking for help in pass coverage, but instead turned to former Vikings defensive back Corey Chavous. Chavous is among the most overrated players in all of football having anchored one of the NFL’s most consistently horrible pass defenses in Minnesota. I know it takes more than one man to make a pass-D good (or reasonable) but this also speaks to Chavous’s leadership skills, having no considerable improvement of his teammates throughout his stay in Minny.

The Best: The Lions landed former Bengal’s QB John Kitna. Kitna is both an experienced quarterback with talent, but he is also an untapped commodity. He hasn’t played much recently, and hasn’t taken a lot of punishment. If the Lions have drafted the right receivers, they’ll know for sure when Kitna plays.

The Vikings signed Ravens runner Chester Taylor. Taylor is a good strong every down runner, with above average explosiveness. If the Vikings want to have a ground game, and start to mask their bad defense a little bit, than this is guy for the job.

The New Orleans Saints landed Drew Brees. This is the player that could potentially tap into the talent ridden, underachieving offensive unit that is the Saints. If Joe Horn and Deuce McAllister still have legs, then Brees will make that train run. Although I think this is one of the best moves that have been made, I also think that the Saints have already wasted far too much time on the erratic Aaron Brooks.

The New York Giants get a four star rating for the pick-up of Lions corner back R.W. McQuarters. R.W. is a big time nickel back, and punt return man who has shown time after time the propensity to make game changing plays. When R.W gets an interception or a big return, the end zone is inevitable. McQuarters could still be an above average starting CB, but as a nickel man there aren’t many number three receivers that I would take in coverage over McQuarters.

The Rams made a nice deal with defensive lineman La’Roi Glover. Glover can still be an effective interior pass rusher, which is a hot commodity in today’s NFL. There are very few teams who have effective rushers from their interior two, ask Tampa Bay how important that was during their super bowl run.

The Redskins made a plethora of moves, but only two of the are good ones. The skins did pick up value with Andre Carter, and Adam Archuleta. Carter is a superb pass rusher at DE and not a bad player against the run either. If Carter didn’t play for San Francisco he would probably already have been to a couple of pro-bowls. Archuleta is one of those players who are consistently good, he may not be the same explosive playmaker he once was, but he will never be seen getting beat badly or making bonehead plays. These are two players who can best be described as solid, on a defensive built on the team concept it seems a perfect fit.

The Dolphins had a pretty darn good period so far in their two pick-ups. QB Daunte culpepper will be the happiest man in south Florida when he sees his offensive teammates. Marty Booker, Chris Chambers, and Randy Mcmichael easily make one of the most imposing three headed receiving cores in the national football league, and oh yes, there is a devastating one two punch running attack. Culpepper is a true talent and has long been maligned under some bad systems, and one of the dumbest head coaches in recent memory. Under Miami’s top notch coaching staff, Daunte will rekindle his knack for top-flight play. Culpepper will also have a new tackle for protection in former Brown L.J. Shelton.

The Titans picked up one of the very best offensive lineman in all of football in center Kevin Mawae. Mawae’s leadership skills will be invaluable to an offensive as young as
The Titans.

The bad: The Jets picked up Steelers lineman Kimo Van Oelhoffen to bolster their pass rush, but the departure of center Kevin Mawae hurts their pass protection. For a team with a very delicate QB situation, I question this trade off.

The 49er’s picked up Antonio Bryant at wide receiver, I usually am a fan of Bryant, but not when you part ways with Brandon Lloyd. Lloyds may be one of the best-kept secrets in all of football, a gifted wide out with great talent. Last year Lloyd was having a true break out season until the 49er’s turned to their rookie quarterback.

The Ravens parted ways with Chester Taylor in favor of Mike Anderson. I love Mike Anderson but it’s so darn hard to judge a RB in the Denver system, the Bronco’s turn out pro-bowl running backs at an alarming rate. Taylor was a know commodity to Baltimore, and they would have been better served bringing him back.

The very biggest winners: It has been a long time since I have seen an organization go from utter stupidity to pure genius overnight. I suppose its time to give Romeo Crennel his due; he has most certainly had a positive impact of this organization and is about to rejuvenate Cleveland football. The Cleveland Browns are coming away from free agency with some very skillful signings, in players that will allow them to compete right away. Center Lecharles Bentley and defensive tackle Ted Washington will do the two things that make teams win football games. Run the football, and stop the run. Even at Big Ted’s age, he still commands a double team, and will make instant stars out of the Cleveland linebackers who wont have to worry about eating so many blocks. Bentley on the offensive side of the ball is a talented run blocker, and leader in pass protection. The Browns also got wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, a wide out that adds guts, leadership, and heart to a young offense. Jurevicius can add those critical tough catches on third down, you don’t always think about players like Joe but ask Seattle how many touchdown drives happened because Jurevicius made a crucial conversion on a third and long.