NFL Draft update: Dr. Bill Chackhes on the quarterbacks

In this NFL Draft update, Dr. Bill Chackhes of Football Writers Online and Zennie62.com will present his take on the best quarterbacks in the 2010 NFL Draft, which starts Thursday night. His views are gained from his publication, The Gridiron Draft Guide.

For those who's never heard of Bill, he's the modern day equivalent of the late Joel Buschbaum. Buschbaum was a self-made college personnel scouting expert, who almost single-handedly built the publication Pro Football Weekly into star status. Like Buschbaum, Chackhes is obsessed with football scouting and reporting. Bill has attended every NFL Draft over the past 3 decades and 25 years as a member of the media.

Here's how Bill rates the quarterbacks:

1A) Colt McCoy - Texas
1B) Sam Bradford - Oklahoma
2) Tony Pike - Cincinnati
3) Dan Lefevour - Central Michigan
4) John Skelton - Fordham University
5) Ryan Perriloux- Jacksonville State
6) Jimmy Clausen - Notre Dame

Why Colt McCoy? Bill says that he's a consistent winner. His ball position in throwing is "excellent." He has Bradford behind McCoy for several reasons related to how Bradford doesn't move in the pocket.

Bill's take on Jimmy Clausen, who's rated sixth, has to do with his throwing motion. Bill complains that Clausen lifts his foot up after he throws consistently. Where I take issue with Bill is that this was done before the Notre Dame Pro Day where Jimmy really improved in a lot of areas. Personally, I think Clausen's now the best quarterback available, followed by Sam Bradford, then Colt McCoy.

Stay tuned.

Volcano eruption in Iceland: 64,000 flights cancelled

The latest news in the Volcano eruption in Iceland reports that according to Russia Today, 64,000 european and International flights were cancelled since the Volcano called Eyjafjallajoekull (Aside: someone tweeted that whoever named this volcano must have fallen asleep on the keyboard!) erupted April 14th.

Now, even with the news of the flight cancellations and reports of new eruptions, some airline official are convinced that they can resume normal service after conducting successful test flights. They say that with the exception of Iceland, European air space is safe. This while the new eruption is reported to have sent a new ash cloud toward Britain.

This effort is being pushed by the British Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis, who said "I wish to establish, as a matter of urgency, whether some safe flight paths can be identified and opened up to flights."

The urgency is due to the Worldwide economic loss, estimated at growing to a potential one percent to two percent of European Gross Domestic Product.

But this blogger thinks the economic loss is one the World should bear if it means saving lives. The weather is unpredictable enough as it is with the existence of the giant ash clouds. All it takes is one fatal air flight to prove that it's dangerous, but why temp such a possible fate?

Stay tuned.

Will.I.Am (@iamwill) visits @twitter

Will.I.Am (@iamwill) Visits @twitter, originally uploaded by @Twitter.

Will.I.Am (@iamwill) of The Black Eyed Peas visits @twitter and from this photo uploaded on April Fool's day, he's having a great time. There's another cool group photo, but this picture is cooler.

What I wonder is if the woman is standing on something and leaning over him or has climbed onto Will.I.Am's body to take the photo?

I also wonder if Will.I.Am ever took his glasses off. Whatever the case, he'd love to work there:

:) Im tweeting from twitter :) people are excited to come to work...if I wasn't doing music I wouldn't mind working here
11:59 AM Apr 1st via UberTwitter

One thing's for certain: this @iamwill is the real one. Hey Will, follow back, dude!

Rebecca Kaplan: why she's running for Mayor of Oakland - Susan Mernit

Susan Mernit, Oakland Local Founder and Executive Editor, was kind enough to post her interview with Oakland's At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan at Zennie62.com and reposted here below at SFGate.com, and at Oakland Focus. The Rebecca Kaplan interview's a to-the-point discussion of her reasons behind her decision to run. (A bit of disclosure: Rebecca Kaplan's communications director is a blogger and editor at Oakland Local.)

Before the text is presented, this blogger has to make one observation: Councilmember Kaplan said she's thought "for months" about running for Mayor. Given that she's barely two years into her time as Councilmember, it seems safe to say Kaplan was not happy being Oakland's At Large elected official and wanted to be Mayor of Oakland as far back as after the first year of her term. But that's this blogger's observation: I yield the floor to Susan Mernit:

When Rebecca Kaplan announced last week she had formed a committee to explore entering the Oakland 2010 mayoral race, few people were surprised. Kaplan, 39, is a freshman on the Oakland City Council, yet her active partnerships with other council members to sponsor bills and ordinances, and her consistent visibility at non-profit and business events around the city, suggested Kaplan never fully left campaign mode.

Oakland Local met with Kaplan on Wednesday, April 14, soon after she announced this first step toward candidacy, to understand more about why she is running and what special skills and perspectives she might bring to the race, should she decide to enter.

Oakland Local: What made you decide to take this next step in entering this race? What do you think you could do in this job that others might not?

Kaplan: When I was considering whether to take this next step, I asked myself what I thought was needed to stabilize the city and address the issues, and then whether I was the best person to actually make that happen. So many people who consider entering this kind of race think first about whether they can form a committee and raise the money—and I agree that is important—but I wanted to think through the magnitude of what actually needs to be done and what actually can be done; for me, that had to come before the pragmatic questions about raising money. I’ve given it thought, and I am clear with myself that I can do this—I have been thinking about it for months.

Oakland Local: What are the issues you see yourself addressing?

Kaplan: There are two areas that I look at systemically around how Oakland needs improvement—one is around internal systems and how government is organized; this is very much what I think of as the role of the executive branch and the changes it has the power to bring about. Specifically I think there is a huge streamlining that needs to go on in Oakland city government that will go a long way toward bringing in new business, generating new revenue, staffing more efficiently, addressing the budget deficit. Some examples of this center around using technology and personnel much more efficiently that we are doing right now—to make Oakland city government more efficient to operate—and also benefit community members and business people at the same time.

Oakland Local : Can you give some examples of what you mean?

Kaplan: Sure. There are a lot of systems we have that could be moved to the Web and happen a lot faster and more efficiently, especially around permitting and licensing. For example, we want to stop blight in the city and this is a huge issue. We have a lot of foreclosed properties that belong to out-of-town banks, and we want to make those owners as accountable as a homeowner would be—but we don’t have the systems to effectively take in and prioritize large numbers of blight complaints. If we could set up more Web-based systems to allow the public to report blighted properties, we could do a lot in terms of enforcing blight codes, imposing fines on entities that are responsible for multiple blighted properties and collecting revenues around this program. It would help everyone all around.

We can think in similar ways about information technology and tech infrastructure and how we use city staffers. Right now, we have people who literally retype data from one system to enter it into another, because we have incompatible computer systems. By fixing this technology problem, we would reduce numerous hours of wasted staff time, and reduce costs and redeploy staff to areas where they are really needed.

I think about business permits and licensing and how we should let our local businesses pay their fees and licenses online, reducing wasted time both for our businesspeople and for city staff to process paperwork.

