Sports: NFL Picks, Week 17

Well, I did pretty well last week. Overall, it's a bit of a down year for me, although I wouldn't say I'm ever fantastic at picking these games; and who can be, with the NFL's parity? Oh well, it's fun. Last week, only two games really shocked me. One was the Chargers getting blown out by the Bungles, who had neither TO nor Ochocinco healthy. What happened? Second was the Philly-Minnesota game, an even bigger shock. Looking ahead, most playoff seeds are set at this point, and a number of them are virtual locks (see Falcons, Steelers, etc.). Next week, I'm going to make my playoff predictions through the Super Bowl rather than week by week, and after that I may return to comment on the actual outcomes.

Carolina at Atlanta: Atlanta, 28-20
The final score may be close-ish, but it will be a mirage: the Falcons' starters will crush the Panthers early to lock up the 1st-round bye, then allow the bench to close it while they rest.

Pittsburgh at Cleveland: Pittsburgh, 17-14
I think the Steelers' starters will have to play the whole game here. The Browns hate our guts and are intensely jealous of us, and thus will do their worst to trip us up.

Minnesota at Detroit: Minnesota, 24-20
This could be entertaining. Both teams are far from the playoffs, but both could be testing for next season. The Lions will, naturally, lose this one at the end of the game.

Oakland at Kansas City: Kansas City, 31-17
The Chiefs are definitely in, but could fall to the 4th seed if they lose and the Colts win; plus, they probably want revenge for their loss earlier this season.

Miami at TTSNBN: TTSNBN, x-x
They'll probably sit their starters, but I can still try to jinx them.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans: New Orleans, 24-14
The Saints can still get a first round bye, if Atlanta loses (unlikely). But, I also wouldn't be surprised to see them rest their starters, which would screw this pick.

Buffalo at NY Jets: Buffalo, 17-10
The Jets are locked into their seed, and if they want to do ANYTHING in the postseason, they desperately need to rest and regroup.

Cincinnati at Baltimore: Baltimore, 24-17
The Ravens will try desperately to get the first round bye, despite the unlikelihood. Bungles were unexpectedly good last week, but the Ravens will be prepared.

Jacksonville at Houston: Houston, 28-21
If the Jags couldn't get a must-win against the lowly Redskins with David Garard, how can they get one against the Texans without Garard?

NY Giants at Washington: NY Giants, 28-13
The Giants will need will to get in the playoffs, but first they have to win. And the Redskins could not stop them last time, so I expect the same this week.

Dallas at Philadelphia: Dallas, 20-13
Locked in at the #3 seed, Philly will rest most starters (and definitely Vick), so the Cowboys get a garbage time win.

Arizona at San Francisco: Arizona, 17-16
The loser of this one will have the ignominy of being the NFC's worst team. Ouch. The 49ers I expect will be in some disarray after the firing of their head coach.

Chicago at Green Bay: Green Bay, 28-27
The Bears could still get the #1 seed (but like the Saints, they have to hope the Falcons lose, which is unlikely). But the Packers are playing great right now, and still have to get in.

Tennessee at Indianapolis: 31-21
The old Colts are starting to creep back in, just in time. The Titans are already looking ahead to next year, and shouldn't pose much of a threat.

San Diego at Denver: San Diego, 35-28
Of course, this prediction is dependent on whether the Chargers decide to show up. It doesn't really matter, either way.

St. Louis at Seattle: St. Louis, 24-21
The "game of the week". Winner takes the NFC West and squeaks into the playoffs. Go Rams!

2010 Picks: 143-97

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 16

Oh boy, even worse last week, an even 8-8. There were quite a few close games, though. The NFL's move to put more divisional games has been very effective so far this year, as there are still a lot of games that are critical to the playoffs to be played. More and more playoff spots are being cleared up, but there are still a number up in the air, especially the AFC West, NFC West, NFC wildcard, and AFC South. Hopefully I can salvage some pride in these last two weeks.

Carolina at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, x-x
Another easy-to-pick Thursday night game.

Dallas at Arizona: Dallas, 28-14
It's pretty sad when your opponent's second-string, 38-yr old QB (Kitna) is better than ANY of your QBs. The Cardinals better hope there are some good ones to draft in the spring.

TTSNBN at Buffalo: TTSNBN, x-x
Despite a surprisingly competitive game the first time around, I don't expect the same this time.

NY Jets at Chicago: Chicago, 24-10
Kind of similar teams here. However, the Jets' defense clearly has some issues this year, and Jay Cutler is a much better QB than Sanchez. There are playoff implications, however.

Baltimore at Cleveland: Baltimore, 31-16
The Brownies stopped being frisky a few weeks ago, now having lost to the Bills and Bungles in consecutive weeks. And the Ravens are playing better than they have all year.

Tennessee at Kansas City: Kansas City, 13-10
Here's a game with major implications for my fantasy team - and, I suppose, the real playoffs. I predict a low score here in the hopes of a shoot-out.

San Francisco at St. Louis: St. Louis, 21-14
I've supported the Rams three weeks in a row now - and they've spit in my face twice. But the Saints and Chiefs are just a little better than the Rams' inconsistent division rivals.

Detroit at Miami: Detroit, 28-21
The Dolphins are 1-6 at home and 6-1 on the road; I don't think LeBron picked Miami out of any admiration for its clearly pathetic fans. Go Lions.

Washington at Jacksonville: Jacksonville, 34-3
Wow, the Redskins just get more and more pathetic, what with the McNabb benching controversy. Plus, the Jags are still fighting to get in the playoffs.

Indianapolis at Oakland: Indianapolis, 31-27
I hope I get to see this game, as these teams will be at each other's throats for a playoff spot. But I trust Peyton over the occasionally-hungry Black Hole.

Houston at Denver: Houston, 100-99
Defense, anyone? This one might be entertaining for the points that should be scored. And if they aren't, it will be torture.

San Diego at Cincinnati: San Diego, 40-10
Nice schedule for the Chargers' last three games: 49ers (W 34-7), Bungles, and Broncos. I'll be counting on their defense for my fantasy team again.

NY Giants at Green Bay: Green Bay, 27-21
Another huge game. If the Packers win, they can control their playoff destiny with a win in the last game. Plus, Rodgers is back and the Giants are reeling from a devastating loss to the Eagles.

Seattle at Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay, 20-10
Props to the Bucs for returning to respectability this year. A home game against the Seahawks makes it possible for them to get to a 10-win season.

Minnesota at Philadelphia: Philadelphia, 35-10
In the preseason, this looked like a good matchup. Not so much anymore.

New Orleans at Atlanta: Atlanta, 30-27
Since I think the Saints still have a chance to win the division, the Falcons will do their best here. And they're pretty tough at home. Should be a good MNF game (finally).

2010 Picks: 133-91

Movies: Megamind

Score: ****1/2 out of *****

Long Story Short: Megamind is an excellent animated film, a DreamWorks production on par with the usually-superior Pixar films. It has it all: an original, genre-flipping idea; great characters brought to life by a perfect cast of voice actors led by Will Ferrell; a great sense of humor (see Ferrell, Will); and so on. Your eyes will be delighted by the fun CGI (even if it's standard fare these days), your brain will have some things to work on, and your heart will take a nice ride. Enjoy!


Once again, I'm late in seeing this one, by about a month and a half. Thus, I saw it in a "cheap" theater, which unfortunately had awful audio - quiet to the point of somewhat hard to hear, and bad quality. Anyway, this one was directed by Tom McGrath (Madagascar) and produced by DreamWorks, Pixar's main "competitor." Despite the lousy audio, I enjoyed it a lot, and so on to the specifics.

The film starts with some cleverly animated exposition: Megamind (Ferrell) and Metro Man (Pitt) are both aliens sent by their parents to Earth, a la Superman. However, while Metro Man ends up in a great home and is one of the "popular kids," in addition to having all kinds of superpowers, Megamind literally is raised in a jail, and when sent to school is left behind by his peers, thus causing him to take up his evil occupation. Megamind and Metro Man continue to go at it through the years, with Metro Man always winning and rescuing an increasingly exasperated reporter Roxanne (Fey). One day, however, to everyone's surprise, Megamind finally eliminates Metro Man.

Megamind and his sidekick Minion (Cross) run rampant through Metro City (which Ferrell pronounces as rhyming with "atrocity"), but the evil-doer soon grows bored with the lack of a challenge. By accident, he starts to develop a relationship with Roxanne via an alter ego of a "normal" person (using his gizmos). Meanwhile, Megamind also attempts to create a superhero of his own to make things fun again in the city, and Hal, Roxanne's doting partner, is the target. I'll finish off by saying, things don't go quite as planned for Megamind, as you might imagine, but I won't spoil any more of it.

Typically, acting is not a big concern when it comes to animated films; here, however, the cast is just about perfect, and certainly worth discussing. As you know, I'm a huge fan of Will Ferrell, and he does a phenomenal job voicing Megamind. It is easy to recognize his voice, but he also doesn't go over the top with it; he just does a great job of portraying a somewhat sinister, funny, and relatable villain. Tina Fey as Roxanne the reporter was also an excellent choice; she gives her character strength, intelligence, and also plenty of charm through her performance. David Cross, whose voice I recognized (although I'm not sure why, because I'm not really familiar with his past work) is a fun sidekick to Ferrell; Jonah Hill is perfect as a fawning partner to Roxanne; and Pitt is appropriate as an everything-goes-my-way hero. Yeah, they got the stars for this movie - but they got the PERFECT stars.

