Month: November 2015

The New James Bond: My three candidates

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Spectre is thriving at the box office and even though Daniel Craig is contractually obligated to scrap on the tux, take a beating and pound shaken martinis one more time, I want to talk about the future of the franchise. Who plays him next? Craig sounded exhausted on the press tour for the latest adventure, so I would be surprised if he did more than one more ride. He has one foot out the door so let’s talk who plays him next. Here are my three candidates.

Michael Fassbender

He is suave, taunt, intense and has the build to slide right into MI6’s high wire theatrics. He hasn’t played a character like this either, yet built his career similar to Craig’s on solid roles and art house fare. He has a head start on the mainstream, having played Magneto and Steve Jobs in recent movies. The point is, seeing Fassbender here wouldn’t be tiring or a sad case of “seen that, forget it” misfortune. He can act and slays the ladies. Did you watch Shame? He can play a sad Lothario as well.

Tom Hardy

Cut from the same type of bulldog mold as Craig, Hardy has proven himself in action roles yet fares equally well in independent films. He has a presence that few can attain through film school or director longing. When he shows up, authenticity takes precedent over mere make believe. He’s played a Batman villain, filled Mad Max’s shoes, and rocked different accents in Locke and The Drop. His role in Bronson will forever be his ticket to the table, but signature roles in Lawless and the recent Legend stamp his place as a force to reckon with. I can easily picture him as the first Bond with a five o’clock shadow.

Idris Elba

Suck it Anthony Horowitz. The Bond author slammed the British actor’s credentials as a future Bond because he was too “street”. Aka too black. How shortsighted and unfortunate. If you have taken the time to watch Luther, the BBC detective series with Idris leading the party, you know how good he would be as Britain’s most famous cinematic creation. He has the look, the voice and the build to knock the role out. He also may add a sense of humor to the reckless agent.

These are my three guys. My bet is Craig shrugs his shoulders and takes a huge paycheck to come back for a 5th film. He wasn’t the problem with Spectre but the director and writer need to produce a better setting and appetite for the actor to play around in. If he leaves, go with one of the sly fellows mentioned above.

Sports, nationalities, multi-tasking and why I watch

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Let me get something off my chest…

While I was watching a boxing match Saturday night, a conversation broke out about whether Canelo Alvarez was 100% Mexican or allegedly..maybe..Irish. I don’t know. Something weird. He’s pale and has red hair so what if all albinos with a possible storage of red hair dye are hiding something. Anyway, I digress.

As we were having this glorious conversation, a fight was happening. A boxing match. What I paid 70 dollars to watch. 

In case you never watched a boxing match before, fights move fast. They are 12 three minute rounds with a pace that can be strict and without a care in the world for the people’s cash. They are not like football, which has commercials, breaks between quarters, and bigger breaks at halftime for conversation to break out and sponsors to make boatloads of cash. Where people can discuss the action while the players wait and their muscles get cold. Boxing moves at a big clip. Fighters don’t get big breaks. Boxing and MMA athletes smash each other in the face for three minutes at a time, so that is what I want to watch.

For me, I don’t give a fuck where a guy is from when I’m watching him fight. I really don’t. I don’t turn the TV on or pay extra money to watch two guys fight because Miguel Cotto’s nationality is Puerta Rican but he was born in Rhode Island. I don’t care if Alvarez was born in Mexico, speaks Spanish but may have Irish descent because he has red hair. 

Once the two fighters step between the ropes, where they are from means little to the outcome. I want to root for a particular fighter not because he is from a certain country or was raised here or there. It’s a great story that Manny Pacquiao is from the Philippines and he helps his country and gives back. That isn’t why I like him. I like him because he gets into that ring, walks forward, and has an intent to hit the other guy in the face often and from many angles. I like Pac because he doesn’t talk shit before a fight. He lets his hands be the judges. I like him because he is a good fighter, not because he is a weird eccentric Filipino who likes to have a concert after he is done fighting.

Same for football, hockey, and baseball. Any sport. Once they step on the field or the ice, it doesn’t matter where they are from, at least not for me. Sell papers elsewhere. Maybe during the Olympics or World Cup, where players from each country come together and compete. Yeah, maybe. Then again, I don’t watch them that much.

I watch boxing, baseball, football and hockey for the action that takes place inside the ring, field or 200 feet of ice. Why else would you watch it? Why debate something that has little to do with the event at hand? If they are running for political office, go ahead. If it is sports, who cares?

What makes Canelo Alvarez a great boxer and future superstar is his ability inside the ring. What sells posters and t-shirts will be his distinct look. The red hair, pale skin, and sharp Mexican accent. Casual fans and media eat that shit up. Guys want hair dye and girls want to fuck him. It sells papers and pushes it along. What will carve his name in the great history of boxing is his ability to fight 47 times and only lose once, knocking out over 30 of those opponents. What will make him great is beating championship level fighters like Austin Trout, Esalandry Lara and Cotto. What makes him great is packing Minute Maid Park in May and demolishing James Kirkland in the third round and having the audience cheer even though they just paid 100 bucks to watch a fight last less than 9 minutes. What will make him a great boxer will have little to do with his nationality or look. This isn’t a boy band. It’s fighting.

