Weekend Wrap Up

Hello everyone! Welcome back to the drill! Lots to cover and its late so lets get to it

First an apology: I have been having SSOO much trouble with my AOL the last couple of nights. I had a brand new article all typed up and ready to go late Friday night. Covering a wide range of topics and some opinions. Had it all proof'd and ready to go. I hit "POST" and MY DAMN AOL FROZE!!! The worst thing about AOL Journals is that you cant copy your work and save it somewhere else. So I tried to get my modem to reconnect and it did. But it would just freeze again. So I gave up. Started up my AOL again and retyped my article and tried posting again. THE SAME THING HAPPENED!!!! So I finally gave up and decided to just wait til my usual Sunday night posting. So dont think that I have forgotten about my  blog. Its just that dial-up really,really, really sux!! I'll jump into the 21st century and get DSL one of these days....

Oscars came and went and the big winner of the night was "Million Dollar Baby" walking away with four awards including "Best Picture". The other three awards were won by Clint Eastwood (Best Director), Morgan Freeman (Best Supporting Actor) and Hilary Swank (Best Actress). The Aviator won the most awards overall with its five victories out of 11 nominations. Jaime Foxx (to the surprise of no one) walked away with the "Best Actor award, capping off a great year for him award wise. "The Incredibles" won out for "Best Animated Feature" and "Achievement in Sound Editing" (big deal right?? hehehe..j/k). Overall a good show with no big surprises. Chris Rock did a great job as host and his monologue was hilarious. Hopefully its not the last time he hosts.

The Pope made a brief appearance Sunday morning for his weekly prayer service.
This latest health scare is only going to increase the talk of his need to resign/retire and appoint a new Pope. I've already let my feelings be known about this topic, but I just hope they respect his wishes and that he gets better soon.

The Dodgers (and me) got a HUGE scare last week whenEric Gagne tweaked his knee playing pepper. Luckily that injury wasnt severe, but he will be shut down for about a week while it heals. Honestly, that couldve been the season right there. Gagne remains the Dodgers greatest weapon and the reason why they are so tough to beat late in games. They cant afford to lose him at any time. Let alone before the season starts! Lets hope he takes it easy the rest of the spring

BOX OFFICE REPORT:

Tyler Perry in "Diary of A Mad Black Woman"

1) Diary of a Mad Black Woman, $22.7 mil: Wow. Here's a movie that wasnt really viewed as mainstream fare and was smacked around by the critcs. Yet , here it stands in first place. Exit polls suggested the movie was a hit with viewers and will get a good boost from word of mouth.

2)Hitch, $21 mil: The defending champ finally goes down. Still, its $21 million haul shows the the staying power of this film. Should top $100 million soon.

3)Constatine, $11.8 mil: I've gotten mixed reviews of this movie from friends. Some loved it and others thought it was the worst movie ever. I personally havent seen it, so I cant comment. Just by looking at it though, I can tell its probably not for everyone. Not a bad drop off from last week.

4) Cursed, $9.6 mil: Yet ANOTHER horror movie. Its weak opening could be a sign that people may be all "horror'd" out. That or the marketing dept dropped the ball. We'll see where its at next week.

5) Man of the House, $9 mil: The other big opening of the week and it didnt fare well either. I thought it would do well considering Tommy Lee Jones doesnt do comedy very often and its always interesting to see how actors do in a new genre. Not always a good thing, but I thought Jones would cross over fine. At least it didnt open in 10th or something like that.

Lakers got destroyed by the Pistons again on Friday night. If thats not enough, they were defeated by the lowly Toronto Raptors Sunday. Its getting REALLY hard to be a Lakers fan right now. Especially when it seems that for every step forward they seem to take about five back. 29 games left. Can they hang on to the 8th seed?

Well, that will do it for now! Hope you everyone has a great weekend and hopefully no more AOL glitches this week! Til the next time..

DQ

  
 
 

Thursday Grab Bag

Hello again everyone! And welcome back. I know I missed my Wed posting. I honestly just didnt get a chance to log on and post. I apologize for that. Lets not waste anymore time..

 

So the rain FINALLY stopped here in SoCal, but not before leaving tons of damage and changing lives forever. At least 7 fatalities can be blamed on this slow moving storm that dumped almost 20 inches of rain since last Friday. We are already WWAAYY above normal for the year and in fact this rainy season has already been the 5th wetest on record. And we're not done yet! Already there is talk of another storm moving in early next week. It seems like here in SoCal we either dont get enough rain or get WAY too much rain. Never somewhere in between. Oh well. Gotta love those Summer months though!

In a recent survey 6 out of 10 Americans said they would vote for a female presidential candidate if given the choice. The same survey had Sen Hilary Clinton as the top choice for the first female President. Sec of State Condelezza Rice was the second choice among those surveyed. This is very intersting news and no doubt will fuel more spectulation about Sen. Clinton's possible run in 2008. My only opinion on the matter is that a female candidate would have more than just her party's fate on her shoulders. She would also carry the weight of all future women who are thinking about running. A resounding loss would set back that movement many years. Still, it would be interesting to see and its obvious the country is ready for it. We'll have to see what goes down in about 2 years when candidates start letting their intentions be known.

