Sarah Palin to join Fox News, gains official wingnut status

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will join Fox News as a contributor, according to Howard Kurtz at The Washington Post. Sarah Palin, who was the GOP vice presidential candidate in the 2008 Election Race, will be used on various Fox shows and will join 2008 GOP presidential candidate and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee on Fox News.

This officially solidifies Sarah Palin as a television pundit and moves her further away from being considered a serious candidate for the 2012 Presidential Race. Governor Palin joins Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity, thus she risks being considered only a Right-wingnut and not a politician.

If Palin does run, when 2012 approaches every ill-considered comment or quip will be gathered, blasted on television and online, and used against her again and again, wrecking any chance she has of being considered electable.

On a positive note, Kurtz reports that Palin will also host an occasional program that will examine inspirational tales involving ordinary Americans.

For Fox News, the move is genius.  It takes CNN away from the habit of using a Sarah Palin comment as news without feeding Fox News' ratings machine.

No official word on compensation or if Palin will eventually get her own show (and not an "occasional program") as of this writing. After she appeared on The Oprah Show, Palin said she would like to have a talk show of her own.

Stay tuned.

Casey Johnson funeral: Tila Tequila not invited, issues Twitter rant

Adding insult to the injury of the death of her loved one Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson, Reality Show TV Star Tila Tequila was not invited to the funeral for Casey Johnson, according to RadarOnline.com.

Casey Johnson and Tila Tequila in 2009

Casey Johnson was found dead at her home Sunday, January 4th by Tila Tequila, who announced it on Twitter. As of this writing, the LA County Cornorer's Office has not reported an official cause of death and the investigation is continuing, but its known that Casey Johnson suffered from diabetes and drug problems.

Tila Teguila was engaged to be married to Casey Johnson late in 2009, and just weeks before Johnson passed away. Tila Tequila said to RadarOnline Sunday:

"Yes her funeral is today and I can't even see my wife for the last time to say goodbye to her and see her. It's breaking my heart... I'm crying so bad, they are horrible, mean people. Sure, one day I can visit her grave but I will never ever get to see her face again to say goodbye and kiss her before they bury her. I can't talk about this now it's making me cry."

The funeral was hosted by Casey Johnson's father Robert "Woody" Johnson and attended by a small group reportedly including Casey's friend Nicky Hilton. Last week, Tila Tequila called 911 against Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton when they went to recover Casey Johnson's dog from her.

The revelation that she was not invited to the funeral caused Tila Tequila to lash out at everyone using her Twitter page, including herself:

PPL say I need 2 get off twitter & grieve with friends & family...WHERE? I DONT HAVE ANY! Casey was my only family & my Dogs! Worst day ever
about 18 hours ago from web

Why do I tweet so much? Even BEFORE Casey passed away? BECAUSE I HAVE NO FRIENDS! THERE! THE TRUTH COMES OUT! Just pray 4 her please!
about 18 hours ago from web

AND NO FOR THE LAST TIME I HAVE NO FAMILY OR FRIENDS! YES I FINALLY ADMITTED IT! I AM A LOSER! MY DOG & HER WAS ALL I HAD!
about 18 hours ago from web

Im upset. What would YOU do if you were MADLY IN LOVE & then ur fiance died & their family blamed you for it when it was THEIR FAULT? hmm.
about 18 hours ago from web

If I was a GUY as her fiance, I wouldn't be treated like this. They did NOT like lesbians. Neither did Nikky Hilton. Casey told me. SAD!
about 19 hours ago from web

Casey wanted me to Adopt Ava & was already calling me her Mommy. I bet this is all because they are against LESBIANS! So wrong!
about 19 hours ago from web

Sen. Harry Reid racist comments; George Will is wrong

The firestorm over the discovery of Nevada Senator Harry Reid racist comments regarding now-President Barack Obama prove that memories are short. Much has changed since Barack Obama became the 44th President of The United States, specifically attitudes about race and the overall willingness to talk about race and racism.

