I discovered a lot of great music this year, despite not having a steady source of tuneage like the late great woxy.com/97X. The idea for a compiling a personal top 40 songs of 2010 came from Greg James, a DJ on BBC Radio 1. He announced that he was preparing his list, and I thought it sounded like a fun exercise. Originally it was going to be a top 25, but after scanning the old iPod, I quickly realized I could expand it out to 40 selections.
I know I’ll get a bit of grief for the number one pick, but it is truly deserved. Scissor Sisters did give Paul & Handy a run for the top spot. Even as I type this introduction, I’m listening to both songs back-to-back. Tough choice, but I love the main riff in “Sister Marie Says,” as well as Andy McCluskey’s vocal, though Jake Shears gives a fine performance on “Fire with Fire.”
Enjoy the list...
40. “Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man)”- Devo
39. “White Lights”- Deas Vail
38. “Uprising”- Muse
37. “Secrets”- OneRepublic
36. “Fixed”- Stars
35. “All to All”- Broken Social Scene
34. “Dominos”- Big Pink
33. “Stop For a Minute”- Keane featuring K’naan
32. “Bulletproof”- La Roux
31. “Epic Holiday”- Angels & Airwaves
30. “We No Speak Americano”- Yolanda B Cool and D-Cup
29. “Self Machine”- I Blame Coco
28. “All The Right Moves”- OneRepublic
27. “Can’t Get Enough”- Rooney
26. “Magic”- B.o.B. featuring Rivers Cuomo
25. “Sweet Disposition”- Temper Trap
24. “Roll Away Your Stone”- Mumford & Sons
23. “I Hate Everyone”- Say Anything
22. “Bang!”- Raveonettes
21. “February Air”- LIGHTS
20. “Animal”- Neon Trees
19. “In This City”- Iglu & Hartly
18. “Rhythm of Love”- Plain White Ts
17. “If You Want It”- OMD
16. “Ivy & Gold”- Bombay Bicycle Club
15. “Hollywood”- Marina & the Diamonds
14. “Skinny Genes”- Eliza Doolittle
13. “Take Me Somewhere Nice”- Sky Sailing
12. “Famous”- Scouting for Girls
11. “Local Park”- Seeland
10. “Umbrella Beach”- Owl City
9. “Kick Drum Heart”- The Avett Brothers
8. “Wavin’ Flag”- Young Artists for Haiti
7. “Pack Up”- Eliza Doolittle
6. “Viva La Vida (Domino Dancing)”- Pet Shop Boys
5. “Last Dance”- Raveonettes
4. “Say You Don’t Want It”- One Night Only
3. “Last Thing on Your Mind”- LIGHTS
2. “Fire with Fire”- Scissor Sisters
1. “Sister Marie Says”- OMD
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Again? Yes, again.
Everyone has an opinion on LeBron James’s move to Miami, and that includes me. After all, as a fan of Cleveland sports for four decades, I think I may have some insight, and I sure don’t mind sharing it with you.
I’m still not sure people outside of Northeast Ohio truly realize the heartbreak Cleveland fans have suffered over the years. I get so worn out on Cubs fans, and until a few years ago Red Sox fans and the like. Sure those teams are suffering or have suffered long droughts between championships, but other teams in those towns have won---a lot.
1964. If you’re familiar with Cleveland’s plight, you know that’s the last time Cleveland won a championship. The Browns beat the Baltimore Colts 27-0, to win the NFL title, which in hindsight is tainted somewhat. The American Football League had gained legitimacy by that time, and was two years from merging with the NFL, but the champions of the two circuits would not meet in a post-season contest until two years later. Would the Browns have beaten the AFL champ Buffalo Bills? Probably. But we’ll never really know. The Super Bowl era somehow diminished previous NFL title games making the 1964 game look insignificant.
Of all the teams that were in existence at the time of the NFL/AFL merger, only two have never reached the Super Bowl---Cleveland and the Detroit Lions. However, in that time Detroit has won a World Series (2), NBA championships (3) and Stanley Cups (4). Certainly there are cities that have suffered longer considering the fact that they joined the major league ranks after Cleveland’s ’64 triumph---Sacramento, Jacksonville, Phoenix and the like. Then again, there are Johnny-come-latelys like San Antonio, Indianapolis and Denver that have one quite recently.
You can understand the frustration then. Like it or not, LeBron James was our last hope for a long time. The Indians are awful. The Browns are awful. The Cavs are now a .500 team at best, and have little chance of even sneaking in as the eighth play-off team next year.
Sure, it was huge just winning the draft lottery in 2003, and securing the number one slot and the right to draft James. That’s the set-up though. It’s just the start of “The Drive,” it’s the play before “The Fumble.” It’s “Red Right 88,” and Jose Mesa about to pitch to Edgar Renteria in Game 7 of The World Series. We should have known then it would only end in disaster seven years later.
I was going to watch the ESPN spectacle, but at that last minute thought “why?” Why watch “The Drive” when you know it’s coming? No thanks. The Miami fans cheered, the Cleveland fans wailed, forever to be shown on TV and YouTube. America is used to that. It’s laughable that people criticized the burning of LeBron’s jersey. “Hey, there. You can’t burn anything until you win a championship. Then you can torch cars, garbage dumpsters, and bust up all kinds of crap---go nuts!”
One guy that will benefit from this is Bernie Kosar, who returns to his rightful place as Cleveland’s most beloved hometown sports hero. No, he never won the big game, but he didn’t abandon the faithful. When he was dismissed from the Browns by then coach Bill Belichick, and immediately snapped up by Dallas, my life-long disdain for the Cowboys vanished in an instant. Bernie, in a bit of cosmic justice, got his Super Bowl ring that year.
For the most part, people from outside the area seem to like Greater Cleveland. Most have empathy for the drought. Some find it comical, and I get that. It’s sad, but I get it. Sadder still, is I don’t think I can root for LeBron to win that championship in Miami. He has done a lot for the city, but in the end, it just doesn’t feel right.
I’m still not sure people outside of Northeast Ohio truly realize the heartbreak Cleveland fans have suffered over the years. I get so worn out on Cubs fans, and until a few years ago Red Sox fans and the like. Sure those teams are suffering or have suffered long droughts between championships, but other teams in those towns have won---a lot.
1964. If you’re familiar with Cleveland’s plight, you know that’s the last time Cleveland won a championship. The Browns beat the Baltimore Colts 27-0, to win the NFL title, which in hindsight is tainted somewhat. The American Football League had gained legitimacy by that time, and was two years from merging with the NFL, but the champions of the two circuits would not meet in a post-season contest until two years later. Would the Browns have beaten the AFL champ Buffalo Bills? Probably. But we’ll never really know. The Super Bowl era somehow diminished previous NFL title games making the 1964 game look insignificant.
Of all the teams that were in existence at the time of the NFL/AFL merger, only two have never reached the Super Bowl---Cleveland and the Detroit Lions. However, in that time Detroit has won a World Series (2), NBA championships (3) and Stanley Cups (4). Certainly there are cities that have suffered longer considering the fact that they joined the major league ranks after Cleveland’s ’64 triumph---Sacramento, Jacksonville, Phoenix and the like. Then again, there are Johnny-come-latelys like San Antonio, Indianapolis and Denver that have one quite recently.
You can understand the frustration then. Like it or not, LeBron James was our last hope for a long time. The Indians are awful. The Browns are awful. The Cavs are now a .500 team at best, and have little chance of even sneaking in as the eighth play-off team next year.