At this point in cinematic technology, it's kind of hard to separate one film's CGI from all the rest. And I wouldn't say Megamind manages to do so, but the visuals are simply a pleasant side dish to the other rich elements of the film. The first third or so is certainly where they decided to pack most of the laughs, a good decision by which to accompany the exposition, and Ferrell leads the humor naturally. As you can probably tell from the plot synopsis, this is a film that sort of turns a genre upside down; when done well, I really like this. And Megamind succeeds in doing so; I knew the basic premise of the movie coming into it, but there's enough going on that it never really feels like it's slipping into cliche. The film also imparts some thoughtful messages, without overly emphasizing them.

***

Four and a half stars may seem pretty high for a film like this; but it's just such a strong film all around, in my opinion. It is creative, has great characters, a fun plot, good messages, and an emotional core. What more can you ask for? I think it may be my favorite DreamWorks animated film; it's certainly a lot better than the spectacularly overrated How To Train Your Dragon from earlier this year. I hope to watch this again on Netflix later, so I can hear it better - this might even be a DVD purchase!

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 15

Ick, barely over .500 last week :-P although I did get close with a couple picks (Tampa, 17-13). I'd like to give Denver a shout-out for their spectacular FAIL, which contributed greatly to my demise in the first week of fantasy playoffs and reduced my respect for them to nil. Poor Vikings. Not only are they forced to play Tavaris "Short-Arm" Jackson, even HE gets hurt and I think they had to grab somebody from the stands to play QB; oh, and they weren't even playing at home, since their inflatable (?!?!) stadium roof COLLAPSED. Oy. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the GB score... of course, I didn't know Rodgers had been injured. And props to Houston for their near comeback; it was very entertaining to watch, at least. On to the picks:

San Francisco at San Diego: San Diego, x-x
You'll have to believe me again; but I did have the Chargers' D/ST on my fantasy team, which would be silly if I thought they would lose.

Detroit at Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay, 20-13
The Bucs continue to play for pride, even though their playoff hopes are gone (I think?). Meanwhile, I haven't even heard of the Lions' QB. Bad news.

Philadelphia at NY Giants: NY Giants, 28-24
Wow, what a game - that's both for how important it is and how close it should be. The Giants' running game is really clicking, and I think that will be the difference.

New Orleans at Baltimore: New Orleans, 30-21
The Ravens showed last week that while their defense is still good, it can blow a lead. And the Saints' D can get crucial turnovers when needed.

Arizona at Carolina: Carolina, x-x
Who cares?

Kansas City at St. Louis: St. Louis, 27-24
Another game with huge playoff implications. This one is almost entirely dependent on if Matt Cassel can play (well). I think the Chiefs' defense will have too many lapses.

Buffalo at Miami: Miami, 16-10
Almost "who cares" range here, but Miami just barely qualifies for a decent team.

Houston at Tennessee: Houston, 35-24
See Colts vs. Titans from last week. Except the Titans won't really have a chance to win this one.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis: Indy, 31-30
I know, all signs point to the Jags in this one... but until you drive the stake through Peyton's heart, you can't count him out. Jags will have to take it from them.

Washington at Dallas: Dallas, 70-0
The Redskins are equal parts pathetic and amusing. Even Dallas should have no trouble with these clowns.

Cleveland at Cincinnati: Cleveland, 27-17
Here's all you need to know: Jake Delhomme is no longer the Browns' starting QB, but Carson Palmer is still the Bengals' starting QB.

Atlanta at Seattle: Atlanta, 35-10
You can't even say that the Falcons could have a letdown here, because they have the Saints breathing down their necks for the division.

NY Jets at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, 10-6
This will not be pretty. Both teams have badly struggling offenses and fearsome defenses. But I trust Big Ben a lot more than Mark Sanchez.

Denver at Oakland: Oakland, 100-0
Screw you, Denver. Screw you.

Green Bay at TTSNBN: TTSNBN, x-x
Damn it, this is the Sunday night game?!?! I'll pass, thanks.

Chicago at Minnesota: Chicago, 30-3
This isn't even a home game for the Vikings, AND I don't even know who their QB is.

2010 Picks: 125-83

Movies: Unstoppable

Score: ***1/2 out of *****

Long Story Short: Unstoppable is one of the best films of its genre in recent years, although I might argue "disaster event" could be appended to the "action-thriller" label. Denzel is as good a leading man as ever, but he also makes room for co-star Chris Pine (Star Trek). You'll probably have the plot mapped out pretty quickly in this one, but the setting is unique enough, and the twists thrown in interesting enough, that you'll still have a great time watching it.


Well, this review is pretty late too; I think this movie is now out of most theaters, but maybe you can Netflix it later. Anyway, the movie in question, Unstoppable was directed by Tony Scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide, etc.) and released in late November. This film is labeled an action-thriller, and you could almost call it a pseudo-disaster, too. It was "inspired" by true events 2001 in Ohio. Here, director Tony Scott teams up with Denzel Washington again for another fun ride at the cinema, so let's get into it.

The plot for this film, as you might expect, is not very elaborate, but still enjoyable. It starts off with scenes involving several different trains. One is a, well, "training" train, where Frank (Denzel) is the old veteran is working with Will (Chris Pine); there's tension, as Denzel feels his job is threatened by youngsters like Will (and Will has his own marriage problems back home). The other is focused on the train itself, which soon becomes unmanned thanks to a bumbling engineer. Meanwhile, yardmaster Connie (Rosario Dawson) is looking after a group of kids on another train for a field trip when she starts monitoring this unmanned train. Believed to be a "coaster" (not accelerating), the huge train is in fact going quite fast.

From here, the plot is fairly predictable. Connie's superior Galvin steps in and tries to make decisions about the runaway train based on A) company profits and B) theories that Denzel debunks with his practical experience. As luck would have it, Frank and Will are on the same line as the runaway train, and so they violate direct orders and try to slow it down themselves (after several failed attempts by others). I don't think I'm spoiling it for anyone when I say that they do, indeed, bring the runaway train to a stop by the end.

Despite not being an Oscar contender, Unstoppable includes some pretty nice acting. Denzel Washington is obviously the biggest star here, but he keeps his character pretty subdued and under control, very much like what I'd expect such a train conductor to be. Don't worry, though, he's still able to bring out all the Denzel traits we've come to know and love to one degree or another. His co-star Chris Pine (Capt. Kirk from the new Star Trek) does a pretty good job too, as he's both likable (see Star Trek) and still clearly affected by his character's problems. Rosario Dawson does a fine job as the stereotypical middle(wo)man working for the greater good rather than company image/profit, and similarly Kevin Dunn is a suitably slimy corporate man. There are also some fun minor parts, including Lew Temple, a train-chasing redneck and the Ethan Suplee (Boy Meets World) as the idiot engineer.

Director Tony Scott does an excellent job of keeping up the suspense through this film. It's kind of odd to think of runaway trains as objects of potential disaster in these times, but it also provides a unique, down-to-earth touch. The director uses a great combination of the new style of helter-skelter filming with more broad, stable views to give the film impressive and varied visuals. The film gives a nice set-up of the necessary elements without lingering too long, and while as mentioned the plot is fairly predictable, it throws in plenty of bumps and warts to keep things interesting. Some films like this tend to turn ordinary characters into hero types in the blink of an eye, but Unstoppable resists that; Frank (especially) and Will are simply train people, and to them it's almost more about fixing a train problem than saving a city. Toward the end, more things tend to just start going right inexplicably, but for most of the way, there are fascinating challenges and situations to overcome.

***

In the end, Unstoppable is simply trying to be an exciting adventure at the movies. And at this, it succeeds quite well. The cast is a very likable ensemble, and while the plot structure is far from new, the specific elements make up for it and give a glimpse into an oft-ignored world. I did feel a bit disappointed with the ending, in being a little too formulaic; but I think it's more to do with my being tired of those endings than this one being particularly poor. I suggest you treat this like Knight and Day, which I reviewed earlier this year: if you want a fun film to watch, but not necessarily one to think over for days, then give it a try.

NFL Picks, Week 14

Another ho-hum week of picks. I suppose I didn't do badly, but I'm lacking the a truly good sense of the NFL this year, it seems. I was very impressed with the Steelers and, begrudgingly, Big Ben especially. Is this the win that Pittsburgh needed to get their D back to dominance, and their offense back to getting all the scores they need? The only truly big surprise to me was the Chargers getting rolled by the Raiders again. I'm not sure where San Diego stands at this point, now. Amazingly, every single divisional race is still up for grabs at this point, especially the NFC East (Eagles-Giants), NFC West (Seahawks-Rams) and AFC South (Jags-Colts); but no leader has more than 2 games over the second place team. On to the picks:

Indianapolis at Tennessee: Indy, x-x
I wasn't sure what the score would be, but sure enough, the Titans made just enough plays to lose the game.

Cleveland at Buffalo: Cleveland, 20-13
After hanging close in a bunch of games, the Bills finally got shellacked again last week. The Browns keep playing hard, and should win in an ugly one.

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, 27-13
If the Steelers get a lead early, look out. But turnovers could keep this one tight, so Pitt can't take this one for granted.

Green Bay at Detroit: Green Bay, 31-17
Rodgers is on fire, and the Packers won't mind playing a game in a cozy little dome as the cold sets in in the NFC North.

