This Kid Is Going To Be More Despised Than Craig James' Son

I'll post a video of this when someone (certainly) posts it. Texas Tech got beat 66-6 by Oklahoma State in Lubbock and the cameras zoomed in on this kid auditioning for Dance Fever at the end of the game.

(Other football news: Unfortunate caption. And Miami class. Baylor almost gave me a heart attack trailing 24-3 to a horrible Kansas team in the 4th. TCU beats Boise by going for 2 and then survives a horrible penalty. The Aggies give away more games than Santa.)

Edit (thanks to the comments):

Hey, Hans, I Bet You're A Real Joy To Be Around

From Star-Telegrams Cheers and Jeers.

Messenger Above The Fold And A Little More

And find this lost puppy dog!!

Boyd Excluded, That Was Quick

Oh. my.

Oh, my again.

Box.

Taking You Into The Weekend

Movies Of The New Century

I've fallen out of the movie watching business over the last year of so, but I'm doing my best to catch up.  And, in the past,  I've fired off hot sports opinions  about how movies aren't movies anymore. We've got cartoons and sequels -- TV on the big screen it seems --but that's it.

Anyway, I was roaming the Internets today and saw a few articles about what has been produced since 2000 that will stand the test of time. A classic, that is. Dramas, to me, are those movies where I didn't necessarily get blown away as I walked out of the theater but which caused me to think about it time and time again over the next few weeks.

Those I've seen suggested so far in the drama category that I agree with:

There Will Be Blood (2007)
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Sin City (2005)
Slumdog Millionarrie (2008)
Grizzly Man (2005) <-- Yeah, a documentary but I'm not leaving it out.
Gladiator (2000)
Lost in Translation (2003)

Black Swan (2010)

List of movies here for your suggestions. Man, this is hard. 

Random Friday Morning Thoughts

• Bridgeport and Decatur always played Whitesboro when I was a kid, but I had no idea they had never made the football playoffs. A streak which lasted until this year.
• I wonder if the town has ever thought about changing its name. 
• Trophy Club Byron Nelson high school made the playoffs in its second full year of play. And they won a playoff game last night. Throw in Southlake and we've got a White Boy 114 Football Corridor going on.
• Fox 4 did a feature on the new Omni hotel in Dallas. Man, that thing looks cool (i.e. a night light kicks on when your feet hit the carpet when getting out bed). But is that the one financed by the city?
• I've listened to a ton of sports talk radio over the years, but I've never heard the level of vitriol that I have this week over the Penn State scandal. 
• I saw a shot of Central Park this morning on one of the news shows. The trees have turned beautiful. I'll jog through that place within the next five years.  At least that is on my ever shrinking Bucket List. 
• 11/11/11
• Mrs. LL is going on a Girls Night Out tonight. Oh, my. (And I actually heard her on the phone say something about a "flash mob".)  I'm raising my own Terror Alert. 
• Baylor has a course called "Homosexuality as a Gateway Drug."  Gateway to what?
• I've been dreaming non-stop for the last three days. The type of dreams that aren't scary, but leave me stressed and exhausted when I wake up.
• If someone told me I had to re-live Middle School, I'd ask for a list of horrible alternatives and then choose one of them.
• It would take some miracle marketing, but it's possible Rick Perry could turn his memory lapse gaffe into a See-I'm-A-Regular-Guy-Just-Like-You positive. His campaign is at least smart enough to try and pull that off right now. 
• On CNN this morning, John McCain's wife, Cindy, said "there are over 18 suicides a day in our veteran's community."  If true, that would be more killed in one year than the Iraq War to date.
• Then again, she also said the GOP had a "great field of candidates" this year.
• The Fort Worth Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed the throwing out of a lawsuit against Wise County about a bridge. I lasted about four sentences before I got Tired Head. 
• There has been a Sports Illustrated reporter "embedded" all year long with Joe Paterno and Penn State in preparation for a book he was writing about the man and the program. Man, what timing. (But he wrote a column yesterday which indicates he may be too close to the situation.) 
• I changed how early I get to work about two years ago so I no longer get to see the beginning of The Today Show.  That's why my Ann Curry references have trailed off. 
• How not to run from the police. 
• Edit: Forgot to mention that the cat-in-the-wall guy in Dallas was found "not guilty" yesterday. I saw the prosecutor on the news talking about what a high bar "beyond a reasonable doubt" is.  Smart prosecutors think about that before they file a case. The bad ones only think about it after an acquittal. And then forget it just as quickly.