Oakland Local: How about the other aspect you mentioned?

Kaplan: The other aspect is really about ensuring we have economic growth in the city, and that we support public safety in a way that improves the quality of life and reduces crime, and that we address ways to reduce costs head-on, even though it’s hard.

On one hand, we need to not tax very small businesses, so that they can flourish and have an opportunity to grow before they have to start paying the city (plus, for very small businesses, it can cost Oakland more to collect the fees and taxes than the amount collected); on the other hand, we need to work really hard to attract new businesses to Oakland that can make significant contributions to the city’s tax base—and create new jobs. The small business tax threshold is currently $2,500 –but it should be more like $25,000.

At the same time, we need to support the Police Chief in making Oakland safer through effective deployment of police, and we need to create opportunities for change that can turn the whole economic crisis around. My background has taught me to value strategic planning, and it seems to me that Oakland needs to take a much broader, systemic look at how to do things more effectively and create new opportunities.

Oakland Local: What do you mean?

Kaplan: For example, Oakland needs to begin more actively recruiting new businesses to support new job generation. We need to identify aspects of this that fit well with Oakland, and aggressively target new businesses and woo them to bring them here. We have been working to bring in big stores like Costco and Target, and we need to step that up, including focusing on identified needs. Some areas of Oakland totally lack a grocery store and drug store. Attracting these businesses will serve the needs in the community while also creating numerous jobs.

Another example for economic opportunity: we have lots of industrial space in Oakland that would be a great fit for food manufacturing and preparation. We need to bring those kinds of businesses, that once were here, back to Oakland, and we need to start more commercial kitchens, and an effective mobile food truck permit program, and other expansions of the food-related industries, that will help small businesses—and create new jobs. Also, we need to do more to make life easier for local businesses, including providing clear information, and improving our zoning.

Oakland Local: Where does zoning fit in?

Kaplan: Updating our zoning is essential because it controls what types of uses, including what types of businesses, can be located in which locations. Zoning also influences how difficult it will be to open a particular type of business, in terms of whether or not it needs a “Conditional Use Permit” or other such requirements. I began to work on this issue when we recently re-zoned the Central Business District, to make it easier to open bakeries, bike shops, and more. We need to bring this approach citywide.

Oakland Local: Okay, where does crime and public safety fit into all this? When we asked OL community members what they wanted you to talk about, this was #1.

Kaplan: Public safety is #1 in the city, I agree. So many other things can’t happen if these issues aren’t addressed. Public safety is intertwined with economic revitalization. We are fortunate, to have a good Police Chief in Anthony Batts, and we should give him the support he needs to help provide public safety in Oakland. We need to provide police officers to every “beat” in Oakland (as the voters were promised in “Measure Y”). This is important for several reasons— A visible police presence can prevent and deter crime, and this should be provided in all areas of Oakland. The officers and the community members can get to know one another and build trust, and improve communications so that officers are able to gather evidence they need to prevent or solve crimes.

Oakland Local: So where will these beat police come from? Do you think the OPD should hire more officers, or what? This was another question from an OL community member.

Kaplan: There are two main methods to make sure we have enough police on the beat. One method is to make better use of the personnel we have, and to hire beyond that. For example, right now civilian complaints and internal affairs investigations are handled by police officers, where such tasks would be better handled by civilians, which would then free up those police officers to do more vital police work. (This will require dealing properly with the Court oversight as well).

There are other roles in the police department which could potentially be performed by non-sworn personnel, thus freeing up more police officers for redeployment. In addition, we need to provide adequate staff for 9-1-1 dispatch, to provide timely response to public safety calls, and for investigations, to make sure crimes can be solved.

Oakland Local:How about the budget deficit? That’s an issue for anyone coming in as mayor—how would you address that?

Kaplan: Well, there’s a lot to that one, but one thing we need to think about is both restructuring city government and making cuts strategically. We have a window of opportunity there—much of Oakland’s city government staff will be retiring in the next few years—so that means we have an opportunity to redefine jobs, change and consolidate positions, and to hire people with new skills.

Oakland Local: Are you saying that you want both to cut via attrition and to streamline staffing as one way to address making cuts?

Kaplan: Yes. We need to review all the roles in city government, and redefine the jobs, where we are duplicating efforts, and where changed circumstances mean we have some tasks we no longer need, while other new tasks are needed. We also need to look at where the organization makes no sense, and improve the organizational systems to make our planning and implementation more effective. Right now, taxis are under public safety and parking is under Finance, and “transportation” is in neither. This makes our transportation planning much less effective and it makes our parking policies less sensible than they would be if the various transportation issues were looked at together.

Oakland Local: Where else do you see a need for focus and growth?

Kaplan: One great opportunity is in “Transit Oriented Development” which means developing communities where people can safely and easily access housing, shops, jobs and more by transit, walking and biking. These types of improvements, such as fixing sidewalks, pedestrian lighting and safe crosswalks, and providing new infill development near transit, can bring jobs, economic investment, and improve quality of life in the area.

And interestingly, there’s a lot of funding coming available soon that Oakland can bring in to make this happen. Senator Barbara Boxer is working on an energy bill which includes funds for Transit Oriented Development, and so does the new Federal Transportation bill expected out around December. California’s SB 375, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas 

emissions, will also be implemented to support this type of development. We have an opportunity to get funding to support these kinds of initiatives, because we have numerous transit hubs and routes in our city, making us eligible for these funds, and they will mean a lot for Oakland’s revitalized future.

Oakland Local: What makes you the person to do all this? What could you bring to the race—and to being Mayor—that would make you effective? Some people say you are too young—39—and too inexperienced to be Mayor—what’s your response to that?

Kaplan: I’ll be 40 by the fall, but perhaps being young is an advantage. I certainly am not short in experience—I have been a staffer in government, I served for many years on the Board of AC Transit, in an elected seat which includes all of Oakland, and I have a strong record of making things happen. But most importantly, I am willing to innovate and bring a fresh point of view. We can’t solve Oakland’s problems by just looking at things the way we always have, we need to plan strategically for a different future and then execute well My vision—and my training—give me the means to rethink what Oakland needs to do, and to work with a broad coalition of organizations around the city to make the change we need happen.

Oakland Local: So what’s next? Who is your team?

Kaplan: Our next steps include holding a reception and fundraiser on May 12th at the Cathedral Building in Uptown Oakland, located at 1615 Broadway Ave., from 5:30 — 7:30p. We now have Kamika Dunlap as Communications Director (note: Kamika has written for Oakland Local), Molly Cohen providing Administrative coordination, and Lisa Williams doing development and fundraising.

Rebecca Kaplan’s campaign Web site: http://www.KaplanforOakland.org

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-Kaplan/12695133780

Get involved: What do you want to ask candidates in the race about the issues and where they stand?

Oakland Local will conduct interviews with all candidates and prospective candidates in the coming weeks. If you would like to be involved in interviews and/or have suggestions for questions you’d like answered, e-mail editor@oaklandlocal.com.

