Michael Jackson dies at age 50

http://www.edmontonsun.com/entertainment/2009/06/25/9936706.html

Michael Jackson dies at age 50

http://www.edmontonsun.com/entertainment/2009/06/25/9936706.html

Michael Jackson dies at age 50

http://www.edmontonsun.com/entertainment/2009/06/25/9936706.html

Saved By the Bell Reunion

So apparently Jimmy Fallon is trying to reunite the cast of “Saved By the Bell” on his show to celebrate its 20th anniversary…

And if you’d asked me about this a year or so ago, I would have been jumping for joy, but now, I think it’s a terrible idea and I hope it doesn’t happen.

Why? Because Dustin Diamond is a jerk who doesn’t deserve any publicity whatsoever.

And I fear that even being anywhere near that guy could seriously tarnish the rest of the cast—especially Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez, who are flying pretty high these days…

Having talked to Gosselaar, I can tell you that he still has a lot of affection for the show, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he agreed to do it to please the fans of the show. But it honestly would pain me to see him anywhere near Diamond. And you know that Diamond would make the appearance all about him and it would be a total embarrassment for everyone involved.

Of course, maybe that’s why Fallon is pushing for it…

If you saw Diamond on “Celebrity Fit Club,” you know exactly what I’m talking about. And yes, I realize it was all just for show, but it was still terrible. Anyone who makes Kimberley Locke cry, is not someone I care to watch.

If you could just reunite the cast minus Diamond, that would be great. But that would honestly be a little unfair to the fans since it isn’t the whole cast. Now, if he decided not to show up, that would be different.

But we all know that won’t be the case…

You can sign Fallon’s online petition here, but I say don’t encourage him…

http://media.herald-dispatch.com/blog/tuned/2009/06/why-saved-by-bell-reunion-is-bad-idea.html

Old Church Choir singing hip hop

This may be one of the top five videos I have ever seen. I still laugh when I see this – Old Church Choir getting fresh lol

Richard Pryor – not an American Icon

Teachers like my brother in law works very hard. His paycheck is about $42,000 a year. My sister Debbie, who he married, has been a social worker for 25 years. Her income, around the same. Many people like them make a difference in the world. They help the needy. They teach our children. I could sit here all day and name all the good them and others do. They are true icons in the lives of people.

Richard Pryor has become an “icon”. Why? What did he ever do useful? Yes, he was funny in his area of comedy. But what did he truly do? Well, let me list what he did below.

He was married seven times – not something to be proud of

He took drugs and caught himself on fire – okay and that is neat because?

He called fellow blacks the “N” word – how nice

He almost killed a man

Yes, what an icon. An icon to whom? People with drug problems? Pryor life was filled with dope, abuse toward women and a life of crime. Why we celebrate him as “great” or a hero is beyond me.

Play with women – you can’t beat men, get over it

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090513/ap_on_sp_go_su/glf_lpga_sybase_classic;_ylt=Ah5UjFgaVr3cMV3R8jk_494LMxIF

AP – FILE – In this Feb. 14, 2009 file photo, Michelle Wie reacts during the final round of the LPGA SBS …

By TOM CANAVAN, AP Sports Writer Tom Canavan, Ap Sports Writer – Wed May 13, 7:49 pm ET

CLIFTON, N.J. – Six years since gaining national attention as a 13-year-old golfing phenomenon, Michelle Wie still seeks that first win on the LPGA Tour and dreams of beating the boys on that other pro golf circuit.

A trip to Augusta also would be nice.

Wie raised a couple of eyebrows at a pre-tournament news conference for the LPGA Sybase Classic on Wednesday, when the 19-year-old matter-of-factly said that she hopes to win a PGA Tour tournament and play in the Masters.

Granted the questions were posed to the player who was anointed the next great female golfer while still in middle school, but she didn’t back off or even couch her answers by saying that would be something she would think about when she wins a couple of times against the best women.

Wie has not won a tournament since the 2003 USGA Women’s Public Links.

“You know, like I always say, dream high and stuff, set your goals up high, and I think it’s definitely — I’m not saying it’s an easy goal to achieve,” Wie said when asked about winning a men’s tournament. “I’m not going to be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to go out and win a men’s event.’ It’s not like that, but it’s one of those long-term goals where I see myself getting to. I see myself getting there, and it’s one of those goals that really motivates me and pushes me to be a stronger player, a better player.”

Wie captured plenty of attention in 2006 when she made it to the final round of qualifying for the U.S. Open. Her threesome at Canoe Brook in nearby Summit was mobbed and she excited the throng in the morning 18 with a chip-in for birdie on her final hole. She struggled in the afternoon and failed to make the men’s Open field.

“It was a lot of fun,” Wie said. “The U.S. Open means a lot to me, so just being able to do that, I gained a lot of experience, and it was a really nice golf course. I just remember it being a really long day, but it was definitely a fun experience.”

Unlike years past when Wie seemingly was a free agent contracting to any golf event, she is happy to be a member of the LPGA Tour. She earned her playing privileges at the qualifying school last year and has earned $171,829 in five events this year. Her best finish was second at the SBS Open in her native Hawaii in her first start.

After taking the next three events off, Wie has tied for 57th, tied for 67th, tied for 10th and tied for 15th last week at the Michelob Ultra Open in Virginia.

Officially an LPGA rookie even though she has played in 54 events in her career, Wie said her game is improving.

Winning is another topic.

“I’m going to try to keep playing the best I can,” Wie said. “Hopefully I am very close to a win. I feel like it’s going to come. I have faith.”

Wie, ranked No. 22 on the money earnings list, this week faces a field at Upper Montclair Country Club that includes three-time defending champion Lorena Ochoa and 27 of the top 30 players on tour.

