Junior's Reading And Viewing List: September 21 - 30, 2011

Last Update - October 7, 2011 at 5:41 AM EDT

This is Junior's 'Reading And Viewing List' for September 21 through September 30, 2011. Title links and a taste of each item published at the end of September 2011 are included.

Below, you'll find news on television shows, films, Washington Capitals hockey, music, Formula One racing and the WRC.


September 30, 2011

Capitals 4, Sabres 3, SO
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

For the second time in as many games, the Capitals struck first in Friday night’s pre-season tilt against the Buffalo Sabres. And for the second time in as many games, they found themselves trailing in the game before they were able to build on that first marker...


Japan preview quotes - McLaren, Sauber, HRT & Mercedes
Posted at Formula1.com

Ask a Formula One driver to name his favourite tracks and chances are Suzuka will get more mentions than almost any other circuit. Its mixture of gradient, high-speed turns and technical corner combinations make for one of the sport's ultimate challenges - and one that gives a huge sense of satisfaction if you get it right. And with Japan still recovering from a devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this year, the teams are especially eager to return and show their support...


Formula One Fantasy - Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi
Posted at Formula1.com

Since his debut for Toyota back in 2009 Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi has made a strong impression on F1 racing. A fearless overtaker, Kobayashi is a real entertainer on the track, and ahead of his home race next weekend he reminds us of how entertaining he is off it, too. The Japanese driver explains why his Formula One Fantasies would include racing around a V20-engined Brabham around the streets of Tokyo with Ayrton Senna as a team mate and more...


September 29, 2011

Block boosted by strong pre-event test
Posted at WRC.com

Ken Block says his pre-event test for Rallye de France Alsace was one of the best he has done since he became a regular in the World Rally Championship two years ago...


September 28, 2011

Predators 4, Capitals 1
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Washington finished up the road portion of its pre-season slate with a 4-1 loss to the Predators in Nashville on Wednesday night. The setback drops the Capitals to 1-3-1 in the pre-season with two games to go...


Doctor Who Confidential Axed by BBC
Posted at Doctor Who Online

...Doctor Who Confidential, which features behind-the-scenes footage from the making of Doctor Who as well as interviews with the cast and crew, has aired in an early evening slot on BBC3 since 2005, when the corporation revived the main series with Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Time Lord.

However, with the corporation facing budget cuts of up to 20% across its output as part of its Delivering Quality First initiative, BBC controller Zai Bennett has chosen to axe the show at the end of its current series...


France preview notes: Part two
Posted at WRC.com

...Petter Solberg: “I was really happy with our third in Australia. That was a great bonus for both the team and myself. Now I hope we can keep the same pace in France, and hopefully we can defend our third place there from last year.”...


France preview notes: Part one
Posted at WRC.com

...Mikko Hirvonen: “The stages are bumpy and abrasive in some sections, but the biggest surprise last year was how much we could cut the corners and the amount of mud and dirt that was dragged onto the roads. Winning in Australia removed some pressure, but we must carry that success forward and fight for the championship in the final rounds.”...


September 27, 2011

"Best Companion Ever"?: EXCLUSIVE DW Insider, Ep 12
Uploaded to YouTube by BBCAmericaTV

Cliff Burton R.I.P.
By mdome at Classic Rock

On September 27, 1986, Metallica bassist Cliff Burton was tragically killed in a road accident in Sweden. Today marks the 25th anniversary of his death...


Hamilton wows Indian crowds on streets of Bangalore
Posted at Formula1.com

The residents of Bangalore enjoyed a taste of Formula One action on Tuesday as McLaren's Lewis Hamilton took to the streets of the India city in his 2008 world championship-winning MP4-23. Over 40,000 fans lined the temporary track to watch...


September 26, 2011

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 3, Blue Jackets 1
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

After suffering through an 0-2-1 start to the 2011 NHL pre-season, the Capitals took advantage of their first taste of home cooking on Monday night. Washington downed the Columbus Blue Jackets by a 3-1 count...


India goes Gaga; McCartney & Spears Abu Dhabi bound
Posted at Formula1.com

Organisers of next month's 2011 Formula 1 Airtel Grand Prix of India have announced that American pop icon Lady Gaga will be the star attraction at the post-race party that will follow Formula One racing's inaugural outing in the country at the all-new Buddh International Circuit...


Shakedown qualifying set for 2012
Posted at WRC.com

Priority 1 and 2 drivers contesting next year's World Rally Championship will be handed one run in shakedown to earn the right to be the first competitor to choose their starting position for the opening day of competition on gravel events...


WRC calendar for 2012 confirmed
Posted at WRC.com

The calendar for the FIA World Rally Championship has been confirmed at a meeting of the FIA's World Motor Sport Council in Singapore earlier today...