Harry Reid, the Democratic Senator, is accused of essentially saying that Obama would be a good presidential candidate even though he's African American. According to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, In a new book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin called Game Change, Reid reportedly said this:

“Harry Reid was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama -- a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,’ as he said privately.”

At the time, Harry Reid's comments were both race-concious and racist. ABC News George Will is really wrong when he said "there's not a scintilla of racism in what Harry Reid said. At long last, Harry Reid has said something that no one can disagree with, and he gets in trouble for it."

But what he said, and what George Will rubber-stamped on ABC News' This Week, Sunday, is both race-concious and racist. One is OK, but the other, racism, is not. To be race-concious is to be keenly aware of racial differences in people, but not use that to the detriment of the person who's being judged. To be racist is to put down a person - to reject them or avoid associating with them - because that person's skin color is different.

What Harry Reid said both acknowledged and supported the common view that to be black in America is to be judged by whites, and now some blacks, as less than. That a "common" black person speaks in a certain way and has dark-skin. By contrast, Harry Reid was saying, and George Will is acknowledging, that Barack Obama can "pass" for white and that makes him OK.

That view is racist but it was also very common to hear or read in 2008. Barack Obama's successful campaign challenged people who were used to seeing a "whites only" political arena, and even those considered not racist at all, specifically former President Bill Clinton, were recorded making questionable comments regarding Barack Obama.

Clinton's approach in comparing Obama's run to that of Jesse Jackson's in 1984 was attacked as racist, and doomed Hillary Clinton's presidential run.

And some African Americans, particularly many of those over 40, didn't give Barack Obama a chance to win before the 2008 Presidential Primary started. When Obama performed well during that time, some blacks were quick to say that Obama's "not black." That too is racist and is expressed from a "self-hating black" perspective.

All that is in the past; now we have Obama as president and a new America, where commercials pairing interracial couples are the norm. That wasn't true even as recently as 2008. America has gone through a rapid and far reaching wave of cultural change that continues today, that does not mean the past should be rewritten.

What Harry Reid said was in 2008 was racist; but that does not mean he's racist. Reid has apologized to Obama Moreover Reid, like other Americans, has learned a lot about himself and the country in just over one year.

Mick Jagger hangs with USC Volleyball star Jess Gysin

While USC Football Head Coach Pete Carroll was mulling over a possible return to the NFL that eventually led to his resignation from USC for the NFL Seattle Seahawks, USC Vollleyball star and grad student Jess Gysin was enjoying the beach in her bikini with The Rolling Stones' legendary singer Mick Jagger.

Ok, it's not what you think. A well-dressed for the beach Mick Jagger stopped to take a photo with Jess Gysin and her friends. Jessica Gysin (on the left) put the photo up on the Internet December 27th and via her Twitpic account.

From the looks of the photo, satisfaction was had by all, and Mick Jagger still knows how to find time to be photographed with beautiful women. Jessica Gysin is considered by sports fans at the blog Busted Coverage to be one of the hottest women in college sports.

Pete Carroll resigns from USC for Seattle Seahawks

After a controversial deal struck while The Seattle Seahawks were simultaneously interviewing Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier, Pete Carroll resigns from USC as head coach and is expected to officially become the Seattle Seahawks next head coach on Monday, according to the LA Times and The LA Daily News.

The LA Times reports that Pete Carroll came to agreement on a 5-year $35 million contract.

The news that Pete Carroll was desired as the next head coach of the Seahawks surfaced as far back as last Thursday and was reported that Friday. But to comply with an NFL rule known as "The Rooney Rule", the Seahawks would have to interview with at least one minority candidate.

After saying no to being the minority candidate because he believe the Seahawks wanted Pete Carroll anyway, Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier said "yes" at the behest of the Fritz Pollard Alliance (FPA), which looks at NFL Rooney Rule compliance performance. The FPA was under the impression that because Seahawks CEO Tod Leiweke reportedly said to the FPA they would not give general manager duties to Carroll, that meant Carroll was not "the guy" preferred by the Seahawks.

