bowlvikingswon

Timberlake Says Super Bowl Uproar Was a Race Issue

2006-08-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE has blasted the American media for unfairly picking on JANET JACKSON following her infamous breast-baring Super Bowl shocker - because she's a black woman.

The CRY ME A RIVER singer was performing with Jackson during the Super Bowl half-time show in 2004 when a planned costume-ripping sequence became a "wardrobe malfunction" that shocked the world. But Timberlake feels his duet partner on that fateful day was harshly treated by the media at a time when there were bigger international stories to report about. He says, "If you consider it 50/50 - I probably got 10 per cent of the blame and that says something about society.

I think that America's harsher on women and I think that America's unfairly harsh on ethnic people." Timberlake tells MTV News he accepts he didn't deal with the aftermath of the breast-baring incident well and now he feels he shouldn't have been so quick to distance himself from the scandal - and from Jackson. He adds, "I didn't handle it the best way I could have but you get your bumps and bruises from it and you learn."

Source

Dude, it was two years ago, get over it.

Vinatieri Missed Practice

2006-08-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Kicker Adam Vinatieri, the Indianapolis Colts' biggest offseason acquisition, missed practice with a sprained ankle.

Coach Tony Dungy said Vinatieri hurt his ankle while running, the same day the Colts cut Shane Andrus, the only other kicker on the roster.

"He did it in conditioning, and he's day-to-day," Dungy said.

Indianapolis signed Vinatieri, considered the NFL's best clutch kicker, to a five-year contract in March to replace Mike Vanderjagt. Vinatieri had two Super Bowl-winning field goals with New England.

Technorati Tag(s): Indianapolis Colts, Adam Vinatieri

bobby the gook season 3, preseason action part 1

2006-08-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

yes, folks, NFL training camps have opened across the nation. fans everywhere have begun obsessing over the battle for the fifth wide receiver spot as if a super bowl victory depended on it. i myself will be headed down to oxnard soon to watch t.o. begin his march towards super bowl immortality. i know, it's kinda goofy to watch guys run non-contact drills, but for many fans, it's as close as we'll ever get to the real thing. anyways, even more importantly, vegas has released it's season over/unders for each NFL teams. if you remember, last year, me and fredo went through and gave a team by team analysis of how the their season would turn out. well i finally went through and counted the number of teams that we got right and both fredo and i went 17 for 31, with one push (fredo, click here, for a complete breakdown). we're over .500, but would have very likely lost money had we actually bet money on these things...oh wait a minute...we did lose money. for those of you who follow us, click here, here, here, and here for some very prescient predictionslooks like vegas thinks that philly can't recover from the T.O. debacle. i know he looked good in the first pre-season game he played, but it there any question that he's going to blow up at some point in the season? and won't that cost the team dearly in terms of wins? also doesn't losing corey simon really really hurt. i already have 7 teams winning ten games which already sounds like too many to me. i definitely can't see 8 teams winning ten games. under.
some not so good predictionsi think that pittsburgh disappoints in a big way this year. give me the under.
and a very entertaining trip down memory lane, highlighted by this masterful bon mot from fredo:dallas (8.5) - over all the way, and take it to the bank. i know drew bledsoe seems old, but he's only 33. do you know who else was 33 when he won the super bowl against sin and death? jesus h. christ, that's who.man that still cracks me up. anyways, as i've said before, these bets have always intrigued me because you have to take into account so many things like scheduling, off-season moves, injury recovery, long term trends, etc., etc. plus it's a good way to get ready for my fantasy drafts. anyways, we'll start with the west divisions and then over the next four posts, we'll work our way to the east divisions. anyways, let's pass out the x and the roofies and get this party started.

AFC west
denver - 10: over (-130) under (even)
first off their non-division schedule is brutal. pittsburgh and seattle, indy, cinnci, and the pats. i know that schedules mean less than they used to, but day-umn. anyways, the real problem in denver is two fold. first the running back situation. seriously, should ron dayne be inthe mix for any real contender? my guess is that this is a psychological ploy by shanahan to motivate tatum bell. but more pressing, as always, is one former ASU sundevil lining up at QB (i was going to say a former bone-headed ASU sundevil, but that would be redundant). if i were samuel l. jackson, i'd call up shanahan and scream, "i'm so tired of this motherf*ing jake on this motherf*ing team!" fortunately for the snake, the addition of javon walker will help out a bunch. of course the caveat is that guys are never ever almost as fast after major leg injuries, so as donald rumsfeld would say, this is a known unknown. what really helps is having oakland and san diego in this division. i think that denver will be decent this year, vegas seems to be predicting a flip flop with KC and 9 wins, and i concur. under.

kansas city - 9.5: over(-115) under(-115)
as much as i like old white coaches who can cry in public, herm edwards is a definite upgrade at this position (although i'm inclined to think that he's still overrated). but there's a lot of known unknowns for the chiefs as well. with willie roaf retiring, can LJ have the same kind of season he did last year. seriously, they ran that stretch play to perfection last year, for 12 yards just over and over. but the more important question - how old is trent green and tony gonzalez. gonzalez definitely lost his best-at-his-position title last year. and trent green seems like he's been in the league forever. the schedule however, is a little bit easier than denver's in that they don't have to face indy and new england. defense reigns supreme with edwards in charge and i think the change in philosophy is good enough to get the chiefs over the top. over.