September 25, 2011

6.13: The Wedding of River Song - Prequel Clip
Posted at Doctor Who Online

The BBC have released a prequel clip for 6.13: The Wedding of River Song:

*Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes Note: Check out this other official
season finale trailer.

Doctor Who: Wedding Of River Song/NEW Season Finale Trailer

September 24, 2011

Review: 'Doctor Who' - 'Closing Time': Partners in parenting
By Alan Sepinwall at What's Alan Watching? via HitFix.com

At first, I took "Closing Time" to be a light-hearted one-off before the fireworks and tears that will presumably be coming with next week's season finale. After all, it reunited the Doctor with Craig, his goofy flamate from last season's "The Lodger", had a lot of jokes about the Doctor speaking baby, the Doctor getting a job in a department store, and his new co-workers assuming that the Doctor and Craig were a gay couple...


September 23, 2011

Blackhawks 3, Capitals 2
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Aiming for their first pre-season victory in three bids, the Washington Capitals nursed a 1-0 lead into the third period of Friday’s game against the Blackhawks in Chicago. The Caps were somewhat fortunate to have that lead; they followed up a strong first frame in which they forged that 1-0 lead with a sluggish second. Washington went without a shot on goal for the first 10 minutes of the second and it took Tomas Vokoun’s strong netminding to hold the Caps’ slim lead heading into the final 20 minutes...


The Black Country Weekender Round-up
Posted at Home Of Metal

People of the region rolled up and rocked on as the black country weekender came to their town...


'Captain America' Sequel Not Likely Until 2014, Says Chris Evans
By Josh Wigler at MTV's Splash Page

Captain America next throws his mighty shield at audiences in "Marvel's The Avengers", but after that, Steve Rogers might be on ice again for a little while...


Friday practice - selected team and driver quotes
Posted at Formula1.com

As the light dimmed in Singapore on Friday the Formula One cars came out to play for the first time this year. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton led the way during the opening practice session, but the second saw Red Bull and Ferrari come to the fore. The leading teams and their rivals reflect on their progress at Marina Bay...


Washington Capitals 2011-2012 Previews: Mike Knuble
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

In late March of 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp was making its closest approach to Earth, and Mike Knuble was making his debut in the National Hockey League. The comet was probably the bigger story at the time, but Knuble has managed to skate in almost 1,000 regular season games in the NHL since then. That is a lot of experience. It commands a certain amount of respect, and it was on display last winter...


DOCTOR WHO series 7 delayed till autumn 2012?
By Dan Owen at Dan's Media Digest

This has yet to be confirmed by the BBC itself, but Doctor Who Magazine's latest issue has "officially confirmed" that Series 7 of the sci-fi drama won't reach UK screens until autumn 2012, according to Doctor Who TV...


September 22, 2011

What Alexander Semin Is and Isn't... Yet
By J.P. at Japers' Rink

Even his harshest critics recognize Semin's on-ice brilliance. And it's the failure to consistently perform to the best of his ability when it matters most (along with his $6.7 million salary) that are the primary reasons he has so many and such vocal critics...


FIA Thursday press conference - Singapore
Posted at Formula1.com

Drivers - Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Timo Glock (Virgin), Sergio Perez (Sauber), Daniel Ricciardo (HRT), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)...


Former Atomic Rooster Member Dies
By mdome at Classic Rock

Guitarist John Du Cann has passed away after a suspected heart attack.

He first made his name with Atomic Rooster, playing on hits like Devil’s Answer. Subsequently he was a touring guitarist with Thin Lizzy on their 1974 German tour...


Washington Capitals 2011-2012 Previews: Marcus Johansson
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

If one was to tell you that among all the Caps in last season’s playoffs, that at 5-on-5 no Cap posted points with greater frequency than Marcus Johansson, would you believe it? Well, according to the folks at behindthenet.ca, Johansson’s 2.96 points/60 minutes at 5-on-5 led the team. You might think it more a commentary on the Caps’ playoff performance as a whole, but Johansson finished 15th among all players in the playoffs in that statistic...


September 21, 2011

Blue Jackets 4, Capitals 3, OT
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

A late rally enabled the Washington Capitals to draw even with the host Columbus Blue Jackets in Wednesday’s NHL pre-season game a Nationwide Arena, but the Caps ultimately absorbed a 4-3 overtime setback...


Captain America Blu-ray Trailer Featuring Avengers Sneak
Posted at Super Hero Hype

Marvel Studios has posted this trailer for the Captain America: The First Avengers Blu-ray and DVD hitting stores on October 25th. The video gives us a quick glimpse at the bonus feature on Marvel's The Avengers and you can view screenshots of it below thanks to 'Rashad'! We've also added the press release for the Blu-ray and DVD...

