The coveted night is finally here.
A few observations from the Red Carpet:
14 year old Hailee Steinfeld looks fantastic. Its hard to believe shes so young. Very well poised very well spoken. I have a feeling she's going to have a fantastic future in Hollywood.
The men aren't as fun to critique their suits but occasionally there are a few misses. Robert Downey Jr might be the only man who can pull of a white tie. And the ever classic black tux worn by Jeff Bridges is always a hit. Unless you are Jeff Bridges, you should not wear a full beard, yes that's directed at you Christian Bale.
Jesse Eisenberg is just as socially awkward in real life as he is portraying Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network".
Russell Brand, you bother me, you look like a dress up hobo.
Christian Bale has an English accent? Why have I never noticed? Still, shave the beard.
Showtime.
Opening Best Picture Montage. Works perfectly. 10 movies, using the old movie 10 second countdown. Music is perfect. They picked the best scenes from each film put James and Anne in them with amazing humor. Even throwing in the Back to the Future. You sold me with the DeLorean. I mean it's got to be fantastic with Morgan Freeman and Alec Baldwin. Their opening monologue flowed and her dress is stunning. "What do I get if I win? ... Like is there money that goes with it?"
First awards of the night. Presented by Tom Hanks. The man gets better looking with age.
Achievement in Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland.
It's hard to beat this movie for the creating the dream-like world of Wonderland to Tim Burton's crazy mind.
Achievement in Cinematography: Inception
Creating the dreams and the movement within and between the different levels was outstanding. Its quite possible that the fight scene in the hotel with Joseph Gorden-Levitt won them that award.
Actress in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
While I chose Hailee Steinfeld for this award I knew Leo was still a front-runner. She was fantastic as the mother/manager in this film. She portrayed the blue collar over protective mother of the entire family. It doesn't matter, I still don't like her dress though.
Presenters Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. There might not be 2 more gorgeous people in the Kodak Theatre. Banksy... nice try Justin.
Animated Short: The Lost Thing
Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
That was a guarentee. Who doesn't love Buzz, Woody and the gang?
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (Social Network)
Fantastic write, fantastic screenplay. Aaron Sorkin has long deserved some sort of recognition like this.
Best Original Screenplay: David Siedler (King's Speech)
I loved the film, great screen play. I do feel as though Inception was a more unique screenplay for this category.
Anne Hathaway singing. Fantastic. (LOVE the shoes) Poor Hugh Jackman. Oh lord, James Franco... it's kind of scary how good you look in a dress.
Best Foreign Language Film: In A Better World (Denmark)
I still don't like Russell Brand, but his sketch with Dame Hellen Mirren was pretty good.
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
YES. The right man won this award. He brought so much light to such a dark story. His interpretation of Dickey Eklund was almost spot on. So good. And to see Mickey in the crowd. Inspirational.
What a better way to open a musical performance but with the Star Wars theme. Quite possibly the most iconic theme song for a movie. Ever.
Original Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Social Network)
The score brought the drama to the movie. It brought the actors performances to a new level.
Sound Mixing: Inception
I should have guessed this one but I didn't. I went the route of the King's Speech with the work they did in the final scene of the speech and the work done in speech therapy.
Sound Editing: Inception
How did I not pick Inception for both of these? At least I got 1 out of 2. I can remember feeling the sounds inside my chest when seeing the movie in the theater.
Achievement in Make Up: The Wolfman
Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Who doesn't love Randy Newman? Clearly the Academy does with 20 nominations.
Documentary Short: Strangers No More
Live Action Short: God of Love
Got to love a little T.Pain synthesizing. I still won't see any of the Twilight movies.
Documentary Feature: Inside Job
Billy Crystal needs to host the Oscars again.
2 sexy men. Oh lawd. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. Perfection.
Visual Effects: Inception
Creating these dreams and morphing them as the actors created them in the movie was impeccable. I remember feeling as though I was spinning, falling, or moving.
Film Editing: Social Network
I'm not surprised, the editing for the film was outstanding. They did an amazing job showing how fast paced the Facebook movement happened and everything surrounding building the largest "Social Network" in the world.
Florence's voice soothes me every time. I may have picked another wrong winner. This song I think might win. It's beyond powerful especially for the movie. But Gwenyth's song for "Country Strong" is great. I'm truly surprised by her voice. Tough choice.
Original Song: Randy Newman "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)
The man knows how to write a song, clearly he's been nominated 20 times but this is only his 2nd win. He deserves it.
I don't think it's possible for Halle Berry to not be stunningly beautiful.
Best Director: Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
I'm surprised Fincher didn't win this category. A worthy winner don't get me wrong but I was expecting Fincher to take this one away.
Alright, my butts starting to hurt... I'm ready for the big awards.
Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Yeah, we all knew that was going to happen.
I love Sandra Bullock. She's truly amazing. Quite possibly the best part of the entire night, easily the best presenter.
Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Knew it. Knew it. As King George VI, stammering his way through life, until he met his speech therapist who changed his life made him realize he had a voice. Good job academy.
And finally here we are the big award.
Best Picture: Kings Speech
I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. There aren't enough words to describe how phenomenal this movie is. I still get chills thinking about the final speech.
Perfect ending with the PS22 chorus singing somewhere over the rainbow.
Final Count: 14/24 correct. Makes it known that I need to watch some of the shorts and documentaries if I want to do a better job of picking the winners.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
83rd Academy Award Predictions
Here they are, my picks for tomorrow's Oscars:
Best Picture: King's Speech
Possible upset could go to the Social Network or Inception, but The King's Speech is holding a steady lead in this race.
Actor in a Leading Role: Colin Firth (King's Speech)
It will and should be Colin Firth as the stuttering King George VI, but Jeff Bridges could come out of the woods with his performance in True Grit.
Actress in a Leading Role: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Natalie Portman is the front runner, however it's possible that Michelle Williams from Blue Valentine could come up with the surprise upset in this category.
Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Christian Bale portrayed Dicky Eklund almost to the tea in the Fighter but I feel as though Geoffrey Rush could come away w/ the statue. Very tight race for this category.
Actress in a Supporting Role: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
While only 14 and with little to no acting experience, Hailee was a pro in True Grit along side other phenomenal, and much older actors. This might be the tightest race of the night with Amy Adams and Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech) all very worthy nominees.
Animated Feature Film: Toy Story 3
If it weren't for so many other outstanding films in the Best Picture category, Toy Story 3 is the runaway in the Anitmated Feature.
Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland
Cinematography: Inception
Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Director: David Fincher (Social Network)
Documentary Feature: Restrepo
Documentary Short: Poster Girl
Film Editing: The King's Speech
Foreing Language Film: Biutiful
MakeUp: Barney's Version
Music (Original Score): Hans Zimmer (Inception) or Trent Reznor (Social Network)
Music (Original Song): Randy Newman "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)
Short Film (Animated): The Gruffalo
Short Film (Live Action): The Crush
Sound Editing: Inception
Sound Mixing: King's Speech
Visual Effects: Alice in Wonderland or Inception
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Social Network
Writing (Original Screenplay): Inception
Possible upset could go to the Social Network or Inception, but The King's Speech is holding a steady lead in this race.
It will and should be Colin Firth as the stuttering King George VI, but Jeff Bridges could come out of the woods with his performance in True Grit.
Natalie Portman is the front runner, however it's possible that Michelle Williams from Blue Valentine could come up with the surprise upset in this category.
Christian Bale portrayed Dicky Eklund almost to the tea in the Fighter but I feel as though Geoffrey Rush could come away w/ the statue. Very tight race for this category.
While only 14 and with little to no acting experience, Hailee was a pro in True Grit along side other phenomenal, and much older actors. This might be the tightest race of the night with Amy Adams and Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech) all very worthy nominees.
If it weren't for so many other outstanding films in the Best Picture category, Toy Story 3 is the runaway in the Anitmated Feature.
Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland
Cinematography: Inception
Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
Director: David Fincher (Social Network)
Documentary Feature: Restrepo
Documentary Short: Poster Girl
Film Editing: The King's Speech
Foreing Language Film: Biutiful
MakeUp: Barney's Version
Music (Original Score): Hans Zimmer (Inception) or Trent Reznor (Social Network)
Music (Original Song): Randy Newman "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)
Short Film (Animated): The Gruffalo
Short Film (Live Action): The Crush
Sound Editing: Inception
Sound Mixing: King's Speech
Visual Effects: Alice in Wonderland or Inception
Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Social Network
Writing (Original Screenplay): Inception
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Rise and Fall of Tiger Woods
There have been many celebrities to rise to fame, mess up somehow, fall into the ditches. Almost too many to count, but the smart ones will find a way to get themselves from the bottom back to the top. More often than not this road to redemption includes a stint in some sort of rehab, finding religion, reconnecting with family, eating a nice slice of humble pie and sitting back waiting for your chance to shine once again. One of the most recent, and quite possibly the biggest fall is from world renouned golfer, Tiger Woods.
From his first Masters victory in 1997, Tiger came into the golf world as a force to be reckoned with. 1997-2008 Tiger won 14 major championships. The only years he didn't win were 1998, 2003 & 2004. If Tiger was in a tournament, he was a favorite to win, always. Didn't matter what course he was playing on if he was healthy and mentally in the game, it was going to take another players best rounds of their lives to win. Like any other professional athlete Tiger had his tournaments where he didn't play well. We can't all be perfect all the time, no matter who you are. Even Michael Jordan had a bad game every once in a while. The final round of any tournament is where Tiger always thrived. If he wasn't in the lead and was only a few shots back from the lead you were always looking over you shoulder to see if he was there ready to pounce. Unless he was 10 strokes out of the lead with only 4 holes to go, he was rarely considered out of contention. Even in 2008, when battling a knee injury he ended up in a playoff for the US Open Championship with Rocco Mediate. Majority of people I think were rooting for Rocco, mostly to see Tiger as human, but alas he struck again and won. If you see Tiger wearing his traditional red nike shirt and black pants on Sunday's final round, watch out, he's hunting and he'll do anything he can to get you. Following his win, he announced he would be having surgery on his ACL. Did he just win the US Open with a bum knee? Seriously? The rest of 2008 was spent rehabbing and recovering from surgery and in 2009 he came back to the PGA. Despite not winning any major championships, Tiger had a successful year on the PGA, but as fast as he rose to the top, he fell right back down to ground zero.