san diego - 8.5: over(-140) under(+110)
this is the first number that i'm suspicious of. is there no dropoff between drew brees and philip rivers? i know they have LT and gates, but seriously, does rivers to mccardell, rashaun rogers, and eric parker do anything for you? me neither. and my prediction for philip rivers is complete and utter failure. rivers reminds me more of the prototypical NFL bust - chris redman, tim couch, kyle boller, and jp losman, guys with really good skills but never seem to catch up to the level of NFL play. i don't have any feelings about the schedule either way. this is a very good value pick though, so give me the under.

oakland - 6.5: over(-105) under(-115)
with aaron brooks now calling the plays, it's easy to see why vegas thinks that the raiders are going to suck this year. and vegas is right, they are going to suck. but, what the raiders have going for them is that i think lamont jordan is going to have a much better year this year, after having a halfway decent one during his first stint as feature back. and i just can't see randy moss having this many bad seasons in a row. this is a really good number, because i think 7 is about the top-end of their potential talent wise. and with houston, cleveland, and the jets on the schedule, i think they can reach it. i have very little confidence in this pick. over.

NFC west
seattle - 10.5: over(-110) under(-120)
one of the biggest numbers on the board. to me, there's a lot not to like about the seahawks this year. i think the loss of that lineman is going to hurt more than people think. i also think that matt hasselback still doesn't have any good receivers to throw to. and as good as lofa tatupu was last year, those undersized linebackers always seem to wear down in year two a la brian ulracher. but that doesn't mean they're still not the favorite to win their division (and one of the favorites to make it to the super bowl at 10-1). the division sucks, shaun alexander is real real good and they have a pretty easy schedule. i'm not sure what to make of the money lines, but i'll take the over.

st louis - 7: over(-110) under (-120)
again, with these weird money lines...anyways, i really haven't kept up with the rams much in the offseason. all i know is that they underperformed last year. steve jackson had a somewhat inconsistent season in his first as the man, but i think that this is the year that he makes some real noise. in fact, i think that he'll go in about the 4th to 5th round in most fantasy drafts and be a steal there. bulger is a decent qb and torry holt is simply a stud. he's still underrated. so knowing little to nothing about this team, the schedule seems a bit tough to me. ummm...i guess i'll go with the under here.

arizona - 8: over(-115) under(-115)
i'm a little surprised at the money lines here. it seems pretty clear to me that with edgerrin james, the cardinals are a much much better team. great receivers, a stud back, etc. of course, there's kurt warner who is about as good as maybe half the quarterbacks out there, but as we all know is quite prone to injury, despite his intense faith in the lord jesus christ. apparently, jesus wants kurt to be injured. however, i actually think that him getting hurt will be a good thing for the cards. seriously, leinart was ready for the pro's two years ago. he basically has played not only in a pro-style offense at USC, he basically played with pro caliber players. there's a lot of reasons to think that he'll not pan out in the NFL, but i think when he ineveitably gets the starting nod this year, he'll be fine. did i mention edgerrin james is real good? i think the cards are going to vie for a playoff spot this year. give me the over.

san francisco -5: over (-115) under(-115)
let's see here...lost their best wide receiver, check. lost their best defensive player, check. 2nd year QB that wasn't any good in college, check. i'm almost starting to feel bad for niners fans. they've been in football hell for a while now. under all the way.

thy kingcome come: a reflection on the Lord's Prayer

2006-07-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

The problem with religion, some folks will say, is that it is pie-in-the-sky. People who are religious are always living in some kind of dream world. And folks who pray, well, they’re just trying to escape. Open your eyes, and wake up, they would say. Get real!

There is a challenge among some folks to the whole idea of prayer. “What good is prayer?” they might ask. “ What difference does it make? How does it affect the bottom line?”

In these weeks we are focusing on prayer, especially the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, and this morning is as good a time as any to take on questions like these. Last month we looked at the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name. And this morning we continue: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

The problem with religion, these same folks might continue, is all of this business about a kingdom. What is that all about? Maybe they can’t quite imagine the kingdom of God, they don’t understand it. Jesus spoke more often about the kingdom than any other subject, but sometimes he spoke in parables, and usually he went in a direction that was exactly opposite from our way of seeing it. The kingdom was the place where God ruled, where God was in charge, where God’s will was becoming a reality. The kingdom is both present---a foretaste of glory divine, here and there, now and then, and---future. Sometimes we have glimpses of the kingdom. The blind see, the lame walk, the poor receive the gospel, this is the kingdom, Jesus said to the followers of John the Baptist (Matthew 11). And sometimes we realize that we are a long way from the kingdom.

When we pray, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, we are praying for something that we occasionally glimpse, but do not grasp. And so we pray in faith, and in hope. We say these words, week after week, Sunday after Sunday. What does it amount to? Fulfilling a ritual? What does it mean to pray these words.

The kingdom of God, in the scripture, is synonymous with the will of God. These two phrases are two ways of saying the same thing, that God will set everything on the right path and arrange everything in the right place and situate all things in right relationship to each other.

These are words that require a great measure of our faith and hope: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Faith and hope because, brothers and sisters, this is not the kingdom of God. The planet earth is not. The holy land, this weekend, is not. The United States of America is not. Your life is not, and my life is not. Because in so many respects, God’s will is not done. The human condition, the fractured family, the divided community, the polarized nation, the empires at odds with each other…we have prayed Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done, but it has not happened yet.

And so what does that mean for praying people? Do we give up on the idea of this kingdom because it seems so unreal to us, it seems impossible? Do we substitute some other hope for God’s kingdom?

Of course, we all look for substitutes, to some extent. We think the kingdom will come when we get that next promotion, when the kids are grown, when the right politician is elected, when my parents understand me, when I meet Mr. Right, or Miss Right, when my team wins the Super Bowl or the World Series.

