Saturday, January 02, 2010

Charlie Sheen, Tiger Woods, Elin Nordegren, meet Elizabeth Grattan

Elizabeth Grattan's a name you've probably never heard of until now. But after today, she holds a place in American Culture not far from Charlie Sheen, Brooke Muller Sheen, Tiger Woods, and Elin Nordegren.

Elizabeth Grattan is a 39-year old WGN Chicago radio personality who's low-level sex scandal made the Chicago Sun Times after she was charged with "criminal damage to property, resisting or obstructing the police and battery to a police officer", all misdemeanors. But what happened beyond that really started because she blogged about the whole horror story. Elizabeth Grattan's upset that an anoymous writer used her blog comments area to make fun of her situation.

At her blog Elizabeth Grattan, she writes:


For the first time in my life, I saw the worse in another and rather than holding out hope that the better would win, this time, I became completely indifferent.

Because this time, it was as if I simply didn't even know them.

There were no reasons for the duplicity I witnessed. There was nothing rational or excusable.

There wasn't even confusion.

It was as if the pretty package I'd held in my hand for months on end was opened, and inside the ugliness ran.


What happened was that Elizabeth Grattan went to a party thrown by her ex-boyfriend and later caught him with a new woman in his bed. Grattan claims that he physically threw her out of the apartment and onto the street. Or in her words:


So, I decided to take him up on the invitation he had already given to me. To visit the party he threw. There were people there I had met that I wanted to see. I knew it could be either more ugly or something fantastic. And I wanted to risk the chance that my friend still existed.

So, I knocked on the door, and was welcomed in. By his brother, no less. It turned out that my old lover was already asleep. And there were some people there winding down. And we laughed a bit. And it was a good while I was there. And it was actually a pretty fine evening. And then the evening winded down, and I took a look at the sink. And there were the dishes scattered all over the kitchen I'd spent so many times cleaning. So I wanted to do them. And I was asked why. And I said: "this is what I do for him. Because I have cared for him. And I know in seeing this, I still do care for this man." And then his brother suggested I should leave.

So I opened the bedroom door, where I'd spent every night or so for the last four months. Where I had stripped some sheets. Just asking the one request at least: Please if you are going to find a new love someday, don't use our sheets...

And with that, he and she mocked me. He bragged about her sexual ability. And so, I, like any other woman in the world tossed my drink in his face and told him he was a disgrace.

With that, he picked me up and carried me and threw me out his front door. Hitting the brick wall near his steps. With no coat. In temperatures near zero. My wallet was inside. My phone. My things. And they wouldn't give them to me.


And that's when the second part of her horror happened, because she alleged the Chicago Police did not read her rights to her. Folks, that's a common happening that is not taken seriously by the courts. Grattan blogs:


I told the police how I was assaulted and thrown against the brick. That for two months I lived in that home with a key. That I had been invited over and then thrown out without my things.

They said it didn't matter. And with that...

They told me I wasn't under arrest but were handcuffing me. I asked for my rights. They said they weren't necessary. I told them they needed to charge me or let me go. They threw me on the floor and handcuffed me, then threw me in the wagon and from that point on, I experienced the corruption of Chicago police.


Hindsight is always 20-20 but her story is but one more example of why it's never a good idea to let anyone get to you. Grattan should have called the police first, but because her terrible ex-boyfriend did, she lost. Blogging the matter, rather than using a video camera, doesn't help. But what's done is done.

The Chicago Sun Times picked up the story, and her blog, and didn't contact her. She's been flamed online, wrongly linked to Rush Limbaugh, and called a "Wild Sirius Radio Producer". Moreover, she says the Sun Times got the story wrong, but doesn't explain why. Instead, she writes:

People have written to me to say that my blog was irresponsible. That I should just keep my mouth shut and not risk it. Excuse my language here, but, bullshit. If I am anything it is vocal. I won't apologize for my passionate personality. I won't apologize for those who don't give a shit to attempt understanding. And I won't apologize for my rants and raves and rages at times. I won't apologize for my angers or joys or extremes. Life is messy. And I don't sweep a mess under a rug. I fight to scour it clean.

