Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Dirty Deeds All-around

The Life of a Dirty Little Debutant

Just in case you missed it, some woman named Paris or something like that was released from jail yesterday. Ok, was I the only one disgusted by that little ‘strut’ she did, as though she was walking down the ‘Red Carpet’ as she neared her family vehicle? I hope none of you out there were fooled by that dog-n-pony show she put on while in pseudo-incarceration. I would bet she is back to her normal (alleged) whoring and slutting all across the Hollywood scene within a few months. Can someone get me the over/under on how long that might take? Oh yeah, I nearly forgot, she’s found the Lord now that she served 23 whole days in solitude. I thought it was verrry telling when Larry King asked her what her favorite bible verse was and she totally blanked. Honestly, I was amazed that she didn’t just revert to her ridiculous coined line, “That’s hot.” Here’s a little reminder of some of her greatest ‘hits’…

No, you over-privileged, undeserving, worthless little slut (allegedly)…that’s really NOT.

Please Stop the Blame Game

So Chris Benoit reportedly had some sort of Incredible Hulk-like batch of roid-rage when he brutally murdered his wife and innocent little 7-year-old child, according to some of the talking-heads out there. Party people, can we please stop searching for and ‘having’ to have some type of rational answer for the completely ridiculous and irrational in the world? Lets just call this what it truly was: A cat that simply flipped his wig and lost all sense of reason and committed some of the most indecent and inhumane acts imaginable. What happened to ‘just plain crazy’ being a good enough reason? Why must we always search for a ‘reason’ or ‘excuse’ for the befuddling actions of some of our sickest brothers and sisters? Its not the music, the violence in movies, the drugs/alcohol, or anything else in life that causes scumbags to be scumbags. Some people are just destined to end things with a ‘bang’. Its just too bad for the truly innocent people out there just minding their own business and trying to enjoy life that douche bags like the VT shooter, Benoit, the Columbine shooters, etc… don’t do the right thing from the very start. Now, of course, I would never advocate or call for someone to kill themselves, but if you’re going to eventually do the deed anyhow, why not save the rest of the world all of the heartache and agony of lost love-ones?

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Jackson's Masterful Orchestration

Phil is the Sultan of Manipulation

Has anyone considered that Phil could be 'orchestrating' this from the sidelines? Consider this, Phil was (Chicago) and will always be a master manipulator. He placated and stroked Jordan's massive ego, pitting him against the organization and gm for years. If you don't think its true, go take a look at the archives of local and national Bulls stories from 92-97. This worked in Chicago because Jordan was strong-willed enough and the gm/owner (Krause/Reinsdorf) actually had a clue and were willing to take the necessary risks (Rodman and other signings/trades) to place a championship team on the court. But back to Phil, is it entirely out of the realm of possibility that Phil has been 'nurturing' Kobe in the same regard? Consider this thought, prior to the recent media blitz, have you EVER seen Kobe so blatantly out of control? So loose and reckless with his words? So hard-set on how much he has been offended, stabbed in the back, and deceived? I totally think part of Kobe truly believes and feels all of what he is saying, but it doesn't make much sense that he is so out of control without the 'spurning' of his 'mentor'. Phil has made it clear that either he does not believe in Bynum, or that he doesn't want to wait around for Bynum to develop. Is it possible that he is the one that told Kobe that Jim Buss or John Black was the 'mole'? His ambivalent statement that he just happened to coincidentally drop to the L.A. Times last night actually makes me consider this even more. Jackson strikes me as an individual that truly wants Kobe to continue railing the front office and force their hands, because he will ultimately benefit from the outcome. He knows Jerry buss isn't trading Kobe anytime soon and he also realizes that Buss cannot and will not sit back and accept public embarrassment. Buss' desire to maintain his legacy was never more evident than with his letter to season ticket holders that he submitted yesterday. He made sure to reference the number of titles and finals appearances that the organization has won/made during his tenure. While I, like all other Laker fans, have benefited from Dr. Buss’ success, I refuse to allow that to cloud my judgment in terms of the state of affairs with the team today. I’m not going to place the ‘Sterling’ label on him, but I will say that it sure seems like Buss has been (at the very least) content with having Kobe work his magic each and every night while selling out Staples Center and his over-priced parking/refreshments/merchandise.

