Bounce TV -- the self-proclaimed first ever over-the-air channel created exclusively for African-Americans -- has reached a distribution deal with Raycom Media. The deal is the first of its kind for Bounce TV, which launched earlier this year and will begin broadcasting in 26 different markets this fall.

Bounce TV was founded by Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III (pictured). When the network was announced, they had already acquired rights to over nearly 200 titles with NBCUniversal Domestic Television, 100 titles with Sony Pictures Television, and a multi-year agreement with Urban Sports Entertainment Group, thus allowing them to air football and basketball games in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the largest African-American athletic conference.

"Bounce TV is the right network at the right time for our stations," Raycom president and CEO Paul McTear said in a statement to the press. Bounce TV distribution chief Jeffrey Wolf said, "Landing our first station group is significant, but to explode out of the gate with Raycom, a leader in providing local television across the country, is tremendous and instantly validates the mission of Bounce TV."

Below, a list of the markets in which Bounce TV will be made available through Raycom Media.

Cleveland/Akron, OH (WOIO/WUAB) Charlotte, NC (WBTV) Cincinnati, OH (WXIX) West Palm Beach, FL (WFLX) Birmingham, AL (WBRC) Memphis (WMC) Louisville, KY (WAVE) Richmond, VA (WUPV) Columbia, SC (WIS) Huntsville, AL (WAFF) Shreveport, LA (KSLA) Jackson, MS (WLBT) Baton Rouge, LA (WAFB) Savannah, GA (WTOC) Charleston, SC (WCSC) Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC (WMBF) Tyler/Lufkin, TX (KLTV) Augusta GA (WFXG) Montgomery, AL (WSFA) Columbus, GA (WTVM) Wilmington, NC (WECT) Biloxi, MS (WLOX) Hattiesburg, MS (WDAM) Dothan, AL (WDFX) Lake Charles, LA (KPLC)

 

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Hobo with a Shotgun
Dir. Jason Eisener

[Rhombus Media/Whizbang Films Inc./Yer Dead Productions; 2011]

by Andrew Eastwick

ABC has released a photo from its remake/reboot/re-whatever of "Charlie's Angels" -- and while there's not a whole lot going on in the picture, at least the three stars look happy together.Here's the pic:The pilot stars (from left) Annie Ilonzeh ("General Hospital," "Percy Jackson and the Olympians"), Rachael Taylor ("Grey's Anatomy") and Minka Kelly ("Friday Night Lights," "The Roommate") as the three Angels, who work for a private-investigation firm in Miami. Robert Wagner is providing the voice of Charlie, and Ramon Rodriguez ("Battle: Los Angeles," "The Wire") plays Bosley."Smallville" creators Miles Millar and Al Gough wrote the pilot and are executive producing it with Drew Barrymore -- who starred in the two "Angels" movies in the early 2000s -- her business partner Nancy Juvonen and Leonard Goldberg, who exec produced the original series. Marcos Siega ("The Vampire Diaries") directed the pilot."Charlie's Angels" is considered a pretty strong bet to make ABC's 2011-12 schedule. We hope...

What a difference ten years makes? On September 11, 2001 America was attacked by Al-Qaeda. In that moment Bin Laden succeeded in initiating a series of events that would eventually kick over the delicate house of cards that was the American Empire. On September 14, 2001 President Bush would stand triumphantly over the rubble of the World Trade Center where he would proceed to beat the drums of war and blow the trumpets of patriotism. A fews later, speaking to the best impulses of Americans as citizen-consumers, Bush told us that to defy the terrorists that we should all go shopping.

Ten years later, President Barack Obama would return to the site of the World Trade Center and bring some closure to the events of that horrific day. Obama put the hit on Osama. The bogeyman was dead. Now we can move forward as a nation. The symbolic politics are powerful here: The President is our national cheerleader, an informal Head of State, and the embodiment of America's hopes and dreams. Thus, the fixation by the Birthers and the New Right in denying America's first Black President the legitimacy of his position as Commander in Chief precisely because the white racial frame cannot accept a person of color as Chief Executive.

The President's return to the hallowed grounds of 9-11 is also pregnant with no small amount of irony in how the politics of race are punctuated by occasional deviations from the script in the Age of Obama. Black folks have always been loyal patriots. We loved a country that did not love us back.

However, our patriotism is also sophisticated and qualified for we are suspicious of power and are keen to the lies (both big and small) that leaders tell--and how American democracy was exclusive of people of color. Moreover, the flag waving drums of war moments that accompany America's call to battle and triumphalism are often moments of violence, where white Americans renew the brotherhood of citizenship by shedding the blood of black and brown folk.

The Zoot Suit Riots, the lynching of African American GI's while still in their uniforms, the Bloody Summer of 1919, and the acts of discrimination both subtle and gross by the Greatest Generation against black and brown folk in the Age of Jim Crow are testimonies to this ugly history. History is not dead. It lingers in our collective consciousness. For a Blues People, history's echoes run deep. By comparison, one of the historical advantages of Whiteness is the ability to be ahistorical--a people without roots, origins or responsibility.

Thus, when black and brown folks hear chants of "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!" we are right to be suspicious and fearful, for those nationalist orgasmic utterances have often accompanied a trip to the lynching tree or a bloodied blow to the head as the imagined fraternity of white men was reinscribed and renewed at our expense. The Birthers, White Populism and the Tea Bag GOP's embrace of real American White Nationalism is one more reminder of this exclusive club's continued existence into the 21st century. But for a moment, Obama's trip to Ground Zero has--for a few days--upset this dynamic.

Here is one from the archives (wow, four years have gone by?). Today, we have quite a few new visitors curious of the kind people at Crooks and Liars, so it always fun to reach back and bring out a classic piece. The following post is on John Horn's shooting of two burglars in Texas a few years back. This essay remains one of my favorite pieces of all time for a variety of reasons.

There is a nice synergy here: the post speaks to the noxious brew of racialized Patriotism and nationalism that is channeled through those old howls of "U.S.A.!"; the coveted shit-huffer award was introduced here; and there is no small dose of ghetto nerdness on display. Good stuff...at least in my opinion.

****

We are a Nation of Liars, Crooks, Fools, Thieves, and Idiots

A few months back, a story circulated regarding a drug called, "jenkem." Apparently, this "new" drug, a product of Africa of course--where those poor natives do nothing but fight famine, suffer under genocide, live in failed States, and huff shit--consists of human feces and urine in a bong. Here, the "user" would take a "hit" by inhaling the noxious fumes generated by this ungodly concoction:

One of the unique benefits of holding the APS April Meeting in Anaheim, California, is that the city is just down the road from LA. A tertiary, confidential, semi-reliant “informant” specifically told me that he/she estimated that the likes of Tom Cruise, Samuel L. Jackson and Madonna had all expressed a grand desire to attend the conference, but unfortunately their schedules did not permit them to do so. However, despite their absences, the close proximity to Tinsletown did provide the impetus for a very clever set of sessions about the physics of Hollywood and an appearance by a few other celebrities.

Pau Gasol is sad...
...AND BRIAN CARDINAL LIKES IT!
The Los Angeles Lakers: I'll admit it. I wrote off the Mavericks before this series even started. Lots of people did. Including, it seems, the Lakers.

But here we are. Not on Planet Earth. I'll tell you that much. It's Bizarro World. The Nuggets are better off without Carmelo Anthony. Danny Ainge willingly busted up a potential championship contender midseason. The Bulls have the best record in the league but look like poop in the playoffs. The Pacers became tough guys. Zach Randolph became superclutch. The Grizzlies dominated the Spurs before sending them home early. And the Lakers are down 2-0 to the Dallas Mavericks.

Despite having homecourt advantage.

Said Dirk Nowitzki: "If you would have told me before that we were going to win both games, it would have been hard to believe."

No kidding.

The situation is both shocking and...not all that shocking. L.A. has been turning it on and off all season. On some nights, Kobe looks like Kobe. Other nights, it appears he's lost half a step. When the season started, Pau Gasol was playing like an MVP candidate. After a month and a half of 40+ minutes per game, he looked like The Old Guy in a pickup league, exhausted and barely getting by on experience and instinct. The bench started off so hot Kevin McHale started calling them "The Killer Bees" but their production dropped off dramatically.

And Ron Artest still looks absolutely lost in Phil Jackson's Triangle.

No, the problems didn't start today, and Andrew Bynum knows it.

Said Bynum: "It's deeply rooted at this point. It's obvious that we have trust issues, individually. All 13 of our guys have trust issues right now. I think it's quite obvious to anyone watching the game -- hesitation on passes, and defensively we're not being a good teammate because he wasn't there for you before -- little things. And unless we come out and discuss them, nothing is going to change."

Countered Kobe: "I think the trust that he's referring to is being able to help each other on the defensive end of the floor. You saw a lot of layups. He gets frustrated when he supports a guard coming off the screen-and-roll and nobody supports him."

The Lakers can talk about defense all they want, but it's not like the Mavericks were setting the world on fire. They went 12-for-21 at the rim, which is good, but not great. Nowitzki was fantastic (24 points, 9-for-16, 2-for-3 from downtown), but Jasons Kidd and Terry combined to shoot 6-for-22. And Peja Stojakovic was flashing back to 2002 with his 2-for-9 (and 0-for-5 on threes) night.

As a team, Dallas shot 42 percent, went 8-for-25 from beyond the arc and got outrebounded 44-39.

L.A.'s defense did a credible job. Their offense, on the other hand, did not. Talk about way off: The Lakers converted only 41 percent of their field goals, shot 2-for-20 on threes and bricked nine of their 20 free throws. Kobe had one of his classic 9-for-20 nights (including 1-for-5 on treys). Gasol (5-for-12), Artest (4-for-10) and Derek Fisher (2-for-7) couldn't have located the basket with a police dog. The bench went 6-for-23, and that was despite Shannon Brown's 3-for-4 performance.

If it wasn't for Bynum's 8-for-11 shooting and 7 offensive rebound, the Lakers might have lost by 20.

You know what it was? The Mavericks were the aggressors. They had no fear. They attacked the Lakers on offense and defense. They never got rattled. Never backed down. They displayed a toughness nobody outside of Dallas believed they had.

Now ESPN's J.A. Adande says the three-peat ain't happening:

The Lakers are done. I say this despite their championship pedigree, their coach's ability to guide teams through apparent calamity and a direct warning from a certain 6-foot-6 guard.

"Be careful what you write," Kobe Bryant said, knowing full well that I and the rest of the media pack walking through the Staples Center corridor were about to type the Lakers' death notice as soon as we returned to the Chick Hearn Press Room.

"Be careful what you write," Bryant repeated. He added an admonition for my ESPN.com colleague. "You too, Stein."

I told Bryant that the Lakers don't have the energy.

"True," he said.

And if you don't have energy, then the schemes or the intent or the pride don't matter.

"True," he said.

There's no way he was leaving it at that. I tried to draw more out of him.

"But?"

"But," he replied with a smile. "But. Dot-dot-dot. "

Kobe's defiant. You expected that. But are any of the other Lakers feeling it?

Said Jackson: "It looked like Dallas had more energy out there on the floor than we did. That's a concern. ... We really got dispirited."

Now the Lakers have to be feeling the dreaded "D" word.

Said Kobe: "Desperate? That's a strong word. I think when you play desperate, you don't play your best basketball. What we need to do is relax, focus on what we're doing wrong and the mistakes that we're making, and we have plenty to review and lock in on that."

If you say so, Mamba.

Said Bynum: "If we go to the root of what's really hurting us and not candy-coat things and not talk around issues, then we'll be fine. If not, then we won't. I think we've addressed them before, but now is the time to really sit down and ask yourself the tough questions."

Good luck with that, Andy.

Stephanie G: "The ship be sinking."
Ron Artest: L.A.'s "defensive stopper" was dispatched on Dirk Nowitzki. And it didn't matter. Dirk still got whatever he wanted. What did you expect? That Artest could really guard a seven-footer? Really?

Still, that's not why Ron is getting a WotN. No, it's because your 2011 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award winner did this:


As Basketbawful reader Peter asked: "Tru Warrior or Ultimate Warrior?"

Now that's the Crazy Pills we've been waiting to see. Artest was ejected and will likely be suspended for Game 3. Although, the way he's been playing, that might actually be good news for the Lakers.

Shawn Marion: Rewatch that Artest video and notice how Marion reacts to his teammate getting clotheslined across the face.

Bonus video: Basetbawful reader Cetti writes: "I do not have words for that." And by "that," Cetti is talking about this:


The Atlanta Hawks: Spider-Man's balls! The Dirty Birds really laid an offensive egg last night. I could eat Vinny Del Negro's offensive playbook and crap out a better game plan than Atlanta had last night. You know it's bad when, during those Mic'd up segments, the coach is bitching out his team for taking stupid shots.

And he wasn't wrong.

The Bulls held the Hawks to 73 points on 33.8 percent shooting and forced them to miss 10 of their 13 three-point attempts. Atlanta finished with a miserable Effective Field Goal Percentage of 35.7 and an Offensive Efficiency of only 81.1. As in points per 100 possessions.

The Hawks missed 11 of their 23 field goal attempts at the rim and went a gag-reflex-testing 6-for-30 from 16-23 feet. They were as cold last night as they were hot in Game 1. Dr. Jekyll, meet Mr. Hyde.

Chicago's D did a number on Josh Smith (4-for-14), Al Horford (3-for-12 and zero free throw attempts), Jamal Crawford (2-for-10) and Marvin Williams (2-for-9). Moreover, the Bulls contained Joe Johnson, who finished with 16 points on 7-for-15 shooting and made only one trip to the foul line. And, outside of Crawford, the Atlanta bench managed only 2 points.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Atlanta had the lowest FGP of a Bulls playoff opponent since the Michael Jordan era...and the third-lowest since 1995-96.

Seriously, the Hawks couldn't have located the basket even if they'd had help from the CIA agents who tracked down Osama Bin Laden.

The Bulls also outrebounded the Hawks 58-39 and had an 18-10 advantage in second-chance points.

The only reason the Bulls didn't win this one by 30 is because their offense was almost as dreadful as Atlanta's. Derrick Rose had a case of the MVP yips: 10-for-27 from the field, 1-for-8 from downtown and 8 turnovers. Carlos Boozer kept shooting directly into the hands of Smith. Kyle Korver (1-for-9) led a Chicago bench attack that produced a combined 5-for-20 brick-a-palooza.

Noah was the hero of the night, scoring 19 points (6-for-8 from the field and 7-for-8 at the line) to go with 14 rebounds, including 7 big-time offensive boards. Jo also had three steals and countless hustle plays. There was no question he felt a sense of urgency. Still...Noah twice gave up three-point plays by swiping at an Atlanta player who was about to make an easy layup. The second time Noah did that -- fouling Smith with 4:56 remaining -- allowed the Hawks to pull to within six points (75-69).

That was the kind of night it was. It seemed that for every two positive players, somebody on the team made a negative one. Yes, the Bulls won by double-digits. No, it did not feel like a commanding victory even though it probably should have been.

The Bulls need to get their offensive act together. Pronto.

Carlos Boozer: Last night, Boozer went 3-for-8 at the rim, 0-for-1 from 3-9 feet, 0-for-1 from 10-15 feet and 1-for-2 from 16-23 feet. Four of his shots were blocked. Felt like twice that many.

And Booz got booed by the home crowd. Noah wants them to stop.

Said Noah: "Sometimes our home crowd is a tough game to play. We've got a lot of love for our crowd, but through tough times, we got to stick together. I've been in that position before, my rookie year, where I've been booed. It's tough to be booed in your home crowd. With Carlos, people have to understand he's playing through an injury, and he's giving us what he's got. He's somebody who has an unbelievable presence, and he opens up a lot of things for a lot of us. I think sometimes people are quick to bash one player. But this is a team, and we know we need Carlos to get to where we want to go."

Added Ronnie Brewer: "If you know how turf toe is, if you have any injury [like that], anything he can go out and give us is a plus. I think he did a phenomenal job on both ends of the floor."

Further added Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau: "Carlos is giving us everything he has. The rebounding is huge. His offense will come around."

The Bulls better hope so.

Said Boozer: "Obviously I want to make the shots that I missed, or the ones that got blocked. But for the most part, I'm just going to keep playing."

That's all he can do, really.

I just hope he doesn't keep playing the way he has been.

Chris' Playoff Lacktion Report:

Jason Collins fouled once in 3:16 for a +1 and a 1:0 Madsen-level Voskuhl...

...while fellow dirty birds Josh Powell, Hilton Armstrong, and Pape Sy went 55 seconds as MARIO TRIPLETS! (Armstrong checked a board in and avoided true lacktivity).

In 15 fewer seconds, steakhouse master Omer Asik matched Collins's not-so-big-man numbers to a tee.

El proyecto llevará a la gran pantalla la gira que Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Dianna Agron y el resto del reparto están ya representando en distintos escenarios. La película estará producida por Studio 20th Century Fox TV y se proyectará durante dos semanas desde el 12 de agosto en Estados Unidos. En el resto del mundo las fechas no están aún decididas.

Se espera que siga los pasos de otras películas musicales como `This is it!' sobre Michael Jackson o el documental `Never Say Never' de Justin Bieber.

Kevin Tancharoen, director de la versión de 2010 del musical `Fama' está a cargo del proyecto, en el que también aparecerán secuencias del backstage.

La gira, con 14 miembros del reparto original, se encuentra actualmente en Estados Unidos antes de visitar Europa a finales del próximo junio.

`Glee' ha generado enormes ganancias para Fox, ya que además sus estrellas han grabado álbumes y han realizado más actuaciones además del conocido show. Ahora la serie va por su segunda temporada y Matthew Morrison (que encarna al profesor Will Schuester) confirmó recientemente que un personaje morirá al final de la serie. Así contó: "Alguien está muriendo. Obviamente no voy a decir quien, pero no es nadie que te puedas esperar. El penúltimo capítulo se llama `El funeral'. De hecho ayer estuvimos rodando todo el día en una funeraria. Fue un día agotador".

... CHATTANOOGA; MADISON; HUNTSVILLE, AL; JACKSON, MS; and SHREVEPORT, LA.   Find the results in the in the ALLACCESS.COM ARBITRON section after 2p (PT) TODAY.  PPM … more

Los Dallas Mavericks dejaron en coma al vigente campeón de la NBA, Los Ángeles Lakers, cuya noche aciaga en el tiro (2/20 en triples) y su absoluta incapacidad para reaccionar cuando más lo necesitaban pusieron la serie muy a favor del equipo de Rick Carlisle, victoriosos anoche por 81-93.

