NHLPA Rejects NHL Realignment Plan

The National Hockey League Board of Governors unvield their plans for the divisional re-alignment for the 2012-2013 NHL season.  It was unanimously accepted by the owners, but when put before the NHL Players Association, the players put the kybosh on the plan.

Realignment module.

I personally loke the new plan as it puts me in mind of the old divisional alignment of the 1980s.  Of course that's when my Jets were annualy crushed by the mighty Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers, but I long for the days when ther top four teams from the four divisions (Smythe, Norris, Adams and Patrick) would get into the playoffs, having teams in divisions in the first place some meaning.  Today, divisional standings mean squat.  You have to be in the top eight of your respective conference to make the post-season and the six divisional winners are then seeded one through three, even if a team who wins one division is seeded higher than a team in the same conference with more points.  Yeah, you ensure the top eight teams get in, so no teams that are lucky enough to just squeak in make the playoffs, but it really takes any meaning away from divisional battles.

Another thing is when a team today ends up atop of their division at the end of the regular season, they're declared divisional champions.  So what if you meet a divisional rival in the post-season and the "champs" lose out?  Should there be a re-crowning?  In the past, that wasn't a problem (not that it is today) because you had divisional playoffs.  The last one standing in any particular division were the divisional champs.  There were two rounds of any divisional playoff, then the last of four would go on to the conference final.

Anyway, this is all for not anyway, as the plan will be accepted by the players eventually after this grandstanding for the 2013-14 season.

NHL Unviels New Alignment Plan

This is what I think is a touch more than reminiscent of the 80s divisional and playoff formats.
This is going to be pretty cool.

Grey Cup Goes to BC

Well, starting next year it will be 22 years since the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have hoisted the Grey Cup, Canada's symbol of professional football supremacy. The last time they did so was a 50-11 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in 1990 in the very same BC Place

Last night, the Bombers fell short on a fourth quarter comeback, as Lion quarterback Travis Lulay held strong and picked apart the unnormally weak Winnipeg secondary to lead the BC Lions to victory in the 99th Gery Cup game.

I am not happy. I thought (just as I did in a 2001 loss to the supposedly inferior Calgary Stampeders) that this was the Bombers year. Not since the days of the vaulted Winnipeg defense of James West, Tyrone Jones and Greg Battle have the Blue and Gold put fear into the opposing quarterback's eyes and doubt into their coach's mind.

After 7-2 start, one would think that they would find an answer to a club that started 0-5 and over-achieved the rest of the season, even though the Lions own defence ending up being stellar throughout the last few weeks of the season. That wasn't the case and perhaps "Swaggerville" was a bit over-confident going in.

The last time the Bombers went this long without a championship was between 1962 until 1984. Twenty-two years. Yep. Another 22 years since the Winnipeg Blue Bombers hoisted the Cup. And now they'll do it again, if not longer.

Maybe a change of scenery will change their luck as the Bombers say goodbye to their 58-year-old historic home (which has only hosted two Grey Cup games in it's long and proud history-which is pathetic for an original and storied CFL franchise) and move into their new diggs in the east part of the city for the 2012 season.

So next year begins yet another quest in a bid to end the Canadian Football League's longest championship drought. I wouldn't quite put them in the same category as the Buffalo Bills who lost four straight Super Bowls between 1990 and 1993, but the Bombers are 0-5 in Grey Cup appearences since 1992; losing in 92, 93, 2001, 2007 and now 2011.
How long can such a successful franchise go without being champions? I mean after all, they're not the Maple Leafs.

Tom Sawyer Intro

If you've never seen this (as I didn't until recently) here's a really cool intro during a RUSH concert, incorporating a South Park segment.

Oh What a Bunch of Crap

Like any gunner or pilot of the Enterprise would ever be able to get a bead on the Falcon.

If anything, it would go like this...

Be Careful What You Wish For

What would happen to Wile E. Coyote if he actually caught the Road Runner? Everybody's thought of it at one time or another. But has anybody though what would become of Wile E. if he had all that extra time? What would become of his genius? Would it wither and rot?

Bombers Beat Tiger Cats to Advance to Grey Cup

It's been 21 years since my Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the Canadian Football League championship, hammering the Edmonton Eskimos 50-11 in 1990.

Since then the Bombers have gone 0-4 in the Grey Cup Final losing in consecutive years in 1992-93 and then twice more in 2001 (losing to the 8-10 Calgary Stampeders, a team that was two games under .500 and shouldn't have been in the playoffs. The Bombers should have won this game...handily)and the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2007.

To get to the dance this year, they had to endure losing eight out of their last 10 games after starting the season 7-1.
They managed to get the bye in the Eastern Final only due to the Montreal Alouettes losing their last game of the season as they and the Bombers were tied atop the East at 10-8 and although the Bombers also lost their last game, they had won the season series against Montreal 2-1 giving them the division title.

They then defeated the overwhelmed Hamilton Tiger Cats in the East Final to go to this year's Grey Cup championship.

This time the game is at the opponents home field as the Bombers play the BC Lions at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. This is the second time Winnipeg and BC have faced each other in the Grey Cup game. The first was in 1988 in Ottawa. The Bombers won that thriller, 22-21.

Drunk Octopus

I don't know how long this image has been around the internet, but I laughed out loud when I saw it.

Smokin' Joe Frazier Dead at 67; Muhammad Ali, Other Greats Pay Tribute

Former world heavyweight boxing champion Smokin' Joe Frazier has succumbed to the liver cancer that he had been battling. He was 67.
Muhammad Ali, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather all paid tribute to the late, great champion.

KISS Comes Alive!

Well, the home-made set this dude put together which is spectacular! Man, I wish I had even half of this. You know some time-consuming work went into this.



Or this...



Awesome.

Complete 2011 KISS Kruise Concert

Here is the entire hour and a half KISS Kruise performance from October. Man, I wanted to be at this!

The "Avengers" Trailer

"Instead of following the usual blueprint of making a blockbuster and then wringing sequels/spin-offs out of it, they made the “sequels” first by giving each character his own movie with an eye to eventually combining them in one big superhero mega-blockbuster (which itself will have many sequels, of course).
To do it the way they’re doing it here, you need a reservoir of material out of the gate so that you have a clear path from the characters’ individual films to the climactic joining-of-forces down the road. You also need some reason to believe the characters’ individual films will themselves be successful enough to keep the whole project afloat and building momentum towards the mega-blockbuster. Superhero flicks based on Marvel’s mythology are unusual insofar as they meet both requirements."
-Allahpundit, HotAir.com

Calvillo Becomes All-Time Leader

Anthony Calvillo, the Montreal Allouettes quarterback has surpassed Damon Allen to become pro football's all-time leading passer. That's pro football, including any pivot that ever played in the CFL, NFL, NFL Europe, or any other pro league. That's impressive folks.

