Everyone’s still talking Tiger Woods - especially in light of his imminent golf comeback at the Masters. Whether it’s our nation’s president laying to rest speculation of Tiger being the greatest golf player ever (seriously?) or marketing mogul Donny Deutsch going head-to-head with MSNBC’s resident “Gossip” gal Courtney Hazlett and “Today” show commentator Natalie Morales yesterday on subject of Tiger’s harried ethos, opinions are rampant and far too dime-a-dozen when it comes to whether Tiger’s infidelities will do any long-term damage to his career.
But let’s not forget that before he was every sponsor’s wet dream, Tiger was a golf prodigy and had talent to back his brand. This talent will carry him much further than the threat of illegitimate children, genital herpes, or perhaps a worse fate than all of these - the prospect of ending up on an episode of Dr. Drew’s “Sober House.”
In short, while not infallible and undoubtedly smarmy, the guy isn’t ruined, nor should he be condemned to the court of Oprah or any of the other celeb naysayers that try to back him into a sex rehab corner only to resurrect him from the grave of shame at some pre-ordained showstopping date to drive ratings through the roof.
The bulk of your personal brand is measured by how you interact with the people that come into your life on a daily basis - more so than how credible you are. If Tiger can abide by this and go on doing his humble, modest dude thing given enough time has passed and sufficient public statements of apology go by, his transgressions will all but be forgotten. This latter is merely a by-product of the short-term memory pandemic our nations falls prey to on an hourly basis.
So in the end whether Elin takes him back into her arms, sponsors will embrace this humbled Tiger because his golf game will walk the walk. And the rest of us continue to talk talk.
A-Team, The Movie! Coming to theaters in June. Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson and Jessica Biel will try to revive the mythological 80′ TV show. While the TV A-Team were a bunch of ex Vietnam soldiers turned into escaping convicts, in the movie they are Iraq war veterans. The trailer sure brings back memories.
I, for one, am super psyched by the prospect of the Ravens and Colts going head-to-head duking it out for the AFC championship on national TV tonight. As convinced as I am that Manning will pull through for the Colts (unless they decide to pull out all starters in the 2nd half again), Joe Flacco and his Ravens took the Patriots on a ride last week that ultimately led a once shoo-in team (before Wes Welker got injured) for the playoffs to their demise in a disastrous and humiliating showdown.
Whichever team wins tonight and I hold no favorites on this one, it should make for entertaining football and with football fans only a month away from the end of the season altogether, we take what we can, even when we are pretty ardent Patriots and Steelers fans.
Just got through watching the Massachusetts Senator debates on local news.
Parting thoughts…
Why put Indie candidate and IT technician Joe Kennedy through the humiliation of being on TV, staging his podium far enough off camera focus that he not only physically a non-entity and then barely giving the guy enough time to address any of the issues if this race is really Martha Coakley vs. Scott Brown. Even the moderator forgot his name half-way thru the debate, starting to call him, “Mr. Br…” before correcting himself. I mean really?
Ok, so Joe Kennedy is not the brightest bulb on foreign policy and his ramblings come off like the infantile scribblings of 1st grader, but his comments on spend and the economy were legitimate enough that I was hoping Brown or Coakley might address them
Brown and Coakley were so busy attacking one another on legal social issues (abortion, capital punishment) that I’m still wondering when/how Massachusetts will become a state with a sound economy, flourishing public school systems, lowered taxes, and more job opportunities. None of what really matters was talked about. Then again, Brown’s body of work is rather impressive…
So the last point being are our reps so out of touch with what really matters to people that they’d rather wax poetic on the sh*t no one but them and the bureaucratic machine that is DC actually care about?
And if this is the case, how can I feel good about casting a vote for any of these tools?
In Chicago, where people take their sports teams quite seriously and Da Bears are coming off a 5-9 season, fans are up in arms over the Bears’ losing streak of a season calling for the imminent departure of head coach Lovie Smith. Then again, fans were quick to dismiss former starting QB Rex Grossman and that resulted in his eventually getting traded for Cutler, who in my mind is actually a downgrade. Let’s hope there is some love left for Lovie and that the Bears’ management reconsiders.
Drastic, knee-jerk responses aside, my mind is still a whirl coming off of last night’s Colts game where the undefeated team basically threw the game against the Jets, benching all of their starting players in the second half and succumbing to their first loss of the season against a team that was 7-7. Perhaps the NFL needs to investigate this loss further. I’ve never seen Peyton look so bereft.
Here’s hoping Brett Favre and his Vikings go a long way this season, but maybe tonight they can take a back seat to Lovie.
This guy is new to me, but judging by the amount of views he has on Youtube, he’s been around for a long time. His name is James, and he is of Led Zeppelin cover band “Virtual Zeppelin”. This dude has an amazing voice, and he covers Led Zeppelin songs in a way I’ve never heard before. Most of the stuff is played on an acoustic Guitar but not all of it. He also does other bands like Alice In Chains and The Beatles. The video below is of James covering Hey Hey What Can I Do. If you liked this, you absolutely must listed to his version of The Rain Song. It is truly unbelievable and so accurate!