Como ocurriera el pasado lunes, Dirk Nowitzki se convirtió en el gran ejecutor de los tejanos con 24 puntos y siete rebotes, ayudado por Shawn Marion, con 14 tantos y nueve rebotes.

Por parte de los Lakers destacó Kobe Bryant, con 23 puntos, mientras que Pau Gasol evidenció su irregular momento de juego, con 13 puntos (5/12 en tiro) y 10 rebotes.El primer cuarto fue de más a menos. De la perfecta distribución de balón en el ataque de los Lakers y el inicio igualmente inspirado de Dallas, que contó con la inesperada ayuda de DeShawn Stevenson con dos triples -no anotó en el primer duelo-, se pasó a la anarquía y las imprecisiones de los locales y el protagonismo de Nowitzki por parte de los Mavs.La contundencia de Tyson Chandler, autor de dos potentes alley-oops, y la entrada en cancha de Lamar Odom, que dio algo de alegría a los californianos, fueron las notas positivas de unos minutos en los que finalmente los angelinos decidieron volcar el ataque en sus torres (muy activo Bynum) mientras el alemán mantenía por encima a los suyos (20-28 al comienzo del segundo cuarto).La defensa de los de Carlisle, por momentos impenetrable y siempre sólida y ágil en las ayudas, impedía cualquier conato de fluidez en el tosco y deslavazado ataque local, que a pesar de los buenos minutos de Shannon Brown y Lamar Odom, no lograba la regularidad necesaria para igualar las constantes acometidas del germano.En esas apareció Bryant para liderar una reacción (40-37) que se produjo a ambos lados de la cancha. La defensa subió varios enteros y un parcial de 10-0 devolvió la confianza a los angelinos, aunque Nowitzki, aprovechando el marcaje de Ron Artest, a quien supera en varios centímetros, dejó las cosas a favor de Dallas al descanso (49-51) con suspensiones marca de la casa.Arrancó la segunda mitad con muchas dudas alrededor de Gasol, inadvertido hasta entonces y en el punto de mira del público tras dos fallos consecutivos. Esa presión pudo con el español, que además debía hacer frente al torrente ofensivo dispensado por Nowitzki.El duelo, convertido en un mano a mano entre Bryant y el alemán, dio un giro importante justo en los últimos compases del tercer periodo (60-68), con Dallas rindiendo a tope (excelentes Marion y Jason Kidd) y los Lakers sumidos en la mediocridad.La renta siguió en aumento para los Mavericks tras un triple de Jason Terry y dos tiros libres de José Barea (65-75). Los Lakers se asomaban al precipicio con todas las de la ley, y ni siquiera el regreso a cancha de Bryant con 8:15 por jugar dio otro aire al partido, roto por la velocidad de Barea y la absoluta dejadez en defensa de los californianos.El puertorriqueño y Kidd colocaron el último clavo en el ataúd de los Lakers (69-82) con más de cuatro minutos por jugar, momento en el que el Staples Center dedicó un sonoro abucheo a los suyos. Lejos de reaccionar, los angelinos dejaron que Nowitzki hurgara aún más en la herida con un dos más uno sobre Gasol.Bryant, en la recta final, anotó el primer triple de los Lakers cuando todo estaba ya más que decidido y tras una serie de 0/15 en lanzamientos exteriores. Dallas se llevaba así un botín de oro y Phil Jackson asistía impertérrito al despropósito de su plantilla.El campeón de la NBA está contra las cuerdas.Ficha técnica:81 - Los Ángeles Lakers (20+29+13+19): Fisher (4), Bryant (23), Artest (11), Gasol (13), Bynum (18) -cinco inicial-, Odom (6), Brown (6), Barnes (-) y Blake (-).93 - Dallas Mavericks (26+25+17+25): Kidd (10), Stevenson (9), Marion (14), Nowitzki (24), Chandler (6) -cinco inicial-, Stojakovic (4), Terry (9), Haywood (5), Barea (12) Árbitros: McCutchen, Salvatore y Spooner. Sin eliminados.Incidencias: Segundo partido de la semifinal del Oeste, disputado en el Staples Center, de Los Ángeles, ante 18.997 espectadores. Lleno.

Fla. man arrested after port security breach MiamiHerald.com Investigators are trying to determine why a 20-year-old Florida man used a stolen car to breach security at Port Everglades near Fort Lauderdale. Sheriff Al Lamberti says Jackson Tiger Richardson drove through a security arm Wednesday to enter the port ... and more »

The deadline for announcing a withdrawal from the NBA Draft is coming up within the next few days, and in that time, we will learn the final decision from (former?) Boston College star Reggie Jackson. I’ve heard reports that Jackson will stay in the draft and I’ve also heard that things aren’t going optimally, so he might return to Boston College. I don’t pretend to know what’s true and what isn’t; we’ll learn in a few days. What this article will assess is the difference between HAVING Reggie Jackson in 2011-2012 and NOT HAVING Reggie Jackson next season. First, let’s look at the Eagles’ roster without him, assuming no late recruits or walk-ons: (SR) Peter Rehnquist (JR) Matt Humphrey (SO) Danny Rubin (SO) Gabe Moton (FR) Ryan Anderson (FR) Lonnie Jackson (FR) Kyle Caudill (FR) Dennis Clifford (FR) Eddie Odio (FR) Jordan Daniels This is the Eagles’ team as presently constituted. As you can see, the breakdown by class is as follows: Seniors: 10% Juniors: 10% [Upperclassmen: 20%] Sophomores: 20% Freshmen: 60% [Underclassmen: 80%] So yeah, we’re going to be heavy on freshmen, and as I’ve said in previous articles, I feel that some of these new guys are going to become solid players. It’s a big stretch, however, to assume they’ll be at the level of passable ACC players by next season. This roster above indicates a total reboot of Boston College basketball. With the exception of walk-on Peter Rehnquist, a holdover from Al Skinner’s final season at Boston College, every last name on this list of players is a Donahue guy. It’s odd to see a college coach in only his second year with “his players” making up almost the entire roster, but that’s our situation without Reggie Jackson. Now, the question remains: how good will they be? Not very, I’ll tell you that much. I don’t think we’re heading for 15 losses in the conference’s regular season like Wake Forest, but I do think this bunch will lose more than 10 ACC contests. We will not sniff the NCAA Tournament next season, and if Boston College miraculously comes even within a whisper of bubble contention, Steve Donahue should be the ACC Coach of the Year. Without seeing the complete schedule, it’s difficult to put hard estimates on win totals, but sub-.500 overall, probably near 20 losses, and perhaps a broad range of 2 to 5 ACC wins. How about the Eagles’ composition with Reggie? (SR) Reggie Jackson (SR) Peter Rehnquist (JR) Matt Humphrey (SO) Danny Rubin (SO) Gabe Moton (FR) Ryan Anderson (FR) Lonnie Jackson (FR) Kyle Caudill (FR) Dennis Clifford (FR) Eddie Odio (FR) Jordan Daniels Seniors: 18% Juniors: 9% [Upperclassmen: 27%] Sophomores: 18% Freshmen: 55% [Underclassmen: 73%] Looking at the roster like this, you can see that there isn’t going to be a major shift if Reggie Jackson returns. The roster will still be over half freshmen, with the only difference being a talented anchor at the top of the team. When thinking about this, I was wondering if we had any recent Boston College basketball teams which resembled the one in this example. The closest one we have, and admittedly it isn’t perfect, is the 2007-2008 season. In it, Tyrese Rice (then a junior) was by far the best player we had after Jared Dudley and Sean Marshall left. Biko Paris, Corey Raji, Josh Southern, and Rakim Sanders were all freshmen, while Joe Trapani was sitting out the season. The two seniors were John Oates and Tyrelle Blair, neither of whom was the player Tyrese Rice is. That team had its big-name player in Tyrese, and this one would have Reggie Jackson. ’07-’08, my senior year at BC, gave us a season that was essentially the star player (Rice) and his underclassmen ensemble. The results left much to be desired, as they finished sub-.500 overall and were a dismal 4-12 in the ACC. What’s somewhat scary is that the 2007-2008 Eagles weren’t as freshman-heavy as this team. They too had two seniors and one junior, but with four sophomores (not including Trapani) and five freshmen. It might not be unrealistic to think, based upon some of the parallels we’ve seen, that the upcoming BC team (with Reggie Jackson) would experience similar results to the 2007-2008 team. The bottom line, I believe, is this: having Reggie Jackson on the ’11-’12 Eagles wouldn’t hurt, and it would give fans one last season to enjoy his play. He would doubtlessly be a good leader by example for our young players, and I’d be pleased to see that happen. When it comes to what happens on the court, however, him returning will only tweak BC’s downward trajectory, not reverse it. Reggie may be able to will the Eagles to a few more wins, but he is not the difference between Boston College being saved and going down the tubes. It’s sad when I can say that about such a good player as him, but the amount of turnover is too great for one guy to turn it all around. This BC team still finishes sub-.500 overall, but is closer to even than the sans-Reggie club, and likewise probably won’t avoid 10 ACC losses unless our freshmen surprise us. No matter what happens with Reggie’s decision, we’re going to have to watch a lot of freshmen growing into their new roles. Based on what I’ve just shared, yeah, the present for Boston College men’s basketball is bleak. Fear not, however, because I think that with or without Reggie Jackson, the future is bright. This article was originally published at http://bcsoaring.com/. If you are interested in sharing your website's content with SCACCHoops.com, Contact Us.

Dick Tracy, Iron Man, Captain Kirk, Superman and the Incredibles will all be represented at the upcoming Hero Complex Film Festival. Presented by the Los Angeles Times Hero Complex, it'll not only feature screenings but in depth Q&A's with several important and influential filmmakers. The event runs from June 9-12 at the Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood CA and kicks off with a screening of Dick Tracy followed by Q&A with Warren Beatty. Day two starts with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn featuring writer/director Nicholas Meyer in person, followed by the 2009 Star Trek with special guests, and Star Trek 2 screenwriters, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof. Day three features Richard Donner discussing Superman and Superman II, with a special appearance by Geoff Johns and on the last day animator Dave Mullins presents The Incredibles and then Jon Favreau will be on hand to screen and discuss Iron Man and Iron Man 2. After the break, find out how you can get tickets and more. All the Q&A's will be moderated by Geoff Boucher, fellow fanboy and founder of the Hero Complex [1]. Tickets for the double features are $45 each and Dick Tracy is $29.75. The Incredibles is free. Also, for a limited time, there are full festival passes available at the bargain bin price of $125, granting you access to all of the events. That's obviously the best way to do it because even though for each event you get two movies and an awesome Q&A, the prices are mighty, er, pricey. You can buy all the tickets here [2]. If you don't live in Los Angeles, keep it locked here to /Film as we'll be attending the event and reporting back on all the fun and interesting stories, news pieces and more. Here's the full schedule: HERO COMPLEX FILM FESTIVAL Official Event Schedule Thursday, June 9 Dick Tracy (1990) Runtime: 101 min Stars: Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Madonna, Glenne Headly Special Guest: Warren Beatty (producer, director and star) *** Friday, June 10 Double Feature Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Runtime: 113 min Stars: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban Special Guest: Nicholas Meyer (writer/director) Star Trek (2009) Runtime: 127 min Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana Special Guests: Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (writers), Damon Lindelof (producer) *** Saturday, June 11 Double Feature Superman (1978) Runtime: 143 min Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006) Runtime: 115 min Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp Special Guest: Richard Donner (director) Special guest appearance by Geoff Johns (Chief Creative Officer, DC Entertainment), who will discuss working with Richard Donner and the big-screen future of the DC Universe. *** Sunday, June 12 Two Events Free Matinee Screening* The Incredibles (2004) Runtime: 115 min Featuring the voices of: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson Special Guest: Dave Mullins (supervising animator), followed by a special preview of footage from Disney-Pixar’s Cars 2. DOUBLE FEATURE Iron Man (2008) Runtime: 126 min Stars: Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard Iron Man 2 (2010) Runtime: 124 min Stars: Robert Downey, Jr., Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow Special Guest: Jon Favreau (director/producer) * Admission for free matinee screening is included for all Festival Pass holders.  Remaining seats must be reserved via a separate RSVP list, with admission on a first-come, first-served basis. [1] http://herocomplex.latimes.com [2] http://herocomplexfilmfest2011.eventbrite.com/

Top five will tackle two themes on tonight's performance show, the 1960s and the enigmatic 'now.'
By Eric Ditzian

James Durbin
Photo: Michael Becker/ Fox

This week, "American Idol" thrusts us into a temporal and philosophical conundrum as we try to suss out what exactly producers mean by "now." For that of-the-moment adverb is one-half of Wednesday's (May 4) musical theme, which will have the final five contestants singing two songs each. The other half is straightforward, if unimaginative, enough: the 1960s. But "now"?

Are we talking about tunes currently on the radio or the Billboard Hot 100? Songs penned this year or this decade or this millennium? Or, like the nature of the space-time continuum itself, is there something ultimately unknowable and thus, up to individual interpretation, about just what "now" truly means?

Ugh, our heads are starting to hurt! Let us turn our attention instead to Casey Abrams, who exited the "Idol" stage in a tornado of growls and grunts and promises to "do everything I can to get myself out there and bring jazz back." We've been hard on Casey in recent weeks. Perhaps more so than we should have been, if only because we so often beg contestants to give us something fresh and unexpected, and then dismiss them when they do. Take one look at a YouTube video he uploaded last year — in which he not only sings but plays guitar, bass, drums, piano and clarinet — and you'll know the kid is a true musical talent, as well as a loveable goofball. Dude, we wish you well, now and forever (whatever that means in the "Idol" universe these days).

So, too, are we wishing for the top five to build on last week's generally impressive performances and pop off another standout show. Here's where the singers stand at this point and what each one will have to deliver on Wednesday.

Lauren Alaina
"Idol" producers made a puzzling decision last week, declining to identify a bottom three or even a bottom two and instead announcing the elimination in random order. Any thoughts on that one, reality-show conspiracy theorists? The problem — and, perhaps, the intention — was that the elimination process didn't leave us with a clear sense of who's up and who's down with the likes of Casey, Stefano Langone and Paul McDonald out of the contest. Lauren has thus far avoided bottom-three territory, but there's no doubt she's been struggling to find her form over the last month. She seems confused up on stage and dejected off of it. There's no reason to doubt her dedicated fanbase yet, but Lauren is in dire need of a breakout performance. We think she needs to bust out a hit contemporary tune — Taylor Swift, anyone? — and a slow '60s number that allows her a bit of sultry swagger reminiscent of her early season-10 performances.

James Durbin
While Lauren needs to bounce back, James needs to build on his stellar take on "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and solidify his status, according to Randy Jackson, as a singer who can take home the "Idol" crown. We're as surprised as anyone that it's come to this, but he's gotten better and smarter as the season has gone on. He's a true contender. With the opportunity to sing two songs, we expect James to go righteous and heavy metal with his "now" tune and somber and sensitive with his '60s one. We know which one we'll prefer, but voters seem to dig anything the 22-year-old has to offer.

Jacob Lusk
Of all the remaining contestants, Jacob was done the biggest favor by the random elimination. And that's coming off of a pre-performance package in which Jimmy Iovine did his best to encourage voters to send Jacob home. His cheesy take on "Oh No Not My Baby" didn't help matters much. We'd say nothing short of a miracle can save Jacob this week, but miraculous voting results are an "Idol" institution. Regardless, Jacob should confine to history's dustbin the advice he's been given recently to let loose and go wild; instead he should remember how well vocal restraint has served him and latch onto a velvety '60s soul or gospel track from somebody like Sam Cooke, Al Green or Otis Redding. A fine new tune with an uplifting message to explore would be John Legend's take on "Wake Up Everybody."

Scotty McCreery
The random elimination might have made for good TV, but it was deeply unfair to Scotty. The country kid has never fallen into the bottom three, and yet he had to suffer up onstage next to Casey as America waited in disbelief, wondering if Scotty might actually be going home. He didn't, and he won't for a long time — not with the singer finally injecting some emotional heft into his radio-hit-ready country renditions. "Now," we think, gives Scotty a chance to bite into something from Rascal Flatts or Zac Brown Band, which would be a refreshing change (though musical evolution has never been high on his list of "Idol" priorities). And a little '60s era Johnny Cash could be a good, change-it-up-a-bit fit.

Haley Reinhart
Conventional wisdom would seem to suggest that, before she even steps out onto the stage, Haley's in deep trouble this week. Her fanbase is suspect and the judges have never embraced her, for whatever unjust reason, the way they have Lauren. What Haley needs to have on Wednesday, more so than ever, is one of those much-hyped "moments" — a performance that lets voters know she's not some unlikely hanger-on but a singer deserving of fervent support. She's got the potential — the bluesy, old-soul promise — and now's the time for her to convert ability into reality. We hear her favorite tune is Etta James' "At Last," so that emotion-heavy ballad seems a likely (and savvy) choice. For her contemporary tune, she should choose something highly recognizable and give it a stripped-down, bluesy makeover. She's already tackled an Adele song. Would it be crazy to take a bite out of Katy Perry? Well, crazy might just be the fuel Haley needs to propel her forward.

Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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With most of our thoughts on the 2011 NFL draft still fairly fresh in our minds, the time seems right for my annual "Coolest Names in the Draft" column — "A" through "Z."

What makes the names cool?

Well, that's for me to decide.

It could be just the names' sound, or the funky way they roll off the tip of my tongue and challenge my somewhat suspect pronunciation skills.

Or it could be their similarities to other names that strike a chord with me, both in and out of the football world.

Don't worry, an explanation will accompany each of my selections, which, if presented in the proper fashion, might just elicit a badly needed smile or two.

The majority of articles pertaining to pro football in the coming days and weeks, I'm afraid, figure to be a great deal more somber — for reasons I don't think I have to explain.

So let's try to have a little fun, shall we?

