alexander status in doubt

Members of the Seattle Seahawks, including quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, tried to laugh off an incident that occurred on Monday. Six players were jarred when a mechanical security fence hit their van. The incident seemed relatively minor at the time. But Seahawks officials learned late Tuesday that the jolt caused star running back Shaun Alexander to suffer another concussion, leaving his status for Super Bowl XL in doubt.

�We totally expect the dude to play,� Hasselbeck said. �I mean, it�s not like he has ever missed a huge playoff game with a concussion before, right? Oh yeah, we're screwed.�

Police said that there was no reason to suspect foul play regarding the incident, but did admit that they questioned gate operator Gladys Bettis extensively.

Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums.

Hit somebody!

For today's column, we did our first mailbag in a while, starting with a bunch of letters blasting NBC and the AFA for the fate of "Book of Daniel."

Got to see "Gilmore Girls" last week on a DVD screener, so I was able to successfully stay away from the TV all night, just in case my remote control finger slipped and I wound up on any part of the State of the Union.

Really liked the "Gilmore," though. One of the weirdest paced shows of all time. We'll go a month of episodes where not a single thing happens, and then we get one like this with major plot movement: Lorelai dealing with the reality of Luke's daughter, Rory essentially taking away Paris' job at the paper (and Logan proving that even an asshole can be a useful asshole now and then), and, of course, the knock-down, drag-out Battlin' Gilmore family reunion.

Much as I'd missed Richard and Emily for the last batch of episodes, it made sense for them to be out of the show for a little while, both because Lorelai and Rory didn't want anything to do with them, and because it made the big fight into an event. Loved the frequent time cuts and mood changes, even if every family fight I've ever witnessed or been involved in goes from bad to worse and doesn't have occasional pauses for laughter. I'm also glad that they didn't suddenly forget that Lorelai has as much reason to be mad at her parents as Rory does -- or that Rory wasn't exactly blameless in all of this.

With nothing on the big four after 9, I TiVo'ed "Supernatural" to see how that's held up since I last saw it in the fall, but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Maybe tonight before "Veronica Mars."

Lil' hater: ole!

Did anybody see the video of that bull rampaging through a crowd in Mexico City? You can see the video here.

It was a riot.

A freaking laugh riot, that is. If you are stupid enough to go to a bullfight (and sit in the front row), then you deserve to get trampled when a thousand pound bull decides that he doesn't like his nuts zapped with a cattle prod. Listen, if you are going to see Shamu, don't sit in the front row if you don't want to get wet. Likewise, if you don't want to get gored by a rampaging bull, then maybe the front row (or even the lower bowl) might not be the place for you, Sparky.

This reminds me of the people who were all upset when Shamu turned on one of its trainers years ago. The couldn't figure out why a killer whale would react the way he did. Same here with Pajarito (Little Birdie). He was just acting out because he was--oh I don't know--a bull!

My only regret is that they don't hold bullfights here:






Wait for it...

Let's be careful out there

When you write the TV column at a newspaper, everyone in the newsroom wants to bend your ear about their favorite show. (And, in return, I'm always bugging our Knicks beat writer about starting a campaign to get Isiah Thomas fired.) Yesterday, I got hit up by a couple of "Grey's Anatomy" fans, who had loved the latest episode but still felt like Meredith is the least interesting character on the show. Marian and I finally got around to watching it last night, and I think this was one of the stronger ones of the season -- and Meredith was a big reason why. I've seen so many actors and actresses have award-baiting crying jags that I've become numb to them, but Meredith's freak-out in the supply closet was so well-played by Ellen Pompeo that it really got to me. Every now and then, she provides evidence for why she gets to have a show named after her.

Today's column was an easy one: a review of the "Hill Street Blues" DVD set and how one of the greatest dramas of all time hasn't aged that well. But even if most of it seems terribly cliched in light of all the shows that have imitated it over the last 25 years, there are so many great moments that I felt they deserved a list. In no particular order...

• Two different breakdowns by J.D. LaRue, who was usually played for laughs but could slay you when things got serious. The first is after Harry Garibaldi gets murdered over his gambling problem, and J.D. starts destroying the men's room at the local bar because he knew Harry was in trouble and didn't do anything. I just remember him curled up in Washington's arms saying, "I'm not drinking, I'm not drinking, I'm not drinking..." The other was in one of the last episodes of the series. A perp tries to shoot LaRue in the face, but his gun misfires three times in a row. J.D. spends the rest of the episode on a comic high, but in the last scene, Neil finds him sitting alone in the locker room, crying because, "I almost died today, and I've got nobody to talk to about it."
• At the end of David Milch's first episode, "Trial By Fury," Furillo bends the law severely to put away two thugs who raped and murdered a nun, and feels guilty enough about doing it to go to confession. (Ten years later, nobody on Milch's "NYPD Blue" would feel nearly that guilty about doing far worse to the Constitution.)
• From the David Mamet episode: Officer McBride (Mamet's wife, Lindsay Crouse, whose inclusion in the episode was a prerequisite for Mamet taking Milch's dare to write it) is feeling troubled about killing an armed robber, until Norm Buntz gives a her a pep talk that compares her to a hero in a war.
• More Dennis Franz, but in a different role: bad cop Sal Benedetto reaches the end of the road by taking hostages in a bank and killing himself while being videotapes by a police robot.
• The death of the Pickpocket With Many Names. By this point in the series, it had become almost a joke that Belker was the Angel of Death, that anyone he got close to would die in his arms in the middle of the street (Captain Freedom, the gay informant). Still, I liked this scene because it brought an end to the series' best running gag by finally having the guy tell Mick has real name.
• Speaking of running gags paying off: Buck Naked gets almost all the way through testifying as a prosecution witness when his need to expose himself gets the better of him.
• The best Hill and Renko domestic disturbance scene of all time: the two have to find a way to get a cow out of an amateur butcher's top-floor apartment as the guy explains to them that cows "got no down genes!"
• An old con Esterhaus put away as years ago is on the verge of getting out and starts sending the Sarge letters that seem threatening, but when the two meet up, he wants to hug Phil and thank him for turning his life around. One of the best early examples of how the show always tried to go against your expectations.
• Five words: Vic Hitler, the Narcoleptic Comic.
• Five more words: Jeffrey Tambor in a dress.

Any other "Hill Street" fans out there care to pipe in? This is just off the top of my head.

Media Day

It's Media Day, the final day before the teams start back to practice and get ready for the game. Not to go Steve Bisheff on all of you, but you really have to have been at a media day back a few years ago to really understand it.

