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It's that time again! No, not the joint birthdays of Chuck Woolery, Flava Flav, Erik Estrada and Peaches Geldof (although, that is today). I'm talking about the NCAA tournament -- when people all across the country fill out brackets and try to win their way to the top with their expert prognosticating skillz (or in my case, dumb luck). As such, I'm resurrecting the B-Side Blog Tournament of Cham (Yahoo! cut off the word "Champions"). Many people participated last year, and I'm hoping to match or increase the numbers this time around. So if you'd like to a shot at the Cham, just follow the link below! Deadline is Thursday morning, I believe.
To join, follow this link.
Failing that, go to http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1. Click on "Join A Group" and then enter the following information:
Group ID: 151245
Password: ShamboOnSax
Good luck!
Well, football season officially closed out last night with a fantastic Super Bowl, courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts and the new world champions New Orleans Saints. It was an overall exciting game, albeit perhaps a little low-scoring given the numbers the two powerhouse quarterbacks usually put up. Nevertheless, one can't complain about an epic showdown by two perfectly matched teams who went nearly the entire regular season with undefeated records.
Okay, I take that back. One can complain, and quite vociferously, I might add. Not about the game itself, mind you, but instead the various musical acts surrounding it. And the commercials too (although, they also deserve some praise).
I suppose it all begins with Steve Winwood, an aging rock star whose hits ("The Finer Things," "Valerie") I've quietly championed for some time. I won't lie: I thought he was the best thing ever in 1988, and quite honestly, he'd done little in the past twenty-two years to sway my opinion on that front. Well, unfortunately, that nifty preconception was completely destroyed yesterday when the guy appeared on a Super Bowl pre-show to sing my favorite of his songs, "Higher Love." And by "sing," I mean "butcher," because that's exactly what Steve Winwood did to this beloved song, nay, ANTHEM of my life. His voice, as expected, was not nearly as strong as it used to be, but that wasn't truly the problem. As gravelly as Señor Winwood had become, he still could hit most of his notes (unlike his comrades in The Who). The real tragedy was that he opted to mix up the tune's musical arrangement, giving it a jazzy Latin flair that did little but make the entire experience feel like some ill-conceived lobby act in a suburban Wichita Holiday Inn. Trust me, I did try to fend off all my snarky rebukes of the performance, lest I face the brutal reality that Steve Winwood is now over the hill, but as I watched him growling at his piano, floppy curls blowing this way and that, I just had to admit that the GOW (Glory of Winwood) had passed. It didn't help matters that every backing musician around him looked like they were on break from their real job working as a server at some West Palm Beach retirement community. Meanwhile, the crowd was hardly having any of this disaster. I think I've seen more emotion from the rocks at Stonehenge. It was total, horrific sadness.
Exclusive video of Sly at a track & field meet.
I love slapstick!
Last night was not only the season premiere of Monday Night Football, but it also marked the triumphant return of Tom Brady, who played his first regular season game since nearly having his knee utterly destroyed last year in the season opener. As you can imagine, this was a thrilling occasion for my friend IndianJones, who one might describe as a borderline Tom Brady stalker (I swear he must have a sticky little shrine devoted to the man somewhere in his apartment). Anyway, IndianJones's tail had been wagging all weekend, and since ESPN was due to air a double-header of games (Pats vs. Bills followed by Chargers vs. Raiders), I thought his head might just explode from excitement. It was going to be a big night of football, and as such, we realized we were gonna need some food to help us get through the festivities. Normally, as per our football tradition, we'd just grab sandwiches from Subway or something like that, but this was the first MNF of the season, and more importantly, TAWM BRADY'S WICKED AWESOME RETURN. This called for something special (normally I wouldn't care about Brady... buuuut he IS the QB on one of my fantasy teams; so I must confess to having a vested interest).
Anyway, to celebrate this landmark evening of pigskin splendor, IndianJones and I decided to make some football staples: pizza and ribs. And of course, I documented it all. The full experience after the jump...
For the past several months, I've been promising various friends that I would try yoga, but every time I try to get my act together, something comes up, and the whole endeavor falls apart. It's been quite frustrating for all parties involved. Well, this past weekend, whilst summering in sunny (yes, sunny) Seattle, my friend Meeshie suggested I try some yoga poses. It really was the perfect moment for such an activity: the weather was beautiful, the waterfront exquisite, and the company lovely. And so while m_ruv manned a camera, Meeshie set about teaching me some basic poses — none of which I held longer than about twenty seconds. Hey, it's a start.