Sure, it was huge just winning the draft lottery in 2003, and securing the number one slot and the right to draft James. That’s the set-up though. It’s just the start of “The Drive,” it’s the play before “The Fumble.” It’s “Red Right 88,” and Jose Mesa about to pitch to Edgar Renteria in Game 7 of The World Series. We should have known then it would only end in disaster seven years later.
I was going to watch the ESPN spectacle, but at that last minute thought “why?” Why watch “The Drive” when you know it’s coming? No thanks. The Miami fans cheered, the Cleveland fans wailed, forever to be shown on TV and YouTube. America is used to that. It’s laughable that people criticized the burning of LeBron’s jersey. “Hey, there. You can’t burn anything until you win a championship. Then you can torch cars, garbage dumpsters, and bust up all kinds of crap---go nuts!”
One guy that will benefit from this is Bernie Kosar, who returns to his rightful place as Cleveland’s most beloved hometown sports hero. No, he never won the big game, but he didn’t abandon the faithful. When he was dismissed from the Browns by then coach Bill Belichick, and immediately snapped up by Dallas, my life-long disdain for the Cowboys vanished in an instant. Bernie, in a bit of cosmic justice, got his Super Bowl ring that year.
For the most part, people from outside the area seem to like Greater Cleveland. Most have empathy for the drought. Some find it comical, and I get that. It’s sad, but I get it. Sadder still, is I don’t think I can root for LeBron to win that championship in Miami. He has done a lot for the city, but in the end, it just doesn’t feel right.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
A Soccer Theory
I’ve been “watching the football,” as they say in Britain, and like most Americans my interest has waned. America falls to Ghana, England gets thumped by Germany. While we of course are disappointed, the English are positively beside themselves. How does a country that invented the sport, and has perhaps the top league in the world, end up doing so crappy? And does anyone outside of England care?
Certainly very few people in North America do. Obviously we’re more about (real) football, baseball and basketball. Our Canadian cousins like the hockey, as do some of us in the States. Now comes the obligatory “we North Americans don’t like soccer.” We don’t, at least not in large numbers. For the record, I do. I actually sometimes prefer it to basketball.
Every year about this time the discussion is had as to why we don’t get into soccer. The soccer bashers revel in the opportunity to point out the games foibles, and extol the virtues of “our sports.” Then there’s the paradox. Lots of kids grow up playing soccer, but after more than a generation of youth programs, we have a disproportionate number of people who have little interest in watching the game. It is one of the most perplexing mysteries in sports.
I think I may have figured it out, though I’m probably not the first to put forth the following theory. So here goes. Growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, if you played baseball, football, basketball, or hockey, you had Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL to follow. At times you even had competing leagues (the ABA, WHA and briefly the WFL and USFL). In other words, after playing you had a lot of opportunities to watch the game played professionally, and would perhaps be further inspired. If you played soccer, you had The North American Soccer League (NASL). The NASL claimed it brought world-class soccer to the upper part of the continent, but it really didn’t. Some talented players from here were mixed with good players from other countries, but many of the latter were past their prime and overpaid. Cable TV, desperate for programming did carry games, but the wire was just starting to make inroads at that time. Seeing the NASL product, even if your city had a team, was difficult. Odds are if you did have a team, you wouldn’t have it for long.
If you want to use the chicken and the egg analogy, then today the egg is still youth soccer; however the MLS hasn’t quite evolved into a chicken. Actually it seems as though MLS is marketed more toward those of us who grew up enjoying the sport, as opposed to trying to indoctrinate new converts as the NASL attempted. That strategy seems to be working for MLS. The crowds (around 16,000) aren’t much bigger than they were with the NASL (14,000 at its peak), but it seems to be a more soccer savvy and consistent crowd today. The fiscal policies of the newer league also allow it to work with a smaller draw. Of course the NHL and NBA do fine with attendance numbers that aren’t a whole lot higher.
I liken it to golf, tennis and bowling, all sports that a lot of people participate in, but few comparatively watch on TV. Oh sure, there are those who will watch golf it’s The Masters and they want to see a Tiger, or a Phil, or…some other famous golfer. Odd thing about golf though, is no one will sat they hate it, at least not with the same fervor as the soccer bashers. I’m indifferent, and someone once said “the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.”
Certainly very few people in North America do. Obviously we’re more about (real) football, baseball and basketball. Our Canadian cousins like the hockey, as do some of us in the States. Now comes the obligatory “we North Americans don’t like soccer.” We don’t, at least not in large numbers. For the record, I do. I actually sometimes prefer it to basketball.
Every year about this time the discussion is had as to why we don’t get into soccer. The soccer bashers revel in the opportunity to point out the games foibles, and extol the virtues of “our sports.” Then there’s the paradox. Lots of kids grow up playing soccer, but after more than a generation of youth programs, we have a disproportionate number of people who have little interest in watching the game. It is one of the most perplexing mysteries in sports.
I think I may have figured it out, though I’m probably not the first to put forth the following theory. So here goes. Growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, if you played baseball, football, basketball, or hockey, you had Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA and the NHL to follow. At times you even had competing leagues (the ABA, WHA and briefly the WFL and USFL). In other words, after playing you had a lot of opportunities to watch the game played professionally, and would perhaps be further inspired. If you played soccer, you had The North American Soccer League (NASL). The NASL claimed it brought world-class soccer to the upper part of the continent, but it really didn’t. Some talented players from here were mixed with good players from other countries, but many of the latter were past their prime and overpaid. Cable TV, desperate for programming did carry games, but the wire was just starting to make inroads at that time. Seeing the NASL product, even if your city had a team, was difficult. Odds are if you did have a team, you wouldn’t have it for long.
If you want to use the chicken and the egg analogy, then today the egg is still youth soccer; however the MLS hasn’t quite evolved into a chicken. Actually it seems as though MLS is marketed more toward those of us who grew up enjoying the sport, as opposed to trying to indoctrinate new converts as the NASL attempted. That strategy seems to be working for MLS. The crowds (around 16,000) aren’t much bigger than they were with the NASL (14,000 at its peak), but it seems to be a more soccer savvy and consistent crowd today. The fiscal policies of the newer league also allow it to work with a smaller draw. Of course the NHL and NBA do fine with attendance numbers that aren’t a whole lot higher.
I liken it to golf, tennis and bowling, all sports that a lot of people participate in, but few comparatively watch on TV. Oh sure, there are those who will watch golf it’s The Masters and they want to see a Tiger, or a Phil, or…some other famous golfer. Odd thing about golf though, is no one will sat they hate it, at least not with the same fervor as the soccer bashers. I’m indifferent, and someone once said “the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference.”
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Fun summer movie suggestion
Yes, I know I promised to be here every week, but I had some paying gigs, and well, ya know.
You might recall that when I started this blog, I planned to use it as a dead letter office of sorts. Some might say "junk file," but I'd rather be all "the glass is half full," and use this space to share those rarities out-takes and b-sides---like this little ditty. It's review for the very fine movie Bandslam which was submitted to Cincinnati CityBeat but never ran.