A: Cardinals fourth-round OLB Sam Acho, Texas (103rd player selected)

Ken Whisenhunt, Acho's new head coach, immediately started having fun with his fourth-round pick's name when he indicated a strong effort was in the works to have Acho wear the number "5" so he could be called "Acho Cinco." Down the road, if Acho works out the way the Cardinals hope, perhaps his plentiful sacks will elicit "Acho! ... Acho! ... Acho, Acho All Day!!! " chants from approving fans on a regular basis. Then again, as my uncle Harry Benjamin used to say: "Aaaachh!!! What the hell are you talking about now, Danny?"  

B: Bucccaneers second-round DE Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson (51)

Talk about a fall from grace! When the offseason started, Bowers' name was at the top of most mock drafts, including Pro Football Weekly's. But serious medical concerns ultimately caused his stock to plummet well into the second round. By the way, don't you think "Da'Quan" is a rather unique first name?

C: Bears first-round OT Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin (29)

With apologies to Raiders fourth-round CB Chimdi Chekwa and Browns fourth-round TE Jordan Cameron — after being selected in the fourth round by Cleveland, the Browns' PR department mistakenly called Saints DE Cameron Jordan for biographical information on Cameron — my vote has to go to Carimi, who just happens to be the first Jewish Bears player since the great Sid Luckman. Don't be shocked if Carimi strikes up a fast friendship with Cubs pitcher and fellow tribe member Justin Berg.

D: Patriots second-round CB Ras-I Dowling, Virginia (33)

Not only is the first name "Ras-I" an interesting mouthful, but Dowling is also a very interesting selection by the Patriots, who many draft observers thought were more likely to trade the first pick in Round Two. Is Dowling another Brandon Meriweather? Hopefully, we'll find out soon enough.

E: Bears fifth-round QB Nathan Enderle, Idaho (160)

With only three players to pick from, Enderle beats out Jets third-round NT Kenrick Ellis and Packers sixth-round OLB Ricky Elmore. The initial reaction to Enderle's selection on Chicago sports-talk radio has been less than positive, as most fans would have apparently preferred that the Bears address a greater need with their fifth-round pick than quarterback.

F: Vikings sixth-round OG-C Brandon Fusco, Slippery Rock (172)

Sorry, Sione Fua (Panthers third-round nose tackle). But "Brandon" is my son's first name, and every year I have to have at least one guy in my "Coolest Draft Name" column that sounds like he could have been a character in "The Sopranos." And it doesn't hurt that the dude attended Slippery Rock, either.

G: Three-way tie between Bengals first-round WR A.J. Green, Georgia (4); Packers RB Alex Green, Hawaii (96); and Broncos TE Virgil Green, Nevada (204)

It just seemed like the right thing to do, acknowledging  the Green Boys —  three of the 11 players in this year's draft with a last name starting with the letter "G." Who knows? A.J. just might make Carson Palmer think twice about his retirement plans. But I did briefly consider Florida International CB Anthony Gaitor (to the Buccaneers in the seventh round), who remains based in Florida.

H: Steelers first-round DE Cameron Heyward, Ohio State (31)

He's the son of former NFL RB Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, who died way before his time of a recurring brain tumor. At this year's Scouting Combine, Ironhead's kid came off as a class act. Like father, like son.

I: Saints first-round RB Mark Ingram, Alabama (28)

Selected three picks before Heyward, Ingram is the son of former NFL WR Mark Ingram Sr., who is currently serving a jail sentence for bank fraud, money laundering and jumping bail. Ingram Jr.'s reaction — live on ESPN — to an email from his father after he was drafted by the Saints was easily the emotional highlight of this year's draft in this football commentator's humble opinion.

J: Falcons seventh-round OG Andrew Jackson, Fresno State (210)

Hmm! Wonder how many "Dead Presidents" will eventually be coming this kid's way? Considering my facial similarities to the late president Ulysses S. Grant having become a trademark among my longtime friends and fellow workers, I simply could not resist this selection.

K: Texans fifth-round SS Shiloh Keo, Idaho (144)

It was a close call between Keo and two more alliterate candidates — Niners second-round QB Colin Kaepernick and Titans fifth-round DT Karl Klug. Not only does Keo have a cool-sounding first name and last name, but I just thought it would be cool to pick two guys out of the University of Idaho (him and Enderle).

L: Chargers first-round DT Corey Liuget (18)

Liuget beats out Illinois teammate Mikel Leshoure, who was drafted in the second round by the Lions, and Seahawks seventh-round DE Lazarius "Pep" Livingston. Why? Because my daughter's first name is "Corey," and she lives in San Diego, and Liuget's name is pronounced like the word "legit," which the Chargers hope he turns out to be.

M: Eagles fourth-round MLB Casey Matthews, Oregon (116)

The lookalike brother of Packers third-year superstar Clay Matthews barely beats out Bengals third-round OLB-DE Dontay Moch, who has a last name that could not be more draft-oriented.

N: Panthers first-round QB Cam Newton, Auburn (1)

Next!!!

O: Texans seventh-round DE Cheta Ozougwu, Rice (254)

Not only is his name one of the draft's testiest tongue twisters, but he also made a name for himself as this year's "Mr. Irrelevant!"

P: Panthers fifth-round WR Kealoha Pilares, Hawaii (132)

Pilares' melodious monicker gets the nod over Dolphins first-round C Mike Pouncey, whose brother, Maurkice, turned out to be a first-round stud for the Steelers in 2010.

Q: Rams first-round DE Robert Quinn, North Carolina (14)

Even if he wasn't the only guy in this year's draft with a last name beginning with the letter "Q," Quinn would have been mighty hard not to pick. Quinn's stock just kept rising in one of the best D-end drafts in decades, despite being suspended by the NCAA his final year at North Carolina for improper association with an agent and a benign brain tumor.  

R: Falcons fifth-round RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State (145)

Put simply, he had me at "Jacquizz." Ravens third-round OT Jah Reid and Vikings sixth-round FS Mistral Raymond were also in the running.

S: Packers sixth-round OG Caleb Schlauderaff, Utah (179)

I could have gone with Jaguars fourth-round WR Cecil Shorts or Patriots fifth-round TE Lee Smith, who has the same name as my all-time favorite Cubs relief pitcher. But when I told PFW editor-in-chief Keith Schleiden my idea for this column, he immediately blurted, "For S, Caleb Schlauderaff." Hey, I know where my bread is buttered. This one's for you, Chief!

T: Ravens sixth-round QB Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech (180)  

You'd think there would have been more names that would have fit this spot to a "T," but that was sadly not the case. After great deliberation, I opted for Taylor, whose last name is also the first name of my brother Hub's daughter. And, in case you didn't notice, Taylor was selected one pick after Schlauderaff.

U: None drafted

V: Raiders third-round CB DeMarcus Van Dyke, Miami (Fla.) (81)

The first name just doesn't seem to go with the last name, which I find a bit odd. But on a team owned by Al Davis, who is undoubtedly one of the oddest birds on the planet, Van Dyke should fit in easily enough. And — at the risk of making it look like I've become increasingly punchy 22 letters into the alphabet — the "Dick Van Dyke Show" ranks right up there with the extremely underrated "Car 54 Where Are You?" as my all-time favorite TV comedy.

W: Raiders second-round C Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State (48)

He's the nephew of former Raiders great and the team's current assistant O-line coach Steve Wisniewski, one of the orneriest cusses to play the game. The younger Wisniewski looks like a perfect fit in "The Black Hole."

X: None drafted

Ahhh, I'm starting to exhale!

Y: Texans fifth-round QB T.J. Yates, North Carolina (152)

Yates beats out the only other player with a last name starting with the letter "Y," Lions second-round WR Titus Young. Why? Let's just say it's to pay homage to the great, late Richard Yates, perhaps our country's most underrated modern-day writer. Sorry, Titus.

Z: Panthers seventh-round OT Lee Ziemba, Auburn (244)

He's the 2011 draft's only player with a last name beginning with the letter "Z." But if he comes anywhere close to performing in the same manner as similar-sounding Packers 2010 undrafted rookie OLB Frank Zombo, Ziemba's name will certainly be worth remembering.

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TWINS LEFTY BLANKS WHITE SOX IN CHICAGO

BY RICK GANO | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO -- Francisco Liriano was running low on energy in the ninth inning. A no-hitter within reach but his pitch count climbing, he relied on teammates to help him complete the best game of his career.

When shortstop Matt Tolbert grabbed Adam Dunn's liner for the final out, completing the Minnesota Twins' 1-0 win over the Chicago White Sox, Liriano was mobbed on the mound.

"To be honest I was running out of gas," he said. "I just thank my teammates that they made some great plays behind me tonight."

Liriano (2-4) walked six and struck out two in his first complete game in 95 major league starts. The 27-year-old left-hander, who reached the big leagues in 2005, matched his career high with 123 pitches.

"I can't explain it. I feel so nervous and so happy right now," Liriano said. "I can't explain my feeling right now."

He survived a rocky ninth inning that began when Brent Morel grounded to shortstop and Matt Tolbert made a one-hop throw that first baseman Justin Morneau scooped. Juan Pierre walked and Alexei Ramirez popped to shortstop.

Liriano fell behind Adam Dunn 3-0 in the count, then got a pair of strikes. After a foul ball, Dunn lined out to Tolbert.

"I thought it was a base hit," Liriano said. "When I saw him catch it I was so excited."

Dunn dropped to 0 for 16 against left-handers this season.

"As soon as I hit it, I saw him, and it was right to him," Dunn said. "That's pretty much the story of the day. There were some balls that, again, they made some great defensive plays."

Liriano, the reigning AL comeback player of the year, was backed by Jason Kubel's fourth-inning homer. He threw just 66 pitches for strikes but kept Chicago off-balance in a game that took just 2 hours, 9 minutes.

In his previous start, he lasted just three innings in an 8-2 loss to Tampa Bay. The shutout lowered his ERA for the season from 9.13 to 6.61.

Liriano, 3-0 against the White Sox last season, walked Pierre leading off the first and Carlos Quentin with one out in the second, but both were erased on double plays. Chicago put two on in the fourth, and center fielder Denard Span raced into left-center to grab Quentin's long drive.

With two outs in the seventh, third baseman Danny Valencia went behind the bag and into foul territory to grab Quentin's hard hopper and then made a strong throw to first.

Minnesota turned its third double play in the eighth, when Morneau took an offline throw from second baseman Alexi Casilla and umpire Paul Emmel called Gordon Beckham out -- replays appeared to show Morneau missed the tag.

Ramirez hit two of the hardest balls off Liriano. He lined out to third in the first and sent a hard liner foul past third in the sixth.

Edwin Jackson (2-4) lost his fourth straight start despite allowing six hits in eight innings. Then with Arizona, Jackson no-hit Tampa Bay last June 26 despite walking eight.

It was the seventh no-hitter for the Twins-Washington Senators franchise and the first since Eric Milton's against the Angels on Sept. 11, 1999. It was the first no-hitter in the major leagues since Philadelphia's Roy Halladay's against Cincinnati in last year's NL division series.

The White Sox were no-hit for the 13th time, the first since they were beaten by Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen on Aug. 26, 1991.

Liriano was acquired in 2003 in the famously lopsided trade that also brought Joe Nathan to Minnesota in exchange for A.J. Pierzynski.

He burst onto the scene in 2006, going 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and dominating overmatched hitters with an untouchable slider. But the violent delivery caused him to develop arm problems toward the end of that season and had elbow-ligament replacement surgery that November.

His road back has been a long and difficult one. He missed all of 2007, then struggled to regain his form over the next two years, leading some to wonder if he ever would make it all the way back after going 5-13 with a 5.80 ERA in 2009.

Notes: The Twins moved Casilla, who had four errors in 21 games at shortstop, to second base. ... Twins DH Jim Thome was a late scratch. Seven players with batting averages under .200 started the game -- four for the Twins and three for the White Sox.

 

Congrats to all the 2011 Tony nominees! On Tuesday, May 3, the American Theatre Wing announced the full slate of 2011 Tony Award nominees. Leading the charge was the musical The Book of Mormon, with 14 nominations. The critically acclaimed The Scottsboro Boys—which closed on Broadway in December, but is currently conducting a “pledge drive” to get the money to re-open—followed with 12 nominations. Also revealed at the ceremony was this year’s recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award, Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago. More Tony coverage, reaction from the nominees and number crunching after the jump.

In addition to The Book of Mormon and The Scottsboro Boys, the nominees for Best Musical include Catch Me If You Can and Sister Act. Best Revival of a Musical is slim pickings this year with only two entries (Anything Goes and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), which earned nine and eight nominations, respectively. But even more surprising is that the Wing’s nominating committee passed over Daniel Radcliffe—star of the musical, and of the Harry Potter film franchise—for a nomination in the Best Performance of a Leading Actor in a Musical category.

Best play nominees were split between the Brits and the Americans. Import productions of Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth (originally at the Royal Court Theatre) and War Horse by Nick Stafford (originally the National Theatre of Great Britain) will go up against Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire and The Motherf**ker with the Hat, by Stephen Adly Guirgis.

On the technical side of things, the Wing has honored a host of different productions, with The Book of Mormon again leading the pack with four nominations (one in each technical category, Best Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Design for a Musical), but it was also paced by Anything Goes. A big surprise in the Scenic Design award was The Scottsboro Boys, whose very simple set (a few chairs) by Beowulf Boritt was nonetheless nominated for Best Scenic Design. Here at Stage Directions we’re also very pleased that Cricket Myers (along with Acme Sound Partners) was nominated for Best Sound Design for a Play for her work on Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. You can here her talking about her design here. (http://www.stage-directions.com/current-issue/61-sound-design/3270-video-of-the-the-cricket-myers-interview.html#bengal)

Shortly after the nominees were announced Playbill and BroadwayWorld.com immediately started calling the nominees for their reactions. You can read Playbill’s coverage here (http://www.playbill.com/news/article/150450-Broadway-Reacts-We-Talk-to-2011-Tony-Award-Nominees), and BroadwayWorld’s here (http://broadwayworld.com/article/2011-Tony-Award-Nominee-Reactions-Updating-LIVE-20110503)

The New York Times has complete coverage of the nominations here (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/live-blogging-the-tony-award-nominations-3/). And while they tackle who got snubbed here (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/the-tony-nominations-who-got-snubbed-2/) Ben Brantley writes that they got it right this year (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/this-time-the-tonys-grow-up-and-get-it-right/).

And over at the Chicago Tribune Chris Jones has the reaction from the Lookingglass Theatre crowd on their win (http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/the_theater_loop/2011/05/lookingglass-theatre-wins-2011-regional-tony-award-chicago.html)

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Nominations for the 2011 American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards®
Presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing

Best Play
Good People
Author: David Lindsay-Abaire
Producers: Manhattan Theatre Club, Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove
Jerusalem
Author: Jez Butterworth
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Royal Court Theatre Productions, Beverly Bartner/Alice Tulchin, Dede Harris/Rupert Gavin, Broadway Across America, Jon B. Platt, 1001 Nights/Stephanie P. McClelland, Carole L. Haber/Richard Willis, Jacki Barlia Florin/Adam Blanshay
The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Author: Stephen Adly Guirgis
Producers: Scott Rudin, Stuart Thompson, Public Theater Productions, Oskar Eustis, Joey Parnes, Labyrinth Theater Company, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O'Donnell, Yul Vázquez, Danny Feldman, Fabula Media Partners LLC, Jean Doumanian, Ruth Hendel, Carl Moellenberg, Jon B. Platt, Tulchin Bartner/Jamie deRoy
War Horse
Author: Nick Stafford
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten, National Theatre of Great Britain, Nicholas Hytner, Nick Starr, Bob Boyett, War Horse LP

Best Musical
The Book of Mormon
Producers: Anne Garefino, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Jean Doumanian, Roy Furman, Important Musicals LLC, Stephanie P. McClelland, Kevin Morris, Jon B. Platt, Sonia Friedman Productions, Stuart Thompson
Catch Me If You Can
Producers: Margo Lion, Hal Luftig, Stacey Mindich, Yasuhiro Kawana, Scott & Brian Zeilinger, The Rialto Group, The Araca Group, Michael Watt, Barbara & Buddy Freitag, Jay & Cindy Gutterman/Pittsburgh CLO, Elizabeth Williams, Johnny Roscoe Productions/Van Dean, Fakston Productions/Solshay Productions, Patty Baker/Richard Winkler, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Warren Trepp, Remmel T. Dickinson, Paula Herold/Kate Lear, Stephanie P. McClelland, Jamie deRoy, Barry Feirstein, Rainerio J. Reyes, Rodney Rigby, Loraine Boyle, Amuse Inc., Joseph & Matthew Deitch/Cathy Chernoff, Joan Stein/Jon Murray, The 5th Avenue Theatre
The Scottsboro Boys
Producers: Barry and Fran Weissler, Jacki Barlia Florin, Janet Pailet/Sharon A. Carr/Patricia R. Klausner, Nederlander Presentations, Inc./The Shubert Organization, Beechwood Entertainment, Broadway Across America, Mark Zimmerman, Adam Blanshay/R2D2 Productions, Rick Danzansky/Barry Tatelman, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Allen Spivak/Jerry Frankel, Bard Theatricals/Probo Productions/Randy Donaldson, Catherine Schreiber/Michael Palitz/Patti Laskawy, Vineyard Theatre
Sister Act
Producers: Whoopi Goldberg & Stage Entertainment, The Shubert Organization and Disney Theatrical Productions

Best Book of a Musical
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
Alex Timbers
The Book of Mormon
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
The Scottsboro Boys
David Thompson
Sister Act
Cheri Steinkellner, Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane

Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
The Book of Mormon
Music & Lyrics: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone
The Scottsboro Boys
Music & Lyrics: John Kander and Fred Ebb
Sister Act
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Glenn Slater
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek

Best Revival of a Play
Arcadia
Producers: Sonia Friedman Productions, Roger Berlind, Stephanie P. McClelland, Scott M. Delman, Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Disney Theatrical Group, Robert G. Bartner, Olympus Theatricals, Douglas Smith, Janine Safer Whitney
The Importance of Being Earnest
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy
The Merchant of Venice
Producers: The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis, Andrew D. Hamingson, Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Debbie Bisno & Eva Price, Amy Nederlander, Jonathan First, Stewart F. Lane & Bonnie Comley, Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Merritt Forrest Baer, The Araca Group, Broadway Across America, Joseph & Matthew Deitch, JK Productions, Terry Allen Kramer, Cathy Chernoff/Jay & Cindy Gutterman, Mallory Factor/Cheryl Lachowicz, Joey Parnes, The Shubert Organization
The Normal Heart
Producers: Daryl Roth, Paul Boskind, Martian Entertainment, Gregory Rae, Jayne Baron Sherman/Alexander Fraser

Best Revival of a Musical
Anything Goes
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Harold Wolpert, Julia C. Levy
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Producers: Broadway Across America, Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Joseph Smith, Michael McCabe, Candy Spelling, Takonkiet Viravan/Scenario Thailand, Hilary A. Williams, Jen Namoff/Fakston Productions, Two Left Feet Productions/Power Arts, Hop Theatricals, LLC/Paul Chau/Daniel Frishwasser/Michael Jackowitz, Michael Speyer-Bernie Abrams/Jacki Barlia Florin-Adam Blanshay/Arlene Scanlan/TBS Service

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Frances McDormand, Good People
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It's You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play
Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play
Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical
Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Best Scenic Design of a Play
Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Rae Smith, War Horse
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice

Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson

Best Costume Design of a Play
Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born Yesterday

Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Best Lighting Design of a Play
Paule Constable, War Horse
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Jerusalem

Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon

Best Sound Design of a Play
Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
Christopher Shutt, War Horse

Best Sound Design of a Musical
Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon

Best Direction of a Play
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice

Best Direction of a Musical
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Choreography
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

Best Orchestrations
Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can

*     *     *

Recipients of Awards and Honors in Non-competitive Categories
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Athol Fugard
Philip J. Smith

Regional Theatre Tony Award
Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago, Ill.)