Just kidding. Here are some stories and headlines we would like to see surface on Media Day:


The city of Detroit has turned into Pittsburgh West as part of a Seahawks evil scheme. "Have you ever seen the Steelers recent home playoff record? This is going to be huge for us," Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said while laughing maniacally. ...

Brett Favre calls a news conference Tuesday morning to announce that he is not sure what he wants for lunch. If he had to choose right now, he'd pick a salami sandwich. ...

Columnist refuses to label media day as a circus. "This story has been done to death in recent years. We get it. Pseudo celebrities show up and ask dumb questions. It�s a riot. Let�s leave this kind of obvious humor to less-talented guys such as the Orange County Register's Randy Youngman." ...

Seahawks players really don't care which uniform they wear. "Seriously, if it helps people forget that we haven't beaten anybody to get here, I am all for it," running back Shaun Alexander said. "Besides, it�s kind of gay to talk about uniforms. But that is Pittsburgh. They are gay." ...

The Association of Mustached American Coaches is torn over whom to endorse in the Super Bowl, but say it will be America�s greatest day since Magnum P.I. was on the air. ...

Columnist refuses to make a joke about the over-reporting of Jerome Bettis birthplace. The intrepid scribe notes that not only is the story surround Bettis's return to Detroit annoying, but reporting about the over-reporting has become worse. ...

The Pittsburgh Steelers do not have cheerleaders. So the NFL announced today that former Panthers cheerleaders Angela Keathley and Renee Thomas (left) will serve as the club's official cheer captains. Media members start stalking women's restrooms in cheesy clubs. ...

Brett Favre schedules an afternoon press conference Tuesday to let everybody know that he once tutored a young Matt Hasselbeck in Green Bay. "Remember that game-ending interception he threw in the playoffs a couple of years ago? I taught him that," Favre said. For the record, he is having Chef Boyardee for lunch. ...

Steelers turn to Tommy Maddox and his championship experience. As one of the few members of the Steelers with a professional football championship, linebacker Joey Porter says that the Steelers, now more than ever, will be leaning on Maddox. ...

Columnist: Detroit Not that Bad. The reporter is shanked on his way to the media shuttle after filing the story. ...

Barrett Robbins to host Super Bowl party in Windsor, Ontario. ...

Columnist refuses to rip on the cold of Detroit. "I know this may be hard to believe, but football fans generally don�t care about my warmth or convenience in getting around the Super Bowl city." ...

Bill Cowher refuses to give a reason why he turned on America and feuded with Hulk Hogan during Wrestlemania VII. ...

Columnist hilariously points out that Super Bowl XL could be viewed as Super Bowl "Extra Large." The columnist anxiously awaits word from Pulitzer Prize committee. ...

Both the Seahawks and Steelers admit that they get the respect they deserve. "If anything, they might be getting too much," Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. ...

NFL�s Man of the Year does not solicit prostitute. Eugene Robinson feels as though he is a failure as a role model.

Jerome Bettis� parents ask to not be shown on television: Network to comply.

Bill Belichick turns down the chance to play backup guitar with the Stones at halftime of Super Bowl XL. "I think our team might be a little over-exposed," said the coach working with NFL Network.

Brett Favre schedules a news conference that evening to let the media know that he doesn't want to become a story during the Super Bowl.

NFL Adam to finally produce something funny on the Hater Nation; America will not hold its breath.

Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums. Our man, Benny says it's cool. Although our friend, Zach, thinks the forums are for suckers. (Be sure to check out their sites this week.)

Blackmail

The man who caught the ball from Doug Flutie's historic drop-kick is using his lawyer to leverage the Patriots for a handsome payday. But only because he is a true fan of the team. It seems this fan has already had offers from other people, but seriously, he wants to stick it to the Patriots because he is a true fan.

Stacey James, media relations guru for the Patriots, received a fax from the lawyer of the fan detailing his client's demands for the return of the ball. They were published here in the Boston Globe:

1. Payment of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND ($100,000.00) DOLLARS [lawyer's capitals] on delivery of the football.

2. A guarantee of eight (8) season tickets for 25 years in the end zone (preferably sections 142 or 143).
a. The season tickets will be paid for annually by my client at the then going price for season tickets. The Patriots would not be expected to pay for the tickets. (Hey that seems fair.)

3. Delivery by the Patriots to my client sometime in September, 2006, of a Tom Brady Patriots' football jersey signed by all the team members as of the beginning of the next football season.

4. Guitar lessons with Bill Belichick and an autographed hooded sweatshirt. Plus my client and Belichick will be partners in a fantasy football league.

5. Dinner with Bridget Moynihan, sans Visa's five layers of protection. (Tom Brady can attend if he wants.)

6. Matt Cassel to play quarterback for his intramural football team.

Alright, we made the last three up.

It might sound crazy for the fan to ask for all of this stuff. But then again, Robert Kraft did give away a ring to Vladimir Putin last year. So this guy might not be as dumb as we think. But odds are the Patriots won�t even part with a soda from the Diet Pepsi machine. The identity of the individual is being protected by the James and the Patriots, but who could do something like this?



Doug Mientkiewicz? Come on. That is too obvious.

It just has to be this guy. (Please let it be this guy.)



The ESPN's Bill Simmons. He said in his recent More Cowbell (don't ask), that he is working on a mystery project and can't go to the Super Bowl. Can't or won't go because he is ducking the Patriots? Maybe that mystery project is a new book, Now I Can Die in Peace, I Extorted the Patriots For $100K.

Hopefully the Patriots won't buckle under and negotiate. Remember guys, if you give in to these demands, then the football terrorist will have won. Talk about it here, in the Hater Nation Forums.

Shipoopi!

These days, Marian and I don't get around to "Grey's Anatomy" until Monday nights, so more on that tomorrow. Instead, I spent most of my Sunday doing the Fox comedy nostalgia thing: "Malcolm," "King of the Hill," "Simpsons" and "Family Guy" -- and, once again, I find myself laughing more at "Family Guy" than the others combined. Either the show has gotten a lot better in its second incarnation or its rhythms have just grown on me, but I like it a lot more now than I did years ago.

For those who didn't see it, last night's show had Peter lucking into a spot on the Patriots' roster, where he scored touchdowns but annoyed the hell out of Tom Brady with his celebration antics, highlighted by a full-length, stadium-wide performance of "Shipoopi," from "The Music Man." Knowing Seth MacFarlane's musical tastes, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the entire episode was done as an excuse to do that "Shipoopi" production number, which was both hysterical and impressively choreographed/animated.

One question: didn't Brady attend Homer Simpson's obnoxious touchdown celebration school back in the last "Simpsons" Super Bowl episode? If so, methinks he doth protest Peter's antics too much.

