...2011: Happy New Year!!!

So it is here, the new year, 2011. I am happy and loving it so far. I am even loving some of the new trends for 2011: Pies, Fried Chicken(Not a fan), black pearl nail polish, Lace, honeysuckle. Honeysuckle is the it color for the year people, get ready for it. I can see preppy guys and pretty girls wearing this, especially this Summer. I am getting my body beach ready, even though I am nowhere near a beach, just so that I may be able to dawn a honeysuckle speedo, yummy. Goodbye 2010, hello and good morning to you 2011. I am giving 2011 a Digit Up.

...OWN

Are you ready to get OWNed? Whether you are or are not it is here. The Oprah Winfrey Network has launched and we are going to hear a lot about it, good and bad.



She will have new shows for herself and her friends. She will even have a new reality show to find the next talk show titan, mini titan because Oprah will be in control of it all. I am just going to give this a Digit Up because it could, most likely will, be a major success or just Lifetime.

Hot and top Pakistani Actress Reema Khan

RR's Gator Bowl Press Conference Notes

News from RR's press conference this morning:

- Devin Gardner is the #2 QB for the Gator Bowl

- Tate is back in Ann Arbor and his status as a U of M student is unclear. 

Gator Bowl Preview

Location: EverBank Field Jacksonville FL
Time: New Year’s Day 1:30 EST
TV: ESPN 2
Line: Mississippi State -4.5
Weather: Sunny 75 with a few clouds


Michigan is back in a bowl game after a two year hiatus under Rich Rodriguez rebuilding of Michigan's Football program. The last time Michigan played in Florida was under similar circumstances when Michigan was an underdog against an SEC opponnet the Florida Gators lead by Tim Tebow, the Wolverines stepped up and sent Coach Carr out a winner in his last game.

Michigan will meet a ranked Mississippi State team tomorrow in the Gator Bowl. Both teams run the spread offenses and prefer the ground game over the pass any day. The Bulldogs have had a positive season under coach Dan Mullin who was rumored to be the leading candidate for the Florida job but didn’t even seem to get a sniff from the Florida AD. The Bulldogs are led by their dynamic spread QB Chris Relf who has been rumored to be more of a runner than a passer but in his last game against Mississippi he threw for 288 yards in a 31-23 win in the Egg Bowl.

During the year MSU won the games they should of and lost the games where they were out matched. With maybe one of their best performances coming in a 17-14 loss to Cam Newton and Auburn. MSU beat Memphis, Georgia, Alcorn State, Houston, Florida, UAB, Kentucky, and Mississippi. Loses were to Auburn, LSU, Alabama and Arkansas. The Florida win was a 10-7 score in the Swamp.

Gator Bowl Tale of the Tape:

Michigan Offense vs. MSU D= Advantage Michigan

Michigan D vs. MSU Offense = Advantage MSU

Special Teams = MSU and it isn’t close. They have a good kicker name Derek DePasquale who basically beat UAB with his leg and 4 field goals.

Intangibles = Michigan

MSU has a highly rated defense and has faced some good opponents this year like Auburn’s Cam Newton. They won’t back down to the “Denard factor” and it’s defense will plan to be fast and get an number of defenders to the ball. Though in week 2 when Auburn played MSU Cam Newton was trying to be Denard Robinson. Whoever runs the spread best will win this game. Michigan has a balanced attack between running and passing and an effective Denard throwing the ball will be key factor in the Wolverines success. MSU will keep a number of guys in the box and see if Denard can beat them with his arm. Denard’s accuracy and the ability for Michigan’s wide receivers to CATCH THE BALL will be important to keep drives alive.

Michigan will have the same strategy in trying to stop MSU’s offense. Michigan’s defense main problem this year has been stopping the run when they know the other team is going to run. I expect the defense has worked for two weeks on tackling and staying in their gaps. Will the senior linebackers Obi Ezeh and Jonas Mouton have their best games of their careers? They will need to for a Michigan win. I expect these two seniors will play early and often.


Sing Hail to the Victors if…………..

• Denard goes off for 250 in the air and 150 on the ground

• The Michigan defense is improved with two weeks of practice

• Rich Rod runs a more complicated spread

• Michigan never lines up for a field goal

• A Michigan RB goes for over a 100 yards

• The Michigan secondary fills holes in the running game and covers WR deep in the pass game.


Say I need a lot less F’ing Cow Bell if…………………….


