WE'VE MOVED!!

our new domain is now http://www.currypoptart.com

please add it to your book marks as this site will no longer be updated with new posts.

Week 8 NFL Picks

Adi:

OAK @ BAL / ARI @ CAR / TB @ DAL / WAS @ DET / BUF @ MIA / STL @ NE / SD @ NO / KC @ NYJ / ATL @ PHI / CLE @ JAC / CIN @ HOU / NYG @ PIT / SEA @ SF / IND @ TEN

Brian:

OAK @ BAL / ARI @ CAR / TB @ DAL / WAS @ DET / BUF @ MIA / STL @ NE / SD @ NO / KC @ NYJ / ATL @ PHI / CLE @ JAC / CIN @ HOU / NYG @ PIT / SEA @ SF / IND @ TEN

Gears of War 2 Trailer

Brand new official trailer for Gears of War 2 has made its way onto the web and I was doing roundhouse kicks and fist pumping the air at the end of this. Marcus Fenix and crew are back and 11/7 maybe the last day I see sunlight for a while.

currypoptart

there has finally been a name picked for the blog! Mayor of NYC was a play off my previous title Mayor of Bel Air but it was time to pick something a bit more permanent.

you can now reach the site at http://www.currypoptart.com so please to be updating your bookmarks accordingly. The old URL (mayorofnyc.blogspot.com) will continue to work for a few days but I plan to do a relaunch of the website by November 1st.

Please help spread the word and I think CurryPopTart is a bit easier url to give to your friends. You can also now email me at adi@currypoptart.com

contributions, suggestions, and feedback is always appreciated. If you haven't yet done so listen to the Dane Cook interview below and tell a friend or two about it. Thanks!

Dane Cook Interview

The Dane man took the time out to sit down with your boy one superstar to another to chat up all things Hollywood. Let me know if you're into this type of thing so I can continue to dip into my rolodex and harrass famous people until they give in:



Click to download

Top 10: Film Directors

(10) Steven Spielberg

Many movie fans would put Spielberg at the top of their list as he is responsible for creating and directing some of the biggest franchises in cinematic history such as Jurrasic Park, Indiana Jones, Jaws, and E.T. But for every hit he's had he seems to have a miss not too far behind. While I loved Catch Me If You Can, Hook, and Saving Private Ryan. It was films like The Terminal, Munich, AI, Minority Report, and the atrocious War of the Worlds that kept him from a higher position. I am interested in Speilberg's upcoming Lincoln biopic and was one of the few that liked the fourth Indiana Jones, but the decline in the quality of Spielberg's films over the last decade just can't be ignored.


(9) Joel & Ethan Cohen

The Cohen brothers are synonymous with doing crazy screwball comedies or serious film noir. Some of their films can be hit or miss with a general audience but film purist's will realize their immense amount of talent behind the lens as well as on their screenplays. O Brother Where Art Thou, Fargo, Burn After Reading, No Country For Old Men, and The Ladykillers are films worthy of checking out by the duo.


(8) Wes Anderson

Anderson was responsible for one of the best movies of 2007 with The Darjeeling Limited. He has done a great job creating a fresh take on cinema with independent style films that are heavy in dry humor and cultural poignancy. Anderson's highlights are Bottle Rocket, Life Aquatic, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Rushmore.


(7) Ridley Scott

Quickly becoming an iconic director in Hollywood, Ridley Scott has made some of the best period piece epic's we've seen. Scott is responsible for Gladiator, Alien, American Gangster, Black Hawk Down, Thelma & Louise, and Blade Runner. He has worked with all of the big Hollywood actors and even been an inspiration for his brother Tony Scott (Man on Fire, De Ja Vu, Enemy of the State). Ridley's current project is Body of Lies which has an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes and he will be rebooting the Robin Hood franchise next year with the highly anticipated Nottingham.


