2013 in Music: The Year in Review

As the sand runs out on 2013, it's time to take a look back at the soundtrack to the year. As is my annual tradition, I tried to put together a somewhat all-inclusive top 10 from pop to metal to rap. Of course there are a lot of smaller label releases that will slip through the cracks, but a lot of that is due to the fact that I don't collect vinyl and don't run in those circles anymore. And that's the point — everything I've listed here is easily accessible to the average music consumer and available on popular streaming services, such as Spotify. There's something here for everyone and I think that most open ears will even find redeeming traits about all 10.

Without further adieu....

10. True Romance — Charli XCX

There might not be a weirder, more eclectic pop record out this year than the one that has been delicately crafted with an eagle eye by Charli XCX. Famous for writing and giving away one of the biggest records of the year "I Love It" to Iconapop, she proves that she doesn't necessarily need it to make a stellar album. When her ambition extends beyond her talents, the production is still intriguing enough to keep you interested. And it doesn't hurt that "You (Ha Ha Ha)" is one of the best tracks of the year.

Key Tracks: "You (Ha Ha Ha)" & "What I Like"

9. Nothing Was the Same — Drake

Drake has redefined R&B and rap by melding the two into some unholy monster with his last album, "Take Care." On "Nothing Was the Same," he picks up where he left off and makes an even more challenging, but ultimately rewarding, record. Even when he is beating a hook mercilessly into your brain to the point of blackout, like on "Worst Behavior", he still pulls you back in with an unexpected rhyme. And that's why Drake is here, because no matter what he churns out at this point, you can't really expect what's coming.

Key Tracks: "Hold on, We're Going Home" & "Tuscan Leather"

8. Pure Heroine — Lorde

When "Royals", the hit lead single off "Pure Heroine", was first released on the radio, I was amazed we could hear something so sparse, soulful and honest on the mass airwaves. In the post-Adele world, songstresses have a viable career path and the teenage New Zealander has the voice and writing ability to bend the concept of popular music to her will. Evoking the writing and delivery of Lana del Rey mixed with the gusto and pipes of the aforementioned Brit, Lorde could be the real deal. And "Pure Heroin" is filled with dark, roomy production, allowing her voice to fill in the gaps so the wise-beyond-her-years lyrics build a world for the listener.

Key Tracks: "Royals" & "Team"

7. Save Rock and Roll — Fall Out Boy

My biggest surprises of the year were: A.) Fall Out Boy was releasing a new album. B.) That anyone should still care. And C.) It's actually pretty damn good. It comes down to their usual brattiness evolving from angst-fueled to being utilized as full-on swagger. Other than a misstep with rapper Big Sean, they effectively use cameos such as Courtney Love and Elton John to great effect. Singer Patrick Stump proves he is the MVP, elevating many average songs to be better than they really are. With "Save Rock and Roll", FOB is wearing its intentions on its sleeve and comes pretty close to achieving it.

Key Tracks: "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light 'Em Up)" & "Save Rock and Roll"

6. Hesitation Marks — Nine Inch Nails

After basically shelving his longstanding one-man band, Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor surprised everyone by announcing a new album and quickly dropping the longstanding industrial band's most accessible, urgent and refreshing entry in its catalogue. The fact that it was an outgrowth of his stepping away from his musical obsession for five years is undeniable. "Hesitation Marks" is a return to the basics of "Pretty Hate Machine" but with more danceable beats, layered melodies and blasts of rhythms to create a Depeche Mode power pop rush that is the highest in NIN's discography.

Key Tracks: "Everything" & "All Time Low"

5. Random Access Memories — Daft Punk

After an eight year hiatus, Daft Punk fans were waiting for the book to be rewritten on all the dubstep, house/techno artists who had capitalized in their wake. Instead, the French duo turned back the clock to create something akin to a 70s rave with "Random Access Memories". A much more organic record, genre defying guest spots — from super producer Pharrell Williams, The Strokes' Julian Casablancas, alternative hero Panda Bear, and funk legend Nile Rodgers — fans got what they expected, just not what they wanted. It's hard to review RAM and not talk about one of the biggest songs of the year — "Get Lucky." The highest compliment I can pay the track is that upon stumbling upon the song on the radio, I wondered why funk was on the pop station and why Pharrell was singing it. Leave it to Daft Punk to make a record that sounds nothing like what is going on right now, even though everything sounds just like they used to.

Key Tracks: "Instant Crush" & "Lose Yourself to Dance"

4. Modern Vampires of the City — Vampire Weekend

For such a critically beloved band, Vampire Weekend never connected with me. Too bright, needlessly quirky, and wordy for the sake of showing off their knowledge of the Thesaurus, they were the perfect musical embodiment of a Wes Anderson film. With "Modern Vampires of the City", the band has turned inward and embraced more musical elements to showcase their maturity and confidence. Trading upper class angst for psychoses and quirks for flaws in characters, the album opens quietly, crescendoes, and then exits as it begun. So instead of the usual Ivy League house party experience of "Vampire Weekend" and "Contra", in "Modern Vampires of the City" we get the late 20-something schlepping at a bar for the night.

Key Tracks: "Ya Hey" & "Don't Lie"

3. ...Like Clockwork — Queens of the Stone Age

The six studio album from Josh Homme's revolving door collaboration that is Queens of the Stone Age, "...Like Clockwork", sounds like every other QOTSA record while managing to be something entirely different. Sexy, dark, menacing, heavy, melodic, it's all there and it's rearranged to create a sonic experience unlike anything in their catalogue. It's doesn't explode out of your speakers the way "Songs for the Deaf" did, or hypnotize you like "Era Vulgaris", this is a much deeper, dense record that is still concise and just flat out cool.

Key Tracks: "I Sat by the Ocean" & "My God Is the Sun"

2. The Bronx — The Bronx

The Bronx has been churning out riotous rock for years, but they slightly dialed back the abrasiveness and turned up the craftsmanship to make an album that goes off like a pop bomb with every track. If you ask me why I love this album, I can't give you a definitive answer. Maybe it's just refreshing to hear something that honest to God rocks. From the throwback rage of "Under the Rabbit" to rewriting the rules of modern day punk of "The Unholy Land", "The Bronx" melodies are finally as incendiary as their riffs.

Key Tracks: "The Unholy Land" & "Under the Rabbit"

1. Heartthrob — Tegan & Sara

For an album to be the best of the year and be released in January, it has to cast a long shadow. Heartthrob manages to do this with its simplicity. It's not the most personal, artistic or even interesting album Tegan and Sara have ever released, but it's the most immediate, accessible and memorable. The melodies and production transport you back to the 80s and feel like they've been a part of you for every decade since. It's the purest slice of popular music you'll hear all year.