Canelo may be Irish but that isn’t why I want to watch him fight. 

Saturday wasn’t the first time I heard this, nor will it be the last so don’t take it personally. Just listen and digest a healthy opinion. Sometimes, you just have to get things off your chest. So feelings don’t get hurt and clarity is found.

By the way, when it comes to multi-tasking, I’m the fucking master! I clean my home daily(dishes, floors and everything else), sometimes seven times a day. I do that while doing ALL the laundry and cooking most of the meals. I do all of that while writing 3-4 articles a day that I DON’T get paid for, in addition to two others that I do get paid for. I do that while watching over a four year old rambunctious boy 24/7/365 for the past year save two months.  I do all of that while being a good husband to a Wonder Woman type hard working wife and staying in great shape at 33 years old. I do all of this while watching A SHIT ton of TV and actively social networking. That makes me the motherfucking MASTER of multi-tasking!

End of rant-DLB

This is how I feel right now…….

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I think Matt Lauria is American but let me ask him on Twitter.

Mockingjay Part 2 fails to register

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Sorry Katniss Everdeen. I’ve seen better finales than this. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part Two(still way too long) failed to register.

After four years and four cash cow entries, the feeling I got when I left this rebellion joint was a lack of satisfaction. That’s the problem when you decide to split up the final book of a popular book series. After Mockingjay Part One came and disappointed with its drab storyline and overwrought atmosphere, expectations were high for this finale. The gamble didn’t pay off.

If you don’t know the plot, let me bring you up to speed. Katniss(Jennifer Lawrence, legit but bored and out of tears) is still the face of the rebellion against President Snow(Donald Sutherland, the only person having any fun) and his evil empire of tyranny. When she is told to merely wage war via camera and inspire the rebels to fight Snow and his men, she has other plans. She wants to kill Snow, but will have to get past many obstacles to do so, including dragging the audience on the driest love triangle of all time.

Seriously, the Peeta or Gale contest grew old two movies ago. It drags down the action here. It doesn’t help that Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutchinson seem like misplaced jocks from the Twilight films. Hemsworth is so bad. It must be hard at Thanksgiving when your brother is Thor. He sucks. Go back to playing the heartthrob or use your accent in a different film.

There are few surprises. Having read the book, the film is a series of check marks. The raids. The ambush set up by the Games. The explosions. The longing looks extended between Katniss, Gale and Peeta. More explosions. Too much talking. The ending feels completely tacked on after a depressing climax. In the book, which wasn’t well received, the ending didn’t land with such a thud.

The action is thrilling in parts but doesn’t pack enough of a punch. The attack of “The Mutts” is scary yet reminded me of I Am Legend zombies. The climax, so powerfully written in the book, fizzles here in the film. Whenever in doubt, Lawrence just blows things up.

The film plays long and wears on the viewer. Watching the story take its final swings, the viewer waits for that final point of interest and it never comes. The cast is game yet tired. Lawrence has always been the difference in these films, a wicked combo of strength, attitude and beauty that is worth fighting for and watching. Here, even her Katniss doesn’t have a place.

There isn’t enough of Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch. He is the vital comic relief that is missing from this overly serious film. The presence of Philip Seymour Hoffman is just sad and wasted. Julianne Moore casts a cold spell as Coin, a woman who has more up her sleeve than good will and harmony. Sutherland is good at smug sinister moves, but his character is all too familiar.

Collins’ books aimed to tell a world weary tale that mirrors the modern world and possibly the future that awaits us, but it isn’t interesting enough nor does it connect with the viewer. The propaganda, rebellion, and political ideals are all there, but none of it registers. The first two films were thrilling exhibits of human sacrifice and heroism and kept you plugged in. The final two films bog everything down in a boring heap of nonsense.

This is the kind of movie you get up from your seat and shrug your shoulders at. It wasn’t good, bad or ugly. It wasn’t disappointing. It just wasn’t fulfilling enough to justify the split of the final book and the cliffhanger trap placed in Part one. After a great start to the franchise, The Hunger Games ended with a whimper. Save your hard earned theater cash for other more worthy films.

So long for just a while, Nick Foles

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Sooner or later, it had to happen. The St. Louis Rams passing offense ranked near the bottom of the league. Jeff Fisher kept saying they would fix things. They would work on things. Well, you can’t work on crap.

NFL: Preseason-Indianapolis Colts at St. Louis Rams
Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports

After a terrible effort where he made Jay Cutler look like Tom Brady by comparison, Nick Foles has lost his job as starting quarterback. The only thing he has right now is financial security. Two thirds of his preseason minted three year/26 million dollar extension is guaranteed. He will be a high paid clipboard holding scout team running quarterback for a few weeks. Foles earned that spot.

People weren’t too excited to see Case Keenum get the keys because they think he is a Foles clone. Well, until I see Keenum, a former Houston Texan, overthrow or all together misfire eight different throws in a single game, he is an upgrade over The Philly kid. If Keenum can connect on a ten yard pass or hit a deep route, he’s golden. If he doesn’t find a way to miss the gigantic body of Jared Cook on a wide open play, Keenum will be okay against the not what it once was Baltimore Ravens defense.

