Cleanliness is next to Oprahness

"I want you to look around your house right now. Is it messy? Is it disorganized? Are there piles of stuff laying everywhere?" I looked. You know, there are a few, but it's not so bad. Just signs of a really busy lifestyle that leaves little time to worry about some clutter during the week. Still, would I want the Queen of England to pay me a surprise visit? Not really. I'd prefer to neaten up first.

It really is my dream to have a home that is always neat and clean so I wouldn't wince when someone does a drop-by visit. (And, um...what's up with drop-by visits? Can we talk about how annoying THOSE are? You hearing this, Queen of England? Enough dropping by without calling first.) I'm not so sure that's entirely realistic, but I'm ready to try Peter Walsh's new program, designed for Oprah's show.

Oprah says, "Here's the guarantee"... In 6 months, we will have clutter free homes by May if we follow Oprah's Clean Up Your Messy House Tour. There is a contract to sign and a step-by-step strategy to follow. And yes, there is a goofy theme song that goes along with this program. Even Oprah seemed taken about by how silly it was. Poor composer!

While the state of the world is in constant upheaval, Oprah believes we can always "control your own environment." She was very taken aback by people's messy houses and indicated that an out-of-control home indicates an out-of-control life. I used to believe this, because it's what I kept hearing on this show, but now I'm not sure. I feel like this could be said about anything - out-of-control eating is an indication of an out-of control life or out-of-control kids, finances, work, etc indicate messy minds. I think to some extent, these are absolutely symptoms of much deeper problems, but I don't think they can necessarily be blanket statements that apply to EVERYONE. Maybe I care more about spending my valuable time in a yoga class than with a Swiffer in my hand. Actually, I could combine the two activities - cleaning and yoga - and patent it. I'd make a fortune. Organizoga!

While Oprah was a bit judgmental about the ambushed guests' homes because she doesn't have that dilemma, she even said, "I have a lot of other issues." Don't we all.

You know, I am so tired of comparing my home to the "after" examples we see on the show...or in gorgeous photos in lovely home magazines. Those rooms were cleaned and dressed and decorated by a team of workers. I don't think it's realistic - unless we have a housekeeping staff - to live up to this at all times. Still...it does give us a goal if we can take this advice as guidance, rather than judgment about our own priorities.

But, I also have to wonder about the word "control." It's preached at us quite often and it's beginning to feel constrictive to me as I'm coming to the end of this year. How much control do I need to exert? With my perfectionist tendencies, I think it might be healthier to give up some control than keep striving toward complete world dominance. Frankly, the more I surrender some of my tight control, the happier I am. Now, that is the deep work for me.

Oprah does say, "I know your home should rise up to meet you." I am going to really consider what that means to me instead of wondering if Oprah - or my mother-in-law, or the Q of E, for that matter - would wince if she entered my front door.

We were told, "If you're ready to clean up your messy house...sign up at Oprah.com and join our tour. You'll receive monthly homework assignments. Don't overwhelm yourself. Don't try to turn in your assignments early. Just, stay with the program, ok?" I'm ready. I'm willing. I am not so sure if I am able, but a gal can at least try, right?

You'll notice, if you go back to the link for the Clean Up program, there is a link to snapfish.com to create a free album if you sign up by Friday, I think. This is cool and I'm totally going to do it as Oprah said, "If you're ready to clean out the clutter, you're gonna like this." In addition to that deal is also offering 20% off purchases at their store if we buy within a week.

(IMAGINE SCREECH OF BRAKES HERE)

What?! I don't want to buy overpriced containers, even at 20% off! Don't get me wrong...I LOVE ME some Container Store, but they are going to make a fortune from this. I've worked retail, I know how much items are marked up - 20% off is not going to make them blink. It's brilliant marketing and we'll be sending the CEO's kids to college, or getting them new cars, probably.

Another financial issue that took me by surprise is the "really" inexpensive chandelier that was used on today's show in a guest's apartment. It was $349 from Pottery Barn. Cheap for a nice lighting fixture? Perhaps. Cheap for a gal who wonders if she can afford the eggs at the grocery store? Nope.

You know what I would adore? I'd like to see one of these shows go into a surprised guest's home, declutter and redecorate ONLY with what's already in the house. No paint, no Container Store, no new appliances from Lowes. Just use the resources that are already within the walls of the home. I think that's a show I might really learn from.

Oprah let us all know that Peter Walsh would be out with the Oprah Show brigade of de-clutterizers. She warned us: "So, if somebody shows up at your door and says 'Peter sent me,' do not let them in." I'm adding that to my assignment list, because it was given as a directive, but I can't imagine I'll need to use it.

I always rewatch the show so I can make certain I've caught everything. I'm writing now, however, only having seen it once since I'd like Jim to watch with me tonight when he gets home from work. I always regurgitate Peter Walsh's rules at him, but I think if he sees/hears the advice from the horse's mouth (sorry Peter), it'll be more effective.

Isn't it odd that TV somehow validates information we already know? What on earth is up with that?

Note: I might be editing this post after I rewatch the show, if I catch anything I've missed or errors I've made. Sorry for those of you who subscribe - I hope you're not bothered by two of the same posts. My apologies if that happens.
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Rut-Rooo!

Have you seen what's going on?

Oprah is having a Clean Up Your Messy House Tour! They are going door to door in these cute little bugs. Oprah said that she wants a car just my Bugalu. How~Bout~That!!!

"While the rest of the world is going crazy, you can control your environment."

I am going to stop cleaning today, in the hopes that Nate and Peter may show up on my front door step in one of those darling clutter bugs.

There are several good ideas available through Oprah.com to get you started. My favorite... for those clutter collectors who cant let go of children's drawings or photos... for the next 48 hours only you can order a book from Snapfish for FREE! Click Here to get the information on your Free snapfish book.

You can also save 20% at. Click Here find out how to organize and save money at the same time.

"De-cluttering your space, helps to de-clutter your life."

That sounds like a plan to me. Now, if Nate would just come a knocking.

Y'all check it out!

Sandi

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two steps forward, two steps back..

evening newz:



i can't tell which is sadder... paula abdul's stalker who OD'd/committed suicide on her property... or...the fact that someone was actually obsessed with;">paula abdul...you be the judge. oh, and what's even sadder is that it was the SECOND time the creepy stalker od'd there! you would think with paulas track record she would be a little more welcoming to an obsessed fan with a drug habbit who's looking to party.

in my opinion i would have to say the saddest thing is that i watched the "opposites attract" video 3 times and tried to pull off scat cats moves.

i mean maybe back in the early 90's when she came out with "when opposites attract" i could see why someone would have stalker tendencies, but now? she's a (s)lush puppy. i was obsessed with scat cat but you don't see me shooting up heroin at the warner brothers animation studio:


and what ever happened to that little chinese chipmunk william hung? here he is singing "she bangs"..even with his 15 mins of fame i'm sure he's still never banged.

