Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
NCAA Football: Oklahoma, Alabama, LSU, Polls
Alabama demolished No. 3 Georgia on the road 41-30. The impressive win lifted the Tide from No. 8 in the AP poll to No. 2 behind Oklahoma. The USA Today coaches poll ranks the Tide No. 4 behind Missouri, LSU and Oklahoma.
I believe Alabama or LSU should be No. 1 in the polling because I believe the top SEC team is better than the best team from the other conferences. I never believed USC should have been ranked ahead of Georgia or Florida or LSU, particularly LSU. So far, LSU is holding its own. The Bayou Bengals' comeback win over Auburn did not surprise me at all. I expected a rally and it happened.
An LSU win over Alabama would not surprise either. LSU is loaded and ready to shoot down all challengers.
As for Oklahoma and its No. 1 ranking, I don't think it is entirely deserved. The Sooners got it merely because they were ranked No. 2 last week when former No. 1 USC lost to unranked Oregon State and Georgia lost to Alabama. Florida losing to Ole Miss also helped the Sooners' cause. Regardless, I think Alabama should have vaulted over Oklahoma for the simple fact that Oklahoma played and beat No. 24 TCU.
Everyone knows Alabama can beat TCU. But can Oklahoma beat Georgia? Who knows for sure?
A similar case can be made for LSU due to the win over Auburn. Oklahoma does not face a major opponent until Texas on October 11 at the Cotton Bowl.
Perhaps Texas is the best Big 12 team. Even then, even Texas might not be as good as the best SEC team. Call me biased, but of late the best SEC teams do beat the best from the other conferences. My opinion is based on recent results and trends.
I believe Alabama or LSU should be No. 1 in the polling because I believe the top SEC team is better than the best team from the other conferences. I never believed USC should have been ranked ahead of Georgia or Florida or LSU, particularly LSU. So far, LSU is holding its own. The Bayou Bengals' comeback win over Auburn did not surprise me at all. I expected a rally and it happened.
An LSU win over Alabama would not surprise either. LSU is loaded and ready to shoot down all challengers.
As for Oklahoma and its No. 1 ranking, I don't think it is entirely deserved. The Sooners got it merely because they were ranked No. 2 last week when former No. 1 USC lost to unranked Oregon State and Georgia lost to Alabama. Florida losing to Ole Miss also helped the Sooners' cause. Regardless, I think Alabama should have vaulted over Oklahoma for the simple fact that Oklahoma played and beat No. 24 TCU.
Everyone knows Alabama can beat TCU. But can Oklahoma beat Georgia? Who knows for sure?
A similar case can be made for LSU due to the win over Auburn. Oklahoma does not face a major opponent until Texas on October 11 at the Cotton Bowl.
Perhaps Texas is the best Big 12 team. Even then, even Texas might not be as good as the best SEC team. Call me biased, but of late the best SEC teams do beat the best from the other conferences. My opinion is based on recent results and trends.
Chuck Premieres Tonight
Bring on Chuck. NBC's charmingly light spy comedy enters its second season with a full head of steam. So far everything with the show has played out smooth. The actors get along so far as we know. There are no reports in the media about egos and arguments.
That cannot be said for the Hanna Montana set. If Miley Cyrus and her daddy can't get their ducks in a row, they may be in for tough times. I wouldn't alienate Disney if I were them. That's suicide.
Chuck in the meantime is primed to shine this season. The beauty of this show is that no one takes it too seriously, and it is consistently entertaining from week to week. That's part of what makes it so enjoyable. We always know what to expect from Chuck, a good time and nothing less.
That cannot be said for the Hanna Montana set. If Miley Cyrus and her daddy can't get their ducks in a row, they may be in for tough times. I wouldn't alienate Disney if I were them. That's suicide.
Chuck in the meantime is primed to shine this season. The beauty of this show is that no one takes it too seriously, and it is consistently entertaining from week to week. That's part of what makes it so enjoyable. We always know what to expect from Chuck, a good time and nothing less.
Ready for October
September is such a boring month. I'm already ready for October. Bring it on. Change cannot happen fast enough. In four weeks or so it will be time for November and the holiday season will be upon us. Yes, it is already that close. Time flies and time stagnates all the same. It's funny how that works.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Ole Miss Beats Florida at the Swamp
Rebels Edge Gators 31-30
Well looky here. Houston Nutt finally beat Florida, a feat he never accomplished at Arkansas. Doesn't that figure?
Something odd is in the air. Brett Favre just threw six touchdown passes in one game as a New York Jet, leading the way to a 56-35 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Farve never did such at Green Bay.