Photos of me attempting to display minor flexibility after the jump...
If I were a sports reporter, I could see myself doing this (minus the ability to dunk a ball successfully in a kiddie basketball hoop).
Via Gawker
Last weekend, my friend Jash and I drove out to Palm Springs for the day to meet up with Sly, who was on Holiday with our college friend Rodrigo. Of course, by the time Jash and I arrived in the desert resort town, Sly and Rodrigo were in the throes of poolside relaxation twenty miles away and thus would only be able to meet up with us in two hours' time for dinner. So what, pray tell, could we do to pass the afternoon? Well, Jash spied a miniature golf course — the ubiquitous Boomers franchise — and suggested playing a round or two. Who was I to turn down such a novel whimsy? Besides, as my parents and brother will tell you, I was quite the putt-putt fiend in my youth, and to this day, I've never turned down an opportunity to hit the mini links.
Well, Jash and I took to the greens, and of course, many pictures were taken. After the jump, a cheery photographic journey through the many glorious (read: decrepit) wonders of Boomers...
Not too long ago, rumors surfaced that Bethenny Frankel of The Real Housewives of New York City and Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees were an item after the latter celebrity's much-publicized breakup from his wife. If it sounded too crazy to be true, that's because it was. The pairing was apparently just a rumor that Bethenny brushed off with her usual brand of fast-talking self-deprecating humor. However, in a quirky turn of meta-events, the new batch of rumors allege that A-Rod was so taken with Bethenny's response to the situation that he actually got in touch with her, and now the two are plowing cakes for reals.
Who knows if any of this is true, but I think we can all agree that A-Rod would make quite the fascinating addition to the Housewives franchise. Watching Jill Zarin dote on him and Bethenny like a mother hen would be beyond entertaining. In fact, the only thing that could possibly top that would be Kelly Bensimon's frustrated jealousy as she'd be forced to watch from the sidelines with her significantly less famous (and therefore important) boytoy Max. Crossing fingers that rumor is fact...
Thanks to Anh for the link.
New York Daily News: A-Rod Hooked up with 'Housewives' babe, spies say
Amidst all my traveling last week, I forgot to update the results of the Tournament of Cham. I'm proud to announce that Cantaloupe has won the whole shebang on the heels of, well, the Tarheels. Not faring as well was The Love Jones, who bottomed out the pack with a paltry thirty-two points (that's what'll happen if you pick Portland State to win it all...). Technically, bloggingbyjen got the lowest total score (twenty-three points), but that's because she didn't fill out all of her bracket. As for me, I flamed out in spectacular fashion, gathering up a mere sixty-seven points to earn me the forty-fifth spot in the Cham rankings. I should note that we had fifty-three participants. Sigh.
Anyway, congrats to Cantaloupe — be sure to email me your mailing address, and I'll have the Mountain Dew people send you a neat package of fun in the mail.
After two weekends of intense March Madness action, the Tournament of Cham has developed some major frontrunners. While several of us have already thrown in the towel (way to screw it up for me, BLAKE GRIFFIN), the action is still tight for the top ten. Here are the latest top ten standings...
1 twookstatefans 47 of 60 correct picks, 102 points
1 Mohawk National 47 of 60 correct picks, 102 points
3 JC's Picks 47 of 60 correct picks, 95 points
4 cantaloupe 43 of 60 correct picks, 89 points
4 Panges Picks 46 of 60 correct picks, 89 points
6 BuchaBall 45 of 60 correct picks, 87 points
6 Ginger Zarin's tongue 44 of 60 correct picks, 87 points
6 Jennifer30309 45 of 60 correct picks, 87 points
9 Let's go Bitches! 44 of 60 correct picks, 86 points
9 Church of Bracketology 47 of 60 correct picks, 86 points
By all means, continue the trash talk...
It's been a wild weekend of college basketball (and I've watched none of it). Nevertheless, here's how the top ten brackets in the Tournament of Cham are doing.