Make Up Your Mind

Brett Favre really loves attention. Favre announced in an ESPN interview that he is undecided about whether to retire or not from football. What he is certain of is that he loves to get reporters talking with the retirement tease.

Who does this guy think he is, Ryan Seacrest? You could imagine FOX televising Favre's big announcement and saying, "I have made a decision and that decision is...I'll tell you after the break."

Favre said that he was concerned about his image if he came back for one more season.

"I love the game too much and I love my legacy too much to have that just be OK," Favre said, "and I don't want to be just OK. I want to be good, and I don't know if I'm committed enough [right now] to be good on an everyday basis."

Too late. Favre wasn't good last season, as he threw 29 interceptions with a passer rating near Tiger Woods average round (70.9). Favre has already achieved the Willie Mays for the Mets stage of his career. Favre's decision-making skills have diminished so much his only option is to retire.

Or at least play for the Raiders.

What should Favre do? Talk about it in the message board a certain major newspaper in Orange County does not want you to see, the Hater Nation Forums.

Come on, get happy

When my wife and I are in the car together, I have this habit of controlling the music, first with the radio stations and eventually with the playlists on my iPod. It used to drive her crazy, as there was only so much Springsteen or Stones she could listen to in a given month. But in the last couple of years, she's stopped complaining as much -- and a few months ago, in fact, she said, "You know, your taste has really expanded lately. I like it."

I thought about it, and I realized that most of the new groups and styles I was playing for her, I had discovered through TV. And she was right; if "The O.C." or "Grey's Anatomy" or "Scrubs" hadn't led me straight to all these songs, they had sent me in their general directions. New York radio is pretty awful, and I haven't made the investment in satellite radio yet, so most of my exposure to new music was coming through my job.

So when I went out to LA for press tour, one of my goals was to talk to as many of the people responsible for my new and improved taste as I could. (Or, as my friend Dan argued, maybe I just wanted them to declare me cool.) I did so many music-related interviews that I wound up with two stories: a mega story about how scripted TV has replaced radio and MTV as the place to break bands, and a profile of Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor for "O.C." and "Grey's."

And speaking of music, a few weeks back I wrote about the bizarre recurrence of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy" at the exact same time whenever I worked out. For the first time in a while, I didn't hear it at all when I exercised yesterday; at the point where that song usually came on, I got "Time For You," by The Tories. (You may remember it as the theme song from "Jesse" -- or, as my friend Phil puts it, the only good thing about "Jesse.")

85 Bears: Best Ever

At least according to Illinois lawmakers. The Illinois General Assembly unanimously decided last week to designate the 1985 Chicago Bears the greatest football team of all time. The Chicago City Council passed a similar law last month. That will sure end the debate.

This is the kind of thing that is really going to piss off Nick Buoniconti and the 1972 Dolphins. Look for members of the two teams to rumble during the pregame show of Super Bowl XL. The winner gets a bottle of chamagne.

House Minority Leader Tom Cross was the lead sponsor and said, "Of course they were the best, didn't you see the Super Bowl shuffle?"

And here we thought only sports editors had that kind of time to waste.

Who was the greatest team of all-time? Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums, voted too hot for the Internet by the Association of Humorless Poopy Pants.

career advice

Obviously we might not be the best authority to be dispensing career advice. But at least it beats sports editors practicing law. We would, however, like to encourage Mike Martz to pass up an offer to be the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions.

Martz will notify the Lions on Monday regarding his intentions to accept the Lions offer according to the Detroit News. Although Martz does have the arrogance to gamble his career on Joey Harrington, he should hold out for that Raiders gig.

Don't sell yourself short Mike. This marriage between you and the Raiders has been ordained by the football gods. Do not condescend to take this offensive coordinators position. It is beneath you. You are Mike "Freaking" Martz, offensive genius. Don't take this Lions job.

Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums. Voted as a member of the axis of evil by the association of Orange County sports editors.

Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Galactica

It's not often that I find myself liking a TV episode more than its creator does. There are plenty of times where the opposite is true (see any episode of "7th Heaven"). But I was still surprised to hear Ronald Moore trashing Friday night's "Battlestar Galactica" in his podcast after I'd enjoyed it so much.

Basically, Moore spends the entire podcast rending his garments and throwing himself on the audience's mercy because he feels the episode doesn't do a very good job of establishing the questionable ethics of the fleet's black market, or of Apollo's relationship with his past and present women, and that pretty much every scene feels like something you've seen dozens of times before in other movies and TV shows.

And, in retrospect, I think he's right about a lot of the show's faults, but in the moment, I thought it worked much better than he did because of the performances of Jamie Bamber and guest star Bill Duke. I dismissed Bamber in the miniseries and early episodes as the token prettyboy that every sci-fi show, even the good ones, gets stuck with, but I've developed a real appreciation of him over time. This whole suicidal Apollo arc could feel out of left field, but he has me buying it.

Duke, meanwhile, is one of those guys for whom someone dreamed up that cliche aboutreading the phone book and making it interesting. I like Michael Clarke Duncan and all, but how much better would "Daredevil" have been with Duke as the Kingpin?

So while I think the overexposition by the hooker at the end was awful, and that the child prostitute thing was a cheat, I loved the two central performances, as well as a deeper look at the rest of the Rag Tag Fleet. Hey, they can't all be "Pegasus."

Meanwhile, I have this one reader who hated "The Office" on first sight, yet out of some masochistic or loyal notion, gives it another shot every time I write an article about it. So when he saw my profile of the supporting actors, he tried it yet again and hated it yet again -- with one exception. Even he had to admit that this exchange between Stanley and Michael was genius:

Stanley: "This wasn't a hate crime, Michael."
Michael: "Well, I hated it!"

This is the first time since the pilot that they've even come close to borrowing a British plotline, since the original had an episode where David gets all worked up because someone e-mailed around a photo of his head on a naked woman's body, only to cool it at the end when he discovers the prankster is his buddy Finchy. At this point, though, the American characters are all so well-defined that even when the plot is similar, the episode isn't. Loved Jim's increasing levels of annoyance with Kelly, Michael's creepy stalker look at Ryan the receptionist, Dwight trying to be caller 107, Ken Howard as the perfectly-named Ed Truck, and the two poignant moments: Pam's 7 voicemails to Jim, and Michael's realization (in the scene with Ed) that he has no friends or family outside the office. I know I've been tough on Carell at times in the past, but I think both he and the writers have finally gotten a handle on the irritation/pathos ratio with Michael.

(Interestingly, when the cast and crew were at press tour, Greg Daniels said that he and the other writers got a better idea of how to write Michael sympathetically after they saw "40-Year-Old Virgin.")