Calvillo hooked up with Jamel Richardson gave Calvillo 72,387 career yards, which broke Damon Allen’s previous mark of 72,381 as the Alouettes defeated the Toronto Argonauts 29-19.

It took Calvillo only 12 years after starting his CFL career with the expansion Las Vegas Posse during the failed CFL U.S. expansion in 1994 to become the top dog.

After the Posse folded a year later, Calvillo was selected first overall by the Hamilton Tiger Cats in a dispersal draft. Calvillo signed as a free agent with the Alouettes in 1998. He led the Alouettes to the Grey Cup in 2002 for the first time in 25 years, where he was named the games MVP. He went on to win two more Grey Cups with Montreal in 2009 and 2010. He also led the Als to the 2008 Grey Cup final in a loss to the Calgary Stampeders, although Calvillo still captured game MVP honors for the second time.

The 20 Best Horror Movies of All Time?

I put a question mark in the title because this list is of course all subjective. Some you will agree with, some you won't. But Halloween season is upon us once again, so Hollywood (and the indies) are gearing up to roll out their slasher films and psychological thrillers.

From Big Hollywood.

Question: Where is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Or to a lesser extent, Chucky? And my God, where's Psycho or The Birds, Bram Stoker's Dracula and even the original Count Dracula with Christopher Lee? There's even the French film (one of many between 2001-2010) Haute Tension (aka Switchblade Romance) Actually the French have made very good horror/slasher films throughout the last 10 years or so. Many of them are considered "offensive" to the fragile sensibilities of North American movie-goers, due to their very graphic death and sex scenes.

WTF!? Are They Serious?

KISS is reportedly thinking of doing a duet with Lady Gaga. While this chills me to the bone, apparently Paul Stanley thinks it's "not improbable."

And, um, where was I when they announced the new album due out in January is going to be called "Monster?"

They Said it Would Never Happen

Actually he said it would never happen, but Gene Simmons, the blood-spitting, girl-chasing, bassist of KISS; the man who once compared the "institution" of marriage to a mental institution, got married yesterday to long-time girlfriend and mother of his two adult children, ex-playboy model and actress Shannon Tweed.

A story the day before.

And You Thought the Caskets Were Tasteless

Ooh boy. This is just getting too much even for me.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolen is back in what he says is "the last chapter of our Batman saga." The director, Hollywood darling and apparently the man that can do no wrong behind the camera , is in the director's chair for what appears to be just that, the final chapter (although we've all heard that before with Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Star Trek to name but a few)

All indications are that this will be the last Batman film, at least under Nolen's watch. A good opinion piece on this can be found here.

Here is the official full trailer:

Legendary Rock and Roll Lyricist Jerry Leiber Dies at 78

Jerry Lieber, along with his long-time partner, composer Mike Stoller who together created some of the miost memorable songs in rock and roll history, has died.

You may not know him by name, but along with Stoller, they were one of the most prolific writing teams in music history. They wrote such classic hits such as Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock for Elvis Presley, Stand by Me by Ben E. King and The Coasters' Yakkety Yak. They compiled a great anthology of hits over their career that were recorded at different times for such acts as The Beatles, (including their early hit, Twist and Shout) Brenda Lee, James Brown and the Everly Brothers.

Kraft Launches the Triple Double Oreo

Of course I have to try these. A stack of these babies and a tall glass of milk...ooh baby!

It may just be compensation for not getting a chance to devour one of those "Double Down" Chicken sandwiches from KFC. I'm still upset over missing out on that cholesterol-fest. D'OH!

I mean cheese and bacon between two pieces of succulent chicken breast. What's not to like?

KISS at Caesar's Windsor 2011

So once again, here I am tuckered out and raw-throated from seeing KISS last night. It was the second time they've come to Windsor. The last time was in 2009 during the ALIVE 35 tour.
The show was great as usual and the boys were in fine form. They played all the favourites including their staples of Detroit Rock City, Shout It Out Loud, Beth, Deuce, Calling Dr. Love, Firehouse and of course Rock and Roll All Nite among other timeless classics. The only tunes that I noticed that they didn't play that they have been lately and historically were Strutter, 100,000 Years and I Was Made For Lovin' You.

And once again the Coliseum at Caesar's just doesn't want me to have any pics from that particular venue, as I forgot my camera (thus no pics to share this time) Back in 2009, it was because my batteries died in my camera as soon as the curtain dropped. Good God.

The only disappointment was the so-called fans in the section other than the floor that were sitting on their hands the whole show. Even Paul Stanley made mention that they "look like [your] watching TV." The other thing is there were a lot of older people there. And I'm not just talking about people that were fans when the band started, but people that were older than the boys themselves. I'm 39 (soon to be 40 *sigh*) but there were literally people there with walkers. Yes, walkers! That really doesn't do much to dissuade the talk of the band and it's fan base being old. I mean really old. I mean God bless them and welcome to the show, but wow.

But once again, like I said the boys were in top form and even Stanley's voice was better than it was last September in Detroit at the DTE, which is saying something being 59 and at the home stretch of the tour.
Another drawback was that I didn't see any USB concert sticks that were available at the DTE and back in 2009. That doesn't mean that they weren't for sale, just that I didn't see them. A bit of a bonus as well was that the tour shirts were a bit cheaper this time.

This was the fifth time seeing them for me. I know that's not even remotely close to some people as I've read some on kissfansite.yuku.com have seen them well over 100 times. I wish. And I hope to catch them next year when the new album comes out sometime either late this year or early next. I don't know what I'll do when they finally do stop touring. I will be majorly bummed.

But for now I'll enjoy the hell out them as they continue to be the hottest band in the world.
KISS rules baby!

Worst Call in Baseball History

Remember when Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was robbed in what would have been Major League Baseball's 21st (at the time) perfect game by a blown call from first base umpire Jim Joyce. At the time, that was the worst call in baseball within my lifetime.

Not anymore:



Actually the Galarraga goof was worse as it robbed a young pitcher of probably his only shot he'll get at such a monumental and near-impossible feat.

Baseball needs instant replay.

Gene Simmons Proposes to Shannon Tweed

From the TMZ website, KISS bassist and front man Gene Simmons, perhaps due to fear of losing his long-time girlfriend and former Playboy model Shannon Tweed (they have been having public relationship problems on his hit A&E series, Gene Simmons' Family Jewels) has proposed. As of this writing, at least as far as the cameras rolling are concerned, we don't know Shannon's answer, but I'm sure we can all guess.

