DAILY CELEBRITY ADVICE (4/2/07):

Martin Kove says:

"Mercy is for the weak. A man confronts you he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy."

DAILY CELEBRITY ADVICE (3/30/07):

Rosie O'Donnell says:

“Insanity is the only sane reaction to an insane society.”

DAILY CELEBRITY ADVICE (3/28/07):

Heather Mills says:

"When you get the choice to sit it out or dance... I hope you dance!"

DAILY CELEBRITY ADVICE (3/27/07):

Craig T. Nelson says:

"Hunting hobos for sport is wrong."

DAILY CELEBRITY ADVICE (3/26/07):

Britney Spears says:

"Control your anger. Don't let your anger control you."

North Carolina Squeaks by USC

All I have to say is Jesus--If my heart didn't stop against Michigan State it certainly did while playing the USC Trojans tonight. Carolina played what had to be one of the worst games ever from the first half till about the ten minute mark of the second half. Then all of a sudden the light clicked on in the attic and my boys were back to playing at what they do best. Run and gun. The Heels wore the Trojans down so effectively that USC was scoreless for eight whole minutes, allowing UNC to chip away at a sixteen point deficit to tie the game. After that it seemed to be smooth sailing as UNC jumped to ten points up with twenty seconds left. How did they do it? At this point I would have to look at the game tapes because honestly Carolina should have lost this game. I'm not one to believe in superstition but at that ten minute mark I brought my wife into the room to finish watching the game--I call her my secret weapon--and damn if she didn't prove to be that. Almost as soon as she walked into the room USC gets an offensive foul and Carolina scores almost immediately after. From there on in it didn't stop. Tamar looks at me like I was crazy--she says to me "What, Carolina looks like their playing great what do you need me for?" Yeah, well from now on she's watching every game until Carolina is out of this contest. I'm a believer. The final score was Carolina 74 – USC 64.In the first half Carolina was certainly out of sync, they couldn't shoot the ball and as my father put it--Two Grandmas with walking chairs could have easily scored lay-ups on this pitiful defense. Tyler Hansborough or "Psycho T" was 0 for something like 8. He had two points going into the half. Yes the same Tyler Hansborough, "Psycho T" who scored twenty points in just the first half against Michigan State last week. Something was obviously bothering him and I will say that USC was very good at stopping him defensively and for out banging him for boards. USC's Taj Gibson was incredible how he hacked UNC's defense to shreds almost the entire game. It was only in the last ten minutes of the game where he got his fourth foul and had to sit on the bench when Carolina finally was able to turn on the juice make effective defensive stops and make that incredible run. Even though I credit the absence of Taj Gibson for the start of our run--it was of course the incredible talent of this ball club between Brandon Wright and Ty Lawson running up and down the court and wearing down the Trojans effectively stomping on their hope for an Elite 8 appearance. Carolina plays again on Sunday against a very big and imposing Georgetown. Between Coach Thompson III and Patrick Ewing JR. this could be a very memorable Best of 8 series. Let's just hope that UNC comes out on top.

DAILY CELEBRITY ADVICE (3/23/07):

Katie Holmes says:

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness."

DAILY CELEBRITY ADVICE (3/22/07):

Simon Cowell says:

"Remember, you always catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

Sports: Coach K needs the extra 2 weeks to recoup

Every Duke fan like me should be utterly embarrassed today. Not because our classy powerhouse basketball program suffered a setback against a mere mid-major. Not because this young Duke team got out-hustled – they actually played their butts off last night.

The embarrassment comes from the fact that Coach K just ended a basketball season in which he did the worst coaching job of his illustrious career. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the guy and think he’s a genius but he did this particular group of players a great disservice. They weren’t disciplined and they were poorly conditioned. VCU was not a better basketball team, they just weren’t as tired after 39 minutes.

