Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USA. Show all posts

September 29, 2012

Doctor Who Series 7 / Episode 5 Preview:
"The Angels Take Manhattan"


The Angels Take Manhattan, Episode 5 of Doctor Who - Series 7 (not including the classic series), is probably the most anticipated episode of the entire season for the BBC science-fiction television show. Executive producer and lead writer Steven Moffat incorporates a few major returns and departures in this installment. We think we have a good idea of what's coming, but do we really?

First, we know this is the "final farewell" for "the Ponds" (Amy and Rory). Amy (Maiden name: Pond) - played by Karen Gillan and Rory Williams - played by Arthur Darvill are among the most popular companion characters the show has ever had. Personally, I can't believe we will never see them again, but we may only see them in a brief cameo-like appearance or two sometime in the future (or maybe in the past?). We can be sure though that there will be new companions acquired by the eleventh Doctor - played by Matt Smith.

The title name makes it obvious that they will be visiting the Manhattan area of New York City. The show has taken us there before. What may not be obvious, is that this is the first time it was actually recorded in the state of New York, and the second time ever in the United States.

Alex Kingston returns as River Song, for the first time since the last episode of Series 6. River was first introduced in Series 4, but was first revealed to be the daughter of Amy and Rory last year. She also became the wife of the Doctor the last time we saw her.

And what can I say about the villains in the story. The Weeping Angels have become almost iconic themselves, haven't they? Such a simple idea. I've known quite a few people who can be spooked by statues, under the right conditions. The makers of Doctor Who create the right conditions.

Guest stars for The Angels Take Manhattan include: Mike McShane (Whose Line Is It Anyway? - UK) as Grayle, Rob David (Gravity - 2010) as Sam Garner, Burnell Tucker ('Star Wars') as Garner 2, Ozzie Yue ('Silent Witness') as Foreman, and Bentley Kalu (Twenty Twelve) as Hood 1.

The official "Next Time" and stand-alone trailers for Episode 5, The Angels Take Manhattan, are below. The last one is a goodbye/tribute to "the Ponds". The episode airs tonight - September 29, 2012.


April 20, 2011

Today's Tune: "We're An American Band"
By Grand Funk Railroad


It's birthday number 63 for Flint, Michigan native Craig Frost, today. Frost is a keyboard player, and has twice been a member of Grand Funk Railroad, first from 1972 to 1977, and currently since 2005. He spent most of the time in between as a member of Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band.

For this 'Today's Tune', we go back to 1973 for our selection of song. From the album of the same name, it's the well received GFR single titled "We're An American Band".

No studio version was available when I checked. In case someone posts it again, here's a link for Grand Funk Railroad - "We're An American Band" Studio at YouTube.



Grand Funk Railroad - "We're An American Band" Live

December 6, 2010

Junior's Reading And Viewing List:
November 1 - 7, 2010


Last Update - December 6, 2010 at 7:54 PM EST

Take a look back at some of what was happening from November 1 through November 7, 2010 via this 'Reading And Viewing List'.

Upcoming films, hockey (Washington Capitals), music and racing (Formula One and WRC) are the main subjects here.

2010 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix Preview and 2010 WRC Wales Rally GB Preview posts made it into this list, as those events occurred in the first half of November.


November 7, 2010

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 3, Flyers 2, OT
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Game Over, Green! – Caps defenseman Mike Green blasted home a point shot 29 seconds into overtime to give Washington a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at Verizon Center. The victory extended the Caps’ winning streak to four and halted the Flyers’ winning streak at half a dozen games. It also lifted Washington to a tie with the Flyers for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Philadelphia has played one more game than Washington...


November 5, 2010

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 5, Bruins 3
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

For The Win – Growing up in Saskatchewan, Caps goalie Braden Holtby spent a good bit of his first 21 years dreaming of what his first NHL win would be like. While the rookie netminder has to feel like he is on top of the world after recording that initial NHL win in a 4-3 triumph over the Boston Bruins, he probably didn’t dreaming of it going down like it did...

Friday analysis - all systems normal (for now)
Posted at Formula1.com

The first day of practice in Brazil confirmed expected form as everyone got used to track conditions and set up their cars around Bridgestone's medium and super-soft tyres, though with rain expected, Saturday could be a different story. We take a team-by-team look at progress so far...

FIA Friday press conference - Brazil
Posted at Formula1.com

Team principals and drivers: John Booth (Virgin), Ross Brawn (Mercedes), Mike Gascoyne (Lotus), Timo Glock (Virgin), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Jarno Trulli (Lotus).

Q: John, just a summary of your season so far. Your first season, how do you feel about it?
John Booth: Well, pretty much as last time I answered the question. The first half was a disaster but it has been steady progress all the way since Monaco really...

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

Red Bull led championship rivals Ferrari and McLaren on the opening day in Brazil, with Renault's Robert Kubica again looking the man most likely to upset the order among the title contenders. The leading drivers and their rivals reflect on their early progress at Interlagos...

Sally Field To Join Martin Sheen In 'Spider-Man' Reboot?
By Josh Wigler at MTV's Splash Page


Just hours after the announcement that Martin Sheen is in final negotiations to play Uncle Ben in the relaunch of the "Spider-Man" franchise comes word that Field is set to play his wife, Aunt May. Field is reportedly in early talks to play Peter Parker's beloved aunt, reports Heat Vision, with the casting not completely finalized at this stage...

Pucks ‘N Pipsqueaks
By DC Sports Chick at On Frozen Blog

Last night the Capitals introduced a new event to their ever-expanding list of fan events: Sticks ‘n Sneakers. It’s Hockey ‘n Heels for the younger set. Membership in the Capitals Kids Club has quickly grown, and the Caps figured there would be interest in such an event. They were right; all 120 tickets for the event quickly sold out...