NY Giants at Minnesota: Minnesota, 28-27
Both teams are coming off blow-out wins, but both have been (wildly?) inconsistent this year. I'll take the home team.

Tampa Bay at Washington: Tampa Bay, 17-13
Some point to a let down game for the Bucs, who basically lost a chance at the playoffs by losing to Atlanta last week. But Washington is just bad.

Atlanta at Carolina: Atlanta, 21-10
I tried to give the Panthers a little credit last week, and they lost by 17 to the Seahawks. Thus, they have little chance against the mighty Falcons.

Oakland at Jacksonville: Jacksonville, 28-17
It's hard to deny it now: the Jags are in the hunt, even if I'm not ready to call them "good" yet. The Raiders play their division foes well, but then fold against others.

Seattle at San Francisco: San Francisco, x-x
Who cares?

St. Louis at New Orleans: St. Louis, 31-30
Here's my upset of the week. The Rams are on the road, but they'll still be playing in their favored conditions: a dome. Plus, I want them to win the NFC West.

Miami at NY Jets: NY Jets, 14-9
Boy did the Jets look silly last Monday night. But Miami doesn't have the tools to beat them, even if it can prevent it from being a blow-out.

Denver at Arizona: Denver, 24-13
Coaching change may give the Broncos a brief boost. At the very least, they have a competent QB, something Arizona lacks.

Kansas City at San Diego: San Diego, 27-24
HUGE game. The Chiefs' running attack is great, but they'll be one-dimensional without Matt Cassel. And the Chargers will want to forget last week's embarrassment.

TTSNBN at Chicago: TTSNBN, x-x
I'll keep trying.

Philadelphia at Dallas: Philadelphia, 31-17
Dallas won't be able to contain Vick, and the Cowboys offense won't be able to score enough to keep up. I think it's as simple as that.

Baltimore at Houston: Houston, 28-20
Here's a second upset pick for you. It's mostly because I think the Ravens will be deflated from their loss to the Steelers last week, and the Texans are a dangerous team.

2010 Picks: 116-76

Movies: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part One

Score: ****1/2 out of *****

Long Story Short: Here it is, the "beginning of the end" of the Harry Potter saga. Boy, does it deliver. The tension is there throughout the film; sometimes subdued, as the young stars sit around in frustration, sometimes red-hot, as the Death Eaters blast away at them and their friends. Given the extra time to develop these intriguing characters and the clever plot, as well as add in some much-needed comic relief and lighter moments, Deathly Hallows Part One succeeds brilliantly, both satisfying the audience and making them crave the finale.


At last, another movie review! It's been far too long. Fortunately, my first trip back to the theater was a very good one. This is a review of part 1 of the film adaptation of the book "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows"; and unless you've been living under a rock for the last decade, you are probably familiar with the series. The penultimate Potter film is directed by David Yates, who also directed the previous two films. All the series regulars are back, and I think no further introduction is necessary for this blockbuster.

Although I can't remember the book perfectly, I believe that the film follows it quite closely; splitting the book into two films obviously gave the screenwriter(s) more room with which to work. For those who have not read the book, I'll give a synopsis while trying not give away too much. The film starts with Bill Nighy (remember Davy Jones in the Pirates movies?) as a grizzled-looking Minister of Magic and the trio (by which I'll refer to Harry, Ron and Hermione as) not exactly preparing to go back to Hogwarts. The action picks up quickly, as Hagrid, Lupin, and other friends use a familiar and amusing trick to bring Harry to safety via convoy. Not all goes perfectly, but the trio arrives safely intact. At Ron's place, the trio get a visit from the Minister and attend Ron's brother's wedding (briefly).

The wedding comes under attack, the Ministry of Magic having fallen to the Death Eaters (bad guys, of course). The trio apparates (teleports) away, and Harry decides it's time to take care of Voldemort's horcruxes (random items that contain pieces of his soul, making him immortal). They sneak their way into the Ministry to steal the first horcrux, and barely escape. Following their escape is an extended stretch in which the trio is on the run whilst attempting to destroy the sturdy (and One Ring-like) horcrux; Ron even leaves for a time. A strange symbol that the trio keeps finding leads them to Luna Lovegood's (a classmate) home, where they learn of a strange tale (involving the titular Deathly Hallows). However, the meeting is a set up and the trio is captured. While they manage to escape, they do so at great personal cost, and the film ends with Voldemort capturing a very powerful object.

The Deathly Hallows, Part One puts the young trio into their most difficult acting roles yet, and they show how much they've learned over the last decade of work. Each one of them shows considerable improvement. I always thought Rupert Grint did the best job, and he continues to do quite well here as Ron. Daniel Radcliffe has also improved steadily in the last few films, and feels more comfortable than ever in his role as the main character. Even Emma Watson, who I feel has overacted significantly in earlier films, is much, much improved. The plot of this story demanded that the trio raise their performances significantly, and overall they were able to do so. Of course, the supporting cast is superb as it has been throughout the series, filled with some of the best British actors. Unfortunately, most of them get little screen time; most notably, Voldemort at last gets to do more than just hiss, and Ralph Fiennes plays him with a perfect combination of creepiness and power.

The structure of this film, as mentioned, is far different from any of the other Potter films. Hogwarts is nowhere to be seen, and other series symbols are gone as well. And it continues the trend of the previous two films of a descent into darkness; the kids (young adults?) are now on their own. A scene with Voldemort and his Death Eaters at the beginning, along with a reptilian encounter near the end, shocked me by how far the director was willing to take a Potter film. However, there are still plenty of light moments to get a chuckle or lift the spirits a bit. The trio's polyjuice disguise in the Ministry is particularly delightful; and there's even a spontaneous little Harry-Hermione dance in the depths of their despair evading capture. The suspense holds up well through most of the movie - though it's a little slow in a few places - despite not a lot of direct action. It's the fear of failure, or capture, that keeps the trio, and the audience, on edge.

***

It's pretty amusing to read some critics who call The Deathly Hallows Part One boring, when they're usually the ones who criticize blockbuster movies for having too much action. I suppose you might be bored with this if you haven't seen the other Potter films; but then, I wouldn't really recommend this one until you have seen them. The bottom line is, money grab or not, I now completely agree that it was the right decision to split the last Potter book into two films. There was so much more room for this film not only to touch on more parts of the book, but also to dig deeper into the three main characters. This is by far the closest that one of the movies has come to truly capturing the spirit of the novels, and that is high praise in my book.

Didn't get to post last week's picks on here. I did put them up elsewhere quickly, and finished 11-5, a slight improvement over week 11's 10-6. Those are pretty average numbers; I guess things are starting to even themselves out in the NFL. There are a number of different storylines from last week, but Tennessee's game just floored me. Houston shut them out?!?!? Really?!?!? OK, so your head coach and starting QB just had a spat the week before, and you're down to some rookie named Rusty Smith. You still have one of the three best RBs in the league!!! And he gets 7 carries for 5 yards?!?!? Unbelievable. They should all donate their paychecks to college student loan repayment programs. My incredulity is fueled only slightly by the fact that I had CJ2K on my fantasy team... Anyway, on to the picks.

Houston at Philadelphia: Philadelphia, x-x
You'll just have to trust me here again... but that shouldn't be much of a stretch, despite the aforementioned shut out of the Titans last week.

New Orleans at Cincinnati: New Orleans, 27-17
Cincy's defense has really fallen apart... bad news when the Saints come marching in. Carson Palmer likes to give the ball away... bad news when the Saints come marching in.

Chicago at Detroit: Chicago, 31-16
The Bears' defense is getting scary, and the Lions simply can't play well for an entire game. Cutler's improvement makes it even worse for poor Detroit.

San Francisco at Green Bay: Green Bay, 34-13
I used to get riled up for this one when Jerry Rice was my favorite player and I hated the Packers. There's no rivalry here anymore.

Jacksonville at Tennessee: Tennessee, 24-20
There's only one way for the Titan's offense to go. And their defense did OK considering the offense couldn't keep them off the field.

Denver at Kansas City: Kansas City, 35-21
The Chiefs are a great home team, Denver's defense is terrible, and Matt Cassel is finally a slightly competent QB.

Cleveland at Miami: Miami, 17-14
If Jake Delhomme is still the Browns' QB, he gives the Dolphins a great chance to win this one. Plus, Henne returned in fine form last week against the suddenly-respectable Raiders.

Buffalo at Minnesota: Minnesota, 21-20
I don't have any idea what the heck is going on with the Vikings, and the Bills are improved but still 2-9, so I wouldn't be surprised by any outcome in this one.

Washington at NY Giants: NY Giants, 20-17
The Giants had a good comeback last week, and are still in the hunt. Washington is quickly reverting to its usual miserable state of inconsistency and blandness.

Oakland at San Diego: San Diego, 35-10
Everyone is talking about Philip Rivers, and with good reason. But the Chargers' defense is looking really good too, and won't give up 35 points to the Raiders again.

Carolina at Seattle: Carolina, 27-24
The home-strong Seahawks (relatively speaking) have lost their last two home games 83-31. Even injury-riddled Carolina should be able to score on these cupcakes.

Atlanta at Tampa Bay: Atlanta, 21-17
The Bucs are fighting to stay alive for the playoffs. But the Falcons are fighting to get home field advantage, with which they would have an excellent chance to reach the Super Bowl.

St. Louis at Arizona: St. Louis, 34-21
The Rams are the only team with any respect in the NFC West... when was the last time you could say that?!?!?! Go Rams!!!