Maybe Foles should start against division rivals only. His best games in 2015 were against Seattle, Arizona and San Francisco. He had quarterback passing ratings of 115.8, 126.9 and 101.9 against those guys. In those games, he threw five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Did he make a special sandwich the night before? Wake up on the right side of the bed. Get shave. Have a good cup of coffee. Hit up Mom’s Deli before the game. There’s no telling, but in the other games he was average at best and terrible often. He threw two touchdowns and slung six picks. He had a 23.8 rating against the Green Bay Packers when sensational running back Todd Gurley was carrying him and the offense on his not so broad shoulders. He had a 68 PR against the Minnesota Vikings and a 53 rating against the Bears. Foles could mess up a wet dream.

He’s done. For now. I don’t think we will see Foles for three weeks at least. The Rams can’t afford to completely quit on him. Keenum has to prove himself.  Behind him, it’s Sean Mannion, their recent quarterback draftee. They traded the oft injured Sam Bradford(who hurt his shoulder again and was concussed Sunday) for Foles, a Chip Kelly prodigy who apparently his good arm up East. This guy is bad. Stinky bad. He’s not hurt like Sam, but he might as well be missing something.

It comes down to making throws my friends. Your receivers may drop a few and kill a couple drives but a good quarterback has to be able to overcome his receivers mediocre lot in life and find a way to connect. For nine pitiful games, Foles showed zero consistency. He was the Rams ineptitude over the Jeff Fisher regime. Not good enough. Not even close.

Can Keenum produce better results? He can’t do any worse. The receivers will publicly rally around Foles while quietly celebrating the change. This is a money game. Receivers want to get paid. They can’t do that trying to impersonate Shaq. Keenum may not be Aaron Rodgers but he will be something different. For now that’s good enough.

 

 

Cotto vs. Canelo: Clash of the Titans

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AFP 546534526 S BOX USA NV
AFP PHOTO/ John Gurzinski/Getty Images 

Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez will produce the fight of the year. These aren’t boxers who train for six weeks only to run around a ring for twelve rounds. They carry the intent to let their hands go once the bell dings. They carry the intent to wage war on each other. It won’t be a matter of who is ahead on points at the end of the fight. It will be who is merely standing.

Each fighter is known for never backing down from a tough opponent. They don’t take easy fights. Look at their losses and the best of the best, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., are the only people able to stop them within the laws of a boxing ring.

This fight brings together two furiously passionate boxing countries, Puerto Rico and Mexico. Cotto, the 35 year old four time champion who calls the PR powered New York his stomping ground, is fighting to stay in the big fight business. Alvarez, 25, the Mexican pale white red headed superstar, is looking to retire the older fighter and take ownership of his now vacant(Cotto forfeited it this week due to not paying a sanctioning fee) WBC title belt. This isn’t just about belts, blood and battles. This is about legacy.

Since he rediscovered his lost touch in the ring with trainer Freddie Roach, Cotto has been a different boxer, going 3-0 with two stoppages and a knockout. A man possessed in the ring, sending Sergio Martinez to his retirement party early. Canelo is fresh off bashing brawler James Kirkland in Houston, surprising many by vanquishing him in the third round with ease. In a fight that many saw as a fist willed test, Canelo produced his most impressive result to date by knocking Kirkland out cold.

Canelo has superstar written all over him. He carries a record of 45-1-1, with 32 knockouts supporting that win total. The only loss coming to Mayweather Jr. two years ago. Cotto, 40-4 with 33 knockouts, is coming off an impressive win over Daniel Geale in June. He is 3-0 with Roach and looking to extend his career with a win over Canelo.

Why is this fight going to be sensational? Styles make fights and this is a perfect matchup of two sluggers. Cotto and Alvarez can box and move their head enough to extend a fight, but they aren’t known for taking steps backwards in a ring. They move forward, hunt, peck, and work until the opponent is surrounded. They unleash vigorous combinations that don’t just get their opponents attention. They stun the nervous system. They are each known for their vicious hooks and the ability to crash the body with assault. They aren’t street brawlers, but far from defensive strategists. Most boxers devise a game plan that keeps them safe in the ring while securing victory. These two guys have no such plans. They will go out on their sword before fighting a conservative match.

Do yourself a favor and don’t worry about the belt drama. Miguel Cotto didn’t want to pay a ridiculous fee to have the WBC sanction his belt in the fight, so he gave it up. They want him to also pay an 800K step aside fee to Gennady Golovkin. If Canelo wins, he gets the belt. If Cotto wins, the belt goes to Golovkin, the opponent for the winner of this fight. It’s all a murky mess, outside the ring boxing politics that shouldn’t concern fight fans. It doesn’t affect the average boxing fan who has what belt going into the ring Saturday night.

Know this. This is going to be the fight of the year. All other fights will pale in comparison. It’s not one sided or easy to call. It won’t be boring. Will Canelo use his newfound boxing expertise to keep distance between him and Cotto for him to land his big shots? Can Cotto use his veteran skill to break into the areas of the ring where Canelo feels are his? Who lands the big shots? Who gets hurt first? While Canelo is a favorite to win in the Vegas books, the outcome is not so easy to determine due to the skill set of these two true boxers. One could think Canelo, ten years younger, is simply too much for Cotto, who is prone to wearing down late in a fight. The other may think Canelo isn’t seasoned enough to take down a never better Cotto.