Isabelle Stevenson Award
Eve Ensler

Special Tony Award
Handspring Puppet Company

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
William Berloni
The Drama Book Shop
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts

Tony Nominations by Production
The Book of Mormon - 14
The Scottsboro Boys - 12
Anything Goes - 9
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying - 8
The Merchant of Venice - 7
Jerusalem - 6
The Motherf**ker with the Hat - 6
The Normal Heart - 5
Sister Act - 5
War Horse - 5
Catch Me If You Can - 4
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo - 3
The Importance of Being Earnest - 3
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown - 3
Arcadia - 2
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson - 2
Born Yesterday - 2
Brief Encounter - 2
Good People - 2
La Bête - 2
Priscilla Queen of the Desert - 2
Baby It's You! - 1
Driving Miss Daisy - 1
The House of Blue Leaves - 1
Lombardi - 1
The People in the Picture - 1

For more info on the Tonys, please visit www.TonyAwards.com

 

Every year at least one new musical seems to get dissed by the Tonys. Last season it was The Addams Family. This year it's Wonderland, the new Frank Wildhorn musical that was totally ignored. I haven't seen the show, but I did get to hear one of its stars, the lovely Karen Mason, sing two songs from its score back in February - and I enjoyed them. However, I'm most surprised by the lack of nominations for How to Succeed's Daniel Radcliffe and Catch Me If You Can's Aaron Tveit (whose co-star Norbert Leo Butz appears to have nabbed his Tony spot). Oh well, I predict that both these talented young men will be back on Broadway someday and finally receive a nomination.

Now here are this year's Tony nominations with my predictions in pink (since I haven't seen any of the productions, I'm basing my choices on reviews I've read and gut instinct). And, of course, I will be posting my review after the telecast on Sunday, June 12:

BEST PLAY
Good People
Jerusalem
The Motherf**ker with the Hat
War Horse



BEST MUSICAL
The Book of Mormon
Catch Me If You Can
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister Act



BEST BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
The Book of Mormon
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister Act

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Book of Mormon
The Scottsboro Boys
Sister Act
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown



BEST REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Arcadia
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Merchant of Venice
The Normal Heart



BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
Anything Goes
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying



BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse
Joel Grey & George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Anna D. Shapiro, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Daniel Sullivan, The Merchant of Venice

BEST DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Frances McDormand, Good People
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice
Vanessa Redgrave, Driving Miss Daisy
Hannah Yelland, Brief Encounter



BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me If You Can
Josh Gad, The Book of Mormon
Joshua Henry, The Scottsboro Boys
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon (that's him in the above pic)
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert



BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It's You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture



BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Mackenzie Crook, Jerusalem
Billy Crudup, Arcadia
John Benjamin Hickey, The Normal Heart
Arian Moayed, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Ellen Barkin, The Normal Heart
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Judith Light, Lombardi
Joanna Lumley, La Bête
Elizabeth Rodriguez, The Motherf**ker with the Hat

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Colman Domingo, The Scottsboro Boys
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Forrest McClendon, The Scottsboro Boys
Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon



BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Tammy Blanchard, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown



BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Susan Stroman, The Scottsboro Boys

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Todd Rosenthal, The Motherf**ker with the Hat
Rae Smith, War Horse
Ultz, Jerusalem
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice

BEST SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Beowulf Boritt, The Scottsboro Boys
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Scott Pask, The Book of Mormon
Donyale Werle, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson



BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Jess Goldstein, The Merchant of Venice
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Mark Thompson, La Bête
Catherine Zuber, Born Yesterday

BEST COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Catherine Zuber, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying



BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Paule Constable, War Horse
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Kenneth Posner, The Merchant of Venice
Mimi Jordan Sherin, Jerusalem

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Ken Billington, The Scottsboro Boys
Howell Binkley, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Peter Kaczorowski, Anything Goes
Brian MacDevitt, The Book of Mormon

BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Acme Sound Partners & Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Simon Baker, Brief Encounter
Ian Dickinson for Autograph, Jerusalem
Christopher Shutt, War Horse



BEST SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Peter Hylenski, The Scottsboro Boys
Steve Canyon Kennedy, Catch Me If You Can
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon



BEST ORCHESTRATIONS
Doug Besterman, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Larry Hochman, The Scottsboro Boys
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman & Larry Blank, Catch Me If You Can

SPECIAL TONY AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT IN THE THEATRE
Athol Fugard
Philip J. Smith

REGIONAL THEATRE TONY AWARD
Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company

ISABELLE STEVENSON AWARD
Eve Ensler

SPECIAL TONY AWARD
Handspring Puppet Company

TONY HONORS FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE THEATRE
William Berloni
The Drama Book Shop
Sharon Jensen and Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts

Yes, they're out there.

My first response was, "Will they say 'Motherfucker' on CBS television?"  The play is nominated for six Tony Awards, after all.

Secondary responses...

- Sister Act?  Really? Sister Act gets the fourth Best Musical slot and not Andrew Jackson? Really???

- Speaking of musicals, let us all remind ourselves (and everyone else who asks) that Spider-Man is not eligible this year. Why? Because they never "opened," silly! (Given the competition they're probably better off next year anyway.)

- Best Actor (Play): Will Al Pacino show up?  Only to lose to Mark Rylance? Or to a guy in a dress? Or to probable industry fave, part-time actor Joe Mantello?

- Best Actress (Play): Will this be the official coronation of Nina Arianda? Having just gotten out of her MFA program in 2009, followed by a smash Off B'way debut in 2010, Broadway may just embrace the prospect of newly minted royalty. (Tough contest, though, between her and Frances McDormand--movie star, Oscar-winner, but also Tony-less stage veteran who is starring in a big vehicle of a well-liked play practically written for her.)

- Too bad the two Mormon guys have to go against each other--they're both so excellent. (I give the slight edge to Andrew Rannells for sheer musical theatre power-chops.) So looks like Norbert Leo Butz again...

- Note: no Robin Williams, no Chris Rock nominations. I guess they're not so eager to please stars after all.  I haven't seen Williams yet (and Best Actor is one tight category this year), but Rock was certainly good enough to get a nod as "featured," but maybe he would have been insulted!  And what's Billy Crudup doing there in "Featured"? Isn't Nightingale basically the male lead in Arcadia?

-Speaking of Robin Williams... Not a lotta love here for Bengal Tiger. Just sayin'. Again, haven't seen either this or Normal Heart, but are you telling me Moises Kaufman's work on Bengal is less worthy than the last-minute tag-team job of Joel Grey and George Wolfe on Normal? (As successful as the latter apparently turned out to be...)

-Featured Actress (Play) has both Edie Falco and Ellen Barkin.  Aren't they the same person?

-Only two for Best Musical Revival this year? Were there any others that opened besides Anything Goes & How to Succeed? As for Best Play Revival, one would have thought Merchant of Venice had it all wrapped up, but it now seems so long ago, and Normal Heart has definitely had a late-entry surge.

-Best Play will be interesting. Good People seems to be the safe bet--Solid American Play. Haven't seen it yet myself, but I have seen War Horse which I absolutely loved. However, the script itself is not the best thing about it. Best Play is a funny category because technically it looks like you're voting for the "play" (i.e. the playwright), sometimes a play can win if it's just enjoyed more as an experience. Unlike with musicals, where one show can win all the component parts of book and score and another can win just overall "best show, the voters don't get to divide up plays like that. So if the voters were just swept up in the War Horse experience they may vote for it, even if they appreciated Lindsay-Abaire's writing more.

As for Best Musical, it's Mormon all the way, baby. Consider it the perennial Producers/Spamalot award for Broadway-novice comedians.  The question is: what number will they do for the broadcast? "Fuck you God in the Cunt" won't fly on CBS any better than "Motherfucker with the Hat." 

Then again, some F-Bombs are probably what that the Tony Broadcast needs to stay alive at this point.

See you on June 12!

It’s the biggest event for the theater industry each year, and today the nominations for the Tony Awards were announced.

And leading the pack with a total of 14 nods is “The Book of Mormon,” a fun-poking opus conceptualized by the “South Park” pair, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Osama bin Laden didn't discriminate when it came to the bloody work of terrorism. He was an equal opportunity killer.

And now that he is dead, killed sometime yesterday by a team of Navy SEALS in Pakistan, Americans of all races and religions have taken to the streets and to the blogosphere and airwaves to share in what seems to be a deep and collective exhale. From the gates of the White House in Washington, D.C. to ground zero in New York City, people have come together chanting and waving flags, exhibiting the kind of unity seen last on that terrible day in September almost 10 years earlier.

"Everyone died on 9-11. Blacks, whites, Muslims, Latinos and working class people," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "He didn't care who was in those buildings or on that plane. All Americans shared in that pain and all Americans can share in what we are seeing today."

Read More...

Conrad Murray, que se deberá enfrentar a un cargo de homicidio involuntario por la muerte del cantante, después de que muriera por una intoxicación de Propofol, debía haber asistido a juicio el 9 de mayo en Los Ángeles, pero el juez ha decidido retrasar el caso, diciendo que es necesario asegurarse de que recibe un trato justo.

Los abogados de Murray habían pedido retrasar el juicio aduciendo que necesitaban más tiempo para consultar expertos en microbiología y que pudieran hablar sobre la manera en que la droga es absorbida y distribuida por el cuerpo. Incluso están sopesando consultar a médicos veterinarios para entender exactamente qué le pasó al cantante cuando murió.

Los fiscales aseguran que Murray - que se ha declarado no culpable de homicidio involuntario - le dio una dosis letal del analgésico y luego no se preocupó de administrarle los cuidados precisos.

Sin embargo, en los últimos meses, los abogados del doctor han sugerido que el propio cantante se inyectó la dosis mortal.

La selección del jurado para el juicio comenzará el 8 de septiembre.

Juzguen ustedes mismos. Este vídeo de un fragmento de la película «El Principito» resulta realmente esclarecedor. Las poses, movimientos y coreografía interpretada por uno de los protagonistas, junto a su indumentaria, recuerdan muchísimo al marcado estilo del fallecido rey del pop. No habría nada raro en todo esto, si la película, inspirada en el libro del mismo nombre, no fuera del año 1974, cinco años antes de que Michael comenzara su carrera como solista. El film es un musical dirigido por Stanley Donen y cuenta la historia de un piloto que tiene que hacer un aterrizaje forzoso en el desie...

Estupendo análisis de la aplicación/libro de Al Gore para el iPad Our Choice, desde el punto de vista del diseño.

Lee Pace has joined the cast of Peter Jackson's forthcoming film version of J.R.R. Tolkein's The Hobbit, according to a post by Jackson on his Facebook page. Pace will play the Elven King Thranduil. Pace is currently appearing on Broadway in The Normal Heart. His other stage credits...

Osama bin Laden didn't discriminate when it came to the bloody work of terrorism. He was an equal opportunity killer.

And now that he is dead, killed sometime yesterday by a team of Navy SEALS in Pakistan, Americans of all races and religions have taken to the streets and to the blogosphere and airwaves to share in what seems to be a deep and collective exhale. From the gates of the White House in Washington, D.C. to ground zero in New York City, people have come together chanting and waving flags, exhibiting the kind of unity seen last on that terrible day in September almost 10 years earlier.

"Everyone died on 9-11. Blacks, whites, Muslims, Latinos and working class people," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "He didn't care who was in those buildings or on that plane. All Americans shared in that pain and all Americans can share in what we are seeing today."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson called bin Laden's death a "huge psychological victory."

"It is a cause for celebration. So many people lost their lives, their family members lost their lives. It was such a traumatic blow," Jackson said. "This might be the first real emotional venting for the pain that came from 9-11, the kind of relief that the plotter had destroyed."

Jackson warned, though, that while bin Laden's death marks some closure, the American people must be vigilant.

"The chapter on bin Laden ends now, but not the chapter on terrorism," he said.

Keith L.T. Wright, a New York State Assemblyman who represents Harlem, said while there is understandable satisfaction in bin Laden's death, there should also be caution.

"We, as New Yorkers and Americans, have to be more careful now than we have ever been," Wright said. "We have to come together as New Yorkers and we also have to start looking over our shoulders because you never know, it could be a bus stop, a school, a subway stop or an airport. We have to be more mindful than ever."

The terror spurred by Al-Qaeda, bin Laden's terror organization, struck blindly, targeting people and places regardless of race, class or even religion.

In 1988, Al-Qaeda killed some 225 people and injured hundreds of others in simultaneous bombings of U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. In 2001, the victims of the World Trade Center included white and blue-collar workers alike, those working in the mailrooms as well as wealthy investment bankers.

"The people who had worked before nine in the morning, those workers were not the rich," Sharpton said. "And the people on the planes that died, the people in coach went with those in first class."

Both Jackson and Sharpton said that while the mission to capture or kill bin Laden has been a success, what President Obama does next is critical. Jackson said bin Laden's killing in a bustling suburb outside of Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, raises questions about how much the Pakistani government knew about bin Laden's whereabouts.

"I would hope, as a supporter of the President, that we take a reasonable amount of time to make sure there is no retaliation, and then start to dial back on the build up in Afghanistan," Sharpton said. "Because if bin Laden was who he was supposed to be, we don't need to place our resources there."

For black Americans, the killing of bin Laden signaled not only a great day for America, but for the black American President.

"People are celebrating the fact that our president was able to get the job done, certainly there should be an awful lot of pride in the fact that he was able to get the job done," said Wright, the Harlem assemblyman.

"The irony is that while everyone was running around trying to muddy him up with that birth certificate nonsense, he was busy dealing with capturing the world's most notorious terrorist mastermind," Sharpton said. "It says he can see the bigger picture and that he knows how to be cool under fire."

 

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TheaterMania.com

Clinton, Jackson bring star power to Vienna Life Ball AFP VIENNA — Janet Jackson, Bill Clinton and Brooke Shields will be the stars at this year's Life Ball, Vienna's colourful AIDS charity event, on May 21, organisers said Monday. Former US President Clinton, a regular guest, will return for the ball's 19th ... Cheyenne Jackson, Janet Jackson, Brooke Shields et al. Set for Life Ball 2011TheaterMania.com Cheyenne Jackson to Perform at Vienna's Life Ball; Brooke Shields, Bill ...Playbill.com Cheyenne Jackson, Brooke Shields, et al. Set for 2011 LIFE BALL, 5/21Broadway World all 13 news articles »

The 19th Viennese Life ball brings high-caliber star guests to Vienna on the 21st of May. Joining already announced US singer Janet Jackson, the former American President Bill Clinton, actress Brooke Shields, and US singer and 30 Rock actor Cheyenne Jackson will sing this year's original Life ball song Ask the Universe

Segundo nosso camarada que quebrador de pernas, Hell, Arnold Schwarzenegger voltaria para a cinessérie que lhe deu todo o estrelato: Exterminador do Futuro.

Pois muito bem, mas parece que não será só esse tiozão que tentará voltar a forma para repetir um papel na enfraquecida franquia.



O LatinoReview declarou que todo o elenco original do primeiro voltaria para quinto Exterminador do Futuro. Isso inclui Linda Hamilton e Michael Biehn (o Kyle Rainer Reese). Ainda não se sabe se Edward Furlong voltaria ao papel deJohn Connor, por estar jogado nas dorgas, manolo.

E aproveitando o tema... Antes desse provável Terminator 5, Arnold já teria um novo projeto para as telonas: Cry Macho.

O filme é um drama, dirigido por Brad Furman e produzido por Al Ruddy, e a história seria a seguinte: Schwarzenegger será um treinador de cavalos que aceita sequestrar o filho de 11 anos de seu chefe em troca de dinheiro para a sua aposentadoria. O guri com a mãe mexicana, mas as coisas tomam um rumo inesperado, quando a mãe fica feliz por se livrar do moleque.

Caras... Voltando ao Exterminador. Eu não sei o que mais podem inventar para a franquia! Sério mesmo! Exterminador do Futuro 2 é um dos melhores filmes de ação e ficção cientifica que existem e não há absolutamente nada mais para contar nesta história. Tanto que a última coisa bacana que vi depois disso foi uma paródia do T800 salvando Jesus Cristo.



E isso era da época que a gente usava o mIRC, hein?

Ofertas: Michael Jackson Bad

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* Cinema - InterNey Blogs - InterNey.Net

The 2011 Lucille Lortel Awards, honoring Outstanding Achievement Off-Broadway, were presented at NYU Skirball Center, on Sunday, May 1. Samantha Bee and Zach Braff hosted the ceremony. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, featuring music and lyrics by Michael Friedman, book by Alex Timbers was...

And other stories about how the news of Al Qaeda’s leader’s passing ping-ponged around the Web and social media, from BNO News to George W. Bush. It was one of the most tweeted--but not the single most tweeted--events, Twitter tells us.

As we reported last night, the first report that Osama Bin Laden's had been killed came not from the news media but from a tweet (by a person who, it turns out, is a former Navy intelligence officer--so perhaps he had particularly good sources). Now, however, it appears that the news—or at least indicators about it—had already appeared on Twitter hours before.