Key Tracks: "Closer" & "Now I'm All Messed Up"

Best Top 40 Singles of 2013 

10. Rap God — Eminem

9. You (Ha Ha Ha) — Charli XCX
8. My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light 'Em Up) — Fall Out Boy
7. Radioactive — Imagine Dragons
6. Suit and Tie — Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z
5. Hold on We're Going Home — Drake
4. Closer — Tegan and Sara
3. Royals — Lorde
2. Get Lucky — Daft Punk feat. Pharrell
1. Blurred Lines — Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell

Man of Steel is strong, but not strong enough

It's an age-old story — a child with a destiny bigger than he can comprehend grows up and has to fulfill that destiny. It's messianic, it's historical retrospective, it's Greek mythology, and — as with “Man of Steel” — it's the crux of many comic books.

Superman has been a part of the human zeitgeist for eight decades and his origin is well known, the last living member of his home world, sent to Earth so his race could live on. It's the emotional heft and how that shapes this Man of Steel that sets Director Zach Snyder's film apart from all the previous film incarnations, comic reboots, video games, and other media.

The film opens with a living, breathing Krypton complete with its own values, norms and society. We see Superman's real dad Jor-El be a real character (by Russell Crowe) instead of a plot device. Crowe does a serviceable job, but he's never really given much to say other than platitudes for his son. Even in death, he's a literal walking exposition, especially for Kal-El.

Jor-El, knowing the disaster that awaits Krypton and unable to convince anyone other than the pious military commander General Zod (Michael Shannon), sends the planet's first naturally born being in ages to another world. He promptly lands in Kansas where he is raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) being told to hide who he really is. Costner does a fantastic job being the cautious voice and level headed father to a boy who could destroy the world if he wanted to. Costner brings his down-to-earth nature and light emotional touch we saw in “Field of Dreams” to Pa Kent. It makes sense that Clark grew up wanting to help Earth, not rule it.

Being instilled with a fear that the world would seek to kill or exile him for his young life, Clark (Henry Cavill) fears his powers, at best, and loses his mind over their realization, at worst. As a result of his strange behavior, he is an outcast and has to endure taunts and intimidation, knowing that fighting back would show his other half and make him a target. Thus, this Clark is a weary outsider who is stuck in young adulthood, searching for who he is and what he is meant to do in life. This dreary, serious Clark is a change of pace from the usual, but a laugh or two wouldn't have hurt the film.

But his random exploits in saving lives has left a trail. Enter tough, enterprising reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams). Not a damsel in distress, this Lois is out to get her story and do whatever it takes to find out who is behind all these strange happenings. When she finally meets Clark, he shows her heroism and relates the sacrifice he's made to keep his presence benign. Adams is a great choice for this Lane playing her normal tough girl with a heart of gold routine. But it never really grows beyond that.

It's into this fray that Zod, who escapted Krypton's destruction, tells the world about Supes and tells him to come forward. Of course, it's not so they can start their own world somewhere else, it's so Kal can tell him about the Codex, the key to reestablishing a genetically engineered population of Krypton, and then Zod will use it to turn Earth into Krypton 2.0.

This leads Superman to decide if he's Kal or Clark, or both. And he realizes the full burden of who he has to become to truly be what he is destined to be.

Which leads us back to the messianic themes. It's been a regular criticism of the film, but those have always been a part of Superman's make up. It's just the first time we've seen it fully embraced. And while it's a little heavy handed at times (the framing of Clark with Christ in a stained glass and his crucifix pose), it's not dwelled upon. It's the embracing and flashbacks to a young Clark that grounds Superman in the real world and makes us care and believe in him.

The problem is, he's not really given much to say. Sure, Cavill is handsome, ripped, and charismatic, but he rarely has anything of gravity to tell or show us. As does anyone in all 143 minutes, really.

Zod is military to the bone, which is accurate, but we never feel anything other than hate from him. He isn't threatening and is not given a single iconic line (really? No “Kneel before Zod!”?) or a simple monologue, which is what we've come to expect from writer David Goyer and producer Christoper Nolan after the pair's stellar “Dark Knight” trilogy (say what you will, but the villains' monologues in each of the films were arguably the most quotable and enthralling scenes).

When we see Daily Planet Editor Perry White (Lawrence Fishburne) and Reporter Jenny [(Olsen?) Rebecca Buller] facing certain death, we're expected to care about them because of the Superman mythology, even though they're static characters in Man of Steel.

I can't tell if the script was sacrificed for the frenetic, thrill-a-minute fight scenes befitting superhumans and the superbly varying breathtaking-intimate cinematography, or because Goyer thought the new concept around Superman would get the audience through the film.

Snyder brings his vision of Clark struggling to understand himself as Kal-El and realizing his potential as Superman well enough, and the set pieces are what Superman fans hoped to see from updated CGI and effects, but while Clark's shoulders are big enough to carry the world, he can't quite carry the entire film by himself.

Beckham and Ferguson: Two soccer icons forever linked

(Note: Originally published in the Bossier Press-Tribune, May 17, 2013)

It's not often that a true icon retires, let alone, two within a week of each other.

But that's what happened in the world's game over the last few days when Manchester United FC Manager Sir Alex Ferguson announced he was leaving the bench after 27 years and global icon David Beckham followed suit Thursday.

Interestingly enough, these are a player and manager who will forever be linked. Beckham, a fanatical Manchester United fan as a child, was signed by Ferguson at the age of 14, setting in motion what would eventually become “Brand Beckham” (but more on that later). The midfielder with movie star looks had great passing skills, especially on set pieces — corner kicks, free kicks, etc. — but was seen as more of a productive squad member until he gained the spotlight he would never give up for his audacious goal scored from literally the middle of the field during an English Premier League match in 1996.

He made 265 appearances for United, scoring 62 goals and winning the EPL six times, Football Association Cup twice, and the coveted Union of European Football Associations Champions League.

He also won big when it came to sponsorships, capitalizing on his fame and looks to help pioneer the era of sports stars as salespersons. He could/can be seen modeling underwear, drinking soda, wearing Adidas, and using a million other products. Just his picture on a billboard in China meant that sales would see an uptick.

And Beckham was wise to use all this to his advantage across the course of his two decades of playing time, moving to high profile clubs in various countries across the world in what detractors would say were only an attempt to promote Brand Beckham — the press' nickname for his ever-present PR and lucrative sponsorship deals.

At the same time, it's important to note that Beckham has won championships in four different major leagues, including two in America's Major League Soccer with the LA Galaxy.

His high profile move across the pond in 2007 saw Brand Beckham not only bringing attention to himself, but an identity-seeking league. The brainchild of Beckham's management company and the MLS administrators paid huge dividends for the league as attendance increased, jersey sales rose, and the league got time on major sports networks.

