Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Dynasty? Patriots? ...Yeah. I Guess So

Ok, now that the Super Bowl is over, the question of the day is "Are the New England Patriots a dynasty.?"

Well, if you hate that the team wins all the time and consistently root for their loss and demise, then yes. The New England Patriots are a dynasty.

I give Head Coach Bill Belichek credit for keeping his players consistently hungry. It's not like they're the most talented team in the league; they have great players, but they are weak in areas like the defensive secondary. What makes them great are the coaches: they teach, train, and prepare, and they do it better than the other 31 teams in the NFL.

I'm Back in Oakland - Mom's Getting Better

I returned to Oakland on Friday but felt real guilty that I didn't stay longer with my folks. I called my Stepfather's brother and wife to really encourge them to fly down to Georgia. I think they have some issues around the perception of Georgia as racist (I think it's not much different than the Bay Area, but the kind of racism here is more subtle but none the less visible...When one's eyes are open)

Anyway, to my surprise, they did fly there on Sunday. That made me very happy.

The other matter I have to clear is to determine what happened to my real Dad in Rolling Meadows, Ill. I can't call him as his number's disconnected.

New York Jets New Stadium - City Is Making Mistakes

I am as excited as anyone to see New York City build a new stadium for the Jets and the 2012 Olympics effort, but I think they're dropping the political ball.

They're forcing a design on the people of New York, when they should have a public party and design competition. The time clock is clicking so to salvage this PR problem, they should just have a public party where people get to actually come up with changes to the stadium design.

Yes, they're going to have hecklers, but I think they will be "controlled" by those who are just happy to be a part of the process. They should also record the names of each of the people who attend, and put them on the stadium walls when it's built.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Super Bowl: Oakland - Zennie Gets Jerry Brown

After over four years, I finally got my chance to publically explain what really happened to our Super Bowl Bid.

If you're wondering what I mean read this column penned by the Oakland Tribune's Monte Poole.

In Atlanta, not Jacksonville

Last week, I learned that my Mom has Breast Cancer, and was due to go into the hospital on Monday of this week. So last week, I decided to cancel my Super Bowl trip and come here to Fayetteville, GA, to be with my Mom and Stepfather, who has been battling Prostate Cancer.

My Mom's upset that I didn't attend what was to be my 4th Super Bowl, but I'll tell ya I feel a lot better being here than worrying.

Besides, the 2005 Super Bowl should be in Oakland, not Jacksonville.

Monday, January 24, 2005

Paris Hilton Mad Over Paris Hilton Tape - Snatches Copy From Video Store

This story is unfortunate. I don't blame her though. I hope the LA County Sherriff's Office has better things to do and drops the charges...read on:

January 22, 2005 (Associated Press)— Paris Hilton is being investigated for suspicion of petty theft, authorities said.

"There was an incident, and she is alleged to have taken something," sheriff's Deputy Steve Suzuki said without disclosing further details.

Calls to Hilton's publicist, Gina Hoffman, were not immediately returned.

On its Web site, the TV show "Celebrity Justice" posted a security video taken last month of Hilton as she bought several magazines at a newsstand and was given change. It goes on to show her grabbing her infamous sex video and walking off with it.

Gerry Castro, an employee at Swing News in West Hollywood, told "Celebrity Justice" that Hilton became enraged after spotting the sex video "One Night in Paris" on sale at the newsstand.

"She threw her 80 cents change at me and took the video and said, `I'm taking this and I'm not buying it,"' Castro told the show.

Castro declined to comment when contacted Friday by The Associated Press, but he told KABC-TV of Los Angeles that Hilton and her bodyguards attempted to rip up a poster and pull down a display advertising the video.

"Nobody steals on my shift," Castro said.

Paris' sister, Nicky, told KABC that Castro overreacted.

"She did something anyone would have done in this situation," Nicky Hilton said. "It's not a big deal. Whatever _ she doesn't care. I think this guy is trying to make it into a big deal, to get some publicity for his newsstand."

The sex tape surfaced in 2003 just before the start of Hilton's reality TV series "The Simple Life." She has said she was embarrassed and humiliated that the tape ever became public.

Deputies were expected to present the case next week to prosecutors, who will then decide whether to file any charges, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

The Sheriff's Department decided to announce details of the Dec. 15 incident after getting numerous phone calls from reporters, Suzuki said.

The Passing of Johnny Carson - A Signpost

Johnny Carson passed away on Sunday. For 30 of my 42 years on this planet, I made "The Tonight's Show" a part of my life. When he hosted his last show in 1992, I remember feeling that a major part of my life had not so much went away, as was made dormant.

Johnny Carson was one of those "signposts" I referred to earlier in my blog. What I mean is that he helped shaped the cultural conversation of the day: what you talked about at school or at work, and what movies or commedians you were motivated to see.

Frankly, he had some funny jokes. Take when he did his last show, when he said "I feel like a chicken and Colonel Sanders is cooking up his 11 herbs and spices." Now, you know what he was referring to. He had a way of taking popular culture references, and using them in his jokes. (One could also remark that it was a great way to plug Kentucky Fried Chicken, but I feel it's a sign of how much a product becomes a part of popular culture.)

Johnny Carson was the first talk show host to become powerfully successful from television; at one point, 17 percent of NBC revenues came from his show. The show had a unique time placement: right after the evening news. So, every NBC affiliate was a lead in for The Tonight's Show.

I can't see another John Carson today. What are the new signposts? I'll have to think about that one. Any ideas?