Pre-Brazil analysis - determined Massa eyes home triumph
Posted at Formula1.com

Ferrari's Felipe Massa has a point to prove to his fellow countryman this weekend, having locked out pole positions here with Rubens Barrichello since 2003 with the exception of one occasion on which Fernando Alonso interceded for Renault. The Brazilian is well aware that he can crucially influence the world championship fight if he can take a healthy helping of points away from Alonso's rivals, Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel at Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button at McLaren...


November 4, 2010

Martin Sheen In Talks To Play Uncle Ben In 'Spider-Man' Reboot
By Brian Warmoth at MTV's Splash Page

Rhys Ifans is extremely excited to be playing a villain for Marc Webb's "Spider-Man" reboot, and it looks like he may be getting some prestigious company with presidential experience. Martin Sheen not only has interest in playing Peter Parker's Uncle Ben; he's reportedly already in negotiations for the part...

FIA Thursday press conference - Brazil
Posted at Formula1.com

Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Williams), Lucas di Grassi (Virgin Racing), Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Bruno Senna (HRT).

Q: A question to you all. Can you give us a summary of your season
Bruno Senna: Well, as everybody knows we started late and we had a very public development throughout the season. I have learnt so much personally and I have developed so much as well...

Raikkonen: it's WRC or nothing
Posted at WRC.com

Kimi Raikkonen will still be a former Grand Prix driver in 2011, having indicated that he would not be interested in doing a deal to go back to Formula One next year...


Brazil preview - rain to add extra thrills to title battle?
Posted at Formula1.com

Renault's Robert Kubica believes that the Brazilian Grand Prix could be 'a lottery', and it's small wonder, with poor weather predicted all weekend just as the world championship battle is poised on a knife edge...


November 3, 2010

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 5, Maple Leafs 4, SO
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Get Me Rewrite – For the first 38 minutes or so of tonight’s game, it looked as though the Capitals were on the verge of putting together a solid all-round effort that featured strong play at both ends of the ice, solid penalty killing and a timely contribution from the power play unit...

Rides up for grabs on Wales Rally Great Britain
Posted at WRC.com

The Richard Burns Foundation - a charity set up in honour of the 2001 World Rally Champion - is auctioning rides in some of his cars on the Wales Rally GB superspecial stage...

Loeb and Sordo take to the race track
Posted at WRC.com

Citroen aces get behind the wheel of an International GT Open series Porsche 911...

Felipe Massa - local hero with a point to prove
Posted at Formula1.com

The Brazilian crowd is a partisan bunch. Even though he didn't turn a single lap of Interlagos, some of the biggest cheers at last year's Brazilian Grand Prix were reserved for local hero Felipe Massa...


November 2, 2010

Dave Davies Says No to Kinks Reunion : "Ray's An Asshole"
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

The Daily Mail is reporting : First off, Dave Davies wants to spell something out. There will not be reunion of The Kinks. Not now. Not in the future. Never...


Natural high - the challenge of Interlagos
Posted at Formula1.com

Interlagos, venue for this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix, may be one of the shorter - and highest - tracks on the calendar, but there's no shortage of challenges for the drivers and engineers. With one of the longest straights of the season, combined with slow hairpins and a couple of high-speed corners, finding the sweet spot is all about making the right set-up compromise...

FIA official visits United States Grand Prix site
Posted at Formula1.com

Race organisers for the forthcoming United States Grand Prix have revealed Nick Craw, president of the FIA's senate, has made an official visit to the track site in Austin, Texas to review plans and the development's progress. The purpose-built circuit will stage the US event from 2012, when Formula One racing returns to the country for the first time in five years...

Big entry for the end of an era
Posted at WRC.com

Wales Rally Great Britain has received a 63-car entry for next week's event, which will be the final round in the current era of two-litre World Rally Cars.

Fifteen of the cutting-edge World Rally Cars will make one final pass through the Welsh woods before they are replaced by all-new 1.6-litre machinery in time for the start of next season...


November 1, 2010

Kovalainen signs up for 2010 Race of Champions
Posted at Formula1.com

Lotus driver Heikki Kovalainen is set to compete at this year's Race of Champions event, which will take place in the German city of Dusseldorf later this month. The ROC is an annual end-of-season competition, which brings together the world's greatest drivers from various motorsport disciplines and pitches them head-to-head in identical machinery...

The Secret Life of Felipe Massa
Posted at Formula1.com

Last year Felipe Massa's life was the subject of intense media scrutiny as he recovered from his near-fatal qualifying accident in Hungary. Despite that, the much-liked Brazilian remains one of the more private personalities on the grid. Ahead of Felipe's home race, we found out a little more, including his love of football, his fear of heights, his hankering for a tattoo, and his friendship with a guitar god...

Black Country Communion Ready Second Album
By mdome at Classic Rock

...Glenn Hughes has made the following announcement on Twitter: ‘Studio is booked in LA for BCC 2 in January… good times people... its all about the music... GH’...

October 30, 2010

Junior's Reading And Viewing List:
September 21 - 25, 2010


Last Update - October 30, 2010 at 8:40 PM EDT

Junior's 'Reading And Viewing List' for September 21 through September 25, 2010 contains title links with article snippets from items posted to the web during that period of time. I think there are plenty of things here that are worth checking out, as we get into the Fall of 2010.

The topics covered below include films, music, hockey (Washington Capitals) and racing (Formula One and WRC).

Some 2010 F1 Singapore Grand Prix Preview and 2010 WRC Rally France Preview posts made it into this list.


September 25, 2010

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 2, Predators 1
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Two For The Road – Washington won its second road pre-season game in as many outings when it shaved the Predators 2-1 in Nashville on Saturday night.

After a 6-2 win over the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Wednesday, the Caps tightened up defensively, allowing the Preds just 25 shots on goal. That’s 14 fewer than the Blue Jackets registered...

