Sandra Bullock's baby "Louis" family matters -- Suzannah B. Troy

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Jesse James sad over Sandra Bullock divorce; will miss baby Louis

Jesse James said to People Magazine he's sad over Sandra Bullock's divorce from him and will miss baby Louis Brado Bullock. Jesse James said to People Magazine:

My whole life has been full of hard decisions. The decision to let my wife end our marriage, and continue the adoption of Louis on her own, has been the hardest. The love I have for Louis cannot be put to words. Not having him around to love and to hold has left a huge hole in my heart.

Sandy is the love of my life, but considering the pain and devastation I have caused her, it would be selfish to not let her go. Right now it is time for me to beat this addiction that has taken two of the things I love the most in life.

I have always taken great pride in proving people wrong. That time has come once again to show that I am not what everyone says I am. I know in my heart that I can be the best father possible to my four children, and the mate Sandy deserves, and realize that this is an incredible mountain to climb. But I believe that the steps I have taken in the last 30 days are the foundation for making this happen. The lifelong commitment I am making is what being a real husband and father is all about.

I ask that you please do not judge Sandy for the things I have done. She has done no wrong. She played no part in any of this. She has been an amazing wife, mother, and best friend, for the over 6 years we have been together.

Very sad to see that Jesse James and Sandra Bullock were not able to overcome his trespasses and maintain their marriage, but in some old sort of way, perhaps this is best for James.

Meanwhile, Sandra Bullock starts a new chapter in her life with baby Louis. But you've got to wonder of Ole Miss is going to come calling on him 16 years from now.

Something must be added here: Jesse James obviously has no standard racial issues if he was part of the adoption of Louis, who's black. Perhaps we can put that to rest.

And bravo to People Magazine for a brilliant Internet play!

Stay tuned.

Jeff Ireland: On Dez Bryant blast Dolphins GM called "A-list A-hole"

Dez Bryant's a Dallas Cowboys now and is able to look back on the horrible way he was treated during his path to the 2010 NFL Draft and by Jeff Ireland of the Miami Dolphins.

Just because Dez Bryant lied about his association with NFL Legend and NFL Network Analyst Deion Sanders, Dez Bryant was said to have "character issues". The media - except this blogger and a few others - picked up on it and sullied Dez Bryant. Fortunately Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones saw through the garbage to make Dez Bryant the Cowboys first round pick.

But in looking back Dez Bryant told this blogger's friend Yahoo! Sports Senior Writer Mike Silver that Jeff Ireland asked the young man if his mother was a prostitute. You read that correctly. Jeff Ireland reportedly apologized for the blast, presumably because it was made public, but the damage is just getting started in New Media. In a number of places Jeff Ireland's question would have earned a knuckle sandwich; only in an NFL interview can a person get away with that.

Mike Silver lowered the boom on Jeff Ireland calling the Miami Dolphins General Manager a "jerk" and an A-list A-hole." Silver quotes former NFL Lineman Kyle Turley:

"I don’t care who you are or who you’re talking to – that kind of question usually gets your [expletive] teeth kicked in," says former NFL lineman Kyle Turley(notes). "I mean, where do these people come from? That's just completely [expletive] classless and totally unprofessional."

And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should step in and stop this practice once and for all. Too many rookie players have been harmed by NFL team personnel staffers acting like knuckleheads. In an age of Twitter, YouTube, and blogs, Goodell needs to have these teams clean up their act.

Finally, was Silver within bounds? Yes. Jeff Ireland's a public figure. He's fair game. Mike Silver wasn't using a fake name either; he was rawly telling it like it is.

Good for Mike.

Louis Bardo Bullock - Sandra Bullock gives son Jewish circumcision

Louis Bardo Bullock is the name of Sandra Bullock's newly adopted black son from New Orleans. And as the World swoons over photos of happy mom and son, interesting news from the People Magazine exclusive interview are coming out. One is that Bullock gave son Louis Bardo a Jewish circumcision ceremony with "full on Jewish brit."

The rite of of circumcision is called brit milah and performed on the eighth day of a boy's life, according to ReligiousFacts.com, which reports:

Circumcision is commanded in Genesis 17:10-14 as an outward sign of a man's participation in Israel's covenant with God, as well as a sign that the Jewish people will perpetuate through him. The commandment is incumbent upon both father and child - fathers must see that their sons are circumcised, and uncircumcised grown men are obligated to perform the rite...During the ceremony the child is held by a person designated as the sandek, who is usually a grandparent or family rabbi. An empty chair is set aside to symbolize the presence of the prophet Elijah, who rebuked those who had forsaken the ritual. He now presides over all circumcision ceremonies to ensure the continuation of the ritual...Before the procedure, the infant may be given a couple of drops of wine to ease the pain. The mohel recites benedictions of circumcision, then the father offers the blessing.

What's interesting is that Sandra Bullock, isn't Jewish. Moreover, the mohel came to Bullock's home to perform the ceremony. (No word on the wine used.)

Sandra Bullock calls the private circumcision "the greatest moment I have ever had in my life" in People Magazine. Considering all the pain she's gone through with Jesse James in the cheating scandal, Bullock deserves more great moments.

Congratulations to her.