Bandslam (Summit) 2009- Like its characters, Bandslam itself is at an immediate disadvantage. Two of its three stars (Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka) are former Disney Channel kids, something that might lead folks to mistakenly confuse this with a High School Musical or Camp Rock-type effort. In fact, the film is more a hybrid of School of Rock and any John Hughes film from the late 1980s. Steeped in pop music history, the film’s emotional pull remains grounded and is never overtaken by the solid soundtrack. Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) has an encyclopedia-like amount of music knowledge rolling around in his noggin. Totally alienated at his Cincinnati-area high school (whoops), he is able to start over when his mom (Lisa Kudrow) lands a job in New Jersey. There he meets introvert Hudgens, and ex-cheerleader turned rocker Michalka. The latter is forming a band to compete against her ex-boyfriend’s group in a competition called, you guessed it---"Bandslam." Connell perfectly spins Will as befuddled yet ever-more confident. Hudgens delivers a fine performance, but just may be too lovely to be completely convincing as a wallflower. Then again, like Hollywood, it’s easy to get typecast in high school. Michalka shines as the tumultuous Charlotte, and gets time to display her musical skills as well. Hip, humorous and at points a bit heartbreaking, Bandslam richly deserves this DVD encore. (Grade A)
You might recall that when I started this blog, I planned to use it as a dead letter office of sorts. Some might say "junk file," but I'd rather be all "the glass is half full," and use this space to share those rarities out-takes and b-sides---like this little ditty. It's review for the very fine movie Bandslam which was submitted to Cincinnati CityBeat but never ran.
Bandslam (Summit) 2009- Like its characters, Bandslam itself is at an immediate disadvantage. Two of its three stars (Vanessa Hudgens and Aly Michalka) are former Disney Channel kids, something that might lead folks to mistakenly confuse this with a High School Musical or Camp Rock-type effort. In fact, the film is more a hybrid of School of Rock and any John Hughes film from the late 1980s. Steeped in pop music history, the film’s emotional pull remains grounded and is never overtaken by the solid soundtrack. Will Burton (Gaelan Connell) has an encyclopedia-like amount of music knowledge rolling around in his noggin. Totally alienated at his Cincinnati-area high school (whoops), he is able to start over when his mom (Lisa Kudrow) lands a job in New Jersey. There he meets introvert Hudgens, and ex-cheerleader turned rocker Michalka. The latter is forming a band to compete against her ex-boyfriend’s group in a competition called, you guessed it---"Bandslam." Connell perfectly spins Will as befuddled yet ever-more confident. Hudgens delivers a fine performance, but just may be too lovely to be completely convincing as a wallflower. Then again, like Hollywood, it’s easy to get typecast in high school. Michalka shines as the tumultuous Charlotte, and gets time to display her musical skills as well. Hip, humorous and at points a bit heartbreaking, Bandslam richly deserves this DVD encore. (Grade A)
Monday, March 15, 2010
PF's Bracket Notes
I usually do pretty well in the brackets. Though I haven’t won it all since 2002, I generally finish near the top of whatever pool I’m in. I think this is because I don’t follow men’s college basketball at all. Well, except for the tournament. Over the years I’ve kept some notes, which I update each year. I will share with you now. I believe them to be 100% accurate. I’ve double-checked quite a bit. The only other bit of advice I can offer is closely look at the scoring in your pool. One year I accidentally wound up in a pool where upsets received extra points. Good grief! Like it wasn’t hard enough picking the winners? I did badly in that one.
In any case, here are my notes. Hope they can be of help:
The favorite has made 5 of the last 6 Final Fours (Won in 2005, 2007, 2009)
36 of 48 Champions have come from east of the Mississippi River. 13 of those Western wins were UCLA
ACC has made the Final Four 21 times since 1990 winning 7. Rest of US 14. None in 2007, 2008 (NC in 2009 won)
In the past 30 years Champ has been an:
8-Once 6-Twice 4-Once 3- 5 times
2- 6 times 1- 17 times 5-Zero 7-Zero
Final Four Seed Totals
2001 7 (3,1,2,1)
2002 9 (5,2,1,1)
2003 9 (3,3,1,2)
2004 8 (3,2,2,1)
2005 11 (1,1,4,5)
2006 20 (11,4,3,2) (Thanks George Mason)
2007 6 (1,2,1,2)
2008 4 (1,1,1,1)
2009 7 (3,2,1,1)
#1 Seeds in Final Four
2001 2
2002 2
2003 1
2004 1
2005 2
2006 0
2007 2
2008 4
2009 2
Seed winner
2001 1
2002 1
2003 3
2004 2
2005 1
2006 3
2007 1
2008 1
2009 1
15/2: The last 15 to beat a 2 was Hampton in 2001. (only 3 other times 91,93,97)
14/3: Since 1989 11 14’s have beaten 3’s. 13% (Last year-None, 06-NW State,
05-Bucknell)
13/4: 13’s win 25% (9 of 36) of the time in the past 20 years. (Two 13’s won in 2008). They didn’t make it out of second until Bradley did in 2006 winning in R2.
2009: 1
2008: 2
2007: 0
2006: Bradley
2005: 1
2004: 0
2003: 1
2002: 1
2001: 2
12/5: 12’s are 16 of 36 (44%) in past 8 (2.25 for 4)
2009: 3 for 4
2008: 2 for 4
2007: 0 for 4
2006: 2 for 4
2005: 1 for 4
2004: 2 for 4
2003: 1 for 4
2002: 3 for 4
2001: 2 for 4
11/6: 11’s are 12 of 36 (33%) since 2001. (1.3 for 4)
2009: 1 of 4
2008: 1 of 4
2007: 2 of 4
2006: 2 of 4 (George Mason went to Final Four)
2005: 1 of 4
2004: 0 of 4
2003: 1 of 4
2002: 2 of 4
2001: 2 of 4
10/7: 10’s are 13 of 36 (36%) since 2001 . (1.4 out of 4)
2009: 3 of 4
2008: 1 of 4
2007: 0 for 4
2006: 2 for 4
2005: 1 for 4
2004: 1 for 4
2003: 2 for 4
2002: 1 for 4
2001: 2 for 4
9/8: 9’s are 20 of 36 (56%) since 2001. 11 of those 20 had a better record than the 8
(2.2 out of 4)
2009: 2 of 4 (9’s won 2)
2008: 2 of 4 (9’s won 2)
2007: 3 of 4 (9’s won 3)
2006: 1 of 4 (9’s won 1)
2005: 3 of 4 (9’s won 3)
2004: 1 of 4 (9’s won 1)
2003: 3 of 4 (9’s won 3)
2002: 0 of 4 (9’s won 0)
2001: 4 of 4 (9’s won 4)
SINCE 1985
The 1 seed has beaten the 16 seed all 100 times (100%).
The 2 seed has beaten the 15 seed 96 times (96%).
The 3 seed has beaten the 14 seed 85 times (85%).
The 4 seed has beaten the 13 seed 79 times (79%).
The 5 seed has beaten the 12 seed 66 times (66%).
The 6 seed has beaten the 11 seed 69 times (69%).
The 7 seed has beaten the 10 seed 61 times (61%).
The 8 seed has beaten the 9 seed 46 times (46%).