Final practice - Vettel stays ahead at Marina Bay
Posted at Formula1.com

Red Bull continued to hold sway after the final free practice session this evening at Singapore's Marina Bay Circuit. Sebastian Vettel was the quickest man on a track that was still damp in places after lunchtime rain. Vettel finished over half a second clear of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who was separated from team mate Felipe Massa in the times by McLaren's Lewis Hamilton...

Notes from a Subdued Friday After Thursday’s High Drama
By pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog

Friday at camp offered a striking contrast in atmosphere relative to Thursday. No big-news presser, no buzz over a free agent’s hat trick from a game the night before, and when Gabby met the media near 2:00 there was only the Washington Post’s Katie Carrera and yours truly there with questions for the coach. The exchange lasted all of about 5 minutes...

2010-2011 Previews: Forwards -- D.J. King
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...King performs one of the most difficult jobs in any sport. He fights. In four NHL seasons and 101 games played, King has spent 553 minutes on the ice. He also has spent 135 minutes in the penalty box as a result of having engaged in 27 fights. And it isn’t as if he takes on lesser mortals. Of the five fights he had last year, none of his opponents had fewer than nine fights of their own last season...

John Bonham Remembered
By mdome at Classic Rock

On September 25, 1980 John Bonham, one of the all-time great drummers, died at the age of 32. That’s exactly 30 years ago today!

On December 4, 1980 Led Zeppelin announced they were splitting up, unable to continue without their driving force. And, despite the occasional one-off reunions for special occasions – the last being in December 2007 at the O2 Arena in London – that’s the way...


September 24, 2010

Caps Off To Music City
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Three nights after they opened their 2010-11 pre-season slate with a 6-2 victory over the Blue Jackets in Columbus, the Caps take to the road for the second of their six-game schedule of exhibition tilts. Washington heads to Nashville for a Saturday night date with the Predators...

Friday analysis - normal service resumed at Red Bull?
Posted at Formula1.com

A track that was still damp in places, where it had been resurfaced, kept the times slow in the first Singapore session on Friday, and it remained slippery in the second as oil seeped through that new surface. It was enough to keep most teams guessing through the 180 minutes of running time. One thing that was clear was that Red Bull, back in more comfortable high-downforce territory, seem to have rediscovered some serious speed. We take a team-by-team look at the early running at Marina Bay...

WRC countdown: Rallye de France
Posted at WRC.com


...Next week, the World Rally Championship will visit the banks of the Rhine for the first time, as the Rally de France switches a Corsican base for the mainland city of Strasbourg.

And, with a fairytale storyline in the offing, the event’s switch could coincide with Sebastien Loeb’s finest hour. Victory for the Frenchman at home next week would mean 60 world rally wins and seven world rally titles. And he’d do it all within cheering distance of the streets he was brought up on. And on the banks of the Rhine...


Raikkonen weighs up 2011 options
Posted at WRC.com

...Raikkonen has shown encouraging progress throughout his debut season in the World Rally Championship with Red Bull and the Citroen Junior Team, but his best result of the year so far remains fifth place on the Rally of Turkey back in April.

Now Raikkonen has been linked with other options for next year, both in rallying and Formula One...

2010-2011 Previews: Forwards -- Boyd Gordon
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...You can talk all you want about the goaltender having to be the team’s best penalty killer, but a lot of the heavy lifting is done by the guys in front, too. And this is Boyd Gordon’s workshop. Gordon does not have the offensive punch to make many contributions at that end of the ice, so his ability to play defense, help kill penalties, and win faceoffs is where he is going to earn his salary...


September 23, 2010

Bad Company To Say Goodbye?
Posted by Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

The Times Record is reporting that Bad Company might be waving goodbye to U.S. fans in a couple of weeks.

The British rock group's concert on Oct. 7 at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Catoosa, Okla., near Tulsa, will be its last U.S. date on its 2010 reunion tour, and the show could be the band's swan song to American fans, said lead singer and co-founder Paul Rodgers...

Exclusive Nick Heidfeld Q&A: I feel honoured to be back
Posted at Formula1.com

At the recent Italian Grand Prix, Nick Heidfeld was a hot candidate for a 2011 drive because of his recent tyre testing for Pirelli. But just days later, Heidfeld is back racing again, replacing Pedro de la Rosa at BMW Sauber for 2010's remaining five Grands Prix. Even though he doesn't know the C29 at all, and despite having completed very little mileage this year, the German is sure he can deliver in Singapore and keep his rookie team mate Kamui Kobayashi at bay...

FIA Thursday press conference - Singapore
Posted at Formula1.com

Drivers: Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber), Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus), Nico Rosberg (Mercedes), Vitaly Petrov (Renault), Mark Webber (Red Bull).

Q: Vitaly, a lot of new circuits coming up that are new to you. This is the first one. What do you do to prepare for a new circuit like this?
Vitaly Petrov: Play PlayStation. Then I try to watch as much as possible the videos from on-board cameras and the team helps me a lot to prepare. I do some simulator work at home and watch a lot of videos from the on-board camera and bits like this...

100 Club Could Close Down
By mdome at Classic Rock

...Says current owner Jeff Horton: “It makes me so angry. The Government, Westminster council and even some of the commercial landlords say they want to help small businesses, they say they want to preserve London’s uniqueness, they want to help multi-cultural venues.

“Yet we’re all that and all these organisations have all dumped on us from a great height.”

NHL to New Media: Go Fly a Kite
By pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog

This news, delivered last night by AOL Fanhouse, incensed me. In the epitome of Neanderthal progressivism, the NHL, beginning this season, is going to implement a ban on access by bloggers to visiting locker rooms at all arenas. Because you know, the collective work of hockey bloggers the past five-plus years has been, on the whole, so counterproductive, so destructive for the league, generated so precious little additional interest in the sport...

