Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Coke Zero > Coke > Pepsi > Crystal Pepsi

Coke Zero > Coke > Pepsi > Crystal Pepsi

The Masters > U.S. Open > British Open > PGA Championship

Conan > Letterman > Leno > Carson Daly

Chick Fil-a Chicken Biscuit > McGriddles > any other fast food biscuit > McMuffin

BH9er > The O.C. > Dawson’s Creek > new 90210 > Gossip Girl … > One Tree Hill

Columbia, SC Philly cheese steaks: Cock n Bull > Paul’s > Pizza Man > Very’s

Cash Cab > Jeopardy > Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? > Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

Sunny D > OJ > Soda > Purple stuff

SNL: Amy Poehler > Maya Rudolph > Kristen Wiig > Tina Fey

March Madness announcers: Gus Johnson > Bill Raftery > Jay Bilas > Jim Nantz

Bud Light > Coors Light > Natty Light > Miller Lite

The Cosby Show > Fresh Prince of Bel-Air > Family Matters > Tyler Perry’s House of Payne

After school snack: Gushers > Handi-Snacks > String Cheese > Fruit > Ants on a Log

Sports radio: Colin Cowherd > Jim Rome > Tirico & Van Pelt > Mike & Mike > Dan LeBatard

Double Dare > GUTS > Wild n Crazy Kids > Finders Keepers > Legends of the Hidden Temple

Cadbury Crème Eggs > Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs > Jelly Beans > Peeps

Ping Pong > Darts > Shuffleboard > Pool > Foosball

Brothers: Allman > Wayans > Super Mario > Coen > Baldwin > Jonas

NFL > NBA > MLB > PGA > ATP > NASCAR > NHL > PBA > WNBA

Pizza Hut experiments: Stuffed Crust Pizza > The Natural > P’Zone > Pasta

2Pac > Biggie > Jay-Z > Nas … > Bubba Sparxxx

Billy Madison > Happy Gilmore > Big Daddy > You Don’t Mess With the Zohan

Little Debbie: Nutty Bar > Swiss Cake Roll > Zebra Cakes > Star Crunch > Oatmeal Crème Pie

TV Principals: Mr. Belding > Mr. Feeny > Mrs. Teasley > Principal Skinner > Dr. Kim

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Best Music of 2008

I tried to add a playlist to my profile, but I could not figure out how to do it. So instead I am making a new post with my favorite new songs of 2008. I am sure I mistakenly forgot several good jams, so let me know what I missed. And no, it was not a mistake to leave Coldplay off the list.






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Sunday, January 18, 2009

Breaking Down ACC Basketball

ACC football had parity this season – ACC basketball does not. Most people would agree that the ACC is the 2nd-best basketball conference this year (behind the Big East -- which has too many teams), but it is easy to split the teams in the ACC into three categories: 1) Final Four Contenders, 2) Bubble Teams, and 3) and Rebuilding Teams.

FINAL FOUR CONTENDERS

1) NORTH CAROLINA: I still think UNC is the best team in the country. Ty Lawson got outplayed against Boston College and Wake, but he is one of the five best point guards in the nation. I cannot say that I like Tyler Hansbrough, but I respect his game and his heart. Sure, he gets a lot of calls, but most of the calls he gets are a result of his hustle, his physical presence, and his energy. Danny Green has been the most consistent player on their roster this year. It is hard to believe that Wayne Ellington may be their X factor this year – he has been inconsistent but he takes them to another level when he is making shots.

2) WAKE FOREST: Wake is the only undefeated team in the country, so clearly they are a legitimate Final Four contender. In my opinion, they are the second-best team in the ACC this season, but they are capable to beating anyone in the country. Jeff Teague, James Johnson, and Al-Farouq Aminu are all future 1st round NBA draft picks. Wake has the size and speed to make a deep run in March.