Cops Whoop Up On Cal-Berkeley Students

What the heck was that about? All that club-to-the-ribs just to get them to back up one foot? Am I missing something?

And the one guy in the grey hoodie reminds me of someone:

"Seven Minutes In Texas"

*facepalm*

Edit: I have updated reaction . . .

I Don't Even Know This State Any Longer

Story

Online Dating

What could possibly go wrong?

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts

• The press conference announcing the firing of Joe Paterno was good stuff last night. (CNN was the only station I found that was covering it with video.) That guy at the mic, Vice Chairman of Trustees John P. Surma, did a fantastic job in a hostile environment. He is also the CEO of United States Steel. Very appropriate.
• But the female CNN anchor left a little bit to be desired -- especially when she asked a correspondent if he knew when Penn State's next college football game was.
• Ashton Kutcher tweeted that Paterno's firing was an insult and done with no class. That is, until he apologized profusely after admitting he has been living in a cave and hadn't heard about the scandal. 
• A newspaper columnist in Pennsylvania six months ago predicted all of this in a column entitled "Sandusky a State secret".
• Wise County girl's picture in Oklahoma barber shop? [Link fixed]
• If you've ever seen Requiem For A Dream, you know it may be the best anti-drug movie ever made. Now the director has made a couple of PSA's for the the anti-meth campaign. Oh, my. 
• (For you extreme legal types who have argued about the Castle Doctrine, Texas highest criminal court handed down an opinion yesterday regarding the "new" law and how a jury should be so instructed. Knock yourselves out.)
• The Supreme Court considered this week whether the government can put a GPS tracking device on your car without a warrant. Justice Stephen Breyer asked/told the government's attorney, "“If you win this case, then there is nothing to prevent the police or the government from monitoring 24 hours a day the public movement of every citizen of the United States . . . . So if you win, you suddenly produce what sounds like 1984 from their brief.” Preach on, brother. 
• Fox 4's Tim Ryan sucked on Chip Waggoner's lollipop this morning. Video. Oh, yes. The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast. 
• The Boyd School Board is considering some kind of football rock like the Clemson players touch as they take the field with a slogan on it similar to Notre Dame's. You know, not a bad idea. 
• Former Decatur volleyball player Sara Oxford received an honor at Abilene Christian. 
• See Rick Perry's official response to his gaffe last night. It doesn't help. In this day and time, you just want to get through a debate without something bad happening. If you don't, that's all the public will remember. #oops
• Mrs. LL bought some weird head warmer which looks like a cross between something you'd see in Fargo and a bear's head. 
• Miranda Kerr in a $2.5 million bra last night at some Victoria's Secret even. 

I'm Going To Bed. When I Wake Up, State College Might Be Burned Down

Penn State coach Joe Paterno was fired tonight. Crazy college kids at Penn State are taking to the streets.

You see that picture up there? That's what they did on a Sunday night around midnight when it was announced Osama Bin Laden had been killed. (More.) And that's when they are celebrating.

Tonight? They are angry. Oh, my.

Updates at this newspaper twitter feed.

Perry Meltdown Tonight In The Debate

I  can see how it happens, I've just never seen it happen.

You Almost Never See A Reaction From A Defendant During Sentencing

Then again.

Link.

(Thanks, Keith . . . . I guess.)

Even I'm Surprised My Prediction Was Correct: Paterno Gone

Sandusky and Paterno In, I Assume, Happier Days

Joe Paterno, Penn State's head football coach since 1966, announced he would retire after this season  This may end up being the biggest scandal in college football history. (Wikipedia version  for those who haven't been keeping up.)

Sidenote: I actually saw one Penn State game (in the Cotton Bowl against Baylor on January 1, 1981.)  Jerry Sandusky was the defensive coordinator at the time. The last game Sandusky coached was in 1999 against the Aggies in the Alamo Bowl.

Edit: I'm losing my mind. I saw Alabama and Baylor in the Cotton Bowl. Baylor did play Penn State in the Cotton Bowl but it was about five years before.

Penn State is at home against Nebraska this weekend. The crowd reaction will be interesting. (ESPN at 11:00 a.m.)

Edit: Wow. This morning the original artist covers up Sandusky's face on a mural at Penn State.