We replace God’s big dream—a dream that has to do with justice and spirituality and relationship and beauty---- with our little dreams, and we place our hopes in earthly kingdoms, in lesser kingdoms. It’s easy to give up on the big dream, and yet, Sunday after Sunday after Sunday we pray these words that Jesus taught us, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven; even when we know, deep in our hearts, that on most days earth doesn’t bear much resemblance to heaven. How can we keep praying these words?

I recently heard about a particular tribe, in Kenya that had an almost mystical connection to the primal element of fire. During the long rainy season certain elders of the tribe had been designated as keepers of the flame. During the heavy afternoon rains, these elders had the important responsibility of preserving a fire in their huts. Losing the fire was almost like losing the heart of the tribe.

Do you ever have days when the rains, the storms, are pouring all around you? When one bad experience, one difficult day, one overwhelming crisis, one personal disappointment follows another? When your dreams, your hopes, your plans, your vision of life becomes more and more fragmented, dampened, empty? Maybe it becomes harder and harder to keep the flame alive, to keep the dream alive. And the question becomes: Where is God's kingdom? Where is God's will?

Some of you may have read Victor Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning. Someone told me that it was listed by U.S.A. Today as one of the ten most important self-help books of all time. In that book Frankl analyzed the lives of survivors of concentration camps in Nazi Germany, and came to a conclusion: those who made it out were men and women who had a very clear reason for surviving: to see a spouse, to tell this story to their children, to be reunited with parents. Those who survived were able to keep the dream alive; they were keepers of the flame.

Last March, The New York Times carried an article entitled “Misery Loves Optimism in Africa”. (March 5, 2006)

“Amouna sat quietly in the shade of her canvas tent, imagining the future of her 3 month old son, Haider, bundled in her lap. “My son will go to school”, she declared, absentmindedly waving away the flies that clustered around them…”He will have doctors and plenty of meat to eat. He will live in peace.”

Sitting in a refugee camp, deep in the heart of Chad, where 200,000 people had been killed and millions had fled, where men were slaughtered and women were raped, war spilling across borders, the AIDS pandemic , and yet…

And yet in all of this chaos , here was Amouna, planning a future of unimaginable goodness for her child.

“There are so many bad things in the world”, she said, “but I know good things will come for my child”.

She is a keeper of the flame. She sees something. Maybe she sees the promised land.

To pray the Lord’s Prayer is to be a keeper of the flame. To pray the Lord’s Prayer is to see the promised land. To pray the Lord’s Prayer is to glimpse and even grasp the coming of God’s kingdom in the world.

The question for us, today, is a simple one: Do we see the promised land? When we say the words, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, do we really expect anything to happen?

Here we get into the realm of God’s dream for the world, God’s hope for our lives, which is so much more wonderful than we might imagine. The prophet Isaiah was given a glimpse of the kingdom: we would live in total communion with God. There would be no more weeping, no more death among children, the old will live long among us, we will build and plant and enjoy the fruit of our labors, the wolf and the lamb will live together in peace.

Sometimes we are given a glimpse of the kingdom. Now there are two important interpretations of these phrases, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done. One is that God’s kingdom is going to come, whether we are ready for it or not. We know this because of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When we pray Thy kingdom come, we await the day when the master will fulfil the scripture of Matthew 25.

Thy will be done. God’s will for us is rooted in his love for us. When we pray for God’s will, that is not something that we dread. It is something that is a gift for us, if we will only receive it. But to receive God’s love, we must root out, overcome evil.

In the 1960s, in the deep south, a spiritual, a hymn, became an anthem. It was a testimony about keeping the flame alive. I would invite you, today, to hear it in a new way. It is God’s invitation, to us, to pray for the kingdom.

When you hear the words we shall overcome, imagine: I don’t grasp the kingdom just yet, but I glimpse it.

When you hear we shall live in peace, imagine: the wolf and the lamb don’t seem to be lying down just yet, but I glimpse it.

When you hear the Lord will see us through, imagine: God will create a new heaven and a new earth, and although I don’t have a grasp of it, I glimpse it.

Prayer makes a difference. When we close our eyes in prayer God helps us to see the promised land. It is the way we keep the flame alive. This prayer is the heart of our tribe. And it is the only way we will overcome all that separates us from God and from each other. And yes, it is the way we participate in the vision of John, in the Revelation, when the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11)

***

Sources: Thanks to Wallace Alston for the his reference to the New York Times article, “Misery Loves Optimism in Africa”. N.T. Wright, Simply Christian.

The 2005-2006 TV Season in Review

2006-07-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

They say that the unexamined life is not worth living. I say the unexamined TV season is not worth watching. Now that we've gotten a few weeks away from the emotional roller-coaster that is "Season Finale Time", I think we can finally look at the past season of TV objectively.

If you remember way back in September, I posted my "Fall TV Guide" - http://lost-and-gone-forever.blogspot.com/2005/09/fall-tv-guide.html - basically consisting of the shows I felt were worth watching this past season. It consisted of the following 15 shows. How were my predictions? In a word: shoddy. How many of those 15 shows will be making next year's "Fall TV Guide"? A mere 5. What happened to the rest of them? Well...

Arrested Development - absolutely hilarious, but way too smart for America, which clamors for karaoke voting shows and procedural crime dramas. Cancelled in December.

How I Met Your Mother - a nice show… but not nice enough. I stuck around for two episodes, then found it was just another sitcom.

Kitchen Confidential - could have had potential, but never really found its groove. Cancelled in the fall after only a few episodes.