And she doesn't understand why people are interested in what happened to her.

The reason is that first, she's a media personality. Second, she reportedly (even by her own words) acted so aggressively toward her ex-boyfriend that the Chicago Police were called. Third, she blogged about it, thus revealing what is... Fourth, a personal sex scandal.

I'm not sure what the judge will do with this; hopefully drop it.

Elizabeth Grattan is an attractive accomplished woman who fell in with the wrong guy. Rather than focusing on the past, she should ask why she needed such an obviously terrible person and what it says about her. Otherwise, focusing on him will only bring her more undeserved grief.

Stay tuned.

Top topics:

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Jahvid Best leaves Cal-Berkeley for NFL - low first round pick



Cal's Star Running Back Jahvid Best is leaving Cal-Berkeley for the NFL Draft. This is sad news for Cal fans, but I personally understand the reasons for his decision. He's thinking that it's better to get paid for sustaining football injuries in the pros rather than in the NCAA.

Amen.

I'll miss Jahvid Best. His combination of speed and quickness is unique among running backs. From my experience at NFL Drafts and talking with football scouting friends in the past about Jahvid Best, he'll go in the late first round to the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

The question about Jahvid will be his durability. How long can he last during an NFL season? That will be the one issue that comes up again and again as we approach the Draft.

He can overcome this by working with coaches that specialize in making college players better for the NFL Combine before the NFL Draft. Helping Jahvid increase his already incredible speed will move him up to the middle or the top 10 in the draft. But he's got to do the work and enter the NFL Combine. I'm sure he will.

Details aside, I think Best will have a great NFL career.

I wish him all the "best."

Top topics:

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Happy Palindrome Day - Sarah Palin is a Palindrome



Happy Palindrome Day folks. As you watch the Alamo Bowl and Texas Tech versus Michigan State, here's a take to make you think while you're watching football.

What's Palindrome? According to Wikipedia, Palindrome is a number, word, or phrase that is the same regardless of whether its spelled backward or forward. Today's date is 01022010; January 2, 2010 is a Palindrome.

It's also estimated that there will be 29 such Palindrome days is the 21st Century. Another Palindrome as a name is Mike Kim. But some Right Wingnuts claim that Sarah Palin is a Palindrome. They're totally correct; I discovered this myself!




Gov. Sarah Palin is a Palindrome

See this is Sarah Palin's name:

"Sarah Palin"

It's not going anywhere at all. Just wandering around the country.

This is Sarah Palin spelled backwards:

"Nilap Haras"

Guess what? It's the same! It's not going anywhere either!



Happy Palindrome Day!

Top Topics this hour:

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Sexy photos of female models Tiger Woods legacy; Charlie Sheen factor?

Tiger Woods, the World's Greatest Golfer, enters 2010 with a brand new image; that of having Sexy photos of female models alleged to be his mistress or girlfriend. So far, we have Rachel Uchitel, Jamie Grubbs, Kalika Moquin, Jamie Jungers, Mindy Lawton, Cori Rist, Holly Sampson, Joslyn James, and now Loredana Jolie, Theresa Rogers and Julie Postle.


Holly Sampson

That's 11 women and all the photos that have come with each one. None of this stopped him from being named Athlete of the Decade by The Associated Press.

But all of this is starting to cause the formation of an interesting question in light of Charlie Sheen's much publicized domestic violence charge: Why does Charlie Sheen get a pass on his much more awful alleged behavior where Tiger Woods is being raked over the coals for his admitted infidelity.

I've thought a lot about this and after considering the prospect of cultural racism's role, I considered a hybrid reason that seems to be a theory that fits the facts: Charlie Sheen is a known bad-boy.