(6) Christopher Nolan

Nolan would have been lower in this list had it not been for The Dark Knight which I think has catapulted him into the pantheon of great directors. Memento, Insomnia, and The Prestige were all tremendous films that showed his great level of imagination and directorial presence but it was the Batman series which has made him a household name. Christopher Nolan is one of the fastest rising directors in the industry and so far he has yet to make a bad flick. A guy who's range can go from Memento to Batman certainly belongs on a list of great directors.


(5) Chan-wook Park

Chan-wook Park is probably a name most of you do not know but should certainly get to know as he is one of the most talented directors to come out of Japan. His revenge trilogy Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance are enough to put him on the list alone. Park's stock over here in America is fast rising as Oldboy is set to be made into a hollywood remake and he was even approached to do a movie version of the popular video game Metal Gear Solid. I urge you to go watch Oldboy or Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance immediately as you will not regret it.


(4) Quentin Tarantino

Tarantino is one of Hollywood's most passionate fan and purist. His career is a rise from rags to riches as he went from working at a Blockbuster type movie store to becoming a household name. His early movies are arguably his best. He was the writer on True Romance, made his directorial debut with Reservoir Dogs, turned around the career of has been star John Travolta and put Willis and Sam Jackson on the map with Pulp Fiction, all before he barely turned 30. Tarantino always does movies on his own terms as with the Kill Bill series and Grindhouse. Tarantino's up coming WW2 epic Inglorious Bastards will surely keep him on this list for some time to come.


(3) David Fincher

Fincher's hits are nothing short of masterpieces. He brings a visceral grit to the screen that no other director has been able to emulate. Fincher got his early directing start with music videos such as Madonna's Immaculate Collection before becoming a big name in the industry after doing Alien 3, Se7en, and The Game. His greatest work so far in my opinion has been Fight Club where he once again teamed up with Brad Pitt and seems to be the one director that can really keep Pitt focused and bring the best out of him. The two are working together for their third film in the upcoming The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Fincher is an icon for modern directors and well deserving of this spot on the list.


(2) Clint Eastwood

Almost a better director than he was an actor, Clint Eastwood has spent the later part of his life reinventing Hollywood cinema. With his academy award winning Million Dollar Baby to classics like Unforgiven, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters From Iwa Jima, and the upcoming Changeling, Clint Eastwood has always found a way to remain relevant even at 78 years old.


(1) Martin Scorsese

What is there to say about this guy that hasn't been said? Many have tried to do realistic mob and gangster movies, but its Scorsese who always does it best. Casino, Goodfellas, and The Departed are all classic gangster movies that even give The Godfather a run for its money. Not to mention his early career working with DeNiro and putting him on the map with Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and The King of Comedy. Scorsese shows the most depth as a director as he has covered multiple subjects and always makes his films riveting and intriguing. He even did a documentary on The Rolling Stones with Shine A Light which had a long and successful run in IMax and showed a new side of the beloved band. Martin Scorsese is this generation's finest director and very deserving of this top honor.

Elite XC goes out of business

Huge breaking story in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Elite XC and its parent company Sherdog are going out of business and filing for bankruptcy protection. This is a big loss for the sport of MMA and an apparent result of a slow economy and falling advertising rates. It will be very interesting to see how this pan's out and where big names like Kimbo end up going. Here's ESPN.com's story:

The parent company of the EliteXC mixed martial arts circuit is closing its doors for good, according to multiple reports. Sherdog.com reported that according to T.J. Thompson, an executive at ProElite Inc., he was informed that the company would close for good this week and would file for bankruptcy protection. And Sports Illustrated, on its Web site, reported that ProElite told its employees and fighters on Monday that it was shutting down, effective immediately, according to multiple sources.

Sherdog also reported that according to numerous sources, an EliteXC card scheduled for Nov. 8 in Reno, Nev., has been canceled. According to the report, Joey Villasenor, who was scheduled to fight Robbie Lawler for the circuit's middleweight title on the card, was informed Monday it had been scrubbed.

ProElite did not return calls seeking comment, according to the reports.

