Wrapping up the work week

Greetings from the left coast where it's windy and the waves off the Santa Monica Pier are breaking high.

- The breakfast menu this morning had this nugget from comedian Steven Wright:  "I went to a cafe in Paris that advertised 'breakfast anytime.'  So, I ordered pancakes from the Renaissance period."

- The Los Angeles Times reported on the mental state of the NBA Los Angeles Lakers and cited no less an authority than radio talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger.  The Lakers lead their current playoff series with the Oklahoma City Thunder 3-2--a series which most experts figured that L.A. would sweep or win easily.  Schlessinger commented on a rather common sports phenomenon of teams who have success thinking that they can "turn it on" at any time, make a run and win the game.  The doctor suggests that when these expectations aren't met, e.g., a bad pass or wayward shot, then self-confidence evaporates rather quickly.  "The minute that happens," Schlessinger said, "your game goes kerplunk."  Now, "kerplunk" isn't the most academic term for this malady but it certainly describes what has happened to teams like the NHL Washington Capitals (seeded #1 going into this month's playoffs but losing to #8 Montreal) and my Kansas Jayhawks, who lost to Northern Iowa in the second round of this year's NCAA Tournament.

- What major league pitcher, who played 60 years ago, wore the name of his hometown on the back of  his uniform?  Give up...?  It's Bill Voselle of Ninety Six, South Carolina.

- This is an amazing stat--the typical U.S. mobile user sends or receives more text messages than phone calls, with American teens averaging a whopping 2,899 texts per month.  For those keeping score at home, that's almost 94 texts a day!  (Source:  Nielsen)

- Have you seen the trailer for Sex and the City 2, opening May 27?  The girls on camels?  One has to wonder if this successful HBO and syndicated series, and popular big screen adaptation, will "jump the shark" with this second movie.

Ride With the Devil

If you mention the name Ang Lee, most people will answer "the guy who directed Brokeback Mountain" or might cite other Lee films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hulk.  But, it's perhaps Lee's best movie which is garnering attention today.

Ride With the Devil is being re-released today by the Criterion Collection on both Blu-Ray and DVD.  And, with the release comes another opportunity for Devil to gain the audience following which it missed in theatrical release.

This movie, filmed in Kansas City in 1998, details the border fighting, during the Civil War time period, along the Kansas-Missouri border.  And, in so doing, the movie is the best demonstration I've found to tell people "watch this if you want to 'get' the Kansas-Missouri 'rivaly.'"  The movie was only shown in a handful of markets and pulled in a paltry $670,000 at the box office.

As many movies do, the home video release allowed Devil to find critical mass...and critical acclaim.  The movie starred future big names like Tobey Maguire, Jeffrey Wright, Skeet Ulrich, Mark Ruffalo and Simon Baker.  A very young Jewel deftly played a war widow in the film.

Devil is one of my favorite films and probably the film that, when mentioned, gets the most quizzical looks from friends and acquaintances.  Now's the time, with the re-release, for all of you to finally check out this superb movie.

The train wreck named "Whitney"

Whitney Houston's much-publicized comeback has missed the gate and is speeding down the wrong track towards the train wreck we hoped would be avoided, yet could see coming.

Ms. Houston, touring in London, offered up a rendition of I Will Always Love You which was so bad that many in the audience exited the O2 arena.  While this is a very rough recording, you can catch enough of the audio to hear the failed attempts at reaching the high notes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f1ZfuaThC0

While the singer stayed onstage for about two hours, she often appeared out of breath and was very visibly sweating, long a problem for the talented performer.  And, this concert wasn't the only issue during her current tour--she failed to show for the first three gigs earlier this month due to a "respiratory infection."

Yeah, but what about that cherry tree thing?

Former President George Washington--yes, that George Washington--is in hot water in New York.

The New York Daily News recently reported that Washington owes more than $300,000 in late fees to a New York library.  Reportedly, on October 5, 1789, Washington borrowed a treatise on "the Law of Nations," and a volume of transcripts from the British House of Commons from the New York Society Library in Manhattan.  And, he has yet to return the volumes.

Thankfully, library administrators say they are not actively pursuing the overdue fines.