Meanwhile, the Razorbacks lost to Texas 52-10. The Hogs lost 49-14 to Alabama the week prior. Look at the math. The Hogs were outscored 101-24 over two games. How underwhelming, yet so amazing all at the same time.
This stat backs my argument that the Houston Nutt era at Arkansas is still not quite over, in spite of the change. After all, this season's Razorback squad is stacked with a majority of Houston Nutt recruits. Hog Coach Bobby Petrino cannot be faulted for his team's paultry results. Nutt left the cupboard bare and then he left. That is not a shot at Houston Nutt. That is simply stating the facts of the matter.
It is good to see Nutt having success at Ole Miss though. However, I hope the Hogs beat him and his new team when they arrive in Fayetteville on October 25. (Duh. I'm from Arkansas.)
Well looky here. Houston Nutt finally beat Florida, a feat he never accomplished at Arkansas. Doesn't that figure?
Something odd is in the air. Brett Favre just threw six touchdown passes in one game as a New York Jet, leading the way to a 56-35 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Farve never did such at Green Bay.
Meanwhile, the Razorbacks lost to Texas 52-10. The Hogs lost 49-14 to Alabama the week prior. Look at the math. The Hogs were outscored 101-24 over two games. How underwhelming, yet so amazing all at the same time.
This stat backs my argument that the Houston Nutt era at Arkansas is still not quite over, in spite of the change. After all, this season's Razorback squad is stacked with a majority of Houston Nutt recruits. Hog Coach Bobby Petrino cannot be faulted for his team's paultry results. Nutt left the cupboard bare and then he left. That is not a shot at Houston Nutt. That is simply stating the facts of the matter.
It is good to see Nutt having success at Ole Miss though. However, I hope the Hogs beat him and his new team when they arrive in Fayetteville on October 25. (Duh. I'm from Arkansas.)
Paul Newman
Paul Newman has died. What a legend he is. It's not every day that we lose a giant like Paul Newman. Please roll the obligatory Robert Redford sound byte. We need to hear his reaction.
Newman won an Oscar in 1986 for his role in The Color of Money, which was directed by Martin Scorsese. The film also starred Tom Cruise and was a sequel to another of Newman's projects, The Hustler.
Newman appeared in Exodus, Cool Hand Luke, The Verdict and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Elizabeth Taylor.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting teamed Newman with Robert Redford and director George Roy Hill. Those films wound up as two of the highest box office grossers of their era. Newman also appeared in Absence of Malice with Sally Field and The Towering Inferno with Steve McQueen.
He is survived by his wife Joanne Woodward, a successful actress in her own right.
Paul Newman
1925-2008
Newman won an Oscar in 1986 for his role in The Color of Money, which was directed by Martin Scorsese. The film also starred Tom Cruise and was a sequel to another of Newman's projects, The Hustler.
Newman appeared in Exodus, Cool Hand Luke, The Verdict and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Elizabeth Taylor.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting teamed Newman with Robert Redford and director George Roy Hill. Those films wound up as two of the highest box office grossers of their era. Newman also appeared in Absence of Malice with Sally Field and The Towering Inferno with Steve McQueen.
He is survived by his wife Joanne Woodward, a successful actress in her own right.
Paul Newman
1925-2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Fringe
I cannot tell if I think Fringe is good or not. I have only seen one episode. Yes, it resembles The X-Files. Yes, it resembles The Twilight Zone, but I am just not sure this show is great. It is not as good as Journeyman was last season, and Journeyman is canceled.
The cast is not particularly compelling. Are the characters interesting people? Not yet. They do not interact with each other the way the Heroes cast does. Their chemistry is not particularly interesting. Do they have hobbies? What are their likes and dislikes, their quirks, their tendencies? What do they want in life aside from solving The Pattern?
Who knows if Fringe will survive the season. J.J. Abrams has made better efforts in the past. I may blow off Fringe and hold out for 24.
The cast is not particularly compelling. Are the characters interesting people? Not yet. They do not interact with each other the way the Heroes cast does. Their chemistry is not particularly interesting. Do they have hobbies? What are their likes and dislikes, their quirks, their tendencies? What do they want in life aside from solving The Pattern?
Who knows if Fringe will survive the season. J.J. Abrams has made better efforts in the past. I may blow off Fringe and hold out for 24.
Thoughts on Heroes: Season 3
Heroes is one violent television show. The writers clearly have a gun fetish. Every character is either pointing a gun in someone's face or staring down the barrel of one. Even Claire the cheerleader is pointing one. Doesn't gun pointing constitute assault with a deadly weapon? Hooray for violent crime! And folks complain about 24!
Obviously, great care goes into the planning of this multi-layered multi-arc story. The writers are truly talented storytellers. The twists and turns continue to surprise. What's really amazing is the writers' continuing ability to put characters at odds with one another all while stringing the viewer along with phantom motivations that reveal themselves in ways that make you go "Ah!" It's brilliant stuff. Love me some Heroes.
