College basketball fans love the month of March. This is commonly referred to as “March Madness” and anyone that has ever seen college basketball in some of these tournament games; know where the madness comes from. The local tournaments start up tomorrow for the ACC and SEC Divisions and these will crown a conference champ for the 2010 season. Other basketball conferences are doing the same this week too and a lot of these games will decide which 65 teams make it to the Big Dance. The “Big Dance” is the main tournament and we are still a week away for it to begin. The conference games are just the appetizer for college basketball fans and I hope everyone gets to see their team in the NCAA Tournament and doesn’t have to watch the NIT Tournament next weekend.

Too bad my home doesn’t have a home theater seating design set up. If I had about 8 of these seats in my home now, you could bet they would be filled with my friends this weekend and next weekend too. We love watching the college basketball games on TV and I already have a 50″ television in place. I only need these cool seats that recline and have the beverage holders on each side of them and I would be ready to host a basketball party!

Both of my teams have to play well starting tomorrow; for them to secure a spot in the NCAA tourneys this year. I need for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to beat the North Carolina Tar Heels in the ACC; then the Georgia Bulldogs have a late start time tomorrow in their game with the Razorbacks from Arkansas. These will be the two big games on my schedule tomorrow in college basketball and will also have to find a way to watch the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks play an NBA game. So I have 3 basketball games to watch tomorrow night and a 50 inch screen to watch them on. Too bad I will be laying down on the couch to watch them by myself, because I would prefer to have company over and a few of those stadium-style seats to sit on. Good luck to your favorite college teams and maybe we both can make it to the Final Four this year in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The recent Nascar circuit led them to Atlanta Motor Speedway this past Sunday in the Kobalt Tools 500. It’s the first trip to Atlanta, Nascar takes each year and they plan to visit Atlanta again later this year. The actual speedway is located in Hampton, Georgia; which is several miles south of Atlanta, Georgia. One of the Nascar drivers wasn’t too happy in Atlanta this past Sunday; when Carl Edwards felt Brad Keselowski wrecked him during the 500 mile race. It was off to the pits for Carl Edwards and his Nascar team, but it wouldn’t be where this story ended. In a deliberate retaliation, Carl Edwards got his car fixed and was allowed back on the track. It didn’t take long for him to get his revenge as he hit Keselowski’s car intentionally, that sent him flying high into the air, from the Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Nascar President Mike Helton had a chance to lay down the law and set an example, but he failed to do so. He only thought Edward’s actions was worth a slap on the wrist as Carl Edwards is now on probation and will be allowed to race in the next Nascar race. This decision might be fine for Mike Helton and his other co-workers that make up the Nascar officiating crews, but it’s not working with the folks in Atlanta. Helton might want to take a step back and think about his decision again, because he doesn’t understand that people are wanting to get back at Carl Edwards. If Carl Edwards would have did this move against Dale Earnhardt Junior, there would probably be snipers lined-up the next time Edwards came back to Atlanta.

Mike Helton also fails to realize that he doesn’t have his own medical staff to treat serious injuries. All Nascar injuries and those that could have threaten lives would have been left for the medical professionals in Atlanta to take care of. Atlanta is saying “no thanks” to the poor leadership of Mike Helton and is now deciding if Mike Helton, Nascar, or Carl Edwards will even be allowed to return to the state of Georgia. It’s possible that Mike Helton may have forced Nascar out of the biggest southern state for Nascar Racing and not even know it. Georgia authorities may even seek legal action against Carl Edwards, if they can find any loop holes in the current Nascar contracts and how they pertain to the state of Georgia and Georgia laws. The result of all of this could turn out to be an all out ban on Nascar driving in the Peach State and it won’t entirely be Carl Edwards fault. No one was even considering a Nascar ban, until Mike Helton failed to hand down proper punishment against Carl Edwards.

If you’re a current Nascar driver, the rules have now been laid down by Mike Helton. If another driver on the track makes you mad or bumps your car, you’re free to go after him and regardless of how bad you wreck him, you will only receive probation for your actions. Even though Brad Keselowski’s life was in serious danger, this is fine by Mike Helton and Nascar. Mike Helton showed absolutely no leadership skills this week and apparently he could care less if Brad Keselowski is on the Nascar Circuit or not; judging by the way he let Carl Edwards off in this latest incident in Atlanta. I’m glad to see Atlanta officials taking matters in their own hands and taking up for the medical workers that would have had to perform life-saving procedures, if Keselowski would have needed any on Sunday in Atlanta.

Should the City of Atlanta Ban Nascar?

A. Yes

B. No

House of Cards Las Vegas’ Dramatic Fall
Las Vegas has been acutely affected by the economic downturn as much, if not more than most other cities in the United States. Las Vegas exemplified the economic bubble that plagued the country. It became a destination catering to visitors flush with cash and credit from inflated home equity and liberal lending. Resort developers continued to build bigger, more lavish properties to serve the unquenchable thirst for hotel rooms and casinos. As a result, Las Vegas was one of the fastest growing cities in the country as people followed the growth and newly created jobs. The real estate market exploded fueled by speculators, investors and newly arrived residents chasing the dream that the city’s growth couldn’t be stopped. Unfortunately, the Las Vegas economic bubble burst was much more pronounced than other cities with less inflated economies and real estate. Las Vegas’ house of cards finally came tumbling down hard when the Great Recession hit.