Stay tuned for more news from Oakland and around the World.

NFL Draft update: Conte Cuttino, Tebow and Buffalo, Raiders OT?

The 75th NFL Draft is Thursday night and as happens with the fast approaching date, rumors are flying around television, Internet, and phone lines. Here's a taste of the talk via this NFL Draft update: news about Conte Cuttino, Tim Tebow, and The Philadelphia Eagles.

If you remember my blog post on Stony Brook University Running Back Conte Cuttino, the 4.4 quick speedster overlooked by a number of draft experts, a source close told me that Cuttino's being looked at closest by the teams in the East: the New York Jets, New England Patriots, New York Giants, and the Philadelphia Eagles. No, not the Buffalo Bills on the list. As to where Cuttino may go, he looks to be taken in the 3rd round, but with leaks about the condition of Cal Running Back Jahvid Best, Cuttino could move to as high as the 2nd round.

There's a hot rumor that the Buffalo Bills are sold on Florida Quarterback Tim Tebow, so much that they're willing to trade into the 1st round to get him.

Oakland Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable said Offensive Tackle's a priority for the Raiders. Many expect the Raiders to take Maryland left tackle Bruce Campbell. But that may be a smokescreen because Bruce Campbell did not perform well on the intelligence test called The Wonderlic, the 50-question document that's more cultural test than real I.Q. exam, but NFL teams place so much value in.

Bruce Campbell placed below the average score for offensive tackles in the 2010 NFL Draft, posting an 18 versus an average of just over 20 for all. So, hold a star by what Cable tells you; it's not certain.

Another hot rumor by ESPN's Adam Schefter is the Eagles are looking to move up to the 12th pick in the first round of the Draft. But what they will do is another guess. The Eagles have 11 picks in all for the 2010 Draft, which gives them currency to deal.

Stay tuned.

Donald Trump's luxury hotel effort may be bad timing

A room in The Trump Soho, New York City

Donald Trump's known for putting his name on everything from office towers to condos, board games, ties, fragrances, and of course, TV shows. But hotels, luxury hotels in particular, have not been touched by the giant "T." That's due to change in 2010.

But even with the magic of the Trump brand, is this a good time for Donald Trump, or any new player, to make a move into the small and large luxury hotel business?

According to the Times Online UK, the timing is questionable, but he's going for it. The luxury hotel market is steady but while bookings are up over 2009, the average rate is down by $100 from $400 a room night to $300 a room night. But with Donald Trump making what's a reported 10-year bet, the economy then will be different that today; whether it will be in the right direction is anyone's guess.

Still, Trump presses on. He has an established hotel at One Central Park West, one in Las Vegas, and in New York again, the Trump SoHo, a new 46-story 391-room steel and glass wonder. Donald Trump told the Times Online UK he thinks the Trump brand can succeed in the luxury hotel business because "We're great builders. We guarantee outstanding design and architecture, the best location and great management. But we go further. Our hotels will be different. We will try to do something new everywhere we go. A lot of the hotel companies can't do this because they have a set of standards that they don’t know how to deviate from."

Will it work? Time will tell. But if you see a Dubai-version of The Apprentice, just bet there's a hotel marketing tie-in.

Stay tuned.

Rebecca Kaplan: Why Did She Enter the Race for Mayor of Oakland? Exclusive, in-depth interview

By Susan Mernit and Ryan Van Lenning, Oakland Local

When Rebecca Kaplan announced last week she had formed a committee to explore entering the Oakland 2010 mayoral race, few people were surprised. Kaplan, 39, is a freshman on the Oakland City Council, yet her active partnerships with other council members to sponsor bills and ordinances, and her consistent visibility at non-profit and business events around the city, suggested Kaplan never fully left campaign mode.

Oakland Local met with Kaplan on Wednesday, April 14, soon after she announced this first step toward candidacy, to understand more about why she is running and what special skills and perspectives she might bring to the race, should she decide to enter.

Oakland Local: What made you decide to take this next step in entering this race? What do you think you could do in this job that others might not?

Kaplan: When I was considering whether to take this next step, I asked myself what I thought was needed to stabilize the city and address the issues, and then whether I was the best person to actually make that happen. So many people who consider entering this kind of race think first about whether they can form a committee and raise the money—and I agree that is important—but I wanted to think through the magnitude of what actually needs to be done and what actually can be done; for me, that had to come before the pragmatic questions about raising money. I’ve given it thought, and I am clear with myself that I can do this—I have been thinking about it for months.

Oakland Local: What are the issues you see yourself addressing?

Kaplan: There are two areas that I look at systemically around how Oakland needs improvement—one is around internal systems and how government is organized; this is very much what I think of as the role of the executive branch and the changes it has the power to bring about. Specifically I think there is a huge streamlining that needs to go on in Oakland city government that will go a long way toward bringing in new business, generating new revenue, staffing more efficiently, addressing the budget deficit. Some examples of this center around using technology and personnel much more efficiently that we are doing right now—to make Oakland city government more efficient to operate—and also benefit community members and business people at the same time.

Oakland Local : Can you give some examples of what you mean?

Kaplan: Sure. There are a lot of systems we have that could be moved to the Web and happen a lot faster and more efficiently, especially around permitting and licensing. For example, we want to stop blight in the city and this is a huge issue. We have a lot of foreclosed properties that belong to out-of-town banks, and we want to make those owners as accountable as a homeowner would be—but we don’t have the systems to effectively take in and prioritize large numbers of blight complaints. If we could set up more Web-based systems to allow the public to report blighted properties, we could do a lot in terms of enforcing blight codes, imposing fines on entities that are responsible for multiple blighted properties and collecting revenues around this program. It would help everyone all around.

We can think in similar ways about information technology and tech infrastructure and how we use city staffers. Right now, we have people who literally retype data from one system to enter it into another, because we have incompatible computer systems. By fixing this technology problem, we would reduce numerous hours of wasted staff time, and reduce costs and redeploy staff to areas where they are really needed.

I think about business permits and licensing and how we should let our local businesses pay their fees and licenses online, reducing wasted time both for our businesspeople and for city staff to process paperwork.

Oakland Local: How about the other aspect you mentioned?

Kaplan: The other aspect is really about ensuring we have economic growth in the city, and that we support public safety in a way that improves the quality of life and reduces crime, and that we address ways to reduce costs head-on, even though it’s hard.

On one hand, we need to not tax very small businesses, so that they can flourish and have an opportunity to grow before they have to start paying the city (plus, for very small businesses, it can cost Oakland more to collect the fees and taxes than the amount collected); on the other hand, we need to work really hard to attract new businesses to Oakland that can make significant contributions to the city’s tax base—and create new jobs. The small business tax threshold is currently $2,500 –but it should be more like $25,000.

At the same time, we need to support the Police Chief in making Oakland safer through effective deployment of police, and we need to create opportunities for change that can turn the whole economic crisis around. My background has taught me to value strategic planning, and it seems to me that Oakland needs to take a much broader, systemic look at how to do things more effectively and create new opportunities.