Barry Bonds reported to training camp Tuesday in Arizona and sidestepped any and all questions regarding his steroid abouse. He criticized the media for continuing to press the steroid issue and for dragging out a story, that as far as he is concerned, is dead. Bonds has only said that he unknowingly took steroids a few years back and would never take steroids on purpose. When asked about what has led to his freaksih growth in muscle and sudden homerun hitting surge Bonds simply replied, "Hard work and dedication." He also tore into Jose Canseco for making comments about him. Bonds suspects Canseco is merely jealous of his accomplishments and is just trying to make money. With Bonds closing in on the All Time HR record, the glare of the spotlight will be on him brighter than ever before. I think he'll handle that pressure well, but whether or not he will ever be able to dismiss this talk of steroid abuse is another story. The plain fact is, Bonds used steroids in the past. Does he still use them? No one can say for sure. We all have our suspicions, but unless someone can prove with some sort of medical test or otherwise, all we can do is spectulate. Should be an interesting season.

American Idol saw its first four contestants eliminated today. I love how they stretch out 10 min of actual content into an hour. You gotta love the way they make contestants sweat it out before they drop the boom on them. You know Seacrest loves it. I agreed with all the cuts that were made today. The four that were dropped just didnt bring it when they needed to. I mean you get one chance to perform for the audience. If you have an offnight, thats it. You're going home. Its not fair to the contestants, but thats how the show works. No word on whether there will be wildcard picks this year. So far the competition has been great and I am curious to see who gets dropped next.

OK, that should do it for now. Hope you are all good and I will see you next time..

 

DQ 

 

Taboo Tuesday

Hello again everyone!! Long weekend is behind us, which means this week is gonna go by fast!! Thank goodness!

So the rains have stopped for now, but not before causing mudslides, rockslides,sinkholes and other problems. The sinkhole here in Sun Valley keeps growing and growing. It is now  200 feet wide and more than 40 feet deep. It also claimed the life of a Los Angeles Street Maintanance worker. As he was working on some equipment near the site, the rushing water caused him to lose his balance and he fell to his death. 

Living here in Sun Valley, you have to get used to the flooding that comes when it rains. The area around my home especially is troublesome. The City of LA has never really bothered to fix our storm drains and catchers. So it was only a matter of time before it exploded into a huge problem. And now it has cost someone thier life. My thoughts and prayers to that worker and his family.

NBA trading deadline is fast approaching. The Lakers have some holes to plug, but its not clear whether or not they will be players in the trading scene. Rumors are already flying about possible trades involving the Kings and Jazz. We'll know for sure at 12pm our time Thursday. One things for sure though. This team is far too flawed to for a quick fix. We'll see how much of a difference another player (If they add one) will make to this squad.

Good news for Dodgers fans: Brad Penny threw off a mound for the first time since suffering a rare nerve injury to his arm last September. After his workout, Penny said he felt fine and was ready for the next step in his rehabilitation. The Dodgers NEED Penny to be at 100% if they want to have a chance to repeat as division champs. They could still do it without him, but having his great arm in the rotation will make it much easier.

Yes, I heard about the secret Bush tapes that have him admitting to using marijuana years ago. I honestly dont have any comment. Dare I say it, I dont really care. So he used marijuana back in the day? He also used cocaine and was an alcoholic. He's not doing it now. So whats the big deal? Its one thing for him to have DONE it that for him to be doing it now before a big UN meeting or something.

Alrighty, that should do it for today. Hope you all stay dry while the last of this big storm filters through. til next time..

 

DQ

 

 

Weekend Wrap-Up

Greetings from soggy Sun Valley!! Where a big sinkhole has just opened up about 4 blocks from here. Never a dull moment in this flood prone area. Oh well. You take the good with the bad...Lets get to it!

-The NHL made one last ditch effort to save the 05 season this past weekend. Despite the intervention of legends Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux the two sides could not come to an agreement. Dashing the faint hopes of fans everywhere. Now the two sides are back to square one with no quick fix in sight. If you're a big NHL fan..be afraid..be very afraid. It may be awhile before we see them back in action.

-Another huge storm hit Southern California, set to drench the area with at least 15 inches of rain through Tuesday. Well, this takes care of our drought for the time being. I personally love the rain, but I hate driving in it. I also hate all the drama it causes (Mudslides,sinkholes, car accidents, etc.) Car accidents though are usually caused by those stupid LA Drivers that think its ok to go FASTER in the rain. Do the words Hyrdo Plane mean anything to these people? One sudden stop or swerve.thats all it takes for a car to spin out. SLOW THE HELL DOWN PEOPLE!!! If you have a death wish, thats fine. Dont go taking innocent people with you though. whew..i feel better now

NBA All Star game was played Sunday and the East defeated the West 125-115. The games MVP was Allen Iverson. Good flashy game with lots of dunks and zero defense. Which of course, didnt make it any different from past all-star games. These games are played for fun. Period. Guys go all flashy and try to top each other. Its a fun game for the fans, which is all that really matters.