2010-2011 Previews: Forwards -- Eric Fehr
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator


...What Fehr was last year, though, was extremely efficient as a goal scorer. Among forwards dressing for at least 50 games, only three averaged more than Fehr’s 1.48 goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 (behindthenet.ca). And that is a who’s who of scorers – Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Sidney Crosby. Among those same forwards dressing for at least 50 games he ranked in the top 20 percent in goals-allowed/on-ice per 60 minutes (behindthenet.ca)...


Singapore preview - time to reveal the true contenders
Posted at Formula1.com

As Formula One returns to high-downforce tracks, the Singapore Grand Prix will reveal what individual team form can be expected over the five remaining rounds as the world championship fight builds to its climax. Spa and Monza were both low-downforce venues, on which the effect of the tightening up of the rules on flexible wings and undertrays was minimised. This weekend will give a much clearer view of any changes on that front, and the likely pecking order from Singapore to Abu Dhabi...

Dio’s House Up For Sale
By mdome at Classic Rock

...It also has wooden floors form France and a bar brought in from the King’s Arms in Chigwell, Essex. The house is priced at $3.333 million.

You can check out a selection of photos of Dio’s former abode here.


September 22, 2010

Postgame Notebook: Capitals 6, Blue Jackets 2
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

A Sixer – Washington popped the top on its six-pack of pre-season games with a six-goal offensive outburst and a 6-2 road win over the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Wednesday.

Free agent camp invitee Matt Hendricks paced the Washington attack with a hat trick, aiding his uphill bid to crack a deep and diverse group of Capitals forwards. Center Tomas Fleischmann, looking to put a chokehold on the No. 2 pivot job in the District, had a pair of goals and an assist...

Citroen almost reveals its new World Rally Car...
Posted at WRC.com

Citroen has revealed a few tantalising glimpses of its new DS3-based World Rally Car in a pre-launch teaser video...

...Follow this link to see the clip.

The Latest Classic Rock Podcast Is Live!
Posted by gbarton at Classic Rock on September 22, 2010

The Classic Rock Podcast is back with its latest instalment – come inside to have a listen.

The Classic Rock Podcast is back with its fourth, and arguably finest so far, instalment.

Geoff Barton, Malcolm Dome and still-sultry newbie Kylie Olsson discuss Guns N’ Roses’ disastrous Dublin show; Axl Rose “not being up to the job”; the diminishing role of the record company in the modern-day rock world; the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and John Bonham… and a whole lot more besides.

Have a listen here!

*Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes Note: Looking at their podcast page, it seems this was actually from the 17th. Since there are seven in the list, they may have miscounted the number of podcasts as well.


Burns to be honoured by special gathering
Posted at WRC.com


Fans and friends of Richard Burns, who died from brain cancer four years after winning the World Rally Championship in 2001, will remember the British hero during a special gathering at the base of the former Subaru WRC squad on September 25th...


2010-2011 Previews: Forwards -- Jason Chimera
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

...Chimera also possesses is speed. So much, in fact, that on a team that has more than a bit of flash he might be the fastest skater among the Capitals. It is a quality that serves him well barreling off the wing to put himself in a position to score. And, it keeps defensemen on their heels and goalies with a watchful eye toward his freight-training through the crease...

Organisers reveal further details about Austin track
Posted at Formula1.com

Race organisers for the forthcoming United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, have released further details about the new circuit, which will stage the event from 2012, when Formula One racing returns to the country for the first time in five years...

Slash Releases Expanded Edition Of Album
By mdome at Classic Rock

Slash is to release a deluxe edition of his self-titled solo album next week.

This has been expanded to three discs. There are to be two CDs, including 13 bonus tracks such as demos, plus a 52-minute DVD with behind the scenes footage on the making of the album, and also live performances from Los Angeles and Australia...


September 21, 2010

Behind The Thunder : An Exclusive Interview With Drummer Jason Bonham Of Black Country Communion
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

...Recently we had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with Jason to discuss the powerful new album he has recorded with vocalist Glenn Hughes, blues guitar god Joe Bonamassa and keyboardist Derek Sherinian, collectively known as Black Country Communion. In a band filled with masters of their craft, his drumming on the record stands out as a robust example of classic British rock power, and is a performance which would surely make his dad proud.

In part two of our exclusive series of all the members of Black Country Communion, the topics covered include not only his thoughts on the new album, the tour he's embarking on his own next month, The Led Zeppelin Experience - a multimedia tribute to the band, and most of all his late father John, living with the legacy of being the son of one of rock's all time great drummers, and more. Read on as we have a chat with one of rock's true powerhouse drummers, Jason Bonham...

Caps Head to Columbus for Pre-Season Opener
By Mike Vogel - Senior Writer at WashingtonCaps.com

Goaltender Michal Neuvirth and defensemen John Carlson and Karl Alzner are all virtual locks for the opening night roster in Washington this season. Each of those three players was a member of the consecutive Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears teams of 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Several forwards on those Bears Calder Cup clubs are also trying to crack a deep depth chart of forwards in the District. Starting Tuesday night in Columbus, some of those forward candidates will get their first pre-season showings...

The Constructive Purpose of Anger In Five Steps
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

If there is an early watchword to the eve of a new Capitals season, it is "anger." The Caps are angry over losing early in last spring's playoffs. Fans are angry because, well, that's the natural state of Caps fans (when they're not wallowing in the team's misfortune). The team adopted a "Stay Angry -- Believe in Yourselves" motto. Even getting back to business involves staying angry...