Between these two fighters, there are 65 knockouts. Only five losses, all to championship level fighters. Each fighter has a chip on their shoulder. Something to prove. This could be Cotto’s last big title fight. A chance to stay in the spotlight. This is Canelo’s opportunity to seize the moment and finally equal the hype that has surrounded him his entire career. Outside the ring, two countries known for facing off against each other over the brutal sport of boxing, will look on in amazement at their best products take aim at each other in the ring.

This is an exciting fight. Go watch it. Watch it with boxing lovers. Admirers of the sweet science and people who miss the good old days. A time where two men met in a ring to fight and left the politics to the suits outside of it. They don’t make them like Cotto and Canelo anymore and you won’t see many fights like this one. These are the fights many promoters stay away from because of the unpredictability of it all.

Tonight in Las Vegas, two warriors meet in the ring. Only one can make it out. One  will win. One will lose. If a draw occurs, the ring will need scrubbing. Saturday night will be a good night for boxing.

 

At The Knick: Whiplash review

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The-Knick-season-2This week at Steven Soderbergh’s vivid 1900’s bare hands life saving shack, Doctor Thackery was getting his groove back. Watching Clive Owen play this marvel is like riding a train race down a track missing a few rails. The car bends left, dips down hard and coils to the right all at once. As good of an actor Owen is, this role has challenged him in ways other roles only hinted at.

Curing the addition starts with a poke. Thack tests out his ability to detect activity in the brain via his electrical charge. Essentially being able to manipulate a certain part of the brain at will and decipher which part of the brain pushes someone to become addicted to drugs. With a drug addict’s exposed brain, Thack pokes around with his little electrical stick and gets some feedback. Seeing the smile on his face is a memorable shift in his persona.

When a subway construction accident injures dozens of people, the Knick swings into action so does Soderbergh’s brilliant camera usage locks into gear. The theater is stuffed and the alternate rooms are stuffed with bleeding, heavily damaged and close to death folks. Soderbergh uses extended takes, shifting from Thack to Chickering to Edwards and over to Gallinger as they desperately try to save as many lives as possible. There were no IV’s, multiple operating rooms and machinery to combat a horrible accident with mass injuries and casualties. It was truly hands on.

The Thack Genius strikes again when he gets his probe back out and uses the electrical current and circuit to detect metal in the injured. When the probe touches it, the nurse gets a ring in her ear. Five hours after we opened with a painfully lost Thackery stuck in a rehab hospital, the doctor/surgeon has relocated that streak of greatness. Like a pitcher settling into his groove on a mound, Thack finds a way.

Do yourself a favor and watch Grey’s Anatomy and then watch The Knick. The differences in machinery, number of doctors, lack of racial wars and all the other restrictions there were in 1901 are remarkable. Also, one show is okay and one is fantastic.

Edwards has agreed to work with Doctor Chickering and use radium to try and cure his mother’s malignant tumor. Michael Angarano hasn’t gotten a lot of play until this development in the second season. The earnestness in the actor’s face is quickly transforming into a young Thack. Someone who is willing to take huge risks to save lives. A season ago, Bertie was afraid. He is no longer that man.

“The time to invest is when there is blood in the streets.”

Young Henry Robertson(Charles Aitken) doesn’t care about the setbacks in the subway construction. When his dad, August, wants to slow down the subway building, little ambitious Henry pushes back. He wants to plow ahead. And this was accurate in history. Death or high water, the construction continued. When the blood flowed, the interest in advancement was sustainable.

Thackery and Abby are getting closer and recapturing what was lost between them years ago. What was hinted at in Season 1 has been expanded upon in Season 2, showing a more tender side of the maverick doctor as he cures her disease and returns to her life. However, he can’t use drugs in her house. She has no idea he has figured out the exact way to stay even. Little cocaine for the sky high burst and the come back down effect of heroin. Seeing them kiss in the morning was bittersweet and makes me think something bad is on the horizon. People can’t be happy on this show.

Picture a dad and his two finest kids. That is Thackery and his two best doctors, Gallinger and Edwards. The two docs are intense rivals, with the first one edging to get closer and closer to Thackery and becoming his next in command. This may end in a death but only time will tell. They each want to be on the ground floor of Thack’s next discovery.

All hail Eve Hewson. As Nurse Lucy, a woman who has spent an extremely long amount of time loving men who don’t love her back. Now, Henry Robertson has a crush on her. A mad crush. He gets the episode title in describing the effect she has on him. “Whiplash”. Watching Hewson here, for once, she has the higher ground. She is in command. With Thack and Bertie, she had to do all the work and the falling hard. Here, good old Henry is chasing her. He has no idea who he is dealing with.

Back at the Barrow house, Herman is telling his kids goodnight and settling in for a cigar when Mrs. Barrow comes down to jump him for some surprise frisky time. Poor girl. She has no idea that her husband is scheming 24/7. He is scheming the construction of the new Knick. He is scheming his own wife out of a marriage by putting more passion into his prostitute/girlfriend. He’s also buying an apartment in the city for his girlfriend. He is a scheming pile of horse shit who the entire audience has to love to hate. He’s paid his debt to Ping Wu, but now wants to buy his woman’s escape from the business. What a bastard.  One day, Barrow will get what is coming to him.