Oakland Local: What do you mean?

Kaplan: For example, Oakland needs to begin more actively recruiting new businesses to support new job generation. We need to identify aspects of this that fit well with Oakland, and aggressively target new businesses and woo them to bring them here. We have been working to bring in big stores like Costco and Target, and we need to step that up, including focusing on identified needs. Some areas of Oakland totally lack a grocery store and drug store. Attracting these businesses will serve the needs in the community while also creating numerous jobs.

Another example for economic opportunity: we have lots of industrial space in Oakland that would be a great fit for food manufacturing and preparation. We need to bring those kinds of businesses, that once were here, back to Oakland, and we need to start more commercial kitchens, and an effective mobile food truck permit program, and other expansions of the food-related industries, that will help small businesses—and create new jobs. Also, we need to do more to make life easier for local businesses, including providing clear information, and improving our zoning.

Oakland Local: Where does zoning fit in?

Kaplan: Updating our zoning is essential because it controls what types of uses, including what types of businesses, can be located in which locations. Zoning also influences how difficult it will be to open a particular type of business, in terms of whether or not it needs a “Conditional Use Permit” or other such requirements. I began to work on this issue when we recently re-zoned the Central Business District, to make it easier to open bakeries, bike shops, and more. We need to bring this approach citywide.

Oakland Local: Okay, where does crime and public safety fit into all this? When we asked OL community members what they wanted you to talk about, this was #1.

Kaplan: Public safety is #1 in the city, I agree. So many other things can’t happen if these issues aren’t addressed. Public safety is intertwined with economic revitalization. We are fortunate, to have a good Police Chief in Anthony Batts, and we should give him the support he needs to help provide public safety in Oakland. We need to provide police officers to every “beat” in Oakland (as the voters were promised in “Measure Y”). This is important for several reasons— A visible police presence can prevent and deter crime, and this should be provided in all areas of Oakland. The officers and the community members can get to know one another and build trust, and improve communications so that officers are able to gather evidence they need to prevent or solve crimes.

Oakland Local: So where will these beat police come from? Do you think the OPD should hire more officers, or what? This was another question from an OL community member.

Kaplan: There are two main methods to make sure we have enough police on the beat. One method is to make better use of the personnel we have, and to hire beyond that. For example, right now civilian complaints and internal affairs investigations are handled by police officers, where such tasks would be better handled by civilians, which would then free up those police officers to do more vital police work. (This will require dealing properly with the Court oversight as well).
There are other roles in the police department which could potentially be performed by non-sworn personnel, thus freeing up more police officers for redeployment. In addition, we need to provide adequate staff for 9-1-1 dispatch, to provide timely response to public safety calls, and for investigations, to make sure crimes can be solved.

Oakland Local:How about the budget deficit? That’s an issue for anyone coming in as mayor—how would you address that?

Kaplan: Well, there’s a lot to that one, but one thing we need to think about is both restructuring city government and making cuts strategically. We have a window of opportunity there—much of Oakland’s city government staff will be retiring in the next few years—so that means we have an opportunity to redefine jobs, change and consolidate positions, and to hire people with new skills.

Oakland Local: Are you saying that you want both to cut via attrition and to streamline staffing as one way to address making cuts?

Kaplan: Yes. We need to review all the roles in city government, and redefine the jobs, where we are duplicating efforts, and where changed circumstances mean we have some tasks we no longer need, while other new tasks are needed. We also need to look at where the organization makes no sense, and improve the organizational systems to make our planning and implementation more effective. Right now, taxis are under public safety and parking is under Finance, and “transportation” is in neither. This makes our transportation planning much less effective and it makes our parking policies less sensible than they would be if the various transportation issues were looked at together.

Oakland Local: Where else do you see a need for focus and growth?

Kaplan: One great opportunity is in “Transit Oriented Development” which means developing communities where people can safely and easily access housing, shops, jobs and more by transit, walking and biking. These types of improvements, such as fixing sidewalks, pedestrian lighting and safe crosswalks, and providing new infill development near transit, can bring jobs, economic investment, and improve quality of life in the area.

And interestingly, there’s a lot of funding coming available soon that Oakland can bring in to make this happen. Senator Barbara Boxer is working on an energy bill which includes funds for Transit Oriented Development, and so does the new Federal Transportation bill expected out around December. California’s SB 375, which calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, will also be implemented to support this type of development. We have an opportunity to get funding to support these kinds of initiatives, because we have numerous transit hubs and routes in our city, making us eligible for these funds, and they will mean a lot for Oakland’s revitalized future.

Oakland Local: What makes you the person to do all this? What could you bring to the race—and to being Mayor—that would make you effective? Some people say you are too young—39—and too inexperienced to be Mayor—what’s your response to that?

Kaplan: I’ll be 40 by the fall, but perhaps being young is an advantage. I certainly am not short in experience—I have been a staffer in government, I served for many years on the Board of AC Transit, in an elected seat which includes all of Oakland, and I have a strong record of making things happen. But most importantly, I am willing to innovate and bring a fresh point of view. We can’t solve Oakland’s problems by just looking at things the way we always have, we need to plan strategically for a different future and then execute well My vision—and my training—give me the means to rethink what Oakland needs to do, and to work with a broad coalition of organizations around the city to make the change we need happen.

Oakland Local: So what’s next? Who is your team?

Kaplan: Our next steps include holding a reception and fundraiser on May 12th at the Cathedral Building in Uptown Oakland, located at 1615 Broadway Ave., from 5:30 — 7:30p. We now have Kamika Dunlap as Communications Director (note: Kamika has written for Oakland Local), Molly Cohen providing Administrative coordination, and Lisa Williams doing development and fundraising.

Rebecca Kaplan’s campaign Web site: http://www.KaplanforOakland.org
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-Kaplan/12695133780

Get involved: What do you want to ask candidates in the race about the issues and where they stand?

Oakland Local will conduct interviews with all candidates and prospective candidates in the coming weeks. If you would like to be involved in interviews and/or have suggestions for questions you’d like answered, e-mail editor@oaklandlocal.com.

Volcano in Iceland update: New York Hotels offering discounts

As an update to the last post on the Volcano in Iceland and its impact on New York City, The New York Times reports that New York hotels are giving discounts of as much as 15 percent to European travelers stranded in in New York at airports like JFK.

But a 15 percent discount's not enough: over 1,000 travelers are sleeping at John F. Kennedy International because local hotels are booked and Manhattan's too expensive an option for them.

New York JFK Airport Officials say they're providing "baby formula, diapers and water, along with cots" for stranded travelers. Unfortunately, because the airport terminals aren't designed for sleep-overs, there aren't showers for the travelers. (You'd think after all this time an airport would have such facilities for people, even if it's just able to accommodate 30 or 40 at a time.)

The stranded passenger problem appears unique to New York City because of its proximity to Europe and the impacts of the Volcano in Iceland. Other U.S. international destinations aren't impacted.

Stay tuned.