And, as promised 8,000 years ago, "Lost." After the great Mr. Eko episode a few weeks ago, we've had two stinkers in a row: first, the characters' chronic inability to ask follow-up questions reaches its ridiculous apex when Jack and company fail to come away from their parley with The Others with any new information; and this week, yet another attempt to apologize for Charlie's whiny uselessness by bringing up his family issues. Unless they involve a new character (say, Libby) or the writers think of something really new to say about an old one, the show just needs to abolish all the flashbacks. They're adding nothing except another excuse for the writers to delay answering anything.

Martz Talks With Raiders

Mike Martz interviewed with Raiders owner Al Davis on Thursday about the Raiders' coaching vacancy according to the Mercury News. And to be quite honesty, we don't know if we have been good enough in our lives to receive such a blessing.

Davis had previously cast aside Martz earlier this month citing health concerns.

"I am a little concerned about Mike from another standpoint, physically, right now," Davis said. "But Mike has always been of interest because he is dynamic. He is not afraid. But there is a fear there right now (about his health)."

This coming from a guy that has cheated death for two centuries and can no longer move about without a walker. The Hater Nation will keep you up to date with this story.

CLARIFICATION

We received an anonymous comment on a recent story from somebody who wanted to clarify that Jon Gruden was traded from the Raiders. Somehow that makes things worse. The Raiders received a first and second round pick in 2002, a first round pick in 2003, and a second round pick in 2004. Plus $8 million in cash.

Tampa Bay gave Oakland the 21st and 53rd picks in the draft in 2002. The Raiders dealt third- and fifth-round picks to trade up from No. 21 to No. 17, when they took cornerback/returner Phillip Buchanon. With Tampa Bay's second-round pick, Oakland picked tackle Langston Walker.

Buchanon now plays for Houston. Walker has started 17 games

The Raiders selected defensive end Tyler Brayton with the Buccaneers first pick in 2003 (No. 32 after humiliating the Raiders in the Super Bowl) and center Jake Grove the following year. Brayton has registered 6 sacks in three years and Jake Grove has started 16 games in two seasons.

And for the money? The Raiders are nearly $30 million over the salary cap right now, meaning they will be paying a lot of money to guys no longer on the team this season.

So in other words, thanks to anonymous for pointing that out.

Talk about it in The Hater Nation Forums.

Chesney: All Man

At least according to one flight attendant for Southwest Airlines. Paula Jackson, 47, announced to a plane load of people�including FOX gossip columnist Roger Friedman�that she had been Kenny Chesney�s lover for 10 years before he met and married Renee Zellweger.

And if there is one segment of society that knows something about manly men, it�s flight attendants.

Jackson described Chesney as a capable lover, which really is more information than we really needed. Peyton Manning could not be reached for comment.

Did a former cab driver really say she was Tom Cruise's former lover? Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums.

Who's Dancing with the Devil?

It is fair to say that Terrell Owens has been a pretty vocal critic of his quarterbacks. He insinuated that Jeff Garcia was gay and painted Donovan McNabb as a "sellout" who gets sick during the big games.

Whether Owens is right can be debated. But what can't be disputed is that it is all very entertaining. Be honest, Owens is the biggest non-Raider topic on this site. That is why we are excited about a recent report that has linked Owens with�wait for it�the Denver Broncos.

And there are even members of the Broncos who would be in favor of this.

"He's a great player," Broncos center Tom Nalen told the Denver Post. "Any team would be happy to have him. I think he'd do well here. With this locker room, I think he would conform to our standards and fit in well here."

Two things here: Either Nalen is an idiot, or he must really, really hate Jake Plummer.

But it might be worth the risk for Denver. They were only a game away from the Super Bowl and Owens is pretty much guaranteed to have one incident-free season with the Broncos. It might be worth it. And if things work out, Owens could lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl next year and the Avalanche could retire his number. Maybe they will even spring for a parade in San Francisco and Philadelphia. Talk about it in the
Hater Nation Forums.

Too far to care

Still way out of synch. Haven't gotten to "Lost" yet, but I saw "Veronica Mars" last week at press tour.

The good:

• Rob and company faked me out on Veronica and Duncan's break-up. I should have seen that coming, since A)Veronica never acts that jealous and stupid, and B)Veronica is always 12 steps ahead of the plot, but they got me. Part of it is that I didn't notice the use of the Paula Cole theme from "Dawson's Creek" during one of her moping scenes; that should have tipped me off right away, since Rob used to write the mopey adventures of Dawson, Joey and Pacey.
  
• More Lamb. I just love this guy's smugness. Even when he's right (Veronica was pulling one over on the FBI), he's wrong (he never should've fallen for the ATM card scam).
  
• Lucy Lawless. Ever since she became an honorary TV critic for being the "date" of one of the critics at the TCA Awards a couple of years ago, and a tremendous good sport overall, I get excited whenever she pops up on TV, even in schlock horror like "Vampire Bats." So it's extra-cool to have her pop up on a good show, and in a good role. Rob Thomas told me that she was such a pro on the set that she actually gave several of her lines to the local actor who played her partner, because she felt he didn't have enough to do. Okay, so... gorgeous... talented... funny... a pleasure to work with... why doesn't she have another full-time job? (Of course, if she just wants to work occasionally while spending more time with Rob and the kids, I understand.
• Duncan's gone. Whether it was the writing or Teddy Dunn or both, the character was always a drag on the show, a blank slate who didn't seem nearly interesting enough for Veronica to be into -- especially when he turned cold and distant this year. The show's miniscule budget has meant that only Veronica, Keith and Logan can appear in every episode. I'd rather have seen Duncan split town with his folks and spent his money on extra appearances for Wallace and/or Weevil. Hell, spend it on Dick and Beaver. (And not in that way.)
  
• Enrico Colantoni is so f'ing good. The scene where Keith tears into Veronica for lying to him was painful, both because of the performances and because the writers have spent so much time building up the trust between them.
  
• Not one, but two Old 97's songs ("Adelaide" and "Four Leaf Clover") on the soundtrack. Great, underappreciated band. And once again I ask, does anyone know where I can find a copy of their theme song to Showtime's "Going to California"?
  

The bad:

• Again, Duncan. I'm just so disinterested in him that I find it hard to get too worked up over his exit, or over Veronica's loneliness after the break-up.
  

The meh:

• Logan/Weevil. These guys play off each other so well that I almost don't mind the trouble I'm having following the Felix/Fitzpatricks storyline. Almost. More than anything else this season, I think this subplot is going to play much better on DVD, when the constant references to minor off-camera characters will be easier to follow.
  