In a report released earlier this year by RealtyTrac, the Las Vegas metropolitan area suffered a foreclosure rate that was five times the national average and the highest rate in the country in 2009. Home purchase and rental prices have fallen dramatically. The gaming industry, which was once thought recession proof, has had unprecedented job cuts and lay offs. Some Casino operators such as Station Casinos have even filed bankruptcy.
Where economic blight occurs, crime quickly follows. In 2009 an annual national survey named Nevada the most crime-ridden state in the country. The authors of the study wrote “Ranked least favorably among the states was Nevada, followed by Louisiana and South Carolina.” The report went onto say that Nevada’s murder rate was “nearly seven times higher than New Hampshire’s, and the Silver State reported a rape rate that was almost 50% higher than the national average.” Last year, Forbes named Las Vegas the 4th most dangerous city in the USA.
With the crime increase in Sin City, you can bet that the Las Vegas Bail Bonds business is doing well. This seems to be the only Las Vegas business thriving during the recession. Although, business may be brisk for a Las Vegas bail bondsman, Clark County itself is having trouble keeping up. In a city that never sleeps, the court’s Pretrial Services Division at the Clark County jail will shut down from midnight to 8 a.m. That means friends, relatives and Las Vegas bail bond companies won’t be able to post bail until the morning. For someone trying to post bail for a loved one, the extra time will feel like an eternity. For a city where money talks, the collapsing house of cards means even government agencies are feeling the recessionary effects just like everyone else.

There is a lot more to Jennifer Lopez or J Lo (nickname) than acting and starring in Hollywood blockbusters. Even with her busy schedule out in California and traveling to places all over the world, she has still found the time to produce a perfume for women only. The name of her perfume is called Still Jennifer Lopez by Jennifer Lopez. I ran across it today while looking at the weekly specials at Buy.com. As far as perfumes go and considering her’s carries a celebrity name, it’s actually reasonable in price. Normally you can see some of the expensive perfumes selling for hundreds of dollars, but you can probably pick up J Lo’s perfume for under $30 in most places. This perfume is for the ladies only and it’s recommended for evening use.

Over the years we have seen Hollywood stars and professional athletes try to market a product with their name attached to it. Some famous people or people they rely on for advice, think a product will be an instant success if they add a celebrity name to it. This isn’t always true and no product will have a long term future, if it doesn’t offer something good to consumers. The perfume by J Lo has beaten those odds. The Still Jennifer Lopez perfume was introduced in 2003. Since I can still see it being sold on a reputable website today, I think it’s safe to assume her perfume is liked by women. Some fans will like Jennifer Lopez so much, they will buy all the J Lo collectibles they can find on sale. This isn’t usually enough to keep a celebrity product going, so it does have to be worth buying, for those that are not Jennifer Lopez fans or for the ones who don’t even know who she is.

One of the first celebrity products I ever remember was the Reggie Jackson candy bar; which came out when I was a kid growing up. Reggie’s candy bar is not around anymore, but I actually did like it. I’m not sure what the full story is with Reggie Jackson’s candy bar. It might be just another failed product that a celebrity tried to endorse. If it was up to my taste buds it would still be around today.

One problem may have been that Reggie Jackson was a one dimensional star. Most of us think of Reggie Jackson and we think of baseball, because he was a baseball player. When I think of Jennifer Lopez, I think of a Hollywood movie star. She has actually been successful in many other areas of the entertainment business. She’s done quiet well as a singer, record producer, and a dancer. Perhaps the fact that she is not a one dimensional star in our society; has helped her to succeed with her own brand of perfume. If any females out there has tried the perfume by J Lo, please let me know what you thought about it. I would like to know what women think about the perfume that carries the Jennifer Lopez name.

Only 4 more countries remain in the ice hockey tournament that is currently underway in Vancouver. From all over the world eyes will be looking-in to see which team can be the last one standing in Western Canada. When Wednesday began in Vancouver, there was 8 teams left and after the games played on Wednesday, the field got a lot smaller. There was a couple of shocking games on Wednesday and none were bigger than what Canada did to the mighty Russian team.

The men’s hockey team representing the host country of Canada was ready to play on Wednesday. The young sensation Sidney Crosby led his team from Canada to a blowout against the men’s team from Russia. The score was 4 to 1 in Canada’s favor after the first period was over. I don’t think the team from Russia knew what hit them; when they took to the ice on Wednesday. Canada has a loaded roster and they finally came out of their shell and showed what they was capable of doing. The final score was 7 to 3 and this win puts Canada one game away from the gold medal game. Russia’s talented team that was made up of players like Alexander Ovechikin and Ilya Kovalchuk will have to pack their bags now as their 2010 Olympic Dreams are now over with in Vancouver.