BOX OFFICE REPORT:

Will Smith and Kevin James in "Hitch"

1) Hitch, $38.1 million: Still the champ, even after Valentines Day weekend. Word of mouth helped keep this movie on top. It really is a good film and if you havent already, I suggest you check it out.

2) Constantine, $30.5 million: A pretty solid opening, albeit might be a tad disappointing for Warner Bros. Still, despite being a movie based on a comic book that has more of a cult following, that opening as pretty good.

3)Because of Winn-Dixie,  $10.9 million: Can't say much about this film, because I havent really followed it. But the kids seemed to like it! And I'm sure quite a few adults too. Good opening.

4) Son of the Mask, $7.7 million: More like Son of the Movie That Shouldnt Have Been Made Without Jim Carey. or Son of the Unneccesary Sequel. Sigh..Some movie studios just want to make the quick buck. Thats how you get this movie and Dumb and Dumberer. Whats next? Son of Ace Ventura? Or Liar, Liarer??!!

5)Million Dollar Baby, $7.2 Million. It just keeps going and going....Who wouldve thought this movie would still be raking it in after so many weeks. A solid movie, that has become a sleeper hit.

While I am on the topic of movies, a consumer group has proposed theatres be required to post what time a movie actually starts and not when the trailers and ads start. The theatre chains however have nixed the idea, saying that the public has come to expect all the pre show entertainment.

OK, thats all for this update. Have a good week everyone and stay tuned for more postings during the week! Til the next time

 

DQ

 

TGIF!!!

Hello everyone! Still fighting this cold or whatever the hell I caught. But I am feelin way better. Or at least well enough to post again! So before my meds kick in, lets get to it

-The big story that I missed by not posting last night was the cancellation of the NHL season. This marks the first time that a North American sports league has cancelled an ENTIRE season. Who's to blame? The owners for their stubborn insistance on a Salary Cap? Or the players for not making  more concessions to avoid it? Either way, this is a huge blow to a sport that already was on the brink of collapse. Its a shame that faced with the very survival of their league, neither side could go that extra mile to resolve their dispute. Will there be an NHL season next year? No one seems to know the answer to that. The big challenge will be to lure those fans back to a game that can ill afford to lose them. A task easier said than done.

-American Idol auditions are over. They now have their field of 12 men and 12 women. This years edition of the show will feature one night of the men's performances and one night of the womens peformances with the third night dedicated to results. A nice change of pace and it will be interesting to see how well it works. My fear is that they may just run the show into the ground. Two nights of American Idol was enough. But now they are adding another night. Hmm. Anyone remember what happened to "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?" I know, its not the same thing, but its a good example of what happens when you over expose a hit show. Went from being the number 1 show on primetime to syndicated jeopardy rip off in the span of three years. I dont see that happening with this show, but I do sense that there will be some AI backlash if people start getting tired of the show.

-Pitchers and catchers have started to report to MLB Spring Training camps in Florida and Arizona. The season doesnt open for another month and a half but its always fun for fans to follow their favorite teams (GO DODGERS!!!!!) and see the roster take shape. At the end of Spring Training I will be posting my MLB 05 preview. Dont worry, it will unbiased. Here's a preview: Dodgers win World Series in 4 games. There! See? Unbiased.

Disneyland Update: "Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters" will have its Grand Opening March 17th. The first true E-Ticket attraction to open at Disneyland since Indiana Jones opened way back in 1995. The early "buzz" (lame pun, I know) is that this ride is very well done and outdoes the Florida version by leaps and bounds. A much needed addition to Tommorrowland, which has been neglected for many years. I've got a Disneyland project planned for this blog in the future. I'll give you prior warning so that if you want to skip it, you can! hehehe

***UPDATED 9:20AM 2-18-05***

I was able to find some pictures of the ride. Well, more like a picture and a publicity still. Enjoy!

First up, the publicity still:

And a shot inside the rides queue. Thats an animatronic Buzz that will breakdown the mission ahead of you:

OH-KAY..that should do it for this week. A very short week thanx to illness. Hope it doesnt ruin my long weekend. Enjoy your weekends and for those of you that have a long one, be sure to sleep in Monday!! Til the next time...

 

DQ

 

 

Down for R & R

Hello everyone...

I know you came here for another posting, but unfortunatley I caught a really bad bug at work and its slowly but surely whuppin my a$$ health wise. At first I thought I would just go through the motions, but I honestly dont even have the energy for that. So I apologize to you all and hope that I am well enough tommorrow to do my Friday posting! If I have a chance I may do a mini update during the day tommorrow. Otherwise look for another installment of the Two Minute Drill to appear on Friday morning! Til then...

DQ

Mid Week Misc.