Laguna Beach - this past season was fantastic. Honestly, when I see reruns on MTV even now, I stop and watch to relive the glory days. It's a guilty pleasure for sure, and the plot advanced about as fast as a daytime soap opera, but I loved the characters (and loved to hate a lot of them) and was fascinated by their lives. So why isn't it going to make the list next year? Well, it's going to be "Laguna Beach: The New Class" featuring LC's little sister (who I don't know or care about) along with her friends. I guess there's potential that I grow to love them as much as I did their older brethren, but there's much more potential that the show will become a shell of its former self.

The OC - seriously, what happened to this show? During its first season, it was one of my favorite shows on TV. It had everything - humor, teenage romance, fisticuffs, and the hottest mom on TV. I've never seen the wheels fall of a show so fast. This past season continued its decent, as it became a mockery of its former self and became simply a bad teenage drama. After about three episodes, I jumped ship.

Everybody Hates Chris - I'll be honest - I never watched this show once, and I'm okay with that. It had all the buzz last fall, but was in an uber-competitive timeslot and I just never had the desire to switch off another show to give it a chance. This show may or may not be great. It just doesn’t appeal to me.

Reunion - could have been my "OC Replacement" this year, giving me my guilty soap-opera-esque drama with a little murder mystery and creative story-telling style thrown in for good measure. Cancelled before we got to present day, found out who the killer was, or enjoyed the cast going through the Internet bust of the late 1990s.

Desperate Housewives - has any show become more irrelevant faster than Desperate Housewives? Its first season at least had an underlying story of their friend committing suicide and the surrounding mystery - a great analogy for modern suburbia - but the second season found the characters becoming cartoonish versions of themselves, going to insane extremes to try and "top themselves", and had a meandering "main storyline" that would go weeks without being touched. I stopped watching a few episodes into the season, and it looks like most of America did the same - as Grey's Anatomy's ratings continued to climb, Desperate Housewive's ratings were down 20% from last year.

Family Guy - still a funny show, but after you've seen it a few times, you pretty much know what you're going to get. Lots of flashbacks ("remember that time…") and obscure pop-culture references with mixed comedic results. South Park did a hilarious take on the show when they commented about how the jokes are totally irrelevant to the storyline of the episode, and the writers are actually manitees who pick random names, places, and verbs and put them together for a joke. Watching the show after seeing that South Park episode, you can't help but notice how true it is.

After weeding out these pretenders, we are left with the following list of ten shows - contenders for "Best Show of the 2005-2006 TV Season". I was originally going to go through and rank just the Season Finales of the Season, but decided it would be better to rank them on their seasons as a whole. There was a lot of debate, soul searching, and gut-wrenching decisions, but I'm satisfied with my decisions.

I present to you, The Top 10 shows of 2005-2006:

10. Iron Chef America - I would be lying to myself, and anyone who has ever set foot in the Delta House if I didn't include at least one Food Network show. Honestly, it wins the award for "Most Watched Network" of the year, and is on TV #2 at least three or four hours a day (honestly, how do people live without a multi-TV setup in their living rooms?!). Maybe it's just a guy thing, but I could honestly learn about food and watch people cook all day long. Even during Lost, Food Network remains on TV #2 - it's an addiction. I might have a problem.

Iron Chef America combines everything that makes the Food Network great. Food Network celebrities, interesting dishes, and competition all rolled into one entertaining hour. While the original Japanese version had humorous voice-over translations, the American version trumps it in every way. We have Alton Brown giving us the "science" of the ingredients, teaching us how to use and prepare them. We have much more entertaining chefs (Bobby Flay, Mario Batali). Lastly, and most importantly, we have secret ingredients that I would actually eat. Things like "Battle Hamburger" and "Battle Cheese" instead of "Battle Fish Eyes" and "Battle Seaweed" that the Japanese version would feature.

Add it all up, and this is a big reason that I no longer watch Desperate Housewives on Sunday nights. (Honorable mention to "Top Chef" on Bravo, which I only caught the second half of, but was very entertaining - probably featuring the "most fun" challenges I've ever seen on a cooking show. I'll be watching next year, no doubt.)

9. Amazing Race - The race was back to being amazing. After a lackluster year spent driving around America, the show criss-crossed the world, had interesting (and sometimes difficult) challenges, and had contestants that you could earnestly root both for and against. The corporate sponsorship tie-ins were a bit blatant this year (Da Vinci Code, Travelocity), but I'll let it slide. If they are the reason the show can afford to show me exotic locales from multiple camera angles, it is worth it.

The Amazing Race is still the only reality show I've ever watched where the people I was rooting for actually have won (The Linz Family last year, The Hippies this year), which definitely makes the whole viewing experience a little more satisfying.

8. Alias - Oh Alias, I have such conflicting emotions about you. On the one hand, I'm sad to see you go. On the other hand, I know that it's time to let go. This past season had hints of the glory days (Season 1 and 2), bringing back some familiar characters and Rambaldi mysteries, but was still too entangled in the storyline mess of Seasons 3 and 4 to really take off. With the introduction of new characters, you got the feeling that the show could have continued for a few more years (Sydney teaching the newbies the ropes, then retiring) - but honestly, would we have really enjoyed a show where the newbies were the stars instead of our old friends? It was time to end.