SMALL CONFERENCES
Haven’t won in the past 11 years
Atlantic Sun
Ivy League
Mid-Continent
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Southern
SWAC
Southland
OTHERS:
Missouri Valley (Bradley Sweet 16 in 2006, Creighton 2002, Indiana State 2001)
Patriot (Bucknell won in 2005 as a 14 and in 2006 as a 9)
Metro Atlantic (Manhattan won in 2004)
Mid-Eastern (Hampton won in 2001 as a 15. Last 15 to do so)
Sun Belt (West KY won on 2008 as 12, won in 2md round. West KY won in 09)
Big South (Winthrop won in 2007 as a 11)
Big Sky (Montana won in 2006 as a 12)
America East (Vermont won in 2005 as a 13)
Play-In: 5 of last 8 won by team with worse and sometimes losing record. Exception 2006, 2007
In any case, here are my notes. Hope they can be of help:
The favorite has made 5 of the last 6 Final Fours (Won in 2005, 2007, 2009)
36 of 48 Champions have come from east of the Mississippi River. 13 of those Western wins were UCLA
ACC has made the Final Four 21 times since 1990 winning 7. Rest of US 14. None in 2007, 2008 (NC in 2009 won)
In the past 30 years Champ has been an:
8-Once 6-Twice 4-Once 3- 5 times
2- 6 times 1- 17 times 5-Zero 7-Zero
Final Four Seed Totals
2001 7 (3,1,2,1)
2002 9 (5,2,1,1)
2003 9 (3,3,1,2)
2004 8 (3,2,2,1)
2005 11 (1,1,4,5)
2006 20 (11,4,3,2) (Thanks George Mason)
2007 6 (1,2,1,2)
2008 4 (1,1,1,1)
2009 7 (3,2,1,1)
#1 Seeds in Final Four
2001 2
2002 2
2003 1
2004 1
2005 2
2006 0
2007 2
2008 4
2009 2
Seed winner
2001 1
2002 1
2003 3
2004 2
2005 1
2006 3
2007 1
2008 1
2009 1
15/2: The last 15 to beat a 2 was Hampton in 2001. (only 3 other times 91,93,97)
14/3: Since 1989 11 14’s have beaten 3’s. 13% (Last year-None, 06-NW State,
05-Bucknell)
13/4: 13’s win 25% (9 of 36) of the time in the past 20 years. (Two 13’s won in 2008). They didn’t make it out of second until Bradley did in 2006 winning in R2.
2009: 1
2008: 2
2007: 0
2006: Bradley
2005: 1
2004: 0
2003: 1
2002: 1
2001: 2
12/5: 12’s are 16 of 36 (44%) in past 8 (2.25 for 4)
2009: 3 for 4
2008: 2 for 4
2007: 0 for 4
2006: 2 for 4
2005: 1 for 4
2004: 2 for 4
2003: 1 for 4
2002: 3 for 4
2001: 2 for 4
11/6: 11’s are 12 of 36 (33%) since 2001. (1.3 for 4)
2009: 1 of 4
2008: 1 of 4
2007: 2 of 4
2006: 2 of 4 (George Mason went to Final Four)
2005: 1 of 4
2004: 0 of 4
2003: 1 of 4
2002: 2 of 4
2001: 2 of 4
10/7: 10’s are 13 of 36 (36%) since 2001 . (1.4 out of 4)
2009: 3 of 4
2008: 1 of 4
2007: 0 for 4
2006: 2 for 4
2005: 1 for 4
2004: 1 for 4
2003: 2 for 4
2002: 1 for 4
2001: 2 for 4
9/8: 9’s are 20 of 36 (56%) since 2001. 11 of those 20 had a better record than the 8
(2.2 out of 4)
2009: 2 of 4 (9’s won 2)
2008: 2 of 4 (9’s won 2)
2007: 3 of 4 (9’s won 3)
2006: 1 of 4 (9’s won 1)
2005: 3 of 4 (9’s won 3)
2004: 1 of 4 (9’s won 1)
2003: 3 of 4 (9’s won 3)
2002: 0 of 4 (9’s won 0)
2001: 4 of 4 (9’s won 4)
SINCE 1985
The 1 seed has beaten the 16 seed all 100 times (100%).
The 2 seed has beaten the 15 seed 96 times (96%).
The 3 seed has beaten the 14 seed 85 times (85%).
The 4 seed has beaten the 13 seed 79 times (79%).
The 5 seed has beaten the 12 seed 66 times (66%).
The 6 seed has beaten the 11 seed 69 times (69%).
The 7 seed has beaten the 10 seed 61 times (61%).
The 8 seed has beaten the 9 seed 46 times (46%).
SMALL CONFERENCES
Haven’t won in the past 11 years
Atlantic Sun
Ivy League
Mid-Continent
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Southern
SWAC
Southland
OTHERS:
Missouri Valley (Bradley Sweet 16 in 2006, Creighton 2002, Indiana State 2001)
Patriot (Bucknell won in 2005 as a 14 and in 2006 as a 9)
Metro Atlantic (Manhattan won in 2004)
Mid-Eastern (Hampton won in 2001 as a 15. Last 15 to do so)
Sun Belt (West KY won on 2008 as 12, won in 2md round. West KY won in 09)
Big South (Winthrop won in 2007 as a 11)
Big Sky (Montana won in 2006 as a 12)
America East (Vermont won in 2005 as a 13)
Play-In: 5 of last 8 won by team with worse and sometimes losing record. Exception 2006, 2007
Sunday, February 28, 2010
RIP Andrew Koenig
By now you have heard of the untimely passing of Andrew Koenig, 41, in Vancouver, B.C. It’s still hard to comprehend.
I guess you could say I was a fan of Andrew’s, but only for about the past year. It wasn’t until recently that I knew he had been on the ‘80s-era sit-com Growing Pains playing “Boner” Stabone. To me, he was Andrew Koenig, video producer and aspiring director. Perhaps I’ll explain.
Andrew was the video producer for the popular podcast Never Not Funny, hosted by his brother-in-law, stand-up comic Jimmy Pardo. I had interviewed Jimmy a number of times for appearances in Cincinnati and Minneapolis. Last year I started listening to NNF. Via his web-site Monkey Go Lucky, Andrew posted a video version of the podcast. Sometimes he would be on microphone, other times, he would add comments in the background. He had a quick wit, and easy going manner.
Knowing Jimmy is married to Danielle Koenig, I quickly deduced that Andrew was the son of Star Trek’s Walter Koenig (ensign Chekov). What’s odd about that is that Walter Koenig was the only Star Trek cast member I ever met. It was at the only Star Trek convention I ever attended. Undersatnd, I’m a huge fan, but one convention was good enough for me, cool as it was. Walter Koenig was the featured speaker, and I remember him laughing at the question posed by another fan. “Is Chekov going to scream in the next film too?” This was between Wrath of Kahn and The Search for Spock.
Those sorts of things didn’t come up much on NNF. Once, when Danielle was on the podcast, Jimmy noted with a laugh that she and her brother had probably had their fill of any kind of conventions. I think they had been talking about Comic-Con in San Diego.
As for Growing Pains, again, a mention here or there. It was Andrew that told the most hilarious story though. While at a diner in Tuscon, Arizona, a waitress rushed out from the kitchen, frantically looking around.
“What’s going on? Andrew asked her.
“I heard Bono was out here.”
“No,” Andrew said. “You heard Boner was out here.”
Along the way I friend requested him on Facebook, and he accepted. At the time he was in the midst of drumming up interest in a film he hoped to make called New Wave. I had just started posting my “Lost New Wave Greats” on Facebook and Twitter, and soon after, Andrew borrowed the idea to help promote New Wave. I kidded him about stealing my idea, and at first he thought I was serious. “The more the merrier,” he said. Of course I agreed and pointed out that I was in fact flattered. His film by the way looks very cool, and sooo ‘80s in the best ways.
That’s how I knew Andrew Koenig. A guy, about my age, who loved new wave music (still!), science fiction and comedy. It was only a footnote to me that he was on Growing Pains.
After he disappeared, it became obvious how many lives he had touched and in so many ways. Growing Pains fans of course, but Never Not Funny fans, those connected to the causes he cared about, his friends in Canada, California and around the world---all desperate to find him.
I still can’t over the image of his poor mother and father at that picnic table in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, breaking the news that Andrew had taken his own life. Terribly upsetting.
As the elder Koenig indicated, at the very least, this tragedy can hopefully help others. It sounds like an empty platitude and perhaps even trite, but you have to believe it. Life is just too precious.