Amy Winehouse Found Dead

Pop star Amy Winehouse has been found dead in her London home.

Not that I was a fan in any way, shape or form of the drug and alcohol-fueled pop star, but it's still always sad to see someone go so young.

But I hardly doubt if this came as a shock to anybody. Personally, I though I'd be reading about Lindsay Lohan being found somewhere bloated, with a needle still stuck in her arm. I mean wasn't Winehouse's biggest "hit" I Don't Wanna Go to Rehab? Perhaps she should have. At least longer than she reportedly did.

And before the music media start comparing her to Janis Joplin or any other legend-status musician due to the fact she died at 27 years of age, let's not. It's not even close. But you know they will.

Quick Question

I was just wondering after I seen an article in the Toronto Star, when did Marie Osmond gets so damn hot? I mean, she was always cute but it seems the older she gets the better looking she gets.



That is all.

The History of the Wilhelm Scream

You know what the Wilhelm Scream is doncha? It was used in all the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies for example. That scream someone gives at least once in every one of those episodes when they get shot and fall down a chasm or flying from an explosion?

You'll see what I mean.

The New Jets

Although it's not the jerseys the Jets will be wearing come October, new Winnipeg Jet, "Big Buff" Dustin Byfuglien (pronounced Bufflin) dons the colors of the Jets for a photo-shoot during draft day in Minnesota.
By the way, he's called "Big Buff" because the dude is 6'5, 265 lbs. That's a big boy and a great catch for us. He looks good in it doesn't he?

The Big Bang Theory

Why is it I'm always a day late and a dollar short when it comes to what's the next or new "big thing?" Maybe it's because I had given up on television (and movies to a certain extent) years ago to be a consistent purveyor of fine, quality entertainment. The smart entertainment died years ago, with a couple of notable exceptions like say, Dexter.

But once in a while there comes along a show that simply cannot be denied for whatever reason, be it it's superb writing, acting or simply being fortunate enough to have it's pilot episode follow the Super Bowl.

For me (and that's all this is about) there have been a few notable shows that have come along that have garnered enough positive attention for me to check out. I'm rarely in on the ground floor anymore, so I usually rely on word of mouth from friends and associates, never the critics.

Names of note would be The X Files, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Sopranos, Friends and my new favourite, which I can't seem to get enough of, The Big Bang Theory.
These shows are the first to get into my personal "Hall of Fame," since Cheers, Night Court, Taxi (yes, I'm that old) or even Bugs Bunny. Anybody that doesn't like Bugs Bunny cartoons; I don't even want to know you exist.

In fact, I kind of liken Big Bang Theory to Friends in that you do enjoy and like all of the major characters on the show. Think of how hard that is to not only keep the story lines interesting (and it's even harder trying to keep a sitcom consistently funny) but to have those watching actually care for their development of not just one or two characters, but five!
If you were a fan of Friends, you'll remember how you cared for all six major characters. It didn't matter what Chandler, Joey, Rachel, Monica, Phoebe or Ross did individually or as a group; you were interested in all of them. That's good writing.

And now the same goes for The Big Bang Theory. A surprise hit for CBS to be sure. How can anyone not see Dr. Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) as their favourite is beyond me. However, like I just said, you really can't not care for any of them. By the way, Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) is a very close second favourite. There I go being contradictory again.
The show stars Johnny Gelecki (from Roseanne fame)as Dr. Leonard Hofstadter as the co-genius sharing an apartment with Sheldon that have a new neighbor, Penny, played by 8 Simple Rules alumni Kaley Cuoco, move in across the hall in the pilot episode. Leonard is immediately smitten and comedy ensues. The cast is rounded out by Kunal Nayyar who plays the lovable Raj Koothrappali who's main affliction is his inability to physically talk to women...unless drunk.

Before I decided to check the show out (which I still haven't actually seen on television) I had heard the name of the show for a while, but nothing other than "it's pretty good you should check it out." But these testimonials usually came from people that also enjoy The Office and I may be in the minority here, but that's a show I just can't get into. So to use that as a comparison is not only waaay off as it turns out, but not exactly suitable if your not a fan of the Steve Carell vehicle. But not too long ago while waiting for the train on a return trip from Toronto, my roommate showed me an episode on his laptop and I was hooked. Since then I've caught every episode on DVD and online at Project Free TV. It's a pretty decent site for television shows and the load times are manageable. A couple of links are even really quick.

You have to check this show out. But again, seeing that the show started in 2007, I may just be preaching to the choir.

And remember, you're in my spot.

VW Commercial Part II

Remember the awesome Super Bowl commercial about the little kid dressed as Darth Vader trying to test his force abilities? Well, although this one is sort of a sequel (don't worry, no Jar-Jar or Ewoks in this one) as it looks to leave off where the other one ended, it is by Greenpeace and it has that "Global Warming/CO2 emissions" crap in it. But it's still good for a laugh.

It's Official!

The Jets It Is!

So for all you out there that thought even for a second that Mark Chipman and company at True North Sports & Entertainment were going to call the new Winnipeg NHL team anything other than the Winnipeg Jets, I have to say...I told you so!

There never was any doubt and with the seventh pick in the first round when Kevin Cheveldayoff walks up to the podium for Winnipeg's pick, he will undoubtedly announce, "With the seventh pick, the Winnipeg Jets select...," and Winnipeg hockey fans will give a mighty roar that will be heard throughout the hockey world.

Which Logo/Sweater Do You Prefer?

Now that the NHL Board of Governors have unanimously voted to approve the sale and relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg, the most important order of business now, other than drafting and naming a head coach, is to name the team itself and to design a logo for the jersey.

Which do you prefer? (Just click on the boxes to enlarge it)

The most obvious, popular and beloved name would be of course the Winnipeg Jets. Other names that have been flaoting around in the event that (God, please no) Mark Chipman and company decide to call the team something else include the Polar Bears, the Freeze, the Falcons, the Threshers, the Flood and the Moose.

Other than the Falcons, there's no name there that doesn't make me want to gag.

Deep Purple at the FOX Theatre

Last night was different. I went over to Detroit and checked out legendary "heavy metal" band, Deep Purple. It was with Ian Gillan and everything.

I almost forgot about the show. My roommate had some of his buddies over one night and they got onto the computer and were randomly looking for shows coming up in or around Detroit. My roommate Bubbles (no, not Micheal Jackson's orphaned chimp. That would be Mr. Bubbles-no, Bubbles is a dude who just is. You may remember him from the 2010 Florida trip post. He is named as such because of his resemblance to the "Bubbles" character on Trailer Park Boys) discovered with shock and awe that one of his favourite bands was going to be in Detroit and he didn't know about it. So it goes without saying that he easily talked his buddies into throwing down the 70 dollars and when he asked me I simply said I was in without really thinking about it, which received an "atta boy" from the Bubbster. And with that we all agreed to be like millions of concert-goers to openly and willingly allow ourselves to get anally raped by TicketMaster once again.