1 Church of Bracketology 54 points
2 Panges Picks 53 pts
2 bets 53 pts
2 clueless-n-indy 53 pts
5 Insider Trading 52 pts
5 TheBluthCo 52 pts
5 SisOfJash 52 pts
8 SpecialK 51 pts
8 JC's Picks 51 pts
8 Ginger Zarin's tongue 51 pts
I should note that I am holding down forty-second place QUITE well with my grand total of forty-three points. It's never too late for a comeback...
After the first day of exciting basketball action, the B-Side Blog NCAA tournament bracket group, known collectively as the Tournament of Cham, got off to a thrilling start! Four teams (including EdHill of Midseason Replacements) immediately sprung to the front of the pack with a near perfect score of fifteen (out of a possible sixteen points). As for me, well, I haven't fared so well. I'm currently ranked 50 out of 53 in the group with the lowly tally of nine points. Hey, it's March Madness. Anything can happen. On a side note, wow, I can't believe fifty-three people joined! Thanks everyone for making this the biggest Tournament of Cham ever!
Here is the current Top Ten:
1 Church of Bracketology (15 out of 16 pts)
1 JC's Picks (15 pts)
1 I Know Nothing (15 pts)
1 BuchaBall (15 pts)
5 HicksPub (14 pts)
5 Chicago VJenks (14 pts)
5 SisOfJash (14 pts)
5 MPagones (14 pts)
5 MCampbell (14 pts)
5 Let's go Bitches! (14 pts)
March Madness begins in earnest tomorrow as the NCAA Men's Tournament commences. This means you only have until the rest of today to join the B-Side Blog Tournament of Cham ("Champion" was truncated by Yahoo). So far we have twenty-two participants, but there's always room for more. If you're interested in signing up, just go to http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1, click on "Join A Group," and then click on "Join A Group" again, and then enter the following information:
League #: 52677
Password: yewknowwut?
It is confirmed that the winner will receive not just pride, but a whole gift bag from Mountain Dew! Could the stakes be any higher? I don't think so.
"We Run LA" by Ya Boy Ft. Dr. Hollywood.
Reality Blurred: Judges may get a veto on American Idol; two will leave
Gawker: In Memoriam
LAist: Chris Brown Won't Be the Kids' Choice This Year
Socialite Life: Brittany Snow Is Young Lily Van Der Woodsen! — surprisingly perfect casting
Eater LA: Week in Reviews: Salute Gets the Single Star
ESPN: Tomlinson remains with Chargers
New York Times: TELEVISION REVIEW | 'THE CHOPPING BLOCK' — Preparing a Fresh Batch of Chefs
Epicurious: Los Angeles Restaurants: Hot Spots And Holes In The Wall — courtesy of IndianJones
'Tis the season to be gambling! Yes, it's March Madness time, which means it's time to bust out the brackets and earn some money. I have no idea who's doing well in NCAA Basketball because, well, I just don't watch it. However, that never stops me from filling out a bracket and seeing how well I can do (usually miserably) in this annual frenzy of matchups, upsets, and Cinderella stories. So in the spirit of all things fun, I invite you to join my NCAA Tournament group on Yahoo! where you can fill out your own bracket and compete with other readers of this blog.
To sign up, just go to http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1, click on "Join A Group," and then click on "Join A Group" again, and then enter the following information:
League #: 52677
Password: yewknowwut?
From there you'll be able to join the group, named "B-Side Blog Tournament of Cham" ("Champions" was too long). There will be no cash prize, but winner gets bragging rights and perhaps some free Mountain Dew drinks and swag, courtesy of Mountain Dew's new offering, Mountain Dew Voltage. Intrigued? I thought you'd be. Sign up now!
Deadline is March 19th
Well, apparently my pick for the best Super Bowl Ad of 2009 never actually aired, which certainly was an embarrassing revelation for me. However, last night's thrilling game (congrats Steeler! Sorry, Larry FitzP) did see a good number of funny, engaging, and generally well produced ads (unlike last year's sorry crop).
My picks for the best and worst after the jump...
This video may be a few days old, but man, it's awesome. If you haven't seen it, check it out.
Beware: language NSFW.
Via Pop Hangover
This video is beautiful in its simplicity. Makes me laugh each time. Then again, I have very low standards.