Kobe is not innocent in this matter either. He signed a contract, regardless of whether under misconceptions or deceptions, this is an undeniable fact. He has been loved, coddled, and blindly accepted by his fans throughout his 11-year career through the good and bad. That type of loyalty is precisely what I think he needs to consider when making his future decisions. No one can deny that Kobe has and always will be one of the fiercest and finest competitors in league history, but I just hope that steely-eyed tenacity and determination do not cause him to make one of the potentially biggest mistakes
(personal/professional) of his career. Now that he has lowered the proverbial ‘boom’, give the organization this off-season and season to respond and do something about the situation that everyone has taken part in trashing. If the organization fails to follow through on their promise, then Kobe has every right to continue his trade demands next off-season.

P.S.

Where the hell is Magic in all of this? Isn’t it time to tell little Jimmy and Papa Buss to maybe take a step back, and assert himself within the organization? The man is 10% owner and probably the most well-known, loved, and respected Lakers of all time. I think right about now would be the time for a town-hall meeting with the Laker brass all in attendance with Earv at the head of the table.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Stick a fork in Stern

Is the N.B.A. dying?

Now, before you say I’m being a hater, allow me to truly congratulate the San Antonio Spurs for enduring the tedious regular season and persevering through the Western Conference portion of the playoffs. With that being said, can we please put this ‘myth’ of Lebron to bed? I will acknowledge that Lebron is a SUPREME talent and may very well one day solidify his place alongside the basketball immortals of the last 25 years (Magic, Bird, and even Jordan), but right now lets be realistic. Since I can already hear the whining Cavs fans and Lebron apologists pointing out that his teammates were terrible, and how he fought to bring a undermanned team all the way to the finals. All of this is true, but I think it has more to do with the fact that the Leastern Conference is a total joke at this point.

Listen party people, I’m the biggest Laker and Kobe fan in the world, but Kobe (like a majority of today’s superstars) is suffering from the ‘Michael Jordan’ hang-over. The N.B.A. died the moment David Stern decided to place all of the focus on the ‘individual’ accomplishment rather than the ‘team’ achievement. The focus of an entire generation of kids was taken off the team effort and centered around the individual, which paved the way for SportsCenter to reign supreme. The popularity of the game multiplied 10 times over globally and David Stern couldn’t have been happier with the monetary results. Stern sacrificed the product inside the box for the bright and shiny bow that he wrapped outside the box., and we believed the hype.

For all of those that think I’ve committed blasphemy for daring to say that the ‘Jordan era’ ruined the game, take a moment to truly look at the product out there now. Players cannot dribble or shoot consistently, nor can they play consistent team defense. People call teams like the Spurs and Pistons boring and methodical (hell, I’m one of them), but the fact is they are a lot closer to playing true basketball than any of the other teams. Big Fundamentals is as close to a throw-back player as one can find at this time. Both teams play hard-nosed, team basketball without a plethora of superstar talent or prima donna attitudes…although Sheed may be somewhat certifiable. Is there any wonder why those two teams have won 4 of the last 5 titles?

As I yawned through that seemingly forced celebration I had to stop and truly ponder the issue that now 7-time champion Robert Horry brought up: Could these Spurs compete with the great teams of the 80’s? Not a chance in hell. Lets specifically look at a team he mentioned directly, as a team his Spurs would defeat. The 1985 Lakers would absolutely destroy this current Spurs team. The 85’ Lakers hold an advantage at nearly every position, the bench, and the coaching would probably be a tie. The biggest difference between today’s players and those of yesteryear, aside from the obvious discrepancy of all-around talent, would have to be the amount or level of ‘heart’ that the 80’s players possessed. Before players were anointed as the greatest of all time and ‘given’ tens of millions of undeserved dollars the players played with an intensity that simply cannot be matched or even understood in today’s day and age. Winning your 7th title is impressive, but get it together Big-Shot Bob. If you were actually able to stand across from those 85’ Lakers, (or any of the great 80’s teams) you probably would have ended your season the same way Lebron just did.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Kobe, Fat vs. PHAT, and a church in Paris