Russia wasn’t the only team that suffered a devastating defeat on Wednesday. The team from Sweden came in as one of the best teams in the tournament and they got beat by the men’s team from Slovakia.

This was a close game all the way through. It seemed Slovakia took control when they scored their 4th goal of the game and took a 4 to 2 lead in the 4th period. Sweden wasn’t going to be that easy to beat as they quickly came back and added their 3rd goal of the game within 1 minute of the Slovakian 4th period goal. There was still plenty of time left for Sweden to tie this one up, but Slovakia managed to hold on for the rest of the game. The last minute of this game was played in the Slovakia’s end of the defensive ice as Sweden sent everything they had. The extra skater for Sweden got a lot of ice time; when Sweden pulled their goalie for the extra skater. A lot of good opportunities were there, but Sweden couldn’t manage to get the puck pass the Slovakian goaltender.

Slovakia’s win over Sweden is good news for Canada. They now get to play a team that doesn’t have the same talent level as the men’s team from Sweden. The match up between Canada and Slovakia will take place Friday night in Vancouver. Expect a big Canadian crowd for this event and the home ice advantage is going to be tough for the team from Slovakia to handle. No one gave Slovakia much of a chance to beat Sweden, so they might be happy as the underdogs, when they face the talented Canadian team Friday night.

Before Canada and Slovakia face off on Friday night, the other half of the bracket will play in the afternoon game. This should be a very close game as Finland and the United States square off.

The men’s USA team wasn’t given much of a chance to beat Canada on Sunday night and now hockey experts are wondering if anyone can beat the U.S. team. The strength of the USA team is in their defense. It all starts with the play of goaltender Ryan Miller. He has played very well in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. No team is going to have an easy time scoring goals against the Americans. The only team left in the Vancouver Olympics that uses defense to win games is the American team. Their focus on defense has got them in position to win a medal in Vancouver. If the US can beat Finland on Friday afternoon, they will be the first team to be placed in the Gold medal game. We won’t know who their opponent will be until we see who wins the match up between Slovakia and Canada.

Does Finland have a chance to beat the U.S. ice hockey team? Yes, Finland comes in with a very strong team of NHL players and seeing them left as one of the 4 teams remaining is not shocking at all. A lot of people saw the team from Finland as one of the final teams to be playing in Vancouver. Finland is now only 1 win away from the gold medal game and expect their stars to lay it all out in Vancouver on Friday afternoon. Their main star is probably Teemu Selanne from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (NHL Team). He’s fast and knows how to put the puck in the net. He will be a focus for the American defense to contend with and this should allow their other stars from the NHL to have a chance to shine in Vancouver. The game between the USA and Finland should be a close one as both teams will be fighting for a chance to play in the gold medal game in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Game 1

USA .vs. Finland

Game 2

Canada .vs. Slovakia

Those are the 4 teams left in the men’s ice hockey tournament in Vancouver. It has been fun watching all the teams compete in this year’s Winter Olympics. The hockey games are the thing I like best about the Winter Olympics. No other event compares to the talent level of these athletes and it’s a great team sport to watch in the Olympic events. It wasn’t always like this, but since the NHL guys get to participate now, it’s become the main attraction for the Olympic Games that gets played every 4 years. Congratulations to the 4 teams left in the ice hockey tournament and it should be fun seeing who wins the gold medal in Vancouver.

Finding a good casino online these days doesn’t have to be hard. The Online Casino Planet has did all the hard work for you. They have grouped together the best online casinos from all over the world. More than likely you will be able to find a good online casino in your country, by using the services that the Online Casino Planet team has provided for Internet Users.

I live in the United States, so I looked at the USA Casinos that were available through the Online Casino Planet’s website. There was dozens and dozens of website links leading to the casinos in the United States. Anyone living in America will have no problems finding a good online casino with so many choices to choose from. Before you join an online casino, be sure to check out a few and see which one looks the best to you. People online can be picky with their choices, since there is so many casinos located in the United States and in other parts of the world too.

Have you ever tried to play at an online casino before? If you’re a newbie with online casinos and the games they offer, you can use the Online Casino Planet’s website as a good starting point. They can point you in the right direction, so you get the most from your online gaming experience. There is a lot of different games online gamers can choose from. Just about every online casino will offer blackjack, video poker, progressive slots, keno, and some form of poker like Texas Hold’em. Don’t worry if you don’t live in the United States, because there is a good chance you can find a casino in your country. Some of the countries listed at the Online Casino Planet include New Zealand, Belgium, Poland, Hong Kong, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, Greece, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, and more. Go see if you can find your country on the list and see how many online casinos you have to choose from. Good Luck!