The shutdown follows an EliteXC card televised by CBS on Oct. 4, in which the circuit's biggest star, Kimbo Slice, suffered a 14-second TKO at the hands of a relatively unknown last-minute replacement, Seth Petruzelli. That bout is under investigation by the Florida State Athletic Commission, following comments Petruzelli made after the fight suggesting that he had been promised monetary incentives to trade punches with Slice, rather than employ a more technical game plan.

Showtime Networks, which owns a 20 percent stake in ProElite, on Sept. 17 filed a notice with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announcing its intention to enter negotiations to purchase the company outright.

But SI.com reported that according to a source inside ProElite, those negotiations failed and ProElite's funding disappeared, forcing it out of business.

Movie News

The first pic of Brad Pitt from Inglorious Bastards was released as they are filming in Belgium at Babelsberg Studios (Valkryie) and its suffice to say this movie may make a few men question their sexuality:



Also here's a few minutes of vid from the set of the Sherlock Holmes movie which is currently filming in England. You can see Downey conferring with a stunt double near the end:



And here's a pic of Tim Burton directing his new take on Alice In Wonderland with newcomer Mia Wasikowska, an 18-year-old from Canberra, Australia, in the title role:

NFL Power Rankings

We're nearing the halfway point of the 2008-09 NFL season so here's my power rankings so far:

1 Tennessee Titans
2 New York Giants
3 Buffalo Bills
4 Pittsburgh Steelers
5 Tampa Bay Bucs
6 Carolina Panthers
7 Washington Redskins
8 Arizona Cardinals
9 New England Patriots
10 Green Bay Packers
11 Chicago Bears
12 Atlanta Falcons
13 Philadelphia Eagles
14 Dallas Cowboys
15 Jacksonville Jaguars
16 Indianapolis Colts
17 New Orleans Saints
18 San Diego Chargers
19 Denver Broncos
20 Baltimore Ravens
21 Minnesota Vikings
22 St. Louis Rams
23 New York Jets
24 Houston Texans
25 Miami Dolphins
26 Oakland Raiders
27 Cleveland Browns
28 San Francisco 49ers
29 Seattle Seahawks
30 Cincinnati Bengals
31 Kansas City Chiefs
32 Detroit Lions

Religulous Review

Anybody who has seen an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher or Politically Incorrect knows that Maher is an atheist and isn't afraid to tell you that. Maher has made a career out of his political humor and his skepticism on religion so it's only fitting that he would come out with a humorous yet provacative documentary about it. From the title itself you can immediately tell what Maher's position is (Religulous is a mashup of the words Religion and Ridiculous). It's from here that we are taken on a 2 hour journey that spans the globe and every culture to get to the bottom of religion and if it is a farce.

Now the one thing that this movie did well, is that it doesn't necessarily tell you how to think and just lays the facts and opinions out there for you to figure out on your own. We are not force fed Maher's views and he even sheds a lot of light as to how he became an atheist and how the one time he made a "deal with god" it actually did pay off. We are introduced to Maher's mother and sister and the movie starts off with a journey in Bill's past where we can see how he was raised in a religiously conflicted environment because his dad was Catholic and his mom was Jewish. His family quit the church when he was age 13, and since then he hasn't looked back.

Maher got the help of Borat director Larry Charles for this doc and there is a similarity in the style and tone of both movies. The one thing I didn't like was how Religulous trys to knock down its interviewees a notch before they even say a word, as it shows them getting mic'ed up or situated for the interview and Maher is using this to rely on them doing something embarassing or stupid. It doesn't work and feels unneeded, if his whole agenda is to let the facts speak for themselves then why try to immediately invalidate your guest? Maher does do a good job of covering all of the major religions, Christian's/Jew's/Muslim's/Hindu's and even talks about some ancient Egypt and Persian religions of which he believes a lot of the stories of Jesus Christ were copied from.

Maher deeply talks about the differences in science and religion and his message at the end is pretty strong, but at the same time I don't expect people to drop their faith after seeing one documentary. Maher exploits a lot of religious leaders for the businessmen that they really are, and shows just how ridiculous some of the stuff that so called "rational" and "intelligent" people actually believe in. I'm sure he had trouble finding big name guests willing to be a part of this, but he certainly has his fair share of middle class americans who are passionate about what they believe in, even though it could certainly be proven wrong. Once again, this rings a familiar tone with Borat as the first part of the movie also is set in the midwest and southern states.