Dallas at Indianapolis: Indy, 31-21
Peyton is going to be PISSED after last week. And the Cowboys' faint hopes for the playoffs were dashed last week. I smell a potential blow out.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore: Baltimore, 20-17
HUGE. It pains me to say it, but I think the Ravens will get it. Pitt's offensive line makes me want to puke everytime I watch them, Ben's banged up, and the defense isn't getting enough pressure on the QB recently.

NY Jets at TTSNBN: TTSNBN, x-x
Speaking of puking, I will be worshiping the porcelain gods if my jinx pick continues to fail much longer.

2010 Picks: 106-70

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 11

Ouch. The NFL seems to have conspired to bring me down last week. Buffalo gave Detroit the finger by refusing to join them in the winless season ranks; Houston inexplicably tipped a hail Mary pass right to the Jags (but it's still pretty cool to see a hail Mary actually work); Kansas City and the NY Giants got buckets of cold water tossed in their faces... and by far worst of all, my Steelers got humiliated by TTSNBN :( :( :( I can only hope we repay them twice as well in the playoffs. *Sigh* On to the picks...

Chicago at Miami: Miami, x-x
See? This one balances out last week's Thursday pick. And I feel extremely foolish now for picking Miami, who never looked like they had a chance to win.

Buffalo at Cincinnati: Cincinnati, 20-17
I'm more confident that this will be a close game (like Buffalo's last 4 games)than I am that Cincy will win. But Cincy finally gets an easier opponent, and they have some potential.

Detroit at Dallas: Detroit, 38-34
Rule of thumb for Dallas games this year (mostly): whatever you think will happen, the opposite will occur. Plus, Detroit will enjoy the turf in Jerry World.

Washington at Tennessee: Tennessee, 31-10
Wow, did the 'Skins look bad on Monday night. Now they have a short week to prepare for Chris Johnson and a usually tough Titans' D.

Arizona at Kansas City: Kansas City, 28-20
The Cardinals give up lots of points on the road and the Chiefs score lots of points at home. The only question is, how much will KC win by?

Green Bay at Minnesota: Green Bay, 27-24
Many people think this will be blow out, but I'm not so sure. I'm not completely sold on the Packers yet, and we saw last night that Minnesota losing to Chicago was not such a shock.

Houston at NY Jets: NY Jets, 21-17
The Texans' simply can't stop anyone, which is preventing them from using their big new weapon, Arian Foster, to the fullest. The Jets, however, can stop people cold.

Oakland at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, 14-10
The Steelers are well aware of the way this season is beginning to mirror last season. I think the defense will step up, but that injured offensive line is simply atrocious and WRs need to step up.

Baltimore at Carolina: Baltimore, 35-7
The Ravens' defense is rested, hungry, and ready to send Brian St. Pierre to an early retirement.

Cleveland at Jacksonville: Cleveland, 28-17
The Brownies are looking pretty feisty, even after a tough overtime loss to the Jets. Hillis should be able to flatten the Jags.

Tampa Bay at San Francisco: San Francisco, 28-24
I'm really not sure at all what we'll happen here, both teams are so inconsistent. But the Bucs have one of the worst run defenses and they're going against Frank Gore.

Seattle at New Orleans: New Orleans, 45-10
When all else fails, pick the team playing against the NFC West. However, New Orleans succeeds at home and Seattle fails on the road, so this one's easy.

Atlanta at St. Louis: Atlanta, 31-24
This is technically a road game for the Falcons, but it's still in a dome on turf. And they're simply one of if not the best teams in the NFC. Sorry, Rams.

Indianapolis at TTSNBN: TTSNBN, x-x
It's safe to say, I'm hoping more than usual after last week that the jinx pick works.

NY Giants at Philadelphia: Philadelphia, 21-20
It all depends on how the G-Men bounce back here. If Eli Manning and the defensive line struggle, they are in for a whupping.

Denver at San Diego: San Diego, 42-38
The Chargers, with a week of rest, should be a little fresher to win a shoot out. But I am hoping that this will be an entertaining Monday Nighter.

2010 Picks: 85-59

Music: Sounds of Silence (Simon and Garfunkel)

Album Review: Sounds of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

The dynamic duo released their second studio album, Sounds of Silence, in January 1966. I've already reviewed Graceland, so you know I'm a fan of Paul Simon. Well, Paul is one of the few artists who was able to create his own style as a solo artist that matched the quality of his efforts with his first band. And that wasn't an easy thing to do, because Simon and Garfunkel was one of the best pop music groups of the 20th century. Of course, they had Simon's musical brilliance to guide them, and Garfunkel's voice was a perfect complement to Paul's. Simon wrote all of the pair's songs, with the exception of those indicated.

1. "The Sounds of Silence"
The first track is the title song and, of course, is one of the group's most famous songs. It's hard to place this song actually, despite its popularity. It's kind of an odd choice as an album opener; it seems like more of a middle-album track. The intro hooks you immediately, with Paul and Art harmonizing on the first verse to the accompaniment of a lone guitar. It's an affecting tone, but like the song itself, I can't really place it. I suppose somber would be the best fit. Anyway, once the second verse starts, the full rock band kicks in with bass and drums; with each verse, Paul and Art's vocals become a bit more intense. The regular instruments backing the vocals seem odd; you'd expect something lighter, and so the track has an edge to it. The song goes along like this for the full three minutes before ending with the lone guitar again. Not my favorite S&G song, but certainly a classic and very good, and worth listening to.

2. "Leaves That Are Green"
Whoa, talk about shift in tone! This one starts off with a very bright, artificial keyboard part, backed by tambourine, light guitar and bass. Paul sings the first verse solo, a pretty, and much happier sounding one than in "Sounds of Silence". Art provides some harmony soon after, while the pleasant instrumental backing continues on. The melody of this song doesn't really grab you; it's more about the mood and just kind of floating along (like leaves, I suppose). Pleasant song, but not an especially great one.

3. "Blessed"
Here, Simon and Garfunkel change up the style yet again with one of my favorite tracks on the album. Driving the tone is a slightly discordant guitar part and strong drum beat. Paul and Art's harmony blasting out "Blessed! Is..." followed by various lyrics in each verse is a powerful force and grabs your attention, as opposed to the nonchalant "Leaves That Are Green." That's the strength of the song: Paul and Art mix up the vocal quite well, matching their tones perfectly to the lyrics but always keeping a good but not overblown intensity. Not much variety in this one either but it, like the two preceding tracks, doesn't overstay its welcome. Great song.

4. "Kathy's Song"
Style change #3! Here we have a stripped down track, with just Paul singing accompanied by an acoustic guitar (very Simon-and-Garfunkel-y at that). It's a pretty song; however, I've just never got into this one. There's really no musical variety at all, and with the same vocal line and guitar over and over, it gets a bit old. Perhaps this is one where I should pay more attention to the lyrics, but it just hasn't clicked with me yet.

5. "Somewhere They Can't Find Me"
Here we have perhaps the most standard rock song on the album yet, and it's a fun little track. Backed by a pretty standard set of rock instrumentals, in addition to a trumpet (maybe that's why I like this song...) and a bit of other (but subdued) orchestra, Paul and Art return to the charged vocal style of "Blessed". The verses are really fun, with Paul's vocal and a keyboard in particular really driving with great energy. Art's neat harmony in the chorus builds the urgency until the duo sings the title. It's a short one at about two-and-a-half minutes, but it's quite well written and performed. Nice little gem.

6. "Anji" (Graham)
Now for an all-instrumental track with a guitar duet (I think; I could be wrong). It's kind of an intermission on the album. A nice way to pass the time, but that's basically all it's doing. One thing to note is that while this is a cover, it does actually sound like it would fit in well with several of the other songs on the album.

7. "Richard Cory"
Another song in the rock mold of "Somewhere They Can't Find Me", this one tells a bit of a story (about, naturally, Richard Cory). This is a great example of Paul writing great lyrics - and also writing music that makes the words come out crystal clear and bold. And at the same time, the backing music isn't just a platform for the lyrics: the verse and chorus structure are both quite fun rock bits themselves. Paul sings the lead vocal here, and Art provides a light vocal that only becomes prominent in the chorus. The instrumental backing is quite strong, and gives the song a great beat. At three minutes, the track is also a very good length. Good one.

8. "A Most Peculiar Man"
Things quiet down significantly here. Paul and Art's soft harmonies are very pretty and calming. The song is guided along by high-pitched (but soft, so not irritating) keyboard, bass and various percussion (not the usual drums). Ironically, after giving Paul praise in the previous song for his great fusion of lyrics and music, this one is a bit awkward in that regard. I think he tried a bit to hard to force music around his lyrics here. It's not a bad song, but it passes right on by with little effect, and I'm not unhappy to move on to the next track.

9. "April Come She Will"
Here's another acoustic-vocal song; this time Art gets to sing the lead. I also like it significantly more than "Kathy's Song" as the composition is much more interesting. In addition, Art's voice is just perfect for this type of song. Finally, the song is not even two minutes, so it doesn't have time to grow old; it's over almost as soon as it begins - but it still has enough time to leave a pleasant effect on the ears.