November 2009 everything in the wonderful world of Tiger crumbled. News broke around Thanksgiving that Tiger had crashed his car when leaving his home in Florida. Reports initially said that he may have been drinking or simply just didn't see where he was going and crashed. But further investigation and digging my many reporters it was found that his wife, Elin, had chased him out of the house after an arguement. What would they have been arguing about to cause such a violent end? After further leaks, it's deiscovered that Tiger had been unfaithful to his wife. Initial reports made it seem as though it was only once or maybe twice, but we quickly found out the number of infidelities was staggering. All reports say different things, but the accounts from those women who have stepped forward about their affairs have said much of the same thing. Most of the women were waitresses, bartenders, some even strippers, were approached by Tiger, struck up conversation, flirting and later some form of sexual interaction. Some of them weren't just a one time thing, a few women claimed to have held relationships with Tiger over the years. I don't really blame Elin for getting as upset as she did. She had every right to be mad and chase him out of the house, I know I would have.
A general population of people who paid attention to Tiger's career over the years seemed to be incredibly surprised at these allegations and eventually truth stories. If we think about it though, is it really that surprising? I can understand where people would be surprised, Tiger and his wife seemed to have a near perfect relationship. They were introduced to one another thanks to Padraig Harrington, their romance started and seemed fantastic even when they married in 2003. She was at all the golf tournaments, even when pregnant with their first child. Tiger's personal life seemed to be just as fantastic as his golf career. He was playing at the top of his game and was untouchable to many players in the world. So for many fans it seemed shocking when all of this blew up overnight. I however, really wasn't. Yes I've always liked Tiger, I love the way he plays the game and he is unquestionably one of the greatest golfers of all time, but are we REALLY surprised by his actions? It seems in recent years more and more sports figures have come out publicly admitting infidelities. They walk around with these God complexes thinking they can do just about anything they want without consequence. You may not get caught right away, but sooner or later something is going to slip and you're doomed. Tiger was no different.
Shortly after the November incident Tiger self-checked himself into sex rehab for his apparent sex addiction. Whether he actually has/had the addiction, we'll never really know, but he went in to get help. After a short stay he was released and apparently cured. He issued statements admitting his infidelity and apologizing for his actions. Admitting he thought because of who he was he could do anything he wanted, that normal rules did not apply to him. Doesn't matter who you are, you are still human and have to abide to every rule that we as "normal" citizens abide by. In another statement Tiger announced his indefinite return to golf, something that everyone watching the train wreck was wondering. Tiger has comeback from many injuries over the years, often stronger than before, but now the question was how was Tiger going to come back from an emotional and mental injury like this. After a few months out of the limelight, losing countless sponsorship and endorsers like Gilette, AT&T and Gatorade, Tiger gave his infamous February 19, 2010 press conference.
I watched this press conference like most of the world, wondering what else he could possibly say to convince us that he's truly sorry for what he did. I have never been so unconvinced in my life. Everything about it seemed fake. He read from a speech that wasn't written by him or if it was his publicist went in after and did some major editing. There was no real emotion in his face or even in his voice. He was a robot. Read a sentence or two, looked up, looked into the camera, and repeated throughout the entire 10 minute speech. If he had something new to say then maybe I'd understand the press conference, but there wasn't. As an avid PGA fan, I was less than impressed. He could have done much better. Even the hug he gave to his mother at the end didn't seem true. I'm not saying he doesn't love his mom but it all just seemed incredibly staged. I don't think he should have gone up there to wing it, I in fact think he shouldn't have had the press conference at all. It was a waste of time and just another reason for him to be in from of the camera trying to apologize for his mistakes. Ultimately Elin filed for divorce. Tiger announced his return to golf in March of 2010. All eyes were watching.
The 2010 Masters would be his returning tournament. No matter the finish, all eyes were going to be on Tiger that weekend. A few things could have happened during that tournament. 1. Tiger would be his usual self. Dominant. He'd come out to play and as usual he'd win. 2. He'd play okay, nothing spectacular, and just get through it. 3. The worst, he would play the worst golf of his career and not even make the cut. What Tiger would show up was the big question on everyones mind. With a first round 68 Tiger was tied for 7th. Not bad a bad start, but how was he going to continue the rest of the weekend. Players fear Tiger when he's in the mix of things, he is never counted out until his last putt on 18 in the final round. Tiger shot 70-70 for the 2nd and 3rd round, solid golf with a few bad holes here and there, but moved up the leader board in a tie for 3rd w/ K.J. Choi. Dangerous heading into the final round for the other top players. Tiger's final round 68 was a good round, but not enough. FInishing T-4th, Tiger's re-debut back into the golf world was over. He seemed to be ready for 2010, much to everyones surprise. He played well, but Phil Mickelson (2010 winner) and a few others just played better. The events from November-February seemed to not phase Tiger at all. Critics, fans, and golfers were ready for Tiger to return back to his normal position on top of every leader board. That didn't happen.
2010 Tiger went home empty completely empty handed in any major tournament at least. Something was still off about Tiger, he didn't have that force that he's had for so many years on the PGA. The "Eye of the Tiger" as you will, was gone. No matter how hard he fought nothing was working in his favor. More and more players discovered his weaknesses and started to use it to their advantages. Focusing on their game and beating him. Tiger once known for being one of the best putters in the world, was missing putts left and right. The ball could not go where he wanted it to. Tiger has always been an emotional player, not afraid to yell at his caddy, at himself but this year may have been the worst. With good reason. The once best golfer in the world wasn't winning, anything. Anyone would be frustrated. Nothing he did could get him out of this slump. I think a lot of people throughout the year started to have some sympathy for him. They felt for him in his struggles, but ultimately there really shouldn't be sympathy given to him. He brought all of this on himself. It all could have been prevented if he just stayed faithful to his wife. He has no one to blame but himself.
The world is watching now in 2011. When will the great Tiger Woods reclaim his top spot in the world. It's going to take more than just one tournament. If however he is able to come back from this disaster and play at his best for another 5, 10, 25 years, he would undoubtedly be the best golfer of all time. It's all just a matter of time. How long will it be before he wins another major tournament? How long can he mentally play the game without winning? Will he retire if he doesn't win again in 2011? We just have to wait and see. 2011 already looks bleak for Tiger as he's already lost to #16 seed Thomas Bjorn of Accenture Match Play, something the old Tiger would never let happen unless he was playing against Superman.
Will Tiger strike again? Stay tuned.
From his first Masters victory in 1997, Tiger came into the golf world as a force to be reckoned with. 1997-2008 Tiger won 14 major championships. The only years he didn't win were 1998, 2003 & 2004. If Tiger was in a tournament, he was a favorite to win, always. Didn't matter what course he was playing on if he was healthy and mentally in the game, it was going to take another players best rounds of their lives to win. Like any other professional athlete Tiger had his tournaments where he didn't play well. We can't all be perfect all the time, no matter who you are. Even Michael Jordan had a bad game every once in a while. The final round of any tournament is where Tiger always thrived. If he wasn't in the lead and was only a few shots back from the lead you were always looking over you shoulder to see if he was there ready to pounce. Unless he was 10 strokes out of the lead with only 4 holes to go, he was rarely considered out of contention. Even in 2008, when battling a knee injury he ended up in a playoff for the US Open Championship with Rocco Mediate. Majority of people I think were rooting for Rocco, mostly to see Tiger as human, but alas he struck again and won. If you see Tiger wearing his traditional red nike shirt and black pants on Sunday's final round, watch out, he's hunting and he'll do anything he can to get you. Following his win, he announced he would be having surgery on his ACL. Did he just win the US Open with a bum knee? Seriously? The rest of 2008 was spent rehabbing and recovering from surgery and in 2009 he came back to the PGA. Despite not winning any major championships, Tiger had a successful year on the PGA, but as fast as he rose to the top, he fell right back down to ground zero.
November 2009 everything in the wonderful world of Tiger crumbled. News broke around Thanksgiving that Tiger had crashed his car when leaving his home in Florida. Reports initially said that he may have been drinking or simply just didn't see where he was going and crashed. But further investigation and digging my many reporters it was found that his wife, Elin, had chased him out of the house after an arguement. What would they have been arguing about to cause such a violent end? After further leaks, it's deiscovered that Tiger had been unfaithful to his wife. Initial reports made it seem as though it was only once or maybe twice, but we quickly found out the number of infidelities was staggering. All reports say different things, but the accounts from those women who have stepped forward about their affairs have said much of the same thing. Most of the women were waitresses, bartenders, some even strippers, were approached by Tiger, struck up conversation, flirting and later some form of sexual interaction. Some of them weren't just a one time thing, a few women claimed to have held relationships with Tiger over the years. I don't really blame Elin for getting as upset as she did. She had every right to be mad and chase him out of the house, I know I would have.
A general population of people who paid attention to Tiger's career over the years seemed to be incredibly surprised at these allegations and eventually truth stories. If we think about it though, is it really that surprising? I can understand where people would be surprised, Tiger and his wife seemed to have a near perfect relationship. They were introduced to one another thanks to Padraig Harrington, their romance started and seemed fantastic even when they married in 2003. She was at all the golf tournaments, even when pregnant with their first child. Tiger's personal life seemed to be just as fantastic as his golf career. He was playing at the top of his game and was untouchable to many players in the world. So for many fans it seemed shocking when all of this blew up overnight. I however, really wasn't. Yes I've always liked Tiger, I love the way he plays the game and he is unquestionably one of the greatest golfers of all time, but are we REALLY surprised by his actions? It seems in recent years more and more sports figures have come out publicly admitting infidelities. They walk around with these God complexes thinking they can do just about anything they want without consequence. You may not get caught right away, but sooner or later something is going to slip and you're doomed. Tiger was no different.
Shortly after the November incident Tiger self-checked himself into sex rehab for his apparent sex addiction. Whether he actually has/had the addiction, we'll never really know, but he went in to get help. After a short stay he was released and apparently cured. He issued statements admitting his infidelity and apologizing for his actions. Admitting he thought because of who he was he could do anything he wanted, that normal rules did not apply to him. Doesn't matter who you are, you are still human and have to abide to every rule that we as "normal" citizens abide by. In another statement Tiger announced his indefinite return to golf, something that everyone watching the train wreck was wondering. Tiger has comeback from many injuries over the years, often stronger than before, but now the question was how was Tiger going to come back from an emotional and mental injury like this. After a few months out of the limelight, losing countless sponsorship and endorsers like Gilette, AT&T and Gatorade, Tiger gave his infamous February 19, 2010 press conference.