Sandra Bullock adoption, People Magazine, top Internet search

Related: sandra bullock adopts black boy, people magazine, sandra bullock baby, sandra bullock, bret michaels girlfriend

Sandra Bullock's adoption of 3-and-a-half-month old Louis Bullock, and People Magazine's exclusive story about it have topped Internet searches as of this hour. In fact, at this point the terms "Sandra Bullock adoption" and "People Magazine" are ranked one and two on Google Trends.

It proves that if traditional media captures an exclusive story and properly writes and installs it and distributes it online it can gain that kind of search placement.

The bet here is that People Magazine didn't deliberately know that was going to happen. But the reason it did happen, in part was that People Magazine's authors used the words "People Magazine" right in the body of the text about the Sandra Bullock adoption.

The result was to cause the name "People Magazine" to be boosted with links to the article and repeat mentions of People Magazine.

People Magazine has had exclusives on a number of hot stories, but never one where its name was ranked so high in a search.

Sandra Bullock update: Louis Bullock is adopted baby boy

Much as Sandra Bullock is getting a divorce from her husband Jesse James, Sandra's also becoming a new single mother to a baby boy named Louis Bardo Bullock according to People Magazine.

Louis is a 3-and-a-half month old, round bundle of bady boy joy that Sandra Bullock, 45, and Jesse James, 41, worked to adopt under secrecy four years ago. Louis was born in New Orleans, which means he's going to be a Saints fan since LA's lacking an NFL football team. But there's no word yet on who the original mother of Louis is or how he came to be Sandra Bullock's son.

In an odd way, Sandra Bullock's decision to adopt little Louis seems to both mirror her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side and perhaps explains why she went after the role of the wealthy white Memphis business woman who takes in homeless black Michael Oher, who then becomes a football star at Ole Miss and now plays for The Baltimore Ravens.

Very interesting art-and-life intersection. Stay tuned.

Sandra Bullock divorces Jesse James; has adopted baby boy

Related - sandra bullock baby, sandra bullock adoption, sandra bullock divorce, jesse james divorce, Michelle Bombshell McGee

Academy Award-winning Actress Sandra Bullock is divorcing her husband Jesse James after his alleged affairs became public, as did his interest in Nazi garb and other activities that caused some to ask if he was a closet white supremacist, as I explained in this video:



While Sandra Bullock was filming The Blind Side, for which she would win the Oscar for Best Actress, Jesse James was having an affair with Michelle "Bombshell" McGee. When it became clear that Jesse James was not leaving Sandra Bullock, Michelle "Bombshell" McGee went to tell her story to the tabloid Star Magazine for an alleged payment of $30,000.

The publication of that story sullied Sandra Bullock's Oscar glow and plunged her life into one colored by scandal as a parade of mistresses came out to say they slept with Jesse James, from Michelle "Bombshell" McGee, Melissa Smith, Brigitte Daguerre, and a fourth and fifth woman, one who reportedly was represented by a lawyer.

While Jesse James' life was being rolled out in an array of stories about cheating and his time at a sex-addiction clinic in Arizona (of all places) kept secret was the couples adoption of Louis.

Louis Bardo Bullock is a cute, 3-and-half month bundle of baby boy joy that People Magazine reports close friends and family knew about but kept a secret. Sandra will raise Louis as a single parent.

Stay tuned.

Sandra Bullock has baby -- Suzannah B. Troy

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/popwrap/bullock_baby_best_kept_secret_ever_jDqWqOhM5tkZWmRlWnYJgP

Folks, I found this on The New York Post and apparently she adopted a baby and it was the best kept secret yet in the Bullock -- James saga.  Go to link to see Sandra with her adopted baby.

Photos and more details including Bullock filing for divorce will be on news stands Friday in People and I am sure this edition fly off news stands based on the publics' interest in the girl next store and Oscar winning actress betrayed by bad boy husband.

Is Sandra Bullock  the next Angelina Jolie?

Greek Debt - Greece should suspend military spending

The Greek Debt Scandal is the news and Greece' economy is in trouble. The international credit crunch threw a spending choke chain around the World's 27th largest economy such that it's budget deficit and public debt have reached fantastic proportions.

A number of European countries are readying massive loan assistance programs to help in the Greek Debt problem, but given that Greece' credit rating is at a "junk" level there's no guarantee of a timely repayment

In the view of this blogger, the one best target is Greece military spending. It's 3 percent of the Gross Domestic Product; it should be reduced to one percent or less through a multi-year elimination of non-essential spending. Event if Greece has to go without a military save for paid soldiers, that move would make a large dent in spending.

The process of raising taxes from people who don't have jobs should be halted. Instead, Greece should dramatically increase tariffs on good imported.

The Greek Debt Scandal is threatening to plunge that country into a state of economic collapse. Greece does not need to spend money on war. Better to drop the system before its too late for everyone.

Stay tuned.

Tiger Woods mistress Joslyn James claims Tito Ortiz roughed up Jenna before post by Suzannah B. Troy

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/04/28/2010-04-28_jenna_often_hurt_sez_tiger_gal.html

This story just gets uglier with one of Tiger Woods' porn star mistresses Joslyn James stepping forward claiming she witnessed Ortiz roughing up Jenna Jameson on several occasions.  Read The New York Daily News article where Ortiz is quoted as saying he is innocent and Jenna Jameson is an addict and unstable.  Ortiz states he had to call the police in December to prevent Jameson from killing herself.