The writers did their best to wrap up up the story as best they could in the finale, but it still left far too many questions unanswered for my liking. (Is Rambaldi alive? If Irina had that red ball, how did she die? Why did Rambaldi want Sydney dead? Explain his crazy prophecies!!!). This makes me a little worried for the eventual future of Lost, because the two shows are pretty similar fundamentally. Both have events that totally change the series (Destruction of SD-6 vs. Finding the Hatch), introduced new characters that become fundamental to the storyline (Lauren vs. The Others), and mysteries that just seem to get deeper instead of ever getting answered. But here's why there's reason for hope - if you can believe it, Lost is much more of a straightforward storyline than Alias ever was.

I liked the happy ending, which left the door open for adventures down the road and made it feel like the Alias world would continue going on - we're just not going to be there to see it anymore.

(Note: Wikipedia - the greatest single source of information in the known world - offered this take on the Fulfillment of the Rambaldi Propehcies. It's pretty good. I almost buy it…

Each element of Rambaldi's Page 47 prophesy is apparently fulfilled in the series' finale.

This woman, without pretense, will have had her effect, never having seen the beauty of my sky behind Mt. Subasio. Perhaps a single glance would have quelled her fire.

Sydney follows Sloane inside a cave in Mt Subasio. Slone is in possession of a Rambaldi artifact (a necklace). Moments later the sun rises and shines through a hole in the cave's wall. When the rays of sunshine hit the necklace it projects something onto a cavern wall, but before Sydney is able to see it, Slone shoots the ground around her and she falls. By doing this the prophecy is fullfilled: "never having seen the beauty of my sky behind Mt. Subasio"... with "the beauty of my sky" he referred to what the sun's rays would reveal, and "behind Mt Subasio" meant inside the cave.

This woman here depicted will possess unseen marks, signs that she will be the one to bring forth my works: bind them with fury, a burning anger.

The letter of Rambaldi's prophecy is fulfilled by three physical anomalies mentioned by Rambaldi that Sydney possessed: DNA sequencing; platelet levels; and the size of her heart. Sydney possessed unseen marks in her gift for three dimensional problem solving, which may be considered as fulfilling the spirit. At SD-6 she was directly responsible for bringing forth the works of Rambaldi by collecting them for both SD-6 and the CIA. During the series finale, the culmination of collecting the Rambaldi artifacts (binding Rambaldi's works) lead Arvin Sloane and Sydney in a face-off. After Jack Bristow is shot by Arvin Sloane, Sydney displays a burning anger by brutally shooting Arvin Sloane.

Unless prevented, at vulgar cost, this woman will render the greatest power unto utter desolation.

This sequence of events fufills the final element of the prophecy. The greatest power which Sloane and Irina Derevko are both seeking is that of immortality, in the form of a blood red fluid found in Rambaldi's tomb. After Sydney shoots Sloane, he gains immortality from his body's immersion in the liquid. He has no chance to enjoy it after a dying Jack Bristow sets off explosives that trap Sloane under rocks in Rambaldi's tomb forever. With the last of the fluid in the Horizon, Sydney and her mother fight to the death. When Irina attempts to retrieve the artifact, she falls to her death through a cracked glass skylight. The greatest power is rendered unto utter desolation as all who have the power to seek it are destroyed along with the power to achieve immortality itself. In the end, Rambaldi accurately predicted that Sydney would ensure his greatest work (the secret of immortality) would be rendered unto utter desolation because it is forever lost.)

7. My Name is Earl - How I love Jason Lee. For my money, he's one of the funniest people in Hollywood today. He continued his streak of turning anything he touches to comedic gold this year with Earl. The relationship between Earl and Randy is second only to perhaps Dwight and Michael on the Office for funniest on TV. A feel good show that never gets too schmaltzy due to its white trash take on subject matter. It's a "light show", one that doesn't require attentive viewing week in and week out, but if you notice - they've been slowly building the cast by bringing back people who appear in previous episodes for little bit parts - a nice touch of continuity.

There's the risk that the setup for the show could become "stale" after a while, with Earl righting his wrongs week in and week out, but they've managed to keep it extremely fresh and entertaining so far - I'll be watching next year for sure.

6. Prison Break - This is a prime example of a show being too popular for its own good. Started out great, with what seemed to be a clear, logical (well, as logical as a "jail break out" storyline can be) storyline and then lost some steam as they seemed to stretch it out twice as long as it needed to be. Honestly, the first twelve episodes or so (right up to the "Fall Finale") were among some of the most exciting on TV - as good as the best season of 24. But the second half of the season lost some steam. There are only so many times you can watch their attempts fail before you get frustrated with your TV.

Think about this - for as smart as Michael was, all the planning, tattooing, and scheming he did - his plan came down to him holdig up the Warden with a sharp piece of metal. Tell me their breakout wouldn’t have been ten times more satisfying if it was Michael's brains that got them out instead? Some clever realization that all the little things he did all fell into place and got them out would have put it right up there as Best Show of the Year.

My other qualm - they still didn't show them break out. They showed them in the process - but running through a field with an army of cops and helicopters chasing them. I don’t call that "breaking out" - I call that "trying to break out… but failing". If the writers truly have a good storyline for Season 2 planned (and I have faith they do - they were clever enough to introduce just enough of the characters outside lives to make me very interested to see what happens), just let the characters get there. Stop dragging it out.

5. 24 - If the season had ended after 18 episodes, I would be arguing why it was the best season ever. Instead, it suffered a similar fate to Season 2 (though not quite as extreme) where the most exciting storyline that we all cared about was resolved too soon, leaving the last few episodes feeling like filler. If the writers of 24 were smart (and more and more, it really does seem like they just make up the storylines as they go along - as opposed to having a "master plan" before the season starts), they would have timed it to have the season wrapping up with Jack on the plane, getting the President's recording, and playing it for the Attorney General. Instead, got a recycle of the "nerve gas" storyline on the submarine followed by Jack getting a new recording of the President admitting his crimes. Lame.

