Maximizing Monthly Allotments for PPV

Todd Martin has his review of the inaugural World Fighting Alliance show posted here. After reading his review, I asked him whether it was worth purchasing, given that its not airing in Canada until July 30th, this coming Sunday. He replied that " If you're a big MMA fan, it's definitely worth checking out. If you're more casual, maybe not." However, I don't think that is the only factor that determines whether or not I purchase a PPV.

I like to catch the UFC PPVs, but I hardly ever actually buy them. Instead, I go to my local bar/restaurant and watch the show there. I end up spending about $20 - $25 on food and beverages and watch the show. Now, it could be argued that my roommate and I can spend the same amount and get the PPV at home, but thats not true. Once we've bought snackage to accompany the PPV, we've spent more than we would have by watching the show at Crabby Joe's or the Oar House.

And thats just for the UFC PPVs. Unfortunately, UFC is the only group to have inspired enough casual interest to get restaurant owners to shell out the cash to order a PPV. (I've heard it costs upwards of $1500 for a restaurant to show a PPV, and the total amount depends on the total capacity of the bar.) But the bars don't order Pride or WFA events. (The Oar House used to show WWF PPVs, but stopped during the WWE crackdown. I have an interesting anecdote that I'll relate at the end of this post.) So UFC is pretty much the only affordable PPV option.

I know I could order the Pride or WFA PPVs at home, but the costs are prohibitive. The same holds true for WWE PPVs. The WFA PPV is $34.99. I'm not sure of the price of a Pride PPV, but I'm sure its about the same. And WWE recently boosted their price to $39.99. The WWE's logic is that the diehard fans who continue to order the PPVs will more than make up the loss of those fans for whom $39.99 is too much to see The Undertaker vs The Great Khali in a "Punjabi Prison Match." (Especially when that match doesn't actually happen.) My logic is that I can read the recaps online, see the replays on television, and, on the off chance that the show is worth watching, I can buy the DVD for $19.99 a month or two later. (Actually more than that, because WWE's Candian distributor Koch, is about as competent as a braindead lemur with palsy. Or they might need to take longer so they can waste time and money making everything bilingual. Bilingualism = Canada's shame.)

Unfortunately for Pride and WFA, they have no means of establishing a WWE or UFC like rapport with the general public. At least, not in Canada. I guess Pride has a television show in the States, but they have no presence here in Canada. As a result, they only get purchases from those fans who are confident that they will be ordering a good show. And can afford it. And I am neither of those things.

First of all, I'm a pessi-realist. I always anticipate the worst possible realistic situation. So I don't expect any show to be great. Particularly when I'm not able to immerse myself in the backstory and the personalities that are involved. And second of all, I'm a student on a budget. As such, I have to be more choosy with how I spend my PPV dollars. I'm not living on ketchup soup and crackers, but my situation does require me to weigh the pros and cons of spending money on something like a PPV, which has no guarantees of being any good. Seeing Rampage and Matt Lindland go at it isn't worth $34.99, especially if the rest of the fights involve replacement fighters and guys who have let themselves go to pot.

I don't doubt that Pride and WFA have, can, and will put on good shows. But I need more than the possibility of seeing a good show before shelling out the money for a PPV. These companies need to find a way to connect with the general public if they want them to order their shows. The Fight Network is a good start, but I have refused to order the channel since they ended their free preview. Some of their programming was pretty good, but I have no desire to watch "So You Think You Can Fight" or bad karate movies. I believe they may have improved their programming since then, and I may order the channel, but thats just me. If Pride and WFA want to compete with UFC in more than just the US, they are going to need to raise their awareness.

They may want to consider offering the PPVs at a more reasonable rate, to encourage people to take a chance on one of their shows. I know this may offend the people who have been ordering Pride PPVs for years, but given the rising profile of MMA in North America, companies are going to need to find ways to reach out to new audiences. UFC has done this with The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed and the like. IFL has their show on Rogers Sportsnet (even though there is no mention of the show on the Sportsnet website and the episode they showed last night was the same I watched a month ago.) So its time for the other companies to reach out.