10. "We've Got A Groovey Thing Going"
Simon-and-Garfunkel rock here, plain and simple. I mean, it's got the word "groovey" and everything. Supported by a very active and energetic instrumental backing (and another trumpet... I think there's a pattern here), Paul gives a good vocal (perhaps not one of his best, though) with a bit of harmony from Art here and there. The hook around the song title is quite catchy, and it's this, the driving drums and bright trumpet that really "hook" me (sorry). This one is exactly two minutes, another short one, but another good one.

11. "I Am A Rock"
Here's one of my favorite Simon and Garfunkel songs. This one has just a fantastic beat, with great instrumentals, from the keyboard, to the drums, to the bass and the guitar. The main guitar part in particular is both brief and excellent. And, of course, Paul sings a great lead; as he is known to do, he has a strange mix of rather upbeat, positive-sounding music with rather downbeat, if not outright negative lyrics. Here, the upbeat music portrays the defensive loner with the pride he/she feels, oblivious to what they're missing. Only as the song ends and the instruments drop out does the realization sink in. This combination of musical and lyrical genius is what we find intermittently throughout this album and would only increase throughout Paul's career. S&G classic.

Score: 4 out of 5. This is a strong album, with great variety and several stand out tracks. But while the potential is clearly evident here, Simon had yet to really spread his compositional wings. With so many fantastic albums getting 4.5 from me, this one was certainly at least a step below, but still a good one.

Essentials: "Sounds of Silence", "Blessed", "Somewhere They Can't Find Me", "I Am A Rock"
Weak(er) Songs: "Kathy's Song", "A Most Peculiar Man"

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 10

Nice! I was 10-3 last week. I even got a number of the scores pretty darn close, like the Baltimore and San Diego games (although I can't claim much with scores, since I just kinda toss 'em out). Perhaps I'm finally getting a good handle on most NFL teams now. Naturally, the huge story for me last week was the Browns just obliterating TTSNBN; didn't get to watch it, but it was quite satisfying. Now TTSNBN plays the Steelers this week, and hopefully they play just as poorly. On to the picks:

Baltimore at Atlanta: Atlanta, x-x
Yeah, yeah, I didn't post in time. But I had the Falcons for this one, I promise!

Detroit at Buffalo: Detroit, 17-10
Buffalo's agony continues, losing a close on to Chicago last week. And I can't have it end here, as Detroit wants to have company in the "winless season" club.

Minnesota at Chicago: Minnesota, 21-17
The Bears' defense has been just good enough to have them lose close games most of the time. The Vikings are out to win to spite their loathed coach (yeah, I know, kinda weird).

NY Jets at Cleveland: Cleveland, 13-10
The Jets have potential, but they've looked lousy several times this year, and the Browns are at home again after a massively uplifting win against TTSNBN.

Carolina at Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay, 24-10
If the Bucs can hang with Atlanta on the road, I think they can take care of Carolina at home with not much trouble. Carolina is a worse disaster than Buffalo.

Houston at Jacksonville: Houston, 35-28
Two similar offensive powerhouses here with very little defense. I give the edge to Houston since they've been playing tougher teams which will serve as a "batting donut" for them.

Cincinnati at Indianapolis: Indianapolis, 31-21
Talented, undisciplined team meet talented, disciplined team. The Bungles are regressing quickly from last year's success, and Indy just plows ahead even with myriad injuries.

Tennessee at Miami: Tennessee, 27-10
The punishment is going to keep on coming, Miami. It will be interesting to see how Moss affects his THIRD team of the season (help CJ2K?), and Pennington is apparently starting for the Dolphins.

Kansas City at Denver: Kansas City, 24-17
KC is coming off a tough loss, but Denver can't stop the run while that's what KC does best. The Broncos will be the team more likely gasping for oxygen in Mile High Stadium this week.

Dallas at NY Giants: NY Giants, 42-14
This one has all the makings of a blowout; Dallas is looking horrid and they just fired their coach, while the G-Men are looking pretty dominant (granted, against crappy teams).

Seattle at Arizona: Arizona, 30-10
NFC West Part 1. The Cards surprised me by how well they played Minny last week, while Seattle couldn't even put up a fight on its own home turf.

St. Louis at San Francisco: St. Louis, 20-17
NFC West Part 2. I'm mostly picking St. Louis here since they are the overachievers this year and the 49ers are the underachievers. Go Rams!

TTSNBN at Pittsburgh: TTSNBN, x-x
Oh, boy. Hmmm, what's the best jinx I can think of? Roethlisberger is washed up, the defense is crap, TTSNBN will have no problems this week.

Philadelphia at Washington: Philadelphia, 28-10
The Redskins are looking worse and worse each week. Meanwhile, Vick came back and immediately led the Eagles to an impressive victory over Indy.

2010 Picks: 79-51

Music: Help! (The Beatles)

Beatles Album #5: Help!

Released in August 1965, Help! helped the Beatles begin to significantly move into the next phase of their musicianship. The album also is their first to have a strong theme throughout: that of vulnerability, bitterness, loss (but don't worry, it's not a negative-sounding album in the musical sense). The Beatles were clearly shedding their care-free, mop-top, boy-meets-girl style, although traces of it are certainly still there. Some of the songs are moderate upgrades, while others are quantum leaps forward for the group. I rate this one slightly above A Hard Day's Night, which I consider their quintessential early album, but the overall quality of Help! simply puts it above that one.

1. "Help!"
The album's title song, obviously, is one of the Beatles' biggest hits. This hit also shows the group's musical evolution right off the bat: yes, it's still an uptempo rock song like earlier ones, but it also shows more nuance and complexity, and the lyrics, obviously, are no longer romance driven. The Beatles kick it off with a one-off, very effective variation on the chorus. As the first verse comes in, the bass part provides a great energy, and the backing vocals fit in perfectly seamlessly. The chorus adopts a tone of greater urgency from John's vocal, and by the end Paul is singing along in classic Beatle harmony. One drawback of the song is that the essentially one-note vocal line can get a bit tiring; but it's still an essential Beatles classic.

2. "The Night Before"
The bass starts things off with a rising rhythm, accompanied by the guitars. Paul comes in singing the lead in a somewhat typical Beatles-rock style, although it's certainly not one of the harder rockers. Lennon leads a backing vocal that is perhaps a little too assertive, but one that is still appropriate. The chorus flows in naturally with a rising tone, but Paul's vocal maintains a dark, heavy feel for this and throughout. The guitar solo is a bit anemic, but the middle eight is neat, with Paul's vocal rhythm nicely accompanied by Ringo's drums. A very good song, which could have been elevated further with just a bit more punch to the performance.

3. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
The first of two fantastic Beatles ballads on the album, this song represents a huge breakthrough for Lennon as a songwriter. Accompanied sparingly but expertly by a guitar and tambourine, Lennon sings an aching, beautiful verse. The chorus, started with the recognizable jolt of "hey!", gives a nice added bit of energy, while retaining the somber mood of the piece and showing some more sophistication from the instrumentals. Like so many of the Beatles' strongest ballads, this one keeps it simple and short, while leaving a complex and long-lasting effect on the listener. Brilliant.

4. "I Need You"
Hmmmm. It would have been hard for just about any song to follow the previous one, but this is a particularly poor choice. One of Harrison's first original compositions, this one is stuck in the past. The verses are actually pretty good, but the chorus is definitely a step in the wrong direction. The instrumental backing is pretty plain, and lets Harrison's vocal dominate (joined at times by a light backing vocal). However, by far the worst part of the song is the accordion-sounding synthesizer, or whatever horrible contraption that is. Blech. Let's move along.

5. "Another Girl"
This one immediately kicks off as another of the Beatles' country-rhythm songs. Again starting off with a bit of the chorus, Lennon and McCartney start right in with their harmony. Quickly, though, John passes it off to Paul to sing the verses alone, which he does quite well, using the lower register of his voice very effectively and supplemented by a very nice bouncing rhythm. John comes back in at the chorus with a great harmony, and Paul launches off with a nice touch at the end of it. The bass and guitar trading off on beats is a simple but effective way to reinforce the rhythmical pattern, and George has a small but nifty guitar part. Maybe not one that'll blow your socks off, but just a rock solid tune that showcases many of their strengths.

6. "You're Gonna Lose That Girl"
John finally comes in with a harder rocking number here. It's worth noting here that the album has quite a strong theme of vulnerability in the lyrics, and even carrying over somewhat to the tone of the music - this song being a prime example. John's vocal effectively mixes a menacing, snarly tone with a higher pitch at points that seems to reflect their earlier work sarcastically. The backing vocal, often used to help brighten Beatle songs, here instead echoes John's sentiments. The verses and chorus roll right along with the practiced skill of a band subverting their own genre. Ringo adds a cool drum part, and George's guitar is nice as well. Very good.

7. "Ticket To Ride"
Another of the Beatles' #1 hits, this one starts off with a distinctly advanced guitar part, and Ringo's drums fit perfectly. In fact, it might be one of his best performances. Lennon sings a fantastically-written verse, which ends each line with an equally-great harmony from Paul. The chorus flows right in from the verse, and John and Paul are just cruising in the heights of their collaboration. The middle eight is also great, with a good tambourine from Ringo and more of the harmony. The instrumentals continue effectively support the vocal with a heavy but uninterrupting force. The musical jump in this song is just incredible, and it's a phenomenally well executed performance.

8. "Act Naturally"
Time for the song of the album for Ringo! The Beatles don't bother messing with the formula here, giving him yet another country cover to perform. A perfectly pleasant song, Ringo sings it admirably well, and the backing instruments don't let him down, either. The lyrics also fit quite well for Ringo, a funny, self-deprecating guy (at least back in the day). It does kind of come off as a bit of an intermission in the album, but perhaps that's appropriate after the jolt provided by "Ticket To Ride".

