The Shrek Incident

Sit back and watch in awe as Detroit City Council member Monica Conyers gets leveled by an 8th grader. This is one of the most remarkable videos I've seen in a while.

I think they should put a special seat on the Council for young Kierra Bell.

How Chauncey Got His Groove Back

I don't know exactly what it is... But the Detroit Pistons routinely do what they aren't supposed to do in the NBA playoffs. In '04 they weren't supposed to beat the Lakers in the finals (especially not in 5 games), in '07 they weren't supposed to lose to the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals- hell, they aren't even supposed to originally have been in the Eastern Conference Finals for the last 5 seasons. There are more examples of this.
So now, in '08, we are playing the young Philadelphia 76'ers in the first round. Philly is not considered to be one of the top tier Eastern Conference teams (#7 compared to the Pistons who are the #2 seed with the second best record in the league). But we are having a tough time with them, and of course that's not supposed to happen. But the 'Sixers are hungry, young and fast. And they are destroying the Pistons on fast breaks, hustle, aggression and offense in-the-paint I almost would have liked it better if the Pistons had squeaked into the playoffs and then my expectations would be a lot lower. But instead, we have every analyst, player and human being in front of an electronic voice-amplifying device spreading their opinions about how Detroit doesn't care, they are too relaxed, they aren't hungry, Flip Saunders resembles Huey Lewis (ok, they don't say that but Fisher and I do), etc. Even rejected former Piston and Detroit native Chris Webber has weighed in on the matter (see this article).
So what is a Pistons fan to do? My suggestion is to do like Chauncey does lately and don't even show up until the second half, if at all. Watching the first half is pretty frustrating in these playoffs, so just skip it. As a matter of fact, skip game 1 of the next series altogether if you are a Pistons fan. It will be beyond exasperating as you watch the Pistons relax strolling into the second round, cockily, to face another team they will underestimate, the Orlando Magic. I tested this theory on Sunday as spousal obligations prevented me from seeing the first half fiasco. I settled in to watch the second half comeback, without living any of the pain. I highly recommend it. And yes, I have skipped to the second round. We got this...

Pistons vs. 'Sixers Game 2

We went to the Palace of Auburn Hills last night for Game 2 of the first-round of the NBA playoffs. Luckily, Rip remembered that he can sink baskets and our man Maxiell really came alive and made a difference so we clobbered Philly like we are supposed to. Unluckily for the poor older woman at the game she was seated next to me, and those seats aren't too big. So I think I kind of cramped her style, as evidenced by the expression on her face. What are ya gonna do? My brother is blurred on the left.

Keak Da Sneak Feat. Prodigy & The Alchemist- That Go (Remix)

Check out our boy Al in Keak's new clip.

Springtime for Naomi in Soho

Out for a walk today on a balmy 75 degree Saturday afternoon, minding my own business... We were in the, dare I say, Euro-trashy section of W. Broadway near Downtown Cipriani when we spotted Naomi Campbell's doppelganger. This wasn't a photo shoot though, she just wanted to stand in the street talking to the super awesome dudes driving sports cars. You know, your normal typical scenario.
A few blocks ahead, the van pictured below eagerly stood... You know the Pope is in NYC today!

CBGB's Goes Varvatos

A few weeks ago, the world famous punk rock bar/club CBGB's was reopened as clothing designer John Varvatos's new LES boutique. I had a chance to go over there last weekend and snap a picture inside before I was (very politely) asked to not continue to do so. I know that CBGB's is sacred ground and that a ton of people were heartbroken and depressed by it's closing, and I knew there would be protest about it like this article in the New York Post. But I must say, given the spectrum of things that could have been put in there, and the very conscientious preservation effort that Varvatos undertook to pay homage to the club, people should really count their blessings. What would they prefer it became, a Starbucks or a Burger King? At least with what Varvatos did (keeping some original graffiti covered walls, bringing in vintage speakers, amps and instruments, and vintage rock photographs and posters) pays serious homage to the club's legacy. Sure, he sells high-price faux-aged denim, but so what? I think folks should reconsider and appreciate Varvatos's efforts just a bit, even if it is for a high-end retail commercial endeavor. Sure, be sad that the original classic is gone, but don't take it out on the guy trying to do the right thing.

Not 8 Mile

Shouts to AM and Sear for the link.

Tracy Morgan @ Caroline's

I am a huge Tracy Morgan fan. I've really enjoyed his brand of humor starting with his days on Saturday Night Live, followed by his stand up and subsequent 30 Rock success (let's just forget that The Tracy Morgan Show ever happened). On Saturday, myself and Mr. Dart Parker went to check out Tracy do his thing at Caroline's Comedy Club in NYC. We've both seen Tracy perform stand-up in person around a half-dozen times, mostly in NY and once in Detroit. One thing you have to know about Tracy's stand-up routine is that its super filthy. I'm not talking like Dice or Eddie Murphy raunchy, I mean like cringe-your-face-that's-so-gross-why-is-he-even-saying-that brand of filth. So it was even more entertaining when the family pictured here (Dad, Mom and Son) were assaulted for most of the show by Tracy. In part of the clip I posted you can see some of the jabs. But he spent a few minutes (which I don't have) explaining to the parents that their son spends most of his time masturbating in his room on the Internet and so he's used to all this filth. I'll save you the description of what Tracy said the poor kid's room smells like. The parents and the son were pretty good sports, though. I've seen people literally walk out because they were so disgusted by his bits. If you have the opportunity, definitely go check him out (as long as you aren't offended by graphic sex comedy). It's great, classic stuff from an underrated modern comic gem. (Thanks to Tracy and Yee for the tickets and drinks!)

The Knux- Sucker Free Blog 2

Here is Part 2 of The Knux on Mtv's Suckerfree Blog.

The Bird

With the slow start of the Detroit Tigers this season, I did some reminiscing on some of my former favorite Tigers teams and players. I don't think that anyone stands out in my mind more than Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. This guy was Rookie of the Year in 1976 and pulled the Tigers out of their 1975 league-worst record. But even more memorable was this dude's antics. He used to sweep the dirt around the mound and mold it with his hands, as well as talk to himself and the ball constantly in between pitches.
Check out this 1985 follow-up interview with The Bird well after his retirement. If you have the time, stay tuned until the end. Because just when you think that maybe the man is actually normal and he was just getting a bad rap, he starts going off about not being invited to be on Magnum P.I. with other Tigers star players. His bountiful Massachusetts accent is enough entertainment on it's own.

It's archived stuff like this that really makes YouTube incredible.

Shady Stick-Up

Been meaning to put this up for a while... This is the most recent sticker pack from the evil designers at Shady Ltd. Share amongst yourselves!

Record Label- The Game

Check out this link for a funny satire on the company that brought you Rock Band's new video game, Record Label.

The Knux- Sucker Free Blog

Check out Part 1 of The Knux interview with Mtv's Suckerfree Blog.

Cedar Fest '08 Video

I found this pretty well-edited video (complete with soundtrack) of the party and subsequent police force from Cedar Fest at Michigan State University. It starts off slow but gets pretty good. My two favorite parts are the kid making faces and rabbit ears behind the riot police and the short girl who decides to try to take a street sign into her apartment. Looks like there was plenty of tear gas to go around,,,

Cedar Fest Returns!

I graduated from Michigan State University in '93, and I can attest to the fact that State is indeed a party school. MSU has a longstanding tradition of idiotic student behavior that has resulted in drunken foolishness such as starting fires and flipping cars over. Michigan State hes the distinction of being the largest and hardest partying University in Michigan (Wolverines all know this). The main location of this ignorance is an apartment complex called Cedar Village, which is located on the east side of the campus.
Tradition is strong at State, and one of those traditions is a notorious spring term party the first weekend in April called "Cedar Fest". Banned from the University in 1986 following a particularly rowdy soiree, Cedar Fest made its return last Saturday night- 22 years later. I lived in Cedar Village my sophomore year, and while we didn't have a Cedar Fest per se, that was one dedicated party complex. You gotta respect the fact that the kids value tradition... Check this article out detailing the police force asserted (tear gas and flash grenades) and the 52 arrests made by local, campus and state police forces.

Tap That

The geniuses at Krups (they usually make high-end coffee makers, etc.) have come up with a brilliant new product- the Krups Beer Tender. This wonderment is designed exclusively for use with the Heineken mini-kegs and uses a carbonating system to make sure that the beer stays fresh for 30 days. Anyone that knows me knows that I love Heineken (yes I visited the museum in Amsterdam). It wouldn't take me 30 days to drink one of those mini-kegs...

Yo! Mtv Raps 20th Anniversary

Shade45's own DJ Cipha Sounds was lucky enough to have the honor of hosting Yo! Mtv Raps' 20th Anniversary special. Guests included Wyclef Jean, Flava Flav and Rev. Al Sharpton (?). They built a very cool site out for the celebration of this classic program you can check out here. Visit it and remember and prove you are nearing middle-agedom like you are bringin' '88 back.

Akon Calls T-Pain

This is very stupid and very silly and funny.

Feathered

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On Saturday, March 22, 2008, there was a giant, organized pillow fight in Union Square, New York City. As my wife and I approached Ave. of the Americas on 14th St. coming from the westside, we noticed a substance floating in the air. People were also covered with that same substance, walking away from the park. It turns out there were feathers floating everywhere, and feathers covered people's clothes and hair. We had no idea this was going on, and luckily I had my camera with me like I usually do on the weekends. The clean-up efforts were masssive, as you can see. I don't know why the portly super hero was there...

More on Delis

My man Jon Cohen forwarded me this link in response to my Rascal House post. Lot's more on the Rascal House and various Jewish delis around the world.