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Okay, WWE PPV story. For those who don't know, WWE Canada has a, for lack of a better word, godawful website. What they have now though, is a hundred times better than their old one. For years, the only thing on the WWF/E Canada website was a survey asking people where they watched WWF PPVs? They promised people would be entered in a draw for an unnamed prize. Of course, all of this was happening while WWE/F was cracking down on bars showing PPVs. Was this actual market research? Or was it just a sneaky underhanded way of getting naive people to rat out their favorite bar?

I Hate To See You Leave, I Love To Watch You Go

Yesterday's announcement of the big move of RAW from TSN to The Score isn't the only media related wrestling news to go down in the past week or so. So I thought I'd talk about some of the others.

Stacy Keibler has signed a deal with Disney/Touchstone that is going to see them either develop a show for her, or find a way to bring her into an existing show. I think this is a big deal for Keibler, who has managed to put WWE behind her, after her breakthrough performance on Dancing With The Stars. Keibler is an interesting example of a WWE diva, as she managed to resist both the pressure to pose for Playboy, and the obsession with big breasts that is the WWE. She was popular with the fans, she came across as relatively intelligent, and she provided WWE with a good public face. She put up with all the degrading garbage that WWE makes their female employees do (gravy bowl, bra and panties, pillow fights, etc, etc). Sure she wasn't a good wrestler, but since she was originally hired to be a dancer, one can't expect her to be Lou Thesz.

I can see Stacy getting a role on a sitcom as the pretty friend or neighbour. A quick glance at ABC's (aka Disney/Touchstone's primary broadcast outlet) fall schedule shows a few shows where she may fit in. Right now, I think the best option would be Ugly Betty, which, despite the terrible title, seems like it would be a good fit for Keibler. The show is about an ugly duckling (played by America Ferrera, who isn't actually ugly) working in the world of fashion publishing. Given Stacy's looks, she could probably work well in that show, and given her nice girl appeal, could be the friend/sounding board for Ferrera's Betty. I don't think Keibler will be taking on any dramatic roles any time soon, but she could possibly replace Katherine Heigl's Izzy on Grey's Anatomy, if Izzy is actually leaving.

Keibler's move away from the subculture of professional wrestling also bodes well for another Diva, Trish Stratus. Evidently Stratus' contract with WWE is up shortly, and like fellow Canadians Chris Jericho and Christian Cage before her, Stratus has yet to sign a new contract. The brilliant and hilarious RD Reynolds has written an open letter to Trish here, although I don't know how much longer it will be up. So read it now. NOW I said!!! Anyway, I've got to agree with what Deal says. Trish has pretty much done it all in the world of professional wrestling. Those who have been watching for years have seen her develop from eye candy manager to one of the best North American female wrestlers today. Her heel turn on Chris Jericho was one of the highlights of Wrestlemania XX. She has been one of the most adored wrestlers, and one of the most hated. That last is impressive, as WWE fans are often reluctant to boo a beautiful woman who can entertain, but Stratus was able to do it.

Outside of wrestling, Stratus has made appearances on MadTV, has done some comedy work with Toronto's Second City, and hosted the meaningless Canada's Walk of Fame ceremony. She has genuine charm, is stunningly beautiful, and seems to be a likeable person. Unlike Keibler, she may have unnaturally large breasts, but she too has managed to avoid the Playboy pressure. She has nothing left to do in professional wrestling, and if she sticks around, she will probably just find herself in more T&A matches (not Test and Albert), occasionally being allowed to showcase her actual wrestling skills against Victoria or Mickie James.

Given the sad state of Canadian television, any Canadian production company would jump at the opportunity to sign Stratus to a deal similar to Keibler's. I'm not saying she should be the hot new teacher on Degrassi, but I'm pretty sure that they could find a role for her.

The other argument that some people will forward is that presented by the cases of Sable and Chyna. Both of these ladies left wrestling with hopes of achieving success in Hollywood. Sable's greatest success has been hooking up with Brock Lesnar, and Chyna (Doll) has appeared on VH1's Surreal Life and in an oddly, and disturbingly, popular adult video release with Kliq bagboy Sean Waltman (no nudity, but that doesn't make it any less disturbing). For me, the difference lies in the fact that Stratus and Keibler have already laid a groundwork for their success. Sable and Chyna did Playboy, and that was about it. Their egos got the best of them, and they began to think they were more popular than they really were. Stratus and Keibler are popular, and have the tools to succeed when freed from the constraints of professional wrestling. Sure they may not win any Emmys or Oscars (I'm not saying they won't) and they may not make Julia Roberts money(again, not saying they can't). But I think they can both find a comfortable position that allows them to continue to entertain, without worrying about herniated disks, broken ankles or being forced to bark like a dog and literally kiss your boss' ass.