But it wasn't always champagne and roses in this Beckham-MLS love affair, as he only played sparingly his first year and even spent part of 2008 and 2009 playing for Italian giants A.C. Milan. 

Despite these decisions creating animosity between himself and fans, he settled down during the last two seasons of his contract, bringing back-to-back titles for the Galaxy.

He left our shores for the glamorous French club Paris St. Germain in January of this year and promptly turned around to win a title with them this past weekend.

Say what you will about Beckham's post-United playing career being nothing but a carefully decided publicity stunt, but all the guy did was win silverware.

And it's easy to argue this desire to win was instilled and groomed under Ferguson's tutelage.

The 71-year-old Scotsman is notorious for his unquenchable thirst to win, inspiring lackluster teams to the top, just like he did as recently as this season.

In all, Ferguson won 13 EPL titles, two Champions League titles, and pretty much every other trophy there is. Ferguson had the uncanny ability to adapt to the league, his playing squad, and the volatility of the era of sports agents and money to win big. Beyond his utter contempt for losing, he had complete control of his team, being disciplinarian extraordinaire and using both encouragement and fear to inspire his team.

To put it into perspective, imagine if Phil Jackson never left the Chicago Bulls, still winning his 11 NBA titles, plus a few extra to boot. And he did it by eventually trading away Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and any other superstar who came to play for him. But get rid of the easy going, Zen nature and replace it with a slightly less grumpy Nick Saban and now you're getting an idea of who Ferguson was as a coach.

Maybe that's why it was no surprise he and his star pupil eventually fell out in a very ugly and very public way.

Ferguson's contempt for Beckham's inflating ego and distracting star power was no secret and it all came to a head in 2003 when Ferguson, angry over a FA Cup loss to rivals Arsenal, kicked a stray cleat in the locker room and it caught Beckham above the eye. Beckham made no secret of the injury and while never expressing anger or disappointment, he never denied it either, eventually discussing the incident in his autobiography.

He shortly moved to Real Madrid in Spain that following summer, beginning his world tour.

Of course, distance puts things in perspective and the pair have seemed to make up in the years following their animosity, with Beckham saying, “Without him, I would never have achieved what I have done,” after news of Ferguson's retirement.

When Ferguson leaves the bench for the last time this Sunday and Beckham walks off the pitch for good a week later, they will always have the bond between them — one of winning, everything, at all costs.  

Dead show walking?

Mads Mikkelsen plays the not-so-good Dr. Hannibal Lecter in NBC's "Hannibal."

Sometimes, you know when you're watching a great, but soon-to-be cancelled TV show. Right now, NBC's "Hannibal" (Thursdays at 9 p.m. CST) is the latest dead series walking.

Too intense, too darkly violent for network TV, not cerebral enough for cable, it is a strange middle of the road. But the surreal scenes of stylized blood sprays, rotting corpses, and impaled bodies will no doubt confuse the CSI crowd and scare off the Law and Order lovers.

It's a shame. Because after a rocky, but promising, pilot and a more fleshed out (pun alert #1) follow up, the series seems to be sinking its teeth (pun alert #2) into its source material with episode three.

To those unfamiliar with the premise, "Hannibal" focuses on the early relationship between characters of Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon" novel, FBI Special Agent Will Graham and psychologist by day, serial killer cannibal by night, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Will has the taxing ability to empathize and envision murders and Lecter is helping him deal with these ghosts in his head.

Already brought to the big screen in 1986's "Manhunter" and again in 2002 with "Red Dragon," it could be easy for the writers and producers to ape what came before. Instead, network execs bravely gave the go ahead to allow the show's creators to completely reintroduce the characters, especially Lecter.

Hugh Dancy plays Will as more William Petersen in "Manhunter" than Edward Norton in "Red Dragon." Will is fully aware of the psychological baggage that comes with his unique and advantageous gift, and Dancy wears his fragile mental state on his sleeve. Not necessarily a heroic protagonist, but definitely a sympathetic one, we the audience suffer along with Will as mentally reconstructs horrific scenes only to endure maddening night terrors and surreal day dreams.

Mads Mikkelsen is outstanding as the not so good doctor. He wisely chose to not recreate Sir Anthony Hopkins' iconic interpretation of an eerie, genius maniac obsessed with politeness. Here, we see a cold, calculating, pensive murderer. Instead of Hopkins' caged beast standing at attention on the other side of a glass cell, Mikkelsen's Lecter is a free roaming viper ready to strike. The tension between the Lecter the characters see and the one the audience knows him to be is very unsettling. 

This is all heightened to great effect by combining the audience's understanding and the score's grating strings that swell in reference to Lecter's nefarious after curricular activities — breaking the fourth wall in a more subconscious manner than a wink and nod into the camera (the show's music isn't really so much a score as a clanging, discordant, unsettling atmosphere that lies somewhere between new age and The Joker's theme from "The Dark Knight").

The chemistry between Dancy and Mikkelsen is growing with the characters, having gone from an agency mandated inconvenience to an uneasy alliance that we know will veer towards friendship and end up at codependence before a messy end. Lecter is manipulating Will with their therapy sessions while Will uses Lecter's insight in cases and inches closer and closer to discovering who Lecter really is. It's the perfect cat and mouse game — we're just not yet sure who's the cat and who's the mouse.

Thrown into this modern Greek tragedy are Lawrence Fishburne's Jack Crawford and Psychologist Dr. Alana Bloom, played by Caroline Dhavernas.

Crawford is the worst-written character — a cutout of the stereotypical law enforcement official who only cares about results while trying to serve as an authority/father figure to Will. However, Fishburne's performance brings the character above mediocrity, giving Crawford a certain gravitas that the script lacks. You feel that as much as Crawford wants to catch the bad guy, he isn't willing to lose Will in the process.

Bloom evaluates Will's mental state for the FBI. Bloom is the perfect set up for a love interest — likable, sweet, still damaged in a yet unspecified way. But more importantly, she is the show's conscience. The only true, caring character who is not affected by their debilitating psychoses, madness, or crusade for justice.

Along with these great performances is some of the better television cinematography and set design you'll find today. The dreamlike techniques behind Will's crime recreations and nightmares along with the treatment of blood as paint across a canvas show a vision that is lacking in most crime dramas. The hunting shack crime scene's claustrophobic collection of antlers less resembles a set than a postmodern sculpture gallery showing. Interestingly, Lecter's murders are also presented in an artistic (you know, as artful and elegant as murder can be) manner while the show's other killers are more brutish and downright ugly in their killings.

Still, despite having everything going in the right direction and heaps of promise in terms of storyline ahead, you can't help but feel the masses will be turned off by this intelligent look into the worst part of humanity.