Review: NBC's 'Prime Suspect'
By Alan Sepinwall at What's Alan Watching? via HitFix.com

...by far the biggest problem in this pilot was the almost cartoonish degree of sexism that Timoney faces. "Prime Suspect" is based on the groundbreaking '90s British drama of the same name, which starred the great Helen Mirren. And as Cunningham says, sexism at the workplace has evolved significantly (if not disappeared) in the 20 or so years since Mirren first put on the badge, and the disgust that the American "Prime Suspect" men show for their Jane could just as easily come from her abrasive personality as from their lack of desire to let an icky girl into their private club. There's an obvious flaw in the pilot, and it's one that Cunningham, director Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights") and company have recognized and promised to fix moving forward...

*Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes Note: The first episode is absolute garbage. The biggest problem is actually that the people running the American remake think that New York is the center of the universe, and that overusing New York stereotypes makes the show more edgy and cool. Helen Mirren played Jane Tennison as a strong women. In this version, they try to make the lead female character (Jane Timoney) a "street tough" man.


Bonus Track Of The Day: Gary Moore
By mdome at Classic Rock

...Live At Montreux 2010 was filmed in July last year. It was the great guitarist’s last gig to be filmed, before his death on February 6 this year. This features some of the finest moments in his career, taking in both his hard rock and blues talents, Three of the songs were due to be included on his next studio album, which was sadly never finished...

...It’s the last of these, Oh Wild One, which you can download for free right here. And this is footage from the DVD, so you can see and well as hear Moore in prime action...


Huge numbers attend Rally Australia
Posted at WRC.com

Rally Australia, which took place from 8-11 September, attracted 92,223 fans, organisers of the Coffs Coast event have confirmed...


Review: The Doomsday Quatrain - CD
By Matthew Davis at Doctor Who Online

...Florence in the 16th Century. As the city runs about its normal business, the people are in intrigued and puzzled by the prophecies of the local seer Michel de Nostradame, for he has predicted the end of the world; An end that will come, when ships sail in the sky, bringing monsters from the heavens to unleash fire upon the world. So when the doomsday quatrain starts to come true no-one is more surprised than The Doctor, after all he has seen the end of the world, and it certainly shouldn’t be happening now.

Throwing the seventh Doctor together with the famously celebrated and debunked seer Nostradamus, should make for a delicious cocktail of a story, but what we get is something quite unexpected...


Christmas Special Update - September 2011
Posted at Doctor Who Online

Production has started on the 2011 Doctor Who Christmas Special in which the Doctor (Matt Smith) finds himself in war-torn England embarking on a magical and mysterious adventure with a young widow and her two children.

A stellar guest cast including Claire Skinner (Outnumbered), Bill Bailey (Black Books), Arabella Weir (The Fast Show) and Alexander Armstrong (Armstrong & Miller), join Matt Smith in the emotional festive special, packed full of Christmas thrills and chills...


Rush Announce Three Live Releases
By mdome at Classic Rock

...The celebrated Canadians will be putting out the Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland on Blu-Ray/DVD through Eagle Rock and also on a double CD via Roadrunner...

...In addition, the band are to put out on vinyl a live version of Moving Pictures, under the title of Moving Pictures: Live 2011. This will also be available in digital format...


Washington Capitals 2011-2012 Previews: Matt Hendricks
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...Matt Hendricks is carving out a niche in the National Hockey League by being a practitioner of the latter set of talents. Checking? Hendricks was credited with 169 hits in 882 minutes of ice time last season, or one hit every 5:15 of ice time. By way of comparison, Alex Ovechkin was credited with 241 hits in 1,688 minutes, or one hit for every 7:00 of ice time. You might not think of or want your top scorer to be such a big hitter, but Ovechkin ranked eighth among forwards in hits recorded last season. Hendricks just did it more often...

Junior's Reading And Viewing List: May 8 - 14, 2010

Last Update - May 16, 2010 at 3:33 AM EDT

Take a look at this 'Reading And Viewing List' of interesting items I found on the web, from May 8 through May 14, 2010.

These title linked items include articles on the Washington Capitals hockey team, music, Formula One racing and the current World Rally Championship, among other things. The most informative 2010 F1 Monaco Grand Prix Preview posts that I came across are included in this list.


May 14, 2010

'Doctor Who' Stars Talk Time Travel And Story Ideas In New Season
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

A new episode of "Doctor Who" airs this weekend on BBC America, and that means I'm rolling out another brief segment today from my interview with the series' stars, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan.

This time around, the new "Doctor Who" duo discuss the dynamic between themselves and the series' executive producer and lead writer, Steven Moffat, and why there's a little bit of magic in every episode this season...