So Stacy, congratulations. And thank you. You've entertained, you've done your best, and you've forever etched the name Hancock on the minds of wrestling fans. Hell, I actually think better of the Baltimore Ravens because of you.

And Trish, as much as I hate to say it, please leave and don't come back. You're better than wrestling. You have done all you can, and you should spread your wings and fly. I take solace in the fact that you should find work in Toronto, making it simpler for me to continue to enjoy your work.

Raw Is Moving

Today, WWE made a major announcement regarding their television programming in Canada. After 11 years of Raw on TSN, WWE's flagship program is moving to The Score, the same channel that carries WWE Smackdown. This was a big deal, and definitely represents a major shift, and a bit of a loss for TSN.

For me, this is like a neglected wife leaving her husband for the arms of a man who appreciates her. Here in Canada, the first time I saw Monday Night RAW was on CKVR, which became The New VR, and then became A-Channel Barrie. But that relationship soured with the Brian Pillman gun angle. After that, TSN had the Canadian broadcast rights to RAW, a relationship that worked out fairly well for all parties involved. (Interestingly enough, CKVR was/is owned by CHUM and TSN is owned by Bell Globemedia, which just purchased CHUM Media for an obscene amount of money) Of course, in the very early days, RAW wasn't broadcast on Monday nights, and could usually be found at 9 am or at some point on the weekends. Eventually, RAW found its way to Monday Nights, just in time for the birth of WWE Attitude. Which, of course, led to the first big problem in the WWF(E)/TSN relationship.

Much of what aired during the Attitude Era was deemed unacceptable for viewing in Canada. I can only attribute this to the fact that Canadians are not as smart, sophisticated or educated as Americans, and are unable to make their own decisions regarding what is acceptable viewing. As such, we rely on government regulatory agencies, television censors and professional self-regulatory standards councils to help us determine what we should be viewing. There were times when, watching RAW, a Canadian would see more canned crowd shots than actual programming. The irony here, of course, is that Canada typically enjoys more freedom in their broadcasting with CTV (the broadcast arm of Bell Globemedia, as opposed to TSN which is only available via cable subscription) broadcasting unedited episodes of The Sopranos. The logic behind editing RAW for cable transmission and not editing The Sopranos for television broadcast was that "The Sopranos is dramatic programming and WWF is sports programming." (A direct quote from correspondence with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.) As such, actions which would be acceptable in one venue such as The Sopranos, would not be acceptable in another, like RAW. Of course, none of this was really TSN's problem, but it does indicate the problems in the TSN/WWF(E) relationship.

Once wrestling got really hot, TSN made sure to have RAW on Monday nights. Unless there was something else they would rather show. Which is my biggest problem with the way TSN handled RAW. Sure they showed it, but they would pre-empt it for hockey, or curling, or baseball, or tennis. TSN knew that wrestling fans would follow the show wherever they stuck it, so they didn't have to worry about not showing it live. Of course, TSN was more than happy to take advantage of the dedication of wrestling fans, using them to help a fledgling sports round table talk show called Off The Record by featuring WWE wrestlers as guests. This show helped a useless joke of a broadcaster named Michael Landsberg establish a niche for himself as the guy in the easy chair who reads topics off cue cards.

Landsberg also serves as a great example of the lack of respect that TSN had for wrestling fans. I remember a radio interview he did where he mocked wrestling fans, insulted their intelligence, and accused them of making death threats when they were displeased. This just goes to show how TSN and their public faces thought of the people who watched one of their most successful programs.