The All Star Weekend in Dallas is only half way over and already it is a failure for all the NBA fans tuning in. The All Star Game on Sunday is the biggest draw for the NBA’s mid season point. However, it’s the slam dunk contest that is sponsored by Sprite every year that is the 2nd biggest attraction the NBA has to offer during their All Star Break. This dunk contest was a failure just like last year’s dunk contest was too. The guys from TNT was calling last year’s dunk contest a success, but the finals in last year’s event was planned. The guy from the Portland Trailblazers was clearly the best dunker in last year’s event and he didn’t even get to participate in the finals, due to the planned showdown between the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard and the Knicks point guard Nate Robinson. It wasn’t fair to put two guys in the finals and leave out the best dunker.

Now fast forward to this year’s competition where no one was doing any good dunks. The guy from the Toronto Raptors had the best dunk of the night and other than his 1 dunk, the rest was mediocre at best. It was a very poor showing to one of the best all star events in any sport. The NBA has let the slam dunk contest slip too far and they don’t have the best dunkers in the game participating. I hope I can remember this feeling next year and I won’t make any special plans to watch next year’s slam dunk contest.

The Horse Game was a big failure too. Very little emotion and the guys were just going through the motions in the Horse event on TNT. The fact they ran out of time and made it a top of the key jump shooting event didn’t help much either. It was nice to see Kevin Durant stroking those 3’s so easy and stripping the net. Most of us already knew he was one of the best pure shooters in the NBA and the game of Horse should and could have been a lot more entertaining. The guys from TNT, the NBA, and the Players all get failing scores for the Horse competition in Dallas this weekend.

The skills contest is boring and no adjustments made to that event this year. The 3 point contest which Paul Pierce won was probably the highlight of Saturday’s events and that’s stretching it there. Pierce did a few yells in between the ball racks and there is only so much you can do in the 3 point contest. The shooting contest for the stars was an embarrassment to the city of Atlanta. It’s funny how Joe Johnson continues to show up at all star games and all star events and he’s not even starting material in the NBA. Joe Johnson from Atlanta is one of the most over rated players in the NBA today and he’s not even one of the top 5 players on the Atlanta Hawks team. The best two players putting on a uniform in Atlanta these days is Jamal Crawford and Josh Smith. Both of these guys would make great All Stars for the NBA. I’m sure Crawford could hold his own in a 3 point contest or a game of Horse. While Josh Smith could run circles around the guys that were in the dunk contest tonight. Unfortunately the NBA’s lack of coverage on the Atlanta team has forced players like Joe Johnson and Al Horford to represent them and it’s just a slap in the face to the Hawks Basketball Organization.

The NBA weekend in Dallas is a failure and it’s not their fault. The NBA continues to lack the creativity needed to show the world that their players are the best athletes in the world. No matter how good the All Star Game is on Sunday; the moral for all star weekend is very low and the NBA is in desperate need of new leadership.

Which Team Will Win the Super Bowl?

The 2010 Super Bowl in Miami will take place next Sunday. The kickoff time will be at 6:25 PM in Miami, Florida. This year’s big NFL football game will take place in southern Florida at the Sun Life Stadium; where the Miami Dolphins play their home games. Florida residents will not get to see the Miami Dolphins because their team did not make it this far. Instead they will get to see the Indianapolis Colts represent the champions from the AFC; which is the football conference the Miami Dolphins play in. The NFC champions are the New Orleans Saints and this will be the first time they have ever played in a Super Bowl in franchise history.

I believe most NFL and football fans in general will think of two names when they think about the 2010 Super Bowl. It’s pretty obvious that both teams are led by their quarterbacks and this may just be the best Super Bowl quarterbacks ever playing against each other on the same field for Super Bowl Sunday. Most people say that quarterback is the most important position in football and the Saints and Colts both have super quarterbacks to lead them on Super Bowl Sunday.

Most Popular Quarterback for Super Bowl Sunday

Peyton Manning is probably the best quarterback in the NFL ever and Drew Breesis probably the best quarterback this season in the NFL. As good as these two gunslingers are, neither one of them may not hold the popularity vote for this year’s most popular Super Bowl quarterback. This is due to all the headlines that Tim Tebow is currently making. Tebow just finished up his senior year at the University of Florida; where he won a lot of football games as a Gator down in Gainesville, Florida. The CBS Network, which will be showing the Super Bowl next Sunday, has allowed some advocacy groups to advertise on these high priced Super Bowl ads. Tim Tebow is going to be appearing on one for abortion and it’s causing a lot of buzz in the main stream media. Most of the talk right now is about Tim Tebow and his Super Bowl commercial that will air on CBS during the 2010 Super Bowl. He also made quite a few headlines for his poor performance in the Senior Bowl on Saturday. He didn’t turn too many heads as he completed very few passes for 50 yards and only rushed for about 4 yards as his South team lost to the North team in the 2010 Senior Bowl. This game helps NFL scouts determine who the stars of tomorrow will be and if it proves to hold form, don’t look for Tim Tebow to get called to the podium on Day 1 of the NFL Draft. He might not hear his name on Sunday either; if he doesn’t find a way to improve his shaky football skills as a QB in the National Football League we know as the NFL. So for now, it’s fair to say that Tim Tebow is more popular than the Colts QB Peyton Manning and the quarterback for the Saints Drew Brees.

