6/23/08 Picks

Movie Pick:

A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS

Directed by Dito Montiel and based on his autobiography, it stars Robert Downey Jr. and Shia LeBouf as the young and old versions of Dito. A unique coming of age story that tracks Dito's journey as a youth in Queens. A combination of ambition, influential guides, and sheer luck helps him as he tries to avoid the typical pitfalls that many of his childhood friends fall victim to.

Music Pick:

Cat Stevens - Trouble

LISTEN HERE

Tiger Woods: Why I Love Sports

Now, I don't particularly enjoy watching golf, but when Tiger's in the mix for a Major Championship it's become scheduled viewing. This Sunday, he entered the round at -3, good enough for a one stroke lead. Over the span of 17 holes, he went on to lose the lead in the first two holes, tie, regain the lead, tie again, and lose the lead (to a very likable guy by the way: Rocco Mediate). And with Rocco in the clubhouse with a one stroke lead, Tiger stepped up to a do-or-die 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th green. Definitely not a sure thing. Not this weekend, what with Tiger on a bad wheel and as a result never tapping into that rhythm. The anticipation, the build up, the putt, and the payoff. Remarkable. Grown men sitting silently in bleachers watching another grown man analyze the subtle breaks on a patch of grass. And then they explode. It happened. He went crazy. I went crazy. Double fist pumps. Wow. 

I don't know but I love it.

 

Maybe They Don't Deserve To Win

Pau Gasol, shown above sporting his hockey playoff beard, seems to be doing everything in his power to reinforce the stereotype that all European big men are soft, petrified little girls. Well done, Pau. Go play soccer and give me Kwame Brown back. (Just kidding about that Kwame Brown statement. But seriously, go play soccer.)

As for Kobe Bryant, I just got done watching the Celtics' Game 4 comeback and have to say it's a great illustration of the gap between Kobe and Michael. Especially for the younger ones who didn't get to see Jordan in his prime. Michael does not lose that game. He doesn't allow his team to lose that game. If L.A. ends up losing this series (which is very likely as they have to win 3 straight, 2 of which are in the Garden), then that'll be two Finals appearances Kobe has walked away from without a ring. One of those was with a still dominant Shaq on his team. So please, cease the comparisons. Jordan had that intangible quality about him, that unflinching assurance. His teammates felt it, and that knowledge subsided their fear regardless of the stage. His opponents could sense it like animals do with impending natural disasters. It was just there. The results might as well have been predetermined. It was unavoidable. In his prime, if the Bulls needed to win, they won.

I Want To Be a Jabbawockee When I Grow Up

Seriously. I was late to the party on this one, I know. But having heard the name and never looking them up before, I saw the masked ones make a brief appearance at last Sunday's MTV Movie Awards and thought I'd catch up on the group using the internets. And thanks to the copyright law genocide of the past decade, I found their whole dance 'catalogue' over on YouTube. This included their 7-week run as champions of the Mario Lopez-hosted "America's Best Dance Crew" show.

Here's Week 3:

Nas - Black President

Produced by DJ Green Lantern, Nas' new track, "Black President," is hopefully a sign of things to come for his upcoming album. The album, once titled "Nigger" and now tentatively titled "Nasir," is schedule for a July 1st release date.

The hook features a Tupac sample from "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" (and later "Changes"). Great song all around. Cheers to the GOAT.

Listen to it HERE.

Karl Pilkington: Humor in Art

Here's a great clip from the Culture Show, a weekly BBC Two show, following my main man Karl Pilkington as he visits a modern art exhibit aimed at inducing - what turns out to be - very elusive laughter.

The best line comes from Karl at about the 3:40 mark.

The Finals

Think about this for a minute - The Red Sox won the World Series in November, then the Patriots reached the Super Bowl in February and failed to close the door on the first perfect season since 1972, and now the Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals. Against the Lakers no less! Jesus. If not for an unthinkable New York Giants victory against the Pats, the Celts could be four games away from a Boston Sports 3-peat right now. Now even though I hate Boston (I'm Yanks, Colts, and anti-KG and Ray Allen), I'd almost have to root for Pierce and the boys just to see that. Thankfully though, I don't have to do that.

"Fuck you Red, I got 10" - Phil Jackson in two weeks.

That's right, I got Lakers in 5. They steal Game 1 in the Garden and win Games 3-5 at home. Finals MVP pick: Kobe Bryant. 'Cause quite simply - No one can guard him. One might say that the cohesive team 'D' Boston employed to frustrate LeBron James in the Eastern Semi's is evidence to the contrary. They'd be missing one big difference, however: the fact that David Beckham could drop-kick more outside shots in than LeBron could make with a traditional jumper. Kobe doesn't have that problem, the man can stroke it. Keeping him out of the paint is merely a minor inconvenience. In fact, he might actually prefer shooting those 20-footers so he can reserve his energy for the 4th quarter. Also, the finish line is in his sights now. He can feel it, he can taste it, and he knows what a Shaq-less ring will do for his legacy. Plus he's got troops to go to war with, not to mention his opposition's lack of a super-duper star. (KG is a proven loser, soft, and overrated, Allen is not worthy of comment, and Pierce, while a tough and admirable player, is not skilled enough to be on that level.)

So again, Lakers in 5.