 Before:

Edit at 9:00 p.m.: Paterno's been relieved of his duties. Chaos at Penn State.

My Conservative Family Cat Sent Me This Story

(Dateline Dallas). Count the red flags: The government is prosecuting a former government employee who is on paid administrative leave for not allowing a cat to be cut out from behind a wall of a government building because, he says, he didn't want to damage government property.

The cat died after fifteen days. The wall was then cut open to remove the dead cat.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• There was a personal injury case starting yesterday in Decatur (some guy got injured on a gas well) but everyone in the courtroom was gone by the afternoon. It may have settled -- I'll find out. 
• Today at 1:00, every TV and radio station will do a 30 second emergency preparedness test. It will be like a car alarm going off, only bigger.
• Mrs. LL told me she had a McRib yesterday and it was delicious. I think that qualifies as Low Maintenance. 
• For you nerdy legal types: A prosecutor got crushed at oral argument at the Supreme Court yesterday.
• Collin County Craziness: A bribery trial against a state judge started yesterday with news that one of the co-defendants (the briber) had been given complete immunity in exchange for testifying. Politics over there, however, is  like a middle school playground so I don't know who to believe.  
• One thing even I'm guilty of regarding the Penn State story: Assuming the sexual abuse allegations against Jerry Sandusky are true.
• I have no idea whether Herman Cain has engaged in sexual harassment, but those who support him just blindly dismiss every woman who comes forward. 
• The big well fire yesterday in Wise County involved equipment owned by Imperial Oil & Gas, Inc. who called the site a Green Tide Salt Water Disposal Facility according to its press release.
• "The quarterback had grown up in tiny Texas towns like Decatur and Stephenville, small spots in which life was lived a particular way." - Story today about Kevin Kolb on the Arizona Cardinals website.
• The drought in East Texas caused a lake level to lower so much that a car was found -- with a body inside of it.  Seriously: Do you think there are human remains at the bottom of Lake Bridgeport right now? I do.
• I told you to fear Abilene Wylie again (who knocked Decatur out of the volleyball playoffs last night.)
• The Bridgeport Booster Club is holding a "Meet The Bulls" event tomorrow. It's just shocking they don't know who those boys are. 
• BagOfNothing.com has a crazy near miss traffic accident video in Rockwall.
• Wise County voters only voted for one of the ten proposed state constitutional amendments yesterday. I have no idea what that says about us -- perhaps we are against things we don't understand. 
• CoCo goes shopping.
• Chico ISD is auctioning off old items including these two broken toilets. All items listed here. 
• I'm loving how the NBA players aren't backing down after the owners "take this now or we'll offer less tomorrow" negotiation tactic. I think there's a chance the entire season is lost (which is fine with me.) 
• I didn't really follow the Jack Abramoff case but I see he is out of prison and hawking a book on Fox and Friends this morning. 
• Good read on the plane to Vegas: The Texas Monthly article on the decades old murder of 77 year old Mary Eula Sears of Abilene. I had never heard of it but I suppose the case is famous there. 
• Does the government still own a large chunk of GM? It announced quarterly profits of $1.7 billion this morning. 

Messenger Above The Fold And A Little More

And from those inside pages a question mark forms over my head:

Get Lari Barager Out There Now!

A loyal reader just sent me this pic of a Dallas Fire Truck in White Rock Lake late this afternoon.  We've got some comedy gold at the taxpayers expense.

The photo is a Lil' Small. (Look at the post below this one. See what I did there?)

Thanks, Will.

Edit: This is from last night? On the news? I'm firing Will. I'm firing Lari. I'm throwing an Eric Cartman like fit tomorrow morning at the staff meeting.

Bothers Me When I Have To Ask, "Who?" Regarding "Breaking News"

But I think I've heard of "Now That We Have Found Love."  And I learned he had a cameo in the new Eddie Murphy movie named Tower Heist. He tweeted "I love my life" on November 4th.

That's all I got.

Tuesday Afternoon Pick Me Up

I don't know who Rita Rusic is but everyone was going crazy about her being on the beach in Miami. Oh, and the fact that she is 50.

Dark

For those following the Penn State scandal, you will probably be interested to know that Joe Paterno cancelled his weekly press conference this morning. And as for indicted former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, you can buy his 1986 Fiesta Bowl/National Championship ring on eBay.

Oh, and the New York Times says Paterno will be gone.

And here is Matt Millen breaking down on ESPN this morning.