This pre-emption program only worsened when RAW moved from USA Network to TNN/SpikeTV. Unlike USA Network, TNN/SpikeTV is available in Canada. And when a Canadian station and an American station carry the same program, Canadian stations use a practice called simulcasting, wherein the signal of the Canadian broadcaster is broadcast over the American signal. At least when both stations are showing the program at the same time. But for some reason, TNN/SpikeTV never showed RAW, except for the very first episode. Even when TSN was showing something else, Canadian TNN/SpikeTV viewers got to enjoy CSI or VIP or one of the other insipid programs that littered the TNN/SpikeTV landscape. Because TSN had the Canadian broadcast rights and because they were showing something else, they had the right to deny RAW to Canadian viewers. Not exactly the actions of a broadcaster that cared about its audience.

Of course, with WWE's move back to USA, this isn't as much of an issue. (Although I would like to point out just how much Canadian television sucks when compared to the U.S. You have TNT, USA, FX, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, TVLand and others, and we have the CBC. Yay, hockey and news. Canada rocks.) But TSN has continued to pre-empt RAW on a somewhat regular basis, particularly for Maple Leafs hockey. RAW continued to bring in decent ratings for TSN, but they were content in the knowledge that wrestling fans would find the programming wherever they stuck it.

But all that is over now. Now TSN can show whatever they want on Monday nights. Of course, they have acquired the rights to the new ESPN Monday Night Football, and then they'll show Leafs games and Blue Jays games. As for the rest of the Monday nights, they'll probably show reruns of World's Strongest Man competitions or darts or billiards or something like that. And we Canadian fans can tune into The Score at 10 pm on Monday nights for RAW, secure in the knowledge that our show won't be pre-empted for piss poor hockey that only appeals to a bunch of brainwashed cult members too stupid to recognize a lost cause when its bites them on the ass.

The 10 pm thing, thats a Can-Con thing. The Score shows horse racing on Monday nights, and they can't move it because of Canadian Content regulations. For those not in the know, Can-Con is legally required Canadian programming. The reasoning for this is that Canadian programming is typically inferior to American programming, and must be forced down the throats of Canadian viewers, who would otherwise show zero interest in watching the garbage that Canadians produce.

IFL In Canada

This weekend, Rogers Sportsnet aired the first International Fight League episode. It was refreshing to see an alternative to UFC on Canadian television, and I'm hoping that this signals a desire on the part of Canadian broadcasters to embrace the world of Mixed Martial Arts.

For those not familiar with the IFL, it has an interesting premise. Rather than simply pitting fighter against fighter, the IFL adds the concept of teams. Each team consists of five fighters, once each in the Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, Light Heavyweight, and Heavyweight weight classes. These five fighters then compete against the fighters from another team. The first team with 3 victories is the winner, although the other fights will go on, on order to help with standings and the like.

The fights take place in a four sided ring, a la Pride. This presents some interesting dimensions that the UFC cage doesn't offer, such as the moving of a ground game from the ropes to the centre of the ring if it appears that the fight is in danger of going outside the ropes. I only mention this because that rule certainly helped Alex Schoenauer on the first episode, as he was able to lock in an excellent heel hook from the bottom after the fight was moved from the ropes to the centre of the ring. Which raises an interesting strategy question, regarding whether getting the fight moved to the centre of the ring is a viable strategy, as it affords the opportunity to take the opponent by surprise when the fight is restarted.

As of right now, there are four teams, each with an MMA legend as coach, but there are a number of teams that have been announced. The four existing teams are:

The Silverbacks, coached by Pat Miletich.

The Anacondas, coached by Bas Rutten.

The Pitbulls, coached by Renzo Gracie.

The Tiger Sharks, coached by Maurice Smith.


It was interesting watching the first episode, not only for the refreshing change of pace from the UFC, but because of some of the faces I saw. First off was UFC referee Herb Dean, who was also the referee for the first match on the show. Thankfully, he didn't end the match too quickly this time. I also saw UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia in the Silverbacks corner. While that shouldn't be surprising, seeing as how Sylvia trains in the Miletich fighting system, I was surprised that Dana didn't exert more control over his fighters, and what they are allowed to implicitly endorse through their presence. Unless Sylvia was later told he is not allowed to attend any further IFL fights, or at least not to appear on camera.

