Chris Stout
Chris likes not having any free time. +Chris Stout Email: cstout76@gmail.com
Homepage: http://www.manjr.com
Posts by Chris Stout
State Farm Grantin’ Wishes with Weezer Contest
Who doesn’t love Weezer? Nobody, that’s who. Weezer appeals to everyone, from the old folks who remember buying that first blue CD to the young’uns who discovered the band’s mp3’s on iTunes. Weezer crosses eras and taste camps. And they also put on a damn good live show.
Well Weezer’s got a new set of concert tour dates on tap, and if you want to enter to win a one-of-a-kind experience with the band, check out the pretty sweet contest on the State Farm Facebook page. The Grantin’ Wishes with Weezer Contest asks the question, “If you could have one wish granted by State Farm & Weezer, what would it be?” Now that’s a pretty open question that can go in lots of different directions. So fans are encouraged to record and upload a video or write-in their wish on the State Farm Facebook page. Facebook visitors can also view a video of Rivers Cuomo and Patrick WIlson introducing the contest on the State Farm page. You can also enter the conest at the State Farm/Weezer booths available at Weezer’s NYC concert venues.
When all is said and done, four winners will get to attend the band’s final concert of the Weezer Memories Tour Driven by State Farm in Chicago and have their wish granted. The winners will be flown out on January 7-8. If you have a unique idea or creative wish in mind, write it down, film it and head to Facebook to get that wish entered. The contest runs till December 24, so get on it.
Dec 10th
Give the Gift of Johnnie This Holiday Season
The holidays are here, and no matter what your religious views are, it’s time to celebrate. It’s also time to start scoring some gifts for the ones you love. And really, nothing says I love you like a big bottle of Scotch. Whatever budget you’re working with, you can find a bottle of Johnnie Walker to get the job done. Here’s a run down of your holiday Johnnie options:
Johnnie Walker Red Label
Let’s face it. Not everyone on your list is going to get a big ticket item. You just don’t have the kinda cash needed to splurge on every single person you know this holiday season. Well, nothing says ‘I thought of you but I didn’t break the bank’ like a bottle of Red Label. It’s festive, it works great as a holiday mixer and it still shows that you care.
Johnnie Walker Black Label
Some people are all about traditions. Chestnuts, turkey feasts, mistletoe. The holidays were designed for folks who love to throw it back and kick it old school. For the old-timer at heart, you can’t beat Johnnie Walker Black Label. It’s a timeless staple for no-nonsense drinkers who enjoy a smooth, smokey swig during the holidays.
Johnnie Walker Green Label
We all have at least one hippy friend or family member. You know, that brother-in-law who drives a Prius and makes his own shoelaces or the cousin who prefers tent-livin’ over apartments. That guy. If there’s an eco-friendly granola-lover on your gift list, get ‘em some Green Label. They’ll enjoy the aromatic, earthy undertones that come from a combination of pure malt blends across Scotland.
Johnnie Walker Gold Label
Gold Label is for the guy or gal on your list that’s just way too cool and smooth. We’re talking ice cold cool. Like someone who designs their own t-shirts and wears pants that can only be found in Japan. Someone who likes to put their Scotch in the freezer and share it with generous gift givers like yourself.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label
Blue Label is reserved for the people you love the most. This isn’t one of those hey, I just picked this up on the way over here type gifts. Nah, this is more like a hey everyone, I’m about to propose to your daughter and I thought I’d get you some super-fantastic-tasting Scotch as a holiday icebreaker. This is one of those hey Dad, thanks for paying for my entire college tuition and sending me to Europe for three months type gifts. This is the kinda gift you reserve for your favorite sibling, your best friend or that special guy whose babies you want to have. Put simply, the gift of Blue Label says, you’re top shelf and I think you’re cooler than most people I know. It’s a strong statement, yes, but one that will be extra-appreciated.