I watched this press conference like most of the world, wondering what else he could possibly say to convince us that he's truly sorry for what he did. I have never been so unconvinced in my life. Everything about it seemed fake. He read from a speech that wasn't written by him or if it was his publicist went in after and did some major editing. There was no real emotion in his face or even in his voice. He was a robot. Read a sentence or two, looked up, looked into the camera, and repeated throughout the entire 10 minute speech. If he had something new to say then maybe I'd understand the press conference, but there wasn't. As an avid PGA fan, I was less than impressed. He could have done much better. Even the hug he gave to his mother at the end didn't seem true. I'm not saying he doesn't love his mom but it all just seemed incredibly staged. I don't think he should have gone up there to wing it, I in fact think he shouldn't have had the press conference at all. It was a waste of time and just another reason for him to be in from of the camera trying to apologize for his mistakes. Ultimately Elin filed for divorce. Tiger announced his return to golf in March of 2010. All eyes were watching.
The 2010 Masters would be his returning tournament. No matter the finish, all eyes were going to be on Tiger that weekend. A few things could have happened during that tournament. 1. Tiger would be his usual self. Dominant. He'd come out to play and as usual he'd win. 2. He'd play okay, nothing spectacular, and just get through it. 3. The worst, he would play the worst golf of his career and not even make the cut. What Tiger would show up was the big question on everyones mind. With a first round 68 Tiger was tied for 7th. Not bad a bad start, but how was he going to continue the rest of the weekend. Players fear Tiger when he's in the mix of things, he is never counted out until his last putt on 18 in the final round. Tiger shot 70-70 for the 2nd and 3rd round, solid golf with a few bad holes here and there, but moved up the leader board in a tie for 3rd w/ K.J. Choi. Dangerous heading into the final round for the other top players. Tiger's final round 68 was a good round, but not enough. FInishing T-4th, Tiger's re-debut back into the golf world was over. He seemed to be ready for 2010, much to everyones surprise. He played well, but Phil Mickelson (2010 winner) and a few others just played better. The events from November-February seemed to not phase Tiger at all. Critics, fans, and golfers were ready for Tiger to return back to his normal position on top of every leader board. That didn't happen.
2010 Tiger went home empty completely empty handed in any major tournament at least. Something was still off about Tiger, he didn't have that force that he's had for so many years on the PGA. The "Eye of the Tiger" as you will, was gone. No matter how hard he fought nothing was working in his favor. More and more players discovered his weaknesses and started to use it to their advantages. Focusing on their game and beating him. Tiger once known for being one of the best putters in the world, was missing putts left and right. The ball could not go where he wanted it to. Tiger has always been an emotional player, not afraid to yell at his caddy, at himself but this year may have been the worst. With good reason. The once best golfer in the world wasn't winning, anything. Anyone would be frustrated. Nothing he did could get him out of this slump. I think a lot of people throughout the year started to have some sympathy for him. They felt for him in his struggles, but ultimately there really shouldn't be sympathy given to him. He brought all of this on himself. It all could have been prevented if he just stayed faithful to his wife. He has no one to blame but himself.
The world is watching now in 2011. When will the great Tiger Woods reclaim his top spot in the world. It's going to take more than just one tournament. If however he is able to come back from this disaster and play at his best for another 5, 10, 25 years, he would undoubtedly be the best golfer of all time. It's all just a matter of time. How long will it be before he wins another major tournament? How long can he mentally play the game without winning? Will he retire if he doesn't win again in 2011? We just have to wait and see. 2011 already looks bleak for Tiger as he's already lost to #16 seed Thomas Bjorn of Accenture Match Play, something the old Tiger would never let happen unless he was playing against Superman.
Will Tiger strike again? Stay tuned.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Showdown in Madtown
So this past week quite possibly could have been the biggest week in Wisconsin's history, well politcal history at least. I don't think there is ever anything that can top the Packers winning the Super Bowl in this state. Starting on Tuesday the battle between the people and Gov. Scott Walker began, when he proposed a new bill to help with Wisconsins deficit. While I may not be the most educated person on the matter, I still have a voice and a right to share my opnion on the matter. A little background for those who aren't as up to speed on the issue.
First, pre bill proposal, Walker declined the federal government's $810 million for High Speed Rail. A project that would create jobs, not only to build the rail itself but for the operation of the train for years afterwards. It would have been a huge stimulus for the Wisconsin economy, yet he declined the money, why exactly, we're still not sure. He also returned the $23 million that would bring broadband to urban schools and communities. And now the latest: " Budget Repair" Bill. A bill that he has proposed to eliminate Wisconsins deficit that contains however, many items that don't even effect a budget: elimination of protected wetlands, selling state power plants without requiring bids, giving political appointees the ability to change the state's Medicaid programs without legisative oversight, and the big issues, effectively ending collective bargaining rights not just for the state but for all local governments. All of this began at the end of January, so there has been little to no time to debate the matter. Walker is going out there without letting representatives speak.
Yes Wisconsins deficit is bad, but it's not as dramatic as Walker makes it out to be. This bill goes way beyond repairing the budget. In fact, many state union workers have already accepted pay cuts and said they would take more in order to help the budget, yet Walker refuses to negotiate. This clearly extends far beyond the budget. Can I mention one thing in addition to all of this, Gov. Scott Walker never graduated college.
I was uneducated on the matter until last Thursday/Friday when I talked with my mom, a 3rd generation union worker, who if this bill goes through, is directly effected. The impact this bill has on her job, her career and her continuing education, makes this a personal matter to me. She's my mother, I'll fight for her as if I'm fighting for myself. Starting on Tuesday public workers, students, teachers, and those against the bill have peacefully protested against the bill at the state capital. Many sleeping on the floor of the rotunda when they got the chance, despite the constant cheers and rallies by the rest of the public. As the week progressed, more and more people showed up at the Capital to protest. The number of supporters against the bill to show up in Madison has been astonishing. Teachers especially. Many schools have had to cancel classes because there have been a large number of teachers calling in sick to protest. That however is one thing that I haven't agreed with. I think it could have been organized a little bit better so that classes wouldn't be cancelled. The teachers are fighting for their collective bargaining rights that help to protect the students they teach, however they need to make sure that the students, even in this time are getting their education. A few days off of school however, in order to keep their rights, could be worth it in the long run.
On Friday monring, we weren't sure as to whether my 13 year old brother was going to have class or not, even showing up to school classes weren't officially cancelled but there were not a lot of teachers there so we spoke to a few, got the work he would miss, and started our drive to Madison. On the way up there my mom explained a lot of what was going on to my brother and I. My mom is a TA at UW-Milwaukee while she is getting her Masters in English and technical writing. As a TA and student she has some good benefits including the university paying for her tuition as long as she's teaching (TAA). However if this bill passes, she loses that, losing the university's money to pay for her tuition. Which ultimately could effect her continuing in her program to get her masters. It's not fair. One voice, her voice, is loud but having a few more to support her, could make a difference. We got to Madison last in the morning on Friday and walking up to the capital we could hear the crowds already. An eye-opening experience to say the least.
Outside the Capital building itself was quite the sight. Thousands of people walking together, signs held high, shouting together in unison to make their voices heard. Chants being lead all at different times: "Hey Ho, Scott Walker has got to go!" "Kill the Bill!" "It's not about the $$, It's about the rights!" and many more. Signs were beyond creative varying from simple "Kill the Bill" to playing on the the Empires' Imperial Walker from "Star Wars". I think my favorite sign was held by a teacher saying: "Scott Walker, your son is in my class, I teach him. I protect him. I inspire him." You'd think Walker would want to protect his child and his teacher, but with this bill, neither of them are safe. This is one of the first times I've truly felt apart of something important, something real. I can tell people I was there, I was involved. Moving into the Capital, I was floored by what I saw. The Rotunda and the surrounding wings were jam packed with protesters. Despite the slight stench of a high school lockerroom due to the lack of showers and sweat by thousands of people, it was impressive to see the unity of so many people. It seemed as though everyone could put aside various differences and come together under on goal, "Kill the Bill". Even the Rev. Jesse Jackson showed his support in person. He came to the rotunda and to the people outside on Friday to show is support. Paraphrasing what he said, unions and public workes built our state and our country to what it is, if we disband these unions and take away these rights, we lose what our country is about: the middle class. The working class. People of all ages, races, occupations and backgrounds, are bonded together under one cause.
One chant/saying really stuck with me in my time up in Madison: "It's not about the $$, It's about the rights!". It struck me deep because it's true. Teachers and public workers aren't millionaires, far from it, and have made it clear that they would take the pay cuts and the increase in moeny towards their health plans, retirement and other benefits as long as they can keep their collective bargaining rights. Many have argued that these rights do nothing, but in fact they do just about everything for the children. Collective bargaining protects students and teachers from the schools taking over all aspects of the education: Class size, curriculum, student security, salary, teacher rights in the classroom, etc. Without collective bargaining class sizes could rise substantially, curriculum would change, not to always benefit the students, security in the schools could change. But because teachers and the union have those rights they are able to protect students, if these teachers lose these rights schools can easily say you're fired and find a teacher or few who will do what they want without question. Which ultimately puts the childrens education at risk. My younger brother's favorite teacher, Mr. Ross, would lose his right to be able to teach the kids how he thinks would benefit them most. Mr. Ross is a fantastic teacher, he's great with showing the kids how to do the right thing taking the time to individually help them even when he doesn't have to. He cares, he wants his students to be successful.
I returned back to Madison on Saturday, on my own. The Tea Party illuminated their Batman signal and rallied their troops for their chance to make their voices heard. Unfortunately for them, when the word spread that theyw ere coming to Madison, more people came to protest against the bill. When I arrived donning my Clay Matthews jersey (he's stated he's with the WI Public Unions) and my sign "Union Workers Won the Super Bowl" I heard a speaker for the tea party say "I think we've got a pretty even number here." regarding the number of people in support and against the bill. Clearly the tea party needs to learn how to count again because their 5,000 to 70,000 is not about the same. Surprisingily with the opposing sides, the protest remaind very peaceful. Don't get me wrong there were plenty of verbal arguments, shouting and I'm sure many profanities and insults thrown across the sides, but no violence occured. Each group got to speak their mind and made it well known how each felt on the matter.