I'm also looking forward to the emergence of some of the new teams, most importantly, the Canadian Dragons, coached by Carlos Newton. Also announced are the Sabres, coached by Antonio Inoki, whose fighters will hopefully be more exciting than the infamous Inoki/Ali fight, the Razorclaws, coached by Mark Coleman, and the Wolfpack, coached by Matt Lindland. With all these great names coaching, the IFL is also wisely putting the coaches in some fights, with Miletich/Gracie announced for their shows in September. I do doubt, however, that Inoki will be taking any fights.

I think the whole IFL concept is interesting, as it offers a new dynamic to the world of MMA, particularly because it makes the triumph of the individual as important as the triumph of the team. More importantly, at least to me, is the fact that the existence of a Canadian team may help to make the sport more accepted here in this desolate wasteland we call a country. Who knows, maybe in the near future, I'll be able to buy tickets to an MMA show in Toronto, or even here in London. Because god knows I don't want to have to go to Quebec, even if they do have better poutine.

NFL Head Coach

So, as promised, I'm presenting my unofficial review of EA Sports' latest offering, NFL Head Coach. As I said before, if you enjoy Owner Mode in the Madden series, you'll probably like NFL Head Coach.

The game starts with the premise that you are one of Pittsburgh's coordinators, either offensive or defensive, and you're now on the free agent market. You decide on your offensive and defensive styles, conduct an interview with a team, and then the job offers come in. Whichever team you interview with will offer you a job, as will three or four other teams. Each team will offer you a certain amount of money, but will also have certain expectations. Better teams will expect you to get to the playoffs, or even a specific round, while other teams will want you to win a certain number of games. Other objectives could include drafting a marquee player, ranking in the top 8 in certain offensive and defensive categories or others.

Once you've signed with a particular team, you'll first hire and fire your assistant coaches. You start with a full coaching roster, but you can fire the ones you don't want, and hire new ones. No matter what you do, at least one of them is going to cop some major attitude during the season, and will probably quit during a staff meeting. The only coaching staff member you have no control of is the Scouting Director.

Once you've got your roster, you'll have to deal with your restricted free agents. Then the draft. Then your unrestricted free agents. Pretty much the way things go in the regular offseason. During each part, you'll have particular goals you'll have to achieve, like re-signing certain players, drafting certain positions, and making sure you have the minimum number of players at each position. This also brings me to one of my favorite aspects of the game.

Real Players. Games like Madden and NCAA Football give you the option to create your own player(s). But the game doesn't have any limits, and you can create a player with perfect stats. While I can see the appeal in this, as I've done it myself, its also kind of like cheating. Head Coach offers no such option. You play with real players, warts and all. So those players who only win when they have a team of mutants may not enjoy the game as much. In this game, you stand a good chance of losing, particularly if your players aren't very good.

Once you finally get to training camp is when the fun begins. You'll have to run practices to make sure your players get their skills to their highest possible level. Certain practices will have more impact on a player's individual stats, but won't contribute anything to the teamwork. Other practices will build teamwork, but do nothing for individual stats. The trick is running the right number of the right kind of practices. Preseason is interesting, because you may run into a situation where you don't have time to run enough practices. Or, in the worst possible situation, you won't have time for any practices. Which brings me to one of my complaints about the game.

Scheduling. Each week, you'll have certain scheduled events that you can't change. A meeting with the owner, a staff meeting, scouting meetings and "office hours." The problem is that many of these are pointless. Once you get into the regular season, the owner meeting will just be skipped over. But there it is, on your schedule, taking up two hours you could be using for something else. The same with office hours. These are when you can fiddle with your roster or answer phone calls and read emails. But you can't make phone calls, or do other things. During my preseason I had one period where I had nothing but assigned tasks, meaning that I didn't run a single practice in that time. So shockingly, I wasn't able to meet any of my weekly goals. Which brings me to my next criticism of the game.

Goals. Each week, in preseason and regular season, you have assigned goals. But for some reason, the game doesn't always recognize when you've reached that goal. For example, you will almost certainly be assigned a goal to ensure that your QB is at 100%. So you run the appropriate practices, but the goal isn't met. Then you check your depth chart, and you find that your QB actually IS at 100%. But you have to switch the QB in and out of the depth chart to get the game to recognize that. Its quite exasperating, and if EA hasn't fixed it by the time the next edition comes out, it will be a major flaw that could kill any interest in the game.