FC Dallas crowd shows its fan muscle

Saturday, I was given the opportunity to be on the field at my first major sports event ― even though it may not be so major to some people.

I was able to attend the FC Dallas vs. LA Galaxy Major League Soccer match. I know, many people, even soccer fans, will scoff at my excitement.

But the fact is, if you can go to one of their games ― do it. I can tell you, it looks, feels, sounds, and smells like a big time event. Well, from where I was standing, it mostly smelled like beer and sounded like fans singing, but you catch my drift.

After a small snafu at the will call window, I grabbed my press pass and some tickets for a couple of friends, and made my way down to the field.

Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas is the home stadium for FC Dallas. It's a mid-size venue in MLS, but is one of the true soccer-specific stadia in the league (which is a big deal since the league has a goal of getting a stadium specific for all of their 19 teams). Its size also gives the advantage that there's not really a bad seat in the house. Combine that with everyone involved with the operation, from ushers to their photographers, being professional and courteous, and it is a great place to catch the highest level of soccer you will see in the country.

I got behind the goal in the north end of the stadium right before kickoff to find the stadium was almost to capacity. And when you have perfect weather ― 70 degrees, slight wind, nary a cloud in the sky ― and the league's premier team coming to visit, it's easy to see why.

Most press folks who aren't photographers go to the press box because it's easier to see the entire field, you can sit down, you can type easily, and there's free food. But I wanted to be amongst the real fans ― the Dallas Beer Guardians.

This hardcore supporters group is the one that is full of life. A drum line, chant/song leaders, and hundreds of scarf-wielding, jersey wearing young adults let loose in the north end of the stadium.

They cheer constantly, sing their hearts out, mercilessly taunt the opposition, and give some much needed humor to what can, at times, be a tedious sport.

The game itself was low-scoring, Dallas won 1-0, but highly entertaining affair. It was everything you could expect from a matchup between number one in the western division hosting number three and the league's defending champions. In 90 minutes, fans were treated to an up and down game with a couple of disallowed goals, two saved penalty kicks, and a Galaxy player being red carded and sent to the locker room early, before a late headed goal won the game. Cue rapture in the beer garden.

And then it happened.

As the George John, the goalscorer and hero on the day, ran off to celebrate, an errant beer flew from the stand and pegged him ride on the temple. He may be a large man, but he is no match for a well thrown missile of alcohol. He spent several minutes on the turf and had to leave the game to receive five stitches.

But either it's expected or the team is just happy for the die hard fans, because John said after the game, “Yeah, they can get a little crazy sometimes.” You think so?

If that can't dampen the proceedings, what can? Nothing I suppose, and why should it? Dallas had won. And I realized that maybe, just maybe, the Beer Guardians and rest of the crowd had swung me from an unbiased journalist to a crazed fan.

If they can do that, look out America. Soccer is on its way.

As we made our way back to the car with chants still going on all around us and horns bleating in the background, all I could think about was getting home and how I would miss this. Anyone else miss the Mudbugs and BattleWings?

Review: "The Five Year Engagement"

I don't often write movie reviews, let alone those about films that have been released for almost a year. However, I recently watched "The Five Year Engagement" and I decided I would, nay, should, give this film a review. As someone who can relate to the dilemmas and struggles at the core of the plot, it equally bothered me that I couldn't like it as much as I wanted to.

It's a simple enough story: Jason Segel plays Tom, an aspiring chef who loves his life and loves his fiance, Violet (Emily Blunt). But all of that is turned upside down when Violet takes a job across the country and he sacrifices his career, and a lot more, to let her realize her dreams as he was about to realize his (running his own restaurant and marriage to Violet). 

Central to the movie are the performances. The supporting cast stereotypes are represented — the big, dumb best friend (Chris Pratt); the needy, overemotional sister (Alison Brie); the cool, womanizing professor (Rhys Ifans) — but they are all injected with heart and verve. For example, we know we're supposed to hate Ifans' Winton because he will inevitably hit on Violet, but we actually do like him, which makes Violet's indiscretion so tolerable later in the film.

Still, as good as the side characters are, Blunt and Segel's authentic, down to Earth performances are that much better. Their hero and heroin are a real, breathing couple and how their lives play out, while exaggerated for comic effect, are believable and even rational. 

It's worth noting that even though Segel plays a character similar to that of Peter in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (a script also written by Segel), Tom is not a victim of circumstance wallowing in his misery as Peter was, instead, we see someone who made a hard decision because he felt his hands were tied to do the right thing for the person he loves the most. And he ends up searching to find a way through its fallout, eventually disintegrating into a hapless, unhappy, shadow of his former self who works at a sandwich shop, wears old Halloween costumes around the house, and seeks out self-destructive hobbies that all climax with him having an ugly, pathetic infidelity. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Especially in relationships.

Blunt plays Violet as someone who is simultaneously seeing her worst fears come true in her personal life and exceeding her hopes professionally. She is not passive, but more at a loss on how to help Tom find the same happiness she has. She is torn between seeing her career develop and making her future husband happy, all the while, hoping he can just hang on long enough. She warned him about her fears of his possible resentment, and as he does come to resent what his life has become, if not Violet herself, she makes a mistake that seals their fate.

As good as the performances and script are, there are scenes that scream of a punchup writing job that crudely insert slapstick or random humor to remind the audience this is a comedy. And it's these moments that are my biggest problem with "The Five Year Engagement." Do we need to see Winton use parkour to escape Tom? Does Tom need to end up naked in the snow with frostbite? No. And while they do alleviate the heavy tone from what is ultimately supposed to be a comedy, they are at best a distraction, and at worst a momentum killer. 

Perhaps I could let it slide if the last scene wasn't one of these moments. After a movie largely filled with the same problems and emotions that couples can recall from their own lives, we are treated to an overblown ending that squanders all the good of the previous two hours for the sake of the Hollywood ending.

In keeping of the spirit of the rest of the film, why couldn't Tom and Violet realize that their insistence on getting married is one of the things that drove a wedge between them in the first place? It's not about their engagement persevering through sibling's shotgun weddings, deaths in the family, cross-country moves, jobs, or cheating. It's that their relationship — their love for each other — survived. 

And as anyone who has planned a wedding, they can tell you it doesn't get any more real than that.

A WAY Too Early EPL 2012/13 Season Preview

[Ed.'s note: Another soccer blog?!?!?!? Yes. Another one. I'll make this country love this sport or die trying.]

With the 2012-13 English Premier League fixture list being released and the transfer window now open, it’s time to throw out all common sense, switch off that part of your brain that tells you to be cautious, look into a crystal ball that could be better titled “hopeful delusion” and make a way too early prediction for the upcoming season.

Below, I’ve stuck out my neck and named some of the moniker games on paper as well as predictions that will come back to haunt me, such as the golden boot winner, manager of the year, UEFA Champions League spots, and the team that will walk away with the big prize come May 19.