• If MSU figures a way to stop Denard

• The Michigan defense can’t stop the run and gives up a number of big plays

• Michigan continues to turn the ball over and not get TO’s on defense

• MSU has an effective passing game

• Michigan is trying to kick field goals

I have a theory that Michigan plays well when they have more than two weeks to prepare for an opponent. Michigan under RR has played well in all 3 season openers with blow out wins over UConn and Western Michigan and a two point loss to a Utah team then went undefeated that year. Many experts expected UConn and Western to give Michigan problems and they didn’t. Michigan is 23-5-1 over the SEC and 7-3 in bowl games. Michigan also plays well when their coach is on the line. I expect the Wolverines to play inspired on both sides of the ball in support of Rich Rodriguez. I hope and expect them to come out prepared like they were for the UConn game and not dazed and confused like they were for the Penn State game.

I also believe this offense plays better in warm weather then they do in cold weather. The temperature at game time will be in the 70’s and the Florida boys will be excited to play in their home state in front of their friends and family. Vegas have the Bulldogs as a 4.5 favorite. I disagree. Michigan 42 Mississippi State 28

(I wrote this before the Foricer news broke, so if Denard goes down reverse the score and all bets are off)


Go Blue!

...Khloe Kardashian

The Bull-Moose one of the sisters is getting a show of her own, with her husband. She and Lamar are getting their own reality show, which will be sort of like the Newlyweds, which worked out very well for Nick and Jessica. I am not a Kardashian fan, of course, and I do not know why they need another show at all, their current ones bore me, but here we go again. Khole is the only sister to keep a man, a man worth keeping, and she pretty much has her stuff together. I am not sure what the show will feature because the sisters are always together! It is like each Kardashian house has its own camera crew and each show just features a different house with a guest appearance from another house. Of course this is how they make their money and this is what they do so until we say boo they will keep forcing it down our throats. I will not be watching anything Kardashian this year. How will I be doing this? Easily, I will just not watch E! of course. I am giving Khole Kardashian a Digit Down for keeping the Kardashians on television evermore.

...Camille Grammer

Camille Grammer...this chick. I am going to be honest, as always. I think I would have felt sorry for Camille and I would have been on her side of this whole divorce thing until I saw her on "the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She speaks of herself as if she is the reason Kelsey Grammer is successful. She thinks she is better than the other women on the show, even if she has not directly said it, and she assumes every woman is jealous of her, chick please! As you may know Kelsey is divorcing Camille after 13 years of marriage. Sadly, for him, he does not have a pre-nup sot hat means his estimated $120 million net worth is up for grabs, at least half. Camille already rejected a $30 million offer because it did not cover child support or alimony. I am shocked she was offered that much. She claims to of have kept Kelsey sober, doubt it. She has 2 kids with him, but she also has 4 nannies and housekeepers, so it is not like she does anything at all. She is/was a trophy wife, and she lived a trophy wife's life. Now the money train is ending and she should get used to it. We all know that she is really just upset that Kelsy left her for a 29 year old and he is already set to marry her. Kelsey has also ordered Camille to stay away from his money. Kelsey want sot marry his new love in January so this must end soon. Will she get the $50 million? Possibly. Does she deserve it? Not at all! Poor Kelsey is trying to get married, again without a pre-nup, and his former dancer current gold digger soon to be ex wife just will not let him go. I am giving Camille Grammer a Digit Down.

Hot and Top images of Hot Deepika Padukone

Breaking News: Tate Forcier Ruled Ineligible for Gator Bowl

If your a Michigan fan, I wouldn't suggest going to Vegas with Rich Rodriguez any time soon.  He is really un-lucky when it comes to this team and program.  Michigan got dealt another blow this evening as Tate Forcier has been ruled ineligible to participate in the Gator Bowl and most suspect its due to academics. 

Tate has had an interesting year; seeing Denard take over his limelight as he has struggled on and off the field with issues during summer work outs and threatening to transfer after the UConn game.  He has also seen the highs of leading Michigan in an overtime win that qualified the Wolverines for this very bowl game. 

What now is the question for the team and player?

For team, what happens if Denard goes down? Like he has in pretty much every game this year.  Do you burn Devin's possible medical redshirt to save the game and maybe his job?  Or do you play 4th string QB Jack Kennedy?  Or maybe it's Jeremy Gallon who has been running the scout team these past two weeks so the Wolverines could prepare for MSU's offense?  All of those plans stink.

For the player, have we seen Tate in a Michigan uniform for the last time?  Is this the last straw and Tate is heading to D1A school like Montana or maybe another D1 school because he still has his redshirt available?  Does his academic issues make it more difficult for him to transfer?  I guess that has been the problem with Tate this year, there have been more questions then answers. 

I really thought Tate would be important in the Gator Bowl because I expect MSU to focus on stopping Denard running the ball and would be wide open to a passing attack.  I guess all that rides on Denard now and his ability to play the full game.  