Coaching the game is an interesting mix of playcalling, motivation and strategy. During practice, you'll build up certain plays to be money plays, meaning that you'll have a greater chance of success when using them in a game situation. You'll have to call the plays you think will work, depending on down and yardage, etc, etc. But you also have the ability to motivate and strategize with your players. You can strategize during practices, and that strategy should carry through the game. Or you can strategize with a player while the play is going on. For example, if your defense is on the field, once you've called the play, you can turn around and strategize with your offensive players. Its an interesting feature, but it also relates to my other complaint about the game.

Motivation. I understand the need to motivate players. And the dangers inherent in doing so. If you motivate properly, your player will respond well. If you say the wrong thing, the player won't respond well. The key is figuring out what the player needs to hear. The problem lies in the lack of options. When you go to motivate a player, you have two options, one AGGressive, and one PASsive. But sometimes the passive one is really passive aggressive. Sometimes you're just hoping for an 'atta boy' option, but that isn't available.

All in all, NFL Head Coach is a good first effort. There are some things missing, like doctors, trainers and the media. I think a press conference after the game would make it much better, as would be consultations with the medical staff over how best to treat an injured player. Other things need to be fixed, like the goals and the scheduling. But overall, I'm enjoying the game. There are times when I find myself reacting to a great play, cheering for the player as he breaks it out and busts down the field, or swearing at the television over an interception. Which is probably the best sign of how good the game is.

UFC 61: Bitter Audiences

Wow, did the fans shit all over that or what? By the end of the main event, I thought I was watching a German scheisse video.

• I guess you could say that Joe Stephenson won. But he really didn't show anything, and winning because your opponent couldn't clot isn't much of a victory. Once again, a TUF champion showed that he's not ready for the big time.
• Yves Edwards head was a thing of beauty at the end of that match. Is it wrong that I said that?
• Okay, so the first guy they fed to Frank Mir beat him. The second guy they fed to Mir lost a controversial decision that in all reality, he probably should have won. Is UFC going to feed another guy to Mir in the hopes of making him championship material, or are they going to cut their losses?
• Should Herb Dean have stopped the Shamrock/Ortiz fight, probably. But why did they give this fight to Dean and not Big John McCarthy? Dean has a history of making controversial decisions, and he didn't seem like the guy to ref a fight this big. I think Meltzer put it best when he said, "This was not what the UFC needed with this kind of momentum." This match, after all the hype, all the anticipation, needed a decisive ending.
• Then again, I doubt Shamrock would have conceded defeat unless he had been knocked unconscious. But watching Tito celebrate was good times.
• Burkman/Neer was the kind of fight that you don't mind going to see go to a decision. Next fight, Neer should consider backing up his taunting with some actual fighting.
• Arlovski/Sylvia was everything a main event shouldn't be. It was dull, it was plodding. Arlovski seemed to have forgotten that he was allowed to throw kicks, or even take it to the mat, if he so desired. Sylvia seemed content to wait for the big punch. After that match, Arlovski didn't deserve to win the belt, but Sylvia didn't deserve to keep it. Hopefully Monson will pound the crap out of Sylvia, because right now, the UFC Heavyweight division is the most boring division in the UFC. My suggestion, give us the Arlovski/Mir fight that people were clamouring for before Mir's return. It'll force Mir to step up his game, and may get Arlovski out of his funk.

Other Thoughts:

• The booth was missing Joe Rogan. As methodical as Randy Couture is in the octagon, he is just as methodical on the microphone. Hopefully Joe isn't on the outs with UFC and will be back for the next PPV.
• Shock of the night was Dana announcing "his friend," Wanderlei Silva. That shock was followed closely by Silva wearing a Pride shirt. The only thing I don't like is the fact that Liddell has to beat Sobral to get to Silva. If Liddell loses, does Sobral fight Silva? Is the match between Liddell and Silva a title match?
• Does this mean we're going to see some kind of partnership between Pride and UFC? Does this mean that Dana has realized the TUF fighters aren't main event calibre?
• Has there been a Dana White edict not to use the name Miletich? I know Randy and Goldberg used the name, but Goldberg wasn't exactly on his game last night (did I really hear him say Tito and Shamrock won?) But they're announcing guys as being MFS fighters, not Miletich System fighters. Just seems that Miletich has become persona non grata in Danaland.