Thackery performs the surgery on the addiction patient, locating the area that he believes houses the addiction. He cuts the small part of the brain out, knowingly overstepping the risks of rendering other parts of the brain deficient. He could cure his addiction but make his smile crooked or damage another area of the brain. For now, it’s a win for Thack until later he realizes the man doesn’t respond to a command. In the process of supposedly curing his addiction, he rendered him dead in other areas.

Gallinger, after meeting a doctor who supervised in lesser thinking boys(the not so smart crew) and wanted to take away their ability to reproduce. So Gallinger performs off the book vasectomies for this man. I bet this won’t go down well with Thackery or Edwards.

What did we learn this week? Thack has his groove back but he may be off in his chase to cure addiction. Gallinger is doing whatever he can to stay ahead of Edwards but may hurt his stature in the hospital. Lucy is pulling Henry in close, as the subway construction rages on. At The Knick, innovation is constant and always moving, sometimes faster than the doctors can keep up. If Natural Selection ever found a time to play a role in society, it was in New York in 1901.

Kingdom on Audience: “Pink At Night” reviewcap

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This isn’t a review. This isn’t a recap. It’s both mixed with knuckle rocks, sprinkles of fist and something different. Shaken, stirred and kicked. My take on Kingdom, Season 2, Episode 6 on Direct TV’s Audience network.

grilloRemember what I said about Sean Chapas(Mark Consuelos, owner of the devilish smile) being a human torch for Alvey(Frank Grillo) and his world? It’s getting more true every hour. First, they get reacquainted and have a drink. Then, they get into business together. Sean starts showing up to the gym and parking in Alvey’s spot, talking to the women there and showing zero respect for the man’s world. This isn’t an old friend wanting to reconnect. This is a guy who wants to come into a man’s life and rock the ship. Does it have something to do with how Sean and Alvey lost contact? Is it something else? To me, it’s true animals in a cage and that cage is life.

Alvey looks at Chapas as the guy he could have turned into if Lisa hadn’t walked into his life and presented balance. On the surface, this guy is killing it. He has a few cars, two phones, lots of cash, free time and businesses. An ex-fighter doing well outside of a cage. To Alvey, it’s an alternate universe that he doesn’t understand but can’t resist getting sucked into. Maybe it’s the fact everything in his life is carrying turbulence and he has a pregnant wife at home looking at him funny. Maybe it’s hunger for what you don’t have.

It isn’t going to end well. After dinner and drinks, Chapas takes Alvey to a private club, a house full of beautiful women, paid sex, free drinks and the temptation of bad decisions. After escaping the clutches of a free round in the bed with a prostitute, Alvey is thrown the keys by Chapas and he drives them home in Sean’s muscle car. Suddenly, Sean gets all weird, touchy and forces Alvey to give him a shot to the nose. Two drunk men in a phone booth hissing at each other. A cop pulls them over and Alvey has a DWI charge and shit storm coming to his homefront. Is he becoming the beast or is he freeing the beast within? We all have one. It just depends if we let it see the light of day.

Alvey should have listened to Lisa that day. When asked if she read the retirement home investment package, Lisa said, “No. I just read the guy who gave it to you.” She is the smart one here. I love you Kiele Sanchez. A tower of strength and she doesn’t even have to throw a punch.

Elsewhere on Navy Street:

*Nate is still troubled, breaking a man’s arm in the cage during training for Fresno Gate. It doesn’t get any better than Grillo and Nick Jonas coming within a few inches of each other’s faces in the locker room spitting fire at each other. Nate wants to feel something and erase all the inner anguish he feels and Alvey wants to know why his son lacks the killer instinct. He has no idea that his youngest son is a closeted gay trying to make it in a world full of testosterone. A world where one mistake can fuck you up. Jonas has grown up on Navy Street, ladies and gents.

*Poor Jay. Love hurts, my wicked friend. Jonathan Tucker doesn’t hold back one single nuance in his performance. The expressions on Tucker’s face are ALMOST as good as the words that come running out of it. We all know Laura(Jessica Szohr, who could be why cavemen chiseled on walls) is hiding something that will snap Jay’s heart like a knee to the ribs. She is still seeing her ex, the lawyer whose house she is living in. She is afraid of poverty and will forgo real feelings to hold onto it. When we first saw Laura eyeing Jay in the park, she was blown away by how free he was. A person who lived by his own code. Laura doesn’t know that and only knows where the luxury in life is. Finally, Jay confronts the guy and gets Laura’s attention. They have it out. You’ve been a part of this conversation sometime in your life if you are a lover. She ends it. He broils. And the man is chewing on drugs because he can’t eat.

