Monthly Archives: March 2015
Pandemonium’s Playground is Open
A tornado unlike anything you’ve ever seen before is coming…
No, not that one. Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! will premiere on July 22nd at 9 p.m. ET on the Syfy network.
This tornado is filled with colossal upsets, trending dunks, dancing mascots and buzzer-beaters is finally touching ground in basketball arenas all across the United States today. March Madness, the wildest sports tournament in existence, is tipping off for the final 64 teams after a few teams were required to take an entrance exam for admittance earlier this week. From coast-to-coast, American companies will experience its lowest output for the year.
However, employee excitement levels will be off the charts.
Nobody has figured out an algorithm that is perfectly compatible for this tournament during any given year. That’s probably why sports fans anxiously await this momentous occasion. Any person has a shot at predicting correctly. The rationales for picking Team X or Team Y between Person A and Person B can see a variance as gaping as the Grand Canyon. And more surprising is that logic can and will only determine some of the results. The nature of March Madness is exactly that: madness. Therefore, each person’s bracket needs to have a few major upsets. There should probably be a Cinderella run by a mid-major. Mascot superiority and jersey colors will be determining factors. A few top teams will play exactly as expected. A 16-seed will never win.
As crazy as it reads, I strongly believe that a 16-seeded David will slay a Goliath sometime in the next few to several years. When this happens, the tournament will be deemed certifiably mad.
For some fun, listed below are a few highlights from my bracket:
- Every Iowa school (#7 Iowa, #3 Iowa State, #5 Northern Iowa) will win at least its first round game
- #11 The Dayton Flyers will see good fortune playing in Ohio, specifically in nearby Columbus
- #1 Duke and #2 UVA will meet in the Final Four for an epic ACC clash
- #7 Wichita State will shock the world and bring the entire state of Kentucky to tears en route to another Final Four
- #1 Wisconsin v #4 UNC will be must-see television
- The Arizona Wildcats will officially return to the college basketball summit by winning the 2015 National Championship with Sandra Bullock (“that wildcat behind the wheel”) sitting court side
Jim Nantz: You’re on.
The Optical Delusion of Arsenal’s Arsène
New career need: Reality Translators.
Leaders in the modern world continue to view black and white situations in clouds of utter disbelief. From business leaders to politicians to presidential wannabes to ship captains to sports figures to members of the media to celebrities and so on and so forth, far too many people in positions of power and influence just cannot admit failure and concede defeat. There’s always a caveat and the end result can never make that individual look poorly, entitled or (dare it be written), wrong. To say it’s frustrating to watch this continuous spectacle would be a massive understatement.
It would be like trying to claim victory after a loss.
The latest example of this impenetrable manager in today’s society is Arsenal’s head coach Arsène Wenger. The Gunners’ UEFA Champions League woes during the past several seasons (as predictable as rain in England) continued yesterday after the underdog squad from Monaco advanced to the quarterfinals of the most prestigious club tournament in the world. Scoring 3 away goals in a shocking 3-1 victory at Emirates Stadium in London a couple weeks ago was enough padding to advance following a 2-nil loss at home against the relentlessly firing Arsenal.
Make no mistake about it, this was a spectacular upset. David v. Goliath. Even with Arsenal’s recent troubles in Champions League play, losing to Monaco was never supposed to happen…and this includes on PlayStation and Xbox.
And what was Arsène Wenger’s reaction after suffering a major upset against the club he managed more than 20 years ago? BBC Sport got the most telling reaction.
Asked if Monaco deserved to progress, Wenger said: “I don’t believe so.”
“If you look at the number of shots on target they had you will be surprised. Every defeat hurts but we didn’t lose.”
Yes, you did.
(FYI – Mr. Wenger: In soccer, it doesn’t matter how many shots are on target, it matters how many goals go in the net).
In a word, the Frenchman is delusional. Let’s add a couple more words: discourteous and unprofessional. Soccer is fluid, unpredictable and ripe for the unthinkable to happen and this tie (soccer slang for 2-game series) proved why games need to played and not predetermined on television. His team lost and Monaco won, pure and simple. It’s long past the point where listening to these sincerely unbelievable explanations by leaders in power who fail or mislead people is genuinely dispiriting.
Just ask fans of Arsenal and Monaco.
Double Oh Yes
If you like a particularly famous British spy and dinosaurs (who doesn’t?), then then this blog post is perfect for you.
LEGO’s have had a surreal second life the past several years, amazingly different than the 1980s and 1990s. Long gone are the generic space ships, underwater settings and Old West corrals. No, the trend is to market and manufacture directly with famous brands and brand names like the Man of Steel, Batman, Pirates of the Caribbean and so forth. There are even miniature sets of the Sydney Opera House, for the more cultured adult.
Beyond the physical connective toys, its incredible theme park with multiple locations around the world, LEGO has successfully expanded into multimedia platforms, such as television (Star Wars), movies (The LEGO Movie) and video games.
Having been joyfully drawn back into all things LEGO by my nephew (including all of the offerings mentioned above), it seems appropriate that I drag him into a world unlike any other. It just took a certain movie being made for this summer to jump-start our imaginations all over again:
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The new poster has been rolled out:
(James Bond, Twitter)
November 6, 2015 is the theatrical release date, but this first teaser poster for Daniel Craig’s fourth film as James Bond that was recently released is the latest proof to the modern reality that blockbusters-in-the-making have tremendous and anticipatory fan followings given that today is only March 17, 2015. Spectre is, in fact, right in the middle of filming. And the buzz builds each day. Craig’s track record as 007 has been highly lauded and combining his skills as Bond with picturesque filming locations that have been disclosed by director Sam Mendes and the Broccoli family, Spectre is continuing to gain momentum as a genuine must-see cinematic adventure.
Dinosaurs, exotic destinations, LEGO’s, adventure, suspense, mystery, beautiful women and that perfectly mixed martini.
2015 will shake, not stir, the movie landscape.
P.S. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy Monday!
The Killers killed it.
Last year’s March Madness song came courtesy of the hit, “Shot at the Night” from the Las Vegas rock quartet. It was perfect. And after last night’s exciting bracket reveal, the Killers’ pump-up video from 2014 still holds today for its motivational and inspirational qualities. Before this tournament’s song is debuted in a matter of days, let’s start this magical week with a look back at an instant classic.
Take a Crazy Shot This Week!
Jimmy's Daily Planet 