You can tell what America's doing just by a simple visit to The Lycos 50, a website that tracks the most popular searches conducted with engines like, well, Lycos.
The most popular search this week is for something as simple as prom hairstyles. What's number one in that category? Click on the title of this post to find out.
Last Saturday, Reggie Evans had the nerve to do something that may be considered ok only in the ranchiest of gay bars (Heck, I don't know.) What did he do? Click on NBA Business Blog to find out.
At the EA Sports Super Bowl party in Detroit, I ran into my friend Leigh Steinberg, who knows a thing or three about the "buzz" business and was the boss of my good friend J. Randy Gordon, who's just finished and released his long awaited book "BusiBUZZ."
"When is his book coming out!?" Leigh asked.
Well, it's out.
I don't write this just because he's my friend and I'm biased, but as a follower of the Zeitgeist, this is it! He's got the one book you want. I know you've wanted that one book full of all the popular saying's you've been within earshot of someone uttering: "Close The Deal," "et It Across The Goal Line" , "I'm shagged", "I need to drop a bomb." They're all here and many you never knew existed.
I decided to have fun with Randy and his book, so I interviewed him at a great place: The Golden Gate Perk Cafe in San Francisco on Bush near Kearny. This talk is laced with the buzz words that appear in his book, and it's fun to hear.
Check out Randy Gordon talking with me about his new book "BuziBuzz" then go out and buy it!
Here's the video, followed by a press release about the book, BusiBUZZ. (As a note, the video is a LARGE file, which may take a few minutes to load depending on browser and service. Go get some wine, then come back. Also, YouTube may be down for service, too!)
New Book Exposes the 'Real' Language Heard in Today's Boardroom
More than 5,000 Buzzwords and Catch Phrases Brought to the Forefront by Marketing Executive, J. Randy Gordon in His Book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business Buzzwords for Survivin' and Thrivin' in the Big City
LOS ANGELES, April 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether it's "going after the low hanging fruit," or "fast tracking the project," America's boardroom maintains its very own corporate speak and first-time author, J. Randy Gordon has captured it in his book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business Buzzwords for Survivin' and Thrivin' in the Big City (Booksurge Press -- an amazon.com company). With more than 5,000 buzzwords, catch phrases, euphemisms, short anecdotes and general business speak, BusiBUZZ(TM) discloses a "behind-the-scenes" view of the interaction that's taking place in the executive offices of corporate America. With the foreword written by famed sports agent and author Leigh Steinberg, BusiBUZZ(TM) goes where no outsider has gone before -- the inner sanctum of the business world's most exclusive circles. Readers will experience corporate-speak at its best -- ranging from negotiation terminology to the daily vernacular reflected in various industries found in such words or phrases as "podcasts," "traction," "going nano," "hotspots," "blogging" and "mash-ups," among thousands more. "This book will hopefully level the playing field for many people in business or just getting started in the business world," said Gordon. "Boardroom chatter is not necessarily a secret code but it's easy to feel as though your colleagues are speaking an unfamiliar language. I've made it easier to feel a part of the inner circle." Gordon, who has held positions at some very prestigious companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Universal McCann and Ubisoft Entertainment, recorded more than 15 years of executive daily dialogue and interaction by listening to those around him and attending meetings, conferences and interviews. "Every profession and field has its own lexicon and jargon which needs translation," commented Leigh Steinberg, CEO, Leigh Steinberg Enterprises. "In the world of sports representation, language can either serve as either a barrier or a bridge. With so many catch phrases in today's sports lingo, one needs a vivid imagination just to keep up." The book, BusiBUZZ(TM): Business Buzzwords For Survivin' and Thrivin' in the Big City, is available for purchase on http://www.booksurge.com for $19.95 and will soon be available on Amazon.com. The ISBN number is: 1-4196-2124-6.
I took my camcorder on a kind of tour around the main theater of Radio City Music Hall just before the start of the NFL Draft. It was kind of like the crew of the Starship Enterprise preparing the big vessel before it leaves drydock. A cool scene.
During my rounds I reconnected with Todd Barnes, who, with Jerry Andersen formed the plans for the use of the Oakland / Alameda County Coliseum for the 2005 Super Bowl in1999-2000. He's a very nice person, who's landed well as the architect for the NFL. The segment where I almost ran into him wasn't fake -- it really happened.
