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1.28.2006
Printing Money
The NFL is printing money:
"ESPN is paying $1.1 billion annually over eight years to broadcast the Monday night games. NBC has a six-year, $3.6 billion deal for the Sunday night package. CBS and Fox are paying a total of $8 billion over six years for the rights to Sunday afternoon games. DirecTV agreed to pay $3.5 billion for a five-year extension that runs through 2010."
Throw in ticket sales, suite sales, licensing, and product sales and there is a ton of cash involved.
With that much cash floating around, I'm not sure the players are being paid enough.
Funny Bit
There's a great funny bit going on in the Internet world: Whenever you see a photograph that is widely circulated, the geeks "photoshop" it - meaning they take the image and trick it up.
Take, for example, I posted a pic of a USC cheerleader a week ago. It has been "photoshopped" here. Warning: could be offensive.
Local News Coverage
Here's a link to a Channel 11 story and video on the fundraising for local volunteer fire departments.
Someone Stop This Woman
Have you kept up with the latest Oprah Spotlight? She put some spare guy's book on her Book Club (and, of course, it sells a krillion copies). Then we find out that most of this "memoir" of a recovering drug addict is made up. Larry King gets the author on his TV show and Oprah calls in to defend him.
Sheesh.
Of course, she gets lots of hate mail and . . . (drumroll, please) . . . she changes her mind. So, she fires up the cameras and gets the author back on the show so she can call him a "liar" in front of zombie fans.
I can't stand that woman.
And, today, all she gets is glowing reviews.
What Happened To That "Trickle Down" Stuff?
Amazing stat:
The average family income of the top 5% of Texans is $203,174
The average family income of the bottom 20% of Texans is $14,724
That gap is the 2nd largest in the nation (we are behind Arizona).
1.26.2006
I'm Going To Rant Again
Million Dollar Baby is on HBO for the millionth time this week, and I'll repeat what I've said a hundred times: The Movie Sux.
And I've finally decided it's not the poor script, the ridiculous dialogue, the stupid fight scenes (it's BOXING not the WWE), or the Shawshank Redemption rip-off of the Morgan Freeman voice over, but it's the absolutely horrific acting. Clint Eastwood was awful and Hilary Swank was terrible.
And it won an Academy Award.
Finally
Time Magazine reported this week, and the White House has admitted, there are photos of Bush and indicted soon-to-tell-all lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The Blog has found one.
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Chipotle Mexican Grill
I kinda like this place (there's one in Watuaga and in Southlake - not sure where else). It went public today on Wall Street with its shares skyrocketing.
I was more surprised to learn that it's owned by McDonalds.
The Sparest . . .
. . . of sparest birthdays is today. Andrew Ridgeley, formerly of Wham!, turns 43.
1.25.2006
Cinderella Man, Reprise
Ok, one more odd note about the movie Cinderella Man.
Without disclosing the ending (the movie is based on a true story), Russell Crowe's character, James Braddock, ends up fighting Max Baer for the heavyweight championship of the world.
That name rang a bell for me. Come to find out, Max Baer fathered a son, Max Baer, Jr. who some of you may recall as playing Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies. I had no idea.
He didn't like the film.
They Could Have At Least Bought Us Dinner Before ....
ConocoPhillips announced today that, for the year, profits jumped to $13.53 billion, up from $8.13 billion in 2004. The increase was based upon an "increase in oil prices".
Uh.......yeah.....but do any of these oil companies think about being competive and decreasing their profit margin/percentage? Or do we have an American OPEC among us?
My Favorite Ronald Reagan Quote
"There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps."
Super Bowl vs. The Big Game
Start listening for this: Over the next two weeks you will hear a ton of commercials referencing the Super Bowl. The NFL is such a giant that it will legally crush anyone who uses the copyrighted name "Super Bowl" without its permission (and paying a butt load of cash for the privilege of doing so). Thus, you will hear some commercials refer to sales/specials/discounts because of "The Big Game" without ever referencing "Super Bowl".
Kill me now.
But I could have sworn I saw the Messenger advertise a "Super Bowl Special" related to advertising the other day. Uh Oh.
Schooled
Stolen off the net:
Richard Hatch, the "fat naked guy" who won $1 million in the debut season of the reality show "Survivor," was found guilty Wednesday of failing to pay taxes on his winnings.
Hatch was also convicted of evading taxes on $327,000 he earned as co-host of a Boston radio show and $28,000 in rent on property he owned. But he was acquitted of seven bank, mail and wire fraud charges. Jurors deliberated for less than a day after more than a week of testimony.
Hatch, 44, of Newport, faces up to 13 years in prison and a fine of $600,000.
And, Then Depression Set In
Several news accounts indicate that this week contains "the most depressing day of the year."
Boy, do I believe it.
Hooters
A Hooters has finally opened up in Waco despite "about 60 ministers [who] tried to stop the restaurant's construction."
People are soooo uptight.
1.24.2006
Remember "Bush Hates Black People"?
The photo from Rolling Stone magazine shows outspoken rapper Kanye West, with a crown of thorns atop his head, as Jesus Christ on the cover of the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone.(AP Photo/Rolling Stone)
Chris Penn Is Dead
Story here. You might remember him as Kevin Bacon's buddy in Footloose, but he has had quite the movie career.