We know about his affairs with ladies of the evening and his love for dating super-hot women and because it's all out in the public that image is what we expect from Charlie Sheen.

But we don't expect that from Tiger Woods. Holly Sampson's video "confession" of having slept with Tiger Woods is classic if only because of the reactions of her female friends:



And that's the reason for the reaction. What's happening is that Tiger Woods images is being broken down and remade into something that fits a set of facts not consistent with the image created around him. No one expects Tiger Woods to fool around; everyone expects Charlie Sheen to fool around.

All of this is Tiger Woods and Tiger Woods Management's making and they don't seem to know what to do about it. The say-nothing path has wrecked Tiger Woods multibillion image, perhaps forever, though time will tell.

Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen is still associated with Hanes, while AT&T and Accenture work to distance themselves from Tiger Woods. Charlie's image was already "bad" and he has nothing fear from his current situation at all while Tiger Woods seems to be looking for the other shoe to drop.

Maybe Charlie Sheen should have Hanes sign-up Tiger Woods?

Stay tuned.

Top Topics:

Tiger Woods mistress, Theresa Rogers, Rachel Uchitel, Jaimie Grubbs, Mindy Lawton, Holly Sampson, Jamie Jungers, Cory Rist, Kalika Moquin, las vegas, Elin Nordegren, Brooke Mueller Sheen, Gloria Allred, kobe, justin bieber, jay z, blackwater, tebow ,pattinson, paranormal activity, movies, american pie band camp, elin divorce, Tiger Woods divorce

Friday, January 01, 2010

Happy New Year 2010, Tiger Woods! - first YouTube video of '10




Happy New Year 2010, Tiger Woods! This marks the first Zennie62 video of the new year 2010 of the second decade of the 21st Century and the first Zennie62 YouTube video of 2010.


In the news today, Florida clobbered Cincinnati 51 to 24 in a lop-sided Sugar Bowl game. Tim Tebow regained his form with 553 yards, 31 of 35 for 482, and four touchdowns, and 51 rushing yards. Tebow had a blistering NCAA passer rating of 241.9. But that's an aside to the fact that news like that will be more the norm here,...and of course Tiger Woods.




Happy New Year, Tiger and Elin!  

The reason for focusing on Tiger Woods is that I will vlog and blog more about celebrities and entertainment in 2010 in addition to politics, news, sports, and tech. Also, if you look at the video you will see that Tiger Woods' website still has the Accenture logo on it, well after they issued a statement that they would not be sponsoring Tiger Woods and would establish a new ad campaign in 2010.

It looks like a kind of passive aggressive political head fake to me. Its very easy to remove a logo from a website. It only takes a few minutes to do. That the Accenture logo is still there means all of this is not really a done deal. Either someone at Tiger Woods Management doesn't want to accept that the engagement is over, or the engagement really isn't over.

I still see Tiger Woods and Accenture at airports, including O'Hare International Airport yesterday, New Year's Eve. Something's going on.

As for New Year's resolutions, mine is just to treat my friends better and be more innovative. And I will make more videos with interviews of people, some you know, others not. I will also talk about who's the sexiest this or the best that, and stir the pot some more in 2010.

Whatever the case, it's going to be a fun ride!

Stay tuned!

Top Topics:

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Oakland is one of blog SFEater's best dining neighborhoods?

I just saw this in the SFEater blog and had to laugh:

The Year in Eater continues in full force! Single Best Meals, Top Newcomers, Top Standbys and The Year in One Word were revealed earlier, and all will be answered by the time we turn off the lights on Thursday. Responses are related in no particular order; all are cut, pasted and unedited herein:

...Lissa Doumani, Terra/Ame: I don't know if it is best but it is certainly the fastest expanding, Oakland

This is what vexes Oaklanders like myself. Oakland is itself a collection of neighborhoods, from Glenview to Adams Point, and North Oakland, Rockridge, and East Oakland. To take the whole City of Oakland, all 400,000 people, and all 56.1 square miles, and think of all of it as nothing more than a mere neighborhood to San Francisco shows just how little people in the Bay Area know about Oakland.