Volcano in Iceland hurts New York City: losing $250 million

Stranded in Europe 

The eruption of the massive Eyjafjallajoekull volcano April 14th has placed not just Europe, but much of the World's economy in slow mode.

This is true in New York City, where events like the Tribeca Film Festival have an international reach and thus draw an overseas audience.

Many of the stars of the 85 films of the Tribeca Film Festival are stranded in Europe according to DNAinfo, and that hurts the ability to draw patrons to see them. The film festival relies on producers and directors of the films to come and talk to the audience. But with the volcano in Iceland, that possibility is thwarted.

The Volcano in Iceland is harming tourist spending as well, with an estimated loss of $250 million from the reduction of visitors from Europe over the weekend. The NY Daily News reports that for every 1,000 visitors that don't come from Europe, New York loses $1.5 million.

But The Volcano will not stop The London Book Fair, which counts on visitors from England as a necessary part of its event. Director Alistair Burtenshaw says "Our view is that the show must - and will - go on and we will provide all the help we can to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible."

Stay tuned.

Space Shuttle Discovery landing delayed due to bad weather

Information Week reports that rain and clouds over the Atlantic Coast in Florida will cause a delay in the landing of the Space Shuttle Discovery early Monday. NASA officials say they will try a second attempt to land the spacecraft Monday morning.

Discovery just finished a 14-day mission docked with the International Space Station. Eight tons of cargo were delivered to the International Space Station during that trip using the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module.

The module was developed by the Italian Space Agency as a kind of "moving van" in space that takes cargo from the Space Shuttle to the International Space Station. For this trip it had science racks, new sleeping quarters, and other supplies.

Discovery pilot Jim Dutton, mission specialist Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, and mission specialist Yamakazi of the Japanese Space Agency are all on their first Shuttle flight.

Paris Hilton dissed at Coachella Music Festival

C'Mon dude.  Respect the lady!  

Popular Socialite Paris Hilton is without a doubt well-known, especially by people in the entertainment industry and security guards are no exception. According to TMZ.com, which created the photo, Paris Hilton was dissed by "security" guards at the Coachella Music Festival.

Paris Hilton had to give her ID before she was allowed in. Now these guys were just being mean. This blogger has attended thousands of events and gets waved in without showing his ID most of the time, but does so anyway.

TMZ writes "If the security guard legitimately didn't know who she was, we are jealous of the life he leads. Not in this corner.

That guy's probably told his friends "Yeah, I just dissed Paris Hilton. I don't like her." And it's probably the high moment of his life. That's the bet here. That's sad, but there are people running around who get joy from such behavior.

What they tend to forget is that if they're in a position and happen to need something from Paris, the tables would be turned. Rather than Paris thanking them for recognizing her, as others certainly did, it would be her option.

It's situations like this that are the reason some people own music festivals and others just, well, work security at them. Note to Paris: get to know the Coachilla Music Festival owners and make a workaround the security people.

Debbie Reynolds takes over for Ivana Trump at The Globe

The Globe, American Media's classic tabloid, replaced Donald Trump's ex-wife Ivana Trump with legendary actress Debbie Reynolds, it was announced today.

Ivana Trump was a fixture at The Globe for 15 years, and read by 5 million readers a week who grabbed the tabloid from cash register shelves in supermarkets and at newsstands around America and Europe.

Now it's Debbie Reynolds turn.

Her column "Dear Debbie: Got a problem? I want to help" takes on subjects like "My beau is showing his kinky side" and questions like "Is it OK to date my college professor?"

Maybe Debbie Reynolds has some advise for Taylor Swift?

Stay tuned.

"Taylor Swift's Promise" is a mean trick on Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift's the focus of another Internet photo scandal, but it's not her fault.

There's a photo going around the Internet that has country-pop singing star Taylor Swift wearing a red gym jacket and posing with a young man also in red and reportedly known as "Cheeks" and both are holding up a sign made from a napkin that reads "I Heart On TD."

Whatever that means.

That photo was doctored by someone to read something far, far more sexual and sinister that Taylor Swift would promise to do if "Alabama beat LSU this weekend" and then goes on to read "Who are you rooting for now? XOXO Taylor Swift."

Guess which photo's going around the Internet the fastest?

This blogger discovered the photo below after checking the social bookmarking site Reddit.com for news. Right there were the words "Taylor Swift's Promise" If you click on it, as I did, the photo, the doctored one, comes right up in your face. You have to dig through the comments to learn that the picture's not the real one.

Cheeks is reportedly part of a website called "OH NO THEY DID'NT" which has the tagline "the celebrities are disposable, the content is pricesless." But does that mean they replaced Taylor's original napkin with the fake one? If so, that's awful. It's terrible that it happened to her, but if the website created the fake photo they should apologize immediately.

For her part, Taylor's got to be careful. To this blogger, it's like the Swastika episode in that Taylor took a photo with a random fan and got in trouble for an image she wasn't aware of. The difference is that Taylor didn't know some real douche was going to mess with her image like that.

It's sad because Taylor doesn't know who to trust and it's harder to just hang and have fun with people around who are going to mar her image in this way.

Bad form.

Stay tuned.

Carrie Underwood gets Entertainer of the Year - Twitter update

Carrie!

Carrie Underwood not only scored the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year Award for the second year in a row, she scored Twitter points for her singing and her dress.

Carrie Underwood beat Taylor Swift and six other country music entertainers for the vote cast by fans using online and mobile platforms. Twitter celebrated the news, and while "Carrie Underwood" and "Taylor Swift" did not beat the more questionable hashtags of #TeamWhiteGirl and #TeamBlackGirl the tweets were certainly more fun, all over the place, and less disturbing to read.

Carries1fanOx Carrie Underwood...I love & I am so beyond proud of you! Congratulations on making history tonight! your my hero<3 goodnight #TeamCarrie <3 less than a minute ago from Echofon 

 natsraj23 wow carrie underwood looks gorgeous at the #45thannualacademycountryawards wedding_gown_id Carrie Underwood, Julianne Hough, Reba McEntire Fashion winners at the ACM ... http://bit.ly/a6XibD less than a minute ago from API 

 kaykeebakes Carrie Underwood won entertainer of the year yay!!! I'm so exited!!! :) less than a minute ago from Twitter for BlackBerry® 

SamanthaErin22 Woo carrie underwood Acm artist of the year! Not george straight:( But as long As it wasn't taylor swift Haha! 1 minute ago from txt

myniftynappy what? Carrie Underwood just won entertainer of the year! I like her, but come on! 1 minute ago from HootSuite 

Overall, the fact that Carrie Underwood's Entertainer of the Year win failed to hit the Twitter top trends and stay there for a while is a sign that the country music demographic isn't meshing with the young adult / teen set that generally uses Twitter. One way around this is to have Twitter as a major part of the voting campaign. The Academy of Country Music's Twitter account has just over 5,700 followers. Many of the top award nominees have thousands and in some cases millions of Twitter followers. Some kind of deal should have been struck to get the help of people like Taylor Swift, and the Twitter hastag should have been mentioned again and again on the television broadcast.