At about 5:30 pm ET*, Michael van Poppel, president of BNO news, a news wire that provides content to local outlets in the U.S. (and until last year had the best, simplest, fastest breaking news app on the planet), tweeted something he had heard on GEO TV, a Pakistani television station.

As we later found out, the US special forces conducting the raid on Bin Laden's hideout lost one of two helicopters used in the operation.

But even van Poppel might not have been the first alert on Twitter. Sohaib Athar, who lists as his location on Twitter as Abbottabad, the Pakistani town where Bid Laden was found, and who describes himself as an IT consultant “taking a a break from the rat-race by hiding in the mountains with his laptops” (ironically), tweeted the following at about 4:30 pm ET (which would have been 1:30 am local time):

Shortly after, Athar, whose Twitter stream @ReallyVirtual went from a few hundred followers early yesterday evening to over 16,000 by the wee hours of this morning, unknowingly tweeted about the U.S. special forces attack: “A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope its not the start of something nasty :-S.” 

Athar’s tweets continued to describe what he was hearing in Abbottabad. As he later tweeted, it now appears that he was "liveblogging" the U.S. operation.

But Athar was not the only one reporting on the news. Mohcin Shah, a tweeter who lists their ("his," we assume) location as Rawalpindi, Pakistan, posted the following:

Shah and Athar apparently know each other, perhaps only through Twitter, or perhaps in person, but they had an extended back and forth about what was happening in Abbottabad. (We recommend you go back and read it.)

By now, however, the news was breaking on Pakistani television, and tweeters based there started reporting what they were hearing:

Meanwhile, Athar continued to report what he was hearing and thinking:

Bits and pieces began to show up on Facebook--including on the account belonging to a Pakistani special forces group, where someone posted a map (taken from an iPhone, it looks like) of where the helicopter crash purportedly took place:

It was only hours later that the former naval intelligence officer issued his tweet. The fur really started flying on Twitter after the news broke through the mainstream media, a little before 11 p.m. EST, that Osama Bin Laden had indeed been killed.

A Twitter spokesman tells Fast Company that the rate of tweets peaked immediately before and right after the speech President Obama gave last night about the raid—at about 4,000 tweets per second. That was about the same as the highest-ever rate of tweets for a sporting event, a record hit during the final moments of this year’s Super Bowl.

But it didn’t come close to the highest number of tweets ever. That record was set on January 1 of this year when Japan started ringing in the New Year. Almost 7,000 tweets per second were flying then. (But last night's figures were way ahead of the amount of Twitter usage when Michael Jackson died--just 456 tweets per second. But that was June 2009, and significantly fewer people were on Twitter.)

Facebook was apparently the place to be if you were a politician. George W. Bush posted a statement, which as of early this morning, had over 36,000 Likes, and over 9,000 comments.

And if anyone had any doubt that Facebook is now the broadcasting medium of choice for pols, all you had to do was follow the company’s “Congress on Facebook” page to track the number of Senators and Congressman posting statements to their pages about the death of Bin Laden.

Over on Google, Sunday's news pulled off an amazing feat: At about 1 am ET this morning, every single topic in Google’s “Hot Searches” list was related to Bin Laden’s death. (And yes, we are making the assumption that people were searching for Fox News, the Associated Press, and CNN because they wanted Bin Laden news and not, for example, because they were trying to find out who was going to be on “Piers Morgan Tonight.”)

Predictably, it didn’t take long for people to start editing Bin Laden’s Wikipedia page. The first update appeared at 10:37 pm ET. But the page for Abbottabad, where Bin Laden was hiding out, got hit pretty quickly too.

The first edit there was at 8:40 pm ET—with an eloquent addition that said nothing but “Yo bitches I got here first ya heard” from a contributor identified only by an IP address. A minute later was when the first reference to Bin Laden’s death was added, and by half an hour later, Wikipedia editors had locked the page down to prevent vandalism.

Meanwhile, it didn’t take long for someone to create a fake Osama-in-Hell Twitter account:

But perhaps the greatest honor Twitter received all night was the following:

* All times are estimates, based on Twitter time stamps (like “9 hours ago")

[Image from Times Square, top: Flickr user Josh Pesavento]

E.B. Boyd is FastCompany.com's Silicon Valley reporter. Twitter. Email.

• Israel Gutierrez of The Miami Herald: "LeBron James is as big of a target as they come, literally and figuratively, so he was not only welcoming of the change of pace that saw Wade become option No. 1 against Boston, but he took advantage of the situation Sunday. Part of what makes James great is his all-around ability. So even though he did launch a few jumpers that would normally be considered ill-advised, James restrained himself on the offense. He expended some of that extra energy blocking a pair of Celtics shots, the more impressive being a first-quarter chase down of a streaking Rajon Rondo. He also managed a couple of steals. And that’s not even including the solid defense at all five positions at some point. ... It’s not necessarily a less-is-more approach, because all of those “other things” are just as important to the Heat’s success as his scoring would be. But it is a new approach against these Celtics. One that doesn’t include continuously banging his head against a wall of defenders and still coming out defeated. It’s very possible James will find a way to put up spectacular scoring numbers in a game or two this series. But if Sunday’s Game 1 was any indication, James won’t attempt to score for glory’s sake. He’s open to adjustments, for winning’s sake."
• Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "It was hell. As expected. It was thrown shoulders. It was errant elbows. It was the Heat's James Jones shouting to one referee, 'HE HEAD-BUTTED ME!' and Boston's Kevin Garnett shouting to another ref a minute later, 'DID YOU SEE THAT KICK?' It was flagrant fouls and screaming expletives and, ultimately, climactically, Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce in a freight-train collision along the baseline that sent tremors through AmericanAirlines Arena. And it was just Game 1. The way to survive is to hold yourself together. 'That's what we did,' Wade said after the Heat's 99-90 win. It's what Boston didn't do. What Pierce, specifically, didn't. That's a twist on this relationship from earlier this year. That's what was so revealing about this game. This time, it was the veteran Celtics, the champion Celtics, the Celtics who love the bully pulpit, whose mind went squish. 'We didn't handle it well,' Boston coach Doc River said of the in-game emotion. ... Sunday showed the Heat of November isn't the Heat of May. They have hiccups at times. But they also are capable of assembling a day that can win on the scoreboard and get in opponents' mind. Until Sunday, Boston was the king of that. 'As the series progresses, I think it will get more physical,' Bosh said. 'It is Game 1.' And what a game. Collisions. Elbows. Taunts. Exactly as advertised. The difference was the Heat stood up to big brother this time."
• Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe: "It ... cannot ... happen. The Celtics are supposed to be the composed veterans. The Heat are supposed to be the young bucks, the fragile frauds who need to be schooled in how it’s done in the playoffs. So how come Paul Pierce picked up two technical fouls and got himself ejected midway through the fourth quarter of yesterday’s 99-90 Game 1 loss to the Hype Masters of Miami? We don’t know Pierce’s explanation because the captain was nowhere to be found in the losers’ locker room. A team publicist said he would be available to comment today. Not good enough. You want to be a champion? You want to be talked about the same as Russell and Bird and Havlicek and Cooz? Stick around and take your medicine like a man after you act like a stupid tough guy on the court. We thought we were over this stuff with Pierce. He is 33 years old. He’s been in the NBA since 1998. He was MVP of the Finals in 2008, for gosh sakes. What’s the excuse for losing his cool twice in the fourth quarter of a game against a team that’s always waiting to choke if you can keep things close?"
• Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "Of all the words that will be spent describing the Celtics Game 1 loss to the Heat yesterday, one stands brightest in the Florida sun: Deserved. As in they got what was coming to them. The Celtics knew exactly what it would take for them to beat the Heat. They also knew what would lead to a defeat. And somewhere along the line, they chose the latter. If it had just been a matter of missing shots and having the Heatians win the hand-to-shot combat, the 99-90 loss could be understood. Things like this do happen in a playoff series. But the Celtics knew better, and they played as if they didn’t. When you are as allegedly wise as the Bostonians and you’re playing against a team that can out-run and out-jump you, composure is king. It is incumbent that you play to your brains. But yesterday the Celtics were stuck in the cerebral mud, as their younger foe frolicked around the Port of Miami."
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: "There's a dry-erase board mounted near the back entrance to the Oklahoma City Arena. A question was written on it Sunday, especially for the playoffs. 'How much does a human heart weigh?' it said. My guess would be about 12 Grizzlies. Thirty-six hours earlier, the Grizzlies had been walking down South Main in Memphis, high-fiving throngs of besotted fans, celebrating Friday night's emotional Game 6 win over the San Antonio Spurs. So there wasn't a chance they'd be ready to play Oklahoma City at noon Sunday. There is resilient and then there is just nutty. Except, there they were, 21/2 hours after tipoff, quietly congratulating one another after a resounding 114-101 victory. Question: If the Grizzlies can handle the Thunder this deftly, think it's time we put them in charge of Mid-South weather generally? This was ridiculous. And by ridiculous, I mean incredibly impressive. It's one thing to steal Game 1 from the Spurs when you've been tanking, er, resting, for a few days to prepare for it. It's another thing to come into this building on 36 hours rest and flat demolish the league's darlings."
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman: "Rain swamped the Memorial Marathon. Cold struck the Arts Festival. The Grizzlies punched the Thunder in the gut. Bad MayDay in Oklahoma City. But the marathon finished. The arts festival was on its last day. The Thunder has to wrestle the Grizzlies at least three more times. The Boomers had better toughen up. That's what beat the Thunder 114-101 Sunday. Memphis toughness. The Grizzlies were tougher than OKC. Tougher with the ball. Tougher on defense. Tougher at the rim. 'We didn't have any energy,' Kevin Durant said. 'They played harder than us. They fought harder than us. It's a long series. We gotta come out with more fight the next game.' Mandatory, I'd say, if the Thunder wants to avoid a four-game sweep. 'They were more physical than us, from bigs to small,' said Kendrick Perkins, words that pained the Thunder enforcer to say."
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: "Just two short seasons ago, the Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies finished with the exact same 24-58 record. Back then, both teams had accumulated extra future first-round picks and had or were positioning themselves for substantial cap space and you could have argued the Wolves' future looked brighter. Today, the Grizzlies just beat Oklahoma City (winners of just 23 games that 2008-09 season) in the opening game of the playoffs' second round. ... The Grizz are missing Gay's smooth 20 points a game, but as crazy as it sounds to say, they just might be grittier and more playoff tough without him. Have a Coach of the Year candidate in Hollins, who should have gotten more votes for the award than he did? He has gotten more out of Randolph than anyone could have hoped and has molded this team even without Gay. And they paid up. While the Wolves have the league's third lowest payroll, the Grizz have signed Gay to an $80 million-plus contract extension, Randolph to $65 million-ish deal and Conley to a $45 million extension. And Gasol and Mayo will be looking for their paydays, too, although it's likely the Grizzlies will trade Mayo, as they tried to do at the trade deadline, because they can't afford to re-sign everybody. Remember when these two teams were side-by-side in the race toward the future? Not any longer."
• Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Tom Thibodeau has said over and over this season that he doesn’t care about personal acclaim. He would have been well served by carrying a recording of himself saying, 'I don’t care about the NBA coach of the year award.’ But he’s a big reason the Bulls won 62 games in the regular season, the most in the league. He has his players prepared. Always. One of the fallacies about today’s NBA is that it has become more about strategy. There are no secrets on the basketball floor, the way there are on a football field. In Game 5 of the first round of the playoffs, the Bulls didn’t surprise the Indiana Pacers with a new wrinkle from which the Pacers could never recover. It’s not like that. It’s not like the NFL. What Thibodeau did this season was to get his team to play hard, especially on defense. Always. It was less about what he was telling them and more about their believing it. Winning helps in getting the message across. Thibs passed on the tendencies he saw on film. His players listened. That’s the difficult part for any coach. There’s nothing mystical here. He’s no Big Chief Triangle, as Jeff Van Gundy once derisively referred to Zen master Phil Jackson and the cultlike fascination with the triangle offense. There’s just a rookie head coach standing on the sideline for every minute of every single game, hoarsely yelling out instructions on every single pass of the ball. It’s an approach that could get very old on a losing team, but this isn’t one of those teams, is it?"
• Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "There's a lot for Drew to think about as he decides on his starters for the Eastern Conference semifinals. The first issue is point guard, where starter Kirk Hinrich isn't expected to play during the best-of-seven series. Jeff Teague could take Hinrich's place since he's best suited to defend Chicago's Derrick Rose. Drew said he's also considering starting veteran Jamal Crawford, who hasn't started a game in his two seasons for Atlanta. Drew and predecessor Mike Woodson have favored Crawford's scoring off the bench. ... Crawford would provide considerably more scoring punch from the start than Teague. With Crawford in the starting lineup the Bulls would have to account for five capable scorers on the floor at the same time. But Crawford usually is an indifferent defender as he focuses on scoring. That could cause problems for the Hawks against Rose. ... Drew said he hadn't ruled out a big lineup that most likely would include Zaza Pachulia at center. In that alignment, center Al Horford and power forward Josh Smith would shift over, and Marvin Williams would come off the bench. Pachulia is a good match against Chicago's Joakim Noah."
• Gil LeBreton of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: " Beat L-A? History tells us that it's never been done. Not in this month, this league, these playoffs. Twenty-three years ago, though, we thought that, if nothing else, the law of averages was on the Dallas Mavericks' side. The Mavericks had Mark Aguirre and Rolando Blackman, Derek Harper and Sam Perkins. They had the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, Roy Tarpley. They even had a real center, James Donaldson. Sooner or later, the thinking went back in 1988, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was going to retire, the Mavs were going to figure out a way to stifle Magic Johnson, and Lakers owner Jerry Buss was going to run out of leisure suits and blondes on each arm. The Lakers' dynasty would be over. Or so we all thought. The casts have changed -- and then some -- but the Mavericks' playoff frustrations against the Lakers resume anew tonight in Los Angeles. Beat L-A? The Vegas oddsmakers say the Mavericks can't do it. Los Angeles has the ultimate playoff weapon -- Kobe Bryant, with or without his apparently injured ankle. The Mavericks have, well, all that history. The Miami thing and all. Mavericks optimists see the two games that Los Angeles lost in its opening-round series against New Orleans, and they see a crack in the Lakers' platinum veneer. Maybe. But who on the Mavericks gets to play the role of Chris Paul?"
• Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: "Now, introducing the Lakers' newest archrival … The Dallas Mavericks? If you can't recall the rivalry's great moments, you'd have to be 23 to have been alive for the last one. That was the teams' last playoff meeting … in the 1988 Western Conference finals. It took the Lakers seven games to beat the Mavericks, not that it was like playing the Celtics. The Mavericks' Mark Aguirre kept going to the Lakers' locker room after games to see Magic Johnson, until Coach Pat Riley had him barred. The Dallas owner was kindly Don Carter, who wore his cowboy hat sitting courtside, may have even slept in it and helped build a championship team, just in the wrong city. Before the 1986 draft, the Lakers, who had just lost to Houston's Twin Towers -- Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson -- agreed to trade James Worthy for Aguirre and rising 7-footer Roy Tarpley. Owner Jerry Buss pulled the trigger, personally, assuming General Manager Jerry West would be OK with it. When West wasn't, and in a big way, Buss asked Carter to let him out of the deal, saying he might lose his GM. Carter, whose duty -- to tell his secretary to say he was unavailable forever -- was clear, instead said no problem. Otherwise, there goes Showtime with the Lakers and Celtics tied at three titles each in the '80s. The Lakers went on to win two more in 1987 and 1988. Aguirre's career cratered. Tarpley's was truncated by drug problems."
• Jeff Miller of The Orange County Register: "Matt Barnes reminded everyone about the '07 playoff upset, noting that the Warriors had 'laid out the blueprint on how to beat Dallas.' Then Barnes typed: 'PUNK'EM.' So is that what we're in for tonight? A good, old-fashioned Maverick punking? Another episode of Terry playing two-hand touch with Blake's kidneys? Another round of Barnes sport-coating Stotts? We can only hope, at least for the sake of generating interest. Hey, we're not advocating bad-boy basketball. We say play hard but play right. But we're also saying even the suggestion of antagonism is more titillating than anything Aaron Gray will ever do. So now it's Lakers and Mavericks for the first time in the postseason since David Robinson was the No. 1 pick and the Clippers were coached by Gene Shue. Yeah, it was that long ago. It was so long ago, in fact, that these teams had something of a budding playoff rivalry going. The Lakers and Mavericks met in the postseason three times in five years in the 1980s. We said something of a budding rivalry. The Lakers won all of those series. They'll win this one, too. But with Cuban, Terry and, don't forget J.J. Barea (a shorter, more annoying version of Sasha Vujacic), this should be entertaining. Now, if only the Mavericks could find a way to avoid playing the actual games."
• Randy Youngman of The Orange County Register: "Monday is Decision Day --- and Deadline Day --- for the Sacramento Kings. The Maloof family, which has owned a controlling interest in the Kings since 1999, has until 2 p.m. Monday (Pacific time) to file an application with the NBA and formally make known its intentions to move the franchise to Anaheim in time for the 2011-12 season. Reached late Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas, Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said the family still was talking about its options and would not announce a decision until Monday. ... It has been a long, drawn-out process, with the relocation deadline already extended twice -- from March 1 to April 18, at the request of the Maloofs, and then two more weeks after the NBA Board of Governors meetings in New York. There are hundreds of pages of documents from Anaheim's proposed agreement waiting for signatures. Monday is Deadline Day."
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "Over the course of the season, the Bobcats were better with Stephen Jackson than without him. They were 4-11 when he didn't play; you think that's a coincidence? This is something subtler, and I'm sure it's on the minds of both the coaches and the front office: Jackson is the best scorer in the franchise's history. Expensive as he was, he's earned his salary and then some, not only with his skills, but also with his passion. Still, here's the problem: When the ball hits Jackson's hands, it often stops. There's no swing from side-to-side, which is the only way you wear out an opposing defense. When Jackson is on - that night in Atlanta was spectacular - he's one of the 20 best players in the league. But as the last five games of the season illustrated (and, granted, they were 2-3 in those games) the ball movement was notably better in his absence. Nobody forced shots, nobody held the ball - 50.7 percent is not an insignificant number. I hope Jackson saw this, because at 33 he should adjust. He told the media, the coaches and the front office the day after the season that he doesn't want to leave. Translation: 'This isn't Golden State, and I'd like to see how this remake plays out.' Great. He makes $9.25 million next season and $10 million the following season. That's a lot of money, guaranteed, and it will be reasonable for management to expect some evolution. Brevin Knight and Derek Anderson did a lot for this franchise at the tail end of their careers by setting a standard for professionalism. That means mentoring, leading and not impeding the kind of ball movement we saw late this season. I know Jackson's heart is in the right place. I also know he's basketball-savvy. He should be able to adapt."
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: "There was a bit of good news for the Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment recently. The Palace and DTE Energy Music Theater were the top-two venues in the Midwest in terms of ticket sales and attendance in 2010 -- a solid year for PS&E. Which gives credence to the optimism PS&E president Alan Ostfield displayed April 8 -- the day it was announced that Los Angeles-based financier Tom Gores had reached a formal agreement with Karen Davidson to purchase the Pistons. The deal is on track to close by the end of the month. But a common perception for the Pistons and PS&E is that things are headed downhill because the Pistons are coming off three consecutive losing seasons and trying to attract an apathetic fan base. But Ostfield said last week that these things went in cycles, and considering the struggles on the court and the woeful state economy, prospects were bound to improve. 'Obviously the team struggled, but these things happen and this stuff goes through stages,' Ostfield said."