Overall, this movie is intended to get you to think a little bit and open your mind which is where I think it does succeed. It can certainly make for a heated debate when you and your friends get out of the theater, but in the end like every other argument surrounding religion, nobody knows who is right and who is wrong. Maher closes with a strong note, showing a lot of graphic imagery of wars that he claims were started by religion. Would the world be a happier place with out it? Or is man's ego so strong that we would still have these acts of brutality and violence so one can claim their dominance over another? It's hard to really say if this movie answered any solid questions and while there is humor there, if you don't like Bill Maher you won't be changing your mind with this doc. I suggest a dvd rental or cable viewing with some pal's you can discuss it with, but not worth the $10 bucks at your local cineplex, as there does get to be parts in the middle where I was checking my watch. I would be interested in seeing more movies from Maher as I am a fan of his cable series and Religulous is certainly classic Maher at its best, but with a topic so controversial I don't know if he quite left the viewers with what he was looking for.

7/10

Week 7 NFL Picks

Adi:

SD @ BUF / NO @ CAR / MIN @ CHI / PIT @ CIN / TEN @ KC / BAL @ MIA / SF @ NYG / DAL @ STL / DET @ HOU / IND @ GB / NYJ @ OAK / CLE @ WAS / SEA @ TB / DEN @ NE

Brian:

SD @ BUF / NO @ CAR / MIN @ CHI / PIT @ CIN / TEN @ KC / BAL @ MIA / SF @ NYG / DAL @ STL / DET @ HOU / IND @ GB / NYJ @ OAK / CLE @ WAS / SEA @ TB / DEN @ NE

AND because I am too lazy to make 2 posts...here's Sarah Palin from last nights SNL:

news and notes

- Madonna and Guy Ritchie are dunzo and I couldn't be happier. This means Guy can put his full focus and attention on his new adaptation of Sherlock Holmes which has recently started filming in London. Coincidence? Madonna herself is on tour and Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla opens wide next week so this seems to be a good time for a controversy career wise for the both of them. Guy will walk away with assets totaling around $60 million, including a 1,200-acre country estate, a London pub, and a cash settlement. Madonna walks away with her 24 inch biceps, thighs that could squeeze a bear into submission, and face that is more and more resembling the hobgoblin. Have fun with a woman more used than a port-a-pot at Pimlico there A-Rod.

- The economy remains to be shaky as we enter the final 2 weeks before a new president is decided. Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal, has announced he plans to reduce the budget by $500 million for EVERY department owned by the company. With parent company GE in the toilet and advertising rates in steep decline, NBC expects to cut 3% of its work force going into '09. Not to be outdone, Sumner Redstone has announced similar cuts are in the wings at CBS, and Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp (owner of Fox News) will be following suit in the new year. Tough times for media stock as well as every other sector and the job market is becoming tighter and tighter as companies plan their budgets for 09 and hiring new employees isnt on the docket.

- An artist you should keep an eye on is Lady Gaga. Every once in a while I'll spotlight a hot new trendy artist that is set to take the world by storm and this week Lady Gaga takes that place. She has been endorsed by celeb's such as Lindsay & Samantha Ronson, Perez Hilton, the girls from The Hills, and more. Her cd drops 10/28 and here's her single "Just Dance" which has been tearing up the chart since April.

Spread the Word

Throw up this banner in your myspace, facebook, twitter, college campus, hang it out your window, stick on people's car, staple it to your favorite waitress, put it in your kids lunchbox, anything else you can think of to spread the word and let's make a change!