That didn't happen and because of that, the Academy of Country Music missed a golden chance to really make sure the awards show was a part of the Zeitgeist beyond Google Trends and with a wider demographic range.

Well, there is next year.

Carrie Underwood's legs and New Media beat Taylor Swift in ACM voting

After all that, Carrie Underwood's legs, and an assist from New Media, did beat Taylor Swift and six other country music entertainers - Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, George Strait,Keith Urban, and Zac Brown Band - in the ACM voting for American Country Music Entertainer of The Year at the 2010 Academy of Country Music Awards. That was just announced by show host Reba McEntire, and to a wowser of a yell of approval from the audience.

As of this writing there's no way to tell how much Carrie Underwood won by or who came in second, but it's a safe bet Carrie beat Taylor Swift.

But aside from Carrie Underwood's awesomely hot legs, she got a song that so matched her voice and style it's a 2010 hit: Cowboy Casanova. Here's the kick-ass music video:



But it wasn't just the legs, Carrie Underwood used New Media to advertise her desire for your vote. From the top of her YouTube channel to her website, CarrieUnderwoodOfficial.com, the words "click now to vote" were immediately visible.

And while Taylor Swift had the same notification and a funny video on her website, there was no such request on her YouTube channel and that may have been the difference.

I'll bet it was close.

Well, I like Taylor Swift's voice, but major congratulations to the newly engaged Carrie Underwood. She deserved it.

Stay tuned.

CBS.com/vote ACM Awards: Taylor Swift over Carrie Underwood's legs

The voting is closed at CBS.com/vote for the Entertainer of the Year at the 43rd Annual American Country Music (ACM) Awards. This blogger voted for Taylor Swift and after much consideration and musing. Why? Because her voice is just great. Swift's songs are a habit.

Taylor Swift is also, frankly, the least "country" of all of the entertainers and that includes the drippingly sexy Carrie Underwood.

Carrie's legs 

I've got to admit I was almost swayed by Carrie Underwood's music video about the "Cowboy Casanova;" those toned muscular legs of hers combined with that catchy tune almost made me switch from Taylor and vote for her, but I didn't.

Taylor Swift has a more mainstream sound that just plain rocks.

Yes, Taylor Swift's won a ton of awards and got a bunch of Grammys. Yes, Taylor Swift's still not apologized for that Swastika photo incident. Yes, Taylor Swift has her moments as a diva. But taken as a whole, Taylor Swift's just a person. But a person who can sing and produce her own content.

 Perhaps Taylor Swift's been overdecorated, but time will tell. For now, I'm backing Taylor Swift, regardless of how very hot Carrie Underwood's legs may be.

Ok, are.

Jay-Z and Beyonce at 2010 Coachella Music Festival (video)

Jay-Z and Beyonce brought the house down at the 2010 Coachella Music Festival Saturday night. Hip Hop Wired reports that fans got a big "disappointment" when Dr. Dre did not perform with Jay-Z, but all of that was forgiven when Beyonce, not a listed headliner, came out to the surprise of the 2010 Coachella Music Festival audience.

Dressed in country music female sex symbol star style - torn t-shirt that reads "Punk Ass Motherfucker," cowboy hat, boots, short "Daisy Duke" shorts, and long hair - Beyonce was nothing less than hot and at her soulful best, singing Forever Young.

Before she took the state to sing with her husband Jay-Z, Beyonce was hanging with some great company: California's First Lady, wife of Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger, and Twitter friend to this blogger Maria Shriver. (Interestingly, Bayonce's holding a can of Red Bull positioned so the words and logo on it can be picked up by photographers.

Yes, Beyonce is a supporter of Red Bull, which is at this point is far more tolerable to many than the Tiger Woods / Nike association (even though that didn't bother this blogger at all). It proves how powerful images can be and how they impact style, fashion and commerce. I'm surprised Beyonce's not holding a drink with her name on it.

Stay tuned.

MGMT at Coachella Music Festival pleases, but new stuff fails

MGMT is a group and a sound new to this blogger and just introduced at last week's YouTube Happy Hour at 111 Minna Street (video coming).

MGMT is a new group from Brooklyn that rose fast, having formed just outside of five years ago, recognized by SPIN Magazine three years ago, hit the British scene in two years ago, and got its first Grammy nomination this year, you'd be forgiven if you'd never heard of MGMT.

What drew me into MGMT was its pulsating, unmistakable, soulful sound. At the YouTube function I asked "Who's that?" and was told "MGMT." I was hooked.

MGMT's rocking, or perhaps given its sound pulsating, The Coachella Music Festival this weekend. Here's a video from their performance:



While MGMT pleased the Coachella audience, Billboard reports that the crowd wasn't too keen on some of their new material. The rule is don't mess with a good thing.

Stay tuned.

A YouTube tale: The Seattle Freeze

The video below, created using YouTube / Google's searchstories application, tells a story of a California marijuana addict who seeks to start a new life in Seattle. Along the way, it seems that person ran into something called "The Seattle Freeze."

If you recall the Super Bowl Google ad, it was essentially an introduction to Youtube.com/searchstories and told the tale of a man who meets and marries a French girl. Well, this video, shown below, is in that sprit:



What's interesting about the YouTube Seattle video is what it says about Seattle through the eyes of the video maker who's channel's called RyanNoir. Is it that hard to find love in Seattle? Is is easier than finding a job or an apartment? Why?

What's the Seattle Freeze? According to a video that could not be embedded here, an action which is a kind of social network freeze itself, so here's the link, Seattlites are described as being, well, cold. One woman says she doesn't give hugs to friends or family. I'm thinking, what the hell's wrong with her? That's just plain weird. Moreover, it's neurotic because of the weird misunderstandings it creates. People like that become their own worst enemies.

On Yelp, the Seattle Freeze has its own forum, where people write their experiences with what The Seattle Times calls "Our Social Disease" that for some on Yelp seems justified...

The Seattle folks seem passive -- but they're not -- they're cautious because of all of the apparent nutjobs out there. I've observed that these people don't respond well to being confronted on any level;, hence the incidents you read about in the Seattle papers about the "after the bars close" violence in this area that starts over very minor shit.

Learning more about The Seattle Freeze, it could just as much apply to San Francisco or Atlanta. I hear similar stories from transplants to Atlanta, and San Francisco has changed such that there's a large problem of anti-social behavior. I do find that people in Atlanta reach out far more than they do in San Francisco, but not as much as in Los Angeles or New York or Chicago.

The Seattle Freeze also applies to race. While there's no discussion of The Seattle Freeze from a racial persective, observation by this blogger is that people who practice this "freeze" in many cases have a few friends, and all of the same color. There's an indirect correlation between freeze behavior and diversity.

Perhaps that's why there's no "freeze" in Los Angeles or New York or Chicago.  People who exhibit that kind of fear of others in the end are the last to get good jobs or be really good friends to anyone.   A city's a reflection of the people within it.  The most dynamic and successful cities aren't the coldest ones socially.