Ortiz has people standing up for him including his ex-wife who he also has kids with.
http://www.tmz.com/2010/04/27/tito-ortiz-ex-wife-kristin-ortiz-jenna-jameson-domestic-violence/

TMZ has been on top of this story from the get go even supplying "he said", "she said" video tape interviews as Ortiz was lead out of his home by police and Jameson later exiting with her father.

And just to add more confusion to this story TMZ has a post of Jenna Jameson contradicting herself
giving two different accounts of what went on....
http://www.tmz.com/2010/04/27/jenna-jameson-tito-ortiz-beating-arrest-video/

If you watch the TMZ series on this you will see Ortiz at a press conference and he states he is in fact innocent.  That he never laid a hand on her and in fact he has been supporting her dealing with an addiction to Oxycontin.  He is compelling.  Although Jenna's father is quoted in The NY Daily News article saying she is not addicted to anything but caring for her twin sons, in her book she describes what appears to be such an extreme addiction to a drug that she skin and bones and as I recall returns home to her father to be cared for by her family.

I have no idea how this story will be played out and if she was man handled or not.  I am sure we will hearing a lot more on Tito Ortiz and Jenna Jameson.

Oakland bar application for Golden Bear / Dapper on Grand is problem

The location at 389 Grand Avenue of what was once my favorite Oakland, California hang, The Golden Bear, has been closed for what seems to be about a year now. It was most recently called "Dapper" which was an odd name for a bar to this blogger. It was a nice place that seemed to cater to one type of young, black, Hip Hop-oriented audience.

Dapper had a weird vibe: if you weren't exactly and narrowly from that group, you could feel uncomfortable. It's almost like how Cafe Van Kleef in downtown Oakland has changed. It seems to fit a young, white grunge artist crowd and if you're not part of that group, it can feel weird.

But, I must confess to some interestingly fun one-night stands out of Cafe Van Kleef. Being bald is fun, but I digress.

Someone has filed an application to reopen Dapper bar and some residents in Oakland's Adams Point neighborhood are upset about it. One person just didn't see the reason for a bar there. I disagree.

Bars in the Grand Lake area have always served as the community gathering point. It's the one place that, if done right, can bring together young and old, and black and white and everyone in between.

The last place that did that was The Golden Bear under the legendary Cal Rugby Assistant Coach Jerry Figone. The Golden Bear served as that community gathering place, and there was no moment that more demonstrated that then after the Loma Pierata Earthquake in 1989. I was there, er, here.

I was supposed to meet a friend / client at The Golden Bear that October 17, 1989 day when I was basking in the glow of a Cal Masters Degree in City Planning and all that came with it. But on that day, degrees didn't matter. I had finally arrived at the Golden Bear after a confusing trek to get their using public transit: AC Transit.

BART was disabled due to systems checks. The earth shook, but I didn't know what happened. Some blind lady with a radio on the bus said the Bay Bridge collapsed. Of course, everyone thought she meant the whole bridge.

When I arrived at The Golden Bear, the whole neighborhood was there. Friends who lost their cars to falling bricks from who knows where. People who couldn't get to San Francisco. People laughing and crying. It was a wild scene.

In the middle of it all was Jerry Figone. Talking to everyone. Giving free drinks to those who didn't have money and encouraging others who had money to buy drinks for folks if they wanted them. But mostly people talked. And the coolest memory I have of that day is people who normally don't talk to each other as was the group nature of The Golden Bear at times - Hey, it was a Cal Bar, which is why I went there - suddenly did.

That was a great moment. For me it ended in exactly the way I wanted it to, and given my sentence about Cafe Van Kleef, you can guess what that was, stilettos and all.

Bars can bring people together. The only place that does that now is The Alley on Grand Avenue. I don't know what the person or persons has planned for The Golden Bear space, but I hope whatever it is, they bend over backwards to make it inclusive of everyone. The Golden Bear under Jerry Figone did that and Oakland needs that.

Iron Man 2 reviews are out: bad reviews have wrong take

Iron Man 2 is supposed to be released May 7th, but Jon Favreau is so confident in his second take on the story of a weapons genius and his famous exoskeleton that he let some so-called critics see it.

Thus, Iron Man 2 reviews are out, but while the reviews pan the movie, they are awful themselves. This blogger's never seen a set of reviews that seem so bent on finding something wrong they wind up becoming studies in nitpicking. As exhibit one, let's take The Hollywood Reporter (THR).

Kirk Honeycutt of THR does a lot of explaining that Iron Man 2 isn't logical without explaining why. We just have to understand his logic. But considering the Arizona Governor's decision to approve a horribly psychotic immigration law in that state, we have to be careful to trust anyone's logic now, even that of a movie critic.

What Kirk Honeycutt seems to miss is that Iron Man is grounded in a high level of realism. That Tony Stark is dying from his own creation has to cause some kind of emotional response from him. Trouble is Kirk Honeycutt doesn't tell us what that is. That's not right, because fans of Iron Man know the story, so it's a good idea for the reviewer to tell us what the movie is doing so we can at least know how it works. I can't tell that from Kirk Honeycutt's review.

Then there's Den of Geek, a cool-ass name for a website. But Simon Brew's review confused me. I can't determine if Simon Brew's telling me Iron Man 2 is better than the first, or the opposite.

