Random

I guess this is Microsoft's answer to the Wii. I think it was made for Max. Not only will he be able to play dress up when searching for his Halloween costume each year, but he can provide himself and everyone else with endless hours of entertainment, watching him play MS' version of Wii Bowling and Wii Tennis. Plus, Jamie's worst fear isn't even an issue; there's no controller to throw through the TV!

Remember The Time

The big news of this week, among other things of course, was the death of Michael Jackson. I admit I never really ranked MJ among my favorite artists but I have always, always liked his music. I wasn't old enough to experience the high points in his career but I was able to discover them through his back catalog. From his work with the Jackson 5 through his solo career, he's made hit after hit after hit, songs that got stuck in my head time and time again. Whenever I hear "I Want You Back" I want to sing like Little Mike. I can't help but dance, at least a little, every single time I hear the bass-line drop on "Billie Jean". Who wasn't left awestruck after watching "Thriller" or "Scream" (when Janet was still hot even with that hair and that, um, resemblance to her brother...) or even "Remember The Time". Hell, I even liked "You Rock My World". Yes, the one that had Chris Tucker in the video. I won't say I liked every song he made but the good significantly outweighs the bad.

Jackson's influence as a singer/dancer/performer, from his vocal style to his music videos to his fashion sense, is almost unmatched. Off the top of my head, I can't come up with another artist in my lifetime that has had quite the impact as Michael but I can list several performers who he impacted (JT, obviously, and um, pretty much every single pop or R&B artist since the 80s). He was even involved with two of my favorite parody songs and one of my favorite mash-ups, two categories that I arguably shouldn't have favorites in at all. Those songs wouldn't have existed without Michael. He is undeniably a cultural icon and for that reason, I will probably always remember what was doing when I heard of his passing.

Similar to how my parents can recall what they were up to when they found out about JFK, I will always remember getting a call from my roommate on an unemployed Thursday while I was watching a soccer game at home. He just had to tell me the bad news. He was on vacation in NY, walking around SoHo, when he heard some lady talking about it on the street. In a similar situation on the west coast, my other roommate heard about the news while walking on the street in Oakland at lunch. That's the kind of impact Michael Jackson had on the world. Even in the age of Web 2.0 and 50-plus news channels on television, information of his death was traveling through the streets. (Of course, he did affect the Internet as well. How many other people could have taken down Google, Twitter and AOL with his/her passing?)

It's sad but even now I can't help but half-laugh at his issues. His problems with the law, his baby dangling, his monkey and his amusement park, his plastic surgeries and his family problems. Now that it's just about all said and done, I think those eccentricities will just be footnotes buried in the story of his great career as an entertainer but they're still there. I've spent the last couple days remembering the good and the odd, but mostly I've been revisiting his music and his videos (thanks, youtube, obviously). It's amazing how many of his songs I had forgotten I liked, how much of his work was actually pretty grand-breaking at the time. I'll be sure to do the RIAA a favor and bolster my anemic MJ collection.

It's a shame it took his death for me to get back into his music but so it goes. I don't think I owe him any more than that. I know I don't. As some one who never knew him, I was a little shocked but I wasn't really emotionally affected by the news. To a certain extent, for me anyway, it's sad in the same way any death is sad. Michael Jackson passed away and I will remember when it happened. Hopefully, he is in a better place. Hopefully, he's at peace with whatever caused him to do all that weird stuff. But mostly, hopefully he realizes that people enjoyed and will always enjoy his music.

Big Deal

Initially, I wasn't too impressed with this song but I'm kind of feeling it now. I guess that's true with a lot of Clipse songs; I can only think of a handful that really grabbed me straight away. I didn't even like "Grindin'" at first. But yeah, this son is pretty good. And I may have mentioned it before but Kanye West has been killing it with the guest spots in the past several months. His verse here is surprisingly good so hopefully he follows up the very respectable 808s & Heartbreak with a rap album.

Get Right

I thought I'd do a bit of follow-up regarding the Confederations Cup and US Soccer...

When I wrote the last post, I was considering touching on the impact that a good game against Spain would have. At the time, I was leery of the reaction that a positive result would have by the media, casual soccer fans and sports fans in general. As much as I wanted the US to win, I was worried what a victory might do. Well, maybe I wasn't worried so much as I was dreading what might already be happening: over-hype. I'm all for people getting excited about soccer but without taking anything away from the US national team, let's keep things in perspective.

First off, it was a great win defeating Spain 2-0 yesterday. The US played a solid game tactically, and played an even better game in terms of effort. To be honest, I don't remember the last time the US played with that much heart and fire. Players like Clark and Bocanegra were throwing themselves at every pass and shot. Players, for the most part, were hustling all over the pitch. The US saw another good game from Donovon, and from Davies as well. Altidore, while still very raw, showed great strength and positioning with his goal. And after another mediocre game overall, Dempsey made a very heads up play in finishing off the game with his second goal in two games. In limited minutes, Feilhaber again impressed with his composure and decision-making. Above all, Onyewu and DeMerit were excellent in back. I'm glad to see DeMerit finally getting a chance to earn a place in the starting line-up (his story is pretty incredible) and I was waiting for Onyewu to "wow" me like has these past few games. The only disappointment for me was Michael Bradley. Even before getting sent off on a questionable call, he didn't really make a mark on the game.