But up until the night before the show, I totally forgot about it. Luckily I had just gotten paid, so I paid off Bubbs (which is weird, because as of this writing-the night after the show remember) I was the only one that squared up with Bubbs.

But anyways about the show.
We got there in pretty good time. We didn't really have any hassles at the border, or getting our tickets because they had to be left at Will Call due to the Canadian Post national strike. Therefore since our tickets couldn't be mailed to us so Bubbs made the phone monkeys understand that we would have to pick them up. When we did all it was a piece of paper with a note telling the ticket checkers and ushers past them that we had "tickets" we just didn't have tickets. But there was no problem as we were shown to our seats. At this point I must add, although I had been to the FOX Theatre once prior for the WWE Hall of Fame ceremonies the night before WrestleMania 23 from Detroit, I never really examined the many and great sculptures and tapestries and big ol' what appeared to be a giant Indian disco ball, which I somehow remembered being a chandelier for some reason. Ah, a big theater, large object hanging from the middle of the raised ceiling giving off light and all that.

The opening band was surprisingly good and greeted by the fans with a couple of ovations, especially at the end of their set when they did a Boston medley including "More Than a Feeling", "Peace of Mind", "Foreplay/Long Time", "Rock and Roll Band"and "Smokin'." In fact, the band, Ernie and the Automatics have two members from the original band Boston, Guitarist Barry Goudreau and drummer Sib Hashian.

Deep Purple hit the stage about 15 minutes after E&TA's departure and opened with one of their best, "Space Truckin'." In fact, they did all their hits including, "Highway Star," "Lazy," "My Woman from Tokyo" and "Smoke on the Water, among others of course.

The shirts were cheap. I only paid $25 for my basic black tee with the tour dates on the back. I usually go for those, as I like to see either my city of residence or whatever city I was in to see the show on the shirt. I don't know; narcissistic history, right?
The downer is, since we couldn't get actual tickets mailed to us, I now have no memorabilia from the show (other than the shirt-GRRR.) I usually would frame it or stick it in a photo album with my other tickets. But since I lost all my other concert tickets from the past (other than recent KISS and Nickelback ones) including KISS, Metallica, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney (yes, talk about OUCH!) in a move years ago, I figure this probably won't kill me either. Sucks tho'.

Anyways, overall a pretty good show with an opening band that didn't make me want to wretch.

All in A Name?

So now that Winnipeg has re-entered the NHL (pending the league's board of governor's approval of the sale and relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers to the Manitoba capital) the question on every Winnipeg hockey fan and especially Jets fans minds is, what to call the new team?

A lot of people argue just that; it's a new team. And so with that should go a new name, a new identity, a new history. I totally understand that argument. Especially since the history and performance records of the Winnipeg Jets now belong to the Phoenix Coyotes. However, and this goes to my point of why they should be named the Jets, and really, nothing else will have fans taking the name to heart more. There's really no need to prove it because if you've been paying attention to the Atlanta/Winnipeg move news at all lately, you might have noticed the people in the streets shouting "Go Jets Go" wearing both Jets jerseys from the 80s and 90s. Some are even lucky enough to have WHA replica jerseys. On a personal note, I had a chance to have one of those back in the early 80s when I was offered a trade for it in exchange for an old guitar. Actually it was the shell of a guitar that a friend of mine at the time wanted to rebuild and then smash on stage (when he finally got his band together)
At any rate, I traded the guitar for a stack of old wrestling magazines (D'OH!)
Actually I don't really regret that exchange, but I sure wish I had that jersey today.

But back to the topic at hand. Another argument is that if the Jets name is reborn it will affect merchandise sales as every Jets fan already have jerseys and hats and scarves and toques, etc. and won't buy any new Jets items. Hogwash! It's very simple. You keep the name and change the colours and tweak the logo. True North Sports and Entertainment will still make a killing on simply re-packaging the Jets name. Not doing away with it. This is the name that Winnipeg hockey fans remember, honor and love to this day as witnessed by the outpouring of emotion and joy related to the Jets name when the official announcement of the Thrashers purchase was made. I and many, many Winnipeggers grew up with the Jets. We bled with the name through all their mediocre seasons and near-impossible playoff runs against the mighty Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier-led Edmonton Oilers.


Another concern is that, as stated, the Winnipeg Jets history now lies with the Phoenix Coyotes and has since the Jets relocated to Arizona in 1996. The Yotes even have banners honoring former Jets players hanging in Jobing.com Arena in Glendale. Although I respect and appreciate the Coyotes organization for recognizing the achievements of these former Jets players, that's also the problem; only one of the names hanging in Glendale actually played for the Coyotes. That would be Teppo Numminen (#27) The rest, Thomas Steen (#25), Bobby Hull (#9) and Dale Hawerchuck (#10) never played a single game for the Phoenix Coyotes. And even Numminen played longer in Winnipeg than in Phoenix (eight years to seven) but he did spend enough time in Phoenix and holds records for a defenceman for that franchise since 1996, so that honor by Phoenix is at least warranted and understandable. But as for the rest, what the hell are they doing there?

When Dale Hawerchuck's number was retired by the Coyotes in 2007, he appeared, proudly, in his Winnipeg Jets jersey and talked very lovingly and favorably about the Jets, the city of Winnipeg and the fans. He kept talking about "the emblem on the front of the jersey" as if they told him not to mention the Jets too much. But as far as ceremonies go, it was pathetic. It should have been done in Winnipeg where it belonged. The Coyotes fans were asleep and I doubt if even less than half of them even knew who they were honoring.



Man, was it great to see him in a Jets jersey again. God bless Ducky, he deserved a better night where he started his career and where he will always be remembered, appreciated and loved. The Jets jersey said it all.

They even hung his jersey in Phoenix colours. WTF!? Shame on the Jets organization for not doing it themselves when he retired, although they did raise a banner celebrating his number of games played and total points tallied in a Jets sweater; but why not make that an official "Dale Hawerchuck #10 Retirement Night?"
As far as that goes, before the puck drops in Winnipeg for the start of the 2011-12 season, the new team should re-retire Hawerchuck's number, this time doing it right in front of Winnipeg fans. The people that deserve to see it. Get the banners back from Phoenix (and the AVCO Cup banners out of storage as well) and hang them where they rightfully should be.
I mean, how would Oilers fans feel if Wayne Gretzky's number was only retired in Los Angeles and not in Edmonton at all? Of course Gretzky's number 99 was retired league-wide, but imagine the disappointment and rage if that happened.