2010-2011 Previews: Forwards -- Matt Bradley
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

Matt Bradley has been a Capital for five seasons, during which he has compiled 33 goals and 85 points in 366 regular season games. He also has recorded 37 fights in that time. His win-loss record in those bouts isn’t as important as his willingness to engage in the practice. Bradley is what many might call an “energy” player, the sort who in a 45- second shift might get a couple of good hits, forecheck aggressively, and generally make a nuisance of himself. But he is not, by any definition of the term, an enforcer. But no one in the NHL seems more willing to sacrifice himself by stepping in for a teammate...

Power to survive? 2010 engine usage revealed
Posted at Formula1.com

...One aspect that will play an increasingly important role as we reach the season’s end is engine usage. The 2010 regulations specify that each driver may use no more than eight engines during a championship campaign, and most drivers are getting near the end of their allocation, meaning reliability will become ever more critical as we progress through the final five rounds...

August 7, 2010

Junior's Reading And Viewing List:
July 25 - 31, 2010


Last Update - August 7, 2010 at 8:02 PM EDT

The 'Reading And Viewing List' for July 25 through July 31, 2010 contains links to some interesting web items posted from last week.

The topics covered below include super hero comics movies, music, hockey (Washington Capitals) and racing (Formula One and WRC).

For the automotive sports enthusiasts, I've put some 2010 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Preview post links and a few 2010 WRC Rally Finland Preview posts in the mix this time.


July 31, 2010

Q & A with readers of Sovetsky Sport
Posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin

...At the end of Kharlamov Trophy ceremony Sovietsky Sport held a competition for fans. Of the 157 questions that readers asked Ovechkin on Sovsport.ru site, we selected the five most interesting in our opinion. And Alexander himself has determined the winner. [The winner received a prize - tj]...

Final practice - Webber leads the Red Bull charge
Posted at Formula1.com

Mark Webber dominated the final session of practice prior to Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, finishing the hour 0.484s ahead of Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel whose final three efforts to unseat him came up short...


July 30, 2010

Friday analysis - how much do Red Bull have in hand?
Posted at Formula1.com

Red Bull’s Friday pace around the Hungaroring looked ominous, even without an F-duct on the RB6 and regardless of tyre compound. Ferrari could have an answer, while McLaren admit they are a long way off an adequate response (and could come under threat from Renault on Saturday). We take a team-by-team look at early progress in Budapest

FIA Friday press conference - Hungary
Posted at Formula1.com

Team principals: Eric Boullier (Renault), Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull) and Colin Kolles (HRT).

Q: First of all, can we have a run-down of how things have gone today. Colin, would you like to start?
Colin Kolles: Well, we had some technical issues but we managed to go through the programmes. I think that Sakon (Yamamoto) did a good job. He drove almost the same lap time as Bruno (Senna)...

Ovechkin talks about vacation and the team
Sportbox.ru interview, etc. posted by tj at Alex Ovetjkin

The team Russia and Washington Capitals forward, who received an award of the best Russian player in the NHL, a Kharlamov Trophy, for the the fifth time, talked about his vacation and explained the advantages of long-term contracts...

Stan Lee On His Marvel Movie Cameos: 'I Wish They'd
Make Me A Villain!'

By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

Legendary comic creator Stan Lee is one of my favorite people to talk to in the industry, so it's probably no surprise that I asked him to come down to Splash Page HQ for a chat during Comic-Con.

Despite a schedule so busy it would make your head spin, the co-creator of Spider-Man, Hulk, the X-Men, and countless characters took some time to discuss his upcoming projects with me — as well as his cameos in nearly every movie based on one of his characters these days...




McPhee on trading for D.J. King and
re-signing Tomas Fleischmann

By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

George McPhee said he didn't trade for rugged winger D.J. King on Wednesday because of a specific incident last season or a concern that his players needed a bodyguard. Rather, the Caps GM said he made the move because he believes the oft-injured King can develop into more than a designated fighter and that his toughness will add balance to one of hockey's most skilled lineups...

Changes coming on Caps beat
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

As you have probably heard by now, my run as Caps beat writer is coming to an end after five years.

I'm terrible with goodbyes, so I'll keep this brief. It's been an honor and privilege to cover the hockey team I grew up watching for the newspaper I grew up reading. But the time has come for me to seek out new challenges and, equally as important, spend more time at home after living out of a suitcase every fall, winter and spring since Oct. 2005...

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

The morning session may have been dominated by the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, but by the afternoon the Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa had joined the fray at the front. The leading teams and their rivals reflect on their early progress in Budapest...

Practice Two - Red Bulls split by Alonso
Posted at Formula1.com

To begin with it was Red Bull team mates Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber who slogged it out for fastest time as the second free practice session got underway at the Hungaroring on Friday afternoon, but as the 90 minutes progressed Ferrari got into the act too, with Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa posting fast times.

In the end Vettel aced everyone with 1m 20.087s, which was 0.497s faster than Alonso’s best of 1m 20.584s which just beat Webber’s 1m 20.597s...

Bruce Dickinson: High Ticket Prices Keep Fans Away
By mdome at Classic Rock

Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson has claimed high ticket prices are the reason many major gigs have been cancelled this year, especially in America...

I've done it 5 times
By tj at Alex Ovetjkin

Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin has won the Kharlamov Trophy, the award presented to the best NHL Russian hockey player, for the fifth time. On this occasion he was handed a T-shirt with a sign "I've done it 5 times!" (Я сделал это 5 раз!)...

In sickness and health - a year on from Felipe Massa’s accident
Posted at Formula1.com

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton may have won last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, but the 2009 event was dominated by the accident which befell Ferrari’s Felipe Massa during qualifying. A year on, we look back at the events of the Budapest weekend, which would see Massa ruled out of the rest of the season, and evaluate the Brazilian’s extraordinary return to top-flight racing...