These Blue Devils were just not prepared for the NCAA Tournament and as a result got bullied by a mid-major. Everywhere I am hearing to these so called “experts” on TV and radio say that this Duke team is not as talented. Are you kidding me? Josh McRoberts, DeMarcus Nelson and Greg Paulus lead a roster of several McDonald’s All Americans. In fact, all five starters for Duke, played in the McDonald’s game.

McRoberts, who actually had his best game in a Duke uniform last night, is by far a better NBA prospect than UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough, yet Roy Williams has developed Hanbrough into a First Team All American and Player of the Year candidate, while McRoberts has underachieved under Coach K.

Coach K said after the game, “If you're in this tournament long enough, you're going to go down. They just need to learn from this experience and we're proud of them. ...”

I am proud of these players too. As for the Duke coaching staff, well I think they’re really the ones that need to learn from this experience. Hey, if you’re in this tournament long enough, you’re going to eventually beat a well-conditioned, physical, athletic team that’s seeded 3 or more spots below you, like VCU, LSU (in 2006), Michigan State (in 2005), Indiana (in 2002), Florida (in 2000).

Everyone on this team should be back next season. They will be joined by a good recruiting class led by Kyle Singler, a 6’8” stud who has drawn comparisons to Adam Morrison. My plea to Coach K and his coaching staff, please take a long look in the mirror this off-season and have these kids ready for next season.

MOVIE REVIEW: 300

300 Spartans against thousands upon thousands of Persian troops--sound far fetched? Maybe? But to any red blooded male who enjoys action and blood spurting-who cares. According to Greek philosophers King Leonidas and his Spartans fought back the tide of the Persian Empire with only 300 well trained soldiers. As the story goes of course all of the Spartans were killed but they died so valiantly that it inspired all of Greece to unite against the Persians defeating them and their God-King Xerxes. Did I just give something away--not really. If you are reading this and thinking--damnit he gave it away. Don't worry I didn't. Gerard Butler as King Leonidas destroys as many Persians just with a meaty stare than even with his sword.
King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) comes from a long tradition of Spartan warriors. The first fifteen minutes show how hardcore these guys really are. Apparently from birth if the kid doesn't look strong enough they chuck them onto a garbage heap and leave them for dead. They have extreme conditioning as children and taught to kill. So, yeah, 300 hard chargers could definitely hold their own against a shitload of enemies--especially those really tough Orc looking creatures called the Immortals. Basically watching this film was like reading the Frank Miller comic of the same name. You have the great voice over by warrior poet Delios (David Wenham) who sets the tone for the legend of King Leonidas and his men. The women are gorgeous especially the Queen, (Lena Heady) not to mention she has herself a badass moment about halfway through, proving the mettle of the Spartan women. The dark overtones and smooth dialogue assure me that director Zack Snyder is very comfortable in this genre and when I heard that he will be taking on Alan Moore's Watchmen next I feel a nice wave of excitement. The cinematography is gorgeous, the CGI backdrops are flawless. Sin City was an incredible looking film and it certainly paved the way but 300 really has taken this style of filmmaking to the next level and beyond. It really is a virtual comic book.
So go out and see this one--see it in IMAX if you can, I hope to do so myself in the next week or two. Check out Frank Miller's graphic novel too--you can really see the influence of the novel in this film it really is uncanny. I really look forward to watching Zack Snyder's career blossom according to IMDB this is only his second feature film so congrats Zack --excellent work. I can't wait for Watchmen.