Obama '08

Call of Duty 5 Beta Review

Being on the E list of fame has its perks such as a key to get into the beta for Call of Duty: World At War the follow up to last year's smash hit Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The beta lets you play 5 multiplayer modes (CTF, War, Free For All, etc...) with 3 maps and a few options for weapons to give you a nice taste of what to expect come November. It would be nice to have a little bit of the campaign in this beta, but the multiplayer is truly what draws people to this franchise as even Sarah Palin's down syndrome baby could beat the single player missions with ease.

For those of you who were worried that Infinity Ward has handed off the series to Treyarch for this installment, fear not, the multiplayer is pretty much exactly the same as it was before. The boot camp objectives, barracks, and levels of rank are all back and beefed up. The biggest complaint with going back to World War 2 was losing the fancy red dot sights from Modern Warfare and I must say this does make a huge difference in the heat of the battle to not be able to have a pin point laser dot going over the enemies head. I think players will get used to it, but its a big step back at first and feels like the series might be moving in the wrong direction as there was still so much they could have done with Modern War. There is an inclusion of vehicles which are a fun new touch and you can get "momentum" bonuses for capturing multiple flags or bases in a game, which help you capture more flags in quicker time. The air strike is back and you can even get guard dogs after a certain amount of kills to sniff out any opponents trying to hide in the brush.

Overall, I think people who were expecting a train wreck with this game will be pleasantly surprised to see everything is still in tact. Graphically, there is virtually no improvement and I experienced a lot of clipping/lagging/and even a crash but thats to be expected in a beta version. Quite frankly I don't know if this game is worth $60 because the multiplayer is the same as it was in COD 4, so you're getting some new maps and the satisfaction to kill some jap's, but thats about it. For people who are not familiar with the series, it'll make for a lot of fun to discover what all the hype is about, but COD 4 vet's will probably burn out pretty quickly on this. Especially with Gears of War 2 coming out around the same time with a better tweaked Multiplayer experience and more riveting campaign.

8/10

New MacBooks!!!

Today Apple held its Annual Notebook Convention in gay ole San Francisco and Steve Jobs once again manages to massage the crotch of the collective nerd population with an unveiling of brand new Macbook's.


Macbook Pro:

The MacBook Pro will come with a newly designed trackpad. The multitouch glass trackpad has a 39 percent larger tracking area than before, and is more reminiscent of the Apple Iphone screen. At less than an inch thick the new MacBook Pro will come in two models. For $1999 you get a 15.4-inch 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 3MB L2cache, an LED-backlit display and 2GB 1066 MGhz DDR 3 memory, both Nvidia cards, a 250GB hard drive and the slot-loading SuperDrive. The other model costs $2499 and comes with 2.53GHz processor, 6MB L2, 4GB of memory, 512MB on the Nvidia 9600M GT, 320GB hard drive.


Macbook:

The new MacBook has a five-hour battery life, and the MacBook is also made without toxins such as arsenic, PVC, and mercury. The new models: $1,299 for a 13-incher with a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of DDR3 memory, 9400M graphics, and a 160GB hard drive. The $1,599, 13-inch model has a 320GB hard drive. The current 13" Macbook's will also drop to $999.


Macbook Air:

The MacBook Air’s $1,799 configuration still incorporates a 1.6GHz Intel Core2Duo microprocessor, but includes a 120GB hard drive (up from 80MB for the previous generation MacBook Air) and 2GB of 1066MHz RAM — the same amount, but faster. The $2,499 MacBook Air features a 1.86GHz processor and replaces the hard disk drive with a 128GB Solid State Disk (SSD), up from 64MB.

Apple LCD TV:

The 24-inch LCD monitor offers 1,920-by-1,200-pixel resolution, along with a built-in iSight camera and microphone, stereo speakers, and three-port USB 2.0 hub.



Steve Jobs and Co. waiting patiently to recieve fellatio from everyone in attendance.