Practice One - Red Bull out in front in Hungary
Posted at Formula1.com

Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber looked to be in a world of their own round the Hungaroring on Friday morning in the opening practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix. They traded fastest times a second clear of their closest rivals, and ended the 90-minute session with Vettel fractionally ahead with 1m 20.976s to 1m 21.106s...

Pre-Hungary analysis - Massa ‘here to win’
By David Tremayne at Formula1.com

No sooner had he had visited with the marshals who helped to rescue him here last year, than Felipe Massa found himself embroiled in further argument over the events of Hockenheim last week, and defending himself against accusations that he is now the number-two driver at Ferrari...


July 29, 2010

A Blueprint
By The Peerless at The Peerless Prognosticator

When the Caps tore out the 2003-2004 team all the way to the studs and began the Great Rebuild in earnest, the ensuing plan had as its core the idea of building through the draft. That’s nice, as far as it goes, but it does not fully describe what unfolded over the next several years as the Caps dragged themselves up from being the functional equivalent of an expansion team to a championship contender...


Rubens Barrichello (Interviewed below) photo from GPUpdate.net .

Exclusive Rubens Barrichello Q&A: I thought Ferrari had changed
Posted at Formula1.com

Williams’ Rubens Barrichello confesses he found himself rubbing his eyes in disbelief at what he saw at Hockenheim. The man who spent so long partnering Michael Schumacher at Ferrari never thought the Italian team would dare to do it again after Austria 2002. The Brazilian admits it made him happy to be where he is now - not at the front of the grid perhaps, but approaching his 300th Grand Prix confident of plenty more to come. We spoke to him about Williams’ form, team orders, and his hopes for the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend...


FIA Thursday press conference - Hungary
Posted at Formula1.com

Drivers: Rubens Barrichello (Williams), Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus), Robert Kubica (Renault), Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Sakon Yamamoto (HRT)

Q: Robert, you regard this as your home race, don’t you?
Robert Kubica: Yeah, it is the closest race to Poland. Many fans are coming here. As there will not be a Polish Grand Prix I think Hungary we can call it my home race...

Hungary Preview - Alonso out to silence Ferrari critics
Posted at Formula1.com

Completely unmoved by the barrage of criticism that came his way after the manner in which he won the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim last weekend, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso is determined to repeat the feat this time out at the Hungaroring.

The Spaniard is convinced that the circuit will suit the Ferrari F10, and believes that he can kick start his world championship challenge with a third victory of the season...

Gronholm: bravery is everything in Finland
Posted at WRC.com

Marcus Gronholm has started his home round of the World Rally Championship 18 times and won it seven - making him the most successful driver on the event in the history of the series, but he admits it takes a specific mindset to win in Jyvaskyla.

With average speeds regularly topping 120kph down the gravel-strewn, tree-lined roads, it’s no wonder a win on Rally Finland means more than virtually any other rally. And it’s no wonder the event has been dominated by Scandinavians on all but four occasions...

Hungary preview quotes - Cosworth, Virgin, Ferrari,
Force India & more

Posted at Formula1.com

Hot on the heels of Hockenheim, the teams head straight to Budapest for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before the Formula One community takes a well-earned summer break. Drivers and senior team personnel discuss their prospects for the Hungaroring...


July 28, 2010

Edgar Wright Says His 'Ant-Man' Wouldn't Work
With 'The Avengers'

By Blair Marnell at MTV's Splash Page

..."I talked to [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige about that a while back where we just discussed about whether [Ant-Man] would be in 'The Avengers.'" Wright told Cinema Blend. "The thing is, the script that I’ve written, you know, whether it’s next or not I don’t know, the chronology of it or the way it works wouldn’t really fit in with what they do. And my film is very much an introduction to that character, and so it wasn’t something where it felt right to introduce him in that film."...

In Central Pa., the Calder Cup Is Three Miles High
By pucksandbooks at On Frozen Blog

Engineers and construction workers in hard hats, utility communicators and administrative staff, even cafeteria workers expressed a common line of inquiry near 1:30 Tuesday afternoon at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Operating Station in Harrisburg. Pa.: Is it here yet?...

Unrepentant Ferrari target Hungarian success
Posted at Formula1.com

They may be racing under the cloud of possible further sanctions from the FIA after their controversial one-two result in Germany, but Ferrari are determined to stay upbeat ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian race...


July 27, 2010

Neste Oil Rally Finland on wrc.com
Posted at WRC.com

The waiting is almost over. Three weeks after Rally Bulgaria, the eighth round of the 2010 world championship is almost upon us, with cars and drivers gearing up to take on one of the giants of the WRC - Neste Oil Rally Finland.

The rally kicks off on Thursday evening, with a single stage ahead of two 14-hour-plus days on Friday and Saturday. It’s a new format which will test endurance to the limit. And to test nerves and skill, Finland delivers some of the best and fastest gravel stages in the world. So fast, in fact, that Finland boasts five of the six fastest rallies in WRC history - with the 2005 event topping the lot at 122.86kph...

Further details about US F1 race announced
Posted at Formula1.com

Tavo Hellmund, managing partner of Full Throttle Productions LP, revealed Red McCombs as the primary investor for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ racing project. McCombs, a business and sports legend, is committing financial resources, experience and the business relationships of McCombs Partners to complement Hellmund and his extensive motorsports’ background.

Hellmund and McCombs Partners have been working on potential site development as well as event and facility infrastructure. The end result will present one of the world’s most prestigious sporting events and the first ever purpose-built Formula One facility in the United States...

Captain America Won't Don 'Final' Suit Until Third Act Of Movie, Reveals Chris Evans
Posted by Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

One of the biggest reveals to occur during this year's Comic-Con was the first look at Chris Evans in his "Captain America" costume shown during Marvel's movie panel Saturday evening.