I guess you could say I was a fan of Andrew’s, but only for about the past year. It wasn’t until recently that I knew he had been on the ‘80s-era sit-com Growing Pains playing “Boner” Stabone. To me, he was Andrew Koenig, video producer and aspiring director. Perhaps I’ll explain.
Andrew was the video producer for the popular podcast Never Not Funny, hosted by his brother-in-law, stand-up comic Jimmy Pardo. I had interviewed Jimmy a number of times for appearances in Cincinnati and Minneapolis. Last year I started listening to NNF. Via his web-site Monkey Go Lucky, Andrew posted a video version of the podcast. Sometimes he would be on microphone, other times, he would add comments in the background. He had a quick wit, and easy going manner.
Knowing Jimmy is married to Danielle Koenig, I quickly deduced that Andrew was the son of Star Trek’s Walter Koenig (ensign Chekov). What’s odd about that is that Walter Koenig was the only Star Trek cast member I ever met. It was at the only Star Trek convention I ever attended. Undersatnd, I’m a huge fan, but one convention was good enough for me, cool as it was. Walter Koenig was the featured speaker, and I remember him laughing at the question posed by another fan. “Is Chekov going to scream in the next film too?” This was between Wrath of Kahn and The Search for Spock.
Those sorts of things didn’t come up much on NNF. Once, when Danielle was on the podcast, Jimmy noted with a laugh that she and her brother had probably had their fill of any kind of conventions. I think they had been talking about Comic-Con in San Diego.
As for Growing Pains, again, a mention here or there. It was Andrew that told the most hilarious story though. While at a diner in Tuscon, Arizona, a waitress rushed out from the kitchen, frantically looking around.
“What’s going on? Andrew asked her.
“I heard Bono was out here.”
“No,” Andrew said. “You heard Boner was out here.”
Along the way I friend requested him on Facebook, and he accepted. At the time he was in the midst of drumming up interest in a film he hoped to make called New Wave. I had just started posting my “Lost New Wave Greats” on Facebook and Twitter, and soon after, Andrew borrowed the idea to help promote New Wave. I kidded him about stealing my idea, and at first he thought I was serious. “The more the merrier,” he said. Of course I agreed and pointed out that I was in fact flattered. His film by the way looks very cool, and sooo ‘80s in the best ways.
That’s how I knew Andrew Koenig. A guy, about my age, who loved new wave music (still!), science fiction and comedy. It was only a footnote to me that he was on Growing Pains.
After he disappeared, it became obvious how many lives he had touched and in so many ways. Growing Pains fans of course, but Never Not Funny fans, those connected to the causes he cared about, his friends in Canada, California and around the world---all desperate to find him.
I still can’t over the image of his poor mother and father at that picnic table in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, breaking the news that Andrew had taken his own life. Terribly upsetting.
As the elder Koenig indicated, at the very least, this tragedy can hopefully help others. It sounds like an empty platitude and perhaps even trite, but you have to believe it. Life is just too precious.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Super, Pro and Playoff Bowls
Thoughts on the Super Bowl, The Pro Bowl and the long forgotten Playoff Bowl…
The Super Bowl is all but an official holiday in America, and rightly so. The culmination of the National Football League’s season deserves a special place in our culture.
Now where did I put that other shoe? Aw, yes. Thud. Actually, I’m not going to drop the other shoe, but merely set it down gently. I really do think the Super Bowl is special and something fun to look forward to. In some ways it’s a better excuse for a get together than, say, Thanksgiving, because you don’t have to invite your relatives.
Over the years, the game and the pageantry have gotten incrementally grander. That I could do without. In 1967, Super Bowl I didn’t even sell out. Just over 60,000 fans in a stadium (The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) that seats over 90,000. No one cared, really. 22 million fans tuned in, but that dropped by 2 million the following year.
Today it’s “off the hook” as the young people say. We have to sit through a week of dopes saying “oh, I just like to watch for the commercials.” Or there are others who look forward to seeing the halftime show. Good grief. At least we don’t have to hear that jive about Super Bowl Sunday being the number one day for calls to domestic violence shelters. Thank you Snopes and whoever else finally debunked that.
Call me a purist, but the pre-game show should not be four hours. That’s crazy! I’ll give you an hour and a half. It should be a half hour on each team’s season, a half hour on the match-up, thank you, let’s go down to the field for the coin toss. A glitzy halftime show? I don’t need it, but for those who kind of felt compelled to watch and aren’t really fans, well then O.K. Commercials? I’ll be getting another beverage, refilling my snack and checking to see if anyone else wants anything while I’m up. But, hey, knock yourself out.
Every year my wife wonders why I need to watch it. Well, cuz it’s the Super Bowl. I’m rarely invested much in the teams, either way. I try to find one to route for or, worst case scenario, one to route against (see Super Bowl XXXV).
This year it’s another toss up. I’m a Reggie Wayne fan, but how can you route against the people of New Orleans? And the Colts have won two Super Bowls, one of them since they moved to Indianapolis. Really, I’m happy with a close game which we seem to get about every other year these days. Our friends up north in Canada seem to get a good championship game every year, which almost always seems to be decided by a last minute field goal.
Speaking of the C.F.L., I just learned the other day that in the fifties, the N.F.L. played half a dozen exhibition games against teams from the Canadian circuit. The N.F.L., won all six, with the only win by a Canadian against an American team coming when Hamilton defeated the A.F.L. Buffalo Bills in 1961.
Another forgotten exhibition game from that era is the “Playoff Bowl.” Officially known as The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, it was named in honor of the former NFL commissioner who past away in 1959, while watching a game in Philadelphia’s Franklin Field.
It pitted the runners up of the NFL’s two conference championships (East and West). The series ran from 1961-1970 with all ten games being played in Miami’s Orange Bowl the week after the NFL title game. With the inception of the Super Bowl, and its two week gap between AFL and NFL league championship games, the Playoff Bowl was played during the off weekend. That, of course, is what they did with the Pro Bowl this year.
People think I’m joking when I say this, but I like the Pro Bowl. Of all the major pro all-star games, I like it the best. It doesn’t really pretend (well, not real hard) to be anything but what it is. On a side note, I actually find minor league (baseball and hockey) all-star games to be the most compelling, as they gather a wide range of up-and-coming talent in their respective sports that you might not see otherwise.
While I have always advocated the Pro Bowl being played before the Super Bowl, and thus without the players from the championship teams, I wasn’t sure I’d like it outside of Hawaii. Odd, I know, but for most of my football watching life the game has been in Honolulu. It just seems natural. That aside, I enjoyed this year’s game.
But how about this? Bring back the Playoff Bowl, and move the Pro Bowl back to the week after. Then again, you would have some players playing two otherwise meaningless exhibition games. It’s certainly something that can still be tinkered with. Perhaps all of the teams in the conference of the winning Pro Bowl team draft first in April? Although, I don’t think there needs to be anything attached to it like baseball’s (though there’s has that compelling wrinkle), but there folks that would like it to mean more.
After Sunday, no more pro football until August. Well, July for the CFL, whose regular season starts July 1. What to do between mid-February and July? Well, enjoy the play-off hunt in the NBA and NHL, the Final Four and baseball to be sure. I’ll give you one other option. Spring football. Move the AAA-esque UFL to spring. Your welcome.
The Super Bowl is all but an official holiday in America, and rightly so. The culmination of the National Football League’s season deserves a special place in our culture.
Now where did I put that other shoe? Aw, yes. Thud. Actually, I’m not going to drop the other shoe, but merely set it down gently. I really do think the Super Bowl is special and something fun to look forward to. In some ways it’s a better excuse for a get together than, say, Thanksgiving, because you don’t have to invite your relatives.