But aside from that, this season was outstanding. It's always fun to look back and think "Oh, at the start of the day everyone thought Jack was dead and he was shacking up with that chick and her son - now he got back with Audrey and is kidnapped by the Chinese". Admittedly, so much happens in 24 that it's laughable to think of it as a single day - but damn if it's still not better than any action movie I've seen in the past 10 years.

4. The Office - Everyone predicted that The Office was going to be cancelled after its first season. Instead, it was renewed and came back with a season that was every bit as funny as the first season - and in the process, secured its place as one of NBC's staple comedies. From "The Dundies" to Michael burning his foot in the George Foreman grill, this season provided more hilarious scenes than any other show on TV this year. They brought the Jim and Pam storyline to a head without it ever feeling like a cheesy Ross / Rachel storyline. We got to see another side of Michael that actually made us feel really bad for him (Halloween episode, Bring Your Child to Work day). Each character on the show, for as outrageous they are - feel real. We all know a Dwight Stroop (Currin). We all know a Stanley, a Meredith, and a Kevin - or at least those of us who work in an Office environment do.

What makes this show so great is the fluid feel to it. It never feels like a scripted TV comedy. There are awkward silences, lingering camera shots, and quick cutaways to "confessional" sessions that make it unlike any other show on TV - but not bizarre enough to fall into the "Arrested Development" category of "too smart for its own good".

3. Scrubs - I love Scrubs. In fact, I've made it my personal mission in life to get as many people as possible to start watching this show. I can't tell you how proud I was when a group of my friends did the "We don’t just rock together, we roll together… COOL CATS" quote all night long earlier this year. But I was the first to admit that Seasons 1 and 2 were far superior to Seasons 3 and 4. However, this past season, the show seems to be back on track, giving us episodes that rivaled the best of its first two years. From the hilarious Air Band episode to the brilliant Wizard of Oz episode, the writing on Scrubs this year was as tight as ever. It all culminated with the saddest episode of any TV show I've ever seen (move aside Buffy's "The Body" and "Becoming, Part II") when Dr. Cox broke down after killing some patients by giving them organ transplants from someone who died of rabies. When you can make a show that is funny enough to have me quote it all the time, and turn around and make an episode that brings a tear to my eye, you're doing something right.

And that's the beauty of Scrubs. It's a comedy. It's a drama. It's about life. It does all these things extremely well. It's good to see it back on the top of its game.

2. Lost - How can a show I spend hours a week talking and thinking about not be my favorite show of the past year? Don't get me wrong, I loved this season of Lost - I think it was superior to the first season in many ways. But one has to look at the season as a whole, not just the most recent episodes. Remember the lame Charlie flashback where he was making a diaper commercial? Remember the chunk of mid-season episodes between the Tailers meeting up with our Survivors and the appearance of HGI? Not a lot happened, and unlike the first season, the flashbacks weren't as intriguing - making a handful of episodes rather dull. So, although as a whole this season was fantastic, there were enough episodes that weren't stellar to knock it down to the number two slot.

However, as I said - this season of Lost was almost everything a fan could have hoped for. We were introduced to a sprawling mythology of the Island, the mysterious Hanso Foundation, confirmed the existence of the Others, met some great, fascinating new characters (Desmond, Eko, HGI), and actually had the storyline advance ten times farther than the first season did. In a way, Season One was getting to know the characters. Season Two was about getting to know the Island and what was going on (or at least starting to know). Just compare how much happened in the Season Two Finale compared to the Season One Finale - it's like night and day.

Without a doubt, Lost is the smartest show on TV. It is shocking to me that the show is as popular as it is, because it requires patience, attention to detail, and an understanding of subtle actions and plot development in order to be fully appreciated - and these are traits I don't immediately associate with the majority of the American population (who would rather vote for American Idol than the President of America). It's well acted, well shot, and well thought out. Truly one of the all around "best" shows on TV. Just not the best, at least this year...

1. Grey's Anatomy - I'm such a girl. Somehow, Grey's Anatomy ended up as The Best Show of 2005-2006. Mind you, this was a show I saw in passing from time to time after Desperate Housewives last year without giving it much thought. Yet this year found me not only watching the show, but downloading every episode of the previous season, watching them, and then buying the DVDs so that I could own them forever. (Note: this is also how I discovered Alias and Scrubs). I became obsessed with it (not to the degree of Lost or Dave Matthews Band, but to the point where I couldn't help but talk about it to whoever would listen). What was it about the show that appealed to me? Hot doctors hooking up? Crazy dramatic hospital storylines? Catchy pseudo-indie background music?

Yes - but it was more a combination of those things, in addition to much more. The show is extremely well written and takes itself and its subject matter seriously (but still gives you laugh out loud moments) without being overly pretentious. It's a fun show, and it knows it. There are episodes that are heavy (Super Bowl episode), episodes that are light (Pregnant Man), and episodes in between - but all are done well. Unlike other medical dramas, the "crazy illnesses and accidents" aren't the spotlight of the show - but rather serve as a backdrop for the character interactions.

Earlier this year, when I first discovered Grey's, I said it was "more Sex and the City than ER". But looking at it now, in many ways, Grey's is more like Scrubs. Both are "medical" shows, but not really. Both use the "action" of the episode to serve as symbolism for things going on in the characters' lives. Both have the main character giving the voice-over at times throughout the episode to set the theme and tone. Both shows can run the emotional gamut and never seem like they're wandering into uncomfortable territory. Whereas Scrubs leans comedic, Grey's leans dramatic.