**Tucker acted the shit out of that final dialogue between him and Szohr. Fire on ice, ladies and gents!

*Ryan Wheeler(Matt Lauria, a furnace of emotions himself) has a lot going on. He is reconnecting with his dad while preparing for a new fight, trying to find money and keeping his friend Keith in good health. A full plate for an ex-con with a title belt defense coming up. He is also falling hard for Alicia(Natalie Martinez), having scratched off the “perform oral sex in a ring” accomplishment off his bucket list. Things are getting hot and heavy for the two of them, and since they are keeping it light, their sexual relationship carries the least amount of drama.

*Alicia learns the best unwritten lesson in fighterhood. Don’t sleep in your car overnight in an empty parking lot. When a fighter closes his or her eyes, they are as weak as an ordinary walking soul. She narrowly escaped a car jack to begin the episode, stabbing one guy and punching and kicking another. A broken window finally sets off the alarm for Alvey, who gives her a key to the gym to sleep there. While vying for sponsorship. Alicia shows poor Lisa all the female athlete gauntlet of emotions. She has no money, a shitload of angst and really needs to fight. She nearly walks away from the whole thing after the energy drink interview. She needs to fight and I have a feeling she will get it towards the end of season 2. Martinez, a kickboxer in real life when she isn’t playing make believe, is really giving this role a different feel. Like Laura and Tucker, she never allows you to feel comfortable with where these characters are going.

*Christina quits her job finally, taking no shit, two cheeseburgers and one last check out of Patty Palace. Fast food burger joints are a sign your life is dirty and worthless. I still think she is a problem child for this Kulina family. She isn’t “Chapas fire” but she is a problem. Without a job and sketching all alone is not good for Christina. Especially when her healer Jay doesn’t want to be around her anymore. What a family.

*A Mac Brandt sighting! So much character and not enough screen time to spread the Human Freckled Dartboard’s wealth.

What’s ahead? Fights. Hardship. Problems.

What will the DWI do to Alvey/Lisa and Alvey/Sean? That investment probably won’t pan out. Would you believe Chapas if he told you it was sunny outside? You would go to the window and check.

Will Jay’s love lost get in the way of his big fight? You only get one shot at the title?

Can Ryan put aside the distractions and win his fight?

Will Nate self destruct in Fresno?

Where can you find Kingdom merchandise? I got that answer. You can now own t-shirts, hoodies and sports bottles right here. Get some Kingdom fabric across your chest, ladies and gents.

Until next week, enjoy re-watching Kingdom on Audience. This reviewcap was brought to you by true bald headed Italian muscle grit.

Evander Holyfield: The Most Underrated Boxer of All Time

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The Real Deal. That is Atlanta Georgia native and boxing legend Evander Holyfield’s nickname. And it fits. He is the only boxer to win the heavyweight championship four different times. He fought until he was 48 years old. He engaged in battles with Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis and none other than Iron Mike Tyson. Back in early November 1996, I told any breathing soul around me that Holyfield would beat Tyson in their November 9th mega fight. It was happening and nobody believed me.

As 30 for 30, ESPN’s brilliant sports documentary series, chronicled this week, Holyfield spent the better part of his boxing career chasing not only Tyson but his reputation and mythical presence as the news hungry bad boy of the sport. The 77 minute tale is an invigorating account and paints a bittersweet picture of The Real Deal. While he beat Tyson, he never got the respect because their rematch ended in a bizarre manner. This came years after a fight with Bowe where Holyfield was about to knock him out when a parachuting spectator landed on their ring. Throughout his career, Holyfield never got his rightful spot atop the sport. He did get the best of Tyson. He didn’t just knock him out. He made him go berserk.

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In 1996, Tyson, fresh out of jail, was kicking everybody’s ass. He kicked people’s ass faster than the arena he fought in could fill up. He got a vacant belt and after years of delay, was set to fight Holyfield. Evander wasn’t in a good place boxing wise. He lost the title years before to Michael Moore, and then left the sport due a heart condition that ended up being misdiagnosed. He returned and lost a one sided third fight to Bowe. He beat a nobody in Bobby Cyrz and got set to face Tyson, who everybody was still enthralled by even though he had just went to jail for beating up and raping his girlfriend Robin Givens. Back in the day when Ray Rice’s ordeal would have been called lame.

Few people gave the old man Holyfield a shot. Why would they? Even though Holyfield had fought everybody in sight, beat a majority of them and held a more impressive record than Tyson, he was the underdog. Without saying it, people still didn’t buy into this guy. No one fought with more heart or tenacity than Holyfield. He redefined what a hook could do to a man’s body and head. When you think of a boxer digging at another man’s body, you think of Holyfield. Yet, to everybody else, he was boring. A boring two time champion who didn’t duck Tyson. Mike hurt his ribs and a 1992 bout got voided. Then he went to jail for the aforementioned rape, but to boxing fans it was Holyfield’s fault. After much delay and hardship, these two met in the ring. Holyfield was a 25 to 1 underdog.

The result was legendary. I remember the second round the most. Tyson hit Holyfield flush with a right hand and the guy barely moved. He took Tyson’s best shot and kept coming. It was over right there. As the fourth round came along, Holyfield began to find new life and tagged Tyson at will. He was winning every round. He punished Tyson’s ribs and landed clean hooks to the head. Tyson was wobbling by the 9th round and went down on a Holyfield left hook. By the 11th round, Tyson was hitting hammered. He had nothing left and Holyfield knocked him out. People were shocked. They thought they were seeing an alternate reality. At last, Holyfield had beaten Tyson. He finally had a shred of the respect he deserved.