• The near-total detour the show has taken from the bus crash mystery. I know you can't have every minute of every episode be about the crash, but even in the season one episodes that had very little to do with Lily Kane or the rape, you always got the sense that Veronica was working on both in the back of her mind. Now that the Meg/baby stuff is pretty much over, I look forward to getting back to the season's big piece of business.
  
• Wallace and LeBron James run over a homeless guy. Not enough in this episode for me to judge it one way or another. It's supposed to be a bigger plot point next time, so we'll see. More Wallace, though, is good.

Meanwhile, because the news editors who put my WB/UPN/CW on page one yesterday wanted a straight news story, I had to save the analysis, snark and predictions for today's column, the meat of which is my projected CW schedule. (And, for what it's worth, I ran it past someone who's going to work there and was told I wasn't very far off the mark.)

More after I've seen Charlie, Mr. Eko and company.

Bryant Wolfs Out

Do you think Jelly Bean Bryant and Kobe have had a recent talk about turning into Teen Wolf? The elder Bryant may have wished that is skipped a generation, but it has finally manifested in Kobe, culminating with his recent 81-point performance. In a true life imitating art moment, Lamar Odom was seen eating an apple on the basketball court. It seems like Kobe would be a natural for Coach Flinstock's system: It doesn't matter how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose. And even that doesn't make all that much difference.

But who would you rather as your lead player�the enigmatic Kobe or the charismatic Teen Wolf? The Hater Nation stacks up the two basketball legends.

	Kobe	Teen Wolf	Advantage
Claim to fame:	Three NBA titles; next Jordan	Beat Dragons for city title; snagged Boof	Teen Wolf
Idols:	Mussolini	Robin Williams; George �The Animal� Steele	Teen Wolf
Enemies:	Karl Malone; assists	Principle Thorne; Mick McAllister	Kobe
Dissed:	Shaq	Pamela Wells	Kobe
Eats:	McDonalds; Nuttella	Chickens	Teen Wolf
Can be stopped by:	A Lamar Odom pass	Sliver bullet	Teen Wolf
Fashion Statement:	Purple tights	Headband	Kobe
Also known as:	81	Wolf	Kobe
Anger management issue:	Too easy	Slashed McAllister�s shirt at the dance	Kobe
Ways to relax:	Lifting weights; jewelry shopping	Surfing with Stiles on the Wolfmobile	Teen Wolf
Turn ons:	High school girls	High school girlfriends of rivals	Teen Wolf
Turn offs:	Finishing himself	Making out in closets	Kobe
Appeared in:	NBA Finals; All-Star Game; Court TV	School production of "Gone with the Wind"	Kobe
Coach's words of wisdom:	Live in joy, in love, even among those who hate	Never get less than 12 hours of sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that and everything else is cream cheese.	Teen Wolf
Score	7	7	Tie

Imagine that. Both Teen Wolf and Kobe are deadlocked. True peas in a pod. But remember this. Teen Wolf did not win until he de-wolfed and included his teammates. That might be the lesson here for Kobe. Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums.

Photos are courtesy of Wooda at Live1 Productions.

Catching up

Well, the announcement that UPN and the WB are going to merge into a new network called the CW pretty much derailed my day yesterday. The best news to come out of it, for me, was a Les Moonves quote where he described the idea of pairing Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars as "a dream come true for Dawn (Ostroff)."

I actually called Rob Thomas' office at Veronica Mars to let him hear that; his assistant said Rob was in a script meeting, but when I started leaving the message, he said, "Hold on. I think they're all going to want to hear this." They piped me in on the speaker phone, and there was an audible sigh of relief when I told them what Les had said. It's not often that I get to give someone in TV good news (a couple of times, I've inadvertently informed people like Ed Zwick or Tommy Schlamme that a project of theirs was dead), so that was nice.

Speaking of professional good deeds, while I was out in LA, I spent a day on the set of "The Office" to interview all the background characters who recently got promoted to series regulars. Several of them had never been interviewed before, and the main castmembers were as excited as I've ever seen actors be to learn that a reporter's there to interview someone else. The story is up here.

Between the jet lag, time spent with my family and, you know, actual work, I'm still way behind on my viewing. I've seen last week's "Scrubs" (best joke by far: The Todd getting the worst atomic wedgie of all time) but not last night's, for instance. And now I'm going to be occupied for virtually all of today writing about music on TV and the ramifications of the UPN/WB merger.

One day, I may actually get back to blogging about stuff I watch. One day.

Anna Does Baltimore

Anna Benson continues to be in the news, this time telling the New York Daily News that she plans to christen Camden Yards by having sex in the stadium's parking lot. Benson seems a perfect fit for Baltimore which is best known for its crabs.

Orioles fan Brian Smith, for one, likes what he hears.

"I don't see anything wrong with that," said Smith, 32, a bartender at a spot a few blocks from the stadium. "I've dated a stripper or two myself.

That's their mama?

For the people who discovered this blog after the Sorkin/Schlamme or "Arrested Development" items, it was lousy timing that I almost immediately went out to LA for press tour and didn't have much time to, you know, watch TV.

Well, I'm back, and hopefully I'll get caught up quickly. Between iTunes and some advance network screeners, I got to catch up on half of last week's shows, plus I got home in time to watch Ted meet his potential future bride on "How I Met Your Mother."

Since that's the freshest, we'll start there. After spending a good chunk of CBS' press tour party haranguing the "HIMYM" producers for the whole "Aunt Robin" mess, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Josh Radnor can be just as good working opposite another love of Ted's life. And I thought Ashley Williams matched up with him very well. (She also looked really good after putting on a few extra pounds since her "Good Morning, Miami" days; someone playing a baker shouldn't be a size zero.)

If Victoria turns out to be the mom -- and you'll note the distinct absence of Future Ted narration at the end of the show -- then I can get behind that. If, however, she's yet another missed opportunity, then I think we have a big problem. I'm not married to this pairing after only one episode, but the writers sold the thing so hard that if it doesn't work out -- after we already got the Ted-Robin hard sell in the pilot -- then I just won't be invested in any of Ted's future girlfriends. Then he's just a schmoe who's in love with love, and who has to make every relationship into the greatest love of all (even though it's not inside of him). And at that point, I'll want him to just go away so I can watch Barney score at massage parlors and Marshall wax poetic about his new favorite cake.

More later on "Galactica," "Lost" and "The Office" (my story on the supporting actors will be running tomorrow or Thursday). It'll probably take me about a week to totally get back in rhythm. On the plus side, I've already seen this week's great "Veronica Mars" (directed by Rob Thomas), so that's one thing I'll be able to comment on quickly the next day.

Good to be back. So why does it still feel like the crack of dawn?

Shall We Dance?