3) DUKE: All biases aside, I can’t put Duke on the same level as UNC and Wake because they are missing an inside presence. Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek do nothing for me. On the other hand, Duke’s guards and small forwards are outstanding. Kyle Singer has NBA size, Gerald Henderson is athletic and much-improved, and Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer are good complements in the backcourt. Greg Paulus is the biggest douche in college basketball, but he is a senior leader off the bench.

4) CLEMSON: I realize that Clemson started off 16-0 two years ago before imploding, but I think this team is different. I have no doubt they will make the NCAA Tournament and likely be seeded between 3 and 6, depending on how they finish ACC play. Clemson has good low post play (Trevor Booker and Raymond Sykes), good shooters (K.C. Rivers and Terrence Ogelsby), and a quick, underrated point guard (Demontez Stitt). Clemson has the tools to beat the above-referenced teams in ACC play and make some noise in March. Clemson has lost 53 straight games in Chapel Hill – they have another chance this Wednesday night. I predict it will be a close loss.

BUBBLE TEAMS

5) FLORIDA STATE: Toney Douglas is one of the best players in the ACC and Chris Singleton is one of the best freshman in the ACC. I like their chances of making the NCAAs (seeded between 7 and 10).

6) MIAMI: Jack McClinton leads a deep Miami team. They blew a huge lead against Ohio State after McClinton was ejected. I like them to sneak into the NCAAs as a 9 or 10 seed.

7) VIRGINIA TECH: The Chokies have lost some close games, and it may keep them out of the Big Dance. As an unbiased, objective college basketball fan, I like their Big Three – Jeff Allen, A.D. Vassallo, and Malcolm Delaney. When all is said and done, I believe they will secure a seventh NCAA bid for the ACC and earn a double-digit seed.

8) MARYLAND: The Terps are actually the only ACC team I haven’t watched play this season. Their roster looks like Greivis Vasquez (talks a lot of smack but is a very good player) and a bunch of underclassman. Their loss to Morgan State could come back to haunt them. They are likely headed to the NIT.

9) BOSTON COLLEGE: I don’t think BC has much chance to make the NCAAs, but I had to put them in this classification because a) they beat UNC and b) Tyrese Rice is a senior so despite the team’s youth it is hard to call this season a rebuilding year. Rice is good enough to single-handedly win conference games for them, but not enough.

REBUILDING TEAMS

10) GEORGIA TECH: The Ramblin’ Wreck is 0-4 in ACC play, but I believe they are better than UVa and N.C. State. Freshman Iman Shumpert and sophomore Gani Lawal are future NBA prospects (possibly as soon as this summer). If they stick around for next year when the Jackets add high school stud Derrick Favors, GT could be looking at an NCAA bid in 2010.

11) VIRGINIA: The Hoos have been competitive (for the most part) this season, but they start three freshmen and a sophomore so it will continue to be a tough season. Sylven Landesberg has been named ACC Freshman of the Week five times, but he disappeared in losses against UNC and Minnesota. He needs to find a consistent jump shot. Meanwhile, Coach Dave Leitao needs to find a consistent substitution pattern.

12) N.C. STATE: Will the real Brandon Costner please stand up? After the Wolfpack’s improbable run in the 2007 ACC Tournament, I thought Brandon Costner would be an All-ACC player in 2008 and potentially even a 2008 NBA lottery pick. Instead, J.J. Hickson came in last season and stole some of Costner’s thunder (and points). Hickson is now in the NBA so it is Costner’s team again. He has the ability to take over games, but he has not shown it enough. The Pack’s point guard struggles have also carried over from last season.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Ramblings