Welcome back everyone! Sorry for no update last nite. I was feelin a bit under the weather. Still trying to fight off whatever bug I caught at work. But hopefully this will get my mind off it for a while. OK enough psycho babble. On with the show...

Jury selection was halted in the Michael Jackson trial when Jackson became ill on his way to the court room. He was taken to ER where doctors have said he has the flu. Jury selection has already been postponed once before when Jackson's lead defense attorney had a family emergency.This trail just keeps getting more dramatic as the days go by.On Monday, the defense said that they are planning on calling a whole calvacade of stars to testify on Jackson's behalf. What kind of stars? Well to just name a few: Elizabeth Taylor, Kobe Bryant, Quincy Jones, Chris Tucker, Larry King, Aaron and Nick Carter and many more. The prosecution was quick to point out that Jackson seems intent on wowing the jurors with star power and the glitz and glamor of celebrity. Six more months of this people. And thats if there's no other delays! "Are you ready for the media blitz??!!"

The NHL Owners are about to pull the plug on the season. Does anyone in America care? Dont get me wrong, hockey is a great sport and I like watching it here and there and even used to play it wwaayy back in the day when dinosaurs ruled the earth and we all thought we would be living on the moon by now. But the NHL is the weakest of the four major sports leagues revenue wise. Ratings are down, attendance is down, but player salaries have stayed high. Some owners have even quipped that they have lost less money during this lockout than they would have if the season was going on. The players refusal to accept a salary cap is the biggest factor in this lockout. The commisioner has given the union and owners til Wed morning to hammer out a deal. Otherwise its curtains for the NHL this season and possibly for good.

Kobe is back with the Lakers now after missing almost a month with a severely sprained ankle. The Lakers desperatley need to get some momentum going for the second half of the season if they expect to qualify for the playoffs. They stand now as the 8th and final seed in the Western Confrence with 32 games left to play. Just winning THREE games in a row would be a good start. We used to talk about three CHAMPIONSHIPS in a row. Now we talk about three WINS in a row. Keep the faith Laker Nation. Every team has to start over eventually.

Notable Quote: "After overseeing a successful Iraqi election President Bush's approval rating soared to 57% or as its known to teachers everywhere: An 'F' "-Tina Fey

Had to sneak that one in there.

OK, Hockey, basketball, Micheal Jackson and yes even a Bush joke. I guess that about wraps it up here. Til the next time

 

DQ

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hello once again and welcome back to the drill! I hope you all had great weekends!! Its back to work we go. Oh well..Gotta pay for those Valentines Day gifts somehow right fellas?

-Grammy's came. Grammy's went. And in the end the late, great Ray Charles swept the awards with 8 awards including the album of the year. Its a fitting final tribute to a man who was a revolutionary force in the industry. Alicia Keys was the other big winner, walking away with 4 awards of her own.

-The other big story of the night was the duet sang by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. The duo performed a slow, love ballad and marked their first performance together as husband and wife.

Weekend Box Office: (New Format) Lets see how well this new format works for the box office report. You'll still get the rankings, but now you will also get the gross and a comment from yours truly. And a quickie review if I saw the movie. Here goes nothing:

Will Smith and Kevin James in "Hitch"

 

1) Hitch, $45.5 mil-Probably the single best period of the year to release a romantic comedy is Valentine's Day Weekend. But the movie has to be good enough to carry itself without the holiday boost. I think this film will make it just fine. It will be one of those movies rented on Valentines Day in the future. The  movie was very well written and had some great moments. Will Smith is awesome in this film, as is Kevin James (from TV's The King of Queens). Lots of laughs and a great romantic story.  Highly recommended.

2) Boogeyman, $10.5 mil-Last weeks number one film. Its drop may be more attributed to the fact that it was up against a Valentines Day film and more couple are in the mood for laughter than horror this weekend. Lets see what next weeks numbers tell us about the staying power of this film.

3) Are We There Yet?, $8.5 mil-Speaking of staying power, thisfamily film keeps chugging along. Its been in the top 5 since its release about 3 weeks ago. With not much family fare out right now, it could be a sleeper hit.

4) Million Dollar Baby, $7.5 mil-This film's postOscar nom boost and strong word of mouth has kept it afloat. While other Oscar nominated films are begining to end their theatrical runs, this film keeps going strong. A good sign for its Oscar hopes.

5) Pooh's Heffalump Movie, $6.0 mil-Here's a film that came out of nowhere. I'm starting to think Disney has this unwritten rule that Winnie The Pooh films cannot be straight to video, no matter how silly or unneccesary  the film is. Here's the plan. Release the movie in theatres. Give it little to no marketing whatsoever. Pull movie from theatre after one month run. Release on DVD in two months and make profit on those home sales. There is a fan base of little kids that love to watch these movies, but honestly if you arent going to even promote your film in theatres, then why even bother putting it there?

-Valentines Day is here! As I write this I'm sure there's guys wandering the aisles at the 24 hour Sav-On trying to find that last minute gift or card. And no, Nyquil is not an acceptable gift! Good luck to you last minute shoppers and Happy Valentines Day to you all.