Marvel's teaser only gave us a brief look at Evans in the familiar red, white, and blue suit, so when we got some time to chat with the "Captain America" lead, we had to ask: how much more will we see him in costume during the film? [WARNING: Potential SPOILERS!]




MINI comeback a strong vote of confidence in the WRC, says Long
Posted at WRC.com

The news that MINI will be returning to the FIA World Rally Championship from 2011 has been hailed by the championship promoter as evidence of the increasing appeal of the WRC to car manufacturers and teams.

Simon Long, CEO of North One Sport, said MINI’s decision to make a WRC comeback was an endorsement of recent technical and sporting regulations designed to increase value to manufacturers and the sport’s relevance to their production cars...

Schumacher seeking a fresh start in Hungary
Posted at Formula1.com

For a driver who has scored four German Grand Prix wins during his career, you could imagine a ninth-place finish would be a result to forget. However, Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher is determined to glean as much as he can from his poor Hockenheim outing ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian event...

MINI confirms WRC comeback
Posted at WRC.com

The iconic MINI name will return to the World Rally Championship stages next year after its parent BMW group announced a multi-year comeback for one of the most charismatic names in the sport’s history.

From 2011, MINI will compete at selected rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship and will go on to contest the entire season from 2012 onwards. BMW says this involvement is planned ‘for several years’...

Q&A - Sebastien Ogier
Posted at WRC.com

This week’s Neste Oil Rally Finland marks the debut of Citroen’s latest weapon in the World Rally Championship battle: two Sebastiens.

After a mid season re-shuffle, French rising star Sebastien Ogier and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia have been promoted to the main factory team, to work alongside the team’s number one driver - Sebastien Loeb...


July 26, 2010

Ted Leonsis Tackles Phone Booth Food Fears
By Mike Rucki (a.k.a. OrderedChaos) at On Frozen Blog

ESPN.com has released a report regarding health inspections conducted in 2009 at all 107 NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA stadiums. Food safety issues are common in restaurants, of course, and minor violations are often impossible to avoid completely.

But unfortunately (and, to me, surprisingly), the Verizon Center had the highest percentage of food vendors in violation among all 107 stadiums, tied with Tropicana Field...

Can Hirvonen do the Finland double?
Posted at WRC.com

Ford team leader Mikko Hirvonen will defend his Rally Finland title next week on a weekend which is guaranteed to give him at least one reason to celebrate.

Hirvonen, who comes from host town Jyvaskyla, fulfilled a lifetime ambition by winning last year in a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car. This year the Finn celebrates his 30th birthday on the final day next Saturday and is hoping for a double celebration...

Sordo upbeat after Junior switch
Posted at WRC.com

Dani Sordo has given an upbeat assessment of Citroen’s decision to drop him to the Junior team for the forthcoming Rally Finland, saying the lack of pressure could help him achieve a better result.

Citroen has relegated Sordo from the factory squad in favour of Junior Team driver Sebastien Ogier for the three gravel rallies which remain this year, although Sordo will be back in the main team for the asphalt rounds...


July 25, 2010

A Mid-Summer State of the Bears
By Jess Mikula at On Frozen Blog

Barely a month ago, the town of Hershey was ensconced in celebration. Again. A fitting conclusion to the best season in AHL history — and arguably one of the greatest in all of hockey — the Bears hoisted the club’s 11th Calder Cup...

Heaven & Hell Pay Tribute To Ronnie James Dio
At High Voltage Festival

By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

Heaven & Hell members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice performed a special tribute to their late bandmate, Ronnie James Dio last night(Saturday, July 24th) at the High Voltage festival at Victoria Park in London, UK...

'Captain America' And 'Thor' Footage, Avengers Assemble
At The Marvel Comic-Con Panel!

By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

There was no small amount of news and blazing-hot footage coming out of this year's Marvel movie panel at Comic-Con. So without any further introduction, here's what happened:...

*Dan, Jr. / Junior's Eyes Note: See the cast of 'The Avengers' introduced below:

Comic-Con 2010: The Avengers
Posted to YouTube by HallHCoverage



February 27, 2010

Junior's Reading And Viewing List:
February 25 - 26, 2010


Last Update - February 27, 2010 at 5:33 AM EST

Here is the 'Reading And Viewing List' for February 25 through February 26, 2010. This batch is packing some substance, so read on.


February 26, 2010

United States routs Finland, 6-1, to reach Olympic men's hockey gold medal game
By Associated Press at The Washington Post

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The torment began almost immediately.

The shot by Ryan Malone of the United States into an open net left Finland goalie Miikka Kiprusoff staring at the ceiling and shaking his head...

Boudreau puts Caps through grueling practice
By Mark Giannotto at Capitals Insider

Capitals forward Mike Knuble had trouble remembering a practice this year that featured as much skating as Bruce Boudreau put his players through this morning at Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

Boudreau had steadily been ramping up the conditioning since the Capitals' non-Olympic players returned to the ice Wednesday after a 10-day break, but this workout was clearly the toughest...

Dani Sordo Q&A
Posted at WRC.com

First of all, Rally Sweden. Were you happy or disappointed with your fourth place in the opening round of the season?
“It’s obvious that I’d have preferred to finish on the podium, but fourth place is a fairly normal one for me in a winter rally. What I do remember is that I had a very good first day. I’d prepared really well for this event and I was able to match Seb’s and Mikko’s pace right away on these very fast stages...

A Real Medal-Winning Hockey Mom
By Hockey Mom at Musings Of A Hockey Mom

Despite last night's disappointing loss to Team Canada, Team USA's Women's Hockey Team has much to be proud of! They fought hard to the end and represented the red, white and blue gloriously throughout these games. Hockey Mom has a special place in her heart for Team USA's Jenny Potter - who not only earned two hat tricks in these games, but is a "true" hockey mom in every sense of the word,...