The FPA was wrong.

While Leslie Frazier never got a real shot at a job that wasn't his to start with, soon-to-be former USC Head Coach Pete Carroll gets a job and deal he reportedly wanted, else he was going to remain with the University of Southern California. Pete Carroll returns to pro football and a won-loss record that is the reverse of the one at his storied tenure with USC.

Pete Carroll's NFL record is 33-31 in four seasons with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots, and 1997 with the New England Patriots. At USC Pete Carroll's record was 97 wins, 19 losses. A list of Pete Carroll's accomplishments at USC and posted at Wikipedia is worthy of review:

Two BCS Championship Game appearances (win over Oklahoma, and a loss to Texas in 2005)
Two national championships, including the AP 2003 national championship and the undisputed 2004 national championship.
Seven consecutive Associated Press Top-4 finishes
A record six BCS bowl victories
A record seven consecutive BCS bowl appearances
A record seven consecutive years as Pac-10 Champions or Co-Champions
A national-record 33 consecutive weeks as AP's No. 1-ranked team
A winning record of 97–19 (85.6%), including 16–2 against traditional rivals Notre Dame and UCLA
A NCAA record of 63 straight 20-point games
Twenty-five All-American first teamers
53 players selected in the NFL Draft, including 14 in the first round.[49]
Three Heisman Trophy winners (Carson Palmer, 2002; Matt Leinart, 2004; Reggie Bush, 2005)
Four Top-5 recruiting classes
Win streaks for home games (34) and Pac-10 home games (22).
In 2007, USC became the first NCAA FBS team to achieve six consecutive 11-win seasons.[50] In 2008, USC added an unprecedented seventh consecutive 11-win season.
28–1 in the month of November
Only team in history to win three consecutive Rose Bowl Games

With all of this, why leave USC and a job Carroll once said he not leave for the NFL? The consensus is that Pete Carroll wants to make up for his first two failures in the NFL.

Stay tuned.

Pete Carroll to USC for Seahawks; NFL Commissioner OK's deal

NFL PR Head Brian McCarthy reports that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been in "constant contact" with the Seattle Seahawks and that they're in compliance with The Rooney Rule. McCarthy took to Twitter to report the news and that the Washington Redskins were in compliance as well.

Goodell, in Cincy for Jets-Bengals game, told media that Redskins + Seahawks have complied w/ Rooney Rule
about 2 hours ago from UberTwitter

The Seattle Seahawks almost simultaneous interview of Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier while working an agreement to hire USC Head Coach Pete Carroll has caused a massive controversy as it appears the Seahawks were using Leslie Frazier to comply with The Rooney Rule.

The Washington Redskins hired former Denver Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan, but after setting full interviews with minority candidate and Defensive Coach Jerry Gray before making a decision. By contrast, the Seahawks appear to have made a decision even before talking to Leslie Frazier.

Stay tuned.

Pete Carroll leaving USC for Seahawks? Seattle using Leslie Frazier?

The rumors are all over that USC Head Coach Pete Carroll is leaving USC for The NFL's Seattle Seahawks, and that Mike Riley will take over for Pete Carroll at USC. But if that's the case, and it's still not officially a done deal, it would mean in the view of this blogger that the Seattle Seahawks are using Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier and just as a minority pawn.

Leslie Frazier

As this is going to post, its reported that the Seahawks have a deal with Carroll on the same Saturday they're reportedly still interviewing Leslie Frazier.

Moreover, it would mean the Fritz Pollard Association did not pressure the Seattle Seahawks to stop press leaks that Pete Carroll was the coach they wanted all along.

Here's what happened.

On Friday rumors circulated that USC Head Coach Pete Carroll was highly sought after by the Seattle Seahawks, who fired Head Coach Jim Mora, Jr. after only one season. But the NFL has a provision called "The Rooney Rule" which states that each team considering a head coaching candidate must interview a qualified minority coach.

But The Rooney Rule does not force minority coaches to interview with NFL teams, so when the Seattle Seahawks called on Leslie Frazier to be interviewed, really to comply with The Rooney Rule, he at first said "no".