12/31-Scott St James

GUEST - Scott St. James - Actor, Sports Personality

Scott St. James began his acting career with a role in Heart Of A Champion: The Ray Mancini Story. Since then, he has appeared in dozens of motion pictures and TV series including Everybody Loves Raymond, ER and Jimmy Kimmel Live! His national television commercial credits include roles for American Express, Pepsi and Honda Motor Company. A true renaissance man, Scott began his career as an award-winning radio personality, enjoying tremendous success at stations all across the country, including St. Louis powerhouse KMOX and KMPC and KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, working with legendary personalities Robert W. Morgan and Rick Dees. Along the way he picked up multiple Golden Mike and Mark Twain Awards for commentary writing. His daily morning commentaries on Arrow 93FM covered a broad spectrum of topics from sports to entertainment to politics, and over a period of nine years, raised an eyebrow or two. In the 80’s, Scott was also the on-camera Sports Director at LA’s KCAL-TV, Channel 9. Contact Scott St. James via e-mail: scottstjames@sbcglobal.net

Michigan Thursday: Denard Supports Coach Rod

Before the David Brandon "quiet period" took effect for the future status of Michigan's head coach he said that more then win and losses would go into his assessment of current head man Rich Rodriguez.  Things like grades, player feedback, and recruiting would also be decision fators. 

Recruiting has been pretty good the last month and now the Wolverines star QB chimes in with his support:  "If it was up to me, I'd tell them he has to come back," Robinson said. "We had a pretty good season, and our future's really bright. We've got a young team and we're just starting to jell now.


"I see us in the future winning a national championship or moving in the top 10."

• The Big Ten has started an impressive 2-0 in Bowl Games so far.  Let's hope that streak continues, mostly at 1:30 on Saturday.  I know the Big Ten is happy with it's new bowl selections, but I'm wondering how effective it is to split the Big Ten viewing audience 3 ways on Saturday at 1:00.  They used to start the Outback Bowl at 11:00 EST to try to balance that a bit.  This year the Big Ten has 2 games kicking off at 1:00 and another at 1:30.  

• Desmond Green, a 6'4 225 pound 3 star DE from PA is down to 4 schools and will visit them all.  Those schools are  Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Texas Tech.

• Sam Webb takes a look at next weeks Under Armour All American Game.  If Michigan fans picked one All Star game to watch they should tune into the Army All American game with a number of Michigan recruits playing.

...Brett Favre

Another day another Brett Favre story. After almost 3 months of investigation into whether or not Favre did anything wrong in contacting, leaving voicemails and possibly sending pictures to Jets Hostess Jen Sterger during his one year with the Jets, the case is closed. What was the outcome? Favre will not be suspended, but he will be fined, $50,000. Why? Because Favre was deemed uncooperative and not candid during the league's investigation into the incident. While Favre did admit to leaving the voicemails, he denied sending the pictures, and if you say the pictures you would deny them as well. This is most likely Favre's last season playing in the NFL, it saddens me to say it but it is most likely true... Unless there is a lockout and the season is reduced to 9 games and Favre gets a chance to make it to the Super Bowl again because he and his key players are all healthy! JOY! Doubt it. Jen's lawyer said that they were both disappointed with the outcome, of course. I still find it hard to believe that this is the same woman who did not even want to have anything to do with this, but with the help of others, become totally involved in taking Favre down. Whatever. I am giving Favre a Digit Up for getting through this. It tarnished his image for sure and his career went out with a fizzle, but at least he gets to keep the bulk of his $16 million this year.

Ayesha Takia beauti babe

Wolverine Wednesday: Zettel's Decision leaves The Michigan Nation Unsettled

By now you know instate OL/DE 4 star prospect Anthony Zettel picked Penn State last night over long time favorite Michigan.   Michigan had been Anthony's leader since his recruiting process started and AZ had been to just about every Michigan home game this year and a number of other events like the Big Chill and Barbecue at the Big House.

So what happened?  How did he pick Penn State over Michigan during the quiet period when he had publicly stated his announcement was coming in January just days ago?

This is what AZ had to say about Michigan after his last visit earlier this month:  "I felt really good with the players and really enjoyed all the people," Zettel said. "They gave me insight on all of it and I asked every question I could about the school, whether it was a good fit for them, what they like about the school and what they don't like."

As you know, I like to do a Tale of the Tape when it comes to previewing a Michigan opponent.  Let's use that same format to weigh some the "recruiting factors" into Anthony decision between the 2 schools. 

Zettel's Tale of the Tape:  Michigan vs Penn State:

Head Coaching Stability:  Push.  One program is run by an 84 year old figure head that was rumored to be in the hospital all week.  The other program has a coach the needs AD David Brandon to "Lift him up or out" after the Gator Bowl.

State of the Program:  Push.  Yes, Penn State handled Michigan in Happy Valley this year but both finished 7-5.  Depending on what happens with the Bowl Games, I expect them both to be improved next year.

Location:  Advantage Michigan.  U of M is hours from home and of course in Ann Arbor, ranked one of the best places to live in the US routinely.  Penn State is in a Valley of happiness that got nearly 2 feet of snow this week or to quote the widely known wordsmith Terrelle Pryor, "The middle of nowhere".

