Daddy's Girls

Now that the euphoria of the season finale has finally set in, here's a picture showing the winners of the competition. There's still no name as of yet, but apparently Diddy was on TRL and said that the cameras will once again be rolling to follow these ladies as they try to make it big.

Clockwise from top left: Aubrey, Shannon, Aundrea, Dawn, and Wanita (in the center)



And if any of you are looking for more up-to-the-minute news on the group, check this site out. It's got links to everything from info, icons, music, whatever.

5 Random Musings

1. Serenity, the theatrical follow-up to the most excellent sci-fi western, Firefly, is now available on DVD. On an earlier post, I mentioned how great Firefly was, a sad testament to the lack of foresight of television executives. Check out Firefly: The Complete Series on DVD, and then go buy Serenity right after that. Great entertainment, and if nothing else, enjoy the work of adorable (and sadly married) Jewel Staite, who plays ship engineer Kaylee Frye.

2. For those of you wondering where the hell "Scrubs" has been so far this television season, have no fear. On Tuesday, January 3rd at 9:00pm on NBC, the show returns with not one, but TWO new episodes for your viewing pleasure. Reunite with J.D., Turk, Eliot (hopefully, despite getting that fellowship last season), and The Todd (high five!) for more mad-cap hijinks at Sacred Heart.

3. For the person who has everything, consider this as a wonderful (albeit, expensive) Christmas gift: The Complete Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson. This collection contains every single Calvin & Hobbes comic strip ever made during its far-too-short run between 1985 and 1996. Enjoy the wonderful world of imagination that Calvin, the precocious and troublesome child, and Hobbes, his wide-beyond-his-years pet tiger, inhabited. This was a truly amazing comic strip, so smart, funny, and sweet, but make no mistake. This was geared for older audiences, given that Calvin was named after John Calvin, a proponent of predestination, and Hobbes came from Thomas Hobbes, the philosopher with a dim view of human nature. Throw in some sweet yet sarcastic parents, a fearless babysitter, Suzie Derkins, Spaceman Spiff, Tracer Bullet, and Stupendous Man, and you got yourself a holiday present that will last a lifetime.

4. Are you a Jim Carrey fan? He is a very polarizing figure, but if you are in the camp that has written him off as an annoying actor/comedian best known for talking with his butt cheeks, I implore you to give him another chance. In addition to his initial run of low-brow comedies, he has tackled some truly exceptional roles that have clearly shown his range as an actor. Think of The Truman Show, Man on the Moon, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Which brings me to this theory that I've had for some time. If you look at Jim's filmography, you might find a very peculiar trend in that many of his roles have involved differing levels of identity crisis. Bear with me, here. The Mask, Batman Forever (as The Riddler), The Truman Show, The Cable Guy, Man on the Moon, The Majestic, Me Myself & Irene, Bruce Almighty. All of these movies involved roles where Carrey's character had dueling or multiple personalities/personas, and I wonder if there is something going on in his head about his own identity that draws him to such roles. Remember when he accepted an award at the MTV Movie Awards as Jim Morrison? I think the guy has identity issues, perhaps stemming from his childhood when his family was so poor that they lived out of a van. His story is like Jewel's, only worse (the singer, not the Firefly actress). It doesn't seem that unrealistic that he's been using comedy and film to repress that childhood identity by supplanting it with a variety of identities through television and film. The point I'm trying to make is that Jim Carrey is great. And he has a new film coming out, Fun With Dick and Jane. Wouldn't be surprised if identity issues are involved there as well. Alrighty, then...

5. Finally, in a recurring tradition, TBS on Christmas Eve will run "A Christmas Story" for 24 hours continuously. If you haven't seen this holiday film, you're missing out. One boy's quest to get a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas is sidetracked by bullies, a heartless shopping-mall Santa, secret decoders from Ovaltine, soap in the mouth for swearing, a lamp shaped like a lady's stocking-ed leg, and Peking Duck for Xmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant ("Deck the harrs with bows of horry, fah rah rah rah rahhhh, rah rah rah rahhhh..." Even I think that's hilarious). Merry Christmas!