9. "It's Only Love"
Here, we get one of Lennon's songs in the model of "Anna" and others, of which we normally get one per album - this one adopting the album's vulnerable, perhaps bitter tone, in lyrics. I'm quite fond of the verses here; not only does John sing the upper-register part quite well, it is simply written very creatively with some cool chords, supported by guitars. The chorus, sadly, is a bit more generic, but it's serviceable. Interestingly, no backing vocals here, although Lennon's voice is double-tracked in the chorus. Pleasant little song that doesn't overstay its welcome.

10. "You Like Me Too Much"
Harrison's second song on the album, this one is a considerable improvement on his first, but still not one of the album's better tracks. This one does, however, follows the same pattern of his other composition, strong verses, but a chorus that is overly derivative of earlier stuff. On the upside, the refrain shows a little development in use of chords, something that will blossom fully later on. An electric piano (?) accompanies throughout, a very nice choice; the rest of the instruments are also fine, if basic. I believe Harrison recorded two different vocal parts for the chorus, similar to John in "It's Only Love". Beginning and ending with a neat, wobbly piano line, this one is alright.

11. "Tell Me What You See"
Here's another neat, original piece from John and Paul. It strikes me as a bit bi-polar, though in a good way. The verses switch between a line of bright, high harmony from John and Paul with the following line just as low as the other was high, finishing with more of the deep, rich low register; you can practically feel the vibration. The chorus then goes to a high-low combo, that is difficult to tell who is who thanks to some tricky, effective producing. With a slower tempo and little variation, it's perhaps a bit long, but still quite a nice song.

12. "I've Just Seen A Face"
This one opens with a really neat guitar duet with a triplet rhythm (you know I'm a sucker!) before heading into a completely different style. I would call the style Paul's country, aided by percussion that gives that country feeling and led by a tender, well-performed vocal by Paul. Once again, the chorus features two parts - and it's another double track of the lead singer, this time Paul. The song is almost over before you know it, and I kind of wish they'd taken some time from the last one and put it on this one. Not a centerpiece song, but a very nice one anyway.

13. "Yesterday"
Boy, does this one need any explaining? Only the most covered song in pop music history, and perhaps one of the most recognizable. Heard within the context of this album, it's a shocking push forward musically for not only the group but popular music in general. It combines composition of perfectly elegant simplicity from Paul with an enriching and ingenius score for strings by the fifth Beatle, George Martin. It's easy to get overexposed to this one, but if you can take a step back from all the significance and popularity surrounding it, its power as one of the Beatles' and pop music's great works will come back to you.

14. "Dizzy Miss Lizzy"
Hmmm... sorry to question you, Beatles, but what's up with this? "Yesterday" would have made a perfect conclusion to the album. But you tack on this song, whose tone if nothing else is a horrible fit for the album. Is this a strange attempt to recreate the "Twist and Shout" effect, perhaps? If so, it didn't work. Sure, Lennon's vocal is quite good (though not T&S level), but it's not a good choice for the group, and the high-pitched guitars quickly get on my nerves. Actually, the instruments in general are a bit sloppy by the Beatles' standards. Unfortunately, Help! does not get what it is calling for from its closing track.

Essentials: "Help!", "Ticket To Ride", "Yesterday", "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
Weak(er) Songs: "I Need You", "You Like Me Too Much" (sorry, George!)

My Rank of The Beatles' Albums So Far:
1. Help!
2. A Hard Day's Night
3. Please Please Me (after further consideration, I bumped it up)
4. Beatles For Sale
5. With The Beatles

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 9

9-4 last week is pretty good. Finally starting to hit my stride. Sadly, the Steelers did not play a great game last week, and I am getting really worried that TTSNBN keeps winning. The AFC West is looking like there will be a good fight to win that division (first time in a LONG time). There are still a number of teams that are hard to pin down exactly how good they are. I'm especially interested to see more out of the Giants, the Falcons, the Titans (now with Moss to hopefully give CJ2K some breathing room) and the Chiefs. I think the ambiguity is great; the one outcome I'm rooting against, as usual, is TTSNBN doing well. Here we go again:

Tampa Bay at Atlanta: Atlanta, 31-20
Atlanta has played well at home (it seems home field advantage is coming back this year), especially on offense. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay just gave up 35 points to Arizona.

Chicago at Buffalo: Buffalo, 24-20
Yeah, Buffalo hasn't won a game all year. But they haven't just been blown out every time. Plus they're at home (see above), and Chicago is spiralling downward (as usual).

TTSNBN at Cleveland: TTSNBN, x-x
As always, the jinx pick. That said, Cleveland is looking a bit frisky this year. But they are still the Browns, and thus find more ways to lose games than win them.

NY Jets at Detroit: NY Jets, 28-27
What happened o the J-E-T-S last week?! Seemed like their season opener all over again. I think this game is on major upset alert; but the Jets' running game may give them the edge.

New Orleans at Carolina: New Orleans, 30-14
Though the Saints squeaked out a win against the Panthers earlier this year, I doubt it will be so close this time after the Saints' statement game last week.

Miami at Baltimore: Baltimore, 27-14
Call it a hunch, but I think Miami is due for a bit of a letdown after 3 tough games in a row; now they're in brutal M&T Bank Stadium (despite the pathetic name).

San Diego at Houston: San Diego, 28-24
Houston faces a similar foe to their last one, but they are on a short week and certainly didn't gain in confidence after their loss to Indy.

Arizona at Minnesota: Minnesota, 42-10
I think this is a statement game for Minny, and they're going to stamp it all over the Cardinals' poor, trampled bodies.

NY Giants at Seattle: NY Giants, 24-20
Seattle takes the home-road differential to the extreme; the Giants are just a superior team. However, this is my second upset alert of the weekend.

Indianapolis at Philadelphia: Indianapolis, 35-31
This should be the game of the week. The huge wildcard here is Vick, coming back from injury. I'll put my money (though I'm not a gambler) on the proven QB.

Kansas City at Oakland: Oakland, 28-27
When was the last time a game between these two teams meant anything?! I really don't know what to expect here; maybe it'll be boring, maybe exciting.

Dallas at Green Bay: Green Bay, 21-3
A battle between two bitter rivals. Could have been a fun one had Romo not been injured, but now it's gonna suck.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: Pittsburgh, 27-13
One of the Bengals' strengths from last year, the defense, is letting them down this year. I expect the Steelers' D to be not quite as kind after being a little embarrassed last week.

2010 Picks: 69-48

Music: A Rush Of Blood To The Head (Coldplay)

Album Review: A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay

Released in August 2002, A Rush Of Blood was a major improvement for Coldplay over their debut album Parachutes. The band developed a greater variety in their music, and came up with some great "stadium rock" songs that helped catapult their fame. They still had plenty of room for improvement here, as they found another formula they liked and tended to stick to that as if their confidence was still a little shaky. But, they do show more boldness with the tone of their songs, and the added power gives the music a much greater kick. Important step forward.

1. "Politik"
The album opens with a familiar pattern of simple yet driving drum and guitar parts. When Chris comes in, the guitars and drums drop out, with only a soft piano as accompaniment. But the verses already show a musical intensity that promises something beyond their earlier work. The chorus is a simple reflection of that first guitar and drum part, but Chris' vocal and lyrics give it an edge. Then the last two minutes completely changes the style with a more gentle part led by Chris and the guitar; unfortunately, I feel this weakens the song. Still a great track, but bogged down a bit by the end.

2. "In My Place"
Here's one of my very favorite Coldplay songs, and one of their big hits. The drums provide a slowish but very strong beat, and the guitar part is incredibly infectious and affecting, with a great bass (?) counterpoint. Martin's vocal verses are also great; very expressive, but not over the top, volume- or pitch-wise. The refrain is also a great fit, and the middle eight continues the tone of a steady but subdued hope throughout the song. The song then goes to a gentle ending - but the band keeps this one short, and the track length as a whole is perfect when Coldplay can tend to get carried away. Fantastic song.

3. "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face"
This one starts off with a guitar part with the same tone as "Politik," though there's no drums here and it's quieter. Chris comes in with a verse that also has a similar feel but also unique. Then come the drums, along with a harsher sounding guitar part and nice bass part. Chris' chorus is very nice, and the drums really keep it humming as he holds out some nice extended notes. Martin then starts repeating "as good as mine" as instruments build around him, and finally he also builds in intensity with some echo but not overdone. Again, the song comes back down in intensity for the end but like "In My Place" it's kept brief. Very strong track.

4. "The Scientist"
Here we have the first ballad on the album, and this one starts off with a nice piano part. Chris enters with a tenderly-sung verse, still accompanied only by piano. The chorus is nice as well, with some great lines: "nobody said it was easy, nobody said it would be so hard." Subdued guitar and drum parts enter after this, as well as some backing vocals, with Martin's lead vocal definitely the focus. The song ends with another change in style, like in "Politik" - and like in that song, it doesn't really fit (here, a simple guitar part with Chris "ooo"ing). Nice song, but it's a little long with not quite enough variety and/or pace.