PETA people are losers

I don’t have a problem with people expressing their views, as long as they obey the law. I also believe even animals put to death for food should be put down in a civil manner. With that said, who takes people like PETA serious?

or who act like this?

BTW, I love KFC’s chicken. So yummy.

KFC runs out of Grilled Chicken

http://www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.2507175.0.0.php

IT’S ALL

It all began when Oprah said on her TV show, which has an audience of about seven million viewers, that viewers could download a voucher for a free meal at KFC from her website. The Colonel Sanders franchise was promoting its new product line, Kentucky Grilled Chicken, and Oprah, the doyen of diets and a woman famed for promoting the ethical treatment of animals, was helping.

With two pieces of chicken, and mashed potatoes and coleslaw on the side, it was a bargain that America could not resist. Within minutes, “Oprah Winfrey KFC” was the fifth most popular search on the internet. By the weekend, franchises were running out of food as free-loaders flocked to Oprah’s website. Stores were having to close up and hungry diners, coupon still in hand, were being sent home empty-bellied but full of anger.

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In New York, the East 42nd Street branch was shut down when an angry crowd, waving slips of paper and yelling abuse at the manager, refused to leave until they had been fed. Company spokesperson Laurie Schalow denied there was a physical confrontation. “Some customers were upset because they couldn’t get their chicken, but there was no riot,” she said. In Greensboro, North Carolina, police were called to restore order and lock the doors.

By Friday, KFC had been forced to make a humiliating statement abandoning the promotion after just two days of its advertised two-week run, citing “overwhelming demand”. A video was released showing the company president, Roger Eaton, grinning desperately as he insisted the fiasco was proof that “America loves the great taste ”

On Broadway, across the street from Macy’s department store, employee of the month Rita, a KFC server, was dealing with a queue of disappointed clients. “We are taking a rain check,” she shouted, gesturing at a picture of Colonel Sanders on the wall. “The people who run the company, down to his brother that’s still living, decided we have to take a rain check. You will get your free chicken. But not today.”

To add to the mayhem, folk were flouting the “one coupon per person” and photocopying the vouchers wholesale.

“We’re about to go out of business because of people’s dishonesty,” Rita told the Sunday Herald. “They were getting Xerox copies, going in to work and saying let’s all eat free’.” The lack of a barcode or serial number on the coupon was a fundamental design flaw.

Janelle Henderson admitted that it was his fifth trip to the restaurant in two days. “But so what? I heard it’s free for two weeks. This is bulls**t,” he said. Rita smiled wearily: “Thank you, sir. Thank you for being understanding.”

The fast-food chain has spent huge amounts of time and money over the years persuading consumers to forget the F word – that’s fried, by the way. Kentucky Grilled Chicken is hardly health food, but it does significantly cut back on the 1000 calories in a regular meal and is therefore less likely to contribute to a furry-veined coronary.

Oprah could just about justify her blatant product placement as an exercise in promoting better eating. Her record of campaigning against factory farming is less easy to explain away. Last year, she won a Person Of The Year award from People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals, after exposing the horrific life and death of battery chickens on her television show. Needless to say, KFC’s birds are not happy hens raised in the Disney barnyard.

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight. One-third are obese. And a lot of them have looked to Oprah for a way out of fattydom.

Rita’s announcement that the coupons were no longer valid did nothing to clear the Broadway branch, which was packed with paying customers.

Taneka Jones shrugged. “In New York City, if it says it’s free, it always costs you something,” she said.

And anyway, if KFC did run out she could always go to Kennedy Fried Chicken, or Church’s Chicken or even Obama Fried Chicken instead.

Oprah Winfrey’s fault. If the TV Queen of Empathy hadn’t opened her mouth, then Kentucky Fried Chicken wouldn’t have run out of it’s key ingredient: chicken.

Hank Aaron overrated? Who ever believes this doesn’t know baseball

I wrote an article about a poster who claimed I knew nothing about baseball. You can read my debate on Sandy Koufax being overrated. Allan Rosteing also made the remark “Aaron never hit over 44 homerunsin a season.” Okay, and?

Aaron is easily one of the top 5 players of all time. Actually, I’d rate him fourth all time behind Ruth, Walter Johnson and Willie Mays. It is true that Aaron was not flashy like Ruth nor possessed the power of Ruth. Yes, Aaron’s career high in home runs was 44. Along with Ty Cobb and Pete Rose, Aaron was one of  baseball’s most consistent hitters.

Aaron played from 1954 until 1976. He made 25 All-Stars (some years there were two all-star games during his playing time). Aaron holds the MLB records of RBI’s, extra base hits and total bases. He is 2nd in home runs behind cheater Barry Bonds, 3rd in hits, and tied for 4th in runs. Aaron is one of only four players with at least 150 hits in 17 straight seasons. He also hit 24 or more home runs from 1955-1973. Most people also forget the fact Aaron won three Gold Gloves for his great and underrated defense. 

Besides this Allan Rosteing dude, nobody else besides racist people seem to think Aaron is overrated. Sporting News rated Aaron 5th all time on their list of players, scholar Molefi Kete Asante ranks Aaron as the greatest black player in MLB history and SABR ranks Aaron 4th like me, Dugout Central ranks Aaron 7th all time,  andAaron also made the All-Century team which proved beyond a doubt, he clearly belongs in the top ten MLB players of all time.

Aaron is a living legend within the baseball realm. He was not only good in his prime, but was still a star at age 40. Most players like Johnny Bench and Sandy Koufax were done in their early 30’s. If you think Aaron is overrated, you truly don’t understand the game of baseball.