It’s a Manning World

The long-line of quarterbacks in the NFL with the last name Manning is very well-known. It all started with a quarterback from New Orleans named Archie Manning. While Archie was a very good QB in his day, he may have passed his best genes down to his two sons, that currently play in the NFL. Peyton and Eli are the two Manning family members that are making headlines these days. Peyton Manning and Eli Manning have already won Super Bowls before and we may see both of them win more Super Bowls in the future. It’s funny how life comes full-circle sometimes. If the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets could have won their games last week, we would have seen Brett Favre from the Vikings face his old team the Jets in the 2010 Super Bowl. Instead we get to see Archie Manning’s old team the New Orleans Saints face his oldest son’s team the Indianapolis Colts. One day we could see Peyton Manning against Eli Manning in a Super Bowl and that is possible with each Manning playing in a different NFL conference (AFC & NFC). No Eli in this year’s Super Bowl in Miami, but Peyton is there representing the Manning family tree.

Peyton Manning is the best quarterback to ever play the game. I don’t think many can argue that and he will add one more convincing feather to his cap when he takes the field next Sunday. I don’t think it matters much if he wins or loses the game next week in Florida. For the records and numbers he’s already accomplished, it leaves little to doubt, that number 18 in Indianapolis is the best NFL quarterback ever. I’m not sure who was number 1 before Peyton Manning or who would be 2nd on the list of the greatest quarterbacks ever right now, but you can be certain that there is no debate for who the best is now. Perhaps you could make a reasonable case that Peyton Manning is not the best QB in the 2009/2010 season; but who would be worthy of a side by side comparison this year?

Saints Marching Well with Drew Brees

Number 9 in New Orleans would be one quarterback that would be a fair comparison to the great Peyton Manning. Brees has taken the city of New Orleans by “storm” and it was a storm that woke this area up a few years ago. It was a devastating time for parts in the Southeast; when Hurricane Katrina came ashore and it really woke up the whole world. New Orleans was one of the hardest hit areas with the city sitting below sea level. They normally rely on pumps to remove the water from rains and heavy floods, but after the levies broke and all the rain Katrina left behind; the whole city was under water and the Super Dome in New Orleans felt the impact too. Katrina made this area of the U.S. much tougher as these people were struggling to just survive after Hurricane Katrina hit. Now a few years later these people are celebrating and cheering louder than any NFL fans have ever did in the past.

Now comes the final test for New Orleans as they get their shot at the big trophy that will be given out next Sunday in Miami. The Saints are like a boxer that refuses to quit and continues to roll with each punch that is delivered to them. Now they have been given the opportunity at a title shot and they will be facing the game’s greatest quarterback ever. It doesn’t sound fair but often life isn’t. The Saints do have the opportunity to show the NFL and the rest of the World that they are still here and they haven’t given up. The Saints winning the Super Bowl would have a much bigger magnitude than the Haiti Earthquake that occured a couple of weeks back. Many are comparing the destruction in Haiti to the Gulf Hurricane that struck New Orleans.

So which quarterback will be the one that leaves Florida most happy?

A. Peyton Manning

B. Drew Brees

C. Tim Tebow

Since the Saints and Colts both have powerful offenses, I believe  most game day predictions will be for both teams to have high scores. I don’t see this happening on Super Bowl Sunday. I think one team is going to run away with this one in Miami. I’m not going to tell you who will win the game, but I will leave you with a final score, that will be pretty close to the margin of victory for the winning team.

Super Bowl XLIV Prediction:

Winning Team – 41

Losing Team – 19

I am predicting a 20+ point victory for the winning team with the combined points for both teams around the 60 point mark. Now let me here your 2 predictions for the margin of victory and the combined points for both teams. Enjoy the game NFL fans and I hope your favorite team wins on Super Bowl Sunday!

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It’s not an American Idol world no more. The recent changes over there and with a new cast of judges; other shows are coming into the living rooms of America. Hollywood has went from one extreme to another trying to entertain us on the tube these days. We see the scary, the mysterious, and the sitcoms never fail do deliver the comedy. One of the most unique shows on today is Fringe. Fans of that television show can now pick up the complete season 1 of Fringe online. It shouldn’t stop there as others get their seasons ready for video and DVD releases.

What new TV shows do you like to watch most? Most people have started watching a new TV series in the last year and this is due to all the good quality programs available now. There will be a lot of television fans that will search for these shows when their complete seasons become available for sale. Be sure to keep a close eye on these new releases as many of them will sale out fast. I normally keep a check on the weekly specials at Buy.com for a variety of cheap items. These guys do a good job in covering the entertainment world with music, movies, and those brand new television shows. Online users will find a lot more than just entertainment bargains there too!