-seacrest out

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Can Kenny Chesney beat Keith Urban at tonight's CMA Awards?

Even the most die-hard country music fans have trouble distinguishing between the awards bestowed tonight by the Country Music Assn. (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM) kudos handed out every May. Both prizes come from industry organizations with many of the same voters and, not surprisingly, many of the same winners.

Tonight's hosts — Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood — were the top vocalists with both groups last year and are competing again this year. The chief differences between the two kudos: The CMAs are based in Nashville and the ceremony is telecast by ABC; the ACMs are based in Hollywood and the show is telecast on CBS. For a list of all the CMA nominees, click here.

Kenny Chesney has taken the top prize of entertainer of the year at the ACMs for four years running and at three of the last four CMAs, including the most recent two. Tonight Chesney competes against 2005 winner Keith Urban, veteran George Strait, hot duo Sugarland and Paisley. Todd Marten takes an in-depth look at this race over at his Pop & Hiss blog. As Todd points out, "touring success and mainstream appeal figures heavily into the prize, and Chesney, according to Pollstar, had the second-highest-grossing tour of 2007, behind only the Police. In July, Billboard speculated Chesney would be near the top again when 2008 figures were tallied." So there is little doubt who will win that CMA trophy again, eh?

While a dozen different prizes will be handed out tonight, the three-hour kudocast devotes a big chunk of time to performances. Among the roster of talent lined up are all five entertainer of the year nominees, as well as four of the female vocalist contenders (Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Taylor Swift ), male vocalist nominee Alan Jackson (the other four nominees are entertainer of the year contenders), and all five new artist nominees (Jason Aldean, Rodney Atkins, Lady Antebellum, and Kellie Pickler).

When the CMA was founded 50 years ago in Nashville (one year after the Grammy Awards parent organization, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, was formed in Los Angeles), the association's mission was to serve as an industry think tank and networking organization for Nashville music makers, not to present awards. Then along came the upstart Country and Western Music Academy, formed in 1964 by country artists who had ditched honky-tonk Nashville for the glamour of Hollywood. That group, which eventually morphed into ACM, started handing out prizes the following year. The CMAs followed suit in 1967, showcasing country talent on NBC's "Kraft Music Hall."

At that time, the only live kudocasts were the Oscars, Emmys and Tonys. The Grammys were presented in a rather dull, taped one-hour special billed as "Best on Record." Then in 1971, the Grammys went live and Paul McCartney showed up to accept an award for the recently busted-up Beatles. Both the crowd and the TV viewing audience went crazy and ABC had an unexpected hit on its hands. Foolishly, however, the alphabet network gave up the broadcast rights one year later when the Grammys wanted to move their show to Nashville. CBS not only grabbed the rights, but also launched a live, stand-alone CMA show. And the ACM award show also began airing in 1972. Suddenly, there were three live music-award shows on TV and all of them scored socko ratings.

West Coasters such as Merle Haggard dominated the early ACM awards, while Nashville faves Johnny Cash and Charlie Pride swept the CMAs. Nowadays both groups favor the same artists with one exception: Toby Keith, who's probably been punished by CMA members for not making Nashville his home. After all, that is where the CMA Awards are usually held while the ACMs are staged in Las Vegas. Traditionally, the CMAs have more viewers than the ACMs, which explains why ABC paid $9 million dollars to swipe them away from CBS. However, both remain so popular that they're aired during the sweeps months of November and May and sometimes one or both beat the Nielsen ratings scored by the prime-time Emmys.

(Photo: RCA Records)

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Live from Nashville! Award Winners

The final votes of the night are in, and here's your list of winners.

Sugarland, George Strait, and Brad Paisley ended up neck and neck as the biggest winners of the night with two awards each. Otherwise, it was an even spread with the few remaining awards going to Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, and.

Single of the Year: George Strait
Song of the Year: Sugarland
Vocal Group of the Year: Rascal Flatts
New Artist of the Year
Vocal Duo of the Year: Sugarland
Album of the Year: George Strait
Music Video of the Year: Brad Paisley
Female Vocalist of the Year: Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year: Brad Paisley
Entertainer of the Year: Kenny Chesney

Featured photos (copyright, Lucas Hilbert): (top), Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney

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Dead Idol Contestant Had History of Hounding Abdul

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has identified onetime American Idol contestant as the female fan found dead in front of Paula Abdul's home Tuesday evening. E! News...

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Beat the Bookmaker Thursday Info

The New England Patriots and the New York Jets will battle for first place in the competitive AFC East division on Thursday night. Check out all the football picks and basketball spread winners for tonight at the sports investor village with all pointspread winners that could only be hotter if you threw them in the George Foreman fryer.

Here's your Daily Sports Roundup.

The Gridiron Spotlight

The Jets ran roughshod over the Rams last week, taking a 40-0 lead into halftime and cruising from there to a 47-3 victory. Brett Favre went 14-of-19 for 167 yards passing in that win, with one touchdown strike. Thomas Jones rushed for 149 and three scores on 26 carries. That was the Jets' third straight win, and it put them at 6-3 SU and 5-4 ATS.

The Patriots held off the Bills for a 20-10 win last time out. New England quarterback Matt Cassel completed 23-of-34 pass attempts for 234 yards in that contest, and rushed for a touchdown. BenJarvus Green-Ellis picked up 105 yards on the ground and also rushed for a TD. New England has the same record as New York : 6-3 SU, and 5-4 ATS.

The oddsmakers have the Patriots listed as 3.5-point home favorites for Thursday night, with the game's total at 42 points. New England is 2-6-1 on the OVER/UNDER through nine contests this season, while New York has been a bit better for the OVER at 4-4-1 .

Other Notable Events

LeBron James will lead his Cavaliers into action at home on Thursday night against the Nuggets. James poured in 41 points on Tuesday night to lead Cleveland to a 99-93 win over the Bucks; that wasn't quite enough, though, to allow the Cavs to cover the 12-point spread. There are just two other NBA games on the schedule on a light Thursday night around the league - Dallas will play in Chicago, and Golden State hosts Detroit.

The Rest of the Schedule

There are three college football games set for kickoff on Thursday, although there are no ranked teams in action will take on Miami in the top contest on the Thursday schedule; both of those Atlantic Coast teams are 6-3 straight-up, with the Hokies at 3-5 ATS, and the Hurricanes at 5-3 ATS. Elsewhere it's Buffalo (5-4, 6-3 ATS) at Akron (5-4, 6-2-1 ATS), and then Wyoming (4-6, 2-7 ATS) at UNLV (4-6, 5-4-1 ATS).

Montreal will be in Boston for the top matchup in the NHL on Thursday night. The Canadiens are coming off a 4-0 win over the Senators on Tuesday night, with Carey Price picking up the shutout; that win improved the Habs' record to 9-2-2 on the season. Rounding out the schedule for Thursday: the Islanders at Ottawa, Detroit at Tampa Bay, Phoenix at Minnesota, Los Angeles at Dallas, Toronto at Edmonton, Calgary at San Jose, and Philly at Pittsburgh. The Pens came back to defeat Detroit 7-6 Tuesday night.

Finally, there are pair of games in the Coaches vs. Cancer college hoops tournament on Thursday at Los Angeles' Pauley Pavilion. UCLA is again the marquee team in action.

News from the Wire

Redskins running back Clinton Portis (knee) is looking questionable to play at home against the Cowboys on Sunday night . . . Steelers running back Willie Parker (shoulder) could return against the Chargers on Sunday afternoon . . . Bulls forward Drew Gooden (ankle) missed Tuesday's game, and he's day-to-day heading into Thursday's game . . . Avs forward Joe Sakic (back) missed Wednesday night's game.

A Peek at the Future

The NBA has more teams in action on Friday, with a dozen games on the schedule; highlighting that slate are Denver at Boston, Houston at San Antonio, and Detroit at the Lakers . . . the single college football game on the Friday schedule sees No. 22 Cincinnati (-3.5) at Louisville . . . the winless Lions are the biggest underdog on the NFL's schedule for Sunday - Detroit is getting 14 points on the road against Carolina.

Television Betting

Oh no, My Own Worst Enemy (about somebody who bets on their own?) and Lipstick Jungle have been cancelled. The world's top sportsbooks have odds posted on television, movies, politics and more.

Did you have Ron Klain to be White House Chief of Staff of Joe Biden? If so, you won.

OffshoreInsiders.com

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Vegas Experts Football Picks

We know this company is all of a sudden getting tons of publicity, but the wDesk as in "winners" is always OffshoreInsiders.com. For tonight's winners, we have working solutions for the New England Patriots-New York Jets, Buffalo-Akron , Virginia Tech- Miami , and Wyoming-UNLV.

We will start out with the power of 620 sports services behind every selection, which is a fantastic 138-84 with all football picks against the Vegas line. That includes 2-1 last night Simply put, you have the biggest spread predictions in the industry on all four football sides.

Back to No. 1 in the land in NFL and CFB combined, a sports service out of the Deep South goes a stunning 21-1 since Saturday including 7-0 with High Confidence Plays Wisconsin, Oklahoma , Marshall , Southern Miss and Michigan Saturday. Sunday, right here on the MasterLockLine, you got Jacksonville over and Seattle as High Confidence. Monday it was the 49ers. High Confidence on Jets/Patriots total and Virginia Tech/Miami side

The No. 1 sports service the last two years combined is 9-3 when their Key Play of the Day is in the NFL (includes preseason) and 16-7 since 2007. Key Play of the Day NY Jets/Patriots side

MasterLockLine exclusive: We've developed data mining software that finds out what happens when two or more top sports services agree in the same side. Such rare plays are 7-2 in football this season. When Spike Measer, Gary Sanders, Kal Elner, Leo Getz, and Matt Fargo have had the same side in college football this season, it's a shocking 15-2. They agree on Buffalo/Akron side

The nation's No. 1 ranked tipsheet over any and all long periods (five years, 10 years, all-time) has Weeknight Top Bet of the Year on Wyoming/UNLV.

The biggest play comes from the man who invented forensic sports handicapping, which continues to the rage of the industry.

Two nights ago, the Great One Stevie Vincent, passed on football instead nailing his only play, a PERFECT PLAY on the Denver Nuggets. Last night The Great One had a PERFECT PLAY on the NY Knicks in a 29 point rout.

Tonight, Stevie stakes the reputation. He puts his neck on the line with the NCAA Personal Favorite GAME of the YEAR. He is making his biggest bet since Stanford outright against USC in 2007. He has a pro basketball winner as well. Click now to purchase this pick which you can take straight to the Chevy Chase Bank.

Now let's go to the best handicapper every, anywhere Joe Duffy, CEO of OffshoreInsiders.com and part of the Dream Team of GodsTips the Industry Standard.

It's been yet another typical year from your football betting specialists. We have had winning weeks 12 out of 15 so far, which goes back to preseason. Of course we have you up in the NBA for the year and we are 2-0 in college hoops with Michigan and Prairie View yesterday. We go 5-2 in basketball. We are 17-8 with NBA Wise Guy plays and with Michigan and Prairie View, we are undefeated in college hoops. We challenge oddsmakers to try to come up with a sport we won't dominate. Good luck. Let's continue the winning.

We just added two NBA including a Wise guy, plus college basketball, where we will remain undefeated. Click now to purchase

In other news, Michaela Watkins and Abby Elliot are the newest cast members of Saturday Night live. Shania Twain returns to Nashville getting the CMA award for Entertainer of the Year. We predict Amanda Henkel, Carrie Underwood, or Kelly Pickler wins in 2009. Hopefully they will have a wardrobe malfunction like Katy Perry flashing the crowd.

The City of Brotherly Love is turning into hateful drama as feuding anchor people Vince Dementri, Alycia Lane , Larry Mendte and others are making news, not reporting it. BetUs Sportsbook offers betting opportunities in entertainment and all of life's events.

OffshoreInsiders.com

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Analysis: Yankees Trade For Swisher

Full analysis coming later, but here are a couple of quick thoughts on the Yankees' trade for Nick Swisher this afternoon. The Bombers traded utilityman Wilson Betemit, as well as minor-league pitchers Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez for Swisher and minor-league pitcher.

Swisher hit .219 this year, the lowest average of anyone in the American League with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. But even in his worst year, he still hit 24 homers and drew 82 walks, posting an OPS+ of 92 -- which means that overall, he was only slightly worse than the league average.

Swisher has never been a big average guy, but is a very patient hitter and essentially replaces Jason Giambi in the Yankees' lineup. If you look at it that way, this is a brilliant acquisition -- Swisher is almost 10 years younger than Giambi, is a better first baseman and is a fine outfielder. The move does not preclude the Yankees from going after Mark Teixeira, but gives them an experienced option at first base if they don't sign the top free agent hitter on the market.

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Yanks Land Swisher

MLB Trade Rumors has all the stories compiled in one place. It looks like the deal is going to be Wilson Betemit, Jhonny Nunez and Jeff Marquez for and Kanakoea Texeira.

The best thing about this trade, as far as I'm concerned is that the Yanks didn't give up anything important. Marquez has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation guy, Nunez is the guy the Yanks traded Alberto Gonzalez for at the deadline last year and Betemit is garbage. I hate every other aspect of the deal, especially the part where the Yanks pencil Swisher in as their starting first baseman.

Swisher walks. He walks a lot. That's pretty much the only good thing the guy does. He had 82 walks last year to get his OBP up to .332. Lovely. He can "play" 4 positions on the field, all the outfield positions and first base. He doesn't play any of them well. According to this, first base is the worst of his positions. Adding Swisher to the lineup in Giambi's slot basically amounts to equal walks and a precipitous drop off in every other statistical category, which is great for a team that struggled to score runs last season.