In May 1997, a rematch took place and everybody and their best friend’s uncle knows what happened. Frustrated after a few rounds of Holyfield dominance, Tyson bit the man’s ear twice and was disqualified. It was over. In a voiceover during the 30 for 30, Tyson said he was so angry with how good Holyfield was and lost it. In the end, after losing to Holyfield again, Tyson had the most coverage. In defeat, he created a spectacle with the ear bite. To this day, people will remember the ill-fated rematch instead of the mesmerizing first fight where Holyfield knocked Tyson out. History has a nasty way of defining a man’s legacy.

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The champ didn’t rest. Holyfield would eventually meet Lennox Lewis in a thrilling pair of matches in 1999. In earning a draw in a match many boxing analysts called one of the worst decisions of all time, Holyfield was once again on the flip side of notoriety. Many thought Lewis won and in a rematch, he indeed beat Holyfield to win the title. Later, Holyfield would beat, lose and earn a draw in three consecutive fights against John Ruiz Holyfield beat Hasim Rahman in order to get a third crack at Lewis, but instead Lennox chose Tyson and destroyed him. That was the last time Holyfield had a chance at the title. Throughout his whole career, Tyson never stopped pestering Holyfield and blocking his legacy.

What deserves to be remembered is Holyfield’s dominating win over Tyson, his furious bouts with Bowe, his toe to toe battles with Lewis as he neared 40 years of age and his unwillingness to quit. He is easily one of the most underrated boxers of all time.

Do yourself a favor and watch “Chasing Tyson” on ESPN On Demand or catch it on the network this week. If you don’t appreciate Holyfield now, you will after it is over. He was one of a kind and a brand of heavyweight that doesn’t exist anymore.

 

Blues fans: Hate Patrick Kane the right way

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(In case you missed it in the St. Louis Game Time paper on Saturday)

It’s easy to toss the hate book at Patrick Kane. He is a very good Blackhawks player who was accused of rape this past summer. While the allegations eventually proved hollow and the case was dropped, that kind of charge follows a player around. Especially, when the player plays for your team. Do me a favor and hate Patrick Kane the right way. As a member of the Blackhawks and not on other claims that don’t carry a lot of weight.

There’s a lot of dislike about the guy on the ice. He is rocking Kevin Shattenkirk’s hairline and trying to make it look good with longer hair. He has curls in his hair. He smirks a lot and has a Sidney Crosby swagger on the ice. He scored a backbreaking playoff goal against the Blues two years ago that I still get nightmares over(though Ryan Miller still gets more). Kane is a force to reckon with who happens to be among the league leaders in goals, assists, points and overall “BAMF” appeal. He’s playing like a Bruce Springsteen acoustic performance right now. There’s reason enough to hate the guy outside of something he may or may not have done. Through 18 games, Kane has 13 goals and 15 assists and a +14 rating. He has four game winning goals and six power play goals.

The problem with justifying allegations is the lack of evidence you can ride on. Is it really worth slamming a guy for something he may not have done? Anybody can climb on Twitter and fire a shot at the Blackhawks. I made a quick charge at Kane in August when the case was a turkey leg sitting up for sports writers to pick at. While it’s the last thing on a Blues fans mind right now, showing some class and taking the high road with “iffy” charges on a rival player is the best thing to do. While no one can complain with the fact that Kane needs to clean up his dating game, it’s premature in the worst way to taunt him with a case that has grown cold.

It’s okay to take shots at the Chicago Blackhawks for not throwing some weight at Kane during the unfolding of the allegations. They seemed to think it wasn’t a big deal to barely even mention anything except express good will on their winger. It could be called protection or discreet actions. When asked about it, all Joel Quenneville could muster was, “Ah fuck fuck and fuck”.

Every time Kane steps on the ice, a Blues fan should hate it. He has 218 goals in 594 games inside eight seasons with 68 power play goals. He is a +65 for his career. Here is the best reason to hate Kane. In 116 playoff games, Kane has 48 goals and 66 assists. That’s enough go fuck yourself juice for a lifetime. Goals aren’t everything unless you find a way to score them often and well.

Hate Patrick Kane the right way. Hate him for being one of the best players the Blues have to face every season. Hate him on the power play. Hate his ugly scarf and his stupid hair. Hate him for the color jersey he wears. Hate him for being a thorn in the Blues and many other teams side. Don’t hate for something he maybe or maybe not did.

 

The Leftovers on HBO: Hopelessness bliss

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Quick Note to Leftovers fans: Justin Theroux’s Kevin, the fucked up centerpiece of HBO’s unpredictable marriage of Lost and The Twilight Zone, isn’t dead. Calm down. Regroup. Make more coffee. He wasn’t killed off on Sunday’s episode.

Yes, he did drink the poison glass in order to escape the Patti confrontations and restore order in his life. Yes, he did foam at the mouth Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction style. No, the old wise man who promised to bring him back squirted the drug onto the floor and blew his head off. Yes, Kevin is more than likely alive and well. Co-creator Damon Lindelof didn’t kill his Matthew Fox 2.0 just yet. Take away Kevin and there’s plenty of juice dripping from the steak of HBO’s fall tentpole, but I can’t see a situation where it’s done in the second season.