The NFL coaching dance has neared its conclusion and it should come as no surprise that Al Davis is still without a dance partner. As the final bars of Take My Breath Away plays, Davis stares longingly into the distance as he holds up the wall. But don't fret Al. There is somebody waiting for you. Since you seem to be inept at breaking the ice and have been burned by recent courtships (seriously, Al Saunders?), let me do the introduction.

Al, this is Mike Martz. Mike, this is Al Davis. You both are perfect for each other.

Martz has the arrogance to be a Raiders coach. You see, the Raiders have never lost a game. It has always been the referees, the league, or tuck rules screwing them. It is never the Raiders fault. Likewise, Martz has never made a coaching mistake in his life. Ever. He�s also not afraid to let you know that he is a genius.

Martz won't even care that you went ahead an already hired a defensive coordinator, either. The offensive guru would never condescend to ever look over a defensive game plan.

Al, you hate disciplined players. That should not be a problem for Martz. It�s not to say that he is a lenient coach, but he makes Captain Hazelwood look like Bud Grant.

Martz did miss most of last season with a heart condition, but Al, you have been finding a way to cheat death for years. Montgomery Burns could only hope for your own immortality.

And the Patriots? Rest assured that you both would have a lot to commiserate about.

Sure there is the temptation for going after a young, unheralded coach, but he will only end up leaving you to win a Super Bowl for another team�like Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden. Martz gives you the best chance to maintain your commitment to mediocrity. The Raiders will finish 9-7, score a ton of points, and be out-coached each week (especially on defense), but at least your team would be interesting for a change.

C�mon guys, seal this deal with a kiss already.

BILLS NEW COACH

How bad is the coaching job in Buffalo when Mike Mularkey would rather quit and go work for the biggest control freak in the NFL? It is so bad that they had to settle for Dick Jauron.

With octogenarians Ralph Wilson and Marv Levy running the show in Buffalo, it is a surprise they didn�t hire Steve Guttenberg as head coach.

Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums.

Kobe Sets Ball-Hogging Standard

Kobe Bryant scored 81-points against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. The highest total for a professional player against a non-NBA team. The Lakers went on to beat Toronto, 122-104.

Bryant was at a loss for words after the game.

"It just happened," Bryant said. "It's tough to explain. It's just one of those things."

Not surprisingly, that was the same explanation that Kobe gave when he was accused of raping a woman a few summers ago. At least he didn�t blame this on Shaq, either.

And this, in no way, looks fishy either. There is no way the NBA would encourage one of its lesser franchises to back off and let Kobe score 81 points on a day the Super Bowl teams were decided (watch the highlights. Kobe is never doubled). We know the NBA, and especially its officials, are on the up-and-up.

STAT OF the day: The Lakers had 18 assists as a team. Toronto had 20. Does anybody besides Kobe handle the ball on this team? How does Lamar Odom not have at least 20 assists on his own?

Fun With Jason Sehorn

Jason Sehorn took some time on Sunday to answer some questions from fans during the NFC Championship Game. Sehorn was very gracious with his time, but he would not answer any of our questions. But we have provided them here. No idea why he would not take the time to answer these relevant questions from one of his biggest fans. Here they are:

• Jason, you were burned badly by Brandon Stokley in Super Bowl XXXV? How badly would Steve Smith burn you?

• Jason, scratch that last question. You were burned by a Panthers receiver in the playoffs a couple of years ago when you played for St. Louis. Who was that? Any help would be appreciated.

• Jason where does Jake Delhomme rank among quarterbacks who have burned you? Above or below Trent Dilfer? Ever been burned by Matt Hasselbeck? Anxiously awaiting your answer.

• Jason, is it worse to be burned in college or pro? Please discuss the pros and cons of each.

• Jason, was their a bigger media whore moment than when you proposed to your wife on the Tonight Show? Is it true Elton John (who was there) told you to butch up? And is that marriage ever going into the pooper?

• Jason, where do you believe you rank among the most overrated players in sports? Can�t wait for your take.

• Jason, is your biggest regret in sports begging to play special teams and suffering a season-ending injury, getting burned by Stokley, or your appearance on Third Watch?

Maybe it was sitting down to do that chat session. What would you have liked to have known from Sehorn? Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums.

It's the Steelers and Seahawks

Both the Steelers and Seahawks advanced to Super Bowl 40 and that means only one thing: Who in the heck will Franco Harris root for?

The former Steelers great ended his career with the Seahawks in a bitter attempt to extend his career and surpass Jim Brown for the all-time rushing lead. But don�t worry, when the media is tired of talking about Jerome Bettis returning to Detroit for his final game, they will eventually turn to this angle.

That�s the joy of having two weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. It also ensures that one team will win in a blowout. Most Super Bowl blowouts occur when there is a two-week pause between games.

The Steelers were installed as an early 4-point favorite at the Stardust on Sunday. Who is the Hater Nation leaning towards with two weeks of endless hype? Are you joking? THN tabbed the Broncos and the Panthers as our Super Bowl picks. How did that turn out?

STEELERS vs. BRONCOS

I really believed in Jake Plummer. The fact that The Replacements was on TBS prior to the games actually cemented my belief that the Broncos would win. Plummer and Shane Falco seemed to have a lot in common; both dated cheerleaders; both were considered losers; both wore #16; and let�s be honest, Jake isn�t far away from scrapping barnacles from the bottom of boats.

Still, there is the nagging suspicion that if this game was played in Pittsburgh, the Broncos would have won.

PANTHERS vs. STEELERS

The announcers kept comparing Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to Brett Favre. Even Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren called Hasselbeck during the pregame show. So I kept waiting for one of those Favre-like, game-crippling interception from Elisabeth Filarski�s bother-in-law. But it never happened.

It�s still going to take some getting used to hearing Seahawks and Super Bowl in the same sentence. And those damn uniforms ... please, in the name of Jim Zorn, wear the throwbacks.

Make your Super Bowl picks in the Hater Nation Forums.

Anna Benson Traded to Baltimore

Yeah and her husband, Kris, also was part of the package sent to Baltimore on Saturday for a couple of other journeymen pitchers. A deal like this would not be big news if Anna was not the Paris Hilton of Major League Baseball wives. Instead, every sports log and website will make a Baltiwhore joke and treat this like it is big news.

Why? Anna once famously promised on the Howard Stern show that she would sleep with the entire Mets organization (including the bat boys) if she ever caught Kris cheating on her. Mets players will now save countless dollars not taking Kris to Scores now. (Which, incidentally is where Kris found his blushing bride in the first place.)

The burdern of getting Kris to cheat now falls into the hands of his new Baltimore teammates. (Insert your own B.J. Surhoff joke here.) At least now Miguel Tejada has a reason to stay with the team.