As a commenter said in a post following the video, "I look forward to a much better, more energized and more relevant Dale Hawerchuk Night during the 2011-2012 season."
Damn straight! Wait and see how loud the MTS Centre will be when Hawerchuck walks out onto the ice to set things right.
while they're at it,they can retire the numbers of Paul MacLean or Anders Hedberg (#15) , Ulf Nilsson (#14), Morris Lukowich (#12), Randy Carlyle (#8) and Teemu Selanne (#13)

Another point towards my argument is that even on the Phoenix Coyotes website, they separate the history and stats of career and single-season records of the Coyotes and Jets like they were two different teams. (Just click on the "stats" pull-down menu and click on "all-time stats engine." Then click on the "team" pull-down menu and see how the teams stats-team single-season and career-leaders) Well, that's because they are. They may be the same "franchise," but they are definitely not the same team. Which brings me to an idea. I don't think it's all that crazy either.
If Mark Chipman and True North asked permission from the NHL and the Phoenix Coyotes to retain (or to have back) just the records and stats from the Winnipeg Jets from 1979-1996, then the Jets and Coyotes could have their own records and history and everyone's happy. Especially me. It's not unheard of. It may be precedent-setting in the NHL, but the National Football League did it when the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens. The name, colours and records remained with Cleveland and were waiting for them when they returned two years later. Regardless of what happens with the records and history being in Phoenix and Winnipeg being forced to adhere to the NHL edict of not being allowed to reclaim their lost past, I won't consider the Thrashers records as Jets records. That's right, I'm still going to consider Dale Hawerchuck as the Jets all-time points leader (which most likely would have become Teemu Selanne's if he and the Jets didn't part ways) I'm still going to consider Thomas Steen as the all-time games played leader and I'm still going to consider Selanne as the Jets contribution as the NHL rookie goal and points leader in one season.

That's all I'm asking. Anything other than the Jets would be a crime. But of course, all this being said, I will support, love and bleed with the team whatever the new owners see fit to name them. But for the love of God, please don't let it be the Polar Bears, Moose, Blizzard, Gold or whatever other ridiculous name ideas that have been floating around. And I sure hope it's the Winnipeg "somethings." To name them the Manitoba "somethings" although understandable, just wouldn't be right either.

But I'm just happy (ecstatic actually) to get my team back. Oh, and for all those that said Winnipeg would never get an NHL team back...YOU WERE WRONG! EAT IT!!

James Arness Dead at 88

Marshall Matt Dillon has been silenced and it wasn't by the bullet of an outlaw.

James Arness, the man who brought to life the character of Marshal Matt Dillon on one of television's longest-running dramatic series, Gunsmoke, has died at 88 years old:

It takes a special kind of lawman to carry on for 20 years in the Wild West of TV. Matt Dillon, the mythical marshal of Dodge City, stood tall — all 6 feet, 6 inches of him — on "Gunsmoke" from 1955 to 1975. He outlasted dozens of other Western heroes while making history on TV's longest-running dramatic series, a record that held until NBC's "Law & Order" tied the CBS Western's record in 2010.

Through all those gunslinging years, James Arness, who died Friday, kept Marshal Dillon righteous, peace-seeking and, most of all, believable. Fickle viewers can kill a TV hero as surely as a bullet from an outlaw's six-gun. But Arness knew how to maintain order not only in circa-1870s Dodge City, but also among the TV audience, whose itchy fingers on their channel changers he knew how to calm. In an era when TV actors typically chewed the scenery, Arness had a credible, commanding presence by hardly uttering a word. A typical scene found a dozen cowboys riding up to the town jail intent on busting out a prisoner pal. Dillon faces them all down."The first move anybody makes," he says, with a slight shake of his head, "I cut you in two."Arness' defiant but rueful delivery is so understated, he makes Clint Eastwood seem like a loudmouth. No wonder "Gunsmoke" wore so well. And became the last word on a programming craze that some seasons found as many as 30 Westerns on the air.

When "Gunsmoke" went off in 1975, it was the only Western left. By the end of his career, Arness, who was 88 when he died at his home in Los Angeles, seemed almost indistinguishable from Matt Dillon in the audience's mind. Befitting Marshal Dillon's dignity and composure, Arness wrote, and left behind, a simple, straight-from-the-heart farewell which, at his request, was posted posthumously Friday on his official website.
"I had a wonderful life and was blessed with ... (so) many loving people and great friends," he said, then went on to thank his multitude of fans. In life, Arness was a quiet, intensely private man who preferred the outdoor life to Hollywood's party scene, rarely gave interviews, and refused to discuss his personal tragedies (his daughter and his former wife, Virginia, both died of drug overdoses). "He's big, impressive and virile," co-star Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty) once said of Arness, adding, "I've worked with him for 16 years, but I don't really know him. "The actor was 32 when friend John Wayne declined the lead role in "Gunsmoke" and recommended Arness instead. Afraid of being typecast, Arness initially rejected it. "Go ahead and take it, Jim," Wayne urged him. "You're too big for pictures. Guys like Gregory Peck and I don't want a big lug like you towering over us. Make your mark in television." Then Wayne filmed an introduction for the first episode of "Gunsmoke" to give the largely unknown Arness the proper send-off. "I predict he'll be a big star," Wayne told viewers. "So you might as well get used to him, like you've had to get used to me."

Arness' 20-year, prime-time run as the marshal was tied only in recent times, by Kelsey Grammer's 20 years as Frasier Crane from 1984 to 2004 on "Cheers" and then on "Frasier." The years showed on the weathered-looking Arness, but he — and his TV character — wore them well.
"The camera really loved his face, and with good reason," novelist Wallace Markfield wrote in a 1975 "Gunsmoke" appreciation in The New York Times. "It was a face that would age well and that, while aging, would carry intimations of waste, loss and futility."

Born James Aurness in Minneapolis (he dropped the "u" for show business reasons), he and younger brother Peter enjoyed a "real Huckleberry Finn existence," Arness once recalled. Peter, who changed his last name to Graves, went on to star in the TV series "Mission Impossible." (He died in 2010.) A self-described drifter, Arness left home at age 18, hopping freight trains and Caribbean-bound freighters. He entered Beloit College in Wisconsin, but was drafted into the Army in his 1942-43 freshman year. Wounded in the leg during the 1944 invasion at Anzio, Italy, Arness was hospitalized for a year and left with a slight limp. He returned to Minneapolis to work as a radio announcer and in small theater roles. He moved to Hollywood in 1946 at a friend's suggestion.