Batman Beats Superman In Comic Auction, 'Detective Comics' #27 Sells For $1.075 Million
By Rick Marshall at MTV's Splash Page

Chalk one up for The Dark Knight in the eternal debate over whether Batman could beat Superman. Just a few days after Superman's debut in "Action Comics" #1 set a new record at the auction block with a winning bid of $1 million, Batman upped the ante with a $1,075,000 sale of "Detective Comics" #27, featuring the character's first appearance...

Countdown to Rally Mexico
Posted at WRC.com


After a freezing start on the snowy roads of Sweden, the FIA World Rally Championship heads to the heat and dust of Rally Mexico for round two - the only WRC event on the American continent this year.

Based in the city of Leon, 400km north-west of Mexico City, the rally made its debut on the WRC calendar in 2004 and returns after a year's absence in 2009. Always a popular event with the fanatical Mexican rally fans, this year's edition comes with extra cause for celebration as the country marks the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and the 200th anniversary of its independence...

Ozzy Vs. Iommi: Carry On Suing
By mdome at Classic Rock

Ozzy Osbourne’s lawsuit against Tony Iommi over the use of the Black Sabbath name is to carry on.

Ozzy is suing Iommi for a 50 percent share in the name, after the guitarist is alleged to have tried to take sole ownership by filing it with the US Patent And Trademark Office last year...

Male Numbness
By Kameron at I May Have Been Born Yesterday
But I Stayed Up All Night


A few days ago, a woman I know in the Real World asked about my entry on the Marriage Strike.

She was specifically interested in how I wrote that I might be classified as part of the marriage strike because I hadn't even tried to get a date in a long time. She asked how long it'd been since I tried to get a date. I told her...

Tom Petty Gets His Mojo Working
By mdome at Classic Rock

There’s a new Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers album on the way.

It’s to be titled Mojo and should be released in the spring, to coincide with a US tour. This will be the first album from the band since The Last DJ eight years ago.

For further info, go to http://www.tompetty.com/

Original AC/DC Singer To Tour UK
By mdome at Classic Rock

Original AC/DC vocalist Dave Evans has lined up a series of British shows for this spring...

February 25, 2010

Rolling Stones Unearth 10 New Tracks For 'Exile' Reissue
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

The Rolling Stones, who have long resisted releasing archival material, will include 10 previously unheard songs in an upcoming reissue of "Exile on Main Street," the group's representatives said on Thursday...

A meltdown of Chernobyl proportions (update)
By tj at Alex Ovetjkin

As you probably know the Russian President has cancelled his visit to Vancouver for closing ceremony. And you guess it right, it's related to a hockey meltdown of team Russia vs. Canada.

Yes, it goes back to 1972 and it's all about the national pride and the way how Canadians humiliated the Russians, beat them up and broke Kharlamov's ankle. This would be remembered a thousand years from now. It's not that the Russians didn't deliver the same blows to Canadians, in 1981 Canada Cup they won 8:1 with Canada having such stars as Gretzky, Lafleur, Bossy, Perreault, Ray Bourque and Robinson. For Russians the game that will be remembered the most will be the win over Canada. You can lose to Finns, Swedes, Americans, Czechs, but the one that will hurt for a long time will be the loss to Canada...

Cam Janssen gets five games (updated)
By Tarik El-Bashir at Capitals Insider

The NHL delivered another stern message regarding head shots this afternoon when it suspended St. Louis enforcer Cam Janssen five games, without pay, for elbowing Matt Bradley in the face on Feb. 13.

Janssen's punishment, according to the league, was for "a late hit to the head delivered to an unsuspecting forward." The Blues winger was assessed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct after nailing Bradley with a forearm/elbow to the face as the Washington winger looked around to follow a pass he had just made...

Mike Green on watching the Olympics from home:
'My time will come'

By Mark Giannotto at Capitals Insider

Capitals defenseman Mike Green always imagined watching Wednesday's epic Canada-Russia Olympic hockey game from ice level, a red and white jersey on, and his name stitched to the back. But because he was one of the odd men out when the roster for the Canadian Olympic team was announced last month, Green took in his home country's 7-3 triumph over Russia on Wednesday in front of a fireplace while sitting in a La-Z-Boy at the home of goalie Jose Theodore...

Blues Legend B.B. King Keeps On Rolling With 2010 Tour Dates
By Nightwatcher at Nightwatcher's House Of Rock

LiveDaily is reporting that with a winter tour alongside Buddy Guy recently wrapped, B.B. King has mapped a round of solo dates that rounds out the winter and runs into late 2010...

Ovechkin after loss: "We Tried, and Did Everything We Could"
Posted by tuvanhillbilly at Japers' Rink

Photo by Reuters Pictures

Thanks to Dmitry Chesnokov for alerting us via his twitters (you are following him, right?) to this piece on the Sovetsky Sport website on the press conference that Alex Ovechkin gave to the Russian press following the crushing defeat by Canada today.

***

After the game Alexander Ovechkin answered some questions from reporters, and among them was Sovetsky Sport correspondent Pavel Lysenkov...

Mike Milbury not a fan of Russia's 'Eurotrash game'
By Sean Leahy at Puck Daddy

Mike Milbury and controversy are real good friends. Sometimes he's found using shoes in various ways; or inciting Washington Capitals fans by calling them the "Crapitals"; or mixing it up with bloggers outside of an elevator. To the hockey community, Milbury is that crazy uncle who embarrasses everyone around him whenever he opens his mouth...

Alex Ovechkin, Russia go out with a thud
By Slava Malamud of Russia's Sport-Express at Heavy Medal

The dominating performance of Team Canada in Wednesday night's quarterfinal against Russia provided perhaps one of the most anticlimactic moments of the Games. Not only did the expected Dream Final not manifest itself, even the Dream Quarterfinal turned out to be lopsided...

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