Dec 10th
Week 14 NFL Picks
| Indianapolis -3 At Tennessee
PICK: Colts -3 |
Tampa Bay -2 At Washington
PICK: Bucs -2 |
| At Jacksonville -4.5 Oakland
PICK: Jags -4.5 |
At New Orleans -9 St. Louis
PICK: Rams +9 |
| At Pittsburgh -8.5 Cincinnati
PICK: Steelers -8.5 |
At San Francisco -4.5 Seattle
PICK: 49ers -4.5 |
| New England -3 At Chicago
PICK: Pats -3 |
At NY Jets -5.5 Miami
PICK: Miami +5.5 |
| At Buffalo -1 Cleveland
PICK: Browns +1 |
Denver -5.5 At Arizona
PICK: Broncos -5.5 |
| NY Giants -2 At Minnesota
PICK: Vikings +2 |
At San Diego -6.5 Kansas City
PICK: Chargers -6.5 |
| Green Bay -6.5 At Detroit
PICK: Packers -6.5 |
Philadelphia -3.5 At Dallas
PICK: Eagles -3.5 |
| Atlanta -7.5 At Carolina
PICK: Falcons -7.5 |
Baltimore -3 At Houston
PICK: Texans +3 |
Last week: 8-8
Season: 94-89-7
Dec 9th
TRON: Evolution Video Game Now In Stores
I’m pretty stoked about the upcoming December 17 release of TRON: Legacy, the sequel to the hugely popular computer-graphics-packed sci-fi classic from 1982. The new 3D film has received plenty of buzz, with viral sites, teaser screenings and theme park tie-ins drumming up the anticipation for the release. If you want to immerse yourself in the TRON experience before the film comes out in eight days, there’s good news. TRON: Evolution, a video game that features Grid favorites like light cycles, light tanks, recognizers and light disc combat, is now out in stores.
TRON: Evolution is a third-person action game that incorporates racing and RPG elements. More than just a video game tie-in, TRON: Evolution was designed to bridge the gap between the two feature films. In the game, you control Anon, a security program who must defend the TRON digital world from a computer virus named Abraxas. As you play the game, you’ll experience part of the backstory that leads in to the Tron: Legacy film. Propaganda Games developed the game in conjunction with the filmmakers.
If you want to learn more about the backstory of Oliva Wilde’s character Quorra, jam out to some digital tracks from Daft Punk or battle online in a multiplayer mode with up to 10 players in various light tank, light cycle and on-foot combat exercises, this is a game that you need to pick up.
We’ll be receiving a copy of the game to review, so we’ll get back to you on the actual gameplay after we’ve had a chance to test it out. Till then, enjoy this clip to get sense of what TRON: Evolution is all about:
Dec 8th
NFL Week 13 Picks
| At Philadelphia -8.5 Houston
PICK: Eagles -8.5 |
New Orleans -6.5 At Cincinnati
PICK: Saints -6.5 |
| At Minnesota -5.5 Buffalo
PICK: Bills +5.5 |
Atlanta -3 At Tampa Bay
PICK: Bucs +3 |
| At Miami -4.5 Cleveland
PICK: Fins -4.5 |
At San Diego -13 Oakland
PICK: Chargers -13 |
| At Tennessee -2 Jacksonville
PICK: Jags +2 |
At Seattle -6 Carolina
PICK: Panthers +6 |
| At Kansas City -8.5 Denver
PICK: Chiefs -8.5 |
At Indianapolis -5.5 Dallas
PICK: Colts -5.5 |
| At NY Giants -7 Washington
PICK: Giants -7 |
St. Louis -3.5 At Arizona
PICK: Rams -3.5 |
| Chicago -3.5 At Detroit
PICK: Bears -3.5 |
At Baltimore -3 Pittsburgh
PICK: Steelers +3 |
| At Green Bay -9.5 San Francisco
PICK: Packers -9.5 |
At New England -3.5 NY Jets
PICK: Pats -3.5 |
Last week: 6-9-1
Season: 86-81-7
Dec 1st
Skedouche Offers Holiday Sweaters With a Little Humor
Dude, it’s December! That means Christmas fever is in full effect. Get ready for a few solid weeks of jingle bells, pine needles and Egg Nog. Secret Santa gifts will be purchased. Stockings will be stuffed. Christmas parties will be attended. But what will you wear to your special holiday shindig?
How bout a naughty Christmas sweater from Skedouche?
Nothing puts you into the holiday spirit like a tacky Christmas sweater. But why go for an ordinary tacky sweater when you can sport something subversively naughty? Skedouche’s adult-theme sweaters are just the right amount of clever. You don’t want to be sporting something pornographic at your company get-together or your grandma’s house. You just want the right amount of sublte humor to spice up your tackiness.
Skedouche’s naughty sweaters are made with 100% Acrylic yarn. I received one from SKedouche, and they’re pretty sturdy without being itchy, which is a big plus. They’re also 100% guaranteed conversation-starters at holiday parties.
If you want to go for a holiday look that’s more nice than naughty, Skedouche also offers more traditional tacky sweaters, scarves, accessories and even LED sweaters that light you up like a Christmas tree.