Looking back, I can't pick out a single episode that ended with me feeling like I wasted an hour of my life watching it. There were fantastic stand-out episodes in addition to having the best Season Finale of the Season (somehow I didn't even have a problem with the "prom" scene - which was a genius plot device to bring the season to an end). No matter what the episode was, it was always entertaining. This past year Scrubs made me laugh (and occasionally cry), Lost made me think (and occasionally learn hieroglyphics and Roman), but Grey's Anatomy made me happy.

So there you have it, the Ten Best Shows of 2005-2006. (Although it's a bit early to judge next year's shows, nothing at the upfronts jumped out at me as being a show I would soon be loving - so it's safe to say a good portion of these shows will be appearing on next year's list, assuming they don't have a complete creative meltdown.)

That about wraps up all my thoughts about the past season, so if there's anything I missed, feel free to leave some comments and I'll answer any other burning questions you might have and I'll respond. All in all, it was a GREAT year. There was an article in Entertainment Weekly earlier this year about how we're in the Golden Age of TV and I have to agree. Out of nowhere, we've emerged from the reality-filled early 2000s and are suddenly surrounded by well-written, creative, intelligent, entertaining shows (well, maybe not "surrounded" - there's still a lot of junk out there - but there's enough good stuff to keep me entertained on a nightly basis!).

Enjoy it. I know I did.

Jumping off the E-train?

2006-07-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

Well, that was abrupt. Somewhere between the last week’s Elliott lovefest and this morning’s newspaper, Elliott Yamin went from “hometown hero” to “Wolfman.” Let me count the ways in which Elliott was demeaned, insulted or otherwise dissed in the today’s Times Dispatch.

First, was the banner over the masthead with the headline “Has Elliott lost some sparkle?”

Next, was the entire section of letters to the editor -- five in all -- whining that the paper’s coverage of Elliott and “American Idol” was excessive, tabloidish, and took the place of real news. It's certainly valid to a point. Remember the A-1 story about people who couldn't get through to vote? But still, if this had been a local boy about to lead an NFL team to the Super Bowl, I doubt we'd hear anything about it not being real news. One person said he would actually subscribe to the Times or the Post just to be sure he was getting his daily news fiber instead of Cocoa Puffs. (My words, not his.)

Then there were the complaints over the paper’s use of the words “hometown hero.” That word should be reserved for soldiers, firefighters and police officers (and of course, Super Bowl quarterbacks), we were instructed. Suzan White of Richmond was very kind in her letter to give us all a mini-course in Joseph Campbell’s writing just so we could all be clear on a what a hero really is. (Perhaps we might remind Ms. White that there are there are several meanings and connotations to the word other than the mythological one.)*

Turning to the Metro section, there was Douglas Durden and Melissa Ruggieri’s recap of last night’s show in which they, quite fairly and objectively, pointed out that last night’s performance was fine but not the shining moment it should have been to propel him into the finals next week.

Then, Mark Holmberg had to weigh in by pointing out that people online refer to Elliott as “monkey boy” or “Wolfman” and bust on Elliott for his looks. (In all fairness, let me remind you that in the beginning of the competition I gently suggested that Elliott change his hair, which reminded me of Curious George. He's come a long way since then.) Then, Holmberg goes on to say that a reference to Elliott smoking a cigarette in last week’s paper enraged some fans, some of whom suggested that the inclusion of that fact might cost him votes.

It seemed Elliott couldn’t catch a break in today’s paper. That’s a dramatic turnaround from the reception he received last week. But one gets the feeling the E-train is indeed rolling into the station. He’s done a great job and like Simon Cowell said last night, has made his mum proud. Will he survive tonight? My gut tells me no, but we’ll see. Either way, Joseph Campbell notwithstanding, he’ll still be a hometown hero.

*1. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field; 2.a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments)
Source: Dictionary.com

The World Cup ?????????????

2006-07-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

Well the world cup has been decided, and America basically yawned, except for the immigrants amongst us – legal and illegal. Why is this so? I believe it’s the game itself. Soccer, aka football, has never attained a status similar to the sports Americans love and adore. Here’s the problem in a nutshell- Soccer lacks the combination of pure power and grace. Yeah, it’s as simple as that.

Most of you are asking yourself – what the hell is he talking about, power and grace? I submit that all of the sports hallowed in America have this key ingredient. Let’s take a look.

American football stands out in this regard. From the crushing tackles to the deft touch of a pass thrown by a quarterback to a receiver surrounded by defenders, to the shear fearlessness of a running back going through a line of defenders all outweighing him by a minimum of 150 pounds, this key ingredient is present in every play, Power and Grace. And we love it, we love this game played on all it’s levels, from Pop Warner ball, High school football, College football , and the ultimate- Professional football. Power and Grace, every Saturday and Sunday on ESPN.

Let’s look at Baseball with it’s 80- 100 mile an hour fastballs, home runs smashed out of the park, shortstops cleanly picking white hot ground balls, making the throw to first base a split second ahead of the runner stepping on the bag, it’s all there- Power and grace. Let’s not forget the double play, a masterpiece in timing, yet we expect double plays to be turned routinely, and most of the time they are. How many times have we watched center fielders run down those impossible fly balls hit in the gap– and catch them, or the right fielder running to the wall and jumping up, glove above the wall and robbing a batter of a homerun, yeah, we love that kinda shit. Americans basically hate stealing, yet in Baseball the exception is made. If you can steal bases in the Major leagues, you’re a bonafide sports god. One of the most admired examples of thievery, the ultimate theft- stealing home plate, Power and Grace.