Ovechkin's chat with Russian fans:
Posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin

What do you think about the video, which appeared on the Internet? On that video our hockey players are smoking! What is your attitude towards the paparazzi?
I don't like when we they film you from the bushes or behind the light poles. And then they post it on the Internet and poke the finger, "These are the bad guys." Yes, the Russian national team players are public people. But each of us is also a person like anybody else, just like you. Everyone has his own head on his shoulders. And he knows what to do and how to spend free time. If you want, you can smoke and drink. This is a personal matter. When you start making bad plays in hockey, it is becoming your problem. You are a professional, and you are responsible for your body...

2009-10 Rink Wrap: Tomas Fleischmann
Posted by J.P. at Japers' Rink

Key Stats: For the fourth consecutive season, Fleischmann improved upon his regular season goal and point totals and per-game rates, but has just three goals and two assists in 22 career NHL playoff games.

Interesting Stat: Fleischmann scored eight goals in the ten games Alex Ovechkin missed this season and just 15 in the other 65 games he played, including the playoffs.

The Good: Fleischmann missed the first 11 games of the season while recovering from a blood clot in his leg, but came on strong in his return, totaling 17 goals and 14 assists in his first 46 games (that's a 30-goal/73-point season pace), including points in nine-straight games (second-longest streak on the team for the season) beginning with his second game back...

Practice analysis - all to play for in Monaco
Posted at Formula1.com

The teams spent Thursday in Monaco carrying out their usual evaluation of the prime and option Bridgestone tyres (medium and super soft here), and handling on low and high fuel loads, while acclimatising themselves to the new higher kerbs and road surfacing of the Monte Carlo track. The general feeling is that the option tyre degrades quicker than the prime - and that things will be extremely tight in qualifying, both in terms of traffic and times. We take a team-by-team look at progress...


May 13, 2010

Tom Poti on eye injury: 'I was an idiot for not wearing' a visor
By Lindsay Applebaum at Capitals Insider

Less than three weeks after suffering a gruesome eye injury during Game 6 of the Capitals' short-lived playoff run, veteran defenseman Tom Poti says he's on the road to a full recovery.

Poti, who temporarily lost sight in his right eye after a wayward puck caused significant damage to the delicate surrounding bones, said doctors expect he'll be able to play next season without a problem. But he's still got a ways to go until then...

2009-10 Rink Wrap: Eric Fehr
Posted by David M. Getz at Japers' Rink

Key Stat: Six, the number of games Fehr missed because of injuries suffered in the 09-10 campaign.

Interesting Stat: 12:07, Fehr's average time on ice, 11th among Capitals forwards.

The Good: 2009-10 was a breakout year for Fehr, as the former first round draft pick broke the 20 goals plateau, set career highs in goals, assists, and points, and enjoyed the healthiest season of his NHL career. But how good was Eric Fehr's 2009-10 season? Consider the following: by scoring 1.50 goals per sixty minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, Fehr scored more often than every NHL forward other than Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Sidney Crosby, and Scottie Upshall...

Ovechkin scores again as Russia stays perfect
By Lindsay Applebaum at Capitals Insider

(Martin Meissner/AP)

Alex Ovechkin scored his third goal at worlds Thursday in Cologne, Germany, leading Russia to a 3-1 victory over Belarus. The Russians won all three of their preliminary-round games and move on to the qualification round...


Thursday practice - selected team and driver quotes
Posted at Formula1.com

Two-time Monaco winner Fernando Alonso is no stranger to success in Monte Carlo, and on Thursday he took the top honours in both practice sessions. Alonso, his rivals, and senior team personnel reflect on their early progress in the Principality...

Great White Singer Gets Weird On The Radio
By mdome at Classic Rock

Great White frontman Jack Russell has just done an interview with a Philadelphia radio station – and it gets very odd.

He’s on 94 WYSP to promote the band’s upcoming show in the city on Friday, May 14. Things go along reasonably well for about 10 minutes. And then as DJ Spike gets ready to wrap everything up...

60 years on - the start of the F1 world championship
Posted at Formula1.com

This week marks the 60th anniversary of the very first round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, which was held at Silverstone on May 13, 1950. The British Grand Prix, which also had the title of 'Grand Prix d'Europe' bestowed upon it that year, was the first event in a seven-race season, which also featured rounds in Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Italy, plus the Indianapolis 500...

Mixed feelings on Monaco traffic issues
Posted at Formula1.com

The majority of drivers are resigned to the fact that getting a clear lap round Monaco, especially during the first qualifying session on Saturday, is going to be like trying to thread a needle at 150 mph now that any talk of splitting Q1 have been set aside because the teams could not agree the best way to accomplish that.