Smart.

The Rooney Rule has been used to set up a number of less-than-sincere interviews of black coaches for head coaching positions when the NFL team had zero intention of hiring a black coach. Meanwhile, the NFL has continued a track record of hiring coaches who are white and have poor records, but then are rehired again by another team. By contrast, the NFL has no problem assuming a running back is good in part because he's black.

(It's also why a number of bloggers including this blogger started comparing Stanford Running Back Toby Gerhart to Jim Brown. First, Toby Gerhart reminds many of Jim Brown, but it wasn't the first comparison offered in conversation; John Riggins of the Washington Redskins was. Riggins is white, as is Gerhart; Jim Brown is black)

In this case, Pete Carroll has a poor NFL record and yet would be rehired by a team in the NFL, if a deal was done.

Leslie Frazier changed his mind after a day when the Fritz Pollard Association, which has worked to assure that NFL teams were in compliance with The Rooney Rule, stepped in, and got Seahawks EVP Tim Lewicky to agree that they were not going to give Pete Carroll control over personnel decisions. And on that basis, the interview happened.

Why?

Because it was believed that not giving Pete Carroll full control of the team means that he's not "their guy" in the mind of the Fritz Pollard Association. It's a twisted logic that could lead to Pete Carroll getting the Settle Seahawks job because he was "their guy" anyway and Leslie Frazier left out to bear the cold winter of Minnesota.

Leslie Frazier deserves his shot as an NFL Head Coach. He's coached many of the top players and created some of the NFL's best defenses. He should be given the same chance that many white NFL defensive coordinators, from Wade Phillips to Dave Campo (and both with the Dallas Cowboys) have received.

Pete Carroll won at USC because he was a great recruiter and a great coach. But at the NFL level, he would just be a great coach. That does not guarantee the amazing level of success Pete Carroll has had at USC.

Meanwhile, this episode should really cause the league to look at The Rooney Rule. Pete Carroll will not fare well at Seattle because he's not the best scheme person and at the NFL level, teams will zero in on what he's doing and stop it by the seventh game of the season. By contrast, Mike Holmgren knew and coached the Walsh Offense before he came to Seattle.

Seattle will learn, the hard way.

Stay tuned.

Artie Lange out of hospital, will remain with Howard Stern Show

Artie Lange, The Howard Stern Show star and sidekick to Howard Stern, is out of Jersey City Medical Center. Artie Lange was released Friday after a successful surgery. An executive for Sirius XM and The Howard Stern Show has released a statement that Artie Lange is welcome back and is "very much a part of these channels".

According to the NY Times, Howard Stern Show Senior Vice President Tin Sabean said “Artie is very much a part of these channels, and we look forward to Artie’s fast recovery and we wish him all the best.”

This ends a horrifying week for Artie Lange fans, for his family, for Howard Stern Show fans, and Howard Stern himself, as it started last Saturday with the report of Artie Lange's accident, then intensified Monday, as The New York Post Page 6 reported that Artie Lange stabbed himself in a suicide attempt that was only confirmed by Hoboken Police on Thursday.

Emma Watson's missing leg spotted in video

British Actress and Harry Potter star Emma Watson is burning up the Internet, and that's due to her new Buberry advertisements which feature her as the face of their campaign and a controversy about her legs, or one of them.

The 19-year-old star has created the ads (her second go-round with Burberry in two straight years) with her brother, 17-year old Alex, and for the British label’s Spring/Summer 2010 campaign.

There's just one problem: it looks like Emma Watson's missing a leg in one of the iconic photos created by legendary photog Mario Testino for Burberry.

The photo above of her with Alex looks as if Emma Watson's right leg is half there.  The way her leg is placed visually implies that it should continue such that it can be seen between Alex legs.  But what's there is the same color as the wall.

This has caused massive web buzz with speculation that Emma Watson's leg was photoshopped out of view.   The Huffington Post's readers seem to think so, according to their poll.  