After a slow start in which he took jobs as a carpenter and salesman, a role in MGM's "Battleground" (1949) was a career turning point. Parts in more than 20 films followed, including "The Thing," "Hellgate" and "Hondo" with Wayne. Then came "Gunsmoke," which proved a durable hit and a multimillion-dollar boon for Arness, who owned part of the series. His longtime co-stars were Blake as saloon keeper Miss Kitty, Milburn Stone as Doc Adams, Dennis Weaver as the deputy, Chester Goode, and his replacement, Ken Curtis, as Deputy Festus Haggen. The cancellation of "Gunsmoke" didn't keep Arness away from TV for long: He returned a few months later, in January 1976, in the TV movie "The Macahans," which led to the 1978-79 ABC series "How the West Was Won."

Arness took on a contemporary role as a police officer in the series "McClain's Law," which aired on NBC from 1981-82. Despite his desire for privacy, a rocky domestic life landed him in the news more than once. Arness met future wife Virginia Chapman while both were studying at Southern California's Pasadena Playhouse. They wed in 1948 and had two children, Jenny and Rolf. Chapman's son from her first marriage, Craig, was adopted by Arness. The marriage foundered and in 1963 Arness sought a divorce and custody of the three children, which he was granted. He tried to guard them from the spotlight." The kids don't really have any part of my television life," he once remarked. "Fortunately, there aren't many times when show business intrudes on our family existence."
The emotionally troubled Virginia Arness attempted suicide twice, in 1959 and in 1960. In 1975, Jenny Arness died of an apparently deliberate drug overdose. Two years later, an overdose that police deemed accidental killed her mother.

Oh Happy Days!

It's official. Winnipeg is back in the NHL. Pending an approval vote by the other owners, Winnipeg's True North Sports and Entertainment has purchased the Atlanta Thrashers and will move the team to the Manitoba capital for the 2011-2012 season. I can't really believe I am able to type these words because just like that, after 15 years of heartbreak and torment watching other Canadian cities, or worse, southern American cities that don't know the game, are not passionate about it and couldn't care less are given franchises that are destined to fail; playing at the start of every October and enjoying a playoff run forLord Stanley's Grail if they're lucky.



I do feel for the hockey fans in Atlanta. This is exactly what happened to my Jets in 1996. There was no owner to step up and absorb the losses and to have a new arena built. Without deep pockets and a state-of-the-art arena, you simply can't survive in today's NHL. Let's hope upon hope that the new owners in Winnipeg can be different, better. That's not a shot at former owner, Barry Shenkrow; he did everything he could and then some. He had warned the city for years that a new arena would be needed to be feasible and competitive in the NHL, but no one listened until it was much too late. This is the second time Atlanta has lost a team. In 1980, the Atlanta Flames headed north to Calgary and went on great success, becoming one of the power-house franchises in the 1980s and won the Stanley Cup in 1989. Even this current Atlanta/Winnipeg team has a promising future with a good nucleus of young, talented players such as Evander Kane, Andrew Ladd and Rob Schremp. More than a few of these players are excited about the future of playing in front of an actual audience, despite what you've heard in the media about their concern for the weather. As lame as an excuse that is.

Unless you're from places like Atlanta or Quebec City, you can't possibly fathom what it's like to lose your team. The old Jets franchise (or team, to be exact) really was the heart and soul of Winnipeg. You can tell that by all the Jets jerseys you see being worn today...and yesterday and the day before that and the week before that and the years before that. They never went away in the mind of Jets fans world-wide. And I do mean that...world-wide.

Even fans of other Canadian teams in other cities wanted a team back in Winnipeg.
Nathan Jacobson, a Winnipeg-born businessman who now lives in Israel, the announcement brought back warm memories of the city’s past – the entry into the old World Hockey Association, the signing of Bobby Hull to the sport’s first million-dollar contract, the team’s entry to the NHL and its rivalry with Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers. He received e-mails from around the world yesterday from former Winnipeggers excited about the team’s return."

"He recalls doing business in Russia where people may have known little about Canada but they knew the Winnipeg Jets."

Either way the thousands of ex-Winnipeggers who still consider the city home once again have a team they can call their own.

“You never leave it. You never do.”

And that's what it is to be a Jets fan.

WOO HOO! Go Jets go!

P.S.

I told you so.

Randy "Macho Man" Savage Dead at 58

Randy "Macho Man" Savage,the iconic wrestling superstar from the 80s and 90s died Friday morning after he suffered a heart attack while driving with his new wife, and collided head-on with a tree. He was rushed to hospital, where he later died of his injuries. His wife survived with minor injuries.

This one is personal. Not personal like I knew him, but personal in the fact that I grew up watching wrestling (still do actually) and the Macho Man was my boy. When Eddie Guerrero died it sucked. When Chris Benoit shocked the wrestling world with the details surrounding his death, it sucked worse. But I grew up on the Macho Man. While all the other rabid fans of 1980s and 1990s were digging Hulk Hogan (whom I still consider to be public enemy #1) I was cheering on Macho. In fact, you could say that I was one of the few fans who actively cheered on a "heel" before it was a cool thing to do (read: Stone Cold Steve Austin or the nWo).
I remember sitting in math class in grade eight when I was 13, only paying attention to my drawing in my notebook of Savage flying off the top rope onto another down and out, defeated victim.

I remember that one particular Saturday morning I was watching WWF Superstars and the news came that Savage had beaten Tito Santana for the Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. It was February 8, 1986 in the Boston Garden. That's the day Macho Man forever cemented himself as my all-time favorite wrestler. I admit, I was a Hogan mark when he was in the AWA, but when I saw Savage and the way he perfected his art of the "bad guy," I knew he was for me. He was cocky. He was arrogant. He was fast, tough and he could go. With anybody.

I also remember being in the third row on the floor-on the aisle-at the old Winnipeg Arena watching Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth walk down the aisle in an attempt to regain the WWF Intercontinental Championship from Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in a steel cage match. Yeah. Dig that. It was during their "WrestleMania Revenge," tour after WrestleMania III. Yes, they had the "Revenge" tour back then too. By the way, the cage was one of those chain-link kind, not the big blue steel cage, they usually climbed out of, made famous on Saturday Night's Main Event. I hate those blue cages.

Macho Man eventually lost the match, when victory was attained by escaping the cage, when he tossed Steamboat into the door and Steamboat fell out of the cage. Sounds suspicious huh? Well, I actually had a honest to goodness picture of the exact moment Steamboat's head hit the cage before it flew open and you can clearly see that the lock on the cage wasn't fastened. When I got that picture developed (Uh huh, remember, this is 1987) I was like, WTF?! I actually thought of sending the picture to the WWF to dispute the victory. I didn't of course. But I was that pissed that Mach got ripped off. I can't believe I lost that picture. Best shot ever. Actually the other one I had was better. It was a great shot of Macho Man slumped on the stairs, exhausted and bloody. And yep, I don't have that one either.