Another interesting development is the apparent decline of Mohinder Suresh. Until now, Suresh seemed like the only stable personality living amid a bunch of paranoid, bloodthirsty lunatics. He was the only character willing to stay on the moral high road. Unfortunately, Suresh has fallen victim to greed. He wants powers, so he's turned himself into a lab rat, injecting himself with a formula that includes Maya's adrenaline. Suresh was my favorite character, but his greediness and instability has turned me off. His gamble with Maya's adrenaline is backfiring. I don't trust his judgment anymore. Now I have to root for Claire, Hiro and Matt. Matt might be the last hope. He doesn't gamble. I like that. Give me one stable hero. Bring on the rest of Season 3.
Obviously, great care goes into the planning of this multi-layered multi-arc story. The writers are truly talented storytellers. The twists and turns continue to surprise. What's really amazing is the writers' continuing ability to put characters at odds with one another all while stringing the viewer along with phantom motivations that reveal themselves in ways that make you go "Ah!" It's brilliant stuff. Love me some Heroes.
Another interesting development is the apparent decline of Mohinder Suresh. Until now, Suresh seemed like the only stable personality living amid a bunch of paranoid, bloodthirsty lunatics. He was the only character willing to stay on the moral high road. Unfortunately, Suresh has fallen victim to greed. He wants powers, so he's turned himself into a lab rat, injecting himself with a formula that includes Maya's adrenaline. Suresh was my favorite character, but his greediness and instability has turned me off. His gamble with Maya's adrenaline is backfiring. I don't trust his judgment anymore. Now I have to root for Claire, Hiro and Matt. Matt might be the last hope. He doesn't gamble. I like that. Give me one stable hero. Bring on the rest of Season 3.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Tony Alamo Living Up To His Reputation
I love despising Tony Alamo; have for years. He's a menace to society. The only time he hasn't been a menace in recent memory is when he was spending time in prison for tax evasion.
Having served his sentence, Alamo got back to what he does best, overseeing a strange religious sect some describe as a cult and annoying the public with offbeat religious flyers. These flyers usually wind up under my windshield wiper. I usually throw them away. I've received one at work, and I've received one while parked at a North Little Rock restaurant.
The flyers contain religious content and testimony from Alamo followers about a perceived FBI conspiracy against Alamo and the Bureau's desire to get him once and for all. Okay, maybe the conspiracy part isn't offbeat. It's very real. However, other content looks odd. The testimonies are always poorly written, poorly reasoned and half-baked. They make me wonder why Alamo would want such published on his behalf. They don't make Mr. Alamo look very good.
Whatever. The man does what he does. Who knows why. Perhaps a psychiatrist could make sense of him.
Anyway, this alleged cult leader and polygamist is back in the news, linked to something negative. This time, the claims against Alamo include child sexual abuse and child pornography.
Things look bad for Alamo. Federal agents and the Arkansas State Police raided his compound in Fouke, Arkansas. Fouke is 12 miles from Texarkana. Media reports say the raid is the result of a two-year investigation. Ouch. That means the Feds have waited to collect enough compelling evidence to put Alamo in prison, right? I wouldn't want Alamo's situation for all the money in the world. Hopefully this matter will play out positively and justice will acquit or convict Alamo rightfully.
Having served his sentence, Alamo got back to what he does best, overseeing a strange religious sect some describe as a cult and annoying the public with offbeat religious flyers. These flyers usually wind up under my windshield wiper. I usually throw them away. I've received one at work, and I've received one while parked at a North Little Rock restaurant.
The flyers contain religious content and testimony from Alamo followers about a perceived FBI conspiracy against Alamo and the Bureau's desire to get him once and for all. Okay, maybe the conspiracy part isn't offbeat. It's very real. However, other content looks odd. The testimonies are always poorly written, poorly reasoned and half-baked. They make me wonder why Alamo would want such published on his behalf. They don't make Mr. Alamo look very good.
Whatever. The man does what he does. Who knows why. Perhaps a psychiatrist could make sense of him.
Anyway, this alleged cult leader and polygamist is back in the news, linked to something negative. This time, the claims against Alamo include child sexual abuse and child pornography.