Here are some of the top growing restaurant concepts taken from a thousand or so a month that RestaurantChains.net tracks. This list is for the four-month period from December 18, 2010 to April 18, 2011.The franchised high growth concepts are highlighted in green.

Growing Concepts that have grown by at least 5% (if less than 50 units).

 San Antonio, TX-based GRADY'S BAR-B-QUE (founded 1948) has increased by 1 unit, from 6 to 7 (17% growth).  These are family/casual restaurants, open for lunch and dinner, with an $8-$20 per person check average.  Locations have full bar and seating for about 150.  Catering and banquet services are available.  The restaurants are all in TX. 

CHEF’S PRIDE based in Pacific Grove, CA has increased by 1 unit for Turtlebay, from 1 to 2 (100% concept growth).  There is a second company concept called Fishwife (2 units).  Overall company growth is from 3 to 4 (33% company growth).  These are upscale restaurants with full bar ands seating for around 60.  Meal periods are lunch and dinner.  Per person check average is around $10-$30.  Banquets and patio seating are available.  All locations are in CA. 

Phoenix, AZ-based FEZ has added a new concept, called Bliss Rebar, increasing the company locations from 2 to 3 (50% growth).  The company also operates Switch Restaurant and Bar.  These are family/casual restaurants, open for lunch and dinner, serving multiple cuisine types.  Per person check average is $8-$20, with full bar and seating for around 150.  Catering is available.  All locations are in AZ. 

EDDIE V'S RESTAURANTS INC based in Scottsdale, AZ has increased 2 units for Eddie V's, from 5 to 7 (40% concept growth).  These are upscale restaurants with full bar and seating for around 250.  Locations are open for dinner with a per person check average of around $15-$50.  Banquets are offered.  Other company concepts are Roaring Fork (4) and Wildfish Seafood Grille (3).  Overall company growth is from 12 to 14 (17% company growth).  Locations are in AZ, CA and TX.  

BUNGALOW BILLIARDS based in Chantilly, VA (founded 1997) has increased by 1 unit, from 4 to 5 (25% growth).  These are family/casual restaurants with full bar and seating for around 250.  Meal periods are lunch and dinner.  Per person check average is around $6-$12.  Catering and banquet services are available.  All locations are in LA.

Concepts with 20 units or less who grew by at least 2 units

 Louisiana-based WALK-ON'S BISTREAUX & BLUES BAR (founded 1996) has increased by 1 unit for the Walk-On’s concept, from 2 to 3 (50% concept growth), 1 unit for Happy’s Pub, from 2 to 3 (50% concept growth), and by 1 unit for Schlitz & Giggles, from 1 to 2 (100% concept growth).  The company also operates Roux House (1 unit).  Overall company increase was from 6 to 9 (50% company growth).  The restaurants are family/casual, serving cajun/creole cuisine.  Per person check average is $8-$20, open for lunch and dinner.  Locations have full bar and seating for about 200.  Catering and banquet services are available.  All the restaurants are in LA. 

ELEVATION BURGER headquartered in Arlington, VA (founded 2005) has increased by 7 units, from 8 to 15 (88% growth) and expanded into NY.  These are fast casual restaurants with seating for around 70.  Meal periods are lunch and dinner.  Per person check average is around $6-$12.  Online ordering and patio seating are offered.  Locations are more than 90% franchised and are in FL, MD, NJ, NY, PA, TX and VA.

SHOW-ME'S RESTAURANTS of St Louis, MO has increased by 2 units, from 14 to 16 (14% growth).  These are family/casual restaurants with full bar and seating for around 200.  Meal periods are lunch and dinner.  Per person check average is around $8-$20.  Locations are more than 90% franchised and are in IL, IN, KY and MO.

Concepts previously written about in the past 18 months.

Jackson, MS-based NEWK'S EXPRESS CAFÉ (founded 2004) has increased by 4 units, from 27 to 31 (15% growth).  These are fast casual restaurants, serving American cuisine.  Meal periods are lunch and dinner, with a $10-$30 per person check average.  Beer and wine are served and seating is for 150.  Catering is available.  Units are franchised and trade in AL, FL, LA, MS, NC, TN, and TX.  We last featured this company on 12/22/09 (17% growth). 

Whitewater, WI-based TOPPERS PIZZA (founded 1991) has increased by 4 units, from 26 to 30 (15% growth) and entered into OH.  These are quick serve pizzerias, open for lunch and dinner.  Units seat about 50.  Catering, delivery, and online ordering are available.  Locations are franchised and trade in IL, IN, MN, NC, OH, and WI.  We last featured this concept on 3/30/10 (4% growth). 

Edmond, OK-based JIMMY'S EGG (founded 1980) has increased by 3 units, from 22 to 25 (14% growth) and entered into NE.  The restaurants are family/casual, open for breakfast and lunch.  Per person check average is $6-$12 and seating is for about 150.  Catering is available.  Trading areas are KS, NE, OK, and TX.  Between 10% and 20% of units are franchised.  We last featured this concept on 1/19/10 (11% growth). 

Louisville, KY-based TEXAS ROADHOUSE (NASDAQ: TXRH; founded 1993) has increased by 6 units for the Texas Roadhouse concept, from 340 to 346 (2% concept growth) and by 1 unit for the Aspen Creek concept, from 2 to 3 (50% concept growth).  Overall company increase was from 342 to 349 (2% company growth).  These family/casual steakhouse restaurants are open for dinner only, with a $10-$30 per person check average.  Locations have full bar and seat about 250.  Catering is available.  Trading areas are AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA,RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, and WY.  We wrote about this concept on 2/2/10 (2% growth), 6/15/10 (1% growth), and on 11/30/10 (2% growth).

The Oakland Raiders Keep Their Eyes On The Track Stars

If there is one thing you can count on, it is Al Davis wants players who are fast. While they stayed away from the track stars with their first pick, they could not resist after that.

Watching Al Davis conduct a draft is a lot like watching Ricky Bobby plan a race, both of them just want to go fast and win. "If you're not first, you're last," as Will Ferrell's character would say.

The first draft pick was a good one, speed observations aside. Stefan Wisniewski should be a good anchor on the Raiders' line for many years to come.

MUST READ: Report Cards For The First Three Rounds

Demarcus Van Dyke and Denarius Moore are the speed demons at cornerback and wide receiver, respectively. Speed always is good, but speed is not everything if there are no skills to go along with the speed.

The Raiders also drafted Chimdi Chekwa out of The Ohio State University, meaning the Raiders have two cornerback prospects to try and take the place of the departing Nnamdi Asomugha.

The Raiders did not draft a quarterback, and that position is a question mark moving forward given the rotation last year. Hue Jackson may bring more stability to the position and commit to Jason Campbell this year, something Tom Cable never was able to do.

Grade: C

Heading into the main event, UFC 129 made a serious case for not just the greatest fight under the Zuffa banner, but the greatest MMA event of all time. Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick put on the eventual Fight of the Night in their fight for the UFC's featherweight title. Lyoto Machida sent Randy Couture to retirement and a tooth to the canvas with a crane kick of death. Of the eleven bouts, five ended by knockout, two by submission, and Rory MacDonald German suplexed Nate Diaz around the Octagon like an early-90s All Japan Pro Wrestling match.

Then Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields entered the Rogers Centre to fight for the welterweight title. There's disagreement over where to place the blame (I believe that Shields' lack of urgency for a takedown hurt the bout more than anything else), but, as the proverb goes, it takes two to tango.

St. Pierre showcased the superior kickboxing that was an axiom for prefight analysis, controlling distance and utilizing his jab throughout the fight. Shields had no answer for St. Pierre on the feet, looking as awkward and ineffective as ever.

After round three, St. Pierre complained to his corner that he couldn't see out of his left eye. Cornerman Greg Jackson responded, "You've got one eye, you're fine."

St. Pierre continued to control the standup without the use of his lead eye. He lost the complete dominance that characterized rounds one through three, but Shields was unable to exploit the injury (if he was even aware of it).

The judges awarded St. Pierre a unanimous decision with one judge scoring every round for the champion. The two other judges saw the fight 48-47 for St. Pierre.

The hometown Rogers Centre crowd lacked the same level of enthusiasm for St. Pierre's victory prevalent for the other Canadians on the show.

• Jake Shields strategy was bizarre, to say the least. The consensus felt that Shields only hope to win the title centered around his ability to catch St. Pierre in a submission hold. Instead of relentless takedown attempts, Shields engaged in a kickboxing bout over three rounds. Needing a finish in round five, Shields lacked any urgency, allowing St. Pierre to cruise through the round en route to a successful title defense.
• Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab.
• I tweeted somewhere during the second round that I had no interest in watching St. Pierre fight at 170 pounds. It looks like Zuffa might push St. Pierre into a bout with Strikeforce champ Nick Diaz, though Lorenzo Fertitta asked on Twitter whether fans were more interested in GSP vs. Diaz or GSP vs. Anderson Silva in the long sought after superfight. I think you know where I stand, reader.
• I'm not sure where two judges found two rounds for Jake Shields.
• Discussion of Jose Aldo usurping St. Pierre and Anderson Silva in pound-for-pound rankings tempered after tonight's successful title defense. Aldo tired at different points in the bout, looking especially vulnerable in a fifth round that he seemed content just to survive through. 
• Bruce Buffer originally read Douglas Crosby's scorecard as 50-43 for Aldo. It was later determined to be an error, and Crosby's actual card was 48-45 for Aldo. I haven't seen word about the cause for the error.
• In another odd decision from the commission, the fight doctor cageside allowed Hominick, twice, to fight with a bulging hematoma on the right side of his forehead. After a nasty cut opened in the fifth, Hominick's face resembled the low-health countenance of the hero in Wolfenstein 3D. To his credit, Hominick fought an inspired period in the fifth despite the condition of his face.

 

• Lyoto Machida sent Randy Couture off into the sunset with one less tooth. Machida upped the ante following Anderson Silva's Front Kick of Doom to Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 with a crane kick that knocked out Couture 65 seconds into round two. 
• I think that ends any talk of Couture fighting again. It's hard to imagine a fight that he could take that would make sense for him and the UFC.
• Machida ended all hopes of another Couture miracle after shrugging Couture off in the first clinch battle in round one. Couture's greatest weapon was taken away, and it was just a matter of time before Machida landed a fight-ending strike from distance.
• "The Janitor" cleaned things up early. #BadSportsPuns
• Nothing tickled me more than a silent response from 55,000 fans after Ben Henderson asked for an amen. Get outta here was that stuff.
• Athleticism and aggression was the difference between Bocek and Henderson. 
• Rory MacDonald's back on the map. MacDonald looked better than Nate Diaz in every facet of the fight, and three huge belly-to-back suplexes drew a huge reaction from the live audience and the crowd on Twitter tonight. Manly stuff from the 21 year old.
• It looked like Sean Pierson thought the fight was just starting after Jake Ellenberger knocked his block off.
• I enjoyed Ivan Menjivar's nose-smashing elbow to Charlie Valencia's face, but I'm not sure  I needed to see it three times over the course of the evening.
• Jason MacDonald on his submission over Ryan Jensen: "You know the slam isn't the best defense of the triangle choke." All you young fighters out there, you aren't "Rampage" Jackson. Learn proper defense instead of half-hearted slams.
• On any other night, John Makdessi's spinning back fist KO of Kyle Watson wins the Knockout of the Night.
• I had trouble with the Facebook stream tonight, missing the first two minutes of Pablo Garza's date with Yves Jabouin. Fortunately, I did not miss his Submission of the Night-winning flying triangle.
• Forrest Lynn disagreed with me on the radio show, but I felt the atmosphere at the Rogers Centre didn't translate well on any of the broadcasts. Both Luke Thomas and Matt Bishop raved about the experience inside the building.

Fighter of the Night

(Photos from Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

Lots of contenders tonight, but I don't think anyone did more to increase his stock than Rory MacDonald in his victory over Nate Diaz. MacDonald outclassed Diaz throughout the bout, and capped that with a series of huge slams that brought a huge rise from the audience at the Rogers Centre. It's hard to imagine that MacDonald is still only 21 years of age, but he looks to have rebounded from a tough loss to Carlos Condit.

Moment of the Night

Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

Not only is this the last moment in Randy Couture's professional fighting career, it's also a serious contender for knockout of the year. 

Mike Goldberg Line of the Night

Photo by Esther Lin for MMA Fighting

"Mark Hominick may have to finish this fight, Joe."

Likely down 4-0 heading into the fifth round, Mike Goldberg noted that Mark Hominick probably needed a finish to win the bout. Now, the sentiment behind the statement is correct. However, it's the lack of conviction that bothers me. Goldberg is so reluctant to say anything negative about any UFC fighters that it affects his ability to relay the narrative of a fight.

Entrance Song of the Night

 

It was hard to hear a lot of the music tonight, and a lot of the entrances for the Facebook prelims were cut from the stream. So, here's Red Rider with "Lunatic Fringe" which is featured on the soundtrack for Vision Quest, a movie I am told is must-see.

The Chopping Block

Despite Dana White's assurance that Zuffa needs more fighters, there's no margin for error in the UFC. It only takes one loss to find a pink slip waiting for you on Monday morning. Who's on the Chopping Block?

Daniel Roberts
Yves Jabouin
Ryan Jensen
Charlie Valencia

Renowned investigative theatre company The Civilians celebrates its 10th season of creating new work with BENEFIT X - an evening of stage and screen stars performing the songs of Michael Friedman BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON - set for Monday, May 2, beginning at 700pm at one of New York City's hottest new cultural venues, Le Poisson Rouge 158 Bleecker Street. Steven Cosson, Artistic Director of The Civilians, directs.

Aunque Bryant esta tarde dijo sentirse bien, tuvo que irse al banquillo durante los entrenamientos para dejar descansar el tobillo, que se lesionó durante la primera eliminatoria contra los New Orleans Hornets.

El entrenador Phil Jackson reconoció que "aún le molesta bastante. Es algo que no pasará muy rápidamente. Tenemos que monitorear la situación muy de cerca. Por el momento se ha limitado mucho en su tiempo de entrenamientos, y es algo que tendrá que hacer durante los partidos".

Bryant pasó el viernes descansando el tobillo, pero Jackson dijo que su escolta no ha podido recuperarse plenamente desde que se lastimó hace seis días, aunque coincidentemente Bryant se lastimó por primera vez en Dallas el pasado 12 de marzo.

Para Jackson la situación no se presenta fácil, sobre todo "por la calidad de rival que tendremos enfrente", dijo. Jackson reconoció que los Mavericks son uno de los equipos más complicados y como muestra de ello dijo que el equipo tejano ha sumado once campañas consecutivas con al menos 50 triunfos.

Pero aunque sabe que Bryant le hace falta como jugador de tiempo completo, reconoce que deberá limitarle el tiempo de juego. "Esperamos que en estos días de descanso Bryant se recupere un poco, pero es casi seguro que no le daremos mucho tiempo de juego el lunes", cuando los Lakers se enfrenten a los Mavericks en el primer juego de la serie de la segunda ronda final en la Conferencia Oeste.

EUROPA PRESS, 30 (LOS ANGELES)

La cantante de 'Just Dance' está más que satisfecha con el capítulo que la serie musical 'Glee' ha hecho a partir de sus canciones. La artista ha decidido dejar constancia de su opinión y así se lo ha contado a sus más de nueve millones de seguidores en Twitter.

"Adoro el capítulo de 'Glee' 'Born This Way'. Admiro la serie por ser tan valiente y luchadora, por lanzar un mensaje social tan moderno. Nunca cambiéis", ha publicado Lady Gaga en su perfil de la red social.

Sin embargo y, como no podía ser de otra forma, no a todos ha gustado tanto ni el episodio ni la serie en sí misma. Esta misma semana podíamos leer como los conservadores estadounidenses criticaban la serie al considerar que lanza un mensaje homosexual que no refleja la realidad de los institutos del país.

"Es el instituto más gay de la historia de la humanidad. La mayoría de los padres jamás mandarían a sus hijos. Esto es la última iniciativa depravada de Ryan Murphy -creador de la serie musical- para promover su agenda homosexual", ha declarado uno de los vicepresidentes de Media Reserch Center, Dan Gainor, según recoge la cadena 'ABCNews'.

"¿Habéis visto 'Glee' esta semana? ¡Es enfermizo!", destacaba Victoria Jackson en espacio en 'WorldNetDaile.com' tras la emisión de un capítulo de la popular serie de FOX en el que los jóvenes Kurt y Blaine se besan en pantalla.

Para bien o para mal, todo lo que tiene que ver con Lady Gaga acostumbra a ser polémica. Y, a la espera del estreno del videoclip de su nuevo sencillo, 'Judas', la polémica ha vuelto a saltar a raíz del capítulo 'Born This Way' de 'Glee' que fue emitido en Estados Unidos el pasado 26 de abril.