More good news, Swisher is under contract through 2011 ($20.3M total), with an option for 2012 ($10.25M). The salary is quite affordable if you're talking about an every day player. When you're talking about a .219 hitter who can't defend or a first baseman with a .742 OPS, well it may be a little over the top. It will be fun to see the bottom of the Yankee lineup with Swisher and Gardner, though. Two guys with great plate discipline who pitchers have no fear of facing.

If you can't tell, I hate this move. People will tell you the Yanks aren't done, but I disagree. I think this trade takes a run at Teixeira off the table. They now have their every day first baseman for 2009 (unless Posada can't catch, but if that happens there are larger issues to worry about). We're going to be forced to see Swisher, his miserable bat and his below-average glove on a daily basis.

If the choice was between a two-year deal for Giambi or a trade for Swisher, I'd take Giambi. No questions asked. Don't pat Brian Cashman on the back for buying low. All he did was get the ChiSox out from under a bad contract for a bad player. Congrats, Cashman, he's our problem now. Not the start to the offseason I was looking for.

Here's your Yankee lineup, at the moment:

1. Damon (LF)
2. Jeter (SS)
3. A-Rod (3B)
4. Posada (C)
5. Nady (RF)
6. Matsui (DH)
7. Cano (2B)
8. Swisher (1B)
9. Gardner (CF)

Inspiring, huh?

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Rick Fox, Deborah Norville, and Mark Cuban To Appear On Reality Game Shows

FOX’s reality game show hits Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader and Don’t Forget The Lyrics are continuing to feature celebrity guests. On this week’s Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, TV news reporter Deborah Norville and NBA champion Rick Fox compete for charity.

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader airs on Friday, Friday, November 14 from 8 PM to 9 PM ET/PT on FOX. Right after Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader, billionaire Mark Cuban makes a surprise guest appearance on Don’t Forget The Lyrics.

In addition to having a lot of money, Mark Cuban is also the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and appeared as a contestant on the fifth season of Dancing With The Stars. Don’t Forget The Lyrics airs on Friday, November 14 from 9 PM to 10 PM ET/PT on FOX.

For more Reality TV news visit SirLinksALot: Reality Television. Also, come join us on the new Reality TV Magazine message boards and talk about your favorite show!

Photo Credit: Patrick Wymore/FOX

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Related posts:

1. Dancing With The Stars - Mark Cuban Dresses Like A Hobo
2. Dancing With The Stars Results – Mark Cuban Eliminated
3. Mark Cuban Picks Cameron Mathison To Win Dancing With The Stars 5

StreamDesk Brings Web Streams to the Desktop

Windows/Mac OS X 10.5 only: Want live video streams to run in a dedicated window instead of a forgotten tab buried in your browser? StreamDesk brings a hand-picked selection of live video streams from sites like Ustream.tv, Justin.tv and Stickam directly to your desktop. For Mac, it requires OS X Leopard (version 10.5) and Flash 10. For Windows, it requires .NET 3.5 and Flash 10 — though the StreamDesk installer will helpfully download both for you. The content is currently tech-heavy, but you can request new feeds like the Shiba Inu from a form on the developer's site. StreamDesk is a free download for Windows and Mac OS X 10.5.

StreamDesk [via Download.com]

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Saturday Sports Betting Preview

College football hogs the sporting spotlight Saturday, with top-ranked Alabama looking to pound Mississippi State . Here's a look at all the action in your Daily Sports Roundup. The world's best professional bettors know that today is one of the strongest cards from the standpoint of the bettor. Keep in mind that GodsTips, already 4-0 in college basketball, has added a box of puppies to the hoop card since that report was filed.

The Gridiron Spotlight

The Crimson Tide (10-0, 7-3 ATS) remain atop the AP Poll and BCS rankings, and they'll be looking to stay ahead of idle Texas Tech this weekend by taking care of business against Mississippi State (5-4, 5-3 ATS). Alabama , a 22-point favorite on Saturday, beat 27-21 LSU last game. The Bulldogs are coming off a loss to Kentucky .

No. 3 Florida continues to climb the rankings, and they're pegged as 22.5-point favorites on Saturday against No. 24 South Carolina. No. 4 Texas is favored by 13.5 points in their game against Kansas , while No. 5 Oklahoma is also on a bye this week. As well, it's No. 6 USC (-24) vs. Stanford , Indiana vs. No. 7 Penn State (-35.5), No. 8 Utah (-30) vs. San Diego State , No. 9 Boise State (-36.5) vs. Idaho , and also No. 10 Ohio State (-9.5) vs. Illinois in what should be the closest game on the schedule for Top 10 teams.

Other Notable Events

LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers will play host to the Utah Jazz in one of eight games on the NBA's schedule for Saturday. The Cavs are coming off a 110-99 win over the Denver Nuggets on Thursday which improved their record to 7-2 (6-3 ATS) on the year. James had 22 points to go along with 11 assists and eight boards that day.

The Boston Celtics are also in action on Saturday, as they'll play on the road in Milwaukee . As well, the Warriors and Clippers will meet in a 3:30pm ET matinee in Los Angeles . The rest of the NBA's Saturday schedule: New Jersey at Atlanta , Oklahoma City at Philly, Portland at Minnesota , Indiana at Chicago , and New Orleans at Houston .

The Rest of the Schedule

The slumping Stars will be looking to get back into the win column in NHL action on Saturday night - Dallas has been tagged with a loss in four of their five November games. The Stars will play in Phoenix on Saturday in one of 10 games on the league's schedule. Rounding out the slate: Boston at the Rangers, Toronto at Vancouver, Philly at Montreal, Washington at New Jersey, Ottawa at the Islanders, Buffalo at Pittsburgh, Columbus at Minnesota, Colorado at Edmonton, and finally Nashville at Los Angeles.

The Canadian Football League stages its last games before the Grey Cup on Saturday, with Edmonton at Montreal in the East Final, and British Columbia at Calgary in the West Final. The Alouettes are listed as 6-point home favorites in the first game, with the total at 56.5 points. The Stamps' line is the same - 6-point favorites with a total of 56.5.

Finally, there is plenty of college hoops on Saturday as teams start to get their schedules underway. Most notably, top-ranked North Carolina will play host to Pennsylvania on Saturday, while No. 10 Gonzaga will go up against Montana State-Billings. Neither of those early-season matchups are expected to be very competitive.

A Peek at the Future

Tony Romo will return to action for the Cowboys on Sunday, as they play in Washington as road favorites . . . the Titans will be looking to stay perfect on the season on Sunday when they take on the division-rival Jaguars; Tennessee is also a road favorite . . . Jimmie Johnson will be looking to wrap up the Sprint Cup Series championship on Sunday afternoon when NASCAR closes its season with the Ford 400 down in Florida.

Top Handicappers

We give credit where it is due and the Jim Feist Proline Free Pickphone internet show does have good gambling discussion. But was we listened while we worked today, we see they do have a west coast bias. Clearly the Las Vegas based handicappers know Pac 10, West Coast Conference and Big West teams.