Basketball in spite of the thug-assed millionaires that play it these days, is still another example of Power and Grace. The shear stamina it takes to run up and down the court easily equals and exceeds all the running around you see on a soccer field. The passes made with the flick of a wrist, you know the ones where the spectators are fooled along with the defender- Grace, and if you have played the game on any level you know that there is Power hidden in such a seemingly subtle action. Slam dunks, Alley Oops, Tomahawk dunks, Three pointers, fast breaks that seem choreographed, defending down in the paint, elbows, charges taken that result in a player being hurled backward on his ass- Power and Grace. Speaking of Power and Grace, Muhammad Ali was the most recognizable man in the world until Michael Jordan came along- Yes, Mr. Power and Grace.

Let’s examine Hockey, you know the game where grown men skate around on ice hitting a little black disc. It ranks behind the rest of our sports but it has a following in the Northern States and Canada that is as faithful as Green bay packers fans- yeah, it’s that serious. Hockey is football, baseball, and basketball and ice skating all rolled into one- with a touch of boxing thrown in for flavor. Where else can you see someone skate like a figure skater one second and check an opponent into the wall resulting in blood on the ice. You have these heavily padded grown men skating at breakneck speeds and turning on a friggin’ dime, slapping weirdly angled shot into the net, passing the puck with delicacy- yeah, Power and Grace on the ice.

Are you starting to understand what soccer lacks? I will say that at times soccer is graceful, and the players are very fit and athletic- but the consistent combination of power and grace is missing.

Soccer also suffers from image issues. Soccer does not attract the best athletes during those crucial years of athletic development- childhood. Most kids that play soccer are there because they don’t play the other sports well- watching these kids play in one spastic exhibition after another is an ordeal- unless you are the parent of one of the kids. This issue is slowly changing and perhaps soccer in America will one day attract kids of all athletic skill levels, much like golf has been doing.

Soccer comes off as being the game of repressed peoples, dictators, despots, socialists, communists, and punk-ass Frenchmen. Think about it, given the choice of receiving free tickets to the Super bowl in a sky booth, or free tickets to the World cup finals all expenses paid, most American will take the Super bowl tickets. I know I would, and I’ve been known to watch a soccer game or two. Gottta have Power and Grace.

Later’

Super Bowl

2006-05-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

By any measure, the Super Bowl is one of the most watched television programs of the year. The game tends to have high Nielsen television ratings which usually come in around a 40 rating and 60 share (i.e., on average, 40 percent of all U.S. households, and 60 percent of all homes tuned into television during the game). This means that on average, 80 to 90 million Americans are tuned into the Super Bowl at any given moment. It is also estimated that 130-140 million tune into some part of the game.

2006-04-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

bowlvikingswon new articles for Tuesday, April 11, 2006Super Bowl scam trial set (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)
WORCESTER - A man accused of selling $255,460 in phony tickets to Super Bowl XXXIX will testify in a federal trial that he was an unwitting participant in the scam with a Hudson man who was his business partner.

Super Bowl star Hines Ward meets mixed race Korean children (phillyburbs.com)
SEOUL, South Korea - Beaming Kim Gwan-woo couldn't hide his excitement at getting to meet Super Bowl star Hines Ward, a hero that the 7-year-old Korean boy wants to emulate.

Two-time Super Bowl winner Clack dies (CBS Sportsline)
Jim Clack, a guard on two Super Bowl-winning Pittsburgh Steelers teams in the 1970s, died Friday of heart failure. He was 58.

Super Bowl champ Steelers to kick off new NFL season (AFP via Yahoo! News)
The National Football League announced its 17-week, 256-game regular-season schedule, which kicks off on September 7 with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Miami Dolphins.

Holmgren still upset over Super Bowl calls (The Arizona Republic)
Nearly two months after his Seattle Seahawks lost the Super Bowl, Mike Holmgren is still feeling the pain. Especially about the officiating.

Dolphins owner expecting a Super year (Miami Herald)
''They play the Super Bowl here next year, and I'll be damned if we're not the ones playing in our own stadium.'' -- Dolphins receiver Chris Chambers

Bradshaw donates rings to alma mater (USA Today)
Steelers great Terry Bradshaw gave his old school a big gift Monday. Bradshaw donated his four Super Bowl rings, College Football Hall of Fame ring, Pro Football Hall of Fame ring, Hall of Fame bust, four miniature replica Super Bowl trophies, and a helmet and jersey from one of his Super Bowl victories to Louisiana Tech.

Bradshaw Gives Memorabilia To Alma Mater (Washington Post)
Pittsburgh Steelers great Terry Bradshaw donates his four Super Bowl rings, College Football Hall of Fame ring, Pro Football Hall of Fame ring and other memorabilia to Louisiana Tech

Some free agency results familiar (USA Today)
Centers averaging $6 million on new contracts and guards $7 million? Well, that's new. The New England Patriots losing players who were crucial to their success in the Super Bowl? Also a different look.

Super Bowl MVP Ward embraces heritage on trip to birthplace (MSNBC)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward was nervous for the first time in his life as he prepared for a trip to the land of his birth. He also looked forward to learning more about his heritage.

Super Bowl

2006-02-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

In professional American football, the Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) in the United States. The game and its ancillary festivities constitute Super Bowl Sunday (sometimes "Super Sunday"), which over the years has almost become a de facto American national holiday.