At least six of them - those driving for the three new teams - could be lapping up to six seconds a lap slower, and will thus spend as much time looking in their mirrors for faster cars as they will looking out for the bumps and barriers that lie in wait on a quick lap...

Law and Order: NHL Unit
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories...

Scene: 66 Mario Lemieux Place
Pittsburgh, Hill District...

I Can't Even Feel the Pain No More...
By Kameron at I May Have Been Born Yesterday
But I Stayed Up All Night

In one of his routines, comedian Denis Miller ranted about how difficult it is to find coffee-flavored-coffee since the rise of Starbucks, and what a hassle it is to locate beer-flavored-beer since so many bars now specialize in fruity microbrews.

And Leary had an idea:

"I'm gonna open my own bar, okay? It's going to be the most retro bar in the history of New York. We're going to serve coffee, donuts, cigarettes, beer and whiskey and that's it!...

Radnor makes Rally GB return
Posted at WRC.com

The organisers of Wales Rally GB have confirmed that this year's route will include a mix of the old and the new, with a brand new Super Special in host city Cardiff and the return of a classic forest stage last used 11 years ago.

Wales Rally GB, which will run from 11th - 14th November, is the final round of the 2010 season and will be based for the second successive year in the Welsh capital Cardiff...

Cult Heroes No.14: Atomic Rooster
By mdome at Classic Rock


...The answer is Atomic Rooster. And if that seems an odd way to start this retrospective, there’s a reason. The reality is that, to most people, Atomic Rooster are a mere footnote in rock history, known solely for being the aforementioned answer to the following question: which band did drummer Carl Palmer quit to join ELP?

Yet, the Rooster deserve much more respect; their sound and style was as pioneering as those of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, both of whom were contemporaries of this severely underrated band...


Skid Row Announce New Drummer
By mdome at Classic Rock

Skid Row have a new tub-thumper.

Dave Gara has left for undisclosed reasons, to be replaced by Rob Hammersmith, who’s previously played with Gunfire 76 and Rockets To Ruin...

Scorpions Record Whole Tour
By mdome at Classic Rock

Scorpions are to record every show on their ongoing farewell world tour.

The German legends have teamed up with Simfy Live – and you can find out how this all works right here...

All systems go for Solberg and Mills in Portugal
Posted at WRC.com

Petter Solberg’s co-driver Phil Mills insists it’s a case of “all systems go” for Vodafone Rally de Portugal later this month despite the pair’s dramatic late exit from Rally New Zealand.

Solberg and Mills, the 2003 world rally champions, were heading for a podium finish on the Auckland-based event only to crash out on the very last stage of the world championship qualifier...

The 2009-2010 season, by the "tens" -- Wingers: Brooks Laich
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...OK, “hero” is a bit much for a 25-goal scorer, but if that day comes when the Caps do win a Stanley Cup, we’re going to bet that Brooks Laich will be right up there among the reasons they do so. On a team with young guns such as Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Mike Green, Laich held his own statistically. He finished fifth on the club in goals, fifth in assists, fifth in points, tied for fifth in power play goals, tied for fifth in takeaways, second in power play goals, second among forwards in blocked shots...


May 12, 2010

Legendary Drummer Carmine Appice To Join Michael Schenker Group's 30th Anniversary US Tour
Posted by Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock


The complete line-ups for the Michael Schenker Group's 30th Anniversary World Tour - which will continue in Europe and North America - have been revealed below:...


Q&A with Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso
Posted at Formula1.com

Fernando Alonso has won the Monaco Grand Prix twice - and had a moment of shock in qualifying 2006 when he found a certain Michael Schumacher blocking his path. But that is all water under the bridge and the two time world champion is simply looking forward to closing the gap to the Red Bulls this weekend - or at least being ready to capitalise should his biggest opponents be struck by misfortune, something that has served him well thus far this season...

FIA Wednesday press conference - Monaco
Posted at Formula1.com

Drivers: Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Jenson Button (McLaren), Timo Glock (Virgin), Robert Kubica (Renault), Felipe Massa (Ferrari)

Q: A question to you all. Just look back at last weekend and look ahead to this weekend. What do you think of this circuit? What are your chances? Sebastien, perhaps we can start with you.
Sebastien Buemi: Barcelona was a new start to the season with all the new updates. I think we didn’t do too bad considering we are a small team, so I am expecting to have a good car here in Monaco...

Monaco Preview - can Hamilton get back in the hunt?
Posted at Formula1.com

With four different winners in the first five Grands Prix of 2010, and none of them him, McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton comes to Monaco determined to get a victory under his belt to push back into the world championship fight. And McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh is adamant that the team will be aiming as high as possible even though Red Bull have to start as favourite on the highest downforce circuit of them all...

2009-10 Rink Wrap: John Erskine
Posted by David M. Getz at Japers' Rink

Key Stat: Zero, the number of games John Erskine played in the 2010 postseason.

Interesting Stat: 1.71, Erskine's GAON/60, good for second best among Caps' defensemen in 2009-10.

The Good: If it was a gritty, nasty, unpleasant job, odds are Erskine was pretty good at it. His 2.18 hits per game were more than any Capitals defenseman other than Shaone Morrisonn (who played roughly 9.5% more minutes), his 1.6 blocked shots per game were third on the team (to Tom Poti and Jeff Schultz...

Gulp.
By Ted Leonsis at Ted's Take

Facebook’s gone rogue. So says this article.

When will an open alternative emerge?

Privacy is a consumer’s right...

Colm Feore's Mysterious 'Thor' Role
Required 'Five Hours' of Makeup
By Blair Marnell at MTV's Splash Page

Last September, Colm Feore was cast in director Kenneth Branagh's highly anticipated adaptation of "Thor". And while principal photography appears to be winding down, Feore's role within the film is still shrouded in secrecy.

"Marvel hasn't allowed me to say anything", related Feore during an interview with The Montreal Gazette. "I can tell you makeup took me five hours every day...

Ogier tipped for the top
Posted at WRC.com


Citroen Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier - who came tantalisingly close to claiming his debut World Rally Championship victory in New Zealand - has been tipped for a manufacturer seat next year by Sven Smeets: the team manager of Citroen’s factory team.

With Ogier consistently outperforming Citroen’s official number two this year, Dani Sordo, the Frenchman has been linked to a move up to the works squad. But Smeets, formerly co-driver to Freddy Loix, ruled out the possibility of Ogier switching over this year...


Stryper Confirm Covers Album Details
Posted by mdome at Classic Rock

Stryper are to release a covers album in the autumn – and it’s got the cunning title of The Covering.

The Christian rockers will include the following classics:...

Barcelona to Monaco - a race against the clock
Posted at Formula1.com

When the 2010 race calendar was published last year, the news that the Spanish and Monaco Grands Prix were to be held on consecutive weekends caught the attention of every team manager up and down the pit lane. Back-to-back races are always a challenge, but add Monaco into the mix and the whole business becomes even more complicated...

A Shoe Is Dropping in Winnipeg, and It’s Being Heard
in Washington
By pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog

Two storylines this offseason loom of greatest interest to me: in what manner will general manager George McPhee reshape his playoff-failing roster, and will there be an initial domino to fall in franchise relocation space. The answers to that first storyline are weeks, at least, away. However, the past week had brought significant developments related to the latter plot.

The latest on the dire straits in the Desert arrived from CBC yesterday:

“The NHL schedule makers have created an itinerary for the 2010-11 season that includes a team based out of Winnipeg.”...

Semin and Fedorov: Reunited and it Feels so Good!
Posted by tuvanhillbilly at Japers' Rink

...No sooner had I published the Semin interview below when I notice a tweet from our good buddy Dmitry Chesnokov which alerts me to this interview between Pavel Lysenkov and Alexander Semin which just came out in today's issue of Sovetsky Sport...


May 11, 2010

Alexander Semin Looking for Revenge in Germany
Posted by tuvanhillbilly at Japers' Rink

Continuing the coverage of "our" Russians participating at the World Cup in Cologne, Germany, I present to you a translation of an interview with Alexander Semin by Dinara Kafiskina, which appeared today on the Sportsdaily.ru website...

Thin Lizzy Announces New Lineup, UK Tour To Follow
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock


...24 years have passed, the world has changed, but the amazing body of work that is Thin Lizzy still retains all of its vibrancy and influence. A new lineup has formed to take Lizzy’s music to a whole new generation of music fans. Led by alumni Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton (all of whom played in Thin Lizzy with Phil Lynott) the stellar lineup is completed by Def Leppard's Viv Campbell (guitar), bassist Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Ted Nugent) and The Almighty's’s Ricky Warwick on vocals and guitar...


Ovechkin, Semin score as Russia rolls
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

...Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin each scored to lead Russia to a dominant 4-1 win over Kazakhstan. Russia is now 2-0 as it defends the country's back-to-back world titles...

2009-10 Rink Wrap: Joe Corvo
Posted by Stephen Pepper at Japers' Rink

Key Stat: Joe Corvo logged only the fifth-most ATOI and ATOI at 5-on-5 amongst Caps' defensemen in the first round series vs. Montreal.

Interesting Stat: He played more than 26 minutes per night in half of the first 26 games to start the season for Carolina before suffering a terrifying injury on November 30, 2009: a slice into his calf by Karl Alzner's skate that required more than 100 stitches.

The Good: Corvo rebounded after suffering that injury enough to parlay his performance into a role with the league's top regular season team. With the Capitals, he showed flashes of the type of offensive skill and smart decision making on the attack that could have served the Caps well during a deep playoff run...

More Playoff Musings and A Few Caps Musings As Well....
By Usually Frustrated Caps Fan at Mark's Musings

...Some's Cap's musings. Last week Homer McFan Boy posed five questions, he believes the Caps must answer this off season/coming season. Here's my answers and thoughts to those five questions.

1) Does Alex Ovechkin need to change? After the Canadiens series, Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges was quoted as saying Ovechkin has become predictable: "When he's coming in off wing, he'll try to step to the middle and shoot through you, you can bait him into that." Well to a guy who sits in Section 103 for so many home games, that's really not news. Other than agreeing with Homer that Hal Gill's comments in the same interview prove, Gill isn't the fastest guy on his feet in an interview, there's not much...


May 10, 2010

Meet the artist: Rachel Cohen
Posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin

From www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com, May 10, 2010:

Rachel Cohen is a 19-year old student at the University of Hartford. Lamenting that she is the seemingly only Caps fan on campus, Rachel has focused her efforts as an illustration major into beautifully stylized and somewhat demented graphics of the team’s young guns...

Semyon Varlamov:"When You See a Raging Sea of Red,
Your Adrenaline Goes Off the Charts"
Posted by tuvanhillbilly at Japers' Rink

While most of the team is resting and recuperating, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Semyon Varlamov have all flown to Cologne, Germany to play for the Glory of the Motherland (aka Team Russia) in the 2010 IIHF World Championship. Semyon Varlamov's participation got off to an inauspicious start when his gear bag with all of his equipment was lost by the airline and he wasn't able to start training immediately. He was soon kitted out in some new gear, however, and Sovetsky Sport's Pavel Lysenkov was able to talk with him yesterday following a morning practice. At the beginning of the article, Pavel noted that head coach Vyacheslav Bykov had told him that Varly would be starting in the Russia-Belarus game...

Twisted Sister Will Never Tour Again
By Allyson B. Crawford at Noisecreep

If you think you'll catch Twisted Sister live the next time they roll through your town, think again. So says guitarist Jay Jay French. "It will never ever happen. I would just assume things would maybe happen, but we will never tour [again]. I look at the mathematics of it every year, the mathematics makes no sense. None. Every year people ask me, every year I revisit the math. Every year it completely makes no sense to tour. It's just an incredibly money-losing proposition. I don't like losing money."...

World Update
By Mike Vogel at Dump 'N Chase

Caps left wing Alex Ovechkin tallied the game-winning goal for Team Russia in the team’s first game of preliminary action at the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany. The Russians earned a 3-1 win over Slovakia on Sunday...

'Iron Man 2' Review Roundup: Your 140-Character
Reader Reactions!
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

Now that the opening weekend for "Iron Man 2" is in the rearview mirror, we've heard from countless critics, comic creators and journalists about the blockbuster follow-up to 2008's "Iron Man" — but what about fans?

This morning, I asked subscribers to the Splash Page Twitter feed to give me their 140-character reviews of "Iron Man 2", and the response was, well... pretty amazing...

R.I.P. Frank Frazetta: Iconic Artist And Visionary
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page


As I reported earlier today on Twitter, veteran artist Frank Frazetta has died at age 82.

The creator responsible for some of the most iconic images from the worlds of swords-and-sorcery and science-fiction, Frazetta died due to a stroke suffered earlier today...


Queen Exits EMI as Investors Vote on Cash for Label
By Kristen Schweizer at Bloomberg's Businessweek.com

Queen, the British rock band that penned “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is said to be leaving EMI Music after almost four decades, as the label’s investors vote on providing more cash to prevent creditors from seizing control.

Queen will switch to Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group next year, when the band’s contract with Guy Hands’s EMI Group Plc expires, two people familiar with the matter said today. Universal Music will handle the band’s recorded music contract outside North America, while publishing rights will remain with EMI, one of the people said, declining to be named because the talks are not public. Hollywood Records, a unit of Walt Disney Co., holds Queen’s U.S. recorded music contract...

2009-10 Rink Wrap: Jason Chimera
Posted by David M. Getz at Japers' Rink

Key Stat: 30-6-7, Washington's record in the regular season games once Chimera pulled on the Caps' sweater for the first time.

Interesting Stat: Chimera had 17 points in 39 games for both the Blue Jackets and the Capitals this season.

The Good: Chimera brings an attitude and skill set that no one else on the Capitals does. That in and of itself has value; the fact that his combination of speed and physicality and gritty style of play are perfectly suited to the playoffs is even better. On the physical side of things...

Monaco preview quotes - Bridgestone, Lotus, Virgin & more
Posted at Formula1.com

Of all the races on the Formula One calendar, Monaco can surely claim the most historic and glamorous reputation. Here the drivers and senior team personnel explain what makes the Monte Carlo event so special and reveal how they think they may fare over the coming weekend...

Give Me A Hundred : The Who's Magic Bus For Sale
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

In 2007 Volkswagen celebrated their 60th anniversary by staging a huge event in Hanover, Germany. The celebrations included a concert by The Who, who performed their 1967 hit 'Magic Bus'. Though not originally about a VW, the classic track has become an anthem for VW bus owners and links between The Who and the Volkswagen bus go back as far as 1965...


May 9, 2010

Ovechkin talks to media (video) after the win over Slovakia
By tj at Alex Ovetjkin

Ovechkin scored GWG, got the first star of the game and was presented by the tournament organizers with Swiss watch.

"We didn't start the game well," commented Alexander the Great. "we must score on PP. But God was on our side. In the end, we scored an empty netter and erased all the doubts"...

Ovechkin scores in Russia's win at worlds
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

Alex Ovechkin scored the game winner to help two-time defending champion Russia beat Slovakia, 3-1, in Russia's opener at the world championships in Germany...

The 2009-2010 season, by the "tens" -- Wingers: Alexander Semin
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator


...There is perhaps no more mysterious player in the NHL than Alexander Semin. A genius with the puck – shooting it or passing it – he is also perhaps the most confounding of Caps. 2009-2010 was Semin’s best year statistically, and it would have seemed to be the springboard to even bigger things, as the ten-game segments suggest...


Ogier backed to claim first WRC win
Posted at WRC.com

Sebastien Ogier’s team manager Benoit Nogier believes it is only a matter of time before his star driver wins his first world championship rally.

Ogier came within three corners of taking his maiden victory in the WRC on Rally New Zealand but a spin and stall dropped him back to second place behind Jari-Matti Latvala, albeit a scant 2.4 seconds adrift of the factory Ford driver...

The 2009-2010 season, by the "tens" -- Wingers: Alex Ovechkin
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...It is hard to think that a player who registered his fourth 50-goal season, his fourth 100-point season, finished a plus-45 (2nd in the league), finished with seven game-winning goals (tied for 4th), had 13 power play goals (tied for sixth), had 14 multi-goal games, and was 30-4-7 as captain of the club could be said to have an unsatisfying year, but there it is...


May 8, 2010

The 2009-2010 season, by the "tens" -- Centers: Boyd Gordon
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...A traditional spiritual song and hockey might not seem to go together, but Boyd Gordon’s back didn’t seem to get along much with hockey this season, either. Gordon missed 41 games in three different stints due to back injuries. It was very unfortunate for Gordon, for not only did he never really get much traction in cementing a place in the lineup, the statistics he did put up put him on a pace for one of, if not his best offensive season...

The 2009-2010 season, by the "tens" -- Centers: David Steckel
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...When first we saw David Steckel this season we thought that perhaps this was it; this would be the season when he added some offense to his abilities as a defender, penalty killer, and faceoff specialist. When last we saw him, we didn’t. Steckel did not dress for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Montreal Canadiens. In fact, he dressed for only one of the last five games, a victim of numbers and perhaps...

'Doctor Who' Review: Episode 5.04, 'The Time Of Angels'
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

Episode Title: "The Time Of Angels"

Written By: Steven Moffat

Story: The Doctor is summoned by River Song, the woman with a mysterious, possibly romantic connection to The Doctor, who was last seen in 2008's "Silence in the Library" adventure. After helping The Doctor regain control of his TARDIS, the trio of River, The Doctor and Amy Pond meet up with a group of soldiers on a barren planet...

Today's Tune: "Death Walks Behind You" By Atomic Rooster

This 'Today's Tune' was pretty easy to pick. My choice of "Death Walks Behind You" (1970 Album title track) by British band Atomic Rooster has a lot to do with my recent personal health.

Oh, don't worry. It's not really that bad (I hope). But with all the migraines I've been suffering through lately, it sure has felt like death would soon follow a few times.

I blame my misery on the ever changing weather. Up and down temperatures and barometric pressures always affect me like that. Choosing music from a band like Atomic Rooster, who's lineup and musical styles were ever changing (Prog rock to hard rock, etc.) throughout their history, therefore seems to make another good connecting reason for picking them.

Hopefully, listening to this awesome music, and taking a handful of painkillers, will get me through another day.

Atomic Rooster - "Death Walks Behind You"