But they're wrong.  This video below shows that Emma's leg is actually exactly behind that of her brother's leg.



Thus, from a straight on angle, as the photo was taken from, it appears that Emma Watson has part of her leg and not the whole.

If Emma Watson weren't so skinny, all of her leg would have been visible, even behind that of her equally thin brother, Alex.  

Did Burberry instruct Mario Testino to make the photo that way to deliberately draw attention? Or did Mario Testino comes up with the idea on his own?  In either case, the result is pure Internet marketing genius.

Stay tuned.

Oakland Raiders John Herrera out of control

The Oakland Raiders have had a great tradition of Senior Executives who have had great relationships with the press, politicians, and the public. Such names as Morris Bradshaw, Al LoCasale, and Bruce Allen have held the title of Oakland Raiders Senior Executive.

John Herrera points finger in face of Tim Kawakami in 2008

Both Al LoCasale and Bruce Allen have been legendary figures in the National Football League because they command respect by treating everyone with the dignity and honor they deserve.

In Al LoCasale's case, this blogger learned NFL politics from him. In 1996, when I served as Economic Advisor to the Elihu Harris, when he was the Mayor of Oakland, Al LoCasale contacted me and we met for lunch almost weekly at his favorite restaurant, Linguini's in Alameda in Park (great Lasangna).

Why? Because LoCasale wanted me to work behind the scenes to help reestablish the 49ers / Raiders Preseason Game. At the time the Oakland Raiders were involved in a lawsuit with the NFL so LoCasale believed it would be hard to get the league to agree to a game that would be of benefit to them at the time.

I agreed to help him. After weeks of conversation and preparation with LoCasale, the first call I made under LoCasale's direction was to then-NFL Executive Vice President Roger Goodell. That was a great first start because as it happened, I read about his father the late Republican Senator Charles E. Goodell several years ago, but didn't know Roger Goodell was his son!

After much conversation about politics, Goodell said the best way to reestablish the preseason game was to approach the San Francisco 49ers. My next endeavor centered on gaining a meeting with San Francisco 49ers Owner Eddie DeBartolo. "Mr. D" as he's called, came with his then-assistant Ed Muranski to Oakland for a meeting with Mayor Harris and myself.

We talked about the NFL, the Oakland Raiders, and the redevelopment of Jack London Square, because the then-new DeBartolo Entertainment Company was looking for venues to build themed sports bars. Jack London Square was a perfect candidate, especially since Mac's Sports Bar had just closed its doors.

But with those meetings, including an incredible trip to 49ers Headquarters in 1997 that featured a tour and a brief talk with a man who's become now a friend: then 49ers Head Coach Steve Marriuci, who's now with the NFL Network and I last saw at the 2008 NFL Draft and at a Cal game later that year:



All of that was set in motion by AlLoCasale both directly and indirectly.

While I never got to know Raiders Executive Assistant Bruce Allen as well as I did Al LoCasale, Bruce was always gracious to me, even during the time I was trying to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland, and the Raiders were involved in a nasty lawsuit against the City of Oakland. And when I saw him at Leigh Steinberg's Super Bowl Party in Houston in 2004, and when he was General Manager of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jon Gruden was the head coach, Bruce introduced me in a way that made my hair stand, and I don't have any.

Bruce said to Jon: Jon, this guy was with the City of Oakland; he could be a good general manager.

I had no idea he felt that way, and while I never followed up on what he said, it was just nice to hear.


Morris Bradshaw has always been a friend. We've talked about a lot of aspects of life, way beyond football. Morris knows what I mean here; I don't need to write any more. Morris Bradshaw is a good man.

The point in all of this, is Oakland Raiders Senior Executives have a tradition of understanding how to work with people and giving them the respect they deserve. Unfortunately, that history is threatened by the behavior, as I have seen it, of John Herrera.

What spurred me to finally write this was his quip against Rich Gannon in the San Jose Mercury News where the Merc's Steve Corkran wrote:

Raiders senior executive John Herrera said Wednesday that neither Davis, Russell, coach Tom Cable nor the Raiders needs any help from Gannon and that "maybe it's Rich that needs the help."