Paris the Parishioner

So Paris miraculously found God through her experience in pseudo-prison? Can somebody please explain to her that simply being on your knees all the time doesn’t necessarily qualify as ‘prayer’. I found it pretty funny when Sarah Silverman made that joke about the Sheriffs painting penises on the jail-bars in order to make her feel more comfortable, but it left me wondering if Sarah is going to offer her own as a model?

Buss/Kobe Ongoing Family Saga

Will somebody put a muzzle on Dr. Buss’ kids? Eldest son, Johnny, has now added his two cents into the whole Kobe saga when he intimated that is was time to trade Kobe on his (of all places) MySpace blog. Ok, first of all my man is 50 years old and a member of the Buss family, what the hell is he doing with a MySpace page…let alone dropping bombshells like that through his blog? The guy has never been affiliated with the Lakers in any way, shape, or form. The most impressive thing on his resume to date is the fact that he ran the Los Angeles Sparks for a few years. My Gawd it must be nice to be born into an exorbitant amount of money, prestige, and privilege. I guess the guy found time away from his busy schedule as a nude photographer and picking up Daddy Buss’ scraps and leftovers to log on. Normally, I wouldn’t be worried by this, but the guy is actually currently on vacation with Dr. Buss in China. Message to Lil Johnny: Have a drink, take a few of your cute little pictures, and bang your leftovers, but please leave the official Laker business to the professionals.

Soap-box admittedly, but I was simply too annoyed…

For the first time in about 6 years, I have recently had the opportunity to watch daytime television regularly for a period of about 3 weeks. I’m convinced that combined with social pressure and the media/entertainment industries, society is truly trying to make women hate themselves. Every commercial, show, magazine, and conversation seems to be related to this star’s weight-loss and the next big pill or diet that will prodigiously make you lose 50 lbs. overnight. They attack you on your weight, on your breasts, on your behind, hair, height, and just about everything else possible. They play on your natural insecurities and make you feel insubstantial, vulnerable, and self-conscious all with the hopes of forcing their ridiculous and unnecessary products upon you. Let me clue you in from an honest man’s perspective: We don’t truly want those humdrum, shapeless, boring and bland stick-figures. While we love seeing you all dolled up and pretty with all the products and make-up, a vast majority of you have a tremendous amount of natural beauty that we appreciate more than you realize. And if you want to change the way you look, lose weight, or go through miraculous make-overs then do it for yourself and your own benefit. Please stop listening to the nonsense you see on tv, and who gives a damn about what Ms. Spears or Ms. Lohan was wearing and how they looked in it. Those people live in fantasyland anyways, and lets be honest, is it really all that glamorous to have your ‘snatch’ all over the web while you race in and out of rehab every other week?

Monday, June 11, 2007

Truly a Finale?

Like the other 20 million Sopranos fans that chose to tune in to the series finale over the N.B.A. Finals, by the time it abruptly cut to a blank and dark screen I was left utterly confused. As I sat there in silence for what seemed like at least 10 minutes (in actuality more like 30 seconds), my confusion immediately turned into fury once the final credits started rolling and the music began. I felt lost…cheated…even bewildered. My expression could only be paralleled to that of Jodie Foster’s just after that bar scene in The Accused (thank you Mr. Vaughn). I cursed David Chase, Sopranos creator and final episode writer/director, and all that he stood for. I pounded the arm of the leather chair I was seemingly plastered to, and was a good 10 minutes into the next undoubtedly great HBO production before I realized that was actually it. Of course, we were able to finally see Phil Leotardo get what he had coming to him in what had to be one of the best and most gruesome ‘hits’ of the series, but aside from Chase deciding to throw his daughter back in the show (wanna adopt me Mr. Chase? PLEASE?) as Meadow’s long-lost friend, the finale was totally devoid of any twists or turns.