That's the magic of MasterLockLine.com, which has the top plays from the top sports services in their highest ranked sports. They know there are regional specialists in handicapping. Mark the Shark is the best Las Vegas based handicapper. Leo Getz dominates the Big East and Atlantic 10. Bill Tanner is easily the top Big 10 betting expert and all are monitored by power of 620 sports services behind every selection.

OffshoreInsiders.com

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Multiple new fires in southern California

More fires have started in southern California and are being pushed by the Santa Ana winds. We will post maps of the fires as they are available.

"Freeway" fire near Corona and Yorba Linda

UPDATE @ 4:42 p.m. Saturday

Below is a map showing thermal imagery from a satellite. The red areas are the two fires west of Corona in the Yorba Linda, Brea, and Anaheim areas. The western most one is the Brea or Dump fire. The eastern most one is the Freeway fire. It appears that this imagery is from late this afternoon. The seems to have crossed the 57 freeway, and we already knew the Freeway fire was well established south of the 91.

Click on the map to see a larger version.


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UPDATE @ 2:27 p.m. Saturday

A 250-unit apartment complex south of the 91 freeway near Santa Ana Canyon Road and some single family dwellings in the same area are fully involved.

Here is an updated map that shows the approximate location of the Freeway fire west of Corona. Click on it to see a larger version.



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UPDATE @ 1:45 p.m. Saturday

The fire crossed the 91 freeway in two places and 3,100 homes in the Anaheim Hills area (south of 91 and west of 241) are under an evacuation order.


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11:40 a.m. Saturday

The DC-10 air tanker making a drop on the Freeway fire near Corona. It dropped continuously for 10 seconds, much longer than smaller air tankers. Oddly, there was a smaller twin-engine plane flying closely on the side of the DC-10, unlike lead planes which fly some distance ahead of air tankers.

Here is a map that shows the approximate location of the Freeway fire. Click on the map to see a larger version.



This fire, named Freeway, started late this morning and as of 11:40 a.m. PT has already burned 800-1,000 acres and has damaged or destroyed 12 homes. It is on the north side of the 91 freeway near Green River Road. It has burned into Yorba Linda where evacuations are in progress and some homes burned near Merryweather Circle.

An engine crew was burned over according to LA channel 7. Two firefighters have minor injuries and were treated at a hospital.

Fire in Brea

UPDATE @ 3:40 p.m. PT Saturday

The fire has burned quite a distance to the west and jumped the 57 freeway for a while but firefighters picked up that portion that crossed the freeway. A reporter from Fox 11 is at the fire edge on Wildcat Way just north of W. Lambert Road in Yorba Linda. HERE is a link to a map of that location.

Farther to the east at Hidden Hills Rd. and Greencrest Dr. many mega-mansions are burning to the ground. The situation is complicated by the fact that there is no water pressure at all in the water system. Firefighters are emptying the tanks in the engines, then leaving the area to get water, then returning again.

The director of the Yorba Linda Water District said that there are multiple pumping stations that pump water into some of the higher elevations that are burning now, and at least one of the pump stations burned. They are investigating the possibility of bringing in a pump to replace the one that burned. So... the fire suppression infrastructure works fine... until there is a fire. Just a idea: Make the pumping stations resistant to fire.

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11:40 a.m. Saturday

This is a new fire a mile or two or three west of the Freeway fire. It is smaller than the Freeway fire, but no additional information is available. It may have been a spot from the Freeway fire.
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TV Patrol: Saturday's Suck Again!

Like I've said before, the only good thing about Saturday, is it leads to Sunday. This schedule is almost too painful to write about, but I'll give it a try, just for you guys. My dedication & devotion to you, my readers, is so heartfelt & sincere, that I can't possible let you go, not even one day, without knowing what you could possibly be missing or avoiding tonight. It gives me great pain & even cramps, to write all this crappy, nonsensical, bullshit, scheduling down, but I'm going to jump right to it........

Well, at least there are sparkly balls.

Did any of you watch "a/k/a Tommy Chong" last night on ShowTime. I am outraged at the manipulation of the law to make an example of a man, that was doing no one any harm. The time, money, & manpower spent to bring this hardened criminal down is truly absurd in every sense of the word. If you haven't seen it, no matter what you think of Tommy Chong, find it and see what our government can do. It is being re-broadcast tonight on ShowTime2 at 7:30pm. We had better all be careful. It very well could happen to any one of us & that's what makes it so fucking scary!

Ok, on to the sorry drivel they are passing off as entertaining TV........

ABC: College Football for the evening. Check local listings for the college nearest you. 8pm.

CBS:" at 8pm. (movie) Vince Vaughn & Owen Wilson crash weddings. (duh!)
"48HRS. Mystery" at 10pm. (new) A woman is stabbed to death in her house. (just what I want to watch all alone on a Sat.nite)

NBC:
"Knight Rider" at 8pm. (repeat) This show gets great mileage. They air it every other day.
"The Office" at 9pm. (repeat) Another NBC frequent-flyer.
"Saturday Night Live" at 10pm. (repeat) Gimme a break!!! This show sucks ass so bad. When is it going to end. Pathetic pack of programmers at NBC haven't had an original thought in 20yrs.

FOX:
"Cops" at 8pm. (new) & again at 8:30pm. (repeat) At least the real people get to watch each other on TV.
"America's Most Wanted" at 9pm. (new)

APL:
"Dogs 101" at 8pm. (new) Showcasing the Bloodhound, Yorkies, Great Dane, ShihTzu, & Rhodesian Ridgeback.
"It's Me or the Dog" at 9pm. (new) That Victoria Stillwell looks like a dominatrix coming to the door.

CMT:
"Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling" at 8pm. (new) I'm loving this show. I think it's going to be Danny Bonaduce for the win.
"My Big Redneck Wedding" at 9pm. (new)
"Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders: Making the Team" at 9:30pm. (new)

truTV: A marathon of "Forensic Files" starting at 8pm.
MTV: Three hours of "True Life" repeats, starting at 8pm.
DSC: "Man vs Wild" x 3, starting at 8pm.

E!: "Going Postal: 15 Most Shocking Acts of Violence" 8pm. Can't get anymore entertaining than this can ya? I might just go uptown and let loose on the locals after watching this & blame it on TV.

BBCA: "The Graham Norton Show" at 10pm. (new) Robin Williams is the guest. If you get this network, Graham is worth watching. He has the BEST talk show on TV. Always funny & outrageous.

Here's another interesting show to watch. The Gameshow Network has a new game for us to watch. It's "Think Like a Cat" with Chuck Woolery at 9:30pm. Contestants & their cats have to prove how well they know each other. Can you imagine!!! I'm tuning in. Maybe I'll become a contestant. I certainly have the qualifications for this show, with 15 cats of my own. I could win their $1 million prize.

HISTORY:
"Secrets of Body Launguage" at 8pm. They examine politicians to prove the bastards are all lying to us.