Don’t go for a boring cardigan or a dreary raincoat this holiday season. Show up to your holiday party with some gaudy-naughty Christmas flair and share some laughs with the ones you love.
Dec 1st
Top 5 Leslie Nielsen Films
Master spoof specialist Leslie Nielsen passed away on Sunday at the age of 84. Nielsen’s acting career spanned six decades. In 239 film and TV roles since 1950, he was embraced as a lead man, a serious actor and a dead-pan comedian who perfected the art of being oblivious to the shenanigans that surrounded his characters. To honor this legend, we came up with a list of the top 5 Leslie Nielsen films. It’s certainly not an exhaustive list (it leaves out all of his TV work), but it’s how we remember the guy. Feel free to share your favorite Nielsen moments in the comments.
Spy Hard
Spy Hard was the last great comedy that Nielsen made. The spoofs in his later career got a little bit out of hand, but Spy Hard was vintage Nielsen. His character’s name is Dick Steele (Agent WD-40) and he runs around with Nicolette Sheridan while battling an evil Andy Griffith. There’s just too many laughable moments in this 1996 flick to not have it on the list.
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear
I watched this movie so many times growing up. The third Naked Gun movie was subpar, but 2½ was right up there with the original film and TV series. The second film brought in the most cash, too. The first Naked Gun grossed $78 million, the second film grossed $86 million and the third film brought in $51 million. Priscilla Presley was still hot in this one too.
Forbidden Planet
Oh yes, that is a young Leslie Nielsen in this sci-fi classic from 1956. If you haven’t seen this film, you should really check it out. It’s got Robby the Robot, a sweet electronic music soundtrack, amazing (for the time) special effects and a 30-year-old Leslie Nielsen as Commander John J. Adams. Forbidden Planet made a huge impact on Gene Roddenberry, who said that the film served as inspiration for his creation of the Star Trek universe.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
The original film, based on the TV series, is still the best. You had O.J. Simpson as Nodberg, Ricardo Montalban as Vincent Ludwig, Reggie Jackson trying to kill the queen and that awesome baseball scene. Nielsen will forever be remembered as Lt. Frank Drebin, and that’s not such a bad thing. That character can get laughs in any era.
Airplane!
This is by far Nielsen’s best role. It was Nielsen’s first attempt at comedy, and he created his ’super-serious in the face of all kinds of ridiculousness’ style that would serve as his calling card for 30 years.
Rest in peace, Leslie. You will be missed.
Nov 29th
Week 12 NFL Picks
| New England -6.5 At Detroit
Pick: Pats -6.5 |
At Baltimore -7.5 Tampa Bay
Pick: Ravens -7.5 |
| New Orleans -3.5 At Dallas
Pick: Saints -3.5 |
Philadelphia -3.5 At Chicago
Pick: Eagles -3.5 |
| At NY Jets -9 Cincinnati
Pick: Jets -9 |
At Atlanta -2 Green Bay
Pick: Packers +3 |
| At Washington -2.5 Minnesota
Pick: Vikings +2.5 |
At Oakland -3 Miami
Pick: Raiders -3 |
| Pittsburgh -6.5 At Buffalo
Pick: Steelers -6.5 |
Kansas City -1 At Seattle
Pick: Chiefs -1 |
| At Houston -6.5 Tennessee
Pick: Texans -6.5 |
At Denver -4 St. Louis
Pick: Broncos -4 |
| At NY Giants -7 Jacksonville
Pick: Jags +7 |
At Indianapolis -3 San Diego
Pick: Colts -3 |
| At Cleveland -11 Carolina
Pick: Browns -11 |
San Francisco -1 At Arizona
Pick: Cardinals +1 |
Last week: 11-5
Season: 80-72-6
Nov 25th
State Farm Garage Makeover Sweepstakes
The State Farm Garage was a big hit at the LA Auto Show, and the garage will be making the rounds to other local auto shows in the coming months. Visitors who check out The State Farm Garage will have the chance to play a driving challenge game, compete in home run trivia and they also have this thing set up where you can see how your wing span measures up to LeBron James.
To go along with this auto show installation, State Farm is also running a pretty sweet contest: The State Farm Garage Makeover Sweepstakes. For this contest, State Farm is teaming up with GarageMahals to give away a custom garage makeover valued at $35,000. You have to be 18 or older and live in the contiguous US (sorry Alaskans and Hawaiians). The grand prize winner gets a gift certificate redeemable for a 400 sq. ft. Prestige Class GarageMahal makeover in the winner’s garage. 