Then, unlike many of the other disgusted viewers that crashed the HBO website within an hour of the East Coast airing with their outcry, I took a moment and asked myself: What did I expect? Any other outcome, other then life going on as usual for Tony and his dual-families would have truly cheated the legions on fans and unwavering supporters of the show. The more I considered this, the more I realized the true genius in what Chase did. Not only did he ensure that people would be talking about this for weeks to come, but he also left things so that it stayed true to the essence of the show at the same time as setting things up for an epic Sopranos movie. Anyone that believes they’ve seen the last of this saga is sorely mistaken. Unless, of course, Mr. Gandolfini decides he’s truly had enough of the character (to which he would undoubtedly be pelted with money in order to reconsider), expect a Sopranos motion picture within 2 years.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Paris, Porn, and the Sopranos...

Paris

Was I the only slighty-sadistic jerk that 'kinda' enjoyed the dozens of YouTube and voice clips of Ms. Hilton whailing "Mommy, Mommy!" the other day? Ok, I know it isn't cool to laugh at people during their times of misery, but lets keep it real...you know we all do. I think any red-blooded, hard-working American that goes through all the trials and tribulations that real life can and always does throw at you takes at the very least just a snippet of pleasure when those that we deem 'Holy' take a plunge back down to reality. I honestly don't know whether to continue despising the Hollywood socialite and starlet crowd, or should I actually place the blame for their overly-inflated sense of self-importance on the people that are truly responsible: ALL OF US. Is there any wonder why this not only consumed our attention, focus, and every waking moment, but even dominated a large portion of MSNBC's and all of sports radio's programming? I'll openly admit that at times, I am very guilty of the same behavior, but honestly party people we need to get a grip.

Porn

So I'm listening to a sports radio program the other night in order to enjoy an interview with Tito Ortiz, who happens to be one of my favorite UFC fighters. As a lifelong boxing fanatic...yes it disgusts me that the sport has fallen to the point where I now actually have 'favorite' UFC fighters. I'm shocked when I hear that Senor Ortiz is currently dating the infamous Jenna Jameson. It sparked that age-old question, amongst men anyway, would you ever want to be with a porn star? Not just a pornstar, arguably THE pornstar of the past 10+ years. Now allow me to say, for the record, I am far from the normal sexually-prude and restricted mind the prevails in today's uptight and ridiculously 'PC' society, but just think about that for a second. Ok, yes, she's a pornstar that just about 2/3 of the free world has...watched at some point in their lives, but is she any worse than the rest of the sluts (male and female) of the world today. Hell, I know guys that have slept with over 100 women by the age of 28 and lets just say they haven't been paid quite the lucrative amount that Miss Jameson has. With all of the H.I.V. scares of the Adult Film industry over the years, its probably a much safer bet to be with her than with a majority of the 18-35 population these days. With that said, wouldn't the idea of being with a professional at least intrigue you? Well...I don't know that I'm quite man enough to overlook the unfathomable public and private scrutiny/persecution, but more power and respect to my main main Tito. Plus, does getting knocked out by Chuck Lidell really hurt quite as bad when you're going home to Jenna?

N.B.A. Finals and the Sopranos

Those of us that are avid sports fans as well as Sopranos fans are now left with quite the dilemma for Sunday evening. Either watch the Spurs methodically plod their way through another title run with the hopes of the slim chances of Lebron catching lightning in a bottle and put together what would truly be an epic win OR tune in to the series finale of one of the most popular tv shows of all time before the countless calls/texts pour in and spoil it. Is finding out Tony's fate really more important than Lebron vs. Duncan? Does Sylvio's unknown health status really mean more to a majority of Americans than witnessing the Spurs make a claim at being considered a true dynasty while Lebron leads the Cavs in his first trip to the Finals? Well I can't speak for the rest of you out there, but let me know if Lebron shoots better than 4-16 tomorrow night...I'll be watching the Sopranos.