5. "Clocks"
Perhaps Coldplay's biggest hit, the opening piano part is surely recognizable to millions of people now. And it is a very nice, trademark Coldplay simple but infectious part. Chris has a cool vocal during the verses, one of his best to this point, and he's accompanied by a neat drum rhythm and soft keyboard shimmering. The refrain is just some "ooo"ing, but it fits the sort of mystical feeling of the song. The guitars are very well played, their contributions fitting great with the other instruments while not disrupting the more important piano and drums. The middle eight is alright, although Martin's vocal is a bit off. The rest is instrumental and "ooo"ing, but it fits in this song that floats along effortlessly. Great pop songwriting.

6. "Daylight"
Here we start with an intriguing, exotic-sounding guitar and keyboard part, followed by Martin entering with a great vocal that is effectively double-tracked with a lower part and accompanied by a great bass part. The chorus changes things up perfectly while keeping the overall feel of the song intact, and when it returns to that more exotic sound, it's new all over again. Like in "God Put A Smile", Chris begins to repeat a line ("slowly breaking through the daylight") as the instruments play around him, and the song fades out to this pattern. One of Coldplay's most underrated song, this one is just great.

7. "Green Eyes"
Oops. Now we get perhaps my least favorite Coldplay song. I'm not sure what they were going for; perhaps a bit of a country feel? (also might be why I don't like it) It's basically just Chris and acoustic guitars, and Martin's vocal is not particularly good here (it's at its worst when he rises up to hit "be out of their MIIIIIIND!!!" (OUCH!!!). Quick, hit the fast forward button!

8. "Warning Sign"
A gritty-sounding but soft guitar part is what we hear first here, followed by drums keeping the slow beat and a wavering keyboard part. The verses definitely take you back to Parachutes, and it does kind of feel like a leftover from that album. The chorus is perhaps passable, but I'm really not a fan of those accordions (adding healthy doses of sap). I think the instrumentals are strong on this song, but the songwriting doesn't fit on this album.

9. "A Whisper"
Now we get a slightly faster song here, with a neat guitar part that kind of sounds like someone strumming a homemade guitar (OK, that doesn't sound appealing, but just trust me). I believe the rhythm here is in 6/8, which might be part of why I like it, and Chris seems comfortable with this pattern. The verses and chorus don't really come together like most songs, but Chris sings them well. The song ends with a grating keyboard gradually enveloping the guitars and other instruments. Not an ambitious piece, but a pretty well executed one.

10. "A Rush Of Blood To The Head"
Chris starts off with a soft, contemplative vocal, as a simple acoustic guitar accompaniment is eventually replaced by a more conventional lineup. The chorus is a sudden burst of energy and intensity, both from Chris' vocal (which is not loud, but very effective) and a striking guitar part. The song calms back down a bit, but thereafter even the verses seem to absorb quite a bit of the outburst from the chorus. Chris finishes off with a bit of a variation on the verses. It's a fine song, but it's way too long.

11. "Amsterdam"
This one starts off with a very pretty piano part, and Chris joins in with a matching, gentle, tender vocal, which slowly gains a little more range and he hits the high notes well. A bit of a backing vocal is a nice touch, but the band does well to keep it a minimal production, with no drums to be found until well into the last act, and when they do come in it's a cool effect, having been preceded by a strong guitar opener. The song then returns to its simple roots to bring the album to a close. Very strong track, another underrated song.

Score: 4 out of 5. Coldplay maintains its consistency of quality from track-t0-track, and even improves it on this album. The music is far more adventurous here, and there are more stand out tracks than on Parachutes' quality but uninspiring songs. However, they still relied a little too much on the same song structures track after track, and Martin's vocal isn't top tier yet.

Essentials: "In My Place", "Clocks", "Daylight", "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face"
Weak(er) Songs: "Green Eyes", "Warning Sign"

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 8

Hmmm, 8-6 last week. It looked like I would do quite well until the late games, with Oakland inexplicably spanking the Broncos, Favre choking in his return to Lambeau, and Romo getting his collarbone broken (a double whammy since he was my fantasy QB). Other than that, it was actually a pretty predictable NFL week (except for the Saints getting blown out by CLEVELAND). Even without having both of their starting QBs go down to injury, I think it's time to give up on two talented teams that have been bad (Dallas and San Francisco). Here we go again.

Miami at Cincinnati: Miami, 27-17
Two iffy quarterbacks... but my Miami has a better defense and running game.

Jacksonville at Dallas: Dallas, 24-23
Why do I keep picking Dallas? Well, this week they're playing the lousy Jaguars. This one completely depends on how the 'Boys respond to losing Romo for the season.

Washington at Detroit: Detroit, 30-20
Detroit has looked good at home this year, and Washington just isn't all that great anyway.

Buffalo at Kansas City: Kansas City, 42-38
The Bills have shown that they can actually put some point up, but their run defense sucks and running is the Chiefs' specialty.

Carolina at St. Louis: St. Louis, 28-20
The Rams are another team much better at home, and Carolina is stinky.

Green Bay at NY Jets: NY Jets, 24-17
After so much preseason hype, the Jets seem to be flying under the radar, but they've developed that key winning edge I think.

Denver "at" San Francisco: Denver, 35-21
This is "at" SF because it's actually going to be in London (only a few thousand miles away). Denver should be mad and embarrassed after last week's game.

Tennessee at San Diego: San Diego, 21-20
This should be a great one. SD's picking up steam, losing to TTSNBN due to typical ref favoritism. Tennessee is looking great to, and would be even better if CJ2K could FINALLY get some consistency (*hint hint nudge nudge*)

Tampa Bay at Arizona: Tampa Bay, 13-10
Arizona's QB situation continues to be disastrous, while TB at least has a steady QB if not a stellar one.

Minnesota at TTSNBN: TTSNBN, x-x
Hmmm, how many more favorable calls are we getting this week, TTSNBN? I hope Moss torches you.

Seattle at Oakland: Oakland, 20-10
Holy crap! Oakland scored more points last week than it did all of last season.

Pittsburgh at New Orleans: Pittsburgh, 31-21
If the Browns can dominate the Saints on their home turf, what do you think will happen when the Steel Curtain comes to town?

Houston at Indianapolis: Indianapolis, 34-24
I'm sure the Colts are licking their lips for some sweet revenge here. Having had time to work on a strategy for Arian Foster, and working against an exposed Texans' defense, they'll get it.

2010 Picks: 60-44

News: 2010 Midterm Election Thoughts

Today is Monday the 25th of October, and the U.S. midterm elections are just a week and a day away now. Granted, my experience is not extensive, but I believe this is the most charged election season that I can remember. So I knew, months ago, that I would want to make a blog post about my thoughts on it prior to the voting (actually, I've already voted, via absentee ballot). Just as thousands, if not millions, of people have over the last few months, I was feeling really angry about the election a few days ago. Since I'm a liberal, you can guess at whom I was angry. But I want to take a page from the Stewart/Colbert playbook for my blog. I am going to tell you why I think you should vote Democrat in the 2010 midterm election. But I'm not going to do so by telling you all the things I hate about what Republicans are doing. I'm going to do it by telling you what I think Democrats are either doing right or are standing for - in other words, why I'm voting for Democrats rather than against Republicans. Without further ado...

There is a mountain of issues facing the nation right now, which of course is one reason why there is so much attention on these midterm elections. These issues relate to and affect one another quite a bit, so I'll try to go as smoothly as possible from one to the next, showing how I think they're connected without being too tangled (hopefully). Then I'll end with why I think the Democrats are best suited to handle this web of issues.

The economy, unsurprisingly, is considered the most important issue by a large number of Americans. This is a good place to get a bird's-eye view of our country's situation: I believe that the U.S. is at a critical economic juncture, and that we must take a long-term perspective on the direction of the economy now. We'd been heading for this point for at least 10, maybe 20, maybe 30 years: it happened to be in 2008 that things came to a head, and now the economy is sputtering. Of course, we should do our best for the unemployed and those worst off; but we must also rebuild the national economic infrastructure - not as it was, but as it must be to meet the challenges of the 21st century and the increasingly globalized economy. If we improve on many of the following issues, it will go a long way.

The 2008 financial collapse was a huge shock for just about everyone, and was perhaps especially scary to see just how important a few of those gigantic companies were to the entire economy. There was a lot of questioning of this system directly afterwards, but it's since dissipated. We need to get better regulation of this industry - and more importantly, better monitoring and enforcement. It's not the bankers' billions I want to protect, it's the trillions in ordinary peoples' savings.

Two more aspects of the economy, one personal to each American and the other a more broad connection, are taxes and the deficit. I bring them up not because I think they're particularly important, but because I'm concerned that too many Americans think they are the most important. I could have a whole blog post about why I support a healthy tax system, but for the moment let me simply say that now in particular it is needed to help our nation through this situation. The budget deficit and national debt issues have been around since the 1980s (other than a respite at the end of Clinton's presidency thanks to his efforts). And while it does need to be addressed, suffice it to say that it is not one of our more challenging nor dangerous problems, and it's best dealt with gradually, not all at once.

Fortunately, one issue I believe both Democrats and Republicans agree on (though to varying degrees and means) is education. If we can start to do a better job throughout the nation, it will be good in so many ways. It will prepare children for the 21st century economy, as I mentioned above; it will once again provide upwards mobility, especially for the currently impoverished; and in general, it will create a more open-minded, compassionate population. A few specifics: we need to concentrate on science and math again, making them attractive to elementary as well as college students (too many of the brightest just go into business or law). We also need to update postsecondary education for the 21st century (but not abandon the liberal arts) and make it more widely accessible.