My life is now complete

I just got something better than a Mr. Eko lunchbox, or t-shirt, or underoos. I got a Mr. Eko freaking hug, baby! Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was the only "Lost" castmember to come to ABC's press tour party. There was a throng of about a dozen people waiting near the entrance for him, and I'm not ashamed to admit I was one of them. When he saw the crowd, he cheered, "My people!" and grabbed us all in a huge bear hug. Then he turned out to be maybe the best interview subject of the whole damn tour, articulate, funny, candid, you name it. When someone asked him how to pronounce his name, the guy sang it to us, for God's sake. He was very, very, incredibly cool.

I'm sure I'll write some about this over on the official tour blog (which has some more on the future of "Arrested," plus other recent tour anecdotes), but since I've explored my man-crush on Eko so often on this site, I felt I had to bring it up here first.

What's Up for the Title Games?

Award season is alive and well in Hollywood. If you ever want to make a sure-fire critically acclaimed movie it needs to revolve around somebody who is either hideously ugly (Monster), retarded (My Name is Sam), or gay (Brokeback Mountain). You'll have a real winner if you subject is ugly, retarded and gay.

Hey, that sounds like Peyton Manning�s life story.

It's a shame that we won't have Manning to kick around anymore�other than their insipid commercial appearances. This weekends games seem to lack a villain to root for. As we wrote about a long, long time ago, villains are everything.

Nevertheless here is what's up for Championship Weekend.

WHO DO YOU ROOT FOR?

Tough question when there is nobody to root against. But we're pulling for Denver because of one person who has never even put on a Broncos uniform�Pat Tillman. The immense media scrutiny will force this story back to the surface, thanks to Tillman's friendship with Jake Plummer. And rightly so. Tillman's story, along with the military's cover-up, should not be buried. Peole need to be reminded.

There is also a rooting interest for the Panthers seeing that they were the Hater Nation's (and everybody's) pick to win the Super Bowl. Of course, we also picked a break out year for the Houston Texans and look how well that turned out. And don't forget about the Seahawks uniform factor.

STEELERS vs. BRONCOS

This game would not be close if this was played in Pittsburgh�the Broncos would obviously win. It's just still hard to imagine that Bill Cowher is going to have his team prepared for three consecutive playoff games. The Steelers Super Bowl was last week. They will not have enough left in the tank. It won't be close. Jake Plummer is going to the Super Bowl. The pick: Denver.

PANTHERS vs. SEAHAWKS

You wouldn�t be the first to doubt Jake Delhomme. Mel Kiper Jr. said that the Panthers should take Aaron Rodgers in last year's draft. Remember that when Kiper projects USC's LenDale White to fall all they way down to No. 17 in this year's draft. Jake is the reason that the Panthers are going to their second Super Bowl in three years. Delhomme comes up big in the playoffs. He's like the anti-Manning. Delhomme shredded the Bears defense and holds a 5-1 all-time playoff mark. That one loss, of course, came in the Super Bowl to the Patriots. That won�t happen again. The pick: Carolina.

Pick 'em pal in the Hater Nation Forums.

The Bish Keeps Rocking the Hits

If you ever see the Black Crowes in concert you want to hear them open with the song Remedy; close with Remedy; play Remedy at least one other time; followed by an encore of Remedy.

Play your damn hits.

Sports writers are the same way. You want to read the classic take. Orange County Register columnist Steve Bisheff (affectionately known as The Bish in the Hater Nation Forums) really delivered on Thursday. He hit all of his classic fallbacks in his typical heavy-handed, over-dramatic prose about Jerome Bettis.

Witness the brilliance of the Bish.

Excuse some of us if we're feeling a little sentimental about Jerome Bettis, who could be playing his last football game Sunday.

You see, we knew him before he was "The Bus."

This is classic Bisheff: You had to know "The Bus" back in the day to really appreciate him. It is the sports writers equivalent of a music snob saying, "I remember seeing the Stones back in Chelsea before they got really popular." We get it; you're old, you've seen it all.

Back in 1993, Bettis, the frisky, young power runner from Notre Dame, was a rookie with the then Los Angeles Rams. In the midst of a fine first season, he enjoyed a bust-out game in New Orleans, rushing for 212 yards in 28 carries in a 23-20 upset of the Saints.

Caught up in the drama of the moment, your humble correspondent noted this was the same town where Tennessee Williams first made a name for himself with "A Streetcar Named Desire." Then, obviously impressed by Bettis' thundering runs, I added: "Here comes 'A Streetcar Named Jerome.'"

This is a classic, "Damn am I fresh" move from the Bish. Not only is he congratulating himself on a joke he wrote a dozen years ago, but he reiterates the joke here and blows it completely.

Hey, streetcar, bus, at least they're in the same general family.

The Bish goes for the kill midway through his story (we'll spare you the details. You don't want to read it) where the Bish expounds on Bettis' trade from St. Louis to Pittsburgh.

As career moves go, this was the football equivalent of George Clooney leaving the cast of "ER" to take a crack at making movies.

This is actually the saddest part of the story. This is where the Bish tries desperately to prove that he is still viable. That The Bish still has his finger on the pulse of pop culture. Despite the bad rug on his head along with a suit that looks as though it was purchased as Sears and slept in the night prior to Register photo day, the Bish wants to show that he is cool. That is so sad, we wish we could cook up some Remedy to cure him.

Get it? Remedy? That fresh reset was our homage to the Bish.

Panthers Cheerleaders Are Back

Our favorite newstory of 2005 is back.

Angela Keathley (the Sea Hag) has settled out of court in the Panthers cheerleaders sexcapades. Renee Thomas (the hot one) will not go down without a fight (pun intended). Not only did Thomas knock the snot out of kill-joy and lesbian sex blocker, Melissa Holden, but now Thomas is suing her for deformation of character.

This is a point in the story when the Bish would pull out a Yakov Smirnof quote and claim, "What a country."

Thomas obviously doesn't like being known as the lesbian cheerleader. But maybe Thomas should be more upset that she never took the Penthouse offer and cashed in while she had a chance. Oh well, maybe Playboy will add them in a pictorial when this story is forgotten about and irrelevant in five years.

And was this update really a reason to post those pictures again? We plead guilty. Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums.

Why don't he write?

Sorry the entries here have been few and far between the last couple of days. It's tougher than I had hoped to write a newspaper column and two different blogs in a given day when I'm also spending most of the day interviewing people.