Grade: 5 Buckets

COMICS: The Death of Captain America

How do you kill an American Icon? DC killed the Man of Steel while protecting Metropolis and the world one final time against Doomsday. It was bloody but it was magnificent. He went out the way an American hero should. They brought him back of course, but that is another story. So how do you kill Marvel's equivalent of Superman, Captain America? Does he die fighting for freedom against tyranny, fighting valiantly to the end? No, Marvel on the other hand has another kind of death in store for Captain America aka. Steve Rogers, the living legend who fought against Nazi oppression and was a hero for many years with the Avengers. A Sniper shoots him while a supposed ally shoots him point blank range Lee Harvey Oswald style. The editor in chief of Marvel has mentioned that you can take the meaning of this death in multiple ways. Unfortunately the only one that speaks most eloquently to me is that patriotism and statesmanship is dead, that we do not have respect for our icons any longer and we would rather go for the controversial impact rather than the emotional tragedy that allows these characters to die as the legend intends. Look, if this were real life, of course, Captain America would get shot in the head and be dead instantly while handcuffed on the courthouse steps, but that is not what is supposed to happen in the fictional world of comic books. I'm sorry, you can do that to Wonderman or Hank Pym but you cannot do that to Captain Friggin America.I'm not saying that he can't die--I'm not even saying that he is my favorite character or anything, but there has to be an importance to his death. Now bear in mind they just killed him so the impact has not been felt throughout the Marvel Universe--but still when I think back to legendary characters good or bad when someone asks you about Captain America and how the legendary hero met his end--yeah, well he was shot by a sniper while handcuffed and then shot at point blank range by a supposed friend. What kind of end to a legend is that supposed to be. I know Marvel wants to be known for their realistic interpretations of events, but I think this maybe taking it a bit too far. If I want this much reality I'll watch the news. I don't think I'm asking for much, just an honorable death for an honorable hero. Anyway my thinking here is that if Tony Stark who has, in my view, become a villain somehow comes out of this thing completely clean I will say unequivocally that Marvel has failed at achieving the goal of their Civil War. By killing Cap in the way they have and by legitimizing Tony aka Iron Man they have sold out by telling an aggrandized story with no real meat just a shitload of controversy and a death with no meaning. So tread lightly Marvel--you are on notice with me.

MOVIE REVIEW: Zodiac

If you've seen Seven and Fight Club then you know just how creepy a David Fincher movie can be. This film definitely has a sense of uneasiness but it was a very clean film for Fincher who usually likes to get down and dirty showing the nasty underbelly of the human condition. This film is based on the Robert Graysmith novel documenting all of the evidence about the San Francisco serial killer known to the public only as Zodiac. This of course was a real event and scary enough it was never solved for one reason or another. The film does make some suggestions to who they believe to be the actual killer but they let the evidence do the talking as Graysmith, Paul Avery and the two officers assigned to the case try to piece together the seemingly intelligent and random Zodiac killer.The San Francisco Chronicle receives a letter and sensitive information on a murder, the supposed killer calls himself Zodiac and promises to kill a dozen more if the letter is not printed in the Chronicle the next day. Along with the letter is a code. Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaall) a shy cartoonist who has a penchant for puzzles cracks one of the puzzles sent by the Zodiac and becomes obsessed with discovering the true identity of the killer. He attempts to assist the columnist Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and two officers Inspectors William Armstrong (Anthony Edwards) and David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) as they try to piece together all of the information from three cities about the true identity of this clever killer. They blow through a few years constantly going one month later, two months later then a year. It can get a little grating but you also get a sense of the frustration of trying to solve this case. There are a lot of screw ups by the bureaucrats as they stumble onto clues here and there and it is Toschi years later who allows Graysmith to pick up the investigation where they left off. There are some great performances from Brian Cox, Anthony Edwards and of course Robert Downey Jr.
As I said it is a long movie--maybe too long. They jump in and out of the various characters as they all try to figure this thing out. Personally I don't know how else he would have shot this thing--Graysmith, Avery and the cops are essential to tell this story and it allows us to see every possible suspect. The film itself looks great as we have tracking shots of the Golden Gate Bridge--the period is captured well enough with the hair and the clothes. This film just might not be for everyone. It is suspenseful but in pockets. As a whole it just seems very long and very choppy. I heard a collective groan in the last five minutes as they jumped ahead another 3 or four years. As I said it was important to tell this particular story but it can make the film seem longer than it really should be. It's not one of Fincher's best but it is better than Panic Room, I don't know if that is saying very much for you, but there it is.

Grade: 4 Buckets