Images courtesy of CNET.com

Nike Knows Commercials

Nike has been getting big time Hollywood directors to make it's new commercials that air during the football season. Last year it was Michael Mann (Heat, Miami Vice) who did an amazing ad featuring Shawn Merriman and Stephen Jackson:



This year it's David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac) who does one that makes me want to be black, a athlete, and have a 14 inch hog in my levi's:

Week 6 NFL Picks

Adi:

DET @ MIN / STL @ WAS / OAK @ NO / MIA @ HOU / CIN @ NYJ / CHI @ ATL / BAL @ IND / CAR @ TB / JAC @ DEN / DAL @ ARI / PHI @ SF / GB @ SEA / NE @ SD / NYG @ CLE

Brian:

DET @ MIN / STL @ WAS / OAK @ NO / MIA @ HOU / CIN @ NYJ / CHI @ ATL / BAL @ IND / CAR @ TB / JAC @ DEN / DAL @ ARI / PHI @ SF / GB @ SEA / NE @ SD / NYG @ CLE

Gaming Conventions

Only if you've been living under a rock would you not be aware of Halo 3: Recon, the new expansion to the almighty Halo 3 for the xbox 360. Microsoft announced it's plans with Bungie earlier this week at the Tokyo Game Convention and it's expected to hit stores sometime in the fall of 09. My guess would be around September 25th as that is when Halo 3 came out.

In this expansion, you won't play as or even see the Master Chief. Instead you will take control of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST), one who's not quite so burly or bad-ass, requiring you to pick your battles more carefully. The multiplayer is Halo 3 with a couple new maps, and overall the game just feels like Halo 3.5 than anything really new. I would much rather have an overhaul of the series in the form of Halo 4, but I guess this will hold people over until that day comes.

Also in convention news, this week is Blizzard's annual Blizzcon in Anaheim, CA. Expect a lot of news on WOTLK, Starcraft 2, and most excitingly Diablo 3. Apparently attendee's will be able to PLAY a level from the upcoming new game. This is huge news as it means that Diablo 3 is pretty far along its developmental cycle and will probably be in stores in 09. They're also going to unveil a new class and rumor is it will be an upgrade of Diablo 2's paladin.

Kinda nerdy but both of these games are going to be huge sellers.

Rock N Rolla Review

Disclaimer: This movie is only playing in NYC/LA/Toronto right now, opens nationwide October 31.

RocknRolla is Guy Ritchie's return to his wheelhouse genre of british crime flicks that stylishly inflect comedy with absurd violence and an intertwining plot causing absolute chaos amongst the characters and wrapping it all up in a tidy little bow. The film is loosely based off of Ritchie's take of the current day London crime scene as Russian billionaire's are migrating in drove's to the UK where they are buying up expensive real estate and taking control of a weakened monarchy.

It's hard to pinpoint a true main character in this movie as all of the cast seems to get their due time. Gerard Butler (300) is the closest thing to a protagonist as he plays a petty criminal named One Two who is knee deep in a plot filled with greed, deception, corruption, and at times plain stupidity. It's very hard to describe everything that happens in this film without spoilers and the fact that every storyline intersects at some point, a review on the plot would be nearly pointless. Instead, I will talk about the performances and Ritchie's overall cinematic vision for this film.

Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, Tom Hardy, Toby Kebell, and Mark Strong deliver solid perf's really shouldering the bulk of the film. Mark Strong will be playing Lord Blackwood in Ritchie's upcoming Sherlock Holmes flick and you can tell in this film that he is a perfect villain and will do a great job with it. Butler is finally doing an action film after 300 and a line of romantic comedy flops, and has some very good fight scenes in classic Guy Ritchie fashion. Thandie Newton is the seductress of the movie and is very sexy in it, definitely rod worthy. Jeremy Piven (Entourage) and Ludacris also have a few scenes and are great, but very under utilized which is to be expected in such a big ensemble cast.

Overall, if you liked Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch, than you know exactly what to expect from RocknRolla. If you are not familiar with Guy Ritchie's style or english film's in general than this could be a hit or miss as the plot will take a few views just to fully understand. There is talk that this will be turned into a 3 film franchise and the door is certainly left open for a sequel. There are just so many characters and storylines that they could easily make another movie to explain everything. I recommend checking this one out in theater's because the cinematic flair will be lost on a translation to the small screen, but Snatch still remains to be Ritchie's best movie.