This, well, ignorance, causes the media to just list crime in Oakland rather than where in Oakland the crime happened.

All of this is Oakland's fault and the City of Oakland's too buzy gouging people with nose-bleed-high parking fines to encourage people to come to Oakland to eat.

Geez.

Top topics this hour:

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Oakland Rap Artist Clif Soulo - Snoop Dogg his model

In this video, Oakland Rap Artist Clif Soulo talks about how he started rapping. His is an Oaklander story and one of many would-be rappers in a part of the Oakland Entertainment Industry still not taken seriously by mainstream organizations like the Oakland Chamber of Commerce.

I like Clif Soulo's sound, which he says is an outgrowth of his interest in Snoop Dogg and DMX's work. Here's Clif Soulo:



You can listen to his music at clifsoulo.bandcamp.com

Topic for this hour:

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,pennhurst insane asylum, robert redford twilight zone, who won the rose bowl 2010, bearcat, sugar bowl national anthem, pedro cerrano, watch sugar bowl online, brent musburger, ohio state rose bowl

Rose Bowl Game: Terrell Pryor and Ohio State beat Oregon

Terrell Pryor grew as a quarterback tonight. The Ohio State sophomore signal-caller made the throws when it counted and followed with hard-nosed running to guide the Buckeyes to a 26-17 win Rose Bowl win.



Terrell Pryor

It was a great Rose Bowl game with several lead changes, small drama stories like LeGarrett Blount, and two very fast teams. In the end, the Oregon Ducks found itself pitted against an Ohio State Offense that was almost a mirror-image of its own in scheme and operation. With the exception of the use of The I Formation, both teams features use of the Spread Option and the Belly Series from it. But the difference maker was Terrell Pryor.

I've long believed that if you wanted to beat Ohio State all you had to do was stop their running attack and put the ball in Pryor's hands. That's what the Oregon Ducks tried to do but didn't work. The 6-6 Terrell Pryor was 23 of 37 for a season-best 266 yards and two touchdowns, versus one interception. While Pryor's 62.16 passer rating wasn't good, the important stat within the rating is that he threw 23 times. That's more passes than Ohio State coach Jim Tressel normally calls for Pryor. Pryor just missed the 50 percent mark and many of his throws were short, and just enough to keep the chains moving.

But it was Pryor as a run threat that made the overall difference. He rushed 20 times for 72 yards, but it was during the 4th Quarter and when he picked up clutch yardage when his team needed it the most, that Pryor earned his MVP award.

Oregon was a game competitor but give Ohio State's coaching staff credit for having an answer to its system of blitzes. However, my issue is that many of Oregon's blitz came off the edge and not up the middle. Ohio State would run around or throw over Oregon's outside linebacker and safety blitzes.

Now Oregon ads to a 2009 bowl season that has not been kind to the Pac-10. Last year, the Pac-10 was undefeated in bowls; this year, it's tally now stands at 2 wins and 5 losses to close out the Pac-10 Football season.

Stay tuned and Happy New Year 2010!

Topics this hour:

what is a buckeye, terrelle pryor, robert redford twilight zone, rose bowl score, devin barclay, brent musburger, ohio state football, i sing the body electric, buckeye tree, marco sturm, sugar bowl 2010, gilbert arenas pulls gun, resident evil extinction, shawty redd, capital one bowl location, ufc 108 weigh in, rose bowl live stream, jim tressel, rush limbaugh press conference, florida vs cincinnati

Rush Limbaugh Press Conference: Limbaugh deals with mortality

Rush Limbaugh gave a press conference on his recovery from chest pains and in the process became more of a human being (he still has a long way to go.