Saturday morning coffee

- Seriously, is there a Facebook page dedicated to "praying for President Obama's death?" Ugh...

- I find it curious, if not downright odd, that the Chiefs used their second pick on a running back/receiver when they have such a glaring need for linebacker and offensive tackle talent.

- Quote of the week: "We ought to have a tournament, the top 30 Champions Tour players verus the top 30 kids. Have a tournament on a 7,000 yard golf course. Same tees. Let's go tee it up. Let's hit it." That was Tom Watson on his suggestion that the older Champions Tour players take on the "kids," i.e., PGA Tour's top 30, on a course where length off the tee is not a mandatory but where shot-making, and a short game, are the difference. While Watson's idea is intriguing, I think players 11-30 on the PGA Tour would be vastly better than players 11-30 on the Champions circuit.

- It's Cedric the Entertainer's birthday today. In honor of his special day, let's look back on the first time I recall Cedric appearing on a national stage--in a Super Bowl commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiECBowBa4c

Tourney expansion

Who would have thought, several weeks ago, that we'd be sitting here talking about NCAA Tournament expansion--and that the expansion would be by three teams?

While the decision is not quite final (it needs to go to the NCAA Board of Directors next week), the apparent move to a 68-team tournament stops, for now, the rampant talk of more extreme expansion.

The official piece of news today is that CBS is retaining the broadcast rights to the tournament. CBS will share the assignment of the tournament with Turner Broadcasting System so that every game of the tournament is shown live across four national television networks--CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV. This will be a first for the 73-year old tournament.

CBS, in my mind, had been the underdog in this media rights race even though they were the incumbent. The betting line favored ABC/ESPN and their lineup of stations but, ultimately, the pairing of long-time NCAA partner CBS, with Turner, won the day. And, as usual, there is a lot of money involved.

The deal is for 14 years and $10.8 billion, and includes TV, internet and wireless rights. A unified sales force, from the two networks, will sell the advertising packages and a unified production crew will produce the games. While not spelled out, one could surmise that broadcast talent from across the networks will be used for the games, meaning Turner's NBA talent--guys like Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith--could be involved.

The first and second round games will be shown nationally across the four television outlets. CBS and Turner will split coverage of the regional semifinal games with CBS handling regional finals and the Final Four. Beginning in 2016, coverage of the regional finals will be split between CBS and Turner with the Final Four and National Championship game alternating, every year, between CBS and TBS.

Today's announcement is one more story in the building tale of the diminished influence of the prime networks. It is becoming harder and harder, if not impossible, for one prime network to keep control of a major video property like the NCAA Tournament, the Olympics...or even talk shows. As examples, Monday Night Football moved from ABC to sibling cable network ESPN; Oprah Winfrey is moving from daytime TV to start her own cable channel; and Conan O'Brien is now a TBS property with last week's announcement about his new late-night gig.

Today's news is good news for college hoops junkies. It eliminates--at least for the time being--the talk of a watered-down tournament due to an overabundance of teams. And, who doesn't like the idea of seeing any game of the tournament...live? The challenge now is that, with all 34 games planned for broadcast, we will be entertained by even more obscure broadcast team pairings.

Musings from the LGA-BOS shuttle

- The Waldorf Astoria hotel was filled with women yesterday and, for a moment, it felt like I'd wandered into the wrong section at Bloomingdale's. Alas, the Women In Communications conference was being held there and no less than Oprah Winfrey was on hand. Ms. Winfrey attended the Matrix Awards luncheon, sponsored by the communications group.

- Apparently the success of Glee, FOX's smash show about high school choir, is causing enrollment in singing groups across the U.S. to increase.

- At midnight tonight, the doormen of New York will go out on strike unless a resolution can be reached before then between the union and property owners. If the doormen do indeed strike, I have potential employment for them at my abode, e.g., helping my wife bring in the groceries, taking out the trash, and other sundry responsibilities. There was a funny piece in The New York Times today for the citizens of those buildings with doormen--it helped explain how to get into the building, particularly if one's arms were filled with packages.