As long as Americans continue to spend hours and hours each day watching television, you can bet someone will be around to make sure we have something to watch. If you haven’t found a new show to watch in recent years; then you should really start watching more TV in the prime time hours. There are a lot more good shows on, other than Fringe on TV and I have about a half-dozen new shows I have got interested in and watch every week. However, I am a big TV junkie too, so I should probably cut out a few TV shows on my end. Watching less of American Idol and checking out the newest TV shows has worked well for me and I think my Idol days are done.

Hey, living in Charlottesville doesn’t mean you don’t have access to all the great things that Richmond has to offer.  Sure, Cook & Wiley has their offices in Richmond, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t also the leading Charlottesville court reporters.  While you will have to drive out to Richmond to make use of their Richmond video conferencing and Richmond conference rooms, you can have anybody you’re trying to video conference with from Charlottesville that’s in Richmond go there and let them use the great setup that Cook & Wiley offers to all their clients.

Living west of Richmond doesn’t preclude you from enjoying all the great services that Cook & Wiley can offer, so when you’re in need of a court reporter in Charlottesville, don’t forget that Cook & Wiley is here for you.

It’s been a long time since Hee Haw has been on television. We have seen it come back in syndication over the past few years, but it’s been ages since any new episodes were made. Hee Haw started in 1969 on the CBS Network. If you want to catch a glimpse of one of the old Hee Haw shows today, you could tune-in to RFD-TV and they’re currently airing old Hee Haw shows on Sundays.

Hee Haw was led by their two front men who were Buck Owens and Roy Clark. These two headed the show that would feature other popular personalities that all of America would grow to love. Most people living in rural areas got the show, but surprisingly it was popular in places like New York City and Los Angeles in their run from 1969 to 1971.

One of my favorite characters on Hee Haw was Junior Samples. He was from Cumming, Georgia and one of the bright spots on the show. Junior would often have problems getting his lines right and the producers of Hee Haw didn’t hide this footage. They made sure to show all of Junior’s mistakes and I doubt all the cast together could add up to all the mistakes Junior made on each episode of Hee Haw. Junior’s used cars was always a funny segment and there was even a band that named their self after the famous phone number “BR-549″ that never did change. Not sure how the show came up with that as the phone number to the used car lot owned by Junior Samples. If anyone knows this; then please reply and let me know. Junior was as country in real life as he was on the show and he wore overalls before ever going to film any episodes of Hee Haw.

Stringbean was another character I like from Hee Haw. His real name was David Akeman and he never had too many big roles on the show as a front man. You could often see Stringbean in the background for many of the Hee Haw skits. He was the scarecrow you would see in the corn field; when jokes or salutes were being given from the cornfield. Hee Haw left the scarecrow up as a tribute to Stringbean for his untimely death in 1973.

You can’t mention Hee Haw without talking about Grampa Jones. He was the wise one on the show and gave great view points on a variety of things. He could make you a little hungry sometimes when Hee Haw would do their skit “HEY GRAMPA! WHAT’S FOR DINNER?’. He had a unique and very southern way of naming food items that were on the dinner menu. Looking back on it now, I think Grampa Jones was a big part of what kept the show together and made Hee Haw such a big success in the early 1970’s.

I don’t think no one could forget Cathy Baker who played the perky blonde girl on Hee Haw. She was the clean one that dressed in descent attire for the show (usually overalls). The other Hee Haw girls would wear much more revealing clothes, but for Cathy it was always simple and sweet. She would normally have the Hee Haw Dog next to her in many of the skits or songs that got performed on Hee Haw. According to the Hew Haw website the name of the dog was “Buddy the Wonder Dog”, but I remember the early Hee Haw shows calling the bloodhound “Beauregard”. One thing that Cathy did get to do each episode was to close the show. Hee Haw had their own song each time that would close out the show and then you could see Cathy saying “That’s All!” each time Hee Haw went off. I will use Mrs. Hee Haw’s line to close this blog post on remembering the TV Show Hee Haw. That’s all!

I’ll be the first to admit that when I think of pearl jewelry, I think of simple white pearl necklaces, but it turns out that there’s more to pearls than that.  Thanks to Museum Way Pearls, I learned that you can get pearls in different colors, like black, white, pink, and others, as well as different types of pearls.

Museum Way Pearls is a leading provider of all different types of pearls, like Akoya pearls and Tahitian pearls, as well as various colors.  No matter what type of pearls you’re looking for, Museum Way Pearls has something for you.  Check them out today and I’m sure you’ll be glad you did.

The battle of late night TV in America is just getting started and for good reason. Viewers are all choosing sides in this battle for the prime time spot in late night television, if there is such a thing. Apparently as far as Conan O’Brien’s corner is concerned, the prime time spot does exist for the program that follows our late local news in America. Most know that Johnny Carson held this spot for many years on NBC. Since his departure we have seen a variety of night show hosts try to fill the Carson spot. At one time Jay Leno was pretty successful with this duty, but soon he would give it up to Conan O’Brien and Conan has did a terrific job.