The final issue I'm going to mention is the environment. There is simply overwhelming scientific evidence that the climate is changing rapidly (relatively speaking) due to human actions. We don't know exactly what all of the effects will be, of course, but we know that there are so many interconnected, sensitive factors involved that the potential consequences are utterly catastrophic. This is THE perfect example of the frog getting killed in a slowly boiling pot of water. You don't want your kids and grandkids to have to pay the national debt? That pales in comparison to what they'll pay for global warming - if they even can do anything about it by then.

There are obviously other issues. There's the war in Afghanistan, which I'm still unsure about; I'm also encouraged by recent reports of success in the Kandahar area, but discouraged by news of Iranian and Pakistani unhelpfulness (yeah, I just made up a word). There's also illegal immigration, which I don't think about as much living here in the upper midwest. They are important, for sure, but I'm choosing not to take a strong side in this blog post.

So, why Democrats? Under Barack Obama's leadership, I believe they have done their best to confront these short- and long-term issues head on. They passed a stimulus bill which helped keep the economy from falling into depression, despite not completely turning things around. They passed financial regulation, which, while not perfect, is at least a start. Ditto for health care (another huge issue that I forgot to mention, but worthy of a whole post in itself). Obama hasn't been perfect, but I believe he is doing his best to confront many of America's biggest issues, not just the politically expedient ones (taxes, deficit, etc.). There are good and bad politicians for both sides. But while Republican leadership irresponsibly ordered its members to merely oppose anything Obama wanted to do (pure politics) for the last two years, Democratic leadership focused on the nation's health, not its own popularity.

These are simply my views on the coming election, and I hope that you will vote.

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 7

Ah, that's quite a bit better. 9-5 is pretty good, though I've yet to have a breakout week of picks this year. There were a whole lot of close games last week, though the number of surprises dropped significantly (perhaps why I did better...). On the helmet-to-helmet hits, since everyone seems to be chiming in: I have somewhat mixed feelings, but I definitely lean more towards the NFL here. As the league says (even if it is also pushing an 18-game season, which is completely hypocritical), player safety is the most important thing. Although I've never played tackle football, I can understand how the players would be frustrated that the culture of hard-hitting that they have been raised in is suddenly being frowned on (although I question players who say they were taught to make launching, helmet-to-helmet hits - sounds like bad coaching). And it would be fair to say that the NFL is being blatantly reactionary here, after several hits happened the same week. But if the NFL can clean this up, I think the players will appreciate it if their brains are not mush by the time they are 50 or even 40. Everyone's "line" is different, but the fact is that the brain is the most precious part of your body and it needs to be protected from unreasonable risk, period. I'm obviously a Steelers fan, but was surprised and disappointed by Harrison's childish claim that he was thinking of retiring. I also think that Meriweather - coincidentally (or is it?) of TTSNBN - should have been suspended for his despicable hit. Anyway, on to the picks (I don't really feel like putting in explanations this week, sorry).

Cincinnati at Atlanta: Atlanta, 21-17
Washington at Chicago: Washington, 20-10
St. Louis at Tampa Bay: St. Louis, 30-24
San Francisco at Carolina: San Francisco, 13-7
Buffalo at Baltimore: Baltimore, 41-14
Philadelphia at Tennessee: Tennessee, 17-16
Jacksonville at Kansas City: Kansas City, 28-10
Pittsburgh at Miami: Pittsburgh, 24-21
Cleveland at New Orleans: New Orleans, 27-14
Arizona at Seattle: Seattle, 21-20
TTSNBN at San Diego: TTSNBN, x-x
Oakland at Denver: Denver, 31-14
Minnesota at Green Bay: Minnesota, 28-24
NY Giants at Dallas: Dallas, 17-14

2010 Picks: 52-38

Sports: NFL Picks, Week 6

Ewwww... 6-8?!?!?! That may be my worst week of picks in years (I usually get at least .500). I guess that's what you get when you add a couple shockers (Raiders, Cardinals) to the usual toss ups and bad calls (on my part, not the refs - although those hurt too). With some of the league's worst teams on a bye week this week, it should be an interesting weekend. Let's see if I can reclaim a little dignity this week.

Seattle at Chicago: Chicago, 24-3
Eww, hope I don't "get" to see this one. The Bears get Cutler back after his concussion, which adds a little flavor I suppose. The Bears' D looks pretty dang good, and Seattle doesn't have any offense to begin with. Special teams are about Seattle's best hope here.

Miami at Green Bay: Miami, 27-20
Ah, here's one of those games that's just juicy to analyze. Miami, despite getting trounced by TTSNBN, played pretty well on offense and defense, they were just annihilated on special teams. Green Bay's season is going down the toilet and fast; Rodgers just got a concussion, and though he'll probably still play (not smart), it's just the tip of a mountain of injuries including season-enders to TE Finley and RB Grant. Plus, Green Bay can't even take advantage of home field when it's only October. Their fans will witness up close the inconvenient truth.

San Diego at St. Louis: San Diego, 35-10
Poor Rams. They were humming along pretty well through week 4. Then their #1 receiver (and starting on my fantasy team, to boot) goes down for the season early against Detroit, and they completely unwind in humiliating fashion. San Diego also got embarrassed last week, but I think they're in better position to bounce back than the Clippers of the NFL.

Baltimore at TTSNBN: TTSNBN, x-x
TTSNBN will surely thrash a foe with a historically terrible defense, a young QB who looks terrified, and absolutely no offensive weapons around him. *hums innocuously*

New Orleans at Tampa Bay: New Orleans, 20-17
This is a huge, must-win game for the Saints. They seemed vulnerable through four weeks, and after losing to the Cardinals, the division seems entirely up for grabs. They have to assert themselves here, against a young, up-and-coming divisional foe. I don't think it'll be easy, but if the Saints still have the drive from last year, they should find a way to win it. If not, look out.

Detroit at NY Giants: NY Giants, 31-10
Whoa, what have the Giants been drinking these last few weeks?!? It seemed like they were a team ready for rebuilding earlier this year, with a bunch of apathetic players. Now they turn around and steamroll the Bears and the Texans. The Lions must get rookie RB Jahvid Best going if they have any shot here, while they still have to deal with a newly balanced offense from New York.

Atlanta at Philadelphia: Atlanta, 17-14
Philadelphia is a team that I just can't figure out this year. QB injuries have been part of it, but they seem equally poised to be stinky or stellar each week. They were able to take advantage of the San Francisco Stooges last week and (barely) win. However, Atlanta is a much more disciplined team, and while they still have some kinks to work out and QB Ryan is still inconsistent, I think they'll win on the road.

Cleveland at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh, 34-6
A perfect storm here: Pittsburgh gets back their star QB, just as Cleveland puts (forces?) their rookie QB into the game. I kind of fear for McCoy's health here, not even kidding. I think the Steelers give a statement-game performance here, and the Brownies will be looking for the paper bags again.

Kansas City at Houston: Kansas City, 23-16
Here's another interesting matchup. At the beginning of the year, it looked like Houston was finally breaking through to become one of the league's top contenders. But in the last three weeks, they've lost to both Dallas and the Giants pretty badly. Schaub just doesn't seem to be quite in rhythm yet, and WR Andre Johnson is banged up; RB Foster had provided a big boost, though. Meanwhile, Kansas City lost to Indy but showed some impressive defense, and the running game is very good. If only QB Cassel can do something productive, they could be quite a force. I think they'll win a close one here.

Oakland at San Francisco: San Francisco, 21-13
Battle of the Bay Area here. Another one that I'd be just as happy glancing at the final score rather than actually watching. San Francisco has a lot of talent, or so you'd think, yet they are remarkably 0-5. When is the management going to realize that "tough guy" Mike Singletary is a bad coach? Oakland has been competitive in all but one of their games, so I wouldn't be too surprised to see them win.

NY Jets at Denver: Denver, 30-24
I think that the way the Jets' handle Mile-High Stadium will be the deciding factor here. If they have no problem with it and they're able to blitz like crazy, it could spell trouble for Denver, which has no running game. But, if NY's secondary gets winded, Denver can make them pay. Denver's defense has been up and down (shut down CJ2K, but Ray Rice lit them up), so that's the other key here. I'll take the home team.

Dallas at Minnesota: Minnesota, 27-21
Easily this week's most hyped game (to the point that even I'm getting a little sick of hearing ESPN talk about). The loser of this game will be in considerable trouble, no doubt; but they are both in pretty unstable divisions. If they do well in their remaining divisional schedules, they should be fine. I mean, Washington, the Giants (unless they can sustain their current heading - I'm doubtful), and Philly aren't too scary; neither are Chicago, Detroit, or injury-plagued Green Bay. For this one, I think Minnesota's superior running game gets them the W. Could break the combined penalties in a single game record here.

Indianapolis at Washington: Indianapolis, 20-10
Washington faces a very similar foe to the one they defeated last week. However, Manning is just a master of beating foes in whatever way is necessary. Indy's defense might not be as good as GB's, but Washington's offense is terrible, so it shouldn't really matter.

Tennessee at Jacksonville: Tennessee, 28-14
It's time for Chris Johnson to have a truly monster game, and in the Monday Night Football spotlight. He looked a lot better last week against Dallas, and Vince Young even looked not so terrible. Jacksonville can score against bad defenses, but Tennessee isn't one of them.

2010 Picks: 43-33