- Not surprisingly, AMC has responded to creator Matthew Weiner's comments yesterday about Mad Men where he suggested that 2012 would be the last season of the series. And, our quote of the day comes from that news report--"No one wants to see Don Draper wearing a leisure suit," read an AMC prepared statement, suggesting that the series wouldn't continue too far into the 60's and the less-than-fashion sense which came with the latter part of the decade.

Mad Men news

The end may be set for Mad Men. Creator Matthew Weiner is reportedly saying that the AMC series will end in 2012 after its sixth season. Shooting for the upcoming season--Season 4--has just begun. This year's series will start in July.

Weiner dropped the news bombshell at an appearance at the National Association of Broadcasters convention. AMC did not have an official comment on the report.

The New York Post

One of the delights of coming to New York is grabbing a copy of the New York Post and checking out the "quality" journalism and daily gossip being dished up by this tabloid rag.

Here are the gems from today's edition:

- Eight tollbooths are being closed on Staten Island.

- A photo of a multi-day bearded, sloppy khakis-wearing David Letterman with a bag of flowers.

- On what they termed "serial matrimonialist" Larry King: "...he walked down the aisle for an eighth time--he married one blonde twice--without drawing up a prenup. That's like Larry, 76, stepping into a blizzard in a bikini. How can he be so unprepared for the inevitable frostbite?"

- Shaq had his son deliver a death threat to his estranged wife's new beau. His son, by the way, is six.

- "It doesn't come with a mouse--but Apple's iPad has become very popular with America's most technologically cool cats. YouTube has posted more than 385 videos of kitties playing with the world's most expensive cat toy."

- A "Countdown to LeBron" feature, i.e., "With the July 1 free agent signing period set firmly in their sights, the Knicks continue to count down to LeBron.

And, the Post loves headlines which feature phraseology like today's "KO," "splitsville," "bullish," "ballistic," "nuke," "raps," "nix," "rubber-room doom," "thugs, and, of course, "sex."

You can't get this kind of reading material just anywhere...

Burning Kansas - circa 1970

Forty years ago this month the University of Kansas in Lawrence was the site for some of the most radical, and violent, demonstrations which took place nationwide in protest of the war in Vietnam. The anti-war mood across the country had grown increasingly more impatient and with it came more extreme displays of protest.

On April 8, termed "Strike Day," many students boycotted class and reportedly several thousand people stormed Strong Hall, the administration building, to protest the denial of a promotion to a faculty members who spoke out against the Chicago 8 trial. That night, activist Abbie Hoffman spoke before a crowd of 8,000, wiped his nose with an American flag and was quoted as saying "Lawrence is a drag."

In the time period between April 13-22, young white radicals (called "street people") and black liberation militants started what amounted to a small guerrilla war. Arson, firebombing, shots fired by snipers and bombings took place, primarily in the predominantly black sections of east and north Lawrence, as well as an area near KU called "Hippie Haven." Three nights of emergency curfew were imposed as a result and the Kansas National Guard was called in to assist in patrolling the streets. On April 20, an arson fire destroyed part of the Kansas Union, inflicting over $1 million (in 1970 dollars) damage as students assisted firefighters in trying to stop the blaze.

The anxiety caused by these various events, and the fear for student safety, caused then Chancellor E. Laurence Chalmers and university officials to put into place a procedure in early May where students were allowed to leave campus early--they were allowed the choice of skipping the last three classes and taking the final, taking an incomplete and finishing the work later, taking the letter grade already earned, taking credit/no credit for the class, or attending classes and taking the final as usual.

The controversial decision, refused by many faculty, not surprisingly was embraced by students, most of whom took the grade already earned, avoiding the final and allowing them to leave campus in order to start summer vacations early.

The spring of 1970 was one of the darkest periods in the history of KU--the events of that spring helped eventually force out Chancellor Chalmers (who Kansas Board of Regents members thought was "too permissive), it caused both parents and students to question attendance at the school, and it drew the nation's attention to a campus that became dubbed "Little Berkeley." It ultimately took the calming leadership of Chancellor Raymond Nichols (1972-73) followed by Chancellor Archie Dykes (1973-1980) to bring students, faculty and the community back together.