That was not right to say. Flip? Yes. Angry? Of course. Necessary? No. Rich Gannon just extended a hand of help to a team he played for who needs it because he cares and sees a major diamond-in-the-rough in Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell. For Herrera to think of making that statement, of all things he could have said, was the product of an awful train of thought.

But if that's terrible, it pales compared to how John Herrera treated Mercury News Columnist Tim Kawakami in 2008. As the video below shows, John Herrera essentially tried to bully Tim Kawakami because he didn't like something Tim Kawakami wrote.

Here's the video:



Herrera could have addressed the issue in a classy, dignified way. But what he did was disappointing to see. Tim should have never been exposed to that kind of treatment by any Oakland Raiders official.

John Herrera has a long tradition of Oakland Raiders Senior Executives to follow. Right now, Herrera's not, in my view, doing a good job. No one "hates the Oakland Raiders" here. This is a matter of a call for John Herrera to act with the dignity, kindness, and respect that past and current Oakland Raiders executives have set a standard for, from Morris Bradshaw to Al LoCasale, and Bruce Allen.

Let's hope for a better performance in the future.

There's snow in florida? Snow fall in Orlando, Florida

The East Coast United States' weather has been colder than in the past but never so cold that it was snowing in Florida. But that's what's happening today: snow in Florida. Snow fell in Orlando, Florida and Volusia, Seminole, Orange and Lake counties in central Florida (around Walt Disney World), have all seen snow.

According to the National Weather Service, Williamsburg, Florida, also next to Disney World, has a 7-day weather forecast that includes a wind chill warning, a hard freeze warning, a wind chill advisory, a freeze watch, and a fire weather watch.

The National Weather Service reports it's currently "Cloudy and cold, with a high near 37. Wind chill values as low as 29. North northwest wind around 15 mph" and it's going to get as cold as 14 degrees at night with the wind chill factor.

The snow is such an unusual site that Florida residents have taken to YouTube to post videos of the event.

This video is from Ocala, Florida, and posted today:





And this snow in Florida video features a Florida snowball fight:



Unbelievable.

The forecast is for warmer weather near the end of next week.

Stay tuned.

NFL MVP is Colts' QB Peyton Manning

Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning has scored a record 4th NFL Most Valuable Player Award, and his second NFL MVP Award in two consecutive years. According to ESPN, Manning received 39.5 votes, to 7.5 for Drew Brees and 2 for Drew Brees and 1 for Brett Favre. But the 2009 NFL Season was among Peyton Manning's best.

Peyton Manning threw for 4,500 yards and 33 touchdowns in the 2009 NFL Season. And at 33-years-old, he's started in every game of his career. He led three fourth quarter comebacks this year, and during a winning stretch that saw the Colts rack up 14 straight wins.

While many in the media point to his receivers and his drive as the reason for his amazing success and the 2009 NFL MVP, the other reason, the main one, is his ability to read NFL defensive coverages and determine how best to attack them and the freedom the Colts offense gives him to do this.

Peyton Manning's success is a testament to the idea that the quarterback, not the coach, has the best feel of the game. It's something that may have missed Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress and caused his arguments with Quarterback Brett Farve.

In the Colts Offense, Peyton Manning is given three plays to pick from and at times, he changes the play at the line of scrimmage.

Moreover, Peyton Manning's throwing motion is worthy of study. He carries the ball high, near his ear, thus reducing the time it takes for him to throw a pass. It's in stark contrast to legendary Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Roger Stauback's wind-the-arm-back, then-bring-it-up-to-throw long developing motion that NFL defensive backs would take advantage of today. That major key to Manning's success also shows how far the pro football passing game has evolved from the 1970s.

Peyton Manning's MVP award is the result of a technical understanding of the game, use of textbook passing mechanics, coaches who have developed a state-of-the-art offense, tutored him in its operation, and let him run with it.  That's a formula for constant success.