It was the little things Savage did that was magic to me. From his beautiful manager, Miss Elizabeth (Elizabeth Houle, who eventually became his real-life wife) to his, what the late Gorilla Monsoon coined as "intestinal fortitude," to of course his in-ring skills. His pulling Elizabeth in front of him to stop his opponents from advancing on him when action spilled out onto the floor, to his cat-like move of hopping back into the ring between the first and second rope to of course; his one-of-a-kind flying elbow drop. Nobody did it better. Nobody. His jabs were lightning quick, he sold better than anybody and his interviews were the stuff legends were made of, which of course he is and will continue to be. His improv interviews with Mean Gene Okerland and Gorilla Monsoon will never be duplicated. If this doesn't put him into the WWE Hall of Fame, Vince McMahon is a total jagoff, regardless of his past with Savage. To that end, it saddens me that if Macho Man does get into the Hall, we will never the less never get to hear that acceptance speech from Randy himself. That bothers me. It's bad enough that the WWE took forever to release a savage career DVD, but when they finally did with the "Randy Savage Ultimate DVD Collection," they had no interviews with the Macho Man or any of his past opponents. It was hosted by...Maria and Matt Striker?
Although here will be no speech, I cannot fathom the crowd not chanting "MACHO!, MACHO!, MACHO!" several times. But sadly and regrettably, there will be no "Oh Yeaahhhs" from the man himself. I personally regret never having the chance to meet the man. That would have been a thrill of a life time for me.

Randy "Macho Man" Savage was a six-time World Heavyweight wrestling champion. Twice in the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and four times in the WCW (World Championship Wrestling) as well as holding the aforementioned WWF Intercontinental title, which he lost at WrestleMania III to Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in what many consider the best match in WrestleMania history if not WWE history. Certainly one of the best in wrestling history, period. There's a legacy for you. He was also a United States champion in WCW and held several regional titles including his father, Angelo Poffo's ICW heavyweight title and Jerry "The King" Lawler's Memphis-based USWA (United States Wrestling Association) heavyweight title.

Savage started his career (after being scouted by Major League baseball and was in fact in the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox minor league system for a short time) in the ICW (International Championship Wrestling) with his father Angelo and brother Lanny.

His life and career can be found here from Wikipedia.


Behold the awesomeness of the Macho Man!



































God bless you Macho Man. The greatest professional wrestler that ever lived. Rest in peace.

Behind the Madness

The greatest ever! The Behind the Madness documentary from World Championship Wrestling.

There's Still Hope

And this one is looking even more promising.
However that's all for now, since I learned my lesson about getting too excited until there's real confirmation. That would be in the form of a press conference by Mark Chipman announcing that Winnipeg indeed has been awarded a franchise by means of relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers.

Well, I Guess They're Staying Put.

At least for one more year. D'OH! I guess the city of Glendale/Phoenix don't mind keeping a team that can't draw flies and hasn't made a profit in 16 plus years. Oh, and hasn't made it past the second round of the playoffs since 1987. Where was the team then? Oh yeah, where they shouldn't have been moved from in the first place!

Jerry Lewis to Retire from MDA Telethon

After 45 years, Jerry Lewis is retiring as host of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Labor Day Telethon.

I remember watching this as early as the mid-1970s. Back then you had all the same stars of the day as you would see on the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson (the only real host that's ever been on that show. There will never be another Johnny) and Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts. At any given time on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon you wouldn't be surprised to see the likes of Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Even Dean Martin appeared after the "Chairman of the Board" got he and Lewis talking again after years of not doing so during one of Sinatra's surprise appearances.

Every year the telethon would beat its own final tally of contributions sent in by the American public. One year would see $25-$30 million dollars. The next year would be $35-$40 million. The year after that would be $45-$50 million and so on. International donations based on regional telecasts would go to local MDA affiliates. 2010's telethon raised almost $60 million for Muscular Dystrophy research.

Lewis has been doing this since 1966 when one local New York television station broadcast the event that raised in excess of $1 million. He ends every telecast with his rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone."

They've Killed Obi Wan, Those Bastards!

Lord Vader has announced the killing of Obi-Wan Kenobi at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant.

Another KISS Show in Windsor, Another Show to Get Excited and Blog About

Yeah, that's right. I'm posting to let everyone who doesn't care one iota that I'm going to another KISS concert in Windsor, Ontario.

When KISS last appeared at Caesar's Windsor in 2009, just prior to their October release of "Sonic Boom," I though maybe it was a mistake. Perhaps a booking faux paux that somehow landed the Hottest Band in the World right in my own back yard; much like what happened when I was still living in Winnipeg in 1993 when Paul McCartney was booked to appear at Winnipeg Stadium due to a scheduling conflict somewhere in North Dakota. Now, after purchasing tickets to an upcoming show at the same venue (the Coliseum at Caesar's Windsor) I'm thinking, wow, these guys will really indeed play anywhere their fans want to see them!

I won't go into my love of the band or how I got into them (that can be found here) but suffice to say, I am once again jacked! This will be the fifth time seeing them and the first since back in September of last year at the DTE in Clarkston, Michigan. On 9/11 to be precise.

I will be posting about the show, per usual, about one or two days later. Hopefully some pics to follow as well. This show is going to be about a month before the release of their yet un-named 20th studio album. At a great KISS fan site (aptly named KISSfansite.com) of which I am a member, of course, they asked the community there what in their opinion should be the name of the new album? There was everything from "Destroyer II" to "Annihilator" (with the cover of the band laying waste to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-which the HOF so richly deserves. Not just because they have continually failed-on purpose-to induct one of the most influential and successful bands of all time, but also because the idiots at the "Hall" put in "artists" such as Madonna, ABBA and rappers) although I believe ZZ Top's juggernaut of an album-the one with Sharp Dressed Man, Legs, etc-had that name already. My personal favourite of names for the new album was "The Return of Abner Devereaux." If you've seen the crappy, but oh, so awesome KISS television movie of 1978, "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park," you'll understand the reference.

The tickets cost me $268 Canadian. Which is only slightly cheaper than the last Coliseum show in July of 2009. But now, just as then, I don't care. As long as the tickets aren't in the neighborhood of $250 each (which may be in the next couple of years) I'll pay whatever. More over, if no one wants to go with me (and for the love of God, how could they not?) I'll go by myself if I have to. In this case, my roommate is going to go , because he never turns down a party. Holly, my usual road/concert buddy, who went with me the last two times at the Coliseum and the DTE, can't go this time due to previous engagements. BOO! Ah, I'm sure she'll hear all about it. And I'm sure she's sure, too.