  • I am a little behind on this review, but I think the new Guns N' Roses album ("Chinese Democracy") is very good. It is more "Use Your Illusion" than "Appetite for Destruction," so some rock fans might not like the power ballads. I love them. "Street of Dreams" is probably already in my top 10 G N' R songs of all time -- although the first minute sounds like the vampire rock opera in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." Axl's vocals remind why he is my favorite rock lead singer ever. I'm not sure why the album took 12 years to make or why my boy Saul Hudson (and the rest of the band save Axl) do not play on any of the songs, but the album still has G N' R's distinctive sound. Check out Chuck Klosterman's review of the album: http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/chuck_klosterman_reviews?utm_source=avclub_rss_daily
  • "Friday Night Lights" is one of the best shows on TV -- and you probably don't watch it. Until recently, I didn't watch it either. I didn't watch for 3 reasons: 1) I didn't like the movie (Billy Bob Thornton as a high school football coach? Come on.), 2) I thought it would be the TV version of "Varsity Blues" (I own "Varsity Blues" on DVD but I realize that it sucks), and 3) It airs on Fridays. I watched the first two seasons on DVD, and it is MUCH better than the movie and MUCH better than "Varsity Blues." The writing and acting are great, and the guy from "Early Edition" is phenomenal as the head coach. I also like that the football scenes are well done, but the show is only about 10% football. The drama is better than just about anything else on TV right now. Season 3 starts this Friday (January 16) -- I don't understand why the producers of this show don't realize that most people that would be interested in this show (age 15-40 crowd) are not watching TV on Friday nights. Often, these same people are ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GAMES at 9 P.M. on Fridays. Fortunately, I have DVR and am excited about Season 3.

  • "90210" didn't exactly live up to the hype I gave it on Tuesday. I feel like the writers are moving through the storylines a little too fast. I mean, couldn't they have dragged out the storyline about Harry's scheming biological son for more than one episode? The storylines are moving twice as fast as those on The O.C. (which were already moving too fast). Slow down the pace and keep the crazy plot twists in moderation. It wasn't even remotely shocking that the black girl is a lesbian. Why? On a side note, the Dr. Pepper product placement at the Peach Pit is out of control -- I thought it was supposed to be an upscale coffee shop now? As my buddy Dean pointed out, Virginia Tech basketball player A.D. Vassallo must love "90210" -- see the link for explanation: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_football/article/VTVTGAT23_20081223-120405/160786/
  • The new season of "The Real World" is only one episode deep, but it might be the worst cast ever. For the first time ever, the cast is 8 people (instead of 7) but it still seems to uphold the stereotypical lineup (with one exception). There's a gay dude, a weird chick, a jock, a fratty dude (actually a military vet that didn't go to college), a naive Mormon, a white girl that dances, a black girl, and a post-op transgender "girl" (the aforementioned exception). I can't imagine that I will enjoy this cast, but -- as always -- I will watch.

  • I can't tell if Tim Tebow is a saint or the most self-righteous athlete of all-time. Tebow announced today that he would return for his senior year at Florida. "Overall, I just felt loyal to this place," Tebow said. "I feel like I'm a role model, and a lot of times people start things and don't finish them. I didn't want to be like that. I wanted to be loyal to the university. I wanted to finish what I started and play another year." I wonder if the fact that draft experts project Tebow as a 3rd or 4th round pick AT FULLBACK had anything to do with his decision. It was probably the role model thing.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

90210 is Back

90210 is back tonight. I am excited about it, but I feel like the overwhelming majority of people could care less. Why are so many people giving up on this show? Don't you remember how bad the first season of BH9er was? Brandon had a ridiculous hockey player mullet, Steve had a perm mullet, and the actress that played Andrea Zuckerman was literally 29 years old and playing a high school sophomore.

I think 90210 has been entertaining so far. High school dramas take awhile to develop characters and storylines so I am definitely not turning my back on the show yet. I think it was a huge mistake to take a 7-week hiatus -- it will undoubtedly cost them a lot of viewers. It was also weird that Ryan (the teacher) made out with the 21 Jump Street wannabe seconds after finding out she was a cop and was 25 years old, despite the fact that he had previously believed that she was one of his teenage students. The Brenda-Kelly drama seems a little forced, but I like that the writers have utilized past characters to branch into the new generation.

If you've ever told me that "Privileged" is better than 90210 (you know who you are), tonight is the night to give 90210 another chance and stop making ludicrous statements like that.