The biggest issue occuring at the Capital is the "disappearance" of the 14 Democratic Senators from Wisconsin who left the state to stop the bill from being voted on. Uniting together, they chose to leave the state (where WI police have no jurisdiction) to stop the quarum on the bill from occuring. Those supporting the bill see it as a sign of cowardess, however I think it shows strength. They were out of options to try and stop the bill because Walker refuses to negotiate on the matter, so they had no other choice. It shows their solidarity and support for the people of Wisconsin and until Walker will agree to negotiate the bill, they should stay away. Just because they're across state borders, doesn't meant they can't do their job remotely. No they're not in the capital but they can still fight for the people there without bringing the bill to the floor for a vote. There are a few republican senators who are on the fence about the bill and if we can get them to change their views then we we can possibly stop the bill from passing.
While there are so many people who would be directly effected by the bill, there are some groups and unions who are protected from Walkers "Budget Repair" bill. Those groups includ the Police and Fire Department forces, especially those in the Madison area. Walkers bill does not include pay cuts or taking away the collective bargaining rights of those unions, mostly because they supported him through out his campaign for Governor so here he is protecting them. A little bit of a backfire though. the Fire Department has been open and vocal about their support for labor, not Walker. They have marched with the people against the bill after their showed up at the Capital on Tuesday night with a stream of bagpipers, formally publicsize their support for the public labor unions. It's amazing to see their support despite their protection. Even firefighters from Illinois have come to Madison to show their support. They protect us day in and day out, putting their lives in danger for our safety, and here they are on their days off showing even more support of the community and making it clear that they stand with the public despite their unions and workers being protected.
This movment, this fight extends far past Wisconsin's state lines. Many other states are on the fence with bills similar to Walkers in disbanding unions and taking away collective bargaining rights If the bill passes here in Wisconsin, there are many other states likely to follow in the footsteps. I'm not opposed to a bill that's going to fix WI's budget, however write a bill that is actually going to do so, not a bill that is going to take away rights of public workers. Wisconsin is one of the leading states in SAT/ACT scores and general education, part of that is because of the collective bargaining rights that the teachers unions have. Why would you want to change something that clearly is working for the younger generations?
It's clear my position on the matter, I'm not saying I know everything about what's going on beacuse I don't, but from what I do know I do think I'm entitled to the opinion that I do have. It's going to be interesting to see how things are going to pan out with everythings that's going on. Will Walker negotiate the terms of the bill? When will the dem. senators come back to Madison? Can this bill actually fix the budget? Will public workers keep their collective bargaining rights? What impact is this going to have on the rest of the nation? Only time is going to tell and for now all we can do is keep making our voices heard so that hopefully Walker can get the message. In Wisconsin there are few people who have more of an impact on the people than those in office. Those people include past and present Green Bay Packer players. With Aaron Rodgers as a union rep for the NFLPA and Charles Woodson making an open statement in support for the unions as well as other past and present players, everyone listens to them. In a state where nothing is more important than our football team, to have them supporting the public means everything.
For now all we can do is speak up and continue to spread the word about what's going on. I continue my support for the public workers and their unions until we get what we're asking for.
"It's not about the $$, It's about Rights"
First, pre bill proposal, Walker declined the federal government's $810 million for High Speed Rail. A project that would create jobs, not only to build the rail itself but for the operation of the train for years afterwards. It would have been a huge stimulus for the Wisconsin economy, yet he declined the money, why exactly, we're still not sure. He also returned the $23 million that would bring broadband to urban schools and communities. And now the latest: " Budget Repair" Bill. A bill that he has proposed to eliminate Wisconsins deficit that contains however, many items that don't even effect a budget: elimination of protected wetlands, selling state power plants without requiring bids, giving political appointees the ability to change the state's Medicaid programs without legisative oversight, and the big issues, effectively ending collective bargaining rights not just for the state but for all local governments. All of this began at the end of January, so there has been little to no time to debate the matter. Walker is going out there without letting representatives speak.
Yes Wisconsins deficit is bad, but it's not as dramatic as Walker makes it out to be. This bill goes way beyond repairing the budget. In fact, many state union workers have already accepted pay cuts and said they would take more in order to help the budget, yet Walker refuses to negotiate. This clearly extends far beyond the budget. Can I mention one thing in addition to all of this, Gov. Scott Walker never graduated college.
I was uneducated on the matter until last Thursday/Friday when I talked with my mom, a 3rd generation union worker, who if this bill goes through, is directly effected. The impact this bill has on her job, her career and her continuing education, makes this a personal matter to me. She's my mother, I'll fight for her as if I'm fighting for myself. Starting on Tuesday public workers, students, teachers, and those against the bill have peacefully protested against the bill at the state capital. Many sleeping on the floor of the rotunda when they got the chance, despite the constant cheers and rallies by the rest of the public. As the week progressed, more and more people showed up at the Capital to protest. The number of supporters against the bill to show up in Madison has been astonishing. Teachers especially. Many schools have had to cancel classes because there have been a large number of teachers calling in sick to protest. That however is one thing that I haven't agreed with. I think it could have been organized a little bit better so that classes wouldn't be cancelled. The teachers are fighting for their collective bargaining rights that help to protect the students they teach, however they need to make sure that the students, even in this time are getting their education. A few days off of school however, in order to keep their rights, could be worth it in the long run.
On Friday monring, we weren't sure as to whether my 13 year old brother was going to have class or not, even showing up to school classes weren't officially cancelled but there were not a lot of teachers there so we spoke to a few, got the work he would miss, and started our drive to Madison. On the way up there my mom explained a lot of what was going on to my brother and I. My mom is a TA at UW-Milwaukee while she is getting her Masters in English and technical writing. As a TA and student she has some good benefits including the university paying for her tuition as long as she's teaching (TAA). However if this bill passes, she loses that, losing the university's money to pay for her tuition. Which ultimately could effect her continuing in her program to get her masters. It's not fair. One voice, her voice, is loud but having a few more to support her, could make a difference. We got to Madison last in the morning on Friday and walking up to the capital we could hear the crowds already. An eye-opening experience to say the least.
Outside the Capital building itself was quite the sight. Thousands of people walking together, signs held high, shouting together in unison to make their voices heard. Chants being lead all at different times: "Hey Ho, Scott Walker has got to go!" "Kill the Bill!" "It's not about the $$, It's about the rights!" and many more. Signs were beyond creative varying from simple "Kill the Bill" to playing on the the Empires' Imperial Walker from "Star Wars". I think my favorite sign was held by a teacher saying: "Scott Walker, your son is in my class, I teach him. I protect him. I inspire him." You'd think Walker would want to protect his child and his teacher, but with this bill, neither of them are safe. This is one of the first times I've truly felt apart of something important, something real. I can tell people I was there, I was involved. Moving into the Capital, I was floored by what I saw. The Rotunda and the surrounding wings were jam packed with protesters. Despite the slight stench of a high school lockerroom due to the lack of showers and sweat by thousands of people, it was impressive to see the unity of so many people. It seemed as though everyone could put aside various differences and come together under on goal, "Kill the Bill". Even the Rev. Jesse Jackson showed his support in person. He came to the rotunda and to the people outside on Friday to show is support. Paraphrasing what he said, unions and public workes built our state and our country to what it is, if we disband these unions and take away these rights, we lose what our country is about: the middle class. The working class. People of all ages, races, occupations and backgrounds, are bonded together under one cause.
One chant/saying really stuck with me in my time up in Madison: "It's not about the $$, It's about the rights!". It struck me deep because it's true. Teachers and public workers aren't millionaires, far from it, and have made it clear that they would take the pay cuts and the increase in moeny towards their health plans, retirement and other benefits as long as they can keep their collective bargaining rights. Many have argued that these rights do nothing, but in fact they do just about everything for the children. Collective bargaining protects students and teachers from the schools taking over all aspects of the education: Class size, curriculum, student security, salary, teacher rights in the classroom, etc. Without collective bargaining class sizes could rise substantially, curriculum would change, not to always benefit the students, security in the schools could change. But because teachers and the union have those rights they are able to protect students, if these teachers lose these rights schools can easily say you're fired and find a teacher or few who will do what they want without question. Which ultimately puts the childrens education at risk. My younger brother's favorite teacher, Mr. Ross, would lose his right to be able to teach the kids how he thinks would benefit them most. Mr. Ross is a fantastic teacher, he's great with showing the kids how to do the right thing taking the time to individually help them even when he doesn't have to. He cares, he wants his students to be successful.
I returned back to Madison on Saturday, on my own. The Tea Party illuminated their Batman signal and rallied their troops for their chance to make their voices heard. Unfortunately for them, when the word spread that theyw ere coming to Madison, more people came to protest against the bill. When I arrived donning my Clay Matthews jersey (he's stated he's with the WI Public Unions) and my sign "Union Workers Won the Super Bowl" I heard a speaker for the tea party say "I think we've got a pretty even number here." regarding the number of people in support and against the bill. Clearly the tea party needs to learn how to count again because their 5,000 to 70,000 is not about the same. Surprisingily with the opposing sides, the protest remaind very peaceful. Don't get me wrong there were plenty of verbal arguments, shouting and I'm sure many profanities and insults thrown across the sides, but no violence occured. Each group got to speak their mind and made it well known how each felt on the matter.
The biggest issue occuring at the Capital is the "disappearance" of the 14 Democratic Senators from Wisconsin who left the state to stop the bill from being voted on. Uniting together, they chose to leave the state (where WI police have no jurisdiction) to stop the quarum on the bill from occuring. Those supporting the bill see it as a sign of cowardess, however I think it shows strength. They were out of options to try and stop the bill because Walker refuses to negotiate on the matter, so they had no other choice. It shows their solidarity and support for the people of Wisconsin and until Walker will agree to negotiate the bill, they should stay away. Just because they're across state borders, doesn't meant they can't do their job remotely. No they're not in the capital but they can still fight for the people there without bringing the bill to the floor for a vote. There are a few republican senators who are on the fence about the bill and if we can get them to change their views then we we can possibly stop the bill from passing.