But I'll give Den of Geek credit because, well, they're geeks. From that, Iron Man 2 seems just OK, but not at the level of The Dark Knight.

Frankly, I wasn't expecting that anyway.

Roch the Casbah

Arizona illegal immigration law invites psychotic behavior

Governor Brewer's creating a psychotic environment

That the Arizona illegal immigration law is psychotic is without argument. The law, approved by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, calls for the identification, prosecution, and deportation of those presumed guilty of illegal immigration.

 This is where the environment that invites psychotic behavior is created and why the law itself is psychotic. First, we must understand the definition of the word "psychotic."

To be psychotic is to have a "loss of contact with reality, usually including false ideas about what is taking place or who one is (delusions) and seeing or hearing things that aren't there (hallucinations)" according to a definition at Google Health. What's interesting and directly apply to the Arizona illegal immigration law and its drafters and implementers are the symptoms of psychotic behavior:

Abnormal displays of emotion
Confusion
Depression and sometimes suicidal thoughts
Disorganized thought and speech
Extreme excitement (mania)
False beliefs (delusions)
Loss of touch with reality
Mistaken perceptions (illusions)
Seeing, hearing, feeling, or perceiving things that are not there (hallucinations)
Unfounded fear/suspicion

"Abnormal displays of emotion" can be seen if one visits YouTube.com and searches for "arizona illegal immigration rally." The result has the first four videos from a rally by Nazi's or the "National Socialist Movement" showing the very "Abnormal displays of emotion" of those yelling "white power" and showing "unfounded fear/suspicion" by saying "We believe they should go back to Mexico and make their own country strong. This is out country." Here's one video:



That statement reflects not just "unfounded fear/suspicion" but "mistaken perceptions", "Loss of touch with reality", and "extreme excitement." Why?

Consider that a person could be an illegal immigrant and be from, say, Ireland. That has nothing to do with Mexico, but the man in the video is so out of touch with reality that he displays his mistaken perceptions and false beliefs.

Because of this the Arizona illegal immigration law becomes a tool with which a psychotic has license to be, well, psychotic. A psychotic can pick out anyone they believe fits their race-based fantasy of what an illegal immigrant looks like, totally passing by the Irish waitress and going for any person who the psychotic thinks comes from Mexico. To take the psychotic's possible actions to their logical conclusion such a person may try to make a citizen's arrest, and that would be an "abnormal display of emotion."

Clearly Arizona's got a problem. Moreover, the problem is its number of people showing psychotic behavior in crafting and passing the illegal immigration law. Governor Jan Brewer herself said on Fox News "We can't tolerate it. It's an invasion. An invasion of our country." I next expected Governor Brewer to yell "white power." Take a look at the video below and compare it to the video above several times, and note the "abnormal display of emotion" by both the Governor and the Nazi in each video:



In the video, Governor Jan Brewer sounds less like an elected official and more like a member of The Arizona Nazis. A very scary person exhibiting psychotic behavior.

If Governor Jan Brewer doesn't scare you in that video, well, maybe you're psychotic? Just being honest. Psychotic behavior is something one should work to remedy.  Thinking of someone as "the other" only causes problems for both you and the person who's the unfortunate target of your loss of contact with reality.

In my next blog post, we'll look at what remedies the Governor, and others, should use to get better.

Stay tuned.

Eric Berry on Tim Tebow and Deion Sanders at NFL Draft

This NFL Draft installment (thanks to the Inn at Irving Place, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World brand) comes from The NFL Draft Red Carpet - When Kansas City Chiefs NFL 1st Round Draft Pick Eric Berry was in high school he had the chance to meet NFL Legend Deion Sanders, but according to Pro Football Talk, Sanders "dissed" Berry, refusing the teenager's request.

When this blogger saw the PFT post, using video to have Eric Berry confirm or deny the claim seemed like a good idea. Eric Berry confirmed it on camera while making his way along the NFL Red Carpet before the start of The 2010 NFL Draft: "I don't want to call it dissing me or whatever. I grew up looking up to him. I just wanted an autograph. It was like 'dang'; it did hurt my feelings. I was in high school going to college and he was one of the player I loved to watch."

Berry explained that Deion Sanders has "said good things" about him on The NFL Network, but to that point had not openly apologized to him, at least there's no official record of such online. While at Radio City Music Hall, I saw a telecast of the NFL Network where Deion Sanders had mentioned Berry's complaint to fellow NFL Legend, Steeler great Rod Woodson, but there has not been a single search-friendly post to show that Deion gave Berry the "love" he deserves.

As for Tim Tebow, who Berry will face twice a year as Tebow plays for the Denver Broncos, Berry said Tebow was the player he's hit the hardest, but "I don't know what I was thinking. He definitely brings a load."

It will be a load of fun to watch them in years to come.

Rock the Casbah!

Jillian Michaels and Anthony Mackie on NFL Red Carpet

Anthony Mackie

This NFL Draft installment (thanks to the Inn at Irving Place, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World brand) comes from The NFL Draft Red Carpet - As part of its new primetime focus, the National Football League's 2010 NFL Draft had a Oscar like "red carpet" that has been mentioned in this space. But even after the NFL Draft, there's a vast amount of video to install. (No, the timing's not bad because the name keywords that are the personalities will become important at various points in time over the next few years.)