Now it appears Jay Leno wants to get back in the business and NBC welcomed him back with open arms. They liked the idea so much, they actually gave Leno a real prime time spot on NBC and this was at the 10 PM hour; before the local news would come on. This didn’t work out too well and after 4 months of declining ratings, the Jay Leno in prime time has not worked out. For some odd reason, the producers at NBC think it would do better, if they move Jay Leno back to the spot right after the local news and push Conan O’Brien down 1 hour. This news didn’t sit too well for Conan O’Brien and to this point; he has refused to make room for the big-chin Leno that America didn’t want to see at 10 PM and they certainly don’t want to see him replacing the talented Conan O’Brien.

The NBC troubles is making one late night host smile from ear to ear. David Letterman seems to be benefiting from the early struggles between Leno and O’Brien, but don’t look for this pattern to continue. David Letterman isn’t that great to watch either and his ratings may see a decline if NBC allows the feud between Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno to continue. Since no talk show host has a gag order yet, this could work out well for NBC in the long run. It might have been planned by NBC the whole time, who knows? We do know that America loves controversy and if this feud continues on NBC; then late night TV watchers will be tuning in to see what Conan has to say about Jay Leno. I wouldn’t get happy too fast over there Letterman, you may just be walking into a clever trap set by NBC. It doesn’t help when David Letterman uses his air time to talk about the Leno/O’Brien battle and this only gives more reasons for viewers to tune in to NBC.

I won’t pick between broadcasting networks and tell you which station to watch late at night, but I will throw my support in the Conan Obrien corner. I think Conan has did really well for the past 5 years, entertaining the sleepy-eyed Americans as they go to sleep watching his show. Not sleeping due to the content of the show’s material, but going to sleep to wake up for their 9 to 5 jobs that the people in this country do 5 days a week. Conan has worked his way up the ranks and has did nothing to get pushed down those ranks. We can certainly say that Jay Leno has did nothing to over take Conan’s Show and Leno’s talents are average at best. I don’t think NBC should blindly grant Conan Obrien this spot forever, but as for now, we choose Conan Obrien over Jay Leno.

Who do you want to see in the NBC time slot immediately following your late night local news?

A. Conan O’Brien

B. Jay Leno

C. Other?

My vote is for “A” and I will take the wittiest late night personality currently on the air and that is hands down Conan O’Brien. I strongly urge NBC to keep Conan in his rightful time slot and give the hour after his show to Jay Leno or you could do midget wrestling? I would just like to see if Jay Leno is man enough to accept the spot behind Conan O’Brien and I think most Americans are more curious about that than anything. Let’s see if Leno could hold up during the graveyard shift like Conan did so proudly before he got his rightful time on NBC.

No matter if you’re on Jay Leno or Conan Obrien’s side, I think we can all laugh at Letterman for thinking he’s the winner in all of this. Big mistake on his part to keep this public feud going; as his viewers click away from his show to see what Conan O’Brien has to say about Jay Leno.

By the way….

For any late night show host that mentions my blog post on the air, I will instantly give you my support on this blog and all of my other blogs. My support can be bought for a little exposure on late night TV. I think I might just have the power to sway votes and grow NBC’s late night viewership numbers with the words I can cleverly craft on the World Wide Web.

There are a lot of fun places you can go online to play games. You can enjoy casino-style games with no cost and play them for free. There are other places that allow you to play with real money and Internet users have the chance to win real cash money. The online casino games are very popular and it continues to be a growing industry on the World Wide Web.

Most of these games are easy to play. Beginners can figure out how to play most of these games in a few short minutes. I know playing roulette online is an easy game to learn and I enjoy playing it. It’s the game that has a spinning wheel with numbers and a little white ball is released and will land on one of these numbers. You try to figure out which number the ball will come to a rest on and that is one of the ways to win in roulette. This game offers other betting options and it’s not as hard to win as you might think.

When I go to a real life casino, I normally play the slots more than I do the other games. The card tables are fun at the real casinos, but usually it costs you a little more to play. The slot machines can be a cheap way to pass the time at a casino. My biggest win on a card table was for $330 and this was playing 3 card poker. It works just like regular poker, but you only get 3 cards and there is no draw. I guess it could be called 3 card stud. My biggest payout has been on a slot machine and I have won $1250 and $650 in the same night and on the same slot machine! If you find a slot machine that is hot and paying out, I would stay on that machine. The slot machines that are cold seem to stay cold and I do best when I get to play on one that is letting you win. I like playing the online slot games too and I often play these when I get bored. I haven’t never tried to win real money online before, but I have heard of people winning online. Give some of these online games a try sometime and it’s a great way to prepare for a trip to Las Vegas or Atlantic City.