Rush talked about something I totally understand, which is not taking one's health for granted and not believing one is invincible. I've got to admit, I love that Rush is back. Even though I disagree with his views, Rush Limbaugh is a major part of American Popular Culture, which I love.



His rise to communications broadcasting power, like that of TMZ.com, says a lot both good and bad about where American Media is going. First, I continue to hold that communications and Internet technology are making it easier for people to develop their own personal platforms. Moreover the entire system is a kind of "social mirror" to our changing society.

Rush is very much a part of that, and its really cool to see how this scare has (I think) changed him for the better. I saw where he had economist Walter Williams on his show as a fill-in while he was away on Wednesday. Williams is black, and while Williams has what I would call a "self-hating-black-person's" view of the World, his time On Rush Limbaugh's show is at least a small start in a good direction.

Now if Rush can learn to pay attention to African Americans who don't have issues with being African American, he will have grown into a full human being.

Stay tuned...

Topics this hour:

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LeGarrette Blount scores for Oregon Ducks in Rose Bowl v. Ohio State

In what's shaping up to be a great 2010 Rose Bowl, Oregon Running Back LeGarrette Blount just scored from five-yards away, reaching out with the ball in his hand to just break the plane of the goal, just as Rush Limbaugh finished his press conference.

The score's 10-10, now as of this writing in the 2nd Quarter, and the Oregon Defense has all it can handle in Ohio State's Offense, but LeGarrette Blount just came full-circle.

UPDATE: Ohio State Buckeyes 16, Oregon Ducks 10, 2nd Quarter.

Remember, at the start of the 2009 College Football season Blount was suspended for punching Boise State Defensive End Byron Hout after the Duck's opening game loss to the Broncos. While who said what to whom is an officially unanswered question to this day, and I've weighed in with my thoughts...



...both teams have moved on.

Now, after the suspension and several academic and personal tests he had to pass to return to the college football field, LeGarrette Blount was given permission to play and did so in the Oregon – Oregon State "civil war". Now, determined to delete the demons of 2009 season's past, LeGarrette Blount fought to reach the end zone when he had the chance to do so.

Exciting Outback Bowl: Auburn 38, Northwestern 35

Happy New Year, 2010! Northwestern almost wins first bowl game since 1949 victory over Cal, but loses Outback Bowl to Auburn 38 to 35.

As America was recovering from a Times Square celebration, Blackwater was getting-off, Fenway Park was hosting Bobbie Orr and Bobby Clark in The Winter Classic, Mike Leach and Texas Tech continued jawing, and the Tournament of Roses Parade was the platform for Stephanie Edwards, The Northwestern Wildcats were sending much of Chicagoland into cardiac arrest.

Down 21 to 7, Northwestern marched back into the Outback Bowl contest with a series of Auburn mistakes. With a flurry that could not have been stopped by an alleged gun-toting Gilbert Arenas, Northwestern moved to tie Auburn 35-35, but missed winning the college football bowl game with two missed field goals in the 4th quarter and a questionable trick play in overtime.

Northwestern overcame five interceptions threw by Quaterback Mike Kafka, as he threw for a career-high 532-yards and four touchdowns. The Wildcats were aided by a roughing-the-passer call and a roughing the kicker call against Auburn along the way toward the 35-all tie.

The trick play was a fake-field goal because of Northwestern's poor field goal kicking game. I don't question the idea of a trick-play, but the one that was called. A pass of some kind would have been better than a misdirection run because of Auburn's team speed; they downed the attempt for a loss and won the game.

The Gator Bowl, Capitol One Bowl and The Rose Bowl

Now, Florida State's literally running all over West Virginia, with over 200-yards rushing in the Gator Bowl, leading 30 to 21. LSU's ahead of Penn State in the Capital One Bowl, as the nation awaits Oregon v. Ohio State in The Rose Bowl.