Advice On Watching UFC At A Bar

• If you're going to watch UFC at a bar, and the show starts at 10, don't show up at 9:30 expecting to find a seat. And certainly don't show up at 9:55 expecting to find a seat.
• If you're going to wear a hat, turn it around so the brim doesn't block people's view.
• If you're a couple, don't cudde. A) Public Displays of Affection are nauseating, and B) your two heads together blocks the television. If you want to cuddle, do it on your couch at home. Especially if one of you is pregnant. Pregnant women shouldn't be out in public, let alone cuddling.
• I could rant about the drunken morons shouting at the screen during the Arlovski/Sylvia, but damn if they weren't the most interesting thing about that damn fight. The best was that they were each cheering for a different guy, and were arguing about who should win. And then it broke down into calling the guys 'pussies' and telling them to stop dancing while pounding on the silverware laden table. They almost made the match bearable.

Always Put Salt In Your Eyes

Just some random thoughts.

• I just finished Orson Scott Card's Speaker For The Dead. Again. Have you ever noticed how reading a good book can be totally invigorating? Seriously, that book is just incredible. Now I have to find my copy of Ender's Game and read that again.
• Speaking of which, Ender's Game is such an odd book. Odd, in that its such an important book, but it often gets shunted into juvenile literature. Not that I don't want kids reading it, in fact, more kids should read it, but so should adults. Certainly before they read a Harry Potter book. But when you give a book a cover like this most adults won't be likely to pick it up. And yes, I've read the Harry Potter books, and enjoyed them.
• What is the preferred justification style? Right justified or full justified? I prefer the rigid guidelines offered by full justification, and feel that it makes the reading flow better. But in the notes on my thesis proposal, my professor said that right justification allowed "for a more natural, readable look to the page." So I did it his way, but I still prefer full justification. But I am falling in love with Chicago citation style.
• Man, that last one reveals me as a total academic nerd.
• I'm watching Family Business right now on The Movie Network, and Cousin Stevie is visiting Lucha Va Voom to find new talent for Adam's talent agency. Man, burlesque and lucha libre, what a combination. I totally need to move to L.A. So now I guess I need to write up my script treatments. Does anyone know how to sell those?
• Man, Myrna just dumped Adam. Bummer.
• I think RVD's punishment is justified, and I'm somewhat glad that WWE chose to punish him, rather than ignore the incident to keep him on the ECW shows. Not that ECW's success seems to be a priority to anyone.
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was nominated for an Emmy. That's so awesome. Me love Eduardo.
• The decision to nominate Martin Sheen for Best Actor makes less sense.
• It is interesting to see that Lost, Desperate Housewives and the entire CSI family were all excluded from nominations.
• 24 also makes little sense. Don't get me wrong, I love the show, even though I don't watch it on television, and instead wait until its out on DVD. But its escapist fare. It would be like seeing Superman Returns nominated for Best Picture
• I picked up EA's NFL Head Coach. If you like Owner Mode in Madden and NCAA, you'll probably like this game. I'll write up a more detailed review, as there are some flaws that need to be addressed.
• TVTropolis is now onto Season 2 of 90210. It's total soap opera now. Bless them. The episode where Scott accidentally shoots himself at his birthday party is a classic. Evidently the guy who played Scott is now in USAF Intelligence.
• Looking forward to UFC 61 tomorrow night, despite the fact that my roommate has abandoned me and gone to visit his buddy in St. Louis. Or, as I like to call it, the place where you can buy better snack foods than in Canada.
• Why can't I get Hostess Fruit Pies or pudding pies here? Are they so much to ask?
• Didn't bother watching the second episode of Blade: The Series. It will be interesting to see what the ratings for the show will be without UFC. Same with TNA: Impact.
• The title for this post came courtesy of the Kids In The Hall. Man, what happened to Dave Foley? Dude looks rough these days, particularly compared to those shows.