"That sucker came out of no where!"

I love Jacksboro news.

(And I know how to get an interview with the suspect.)

The Well. The Well. The Well Is On Fire.

Link.

General area:

(Credit.)

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• The Star-Telegram's home page has a video ad that takes up the whole screen this morning. That's in addition to the massive still banner at the bottom. (I may not be inclined to pay for content, but I might be swayed to pay to avoid irritation.)
• Yesterday I said head coach Joe Paterno might be in trouble at Penn State due to the "cover up" of the sex abuse scandal, but even I was surprised by the firestorm across the Internets and talk radio that followed. And a sign placed around his on campus statue is not a good omen. 
• And to think Ohio State's coach had to resign earlier this year because his players were trading jersies for tattoos. 
• There was another Oklahoma earthquake last night after a day of tornadoes. (Very funny screenshot of one Oklahoma residents reaction to the first earthquake.)
• Ever noticed how movie posters seem familiar?
• This Tarrant County case will be interesting to watch: A guy hears his car being broken into, goes outside, and then fires a shot at the vehicle leaving the scene. One 17 year old in that vehicle, who is said to have remained in the car while his buddies attempted the burglary, is hit and killed. The shooter has to be prosecuted, right?
• The cute hairdresser who was found dead in her burning car in Dallas last Friday is one heck of a mystery. Police now believe she was alive when the car was intentionally set on fire. There are no suspects. Weird.
• I don't have much of an interest in high school volleyball, but I couldn't help but notice that the Decatur team faces its long time playoff nemesis tonight: Abilene Wylie. 
• I always like to look at the high school football playoff brackets to see the worst teams who still qualified. This year it seems to be  Mexia (2-8) and Callisburg (2-8). Everyone gets a trophy!!
• Wow. I mentioned Joe Frazier's cancer yesterday and then he died last night. If you are a middle aged guy, Ali/Frazier will always mean something to you. (But the only way you could learn about most fights back then was by waiting for the newspaper.)
• I watched a documentary on TV about Ali/Frazier about a year ago and it was really, really good. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of it. (But I did note that the first Ali/Frazier fight is on youtube in its entirety.)
• The Crazy Couple was on Dr. Drew to have an on-stage sonogram to prove Mrs. Crazy doesn't have implants.  Nothing like a new couple in love. 
• There was a plea bargain in the Wise County courthouse yesterday for 29 years and 10 months. I know the defense lawyer, so I'll find out what's up with the weird 10 months aspect of it. (In state court with penitentiary time involved, 99% of the plea bargains are in years only.)
• And if someone agrees to 29 years and 10 months, there was also a 99% chance the jury would have given them more. 
• Whoever suggested answering the "Guess" questions from One Of The Kids in The House with multiple mind-numbing guesses, you are a genius.  I got hit with, "Guess what I made on my math test?" when I walked in the door so I started with 50 then 51 then 52.  It didn't take long before the kid got worn out and told me 95.  (And, yes, from there we talked about the one she got wrong.)
• The odds of someone having removed the umbrella from my car when I need it in a second: Overwhelming. 

The Weather Fear Monger Apparently Had A Long And Lonely Summer

When those 60 to 70 mph winds hit, let me know.

Random Wise County Deer Hunting Pic From Wise County Uploaded Within Last Hour

Without passing judgment -- because some of my very best friends love this stuff -- I just don't get it.

Somebody Spends A Lot Of Time Analyzing High School Football Playoffs

Excerpt:

This led me there.

You've Been Hit By A Smooth Criminal

"Man, I could use a hit of propofol right about now."

Verdict of Guilty today.

Had the deceased been anyone other than Michael Jackson, he wouldn't have even been arrested.

Almost Greatest Day Ever: Attempted Spider Monkey Escape

Story.

And he immediately created a Twitter account!

In The Category of "Best Re-enactment of Earthquake" The Award Goes To . . .

. . . this guy.

Keanu Reeves couldn't pull that off on his best day.

This Is America, Right?

I've never been shot with a rubber bullet, but I'm-a-guessing it doesn't feel great.

Over Sportsed

The Devil Is Now After Herman Cain

Story.

Nope, not the new accuser. Gloria Allred is the devil. She's represents people who don't need representation but who she knows will get her in front of the camera. She is the sparest of the spares.


But it's the best news Cain can have because once she is against you, all of America will be for you. 

Edit: