Home Blog Page 557

MODERN FAMILY 703: Closet Cases & Webcams

The Curvy Girl Diva
-
0
MODERN FAMILY 703: Closet Cases & Webcams

modern family closet case recap 2015 imagesTrying to be cool parents and ‘smothering’ is what this episode of Modern Family is all about. Mitch gets a case for Closets, Closets, Closets, Closets; Dylan moves in with Haley; Alex deals with boy stuff; and Gloria still can’t let go of Manny while Luke and Manny head to college for some girl action.

Haley and Dylan get Phil to agree with letting Dylan stay in the basement while he gets his act together with selling his T-Shirts. They also ask him to ask Claire, which he does and surprisingly he gets her to understand.

Alex Skype’s Luke hoping to get a hold of someone that can help her with boy troubles. Luke isn’t interested until he sees one of her friends in the background changing, which Alex has no clue she’s doing. He pretends to be interested and gets “caught” when he asks his sister to “move to the right.” After getting off the with her, he calls Manny and tells him “we’re going to college.”

At the Pritchett’s house, Gloria gets involved in Manny’s business, as usual, and he tells her how the cheerleader he’s paired with has not “taken care of him” by decorating his locker like other girls did for their football players. At the same time, Mitch comes over to lets Jay know about his case for Closets, Closets, Closets, Closets. Jay is not cool with him working for “the roll a dex stealing Earl Chambers.” which only makes Mitch take the case anyway.

At the Dunphy’s house, Phil looks for his charger and he finds a little more than he bargained for when it looks in Haley’s room. The two are in her bed but Phil stays cool. He can’t really say anything since he allowed it.

Gloria takes it upon herself to be the “smother” that she is to find out why Manny’s cheerleader is not being a good “partner” to him.  The girl, Carly, says that it is a “stupid sexist tradition, why don’t the players decorate our lockers.” Gloria hands her some money to buy decorations for Manny’s locker but Cam stops her and calls her into his office. There, he tries to explain to her about how important it is to let a child find his or her way on his or her own.

Mitch goes to Closets, Closets, Closets, Closets and Earl tells him to leave because he doesn’t want to have a Pritchette around. He talks his dad’s rival into letting him stay and Early actually says that it might be the start of a new chapter between their two families. As Mitch leaves out, a photographer in Earl’s office doing a photo shoot for the cover a magazine takes a picture of them together.

So what does Mitch do? He goes to his father to let him know Earl is not that bad. As he explains to Jay how his enemy actually wants to make things better, a truck pulls up with the picture of Earl and Mitch on it with the caption, “See Jay even your son hates you.”

Pissed, Mitch and Jay break into Earl’s office to do some damage and end up getting caught by Earl. They exchange insults and then fight… physically.

Manny and Luke make it to Alex’s college. She gets why they are there and sends them down the hall to her friend. The girls let the guys in and they sweet-talk them. Well Manny does. Luke just keeps messing up. The girls say that they have not kissed anyone since they have been in college and invite the two guys to be their firsts. Luke excuses himself to Alex’s room to freshen his breath and sees that she’s crying. Her boyfriend has started seeing someone else. Luke sees his sister heartbroken and foregoes making out with college girls to stay and comfort her.

Gloria goes back to the school to decorate Manny’s locker but it is already done. She assumes that Carly did it, but finds out that Cam did it realizing she was right. A mother should do all she can to protect her child.

Back at the house, Claire and Phil have a conversation with Haley and Dylan because Phil is not comfortable with him being there. He hands it over to his wife so that she go all Claire. Realizing what he is doing (making her the bad parent) she doesn’t kick Dylan out to Phil’s confusion.

Later, Phil continues to be uncomfortable with Haley and Dylan, especially since they are on the couch under the covers giggling. Phil can’t take it any longer and tells them that they are going to be in separate rooms going forward because he’d rather have them sneak around behind his back while he’s sleep than in front of his face. Claire is not okay with that and does what she didn’t want to do – kicks Dylan out.

In the end, Alex comes back home to sleep in her own bed, and surprise, Dylan is in it.

Oh the antics of the Dunphy family.

Tablet Wars 3: May the 4 Be With You

Marius Manuella
-
0
Tablet Wars 3: May the 4 Be With You

tablet wars 3 may 4 be with you tech images 2015Microsoft is set to retake the position it lost to both Apple and Google with its upcoming new beast, the Surface Pro 4. Armed with Windows 10, the Surface Pro 4 is aimed at the enterprise where iOS and Android devices struggle to penetrate. The Surface Pro 3 has largely been successful that it’s been cloned by Lenovo, Dell and others. The Success of the Surface line has resulted in anticipation building up for the Surface Pro 4. It seems that the “evil empire” of Microsoft is back once more.

It’s October, the month where Microsoft is expected to release the Surface Pro 4 and other products it has in its sleeve. Unlike before, Microsoft now knows the value of secrecy and only discloses very little about its future products in order to build up the anticipation. It’s just like when they released Windows 95. Everyone was surprised at how elegant it looked and how it operated so differently from Windows 3.11. And more recently, when they disclosed their own VR product, the Hololens. No one knew that Microsoft was deep into VR as well, and is actually doing something far different from everyone else. We may see another iteration of the Hololens this October. But now, the attention is in its upcoming Surface Pro 4 which is shrouded in secrecy that has every tech publication guessing at what it looks like and what it can do.

microsoft surface pro 4 images 2015It can only be deduced that it will have Intel’s new 6th generation Skylake Processors for brains. Otherwise, everyone’s going to be really disappointed. Rumors say that the Pro 4 will come in two sizes, standard twelve-inch and an upsized fourteen. Microsoft further recognized the product’s potential for business use and as a laptop killer. One very important aspect to that is screen size so a fourteen-inch Surface Pro may be in the works. Speaking of business and screen size, the 84-inch Surface Hub has been available since July. The Surface Pro form factor may not be much different since Microsoft has promised compatibility with existing Surface peripherals such as docks and touch covers.

Another rumor is that the new Surface might sport 256GB SDDs as a standard. Higher capacities will be available for more expensive models. The Surface 4 could also come fanless meaning no more noise thus cementing its place in the tablet world. Without fans, it will have holes or vents to dissipate heat, and putting the machine through its paces will literally make it a hot product. Lastly, instead of putting pressure on the screen like the iPad Pro, Microsoft will be putting pressure on the Surface Pro’s stylus. The new stylus, with N-trig’s (a company recently purchased by Microsoft) pressure-sensitive technology, should give the iPad Pro a run for its money. Business apps, as well as the new Windows 10 Edge browser could really use it.

But all of the improvements Surface Pro 4 hardware-wise could be hampered if Microsoft doesn’t make a major update to Windows 10’s tablet mode before the October launch. Tablet mode still feels sluggish compared to Windows 8.1. Microsoft may have gone overboard with its desktop mode compromise. People who put their faith in Microsoft’s Surface line, including Surface RT, stand by their devices; especially the Surface Pro 3 and Windows 8.1.

As for the competition, it’s still very early to say anything about iPad Pro sales since it’s just been introduced. Despite its bigger screen, higher specs, pencil and iOS 9, reaction has been short of amazing. As a business tablet, people were not looking forward to the restrictive iOS nor to its starting 32GB of storage. Not much news about any enterprise-grade offering for Android either since the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. The closest right now is the Jide Remix Surface clone cooked up by former Google engineers. Its Remix OS is reminiscent of Windows 8.1. Equipped with Microsoft’s Office apps, it might do the trick. The Remix serves as a testament to Surface’s success. Right now, its Microsoft’s ball game and Samsung might just be on a wait-and-see mode.

At present, the current Surface Pro 4 specs are just rumors or intelligent speculation. Microsoft has really taken secrecy very seriously. Hopefully, they’ll surprise us as well as they did when they introduced the Hololens. The ever-energetic Steve Ballmer might even present the device. Innovation is often a difficult road. Microsoft innovated with the Surface form factor. In this tablet-saturated world, innovation was what everybody needed and though late in the game, Microsoft managed to deliver.

Week 4 Fantasy Football Results Turning $100 into $0

Shane Mclendon
-
0
Week 4 Fantasy Football Results Turning $100 into $0

week 4 fantasy football results 2015 nfl imagesIt looks like the best way to get paid through DraftKings will be the inevitable class action lawsuit that is being set up as I type this out. I’m guessing some lawyer in a cheap suit that advertises right before “Five year old Rudy’s” father is determined on The Maury Povich Show is crafting some legal nets to catch a few million from FanDuel and DraftKings. You know, insider trading and all.

I’ll have a post up on that mess soon enough and by the way, I would never take a nickel from such a lawsuit. If I’m dumb enough to toss my money away on fantasy football, then that’s on me. I don’t need Harry Reid or any other politician to protect me. I am literate and will know if I’m being cheated and eventually quit playing DFS if that’s the case.

Now on to my march toward a zero balance in my DraftKings account.

This week was not lopsided one way or the other. I won about half and lost about half. I played a few free matchups to get more experience and even joined a Nascar contest for a buck (not included in this trial)…don’t ask how that went.

I ended up losing $2.40 of the $10 I am wagering each week on this 10 week process. I cashed on two head to heads (H2H), one 50/50, and one GPP. 21,211th place pays $2 by the way on that contest with a ton of entries. $10K was the first place prize.

Take a look at the H2H below to see my lineup on that winning entry.

fantasy football week 4 movie tv tech geeks (4)I got lucky with Bears tight end Martellus Bennett as he was my highest scorer, and Julio Jones was a dud for the first time this season. The Falcons didn’t go to their main receiving weapon because they didn’t need him since they jumped out to a big lead and ground the game down with the running game in the second half. I did not have Devonta Freeman in many lineups because I was sure he would not explode for two weeks in a row…he did.

If you will notice the Beginner tag in some of my contests in the screenshots, those are important if you are new to DraftKings. These games allow novices to avoid sharks (experienced players that will eat you alive). As you can see I won money in only one of the Beginner contests, so they are not a gimme even to a player at my skill level…..which is just above dumbass.

How does DraftKings keep sharks out of the Beginner contests? Good question and I have no idea. If a shark wants in he could always join up with a new username and separate Paypal account or credit card I am guessing.fantasy football week 4 movie tv tech geeks (3)There are ways around most rules if someone wishes to go to the trouble. Most high level sharks would not waste time on one dollar games hopefully though.

Since I did well in my H2H contests I think I will stick with that type in week five. I won two H2H deals and was close in the other two that were for money. I barely checked how I did on the free contests, so that tells you how much more fun it is when you have money on the line, even if it is just a single dollar.

fantasy football week 4 movie tv tech geeks (2)

What I learned in week four is that picking the contests is just as important as picking your lineups. On the H2H games you have a better chance if you go against a player that only has one contest up to join. He is likely a casual player as opposed to a guy that has multiple contests head to head that you can join. See the screenshot below.

fantasy football week 4 movie tv tech geeks (1)If a DraftKings player has x40 (number of contests they have open to join H2H) like the user in the big black circle above, he or she is pretty confident they can beat your ass consistently.

The smaller black circle shows a player with a single contest to join. This is not foolproof, as I have seen “tinderella” around a lot on the H2H games, so he or she may be trying to look less like a shark. I did beat tinerella H2H this week though.

It’s best to take note of the names with single contests available H2H and browse a bit before deciding they are on the same level as you. Some frown on sharks preying on fish (me and you) for these low stakes games, but if you were a shark trying to make money, would you not try the same tactics?

After all, the goal is to separate your opponent from his money and add it to your account.

OK, I’ve helped you enough with what contests to join. The easiest thing to do is play me head to head I guess. kctinman is my username on DK. You’re welcome to invite me to join a contest H2H. If you don’t appear too threatening, I will accept.

To recap the first four weeks of my 10 week march to $0 on DraftKings:

Week 1 – Doubled my $10

Week 2 – Lost my $10

Week 3 – Lost my $10

Week 4 – Lost $2.40

As you can see, it’s going about like I predicted except for week one. I suck.

I did win my season long league game this week though, so all was not lost.

Beyonce & Jay Z Sue, UCLA Goes Blackface & B.O.B PR Stunt Backfires

The Curvy Girl Diva
-
0
Beyonce & Jay Z Sue, UCLA Goes Blackface & B.O.B PR Stunt Backfires

It is finally Friday and boy is there some shady shit going on in the world around us. Beyonce, Jay Z, Rihanna and several others are suing ElevenParis, UCLA fraternity hosts a Kanye West where some people went in blackface and B.O.B. learned that bad PR can really be bad PR.

beyonce jay z rihanna suing elevenparis 2015 gossipBeyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna and More Sue Retailer for Knockoffs

Just because you are super famous and have money up the ass doesn’t mean that people can just do what they want with your name and your brand. Beyoncé, Kanye West, Pharrell and others have teamed up to let one retailer know this by suing them.

A lawsuit has been brought against French brand ElevenParis and claims copyright infringements. The suit alleges:

“…habitual, willful intellectual property infringers that, without authorization, usurp the trademarks, copyrights and other rights of A-list celebrities.”

The stars want triple damages and to recoup profits due to their trademarks, lyrics, names and photos being used without their permission by the brand. The lawsuit sites over 58 violations and includes merchandise with sayings like. “Kanye is my Homie.”

All of this comes after claims that the plaintiffs have sent ElevenParis written warnings, which have obviously gone ignored. The celebrities are upset because they believe that damage is being done to their personal brands through the retailers merchandise.

ucla blackface kanye west party 2015UCLA Frat Party Boasts Black Faces and Kanye West?

I get it. A big part of college is partying and having fun and with Halloween only a few weeks away, who hasn’t gotten into the costume spirit. But even college students, who are supposed to be preparing for the real world, have to know when lines are being crossed. And that is exactly what happened at a UCLA Kanye West themed party were several partygoers dressed in blackface.

Hundreds of students marched on the campus in protest holding signs that read “Our culture is not a costume” angered at the racist overtones the party allowed to happen.

The vice chancellor for UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Jerry Kang, expressed his disappointment in the situation and told the crowd that “black Bruins’ live matter.”

“It’s one thing to suggest you are actually focusing on one celebrity who is African American, it’s another thing to take it as a license to perform every attribute, every stereotype, every grotesque minstrelsy that you see,”

The party, dubbed the “Kanye Western” was thrown by Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority and while many of the kids there dressed like famous people in general, there were some that took it too far and dressed in black face.

This is never okay and it baffles me that people, especially college kids, don’t have an understanding of that. It’s either a lack of foresight to know that it’s a bad look or they just don’t care.

All of this is like a scene out of the movie “Dear White People.”

bob pr stunt on sevyn streeter 2015 gossipB.O.B Staged a Publicity Stunt to get Back at Ex-Girlfriend Sevyn Streeter?

Why and how is all I can say about this situation? Do rappers really do this? I mean, is this something that people still think is a viable way to get back and someone or to gain publicity? Well, apparently so.

The story goes that B.O.B reached out to some girl on Instagram about a “cross branding” opportunity where she would pretend to be his new boo thang. In exchange, you know, he would put her on and get her some attention, etc. She jumped at it of course. B.O.B started to lay it on pretty thick too. I mean he posted his new girl Brieady on his Instagram (ass shot and everything), but then it all started to fall apart when her friend let the cat out of the bag about what’s really going on between the two.

She, for whatever reason, had screen shots of the two’s interaction, which pretty much proves that the ATL rapper concocted this plan all for attention and more than likely to make his ex, Sevyn Streeter, jealous. Talk about desperate.

The screen shots show him reaching out to the girl via her social media, “What up Brit… I’d like to discuss some cross branding with you if your interested,” and him inviting her to his hotel room (where the picture was taken) since he was going to be in town for the BET Hip Hop Awards and A3C which means this all happened within the last week.

I don’t know what this is really about, but it is definitely not a good look for him.

Fantasy Football Defense/Special Teams Starters for NFL Week 5

Chris Maurice
-
0

fantasy football defense for week 5 nfl 2015Ahh, the D/ST slot on a fantasy football team. The most underrated, overlooked position. A good defense is the foundation of a winning team. In fantasy, truer words have never been spoken. Great fantasy defenses aren’t easy to come by, but 10 points from a D/ST can be the difference between a win and loss on any given week.

Some people don’t play a defense. Some guy in one of my leagues drafted five of them. Guess there’s two extremes.

Here’s some advice: play a defense, but don’t draft five…with that in mind, here’s some help in picking out your defense for Week 5:

Cincinnati Bengals D/ST: The Bengals may have failed to get an interception for the first time this season against the Kansas City Chiefs (ironically), but they made up for it with five sacks. There’s more than one way to rack up points.

The Seattle Seahawks on the other hand are coming off a poor offensive performance against the Detroit Lions in which they only managed 13 points as a team. Russell Wilson has been sacked 18 times this season, and the Bengals have nine sacks over their two home games this season.

Basically, everything works out in Cincy’s favor. On top of that, Andy Dalton and company have been very good about ball security and minimizing turnovers so far this season. So with Cincinnati putting Wilson on the ground and keeping the ball out of his hands, the Bengals just may be the start of the week at D/ST.

New York Giants D/ST: Here’s one you may not have expected. The Giants aren’t exactly famous for their lock-down defense after blowing two 10-point fourth quarter leads against the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons to start the season, but they are coming off a road win over the Buffalo Bills in which they only gave up 10 points. Yes, I know Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy were injured, but just hear me out here.

The Giants have a home matchup against the San Francisco 49ers—the team which has allowed the most points to D/STs this season. Colin Kaepernick hasn’t exactly been the best at…well, not throwing interceptions. Eli Manning has been surprisingly good at keeping the ball out of the other team’s hand, so the Giants D/ST comes into Week 5 as the sleeper of the week.

Justin Bieber Showing His Beef & Selena Gomez Talks Illness

Ricki Reay
-
0
Justin Bieber Showing His Beef & Selena Gomez Talks Illness

justin bieber showing beef 2015 gossipAs one of the most popular pop stars in the world, you would think Justin Bieber would know better than to prance around naked while outside. Yesterday photos surfaced of the 21-year-old musician completely nude as he vacationed with model Jayde Pierce in Bora Bora.

The photos, published by The New York Daily News, showed the star skinny-dipping in his private pool.

While Justin has never confirmed a romantic relationship with Jayde, the model told The Mirror in August that Bieber had contacted her over Instagram and after some messaging back and forth they started hanging out. However, after the nude photos surfaced, I think it’s pretty safe to say there is something going on between the two.

While Bieber’s naked body has made international headlines, he isn’t the first celebrity to be unknowingly caught in their birthday suit. In 1997, actor Brad Pitt was photographed naked while on vacation with his girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow. The pictures of Brad ended up being published in PlayGirl magazine, which lead to Brad eventually filing a lawsuit against the publication.

justin beiber gets al fresco 2015 gossipFortunately, Brad managed to survive the scandal so I think Bieber will too, but he is going to have to put up with being the punch line of jokes for the next while. If you’ve not seen the NSFW pics yet, here you go. And here.

After the photos surfaced, social media users began posting their reactions and even had the hash tag “#WhatDoYouPeen” trending, which is a play on Bieber’s latest single “What Do You Mean?”

Twitter reactions, posts:

https://twitter.com/annemart17/status/651872931627204609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

selena gomez chemo 2015 gossipMoving on the Justin’s ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez.

In Billboards latest magazine, the pop star finally opens up about her struggle with Lupus and how frustrated she gets with the made up stories that the tabloids publish about her.

Over the last few years, media outlets have been continuously putting out stories claiming that Selena has a drinking and drug problem. Some even claimed that the young starlet went to rehab for her addiction issues. The star bluntly reveals, “I’ve never had a problem with drinking.”

However, the star does claim that she did go through some hard times over the past few years (presumably stemming from her rocky relationship with Justin Bieber). Selena explained, “I felt like I’d lost everything. Just because it’s not plastered everywhere doesn’t mean I didn’t have my rock bottom. I’ve had my moments, and it’s almost unsafe for me to even talk about them, because I’ll be taken advantage of.”

Back in 2013, the star abruptly cancelled the remaining dates of her tour, which triggered the tabloid stories. However, the singer explains, “I was diagnosed with lupus, and I’ve been through chemotherapy. That’s what my break was really about. I could’ve had a stroke.”

She went on to explain her frustrations, saying, “I wanted so badly to say, ‘you guys have no idea. I’m in chemotherapy. You’re a**holes.’ But I was angry I even felt the need to say that. It’s awful walking into a restaurant and having the whole room look at you, knowing what they are saying. I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again.”

THE MARTIAN An Easy A Movie Review

The Curvy Girl Diva
-
0
THE MARTIAN An Easy A Movie Review

the martian an easy a review 2015 imagesThe Martian is an amazing movie. There really is not other way of putting it. From its cinematography to its storyline to it triumphant ending, everything about it is perfect. I am telling you now. I give this movie an A+!

Let me explain why I am riding The Martian so hard. It has all the makings of a great movie and it delivers just that- a great movie. An all-star cast boasts dynamic performances and the overall execution is outstanding. The commitment from the actors really carries it and I’m not just talking about Matt Damon here. From Jessica Chastain to Chiwetel Ejiofor to Donald Glover, they all give riveting portrayals of their characters to a T. They make you feel, they make you believe and that, to me, is what makes a good story.

Based on the book by Andy Wier, the unfolding of the movie is what captivates you and the fact that things can actually go down the way it shows is intriguing. When I tell you I was on the edge of my seat, even to the point where I could not look at the screen. I mean it. Not because there was anything gory or unwatchable, I just could not take the suspense.

Damon plays Mark Watney, a botanist who is left for dead on Mars. Right you knew that already. But what happens during his harrowing journey over the course of 560 Sols (Martian Days) is truly amazing. Being on a planet uninhabited by any living creature, that doesn’t have plant life and is pretty much not suited for humans to sustain life is unimaginable. But the way that Mark is able to use his God given intelligence and his background as a botanist speaks to something that we all have inside of us- a will to live.

I am terrified of Tsuanmi’s and it literally gives me a panic attack to think of what would happen if one were to hit Los Angeles. But you best believe, because I have a will to live and because I am a planner, every single time I go to the beach I map out a plan for how to escape a tsunami. Now granted, I am at a disadvantage for numerous reasons, but that does not stop me from believing and actually trying to not die. And that’s exactly what Mark does.

When I tell you it is inspiring, that’s an understatement. This man was faced with the impossible. But he found a way to grow food, to power a vehicle past 30 kilometers, to even making…MAKING… water. What he accomplishes during his two years on Mars speaks to what we are able to accomplish even in our darkest times.

Along with glorifying the human spirit, it also gives a look into the politics of government institutions. SPOILER ALERT. They don’t tell the crew that left Mark on Mars that he is still alive until three-fourths through the movie. The reason being is that it will be PR disaster for the world to know a man was left on Mars. A PR disaster? The thing about it, I know that’s true. I went to school for public relations, I get it. PR folks do that all the time.

Which brings me to Kristen Wiig in the movie. If there was anything to say about what didn’t sit right with me is her playing Annie Montrose, a NASA PR person. Don’t get me wrong, she was fine and she’s a great actress. I was just surprised that she was in such a serious role, which is good for her, although I was waiting for her crack a joke or push an ice sculpture over (there was no ice sculpture in this movie).

Out of everything that impressed me with the film, Matt Damon’s ability to carry majority of film and do so with great whit and emotion is refreshing. Also Chiwetel Ejiofor’s executes his role as Vincent Kapoor, with such conviction. Oh and Donald Glover as Rich Purnell, the astrophysicist who discovers a solution after other’s failed attempts is spot on. I mean he plays the part very well.

Along with the male actors giving stellar performances, I have to point out Jessica Chasatin. She plays the commander Melissa Lewis of the Hermes the spacecraft. Chasatin takes the role on excellently and does so with great care. Melissa is strong, she is smart and she knows how to admit when she is wrong. As such, she is willing to put her life on the line for her crew and I believe her.

The Martian will leave you with a lump in your throat, tears in your eyes and a renewed hope in humanity.

Toronto Film Review: ‘The Martian’

Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Gala Presentations), Sept. 11, 2015. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 142 MIN.

PRODUCTION: A 20th Century Fox release and presentation, in association with TSG Entertainment, of a Scott Free, Kinberg Genre production. Produced by Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer, Aditya Sood, Mark Huffam. Executive producer, Drew Goddard.

CREW: Directed by Ridley Scott. Screenplay, Drew Goddard, based on the novel by Andy Weir. Camera (color, widescreen, 3D), Dariusz Wolski; editor, Pietro Scalia; music, Harry Gregson-Williams; production designer, Arthur Max; supervising art director, Marc Homes; set decorator, Celia Bobak; costume designer, Janty Yates; sound (Dolby Atmos), Mac Ruth; sound designer/supervising sound editor, Oliver Tarney; re-recording mixers, Paul Massey, Mark Taylor; visual effects supervisor, Richard Stammers; visual effects producer, Barrie Hemsley; visual effects, MPC, Framestore, the Senate, Industrial Light & Magic, Atomic Arts, Milk; special effects supervisor, Neil Corbould; stereographer, Gareth Daley; stunt coordinator, Rob Inch; associate producer, Teresa Kelly; assistant director, Raymond Kirk; second unit director, Luke Scott; second unit camera, Mark Patten; casting, Carmen Cuba, Nina Gold.

WITH: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Donald Glover, Mackenzie Davis, Benedict Wong, Donald Glover, Chen Shu, Eddy Ko, Chiwetel Ejiofor. (English, Mandarin dialogue)

Congress to Save Fantasy Footballers from DraftKings and FanDuel

Shane Mclendon
-
0
Congress to Save Fantasy Footballers from DraftKings and FanDuel

congress to save fantasy footballers from draftkings nfl 2015Big sigh of relief for America. The United States Congress has made it their business to save us illiterate, knuckle dragging, DFS morons from DraftKings and FanDuel. I have slept better at night since the politicians have jumped out front of this parade to protect us and our hard earned money.

I can envision a few of Senators taking note of all the DFS TV ads as they enjoyed blowjobs from multiple prostitutes while taking in NFL games the past couple weeks. I can hear the phone calls between buddy-buddy Congressmen, “Richard, have you seen these FanDuelly and Draftalings TV spots?”

“Why yes Theodore, I have. They are giving out millions each week! We gotta have some of that pie, my boy. Let me clear these whores out of the room and get dressed. We need to form a committee.”

“See you in Washington on Tuesday Richard. Got a fundraiser with Philip Morris on Monday. We’ll set these upstart fantasy football websites straight on how they handle their business. We have to protect the American public!”

Do we need more transparency from DFS websites? Yes.

Is Congress the right group to help us with that? If you need me to answer that then you are a naive individual who has no grasp on reality. The United States Congress has as little credibility as any group in the nation.

Look at their approval rates.

Check the archives for financial scandals.

Sex scandals are a monthly affair with these “upstanding” representatives of America.

Why would fantasy sports players need an untrustworthy group of politicians to bring honesty to daily fantasy sports? I fail to see how that would help anyone besides the politicians who will pilfer as much money as possible from DraftKings and FanDuel in the form of fines, fees, and extra paperwork and red tape that increase the financial burden of companies.

The news that broke this week about a DraftKings employee winning big on FanDuel ($350K) was concerning. The user had access to insider information about ownership of NFL players in lineups. That would help him separate himself from the field in a GPP tourney, even on different platform than the one for which he worked.

DraftKings says that the employee, Ethan Haskell, did not have the private information until his lineups were already locked.

DraftKings stated they did a “thorough investigation, including examining records of internal communications and access to our database,” and found that “this employee could not have used the information in question to make decisions about his FanDuel lineup.” The “employee in question did not receive the data on player utilization until 1:40 p.m. ET on Sept. 27,” and FanDuel lineups locked at 1 p.m. ET.

That is up to you to believe or scoff at, but it does open the door to future doubts about employees playing DFS on rival sites with salary cap structures being very similar. It’s hard enough to win a tournament for big money with over a hundred thousand opponents and shark filled waters. Now we have to worry about employees of DraftKings and FanDuel using insider data that makes it more likely we are setting our $10 entry fee on fire each week.

To their credit both DK and FD have permanently banned employees from playing any daily fantasy games for money, on any site. As I have said before though, rules like this can be circumvented. An easy example is an employee having his brother or best bud sign up on a site and the employee just pulls the strings with the insider info.

I don’t know who should be trusted to watch over DFS websites. I do know that Congress is nowhere near the top of that list. They will at best make the user experience less fun on DK and FD. At worst they will ruin this awesome new industry before it even becomes profitable.

For those out there who need Big Brother to watch over your every move, you are a part of the problem in this country. If I am dumb enough to throw away money each week on DFS, then that’s on me, not you. I worked for the cash and I can light it on fire if I choose to do so.

It is no different than the idiots that scratch state produced lottery tickets hoping for a big payoff. Most of these folks can’t afford to play as much as they do, yet the government gladly rakes in that gambling money.

All you do-gooders who want to save us from DraftKings, FanDuel, and other DFS sites, please go save the homeless looking guy who can’t spell “cat”, yet stands in line to buy that $20 lottery ticket.

Fantasy sports “gamblers” do not need saving.

Miami Dolphins Devolution from Marquee Franchise to Jacksonville Jaguars-Esque Organization

Chris Maurice
-
0
Miami Dolphins Devolution from Marquee Franchise to Jacksonville Jaguars-Esque Organization

Please don’t hate me, Dolphins’ fans. I want to see y’all succeed too. Hell, I’m the biggest Dolphins’ fan in the world two weeks a year. Unfortunately, the organization as a whole has been progressively worse every year.

Everyone can point out a handful of the worst franchises in the NFL. The Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Jacksonville Jaguars have all been on there for a good number of years at this point, and then there are others like the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions which are starting to make their way onto the list.

If you asked 100 average NFL fans who the worst organizations are, I can assert with 99.9 percent certitude that none of them would mention the Miami Dolphins. The perfect 17-0 franchise. The great Don Shula. The great Dan Marino. Two Super Bowl Championship and 20 playoff appearances between 1970 and 2000 including two other AFC Championships.

Well, the Miami Dolphins are doing their best to join this elite group of losers with their recent dysfunctionality.

After a Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens at the end of the 2001 season, it would take the Dolphins until 2008 to make it back to postseason football. On the way there, the team finished 4-12 in 2004 and 1-15 in 2007. After another Wild Card loss to the Ravens in 2008, the Dolphins have failed to make it back to January football—or .500 for that matter.

It’s hard to say exactly when the Dolphins went from a marquee team to one that the Alabama Crimson Tide could probably replace. Marino retired in 1999, so it wasn’t his exodus from the beach that caused some immediate implosion. The Fins maintained a winning record for the next four seasons.

I guess the easiest place to start is right before the Dolphins’ last playoff appearance—the 2008 NFL Draft, General Manager Jeff Ireland’s first rodeo in Miami.

The 2008 season went well for the Dolphins after a 1-15 season the previous year earned them the top selection in the draft. Their picks, however, doesn’t look overly good seven years later:

The No. 1 overall choice, offensive tackle Jake Long, is now on the Atlanta Falcons roster and suffered two torn ACLs in his short career.

The top pick in the second round was defensive lineman Philip Merling. If you haven’t heard of him, it’s because he’s not even in the NFL anymore. Chad Henne was also drafted that year, and after some unsuccessful years starting in Miami, he ended up with Florida’s other sad franchise.

Let’s hit some other highlights from Ireland’s tenure with the Dolphins:

In 2010, Ireland asked Dez Bryant’s mom if she was a prostitute during a pre-draft interview. Classic.

The 2013 Draft Class consisted of Dion Jordan who—to be fair has been really good—is suspended for the season; Jamar Taylor, who sits on the bench these days; Dallas Thomas, who plays but sucks; and Will Davis, who was later traded away for a late-round draft pick. Good job, Jeff.

And, of course, let’s not forget about the whole Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin fiasco which was a national embarrassment for both the franchise and the league as a whole. Ireland told Martin that the best way to settle it would be to punch Incognito.

Atta boy, great general managing, Jeff! At least it’s better than the ‘call his mom a whore’ route.

Bad draft, bad signings, horrible player interviews, and recently-fired head coach Joe Philbin pretty much sum up the embarrassment of the Ireland Era in Miami.

Without Ireland, the team finished 8-8 last season with the promise of competing with the New England Patriots for the AFC East crown in 2015. Good luck with that.

Dennis Hickey is running the show now, but he isn’t showing much more promise. $77 million for Ryan Tannehill? Am I the only one that still thinks quarterbacks need to prove themselves before taking up half the salary cap? Have we learned nothing from Jay Cutler!?

That’s not even to mention the $114 million for Ndamukong Suh who has been ignoring coaches and playing it safe on the field. This season is basically already over in Miami, so interim coach Dan Campbell just needs to try and win as many games as possible.

The Raiders look like they’re posed to move up from the bottom of the barrel soon. Perfect timing, the Dolphins have been looking for a parking spot there.

It’s not too late, Miami, but it’ll take a lot more than a top-5 draft pick to get out of this slump.

NFL Week 4 Winners & Losers

Shane Mclendon
-
0
NFL Week 4 Winners & Losers

nfl week 4 winners losers todd gurleyWeek four saw winners rise up in the last few seconds of several games in the NFL. For those exciting victories to happen there had to be some losers as well of course. As great as it is to go ahead with ten seconds to go, the feeling of losing in that fashion is a lower low than the winners’ high.

Let’s get right to the winners and losers from week four in the League. With Thursday Night Football, there is no time to dwell on the past, kickoff is just about 58 hours away.

NFL Grown Man of the Week: Todd Gurley had a monster game in his second opportunity this season after coming back from a nasty knee injury in his last college game. This young man is a beast and the way he was treated by the NCAA and Georgia, who did not stand by him, he deserves every bit of glory he earns as a pro.

NFL Child of the Week: Ndamukong Suh. If you get paid like a quarterback, you cannot just ignore the media with “next question.” That money comes from football fans’ interest in Suh’s play, but also interest in his thoughts and actions off the field. Probably best not to wear everyday sneakers to practice either my man.

Loser: Joe Philbin got clipped as Miami’s head coach just four games in after his team went through the motions in their game in London. The guy just did not have the results expected with all the talent in Miami to stay employed. Most NFL head coaches don’t leave on their own. Getting fired is just part of this business. Enjoy that  loney remaining on the contract Joe. May even be able to draw unemployment for 82 weeks.

Winner: Devonta Freeman went off for the second week in a row with three touchdowns and helped the ATL to 4-0. This guy has went Marshall Mathers, seizing the moment ever since Tevin Coleman went down and forced the Falcons to give Freeman all the touches.

Loser: JJ Watt is the best defensive player in the NFL and he is on one of the five worst teams in the League. All his efforts and abilities are not equating into wins due to the lack of a QB and a decent secondary. Maybe some other team can adopt Watt due to the abuse he is suffering at the hands of the Texans.

Winner: Kansas City has a hell of a kicker in  Cairo Santos. Kickers are weirdos but I had to put him in the winners slot after making seven, count em, seven field goals to account for all his team’s scoring. Too bad for the Chiefs they still lost to 4-0 Cincinatti however.

Loser: NFL fans. The Monday night game was determined by another complicated officiating rule that ruins a simple game. The refs got it wrong and Seattle benefitted. Oh and Detroit is 0-4 as a result. Sorry, Lions fan.

Winner: Peyton Manning. He has the best defense in his career and it may carry him to the Super Bowl as long as he plays within his aging self. Denver’s defense sacked Teddy Bridgewater seven times and ripped the ball on Minnesota’s last drive to preserve the win and their perfect record.

Loser: NFL kickers. Missing field goals and extra points is becoming contagious. Maybe the extra point being moved back a few yards is messing with these fragile men’s minds more each week. The kicker from Jacksonville,  Jason Myers, missed two big FGs that could have won the game for his struggling team. Even with a timeout by the Colts giving him another try, the kid still yacked.

Winner: The NY Giants overcame a good but undisciplined Buffalo team that was penalized 17 times. Rex Ryan can spin that into his team being fighters, but you can’t win many games with the refs backing you up that many plays.

Loser: Arizona was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten when the Rams got an ugly win over them. The Cards are the better team, but the Rams have a way of getting over really good teams. Just ask the Seahawks.

Winner: CJ Spiller got a walk off TD in overtime versus Dallas as Brees found him open on a wheel route. The Saints might want to target that guy a bit more if they want to stay in the win column.

Loser: Dallas’ Lance Dunbar is just another Cowboy on the injured list after tearing his knee up, which will cost him the rest of the season.

Winner: Kirk Cousins managed a game winning touchdown pass versus the Eagles. He led a 90 yard drive that ended with a short TD pass that gave his Redskins the lead for good. If this guy could ever get his interceptions under control he would be a high level NFL quarterback.

Loser: Colin Kaepernick led San Francisco to another loss with his terrible play. His QBR of 20.1 could probably be matched by most league backups. Running QBs look good in their first couple seasons until defensive coordinators have enough film on them to see their tendencies and ultimately make them one dimensional. We have seen the best of Kap a couple years ago.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY 401 Checking In Recap

Ricki Reay
-
0
AMERICAN HORROR STORY 401 Checking In Recap

american horror story 401 checking in recap lady gaga images 2015It’s the moment we have all been waiting for…FX’s American Horror Story returned tonight for its 5th season. Titled American Horror Story: Hotel, this season is centered on the mysterious and unsurprisingly spooky Hotel Cortez. The hotel intrigues a homicide detective (played by Wes Bentley), who encounters many strange characters within the facility, including the owner (known as The Countess).

Although this is the first season that series regular Jessica Lange doesn’t appear in, the show is bringing a whole new twist by introducing Lady Gaga as one of the main characters, The Countess. Of course, her character is a fashionista, but she also happens to be a bloodsucking, bisexual “wealthy social doyenne.”

The first episode fittingly titled “Checking In” demonstrates that show creator Ryan Murphy meant business when he planned to up the ante this time around. The episode was surprisingly dark and filled with more sex, gore and horror than any of the previous premiere episodes.

There is no slowly easing into things when it comes to the Hotel. Right off the bat we are introduced to two foreign women who are stuck staying the night in the hotel (as Kathy Bates’ character makes it clear there are “no refunds.”) Just minutes into the episode, one of the young women makes her way to the ice machine and is already surrounded by off-putting sights, such as a maid cleaning a bunch of blood out of a blanket and a young kid eerily pointing at her.

Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to bad compared to what she encounters when she gets back to her room. After noticing a horrible stench coming from their mattress, the two girls tear it open and are shocked to see a creepy, zombie-like human emerge out of it. Luckily Iris (Kathy Bates), the front desk concierge, saves the day by simply placing them in a new room (Room 64).

It then cuts away from the two girls’ horror story and begins telling the tale of Detective John Lowe. We meet him as he is walking into a gruesome crime scene. Let’s just say the dead woman sitting naked on an incredibly tortured man with a spear sticking through her is the more pleasant part of the whole scene.

It seems this is foreshadowing the Ten Commandment Killer who will be introduced this season. Evidently “thou shalt not commit adultery,” happens to be one of the commandments.

After returning home, Lowe gets an anonymous phone call, in which the caller tells him that they are the killer and they are finding their next victim at none other than Hotel Cortez.

Meanwhile, we are introduced to N’Sync look-alike, junkie Gabriel (played by Max Greenfield) who checks in to Hotel Cortez for a quick drug fix. After getting high, he is surprised by a bandaged up stranger who proceeds to rape him with some sort of razor dildo. Shortly after, we finally meet Sara Paulson’s character, known as Hypodermic Sally, who is oddly sitting in Gabriel’s room as he gets raped by the bandaged creature.

Later on, Lowe ends up heading over to Cortez and asks to be placed in room 64.

In between it all, we are finally introduced to Lady Gaga’s character. Definitely a couture-loving villain, we see the sophisticated Countess having an orgy with Matt Bomer’s character Donovan and two young lovebirds that they lured to the hotel. However things take a sudden turn when The Countess and Donovan begin sucking the blood out of the young couple’s throats. Not your usual foursome, that’s for sure.

Unfortunately, while all this was taking place, the two young women from the beginning didn’t manage to escape this twisted world. They are shown being force-fed by Iris while in cage-like devices. Sally tells Iris to “show some compassion,” and eventually lets one of the women free while Iris is away. However, the woman doesn’t get far before The Countess slits her throat.

The episode also packs in some backstory to the characters. In summary, Iris (Bates) is simply working at the hotel because her son Donovan (Bomer), was lured there by Sally (Paulson). As for Lowe (Bentley), he and his wife (Sevigny) lost their son at a carnival and are still searching for him.

The first episode ends by introducing Will Drake (Cheyenne Jackson). Drake is a New York designer, who is looking to buy the hotel to draw inspiration from. He brings his son to the hotel with him and The Countess (Gaga) leads him into the kid room, filled with candy and games – where Lowe’s missing son also happens to be.

This season did not shy away when it came to getting to the nitty gritty. While there were some character stories beginning to form, the episode was clearly put together to showcase the dark, boundary-pushing season we are about to endure. Not only am I looking forward to see some of the other AHS regulars return (i.e. Evan Peters, Emma Robertson, etc.), I am excited to see where the show takes us with Gaga’s character (and admittedly, a bit excited to see what she is going to wear).

You can catch the second episode of season 5 of American Horror Story on FX at 10pm next Wednesday, October 14.

Fantasy Football Start & Sit for Week 5: Eli Manning & Latavius Murray

Chris Maurice
-
0
Fantasy Football Start & Sit for Week 5: Eli Manning & Latavius Murray

fantasy football start sit week 5 eli manning 2015 nfl imagesWell, I bragged about Steve Smith Sr. last week, and he broke his back. I must have some sort of crazy Voodoo powers if talking about one of the toughest guys in the league results in a couple cracked vertebrae. I wonder what would have happened if I wrote about paper-boned Sam Bradford?

But I digress. Week Five is here, and it’s time to set those lineups, ladies and gentlemen. And, as always, here’s my two cents on who to look to play in your season-long leagues and who to pay in your Draft Kings games:

Start of the Week: Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants: Eli has been on fire the last three weeks, so it’s time to start cashing in on his hot streak. Manning has had 23+ each of the past three weeks thanks to seven touchdowns and only one interception…that’s right, Eli Manning only has one interception this season. I feel like I’m just jinxing him more and more as I continue…

The Giants are at home this week against the San Francisco 49ers. Manning threw five interceptions last season against the Niners, but San Fran’s defense this year is much worse to put it politely. Ben Roethlisberger had his way with this team (pun intended) Week Two, and then Carson Palmer followed in his footsteps. Give Lil’ Manning a chance this weekend against a struggling 49er team with a cross-country trip ahead of them.

Benched: Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders: Murray is coming off his worst performance of the season with 49 rushing yards, 12 receiving yards, and a fumble which ended his day early against the Chicago Bears. Murray will more than likely maintain the starting job over Roy Helu; however, Helu will certainly get more work coming out of the backfield this week against the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos right now are sitting on arguably the top defense in the NFL, and although they struggled somewhat in dealing with Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson, who doesn’t?

Murray isn’t Charles. Or Peterson. The Broncos shouldn’t have much of a problem controlling Murray, especially if Derek Carr has a rough day against the Broncos secondary and pass rush. Murray may be an okay Flex if the rest of your players are on Bye, but it’s probably better to keep him out for this week.

1...556557558...770Page 557 of 770

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

Latest movie tv news, celebrity gossip, sports tech news for geeks from the Movie TV Tech Geeks crew. ALL NAMES, TRADEMARKS AND IMAGES ARE COPYRIGHT OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. AFFILIATE LINKS USED WHEN AVAILABLE. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. You can learn more here: https://movietvtechgeeks.com/movie-tv-tech-geeks-privacy-policy/ethical-conduct/ If you feel an image was used without consent, please use our Contact Us section to let us know. All images used are sent to us by marketing departments at agencies, movie studios and people we interview. Copyright trolls need not bother us.

Contact us: curt@movietvtechgeeks.com

© Indie Genius Productions 2021