OK, that will do it for this posting. Here's hoping for a great week ahead. Til the next time..

DQ

 

TGIF!

Welcome to the big show!! Its Friday!! Hope you all made it through the week in one piece! Nothing in front of us, but the weekend! Lets get to it..

-The big news right now, is that North Korea has admited that they have nukular (I give up) weapons and have no intentions of disarming. Didnt someone say getting N. Korea to give up its nuclear program was his top priority? Oh, but then Iraq was the bigger threat right? A country that had been disarmed and had no ability to make weapons.So while we were spreading freedom (Which there is nothing wrong with) North Korea has been operating freely for years now. They expelled UN Weapons from their country around the time the war in Iraq started. We ignored North Korea all this time and now they are a serious threat to this country. Could a showdown with them be far away? Our military is already stretched way too thin. If we are forced to goto war, could a draft be too far away? Its going to be a tense couple of weeks while all this gets settled and more news comes out. 

****UPDATE: 2/11/05, 10:00 AM****

North Korea has asked to speak with only the U.S. (instead of the current six nation talks) in regards to disarming and defusing the current tensions. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt that what John Kerry had suggested doing when asked how he would deal with North Korea? Isnt that what George Bush said would not happen because North Korea wouldve never agree to it?? That it couldnt be done?? sigh...four more years....

-The Lakers continue to flounder. They were DESTROYED by the Detroit Pistons Thursday nite. How bad was it for the Lakers? They were down 22-4, after 1 Qtr!!!! Their fall from grace has been faster and harder than anyone couldve expected. Sure Kobe is hurt, but is this team so inept, that they cant win without him? Obviously the answer is yes. This season is a wash. They should just play out the string and focus on getting better next season. They may still qualify for the playoffs, but like I said earlier, it'll be a quick First Round exit. Being a Lakers fan, it hurts me to write that. But I'm also a realist. Unless they do an awesome, legendary turnaround,this season isnt going to be pretty.

-3 more days til Valentines Day...V-Day...or Valentine$ Day...hehehe...Roses, chocolate and cards...oh my...Guys...dont wait til the lats minute! Girls..dont get mad if we mess up and get you something stupid. Sometimes we just dont know any better. But show us some love too! Its  not easy for us you know?? Ah, who am I kidding. This day is for the ladies. No argument there. Guys dont look forward to Valentines Day the same way girls do. Its a fact. I dont know one guy who goes "Dude, its Valentine's Day this Monday!! Hell yeah!!!"  Its more like "Dammit! Its Valentine's Day this Monday!! I havent bought my girl a gift yet!!" Even romantic guys cant say they look forward to it. Because they always have to try and top what they did the year before. We just cant win. Oh well. Guys, show your girls a great time and be good to them. Not just Valentine's Day, but every day! Girls, show your guys some love too. Relationships are a two way street afterall!

OK, if I'm attempting to give relationship advice then its time to go! Have a great weekend everyone! Tune in next week for more postings and silly ranting!

 

DQ

 

Thursday Grab Bag

Its time for the Two Minute Drill! The Two Minute Drill is brought to you by "Hertz Rent a Car: It Hertz So Good!!" and by "Froditos Chips" Chips so good, they'll make you want to say "Hey you sonofabitch get your hand outta my bag!!"....

OK I havent offended you by now, we can continue!

Random thoughts from the mind of DQ:

-I think the Pope should really consider retiring. Only because his health continues to be poor and he really needs the R & R. He brings hope and faith to many people, but in his current physical condition, he is doing more harm than good by going about like nothing is wrong. Talk continues to grow about his possible stepping down. We'll see if that ever comes to fruition.

-So Howard Dean might be the next Chairman of the DNC?? Dean of course was the front runner to win the Democratic nomination for President last year before he had that nervous breakdown. (WE ARE GOING TO WIN!! YYYEEEEAHHHH!!!!) Dean is purely from the left. He doesnt appeal to many moderate Democrats who feel that the next Democratic nominee must be able to appeal to Republicans as well. If only Bill Clinton could run again....

-I got some flack for calling Bill Clinton the last great American president. "How could u say that? He made the office of the President into a joke! He lied to America! He didnt do anything for terrorism! blah, blah, blah" Clinton may not have been the most morally correct President we have had. But at least his lies didnt draw us into a war where over a thousand US Soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi's have been killed. Made the office of the president into a joke? At least he can spell president! Like Mr Nukular isnt making a joke of the White House? Or Mr "Fool me once...uh...shame on you...fool me twice...(blank stare)....You aint gonna fool me again..." Oh and those claims that he didnt do anything about terrorism? Remember the first time the Twin Towers were bombed back in 93?? Who vowed to catch those responsible? Clinton. Who CAUGHT those responsible? Clinton. Ditto the Oklahoma Federal Building bombing. Hmm..Didnt Bush vow to capture Osama Bin Laden?? Hows that working out??

