Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

So, back in March, I was trying to find a YouTube clip from 30 Rock to commemorate St. Patrick's day. It was the one where Jack Donaghy goes to confession. I thought it was rather appropriate, even though that scene took place on Valentine's Day, because Jack is an Irish-Catholic who never goes to church. However, in that process, I came across a clip that I thought would be great for Halloween. Unfortunately, I have a terrible memory when it comes to things like this, and so, on March 17, 2010, I pulled together a posting for today, October 31, 2010. How's that for advanced planning!!!

Nike Commercial Spoof

In case you don't watch SportsNation, this is one of the hosts, Michelle Beadle. Colin Cowherd, the other host, provides the voice-over. This makes me laugh every time.

Retiring Jordan's Number?

I was fiddling around on ESPN.com this evening, and came across a question on the SportsNation polls that was asking whether or not the NBA should retire Michael Jordan's famous #23. I imagine the question was sparked by the story that LeBron James filed paperwork to change his number (currently #23) next season.

Now, I think that Jordan was a heckuva player. He is definitely one of the best to have played in the NBA... ever. However, I don't think we should go out of our way to make him so sacred in the temple of basketball. I think retiring a number from the game entirely is something that should not be taken lightly. It should be reserved for players that have transcended the game in a major, sociologically and culturally significant way. Simply being perceived as the best is not enough.

To my knowledge only one number has been permanently retired in the major sports - Jackie Robinson's #42 was retired by Major League Baseball a few years ago. That was a person who made an impact that goes far beyond the game itself. When Katie and I went to Cooperstown in 2007, one of the displays that was the most awe-inspiring was about Robinson. He paved the way for so many of the game's best players, and wasn't too bad of a player himself.

Many people will argue that Babe Ruth, or Hank Aaron, or Willie Mays (and down the road, Albert Pujols) are the best players in the game. And realistically, you can make a case for all three of those guys. However, none of their numbers have been retired throughout the whole game.

So, essentially, what I'm saying here is - don't do it, NBA. Don't even consider it. Jordan was indeed one of the games greatest players, but how do you then justify retiring his number and leaving out other greats such as Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Russell, or fill in the blank with your best player of all time. Jackie Robinson made a difference in American culture, not just in baseball. Michael Jordan is no Jackie Robinson.

Worst Movies of the Decade

Apparently Rotten Tomatoes has put out their list of 100 worst movies of the decade. I thought I'd go through and actually admit to which ones I have actually seen. So, here they are with rank included.

98. Cheaper By the Dozen 2 - the original wasn't too bad

97. Boat Trip - Let's just say we shut the curtains and stopped watching halfway through.

94. The New Guy - Gotta love movies with DJ Qualls

90. Dragonfly - odd...

84. Thr3e - Thank you, Netflix Instant Watch

63. Yours, Mine & Ours - Actually a remake of a '60's movie; didn't think it was that bad.

59. 88 Minutes - Again, thank you, Netflix Instant Watch

49. In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale - Ray Liotta, you have failed me...

36. The Whole Ten Yards - I actually like this one, it's not as good as the first, but still funny.

27. Battlefield Earth - John Travolta, you let us all down...

25. Meet the Spartans - Spoof of 300, didn't get through half of it.

7. Strange Wilderness - I did laugh frequently, but I'm not surprised it's here; total stoner movie.

I'm proud to say that I've only seen 12 of Rotten Tomatoes' worst 100 films of the decade, and most of those were near the bottom(?) of the list. In case you were wondering, the worst movie of the decade: Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever.

Best and Worst Reality Television

What? No baseball? No movies? No sermon? As I "thumb" through my blog archive on the left here, I realize that it's been a while since I've written about something different than those three things. What can I say - it's summertime. Baseball and movies are on my mind. However, in the midst of it all, I haven't really written about anything else.

As I was recently multi-tasking... yes, that's right, multi-tasking... I came across an article in Entertainment Weekly discussing the best and worst reality shows of all time. It gives us a list of the top 20 and the worst 10. Here's are some of the highlights:

1. Survivor - Ah, the source of it all. Granted, MTV's The Real World was on the air long before Survivor ever interrupted our lives (1992), but Survivor was the phenom that ushered in a new era of television, for better or (more likely) worse.

2. The Amazing Race - I've heard a few people say that this was actually good. I never have been able to pay attention to it. Apparently it has won six Emmys. I'm not sure what the Emmys are for, but they've been won.

3. The talent shows - There are seven, seven, shows on this list that are all about finding the best person at *fill-in-the-blank*. Project Runway, American Idol, Top Chef, Bands on the Run, The Apprentice, Project Greenlight, and America's Next Top Model. If you want to know who is the best designer, singer, chef, band, business person, movie director, or.... well, person that puts up with the most self-centered woman in pop culture, then these are your shows. Strange that they make up a significant percentage of this list. Apparently, people like watching others battle it out to be the best around.

4. The Hills - Wait, reality? I thought this was scripted? Oh, I'm not supposed to know that? I'm supposed to assume that this is what real life is like for some people? No thanks, if I was interested, I would have stayed in high school.

5. Jon & Kate Plus Eight - Okay, seriously here. People are blaming the problems that they are having in their marriage on the cameras. The problem is not the cameras (they certainly don't help, but they aren't the main problem). The problem is that as soon as their kids were born and they were on television, their marriage was no longer about the two of them. The focus was so much on the kids that they didn't have any time together. People grow apart when they stop focusing on each other and allow life to take them in different directions. Hire a freaking babysitter (or six) and spend some time together!

6. Flavor of Love - Wow. I mean, wow. The train-wreck that is Flavor Flav actually got his own reality show, and worse than that - the spin-offs. EW points to this show as the origin of other such trash as I Love New York and Rock of Love. At least we know who to blame, now, why is it included as one of the best?

And for the worst... wait, didn't we just review that list....

1. The Swan - Yeah, plastic surgery! Let's teach people that instead of being happy with who you are, you can change your appearance through a few simple, painful procedures. That's so much easier than building healthy self-esteem.

2. Britney and Kevin: Chaotic - Is there really any question as to what happened to Britney Spears? This show could have been subtitled - Chronicling the Melt-Down of a Pop Princess.

3. Results shows - Funny how the originals are on the top list, but the results are on the bottom. I guess we really don't care who is the top *fill-in-the-blank*.

4. Skating with Celebrities - This is just emblematic of a greater disease. All of these reality shows focusing on celebrities are just ridiculous. The point of reality television in the first place was that anybody had a shot at becoming a star. Not the case any more. Now, reality television is like B-list and lower exposure for celebrities whose careers are circling the drain. Need another example? How about The Surreal Life?

5. Kill Reality - Best idea yet. How did this one end up on the worst list?

I don't know if I fully understand America's fascination with reality television. In all honesty, I've watched a few of these. The one that I've probably watched the most is Top Chef. What can I say? I like food. The sad thing is waiting to see what they'll come up with next.

So, what do you think? Is it only a matter of time before we get America's Best Circus Performer? Or Top Zookeeper? Or will reality television disappear before it comes to that?