Archive for year 2011
Bud Light Hotel Kept the Party Going in Dallas
The horrible weather in Dallas this past weekend didn’t stop the fun at the Bud Light Hotel. Bud Light took over the Aloft Dallas Downtown and transformed the place into Super Bowl party central, The Bud Light Hotel. The festivities included musical performances by the Fray with Lifehouse, Nelly, Ke$ha, Pitbull, and Dierks Bentley. On Super Bowl Sunday, visitors to the Bud Light Hotel were treated to the Texas’ Largest Tailgate party.
On the Friday before the Super Bowl, Playboy hosted a private party. Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Flo Rida were in attendance along with a large dose of Playboy Playmates and models. Here are some pics from the Playboy event:
Kudos to Bud Light for keeping the party going despite all the weather drama.
Feb 10th
AXE Hair + Autographed Sam Bradford Football Giveaway
A couple weeks ago, we told you about Sam Bradford getting a buzz cut courtesy of AXE Hair. Bradford is the new spokesman for AXE Hair, and his buzz cut was part of the promotion to support the launch of a new AXE Hair product, AXE Buzzed Look Cream + SPF 15.
Well now we’re teaming up with AXE to give away a full line of AXE hair products and an autographed football from the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year!
One lucky winner will receive a football with Sam Bradford’s John Hancock and an AXE Hair gift package that includes the following products:
- NEW! AXE Understated Look Cream + Tea Tree Extract gives light hold for a natural, relaxed look that begs for Hair Action
- NEW! AXE Buzzed Look Cream + SPF 15 protects guys’ scalps from UVA/UVB rays while keeping hair soft and touchable
- AXE Smooth & Sophisticated Look Shine Pomade gives shine and long-lasting control for a smooth, polished look she’ll find irresistible
- AXE Messy Look Paste gives hair a messy, just-out-of-bed look she’ll want to run her hands through
- AXE Spiked-Up Look Putty gives hair hold without all the hard crunch of gel that girls hate
- AXE Clean-Cut Look Pomade gives guys a polished look she’ll notice, without appearing wet
That’s a pretty sweet haul if you ask us. So what do you have to do to score this AXE Hair/Bradford super-package? Simple:
- Follow us on twitter @MANjrcom
- Leave us a comment telling us how you think Bradford and the Rams will perform next year
- That’s it!
One winner will be selected at random next Wednesday, February 16.
Good luck!
Feb 9th
3-2-1 Contact Opening Theme
I found this gem while checking out The Ten Coolest Kids Science Shows on Gunaxin (great post).This jam takes be back. Way back. I don’t know why there isn’t more disco music in educational television programs for kids. This jam fires me up, man!
Feb 8th
The 9 Best Mark Wahlberg Acting Performances Before The Fighter
The Fighter received seven Oscar nominations this year, but Mark Walhberg, the film’s leading actor, didn’t get any love. He may still win a Best Picture Oscar for his role as the film’s producer (doubtful, but I’m saying there’s a chance), but there will be no Academy Award victory for his portrayal as young “Irish” Mickey Ward. Wahlberg was nominated for a Golden Globe and SAG award, but he didn’t make the cut for the Best Actor nod.
So in light of this slight, we put together the 9 best Mark Wahlberg acting performances before The Fighter. If you think this guy’s all about underwear, good vibrations and talking to animals, you’ve missed out on some pretty decent acting performances over the years.
9. Renaissance Man
This was Marky Mark’s big screen debut. He dropped the rhymes and the Y in his name and showed people he could be taken seriously.
8. Invincible
It’s a feel good, sappy Disney-fest for sure, but Wahlberg’s portrayal as Eagles walk-on Vince Papale was entertaining has hell.
7. The Big Hit
This super-ridiculous, John Woo-produced film doesn’t get enough credit for being fantastic. Is it silly? For damn sure. Does Wahlberg shine in his role as unappreciated, stressed-out hitman Melvin Smiley? Indeed he does. Wahlberg plays a pushover/badass who guzzles Malox and tried to find balance in his life as a contract killer, fiancée and all around nice guy. Get over the goofiness and it just works.
6. Fear
He was oh so nutty, remember? You don’t get nominated for an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain without some serious acting ability. They don’t just hand those things out, you know. Reese Witherspoon found out that nobody dumps Mark Wahlberg. Nobody. Watching him go ape-shit on Reese’s friends and family totally showed off this guy’s range. After 1996, it was clear that Marky the Rapper was gone and Mark the actor was here to stay/
5. I Heart Huckabees
Poems are amazing, just like Wahlberg’s acting skills.
4. Three Kings
Three Kings is another underappreciated Wahlberg film. The guy’s strengths really came out in this movie. Part ass-kicker, part funny man, with a little bit of dopey optimism mixed in there, Wahlberg found his niche in this film. He showed off his chops after his lung collapsed, and he was just plain awesome in this torture scene:
3. The Basketball Diaries
It’s a simple formulas really, Wahlberg plus heroin equals great acting. This film is further proof that Wahlberg excels when he plays characters named “Mickey.” Wahlberg’s convincing portrayal of a junkie in 1995 opened the door for more serious roles.
2. The Departed
What a scene stealer this guy was as Staff Sgt. Dignam. Dude got to say all the best line, like “I’m the guy who does his job. You must be the other guy” or “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe fuck yourself.” Just classic stuff like that. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role and he edged out Jack Nicholson for the only supporting actor Oscar nomination for the film. It’s not like it was a big stretch for Wahberg to play a mouthy Southie, but his delivery was so spot on.