Once again we get to talk about bringing a playoff system to college football, since the BCS Rankings are so messed up right now. It was clear on Thursday night that the University of Texas Longhorns had no business being on the same field with the SEC Champion Alabama Crimson Tide. The Longhorns were out matched and out classed in every direction and the final score was only close; due to the fact Alabama played a conservative 2nd half. Nick Saban and his coaching staff from Alabama are not quiet aware of the troubles the SEC has when it comes to getting fair rankings in the BCS Poll. They should have did more in the 2nd half to prove the differences in talent, but their conservative play-calling made the final score look respectable for the team in white from Texas.

Apparently Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreet actually thought Texas had a chance to win this game. It was clear by the voice of announcer Brent Musberger from ABC Sports, that he was in favor of an upset and got excited when Texas did something good. His voice carried less weight and enthusiasm when Alabama did something well and they were doing things well all night Thursday. The prediction from Lou Holtz before the game was probably the funniest thing I heard all night. He picked Texas to win the game. Not due to anything Texas had or any special athletes or sophisticated play-calling from Mack Brown and his staff. No, he chose Texas to win and his reason was because Alabama had played such perfect football all year long and they were bound to mess up some where. Well Mr. Holtz, that did not happen and this wasn’t even an exciting championship game for college football fans with the huge difference in talent level.

The SEC and ACC are clearly the two best conferences in football. It’s hard for teams in the ACC and SEC to get up for bowl games in college football. This is because they have to play against such weak opponents in these bowl games and they prepare much better for the talented teams that play in their conferences. No big surprises to see a few southern teams lose; since they were playing against schools that didn’t even belong in bowl games to start with.

It’s time the BCS started to recognize the teams from the South more and give them a higher ranking than these small schools and the schools that don’t play against any real competition. The Alabama Crimson Tide had two turnovers that gave the Texas Longhorns great field position and they only managed to put up 6 points in the first quarter? Texas failed to score in the 2nd quarter and got 7 points in the 3rd quarter and then scored 8 points in the 4th quarter to give them their 21 points in the BCS Championship. The Alabama Crimson Tide scored 24 points in the 2nd quarter of the National Championship Game and these were the only points they needed to win the game. It’s pretty sad when a team doesn’t score in the first quarter and their points from the 2nd quarter is enough to win the game. It was funny to hear Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreet talk about how Texas is getting a foot-hold on the game in the 3rd quarter. They were not getting any foot-holds! Alabama came out of the locker room at half time and played conservative football. They controlled the game the entire time and there was never a doubt who the best football team was that night. Why can’t you guys just admit that Alabama and the SEC teams are far more superior to these weak schools in the Midwest and on the West Coast? The SEC has won the BCS Title for 4 years straight now and have did this with different teams. It’s not like one school had a special class of football players. These are different teams that are destroying these weak opponents you keep lining up for them in the BCS Championship Games.

Brent Musberger was asked to chime-in on the best BCS Championship Game ever. Guess which one he picked? He would naturally choose the one that goes back 5 years and not the previous 4 that the SEC has dominated. He selected the 2006 BCS Championship Game between the USC Trojans and the Texas Longhorns. What’s funny about this story is 2 things. The first thing is he claims that the 2006 USC Trojans (who don’t play against any real competition) as the best college football team ever. Well Vince Young and the Longhorns had something to say about that as they beat the USC Trojans in that game. Doesn’t that make the Texas team of 2006 the best college football team ever, Brent? After all, they were undefeated that year, even though the Texas Longhorns doesn’t play against any good teams either. Even when USC or these other over ranked BCS teams get beat, these guys that influence the rankings still think they’re the best.

The second thing that is funny about this story with Brent Musberger is the Auburn Tigers. Guess where the Auburn Tigers play? Yes, they are another SEC team. Their record was spotless too and no one beat them in 2006. This is why college football is so screwed up. The SEC can’t produce undefeated teams; due to the level of competition they face on most Saturdays; but when they do, they fully deserve to be in the BCS Title Game before any other conference or school. The Auburn Tigers would have destroyed the Texas Longhorns in 2006 and they would have beat the “greatest college football team in history” USC Trojans too!

I’m already seeing USC as being 5th ranked in the BCS rankings for next year? This is the same USC team that got beat by the Washington Huskies this year and they didn’t win a football game last year. The USC Trojans are going to be suspended for a future bowl game, since they paid Reggie Bush’s family. New allegations this year about them paying McKnight and USC is in double trouble. College football recruits are avoiding USC due to these suspensions they will have to face and no talented football players want to go to USC; when they know they won’t get to play in any bowl games. The USC team is done and that is why McKnight is now going to the NFL and Pete Carol is not sticking around to face these penalties either as he is going to coach the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. Let’s get the USC Trojans out of our top 25 rankings, so we can focus on more deserving teams that have talent and don’t pay their players. USC got over ranked with their freshmen QB this year and he’s not going to be that much better as a sophomore and USC does not belong in the top 5, top 10, top 20, or the top 25.

Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide for winning the SEC Championship (the real championship game in college football) and for beating another over ranked BCS team in the National Championship Game in college football. As long as they let us have a team there, we will win it every time!