-The US enjoyed 8 years of Peace and Prosperity during Bill Clinton's tenure as President. Nuff said. I'm always open to debate however! :-)

-Valentines Day is his Monday. Just another day where guys have to pull their hair out trying to find the perfect gift for that special someone! Hehehe. Damn you Hallmark!! Look what you've done!!! Anyone else going to be shopping at the 24 Hour Sav-On on Feb 13th? Guys, dont wait til last minute! Especially not on cards!! All you'll find is "From The Dog" or "From Step-Brother".  And trust me, that can get a little awkward!

Thats it for this posting. Hope you have enjoyed your stay here at the Two Minute Drill! It'll be a little less political next time! hehehe

Until then...

DQ

Taboo Tuesday

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Two Minute Drill. Hope everyone out there survived Monday ok! Before we get started, just a quick message:

Alot of times I open up my journal and just draw a blank. Writers block is probably the worst thing in the world when you are trying to keep a good blog going. It strikes me alot, especially on slow news days, which is why sometimes you just get a recap of the news and quick opinion here and there. Thats hardly creative writing. I mean by the time I post the news is old anyway. So I apologize  if at times my blog seems boring and not very entertaining. I am my harshest critc and trust me, I dont like posting dull stuff anymore than you like reading it! I've been doing this for almost two months now, and have gotten mostly positive feedback, which I appreciate and thank you for. I only hope I can live up to your praise and keep you coming back  for more. Thank you.

(WE NOW RETURN TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG, ALREADY IN PROGRESS)

-One thing I didnt talk about last nite were the great Super Bowl commercials that have become a staple of every big game for years now. My personal favorite this year was the "Kinkos/FedEx 10 Things Needed for Good Commercial" spot. Truly creative and very funny. Cedric the Entertainer's "Designated Driver" commercial was very well done also. I myself am almost always the designated driver when I got with my friends, so this commercial was especially relevant to me! ;-)

-While on the subject of Super Bowl commercials, the most moving and positive commercial of the night was the Anheiser(spellcheck)-Busch commercial paying tribute to our brave men and women in the armed forces. Nothing flashy or over the top. Simply a show of support for our troops who risk their lives for our country day in and day out.

-So Jose Canseco is coming out with another book detailing the use of steroids in Major League Baseball. In his book he claims that he PERSONALLY injected former homer run champ Mark McGuire with steroids while they were both teammates on the Oakland A's. He goes on to name other players who used steroids while he played. The funny thing is, it seems like the reason these players started using steroids is because of Jose Canseco! At least, thats the portrait his book paints. Went to the A's. Hooked players on steroids. Went to the Texas Rangers. Hooked players on steroids. Thats it! Jose Canseco is the cause of all of Major League Basball's drug problems!! Damn him!!

-Seriously though, Major League Baseball does have a huge problem when it comes to drug use. (Both recreational and performance enhancing) Now, they do have a drug policy in effect, but it is by far the weakest of all the major sport leagues. The players are fined a small amount and benched maybe a few games here and there. Nothing really that would deter the offender from doing it again. Without a strict drug policy and harsher punishments their drug problem will continue.

-We cant talk about steroids in baseball without bringing up the biggest suspect: Barry Bonds. He has already admitted to "uknowingly" using them. Now, steroids wont guarantee  you will slug homeruns. You still have to be able to catch up to the ball and put it in play. Bonds was already a dangerous hitter before he mysteriously started bulking up and his head started doubling in size (figuratively and physically).But witht the addition of steriods he has been on a tear. He will soon shatter the All Time home run record. Should there be an asterisk next to his name? I dont like Bonds (Being on the Giants and all) but I do respect his bat. You have to wonder though, how much of those 700 plus homerun's did he hit using a banned substance and in essence having an unfair advantage. Bonds' name and record will forever be tainted, all because he had to juice up to get there.

Well, thats my time. Til the next drill....

DQ   

 

Weekend Wrap Up

Welcome to another Weekend Wrap Up. Its Monday again. Back to the rat race or salt mines or whatever you call it. Lets take a look back at the weekend that was.

-Super Bowl XXXIX is in the books and the New England Patriots walked away with their third title in four years. The final score was 24-21 over the Philadelphia Eagles. The game was better than most people thought and the Eagles were in it to the very end. Their downfall was their poor clock managment in the last 4 min of the game. Instead of  going to the no huddle offense and rushing back to the line of scrimmage, the Eagles choose to take a more mellow approach and it cost them precious time off the clock. This forced them to rush their final plays and led to an interception,dashing any hopes of a miracle comback.

-I picked the Eagles to win. I was wrong. I didnt do that well this post season. Good thing I dont gamble, or I'd be in more debt than usual. Damn student loans....

-Box Office Report: "Boogeyman" was the number 1 movie this week taking in an estimated $19.4 million. This marks the biggest opening for a movie opening on Super Bowl weekend which is usually one of the slowest movie weekends of the year. In second place was the romantic comedy "The Wedding Date" followed by "Are We There Yet?", last weeks number 1 movie "Hide and Seek" in fourth and "Million Dollar Baby" rounded out the top 5.