This video shows Jillian Michaels and her publicist having a kind of tug-of-war over whether to approach Jillians' adoring fans dressed in the latest Washington Redskins fanatic fashion. Jillian's followed by The Hurt Locker's Anthony Mackie, who played "Sergeant JT Sanborn."

Mackie, who's already well-recognized career got a booster with the Academy Award Best Picture win of The Hurt Locker, said that life was great: "I have a movie coming out in July called The Adjustment Bureau, and I'm on Broadway right now doing A Behanding in Spokane, so life is good."

I asked if The Hurt Locker was the kind of movie for which a sequel could be made. The ending of the Iraq War film was controversial, with "Sergeant First Class William James" (Jeremy Renner) returning to Iraq and to the same horrifying practice of bomb diffusion he presumably wanted to get away from. Mackie's answer was a definite "no:" "On no. Oh, we can. It's called 'Still Hurt'," he said with a chuckle.

Something tells me we're going for another round of The Hurt Locker.

Stay tuned.

Jenna Jameson domestic violence charge against Tito Ortiz - by Suzannah B. Troy

There is so much violence towards women and children and much goes unreported but not this story.  Jenna Jameson is taking action against her boyfriend who is a professional fighter and weighs over a 100 pounds more than she does...apparently he left bruises and Jameson is pressing charges.


Jameson is a ground breaking porn star who went from super star porn star to media mogul.  She sold Club Jenna to Playboy for mega-bucks although she won't disclose the exact amount.

She has twins boys with Ortiz but the bliss is over.   She called 911 and is pressing domestic abuse charges against her boyfriend Tito Ortiz, a UFC fighter, and father of the twins.






Tmz provides his and hers video.  Above his and here is the link to see Jenna with her Dad being interviewed by TMZ.  http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=7a9733bd-fff5-41b9-b3ec-130a1bd10dc7




She has had so much plastic surgery her face is almost unrecognizable which can be called "The Michael Jackson syndrome".

She is articulate and a savvy businesswoman.   I can't imagine she will be staying in this relationship.

Here is the link for information on the violent dispute.
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/04/26/2010-04-26_jenna_jamesons_boyfriend_tito_ortiz_charged_with_beating_her_up.html


And  who would not want to re-visit Oprah's interview with Jenna.   Oprah is like me when addressing adult issues so here is her interview with Jenna and it states for adult audience.
http://www.oprah.com/relationships/Porn-Star-Jenna-Jamesons-Career-and-Family/print/1



I am glad Jenna Jameson is pressing charges and I hope she inspires more women to step forward as well.

Stop the violence towards women!

Melissa Rycroft gives Tye Strickland Las Vegas weekend

Apparently someone's still buying in Las Vegas. It's was reported in US Magazine that Melissa Rycroft gave her husband of four month Tye Strickland a Las Vegas vacation. A weekend at the $1.8 billion Palazzo resort hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Las Vegas welcomes the business and the publicity. Hotel revenues have been down, as low as 4 percent at the MGM Mirage and the Las Vegas gaming business is weak, according to the Las Vegas Sun.

Melissa Rycroft's a 27-year-old Entertainment Tonight correspondent and former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. When she's not on ET, she also contributes to Good Morning America.

Craigslist size makes it mirror of society for better or worse

It's often that Craigslist, the website started by my friend and fellow blogger Craig Newmark, is visited, but it's not often that Craigslist become the most searched for keyword online. Today it is, and by a bunch.

There are three stories about Craigslist, and none of them having to do with actions the website itself has taken, but what others have done on it. Craigslist has become an online city, of sorts, reflecting both the good and bad of American (primarily) society.

In one story today, from The Wall Street Journal, a father, Joshua Stagnitto of Brooklyn, NY, tried to, of all things, sell his kids on Craigslist:

“Selling my kids on the Craigslist black market. I have two kids, two and one year old.”

In the other story today, The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that Oakland, California police are warning people about Craigslist robberies because there's been what the publication calls a "spate" of violent robberies done after someone posted an ad on the website.

This isn't something that pleases Craig Newmark, who in an interview with this blogger on the Future of Media (and worth seeing), said that Craigslist focus is customer service...



Craig doesn't like to talk about these problems on the record, but as a friend, I know off the record it bothers him and he's taken steps to curb the negative behavior that goes on in some areas of the site. Still, given the nature of the website, it's hard to perfectly manage. Craigslist draws hundreds of thousands, and at times millions of visitors a day.

But the last bit of Craigslist news of the day is that the site makes more money considering its staff size than any other site. That's not a bad thing: it means Craigslist is doing something right: being efficient.

Rock the Casbah!

Jerry Rice - NFL Hall of Famer's advice to rookies (video)

New York, NY - San Francisco 49ers (and Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, and Denver Broncos) NFL Hall of Fame Inductee Wide Receiver Jerry Rice shared his advice to 2010 NFL Draft rookies, especially those coming to The San Francisco Bay Area.

Rice says rookies should just "enjoy the moment. But also you've got to realize that if you're the 1st round draft choice, or the top five or top ten (pick) you've got to realize there's a lot expect of you. You're going to have to conduct yourself the right way to represent the NFL."

He added that choosing the right friends is important because "Everyone around you, basically, is not good for you. If they don't have your best interest at heart, they're not good for you."