HBO has "Rick Gervais: Out of England.... The Stand-Up Special" at 9pm. He originally performed this in NYC at Madison Square Gardens in 2007.

That's it for TV's trash bin of a Saturday. Oh wait, we do have some movies tonight. Here we are.....

SciFi: "Sin City" at 9pm. (2005) This is a dark graphic movie with a trio of stories entwined into each other. I loved it's look & feel. This ones good. (not a family movie) Bruce Willis, Mickey Roarke, & Clive Owens.

A&E is paying homage to the late Michael Crichton with this two-part adaption of his novel "The Andromeda Strain" starting at 8pm with pt#1 & concluding with pt#2 at 10pm. Eric McCormack, Benjamin Pratt, & Andre Braugher. (2008)

AMC: "The Godfather" at 8pm. (1972) Marlon Brando
CINEMAX: "The Hollow Man" at 8pm. (2000) Kevin Bacon
ENCORE: "Jerry Maguire" at 8pm. (1996)
FX: "The Mummy Returns" at 8pm. (2001) Brendon Fraser

That's it guys. I love you all & it must show by going thru all this crap trying to find something for you to watch tonight.

My picks: "Think Like a Cat" & "The Graham Norton Show".

I sure hope you have a date or are at least out at the bars looking to hook up with someone. Good Luck & don't forget: "No Glove, No Love!"

love
chooch

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Freeway Complex (Corona Fire) Racing

The Freeway Complex, previously called the continues forging a path of destruction as it moves into Anaheim Hills. Again NBC4 Los Angeles has amazing coverage that you can follow live online.

The fire is moving faster than firefighters can chase it. Winds are predicted to abate throughout the afternoon. For firefighters and residents downstream it can't slow fast enough
So far dozens of homes have burned and more than 1,000 acres have been consumed.

Below is a Google map affected neighborhoods in Anaheim Hills. Channel 4 mentioned E.Serrano Road specifically.


View Larger Map
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What's On Tonight: Gervais' standup, Greenwich stabbing

Little late in posting today. Sorry. Computer problems. And rain. It was raining a lot. But the fist three things here will be repeated all weekend, so work with it, people.

As Ricky Gervais navigates that tricky road from comedy TV hero to Hollywood movie star, he puts in the requisite comedy showcase.

"Ricky Gervais: Out of England - the Stand-Up Special" (HBO, 9 p.m.) has about everything we love about the English comic -- his quick wit, deft accuracy at creating scenes and characters and his willingness to go just over the line to let you know where that line is.

He's a lot like his characters were in "The Office" and "Extras" -- full of themselves and dense to know it. The opening bit about playing up the downplaying of his charity work is first rate. He's best when he creates little scenes within his monologues using the kind of characters you'd expect in his BBC comedies.

But some of the material is quite old, most tellingly when he goes on about odd information in AIDS-avoidance pamphlets. The special's main problem may be going on too long: The first hour is way better than the final 30 minutes. Yet I wouldn't have wanted to miss that section about the wrongheadedness of sending horses let alone all of the king's horses to reassemble Humpty Dumpty.

Also On Tonight

Chandra Wilson already has an Emmy for her work on "Grey's Anatomy." But she's gunning for another with her portrayal of a homeless woman in the TV movie "Accidental Friendship" (Hallmark, 9 p.m.). Angry, fiercely independent and determined, she distrusts the female cop trying to befriend her. Despite its occasional excesses, it underscores, on the eve of National Hunger and Homelessness Week, that homelessness can happen to anyone. Ben Vereen and Kathleen Munroe also star.

One of the most lurid chapters in Greenwich history is relived even before the murder trial is held. John Stamos stars as in the TV movie "The Two Mr. Kissels" (Lifetime, 9 p.m.), portraying the man who defrauded creditors for millions before he was found dead in his mansion in 2006; he was preceded in death by his brother, whose wife was convicted of killing him in Hong Kong. Robin Tunney has a splendid time playing the waitress turned millionaire's wife.

Yes, it's too early: Dr. Seuss How the Grinch Stole Christmas (TBS, 7:30 p.m.). And I usually associate "The Wizard of Oz" (TBS, 8 p.m.) with Easter. But in truth it's always great to see. I fear our children don't have the proper knowledge of it that we did, which is a pity.

Paul Rudd hosts the first new "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 11:30 p.m.) since the election, with Beyonce the musical guest. So don't expect Tina Fey back as Sarah Palin - ever. The quick departure of Amy Poehler has left Kristin Wiig as just about the only woman cast member, though (Casey WIlson is just a "featured player"). So two new women make their debut tonight -- Michaela Watkins from the same Groundlings troupe that produced so many "SNL" stars -- and Amy Elliott, who is from what may be the first family of comedy (Chris is her dad, Bob is her grampa). Welcome to them.

It's also the first "MadTV" (Fox, 11 p.m.) since it was announced that the show was ending after this season. They'll try not to show their disappointment.

The newest episode of "Eating Connecticut" (CPTV, 6:30 p.m.) concentrates on restaurants in South Norwalk. I'll have to catch a rerun.

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It's a he said/she said for Mindy McCready

The girl isn't even out of jail for a month and already she's got the drama going on.

Mindy recently did an interview with Inside Edition but now is saying that much of what the TV show is reporting is false. The main info in question is whether Mindy wanted to marry Roger Clemens, they say she did, she says no she didn't.

Well being that it's her words, I'd think she'd know, but considering she's had so many major issues in the past, who really knows.

Mindy tells the NY Daily News, "I didn't want to get married to him and I don't want to get married now."

"He should have done right by his family - if a person is unhappy in their marriage and spending all their personal time with someone else, you need to do right by your marriage. He should have just told Debbie and been honest with her. If he didn't want to be with her and wanted to be with me, he should have told her."

Also she says she never met Clemens wife, Debbie Clemens, something that Roger had said in the past, but if she had the chance she'd apologize.

"I would apologize to her and say I was young," McCready told The News. "I now know better."

We can only hope she does.

Mindy is currently shopping around a reality series and has a new album in the works. Guess we'll soon find out if drama does, indeed, sell.

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What's On Tonight: Einstein Fax n' New Moon Pix

The story of "Einstein" (History, 9 p.m.) is told again in another two hour documentary that follows both his personal life with its failed marriages and shunning by other scientists and his discoveries, with the turning point a race to capture a solar eclipse that would prove all his theories.

Actual locations in the U.S. and Europe are used in telling the story of the 15 years before his greatest discovery; experts such as Walter Isaacson, Thomas Levenson, Jeffrey Crelinsten and Matthew Stanley are interviewed. And of course Neil DeGrasse Tyson pops up as he usually does.

Tonight's offering in National Geographic's Expedition Week goes the furthest for its story. "Live from the Moon" (National Geographic, 9 p.m.) seems pretty far afield from the pyramids and dinosaurs that otherwise populate the week's fare, but the new report is a fascinating one, especially for those who want to try out their HD sets to see the remarkable high definition footage caught by a Japanese lunar orbiter launched last year that brings crisp detail to the surface first reached in 1969. The Kaguya flew so close to the surface of the moon, it sent images of the original landing sites of Apollo 11 and 17, which don't seem to have been disturbed.