The Prestige class makeover includes the following:
- GarageMahals® creative and detailed design services
- GarageMahals® metallic floor coatings
- GarageMahals® rolling door storage
- Upgraded electrical system
- Moderate framing and drywall changes
- Complete paint scheme
- Architectural surfaces
- Custom trim
- Customized lighting
So basically, you can really transform your garage into a custom mancave-like area that you can brag about for years. You can enter the sweepstakes at your local auto show or just visit the official sweepstakes site. The sweepstakes ends on 5/9/11. Here’s a full list of the local auto shows where you can check out The State Farm Garage:
- 11/19/10-11/28/10 Los Angeles Auto Show at the LA Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA
- 1/27/11-1/30/11 St Louis Auto Show at America’s Center and Dome in St. Louis, MO
- 2/11/11-2/20/11 Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL
- 2/26/11-3/6/11 Cleveland Auto Show at the I-X Center in Cleveland, OH
- 3/12/11-3/20/11 St. Paul & Minneapolis Auto Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, MN
- 4/7/11-4/10/11 Dallas Auto Show in Dallas, TX at the Dallas Convention Center
- 4/22/11-5/1/11 New York International Auto Show in New York, NY at the Jacob Javits Center
Nov 23rd
Doug Christie Interview
Doug Christie was a ridiculous defender during his 14-year NBA career. Since retiring in 2007, Christie has focused on his charity works, business ventures and his family. Christie home-schools his kids and every year, he and his wife get married on their anniversary – a full blown wedding to celebrate their vows. When he played in the NBA, Christie would signal to his wife countless times each game. A New York Times article published in 2002 detailed the strong bond that the couple shared. Christie and his wife Jackie even wrote a book about their relationship – No Ordinary Love. People like to give Christie shit about how his wife constantly keeps him in check and so on, but when talking to him, Christie sounded like a dude who’s genuinely happy to have such a tight relationship with his wife. When he talks about how important his family is to him, it really comes across as honest and authentic. Christie is a family man and he’s damn proud of it.
Christie and I discussed charity and sports management, married life for NBA players, trash talking, how Kobe stacks up to Michael Jordan and Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Here’s the full interview:
CS: What do you want people to know about the organization you founded last year, Christie Sports Management?
DC: Well Chris, Christie Sports Management is about mind, body and basketball. I train athletes from youth – my son, he’s nine, I train him – all the way to NBA. I trained Matt Barnes with the Lakers. I have an athlete in college at Washington State University, William Ayears. Obviously I love the game, but more than anything learning how to play the game the right way. The mind part of it is understanding how to break down your opponent, thinking the game, understanding clock management and all these different things. And then the body part of it is, you know, guys want to do all these fancy moves, Chris, and do all this stuff. And then you see guys breaking down like Greg Oden with knees and all these different things. But you have to strengthen your body. You have to understand how to move your body. And it’s kind of like martial arts, and the more you learn and understand it, the better obviously you will be.
CS: So now do you have a bunch of different people who help out in this effort or is it really just more of a one-on-one approach where you’re helping these athletes out?
DC: Well, it’s just me. Christie Sports Management is me. I’m the main trainer and I work with them one-on-one. Sometimes we get together in groups. I did a workshop last year in Sacramento where I got together some guys, they were going to Europe – some guys going to Europe, some college guys up in that area – and I worked with them. I had like eight guys. So it just depends. But like with Matt I worked with him one-on-one. William, I worked with him and actually he has a little brother who is in high school in Washington so I work with them together. But most of the time it’s one-on-one so I can really … one of the things I try to do is bridge the gap in communication. Because a lot of the times the coaches nowadays they just say one thing to everybody and you really can’t do that. Everything isn’t for everybody. So the methods that I give to one person, I’m giving somebody else the same message, but I’m giving it to them totally different so that they get it specifically for them.
CS: It’s got to be pretty rewarding when these guys go on to have some success, right?
DC: No question. I think even more than the team success in all of that is the moment of what I call the “a-ha” moment. Like with riding a bike where you get it. And when I’m talking to them and I’m trying to get them to grasp a concept or something, and all of a sudden I see that they got it and it’s like a-ha, that’s probably one of the most gratifying parts of the whole process. Just watching them learn from all the different things that I have picked up from Pete Carril in Sacramento and Rick Adelman to Pat Riley to all the different coaches that I’ve had to pick stuff from. And then all of the studying that I’ve done with the body and different stuff, watching them grasp that is just the ultimate reward.
Nov 23rd