Stay tuned.

World Cup Soccer coming to Barbacco in San Francisco

While Oakland's Lake Chalet is still this blogger's favorite restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area and followed by The Balboa Cafe in San Francisco, Barbacco, in downtown San Francisco, is moving up the list fast. Barbacco, owned by the same group that started Parbacco next door on 220 California Street near Front Street, is more in the style of a futuristic deli cafe that you'd expect to see in a Star Trek movie.

The lively Barbacco's the perfect place to watch The World Cup Soccer games starting in June. If you're going to go over there, I recommend visiting their website to reserve a table now Barbacco.com.

Now you may ask why do this blog post? Did anyone ask me to do it? No. Was I an official spokesperson for them as was the case for the Lake Chalet (which was my favorite place before they asked me to help them with New Media and of which I still enjoy after the engagement)? No. Was the video paid for? No.

I did the blog post just because every time I walk in to Barbacco or Perbacco  before it, the service and the food are excellent, the staff's really nice, and the owner, Umberto Gibin always greets me and has done so for years before he knew I blogged.

If I'm having a lousy day, Barbacco's a great pick-me-up. Plus, all of my friends raved about this place, so I had to try it.

Check it out.

NFL Draft : Jahvid Best of Cal's "concussion leak" news

Jahvid Best

Pro Football Talk.com found a story about California Running Back Jahvid Best that has an "unnamed source" who's a scout making a claim that Jahvid Best told him Best's still concerned about the concussion he sustained in the Cal - Oregon State game of last season.

In that game, Best tried to score a touchdown by jumping in the air. As Best did, he was hit sideways by an Oregon State defender and came down on his neck and shoulders. Best froze on the field, having suffered a concussion, and was taken to the hospital.

The article, by Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, lists the NFL Draft running backs who are "beaten up" and reports that Best suffered two concussion's in two straight games. After missing four games and a bowl game, Best decided to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. This is what I said then:



After a time it seemed the injury was behind him but this concussion leak is major. The scout said:

"Yeah, he's worried about it. Plus, he has a muscle going down from his neck to his leg that bothers him. That's my reservation on Best. He's coming in all beat up."

It's not the kind of news you want out there less than a week before the NFL Draft; this issue about the muscle is new.

That news caused ProFootballtalk.com to assert Best would be the last of the record number of 16 players to visit New York for the NFL Draft to be drafted. Some Draft watchers have Best falling toward the 2nd round and to the Detroit Lions. Based on his NFL Combine performance and ranking, this blogger believed the San Diego Charger should take Best, but that's far different that what they will do.

Stay tuned.

NFL Draft: Tim Tebow says Jerry Jones just having fun

In the latest NFL Draft news, Tim Tebow continues to show why so many people just plain like the quarterback. Asked about the now-famous rant by Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones that was caught on cell phone camcorder, where Jones said Tebow would "never get on the field," Tim Tebow gave a good natured response:

"I really haven't even thought about it. I don't even take that as an offense. He's just having fun."

Which may be Tim Tebow's christian way of saying, "Yeah, and when I play the Cowboys, I'm gonna kick their butts up and down the field." If you didn't see the video, here it is with my take:



Since then Jerry Jones has said Tim Tebow is an "outstanding" young man, but that the Cowboys don't have a need for a quarterback. Jones also said he has special feelings for former head coach Bill Parcells, now President of The Miami Dolphins Organization.

Parcells said he and Jones "talked it out."

Oakland Mayor's Race has ten candidates so far

See: city of oakland, mayor of oakland, ron dellums, jean quan, don macLeay, jean quan, greg harland, maya dillard smith, terrance candell

The City of Oakland, California Mayor's race is more crowded than you think. It's not just Don Perata, Don MacLeay, Oakland District 4 Councilmember Jean Quan, and Rebecca Kaplan. The Oakland Mayor's Race has ten candidates, nine of them fully known and the last one still largely "under the radar."

The full list of Oakland Mayor's Race candidates consists of incumbent Ron Dellums, Don Perata, Don MacLeay, Jean Quan, Greg Harland, Maya Dillard Smith, Terrance Candell, and an tenth person who's still not ready for prime time, but will be.

Ten choices for Mayor of Oakland, California.

This blogger just got off the phone with Greg Hatland, who's an Oaklander who graduated from Oakland High School in 1964 and lives close to California Attorney General Jerry Brown in the Oakland Hills. Hartland, who's website is at Harland4Mayor.com, decided to run for Mayor because Oakland has been a focus of crime for as long as he could remember and wanted to take action.

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Greg Harland, Maya Dillard Smith, Terrance Candell for Mayor of Oakland

The City of Oakland, California Mayor's race is more crowded than you think. It's not just Don Perata, Don MacLeay, Oakland District 4 Councilmember Jean Quan, and Rebecca Kaplan. The Oakland Mayor's Race has ten candidates, nine of them fully known and the last one still largely "under the radar."

The full list of Oakland Mayor's Race candidates consists of incumbent Ron Dellums, Don Perata, Don MacLeay, Jean Quan, Greg Harland, Maya Dillard Smith, Terrance Candell, and an tenth person who's still not ready for prime time, but will be.

Ten choices for Mayor of Oakland, California.

This blogger just got off the phone with Greg Hatland, who's an Oaklander who graduated from Oakland High School in 1964 and lives close to California Attorney General Jerry Brown in the Oakland Hills. Hartland, who's website is at Harland4Mayor.com, decided to run for Mayor because Oakland has been a focus of crime for as long as he could remember and wanted to take action.

Harland's worked to stay relatively quiet until his campaign kickoff on May 1st from 11 AM to 5 PM PDT at Alpha Omega Worship Center located at 8627 International Blvd, in Oakland (of course). He's offering a $10 steak dinner and a chance to win a $100 cash prize at his event.

Maya Dillard Smith is someone who said she was running for Mayor last year and approached this blogger to explain her intentions. Since that time, Maya Dillard Smith's established a Facebook page as her website called Maya for Mayor, but as of this writing has not announced an official kickoff event.

Terrance Candell calls himself "The People's Mayor" and has this video below where he has others calling the other Oakland politicians sell-outs, takes a not-too-veiled swipe at Don Perata, and ends with Candell saying "I'm Terrance Candell and I'm not for sale."



Other than a March 13th campaign meeting, Terrance has no scheduled events on his extensive website at Candell4Mayor.com.

So there's the almost full, and bound to get larger, list of candidates for Mayor of Oakland. Unfortunately, you only knew of a few of them; not any more.

Stay tuned.

The Oakland Salon Beatdown Video trial this month

The Oakland Salon Beatdown Video is back in the news as the trail starts in April. According to ABC News Channel 7 in the Bay Area, the pretrial hearing was held in Alameda County Superior Court, Department 104.

Melissa Seals is the owner of the Oakland hair salon where she was the focus of a brutal beatdown by not one, but six women in the spring of 2009. The women entered the salon and two started the attack while one made a video of it. They then stole her merchandise and raised the blinds so people walking by could see what they were doing, according to The Huffington Post.