MADRID, 30 (OTR/PRESS)

Peter Jackson vuelve a despertar la figura del emblemático King Kong en el film 'King Kong' que TVE emite el domingo a las 22.15. Aunque con recursos audiovisuales mejorados, la película conserva el argumento del clásico de 1933, un gorila en apariencia monstruoso, pero con un corazón noble.

Un curioso equipo de rodaje, encabezados por un fracaso productor de cine, se embarca en una expedición que les llevará a una remota isla para rodar una película. Allí descubren un ser increíble, un gorila gigante conocido como King Kong.

La actriz protagonista, Ann Darrow, encarnada por Naomi Watts, se salvará de morir devorada por dos vastatosaurus rex, gracias a King Kong que acaba matándolos. Aunque Ann intenta evitarlo, Carl Denham (Jack Black) y Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) lograrán capturar al gorila para exhibirlo posteriormente en Broadway.

Fuera de su hábitat natural y eclipsado por los flash de los periodistas, King Kong se enfuerece y rompe las cadenas con las que estaba atado desatando el caos en las calles de Broadway, pero sobre todo persiguiendo a uno de sus captores, Driscoll.

 

Friday morning at the NY Friar’s Club Audra Mcdonald and Liev Schreiber announded the nominees for the 56^th annual Drama Desk Awards. The Drama Desk awards honor excellence in theatre in the 2010/2011 Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Braodway seasons, with productions from each level of ticketing competing against each other in the same categories. On the musical side, The Book of Mormon (12) and Anything Goes (10) led the way in nominations, while the Merchant of Venice (7) revival and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (6) received the most nominations of straight plays.

56th ANNUAL DRAMA DESK AWARDS ANNOUNCED AT NY FRIARS CLUB BY AUDRA McDONALD AND LIEV SCHREIBER

Awards To Be Presented On Monday, May 23, 2011 At Hammerstein Ballroom, Hosted By Harvey Fierstein

OVATION To Televise Drama Desk Awards Special Six Times Between June 4 and June 19, Including Twice in Primetime

New York, April 29, 2011—Nominations for the 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards were announced this morning at a News Conference at the New York Friars Club by former Drama Desk Award winners Audra McDonald and Liev Schreiber. They were joined for the announcement by Drama Desk President Isa Goldberg; Barbara Siegel, Chairperson of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee; Drama Desk Awards Executive Producer Robert R. Blume; and Randie Levine-Miller, who has produced this event at the Friars Club for the past 15 years.

In keeping with the Drama Desk's unique mission, nominators considered shows that opened on Broadway, Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway during the 2010/2011 New York theater season in the same competitive categories. Final deliberations took place at Travel Inn in New York City.

The 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be held Monday, May 23, 2011 in the elegant Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan Center. Hosted by former Drama Desk Award winner Harvey Fierstein, the awards ceremony will be filmed in HD for a 90-minute television special that will be given two primetime airings plus four additional national broadcasts on OVATION, the national cable network dedicated to arts culture in America, between June 4 and June 19, 2011. The awards ceremony will begin at 9:00 PM on May 23, following a gala sit-down dinner that starts at 7:45 PM.

The Drama Desk nominees will receive their Official Nominations Certificates at an exclusive By Invitation Only Nominees Cocktail Reception on Monday, May 2, 2011 from 3:00 to 6:00 PMb> at the Bombay Palace Restaurant, 30 West 52nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, in Manhattan.

Members of the 2010-2011 Nominating Committee for the Drama Desk Awards include: Barbara Siegel (Chairperson) TalkinBroadway.com, TheaterMania.com; Jason Clark, Slant Magazine, Anita Gates, Freelance, The New York Times, theatergossip.com; Lawrence Harbison, Senior Editor & Columnist for Smith & Kraus, Inc.; Gerard Raymond, Back Stage; Richard Ridge, Broadway Beat TV; and Douglas Strassler, Show Business Magazine,OffOffOnline.com.

The Board of Directors of the Drama Desk is composed of Isa Goldberg, President; Leslie (Hoban) Blake, Vice President; Charles Wright, Treasurer and 2nd Vice President; Richard Ridge, Secretary, Arlene Epstein, Elysa Gardner, Randy Gener, John Istel, David Kaufman, Sam Norkin and William Wolf.

The Drama Desk Awards TV special will be produced by the multi award-winning independent production company Heflin Filmworks (America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back; Manhunters). Lance Heflin will produce the TV special and Mark Stroman will serve as the TV Executive Producer. Terry Rohnke (Saturday Night Live) will be the Television Director. Marilyn Munder is the Talent Consultant. Step Forward Entertainment Group Ltd. (Talent Management and Production) is the executive producing company for the Awards; Robert R. Blume is President, Princess Rivera serves as the company's Production Coordinator and Allison H. Cohen is Staff Administrator.

Jeff Kalpak, who has directed the awards ceremony for the past 15 seasons, will serve in the same capacity this year for the live event. Rich Bittner is the Line Producer. Lauren Class Schneider, who produced the Drama Desk Awards for the past 14 years, will return as Consulting Producer. Christopher Raphael, veteran Broadway Event Planner, has been retained as Gala Event Producer to oversee the production of the special gala events for the 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards. Robert R. Blume is the Executive Producer of the 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards.

Red Carpet Productions and its principal, Renee McCurry join the Drama Desk Awards team as an Associate Producer along with Les Schecter and Joseph Callari, a partner with Mr. Blume and Frank Fiorucci in Global Arts, a project of Eightonal Coalition, Inc, the 501c3 notfor-profit entity for the Drama Desk Awards whose mission is to support the arts and young artists. Randie Levine-Miller is Director of Special Events for the Drama Desk organization. The public relations and marketing for the 56th Annual Drama Desk Awards will be handled by LS Communications and Springer Associates Public Relations.

TheaterMania.com is returning as a lead media sponsor partner and The Broadway Channel is coming aboard as a new media sponsor for the Drama Desk Awards.

For additional information about the Drama Desk and this year's awards show, visit www.DramaDesk.com and www.DramaDeskAwards.com

 

The following awards were voted by the nominating committee and will be presented by the Drama Desk at its awards ceremony:

 

Outstanding Ensemble Performances

This year the nominators chose to bestow special ensemble awards for acting to the casts of two shows. Therefore, individual cast members for these shows were not eligible for acting awards in the competitive categories.

In Transit
The Normal Heart

Special Awards:
Each year, the Drama Desk votes special awards to recognize excellence and significant contributions to the theater. For 2010/2011, these awards are:
To A.R. Gurney for his enduring, keenly observed portraits of American life over a prolific four-decade-long career.
To Reed Birney for his versatile and finely nuanced performances over the past thirty-five years, and for his exceptional work this season in Tigers Be Still, A Small Fire and The Dream of the Burning Boy.
To The New Group and Artistic Director Scott Elliott for presenting contemporary new voices, and for uncompromisingly raw and powerful productions.
To The Pearl Theatre Company for notable productions of classic plays and nurturing a stalwart resident company of actors.
To the creative team of War Horse for thrilling stagecraft: Paule Constable, Marianne Elliott, 59 Productions, Adrian Kohler with Basil Jones for Handspring Puppet Company, Tom Morris, Rae Smith, Christopher Shutt, Toby Sedgwick, Adrian Sutton and John Tams.

The following are the nominations for the competitive categories. Winners will be selected by the voting membership of the Drama Desk:
Note:
Eligibility and award category designations for the productions under consideration this season were determined by the Drama Desk board of directors, with recommendations from the nominating committee. Because of the abundance of great work throughout the season, the board also authorized the increase in the number of nominees allowed in select categories.
Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Brief Encounter and The Scottsboro Boys were considered for their productions Off Broadway in the 2009-2010 season. Under Drama Desk rules, only new elements in their transfers to Broadway were eligible this season.

Outstanding Play:
Jon Robin Baitz, Other Desert Cities
Adam Bock, A Small Fire
Stephen Adly Guirgis, The Motherf**ker With the Hat
Samuel D. Hunter, A Bright New Boise
Rajiv Joseph, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
David Lindsay-Abaire, Good People
Nick Stafford, War Horse

Outstanding Musical:
In Transit
Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical
See Rock City & Other Destinations
Sister Act
The Book of Mormon
The Kid

Outstanding Revival of a Play:
Born Yesterday
The House of Blue Leaves
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Merchant of Venice
The Normal Heart
Three Sisters

Outstanding Revival of a Musical:
Anything Goes
Hello Again
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

Outstanding Actor in a Play:
Charles Busch, The Divine Sister
Bobby Cannavale, The Motherf**ker With the Hat
Al Pacino, The Merchant of Venice
Geoffrey Rush, The Diary of a Madman
Mark Rylance, Jerusalem
Michael Shannon, Mistakes Were Made
Paul Sparks, Dusk Rings a Bell

Outstanding Actress in a Play:
Nina Arianda, Born Yesterday
Stockard Channing, Other Desert Cities
Frances McDormand, Good People
Laurie Metcalf, The Other Place
Michele Pawk, A Small Fire
Lily Rabe, The Merchant of Venice

Outstanding Actor in a Musical:
Norbert Leo Butz, Catch Me if You Can
Colin Donnell, Anything Goes
Daniel Radcliffe, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Andrew Rannells, The Book of Mormon
Tony Sheldon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert:The Musical
Christopher Sieber, The Kid

Outstanding Actress in a Musical:
Sutton Foster, Anything Goes
Beth Leavel, Baby It's You!
Patina Miller, Sister Act
Donna Murphy, The People in the Picture
Sherie Rene Scott, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play:
Brian Bedford, The Importance of Being Earnest
Christian Borle, Peter and the Starcatcher
Boyd Gaines, The Grand Manner
Logan Marshall-Green, The Hallway Trilogy
Zachary Quinto, Angels in America
Tom Riley, Arcadia
Yul Vázquez, The Motherf**ker With the Hat

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play:
Lisa Emery, The Collection & A Kind of Alaska
Edie Falco, The House of Blue Leaves
Julie Halston, The Divine Sister
Sarah Nina Hayon, A Bright New Boise
Celia Keenan-Bolger, Peter and the Starcatcher
Linda Lavin, Other Desert Cities
Judith Light, Lombardi

Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical:
Adam Godley, Anything Goes
John Larroquette, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Brian Stokes Mitchell, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Rory O'Malley, The Book of Mormon
Bob Stillman, Hello Again
Tom Wopat, Catch Me if You Can

Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical:
Laura Benanti, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Kerry Butler, Catch Me if You Can
Victoria Clark, Sister Act
Jill Eikenberry, The Kid
Nikki M. James, The Book of Mormon
Patti LuPone, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Laura Osnes, Anything Goes

Outstanding Director of a Play:
Trip Cullman, A Small Fire
Joel Grey and George C. Wolfe, The Normal Heart
Moisés Kaufman, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Davis McCallum, A Bright New Boise
Daniel Sullivan,The Merchant of Venice
Kirjan Waage and Gwendolyn Warnock, Baby Universe

Outstanding Director of a Musical:
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Joe Calarco, In Transit
Jack Cummings III, Hello Again
Jack Cummings III, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, The Book of Mormon

Outstanding Choreography:
Rob Ashford, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett, Beautiful Burnout
Steven Hoggett, Peter and the Starcatcher
Kathleen Marshall, Anything Goes
Casey Nicholaw, The Book of Mormon
Siudy, Between Worlds

Outstanding Music:
Brad Alexander, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Alan Menken, Sister Act
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman, Catch Me if You Can
Mike Stoller and Artie Butler, The People in the Picture
David Yazbek, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Outstanding Lyrics:
Rick Crom, Newsical The Musical — Full Spin Ahead
Jack Lechner, The Kid
Adam Mathias, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon
Glenn Slater, Sister Act
Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, Catch Me if You Can

Outstanding Book of a Musical:
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth, In Transit
Iris Rainer Dart, The People in the Picture
Stephan Elliott and Allan Scott, Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical
Adam Mathias, See Rock City & Other Destinations
Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone, The Book of Mormon
Michael Zam, The Kid

Outstanding Orchestrations:
Mary-Mitchell Campbell, Hello Again
Bruce Coughlin, The Burnt Part Boys
Simon Hale, Jim Abbott and David Yazbek, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus, The Book of Mormon
Marc Shaiman and Larry Blank, Catch Me if You Can
Lynne Shankel, The Extraordinary Ordinary

Outstanding Music in a Play:
Wayne Barker, Peter and the Starcatcher
Kathryn Bostic, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Lars Petter Hagen, Baby Universe
Alan John, The Diary of a Madman
Tom Kitt, The Winter's Tale
Dan Moses Schreier,The Merchant of Venice

Outstanding Revue:
Fyvush Finkel Live!
Newsical The Musical — Full Spin Ahead
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles on Broadway

Outstanding Set Design:
Rachel Hauck, Orange, Hat & Grace
David Korins and Zachary Borovay (projection design), Lombardi
Derek McLane, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Derek McLane, Anything Goes
Tony Straiges, Treasure Island
Mark Wendland, The Merchant of Venice

Outstanding Costume Design:
Tim Chappel and Lizzy Gardiner, Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical
Desmond Heeley, The Importance of Being Earnest
Ann Hould-Ward, A Free Man of Color
Martin Pakledinaz, Anything Goes
Ann Roth, The Book of Mormon
Paloma Young, Peter and the Starcatcher

Outstanding Lighting Design:
Jean Kalman, John Gabriel Borkman
R. Lee Kennedy, See Rock City & Other Destinations
David Lander, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Laura Mroczkowski, Spy Garbo
Ben Stanton, The Whipping Man
David Weiner, A Small Fire

Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical:
Lindsay Jones, The Burnt Part Boys
Michael Rasbury, Hello Again
Brian Ronan, Anything Goes
Brian Ronan, The Book of Mormon
Jon Weston, In Transit

Outstanding Sound Design in a Play:
Acme Sound Partners, The Merchant of Venice
Acme Sound Partners and Cricket S. Myers, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo
Ian Dickinson, John Gabriel Borkman
Brett Jarvis, Baby Universe
Bray Poor, Wings
Eric Shimelonis, The Hallway Trilogy

Outstanding Solo Performance:
Daniel Beaty, Through the Night
Mike Birbiglia, Mike Birbiglia's My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
Juliette Jeffers, Batman and Robin in the Boogie Down
John Leguizamo, Ghetto Klown
Colin Quinn, Colin Quinn Long Story Short
Joanna Tope, The Promise

Unique Theatrical Experience:
Being Harold Pinter
Circus Incognitus
Gatz
Play Dead
Room 17B
Sleep No More

PRODUCTIONS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS
The Book of Mormon 12
Anything Goes             10
The Merchant of Venice          7
Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo       6
Catch Me If You Can 6
See Rock City & Other Destinations   6
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown          6
Hello Again     5
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying    5
Peter and the Starcatcher        5
Sister Act         5
The Kid           5
A Small Fire    4
In Transit         4
Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical    4
A Bright New Boise     3
Baby Universe             3
Other Desert Cities     3
The Importance of Being Earnest       3
The Motherf**ker with the Hat           3
The People in the Picture        3
Born Yesterday            2
Good People   2
John Gabriel Borkman           2
Lombardi        2
Newsical The Musical - Full Spin Ahead        2
The Burnt Part Boys   2
The Diary of a Madman          2
The Divine Sister         2
The Hallway Trilogy   2
The House of Blue Leaves       2
The Normal Heart       2

Cambridge Top 40 Sustainability Books of 2010

1. Accounting for Sustainability (Anthony Hopwood, Jeffrey Unerman & Jessica Frie

2. Adaptation to Climate Change in Southern Africa (Steffen Bauer & Imme Scholz)

3. A Blueprint for a Safer Planet (Nicholas Stern)

4. Building Social Business (Muhammad Yunus)

5. Cents and Sustainability (Michael H. Smith, Karlson ‘Charlie’ Hargroves & Cheryl Desh)

6. The Climate Files (Fred Pearce)

7. Corporate Community Involvement (Nick Lakin & Veronica Scheubel)

8. CSR for HR (Cohen)

9. CSR Strategies (Sri Urip)

10. Dynamic Sustainabilities (Melissa Leach, Ian Scoones & Andy Stirling)

11. The Economics of Climate Change in China (FAN Gang, Nicholas Stern, Ottmar Edenhofer, XU Shanda, Klas Eklund, Frank Ackerman, Lailai LI and Karl Hallding)

12. Factor Five (Ernst von Weizsacker, Karlson 'Charlie' Hargroves, Michael H. Smith, Cheryl Desha & Peter Stasinopoulos)

13. Freefall (Joseph E. Stiglitz)

14. Globalizing Responsibility (Clive Barnett, Paul Cloke, Nick Clarke & Alice Malpass)

15. Finders Keepers? (Terence Daintit)

16. Harmony (HRH The Prince of Wales, Tony Juniper and Ian Skelly)

17. How Bad Are Bananas? (Mike Berners-Lee)

18. Innovative CSR (Céline Louche, Samuel O. Idowu & Walter Leal Filho)

19. Integrated Sustainable Design of Buildings (Paul Appleby)

20. Nature and Culture (Sarah Pilgrim and Jules Prett)

21. The New Pioneers (Tania Ellis)

22. The New Rules of Green Marketing (Jacquelyn A. Ottman)

23. Next Generation Business Strategies for the Base of the Pyramid (Ted London & Stuart L. Hart)

24. Our Choice (Al Gore)

25. Peoplequake (Fred Pearce)

26. The Positive Deviant (Sara Parkin)

27. The Power of Sustainable Thinking (Bob Doppelt)

28. Prosperity Without Growth (Tim Jackson)

29. Requiem for a Species (Clive Hamilton)

30. Responsible Business (Manfred Pohl & Nick Tolhurst)

31. The Responsibility Revolution (Jeffrey Hollender & Bill Breen)

32. Smart Solutions to Climate Change (Bjorn Lomborg)

33. The Spirit Level (Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett)

34. Sustainability Education (Paula Jones, David Selby & Stephen Sterlin

35. Sustainability in Austerity (Philip Monaghan)

36. The Sustainable MBA (Giselle Weybrecht)

37. Tackling Wicked Problems (Valerie A. Brown, John A. Harris & Jacqueline Y. Russell

38. Too Smart for Our Own Good (Craig Dilworth)

39. The Top 50 Sustainability Books (Wayne Visser & CPSL)

40. The World Guide to CSR (Wayne Visser & Nick Tolhurst)

Okay the Warriors weren't that bad, but they weren't this bad.