Over the years, the game and the pageantry have gotten incrementally grander. That I could do without. In 1967, Super Bowl I didn’t even sell out. Just over 60,000 fans in a stadium (The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum) that seats over 90,000. No one cared, really. 22 million fans tuned in, but that dropped by 2 million the following year.
Today it’s “off the hook” as the young people say. We have to sit through a week of dopes saying “oh, I just like to watch for the commercials.” Or there are others who look forward to seeing the halftime show. Good grief. At least we don’t have to hear that jive about Super Bowl Sunday being the number one day for calls to domestic violence shelters. Thank you Snopes and whoever else finally debunked that.
Call me a purist, but the pre-game show should not be four hours. That’s crazy! I’ll give you an hour and a half. It should be a half hour on each team’s season, a half hour on the match-up, thank you, let’s go down to the field for the coin toss. A glitzy halftime show? I don’t need it, but for those who kind of felt compelled to watch and aren’t really fans, well then O.K. Commercials? I’ll be getting another beverage, refilling my snack and checking to see if anyone else wants anything while I’m up. But, hey, knock yourself out.
Every year my wife wonders why I need to watch it. Well, cuz it’s the Super Bowl. I’m rarely invested much in the teams, either way. I try to find one to route for or, worst case scenario, one to route against (see Super Bowl XXXV).
This year it’s another toss up. I’m a Reggie Wayne fan, but how can you route against the people of New Orleans? And the Colts have won two Super Bowls, one of them since they moved to Indianapolis. Really, I’m happy with a close game which we seem to get about every other year these days. Our friends up north in Canada seem to get a good championship game every year, which almost always seems to be decided by a last minute field goal.
Speaking of the C.F.L., I just learned the other day that in the fifties, the N.F.L. played half a dozen exhibition games against teams from the Canadian circuit. The N.F.L., won all six, with the only win by a Canadian against an American team coming when Hamilton defeated the A.F.L. Buffalo Bills in 1961.
Another forgotten exhibition game from that era is the “Playoff Bowl.” Officially known as The Bert Bell Benefit Bowl, it was named in honor of the former NFL commissioner who past away in 1959, while watching a game in Philadelphia’s Franklin Field.
It pitted the runners up of the NFL’s two conference championships (East and West). The series ran from 1961-1970 with all ten games being played in Miami’s Orange Bowl the week after the NFL title game. With the inception of the Super Bowl, and its two week gap between AFL and NFL league championship games, the Playoff Bowl was played during the off weekend. That, of course, is what they did with the Pro Bowl this year.
People think I’m joking when I say this, but I like the Pro Bowl. Of all the major pro all-star games, I like it the best. It doesn’t really pretend (well, not real hard) to be anything but what it is. On a side note, I actually find minor league (baseball and hockey) all-star games to be the most compelling, as they gather a wide range of up-and-coming talent in their respective sports that you might not see otherwise.
While I have always advocated the Pro Bowl being played before the Super Bowl, and thus without the players from the championship teams, I wasn’t sure I’d like it outside of Hawaii. Odd, I know, but for most of my football watching life the game has been in Honolulu. It just seems natural. That aside, I enjoyed this year’s game.
But how about this? Bring back the Playoff Bowl, and move the Pro Bowl back to the week after. Then again, you would have some players playing two otherwise meaningless exhibition games. It’s certainly something that can still be tinkered with. Perhaps all of the teams in the conference of the winning Pro Bowl team draft first in April? Although, I don’t think there needs to be anything attached to it like baseball’s (though there’s has that compelling wrinkle), but there folks that would like it to mean more.
After Sunday, no more pro football until August. Well, July for the CFL, whose regular season starts July 1. What to do between mid-February and July? Well, enjoy the play-off hunt in the NBA and NHL, the Final Four and baseball to be sure. I’ll give you one other option. Spring football. Move the AAA-esque UFL to spring. Your welcome.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Owl City and LIGHTS review
Time was, I went to a lot of concerts. Working in radio, print and music retail afforded me ample opportunities to see shows. Over the years though, my interest waned. These days, it’s rare that a group excites me much these days. 2009, however, brought two very exciting acts.
Both groups are at once very similar, and yet starkly different. Appealing to my love of ‘80s era synth-pop, Owl City and LIGHTS make music that is reminiscent of that decade. The tunes are not only energetic, but listenable and catchy as well. Much of latter day electronic music lacks the latter two attributes.
Owl City’s solo member, Adam Young, grew up in a rural Minnesota town, and had scarcely ventured beyond the land of 10,000 lakes until a he started making music. LIGHTS, whose real name is Valerie Anne Poxleitner, was born and raised in Canada. Her parents, who were missionaries, took her all over the world. Both picked up a guitar around the age of 11, and began writing songs. Both switched to electronics to fully realize their musical visions. The two also love the baby Jesus, though they are not Christian rockers. LIGHTS is bubbly and instantly engaging. Young seems shyer, and still seems to be adjusting to all of his new-found adoration.
The two groups, along with a band called Deas Vail, played here in Cincinnati this past Wednesday. What an incredible show! Deas Vail started the evening with their brand of rootsy Midwestern rock, and the crowd was quite responsive. After the show, they managed to sell quite a few CDs to the exiting crowd, while shaking hands and autographing their wares. A nice bunch of young people.
LIGHTS took the stage next. Slinging her “key-tar” for most of her set she favored the crowd with songs from her debut CD The Listening. Assisted by another keyboardist as well as a live drummer, the Toronto native kept the crowd bopping with her songs “Saviour,” “February Air,” “Lions!” and “River.” She too hung out after the show, meeting fans and signing merchandise. A lovely young woman who hopefully will start to get the recognition she deserves.
Owl City hit the stage right at nine o’clock. Those who had seen live clips of the group on YouTube were in for a pleasant surprise. Instead of Adam Young, one partner and several computers doing the work, a full live band strolled on stage. First out were two young women, one playing the violin, the other playing the cello. The backing band was rounded out by a live drummer, two keyboardists and of course Young.
With just the strings playing, most of the audience recognized the song “Umbrella Beach.” After a few bars, the rest of the band kicked in and Owl City exploded through their one hour set. Though Young admittedly doesn’t know OMD from ODB, he figured out what many synth pioneers figured out years ago. Groups like Thompson Twins and Heaven 17 learned early in their careers that having a live band on stage was far more interesting than a bunch of people poking away at keyboards while one band member sings. Indeed, Young even broke out an electric guitar for several tunes.
“Fireflies,” of course, got the biggest response and had the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs. However, the crowd sang along to several other songs as well. This made me wonder. The sponsoring radio station, top 40 Q-102, has yet to play another song from the current album Ocean Eyes. Or anything by LIGHTS. It seems unlikely the crowd reaction will change their minds. Why lead when you can follow?
Tin-eared radio programmers aside, and in spite of the travesty of them not being nominated for a Grammy, it’s been a very promising beginning for both artists. We’ve seen this before, though. A group rockets out of the gate with a great debut, only to fall to Earth a few months later. I’d be a little heartbroken if that happened to either LIGHST or Owl City.
Both groups are at once very similar, and yet starkly different. Appealing to my love of ‘80s era synth-pop, Owl City and LIGHTS make music that is reminiscent of that decade. The tunes are not only energetic, but listenable and catchy as well. Much of latter day electronic music lacks the latter two attributes.