If you didn't see it before, "Oswald's Ghost," rerun tonight on "American Experiemce" (CPTV, 9 p.m.) is a fascinating new approach to the assassination of John Kennedy and its effect on the culture, in advance of the 45th anniversary of the shooting on Saturday.

It's down to the final four on "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 8 p.m.) and it seems nothing short of another injury will stop Brooke Burke. NFL star Warren Sapp seems the most inconsistent of those left, but he's probably got a stadium full of fans calling in; Cody Linley has a different constituency: young "Hannah Montana" fans, and the main problem for Lance Bass, is getting past scolding judge Len Goodman.

"CSI: Miami" (CBS, 10 p.m.) marks its 150th episode with a baby abduction. Teri Polo guest stars.

Cast member Chad Michael Murray wrote tonight's "Casablanca" themed episode of "One Tree Hill" (The CW, 9 p.m.).

Now it all makes sense: Fred Willard is Sam's dad on "Worst Week" (CBS, 9:30 p.m.).

Reminding you of the time when "SNL" had a lot of talented women, Cheri Oteri guest stars on "Boston Legal" (ABC, 10 p.m)

It's Thanksgiving on "Gossip Girl" (The CW, 8 p.m.) because those girls are always rushing things.

Here come the bad Christmas movies: "Santa Baby" (ABC Family, 7 p.m.) and "Holiday in Hancduffs" (ABC Family, 9 p.m.) and an Easter one: "The Passion of the Christ" (Showtime 2, 7:55 p.m.).

Charles Laughton is the star of the month on Turner Clasic Movies, seen tonight in "Payment Deferred" (8 p.m.), "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (9:30 p.m.), "The Old Dark House" (11:30 p.m.) and "The Centerville Ghost" (12:45 a.m.).

See it while you can: "My Own Worst Enemy" (NBC, 10 p.m.) is not long for this world.
College basketball rarely gets so local: University of Hartford at University of Connecticut (WCTX, Channel 59, 7 p.m.) from the XL Center in Hartford.

It comes on the night of the tip-off marathon in which UMass at Memphis (ESPN, midnight) followed by back to back games all night tonight and all day tomorrow until 9 p.m. Don't think I'll be setting the alarm for Idaho State at Hawaii (ESPN, 4 a.m.). March madness? Maybe. November numbness? Not so much.

And its Browns at Bills in Monday Night Football (ESPN, 8:30 p.m.).

Daytime Talk
Regis and Kelly: Jenny McCarthy, Milo Ventimiglia, Miss Jay Alexander, David Bach. Bonnie Hunt: Florence Henderson, Adam Rodriguez, Gery Deer. Ellen DeGeneres: Kate Walsh, Brooke Burke, Derek Hough.

Late Talk
David Letterman: Emma Thompson, Michelle Felicetta. Jay Leno: Kiefer Sutherland, Lisa Lampanelli, Barry Manilow. Conan O'Brien: Snoop Dogg, Brian Regan, Blitzen Trapper. Jimmy Kimmel: Chris O'Donnell, Rocco DiSpirito, Kanye West (rerun). Craig Ferguson: Poppy Montgomery, Nick Hornby. Carson Daly: Wayne Brady, P.O.D. (rerun). Stephen Colbert: Tom Brokaw, Malcolm Gladwell) .

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Slumdog Millionaire

Even in Laughter the Heart May Ache

Slumdog Millionaire / Daniel Carlson

Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire is the latest example of why the director is so good at making movies in different genres: It's got the connective thread of emotional honesty, fidelity of character, and devotion to the story's specific universe that links it with everything from Boyle's drama Shallow Grave to the horror of 28 Days Later to the children's film Millions. Boyle can jump from one style to another because he always brings a level of truth to his films, and that's one of the many things that makes Slumdog Millionaire such a joy to watch. The film is beautiful, sad, sweet, uplifting, and thoroughly entertaining, but above all it's honest, a paean to life and love that stands firmly rooted in reality even as it reaches for the heavens. The story bounces around in time and often rapidly shifts location or mood, flirting with everything from comedy to drama to a blend of fantasy and reality that's completely engaging and works on every level.

The film opens with a multiple-choice question: "In Mumbai 2006, Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it? (a) He cheated. (b) He's lucky. (c) He's a genius. (d) It is written." The small moment encapsulates everything that will follow, from the sense of being against the odds to the chance that sometimes, destiny just takes over. The first few minutes of the film are hectic ones that smash between Jamal (Dev Patel), an Indian teenager, sitting in the hot seat on the local edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" and his being tortured and interrogated in a grimy holding cell by a slovenly guard who wants to know how the boy cheated. Jamal is punched and cut, has his face plunged underwater, and is even briefly hooked up to a car battery, but he holds to his story -- that he knew the answers, that he won the game show honestly -- even when the sergeant turns him over to the inspector (Irfan Khan). At this point, it becomes clear that Jamal's time on the game show is the hub around which the rest of the story will revolve, and Boyle keeps coming back to it before shooting off on other connected spokes. The inspector puts in a tape of Jamal's appearance on the show and plays it from the beginning, and as Boyle slides into the past and back into the present, the questions on the show become springboards that launch Jamal's story to the inspector and send the viewer back through the young man's life.

The screenplay from Simon Beaufoy, adapted from Vikas Swarup's novel Q&A, evolves in elliptical bursts, beginning back when Jamal was just a small boy getting into trouble with his older brother, Salim, and other boys flying through the alleys of what was then Bombay. Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle capture the city as a teeming mass of people and animals and filth all writhing under a hot sun and corrugated tin roofs; the camera is almost never still, and the frame often slides off balance or pushes in for a close-up as if the city itself is rising up like an ocean. Although the scenes with the older Jamal are performed in English, the flashbacks switch to subtitles that appear at random places on the screen and against blocks of color, a gimmick that forcibly calls attention to the dialogue made visible but also makes it work on a larger scale; it's as if Boyle isn't just making the film, he's presenting it, making it into something punchier and more evocative than you'd expect. Jamal's life unfolds in sections that often culminate in heartrending reveals tied into the questions he will be asked a decade later on a primetime quiz show, from his run-in with a national celebrity to his firsthand account of gang wars and religion-fueled murders. Boyle's stylized storytelling is like an epic storybook blended with gritty human drama, and it gives the characters an air of playing a role in something larger than themselves without turning them into caricatures or place-holders. These are ultimately real people going through real trials and changes.