For older Led Zeppelin related posts click Here.
TMZ.com is reporting that actress Brittany Murphy died this morning after having been rushed to Cedars-Sinai in LA where she suffered from full cardiac arrest. The 32-year-old actress, best-known for her featured work and memorable roles in “Clueless” and “Girl Interrupted” was also once engaged to Ashton Kutcher. Media is still speculating on the exact cause of her death, though asthma is rumored to have been a catalyst.
This Friday, after more then 7 years, it’s about time to say goodbye to Adrian Monk, the detective with an OCD that actually helps him solve crimes, and getting him over and over into awkward situations.
The USA Network will air the Final episode of Monk on Friday.
The show was not an immediate hit in our home, and it kind of grew on us in the last couple of years. And even though we did not become addicted to it like we are to let’s say… The Office, we still tried to catch up here and there, and to follow up on the reruns.
So it’s a little sad but not too bad… Worth watching, if you have the time for it.
Tonight marks the season finale of the much-hyped about 60s ad show detailing the lives of Madison Avenue’s finest, Mad Men. Last week’s Kennedy assassination plot explored the emotional subtext between the show’s characters and the outside world - the universe outside the microcosm known as Sterling Cooper. At the end of the episode, we weren’t quite sure if Betty was going to really leave Don; how Don was going to further atone for all of his transgressions (give the guy a rest already!); if Roger was going to end up with his female match, Joan after all; and where the heck in-the-closet illustrator Sal has been for the past few weeks. Yes, this show has truly transformed itself into the high-brow, culturally acceptable soap opera of its time, but having been hooked up until now, I don’t see myself going back in the closet anytime soon. I think most of the show’s fans feel the same way.
Be sure to tune into AMC tonight at 10 PM ET to catch the season finale!
If you were around during the short lived Grunge era, this video is a must! During a Pearl Jam concert in L.A. on October 6, Chris Cornell suddenly came on stage, and together with the band performed one of Temple Of The Dog’s classics, Hunger Strike:
A little while ago Hugh Hefner teased on his Twitter page that Marge Simpson fans would have a treat in store for them in the November issues of Playboy. Turns out as next month’s cover of Playboy reveals (see right), Marge is stripping for her fans.
So does anyone else find is downright bizarre that a relatively benign PG-show like The Simpsons is stooping to this level of debasement? Series creator Matt Groening has always made a serious effort to keep his show from veering down that path, so why now?
Surely one might expect such behavior from a Seth MacFarlane matriarch like Family Guy’s Lois, but Marge has always been way too wholesome and morally upright. I guess even I’ll be tempted to buy next month’s issue - if for nothing else, than sheer curiosity.
Last week’s season premiere of Season 3 of the hit AMC show, Mad Men, delivered on its promise of whetting our appetites just enough to have us waxing nostalgic about why we fell in love with the show in the first place.
Where Season 2 suffered from that second season plateau/slump that have befallen many great shows, Sunday’s exploration of Don Draper’s psyche and his relentless unyielding to rise above the multiple identities he cloaks himself in to complement his mood du jour teased us with the promise of a season where we’ll get to see more Draper, and subsequently more of Draper’s past revealed. And let’s face it. Don Draper is why we all watch this show. The man oozes self-assurance, confidence, and the know-how to navigate the treacherous waters of this world with the right balance of acumen - both in business and in people. He knows why people tick and just how to get them to yield to his agenda, whether it’s in the boardroom or in the bedroom.
Per usual, the show balances the heavy (glimpses into Don Draper’s humble beginnings and his unwanted birth and Don realizing that one of his co-workers is gay when he catches him with this pants down) with lighter fare (the hysterical pitting of 2 Account Managers against one another for title of “Head of Accounts” - when both are convinced they’ve solely snagged the title) and throws in the absurd just to make sure we’re all still watching as intently as before.
Newly engaged to up-and-coming media mogul and NY Observer owner, Jared Kushner, once one of NYC’s most eligible bachelors, Ivanka Trump must be feeling pretty good these days; that is when she’s not learning how to atone properly for her sins and feel the appropriate amount of guilt for every small action taken (Can you teach that?).
In all seriousness, the vivacious Ms. Trump - no country bumpkin herself - is prepared to going Jewish for love. It wouldn’t be the first time. The big D, otherwise known as Ivanka’s pop or the man of the orange coif, is publicaly thrilled by the news. Who wouldn’t be?
Donald Trump’s thoughts, according to Us Weekly: “I’m very happy about it. They make a magnificent couple.”
True to her generation’s exhibitionist tendencies (which can often manifest themselves in the form of a tweet), Ivanka shared news of her impending nuptials on Twitter first. Be sure to check out the July 16th entry.
As I drift off to the kitchen to tend to dinner, I wonder if all the $$ in the world can teach Ivanka how to cook a simple Jewish meal or as my friend, Hedy, would say, “That’s what all the maids are for.” She does have a point. It’s not like being Jewish is ALL about the food, after all.