First, let’s look at some of the games that you might not want to miss. 

 

The season opens Aug. 18 with Manchester City beginning their title defense against newly promoted Southampton. Everton hosts Manchester United — their last encounter ended in a late season draw that ultimately resulted in United’s bitter rivals walking away with the trophy. If Tottenham GM Daniel Levy can hang on to midfielder Luka Modric and find a striker, then Andre Villas-Boas’ opener as manager against a fun to watch Newcastle United looks promising.

Sept. 15 sees QPR host Chelsea in a rematch of an ugly game in 2011 that got Blues’ Captain John Terry a court date. Stoke City host Manchester City in the Sky Blues first real test of the season. While Sept. 22 sees Brendan Rodgers in his first Liverpool-United derby and Sept. 29 sees Chelsea go to north London to take on rivals Arsenal.

Oct. 27 has bad blood written all over it — the first Merseyside Derby takes place at Goodison Park, Liverpool will face Swansea City as the Swans face their old manager for the first time, and Norwich City travels to Villa Park hoping to take down their old manager Paul Lambert and Aston Villa. 

 

The first North London Derby of the year is set for Nov. 17 when Spurs travel to the Emirates to battle their hated rivals.

Southampton will face Reading, a team they should be familiar with, Dec. 8 when the two former Championship teams meet for the first time that season. Oh, and there’s the little to-do between the reigning champions and their neighbors in the first rematch since last season’s two epic Manchester Derbies.

The annual Boxing Day fixtures are headlined by a London Derby between Arsenal and West Ham United and Newcastle away at Old Trafford. The usually congested holidays continue with Everton hosting Chelsea Dec. 29 and Southampton vs. Arsenal on New Year’s Day.

Tottenham and Arsenal square off again at White Hart Lane March 2 and the second sure-to-be-endlessly-hyped Manchester Derby takes place April 6.

The last day sees Manchester City taking on Norwich City, United away to West Bromwich Albion, the Gunners at St. James Park (I don’t care what sponsor name the stadium will have by then), Chelsea hosting Everton, QPR at Anfield, and Spurs hosting Sunderland.

Golden Boot Winner: “So who’s going to score these goals that will make these games so interesting?” you ask. It’s hard to doubt Robin Van Persie considering his scorching form last year, but it’s safe to say last year was an anomaly for the man made of glass. Plus, he’s probably going to have to adjust to a new team. I really think City's Sergio Aguero will set the league on fire after adapting to his first season in the EPL. He made me a big believer even before his last day heroics that brought City the title. I think he’ll end the season with the metallic footwear.

PFA Player of the Year: All that said, Player of the Year will go to Man U's Wayne Rooney. Yes, I hate to hear it as much as you do, but I expect Wazza to grow with his ability to influence games by creating and leading, not just scoring. And look for him to singlehandedly drag United to near the top of the table much as he did in 2009-10.

Manager of the Year: If Paul Lambert is handed some cash to throw around at Aston Villa, that young team crying out for strong leadership can turn some heads next season. I fully expect him to right the ship and walk away with Manger of the Year honors for doing so.

Biggest Disappointment: Brendan Rodgers will be expected to improve on last year, and I’m a big fan of what he did with Swansea, but it’s still the same players for the Reds. The histrionics of Suarez, an aging Steven Gerrard, aimless Jordan Henderson, and lolloping Andy Carroll are square pegs in his round hole of beautiful football. Liverpool will still underachieve.

Biggest Surprise: IF Everton can avoid their annual slow start, AND they can hang on to Marouane Fellaini ANNNNNNNND get Steven Piennar back from Tottenham… The Toffees can challenge for a Champions League spot.

Major Managerial Casualty: Arsenal's Arsene Wenger. I know, he’s untouchable, but their inability to win a trophy (again) and falling out of the Champions League spots combined with no real ambition in the transfer market and a revolting fan base will mean the axe finally falls and the Gunners make a serious run at a relaxed, rejuvenated Pep Guardiola. 

 

Cup Winners: Carling – Man City, FA - Everton

EPL Title: It’s wide open and really hard to call, especially since the carousel hasn’t stopped spinning…Heck, stopped spinning? Euro 2012 means it hasn’t even really got going, yet. But I think City will assert their dominance in the same way Chelsea did in 05-06. Iwrote that the touchline spat between City Manager Roberto Manciniand United Legend Sir Alex Ferguson was a turning point for the NoisyNeighbors and I stick by it. Their inferiority complex is done and dusted. Look for their talent and depth to overwhelm the league this season.

UEFA Champions League Spots: Man City, Man United, Chelsea, Newcastle

Relegated Teams: Norwich City, Reading, Wigan Athletic

Saying goodbye is hard to do

As an American sports fan, my obsession with fútbol is only rivaled by my obsession with football.

And although football fans here would have you believe otherwise, the sports are not that far apart.

For example: this spring, the football team I support here, whose colors are blue and white, had to say a painful farewell to one of its legends — something that the football team I support across the pond, that also wears blue and white, is still trying to come to grips with.

When the Indianapolis Colts released their longtime, certified Hall of Fame Quarterback Peyton Manning, it was as much a celebration of everything he gave the franchise as it was an emotional, unfathomable goodbye.

Last week, I got déjà vu as Chelsea FC said, “So long,” to striker Didier Drogba.

The contributions these two figures made to their respective teams are similar — they came in with big expectations, and not only lived up to them but propped their teams up for success that hadn’t been seen in decades.

In the case of Manning, his resume reads a Super Bowl win, two conference championships, seven division titles, and status as a regular contender for the playoffs if not the Super Bowl itself. While Drogba’s trophy case holds a UEFA Champions League title, three league titles, four FA Cups, and two Carling Cups.

They also were alike in that they never shirked from the big moment, instead, rising to the occasion when it mattered most.

Manning made countless comebacks and put up huge numbers as the team was built around him. Drogba…well, just see the end of this season for a brief synopsis of what he has done throughout his eight seasons at Chelsea.

Their departures were even similar. The writing was on the wall for months as the teams began distancing themselves from the stars and fans braced for the worst. Their departures probably even came down to money — Manning's long term contract meant Indy would have had to pay him $28 million if they optioned him for another year and Drogba wanted a two-year contract that CFC was reluctant to give while he could reportedly earn up to £200,000 a week in China.

But at the same time, Manning left somewhat unceremoniously. After missing all of last season with a neck injury, his team slumped to a NFL-worst and caused the franchise to embark on a rebuilding project and released him in the process. Drogba left at the top, after dragging Chelsea back into the Champions League match against Bayern Munich before demanding the last penalty kick and converting it to win the club's most coveted trophy.