-The SAG awards were held on Saturday and as expected Jamie Foxx one the award for Best Actor in a feature film for "Ray". Just another notch on his belt on his march to the Best Actor award at the Oscars later this month.

Well thats all for this update. I hope you all have a good week and stay tuned for more updates as the week goes on.

 

DQ

Doug's Super Bowl Preview

Welcome back to the Drill!! Its late and I've got lots of ground to cover, so lets get to it!

So after two whole weeks of hype and hype...and more hype..its GAME TIME! Super Bowl XXXIX kicks off on Sunday with the Philadelphia Eagles  taking on the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New England Patriots. Both are very good teams but only one can be champion. Read on for a breakdown and final word on who I think will be crowned World Champs.

Why The Patriots Will Win: Two Words: Tom Brady. Without question the most dominate post season player of this era, Brady is undefeated in playoff action. He has led the Patriots to two Super Bowl titles already and is poised to lead them to a third. Everybody said this is the year Brady goes down. But all he's done is shred the defense of teams that were supposed to beat the Patriots. After bombing Indianapolis in the Confrence Semi's, Brady avenged a early season loss to the Steelers by picking apart their defense and blowing them out in the Confrence Finals. His presence, poise and experience gives the Patriots and edge that cant be matched. He brings out the best in his teammates and has their respect. He stands on the brink of a dynasty. All that stands in his way, is an upstart team from Philly. This may be the most important game of his career, and if past history is any indicator Brady will rise to the occasion.

Key To Victory: Besides the need for a big game from Brady, the Patriots Secondary MUST shut down the Eagles passing game. They were able to shut down the Colts and the Steelers with a patchwork lineup. If they can do it again to the Eagles, they'll be dancing in the streets of Boston come Sunday night.

Why The Eagles Will Win: After losing three straight NFC Championship games,. the Eagles finally reached the mountain top by knocking off the Atlanta Falcons this year. Don't think for one second, they are satisfied with just BEING there. Donovan McNabb has been itching for a chance to play in the Super Bowl and you can bet he will pumped for this one.Add to that the explosive passing attack, McNabb's ability to scramble under pressure, and their solid running game and you've got yourself a dangerous team. And in the shadows, Terrel Owens waits. Only six and half weks removed from a devastating leg injury, Owens has rehabbed like a madman and is ignoring doctor's orders to sit this one out. The Eagles are seven point underdogs in this game, but the Patriots would be wise not to overlook this hungry, determined team.

Key To Victory: The Eagles have to find a way to get Tom Brady off his game. A task easier said than done. If they can blitz effectively, force him to scramble and rough him up a bit, it will do alot to rock the confidence of the defending champs. If Terrel Owens is anywhere near 100% he can change the outcome of the game. The Patriots pass defense isnt what it used to be, and McNabb and Owens could quickly expose this weakness with a few precision air strikes.

The Bottom Line: OK, I've been pouring over stat sheets, odd sheets,reading injury reports, scouting reports, weather reports, book reports, weapons reports, tossing darts, rolling dice and flipping coins and I finally came to a decision. The Patriots are the defending champs and have steamrolled every team that was supposed to beat them in the earlier rounds. The Eagles come in as the overwhelming underdog and given a snowballs chance in hell of winning. On paper it looks like a no brainer: Pats all the way. But there are so many x-factors and things that cant be measured with fancy reports or stat sheets. The Eagles have tremondous heart and will no doubt give it their all. Will it be enough to knock off a team that many say cannot be stopped?? Is Terrel Owens even close to being healthy for this game?? When the dust clears and Super Bowl XXXIX is over it will be......it will be....I may be crazy for saying this, but I'm picking the Eagles. Final Score: Philly: 28 New England: 21. 

As always, if I'm wrong, I'll be right here Sunday nite facing the music. Enjoy the game, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

DQ 

Thursday Throwdown (Couldnt think of a better title...)

Welcome back to the Drill!! Where the motto is: No shoes? No shirt? No Credit? No problem!!! Lets begin shall we?

-Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down as coach of the LA Lakers today. Tomjanovich described his reason for leaving as just being physically and mentally burned out. He felt that he could not devote his entire attention to the team and that it was time for him to take another break from the game. He stated that his decision  had nothing to do with his recovery from Bladder Cancer. Lets hope Rudy T can get some much needed R & R and that he can make a return to coaching someday.

-With Tomjanovich stepping down Assistant Coach Frank Hamlin will coach the team on an interim basis. But what about a permanent replacement? There is already talk swirling around that former coach Phil Jackson will be brought back into the mix. As cool as that would be, I dont see it happening. Phil and Kobe arent exactly on the best of terms and it would take some major a$$ kissing on the part of the Lakers to get Phil back on that bench. Should be an interesting next couple of weeks.