7/10

Weird Al does T.I.

Weird Al Yankovic has a new album coming out and has released his first "single." It's his take on T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" and addresses our current economy as well. Check it out, Al's still got it after all these years.

Mail Goggles??

Ever shoot off a drunk text or email to someone that you immediately regret the next morning? Well the fine folks over at Google have came up with a way to prevent this from happening on Gmail. It's called Mail Goggles and you can activate it by clicking settings and then "labs" in your gmail. After a couple quick math questions you may not have to regret accidentaly telling that drunken booty call that you have herpes after all.

33/42 250 yards 2 td's 0 int's

That's the stats this man put up in today's blow out of the Buffalo Bills. For years I've stood by Kurt Warner as one of the greatest QB's to grace the gridiron and this season he is showing his critics exactly what he is all about. Warner has put up 5 weeks of stellar numbers and completely reenergized his team the way he did in the late 90's with the St. Louis Ram's.

The Ram's weren't smart enough to stand by their man despite his records as a superbowl winner, league mvp winner,and having the highest QB rating in history ever and look where they stand now (take away complete confidence from your starting QB by putting in the 40 year old geezer who shows he's way too old to even be a back up and fire your coach who has no idea how to even run a high powered West Coast offense in the first place). I'm glad it took Leinart's piss poor attitude at any type of self improvement and ken wisenhut's expert judgment to give Warner this chance at redemption. Unfortunately there will only be 1-2 more years that Warner will play in the NFL due to his age, but hopefully he can take the Cardinals deep into the playoffs this year. They have proven to be a force not to be taken lightly putting up those types of numbers WITHOUT one of your best WR's (who by the way when boldin was out injured on the field getting medical help, it was Warner who led an impromptu prayer with his teammates showing just what kind of heart this guy has).

I know this sounds like a tent for the guy but this is what football is all about and I'm sitting here doing roundhouse kicks and fist pumping the air watching the highlights of this game.

Week 5 NFL Picks

Adi:

WAS @ PHI / KC @ CAR / CHI @ DET / ATL @ GB / TEN @ BAL / SD @ MIA / IND @ HOU / SEA @ NYG / TB @ DEN / BUF @ ARI / CIN @ DAL / NE @ SF / PIT @ JAC / MIN @ NO

Brian:

WAS @ PHI / KC @ CAR / CHI @ DET / ATL @ GB / TEN @ BAL / SD @ MIA / IND @ HOU / SEA @ NYG / TB @ DEN / BUF @ ARI / CIN @ DAL / NE @ SF / PIT @ JAC / MIN @ NO

Calories and Politics

This is the "Hamburger Fatty Melt" a 4 ounce beef patty between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches that act as buns. Quite possibly over 1500 calories but I'm sure its absolutely delicious.

- Last night was the highly anticipated Vice Presidential Debate between Senator Joe Biden and Governor Sarah Palin. It was supposed to be a trainwreck as all eyes were on Palin to have some missteps like she has been having in her interviews with Katie Couric and Charles Gibson. Instead she proved that intense cramming of 10 years worth of material can pay off as she didn't do anything to really derail her ticket. I think Biden was a clear winner, but Palin did the republicans proud. The spotlight should be off of her now as far as being qualified but this wasn't enough to get those ever so important swing votes in Ohio, Florida, and Pennslyvania that the Republican campaign desperately needs. I give kudos for Palin to run with the big boys but I think Obama will continue to gain steam in the polls and keep building momentum over the next 30 days til November 4th.

- Wall Street also finally got it's wish today as the House approved the $700 Billion dollar bail out plan and the ink is drying on President Bush's signature. The new amendments to the bill are supposedly going to protect the tax payer's but I'll believe it when I see it. For more info on what exactly the bail out plan is all about click here.

- Unemployment figures were also released today for the month of September. The bad news is that 150,000 more jobs were lost BEFORE the wall street meltdown. That means that when everything is said and done we could be looking any where from 7-7.5% unemployment rate going into 2009. This is heading to the worst unemployment rate since 1990-91 during Gulf Storm and a recession.