In the wake of their departures, I looked back and realized they also differed on the amount of impact they had on me. True, Manning is my favorite athlete. I have an authentic jersey with his name and number sewn on it (that gift singlehandedly saved my Christmas). But…I had been following the Colts long before Manning arrived.  Pardon the symbolism, but there were many jerseys with different names and numbers on it before Peyton Manning’s.

However, as I began to watch and fully appreciate soccer, Drogba, not a team, caught my attention. His power, pace, and ruthlessness in front of/bearing down on goal was a spectacle. He was THE player to watch.

Needless to say, but the first soccer shirt I ever owned was emblazoned with his name and number.

To appreciate his unique combination of skills is to understand how unique it is to find a “big man forward” that can master the art of holding up the ball, heading, and shooting with power and precision.

My favorite example of these skills is the chest-down,touch, turn and vicious shot he put into the roof of the net against Tottehnamin this season’s FA Cup semifinal. It combined everything I love about soccer — finesse, power, and the unexpected.

More importantly, as a Chelsea fan, you knew you could rely on him. You knew that if given the chance when it mattered most, of course it would be Drogba [even my wife, who I forced to watch the Champions League Final, gathered enough about the club and player to say “Of course it has to be Drogba,” as he approached the spot in the shootout]. When all seemed lost, he rescued our hopes. He gave us belief.

And when you saw the team sheet with his name on it, you knew you would be entertained — whether it was a goal like the one mentioned above, or if it meant him rolling around on the ground, playacting for a free-kick when someone breathed too hard on him.

As difficult as it was to come to grips with Manning ending his career at another NFL team, I find it equally so to picture Drogba not lining up at Stamford Bridge next season.

The silver lining is that Manning, 36, also proved that an aging superstar could begin again (he signed with the Denver Broncos), just as Drogba, 34, showed at the end of this season that he still has plenty left in the tank to offer a team, somewhere.

And even though my blue and white jerseys with their names on them are not correct anymore, I will still wear them all the same next season.

Food finds in the S-BC

If you read our paper, you probably noticed last Monday that I've embarked on a crusade to try every local restaurant in Shreveport-Bossier and report back with how the experience is.

For someone who loves to eat, I am very excited. And for someone who loves his community and supports small businesses, I am even more excited.

I learned long ago that chains are not where it's at. No offense to them, chain restaurants are usually good and they have their purpose, but there's nothing special. It's the same thing every time.

But a locally-owned, non-chain eatery has a certain feel to it. You can't explain it, but it's there...When you order a signature dish or something you can't get anywhere else, you feel special.

The Monday/Tuesday Edition of our paper kicked off my reviews with cajun cuisine (but have failed to really even breach the tip of the iceberg) and to be honest, heading in I had no idea what I was doing. I'm not a food critic, I just love food.

So before I even got going on this idea, I sought someone who had done this before. I talked with the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau's Chris Jay about his experience reviewing food places.

If you're unfamiliar with Chris, he's a young, enthusiastic member of the community who is always in the thick of things when it comes to having fun in Shreveport-Bossier. He also writes regular food critiques for the blog 20X49.

He gave me some great advice that I will not reveal here — a magician never reveals his secrets. But it set me along my way. And now I've set a personal goal of trying one restaurant once a week (which I'm sure my diet isn't too happy with, but hey, can you say "cheat day"?).

So keep an eye out HERE for what I come back with. And if you have any suggestions, be sure to email me at sean@bossierpress.com or comment below.

Coaches Behaving Badly

If you know anything about me, you know I'm a proud Arkansas Razorback fan.

True, I didn't go to college there, but if you're born in Arkansas, you have no choice but to support the Hogs. It's how you are raised. If you're lucky.

So it's no secret that the recently revived football program has taken a black eye over the head coach and married, father of four Bobby Petrino's secret relationship with a 25-year-old former university volleyball player that he put on the payroll.

The dirty laundry was aired out after the pair wrecked on a country road outside Fayetteville.

There is debate within Razorback nation whether Petrino should have been fired since his indiscretions were non-football related. Athletic Director Jeff Long fired him "for cause" (i.e. keeping a relationship secret and lying about it when he has a morality cause in his contract).

This fan feels that Long acted appropriately.

The team already gets downed during recruiting for Petrino's decision to abandon the Atlanta Falcons during midseason for the Arkansas job. I don't think they could've survived this.

There is no doubt he lost the locker room with this little stunt. It's better to have an interim coach who can have some order than a proven coach with players who have no respect for him or his decisions.

The consensus is that Petrino is not a good person. His work history certainly seems to demonstrate this notion. A lot of fans can stomach that when you're winning. But even winning only gets you so far.

Speaking of coaches who made mistakes and have now been cast aside.....

Oh, where to start with the New Orleans Saints. Head Coach Sean Payton's willful ignorance of former Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams' bounty program?

The remaining coaching staff's audacity to appeal their suspensions (including Payton's season-long ban and newly minted interim coach Joe Vitt's five game ouster)?

Or the incredibly damning audio that surfaced of Williams encouraging his players to target heads on players with concussion history and tear ACLs in players' knees?

It baffles me that any fans could be upset about this.

The argument that the game is fast, hard hitting, and all coaches encourage their defenses to be aggressive doesn't apply in this sense. Williams paid money to his players for big hits or injuries to opposition. He encouraged players to try and end careers.

It's disgusting. And it looks like the only career that was ended by all of this was his. Fortunately.

And in a society that doesn't believe in consequences anymore, I'm glad the NFL is trying to send a message. Because changing the culture of the game to reduce dangerous concussions will be met with opposition and growing pains.

Ones that make the aches in north Arkansas seem minuscule by comparison.

But these coaches on two different levels of the game have paid for their arrogance.

Nike & Apple

Look at this recent commercial from Nike:



Now, think about that. This ad is promoting a product called the Fuelband. It's basically a watch with a calorie counter and pedometer.

Does a product like this exist already? Yes. Does it look as cool or is it marketed as well? No.

And I can tell you, I'd rather have the Nike product over any other similar product. Why? Because it's cool.

And that's the lesson to take away. Nike makes the consumer want their products, which are essentially not any different than their competitors', over similar sports wear and shoes because Nike products carry an air of "look at me" with them.

They look good, are marketed great, and have a cool factor that you don't get from other sports companies.

They're the Apple of sports.

Ignoring that these are highly successful companies started by two west coast entrepreneurs who have had their share of major setbacks/doubt and are environmentally conscious, think about it — Apple and Nike make great products. They're marketed well. And some are innovative.

But above all else, they're cool. They're a status symbol.

People who swear by Microsoft have iPads and iPhones. You can get a Droid phone or tablet that is just as powerful, reliable, and fast as any Apple product. But it's missing that certain something.