On top of all the positives for the US, Spain didn't play well. David Villa was missing shots. Xavi and Xabi Alonso were extremely quiet. Torres played as poorly as I've ever seen him play. Capdevilla played awful and surprisingly, Puyol and Pique were spotty as well. Ramos had a huge mental lapse that resulted in the second goal. Without any bias (hopefully), I have to say that just about the only player who did anything was Fabregas, placing a few dangerous balls through and over the top of the defense, and he was subbed off midway through the second half. Even with poor performances by the bulk of the team, Spain still dominated possession but they just couldn't break down the US enough to score. To maintain a huge win streak, teams need a few breaks here and there, fortunate bounces, lucky calls, goals off deflections, etc. and yesterday Spain just didn't get any those.

To put it simply, one team played well, the other didn't. I do agree with most that this was an important win, but one of the biggest in the history of American soccer? Sure, I guess it was. But when it comes down to the ultimate goals, becoming an international powerhouse and winning the World Cup, this win doesn't mean much. It does not put the US among the top teams in the world. Despite curbing the incredible unbeaten and win streak of the number one team in the world, it shouldn't overshadow the fact that the US struggles with consistency and has some glaring deficiencies on the field. Even though it was a semi-final victory in an international tournament, it was the Confederations Cup (google "Confederations Cup pointless" to see what people think) and it was the semi-finals.

So beware of the hype. Let's see what happens in the finals before we start thinking about World Cup 2010 success. And before we start thinking about WC 2010, let's see what happens in the Gold Cup this summer, and for that matter, the rest of World Cup Qualifying. It's not that I don't want more people to watch soccer (I do), or that I'm an elitist fan (maybe I am, a little), or that I don't think the US team is improving (they are). Just beware of the hype. Remember what happened after reaching the quarter finals of WC 2002 and winning the Gold Cup in 2002 and 2005? The US bowed out of WC 2006, finished last place in their group (I know it was the Group of Death but still). This team can be good. It has a balanced mix of young talent and experienced veterans, domestic and international club players. I, like most Americans who like soccer, want to see this team succeed but let's just wait and see what happens.

Listen Hear

It's been a pretty hectic few weeks for David Villa with transfer rumors and gossip overwhelming the news but he hasn't let that affect his form on the field. While his penalty miss against South Africa was pretty bad, Villa's goal (one minute later) was an incredible display of skill and helped to extend Spain's record-breaking unbeaten run and win streak.



A few more thoughts on the Confederations Cup group stage:

- First off: the United States. Wow. I'm sure several professional sports journalists have written about it so I won't get into it all but wow. After two lackluster performances, they finally showed some spirit on the field, producing 3 goals and conceding none against a tough but suddenly out-of-form Egyptian team. Not only did they pull off that miracle (they had only one goal, from a PK no less, in their two previous games) but they were handed second place in the group when Brazil destroyed Italy, also 3-0. Things like this don't happen often in sports so suffice to say, it was very exciting. Now the US moves on to face Spain in the semis. A respectable display against them would do wonders for a team that has been shaky as of late.

- I'm not usually one to heap praises on Landon Donovan but he has had a strong tournament. He's been working hard on defense, running at defenders with the ball and creating good space without. I know he's one of the best players in US history but I am a little surprised at how he has done. Let's just hope he continues playing well in this tourney, and carries this form into the Gold Cup, WC Qualifying and WC 2010.

- I am quick to praise Clint Dempsey, one of my favorite American players but he has had a pretty bad Confederations Cup. He picked up his play against Egypt picking out a couple superb through balls and scoring a nice header but other than that, he has not done that well. Had he not scored in the Egypt game, he would have warranted being benched for the early Gold Cup games. He's given up the ball cheaply, not hustled on defense and attempted to draw a foul too many times. All that leads me to believe he should be playing higher up on the field. He hasn't shown the work-rate to play in the midfield and honestly, he's just more effective as a forward or striker, something Coach Bob Bradley probably realizes now.

- After catching several Barca and Spain games in the past 18 months, I'm beginning to understand and appreciate the play of Xavi and Puyol. Earlier this year, it happened with Iniesta but after watching these Confederations Cup games I see why people love Xavi and Puyol as well. For someone not looking for things to like about these players, their ability to impress can be subtle because neither player is known for the spectacular in a SportsCenter Top Ten sort of way. Xavi's vision, confidence and composure on the ball when pulling strings in the midfield is top notch. He is also a solid defender which might not be expected based on his height and speed (or lack thereof). I've seen Puyol play at center back and on the right the past few times. Out wide, he's surprisingly effective going forward, creating space and picking out the right passes. In the middle, he uses his strength and smarts to win headers over players much taller than him, and he is a naturally-gifted tackler. The more I watch soccer, or any sport for that matter, the more I become familiar with the intricacies (some them obvious oversights based on prejudices, I admit) that make great players great. I don't know. It's nice to find reasons to like world class players that typically don't impress me.