When you read interviews with Seth Macfarlane, you always get the impression that the guy has a chip on his shoulder, and this chip is fat, yellow and his wife has blue hair.
You get the impression that Seth feels that The Simpsons is Fox’s favorite son, while Family Guy (and American Dad,) is more of an unwanted sibling. And Fox preferring The Simpsons makes a lot of sense for obvious reasons.
But now Mcfarlane has a reason to be proud. Family Guy is only the second animated show to be nominated for an Emmy for best comedy series. No disrespect to the Simpsons, but not even Homer and Marge managed to do so. By the way, the first animated show to be nominated in this category was The Flintstones back in 1961.
The chances that Peter Griffin will actually win the Emmy are slim (have we mentioned 30 Rock yet?) But still, the acknowledgement is also important.
Once a staunch populist and Donna Reed-type iconic darling of the Republican party, Alaska governor Sarah Palin officially announced today she is stepping down from office. Public duties aside, Palin had been criticized lately for straying far from her populist roots and spending her time too entangled in the partisan politics du jour. Whatever the case may be and the public transformation-to-come, Palin will not be out of the news for long as she’s established herself as someone who gravitates to the spotlight and for a politician bidding for the White House that may not be a bad thing. Obama took “over-exposed” to new heights in his presidential run, utilizing diverse media channels (print, online, TV) and touring the pop culture circuit quite aggressively. Something tells me Sarah would do well to emulate Obama in this regard. She’s already well on her way to learning (thru some growing pains) how to navigate the treacherous waters of the press. Now she just needs to learn how to tame and master the spin of the internet and work it to her advantage.
Hearing about Michael Jackson’sdeath made me sad. Hearing about it constantly for almost a week angers me. Yes he died, yes he was the king of pop (and pop culture is what this blog is about,) but come on, give it a break. Does anyone remember what the main topic on the news was the day before Michael Jackson’s death? Well I do, it was Iran. The current Iranian regime could not have hoped for a better distraction, now, when no one is looking anymore, they can take care of the poor protesters old school middle eastern style, we won’t hear about it until after the funeral.
Michael Jackson, who was rushed to the hospital today in cardiac arrest, was confirmed dead. He was 50-years-old. And let’s not overlook, one of the Charlie’s Angel’s and 70s icon, Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer earlier today at the young age of 62.
Regina Spektor’s new album, Far, is slated for release this Tuesday, June 23rd. For a sneak peak of the talented chanteuse’s signature track, “Laughing With,” listen below.
Billy Joel’s wife Katie Lee, 33 years his junior, and the former host of the hit Bravo reality TV show, Top Chef, is shagging Israeli fashion designer, Yigal Azrouel. Sidebar: Am I wrong in thinking this guy is a total arse schmuck? Then again, maybe my pragmatism and miserly disposition just don’t see the value in spending $1150 on a cotton dress with a zipper, which by any other name smells like shmatas.
Joel and Lee announced their split just this week amidst rumors of infidelity. While the Joel-Lees are denying the rumors, it would seem that the age difference was a major factor in their split. Joel’s former “Uptown Girl,” Christie Brinkley was in the news last year when news of her former hubby’s scandalous shacking up with their nanny hit the fan.
Now that they’re both older, anyone else think that Joel and Brinkley should just reunite and stop trying to reclaim their youth by marrying adulterous klumniks?
Everyone’s still talking Tiger Woods - especially in light of his imminent golf comeback at the Masters. Whether it’s our nation’s president laying to rest speculation of Tiger being the greatest golf player ever (seriously?) or marketing mogul Donny Deutsch going head-to-head with MSNBC’s resident “Gossip” gal Courtney Hazlett and “Today” show commentator Natalie Morales yesterday on subject of Tiger’s harried ethos, opinions are rampant and far too dime-a-dozen when it comes to whether Tiger’s infidelities will do any long-term damage to his career.
I, for one, am super psyched by the prospect of the Ravens and Colts going head-to-head duking it out for the AFC championship on national TV tonight. As convinced as I am that Manning will pull through for the Colts (unless they decide to 
In Chicago, where people take their sports teams quite seriously and Da Bears are coming off a 5-9 season, fans are up in arms over the Bears’ losing streak of a season 
TMZ.com
Tonight marks the season finale of the much-hyped about 60s ad show detailing the lives of Madison Avenue’s finest, 
A little while ago Hugh Hefner teased on his Twitter page that Marge Simpson fans would have a treat in store for them in the November issues of Playboy. Turns out as next month’s cover of Playboy reveals (see right), Marge is stripping for her fans.
Last week’s season premiere of Season 3 of the hit AMC show, 
Newly engaged
When you read interviews with Seth Macfarlane, you always get the impression that the guy has a chip on his shoulder, and this chip is fat, yellow and his wife has blue hair.
Once a staunch populist and 
Michael Jackson, who was rushed to the hospital today in cardiac arrest, was confirmed dead. He was 50-years-old. And let’s not overlook, one of the Charlie’s Angel’s and 70s icon, Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer earlier today at the young age of 62.
