What a Game!

The Philadelphia Eagles put together their most complete game of the season at the exact right time they needed it and, thanks to losses by Chicago and Tampa Bay, roared into the 2008 Playoffs with a 44-6 thrashing of their hated rivals, the Dallas Cowboys.

Okay, that's the impartial part of the post, so now let's get to the shameless gloating: This was the greatest football game I've ever seen, so good that I'm contemplating watching it again on DVR. I was amazed that the stars aligned for the Eagles and allowed them to once again control their own destiny after the turd they laid on the field in Washington last week, but there was no doubt in my mind that they would knock the Cowboys out of the playoffs, denying them a win in Philadelphia. The Eagles' players did not know they had a chance to go to the playoffs until right before the start of the game and I could tell that while that information more than likely led them to kick their game into another gear, they already were playing for pride and had an "if we're not going, neither are you," attitude. Of course, it seemed as if the Cowboys didn't even show up to play.

The Eagles' offense was clicking early, capitalizing on Dallas turnovers and scoring three offensive touchdowns to put the 'Boys down 27-3 at the half. Then, Safety Brian Dawkins and the Philly defense went off, forcing two crucial fumbles on beleagured Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and running back Marion Barber that the Eagles ran back for touchdowns, putting Dallas in a 41-3 hole before McNabb and the offense had even stepped on the field for the second half. For an Eagles fan, it was a thing of sheer beauty and an example of what this team can accomplish when they hit on all cylinders.

The Eagles' win was the most lopsided loss that the Cowboys have ever received and for Eagles fans, it was all the sweeter that Philly's victory came against Terrell Owens and the Cowboys, a team that has flopped late in the season once again and is never worthy of all the praise they receive every year, only to come up short in the end. So, of course, all the press the day after is about "What's Wrong with the Cowboys?" when it should be "What's Right with the Eagles?"

Five weeks ago, the Eagles, and especially their quarterback, Donovan McNabb, were left for dead with no thoughts at all to the post season. Now, after winning 4 of their last 5 games (with all the wins coming in convincing fashion), the Eagles are right in the thick of things and are considered to be one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs. Lest football fans forget that the current Super Bowl champs, the NY Giants, took a similar path to their own championship last year. So, the Eagles are playing well at the right time and are looking to go deep into the postseason. Their first challenge comes next Sunday at Minnesota against a Vikings team that had a few chances to clinch their division and finally got it right the last game of the season...against the Giants (mostly) second string team...and they only won by 2 points. So, I like the Eagles chances to win at the very least, that first game, setting up a third 2008 season match up with the Giants. It'll be interesting to see how they do, but if they play the way they did against Dallas this past Sunday, I don't think anyone can beat them.

How 'bout them Cowboys?

McNabb and Eagles Silence Critics...For Now

Thanksgiving 2008 – Three games on the schedule with three routs as the results. Of course, the first two games pitted two hapless teams against two juggernauts, so the results were predictable, but in the nightcap, the game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Philadelphia Eagles was a little less so. The Cardinals are on top of the NFC West thanks to both great play from quarterback Kurt Warner and the receiving duo of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald and the ineptitude of the rest of the division. The Eagles have been struggling this season, with quarterback Donovan McNabb under intense scrutiny after two sub-par weeks and getting benched in last week's loss at Baltimore. Western teams haven't played well when trekking across the country to come east and the Eagles were reeling, what would the result be? Knowing McNabb's history of having big games when faced with controversy, the ending to this game should have never been in doubt.

McNabb and the Eagles put together their first truly complete game since they bludgeoned the St. Louis Rams in the first game of the season and carved up the Cardinals for Thanksgiving, 48-20. For McNabb and his Eagles, it was redemption after two solid weeks of bad press and equally poor play. For the Eagles coach, Andy Reid, it was proof that what he has said all year is true, when the team is clicking on all cylinders, they are tough to beat. McNabb threw for four touchdowns, two of them to a rejuvenated Brian Westbrook, who also added two rushing touchdowns of his own, and looked like the McNabb of old. He was accurate and more importantly, he ran the ball when he had to, scrambling for much needed yards when the pass was not there. Westbrook, who has been ailing all season with ankle and rib injuries, also looked like he had a drink from the Fountain of Games Past and played one of his best games of the year. The defense for the Eagles did their part as well, intercepting Kurt Warner three times and forcing a fumble in the second quarter to keep the Cardinals on their heels. Although the traditionally blitzing defense of the Eagles had no sacks in the game, they kept constant pressure on Warner and stopped the Cardinals running game cold, transforming the NFC West leaders into a one-dimensional team on offense as they tried to play catch-up. What had been, prior to kickoff, a result in question, no longer was as the Eagles rolled to victory.