These two different companies are lauded as the front runners in their fields because of their vision and ability to market their products.

The iPad is the worst name ever. It sounds like a technologically savvy feminine hygiene product. But did/do people, including yours truly, want one? You better believe it. Do I want a Fuelband? Yep. But I just admitted it's a watch. But it's a cool watch.

And why do I think it's cool? Because it's Nike? Not necessarily. I don't follow blindly and I'm not 100% brand loyal. I think it's cool because of its design and how its marketed [I'm smart enough to know that I'm foolish enough to be suckered in by a cool commercial (knowing it's a cool commercial and appreciating it for being well done makes me think they deserve my money more, I guess)].

At the bottom of these two companies are the essentials to success: vision and execution. They know they have a "wow" factor and don't settle for anything that doesn't excite. They expect to be the best. And people are drawn to that.

2012

It's a new year with new possibilites and new beginnings.

Everyone gets a clean slate and we have that mindset. It's a time for setting the standard for what we want to do the next 365 days. Notice I didn't say the word "resolution." I've found it has a bit of a stigma with it. It causes some brains to shut off. So I just think of it as a goal — it's a little easier to start with.

I'm all for setting goals. For the first time in a long time, I've set myself what people would consider the r-word of losing weight, but the goal to begin eating better. I don't have an end game to lose a certain amount of weight, merely to stop eating out so much and stop eating such large portions.

It's all about setting the bar at an accomplishable height. Sure — go big or go home, shoot for the stars, enter cliche here — but I know myself and I have to begin with something that is reachable. I think I can do it and I will look forward to the benefits of it along the way.

Alongside personal goals, I have business ones. We are the alternative, and I want to drive that home. Tired of bad news? Turn to us. Tired of seeing the same stories? Here we are. Want to know what's happening in your neighborhood? Look no further. I want us to grow, get better at what we do, and get more recognition. All achievable, but beneficial goals.

Lastly, I have spiritual goals. I want to get closer to God and become a regular at my church. The holidays, with all the traveling, have caused me to miss the last few services and I feel bad about it. I know I can do it. And as I learn and grow, I will get closer to my savior and shepherd.

If you haven't thought about what you want to accomplish, take a few seconds to figure it out.

You have 364 days and counting.

Don't forget about the little ones this season

During the hustle and bustle of buying gifts for friends and family, going to parties, and donating clothes or money to various charities, it's easy for one cause to be forgotten this holiday season — animals.

In particular, animal shelters. These are sometimes the most poorly funded portion of a budget. We get focused on taking care of quality of life and forget about the creatures people have taken in and discarded.

Of course it's tantamount to care for our fellow man and ensure people are first on the list of priorities, but these homeless animals have very few looking out for their best interests.

And I've heard the argument that only "bad" animals end up at shelters. I've volunteered my time at shelters and gotten all my pets from shelters. I've never come across a bad pet. A rambunctious or needy one? Yes. But what wouldn't be when getting affection after being thrown away and ignored?

If you can't spare a $20 bill, the best thing to do for man's best friends is to donate a bag of food, cat litter, toys, essentials — such as paper towels and cleaning supplies — or even your time. Sometimes the best thing for these pets is to give them a little care for what may be the last time they receive it while they're alive. And you get the instant return of love for your investment.

Isn't that what the Christmas season is all about?

It's the most wonderful time of the year

As Branson staple Andy Williams once crooned, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." 

And while he was talking about the goodwill of men and their predisposition to peace and love during Christmas, I'm talking about something way more important — college football.

It's bowl season, people. By far, the best month of sports you'll come across. I've missed going out on New Year's Eve and gone to bed before midnight just to be able to watch games that night and New Year's Day. For the next three weeks or so, I will be parked in front of my TV or at least have it on at the office.

I know, I know...The BCS is crooked and a waste of time. They all have ridiculous names. You get terrible matchups sometimes (on paper). But we don't get playoffs, so this is as good as it gets. Besides, I love all the strange matchups, it gives me a chance to see teams play that I have or will never watch. And sometimes, those are the best games.

So without further adieu, here are my predictions of all 175 or so bowl games.

Gildan New Mexico

Albuquerque, N.M.

Dec. 17, 2 p.m.

Temple vs. Wyoming

It's a shame one of the D-I New Mexico colleges couldn't be here. Temple.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Boise, Idaho

Dec. 17, 5:30 p.m.

Ohio vs. Utah St.

Competing to have the most ridiculously named bowl, I expect this one to actually be very watchable. Ohio.

R+L Carriers New Orleans

New Orleans

Dec. 17, 9 p.m.

San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette 

ULL is bascially playing a home game. That's gives them the edge.

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, Fla.

Dec. 20, 8 p.m.

Florida International vs. Marshall

WE ARE MARSHALL! And you'll lose. Florida International.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia

San Diego

Dec. 21, 8 p.m.

TCU vs. Louisiana Tech

Tech wins the WAC and gets a vacation to San Diego, that's about as good as it gets. TCU.

MAACO Las Vegas

Las Vegas

Dec. 22, 8 p.m.

Arizona St. vs. Boise St.

Never doubt Boise...Unless field goal kicking is involved. Still taking the Broncos.

Sheraton Hawaii

Honolulu

Dec. 24, 8 p.m.

Nevada vs. Southern Miss

Don't know a whole lot about these teams, except Southern Miss beat Houston. That's good enough for me.

AdvoCare v100 Independence

Shreveport

Dec. 26, 5 p.m.

Missouri vs. North Carolina

It's pretty cool to live in a place where I can watch a bowl game. Go Tigers.

Little Caesars

Detroit

Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m.

Western Michigan vs. Purdue

The best bowl if you love cheap pizza. Purdue.

Belk

Charlotte, N.C.

Dec. 27, 8 p.m.

Louisville vs. NC St.

Will winners get some bargain clothing? Louisville.

Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman

Washington, D.C.

Dec. 28, 4:30 p.m.

Toledo vs. Air Force

The rockets take on a team that is trained to fire rockets. Air Force.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday

San Diego

Dec. 28, 8 p.m.

California vs. Texas

This is a bowl you can usually depend on for a quality game. So much for this year's edition. Longhorns.

Champs Sports

Orlando, Fla.

Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m.

Florida St. vs. Notre Dame

I hate Notre Dame.

Valero Alamo

San Antonio, Texas

Dec. 29, 9 p.m.

Washington vs. Baylor

The Heisman winner or a team that completely underwhelmed in a weak Pac 12? Baylor all day.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces

Dallas

Dec. 30, noon

BYU vs. Tulsa

This bowl is notable that it will actually take place on a giant helicopter...No? Oh. How disappointing. Tulsa.

Pinstripe Bowl

Yankee Stadium, NYC

Dec. 30, 3:20 p.m.