While there are so many people who would be directly effected by the bill, there are some groups and unions who are protected from Walkers "Budget Repair" bill. Those groups includ the Police and Fire Department forces, especially those in the Madison area. Walkers bill does not include pay cuts or taking away the collective bargaining rights of those unions, mostly because they supported him through out his campaign for Governor so here he is protecting them. A little bit of a backfire though. the Fire Department has been open and vocal about their support for labor, not Walker. They have marched with the people against the bill after their showed up at the Capital on Tuesday night with a stream of bagpipers, formally publicsize their support for the public labor unions. It's amazing to see their support despite their protection. Even firefighters from Illinois have come to Madison to show their support. They protect us day in and day out, putting their lives in danger for our safety, and here they are on their days off showing even more support of the community and making it clear that they stand with the public despite their unions and workers being protected.
This movment, this fight extends far past Wisconsin's state lines. Many other states are on the fence with bills similar to Walkers in disbanding unions and taking away collective bargaining rights If the bill passes here in Wisconsin, there are many other states likely to follow in the footsteps. I'm not opposed to a bill that's going to fix WI's budget, however write a bill that is actually going to do so, not a bill that is going to take away rights of public workers. Wisconsin is one of the leading states in SAT/ACT scores and general education, part of that is because of the collective bargaining rights that the teachers unions have. Why would you want to change something that clearly is working for the younger generations?
It's clear my position on the matter, I'm not saying I know everything about what's going on beacuse I don't, but from what I do know I do think I'm entitled to the opinion that I do have. It's going to be interesting to see how things are going to pan out with everythings that's going on. Will Walker negotiate the terms of the bill? When will the dem. senators come back to Madison? Can this bill actually fix the budget? Will public workers keep their collective bargaining rights? What impact is this going to have on the rest of the nation? Only time is going to tell and for now all we can do is keep making our voices heard so that hopefully Walker can get the message. In Wisconsin there are few people who have more of an impact on the people than those in office. Those people include past and present Green Bay Packer players. With Aaron Rodgers as a union rep for the NFLPA and Charles Woodson making an open statement in support for the unions as well as other past and present players, everyone listens to them. In a state where nothing is more important than our football team, to have them supporting the public means everything.
For now all we can do is speak up and continue to spread the word about what's going on. I continue my support for the public workers and their unions until we get what we're asking for.
"It's not about the $$, It's about Rights"
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Grammy's 2011
I'm going to try something new here. I wouldn't say it's a live blog because I won't post until the end of the show but I'll be writing as the show is going on. Performances, presenters, hosts and winners/losers. I'll refrain from listing all the categories at the beginning because it's not what I want to display. This may make it seem like I'm a Grammy freak, that I sit down every year and watch. I like award shows, I never really care who wins but it's entertaining (most of the time) for a few hours on a random Sunday night. A few artists I'm looking forward to winning this year: Lady Gaga, Eminem, Drake, and Cee-Lo.
I'll start before Grammy's actually with Anderson Coopers interview w/ Lady GaGa on "60 Minutes" I've seen a few GaGa interviews and she's a phenomenal person to talk to. What I love about her, there is no bullshit. Anderson Cooper asked her about drugs and while she doesn't do cocaine anymore she spoke about how she still smokes pot when she writes music. Why do you ask that she admit? Because as she puts it, she's not a liar, and that's where the problem is with famous people. They lie, when it's easier to just tell the truth. Another thing that is truly remarkable about her is what she calls being a student in life. She's involved in all processes of her life. She won't wear something without knowing who made it, what the inspiration was, and what it stands for. She's a lot smarter than people may believe. (More on that later, potential blog post in it's own).
And now the Grammy's:
What better way to start the show off than with a tribute to the 18 Grammy Award winner Aretha Franklin. Performers: Christina Aguilera, Florence from Florence and the Machine, Martina McBride, Jennifer Hudson and Yolanda Adams. All phenomenal voices who do the woman right and can belt it like Aretha can. I think people forget how amazing of a voice Christina Aguilera has. Despite her flub of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, that girl has got some serious pipes. The woman hit notes like Mariah Carey can, I didn't know anyone could do that. While I love Florence's voice, I don't know if she was the right choice for a tribute to Aretha. Okay nevermind... that last note was worth it entirely. Jennifer Hudson is a perfect woman to be in this, some people speak of her with the same soulful voice as Aretha herself. RESPECT was a perfect song for her to sing. Phenomenal performances. These women have got soul.
First Grammy: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or a Group --> Hey Soul Sista - Train
Excellent choice I believe. It's a pop song that blew up this year not only on the radio but everywhere. Train is a great group. Well done on the Bieber comment in the acceptance speech.
Already performing it live... after 2 days of it being released. Lady GaGa "Born This Way". Hell freaking yes. There is a lot of people critiquing this song because it sounds so much like Madonna's "Express Yourself". Who cares, listen to the words, they're fantastic. Anyone who thinks she lip syncs, just stop talking. That was a phenomenal performance. Strange and different like GaGa always is, but surprisingly not too over the top, which I think got people to listen to the lyrics and her voice more. She looked fantastic and you can see in her body movements how much work she's doing up there.
As I'm not a big country person, Miranda Lambert not my choice in performer here, but she does have a good voice.
Mmmmm Lenny Kravitz to introduce Muse. While I know this song I don't know much about Muse. I'm intrigued to see this performance. This could ultimately make me listen to them or not. So far I'm into it. This is very futuristic, electronic and all around very good. I will always agree with someone who can rock a double necked guitar. Alright, Muse officially has a new fan. Going to some illegal site to download after the show.
Ryan Seacrest, hate him or love him, the guy works his ass off and does a good job at what he does. Bruno Mars, B.o.B and Janelle Monet, this should be interesting. I'm not sure about Bruno Mars, he's got talent, but I'm personally in it for B.o.B. I do love this song and I'm really digging the acoustic and mellow version of this song. As much as I do not like "Grenade" I do like this old 50's version of the song. Really slowing it down and adding the band makes it worlds better. I'm not sure who this Janelle Monet is but she's got good stage performance and a sweet voice. and who doesn't love a little crowd surfing? But what's surprising me right now is Bruno Mars on the drums and B.o.B. on the guitar. They are kind of awesome.
Best Female Vocal Country Performance: The House That Built me - Miranda Lambert.
Like I said, I'm not a country person. Can't really say much about this.
Up next: Justin Bieber and Usher... this could easily be my favorite performance of the night. This has got to be good. Awwwww look at littler Bieber singing Usher's to Usher.
Even if you don't like Bieber, the kid has got the talent to be a star. Not lip syncing and sitting down with an acoustic guitar, I'm impressed. He may have thousands up thousands of screaming teenage fans, he's got it. I'm impressed so far with this performance, solely of the fact that he's not lip syncing. WOW! Little Jaden Smith, is there not enough talent in that family already? Panning into the crowd to Will and Jada, you don't see movie stars, you just see 2 proud parents. What better way to end this but with Usher's "O.M.G." even he's singing for real tonight too. Maybe not 100% of the time but he's not just about the singing, I think there are a lot of people out there who just want the dance moves, including myself. I'm always impressed with Usher's performances. Mad props to that performance.
Best Rock Album: The Resistance - Muse
After their performance I have a feeling more people are going to listen to this album. While I don't know if I agree that they really deserved to win over Pearl Jam and especially Jeff Beck, but that's my own personal opinion.
Biebs is so cute in his white tux
Best Pop Album: The Fame Monster - Lady GaGa
While the other albums in this category are amazing, nothing can top what GaGa has done this year and especially with this album. It's great to see her speaking. You can hear the humbleness in her voice she's truly genuine with her success. I like her dominatrix outfit, I wonder what she'll roll out next.
Why is Letterman on this? Not funny. but thank you for introducing Bob Dylan, Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons. The Cave, this is by far my favorite Mumford song, they really are a talented group of musicians. Headbanging with an upright bass, a banjo and an acoustic guitar, yes sir. Avett Bros are equally as amazing. Both of these groups have a ridiculous amount of talent between them. Wow Dylan, your voice has aged more than your looks. You still are amazing and with these guys playing with you, it's a perfect trio. Dylan's sound is an acquired taste, you like it or you don't, but the man knows how to write music. But as terrible as he sounded to bring out the harmonica, makes up for it all. "Maggie's Farm" was a perfect song for them to sing.
Oh that was a surprise... my future husband, Clay Matthews. He looks gooooood. oh yeah and this country thing still no thanks. I will give a lot of credit to Lady Antebellum however, I do think they have good voices I just don't like the music.
Best Country Album: Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
It's a big song, not my favorite, but good for them.
Cee-Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow, now if only they could actually perform without the censorship. I already feel funkified with the openings notes, but what on earth is he wearing? Do we have a new Elton John on our hands? I'm pretty sure these are the Muppetts on crack right now. The raspiness of Cee-Lo's voice is pretty sexy and who knew Gwyneth could actually sing live as well? She's not a recording artist, but she's pretty damn good. Cee-Lo always has had the funky 70's vibe to him but I don't think people expected that outfit from him.
Neil Patrick Harris to introduce Katy Perry seems so perfect after her cameo on How I Met Your Mother. There have been more artists this year who are actually singing, was there a memo sent out to keep people from lip syncing this year? I still can't stand her, but she's got good voice... okay scratch that, I do not like her voice when she goes too high but this is a pretty sweet performance dedicated to her husband Russell Brand. I am however in love with "Firework" definitely one of my guilty pleasure songs and I prefer her voice in this song much more.
John Mayer, Norah Jones and Keith Urban to tribute Dolly Parton. Now it's apparent that I don't like country music, but I like this performance. Kieth and John are both outstanding guitarists despite John looking like Johnny Depp right now. Short and nothing over the top. That's a great easy performance.
Song of the Year: Need You Now - Lady Antebellum.
Ray was robbed. End of story.
Let's see if Rihanna can refrain from ruining the performance tonight like she did that MTV VMA awards.
Leave it to Seth Rogan to crack out the Miley Cyrus getting high joke but to introduce Eminem... interesting.
Alright: Rihanna, Adam Levine from Maroon 5 AND Dr. Dre. That's an all-star performance mash-up right there. I still don't think I like Rihanna live, her voice is very whiny but she sounds better. Adam Levine could have done it himself. Eminem has already made up for it. God he's amazing, but once again I hate censorship, this is one instance I wish I was there to really hear it. You can see the intensity in his voice as the veins are bursting out of his forehead. He just took this perfomance to another level. Dr. Dre, no words. Skylar Dre and Em brought the song back to life after Rihanna nearly killed it, and not in a good way.
Best New Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Mumford & Sons should have won.
Mick Jagger has never performed at the Grammy's really?