A quick link catchup: In Wednesday's column, I wrote about Fox canceling "Malcolm in the Middle" and "That '70s Show," along with some stuff about censorship issues on the WB's college human sexuality class drama "The Bedford Diaries." Today's column, meanwhile, is a grab bag about CBS News' search for a new anchor, "American Idol" ratings (in a huge shocker, they're still huge), a very funny "24" practical joke story (in an actual shocker, who would've thought Carlos Bernard was the big prankster?) and a few comments from Josh Schwartz about how the new Kaitlin Cooper is going to introduce viewers to "the Muppet Babies version" of "The O.C."

And over at the other blog, I've got a couple of new entries up: one about David Mamet (including his reaction to "Glengarry Elf Ross"), one about the budding "Freaks and Geeks" alum vs. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" alum feud on "How I Met Your Mother."

And since I can't use curse words in the official blog, let me clarify a couple of quotes here: First, the quote from the Delta Force guy is "How about the way they wear their fucking berets, for openers?" while Neil Patrick Harris described Barney as "Yoda with a boner."

Don't you feel much better for knowing that? I know I do.

Today I'm heading over to the set of "The Office," followed by an interview with the music supervisor for "The O.C." and "Grey's Anatomy," so blogging in either location may be even rarer until tomorrow.

In terms of the actual mission of this thing, the only TV I've watched since I've been out here is a rough cut of next week's "Veronica Mars," which UPN close-circuited in the hotel. I'll talk a lot more about it after it airs, but that there is some good fucking TV (no berets or boners involved).

NFL's Soccer Mom Rips Terry Bradshaw

It didn't take Archie Manning too long before finally going after Terry Bradshaw for ripping his son, Peyton, following the Colts playoff loss. Bradshaw was critical of Manning for putting the blame on his pass protection instead of own notorious choking ability.

"I know Terry well, and this isn't the first time," said Manning, who was passing out orange slices and "Squeeze-Its" in the Colts locker room when he heard Bradshaw's comments. "He's taken shots at me, he takes a lot of shots -- he seems to like to take shots at Peyton. He wore me out two years ago on Eli's deal [whining about playing in San Diego forcing a draft-day trade to the Giants]. He wore me out.

"[Bradshaw] is not a bad guy. He's in a high-profile spot there. Maybe that's what he's supposed to do up there, get after people. I don't know. You just move on."

Archie then jumped into his Aerostar minivan and drove away.

The one who seems to have trouble moving on is Archie as he always meddles in his sons' affairs. Joe Simpson looks merely supportive by comparison. One of the boys needs to cut the cord from Papa or this relationship could end like Marvin Gaye and his father. Or at the very least end up like that one unheard of sibling, Jon Bonet Manning.

At least Archie was able to report some good news for one of his boys.

"Probably the only good thing that's happened to a Manning boy in the last week is Eli killed an 11-point buck last Friday," Archie said.

Of course, Eli had originally intended to kill an 12-point buck but was intercepted by the 11-point buck. Laugh at the Manning family in the Hater Nation Forums.

TELL ME WHERE THE TREE IS!!!!!!!

Half the critics out there are blogging. One of my favorite moments so far this tour: Ellen Gray asks Kiefer Sutherland about his Christmas tree rampage.

Well, I just cracked up Mimi Rogers...

... by asking her whether her marriage to Tom Cruise in any way informs her performance in Fox's upcoming comedy "The Loop." A bad question turned into a good moment. For more on that, hit (say it with me now) the press tour blog.

Matt's last press tour dispatch ran today (mostly about the WB's ratings). I'm very badly jet-lagged, but I stayed up to watch the damn Golden Globes. Best speech by far, was Steve Carell's tribute to his wife, the lovely and talented Nancy Walls.

Isn't That Special

Watching Shaq and Pat Riley come to town is a lot like watching David Lee Roth in his post Van Halen days. Sure he wasn�t what he once was, but if the team had stayed together who knows what could have happened. You can say that the Lakers made the right choice in keeping Kobe. But if the a-hole could have been a better teammate than say, Peyton Manning, the choice shouldn't have presented itself.

Kobe is a good guy, today. But it won't be long before he punches a teammate, rapes a girl, or does something else to et on our bad side. Talk about it in the Hater Nation Forums.

NFL to Steelers: Our Refs Suck

The NFL said the referee made a mistake: Troy Polamalu caught the ball.

The league acknowledged Monday that referee Pete Morelli erred when he overturned on replay Polamalu's interception of Peyton Manning's pass attempt late Sunday in the playoff game between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

Mike Pereira, the league's vice president of officiating, said in a statement that Morelli should have let the call on the field stand.

"He maintained possession long enough to establish a catch," Pereira said. "Therefore, the replay review should have upheld the call on the field that it was a catch and fumble."

Pereira also noted that Jerry Porter's comments about the ref's cheating were "spot-on" and that it was "our bad."

The only question, where was Ed "Guns" Hochuli when the nation really needed him?



Figures. The NFL's most self-absorbed referee couldn't pry himself from his Sports Illustrated appearance to make it out to a game. Check out the Hater Nation Forums.

Boy, are my arms tired

Got to the tour a few hours ago and have already been to two sessions without crashing. The official tour blog ought to have my first entry up any second now (it's about a quintessential session that's funnier than the show it's plugging).

And in my haste to get out the door to the airport this morning, I forgot to link to my review of "Love Monkey." Fortunately, it's not airing until tomorrow. Out of respect for people who don't have the time or patience to jump from blog to blog to column, I'm going to start including the first paragraph or two of reviews to give you a flavor of what I had to say, so here goes:

Once upon a time, there was a man named Ed Stevens. He had a wife, a great Manhattan apartment and a promising corporate law job. Then he caught his wife cheating on him and moved back to his hometown of Stuckeyville, where he bought the bowling alley, set up a law practice inside and set about wooing his old high school crush, Carol Vessey.

That story was told on NBC's late, great "Ed." Tomorrow night, CBS introduces "Love Monkey," which is the story of what happened when Ed dumped Carol, moved back to New York and got a job in the music business.

Well, not exactly, but close enough.

One of the things I'm looking forward to doing while I'm out here is interviewing Nic Harcourt, deejay of LA's outstanding "Morning Becomes Eclectic" and the guy picking most of the music for "Love Monkey." And because I'm either very thorough or very lazy, the book I read on the flight? "Love Monkey." Funny enough that I hope the show borrows more from it in the future, though I always find it cheezy when the narrator of a book or movie compares his life to the character in another book or movie (in this case, to Rob in "High Fidelity") and suggests his is more realistic, even though it's almost exactly the same. ("Love Monkey" guy even starts making Top Five lists within a chapter or two.)

I'm beat, but I've now written two blog entries for two different sites in under 20 minutes. When I was in college, my best stuff often was written when I was either exhausted or drunk, but right now I'm too beat to tell if that axiom still holds true.