Major companies are already feeling the effects as a litany of lay offs were announced today. Gawker is axing 19 editorial jobs across its sites, Variety is getting rid of half of its sales force for its NY office, The New York Sun newspaper has gone out of business effective its Sept 30 edition, Wells Fargo buys out Wachovia Banks for $15.1 billion, and that's just what has happened for today. Looks to be pretty bleak times and for those out of work I don't think they should expect to find anything for the next 3-5 months under these conditions.

100 POSTS!!!!

Today is a huge milestone for the blog as we reach 100 posts! This blog is a true passion project as I don't really make any money off it and had no real expectations for it. I just wanted a place to write about things that interested me and get a chance to have my creative niche in cyberspace. I am very pleased with the way its shaped up, and believe there is a lot of great content and reviews on here. I hope you have enjoyed it so far and will continue to check back daily. If you can throw up the link in your blog/facebook/myspace/AIM profile or wherever else it would be a great help, tell a friend or two if you could as well. I will be trying to promote the blog more in the future and would eventually like to move it to my own website, but right now I guess I'm just lucky I post regularly.

Again, thank you for your support and viewership and keep checking back as it will only continue to get better. Now, on to some news:

- Stephen Colbert is going to be on the cover of Spider Man. This is one of the first times I can remember a celebrity being incorporated into a comic book story and this should move quite a few issues, if not for collector's sake.


- Zack Snyder, the director of 300 and the upcoming Watchmen has confirmed a sequel to 300 as Frank Miller is currently coming up with a brand new graphic novel for it. Plot-wise, Snyder said the novel will take place between the Battle of Thermopylae (the main focus of the original movie) and the Battle of Plataea right at the end of the film.

The film will explore the year-long period between these battles, with the valour of the 300 Spartans inspiring the Greek kingdoms to unite in the face of the might Persian army.

- Principal photography began on Guy Ritchie's new Sherlock Holmes movie yesterday in England. Robert Downey Jr. plays Holmes, while Jude Law will be playing his sidekick Watson. Rachel McAdams will be Holmes' love interest and Mark Strong (Body of Lies, RocknRolla) will be villain, Blackwood. I was hoping Professor Moriarty would be the villain as in the novels but maybe they are saving that for the sequel.

- The biggest news is that Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro are reteaming for a brand new gangster movie called "I Heard You Paint Houses." Anybody that knows me, knows that gangster films are my favorite genre and Scorsese is my favorite director. This is the first time the duo have been together since 1996's "Casino" and it has classic written all over it.

The film, based on a book of the same name, is based on the life of Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran (to be played by De Niro), a notorious mob hitman rumoured to have carried out the assassination of Teamsters' boss Jimmy Hoffa.

My 5 Friends

I'm supposed to send this to 5 people because Leonardo DiCaprio told me to.

news and notes

Lots of Batman news swirling around the interwebs. It's no surprise that Warner Bros. wants Batman 3 out for summer 2011 and now Batman-on-Film.com is reporting that inside sources claim pre-production for the film will begin in February 2009 in Chicago. Sets will be built during this time period and filming on the project is expected to start summer 2009.

Also the CW has greenlit a show called "The Grayson's" which will be similar in the vain of Smallville and will chronicle the life of "D.J. Grayson" in his teen years before he goes on to become Robin. Let's see, a tv series based on robin, before he met Batman, and before he had anything going for him. Looks like its gonna be like every other high school soap opera on that channel. I can understand trying to find new ways to cash in on the Batman franchise but this just sounds atrocious.

Nintendo Wii lovers with Hi-Def sets will finally get their wish as Nintendo is planning on releasing a second generation follow up to its popular console in 2011 with HD capabilities. The Nintendo Wii is far inferior to the 360/PS3 as far as hardware goes, so it's no surprise Nintendo is hard at work on a new console to really take on the top dog's. This could be exciting for Wii fans as the games will finally be up to par on the graphics end and bigger series' can make Wii debuts.