Academics: Both are good schools but the advantage has to go to Michigan if that was an important factor to Anthony.  Some recruits talk about academics being a key factor but truly it isn't that important.

Playing Time:  Advantage Michigan:  Michigan is losing seniors on the defensive line (rumored to be where he wants to play) and would probably looking at a redshirt if he picked the offensive line.  I'm not familiar with PSU's depth chart but from a quick count of their roster they have 14 DE's or DT's that are currently Juniors or below.  There are also 2 other DE's in the 2011 class.

2011 Recruiting:  Advantage Michigan.  Penn State got off to a very slow start but has benefited from a coaching change at Pitt.  It should be a close race to signing day.   Tim at Mgoblog ranks the Big Ten recruiting classes and currently has Michigan at #4 and Penn State at #12 (he includes ND in the rankings due to ND fishing for the same pond as many Big Ten schools).

So to net it out, Anthony picked Penn State over a place that is closer to home so his family could attend every home game, has a quicker path to playing time, been a lifelong fan of, and currently has a better 2011 recruiting class.  Makes sense to me, does it to you? 

I'm guessing the status of Rich Rod and staff played a big role in his decision, that couldn't have waited 7 more days.   Which is too bad.  Maybe after the coaching situation clears up the Wolverines can take another run at the young man.  Penn State we are now even for Michael Shaw. 

Another alarming trend is that 4 top instate prospects (Thomas, Arnett, Zettel, and Showers) all have either gone out of state or Thomas to the Spartans.  Michigan has 5 instate kids in it's 2011 recruiting class including Rivals #84 player in Justice Hayes and 4 star prospect Brennen Beyer.

...John Warhola

Who is John Warhola? Well look at the last name. Now drop the A. John Warhola is the older brother of Pop Artist, and my favorite artist, Andy Warhol. Sadly he died Christmas Eve at the age of 85 after battling pneumonia. He was one of three founding members of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and was its vice president for 20 years. He also helped raise his younger brother Andy. After their father Andrij Warhola died in 1942, John Warhola was tasked with raising his younger brother, Andy, and making sure he attended college. Their father had purchased enough savings bonds to pay for Andy's first two years of college, but told John the rest was up to him. Andrij told John, "Your role is to take care of Andy and make sure he goes to school, because he's going to be successful someday." Obviously he did a great job and the outcome was this magnificent man loved the world over. John's funeral will be held today at the Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church on Pittsburgh's North Side. He will be buried in the family plot at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in suburban Bethel Park. I am giving this news a Digit Down for sure.

...Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon is continuing the engagement and wedding train by...well...getting engaged. Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth are engaged. He is a Hollywood agent with the company that represents Reese, but he does not represent her. They started dating in January, after Reese and Jake Gyllenhaal split. He is now dating Taylor Swift and Reese is engaged, so one is happy and the other is still boring. I am sure Ryan Phillippe is happy for her, he is dating other women as well and his career seems to be finally...it is doing something. Now that this star is engaged to an agent I am just wondering when Britney Spears and her agent boyfriend will be getting engaged. I am giving this engagement a Digit Up.

12/29-Pam McNeely

Pam McNeely - CRN Media Critic

Pam has a unique opinion on TV/Radio/Movies and offers a fresh perspective as the CRN Media Critic at Large. What's Hot and What's Not as well as the inside scoop on the entertainment industry. Pam dishes praise and criticism alike on your favorite shows and actors while telling you why they will be a success or failure.

12/28-PM Show with Mike Horn

Todays hottest topics, news and entertainment. Hosted by Mike Horn and friends. Live Across America with the stories and people that are in the news. CRN 1 MON - WED & FRI 4:00pm-5:00pm PT


Paul Stern and Eric Joseph guest host today.

12/27-Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson-Meteorologist-in-Charge, National Weather Service's LA Forecast Office

“A meteorologist-in-charge is the front line officer carrying out the National Weather Service’s mission of serving the American public by helping protect lives and property,” said retired Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.

Jackson’s meteorology career began in 1987 at the NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., where he was involved in multiple operational forecast research projects. He started his National Weather Service career in June 1995 as a science and operations officer at the Brownsville, Texas, Weather Forecast Office and moved to Honolulu in October 1998, where he served as regional scientist for the NWS Pacific Region Headquarters. There he managed the region’s Warning Coordination Meteorologist program, served as the regional aviation meteorologist, directed the regional marine program, and led regional training and technology transfer efforts. Since September 2001, Jackson had been the science and operations officer for the NWS Weather Forecast Office in Salt Lake City.

Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from the University of
Nebraska in 1984 and a master’s degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma in 1987.

NOAA’s National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA’s National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast systems in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global earth observation network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.