There's a cultural adjustment that young black athletes from the South have to make in the diverse, pretentious, pedantic, self-important Bay Area that some times makes for an unhappy growth period.

Jerry Rice's said the best thing to do is, "just be yourself, man." Then Rice continued "Don't try to be someone else. I had that problem when I first went in (to the Bay Area). I'm a country boy. The way I talk. The way I do. And I had some people say 'Well I think you need to do this. You need to do that.' And then I lost myself for a second and then went back to being just that plain country boy."

The Country Boy Jerry Rice will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in July. It's a well-deserved honor for the greatest NFL player in history.

Stay tuned.

What Happened to Bret Michaels? - update

"What Happened to Country Music Singer Bret Michaels?" is the concern of America in the wake of The 75th NFL Draft. Bret Michaels, a guest on Celebrity Apprentice, is in critical condition as this blog post is written, according to his Facebook page. This is the statement:

Everyone at Michaels Entertainment would like to thank all fans and friends for their continued thoughts and prayers through this difficult time.

At this point Bret remains in ICU in critical condition. He is under 24 hour doctors care and supervision. We are hopeful that further tests will locate the source of the bleeding, which has still not been located. As we all know Bret is a fighter and we are hopeful that once all is complete the slurred speech, blurred vision and dizziness, etc. will be eliminated and all functions will return to normal.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Bret Michaels suffered a massive brain hemorrhage Thursday night, specifically bleeding at his brain stem, according to TMZ.com.

Michaels was a star on Celebrity Apprenticethis year.

2010 NFL Draft: Mr. Irrelevant Paul Salata wraps up the draft

New York, NY - The 2010 NFL Draft was history as Mr. Irrelevant Paul Salata announced that Tim Toone was the 255th and last selection of the Draft. Some brief thoughts as this blogger gets ready to leave New York City.

First, this was the best and smoothest NFL Draft I've had in the six years I've attended these events as part of the media. This all started as a kind of New Media experiment that at times took the NFL off guard with my live webcam show in 2007 and camcorders in 2006, but they're all used to that now, so it's easy for me to work.

The matter of who had the best Draft I've not come to a final conclusion but for now, it's the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders made economically smart draft picks, and did not overreach for anyone. They massively improved their defense and got a speed-burner wide receiver. Plus, they got another experienced quarterback in Jason Campbell. On paper, the Oakland Raiders are a much better team. I can't wait for 2010.

The 2010 NFL Draft players were all really nice and for the second time in as many years. The emphasis on character is showing in a group of men that really are people you like and respect.

More on that later. Still more videos to post!

Stay tuned.

The Inn at Irving Place luxury hotel best in New York City

New York, NY - The 2010 NFL Draft is history and the Zennie62 coverage and the trip would not have been a reality except for The Inn at Irving Place, a part of The Small Luxury Hotels of The World brand. The Inn at Irving Place is at 56 Irving Place in New York's Gramercy Park neighborhood. It's more like a bed-and-breakfast in the middle of Manhattan as you can see in my video at the 7:22 mark:



If you're planning a trip to New York, and I don't state this just because they've hosted this blogger, stay here. The Inn at Irving Place staff treated me like family.

My room, called Stanford White for you Cal Alums, was a welcome place to spend time making videos, writing blog posts, drinking wine, or just sleeping. I spent more time here than I have in any other hotel. When I had the choice, I stayed in my room. It's that comfortable.

What I also recommend is making reservations for their popular afternoon tea, and doing so days in advance, which I should have done. But next time.

The other gems here are the Vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine which is just below The Inn, on the left and the Martini Bar I tweeted about and visited on the right. I took my friend Mediatite Editor-At-Large Rachel Sklar to lunch at Pure Food and Wine and both of us - she Vegan, me not - loved the place. All together 56 Irving Place makes for the best stay I've ever had. I mean that.

If you're coming to New York for the first TechCrunch Disrupt conference. Stay here.

Stay tuned.

Jillian Michaels wants NFL Football in LA (video)

New York, NY - Super woman Jillian Michaals was on The NFL's first Red Carpet as part of the primetime version of the NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall Thursday night. With her publicist in tow (or was towing her, I can't tell), Michaels met the media, including this blogger for the second time that week.

(What was funny in the video was that her publicist wasn't sure if she could go over to sign autographs, but Jillian did so anyway.)

Michaels said she's becoming an NFL football fan and informs that she did not grow up with football because Los Angeles did not have a team (or maybe she wasn't paying attention when the Raiders were in LA because she was, maybe in her early teens at the time).

 Whatever the case, Jillian Michaels wants NFL Football in LA, and loudly said so in the video.

I told her about what Ed Roski was doing to bring NFL Football to LA, as explained to me here at The Leigh Steinberg Super Bowl Party in Miami:



So now, Ed should call Jillian and make her a spokesperson or vice versa. The website is Los Angeles Football Stadium.com

Stay tuned.

Sexy Jillian Michaels on strong women (video)

This NFL Draft installment (thanks to the Inn at Irving Place, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World brand) comes from New York, Central Park and the NFL Play 60 event - Sexy Jillian Michaels, star of The Biggest Loser, was a guest of The NFL as part of their NFL Draft festivities including the NFL Play 60 event.

When Jillian wasn't talking about fitness tips she was hobnobbing (or is it flirting?) with some of the NFL's future stars. Michaels stopped to talk to this blogger about why strong women like herself were suddenly mainstream in society.