I love Glee.
While music is important this was a serious downer on the night. Do this some other time.
Grammy Tribute... I hope they don't forget anyone like they have in years past *cough* LeRoi Moore *cough*.
ohhhhhhhh Mick. but paying tribute to Solomon Burke, excellent. You know you're good when you've got the whole arena dancing with you. While I've never been a big Stones fan myself, Mick is a legend. That was fantastic. Love the green jacket.
Oh Babs...
Nicki Manji is harnessing her inner GaGa. She reminds me of a cross between Wilma Flinstone and Mrs. Frankenstein
Best Rap Album: Recovery - Eminem
The right man won, if anyone else would have there would have been riots in the streets of Detroit (too soon for a joke like that?). The album can't be beat. It's got everything and will probably go down as one of the greatest albums of all time. He's truly a genius and he's got enough albums to prove that but Recovery brought him to another level.
Maybe Rihanna can redeem herself in this next performance w/ Drake, otherwise I have no doubts he'll be amazing. I'm pretty sure Diddy is drunk.
Drake you've already won my heart. You're voice is just so smooth and the lyrics are genius. Rihanna has made up for the last performance solely on sex appeal right now. She clearly needs to stick to the Jamaican sound in her voice. But hey at least she's not lip syncing. Eminem should find a replacement for her in live performances of "Love the Way You Lie".
Record of the Year: Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
They are raking up in this award show. This is one that I really do not agree with. Two songs deserve this so much more: Jay-Z and Eminem. I'd like to know reasoning behind this song winning the award. "Love the Way You Lie" has so much more power and emotion into it not to mention what Eminem has been through and what he put into that song and album.
The Arcade Fire. Love this band. However I do feel like I'm going to have a seizure with the lights but any band that can rock with a violin works for me. These lights really need to go, I can't focus on the music. But please explain to me why there are BMX bikers on the stage?
Album of the Year is where I'm torn because I love GaGa but I think no one deserves it more than Eminem. Those two in my mind deserve it more than anyone else. As much as I'd love to see GaGa win again, Eminem should get this one.
Album of the Year: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
wow. wow. wow. not the right pick. should have been Eminem.
I was excited to end this but now I'm not, there's nothing I can do but oh well. I do like one thing about the Grammy's is they get in and get out, no real cheesy lines from presenters and and hosts. Awards, performances and then done.
Ti'll next year.
I'll start before Grammy's actually with Anderson Coopers interview w/ Lady GaGa on "60 Minutes" I've seen a few GaGa interviews and she's a phenomenal person to talk to. What I love about her, there is no bullshit. Anderson Cooper asked her about drugs and while she doesn't do cocaine anymore she spoke about how she still smokes pot when she writes music. Why do you ask that she admit? Because as she puts it, she's not a liar, and that's where the problem is with famous people. They lie, when it's easier to just tell the truth. Another thing that is truly remarkable about her is what she calls being a student in life. She's involved in all processes of her life. She won't wear something without knowing who made it, what the inspiration was, and what it stands for. She's a lot smarter than people may believe. (More on that later, potential blog post in it's own).
And now the Grammy's:
What better way to start the show off than with a tribute to the 18 Grammy Award winner Aretha Franklin. Performers: Christina Aguilera, Florence from Florence and the Machine, Martina McBride, Jennifer Hudson and Yolanda Adams. All phenomenal voices who do the woman right and can belt it like Aretha can. I think people forget how amazing of a voice Christina Aguilera has. Despite her flub of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, that girl has got some serious pipes. The woman hit notes like Mariah Carey can, I didn't know anyone could do that. While I love Florence's voice, I don't know if she was the right choice for a tribute to Aretha. Okay nevermind... that last note was worth it entirely. Jennifer Hudson is a perfect woman to be in this, some people speak of her with the same soulful voice as Aretha herself. RESPECT was a perfect song for her to sing. Phenomenal performances. These women have got soul.
First Grammy: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or a Group --> Hey Soul Sista - Train
Excellent choice I believe. It's a pop song that blew up this year not only on the radio but everywhere. Train is a great group. Well done on the Bieber comment in the acceptance speech.
Already performing it live... after 2 days of it being released. Lady GaGa "Born This Way". Hell freaking yes. There is a lot of people critiquing this song because it sounds so much like Madonna's "Express Yourself". Who cares, listen to the words, they're fantastic. Anyone who thinks she lip syncs, just stop talking. That was a phenomenal performance. Strange and different like GaGa always is, but surprisingly not too over the top, which I think got people to listen to the lyrics and her voice more. She looked fantastic and you can see in her body movements how much work she's doing up there.
As I'm not a big country person, Miranda Lambert not my choice in performer here, but she does have a good voice.
Mmmmm Lenny Kravitz to introduce Muse. While I know this song I don't know much about Muse. I'm intrigued to see this performance. This could ultimately make me listen to them or not. So far I'm into it. This is very futuristic, electronic and all around very good. I will always agree with someone who can rock a double necked guitar. Alright, Muse officially has a new fan. Going to some illegal site to download after the show.
Ryan Seacrest, hate him or love him, the guy works his ass off and does a good job at what he does. Bruno Mars, B.o.B and Janelle Monet, this should be interesting. I'm not sure about Bruno Mars, he's got talent, but I'm personally in it for B.o.B. I do love this song and I'm really digging the acoustic and mellow version of this song. As much as I do not like "Grenade" I do like this old 50's version of the song. Really slowing it down and adding the band makes it worlds better. I'm not sure who this Janelle Monet is but she's got good stage performance and a sweet voice. and who doesn't love a little crowd surfing? But what's surprising me right now is Bruno Mars on the drums and B.o.B. on the guitar. They are kind of awesome.
Best Female Vocal Country Performance: The House That Built me - Miranda Lambert.
Like I said, I'm not a country person. Can't really say much about this.
Up next: Justin Bieber and Usher... this could easily be my favorite performance of the night. This has got to be good. Awwwww look at littler Bieber singing Usher's to Usher.
Even if you don't like Bieber, the kid has got the talent to be a star. Not lip syncing and sitting down with an acoustic guitar, I'm impressed. He may have thousands up thousands of screaming teenage fans, he's got it. I'm impressed so far with this performance, solely of the fact that he's not lip syncing. WOW! Little Jaden Smith, is there not enough talent in that family already? Panning into the crowd to Will and Jada, you don't see movie stars, you just see 2 proud parents. What better way to end this but with Usher's "O.M.G." even he's singing for real tonight too. Maybe not 100% of the time but he's not just about the singing, I think there are a lot of people out there who just want the dance moves, including myself. I'm always impressed with Usher's performances. Mad props to that performance.
Best Rock Album: The Resistance - Muse
After their performance I have a feeling more people are going to listen to this album. While I don't know if I agree that they really deserved to win over Pearl Jam and especially Jeff Beck, but that's my own personal opinion.
Biebs is so cute in his white tux
Best Pop Album: The Fame Monster - Lady GaGa
While the other albums in this category are amazing, nothing can top what GaGa has done this year and especially with this album. It's great to see her speaking. You can hear the humbleness in her voice she's truly genuine with her success. I like her dominatrix outfit, I wonder what she'll roll out next.
Why is Letterman on this? Not funny. but thank you for introducing Bob Dylan, Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons. The Cave, this is by far my favorite Mumford song, they really are a talented group of musicians. Headbanging with an upright bass, a banjo and an acoustic guitar, yes sir. Avett Bros are equally as amazing. Both of these groups have a ridiculous amount of talent between them. Wow Dylan, your voice has aged more than your looks. You still are amazing and with these guys playing with you, it's a perfect trio. Dylan's sound is an acquired taste, you like it or you don't, but the man knows how to write music. But as terrible as he sounded to bring out the harmonica, makes up for it all. "Maggie's Farm" was a perfect song for them to sing.
Oh that was a surprise... my future husband, Clay Matthews. He looks gooooood. oh yeah and this country thing still no thanks. I will give a lot of credit to Lady Antebellum however, I do think they have good voices I just don't like the music.
Best Country Album: Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
It's a big song, not my favorite, but good for them.
Cee-Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow, now if only they could actually perform without the censorship. I already feel funkified with the openings notes, but what on earth is he wearing? Do we have a new Elton John on our hands? I'm pretty sure these are the Muppetts on crack right now. The raspiness of Cee-Lo's voice is pretty sexy and who knew Gwyneth could actually sing live as well? She's not a recording artist, but she's pretty damn good. Cee-Lo always has had the funky 70's vibe to him but I don't think people expected that outfit from him.
Neil Patrick Harris to introduce Katy Perry seems so perfect after her cameo on How I Met Your Mother. There have been more artists this year who are actually singing, was there a memo sent out to keep people from lip syncing this year? I still can't stand her, but she's got good voice... okay scratch that, I do not like her voice when she goes too high but this is a pretty sweet performance dedicated to her husband Russell Brand. I am however in love with "Firework" definitely one of my guilty pleasure songs and I prefer her voice in this song much more.
John Mayer, Norah Jones and Keith Urban to tribute Dolly Parton. Now it's apparent that I don't like country music, but I like this performance. Kieth and John are both outstanding guitarists despite John looking like Johnny Depp right now. Short and nothing over the top. That's a great easy performance.
Song of the Year: Need You Now - Lady Antebellum.
Ray was robbed. End of story.
Let's see if Rihanna can refrain from ruining the performance tonight like she did that MTV VMA awards.
Leave it to Seth Rogan to crack out the Miley Cyrus getting high joke but to introduce Eminem... interesting.
Alright: Rihanna, Adam Levine from Maroon 5 AND Dr. Dre. That's an all-star performance mash-up right there. I still don't think I like Rihanna live, her voice is very whiny but she sounds better. Adam Levine could have done it himself. Eminem has already made up for it. God he's amazing, but once again I hate censorship, this is one instance I wish I was there to really hear it. You can see the intensity in his voice as the veins are bursting out of his forehead. He just took this perfomance to another level. Dr. Dre, no words. Skylar Dre and Em brought the song back to life after Rihanna nearly killed it, and not in a good way.
Best New Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Mumford & Sons should have won.
Mick Jagger has never performed at the Grammy's really?
I love Glee.
While music is important this was a serious downer on the night. Do this some other time.