Aaaaand SCENE.
It's official. After his knee buckled yesterday much like his team did in the Super Bowl, Tom Brady is out for the season. I believe this now constitutes the single worst two-game stretch of the Patriot Nation.
Somewhere in Hollywood, IndianJones is quietly weeping.
For more on this sordid tale, click here.
See more funny videos at Funny or Die
Olympic gold medalist / robot Michael Phelps will be hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live next weekend; so to get you excited, enjoy this very special opinion piece from the man himself.
And you thought Omarosa and Wendy Williams were bad. The WNBA had a big ol' brawl tonight as two players bumped and shoved and slammed into each other on the court, causing benches to clear and chaos to reign supreme. In other words, it was awesome.
I know it may seem uncharacteristic to see such a barbaric display in women's basketball, but hey, these things happen. Let's not forget that Estelle Getty died today. People mourn in strange ways.
For more information, click here.
I love when football stars do cool things off the field. Take, for example, Tony Gonzalez of the Kansas City Chiefs. He's already one of the most likable All-Stars playing these days, and now we can like him all the more after he saved a guy from choking to death in a restaurant. What a champ. This makes up for some of his more egregious acting transgressions.
• Chiefs TE Gonzalez saves man’s life in restaurant [Yahoo! Sports]
Seeing one celebrity at the gym is always cause for minor celebration. Seeing two is even better. And seeing both of them making out with each other just elevates the entire scene. That's precisely what happened today as my boring old fitness routine was interrupted by the presence of acclaimed footballer Reggie Bush and his amateur videographer girlfriend, Kim Kardashian. Oh, the celebrity spotting gods were surely looking down on me today.
Here's what happened...
I know this is like a day old, but man, it's too funny to ignore. It really is a stellar week for American divas on Asian TV.
Today is opening day for baseball, and in honor of this momentous event, I've not only published an extremely generic and clichéd blog headline, but I've also compiled some photos from Friday night when I went to a Dodgers vs. Red Sox exhibition game here in Los Angeles. Spearheading this trip was my friend IndianJones, who got tickets for me, J-Unit, and our friend Dan. I wouldn't say that baseball is my favorite sport, but going to the stadium is always fun, and as I'm once again embroiled in a fantasy baseball league, it couldn't hurt to watch a game here and there. (Oddly enough, even though I'm fairly apathetic about baseball, I've actually won my league twice in the past four years. Crossing my fingers for the dynasty in 2008...)
Anyway, assorted pics from the night after the jump.
I rarely, if ever, watch college hoops; so when I inevitably tank in my brackets every year, it's hardly a surprise. This March Madness has been no different, but at least this time around, I can take minor pride in predicting two of the upsets from this afternoon: San Diego and Western Kentucky. Woohoo! I may wind up in last place, but I'll always have this moment. Always.
(Of course, in my other bracket, I picked Connecticut to go to the Final Four. Blast!)
From the Boston Globe's homepage.
Congrats to my home state's New York Giants. They were fantastic. The Pats deserve credit for a great season, but well, it was excellent watching them lose. Woohoo!
And in the spirit of good sportsmanship, be sure to offer your New England friends a free Starbucks or something. Yeah, they're obnoxious all year round, but hey, they have feelings too. Just whatever you do, don't buy them THIS.
What did you think about the game? Best Super Bowl ever? (Yes)
With yesterday's double-header of football playoff goodness dominating the day's activities, my friends and I (the Lametourage) headed down to famed Los Angeles sports bar Barney's Beanery to take in the first game of the day, Patriots vs. Chargers. Everyone was excited for one reason or another, but no one seemed to be as emotionally invested as IndianJones, a die-hard Patriots fan (groan) if there ever was one. However, with Tom Brady playing subpar ball, there was a glimmer of hope that San Diego might pull off an upset, and as a result, IndianJones was utterly distraught, his emotions swinging wildly from pure joy to unbridled anxiety and back again. It was simply too funny to ignore; so I took pictures of him throughout the game to properly document the glorious cornucopia of expressions a typical football fan goes through over the course of a single playoff contest.
Unfortunately, IndianJones actually has a legitimate career, and while this blog is benign, he still feels it prudent that his face be blurred out. So, behold my photo essay — adjusted for appropriate privacy settings...