However, in the NFL, all victories are fleeting and now the Eagles have to look ahead to next week when they meet the NY Giants in a clash of NFC East rivals. The Giants have been cruising along at a great clip this season, their only loss so far coming from the Cleveland Browns. They've had a couple of close calls, but have managed to pull out each game on their road to repeating as Super Bowl champs. The Eagles will need to bottle this A-Game against the Cardinals and bring it with them up I-95 if they want to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. But, on this Thanksgiving night, the Philadelphia Eagles showed that they are still a team to be reckoned with and the rest of the league should take notice and watch out.

Death of an Original Show

Well, despite my attempts to try and rally viewers to its rescue, ABC announced that it will not be picking up Pushing Daisies for the rest of the season, leaving its fans with only 22 episodes between two seasons and this viewer in particular is not happy at all. This is essentially the same fate that befell another of my favorites, Arrested Development, the only difference there being that they won the Emmy for Best Comedy, thus staving off execution until the abbreviated season three (Pushing Daisies was nominated for 10 Emmy awards and won for art and direction. About the only category they weren't nominated for was best series).

I've already talked about what makes the show so great and why I love it (see my review blog link to the right), but the two biggest things that annoy me about this cancellation are that 1) Due to the writer's strike last year, the show wasn't really given a fair shake at developing an audience and then, with general apathy towards television shows at an all-time high because of that strike, the show was forced to perform when all shows are suffering; and 2) Pushing Daisies is easily the most original show on television right now and it kills me to see gems like this get dumped when there is such crap on television getting a pass, (I'm looking at you, Knight Rider!). It's frustrating to see a refreshingly sweet and funny show get canned without so much as a chance to prove itself in the marketplace. ABC could have extended the show, granting it a mulligan due to the strike, and done a heavy push for the holidays for the DVD set for Season 1 to get people on board. The fact that the Freshman show was nominated for 10 Emmy Awards has got to mean they were doing something right, right?

The show's creator, Bryan Fuller, has said that the story may continue, (as the 13^th and final episode for Season 2 is due to end in a cliffhanger), in the form of either a comic book or a feature film. Why not, I say. After all, it was reported this last week that the long rumored film version of Arrested Development is close to happening for real, and I would welcome a Pushing Daisies film to wrap up all the loose ends. However, I think that the producers should try to sell the show to HBO, as it is obvious the premium cable station has hit hard times in regards to its original programming. Shows like Dexter, Weeds, and Californication on Showtime are proving to be more popular than HBO's fare and in terms of awards, they are now chasing basic cablers like Mad Men. The students have truly become the masters and HBO needs something fresh and different to shake it out of its funk. Of course, they tried doing quirky with John from Cincinnati, which proved to be a disastrous flop, but I felt that show was a bit more esoteric than Pushing Daisies, which is far more accessible. The future does not look too good for Home Box Office, (at least they have finally greenlit the pilot for George R. R. Martin's “Game of Thrones”), no matter how good they tell you Tru Blood is (it isn't). They need help and that help should come in the form of pie from the Pie-Maker.

So on this Thanksgiving, it is with a heavy heart that I say one of the things I was thankful for was Pushing Daisies, long may it live on DVD and reruns.

Americans Actually Do the Right Thing

After eight years of watching this country vote against progress and against its best interests, Americans stood up today and surprised me by doing the right thing for the first time in a long time.

Barack Obama is the next President of the United States of America and those Americans looking for the country to move forward and leave the divisive culture wars and poisonous politics of the past behind can breathe a sigh of relief. The fear of having another conservative administration that blurs the lines between religion and government is gone for the next four years and now we must come together to repair the damage that has been done to this country and its reputation over the last eight years.

Will Obama accomplish all he has said he wants to? Probably not. The world is ever-changing, and with that in mind, sometimes, plans need to take a backseat to doing what is necessary in the moment. But, will he be a good president? I believe so.

I'm proud of America today and for what we have accomplished with our vote. And for those who voted for Senator McCain, I hope that they look past the whole "us vs. them" dynamic that has gripped this country the last eight years and find it in themselves to support him as he leads our country, truly, into the 21st Century.