Grammy Tribute... I hope they don't forget anyone like they have in years past *cough* LeRoi Moore *cough*.
ohhhhhhhh Mick. but paying tribute to Solomon Burke, excellent. You know you're good when you've got the whole arena dancing with you. While I've never been a big Stones fan myself, Mick is a legend. That was fantastic. Love the green jacket.
Oh Babs...
Nicki Manji is harnessing her inner GaGa. She reminds me of a cross between Wilma Flinstone and Mrs. Frankenstein
Best Rap Album: Recovery - Eminem
The right man won, if anyone else would have there would have been riots in the streets of Detroit (too soon for a joke like that?). The album can't be beat. It's got everything and will probably go down as one of the greatest albums of all time. He's truly a genius and he's got enough albums to prove that but Recovery brought him to another level.
Maybe Rihanna can redeem herself in this next performance w/ Drake, otherwise I have no doubts he'll be amazing. I'm pretty sure Diddy is drunk.
Drake you've already won my heart. You're voice is just so smooth and the lyrics are genius. Rihanna has made up for the last performance solely on sex appeal right now. She clearly needs to stick to the Jamaican sound in her voice. But hey at least she's not lip syncing. Eminem should find a replacement for her in live performances of "Love the Way You Lie".
Record of the Year: Need You Now - Lady Antebellum
They are raking up in this award show. This is one that I really do not agree with. Two songs deserve this so much more: Jay-Z and Eminem. I'd like to know reasoning behind this song winning the award. "Love the Way You Lie" has so much more power and emotion into it not to mention what Eminem has been through and what he put into that song and album.
The Arcade Fire. Love this band. However I do feel like I'm going to have a seizure with the lights but any band that can rock with a violin works for me. These lights really need to go, I can't focus on the music. But please explain to me why there are BMX bikers on the stage?
Album of the Year is where I'm torn because I love GaGa but I think no one deserves it more than Eminem. Those two in my mind deserve it more than anyone else. As much as I'd love to see GaGa win again, Eminem should get this one.
Album of the Year: Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
wow. wow. wow. not the right pick. should have been Eminem.
I was excited to end this but now I'm not, there's nothing I can do but oh well. I do like one thing about the Grammy's is they get in and get out, no real cheesy lines from presenters and and hosts. Awards, performances and then done.
Ti'll next year.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Lombardi's Return to Titletown
I know by now most of you in the Facebook world are sick of my talking about the Packers, but I'm not going to apologize. This is something I've been waiting to be apart of for 14 years. So it was time, Sunday morning arrived, and the last time I was this nervous was before my senior year of high school state (the day I won my one and only individual state title in swimming). My mom and I together wandered around the house trying to figure out things to do to occupy our time. Cleaning, organizing, preparing the food, anything we could think of to keep our mind off the game. For our Super Bowl feast we dined on brats and burgers, typical Wisconsin cuisine along with assorted tailgate amenities. And then time ran out... Kickoff time.
I don't know if I've ever been more stressed for a 3 hour time period in my life. I warned friends to not talk to me because I more than likely will not be answering my phone. There are a few special people who can say that experienced the game with me as they were recipients of my text messages throughout the game. From the moment that Mason Crosby kicked off the game, I don't think I ever took a deep breath. Once Jordy Nelson scored and the Nick Collins got his Pick 6 we could start to breathe a little easier, but the game was far from over. What really broke Packer Nation's heart was seeing both Donald Driver and Charles Woodson go down in the first half with two game ending injuries. 2 of the players on this team who quite possibly wanted it more than anyone out there. We went into halftime with a 21-10 lead. The Packers locker room at halftime was very emotional. Defensive leader Charles Woodson gave a rousing speech in which he broke down. Everyone knew how badly he wanted to win, so they came out with even more motivation.
The 3rd quarter didn't start off the way we had hoped, the Steelers found their momentum and brought the game 21-17. All season we've referred to the 3rd quarter as the "turd" quarter. The Packers lost majority of their games this season in the 3rd. We had to find a way to get the momentum back in our favor whether it was on defense or offense, didn't matter we needed it back. The 3rd quarter was finally over but the Steelers still had the ball. I turned to my mom and said "All we need is a big defensive play here and we can change this game around". The next play changed the game. Roethlisberger handed the ball off to Mendenhall, a man we had yet to stop during the game. But this play was different, Clay Matthews saw the play and knew what he had to do. He charged the O-Line as Mendenhall got the ball and before our eyes the ball came loose. Everyone watching saw it, but the only person the field to see it other than Matthews and Mendenhall was Desmond Bishop. Bishop fell on the ball and all I can remember is jumping up and down high fiving my mom. The game was far from over. Packers capitalized on that fumble and brought the score 28-17 with a beautiful pass from Rodgers to Jennings. With a lot of time left, no one was ready to say the game was over, and they were right. The Steelers brought it back within 3 when they scored a TD and made the 2 pt conversions. 28-25 with 7:34 left in the game.
This was the Packers' last chance to put the game away for good. If they scored a TD on this drive the game was over, but 7:30 is a lot of time to mess things up. Rodgers and the offense used up 5:30 minutes only to score a field goal making the score 31-25, giving the Steelers the ball back with 2:00 left and only needing a TD to win the game. Big Ben and his offense should never be counted out in a game if they're only down by one TD until the game clock has run out. The Packers D allowed the Steelers a 1st down, but that was the last 1st down they'd have in the game. Facing 4th and 5 and 1:00 left on the clock, the Steelers have no choice but to go for it. Roethlisberger has done it before and could do it again, but not this time. He stepped back, threw the ball, but it wasn't perfect, short and left and with the Packers on double coverage the ball was knocked away. Game Over. With a minute left all the Packers had to do was knee the ball twice with no mistakes and the Lombardi Trophy would be ours once again. Clock run's out, the Green Bay Packers are Super Bowl XLV Champions.
Pandemonium around the state of Wisconsin and all across Packer Nation. Bars from downtown Milwaukee to the podunk towns of Ladysmith and all the way to Green bay erupted, potentially causing some minor hearing losses. House parties became hugging fests, tears of joy pouring down life long Packer Fans. It's hard to describe the feeling but anyone who's experienced knows what it's like. 14 years ago when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI I was only 11 years old, I remember it happening but I didn't fully understand what was going on. This year though was different. All the nerves, mini heart attacks, profanities, and panic attacks during the season and during the final game was worth it. Seeing the pure joy on my mom's face in those final seconds was what I've waited for. She taught me everything I know about loving the game, and without her (or the rest of my family) my love for the Packers wouldn't be the same. There have been a lot of amazing experience in my life but this chalks up easily in the top 3. Watching the trophy ceremony brought more tears and more smiles. Players like Donald Driver who's been through so much, especially this season, seeing him kiss Lombardi, made everything worth it. It's 4 days later and I still don't think I've come down from the high, I don't think I ever will.
I have a lot of respect for the Steeler organization. They have just as much history as the Packers do and have built their own dynasties throughout the years. Their fans are just as dedicated as we are, there are many teams who have fans that will fill the stadiums even when it's 10 degrees outside, often shirtless. As much as the Steelers and their fans wanted this win, the Packers needed it. Green Bay is a small town, hell the attendance at the game, even without the 400 people who didn't get into their seats, is more than Green Bay's population. Without the Packers, Green Bay doesn't have anything. This team is the heart and soul of Wisconsin and Green Bay itself. It's a publicly owned organization with thousands of shareholders who have bailed the team out in times of need. No other team can say that they are owned by the people. Fans drove from Wisconsin without tickets, just to be near the stadium with hopes that the Packers would win. The trophy itself is called the Vince Lombardi Trophy, while other teams do deserve to win it, it belongs at home, in Green Bay, where Lombardi changed the game forever.
The Return to Titletown was not just a one time thing, in Green Bay it lasted 2 days. the team came back on Monday afternoon to be greeted by 35,000 fans lining the streets as the Green Bay Metro buses drove them back to Lambeau Field. Schools cancelled classes because the truancy rates would have been too high to even try to teach, to make it easier, it was declared a holiday. Coming off the plane fans erupted in cheers for each player. Riding on the buses players hung out the windows despite the cold temperatures to get videos of the fans, just like all the fans were doing as the buses passed. Donald Driver looked like a kid who just won a trip to Disney World. Arriving at Lambeau Field the players found the fans gave them high fives and signed some autographs. The real celebration was set for Tuesday. Tickets $5 to get into the stadium, we had to go up. I bought 3 tickets and despite the forecast for 0 degree weather, it was only fitting to go welcome home the champions back to the Frozen Tundra.
Bundled in nearly all of our winter gear we made it to the sold out Lambeau Field along with 50,000 other of our people. Every where you walked chants of "Go Pack Go" and "woo-hoos" were heard. On a day like this, everyone is friends with everyone. You bump into someone on accident, you didn't say sorry, you just said "Go Packers!". Before the team even came onto the field the jumbo screens replayed highlights of the season and with the amount of cheering you could have sworn it was gameday. Waving our flags proudly we welcomed each player and their coaches into the stadium with Head Coach Mike McCarthy coming in last holding Lombardi. The roars of the crowd were deafening as the infamous "Go Pack Go" cheered started out of nowhere. In Green Bay when we win Super Bowl's we rename streets, this year we added McCarthy's Way. Majority of the field still covered in snow, players huddled by the space heaters to keep warm but as some individuals came up to speak they braved the cold with smiles on their faces. Stand out leaders on the team: Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings and Jared Bush all spoke. John Kuhn came to the stage to the sound of the "KKKKUUUHNNNNNNN" cheer. But the star of the day was fan favorite, Donald Driver. Our all pro wide receiver got the loudest and longest cheer of the day, you could clearly tell who was the favorite. As he spoke about how much this meant to him, I got chills. To see the man smile was worth the trip alone.
To close out the celebration, who better than our So.Cal leader and Super Bowl MVP, Aaron Rodgers. With the crowd cheering "M-V-P! M-V-P!" he grabbed the Lombardi trophy and raised it to the sold out stadium. The man has truly been a leader since he took over as our starting quarterback in 2008. Always, fighting and uphill battle to get where he is today, you could hear in his voice the genuine feelings of appreciation to all the fans and the Packer organization for believing in him from day one. As he put it, August 29, 2005 was the greatest day of his life (drafted by the Packers) up until February 6,2011. The California boy has found his place in life in the Frozen Tundra, and we're not letting go of him anytime soon. Rodgers spoke to the crowd and to the team like he's been doing it for years and as he put it "we'll see you guys here next year!".