-President Bush delivered his State of the Union address Wednesday. He outlined his agenda for his second term and focused mainly on domestic issues. Chief among them, Social Security. Bush's plan call for younger Americans to open up private SS accounts to set aside part of their earnings in. Its a very risky plan and one that in all likelyhood won't be implemented. Bush also spoke about the ongoing war in Iraq and how even though their elections have been held, it is much too soon to set a date for the withdrawal of US Troops. Overall, Bush tried to sound positive and upbeat about the future of the country. We're just going to have to wait and see what this second term means for all of us.

-Super Bowl News: (More like ONE news item) Despite doctor's objections, Terrel Owens will suit up and play this Sunday. Owens suffered a broken leg and a severeley sprained ankle only 6 weeks ago. But he feels that he is well enough to help his team out. This could change the outcome of the game and certainly gives the Eagles a HUGE morale boost. This game suddenly got a whole lot more interesting.

-Its official: No matter what it takes, Space Mountain will re-open at Disneyland July 17th. The actual day of Disneyland's 50th Birthday. Disneyland Park President Matt Ouimett has told Imagineers to get this ride open and that money is no object. Its great news for fans of this classic attraction, that originally had been slated to stay closed until Thanksgiving later this year. This ride has been closed since mid 2003, so its been a long time coming!

Well thats all for this post. One more day til Friday!! Til next time..

DQ

Mid Week Update

What time is it?? No really?? Is time for the Drill. Yeah, these intros get worse and worse. I need to work on them some more! But you dont read these postings for the intro's! u read for the content! So lets get to it..

-On Monday's edition of "The Late Show with David Letterman" Dave paid tribue to Johnny Carson by using jokes that Johnny had written for use in his monologue. Many consider Letterman the closest thing to Carson on Late Night TV. The fact that Carson was sending jokes for Letterman to use, might be an indication that Carson felt the same way.

-Bill Clinton, the last great American President, (Oops, did I say that out loud??) has been appointed to a special post in the UN. His main duties are to continue raising money for the recovery and rebuilding effort in the Tsunami ravaged countries and as a goodwill ambasador. Clinton is already heading up the U.S. Tsunami effort alongside former President George H.W. Bush. There is still much to be done as far as the recovery effort goes, and the UN hopes Clinton's charisma and negotiating skills will come in handy as they ask for more aid from other countries.

-Pope John Paul II was hospitalized in Rome early Tuesday. He is suffering from a respiratory infection caused by the flu. His health has been up and down in the last few months, but Vatican reps. say that this latest illness isnt as serious as the media is making it out to be and that he was only taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Hopefully he pulls through this latest episode ok.

-Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich (spell check) is considering stepping down as coach due to health concerns. Two years ago he resigned as coach of the Houston Rockets while he battled cancer. Laker officials have said this latest incident has nothing to do with his cancer, but they have not gone on record saying what exactly his condition is. We should know soon enough though. Rudy T (screw it, I'll use his nickname) is one of the NBA's best coaches and a all around good guy. Lets hope he's ok and can continue living his life to the fullest.

-One more American Idol audtion show before the big dance begins! Just in time for February sweeps! Last stop: San Francisco. Hopefully Cali is well represented!

Well thats all for this edition. Take care and see you all next time...

DQ

Taboo Tuesday

Hello everybody. Welcome to another edition of the drill. No intro today. Looks like today's posting is going to be light on content (but hopefully not entertainment) so lets begin:

-Jury selection began today in the Micheal Jackson trial. As expected an army of reporters from all around the world camped out in front of the Santa Maria courthouse where the trial is being held. There was also a fairly large group of Jackson supporters shouting words of encouragement at him as he walked into the courthouse. Jackson waved to the crowd and flashed a victory sign before hurrying inside. One potential juror was dismissed as she was 7 months pregnant and in no condition to serve on a trail that in all likelyhood will last several months.

-It will be interesting to see what affect this trial will have on Jackson's demeanor in the weeks to come. He seems positive and upbeat right now. But who knows what hour after hour of testimony will have on him.

-AT&T and SBC have merged to become AT&SBC. No seriously, the two phone giants have merged and will simply be known as SBC. Its the end of an era for AT&T whose history can be traced back ALL THE WAY to the late 1800's when the phone was first invented. What this will mean to consumers is hard to say at this point. But whenever competiton is eliminated, the surviving companies have no incentive to innovate and offer lower rates. Why should they if they are the only game in town? Lets hope this isnt the case though.

-Former First Lady Hilary Clinton has died.....her hair. Seriously, Ms Clinton had a fainting spell during a spekaing engagment in NY early Monday. She apparently had been suffering from a stomach virus and felt weak during her speech. She left the podium and collapsed as she walked away. Other than being a bit embarrassed she was ok and continued her speech after being checked out by doctors.

Notable Quote: "Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen have decided to split up and live separate lives for the time being...Damn you Angelina Jolie!! When will it end??!!" -Amy Pohler on SNL

Yeah its an old quote..but its funny..or at least I think it is. Well thats all the time for today. Til the next drill

DQ