The "Real" America

Have you heard about this shit? Governor Palin (or "Sarah Stupid," as I like to refer to her) has been referring to small town America as the "real" America, with McCain's Senior Policy adviser, Nancy Pfotenhauer, (she looks like the female Joker) separating Virgina into northern Virginia and the "real" Virginia in televised interviews. Then, there's Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, who wants the members of congress investigated to find out who is anti-American. Basically, it all sums up like this: If you're voting for McCain, you're a "real" American; Obama? You're anti-American. I agree with Jon Stewart, who said in his act this past weekend at Northwestern University: "If New York City was good enough for fucking Osama Bin Laden, it should be good enough for these people." You can see a tamer version of his rant on last night's Daily Show:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/40048/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-mon-oct-20-2008

You know, I don't usually get overly patriotic or wear my love for this country on my sleeve, but this is the last fucking straw. These people are hateful and need to be stopped. America's going through a rough patch right now, both internally and in the way we're perceived around the world, and it's because of these "freedom loving" motherfuckers, who just want to divide us even more. It disgusts and infuriates me that just because I want to vote for the liberal black guy and I have no real problem if gays want to get hitched and I believe that what a woman does with her body is her own fucking business, that means some will label me "Un-American." They're opposing the same freedom that they so easily tout as one of the virtues of this great country. It feels as though people like this are taking over the nation and that's not only painful, but it's sad. This is the 21st Century. We're supposed to be moving forward into the future, not slogging around in the past and trying to drag the rest of the country down. I feel sorry for real, honest to God Republicans, who believe in a more conservative way of dealing with things, but still want to move this country forward. The religious right has torn down a party that was once considered perfectly sane and has made Republican a dirty word and that's sad. Maybe we should split America into two nations and let the ignorant "real" Americans do their own thing, while the rest of us join the rest of the world as fucking adults.

Okay, rant over...for now.

McCain: The Dark Nut

Here's something my buddy Josh and I plotted out and I whipped it up for the Election. I think it gives you a good idea who I'm pulling for. I had the video embedded here earlier, but it wasn't working properly, so just hit the link below. Enjoy!




McCain: The Dark Nut

Depeche Mode on the Road Again

UPDATE: Mute/EMI has revealed that the new album is due to hit stores, April 21, 2009 in the U.S.!

Today, Depeche Mode announced that they have a new album due next spring and a world tour to follow after that. Of course, as a huge Depeche Mode fan, I'm really looking forward to this. One thing occurred to me, though as I watched the press conference live on the web: Isn't it a little early to announce a tour starting in May 2009? The band says that the album should be done by the end of the year and the predicted release is April, but I kind of feel that all of this could have been announced once the album was wrapped up in January. That would have been four months prior to the first show and is plenty of time to get the word out and tickets sold. Just an odd move for the band. Also, because of the gap in between the announcement and the start of the tour, there was no announcement of North American dates, as those shows are a little less than a year away. I'm hoping that Depeche Mode doesn't fall into the same trap that U2 fell into with their Pop Mart Tour in 1997, where the tour was all set up and then the band had to rush to finish the album in order for the tour to start on time. Suffice to say that the resulting album, “POP,” is one of U2's least favorably received album and is mostly condemned by the band as a whole; Bono has been known to call it “the world's most expensive demo tape.” So, I'm hoping that Depeche Mode doesn't meet the same fate with their new album.

The good news for Depeche Mode fans is that by lead singer Dave Gahan's own admission, he and Martin Gore have come up with so many songs this time around, the band looks to have a tough time selecting what makes it onto the album. I'm really excited about this news as, usually, Depeche Mode has to strain just to come up with a b-side for every single and not have it be an instrumental track.

As of right now, the album is untitled, but the title of the tour is “Tour of the Universe,” which to me, is pretty lame. I know that in the past, DM has used arrogant titles for their albums (see: Music For The Masses), but this one is just a little out there. It'll be interesting to see what the final title of the album is, as it usually informs the title of the tour. I just hope it's not called “Masters of the Universe,” as I'm not really in the mood for He-Man jokes.

For every Depeche Mode album since 1990's Violator, Anton Corbijn has designed the album artwork, from the photography (naturally) all the way down to the font. All the fans have been able to see so far is the stylized font that Corbijn will be using and the color scheme for the album art. I wasn't too keen on the font, as it looks like something that would be found on an Evanesence album or something similar, but there was a logo that looked like spotlights shining up into the sky, which may be alluding to the stadium tour that the band is undertaking in Europe next summer. Also, the color scheme (orange on, of course, black) reminded me of Black Celebration for some reason. I was really getting that 1986 vibe which is a good thing.

Despite my minor gripes, I'm very happy about the news. Depeche Mode is a band that has been counted out several times in the past and they keep coming back stronger every time out (well, we won't count Exciter). Their last album, Playing The Angel, was a great return to form and with them working with producer Ben Hillier again, I'm looking forward to the results of their second collaboration.

To read more about Depeche Mode, head over to www.depechemode.com and to watch the press conference itself, direct your browsers towards http://www.livenationinternational.com/depechemode/