1. Boogie Nights
This is the role that made Mark Wahlberg a big bright shiny star. It’s a great film with an amazing ensemble cast, but the film wouldn’t have worked without an incredible performance by the lead role. Wahlberg delivered the goods. He was able to play the naïve kid who develops into a convincing ego-maniac. Dirki Digler is one of the most memorable characters of all time, and it made Wahlberg into a borderline A-lister.
Is Mark Wahlberg the greatest actor of our generation? Of course not. But the guy’s got enough wins under his belt to avoid being a punchline. He’s come a long way from the Funky Bunch and he’s grown as an actor and as a producer. He’s made his fair share of stinkers, but he’s put together enough good performances to earn a lil’ respect too.
Feb 7th
RJD2 as The Insane Warrior – The Water Wheel
Vinyl archaeologist and all-around badass DJ/producer RJD2 has a new side project, The Insane Warrior. His new album, We Are the Doorways has it’s own website, and you can listen to the album at Spinner.com.
The album was influenced by John Carpenter (you can feel that dark ‘n trippy Assault on Precinct 13 flavor) and Brian Eno, and it features spatial instrumentals with a heavy sci-fi-synthy horror film vibe.
RJD2 fans will appreciate the break-heavy, cinematic feel that Ramble John Krohn always brings to the table. There’s a little more moodiness to this album, but it’s another solid effort from a producer who’s not afraid to take risks and show some range.
Check out the video for The Water Wheel:
Feb 4th
Volkswagen Commercial – The Force
Wow, I know this is Star Wars related, but damn, over 2 million views in a day? That’s pretty insane:
Feb 3rd
Super Bowl XLV Pick
What a fantastic Super Bowl matchup this is. The team with the most NFL championships is set to duke it out with the team that owns the most Super Bowl titles. The Packers and the Steelers are pretty evenly matched, as evidenced by the 2.5 point spread in Green Bay’s favor. It’s the lowest point spread for a Super Bowl in almost three decades. So yea, we’re all going to be treated to a good game.
But you knew this already. You knew that a Pittsburgh-Green Bay matchup was the best possible outcome. Can you imagine what sort of nonesne media hype would surround a Jets-Bears matchup? Cutler’s a girl and Rex won’t shut up, yadda yadda. But that didn’t happen. We got two world class teams from small markets and each team has a huge fan base.
The Steelers have more than 30 players who’ve played in the big game before. The Packers have two. The only Packer with a ring is fullback John Kuhn, and he got that ring while playing on the Steelers practice squad in 2005.
So why are the Packers favored to win the game? Two words: Aaron Rodgers. The guy’s playing on a different level. He threw for almost 4,000 yards, completed 65.7 percent of his passes and posted a 101.2 passer rating during the regular season. He followed that up with. He’s been even more dangerous in the playoffs, completing 71 percent of his passes and posting a 109.2 passer rating while winning three straight games on the road. Rodgers wasn’t spectacular in Chicago (two picks, no TDs), but he showed just how tough he was after getting crushed in the head by Julius Peppers and bouncing back up.
But Rodgers isn’t doing it all by himself. James Starks has been surprisingly useful on the ground. The Packers D has allowed only 69.7 rushing yards per game during the playoffs. During the regular season, the Packers were second in the league in takeaways and points allowed. Tramon Williams has three picks in the postseason. Sam Shields has two. Clay Matthews has 3.5 sacks and BJ Raji even managed a pick six somehow. This is a defensive unit that is firing on all cylinders. They’ve fully bought in to to the system that Dom Capers installed, and they’re going to give the Steelers offense a tough challenge on Sunday.
But what about those Steelers? They’ve won 9 of their last 10 playoff games. They’re a team that doesn’t lose Super Bowls. They have the experience, they have the focus and they have a better defense.
For all of Green Bay’s accomplishments on D, the Steelers are that much better. Pittsburgh’s holding opponents to 52.5 yards per game in the postseason. It’s true that the Packers finished second in the regular season in takeaways and points allowed, but the Steelers finished first in both categories. Troy Polamalu just won his second Defensive MVP award, and the dude didn’t even play in Week 15 or 16.
Then there’s LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison. Woodley had 10 sacks, three forced fumbles and two picks in the regular season. Harrison had 10.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and two picks to go with his 100 tackles during the regular season. Woodley has a sack in each of Pittsburgh’s two playoff games and Harrison racked up three sacks against Baltimore. This is the most formidable one-two QB pressure punch in all of football. If anything can slow down Aaron Rodgers, it’s these two guys.
There are so many other subplots to discuss: Charles Woodson fighting for his first ring; Big Ben’s big redemption; the rise of Pittsburgh’s young receiving corps; the ability of the Packers receivers to find gaps in the Steelers secondary; Rashard Mendenhall coming off one of his best games as a pro. We could go on and on, but really it boils down to this: Aaron Rodgers has been lights out, but the Steelers have the pieces in place to stop him. Big Ben is no slouch, and he’s proven that he can make big plays in the face of extreme pressure. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t seen the type of pressure that the Steelers are sure to bring. There’s no questioning his toughness, but against the best defense in the league, I think the Rodgers train finally grinds to a halt.
Pick: Steelers +2.5
Last week: 2-0
Season: 133-124-7
Feb 3rd