So, as of this writing, 78 days till Paul, Gene, Tommy and Eric rock Windsor like it's 2099!

Did I mention KISS rules!?

Yeah, Really! WTF!?!?

How does this happen? How can this be legitimately recognized?

Just A Random Chart

YESSSSSSS!

Is it really happening? I can't believe it. I always knew it would, but it looks like just a matter of time now.
I know, I know. It said the possible relocation. But it is the best news since Gary Bettman said on national television in an interview on Hockey Night in Canada that if the NHL were to expand or relocate north of the border, Winnipeg would have the right of first refusal.

Things are coming together. Me so happy!

Elizabeth Taylor Dead

Wow. This is a big one. A real legend in the eyes of Hollywood and the public at large, Elizabeth Taylor has died at 79 years old. She's always been around. A two-time Academy Award winner for her classic performances in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Butterfield 8. She made other classics such as Father of the Bride, National Velvet, A Place in the Sun, Giant and of course, Cleopatra.



This is going to keep the entertainment media busy for a while.

Knut, the Globally-Loved Polar Bear Dies at Four

Knut, the world-famous polar bear, collapsed and died in front of 600 visitors at Berlin Zoo yesterday afternoon.
'He was by himself in his compound, he was in the water, and then he was dead,' said Mr Kloes. ' He was not sick, we don't know why he died."

This sucks.

Fans pay tribute...

UPDATE: Autopsy (necropsy) reveals brain anomalies tied to death.

Hollywood Legend Jane Russel Dies at 89

Hollywood legend and 40s -50s pin-up girl, Jane Russel has died of respiratory failure at her home in Santa Maria.

For Those Who Care

I don't watch the Oscars anymore, save for checking in to see if someone who I feel deserving to win a little golden statuette actually does, I just can't stand the soapbox speeches and the patting on the back of Tinseltown elitists who, contrary to what they would have you believe, couldn't care less about you, me and anyone or anything outside of their ivory towers.

But, just in case your wondering, here are the winners of the 2011 Academy Awards. I will not critique any of these performances, since I have not seen any of them, which as usual is par for the course until about four to six months after the fact.

Inspiration for Lois Lane Dies at 93

Woman Behind Superman: Inspiration for Lois Lane Dies:

Here's some super-sad news: Lois Lane has died. The woman who inspired the character from the "Superman" comic, Joanne Siegel, was 93. Her husband, Jerome Siegel, modeled Lois Lane after the woman who eventually became his wife.

The Cleveland native met the Man of Steel co-creator Siegel and his partner Joe Shuster when she was just 15 or 16. The teen had placed a classified ad in the local paper offering her services as a model. Shuster answered the ad, and the sketches he made were the basis of iconic Lois Lane.The love interest of Superman eventually became the real-life love interest of Siegel. She was introduced to Siegel by Shuster in the 1930s, but the two didn't marry until 1948, when Siegel's divorce to wife Bella Siegel was finalized."Superman," introduced as a DC comic book in 1938, became one of the best-known superheroes of all time, but the writers were not credited.

In 1978, with the Warner Brothers movie about to come out, DC finally added the co-creators' names to every Superman story and agreed to pay a lifetime stipend. After Jerome Siegel died in 1999, the Siegel and Shuster families filed for partial ownership of the character from Warner Brothers. Joanne Siegel could not leap tall buildings in a single bound, but she would end up doing something more important: preserving the legacy of the Superman creators. Brad Ricca, who teaches a comic book class at Case Western University, described her determination for justice this way: "Siegel would call DC Comics in New York and say, 'You need to help these people who made you all millionaires.'"

The professor added, "Kind of like Lois Lane, she just wouldn't give up."In 2008, a ruling gave the families a right to a large share of "Superman," but details are still being worked out.All that, and looks, too: An expert on Siegel tweeted, "Just heard Joanne Siegel passed away. Lois Lane herself. One of the most beautiful people I ever met."

ET2: Extinction

Nah. Not really. But a really cool fake trailor of a movie that I hope never does get made. These parodies are fine for a "what if?" scenario, but really, does anyone want to see this classic ruined with a bad sequel? Or a sequel (or God forbid a prequel) of any kind?



A really well-edited faux trailor. I caught parts of "The Siege" with Bruce Willis, I think I saw a bit of "Sudden Impact" and "50 First Dates." I have no idea where they got the footage of the "older Elliot."
Of course there's no way the "E.T." race would ever do this a la "Mars Attacks," right? For one thing, you would scare a whole generation of kids and really disappoint another. I remember the phenomenom Steven Speilberg created with this little guy. Believe me this little guy was everywhere in 1981-82. Lunch boxes, bedsheets, puzzles, story-books, toys, etc. Pretty much all the merchandise George Lucas had with the original STAR WARS. Pretty much.
However, I doubt if anyone would buy it. No one would forgive either Spielberg for reuining a classic or whomever he relinquishes the rights to for destroying the image and memories.

Still, overall a cool job. But...E.T. with fangs? Really?

Best 2011 Super Bowl Commercial

Canadian Juniors Lose Gold to Russians

It hurts. Most nowadays would say that losing to the Americans is worse. But I feel losing to our historic arch-enemies in the hockey world is that much more sour. This goes back all the way to the historic 1972 Summit Series where Canada narrowly defeated the Soviet all-stars in eight games (the Canadians winning four, the Soviets three, with one tie)
Last year's defeat at the hands of the Americans was bad, especially considering we had the lead late in the third, only to lose that, tie it up with less than a minute with two quick goals by Jordan Eberle, then lose in overtime. But this one may hav ebeen worse with Canada owning a comfortable three-goal lead only to stop hitting and stop being hungry. It seems the Russians wanted it more.

Eleven Pixar Movies and the Movies They're Accused of Ripping Off

Other than the comparison of Wall-E and Short Circuit, I never really gave this much thought. Now if they were to compare Avatar with Pochontas or Dancing with Wolves, then that would be something I'd be more in tune with.

We all know about the re-makes in recent years of past theatrical releases and television shows that clearly demonstrate how Hollywood has lost it's formula for originality. Charlie's Angels, Get Smart, Starsky and Hutch for example along with the re-boots of already exisiting movie franchises (The Hulk, Spiderman, Superman, etc) So rip-offs are inevitable nowadays. It's a shame really. What was the last original, exciting movie you've seen that was actually worth the $12.00 you paid?

Like to read other Top 11 Listds from this website? Click here.

End of the Line for Favre?

For real this time? He says it is. I guess we'll have to see, eh Brett?