Owl City’s solo member, Adam Young, grew up in a rural Minnesota town, and had scarcely ventured beyond the land of 10,000 lakes until a he started making music. LIGHTS, whose real name is Valerie Anne Poxleitner, was born and raised in Canada. Her parents, who were missionaries, took her all over the world. Both picked up a guitar around the age of 11, and began writing songs. Both switched to electronics to fully realize their musical visions. The two also love the baby Jesus, though they are not Christian rockers. LIGHTS is bubbly and instantly engaging. Young seems shyer, and still seems to be adjusting to all of his new-found adoration.
The two groups, along with a band called Deas Vail, played here in Cincinnati this past Wednesday. What an incredible show! Deas Vail started the evening with their brand of rootsy Midwestern rock, and the crowd was quite responsive. After the show, they managed to sell quite a few CDs to the exiting crowd, while shaking hands and autographing their wares. A nice bunch of young people.
LIGHTS took the stage next. Slinging her “key-tar” for most of her set she favored the crowd with songs from her debut CD The Listening. Assisted by another keyboardist as well as a live drummer, the Toronto native kept the crowd bopping with her songs “Saviour,” “February Air,” “Lions!” and “River.” She too hung out after the show, meeting fans and signing merchandise. A lovely young woman who hopefully will start to get the recognition she deserves.
Owl City hit the stage right at nine o’clock. Those who had seen live clips of the group on YouTube were in for a pleasant surprise. Instead of Adam Young, one partner and several computers doing the work, a full live band strolled on stage. First out were two young women, one playing the violin, the other playing the cello. The backing band was rounded out by a live drummer, two keyboardists and of course Young.
With just the strings playing, most of the audience recognized the song “Umbrella Beach.” After a few bars, the rest of the band kicked in and Owl City exploded through their one hour set. Though Young admittedly doesn’t know OMD from ODB, he figured out what many synth pioneers figured out years ago. Groups like Thompson Twins and Heaven 17 learned early in their careers that having a live band on stage was far more interesting than a bunch of people poking away at keyboards while one band member sings. Indeed, Young even broke out an electric guitar for several tunes.
“Fireflies,” of course, got the biggest response and had the crowd singing along at the top of their lungs. However, the crowd sang along to several other songs as well. This made me wonder. The sponsoring radio station, top 40 Q-102, has yet to play another song from the current album Ocean Eyes. Or anything by LIGHTS. It seems unlikely the crowd reaction will change their minds. Why lead when you can follow?
Tin-eared radio programmers aside, and in spite of the travesty of them not being nominated for a Grammy, it’s been a very promising beginning for both artists. We’ve seen this before, though. A group rockets out of the gate with a great debut, only to fall to Earth a few months later. I’d be a little heartbroken if that happened to either LIGHST or Owl City.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Phrases that must go
I have had this list for ages, and have tried to sell it as a magazine piece with no success. Still, I believe in the work and thusly present it here.
There are thousands of magazines and newspapers in North America, featuring the works of thousands more journalists and writers. Yet a look through many of them would have you believing they all learned to write from the same insipid handbook. Here now, is a list of pre-packaged phrases that must be stricken from all media.
Drink the Kool Aid
I almost forgot this one, but when I remembered it I put it right at the top of the list. Employed to describe a situation in which people follow someone’s line of thinking, without examining all of the facts.
It is derived from the so-called Jonestown massacre of 1979. You’ll recall cult leader Jim Jones convinced his followers to commit mass suicide at their settlement in the jungle of Guyana. The plan was carried out by poisoning tubs of Kool Aid from which the cult members drank.
Look, I don’t care how carelessly people subscribe to someone’s thinking, I don’t need to be reminded of dead woman and children in the South American rain forest. But if you think about it, it really is the same thing. A difference in philosophy and 918 dead people? Yeah, that’s exactly the same thing.
In another notable cruel twist, Jones actually used a different brand of drink mix for hideous deed. Bet the folks at Kraft Foods (makers of Kool Aid), love that.
Mother of All
Deceased dictator Saddam Hussien launched this one during Gulf War I in 1990, when he proclaimed the coalition invasion of Iraq would result in the “Mother of All Battles.”
It is now the catch phrase of choice for people describing some huge, or allegedly, huge event. Ironically its infiltration into our language has done for more damage to this country than any WMDs Saddam could possibly have had.
…From Hell
As near as we can tell, this one can be traced back to comedian Richard Lewis, who in the mid-80s said, in his stand-up routine, mentioned that his Grandfather had “breath from Hell.” It’s not his fault, of course.
But now “morning zookeepers” everywhere get the “caller from Hell,” everyone has a “day from Hell,” and we of course, are forever saddled with this, “the cliche from Hell.”
Got…?
Created as a slogan for the California Dairy Processing board, this single word has permeated the language like no other. Everyone from high school drama clubs to knitting circles now use it on t-shirts and bumper stickers, though they cleverly replace milk with softball, yarn, snacks---everything except an original idea.
Not Your Father’s…
Another ad slogan gone awry, and oddly, it was one that wasn’t that brilliant in the first place.
The late GM nameplate Oldsmobile, and its advertising agency, desperate to prove the automaker’s cars were young and hip in the ’80s, came up with this ditty. It now is the pre-fab saying of choice for those trying to sell you on the idea that something old is really hip, or has a new twist when this very phrase proves otherwise.
Baaaack
When some celebrity, or other newsworthy individual has been absent from the public eye for any period of time, and then resurfaces, his or her return is announced with this little annoyance.
Knicked from the 1982 (!) film Poltergeist thousands of hacks have used this as a headline for some lame article detailing the triumphant return, and journalists (or his editor’s) own (un)-cleverness.
15 Minutes of Fame
Spin Magazine called for an end to this one almost 20 years ago. Journalists and other media types, however, read, “let’s never, ever let Andy Warhol’s quote die!”
People still try to give it a fresh coat of paint by rewording it, or only merely mentioning the 15 minutes part. Is it possible that they think this mindless cultural reference will help them become famous?
Fear and Loathing
Reporting on some gathering and need a funny title? Can’t think of anything original? You’re not alone. How about borrowing from the late Hunter S. Thompson, and morphing the title of his famous book, and subsequent movie, into something you can use.
It’s hard to figure out which is more irritating. People using this to title some dreadful magazine article, or the words “Gonzo Journalist” being tacked on in front of Thompson’s name any time he turned up in the news.
-gate
It’s the suffix everyone reaches for whenever a political scandal breaks. Ironically, once the event has been in the news for a few days, people start asking when we will stop attaching “gate” to words in order to describe scandal. Apparently no time soon.
There are thousands of magazines and newspapers in North America, featuring the works of thousands more journalists and writers. Yet a look through many of them would have you believing they all learned to write from the same insipid handbook. Here now, is a list of pre-packaged phrases that must be stricken from all media.
Drink the Kool Aid
I almost forgot this one, but when I remembered it I put it right at the top of the list. Employed to describe a situation in which people follow someone’s line of thinking, without examining all of the facts.
It is derived from the so-called Jonestown massacre of 1979. You’ll recall cult leader Jim Jones convinced his followers to commit mass suicide at their settlement in the jungle of Guyana. The plan was carried out by poisoning tubs of Kool Aid from which the cult members drank.
Look, I don’t care how carelessly people subscribe to someone’s thinking, I don’t need to be reminded of dead woman and children in the South American rain forest. But if you think about it, it really is the same thing. A difference in philosophy and 918 dead people? Yeah, that’s exactly the same thing.
In another notable cruel twist, Jones actually used a different brand of drink mix for hideous deed. Bet the folks at Kraft Foods (makers of Kool Aid), love that.
Mother of All
Deceased dictator Saddam Hussien launched this one during Gulf War I in 1990, when he proclaimed the coalition invasion of Iraq would result in the “Mother of All Battles.”