[photo via lawshucks.com]

Before we hand out end of the season grades make sure to flip back to 2010-2011 Golden State Warriors All-Star Break Report Cards.

Then JUMP!

Traded or Cut

Brandan Wright: F

For years many in the local media and in the Warriors fanbase screamed at Nellie for not giving Wright more burn. For some reason they took it to extremes and tried to claim Nellie's lack of minutes for Wright were the reason they missed the playoffs in 2008 and struggled so mightily in 2009.

The most winningest coach in NBA history was right and you were wrong.

Brandan Wright is simply no good. He PEAKED under Nellie and was simply even more terrible after getting traded to the New Jersey Nets- 3.6ppg (40.7% FG), 3.0 rpg.

By the way Jason Richardson- some random guard you might remember that weighs 15 pounds more than this power forward Chris Mullin foolishly broke up WE BELIEVE for-  was a key component of last year's Western Conference Playoff Phoenix Suns team and is headed to at least the second round this year in the East.

Rodney Carney: D+

It doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but was he really that bad that he deserved to get cut? It's funny when you think about it. The Memphis Grizzlies cut Acie Law. The Warriors pick up Law. The Warriors cut Rodney Carney. The Grizzlies pick up Carney. These franchise altering moves make LeBron's Decision 2010 look so uneventful! 

Dan Gadzuric: C

This UCLA big man was bringing it whenever he got a few minutes. He gave the Warriors some nice intensity on D.

 

Should Be Cut

Vladimir Radmanovic: D+

Nellie would NEVER give playing time to Radmanovic (for good reason). Coach Smart thought it was a good idea to give Radmanovic playing time. Vlad Rad had some moments, but overall Nellie was right here. 

Acie Law: C

Coach Smart loves watching this waived Grizzlie play instead of Stephen Curry late in games. The rest of the world does not. 

Andris Biedrins: F

Biedrins is the worst member of the starting 5, started about 30 more games than he should've, and got about 5-8 minutes of undeserved playing time each night. Biedrins' usage is one of Coach Keith Smart's biggest failures this season. Someone explain to me how it's a good idea to start each game running offensive plays through an uncoordinated center with no post moves and attacks the basket with the ferocity of a little mouse?

How can such a terrible free throw shooter have the audacity to reject the tutelage of a Hall of Famer like Rick Barry? Easy. They got paid and they don't care.

Quit with the excuses. You don't know basketball like Nellie does. Don't pretend you do.

The Warriors are stuck with this soft center who has no desire to improve his game thanks to Chris Mullin and Robert Rowell outbidding themselves to the tune of 6 years and $63 million when Biedrins was a restricted free agent with no offers from any other team.

Jeff Adrien: D-

He didn't do much before the Warriors cut him this season and he didn't do much after they recalled him back from the D-League.

Charlie Bell: F

If you GOT PAID to sit in floor seats for 82 NBA basketball games would you act a fool? Don't drink and drive kids.

 

Youngsters with Hope

Ekpe Udoh: C+

Udoh lived up to his "Nightmare" nickname is both good and bad ways. He was a nightmare for them on D with his commitment to protecting the paint, but a nightmare for us on the glass (6.3 rebounds/ 36 minutes- not an acceptable rate for a big man at all).

If there's one guy I could see defying the odds (his age and rookie year stats) it's this guy. I could see Udoh being a low-scoring Clifford Robinson type with a some Dikembe Mutombo blocking ability. Uncle Cliffy was never a strong rebounder, but a very strong and savvy defender. He also worked his way to becoming a very nice jumpshooter, which Udoh has shown glimpses of. The Mutombo connection comes not because of the 3.0 blocks/ per 36 minutes rate. If Udoh hits the weights this offseason and continues to work hard while staying injury free this summer the Warriors are going to be very happy with this sophomore.

Stephen Curry: B

My biggest fear is that Curry is a sweet shooting undersized shooting guard who fouls and turns the ball over way too much. My biggest hope is that Curry was just held back this year by Coach Smart. Curry's scoring efficiency is uncanny, but his turnovers need to be cut down. Let's hope the Warriors next coach can help Curry take his game to the next level. The future of this franchise is dependent on it.

Jeremy Lin: C-

Lin needs to call the Shot Doctor. He needs to build his jumpshot from the ground up. It's hard not to dig his hustle and defense though. He could have a nice, long career in the NBA as a defensive specialist of the bench.  

Role Players

Dorell Wright: B+

Great story. Dorell (that's 1 R, 2 L's, and 1 joke that never was that funny) managed to score more this season than his previous 6 seasons combined. He also made a Warriors franchise record 194 3-pointers. Next season I'm just hoping for some consistency and more defensive output. Great find by GM Larry Riley's front office. 

Al Thornton: C-

This guy likes to score. Does he like to do any*thing else? 

Louis Amundson: D+

Amundson did not have a healthy first season here and the Warriors didn't really get much. There was a big opportunity for Amundson with Biedrins' horrendous play, but he wasn't able to step up.

 

The Big Money Players (meaning they get paid a lot of bucks)

Monta Ellis: B

Help me out on this one. I feel like Monta was much better this season than last, but his scoring dipped slightly and he had the worst rebounding year of his career. He did play big minutes night in and night out and he did lower his unsightly turnover rate while picking up his assist rate. He does seem like he's defending better, but he's no stopper. Was he really better this season compared to last or were there just less tantrums and negativity from him with Nellie gone?

David Lee: B-

It could've been a better season if his buddy from New York brushed his teeth more regularly. It could've been a better season if he wasn't paired up with possibly the worst starting center in the league Andris Biedrins. It could've been better if he played alongside Ekpe Udoh more (they seem to really cover up each other's weaknesses on help defense and on the glass). I could've been been better, but it wasn't. It still was solid and was the best output the Warriors have had from the 4-spot since 1994.

Andris Biedrins: F

Oh yeah the guy that got paid $1.8 million less than David Lee (who gets way too much blame), but the one that the media and fans for some odd reason break out the kiddie gloves for.

Monta Ellis was the #1 reason why the Warriors stunk up the join in 2009-2010 with Moped Gate. In 2010-2011 the #1 reason was the historically absurd number of injuries the team faced. (Though many haters would like you to think it was Don Nelson, mostly because of their absurd infatuation with a terribly unqualified and performing front office man Chris Mullin.) But the #1 reason why the Warriors stunk up the joint this season was the horrific performance and attitude of Andris Biedrins. Yes that guy who is on the books for two more seasons at $9 million with a player option in 2013-2014, which I imagine he'll be picking up. $27 million more for a player that just put up 5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and keeps getting worse.

(See above for more on the #1 reason)

 

Coaching and Management

Coach Keith Smart: C-

I like Coach Keith Smart. Nice guy, hard worker, hoops lifer. But here's some issues I can't get over:

• His stubborn insistence of gift wrapping Andris Biedrins a starting spot and playing time. Running plays for him to open up games was a joke.
• His usage and treatment of Stephen Curry. Something tells me if Curry had the bad attitude and immaturity of Monta Ellis, we would be hearing more about this.
• His refusal to run pick-and-rolls with Curry/ Ellis and Lee/ Biedrins.

 

GM Larry Riley: C+

The plusses are bringing on David Lee (the best power forward this franchise has had since Chris Webber- the first time around), adding veteran Dorell Wright for what amounts to pennies in the NBA, and adding a solid defensive prospect in Ekpe Udoh.

The minuses are not adding a much needed quality 3rd guard, going into the season with Andris Biedrins as the team's starting center, and of course no playoffs.

People like to whine about the Warriors inactivity at the trade deadline, but it really seems like they were constrained without a tradable 1st rounder (thanks to Mullin's idiotic trade for Marcus Williams). I'm not sure who you blame for not seriously looking into Gerald Wallace (seems like the perfect addition)- was it ownership?

President Robert Rowell: C-

Someone explain to me how an executive who approved the absurdly dumb contracts of Derek Fisher, Adonal Foyle, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, and Andris Biedrins still has a job? About the only thing Rowell has done right during his tenure is firing Chris Mullin. Too bad he didn't fire himself too.

I will give Rowell credit though. That Stephen Jackson extension isn't looking as mad as everyone (including myself) made it out to be. Captain Fraud is still performing at a high level and he'll be worth the $20 million for the next 2 seasons. I'm still haunted by this game. I will also give him credit for overriding Mullin's extension for Baron Davis. Do you realize the Clippers just gave away a high lottery pick so they wouldn't have to pay him $29 million over the next 2 years? What a terrible contract. Rowell saved the Warriors big time there.

Ownership: F

To be honest it doesn't feel so "new". It was a very disappointing first year that could have been much more entertaining with a better chance at the playoffs if they didn't fire Don Nelson a week before training camp. Nellie was by the way the very same coach that had a ROOKIE Stephen Curry putting up much better numbers at the end of last season compared to his sophomore campaign.

Stephen Curry Under Nellie with D-League Teammates

• Post All-Star break: 22.1 ppg (46.8% FG, 44% 3pt, 90.6% FT), 7.7 apg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 steals
• April: 26.4 ppg (46.8% FG, 47.2% 3pt, 89.5% FT), 8.1 apg, 6.1 rpg, 2.6 steals

Stephen Curry Under Keith Smart with Infinitely Better Teammates

• 18.6 ppg (still phenomenal shooting), 5.8 apg, 3.9 rpg, 1.5 steals

 

Summary

For the most part it was a fairly uneventful season for the Warriors. You could even say it was pretty boring. In 2007 there was WE BELIEVE, in 2008 there was 48 wins, in 2009 there was at least Moped Gate drama, in 2010 there was Nellie's record and the Golden State D-Leaguers that played with Golden State of Heart. This year there really wasn't much.

To be honest, I have no idea if the Warriors are headed in the right direction. There's a ton of questions heading into the offseason, but that's what makes this fun.

Poll

Which Warrior had the most disappointing season?

• Monta Ellis
• Stephen Curry
• David Lee
• Reggie Williams
• Andris Biedrins
• Brandan Wright
• Other (specify in comments)

  168 votes | Results

Parody song superhero Weird Al Yankovic has been doing his thing his way for over 25 years now; for a good stretch of that time, getting a Weird Al remake was a sign you had truly made it, and everyone from Michael Jackson to Nirvana gave their hearty approval at Weird Al's accordion-laced, PG-13 homages. But it seems Weird Al has hit a little snag with his latest parody: the Lady Gaga doth protest. [HAPPY UPDATE BELOW] [ more › ]

Online destinations are vying for ad dollars this Upfront season, but they aren’t the only ones courting advertisers with web original programming. BET today announced its new slate of shows for its 2011 Upfront presentation tonight in New York City. In addition to the Viacom-owned network’s staples - like the Hip Hop Awards and 106 and Park - BET is adding a handful of web sereis to its roster, many of which were created, written by, and star individuals who Tubefilter readers will find familiar. The shows include: Lenox Avenue - A dramatic web series that tells the story of three male friends in their mid-twenties, who are good dressers and busy navigating the rough terrain of love, relationships and careers. Set in Harlem, this series is produced by Al Thompson’s (Johnny B. Homeless, The Royal Tenenbaums) ValDean Entertainment and features Thompson as Owen and Dorian Missick (Lucky Nember) as Sellars. Michael K. Williams and Jamie Hector from HBO's hit series The Wire and Vanessa Bell Calloway of The Closer to make guest appearances. Odessa - A Sci-Fi web series that follows a man and his young daughter, Odessa, who have been on the run for as long as they can remember from the clandestine college university science program that bestowed them with psychokinetic abilities. They must avoid the pursuers at all costs or be hunted down and used as living weapons. Odessa is also a ValDean Entertainment production featuring Thompson, Skai Jackson (Arthur, Boardwalk Empire) as Odessa, Richard Herd (Star Trek), Fullvio Cecere (Battlestar Galactica), Mark Gantt (The Bannen Way), James DeBello (Cabin Fever), and Clayne Crawford (24). Bryan Rolling is Thompson’s producing partner and George Rivera (Rhyme Animal) is his writing partner on the series, while Angel Acevedo (We Need Girlfriends), Jesse Warren (The Bannen Way), and Alex Albrecht (Diggnation) are on board to direct a few episodes. (I told you there were going to be a lot of names you’d recognize!) The Come Up - Equal parts drama and comedy, this series follows the lives of seven teens in Washington, D.C. as they actively pursue their dreams to make it as future music executives, doctors, lawyers, and superstar athletes. But first they have to make it through high school. Set at Silver Spring High School and the Duke Ellington School of the Performing Arts, this show is driven by storylines that focus on the cast's relationships with one other and the dilemmas they face on their path to adulthood. Asylum - A thriller created by Dan Williams and directed by Scott Brown (Blue Movies) that follows a team of doctors as they diagnose and treat patients at the infamous St. Dympna hospital for the criminally insane. Along the way, we will discover intriguing secrets about the staff and learn more about the asylum's mysterious past. Related News:

1. ValDean Entertainment’s One-Two Punch: ‘Johnny B Homeless’ and ‘Lenox Avenue’
2. ‘Asylum’: Scott Brown’s Sophomore Web Series Takes a Dark Turn
3. ‘Asylum’ Opens Its Head Case Hospital, Will It Break Out?

Apparently Lady Gaga didn’t get Chamillionaire’s memo. When the Houston Chronicle asked the Houston-born rapper how he felt about Weird Al turning his hit single Ridin’ into an anthem for caucasian Apple users, Renaissance fair fans and editors of Wikipedia, Chamillionaire responded with this: “It's one thing to go platinum. Where do you go from there? Then Weird Al calls.” Traditionally, a parody from Weird Al is a status symbol most musicians and pop stars covet, revere, or at least greatly appreciate. Sam Anderson notes in an article for Slate how Michael Jackson donated the parodist “his Bad set for the Fat video, and Nirvana loaned him their janitor.” Thee have been a dozen or so famous cases of conscientious Yankovic rejection, but those instances are few and far between. You can now, however, add Gaga to the list. Sort of. Today, Weird Al uploaded his latest single to YouTube. It’s a spoof on Lady Gaga’s Born this Way called Perform this Way that parodies the singer’s “larger-than-life image.” Today, Yankovic also wrote on his blog about why he’s uploading his latest single to YouTube and not releasing it with the rest of his in-the-works-but-almost-done album. The Gaga Saga goes like this:

Los Ángeles (EE.UU.).- La actriz Elsa Pataky impone su ley como agente brasileña de operaciones especiales en "Fast Five", quinta entrega de la explosiva saga "A todo gas", que supone el debut de la española en una superproducción de Hollywood.

Pataky, aficionada al mundo del motor, reconoció a Efe en Los Ángeles que se sintió como pez en el agua en un filme donde se mueve entre tipos duros, como mano derecha del policía interpretado por el ex luchador Dwayne Johnson ("El rey escorpión") y vinculada emocionalmente con el protagonista encarnado por Vin Diesel.

"Soy una chica de acción", admitió Pataky, que tuvo que someterse a un programa de entrenamiento especial en Puerto Rico sobre manejo de armas y tácticas de asalto para su papel.

"Soy la primera que se sube a un tejado, y me hubiera encantado hacer mucho más de lo que hice, pero no querían poner en riesgo a los actores. Había muchas secuencias bastante peligrosas", comentó la televisiva actriz, quien echó de menos sentarse al volante de alguno de los bólidos del filme.

"Voy de copiloto disparando, vamos en persecución, pero no he podido por desgracia conducir nada más que un vehículo SWAT, aunque esos no corren mucho. Insistí para que hicieran una secuencia conmigo en una Ducati, pero no pudo ser", declaró Pataky, que confesó que está "encantada" con el filme y dispuesta a volver en una secuela.

"Si funciona ésta y se hace una más y mi personaje gusta... tiene una continuidad", aseguró.

"Fast Five", dirigida por Justin Li, realizador de las dos películas anteriores ("Aún más rápido", 2009, y "A todo gas - Tokyo race", 2006) lleva a Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) y Dom Toretto (Diesel) y su equipo de alta velocidad hasta Brasil.

Estos delincuentes sobre ruedas confían en que un último golpe en Río de Janeiro limpie sus nombres y les permita dejar de huir de las autoridades, que les siguen los pasos, igual que la mafia.

"Esta película tiene un presupuesto de 160 millones de dólares (110,27 millones de euros) y, acostumbrada a rodar películas de menos de tres millones, es impresionante", explicó la española, que reside desde hace tiempo en Los Ángeles, donde trata de abrirse camino en el competitivo mundo de Hollywood.

"Nosotros al final tenemos un acento, pero el estar en una película como ésta te abre muchas puertas a pruebas mayores. Todo es más difícil, es evidente que sí. Ahora quiero esperar a ver cómo va el filme para ver qué hacer después. Hay un par de cosas pendientes", indicó Pataky.

La actriz, que en 2006 estrenó "Serpientes en el avión" con Samuel L. Jackson, tiene previsto seguir alternando la meca del cine con Europa, donde en 2010 lanzó "Di Di Hollywood" y "Mr. Nice", y Latinoamérica, aunque, como su compatriota Paz Vega, también residente en Los Ángeles, se queja de las pocas ofertas que le llegan de su país.

"Surgen pocos proyectos en España. Parece que, como estamos aquí, ya no trabajamos por allí, y la verdad es que lo estamos deseando", reivindicó Pataky, quien tuvo que rechazar aparecer en la cinta de aventuras de cómic español "Capitán Trueno" por coincidir con "Fast Five".

"Cosas del destino, no pude hacer nada. También me pasó con una de Woody Allen", afirmó.

Además de por "Fast Five", que llega a las carteleras el 29 de abril, Elsa Pataky ha sido noticia recientemente por sus nupcias con el australiano Chris Hemsworth, uno de los actores del momento en Hollywood por protagonizar la esperada "Thor", que estará en los cines también a finales de mes.

"No podemos estar juntos en las giras de promoción, aunque quizá yo me pueda escapar a su premiere en EE.UU.", adelantó la actriz, que dijo sentirse "más contenta" como mujer casada.

"Nos hemos visto un montón, durante los últimos meses hemos estado disfrutando juntos, y ha sido ahora cuando nos hemos separado por las películas", aclaró Pataky, que contrajo matrimonio a finales de 2010 y no descarta ser madre.

"No me gusta mucho hacer planes, lo que surja surgirá. Tener una familia, por supuesto. Una mujer a la que le gustan los niños quiere tener una familia", explicó.