Pats Could Again Hold Jets’ Key to the Playoffs

Pats Could Again Hold Jets’ Key to the Playoffs
By Jon Wagner-Sr. Writer at Large-Football Reporters Online

The eyes of all New York Jets fans will be on the Meadowlands on Sunday night, as Gang Green tries to make the NFL postseason for the first time in three years.

Rightfully so, since the Jets (8-7) would either clinch the AFC’s fifth seed with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals (10-5) in the final regular season game (and likely, the last game, period) at Giants Stadium, at 8:20pm EST, on Sunday night.

However, earlier in the day, Jets fans may have to do the unimaginable and begin the new decade by rooting for their arch nemesis of the past decade.

In an ironic twist of fate, the New England Patriots (10-5), New York’s division rival who for much of the past ten years, have stood in the way of the Jets’ success by winning (seven AFC East titles from 2001-2009 and a playoff victory over New York in 2006), could now severely damage the Jets’ playoff hopes by losing.

While focusing on Sunday night’s contest, many seem to be forgetting that what happens earlier in the day in Houston, when the Texans (8-7) host the Patriots (10-5) at 1 pm EST, could have a tremendous effect on the Jets’ chances of beating the Bengals.

Say what you will about how the Jets played the second half in Indianapolis last week, but if the Colts didn’t rest their starters, the Jets probably wouldn’t be playing for much this Sunday.

Likewise, New York will of course have a much better chance at starting the new year with a playoff-clinching victory against Bengals’ backups instead of the Cincinnati starters that produced a 2009 AFC North championship.

At home, the Jets are still very capable of beating a motivated Bengals team with a lot to play for, but it would certainly be a lot easier for the Jets to win on Sunday night if they face a Bengals Lite team similar to the watered down version of the Colts that the Jets saw last week.

And, what Cincinnati may choose to do against the Jets could depend a lot on Sunday’s outcome in Houston.

If the Patriots beat the Texans, the Bengals would be locked into the AFC’s fourth playoff seed, and should rest a lot of starters at Giants Stadium, at least during the second half (especially since without a bye week, that would be Cincinnati’s one chance at resting prior to the playoffs).

However, if New England again stumbles away from home, and fails to lock up the third seed, that spot will be there for the taking for the Bengals. That’s something that could be very attractive to Cincinnati for two reasons.

A first-round matchup as a three seed should be easier against a six seed, as opposed to playing in the four-five game next week.

Looking further down the road, the Bengals would also probably prefer a potential second-round playoff matchup at second-seeded San Diego, where Cincinnati was extremely competitive in a 27-24 loss on a 52-yard field goal with three seconds remaining, on December 20th. Not an easy game at all against the 12-3 Chargers, but the alternative could be a much tougher road to the Super Bowl going to top-seeded Indianapolis as a four seed.

Although Houston needs a lot of help, the Texans will be playing for a lot regardless of how any other AFC scenario plays out. The Texans can make the playoffs with a win over the Patriots and at least two losses from among the Jets, Baltimore (8-7), and Denver (8-7). Making the postseason is obviously the primary goal, but the expansion Texans should have extra motivation to be fired up. Even if the Texans miss the playoffs this year, a win will give Houston its first winning season in its brief eight-year history while helping the Texans avoid a losing record at home, where they are currently just 3-4 this season.

Adding to the chances of a Texans’ win is the uncharacteristic Jekyl and Hyde performance of New England this year. The Patriots are a perfect 8-0 at home, but they haven’t had a decent road win all season. They’re just 2-5 away from Gillette Stadium, with road victories against 3-12 Tampa Bay (really a neutral field win, in London) and in Buffalo (5-10; 2-5 at home).

With the flex schedule moving the Bengals-Jets game to prime time Sunday night television, the final day of the regular season could be summed up in a bit of a tongue twister for the Jets, as in: “Flex, Texans Affect the Jets.”

Regardless of what happens outside of the Meadowlands though, Jet fans are hoping that come Sunday night, they won’t be repeating a far more common phrase, such as “Houston, we have a problem.”