It is now the catch phrase of choice for people describing some huge, or allegedly, huge event. Ironically its infiltration into our language has done for more damage to this country than any WMDs Saddam could possibly have had.
…From Hell
As near as we can tell, this one can be traced back to comedian Richard Lewis, who in the mid-80s said, in his stand-up routine, mentioned that his Grandfather had “breath from Hell.” It’s not his fault, of course.
But now “morning zookeepers” everywhere get the “caller from Hell,” everyone has a “day from Hell,” and we of course, are forever saddled with this, “the cliche from Hell.”
Got…?
Created as a slogan for the California Dairy Processing board, this single word has permeated the language like no other. Everyone from high school drama clubs to knitting circles now use it on t-shirts and bumper stickers, though they cleverly replace milk with softball, yarn, snacks---everything except an original idea.
Not Your Father’s…
Another ad slogan gone awry, and oddly, it was one that wasn’t that brilliant in the first place.
The late GM nameplate Oldsmobile, and its advertising agency, desperate to prove the automaker’s cars were young and hip in the ’80s, came up with this ditty. It now is the pre-fab saying of choice for those trying to sell you on the idea that something old is really hip, or has a new twist when this very phrase proves otherwise.
Baaaack
When some celebrity, or other newsworthy individual has been absent from the public eye for any period of time, and then resurfaces, his or her return is announced with this little annoyance.
Knicked from the 1982 (!) film Poltergeist thousands of hacks have used this as a headline for some lame article detailing the triumphant return, and journalists (or his editor’s) own (un)-cleverness.
15 Minutes of Fame
Spin Magazine called for an end to this one almost 20 years ago. Journalists and other media types, however, read, “let’s never, ever let Andy Warhol’s quote die!”
People still try to give it a fresh coat of paint by rewording it, or only merely mentioning the 15 minutes part. Is it possible that they think this mindless cultural reference will help them become famous?
Fear and Loathing
Reporting on some gathering and need a funny title? Can’t think of anything original? You’re not alone. How about borrowing from the late Hunter S. Thompson, and morphing the title of his famous book, and subsequent movie, into something you can use.
It’s hard to figure out which is more irritating. People using this to title some dreadful magazine article, or the words “Gonzo Journalist” being tacked on in front of Thompson’s name any time he turned up in the news.
-gate
It’s the suffix everyone reaches for whenever a political scandal breaks. Ironically, once the event has been in the news for a few days, people start asking when we will stop attaching “gate” to words in order to describe scandal. Apparently no time soon.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Privacy
As Americans we have always been concerned with privacy. Some site the fourth amendment, search and seizure, as an example of the value our founding fathers placed on privacy. Of course that amendment deals primarily with the power that law enforcement officials have to obtain evidence in the investigation of a crime, or indeed, a suspected crime. The matter has been debated ever since, with various laws and legal opinions being issued. However, all of these arguments have primarily addressed government’s handling of our personal information. Businesses, or fellow citizens are another matter.
Which bring us to the greatest clearing house of personal information, our old friend the Internet. Like a giant black hole, the ‘net sucks in information about us, no matter how cagey, or guarded we are. What’s on the other side of the black hole is anyone’s guess. Of course businesses have been doing this for ages, well before the web sank its roots into out cultural soil. Direct mail thrived on this gathering of information. The things you bought with your credit cards, how much you bought, where you bough it, the magazines you subscribe to---are all good indications of the kind of junk mail you might like to find in the post. Or not.
While the practice had a hint of creepiness, it was, for the most part, viewed as innocuous. So I buy a Cleveland Browns jacket, and I get an NFL catalog in the mail from a separate company. Big deal. I might even look at the catalog, and order more stuff. Nice marketing.
The Internet has made this a bit more worrisome, perhaps because of how vast it is. OK I don’t mind an NFL catalog showing up in my mailbox, even my e-mail inbox. I have “junk email” account for such things, and I often find some nice deals and coupons that way.
What bothers most people, I think, and this may be stating the obvious, is that we just don’t know exactly what information about us is out there, or who exactly is looking at it. Even to a marketer I’m a dull guy. I like my pro sports, the new wave music and comedy. It’s other stuff that I’m not real sure anyone needs to know, even if it is equally has harmless. Stuff I bought my wife, newspaper stories I looked up---come to think of it, what about stuff taken out of context? Things I looked up to parody or satire in the course of my comedy writing or journalism pursuits? Do I trust just anyone to discern why I’m looking up say, a map of Central America? Am I up to no good, planning an escape, a vacation, or curious about pre-Colombian civilization. It’s the latter if you’re wondering Ms. or Mr. marketer.
Businesses argue that Facebook and Twitter show that your garden-variety Internet user talks a good game when it comes to privacy, but is really just hypocritical. I disagree. With Facebook and Twitter you have some measure of control over who is seeing your posts. Some people are exhibitionists of sorts, and don’t care who sees what. Others just like to keep friends, family and some acquaintances up to date.
Someone once said “don’t so anything online that you wouldn’t do in the town square,” and that’s probably sound advice. However, a lot of people might view a one on one conversation in public as still private. We’ll never get the genie back in the bottle, and folks appear to be willing to expect a certain level of risk in exchange for the convenience and power of the web. If the worst should come to the worst, you can always just opt out---totally.
Which bring us to the greatest clearing house of personal information, our old friend the Internet. Like a giant black hole, the ‘net sucks in information about us, no matter how cagey, or guarded we are. What’s on the other side of the black hole is anyone’s guess. Of course businesses have been doing this for ages, well before the web sank its roots into out cultural soil. Direct mail thrived on this gathering of information. The things you bought with your credit cards, how much you bought, where you bough it, the magazines you subscribe to---are all good indications of the kind of junk mail you might like to find in the post. Or not.
While the practice had a hint of creepiness, it was, for the most part, viewed as innocuous. So I buy a Cleveland Browns jacket, and I get an NFL catalog in the mail from a separate company. Big deal. I might even look at the catalog, and order more stuff. Nice marketing.
The Internet has made this a bit more worrisome, perhaps because of how vast it is. OK I don’t mind an NFL catalog showing up in my mailbox, even my e-mail inbox. I have “junk email” account for such things, and I often find some nice deals and coupons that way.
What bothers most people, I think, and this may be stating the obvious, is that we just don’t know exactly what information about us is out there, or who exactly is looking at it. Even to a marketer I’m a dull guy. I like my pro sports, the new wave music and comedy. It’s other stuff that I’m not real sure anyone needs to know, even if it is equally has harmless. Stuff I bought my wife, newspaper stories I looked up---come to think of it, what about stuff taken out of context? Things I looked up to parody or satire in the course of my comedy writing or journalism pursuits? Do I trust just anyone to discern why I’m looking up say, a map of Central America? Am I up to no good, planning an escape, a vacation, or curious about pre-Colombian civilization. It’s the latter if you’re wondering Ms. or Mr. marketer.
Businesses argue that Facebook and Twitter show that your garden-variety Internet user talks a good game when it comes to privacy, but is really just hypocritical. I disagree. With Facebook and Twitter you have some measure of control over who is seeing your posts. Some people are exhibitionists of sorts, and don’t care who sees what. Others just like to keep friends, family and some acquaintances up to date.
Someone once said “don’t so anything online that you wouldn’t do in the town square,” and that’s probably sound advice. However, a lot of people might view a one on one conversation in public as still private. We’ll never get the genie back in the bottle, and folks appear to be willing to expect a certain level of risk in exchange for the convenience and power of the web. If the worst should come to the worst, you can always just opt out---totally.
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