Michaels says the younger generation sets the tone for this change with "women like Venus and Serena" and in politics Madeline Albright and Condoleezza Rice visible and active. "Having strong women in every field whether its athletics or politics or medicine has been a huge source of motivation."

Jillian Michaels

Jillian Michaels does not think men are the problem when it comes to any remaining lack of acceptance of strong women, and says her guy friends are supportive, but points to women not supporting each other as "the last frontier of feminism," saying, "It's up to us girls to get behind each other. Support each other." Michaels then says that is happening, just that it needs to happen more often and is a big part of why strong women are more mainstream.

Jillian Michaels points to California First Lady Maria Shriver and TV personality Suze Orman as her mentors (Notice the Republican references? well Maria's really a Democrat but her husband California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is Republican.)

Michaels herself makes efforts to help women in the entertainment industry and in sports and "make sure that I'm there for them."

Jillian Michaels' big break

Jillian Michaels said the opportunity for The Biggest Loser was brought to her and she really didn't want to do it because she hated the name of the show and didn't want to do reality TV.

Now that The Biggest Loser is a success, she says there are some of the players she's kept in touch with out of the hundreds of people, like her favorites Julie Haddon, Michelle Aguillar, and Sam from Season Nine who's "still in the mix."

Jillian Michaels' is fun

Jillian Michaels was an NFL Draft great time and a ball of energy who loves to connect with people. I personally did not know about her controversial statements about pregnancy, where she said "I can't handle doing that to my body," but this blogger knows a number of women might agree with her. Some women fear childbirth. At 36, perhaps it's Jillian's compensating for not finding the right relationship, settling down, and starting a family. Some women adopt. Just a guess. But then I'm a guy.

Whatever the case, and as you will see in the next post, Jillian's a fun-loving person who loves to connect with people.

Rock the Casbah!

Tiki Barber on The NFL Draft, NY Giants, and an NFL lockout (video)

This NFL Draft installment (thanks to the Inn at Irving Place, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World brand) comes from New York, Radio City Music Hall - New York Giants Football Legend Tiki Barber took time to talk with "Dr. Football" and Football Reporters Online and NFL Business New Blog Managing Partner Bill Chachkes and this blogger as video-blogger on the state of New York Giants Running Backs after the 2010 NFL Draft.

Barber and Chackhes

After being drafted in the second round ("almost first" he said to Chachkes) from Virginia in 1997, New York Giants Running Back Tiki Barber retired at the end of the 2006 postseason as the Giants all time leader in yards rushing and catches.

Barber almost immediately rose to media stardom as a correspondent for NBC's Today Show and Football Night in America. Barber is a legend among NY Giants fans, so it was fitting that one of New York's biggest Giants fans, Bill Chachkes talked to Tiki.

Barber was at the NFL Draft representing Yahoo! Sports and "just covering what's going on here," he said. "Feeling the vibe of some of the teams."

Barber observes that the NFL's "hype-filled" machine works to raise an incredible level of interest and awareness of the NFL Draft and builds the expectations of the college players and fans to equally high levels.

The NFL Draft Running Back Class

Tiki thinks there are "four or five guys" who are going to make it; he named four: San Diego Chargers' Ryan Matthews, Buffalo Bills' C.J. Spiller (who both Chachkes and Barber thought would be a New York Giant), Detroit Lions' Jahvid Best, and Minnesota Viking's Running Back Toby Gerhart.

On Gerhert: "he goes to Minnesota. Watch Adrian Peterson run. He pounds people, but he's a finess guy, a speed guy. Now with Toby Gerhart, they're going to have a formidable rushing attack. It's exciting to see what's happening with the Vikings. Now, defenses are never going to get a break. Adrian's more of a slasher-type running back. Toby? He wants to be bloodied.

Barber compared C.J. Spiller to himself:"He can return kicks. He's going to be used on 3rd down. Then they'll line him in the "I" and get some every-down carries."

Barber thinks the NFL's close to a 2011 Lockout

Asked about the possibility of a labor strike or "lockout", Barber answered in the affirmative: "It's a lot more dire than people want to pay attention to. The league and the players are very far apart in their demands and their comprehension of the issues is so completely different. And until something can bring them closer together we're in significant danger of having a lockout."

Barber and Bill agree that a lockout would wreck the NFL, much as it did hockey in America. Barber asserts that America will not be sympathetic to the needs of "athletes making tons of money."

Bill and I thank Tiki for taking the time to make this video at the NFL Draft.

Stay tuned.

John Skelton to Arizona Cardinals in NFL Draft from Fordham

John Skelton

This NFL Draft installment (thanks to the Inn at Irving Place, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World brand) comes from New York, Radio City Music Hall - Fordham Quarterback John Skelton (shown), who this blogger's NFL Draft colleague "Dr. Football" Bill Chachkes says has "the most powerful arm in the draft", was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Chachkes was the first draft blogger to recognize Skelton's talents at Fordham University. In an October 24th entry on the Zennie62 Network's NFL Draft Magazine, Chachkes wrote:

Most people do not look at the NYC area as a breeding ground for NFL level talent, but if you look hard enough, you can find players will do more then just make a roster at the next level. The very first player you notice when you talk about NYC (New York City) area players is Fordham University’s talented Quarterback John Skelton.