It's been 4 days since we became champions, I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me it was all a dream. Football season is officially over, but now all we can hope is that we have a season next year so we can bring home another championship. In the meantime, I can look at my phone with it's new background of Donald Driver and the Lombardi trophy. I love this team and everything that goes with it. As Charles Woodson put it: "No one can take this away from us, I'm never coming down from this high. Ever." This is the start of a new era with hopefully many more Lombardi Trophies being brought back to Green Bay.
I don't know if I've ever been more stressed for a 3 hour time period in my life. I warned friends to not talk to me because I more than likely will not be answering my phone. There are a few special people who can say that experienced the game with me as they were recipients of my text messages throughout the game. From the moment that Mason Crosby kicked off the game, I don't think I ever took a deep breath. Once Jordy Nelson scored and the Nick Collins got his Pick 6 we could start to breathe a little easier, but the game was far from over. What really broke Packer Nation's heart was seeing both Donald Driver and Charles Woodson go down in the first half with two game ending injuries. 2 of the players on this team who quite possibly wanted it more than anyone out there. We went into halftime with a 21-10 lead. The Packers locker room at halftime was very emotional. Defensive leader Charles Woodson gave a rousing speech in which he broke down. Everyone knew how badly he wanted to win, so they came out with even more motivation.
The 3rd quarter didn't start off the way we had hoped, the Steelers found their momentum and brought the game 21-17. All season we've referred to the 3rd quarter as the "turd" quarter. The Packers lost majority of their games this season in the 3rd. We had to find a way to get the momentum back in our favor whether it was on defense or offense, didn't matter we needed it back. The 3rd quarter was finally over but the Steelers still had the ball. I turned to my mom and said "All we need is a big defensive play here and we can change this game around". The next play changed the game. Roethlisberger handed the ball off to Mendenhall, a man we had yet to stop during the game. But this play was different, Clay Matthews saw the play and knew what he had to do. He charged the O-Line as Mendenhall got the ball and before our eyes the ball came loose. Everyone watching saw it, but the only person the field to see it other than Matthews and Mendenhall was Desmond Bishop. Bishop fell on the ball and all I can remember is jumping up and down high fiving my mom. The game was far from over. Packers capitalized on that fumble and brought the score 28-17 with a beautiful pass from Rodgers to Jennings. With a lot of time left, no one was ready to say the game was over, and they were right. The Steelers brought it back within 3 when they scored a TD and made the 2 pt conversions. 28-25 with 7:34 left in the game.
This was the Packers' last chance to put the game away for good. If they scored a TD on this drive the game was over, but 7:30 is a lot of time to mess things up. Rodgers and the offense used up 5:30 minutes only to score a field goal making the score 31-25, giving the Steelers the ball back with 2:00 left and only needing a TD to win the game. Big Ben and his offense should never be counted out in a game if they're only down by one TD until the game clock has run out. The Packers D allowed the Steelers a 1st down, but that was the last 1st down they'd have in the game. Facing 4th and 5 and 1:00 left on the clock, the Steelers have no choice but to go for it. Roethlisberger has done it before and could do it again, but not this time. He stepped back, threw the ball, but it wasn't perfect, short and left and with the Packers on double coverage the ball was knocked away. Game Over. With a minute left all the Packers had to do was knee the ball twice with no mistakes and the Lombardi Trophy would be ours once again. Clock run's out, the Green Bay Packers are Super Bowl XLV Champions.
Pandemonium around the state of Wisconsin and all across Packer Nation. Bars from downtown Milwaukee to the podunk towns of Ladysmith and all the way to Green bay erupted, potentially causing some minor hearing losses. House parties became hugging fests, tears of joy pouring down life long Packer Fans. It's hard to describe the feeling but anyone who's experienced knows what it's like. 14 years ago when the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI I was only 11 years old, I remember it happening but I didn't fully understand what was going on. This year though was different. All the nerves, mini heart attacks, profanities, and panic attacks during the season and during the final game was worth it. Seeing the pure joy on my mom's face in those final seconds was what I've waited for. She taught me everything I know about loving the game, and without her (or the rest of my family) my love for the Packers wouldn't be the same. There have been a lot of amazing experience in my life but this chalks up easily in the top 3. Watching the trophy ceremony brought more tears and more smiles. Players like Donald Driver who's been through so much, especially this season, seeing him kiss Lombardi, made everything worth it. It's 4 days later and I still don't think I've come down from the high, I don't think I ever will.
I have a lot of respect for the Steeler organization. They have just as much history as the Packers do and have built their own dynasties throughout the years. Their fans are just as dedicated as we are, there are many teams who have fans that will fill the stadiums even when it's 10 degrees outside, often shirtless. As much as the Steelers and their fans wanted this win, the Packers needed it. Green Bay is a small town, hell the attendance at the game, even without the 400 people who didn't get into their seats, is more than Green Bay's population. Without the Packers, Green Bay doesn't have anything. This team is the heart and soul of Wisconsin and Green Bay itself. It's a publicly owned organization with thousands of shareholders who have bailed the team out in times of need. No other team can say that they are owned by the people. Fans drove from Wisconsin without tickets, just to be near the stadium with hopes that the Packers would win. The trophy itself is called the Vince Lombardi Trophy, while other teams do deserve to win it, it belongs at home, in Green Bay, where Lombardi changed the game forever.
The Return to Titletown was not just a one time thing, in Green Bay it lasted 2 days. the team came back on Monday afternoon to be greeted by 35,000 fans lining the streets as the Green Bay Metro buses drove them back to Lambeau Field. Schools cancelled classes because the truancy rates would have been too high to even try to teach, to make it easier, it was declared a holiday. Coming off the plane fans erupted in cheers for each player. Riding on the buses players hung out the windows despite the cold temperatures to get videos of the fans, just like all the fans were doing as the buses passed. Donald Driver looked like a kid who just won a trip to Disney World. Arriving at Lambeau Field the players found the fans gave them high fives and signed some autographs. The real celebration was set for Tuesday. Tickets $5 to get into the stadium, we had to go up. I bought 3 tickets and despite the forecast for 0 degree weather, it was only fitting to go welcome home the champions back to the Frozen Tundra.
Bundled in nearly all of our winter gear we made it to the sold out Lambeau Field along with 50,000 other of our people. Every where you walked chants of "Go Pack Go" and "woo-hoos" were heard. On a day like this, everyone is friends with everyone. You bump into someone on accident, you didn't say sorry, you just said "Go Packers!". Before the team even came onto the field the jumbo screens replayed highlights of the season and with the amount of cheering you could have sworn it was gameday. Waving our flags proudly we welcomed each player and their coaches into the stadium with Head Coach Mike McCarthy coming in last holding Lombardi. The roars of the crowd were deafening as the infamous "Go Pack Go" cheered started out of nowhere. In Green Bay when we win Super Bowl's we rename streets, this year we added McCarthy's Way. Majority of the field still covered in snow, players huddled by the space heaters to keep warm but as some individuals came up to speak they braved the cold with smiles on their faces. Stand out leaders on the team: Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings and Jared Bush all spoke. John Kuhn came to the stage to the sound of the "KKKKUUUHNNNNNNN" cheer. But the star of the day was fan favorite, Donald Driver. Our all pro wide receiver got the loudest and longest cheer of the day, you could clearly tell who was the favorite. As he spoke about how much this meant to him, I got chills. To see the man smile was worth the trip alone.
To close out the celebration, who better than our So.Cal leader and Super Bowl MVP, Aaron Rodgers. With the crowd cheering "M-V-P! M-V-P!" he grabbed the Lombardi trophy and raised it to the sold out stadium. The man has truly been a leader since he took over as our starting quarterback in 2008. Always, fighting and uphill battle to get where he is today, you could hear in his voice the genuine feelings of appreciation to all the fans and the Packer organization for believing in him from day one. As he put it, August 29, 2005 was the greatest day of his life (drafted by the Packers) up until February 6,2011. The California boy has found his place in life in the Frozen Tundra, and we're not letting go of him anytime soon. Rodgers spoke to the crowd and to the team like he's been doing it for years and as he put it "we'll see you guys here next year!".
It's been 4 days since we became champions, I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and tell me it was all a dream. Football season is officially over, but now all we can hope is that we have a season next year so we can bring home another championship. In the meantime, I can look at my phone with it's new background of Donald Driver and the Lombardi trophy. I love this team and everything that goes with it. As Charles Woodson put it: "No one can take this away from us, I'm never coming down from this high. Ever." This is the start of a new era with hopefully many more Lombardi Trophies being brought back to Green Bay.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
The Week Before the Big Game
The Week after the AFC/NFC Championships are exciting, the winning teams are back at their fields training, handling media and pushing their momentum towards the Super Bowl. Those losing teams are forced back to their homes to sit for the next weeks off and just watch. But then 7 days out something changes. The wind changes direction and everyone starts to get that chill down their spines: it's Super Bowl week.
Maybe it's because I'm more invested in the Super Bowl this year, but I can feel the excitement. I haven't been this excited for the Super Bowl in 14 years, conveniently the last time the Packers were in the big game. Yes as a sports fan I'm always interested in the Super Bowl, I like to see teams that I respect (Saints and Colts) do well and also watch teams choke and lose (Patriots). Anything having to do with sports this week, has involvement with this game, whether it's asking an NBA player after a game who they got to win or the constant ESPN stories. Look at it this way, what else is the NFL network going to show all week but games from the season in order to match-up the two best teams of the season.
There is more excitement amongst the fan nations, more smacktalking and more money spent just to get near Cowboys Stadium. I wish I could say more about this but I can't. Let's just let teams do the talking.
Maybe it's because I'm more invested in the Super Bowl this year, but I can feel the excitement. I haven't been this excited for the Super Bowl in 14 years, conveniently the last time the Packers were in the big game. Yes as a sports fan I'm always interested in the Super Bowl, I like to see teams that I respect (Saints and Colts) do well and also watch teams choke and lose (Patriots). Anything having to do with sports this week, has involvement with this game, whether it's asking an NBA player after a game who they got to win or the constant ESPN stories. Look at it this way, what else is the NFL network going to show all week but games from the season in order to match-up the two best teams of the season.
There is more excitement amongst the fan nations, more smacktalking and more money spent just to get near Cowboys Stadium. I wish I could say more about this but I can't. Let's just let teams do the talking.
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