Here's the ABC News video (Warning: it's graphic):



The ABC video reports that in 2010, 36-year-old Melissa Seals is suffering from Post-Tramatic Stress Disorder. One of the attackers is named Kavina Bryant, who attended the hearing. Bryant is the woman in the green sweat pants and blue halter top who does much of the beating of Seals.

Another woman, who Melissa Seals identifies as "Janilla Edgerton" (she has no Internet trail) in the video (with the red sweat pants) also hit and kicked her,and Seals said the woman's still roaming the neighborhood, even with an arrest warrant active on her. As of this writing and to this blogger's knoweldge, Edgerton has not been arrested.

Seals needs help. She's lost 75 percent of her clients, and as ABC was talking to her, someone from EBMUD turned off her water. The problem is other customers were scared off by the attack.

I don't have contact information for Melissa Seals; ABC News Channel 7 may. Seals does not have a criminal record so she can work at another salon with ease.

Stay tuned.

Crystal Bowersox almost quit American Idol; Ryan Seacrest steps in

American Idol singing sensation Crystal Bowersox apparently and understandibly could not handle the sudden fame and attention she was getting and nearly quite Idol a week ago.

But some sensible talk by American Idol host Ryan Seacrest talked Bowersox out of bailing.

According to TMZ.com, Crystal Bowersox broke down in a parking lot in front of several people after a show and asked "what's the point," but it wasn't clear what triggered her actions.

Ryan Seacrest, who from personal experience seems to be a level headed person...



stepped in and reportedly said Bowersox would get a contract and become a millionaire if she won Idol, adding "The greatest thing I ever did was make enough money so I could buy my mom a house. You can buy your mom a house."

That's a great reason to continue on American Idol. Crystal Bowersox remains; bravo to Ryan Seacrest.

Stay tuned.

Jerry Brown meets Richard Aguirre for California Governor, sort of

Richard Aguirre is an until now largely unknown Democratic candidate for Governor of California taking on California Attorney General Jerry Brown. In the video above, posted today April 17th, Aquirre walks in with the perfect activist-running-for-something attire of jeans, t-shirt, and pony tail, and expects to be taken seriously.

Richard v. Jerry at the convention

The result, even if that's his brand, is he's in a damaging video he posted on YouTube which shows him not being taken seriously. Richard Aguirre first challenges Jerry Brown to a debate in his speech, then allows himself to be shown yelling at Brown from the back of the ballroom at the California Democratic Convention.

After that, much of Richard Aguirre's camera time is spent on a not so merry chase of Brown around the convention, yelling for him to debate like a Chihuahua might bark at a Doberman Pincher.

Geez.

Finally Richard Aguirre gets to within reach of Brown, who keeps going without stopping, looking at him as if Brown was in a car going by roadkill. It was pathetic.

One thing. At least Jerry could have stopped and talked to the man much as San Francisco Mayor and Lieutenant Governor Candidate Gavin Newsom did. But even Gavin, in one gesture without saying it, said "Look at this guy."

If Richard wants to be taken seriously, he has to stop showing himself as a small person who's yelling from the back room at Jerry Brown and be a person who has videos at his own events and states his own platform for governor.

Stay tuned.

Danny Glover arrest for protest against Sodexo like Hugo Boss

Danny Glover

Actor Danny Glover's arrest at the US headquarters of French company Sodexo has got the Internet buzzing a bit, but it's not as bad as it reads and marks a new more intense sprit of activism for the legendary actor who was most recently in 2012.

Readers of this space may remember that Danny Glover called on male Oscar presenters like Sean Penn and Quentin Tarantino to boycott Hugo Boss suits before the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. His letter protested the clothing company's plans to close plants and lay off 300 workers.

In this case Glover's protesting Sodexo's alleged union-bashing practices, telling a crowd "We're here today to say no more to deplorable pay and working conditions." The protest was international in scope as it involved a French company, and the protesters consisted of both American and French workers.

Glover and several others were arrested after crossing a police line. But in all honesty and not to take away from the sprit of what Glover did, such arrests are always staged with the cooperation of local police officials.

I'm personally glad to see Danny Glover getting involved in politics, but while protests do bring attention to an issue, the common theme of demonstrations and arrests fall on deaf ears in a New Media era. If Danny Glover wants to make a real splash he should start a lobbying company and a political action committee.

Stay tuned.

Seattle International Film Festival Opening has "The Extra Man"

The Extra Man

This is exciting! The Seattle International Film Festival's Opening Night Gala on May 20th will be anchored by the presentation of the film The Extra Man. The movie was a hit at The Sundance Film Festival and at the Sarasota Film Festival just days ago. On March 29th, Magnolia Pictures inked a deal to distribute the film.

The Extra Man features Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) and Kevin Kline with appearances by Katie Holmes and John C. Reilly. It has Dano as Lewis Ives, a school teacher who has a love of wearing women's lingerie (Olympian Julia Mancuso, who has her own lingerie line, might find this interesting). Not surprisingly Ives loses his teaching job. Kevin Kline plays Henry Harrison, who works as an "extra man" who's an escort to rich, older women to parties and social affairs and who takes Ives under his mentorship as an aspiring playwright in New York City.

Here's a video introduction featuring the writers and directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini talking, in a quirky way, about The Extra Man.



The Gala will be held at the Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle, and feature a red carpet entrance for Paul Dano, Shari Springer Berman, and Robert Pulcini, and other cast members that were not specifically mentioned as attending. (Translation: Katie Holmes may show up, so get down there!)

The SIFF runs May 20th through June 13th. Visit the website at http://www.siff.net

NFL Draft: Conte Cuttino sleeper running back prospect

The NFL Draft always has it's share of sleepers and this year, one is Conte Cuttino. But before we look at Conte Cuttino, a brief review. In past NFL Drafts the classics were Notre Dame Quarterback Joe Montana, taken in the 3rd round by the San Francisco 49ers, and Tom Brady of the University of Michigan, taken in the 6th round as the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.

But real NFL Draft sleepers are players that come from small schools that go past the view of pro scouts. Like Marques Colston of The New Orleans Saints. Colston was taken in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft but ended up starting as a rookie. Now, Colston has his first Super Bowl ring.

This year, Conte Cuttino may be that sleeper. A video sent to me by my friend and NFL Draft colleague Bill Chackhes at Football Reporters Online and NFL Business Blog showed a running back that's shockingly quick.

Conte Cuttino's 5-9 and 200 pounds, runs a 4.4 40-yard dash, and played for Stony Brook University. He ran for 3,067 career rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. Here's the video:



There are a lot of YouTube videos about Conte Cuttino, so he's not far below the radar at all. 10 NFL team reps reportedly came to his pro day at Fordham University, and the Sun Sentinel blog writes that Conte is being compared to Dave Meggett, the New York Giants running back who played for Bill Parcells.

Conte Cuttino's one to watch. Stay tuned.