John Skelton is 6-5 245 pounds and passed for over 6,000 yards in his college career at Fordham University. Bill wrote that John Skelton was "lighting up the competition, with consistant performances of well over 300 yards every game."

Jason Campbell to Oakland Raiders moves Jamarcus Russell

New York, NY - Jason Campbell goes to the Oakland Raiders, who picked up his contract and added a year, according to ESPN. Campbell moves Jamarcus Russell to second starter or third as the Raiders head into training came.

The Raiders move also mates Jason Campbell with Oakland Raiders Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson, who developed Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Joe Flacco into one of the NFL's most dangerous passers in his first year of play.

Jason Campbell wasn't promised the starting job at Oakland, but with Hue Jackson installing a new offense, neither Jamarcus Russell or quarterbacks Bruce Gradkowski, Kyle Boller,or Charlie Frye has a true advantage over him.

Meanwhile the Oakland Raiders are suddenly wealthy at quarterback.

What Jason Campbell brings to the Oakland Raiders is a Jamarcus Russell-level arm, great mobility, excellent pocket presence and experience. But Campbell's also essentially going into his ninth different offensive system and 10th offensive coordinator. With questions about his work ethic, starting for the Raiders is no guarantee.

Jason Campbell's got to compete for the role.

Thaddeus Gibson going to Steelers; a Colts fan on Twitter

This NFL Draft installment (thanks to the Inn at Irving Place, part of the Small Luxury Hotels of The World brand) comes from New York, Radio City Music Hall - Ohio State's defensive end/linebacker Thaddeus Gibson was just drafted by The Pittsburgh Steelers, but Gibson's a Colts fan according to his Twitter account @ThaddGibb:

Love them colts
2:37 PM Jan 24th via Twitterrific

It's hard to tell much from @ThaddGibb on Twitter because he doesn't tweet much. What Thaddeus Gibson does is hit people. He's 6-2 240 pounds and had 82 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 interception in his college career.

In Thaddeus Gibson the Pittsburgh Steelers got a guy who is fast. He ran a 4.58 in the 2010 NFL Combine and was a top performer in several other areas. NFL DraftScout reports that he can handle the double-team and reads and reacts to plays well.

Bill Chachkes says Gibson's a "solid inside pass rusher. Better inside than outside. Might be converted to tackle."

The only game Thaddeus Gibson needs to improve is his Twitter game; it's awful.

Stay tuned.

Kirk Morrison on Twitter: happy with Jacksonville Jaguars

Radio City Music Hall, New York, NY - The Oakland Raiders traded Linebacker Kirk Morrison to Jacksonville and to the Jacksonville Jaguars. From the read of his Twitter account @kirkmorrison52, Kirk Morrison's happy to be in Jacksonville, tweeting...

Good Morning. I'm a Jacksonville Jaguar
about 2 hours ago via UberTwitter

And putting the Jacksonville Jaguar logo on his account. That was fast, but equally fast was how future teammate and current friend Jacksonville Running Back Maurice Jones-Drew greeted him on Twitter...

RT @Jones_Drew32: New addition to the jag family @kirkmorrison52 he's a great friend and person. Congrats bruh
about 2 hours ago via UberTwitter

Kirk Morrison was part of a deal the Raiders made to get super-fast WR Jacoby Ford who reportedly once ran a 4.1 40-yard dash. Also drafting Rolando McClain in the first round made Morrison expendable.

More on Jacoby Ford later.

Rock the Casbah!

2010 NFL Draft: Taylor Mays Pete Carroll's first draft mistake

New York, NY - Going into the 75th 2010 NFL Draft it seemed that for new Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll drafting the safety Carroll brought to USC from Seattle, Taylor Mays, would have been an obvious expectation. Pete Carroll won championships with Mays and knows what he can do for a defense. Carroll asked him to do it.

But for Pete Carroll to draft a safety he does not know, Earl Thomas, ahead of Taylor Mays in the 2010 NFL Draft means a number of things, none of them good. First, it means Carroll thought Earl Thomas was better than Mays, even though he coached Mays. Period. That's an insult to Mays.

Second, it means Carroll may have misled Mays into thinking he was going to be a high draft choice in the NFL Draft and if ESPN's account is accurate, a possible pick by the Seattle Seahawks.

That Taylor Mays didn't go in the first round and not to Seattle is a horrible way of going against the expectations Pete Carroll set up for Mays.

Third, it calls into question Pete Carroll's integrity: can Coach Carroll's word be trusted? That opens a door to a possible look back at USC and what Carroll did there versus what he said he did.

Pete Carroll made a terrible error in judgement. Pete's got to know that at this level of football the one action that's under a complete microscope and more so than in college is the establishment of a personnel base. At the NFL level, college students are rock stars so how they're treated becomes part of pop culture news, fast.

Right now, Pete Carroll's a part of that and how he handled Taylor Mays is front and center. (Moreover, Carroll's comments in the LA Times, overemphasizing Earl Thomas, only rub salt in the wound.) Pete's got to look in the mirror and ask himself how he wants to be regarded by the people one would think mean the most to him outside his family: the players he recruited. If Taylor Mays is any example, Coach Carroll's developing an enemies list. And in Mays case, in playing for the San Francisco 49ers, Carroll will feel the impact of his decision this NFL season.

Stay tuned.