I also feature Bill Chachkes, who as you know if you regularly read this has attended more NFL drafts than perhaps all but a handful of people in the room. I also catch ESPN's Mike Golic, who at the 2005 NFL Draft was tossing his cookies to the audience. No kidding. (He later told me that security really got on him for that, so he didn't do it this time.)
I also met Jerry Davis, Al Davis brother, whom I refered to earlier. You can see how much he's really like the man who runs the Oakland Raiders.
You also see both ESPN's crew and the NFL Network's hosts getting ready to go into action.
Along the tour one can gain a keen idea of the complexity of this massive production.
I just learned that Tiger Woods' father Earl Woods passed on from prostate cancer at 74. Last year, I lost both my father and stepfather to that something I hate so much.
For us a black men, hit hardest by prostate cancer, it's very important to get annual PSA level checks, eat as much fish as possible, stay fit and not overweight, and keep vitamins in our system and our blood pressure low.
I think we can beat this thing if we try.
Tiger's father got to see his son at his best. I'm sure he went to rest in peace.
I had the pleasure of conducting an interview with the legendary Sports Illiustrated writer, Paul Zimmerman at the 2006 NFL Draft. While our conversation was short -- we were all getting ready for the drama that was to unfold after the Houston Texans officially annouced their selection of defensive lineman Mario Williams -- it was blunt, honest, illuminating, and fun.
Some of the highlight of our conversation: "If I were the Texans, I'd have taken the best player I thought was available, and busted my hump to sign him. Maybe they did that...Football has changed from a white game to a black game. It's a speed game... If I were the Texans, I'd have taken the best player I thought was available. Maybe they did that. Time will tell... You tell me. What has Katie Couric done for $15 million?"
Well, you get the idea. This was totally off the cuff. Paul didn't know this guy was going to come with with a camcorder and ask for an interview. We didn't go over exactly what was going to be asked. I just filmed our conversation. It was that simple.
For those of you who don't know who "Dr. Z" is, here's his bio from S.I.com:
"Paul Zimmerman, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated since 1979, videotapes and charts as many as eight NFL games a week from his home. It's safe to say that Dr. Z has watched more NFL games than any other person on the planet. In addition to his regular columns for SI, he contributes Insider, Power Rankings and Mailbag columns to SI.com.
Dr. Z is the author of seven books on the NFL, including The Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football. His inside analysis and opinions are rooted in more than 50 years of playing and watching football.
As a 15-year-old, Zimmerman sparred with Ernest Hemingway in a Manhattan gym. He sustained four broken noses as an offensive lineman in high school (Horace Mann High in the Bronx, N.Y.), at two colleges (Stanford and Columbia) and for his Army team (the Western Area Command Rhinos, in Germany). He also played semi-professionally in New Jersey for the Paterson Pioneers and the Morristown Colonials.
Before joining SI, Zimmerman worked for the New York Journal-American and the New York World-Telegram & Sun, and spent 13 years at the New York Post, where he covered pro football and three Olympic Games. He was one of the few journalists to get close to the Israeli compound during the 1972 hostage-taking in Munich; he bucked two lines of security guards and took a rifle butt to the head.
Zimmerman and his wife, to whom he often refers in his columns on CNNSI.com, live in Mountain Lakes, N.J.
Dr. Z refered to his wife in our conversation, too.
Here's the video of my conversation with Paul Zimmerman:
While it's not the last video from the NFL Draft you'll see on this blog, it was the last one taken there. It's a sign off, and starts with Bill Chachkes of www.nextlevelscoutinginc.com and Fieldposition.com and now nflbusinessblog.com signing off, Mel Kiper giving an opinion just as he's called away by someone at ESPN, NFL Network's Pat Kirwan providing his views, and John Murphy of www.nextlevelscoutinginc.com chiming in as well.
In this, you'll not only get a view of Radio City Music Hall, but also an idea of just how many people are required to put on what really is a TV production. Also notice how fast everyone was working. That's because Radio City's security people kept coming by and asking us to pack up. It was a little much, especially considering that we had not received the on-paper results from the 7th and final round. Some draft attendees write down each pick. I did that last year; not this year and because the NFL's going to give them to us, and I figured I needed the time to produce video and blog content.
