Happy birthday to my wife!

  • I got her a second dog and I'm throwing her a "Mad Men" themed birthday dinner party.  You're all invited!  Actually, none of you are invited, but please send gifts.
  • Speaking of Stephen Colbert, he is sponsoring the U.S. Speedskating team at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  Cue ridiculous SI photo shoot...
  • Can you remember less buzz around an olympics than the upcoming Vancouver games?
  • Happy holidays from the Cincinnati Bengals!
  • Has any team had a better PR year than the Bengals?  From "Hard Knocks" to knocking off the giants of the AFC North, Cincinnati is the story of the season in the AFC.
  • The Phillies are so confident that no one in the NL can stick with them that they traded their best pitcher for a prospect.  This was not a three-team trade.  The Phillies could have easily held onto Cliff Lee to go along with Roy Halladay for the 2010 season.  By trading Lee, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro is saving his club some money, preparing for the future and telling the rest of the NL that we don't need two aces to win the pennant.
  • Matt Holliday is a strange case.  He built his reputation at Coors Field, bombed out in Oakland, thrived protecting Albert Pujols and then calamitously blew the NLDS for St. Louis.  While his numbers suggest a mega-contract, he's not a great fit for most franchises.  The Cardinals make the most sense. 
  • Best Tiger Woods related headline of the day: "Sweden Upset".
  • Runner-up: "Artest Offers Tiger Advice".
  • Eva Amurri topped Mr. Skin's list of "Best Nude Scenes of 2009" for her striptease on Californication.  Her mother (Susan Sarandon) must be so proud.
  • The Golden Globe nominations were released yesterday and they underscore a serious power shift to the small screen.  Best Picture (Drama) nominations: Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Precious and Up in the Air.  Usually, I see everything, but I have not seen any of these movies yet.  The Hurt Locker and Precious looked terribly depressing from the previews, while Inglorious Basterds was widely panned by my trusted moviegoing friends.  Avatar looks like a technology driven blockbuster, but I'll see it.  Up in the Air looks great and I'll see that soon.
  • Anyway, check out the list for Best TV Drama: Big Love, Dexter, House, Mad Men and True Blood.  These shows cover every human emotion.  You laugh, you cry, you're scared and you're engrossed throughout.
  • 500 Days of Summer and The Hangover are the only two GREAT movies that I've seen this year, but I will make an effort to see all the best picture nominations.

The best movie of the year stars two musicians and the host of "Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School".