Oddly, I saw him in a guest appearance in HBO's Entourage last night and I hardly recognized him since he was so overweight.
Uh, We'll "T" You Up For That Cardiac Arrest
I missed this. Former UT basketball coach Tom Penders, now at Houston, collapsed onto the basketball court and was assessed a technical foul.
Hockey
The NHL announced yesterday that the 2007 All-Star Game will be in Dallas. (Official logo pictured)
Since it will be televised on the OLN channel (quick, find it), I suspect there will be more people at the American Airlines Center than watching on TV.
They'll Check With The Vatican Before They Rule
If Alito is confirmed for the Supreme Court, which he certainly will, did you realize that five of the nine justices will be Catholic? (Shout out to a faithful reader for emailing the story).
Just In Case . . .
. . . you wanted to see the progression of the Katie Holmes / Tom Cruise love child, check here.
What A Coincidence, It's Campaign Season
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry and three other governors visited Iraq on Tuesday to boost troops' morale and get a firsthand look at the situation facing their national guard units.
Bush and Brokeback
If you haven't seen it, you've got to check out Bush responding to a question at Kansas State about whether he had seen Brokeback Mountain. (It's the second video clip after "update").
Ya know, it's kinda hard not to like the guy in moments like these. He seemed to be thinking "I've got soooo many gay jokes, but, sheesh, I better not utter a single one."
Ugh
The County Court at Law is driving me nuts. Trial last Tuesday (won), trial scheduled for last Thursday (dismissed, as it should have been, on the morning of trial), trial today (lost) and I'm #1 on the docket for Thursday.
And it hasn't been at all like Law And Order.
1.23.2006
Along Came Polly
It's a silly movie, but I like it.
But my favorite line isn't funny at all: "It's not about what happened in the past, or what you think might happen in the future. It's about the ride . . . . There is no point in going through all this crap, if your are not going to enjoy the ride. And you know what... when you least expect something great might come along. Something better then you even planned for. "
Body Slam
A few weeks back, a fan ran out onto the field in an NFL game and was body slammed by a Pittsburgh Steeler.
A video link (which is great) is at the bottom of the CNN story.
Skating With The Stars
All right, I blew by this show tonight on Fox and spent about 10 minutes on it.
One conclusion: Kristy Swanson is smokin' hot.
Drew Barrymore...
... who wore a shocking dress at the Golden Globes, appeared on Saturday Night Live to poke fun at herself. (Photo link here. Probably not kid friendly, but it was on network TV).
He Went By "Lucky"
From today's Star Telegram:
William "Bud" Post III, whose $16.2 million in lottery winnings brought him debt, despair and heartache, causing the kind of trouble often recounted in country-western songs, died of respiratory failure Jan. 15 at a Pittsburgh-area hospital. He was 66.
"Everybody dreams of winning money, but nobody realizes the nightmares that come out of the woodwork or the problems," he said in 1993, five years after winning the Pennsylvania lottery.
His problems included a brother who tried to hire a contract murderer to kill him and his sixth wife, a landlady who forced him to give her one-third of the jackpot and a conviction on an assault charge after Post fired a shotgun at a man trying to collect a debt at Post's deteriorating dream house in northwestern Pennsylvania. He went bankrupt, emerged with $1 million free and clear and spent most of that, too. (more . . . )
They Were The Best Of Times, They Were The Worst Of Times
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) Ford Motor Co. says it will cut 25,000 to 30,000 jobs and idle 14 facilities in North America.
1.22.2006
Bragging
I guess it's bragging to point out that I finished #1396 in last Thanksgiving's 8 mile Turkey Trot in Dallas. It's just that I have proof now.
Something That Bugs Me
Going to Subway, being one of only two people in line, and the guy in front of me says, "I've got an order for nine sandwiches".
I'll swear this happens to me every time.
And The Fight Continues
Today is the 33rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade. You can read the Court's opinion here.
And in an amazing coincidence, Bush has declared today "National Sanctity of Human Life Day, 2006".
Take That Hillary
From the Morning News today:
"The 'it takes a village' philosophy is a joke because the village is now so polluted and so desolate of commonly held, child-appropriate moral values that my job as a mother is not to rely on the village, but to protect my children from it." - (In this month's issue of The Atlantic Monthly)
I'm A Complete Foreign Affairs Idiot
But the rumblings over Iran's potential nuclear capabilities have escalated this week.
And throw in the fact that the new Iranian president said a couple of months ago that Israel should be "wiped off the map" WITH the fact that today there is news that Israel is considering a pre-emptive strike, and this story gets scary.
Jacking around in Iraq is one thing. A full scale war between Israel and Iran (which we would be sucked into because of our support of Israel) is something frighteningly different.
There She Is . . .
. . . 2006 Miss America, Jennifer Berry, from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
If you didn't see the contest, it's because the major networks didn't want it so it had to be picked up by CMT.
Bridgeport Police . . .
. . . get some great press in the Star Telegram today for breaking up a burglary ring.