Soon enough, Jamal and Salim meet a young girl their age named Latika, and it's this triangle that propels the rest of the story forward. And it's not the predictable set-up of a girl coming between two boys; or rather, the emotions manifest themselves differently than in most stories. From childhood, Jamal is drawn to Latika, but Salim views her at best as a friend, usually considering her something to deal with instead of care about. Instead of firing up a trite love triangle, Latika's presence in the boys' world highlights their conflicting worldviews, with Jamal viewing Latika as end and Salim only seeing her as means. Even as they grow up and drift apart and come back together, Jamal never stops loving her or, when he has to, searching for her: That's simply the way he's wired.

As the film continually circles back to the game show and Jamal's amazing run at fame and fortune, it becomes clear that his entire life has fed into this chance at redeeming himself and putting back together the family and relationships that he's never been able to maintain. Estranged from Salim (played as a young man by Madhur Mittal) and still searching for Latika), this is basically his last shot at putting his life back on what he thinks is the right track. Patel is wonderful in the role, charming enough to seem believable as a kid who's struggled just to get this far and perfect at capturing that feeling of impossible angst and youth, as if nothing could stop you from getting what or who you wanted.

At its heart, Slumdog Millionaire is another of the billion stories of what it means to be fully and helplessly human. Boyle has made a true coming-of-age film that balances technical skill with emotional heft, and that marries heartbreak with hope. It speaks of joy and sacrifice, of redemption and atonement, and the sense of destiny attendant with the unstoppable perseverance of selfless love. Perhaps the ultimate testament to Boyle's skill at crafting a story that's engaging on every level and an actual pleasure to watch is the inability to say more than that: It's almost impossible to sum the film up or even get close without either completely blowing the plot or wandering into dangerous abstraction, into wonderings about fate and love and the feeling of being infinitely strong and young. What else can I say? It is written.

Daniel Carlson is the managing editor of Pajiba and a low-level employee at a Hollywood industry magazine. You can visit his blog, Slowly Going Bald.

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How to be trendy!

Stock, money, houses and even gold can lose value sometimes. Water, oil, energy, and food is scarce and becoming scarcer by the day. However, there is one thing that is rock solid these days: information.

Every day we delve further into the Information Age defined by our constant production, collection and stockpiling of ones, zeros, bits, bites, uploading, downloading and Googling.

Hopefully by now you are aware that what you are reading right now–and just about everything else out there–is being tracked. This WORD, this blog, this website, this server, and the possible Google search that brought you here are all being tracked.

I love information. I like to collect things. I like facts and figures. I love to see events developed into trends in society and how that affects all aspect of our lives from the way we dress to the TV we watch. I like to make those little connections. You know the connections where you nearly say out loud, "Ahhh, that's why" or "hmm, that's interesting."

So lately, I have been geeking out on trends and analyses of all kinds of fun things. My favorite thing, of course, is tracking this blog and my website (more to come on this around new years), but after that, I look at Google.

If you want to know what is going on in the world you should look toward Google and their Trends App. Trends shows users the hottest keywords being searched and the list is generally a good indicator of events happening right now. After showing you the list, Trends can also link you to news stories or websites related to that particular keyword.

People and society, ie Google users in general, can change faster than the fastest writer at LATimes.com can publish to your iGoogle so it's like the modern-day police band radio or Twitter for the world. Google has even launched an app that tracks cold and flu trends based on searches for symptoms which can be days or weeks faster than the CDC can work, which can be a huge medical step in preventing the spread of more cases. Imagine what else this can be used for. Hourly-based decisions one which advertisements to run and where, anybody?

I could go on for hours, but I know 78% of you lovely people stay for just three minutes and 13 seconds before moving on. So I will leave you with this minute's top 100 Googles:

1. howobamagotelected.com
2. how obama got elected
3. jennifer bini taylor
4. extortion
5. clubpenguin.com
37. lance bass
38. saturday night live beyonce
39. air battle
40. thurgood marshall
41. john ziegler
42. santa baby
43. justin timberlake snl
44. broward community college
45. wolfram rule 34 wikipedia
46. gossip girl spoilers
47. feufollet
48. pinocchio s mouth
49. georgetown basketball
50. twilight pictures
51. twilighters anonymous
52. preseason nit
53. storiesonline
54. carol channing
55. paul posluszny
56. coe college
57. jackanapes
58. two and a half men pinocchio s mouth
59. eri yoshida
60. hp g50 112 nr
61. brady quinn girlfriend
62. rihanna rehab lyrics
63. aol.com.mail
64. marv levy
65. garnett bogut
66. free movies to watch online
67. star trek trailer 2009
68. how obama won
69. twilight red carpet premiere
70. alliance defense fund
71. philip defranco
72. debbie matenopoulos
73. vince foster
74. sheba puppy cam
75. princeton review
76. johnny depp mad hatter
77. emily bear
78. trevor boehm
79. lawrence golub
80. buffalo weather
81. erika medina
82. ncaa soccer tournament
83. abc dancing with the stars
84. white chicks
85. mark cuban movie
86. jamal lewis
87. robot chicken star wars 2
88. black friday 2008 sales
89. buffalo ny
90. club penguin play
91. twilight movie reviews
92. heidrick struggles
93. dan coudreaut
94. mamma.com
95. tesla coil
96. buffalo new york
97. isis king
98. macy s sale
99. santa claus indiana
100. watch monday night football online free

http://findingisaacviel.blogspot.com/2008/11/how-to-be-trendy.html

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How a Sophomoric Leftist With Terrorist Friends and No Serious Credentials Could Get Elected President

Watch and weep:

Their votes counted as much as yours.

The interviews above are backed up by a multiple-choice Zogby poll. Some of the results, via Stix Blog.

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Tuesday 11/18 A.M. Quickie:Cuban, AL MVP, T-Mac, NFL Refs, More

I think the consensus is that while Mark Cuban's outrage at the SEC is entertaining, taking on the government isn't usually a winning strategy, as outlined in today's SN column.

Quickie scandal management is predicated on a few simple steps: Admit to something. Fix it. Move on. Whether it is allegations of insider trading or confirmation of NFL reffing screw-ups, the playbook is simple.

(It's particularly questionable in Cuban's case: It's not like he's facing jail time. What's a couple million in fines? Hell, David Stern pings Cubes for that every season.)

Meanwhile, the AL MVP race is by far the most up-in-the-air of any in this fairly straightforward MLB awards season. Split ballots may yield a very interesting winner.

NBA: T-Mac's knee is pretty messed up, as is my preseason pick of the Rockets winning the NBA title. So I'd rather concentrate on the breakout season being had by the Spurs' Roger Mason.

CBB -- so on fire, it's ridiculous. 14/19 FG, 9 assists, 4 steals (on top of 10 steals in the season-opener). Blake Griffin is pretty good, too. I can't stand that the Establishment has already determined that Tyler Hansbrough is going to win Player of the Year.

Finally, can we all agree that the Steelers-Chargers outcome wasn't fixed -- Occam's Razor would suggest that, as usual, it was inept officiating, pure and simple. At this rate, the NFL won't have any officiating crews left for the Super Bowl.

Tons more in today's SN column. More later.

-- D.S.
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