Rutgers vs. Iowa St.

This game should be as boring as baseball. How appropriate. Rutgers.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City

Nashville, Tenn.

Dec. 30, 6:40 p.m.

Mississippi St. vs. Wake Forest

Should be a defensive game. I'll go SEC.

Insight

Tempe, Ariz.

Dec. 30, 10 p.m.

Iowa vs. Oklahoma

Should be interesting if I can stay up past my bed time to catch it. Oklahoma.

Meineke Car Care of Texas

Houston

Dec. 31, noon

Texas A&M vs. Northwestern

This should tell you my respect for the Big 10: I'm picking a team with underachievers and no coach.

Hyundai Sun

El Paso, Texas

Dec. 31, 2 p.m.

Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Is this a bowl game or a new type of car? Georgia Tech.

AutoZone Liberty

Memphis, Tenn.

Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m.

Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt

Who would have thought I would be picking Vanderbilt to win a bowl game? Weird season.

Kraft Fight Hunger

San Francisco

Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m.

Illinois vs. UCLA

How did these teams sneak into a bowl game? Couldn't we just have the D-II final in their place instead? Illinois.

Chick-fil-A

Atlanta

Dec. 31, 7 p.m.

Virginia vs. Auburn

My favorite bowl because I love waffle fries. Virginia.

TicketCity

Dallas

Jan. 2, noon

Houston vs. Penn St.

This isn't fair. Dallas hosts like a million bowl games. Houston.

Outback

Tampa, Fla.

Jan. 2, 1 p.m.

Michigan St. vs. Georgia

A lesson on branding in bowls: When reading the name of the bowl, I thought, "Finally, one that doesn't have the name of a sponsor in it." Georgia.

Capital One

Orlando, Fla.

Jan. 2, 1 p.m.

Nebraska vs. South Carolina

South Carolina should win, even if they kick their starting QB off the team and lose their best player to injury. Oh, wait...Still picking Cocky.

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl

Jacksonville, Fla.

Jan. 2, 1 p.m.

Ohio St. vs. Florida

Rename this one the Urban Meyer bowl. I'll take the Gators because I don't want to get fired.

Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio

Pasadena, Calif.

Jan. 2, 5 p.m.

Wisconsin vs. Oregon

The biggest question in this matchup is what Oregon will show up wearing. Thanks for turning college football into the Oscar red carpet. Badgers.

Tostitos Fiesta

Glendale, Ariz.

Jan. 2, 8:30 p.m.

Stanford vs. Oklahoma St.

Will the Pokes be hungover that they were overlooked for the national title? Who cares. This is your scoreboard explosion special of the season. OK St.

Allstate Sugar

New Orleans

Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m.

Michigan vs. Virginia Tech

I am demanding a rule change. You have to think the bowl commissioners and neutrals would much rather have seen two-loss Arkansas & K St. here instead of the Cotton. Oh well. Denard Dog rules the day. Go Blue!

Discover Orange

Miami

Jan. 4, 8:30 p.m.

West Virginia vs. Clemson

*Snoring* Huh?  Oh, there was a game on? Clemson.

AT&T Cotton

Kansas St. vs. Arkansas

Arlington, Texas

Jan. 6, 8 p.m.

After the shellacking my Hogs took at the hands of LSU and Bama, I could overreact and take the Wildcats. But I expect Snyder's boys to get exposed in Jerry's World. Woo Pig Sooie!

BBVA Compass Bowl

Birmingham, Ala.

Jan. 7, 1 p.m.

SMU vs. Pittsburgh

The death penalty revival continues. Mustangs.

GoDaddy.com

Mobile, Ala.

Jan. 8, 9 p.m.

Arkansas St. vs. Northern Illinois

Bad news for ASU: the Red Wolves just lost their coach to Ole Miss and are probably a little rudderless for this game. Good news: They upgraded with Auburn Offensive mastermind Gus Malzhan and are probably better than Ole Miss. N. Illinois.

Allstate BCS National Championship Game

New Orleans

Jan. 9, 8:30 p.m.

LSU vs. Alabama

I took Alabama at home last time and they blew it. Now the Tigers are practically at home for all the marbles. I like Saban when he has time to prepare, but I also remember the game against Utah here a couple years ago. laissez bon temps rouler for Tiger nation.

It's a Wonderful Life

It's below 50 degrees, I can't make it up or down Airline Drive in less than 20 minutes, and the Boardwalk is filled with snow that resembles laundry detergent suds. This means only one thing: It's Christmas time in Bossier.

We're not even a week removed from Thanksgiving (and the epic beatdown LSU put on Arkansas, Le Sigh) and I already feel as though the holiday was about a month ago. It's weird how our media and culture makes your brain immediately switch to Christmas around the end of November. I guess it has something to do with the narrow window of prime shopping season.

And this was my first year partaking in Black Friday on my own. But by no means am I a Super Bowl of Shopping newbie. I have been experiencing Black Friday in Bossier-Shreveport for most of my life. My mom and I would make a yearly pilgrimage and hit up Southpark Mall — you know, that mega church in south Shreveport — oh, how times have changed.

I spent most of my time in the northern part of the city where I work and live at Stirling Shopping Center, specifically Best Buy, looking at tablets and talking myself out of going broke to buy an iPad (hint, hint Santa). I did get a few clothing items for work at Old Navy, but by and large, it was just a way to spend my valuable day off and say I experienced it.

Now we're almost into December and I already have my Christmas wrapped up. Due to an early spring wedding, it's a very demure holiday. There will be no grand gestures of love to the tune of a HD TV or shiny jewelry.

No, my gift is the renovation of my office. Ever since my boss decorated his office, we've all had an itch to make our spaces a little more homey. So there you go, big Christmas, eh?

But you know, as much as I love the secular sense of Christmas — Santa, gift giving, cookies, lights, trees, decorations, scented candles, nutcracker Snickers — it's the real reason for our celebration that belies my love of the holiday.

As fun as it is to indulge my inner consumer, letting myself go crazy making wishlists and buying myself (and others) gifts, it's that rush of giving someone something fun. It's the love you have for that other person, either brotherly or romantic, that drives you to the store in the first place. It's that spending time with him or her that makes battling crazed shoppers with mace worthwhile. And it's only an added bonus for your conscience that you can drop a $20 in the Salvation Army bell ringer's bucket outside Walmart.

See, Christmas is wrapped in the shiny paper of gifts and some might even say greed, but it's under that where we find the real gift and it's a heart that cares for his or her fellow man or woman.

It's a microcosm of the giving God gave us of his son for salvation.

While we can NEVER give something of that magnitude, we can remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and what it means. And that's where our selflessness and love comes from this holiday.

Now...Can I get a gingerbread man or what?