Bold strokes keep a show like this afloat but with the season devoting so much time to the Kevin storyline, why would they just kill him off by drinking a glass of dirty magic water. That is no way to dish Jennifer Aniston’s new beau the death ticket. He will be back next week as Season 2 takes its final swings.

Part of the hysteria of watching an original piece of entertainment like HBO’s weirdo blend is having zero clue what is going to happen with the quiet assurance that every exit will be a big one. Lindelof has created along with Patrick Sommerville and novelist Tom Perrotta a series that asks the toughest questions without answering the obvious one. Such as, three years on October 15th, where did all those people go? The Departed, vanished, missing or all together gone up and burst into one puffy flakes folks. I prefer the answer to never drop because it will never match the hype that has built for over a year. Aliens would be lame. God stepping in for some weeding would be lame. A spiritual arrival would be lame. Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga kidnapping thousands of folks from their homes would be twisted but still not work. The trick with the Leftovers is peering into the human soul via this organic plot device.

Take Theroux’s Kevin, a former cop who can’t find any inner peace because the woman he kidnapped while sleepwalking and saw commit suicide haunts his daily movements. Yeah, he sleepwalks so much that his girlfriend Nora needs to handcuff him to the bed. A predicament that set him back on Sunday’s episode. An episode that was devoted to the “Is Kevin a psycho or simply an innocent dead people viewer” conundrum. Apparently, it’s bad to tell your lover that there is another person in the room taunting them. It’s an even worse idea to tell them its the same person you watched stab herself in the throat. Especially if your lady is a woman who lost her entire family in the Departed and used to cure her pain by having strangers shoot her in the chest.

Tell me there isn’t a more romantic couple on television than the sleepwalking rippled arm Kevin and the former gunshot vested Nora. No way.

In trying to save that love and defy the idea that he is like his crazy people seeing father(Scott Glenn, missed this season), Kevin says yes to the old man’s wishes in drinking the poison to go fight his demons. He takes the plunge for love and sanity. Did he pay the ultimate price? No. Kevin is still alive folks. He may still be damaged, sweaty, and full of misery but he isn’t gone.

How good is the acting on Leftovers? It’s astonishing. It’s not just convincing. These actors meld themselves into the roles. A cast of ensemble performers, stage trained thespians, and names no one has seen on a poster before. Theroux, better known for his wife and the fact that he co-wrote Iron Man 2. Carrie Coon, known for playing Ben Affleck’s sister in Gone Girl. Christopher Eccleston(who may have stole the best episode from each season) from an assortment of supporting roles. Regina King, a face from film’s past. Amy Brenneman, who will always be Judging Amy to most and Robert DeNiro’s girlfriend from Heat. Kevin Carroll. Margaret Qualley. The gifted Ann Dowd. Several true actors and no stars. All going for broke for Lindelof’s spooky drama.

Every character on this show could carry the show for their own hour. Look at Eccleston’s solo act two weeks ago. The hour starting with the tale of Matt and his

What is next? I suppose Matt’s wife is going to get out of that wheelchair and convince everyone the holy man isn’t nuts. John is going to find out Kevin’s palm print was the one found on his missing daughter’s car. That should be a nice wakeup call for our poisoned anti-hero. Nora will come back to Kevin but that won’t end up. I suppose a front lawn boxing match with King’s Erika could suffice. The town will be revealed as bullshit by the end of season 2 due to the fact that the three girls supposedly disappeared. What if they didn’t though? What if the three girls ran away? If not, what is the real season 2 theme? Same old departure all over again. Kevin sleepwalking. Matt getting his wife pregnant. John and his anger management issues.

The biggest kick in Season 2’s story has been the strain that belief can put on the human soul. What if thousands of people flocked to one town because they thought it was safe? What if it wasn’t a miracle and just a chance encounter with luck? What if John’s angry firefighting ex-con is right and it’s all made up. Isn’t that a direct tie to religion general? A bunch of people thinking someone above them is in control instead of themselves. That a higher power is their reason for what happened three years ago. What will be the big reveal of Season 2’s finale?

Maybe the cast will just act the shit out of their scenes, present new twists for Season 3 and retain our attention. The greatness of a TV show like the Leftovers is making the viewer think a little while examining their own needs and identity. This show will turn the tables on you more than once.

The show has gotten better this year. It was always interesting and wacky fun in Season 1, but this year the complexity has developed. The second act has been more invigorating, intense and well put together than the first season. As long as the season doesn’t end on a major cliffhanger and doesn’t show Aliens sucking people into the sky, The Leftovers will have survived the dreaded sophomore curse(looking at you True Detective). 

Speaking of that recent HBO misfire, Lindelof is chasing the same themes that Nic Pizzolatto did on True Detective. Loss, abandonment, false sense of security, meaning of life, destiny, desolation, and the idea of living with what you are in this world. One creator is doing a better job of expanding on his story than the other. Instead of focusing on the “what”, Damon Lindelof is keeping his focus on the characters and their plight.

And one more time. Kevin isn’t dead.