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I felt I had to comment on this briefly, what with the subject of hair on my mind.

Johnny Damon, center fielder for the Boston Red Sox, just signed a 4-year $52 million dollar deal to play for the (gasp!) New York Yankees. Not only is Damon entering potential "traitor" status by crossing over to the Evil Empire from the Bosox, he has also compromised his grooming ideals to conform to George Steinbrenner's rules. Just look at the transformation, they're probably still cleaning up the shorn locks off the floor of the barber shop he went to:



This is a sad day for hair enthusiasts. Long live Danny Haren and Bobby Kielty, the "hair" apparents to the throne. Let's Go Oakland!

The Power of the 'Stache

Case Study #1: Jake Plummer, quarterback of the Denver Broncos

After leaving Arizona State University, "The Snake" found his way to the Arizona Cardinals, where he languished in mediocrity for several years. Plagued by consistent inconsistency, Jake never seemed to live up to the potential that he hinted at in college. Fast forward to 2005, Plummer's second season with the Broncos, in which Denver has elevated itself to the upper echelon of NFL teams, being mentioned in the same breath as teams like Indy, New England, and Cincinnati. How did this occur? Continued success with the running game? Young receivers stepping up their game? Defensive upgrades from the Cleveland Browns? None of the above. Only a picture can convey the power of Denver's signal-caller.



It's a little bit pornstar, it's a little bit child molester. It had evolved into a beard, but then he mysteriously shaved it all off, prompting a level of fan outrage that could only provoke this sort of response. Behold the true secret weapon of the Denver Broncos.


Case Study #2: Adam Morrison, star forward for the Gonzaga Bulldogs

For several years, Gonzaga's men's basketball team has found tremendous success on the court, never moreso than during the NCAA Tournament. Sometimes playing the role of Tourney Cinderella, they have consistently ruined March Madness brackets, whether it be for continual doubters or for optimists thinking they could go to the Final Four every year. This year, they are unable to slip under the radar, for they have garnered a great deal of attention due to #3, the current scoring leader in the NCAA. At just over 28 ppg, Morrison has been racking up comparisons as the "next Larry Bird" with each successive performance. None was bigger than the Zags' come-from-behind victory vs. Oklahoma State, when Morrison banked in a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds remaining to put the Bulldogs ahead to stay. He's a big-time player, willing to take the money shot, and he's being considered as the best player in the nation, no disrespect to UConn's Rudy Gay or Duke's J.J. Redick. How has he been so incredible this year? Did he work out harder in the offseason? Add more skills to his repertoire? Mentally prepare himself for the role of team leader? Yes, yes, and yes, but when he walked into the gym for his first practice of the new season, I'm sure it wasn't any of these intangibles that made his teammates stand up and take notice. No, he had visible proof that he was ready to take his game to the next level:



Hard to see, huh? That's not necessarily because the picture's small. Here's another shot, a bit larger:



See what the problem is? The mustache, or "crustache" if you will, is creepily under-developed. It is like when I was in high school, before I realized that I needed to occasionally shave, when my brother alerted me to the fact that I had a slightly nasty, patchy upper lip. Only, Morrison's got it, knows it, and flaunts it. There has been plenty of discussion about the mustache, yet none of the predominantly negative comments have fazed him. It's there in all its glory, game in and game out. My friends, Adam Morrison is apparently the reincarnation of Samson, the biblical figure whose strength was a result of his flowing locks. The key to defending Morrison? Man-to-man defense with a Mach 3 razor in your hand.

I wish I could grow a mustache.

For those of you feeling mustache withdrawal after these two examples, go here for a great list of facial bliss. By the way, now that I'm on vacation, I will hopefully post the entries that I wanted to during finals but could not find the time to do. Happy holidays!