Things look bad for Alamo. Federal agents and the Arkansas State Police raided his compound in Fouke, Arkansas. Fouke is 12 miles from Texarkana. Media reports say the raid is the result of a two-year investigation. Ouch. That means the Feds have waited to collect enough compelling evidence to put Alamo in prison, right? I wouldn't want Alamo's situation for all the money in the world. Hopefully this matter will play out positively and justice will acquit or convict Alamo rightfully.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Mourning Last Season's TV Casualties
It's a shame NBC canceled Bionic Woman and Journeyman, particularly Journeyman. Bionic Woman's demise came as a surprise to me. I expected five seasons or more. Alas, that didn't happen. I liked the show even though it was a re-imagining of the original series and not very faithful to canon. Usually, I don't go for that kind of stuff. For instance, I did not like and do not like the new Battlestar Galactica.
I also despised Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes production. (Hollywood miscast the astronaut with Mark Walberg whom was not compelling nor convincing in the role. No anti-war message existed anywhere. Since Planet of the Apes is an anti-war movie, you kind of have to have an anti-war message somewhere when you revisit decades later.)
The Bionic Woman is another sci-fi franchise that probably shouldn't be tampered with, but I was willing to see what NBC could do. I thought it was a nice effort, even without Steve Austin. I particularly enjoyed the episode where the population of a small town had been wiped out by a virus, leaving the area uninhabited. That kind of doomsday stuff interests me. Michelle Ryan did an excellent job as Jaime Sommers, and I wanted to see where the story arc would go.
Journeyman met its demise during the 2007 Writer's Guild of America strike. NBC opted not to order nine remaining episodes to fill out the series. It's an interesting way to treat loyal viewers. I had invested 13 weeks into Journeyman, and I never found out how the story ended or how the characters wound up. I really wanted to know. The series was becoming even more interesting as it continued.
The series' fifth episode, The Legend of Dylan McCleen, renewed interest in the mysterious D.B. Cooper plane hijacking. I found this episode to be one of the more compelling stories on television in 2007. It was so clever. In fact, the whole series amounts to a clever take on time travel. I thoroughly enjoyed Journeyman.
I also despised Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes production. (Hollywood miscast the astronaut with Mark Walberg whom was not compelling nor convincing in the role. No anti-war message existed anywhere. Since Planet of the Apes is an anti-war movie, you kind of have to have an anti-war message somewhere when you revisit decades later.)
The Bionic Woman is another sci-fi franchise that probably shouldn't be tampered with, but I was willing to see what NBC could do. I thought it was a nice effort, even without Steve Austin. I particularly enjoyed the episode where the population of a small town had been wiped out by a virus, leaving the area uninhabited. That kind of doomsday stuff interests me. Michelle Ryan did an excellent job as Jaime Sommers, and I wanted to see where the story arc would go.
Journeyman met its demise during the 2007 Writer's Guild of America strike. NBC opted not to order nine remaining episodes to fill out the series. It's an interesting way to treat loyal viewers. I had invested 13 weeks into Journeyman, and I never found out how the story ended or how the characters wound up. I really wanted to know. The series was becoming even more interesting as it continued.
The series' fifth episode, The Legend of Dylan McCleen, renewed interest in the mysterious D.B. Cooper plane hijacking. I found this episode to be one of the more compelling stories on television in 2007. It was so clever. In fact, the whole series amounts to a clever take on time travel. I thoroughly enjoyed Journeyman.
Heroes, Chuck, Earl, The Office
Can't wait for the Heroes season premier tomorrow night! You only get one chance to watch it live, first-run. Haven't felt such high anticipation for a show since Seinfeld on Thursday nights.
Chuck returns, too. NBC hit a home run with this series. Hopefully Chuck's sophomore season is every bit as charming as the first.
My Name Is Earl - Quit watching this show early last season. Prison humor isn't necessarily funny. And I thought Earl was turning his life around. What happened?
The Office - This one is getting a little stale for me. Most shows do after four seasons, which is where Michael Scott and his crew are right now. Jim and Pam need to get married.
I wonder what will happen to Ryan Howard, the temp turned corporate manager. The last we saw, he was under arrest, charged in a federal fraud case.
What will the show's writers do with Craig Robinson? Will they write him out? After all, Robinson was busted in Culver City for drug possession. He copped a guilty plea to one felony count of possessing a controlled substance on August 21.
Chuck returns, too. NBC hit a home run with this series. Hopefully Chuck's sophomore season is every bit as charming as the first.
My Name Is Earl - Quit watching this show early last season. Prison humor isn't necessarily funny. And I thought Earl was turning his life around. What happened?
The Office - This one is getting a little stale for me. Most shows do after four seasons, which is where Michael Scott and his crew are right now. Jim and Pam need to get married.
I wonder what will happen to Ryan Howard, the temp turned corporate manager. The last we saw, he was under arrest, charged in a federal fraud case.
What will the show's writers do with Craig Robinson? Will they write him out? After all, Robinson was busted in Culver City for drug possession. He copped a guilty plea to one felony count of possessing a controlled substance on August 21.
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