- Even while missing some big name players and not choosing to play others, Brazil has looked strong. Fans may be complaining about the lack of flair this team plays with but few can argue the results. Yeah, it'd be nice to see some fancy footwork and silky skills but the style that Dunga has the Brazilians playing is grittier and more effective than I remember seeing the past few World Cups. Also, players I am less familiar with, like Maicon, Ramires, and Felipe Melo (a possible Arsenal transfer???) have been more impressive than players like Robinho, Kaka and Julio Cesar.

- The Italian team is an aging bunch but even still, they underachieved this tournament. I don't know what it was, but they just didn't look sharp. To touch on the age thing, I don't follow Serie A as much as La Liga or the BPL but I have gathered that the Italians like to honor their veteran players and they are a little hesitant to give young stars a chance. Without knowing the whole story about any of this, look at Giuseppe Rossi. He's only 22 years old. He plays in Spain for Villareal, where he earned a starters spot and has played really well. That allowed him to be called up to the national team where he also has done well, most recently scoring two goals against the US. Had he played in Serie A, I don't know if that would have happened so soon. Juve's Sebastian Giovinco for one, might be an excellent player for the national team but he doesn't get enough playing time for the coaching staff to evaluate him. Yes, Juve is arguably a deeper team than Villareal and Giovinco may not be as good as Rossi, but he still deserves a chance. At Juventus, he was playing behind the soon-to-retire Del Piero, the just-retired Nedved and the injured Trezeguet but he still only made a few appearances last season. Maybe it's because I like him but I feel that with experience, he could be a good player for the Italians... Other players that do get playing time at the club level and have been called up to the national team, need to get more games too. How can players like Santon and Santacroce gain experience at the international level when they don't get a chance?

- Last random thoughts... It was unintentional but I didn't watch any of the New Zealand games except the first half of the Spain game, which saw El Niño get a hat trick in 17 minutes. NZ didn't look good... Egypt played well in their first two matches. Even though they were missing Zidan, I would have thought they would have come out stronger in the US... Against Spain, Iraq showed everyone how to lose respectably. They held the best team in the world to one goal and they did it without parking 11 men in the box. Aside from giving the ball away too easily throughout the game, they were even able to maintain possession on occasion... South Africa looked decent from what I saw, which is good. It's always nice when host nations step their game up and compete against stronger teams. It definitely adds to the excitement, and this tournament has gotten me really excited for 2010... Finally, I don't see what the big deal is about the horns. One of my roommates can't stand them but I think they're fine. I don't think they take anything away from the broadcast. I think they either add to the atmosphere or provide a nice white noise to tone down annoying commentators. Mostly though, I just don't notice them that much because I'm focused on the game and they really aren't overwhelmingly loud through the TV. If they get banned from WC games, it would be stupid and if I was South African, I would be pissed.

And Another One...

Here's another movie I want to see... I feel like I should just post trailers here all the time, since I've pretty much just been doing that anyway.

I Wanna Devise A Virus

Here's a couple marketing vids for one of the many movies I want to see this summer, Funny People. The first is a scene from a George Simmons movie and the second is a clip from Mark Taylor Jackson's show, Yo Teach!

It's crazy how almost all forms of entertainment are virally marketed now, movies especially. As long as it's done well, I don't mind, even if I never end up seeing the movie.

What Up Gangsta?

Everything about this clip is bizarre. Maybe 50 using Vitamin Water to save Elmo's life is symbolism for something (Elmo = 50 Cent's career as a respected rapper?) but I doubt it.

Poo-Putt Platter

So I've been playing catch-up with my "looking at garbage on the web" business these past couple days. Today, I stumbled upon this at Videogum. First of all, I think this hilarious. Yeah, it's entirely bizarre and weird but I like it. I think that says a lot coming from some one who A) can't stand Japanese game shows in America because of the whole "laughing for the wrong reasons" aspects of them, and B) has hospital bill issues of his own to worry about (some clam should give me a valuable pearl). Maybe I like it because it's more or less about poop and the added "knowing is half the battle/the more you know" non-lessons tacked on definitely add to the appeal. But mainly, I like that the main character's name is Unko-san because it's like naming your dog, "Dog" and because "unko" was one of, if not the first Japanese word I ever learned.

IIIIt's Alllll Right!

This Zack Morris interview makes me thankful for the Internet because I am able to watch funny parts of shows that I don't really care to watch in their entirety. It also makes me wonder how other "people" have been doing since their times in the spotlight, like the Fresh Prince, Shawn Hunter, Parker Lewis, and going back a little further, Kevin Arnold.

Bonkers!

This song is kind of repetitive and admittedly, a litte brain-dead but I dig it. Dizzee Rascal is abstract.